Around the World Blog Hop

My MCM Bee friend Linda tagged me in the Around the World Blog Hop.  Welcome to those of you here for the first time as well as frequent visitors ;-)  Linda and I live in the same state but have yet to meet.  We plan on doing that in Austin next February at QuiltCon!

This quilting community has introduced me to so many wonderful friends - some I've even been fortunate to meet in real life.  Blogging provides that initial means of getting to know one another, and this blog hop is a great way of introducing bloggers you may not be familiar with.

So here are some questions asked to facilitate the process:

WIPs on the design wall

What are you working on?

There is always more than one project going on at a time in my sewing room.  My spiderweb bee blocks are taking up one whole design wall and I'm making this quilt a priority even though it is for me to keep.

extremely old WIP on second design wall

Usually if the quilt is for me it gets put on the back burner like this Cowboy/Cowgirl quilt that I started three years ago at retreat.   I put the blocks up on my second design wall in the hope of motivating me to finish.

M-5 Mother's Point

A new(isn) project is a Dear Jane quilt in all Kaffe Fassett fabrics similar to this beauty.  It has been on my list for a very long time and I have stopped and started working on it more than once.  During conversations with friends I find I am not alone when it comes to big projects such as this.

M-12 Hopscotch

For that reason, my sister Michelle, good friend Cindy and I are starting what we call Choose Your Own Blockalong.  While I am making blocks for a Dear Jane quilt, Michelle and Cindy have decided to sew blocks from Tula Pink's City Sampler 100 Modern Quilt Blocks.   In the spirit of accountability, on Mondays (starting today) we are each posting (at least) two blocks from our respective projects.  Feel free to play along if you need some motivation for an ongoing quilt project - it doesn't have to be either of these.  It's fun sewing with friends and seeing weekly progress.

How does my work differ from others?

I don't know…does it?!  Like most everyone, I make what I like.  My tastes have changed over the years, and my skills have improved which translates into evolution of quilts made.  There are times when I would like to ask for all my earlier quilts back from their recipients so I can redo them ;-)  I learn something from each quilt made.  Surely, I'm not alone in this.

Why do I create what I do?

Home…. quilt for a special family

For family:  Most of my quilts are gifted to family and friends. You can read more about the Home quilt for my son and DIL here.

Baby quilt for charity

Charity:  There was a time when I made mini quilts for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative, but they are no longer active.  The latest charity quilt I made was just finished this weekend and will go to our local Beta Center.

Sewing Circle DWR

Guild challenges:  Our OrlandoMQG encouraged participation in the Double Wedding Ring challenge.  Normally I would not contemplate such a quilt, but I did participate by making a small DWR.  I'm excited to say this Sewing Circle was invited to join Victoria's DWR Traveling Exhibit with the Original Sewing & Quilting Expo.

Peace, Love and Happiness - 50th birthday

Milestones:  I wanted to write a pattern for my peace quilt as a turning 50 goal and photograph the quilt at the top of our favorite hike on my 50th birthday.

Have a Heart celebrating 30 year anniversary

This quilt was made for my husband to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary and was inspired by a Pandora jewelry ad.

Liberated just for me

Just because:  Isn't this a good enough reason?!  It should be, but I don't use it enough.

Hope you enjoyed this stop on the blog tour.  I am tagging three awesome bloggers for next week so be sure you visit them.

Michele of Nostalgic Cafe is my guild buddy, QuiltCon roomie and fellow founding OrlandoMQG officer.  If you are not a regular reader of her blog, you don't know what you're missing!

Jessica of  A Little Gray made the quilt I received in my very first Flickr swap.  I was happy to meet her recently in Nashville during Sew Down.

I have followed Nina Lise of Mrs. Moen ever since I  read her Blogger's Quilt Festival entry in 2009 shortly after I started my blog.  Nine Lise is an incredible artist, and her words on that particular day especially drew me in.   As she lives in Norway, I don't know that I will get the opportunity to meet her in person.  I will settle for her lovely inspiration.

Thanks for stopping by,