Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Unexcused absence

Oh my, the summer got away from me. I didn't intend to back off from blogging, but I got b(l)ogged down and couldn't give it the attention I wanted to. I think things are on a more even keel once again.

Since I last posted, most of my quilting has been for Project Linus. I do enjoy it, but it seems to have taken over my quilting and I am trying to contain it. And on the personal front, we had some big family celebrations this summer (two major birthdays) and both our daughters moved -- one to Berkeley, California, and one to New York City! Wow! I foresee a lot of travel in my future...but I couldn't ask for more fun places to visit.

In a renewed effort to do my own quilting, I am heading downstairs to clean up my space and get going. Here are just a few photos until I have some real stuff stuff to show.
My guild's biennial quilt show was a couple weeks ago. Very cool -- the quilts were hung among the historic aircraft in the Rantoul Air and Space museum! Here's the Project Linus booth -- you can see our string quilts and strippie quilts (thank you, Mary, for the instructions!), as well as others that we made. Almost all our Project Linus info was picked up on the first day of the show!
And this is Carol Doak, Queen of Paper Piecing, wrapped up in her special Tribute to Carol Doak quilt. She taught a class here in town, and she's a fantastic instructor. Paper piecing has never been my thing, but I feel now like I can do it when I decide I want to. She was terrific.
And the skills we work so hard to develop, Mother Nature simply gives to spiders. Look at this amazing web I saw on my walk the other morning -- and look at that HUGE green spider in the middle! There was a section of the park I have dubbed Spider Alley because it was one web after another.
Isn't this one just gorgeous?

For those of you who emailed me or just checked to see if I was posting, thank you. I'm baaaaack!

18 comments:

Nina Lise@Mrs Moen said...

The Project Linus quilts are so bright and happy. Our guild have just started a similar project for the local hospital, and we are arranging our first workshop to make blocks in December. Next on our program is tieing finished tops at our April meeting, and sewing bindings in May.

Rosalyn Manesse said...

Yea! I missed you. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Your spider photos are outstanding. And I love the quilts for Linus

floribunda said...

It's good to see you back, Cheri! Definitely get in touch when you come out to Berkeley, since it's right next door.

Twisted Quilts said...

Glad to have you back even though we are also friends on Facebook. Fascinating spider webs, I love to look at webs, not too crazy about the spiders but I love the big webs.

Libby said...

Cheri welcome back...I missed you! Your Linus quilts look great.

Meggie said...

Lovely to see you back!! Lovely quilts, lucky recipients.

jillytacy said...

Welcome back! It's easy to get blogged down in life and neglect your blog. I have too. I'm glad you're back! The quilts look great and the webs are very cool!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Good for you for living your life instead of spending the summer at your computer keyboard!

Glad to know things are going well...

Quiltdivajulie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Browndirtcottage said...

Oh...Oh...I missed you!!

Julie Zaccone Stiller said...

Glad you're back in blog-land. Those spiderweb pictures are so beautiful, love them!

laura west kong said...

The spider webs are very pretty. Good to see you back!

Mary Johnson said...

The webs are interesting but I hate spiders -- especially giant ones!

I understand how quilting for an organization can take over your quilting. I love the work I do for HeartStrings but I've tried this year to make sure I have time for my own piecing too -- even if that piecing is a donation quilt. With the longarm, it's easy to get into the mode of just quilting tops donated by others.

beth said...

so happy to see all those project linus quilts! good job! AND those spider pics! I tried to take a picture recently of a web and totally failed. HOw did you get the web to stand out like that?

Elsie Montgomery said...

So good to see your posts again... and the quilts are so colorful. I too love the spider web photos. They certainly know how to create a luring trap, and at the same time give us another art form to copy when we quilt!

Cathi said...

I'm so glad you're back!! That spider web would have had me running the other direction. The webs are pretty, no question, but the spiders? Not my favourite creature!

Tonya Ricucci said...

awesome spider web, but that spider is creepy! so glad you're back in action.

sewkalico said...

Wow, what wonderful webs!! Lovely photo of Ms Doak!!!