2015 is shaping up to be an incredible year, if incredible can be defined as "I'm so flippin' busy I don't know whether I'm coming or going, but I'm sure having a blast doing it."
This is one of those "alternate years", when all the quilt shows where I vend are scrunched together into a few hectic weeks in the fall. This year I also happen to have a number of guild events all scrunched together in the late winter/ early spring.
Schedule for first four months of 2015:
Jan. 21, Clamshell Quilters, Waterford, CT, vending night
Mar. 2, Shoreline Quilters, Branford, CT, trunk show/lecture
Mar. 21, Ninigret Quilters, Westerly, RI, workshop, Sixty Degrees of Separation
April 13, Linsey Woolsey Quilt Guild, Attleboro Falls, MA, trunk show/lecture
April 20, Silver City Quilt Guild, Taunton, MA, trunk show/lecture
Tonight is my first "event" of the year. I'm heading out to vending night at Clamshell Quilters in nearby Waterford, CT. I had hoped to finish a new bag pattern in time for this event, but when it became obvious it just wasn't going to happen, I decided I could wait to launch it at my next trunk show in March. So... Shoreline Quilters of Branford, CT, you will be the first to see this up close and personal. Put your thinking caps on, because when I post the finished pieces in the near future, I will be having a contest - the "Naming Barb's New Bag Pattern Contest". Grand prize to be announced.
Tonight is meatloaf and roasted veggies night- one of my standbys for nights when we won't be eating together. I take a large baking dish (roasting pan for more than a few people) and drizzle in a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a liberal sprinkle of your favorite dried herb blend (Italian or Greek seasoning, Herbes de Province, etc.). Cut potatoes and carrots in chunks (I don't peel my potatoes, but I DO peel the carrots); If your carrots are fat, cut your chunks in half lengthwise. Dump in the pan, mix, and push to the two ends of your pan. Make your favorite meatloaf recipe (beef, turkey, whatever) in form into a loaf in the middle of the pan. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes, turn potatoes and carrots, and continue cooking until done (about another 20 minutes). Serve with a green salad.
The lovely fat quarters that have been taunting me for nigh onto a year are finally being put to use in a quilt that is a mashup of traditional and modern aesthetics. No sneak preview yet- this will take me a long time to make. I'm waiting for a snowday or ten when I can stay home from work and stitch to my hearts content. I'm participating in Beth Helfter's
Drop and Give Me Twenty this year. If I commit to twenty minutes a day during February, I just may make some headway on this. Sadly, these gorgeous fabrics have been discontinued, but if you google "Sabine Rinehart Magic Garden" you will see photos of these fabrics.
Sunday night is my
Third Annual Superbowl Sunday Craft-a-Thon. For those of you who have never participated in this Facebook event, let me explain. You have my permission to spend a few hours doing something crafty. You can quilt, knit, bake... even write books if that's your thing. During the evening we post pictures, share our progress, and have a lot of fun. I had lots of prizes during my fall Craft-a-Thon; this one will have a prize or two, but I'm keeping mum about them until they are awarded. Come join us.
Tomorrow is "my" day on the Island Batik blog hop (or as it is called, "Sock Hop"). It's the first time I've shared a pattern on my blog- I wanted something quick and easy that could be made by stitchers of all levels. So...come back tomorrow for my pattern "Besties".
