New Year, New Projects, New Storage Solutions

NEW YEAR 

Happy 2009! It has certainly been quite awhile since I’ve posted a blog, and I apologize for being so out of touch these past few weeks. We spent a wonderful, relaxing, quiet holiday here at home and enjoyed having some much needed “down time” with just the four of us. Our Christmas was lovely, although without any snow, and we spent time playing board games with the boys, napping, watching old movies and just enjoying the kids, dog and cats. While it would have been even better to share the holiday with family and friends, we made the most of our time by playing, relaxing, and laughing. Lots.

 

NEW PROJECTS

Even with my ever-pressing list of workshops, magazine, and project deadlines, I did manage to find time to finish several magazine articles and work on a new quilt design and a wool class project. And although it is still a year and a half away, I’m already working on my class projects for a 2010 cruise to Alaska with Quilt Seminars at Sea! I’ll be sharing more information about this cruise in the coming weeks and months ahead. If you’d like to take a first-class trip with a group of fabulous instructors (myself included) and sail to a stunningly beautiful destination with plenty of time to create gorgeous quilts, mark your calendars now for this trip. In red ink.

NEW STORAGE

We also took advantage of our down time between Christmas and the New Year by making a few changes and improvements around the house. Aside from the tedious task of un-holiday decorating, we took down Josh’s bunk bed and replaced it with a queen-size bed from one of the extra guest rooms. A trip to the local Rotes Kreuz (Red Cross) store produced a wonderful new desk for him painted in red and grey (his favorite Ohio State colors!) just right for a young man’s “pad;” and a huge, gently used, extra large shrunk for me to turn the newly-emptied guest room into the perfect quilt storage room. Ever since our move to Germany last June my collection of quilts have been stored in cardboard dish pack boxes in the basement. Shameful, I know. So I decided to begin the New Year on a fresh, positive note and give my quilts the proper treatment and storage they deserve: protected from sunlight, dust and damp conditions. I’ll admit: I’m sleeping better now that I know my quilts are stored properly. Zzzzzzzz.

 

NEW BOOK

 

With the New Year, comes the time for me to get busy working on writing the manuscript for my next book to be published by AQS. I’m thrilled to be working with the new Executive Book Editor, Andy Reynolds and the entire creative team. The folks at AQS have always been my publishing “family” and I’m honored Meredith Schroeder, the publisher, wants to work me again on another book. I can’t let the cat out of the bag just yet, but this book will be bold, bright, beautiful, and filled with quilts, projects, surprised and other goodies you’ll just love! (Here’s a hint: think “sweet treats.”) So if my blog entries in the beginning of this New Year seem a little more infrequent, I hope you’ll understand. I need to dedicate some serious time and effort to working on not only the manuscript, but actually making the quilts and projects themselves! But there’s no better time than right now, and I’m ready to settle in for some serious creative energy to flow in my studio. Whoosh!

 

Here’s hoping your new year is off to a fantastic beginning, and may 2009 bring lots of good things your way. Cheers and blessings to you!

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