HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Today was a special day for this Nana. I attended our 2nd grade grandson, Cameryn's Thanksgiving Play. Cameryn is on the left, our nephew, Christian is on the right and the litle guy in the middle is their buddy. In this picture the boys are wearing their deer antlers. The title of the play was Not This Turkey and it was a very cute little play which had Goldilocks and her Mom looking for a turkey for their Thanksgiving Dinner. The play ended with Goldilocks and her Mom going to McDonald's for dinner! The kids did a great job with each one of their parts.
At this special time we always think about all of the blessings for which we are thankful. I am very thankful for my family, my home and my jobs. I am also very thankful for the over 700 quilters that I have met here at Thunder Bay Resort's Perfect Quilter's Retreats. I am looking forward to welcoming several of our friends back to Thunder Bay Resort and also meeting new friends in the new year. Above all I thank God for all of his blessings. Take care of yourselves and enjoy your Thanksgiving Day with family and friends. And remember to count you blessings!!

Snow, Snow and More Snow

We got slammed with snow here in northeast Michigan yesterday and last night. Several schools in the area are closed today. Days like today make me want to stay home and sew. But, there are always things that need to be done in the office. I have been working on some Christmas gifts and this is very early for me. Usually I am stressing about my Christmas gift sewing during the middle of December. What are you making for Christmas gifts this year??

Doe Sew Day

It is deer hunting season right now in Hillman. Our Quilt Guild held it's 4th Annual Doe Sew Day on Thursday. It is our Guild's version of hunting camp. Karen, staff member at Thunder Bay Resort's Quilter's Retreats hosts the event and does a wonderful job. A license is required to enter the "hunting compound." This year we selected a quilt block name and had to wear something that depicted that block. It was fun to see all of the different interpretations. The group of 24 Guild members spent the day making Christmas stockings for children in need. The very productive group made 103 stockings. A pot luck lunch was enjoyed and prizes were given out throughout the day.

Tiny Miracle Quilts

Charity quilts are very near and dear to my heart. A few years ago I stumbled upon a program where quilters make quilts for preemies and babies with serious health problems. I started making these little quilts in honor of our great niece Amy who is a Tiny Miracle. She was born with many health problems. She is 6 1/2 years old now. She and her family still face many challenges but she truly is a gift from God. I have made over 250 quilts that are given to parents of preemies and/or critically ill babies. It is such a rewarding feeling to be able to help someone in time of need. Some of my quilts are hand quilted and some are machine quilted. There are many, many charities in our world that would greatly appreciate quilts. I urge you to do some investigating and get involved in some charity sewing.

A wonderful Quilter's Retreat

I had a wonderful time at the Quilter's Retreat last weekend in Gaylord, Michigan. I worked on Christmas gifts so I am not able to show any pictures right now. These are pictures of WIP's (Works in Progress) by my friends Carolyn, Eileen and Nancy. Twenty people attended the retreat and there was a large variety of projects in the works. I wasn't able to take pictures of everything. It was so nice to visit with "old" friends and make new friends. It was also great to have meals made for us, we didn't have to cook or clean up the kitchen. The staff even made our beds every morning!! Thanks Sharon for hosting a wonderful 3 day party. I am anxiously looking forward to my next retreat. I will be joining 9 female members of my family for a Quilter's Retreat at a friends cabin in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I know it will be a great time, spending tiime with family and sprinkling in a little quilting.

I am going to a Quilter's Retreat!!

I will be attending a Quilter's Retreat for the next 3 days. I am so excited. This is the 3rd year that I have attended this retreat in Gaylord, Michigan. Sharon from Quilter's General Store started the retreats. Sharon retired and closed the General Store. Delpine Miller opened Delphine's Quilt Shop and will host this years retreat. I have been busy getting some projects ready to work on. By the looks of my project bag there won't be any sleeping for me!! I plan to work on some Christmas gift projects. Delphine's Quilt Shop will also be holding their Grand Opening this weekend so I plan to check that out. She will be having some interesting demonstrations throughout the weekend. It will be fun to visiting with friends at the retreat and just sew, sew, sew!!!!

Stitcher's Showcase

A princess and a princess quilt

Last weekend, husband Steve, daughter Heather and grand daughter Allie and I attended a Quilt Show in Gaylord hosted by the Heart of the Pines Quilt Guild. It was a beautiful show. Their members out did themselves with some absolutely beautiful quilts. Allie is sitting in front of a Princess Castle quilt. Of course Allie's Mom strongly hinted to Nana that Allie needs a Princess Castle quilt! Steve and I have attended many quilt shows, from small local Quilt Shows to Houston, Paducah and Chicago. It always amazes me that we have so many talented people in our Quilt World. I urge you to keep your eyes open for Quilt Shows and try to attend a few. I always come away with ideas and inspiration. And don't forget the vendors - they always have lots of new ideas, fabrics, patterns, notions, etc.

Piecing the border

I am not a morning person! My husband will be the first to agree with me. But, this morning I woke up at 6:00 o'clock and started thinking about all of the projects in my sewing room, both already started and the ones I am anxious to work on. So, I decided to get up and do some sewing before work this morning. It was great. I got about 2 hours of sewing in before I had to get ready for work. I am piecing the border for my Spider Hexagon quilt. The border consists of lots and lots of 2 1/4 inch triangles. I am strip piecing them and it looks like I may be able to add the borders some time this weekend. Tomorrow I plan to attend a Region 2 meeting for the Michigan Quilt Network. Election of officers will be held and the hostesses will be sharing quick Holiday gift ideas. During the weekend I am also planning to dig in to some of my fabric totes and pull some fabrics for some quilts for Christmas gifts. What do you have planned for the weekend?

Finally - a post to the blog!!

I am glad to be back to my blog. I have had a very busy month of October and I won't bore you with the details. Now that my big obligations have been met I can get back to some serious quilting. I am in the process of piecing a border for my Spider Hexagon quilt made in a class here at Thunder Bay Resort with Gyleen Fitzgerald. I am also hoping to get some Christmas gifts started too. The weather has been absolutely beautiful here in Hillman during the past few days. With temperatures in the 70's in northern Michigan it is hard to imagine that Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner.

I would like to tell you about a favorite website of mine. Pam Stahl of Real Women Quilt has a wonderful website with lots of tips and humor, items to purchase and fun stuff. While visiting her website be sure to sign up for her monthly newsletter. It is a monthly e-mail newsletter that I always look forward to receiving.