This party's almost over

Do you notice how much more quickly the time seems to go as we grow older?  2016 has gone by in the blink of an eye.  

These pictures have nothing to do with the end of the year.  But I was fortunate enough about a week ago to have a flock of about thirty wild turkeys near the house.  They are fun to watch and are much faster runners than people give them credit for.  The corn was finally cut just about a week before.  Some was missed, especially where they make the turn in the northeast corner.  Full cobs hung down ready for "gobbling" turkeys!

As we get closer to the start of 2017, I would like to say how grateful I am for my family, friends, and students.  I've been graced with fabulous opportunities in quilting and with horses.  I am indeed blessed with good fortune.

What will 2017 bring?  I'm not sure...but I will try to bravely meet the challenges, and revel in each moment of goodness.

My wishes for you?  Health, happiness, family and friends...and enough.

Blissful hugs (the last for 2016),
Sharon

P.S.  I have updated the pictures on the blog back to October.  Many of the recent posts have been done using my smartphone.  I am still trying to adjust the picture quality for the blog posts sent from my phone--it's a slow process :(

A bit of cheer

on this, the shortest day of the year. Well, actually just the least amount of daylight. I look forward to the Winter Solstice each year. Now we will start to add minutes of daylight and subtract from the darkness. Still, of course, leaving us the same grand total equalling 24 hours!

This small piece was completed entirely in November - hand pieced and machine quilted by me. Enjoy!

Just because

So tiny

I found this tiny nest in the driveway this morning. It must have blown out of the spruce tree. The nickel gives you a sense of how small it really is. In the upper left corner of the nest is a small piece of ice frozen to the twigs.

Oops

Must be the "new" math!

Always remember--"as ye sew, so shall ye rip."

It's Always...

a miracle when something in the well-aged stash matches more contemporary fabrics. I love this for the back of this Texas Star!

Note to self: ten inch squares are not big enough for the back of these :-(

Still Blissful

Simple can be dramatic--even with just one repeating shape. "Hive rules"!

Obsession

I may need an intervention! Cut, marked and arranged within the last twelve hours. (The pieces are wrong side up, ready to sew.) Plus two of the four bindings are hand sewn.

More Progress

From yesterday:  A bit more hand piecing. Along with snowblowing and groceries. Three full days of sewing and reading and just staying inside--what a gift!

Today was spent with family and friends.  And I added binding to three small pieces before leaving for the festivities, with one more on tap and then the hand sewing can begin.

There is so much to be thankful for--a loving family, great friends, loyal blog readers, a full and busy life.  And the list could go on into infinity.  Thank you all for being a part of my world!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Obsession by Nora Roberts.  

Listening

Here are four audio books I have finished over the last few days. All are excellent.

Got snow? We do!

More...

Today I finished hand-piecing the tumblers and hand quilted it and the elongated hexagon piece. Now there are three to bind and two more ready to quilt. There is a chance that machine quilting may be involved (gasp). Stay tuned. And remember that my machine quilting is far from award-winning ;-)

And winter has arrived....

Two more

Two more cut and prepped for hand piecing. And almost half of another tumbler hand-pieced. Just too much fun!

We interrupt...

all the blissfulness of hand piecing to do a whack of basting. These are for a hand quilting class I am teaching this week. Did you know that I have a unique way of quilting that does not require poking the underneath fingers or the use of a hoop or frame? I invented it and have used it on more than 500 quilts of varying sizes. For more information, please visit my website, www.sharonstroud.com.

More hand piecing

Adding the partial pieces around the edge of what will be a hexagon-shaped table topper. I am a firm believer in having straight sides to bind, no matter what shape I am working with--hexagon, thimble, etc. I think it makes it easier to actually get things finished!

Hand Piecing . . . Slow?

Three hand pieced, two basted and ready for quilting. All done in the last few days. Slow...I don't think so!

And Another Start

There is a flurry of hand-piecing activity here.  I'm so excited!  And I just can't hide it!  (Ask anyone who's seen me lately!)

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  Sorry about the picture being left off yesterday.  Every time I think I have posted from my smartphone there is some kind of glitch.  But I fixed the picture a couple minutes ago.

Getting Closer

Hand pieced--check.

Hand quilted--check.

Wow!

As I came out of the grocery store tonight, the sky was just breathtaking.

These were taken about 20 minutes later.  Doesn't it remind you of fingers?

You will not believe what is happening in my quilt studio--I have so many projects underway for new classes!  Hand piecing will rule for at least the first half of 2017.  The unpressed "thing" in the last post is one of the new pieces and there will be lots more to come.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Emperor's Revenge by Clive Cussler.

Ahhhh...Bliss

What will it be?  Stay tuned!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I have listened to Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline and Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult.  Both were excellent.  Thanks, Rose, for not telling me the end! (I begged her big time--she's tough!)

A Public Service Announcement

Everyone wants our money.  Not everyone is deserving of our money.  

I had heard rumors about the HSUS.  And seen factual data. 

When this came in the mail, I thought it succinctly laid out the facts in an easy to understand way.

I am passing it on so that you can make informed decisions about where your hard-earned money goes.

The usual disclaimer:  I am passing this information on; use it as you see fit.  Do your own research before giving to any charity.

Quilt Show Alert

The Piecemakers Quilt Guild of Moravia is having their show this weekend--

Colorfest of Quilts!

Open Friday, October 14, Noon to 5

Saturday, October 15, 10-5 and

Sunday, October 16, 11-4.

The raffle quilt this year is an extraordinary queen-sized Bargello, with tickets $1 each or 6 for $5.

These ladies always put on a great show, so if you are in the area of the Locke Fairgrounds, Rt 38, in Locke, NY, this weekend be sure to stop in.  Admission is $5, with lots of quilts and quilted items, vintage quilts, vendors, and food in the offing!

These are great ladies who do a lot of community service projects over the course of a year, including items for the residents of the local nursing home.  Let's all cheer them on!

Still Blooming

The hollyhocks are still beautiful.  If frost holds off, they may last into October!

Have an exceptional Monday!

Limited Openings Left!

If you live in or around the Big Flats area of New York (Elmira/Corning area), don't miss your chance to take either a Care and Feeding of Your Featherweight class or Hand Quilting class with me.

Here's the scoop:

Care and Feeding of Your Featherweight, Saturday, September 24, 10:00-2:00.

Hand Quilting Sharon's Way, Saturday, October 1, 10:00-4:30.  Remember that I have an unusual quilting method that does not require poking your underneath fingers or using a hoop or frame.

Please call The Witch's Stitches at  607-358-4016 for more information or to sign up.  I look forward to seeing you!

My View

This has been my view this morning--whenever I haven't been shoveling stuff into the bucket!! How's your day going? ;-)

My Girl

Yep, you guessed it...another commercial for my main squeeze, Pompera!

I need longer arms to do selfies with horses!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

In My Spare Time

After more than 30 years I have again picked up my crochet hooks.  And here's what I have been making--fly bonnets for horses!  What?  Yes, fly bonnets to keep flies out of their ears and eyes while being ridden.  (Not to be confused with fly masks which cover the ears as well as eyes, and most of head, used when the horses is turned out to graze.)

These are just a few of the ones I've made so far.  And I am still making them!  My goal is one for each horse at the barn--and that number is into double digits....

I am combining two patterns and adding a bit of my own "flair".  The ears are made of cotton lycra fabric to be both cool and stretchy.  Many differently shaped heads so they are being made in different sizes.  I'll try to get pics of them on the horses--they look really cool!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

More Smiling Faces

Just a few days ago, five ladies joined me for a Big Three class.  We used precision rotary cutting, machine piecing and pressing techniques to create the Providence block.

 Pat A, Cherie, Susan M

Sharon N, Gale

What a great time, and we laughed lots!!!  Your chance to join us is coming again in December.  I've updated the schedule pages both here and on my website.

I'm busy horsing around, and quilting, and doing some other fun stuff.

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Games, A Private Novel by James Patterson and Mark Sullivan.

Who Knew???

Today was spent in the company of my best friend.  We had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory and then went to see the first showing of a brand new movie.  Let me just say that I have never been to a first showing of any movie!  The movie, you ask?  Florence Foster Jenkins.  It is superb!  We laughed, we cried, we laughed and cried some more.  Meryl Streep was spectacular.  We had what we call "a spa day"--just the two of us doing whatever.  We are always just glad to be together.

Here's something to peak your interest!  The purple circle is already appliqued to the turquoise.  Both are now correctly positioned to be added to the flower.  I am working on an unusual coloration of a very traditional applique block.  Prepare to either love it or hate it when it is done!  Almost every piece has been fussy cut (I know, what a surprise!).

Stay cool.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Boar Island by Nevada Barr.

Cool!

Mother Nature never fails to impress. In the time it took me to post this, the pink clouds are gone.  The moral? Remember  to look up more often!

Always helpful

I am trying to revise some handouts and Dickens is "helping". He decided that sleeping on the hard copy stuff was just the best ever. Even after I moved it to the other side, he just  kept stretching until he was comfy, on top of cords and all. Always  willing to help.

Is it hot enough for you?

Check It Out!

Just a quick post to let you know that I was mentioned by name in Joan Ford's most recent post, here.  It's so exciting!  Joan and I are both advocates of having lots of techniques in our quilting tool boxes.  And she shows exactly why this is so important.

Thanks, Joan!  You rock!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

One of the Greatest Inventions Ever!

As you know, I am now the proud owner of a smartphone.  The biggest problem with a smartphone?  How to carry it!  My flip phone slipped in my pocket or a small belt holder; easy peasy.  The smartphone, not so much.  I hate it in my pocket (we'll just say that I took many inadvertent photos of the inside of my pocket).  What to do?  I didn't want to get in the habit of just laying it down (and forgetting it).  So I went on a search for a holder.  Not just any holder, mind you.  It had to satisfy my picky criteria.

And I found it!  On Etsy!  It's an original design, made of leather or vegan felt, by Karin in Indiana.  She custom fit it to my phone, I picked the color and texture of the leather and she shipped it promptly; it came yesterday!  OMG!  Check it out!

Beautiful blue pebbled leather.  Silver fittings.  The belt clip is sturdy enough to just go over a pocket and hold tight.  It swings freely by your side so that it is never in the way.  Magnetic closure.  Hole at the bottom so that you can charge the phone without removing it!

Here it is open.  One piece of leather.

And here's the info so that you can check out the site.  I cannot say enough good things about this phone holder.  You don't even know you have it on because it is so well balanced.  She makes them for right and left handers.  Mine is a left-hander, which I hang on the right side because I like to draw my phone out toward the front of my body.  Feel free to ask Karin questions so you can figure out what would work best for you.

So there you have it!  Fun, functional, made in America--what more could you want!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Extreme Prey by John Sandford.

The end of the day

A bit of rain, lots of heat and humidity. Doing a bit of porching before the bugs descend. And I guess that is now!!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Up close and personal

Dickens wanted to say good night.

So Proud

The last two days have been spent in the company of women eager to increase their rotary cutting, machine piecing and pressing skills.  Using the Christmas  Star II block and three fat quarters, each achieved their goals.  For two of these ladies, it was their first time cutting and piecing half-square triangle units. We don't cut bigger and then trim; we cut the correct size, piece them and press them to perfection.  You would have a hard time picking the first-timers' blocks from those of the more experienced piecers. Congratulations to each of you; you make me proud!

In the first picture are Susan and Cheri. 

Photo two has Gale, Pat, Kris, and Jane.  

Thanks for a great two days!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to Private India:  City on Fire by James Patterson.

Greetings!

I've got my eyes on you!

Blissful hugs,

Sharon and Dickens