Winter doldrums....

This is what I woke up to this morning.  The Sundogs are back.  It was only -4*F but it was windy.  New drifts piling up....and others being sculpted by the wind.  It is like an ocean of white with waves of snow frozen in motion.  It is strange the shapes the snow can create.  It must be this way in the desert too.  Oh well, spring will be here soon. 

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I ventured to Mayville on my lunch "hour" under the guise of taking the bank deposit to the ban in Mayville.  I really went to return something to the quilt store and get something new.   I needed some tropical colors and these batik fabrics fit the bill.
I hope to make a journal out of them.  I was poking around on pinterest a while ago and found a journal made out of paper but with dimensional houses on the front.  I thought at first it was fabric but I contacted the original pinner and asked her.  She it was all paper.  I mentioned that it would be cool in fabric as well and she encouraged me to make one in fabric.  I have given it a lot of thought so we will see what happens in reality. I have preliminary plans thought up.  I am not sure what binding  stitch I will use I have few from all the binding classes I have taken so we'll see what I can come up with to make the binding interesting.

A quilting I will go....A quilting I will go....

Life has been busy the past few months.  I have been traveling around the Dakotas a few times.  It is interesting that every where I go there are differences and similarities as well.   Corn piles in every town and ice fishing everywhere.  I also saw a lot of campers traveling about the highways.  Some were even headed north.  I don't know where they were going but I wish them luck if they were going camping in -20 degrees. 
I know winter has been around a long time when I go outside and think it isn't so cold....then look the thermometer and see that it is -10 degrees.  We are supposed to get above zero soon.  Looking forward to that. 
I have getting things ready to start some quilting.  I even found time this weekend to shopping for my crafts.  I stopped in Fargo on my way home on Saturday from my meeting in Wahpeton. There were a few stores that I try to stop at when I can.  I went to the Joann's in Fargo first.  They were having a sale on some fabrics that I wanted to get and I thought it would save a trip to Joann's when I was with the boys.  The Joann's in Fargo has so much more than Grand Forks.  I might have to make a point of going there more often.  It was quite busy but I gathered all the fabrics I needed cut and grabbed a number and waited.  I got everything cut and was out of there in about an hour.  The traffic in Fargo is something else these days.  It took me about 5 minutes of getting out onto the 13th before I took a side street to head downtown.  I am so not used to traffic.  Downtown is always a little interesting parking wise but I know where the stores I want to shop and where to park without too much of headache.  Art materials is the only art store in North Dakota.  It has just about everything art available.  I got my favorite paper there and it was on sale.  I was glad to see that as I usually find it only online.  They have started stocking acrylic paint markers by Liquitex.  I got a black and white one for doing eyes.  Got a few other things a colored pencil stick and some pan pastel tools.  I always enjoy browsing there seeing all the different things they carry.  Then I had heard about a new little fabric shop not too far away from Art Materials.  I got to park right at the front door.  It is a wonderful little shop.  I didn't buy much fabric there but I did get a great book.

This is a book about using scraps from regular quilting and maximizing your investment in fabric.  I love quite a few in there so I bought it.  The author is even coming in March for a workshop.  I might be taking that.

  On Sunday I did go to Joann's in Grand Forks because as I was getting my fabric together for my Playing the Scales quilt I noticed I needed another fat quarter of dark fabric.  I also wanted to get some invisi grip for my rulers.  I picked up a sewing box.  It is more like a tool box but it holds all my sewing supplies together.

As I was gathering all  my supplies I noticed that I didn't much thread left.  I used a lot in Allison's quilt last year.  I figured I better get some more as I intend on completing at least two quilt tops in the next few weeks. I went to my local quilt store Faye's Henhouse Quilts.  She always has lots of interesting kits and fabrics.  I could spend hours there but I did a quick wander thru and got my thread and a few fat quarters.  I also picked up a quilt kit on sale called Sunny Days.  It is a wonderful yellow color.  Looking forward to getting that one cut up and ready to go.

So I have a baby quilt that is all cut and ready to sew.  It is a kit I got from Quilter's Eden in East Grand Forks, MN back in November.  It is a lovely very classic quilt I am excited to see how it turns out.

Here is my fabric for the Playing the Scales quilt.  That will be the second quilt to be sewn. 

  Right now my sewing room is my dining room table.  I have to clean out my bedroom I think to put my sewing things there for a while.  It is always something going on around here.  I think I will be sewing for a while in the next few weeks or months.