Happy 2013!

Hi All,

Wow what a busy year!  I can honestly say that 2012 was not a lazy year.
In May I bought a Tin Lizzie and have been cranking out UFO's like mad.

In July 2013, I was sick of sitting on my duff and got off it.  My best friend Dione and her husband own a Crossfit Zen gym in Manhattan Beach and helped me find a crossfit organization in my area.    I joined Citizen Crossfit  and haven't stopped moving since.  The people at Citizen and Crossfit Zen are really supportive and they push me just enough and scale down what I can't handle.  I went from being tired old couch potato to the best shape I've been in for 20 years.  I feel great and have made some great new friends in the process.   I could go on about this (So says my husband) but this is a quilting blog afterall...onward!

Working out 5-6 days a week and changing my eating habits have taken up a lot of my free time.  But its all time I was wasting before with things like sleep and procrastination.  I actually now have more energy for quilting, yeah!

This huge 9 patch was a block exchange with my EZ Quilters group.  I ended up with my mom's leftovers after she made hers.  I think I only have about 6 blocks left.  It took me a while to figure out what border to put on it and my friend Donna said, maybe it doesn't want one.  So I asked my quilt, "Really, you done?" and the quilt just sat there there, so I guess it was done.

It was oddly enough the exact width of my long arm rails  7' which those of you who long arm know that means 6" in each side are not getting quilted. Grrr.  But I did it anyway.  I pinned the side to the top and then clamped it to the lower rails and hang it over the edge.  Then I just move it a couple of times. The biggest challenge is to make the back nice and smooth.  Just takes patience, which I'm learning.   I keep forgetting to take a picture of it.

I put a little piece of striped fabric for a flange before adding the binding.  A colored binding might have taken away from the quilt and a plain binding was just too plain.

I finished this before the holidays and my plan is to give this to my niece Madison who graduates from high school this year.  Done early? are you kidding?

So I've been on vacation for 11 days, today is the last day.  We got to go up to the mountains Mt. Shasta/Weed for Christmas and spent some time with my folks and my sister Dana and her chillen.  It was so nice to spend time with them all.  Sniff sniff, I miss em already.

Yesterday I finally got back into my quilt room and cranked out 3 projects.
The first was a philanthropy quilt top made by someone in our guild.  I try to quilt one of the unfinished tops as often as possible.  The fun wiggly design breaks up the stripes and plaids.












My friend Sharon made this for philanthropy and asked me to quilt it for her.  I have had it a while so it was time to get this one done too.  The basket with flowers was my mum's idea.

Finally, Sharon's friend Cathleen asked me to quilt this for her friends baby.  Such a bright and happy quilt.  and now its done too.  

So you see I have stayed busy.

I hope you all have a wonderful and prosperous 2013 and may you find the time to quilt!

Love Aunti Nicole