We are coming up on our second Anniversary and we always celebrate it in a big way. We as a group have a retreat to celebrate each Anniversary, we book a cabin or two and sew and chat and eat for a weekend. Usually this is right around shop hop time and so we get to rest from that as well.

I have uploaded all the photos to the SMAS Gallery. This is the direct link to the January 2008 Gallery.

It isn’t very often I get to be in the pictures as I am usually taking them.
This is me with my finished BOM.

You can also see the work that was done on my nose over the holidays.
Still some swelling especially on the bridge area.

This is a photo of the other gals as the meeting. This is Chere, Judy, Sue and Anne.

My 2 surgeries that I had so far are healing nicely, I got all the stitches out this week and now I am just waiting for the swelling to go down.
They did rebuild my nose and the Dr. used my septum to rebuild it instead of taking it from somewhere else.
This is the first time in over 3 years that I haven’t had to wear a bandage or bandaid on my nose.  I can also breathe better except for the
allergies that I have this week.

Our weather has went from 20,s for a high back to 60’s so I plan on airing out the house this week and getting it scrubbed before the next rain comes.

Happy New Year everyone, by the way, my resolution is to finish one UFO a month, so far I am 1 for 1.

I had my annual mammogram and physical in October and all is well there. The good news is I will be having my first surgery to repair my nose on November 27th and I am excited about getting that process going. I have been wearing a bandaid on my nose for over two years now. *Warning* If any of you have a weak stomach don’t click on the link. Here is a link to the procedure I will start having on my nose.

I have been working any chance I get on personal projects. I have started quilting on my Christmas Advent wreath panel.

I am still getting the pictures optimized from this last time when I changed my sewing room around. I will have those up this week. I actually enjoy sewing now. It felt pretty closed in having all the stuff in the middle of the room. I ended up hating it. My dogs needed that space so they could have room to lay up here. They love this room more than I do once they have eaten and gone outside they will stand at the bottom of the stairs and bark at me if I don’t get up here soon enough in the mornings.

This week should be pretty busy now that Quilt Market is over, I have appointments with a couple of shops and a new shop that will be opening in the beginning of 2008. We can always use more quilt shops. I hope all the shops that went to market had a great time. I hope to get there next year.

Happy Quilting, Pickleweed

Will Post more tomorrow. Goodnight to all!

After I got my Next Generation Quilt Frame with the Pfaff Grand Quilter, I set it up in the best space that I could for how my quilt studio was set up at the time.
I was finding that the way I had my room set up was hindering my productivity. At the time I had my sewing table on one wall and my computer table on another wall. There was also a corner that jutted out that prevented me from seeing one from the other.  Then I had the DVD player and the TV on another wall.
What was happening was I couldn’t watch anything and sew or work on the computer at the same time. So I was turning around and watching stuff instead of sewing, or I couldn’t watch it at all. Now mind you most of the time I am listening to podcasts, but it was still a hindrance.
I had the Next Generation Quilt Frame kind of in the middle of all that. I was also running out of room for storage and so I needed to do an annual purge.

Here are some before and after pictures so you can get an idea of how much better my new setup will function for me.

Before, as you can see my sewing machine was against the one wall looking out the window.
The area it was in was like a cutout of the room and so I had 2 corners in each wall.
Then the frame was right there acting like another wall, and so the frame cut that area off from the rest of the room.
The frame also became a catchall because of where it was located and I didn’t like doing that.
I do love all that extra storage I gained underneath of the frame.
I am planning on using velcro to make a skirt that goes around that bottom shelf so that what I store under it will not be visible.





After, I moved everything off of the wall where my computer and the 2 large bookshelves were, I moved the frame along that wall.
The window will give me wonderful light during the day but I will need to get some lighting in that area for quilting at night.
This frame without the sewing machine or the long bars on it, is very light.
Even moving it across the carpet was very easy. I did leave it set up at it’s largest length as most of my quilts are large.
I also moved the thread racks to this wall and they hold the threads that I would use on this machine.
Once I got all the furniture where I wanted it then I added more stuff to the walls.
I then moved my sewing machine and computer to the middle of the room and put them in an “L” shape.
The TV stayed where it was but I put it on top of one of the taller bookshelves.
I also took that cutting/ironing table and I removed it from the metal stand that it was on.
I then took the top and put it on 2 of the fabric carts I had and moved those into the space that the “L” area made. 
The nice thing about it is that I can move my sewing table or computer desk away from the cutting/ironing area if I need too as everything in my sewing area is on wheels.
I can also turn my computer monitor around and watch DVD’s from the sewing machine and both of these face the TV in case I want to watch TV while sewing or at the computer.

I did lose some of my design wall though as I have fabric about a 1/3 of the way up the wall. I am real happy with the current layout and wanted to share, maybe give you some ideas for your own quilting space.
I should have the photos uploaded in a while that will show you more of what was done and I will post the link.
I have also been working on some projects. I completed testing a quilt pattern for Country Junction. Great pattern and I will post a link when she has the pattern online for sale. I have also been working on some applique from the book by Patty Harants. I haven’t spent as much time sewing as I would have liked too. Spent a couple of weeks getting the yard ready and getting everything ready in the garden took most of my time. I love spring though and it usually gets warm here early so it is extra nice.
I have freed up some time so now I have more time to sew.
I also have a new job. I will be joining the sales professionals for a textile company. I won’t say which one yet but I am going to enjoy that as it allows me to visit all the quilt and sewing shops in my district and show the new lines to the owners. I am much happier working when my love for quilting can be turned into an employment opportunity. It will mean a lot of travel though as my district is in a neighboring State.

My visit with my Mother was wonderful. We laughed, cried, shopped and just had a great time getting to know each other better.
We also went up and saw the Grandkids and my Daughter Wendy.
They live in North Carolina and my grand daughter Ashleigh talks in what I call Sugary sweet tones, she has that southern drawl right at the end of her words and she speaks just sweet enough that she is becoming a true “Southern Belle”.
Every time I talk to them they sing me the latest song that they learned in daycare. It is wonderful being a grandma.
Here is a photo of the kids that my daughter had taken this year.

I still haven’t had my surgery for my nose repair. The doctor did say that they will remove bone from my skull and use that to help build my nose backup. Then of course I will have the “flap procedure” where they take skin and tissue from your forehead and bring it down to my nose. It will sit there and fuse to the skin and tissue currently on my nose. Then once that has fused (joined), they will trim away the excess and do the final repairs. Let this be a lesson for you. Wear that sunscreen and cover those kids and grandkids from head to toe.

Well I will close for now and work on getting all the photos uploaded. Talk to you soon.

Each time this page is updated I will put an * next to the newly listed shops.

I have been working on some projects. I did manage to get the floral quilt quilted, you can tell I am not very good at this machine yet. Just need more practice. I am going to put this quilt back on the machine. I just think it needs more quilting.
I am also working on my other quilt projects, I have 2 at the machine being pieced depending on which quilt I feel like working on.

One applique project that I am working in is from the book by Patty Harants called ”The Wickersham Signature Quilt”. This book is well written and the patterns for each block are full size with color examples of each block. When I saw it, I knew I had to make the quilt. I showed it to several friends and all I can say is they each have a copy as well. The copies we all have are autographed, but my friend Chere plans on taking her books with us to The Applique Society Show in Tampa Bay and getting a more personal autograph. I am still so excited about that show. A fun filled with with friends on the beach doing nothing but appliqueing and laughing.

My DH just got in today after being away for a month and so now he is sleeping and then tomorrow we go back to the airport and pick up my mother and she will be here for a week. The only sewing I will probably get to do is while watching a movie or early in the morning, scratch that, my mother is an early riser. I haven’t seen her in three years so it will be worth missing a stitch or two. We are also going to drive up and see my daughter. It will be the first time all 4 generations of women will be together. Will have to get pictures of us all. My mother hasn’t seen the great grandkids yet other than pictures. It is funny how distance can make families feel so apart.
Well I am off to get some stitching in before my DH wakes up. Happy Quilting.

I am getting some more links added to the site as I get contacted and asked for the old Pickleweed site, which was purely links. I won’t have a site like that one again but I will have links to good quilty stuff.  Check back daily over the next few days to see the new changes taking place.

Right now I have to work on the Newsletter for the WGQG as it will be going out today.