Busy busy time of the year....the holidays

Whoa..........where has this year gone? Can you believe it is December already?
Sadly if you've noticed I have been lax on my postings again too.
Last week I tried to refocus and complete some good ole fashioned functional quilting. "Functional" meaning more utility type items, such as lap quilts which I owe a few of my buddies and then one particular special Christmas present which is to be a surprise. Thus don't look for too many photos presently posted of my various projects.

But let's see...I did complete a scrap nine square block design lap quilt top that I hope to get quilted this week. I also completed a brown lap quilt top. So I have 3 various quilts to try to get on my HQ16 and quilted ASAP.
And thus this posting will have to be short...I NEED to stay focused ;-))) lol and get busy!

Last week besides quilting it was the Thanksgiving holiday and we headed to PA and NJ to celebrate with the kids and grandchildren. After a lovely dinner in West Chester Thurs. we got to explore Intercourse PA on Friday and hmmmmm what else? I purchased some fabric to back the projects I have needing to be quilted. Intercourse was a quaint little tourist city (Amish settlement) not too far from my daughter's house. On Sat. my husband Bill,  Keli (my daughter) and I drove over to Cranford, NJ to park in my son's JB's driveway and then we took the train into NY city to see the musical Memphis. What a grand time! Then it was back to VA and home sweet home.

Intercourse PA Quilt Store

Quilt Museum/Country Store, Intercourse PA

Shubert Theater, NY city

Keli and I loved Memphis.

I finally got some sewing done ;-)

I have no idea why I was letting stuff get in my way of quilting? Thankfully though something finally clicked? (Possibly the knowledge that Christmas is around the bend and slipping up on me much too quickly???)  Well no matter what finally gave me the push I needed I have spent the past two days sewing All day!  It felt so good!!!! One trick that helped me was to shut down my computer ;-) lol or at least walk away from it. 

I am completing some 9 patch squares that I signed up to complete this past summer. lol better late then never. They ended up very glow in the dark ;-) color! It's a complete scrap piece design and  I am having fun with them.

In fact they are almost all sewn together and in the end will make someone a nice lap quilt. Secondly I have started on a quilt I've owed someone for about a year? ;-( but  I intend to have the quilt completed to present during the Christmas holidays. I found a great square that was easy to cut out and hope to have this quilt top sewn together by Monday since tomorrow  my hubby and I intend to go into DC to the 23rd  annual Craft Show at the Washington Convention Center and Sunday I have a class Dayton VA on the HQ16. 

Here's a peek at the colors of the second quilt top...complete opposite of the glow in the dark lap quilt. lol

I actually have a third lap quilt top almost sewn together (told you I've been focused the past two days) but this quilt is a top secret so I'm not posting a photo just in case the person it's intended for happens to check my blog.... I wouldn't want them to be able to see it ;-)
So I'm sure you can tell....I have been happily sewing and it felt great to be completing some good ole traditional, functional designed quilting this week. 
Wish me luck on keeping up my focus. Did I mention my secret has been to walk away from the computer :-0  lol lol lol 
oh well y'all have a GRAND weekend!

Finally!

Wow, I have been BUSY! ;-) I had a trip up north to MI for family visit AND to attend a wonderful wedding celebration! Was so much fun yet tiring...then when we got back it was sort of slow going RE: getting back into the studio. ;-)

The nice thing is when we got back to VA our fall colors were still here ;-) I was afraid I had missed them all. Something about the reds, oranges, and golds of fall.
Isn't this a great view from my quilting room?
Sadly we are losing the colors to browns now...but still such splendor.
So I finally got back to my machine actually have gotten some of the nine squares sewn, so many colors lol might end up being another of my glow in the dark creations.

just sewing the squares so far...

Today I got some studio cleaning done and then suddenly found myself happily completing another design I had begun while studying with Nancy Crow this past summer. Each piece I complete gives me more understanding in the strip piece construction. I am finally feeling a comfort zone. ;-)

black and white design from week two of QBL

It felt good to get back to my machines. Finally got my grand-daughter wall quilt complewted and look forward to hanging it over Thanksgiving visit to PA.
I am soooo behind in my list of projects I want/need to complete. I have decided for the time being that I have a few traditional quilts to focus on since they are owed as gifts to a few special buddies. Of course there is also Christmas holidays coming so I have decided to put my stack of to be quilted aside for a while till a few of "my must get done" projects are checked off my list.
I hope to keep up with my posting while I work through my list and will strive to stay focused. ;-))) WISH ME LUCK!