Enchanted

Happy New Year! I hope 2017 finds you all well, happy and healthy and surrounded by those you love. I also hope that it is a year of enchantment for you.

May each day that greets you be filled with the sort of charm that leaves a smile on your face.

2017 begun at Tops to Treasures with a new quilt for Moda Bake Shop.

I believe that this is my 27th Bake Shop project. When I try to think of one thing that makes me happy, one thing that I can do....I always come back to writing patterns. I am more nerdy than even I thought was possible. I really do enjoy writing directions. My goal is to make a quilt "do-able". The directions should tell you what you need, what you need to do, when you need to do it, and maybe even what you should NOT do. In short, they should be directions. I'd have no UFOs on my watch! I hope that this one does not disappoint. 

The finish quilt measures 74 x 89 inches. It is just right for a twin sized bed. It can be made in a relatively short amount of time....provided you keep at it. I was able to make this quilt from start to finish in one week....with a little bit of help from my wonderful mom and husband. Construction wise - there is nothing more complicated in it than a small half square triangle.

I used Pondicherry by French General. It is everything that you have come to expect from French General...pretty, and sophisticated, a charming palate of airy prints and soft colors. It was a joy to work with. You should be able to find it in quilt shops next month. I suspect it would look absolutely charming in a Joanne and Chip Gaines renovation....lots of soft gray and cream.

If you are new to my blog, welcome! Feel free to look around. I have gotten a little off tract of late. My posts are not as frequent as they used to be. Just when I thought life would get more simple, with all of my boys packed off to college, it got more complicated. I am busier now than I have ever been. This is not how I imagined my empty nest. 

We have a new puppy.....check out #gulliversharp on Instagram....are planning a wedding....doing some home improvements....wondering when we got so old....living life. I hope your days are similarly enchanting.

Things change

I know, it sounds trite when someone looks at their kids and says, "Don't blink, they grow faster than you think. Next thing you know they will be grown". The older I get the truer the words seem.

Things change. Whether we notice it or not, things change. Summer gives way to Fall. Fall bows out to Winter. Winter melts away to Spring. Spring slowly out blooms itself and we are back where we started...but not quite. 365 days makes a difference.

Today my 23rd pattern publishes on Moda Bake Shop. It has been fun. I love getting to play with their latest lines. More than that, I love writing patterns. It is always, always time spent in my happy place. The only thing better than writing the patterns is getting mail from people who have used them.

So, my latest work is entitled Migration. I named it that because of the butterflies and feathers in the fabric line...and because the pattern of half square triangles make a funny path...a migratory path.

Just like the seasons, the pattern in this piecing appears to finish where it started, but not quite, and that is okay. It is normal, natural, a reflection of how God created our world. Things change. It isn't a bad thing, although it might be a bit sad. It is equally exciting. You never know what might lay just out of sight, around the corner, over the next hill.

I hope you enjoy my pattern.

I never would have guessed...

Remember this quilt? It was a quilt along with Clover & Violet. I took this picture in March of 2014. I love the embroidery, and the colors. It is one of my favorite quilts.

I made it just for me.

I would never have guessed where this pretty quilt would end up.

Look closely....that is my quilt under his feet!!!! Hmm. Not the best out come, but wait, it gets better!

My oldest son, Noah, has fallen head over heals in love with Maggi Jo! He brought her home to visit us last winter. She is adorable, fun loving, and very good for my boy. She makes him "more". I  don't know how to explain it, other than to say that when he is with her, he is the man I always imagined he would be.

She liked my quilt. MY QUILT, the pretty girly creation I made just for me in my house full of men. I thought that was nice....but thought to myself, "that was way too much work to give away to just anyone my boy brings home."

My boy is spending the summer with her family on the central coast of California. He is having a fantastic summer. And to make it that much better, he wanted to propose to her in a way that would include all of both of their families. As we are in Texas, it is a little hard to pull off....however, if she would say yes, and I finally got a daughter to share with, she could have the quilt.

I was away on a quilt retreat when he texted to let me know he had picked a day for the big event. Of course, the day was four days from the day he texted me, and I was not home, and it was over a weekend. His daddy came to the rescue. Left work early on Friday so that it might have a chance of getting to him by Monday. $110 later, the quilt was there Saturday afternoon.

My boy planned a complete day for his sweet heart. As she went through her day she spend time with all the people that mean the most to her. She visited with her best friend (the one that introduced them), her mom and sister and brother...the last on her list was her Dad. He delivered her to the venue where she has always dreamed of getting married...that is where my boy had the surprise waiting.

If you look very closely, you can see the ocean on the horizon....and my quilt under the arch.

AND....she said "Yes"!

I have never, ever seen my boy so blissfully happy. I can not wait to make some awesome memories with the two of them.

Congratulations my Noah, and Maggie!! ..... and to her little man....our new little man....

Peppermint Garlands

My latest pattern is scheduled to publish on Moda Bake Shop sometime today. Hop on over and take a look!

If you are visiting from there, welcome! Feel free to wander around and read all about me and Tops to Treasures.

Time Flies

Time flies....sounds like obnoxious insects from Dr. Who. They suck up time when you are not looking. Once you look you can not see them, only the passage of time.

I can not believe how long it has been since I posted something here.  So much has happened...mostly good stuff at that.

Noah (#1, age 23; Ben #3, age 18; John #2, age 20)

My baby boy graduated from high school. He turned 18 yesterday. He will be attending St. John's College in Santa Fe, NM in the fall. I am envious of the adventure that awaits him, and look forward to hearing all about it when he comes home for the holidays.

My middle boy has made it to the starting line up for his college football team...provided his summer courses bring up his grade point average. He has worked so long and so hard for this dream. I hope and pray that it is all that he has dreamed it would be.

Maggi, Joshi, and Noah

My oldest boy is about to become engaged. Woah! When did he get old enough to do that?! We have met his sweet heart, and her little boy. I think they just might be a perfect match for my boy. Although, I must admit that it is hard to wrap my head around the idea of being an instant grandma. Good thing I have a year or so to manage it.

Joshi

Although, as sweet as Maggi and Joshi are, I do not think that it will be a difficult task.

My quilting business is going gang busters. On average I have as many quilts to do each month as there are working days in the month. It is not hard work...but it does keep me moving.

Add to all of that a new kitten....

He is a sable burmese kitten, about 5 months old.

and several new Moda Bake Shop patterns in the works,... and it is no wonder the time flies have a hold of my universe.