Oh Sharon, sorry for all you've had to deal with but good job on the spray-down when you got home! I do that every time my husband has a cold bug. I don't want it so am following after him with lysol spray and wipes!

Congrats on the acceptances!

Jules~

Thanks Lotti, I chose not to participate in that this year, but it does sound like fun.

Stay warm everyone!

Sharon, the IMQE is the International Miniature Quilt Exchange being organized by TQS. Was mentioned in the Newsletters throughout 2017 - sign up closed in December. We are something over 300 partners (Teams are made up of 1 US / 1 International Member) who are making mini quilts for each other. Some of these quilts will be selected to be shown in Houston this autumn, and possibly at some other shows throughout 2019. no part of our quilts may be shown anywhere before they are shown at Houston (or we have received info that they have not been selected). Fun and challenging.
Am soooo looking forward to the quilts being made but have a long wait.
I can disclose that the quilt I am making for my partner is being pieced out of fabric, will be no smaller than 18 and no larger than 24“ on any side, will have three layers and will be quilted... for anything else you will have to wait until April at the earliest, end of the year at the latest...

AnnieLu et al, we've been below freezing since Christmas Day! Now, the weather folks are saying it's going to be in the 50s on Friday and then crash again. Welcome to winter in NY. I'm about 10 miles west of the super frozen Hudson River, they're using ice breakers to bring cargo up and down.
I'm quilting a client quilt, so not doing anything of my own. <very big sigh>

Hi all y'all from northern Virginia! I'm super busy in my studio now...trying to finish a quilt for Mid Atlantic Quilt Festival entry and another one for MQX East. I also have a fun one in progress...set aside for these two quilts for a couple of months...using a piece of art I bought the right to make a single quilt for from Disney artist Joel Christopher Payne. I think I need to make a crazy quilt for my studio and call it B.J.'s quilting brain...LOL. I have a very busy year planned ahead in my studio...quilts, books, workshop plans, blogs, and I'm hoping to go to MAQF and Houston this year. I often read the virtual retreat, and really enjoy seeing all the wonderful things you all are making. I hope to drop in a note here every now and again. Love those bird pictures Lotti as well as all you do. Happy New Year...Let's have a great 2018! God's blessings everyone!

Hello from mild Colorado and virtually (get it virtual, hehe, I crack myself up) no snow. Thanks for starting this up again this year, although in the past years I haven't been as present. Last Thursday my DH came home with the crud and I was thinking to hole up in the sewing room, which I did until my mother called Saturday morning. She said she felt funny (84 y.o.) and I said call 911 and she actually did. She was having a mini stroke. Thankfully she was taken care of quickly, as I live 1 1/2 hours away, and I took her home last night. So I was really away from DH and his crud.

So DH went to work this morning and expect him home by noon, but ... I sprayed the entire house with Lysol and anything he touched. I DO NOT want it!

I have the TQS 2017 BOM being ditch quilted today and tomorrow and start the fun quilting on Wed. I have to get back to work on Monday, dang it. So what is the IMQE you ladies are talking about?

Just a little side note, I had my purple/green spinner quilt accepted into a show in Dallas in March and barn quilt accepted into AQS Lancaster. Waiting on answer from AQS Paducah on Flourish. All these quilts are on my profile.

Have a great day ladies. Thanks for letting me peek in.

Sharon in Colorado

Hello all

Here‘s the finished quilt - was gifted to my sister in law at Christmas.


My IMQE is started - well the fabric is sorted and the first few pieces sewn - now it‘s waiting for me to get home and find a free weekend or three.
As I ended up having a long stay with my parents the sewing planned for the holidays has been rescheduled. Instead I have started a quilt for my nephew and two for my younger brother and his wife. Hope to get at least one finished during my stay - most squares have been pieced - now to figure out how to cut them up and put them together.

The cold has gotten hold of us - but the next few days should be much better. We‘ve been spending most of our time inside where it‘s warm and cozy.


The birds, mainly Robins, Bluejays, Chickadees and Sparrows, have been transformed into fluffballs and are happily munching up all the seeds we put out.

Thanks Lotti for being the Lounge Lizard President and starting our new page. Loved the pictures on both this thread and the last years. It's good to hear from you all.
Thanks for all the kind comments on my final 2017 posting. I am loving my new sewing machine Esther. She's been such a dream.

Luann that's a lot of snow for your area. As Marilyn said so far it's been much better this year compared to last year for us. Sorry but glad that the east coast got the arctic cold this time!

Wendi your projects look very interesting and fun. I finished quilting my secret IMQE piece today. I rather like it! Binding is up next.

Take care everyone, geneva

Thanks Lotti...for starting up 2018 retreat! And for the terrific bird pictures! Those and Kathy's lyrics really made me smile !!
I'm surely grateful for living in the current banana belt, Luann. That East Coast weather has certainly been a trial for people
there! We had our extremes last winter, so I haven't forgotten it yet! Wendy...Kantha? I had to look that one up. I've seen it before,
but didn't know the " what-s and where-s" . You're giving me ideas! And I'm working away on IMQE as well. Working on the
practice piece today. And starting a pieced border for another project that needs finishing! Oh...they never stop!! Keep
stitchin' everybody !!

Lotti,
Thanks. I’ve been ‘under the weather’ for the past few days! Literally, I am ‘snowed under”: ! ! Well, considering that if a dusting of snow comes in the middle of the winter, it would be totally gone by noon, because of our location. Summerville, SC (in case you want to look at a map, SE coast of US, just inland from Charleston). It started on Wednesday,,, first cooling temps, then a drizzle, then the ice pellets came down. This all happened between 9:45 am and 10:30am. We got about 3/4” of ice covering all roads, yards, tree limbs, etc. THEN it started to snow, and it kept on snowing, and snowing and snowing. At last it stopped, but not before we had amassed 7+ inches ! ! ! Yes, you read that correctly. The arctic blast that brought it is still here, and everyday we warm ‘to’ the freeze temp (32 F) and edge over that by a degree or two, for about 2 hours, Then it starts to dip down again, and everything that was water covered icey, is now frozen slushy covered icey. Today we ventured out and many of the side streets are glare ice. We are hoping for a warming trend to come in tomorrow and not dip so low at night. I figure that I got to enjoy a beautiful snowy day right from my own kitchen table, but now I’m starting to miss visiting the BEACH. I’ve been well, health wise, just a bit stuffy and dry throat due to the furnace running so much. I’ll leave you with a batch of pictures,

Lotti if there is chickens involved it will Have a great year all, wonder what we're going to share and get up to this time.

I'm busy making my IMQE quilt and would love to share it but we have to keep it to ourselves at the moment. I've been busy with the new group I started in Belper and gave a session last week on Kantha stitching. I've had good feedback, it was fun as we used hand dyed cotton and butter muslin.

These are my teaching samples. The owl was made in a class then I drew my own patterns and made it my own before sharing with others and gave them all the details of my teachers website kits etc.,


The are the patterns I drew up

Lotti - thank you for setting up the 2018 thread.
To all who enter here: May you have peace, good health, safety, love and light in your life. If there are problems left over from last year, may they find swift resolution in this new year. "Joy to the world, all the boys and girls, joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea, joy to you and me." Happy quilting and crafting and happy all your days!

Hugs, Kathy

Hi Lotti!
Happy New Year!!!

Happy New Year to all,
may it bring good health, much happiness, success, fun and a bucketload of great memories!