When Stephanie Kendron of The Modern Sewciety asked if I would be a guest on her podcast, of course I said yes. I have been listening to the podcast since the beginning and love, love, love it! I often have it playing while I am sewing and find myself trying to join the conversations so it was so much fun chatting with Stephanie about quilting and blogging and more. I hope you'll pop over and listen to our conversation.  Amber Johnson from Gigi's Thimble is also a guest on this episode, talking about her new book, Vintage Vibe.

Have a great weekend!

Here we are, 15 days into the new year, and I have yet to sew a single, solitary stitch.

Strange, I admit.

Ok, I have done a bit of needlepoint and a little knitting. I have also been cutting fabric. Lots and lots of fabric. Three quilts worth of fabric. They will be the first quilts I sew this year and will make up the majority of my charity quilting for 2015. Last year, while I was head down working on the book that is not to be, I did manage to complete two quilts that I donated to our school/church carnival. Both of those quilts were completed tops and the fact that the tops were ready was one of the main reasons they ended up in the dontation pile.

This year, I want to be more intentional with my donations. I want the quilts to be bigger - a good throw size at least. I also don't want to have to think too much about these quilts. Of course, it's a given that they should be beautiful and well-made, but I don't think it is necessary that they be my original design. So, this year I bought three quilt kits on sale. Of course, I could have purchased patterns and sourced the fabric myself (from my stash, no less), but this way it all showed up in a box, ready to go. There is something extremely liberating about approaching my donations this way: no over-thinking, no indecisiveness, no extraneous choices. I just get to cut and sew.

I'm finding that this is a wonderful way for me to ease into the new year. I spent a lot of time last year thinking about quilts, trying to find perfect fabric combinations and testing new ideas. And it was great, but it was exhausting at the same time. I'm enjoying this small respite that I have created for myself. Without knowing it, I gave myself the permission to rest. And I still get to sew, to create, to make! Win-win-win!

I realize, now, that this forced break might possibly be the best gift I could have given myself. I imagine that once I get these three quilts all sewn up, I will be itching to make something of my own. And if I'm not, I'll probably buy another kit.

At the beginning of December, having decided not to go through with my book, I found myself freed up from commitments and decided to make a few Christmas gifts. I don't know about you, but I find that as I get older, it is very hard to come up with gifts for my parents that they want let alone something that they need. I can almost always find something for my mom, Mary Grace, but this year I didn't have anything that I was excited about giving her. So, as these things happen, she moved to the top of my handmade gift list and I knew that only one thing would do: a quilt.

While I had some time, I didn't have a ton of time so I knew that it would have to be a fairly fast sew. I also wanted this quilt to live at my parents' house in Telluride, where we spent Christmas and where we have so many great family memories. I landed on the Proverbial Quilt by Denyse Schmidt, spelling out the nickname one of the carpenters gave the house when it was being built years ago, Mary Graceland.

I wanted the quilt to be classic and simple so I limited myself to just three fabrics: one for the background, one for the letters (and backing) and one for the binding. I bought all three at Purl Soho when Fatty and I were in New York. The background fabric is a Robert Kaufman chambray and the letters were pieced with Liberty of London John in Navy. The binding is also Liberty - Agandca in Navy.

The back, shown here horizontally, was pieced out of necessity. Otherwise known as bad math on my part. That said, I love how it came together. I improvisationally pieced the 2014  (thank you, Denyse, for showing me how to do that!) and made the rest of it work, using almost every little bit of Liberty and chambray I had. I imagined it would be used to cuddle up on the couch with and it ended up being a good throw size - about 57" wide by 70" long.

I used a cotton batting that I had on hand (I think Warm and Natural) and quilted it with free motion loops in navy thread. I don't think I will ever tire of this style of quilting. It has interest and movement without being too busy for such a simple design. I did wash and dry this quilt before giving it to my mom. The chambray and Liberty combination is a winner: it is super soft with lovely drape and a good amount of crinkle. Cozy!

Well, hi there. Happy New Year.

I hung up my new calendar on Friday, just one day into the new year. We traveled home from Colorado on New Year's Day, arriving a little weary, but gratefully, at nine p.m. I have spent the last few days getting the house in order, doing copious loads of laundry, reacquainting myself with my kitchen (including a deep clean of the refrigerator) and settling in to the new year. Right now, the girls are upstairs getting ready for their second day back at school while Fatty is dressing for a day at work. I'm on my second cup of coffee and have a running metal list of all the things that need attending to today. I'm too lazy at the moment to put it on paper so chances are that I will forget something.

As is natural when the calendar page reads January, I have been thinking quite a bit about the last year and the year to come. I don't spend much time dwelling - no regrets here - but I do think about how I can change and adapt to be a better version of myself. Some years it is clear cut - I know exactly in which direction to head. Other years, it's a bit fuzzy. 2014 was one of those years - fuzzy all around - which has left me feeling like I am still in a bit of a cloud. It's hard to explain the feeling I had for most of the year. I felt like I was waiting (for what, I am not sure) and adjusting to small changes constantly. It was a year of reaction versus a year of action. While that may not sound too good, I am good with it. Again, no regrets.

I made a lot of things. And most of them did not make it to the blog. There were quilts and clothes undocumented. I did put most of them on instagram as I worked on them, but I also wish I would have taken the time to get out the big camera for photos and to sit and write about them in this space. This is something that I want to change in 2015 - more blogging! But, on a positive note, I am very happy that most of the clothes I did sew get worn often. That I consider a huge win.

Of course, I also did a lot of work that wasn't shared here or on IG that was for the book that I was working on for most of the year. Nine months of working on it and, in the end, my publisher and I decided not to publish it. Maybe that deserves a post of its own - I'm not sure. Regardless of my initial disappointment, I don't regret putting the work in and I don't regret the decision to let it go. I know it was the right decision for many reasons.

2014 was the year that I taught my first few quilting classes. Along with a friend, I also taught sewing to a group of 8th graders from Kate's school. It turns out that I enjoy teaching! It is so much fun. I really felt in my element when I could share my skilss with others and loved seeing things click for people. I hope there are more teaching opportunities in 2015.

In the spring, I went to Sew Down in Nashville. It was a great weekend away, with like minded quilters, in which I was able to connect with longtime friends, meet some new ones and learn from some amazing teachers. Likewise, in October, I traveled to the Catskills for a creative weekend with Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt. Again, it was great to make real life connections with other creative people. I thoroughly enjoyed both of these experiences and cannot wait for more of them in 2015. QuiltCon!!!

Personally, I spent a lot of my time trying to manage my time and schedule. I did not expect that when Jane started high school, I would be the one who had a hard time adjusting. Two kids and two schools means splitting my time in a way I haven't had to before. It also means a whole lot more driving and awkward phone calls to parents I don't know every time there is a social event or sleepover. The extra driving did bring about the return of carpool and waiting room knitting so that was a win. But, still, I think one of my biggest challenges is finding the balance between letting the girls sink or swim. It's hard to watch them struggle even a tiny bit, but I know that they need to spread their wings at the same time. I guess that's parenthood, right?

I often choose a guiding word for the year, but so far I have come up empty handed. What I truly want for 2015 is to let go and just live my best, to surrender to love and light, to be present in all I do, to enjoy the moment instead of worrying or thinking about what is to come, to work on the things that bring me joy. Is there a word for that? If so, I'm at a loss as to what it would be. But, I do think that somewhere through the clouds, there is a path. I'm going to try to follow it, one foot in front of the other.

I spied one through a restaurant window while Fatty and I were walking the streets of New York. My initial thought was one of disbelief. Really? A peony? It's not the right season. And then it hit me like a thunderbolt. Of course! It came from the other side of the equator where it is the right season.

Since then, I have been on the lookout close to home without any luck. And then yesterday, there they were! Peonies in December! They instantly made my day brighter. Happening upon them was one in a string of little things that made for a great day: sparkly silver shoes, meeting with good friends, a mini chocolate cupcake, a pretty gift, the peonies, getting all the presents mailed off, finishing the shopping. I still have quite a bit to do, but if it is the peonies in December that make me feel festive, well then, thank you universe for that.

We went downtown yesterday afternoon to blow our glass ornaments for the year. Fatty took the girls to do this eight years ago as a surprise for me and I have joined them every year since. It's hands down my favorite holiday tradition. I love that we make the time to go (always challenging - this year no exception) and that it is an outing. Talking to the artists, deciding what colors and combinations to use (also always challenging - we have a lot of ornaments!), looking at the glass in the gallery, watching the blowers at work - it's all part of the experience. And at the end, in addition to the memories, we have four more gorgeous ornaments to hang on the tree. I bet we will get to the point where they may even need their own tree. That would be just fine with me.

Yesterday was my first day back at painting in nine months. I knew I missed it, but until I picked up a brush and dropped blobs of oils on the palette, I didn't realize how much. I hesitated when I started mixing the first color, but in just a few minutes it all came back to me. I jumped in without thinking too hard and before long, I was in a groove. Three hours later, I had a painting. When I finished, I looked at my instructor and said, "That felt so good!"

Yesterday was a challenging day on many levels. The work we are doing in the house was going on in three places at once, four if you include the carpentry on the driveway. I wasn't prepared to have a bunch of people here so I was scrambling around trying to organize the Christmas presents and move my clothes out of my closet in the short window of time before Jane had to be picked up from her first two final exams. Also, the house is dirty, dirty, dirty, but it is pointless to clean while painters are sanding woodwork. And believe me, as much as I would prefer a quiet house, I do want the work to continue on at a fast pace so they can finish it up. Still, the disruption is hard for me. I tried so hard to go with the flow, but at one point I found myself sitting on Kate's bed, crying big, ugly tears. This is not the kind of holiday mess I want.

I got over it. I made dinner reservations. I took Jane out for lunch then read my book while she studied. I crawled in the guest bed in the studio and napped. When I woke up, I worked on the quilt back which didn't not go as expected. Measure once, cut once, make a ton of mistakes. In the end, I had my Tim Gunn moment and made it work. Today I will buy batting and tomorrow I will baste. I think I will pick up gingerbread house kits for the girls to do while we are at a holiday party. Maybe I will even get to buying the last few little Christmas presents and get everything wrapped. That just leaves the hats. I am still knitting, although the pace has slowed considerably. I'm not worried - there is still time.

Right now remembering my mantra of last year and reclaiming it. All is calm, all is bright.