One Little Word...

Do you choose One Little Word to be your theme word for the year?  Last year my word was Simplicity ~ with all that was going on in 2011 with taking care of my dad and his affairs, working my "job that pays", and trying to grow Spring Water Designs, that word was a very appropriate thing for me to strive for.

This year I've chosen the word Enjoy as my word of inspiration.  I like to make an effort to do something that I enjoy every day, even if it's just a little thing.  I'm realizing how short and precious life really is (Ack ~ is that a symptom of old age?), and want to focus on enjoying all of my blessings.  So don't be surprised if you hear about a gillion little things that I enjoy this year...consider this your advanced warning :)

The Baltimore Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge for us to make a small project or block using our theme word to help us keep it in focus throughout the year.  So I made this happy little Enjoy quiltlet using the Summer Song fabric collection from Riley Blake Designs (my all-time favorite bright fabrics), and it will hang in my sewing room and make me smile every time I walk in. (Even when it's messy!)  I tried something new to me with the free motion quilting ~ I'm getting better at just "doodling" and filling in an area with quilting stitches without planning it all out ahead of time and marking everything :)

Here are a few of the other Word quilts that were shared at our meeting today.  (More are in the works and will be shown at next month's meeting).  I was impressed and inspired by the thought that everyone put into their chosen words, and as always love the fabrics that were used!

Daniela chose the word Balance, a word that I actually pondered for my theme word and I can so relate to.  I loooove her border fabric and it's so perfect with her black/white letters!

 Laura chose Grow, and did this lovely tree quilt (How cool are those different colored leaves!).

Lainey chose Journey as her word for multiple reasons that fit her life this year.  You can see a better picture of her quilt and read about it here.  She paper pieced her letters, and the little wonky stars are a perfect touch...I always love the colors and fabrics that Lainey uses!

Heather made this little sweetie and will be "sewing seeds" in 2012 :)  You can read more about her project here on her blog.  Her chosen fabric was just perfect for this project, and don't you just love the font that she used for the word!

Finally, Maria made a larger quilt.  She chose the word Improve, and set out on a hunt for fabrics that represent things she wanted to improve on in 2012, and her quilt just kept growing.  I love how she has a significance to each focus fabric in the quilt making it a very personal keepsake to her. 

Have you chosen a theme word for 2012?  I'd love to hear

Be Attitudes

Today I'll be putting the binding on the Be Attitudes Quilt for the Holy Trinity Lutheran Youth Group Auction. (Above is a picture of the quilt top that I had taken before). I love this little quilt with words on each of it's twelve blocks. I knew as soon as I saw Nancy Halverson's Be Attitudes book that I'd make this quilt for the auction.

Here are some of the blocks that I snapped pictures of yesterday as I completed the quilting on them.
I'm not a very experienced machine quilter, so this has been some good practice for me, trying different motifs on each block.

The cryptic little messages on each block makes it very appropriate for the Youth Group auction.

The auction is to raise funds for our kids' trip to the Lutheran Youth Gathering this summer in New Orleans. Along with all the fun stuff that they'll do, the trip will also include some service work in the New Orleans community.

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Words of Wisdom

This is Millie & Tillie. I named the crow Tillie, because she just looks like a Tillie to me, and the sheep got Millie of course because it rhymes. I picked them up on one of my many foraging trips in the cute little shops outside of Gettysburg PA when my daughter was going to college there. They sit on the back of my stove and their sole purpose in this life is to make me smile every morning...and they do :) For some reason I am tickled by the look on the sheep's face. It's a simple thing, but important I think.

I like things with little messages on them ~ words of wisdom, if you will. I need to see these little prompts to keep me centered. I like words on quilts too. Here are a few of the quilts I've done with words or messages on them.

Many Thanks designed by Nancy Halverson (pattern can be found in book with that name). The center block says, "For These I Give Thanks" and each block has something to be thankful for. These words are done with stitchery.

Pat Sloan designs many quilts with words on them. This is Be Merry and this pattern can be found in the Quilt The Seasons with Pat Sloan book.

Jane A Stickle stitched on the simple phrase, "In War Time 1868" to the corner of her "Dear Jane" quilt, and has touched quilters for over 140 years. Words are powerful.

What words inspire you? I keep this little create shelf sitter in the window in my sewing room. You can find words like these in the primitives section of my ebay store, and right now they're on sale! Take a moment to be inspired...or tickled today!

~ Dawn