Getting to Know Me

I've been hesitant about writing this first post. I've never written anything in a blog. In fact, the only thing I have in my own blog is it's title, Charlotte Butterball (explanation later). Since the bee is a new adventure for me I figured it's time to start a lot of new things, at the age of 56.



I grew up in New York City and although I still love it there I don't know if I could live there again but now my oldest daughter Ruth (26) who just finished her Master's degree in Internation Conflict Resolution just moved there so never say never. She loves it there like I remember feeling about it. I've been married for 35 years which seems so odd to be so old. My husband (Jeff) and I actually met in high school through mutual camp friends and went to college and then graduate school together. I am a trained Social Worker with an M.S.W. and after working for a lot of different organizations in 1987 I decided to open my own private practice and I've been working as a psychotherapist since then. My husband is a Clinical Psychologist and we share an office together. People ask if that's difficult but there are days we hardly see each other and we have different clinical interests and knowing one another's habits helps. I forgot to mention that we have a one year old Westie named Winston. I always said I wasn't going to be one of those women who gets a dog when their youngest child goes to college but always having had dogs throughout my adult life when our sweet Kacie (a Bouvier des Flandres) died last summer I knew I missed someone greeting me at the door when I came home but after injuring my back in a car accident, a smaller dog seemed much more manageable. He is a little devil but he's very funny and he always makes me smile. Ruth got his brother, Louie a year before and we fell in love with Louie so deciding what kind of dog to get was easy. Watching the two brothers play is like watching two two year olds. Winston is definitely the pesky younger brother.



As part of his (my husband Jeff) training we have lived in a number of cities for short periods of time. We went to graduate school in St. Louis. He did further training in Seattle and Palo Alto. We didn't even know where Rochester was when he got his first job.here. People from New York City really think that upstate is anything north of Westchester. Rochester is 150 miles south of Toronto. We thought this would be a good first job for him , never expecting to stay more than a few years and we've been here ever since. It is definitely not New York City or Seattle (which I adored and still do) but it's been a nice sized city with a wonderful school system and affordable housing. A generally good place to raise a family. So here we remain until.... there is definitely a move somewhere on the horizon. Our youngest daughter (Hannah) who turns 21 in a few weeks is a junior at Emory University in Atlanta. She recently returned from spending her fall semester in Italy.



A few years ago anticipating "an empty nest" I took my first quilting class. It was about 20 levels too high for me but I then tried some baby quilts on my own. Being a perfectionist, it has been hard for me but now that exactness is no longer required I love picking out the different colors and fabrics and thinking about designs. I definitely veer towards the unusual colors and mixtures of fabrics. I promised I would not horde fabric like I've horded yarn in the past (I still knit but very slowly) but I've alread got a sewing room and Etsy has become a close friend. I was so glad to see that most of us seem to be at the same level with a few of us having more experience to help guide the rest of us along. I'm excited about meeting a new group of women at this point in my life and sharing our stories, pictures and quilts. I can't wait to start. I'm already thinking of what I want to pick for my month. Flickr has become my second best friend.

February seems far away but I know January will fly by and then we can start. I am so excited to see what every one else's tastes and interest are. I can't wait to get to know all of you.

Wicked Excited in Massachusetts

Hi everyone, Ms. September here!

My name is Jaclyn. I'm very (wicked, as we say in New England) excited to be a part of this bee. This will be my first bee and truth be told I'm a tiny bit nervous. I've had a chance to check out everyone's blog/flickr accounts and you all create such beautiful stuff!

A little about me...
I'm from a very small town in the middle of nowhere in Massachusetts and I pine for Manhattan. The economic downturn has led me to where I am now. About a year ago I was working away at a financial institution in NY. The company my boyfriend worked for wasn't making any money and he wasn't getting paid. After about three months he was unable to find a job in NY and our lease was up so we decided to take advantage of my parents enormous generosity and move in with them.

We've been here about 9 months now, my boyfriend has found a wonderful job with a company that is growing despite the economy and I decided this would be the perfect time to try something new.

I have always enjoyed making things. I remember most of my childhood birthday parties including some sort of craft for all of us kids to make and girl scout meetings filled with crafty adventures. I've always looked at things I like and said, I can make that! So that's what I'm doing, making stuff.

Thank goodness I was able to work a crazy amount of overtime for about six months before we moved and I quit my job, otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this. Business is steady and I'm absolutely loving it, but it's not paying the bills. Yet!

I really love quilts, I also have many fond memories of quilts throughout my life. For as long as I can remember my grandmother has made quilts for everyone. About five or six years ago I made my first quilt as a baby gift. I haven't been making many quilts lately because my customers want other things like crayon rolls and bags.

I am glad to have this commitment so that I have to quilt more this year than last. I am so looking forward to it.

I can't wait to be inspired and challenged by each of you!


Oh yeah, I don't have any kids, just a crazy dog. I'm sort of allergic to children. :)

Greetings from the Bluegrass State!

OK...that sounded like a postcard. How about a normal introduction?

My name's Kellie and I am soooo excited to be a part of this quilting bee! I'm fairly new to quilting and sewing. I waited until I turned 38 years old to attempt either seriously. I'd played around with a sewing machine before, but nothing ever came of it.

While I haven't been sewing for long, it has become one of my favorite pastimes and I often blabber on about my latest project on my blog. I'm still learning and have a long way to go, but I am certain that someday I will overcome my fear of sleeves and zippers!

Not long after I decided to learn to sew, I bought a copy of Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing and made three of her Easy Lap Quilts as Christmas gifts. From there, I knew I wanted to learn to quilt for real. I took a beginning piecing class at my local quilt shop and joined the block of the month club there as well. I've pieced three quilts but have never actually quilted anything(other than the straight lines on those Easy Lap Quilts). I am a quilting chicken when it comes to trying the complicated patterns so I tend to stick to simple blocks. I'm thinking some of you may just push me out of my comfort zone...and that's OK.

I like modern Denyse Schmidt style quilts but I also love more traditional patterns like pinwheels and log cabins. I'll be the Queen in June, so that gives me a couple months to think about what I'd like to do with my quilt.

...and when I'm not sewing...I'm an elementary school Library Media Specialist who is married to Mark(for 22 years) sharing a home with four cats and one very hyperactive puppy, who we suspect is part goat, named Mya.

I can't wait to "meet" you all and get to quilting!

Hello from Wintery Wisconsin

Hello! My name is Linda and I am a working mom of two boys - 11 and 8. I have been married for over 14 years and have lived in Wisconsin almost all of my life. For a short time my family lived in South Dakota; otherwise, I have been here and there in Wisconsin. My husband, boys and I now live in southeastern Wisconsin.

I started quilting just this past September after taking a class at a fabulous quilt shop nearby. My first quilt is still a UFO, but I am determined to finish it by the end of the year (now I'm committed, right?). All that's left is quilting and binding - not a small task! I have made other, smaller, quilts that I have completed and given as gifts, so I'm not a total rookie, but I've never been in a quilting bee and I'm really excited that I am in the group. I can't wait for my month - July.

I learned to sew from watching my mom. My mom and my grandmother also taught me to crochet and that is still one of my favorite winter hobbies. I am a knitting failure. :)

My earliest quilting memory is of a quilt made by my aunt. It was white and beautifully textured - she quilted it by hand. I'd like to make one like it (though NOT hand-quilted) and I'm considering a white quilt for my month, but I am still undecided. Good thing I have some time to think about it.

Aside from quilting, my life revolves around whatever my boys are doing. They play soccer, football, and baseball so depending on the season, you'll find me cheering them on.

See you in July!

I'm the January Queen

I am really looking forward to being a part of this Quilting Bee. I am a working mother of three. My two girls are 17 and 14 and my son is 9. Since the kids have gotten older I have more time for me.

I used to take out craft projects for them and craft along. Now I knit, quilt, and draw. I have been taking a lot of adult ed classes. I really enjoy designing a project and then seeing the final product.

I live in Maine and spend as much time in the summer as I can up in Acadia National Park. I love hiking, kayaking, and just being out in nature.

Right now I am working as hard as I can to get the final quilt done for a Christmas present. I should be able to do it.

Merry Christmas to all.

Balinda

Merry Christmas from New Hampshire

I am a spirited 40 something living in the fabulous Western White Mountains of New Hampshire.
I am married to a man who loves to weld.....he calls it knitting for men.

After fabric, I enjoy hiking, cycling, running marathons and helping others.

They say that as a quilter, you make six to give away and keep the seventh. I am overwhelmed by color......consequently I adore making scrap quilts.........more recently I have developed a crush on WHITE and the bold fresh elements of modern quilt making. This is the second bee I have joined this year and I look forward to making twenty-two new friends and learning a bit along the way.
Thanks for inviting me..........Shelly (April)

getting to know me - liz

I am also a part of the original Fresh Comfort Bee so I am just going to post the same getting to know me stuff as I did over there.

I am so excited to be a part of this bee. This is the third bee I have joined and I am looking forward to making a lot of fun new blocks and learning new things. I am an almost 33 year old mom of 4 - 2 girls and 2 boys. I have been married for 12 1/2 years to my wonderful husband. We currently live in sunny Arizona while my husband goes to school. He is finished in April so we will see where we end up after that.

I honestly can not remember a time in my life when I was not sewing, stitching or crafting in some way or another. I had a babysitter teach me to cross stitch when I was 6. I remember my mom teaching me to embroider and to sew. I also learned to crochet from my grandmother. Of course, I also took home ec in jr high and high school. Until recently all of my jobs were in that field as well:a craft store, a fabric store, a scrapbook store. I guess you could say that crafting is in my blood :)

I have recently started quilting again after many years where scrapbooking was my primary craft. I am really enjoying the process and have been finishing some WIP's (some older than my marriage!) I have also enjoyed giving my quilt creations as gifts and the appreciation that my family and friends have for my homemade gifts.

I look forward to February and our first project together!

Introductions from Maine

Greetings swappers & quilters,

I am Margaret and I am one of Katie's "almost" neighbors. I live 15 minutes from her (and lived a mere 3 blocks from her for many years!). It is a small world indeed. I have lived in Maine since 1996, but really prefer the warmer climates. Having spent 15+ years living in the South and a few years in northern California for graduate school, I wonder what ever possessed me to move here!! Now in the real throws of winter, I like to sew whenever possible. When the flowers appear again, the need to sew wanes (but only a little!).

I am a mechanical engineer, and I teach part-time at a local college. It keeps me working within my trained profession, and pays for my love of all things woven!! This fall, I bought a longarm quilting machine, and am also doing this professionally. My internet clientelle has been so wonderful and influential in getting this business started. The longarm quilting is a wonderful obsession, although it is definitely tugging at my time for and love of piecing quilts. That is where joining 2 quilting Bees is going to help...

I have three kids, ages 3-5-7, and a supportive husband. They never ask what is in boxes or bags - they all know the answers: either quilts or fabric. Someday I hope to show my daughter how to sew to pass on the tradition.

So, my month is February. I am shocked & delighted. I had no idea I'd go first so I have not done too much to think about what I would love to see for blocks. I can share, however, some fabrics I have been gathering. I am a huge fan of Michael Miller's Fairy Frosts, so there are 4-5 different ones of those. I also have a nice sampling of Mendocino prints. I think I prefer this quilt to be in the aqua and brown shades, with only accents of orange, but I will formalize this when I send material.
To help me decide on type and size of block, could each swapper tell me (either via comment or direct email) if they'd be game to do 2 blocks versus just 1. If you commit to make me 2, then I will do the same for you on your month. I just think that 12 blocks makes such a small quilt, and that means that I have to make SO many more blocks myself :-)... Once I hear back from you all, I will choose some details for my month.

Cheers!
Margaret

Welcome!

Welcome to the Fresh Comfort Two Virtual Quilting Bee. I'm really looking forward to getting started. I'm leading another bee called, not very originally, "Fresh Comfort", so I'm going to try to reuse stuff I've typed over there as much as possible. Feel free to poke around on that blog (but if you read them both, don't make fun of me for saying the same thing over again).

The more relevant posts are this one that just gives an overview of a Virtual Quilting Bee in general which I'm sure most of you already know and then this other post that talks about some of the more specific details.

It's going to be a lot of fun to get to know each other, so with that in mind, it would be nice if you all could write a little blog post about yourselves. I will do the same. No hurry though. I know we're all really busy and even more so this time of yerr.

"Talk" to you soon and enjoy your holidays.

Katie