Hello, 2024!

When the snow barely covers the ground it reminds me of a powder sugar dusted spice ginger cookie.

I took this photo Saturday morning on my way over to the inn - 

Once I got past my gate and onto the road things were dry, it was just getting down the drive that was only slightly dicey.

By afternoon things had melted enough that the drive wasn't covered.

All we are left with a few days later is just some pockets where the sun doesn't shine - and the rest is just....BROWN.

I hope everyone had a wonderful long in-between week!

Even more than the holidays themselves I love the week in between.

It was fairly leisurely, slower paced.  But even then while the binding stitching, pineapple sewing, hand quilting and occasional cooking was going on - my mind was busy making lists for all o those things we have coming in 2024.

And guess what - it's HERE.

First things first - if you missed yesterday's blog post - go check it out!  We pulled a wild card and released Part Seven of Indigo Way so everyone could spend their New Year's Day putting together some pieces.

Binding, sleeve and label done in 2023!

The forecast tells me we are due for 5'' - 8'' of snow this coming weekend.  And rather than taking this photo against a sea o dead brown grass - I'm waiting for that blanket of white.

As I mentioned earlier - Winter Cardinal is slated for release along with Star of Hope as a free bonus on 2/2/24 - just around the corner!

And no - this didn't even make a dent in the bins of gifted gray strings that I've been pulling from for YEARS now.  I don't think I'll ever run out.

And I love the gray/red combo.

Hours upon hours of sewing.

The basket of pineapple blocks is filling SLOWLY.  Each block is taking me about an hour to stitch, so a full afternoon from my New Year's Dy machine time is shown here.  4 blocks.  In 5 hours.

It's so worth it though!  The pieces this quilt is pulling together - it's everything in the neutral and colors-on-black categories.

This will be my sew-at-home project for the next several months. I don't see it being completed any time quickly.

New Year's Day evening quilting!

Ivy has been coming in at night so we are sure that Miss Meany Pants Lola is fed, petted, and settled in the basement studio over night.

Her bed is my by monitor - I just snapped this photo while writing this post.

No, she is not suffering by spending the night in the basement.

In the morning, Ivy goes out with the dogs and Lola is let out of confinement for breakfast.

We've got a happy little routine that is working.  For now.

So today - Back in the saddle, y'all!

There is mail order that came in over the holiday weekend that needs to be filled today.

There is that tread pad resolution that is waiting for me at the QPO studio as well.

And I've got to FINALLY start figuring out what I'm going to do with my Oopsie Daisie blocks that have grown with all of the piecing I've done - though I have to confess that a lot of paper piecing has happened over the past year and that's not very conducive to leader & endering.

I need to up my game plan in that area!

also - While movie watching over the past weekend I finally FINALLY sat and sorted through 3 art bins of random scraps that were gifted to me.

Most of the pieces are large crumb size - think "end of jelly roll strip" type scraps.

I sorted them by colors - pulling long strips and bigger pieces to be sorted and cut down.

The smaller pieces I'm just keeping in zip-lock bags and placing them in the string bins by color family.

At any rate - there are now 3 large empty art bins to stack with my other empty art bins.

Ready for new projects!

How are you kicking off 2024 today?

Quiltville Quote of the Day -

Off the top of your head, list three things that you are grateful for in the comments section below.

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Did you know your first thoughts of the day set the tone for your whole day?

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I awoke this morning to a beautiful wintery sunrise. I can't wait for 2024 to begin in earnest as I head back to work today.

And that 3rd thing?

Fabric. Of course. It must be fabric!