samantha and balloon

I can make videos, too! I have made a couple of short ones with my little Sony regular camera. Here's one, and it's pretty darn cute. This Saturday, a woman employee at Bristol Farms was charmed by Samantha and gave her a purple helium balloon. She played with it in the car all the way home, laughing and having fun, and I was kicking myself because I didn't have my camera handy. But I made this video after we got home. Enjoy.

January Harvest

We visited our son last weekend to celebrate his birthday. Here he is with his girlfriend. The weather was gorgeous.

Happy to show off my January harvest from my backyard. This is the last pink grapefruit.

I have kumquats coming ripe now, too.  I have two tiny trees on my patio. They're sour on the inside and a little bit sweet on the outside. My favorite thing is to pop one in a cup of hot tea.

The strawberry guava tree has ripe fruit, too. I've been picking the ripe ones and freezing them for later, when I plan on making strawberry guava jelly. I tried making it last year, but I didn't have enough guavas. This time I will have plenty.


I'm excited because our daughter and her family are arriving here tonight, for an 8-night stay. Woohoo, this will be our granddaughter's first time in California. They'll get a little break from all the snow in NY. The weather here is in the high 70's.

"Simply Mini Quilts" Info

"Simply Mini Quilts" pamphlet comes out in March of 2011 for $9.95; Cover art -Clockwise from top left: Cindy Cooksey, Ruth Singer, Rebeka Lambert, and Sarah Ann Smith.

About the Simply Mini Quilts: 12 Quilting Projects

Simply Mini Quilts features 12 original, charming, and playful projects, all no more than three feet in length or height. A group of leading designers-most with prominent online presence-has created wonderful, modern designs suitable for beginners and intermediates. Featured techniques include machine and hand quilting, piecing, embroidery, fusing, embellishing, and trapunto. Artists included in book are:



Ruth Singer

Dorie Schwarz

Cindy Cooksey

Rebeka Lambert

Louise Papas

Malka Dubrawsky

Susan Storey

Kathy Daniels

Mary Hubbard

Aimee Ray

Sarah Ann Smith

Joan K. Morris



info about the book on Lark's site http://www.larkbooks.com/catalog?isbn=9781454700227

quilt show ribbons

I've been given the task of heading the award ribbon committee for my guild's next show. Flying Geese Quilters, their show is in early October. I am designing prototypes.

This is the first one I made, and I decided it was too small. It might be okay for the young quilter's awards, though. I learned how to make some silk ribbon flowers recently, and am thinking of including them on the awards. But I have to consider the price of the ribbon, how hard they are to make, who can help, etc.

Here are versions I received from previoius quilt shows. They're very nice, and I am happy to have them. But I'm aiming towards a darker, richer look. Less summery.

I made another prototype in a bigger size. The bigger one is 3" wide, and the smaller one is 2" wide. What a difference! I like the ribbon "streamers," but am worried about the cost. Here I mixed the ribbon streamers with sari silk yarn. The "rose" on the right is another flower version that I learned how to do. This isn't a very good photo of it. Any suggestions?

Noble Seasons - Fall 2011 schedule

My "Fall Color" quilt will be in all these places this year:

Dates for Noble Seasons - FALL 2011



ROAD To California - January 20 - 23 2011
Ontario Convention Center
Ontario, California


Mancuso Show Management

Denver National Quilt Festival VI
April 28 - May 1, 2011
Denver, Colorado


Quilting, Stitches and Crafts Expo
June 23 - 25, 2011
Reno, NV


Ohio Sewing & Quilt Fest
September 8 - 10, 2011
Cincinnati, OH


Nebraska National Quilt Festival
October 20 - 22, 2011
Lincoln, NE


QSC Expos

Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show
Oklahoma City, OK
January 2012

another new video

Here's a video of Samantha laughing. Too much fun.

I'm a cover girl

Check it out:
http://www.larkbooks.com/catalog?isbn=9781454700227

Well, I'm sort of a cover girl. One of my quilts made the cover of a pamphlet based on the book "Pretty Little Mini Quilts." My "Hearts on Fire" is the one on the upper left. Thank you, Lark Books!

another cute video of my granddaughter

This video reveals Samantha's contemplative side. Enjoy.

Christmas photos

Here are a few photos left over from Christmas. Here's a virtual fireplace along with our real fireplace.

Warren was messing around with this toy helicopter the whole time he was home. He got it in a family gift exchange on Christmas eve. The cats were terrorized!

Matilda had a toy to play with, too. This one drove her crazy.

Going postal.

These are the gloves I made my sister-in-law who lives in Colorado.

I made three men's hats, all similar, for the men in my life.

What the heck is this? This is one of the unique gifts I got this year. Can you guess? To me it looks like a decaying cake.

Here's a view of it without its tent. It's a shitake patch. It will grow successive crops of shitake mushrooms! Yum.

This photo was taken almost a week later, and you can see small mushrooms emerging. It only takes two weeks for the first crop to mature. This gift came from my mushroom-crazy daughter. It's fun!

Another unusual gift I got was this dreamcatcher from my son. He makes them. It's very unique and I love it.