Monday, November 10, 2014

and so it begins

I got the call at 5:45 this morning that we had our first snow day of the season. The kids were more than thrilled to stay home! I thought the 14" of snow that was predicted was just a bunch of hype, but as the day wore on, it was apparent I was wrong (so very wrong) and that "they" kind of knew what they were talking about.
We certainly are starting the season off with a bang!
I am so glad that I had a quilt basted and ready to quilt! It's been a busy day with everyone home (and all that snow to shovel) but I managed to find time to quilt two bobbins worth. It's not a lot, but I'll take it!
 
It's days like today that make me thankful that I am a quilter. I love not only the end result (the quilt itself), but I enjoy the process as well. It feels like forever since I free motion quilted anything and I forget how relaxing it can be! (When things are going well, that is!) And so far, so good. Hurray for that!
 
Happy Monday to you!

58 comments:

Alycia~Quiltygirl said...

Happy Monday to you too! We had snow and wind but notlike yours! Stay in and stay warm!

Anonymous said...

Hey, a new use for our rulers !
I think you got us beat for snow in inches to date this winter.

Katherine said...

Wow. FMQ still makes me tense up, but your little loops are lovely. The snow is also beautiful. The high here in Mississippi was 76 degrees today and so I had to bundle up in a sweater.

carol said...

PLEASE keep all that snow in your neck of the woods….we don't need it! Ugh!

Kathy@KayakQuilting said...

I completely agree with you! A snowy day with my sewing machine is the best!

Marie said...

Oh snow -- better than the freezing rain at my house -- I'm patiently waiting for another month of fall ....

Quilting is always relaxing ...

Stay warm and safe.

SarahZ said...

I hear ya! After bonus bluebird weather, we've gotten our first snow, and "they" say we'll dip below zero for a couple nights! I am busy with a wedding gift of two cushion covers...so I am a happy quilter, too :)

Quilter Kathy said...

The perfect snowy day activity!

Kathy4aday said...

When I taught I loved snow days as much as the kids!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

that is a lot of snow!! we might get flurries here in Arkansas by the weekend but I hope they are wrong! cold enough weather as it is without snow too - in the 40's/20's for the upcoming 7 to 10 days! way too early

Anonymous said...

Definitely the first time I've seen a fabric ruler used to meausre snowfall, but it's very accurate. Keep warm!

Di~ said...

knock on wood! :) oh wait no, you don't need to, you are that good! :)
love the snow measurement tool! We should get snow here in Idaho on Thursday! It has been a beautiful Fall here.

Katherine said...

Wow. That's a lot of snow in one go! We kicked off winter with the white stuff on Sunday, but no where near that amount. The temperature drop is requiring some major adjusting too. Makes me happy I'm a quilter too - just the best to snuggle under a few more quilts each night. ;o)

Carla said...

Oh, ugh! The temps are dipping here as well with snow in the forecast. I sure hope it's not 14 inches. I'm glad you are a quilter too!!

Kim B. said...

Dare I say I'm envious! Where I live we just don't get days like this.

Timi said...

14" of snow??? I am looking out of the window now and it's autumn here with lots of sunhine and 20 Celsius!
So you are very lucky to have snow :o) I hope we have some too for Christmas...:o)

Dawn said...

I can hardly believe people in other states are getting snow and here in California we are praying for even a tiny bit of rain. Less 3 weeks ago our house was threatened by wild fire and 6 homes were burned to the ground.

Only a quilter would use a ruler to measure snow fall. lol
Lovely quilt!

Carie @ Space for the Butterflies said...

Wow I don't think I've ever seen that much snow in real life! It looks gorgeous, though I'll admit that's from the perspective of someone who didn't have to do the shovelling!

Anonymous said...

Amandajean, Wow, what a wonderful photo shot of a very foggy and snowy laiden morning. I'm sure their a art quilt somewhere there???? Sorry you had to do the shovelling too. Your quilt looks lovely as well. I am slowly getting roasted and you are having your bottoms frozen off! Such is the world we live in! Bye for now happy quilting Amanadajean. Julie julie714@adam.com.au

margaret said...

certainly lots of snow just keep it over there please. We did not have a single flake last year,fingers crossed there will be none this year too.

How I would love to master FMQ and find it relaxing, I was told the other day janome are better than bernina for quilting so got my old machine out (34 years) and it has gone in for a service, the mechanic says it is a very good machine so getting a walking foot for it and when it comes back fingers crossed all will work well

Judy Z said...

Love the picture with the quilting ruler. Another use for our rulers! You must live near to me (NW WI) because that picture could be outside my own door.

Unknown said...

Wow what a picture...we still have the ac going here in Houston,,,!!!

Sarah Fredette said...

I love snow days. But then again, I don't have kids with cabin fever, so for me its just sew, sew, sew while it snows. :D Here's hoping the FMQ keeps going well!!!

christine said...

I love being snowed in. Best days to quilt! I love being told by the radio that all 'nonessentials' (me) should stay off the roads. I'm curious: where do you live?

Lorna McMahon said...

Those little loops are very pretty. Glad you are having fun with it! Boy... that snow is quite a wake up call. Hope the kids enjoyed the day off!

Unknown said...

Beautiful! I'm guessing you are in Minnesota. Nothing here in SE WI but looking forward to our first measurable snow. Hopefully we'll have some for Christmas! Your quilt looks beautiful. Enjoy the time to sew and the gorgeous landscape!

Unknown said...

Oh no! Headed our way to Maine! Just had a storm,lots of heavy snow. Broke quite a few trees and bushes and some people still,do not have their power.

JaDee said...

WOW! That's some serious snow! We're still waiting for the first snow of the season here. I love to get outside, but weather like that makes me more than happy to stay inside with a quilting (or knitting or crochet) project ;)

Anonymous said...

Wow, I saw this snowfall on the news last night, you really did get buried in it!! Have fun quilting today, but keep the deep stuff up there, OK?
Carole @ From My Carolina Home

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I guess that you are getting hit by the "Bering Bomb" that I saw on the news. That's just too much snow, too early in the season. The first snow is usually magical but with that much, the magic wore off at about 4 inches, I'd imagine.

Rebecca Grace said...

Where are you, Amanda? Your snowy yard looks so magical, like the world created new and we all get a "Do over." And I love how you used your acrylic ruler to measure the snowfall. I hope you and your kids had a great snow day! Mine are home with me for Veteran's Day today but we still have a violin lesson and a LEGO Robotics session to get them to -- not like a peaceful snow day where EVERYTHING shuts down!

Pat said...

I think you might be a quarter inch shy of 14" of snow. :D Wow, all I can say is please, please, please, keep it in your neck of the woods.

Love your loopy quilting.

nest full of eggs said...

I love the quilting ruler in the snow!!!

Patti said...

Such a pretty yard with all the snow! The quilting ruler measuring cracked me up! We have snow here but not 14" thank goodness! Hope roads etc are cleared soon so that regular life returns for you.

alison@the chainpiecer said...

WOW - 14"! We get hysterical here in England about 4"!!! What a good excuse to stay at home and quilt. Oh, and mind your kids too...

Unknown said...

Beautiful!!!! It's so funny as I was reading your blog post and saw the ruler!!! I told my husband..."you can always tell a quilter.." We laughed because we have done the exact same thing!!! We actually use my rulers for all kinds of things...hope you and your kids enjoy the snow day.

Crafty Ashley B said...

That top picture makes me happy that I live in Louisiana! Our last snow day was in January! Currently we are not expected to get any snow. (Fingers crossed!) I was not meant to be a snow girl!

Quilting Stories said...

Wow beautiful snowing day for staying at home and quilt!

Kate O said...

I'm in Minnesota, just east of Saint Paul, but I don't think we got that much snow. Not sure because I'm hunkered down. I have two crib quilts ready to go to the quilter (a very good friend of mine who has her own quilt shop), and a new box of fabric just waiting for me to move on it. It's Horizon by Kate Spain and I can't wait to start, but first I have to decide on a design. I just may design it myself!

Helen said...

So sorry about the snow! It's just cold here. Thanks for continuing to blog when so many other blogs have gone quiet.

Karen said...

Yep, it's here! We just got our power back on here in rural Maine after a snowstorm about a week ago. If I only could have used my sewing machine! Keep warm.

Jan Regier said...

Ugh , so much snow ! We have cold , but no snow .
Stay warm and dnjoy that quilting . I am in the process of setting up my quilting frame now !

Barb Neiwert said...

Don't ya just hate it when they're right on a forecast like this? That's a big dump. We're just on the edge of this storm and didn't get nearly that much. Yet. Stay warm and quilt away the day!

happyallthetime said...

I'm in Pennsylvania, sitting in the sunshine on my deck, watching the leaves blow around. It's almost 70. The cats and I are just enjoying the day. I hear tonight and tomorrow things are going to take a turn for the worse. I love the changes of the season, but I'm never quite ready for the first big snow.
I love that you used your fabric ruler. We use what we have.

Unknown said...

lucky you

Diane Beavers said...

Quilting rulers really do have another purpose...I love that snow gauge:)
Glad you were able to get some free motion quilting in . I've learned so much from your prep tutorials, taping the back to my living room floor now and it works. I don't like all those little pins in my way so to speak but they truly hold it all together. You are aces!
bluestarof2@yahoo.com

gooma8x said...

I loved your snowy day project. I, too, use my Juki for small projects. And you are right, when it is happy, the world glows....Would love to see this quilt when it is finished.

Anthony and Sharon said...

I came to search where your "ideas for scrappy projects" post was, but I can't find it. So I post here. In case you need another idea...what about stuffed, round, globe-type ornaments??? I've been making some ornaments (not from scraps) and thought, "She should use scraps to make some!"
Sorry about the snow. It was a gorgeous 72 here in Florida today. I think if I lived where you did, I'd be MUCH more motivated to develop my quilting skills!

Jen @ de Jong Dream House said...

You must be in my old stomping grounds. I grew up between the Cities and St. Cloud. I now live in Ohio where we have four nearly equal seasons! Glad you have those quilts to keep you cozy over the long winter!

Cindy said...

I'm so glad that missed us here in North Dakota, at least in Grand Forks. I'm not at all ready yet. cdahlgren at live dot com

Jeneta said...

What a beautiful snow photo! I wouldn't mind a snow day or two (easy to say when you live somewhere where it doesn't snow - we are enjoying early summer weather!) - I'm just not as enthusiastic about packing four lunch boxes this late in the school year! Hey - great way to clean your ruler!!

Granny Maud's Girl said...

New uses for a quilting ruler! Innovative!

Malinda said...

Now is a good time to start your next book (if you haven't already). I love Sunday Morning Quilts so much. A sequel would be great!

charlotte said...

Oh, my! We down here in NC are expecting an icy blast of cold this weekend. No snow...yet...keep warm and keep quilting.

Andrea @ Mouse in My Pocket said...

Talk about the great white north! It's a sunny 27 degrees here. Awfully cold, but no snow, thank goodness. I don't think I'm quite ready for that. Are you doing free motion on your home machine?! I keep thinking I should attempt that, but haven't been brave enough to try. Have any good tips?

Anne said...

All I can say is OMG!!!

pandchintz said...

Thank you for the snow photo - I love them! - so cooling to see sitting in 34 degree heat (Down Under)!

Barbara Konkle said...

Love a good snow day! We got down to - 3 today! Quilting is the thing to do! :) Enjoy!