Beth Who????

Yes, I really am writing on my blog. In case you have forgotten, I'm Beth and I live in NH. Life has really been crazy! We finished building our house and moved in the end of last October. I can't believe it has almost been a year. Took us a while to get settled and organized and get back into a routine. But lately I really haven't had an excuse. I even have less of one since I now have my own sewing area. I thought when we moved here I would have to share my daughters bedroom and use it for sewing while she was away at college. Neither of us were really excited about that idea! Our basement is unfinished but they put so much styrofoam insulation panels up that it stays really warm in the winter even with no heat and stays nice and cool in the summer. To top it all off, my sister-in-law moved and didn't have room so she asked if I wanted her sewing table.. Let me say that this sewing table is really NICE!!! Her husband, Brett made it for her. At first we thought there was no way I would be able to get it, because we didn't have a truck or van to drive out to Syracuse, NY. Was I really excited when they called to say that Brett and their daughter were driving to Maine to visit relatives and could bring it out!!!! I will have to take pictures of it and my sewing area to post.

I haven't done too much quilting. I did make curtains for our dining room and living room. Really simple, just valences. We live out in the woods and want to see out. Still have fabric that I need to make valences for Kara's room! I did finish up a couple of pieces to put up in the house since they went so well together and with the wall colors.

This first one, I started in 2006? Give or take a year. It's been sitting around as a top that I kept pulling out to try and decide how to quilt it. Right now it is just quilted in the ditch but when and if I decide to, I can add more quilting to it. It is over my couch. I have always really liked this one.

This second one, I started out just playing with colors, I think I had posted it when I finished the top. I finally quilted it. I still have trouble deciding how to quilt things and then hesitate because I worry that I will mess up and ruin it. I'm trying to push past this! This one hangs in the dining area on one side of a window.

On the other side of the window hangs my Birches quilt. This is another one that I always liked and am glad I finally have a place to hang it up.

We still have a lot of empty wall space. I found that a lot of stuff that had been in storage for 14 years wasn't really my style anymore.

I have one piece that I have recently finished and need to get a picture taken. After that piece I really had a block and couldn't come up with anything. I would go down to my sewing area and just move fabric around and not come up with any ideas. I finally decided to pull things out of my scrap bag and just start sewing without any idea of where I was going. I found a couple of pieces in the bag that I had started sometime and never did anything with them. I decided to put them together and finally have something going!!!

Even though I haven't gotten much done I have, I think, defined my "style" a little bit. I have done a lot of exploring, trying new things, mixed media techniques, etc over the years. Just in this last year, I realized I wanted to pretty much stick with fabric maybe with a few added embellishments if it needs it. I tend to like simpler quilts and simple quilting, I like to let the fabric talk and be an important part of the quilt. You tend to see a lot of heavily quilted pieces and I always struggled because I felt that is what I had to do but I've come to realize that No, I don't. I prefer my pieces quilted simply. I also like to make and use my own fabric whether by dyeing, painting, discharging, etc. This is almost as fun as making the quilt itself!

Well, I've rambled on enough for tonight. Now to get some other things done. I will be back soon with more stuff!!!