David and I are busy, as I am sure you all are at this time of year. We are trying to get ready for the holidays and also get some projects finished and others started for deadlines next year.

The Textures show has closed and we have our quilts back. The members will be reviewing the input from that at our last formal meeting of the year today. We have one more gathering for a Christmas party but that is just pure fun, no work. We will also be deciding on our challenge topic for next years show. Our "Wings N Things" topic for this year was very well received by the public. There was lots of positive feedback from everyone that attended the opening. I  have not seen the comments from our attendance book yet, but am looking forward to seeing those remarks.

David and I will be working on our "Black and White with a Twist" quilts that will be for next years Quilts on the Wall exhibit. David has his designed, mine is about half done but I have it well defined in my mind what I want to do. David has even started picking fabrics.

We are now back in the studio! This is a huge relief. I am so happy to be able to walk in there, pick up a project and actually start working on it right then. The new sewing machine cabinet is great. I love the fact that it has the power lift for the machines so we can raise and lower them as needed. We are currently waiting on our custom inserts so that everything will be flush to the surface while sewing.

I am now in the process or starting my savings plan for a new computer. I am in the market for a desktop (a little more bang for the buck) so if anyone has a PC brand that they love please let me know. I am going to try to get one in about 6 months.

New Coastal quilt series   

David and I had a wonderful time when we were in Morro Bay for a week. It was cool on the coast and mostly overcast, but when we drove inland to do some wine tasting, it was warm and beautiful. Warm, of course, is a relative term. If you have ever been in Arizona, 90 is warm, if you grew up in San Diego, 90 degrees is hot.

We did some sightseeing while we were there, rode our bikes, and visited some of the local galleries and shops. We are not really "beach" people but were inspired while there. It must have been the slower pace of the town and the trees. Because of the wonderful time we had there we have decided to start a new series of art quilts to honor our trip.

We will be calling the series "Coastal Impressions". While in the area, we purchased some wonderful hand dyed ribbons, trims, shells, beach glass, fabric and other items that we will use when creating our pieces. We frame our smaller pieces in a shadow box for easy hanging and display.

Pictured is a preliminary piece that I am working on. I still intend to add some beading, hand stitching, and a few more shells. This is not an actual view where we stayed but an impression of the area from our travels around the bay and the coast.

Forgive the photo, I took this picture as it was hanging on my wall, hence the little "clippie" things at the top and the background.

Let me know what you think. I would love your comments.

David and I have been working on getting the studio put back together. Most of the items that we lugged out of the studio have returned to their home. We are in the process of reorganizing some of the supplies. Last weekend we even got to work on some new pieces of art.

 We purchased the Koala DualMate Plus IV for our new sewing cabinet. It is fabulous. We now have a nice "clean" looking area that gives both of us a great sewing surface. Sewing Machines Plus in San Marcos had a floor model that we were able to get for a price that made us happy. We purchased the white version of the cabinet. I had money I was saving for a new computer and dual monitors, but maybe next year. I will be posting pictures later when I take some that show it nicely.

My goal is to get everything cleaned and put away by the end of this weekend. Life will return to a semi normal state, except did I mention the microwave died yesterday? It is back to the teapot for us…