Something For You To Do...

The quilt show is looming, and I am distracted. There is no doubt about it. Time in the Studio is almost nonexistent. Thinking up a post is difficult. I've decided to give you my blog-roll of favorites. Until the calendar rolled over to 2011, I began every morning with a cup of coffee and my favorite bloggers.

But 2011? no way. no time. I am lucky to make a quick visit every other week. I hate it. I LOVE checking in with my blogging buddies, even though most of them have no clue that I exist. But I do. And I always look forward to visiting, to see what they've been up to.

This afternoon I shut myself in my Studio, and cleared off the table enough to put together this little card. It's for a birthday that is long gone, and I'm sure she thinks I've forgotten. I haven't. I just haven't had time...

See? Pathetic. Last year I was on top of birthdays, even going so far as to get things done early.

But you don't want to hear me whine, you want to know who my favorite bloggers are. These are the ones on my personal favorites list, and I have to admit that I will often jump off from them to bloggers listed on their blogrolls..

First in line is Del. Del knows a LOT of quilters. A LOT of quilters know Del. Her blog is full of variety. Sometimes it's her poodle prince, sometimes it's a luscious meal, often it's something quiltie, and on Friday it's feet.

Next is Allie. When she blogs, she's amazing. She's a crazy quilter extraordinaire. She even came out with a book recently, which I 'm going to have to track down in my spare time. Her work is inspirational, and she often gives step by step tutorials on her methods.

Allie is followed by Wanda. hoo-ey, talk about a productive quilter!! This one-woman wonder could probably sew up my stash within a single year. I've never seen so many quilts finished so quickly. And so well!

From the midwest, I travel to Japan, to see what Tanya has posted. She's also a prolific quilter, and a bit of a cat-maniac. She's lived in Japan for decades, and often posts about differences between here and there. I often learn something new when I visit Tanya's blog.

The Pioneer Woman is next, and she's guaranteed to get a reaction out of me. Last night I laughed out loud (as I often do) and my husband wanted to know what was so funny. I read a snippet from her post, and he laughed too. She's a SoCal city gal, married and relocated to Oklahoma. She makes the most of her relocation in a very engaging manner.

From Oklahoma, I zip up to Canada, where the Yarn Harlot knits. She fascinates me. How can someone make a living and feed a family by knitting? It can be done, and she is the master.

After the brief travelogue, I return to quilters. Terry is in Oregon, and her work fascinates me. I don't know that I've ever commented on her blog, but I'm always lurking...

Deborah is next. Her posts are beautiful. Her work is all done by hand, and I'm smitten with her desire to embellish with reckless abandon. I think that's how she worded it last year. Her inspirational photography is an added bonus.

Vicki is next, she loves to dye. She also is wonderful about linking to sites and posts that she thinks worthy of note. I will warn you that I have been known to go to her blog and start clicking around and look up to find that the sun has moved significantly...

Then on to Diane. Diane is a thinker. And an artist. And a homeschooling mom. wow. I'd be "going to pieces" too.

From the Bay Area, I head to Indiana to visit Kay. Of all the quilting bloggers I visit, I think her work is the most like mine. Tradition seems to be dominant, yet she's lured by art quilting as well. I love seeing what she's up to, and have gotten more than a few ideas of how to finish up some UFOs that have been lurking around for far too long.

Nina-Marie is on my list, but she seems to blog in spurts. She's currently in a down spurt. I imagine that she's doing so much quilting she doesn't have time to blog.

Kim is a hoot and a holler. She's a legal secretary in Sacramento who works during the day and quilts all night. I don't think she sleeps. ever.

Lisa's blog is restful. It is peaceful, it is beautiful. I don't think she's ever had a post that wasn't filled with fabulous photographs. She can turn even the most mundane subject into a work of art. She's also a crazy quilter, whose attention to detail is incredible. Visit her, for inspiration.

Penny is in Oklahoma, just like the Pioneer Woman. I sometimes wonder if they live near each other. Penny has samoyeds and loves to quilt. She's recently made the move from traditional to art quilting, among other things.

Robin is an artist in Hawaii. She's a photographer, she's a quilter, she's a dyer, she lives life with passion. Often it's all about what the camera sees, and I love it.

Susan is a new addition to my blog roll, I added her when I bought her quilt from the SAQA online auction. Her work fascinates me. wow.

Last on my list is Lisa. She's a friend of mine, and so busy doing that she doesn't have much time to blog. I keep an eye on her, just in case.

I also check the local bloggers to the right of my blog, to see if they've updated.

Wow. No wonder I haven't had time to visit. It would take me all day!!

Actually, I used to zip through in 15-20 minutes, unless I started following links. Hopefully you will click on some of these and find a blog or two that catches your attention.

The last thing I'll mention is that they say we might have snow tonight. "They" have been saying that all week. Snow? We already had snow, in January 1999. Why would we have it again so soon?

Last week I stitched out some snowflakes, for a postcard exchange. I couldn't find my file of patterns, so I stitched the same snowflake over and over again. Funny. As soon as I finished, I realized that the file with all my other snowflake patterns was being held hostage in a zip file. silly me.

Hopefully this will be enough to entertain you during the next few days or week. I have so much to do, I don't know that I'll be able to fit blogging into my day. In the meantime, enjoy!!