Another year older...

I had a birthday last week. So what did I do? I ran away.

I went here (with a stop here, of course) for some glorious sunrises and to watch Fall arrive in true northern Michigan fashion...

...and then went to South Haven for some long walks around town and spectacular sunsets...

...and now, at last, we are back.

At least someone is happy to be home!

Too busy...

I ended up working on an assignment most of last week, which is (insert trumpet fanfare here) fantastic for keeping Archie rolling in catnip -- but it also means I didn't sew much. Or at all.

So once again, to tide you over, I'm posting a couple more pics from my photo shoot last month in northern Michigan. Still calling this one "Purp & Turq," for lack of a better title.

Hope to be back sewing soon!

A quilty photo shoot...

With all my unpacking and vacation laundry done, I'm ready to get down to work -- but I'm having a hard time figuring out where to start. I came home to a project I didn't finish by the time I left and a pile of UFO's, and it'd be way too easy to dump them all in favor of my new fabric and all those ideas swirling in my head for little girl quilts.

So while I waffle between impulse and self-discipline, I'll leave you with some pictures I took of my Kaffe & Kona zig-zag quilt while I was in Michigan -- I don't think I ever posted it in its entirety. The lake offered such a great backdrop I was throwing it all over the place, and I'm sure the neighbors thought I was a little nutty. I even ran it up the flag pole on the dock, but took it down quickly when I realized if it blew into the lake I'd have to fish it out, and it wasn't exactly the best swimming weather.

I like the idea of having a quilty flag to fly up at the house...but that would add yet another project to a very long list.

I really need to stop thinking for a while.

Couldn't leave town...

...without a trip to my favorite quilt shop! I'm trying (honest!) not to buy anything new, but these actually went with something I have in my stash and well, I have some little girls who begged for quilts before they went back home.

The pink-on-pink is flannel, and will make for a mighty cozy backing, I think. Throw some pink polka dots into the mix, and I think it'll be perfect for this one...

...or this one...

...or this one...

...or maybe this one...

...this one...

...or this one. It's going to be hard to decide!

How far off is Christmas?

Vacation wind-down...

It's almost time to leave my northern Michigan getaway.

Moonrise over the lake

The boat cover has been de-pooped (I don't know what those gulls are eating, but it ain't pretty), and the only things left on the dock are pine cones, blown down by last night's storm.

The house echoes with the giggles and screams of six little girls, and the vaccuum keeps gagging on funky-shaped rubber bands, Barbie stickers and pony tail holders. The refrigerator has been emptied of gallons of ice cream and mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders and macaroni salad. Squashed blueberries stain the deck, and chubby chipmunks huddle on the fenceposts, eyeing dropped potato chips, kernels of corn and sandwich crusts.

All in all, it was a typical noisy, very busy ten days, with side trips to Mackinac and boat trips and several trips into town to the grocery store. Not very relaxing, but that's what I leave these last couple days for, hanging out here after the crowd has departed to drink in the last days of summer, breathe the pine-laden air, and contemplate the long drive back to Chicago.

Big sigh.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

Livin' the island life...

Mackinac Island, that is.

No cars, just bikes, or these guys to take you around town.

See you when I get back!

And yet...

By four o'clock yesterday afternoon, it was almost ninety degrees.

Wacky temperature swings are typical of Fall in northern Michigan -- it makes for fantastic sleeping. It also makes packing for a week a little challenging because you have to bring winter jammies, a bathing suit, and everything in between.


While it was still chilly I took a trip to my favorite quilt shop and found backing and binding for my Jelly Pops quilt. I also found a great white-on-white stipple print that may get integrated somewhere.


When I brought the new fabric out to take pictures, I realized I had some great light and a great background...so the top came out for another photo op. I love how the white border glows.

I also picked up a "Woodland Bloom" jelly roll, thinking that my Monkey Girl might want her own quilt to coordinate with the doll quilts we made last month.

Like I needed another project to finish before Christmas...zheesh.

I got a little carried away with taking pictures of this one. I couldn't make up my mind which shot I liked best, so you're getting them all.

I put it on the wood pile...

On the deck with pine cones and oak leaves...

On the dock, where it was a lot brighter...

And down by the fire pit.

Sometimes I think I'm better at buying fabric and taking pictures of it than actually making things with it. Is that a bad habit to get into?

It's definitely Fall...

I have come back to the place that soothes my soul...

I just didn't think my soul would freeze while I was here!

Back up north

A morning visitor

Hangin' in the north woods...

I am here...on the Left-Hand-As-Michigan map

There's something fundamentally wrong about having broadband in the middle of nowhere, but incredibly convenient at the same time.

Just hangin' on the dock, riding in the boat, eating too much and sleeping like a bear with nights in the high 40's. And very sorry to see the week come to an end.

V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N!

After a brief stop in Ann Arbor for my nephew Christopher's 6th birthday party, this is where I get to spend most of next week:

(Yes, that's a real rainbow. Lake Margarethe, post-rain, August 2007)

For the 25th summer in a row, I'm off to the north woods of Michigan for a week of golf, giant breakfasts, tubing and laying on the dock doing nothing whatsoever.

And for the 7th year in a row, I plan to bite off more than I can chew, creatively speaking, at The Icehouse Quilt Shop, a cute little surprise along the railroad tracks in Grayling, a 1920's lumber center and now "Canoe Capital of the World," for its miles of navigable waters along the Au Sable River.

This shop has a great feel to it, and some wonderfully helpful employees and clientele to guide your choices or just talk shop with. Wonderful selection of brights, and fantastic samples covering the walls to get your creative juices flowing...if you're in the neighborhood, it's definitely worth a stop.

Did I mention there's a gift shop?