Eight!

Eight years, that is.  Today is my blogiversary, and I've been blogging here at Indigo Threads for eight years today.   

 That is pretty amazing to me!  I never would have thought that this blog would last for that long.  I can't believe that I still have things to say.  Oh wait, I always talk too much!

I want to thank all my readers for reading all my ramblings.  And thanks for sticking with me, through all my blabbing AND my dry spells.  And a huge thanks for all the lovely comments you leave for me!  They mean a lot to me.  I really enjoy the friendships I've created with blogging.  

I want to thank everyone for your comments on Dunkel's passing.  I really miss my silly kitty.  But it's getting easier.  Shade is a lonely kitty lately, and I've been trying to spend more time with him.  I'd like to get another kitten, but Shade is so grumpy I'm afraid he wouldn't take that well.  He is starting to show his age too.  He'll be 13 this spring.  So, no decisions yet.

I've been so busy lately!  Last week we were in Savannah, Georgia.  I had a lot of fun.  I'll tell you more about that in another blog post.

I'm going to be teaching a tote bag class in the near future at a local quilt shop. Cow Lick Quilts in Enumclaw.  So I've made a few samples.

This is the first tote sample I made.  The pattern is Screen Play, and it's made from the same vinyl mesh that I used for the Zip Bags I made, that you can see here. (scroll down past the quilt pix)  Fun and easy to make.  The handles on this bag are long and will go over your shoulder.  I used a purple mesh for this bag, although it's hard to tell from the photo,

inside the tote

I used some plastic canvas for the bottom support, and I made a little fabric sleeve to fit over that.  The sleeve's open on one end in case I want to take it off to launder it.  I've learned to use a lighter color for the inside bottom of the bag, because it's so hard to see what's in there with a dark bag bottom.  I've come to really dislike a dark bag bottom - I lose stuff!

I made the large size bag - there are 4 sizes in the pattern.  I love these totes - they're a nice size and they are lightweight.  And they're easily washed, if you need to.  If you live near the water, these are great to take to the beach!

Here is the 2nd bag sample I've made:

side 1

On this one, I decided to play around a little bit and do some patchwork.  I used solids and text prints for a more modern vibe.  This bag has black mesh.

side 2

This bag has shorter handles.  I think I like the shorter handles better.

I'll be teaching this class twice.  First class is February 17th and second class is March 2nd.

I still want to make some more sample pieces, so I'll be working on those for the next week.

The end of this month I'll be going to Quilted Strait quilt shop in Port Gamble to take a class with Gwen Marston (my favorite quilt teacher!) on Liberated Medallion Quilts.  Sadly, Gwen will be retiring at the end of this year, and this will be my very last class with Gwen.  I feel so blessed that I've been able to take classes with her for the last few years.  She is so inspiring to me and I've learned so much from her.  The experiences in her classes have been invaluable.

I haven't done anything yet about what fabrics I'm taking!  I'm starting to feel a little panicked about that!  And the quilt studio is so messy that I can hardly move in there.  So, I need to clean up in there and then start pulling fabrics for the Medallion class.  I'm so excited to take this class, and I'm really hoping I can get my act together in time so I have something to sew on without having to take my entire fabric stash with me!  Although I could cram an awful lot of fabric into my car.  *grin*  Wish me luck!