Waves crashing into the rocks at Picnic Rocks

It’s been snowing on and off all day, but I decided to go for a quick walk this afternoon.  I tend to hibernate indoors during the winter months, so I have to force myself outside sometimes.

I’m checking my neighbor’s house every day while she’s out of town just to make sure her furnace is still working.  (It went out on her a couple years back, and her pipes nearly froze before she got home.)  While I was out there, I did some strategic shoveling so Andrew would have a path to the garage if he needed something out there.  It was quite pleasant outdoors, so I grabbed my camera, and off I went.

The wind always blows harder by the lake, and it was blowing pretty hard out there today.  It certainly was NOT pleasant over there!

Wind blowing snow across the bike path

I wandered down the bike path, with the wind howling at my back.  This almost looks like a black and white picture, except for the red poles they put up so they’d know where to plow when the snow gets deep.  The round things are tires, part of some playground equipment.  If you click on the picture, you can enlarge it so you can see the waves on Lake Superior in the background.

My hands were freezing, but I wanted to get the last picture of the Marquette Lighthouse off in the distance.  It was snowing pretty hard by then.  I snapped it quick and got my gloves back on.  Just in that short amount of time, my hands were numb.  It took quite a bit of moving them around inside my gloves to get them warmed up again.

Marquette lighthouse with waves in foreground

The wind dropped off as I moved away from the shore, so I wandered down the bike path a little ways.  It was tempting to take my usual walk, but I was worried about walking into the wind on the way home, so I cut it short.  Good choice, as I was ready to go into my nice warm house when I got home.  But I enjoyed my adventure out in the snowstorm.

Ice on rocks with Upper Harbor ore dock in background. You can see a house at the left. I've always loved it and wished I lived there, but I'll bet it's scary when the waves get big!

As much as I love living in the UP, sometimes it can be a bit challenging in the winter months.  Storms blow through on a regular basis, dumping loads of snow.  The latest, a couple of weeks ago, was a doozy even by UP standards, with high winds and big waves for days on end, along with lake effect snow that just wouldn’t stop for nearly a week.

But then the sun comes out, and you get a few mild days so you can get out and go for a walk.  And then you find out again why you live here.

The Big Lake magically changes from a sullen gray to a sparkling blue.  The sun glints off thousands of ice crystals in the snow.  Bare tree branches are silhouetted against an incredibly blue sky.

Here are some pictures I took the other day when I was out walking on the beach.  If you want to make them bigger, just click on them.  Click a second time to make them bigger yet.

Trees covered with ice at Picnic Rocks. The last storm brought huge waves with it. If you enlarge the picture, you can see the lighthouse at the end of the Upper Harbor breakwater in the background, and the White Rocks to the right of it.

Tree branch encased in ice at Picnic Rocks

Ice on rocks at McCarty Cove. I think the waves may have been breaking over these rocks during the last storm.

Sandbar leading to rocks at McCarty Cove. It looks like a pathway to an ice castle! This wll probably wash away in the next storm. The beach is always changing.

Strip quilt made in quilt-as-you-go style

Here are the quilt pictures I promised yesterday. The first picture is the front of the quilt-as-you-go strip quilt I finished on Saturday. It came out pretty well, I think. It seemed like it took forever to make it though. I think I’ll save the quilt-as-you-go technique to join wider and longer strips together, instead of to join individual blocks.

Back of strip quilt

The back does look cute, though.  It could almost stand alone on its own as a quilt.  So this probably makes this quilt reversible, which is a handy thing for a baby quilt. This one will be donated to the local women’s shelter.

Diagonal strip quilt

The next quilt is a long over-due picture of the diagonal strip quilt I made for the ALS Hopes and Dreams Challenge. I really like the back of it. I saw some quilts for sale online that remind me of this quilt backing design.  They were going for an amazing price.  Maybe I should be focusing on quilt backing designs instead! 

Back of diagonal strip quilt

Now that this quilt is finally washed and dried, I’ll be packing it up tomorrow with my other two ALS quilts, and getting them mailed off.  About time, huh?

I finally got my two AAQI Priority Challenge Quilts in the mail today.  Now I can think about doing some more.

It got above freezing today, but it was still pretty cold outside.  My poor little hands got cold taking pictures of my quilts.  Just think, someday the snow will melt, and I won’t have to wear snowshoes for my quilt photography!

Spent most of the day sewing today.  I finished the long strips for my next quilt.  Tomorrow I’ll join them with sashing.  This time I’m going to dispense with binding by sewing the top, batting, and backing together as a sandwich.  Then I’ll turn it right side out, sew the opening closed, and machine quilt it after it’s turned.  I’ve done this in the past, and it works well.  Don’t know why I didn’t remember it til now.

So if all goes well, I may finish up another baby quilt for the women’s shelter tomorrow.

By the way, my city of Marquette, MI, WON the 2010 Dozen Distinctive Destination Contest!  This is really great news, and everyone here is pretty jazzed up about it.  Hopefully it will mean an increase in tourism for the area in the coming year.  There’s always something going on around here, even in the middle of winter!

This is totally non-quilt related, but since the UP 200 Dog Sled Race is the biggest thing around here this weekend, I thought I’d let you see a little bit of what’s going on.

This race is 241 miles long, from Marquette to Grand Marais and back again.  The mushers leave on Friday night, and return to Marquette on Sunday morning.

Me in the background, with the dog sled mascot in front

Andrew took this shot this morning.  It was really pleasant out today, warm and sunny.  Last year was COLD and windy, with blowing snow, so this was a definite improvement!

Here’s a picture of the winner, Ryan Anderson, from Ray, MN.   This is the seventh time he’s run this race.  He came in second last year, and third the year before that.

Ryan Anderson, winner of the 2010 UP 200 Dog Sled Race

The first thing he did when he crossed the finish line was to pet every one of his dogs.  He certainly couldn’t have done it without them!

Ryan Anderson, winner of the UP 200, petting all his sled dogs after their 241-mile trip

We pretty much made a day of it, eating lunch at L’Attitude downtown, and then going down to the Welcome Center south of town to watch some more teams come in.

The video at the bottom is from You Tube.  It shows the second place winner, and has some shots of some of the dogs.  You’d think they’d be big huskies, but, surprisingly, they’re pretty small and skinny.  Hard to believe that these dogs just ran 241 miles.  They look as if they’re still raring to go!

All in all, this was a fun way to spend a pleasant winter’s day.  Tomorrow, I hope to get some fabric dyed and do some sewing!

Oh yeah, Marquette is leading the pack in the Dozen Distinctive Destinations voting!  Be sure to vote for Marquette, early and often! 

What my backyard looks like. Only there's more snow now! And the sun is definitely NOT out today.

Well, we didn’t have much snow for a while, but it looks like the Upper Peninsula is going to live up to it’s wintry reputation this week.  It’s been snowing since Sunday.  I went out and cleared the driveway yesterday, but it’s pretty much filled back in already.  Plus the city plow left a BIG pile at the end of the drive.  Oh well.  Nobody here has to go anywhere today, which is probably a good thing.

Poor Andrew had oral surgery yesterday.  He wasn’t a very happy camper last night, but he’s feeling somewhat better today.  Having had oral surgery myself some years back,  I’d rather shovel the driveway with a teaspoon than to go through that!  But at least it’s over now, and he can focus on recovering.  I’m taking good care of him, and feeding him lots of soft food.

Enough with the non-quilting stuff.  Finally finished the diagonal strip quilt yesterday.  All I had to do was to bind it, but one corner just wouldn’t cooperate, so it took a bit longer than I thought it would.  But the quilt and I finally came to an agreement, and it’s now sporting a cheerful yellow binding.  A picture will follow after it’s washed.  Then I WILL mail those three quilts off to the ALS Quilt Challenge this week!

Today I want to make another block for the BASICS Home Gather that V is doing right now.  Plus I started a small free-pieced quilt the other day.  Just sat down and playing around with sewing scraps and strips together.  I want to finish that today, and get it quilted and add it to the pile for the AAQI.  Once I get three done, I’ll register them and send them off.

Plus I’m thinking about my next donation quilt.  I’ve joined the Heartstrings Yahoo Group, which is a group that makes string quilts to donate.  You can send them completed blocks, tops, quilts, or fabric, or you can make quilts and donate them locally.  I’m going to take the second route, since I obviously have a problem with mailing things off.  (Actually it’s hard to get to the post office.  Parking is impossible.  It’s easier to walk than to drive, but it’s too cold to walk down there right now, especially with a large box.)

My plans include making crib and child-sized quilts for the local women’s center, and maybe some 60″ by 80″ quilts for the Salvation Army, too.  So I’m thinking about doing the 20″ wide strips mentioned in Mile-A-Minute-Quilts by Sharon Hultgren.  Or I may just do individual strip blocks and quilt-as-you-go.

Why you don't go out on the breakwater during a storm...

This is a picture from last fall.  There’s a sign warning people to stay off the breakwater during storms because people have been swept away in the past.  Andrew was standing right at the beginning of it, but I was so nervous about him being there that he didn’t stay there very long, thank goodness.

Enough of this.  I’m off to sew!

Looks like our January thaw might be over for a bit.  But I sure enjoyed it  while it lasted!  Here are a few pictures from my walks along the Lake Superior beach last weekend.

Woo hoo, look at our thermometer! Been a while since it's been this warm!

Ice balls along the beach on Saturday. They were nearly melted the next day, so I'm glad I got this shot! They look like something from outer space, don't they?

Look at the neat designs in this chunk of ice. Be sure to click on it to enlarge it. This could be a quilting design!

Somebody built snowmen in these planters in Mattson Park at the Lower Harbor. They have petunias in them in the summer. Sitting on those benches right now would be a challenge, wouldn't it?

It was cloudy and overcast today, so I stayed in and sewed all day!

The big news is that I finished “Winter Journey,” my first Liberated Challenge Quilt!  By the time I finished the binding this afternoon, I didn’t feel like messing around with the camera.  Besides, I want to get out my light box and get some good photos, so I’ll do that in the morning.  I will tell you it came out really cool.  There will be pix tomorrow!

Strings! These are an inch and a half wide. Guess what I was doing today?

Leaders and enders. I wound up with over 100 little four-patches from this pile! Almost enough for another quilt top already. You can see that I'm getting liberated and using up all my old thread, too! Who says you have to piece with white thread?

Besides sewing loads of four-patches, I also finished piecing the borders for my barn-raising quilt, which I’m going to call Barn Dance.  I’ll get the borders sewed on tomorrow, and then that top will be ready for quilting.  Pix will follow!

So you can see I’ve been a busy little girl!  I’ve been sewing my heart out, and having a blast!

Woo hoo!  Got a new Knit Picks catalog in the mail yesterday.  I have a LIFETIME supply of yarn, especially sock yarn, but, oh, it’s so much fun to look!  And this is the perfect catalog for a gray and white winter season, just full of lively colors and patterns and gorgeous yarn…no, will NOT buy more yarn…

I sewed my barn-raising quilt together yesterday, too.  It’s about 37″ by 42″, which I think is a bit skimpy for a lap quilt, so I will be adding a border.  I want to use up the last four blocks in the corners, which means the borders will be about five inches wide.  That should make a nice size small quilt.

I’m considering how to do the borders.  I have LOTS of 1-1/2 inch strips, so I was going to seam a bunch together, and just do strips.  But now I’m wondering about doing it in little squares, to match the blocks.  I would use the Scrappy Trips Around The World directions from Bonnie Hunter’s Quiltville.  This is how I made the blocks to start with, but my scrap quilt sure didn’t look as good as the ones on her site!

It would take longer to do that, but the idea of slow cloth is calling me.  Why am I always in such a rush to finish stuff?  I’m learning to slow down and let the quilt lead me where it wants to go, instead of trying to force it to conform to an idea in my head.

I stopped quilting for a long time because it was such a struggle.  I couldn’t get my seams to line up nicely, projects came out awful, sewing just wasn’t fun any more.  I realize now it’s because I was trying to control the process too much.  I had the idea that the more I controlled things, the better my quilts would be.  But the paradox is that the more I let go, the more I find enjoyment in the process, and the better my work is.

On a different topic, we’re in the midst of the fabled January thaw.  It was actually above freezing yesterday, and the sun was out.  In the afternoon, I finished scooping mushy snow out of the end of the driveway and took off for a walk!  I love to walk, and I walk up the beach near my house nearly every day when the weather is nice.  It’s hard to motivate myself when an arctic gale is blowing, though, so my walking tapers off during the winter months.  It’s nice to get out when the opportunity presents itself!

Here are a few pictures from my walk.  Click on the image to make it bigger, and click on the magnifying glass icon when it appears to make it bigger yet!  Enjoy!

Ice build-up on rocks by Picnic Rocks. You can see the ore dock at the Upper Harbor in the background.

Icy build-up on tree at Picnic Rocks. You can see the Presque Isle lighthouse and the Upper Harbor breakwater in the background, along with the ore dock.

The beach I love to walk on when it's warmer. Too cold today, with an icy wind coming off Lake Superior!

I snapped this picture while walking along the bike path. The white birch against the blue sky and blue water caught my eye, but the giant multi-trunked tree is really the star here.

I love how the bike path meanders through the trees here...just inviting you to go further and see what's around the corner!

Snow bridge at McCarthy Cove. This is open water in the summer. It's shallow enough to wade out to the rocks, but because of the ever-present strong cross-currents, most people don't venture out there.

Welcome to Northern Light Designs!  I plan to have unique handbags, purses, and other neat stuff for sale at my Etsy and Artfire shops around April 1.  Right now I’m busy sewing up items for my inventory. But since I’m going to visit my daughter and her family in Minneapolis in a couple of weeks, I thought it would be best to wait til I get back to start listing my work.

In the meantime, I’ll keep you up to date on what I’m working on, complete with lots of pictures.

Here’s a picture of my sewing room. I just rearranged it so everything is convenient. Before, there was too much stuff crammed in there. I spent more time moving things around to clear a work area than I did sewing!

Last weekend, I finally moved some stuff out, and arranged my work table, sewing machine, and ironing board in a U-shape. My newest addition is an office chair. Now I can roll back and forth from one place to another as I work. I have to say, this is pretty nice! Should have done it a long time ago!

The only thing that’s missing in this picture is my cat, Molly.  She helps me with everything, and I’m amazed I managed to take this picture without her being right in the middle of it.  But you’ll see pictures of her as time goes on.

We moved to Marquette, MI, from Tennessee last fall.  We discovered Marquette three years ago, and fell in love with this town.  After dreaming about it for two years, we finally took the plunge and moved up here.  We love it here, and we still have to pinch ourselves to realize that it’s not just a dream.  We’re really here!

Marquette is in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan, on the shores of Lake Superior.  Hence the name “Northern Light Designs.”  Our house is on a city street about a half-mile from the lakeshore.  On stormy nights, we can hear the waves crashing on the shore!

Our first winter here in Marquette has been a snowy one.  In fact, we’ve had about 250 inches of snow so far this year!  The average is about 150.  People wonder how we’re doing since we moved here from TN, but I always tell them that I grew up in upstate New York and lived in South Dakota for seven years.   So I’m no stranger to winter.    I even bought a pair of snowshoes, so I can get out and enjoy the snow.

Tomorrow I’ll be showing you the mandolin bag I made.  This was my first bag, and I’m very pleased with how it came out!