2010 Sophie Block of the Month begins!

We're pretty excited to finally be able to share the first look at our new Sophie block of the month. Last year Sophie went shopping. That was fun-especially seeing the wonderful ways that some of you put the blocks together. But this year we've decided to share some of Sophie's favorite things. And, while everything will lead up to a completed wall-hanging at the end of the year, we're going to have more fun with smaller projects along the way.

We'd suggest starting off with a one yard piece of muslin or Kona cotton to use for all the embroidery pieces. We'll share more about the finished projects as we go. We're stitching Sophie with her flowers in red because we have to start with redwork-you know US!

Stay tuned for more ways to enjoy your stitching. And download Sophie on our web site-click here.

P. S. We are going to leave our 2009 Sophie on our site so you can download any parts you may have missed. I really get upset when I miss a month of this kind of project. So we'll leave Sophie 2009 available for a while yet.

February already???

So when did January end on me???? I'm looking out my office window and it's snowing-no surprise as it is Wisconsin and it is winter but where did January go? Jeanne and I spent some time this weekend getting our new Sophie ideas pulled together and the first installment should be posted on our website tomorrow. I'll post again about that and tell you the ideas we are going to be pursuing this year with Sophie. We hope you'll find them as charming as last year!

Thinking about Valentine's Day

Jeanne and I spent quite a bit of this week talking about Valentines. We're in love with vintage Valentines-you know the kind that you used to get at the dime store and give to every kid in your elementary school classes? We have quite a collection of Valentines from the 1920's-1950's. For a couple of summers we visited a lot of antique stores and seemed to always end up sitting on the floor going through boxes of old Valentines. The cute sayings and adorable art really caught our interest.

You can see some of the pillows that we've designed based on these old Valentines on our web site. I have six of our designs stitched to go into a full Valentine quilt but have a ways to go yet before it will be ready to share. I keep getting distracted by new projects.

Don't forget to look for the February/March Quilt Magazine! Our Valentine Girl is featured for you to make up into a quick pillow. It's a really nice magazine and we're thrilled to be part of it.

Right now I've got a pair of fingerless mitts that I'm knitting for my niece Tania, I'm trying to stitch a new version of our Angel Flowers design to see how it looks in color, and I have a stack of magazines by my chair that I should be peeking at. Oh well, today's a football day so I know I'll get some time to spent on it all. How about you? Are you working on Valentines or other projects???

A Great Finished Sophie Quilt!

We were so thrilled to see the finished Sophie quilt that Patty gave to her daughter for Christmas this year. Take a quick peek here at Patty's blog and see the other delightful projects that she has been busy with. We're always so excited to see how our friends are making our designs their very own. That's one of the best things about designing and quilts and stitching-you meet so many creative people who share our love of all things cute, whimsical, and FUN!

I've taken the liberty of sharing Patty's picture from her blog. Join me in enjoying this great version of Sophie!

Almost time to go HOME!

It's been a long week of business in Atlanta. I can finally say that a big pressure on me is over and I think life will settle down a bit now. How's that for optimism??? I haven't been doing any real stitching for the last week or so-just some fun knitting. We are kind of in between designs right now and I haven't felt like picking up any of my unfinished projects-although that's what I should be occupied with during this lull I suppose.

But I did get a pair of fingerless mittens knit for Jeanne-great to give her some warmth on her forearms but leave the fingers free. If you'd like the pattern, just let me know!

Next week we will be able to start to talk about our 2010 Sophie-just wait! You'll love where are girl is going next!

January progress

Hey-it was so cold when I went out to get the Sunday paper that I think my breath was frozen in clouds. But the sun was already up so that made me notice the glittery snow-just like diamonds. I didn't stand outside and admire it for too long!

We're just about ready to send off a magazine article to see what others think about the story of our Sophie BOM. We think our favorite girlfriend should get a broader fan-club so have decided to let her wings spread. We'll let you know where she ends up.

Jeanne is hard at work on the designs for the 2010 Sophie BOM. Should be ready to share with you soon. We think it will be a year of Sophie and Her Favorite Things...stay posted to see what makes that list.

And here is a sneak peek at one of the new creations that Jeanne has been working on. Don't you just love the choice of fabric for our Santa????

Happy New Year and new magazine article

Happy New Year to all our quilting and stitching friends. We survived the holidays and are now looking to 2010 for some exciting adventures for Lasting Treasures. We hope you follow along with us and share the fun.

First up is our beloved Valentine Girl appearing in the February/March edition (#108) of Quilts magazine. This delightful valentine from the 1930's is ready to be made into a great pillow for your sweetheart or your own favorite chair. Check her out and enjoy making her-plus there are some other great patterns in this magazine.

Second is our new BOM for our girl Sophie. Mid January we'll be starting out again with another delightful look at live for our best girlfriend. We hope you'll join us then.

Third is the much anticipated year of SPAIN! Jeanne and I are planning a visit to her son, daughter-in-law, and new grandbaby Roco in fall. And, just to round out the fun our Mom has decided she'd like to join us. What a trip that will be! We'll keep you posted on the planning. (Now if our little sister Jo could go too it would be a full house!!)

We wish you and your family and friends have a joyous New Year. Get ready for new stitching adventures!