It's Christmas! Where DID the year go?

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!! 

Thank You dear blogging friends for your support and encouragement throughout 2014 and wishing you all the very best this holiday season.

2014 was an exciting year -- here's a quick review -- being thankful...

In addition to the start-up of Redbird Quilt Co, 2014 afforded me opportunities to publish my own designs and tutorials, teach at local shops and guilds, share my love of applique and free motion quilting with many wonderful inspiring ladies, AND work with some very talented individuals in the industry.

Thanks go out to the Moda Bake Shop for taking a chance on me late in 2013 and publishing my first recipe, the Family Tree Quilted Envelope pillow.  

A few months later in 2014, I was honored to publish my (now) favorite recipe, the Redbird and Berries Mini Quilt.

And just last month I had the honor to create the fun Heart's Content Decorative Pillow using Laundry Basket Quilts beautiful Heart's Content line. 

I love to create with new lines from Moda.  Great designers, beautiful fabrics, and endless design flexibility.  It's heaven for an aspiring designer!

Thanks also goes out to the Bear Creek Quilting Company for working with me to publish free tutorials on their blog.  You can learn a bit about 3D flowers, bias stems and crosshatching on the Bouquet Memories wall hanging tutorial.

 -- or if you need a free motion quilting primer be sure to check out the Free Motion Quilting Fun tutorial on their blog. 

Thank you Shari for taking a chance on me - it's so much fun to work with you!

... And where would I be without the local shops, guilds and students that have given me a start.   The lovely partners at Quilters Corner in Ithaca NY climbed out on a limb and hosted my first ever wool applique pattern and class, Spring Basket

and then opened the door for me to teach other sewing and quilting classes at their beautiful and inspirational shop (Celebrating their 20th Anniversary in 2015!)   Thank you Linda, Cyndi and Katie. 

I'm looking forward to teaching the Winter semester classes including Wooly Wren, Feathered Garden Lattice and Free Motion Quilting Feathers (on a domestic).

How about a shout-out to the fine ladies at Sew It Is fabric shop (Moda fabrics at FANTASTIC prices) and Patchwork Angels Quilt Shop (my awesome Janome dealer).  These local shops are wonderful places to get inspired AND buy fabric, notions and machines at great prices (and they're only a few minutes from my home). Thank you Cindy and Rose.

A few other local shops that supported my habits (and giveaways) were Sew Pieceful in Savona, O'Susannah's Quilt Shop in Watkins Glen and Golden Lane in Penn Yan, NY.   Gosh we're blessed with fantastic shops in New York State!  Thank you MaryJo, Sue and Aida. 

I also want to mention the guilds where I've taught or lectured this year including New Quilters on the Block in Candor, NY -- these ladies made some beautiful Spring Basket toppers this summer (see them on Pinterest here).  There were other Finger Lakes guilds that kindly brought me in for my Moda Bake Shop Chef Lecture and Trunk Show.

Thank you Keuka Quilters and the Lake to Lake Quilt Guild.

I'm honored that you gave this small town girl a chance (and we had so much fun!).

Also special thanks to Aurifil for sharing their awesome products with me.  Aurifil provided a hugebundle of threads for me to give away in 2014 -- stay tuned -- they'll be more Aurifil giveaways soon.  

I love Aurifil thread!

If you have a notion to learn needle turn applique - you can peruse Teardrops of Love, a multi-part needle turn applique tutorial that features Aurifil thread -- oh the results are dreamy!!

Lastly, special thanks to my husband, my sisters Janet and Michele, my mentor Debbie, and my very talented blogging friend Wendy Sheppard who adopted me and invited me to play with patterns in her newly released book "Recreating Antique Quilts"  You can see my review and quilt reveal of Wendy's Garden Lattice pattern here.

Oh the list of inspiration and support goes on and on.

Whats coming in 2015 ??  

More patterns, more free tutorials, more lectures and workshops at Guilds and Groups near and far, more classes.... AND....  

I'm planning...

My First Ever Trip to Spring Quilt Market !!  

I'm over the top excited about that -- Woohoo! 

... And immediately following Quilt Market how about two days of FMQ classes with the very talented Karen McTavish in HER Studio!!  Woot woot!

Insert cartwheels here!! 

Bring on 2015 - I can't wait to share with you, learn from you and be inspired by you.  

Many, many thanks for your continued support!

Leaving you with a family photo of my husband and I with our 8 lovely grandchildren - ages 16 to 4.  We never tire of spending time and sharing ourselves with this crew.  We are very blessed and thankful for our children, grandchildren and family.

Miller Grandchildren ~ 2014 December ~ Photo courtesy my sister Michele Morningstar (at her home)

Here's to a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!

Hugs,

Karen