Not your average quilt lecture...

Grooooaaaannn!!! It is so cold out these days!

But that doesn't stop me from getting out!!! On Monday (yeah, I know, I am a little slow getting this post done!), I set out with my friends, Blogless Deb and Janey to meet another friend, Blogless Laura at our quilt guild. This month's guest was Mark Lipinski!!!!!

Now, I must admit that I have only read one issue of his magazine, Quilters Home, but he is much funnier in real life!!! Each story he told was funnier than the last and by the end of the evening, my cheeks hurt from laughing!

He told us about how he got started in quilting and showed us his first quilt....his second quilt (which he decided would be just as good with 1/16" seams and he is holding the falling-apart quilt by its wee seams)...
and his third quilt, which he made for his son that was going off to camp...

He didn't talk technique but he did have some great messages for us quilters...

Use those quilts... heirlooms in a closet are just that. Quilts are made to be used by those you give to...

In fact, he often would toss the quilt that he finished showing us onto the floor (and one of the guild ladies would scurry down to pick it up!).He showed us quilts that we have seen elsewhere before...

... this one graced the front of McCall's Quilting.

This one he called Ketchup, Mustard and Mayonnaise...

This quilt features his Katmandu fabric collection...

This quilt graces the front of the current issue (Jan/Feb, 2009) of Quiltmaker...

He also told us to get rid of our UFO's!!!! There is a reason we decided to put them aside...

I love this one!

This quilt is 3 dimensional and when he ran short on time, Mark colored in the panels with white-out and sharpie markers!!!!

He had some R-rated humor too!

I took many photos and if you would like to see more, check out my 'Mark Lipinski' flickr set...

Here is a photo of Mark with our gang (I am the bleary eyed one, second from the left, .... remember this is waaaaaay past my bedtime!!!)...

In spite of the cold, yesterday, Mr. U and I set out on our cross-country skis in a park in the 'city'...The trails were icy and not well groomed but it sure is a way to get warmed up while still outside.. Still, I am having thoughts of warmer weather....

So, I head indoors to my neatened-up sewing room... and get to work...
I tried out a pattern for a handmade wallet from Quilts & More, Winter 2007, issue...

and it turned out pretty well.

I gave this one to Sugarbaby. She was sooooo excited that she asked if she could keep her library card in there!

I am also trying to get organized!! So I have been making small zipper pouches (thanks for the idea, Tine!) and filling it with what I need in my pocketbook (which is a new, cheap backpack that I hope to figure out how to make another)....

...including my own wallet.... Here is the inside...
Well, I had better run (or ski?)....