Quilt Retreat Synergy

I did some quilting for the second time since I moved in September.  I completed two and half blocks for this spring-hued lap/wall quilt.  Above I'm auditioning fabrics for the alternate blocks.  Will need to find a nice outer border.  Working with spring greens has boosted my winter-weary spirits.

Sue W. is using up stash.  In this Amish-style quilt she's using her solids.  My favorite block is the pink and red pinwheel star in the far right column.  Love the contrast!

Here Sue laid out a Christmas BOM she's assembling.  Such beautiful fabrics and applique.  My photo doesn't do it justice.  The inner red border will frame it up nicely,, and the green outer border will provide a place for the eye to rest.  Sue's a talented lady!

Other quilters departed before I could snap a pictures of their work.  

The synergy of this retreat was my biggest takeaway.  All the energy and ideas in one room helped me get my quilting mojo back.  Within the week I'll be getting rid of some extra furniture, so I can finally set up a proper sewing room again.  Only then will I truly feel this house is a home!  :)

Surprise, Surprise!

 

Well, Golly!  Free fabric for life!?!

 

Click link below to enter the contest:

http://ck.upickem.net/r/3g376X8sJ2N?r=187115

Tell 'em Chris sent ya!  :)

A Heartfelt Wedding Gift

A dear and talented friend made this quilt top as a wedding gift.  But she didn't make it all by herself.  She did something extra special.

Over 50 of my friends/coworkers signed pieces of the quilt.  How she got some of the signatures I'll never know.  I hope to baste and quilt it in time for Valentine's Day. 

Since November, I've been in "thankful mode."  I'm very thankful for dear friends.  They are truly a blessing!!  :)

Halloween 2013

This is the first pumpkin I've carved in YEARS.

It's it amazing how the smell of a fresh cut pumpkin can bring back a multitude of memories. Give me a fresh apple and the smell of burning leaves and I'm in heaven.  Good for the soul!

I carved this pumpkin for a contest - at the last minute - on a lark.  Didn't give any thought to what to name my entry.  So when they asked me what to call it, I just said the first thing that popped into my head: Arachnophobia!

Most of the other entries had already been on display for 3.5 days, so they'd had plenty of time to collect votes.  Mine was on display for less than 2.5 hours.  So I was VERY  surprised when Arachnophobia took Second Place!  All proceeds went to charity, but I have a nice little trophy and a coupon to McD's for my effort.

Being a dietitian who dislikes fast food - I find that VERY SCARY! LOL

Happy Halloween! 

 

Back to Quilting & Crafting

I haven't posted in a long time, but that doesn't mean I haven't been busy.  One year ago, my Sweetie and I decided it was time to sell both of our homes, buy one together and plan a wedding.  Pictured is our new home, and we were married a few days ago.  

Even our scarecrows dressed for the occasion!  After this picture was taken, I hung wedding bells from the tree.  They looked lovely, until it started raining.  LOL

I have a very talented and generous sister who made the flower arrangements for the altar/head table, bouquets, boutonnieres, table favors and even wraps for the bridesmaids.

 

 

 

With the help of a friend, I did the flowers for the wedding cake (not pictured) and the bird cage card box.

The entire day went off without a hitch.  We were surrounded by family and friends at the church and enjoyed a wonderful meal and music at the reception.  It was truly a dream come true!

As life gradually gets back to normal, you can look forward to more frequent blogs very soon! :)

In Loving Memory of Clara

This is my Grandmother in 1928, at age 19.  She passed this week at the age of 103.

Grandpa said it was love at first sight.  He saw her at a party in a blue dress and thought "I'm going to marry that girl."  And he did!

Here they are with their children, my dad and aunt.  Because my photo albums are packed to move, there is a bit of a gap here.  I'm missing pictures of my dad as an adult, and my own childhood - in which Grandma taught me to garden, bake, knit, embroider and sew.  These passions have shaped my life - and I've tried to pass them on to future generations.

This is Grandma in her 70s at my cousin's farm.  She loved animals of all kinds.

Here she is in her late 70s.  My first child had 6 months of severe colic, and Grandma stayed with me for a month, so I could get some rest.  She doted on him the entire time!  She loved babies - even a colicky one.

Here she is at 80, with my younger son.  I don't know who's cuter!

And here she is at 101.  Socializing and enjoying her birthday cards.

 

Today there were a lot of people at her funeral.  She had 7 brothers, all of whom had families, so there were 29 cousins in my dad's generation.  Most of them had kids, and a good number of them came to say goodbye to their Aunt Clara.  It was truly amazing how many lives she touched in her 103 years on this earth.  Many called her their favorite aunt and told wonderful stories of things they did with my Grandma and Grandpa in their youth.  She brought tremendous joy to so many. 

 

"Go in peace, faithful friend of God, as you take our love to paradise.  God's holy angels will lead you home to the wide waiting arms of the Lord."

 

A Little Quilting - Finally!

I've done a little sewing at long last!  Took me forever to find my fabric, thread, bobbins, to set up my machine and remember my piecing settings!  Have had my supplies packed to move (in just a few weeks now).  It actually took me longer to get set up than to make the block itself.  LOL

But I'm leaving my stuff out now.  It'll go with me to my next (temporary) home.  Can't wait until we get settled into our (yet unknown) final destination.  There WILL be a new quilting room in my future.

This block is for a group project.  It's perfect for a group project because it can be completed by all skill levels, even beginners.  While I'm kind of a particular about my points, its nice to know the points don't have to be perfect to look good because they don't come all the way to the edge of the block.  This is also a plus for the person putting all the blocks together! 

You can find the pattern at http://quiltbug.com/pdf/star-fling.pdf

Hope you have fun! :)

Garden Report

 

I no longer have to look to my garden flag just to see color. 

I dug up some perennials I'd like to take with me when I move. 

I have so many kinds of hostas, I can't leave them all behind.

The Licorice Ferns are in bloom.  Can't get enough of that smell.

I potted a small one to take with me.

I've never grown pansies before.  

With my big tree gone, I can grow sun-loving flowers.

 

I DO wonder where my flowers and I will end up. 

Everything hinges on when my Sweetie's house sells. 

Just goin' with the flow for the moment.

 

My day to play outside was delightful,

but now its time to get back to packing and moving!  :)

 

Back to My Original Idea

Make that 121 variations, and I've come back to my original idea.  I wanted a log cabin look, to make full use of the my beautiful jelly roll fabrics.  But I didn't want the images to get lost.  Decided to throw in some purple, and that really livened things up!

It's possible I'll do a little applique, to make the images look as if they're coming out of their frames (depending on how my upcoming applique class goes).

It's a simple design, but it'll complement the framed images nicely - which is the whole purpose of this quilt. :)

STILL Not Yet on My Design Wall

I've now made 117 variations on one quilt. 

All because I don't know what to do...

with 9 little novelty blocks. 

And now that I've finally figured out EQ6...

I'm having fun just experimenting.

 

I have still MORE ideas.  But they will most likely continue to swirl around in my mind as I have to put much of quilting stuff away as I pack to move. 

 

Still, I COULD wait until the very last minute! :)