IRISHLAKEQUILTER

What's On My Wall and More.........

2011-01-27T06:57:00.000-08:00

What is on my "wall" today? This picture shows the start of a 4000 piece quilt that I am making for Michael's girlfriend, Jen. Since the photo was taken, I've increased the number of blocks to over 30 (there are 200)in the quilt and I may reduce that to a number less than the 200. These little blocks take a long time to make and accuracy, as I'm learning rapidly, if of utmost importance! There's been a lot of frog stitching lately!

A friend was working on a red and black quilt at retreat and I really liked it. Hers was being made for her husband and it looked like a 'guy' quilt. Guy quilts are kind of hard to settle on for me - the design has to be a little more angular, a little stronger. So when I needed to make a quilt for a man, I borrowed her pattern and raided my stash and came up with this. It's in line downstairs at my longarm, along with several others.

It's a snowy day here in Northern IL once again, but the temperature isn't terribly bad. We haven't been hit with storms like the northeast so travel is OK. A walk with the dog may be in order - well, maybe a stroll. She like to sniff everything and make a few dog angels along the way. No matter, just being outside makes her happy. We all should enjoy the moment as our pets do?!! :>)

Some Finishes and Retreat!

2011-01-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

The first several days of the New Year brought some finishes! Those UFOs have been lurking in my closet for a long, long time. One of the first ones was a Boy Scout quilt that only needed to have the borders taken off and made less wavy. Ready for the long arm! The fabric was given to me by a friend who knows that all the men in my life have been involved in scouting in some way or another. An easy one, but done!!

Some Project Linus ones almost ready to take to retreat on Friday.......

.........and an applique BOM from Apple Blossom Quilts. This will go to the new lake cottage in the spring. I took some liberties with the pattern and am happy that it is finished, ready for the long arm!

There are a couple more finishes that I've accomplished here but I'll post them later. it is so exciting to get them out of the closet! Now I can start some new ones??? :>)

The annual Project Linus Retreat is this weekend and I'll be happy to see all those wonderful ladies who devote so much time to this great charity. It is always a fun, food-filled, laugh-til-you-cry kind of weekend. That area of Indiana has been hammered by lake effect snow so it will be a winter wonderland when we all get there but we won't mind the snow at all. It doesn't get much better than a quilty weekend with friends. Life is good.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

It's 2011........a New Year, hope for change, ideas to try, dreams to pursue. We are always inspired by that New Year's Day whether it comes on a Saturday or a Tuesday. For some reason, for me, it is a time to sit back and think about how I want to make my life better, list the things I want to accomplish and figure out what is 'out there' that I haven't done and want to try. Resolutions don't work for me - they last a few days and then I forget that I promised myself that certain things would get done! It has also been proven in my life that stating my promises out loud isn't always the best thing to do because when I don't reach those goals, I feel like a failure. So this year, the only thing I feel important is becoming a better me - and there is a lot of room to do that. As you head into the New Year, I hope you have what will make you happy, lots of love and good health, and most of all, that you enjoy the journey in the days ahead!

Another Sunny Day

2010-12-27T10:13:00.000-08:00

Blue skies, lots of pretty white snow, decent temperature - what more can one ask in late December? This morning I took a short trip to the library for more books on tape (CDs)for my own personal enjoyment while I sew or putter in my sewing room. That way I get the pleasure of 'reading' a book while I quilt. Last night I worked on one basket of scraps which was sorted and emptied. The bigger one is left for today. The closet is now somewhat organized and nearly all of my stash is in one place. The piles on the floor are considered "to be filed".

Tomorrow my friend Julia whom I met over 35 years ago while we were both teachers in Cleveland, will be here along with her daughter Carol and two grandchildren. Lucas is 4, Lily 6 weeks. Julia lives in NC now and Carol lives not far from me, so whenever she visits, I get the added pleasure of seeing my friend!

I'm enjoying these wonderful snowy picturesque views and days......hope you are too!

Christmas

2010-12-26T08:06:00.001-08:00

We awoke to 8" of new snow this morning - totally surprised us all! We jokingly laughed at the predictions that had been on TV for the past few days because it had not hit us by last night. It is truly gorgeous out there! A cardinal or a deer amongst the trees would make a wonderful Christmas card photo for next year. Here's a shot from a few days ago.

The guys were here overnight, we laughed a lot and opened gifts, ate way too much and generally had a good time. Today Dad is helping them install a few new things at the apartment, do some general upkeep on the place and I have some well-deserved time alone this morning. Over the past week I emptied the two closets in my sewing room and re-organized and purged....or at least tried to! In the next few days I'll try to get some pictures of the newly organized closets and some of the things I've been working on. After six months, I have to get back into this slowly! :>)

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!

Quilt Show

2010-06-22T13:15:00.000-07:00

Last Friday and Saturday our (lake) quilt club held a quilt show. About 200 quilts and wallhangings were shown, there was a garage sale (thanks to Nancy's things) and a small Bazaar. I took 5 quilts to show and my Rose Medallion won Viewer's Choice!! This is the first time I've ever shown a quilt let alone win accolades. I think the swelling of my head is starting to subside. :>) My quilt is the large center star one in the picture, done in dark green, red and light gold. The next show won't be until 2012 so I've got some time to work on the next show project.

Nancy

2010-06-09T05:25:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago a friend from church called me. This gal and I had formed somewhat of a bond with each other because of quilting and stitching. She informed me that she would be moving to assisted living soon and wondered if I would like her stash. Of course I wanted it and we made arrangements to go to her home. It was the first time I had been to her home and it was quite lovely, filled with a lot of "treasures" from over the years. Nancy was a very good golfer and bowler as well as an avid sewer. We did the usual chatting and catching up and then went upstairs to her sewing area. There walls held her thread racks, three sewing machines sat nearby, the cutting table neatly folded up, her rulers and scissors in a box. As a quilter, I recognized all the necessities needed for making dreams into reality. When I left that area, I had three boxes of books and had completely forgotten about where the fabrics might be found. As I was preparing to leave, she said......"Now let's go to the garage and look at the fabric". OH MY!! Boxes were stacked floor to ceiling and the width of one garage bay. All were filled with fabrics, batting, pillow forms or miscellaneous stuff needed in some way for sewing. She wanted me to take it all!

Three mini van loads later - two loads were packed front to back (no seats), top to bottom. The third almost the same. We unloaded into our garage. I took box after box into the house where I sorted into piles of things I wanted to keep, things I would not use but could donate, and things that should be disposed of. By the end of the two days of sorting, I found myself with a new box of books, 100 yards of additional fabric and a ton of miscellaneous items. Probably the treasure of the group was the Ultra Suede box, loaded with a multitude of colored scraps. All of it made it up to my sewing room and merged into my own over flowing stash.

A few days later, I received another call......"I found more stuff that I want you to see". Adjoining her sewing area was a walk-in closet that was filled with more goodies. She and I went thru it all and I once again, left with more treasures.

Let me fill you in on what Nancy thought was happening and what was really happening. She knew her four children were moving her to assisted living and she wasn't really happy about it all. Two of her children live near her, one in CT, one in WI. They had made the decision to move her to WI to be near her daughter. As we went thru things and walked thru her home, she would say that she wanted to take that particular item with her, she wanted the sofa from her living room, her queen size bed and some of her beautiful china cabinet knick knacks. She was planning to take part of her home with her. I encouraged her to keep her sewing machine(s), not realizing that in the end all of her tools and notions would be left behind.....no thread, no scissors, nothing. I thought it strange that her daughter had flown in to help pack things up, yet when we were there, she was playing tennis and the house had a lot of packing to be done. Little did I know about what was to come in the days ahead.

On Saturday - all of this had taken place in a little over a week - Jim went to pick up an item that had been forgotten. The small cargo trailer was only partially full. No bed. No sofa. No favorite chair. She was packed and had been moved....... While those things left behind were only "things", they were her life, her memories. Now she is four hours from her church friends, away from all those things that made up her life and in a place where she knows no one and without those comforts of her home.

This past weekend there was an estate sale. If I had known when it was to be, I would have been there early in the morning, rescuing things I knew Nancy would have wanted rescued. As it turned out, I found a few things that meant a little bit to her, but not things of great importance. Had I been there early I would have gotten her little Hitchcock chair, something I knew she loved and treasured. It may have gone into the trailer - I truly hope it did. I did send a message to her sons to keep her quilts, but there were several still there.

My sadness for her is deep. Her body was failing, her mind still sharp. The experience made me realize that control over one's life is in one's own hands. Planning ahead and being aware of one's own abilities/disabilities has to be first. At some point, I want to be able to make the decisions about where my own treasures land and hopefully be mentally able to make the decisions about where I spend my final years.

This experience has been sobering to say the least. I hope my journey thru life doesn't come down to being shuffled off into two tiny rooms and much of my journey left for strangers to sort thru to buy for nickels and dimes.

How to end this post........I'm not sure. Today I'll write to Nancy and let her know that I found two antique and very well worn quilts in her garage. I bought them for 50 cents each. They have been well loved, but I couldn't let them go along with all the leftover napkins, odd shoes and garden tools into a warehouse someplace where no one would have a clue.

We all have to face the music at some time. I want the music to be my song....... Life goes on.

Florida

2010-03-18T07:25:00.000-07:00

So much for keeping up with my goals and posting at least weekly! We've been in Florida for the past 5 weeks and all routines, plans and schedules have been tossed! We're headed home in a few days, back to winter for a few more weeks. Maybe I'll get back to the routines and keeping up with things. Since we have the dog with us, one of our favorite things to do is to go to the doggie park and when near the beach, the doggie beach. Freedom to run! She is so happy at both places.........so many friends and SO much to sniff! It is quite interesting to watch the dogs - 10 - 15 at a time - getting along no matter the size, the breed or the age. No leashes allowed. They all sniff, wag tentatively at first and then bound off with a new friend. We could all take a lesson from our furry friends!! :>)

February Goals for Me

2010-02-08T08:10:00.001-08:00

As I started to post my goals for February, I found them to be much like the ones for January. Different blocks, same quilts. So I'll wait until there are some completed ones to post. But there are some goals for February that I need to write and keep in front of myself.

*** Eat healthier - more fruit, more veggies, more flavor, less salt

*** Walk every day - it keeps me in tune, also an easy way to keep Little Dog's nails trimmed

*** Stitch at least 30 minutes - time spent that is almost as good as time spent in church!

*** Smiles, silent and verbal hugs for my guys every day

That's it! I'm happier already just by putting this into writing. We're going to the land of sunshine for a vacation and I think I can do these four simple things each day - it's so much easier when the sun is shining! What do you do to make you smile on cloudy days?

A Great Recipe

2010-02-06T13:34:00.000-08:00

I was all ready to list my February goals - I still will, but not in this post. I was surfing over at www.golanigo.blogspot.com and found the following and thought it good enough to "borrow" from her and post it here. It would be so great if I could manage to do everything every day! :>)

See what you think.....

GREAT RECIPE....Start Monday .....

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Talk to your higher power about what is going on in your life. Buy a lock if you have to.

3. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'I am thankful for______________'

4. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

5. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli , almonds & walnuts.

6. Try to make at least three people smile each day..

7. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

8. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

9. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

10. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

11. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

12. You are not so important that you have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

13. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

14. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

15. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

16. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

17. Forgive everyone for everything.

18. What other people think of you is none of your business.

19. A higher power heals everything - but you have to ask Him.

20. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

21. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch!!!

22. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

23. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for__________.

24. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

25. When you are feeling down, start listing your many blessings. You'll be smiling before you know it. Send this to everyone you care about.

God Bless You!!!

January completions

2010-02-03T07:08:00.000-08:00

I posted my goals early in January. Well......most of them were completed, others are on the back burner for now. But here are a few of the things I did get done!

A block for Pushin' Up Spring from Appleblossom Quilts.

A Jane Townswick pattern - one of 9, I'm on #3.........

The Brights scrap basket was overflowing......made some blocks out of those pretties and they will be a quilt soon!

Edyta Sitar's Dresdan Star..........I took a class last summer and, as usual, it languished in the box. There are 20 of these and I managed to get several done this month!

There were other things on my list that didn't quite get done. Aunt Millie's Garden is started and the second block assigned. I'm working on both! The second block of Applique Affair is cut out and ready for stitching. The Notre Dame t-shirt was finished, bound and has been delivered!

We will be leaving for Florida next week for 4-6 weeks. I'm feeling that I just got home from the lake cottage, but some sunshine will be good for both of us. When we return, it will be just a few short weeks and we'll be back at the lake. The time has flown this winter - I think that when we're happy doing what we like, the time does fly. What is keeping you busy on these cold winter days? Is the time flying for you as well?

Quilts for Haiti

2010-02-03T07:01:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine is the director of a Project Linus chapter in IN. PL has been asked by two larger organizations for 10,000 quilts each to send to Haiti! Each summer while we are at the lake, I try to participate occasionally in PL, go to the PL Retreat and also make a few during the winter. When I heard that she needed 200 quilts asap, I quickly put several together. Very simple but a little guy will enjoy this print.If they don't make it to Haiti, they will fill the gaps left by those that have been sent.

How Could I Have Forgotten??

2010-01-28T07:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I have forgotten to write about this! A little over a year ago, Michael (on the left), told us that he and 3 friends were going to climb a mountain. Not a big deal......he and his friends have done that for several years. But this mountain was Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, Africa. Mom said, "I don't think so". Being the quiet one that he is, he went ahead with the plans, saving his $$ and making arrangements. Long story short, mom worried, they were OK. Isn't that the way it is - or at least the way it works for most moms? The other three guys work together in Madison WI. Michael is a long-time friend of one of them. They worked out, ran and sweat for nearly 6 months so they would be in shape for the trek. In early July, they headed off to Africa and had a wonderful time. A visit to a Masai Village, spending time with their native trek leaders and a visit to a totally new environment all gave them a life experience that they will never forget. It was a great time to explore and learn. As a part of their planning, the four decided to raise funds for the Children's Hospital in Madison. Their group was called Kili4Kids and thru donations from friends and relatives, they raised nearly $10,000 for the hospital. They got to tour the hospital prior to their trip and I think that visit had an impact on how fortunate their lives have been. This picture shows them near , but not at, the summit of the mountain. They were in such good physical condition that they summited a day early. During the time that they were there, a group of blind climbers were featured on the news, making the same trek. Now that would give a mom cause to worry!!

Project Linus Retreat

2010-01-21T10:04:00.000-08:00

Gratitude: A weekend spent with good friends, much too much to eat,and lots of sewing. Thanks ladies for a wonderful time!!

Each January a group of 24 women gather in Northern Indianaat the Geneva Center in Rochester IN. We spend a couple of days quilting for Project Linus. The rule is that we must donate one quilt or quilt top from the weekend to Project Linus. This year I came up with the pattern for our group project. The fun part about the pattern is that with just a little effort, TWO blocks can be made when making one spinning star block, giving us each two tops- one for us, one for PL. Here are two that I made at retreat - unfortunately, their stars are spinning in the same direction. Their mirror images are still awaiting construction.

As part of our weekend, we had the option of having a massage. So nice!...... We also had demonstrations on card making. The pajama party was also quite humorous. Many hours were spent laughing and having fun. Retreats are always enjoyable - I'm looking forward to next time!

Done is better than perfect

2010-01-12T06:11:00.000-08:00

Some think that having a completed project is better than having a perfect project. I'm one of those! Altho this isn't perfect, I'm happy that it is done. Applique Affair has 25 blocks and a whole lot of half blocks in the border. Not quite half finished with it but I'll be working hard to get the block a month done for the group called Applique Cafe. Have you given applique a try lately? :>)

Cars for Lucas

2010-01-08T08:13:00.000-08:00

Lucas, 3, is the grandson of a dear friend of mine. He is so cute and loves cars. This quilt pattern was in a Fons and Porter magazine several years ago. Hey buddy, have fun with this!

My friend Julia and I met in 1975 when we were both teachers in a small suburb of Cleveland. Lucas's mom was Lucas's age at the time! We've both moved away but keep in touch and enjoy our visits whenver Oma comes to see her little guy!

Some January goals.......

2010-01-06T08:11:00.000-08:00

A gratitude for today........feeling better after several days of the stomach flu; being able to return to some sewing and normalcy!

Some January stitching goals......

............the first goal is to get the Notre Dame t-shirt
quilt top and backing finished and the quilt done for Chris. Dad is a Domer and the two of them are die-hard ND football fans and go to as many games as they can. When I asked Chris what kind of quilt he wanted there was little question.

Quilting might be a little tricky with all the seams

but I'll give it that old college try!

.............deciding if Aunt Millie's Garden

should have a blue or yellow background?

.......finishing the Applique Affair block assigned for this month on Applique Cafe, an online group where we work on the same blocks. This one still needs some little bell shaped flowers on those barren stems!

and.............each year a group of volunteers meet for a weekend of sewing blankets for Project Linus. I've designed a quilt for this year's retreat and will be helping the group get thru my instructions. I hope everyone is successful! More on that after retreat January 15-17.

My partial list of hopes for the month............with hopes of completion of these and more! Stay warm - it's a cold one out there today!

Fun in the snow!!

2009-12-24T06:17:00.001-08:00

We're having a wonderful time in the snow..... digging for my ball, chasing the snow from the shovel and making dog-angels!! I'm sooo happy when I can be out running and bouncing! Hope you are having a happy day too!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-20T10:09:00.000-08:00

From our house
to yours,

Merry
Christmas!!

Winter Wonderland

2009-02-13T08:01:00.001-08:00

Today is a sunny, clear, cold day here in IL. What a welcome break we've had for the past two weeks! We got 45" of snow in December and January which is much more than this area normally gets and sometimes it is more than we get in a full winter. We still have some piles at the edges of the driveway even though we had 60*+ a few days ago. Lost tennis balls (four legged friend outdoor activity) have been found along with a January 10 newspaper. It really must have snowed hard on that night since it was buried in a large pile pushed there by the plower. We had a Winter Wonderland for many days and the woods are always a thing of beauty after a fresh snowfall. It is so pretty, but the sunshine and warmth is always a pleasure.

That was the weather-style Winter Wonderland. My quilty Winter Wonderland (www.crabapplehillstudio.com) looks like this, now that I'm finished with the top. I started the redwork last year about the time we went to the lake in April and each evening I would work on it while Jim watched Wheel of Fortune. Finally, in late summer it was finished and the rash around my neck began to appear........I laughingly tell people that pieced blocks cause me to break out in a rash and this quilt not only had a lot of them, but they were either a different pattern, size or fabric. I bit the bullet and got through them. I'd rather do handwork any day!!! Now to get it quilted and I'll get to that one of these days. I've started "Over the River and Through the Woods", also by Crabapple Hill, which is a smaller quilt, but the embroidery is much more dense in design. Hopefully, it will be on the wall with WW come the Holidays this year!

I'm Back.........

2009-02-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

It has been a few months..... Oddly enough, I just noticed my last post was 9/11. Unintentional, but just when things started to become overwhelming and I let my journaling slide. So much has gone on in the past several months - church garage sale and the chaos that ensued following that, 4 quilting retreats and all the fun of preparing and enjoyment from those, one kid returning to school and one looking for a condo to purchase, the holidays and ust keeping up. I haven't been so busy that I couldn't sew and here are a few pictures of what I've been working on lately. I'll be better about keeping things up here.

I finally got the Baltimore finished and put back together. It was a long journey that isn't quite ended, but a milestone just to get it to this point. It is now on the frame and I'm attempting to hand quilt it. Might be many more years before this one is finished!!

More to come.......I just need to find them! :>)

Life............

2008-09-11T08:12:00.000-07:00

Not a thing comes to mind for a title on this post..... Summer is winding down, much to my dismay. Everything is coming all at once and my blog has taken back seat.

Traveling between the cottage and home is always nice - there is a great place at either end and I am happy whenever I am in either one. However, it is ever so difficult to decide what sewing projects I want to take with me - do I leave my entire stash at home and work out of it that way? Do I make kits and put them all together and schlep those to and fro? I try to do the latter, but that elusive piece of fabric is always at the other end!! So far this summer I've managed to make a few tops - some for charity, one for a great niece, another for a long time bud of Michael's and now I'm nearing the end of the handwork on Winter Wonderland redwork. The pieced blocks will be cut out this week and hopefully sewn next week at retreat.

Retreat - it's that time already! I have my projects somewhat lined up and ready to go. In the meantime, a friend and I have been taking a jacket class. The newsletter blurb promised 'a jacket that fits' and I'm thinking I've finally hit the jackpot on that. The gal who teaches the class has done haute couture, clothing and pattern construction, etc. She knows what she is talking about and finally, a jacket that works around my bumbs and bulges may be in the works.

Pictures of so much that has been going on will be posted soon...........if life doesn't get in the way. Oh!......I hit a deer on the way to the cottage on Monday. I was alone, it was a younger one and I don't care to repeat that ever again. My car hood has a major bruise and when we get home, we'll have the whole car checked out. I am sooo thankful it wasn't a big guy. The road was fairly deserted (I was on my way to an off-the-beaten-path store) and my cell phone didn't work in that area. An angel's hand was on my shoulder................more later.

2008-08-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Quilts are like a journal,
Bits and pieces of fabric….
Various shapes and sizes
With colors that come to life
Joined together,
They tell a story.....

from Lolly's website

The quilt, from the late 30's, was made by Jim's Aunt Tootie (Catherine).

Shipshewana IN is a wonderful place for quilters to visit. It is well known among quilters mostly because of Lolly's and Yoders, both great quilt shops and people come from all over. At check out, it is interesting to listen to the wide variety of zip codes offered when asked by the clerk. People travel from all over to visit, get a taste of the Amish atmosphere and enjoy a casual, relaxing day. For me, whenever life becomes too muddled or a break from the day-to-day humdrum is in order, a trip to Shipshe puts the stars in line for me and I'm refreshed for a few more weeks or months. Today was a Shipshe trip. I called my friend and said 'let's go' and she said 'what time'? Ahhhh, a day among the bolts. We went to Lolly's and admired all of the kits, the numerous bolts and just the atmosphere. We found some bargains - and some not necessarily bargains. Then we were off to Yoders where the sidewalk sale was going on. Fresh corn, peaches and apples lined the area outside the grocery/hardware store as we entered the building, all signs of summer in the Midwest. The Amish bonnets, the hickory rocking chairs and little boys in blue shirts and straw flat-crown hats completed the picture. A few purchases later, we were on our way to Topeka and Tiffany's, a down-home restaurant with a parking lot full of cars and horses and buggies sharing space. The specials were home made beef and noodles, beef manhattans with mashed potatoes..........you get the idea. We passed on the pie that we both know are awesome. Then we backtracked to Emma and the very small general store that carries maybe 100 bolts of quilting fabric and many more of the poly blends that so many Amish ladies use. Handmade clocks chimed as we shopped and the gas lights glowed, but didn't provide much light.....definitely a throwback from our modern time. We found some very good choices and added them to our small pile of bags in the car. And, finally, a stop at Alco on our way home to see what treasures we could find on their shelves. Of course, there were a few! It was a day spent in friendship, enjoying our fabric finds and a day satisfying that urge to create. Next month during Retreat, we'll get to do it again. What more can a quilter ask?

And the bride was beautiful!!

2008-08-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

I don't understand how I became a great aunt while so young! :>) Natalie is 21 and as of last week, a married young woman. Of course, as at all weddings, I cried. The tears are just sentimental tears, ones that are happiness for the occasion, sadness at the passing of childhood and tears from all those wonderful love songs that bring warm fuzzies to my heart because of my own great love. I'm sappy and the first to admit it! The picture shows the bride with my Mom, Natalie's great grandma, her paternal step-grandmother, maternal step grandmother and maternal grandma, and of course, her mother. What a lucky young lady to have so many grandmas to surround her and impart wisdom as needed!

One of my goals is to make sure each niece and nephew gets a quilt. I finally got around to making one for Nat and gave it to her and Dan for their wedding. Along with the quilt, pillow cases were made and given so that it would make a complete set for a bedroom. We had a great time, enjoyed the gathering of family and friends and savored our own wedding memories. It's been 33 years for me and my love.........how did so much time pass so quickly?!

A Good Read!

2008-08-03T09:03:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my neighbor, Mary, came down to sit in the front yard while her grandson was playing in the water. Our yard has a bit of a sandy beach and a boat ramp that makes entry into the water easier so it is the gathering point of all who go in and out of the lake. Sitting in the front yard is also an invitation to any and all to gather around and chat for a few minutes or most of the afternoon. Mary is active in several groups around the area and one of them is a book club. Often she tells me of what she is reading or has read, but doesn't often say "you've got to read this book!" On this particular hot and humid afternoon, she said just that about the book, "Little Heathens" by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. It is the story of growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression. There isn't so much of a story line as there is recollection of how she was raised and how things were done during that period. I haven't yet discovered why or how the book got it's title, but I'm thinking it has to do with the way the older generation thought of the younger ones. That I can remember and relate to!

My paternal grandmother lived with us as I was growing up and her sayings, depression-ist methods and ways of doing things were quite similar to what is described in this Little Heathens. One of the things that reminded me of my childhood was the annual gathering of greens. This is not the annual Christmas celebration but the arrival of dandelions in the yard! Grandma, like the one in Little Heathens, had her special butcher knife that she used for digging greens. Grandma in her bonnet, long dress and stockings held up with garters (ladies didn't wear pants in those days!) would go into the yard with her knife and bucket and gather greens that she would later soak and wash very well to get rid of the bugs and beasties and cook them with a bit of bacon and onion. We all would gag at the thought of eating weeds from the front yard, but how were we to know that someday this would be the "in" thing to do and eat - as long as Chem Lawn doesn't visit your yard! Our reaction was not the same reaction as the author who thought these a tasty treat.

The book is full of fun things ........ like how to make really good fried potatoes - something Mom is so good at but who keeps bacon fat around any more? .... making porcupines, putting cardboards on the spokes of bikes with clothespins, (I'd love to have those old baseball cards that we used!); how to make marshmallows and of course, the adventures of out-house tipping.

I'm enjoying a visit to Memory Lane thru this book. It will take me a week or so of front yard sitting to get thru it - not because it is such a thick book, but because I enjoy sitting in the front yard, occasionally reading a page or two, watching the swans or boats on the lake and of course, the neighborly chats. We are building memories that need to be passed on, just like the ones in this book.

Same fabric, different quilt

2008-07-29T09:25:00.000-07:00

About two years or so ago I found some Thimbleberries fabric that looked like applique - all viney and so on. I also loved the colors - autumn ones. I guess being a redhead in my earlier life contributed to my liking those colors......no pinks, brights or reds for me! I made a lap quilt from the fabric and gave it to my niece for Christmas 2006. Then, not long after, I decided another one from the same fabric would be nice and it hangs on the bannister here at home. Since the quilt design that I used was so easy, I wanted to make another but have it on a bed. The three new bedrooms at the cottage all need quilts and the dark brown and rich tones fit well in one of them. So I made another one! And...I have enough for at least one more! I think I went a bit overboard! :>)

This week while here in Chicago, I got that one ready for the frame and also completed one for my great-niece who is getting married on Saturday. I will load hers this afternoon and if the machine cooperates, will have it quilted and bound in time for the wedding. If not, she knows it's coming and it won't be long. I'll post that picture and maybe one of the bride next time around. But for now, her quilt is waiting and my time is running out!

Doorknobs and Applique?

2008-07-10T07:35:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not into making quilted doorknobs! At least not yet!! :>) But yesterday I found a connection between an old doorknob and my love of applique.

The old garage had a small tool room attached to it and over the years, every neighbor along the line felt free to go in and out as they needed something that they might not have in their own garage. For some reason, the old tool area was called The Apple Orchard, but I don't know why! Maybe Uncle Jay and Aunt Marie picked and stored apples in there many years ago.... Before we tore it down, it was suggested that we save the doorknob and use it as a piece of whimsical decoration in the new place. Jim used the Sawzall and preserved a piece of the door along with the knob. I originally planned to strip the old paint off it, clean it up and make it look pretty. Then I realized that I would be erasing a bit of history if I did that. So, it is as it was.

Then, while thinking of something for my blog, I thought, I can't write about a doorknob!! Who cares about such trivia? But then, as I worked on it, I saw something that struck a chord with me. I digress..........

When Chris's apartment burned and I realized that two of my quilts would no longer be as they were, I immediately started thinking about a new applique design. One of the quilts had a center medallion, hand appliqued. It wasn't anything spectacular, but had good colors for a guy and was something that just kind of evolved by putting a couple of patterns together. Having done a design once, I really don't like doing it over. So I figured that it was back to the drawing board to find a new design.

Back to the doorknob. While trying to figure out what I wanted to do with the doorknob, the design on it hit me. A new applique medallion!! I can take this picture, enlarge it, play with it and fine tune it a bit and come up with a design that has a connection to the old quilt and have some sentiment behind it. The center would be the center medallion, the design around the edge would work in the outer portion or along the border. I'll just have to play with it.

Now.......when will I do this? :>) It won't be for a while, but now that the knob sits on the chest in the new living room, I'll be reminded of my decision and hopefully will find time, the right fabric and determination to do it! Isn't it amazing where we quilters find our inspiration?

A Tough Week

2008-06-30T04:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday mornings are meant to be low-key, quiet and relaxing.......right? About two weeks ago, the 22nd, Jim and I were doing some clean up and straightening in the garage at the lake, avoiding the tile grout job, when we got a call from Chris. He started out by saying that something had happened the night before but didn't call because he didn't want to worry us. My stomach took a flip and I headed into the house to sit down. He was home alone about 10:15 when he heard glass breaking in his apartment kitchen. The old style Chicago houses are designed in a long narrow pattern, the living room in the front and a hallway along the bedrooms leading back to the kitchen in the rear. Being in the living room, he had no idea what was going on so he went to check. The breaking glass sound was actually the glass exploding from a fire that was engulfing the rear decks of the house and the kitchen was igniting as he got there. Chris said he turned and ran down the front steps wearing what he had on. The fire station is literally next door, about 50 feet away with a parking lot between them, and someone had already reported seeing it, and trucks were arriving as he went downstairs.

Apparently, the fire started on the deck below from a smoldering cigarette that had not been put out properly, spread up the back of the building and across the attic of the house. Firemen battled the blaze for nearly an hour, the house next door was badly damaged as well. One fireman was taken to the hospital due to exhaustion. Someone at the scene asked Chris why he didn't stop to get his wallet and shoes. A fireman overheard them and told Chris he only had seconds to escape once the glass broke. It isn't a back draft but the air/smoke is igniting into huge flames when an explosion occurs. We are thankful we had the opportunity to shop for clothes and furniture.

You can imagine the damage that the fire may have caused, but the smoke and water damage is unbelieveable. They were able to salvage very little. Fortunately, some dishes that we had loaned them - our wedding pattern - came thru almost intact. A few pieces were lost but we can replace those at Replacements.com. Some clothes that were stored in a front closet survived. My washing machine has been running a lot, doing some things 3 and 4 times to get the smokey smell out of them.

Anne and Chris went into the place on Tuesday to survey the damage - overwhelming for both of them but they made it thru OK. Anne is interested in learning to sew and I had loaned her my old Bernina 830. They gave that up as lost, but found two quilts I had made and that had ended up at their place. One may be OK, the other not so good. Jim went back on Thursday with Chris and found some other things that were meaningful to them or us. He brought out the sewing machine (his birthday present to me for my 34th) and brought it home. It is rusting in places, but I am a firm believer in persistence. I doused it with WD-40, got out the Q-tips and some rags and went at it. It isn't very good yet, but it runs!!! As far as sewing on it, that will never happen, but the fact that it still runs is a good thing. I'll keep it for parts for the other 830 that I have at the lake.

Life is resuming in a new place and still within walking distance of the old place along with some quickly-found furniture from Craigslist . It has been a tough week for us; I can't imagine what they've gone thru.

The warm fuzzy from all of this is the wonderful kindness of people. Chris had to go to work on Monday following the fire on Saturday. He went wearing his brother's shoes, a pair of baggy pants found in his closet here at home and a shirt purchased at Wal-Mart. (Reports that had to be done with a Wed deadline). He spent the next 3 days doing what he needed to do and returned to work on Friday. Knowing that Chris had no clothes and is a HUGE Cubs fan, the CEO jokingly brought him a White Sox jersey........and a huge wad of cash that had been collected through out the company. There was $1500..... a very, very nice thing to do and something that Chris truly appreciated.

There are still a few odds and ends to be done, but in the grand scheme of things, life treated us with kindness......we will remember to pay it forward when it is our turn.

Happy Dance

2008-06-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I told you about the challenge that Mary gave us for the May Retreat. We were to make a quilt to show an emotion that we feel about the retreat. I had a year to think about it. My original plan was to applique a large vase full of flowers. Each flower would have been a color that I felt "matched" each person there and that the beauty in the flowers expressed the beauty I see in each of the gals who attend the retreat. Liz would definitely have been orange!! She just loves lime green and orange. Well, given all that has gone on over the past year, that idea was just that.......an idea. It came down to the last few weeks and finally I decided that my emotion could be labeled as 'happy' and who else expresses that more than Snoopy and his Happy Dance? In the picture, Snoopy is a bit wrinkled and has some creases but he has been folded while waiting to be hung. It is a bright and happy quilt-let and I will hang it in my sewing space at the lake or over my long arm at home, always doing a happy dance myself when I'm in either of those favorite places!

Nearing the end...

2008-06-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

The picture at the left sort of tells the story of where we were at the end of April in our construction project. This place is to be for our family and guests when they come to visit at the lake. Our little cottage is on it's last legs but has a lot of charm. We also hesitate to tear it down and rebuild because we'll lose several very large 60 year old trees, all of which give us a wonderful shade on a hot day. The Roadhouse, as I call it because it is back by the road, is about 900 sf, has 3 very small bedrooms, two bathrooms and a kitchen/living area. Large enough for anyone who might want to spend a night or a week.

In February, Jim started doing the electrical and plumbing work on the place. That took us into April when we finally got a septic installed and final grade around the outside. The outside shower went in and is on our to-do list - as many things are! We were ready for drywall and it was done shortly before I went to retreat. Painting followed.....and followed....and followed. Seemed like that part would never end!!

Jim and Chris got the wood floor in the kitchen started. Michael, his friend Tyler and Jim and Chris worked most of a weekend getting it down and it really looks great. The bathrooms also have the same flooring. (the bathroom showers/tile are another story all by themselves!) It was the end of May by the time we could call the carpet installer to come. Another retreat at that time would have been welcomed!!

Carpet went in, appliances were delivered and the final projects........finishing the bathrooms, adding trim, patching and doing touchup on the trim, putting up blinds, finding furniture for the place, making up the beds and adding those special homey touches.........are now being done.

My sewing/craft room is painted and carpeted and I've framed some AQS posters that will add a quilty interest to the walls. That area will wait, however, until the upstairs is done and then we can concentrate on the downstairs. Jim will have a workshop, the laundry room is an awesome addition and my sewing area is just what I wanted. It may be the end of the summer before we finish the entire place, but all of this will have been a journey well worth taking.
Needless to say, the past few months have left little time for my quilting and my long arm. I get a few stitches in every day and that helps keep me going and my sanity somewhat intact. :>)

Stop by for a visit.......we'd love to show off what we've done so far!

Retreat

2008-06-10T08:40:00.000-07:00

May 1st was the annual North Webster Retreat held near the cottage. There are 20 women who meet at a church center located on Webster Lake. The facility is beautiful and the views are stunning. It is a few days of friends getting together, laughing ourselves silly and sewing like we could never sew again. This year was no different. We gathered as early as we were able to on Thursday morning and began the set up that happens each time we go. Furniture is moved making way for tables, ironing boards and sewing 'necessities'. Food is toted in as well as items for our 'dumping ground'. The saying "One man's trash is another man's treasure" fits our dumping ground perfectly. Most everything disappears gradually over the 3 days with each person thinking that they've been fortunate to either clear out some clutter or to have found a treasure!

Our group has a couple of leaders (teachers call them ringleaders!! :>) Liz makes all the plans for the retreat, brings all kinds of things for us to use and makes sure we behave. Mary and Susan keep everyone laughing and on our toes with their funny stories and banter. Joanne is just.......well, vibrant. A fun gal to keep things moving. Karlita is known for her perky bits of wisdom, usually a little tart and always funny! I could go on about all of us, the beautiful quilts and so much of each one enjoying the other's company, expertise and advice.

Our challenge this year was to be a quilt that portrays an emotion about the May Retreat. Mine was taxi-cab yellow background with a Snoopy doing a happy dance appliqued onto the yellow. I used a black with white pin dot for an inner border and the binding as well. Unfortunately, the quilt is in Chicago, I'm at the cottage and I can't find a picture of it in my computer files. I'll post it in a few days.

Everyone had wonderful challenge quilts, the talent in our group is mind-boggling!! The challenge for next year was given as well. Each person was given a wrapped book and must make a quilt from that book. I drew a Thimbleberries book which I already have, but Joanne didn't. She drew a jewel-box quilt book that I've been drooling over for a long time. Yep! you guessed it - we swapped books and now we're both happy!

My teaching session on the mitered corners and needleturn applique went well. I fully expect Rhonda and others to come next time with some show stopping projects. Hopefully I will have a few to share as well..............if the house project ever ends.

The retreat is always a wonderful time for renewal. Seeing friends, learning new tricks about quilting and comraderie that just doesn't end. The best part is that the September retreat isn't too far off and we'll get to do it all over again! Ahhhh...........a piece of quilter's heaven!

Catching Up

2008-06-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

The Roadhouse is nearly finished. It has been several months of being very busy, thus my blog has not been updated in over 2 months. Yikes!! Jim did the plumbing and electrical work during February and March, finishing up in April. We lived at the Thompson's home during that time and once we could move into our cottage in early April, we did so. May 1st brought the North Webster Retreat and I sewed to my heart's content for 3 days straight, late into the night.....more on that later. Once I returned after retreat, the drywall had been completed and things were ready for painting. One thing I learned the hard way was that those little paint chips don't even come close to what goes on the wall!! They may be the same color, the paint matches exactly, but they are foolers!! The soft butter cream that I had chosen, once on the wall, looked like a taxi cab - well, not quite, but it was screaming yellow!! I dumped in a gallon of cream and a gallon of white and then went back and got some toner and put in about a cup of that before it lightened enough to be subtle instead of obnoxious. The bedrooms were good with the exception of one which was much too gold and is now called "heavy cream". Carpeting has gone in, kitchen cabinets went in yesterday and today the appliances are being installed. We have two showers to tile plus installation of a kitchen sink, toilets, bathroom sinks, towel bars and a few other small items that aren't urgent. My downstairs craft room is on hold for a while. The washer and dryer are in and that is a great big plus! Once we get the upstairs done, Jim can put in the dropped ceiling and lights for me, add a couple of closet doors and that room should be ready to go. I have my sewing machine set up in front of the windows facing the lake so I'm in OK shape for sewing. So far we have no takers for first guests, but I'm guessing the kids will enjoy a weekend or two before long, especially if we add some furniture and TV. The beds are all in, ready to be made.

A year ago today, the place was still a little gray 1940's garage that was beginning to fall apart. We had just started the drawings and planning for my idea of how to carve out more space for all of us to be together. By November 1st, the place had been demolished and we were on our way! We're looking forward to many years of good times with friends and family.

Mitered Corners

2008-03-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

I have offered to teach my way of doing mitered corners at Retreat next month. So while I was putting that together, I decided to post it here and see if others can understand my directions. I'm not sure how I figured this out, but I've been doing it this way for years, and have recently seen it in a book - and I'm not sure whose book it is. It isn't the most technical way, but it works for me. I hope you can understand my jibberish! If you have a problem understanding my directions, please let me know so I can adjust.

First, cut your borders to the length and/or width of your quilt PLUS the TWICE the width of the border for each border piece or side. The border must go beyond each side of the quilt at least the same distance as the width of the border.

2.. Mark the corner of your quilt with a 1/4" dot or if you have a good 1/4" feeling when you sew, keep that in mind. The dot ..... I'm sure you've seen these on clothing patterns and this one will work the same way - sew to the dot or 1/4" away from the edge. Stop and backstitch.

3. Add your first border, allowing overlap on
both sides of the quilt.
Stop sewing at the corner dot.

4. Add the second border, stopping at the dot.

5. Press both borders open. Lay this corner out on the ironing board so that it is flat, allowing you to work with it and to press it.

6. Choose one border and gently turn so that it's wrong sides are together. I find, being right handed, that it is easier to work with the one on the right. (black) Fold it under/perpendicular so that the edges of both borders meet and are even. At this point, the two borders will be right sides together and going in the same direction. Confused? Try this explanation.... Take the upper left corner of the black border (right side up) and turn it so that it is now the the lower right (wrong side up).

Pull gently to get the sharp corner where all 3 pieces come together - at the dot. You should be able to see the miter at this time. Pin the two straight edges together just enough to hold it while you press the angled edge.

7. After pinning the right-sides of the two borders together, gently press with the iron and on the inside, pin again along the edge of the crease made by ironing.

8. Turn the quilt/borders so that you can sew right along that ironed crease, directly into the corner where the dot is. Push the seam allowances to the side so that you can reach that corner.

9. Open, iron. You should have a stitched and mitered corner. Trim the excess away leaving 1/4" seam allowances. When you open the corner, if you find that there is a pucker, loosen a stitch or two and see if that doesn't release it. That is caused when too many stitches are taken in that corner. The dot helps prevent this.

This may sound confusing and more complicated than it really is. Actually, it takes only a few minutes to miter a corner this way. The explanation takes longer than it does to do it!! If you are totally confused, e-mail me and I'll try to confuse you some more! :>) Now once I prepare the demo on needleturn applique, I'll be ready to go. Only 35 days to go!!

Do you think it is the quilting?

2008-03-18T07:05:00.000-07:00

Anne sent me a link this morning that I found to be rather nice. Here is the website for the story of a couple who have been married for 83 years - and she still quilts! Inspiring!!

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/23671580/

Paint Chip Challenge

2008-03-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

The sky is blue, the sun is shining and the snow is melting!! For a few weeks I've heard birds singing in the morning when I go out for the paper or the mail. Spring is surely just around the corner! All this perkiness makes me want to wash windows and clean house - and if you believe that one, I have a bridge to sell you! What it really does, is make me want to finish something. My energy level goes up and that makes for more things getting done. A gal in the quilt club has made a bag called the Sunday Satchel by Linda Marcou so I've decided to make one as well. The picture on the right shows the first step that is completed - quilt and bind a 37 1/2" square. The blue doesn't show up much but it is there. The other picture shows my paint chips that I needed to match for the September Challenge. So far so good! Next comes the straps. It is an unusual kind of bag - no zipper - all foldy and stuff. This one I think I'll have ready when the time comes. Another bag for schlepping my goodies! :>)

A Challenge

2008-03-09T07:11:00.000-07:00

The time is flying by, no blogging. We are running between IN and IL each week with 3-4 days in each place, trying to get things done as they should be done in both places. This week I'm staying home and will enjoy hugging my sewing machines! One of my projects this week is to complete a challenge that was issued at the Spring Retreat last May. The picture shows a bit of what we have at the retreat. We are challenged to come up with a quilt that expresses an emotion that we feel about the group/retreat. I've come up with several ideas over the past year but the one I really wanted to do would take much longer and most likely never get done. That idea was to choose a color that each person reminded me of and match that color up with a flower and then applique a large vase of flowers for the center of a quilt to be made someday. Oh well.....knew that one wouldn't get done! So I've searched on Google, Web Shots and books to find an "inspiration quilt" to give me some ideas. Nothing. But last week it hit me. Duh! It is amazing how much is right in front of us, staring us in the face and we still don't see it. My choice is really a no-brainer, probably being duplicated by half of the group, but it fits and I like it! I can't say what it is because it has to be a surprise and Mary is the one who issued the challenge. My challenge will be hung over my long arm machine after retreat is held in May. Of course, I'll post a picture of it when the challenge is over.

Life is Good

2008-02-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's cold, it's blustery but the coffee mug says it all! A warm home, some flavored coffee and quilts to keep me busy.... Life IS good!

(someone please let me in on how to make the pictures smaller when you click on them?)

Charity Quilts and.........

2008-01-28T13:56:00.000-08:00

At www.maryquilts.com I found the quick strippie quilt that Mary likes to use for charity quilts. I think I've found a new favorite too! This goes together in a hurry, doesn't take a lot of fabric and looks great when done. So, I've gone through my stash, pulled out the fabrics for children and have cut many of these and have all but 2 of them put together. I particularly like the brights - they are so cute IMHO. They will go to Project Linus as soon as I get them quilted and bound.

And...last week I purchased a used Gammill long-arm for doing all my quilting. The machine was located about an hour from the cottage, 4 hours from home so getting it home was a bit dicey between snow storms, but we managed OK. It is now set up in the basement. I could have set it up in Chris's room (he has moved to the city) but my Mother's instinct said 'no'...and when he was home, Anne told me he said "I think I'm losing my room to Mom's sewing". Those home ties are still there so for now, I'm OK in the basement. It is finished and bright with lots of room.

We're going back to the lake for a week while Jim works on inside electrical and plumbing. I'll go to quilt club, Lolly's in Shipshewana, go to a long-arm class offered at a nearby shop and try to get some sewing done as well. And, I will try to curb my enthusiasm for getting home to take a spin on the machine. Excited? Yesssss!!

Another One Bites the Dust!

2008-01-15T15:46:00.000-08:00

As with everyone, New Year's seems to evoke plans to be better, eat better and live a more productive life. With quilters, it seems that we all have the pie-in-the-sky belief that we will finish all of our UFOz, have our fabrics organized and all our scraps made into quilts. Well......I'm working on the UFOz. The rest of it won't happen so we'll put them to bed. At one point I had a basket of 3" squares and they eventually got sewn together in the 'leaders and enders' method. I found a pattern by Mimi Dietrich where 4 patches were sewn together on point and then some applique added. I finally got the top done today. The applique is shown in a picture of the pillow turn at the top of the quilt. Each of the bottom corners has the same applique. It finished rather large and going outside to hang it up so I can take a picture isn't on my list of cold day activities!! :>) I think it will look good on some bed at the cottage....maybe mine!

Jim loved his puzzle quilt for Christmas. He got a terrible cold and spent two nights under it in his chair. (then I got the same thing and sat under it as well - cozy!). Drew's Mom came for his T-Shirt quilt and became quite teary. She reported that her husband, who is still dealing with his grief, loved it and wraps up in it each evening. Matt's T-shirt quilt was also loved. His Dad reported that whenever Matt comes home with his new dog, Buddy, he brings his quilt with him! Too funny! Matt came to thank me in person and altho I said I wouldn't take anything for making it, he gave me a Lettuce Entertain You Restaurant gift certificate. Giving these at Christmastime made me feel good!

Now, on to the next UFO on the list. It is the quilt I call Bee Trees. The Baltimore needs to be done but I keep hiding my head in the sand on that one.....but I promised to be done by retreat time in May. Hmmmmmmm guess I should get busy!!

Done done!

2008-01-03T06:20:00.000-08:00

My part on the quilt for our quilt group is finished!! Yippee! Now I can go to some of my things that have been calling me! The applique took 3 complete books on tape plus about 1/3 of another for a total of 36 hours. Then there was the time for adding borders which had to be taken off twice and the final connection of the corner applique. I love the pineapple pattern and even bought fabric to make one, but after working with the bias edges, I'll probably put it to the bottom of my list. Once this one is quilted and bound I think it will be very lovely! Maybe I'll win the raffle!!

Pineapple Quilt

2007-12-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

There is a small group of quilters that I discovered last summer while we were at the cottage. The small town nearby has a community center where we meet every Monday morning, either for a meeting or for sit-and-sew. One of the group projects is a batik pineapple quilt that must be done for the show in June. Of course, I opened my mouth and said that it would look good with appliqued borders..........you guessed it - I'm appliquing like a mad woman! The picture is the auditioning of fabrics, most of which I'm using and there will be a narrow pink border between the appliqued one and the quilt. It has to be at the quilter by the first of March so push time has arrived. I don't think I'll do quite as much applique as I originally planned, but I think it will still look good.

Special Christmas Memories

2007-12-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

In 1988, we decided that the time spent opening Christmas gifts came and went much too quickly on Christmas morning. Try as we might..........the kids waited at the top of the steps, the smell of the Swedish Tea Rings baking in the oven, waiting until Dad got the video camera balanced and ready to go. The presents were passed out and each waited until the other had opened a present and so on. But still it seemed to vanish into thin air and the magic quickly disappeared. That year, a pair of roller blades and some Legos were the hot tickets. We decided that a treasure hunt would slow things down and add to the excitement of those much sought-after gifts. Jim got in touch with his poetic side and wrote a series of clues in a 4 line poem, leaving out the last word which described the spot for the next clue. After finding 3 sets, the final one took them to their prize. We had soooo much fun! We had to read the clues in the early years as they helped each other find their gifts and only one at a time could be hunting. By the time high school rolled around and the college years often busy years, it wasn't too cool to do such silly things, so the tradition was set aside.

Zoom forward to 2007. Those two young ones are now in their mid-twenties and the question "are we having a treasure hunt this year?" was presented to us. Oh dear! Jim had to dig deep to find those rhymes and clues but we had not one, not two, but three! treasure hunts devised and they also included Anne, Chris's girlfriend.

Now to backtrack again....... Each summer at the cottage the two guys would pair up with their cousins and spend many hours playing board games. Their all-time favorite was the game Hotels that Grandma had given to their cousins. Weekend after weekend for many years, the four spent time on the floor gathered around the coffee table playing the game. For years we searched garage sales but could never find the game. Finally, this year when the cousins were all together talking about those fun memories and Anne said "oh I LOVE that game!" we decided to hit E-Bay and see what we could do. We got the game and I'm not sure who was more excited that we had something that none of the three would ever guess. So, on Friday night as we gathered around the table, Jim passed out the first of the clues. Such laughter and giggling! My my my....one would have thought we had struck gold in them thar hills when they finally found the package under the sofa!! They pushed aside all else and began assembling pieces, talking about the way it was played, the fun times they've had and how much they wanted to get right to it. The game started as soon as the rest of the presents had been opened. By 2 a.m. they were nodding off but staunchly hanging in there not wanting the game to end and as the night turned into morning, they gave up and went to bed. It's for sure they will remember this Christmas hunt and it will be right up there with the rollerblades, the Legos, the GI Joes, the Micro Machines and all those other wonderful Christmas memories. We will remember those special peals of laughter as well. Christmas is such a delightful and magical time! I hope yours is special too!

Christmas presents

2007-12-12T17:09:00.000-08:00

Retirement means very little time alone - the kind of time one needs to get quilts made for your husband! I've managed to get the quilt to the point of binding, but I think he is suspicious. Oh well.....he'll just have to act surprised instead of being truly surprised.

Jim is a woodworker and loves to putter in his shop. He also likes to make wooden jigsaw puzzles - like the kind you buy at Wal-Mart only better. He takes a photo, has it enlarged, adheres it to a special piece of wood and then works his magic. His puzzles are all interlocking and can usually be picked up by one corner and the whole puzzle stays intact.

Anyway, a couple of years ago on a quilting weekend, my friends suggested I make Jim a puzzle quilt and even went so far as to buy a pattern. The pattern had squared off "bumps" and wasn't interlocking. So I designed my own and came up with a puzzle quilt for him. I don't even want to guess how much I spent searching for all kinds of novelty fabrics depicting the things that he likes.........from french fries to a muscle car to our special pup, Jordan. The bumps were all sewn on by hand and that took some evenings in the upstairs when he wasn't around.

I'm down to binding it now and hope to have it all done by Christmas. It isn't a pretty quilt at all. But it has all the things that mean something to him. I think he'll like it!

Progress

2007-12-01T16:48:00.000-08:00

We have walls, a roof and altho the picture doesn't show it, windows, a furnace and some plumbing. The upper left window is in the kitchen area, bottom right is the laundry room with my quilting area behind it. The place isn't real big but it will greatly improve life as we know it when we have kids or company come to visit us at the lake cottage! And...I get to have some space where I can spread out and just close the door when I want to leave it.

Mom has been here for the past week. As part of her Christmas present, I took her to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Show. It was really awesome, especially the live nativity. Mom enjoyed it all and it made me glad I took her. She is 84 and still loves to get out and go. I saw the Rockettes in NY in the late 70's, enjoyed them then and again this past week.

Quilting has taken a back seat for several weeks. Other than making several go-green grocery bags, I haven't done any sewing at all. I'm really ready to get some done! There's been just too much going on and I want to be organized when I go back to my projects. So, patience is being practiced, much against my will!!

We are experiencing a blast of Ol' Man Winter today. Lots of icy stuff all over the ground and the car when we came out of Macy's after doing some Christmas shopping. It is one of those days when a fire, something warm to drink and a bit of quilting feels good. I'll get back to it in a week or two......

Demolition Time

2007-11-12T09:47:00.000-08:00

The cottage where we have spent many summer weekends over the past 30 years was built in the late 40's by Jim's Uncle Jay. He raised his family there and we've done the same with our guys. It is a very small place (700 sf) and now that our sons are older, we need extra bedroom space. Rather than tear down the cottage, we decided it to be smarter for now to demolish the garage and build a new one with living quarters above it. My sister in law and I spent countless hours playing around with floor plans this summer and finally landed on one that works. We'll have 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and a living/kitchen combo or about 900 sf upstairs. Below will be a laundry room, workshop, space for one car and possibly a quilt room for me!

Demolition took place a few weeks ago and today we heard that framing has started. Long distance building isn't real easy, but we make the trip there about once a week to see the progress. The builder promises that it will be framed in by Christmas and then Jim will finish the inside work during the winter. Picking out cabinets, lights, appliances and some furniture should keep me busy during the cold winter months. I'm also planning quilts for all the beds and how I will set up my space with all my quilty stuff. Isn't dreaming about quilting time a lot of fun?!

Retreat Challenge

2007-11-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

In September I was fortunate enough to go to a retreat at the same place as the one I went to in May. Many of the same gals were there and we had a great time! New friends were also made. The amount of talent in that place was phenomenal! We laughed til we cried and ate enough to make us explode, but we also got a lot of quilting done. One gal, Mary, issues a challenge to us and this time it was the Paint Chip Challenge. She went to the paint store and got one of every color of the paint strips. Then she placed them face down on the floor, mixed them up and chose three at a time. Those three went into an envelope with instructions. We all picked an envelope at random. I think I lucked out! That same weekend when we went to Shipshewana as a group, there was an endcap with fabric that I think looks pretty good with the paint strips! My plan is to make a Vera Bradley kind of tote for quilting stuff. Of course, I have until September to get it done so it may be a while!

Mary also issued a challenge for the May Retreat. It is a bit harder and I haven't come up with a good plan. We are to make a quilt (36" or larger) that shows inspiration, or how our May group made us feel. Lots of hand applique ideas are floating around in my head, but I need to be realistic on time. Not enough days or years left for all of my quilty wishes and dreams!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T13:49:00.000-07:00

We are long past the days of Trick or Treating at our house. In fact, last year we had no goblins come to our door. How sad - I had to eat all those candy bars! But, as I think about our guys and the past Halloweens, a few fun ones come to mind. The first one I remember so well is one that Chris had strep throat and couldn't go out. They were 4 and 2 at the time. Michael had limited verbal skills but excellent social skills. Every person he met was his friend (and is still that way). Since we couldn't go out, the boys were allowed to hand out the candy, Chris from a distance. Michael, however, was worried that people would go by and not stop, so he stood in the doorway and shouted at all the ghosts and goblins..."hey you guys, come heah, me give you candy!" And then there were the years that the Dads took the kids out. Three Dads, 6 kids. The Dads insisted that they needed a wagon just in case the kids got tired and needed to be pulled home. In reality, they needed the wagon to hold the beer that they bought to help them get thru the miles of walking that the kids put them thru! Those were the days...........such fun memories! Hope all your memories are fun ones and that you have a smile on your face as you greet your goblins tonight!

Drew's Quilt

2007-09-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Let me tell you a little about Drew.....well-liked, kind, brother, son, college student, teacher of indigent children in Turkey, teacher and worker in a small mission in Mexico, environmentalist, full of life and energy. He died at age 21, and over 1000 neighbors and friends came to the celebration of his life. Drew was the son of a gal who became a good friend when our son needed a career counselor. Drew was a college student and gave up his summers to work with children in poor areas and then, gave up his car for a bike because he felt his car wasn't environmentally sound. Unfortunately, he was killed while riding his bike.

After Drew's death, I told Amy I'd like to make her a quilt from Drew's shirts that she and her husband could use as a hug when they needed it. It took her nearly two years to be able to get the shirts together for the quilt - it has been a very rough time for them - and once I got them, I knew I had to do it right away. It was an emotionally hard one to make and truly a labor of love for a friend. It will be a Christmas gift for her husband.

I put the top together during my recent retreat and it didn't go quite as my graphed design indicated, but it is done and will be sent to the quilter this week. I hope it will provide a tiny bit of comfort to them.

2007-09-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few weeks and I keep thinking that I need to post........ Going between the cottage and home has it's pluses and minuses. The minus part is getting to fight Chicago traffic and then trying to get everything caught up at home before returning. I'm happy to do it, though, because I realize that life is good whenever I return to either place! Today the lake is a mirror that followed an early morning of steam rising from a warm lake into cooler air. The ducks and swans don't seem to mind the cool air, but my toes and nose do!

It's almost time for our church's annual garage sale and I am in charge of it. That takes a lot of time and while we were home last time, I called a meeting of the helpers. While chatting with one of my cohorts, she asked me if I had a room dedicated to sewing. Well, sort of.......I share it with a twin bed in case we need it, but mostly it is mine. She then asked if I would like to have her thimble collection that was displayed in a printer's drawer. Of course! She has traveled all over the world and has collected everything from Waterford to Mickey Mouse. She had a few little things in it that aren't thimbles but will they fill the holes until I get around to putting mine in with hers. Mine are mostly antique ones but these are fun and fancy, not utilitarian. The second picture shows a few of the ones I found interesting.

Tonight is the start of a 5 day retreat that I am attending near the cottage. I've had my project list made for weeks and am excited to go and laugh and sew! Hopefully, I will finish the applique on the quilt I call Bee Quilt #1 and will get the blocks done on the Bee Trees quilt. Then, if I can find sashing fabric for a T-shirt quilt, I'll try to get that one sewn as well. The T's are all fused to the non-woven backing and are trimmed to the right sizes. The group will go to Shipshewana for breakfast at the Blue Gate on Saturday, then we will shop at Lolly's and Yoder's, both wonderful quilt shops. Hopefully, I'll find just the right fabric for the T-shirt quilt. I've made my Pretzel Kisses, have my share of tonight's dinner ready to go (potatoes and Tornado Cake will be my part) and by mid afternoon will be headed to the lakeside lodge and a few days of fun! Wish you were here to join in the fun!

Pillowcases

2007-08-19T11:55:00.001-07:00

It has been one of those weeks where doing anything that requires a lot of attention or a lot of time just isn't in the works for me. It has been a hard week to focus on anything. We returned home from the cottage on Tuesday thinking that we would return on Thursday. No need to bring my sewing machine and projects with me.......or so I thought. Once home, we've found that we needed to be here for longer than planned, so my projects are 150 miles down the road and I am here! I tried using another sewing machine to work on my Bee Trees blocks but it just doesn't measure that 1/4" the same. However, I needed to get some sewing in each day just so I could have my fabric fix. While reading one of the Stashbusters digests, I saw that a gal is collecting pillow cases for children with cancer. I figured that it didn't matter which machine I used for that so I pulled some fabrics and came up with a few to send to her. These fabrics called my name many months ago at Hobby Lobby. Now I know why!

It's a gloomy, rainy day and almost a bit chilly at times. We had huge thunderboomers last night with lots of unneeded rain. If this keeps up, the mosquitoes will be of a size to BBQ! Tonight I'm going to sew the bindings on two queen size flannel quilts that I made last winter. It has been too hot for handling flannel and tonight is a good night to do them. Hope you all are staying high and dry!

Charms and Construction

2007-08-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

They jumped out at me and I had to take them home with me! These are the Moda charms from the Roman Holiday collection that I purchased at the Chicago show in April. I bought them at The Creative Stitch from North Manchester IN, a small town near the cottage. I frequent it fairly often. One of these days, they promise to have a website. We are getting ready to build a garage here at the lake with living area above it and I'm thinking I might like this in one of the bedrooms. The sashing is Moda's Crackle in a light gold and that would be kind of pretty on the walls.

Currently, we are moving a couple of walls in our teeny-tiny cottage kitchen and putting our fridge where there was a closet. Now that most of it is put back together, I know it looks like we've done nothing. My grandmother always called it a "one-butt kitchen" ..........now we'll have room for two butts! :>) It's amazing how big the footprint of a fridge is! As Jim works on the electrical or the plumbing, I sneak in a few seams on the Roman Holiday squares. The rest of the time I've been the cleaner-upper or the gopher. He does a great job on these projects but we're always happy when they're done. The next phase calls for cabinets that he will build, new counter tops and some new flooring. We're trying to make the proverbial silk purse out of a sow's ear but it's cheaper than starting from scratch. You'll be hearing a lot about the old garage demolition and the new construction. I'm excited about some extra space for company.

Tonight is a night alone - just me and my gal, Leah. Jim is at his class reunion.........a good time for some extra stitching, don't you think?

The Dog Days of Summer

2007-07-31T05:57:00.000-07:00

The dog days of summer are here. I wonder why they are called "dog days"? In the small town where I grew up, there were Dog Day Sales with the local merchants. Maybe hot, summer days are slow, lazy days - just like some dogs? Our love, Leah, doesn't seem to mind the heat as long as there is a rabbit to chase or a ball to retrieve, but she definitely hits the floor in a big FLOP when she comes in and recharges her batteries. Here she has parked herself in the car wearing her "you're not leaving without me!" look. My days have been slow and lazy lately as well. The snuggly feeling of fabric just isn't high on my list and those long days of doing nothing but quilting are but a vague memory right now. Yesterday a few blocks got sewn together as I sat in front of a breeze off the lake, but even that breeze wasn't enough to entice me to stay at my sewing machine. The swing and a good book called and off I went. How are you spending your dog days?

Sew-In Fun

2007-07-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

This morning was a great, but cool, morning for outdoor church. The local Methodist church sponsors a lakeside/boat-in service for anyne who wants to attend the 7:37 a.m. gathering. The unusual time was set so that no one would forget what time church starts! We all take our coffee, lawn chairs and jackets to a large grassy knoll that looks out over the lake, listen to some great music, have a homemade snack, visit with those we know and don't know and generally have a delightful, peaceful start to our Sunday morning. Things like this make life pretty good.

Yesterday some gals from the May Retreat met in a small town not far from here for an all -day sew-in. We got a little bit of sewing done............but more laughing than anything! Why is it that when quilters get together there is more hooting and hollering than working? Show and tell, advice asked and given on current projects and lunch at the local diner took us thru nearly 2 o'clock! I think we all always enjoy a good time, good friends and of course, chocolate! :>) I got the pieces cut for the pinwheel blocks yesterday and sewed them this morning. The top will end up being about 50 x 60 and a donation to charity at the September retreat.

The top shown here is the one purchased last week at the Topeka Quilt Show. Each border was a different fabric which was OK but didn't suit my taste. I found some coordinating fabrics while at home last week and put it on the quilt. News that our local quilt shop is going out of business was in the mail, much to my dismay, although we've known it was coming for some time. The fabrics still found at the shop are a little outdated and that worked to my advantage. She still had some of the Holly Taylor fabrics that were in the top so now the borders are on and it can be sent to the quilter.

And one more picture to share....................an evening before some much needed rain came through........ life is good.

Topeka Rose

2007-07-04T06:27:00.000-07:00

The Topeka Rose is a very simple, but pretty, applique pattern. The signs around the small country town advertising the Topeka Quilt Show were a soft pink and carried a dainty air about them. They were placed so visitors could find their way to the tidy, little red brick church on the corner of Pine and Babcock. Cars were parked along the tree-lined streets and a few held gentlemen patiently waiting for their wives who had come to satisfy their quilting urges.

As I entered the church, almost with a feeling of reverence for where I was, there was a bit of excitement in the air. Old friends greeting one another. The white haired lady taking money was a former grade school teacher and the slightly graying lady in front of me was one of her former students. They greeted each other with hugs, smiles and laughter, catching up on each others' lives. I wish I could know more of my former students! As I joined the crowd, others could be heard renewing their annual hellos and catching up briefly on what was going on while those like me, quietly looked and touched with glove-covered hands.

In what we have always called the "vestibule" and others call the "narthex", there were piles of quilts that had already been spoken for, off to the side. Beautiful hand appliqued bed size quilts hung from the dividers and had price tags on them. I wondered how anyone could let go of such beauties. My experience has always been that an appliqued quilt becomes too much a part of my life simply because of the hours, life events that get stitched into the quilt and the thoughts or memories that go with those bits of fabric. I would never be able to come up with a price fair to either me or the purchaser. The sanctuary was full full full. Racks held completed quilts, Christmas tree skirts, lap quilts and wallhangings. Quilt tops, donated and not yet quilted, draped over the backs of the worn oak pews that have held hundreds of worshipers over the years. I wonder how many of those who have sat or now sit in those pews are quiltmakers. I love old church pews.........there is something about smooth, old, wood that is well worn by the touch of hands, that tugs at my heartstrings.

I found a top that will get new borders before I send it to the quilter. This top will go to a young man who just moved into his first apartment. The price was such that I couldn't buy fabric for the price they were asking and different borders will give it a new, more masculine look.

As I made my way through the maze of friendly quilters and quilts, I saw several of the gals from the quilt group near the cottage and after a few words, an invitation to Tiffany's for lunch was given. Of course I'd go - I never turn down an invitation to lunch!! :>) Tiffany's is a small, white building with a large parking lot lined for cars and a hitching post for horses. The food there is really good, down-home cooking! Homemade chicken and noodles, served over real mashed potatoes (I think it is a midwestern thing), pork manhattans and homemade pies. Yum Yummmmm. Almost sinful! The German Chocolate Pie was sinfully good as well - and I ate the whole piece! Lunch time brings in the locals as well as the area visitors. The Amish lady across the aisle, reminded me of my grandmother who was born in 1883 and was raised with religion reflected in her clothing. Men with farmers' tans, young Amish girls working as waitresses and lots of quilters filled the large room with noise.

Following the much-too-much for lunch, we headed to Shipshewana and some shopping. Shipshe is becoming very commercial, but there are two very good quilt shops there that always get my attention several times during the summer. I found sashing for a T-shirt quilt that I'm helping a friend do at Yoder's, some 25% off fabrics at Lolly's and a few birthday gifts for quilty friends before I headed home. It was a truly delightful day - just the kind a quilter loves to have.......quilt ideas, friends, chocolate and fabric purchases on a sunny summer afternoon!

This year was the last year that the show would be held in Topeka at the church. 33 years is a long time reported the gray haired lady at the checkout. It will be moved down the road a ways to Honeyville where there is more space. On the way home, the urge to drive thru Honeyville hit me. There is a very large quilt sale held there every year and my curiosity got the best of me. Honeyville is small - so small that there are no stoplights and only one stop sign, a few homes and an old school where the show will be held. A former general store sits empty and another antiques shop is at the edge of town, but the local color of buggies and bonnets is missing.

I suppose after 33 years it is time to move on, but the setting and the comraderie felt in that little brick church was something special. I wonder what they will do with those pretty pink signs.

Oh, I Wish I Had Taken My Camera!

2007-06-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Here in northern IN, the corn is passing the knee high before the 4th of July test and fields of grain are turning golden - summer is here. Quilting often takes a back seat to outside activities and adventures and it is a time to explore one's world. Small town IN is one of those places where one can enjoy a double dip ice cream cone at an old-fashioned soda fountain or hear an old wooden floor creak as one enters the local hardware store. Wooden screen doors slamming shut are often heard as one enters the world of those who are not on the fast-paced time of those around them. On a sleepy Wednesday afternoon in June, an unknown quilt shop beckoned and nagged at the thoughts in my head. I and a neighbor got in my car and headed to a little town about 30 miles north. I had heard that there was a quilt shop in Wakarusa but didn’t know much about it. We chatted as we traveled and soon found it. Sidewalk Days, a summer ritual in most small towns, were coming up and bins were filled with sale fabrics. Following some shopping, we inquired about other quilting places in the area.. "Go down highway 19 to County Road 46. Go east a few miles and you will find one, Martin’s Quilt Shop". We nearly missed the small sign by the mailbox. It was tucked at the end of a lane amid the cornfields. The drive circled under a giant oak shading the small gray outbuilding that looked like someone’s workshop off to the side of the house. As we pulled in, a white haired Mennonite lady came from the house to open the shop and turn on the lights. It was filled with probably 200 hand-made quilts of all sizes. We were looking for fabrics, but we didn’t let that stop us from admiring her handiwork and chatting about our common interest. As we started to leave, I noticed several cookbooks on her desk near the door. Being a collector of cookbooks, I looked through a couple before I came upon the Martin Family Cookbook. The shop owner, Mary Alice, explained that it was a compilation of her family’s favorites and showed us one of her father’s favorites - Homemade Apple Butter. It makes enough for a small army, but he had 17 children so that much was probably needed during the year. Under the recipe was a story about Mary Alice falling into the well on Apple Butter Making Day and how Grandpa Martin pulled her to safety. Interesting stories appeared at the end of many of these recipes. At that point I knew I wanted to buy the book and she asked if I’d like to have her autograph the Apple Butter recipe. An autograph won’t make this book more valuable, but from the proud look on her face, I could tell it meant a lot to her. She then asked if we’d like to go in the house and have Edna and Miriam sign the book as well. I was hooked and although I had no idea who Edna or Miriam were, I replied that I’d love that!
We walked the few steps to the house and down three steps into what would be the family room in most homes. To my complete and utter surprise, there were three Mennonite ladies sitting at an old quilting frame working on another quilt for the shop! I was hit with a feeling of returning to my Grandmother’s era. White starched net hats covered their snowy colored hair that had gentle waves reaching back to the buns on the back of their heads. Summer weight dresses in pastels helped with keeping cool on a hot day. My delight with this discovery was evident and the fact that I had come to get recipes autographed was no longer as important as what they were doing. I was more intrigued by their quilting skills and immediately went to each one’s section to admire tiny, tiny stitches loaded on their needles. Mary Alice explained to them that she had offered autographs and the ladies were happy to share the recipes that they had submitted. When asked why they turned in certain recipes, the stories began about "Grossmommy" and chocolate gravy and so on. Two of the ladies happily chatted and signed various recipes. The third, Elizabeth remained a bit quiet and kept working so I went to her and asked about her tiny stitches and other quilt related things. After a bit, I asked her to sign the book as well, but she said that although her name was Martin, she wasn’t in the same family and didn’t have any recipes in it. I asked her to sign it any way as a memory for our afternoon adventure and Miriam encouraged her to put her Strawberry Pie recipe in. Elizabeth neatly wrote the recipe from memory and signed the her name below it. She proudly told me about her recipe and some tricks to making it better. They all invited us to sit and stay awhile and even place a few stitches. We declined - but in hindsight, I might have learned to some ways to improve my quilting if we had done so. The offer was also made to open the quilt for us to see, but with respect for their work and time, we said we wouldn’t ask that of them. The quilt was nearly finished and the four women had been at the frame for almost five days, sitting and chatting with each other about the things that make up their lives.
If I had had my camera with me, I’m not sure I would have asked for a picture. Most Amish do not want their faces photographed, but the Mennonite may be different in that way. I’m not sure. It would have been a wonderful printed memory. However, there is a wonderful picture stored in my mind that I’d love to see framed - that of four white haired women sitting at a homemade quilt frame, laughing and enjoying a sleepy summer afternoon, doing what they love to do.

Quilts and Cicadas

2007-06-11T06:08:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been a while since I posted, but details of life often get in the way. We returned from the cottage for a few days only to be bombarded by Cicadas. Their mating call, which they emerge from the ground every 17 years to do, is quite loud and incessant for weeks at a time. We can hear them in our basement with the house windows closed. Noisy little buggers!! Fortunately, they become quiet at night. Since we border virgin forests, we are blessed with many of these large bugs in the trees, on the screens, scrunched up on the driveway and flying thru the air. Some areas of ground that has not been disturbed since 17 years ago, looks like a machine gunner ran his gun over the ground - many, many holes where they have emerged. Where the ground has been disturbed in the past 17 years, there are very few bugs. Our friends live in a newer subdivision and have none at all. Interesting. I took a picture of one.

The bright yellow star quilt is done and on it's way to the quilter along with three others. It was a fun one to do and I'll probably donate it to charity. This week I'm going to try to finish the Bee Trees and work on the center of my Baltimore some more.....

The cottage.......it is small. Our sons want to bring friends and enjoy the place with us and we encourage them to come. However, beds are an issue and bathrooms a bigger one. So, if given permission by the county board, we've decided to tear down our very inadequate garage and replace it with a larger one with a small apartment upstairs. I spent several days last week drawing plans, jotting down ideas and dreaming about the quilts I can make to use in it! If all goes well - it depends on the permit process - we should be able to start in August and hopefully have a basic box done by Labor Day. That in itself will be great for the holiday as the younger crowd only wants a place to crash, shower and hang out. There will be an outdoor camp-style shower attached as well. (also a great place to shower the dog!) Jim will complete the inside work so that may take several more months. It should be useable next summer if things go as planned. Then it will be time to address the house which also needs to be bulldozed. It was built in the 40's as a weekend fishing cottage and the moisture has slowly taken it's toll. We love the knotty pine cabin interior, the view of the lake and the quaintness of the place so it will be hard to replace it.

We're off again for a week or two. My quilting is packed in my bag and the swing on the patio awaits some evening reflections. Enjoy this summer sunshine!!

Summer in Full Swing

2007-05-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

It has been way too long since I posted, but things have been busy. It is difficult to do a lot of computer work at the cottage where we've been for the past many days and with the holiday, things got hectic. Some sewing was accomplished - I got all the blocks done for another charity quilt, this one for a boy, wherever he may be. The sashings have been started and it will go much faster now.

The holiday was a lot of fun! We had 7 guests between the ages of 23 and 26, one, a friend of Anne's, was from Australia (far right) and the rest were friends of our guys. It was a time of lots of laughing and way too many big bodies in a too-small cottage, but we all scrunched and enjoyed the time even tho it wasn't such a great weekend weatherwise. The front yard was full of good natured ribbing and games. One, the lake version of golf, went on until the darkness came and when the lights came on, the bugs drove everyone inside.

We're home again for a few days so that such things as lawn cutting and general chores can be done. Then we're off again to the cottage where we will start plans for building a new garage. Everything there is from the 40's and is beginning to fall apart. We need more space and will make an apartment above the garage. Then, someday, we might tear the cottage down and build a year-round home. That is still on the back burner.

While home, I'm putting together some projects to take back with me and hope that I can get a few of them done. No promises! :>) But I do promise to get in as much quilting as I can!

Home again.......off again

2007-05-18T12:11:00.001-07:00

The wedding of our niece was beautiful, set in a small church in the hills of Tennessee near Norris Lake. The bride was radiant in a simple strapless, straight embroidered gown, a bouquet of deep purple, yellow and white flowers. Following the reception and festivities, we took off for the Smoky Mountains to see God's handiwork. We were not disappointed and found that it was much more beautiful than we'd heard. It had been many, many years since any of us had been there so we oohed and aahed like the typical tourist. Up and down, over and around the roads with one view as good as the one before it. One road in particular was 6 full miles of nothing but switchbacks, right turns and left turns up and down hills with a most beautiful drive through the woods. Jim was on his toes and did a great job driving. In the tiny town of Cosby, we found Holloway's Quilt Shop. As the men were enjoying refreshments as they sat in the rocking chairs on the front porch of their log cabin shop, the gals were shopping and chatting with the shop workers. As the conversation progressed, we discovered that one gal was originally from a suburb only a few miles away from our Chicago home. We talked about a lot of common interests in the Chicago area. Then, to our amazement, she mentioned having worked at the District BSA office - a place Jim frequents at least weekly in his BSA work - and she knows many of the people he comes into contact with for Boy Scout activities. A small, small world, eh? Part of the charm of this place is not only the log cabin shop with it's front porch and rockers, but the site next door that is set up for retreats. A group from Chattanooga was due in later that afternoon and it was all set up and ready for their busy few days. We chatted and found out about the local restaurants and other things to see. Unfortunately, my camera has died since our trip and the pictures of the wedding and many of the trip are lost until we figure out how to recover them. I bought 3 small pieces of fabric at this shop and will enjoy making something from them someday. When I do, I shall remember the trip through a most beautiful country, sights that are magnificent and the friendly people found in the hills of Tennessee.

We're off again to the cottage until after the holiday. I will take my sewing with me but won't have internet access for at least part of a week. Hopefully, there will be a picture of a finished project when I return. There's always hope that one will be finished........isn't there? :>)

2007-05-09T15:40:00.000-07:00

The Stashbuster question of the week is whether we follow the pattern or not when making a quilt. It is extremely rare that I follow a pattern. Many times I'm using fabrics that I've had for some time and may not have enough. Then I improvise. Often the pattern may not be just what I'd like, so it gets changed. The picture is one that sort of looks like the pattern when I started........but the medallion is different, there were no branches, no roses and no swags - but other than that, it looks the same! This is a king size but it doesn't go on the bed. There is a black furry one that we love and she loves to shed black hair all over things. So for now, no quilts where dog hair will show.

We're off next week for a wedding in TN and then along with another couple, we will travel about TN, KY and possibly OH for a few days. I'm looking forward to finding a few new quilt shops and have my Quilters' Traveling Companion with me. Enjoy this wonderful Spring weather! I'll catch up with everyone next week.

Bee Tree and Other projects

2007-05-07T11:45:00.000-07:00

I am making a bee tree! Each member of The Monday Morning Strippers, a bee that I attend occasionally, is making a quilt called The Blossoming Tree. I call it My Bee Tree - no bees, but I like the the name. The first few blocks went rather well. I worked on them while I was at the retreat and the batik colors are fun to work with. However, having made a mistake in cutting, I didn't have enough of the small batik blocks and didn't have more fabric with me, so it was put on hold until I returned home. I'm anxious to get the remainder of the blocks finished.

I did make a quilt top at the retreat that is similar to one I made and gave as a Christmas gift. I loved the look of the appliqued border and when I found the fabric again, decided to make another. The first one had dark setting triangles and the 9 patches popped a bit more. I think I prefer the dark triangles. This is hanging on a clothesline on our deck, thus the half quilt look.

While at the retreat, I shared my Baltimore Tribute applique blocks with the group. (I posted pictures of them a month or so ago.) This album quilt has been in the making for several years and I have struggled to "get 'er done". Some blocks have been easy to do (as the one at the left) and others have really presented challenges. I've tossed it all aside several times until I've gathered enough stamina to go at it again. I work at it rarely but the retreat ladies were sooo encouraging and so positive about my work that I made a commitment to them that the quilt would be done by the next retreat in May. If it is handquilted, that means it needs to be done by Christmas. Guess I had better get busy, eh? I wonder if I am the only one who lets a bunch of little fabric pieces intimidate them?! :>)

May Retreat

2007-05-07T11:25:00.000-07:00

Wow! I returned yesterday from a quilting retreat and my head is still buzzing with all the laughter, ideas and warm fuzzies from a great group of ladies. I knew I would arrive late on Thursday due to the drive from Chicago to IN and I was quite nervous. In fact, I almost didn't show up. Not knowing anyone and walking into a roomful of gals who either knew each other or had arrived at the same time everyone else had was quite intimidating. But, I pulled it together and went and am I ever glad I did! Not only did I accomplish a fair amount of quilting, but the comraderie and friendship was phenomenal! These gals came from all walks of life and ranged from 20-somethings to 70-somethings. The center is on a beautiful lake near our cottage and is primarily used for summer church camps for youth. The weather was perfect and we even got to see an outdoor wedding, complete with white dress, veil and white lawnchairs at lakeside just a few doors away. We all ate til we couldn't hold any more, laughed until we cried and some sewed until the wee hours of the morning. It doesn't get much better! I feel renewed! This is an annual event and I can't wait for the next time to come around again.

Sunrise at the Lake

2007-04-29T05:23:00.000-07:00

The sun rose gently this morning over the foggy lake. The sound of the cardinals and robins woke me early so that I could see the sunrise and enjoy the serenity. At this time of year, the lake is so peaceful and quiet. The majority of the summer people come after Memorial Day and often only spend weekends here. It gets hectic then, making me appreciate this solitude today even more.

Several days ago, Carolyn tagged me with the Blogger Thinking Award and I am to pass it on to 5 others. I am not too familiar with a lot of bloggers, but Alycia of CO is certainly one to whom I would pass the torch. Alycia has made QOV for soldiers for some time. Not unusual that a quilter would do that. However, she is doing it with 2nd and 5th graders! Being a former 5th grade teacher, she caught my attention with this project. I love the idea of her teaching children that volunteering is a great thing to do as well the teaching of an art, quilting. My next one would be Nancy. Nancy makes quilts for children, families who are in crisis or for those whose life is turned upside down. She is selfless in her efforts, making beautiful works of art for those who need a big hug. I know this isn't 5 but you get the idea of my choices.....people doing for others, paying it forward.

Tonight we'll go home for a couple of days to check the mail, cut the grass and do the homeowner routine. Thursday starts a quilt retreat that I've signed up to do and things have to be readied for that. It is held only a few minutes from here and is a group of mostly Indiana quilters. There are no assignments; just bring what you want to accomplish over a 3+ day retreat and plan to laugh a lot. I am so looking forward to being with quilty women and getting a few things done. I'm planning to take a bit of applique, a lot of piecing and some Redwork. Who knows? I just might get it all done!

Meet My Guys

2007-04-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

The past several days have been spent at the lake house doing electrical work and some clean up. I did get one of the star quilts bound but not much else. Jim changed the electrical panel, originally installed in the mid-40's, and gave us new and better service. With all that had to be done, we were without power for part of one day and overnight. Not too bad, really. We ran a cord to his sister's house next door and were able to plug in the TV and a lamp and ran another cord to his brother's house which let us plug in the fridge. Sort of like camping only better? We came home on Wednesday to catch up on the mail and a couple of other things. This morning we're returning for the weekend and I'm hoping to get some work done on the Bee Trees that my Bee is doing as a group project and maybe another binding done.

Since my sewing has been put on hold this week and I haven't taken any pictures of what I'm doing currently, I thought I'd introduce you to my guys. I talk about them all the time, so thought you should know who they are! The top picture is one of Jim at a BSA Award Dinner, along with myself, Chris and Anne. Chris's girlfriend, Anne, is my applique prodigy and we love her dearly. Chris, a DePaul grad is working in dental medical malpractice. Michael, another Eagle Scout, was in CO at the time doing a Wilderness First Responder course and couldn't join us. Jim has been involved in Scouting for over 50 years and loves the involvement with the Scouts. In the second picture, Michael is in the middle with his two buddies. Tyler, on the right, has been his best bud since Mom's and Tots at age 2. Bob, Michael and Tyler went on an 8000 mile road trip in 2005 visiting national parks and doing their hiking thing. They had some exciting days and will have stories to tell their children some day. Oh to be so young and full of energy again!!

Seeing Stars!

2007-04-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy few days. We spent the weekend at the cottage and got to spend the time with Chris and Anne, always a fun time. Our niece is getting married in May so there was the family/neighborhood bridal shower to attend and we had lots of laughs. We did a cookbook for her and since she loves to garden, we each took a vegetable and gave her recipes and some seeds for those vegetables. My vegetable was carrots and fortunately I had a few carrot recipes. Wal-Mart also had Easter items on their clearance and guess what - lots of crazy carrot items....a fiber-optic carrot, a carrot baseball bat, carrot bowling pins and a pick up sticks in a carrot. Jim made her a goofy gardener's survival kit with the silly carrots and it provided a lot of laughs. On Sunday morning the dock went in but with white caps on the lake and snow in the air, the boats will wait for warmer weather. Yesterday we woke to 22* and snow. April???

The Rosemont IQA Show was a lot of fun. We went on Preview Night but only had 3 hours to see the whole thing. Not enough time! Preview was shortened by 2 hours this year and it really made a difference. There were some awesome quilts and too many vendors for such a short time. I spent too much and didn't get to see everything but what I did see was great.

The quilter returned seven quilts to me on Friday so I have lots of binding to be done. All but one were scrappy, utility kind of quilts and I wasn't thrilled with any of them when they were sent to her. However, the gal made silk purses out of sow's ears! I was sooo pleased with the way those simple quilts turned out. The 7th one was one that will be appliqued after the quilting...a new technique for me. I'm hoping to get it done soon and will post a picture of it. It is called Columbine and was in AP&Q about a year ago. The stars quilt at the left is one of 3 identical ones that I made out of a bunch of blocks that were hanging around after a summer weekend retreat at a friend's lake house. They will make great gifts for Michael's pals or for some needy kidlets. Amazing what some nice quilting will do for a bunch of scraps! :>)

Tomorrow, a special thank you to Carolyn for the tag. Tonight I'm off to put my feet up, watch the dancing stars and do some binding on one of the star quilts.

My Quilting Beginnings.....

2007-04-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

Suzette asked....How did you come to start quilting? Was it passed down in the family? What was your first project and is it finished? Where does it live now?

My very first post has a picture of my maternal Grandma and her quilt, one of my treasured possessions and something that is an inspiration for me to do some of those tedious quilts. It is a Grandmother's Flower Garden, all done by hand. As far as my sewing career, I don't remember not sewing or quilting in my 60+ years even though there were a few gaps when children took precedence. My earliest memory of sewing is playing with my paternal Grandma's basket of scraps, making things for my dolls. She lived with us, had a wonderful old hickory rocking chair that rocked me often, made pies while I sat on the counter watching her and made her clothes without using a pattern. She also wore those aprons that were soft and snuggly from so much wear and use. My Great Grandma made her clothes (she loved purple!) until her eyesight failed and she could no longer do it. Mom sewed as did my aunts and cousins - and a couple of great uncles who were tailors. It was just something that everyone did and I did as well. Grandma once told me that sewing and stitching went back several generations to a couple of tailors in Germany and it had not skipped anyone in between. My niece is a seamtress and her daughters are learning the skills as well. I think the younger ones are the 7th or 8th generation of stitchers. I would hate for it to become a lost art in the family! My first quilt was a log cabin, still my favorite pattern and it lives on the balcony of our foyer. My true love is applique and Mom says that came from Aunt Helen. Interesting isn't it how we mimic our ancestors?

So to answer her questions about sewing in my life..........it isn't in my life, it has become my life now that the boys are grown. It gives me peace of mind when things get tough, makes me feel good when I can make something for someone else and most of all, it satisfies that inner creative beast that has to be fed! So that's me and my quilting in a nutshell.

I have 7 quilts being returned from the quilter today! Yeah!! She has had them for a couple of months and I was getting antsy about them, but now I have plenty of handwork to do during those mindless TV shows!

April Snow for Rosemont Show

2007-04-12T08:38:00.000-07:00

Old Man Winter just won't give up! Michael, our outdoorsman, has stated he'd rather see the snow on a slope than just lying on the ground being wasted! He can't wait to head back to the mountains one of these days. Here's a picture of our back yard yesterday, April 11. So much for getting the deck furniture out!

Tonight I'm going to the Rosemont Quilt Show here in Chicago. They've cut the hours back from 5 - 10 to 5-8. Hopefully, we will have enough time to race thru the quilts and most of the vendors.....will have to be time efficient! I have my list of things that I would like to find while there since there won't be a lot of extra time for browsing and drooling. It is always nice to see the wonderful quilts that have been accepted into the show and see all the unusual ideas. I'm looking for a few Asian prints to help Anne with her wallhanging, a few fillers for one floating around in my head, possibly a black or navy background for Rosemary Makhan's Woodland Creatures (but that isn't a necessity) and then of course, some patterns for redwork and others if they ring my bell. I'll let you all know how the quilts are and if I get some great pictures, will share a few.

Another One Finished!!

2007-04-09T17:12:00.000-07:00

It's done! Kinda funky, eh? It is amazing how the colors show up differently when a photograph is taken. Had I looked at it in a photo before stitching, I would have changed a few of the blocks around in the middle but in person it looks pretty good! Those blues really pop in the picture. The corners were in lieu of mitred ones (which I would rather have done) but I didn't have enough fabric. Given that it was from my stash, it is a "make do" and I did just that. I made it for charity but .....hmmmm... I'm feeling kinda needy. :>) Not really - I think it may go to a children's home.

The second one is on it's way as well. I'm in a mood to sew, sew, sew - fast and furious - so there won't be any great techniques involved. This one is a batch of T'Berries pre-printed squares that I had from a few years ago and I am putting them on point with pieced blocks. With a few adjustments, it will be ready for the two halves to be sewn together shortly. I'll add a green and then a gold/tan set of narrow borders and then a burgundy final border, bind it in the gold/tan since there isn't enough of the burgundy left. It will also be donated to a shelter or Habitat for Humanity. Feels good to do a couple of these for someone who can use them!

However........last night as I sat in my chair with a fuzzy Chicago Bears blanket over my legs, I realized that nearly all of my comfy quilts have been given away or taken to the cottage and there are none left in the family room for snuggling. It's a good thing that it is summer and I will have some time to make a few more for us. Of course, I could get out the "good ones"(hand appliqued), but I'd rather the dog hair and dust settle on those less time intensive. Am I the Lone Ranger when it comes to spending all my days quilting and having little to show for it?

I Needed a Reminder!

2007-04-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

I am a follower of Carolyn's blog because she and I have been in contact for several years. She showed the picture of the hats that she had knitted for her church charity program and then came her yarn for a prayer shawl for her church program. It has been a while since I donated anything to charity and felt that I needed to fess up and get something going. Being a Mom of guys, I rarely get to do anything with brights and fun colors, so I found a clearance rack at Hobby Lobby full of goodies and then went to the stash. I think this will be a very fun quilt for a little girl! It is so much fun to work with these colors but they are really out of my normal range. Do I make the flowers all grow in the same direction or do I make them grow to the center of the quilt? I'm thinking to the center, but we'll see how it looks when I get a few more blocks done. (There was a lamp right beside the fabric and the yellow washes out a bit but you get the idea.) It truly feels good to do something for someone less fortunate. Hiding in my closet there are some string blocks in these colors as well and one of these days they will find a border and grow up to be a quilt too!

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate!!

2007-04-01T18:59:00.000-07:00

Since things have been in a muddle around here for a couple of weeks and this weekend was spent moving our son to his new apartment/condo, I haven't had the time to spend on my quilting like I would like. I got his place set up with everything from a paring knife to a quilt (in picture) for his sofa. The fridge is stocked, dishes, pans, furniture , etc., are all in a very lovely 2 bedroom rehab. Very little has gotten done with my quilting lately, but it will hopefully get back to normal this week. Since cooking is another one of my passions, I thought I'd post two of my favorite recipes. The first one is a true quilter recipe......chocolate and salt combined! Great munching and easily transported to a quilting retreat. Very easy! The second is one that I've taken or served several times and it is always a hit. I hope you enjoy them too!

Pretzel Kisses

Hershey Hugs (milk and white chocolate Kisses)
Pretzel Rings

Unwrap Hugs. Place pretzel rings on a cookie sheet. Put a Kiss inside each pretzel. Bake in a low oven (250° - 300°) for about 5 minutes. You can tell when they are done by lightly pressing on the tip of the Kiss - it will melt down into the ring and fill it. Remove and allow to cool. Refrigerate for best results. The traditional Hershey Kisses will work, but they don’t melt as nicely as the white chocolate does. I’m not sure who gave this recipe to me, but it is always a hit! I'm considering the caramel kisses for a retreat that I am attending in a few weeks. They might be a little gooey when warm, but when cooled, they just might be pretty yummy! Thoughts?

Chocolate Trifle
1 (19.8 oz) brownie mix
1 (3.9 oz) instant chocolate pudding mix
½ cup water
1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1 (8 oz) Cool Whip - thawed (I often use a 12 oz here as well)
1 (12 oz) Cool Whip - thawed
1 (1.5 oz) chocolate bar

Prepare brownie mix according to directions and cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares. In a large bowl, combine pudding mix, water and milk. Mix until smooth, then fold in 8 oz Cool Whip until no streaks remain. In a trifle bowl or glass serving dish, place half of the brownies, half of the pudding mixture and half of the 12 oz Cool Whip. Repeat layers. Shave chocolate onto top layer for garnish. Refrigerate 8 hours before serving. (I go a little heavy on the Cool Whip and add extra so that the intense sweetness of the condensed milk is lessened.)

This dessert is one where I end up with an empty bowl! Good to the last drop!

The Stash and the Pink and Green

2007-03-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

The tulips and the daffodils are shivering but at least they are up and trying to bloom! Such a wonderful time of the year!!

We've been asked to share pictures of our sewing areas and/or our stash. Oh my.... since I moved upstairs, there hasn't been a lot of time to trade the stash closet with the Christmas closet (old guest room). However, the stash hasn't changed much since I took this last picture. The white bins/drawers are scraps and strips and there are batting packages on the top shelf. You can see the end of the board I made that fits on top of the ironing board. In addition, I have 3 small color coded drawer stacks of smaller pieces. I'm beginning to feel as if the stash is now manageable. In January, I gave away yards of stuff I knew I wouldn't use. Some of it has already been made into quilts by a couple of Stashbuster friends.

My pink and green.........it is amazing how one starts off on one journey with a quilt and it ends up being totally different than ever expected. That is this top (upside down). It was to have been an all applique quilt of 25 blocks. It soon became apparent that the kind of applique that was in it wasn't my favorite (too "chunky") so after 6 blocks I decided that some chunky pieced blocks would be good. A border? Swags - chunky ones. wrong. At this time I am making the swags narrower and will put some simple flowers between each one, scallop the edges, quilt and bind. White, pink or green binding?

In the meantime we have our house pretty much back to normal and will move son Chris this weekend from a roommate/apartment situation to a condo. Next week we have canasta club here, but there will be some time for stitching, I'm sure.

2007-03-25T12:25:00.000-07:00

The floors are done. It isn't a pretty site in two places, but we are moving forward - no more refinishing for us in this house. We went to the cottage until the odor dissipated, and thanks to son Michael who monitored things, kept fans blowing, windows and doors opened, it wasn't too bad when we returned last night. At the cottage we got things ready for summer and we're looking forward to some time to enjoy the loons, our friends and get into relaxation mode. We may even replace the garage this summer. Sounds like a project the guys can really get into! The grass was green and the trees starting to bud. We're not quite so advanced here but at least the tulips and daffodils are a couple of inches out of the ground! Great sunshine and warm weather here today - just maybe we're in for some outside delight!

I find it more interesting to post a picture whenever I post on my blog but since my quilting has taken a back seat to house chores, I'm posting a picture of a quilt that our guild did two years ago. It was an effort of many people. My part, unplanned completely, was to finish the applique borders and to "fix" some of the applique that needed a bit of help and then, with a friend, to assemble the blocks. The border was done in blocks as well. It turned out to be a beautiful quilt - wish I could have won it! Jan Taylor Anderson designed it. She has a great method for doing Mariner's Compass blocks and one of these days I will make one. Don't you think the colors and the design are awesome? She really has great patterns.

Once we get the dust cleaned off of everything and things back into place, I'll get back into the sewing room and find my way back to quilting. I'm having trouble staying on task - I'd rather be quilting!!!

Lime Green in the Spring

2007-03-20T12:53:00.000-07:00

When the weather starts to warm up, Jim brings out his favorite toy. For you Boomers, it is a muscle car from the 70's. When I met Jim in 1971, he had just purchased his Buick Gran Sport, 4 on the floor convertible. It has an extra powerful engine in it and will scoot down the road with little effort. Not the kind of car we would encourage our sons to purchase!! We dated in this car for four years before getting married. It served us well but at the time we lived in Cleveland and as you know, there is lots of snow on the east side of that town! The rear end just goes every which way on slippery surfaces so we bought something more practical and this one sat, not being used much at all and it started rusting out. My brother's company car was eliminated and he needed something temporary. So, the green car went to Indiana. Then the engine needed work, we had kids and no time to mess with the car, we had moved to Chicago with no place to store it, brother didn't need it any more so Jim said "get rid of it". They hauled it away on a flatbed. Once it was gone, we bemoaned the fact that we had not made the effort to keep it. For years we read the newspapers looking for something that would come close. We half heartedly tried to find out who had taken the car, but never really put a lot into it. One day several years later, my brother called and said "I think I found Jim's car". He knew we were missing it (do I sound like it has life? :>) He said he was driving thru Fort Wayne and saw it sitting on a car lot near there and was I still interested in getting it back. Knowing that Jim would be ecstatic, I didn't tell him until after I had called the dealership to figure out if it was the same car or not. When the guy said it had a trailer hitch on the back with a wire for pulling a trailer, I knew it was the right one! Jim has always been involved in Boy Scouts and pulling a scout trailer on camp outs was one of his things to do. The original paper work was still with it with Jim's name as well. We drove to Fort Wayne the following day and purchased the car - for nearly twice what he paid for it.

Now the car sits in our extra garage bay and gets driven just for fun. Our youngest, Michael, taught himself how to drive the stick shift and now takes it out for joy rides with his friends. So far this year, it has been out a couple of times because as soon as the temp starts to climb in the spring, the car comes out and we "cruise" to DQ, A&W, to the Cruise In at Mickey D's or just around town. Fun! If only we were so young again!

2007-03-19T15:03:00.000-07:00

Today the sun and temp are gorgeous here in Northern IL! The sky is blue and the clouds are few and far between. Maybe spring is just around the corner. This morning as I was putzing around the kitchen, I noticed a flurry of activity in our very small back yard. It was a sizeable red-tail hawk chasing a squirrel. The squirrel must have been familiar with the deck area (they eat all the bird seed at the feeder :>) because he darted under one of the benches that we have out there and hunkered down. The hawk landed above him and sat there long enough for me to call Jim to take a look. Neither of us have ever seen a hawk up close. I swear his head turned in circles! Anyway, the squirrel sat there all hunched up and eventually the hawk got tired of waiting and flew off into the woods. Mr. Hawk has been around most of the day so the feeder is rather quiet.

The floors, the floors. They will be done on Thursday. Jim and I will head off to the cottage and get it opened for the summer while the workers are here. We can get the cob webs cleaned up, the windows washed and do our annual Pick-Up Sticks routine in the yard. Our son Michael will have fend for himself while the floor guys are here. Not being able to get upstairs didn't stop him last summe - He put a ladder to the bedroom window and climbed in! He may do that again, but the smell from the coating is pretty ugly. We've advised that he find a friend's house for crashing. The picture is what my living room currently looks like. Disaster! Oh well, we're hoping that the 3rd time (in 3 years) will be a charm.

The rail fence quilt is finished and ready to go to the quilter. It will be kind of nice when it is done but right now it looks a bit ragged. I did it on point and put 6-7 rows together and did the same on the second half. You guessed it! When I went to put the two halves together, I had pattern matching pattern as opposed to off-setting patterns. ARGH!! I took the outside row off and moved it to the other side making my rectangular quilt a square one. Oh dear.......but it's OK. It's made from leftovers from another quilt and will be a snuggle one at the cottage. It may end up being one of our favorites!

Jim is off getting his "baby" appraised. When he gets home, I'll get a picture of it and tell you the story. Kinda fun!

2007-03-15T17:34:00.000-07:00

The daffodils and the irises are just beginning to poke their tips through the ground today. The 70* that we had yesterday was just enough to coax them up, out and toward the sunshine. However, the 20* tonight might make them curl up and go back into the ground. I added an early spring picture looking down our street - not yet this year but hopefully, we will have all that green in a few weeks! This is truly a lovely time of year - rejuvenation by being outside and rejoicing in all that grows!

It has been sort of a busy week, but mostly just messy. Jim has been retro-fitting the kitchen and family room (all one big room) with ceiling/can lights. Shudda had them put in when we built! But he, being the ever-so-kind hubby, agreed to humor me and is working hard at doing a rather difficult job. It will make the room much brighter for these old eyes. My penance is all the dry wall dust everywhere!! To avoid this nasty mess, I went off to work on a few things in my sewing room. The rail fence, made with Holly Taylor's Cub Lake scraps (10 years+ old) has been in the works for a year or so. It just happens that this week was one where I needed some mindless work and it filled the need. I may add a small border and then will definitely do a scrappy binding. This will go to the lake cottage for snuggling on chilly nights.

Evenings bring sitting in front of the TV and applique for me. The swag at the left is one of 18 that I am working on to add to the pink and green blocks that were posted earlier. They have been working up rather quickly. It would greatly please me if they all fit with no fudging!! I am half way through this part and then will add them to the border pieces.

Next week brings more mess to the house. Our wood floors were lightly sanded 3 years ago. The finisher wasn't quite honest and put a poly finish over a glitza (oil) finish and it started to peel within a year. Last summer we had them completely sanded to the bare wood, restained and varnished. A special solution was given to me for washing the floors. However, it leaves a horrible film and the floors look pretty dreary. They also did not have the sheen as promised by the 2nd finisher. So....next week we will completely empty the remains of my sewing items in the laundry room, the w/d, two pantries, kitchen, dining room, foyer and all the closets and place it all in the family room or in the garage. We've packed up and moved from the first floor of our home 3 times in 3 years! ARGH!! They will again screen buff and recoat the floors at no cost to us, at least $$-wise. Dust will reign until we can get everything back into place and cleaned up. Returning the furniture can't take place until a few days after the coating is put on. And....I will return to using my old standby, Shaklee Basic H, for cleaning the wood floors as it never leaves a film. Our son is moving the following weekend and then it is time for Easter. I think I'll play like a bunny and hop off into the woods!! :>) All these projects do keep one moving and the dust can't settle for long when we are busy.

For those of you with the daffodils blooming and for those who are only dreaming of them, I hope you all have a wonderful Spring-y, daffodilly kind of day!

Favorites of Mine

2007-03-08T11:23:00.000-08:00

The Stashbusters topic of the week is our favorite tool for quilting. I have several favorites that are the obvious ones that make quilting easier - rotary cutter, rulers, etc. However, I have two favorites. The one thing that makes my quilting life easier is my and DH's version of the commercial Big Board. It is made of 3/4" plywood, covered in several layers of Warm 'n Natural batting, (there might be something else buried in there also), and topped with a layer of ironing board fabric. We covered the board and stapled it all neatly on the back. Since it is made of 3/4" wood, it is quite heavy and doesn't move around at all, but is easily moved from one location to another if I wish and can be stored behind a door or under a bed. Currently, it is resting on my Grandmother's old wooden ironing board, perpendicular to the sewing machine and sits at elbow height while I am sewing. Each piece that gets sewn can be pressed. The board is extra long and can hold many pieces for a layout. I have a smaller one that I take on retreats or to the cottage.

My second favorite "tool" is a small pillow that I use for applique. If you have ever appliqued, you soon realize that your neck hurts after a while because you are always leaning over your work. By placing a pillow on your lap, placing your work and hands on top of the pillow and putting your feet on a small footstool, your shoulders are forced back and the neck issue goes away. I carry my little green pillow everywhere I take my applique....it is all prickly with a variety of pins and threads hanging from it, but I wouldn't be without it!

The quilt shown in the picture is my first full applique project. Grandmother's Country Album pattern came out many years ago and I, along with several others online, (Carolyn) decided to make the quilt together. We chatted often and gave each other support. I think I made this quilt at least 3 times! I kept learning new techniques and improving and as that happened, I would do the blocks over. The center cabin block still doesn't satisfy me (it's too dark), but it is done and as everyone knows, done is better than perfect! As is the norm for me, I didn't follow the pattern completely. DH built the hanger and I stained/varnished it.

DH is putting in some ceiling lights this week that I requested and retro-fitting isn't the easiest thing to do in a ceiling. They are small flood lights strategically placed, so my sewing has taken a bit of a back seat while I help him with that. (guilt? :>) The pink and green applique/pieced blocks are now a top but it is taking on a life of it's own. It just keeps growing and taking more and more time - it was going to be a simple throw-it-together -and-be-done quilt. I just haven't learned about listening to those little voices that say "try this on your quilt" or "do it this way - it will look better". Gets me into trouble every time!

We are in for some warmer weather and the snow is beginning to melt. There are still big piles of snow yet and we still can't see the grass in our yard, but the sunshine is a promise of things to come!! I hope you have a very sun-shiny kind of day!

Moving On Up!

2007-03-02T09:50:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all who were so kind and sent birthday wishes! Aside from the fact that the number keeps getting higher, it was a great day. Among other things, Chris and girlfriend Anne, gave me a book of inspirational readings called The Quilt of Life. Michael's card played "I'm Walking on Sunshine". Fun!!

For the past several days I have been moving my sewing room from what is the laundry room to what used to be the guest room. As you all know, a laundry room (no matter how large) is a busy place and not always the best for spreading out projects. On Tuesday, the pink and green applique blocks were spread out on the floor, ready to be sewn. Little Dog was quite comfy as she slept on them and Michael was trying to dodge them as he did his laundry. ARGH!! Enough, I said, and made the decision to move to the guest room and that any overflow company would result in the use of an Aero Bed. It is rare that we need more beds, so I felt safe in emptying the guest room. Our home has wood floors thruout most of the main level and they are to be screen buffed and recoated in a couple of weeks, so everything has to be moved out of the laundry room any way. I packed most of it up and enlisted the strong back and arms of a 23 yr old son and moved to the upstairs. It is sooo cozy and I can now spread things out, walk out and close the door and avoid a lot of frustration. I still need to clean out one of the closets in that room (Christmas storage) before I can move my stash up. But that isn't a big deal - I just wanted a place to work without the need to put everything away when laundry had to be done. ahhhh.........

This is Little Dog, or Leah, Michael's pound puppy that he got while in Fort Collins a couple of years ago. She was found wandering the streets at the young age of about 6 months. We had to put our favorite pup down about a year later, so she has taken over a warm spot in our hearts. The picture below is of Big Dog (Jordan) whom Leah has replaced. The reason I'm posting her picture is to show you what a gal did for us - this is all thread and small scraps of fabrics. I sent her a picture and she duplicated it and really did a wonderful job.......the likeness is unbelieveable. It is amazing how these animals work their way into our hearts - even if they do enjoy sleeping on our quilts! :>)

Hopefully my next post will have pictures of a completed pink and green top!

Windy Progress

2007-02-24T10:36:00.000-08:00

The blizzard went through last night leaving us with some icy and treacherous driving and about 6" of a very heavy, wet snow. But now it is warmer and raining and quite dreary looking and the snow is melting. A great day for staying in and quilting! However, tomorrow is my birthday and the kids are coming home today for dinner. We could have gone out, but having been out the past 2 days, I opted for staying home and enjoying my company.

The bright Hearts and Stars now has a backing. A LQS is reducing their inventory and everything is 70% off until Feb 28. I found this one as well as another one that isn't quite so bright that I'll use in a quilt made from this ones leftovers and also found a very nice green backing for the Bee tree quilt that I need to get going on. A $15 backing works for me any day!! I was good and didn't buy anything else that would create another project!

So on to another UFO....... the picture shows some nearly-finished applique blocks that I did using the backbasting method. These were started about a year ago and still need a few circles or bits completed. I had never used the backbasting method before, always using needleturn or freezer paper underneath and I have found that I like that method. It is very accurate, there are no pins or paper to catch the thread and is very portable. After doing 6 out of 16 blocks .... Lori Smith's Love Always patterns..(www.frommyhearttoyourhands.com) , I decided to get on with it and find a way to call it quits. Originally, I had chosen the black fabric as the border, matched the pinks and greens and was going to applique all the blocks. After they were laid out on the floor, I realized that the black was much too strong for them and that I should do pieced blocks to go along with the appliqued ones. The pieced blocks were quickly whipped together last night along with the decision to replace the black with cream and maybe add some applique on the border, or do a border that will go along with the pieced blocks. I'll have to give it some thought. Now you can understand why I work on 5 or more projects at one time! I rarely follow a pattern from start to finish....am I the only one who has that problem? In any case, it won't be long until another UFO is done done done.

Where are my sunglasses?

2007-02-21T19:58:00.000-08:00

Wow! A day of bright fabrics, but it is done and ready for quilting. The picture doesn't show the border fabric off quite enough, but it is really a cute one. There wasn't enough for a wider border, but "make do" and stash quilts aren't always perfect. I think I'll tell the gal who quilts it to do something funky and fun...purple thread or maybe variegated thread, lots of circles, squiggles or whatever she likes. Once I got past the urge to jump in and put it together block by block, it went well. These patterns must be done in order and can easily get messed up.....and I'm just the one to test that theory! It was a fun one to make but I doubt that I'll make another for quite some time. The debate has been raging inside me over whether to make quicker quilts for fun or to make quilts that are going to mean something some day, i.e. heirloom quilts. I guess I'll just have to temper it with alternating between the two. It has been quite a long stretch of quilting just for fun and making for others. In January I sent 7 tops to the quilter and there are now 3 more ready to go. I'm thinking it is about time to get back to some serious hand applique and get a couple of the harder ones done....the kind that takes months to do. It's kind of like taking a nap - after a while one gets energized and can go back to what needs to be done. Maybe I'm there.......or maybe I'll just take a nap and think on it.

Brights from My Stash

2007-02-21T14:26:00.000-08:00

We're inching upwards to the 40* mark, something we haven't seen in many, many days and it feels wonderful!! It was delightful enough to go out for a walk with the Leah, the pound pup.

The Quilting Bee that I belong to recently decided as a group to do a Buggy Barn Hearts and Stars. This kind of pattern is totally out of my usual range of quilts and I originally decided not to participate in this activity, which we have agreed is OK. However, one of my goals is to reduce my stash so that I can feel free to do what I want and not let my drawers and closet of fabric dictate what quilts I make. So, I went to my LQS (closet :>) and pulled some brights. I think they came out pretty good - can't go too far wrong with brights, eh? The border is a leftover from a quilt I made for the our church's VBS program. Yellow sashings and hot pink cornerstones, add the border and it will be ready to go to the quilter. To whom it will be given is a mystery to me yet....I'll wait until it is quilted and then see how I feel at that point. I know an adorable 4 year old, but donating it for charity also works. In any case, my box of brights is minimally reduced. I have plans for a bright string quilt this summer while at the cottage and that will reduce the contents a bit more. Signs of bright flowers and Spring! I'm anxious for both!

Fussing and fidgeting

2007-02-16T16:25:00.000-08:00

I've really been fidgeting the past few days with my stitching, bouncing from one thing to another. I do have things that need to be finished; some wouldn't take much time, but I'm ready to move on to something different. Maybe it's cabin fever? We've had many days of single digit weather so staying in has felt better than braving the elements. I'm thinking a drive to a far away quilt shop might do me some good, don't you agree? :>) Today, being a bit warmer, I headed out to an estate sale. Oh my, the house was gorgeous and the furniture was exquisite. I found a picture that I really wanted, but another gal decided that she was "thinking about buying it" and I got tired of waiting to see if she really was going to buy it or not. However, I found two twin coverlets that weren't handmade quilts, but were so soft and looked like quilts, so I bought them. Aren't they sweet looking?

I got bitten by the Redwork/Bluework bug again and pulled some Kona Snow out of the closet Friday night. I traced some teddy bears from patterns and started on one of them using blue thread. It will be for someone's little boy someday. I remember doing the rhyming thing with my guys when they were little and to have a quilt with such things as "Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around; Teddy Bear Teddy Bear, Touch The Ground" and so on will be fun for some one. I'll post one as soon as it is completed. Good handwork for an evening in front of the TV and a toasty fire!

Leftovers and Leah

2007-02-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

Today is a gorgeous day with bright blue skies and wonderful sunshine bathing our snowy world outside. We received nearly a foot of snow over the past couple of days and it is truly beautiful out there. The second new furnace went in yesterday and I spent the day sewing on some blocks that will go to a charity. It is a simple 4 patch and I got to playing around with them forming different patterns. Finding the one I liked, I left it on the floor - a disaster by DS's Black Lab, Leah. LOL!! She went skidding through it and of course it didn't go back the way I had it. Oh well, with DH's help, I got it put back together and then sewed it. I didn't dream that getting the design back would be so complicated! (In the picture, she is the one chasing the stick, not holding it! :>)

The darker quilt that I've posted is another stash/scrappy one that I made last Fall and gave to my niece for Christmas. It turned out to be one of my favorites. I'm trying to make a quilt for each of my nieces and nephews and their children. So far, the nieces and their children all have quilts with the exception of one little newborn. Fortunately, the number of nephews is smaller!

Today, my sewing machine and supplies have been returned to a warmer sewing room and my plan is to put the batik blocks together, add setting triangles and a border. That's my plan.....

Dazed and Confused!!

2007-02-12T08:33:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to post to the blogs of those who leave comments on my blog. However, I am unable to post to anyone outside the Stashbuster Ring. Is this common? Or am I doing something wrong? I am using Google in the new format. Any suggestions?

On a happier note, I am watching the snow fall in the woods once again. It is covering up all the tracks and the trees are loaded. It is cold in my sewing room still, but new furnace #2 will be installed on Wednesday to warm the downstairs. The new one for upstairs is really making it toasty up there! I'd rather buy fun things - until it gets single digit cold!

Here is a picture of Anne's second block. She is taking to applique in a hurry and I love it!

More Baltimore.......

2007-02-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple more pictures of the Baltimore. Additional small touches of embroidery or embellishment are needed before I can call it quits. The birds are part of the Baltimore Tribute. The open wreath is the start of another quilt.... just because I love applique! :>)

A Big UFO!

2007-02-07T15:47:00.000-08:00

Suzette mentioned that we share our
UFOz.....and I do have a few! UFOz are usually created when I reach a point where I have hit a place where I don't feel comfortable with the way things are going. So, I put it aside and go on to something else. Unfortunately, my biggest and most frustrating one is the Baltimore Tribute quilt that I've been working on for over 10 years. It has been nearly a year since I worked on it last but it will get done - someday! The center block needs to be finished as well as one other block. Then the remainder of the blocks need some small embroidery touches or details added. This is the center block complete with a few pieces of fabric that are being "audtioned".

This second block is one that has given me trouble for a long, long time. The hummingbird just doesn't look right when I put it on - and I've put several on! ARGH!! This one may work; I certainly hope so - but it looks like it needs to be a bit brighter ........ what do you all think?

2007-02-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Well, the SuperBowl outcome wasn't quite to everyone's liking here in Chicago and the temp dipped to -10* this morning at 7:30, but the sun is shining and there are many other important things to be thankful about! My sewing/laundry room is quite chilly for some unknown reason, so I've moved my sewing machine to the kitchen eating area and the sun on my back feels great. The sewing machine could become a semi-permanent fixture if this cold weather continues! The blocks on the right side of the table are more of the batik blocks that I'm putting together and the runner is one that I made some time ago.

Michael, some of his friends and Chris and Anne were home for the weekend, making it another fun time. Those 20-somethings bring a lot of life to our usually sedate home! Canasta Club on Saturday night meant trying out a new recipe. We often use each other as test subjects! This time I made a torte from Taste of Home Test Kitchen Favorites cookbook. The TOH center is only 45 minutes from us and I love going there to browse their selections of cookware and cookbooks. Often times, the cookbooks are reduced to as little as 3/$5, so needless to say, I have many and do use them all. The torte was quite easy.............

Raspberry or Strawberry Chocolate Torte
1 18.25 oz chocolate cake mix
1 pkg (3 oz) vanilla instant pudding
3/4 cup cold milk
3 oz cream cheese
8 oz Cool Whip (I used about 12 oz)
raspberries or strawberries - approximately 2-3 cups

Bake cake according to directions in three 9" round pans. Cool. (I used two 9" pans and cut each in half horizontally, making 4 layers instead of 3). Beat cream cheese with mixer until light and fluffy. Mix milk and pudding mixture together - it will be a bit thick. Combine pudding and cream cheese together and then add to Cool Whip mixture. It says to fold it in but I found it to be lumpy so I used the mixer on it and it was fine.
Place first layer of cake on cake plate. Spread with Cool Whip mixture and spread berries over it. Repeat thru all layers. The recipe calls for powdered sugar to be sprinkled on top but I spread more of the Cool Whip mixture over the top (not the sides) and then garnished with strawberries. It was very good tasting and looked awesome.

Stay warm and happy stitchin'!

2007-02-01T13:49:00.000-08:00

Thanks to all of you who have left comments on my posts! I appreciate your kind words about my quilts as well. Life wouldn't be whole without the quiltmaking and quiltmakers in it.

It seems that the weather is the main topic of conversation here since it is supposed to get brutally cold this weekend and in to next week. I hope you all stay warm and cozy no matter where you are. The shopping has been done and I hope not to have to go out for a few days. Someone said the wind chill factor is to be -50 in Green Bay and although we're 3 hours south of GB, it isn't going to be very toasty here either. They call it 'winter'? :>) I certainly have enough quilty projects to keep me busy! The Bears are in Miami and we will be rooting for them on Sunday night. However, since we are both Hoosiers and all of our families are in IN, we won't be upset either way.

Today I'm adding a picture of the Oriental Circle block that Anne made this past week. She is DS Chris's girlfriend. She has taken to hand applique quickly and is very good at it at this early stage. I like her choice of fabrics - she's making a 9 block wallhanging and we'll probably need to go shopping for the border fabric(s). It is always fun to have someone enjoy the things you enjoy, don't you think? Enjoy your day!

January Finishes

2007-01-31T09:12:00.000-08:00

Our furnace has been replaced and the new one kept us toasty warm last night! The next several days promise to be rather brutal in terms of low temps but there is plenty to keep me busy inside.

The two pictures are two quilts that I made for DH's great nieces, Rachel, 3 and Ella, 2 months. The first, Cheese and Crackers is Rachel's. Then I made Ella's from the scraps from Rachel's. Then, with the leftovers from hers, I made a matching doll quilt but it went to Raeba, another 3 year old, for her babies. These were so cute and I enjoyed making them so much, that I found more of the Be Mine fabric and bought more, just in case there are more girls added to the families. These were finished in January along with several others that I needed to complete. Today I sent 7 tops to the quilter who will work her magic on them. I'm anxious to get a pastel one called Columbine back - it is a very simple background upon which flowers are appliqued by machine after it has been quilted. I think I found the pattern in one of the Quilt Sampler magazines offered by a shop in CO. For today, I'm back to some batiks and listening to a book on tape, soup or chili from the freezer for dinner on a cold winter night.

Wintery Days

2007-01-29T18:30:00.000-08:00

Winter has come to Chicago! We are in the deep freeze this week and that makes for a good time in the sewing room. I'm currently working on my Monday Morning Stripper's Bee quilt from two years ago. It has been a headache and I'm struggling to finish it. We chose 12 blocks as a group and then had to use 9. I chose to applique four additional blocks and to use piping around each block. The piping was a good idea - just not too practical! I'm adding a picture of it and if you have suggestions for borders, please don't be shy!

Currently I'm working on a batik quilt just for fun. It is made from all the batik scraps I've accumulated over the years. The more I work on it, the more I like it. Who gets this one? Maybe a friend of DS. She's been a great pal since grade school and we all enjoy her.

Today, our other son's girlfriend decided that she would like to make a quilt. I helped her make Christmas stockings for her entire family during the Fall, doing Redwork or embroidery on all of them. She had never done any sewing but has caught on very quickly. She did a lot of Redwork on the stockings so she got a fairly good introduction to hand sewing. Today we chose the Circle Play book, got out all my Asian fabrics and played for the afternoon. She has put together some awesome blocks and is working on appliquing the second one already. She spent a year in Japan so the quilt choice was not surprising.

The temps here are quite cold and not a time for the furnace to die. However, die it did and we were rather chilly over the past few nights. Fortunately, our home has two furnaces and the downstairs one helped keep us from freezing until the new one was installed. It is in, running and keeping our beds toasty. Something to be thankful for on days like this!

Introduction.......my first post!

2007-01-29T17:50:00.000-08:00

I'm Judy and I live in a northern suburb of Chicago with Jim, my husband of 32 years and our younger son Michael and his dog, Leah. Leah is a delightful pup and we have a lot of laughs with her. My passion is quilting and lots of hand applique. Jim and I have lived in the Chicago area for 20 years having lived in Cleveland suburbs for 12 years prior to moving here. We have a summer cottage in Indiana where we love to go during warm weather.

My passion for quilting came from both sides of my family. My paternal grandmother lived with us and she sewed and quilted. My maternal grandmother sewed and made quilts with her sisters when their children were small. Mom made my clothes from feedsacks and I got the bug to make things for my dolls at a very early age. Only one quilt from all those quilters has been preserved and Grandma gave it to me several years ago. I still need to hand quilt it. It is a Grandmother's Flower Garden, made from the scraps from Great Grandma, Great Aunts, Mom's and Grandma's clothes. Grandma and Mom identified many of the fabric "owners" and I will eventually put their names in the center of those flowers. Grandma died last October at the age of 102. Her picture with her quilt was taken at age 101.

Much of what I quilt these days is "just because".....I do what I like with little reason for doing so. Many are also made for family members, but I'm ready to concentrate on my home and children for a while.

The second picture is what I see from my sewing machine. We border a forest preserve and the wildlife love to visit this area. From woodpeckers to deer to coyotes, we enjoy the nature and the woods where we live. Please feel free to jump in and comment on my posts and pictures!