Keep on going

My last post was
sooo bad. Goes to show if you don't do it often you make mistakes!
After getting a few hints from Karen, I am hoping I can make nicer blogs. I think I have learned to take photos off my iphone and get them on my blog now. We will see. We will keep on going!
Within a week's time I have been to the Grand Strand Ocean Lake's quilt show and the Cobblestone quilt show in Charleston. Got to see lots of nice quilts. Always get inspired by what others do. This was one that caught my eye at the show in Charleston.
The big blocks above, are 2 of the nine huge 24" blocks for which Karen brought me for an early birthday present. Wow! The fabrics and the pattern. Think I like the concept of the huge blocks making punchy statement on a bed.

February Comments

February comments

Where is winter? Who knows? Here in SC we are enjoying the warm temperatures and trying to make the most of them by walking, bike riding, and even working in the yard. I am concerned though, that much of the country that depends on snow melt to water the seeds that will be planted, is going to be in a deficit. Yes, deficit, just like our economy or our treasury. Well, let me forget that and get to quilting which really makes the world go round for me!
I had some wonderful fun when my friend Karen, from Ohio came for a visit. Let me tell you she is the queen of speedy. I mean speedy with no mistakes! Unlike me, who makes all kinds of dumb ones when I start to rush. I will see how good I am at getting some photos of our work on this blog from my iphone. I know most of you say,"piece of cake." But you have no idea how hard it is for me to remember all the little steps involved with each action. I know, just like my machine quilting, practice makes perfect. I was able to put together some fat quilters to make one quilt she shared with me. I had enough Lakeside fat quarters and some white to make another quilt of hers too. I did buy just under 2 yds for the border as I didn't have anything I liked in my stash.
My Monday evening sewing class is moving right along. The ladies are finishing their rag quilts which they have enjoyed. They make them all in "flannella" which they like working with too. Elva, my Spanish speaking assistant and I want them to try a "5 & dime" quilt next. We have put together some kits for them to choose from. I am hoping that the ladies will try to machine quilt their own quilts with straight line stitching in grids, or 1/4 " stitching.
Hope wherever you live your winter weather has been tolerable. Here's to a wonderful spring!
Rats, I am so sorry, I have completely forgotten how to put my pictures on my posts so no pics right now. I will put them in the next post.

Fall, leaves, pumpkins and quilts

Here it is fall already and we are happy for it. Today is a perfect football game day. The weather couldn't be more agreeable. I couldn't resist the beautiful mums for sale a a nearby store.

Tomorrow our church unloads a portion of a semi truck of pumpkins. They are grown on an Indian reservation and shipped here. We sell them and donate the money to American missions. This year I bought some Martha Stewart stick on faces so I don't have to cut open the pumpkins.
I just returned from New Jersey where I attended the American Quilt Study Group's annual seminar. It is one of the highlights of my year. The papers presented were wonderful and the tours were super! I always return pumped up. I roomed with Mary J-P as I have in the past couple of years. She is delightful and we get along well. There just isn't enough time to go and see all you wish you could. In one of the pictures you will see a darling quilt which I helped create for the AQSG endowment fund. I sent my block back to Xenia Cord who graciously put the quilts together. Many ladies participated by making blocks and sending them. The finished quilts were auctioned Sat. night and I purchased the one my block was in. I love to do challenges like this to help worthy causes. Had to include a couple of the beautiful antique quilts I saw in New Jersey which are just above.

To the right is the Endowment quilt.

January, 2011
How did it become another year so quickly? Well, while I was sleeping, I guess. Just a quick note on our Christmas his year. It was spent with my dear sister, Carol and her DH, Barrie in California. Carol and I haven't been together on Christmas for over 50 years. Can you believe it? When she left home in her late teens, she went to CA, got married and soon had 3 sons to raise. Neither of us got back or forth very often, between CA and Ohio (where we were both born and raised) because of our families and money constraints. So now that we are a bit older we felt it would be a lovely thing to do. Brian and I had a super time and although we didn't do lots of touristy things, we did lots of cooking and visiting . We also went to Los Osos, which is 3 hours to the south of Los Gotos, their primary residence. Los Osos is their small, cottage-style second home very close to the Pacific. That was so fun too!
Elva, my dear friend, and I are back to teaching the "girls" more quilting. It is so fun to watch them learn and become excited about creating. Last fall we had some wonderful quilting angels looking after us. Sheryl and Bob Smith from, Accent on Sewing, a nearby shop, generously donated a large amount of fabric to our class to be used in the girls' projects! You can' imagine how delighted we were! The prints are so pretty and the girls love the brightest ones for their choices. We thank Bob and Sheryl again from the bottom of our hears for making so many people happy! God bless them!
Before I went to CA I got a cute wall quilt or table topper done. I just love it, but wanted my sister to have it. She was delighted and used it right away. I have plans to make myself another but probably will never find as cute fabric but that's OK. New ones come out all the time, it seems.
One of my on line friends, whom I know in person as well as cyberly (is that a word?)is Jan from the Dakotas. She sent us on line instructions for a 10 minute table runner. I had to make one right away. Cute and double cute! Thanks, Jan.

May Flowers and Beautiful quilts

Brian and I got 72 mondo grass plants in around our oval island in the middle of the driveway. We also put in 3 Knockout roses which do well down here in our humidity. I planted in our 2 areas around the pool and just put in mostly caladium. Absolutely no sweet potato vines. Last year they grew into the pool and we had to keep cutting them. I swear they grew 2 feet over night!
I had fun in late March as I went to Ohio to visit DD (dear daughter) and her family and then on to my friend Karen's. Karen had a purse kit all ready for me to make a purse along with the gals in her class. All our purses came out so cute. It was the first time I put in grommets. Karen and I also worked on matching Kaffe Fasset quilts form his new book which Karen gave me as a gift. I brought my light colors of Kaffe and she used the darks from her stash. I made the light blocks and she made the dark which we then swapped. I have a picture of it but as you will see it is far from being done, but you will get the idea of it.
I have included pictures of our first group of gals and their "Dresses" quilts. Some of the gals who have sons substituted shirts and pants for the dresses. I am always amazed at what the gals come up with. You will see some gals in our newer group of sewers working on their strip quilts. They did very well with them. I am very proud of all the work both the newer and the more experienced students are doing. Elva and I want to start another group in Sept. We have several girls who really want to learn who didn't make it this time.

What are you all up to these days? It seems that spring brings many jobs and chores, like planting and cleaning out closets, to light. My dear husband and I planted 71 mondo grass plants around our oval island in the driveway. We also planted 3 Knock out roses in that area which also contains our fountain and some sega palms. My sister in CA suggested that 2 rows of mondo grass would look even better. Well, maybe next year. Here is SC it is hot and muggy much of the summer and it will soon be too hot to plant. I haven't put in nearly the amount of plants I unusually do. It is going to have to do.
I had such a good time at my friend, Karen's home back in March. After visiting with my daughter and her family for several days in Ohio, I went to visit Karen who lives about 45 minutes from daughter. Karen had a purse kit all cut and quilted for me. Several of her students and I made our purses in a class she taught. I mean how great is that to have a kit ready to go! She and I also worked on a Kaffe Fasset project out of his new book, which she gave me for a birthday gift. I provided all the lighter color strips and she used her darker colored strips. We got much of the quilt finished. I have had some other things to do, and haven't finished mine yet. It is really a beauty and I have a picture of it not sewn all together yet. But I think you can see where it is going.