Road Trip Review

I just returned from a leisurely driving trip down south and around east.  The initial reason for the trip was to spend Thanksgiving with my good friends, Tom and June.  I arrived in Ft. Myers Beach Tuesday afternoon and found Tom, June, their daughter Joan and grandsons Jake and Josh playing in the sand.  We had a great time catching up, wiggling our toes in the sand, and walking along the beach to dinner. 

Tom and June waiting for sunset before heading in to the Gulf Shore Restaurant for dinner. 

Joan and the kids left early Thanksgiving morning as they had come about a week earlier.  For a change, Tom, June and I had breakfast at the Gulf Shore Inn (a long time favorite restaurant) and dinner at Nervous Nellie's.  Eating out on the patio overlooking the back bay, listening to pleasant, live music and eating our respective favorite meals (Tom had ribs, I had crab, and June had the traditional turkey) was a great way to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Tom's cousin Cindy, her son Matt and new daughter-in-law Carmen, came for the weekend and we all enjoyed the videos of Matt and Carmen's wedding - including their special wedding dance.

Heading home, I stopped in Jacksonville to visit Peggy and Pat.  I loved seeing how Peggy had decorated their home in black and purple - I know it sounds very dark.  But aside from the black couches, purple and black were primarily the accent colors.  Very nicely done.  Don't know why I forgot to take pictures but I now have a visual in my mind.

The next stop on the trip home was to visit my cousins Susan and David and Aunt Janet and Uncle Clyde.  Although my Dad has done a good job of staying in touch with his relatives, the cousins haven't really stayed in contact.  They were all very welcoming and it was wonderful to have some time to talk with them.  Susan has recently purchased a new house and her house is beautifully decorated.  Her talent as an interior designer was much in evidence.  And the vegan chili she served for dinner was delicious.  Chili's my favorite dish and hers was superb.


David and Susan in Susan's house. Susan collects needlepoint Christmas stockings - and they were lovely. David has my Dad's hairline - that's how I know we're all related!

In catching up with Aunt Janet and Uncle Clyde, I discovered that Aunt Janet also has one of her grandmother's quilts.  And guess what pattern - my favorite!  Hers is a Triple Irish Chain that is in the postage stamp style - squares that are about 1" finished. 

This is Aunt Janet's quilt - it's in excellent condition.  The pieces in the Triple Irish Chain are about 1" - very tiny and very nicely done.  You can actually see the quilting design in the white spaces quite well.

I also discovered that Aunt Janet has the same quick wit my Dad has and is well matched with Uncle Clyde's dry humor.  The conversation was lots of fun and touched on all sorts of topics.  And to top it all off, I found out that Uncle Clyde lived for a time in Princeton, Indiana!

From there, I headed up to Chevy Chase by way of one of my favorite places - Replacements, Ltd.  I first found them online several years ago and had stopped by the showroom on an earlier trip.  This time, I stopped and was able to connect with Jeanie as I knew she wanted some additional pieces of her china.  Mission accomplished.  If you're ever near Greensboro, NC, take an hour or so to visit their showroom.  It's a wonderful display of china, crystal and silver that is a feast for the eyes.

On to Chevy Chase, where my brother had just arrived from Texas.  We had a few hours to chat while waiting for dinner, and Mom, to arrive.  I also got a sneak preview of the coming family calendar - a gathering of photos that is a collection of photos showing kids and grandkids involved in their favorite activities, growth of the family through weddings and births, and is a much awaited Christmas gift to us all.

Snow in the backyard through the kitchen window.   Next time I'll raise the screen! We eventually got about 2".

Finally, home to Indiana just ahead of the first snowfall of the season.  Waking up this morning to the ground covered with snow was a treat - knowing that I didn't have to DRIVE through it.  So now it's back to work on those quilts I received from several friends and customers just before leaving that are going to be Christmas presents for some lucky individuals. 

Cheers!







Applique Group - 1st Meeting

Today was the first day of our newly formed Applique Group.  Susan, Rosie, Carol and I met for an enjoyable two hours to discuss potential applique projects.  It's clear who the expert is (Susan) and who should probably consider trying something less challenging (me!). 

Susan has a table runner project all picked out.  Rosie has some thoughts about a project, perhaps using a pattern she bought from Ginny Keiser at the CSQ Quilt show last month.  Carol has worked on her applique pieces started at the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat.  And I have grand and glorious ideas about either a Baltimore Album quilt or a Hawaiin quilt for my masterpiece!  Now all I need is lots of practice before I start either one of those projects.  Perhaps a small wall hanging first?

Rosie and Carol talking about potential projects.  See the fabric and books scattered across the floor?

Susan brought books to look through.  Carol brought project ideas and managed to rule a few out.  Rosie brought a quilt to bind - don't think she got even one stitch done.  I had books checked out from the CSQ library, a wonderful quilting resource thanks to our Librarian.

A selection of books, Susan's table runner pattern on the left, a calendar from the Victoria & Albert museum with wonderful designs and Carol's clippings for potential projects just below her shoe.  Okay - I need to work on the layout when I take pictures but you get the idea.

In the midst of all the books, I dragged out my collection of SewBatik fabrics and we found one that would work with Carol's project in the works.
 

Susan found the perfect SewBatik fabric for one of her projects.  The Color Blend Applique book on the table has wonderful patterns for flower applique blocks.

A tip from a fellow longarm quilter made Susan's day.  Harriet had suggested using a piece of plexiglas and a dry erase marker to audition quilting designs prior to quilting them out.  Susan jumped on this as a way to trace a current quilting design that she loves from an heirloom quilt.

I only have a small piece of plexiglas - need to get a larger piece for it to be really useful.  But you see the idea.  You also see the hair clips that Rosie uses to keep the binding in place in preparation for stitching it down.

We also talked about tracing applique patterns.  A fairly standard technique for tracing patterns is to place a light source under your dining room table, pull the table apart as if you were going to add a leaf,  and lay a piece of glass across the gap with the pattern on top of the glass.  Then with your tracing paper on top, you can follow the lines as the light shines up from below.  Rather than use glass, which has a tendency to break in my hands, use a piece of plexiglas.

It is strongly suggested that you tape the edges of the plexiglas and write TOP on the tape of one side.  When using the plexiglas to trace patterns or for testing designs on a current quilt top, the tape is a visual clue that you're nearing the edge so you don't draw on the quilt and also prevents the plexiglas from snagging the fabric.  Identifying the TOP of the plexiglas keeps you from laying a previously used side next to the quilt.  Even though you've wiped the dry erase marker stuff off, there are likely still remnants of the color left.  Finally, a way to use those small scraps of batting - as erasers!  Use them a few times and then you won't feel guilty about pitching the used scraps as more will have accumulated in the meantime.

All in all, a wonderful afternoon sharing tips, techniques and dreams.

Handbell Workshop

How does a Handbell Workshop fit with quilting?  Quite easily, as it turns out.

Four members of our church handbell choir went to a workshop in Greenwood yesterday.  We listened to a short concert by the Joyful Sounds, a community handbell choir that is quite good.  It was interesting to hear the bells from the audience side to see how some of the special techniques sound to the audience.

There was a music vendor there and here's what I bought from them:

Although they're great for ringing handbells, these will be my White Glove gloves for handling quilts at shows!

After the concert, we broke up into groups for three separate workshops.  Each workshop lasted an hour and we rotated from session to session.  After two sessions, and after talking with my fellow ringers, I decided to skip the third session and go to what I thought was an antique shop just down the street,  I walked in, walked around quickly, and walked out.  Since it was a beautiful but chilly day, I continued walking.  I knew the Greenwood library was close.  Just inside the front door of the library was their used book sale area. 

Guess what I found...

We're starting an Applique Group so I was intrigued by the patterns in the Treasury book.  I've always wanted to do a Watercolor quilt and the Dancing Quilts has some wonderfully interesting patterns and techniques.

At great prices!  So I bought them.  Now all I have to do is cut, sew and quilt!

Cheers!
Margaret

QOV Fall Display

The Columbus Quilts of Valor (QOV) group is quite prolific.  There was a display of quilts this past May and this weekend is another display of 221 quilts that have been completed since then.  Flossie, a 92 year old member of the group, is one of the most prolific but she's slowing down slightly.  Recently, she's been piecing about 4 tops a month, down from her previous 4 tops a week.  Either one of those figures beats my record any day!

There are so many quilts, they are folded in thirds and drape the front of the dais and the side of the sanctuary.  This is just one side of the sanctuary!  They are also draped and hung across the back of the sanctuary.

The quilts are on display at the Community Church of Columbus and can be seen in their sanctuary this Sunday or Monday morning.  Be forewarned:  if you show up on Monday, you might get to help take them down! 

Carol happened to show up while I was there.  She's in front of one of her favorite quilts. 

Ken made the two quilts hanging in the center of the front display.  He also made several others scattered around the display.

Go Colts!  Even in quilts, we express our team spirit.

Cortland Elementary kids worked on four of the quilts on display.  They used crayon to color squares that were then alternated with fabric for a very touching display of patriotism.

Here's one of the squares up close.  Each block had  an expression of thanks and appreciation along with each child's unique drawing.  I like this Statue of Liberty, don't you? 

It's always interesting to see a collection of quilts and this is no exception.  While several of the quilts are patriotic in their design and colors, others are just wonderful collections of colors and patterns.  I was also looking for quilting patterns and saw a few that were new to me.  Who knows...they may show up on a quilt in the near future.  I've already tried some of them on today's newspaper - my informal sketch pad.

Cheers!  And my deep gratitude to all who serve in our armed forces.

Margaret 

Sew for Riley Day

Wednesday was the monthly meeting of the Columbus Star Quilters Guild.  Despite the Guild's quilt show just a month ago, there were lots of Show and Tell items. 


I had just finished quilting this for Rosie.  She picked out the fabrics on a quick trip - wish I had her eye for color.  It's gorgeous.



One of five quilts for Rosemary's granddaughters.  I love the lime green color - could well turn out to be my favorite color over the next few months.

Another quilt for one of Rosemary's granddaughters.  The turquoise and brown are beautiful together.  Now I know what to do with all of that turquoise in my stash.  But I'll have to buy some browns to go with it!

See - another lime green.  Isn't this a stunning quilt??  I could whip up the background in a flash.  The applique might take a little longer.

Mary called this quilt Communion Cups.  Mary is also wearing a quilted "pillow" necklace which has tiny, tiny pieces.  Mary specializes in using tiny pieces in her quilting - all very nicely done.

I had a hard time getting Anne to hold still.  This is her son's Hallowe'en costume.  With the Daffy Duck tail and him waddling around the neighborhood, he was a hit.

 Kay also had a great way to make the Attic Windows block.

Kay demonstrated a slick way to make the attic windows design using three half square triangles.  Just sew one of the folded triangles into the seam and then open it out.  A little bulky with the layers of fabric, but alot faster than the traditional way of piecing this block.

And here's the quilt made from using that attic window tip.

Strips laid out and ready for sewing into long lengths.

 It was a Sew Day for Riley Children's Hospital. Several members brought in 2 1/2" strips to create colorful quilts. Others had baby quilt panels and still others were working on smaller quilt sizes to be used to drape over NICU incubators. Even smaller quilts are used inside the incubators. Because these smallest quilts are without batting, they technically aren't quilts but so what - they surround a newborn with warmth and extra love.

There were sewers and there were pressers and there were cutters.  I was a flitter - I flitted from one place to the next, pressing, cutting strips and more pressing, until I got caught to go through some old treasurer files.  Much more fun being a flitterer.

Another group working on a variety of quilt projects.  This guild is a great group of women.

Cheers!
Margaret

Jeff & Dustin's Weekend

This past weekend was spent in Dallas celebrating the union of Jeff & Dustin.  I picked up Don, Jeff's father, on Friday afternoon and we had an uneventful flight to Dallas.  There, Kristi and Jeanie picked us up at the airport.  We swung by Kristi's apartment so I could meet the cats and then by Jeff's condo so I could see see, in person, what a wonderful job they've done decorating their first home.  Their decorations were contemporary - all very tasteful.  Their bedroom was in browns with gold accents.  But a black and white quilt goes with every color scheme and decorating style, doesn't it?  Let's hope so since this is what I gave them!

Texas Two Step - so named because the top was purchased at the Milroy Amish School Auction.  I thought it was appropriate since Jeff & Dustin now live in Texas.  It actually makes a nice bedspread for my bed, don't you think? 



On to the hotel where friends and family were gathering.  We ran into family that had been seeing the sights, eating the Tex-Mex food and generally having a great time.  Of course, Dallas was in high gear as the Rangers were playing in the AL playoffs and had a resounding win.  The city went wild!  The gathering at a local bar was fun but the noise level and general celebrations were in high gear.



Saturday morning, we had time for a quick walking tour of some fun sights.  Kristi wanted to see the "cows."  They were only a few blocks away so off we went.  These "cows" were actually lifesize sculptures of longhorn steers with three cowboys keeping them in line.



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Here's Kristi with the "cows."  There were close to 60 statues in a very lifelike arrangement of being herded down the hill and across the stream.  They were even branded!



After that, we had time to walk towards the Grassy Knoll where JFK was shot.  An emotional moment or two despite the hustle and bustle of city traffic.  The memorial to JFK was a block away from the Texas Book Repository and gave time for contemplation before seeing the actual site of the shooting.

The cenotaph of JFK on Founder's Square.  There was a beautiful plaque explaining the thought behind the structure of this cenotaph - essentially the freedom for his spirit to envelop our lives. 



Back to the hotel for lunch before I headed to the room to rest and read.  I was in the middle of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and was hooked.  If only I could have stayed awake to read! 

Finally, the time arrived for family pictures - just a few select photos here.  The rain had stopped (those of us from Indiana hardly know what rain is like, any more) but it was windy.  Good looking group, don't you think? 

Ken and Louise, Dustin, Jeff, Jeanie & Don

The action surrounding the picture taking was almost the most entertaining part.  Just seeing family members lining up behind the official photographer to take their own pictures was fun.  She was a great photographer to work with.

And then, of course, there are the guys distancing themselves from the action - Donnie, Ken and Don.

On to the reception where margaritas flowed freely (yum) and several partied until the wee hours of the morning.  We had fun sharing stories, laughing and celebrating.  It was a joyful family event and the mothers both made it through their respective toasts without breaking down.

Not much to tell after that - except I drove through rain (drizzle, anyway) on the way home from the airport.   So now it's back to quilting quilts.

Cheers!
Margaret 

Shop Hopping

I have now participated in a Shop Hop - my first as a shopper!  The Magical Mystery Tour Fall Shop Hop involved four quilt shops and a lovely drive through the Indiana country side.  My quilting and longarm friend Lori had asked me to go with her on this shop hop, giving us a chance to catch up.  So, off we went.

The weather was gorgeous - cool in the morning but bright and sunny.  Our first stop was Shiisa Quilts in Bloomington.  They had a software patch to download to my sewing machine so that gave us time to look around.  I've also been talking to Janet, owner of Shiisa Quilts, about doing a class on making a fracture quilt so I had a sample quilt to drop off.  We talked about what might make a good fabric for a fracture as well as how we might structure the class.  Stay tuned for the class date - probably some time next March.

Here I am at Shiisa with my fracture.  Easy to assemble and striking to look at.  It's best if you stand back a few feet so you don't feel like your eyes are going bonkers.

I picked this fabric up at Shiisa and am going to try a flower fracture next.  I'm going to try this one on the diagonal to give an additional punch to the flowers.  We'll see how it goes.

Next on our trip was Ady's Fabric and Notions in Morgantown.  After a lovely drive past the Oliver Winery on the west side of Bloomington (too early for wine tasting - drat!), we got to Ady's.  We had a demonstration of  a new ruler on the market - ways to make cutting flying geese and eliminating the waste fabric this typically entails.

Ady's had this version of the Magical Mystery quilt.  The blocks were designed by Janet Mease of Shiisa Quilts and each shop put the blocks together in a different way.  An interesting view into the different personality of each shop.

From Ady's, it was a short jaunt up to The Back Door.  They've expanded their batik section so it's a good thing I was busy picking up the bolt of batting I had ordered or I would have spent the rest of the afternoon looking and pawing through the batiks.  I did swing through the shop and drooled over the children's fabrics - they had a version of the Bazillion panels that I've used.  But I've already got two baby quilts done with a third top completed.  Not sure how many I need to have in reserve so didn't buy any (sob!).  Want to see a picture of my batting???


Our final stop was The Fussy Cut Quilt Shop, a relatively new shop in Beech Grove that neither Lori nor I had visited before.   They had treats for shop hoppers - welcome since we were running on empty.  Check out my find - not fleece but cotton!  Finally!

Ran into this fabric at The Fussy Cut Quilt Shop.  Pillowcases for the Colts fans in my family!

We barely had time to squeeze in lunch before heading back to Columbus so that Lori was in time to meet the school bus.  Made it with minutes to spare.  And Lori and I are now caught up - at least partially.  There is lots more we COULD have talked about but ran out of time.  Oh, well - perhaps we'll have to schedule a sew-in day or longarm meeting in the near future.

As I headed home after dropping Lori off, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a piece of plexiglas.  Harriet has promoted the use of this for auditioning quilting designs and there have been times recently when it would have been extremely helpful.  It's one thing to draw the pattern on a piece of paper.  It's something entirely different to see the pattern on the quilt itself.  When auditioning designs on Lois' quilt I took a picture of the quilt, printed out a picture of the quilt, and then drew possible designs on the blocks.  It made selecting a design much easier.  But sometimes I know about what design I want to quilt - just need to tweak it a little bit.  That's where the plexiglas will come in very handy.

What a great day!

Cheers!

Margaret 

  



Forget Me Knot

Saturday was a great day for an outing. I picked up Carol at the Louisville airport. Among other travels, she'd been visiting a friend in Nebraska and they went to the AQS Des Moines Quilt Show. Carol had pictures on her cell phone of some of the quilts at the show - I'll have to look at the AQS website to see some in more detail. Sounds like they had fun.

Our plan was to visit Forget Me Knot Quilt Shoppe in Louisville. One of the owners of the Shoppe had attended the Beaver Island Quilt Retreat with us in September and we had a good time getting to know her. We found the Quilt Shoppe without problem and, sure enough, Darlene was there. The shop was full of customers and friendly chatter. Some visitors from Australia who were making their way cross country had found the shop and were buying fabric.



Carol, fat quarters already selected, with Darlene

The shop had loads of fabric, one of the largest selections of books I've seen in a quilt shop recently and wonderful samples on the walls. Several of the quilts on display had been completed by Carrie, another Beaver Island Retreat friend.



Carrie loves applique.  Aren't these two quilts beautiful?

Another of Carrie's quilts.  I like the sashing and border treatment, too.

We let Darlene get back to her customers while we foraged through the fabric. Lots of lucious fabrics to drool over, including a selection of Australian fabrics! I need to come up with a quilt that would take advantage of the wonderful colors and Aboriginal designs in those fabrics.

Another of the quilts on the wall was a four panel quilt. If you've been following Quiltgranny's blog, you've seen the wonderful winding river quilt she and a group of Missouri and Kansas quilters have completed. This was a similar type of group quilt on a smaller scale. Still very interesting. Mindful of Harriet's challenge at the Kentuckiana Longarm Group meeting last week to challenge ourselves to do something new, I'm thinking this type of challenge would be a good start.

You can see the photo which was the inspiration for this quilt.  A challenge like this would be great fun to work on with a group of friends.

After spending quite a bit of time there, we made our way to the cutting table and checkout register. In what was a funny twist, we both had to check out twice. After her initial purchase, Carol saw a fabric being put away that was perfect for her current project. And on the way out of the store, I saw a wonderful geometric fabric that will be a wonderful border on a quilt some day.



After that shopping, it was time for an early dinner. We found this great restaurant, Le Que, on Bardstown Road. If you like Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, it would be hard to beat the food at this restaurant. I can highly recommend the Tilapia in a clay pot. Delicious!


Finally, full of fabric and food, we made our way back home. What a beautiful weekend for a scenic drive.



Cheers!

Margaret

Kentuckiana Longarmers Gathering

This past Sunday was a gathering of longarm quilters in the Kentuckiana area.  The meeting was at Harriet's home in Madison and the weather was perfect for a Sunday afternoon drive.  This group has close to 30 members spread on both sides of the Kentucky/Indiana border.  They always have a program that includes demonstrations or discussion of new techniques or tools.

Harriet had prepared a demo of a trapunto technique by loading batting as her backing and then using washaway thread to stitch around her design.  While she trimmed the batting away, we watched a HandiQuilter video about two different trapunto techniques.  She then showed us how to use a bright fabric underneath the trapunto to get a wonderful shading effect - something I've added to my list of techniques to try in the near future.

Harriet working on the trapunto piece...

You can see the center has been trimmed but there's still some trimming to be done around the edge.  But the bright orange flannel yields a lovely, soft color underneath.

We also talked about different tools that were recently purchased, including some with some with scalloped edges and some arcs from DeLoa's Quilt Shop.  The nice thing about the arcs are that, unlike several curved rulers I already own, both the top arc and the bottom arc are the same radius.  And then we got to the high tech tools - available from your local Dollar General Store!

These "templates" were among Harriet's selection of fun shapes.  There were lots of different leaf shapes and sizes - great for a freehand leafy border or panto on the fly.

The drive was lovely.  Although this summer has been exceedingly dry, the trees were starting to turn and there was quite a bit of color coming out.  I was afraid that the lack of water over the summer would result in very muted fall colors.  There was one tree in North Vernon that was spectacular - a tall maple tree that was full of color.

This picture doesn't do these trees justice - they were a beautiful orange.

And then there's the maple tree in my back yard - just starting to turn and about as pretty as the rest of the scenery on the drive to Madison.

So now it's back to quilting.

Cheers!
Margaret

Best of Show and Viewer's Choice

What a great Quilt Show!  I have to admit I was excited to be a part of this quilt show - my first real behind the scenes participation in the preparations.  The comments received from those attending the quilt show were quite complimentary and, in my humble opinion, well deserved.  The quality of the quilts was outstanding.  Of course, the quality of our guild members is outstanding so great quilts shouldn't be any surprise.

It was fun to be present when the checks were given to the Best of Show and Viewer's Choice winners.  Their quilts were truly exquisite.

Cathy Bahnsen (left) accepting the award from Susan Rothrock, Guild president, for the Best of Show Quilt.  Cathy and Susan have their arms around Dorothy McKay (now deceased), one of the founders of the Guild.  It's Dorothy's appliqued top that is the front of this wonderful quilt.  Cathy said she feels Dorothy sitting on her shoulder from time to time encouraging her as she works on a quilt.

Cathy pieced these irises for the back of her quilt.  What a bold and lovely statement these make.  I love the gradations in the purple fabric used for the iris on the left.  You can also see the quilting - fun to study up close.

I've gotten to know Cathy a little bit through the guild and hope to get to know her much better in the coming year.  I do know that she is a guiding light to many in the guild.  You don't have to talk to guild members very long before Cathy's name comes up - usually as in, "Cathy taught me..." or "Cathy showed me how to..." or "Cathy's quilt was gorgeous."  That last statement certainly applies to her Best of Show quilt.  The quilt top was appliqued by Dorothy McKay and somehow found its way to Cathy.  Cathy pieced the irises for the back.  It was quilted by Marilyn Harding, who does quilting at The Back Door.  I studied her quilting and have some new things to try on future quilts.

Viewer's Choice is the quilt selected by quilt show attendees.  I helped with the preliminary ballot count late Saturday afternoon.  The interesting thing was that there were lots of votes for lots of different quilts - a tribute to not only the variety of quilts but also the variety of tastes of those viewing the quilts.

A truly stunning quilt was selected as viewer's choice.

Rosemary Rudolf (left) accepting her award from Susan Rothrock.  As wonderful as this quilt is to see in the picture, it was really exciting to see it up close.  Rosemary's applique was tremendous.  Her quilting wasn't bad either...in fact it was WONDERFUL.  Of course, I'm biased.  Rosemary has taught me so much about longarm quilting and has been a great supporter as I learn more about the art of quilting.  Looking at this quilt I know I still have lots to learn. 

Rosemary and her friends celebrating her Viewer's Choice award.  One of Rosemary's quilts won Viewer's Choice at the 2008 quilt show.  They are both great quilts and both have a tremendous amount of applique on them.  Is there a trend developing??? 

Congratulations to Cathy, Rosemary and the entire Guild for a wonderful show.

Cheers!
Margaret