Life as a Quilter -- Julia Graber

A Gospel Song

2012-03-05T00:01:00.008-06:00

I have continued working on my PTQ challenge quilt this past week. Can you guess the gospel song I’m trying to depict?

...and it's not "There is a Green Hill Far Away" ... so far away that you can't see it!!!

Mansions, Wedding, and Family

2012-03-03T23:31:00.000-06:00

This week I have been cutting out mansions and roofs and windows and arches and flags and much more.

I went fabric shopping with 3 of the Possum Town Quilter ladies to find something suitable for a block challenge. We came back to our house and got to work. Here’s Brenda cutting out strips.

Here’s Bobbi cutting squares.

And Sandi helping to get them all into individual bags.

Today we attended the wedding of Bryan & Emily.

Kirby & Stacy were happy to ride with us from the church to the wedding.

They had a unique square tiered wedding cake made of cupcakes.

White with chocolate icing or chocolate with white icing?

Friends, Mel & Carla are waiting to help serve the guests.

Busy little Georgi sat across from me.

The bride & groom with the bridal party served themselves.

Do you want me to sketch your face?

Ryan with his puzzle gift for being a gift receiver.

This evening we had our children & families in for pizza. Kirby was glad to hold Tina.

And then Stacy wanted a turn too.

I was just hoping no one would get hurt in this romp and tussle game

~~~~~ Parting Shot ~~~~~

Momma makes Tina smile.

The Start of Something New

2012-02-27T10:02:00.002-06:00

I have a clean slate this morning.

How can I make this project easy and undaunting?

See what others are making on Judy's blog.

Loving Libby

2012-02-23T20:49:00.000-06:00

Libby Lehman's quilts have inspired me for a long time. I tried her techniques for the circles and ribbons and then cut it to pieces and made it my own. Now it's on it's way to Pigeon Forge for A Mountain QuiltFest.

On My Design Wall (Floor)

2012-02-20T09:04:00.000-06:00

It's Monday morning and I'm still having problems with my quilt.

I started out with 2 separate tops and layered the dark one on the left on top of the lighter one on the right.

Then I made circles and cut out the top fabric inside of the circles to expose the lighter bottom fabric.

Next I added a gold satin stitch around the circles.

Then I started adding the stitched thread to make the ribbon. You can see how it is puckering and shrinking on the right side of the picture.

I decided to go ahead and finish the ribbon and went over it a second time with a slightly darker thread on the "big" edge. This caused more and more distortion.

So I decided to cut out the ribbon ... and now I need to decide what to do!

Happy Birthday Kirby and We Have a Winner

2012-02-19T15:46:00.000-06:00

Can it be that our oldest grandchild turned 4 already? He got to go to Sunday School this morning and came back a smiling boy!

I remember when his daddy turned 4 and now he's helping his son cut the cake.

Great Gramma Lee helped Kirby with the Silly Putty and answered his many questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today we have a winner for Barbara's quilt book Simply Triangles.

Thank you, everyone, for playing along. And the winner is ...

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2012-02-19 21:20:58 UTC

kittykats said...

I also found you on one of the linky mondays on Quiltville. I have followed
you for a couple of months already. You and your family create such wonderful
quilts.

~Parting Shot ~

Grampa trying to make Tina smile.

A Quilt for Tina

2012-02-16T17:25:00.001-06:00

Tina's first picture with her quilt wasn't a happy occasion!

I started this quilt at our Sewing Retreat in Virginia and just didn't have time to get it finished.

Sheila calms Tina for a better picture. Somehow she knows if you are sitting and bouncing or standing and bouncing!

Years ago we bought the nice L-shaped desk under the window for my sewing machine. It worked great, only I wanted a hole cut into it to drop my machine down for a flush flat table. Paul thought the desk was way too nice and new to cut a hole in it. So, we moved it across the room for office, computer, & printer work. It's "his" desk now. Then since he didn't want to cut a hole I thought maybe one of those old time L-shaped desk with a drop return would work for my sewing machine.

My sister Emily found a used one in Virginia for me. When Paul came to pick me up he brought the pickup truck and we hauled it home to Mississippi. It sits so perfectly in the corner right outside of my fabric closet. And I've ordered a "Sew Steady" table to wrap around the machine to fit up against the left part of the desk. Oh my, I just need more time to make quilts!

We were glad to have Ed & Marti join us for pizza last Saturday.

Simply Triangles -- A Giveaway

2012-02-12T18:33:00.000-06:00

This is what C&T Publishing has to say about my sister Barbara's new book, Simply Triangles. Barbara is graciously letting me give away another book.

So what do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this book? Two chances:

1. Leave a comment on this post.
2. Follow this blog - new and current followers; leave a comment to let me know that you follow.

Drawing will be Sunday, Feb 19, 2012.
(Please ensure that an email address is available on your profile or is included in your comment - NO EMAIL ADDRESS = NO VALID ENTRY).

Simply Triangles—a new book and a new giveaway!

January 2nd, 2012 in Contests
By Lisa Fulmer

"Scrappy Stars"

Happy New Year—we hope you all had a wonderful holiday! And we hope you’re ready for some fresh inspiration to kick off your creative projects for 2012.

Barbara Cline has a brand new book, Simply Triangles—11 Deceptively Easy Quilts Featuring Stars, Daisies & Pinwheels. You will love learning how to work with paper-pieced triangles to make beautiful and complex-looking designs. Barbara will teach you how to use your fabric color selections to make your quilt sparkle and glow.

Here’s some of what Barbara shares about her background in the book’s introduction:

I was brought up with six sisters and a brother in a loving Mennonite home in the beautiful Virginia countryside. Sewing has been a part of my life since I was a little girl. Mother used her talent to provide practical and beautiful garments for our family. Her sewing machine kept humming long after the girls’ dresses were completed, turning out an assortment of nightgowns, caps, coats, and mittens for the growing family. My grandmother introduced me to quilting when I was ten years old. The world of fabric came alive for me when my parents purchased a fabric store in my preteen years. I enjoyed learning about different fabrics and color combinations, as well as working with people. Some of the store employees were expert quilters, and this further piqued my interest in the craft.

Barbara (right) with two of her sisters, Polly (left) and Julia

My sisters have been another source of inspiration; they have inspired me to join a quilt guild, enter quilt contests, publish patterns, and learn new techniques. We also get together once a year for a sewing retreat. As our little ones grew up they started to join us, and it has been a great opportunity for them to focus on sewing as well as on building relationships and interacting with their grandmother, aunts, and cousins. The retreat has become one of the highlights of my year. Throughout this book, you’ll find Life Lessons—simple, inspiring stories from some of these important people in my life.

Orca Bay & Sewing Retreat

2012-02-08T15:17:00.000-06:00

The mystery quilt, Orca Bay that Bonnie Hunter has designed has been a lot of fun for me. I followed along, lagging behind with each step and it seemed I just couldn't catch up. And I'm still not caught up. I need to finish cutting, piecing, and adding the borders yet. Hopefully it won't be long until I get it finished.

My sister Polly the Patchworker and I got to see each other's quilts in real life this past week during our annual Heatwole Sewing Retreat. It was so special to be together and compare our quilts side by side.

And now I want to share with you some of the quilts and highlights of the week.

Our dear Mother worked on 6 doll comfort tops made from velvet.

My name sake, Julia, came and visited and cut out quilt blocks. We enjoyed her dry sense of humor and cracked up laughing.

Her daughter Queena sat across the table from me. We have many fond childhood memories of being with their family. Queena made this traditional top using 1930's reproduction prints.

My niece, Rebecca started this Jan Krentz star last year. She wants to add Hunter's Stars around it and make it bed size.

Another project of my sister Coleen's was to make 2 reversible denim/flannel rag comforts in size large!

My sister Sheila was glad to get the borders on her red and green quilt.

Cheryl, my brother Oren's wife, sewed on this heart quilt ...

... and this string quilt.

Some of my projects included this crib quilt for our son Craig & Ang's baby, Tina Sue.

I also worked on making a quilt from Father's shirts sewing them into boxes, and a small printed picture, and then I sewed some of my Possum Town, Delta Mystery quilt blocks together.

My sister Emily made this buggy wall hanging for her mother in law.

She also created this improvisational quilt using a bandana with cows as a spring board.

My sister, June, worked on her velvet clam shell quilt.

All too soon the week was over and it was time to go home. Paul and I gave Coleen & Claire a lift to Georgia where Glen picked them up. They were so grateful for the ride, but waiting for 1 1/2 hours for Glen wasn't their cup of tea. They were asked "When will the garage sale start?" and then other people wondered if they could help them. I'm sure they were glad when Glen finally came.

The Nieces & Nephews Join Us In the Sewing Room

2012-02-07T09:27:00.002-06:00

Quite a few of my nieces and nephews were in and out for our week of sewing. Here Hope is starting to sew squares together.

Hope’s husband Ryan does some ironing for her.

Laying out the blocks for a baby quilt.

Hannah works on a velvet doll quilt that Grandmother pieced for her.

A happy Grandmother & granddaughter.

Javonne is making a quilt for Jermey.

Her smile says she’s pleased with the end results.

Jennifer weaves a small basket.

Autumn started a new quilt “Storm at Sea.”

She is graduating the colors for a non-traditional look.

Hope worked on sewing dresses, …

… four of them!

Jolene made this quilt with sweat shirts she has saved from working with the fire department.

Then she made a small throw using different fire department emblems.

Jillian decided to try a “Disappearing Nine Patch …

… for her daughter’s bed.

Claire Bleu …

… made this doll ….

… as a princess for a backpack for one of her nieces.

She also made 2 little purses and started a wall quilt of the world.

And don't forget to see other blog posts from our family.

Coleen

Polly

Barbara

and our nephew Josh's wife Hope

Sewing With My Mother & Sisters

2012-02-04T00:24:00.002-06:00

This has been a great week sewing with my Mother & sisters. Here Mother is making velvet squares for a doll quilt.

Her grandaughter Hannah is the lucky recipient of this one.

June is also working with velvets.

Coleen is making quilt blocks for her "Hidden Wells" quilt.

I am working with Father's shirts.

Sheila is showing three of our aunts the velvet comforter that she is working on.

She finished making the last block this evening.

Polly is making this red and white quilt for a wedding gift for her son Tim & Diana.

Emily marks the antique quilt top she found in Ohio.

She also made this modern quilt for her son Adam from a bandana square of cows.

Barbara is working on a quilt for her third quilt book.

This one has diamonds running through the honeycomb.

And Oren Jr's. wife Cheryl is working on a heart quilt.

Sewing Retreat

2012-01-29T23:16:00.003-06:00

My sister Emily found this postage stamp quilt treasure at an antique store in Ohio. She plans to repair a few spots and hand quilt it to finish it up.

Mother is the first to finish up a project. She made this reversible ragged edge lap quilt from some flannel she found at the thrift store.

This afternoon I was delighted to have a visit from some long time friends that I haven't seen for years. Grace Anna and I go way back to Bank Church and high school days.

Louise and I go back to preschool days when our parents took us to the Smokey Mountains. We grew up as childhood playmates in church and school.

Timmy & Diana watch my sister Polly working on their wedding quilt.

My sister Barbara doesn't know it, but her grandbaby Brighton is learning to whistle at an early age.

After church this morning we took the long way home and crossed over the slab at the Bank Church.

My sister Sheila is showing us a wonderful quilt that she started years ago. I hope she can get it finished this week. She is such a busy hostess and taking such good care of us. Thank you so much, Sheila.

Jacket, Wedding, & Sewing Retreat

2012-01-29T00:20:00.001-06:00

Remember a few weeks ago when Joel started sewing a jacket for Sheila? Here’s the happy model with the finished project.

This label graces the inside lining.

Today my nephew Benjamin & Melissa became husband & wife.

There was all the pink cotton candy that you could wish for with lots left over.

Our annual Heatwole Sewing Retreat has begun. Mother was the first one to start sewing.

Claire Bleu is making a cute backpack for a lucky niece.

And there is sure more to come.

Pharaoh's Tombs

2012-01-26T10:13:00.000-06:00

I am thrilled that my quilt "Pharaoh's Tombs" has been selected as a finalist in the NQM contest Baskets -- New Quilts from an Old Favorite. The 5 top winnners are pictured in the link and are marvelous quilts.

I love the challenge of this annual contest and used EQ7 in designing my baskets. Here are some of my potential basket deisgns.

I liked this fresh modern look of the Baskets in the Courthouse design, but my family didn't think it to be a winner.

And then some other EQ7 designs that I considered are

... Basket in Baskets ...

... Pineapple Basket ...

... Rows of Baskets ...

and then ... Blue Baskets ... which went on to become "Pharaoh's Tombs."

The name "Pharaoh's Tombs" came from my sister, Emily. She thought the baskets looked more like pyramids and suggested the name for my quilt.

This, That, and the Other

2012-01-22T20:57:00.002-06:00

“Gramma, will you please come out and play?”

Does Ashton like this marshmallow snowman?

Joel trying to surprise his sweetheart with a made from scratch jacket.

The sewing has begun. Hopefully we’ll see the finished project.

We are glad for meat in the freezer, summer sausage & deerburger.

Evie’s first deer.

Georgi and Ashton love story time with Gina.

It’s never too early to start planting corn.

Georgi shows off her new Christmas cap to Grandpa.

“Mama, look! When I press this button, the chocolate goes round and round!”

Laura is making herself a quilt. Stay tuned!

I was so glad for Sheila’s help. She ironed a bunch of Paul’s shirts for me.

Amy working with Creative Memories.

Little Tina and Grampa share a sweet moment.

Georgi cheers the pilots flying their planes and helicopters off the landing strip.

Design Wall, Quilts, Christmas with the Grabers

2012-01-16T07:15:00.001-06:00

This morning my design wall holds 3 projects. First on the left is 4 rows of my Orca Bay mystery quilt waiting to be completed. Next is a new project I'm working on for a challenge with my Possum Town Quilters. And the last project in the top right corner is a Tossed Nine-Patch that I'm helping Laura to make. We keep changing around the fabric on that one and can't decide what looks the best. We had a white with a little black print in place of the green but it got lost in with the larger squares. Any ideas out there?

To see other Monday Design Walls go to Judy's blog.

Paul's mom keeps surprising me with quilts. She did the hand embroidery work on this one many years ago when she worked the night shift at the hospital.

I love the lazy daisies and the goldenrod color she added for sashing and border. I'm so afraid she is going to have it all quilted before I have time to get up there to help her.

A nice visit with Grampa Graber.

Sweet little Kirby!

Making an impression!

Chloe & Jeff

Orca Bay, Georgi's Birthday, & Concrete

2012-01-08T17:14:00.002-06:00

My Orca Bay mystery quilt is still in the assembly stage. Bonnie has done a fantastic job in giving us step by step instructions for making this beautiful quilt.
To see more "Monday Design Walls" visit Judy.

I decided to swap around the light and dark Ohio Stars and also to replace the white stars with the black background with a blue center. Then I think it's important to make sure the blue strings are running diagonally toward the blue centered Ohio Stars. Does that make any sence?

Paul wanted to add on a lean-to to the shop to get some of the farming equipment in out of the weather. Last week they poured concrete with the "Three Muskateers" looking on.

Last evening we had in all the children and their families for a pizza supper. This little tiny Tina likes to be held.

Then we celebrated Georgi's 2nd birthday.

Flinging the wrapping to get to the present!

The boys just have to help out.

What a cute little sleeping bag stuffed inside a weiner dog for a pillow.

Thank You Gifts

2012-01-04T20:16:00.000-06:00

I was so happy to receive these hostess gifts over the holidays. Just look at that lovely fabric. I think it’s all Civil War reprints. Wonderful fat quarters to add to my collection. … And the beautiful candy dish is another favorite. It’s not hard to find sweets to fill it up.

My friends and family have blessed me abundantly. The note makes me smile and smile until my head spins.

This & That

2012-01-03T11:17:00.002-06:00

I’m still sewing away on my Orca Bay mystery quilt. I’m about to finish up the Ohio Stars. One thing I changed from the original directions was to make the black blocks with blue centers instead of red centers. Since the finished quilt has been revealed I thought maybe a blue center would help bring out a diagonal look a little more.

My sister Polly & I talked about swaping the dark Ohio Stars with the light Ohio Stars in the final layout. Can you see the difference it makes?

We had a lot of activity at our house over the holidays. The young people had fun singing around the piano & guitar.

Laura came to teach kindergarten for our church school. She is boarding with us and graces us with lovely music often.

My sister Coleen swinging with Ashton. “Put your right foot in, put your right foot out …. and shake it all about …”

I have thoroughly enjoyed watching these two friends develop a close relationship.

Two Katie Jo(s) at our house at one time. One a Schrock and the other a Clugston.

Jason & Karla Schrock, Katie Jo, & Lia along with Audrey & Krisi Dickerson.

Neil & Shelly Clugston with Katie Jo.

Amy & Ashton check out a deer that Paul shot.

Ashton helps Grampa fix his crib into a toddler bed.

Coleen & Claire Bleu

2011-12-29T15:16:00.000-06:00

When my sister Coleen and her daughter Claire Bleu had a ride to Mississippi they jumped at the chance to come for 2 days and sew with me.

Claire is making 2 dresses.

Coleen is working on a quilt, getting it ready for our sewing retreat in January.

Claire worked hard with my EQ7 program to get the placement of the value of the fabrics and width of the strips just the right size.

She helped pick out and fine tune the fabric palette.

These are the rejected fabrics.

Family Christmas & Orca Bay Mystery

2011-12-25T20:57:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had our family in for lunch. All our our grands were here.

We opened our gifts in the afternoon.

McDonalds was a great hit!

Even the adults enjoyed the children's play toys!

Aunt Evie holds teeny, tiny, Tina for the first time.

Here's Paul showing my wonderfully whimsical quilt from Laura Wasiloski. If you haven't read the story behind this quilt you may do so here.

We fixed pizza for supper and had Angie's family, the Greg Martins join us.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orca Bay

I got a few more stringed triangles done on my Orca Bay Mystery Quilt. After trying out 2 different techniques of sewing the strings I resorted back to Bonnie's telephone book pages for foundations. It's working great for me. I also got my 56 red squares cut out for the centers of the Ohio Stars. Maybe this week I'll have more time to sew!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T22:51:00.000-06:00

1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. --Matthew 2:1-2

We want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the birth of the one true Lord, Jesus Christ.

Dustin & Gina and Sunset

2011-12-23T21:58:00.000-06:00

Dustin came home from Northern Youth Programs in Ontario, Canada yesterday. He met his girlfriend, Gina from New York, in Atlanta and they flew the last leg of their flights here together. We're so glad to finally meet her in person and learn to know her better.

It is my week to clean the church house and they were great help.

The other evening we had a most beautiful sunset.

I think it was the prettiest I have ever seen.

I'm not good at photography so I kept changing the settings on my camera and just snapped lots of pictures in the 'folige,' 'kids & pets,' 'underwater,' or 'beach' settings. I don't know. I just picked the best ones to post here.

Housing Department #20 and Orca Bay

2011-12-20T10:30:00.000-06:00

Just look at this wonderful little quilt made by Laura Wasilowski. It is her Housing Department #20 which now belongs to me. How did this all happen? You see, last evening I was rummaging through the mud room trying to find some cardbord and padding for a Christmas gift I was wrapping. There, among the used envelopes and boxes I found this flat padded bag with Paul's name on it. It was stapled shut and I wondered what could this be? So I opened it. (Whatever belongs to me belongs to Paul and whatever belongs to Paul belongs to me. So you see, I had every right to open that bag!) And, oh my, I was so startled and delighted and happy. I couldn't figure out how such a lovely little quilt would have gotten into my piles of discarded envelopes and bubble wrap. And here it was signed by Laura especially to me.

I ask Paul about it but he didn't know anything and thought it was some sort of poster I was so excited about. He couldn't figure out why I was so happy. So I thought I need to blog about this and see if anyone knows what it's all about. Then Paul thought maybe it was some sort of mistake and I should wait a while. So I ended up calling my sister, Polly. She couldn't talk long and at first she tried to fake innocense, but then she finally said that she and Barbara had made arrangements with Paul way back in July while we were at the AQS Quilt Show in Knoxville to purchase the quilt for me as a gift for Christmas from Paul. They somehow got the quilt to Paul and he stuck it in the mud room where I'd never find it and then he promptly forgot about it.

Then when I told him all that Polly said, he kinda stared and jumped and caught his breath. It all came back to him. We laughed and laughed and now I smile and smile that I have a lovely little quilt from him from Laura.

My Orca Bay mystery quilt is getting pushed aside way too much. I'm still lagging behind and haven't even finished step 4 and we already have the directions for step 5. I decided to try sewing strips together and then cut out a 3.5" strip horozontal from those strips. Then I'll cut my triangles from that strip.

Welcome Tina

2011-12-18T15:39:00.000-06:00

Paul and I are grandparents again.

This time to, Tina Sue, born to our youngest son, Craig & Ang.

We took lunch to them after church today soon after they arrived home. And I got to hold her again.

Julian & Jodie left yesterday morning. I was glad that we got her "Disappearing Nine-Patch" quilt finished. She was so tickled and now I think her friends are quite envious.

Recently I found an older quilt top in a local antique store. I didn't purchase it right away because I just wasn't sure that I wanted to quilt it. After I got home and thought on it a while, I decided that I really should go back and inspect that quilt top and really see if it would be worth the time and effort to quilt. So I did. After considering that it was hand stitched and in very nice shape and only cost $27.50 with a 10% discount, I purchased it. Now that I have it home, I feel like I really found a treasure. Unfortunately I don't have any history of who made it or how old it is. If anyone can help me on dating it, I'd be so grateful. I put it in the quilt frame yesterday so as to have some had quilting available for over the holidays and this winter.

Guests, Quilts, "Christmas Comes Alive"

2011-12-15T11:13:00.000-06:00

My nephew Julian and his wife Jodie are here for a week.

He is helping with concrete work for a local farmer. We are also keeping Tony, another fellow that is helping with the job.

While the men are off working during the day, I have been helping Jodie make a quilt.

We used the "Disappearing Nine Patch" pattern which is turning out marvelous. She is doing a great job!

My Orca Bay Mystery Quilt is coming along very slow. I've only made 14 of the 128 triangles.

But now that I have found Solvi's way to make the units I think I'll be able to tackle it much faster. So, you see, there is a benefit in not trying to be the first one finished.

The other evening our whole family with Paul's folks went to Gordo, AL to see "Christmas Comes Alive." We waited in the church's auditorium until it was our turn to get on the wagons.

It was a chilly evening and we were glad to be bundled up warm.

The first scene was Isaiah giving the prophesy of Jesus birth.

Then there were the shepherds, the inn, the angles, the wise men, and then we were ushered to the barn where we found Mary, Joseph, & baby Jesus. We sat on hay bales and listened to the Christmas Story read from the New Testament and heard a few carols and ...

... enjoyed the Nativity Scene.

They didn't stop with Jesus birth but went on to tell about his ministry, ascension, and His coming return with emphasis on salvation through Jesus. "Come unto me all ye that labour and are are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." --Matthew 11:27

Then we were served hot chocolate and cookies in the church basement. It was a lovely evening.

String Quilt & Ashton's Birthday

2011-12-14T10:24:00.000-06:00

Another quilt in the making. Strings of blue and peachy/orange/rust.

The foundations to sew the strings to.

Which way is best? Peach block with blue border ...

... or blue box with peach border?

Ashton recently turned 3. What a great way to celebrate with cousins.

And what can be in this big box?

Darryl helped put the prized wheelboro together.

Vicki's Quilt

2011-12-10T07:15:00.000-06:00

When Paul's niece, Vicki was just a little girl she used fabric paint sticks to color fabric blocks.

Her mom put the blocks together and made a quilt that they used for many years.

And then one day the dog got a hold of it and made a hole in it. It had a gathered bed skirt which they took off, and now Vicki wants to bind it off and preserve it.

Sewing & Cleaning With the Youth

2011-12-04T15:29:00.000-06:00

Yesterday the youth girls came for a day of sewing.

In the afternoon the boys came to wash off one of CAM’s bunk trailers.'

Some of the girls took a break from sewing and washed & scrubbed the inside clean.

We fixed pizza & salad for supper.

It’s amazing how fast some of the girls can sew up a dress.

After supper we had a fun evening of games.

String Blocks & Three Boys

2011-12-02T00:03:00.000-06:00

I finished Step 2 of Bonnie Hunter's Orca Bay Mystery Quilt before midnight. Now I'm ready for Step 3 when morning comes!

Other activities of the day included these three boys and a fire engine!

Orca Bay Continues

2011-11-29T15:42:00.000-06:00

I'm slowly working on my Orca Bay Myster Quilt by Bonnie Hunter. I finally have 224 oversized hour glass blocks pieced, but I have yet to trim them down to 2.5" square.

In the mean time at our Graber Reunion I helped put the finishing stitches into Heidi's quilt.

I love, love, love this "fresh modern quilt" ... and the little girl in front of it!

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing Orca Bay

2011-11-25T10:56:00.000-06:00

I have started making 224 quarter square triangles, or hour glasses as some may say, for the Orca Bay Mystery Quilt by Bonnie Hunter. I have half square triangles made but need to make them into quarter square triangles yet.

And I'm still debating on my fabric choices. You can see from my last post that I've already changed out my cream colored fabric for a cleaner look of white with a little black.

Now, I'm debating on changing the blue also. I have some blue old fashion strips already cut, but I'm not sure about adding the blue fabric with the bits of yellow. I don't mind the blue having red in it but the yellow is adding another color to the quilt. Decisions, decisions. What shall I do?

So Many Quilts to Make

2011-11-22T17:41:00.000-06:00

There are so many quilts that I want to make. There is so much inspiration and so many ideas out there that I'll never get them all made. But I'm working at as many as I can while I can.

This Mystery Quilt, Orca Bay is from Bonnie Hunter. She uses lots of scrap fabric and makes marvelous quilts. She also cuts the fabric into very small pieces. I'm hoping I don't bog down on this mystery. I'm already behind. While others have already made 224 hour glass units at 2.5" square, I'm only just gathering my fabric for a picture.

And then this next set of fabric is for a quilt or two from Father's shirts. I'm cutting out the seams and saving fabric from the collars and cuffs. Polly cut the shirts in half so we each have the same fabric to work with.

I have fond memories of father wearing a lot of these shirts. And then I'm getting glimpses of Mother's care for Father by altering the shirts to fit him. His arms were so short and she had to take the sleeves off at the shoulder and cut off an inch or two and then sew them back on again. And then I found seams where she had sewed in the seam under the arm. I have 2 patterns in mind to make with these treasures.

PTQ's Show & Tell

2011-11-20T15:22:00.000-06:00

I enjoy our Possum Town Quilter's 'Show & Tell.' We have a creative group of ladies that get inspiration from each other.

Judy shows how she carried designs of the blocks out into the border to complete her top.

Gwen's quilt was machine quilted by Watana.

As a result from our Karen Combs workshop, Lawana made this quit ...

... and Mary Ann made this quilt.

Linda shows a color wheeel made by her grandaughter and given to her.

Coleen shows a quilt she quilted for a customer.

Watana made this quilt for a University of Alabama fan.

Union Station

2011-11-15T10:09:00.000-06:00

Last night I sewed the border on to the "Union Station" comfort top. I'm hoping that our Sewing Circle will tie it and then pass it along to charity. Sewing the blocks together was not for the faint of heart. There were way too many 'partial' seams to make it fun. And then too, I was dissappointed that it didn't look more like the picture from which I got my inspiration. Is it that my gray is too light or should my colors be brighter? Check out the difference here. Would quilting it with a dark gray thread help?

A New Quilt Project

2011-11-12T07:39:00.000-06:00

I've been collecting fabric from different people and places down through the years. Usually it's material that they want to get rid of to clean out their houses and closets. Yesterday Linda D. brought me 2 boxes of fabric. I found a couple pieces in there that inspired me to go ahead and cut out a quilt that I've admired for quite a while. I added some pieces from my closet to complete the palette.

A simple quilt. Easy to cut out ...

...but it may be a little tricky to sew together. It's going to take some 'partial seams' to make it work.

Scrappy Quilt

2011-11-10T08:53:00.000-06:00

How can we make a pretty quilt from this ...

... and this?

Evie came over and helped place the scrappy squares on my design wall and sew this quilt together.

While we sewed, the boys played in the living room.

Later, Evie added an airstrip and hanger to the roads.

A Plate of Pineapples

2011-10-30T14:26:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Amy over at Amy's Creative Side for hosting another fine Blogger's Quilt Festival. Here's my entry.

My quilt was made for a challenge using the "Dresden Plate" block as the jumping off point. I first pieced "Pineapple" blocks and sewed 3 of them together in a row. From those blocks I cut out a blade from the Dresden Plate. Then I sewed the blades together and finally applique'd the "plate" to the background.

Combing Through Your Scraps

2011-10-12T07:39:00.000-05:00

Pre-cutting for a Karen Combs workshop.

Wise Old Owl

2011-09-30T02:03:00.000-05:00

A wise old owl lived in an oak
The more he saw the less he spoke
The less he spoke the more he heard.
Why can't we all be like that wise old bird?

I made this quilt block for our PTQ's "Birds At Home" challenge.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer.
--Psalm 19:14

Slow Going

2011-09-23T14:46:00.000-05:00

Little by little, piece by piece, strip by strip, and section by section I am slowly getting this quilt put together.

Mother & Emily

2011-08-15T12:05:00.000-05:00

Mother made an amazing 100 squares of velvet for me while she was here to visit.

The fabric is not just velvet alone, but anything that shimmers & glistens, brocades, or something that pleased my eye. Thank you so much, Mother. And thank you to each of you for your choice of setting the squares. We chose the zig zag effect in the diagonal setting. I appreciate each of your thoughts and input in this matter.

Mother was a trooper while she was here. Some days I had to work and she just loved staying here , relaxing, reading, and sewing in the quiet of the day.

My Mother & I!

And then it was time for her to go home. We met my sister, Emily and shopped at a quilt shop in Ackerman and then zeroed in on the thrift stores along the way home. Emily has been bit by the "quilting bug" and it's great fun watching her put together fabrics. I love her taste. We decided to use a few of the same fabrics and each make something and not let the other see our end product until we both have them finished.

It's been a great week!

Mother & Emily Visit

2011-08-08T15:49:00.000-05:00

Emily brought Mother down to Mississippi from Virginia last Friday. Amy, Ashton and I meet them in Corinth for suppper ...

... and for the night.

We also did some Thrift Store shopping and then stopped at fabric stores and a place called The Quilt Shop Gallery just east of Booneville, MS. Here's Emily with her purchases.

Mr. Claud was a friendly man who used a carpenters square and pencil and then Ginger scissors to cut our fabric. He scoffed at using a rotary cutter and mat. His shop was full and overflowing with quilts and fabric ...

... and depression glass.

Today, Mother is sewing velvet squares for me to make a small throw.

State Fair Sampler ...

2011-08-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

... made by Possum Town Quilters.

Our Possum Town Quilters have some of our quilts on exhibit at the Rosenzweig Art Center in Columbus, MS for the month of August. You are invited to come and view the quilts during their hours, Tue. - Saturday 9:00 - 5:00. Closed Sunday and Monday.

You are also invited to the opening reception on Thursday, Aug. 4 from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. It's free and open to the public.

Come and bring your friends.

More of the Knoxville Quilt Show

2011-07-23T18:01:00.000-05:00

I enjoyed a class with Laura W. ...

... and started this small quilt of a pineapple in the folk art style.

That iron in the top right corner is my badge for graduating from the "Chicago School of Fusing." Our slogan in that class was "Press On!"

I also had a class on machine quilting with Teri L. She does lovely fine work.

Coleen & Claire Bleu joined us later in the week.

Karen K. Stone's quilts have attracated me with all the bright and bold colors. Polly had a class with her.

Karen also had a lecture and let us see her quilts up close, touch them, and take pictures of them. They were a feast for the eyes.

At our "Three Mennonite Quilting Sister's" brunch, we met another family with 7 girls and 1 boy. Here, three of the girls pose with Mother and 5 of her 7 daughters.

After the show I went with Coleen & Claire Bleu to Georgia. Claire has the neatest decorated room.

I felt so blessed that she purchased my "From New York to California" to display on her wall.

AQS Quilt Show in Knoxville

2011-07-21T00:52:00.000-05:00

I met Mother, June, Polly, & Barbara for a fun week together. Here we had supper at the Trio on Market Square.

Polly watches me as I shoot the yellow & green umbrellas.

I loved visiting the Sunsphere from the 1982 World's Fair.

There was a great view of Knoxville from the top, with lots of information and history

Autumn Understands & Is Grateful

2011-07-10T14:53:00.001-05:00

After Autumn got over her shock I tried to explain just how her quilt would look if we left it as it was.

I'm not sure why I couldn't visualize this until after she left last Monday. But, duh. It finally soaked into my brain that this just isn't what we want. I called her dear Mom, Barbara to see what we should do, and that's when we decided to pick it all apart.

Now, yesterday Autumn & I sewed all the blocks back together adding the black in a checkerboard fashion.

Then I used my homemade "Twister" template and cut out each block individually.

Autumn sewed them together and laid them out in rows.

And now, TA DA, she has a much lovelier quilt top.

We were tired but happy when it was finished.

And if you think that's not enough, Autumn is making this quilt to give away to one of her best friends! She is so kind and generous!

Autumn Returns

2011-07-04T09:19:00.000-05:00

First we laid out all the blocks.

Then I helped ...

... her sew them together.

Autumn is so fun and it's such a delight to have her around.

Mystery Quilt

2011-07-01T10:56:00.000-05:00

I'm gradually making headway on my "Mystery Quilt."

4th Quilt in a Series

2011-06-26T17:12:00.000-05:00

I've finished my 4th quilt in the series, "What Mean These Stones IV."

To see the other 3 quilts, click here.

Autumn Makes the Twister Quilt

2011-06-23T08:01:00.000-05:00

My niece Autumn was here this past weekend. I helped her start making the "Twister" quilt for one of her friends.

I'm looking forward to her return next weekend to continue with the project.

Mystery Quilt ... continued

2011-05-31T12:18:00.000-05:00

After sewing many "Flying Geese" units together I finally get to add them to a center square.

Half Square Triangles

2011-05-30T07:56:00.000-05:00

I've been working the last while with half square triangles.

This is a "Mystery Quilt" so I'm just having to guess at what it's going to look like.

"What Mean These Stones?"

2011-05-25T15:46:00.000-05:00

I read that if you want to work in a series you should have at least 3 works in the series. So I made a 3rd quilt using the Silly BooDilly's Non-Pattern Pattern. And thanks to each of you for your input on giving them a name. Here they are starting with my most recent.

"What Mean These Stones?" III

"What Mean These Stones?" II

"What Mean These Stones?" I

PTQ Meeting for May

2011-05-23T08:12:00.000-05:00

Here are some quilts that were shown yesterday at our PTQ meeting. This "Roll, Roll, Cotton Boll" was made by Brenda.
Annette made this beautiful "Stack N Whack" with just 2 different fabrics.

JoAnne said this was the first quilt that she made. She's trying to negotiate with her daughter to get it back!

Watana made this bright happy quilt using the "Broken Star" block pattern

Unnamed I & II

2011-05-17T10:36:00.000-05:00

Amy over at Amy's Creative Side is hosting another Spring Quilt Festival. Here's my Unnamed contribution.

I've been following a blog by Silly BooDilly and I enjoyed her "Non-Pattern" Pattern: A Creative Exercise in Quilt Construction where I got the inspiration to try making something artsy. Now I need a name for the two pieces. They are small, around 18" wide. What are your suggestions?