Mississippi License Plate – Go Mississippi II

This is my 2nd Mississippi license plate quilt.

Remember how I said I want to simplify, yes, simply the first one?

The biggest noticeable difference is two pine trees instead of four.

And this time I used the American Made Brand cotton fabric.

The AMB blog tour will start Monday, May 19. I hope you will follow along and visit two states a day. My day will be May 30 along with Indiana. You will have to wait until then to see my “real” Mississippi tag block for AMB. You can see the schedule HERE.

But for now, here is how I made

Go Mississippi II.

I paper pieced the pines.

I added the blank center fabric and …

… and the strips of water at the bottom.

I resized and printed out the “Mississippi” logo and then traced around the letters onto the fabric with a textile marker. (And yes, I’m left handed.)

For the magnolia flower, I drew, cut out, and fused the petals and leaves together …

… and ironed them to the background.

Then I outlined the flower with a permanent craft pen.

Next I layered the top, batting, and back and began quilting. I left the background behind the letters unquilted because I was undecided how to make it look good.

After working with a sample, I decided to quilt right through the letters and then use my textile marker to blacken the thread over the letters.

Now it’s all finished!

Go Mississippi II – $60

Detail

Dimensions: 12 1/4” X 6 1/4”
Material: AMB cotton solids, King Tut cotton, Rainbows, and other thread, unknown batting and backing
Finished with “Fast Finished Triangles” and is ready for hanging.

The back

And you have until 5:00 p.m. PST, May 16, 2014 to enter my fabric giveaway HERE.


  

  

Thanksgiving Guests, Keyona and Afton Quilt

Life …

My sister June and Jim brought two of their grandchildren and Mother to Mississippi to visit us over the Thanksgiving holidays.

We took them out to Bogue Chitto Cotton Gin for a tour. Paul shows them a hand full of cotton seeds.

Keyona and Afton watch the cotton bales being wrapped for shipment.

This is our group watching the loud machines strip the cotton from the seeds. Actually there are saw blades that pick the seeds from the lint.

… as a Quilter

Keyona and Afton are trying to pick some fabric to make a small quilt.

We decided on making “wonky” squares like Gina, Carolyn, and Dana to make it easy. I set up my trusty old Bernina 1130 in my SewEasy table for Keyona.

Afton used Amy’s trusty Bernina 1260 set up on Paul’s desk.

June sat at my desk doing beautiful hand work with silk ribbon and thread on her black velvet diamonds.

Mother sat back in the corner hand stitching her hexies together, a project that Polly helped get started for her. She loves it and her points are coming out very precise and the flowers lay nice and flat.

Ashton had his own ideas about making quilt blocks and used my trusty Bernina 170 to make his creation.

My job was to cut the strips for the girls, guide them in their sewing, watch out for Ashton and do whatever else that needed to be done.

Farming, Guests, and Only a Lily

Life …

I pulled the bean header again, this time 30 miles. Quinten and Gabriel got a head start going down the road in the combines …

… but I caught up with them and followed them the rest of the way to Pickensville, AL.

Another day, Quinten needed a ride to the Oswalt Farm so I obliged him. He greased up the equipment …

… before starting his day of field cultivating.

Saturday, Miguel came to help set up the playground swings in the pines in the back yard.

He brought his sister Christine along and …

… they stayed for our pizza supper.

Teryn is growing so fast, it seems.

Paul enjoyed a little holding time.

Picking cotton and hauling it away kept Kirby and Ashton busy.

… as a Quilter

I was bequeathed all this fabric and blocks from Veronica from some unknown quilter in the parking lot at Joann's.

My “lily” quilt had lots of wobbly ripples in it when I got through quilting it.

But, don't worry! I blocked it and poured lots of water on it and it dried nice and smooth and flat.

It is finished, all the way down to the label and the hanging sleeve on the back.  I’m calling it “Only a Lily.”