Celtic Solstice Quilt

I feel like I am lagging behind and being left set in the dust. I really wanted to join Bonnie Hunter’s Mystery Quilt, Celtic Solstice but felt like I had other quilts that need finishing, like my Orca Bay that only lacks the border. My sister Polly and some of her friends and a few of my Possum Town Quilter friends are joining in and I hated to be left out. Do you call it “peer pressure?” So, here I am just now choosing my fabric.

I know this is a mystery and none of us know how it’s going to turn out, but given the clues that we have; do you think this color palette will work? This is how I’m figuring my color changes.

Neutrals = White with a little Black

Yellow/Gold = Light/Medium Celery Green

Orange = Dark Purple/Violet

Green = Light Lavender/Violet

Blue = Black

Will it work????

Thanksgiving Day and Wonky Quilts

I was thankful for Afton and Keyona’s help in peeling potatoes for mashed potatoes for our Thanksgiving lunch.

Mother enjoys a moment with her great grandson Teryn Ray.

Quinten smoked a turkey for our lunch. Evie made gravy and carved the turkey.

After lunch I pulled out a gingerbread house for the grandchildren to help decorate.

Evie did a wonderful job squeezing the icing, letting the children place the candy on the house, and keeping order.

I think I like Dr. Seuss’ books as much as the children. And I’m always glad “that the Grinch’s small heart grew three sizes that day!”

Afton is basting her quilt getting it ready for the machine quilting.

She bundled up for an airplane ride and then had some waiting time so she diligently kept on quilting.

Keyona getting her quilt basted.

Mother’s hexagons are making beautiful flowers. Just look how nice and flat they lay.

All finished except hand stitching the binding to the back.

And June did a lot of that hand stitching.

Keyona’s “Wonky Squares” in purple.

Afton’s “Wonky Squares” in pink.

Grandmother and “Grandmother’s Flowers”

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.

36th Wedding Anniversary and WIP – Sailboat III

Life …

Amy and Ashton took …

… Paul and me to Longhorn Steak House for our 36th wedding anniversary.

… as a Quilter

I started my third Sailboat quilt by sending my fabric through the printer and printing it in color. Then I ironed it to heat set the ink. I didn’t have any Bubble Jet Heat Set, so I just washed it anyway, and the blue faded away into the water. So now my challenge is to put color back into the piece using fabric and thread.

Here I’ve added some fabric and I think I’m ready now to add more color with thread.

Congratulations to the winner,  #43, of my 4 yards of fabric in my giveaway. Siouxzq64 said “I like Tweet the little goldfinch looks just like the ones which hop around my lilacs during the summer.”

Design Wall Monday

I just received my quilt “Pharaoh’s Tombs” back from The National Quilt Museum. It had been traveling with them for 2 years. Now I’ve pinned it to my design wall to enjoy it again for a while. You can read more about how this quilt came to be by clicking HERE.

Check out other design walls at

Patchwork Times.