Applique

I've finished the big project I've been working on.  Well, at least I've finished the appliqué.  The quilter has it now and will be studying it for a while.  It will be making it's debut at the 2016 Green Country Quilters' Guild Show in June in Tulsa, Oklahoma. So here's another little sneak peek. 

Back again!

I can't believe how long it has been since I've blogged.  I really want to blog, but something seems to get in the way every day.

Since I last wrote anything, summer has come and gone.  

Tim and I took a wonderful, long trip (5700 miles by mini van) for our 40th wedding anniversary.  Our daughter (photographer extraordinaire) took this picture of us.

We visited 3 states I had never been to before: Nebraska, Washington and Oregon.  And also had fun in others we had both visited before:  Wyoming, Idaho, Nevada, California, Utah, Colorado, Kansas.

We kissed on the beach in Washington

Stood in the rain on the beach in Oregon

And picnicked on the beach in California

We visited at least 10 quilt shops and had just as many geology lessons!  It all evened out.  It's what marriage is all about.....a little give and take, right?

We visited "Craters of the Moon" in Idaho and Mt. Ranier in Washington. Also, saw the Redwood Forests.    And one of the highlights (especially for me) was to see my Red Dresden quilt hanging in the ”Quilt, Knit, Stitch" show in Portland,Oregon.  Yes, it's still traveling.  I won't get it back until December 2016 so it was fun to see it in another major show.  Our friends John and Cindy met us there and then we went back to their house in Reno where Cindy and I visited 4 or 5 quilt shops and dug through her fabric stash for a few days!  And boy, does she have a stash!!!!

I have about a thousand pictures but obviously can't post them here.  We had an amazing time that I will cherish for the rest of our lives.  And while I'm on the subject of the rest of our lives......

I'm sitting in the hospital where Tim was to have a "routine" outpatient surgery yesterday.  While being put under general anesthesia his heart stopped for 2-3 minutes and he had to have drugs and CPR to be brought back.  Folks, don't wait too late to know your destination!  God is waiting for you to seek him!  My true love was ready to go and knows Jesus in a personal way, but I was not ready to let go of him, even after 40 years!  God must have more for us to do together.  Tim is doing fine and is being tested for heart issues.  The cardio doc thinks his heart is fine and this was just a fluke and something called "vasovagal response".  It's the same thing that causes people to faint except that it's unusual for the heart to complety stop.   I'm looking forward to more time with this guy and will certainly look at life a lot differently from now on.  I'm writing a blog.....not planning a funeral!  Thank you, Lord!

Quilt Show

About a month ago I had the privilege of entering some of my quilts in a show in Caledonia, MO.  Caledonia is where I grew up.  We happened to have planned a trip to Missouri to work on cleaning out my husband's folks' house (not a fun or happy job).  My sister had told me about the upcoming quilt show and I planned to go.  A couple of days before we left she informed me that it was not too late to enter quilts and encouraged me to do so.

SO.......I entered 3 quilts plus one of our mom's (in the vintage quilt category).  My sister also entered her first quilt.  All three of us in a show!  How exciting!  This would have thrilled our mom!

Caledonia is a tiny town and I DO mean tiny!  Less than 150 people.  A couple of ladies put the show together in a couple of months.  Proceeds were to go to help with repairs to the oldest Presbyterian Church west of the Missisisppi and it happens to be in Caledonia.  The local bank donated a $300 cash award for the Best of Show which would be voted on by the attendees.

And guess what?!?!?  I WON!!!!  I won Best of Show plus blue ribbons on the three quilts.  Sister won a third place ribbon on hers!

Aren't the ribbons lovely?

Here is Greta with her quilt.

And mine:

My neice, Lora Beth, me  and my sister Greta.

This is Greta and her friends from work plus her daughter.  They're all learning to quilt.  Later that afternoon, I showed them how to put a binding on and then we had a little class on quilt labeling.  We had so much fun!

And here's my mom's quilt.  Here's the story:  when Mom was 4 she would go to the church quilting bee with her mom and grandma.  She was the only kid there so the ladies taught her to hand piece.  She made the blocks and on her 5th birthday (which was also her grandma's birthday) the ladies put the blocks together and quilted it.  That was on March 9, 1938.

The show was well attended and I think everyone had a great time!

Round Robin

The last rounds have been added to the quilt top my stitch group is doing for a veteran's home.  Six of us worked on it. It's done now and ready to be quilted.  I think it turned out very well!

Calista had a birthday

My oldest baby had a birthday this week.  I've been wanting to make this pin cushion for a while and since she likes sheep (she spins her own yarn from sheep's wool) I thought this would be a good present.

He has a bit of a long face which reminds me of a joke......

A horse walks into a bar.  The bartender says "why the long face?"   Hahahahahahaha!

Anyway, Calista did not have a long face when I gave it to her.  She loved it!

Wacky birds

Anyone ever heard of a "Blue Footed Booby"?

Apparently it is a bird that lives in the Galápagos Islands. Here's my version......

 He's one of many birds appliquéd on my quilt, "The Three W's.....Wonky Vases, Wacky Birds, and wild Flowers"

Stay tuned for more.

Round Robin

Here's the next round on the Round Robin my stitch group is making.  My friend Leslie added the gold skinny border and the last blue border with the word "Liberty".  I'm liking it!

Kansas City and Hamilton! MO

This past week I got to take a little trip to Kansas City, MO to deliver quilts to friends.

(Is it ok to have feet on the SIDE of square quilts?)

The quilts were made for the daughters of my dear friend Dee who passed away last November.  The family was our first friends when we moved to Houston back in 1988 and we've remained close all these years.  I thought Texas themed quilts would be appropriate to remind the girls of their mom and our former home in Texas.

Both girls live in Kansas City now.  Here they are with their quilts,

While there, my dear husband suggested we go on to Hamilton! MO, home of Missoiri Star Quilt Company.  

I might have fed my craving for fabric.  Just a little.

Then, we visited the World War I Museum in Kansas City.  My grandfather fought in the trenches in France and the museum really brought that to the forefront of my thinking.  Freedom is not free!  Grandpa never talked about it but now I think I understand why he was so quiet. The museum is well worth the trip.

Springtime in OK

Even though most people think that Okalhoma is a wild place with dust blowing everywhere and a tornado at least every other day, it truly is a beautiful place to live.  At least it is here in the Northeastern part of the state known as "Green Country".  This spring has been especially green because we're getting "normal" rainfall after three or four years of very low rainfall.  In fact, last week we got 7 inches of rain!  That's more than we've had all summer long in some recent years.

Peonies that I dug up from my mom's yard several years ago.

Creeping Phlox and a very cute little Easter Bunny!

The double peonies which just finished blooming.  The smell is heavenly!

Irises in my mom's front yard in MO.  My niece was sweet and sent me this picture for Mother's Day.  I have starts of these flowers but mine didn't bloom much this year.

One of my mom's violets.  This is the first time it has bloomed since she passed away in 2009.

By now you've probably guessed that my favorite flowers are the pink/purple ones.  Strange, because my favorite color is red.

Well, it's raining again.  Hopefully, there will be no tornadoes.  I've never seen one and I don't want to start now!

Easter 2015

I haven't done a lot of sewing this week....a little bit of hand appliqué and my turn with a round robin my stitch group is doing.   The light blue and yellow was the first round and I added the rest.

I attended the funeral of a dear friend and a member of my stitch group.  I've known her since 2001.  A huge loss for us, but heaven's gain.  Can't you just see the love and joy she brought us?

Coleen loved birthday parties, especially hers!  

As I go to bed tonight, I look forward to celebrating my risen Lord!  I love Easter and all that it means!  I'll leave you with a little glimpse of the past.  Easter 1959.  I loved it then I love it now!

Quilt Festival Chicago II

I spotted my quilt on the International Quilt Festival Facebook page.

This time it's hanging up high, right in the middle of the picture behind the dark quilt.  So at least I know where it is!

Quilt Festival Chicago

When my quilt "Red Dresden" was accepted to be a part of the Ruby Jubilee 40th Anniversary Exhibit at the  International Quilt Festival in Houston last fall they asked permission for it to travel to three other shows in 2015.  The Chicago show is the first.  If anyone goes, please take a picture and send it to me.

And now the red and white exhibit is so popular there have been multiple requests to have it shown at other shows and museums.  So guess what?!  My quilt will continue traveling throughout 2016.  If I don't get to go to any of the shows where it will be shown I won't see it again until December 2016.  Scary, uh?  But also very exciting!

Here's the display in Houston last fall.

Finished the top

I finished this quilt top tonight.  I started the baskets in a Gwen Marsten class back last June when she was the guest artist at the Green Country Quilters' Guild show.  I made three baskets in the class.  I had forgotten how much fun they were.

                                                                    

Snow Day

Ever since I was a little girl I have loved snow days!  The best part is waking up to the absolute silence. No cars, no noise just the silence of a cold, snowy morning.  Even though I now longer look forward to school being canceled, I still like to "do what I want to do" on a snow day.  And what I like to do is sew!   And eat.  So I made chocolate chip cookies, chicken noodle soup and I sewed.  And ate.  

I've been working on these baskets.

And I added some other blocks.

Today I got 4 of the rows put together.  Because the basket blocks are all random sizes I had to do a bit of thinking to get all the rows to come out the same width.  I threw in a few "fillers".  Maybe tomorrow I'll get it finished and have a picture to show.

Happy Valentine's Day

I've probably posted a picture of my heart quilt every Valentine's Day since I started  blogging.  But this is the first time I've pictured it with the beautiful hand cranked sewing machine my husband got me for Christmas.  Ain't she pretty?!

Birthday Boy

We recently  celebrated my son's 30th birthday.  He's my youngest kid so that must mean I'm getting old.

When Aaron was about 3 years old he was sick.  Hubby and I had taken turns being up at night with him.  It was hubby's turn and he happened to have 6 hours of The Three Stooges recorded on VHS tape.  Men and boys think The Stooges are really funny.  Hubby put in the tape and Aaron loved it so hubby went to bed assuming Aaron would eventually fall asleep on the couch.  WRONG!  When hubby got up to leave for work 5 plus hours later,  Aaron was still awake watching The Stooges.  We think it might have affected his future.  Nevertheless, knowing how much men enjoy The Stooges and now recogniIng that my son is indeed a man, I made him a Three Stooges quilt for his birthday.  It also has guitars on it because Aaron plays.  Although he never plays for us even though we DID pay for a lot of lessons!  (Mother lays on the guilt).

I put Minky on the back of this quilt and did he ever love it!  So soft!

In conclusion, I'm very proud of the man my son has become.