Oh My Goodness

Here we are at the end of another month. I must have napped too much because I don't know where the time went. But my waking hours were enjoyable! The picture today is a challenge piece for the Small Quilts Talk group. Name of the block is "anvil" and when I first saw it I didn't really care for it - but after a couple of blocks I enjoyed making it.

Between loads of laundry this morning, I sewed labels onto some of my quilts and others were labeled by writing my name and the year they were made on them. I wish I'd have done this to all the quilts I've made and given away. The labels I sewed on were made by embroidering my name and year with my sewing machine! Pictures below - click on them to enlarge to see the labels better.

We will have a quiet long weekend. Mark is off to party on a houseboat on the Ohio River. I'm not sure what Nate & Deanie are doing - probably a long bike ride. J.D.'s classes begin on Monday and he's in Bloomington - ready to study Tracy called last night and said she's evacuating to Hattiesburg for the long weekend. The storm is going to be just too close to them. Haven't heard anything from the Wisconsin delegates in a while - school starts there next Tuesday, too.

Tia & Tori, Darcy's daughters will be visiting in the area this weekend. Hope they manage a visit with us. Will take pictures if they do.

Wishing everyone a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend. . . . till next time.

Lovely "fallish" weather today - we had soup for lunch and I'm sitting here with a light weight sweater thrown over my shoulders! Can you tell I'm not a hot weather person?

It's been a quiet and uneventful week for us - not hard to handle at all. So of course I "holed up" in the sewing room and stitched away. I love leaves and after paging through magazines and books found a truly scrappy, anything goes picture of a quilt. I dug in my shopping bag which has baggies of different blocks in different sizes, and found some 6" leaf blocks. So I made about 75 more and am ready to set them together. The picture is one of the "unusual" fabrics I found and put into blocks.

This will really be a quilt of many colors!

The rest of the pictures are of the two antique quilts a friend of mine bought while she traveled the New England States. The four patch is quite unusual, tied with green yarn on one side and the other side has pinky-yellow yarn. It is quite lumpy in some areas and I'm thinking it was two separate quilts sewn together at some point.

This is the other side of the four patch quilt. This quilt measures about 15" square.

This 9 patch block is another one from the friend. I'm guessing the fabrics are from the 40's. It is quite thin and has been hand quilted. The back is solid blue, the same as the sashing strips. This one measures about 15 x 19"

Court House Steps quilt I made several years ago, really don't remember when I made it. The strips are 1/2" finish size and it was pieced on a paper foundation. and is hand quilted. We've been using it as a wall hanging and now a table topper and it is quite faded - but still pretty.

Till next time - - take care & stay well.

Autumn Leaves

Oh - I'm so ready for the leaves to fall, cooler temperatures and everything else that goes with the changing of the seasons. I sewed for three days to finish up this Maple Leaves Mantle cover and am pleased with the results. I used batik fabrics for all but one of the leaves. Think I'll go shopping for an orange candle!




THEN & NOW: Last week was Chet & my 52nd wedding anniversary. I never did figure out how to use my scanner, so just took a picture of our wedding picture - as you can see, it isn't the best - but you get the idea! Can you tell it's been a challenge the past 52 years? Anyway, I made a steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus and even had a dessert - later, of course!



Short post this time - we're well and keep plugging along. Good to hear from family - keep those emails coming.

Till next time - - -

Hi from G'burg where the temperatures are bearable the past few days. We have had temps in the high 70's and low 80's and almost no humidity at all - such a treat.

Have to tell you about Chet's first time visit to a casino - he didn't win a cent and I've had a good time razing him abou it. Even to the point where I found a dime in the street while getting the mail, I came in and waved it in his face! Poor Chet. I don't know what we'd do if we didn't have each other to pick on!

I guess all our kids are okay - haven't heard from the boys in a while. I've been keeping tabs on Tracy to see what's going on there. Nothing more than I told you all in an email a week or so ago. Grandkids are off to school this week, and J.D. is in Bloomington, enrolled and ready to attend classes at Indiana University - he's going into the business field. I sure hope it works out for him.

My stitching continues. The picture today is the 13th small quilt I've made in the past month or so. The fabrics are from the Aunt Grace line - reminiscent of 1930's designs. I really don't care for them - kind of remind me of feedsacks our Mom treasured - can still hear her telling Dad to make sure he got four alike designs! (Comforter backings - remember?) I've bound three larger quilts - had to wait till the temps dropped so I could handle them comfortably! And yesterday I tackled my "blocks box" - and stitched up a top that measures about 60 x 80" and a smaller one 36" square. More blocks stashed in different areas around the house - I must do a search for them and put them together - one of these days.

Since Ellen is without a computer, I printed pictures to send to her - Tracy's visit and quilt pictures, too - of course! ! !

Till next time - - stay well.

More Small Quilts To Share

Time to share more pictures of my small quilts. I love making these. This one measures about
22" square.


This Flying Geese quilt was made several years ago - but I still love it. Not sure of it's size.


And this is my "All Greens Do Go Together" quilt - it measures 28 x 32" All quilted and ready to keep someone snuggly warm.


Baby Bow Tie quilts - larger one measures 12 x 16" and is made with 4" blocks.
The second one measures 10 1/2 x 14" and is made with 3 1/2' blocks. These are 3 Dimentional - the knot in the center is a folded square. Tricky but fun to make.







The Zig-Zag one on the left below, is a copy of a larger one I made. I was paging through a fabric catalog and saw it in there and decided I could make one without the pattern - so I did. Then I figured if I could make a big one, I could do it small, too. And - so I did!
The nezt little piece with all the triangles measures 12" square. I think it would have been easier to make a big, bed size using this pattern.

Stars piece is also 12" square - it was a challenge issued on the Small Quilts Yahoo Group site.





People say I'm an over achiever and it's been implied I don't have a life away from quilting - oh, how I wish that was true! But I just smile and keep stitching away.

Chet was kidnapped by a neighbor and his wife today - it's nice to have time alone! They all went gambling at a new casino about 25 miles from here. I told him he'd have to give me half his winnings - and losses, of course are at his own expense!

Till next time - take care, stay cool and well.