My first quilt

For those of you who read Bonnie Hunter's blog, you know that she always has lots going on - one thing right now is for people to share their very first quilts with the world.  I have to give you a little background first so you can appreciate this quilt a little more.  My husband and I had been married only a year or so when he asked me if I wanted a sewing machine for Christmas.  My response was..."no".  Well, knowing how he is, I knew that I would be getting a sewing machine.  I had no interest whatsoever.  The only sewing I had done was while I was in 4-H and that was under the very direct supervision of my mother, who is an amazing seamstress.  I just never had the desire to sew at all.  Christmas morning came and sure enough...there was a Brother sewing machine that he had bought at Wal-Mart.  Surprise, surprise!  He messed around with it and made socks for the dog (now that was funny!) and some hood/scarf things that were actually kinda cool.  I didn't touch it.  That machine sat in the closet for a couple of years.  One day at church a couple of the ladies asked me to come to their monthly quilting get together.  I told them that I had no idea how to quilt, sew, or even use the machine that I had.  They kept hounding me and promised to teach me how to use my machine and everything else that I would need to know.  Well, for whatever reason (I really don't know why), I decided to go.  I remember that they were doing a couple different things.  One was a block of the month, which I failed miserably.  I remember finishing one block and it had a big hole in it.  I was quite frustrated!  They also were working on a log cabin quilt - actually I think they had just finished it, but someone must have decided that it would be a good thing for me to try.  It never occurred to me to make it small - they gave me the pattern and I went to Wal-Mart and bought the fabric.  Thankfully there was a very sweet, older lady who helped me pick everything out.  I actually did make the quilt - and we used it on our bed for a long time.  It is in the barn raising layout - which is still my favorite log cabin layout.  And, the log cabin block is still one of my very favorite blocks.  The quilt ended up being 90" x 93" - holy cow!!  Here is a picture of a picture - not the best, but it gives you the idea.

I only went to the church group quilting a couple of times because I was working full-time, attending college classes at night, raising 2 kids, coaching softball, etc.  I did manage to finish that quilt somehow and had it machine quilted by LaDonna Cole - she did an all-over heart pattern on it.  I remember sewing those blocks together and pulling and stretching them to make the rows fit together.  I had no idea that you shouldn't have to do that!  After this big quilt I did make several baby quilts, then found some quilting friends, and learned lots along the way!  And, what's really ironic?  I have not been to the quilting get togethers at church since I started this quilt in 1999.  But guess what?  Tomorrow, I am going back!  They now get together every Tuesday during the day, and yesterday I was talking to one of the girls and she invited me to come. I decided that I'm going to do it!  At home, I never get anything finished except jewelry, so I've decided to go and work on other projects that need to be finished.  First up are some Christmas gifts!  I'm sure that I have way too many things packed to work on, but a girl can dream, right?

It's so funny to think back on how I got started quilting.  I have often wondered what I would be doing today if my husband had actually listened to me when I said that I did not want a sewing machine for Christmas!  Probably still working a job that I had come to hate and be full of stress.  Funny how things work out, isn't it? This year for Thanksgiving, not only am I thankful for friends and family and a great life, I also give thanks to my husband for NOT listening (lol), and to the ladies at church who twisted my arm into sewing with them, and to Bonnie Hunter for inviting us all to share our first quilts. 
Funny how things work out, isn't it?

Block Two!!

I know it's shocking, but I actually have Block #2 of Summertime completed! Just finished it up last night while watching Dancing With the Stars.

Yippee!  Two down, ten to go.  I was going to prep the next block, but I bought some tree ornament patterns and a little bit of wool, so I think I better work on those first.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving tomorrow!  I better get busy - everyone is coming to our house for turkey dinner!


Have a great day!

Helper and some new hexies

I have received several wonderful scrap bags lately (from quilty friends, customers, etc.).  This was a big one, and I really wanted to get it organized and neatened up a bit after I had been digging through it.  It wasn't long and I had a whole lotta help from Miss CC!

She's always got to be in the middle of whatever I am doing - can you see the lint roller on the right side of the picture?  That is in constant use!

I may have mentioned that Mom and I were going to Mason City last weekend to visit my Aunt Nancy - they mainly live in northern Minnesota, but occasionally spend time on their farm in Mason City. I took several quilting projects along - my wool "Summertime" block, hexies, a quilt I've had started FOREVER but haven't made hardly any progress on, etc., etc.  I always take projects on a trip but rarely ever end up touching them.  Well...I actually made lots of progress!  I worked a lot on my Summertime block - it's not finished, but it's well on the way (can't let that over-achiever, Becky, get ahead of me, you know!).  And... the quilt was a group effort.  My brain was not working well - so Aunt Nancy took over sewing for awhile.  Mom, Aunt Nancy and I all took turns tearing paper off the blocks that were paper pieced.  We finished all of the blocks that I took with me - I think it was a total of 25!  I just wish that I would have taken all of the fabric - we could have finished it.  I never dreamed that I would even work on it, let alone get that far.  Amazing what you can accomplish with a little team work!

We did some other fun stuff while visiting too - but I don't have any pictures to share.  Wouldn't you think that one of these days I would start taking more pictures?  My camera was in my purse the whole time...does that count for anything?  We toured the newly renovated Frank Lloyd Wright hotel in Mason City.  It is amazing!  Mom took a bunch of pictures there, but do I have any of them??  We also went to a "Shop Hop" in Clear Lake - it was at a hotel and all of the vendors/shops were there under one roof.  So much fun!  Then we visited The Quilted Forest which is a large, very nice shop.  And of course, you can't be in that area and not visit Country Threads!  We didn't get there until 3:45, thinking that they closed at 5:00.  Unfortunately they have changed their hours and close at 4:00 on Saturday.  Of course, we still found a few things to buy in that short amount of time!

To back up a little - Friday, on the way to MC - we stopped at a new quilt shop, Hen & Chicks, in Conrad, IA.  What a great shop!  It is in an amazing, old building and they have lots to offer.  Not only do they have fabric and all the quilty things, she also carries some scrapbooking supplies and some very nice gifty items (my jewelry included!).  They have made a great retreat center upstairs as well.  If you are ever in the area, make sure you stop and visit them.

On the way home, we made a stop at Cornerstone Quilts in Grinnell, IA.  I hadn't been there since they first opened the shop, and now Lee has closed her shop in Newton, and moved it all to Grinnell.  The shop is packed with all kinds of awesomeness.  They have a great variety of fabrics, repros, batiks, and everything in between. They will soon be moving to a bigger location, around the corner - can't wait to see it!  She also has a new supply of jewelry now. 

I also wanted to share another picture of some of my hexagons that I HAVE worked on - the jewelry kind!  When I introduced them a few weeks ago, they sold out almost immediately.  Here is a new batch  - some are already sold, but some of them are now on my website.

That's all for now - hope you have a great day!!

Block One...finished!

I purchased the "Summertime" kit from Primitive Gatherings during the AQS show in Des Moines.  Actually - my friend, Becky, and I both bought a kit and decided we would work on it together.  So far, we have only been able to get together once.  We had both planned to have all of the prep work done before we met - but that didn't quite happen.  But that's ok, we both got started - that's the main thing.  A few weeks later Becky told me that she had hers FINISHED!  Yikes!!!  I hadn't touched mine!  I couldn't get left in the dust, so I got busy and finished mine over the next week or so - just working on it a little bit in the evenings. 

One down, 11 to go!  We had hoped to get together again last week, but weren't able to and I can't this week, so maybe next week.  I have my next block prepped and ready to start stitching.  Miss over-achiever probably has hers done - I'm afraid to ask!

Have a great day!

Visiting

Last weekend Mom and I made a quick trip to Naperville, IL and then on to Lafayette, IN.  Her stained glass distributor is in Naperville.  Of course, we had to hit a few quilt shops after that!  I didn't take any pictures (I know...what else is new!?) but we went to shops in Lisle, Batavia and Winfield.  Of course a few purchases jumped in the car at each stop!  Remember that HUGE 30's quilt?  Well, I bought border fabric for it - my SIL has decided that it will work for their house in Florida - so I'm getting it finished up.  By the time we finished shopping it was about 5:00.  Yes...rush hour traffic on Friday night around Chicago...BAD IDEA!  It was not fun - the traffic was just crazy - and I'm used to small town living (and driving)!  But, eventually we made it to Lafayette where we spent the night.  The next morning we found another quilt shop, then went to visit my Great Aunt Doris - who is 88 years old and is now living in a nursing home.  I haven't seen her for soooo long - it was wonderful to spend time with her again.  Mom went out and bought Aunt Doris' favorite kind of pizza and we sat and had lunch together.  We stayed with her for a few hours.  Such a great visit!  Here's a picture of the three of us...

After we left Aunt Doris we found another quilt shop - it was in an old church and was really neat.  The lady working there told us that there was a glass studio just down the road - we had actually passed it, and didn't notice!  So, we went back there and mom checked it out.  Unfortunately there was a bus (yes...a bus!) of people there on a tour - so she didn't get to spend as much time there are she would have liked.  After that we headed for home.  It was a looooong drive - I finally made it home about 10:00.  Lots of miles for just two days, but we had a good time!

The weather here really has been beautiful for the last month or so - just wish Fall could stay a little longer!  It is cold (about 35 degrees) this morning with rain and SNOW mixed in!  Brrrr!!!! 


Have a great day!!

Hexagon crazy!

I know I've mentioned a few times how I love hexagon quilts and shared the few that I have made - they are so much fun!  It seems everywhere you look on blogs, people are posting tutorials and finished projects.  I love to see all of the different layouts - so inspirational.  Well....with my new found love of hexies what better than to make...Hexagon pendants!?  That is the new shape that we are now offering.  And, they are on my website now!!  Here is a peek for my blog readers...

They are 1 1/2" across the widest part of the hexagon. 

And also, as promised, some new BRIGHT pieces...

These are funky, fun colors.

Hope you like the new pieces - they are all on my website now!  Go check them out!

Have a great day!!

Remember the Civil War Love Letter blocks???

Happy Sunday!  Can you believe it is almost November already?  I just don't know where the time goes.  I sure haven't been good about posting lately, but I really don't have much to report.  I have been busy with jewelry orders ever since the current issue of Fons & Porter's Love of Quilting magazine hit the shelves.  If you haven't picked up a copy, make sure you get one! Here is the cover to look for (I love this quilt)-

 And of course, be sure to check out my jewelry on page 10!

A couple of the girls at F&P have been sending me their scraps and it's so much fun!  You all know how much I love to receive fun mail - and to play with scraps from other people.  Last week they sent some funky brights and more contemporary fabrics.  These are so far out of my box - but they really were a lot of fun to play with.  I made several new pieces with bright fabrics and will be posting them on my website later this week.  I also have a brand new shape that I've been wanting to share forever.  I've made several, then sold them to shops but I've not had a chance to get them on the website - so they will also be posted this week - hopefully tomorrow.  I'm excited for you to see the new shape - it has been a bit of a challenge to cut the glass for them - but I love to have something new and different to offer.

Remember my Civil War Love Letter blocks?  I haven't made any for quite awhile but I do still have a few in the archives that I haven't shared on my blog.  I thought today would be a good day to show you some of them...

I really want to get back to these blocks - they are so fun to make - but right now I have so many projects started that I just can't do it!

We had everyone here last night for a birthday party for my mom.  Of course, I didn't take any pictures!  Her birthday was actually a couple of weeks ago, but everyone has been busy and this is the first we could all get together.  We made soup and sandwiches and pumpkin bars (yum!).  It's always fun to get everyone together.  My dad and brother have been working so hard in the fields that they were both tired.  Dad took a nap in the chair - which he pretty much does every time they come over!  But, he looked really tired - hopefully he will get rested up soon.  Mom came over early and brought her latest knitting project.  The yarn is really neat - but came in skeins - so we sat and rolled 13 skeins into balls.  Of course with little Miss Callie around that was no easy feat!

I better go get to work so I can show you my new jewelry projects soon!!

Have a great day!

A small finish, a party and a cat or two

It seems I haven't been posting much - but I've been super-busy with orders ever since the newest issue of Love of Quilting hit the stands.  But, I did have a small finish from a couple of weeks ago that I thought I would share with you.

Looks like I should have done some editing - but you get the idea.  This was part of a Jo Morton club that I did a few years ago (yes...I said YEARS), but I didn't get around to quilting it until now.  What's even worse is that I started quilting it at least a year ago when my Mom and I went to Rocherster, MN.  Obviously I just didn't work on it very often.  I finally decided to take some time (only about 30 minutes, for heavens sakes!) and finish it up.  It didn't take long at all to finish the hand quilting and make a little binding for it - it's only about 12" square!  But, a finish is a finish, right?

Another thing that I've been meaning to blog about is a fun party that my friend, Crystal and I went to awhile back at our friend Starla's house.  Her sister is a Jordan Essentials representative.  Have you tried their products?  If not, you need to!  I LOVE THEM!   At the party we used the salt scrub for our feet (Starla's husband promised that he would rub our feet, but backed out when we showed up!) and the shea butter and the lotion bar.  They are all wonderful - I bought one of each.  Laura gave me some samples of other products and so far, I have liked them all.  Here is her table all set up with the products...

And here is our very gracious hostess Starla (she will not be happy about this pic!)...

She slaved over a hot stove and made us lots of yummy snacks - no pictures of that, we must have been too eager to dig in.

Here is Miss Laura - our consultant...look how hard she is working calculating all of those orders!

And here is my little friend, Alexis - she is soooo funny.  There were a whole bunch of samples that you could smell to decide which scent you wanted - Alexis, Crystal and I smelled them together.  There was one that was "For Kids" - here is Alexis modeling that one...

 And here she is giving it a whiff...can you tell she likes it?!

 And here she's just being cool...

She was so funny - it's nice to have entertainment at the party!  And this is what happened at the end, after Laura worked so hard presenting and completing the order forms...

A well-deserved nap!  These really are great products, so if you get the chance to go to a party - do it!  I have already ordered more for Christmas gifts.

And lastly...I know I haven't shown any kitty pictures for awhile.  I actually think that Callie has grown up - she is not the wild maniac that she used to be.  She still has her moments, but it's not all day long anymore. Here is Ozzie in a rare show of playfulness (usually he just sits around and begs for food!)...

 I really didn't think he could get his big butt in the box, but he did!

 PEEK!!!!

 And you know, that Callie couldn't let Ozzie be the star of the show...she had to be in on the action too.  "Hmmmm....what have we here...I think I shall bite this tail!"

Always entertaining! 

Now, back to work.  Hope you all have a great day!

Surprises!

Ok, by now you all know that I love presents and surprises, right?  Well, the day that I left for Florida, my blogging friend, Candace from Squash House Quilts blog, sent out a plea for a piece of Halloween fabric.  You have seen pictures of my stash, and you probably know that the likelihood of me having novelty or seasonal prints or really anything other than Civil War reproductions fabrics, for that matter, is pretty slim.  But...the one she was looking for was orange with black cobwebs, and I actually had it!  I used it one year to make those toilet paper pumpkins!  So - I was in a huge hurry - only a couple hours until we had to leave to catch our flight - so I just shoved all that I had in an envelope and left it for DH to mail when I was gone.  I told her that I didn't want paid for it - I was probably never going to use it anyway - it was a good way for me to lessen my stash by a yard or so.  Forgotten.  Until....I got a big ol' box o' stuff in the mail from one Candace!  Definitely not necessary, but appreciated - cuz it was just like Christmas!  Take a look at all these great things...

First...a very cute card!

A cute little bag of candy corn.  Candace said this was made by someone locally - which is cool - can't imagine making candy corn.

Very cute kitty basket.  I had to chase CC and Callie away from it several times.  I turned my back once and Callie was already chewing on it!  Grrrr!!!!  But, I think the "new" has worn off of it and they are leaving kitty alone now.

Two big bars of awesome soap - also made locally.  These smell soooo good and I am already using one of them - love it!


And last, but certainly not least...

An adorable mug rug, made by none other than Miss Candace herself!  Isn't it just too cute?  I love it and it is sitting right here beside my computer.  Such a fun box of goodies - thank you so much Candace - I really do love them all!!

I know that I promised pictures of the wedding, but Jessica has not sent them to me yet!  Here are a few of mine - they are not great, but better than nothing!
Here is my niece, Johnna - I can't believe how grown up she looks.  She is walking with the groom's brother.

 Here's the bride and groom (Emma and Andres)

 And Emma with her daddy (my big brother) - I think he's having more fun than she is!

 Again, not the best pictures, but all I have for now.

Now on the jewelry front...since the magazine hit the newsstands, I have had quite a few orders - which is awesome!  So, if there are specific items that you have had your eye on - you better order them now, before someone else does.  Some things will always be available, like the scrappy pineapples, pumpkins, scrappy log cabins, but understand that they may not be the identical fabrics that are pictured on the website .  I will always be happy to make special orders as well - if you like a certain pattern, but would prefer a different color.  We aim to please, you know!

Now I've got to get my nose to the grindstone!

Have a great day!!

Hexagons

I've been thinking for a long time now that I want to try hexagons, and as you will remember, I did make ONE hexagon flower after a little tutorial and sample pack while at the Galena Quilt Show.  Then, my friend Kim sent me some Paper Pieces of different sizes and I settled on making the 3/8" size.  I took them to Florida with me and actually did make a few one evening while we were all sitting around gabbing.  Then last Friday I attended the AQS show in Des Moines (and did not take ANY pictures!) and was inspired all over again.  On Sunday I decided to take the day off from jewelry making and worked on my hexies!  Here is the result...

It's only 6 1/2" long and it took me HOURS to sew it together (the hexies were already made)!  What the heck?  Any tips to speed things up would be appreciated!  But I do like it.  I'm thinking of making a small wall hanging and framing it like Yellow Creek Quilt Designs did - check out their website to see theirs - they have 2 different sizes and they are both wonderful.


I'm waiting for my daughter to send me some of her pictures from Florida before I post more about that (see how I took that weight off my shoulders and put it on hers!?).  I will share one thing - while in Florida we visited Quilt Lover's Hangout in North Ft. Myers.  What a great shop - they were recently in the Top 10.  I had been there a few years ago and it seemed like it was even better this time around.  They have everything - even wool - which surprised me since you would never need wool for warmth in Florida!  They purchased a bunch of my jewelry too, which is awesome.  They even put a blurb on their website under "New Arrivals".    If you ever have the chance to visit them, be sure to do it.

Have a great day!!