My "someday" file

I've blogged before about the wonderful displays of quilts at the 2009 Quilts & Vines show (and wine tasting). And since I've not had any time to sew a single stitch in the past week, I'm going to show you another favorite from that quilt show. This particular quilt caught my eye because it is a pattern I have in my "someday" file.



I especially loved this signature quilt - partly because of the color but also because the blocks were so cute. The quilter made these signature blocks for a bridal shower. The bow pattern was in a magazine about a year ago and she just made them smaller. I have the pattern tucked away in my "someday" file just waiting for the right occasion. And now I've been thinking about making the blocks for my daughter's upcoming bridal shower - only using her colors. Wouldn't these blocks be pretty in a dark red batik?

It's been awhile . . .

Can't believe 10 days have passed since my last post. Work certainly gets in the way of sewing and blogging . . . and golf, and reading, and . . .

However, I can't feel completely sorry for myself. Last Sunday my husband left at 6:30 am to play in a golf tournament and I couldn't go back to sleep - which had been my original plan. So I got up and dressed, put on the coffee, and ventured downstairs to my sewing room to find a UFO to work on. I found a fun little Christmas kit I bought 3 years ago on a little road trip to visit family in Minneapolis. I think I bought it because I liked the slightly funky colors (lime green at Christmas?) and the navy blue cats on ice skates in the tan print. And I loved the border print that came with it.

I actually finished the top last Sunday - and also managed to put in 5 hours catching up on a project for work later in the day!! This should be a lesson learned about how much I could accomplish when I get up an extra hour early.

I found the perfect backing fabric for it and have it all pinned together and ready to quilt. I plan to hand quilt this as it is only about 45 inches square.

This weekend I'm working on the hand quilting on an autumn themed wall hanging (another UFO), so now I have a reason to finish that quickly so that I can start the Christmas one! This was a Thimbleberries Club project from several years ago. I made the top at the time, but just never got around to quilting and binding it. So that top was hanging in the sewing room closet along with several other UFO's. I pulled it out at the beginning of August and started quilting, although I haven't made as much progress as I had hoped. There are pieced leaves and pumpkins in the center that I'm quilting with a pretty simple pattern. But the border is getting a large leafy design quilted in. When I finish it, I'll post a picture.

In The Good Ole Summertime Quilt Swap

It's done and went in the mail on Monday. The flip flops are hand appliqued, with little duck buttons holding the ribbons down that make up the straps. I hand quilted the blue border.

I have a larger version of this pattern, with 4 sets of flip flops done in a wall hanging. One of the bathrooms in my house is done in a beach theme and has the big flip flop quilt hanging in there.

Ironically - they are just my size!!

The label on the back is a footprint. And the fabric on the back was such fun. I thought about adding a second border on the quilt with this sandpail fabric . . .

2009 Quilts & Vines

The 2009 Quilts & Vines quiltshow was a wonderful experience - just as good as the 2008 one, but with a bit more heat and humidity!

Two carloads of us drove the hour from Mitchell to the Strawbale Winery near Renner on Saturday morning. A wonderful quilter from Winner, SD gave a trunk show during the day. The Poker Alice Band played music. Food, wine tasting, music, and quilts!! We took our lawn chairs to sit in the shade. And we brought our cameras.

Over 400 quilts were on display at the winery. Most of them are hung right in the vineyard among the grapes. But some are also hung around the farmsite - on the sides of the barn, draped over an antique truck, etc. Talk about EYE CANDY!!

It was lovely strolling between the rows of grapes and looking at the lovely quilts. What a stunning setting! The quilts are clipped (with a protective backing) directly onto the wires holding up the grapes. This particular section of grapes was right along the driveway as you entered the winery and had 3 long rows of quilts displayed. Another - even larger - section was on the other side of the buildings. And in between was the barn, the winery building, a food tent, the stage, and a huge tent set up to sit in while watching the trunk show.

This was one of my favorite quilts in the show this year. I loved the colors and the fabulous applique on this one.

Every quilt had a tag on it telling who made it, and I must apologize to all of the artists who's quilts I photographed. I didn't write down any names.

I'll share more photos later in the week.

Christmas Block Exchange

This whole idea was hatched by 5 of us over coffee on a Saturday morning last winter . . . getting 12 people together to make blocks for an exchange and use a "focus" fabric to tie them all together. So we went shopping and bought 12 yards of a beautiful Christmas fabric with holly leaves on it. And we put together a list of people to invite to participate. We ended up with 10 local ladies from Mitchell, 1 from Minnesota, and 1 from North Carolina.

Each of us got 1 yard of the focus fabric and the instructions to choose a 12 1/2 inch block pattern. Using the focus fabric, we had to each make 13 of that block. Then we planned to get together in late summer - have a party - and exchange our blocks so that everyone ended up with 1 block from each person.

What about the 13th block, you ask???? We are going to put that set together and donate the quilt to some charity to raffle or auction as a fundraiser. Well . . . last night most of us got together at Deb's beautiful home and had our exchange party. Mary in North Carolina even joined us via cell phone. Marilyn would describe each block as we traded and tell Mary who had made it. (Mary's set had already been given to her.) The blocks are all gorgeous, by the way!!Kelly brought cheesecake - YUM!!! And Yvonne had a wonderful idea for our charity quilt layout.

What is better than quilting friends?

Fat Quarter Bingo

Tonya (http://tonyassewingroom.blogspot.com) is hosting a Fat Quarter Bingo game. I've mailed her 2 fat quarters, so I'll receive 2 bingo cards from her via email. She'll determine the bingo pattern needed, and draw numbers at random and all of those playing will be able to keep track. The person getting BINGO first will receive the fat quarters.

The deadline to let her know you want to play is August 10. She is hoping to start playing on August 15.