When Duty Calls

Remembering to thank those who serve/served to keep us safe.

Our family members are:

Hank, Henry, Perry, Sara, My Eddy, Scott, and Charlie

In memory: 

Daddy, Pop, Billy, Uncle Sal, and Uncle Tony

We will never forget.

Foot Ball

Averie Anne is all ready for the ASU vs USC game

On The Radio Today

  Today's the day. Join Quilter Pat Slone and Mary Andra Holmes
   "On The Radio"
                                                      http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/

OMGosh Guess who will be seeing Pat on the radio?

We will be talking to Pat on 5/13/2013

Hope to "see you on the radio too"

Click on the link below to hear all about us.

http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/radio/

Guess who's coming to AZ

That's right. The American Quilting Society is coming to Phoenix February 5th 2014 to February 8th 2014. Contact Laurie Mahan for vendor information. I just did. Won't you join me. Plan on a great week.

What is AQS?  

The American Quilter's Society is a quilt book publisher and quilt magazine publisher and membership organization that strives to inspire, instruct and nurture the art and skill of quiltmaking.
AQS provides a forum for quilters of all skill levels to expand their horizons in quiltmaking, quilt design, self-expression and quilt collection. This is accomplished by publishing quilting books, quilting magazines, quilt shows, quilt contests, quilting workshops, and a membership organization.
AQS is the publisher of quilting books and two quilting magazines, American Quilter and The Quilt Life. This quilting membership organization conducts four quilt shows and contests each year in Lancaster, PA, Paducah, KY, Grand Rapids, MI, and Des Moines, IA. These quilt shows and quilt contests attract thousands of quilt enthusiasts from around the world who enter quilts in the contests and attend the shows.
During its 27-year history, AQS has set the standard of excellence in offering quilting products, quilting workshops, a Quilt Appraiser Certification Program, quilt shows and contests and other activities in the world of quilting.

The Finisher

There is always one in every group. "The Finisher" I was so excited (see my previous post) that I finished the top for a class project taught by Pat Slone. Today I visited my BVF, Barbara, and hers was not only done but quilted, sleeve on and hanging. I just gotta love her!

Finishing a quilt from a quilt Class

 I started quilting in 1980. Self taught I may add. I took my first quilt class in 1982 or 1983 from Blanche Young. Not sure I really liked piecing so I decided to make another just to see if I liked doing this part of quilting. I soon found out that I would rather do it by hand or stick to hand applique'. I didn't know I was actually hand appliqueing at the time. One day Helen Young Frost called to say that "Mother", she always calls her mother, thought I had made a quilt that might be just the right size they needed to fit a small space in their new book "The Flying Geese Quilt". I was so excited I could hardly stand it. I sent it to her and indeed it did fit. A few short days later Helen asked if I had another one of similar size. Remember my second try? Yes, I did have another. They loved that one too. So to my surprise I guess I did piecing OK but I didn't like doing it. I have taken several quilt classes since then and never finished one of the projects. My thought is I take a class for the technique I hope to learn and no thought goes into finishing the project.

The two quilts are actually in our logo for Sisters Quilting Trunk.

We now move to a few short weeks ago 2013.  I am taking another quilt class. Pat Slone has come to our guild to teach machine applique'. I kind of thought I might learn something to make it easier, quicker to finish quilts for our business. After all sometimes it takes me a few years to finish a queen size hand appliqued quilt for a new pattern. Then a few more years to hand quilt it. I have given that up and my quilts get shipped to my sister Andee to machine quilt. I do love getting them back all finished and ready for Quilt Market. But could I give up hand applique? I guess the fact that I finished a class project for the second time in 30+ years is my answer. Pat.....I love machine applique. Yes...I will be shipping this quilt off to Andee to machine quilt. It will go above my desk in my office. 

I will never give up hand quilting or hand appliqueing but I have given in to the fact that sometimes I need to do what I need to do. 

Thank you again Pat for teaching a old dog new tricks.

Loss of a Friend

The loss of a friend is not easy. I knew Fran for about 1 1/2 years. Moving to our new home and finding a quilter living just on the hilltop across the street. I soon found out that not only was Fran a quilter, she hand pieced and hand quilter all her quilts.   

 We also shared the love of gardening. It may take me years and years to have a garden as beautiful as Fran's.

Never forget to tell your friends how special they are in your life.

More - House re-do's

This is the other side of the guest room. 

My part of the office.

Before

                                                                           After.
                                          New paint and furniture.
                                          Waiting for quilt on wall.

                                           Got a new book case too.
                                           Going to pretty it up. LOL

                                           Before - Hubby's part of office

                                           After - I love sharing office with Hubby!

House re-do's

Some time during construction of this house the owners changed their mind and made the back patio into two guest rooms. The problem was they didn't take out the sliding door to the patio. I tried to hide it with a quilt but it just had to come out.

Before

After. 

Now I need quilts to hang over beds.

Even Horses Show Acts of Kindness

At this point Sundance (white horse) has eaten his hay and also Ty's hay. He intentionally is showing Ty that your food is gone.

I guess he is feeling bad so he shows Ty that there is still some in the bucket and wants to know if he wants it.

Ty responds that...I will eat it if you hand feed me. LOL

Sundance is now out of patients hand feeding Ty so he asks if the big baby is finished. LOL

It brings a tear to my eye every time I see and act of kindness when unexpected.

Ruth's Traveling Tree

 The short story of Ruth. She is 90 years old. Needs oxygen on a daily basis. Her biggest fear is loosing her sight completely. To say Ruth loves art is an understatement. Over the next few months I will bring her art to your home for you to enjoy. There are acres and acres of her art on her property.  We will start with her "The Traveling Tree".   Ruth said it starts with the bathroom and ends at the end of her travels with her husband. He has passed away. (Did she say Bathroom?)

I started this journey by going with two quilting friends to pick apples to make apple butter and canned plums. Ruth is a friend of Fran. Carolyn and I just tagged along. I am so glad I took my camera. With permission from Ruth I was told I could take pictures of anything I wanted.

And the story begins......

Picture of Ruth and two of my friends, Carolyn and Fran.

Sign for "The Traveling Tree.

 From afar, Ruth tells me that this tree captures the travels of her and her husband and all the places they have been during their many years together. Ruth asks me...can you see the wheels?

Picture of the wheels and some kind of chain connecting them. 

Indeed there is a bathroom.  Is this a hoot?  I see a magazine rack. I had to enlarge the pic so you can see everything. A can that looks like toilet paper on a roll. And license plates. Oh and the tree...isn't it wonderful. 

Looking at the back side of the tree.

 More license plates from other states.

The end of the tree.

I hope you enjoyed my little story about Ruth. I can't wait to show you more of her art.  This is only the beginning.

Hexi quilt

Almost finished with new Hexi pattern. Love using Wonder Clips from Clover to start making each Hexi. Hubby calls them oysterets LOL

Daughter and her Hubby came for a visit

Our daughter and her Hubby came for a visit from Orange County CA and they brought Cowboys for her Dad and Ladybugs for Me and they are pink.  Are these not the cutest?  We ate them for lunch. The cake is delish to say the least. You too can order some from a new company called Jiggles Cakes. You can find them on Facebook@ Jiggles Cakes or Jiggles@gmail.com.  We loved them. Thank you!!

Do you think Hubby really thinks this?

                                                      YES!!!! LOL

Unless ..... Brights

Robert Kaufman Fabrics has teamed again with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and created yet another great fabric celebrating a Seuss work, this time The Lorax. This quilt uses the Lorax fabric in the bright color way. Using six of the large story panels in combination with solid Kona cotton pinwheel shaped Truffula tree tops, you, too, can tell the story of what will happen unless... 

Unless .....

Robert Kaufman Fabrics has teamed again with Dr. Seuss Enterprises and created yet another great fabric celebrating a Seuss work, this time The Lorax. Using eight of the large story panels in combination with smaller prints shaped into “renewed, reused and recycled” tangled stars, you, too, can tell the story of what will happen unless... 

We designed a quilt for Quilting Treasures fabric and Project Linus. For a copy of free pattern download visit www.QuiltingTreasures.com   We hope you enjoy making it as much as we did.

Meet The Gang!

Once we saw this fabric line, we just had to make a quilt!  Inspired by the individual faces and groupings of classic poses of our beloved Peanuts characters, we designed what we believe to be a great inrorduction to a fun and exciting line provided by Quilting Treasures.  We hope you will have as much fun making this quilt as we did.

Christmas With Chuck

Inspired by the story panel made available by Quilting Treasures and Peanuts Worldwide Enterprises, LLC, we designed what we believe to be a great representation of the classic Charlie Brown's Christmas video.  We hope you will have as much fun making this quilt as we did.