Giant Dahlia turned hybrid

Thought I would share one of the quilt tops I am working on. It's a Giant Dahlia pattern. Leave it to me, though. No dahlia for me. I had to choose colors that just made me smile even just looking at them. Flowers are meant to nurture us and make us smile. Here is where I am so far. It is going slower than I'd like because to make this work, your seams REALLY have to match up perfectly. Isn't it cool how it goes as you add on more? I've never made a quilt that isn't made by forming squares or rectangles before, so this is really cool for me. Now for the test. Can you tell what flower I am hoping this turns out to look like?

Aprons...another passion

Alright. I know. Aprons are not in or cool. I love them anywho. No one has ever claimed I was cool anywho lol! I love looking at them ande wearing them. The older the better. They remind me of my Nana. A short, very round, German woman who made the BEST bread pudding and all her vegies were creamed. She also just happens to be the one who taught me how to sew and how to crochet the lace doilies and tablecloths. Even after she went blind, Nana could STILL make those tablecloths. All those years of making them and she could do it by feel alone. Pretty impressive! A garage sale yesterday netted me these beauties. They are h0memade by the two sisters having the sale..88 and 85 yrs old.


Isn't this one great? It just evokes the image of card parties in the 50's!!

This one I just love the colors!!

This one is just too sweet!

Well, lots on the list for today..budget and checkbook(ugh), cleaning, driving 2 kids around and dropping a 3rd kiddo off at Rotary Sunshine Camp for a week. Ugh...that means I'll be miserable all week!! Giant Dahlia top is on my list today, also. I will post pics of my progress later!!

Check out this give-away!

Check out this generous give-away! http://quiltingb29.blogspot.com/2009/07/100th-post-giveaway.html I really like this blog!
I have the very real need to do some actual sewing. I have spent all my spare time still cutting up my scraps into usable pieces. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!! It is a thrill to see all the fabric I have reclaimed from the bottomless bags!!
I have a Giant Dahlia quilt top that I started that is calling my name....LOUDLY!! I HATE when they cop 'tudes! I'm off to answer that call. I don't dare NOT answer it..nothing worse than a ticked off quilt top. Your seams might
NEVER match up then! Off to mollify the quilt top. Happy scrapping!!

T.I.G.E.R.S Preservation Station

Well, it is our last night here in Myrtle Beach and tomorrow is the looooooong drive back to western NY. We have spent a week lolling on the beach (read "burning to a crisp" there), doing all the touristy things and enjoying the time together. They have a huge endangered species wildlife preserve here...they even have an h0nest to goodness liger!! We couldn't afford the tour of the preserve, but they do have a set up in one of the tourist areas where from 5-9 pm you can see different types of tiger cubs and monkeys and have your picture taken with them. How could we resist that??? So, we spent our last night here with a tiger cub on our laps and a gibbon hugging us! The profits from the pics go to the animals at the preserve. Look them up....it is an amazing group!! Here is our picture. Hub, Tom, is in the back, then Patrick-17, Hannah-15, Joe-16 and me.

A Special Remembrance

Of course I had to visit a quilt shop while on vacation. I found a wonderful shop called "Sewing In the Carolinas". Over 5000 sq ft of quilting goodies!! Hub dropped me off and graciously took the kids for a ride, leaving me to explore the shop at my own leisure. He's a keeper!! Anywho, I have always been in love with the history of quilts and while shopping, I f0und a book by Eleanor Burns and Sue Bouchard called, " Underground Railroad Sampler". I knew this was the perfect memento to take home with me. It really connects both my worlds...my vacation world here in Myrtle Beach, SC and Rochester, NY. Rochester was a stop on the underground railroad and many heros..both famous and not.. worked out of here to help bring slaves to freedom. Also, since my wonderful hub kept himself and the kids away for so long, I actually bought all the fabric to make the sampler right there. Most of it is reproduction prints of the time. The ladies who worked there were wonderful. Such hospitality...I thank you! Also, while I was there, a group of 4 women from North Carolina were visiting there on a day trip hitting lots of quilt shops. Their comraderie and laughter as they investigated the shop and shared ideas with each other truly reminded me of how wonderful quilters are. They were a delight to observe. So, here is a pic of my days purchases. Now I can't wait to get home and get started!!

Vacation

Well, after a 15 hour ride on Saturday, we are safely here in Myrtle Beach, SC. We went grocery shopping Sunday morning, burnt to a crisp on the beach in the afternoon, and toured the main tourist strip. While we love the condo we are renting and the ocean and beach, overall I would have to say we were all a little overwhelmed with the tourist section. The bright lights and crowds are NOT us at all! Definitely different than our normal vacations in Allegany State Park in the woods. We will be off to do some touristy things and more hanging out on the beach today...and, of course, seeing if I can find a little quilt shop to take home some goodies for me!!! I'll be posting pics later!

Sharing a few quilts

While I try to figure out how to put a link on here to show some of my quilts, I thought I would post them on here. Here it is July, and the nights have been cool enough still cool enough to snuggle with my hub, Tom, under the quilt I made him. He bought me a Janome 6600p for Christmas so I am finally able to machine quilt! Woohooo! As a thank you to him, I made him this sampler AND got to machine quilt it!!





This quilt I made for my sister in law, Tammy. I couldn't have gotten a better sister! We have known each other since 8th grade..that would be 32 years!! I made her this Sister's Choice scrap quilt from Bonnie Hunter's site because she IS my sister by choice. Now, when life gets to tough, she can snuggle in it and it's a hug from me when I am not there.





Happy scrapping!!

Voting time

This pattern I got off the http://quiltivlle.com site and I LOVE it. The only problem is, I don't know which layout the best! Please take a minute to view the 3 options and leave a comment on which one you like best. Thanks!!

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#3

Joe's quilt

I finally finished Joe's quilt two nights ago! I made the quilt top for his birthday in April, and he finally gets to snuggle in it! Other than the border and backing, it was made entirely of my scraps and shirts I had gotten at Goodwill. It's called Smokey Mountain Stars and the pattern can be found at http://www.quiltville.com/. Now to finish the other two quilt tops I have started, and, of course, back to cutting my bits and pieces into usable squares and strips!! Oh, and yes, my friend Pam and I just had to hit 2 fabric stores this afternoon and buy just a "few more" pieces!! lol She is such an enabler!!

Day 1...a New Beginning

I thought today was a good day to start a quilting blog, as I am making a brand new start in my quilting world..aka my sewingroom! For 28 yrs I have carted around bags of fabric bits and pieces and rarely used them as they were too daunting to dig through for those little pieces I needed for my scrap quilts. Then, along came Bonnie Hunter with her quiltville.com site and I was rescued! She has a great organization system on her page called the scrap users method. Check it out! Check out the pic of my bags of bits! Scary, huh? That is only my little leftovers. The fat quarters and larger sections are separate! Hopefully soon I will be publishing the AFTER pics. Although this seemed overwhelming at first, getting them organized now makes me feel liberated! Now I can just grab the bin with the size pieces I need and off I sew! Woohooo! Wish me luck!