Amish Country mini shop hop

Our quilting group from the church I work at attended the Amish Country Mini quilt shop and cuisine hop last Friday.  Always fun day with the ladies and buying fabric.  I try to buy something from each of the five stores, after all, that's how they stay in business.  I bought some GORGEOUS fabric!!! Blues and yellows to make the basket quilt from Eleanor Burns' Quilts through the seasons.  Just need some time now to get started on it.

Finished up my puppy tilted block quilt and practiced the new machine quilted feathers I am learning to do from a class on Craftsy.  I think the quilt turned out really cute.  I have a recipient in mind.  She's going to be a grandma x2 this year and needs a baby quilt for her house.  The little ones can grow into this and name the pups, etc.  It'll make a great conversation quilt for Grandma's house.

I left the tongue loose on one of the puppies so little fingers can feel it.

And here are some pics of the finished quilts from the quilt shop hop.  Oh yes, the food - it was great too, they had breaded chicken strips, dressing, gravy, caramel cake, and monster cookies, along with the free pattern for this quilt.

End of August update

Casper curled up in the "Spring Illumination" quilt

Scaled down version of the round table topper.

Autumn leaf quilt, all done and ready to put on bed for the first day of autumn

Kitchen countertop runner - I love how this turned out.

Stars in the kitchen!

Snowman theme purse and wallet

Bi fold wallet

I really enjoyed making this one a couple of years ago. Had fun picking out the colors and piecing it too.

Well, here we are in the last dog days of summer. Maybe they are more cat days though, as Casper and Midnight surely do like to be out on these hot days, lazing in the sun.

I'm posting more pictures of what I've been working on. Having so much fun designing and playing with patterns I have both in my stash and in my mind.

August update

Almost done with the maple leaf quilt. Just finishing the binding. Hope to get some pics this weekend and post to the blog.

Life has been rushing by, not near enough time to quilt. There was a 30% off every bolt sale at "Gramma Fannie's" Quilt Barn in Berlin, Ohio. Spent WAY too much money on fabric. Brought home 18 cuts of fabric, a birdhouse stencil and a "Quilt in a Day" flying geese ruler. Also, learned from one of the ladies there how to make smaller round centerpieces like the ones they sell. Can't wait to get started and make some new ones for my own decor and for gifts.

I have also found the fun of making my own purses and bags. I'm learning as I go and having lots of fun doing it.

The Autumn leaf block quilt. This is the beginning layout, I'm sure it will change before it all gets sewed together. It's queen sized.

blocks from a different angle and yes, there is one block in there that is put together wrong. That will be fixed. Can you find it?

The first layout of the autumn leaf quilt.

Waiting so patiently.

Congested parking lot in Mt. Hope, Ohio. We heard there was a horse auction going on at the auction barn.

That's better - and activity points too!

Burning Bush (turns red in the fall), in great need of a trim

Moonbeam Coreopsis, my absolute favorite perennial. Just beginning to bloom.

Midnight enjoying the new grass.

A little miracle gro really made the lillies bloom profusely. BEAUTIFUL! I LOVE yellow. The tall green things are future gladiolias.

This was taken this evening-June 10th, looking up from the street. Day Lillies are in beautiful bloom, diahlias are coming up, (bottom left), lots of other perennials growing too.

Trimmed the forsythia WAY back and moving lots of mulch and shale that was there.

More work on the hill, this was taken in early spring as I was trying to spread mulch on the hill area, and plant grass on the upper flat area. We tore out all those nasty evergreen bushy things that were growing on the front of the hill, and replaced it with grass.

more quilt pics

women of the Bible quilt. I did an online study with some ladies several years ago. We studied women of the Bible and made a quilt square representing each, then wrote the women's name on the block. It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot too. Too many quilts and not enough beds in the house so I have two quilts on this bed that is here in the guest/computer room.

My best little quilt tester ever! this is Casper, and he's the best kitty!! Talks to everyone, loves everyone. He's a big boy at about 14 pounds, but oh so sweet. He came to us as a stray, but I think straight from Heaven cause he's a real keeper.

Cheryl, from my quilting group, got me started on this organizational process. She brought empty bolts from the fabric store for us to take home. I love to store my fabric this way, it's like going to my own personal "Fabric store", right here at home. thanks Cheryl for the great idea.

"My flower garden quilt". I backed it with pink and did all the hand quilting in black thread.

Another close up of some of the blocks. This was a stack and whack quilt. So fun to make.

Close up of some of the blocks in "My flower garden quilt". I love the vibrant colors in this quilt. This is my DH's favorite quilt that I've made.

Cindy's bird house theme pillow case. Made for a dear friend who is starting her battle with ovarian cancer. She will win!!!! I love birds, and Jesus said that not a sparrow falls without the will of the Father and we are more precious than many sparrows . We feel so helpless when a friend is faced with such a diagnosis that we want to do something. This is my something, love in a pillowcase.

Fish theme pillow case, I made one for my dh and one for a friend

AHA

After taking my time and with much patience I was able to edit my settings so the posts are easier to read. One can do many things with this blog site if she just has the patience to check it all out.

I need practice

Sorry all the posts below are so hard to read. I have to remember to type my text below the picture instead of beside it. Well, maybe you'll enjoy looking at the pictures just the same.

Double Wedding Ring lap quilt

I took a class for this one. Wedding ring quilts and curved seams really aren't that hard. I enjoyed doing special quilting in the neutral blocks.

strawberry fields

Another table runner using a fun strawberry print.

Family reunion. I made a small lap quilt. Each family signed their names in one of the blocks.

One of my very first quilts

The purples in this are very soft, this doesn't really do it justice. I loved teh soft lilac and yellow and greens together.

All of the fabric was purchased at "Miller's Dry Goods" in Charm, Ohio

Ohio-the heart of it all

This piece

of rock we found was shaped just like Ohio. Pretty amazing. We used it as a homeschool project to identify rivers, the capital and where we lived.

My flower garden table runner

Table runners are so fun to make. I'm trying to make several for every season and to have on hand to give as gifts.

I like stars

This is called a Milky Way Star. I like stars of any kinds, I like nice sharp points and angles, I don't always get them just right but I like the way they look.

A friend bought all these fat quarters and and pattern for me to make her friend's daughter a "big sister quilt".

Jacob's ladder?

My first attempt at a Jacob's ladder quilt. I don't think I got the color arrangement just right, but it made a nice pastel lap quilt.

embroidered kittens

These blocks were outline embroidered and some special stitches but just basic embroidery and then sashed to make this funny kitty quilt. It was a lot of fun and a portable project.

church in the wildwood

Close up of one of the theme blocks, "A whole new world, when first I found Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound" and "There is a stirring within my heart each time I remember "how Great Thou Art" and othe rsayings with horses, buggies and old churches.

One of my favorite projects.

This is a nine patch with a theme print in alternating blocks.