Meeting day

I was awakened early as some guy was out bush hogging at 6 a.m. a few houses away in the subdivision. Had I not had problems getting to sleep in the first place it would not have been so irritating. I know others had to get up to go to school and work but not me. Also he was out working in the rain, as in "didn't have enough sense to come in out of it"? Once I got the critters fed and watered, I headed out to the meeting site early today.  By then it was cloudy and clearing.

There ended up being just 5 of us there.  Lois had quilts to turn in and probabl at least 4 or 5 to pin.  Beverly was working on binding a quilt for a great-grandson.  Marilyn, Jane and Lois kept busy pinning and I was sewing.  Show you that in a minute!

First the quilts----

I told Lois that I thought this block looked familiar--was it one of the Pioneer Sampler blocks perhaps?  She couldn't remember but did recall that she had been asked to demonstrate making some blocks for a group at JOY Quilt Guild.  It could have been this one as they had done classes using Eleanor Burns' Pioneer Sampler book last year.  Others of us had done this years ago when the quilts shop was open in Pell City as a Block of the Month so books were out on loan.  I pulled out my copy to see----yep, Missouri Star is the name.

This one is Lemoyne Star.  I know for a fact that Lois used Deb Tucker Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star ruler to accomplish this lovely quilt.  Actually she was ready to turn this in late last year but then Marilyn asked if she would share the technique with the JOY group.  I handed it back to her and said she would need something completed, top or quilt, to show the group.  She made another in red, white and blue so those must have been her demo blocks, LOL.

Isn't this one perfect for a young girl?  Pink and purple are nice for girls of any age, if you ask me!  Disappearing 9 patch but set on point.

Now this one has me stumped just a bit.  It has a bit of Farmer's Daughter look but that uses 9 patches.  Debbie Caffrey has one she calls "Rancher's Daughter" that has a Delectable Mountain like border but done in strips which book it is in I do not recall.  (Actually I found that one as a free pattern on her website--scroll down and here is the LINK that will get you to the pdf file. )  I've also seen it done with 4 patches and the stars pieced into the sashing. Theramae did that one and I have found the magazine article it was in and clipped it for my files.  BUT this is 16 patches.  Lois doesn't remember the source or tells me she had too many scraps and this is how she used them.  Got any ideas??

And this one---at first I thought it might be one of the Missouri Star patterns--like Disappearing Hour Glass or Disappearing Pinwheel.  Now I am not so sure and I may be revisiting it from when she stumped me with the pattern last time.  I may have even drawn it up in EQ as it has so many elements going on with it.  If I didn't, then I am going to draw it up, LOL.  Lovely in fall like tones.  For my quilt document I will probably just call it "souped up Pinwheel"

ED. NOTE:   Connie commented and ID'd the pattern.     "Love all the quilts. The last one is the same as Bali Sea Star in Kim Brackett's book, "Scrap Basket Surprises". I really enjoy Kim Brackett's series of books for making quilts from 2 1/2" strips - lots of nice patterns. " 
THX for that.  I remember wondering about it months ago now!  I think Lois even knew I would ask and told me the name!  The memory bank takes longer to come up with some of that anymore.  I even found the POST where I talked about it once Connie shared the information.   

Jane took a couple pictures of me---this is one of them.  My outfit is getting too baggy and I should quit wearing it.   She wanted me to show my folks the weight loss but also the new hair do, dried smooth instead of scrunched curly.

So, I drug in my 2 1/2 inch strip box and the New Home machine.  Though I am wasting fabric trimming it down the pattern says 2 inch or bigger and some overcut strips from my Popstix quilt will find some use.  I've got a container of 2 inch strips but the colors would not be as bright and fun as this bunch.  I sewed some strip sets in different combinations but it seems like some strips in here started off with my fellow Belles.  They were probably just happy that they didn't take them home OR we in essence swapped strips!

I was playing with those Sweet 'n Sassy Rhomboid templates I got last week.  10 blocks done and one itty bitty one.  What is left from trimming out the skewed 4 patch deal can be sewn and then cut with the smallest of the three templates to make a doll quilt.   (Mattie Bea quilt designed by PJ Anderson.)  I wanted to see how many I could squeeze out of 22 inches approx of strip---3 blocks and also how they turned out.  I may do the first cuts from the remaining strips sets here in the kitchen so Oscar doesn't get shooed back outside.

Lois got busy with her book and ruler after JOY group met last week and she has 90 some completed and said we need 130 or something like that to get it WTIL sized (around 40 x 60).   What do I know??  She was the math teacher.

The others took off for lunch at Olive Garden.  I could have gone but came on home instead.   Not my favorite place. They even offered to pick another spot but there was no need to change their selection.  It always takes a while to build consensus in the first place, LOL.  I had brought my lunch but ate it here at home.   Honestly, the only thing that even sounds good to me at the moment is pizza!  I may have to order one as I don't feel like turning on the oven to make a homemade one.  Or wait till I get some of those mini bread shells and stick it in the toaster oven.  HMMMM

That's it for this installment.  Oh, wait.  My local friend Gene says that those wormie looking things I showed you yesterday are actually called catkins and quite a few trees produce those dangling things.  I googled trees "indigenous to Alabama" and "trees with catkins in spring" and it is possible this is an alder tree.  I'll ask Glynda or Robert next time I see them outside.   Still no idea about the tree(s) between the properties.   Now I'm done, LOL.