Golden Springs Baptist Quilt and Car show, part 2

Bev who belongs to Bama Belles and the Lick Skillet Quilt Guild in Oxford, AL made 10 Quilts of Valor tops in 2011. Some were quilted by Craig Heyer of Birmingham or Margaret R who is also an active member of Lick Skillet Guild. I won't identify which ones as in some cases that is not known.

This last one was entered by Ann B, 2010-2012.  "This quilt was made to decorate a room in the Americana theme"

Golden Springs Baptist Quilt and Car show, part 1

A few of the quilts that caught my eye at the quilt show this past Saturday-------they had a program printed up so I will use the descriptions provided.

1-12  Mountain Mist pattern by Doris Swanson 1942-1944.  The woman who owns it submitted the following:  "My grandmother made many quilts during her retirement years.  Each of the four granddaughters received two at the time of her death.  My sister and I stayed in their home during months of High School.  I was privileged to watch her as many were being made on big quilting frames"  I believe it is type of dahlia pattern as the petals were raised.  I love the yellow!

1-26  Emily's Quilt "made by her great-aunt Linda Stedham for her newly painted lavender bedroom.  Emily's favorite color in 2010 was purple."

1-28  Mother's Handkerchief by Mary Ann Lipham, 2012.  "While cleaning out my mother's home after her death, I found a bundle of old handkerchiefs she had kept.  I made this quilt in memory of her."

1-31 Christmas Sampler by Beverly H and members of the JOY Quilt Guild, 2008.  Beverly said "Some members of quilt guild made squares, then we traded squares.  I participated two years until I had 24 squares.   I had to make several to have enough.  I put the quilt together and it was quilted by Susan Walls".   Beverly is also a member of my little quilt group.

1-44.  Lotsa Potsa by Brenda M, 2009.  "This is a quilter's rendition of floral topiaries in an attic window setting."  Brenda is also one of my Bama Belles.

1-59  Drunkard's Path---maker unknown.  Shawnee wrote "I bought this quilt top for $65 in 2000.  It is hand quilted and appeared to be old.  I am sad for the family of the person who made this quilt that a piece of their heritage is lost to them but happy for me that this quilts has a found a loving home."

2-16 Log Cabin by Brenda M, 2007.  "This is a color wave Log Cabin pattern."

2-17  DeColores by Brenda M, 2009.  "DeColores is the greeting to others when you have attended the Walk to Emmaus or Vio de Cristo.  It means "All the Colors" in nature and under God."

3-2 Friendship Quilt of Valor by Shawnee W., 2011.  "This quilt was made for a veteran at the new veteran's facility to be opened  in 2012 in Pell City.  A thank you for his/her service to our country.  Quilted and pieced by Navy Veterans, Shawnee W and Margaret R."

Our friend Bev had a bunch of QOV tops but I will post them in a separate post---part 2 if you will.

Meeting Day

Job one today-----wind 66 yards of batting onto two cardboard cores.  I had dropped one box of our shipment off last week when I was delivering my quilt entries across the street from our meeting place.  I unboxed it so was not surprised when the storage closet was almost pushed  open by the batting roll on the other side of the door.

Bev and then Lois lent a hand in getting this rolled off the giant roll.  Since Lois had three tops to pin we just rolled off what her quilts required while we were at it.

Here is a boy themed rag quilt that Bev had turned in for the kids.  Cute, huh?  Teresa has one as well but hers still needs to be clipped and laundered so I told her I would wait to take the picture for our photo album.

We were missing a few of our regulars today but Nancy and Julie stopped by.  Later Aline came with her little great-grand Lilly.  Lilly just turned a year old recently and was charming all of us.  Aline had an adorable Turning Twenty top that we pinned---lots of dots and bright colors.  Apparently sewing is a bit challenging when Lilly keeps her hopping as she does.  Go figure!  For that reason I am going to quilt the top up.  She may get it back for binding detail though.

And this is a quilt that Teresa made for her son and daughter-in-law as their wedding present.  I believe she used a pattern from Maryquilts but I am not sure what Mary called it.  It is a double rail type block obviously---endless stairs, maybe??  The red and black were the theme colors picked by the bride.

We had pinned this recently and Teresa quilted it herself.  She is fairly new to quilting but is doing well.  I showed her how to do the blind hem applique stitch on the binding today.  As I am incessantly saying it is NOT a hemming stitch like a skirt---you hide the stitches!  I had to drag over a lamp I had left at the meeting site so we could see, LOL--dark red/black print backing and black binding!  As soon as she gets this finished up it will be presented to the bride and groom so I DID take a shot of it though it is not quite done.

I had planned to sew a bit more on "My Sunshine" today but I ended up helping to pin and just did not get to it.  Even had my sewing machine with me but never did get around to threading it.  That's okay though.  I can sew at home and it is better to stay flexible on meeting days.  Help out where I can or provide instruction if asked, whatever needs to be addressed.  A couple of us headed out to lunch after we got the meeting room back in order and went on home from there.

That stack in the bedroom is getting so high that I am thinking about setting up to quilt instead of piece.  The machine I use to piece is packed up so it would be easy enough to swap things out.  I count 13 quilts---1 QOV, 12 kids pro bono quilts ten of which are me generated.  Several of the gals have asked if I have any binding that they could help with----nope, not till I get them quilted.  It may be time.

And sew it goes---------

My Sunshine invasion

After taking a few needed days off from My Sunshine, I picked it back up again after I got back from Sunday afternoon's board meeting.    The black framing rounds were e-sewn on the last remaining block on row 2 and the six blocks in row 6.  I finished up block 5 before I called it a night.

What I have done and attached is on the hanger.

Then we have the cutting station.  If I am going to take this to work on at Belles tomorrow, and I might, I need to get some of the strips cut ahead for row 3.  Get on a roll and keep going and do it in a pared down manner.  You see the log cabin ruler pressed into place.  The magnifying glass and the printout with the sticky notes are so I can isolate just one block across the row.  The pizza box is full of the strips laid out in the green side and the blue side of the logs.

The blocks with their strips---all numbered and 4 more to go.  I also opened up the pdf file and magnified it so I can follow which way the rounds start and rotate around the center square.  They are directional fabrics so I cannot just rotate the blocks on this Barn Raising set as one could normally do.  What you may not be able to see is that my sticky notes have arrows drawn on them to indicate where to stop and start the rotation.  While I needed that MORE with the black logs it is still helpful information so I don't start adding the print strips on the wrong side of the block.

My goal for today is to get this much ready of the top ready to sew, finish the last block of the 2nd row and then join the top two rows.  Then dismantle the next 6 blocks while I have decent light in the sewing room.  Some progress anyway.

And now for "something completely different"-----
last week I emptied out the books that remained on the little book shelf in the hallway that had been in that position essentially since 1997.  Look who cannot leave that spot alone!  If he thinks he is hiding, he isn't, LOL.  Maybe he just needs to add his scent to that little patch of the carpet??

We had some rain move into the area a couple times yesterday.  Earlier in the day I had questioned whether I would even be making the trip to Pell City since radar showed storms above and below us.  Which way were they moving??  They kept saying that the track at Talladega was okay and that was the general direction I was heading.  Fortunately we were done before the last NASCAR race let out so traffic was not a problem.  About  11-11:30 last night more rain literally blew in.  You could see it actually blowing up the lane south to north at angle and hear it hitting the south end of the house.  DJ said we had 1.25 in the gauge for the day so that will help the lack of rain situation a bit.

Guess that's it----quilt show pics next time out, promise!

a finish

Woohooo!  Except for sewing down the label this puppy is done!

Thanks to Denise B. of Friendship Quilters for quilting it for me.

I'll post some pictures from the quilt show  in the next couple days.   There were some pretty quilts including some from my own quilt group that I had not seen before.  Bev had made a slew of QOV quilts and Brenda had some pretty ones as well as Beverly's Christmas quilt that I had not seen either.

Still not sewing?

Still not sewing??  Then more cleaning but toss in cooking two meals instead of the usual one and some baking to boot, LOL.   DJ had neglected to pick up some of his awful store bought oatmeal cookies---he has one or two after lunch and after dinner.   I offered to make some "not a bday" cupcakes that he should have gotten when it WAS his birthday.

I used  the Chocolate Nutella Cupcake recipe from 52 Kitchen Adventures blog, scratch baked since I didn't have any cake mixes on hand.  That's okay though I like to scratch bake.  I had time to play in the kitchen---not sewing, after all.  The cake part is good, moist, dark chocolate taste but they sunk a bit in the middle.  Not at first but it may have been when I switched the pans around and took the larger pan out to test.   Also I noticed that the temperature dial had moved from where I had set it too far into the baking.   I decided that I do NOT like messing with those paper liners.  They do not fit the holes in the pan, fan out and then you can't get the batter into them without them folding or dumping.

I let DJ test the missing cake as it had stuck to the pan when I removed it to the rack to cool before I frosted them.  He liked the cake but said it needed frosting---which I had made up so I glopped a bit on his uneaten portion, LOL.   The frosting is wonderful --- chocolate, nutella-- how bad could that be??  Other than the obvious fat levels, I mean.   I wanted to play with the piping tip of the Wilton Decorator thing I had recently bought but obviously could use more practice.   DJ spotted me and told me if I got good then he had some caulking I could do on our siding.  Nope, that's your job, Honey but thanks for the vote of confidence!  Most of these are going in the freezer.  I'll pick up his cardboard cookies tomorrow when I go to get groceries.

I posted this bit of nostalgia on facebook where they had been posting old washtubs and washboards, wringer washer etc.  I have a pictures of me outside in a washtub---that started my trip down memory lane. I had a picture with Dave and Mom at the wringer washer too.  Maybe an old Sunbeam mixer will be next?   In this shot Mom was obviously making something.  The fact that we three kids are gathered around the mixer must be because we were ready to lick the beaters and spatula/bowl if offered.   I'm guessing she was making cake and this is the frosting.  Such a look of concentration on my little face!  Budding baker??  I am 6, Steve 5, Dave 3 assuming this was early in the 1959 folder.

And a little detective work on  my part:  my sister Janet scanned most of the family slides and made us discs of the images. If the number assigned to the slide used the information Dad gave it originally, it may have been for Dad's graduation from Northern Theological Seminary in Chicago, IL back in 1959. ( OR it could have been his April birthday.)    A subsequent shot shows my grandparents with several aunts and a uncle gathered around the table having punch and cake---yellow cake with white frosting.  The following images show the church in rural Wisconsin that was my dad's first pastorate and where he was ordained the following year.  Memories!

So today----more binding ahead on the 76 Bowties QOV.  I can turn it in Saturday since the quilt guild will be meeting.  Some weeks I just barely leave the house but will not be the case this coming week with a board meeting in Pell City tomorrow, Belles on Tuesday and back over to Pell City for the guild meeting Saturday.    Today is the Golden Springs Quilt and Car Show and I'll run out this afternoon since I will need to bring my entries home as well.

There you have it for today's installment-------

what do you do if you are NOT sewing

Here is what I have so far on "My Sunshine"   10 blocks are done.  Yeah, two are almost invisible in this shot.  A 5th block for the 2nd two is half done and its neighbor is dismantled to re-sew the black framing logs.   The whole next row is also dismantled.  It will feature two birds. a section of the river and three squares with the Sisters range of mountains or whatever their correct name is.   It is also where I left off Tuesday evening about 9:30 p.m.

DJ says "it is not like you to make so many mistakes"  Just a miscalculation on the starts of the blocks, that's all.  A good bit of unsewing, yes, but it is also a learning experience---of what NOT to do, LOL.  Still I am seeing the bands of color are doing what they are supposed to do.

I had initially planned on sewing yesterday at least to finish up the 2nd row and join it to the top one.  That would be 1/3rd done since there are 6 rows of 6 blocks for a total of 36.  Did not happen.  Since the month changed, I switched out the wall hangings to reflect that it is May.  "Spring" came down as I needed it for a quilt show and something else is temporarily taking its place.  I vacuumed up the threads that were littering the sewing/computer room floor from all that un-sewing and sewing that stayed in..  Laundry was done.

I have 6 quilted pieces entered in the Golden Springs Baptist Church Car and Quilt show this coming Saturday.  I needed to get those in the pillow cases for the show and delivered yesterday morning.  This is catty corner from the church where we meet, some 20 minutes away from my home.  Our quilt batting order had come so I dropped that off.  66 yards of 48 inch lowest loft poly that we can get and crammed in a bag that is smaller than you would think could possibly hold it.  I tore the box open the rest of the way so we can wind it on the cores on Tuesday----let the wrinkles relax a bit.  I had other errands to run on the way home.

Once home, there were emails to write, blades to pack up to send in for exchange/purchase, bank and post office errands for quilt group matters.  By then I was looking at 3 p.m.  I balanced two checking accounts and then I started cleaning out a desk drawer that had reached saturation point.  I overworked my little paper shredder since I had stuff from back to 09 in there.  My waste basket is filled with confetti and so was the floor. By then it was 9 p.m and that means jammie time for this girl.  The Cardinals were probably going to win with a 10 run lead in the top of the 7th---probably safe to stop listening to the coverage.

While my husband washed and waxed my car, it was bagging up a bunch of books to take to the donation bin, dusting with all that book moving around, another post office stop, a trip to the recycle center in town and a long phone call re: a financial matter.  I vacuumed yet again for the confetti mess and the dusting aftermath.  We are getting rid of a small bookcase that has sat in the hallway since we moved here 15 years ago but it is also one of my decorating areas.  Oh well---don't need it anymore.  Less is more, after all.

This afternoon I read up on how to clean out an iron in a non-toxic manner as mine was heating but not steaming and the shot of steam was not working at all.  Rather than look for a replacement, I thought I better try cleaning it  out first.  Weird thing is, I forgot mine has a self cleaning button till after I had done what THIS ARTICLE  said to do----run some white vinegar through the iron's water reservoir.  Keep pressing or keep hitting the shot of steam.   I did this till the water had emptied out and then ran two "tanks" of water through the iron, the 2nd one through the self cleaning button over a 11-7 baking dish till I knew the water was clear.   DJ comes down the hall and says "what's that smell?"  I told him "hot pickles" and hit the shot of steam to demonstrate.  You can tell it is a cooler overcast day or I would have been complaining about the heat and steam.  I probably smell like a pickle too or my clothing does!!  I must remember to dump out the water when I am done sewing for the day---bad, Linda, bad!!  I do still need to track down some sole plate cleaner though since I do use a good bit of fusible stuff for applique though someone may have an idea and lately some starch products.

We just got some good rainfall for a little while anyway----I only see a quarter inch in our gauge.  A few thunder rumbles and Skyler was in hiding for a bit.  We have had very little rain considering it is spring and we are way behind on our totals.  According to the paper, we have only had .094 reported for the year compared to 20.47 last year for the same time period.   Normals would be 18.96 inches.  Not the severe drought they are having in Georgia and Florida especially but behind.   I don't want storms but some slow steady rain would be helpful about now.

Since I still don't feel like sewing today, I think maybe some handwork would be in order.  Think I'll get started on the handwork on the binding of  76 bow ties QOV---right after I dust this desk and keyboard.   This room is the dust and lint capital of the world!

And sew it goes----