busy

The whole household is busy, busy, busy this morning. I am prepping one of the applique blocks for the TSP. I don't care if Pat DOES see it---she still won't know entirely what I am up to, LOL.

I finished the re-stitching on the block that I had mis-cut due to a pattern error but mostly I am piddling at my own speed on this.

Skyler is sitting in the middle between the two areas of activity so he can go either way with the supervision he is providing. Mostly he is watching DJ at this point but not wanting to get TOO close.

And DJ? He is taking advantage of the cooler, early morning overcast weather to planting some dwarf nandina bushes in the space where he had taken out the bushes/shrubs, darned near trees previously.

Lowe's had them on sale in a mix and match sale 4 for $10. Can't argue about the price since they are normally about 6 bucks for a 2.5 qt. pot. We knew we wanted something that would stay fairly small and these are purported to only grow to about 3 feet in height. We have one near the end of our drive way that a previous homeowner planted. It will spread out horizontally and seems to survive in benign neglect though they should be pruned. (DJ was reading in his southern gardener books before we went to get them) He has never deliberately watered it and it still has thrived even in the drought years. Reminds me a bit of a burning bush with the fall color.

DJ says we can put down the weed barrier stuff black paper later but for now the what to plant question has been answered. I don't know if he still plans on putting down a barrier between the bed and yard or not. I don't want boards back down if they are going to rot out again or get insect infestation---again.

DJ and I were thrilled that our STL Cardinals were able to prevail and win the NL MLB wild card, even if I hate the wild card format. It was hard for us to root against the Braves and pull for whoever they were playing. Since we are out of the Midwest market and can't watch the Cards as often as we would like, the Braves are our secondary team. I do follow along on Gameday on the computer and he flips over to the ESPN crawl to check but it isn't the same as watching a game. Proud of both of our teams. STL has over come a lot of adversity this year to get where they are. Who'd a thunk it?

And sew it goes-------

meeting day

Okay, hiding behind the quilts in front are some of those fabric bins but this is how things looked when DJ helped me unload the car. There is also another quilt bag full of stuff and my purse somewhere in there, LOL.

The basket: three quilts that Shawnee volunteered to put labels on this morning. She and Nancy dropped by to pick up her quilt show entries. She said she would be back with them before I left to go home---and she was. THX!

The other stack you will see in a minute. All this had to be logged into the quilt document making sure they all had a number on the label and then stuck in the closet for now. I am going to have to find another spot to store them---like at someone else's house or we donate them earlier than planned.

Lois had completed this Scrappy Trips Around the World. Bonnie Hunter pattern found HERE. One of Lois' "go- to" patterns, I think she would tell you.

Next up, Lois had this 4 patch X quilt completed as well. Pattern Source: Bonnie Hunter's "Addicted to Scraps" column in Quiltmaker Sept-Oct. 2010. I think it would be fair to say that Lois likes this one too as she had two more tops made with the same blocks that we pinned today. LINK will take you to all of the "Bonnie blocks" featured in the magazine thus far though I don't think any patterns are provided.

Aline got the binding completed on her 2nd Romance Challenge quilts. She and her granddaughter teamed up to make a total of 4 quilts from the donated yardage we used. She calls this one "Dotty" Romance. No pattern---you just put about 3 inches of sashing all around some feature fabric (or blocks) on all 4 sides and then cut the resultant block at an angle with a square ruler. Just watch out for bias stretch when you handle or press them. Makes a fun quilt and a young lady is sure to enjoy this.

Bev had this cutie purse for show and tell. I think she made it for her granddaughter?? It includes a clip for her hair.

Bev came with armfuls of the same yardage she had shared with us last meeting. I know that Aline took some with her today for backing some tops she had at home. Bev also brought a friend with her and an Alabama top she had made to pin. Bev knows that I have to do the program at the JOY group in early October on this very subject. She and Julie stayed to help pin several others to return the favor.

I was off making copies of the hand out for the block we will be using for the sew in and didn't get a picture taken of Brenda's top that she made for a grandchild. That was one that we pinned in addition to Bev's top, Lois' two 4 patch X and one of Betsy's for DHR. Guess that waits till when she gets it done.

When I first got there I had discovered that someone had been doing some painting recently in the fellowship hall. I didn't know if we would be able to tolerate the lingering paint fumes. About that time the pastor had come thru and advised us to open the doors up to air things out. Just watch for creepy crawlies! I had left a box fan from home to help with the a/c situation earlier this summer so we used that too. The humidity was up pretty high this morning with a fog advisory. I don't think any of us were too comfortable with the air off necessarily, but you do what you must. It wasn't too bad by lunch time. If we had not had quilts to pin, we would have moved to one of the vacant Sunday school classrooms instead.

I didn't get a speck of embroidery done. I had even lugged the light box and supplies with me to tend to parts of the TSP. I followed the instructions on the pattern but unfortunately the trimming size listed was incorrect in one instance. Now I will have to re-do a stitchery block for the bday present. Trimmed, it will be an inch too short. Partly my fault because I didn't verify the accuracy of the numbers before I sliced it off----darn it! Good thing I like to embroider! I have to spend a little time sitting at the dentist office tomorrow so I'll tuck it in my purse.

Oh, my missing quilt entry was delivered to me this morning too........just as I thought it might be. We were right that it was hiding with the larger quilts.

Well, time to throw something together for supper. What exactly I don't know but I do not feel like messing around in the kitchen long. Definitely not that pot roast I had initially planned, just sayin'. DJ just had soup and sandwich for lunch so he'll need something heartier than that.

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

Gadsden Quilt show 2011

A few of the quilts that captured my attention. Some of them I know the maker-exhibitor and/or the pattern. There is no printed program, I didn't make any notes and just liked them. Notes will follow the picture.

Made by Miss Reba in the Gadsden quilt group. Itty bitty yo-yo's arranged in nine patches. She was celebrating her 80th birthday on Saturday at the show. Miss Reba also had two sizes of Cathedral Window in the show. Obviously she loves hand work!

This lovely French Braid quilt was made by my friend Aline's daughter Fran for her husband Rick who has not see it yet. It was awarded a 2nd place ribbon.  Fran is currently living in Puerto Rico, waiting to sell their home so they can move back stateside when her husband retires from the AFIS food service from the military.  This has been a long, slow process for her.

Both entries by Edna Carr, a friend from the Jacksonville (AL) Piecemaker's Quilt Group. The winter scene on the right was awarded the Best of Show. LOL, I liked her African themed one on the left better but hey, I was not judging the show. The BOS was more improvisational, her own design, raw edge appliqued which may have appealed more to the judges.

This one received a blue ribbon in its category but I know nothing about it.

A pretty bargello in my favorite color. I was working with the lady on set up day pinning on sleeves but did not know her.

I do not know the maker or the pattern beyond nine patches but isn't it striking!?  ( ED NOTE:  I have some more information, thanks to a reader and commenter who told me  "Hi! that's a "Blooming Nine Patch" with alternating solid and nine-patch squares. Widely seen at quilt shows! From the book "Tradition with a Twist", 1996, by Blanche Young and Dalene Young Stone. Enjoyed seeing this one. "

THX!!!  I know that has been taught at a quilt show in Birmingham in the past.  I guess I just haven't seen many of them all finished up at a show!  I think even two of my FAB pals have made a version of it, years ago!  Just didn't recognize it as the same quilt.   Too often the entry forms or the person entering a quilt does not provide pattern source information on their submission---too bad, IMHO.)

Made by Gayle Naugher of Golden Springs Baptist (Anniston, AL) Stitch and a Prayer group. Gayle is like me in that we both love 30's fabrics and she has several 30's quilts that I have seen exhibited before. It was awarded a 3rd place ribbon in the bed category.

Made by Judy Boozer of the Friendship Quilters group in St. Clair Co.  She called it "Totally Caffienated". It received a 2nd place ribbon in the bed quilt category. Very well done!

Brenda M from my quilting group, Lick Skillet Quilt guild and her own Wednesday night group made this one which took a 1st place ribbon in the applique category. I believe that this was the Robert Callahan Grandmother's (something) quilt that was featured in McCall's Quilting magazine some time back. I'll see her tomorrow to confirm that. Believe it or not, this was her first quilt!! She noted that she did not realize at the time that it was beyond her abilities at the time. Very well done!

Shawnee with her "Suitable for Framing" quilt that she made for her daughter. You can see how thrilled she was with her 2nd place ribbon in the applique division. Her daughter who was with her said "she took it right off my bed!" I told her that we make these quilts and give them to our family and friends but come quilt show time, we take them back to enter and display them, LOL.

A beautiful sampler quilt that I don't know much about other than it got a 1st place ribbon in the bed category. It may have been blocks that the Stitch and Prayer group did as BOM.

Lastly, Sue Ann R from the Jacksonville Piecemaker's group made this one for her mom. Hand quilted. Very striking and the border very unusual. It was the first one you saw as you came into the exhibit.

That's it for this note

Design Wall Monday--wk. 40?

The grand sum total of my quilting process this weekend was thinking about it, LOL. Friday, I got the re-binding and labeling done on the scrappy bargello as planned but that was it. To be fair, I was gone a good chunk of Saturday with girl's day out. Yesterday was paperwork day and the grocery run. I also had to fix TWO meals, not just one since there were no leftovers on hand. Anything on the list just did not get done plus who says that there is anything wrong with NOT sewing?

The other thing that took some time yesterday was that Jane and Hugh had brought my quilt show entries along with Shawnee's back on Sunday afternoon. I knew that they would be worn out after taking down the show so I had told her not to rush over Saturday night. Hugh said that they had "worked (him) harder than a borrowed mule." Pretty apt description actually. He was the guy wielding the power tools and up and down the ladders all day for set up. Take down, same thing---only it goes faster. His usual partner in set up had been ill and could not help this time around, which may account for some of that statement. Jane said that they had to be out of the building by 630 even if the quilts were not all folded up and put in the proper numbered pillow cases. There was an event scheduled for the building on Sunday and it needed to be set up Saturday evening.

Anyway, my quilts and wall hangings needed to be put away or re-hung once they left. The wall hanging situation shifted around again . I seem to be missing my place mat entry and one pillow case that it could be in but it will show up, I'm sure. I also seem to have misplaced a small wire quilt hanger that I use for my calendar quilts, somewhere in this house!! I have things separated out and stacked up for the next show though not in separate pillow cases yet.

Just a quick note about the show because I will be posting pics in another post. Calhoun County was well represented at the show. Brenda won a first place in applique division while Shawnee's quilt placed 2nd. Aline won a 2nd place ribbon for her twin sized pieced quilt. I got two 3rd place ribbons for Happy Halloween and my FAB challenge place mats. Friends from other county quilt groups also had various ribbons for their entries.

I seem to be all over the place with this post, LOL. Okay, today is Monday. I finally pressed that binding in Friday's post this morning. The foremost thing on my list is the FAB bday TSP which still needs the embroidered elements trimmed down. I drug out the fall fabrics and some of the other bin colors that will be required. BUT I have to move all those container to get at the cutting board and then press the fabric I pull to use for the next step of TSP. That machine may not get fired up today either at this rate since I have a few errands to run this morning. Tomorrow is Bama Belles day and I have to get myself organized for that. Hand work or sewing??

The other thing----one of my crowns fell off from a lower left molar when we were eating lunch. I was just eating a piece of home made pizza so had not bit down into anything hard or crunchy. Worse still, I also had a filling fall off/out of the tooth adjacent to it. I am thinking it will probably needs a crown as well, judging from the gap I am feeling. Oh, great! I'll be calling the dentist in a few minutes to see if I can get in to pop the crown back on before the base starts breaking down.

And sew it goes or in this case, goes slowly............ or not at all, LOL

change of plans

This is what I should be working on today. Press this pile of binding and work on the TSP. The embroidery elements are now complete but other parts remain. Blocks need trimming, fabrics pulled, etc. To be honest, I don't think my back is up to pulling down fabric from the top shelves of the sewing room book cases. It is still squawking at me from yesterday's endeavors. Parts of it may get done this weekend, parts not. Just sayin', LOL.

After my rant about submitting quilts without sleeves yesterday, I knew I better practice what I preach. From writing up a quilt data worksheet earlier this month I knew that one of my planned entries for a later show would need some attention. The document is marked as such as a prompt.

I swear that my scrappy bargello had one on it once! It has been in a quilt show before but I vaguely remember taking it off and re-stitching the binding. I think, LOL. Maybe I had just pinned on something temporarily. BUT it didn't have a label on it either. Yeah, some of my quilts don't have them. Some have the data entered in pigma pen. Anyway labeling of some sort is a requirement for the Pell City show coming up in early November. I can tell you that is does help if there is some sort of labeling when there is some confusion about numbers and names. Check the personal label to verify the data. You know if you have the right one to hang or if you need to keep looking.

Last night in spite of how tired I was, I un-stitched the top binding and a spot down in the lower right of the quilt back. I had enough of the backing fabric left filed away in the green container and prepped it. Prepped the label as well. I stitched that all into the quilt this morning and set up a back table to work on re-stitching the binding. Luckily I was able to stitch thru all the layers without putting on the walking foot. The thing is not easy to get off and on my Brother.

LOL, I told DJ when it came time to put a quilt on his bed NOT to use his Strip Twist just yet. I am entering it in the next show so I'm washing it up. Use my "World Series" quilt, please. I think he likes it better anyway. Skyler does too, come to think of it. (Mom, if we turn it sideways it fits the queen sized just fine for his purposes.) I may have to re-think which one goes on MY bed as the weather gets cooler!

First day of fall. It looks like we are in for some more rain today. There were a couple rounds of rain fall and thunder boomers yesterday and in the overnight hours. How it will affect the high school football games will remain to be seen. Cooler but muggy with that cloud cover.

Major league baseball is winding down and my St. Louis Cardinals are trying for a wild card berth but have to beat our secondary team the Braves to do it. The Cards have a series with the Cubs, their biggest and longest rival this weekend. Anything can and will happen. DJ's son and grandson are going to one of the games, he said. Lucky ducks!

And sew it goes------

quilt show season

Looks like I am driving a quilt-mobile here. Between Shawnee's and my entries for the quilt show and the quilt meeting related stuff that stays in the car the description probably fits.

I left the house a little after 8 and got home from helping set up the Gadsden Quilt show at about 5. The guild is small and older than me in most cases. No way can they be climbing up and down the ladders or crawling around on the floor prepping the base units. Gary is happy to have volunteers from his other quilt groups over on our side of the county line---including some quilt husbands with tools and ladders.

So the show is all set up---lots of quilts, more than he really could hang as it turned out. Maybe that is a good problem to have. One of mine will not be displayed but one that I entered as an afterthought. There were probably about 8 others that can be re-entered next year. They are also displaying some of the QOV quilts that will be going to the veteran's home in Pell City. Some of those will have to be folded and displayed that way.

I am going to go back on Saturday with a couple of girlfriends and will take my camera to get some pictures to share. Girls day out, dontcha know?

My low back is killing me mostly from having to bend over to the tables to pin sleeves on the quilt. It is amazing to me that people would enter a quilt in a show and not bother to at least pin on a temporary sleeve themselves. How do they think it is going to get displayed anyway?? IMHO any quilt without a sleeve should either not be accepted or not hung if they drop it off that way but I'm not in charge. Actually two helpers who did have entries in the show minus sleeves said that they did not know to do that---the entry forms do not have instructions for that on it, so maybe. Let me tell you, when they had to sort thru the quilt piles looking for sleeves and had to help pin them on they saw the need! Hard on the back, hard on the temper esp when the quilt hanger folks are hollering for one you are frantically hurrying to work on.

But we got thru it-------I'll be happy to stay home tomorrow and work on TSP. Rest up, LOL.

another finish to flimsy

.........And here is the latest finished top. I had fussy cut some of the shell elements to put them in the corner units. The stripe seems to set things off nicely but I sorta wish I had cut the sashing just a tad narrower.

The backing is prepped and the top added to the rest of the "to be pinned" at some point, hanging in my clothes closet. Good thing I don't have that many clothes anymore is all I got to say.

The binding is cut on the bias to set off the stripe. It is all seamed though obviously needs to be pressed. Story of my life lately, LOL.

On to some TSP sewing for me-----

Hope you have a wonderful day and thanks for stopping by.