UFOs, Roswell and Area 51

I brought this cute little project to work on while I am in Arizona. It is the cover project from the book, Remembering Adelia, by Kathleen Tracy.  Such darling projects in this book! I wanted a project to work on by hand, so this one fit the bill. I haven't done any applique for a while so began the preparation by tracing the leaf shape onto freezer paper. I cut out about 10 leaves and pressed them onto the wrong side of the fabric. So far so good. I cut out each shape, leaving a seam allowance. Then I glued the edges over the paper using a glue stick. Whoops. Did I say I glued the edges down? Why yes I did. Wasn't I supposed to starch the edges over? Well, yes I was. Oh no! 

Well, by the time I realized my error I had already sewn several little leaf shapes down. I admit, I wondered why I was having so much trouble forcing the needle through the fabric. Duh!  I soaked each little block in water and gently managed to pull the paper from the slit in the back, and all is well. This does not count as a UFO as I am still working on it!

Now I am backtracking to my Atlanta trip because I haven't mentioned going to one of my very favorite quilt shops:  LITTLE QUILTS!  I have been a Little Quilts fan for years and years, long before they opened the shop. Since my daughter moved to Atlanta I have had the opportunity to visit the shop a few times (actually three). My daughter is unacquainted with the Marietta area, where the shop is located, so we called for directions. Mary Ellen VonHolt, the shop owner, answered and gave Jennie directions. "Look for the Big Chicken on the corner of Roswell Road", she said. We drove back and forth down Marietta Road and somehow we missed seeing the big chicken! I think I was not looking high enough in the air! Seriously, with Roswell on my mind, I felt like we were searching for the illusive Area 51, of UFO fame, which I thought was rather humorous considering how many UFOs I have. Are you getting all this? 

Finally, the Big Chicken hovered over us, so to speak. We turned down Roswell and clapped our hands at the sight of Little Quilts!

So we made it! Of course the shop is wonderful. We arranged to go on a day that Karen was working, so we met again and went to eat together when she was done with work. It was fun to see Karen's own little quilts displayed at the shop along with her patterns! Also, my Williamsburg Medallion pattern that Karen made was displayed right by the front door! 

So that is my final adventure in Atlanta!  Come back again for news from the burning sands of Arizona!

TWO FOR THE ROAD

I have to share this darling bottle I found at Pier 1 the other day. Look at the cute birds! Remember when I showed the vintage photos of birds that I copied and framed? This pretty gold bottle is perfect in my bedroom and the birds are perfect too!
I have been stash busting like crazy with this quilt for my son! I finished thirty-six 12" blocks, and when I get home from Arizona I will make the pieced border that I have planned. This design makes a great utility quilt.
Also for my son (who was recently married) I have completed this Buggy Barn quilt. I started it for him quite a while ago and it has been staring me in the face ever since. The original pattern was not big enough for a queen size bed so I wanted to add borders. I had the perfect fabric and everything. Why do these things take so long? Finally I got the borders on! Today I photographed it on my bed. Tomorrow I take it with me to Arizona to be quilted. I prepared the backing and binding, so I am all set. With any luck at all, maybe it will get quilted before I leave and I can bind it and mail it to my son Renn.
This is the book that the quilt pattern is in. Those Buggy Barn gals sure come up with cute ideas. There is at least one other pattern in this book that I plan to make for the Plumpkin--those darling flowers!

So tomorrow, on the 4th of July, I board a plane due to take off at 6:15 AM. Believe me, this is a huge effort of love on my part. I am not a morning person. I am always surprised to see people out on the road when I am forced to go that early. What are they doing? They can't all be hunting for night-crawlers!

Today Karen Diane told me she would miss me while I am gone. Remember she lives in Florida and I don't! "How can you miss me? I am as close as the internet, just like always!" You know she is a very cosmic person and she will know that I am not home. Me and my cosmic vibes are off to Arizona. I will try and pick up some energy as we fly over Sedona.

Later my friends,

THREADS AND PENNIES

This pretty little sampler is from the Blackbird Design's book, You're Invited. It is a quilting book, but shows pictures of rooms with lovely samplers on the walls. I am smitten. We have a wonderful cross stitch shop here in Virginia Beach called Dying to Stitch, and it is just two doors down from the quilt shop. They are so friendly and helpful there and they have walls full of beautiful samplers. I could get seriously carried away. They helped me pick out this beautiful linen for my project. I have only X-stitched on aida cloth in past years. I was skeptical if my eyes would work on these tiny threads. I did feel relieved to find out that I crossed the floss over two strands of thread. I work under an ott light and pick up a magnifying glass from time to time. It is coming along! I would like to say I am almost finished, but it goes so slowly! I wonder how many hour I have in this project? I wonder if anyone else will love it in future years?

We don't pay much attention to pennies these days, so I didn't realize that they had made changes in our change. My niece held up a penny the other day and wondered about the new picture on the back. She thought it looked like a polo player. My daughter took a look and said maybe it was a lumberjack. Now remember how small a picture on a penny is. It was years before I learned that you could actually see Lincoln sitting in the doorway to the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is no longer on the new pennies. (Follow that link to read about it.) But at least Abraham Lincoln is still on that penny! Those dingbats really had me worried!

Regular readers of this blog have heard me talk about my youngest granddaughter whom I have dubbed the Plumpkin. We cannot call her plump any longer, but I still like the nickname. She is now a sassy and comical four year old. Doesn't this picture say it all?

Last night my daughter was traveling from Minnesota to their new home in Montana. Her husband had gone on line and arranged a room for her and the kids at a very nice hotel. The Plumpkin took a look around, jumped up on the bed, laid down with her hands behind her head and her ankles crossed, and said, "Princess Kathryn, you got it good!"

Well my friends, with the 4th of July holiday coming up this weekend here in America, and even in spite of all the political turbulence, I hope we can all sit back and relax and say, "We got it good!" Give thanks!

SCRAPS OF MY TIME

While in Atlanta my daughter and I visited this quilt shop called Red Hen. I loved the red barn look of the outside, plus this great quilt was cut and glued on a board and sealed so that the weather wouldn't damage it. Great idea! It created a very exciting visual entry into the shop!
This is my darling daughter Jennie that I went to visit in Atlanta. She loves the brights, and when I come to visit she suddenly gets inspired to make a quilt! So we worked on this design a bit before I came home.

Jennie also possesses my first Bernina! Isn't this the sweetest machine? I bought it in 1970 for $300, and believe me, it broke the bank. I was so thrilled to own a Bernina, and used that faithful machine for twenty-five years before I got a new one! I now have a Bernina 440, which is a dream! But my first little workhorse will always be my sentimental favorite.

Can you tell how tiny these scraps are? Jennie knows I love scraps so she pulled these out in case they could be of use. I should have placed a ruler in the picture, but maybe you can tell the size from the lettering on the selvedge. When I laughed she indignantly replied that I was the one who taught her to save scraps. OK, guilty, but I feel it is important to have a little room for the seam allowances. :) So there you have it, a little more about my Atlanta trip.

Summer is flying, and so am I. Next weekend I am off to Arizona, you think to have my head examined, going to the desert this time of year. But no, my son's family is moving into a new house and they think I can be of help. If sitting under a fan giving directions will help, then count me in!

PRIMITIVE EXPLORATIONS

Does this look familiar? Well if you visit Karen at Sew Primitive, you will recognise it from her blog banner. Imagine my delight when it was the first thing I saw when I entered her home as well! If you read my previous post you know that Karen and I had the opportunity to spend time together while I was in Atlanta. We had such fun! Plus, I had the added pleasure seeing Karen's persona displayed in all the delightful accoutrements that make up her home.

The artist must have her studio, and Karen has created quite the artist's habitat in her home. Every where you go you see evidence of her unlimited skills. Sometimes it is represented in the form of workspace and materials.

And sometimes in whimsical displays. I just love this doll!

Cats rule at Karen's house, and lord it over you from high above her neatly arranged stash. Rembrandt went into hiding when I showed up, but sweet old Ginger was not intimidated.

Can you even imagine visiting someone who allows you to investigate their closets? Well, I guess if my closets were this clean and organized I wouldn't mind. Hopefully I will become inspired!

And the design wall! I have seen little previews of these things on Karen's blog, but I so enjoyed seeing the real thing! Hmmm--what is she up to now?

Karen comes across as a rather private person on her blog. She is non-assuming and modest in her self appraisal. That is where I come in. She needs to be exposed for what she really is! She is absolutely amazing!

This little creation of hers is one example of her skill as a designer. I love this! The pattern is available on her website www.folkartchildren.com along with several others that you will love!

Wasn't that fun?!

FINDING FRIENDS AND FABRIC

Here I am in Atlanta, visiting my daughter, and who should I find but Ms. Sew Primitive! Karen came and picked me up on Friday and we hugged like old buddies, which, due to excessive e-mailing, we actually are! But this is the first time we have met face to face, and though we both joked about "what if we hate each other?" we knew we wouldn't. Karen actually lives on the other side of town from my daughter, so while in this area we visited two shops that she hadn't been to. The first was the Scarlet Thread, which is a beautiful new shop, bright and lovely as its contents. It carries bright and beautiful fabrics. We both found some fabric that we purchased, even in the midst of all that brightness! Remember, Karen and I are both residing mostly in the 19th Century! (In terms of our quilts).
Second stop was Sweet Home Quilt Shop in Conyers, GA. This shop occupies a darling house that is on the historical register. As you can see, there are lovely quilts hanging on porch railings and swings, etc. It is so welcoming!
Yup, here we are, enchanted by this old beauty on the porch. I am referring to the quilt of course.
Inside we met these two nice ladies! We took an action shot of Pam on the left, and shop owner Melisa on the right cutting fabric. Karen and I felt right at home at Sweet Home! Then we found out that Melissa reads our blogs! She was especially familiar with Karen and asked her about Rembrandt! Isn't that funny! Melisa has a blog also. Check it out!

As we left this charming shop we noticed these irresistible stone steps just begging to be photographed. This was the perfect photo op for our purchases.

We spent the evening at Karen's house wading through her many vintage quilts and current projects. I met Rembrandt when I first entered, but then she went into hiding for the rest of the evening. More of that in a future post!

TRUE BLUE

I was browsing through my photo albums today while looking for something to blog about. I opened the folder of blue quilts and sighed. Aren't they lovely? I love all kinds of quilts, but there is something about a blue and white quilt. Very soothing, or something!

I have been saving photos of blue quilts in a folder on my computer. Some are my own and a couple were lifted off blogs. Lyn from Bluebird Quilts made the one in the upper left, and Karen from Log Cabin Quilter made the one in the upper right. Aren't they wonderful? I hope they don't mind me showing them.

Recently I showed a photo of Granddaughter Becky wrapped up in the quilt pictured below. Someone asked if I had a pattern for this, and I don't. I never created one. But here is a photo of the whole quilt before it was quilted, and
below is a shot of a couple of the blocks. I went a little crazy using LOTS of scraps of blue in all shades and lots of backgrounds.

Sew many blue quilts, sew little time. Has that phrase been beaten to death yet? Well, suffice it to say, I think I may have a few more blue quilts in my future.

Tomorrow I head for Atlanta to spend a week with my daughter and also devote some time stalking Karen from Sew Primitive. She knows I am coming and she cannot avoid me! Ha! We will be collaborating on a book called Folkart Children Patchalot. What do you think? (OK, I am kidding, but still...)

I will be mostly off the computer, so don't forget me while I am gone for a week.