Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Button Bandits

This is a little project that I made a while back and never showed, but now I am working on directions so I thought I would give you a peek. It is called Button Bandits. Did you know that crows love to find little objects and hide them away? Especially shiny objects. So Button Bandits seemed like the perfect name for this. Hopefully I will have a pattern all packaged up soon.


When I showed this quilt, Primrose Hill, last time I forgot to mention that my friend Mary Flynn from Quilt Hollow did the quilting for me. As usual, she did a fabulous job. The design is a beautiful overall pattern with flowers and swirls. It looks lovely. Mary always knows just what a quilt needs. It is a nice talent for a machine quilter to have, and one that I truly appreciate because I want my quilts to look their best. With Mary I never worry, and I have never been disappointed. Thanks Mary!


I was emailing with Libby today and we were talking about mis-matched things and how sometimes it is charming and sometimes it isn't. It made me think of my darling granddaughter, Becky. She doesn't want a set of anything. She loves everything mis-matched. She loves drinking out of canning jars, and no plates that match, etc. She cracks me up. The funny thing is that her kids match perfectly--she has twins! Ironic!
Here she is, the mother of twin boys. Sometimes when I look at their pictures I can't decide who is the cutest, Becky or the boys!


I am pretty sure that Micah is in the red and Grey in the gray. Don't quote me. They are 18 months old now, and wearing skinny jeans. Well what else? They are the coolest! Tho that is an ancient expression and I have no idea what the current term would be.

Later quilt buddies!



Sunday, September 23, 2012

Photo Shoot at Stoney's

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here in Virginia Beach. I had a few errands to run and thought I would first go to Stoney's outdoor produce market. It is always so gorgeous there in the fall. I had two quilts with me and hoped to do a little photo shoot to try and capture pictures for pattern covers. The lighting was perfect in the shade and they always have great props around. I really hope they don't mind me doing this. I always ask someone for permission and they are agreeable, but then others look at me like--what does she think she is doing? I hate to intrude on the property of others, but seriously, I get the best photos there! And I always buy stuff before I leave. I bought half a dozen pots of pansies for the front yard. They are lovely.





 This is so frustrating! Blogger doesn't want my photo to be right side up. But try and look at the cute accessories around this place.


While at Stoney's I met a fellow quilter. I didn't know her before, but she saw me with my quilt and stopped to talk. Her name is Tiffany McPherson. She used to own a quilt shop, The Velvet Thread, in Elizabeth City. I bet some of you know her. She was there with her husband and grandchildren. Grandmas just don't look like grandmas anymore! Sorry, this photo flipped also. Aargh!  Anyway, it's always nice to find a friend lurking in the pumpkins!



 Their pumpkins and squash are amazing, and all different kinds. I thought these paint spattered looking ones were cool.
Cute little gift shop within. A few old and weathered items for sale as well. My quilt, Old Soul, was arranged in several locations. It looks good with the fall items. Remember Old Soul from the spring edition of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine? They have another project of mine coming up that I hope you will like! Maybe it is in the new issue that I am hoping to receive soon.

I have ordered covers for patterns for these quilts and they will be available soon!


Thursday, September 20, 2012

Scrap Quilts Magazine

I am very excited to announce that one of my quilts was selected for the cover of the Fons and Porter bookazine about Scrap Quilts!  



Quite a while ago they emailed me and asked if I had anything to contribute to the magazine and I said, as a matter of fact, I do! So I submitted a photo and they wrote back to say that the editors wanted to use it in an upcoming special edition about scrap quilts. Well, you know me and scrap quilts, we are like bears and honey, or cookies and milk, or flags on the 4th of July! I was pretty pleased! Then recently they told me that my quilt would be on the cover of the magazine! Woohoo! I have had a few quilts in magazines, but this is my first cover. So excuse me if I gush all over the place. I hope you will look for a copy!

In other news about me, Cheryl at Polkadots and Rick Rack is involved in Christmas Through the Year and posted a link to my website and the free Christmas patterns that I have listed there. Maybe you will see something that interests you. Christmas is just around the corner...again! Seems like it is always just around the corner! Thanks to Cheryl for thinking of me and my designs.


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Quilts and things

I am in the midst of getting ready for Quilt Market, which takes place in Houston in October. The time is fast approaching and I still have much to do. This week I brought home a few quilts from the LQS that have been on display there for oh-so-long. 
Several of them are going to market with me. I am formulating how to set up my booth. The booths there are so beautiful and it is a little intimidating. The hardest part is trying to make my booth attractive in an auditorium filled with so much eye candy. 


 Meanwhile, I got it in my head that I needed a little rug in my booth. I decided to try and crochet a rag rug. I have been wanting to try this for years, ever since a fellow blogger, Finn, showed them on her blog. This was several years ago, but I managed to find her comments on the topic and went to work. First I went through my scrap box looking for long strips, then I trimmed them into 3/4" wide strips. I experimented with a couple different sizes, but 3/4" seems to be the magic number for me. I also learned that a strip doesn't go too far, and it is a little difficult pulling the seams through with the crochet hook, so the longer the strip the better. I was happy to find some really long pieces in my scrap box that had been trimmed off the backing of quilts after they were quilted. And I used a J hook and Finn used a K hook. Finn posts about it HERE and HERE. This is a fun way to use up fabric that you know is going to waste. The problem is that you get hungry for more and you run out of long scraps, so then you start looking in your stash for old or ugly fabric. Last night my husband accused me of using my good fabric for a rag rug. That's just crazy. I used old fabric. "Good" is a relative term, right?

 I have to share this darling doll furniture that my granddaughter just got from her other grandfather (the one I am not married to). He made it for her American Girl Doll. Such a talented man, and such a lucky little girl! Hmmm, maybe she needs a rag rug!

 

Friday, September 07, 2012

Pilgrim's Pride

I was thinking this morning about my ancestors and the great heritage they have left me. I am pretty sure that most Americans can say that they came from families without much money. I know I can. My family tree consists of paupers and Pilgrims, pioneers and patriots. Maybe even pirates, who knows? Yes, Patchs for sure! But no where on my family tree do I see dollar signs. They were salt of the earth, working class people. They did what they could and what they had to do to take care of their families. My grandfather went to college in Chicago to become a chiropractor. He never got to practice. Instead, the depression came along and he drove trucks. My grandmother didn't have a job outside the home, but what a worker she was! Though she was raised on a farm, she ended up living in the city of Buffalo, NY with a garden in her backyard. My grandparents rented out rooms in their home to make ends meet, and their children slept in the attic. Trust me, this was no bed and breakfast! At one point my father's parents lost their home and could not find a place to move into as soon as they needed. My mother's parents told them that if they got desperate they could stay in their cellar. Well, they actually did become that desperate, and for a few months they took up residence next to the furnace in a very small room with only a bed. This must have been in about 1947 because I remember (and I was only a year old) calling down the radiator grill in the floor to my grandfather and hearing him call back to me. A sweet memory for me, not so great for them.
Another family of mine lived on the plains of Alberta, Canada. They farmed their land and fought the elements and whatever else life threw at them. They were Mormons and from them I got my faith and my fat legs. No, not all Mormons have fat legs, I just happened to have been blessed doubly. 

My Great-great-grandfather Davidson died from an accident while chopping wood with an ax. No doctors were in the area and one of the boys rode as fast as he could to Lethbridge to get a doctor. The doctor wouldn't come. He said it wasn't worth the ride as grandfather would be dead by the time he reached him. Turns out he was right. 

When it came time for the crops to be harvested, neighbors came from all around, bringing their own harvesting equipment (whatever they had back in 1897) and they harvested all the crops for Grandma Davidson. I suspect there are many, many stories like this across America. Communities pulling together to take care of their own. 

Granted, this story took place in Canada, but the community spirit is the same. My grandmother used to love to sing Oh Canada.I love to sing America the Beautiful! I love this song! It is emotional and stirring and full of wisdom and inspires us to be better people, better Americans! It unites us! Click on the link and read the words. They are amazing. 

 America! America! God shed his grace on thee,
And crown thy good with brotherhood, From sea to shining sea! 

 My heritage was built on the backs of my ancestors, and they came from many different countries to build this nation into something great. They were paupers and Pilgrims, Pioneers and Patriots! I bet yours were too!