Family time in Virginia Beach

Summer has come and gone without a stitch. Yes, I mean truly without a stitch. "How is this possible," You may ask? Well for one thing, we were lucky enough to have company visiting on a few occasions. I guess it is considered kind of rude to lock yourself in the sewing room when you have guests to visit with. 

Over the 4th of July our family from Arizona came to visit. We decided to re-pose granddaughter Danielle in front of the little quilt where her picture was taken so many years ago.

Danielle and her mom, Anna Marie at the beach

My granddaughter Mary and her husband Mike enjoying the water. Everyone enjoyed the beach night and day!

Food and family, nothing better!

In October my daughter Polly and granddaughter Katie came to visit. Katie is home-schooled so they manage to get their schooling in wherever they are. Plus, they are able to visit interesting and even historical places off-season.

Jamestown Settlement is a great place to visit!
The museum there is fabulous! (No photos allowed)
They also have guides in clothes typical of the era who explain how the people lived in that very primitive time. There are replicas of the huts that the Indians lived in, including animal skins and utensils on the walls and cots. The above shows Katie standing next to a skunk skin!

This ship is a replica of the Susan Constant, one of the three ships that sailed into the Chesapeake Bay and up the Jamestown River to settle. The ships actually landed about a mile from where we live in Virginia Beach, VA.
You would not believe how small these ships actually are! I can't even imagine crossing the ocean in this! A two month journey! I love all this historical stuff and love reading about how they lived, etc. And I am very thankful for my soft life in current times!

The Virginia Beach Aquarium is always on the list of things to do here. Katie really loved the turtles and felt that one was especially fond of her as well.

It has been a wonderful summer here in Virginia Beach! Possibly my last. More on that in the future.

Thanks for checking in on me and my very irregular writing schedule!

Spring Morning

Spring Morning isn't quite happening for us yet as January storms prevail in many parts of the USA. However, McCall's Quick Quilts has a way of giving us a nice boost into spring in their February/March 2015 issue.

This magazine is full of lovely quilts that will get you in the mood to decorate for spring! I am happy to say that one of my little quilts was chosen to be in this cheerful magazine! It is called Spring Morning! I made this as a baby quilt for my son's third baby, Olivia Patch. McCall's graciously published the quilts I made for his first two children as well, so I was pleased that they accepted this one also. How can a grandmother explain to a grandchild that their quilt didn't make the cut? Haha! My friend and quilter, Marae Harris quilted this for me. She always knows just what my quilts need!

I have always loved the pink and yellow combination and I was looking for something sweet and girlie. And this is why-

Isn't she sweet?

Be sure and look for this issue of McCall's Quick Quilts!

And on a similar note, this quilt design is almost the same. Can you spot the differences? Well, obviously the colors make a huge difference! The blocks are the same size, I just changed out the four-patch in the block for whatever that little triangle block is called. You can see in both quilts that the Monkey Wrench block was altered so the seams lined up with the corner squares of the other block. See what options you have when you design quilts? You are in charge of the decision making! I am particularly proud of the border in this one. It is the first time I ever made a zig-zag border and I love it! The lovely blue-grey fabric in this quilt is by Olde Green Cupboard, for Marcus Fabrics. It's called Londonderry. You might still find it on whittlesfabrics.com. It is an old release at this point. Most everything is by the time a quilt gets published.

It pleases me so much to be working with McCall's Magazines and the great people there. I thank them for the recognition they give me as a quilter and for the opportunity to share my work with others.

            Piecefully Stitching,

Photo Flood

Since this is such a busy time of year I am going to flood you with photos rather than lots of chatter. These are the little wool ornaments that I made for my grandchildren this year. Little penguins. If you read my post from a few weeks ago you will notice that they go with the penguin gift theme. I am pleased to say that my grandkids look forward to their ornaments each year and love looking back through their collections from over the years. That is what makes it worth it to me!

Below is a photo from Thanksgiving of me with three of the little darlings. August and Katie on top and Grey on the bottom getting a little tickle of encouragement to smile.

 And the tree! We all love our own tree, filled with love and memories from years gone by and usually something new as well. My Williamsburg Medallion Quilt is the backdrop.

 I found the perfect spot for my little red hexagon table topper. My little rocking horses and reindeer are playing merry-go-round on the pedestal plate. That is my Wintergreen pattern in the background--still available on my website!

 If you have been reading my blog for a long while you may remember this little cute tree quilt. I designed the pattern and have the instructions for FREE on my website. This version is smaller than the directions specify. I made so many of these for gifts! And so did many of you! If this design is new to you be sure and see the gallery.

Lastly, I want to share my Tone it Down quilt from last winter's American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. If you are on Instagram, go to #apqquiltalong and you can see lots of variations, including the original by Lissa Alexander, commonly know as the very talented ModaLissa. Right-she designs for Moda Fabrics!  Anyway, I love mine! The pattern is actually called Burgoyne Surrounded, a very old pattern after a Revolutionary War general. Lissa updated the pattern in a beautiful way! (I know--if you follow all these links you will be here all night!)

 I hope you are enjoying this wonderful season of hope and love!

Turkey Treats

 First, a little turkey talk! I saw this darling pillow on 

Anne's blog, Cottons 'n Wool. If you are ever looking 

for inspiration, you can always find it on Anne's blog! 

I immediately went to Buttermilkbasin.com to find the pattern for this sweet pillow. Check out Anne's version 

by following the link above. Mine still needs work. 

Better hurry, Thanksgiving is very close!

I saw this cute and easy idea on Pinterest for making little turkeys with these funny flat pretzels. I thought it would be fun to do with our little ones who are here visiting.

My daughter Polly and her family are here from Carson City, and granddaughter Becky and her family are here from Salt Lake City.  We love this little family of noisemakers so much! They dove right into this project with glee! And they did a great job! Katie, our nine year old granddaughter, supervised and assisted while the twins, 3-1/2 years old, created these cute little turkeys. It was really a perfect project for their age.

We melted white chips, but maybe they were too old. 

A can of frosting would have been better. 

Check out the cute blog, Worth Pinning, for directions. 

And remember, we are just amateurs having fun!

We are also enjoying a chance to cuddle with little August James. He is the happiest baby! Here he is at the park enjoying the tunnel! 

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, pumpkin pie, and happy memories.

Published! Yay!

Hi everyone!  I wonder how many of you have seen my quilt published in American Patchwork and Quilting Super Star Quilts magazine? I picked the magazine up in the grocery store the other day and saw that they republished my quilt Pick from the Past! I am delighted! I never tire of this! Ha ha! The magazine contains beautiful star quilts of all types and sizes. Thanks AP&Q!

 I have been busy sewing little hexagons together, as you can see. I used cheddar for the centers and went for the scrappy look. I plan to trim down the edges on this little quilty. So my fingers have been busy, but they also get numb! The price we pay for our art, right?

 Our darling little August, my 3rd great-grandson, is now six months old and he is a charmer! His mom, Becky, took this photo and I thought the carrot was a nice touch, in case you know the book, Guess How Much I Love You. Check out Becky's blog if you want a laugh, or her point of view on just about anything! She is a really good writer!

 

Change, or not so much?

After my last post and the funny photo of my grandchildren, their mother produced some recent photos that I really need to share. 

 These kids are so funny! Well, to me at least. They are my blood, make no mistake! Some people develop humor as they grow, and some are just naturals! These kids are just goofy!

The first photo is reminiscent of this one from two years ago. Seriously, they make me laugh. (My life is an oxymoron)

Next we have our darling Kathryn, who just turned nine years old. Her mom just got a used freezer and painted it. Kathryn, or Katie as she now prefers, is modeling beside it. Love the color coordination!

Saturday I visited Olde World Quilt Shoppe. It is located in Cave Creek, AZ. I first visited the shop in February when Lisa Bonjean was there teaching. This is a wonderful shop! Perhaps one of the loveliest I have been in, and that is saying something! A bed laden with beautiful quilts is in one corner and in another is a big comfy couch, with old looking chandeliers adding a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The owner, Dee Grantham, above, is responsible for the beauty and style of this shop. I am very impressed with Dee. Not only is she talented, she is really a sweetheart!  

Now my friends, do you see anything familiar in the photo? Yes! my Button Bandits quilt with the crows is hanging in the back. The shop has been making kits for this and also Medallion Doll Quilt, on left, and they must keep selling out because they keep ordering patterns! If you want a kit for either of these call the shop (480-473-2171), I bet they will ship!

As you can see I am still in Arizona, where the temp is around 108 degrees and the grass is crunchy; the A/C struggles to keep the house cool and I struggle to not adjust the thermostat lower. Things change. Kids change, temperatures change and we try and keep up!

Favorite Things

Maybe I should write on my blog today. I have fallen into the habit of stalking around on Instagram these days. If you find yourself short of time but still want to stay in the loop, Instagram is the place for you. It's just photos with a brief note attached. You can find me there under "Patchalot". 

I have actually been sewing! I am back in the swing of it now and feeling really good about it. I have done a few wool projects. 

This is Warm Winter Blessings, from Primitive Gatherings. I chose to make the mini version. Those blocks are 4 x 5.5". The 9-patches are 1-1/2 inches. I altered the borders to make mine smaller than the pattern shows. That's what we do right? Adjust according to our own needs. 

The above is a free pattern that I have wanted to make for several years. Again I adapted mine for my own use. I used wool for the appliqué and made mine scrappy. I love it! Thanks to Joanne the Threadhead blogger. Follow the link to her pattern! I pinned mine on PINTEREST for quick reference!

This one I am working on right now. It is a Cheri Payne design. I just love Cheri's primitive style. Especially the wool appliqué, which is so forgiving for someone like me who doesn't really do hand appliqué. Cheri calls her patterns Wednesday's Best Quilt Patterns. The link will take you to her site and you can browse around to your hearts content!

While I am at it I need to post a photo from my trip to San Diego and my visit to Temecula Quilt Company. A very tiny quilt shop with a very big presence! The owner, Sheryl Johnson, is full of clever ideas and projects. Look at that cute display of Valdani thread in canning jars!

Sheryl and me!
The quilt behind us is a beauty and from the book History Repeated by Betsy Chutchian and Carol Staehle

This cute iron bed is front and center when you enter the shop. Loved the shop and Sheryl is delightful! 

Previously I showed a perfectly staged photo of the twins. At my son's house the staging is not quite so perfect. This is the best I could do for a group shot of these three grandchildren of mine. There are not many sit still moments at the Patch house! They are hilarious and I am nuts about them!

We did get a cute one of Olivia on her quilt. And another of her hoping to get a swig of Grandma's Diet Coke! (didn't happen)

This week Danielle was center stage as she graduated from high school here in Mesa, AZ. We are so proud of this girl! She has grown into a lovely young woman. She is charming and entertaining along with being kind and thoughtful. 

Well there is a little sample of my life in recent days. I always say my favorite things are grandchildren and quilts; chocolate and Diet Coke. 

Have a great Memorial weekend!