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 theScarlet 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 wasSweet 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!
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.
I am packing up this top to be mailed to the quilter at long last! It is one of the first quilt tops that I made, and it never got quilted. When I first started quilting I fell in love with the 30's prints. They are so clean and fresh, and such cute little prints! I thought this quilt would look lovely in a beach house, like the one we had when we lived in Minnesota. We always dream of returning to that lifestyle. In Minnesota they call it "the cabin" no matter how big the house is. But it was the summery, beachy look that I was longing for. I was always going to make one more row so that it would fit a queen bed, but that never happened. Now my four year old granddaughter is asking for a quilt of her own, and it occurred to me that this one would be perfect and I could get it done fairly quickly. Today I prepared the binding. I cut a multitude of colored strips. They all look so pretty to me that I feel inclined to make another quilt from 30's prints! Now here is the sweet part of this story: I am sending the quilt to the Plumpkin's other grandmother, who is a long arm professional quilter. She will give it the finishing touches that will make it beautiful! Hopefully some day Plumpkin will find it special to have a quilt that both her grandmother's created!
Above is a picture of my latest purchase! I love all Judie Rothermel repros, and was so excited to find this fabric on sale at a local store for $3.50 a yard! I bought the whole 8.25 yards left on the bolt. My darling granddaughter Becky, pictured below, was with me, and I commented in jest to her that she would inherit all my fabric some day. "Well then don't buy THAT!" she replied. Sorry dear, you are out of my will. It is essential that my large and glorious stash go to someone with my same vision for beauty!
Becky left today to go to Minnesota. We loved having her here for the past six weeks. Last night Becky and I watched that Renee Zellweger movie, New in Town, which takes place in Minnesota. It was kinda cute and hokey too. I wondered aloud how actors can speak with a Minnesota accent because I lived there for forty years and I can't talk that way. Becky immediately started speaking Minnesotan. It was so funny to hear it coming out of this home-grown Minnesotan girl who never speaks that way, but obviously has the ability. The accent comes from a high percentage of people who are of Swedish decent. Ya, and Norwegian too, don't cha know. No one can make fun of Minnesotans as much as they make fun of themselves. The Sven and Ole jokes are a good example. Minnesota is a great place to raise a family.Funny thing, all the movies focus on the cold winters, and the truth is, if they ever made a movie about Minnesota in the summertime on the lakes people would be flocking to move there. You can't beat it!
"So, Ole --- I see you got a sign up that says, 'Boat For Sale'. But you don't own a boat, Ole. All you got is your old John Deere tractor and your combine." "Yup, and they're boat for sale."
I love when bloggers come up with their lists of favorite books. It gives me an opportunity to see what others have enjoyed, and that maybe I would also enjoy. Yesterday I saw two blogs who have lists that they created in a challenge to come up with 15 books in 15 minutes. Nicole at Sister's Choice has a list on her blog, as does Cathy at Quilting on Main Street. Cathy mentioned listing books that have stayed with you over time, and I liked that concept, so off I went to come up with my own list. I am sure I have missed a good many books on this list, but I tried to think of books that have had staying power for me over the years. Most of these books are old, but I would read them again! And in some cases I have read them more than once. Some of these books are dear to my heart, some have touched me deeply and some are just darn good stories. Chesapeake is a book that I read years ago, and then when we moved to Virginia I read it again. I love historical novels and this book gave me a wonderful history and background of the area we now live in. If you are too young to remember Michener being on the Best Sellers list you need to go find his books and soak them up. Hawaii was another of his that was unforgettable for me. Many of these authors have several books that I have read and enjoyed. So here is my list--
11.The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
12.The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
13.Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
14.The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
15.Chesapeake by James Michener
I think I should also do a book list of more current reads that I have enjoyed with some of my new favorite authors. I will try and do that in the near future!
Join the fun and add your list to your blog! Let me know if you do so I can see what books you like!
In case anyone is breathlessly waiting for the results of the drawing, I am here to tell you that we have the sealed envelope with the results! I cannot take credit for the cute picture on the left, I got it off Google, but I must say the little girl looks exactly like I did at that age! What do you think? Oh well, there were no colored pictures back then, sorry.
So here is what I did: I printed out the names of those of you who were kind enough to put "The Patch" on your blog. I cut the names into strips and shuffled them and laid them in a row with the blank sides up. Then I had Granddaughter Becky choose two numbers, and those numbers belong to Karen at Dogs N Quilts, and Julie Q at Julie K Quilts.I will e-mail you for mailing instructions! Congratulations ladies! And thanks for placing the Quilt Pox Patch on your blog! I am still hopeful that more of you will do so, and if you let me know I will have another drawing in the future.
With all the recent talk about the Swine Flu, I got to thinking about flu shots, and that led to "the patch" that everyone talks about. And of course my twisted mind led me to think about the Quilt Pox and creating a patch for that! So here you are! Immunize your blog with "The Patch"! I would love it if you saw fit to add this to your blog with a link to my website http://www.patchalotpatterns.com/
Accept no substitutions!
PS: Oh maybe I should throw in a give-away as an incentive! Let me know if you add this badge to your blog and you will be eligibleto win a pattern or two of your choice in a drawing to be held June 5th.
Recently I had my bedroom repainted. Have I ever mentioned that I HATE picking out paint? The room was yellow, but kind of had a sharp edge to it, if you know what I mean. It wasn't a nice soft yellow. I had lived with it long enough and so it was off to the paint store. I found a lovely color that looked perfect on the paint chip. Not so hot on the wall, however. I walked in when the room was almost done and said to the nice painter man, "I hate it"! He was so sweet. He encouraged me to go find another color and he would repaint it. It took two more cans of paint before I got it right. The above colors are close to what my walls looked like in the three stages. The final color, Fairmont Lobby Cream, is the final color, and it looks quite lovely. It is from Lowe's. I highly recommend buying the tester jars that they have available now. It costs a small amount and will save you a gallon or two in the end.
Time to change quilts and put on something pretty for summer. This is one I made about ten years ago. It is from a book called Buttermilk Farm, by Black Mountain Quilts.Teri Christopherson is the designer and she creates beautiful quilts. I am sure the book is out of print by now. Becky Krauss of Bellevue, WA quilted this for me. She is a wonderful quilter! This is how it looks on my bed. Also, notice the framed pictures above the bed. I just added those as well. I photocopied these birds from this old bird book that I have. It is copyrighted in 1896. The pictures are rather odd by today's standards, but that gives them charm. I found frames at Michael's for about $7-8 a piece. They copied very well and I am pleased with the outcome.
Becky made me a new signature! Thanks granddaughter!
PS: Upon further investigation I see that the pattern for the quilt above has been republished in Teri's book, Summertime! Check it out!
I have an internet problem that is driving me nuts! I spent all yesterday afternoon trying to update my website! My website is a YahooSitebuilder program, and I have been very happy with the ease in which a novice like me can create and operate my own website. I have had it for several years. Recently, while at my daughter's house, I discovered that some of the links I have created don't work. They have an Apple computer and Firefox browser. When I came home I set about correcting the links and they wouldn't correct! Well, I had recently switched from Internet Explorer to Google Chrome. When I went back into IE, everything worked as it should.
So yesterday I needed to add my new pattern to my website. Somehow I was able to load page 5 in my pattern section, and create a couple of new page links. Yay! Then I decided to redo page one, as I thought the pictures needed brightening. I was messing with that all afternoon and could not get the new page to update! I tried again last night before I went to bed. Nothin'.
So, this morning I opened IE and went to my website and there it was! The new page one! I was pleased and puzzled at the same time. So I closed IE and opened Firefox. (Oh, I didn't mention that Granddaughter Becky insisted that I must have Firefox on my computer because it is so much better) Well the blooming page still wasn't there on my website when I opened it in Firefox! What the heck?
So I ask you, am I doing something wrong, or do all these browsers just not play nice together? I could go back to using only Internet Explorer, but then would other people using my website still have trouble connecting to links? Do I need to hire a professional website designer? Would that make a difference?
P.S: Bottom line is that for now, if you want to order the new Honor Guard pattern, click on pattern pages link and when the first page opens click on page four, then on page four click on page five to see Honor Guard. Unless you are on Firefox, then, apparently, you can open it up to the NEW page one and it has a link to page five. This is killin' me! I am a quilter not a techie!
Finally something quilty to show! I was afraid you were going to kick me out the the ol' quilt bloggers club if I didn't post something about quilts soon! Well, things have been in very slow progress. I don't know why I seem to have so many distractions in my life. Part of the blame lies with you other quilt bloggers who distract me with your wonderful posts. I showed a piece of this quilt a while back, and have been waiting until I finished the directions to show the entire quilt. I still need to get the covers printed, but look! I got a photo! That is half the battle for me! Yesterday was an overcast day and perfect for picture taking. Look how cute this is as a table topper! And each eagle has a word of advice: Honesty, Kindness, Gratitude and Faith. I have struggled with a name for this quilt and today it came to me. HONOR GUARD! What do you think? I hope you can see the quilting. It was beautifully done by Rosemary Skinner of The Quilted Fox in Virginia Beach. Thanks Rosemary! Her quilting is the perfect finish. I love designing and making the tops, but that is as far as my talent goes. I am ever so grateful to each talented quilter who completes my work!
On another note, Granddaughter Becky was talking on Skype with her boyfriend Travis who is in Utah. Becky has still not gotten a job, although I have been thrilled to take advantage of her computer skills in creating better images for my new pattern. Travis remarked to her that maybe she could do batting for me with my quilts. She said, "Do you even know what batting is?" No, he admitted, he did not. I am sorry Travis, if you are reading this, but I keep having fits of hysteria as I imagine what a batting job might entail. Beating the quilts with a bat perhaps? Or maybe me getting to a certain point in the quilt and calling out, "Hey batta-batta-batta-batta"! Got any other suggestions?
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary, Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore, While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping, As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door. "'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door- Only this, and nothing more."
Becky hears a tap-tap-tapping! She opens the chamber door into my sewing room and what does she find? The Raven! He came to live with us a few months ago, but he freaks out my husband, so he has taken up residency in the sewing room. Becky looks a little freaked also. My great grandfather had a raven that would sit on his shoulder or head and walk around with him. When he walked up to the front door of his home the bird would swoop down and land on his shoulder and walk into the house with him. Apparently he was quite talented at hiding shiny objects around the house, like keys or scissors. Don't you wish you had a raven? That is all I need is someone hiding things from me! I do very well with that on my own. (OK fine, I confess that my raven is a fake).
Becky's friend Lauren has gone back home to Arizona. We miss her. Now I am Becky's best friend. Luckily Becky is very good at entertaining herself, and she has decided to set some goals for while she is here. One is to learn to cook, and another is to learn to sew. She has been finding recipes on line and practicing on us. We are happy! We like to be fed! Yes, we are the ravenous! Becky and friend Lauren (are not Quakers) have an interesting family history connection. They both have ancestors that came over on the Mayflower! Lauren is descended from William Bradford, the well known leader of the Plymouth Colony. Becky is descended from Joseph Rogers, who was 17 years old at the time of the crossing. His father Thomas passed away that first winter and William Bradford took Joseph into his home for several years. Odd that we should even know that, isn't it? But this is all a matter of recorded history. It does make one wonder how many of our ancestors have crossed paths in the past? Or for that matter, with whom of our ancestor's descendants have we crossed paths? That's OK. I can't even keep up with the family I know!
Hope you have all been having a lovely weekend. It has been raining buckets here in Virginia!
"This is us with Jefferson. He was kind enough to pose for a picture, but I felt a little bad because he was in the middle of writing the Declaration of Independence. I hope that our going into the past and distracting him during such a crucial time in our history didn't disrupt the future."
I took my granddaughter Becky, and friend Lauren to Williamsburg on Monday. I swiped the above from Becky's blog. I couldn't resist, I had to share!
Mother's Day, it seems, was always more about my mother than about me. So I wanted to just write a note about my Mom, who has been gone for 9-1/2 years now. My mother was an amazing woman, and I try not to ever compare myself to her lest I fall short. The above photo was taken in 1944 when Mom was 21 years old. That was the year she married my Dad. Mom was very artistic. The above little picture is an example of the type of thing she would create as baby gifts for friends. This one she made for me the year I was born, in 1946. It is done in pen and ink with watercolor accents. It is very faded and aged at this point, but I still treasure it. I didn't really realize how much until I was an adult and one of my cousins told my Mom how much she loved hers and that it was still on her wall. I hadn't thought about it for years. I found mine and hung it up! It is homemade and sweet and sentimental. Recently I wrote a post about my Mom on my family blog, PATCH-IT-ALL, if you are interested. This picture of Mom was taken a few months before she passed away from breast cancer, January 1, 2000. I wrote a post about her a couple years ago HERE so I won't go into more detail. Just that on Mother's Day I am thinking of her and missing her. She may well be in a better place, but I know she is missing us too.
My darling granddaughter Becky (blue) and friend Lauren (yellow) are here for the summer, or most of it. They met in college and became fast friends. They have been running all over looking for jobs, so far to no avail. It is not easy to find jobs I guess, although I expected they would find something as it is very touristy here in Virginia Beach. In fact, each summer the town has quite a number of Russian and Polish students who come on work visas. We enjoy visiting with them when we go out to eat, as they work as waitress's, etc. I have told our girls they need to be a little more aggresive and ask to speak to the manager. Who could resist them? It is fun to have them here.
Remember seeing big pictures of people and thinking that their eyes are following you everywhere? Well imagine my surprise when I walked past the girls while they were looking at their computer screen and see faces looking up at me! The person on the screen smiles and waves. What? Here I am in my nightgown, ready for bed and carrying my shoes, which I gamely wave toward the smiling face on the computer screen. The girls talk to their friends like this every night. And no long distance charges! The future is here! The one where they talked about actually seeing the person on the phone while you spoke with them. The one where we all thought, "Oh no! Not for me!" I must be the last person on earth without a camera on my computer. But now I think I must have one! I talked to my little granddaughter, the Plumpkin, the other day and I watched her as she sang to me and we laughed and blew kisses.
Thank you Becky, for dragging me into the 21st Century! What a blast!
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.
