Relief Society Sisters Meeting

My DD #1 came to take me to the Broadcast here in Walla Walla. That was so nice of her. I don't like to go alone. Thanks to my Visiting Teacher and her daughter helping save the day, so we could attend the "service" part of the day as well. I had to sit and watch Them color since it hurts to grip anything like a marker or crayon. The light dinner was Taco Salad and they served cookies on our way out of the Chapel. The Women's Choir was from North of Salt Lake including Clinton and Ogden. I looked for my friend Ellen but didn't see her in the Choir. It was good to listen and get counsel from our General Relief Society presidency. Pres Eyring spoke to us about "Charity". I hope my other girls enjoyed the Broadcast wherever they viewed it. Next week we get to listen to our Prophet and his Apostles. Olivia Finally got her Quilt, She says her favorite color is Pink and Purple, but the red, white and black are ok for her quilt. We came home to happy children. Grandpa came home in time to take them to Pioneer Park. I had the kids pose on the Church Pew. Aren't they cute? Vincent thought it was a game to climb up and have me help him down. I think it is a hit! NaDell told them that when they got home they would probably be on Grandma's Blog. So I have two posts today... I have to shout out to Mandy and Inge who have a Birthday on Sunday. They are 22 years young.

The "Stash"

By request of JUDY L...Here is the 'organized' part of my STASH. I have this pantry cabinet that holds some of my fabric on bolts. Here is the fabric that I dearly love and haven't found the right project to cut into it for. I've put in as much as will fit, along with some Charm Packs on the top shelf. On the right side is my Fat Quarter collection in the plastic drawers. See how it is overflowing off the top? I use the FAT Q's in my Disappearing Nine Patch quilts. Nine of them will make a throw sized quilt. I see many quilts in that part of my stash... Too many quilts...Not enough time. I dare not take a picture of the rest... You can join others "Showing your Stash, if you dare... The rest of my stash is scattered through the basement; some is in ream boxes on shelves in the utility room, some in Totes, some bolts are covered up by blankets to keep the light from harming it. Some UFO's are in a chest of drawers, or in totes beside the chest of drawers, some are in the guest room closet. If I took time to sort and clean the STASH I wouldn't have time to Quilt!I sorted UFO's and counted them recently and found I had 17 ready to be quilted, they just needed backing and batting. I posted here about that adventure. My DD #1 helped me sort and organize when we moved to Walla Walla 5 years ago, that is when my fabric fit into the ream boxes. Time to do it again?

Owie...

This is why I haven't been too much into sewing this week. I went to the walk-in clinic and they said I'd pulled a ligament on the side of my hand. 3 weeks or so and it should feel better... Bummer! I tried to cut and it hurts. Ironing/pressing- hurts. Turning the key to drive hurts, buttoning my shirt hurts. Can't cook, sew or do anything I'm use to doing, even typing hurts. So I have been sitting watching all the Fall preview shows and now my bum hurts. I'm getting older and falling apart. This is maddening! I can sew a little while, but having to use scissors to clip threads even hurt. Lynn cut for me on Tuesday but I still only got a few blocks sewn. Had to stop and rest the arm again. I have taken a nap every day this week. Getting tired of being lazy. All I did was have too much fun pulling short bolts at the fabric warehouse...just turned my wrist wrong and hurt myself.

DESIGN WALL 9-21-09

I am turning these 9-Patch blocks... into these...4 patch blocks for Colby's quilt. I used the ABC panel cut into 4" squares for two of the spots in the nine patch. They will be in the drawing board stage until I have full function of my wrist. The new brace just doesn't allow much movement with a rotary cutter... Go see other design wall's at Judy's Blog Happy Anniversary of the birth of my daddy today. He would have been 96.

Walla Walla Quilt Festival 2009

The week-end is over and my quilts are all back home. Soon two of them will be on some grand-daughter's beds! I didn't post a picture of my Ten years / Ten colors Challenge quilt before the show so I can post it now. I called it "Quilter's Shades". Not very original, but a litteral take on the theme... I had fun making it. I used my favorite blender fabrics; Quilter's Shades Plus, that are now dis-continued at Hancock Fabrics. I didn't win any prize, but learned a few things by having it judged. The Featured quilter was Pamela Mostek, she judged the challenge quilts. Her new book about "Blended Borders" is coming out soon. She did Demos each day on her technique of raw edged applique that she used for the blended borders. The Local Featured Quilter was Barbara Bohlman. She was working on a "Storm at Sea" quilt that she is making all by hand. They had an area devoted to the Memory of Carrie one our guild members who passed away this year. Many of the "Pathways to the Stars" quilts from the class taught by Roxanne Carter this past spring were finished in time for the show. Some of the quilts are in a slideshow on the sidebar of my Blog here for a while. Peoples choice was won by our local hand applique teacher and hand quilter Jess Berry. He hand quilts one quilt a year and this one featured "Orchids" Other Peoples choice winners were Becky Martin for her "Martian" quilt, and JoAnne Stillman for her "Bear".

Happy Birthday Baby girl- all grown up...

Janessa Lyn was born 23 years ago today. The little sister for our older Daughter. She was a happy child and always the social butterfly. My Demonstrators for Christmas Around the World said she knew my interview as well as I did. Our neighbors in Burbank adopted her and said she was the "Mayor of Reinken Blvd". We moved to Walla Walla her Senior Year. I thought she'd hold it against us for life moving from Burbank. I'm glad things worked out in the end for her. She met her sweetheart in her Government class and as they say, "They lived Happily ever after" I miss seeing her often since they moved away and took our grandson with them. He is the light of their life. Happy Birthday to You!!!

Colby J is 5 today...

Joe and Kori's #1 son is our 4th grandson,(5th grandchild). Today he is 5! Next year he goes to school... He's a great big brother for Sam. He likes to help his Mom and Dad. I love making his Colby food when he comes to visit. Hugs and Kisses for him today, even though I'm far away. See you Saturday... The quilt behind him is the one Grandma Zora made for his father, Joseph. I couldn't resist this picture, taken with his cousin Coy. Isn't it cute!

Design Wall update 9-14-09

I was out of town part of the week and all week-end so I only have a few SBS blocks to post today for Design Wall Monday. Click the highlighted part to see other Design wall posts. In the past week I've made 14 total SBS Blocks. I took a picture of the five I made while I was gone. I made one more but it was way smaller than needed. I posted the 6 I made on 9-09-09 in this Post. I made more on the 7th and 8th of this month bringing my total of Blocks past the halfway mark. I won't finish all of them by the end of the month like my quilt buddy- Lynn hopes to do. This week is Quilt Festival and I have more Grandchildren quilts to finish. Busy week... SBS Block totals- Scrappy 87 30's 31 still

Quilt Buddy's B-Day Trip

I took a ride with Lynn, my Quilting Buddy. We drove Thursday to Portland, Oregon to attend the EE Schenks Fall Trade Show. We delivered our two quilts previously to be hung and judged there. This was a new experience for me to go and see the Warehouse and meet some of the Fabric Vendors and reps. The warehouse is HUGE and because Lynn had signed up for classes on Friday- her birthday, I spent the day wandering the aisles by myself. Here's a picture of part of the warehouse. She says there was something good that happened on 9-11 many years ago. I tried to make the day fun and memorable for her. Being away from her family. The Birthday girl--- In the afternoon we met late for lunch and rode the shuttle back to the hotel for her to take the last class. I told the shuttle busload of ladies it was her b-day and they all sang "Happy Birthday" to her when she got on. We spent the evening eating at Red Robin, where they sang to her and gave her a free ice cream sundae and then we went back to the Marriott to work on our SBS blocks. She cut out a bunch for the Christmas SBS Block Swap and I sewed the ones I'd cut out to make while we were gone. Saturday Morning Libby Lehman was the Featured Speaker. She talked about "Creativity" I took a picture of Lynn with her and one of her in front of one of her quilts. We perused the aisles to find the stuff Lynn wanted to buy and talked to a few Vendors. Looked at the Bias Tape maker and the flip ruler bias strip cutter. Watched the demo of the Accu-quilt Go-Cutter, met Annie Unrein from by annie Designs and a few more. That evening they had Flamenco dancers and Tapas. Sunday, we were at the warehouse all day... hoping to win some prizes for the shop. Lynn had collected chances/tickets all week-end for her orders, attending classes etc. I got one for each day and for attending the Guest Speaker. We put our tickets in the bin and our ballots for Peoples Choice in the ballot box, before going into the lunchroom to sit. Lynn heard her sister's name called as a prize winner of one of the Door Prize drawings on Sunday. We sat and visited with her most of the day. She and her sister won multiple prizes. I won a fleece rag-gy blanket with Boyd's Bears on it. I had to take their picture since they haven't seen each other for at least 8 years. Here is Lynn jumping for Joy to celebrate winning the $100 prize for People's Choice at TRENDS.

My Eldest Son's 32 Birthday

32 Years ago my 1st child was born. He was born a week early and my mother didn't get to come and be with me at all. They were barely allowing the daddy's in the delivery room then. I had spent the day before making my favorite "Chili Sauce" with my Mom and Dad. I went to bed around 11:30pm and was awakened with my water breaking about 1am. I made the Chili sauce for a Christmas gift that year for my brother's family. I'm including the recipe here. I've changed it a bit over the years adding some stuff my Grandma Waite couldn't use because of her allergy. One of my Facebook Quilty friends that made it after I shared the recipe with her, halved the recipe and cooked it overnight in her crock pot. She said it should come with a warning. May cause you to wake up hungry in the night...It smells so good. I hope he gets some yummy coconut cake that his wife makes for him. Happy Birthday, Milton! Mary Crowther's Grandma's Chili Sauce 30 peeled tomatoes 12 apples, peeled and grated 10 onions, peeled and grated 1 stalk celery chopped fine 2-3 green and red peppers,(ie: 2 green, 1 red) 1 Quart Vinegar 5 cups sugar 2 teas salt 1/4 teas cloves 2 teas cinnamon 1 teas allspice I put all the veggies and apples in my food processor to chop. Mix the liquid with the sugar and spices and dump into the tomato and veggies and apples in a BIG pot and simmer until thick and liquid is reduced. I use a pressure canner or 2 large pots. I try and cook it at least 8 hours. Stirring frequently. This takes all day... Wash all jars and boil lids in saucepan of water. Ladle the boiling chili sauce into jars and seal. Water bath for 10 minutes. Makes about 15 pints.

In honor of 9-09-09

I think I should do something related to honor the date. I could do another D9P, 9 blocks make a good sized quilt. I could do 9 more SBS blocks, maybe all the 9 blocks in the rows that I haven't done yet. I could even just cut them out and be happy. I have a deadline for a 10 years/10 colors project too. Shall see if that gets off the drawing board. Any others honoring the day??? It's my nephews b-day too. Lucky guy! I don't remember if he was born at 9 o'clock though, maybe he weighed 9 pounds... I should call and ask his MOM at 9 today! Check back to see the pictures of what I decided to do... Big surprise, I made the Row 9 SBS Blocks. Six of them. There are 14 in the row, I have 2 left to do of that row now. A day well spent in my book. Now to cut out some more. But sewing is done for the night. I need to put a few things away.

Monday's Design Wall in Walla Walla

I wasn't going to do the link to Judy's Design wall this week. But decided to share anyway. I picked up my quilts from the local Fair and read the comments from the judges. Short and sweet...good job, great Job and they liked the bindings. I'm glad I took my time on those Bindings and hand-stitched them down. For the Reunion Quilt they said was a cute idea. The Christmas quilt they said "well matched piecing". These are the blocks for my SBS quilt that are not the right size or are duplicates. They will make a smaller quilt or shams to go with my big quilt. Next to them on the wall are my ribbons from the Walla Walla Fair. I'm looking to put my Blue Ribbon Purple Flowerpot quilt up in the entryway to the quilting dungeon. It fits perfectly on the wall space. I'm just too short, (vertically challenged) to put it up. I will enter it in the upcoming Walla Walla Quilt Festival too, before it can be hung. I'm thinking a bit of hand quilting in the ditch is in order on it. That gives Dear Hubby time to hang the hardware or wood shelf to hang it from. This is how my SBS wall looks this week. I did at least 13 blocks last week, and have reached the halfway point. I need about 6 more inches depth on this design wall. I don't have it nailed into the wall so I can move it when company comes. My 1st set of Blue and Brown SWAP blocks are done, too. I'm re-thinking the 2nd set after making one of the Kings Star blocks, don't care to do that one again for Swapping. Too hard to not match those points and tiny arcs to be sewn, no fun... SBS COUNT: 74 Scrappy (not counting duplicate blocks) 31 30's Fabrics Many blocks left to do... but Half way plus 4 is good!

Blue and Red Ribbons

Today my Quilting Buddy and I went to the FAIR to see what color Ribbons my quilts earned. I'd heard from my DH that my jar of Apricot Jam had won a Ball Canning award and a Blue Ribbon. The Strawberry Jam got a RED, the same as the last two years on Paul's Strawberry Jam. I say if the Judges tasted it they would give a BLUE ribbon to all of them. Three of the four quilts are sporting BLUE Ribbons. My friend Wendy got a Red Ribbon on her quilt for her new grandson that is expected in October and Blue Ribbon on her quilt for her new grand-daughter she just met. They were hanging near my Purple Flowerpot quilt and Lydia's Happy String Flower quilt so they are in those pictures. The Reunion Quilt has the RED one. I guess I made a mostly RED quilt so it got a Red Ribbon. Not too bad for my hard back-breaking work this past week finishing the quilts. hahahaha :) Thanks to my grandchildren for sharing the quilts for me to show off! Today was FREE entry day until 3 pm so we spent only our time at the Fair. Tonight I'm wishing I was at the Fair- listening to Blake Shelton, but Paul doesn't like how loud the music is at the Fair Concerts. Or maybe it's my singing along...