Quilting Challenges...

I don't want to wait until the very last minute for the Quilt Show Challenges so I worked on both of them today. Quilt Show is September 17-18. This is the fabric for the "Block" Challenge. The theme is "Branching Out". I got my Block made, but may make another one with more contrast. This is really a "challenge" to me because it is working with Batik fabrics...not my favorites. There is also a Quilt Challenge at our Walla Walla Valley Quilt Show using the "Branching Out " theme. Again I thought I would use the Batiks so here's a sneak peek of the project. I think I have the basic part of this Mini quilt done. Now for the Handwork and Quilting and embellishing. Thanks to Lynn for letting me use some of her Batik 'stash' for this Challenge. Both the "Block" and 'Theme' Challenges are Viewers choice so I hope some people like them. There is a really good story about how this quilt came to be and I like how it is turning out so far... Lastly, I have this fabric that I need to make a project with for the Shop Hop coming up this month. I see a lot of Possibilities in it but am still trying to think of how to use the fabric best. What do you see?? This one is the first one due, (September 13th) so I need to get on it quick! The Winner is chosen by a Viewers Choice from those who attend the "Shop Hop" at Sew 'n Vac.

Just one more day until I get to see the results from my entries at the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days. Can I stand the Wait??? I guess I have to since the Fair doesn't open until 10am.

Check back Wednesday for Pictures of my entries with ribbons...

Design Wall Monday 8-30-10

I made this Disappearing 9-patch did the "Zig-Zag" setting with it. Can you see that? Even after all my quilts I've done the Disappearing 9-patch is still a favorite pattern. I had to use the temporary Design wall on my pantry fabric storage closet. My other Design wall at home still has the 30's SBS on it. I have 3 more borders to put on this quilt and I can get it ready for the quilting.

I started doing these pieced borders at the Leavenworth Retreat. They are from the "Week-end Quilts" book by Judy L. She also hosts the Design Wall each week. I call her the Border Queen because she has great ideas for them in this book especially. I ran out of the more colorful Spiderman fabric at Retreat or this one would have been done by now. I found it and now just need to get the Triangles sewn together and counted for the borders. I'll be away from the sewing room a lot this week since the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days start on Wednesday. I entered a few (6-7) quilts so I'll get to see what color ribbons they get when I go on Wednesday. I also entered two 8'x10"photographs. No Baked goods or Jam this year. Click the Link to go see other Design Walls from all over. Thanks to all who come check out what's on my Wall each week and leave a comment. I really like that part of Design Wall Monday

On the Agenda

YEP, the tomatoes finally are ripening and I have enough to make my 'family famous'

Chili sauce. Had to pick my lonely 3 peppers and buy the rest of the ingredients I can't grow in our flowerbeds. Now I just have to peel, chop, dice measure and puree along with a lot of stirring all day to get the desired result. It's A- LOT of work, if my family didn't like it so much I would never do it...

So... while the rest of you are at the having fun at the B-F Fair, eating Birthday cake or shopping for those last minute School supplies I'll be slaving away here in WW. No sweat though, the air has turned chill already. FALL is almost here. Christmas will be upon us before we know it. 119 days according to the ticker at the bottom of my BLOG.

Old Friendship -renewed

Here is our trip in the Way-Back machine. Us back at "Ricks College" at the Girls' dorms circa 1976 and yesterday. My how we have changed...

It was nice to get to see each other again after all the years. Even if it was for such a somber occasion. I am happy that we could visit and I could be there to support her in her time of loss.

I could say---been there- done that! I had friends who came when I needed them, glad I was close enough to be there. Her father will be missed.

Win a "GO" machine from Sweet Paulette

Sweet Paulette is doing a GIVE-AWAY on her Blog for a Go- Cutter. It ends the 31st so click away and get a chance to win one of your own. She is having way too much fun with hers. I am so happy she wants to share. Maybe I will win or one of my friends so we can play too.

Design Wall Monday 8-23-10

TA-DA I thought I'd show my completed top today on the Wall, actually my wood floor. This is how the pattern showed to finish this quilt. the only thing I changed was how many blocks are in the center. Two blocks were not used. The orange one 'screamed' way too much! and one other one had to go to make it even. I got e-mails and vocal approvals, so I know this one is going to be loved by the recipient. Andy says, it would work for a 'very cold little boy'. We just have to wait a little longer to find out. I have grandbabies coming in January and April now. Still thinking "Pink"! Check out other Design Walls at Judy L's Blog.

Thinking "PINK"

I got a text message from Janessa asking me to guess the gender, date, weight and time of their #2 due in April. I keep telling her I'm thinking Pink. See the quilt I'm pinning is PINK! Lynn keeps trying to get me to pin more and go slower so I don't have to "frog" stitch so much. I had Lynn take this Picture this week so I could show her and Janessa I am "pinning" and "Thinking Pink". And these Blocks are PINK! I was working hard in the "sweat" shop this week. Entries go to the FAIR on Thursday. Lynn is working hard too... her Bouquet of Friendship is in the Long Arm, YEA! I looked in my closet & dresser drawers and don't have many PINK shirts. I don't think I'll be going to the "Tough enough to wear Pink" night at the Rodeo...

"Teachers"

This Post was inspired by the Dear Grandchildren letter I got in my e-mail yesterday. My dear mother-by-love is so good to keep track of the little details in life... When the 2010-2011 school year begins, many of our children will Teach or will be in these grades~ Brant --- 3rd GRADE- bi-ligual Kori --- Pre-School Joseph --- Professor of Taxe$$$ (I stand corrected) Jared M. --- 5th GRADE Seth --- 3rd GRADE Elizabeth --- 2nd GRADE Coy --- 1st GRADE Colby --- KINDERGARTEN Olivia --- KINDERGARTEN Paul and I have several Neices and Nephews who are Teachers too and other children of Neices and Nephews going to school in the coming weeks. I've not done a Scripture Sunday Post before but this one warrants it. I have been released from my Primary "Teacher" calling. I will miss those little 4-5 year olds and Pray I can relate to the 'bigger' children in Sunday School. In 1990 President Monson stated- Only a Teacher Home will become a haven called heaven, and loving parents will teach their children “to pray, and to walk uprightly before the Lord.” (D&C 68:28.) Never will such an inspired parent fit the description, “Only a teacher.” Let us consider next the teacher in the school. In the present turmoil of events, with crisis following crisis, it is especially important that master teachers look ahead and exercise their important functions as builders of the future. I thank my children for the good parents and "teachers" they all are.

Quilting Gallery "Flowers" Contest

The Quilting Gallery is having their weekly contest and the theme is Flowers. I have this "Flower Pots" quilt I made with Marsha Mc Closkey's Book 'Fat Quarters and Friends'. It's done with my favorite colors and won a Blue Ribbon at the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days last year. It started as the 'Chunky Strip Challenge' at guild last year. I used the Freezer Paper to make the Flowers and put a button in the middle of each one. There are 35 quilts in the contest this week, please click on the Quilting Gallery link to go and Vote.

Posy Needlecase SWAP

At the "Quilting Gallery" we joined the 'Posy Needlecase Swap'. Today was the day we set aside to make ours to mail out. We have both recieved ours in the mail and are a bit tardy in mailing ours to the recipients. Lynn even found a cute bear to fuse to the back for a Label. She loves bears and Bearpaws. Her 'Bear' quilt "A Walk in the Snow" won the Quilting Gallery Log Cabin Contest last week. Mine came all the way from the Netherlands. Lynn's came from Virginia.

All together- two days of sewing

Here is what the rainbow quilt looks like put together with 2" sashing and cornerstones. The pattern calls for a solid plain border and Piano key outer Border. Lynn helped me arrange the blocks to spread the colors around better. What do you all think??? It's more bright than my normal quilts, HUH? I have to cut into another Sweet Sixteen bundle to finish the piano borders and corner squares. With two grand-babies on the way I need to get some boy and girls quilts made, just in case, right???

Design Wall Monday August 16, 2010

These blocks are made from the Rainbow Sweet Sixteen bundle I showed on my last Blog Post. I had fun playing with them on Saturday and this is how they look so far. I used the instructions from Eleanor Burns "Quilts through the Seasons" book. The pattern is "Twin Sisters". It makes a positive and negative block from each two color strip. There were 32 colored 9"x11" pieces in the sweet sixteen so that made 32 blocks. The blocks measure 5.5". I think I'll play with them on the wall a bit before I put them all together in a quilt. They are fun to just sit and look at. The pictures are sideways... Check out the Design Walls at Patchwork Times

New project- rainbow colors

I have been looking at the fabrics in this Sweet Sixteen bundle and have a project in mind. It is a test of my color sense. I hope to have some of the blocks made for my Design Wall Monday post since I can't show all of the 30 Pink and white blocks I just finished. When the pattern is printed I will show them. It's has been a busy week. The week-end looks fairly busy as well. Two of my dearest friends have sons leaving on Missions this coming week so we got to go to a BBQ at Burbank and a Ice cream social in Walla Walla Saturday. Jordan will speak in the Branch and Walla Walla 3rd Ward this Sunday. Best of luck to Chad and Jordan.

Raffle Quilt Blocks

Today I made these raffle quilt blocks for guild. As I always have said, I don't like making Log cabin Blocks. But this is for guild and I want to do my part... So by coersion of a fellow guild member, I brought home the papers and center squares to make the blocks. These have 1" finished 'logs' and were paper-pieced. Two of my least favorite things to do. I didn't want to make them at the very last minute, so I took them with me to Lynn's one more time and got the four done. Guild is Tuesday Evening so that is one less thing to finish up on the day of Guild. I made the last two blocks for the Raffle Quilt. There were two left to do at Guild so I took them home and did them Wednesday afternoon at Lynn's.

Design Wall Monday August 9, 2010

I have put the Marti Michell back up on the wall. It is now 1/2 done. Six blocks sewn with the star sashing. I changed the enlongated stars to friendship stars after mis-cutting the points. With the straight setting it worked out just fine, I think. I still have 3 blocks left to make and put the final borders on. I got a little side-tracked last week by a new project... I know, I know, I need a new project like I need another hole in my head! But since I'm thinking "Pink" for my daughter who will bless us with another addition to the family after the first of next year, I had to do it in miniature for the baby girl in my hopes and dreams. No pictures will be shown until the pattern is published. Lynn and I are getting so close to sending our pattern to Print. Meanwhile I have a couple of fair entries, Guild Log Cabin Blocks and a couple of SWAPS to work on. There's still some time to Vote on the quilts at the Quilting gallery too. Mine is the Patriotic Logs and Stars. You can vote until 11:59pm Monday night. I can hardly wait to see what Judy L has on her Design Wall in the Morning...It's just a click away.

Ward Family Campout

I hope everyone is having a restful Sunday...it is the Lords Day of Rest afterall. Today we get to hear from our Returned missionary from Bulgaria. We got to go on the WARD FAMILY CAMPOUT at Teancum Timbers. A LOT has changed since my old Girl's Camp weeks there in the 80's. Paul and I went up early Friday afternoon and got our tent set up in a spot by the Meadow. While driving up we tried to think of the last time we went Tent camping. We vividly remember the 1st time- at Hilgard Park when I was 8 Months pregnant with Milton. My brother came in late the first night and had to let us know he was there and came banging pots and pans. Next we remembered that we went camping as a Family at Grand Coulee shortly before Joe and Kori got married...in 2001. Not everyone was there but it was a fun week-end. 9 Years ago ---Had it been that long since we had slept in a tent??? Correction---Paul and I didn't sleep in a Tent that time...NaDell reminds me. We slept in the back of the truck Canopy... Then I thought, OH yea, On the TREK we slept in our Tent. That wasn't really camping though. We had our meals prepared for us and we walked all day. A true adventure, but not like the Camping trips we have in our memories. After that TREK, I was so happy I live now and not in Pioneer times. I'm ever so grateful for my ancestors who did make the efforts to cross the plains and make a life in UTAH. A couple years ago we tried to use the Tents to camp in the back yard with the grandchildren. I don't count that as a campout either since I slept in the house and tried to corral some of the children who were going in and out of the house all night. It was more fun in the daytime to watch them see all the Balloons. Back to the Ward Campout... The Activies committee planned this and we had meals prepared for us that were delicious. I'm thankful for those who planned it and prepared the meals. We especially enjoyed watching the younger families with their children and reminicing about when we had all our little ones at home. Camping with children is a lot of WORK. One of my Visiting Teachers teased me on FaceBook that I would miss my quilts while camping. I took my little squares with me to draw the line on them for HSTS. I made the airbed in the tent with real sheets and my 70's Pinwheel quilt from home. (I should have brought 3) I got chilled in the night and didn't sleep as well as Paul, but we all know he can sleep anywhere... Here are a few pictures I took at the evening campfire. The first is TREVOR- Our Returned Missionary who talked of Nephi and his description of his Father - Lehi, who dwelled in a tent.He went to tell about how in Hebrew a 'Tent' also refers to a Family. So like, Lehi we all are dwelling in a Tent as we live as Families. This one is of some of us listening to Trevor. Here's a side shot of Paul who did not look at me when I was taking a picture of the group around the fireside. Here is My Visiting Teacher and her daughter's friend and her daughter posing for my camera... The evening ended with singing around the fire. We were led by these silly girls who tried to make us wiggle like they do at Girl's Camp... We had our SMORES, and that was not photgraphed. I had a two pronged fork that I got to use for my Marshmallows and I had two SMORES with Hershey Almond candy bar...YUMMY! I didn't burn them like I used to do, I was patient and slowly roasted them. I stayed up later than Paul, (no surprise there), with those who were playing games in the Bowery. I helped them learn the Crowther rules for Rummykub. I even helped Brother Marley to win the last game. Since we were by the Meadow we heard voices in the night of the "Star gazers". My Visiting Teacher didn't "pretend" to be a Bear as she threatened. Brother Lim had seen a bear across the creek the day before and I purposely had Paul put our tent not close to the creek for that reason. Morning came and Paul got up and left me to sleep some more after I folded my quilt in half to get warm. He came and urged me to get up for Breakfast before the appointed time. I wasn't the last one up... I'm really not a Camper I have decided...Thank heavens for Mariott and Holiday Inn!

Link quit working -

Since the link to Quilt Gallery quit working they have extended the voting until Monday late night. So there will be a little more time to go and vote.- thanks for trying. I'll post the good link here when it IS working again. There are 27 quilts this week to see. My friend Lynn has her Bear quilt there too and is getting a lot of votes.

Another Contest- please vote

I entered my Red, White and Blue Mystery quilt in the Quilting Gallery Log Cabin Quilt weekly theme contest. Pleaseclick on the "quilting Gallery Link within this post to go Friday and vote for your favorite. You can vote through Sunday and there are 2 winners who each get a $25 certificate. I have said over and over that I don't like making Log Cabin blocks but they seem to creep into my quilts anyway. When I saw that the Theme this week was Log cabin Quilts I immediately thought of this one. Hope you like it too! I named it "Patriotic Logs and Stars". Not too original, I know... The list on the Gallery is Alphabetical and you have to go to the bottom of the page to VOTE.

Design Wall Monday August 2, 2010

I'm late in Posting again this week. On my Wall here at home I have the Round Robin center from Renee. I get to do the Squares on Point border for her this round. This is the book that we are using to do the Round Robin. I just re-read the Book Jennifer wrote about the making of the first Round Robin like this one. Lynn and I didn't do the appliqued center on our RR like the picture on the book. I have shown my center block and Lynn's so I thought I'd show Renee's this week. I have until October to get this done, but will send it out early if I get it done before then. I hope to choose some fabrics this week and get the border cut out. Judy L has the Mr Linky at her Blog to check out lots of other Design Walls. http://www.patchworktimes.com/2010/08/02/design-wall-august-2-2010/