Fair Awards

Well, yesterday was take-down at the local fair! I volunteer as I told you in my last blog,(I think) along with two other quilty friends to do this. We arrived at the fair ground before 8:00 a.m. and started promptly, as soon as the scary ladder was brought to us! As you can see Kerrie,the "ladder lady" is waaaay up there taking down Jane's beautiful quilt( she was awarded a 2nd on). While Jane and I catch the quilts below. The we fold and stack them and proceed all around the building. It actually took us a little under 2 hours about. Putting them up was about 4 hours! We had a few obstacles, as the exhibits were still in place! Just like putting them up. I was awarded a 1st (blue) on the Pine Tree runner,2nd on the Fresh Flowers in the same category!!! (Whew,I competed against myself!) I received a 3rd on Rockin Rooster in a different category!! Well, it is a few more weeks until the next quilt show. That will be so much fun! Can't wait!

This & That

This was a fun replica of a treadle machine. I have a treadle cabinet w/my 1966 singer inside. It has not seen daylight in 10 years since I got my "Bernie"! But, I love looking at the cabinet and so made this from a pattern some years ago. Just found it in a stack of scraps!
This beaded "egg" was a challenge to learn beading by another "quilty" friend that is so talented and creative. She said,"Oh, just pour the beads into a small dish and watch t.v. and put your needle through the beads and they will just jump on the needle"! Yeh, right! I mindlessly sewed them on and the egg shape came with it! I did glue a pin on it and it works! The other pin was a gift from a friend I made at the very first retreat I attend. It is real fabric folded to represent fat quarters! Soooo cute.

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Turkey "Tales"

Agin' they roam and show up for corn "snacks". This is the gang of 4 and sometimes 5. There are other "gangs" larger than this. I go for walks to scout for their beautiful feathers that they 'drop' this time of year. It is called 'molting'. A vase of them is quite impressive as "art"! The ones in the center back are the tail feathers, the stripped "bars" are their wings ones. The others are from who knows, chest,underneathe places. They don't drop them all in one spot. It is a adventure hunting for them. I'd like to incorporate these 'finds' in a wall hanging or something artsy! That is going to take some creative pondering for a while! They are here and there along the way up and down our creekside. They stay close to the shady trees that line the creek banks on both sides. They do wander in the field getting from their fav's spots to eat, bugs, who knows what. We never lose our amazment for them and enjoy them always. I just love sharing these photos as I image the average person would not know how these wild birds live and look. My 15 year old DGD asked me if we would have one for T-day. I said "no, I want the one with the "popup" temperature thingy!!! These don't have that" We had a laugh together! Hope you enjoy this nature show!

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Just Chatter!

This is a "stilleto" my DH made for me out of .....yes....walnut wood. It feels soo soft and smooth to the touch, just like the seam rippers. If I don't have it in my hand when I sew on my "Bernie" I just don't feel in control!

Yesterday was a really busy and exhausting day. I was asked to help hang the quilts that were entered at our local county fair, which is next weekend. They were judged the day before and I said of course as long as I don't have to climb a ladder or lift heavy loads. The main exhibit hall is where the quilts are hung on cable wires with binder clips, that are streched across the hall above everything. The two brave ladies that did the actual hanging should have had parachutes and saftey belts hooked to the roll around ladder , there were none. So they didn't stand on the top step...ever. That way they had some saftey with the last step infront of them....arrrgh. Myself and another gal pinned names and ribbons on them and sorted them for the order of hanging. We then carried them to the ladder crew. I do wished I had taken a photo of the "event". In my haste I didn't even think of that. If you look at one of my previous post of last years fair quilts exhibit you will see what I am saying! You of course want to know if I entered and recieved any ribbons...right??? I will tell you that I did enter some of my smaller "creations" this year....but ....to be "fair" my lips are sealed until the fair opens!!!! I will have to say that when the junior quilts were being hung, one of the fair helpers (the 6'6" dude) said he would help as the locations was jammed w/exhibts being set up and the ladder had to be manuvered carefully. We were very happy for him to do that! You can guess that our fair operates on a "cheap budget". If there were no volunteer for some jobs, they just wouldn't get done. I hope if you can volunteer in your community you will. It is a "good thing" to do!

Pup & Quilts

Here is the "pity me pup"! She had a "hangnail" and DH took her to our vet. Well, $$. later, here she is,bandage and moping. She limped around so cute. She wasn't in pain, that is what we couldn't figure out the limping. The wrap was to keep her dewclaw clean! Oh,yeah, she love the fact that the antibiotic pill was wrapped in shredded Mexican cheese ! After thought of DH was, "I coulda clipped it myself"!! LOL "Yes" said I " and who would hold her"??

I found these flannel "rag" blocks" left over from a "rag" quilt I made DGD about 5 years ago. Just the right size for llqg.org baby quilt donation to a local hospital. I found some smaller ones that made a doll size quilt, also for a donation. I have washed them both to get the ragged edges started fuzzing up. They are so soft and cosy!


I am just "doody-doing" this week!!! The fact that I am ready for the fair exhibts leaves me w/"playtime"!! No pressure! I thought why not look at what I have in my scrap drawers/bins! The weather has cooled nicely so I will keep playing w/my scraps.

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Baskets,Fish,Flowers

Here is my mini "Baskets" all completed!

Today was another "hottie"! So, I am inside w/ceiling fans ! This morning I did my outside "duties". My barrel "Goldies" were begging for their morning "flakes"! It was a great photo op. The lily leaves look dirty, but they are healthy, I just didn't rinse them off yet. The water evaporates quickly on these days. The sunflowers are my summer fav's. just opened yesterday, at last! I am showing you the lobelias as I have babied them also this year. The 'redbird is a silly gift from my sister when she visited in June....when the plant needs water it chirps, until you water! Well, sometimes it chirps when it doesn't need a drink also. Sounds like a baby birds in a nest! The batteries finally quit at last! He is going to be recycled to somewhere else....soon!

These photos are of the guild recent trunk show at http://llqg.org by Karen Boutle and her DH is helping her set up for it. This gal is ooooh so talented and such a "Quilting Diva"! Her original designs of vest and jackets are just fabulous! She is retired from 30 years at the Pacific Bell telephone comany and her DH is retired from the Oakland Police Dept.

I wanted to show you the progress of the unedited mini baskets I am working on for the FLQS in October.

Today was I was so hot,hot and I don't mean it like (hottie!) The temperature was over 100*!!! Today was the day to deliver my entries to our local county fair. This year my DH actually entered some of his fab photo's!!! Every year when we are at the fair and looking at the photo arts, he always sez he should enter something. I always say "yes, you should" and he never does. But, he really did it this time!!! I am so proud of him. He does take great photos. So...now he can go to the fair and anticipate like I do w/my entries what will the judges say!!! I like to hear opinions...the positive and the negatives! I think that keeps me challenged! Some times (mostly) the fair judges do not make comments, either you receive a award or not!! I met a really nice young man(a strapping slim dude at least 6'6") that was assisting accepting the entries and he looked at one of mine and said what a nice job I did sewing. He said he liked to sew also!!! I said "Oh, how did you become interested?" He said when he was in the U.S. Navy (5yrs) his assignment was to repair and sew on parachutes with some other "navy guys" and they thought that it was a neat deal and began making "stuff", bags,totes, simple stuff. First off, I choked back my tears of gratitude and thanked him for serving his country! I told him I had a friend whose son about his age also likes to sew and that he bought his Mom a new machine and then the lady that was pinning on the exhibit ticket to my stuff said, did he hear what I said and he could do that for her; then she said "this is my son" and she had been working the fair job since he was a toddler w/his siblings that would run all over the place and how she was so excited to have him working w/her at the fair. Sitting on the floor besides her was his 4 month old baby girl in a little "chair swinging" looking up at her Dad and Gma!! Her daughter was in charge of the Photo exhibits in the next building. This is what small town stuff is all about. The real folks, the kind that we love to meet and keeps our country great! I hope I see him again and hear some more of his adventures into sewing. The down side for this lady was she has been battling cancer for 4 years. I thought to myself " I have so much to thank God for" and the spasams in my back I have been having are nothing to complain about!