Chit Chat

I am taking a break!! The activites of the Falling Leaves Quilt Show aka Ladies of The Lake Quilt Guild big show, was just too much fun! Take a look at the guilds website! I entered the same items in the FLQS as I did in the county fair where I ribboned on the same entrys. The competition was greater. The judges have tough decision to make. I know first hand as I am the chairman of the judging committee and I observe as well as scribe for them. They are fair and tough in their judging. Which I consider important. I don't take any critisims personally as I consider them a learning process. I encourage anyone who has the opportunity to enter your items in a "judged" event to do so! So, that being said....I need to get planning for next years events....mmmm does that mean shopping for fabric or diving into my stash! Stay tuned!!








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The Grapevine Quilt Guild ,of which I am a charter member, held their 2nd annual quilt show recently. The handkerchiefs of one of the members mothers were incorporated into this adorable wall hanging as well as a "lapper" at the top! The "mini"s of other quilters are placed around my entry "Fresh Flowers". This is a "non judged" show. It is done nicely and the size of the room limits the quits to a little more than 130 or so. Wonderful quilts!

I have been so busy with my preparations for the up coming Falling Leaves Quilt Show, it is only 5 more days to go. I can't wait!!! There are around 250 entrys and this is a "judged" show. I am the "Chair" of the Judge Committee and it requires much attention to detail, hiring Judges, assigning positions, hoping that the fair ground manager has all our requested tables and chairs clean and in the hall waiting for us very early on the morning of judging. The next day is the actual setup day of the quilt racks, the hanging of the quilts, as well as the vendor spaces,theme baskets country store,silent auction area...featured quilter, who by the way is world famous Mariners Compass, quilter Judy Mathison. I know that the peices will all fall in to place for opening day,Oct.4. Hope you can come!

A Long Time Ago!

I am going through boxes that I haven't looked at in a very long time!
As I sit here holding my hand-me-down dolly, did I ever think I would be using a computer or even living the life that I do now!? No, probably the only thing I was thinking of was "when are we going to go to the beach"! This photo was taken when I was about 6-7 years old. My hair was naturally red and curly and did it present alot of "ouches" when being combed and brushed! Look at those shoes!!!! They also were (brown) hand-me-downs! Those were the style in our house. I must have dreamed of white ones ! Or even shiny black patent leather.
I was the youngest of 6 kids. My father was a Sgt. in the U.S.Army and we lived on Angel Island, in the middle of San Francisco Bay. He was the Supply Sgt. by day and ran the base theater every night! We saw all the movies free! It was a kids paradise. A one room school house and a beach romp when ever! A big boat took us right by Alcatraz Island to the "City" for shopping, etc...our 1936 4 door Ford was parked in a rented garage off of Lombard Street, where the boat docked at the bottom of it. My Mom didn't drive so when my Pop wasn't with us we would catch a street car to downtown or a friends house. We were the one of the last families to move off the island when it closed down. It is now a part of the State Parks System . I loved our life on "our island"!!!

A New Challenge

Last week was my Mini Groups first class session after our summer break! Hey, just like school starting again! It is always fun to anticipate what our "leader/teacher" is going to have as a project for us! Well, she really threw us a curve this time around!! No paper pieceing this time! Arrrgh!
I have a sweet friend Leslie at pieceful-moments that does not ever,never do paper pieceing and her mini creations are just perfect and she doesn't take a class!!! Grrrr.... Now, you while you are looking at this and thinking, so...what is with making a "pinwheel". Well, my sister quilters, this is no ordinary pinwheel. The pinwheels themselves are 1& 1/4" squares, cut from 2 3"squares layered and divided w/stitches and then cut apart and then cut again into the itsy bitsy squares, then adding the corners. Now I thought I had really cut a "fat hog" when I finished this one! Only to be told I did it backwards! It took me 2 hours to create this mistake!!! LOL

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Can you guess what this creation is? OK, give up? DH made it on his lathe! This is another wonderful walnut wood bowl on a pedestal, one piece. It is about 3 inches across. I think perhaps a holder for nuts or jelly beans!!!lol The next photo is not as easy to figure out, wasn't for me anyway!

It is a special oil holder. In the second photo you can see the inside, it holds the "special oil". The size of the inside is a contact lens holder!!! Guess you always wanted to know about what to do when those little cups are no longer in use! lol!!!

I am preparing to go to the first of the season "2008-2009" "Mini Group" sew day tomorrow. We meet monthly and the car is loaded with my travel sewing machine and equipement and the great part is I have no idea what our leader/teacher has on the agenda for us!!! We have had our summer break and it will be fun to see my "classmates" again. We meet at a wonderful place....a fabric shop!!! We have a whole room to ourself and we can dash out to the "fabric stash" when we want!! How fun is that??

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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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