Sometimes Ya Just Get Lucky...

Every January my guild holds its annual auction of "stuff" that members want to donate--UFOs, fabric no longer wanted, notions you once thought you needed, old magazines and books, etc. Some years it is pretty hard to find something to bid on! However, once in a while a gem appears among the piles of "stuff". This year was one such time. The quilt blocks in the photo were donated by a dear friend. She had started them years ago as a BOM. She made 11 of the 12, then lost interest. Can you imagine?? Fabrics for the remaining block, sashing and border fabrics, and complete instructions were included--as well as a couple of Marti Michell rulers. Whoa, Nelly! Well, a bidding war ensued and, surprise of all surprises, I actually won the bid!!! $40 later I was a very happy camper. And the icing on the cake was that my husband loved these blocks. So I dug them out this morning and will start to work on them. He will hopefully receive the finished quilt by Christmas. He is always bugging me to make a "blue" quilt so I hope this qualifies! On another note, the new Quilt Sampler magazine is such a delight! One of my favorite local shops is featured--Quilters Station in Lee's Summit, Missouri. It is a haven of primitive and folk art. But my quilting buddies who prefer more traditional design can also find lots to love there too. Quilting calls so off I go to the quilting studio. (A speaker at my guild once told us to call it "quilting studio" rather than sewing room. Sounds so much more official LOL.)

Happy Mothers' Day

Thought I'd post a photo of the pond as it looks mid-May. As the weeks go by, it should get more colorful with the water lilies and the annuals I planted this morning. Also the tiger lilies and Stellas will add some color soon. So many fish survived the winter--and lots of new fry! The tadpoles are growing fast. Love to sit out beside it and hear the water trickle down the waterfall. And I anxiously anticipate the return of my beautiful iridescent dragonflies. Also picked a few peonies this morning. Peonies always remind me of my mom who passed away about six years ago. She liked to place peonies on her mother's grave on "Decoration Day" as she called it. Hope she's looking down with a warm smile on her face as she sees the gorgeous deep pinks, pale pinks, and white blooms. And, mmmm...are they ever fragrant. Hope that all the moms out there are having a wonderful day.

A Quilt for the Garden

First round of annual shopping! Doesn't it just look like a little patchwork for the backyard? The goal for the weekend is to get these babies planted around the pond, then continue with the dreaded weed-reduction-program. I have had to curtail much of my gardening due to a mysterious something in the yard that makes me break out with an itchy bumpy rash. We have pretty much eradicated all poison ivy but there is still some noxious something-or-other than doesn't like my skin!! DH will help with the planting---so, Happy Mothers Day to me. LOL

A Very Quilty Day

Yesterday was a day filled with quilty activities. My monthly guild meeting was delightful. One of our very own members did the program and its topic was Friendship. She showed many, many quilts she had made over the years--and exquisite they were--but the best part was when she showed similar quilts that she and her best friend had each made. She told how they each had a different take on the very same quilt. Quilting friends are the best kind! Then, a friend from the guild invited me to tag along with her to attend the Machine Quilters Association show out in Overland Park. Wow, what a treat that was!! I never thought I'd hear myself say this, but I now love machine quilted quilts even more than handquilted quilts! Longarmers can do so many amazing things with those machines! Things I think a handquilter could only dream of. Since we left for the show right from the guild meeting, I didn't have my camera along :( but I can tell you the quilts were amazing. I was also impressed with those set-ups where the longarm machine is connected to a computer which sends the design. Such perfection. The friend I attended with is a longarmer and thinks that the computer-attached set-up really takes away the creativity. But to me, it's another way to GET THOSE QUILTS DONE!! Vendors were also great at the MQA show. Yep, I did some damage to the budget. One dealer had the most incredible collection of batiks I'd seen. Had to have a few FQs of those, for heaven's sake. Also bought some Bottom Line thread to try out. And--yay--the new Quilt Sampler was out! Had to buy that, of course. A few other things found their way into my bag. One thing I was hoping to find but didn't was Misty Fuse. Been seeing it in magazine ads, but so far I haven't seen it in any of my LQS's. May have to order it online.

The two photos above are from my own stack. The larger one was purchased from a dealer years ago and is a "bonneted ladies" hand appliqued. It needed refolding so I snapped a quick pic of it. The smaller one is one I made following a trip to Oregon a couple of years ago. (Yes, the trip included Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show!) I made some crazy blocks, then embellished with ocean-y kinds of things. Fun!
KC is chilly today with brisk winds. I am hoping to get annuals out this weekend. Maybe we won't have one of those late Missouri frosts--shut my mouth! Closing this morning with a photo of the first irises to bloom in my yard for the year. They began to open last week and today there are lots of purple and peach beauties out there. Iris is my most favoritest flower. I love having a few on the kitchen table. Peonies have now started to pop and will try to get a photo this weekend. Love the smell of peonies!

A Day At Home....Ahh

Nothing is sweeter than an unplanned day! After a very hectic last four days, I am reveling in being home with my sewing machine, computer, and cats. (Well, that darn washing machine and vacuum, too.) Yesterday was spent pulling--ugh--weeds and just generally sprucing up the yard and gardens. The new computer is now up and running. Still need to buy a new printer but for now, the old one will do. Thought I'd post a pic of my ladder of quilts too--just for fun! When I first got back into quilting a few years ago, things had changed so much from the early 70s when I started quilting. Instead of cereal box cardboard templates, there were now rotary cutters, selfhealing mats, and acrylic rulers! However, skills were rusty so I practiced a lot on little quilts and doll quilts--a few hang on this ladder. They are scattered throughout the house too. I love all the new inventions but am usually trying to make things LOOK old!!! Today's goals include adding beads to my quiltlet from Saturday's workshop, making several Sawtooth Star blocks for younger son's quilt, and adding to my calendar quilt (from Pat Sloan's Yahoo group) . Hmmm...that unplanned day suddenly got scheduled!