July stuff...

Gwen mailed her blocks to me. Max finished hers, but we haven’t gotten together yet to switch. Soon we hope. Very soon. 

This was a glass top table. I didn’t really like it. Went to the wood shed and pulled out some of the old wood there. Tractor joe did a fantastic job of putting it together and attaching it. 

Years and years ago I said “sure, I’ll take some pickets” that were in my great aunts garage. 

They received a good cleaning and scraping. Eventually they will get put up in the new location. 

Alley (Zander and Luke’s mom) fell in love with our new table top. They also had a glass top patio table. 

She didn’t like hers either.

The next day we were out getting wood to make over her table. 

I made some log cabin blocks and don’t really love them. So they are just a stack for now. 

Still using the small scraps up. I’m loving these. Still have a ways to go until it is baby quilt size. 

I’ve had this bundle of fat 8ths. I came close to opening it. But then I looked at my log cabin blocks, the pile of them continues to grow. The bundle was put back. They will be my reward for actually finishing something. 

Long Time Gone is a top. It’s ready to go to the quilter. 

Wow. I had more than I thought to post about!

my own little dear photograph.....

Link >>> Dear Photograph

This is a photo of tractor joe's grandparents. Back in the 1960's, they retired from farming. They built a house in town. As the family grew, grandpa built a huge table for the basement. That is where people ate for large family gatherings. 

They passed away in the 1980's. Their youngest daughter lived with them. She continued having Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings and everyone, or mostly everyone, ate in the basement at the huge table.

Last year Aunt Amanda moved to assisted living. It was decided that the house and contents would be sold in an auction. Saturday was the day. Tractor joe went to the auction while I was up in Blue Earth at the quilt show. This table did not sell. The cousins stood around and wondered what to do with it. They talked about just throwing it away. Tractor joe couldn't see that happening and brought it home. 

When our middle son came over he fell in love with it. He could see his friends gathering around it to play cards and games.  He wondered if it could be refinished. Probably, we thought. I sanded the top yesterday while it was still sitting on our back patio. 

There was also a book of old photos that was destined to be thrown away. Not so fast, and tractor joe brought that home too. In it were pictures of the table and his grandparents.

As I sat and admired how it looked all sanded smooth again, the idea for the dear photograph popped in to my head.

I have all kinds of quilt show photos, but I will save them for another day.

going backwards through June......

I finished hand sewing about 3/4 of the binding for this quilt. It is part of the block exchange at the Blue Earth Valley Quilters. There were 12 of us in this. Next week we all get together and show each other what became of the 24 blocks we received. I'm looking forward to seeing all the different takes on the blocks.

These are April Block Lotto blocks I won! This will be the gift for the wedding we attended last month. It needs a border yet. A blue is my first choice, then it will kind of go with the wedding colors....or I may spot a green that I like...

It is already late, so I'm taking my time.

These are MORE block lotto blocks I won last year. This one has gone through many ideas before I finally committed to setting it with the black and white sashing. It is all sewn together and can go to the quilter as soon as I figure out the backing.

Still plugging away on the Tula Pink project.

Crap this picture is sideways.

I made the HST's two at a time. So I these last two blocks are the same, only different.

I would never have done these blocks at all. Never even bought the book. But I joined the small Tula Pink group and once I start making the blocks I find they are addicting and make a bunch at once. We make 8 a month. I am caught up to the August set of blocks.

We went camping again. One activity was going to the studio in Spirit Lake to do a painting. This one was hard. My least favorite of all the paintings I have done. I was the only one to add the people to the boat. 

They look a little scary.

A ton of coaster were made while camping. We used stickers, magazine pictures, photos, or just paint.

The last thing to show is the blocks for June at Block Lotto. These are harder than they look. As Sophie says,

"we strive for perfection, but it isn't a requirement"

or something like that.

Thank goodness.

The sneak peek was sent out earlier this week. After I finish the binding on my block exchange quilt, I will be working on the July block.

one more post for November.....

I started making Santa postcards. I painted paper to use and ran out of beard paper. That is why there are some floating pig noses on the two cards. They are his face painted on there, waiting for me to come back and work on them. 

These coasters are made with 4x4 tiles and 6 pack beer containers. You cut them up to fit and glue them to the tiles with mod podge. Then spray it with acrylic sealer. I should have saved them for Christmas presents. But they have been snapped up and are now living elsewhere.

There was a surprise snow day on Wednesday. I took this when it was 4 inches, I think we ended up with 8 inches.

So.....

The binding went on this t-shirt quilt. It took forever to come back from the quilters. I told Amanda it would be done before it got REALLY REALLY cold. I forgot to measure it. It's really long and about that wide (hold your arms out)

This is the park uptown next to the grocery store. I looked so pretty with all the snow.

USUALLY tractor joe leaves for Wisconsin to go deer hunting with my brother-in-law. He would have been gone, but with all the snow, he waited until Thanksgiving morning to leave.

So he was home on Wednesday.

I was busy sewing some new star blocks for a quilt. I was in my own little world. The TV was off and the blinds were all open. Lots of natural light coming in.

Well in walks tractor joe. He did a trial run with the snow and decided not to leave after all. 

On goes the TV and the blinds are pulled shut.

I squawked about this.

And continued to sew.

Heavy sigh....I messed up sewing on one of the blocks when the room got dark and noisy. I couldn't even go back and fix it. I had already trimmed off the triangles. 

I really need to pay attention.

Another example.

I started the Bonnie Hunter Mystery yesterday. Clue one had you cutting strips for HST''s.

NO WHERE does it say to sew the strips together.

But that is exactly what I did.

I don't know what I was thinking.

Two options, no, three....

make something else with them

pick the strips apart

or

proceed as if nothing was wrong and pick out seams later.

I decided to pick out the seams later. At least half are just a small little area that seems like nothing. I do have a few units done!

With them like this, I want to have black and white nine patches in there.

But who knows what it will be, it's a mystery!

Now back to picking out seams.

I love my bag.....

The buffalo was put out. There was a Titonka sign on it too, but never took a picture....

Signs advertising the food ahead in Titonka....Ragbrai would be coming through

And then the thousands & thousands of riders arrived. I don't know who this is. As I was taking a picture he entered the shot. I told him he would be on the blog. I was garbage patrol. Emptying the garbage cans as they filled. 

There are always stragglers. When it was "over" and I was walking home,

I went by Dave's shop. He had a whole little party going with this group.

I did not ask or look at what was under the skirts.

I finished this bag! I had started it Monday and there it sat till I could get back to it.

It is made from old decorator fabric samples.

The pattern has a side pocket that I left off. There is a zippered pocket on the end. 

I went simple and just added two slip in pockets on each end. 

They will be good for adding all that last minute stuff I forgot to pack!

Over all the bag is 20 inches wide, and 12 x 12 inches on the ends.

Nice and roomy.

my sister was here....

Jane was here last weekend. She brought along a cigar box she wanted to use as a treasure chest.

First some paint was added. Her favorite color is purple.

Based on a piece of paper, she wanted the paint added to recreate the look of the paper.

"light, medium, then dark" she said.

I didn't really notice this on the paper at first, but when you looked at it, that is what it was layered like. I learned from her that day....even though she thinks I am the one who knows everything.

HA! Not true.

We used stencils and stamps for embellishments.

She wanted mossy growth on it or.....Green paint applied with a sponge.

Paper was used on the lid and the inside.

It also needed to have an aged or old world look. So the whole thing was sealed up with mod podge and a few drops of brown paint mixed together. That seemed to do the trick.

She was SO happy with how it turned out! It is for a display at work to encourage people to sign up for some race/walk thing. I was too busy following her directions for paint and cutting paper that I never did quite understand what she talking about. 

In the middle of sewing the newest BLOCK LOTTO blocks. They are so spring like in color!

For the first time in a long time there is no mention of snow in the forecasts!!!

Maybe this is it, spring is here.

tea towels.....

Sophie is having a tea towel challenge.

(click here for link to tea towel challenge 2014)

When it first came up, I wasn't sure....All I could picture were the tea towels with calendars on them. I had NO idea there were tea towels that didn't have calendars.

I found one online that I really loved. It was $20.00. 

Wow...... did I want to spend that much?

For a towel???

Then I found these retro looking ones. 

They came as a 4-pack. I thought they were adorable.

(and cheaper)

I could use one and give the rest to my middle son for Christmas. He needs kitchen towels and loves to fish. But when they arrived they were in a fabric envelope. I cut that apart....

I plan on making some mug rugs from it. He will also get all four towels.

It will be nice practice for the real towel.

The challenge towel,

the one I really love....

After thinking and thinking, 

I ordered it.

The Iowa tea towel. 

I thought about using old embroidery and cutting it up,

I have thought about using selvage edges,

But now I don't know. I have time to mull it over, not a lot, but some time yet.

camping over the weekend.....

We (as in 3 sisters, with various spouses, grown kids, boyfriends and girlfriends) 

were at Marble Beach State Park on Spirit Lake in Iowa. We were in a quiet area of the campground with our tents. I brought along my geocaching quilt. 

A couple weeks ago I received a surprise package.

Inside were a couple of pink flamingos.

Mrs. Browndirt sent them.

She thought I would think they were ridiculous and silly.

BUT, I loved them. 

They came camping and so did the doll mrs. browndirt. 

We went geocaching

We went painting at Creative Spirit Okoboji

They were doing owls that evening in the studio.

We made wood block signs. I have all kinds of scrap wood. We put some of it to use. It was only me and Jane doing this. Others would come over to check out our mess, but no one else wanted to do one. I gave the glamping sign to my sister Jenny.

She is always a glamour girl, even when camping.

Today seems like a good day to go work on some backing and get a quilt in to be quilted. 

Not the cow quilt. He needs to be worked on yet too.

All in good time.

quilt blocks and other things...

I laid out the bird quilt to see what I had finished. 

Right now it looks like three more birds for 6 rows.

Six more little red hearts and some simple filler blocks.

I will worry about the border later,

more checks?

plain red?

plain blue?

or all of the above.

The table and chairs all painted and finished.

It is under the roof out back. It won't be to exposed to the weather.

I still have red paint left over. I am always on the lookout now for something to paint red.

and I forgot.....

When we were in Illinois at the farm, I was wondering around taking pictures.

This gate was in an old cement watering tank.

I thought it was really pretty.

I asked Marjorie if she would sell it.

She said,

NO.

"but for a Christmas card, I will give it to you!"

Deal!!!

I emptied out the back of the car and it just fit inside.

Marjorie looked at our stuff and said,

"you guys travel light."

That was nice to know. 

We thought we had plenty of bags and what not 

that we were hauling with us.

Anyway, I picture it standing in a flower garden. We told all the boys that it came from their great grandfather's boyhood home. We wanted to make sure they understood that it's status was higher than "junk mom and dad left us" 

It has some meaning.