the big push to finish is upon us.....

My blocks for this month's Block Lotto. I sat down Monday morning and sewed! I had a few done already and finished some more to get my total up to 9. These aren't the big push.

Other stuff is......

RAGBRAI is coming through Titonka next week.

It is the Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa.

(as I was typing I misspelled annual, I clicked to see what the correct spelling was and one of the options was "anal"

I nearly used it, but decided not to. I am trying not to be negative about all that goes into getting ready for 10,000 bikers to cycle through a town)

Anyway....

There are the Burma Shave signs used over the years for different things. They were pulled out of storage. Karen and I looked them over. 

See her post [HERE]

We decided which words could be painted over for the new ones.

Like what food is being offered.

I painted them yesterday.

Nice blank signs again. On the bright side, the paint used is standard barn red. I hauled that out of the basement. I poured some into an ice cream bucket. What didn't get put on the signs was put on the shed to cover up peeling spots. Wow. I was really impressed by how much better the building looks! 

Then there is the buffalo on a bike. But why?

Titonka is a Sioux Indian word meaning "Big Black", 

the name given by the Indians to the buffalo.

I started him last week. He still isn't finished. He needs some spokes and a sign that says Titonka and maybe a cloud in the sky. This is a BIG HEAVY piece of plywood. 

It will be tractor joe's job to create a base for it so it will stand up. Then people can stick their heads through the opening and take a picture. 

This morning I plan on sewing for a while. 

Then I will go back to the paint and get these things done.

the north shore drive along Lake Superior....

This is the maple leaf quilt down on the shore at Split Rock Lighthouse. 

The kitty and oak leaf quilt. These were the oak leaves I won last fall at block lotto.

Both are ready to go to the quilter.

I better make sure they have some backing first.

It is hard to see the lighthouse in the pictures. This is what it looks like.

Going north from here, we ran into these giant chairs.

We were getting hungry 

(and maybe a little crabby at this point)

so we drove north hoping to find something to eat. 

(6 people, all with different ideas on what would taste good didn't help)

Split Rock was going to be the point we turned back south. But, this was the Fourth of July weekend 

and everyone else thought driving the north shore was a good idea too.

So all the eating spots along the way were packed, and we just kept heading north.

In the end this was a good idea, or we might never have run into the chairs.

Too bad I didn't think to hang quilt tops on the chairs too.

some old, some new......

(Happy Independence Day! The flag with the snowman seemed fitting for today)

I was cleaning a closet out. These blocks were hanging in there. They are part of a BOM I bought years and years ago. It is called Winter Memories by Susan H. Garman...and the year says 2000!

Oh good heavens. This is old. 

All the patterns are accounted for, the fabric for them is still in the packets. This might be fun to start working on again. But first I will finish working on these blocks.....

They are made using Missouri Star Quilts video tutorial. 

[link to video]

It seemed like a good way to use a half-priced layer cake I bought.

I trimmed and squared up my pinwheels to 12 inches. Then cut them apart using the 4 inch mark on the ruler.

All the light background blocks are done. Just 8 more dark background blocks to go. It will be 6 blocks by 6 blocks when I finish. 

These are also getting worked on SLOWLY. They are the most confusing block I have ever made.

It was started years ago. It may take another several years to get it done.  But I love the way they look altogether. I don't know how many I will make, I hope a bunch more.

I had to make myself a life size cheat-sheet for the layout of them.

Then I lay the fabric out to match.

And then I sew the block together, double checking with each seam.

Here is what I have so far. These blocks are in Judy Martins book, 

Piece 'n' Play Quilts.

I'll continue to sew some up and then set them all aside again.

I just had a thought....I have two tops that I want to get pictures of....

we are headed north, for Duluth, today.

We plan on taking a short drive up the north shore.

What if I bring the tops along and get pictures in scenic locations??

Like on one of the big rocks that are up there along the shore??

I must remember to bring them with!!

April blocks are a top.....

The top is finished. It has been hard to get pictures.

Too windy or rainy or sunny....

These are the April blocks I won at Block Lotto.

>>>>[block directions] <<<<

The link should go to the pattern used.

I have more pictures to take, and more to blog about, eventually!

it was the best of times, it was the worst of times......

Camping was an ordeal this year. Jane and I got in some fun time at the picnic table doing our craft things. This was a coloring page I printed off before I left. I had the most fun with this.

Wish I had a picture of Jane's, it is the same but oh-so-different.

[coloring pages are here]

Saturday was a whole new ballgame.

RAIN & WIND came to visit.

These are NOT our tents. These were down along the lake, we were up on the hill.

The wind was howling and the rain came...down pour after down pour. Breakfast was sausage and PLAIN scrambled eggs. We couldn't be bothered with finding the salt and pepper or silver ware.

We ate it with our fingers.  

The boat wasn't out of the water, just pulled up on the shore. The waves were so big and crashing over the back of the boat. It just filled with water and sat there, half sunk. Sunday morning was a WHOLE lot calmer. We scooped it out with buckets until it started to float again. Once it was up on the trailer, the plug was pulled and the rest of the water came flying out.

Jane and I went to the painting studio again.

[creativespiritsokoboji.com]

It was Friday the 13th, so they had the witch painting. This one is mine. I didn't stray off from the original. Jane did.

This one is her's. She wanted ruby slippers and a full moon in hers. 

A full moon and Friday the 13th won't happen again until 2049.

There were also raccoon visitors.

This was a first. I scared them off the first time we heard them. I could see their eyes looking at me when I put the flashlight on the trees across the road. I secured everything but the garbage, did even think of it. I fell asleep and never heard my brother in law get up when they started messing in the garbage.

He ended up walking to the dumpster in his socks and underwear.

Yep, fun time at the lake this year.

sewing and painting.....

We were at an auction a while back. Sometimes things of less desire are bundled with other things that are desired. These towels were the undesired thing. Tractor joe didn't even know he had bought them. When we were at home, 

I looked at our tickets, one said, "towels" hmmm...

What towels?

Where are the towels? He didn't know. 

So we went back to see if they were still sitting there.

They were already in the dumpster! They were pulled out to take home for rags.

Then I thought a bit more.

What if I cut them up and sewed them back together?

Some were cut across, some were cut the length.

Poor birds lost their heads. Oh well.

I ended up with 9 blocks.

Which became a tablecloth out back. The machine quilting didn't go so well.

I tell myself it just adds to the charm of it.

I started putting together the April blocks I won at Block Lotto.

This is for tractor joe's brother. It seems rather bright for a guy, but we decided to stick with the plan and give it to him. 

A couple weeks ago, Karen and I got together to make wall art.

We were cutting out of magazines and and old dictionary for the flower petals.

She had a bathroom rug to coordinate with.

Mine still aren't hung up. 

fun things made over the weekend.....

Blocks for Lotto. These sewed up faster than I thought they would.

Words from one of the t-shirts that were too short and too wide to fit anywhere. I put them on a bath towel instead. I think Amanda will get a kick out of it.

I always have a bag of colored pencils on the bus so kids can draw. 

One little 5 year old boy drew this. I am not sure what it is. 

But he was intense as he worked and colored.

I asked him if I could make a pillow from it.

He wanted to know how I could make a pillow with the paper.

I told him I would use fabric. 

I had no plan at that point so the drawing hung on my fridge for a few weeks.

I had all this t-shirt fabric laying about. I was even wondering what to do with it. 

A sane person might just toss it.

Then it struck me where I could use it.......

I have seen these plush toys made from kid drawing and thought it was pretty cool.

That's what I did here. 

I feel his legs are too skinny, but I love his hair.

 I hope he likes it.