Antique Quilts

I have always been attracted to homemade quilts and quilting. This attraction is for many reasons, some of which are that I love antiques, I love the thought of making quilts to keep a family warm at night and that I have a couple that were made by my mother and grandmother. The image of pioneer women making quilts from scraps or even my grandmother piecing quilts is a strong image for me and calls to me.

Hence, I am thrilled that I am learning the art of quilting. While "artistic" quilts are beautiful, I am strongly attracted to "old fashioned" quilts with traditional patterns. Even if made with more contemporary fabrics and patterns, I still love the old patterns. I am also attracted to the 1930s reproduction fabrics, which are so popular now.

While at the International Quilt Show I found a lady who was selling antique quilts, quilt tops, blocks and individual blocks. I spent more time in her booth than all the others put together.

While looking at the quilts, she had them tagged and labeled very well. If she knew anything about the quilter, she had that listed along with the location where it was made, the era and the overall condition of the quilt.

I felt a little sad looking at these quilts. They were beautiful. Someone had put love and effort into these quilts and now they were for sale to the highest bidder. What happened? Where there no family members to lovingly pass these quilts on to? Maybe family members didn't want them, just didn't appreciate them. Were they sold because some where over the years they needed the money (even now with the economy as it is)? Where they just lost and/or forgotten?

This bothers me. These quilts, whatever condition they are in were made from the heart. For the most part they were all hand stitched or machine sewn and then hand quilted. So much work and effort. Yes, some had tears and stains. Some were in sad condition. Still, to me, they are works of art for all of their original, practical beginnings.

I bought 2 packages of individual quilt blocks. Makes me wonder even more. Why weren't they finished? Were they ripped out of completed quilts because the rest of the quilt was in too bad of shape to save? What was the quilter's overall vision?

Well, now I am their keeper. The double wedding ring quilt top I purchased was made in the 1930s. It is my all time favorite quilt pattern. The Dresden Plate blocks, while very incomplete is my second favorite. The tulips are just sweet and pretty. Hopefully, with the blocks I will someday have the skills (or find someone who does) to piece them into a complete blocks and tops. The double wedding ring I would like to have quilted soon, but that might wait until I have the time and skill to hand quilt it since it is all hand pieced.

If you look closely at the tulip blocks you can see that even some of the blocks were pieced together. Probably out of old sheets or pillow cases, maybe old shirts. This just makes them even more special to me.

I think I see a new collection starting here. Old quilts, blocks, patterns accumulating. I will love and care for them and try to bring them back to the best of my ability or just leave them to be loved (again) as they are.

2009 International Quilt Festival/Chicago

I am on overload.


Yesterday I joined 40 other women and took a bus down to Chicago to participate in the International Quilt Show.

OH MY GOD.

It was awesome.

I went alone, but met several very nice women on the bus - Grace, Pam and Carol as well as Shova, who amazed all of us by knitting socks during the bus ride! Once inside Rosemont Convention Center, Grace, Pam, Carol and I immediately starting looking at all of the beautiful quilts on display. Both traditional and artistic, they were amazing. After a while we decided we could only take in so much at one time, so we went to lunch.

After lunch we decided to split up and shop as there were zillions of vendors, but to meet again and finish looking at all of the quilts. This worked out great. We finished up the quilts, split up again to shop, met again for an early dinner, split up and met again to return home.

Oh, and shop I did! I really practiced restraint, too, believe it or not. I got a bias cutting ruler, a pattern for a lap quilt, 2 fat quarters for a pattern I had at home, pre-cut material for a lap quilt I saw previously in a magazine and want to make for my nephew's family, tee shirts with quilting designs on them, a small Jim Shore figurine of an angel quilting (which will be a gift) and a pre-cut pattern of a wall hanging featuring SHOES! Finally, I can mix my love of shoes and quilting!


Here's a pic of my purchases. Click on the picture to make larger and see colors better. Ahhh, life is GOOD.


But the BEST part was a vendor selling antique quilts. Oh, I did damage there! I bought several packages of just antique blocks, a couple individual blocks (see picture) and one wedding ring quilt top. More on these in a later blog.


Grace took pictures. Hopefully she will forward them to me.


What a day! What fun! What nice people!

What I'm up to in the world of quilting

A few months ago I joined a mystery quilt group. We meet at Ye Olde School House once a month and get "clues" as to the lap quilt we are making. We were given instructions as to what material to purchase and the yardage needed. Every month we get a new clue or two. I originally decided to make a larger quilt, so I doubled every thing. Now I have changed my mind and will make two lap quilts, one for myself and one to give away. The ladies are great and very friendly and I am enjoying this process and making new friends. Here are 3 completed blocks. Considering we now have used up all of the material we cut, I'm trying to figure out how these 3 blocks (there are many of each one) will all go together to make the quilt. But, that is part of the fun. Stay tuned!

I also started an Elizabeth Sampler class at the same shop. I have the same wonderful teacher, Diane, as I did in my first two quilting classes. I purchased all shabby chic material. Here are the first 2 blocks. One is the friendship star and the other is the churn dash patterns.

Click on the pictures to really see the fabic.

Today I will start cutting a Peter Rabbit themed baby quilt for Phil's granddaughter, Gianna Rose. It is in pinks and yellows. And, I have to sew binding on a table runner, wall hanging and queen sized quilt.

I'm busy!

Moon in the 'hood

Last night I let the dogs out for "last call" a little after 10pm. Gracie came right in, but Lucy Lou was poking around and then started barking at kids walking by in the alley. I had to go out and grab her to get her back in.

As always when I am out a night, I look up at the sky to see the moon. It was eerily beautiful, just rising. I grabbed my camera and this is what I got. Not the best, but I think a little haunting.

I love the moon.

Nan, Bert, Freddie, Flossie, Nancy, Cherry, Vicki, Trixie and the Rest of the Gang

When Shelley and I were little (we met when we were 8) we both loved to read. Still do, but I digress. Our favorites at that time (c. 1963) were the Bobbsey Twins (Nan and Bert, Freddie and Flossie).

We would walk over to each other's houses and spend the hours reading and trading books. I had copies that my sister's had read.

As we got a little older we moved on to Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames and Vicki Barr. Everyone knows the girl sleuth, Nancy Drew. However, many might not know nurse Cherry Ames or stewardess Vicki Barr. Oh, the adventures these girls took us on. I was especially fond of Cherry Ames as my mom was a nurse.

A few years later along came Trixie Belden with her best friend, Honey. She was more our age by then and we loved her.

We knew all of the characters in these books and would act out the plots or make up our own. It was great fun. At the time we didn't realize that these fictionalized girls probably taught us a lot about gumption, adventure, friendship and that girls can and could do anything, even if (at that time) a handsome boyfriend, brother or father rescued them when they got into trouble ( and they always did). In today's novels that wouldn't happen - the girl hero's would figure it out and rescue themselves or another girl would come along and save the day. The point is, these characters were not afraid to seek the truth, conjure good over evil and help others.



To celebrate our vacation together, Shelley, who is still in love with all things Bobbsey related, made us each the tee shirt below. With the help of her daughter, Brooke, she copied book images off the web, ironed them on to the shirts, added little X's and cute buttons. Shelley had a blast makng them and I appreciate the gesture. They were a riot to wear. Women all over Savannah recognized the books. Unfortunately, I got a couple of stains on my shirt (now all removed), but could not wear it again during vacation, but what fun we had that one day.



Times have changed and books for young girls are more sophisticate. For us though, in the early to mid 1960s we were very innocent. The books were appropriate.



So, hats off to Nan, Flossie, Cherry, Vicki, Trixie and Honey and all the other "girl" book characters. I still love and admire you. Thanks for the memories. And, the lessons.

My "Sweet Little Quilt"

I'm starting to make up names for my quilts now. Scary.

This is a twin size quilt I made for the house Phil and I will someday have. It is part of what I hope will be a "shabby chic" bedroom consisting of 3 twin beds. I have the first quilt finished (see previous post - it is the purple quilt), but it will be a while before I get to the 3rd and last quilt. That's OK since we don't even have the house yet!

I do think this is a sweet quilt. It is a basic 4 patch, with the same fabric in two of the squares (white on white) and matching fabric in different colors in the other two squares. I picked up the purple off of the first twin quilt I made.

It has basic all-over quilting, which I had done at The Patched Works.

I love it and so far it is my favorite.

Sweet and simple.

Double click on images to see quilting & material better

Happy Birthday, Sue!

As mentioned in a previous post, my sister, Suzanne, turned 65 on March 29th. Phil and I were lucky enough to be there when her dear husband, Marlon, surprised her with a party that included all the neighborhood kids (and their parents) she does child care for. Here are some pictures of the celebration. Sue said she couldn't fall asleep that night because she couldn't stop smiling!

Sue and Marty just remodeled their kitchen and painted their kitchen, dining area and family room. New granite counter tops and a great red in the kitchen area. The other areas on in beiges and browns.

Nothing like kids around a cake and sparklers!

 

Ahhhh, vacation

March 20th, I left for a nice long vacation. I had rented a timeshare in Hilton Head, this time in the Sea Pines area- right by Harbor Town - and my gal pal, Shelley and I enjoyed a week long stay there.


Hilton Head is OK. It is pretty, but I would not want to live there. If you don't golf, I imagine there isn't a whole lot to do there, either. But, retirees seem to love it. I really tried to get a timeshare unit in Charleston, where Shelley and I wanted to spend a week, but it didn't happen.


We did explore Hilton Head and the outlet stores! One day was spent in Savannah and the highlight of the trip, I believe for both of us, was an over night adventure in Charleston.


Shelley booked us a double room in a 240 year old B&B in the historic area. It was lovely. And, we were able to walk all over town. As in Savannah, in Charleston we took a carriage ride to learn about the area and decide which areas we wanted to explore. We toured a beautiful old mansion, explored a cemetery dating back to the early 1700s, shopped in the "ritzy" area, and walked (as well as drove) along side streets to explore the beautiful architecture of Charleston.

This picture of a typical old house in Charleston if off the web as my battery died in my camera and I can't find the charger so I can upload pictures.

We had some great meals in Charleston, too. (We ate our way through the whole vacation!). I had fabulous grits and shrimp. And, we had a great, fun meal at Jestine's. I even got to a small quilt store a few blocks from our B&B.

One day we also drove into historic Buford, SC and explored the harbor and old historic houses.


It was a fun week with Shelley. We have known each other since we were 8 years old. Although our lives took different paths the friendship still exists and I am very thankful for that.

During this time Sue had her 65th birthday. Marty surprised her with a party consisting off all of the kids (and their parents) she does child care for. Some additional neighbors came as well. Their house as packed and it was so much fun for all of us.


Back to the grindstone!

Walking with the Dogs

This week I've been walking the "girls" very early each morning - around 6:15am. Notice I use the word "with" the dogs, not "taking" them for a walk! Big difference.

We walk each other actually. They slow me down while taking lingering sniffs and I drag them along with the sniffs become obsessive.

This morning was lovely. During the pre-dawn hour, a sliver of a moon hung in the blue sky surrounded by huge, dark clouds. Since I love the moon in all of her phases, this glimpse was breathtaking.

The birds are very active this time of day. Even though we walk very early in the morning, the robins are singing their little hearts out. I like to think one joins us, flying from tree to tree and serenading us as we walk. However, it is more than likely many robins saying "Good Morning!" to each other. Other birds join the chorus - the chirp of the little sparrow, the whistling of the cardinals, the cries of the gulls. Every morning has the opportunity to turn in to a major bird concert!

I'm by nature a morning person. I love these walks as much as Gracie and Lucy Lou do. It gives my day a boost of inner peace and contentment. It is my time to spend with God, with nature. It is my prayer.

Sniffs and all.

Projects, more projects

Here are a few pictures of quilts in progress.













Above is the Wee Spin wall hanging from the class I took at Ye Olde Schoolhouse last weekend. I took a picture of it being laid out. I sewed jelly rolls (40" strips of 2 1/2" wide pieces of material) together and then cut them out into 4 1/2 triangles. The triangles get pieced together to form hexagons. I had a lot more fabric then called for so I just kept going, adding another row to the finished hanging. It is off to be quilted this weekend. I love the 1930s reproduction materials and the "school house" look to the hanging. Clicking on the pictures should enlarge them so you can see the materials. They're fun!


Next is a quilt I'm calling my "Springtime" quilt due to the colors. However, they look totally different on this picture - much brighter. This is a large 9 patch, each block is a finished 15" and it will be another large queen/king sized quilt. Clicking on the picture shows the fabric better. I love the blue fabric.






And, I am in the process of finishing up a twin sized quilt. I just started hand sewing the binding on.

Phil made me promise not to purchase any more material until I have all of my projects completed.

I'm trying . . .

Another quilt finished

So, my "quilt from hell" aka Basket Weave 4 patch is all finished! This is the first large quilt I attempted and now that it is quilted and the last stitch of the binding hand sewed, I am happy with the results.

It is HUGE. I thought I was making it for a queen size bed, but so much more hangs on the other side which from this picture you can't see, it would fit well on a king size bed.

Here are some additional pictures.

Once again I had it professionally quilted at The Patched Works.

We chose a very simple pattern, I believe called "Rain" since the quilt itself was busy and I really wanted the "basket weave" to show. The "quiltie" ladies, as they are called at the store, are wonderful and so helpful.

Here is the backing. I love the material and am using it on my "dragon fly" quilt, which is currently being quilted by Meandering Mary. The quilting shows up a little better in this pic.

A Nice Afternoon

Today I took a quilting class at Ye Olde Schoolhouse. There were about 7 of us in the class. And, while we certainly didn't look anything like the ladies in the picture, the sense of "sisterhood" was there.

We learned how to use "jelly rolls" which are pre-cut 2 1/2 strips of coordinating fabrics - usually around 40" long and maybe 32 strips per roll. We had a choice of 2 projects - a lap quilt or a wall hanging.

I chose the wall hanging because I fell in love with the sample Jeannie has hanging in the store. It uses 1930s reproduction fabric, which I find myself being drawn to (jeez - another quilt idea!). I got as far as sewing 18 strips together and getting them all cut into 4 1/2" triangles. It is spread out on my dining room table and I will start to sew them together tomorrow. It should go pretty fast and I am looking forward to arranging the triangles into circles and seeing what colors/prints go best next to each other.

I only knew one of the other ladies in the class. We have a mutual friend and I have met Kay maybe 3 or 4 times in 30 some years, but it was nice to chat with her and her friends.

The class was only 2 hours, but we all stayed for at least another 3 1/2 hours. I enjoyed it so much. At one point while I was cutting (and cutting and cutting) I listened to the other ladies chatting, the hum of the sewing machines and laughter, women offering to help each other if we were stuck or had questions. I thought, "How many other women have gotten together like this over the years to quilt?" Probably millions. I know my mother, grandmother and great-grandmothers on my maternal side did. I have a couple of the quilts my mother and grandmother made to prove it. I felt a closeness, a kinship with these women I didn't know. Both present and past.

This is the best part about quilting. The sense of history. The sense of community. The sense of creating something not only useful, but beautiful. The sharing of stories, of ideas, of life. And, each quilt tells its own story.

It's a good feeling.

Poor Gracie

Gracie had surgery on Monday. I noticed a little growth on her leg and took her to the vet right away. He was concerned enough to want it removed and tested for cancer.

Gracie did great throughout the surgery. I got her home and she was just fine. Well, in true Gracie fashion, she did try to get pity from me, which wasn't too hard to do. However, after jumping on and off the bed as well as most of the other furniture, my feeling sorry for her didn't last too long! She will limp a little when first getting up if she has been sleeping, but otherwise I see no side effect other than trying to look pathetic. She does a good job, doesn't she?

Friday we went back to get the bandages changed. Hence the bright green bandage. The first one looked like army camouflage.

When I first got Gracie she was 1 1/2 years old. That was almost 8 years ago. At that time she had a slightly deformed nipple, which the vet told me to keep an eye on. Two years ago it became swollen and red so we had it removed. It was cancer, but the vet got it all and she has been just fine. Hopefully when we get the test results back from this latest growth, all will be well. I take her and Lucy Lou to Spirit of 76 Vet Clinic. They are the best ! Dr. Voss has been our vet the last couple of years, but all of the doctors there are great, as well as the support staff.

Lucy Lou doesn't seem overly concerned about Gracie's plight. She gave her a good sniffing when she came home after surgery, but in true Lucy Lou fashion nothing really bothers her.

Tomorrow Gracie takes the last of her pain meds and antibiotics. I should get the test results back in a few days and her stitches come out in another week. Let's hope this ordeal will all be over with then.

I've been a wreck!

Poop Patrol

I have two dogs, Gracie and Lucy Lou. Like good girls, they let me know when they need to go outside and are very good about not leaving messes in the house.

This past December we had lots and lots of snow. Now, my girls are "girly" dogs, and while Lucy Lou might tromp through the snow to find a good place to squat, Gracie prefers the concrete service walk. Which means that when I shoveled, I shoveled dog poop along with the snow, into the yard.

December was followed by a very cold January. No chance to get out there and pick up poop, let alone find it under the snow.

But, it has thawed this month and most of the snow is gone from my little yard. Unfortunately, the melting did not include the disappearance of the poop.

At work it has become a joke for those of us who have dogs to compare amounts of poop picked up on any given day. We all use the plastic grocery bags for this lovely job. And we all have different techniques. We have shared such poop pick up stories and hints, such as "Pick it up while it is still a little frozen as it will get mushy as the day goes on." Or, "grab some latex gloves for this purpose." And, "Yesterday I filled the bag almost to the top!" Yes, such intellectual conversation goes on within the fire department.

Today I am home early. I went to the doctor for sinus problems and have a touch of bronchitics (Thanks for the codeine Dr. Yan!). I stopped at the grocery store for last minute items as we are suppose to get a large amount of snow this weekend and I want to lay low and get better. But, before happily taking my first teaspoon of cough medicine I decided to fill up the bird feeders and, yes, do poop patrol in the yard.

For some strange reason doggie poop seems to multiply in my yard. I know my dogs habits, but there was more than what I feel is necessary for two relatively small dogs in just a few days. However, picking up their poop is a small price to pay for the love, devotion, laughter and pure joy theses dogs give me. As I finished my job and was walking back into the yard after dumping my nearly full bag into the trash can, I saw Lucy Lou raising up from the squat position and try to "bury" her . . . ah, leftovers.

Oh, well . . .

Buckeyed Beauty

Last fall I took my second quilting class at Ye Olde School House in Hamilton, WI (Cedarburg). We made this Buckeye Beauty wall hanging.

However, the 4-week class stretched into a couple of months. I was sick, and then my father passed. By the time I had my last class it was after the holidays. My classmate, Lisa, who waited for me so we could finish together, couldn’t make our last class due to a car accident her daughter had. I’m still not sure if Lisa ever will finish this project. I hope so.

Anyway, the main body of the quilt is sewed from a “charm pack” which consists of approximately 32 pre-cut coordinating fabric squares produced by the fabric companies. While I like the fabrics in the charm pack I picked, the hanging is a little too busy for me. However, I do like the end result and am glad I decided to go with a black print boarder. The class taught us triangles, boarders and arranging fabric/colors into pleasing patterns, as well as the “star” feature. Again, my instructor was Diane, who is a wonderful teacher. I finally got the binding and pocket for hanging hand stitched to the back. The quilt was professionally quilted by Mary, who goes under the business of Meandering Mary, LLC. She doesn’t have a website, but her email is meanderingmary@charter.net I think she did a fabulous job on this piece and am thrilled with the end result – mostly due to her expertise.

Here is a picture of it before the boarders were added. Big difference!

Details of the quilting. Double click to enlarge the picture.

As of today I have one queen sized quilt top (I call my dragon fly quilt due to the main fabric) on the way to be professionally quilted by Mary and another twin sized quilt being quilted at The Patched Works. This means, I better get the binding hand stitched on my mock basket weave quilt (see earlier post) and get it finished before the other two are done! By the way, that quilt turned out great, despite my finding a turned block at the quilters.

So, now I will finally (yes, I will, I really will) start my “friendship” star, queen size quilt. I have been putting that off for months. Making the “stars” scares me, so I will practice a couple on scratch materials. Since I have to make 72 blocks or a total of 72 stars to complete the quilt top, I have a feeling after the first few blocks I will be able to sew them in my sleep! When that quilt top is completed I have 9-patch all cut and ready to go. I start a “sampler” quilt class in March and have the material for that quilt all ready. Oh, and I have a baby quilt to make for Phil’s granddaughter, due in a few weeks.

Whoosh! So many quilts, so little time!

Purple People Eater

I finished up the last step - hand sewing the binding - on a twin size quilt I made. I call it my "purple people eater" quilt due to its color. I certainly hope those who sleep underneath it are safe and sound!

Hard to believe a quilt came out of those squares, but it did!



And here is the end result. It is the "furrows" pattern, which is the same pattern I used on the baby quilt (see older posts)

I am making at least 3 twin sized quilts for our future home. I plan to have a large bedroom in the "shabby chic" style. All will be different colors, but all 4 patch. The 2nd one is currently being cut and in blues and purples. I think the 3rd one will be in greens.


Left is the backing, which I love.

Right is a close up of the quilting, done by The Patched Works.

You can click on the pictures for a closer look.




I don't think Lucy Lou is very impressed with all of my hard work!

Playing Dress Up?

Today I took a break from quilting and turned on the TV to TCM. The movie was Palm Springs Weekend from 1963. A typical "teenage" movie from that time with the crazy cast of Connie Stevens, Troy Donahue, James Conrad (remember Wild, Wild West?), Jerry Van Dyke, and Stefanie Powers. I think Connie Francis sang in it.

While staring mutely at the screen I began to notice the clothing the women had on. Typical 1963 fashions, but I noticed that most of them would fit in perfectly with today's styles. The dresses, from the waist up would work perfect in 2009, with the lower half (skirt part) being just a little fuller than today's styles. They were beautiful dresses.

During this time my sister, Sue, called from Atlanta and I told her to turn on TCM and check out the fashions. Since she would have been around 18 at the time the movie was made, she would remember them. And, she did. We really got a kick out of watching this and discussing the fashions and the 2-piece women's swimming suits with the pointy bra type tops and the bottoms well above the belly buttons. They were sexy with out boobs hanging out and butt cracks showing like they do now.

In one scene the "kids" got together at a house for a party. The record player was in full swing and they were dancing the Twist (remember the Twist?). The women had on fabulous dresses and the men all had on jackets and ties. Sue remembered having a dress very similar to one in the movie.

This then led to a conversation about how people use to get dressed up to go "out." Going to church, funerals, weddings - every social setting was an occasion for dresses, heels, ties and jackets. We both agreed it was kind of nice.

The last couple of weddings I have been at I have been shocked at the apparel some of the guest have worn. Shorts, casual shirts, flip flops, etc. Same with funerals and church.

When I was a kid I remember getting a fancy dress for both Christmas and Easter. I remember some were hand-me-downs - my very favorite being one such dress. It must have been for Christmas as it had a black velvet skirt. I felt like a princess. We always "dressed" for church and weddings. If Mom and Dad went out to dinner with friends, it was always in a dress for Mom and a tie and jacket for Dad. I remember thinking how beautiful they looked.

What happened? Now we are so casual it is ridiculous. One person came to my father's memorial service in leggings and tennis shoes. Hard to dance at a wedding in flip flops. Who dresses up for a nice dinner at a restaurant any more? Phil and I were walking into a store last weekend and saw a young girl walking out in pajama bottoms and slippers. Jeez. My Mom would have killed me.

Remember when going on an airplane meant dressing up? Now most people look like they rolled out of bed and on to the plane. Not that I want to wear pantyhose every time I fly, but I do try to look somewhat nice while being comfortable.

I guess there is a time and place for everything. However, sweat pants do not belong at funerals nor shorts at formal weddings. As for me, while I am glad I live in the age of panty hose and non-pointy bras, I still love putting on a pretty dress and going to dinner or wearing a special outfit for the holidays or Easter.

And, if we as a society have gotten so casual with our dress, what else have we gotten casual about? Hmmm, I'll save that for another post.

A Very Bitchy, Frustrated Quilter

Jeez.

I spent hours and hours and hours on this mock basket weave quilt. It is a very easy, 4-square quilt, made of 2 materials with stripes. One color is cut vertically and the other horizontally. Strips are sewn together, cut, sewed into blocks, blocks into rows and there you go. A queen sized quilt.

Except that it took forever. Only 2 colors and prints got very boring. It lost its challenge. It is huge. Each block is 6 inches. The quilt is 16 blocks in width and 18 in length. That is 288 blocks. 1,152 squares. 96" x 108". I thought I would never, ever get it done.

I even started a new quilt. Got it just about cut out when I realized that if I didn't finish this one, I never would. And, since I had only 6 rows to go before completed I put everything aside and finished it.

When I made the last stitch, I stood up from the sewing machine and danced a little jig around my kitchen. I pressed the quilt top, pressed and squared off the backing and drove immediately to the quilt shop to have it professionally quilted.

At the shop, they measured it and I completed the paperwork and took one, long look at the quilt.

And, then I saw it. One block on the second to last row was sewn in sideways. Thank God it is the end block, but never the less, the quilt had to go back home.

Note block with safety pins. You can click on the image to really see my mistake!

Now, I am far from being a perfectionist. However, in quilting you have to be pretty darn near perfect. This quilt has been very forgiving as many squares don't quite match up, but it is very hard to see them. And, this mistake is at the bottom of the quilt on a corner. I could have let it slide and I bet no one would be the wiser (well, almost no one). But, after all of the hard work I just can't let it be wrong.

I own several seam rippers. They get a good work out on my quilts! Tomorrow night I will rip out the block, press it, and sew it back into the quilt correctly.

There are such quilt known as "humility" quilts. Quilts with obvious mistakes in them, still quilted and used. They are to remind the quilter that no one is perfect and we all make mistakes. I could have used this as my "humility" quilt, I guess. But, truthfully, knowing there was this mistake in it would have driven me crazy.

Mary Sue's Doggie Quilt

Mary Sue is my doggie sitter. She is also my nephew, Patrick's, aunt on his father's side. So, there is a family connection.

Mary Sue loves animals and loves my dogs. I am so fortunate that she is available to dog sit. Not only does she love my dogs and takes wonderful care of them, she also stays at my home while I'm gone so that my house is always "lived in." All this for a nominal daily fee and food. Our agreement is that she never leaves my dogs alone for more than 6 hours, sleeps at my house and I provide food for her to eat. She also has use of my washer and dryer. It is a win-win situation, although I think I (and the dogs) get the better end of the deal!

This year for Christmas I made her a silly doggie lap quilt. She picked it up yesterday and just loved it. So, we took a picture, although Gracie and Lucy Lou didn't want their pictures taken. Bad hair day for the dogs, I guess! Below are additional pictures of the quilt.

Yesterday I took Mary Sue to the Wisconsin Humane Society and we got her a cat. Her last cat, Barney, died a couple of years ago and she has been very lonely. She really doesn't have a lot of money, so Phil and I agreed to pay for the cat as well as any cat related items she may need and the first trip to the vet. Mary Sue is thrilled! The new cat, Maggie Mae is beautiful, very friendly and will have a wonderful home with Mary Sue. I'm not traveling for a while so Maggie Mae will have time to adjust to her new environment. And, when it comes time for Mary Sue to doggie sit again, Maggie Mae should be OK alone at night as Mary Sue lives close to me and can return home several times a day to check in on her. She is a very lucky cat!

Back of quilt - note dog/bone quilting

Quilted at The Patched Works

“Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway!”

Happily in my late 50s I retired as an Office Coordinator for the City of Milwaukee in 2010. I also moved from Milwaukee, WI to Canton, GA where I purchased a beautiful home. Since I knew nothing about Canton, GA other than my immediate area (a three mile radius, thus far) I am having fun exploring the area with my faithful GPS. I am getting very good at making U turns!

I live my two dogs, Sam and Oliver, both rescue dogs.    Sam is a Cairn Terrier mix very smart and entertaining.  Oliver is a Shih Tzu mix,  smaller than Sam and very adorable, although not the brightest star in the sky!  They make me laugh every day and I adore them.

I work part time at the local library - a wonderful job I enjoy very much.

I enjoy quilting and gardening, am an avid reader and love, love, love to travel. Sam, Oliver and I walk the hills in my subdivision and hike in the Blue Ridge. I have an adventurous spirit, which I am starting to bring out of hibernation! I'm having fun pursuing new adventures and dreams.

Sam, me and Oliver - life is good!