Sunday, April 22, 2012

An Amish Evening Walk ----

Last evening after dinner Marti and I took off down the country road from her house…..am I the only one that didn’t know that Dover Delaware has it’s own Amish community ? And I didn’t know that I’d be in the thick of it!

The walk was lovely ---there is a school house right up the road. Conversation lead to topics including how you can tell the school year is over when planting gets going in full swing – the kids are needed on the farms.

The boys finished the school year a bit earlier than the girls --- Marti knew this because all of a sudden, it was only girls walking to school, the boys were in the fields with their dads and older brothers.

Kids “graduate” from school after the 8th grade. I thought back, trying to remember what I was doing when I was graduating from 8th grade ---where my maturity level was ((NOT!!)) how sure I was of what I wanted to do or be when I was 14..((NOT!!)) and then my mind traveled to where my boys were when they were 14 --- ((WHERE IS THE PROZAC!?))

It’s just such a different life style.

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Oh, how I love to see silos and wide open fields and windmills!

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This is how you know that you are on a well traveled buggy road – see the narrow track marks?

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Though there are electrical lines along the road --- there are no lines that connect these homes --- this is an Amish farm house. Around back are the buggies and horses….we saw young boys playing on push bikes and scooters, loving a late Saturday evening at home.

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Love the farm house and the trees just leafing out! The clouds were gathering, there is rain in our near future!

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As we made our way toward the one room school house in the not-so-far-distance, I heard the clip clop of horses hooves coming from behind us…..We moved aside to the shoulder, to see the buggy returning home from town. Is this priceless or what? See the left rear blinker flashing to turn?

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Some homes had horse and buggy just pulled up to the barn – someone must have been visiting!

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This is Rose Valley School on Rose Valley Rd in Dover, Delaware – is this not cute?!

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We continued our walk up the road ----I’m enjoying the last of the spring blossoms here in Delaware, the rains will soon take these petals to the ground.

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Irises are blooming tall and regal against the chain link fence ----Purple!

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Such a heavy laden wysteria ----just dripping with purple --- it’s getting to it’s tired stage, it’s not going to last much longer!

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Can you imagine this heady fragrance?! It was here that we turned and started our walk back…..and all at once the sky opened up to a gentle spring rain ---steady, but not pounding ----we laughed and started our way back to the house.

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It wasn’t long before Marti’s friend Deb pulled up in her van, coming to save us from getting drenched……we weren’t the only ones trying to get to home and dry --- we passed this wagon of young Amish guys-- Horse in a hurry to get to where they were going! See the rain on our windshield?

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Blurry as we hurried on past ----so much fun to see!

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Marty’s house is straight ahead……as we neared the stop sign, another buggy came rolling by. At least this family was under cover inside their buggy!

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And just because it’s funny -----I loved this stop sign! :cD

Class went great today. Photos of that are to come --- even with the rain that continues, our spirits are high --- what a better time to stay in and sew than a drizzly rainy day?

Tomorrow – String Spider Web! I’m ready!

iPhone-O-Gram! Live from the Magnolia Fire Hall!

Thirty women have gathered to sew up bricks and squares in Oklahoma Backroads blocks!

A potluck lunch has been planned! The machines are humming---the laughter is ringing!

We've been joined by quilters from NY, DE, MD, WV!!

MQX, Part 4!

This has GOT to be the last MQX post, I mean -- how long can this show drag on? LOL!

I guess as long as there are quilts to show, and we only have so much time to show what we can show --- it goes on until it’s done!

Rhode Island, like North Carolina, used to be big in the mill inudstry ----there were mills everywhere, and many towns were considered as “mill towns” but one by one, just like everywhere else, industry left ---and left behind empty buildings in the aftermath.

One of the places I got to go to was a fabric/craft store called Ryco ---that’s where I showed you the pic of the old Kenmore machine that brought back so many memories – this building is the other part of the same complex that Ryco is in ----it doesn’t look like you could possibly be going anywhere NEAR a quilt/fabric shop --- but you are!

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This batch of photos has some really fun ones! Look at his medallion style quilt! It has so much going on in it – I love the color play between the blocks, and the blocks in different sizes.

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Close up of the center --- just look at that quilting detail!

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Such simple star blocks…but oh MY what that quilting does to transform this quilt!

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I am so drawn to stars --- and the colors of this one really draw the eye. I love the folk art feel with the stars and hearts, leaves and feathers ---

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Just one of the diamond areas….I think some of the top stitching was done with decorative machine stitching – but not sure….anyone know?

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Look at how this butterfly is done! Get a close look at the border detail too ---

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The daisy and the hearts remind me of all the doodling we’d do on our school notebooks when I was young….LOVE this…and the top stitching is great!

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This piece was one of the more traditional quilts that caught my eye. I love the 9 patch on point sashing. What a great way to set off that beautiful applique!

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One block up close, showing the quilting detail. Not too much, JUST RIGHT!

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Stars and more stars! I love anything set “barn raising” SO this one I found really appealing!

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I found it really hard to resist petting this one! Look at those feathers! I love that they wander every which way!

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Closer up of the quilt center. You know I love Tri-Recs Stars!

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Close up of dog tooth border…can you see the corved quilting in the brown outer border? It was gorgeous…I wish it photographed better. The fabric is kind of busy to really see it.

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More Stars! A color wheel study in rainbows!

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I find curved cross hatching to be SO graphic! LOVE IT!

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Are you ready for this one? You might think it’s a big quilt, but think again – look at the size of the info tag!

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There is my finger! ((And NO, I’m not touching the quilt!))

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This is the center feathered star! Oh, I’m in love!

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How tiny are those border stars? It’s all I can do NOT to squeal out loud ;c)

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Beautiful traditional applique --- I love how the birds look like they are circling!

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Gotta get closer and SEE the quilting, that’s what this show is about ---Do you see the undulating echo quilting? Lovely!

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I love corners --- see how the quilter executed this one?

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Gorgeous fill around this feather, and I love how the reverse scallop adds a new dimension to an otherwise plain wide white border!

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MORE STARS! Feathered Ones!

I love how the lighter feathered stars echo the dark ones in the center…..what a LOT of piecing!

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I love the chocolate brown with al these colors….YUMMY!

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Just WONDERFUL! I’m all excited just looking at this again ---

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This beauty looked like an exotic carpet ---or something you’d see on the ceiling of some royal palace ---WOW!

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The applique is as incredible as the quilting….each one adds to the other --

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Center Motif. Are you still breathing?!

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Beautiful corner treatment! I could look at this one for hours --- it’s so detailed! Do you see the clusters of circles?

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This was just sweet! Love the penny-rug style edging on this one…I love baskets, and with the different sized blocks, this was a real eye catcher!

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Even with the busy checked gingham background, there is enough whimsical quilting to really tie this quilt together….It’s just a wonderful folky piece ---love the inner border there!

Would you believe that’s it? That’s all there is of the MQX pictures that I took! There were more quilts than this, I took pics of the ones that didn’t have crowds of people standing there --- I was on a limited time frame, so I didn’t have time to dilly dally –but I enjoyed every minute of being surrounded by such skill and artistry!

Today we are doing an Oklahoma Backroads workshop with the Helping Hands Quilters of Dover, Delaware! We’ve been waiting for this day for about 2.5 years --- it’s about time this date has finally arrived on the calendar!

Whatever you get up to today, have a terrific Sunday, Everyone!