Show & Tell Sunday!

Today I am on my way up to Lynchburg, VA for a sew-day with some quilty friends! I’m really looking forward to this…we are going to sew on our projects like maniacs, laugh a lot, talk a lot ---order pizza for lunch ((delivered! YAY!)) and sew all the way til dinner time!

We’ve planned a dinner out --- and after dinner I’ll head back home.

Last night DH and I were out late, at a dinner party with our friends from Kenya and Uganda --- Yes, I got to love on baby Michelle quite a bit, but it’s sad to say she doesn’t remember me! After all it’s been about 3 months since I’ve seen her– my how time flies and how much she’s grown!

I’ve been sewing like crazy on projects I can’t show you yet…..and that left me with nothing to blog about this morning.

I was actually thinking of posting “Gone Quiltin’-- will post later!” But there are some lovely emails with pictures attached in my inbox and I knew it wouldn’t take me long to do a bit of sharing with you.

This is a pic of me and Dorothea! I met Dorothea when I taught in the Stuttgart area of Germany last February!

She writes:

Here are pictures of my finished Cathedral Stars quilt. You know I was such a beginner in February when you taught the class in Schönaich. I only started to quilt in July last year. Your tutorials are great and easy to follow.

Well, I kept at it and I was actually finished with the top in July. I had taken up correspondence with your friend Aby and she agreed to do the quilting for me. Finally in September she could fit in my quilt and did a wonderful splash pantograph with blue variegated thread in an amazingly short time, she is wonder woman.

I wrestled with myself for the longest time before deciding to go all the way and make it king size. It was so big I could not lay it flat in any room anymore. When the quilt came back from Aby it seemed smaller and very manageable and like a real quilt. I still cannot believe I did it. Just think you sewed a small seam on this yourself and your blue tape still marks my 1/4" and perfectly guides my fabric.

Dorothea, this quilt turned out SO lovely! I’m so glad you sent the pics to share with us! Great job!

Our next quilt up has a very special story --

Deborah Boutwell writes:

Bonnie,

I had to shoot you an email after I saw your Sunday Show and Tell post.
I just finished quilting a very special sampler quilt all in purples.

Some background first, my mother and grandmother were both great
quilters, all by hand. As my grandmother's health, declined she could
only piece quilts, but tried to spend 30 minutes every day doing that.
(she was 97). My daughter (a fashion major with arts background, 23
years old) and I also quilt.

My mom was diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer last year.

I quickly realized that I would soon be losing a
huge part of my family and my heart...but also a huge part of my
quilting heritage. Traditional techniques learned at the knees of my
great-grandmothers was quickly becoming a thing of the past.

I told Mom and Grannie that I was going to start giving quilting classes, to teach those techniques they had learned and passed down to me. It was a good way to spend our last few months together, talking about what to teach and what patterns each of them loved.

My mother passed away in January and in March I started my first
class. My grandmother passed away in March, after I got to share with her the success of my first few classes.

Since then, as I have become more and more aware of the disease that took my mother's life, pancreatic cancer, I decided that all the
blocks that I was making for the quilt classes as samples would be
done in purple (the color for pancreatic cancer). My plan was to do a
quilt of all the techniques I taught and all the patterns and give the
finished quilt to the American Cancer Society.

I finished quilting the quilt this week, in time for it to go on
display during the month of November (pancreatic cancer awareness
month) at a local Hallmark store. I do still have the binding to put
on this week, but I think I'm on track to have it done.

It has truly been a labor of love. It's the first large project that
I have machine quilted, using my mom's machine. We had gone to
classes together to learn to machine quilt and she was going to show
me how to use her machine. She never got the chance, so this was a
learn as you go project and I'm not ashamed many stitches got ripped
out and lots of tears were cried. But I was honored to do it.

My mom is buried on our family farm. This beautiful fall morning, I
decided to walk out to the graveyard and took a picture of the quilt
over the iron fence. I've attached a couple of pictures. As I said,
the binding is not on yet, but I wanted you to see the results,
because hopefully it will not be in my possession in a few days.
Thank you for taking the time for sharing all the quilts. I love your
website. It always inspires me.

Deborah Boutwell

Deborah, this story is SO touching, and such a tribute to your mother and your grandmother! Thank you so much for sharing it. You did such a beautiful job!

Shannon writes:

hi bonnie *wave*

just a quick email to share the picture of my latest finish.

my husband gave me a couple packs of BaliPops for Christmas a couple years ago and i used your Weed Whacker directions to make the quilt.

thanks for all you do! i love reading along with you on your blog!
happy kwilting, be pieceful!

Shannon "DoodleBug"

Great Job, Shannon! And Great Job to your hubby too, for gifting you those bali pops! What a guy! The colors in this quilt just shine! FUN! Thanks for sharing the pic of your lovely quilt with me!

Our next Show & Teller is Jan!

I had emailed you on suggestions for all the plaid fabric that I was given back at the first of the summer. (3 cases). You suggested I start with Smokey Mountain Stars. Attached are pics of front and back. I decided to "pay it forward" and am donating this to the new Veterans Home being built in Tyler, TX.

A lot of the pieces I donated to people at the Tippicanoe Quilt guild in Lafayette, IN for making womens shelter quilts. Still have plenty and making Rectangle Wrangle. (From Scraps & Shirttails II) This stuff multiplies.

Thanks for all your great patterns and lessons. Looking forward to the next mystery.

Jan Copas

Thanks for sharing this Jan! I love this quilt, it’s one of my favorites – one that really got me sewing with the recycled fabrics and loving it. I love what you did with the back too! FUN! And such a worthy cause….bless you for your giving heart!

How about one more?

Susie writes:

Hi Bonnie -

Attached is a photo of two quilts I made using your Sister's Choice pattern. Okay, the quilts aren't truly scrap quilts, but I did use lots of reds, whites & blues from my stash, with a few pieces actually purchased.

I love the technique you used in the pattern for making the 9-Patches. Brilliant!

These two quits are going to the American Heroes Quilts Project.

....Susan....

Thanks again ladies, for sending me pictures of your gorgeous quilts and allowing me to share them here! I’m always touched by the stories BEHIND the quilts, and how generous quilters can be with donating these wonderful quilts to such worthy causes, or to create them to honor someone so dearly loved!

If you’ve enjoyed seeing these quilts, be sure to click back to YESTERDAY’S POST --- we’ve been having a Link Up of our FIRST QUILTS and their stories! If you have a blog and wish to write a post about your first quilt and link to us…please do! If you’ve written a first quilt post and it is archived somewhere back in your blog you are welcome to link that post too! The more that share, the merrier! Click HERE to view that post and add your own link!

Remember to come back on MONDAY for our Mystery Monday Link Up….and add a link to your progress on the Orca Bay Mystery --- especially those Part 2 units you are hopefully having a ton of fun with!