Hello Again!

I guess I'm still enough of a zombie that I can't think of a catchy title phrase for this post. However, the Hello Again part does apply, as I feel like I am going around on a Merry Go Round! (And having a mighty fine time of it too!)

I arrived home from TN and AL on Sunday night after spending time with the Evening Stars Guild in Pelham, which is a suburb of Birmingham. I'd never been to Birmingham before, so it was fun to wander around. You know me and antique malls! Even if I don't buy something, sometimes a photo is just the inspiration I need.

I really REALLY love the "Utility" style quilts best. The ones made not to win awards,but to cover those we love. To be worn out with the using, functional every day quilts.


These pics were taken in an antique mall in downtown Birmingham. Nothing came home with me, but the photos. Compared to others I've found, these were pretty pricey for the kind of quilts they are and the condition they were in. Still, don't you love this improved 9 patch? I love the colors and the splashy dress fabrics, definitely from someone's sewing basket! That yellow just brings in the sunshine, doesn't it?

How about a little string snowball/bowtie cutie pie in an old iron sits bath? Sometimes just looking at the ways quilts are displayed gives me ideas for home too....but I don't know where I would put a sits bath, nor could I fit in this one :cD I love the blue chambray that was used as the background fabric. Definitely an "every day work shirt" type of fabric, it gives a homey feeling to this scrap bag quilt.















This flying geese quilt was my fave find of the day. Very worn, but still wonderfully graphic. I think I see one of these in shirt plaids and stripes in my future! It's a classic!



I will admit to NOT being a lover of the average every day wedding ring quilt in all it's perfection. I made one once...my second bedsized quilt. Hand quilted. I think that was enough to make me NOT like the pattern, but I love this splashy version with it's big "squarish" rings instead of the perfectly round ones. It's got ATTITUDE! I love it when someone uses something other than "muslin" or "white" for the background..some bold IN YOUR FACE color! (like cheddar or red maybe?) It just gets me all excited. This one was made in the 40's. Very fun with the polka dots, lots of bold prints and a great accent of black.

And this one needs no introduction. It was just BEAUTIFUL in unwashed condition. I had to turn the binding over in my hand to check to be sure it wasn't a chinese knock off because it didn't have much quilting in it,but it is all hand pieced and quilted...binding applied by hand. Not a knock off, and never ever washed. Someone's prize. And here it is in an antique mall. *SIGH* That's almost sad, don't you think? I'm not sure what is sadder...for a quilt never to be used, or for family to sell it to strangers. Still, it was graphically lovely with it's traditional solid green and red on cream.

Wouldn't this look awesome on a wall at Christmas time?

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From TN to AL!

Hey everybody!

I'm so excited...when I logged in I see that I have gone from 290 something on "follow this blog" to over 312!!! I am so tickled. Thanks for taking time out of your day to follow along in my crazy life.

I have been in TN since Monday, and had a wonderful time staying with Chris in her beautiful home, and was in complete awe of her management skills as a mother of 9 children! 2 may be grown and gone, but there are still 7 at home. Add two parents, me, and Quilt Diva Julie who came for some visiting fun, and Chris had a very full house for a few days. Not to mention all the neighbors and other visitors that are constantly coming in and out and across her threshold, I'm thinking she should have simply installed a revolving door in her front hall, or maybe one of those "auto open" "auto close" doors like you find in front of Target!! *LOL*

An extra bit of side-fun yesterday....During lunch time for the workshop, Chris and I ran to subway..to split a footlong (turkey on whole wheat with the works! YUMMY!) and there in the parkinglot was GOODWILL!! Oh yes...yellow tags were all 99 cents! We did quite a bit of damage on shirts and pajama pants to be recycled into quilts. Wahooo!

Chris, I am amazed at all you get done almost so effortlessly, and am so blessed to consider you as a friend! Thank you for your hospitality!

And Quilt Diva Julie, it was a real treat to spend two evenings and all the time in between that we could talking quilts (what else?!) and getting to know you in person after having known you for so many years through our online quilting ties :c)

I have a fun fun fun video to share with you of Diane at her treadle at Tuesday's Sister's Choice workshop!



DianeTNtreadle.MOV

Diane, it was so great to meet YOU after these many years too!

Diane was wearing a "Quilt Green" t-shirt..with a treadle machine on it. She sews by people-power exclusively. She also spent time going over my hand crank machine and tuning him up for me so I can be people-powered too. I really REALLY want to do this, and watching her treadling away has me all fired up to get my treadles in working order too. Thanks Diane!

And if you are treadle-intrigued, Here is a link Diane sent me of her friend ANNIE doing free motion quilting on a treadle machine....WOW!!!

I love to consider that there has been machine quilting as long as there have been machines, but I don't think anyone has made treadle quilting into as much of an art form as Annie has.

I got an email from Lucy saying that our articles are out in the latest Quiltmania Magazine!! Congrats Lucy!! I need to find where I can get my hands on a copy of the issue.

And a little fore-warning for those who have subscribed to Irish Quilting Magazine, there is an article amd more coming up in a future issue!

I'm in Pelham AL now, drove down here last night and was met by Terry, who showed up with the most GORGEOUS gift basket!! I tell you, I am overwhelmed with the open arms and the gifts and comforts that are shown me everywhere I turn. You give me far more than I can ever hope to return and I am so blessed to be on this road with you all!

I don't have to speak until tonight, so today has an errands list for me, which is always fun in a city I've never been in before. I'm off to the gym that the hotel gives access to (gotta work off all the quilter's goodies!) and then find a place for an oil change, and tire rotation. Then off to find ANOTHER place to find out and fix why I don't have a passenger front side door speaker working. I've got one sided music in my car, and that doesn't make for a happy traveling quilter.

I've got a ton of bookwork to do which I can do with my laptop in the hotel, and just use today as a "down day" to get ready for the rest of the week.

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The Great White South??

It started snowing sometime last evening and was still at it when I went to bed. The power blipped off at least 4 times through the evening/night, and miracle of miracles, we have power this morning still.

Our driveway is STEEP, and poor DH had a hard time getting out. As for ME, I'm waiting until closer to 9am and letting things melt a bit. This will also give all the "morning" traffic a time to subside for those going to work etc.....hopefully helping me avoid any traffic accidents that have occurred due to stupid people who don't know how to drive in the snow :c|



Snow Storm March 2009

It really IS beautiful out there....I wish I didn't have to get in a car and drive in it is all!

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Rain, Sleet, Ice & Snow....

If you've seen the weather channel at all, you'll be familiar with this messy chaos coming across the Southeast, and I happen to be in the midst of it! I was all dressed to go out this morning, but when I attempted, I saw the deck and the driveway just slick with ice and decided against it. So I am HOME for the duration.....that duration ending tomorrow morning because I am headed to Franklin TN!

Yes folks, I'll be driving over the Smoky Mountains in this mess...so please keep your fingers crossed for me. I'm meeting with the Cumberland Valley Quilter's Guild in Franklin TN, and then on to Pelham,AL to meet with the Evening Star Quilt Guild. After tomorrow temps should be warming up and there should be no more problems, but tomorrow makes me nervous!



I had a great time visiting the Hampton show. So many friends from so many places! It was like a very fun homecoming, and I got to introduce friends from MY guild, to friends from other guilds, and just have a great ole time.

My friend Susan had a challenge quilt in her guild's display. Their theme was "name that tune" And everyone had a different song to portray in fabric. Susan is So artful, her Marilyn Monroe "Diamonds are a girl's best friend" nearly came off the surface of the quilt, she looked so great!

As for the show itself...there was NOT a whole lot of "traditional" quilts on display. But there were some, and I saw hand quilting as well as gorgeous machine work....

My favorite booths of course, were the ones with antique quilts! I was told I couldn't take pictures in some booths, but I did snap a couple from the aisles so you can see what drew me in.

Thursday at lunch I got to sit with another group of friends and witness their "show and tell" Exchange blocks that they had swapped for a year, and each set in their own way. Aren't the quilts WONDERFUL?! Most of these ladies met each other while in the military stationed all over the world..and they still keep in contact and do swaps and challenges with each other. Isn't that great? It really IS the thread that binds!

Thursday afternoon was also the best day outside....beautiful. About 2:30 I put my purchases in my car, put the ipod buds in my ears, and went for a 1.5 hour power walk, following wherever the sidewalk lead. The sun felt WONDERFUL and I'm sure glad I enjoyed it then, because it started raining on my way home Friday and hasn't stopped since!

So what did I buy? Really...I was very very very good. I bought a bundle of indigoes with cheddar in them. I've been WANTING these, and I feel justified because I have used up a bunch of my other indigoes I've bought from this same vendor over the years. Now I'm trying to figure out who's TOP LOADER washing machine I can borrow to wash them, because my front loader just is not the thing for shrinking and removing excess dye! It might be the laundromat at this point.

I also found another pair of my favorite thread snips. I keep these by my machine at all times.....just super duper.

And I bought a "satin edge" foot for doing machine applique among other things. I watched the gal demoing it..thinking to myself..."that's cool, but will I use it? Does it really do all that she says it does?" And I decided that if it does HALF of what she demo'd I'd be good with it! So...it came with me too.

Maybe I'll get to pop it on the machine this afternoon and play with it a bit! Heck, the car is still packed from the VA trip, I don't have to repack the trunkshow because it just goes back out with me tomorrow..so...surely....can't I get a COUPLE hours to sew this afternoon?? :cD

In between it all, this is the hand project I'm working on! It's just a little ditty I was making out of leader-ender 4 patches and bonus triangles...it's been pieced since last summer,but never started the quilting on it. Nothing fancy so far, but I think you can see where I am doing crosshatching through the 4patches....

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