Trunk Show

 I was invited to do a Trunk Show for the Willamette Valley Quilters in Dayton, Oregon at their April meeting.  I was very pleased to have been asked, but was a little nervous about it.  I think it went pretty well.  Here are a few pictures (some of the pictures didn't turn out so I am getting them from my coputer).  You have probably seen all of these quilts if you've been visiting my blog over the years, so I'm not going to post all of them.

Me in front of my Cathedral Window quilt - the first quilt that I started,
but not the first one finished.

Friendship Quilt made with Blogging Buddies

Dear Jane's Journey from Texas to Oregon

My last large quilt - needs a name

Uncle Henry's Barn

Leftovers, designed by Jo Morton (17" x 20"º

Spider Web

Pineapple 9-patch

Meg's Four Patch designed by Jo Morton (19" x 25")

Baskets of Blue

The Eagle

Colonial Glory

Cheddar Cheese & Crackers (22" square)

Thanks for visiting! 

UFO OF 5 YEARS FINISHED!

I recently finished the machine quilting as well as the binding on this quilt, Pineapple nine patch that I showed in my July 11 post (when I finished the top).  This is a quilt that I started about 5 years ago after seeing some quilts of this same pattern made by Nana Girl.  She teaches this quilt in Pensacola, Florida.  When I saw the quilts she made with this pattern, I was inspired to make one - too bad it took me so long to do it!

It really doesn't look like a nine-patch, does it?  Well, it is a very complicated nine-patch and maybe you can see the block in this picture.  The center of the 9-patch is the hour glass block.  Each of the side blocks have 4 rows of strips and the 4 corners contain one of the triangles that make up the pin wheel.  So each pinwheel is part of a different 9-patch block.  If that doesn't make any sense to you, don't worry about it.  Each of the 9-patch blocks contains 80 pieces of fabric!

Some other projects that I have finished is this apron made with Loralie's Happy Nurse fabric.  I found some of Loralie's fabric at a thrift shop and will be making a few items to sell from it.

This table runner is based on the Cabin Corner pattern from Jo Morton's book.  The pattern in the book is for a square quilt and I changed it a little to make it into a table runner.

Since my friend and I have at least Holiday 2 craft shows lined up, I am also making a few table runners to sell - and to use up the left-over Christmas fabric from last year.

I'm sorry that I haven't been posting much lately, but I have been very busy sewing.  I think I better keep sewing as long as I am in the mood!  Plus, I'm getting ready for the craft shows.  And I also sell things on Etsy and occasionally on Ebay.  I do want to use up the fabric that I have.  The problem is that in the process of making things, it is necessary to buy more fabric because the fabric that I have on hand 

doesn't always match what I'm working on.  Do you ever have that problem?

Last week I went with 2 of my friends to Sherwood, Oregon to shop at the new Hobby Lobby.  Our town doesn't have very many stores and this is a store that I do miss (in Texas I lived pretty close to one).  On the way home from there, we noticed that the sky was looking smokey and kind of reddish.  Ultimately, we learned about the wild fires burning out of control in Oregon.  We have had smoke where I live since then.  Fortunately, we have not been in any danger from the fires.  I hope and pray that they will be totally stopped soon.  There is a fire still burning near Newberg, OR, which isn't very far from us but some of the people who had to be evacuated have been able to go home.  

Last night DH saw on the weather channel that Portland has the worst air quality in the whole world!!  I hope it's not that bad in McMinnville, but we decided not to walk this morning.

Thanks for the sweet comments on my last post!  I do appreciate them.

 

ONE FINISH AND ONE TOP DONE

A couple weeks ago I showed you some of the blocks for this scrappy string quilt and now it is finished!

This will be a donation quilt.  I quilted it with what Kim Diehl calls cinnamon rolls - a super easy way to quilt that turns out looking pretty good!  You can see how it looks in these two close up sections.

I finished the Pineapple Nine-Patch top that I showed you in my last post.  I'm glad I made it and also glad is it finished.  It measures 70" square.  I'm not sure if I will ever make another one, but I have seen some lovely ones in different colors.  It is very tempting!

This is what each block looks like.

I like how the lighter colored sections look like a circle when they are put together.  I made it mostly from stash.  The dark colored fabrics are mostly batiks and the lighter colors are not.  I will need to purchase fabric for backing.  I'll probably get it from the "sale" basement of my LQS.  

The backing is on my list for when I go to my LQS for my birthday shopping spree later this month!  The week of your birthday, they give you 25% off all regular priced items.  So, we smart shoppers, save up our punch cards from the shop, which are worth $25 of free merchandise per card (we get it punched for every dollar spent on regular priced items).  I have 2 punch cards finished, so that is $50 right there.  I also have some pennies saved up from a couple items I sold recently.  Can't wait!!

MACHINE FIXED!!

Monday I decided to go to the LQS to see if they were finished fixing my sewing machine (because I am aware they they don't always call very soon after they are finished with the repairs).  Yea!!  It was done and it is working great!  

The first thing I knew I needed to do was quilt a couple table runners.  I had seen a quilt at the LQS that had wavy lines sewn close together and decided to try it.    I like the way it looks, but it takes a long time to fill in the whole table runner - about 48" long.

I also quilted this patriotic Ohio Star table runner.

On my design wall is this "Cinderella Pumpkins" designed by Karen Walker at chezstitches.blogspot.com that will be a wall hanging.  I got some work on it when I was using my Featherweight to do piecing while my Janome was in the shop.

 I also made a couple blocks for this quilt "Pineapple Nine Patch" which is in the book Geometric Gems by Cathy Wierzbicki.  It's back in it's box now for a while.

Have a great weekend!

QUILT SHOW IN RICKREAL, OR

Thursday I attended the Mid Valley Quilt Guild (of Salem, OR) Quilt Show in Rickreal, OR with a friend/neighbor and we had a great time!  Here are some of the quilts - not a lot - but some that I really liked.

This first one was my favorite because it was so unique! You could look at it for a long time and discover different aspects to it.

Here's the label which explains the theme of the quilt.

There were embellishments, like Fiona's necklace with fancy attachments and her pince-nez glasses and with its retractable ribbon pinned to her dress (a narrow tape measure).  The black fabric at the bottom has phrases on it:  a time to laugh, a time to dance, etc.  Everything relates to time, including the pattern on her dress and the clock numbers on her face.

Such a fun quilt!

Below are just some of the fabulous quilts in the show.  They speak for themselves.

I want to make this one (Pineapple Nine Patch) and have bought the book that it's in.

Karen, does this look familiar?

This blue quilt was amazing and I think the technique was some kind of Japanese appliqué.

After the quilt show we visited the Ladies of Liberty Quilt Shop in Independence, OR which specializes in civil war reproduction fabrics.  The selection was limited, but I did find some fabric that I liked.  I also bought some fabric at the quilt show from SilverQuilts which was quite reasonably priced.

All in all, it was a lovely day!