I can't remember the name of this quilt

I pieced this quilt several years ago. I liked this block (even though I don;t know the name of it) and I had lots of strips to use up, so I just got busy and made it. Then a friend had a baby and I thought this would be the perfect baby quilt, but I just couldn't give it up because I liked it too much, so I made another one just like it for her.

A group of ladies from my church have recently started meeting twice a week to quilt and invited me to join in. Wow! Twice in one week is a lot of sewing time. I do sew at home most everyday, but with this group, I feel inspired to really get things done. So I pulled this top off the quilt ladder and got it quilted and bound this week. Another item crossed off the to do list.

Now that fall is here the group is moving to once a week. This will be a nice incentive to keep those projects flowing and hopefully I will get a few more done before the end of the year.

Quilting in Progress

I have decided to finish up some projects that I have in storage. Some are in boxes or on hangers in the closet. Some are in pieces on my cutting table. Some are tops that are hanging on my quilt rack and quilt ladder. I decided to start with the ones ready to quilt and finish some of those up before starting anything else.

So now I have quilting in progress. I feel like I am the world's worst quilter. I really like this part of the process the least as it seems that I am always pushing and pulling the quilt thru the machine and can't quilt a straight line to save me - even after I have drawn them on. So I put on my favorite music, open a can of Diet Coke and try to make the best of it. Maybe I will get better with practice. If not, I may need a new hobby! LOL.

Veggie Tales

Saturday I made a trip to the Farmer's Market. We are fortunate to have a large one (about 100 vendors) on Saturday mornings. I would say about half are fresh food stalls and half are an assortment of crafts, prepared foods, and a variety of other stuff. You can smell the Kettle Corn being made from several blocks away. The blue and white tent tops are fun to see from a distance too. I usually see one or more people that I know so that is a bonus. It is usually a good time to be outside in the sunshine.

On Wednesday there is another large Farmer's Market in the late afternoon and evening. It is more of a party atmosphere as many people come to grab supper and do their shopping with a glass of wine in hand.

We are lucky that we have a Farmer's Market everyday of the week - a different location everyday. The other locations tend to be much smaller - 10 - 20 vendors.

This past Saturday I bought Lodi apples and got busy making applesauce. Tonight I am going to fix the eggplant - probably eggplant parmesan. We had cabbage last night. I bought one tomato and the man who sold it to me weighed it 3 times. It was over a pound and I think he thought the scale must be off. It will make some great BLT' s this week.

I also found some red okra. I love okra and this was definitely new to me. I haven't decided how to fix it yet. The vendor told me he had eaten it in soup and he could not tell any difference. Anybody seen this variety?

Do you have a favorite market buy?

Airing Out

I am trying to bring a little order to my chaos while my husband is gone for the weekend. I was cleaning out a large closet and decided it was time to air out these old quilts and then store them properly.

I think this quilt is one that I would never make because the fabrics seem to clash so much and the green around the border makes me cringe. However, some of the fabrics are really cute. It was made by my grandmother's cousin. Her son gave it to my mother quite a few years ago. There is barely any lining, but it is quite heavy, I guess because there are so many pieces. Hey, it doesn't look so bad from a distance.

This quilt is an oldie. It is quite worn thru in places, but I love it and don't want to cut it up. I already have cats and bears and small quilts from cutters. I am just going to keep this as is and love it some more.

Finished

I was thinking that I would put this quilt away once I had it pinned together and then quilt it after my son's visit. I forgot that he sleeps til noon. LOL.

So I got busy and quilted and bound it over the last two days. I was lucky to find some of the fabrics that were featured in the original Jo Morton fabric. They are so lovely and I would never have picked these out on my own. I think they are so beautiful, plus I found some others that I really loved too. My favorite is the background called, Covey Toile. It has pheasants running all over it. Unfortunately the pieces in the quilt are so small that a lot of the beauty of the fabrics is lost.

The other thing that is interesting about this quilt is that much of the fabric is of the same value, so everything runs together. I usually like more contrast, but this works well. It is supposed to be a Victorian style quilt and I think it definitely is. I like it very much.

A Little Piece of Heaven

I made a special dessert for my son's homecoming -- a beautiful blackberry cobbler. I have no source for blackberries. Growing up, I spent many hot summer afternoons picking blackberries. I always enjoyed eating some off the vines as I filled up my bucket. The berries grew wild on our property and I would come back chigger-bit and scratched all over my arms even with long sleeves. My fingers and tongue were stained purple. My favorite get-up was my dad's red flannel shirt, his overalls, and his big rubber boots. I would clomp down the hill with a plastic ice cream pail and pick til it was full.

After my dad passed away, my cousin would come every summer and mow down the field behind my mom's house and the blackberries unfortunately, succumbed to the bush hog. So berries were few and far between in more recent years. I have lived in Wisconsin about 30 years and have picked blackberries only twice. The first time was at a friend's cabin and the berries were noteworthy. The other time was years later at another friend's home and the berries were too tiny to mess with.

When I was in Washington a few years ago, we found blackberries growing in the suburban lots that were empty. When we drove out in the country there were billboards advertising Blackberry Eradication Services. I was nearly sick. How could they destroy such a National Treasure? Don't they know they have a goldmine on their hands?

I am always on the hunt for a place to pick. I miss having a patch in the backyard like when I was growing up. Either people here in Wisconsin don't know where to pick or they aren't telling. I suspect it's the latter.

Progress Being Made

I finally conquered the triangle problem and finished the quilt top for the next Jo Morton quilt. Take that you pesky triangles!! The top is pinned and ready to quilt. I hope to get it done in the next week.

Our son is coming home today. Yea!! He has been in summer school in Illinois. He had his last final on Saturday. Seriously, who schedules finals for Saturday??? I remember my freshman year having classes on Saturday at 7:30 or 8:30 am. I thought that was cruel and unusual punishment. Anyway, he is home for a week or maybe two and then back again to start his junior year.

Our daughter is off to the Marshall Islands and is half way thru her training. We have had two letters from her and a couple of emails. She has very limited internet access. No cell phone. No TV or computers. It is going to be a very long year. When did I get so accustomed to all these things? My husband and I are alternating writing letters twice a week. His day is Saturday and mine is Wed. I have already sent her a care package. She requested jerky and snacks. Right now she is eating mostly veggies and rice. So far no Spam, which I hear is like their national meat. She is also in need of children's books and school supplies, so fortunately I have been able to get to the Back to School sales and find a few things for her there.

Time to get back to cleaning. Hope your day is more fun.

I am so Lucky

I was recently picked to receive a copy of this beautiful book, Welcome Home by Cheryl Wall. The book was featured on PickleDish.com and they generously sent me this book. I love the patterns which all feature houses. The directions are very clear and there are lots of step by step illustrations. One of the houses features an American flag. Cheryl, who is from BC, also included directions for a Canadian flag. I thought that was so great.

Here is the featured quilt, plus there is a table runner, a pillow, a framed piece, and 2 small quilts. What a treat!

Cheryl has lots of other patterns on her website at www.countryquilts.ca. Stop by and visit.