I felt like shopping for...........

 .........a lot of woolfelt!!

Eagle*Creek*Quilt*Shop carries almost every color of woolfelt that is available from National*Nonwovens. I picked up all these gorgeous colors that say "FALL" and have plans for them later this month. Next, I need to collect some black walnuts and squeeze out some stain so I can do some "over-dyeing" for a fall leaf project. I think I know where I can find some.....just down the hill and around the corner.  :-)  When I start the process, I'll take photos and will share it all sometime in late August. It's a project that is best done outdoors!

In the meantime..........neighbor, Sue, and I are going to do something fun with this quilt block today.

I used my GO! Baby for the center squares. This is an experiment and if one aspect doesn't work, then I am prepared to go to Plan B. LOL! I'll let you know which plan worked in my next post. :-)
Sandi

Monday, Monday...........What's on the Line?

I am really missing the opportunity to share quilts and projects "on the line". I have good reason for not doing that and I'll tell ya in a minute. But first.........last Friday, I had some "blogging buddy fun"!  I know that many of you have met blogging friends "in person" and I got the opportunity to do that when I met Victoria Findlay Wolfe of Bumble*Beans blog. We met at Eagle*Creek*Quilt*Shop in Shakopee..............

and we did a little "meet and greet" and a little bit of shopping. Imagine that!!  Victoria bought some pretty fabrics that will end up in one of her colorful quilts. Check out this blogpost to see where else she's been shopping while in Minnesota. And me?...... did I buy anything?  Why, yes, I did and I'll tell you tomorrow because that's a whole other project.

It was such a treat to meet Victoria. I love her colorful quilt projects and "found her" when Pat Sloan shared a post about Victoria's charity quilt drive Bumble*Beans*Basics. I sent off a quilt and also a block for a group quilt project. I loved making that block, three little row houses and one day I will make a whole row house quilt! But I'm getting off the subject.........
The evening before we were to meet, I packed a little picnic lunch........egg salad, fresh fruit, some cookies, chips, and a little cake. It was a tiny cake I baked in a loaf pan and had set in the freezer about a month ago. I knew it would come in handy one day..........and it did!  It was the perfect size to slice and frost and set in a butter dish!  Preparing this little picnic lunch reminded me of the Teddy Bear picnics I used to coordinate for the Prior Lake Library. Somebody I know will remember those events!

I knew that Victoria's daughter, Beatrice, would be joining us and I thought she might just enjoy a little picnic lunch..........and she did! I asked her if she enjoys fabric and she said she "sews but doesn't quilt". After we finished our picnic lunch, I brought out some quilts and tops. I picked just a couple that I knew Victoria would enjoy..........colorful ones with vintage fabrics, like so many that she uses in her own projects.  And, if you follow my blog, most of those quilts and tops have shown up "on the line" on Mondays. And that brings me to why I haven't posted anything "on the line" lately.

Many of you know that I have had some health issues for quite some time. This spring I learned the answers to many of my health issues when I was diagnosed with histoplasmosis. Long word that means..........fungus in your lungs. Now interestingly, I happened to mention to Victoria that it was a possibility that I had this condition and right away, she asked if I'd been tested because she was very familiar with the fungus. She had it as a teenager and was basically a "guinea pig" for finding this condition.  So she joked that we are "histo-sisters". And there we are .........the "histo-sisters". LOL!

We are both doing well and just have scar tissue in our lungs that remind us of the condition. If you read Victoria's post, you'll learn how she contracted it. For me...........well, that's where my "what's on the line" feature may have led me to contract the fungus. I have that lovely spot out in our backyard where I take photos of all those quilts and tops. It's full of loose soil where the dirt and spores of birds and bats dwell and a very dead tree.............

That's right...........one of the two trees that supported my clothesline showed signs of a problem that we first noticed last year. This is what it looks like today. And pretty soon, it's not going to be there at all. My husband is going to have the tree guy come out and cut it down along with any other suspect looking trees. We have plenty so I'm not worried about losing the forest in our backyard. And then, when the trees are gone, he's going to install a new line with a pulley system and he's promised this will all be done by sometime in September!!! He also plans to spread some wood chips that will tamp down the loose soil so that I don't have any future issues. Before long, I'll be "back on line" and I have quilts that are just waiting to be hung and shared.

So that's the scoop, my blogging friends! I had a great morning with Victoria and Beatrice that made me smile for the rest of the day. Now tell me............have you met a blogging friend in person that really made you smile?

Have a good Monday all and stop back tomorrow to see what I felt like I had to buy at ECQ. There's a big clue in that sentence. LOL!
Sandi

The 83rd Linn Family Reunion!

That's right! As you can see by the sign below..............

was held last Sunday afternoon and at just about the same time as I am writing this today! We have a great time connecting with family and so for all my family and friends back home in Lehigh, Iowa, I share the following photos...........

There is always a ton of good food! That's my husband on the left who was anxiously awaiting the time to "dig in"!!! LOL!

Also checking out the possibilties are brother-in-law, Dave Nyren and cousin Janet's husband, Eddie Peterson. And in the photo below........checking out the chicken.......

are my cousins TL and husband, Nick Bogdon and Kathy Wickwire on the right. My cousin Faye is on the right in the photo below and a co-worker, Anne, who is like family to many of us. She works at the Dayton Care Center and has cared for many a family member. My mother, Mary, is chatting with my Aunt Loretta who is next to my brother, Doug. Next to my mom, sister-in-law, Sandy and standing is their daughter/my niece........Sue Ellen.

So far so good with the names.......and thank goodness we do a sign-in sheet that helps refresh my memory!!

Enjoying some laughs ......... above is Sarah Bogden, Kas Wickwire, Beth Wickwire, and Amanda and sons, Jacob, Joseph, and Joshua and standing is Aaron Morris.

Three happy guys waiting to eat are.....John Rudy and Alex Bogden and dad, Nick Bogden.

Many more smiles....Marian and Shirley Goetinger on the left and Diana Vangilder and Rose Linn on the right. Shirley was at the first Linn Reunion in 1929.

And the guys talked weather and crops and cars.......Bill Linn, Kevin Wickwire, Terry Wickwire, Dale Conklin and Dave Hrubes.

Sarah and Kathy, then Kathy's mom, Bette Wickwire (also at the first reunion in 1929) and Phyllis Linn. And in the photo below...........that's Bill Linn who is always one of the first ones to arrive. And Bill was just a newborn baby at the first Linn Reunion in 1929! Across from Bill is daughter, Debi, who was such a help to me with setting up and cleaning up!!!! Yay, Debi!!

I brought a basket full of toys, books and goodies for the kids..........

And in the photo below.......the boys are havin' fun!

 We filled up every table in the Lehigh Golden Memories club!!!!

Cousin Patty Dellechiesa is all smiles with her kids and grandson.......

That's Patty's two daughters......on the right is Teresa and Lisa on the left. On Patty's left is grandson, Ty and right is Riley.

 And there is always ice cream.................

and while the adults enjoyed the cool air conditioning inside, the kids didn't mind the 100 degree temps outside. That's Kenneth on the left, my grandson, Jacob, and then niece Sue Ellen and cousin, Kate.

And what were they watching? Well, the little town of Lehigh was cleaning up the streets in anticipation of RAGBRAI, the big bike ride across Iowa that would be coming through town this past Tuesday.........

And when the tables were cleared, the newest member of the family Cassie, the tall gal in the back row............gathered all her family together for a photo. Her new hubby is Nate who is on her right, just behind Nate's dad, Dick Lind and his wife, Betty.

Cassie has offered to take family photos of everyone next year!!!! I am so excited and I am going to take note of names because even with the sign-in book, not everyone's name is listed!
And now, because this is a quilting blog, I do have a bit of quilting news to share. Dick Lind's mother is my Aunt Marie. She was Marie Linn, sister to my Grandpa Thurman Linn. Aunt Marie is one of the many women in my family that inspired me to quilt. I have a pincushion she made and some patchwork pillows but my favorite thing I have from her is her spool rack. Every time I need a spool of thread for a sewing project I think of her. Family is a really good thing!
A post that is all about quilting is coming up tomorrow! See ya then!
Sandi

Has it really been 45 years?

I really have a hard time believing that 45 years have passed since I graduated from high school. Time flies sooooo fast!! But thankfully, it stops occasionally and we gather for a reunion and we have such a good time seeing old friends, sharing stories and laughing. For my family and school friends, here we are last Saturday night........laughing and having a great time!!!

It was so good to see so many friends. Linda Rosenquist Hilsenbeck and Tom Rowley arrived after we took the photo. Several classmates who could not attend sent letters, and we remembered classmates, David Griggs and Joe Weiss who have passed away. We hope that those that couldn't attend this reunion will make it for our 50th, as we all plan to be back at the same place in five years!

In my last post, I promised I'd share quilty stuff. I'll get to it soon. :-)  In the meantime, have a good Friday! I am looking forward to good day as I'm meeting a fellow blogger and for those of you that have met other bloggers, you know how much fun that can be!! Back soon..........
Sandi

Oh, what a busy summer!

Oh, my! It is sooooooo busy around here. And it is soooooo hot! I don't mind the "busy" but I am just not real crazy about the heat!  It's July, though, so I guess it's to be expected. Speaking of July.......this is only my second blogpost for the month of July. It started off with a "bang" on the 4th of July and has been hoppin' ever since then. It was so hot on the 4th of July that we decided we couldn't eat outside. Nope. Here we are with a brand-new deck and nice lawn furniture and the temp was 96 and humid. We dined inside and were happy to do so.

A couple days before the 4th, I bought a new toy for my front porch area..............

I saw this little Radio Flyer wagon at Uniques and Antiques in downtown Henderson a few weeks ago. I wasn't sure I should spend my pennies on it. But............when I had some extra pennies on hand, and the wagon was still on display........I decided it was meant to come home with me. ;-)  My dad made the little wooden bear many years ago and the flag he holds is "vintage" as it's actually made from cotton fabric!
For our 4th of July dinner, we had guests........daughter Collette, and son-in-law, Daryl and grandson, Jacob and neighbor, Sue. And, of course, Kaiser, too. See him watching me mix goodies. I didn't give him any of that chocolate cake mix but.........

when I made a white cake mix, I let him lick the beaters. Yes, I did and remember that because later on.........well, just remember that.  :-)
I was in the mood to bake and share. So I made cupcakes with little flags and two pies......one apple and one blueberry..........

Note to self when making pies..........Do not get distracted and run off to take picture of deer in neighbors yard..........because you might forget to put the flour in the blueberry pie filling. Hint: it was a little soupy but it was still very tasty. LOL!  Here's the little fawn that made me run to get my camera...........

And just as I got closer for a better picture, I noticed that off to the left there was another fawn and then they both took off before I could click for a picture!!!
My husband loves white cake with vanilla frosting so I made one for him........and because I wanted a centerpiece for the table. LOL!

And at the end of the day, I had my husband take a picture of Jacob and me together because he is getting so tall!!

On July 5th.........which is our son Devlin's birthday........my husband had been out walking the dog and came in and asked.........."have you ever seen a lot of pigeons on the roof?" And I said "well, yes, sometimes I've seen a couple of doves."  And he said......."no, I mean a lot of pigeons", so I went outside to check it out. Yep..........there were a lot of pigeons. Not sure why they stopped to visit our roof but not the lone white one below the rest of the pigeons............

She seemed to be the "guide pigeon" as they all perched in one area of the roof and then when she walked across to another part of the roof...........they all followed her!

It was so funny to watch them! And then pretty soon.......one by one, they all flew away.

One of the nicest things about where we live is seeing the clouds and sunsets. I love to take pictures of them but they don't always turn out so great. This day, they were great........

And thanks to new glasses, I'll be seeing those clouds and sunsets even better!! I didn't realize how much I needed new lenses until I got the new ones!

Now............remember how nice I was to let Kaiser lick the beaters for that white cake I made? Well, here is how he re-paid me..............

He ate my Prang crayons that I use for fabric quilting projects! Grrrrr!! And I mean, he ate most of the box! Luckily, they are non-toxic so we didn't have to call the vet. And because all things work out in the end...........well, you get the picture. :-)  I am not sure why he ate the crayons as they were sitting in a box of craft supplies that has been in the same spot for two years and he never touched them!! Oh, well...........
I had another cloud opportunity and caught this picture as the sun was shining through the clouds.............

And speaking of sunshine..........this is my friend and neighbor, Sue, who could easily be given the title "Ms. Sunshine". She is always smiling and cheerful. She is helping me with some projects because I realized I needed a little assistance. I am woefully behind on projects due to all the health stuff I've been through the last couple of years. Sue is helping me get organized and we are doing a project that uses my little GO! Baby I got from Accu-Quilt last spring.

I'll share photos in a tutorial when we finish it up later this month. In the meantime, I went back to a project that has been "in progress" since 2006. It's a crazy quilt that is made in Mary Englebreit fabrics............

I am hand-stitching the entire quilt. I first pieced all the blocks, then the borders. I sashed the blocks with the black fabric and now it's ready for the black strips that will connect the rows. I was anxious to see what it is going to look like and I am really liking it .......... a lot!! It's my "watching T.V. and hand-stitching" project.
When my daughter watches T.V. and stitches, she is usually doing it in crochet. I bought the yarn so she would make me some hot pads for the patio table. I loved the bright sunny colors!

I think I mentioned that in June, I made new kitchen curtains. I haven't taken a photo yet because we are waiting for the hooks to arrive for the tie backs. And so, because I had nothing else to do, I decided to start working on a patchwork "race-themed" curtain for my husband's basement TV room. These are scraps from the quilt that I made for him..........

I am not so sure it will look all that great but he is sure it will, so that's all that counts.  

And then............because I had another doctor appointment this past Monday, I decided to reward myself with a stop at Firefly Quilt Shop. Things are changing at the shop as they prepare for the upcoming Minnesota Shop Hop. This little corner was so fun and colorful. I remember that owls were really big when I first started quilting in the 1970's. Whoooooooo would have thought that they would make a comeback?  Everything is new again........

When I left the quilt shop, I picked up grandson Jacob and he has been here visiting and helping this past week. I have been busy with details for my class reunion that is this Saturday night and our family reunion on Sunday. It wasn't all work, though, as we took a couple trips to the library for books and movies. We watched four movies, sorted some toys and books and he played on the computer while I baked more pies...........

There are two blueberry pies, two peach and one cherry. And they will all be gone in no time!  And that reminds me that there are still some cinnamon pie crust bits that I could snack on. Off to the kitchen for a midnight snack.............
Back soon  with quilty stuff. Have a great weekend!
Sandi

Happy Independence Day!

It is going to be one hot 4th of July here in Minnesota!!!!!!! We are experiencing some of the warmest temps in a long time. Today we are expected to hit the high of 100! Right about the time my husband is going to be grilling burgers! All the pies and cakes are baked, potato salad is made, beans are ready to put in the crockpot.......yep, we are ready to dine on the deck. Nope........Going to eat inside. Just too hot to sit outside and sweat.
So, in anticipation of company......we cleaned our front porch last Friday and added some flags and patriotic bows to get into the spirit of celebration!

We were so glad we cleaned it that day because it's the last time the temp was normal!  Every day since then has been hotter than the day before. We are to see the highest temp on Thursday!
I always like to have some critter sitting on my little brown chair and I usually pick a bear or bunny. This time, I went to the toy closet and decided that "Clifford, the Big Red Dog" was the perfect critter for the 4th of July! He's wearing just the right color!!

The one thing I don't have yet is real flowers. We were going to some planting this spring and then I had all those health issues. Still working through some of that stuff. So, in the absence of real flowers, I "grow" really lovely artificial flowers.............

Long may she wave..........the flag of the U.S.A.!!!!!!!!!
Have a Happy 4th of July!!!!!!!!!!!
Sandi

In search of wooly stuff at the Minnesota Quilters show..........

I had a mission when I was at the Minnesota Quilter's Show. As much as I loved looking at the quilts and seeing all the beautiful fabrics and patterns..........my mission was to find wool and threads and anything related to wool. Was I successful?!  Indeed I was! I was thrilled to know that Primitive*Gatherings*Quilt*Shop had a booth at the show.............

A couple of years ago, a friend sent me a "thank you" gift of one of their patterns. It's still on my "to do" list but I love the little penny mat. I wanted to see more of what they offered. I asked permission to take the photo above that gives you a peek at some of what I found inside. What you can't see, is the lovely bundles of wool. This was another booth where I could have spent a lot of money if I had a lot of money to spend!  Will tell you what I did buy in a few minutes. If you are in the mood for lots of wooly stuff, just click on the link above and you can visit their shop!
Friends who had visited the show on it's first day, had told me that I would find good booths for wool stuff.  They were so right. After Primitive Gatherings, I found Sew*Cherished.

There were lots of lovely wool projects and supplies in this booth as you can see in the photo above. There were also some really lovely crazy quilting pieces done in wools. I was intrigued by owner, Dawn's demonstration of a product that anyone who does crazy quilting would love. She offers a variety of basic crazy quilting stitches on a pre-printed sheets that you can stitch on and then they are water soluble for easy removal. I did not explain that well at all but.......

if you go here you will find the product. It allows beginners to advanced stitchers the perfect way to make perfect stitches!  Just like the ones Dawn stitched in this sampler below......

A kit for the design show above is available here.

And the third booth full of wooly goodies was ............ Shades*of*the*Past. And in the photo below, that's owner Darci on the right and her daughter, Lacey, on the left.

I really enjoyed visiting with them as we had some "common ground". Their shop is located not too far away in Clara City, MN. I've never been there but I used to send lots of mail there when I was our church secretary. That's where lots of denominational meetings were held so I was familiar with the name but had no idea there was such a cute quilt shop there!  They had lots of lovely patterns and wool, too. And they introduced to me to Valdani Perle Cotton. Oh, how I loved the colors! So did I buy any?

 

Why yes, I did! In fact, here are the goodies that I brought home from the show.............

There are seven lovely balls of Valdani thread from Shades*of*the*Past, and from Primitive*Gatherings*Quilt*Shop there is a red bundle and a green bundle of wools that are perfect for some penny rug projects. While I didn't buy anything at Sew*Cherished, I am thinking I may order her ornament*pattern. They were lovely and would make really special gifts. Yes, I was "sew" happy to have "mission accomplished" and to have found lots of wool, threads and other wooly stuff. I came home smiling........really big.

I realize that as hot as it is here in the midwest and much of the U.S. that working with wool might be the last thing on your mind but summer is short here in Minnesota. In just two short months, the crisp air of fall will arrive on our doorsteps and working with wool will be quite welcome!  Just the thought of those cool fall breezes is enough to get me through this week of heat. Well, that and the air-conditioning. :-)

Have a good Monday!
Sandi