What's on the line?

My "Baby Baskets" quilt from Pat*Sloan's pattern is finished and is on the line!

I couldn't quite get it finished yesterday afternoon so that I could post it last night but first thing this morning, I finished stitching the binding and it was done. Then it was outside to take a photo "on the line". And that was when it got interesting. It's a windy day up here on Maple Ridge...............

I hung the quilt on the line, then patiently waited for the wind to calm......

Not getting very calm.............

              

 

 

But then.........a lull in the breeze, um, make that a strong breeze...........and the quilt began to flutter down..........and I got the shot that is shown above. And good thing I did because I tried to take a few more shots after that and the wind was even worse!

Now I just have to hang this in the hallway and I can check a UFO off my list!! On to the next project.............

And that would be this one...........

Some of you may recognize Nanette's Christmas cottage block pattern in this quilt top. I still haven't finished my Christmas cottages but I thought they were so cute, why not make them in Halloween prints? So I did! This one is going to my daughter so she can hang it in the entry of her day care facility. I think the kiddies will love seeing these little Halloween houses. Not too scary, just really fun!

Speaking of fun, we had a lot of fun at our weekend cook-out to celebrate my husband's upcoming retirement. Pics of that event will follow tomorrow. It's gonna be a busy week. Must run. Laundry to do and going to meet a new quilty friend this afternoon. Have a good Monday!
Sandi

 



A visit to the Knitting Knest!

There's a new shop on Main Street in Henderson........a cozy place just perfect for The Knitting Knest!!  Local residents remember the building as a gas station but it has taken on a decidedly feminine touch thanks to shop owners Deb, Geri and Brenda. You can read the story of how these friends founded their business by clicking here.

I don't knit and I don't crochet but my daughter can do both so I had to check out the shop. Some day I am going to learn to crochet so I needed to get familiar with where I might actually take some lessons. :-)   Here's Deb, ready to greet customers.........

The shop is so inviting, just perfect for relaxing with some yarn and a project.  Geri and a friend are doing just that........

 

The shop features many hand-dyed yarns and lots of lovely antiques and gift items. Almost all of the furniture pieces are for sale.

Every chair in the shop is comfy and inviting. And Deb and Geri's little dogs would agree. They are so cute!

Notice the plates and serving knives in this cupboard. Owner Brenda makes these and I'll tell you more about them in a minute........

After my first visit to the shop, I found I needed to stop in for a visit several times. That's because our church women's group invited Deb, Brenda and Geri to be our guests at our annual Guest Day event at St. Paul's UCC here in Henderson. I volunteered to coordinate the details so I stopped in often to get to know them and learn about the yarns, projects and other goodies at the shop.
My part of the evening was to add some decor. Last spring, my mother gave me this spinning wheel planter that she bought at auction. I wasn't sure I'd ever have a use for it but it was perfect for the yarn-themed evening.  And the fresh flowers from neighbor Sue's garden added the perfect touch to the planter box that is cut into the spinning wheel base. Note that this is not a real spinning wheel. It's from the 1970's which makes me think it was a Bicentennial item. This is what it looked like in front of my fireplace.........

and on the table as guests arrived.......

There were doorprizes .......... books on prayer shawls and little crystal dishes filled with knitted (or are they crocheted?) dishcloths and scrubbies from the ladies of the Knitting Knest.  Prior to introducing Deb and Brenda, I shared a little information on how prayers shawls originated and the story of one that was made for me. I met a woman while at the hospital with my mother and that connection led to someone making this prayer shawl. She sent my name to someone in Pella, Iowa and the shawl came in the mail. I cannot find the name and I wonder if anyone out there might know of a group in Pella that makes prayer shawls. One of the ladies at the program noticed that the shawl had a design that looked like an angel on the back. Honestly, I had not noticed it was the shape of an angel. I only know it brought comfort at a time when I needed it. The booklets shown above are from Leisure Arts and I found them at JoAnn's. They are excellent!!!

Since Deb and Brenda were our guests, I took some yarn scraps and made corsages for them. Geri wasn't able to be at the program because she was at the shop, which is open on Thursday evenings. I remembered making pom-poms for my roller skates, so I took some yarn scraps and made pom-poms, then clipped and sculpted with my scissors until I got the look I wanted.

Brenda and Deb brought some lovely scarves and gift items to share. That's Brenda on the left, then Deb and our pastor, Pastor Brigit. She made the scarf that Deb is holding and is telling us about a scarf project that the United Church of Christ is doing next summer.

In addition to all things yarn, Brenda makes a number of the lovely gifts in the shop......the "kuriosities". She makes the tile coasters that Deb is holding and she also does those lovely plates and serving knife sets that are perfect for cheese and crackers. She enjoys finding just the right plates at thrift shops and then adds beads and baubles to the knives for a really unique serving set!

Following the program, there was dessert! Carol, Doris and Joann prepared the goodies.........

 and everyone enjoyed them and the chance to chat. Oh, and win doorprizes. LOL!

 

It was a lovely evening and many of us came away inspired to make something lovely from yarn. Perhaps, something in this chest is where that something will begin. If you are in Henderson, be sure to stop and check out this trunk and all the other goodies at the shop. Oh, and I will keep you updated on whether I learn to crochet. :-)
Have a great Friday!
Sandi

What's on the line?

Pretty red hats are on the line today............

This is a quilt that my mother made about ten years ago. She found the pattern in a craft and quilting magazine. She was never a member of the Red Hat Society but she loved the idea of it.  My dad enjoyed watching her make each of the hat blocks and then decorating them with bits of ribbon, trims and buttons. A couple years after she made it, she gave it to me for Christmas. It hangs in my sewing room and as soon as I get the last corner of my sewing room all organized, I'll take a photo and show you where it hangs permanently.

You can see in the background that the leaves are beginning to turn and fall is nearly here. It officially arrives this Thursday!!!

Here's what's going to be on the line really soon..........
maybe even next Monday. It's Pat Sloan's "Baby Baskets" pattern and it's all pinned and ready for quilting. I had hoped to have it quilted by today but it's been crazy busy around here. I'll share some photos each day this week of all the stuff that's making it so busy. It's all good!

As always........Have a great Monday!!
Sandi

The Traveling Stash Box Giveaway!!

 

A couple of weeks ago, one of my quilty friends posted about

an interesting giveaway over at Carolyn's blog.........I*Believe*Inn. 

I entered a comment and I was the winner of the Traveling Stash Box!!

 

 

The box began over at Cherise's blog and you'll find the story of it's origins here.

Today, it's my turn to offer up the Traveling Stash box in a giveaway.

Note! This giveaway requires that whatever you remove from the box must be replaced with equal fabric, patterns, etc. Then you must host a giveaway of the Traveling Stash Box so it can continue on it's way. You must cover the cost of postage to mail the box to your giveaway winner. This is a $15.45 flat rate box and so the giveaways are open only to those in the United States.

There are several Traveling Stash boxes that are circulating and you can read an update on the boxes here.
SO, now.......... what did I find inside the box, and also what you might find if you win the box?!  When the mailman delivered the box..........I laughed when I saw how well Carolyn had taped it!  The box was packed solid and bulging at the seams!!!!!!!!!

 

 I could see a new box would be needed and luckily had one on hand.

I taped up the new box so it was ready to fill with the stash goodies. The box was so full that I swear the contents breathed a sigh of relief to be released from their squished travels. LOL!  There were lots of patterns..........

I set them aside and saw a package of sewing supplies and lots of fabric..........

That first piece that features the dragons and flames really "caught my eye". I set it aside to keep for me!

 Then I stood the fabric up to see all the colors........

Then I set it aside and saw what was in the bottom of the box. I loved that book Quilted All Day before I even opened it up. It's just the kind of quilting book that I enjoy. Thanks so much to whoever tucked this book in the Traveling Stash box. It was my favorite thing!!

I went to my bookshelf and looked for a book to replace this one that I took and I found this one. Perhaps someone wants some techniques on machine quilting and this book from "Quilt in a Day" may make someone else smile like the "Quilted All Day" book made me smile.

 Then I sorted through all the patterns..........

 and chose these two............

 I have always loved the Little Quilt books and projects so that pattern was definitely a "keeper". I have oodles of my kid's T-shirts that are waiting to be made into a quilt so I thought that if I took the Eleanor Burn's Quilt in a Day pattern for them that perhaps one day they'll get done. Righhhhhhht. LOL!
I spread out the pile of fabrics that were in the box...........

and I chose these. They all have a purpose. Just like all the fabrics I buy. It all has a purpose. Sometimes it's just so I can look at how pretty the fabrics are. :-)

And what did I put in the box in addition to the machine quilting book?  Well, I added some trims, some patterns, some fabric, etc. And the one who wins this box will find it all when it arrives at their door. Just leave your name and e-mail link if you would like to participate in the adventures of The Traveling Stash Box. Just remember..........what you take out, must be replaced with equal value items and you must cover the cost of the package when you host your own giveaway and then mail the package to your winner.
The Giveaway winner will be drawn on Friday, Sept. 21st. You have an entire week to enter and tell your friends about this fun giveaway.  Have fun!
Sandi

The Traveling Stash Giveaway is now closed. The winner will be announced later this evening, Friday, Sept. 21.  :-)
Update........
And the winner is Julianne! Congratulations!! She is so excited and sent me her address right away. Here's her reply..........  "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh! I can't believe I won..its coming to ME!!! Woot woot!! Thank you so much!!" 
The box will go out to Julianne on Monday so watch her blog for another chance to have the Traveling Stash Box make a visit to your house! Julianne's blog is Quilting with Calicos and can be found here.

What's on the line?

 A "WELCOME" to fall is "on the line.....................

The only thing is............it's not officially fall yet and the temperatures are proof-positive that summer is hanging on for one last fling!  It is supposed to be near 85 today and maybe 90 on Tuesday!! However, when I took this wooly wallhanging out to the line, it was not hot and in fact, it was a lovely day although a bit windy. I have shared this wallhanging before but not "on the line" so I decided it deserved a spot in the quilts that "parade" about "on the line". You can read about the quilt here. As noted in that post, I made the wallhanging in 1998. I gathered leaves from the yard and traced their shapes, then cut them from felt. I used craft felt because I hadn't yet discovered woolfelt from National Nonwovens. ANd yes, I do remember that the leaves that year were almost a colorful as what you see in this piece. Some years they are bright and others they are more muted. I wonder what colors we will see this fall in our area?  This past Saturday, I drove up to Belle Plaine (Minnesota) on Highway 6 which is also known as the Scenic Byway. The road runs along the west side of the Minnesota River and so there are lots of twists and turns and lovely views. I could see that the trees are just beginning to lose their bright green color and turning every so slightly to the colors of autumn. My purpose for the drive.............I was headed to Emma Krumbee's General Store to get some pumpkins............

and realized quickly, when I saw all the cars and people, that I had arrived on the opening day of the annual Scarecrow contest.  It is quite an event!! This big guy is not an entry but stands waiting to greet all the visitors that come to see the scarecrows folks create.

And in the photo below, you can see the visitors heading down the road to check-out all the clever creations that actually win some cash awards for their makers!  I didn't go in to see the scarecrows. In the past, I've been invited to be a judge, though, so I can vouch for how creative folks are with their entries.

I was on a mission to get pumpkins so I headed over here.......

and I found oodles of plump pumpkins that were only 39 cents a pound!!!!

 

There were bushels of little white pumpkin gourds..........

 and loads of little orange ones...........

 and there was squash!!............

 and tons of squiggly, wiggly colorful gourds!!

I bought two medium size pumpkins and three of the little orange ones to add to my front porch decorations, plus a basket of yummy Roma tomatoes. I forgot to take photos of the pumpkins after they made it to the front porch so they'll come later this week. So will those retreat pictures...........and a post about knitting!! That's right. I don't knit but I have something fun to share about yarn! And more fun stuff is coming up. Life is busy, though, so bear with me if I'm a little slow at getting it all posted.
Have a great Monday!
Sandi

 



What's on the line?

Three tabletoppers are on the line!

 

 

I shared a bit about these tabletoppers last summer as they are made from the 2011 Quilt Minnesota fabrics. This is a simple little quilt that is perfect for the center of any table. I designed it for Firefly*Quilt*Shop in Mankato. Most of the fabrics used in these quilts is sold out, so last week I picked up my samples. Shown below is a close-up of each quilt..........

I am going to do a tutorial for this project in early October.  I have some very, very special Christmas fabrics from Jacquelynne at The*Noble*Wife that I will be using to make the sample for the tutorial. She sent plenty of fabrics to use for a project and some I can share in a giveaway. Sweet deal, huh? I'm going to start working on the project next week and will take my photos as I work through the project. I have a busy month ahead of prep-work for classes, a program and projects that take place in October. I'll give you all notice of when the tutorial will be shared.
Speaking of busy..........it was a very busy weekend. It started with just a normal Friday of grocery shopping but we ran errands and my husband was in search of a new winter coat so it was a long day. He didn't find a coat. Which was okay since summer doesn't seem to want to end here. The whole weekend was hot, including a hot topic in the news..........the Blue Moon.....................

Of course, the moon isn't blue and it's not made of cheese but it was very pretty. This is the best picture I could get with my camera. I can see the face of the Man in the Moon so I was happy.  ;-)
I have several embroidery projects in progress. Some are sketches that are for future projects and some are projects I designed years ago and want to do again. The Angel Connection is a series of angels that I did in Redwork and now I am doing them on white and using colored pencils which will be outlined with embroidery floss. More on this after I begin the embroidery of the first angel.

I was working on the angel project on Saturday when we had a little excitement in our neighborhood. The Henderson Fire Department had a practice exercise and burned a house just down the hill behind our house. One of our neighbors thought our house was on fire because they saw the cloud of smoke behind our house which made it look like our house was on fire!  Not the case, although we were a bit concerned that the exercise took place during very dry conditions. It all went pretty good and by midafternoon it was all over.

On Sunday afternoon, I had this bright idea to decorate the front porch for fall. It was so hot, that I thought it was the 4th of July instead of early September.  I made a new wreath from some of those artificial blooms that I grow so well (Thank you, Dollar Tree!!).  I'm not quite finished with the rest of the porch decorating because I need to get pumpkins and gourds to finish it up. I'll make a "pumpkin run" to Emma Krumbee's in the next week or so and then I'll call it done!

Kaiser is hoping that soon allergy season will be DONE!  He is one miserable dog. He's on meds but the Vet says this season is a bad one for cats and dogs. Must have something to do with our hot, dry weather. I am hoping that some rain reaches us in the next day or so but even cooler temps in the 70's will probably help him. He's not sleeping well at all.

And when Kaiser doesn't sleep well, neither do I. He scratches, gets up and shakes, needs to go out and so he keeps me awake but guess who sleeps through it all? Yep, my husband. It was the same with our kids. I only wish I could sleep that soundly!!

That's all for now. I'm late getting this posted today so hope you all had a good weekend and that a good week is ahead for you all!  I am headed to bed in hopes of a good night's sleep!
Next post up is our retreat fun. I started writing it then got side-tracked by the busy weekend. Oh, but I have just one more thing to share...............

 

You'll want to visit Michele's Quilting*Gallery to check out the list of designers that will be sharing awesome blocks for the Glorious*Autumn*Block*Party. The fun begins with a block from Pat Sloan, just check it out here.  I'll also be participating and have a fun block to share on ........... Halloween!!!! No tricks, just a treat of a fun autumn quilt block and a little bitty giveaway. Stay tuned for lots of fun this fall! 

Okay, now I'm headed to bed for some sweet quilty dreams!
Sandi