Is it a deck........

or a large quilt rack? ...........

I've made curtains, quilts, and the fluffy stuff for inside our house but my husband handles the landscaping. He figured out the lay-out of the borders around the house and next spring we'll add plants. With help from our son, he did all the stone walls and then he hired John Franek and crew to build the deck he envisioned. They did a fine job! John's crew .......Big Adam, Little Adam and Jake did an excellent job with the complicated stairway and the walkway over the stone walls. Then Dan and Adam Simon did the staining. I love the color........Butternut. My husband kept thinking gray or perhaps a red but I looked at the woodwork inside the house and said ...make it similar to that and it will be a nice compliment. And he loves it, so all is well. We've been in our house for almost five years and it was built by local builder Steve Fries and sons, Brad and Brian. Good work all around and we enjoy every day here and love to have our kids and family visit, and friends, too. And, of course, I love to have my quilting friends visit and that's what made me think............hmmm.........is this a deck? or do I see a large quilt rack and display for a backyard quilt show?  I'll be sure to let you know if that comes to be!
Sandi

What's on the line....sort of........

For the second week in a row, I don't actually have something on my clothesline.  I really wanted to hang this quilt on the clothesline......but it was too long!!  Since our new deck is finished, I asked my husband, Steve, to lend a hand. This is the extra long NASCAR/Corvette/Indy 500 quilt that I made for him and he's holding it along the deck railing so you can see it............

I made this quilt top and gave it to him for a Christmas gift in 2005. Yes, that's quite a few years ago....... so anyway, I had collected remnants and bought bits of race-themed fabrics so that I could make him a scrappy race-themed quilt. Sewing the top together was the easy part. The quilting was a different story. I thought about just tieing the quilt with yarn because this is a "comfort quilt". But it will be used a lot so I thought maybe it would be better if it was machine-quilted. My walking foot for my machine doesn't work right anymore so there was no way I could do it (yes, I need a new machine.......someday). I checked around and had Lucy in Mankato quilt it for me and had it done in February of this past year. And then life got busy and I never got to the binding but I decided a couple weeks ago that this quilt had to become a finished project. And it did!! And has it been used? Definitely. Interestingly, my husband finds it so comfy that he drapes it over the new recliners we bought this past spring because he says the quilt feels better than the chair fabric!  I think it's about nine feet long so it is a great quilt for Sunday afternoon naps. wink wink :-)

Now about that deck.......I thought I had taken a picture of it after the guys stained it last week but I didn't so I'll get one later today and share in my next post. I did take a picture of the little chair and footstool I told you about. Here is the before picture............

The chair was one that was in our old church storage room and when they were tossing stuff I grabbed this one. I sanded it down, along with that little wooden heart stool and on Saturday afternoon, I took left-over deck stain and applied it to both pieces. I'll get a photo of the "after" photo when I'm out taking the deck picture. I wanted Kaiser to look up at the camera but no matter how many times I said his name he would not look up at me. Dictionary meaning for beagle = stubborn. :-)
After I stained the chair and the little stool, I did laundry and other stuff and then after a taco supper, I decided to bake these............

They are just chocolate chip cookies but I added some of those new Kraft caramel bits ............well, actually I added a lot of the caramel bits which caused a slight problem. The caramel made the cookies kinda soft and so I had to fold them over, like turn-overs and it didn't hurt the taste at all as they were quite crispy around the edgy and all caramely and chocolaty in the middle. They were awfully good dunked in cold milk!

Yesterday afternoon, Sunday, September 11, I decided to take some photos of Henderson.........

So, after I left church, I drove up the hill just a bit and took this picture looking east down Main Street. Remember this picture. The local weather-folk are saying the fall colors are going to be gorgeous this year so I thought it would be interesting to take a photo from this same spot every few days and show you all the changing colors here in the Minnesota River Valley. Off to the left of the fire hydrant, sits this gorgeous home that is now the Sibley County Historical Society.............

As I was snapping pictures of it, a large number of motorcycles came up the street and I waved at them and momentarily wished I was taking off with them. Only momentarily, though. LOL!  It was a really beautiful day for a ride!

From the top of the hill near our house, this is the view down into the valley and the town of Henderson. That's the steeple of St. Joseph's Catholic Church in the middle of the photo.  This photo, too, will look very different as the leaves change color.

And speaking of change..........we are to be near 90 degrees today but by tomorrow, we will only be in the mid 60's. Now that's Change!! I'm all for it because you know I love that cool, crisp air of Fall!! All for now. Next week there really will be a quilt on the line!
Have a great Monday and a good start to the week!
Sandi

On Cloud 9 with a fabric win!

A couple weeks ago, Pat*Sloan  was doing a "shout-out" for Victoria Findlay Wolfe's charity project ....... BumbleBeanBasics. All you had to do was comment and you might be one of 6 winners on Pat's blog or 6 winner's on Victoria's blog and those winners would get fabric to design a block. I was one of the 6 lucky winners on Victoria's blog! These fabrics came in the mail a little over a week ago............

Unfortunately, I was busy with my bedroom drapes and my husband was on vacation and the guys were here staining our new deck so I couldn't play with the fabric right away. There was a ton of other stuff going on and sometimes I just wanted to scream........."I want to play with those fabrics!!!"  But, I was a good girl and I cooked and baked for the guys and then I finished those drapes and here they are..............

They don't look all that impressive but they are done!!! This was a "compromise" project. I wanted floor length drapes if I had to go to all the trouble of the pleater tape method and lining them. My husband wanted window length drapes. The compromise was that I made them "tea length" and I am happier with them.  Next up is making a quilt or comforter for our king size bed. I may take the easy way out and buy a solid comforter and add pillows in this fabric and perhaps a bed skirt in it.  More on this when I make or find that comforter.

Back to the block project............with those drapes finished, I was free to play with the Cloud 9 fabric collection designed by JuliaRothman. All of the blocks that are designed will go into a charity quilt for BumbleBeans and so this had to be a special block.  When I first saw the fabrics, I thought of making a pieced block but then something "clicked" and I got this idea for "Row Houses".  I had watched a recent episode of "House Hunters" (I am addicted to this show and the International version) and a couple was looking for a Row House. Something about these fabrics just said.......make us into Row Houses!!  So, I laid out the pieces that said they wanted to be houses.............

And I added the pieces that said they wanted to be roofs for the houses.........and then started adding windows and doors..........

and then I started stitching. I pricked my fingers constantly because I had so many little pieces pinned here and there. My husband asked me "why don't you just tape it together?" and I gave him one of those....."you just do not get it" looks, and I continued stitching. I could see the idea in my head but I wasn't sure it was working but I kept sewing. I cut bits of fabric from every piece that was in the packet of fabric and here is the final block...........



And as I stitched, I thought of the time, many years ago, when we lived in New Jersey. We only lived there for two years (in the little town of Dumont from 1972-1974) but while we were there, my parents and brother came for a visit. We drove into New York one day and showed them "the sights". My mother can still remember the kids playing in the water of a fire hydrant as it was a warm day. We covered lots of area from the Statue of Liberty up to West Point! And we passed many a Row House! Since the designer of this fabric, Julia Rothman is from the New York City area and the Bumble Bean Basics charity is New York based, it's only fitting that the fabrics have become Row Houses. And you know what? They even have a story. I love a good story, so I made one up as I stitched.............

I am sure these houses sit on some old street, I think it is Columbia Street, in New York City in a neighborhood that first saw construction about 1840. The house in the center was built by a Dutch family and was their home for many years. Their last name was VanOort and records show that Jeremiah VanOort built the home for his wife, Catherine and their three children. 
The houses on the left and right were built by brothers. Alphonsus E. Gales who constructed his house in 1852. Two years later, his brother, Rutherford B. Gales began construction of his house.  Alphonsus' wife, Elizabeth, planted a patch of wildflowers outside the front door and they still grow in abundance to this day. She shared seeds from her garden with her new sister-in-law, Phoebe, when Rutherford married in 1855 and brought his new bride to the little house on Columbia Street. The families enjoyed life on Columbia Street but then in 1901, the VanOort house was sold to someone who had made it big in Vaudeville. That gentleman knew that "talking pictures" were the up and coming thing so he renovated the house and it became "Whitt's House of Talking Pictures". The wives of Alphonsus and Rutherford were thankful that their husbands had passed to their heavenly reward before seeing the theatre that came between their houses. Oh, yes, what a scandal that was!
Life went on for the familes for each had a child that continued to live in the Row Houses. Alphonsus and Elizabeth had a son named Harry, and Rutherford and Phoebe had a daughter named Abigail. Each married and their families grew. They cared for their aging mothers, and children grew and married and babies were born. Yes, life was good, even with that "talking pictures" house in between their humble homes. Many years passed and then in the late 1950's, the theatre became an apartment building, and then a clothing store, and even a funeral parlor for a very short time. But the little houses that Alphonsus and Rutherford built continued to remain in their families. Today, you'll find Phoebe, the great, great granddaughter of Abigail and named for her great great great grandmother, living in the little house now called Fishbone Cottage. That's the name she gave it when she opened her fish and chips shop more than 20 years ago. She needed money to maintain her little home, so she created an apartment on the second floor and opened her little cafe on the first floor. Her cousin, David, and his wife,Cindy, had similar needs to keep their little house in good repair so they followed Phoebe's plan and made an apartment on the second floor and opened "Miscellany Book Store" on the first floor. If there is a vintage book you are looking for, you will surely find it in their shop.  
Time was not so kind to the old theatre building. It sat vacant for almost ten years before it became the studio for Cloud 9 Fabrics and the designs of Julia Rothman. It took on new life, color, excitement when they renovated the building. It made Phoebe realize that she needed to add a new roof, so David added a new roof, too. Then Phoebe added paint here and there and new windows........and yes, so did David and Cindy. Ah, the Row Houses on Columbia Street are looking mighty fine. I think Alphonsus and Rutherford would be happy to know the little houses built so long ago have stood the "test of time". And don't you just wish you could really visit these little houses on Columbia Street?!!

So that's my story and there's just a little more to it............I really did know a woman named Elizabeth Gales. She befriended me, a young mother with a 2 year old, when we first moved to New Jersey and we lived on Columbia Street!  I remember her kindess to this day and think of her often. It was thoughts of her that got this story started. I also thought of two good friends, Cindy, who I met in the late 1990's when she moved here from New Jersey. She always encouraged my creative endeavors and she would have loved this block and it's story. Sadly, Cindy passed away of cancer two years ago. I can hear her laugh, though! And then there was David. He was my grade school sweetheart and a really dear friend who I had known from the time I was in kindergarten.  He passed away too young of a heart attack and I miss both of them. There is also a Catherine VanOort that is my friend in real life. Yep, she's my neighbor across the street and I know she loves a good book, so I hope she has enjoyed my story. And hopefully, you all have, too! Thanks much to Victoria and Julia for the chance to work with the Cloud 9 fabrics. I can't wait to see the rest of the blocks and then the whole quilt!!!

It's Friday and isn't that great?!! Have a good weekend everyone!
Sandi

What's on the line?

There is nothing on the line today! Instead.......it's "what's on the floor today?"...........

I mentioned I was making bedroom drapes and they are almost done!  That's me, covered with a drapery panel instead of a quilt. I thought that since it is Labor Day weekend here in the U.S. that I would share a picture of me "laboring/working". And this was definitely work! They are lined drapes and it's that room-darkening lining and it is heavy! I ended up with quite a backache as I maneuvered that stuff around on my sewing machine. I much prefer hand-sewing and was very relaxed as I sewed the folded ends to the lining.

When I finished that, my husband inserted all the pleater hooks, then hung the drapes and now I just need to hem them. I seem to recall reading somewhere that they should hang for a day or so before you hem them. I figure overnight is good enough, so I'll pin them and get them hemmed before the afternoon is over. I am almost to the finish line and when they are done, I'll be racing to the basement to get that little chair that I want to paint. I'm ready to decorate for fall and need to get that chair done so I can get my front porch ready for pumpkins and all sorts of fall things. The weather has been cool and comfy this past weekend. You can almost smell fall in the air! Hope you all are enjoying a nice weekend.
Back soon!
Sandi
Oh, and there will be something on the line next Monday! and I'll also share a picture of the finished drapes. :-)

A Visit to The Quilter's Dream.........

So, dear blogging friends, this is the first of several posts of "things I did on my summer vacation". And if you are a quilter, you might really like this post. If you live in Minnesota, you may even know about this shop. You may live near it and have been there many times. I cannot tell a lie...........I live near it and had never been there but a couple weeks ago, on a very pretty summer day, I took a little drive over to Montgomery, Minnesota to visit this shop called.........."The Quilter's Dream" owned by Michelle McCready. If you go to the shop website...click here ......you can see the exterior. When you step inside, one of the first things you notice is that wonderful old ceiling.........

and then everywhere you turn after that, there is so much to see..........

I really love that pink stripe on the bolt....and even more.........

I wish I had the cupboard in the photo above.

And I was delighted to find a basket full of woolfelt.......

all these potholders........aren't those owl ones just too cute?

Look at this great display of purses and totebags!

And then I saw these black and white fabrics and would have bought some but I decided to come back for some of these. I need some for a retreat but it won't be for several months so I decided to keep looking......

 This is a great "Welcome Home Soldier" quilt............

 Oh, and I thought of one of my blog readers, The Owl Lady, when I saw this quilt........

I meant to buy some of that sunflower fabric on the lower left and forgot to get it. I see another trip to the shop really soon.......

When I saw all these cute little clothes for kids, I wished I had another grandchild to make some for as my grandson is 12 now. Then I thought of my nieces. Hmmm.......Christmas gift, maybe?

One of the most interesting "non-quilty" items in the shop is the original bank safe........

Some of you may know that the James and Younger brothers tried to rob the bank over in Northfield, Minnesota. If the safe there, looked as formidable as this one, I am not sure why they bothered. Note that it has an "anti-dynamite device". Sounds dangerous to me!

And then...........the "Pièce de résistance "........

a long-arm quilting machine...........

It was that machine (an APQS long arm machine) that drew me to the shop. And that's because back in June when I went for my dental check-up, my hygenist, Dana, told me she had taken a class to learn long-arm quilting at the shop in Montgomery. Oh, did my ear's perk up when I heard that because a little over a year ago, I got to use an APQS Millennium at Heidi Kaisand's retreat and I loved it. I want one but it's out of the question. But taking a class and renting time to use the machine...........That I can do. And so, when I get through the next month with some doctor visits with my mom, I will get scheduled to take a class and I can hardly wait to finish a bunch of quilt tops that are just waiting to "grow up" to be real quilts!!!

Okay, so that's about it for a tour of "The Quilter's Dream" but here's one last quilt that really caught my eye..........

and then I did buy just a wee bit of fabric so I had to stop at the check-out counter..........

and pay for these items..........

The red and green stripes are for a Christmas candlemat and those 30's prints are just to add to my 30's stash. I had been looking for some patriotic buttons for a crazy quilt blog and because I knocked a few items off a display with my purse.........well, I found just the buttons I was looking for. Note to self.......be more careful with large purse. :-)

Then, because it was such a beautiful summer day, I meandered across country and drove through Heidelberg. Many years ago, we visited the city of Heidelberg, Germany and I always wondered if this little town was settled by people from that area of Germany. THe church is St. Scholastica Catholic Church and I believe it is an active church.

From Heidelberg, I headed north toward a church in Union Hill but passed this one (below) on my way there. It is Freidens Evangelical Lutheran and I did a double-take as I came upon it. It looks very much like a church that we saw in England. My husband had a business trip and we stayed at motel that was near a large church. They were having a pork chop dinner and so we stopped and enjoyed the meal with lots of locals. I just couldn't get over how much it resembled that church in England.

And just a few miles later..........here is the church at Union Hill (this is west of New Praque, MN). This is St. John's Church and I believe that it is no longer an active congregation. If you are local and are reading this, please let me know. This church is so beautiful in the sunlight but the photo simply does not do it justice.

After meandering my way home, I was thinking that I may take more trips about the countryside and find country churches. Many of them are closing due to declining membership. Yes, I think I will have to take some mini-road trips. And maybe, I'll find a quilt shop or antique shop to visit. I think this might be a new feature on my blog.........."Out and About in .........."  Coming soon!!!!
Hope you enjoyed your visit to "The Quilter's Dream" and the jaunt through the countryside! Have a great day!
Sandi

What's on the line?

Apples are on the line today!!! It's harvest time for apples so I just had to share this little quilt..........

It's one of the quilts that I made in 2000 to celebrate the Millennium and it's called "Family Reunion". That name may not make much sense but I was thinking of our family tree when I made this and that old saying "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". That saying never made much sense to me but it was usually said when somebody looked like, or did something like, another family member. Hense, the name for this little quilt. It measures about 18 x 22". I like the apples on this quilt so much that I think it would be fun to make a quilt with lots of appliqued apples on it and use all sorts of red, green and yellow fabrics for the apples. And so, there's another project to add to the "longer than I have years left to sew" list. :-)  Of course, I could speed up the process of applique if I would just do it by machine, but I dearly love to hand-stitch. Maybe what I really need is a magic wand so I can "poof" my house clean and have all my time to sew. Riiighhht.........!
Okay, so a magic wand is not going to happen but here's something that did happen...........I won a quilt yesterday!  When I was home to see my mom a couple weeks ago, I bought some tickets for the raffle quilt for the Lehigh Historical Society. I knew it was a store-bought quilt and haven't seen what it looks like, but I bought the tickets to support the historical society. I really wanted to win and so about 4:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, I looked over at the clock and thought.........."hmmm, I bet they are drawing the lucky winner for that quilt. Sure would be nice if it was me."  And then about 20 minutes later, the phone rings and I see by caller I.D. that it's my brother, so when I answer, I say........"are you calling to tell me I won that quilt?"  And he laughs, and says......"well, yes, I am" and I say.........."you're kidding" and he says "no, you won it". Still I'm not sure he's not joking, so I ask again and yes, I really did win the quilt. And the guy who drew my name was a visitor to the museum who used to enjoy meeting my dad for coffee. Now isn't that cool?!!  I'll get the quilt in a couple weeks when I'm home to see my mom again and then you'll see it here on the line after that.
I have been doing a lot of hand-quilting on a variety of small projects. I'm also trying to make drapes for our bedroom but having trouble staying focused on that project. They are pleater tape drapes and I hate working with that stuff. Luckily, our bedroom is the only room in the house that has a traverse rod and requires drapes with pleats. They will be done by the end of the week as I have a project I want to do and I've told myself I can't do it til the drapes are done. You see, I want to paint my little chair that I sit on the front porch and put my fall pumpkins on. I have a polka dot theme in mind and so as you read this today, I will be sewing those drapes so I can paint that chair this weekend.  :-)
We had really nice weather here in Minnesota this past weekend but I was caught up watching all the coverage of Hurricane Irene. So many people are now being affected by the flooding. Thoughts and prayers go out to all who are affected by Irene and thanks that she lost strength!
Have a good Monday on this last Monday in August. Soon fall will be here and I can hardly wait. I may have mentioned a few times that fall is my favorite season. As summer ends, I expect to get back to more regular blogging and some of those things that I did this summer but never found time to blog about...........well, they will be shared in posts titled......"what I did during summer vacation!" Back soon..........
Sandi