Been a little busy..........

This last week has been crowded with lots of stuff! I have pictures to share and much to tell. I'll be doing that later this afternoon and through tomorrow. This coming week is also going to be "crowded with lots of stuff" and then all the "comings and goings" will come to an end. I've decided I don't like being on the road in our crazy wintery weather and am going to make my plans differently from Nov. to March. The internet is going to be where you'll find me, either here on my blog or in my Yahoo groups. I have lots of patterns and fun stuff to share. I'm experiencing some computer glitches, though, that are causing me some grief. Bear with me and I'll get this worked out.
In the meantime, here's a "goodie box" that I received from my blogging friend, Pat.

I'll take the box of "goodies" to our next crazy quilting meeting and we'll have fun sorting through it!!

This post was a test, of sorts. I am able to load pictures in blogger so this tells me that my computer issues are limited to my Yahoo groups/e-mail. Hmmmmm. I wish I were smarter at this computer stuff.

Back later. Time for lunch.

Sandi

Round Robin Extraordinaire!

That's the only way I can describe the Round Robin quilts that I was lucky enough to see at the Clear Lake Quilt Guild. I promised I'd share more of the many different designs that the members made and here they are. Just a bit of background first, though. The project started with my friend, Sue, who found the idea on-line. It started with a 12 1/2" center square then directions were given for what must be used for the subsequent borders. Each participant received this little book of instructions and made notes in it as the quilt progressed. I just think this is a really neat idea. It would be fun to do this but I'm no longer in a guild. I guess I'll have to make one and do the Round Robin with myself!

To see a larger view of these pictures, just double click on the photo and it should enlarge. I had a front row seat at the meeting and took as many photos as I could. Not all turned out "in focus" so there are some I would have liked to share but my picture taking abilities keep me from doing that.

This Round Robin quilt top is the one that belongs to my friend, Sue. She started it with a colorful center and others in her group kept that theme going. It just says "cheerful", don't you think?

That's all, Folks, for the Round Robin photos. I also had a front row seat for their Show 'n Tell but again, my picture-taking skills were lacking. This one below turned out the best..........

It's a Country Threads pattern and it is a perfect quilt for this time of year. Tonight in Minnesota, there is going to be a lot of frost on those pumpkins out there. Freeze warnings are in effect across much of the state. Old Man Winter is trying to drop in too soon!!

Busy day ahead. Hope it's a good one for all of you!

Sandi

Time for "Sew and Share"........

I forgot to post a link to the info for our "Sew and Share" Day. :-(
For those of you who are nearby, please join us as we use our time and talents to stitch up some goodness for those in need. Go here for more info.......... SewAndShare2009!

I have a crazy quilting Christmas Ornament class to teach tonight. I'll get to the Guild photos and more after that. :-)
Sandi

October blocks are here!

I love October! You already know I love Fall so it was easy to do the designs for this month. Some of you may not want a Jack-O-Lantern, so all you have to do is skip the eyes, nose and mouth and add a pumpkin vine and more leaves and you'll have a Fall pumpkin design!

When it came to the design for the Snowman for this month, all I did was recall my daughter and all the times that she dressed up as a witch when she was a little girl. And when she was really little, she was a black cat at Halloween. All I did was add ears and a tail to the little black fur coat and snowpants that I had sewn for her (this was the early 70's).

If you don't want a "Snow Witch", try this........... use another hat design from a past pattern, turn the broom into a rake, use plaid for the cape, add some swirling leaves around the cat, and skip the Jack-O-Lantern Trick-or-Treat container.

Hope you have fun with these designs! There are only two more to go! In case you want to get the designs finished before Christmas, I will post the November designs at the end of October and I'll post the December designs in mid-November. I've had a number of committments combined with some health issues that have made it a challenge to keep up sometimes but just watch my blog and you'll see them soon. My class/volunteer activities all wrap up at the end of October. I will be taking those first weeks in November to finalize my block lay-out and share the info with you when I post in mid November. At that time, I will also have a preview of the blocks that I'll share in 2010!

It's been a rainy day here in Minnesota, positively excellent weather if you were a duck! This weekend, the weatherman says there could be a few snowflakes! Yikes! My beautiful fall weather has been hi-jacked by Mother Nature!!!

That's all for tonight. I'll be back next post with more of those Round Robin projects from the Clear Lake Quilt Guild. I think I'd like to try a Round Robin someday. Hmmmmm, just checked my "to do" list and I think I can get to it in 2015. hee hee hee!

Have a good day!

Sandi

Just a reminder........If you want pdf files of the above pattern pages, you'll need to join my Yahoo group. Just click on the Snowman button on my sidebar and click on "Join this group".

Quilt Program for the Lake Area Quilt Guild!

As you know from my last post, I went to Iowa last Thursday to do a quilt program. I also mentioned that we had lasagne for dinner. I love it when someone else cooks. :-) While Sue was preparing dinner, she brought out her notebook filled with her "Dear Jane" blocks. I just had to share this with all of you who may be doing this project. She is finished with all the square blocks and is now working on the side triangles. I loved looking through the book not once but twice! This project is on my "to do" list but it may be some time before I get to it. There are just too many fun things one can make when it comes to fabric!!!

And speaking of fun things to make, just look at these cuties that were sitting on Sue's deck. They were watching me as I ate that lasagna. ;-) I'm going to get my husband to cut me some log slices from trees he chopped down a couple summer's ago and make some of these. I think my grandson, Jacob, would really have fun helping me with this project. Plus, they wouldn't blow away like the fake pumpkins that I set on the porch last Fall!

But let's get back to the quilting.............I presented my program by sharing some of my vintage quilts and a few small ones that I've made, shared some stories and poems and sang just a bit (the voice was not quite "up to par" after my bout with the flu). Then I moved on to wool and woolfelt projects.......penny rugs and other wooly stuff. I encouraged everyone to come up and handle the pieces so they could get a good "look see". It was very well received and that made me smile big. That's me smiling in the photo below and my friend, Sue. We "connected" over crazy quilting and stay "connected" even though we no longer live just minutes from each other. Distance is no barrier to friendship!

The photo above was taken after I had presented my program and after "The Big Reveal" of the groups Round Robin projects. They were awesome! There were five to six members in each Round Robin group. This is the first group and that's Sue in the middle just opening up her quilt. This was called "The Big Reveal" because each person had made a 12 inch center block and passed it along with extra fabrics to the next person who added to the center block, etc. etc. The members hadn't seen their center blocks for several months so that's why this night was called "The Big Reveal". They all turned out so differently but were all the size of this gorgeous green and blue one that you see below.................

I've got more photos of these to share but I'll have to post them next time. I'm preparing for a big workshop tomorrow night for the St. Peter Quilt Guild. I'll be teaching everyone how to make a woolfelt pincushion. I need to pull the final items together so I can go to bed knowing that I am fully prepared! It seems, I always forget something so this gives me all day Monday to figure out what I may have forgotten. Hee hee hee!

Oh, and in addition to more Round Robin quilt photos, I have Show 'n Tell photos from the Lake Area Quilt Guild. Then there was a stop I made at Saintly Stitches before leaving Mason City. After that, I had to make a choice as I headed up 35W...........should I turn off and go west to Forest City and the quilt shop there? or should I head further north and then east to Calico Hutch in Hayward, MN. I've been to the shop in Forest City several times so I decided I had to go to Calico Hutch. And what a good choice that was. I had no idea such a great shop was tucked away in the little town of Hayward. I hate to think how many times I could have stopped there with all the trips I make home to visit family in Iowa. That won't happen anymore!! SO, lots of pictures to share coming up in the next few days.

Back to work now ....then it's time for bed!

Sandi

Over the river and through the woods........

That's what I did on Thursday. Drove over the river, headed east and then was headed south to Iowa. Then there was a detour, so I took a winding road southeast and finally ended up on 35W south which would take me to Clear Lake, Iowa. It was raining and that was okay, but then I hit a nine-mile stretch of freeway construction that narrowed to two tight lanes and, of course, the rain just poured down then!!! Everyone was being careful. Really! The rain steadied off for a time and then it began again in earnest just about the time I reached Clear Lake. I needed to turn there to go east to Mason City. My reason for the visit was to speak at the Clear Lake Quilt Guild but I would be staying with my friend, Sue, who lives in Mason City. I arrived at her house in light rain but not long after that, it began to rain buckets. Really! Well, not really but it rained really hard and I was glad I was safely at her house and not on the road anymore. We had a good visit and then enjoyed a delicious lasagne for dinner. Then it was time to drive over to Clear Lake for the Quilt Guild meeting. Oh, what a lovely group of ladies and so talented. I have pictures to show you but have been busy since I got home and they will have to come tomorrow. Just wanted to let you know I'm still here. In addition to posting photos, I'll be posting the blocks for my Seasons BOM. See you sometime Sunday evening!
Have a warm and relaxing Sunday!
Sandi

The more you give......

A number of years ago, I used to work for a computer company. Like many offices, someone was always posting a cartoon or something on the bulletin board near the copy machine. My favorite was the following poem. I could almost recite it by heart but not quite so I had to "google it" so I could share it with you. The author was listed as unknown but after a little more "googling" I found the author's name. I was not surprised. Love the poems of Helen Steiner Rice.

The More You Give.....… by Helen Steiner Rice

The more you give, the more you get.
The more you laugh, the less you fret.
The more you do unselfishly,

the more you live abundantly.
The more of everything you share,

the more you'll always have to spare.
The more you love, the more you'll find

that life is good and friends are kind.
For only what we give away,

enriches us from day to day.

Have a great day!!!