thanksgiving 2011

SISTERS QUILT SHOW

I have had the most wonderful trip to Sisters, Oregon for the "Sisters Quilt Show". I guess you are like me you have read about it and looked at pictures of it and said "I would like to attend this". Well that is what I said to my husband and before the evening was gone I had plane tickets and a room in Bend, OR. We were going! We flew into Portland and drove over a mountain that had rain forest and desert looks which took us right into Sisters. this is a very small town of less then 2000 residents. There were 3 streets of town and nice wide streets as most of the west is laid out. We stopped and got some paper work telling us what we could do on Friday, the quilt show is on Saturday only.
Friday we did the sightseeing thing plus walked Sisters going in shops to see quilts that were already hanging in their shops. We rode through neighbors and saw quilts hanging on porches.
Saturday we woke early (that was easy it is 3 hour different time zone) and drove into Sisters expecting lots of traffic and delay but there was none. So we got to see the firemen hanging quilts on the side of the building the one quilt shop there which started this show 32 years ago.
Dunk and I went to the coffee company and got a cup of coffee to warm us up, 38 degrees this morning. Then the people started appearing all around. The quilts kept going up and it was a beautiful site. There were quilts on all the buildings, down 3 large streets, down the cross roads, in between buildings, on grass spots and under some tents. They told there were 1500 quilts to be seen, my husband says we saw them all maybe 2 times. I did not want to miss any thing!!

There was the most beautiful blue sky and snow top mountains all around with quilts hanging in the wind. What in the world could of been more beautiful

The quilt here of horses was the most amazing of all. this artist did this all in fabric and you could feel the moving of the horses. this was just a piece of art to just look at in AHHHHHHH.

My Susan Spargo Pillow

I have enjoyed looking and studying Susan Spargo designs. The use of wool with cotton really interreges me. I have tried to make it to one of her classes for 2 years now and it just has not worked out. I hope it will soon though.
This pillow design was in a magazine and I said this is time to do some of her work. I took her pattern and my choices of fabrics and here is what it came to. I am very pleased! I am ready to do more of her designs. Her patterns are not cheap so I will have to really be ready to do it wh

en I purchase it

Finished old Projects

I started these 2 months ago. I did not stay working on them and let them lay for months. It really feels good to finish things and make room in my stuido for new designs that I am excited about.
The pears are hand applique an machine quilted. It is going to be used on our kitchen table.

This crazy quilt is a child quilt made from mostly flannel. The flannel fabric was a give away at our Tuesday quilting group. I saw a quilt on line that inspired me to do some of my own designing. I think a child will like this quilt soon.

Will It ever be Finished

I have been working on the piece for a long long time. I changed come thread to the designer dismay and I like it! This matte going around the focal Calla Lilly is taking for ever. The silk threads are lovely to work with I am worried I will not have enough of the white so being very careful.
I have this flower in my yard blooming now and enjoy their beauty every year. I should make a picture of the live Callia Lilly as well. Will do tomorrow!

Quilt for young girl

A friend of Mona's stopped by our house for a visit and saw some of my quilting going on. She told of a little girl who had cancer in her leg and the bones were breaking easy. She wanted to give her a quilt. All I need is a reason to create another quilt. I learned she has "ladybugs" on her web site so I found some red fabric with ladybugs on it and made this the theam of the quilt. This quilt is create as you go quilt.
The big thing was using this bernina sewing machine to quilt it. This is not the best quilting job really it is a bad quilting job
but I am trying to learn. I am so jerky with my freehand motion. I hope to get better.

good day

I cannot count my day complete 'Til needle, thread and fabric meet. ~Author Unknown

Wool Applique

I finished this table topper and love it. This is a gift for my daughter I know she would enjoy it where she was before but not sure now in TX. Oh Well! she moved before it was finished and before her birthday.

I do enjoy working with Felted Wool..

TEXAS TRIP

We loaded our HHR with plants and boxes of items movers would not take and off we went to Austin TX to see where our children have landed.

We like where they have chosen to live. The girls schools are close. The sports are fun and drama for Taylor may lead to big things for her. -this is Savannah playing flag football and she loves it!!!!

FINISHED INDIAN LADY

The Indian Lady is all finished, farmed and mailed to the ANG seminar auction leader.

I did recieve a note back form Patricia that she has received it and was very pleased with it being finished and framed.

I am happy it is all done and gone!!!

Book I just read

I just read "How to be an American Housewife" by Margaret Dilloway. I guess you can say I did not enjoy it but it did make me think of my history classes about the war with Japan. I have also traveled to Japan and have had some Japanese people in my home from Japan so I do know some of their mannerisms. I think this book has made me a little upset all over again. The book talked of the Nuclear Bomb that USA dropped not mentioning what they did to start the whole thing. The book did mention the Emptier and what they thought he was trying to do.
The author is a daughter of a Japanese lady who married an American soldier, then moved to USA. I believe her family separated themselves from their daughter after she left Japan. This is strange because the family always arrange daughter's marriage and seems Father told her to find an American Husband.

Finished 2 more UFO

I quilted this boy quilt for the cancer hospital our quilt group makes quilts for. I have had it ready for months waiting for the sewing machine to be ready to practice. I played with it for hours last week. I need more practice I juSt do not move smooth with the free motion. This is going be a while and lots of practice. I hope I am infor the long haul.

The table runner was for last Christmas which missed the whole thing! ha! I now have it ready for next year and I think it will look nice in our dinning room.
I do like to have a pretty table for family time.

Now what about Easter It's coming up?

The Indian Lady ready for the Framer

This is the needlepoint I took to stitch for the Auction at ANG seminar 2011. I had planned to stitch it after Christmas while things are slow at home. Well it just never got slow this year. Auburn went to the National Championship game and then family moving things never slowed. When I pulled it out to stitch I noticed it was to be mailed by March 1. It was Feb. 25 so it was not going to happen at the correct time. I wrote the person in charge and she was very nice saying go ahead and stitch it and we will use it next year. But I have it done now and I am going to have it framed before sending it in. This Indian Lady was designed by Tish of Sundance Designs. This lady was a real leader in the needlepoint revival. I was happy to learn about this as I stitched. I will post a picture of her framed soon.

Daughter moves to Texas

Our Daughter calls telling us she will be moving to Austin Texas. We move back to the Southeast to be near our family and now they move to Texas. I am sure they will enjoy their time there just as Dunk and I did. We are happy for them to have the experence of being involved with University of Texas Football. I am sure it will fun and exciting. I will miss just knowing I can not drive to see them when ever I want. But Patricia tells me that is why I have moved close to the Atlanta airport!! I guess it is.:-)

Stocking

I have been studying this stocking for 5 years. I can not say working on it because I really have to study painted canvas to decide on thread and stitch. I work on it and put it away as it seems to just wear me out. This past fall I told myself it is time to "just do" it and i did. I am well pleased. I have not given it to him and his parents yet I guess I want to see it hanging here for a while. It is 10 months till time to use it any way. Sam likes this dark but bright blue color I hope he will always like it. ha!

More on our Retreat

My 2 Teenage Granddaughters came for our Retreat at Nannie's house. That means no one else can be here. But Yee Haw was around some so we had him go to get food for us as we did not have time to cook!! We made so many things and had so much fun from Friday till Monday morning. We even went to Waffle house for breakfast the last morning. It was all great but Anna got to feel bad the last morning so it ended kind of on a bad note. Here are a few things we made. We had a pattern for these small boxes and they were fun to make. Then with the left over fabric we made book marks and luggage tags. They brought their scrap books and made some pages for them. Then we found directions to a journal made from a file folder. Then we really had fun. We got into their parents old school papers and used it to make these books. We laughed and had fun makeing these.

I am Back

Life has been busy for me this year 2011. That is a good thing for me as I do enjoy being active. The new year came fast. Then we go to the National Chapionship Colleg football game Phonix, AZ. Auburn University won the game and made this trip even better. We had a wonderful time on this trip.

RETREAT 2011

Taylor Julia & Anna Claire Taylor Julia & Anna Claire made ribbon balls

It will be a Happy New Year if our Tigers will WIN their Bowl Game! It is Duck hunting season in Phoenix, AZ right now.

Holiday's at the Hale House

Christmas came and went The New Year 2011 is here. We had a wonderful time with all our family. There was so much fun going on. We had gift giving off and on for days, games played, kick ballgames, new Wii games, and lots of eating! Then we traveled to Patricia's for Christmas day and enjoyed seeing the girls enjoy thier Santa gifts. Snow came on Christms day afternoon with much beauty. This was a 1st for us Southerns. Then later in the week we traveled to my sister's for a day and got to visit and exchange giftw with them. What will the new year bring for our family this year? I pray it will be a good year with peace, love, and family. The January calendar is getting full and each thing I am looking forward to. Auburn Tigers Football game, Retreat week end with granddaughters. It just can not get much better.