Pedal to the Metal, oh yeah!

Pedal to the metal .... ummm, pedal to the carpet? That just doesn't sound very exciting and hey, it doesn't rhyme either! I guess you all know I don't have a metal floor in the sewing room. Please ignore all fuzzies, threads and ??? on the floor. And yes, I do store my little box of batik fabrics underneath on my sewing desk shelf. What else would I store there?!?

After a week of no time to sew, I'm determined to not be interrupted and to not find something else which needs doing! Plenty of that around here, unfortunately. I'm determined to get the last of the signature blocks pieced and maybe even cut the setting triangles this afternoon.

M&Ms have this effect on me. With all the unfinished projects around here, I need to buy a case or two of M&Ms to keep me on track!

A birthday quilt

Hmmm, I obviously took a blog holiday.

Its been really difficult to get motivated in the heat and drought in Kansas. The other day it was 112 degrees here and everything is drying up (except the weeds). I water my flowers, shrubs, trees and our yard almost daily just to keep them alive. Last night we finally got rain - a little over a half inch - but the straight line winds that hit Wichita missed us. I'm very grateful for that!

OK, what have I been doing? My big quilting project has been and still is the signature quilt I'm making for my daughter's 30th. birthday. She's convinced I won't get it done for another ten years but I have all but one of the blocks embroidered and am now piecing the blocks. My dd chose a scrappy look made with Jo Morton fabrics. The on point blocks will have sashing between them so obviously not even sewn together but here's a sneak preview:

I was surprised how much I'd missed embroidering so there may be another crazy quilt or embroidery project in my future. In fact, I'm pretty sure there will be a traditional crazy quilt start up soon. I have no idea why they attract me but they do.

I'm also still working on my clamshell diamonds and the selvage quilt. One of these days (soon?) there's got to be a finish to show you!

Finally, a blog update

A week ago: "Today I'm going to update my blog."

A few days later: "Today I'm really going to update my blog."

A day later: "I really need to update my blog!"

Yesterday: "I really want to update my blog!!!"

This morning: "I'm going to update my blog today!!!"

Tonight: "NOW!"

I thought that once the quilt show was over things would slow down a little but not so far. I do have hopes of more free time next week though.

My daughter's turning 30 this week and our church's ladies ministry is having a decade party for her. I've been involved with some of the preparation for it and since dd reads my blog, I can't share anything about the party. Ha!

However, I can tell you about the signature quilt I'm making for her. I asked the ladies at church to sign a block and include a favorite Bible verse. So far, 38 blocks have been turned in with just a few left out there. I'm grateful to everyone who wrote large because my embroidery looks pretty good on those blocks and I'm grateful to those who wrote small for providing me with a challenge! My embroidery skills are improving and small cursive letter e's no longer look like blobs. I have over half of the blocks embroidered and will share more about this project later.

Its really hot and dry here in southcentral Kansas but with consistent watering, I've managed to keep my flowers blooming! This is the hibiscus plant I accidentally brought home from my mom's flower garden. The bees love it!

I like sunflowers and I even like daylilies even though they're starting to spread a little too much. I think this fall I need to dig and move a few plants because somehow they're growing nearly on top of each other! The birds help me plant the flower bed each year by dropping in sunflower seeds they get from the bird feeder. I'm no better a gardner than they are because I seem to have planted the tall flowers in front of the shorter ones.

PS - I like sunflowers so much that I deadhead them!

The Joy of Paper Foundation Piecing ...

I'm afraid I'm not so joyful about picking the paper foundation off blocks! Its really time consuming. To answer a few questions I know you might have: Yes, I did use newspaper for the paper foundation. I haven't noticed any news print being left behind on the blocks but I did make sure to use older newspaper.

I'm back to working on the selvage spiderweb quilt. Since I took this picture, I've added more blocks and have decided to make it a twin size quilt. Hope to begin sewing it together next week and I may add borders if I can find the right fabric.

Here's another quilted wallhanging I really liked at our recent show. Donna Bradbury pieced it and calls it "Strips & Curves in the Bedroom". Kim Hull did a wonderful job machine quilting it.

Just a few from the show!

I wish I could just set up a slide show of the wallhangings at the "Once Upon a Wall ... " quilt show but instead I'll show just a few that really spoke to me!

"Storm at Sea" made by Jenny Hutson, measures approx. 22x22 - Wonderful piecing!

This cross-stitch and quilted wallhanging was made by Ann Boese. - I admit to having a thing about barns! In fact, I wish this wallhanging were mine.

"Apple Pie" by Fran Rogers - My favorite color is red/pink and love apples so this one can come live at my house anytime!

"Spring Storm" made by Colleen Westerman, 25x27 - She told me she spent months getting the applique colors just right and I believe her.

Janett Wiebe's "Midnight Stars" - I've got the perfect place for this one!

Blogger won't allow me to put in any more quilts so I'll post a few more next time but right now, a quilting project is calling my name!

Someone's been eating my oatmeal!

Today is the last day of the "Once Upon a Wall ... " quilted wallhanging show at the Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum in Goessel, Kansas! If you're within driving distance, we hope you can come out this afternoon.

This is a photo of the Goldilocks & the Three Bears setting.
Baby Bear is stumped as to who could have eaten his oatmeal and broken his chair. Mama Bear is shocked that someone did it and Papa Bear is definitely unhappy. Goldilocks is no where to be seen and truthfully, I wouldn't like to be in her shoes with Papa Bear looking like that!

I'll share some of my favorite quilts from the show later this week. We begin tearing down at 5 this afternoon and I'll likely be a bit on the tired side for a few days. However, I'm already thinking of which quilt project to pick up and work on.

See you soon!

"Once upon a wall ..."

I've been busy making the fairy tale sets for the museum's quilted wallhanging show and very soon the show will begin. In fact, the "Once upon a Wall ..." quilted wallhanging show is just three days away, on Friday. We're in the middle of hanging wallhangings - everything from 8x11"-ish to 92x92" and even a 3-D butterfly!

Here's a scan of the counter card for our show.

If you are anywhere near us in Kansas, I hope you come see the show!

I've been realizing that even though I'm several years over 50, I can still do quite a bit but my body is sure telling me that setting up the show is taking a lot out of me this time! For the past several days, I've been setting up the fairy tale settings and hanging wallhangings. Every morning I wake up stiff and sore and when I get back on the ladder to hang another wallhanging, I can almost hear my body saying something like this. "What? Are you kidding me? Didn't you hurt enough yesterday?!?" Apparently not because tomorrow I'll be back at it and probably on Thursday too.

I'm thankful for a very patient understanding helper who, so far, hasn't run screaming from the museum when I've repinned a wallhanging for the umpteenth time because its "just a little crooked"! In fact, I heard her say something like, "I think its about 1/16th of an inch off. Can you move it?"

I'm thankful for the museum director who's been trying to get her own work done in the middle of creating a quilt show booklet and answering questions like "Where is the (fill in the blank)?" and "Can you call So and So and ask him where the watchamacallits are?"

By this time next week, the aches and pains and the frustrations will be in the past. Cleanup and quilt return will hopefully be done. I'll share photos of my favorite quilts with you on this blog.

At some point, I'm going to wake up and my legs aren't going to be aching from getting up and down ladders or standing on cement all day. At that point, I'm thinking of going into seclusion in my sewing room. Just me, my Pfaff, the ironing board/iron and fabric - I can hardly wait!

PS - a blogging question:

I haven't been able to read many blogs lately but when I have and tried to comment, I can't. Blogger keeps telling me I need to sign in but I already am. ??? Any ideas on how to fix that?