It's been busy & finding my new normal.

Life has been busy & I have fallen behind on my blogging. Here's a quick recap since the last post.

Mom & I went to the Lake of the Ozarks for two days of workshops & trunkshows with the Lake Are Quilt Network. The Lake Are Quilt Network is made up of 5 smaller guilds in the area that get together & have speakers or workshops twice a year.  We had a fabulous time & met some wonderful quilters.

For the workshops I asked the quilters to bring their scraps in bags, buckets or baskets whatever they had available. They spread out & dumped out their scraps & had a great time!

We were working on my pattern "Prairie Stones". It's a fun block with 1 set in/partil seam. 

    

      My Tuesday group

     My Wednesday group

Thank you for having me, Mom & I had a fantastic time!

A quick update on lil squirt the tiny calf. He's doing very well. He is still very small but he is growing & is starting to find his moo (it's not that impressive yet but it'll get there). Here's a pic of him yesterday playing in the hay feeder.

On the quilty front I have been working on Smith Mountain Mornings (Bonnie Hunters workshop). I'm half way done making the blocks 60 done 61 more to go!

My impatient nature is getting the better of me & it's making me very anxious to get it done. I'm looking forward to seeing it done. For some odd reason when I started putting the blocks together I was using pins, crazy head because the seams were not matching up. I stopped using the pins & bingo my blocks looked much better. I'd like to have it done before my next guild meeting but we'll see. I like to have deadlines. It helps keep me focused with a goal. 

I hope that y'all are having a fantastic day. The weather here is getting colder, which I'm loving! Turn that furnace off & open the windows! Love that fresh air with no pollen! Kiddo is marching in a Halloween parade in a few hours. He's going to be a construction worker (easy costume & easy to play his saxaphone). More later on,

Vicky

The delinquent blogger

I am a delinquent blogger. I've been so busy & I've just not sat down to type out a blog post. It all started a few weeks ago when it was time to pick pears. We've got a very old pear tree in the front yard that produces enormus amounts of pears. Between my friend Maria, my kiddo & me we got the whole tree picked in one day. We have to use the backhoe so that she can reach the top of the tree!

This tree makes beautiful pears

Here's this years pear harvest

That's a lot of pears! These are just the good ones. We sorted them & gave the small ones or the ones that weren't quite good enough to the cows. 

It has taken a few weeks for them to rippen in the garage but they are ready to be worked up. Maria has come up twice & then she came up again this past Sunday with Randi to can pears. We spent 5 hours & 10 gallons of pears to make 33 pints of cinnamon pears. They are yummy!

On the quilting front I made myself finish my current Civil War scrappy quilt before I could work on Bonnies Smith Mountain Morning quilt. I finally got it done this past week & was able to give it to my LAQ at guild meeting. Here it is some what laid out on my living room floor

 

I tweeked the pattern & well it didn't quite turn out like my sketch. I didn't figure the row width correctly & the quilts dimensions turned out to be 87x119. Holy Cow that was long! I decided to take the botton row off & not put on borders. I will finish it with a scrappy binding & call it good. I really like how it has turned out & am really happy to call it done!

So now I can turn my attention to the batik beauty!!! Yeah!!!!

On the cow/farm front it's been nuts. The fall calves have started to arrive. We've had a set of twins with one of the babies not claimed by its momma. So another cow stepped up & adopted it & is feeding it along with her own. She's a rock star! About a week or so ago we had Squirt. He is so small! This is him & his momma when he was first born,

We are guessing he weighed about 40lbs when he was first born (which is incredibly small. We like them to be in the 80-90lbs range when born). I could scoop him up in one had & carry him. We brought him & his momma to the house so that we could feed him with a bottle & watch him. His momma is not a tall cow but he could walk under her belly & have about a 2" clearance between him & her.

He's doing much better eating his bottle & trying to eat more from momma, which is very good!

Also I almost forgot a week & a half ago mom & I went to Belleville, KS to speak to the Heart of the Prairie Quilt guild. It was a fun time with a great group of quilters. Thank you for having us!

I hope that y'all are having a great fall. I love this time of year. The weather is getting cooler & that makes me very happy. More later on,

Vicky

Meeting Bonnie on Monday

Yesterday I got to meet Bonnie Hunter! Oh my good gravy that was exciting! I have been a huge fan for years. I remember when my friend/Long Arm Quilter told me about her website quiltville.com Oh my goodness the flood gates of possiblities was open! I was an instant fan. I read about all of her travels & presentations to quilt guilds all over the globe & was inspired. 

Back to yesterday. A friend of a friend was the one who was originally going but because of work conflicts she would be unable to. Huge bummer for her but what an awesome opportunity for me! I found out about a week in advance that I would be able to go. It was going to be an all day workshop on her pattern " Smith Mountain Morning". I had wanted to make this quilt for a while but  I just hadn't quite gotten there yet. Now it was crunch time & I needed to make some choices on what fabrics I was going to use. I didnt feel the scrappy vibe on this one. I figured that since I was in the midst of a huge Civil War scrappy quilt that I could dig into the batik yardage for the SMM quilt. Black was going to be my background (shocker right?) & the other two colors were going to be a purple batik ( Kinda went crazy & bought a huge amount of this when a quilt store was going out of business) & a pretty multicolored batik. Here are my blocks from yesterday

My goal was to get enough blocks done so that I could get a glimpse of what the quilt would look like.

Once I saw these blocks done my excitment level rose. My table mate Maggie & I were on a round table so when I got blocks done I put them on the empty table behind me

This is what I was able to get accomplished in yesterdays class. I LOVE IT!!  Now the problem is what project do I work on now? I'm not generally in this spot, two projects going at once. Most likely I'll finish the Civil War quilt & then reward myself with this beauty! Plus I need to sketch it out because you know me it needs to be BIG, & so I know how many more blocks I'll need to make.

I was able to get my picture with Bonnie,

To say that I was/am happy is an understatement. It was an incredible experience & I'm so glad that my friend got me in touch with her friend so that I could go. Thank you to the Stitch by Stitch guild in Marshall MO. All of the the ladies were so very friendly & welcoming. It was a wonderful day & not one that I will forget any time soon.

Check out what other quilters are up to at patchworktimes.com

Have a great evening.

More later on,

Vicky

Enough done to get a glimpse

I'm the type of quilter that likes to get all of one step done of a block/quilt before I move on to the next.

That way I know that I've got all of my pieces done & that I don't loose any. Well my curiosity has gotten the best of me, because I have the patience of a knat, & so I had to make some blocks. 

Oh my goodness I LOVE IT!!! It's going to be beautiful & definetly unique. I've not made anything like this before. I'm not sure yet what I'll do on the borders but it'll come to me. I've got a little bit before I have to make those choices.

This is a current pattern from American Patchwork & Quilting magazine. I loved the pattern all except that they chopped off half of the blocks. I understand that is how the antique quilt was made but I'm not going to do that! I've worked hard for these & it would kill me to cut them in half.

So my solution is this

Please excuse my chicken scratches but sometimes you just need to jot it down. That way I would know that I had enough blocks/pieces made & my lay out will work. 

It's ok to modify a pattern to make it the way you want your quilt. It would not be ok for me to claim this as my own, which I'm not. The designers who create new patterns or who've designed patterns from antique/vintage quilts have done the hard work for you. They have figured the math to make sure that everything works. It's then up to you the quiltmaker to make your quilt uniquely yours.

(Though you still need to give credit to the original designer).

 It's also important to know that there is more than one way to skin a cat ( gotta give credit to my FIL, that was his line). There is more than one way to make all of the units that we as quilters use. Find the best that works for you with the sizes that you use. On the same hand don't be afraid to try a new technique. You might find something new that you like.

Ok time to get off the soap box. I guess I just want to encourage you to make your quilts  UNIQUELY YOURS!

I hope that y'all are having a good evening. It was a gorgeous day & I enjoyed it.

More later on,

Vicky

Monday was just to busy

Yesterday was full. I was able to get some sewing done! Yeah! That was the first time since Friday that I was able to sew. I almost got all of the third layer on the current quilt done.

I ran out of my muslin triangles, there are just a few more & then this layer will be done. This has been a skill building quilt for me. Learning how to work with 60 degree angles is not something that I've worked with often. They're not bad though, just different. I'll post more pics once I get the last layer on. I'm getting anxious to see what these blocks will look like.

Farm News!

This year has been a hard one for the cows & their feet. Foot rot ( a cows version of athletes foot) has been more of an issue than usual. With all of the rain that we've had it's made foot rot a common term this summer. With a simple shot & some time down at the barn with some TLC they bounce back & are just fine. 

The problem is that you've got to get them down here from the pasture & that can be easier said than done. Before the kiddo & I headed off to get them the pens down at the barn had to arranged so that we could get the cows were we needed them so that we could sort the one off that had the sore foot.

We were off! The kiddo & I found the herd in the pasture &  I would walk with the bucket & he would come behind the herd to make sure that we got everyone down.

Usually it's my husbands job to walk with the bucket. I think that you've got to have nerves of steel. All of our cows know what a bucket means, grain! So off we go. As I'm walking I'm hearing hooves & cows getting much closer & soon they part around me & take off for the lane down to the house. They know they're getting some feed. Well  while I'm walking blissfully towards the house kiddo is having issues & half the herd breaks & runs the opposite way. To make a long story short I get the first part of the herd going down the lane, kiddo takes them the rest of the way & I"m head back for the last bunch. The hoodlum calves (calves that are about 6 months old, (they have the same mindset as 14-15 year old human males) were in this bunch. Thankfully we got them down & I noticed that my heels were starting to hurt. Hmmm.

The cow with the sore foot (aka: Trouble Maker) was in the first pen along with a few of the hoodlum calves & a brand new baby. We needed to sort the calves off & put her in another pen so we could play ring around the rosie with cows & pens & get everyone where they needed to be. Trouble maker just wasn't having any part of it. I was maning the sorting gate & here she comes, she wants out! I'm closing the gate & she's trying to get her head through & my left knee comes in contact with her head & she backs off, thankfully. I think, man that's going to be sore & tell kiddo that we're going to have to go about this in a different way. Well we manage to get her in the right pen & now we have to figue out who this new baby belongs to. Usually the momma will come right to it when it balls (moo's). No one was stepping up to the job. Husband gets home from work about now, thank the Lord & we (He thinks that the new baby belongs to Trouble Maker. Easy fix put baby with momm, give momma some feed & baby goes to get some milk. Everyone is happy.

On to the next cow. In her younger years she was a handful when she didn't have a baby & when she did you needed to giver her a wide berth. She was in the foot recovery ward & had her baby. I could tell that she did't feel that good because she allowed me to pick up her baby & carry it to another pen. We stayed & watched her & her baby to see if it would eat & it wasn't having much luck. So husband gets the pen ready & well she doesn't like him but he did get her in. Come to find out she didn't have much milk to give to her calf. So we made a bottle & this is what we were doing last night. We all took our turn feeding the cutie!

Me & Blanco (good friend Liz just named him). He's a sweetie!

Husband taking his turn

& kiddo taking his.

Finally getting home after 10pm & taking my boots off, my feet hurt. Yuppers big 50 cent piece size blisters on each heal. Time to get new boots. So between sore feet & a sore knee there will be no yoga this am. I'll have to go & check on Blanco & the others in the sore foot pen here soon & I'll be wearing flip flops!

On one last thing before I go. A few days ago I got a fun text from a quilty friend of mine. She had a friend who was going to Bonnie Hunters  workshop in Marshall MO but would be unable to go & would I like to take her spot? Ummm, YES! I so excited! More on that to come.

I do hope that y'all are doing well. Thanks for being patient while I was being long winded with the story of my night last night. Have a great day! Check out what other quilters are up to at patchworktimes.com

Vicky

Finding something that was lost uncovered things I'd forgotten I had

I was on the hunt this week for a set of keys that I had missplaced. I was wishing that it had been something bigger that way it would have been easier to find. I was tearing apart my sewing room, moving stacks & totes of fabric to no avail I could not find those keys. What I did find was that I now had a messy sewing room & as I turned around my rumpus hit a stack of quilts that went tumbling to the floor. That was the last straw. I was fed up with my stacks of fabric & quilts, it was time to do something about it. In coming to that realization I accepted the fact that I was running out of room & I wasn't entirely sure on how to deal with it.

First things first my sewing room is very small, 10'x10'. I have a large cutting table against one wall & on the other is sturdy shelves. There is fabric under the cutting table, in front of the closet door & the shelves. I have also started a stash of leftover batting. Whenever I get a quilt back from my longarmer I just put those pieces under the table. Well I think I need to bite the bullet & take the time to sew them together. That way it would use them up & same me some money.

Second: I have thought of selling some of my quilts. The problem that I have is that I have not been able to find anyone who is willing to pay for what they are worth. The majority of the time people (non quilters) want  a handmade quilt for a Wal-Mart price. That is just not possible. I have listed some quilts on a Facebook page but was told (by fellow quilters) that I was asking to little & that I was not asking an appropriate price. I agreed but also knew that I was not going to sell them at the price that I was asking & I didn't. 

Third: Books & Patterns. I think that I have enough different patterns, books & magazines to last me my entire lifetime. I like making other designers patterns as well as my own. What do I do with them? I had the crazy idea to get a hand scanner & scan all of the patterns & put them on a thumb drive. It would definetly save on space. I've not completly thrown that idea out the window but I am technology challenged & I'm just not sure yet.

I'm not sure what the answer will be on how to solve this issue. In the whole scheme of things this really isn't that big of an issue. I do know that I am going to be working on it & I will share whatever ideas that pop into my head. I will also let you know which ones work & which ones don't. I hope this hasn't been to much of a downer. I'm fired up & will find a solution.

I hope that y'all are having a great day. It's beautiful here.

More later on,

Vicky 

p.s. I did find the keys, they were in my car. Good place for them right? I'm just happy I found them.

Monday morning has come around again.

WARNING!!!! THIS IS A LONG POST WITH LOTS OF PICTURES! Get your favorite beverage put your feet up & enjoy!

This is the first Monday morning of my kiddo back at school. He started last week but this will be his first full week. How did I commemorate it? I took a nap! Man that felt good, but now it's time to get some things done. I've got my Pepsi & I'm ready to tackle the day!

First off I want to thank the two quilt guilds that hosted me the last two Tuesdays. The first was Walnut Valley Quilters Guild in Winfield/Arkansas City Ks. That was a fun fast day. Mom & I drove down (3 hours) the morning of the presentations. We made good time, because you can drive 80mph on the turnpike. We had enough time to hit the local quilt shop Field to Fabric.

Mom was funny. You see the wire rack right behind us? It stopped her in her tracks & within the first five minutes she had 3 things already on the table ready to buy. What was also different was that she bought more than I did which never happens. We were able to have lunch with her cousin & get to the church to set up in plenty of time. They have 2 guilds and afternoon & an evening. I had a great time at both. I was busy & it completly slipped my mind to take pictures :(

Last Monday we were in Salina KS with the Silver Needlers. It was a great time with a bunch of fun & talented ladies. I did remember to take a few pictures

It was fantastic location for their meetings.

On our way home Tuseday Mom wanted to take the long way home & go through Concordia KS to visit the Orphan Train Museum. She's found out in recent years that we had ancestors who were riders. I was good with that so we maped out all of the quilt stores on the way there. First up was

Kansas Troubles in Bennington KS. Yup all of those KT fabrics that you love this is there home store.

We had to finish our coffee before we went in so we soaked up some Vitamin D at the cute table outside. Here's a peak at the inside of the store

Lots of things to look at.

Next up is No Place Like Home in Minneapolis KS. I love that these small towns in KS have quilt stores!

This store had the best deal on their scraps that I've ever seen, a large bag for a quarter! That's just about free. It was a great store.

We moved on to Concordia KS but the museum was closed for lunch so we found their local quilt store Fabric Essentials & had fun looking around.

 

We went around the corner & had lunch at "Heavy's" That cracked me up & it was good food. 

Now it was time for the Orphan Train Museum. Mom had waited a long time to go so we had planned on taking our time.

She had a great time & we both learned a lot. A lot of orphans found new loving homes because of one man who started it all. She's started the process of finding out more on our ancestors. If you're ever in the area I highly reccomend it.

Now we were headed to Belleville KS. It is located right on HWY 36 which is what we needed to get home & lucky us there was a quilt shop! I could have spent a lot more time in Sew Country. 

There was so much to look at that we had to browse quickly but we both left with treasures & had fun.

I feel like I'm rambling but I'm trying to catch up on whats been going on. I should split it up into multiple posts but if I don't do it now chances are I will forget. 

Saturday August 15 I took a wool appliqué class with my local guild. I love appliqué but have always been intimidated by it, therefore I've never done it by hand. I'm not a big fan of appliqué by machine. If I'm on the machine I'd rather be piecing. I bought my pattern & a kit 

& I was ready to go. Now the original pattern background used a light blue, well that's just not me so I switched things up & my background is black! Here's my first block laid out.

 

I'm really enjoying it. I have finished this block & I have moved on to the next block, daffodils. I'll keep y'all updated on my progress.

I found the time to finish up the alternate color way of "Prairie Stones" 

Sorry that it's not the best picture but I LOVE how it turned out. All of the fabric except the purple outer border are all scraps from my stash. This is a fun quilt to make. I've almost finished writing the pattern. 

   

Now that it's finished I need to decided what to work on next. There are lots of projects to start, some to finish. This pattern from the recent American Patchwork & Quilting caught my eye

I've got all of the fabrics for this beauty. While I was cutting strips for the latest 10,000 piece quilt I was cutting the scraps to get the best use out of the scraps. So that left me with 1.5" strips (used those in the 10,000 piece quilt) 2' strips ( you can see my daffodil block in progress). We'll see how far these strips will take me. The pattern says that the quilt is 75.5"x78". Well thats just not big enough for me. As of right now I'm going to plan on bigger.

 

The 2.5" strips I'm going to be using those for my next Leader/Ender quilt. There were so many that they filled the container.

I'm cutting them into half square triangles. There's a pattern idea floating around in my head on how I want to use them up. 

Lastly I've not done as well as I had wanted to on my embroidery. I have worked on it a lot more but I've just not been able to do a flower a day. Just a few more stitches & block 3 will be done!

 I do hope that y'all are doing well. I'll try & blog more often so that the next post comes to you quicker & isn't so lengthy. I'm enjoying the weather here in KS. It's in the 70's with sunshine & low humidity (which is crazy in August). Check out what other quilters are up to at patchworktimes.com

More later on,

Vicky