Americana

I started this little quilt a couple years ago by fussy cutting some Jo Morton stars into applique circles. Then it got set on the back burner because I couldn't decide which red fabric to use for the background squares. Well, I pulled it out last week and chose one - then got it all sewn together - quilted - and bound. Now it's finished - YAY!

It was inspired by this quilt that I saw in a Christmas issue of AP&Q magazine. I didn't make it exactly the same but you can see the resemblance between them. I think the stars on this one were pieced.

I had to chuckle when I saw the Stars & Bars quilt that Janet at Rogue Quilter posted a few days ago cuz I'm pretty sure she used the same Jo Morton star fabric to fussy cut her squares. Great minds think alike, huh?

I'd like to get the quilt below finished by July too. Two, maybe three years ago I made DD#1 a spider web quilt and I realized it was made exactly like this pinwheel block, so I got that part made soon after. Now I need to applique some swags for a border and get it quilted. Wish me luck!

I've been doing a little work on my hooked wreath too - crossing my fingers I have enough of the background fabric to do the entire rug. (not loving that blue flower)

Masterpiece

I met with the SLC rug group on Wednesday and Yvonne brought her finished rug - she's been working on this Emma Lou design for at least two years and she is SO relieved to have it done. It is absolutely gorgeous! It's a big one that measures 54" square. 

Here are a couple more photos so you can see the details better.

I absolutely love the antique black background she did. It's been fun to watch this rug grow and progress each month, but I'm sure she's looking forward to hooking on a new project - probably a smaller one! LOL

Vicki was doing some handwork on a couple tuxedo aprons she was making for her sons-in-law - they were so fun to see. She offered to model it for me so we could see it better. I guess she previously made ruffled aprons for all the girls. 

Remember the little purse I shared a couple posts ago? Well, Nancy has finished the hooking on her version and now it just needs to be assembled. The colors she used make me think of ice cream sherbert - YUM! I like that she did totally different designs on the front and the back. You can see the lining fabric off to the left. Can't wait to see this one finished.

She also had this rug totally finished - a free design in a recent RHM that she added to and altered a bit to make it her own. This one's cute too!

And these are the rugs she's working on now. She had a small piece of linen and decided to use it to make three small pillows. This one is finished........

.....and this is the one she's currently doing - great wonky little house. The third one hasn't been designed yet.

I started a little rug that will probably be a table mat - made from a quilt design - it will have a light background. Hope it works up quick.

I recently won a fabric giveaway from Kathie Holland who blogs at Inspired by Antique Quilts and they came in the mail yesterday - can't wait to use these fat quarters of great oranges in one of my quilts. Thanks so much Kathie!

A Small Project & 1st Tuesday Rug Group

Two weeks ago our rug Guild had a meeting where we learned how to make a darling small bag. We used lots of the techniques that Ali Strebel taught us when she came to Utah last summer - especially quillie flowers and proddy. I got a pretty good start on mine that day, and when I got home I was determined to finish it up - otherwise it would have ended up in a pile of UFOs and who knows when I would have gotten back to it....... 

The paisley fabric was the inspiration for the color choices I made. The lining is stitched totally by hand to the outside of the purse.

You can see some of the other color combos that the group made here on our blog. It is so fun to see the versions that people created.

Yesterday was our annual outdoor meeting at Kay's house for rug group. I didn't snap as many photos as I thought I did, but I do have a few to share. Tonia has finished hooking her Three Billy Goat's Gruff rug and was crocheting the edge while we were there. Her next project is all drawn on linen - it will be Little Red Riding Hood. Fun rugs!

Sandy finished her fall rug and was also crocheting the edge on it. Love those colors. (sorry the picture is crooked)

Angela has been having a love affair with vintage sewing machines for a few years now - I think I heard her say once that she owns about 35 different ones. She has recently begun buying old damaged Featherweights when she finds them. Then her hubby repairs them so they run like new and gives them a fresh coat of paint in the most wonderful colors you can imagine. This is the first one that they've finished and it's totally awesome! She has started a blog to document her journey.

Last year when I made strawberry jam, I added the ingredients in the wrong order and it never set up properly - turned out more like syrup than jam. So a few days ago I dumped it all out and made two fresh batches that are perfect. Now it's getting eaten almost daily on toast and peanut butter sandwiches!

I recently finished reading the very last book that Maeve Binchy wrote before she died in July. She's been one of my favorite authors for a long time, and I really tried to savor each page and take my time with this one, but as usual, I gobbled it up because I enjoyed it so much.

And finally I wanted to share a pet peeve. I often used to use my 40% off coupons at Jo-Ann Fabrics to buy magazines cuz they're SO expensive these days. Then they started have them on 'sale' for 10% off so the coupon wouldn't work. Now I've discovered that their coupons state that they cannot ever be used to purchase magazines - what's with that? ARGH!

Hubby's Art Work

My husband is a very talented artist. He usually paints desert scenes from Southern Utah with red rocks and lots of blue skies. However, he has done a few wood carvings too. He recently completed a piece and entered it in a juried art show where it was accepted for display. On Wednesday we made the one hour drive to the Springville Museum of Art to see it and the other pieces of art in the exhibit. It didn't win any ribbons, and no one has purchased it, but after seeing the other art on display he's just thrilled that it was accepted at all! Various pictures below - including the commentary that accompanies his piece.

We were amazed at this piece that was on display too because it was so similar to his!

Years ago he carved this dragon who sits on a shelf by our front door. He calls it the Watch Dragon and it guards our home against intruders. So far it has worked great! LOL

You can probably tell from these pictures that his taste in art and my taste in quilts & decorating don't exactly mesh so we've had to divide the house up into 'territories' and are given free reign on displaying our work there! LOL

A Rug, a Peacock & Some Quilts

I finished my punched rug this morning and got it all pressed - now I just have to finish the edges. I must say I'm not in love with it - the loops are terribly uneven and twisted - some are even folded. I'm glad I tried the Oxford punch needle though - it was a new experience for me  - now I'll go back to hooking and use my favorite Hartman hook for all future projects. This rug measures 15" x 19".

You need to pop over to my friend Tonia's blog (BaaRamEwe) and see the great hooked rug project she just made - an insert for a step stool that her hubby built. I haven't seen it in person yet - she leaves tomorrow to attend and be a vendor at the Denver Hook-In on Saturday and I'm sure she'll have some available for purchase there.


Last night my quilt group drove up the canyon to eat dinner together at a nice restaurant. They're famous for the peacocks that wander around the property - when we drove up, this guy was showing off his full splendor for us in the parking lot! The weather wasn't nice enough to eat on the patio, but the food was good as always - and we enjoyed visiting.

I saw a handful of wool quilts at the HMQS I attended in SLC last Thursday - thought I'd share them with you. I've never made a wool quilt - seems like it would be kinda bulky to work on although these were cotton with wool applique - I guess that wouldn't be so bad. 

And this was a vintage quilt in the show that was over 100 years old - looked brand new! I love the vertical rows and the colors and the design itself. All the seams were set in - very labor intensive - and if I remember right it was hand stitched. It looked very contemporary.

Mother's Day Surprise

I had the best Mother's Day EVER yesterday when DD#1 gave me this for a gift:

 I cried (of course) and hugged her and hugged her - we're all so happy for her & her hubby! (sigh) 

Now - back to our regular blog topics - LOL! Last week at rug hooking, Marliss had her fish rug completed and was asking advice on how to finish the edge - hopefully she figured a way that would work for her and maybe we'll see it totally finished next time. This is a Polly Minnick design.

Her new project is a monogrammed pillow for the couch - the family's last name is Scott. She's planning a bright border for it and it will be a fun addition to her decor.

Sandy brought a darling little quilt she made for a grandchild soon-to-be-born. She also had a new runner with watering cans and a tea towel with cute rouched flowers on it.

She's making progress on her pumpkin rug - I love the splash of purple she's added to it.

Kim is working on a big rug that will make her window seat a more comfy place to sit when it's done. It's her own design and will be a 'map' of the United States. If you look closely you can see the outline of the Eastern Seaboard already completed and the blue ocean off to the right. Fun!

Jeanette is working on a rug that was a free pattern in a recent issue of RHM. I love the little quilly circles used for the sheep's curls and that little owl sitting on his back is darling - they're so popular right now and seem to be popping up everywhere! I also like the irregular shape of the rug.

She even suggested I snap a picture of the magazine so it would be easier to people to locate the pattern if they are interested in making this design themselves - so here you go. Thanks for being so thoughtful Jeanette!

Sharon is finishing the piano keyboard border on this big geometric and it's going to be awesome when it's finished!

I'm still plugging away on my rug made using the Oxford punchneedle, but it doesn't look too much different than the last time I shared a picture of it - so just go back a couple posts to see!

On Saturday I attended my class for Pam Buda's Prairie Women's Sewing Circle and one gal had made a class project in a much smaller version. Pam suggests using 1" hexagon papers for this, but she used 1/4" and it was AMAZING! I love how she fussy cut a lot of the pieces. It's laying on a white piece of paper that measures 8-1/2" x 11" so you can get an idea of how small it really was - gorgeous work!

I attended the HMQS in SLC on Thursday and will share a few pictures of the quilts I saw in my next post. If you want to see some right now, head over to my friend Janet's blog (The Rogue Quilter) and check her's out.

Aloha!

Spent all of last week in Hawaii with family - we had a wonderful time - went to a beach every single day - got sunburned of course. We saw whale spouts off in the distance and hubby & the kids got to see a three foot sea turtle while they were snorkeling as well as tons of tropical fish. 

My favorite moment came when we 'hiked' up to a waterfall (the trail was wide - and paved - so it wasn't really much of a hike). There were a bunch of people swimming in the pool at the bottom of the falls. After awhile they got out and I realized they were all local Polynesians. Before leaving they lined up along the edge of the pool and sang a song that echoed off the rock cliffs - it was spontaneous and authentic - not canned entertainment like you'd see at a luau. Awesome!

I only did a small amount of sewing in the airport and on the plane - just too busy the rest of the time. I appliqued a couple of basket blocks that I've been working on for ages - I remember stitching them in Portugal when we went there about four years ago and I haven't made much progress since then! 

And I got a couple tiny Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks made.

This is a project from a recent issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine and it'll probably take me years to make this one too! LOL

 Both of my rug groups meet this week so I'll be able to share pictures by the weekend. Today is hubby's birthday - I'm going to meet up with him in the afternoon and we're going to see an art exhibit where he has a wood carving on display - I'll share pictures of that too. It's good to be home.