Garden Quilt show Part 1

Can you believe it? Finally pictures of actual quilts on a quilting blog! I know, it's been a while. (Do you recognize the little table topper in the middle?)

This is part 1 of pictures from the Garden Party/Quilt Show this past week. I decided to spare your internet connections and to not blow your minds all at once because I took many pictures. There were that many good quilts. So there will be a part deux.

Here's a close up of the beautiful Dresden Plate quilt on the left. I am itching to make one of these. I'm in need of a good hand-work project right now and I think this would be perfect.

More close-ups.

And a close-up of a close-up. This sweet garden quilt was made by a wonderful woman that I work with at American Quilting, Marilyn Yerkes. One of the sweetest women I know. (But most quilters are.)

Do you recognize that basket quilt?

Here is a close-up of the Thanksgiving Quilt. This pattern is by the amazing Lori Holt.

Do you recognize these puppies?

Another closer look. I love these little guys. This pattern can be found here.

These applique quilts were spectacular. Oh wow. This one by Bunny Hill Designs is called Rabbits Prefer Chocolate. I've always loved this pattern, but I think I lack the commitment to make it myself. So I always enjoy staring when I see one some other gifted soul has created.

This Christmas quilt was equally spectacular. Gorgeous applique. I think this is also by Bunny Hill Designs, but I'm not certain. Anyone out there know this pattern?

Look at the detail work. And the fabric choices were gorgeous too.

And to wrap up part one, a sweet little Summer sampler. Again, I don't know the pattern, so speak up if you do.

I hope this has wet your appetite because there is more to come! So grab a bowl of ice cream and come back soon.

Kindergarten

This boy is starting Kindergarten today. I think we'll both love it.

His private 'assessment' with the teacher yesterday was hilarious. In many aspects he did better than I ever thought he would. Counted to 100 all by himself - except he proudly said "1,000!" at the end instead of 100. :) I heard him get stumped on recognizing a letter and wondered which one it was. Turns out it was 'A'.



Here's a little sneak peak of the quilt show last night. I'll post more pictures later. Time to fill more boxes.

A few random good things

Check out this fabulous pile of vintage sheet goodness! The roll of aqua binding was left over from this quilt. It's perfect with this bunch so I'm going to get a little more to bind this quilt too.

I just scored a few more GREAT pieces in an exchange with Evelyn. You must check out the beautiful quilt she has made. I love it and I SO want to make one. Sadly, it will have to wait. After this picture was taken, I petted (is that a word?) each piece one more time before they all got packed away until they move to their new home.

A couple more items for local folks:

Would you like to hear Heather Bailey in person?
Heather is coming to Utah as the keynote speaker for Touchpoint - an annual event for Women Entrepreneurs. Awesome, right?? This event is hosted by StartUp Princess and founder Kelly Anderson. She does amazing things to help women starting their own businesses and trying to balance motherhood as well. One of her proteges is Sarah Jane. Go here for more info on the conference.

(image found here)

If you're in the mood for something a little more casual - like a stroll through a garden full of quilts - there is a free quilt show tonight in Orem at the home of Amy McClellan: 459 N. 1080 East. This is the fourth or fifth annual quilt show in her beautiful yard. It starts at 6:30 and goes until dark. There are also free ice cream sundaes! Could it get any better? I promise to take lots of pictures for those of you who can't make it in person.

Finally, many thanks for the kind wishes from the last post. After re-reading it I was worried that I sounded like such a whiner. Really, it was a pretty funny day. (except the part about hitting the car.) And such is life with young kids. In the thick of things life can seem overwhelming, but hindsight, it's pretty hilarious.

'Exlporing our new 'hood' OR 'A somewhat stinky day'

Neighborhood, that is. Check out this cute little shop down the road from where I'm moving!
These pictures come with a story to share, if you care to read it.
Or you can just enjoy the pretty pictures.

The day after we got home from Maryland last week we went to register at our new school. Which took a bit of time. After that we went to see the house we are buying -because at that point I'd only been inside once and wanted to be reminded what it actually looked like. And scope out closets, yard, etc. My sister met us there with her kids and by the time we were wrapping things up we needed to feed our hungry kids some food pronto.

So we decided to see what food options were in our new neighborhood. We found a Wendy's to get food for the kids, but on the way we passed a place called Barbacoa that makes GREAT burritos which sounded much more appealing to the adults. And because it was 98 degrees outside and we were desperate for air conditioning, we decided to be supremely tacky and take the kids' Wendy's food inside the burrito place. These are the things you have to do when you have 7 hot, hungry cousins and only two adults. But it was worth it because the burrito was GOOD. And the place was mostly empty, so we didn't feel that bad. Except for the two other diners in the whole restaurant who were unlucky enough to have 9 starving people sit at the table right next to them.

By the time we left I was feeling pretty harried, I admit it, despite my lovely sweet pork burrito. And what did I do? I backed into a parked car behind us in the parking lot. And it wasn't just any car. It was a black Mercedes sports car that looked like something Edward Cullen would drive. *sigh*

Well, my guardian angels must have been using their muscles that day because when I pulled forward there was no body damage to either car. Just two scratches of paint off the bumper on the Mercedes. [Which is still going to cost us $500.] So I re-parked my car, went back into the restaurant and interrupted the same to guys we drove crazy before to ask them if one of them was the proud owner of a once-perfect sports car.

I had been debating whether it was worth the effort to haul all four of my kids into the new quilt shop in the same shopping plaza, but after my embarrassing experience, I figured I needed a pick-me-up, despite the risk of further humiliation.
Needless to say, the shop did its job. Look at those beautiful bolts! This is a little shop called Just Sew in Highland, Utah. (Or maybe it's Alpine, Utah. I always get confused with the borders.) A cozy shop, but every bolt of fabric was wonderful and well chosen.
While I'm there my girls are being patient and my boys are playing happily at another lovely kids' table while I browse. Until the three-year-old announces he needs to go to the potty. And it's not just a quick trip. Fortunately the shop had clean and convenient facilities. While we're in there taking our own sweet time, the 5-year-old bursts through the door and announces he has to go as well. And again, it's not just a quick trip. He has to sit down too!

I am convinced my boys have a Pavlovian response to quilt stores. From the time each of them were babies they would always pick the moment I ran into the store where I work to fill up their diaper, so I would then have to hurry and get out of there before they would stink-up the joint. Seriously, I can't even count the times that has happened. And apparently it's not just the store where I work, it's ANY quilt store.

It must be some kind of defense mechanism for little boys. My husband still visibly cringes when he sees the JoAnn Fabrics sign because of the memories of spending time there with his own mother as a kid.
So our quick trip turned into a much longer trip than anticipated, but it wasn't fruitless. I've been collecting a bit of vintage Christmas fabric for an etsy project (that is obviously going to be delayed this year) and fell head over heals for these prints. I had never seen them before - they were introduced to me by my new friend Aunt Spicy and they are adorable. They are by Sheri Berry designs for Lyndhurst Studios. You have to check out the link to see her other designs. They are SO stinkin' cute.

Just like my boys. :)

Signs that Summer is coming to an end . . .

The sunflowers are at their peak.

Even my pathetic little plant is giving us some fresh tomato goodness.

The package of water balloons is almost gone.

Oh yes, and school started today!

When my 3-year-old got up this morning he saw his big sister with her back pack on and said, "Summer is over?!" and I said, "kind of." Then he asked, "what's it called that comes next?" Me: "Fall." Him: "Oh yeah! Fall! I better go rake some leaves!" (only it sounded more like, "wake some weebs.") Fortunately we're not quite to the raking leaves point.

Another sign that summer is drawing to a close: No new pictures of quilts. [have you noticed?] I've been consciously trying to Live in the Moment. As a result, my sewing output has become non-existent. And that's. Okay. Living in the moment has been trickier still with trying to find time to start packing-up our house. Bleh. I feel somewhat overwhelmed by all that needs to be done in the next couple of weeks.

But I'm sticking to my commitment. Like on nights when there's a gorgeous rainbow display after a wonderful summer storm. I was so ready to put the kids to bed and just get on with what needed to be done. But I consciously chose to let them enjoy the beauty of the evening and when that same three-year-old asked if I would sit and watch him play t-ball in the garage (during the rain) I actually did it. And I'm glad.

I hope you are enjoying some wonderful end of summer moments.
What have been your favorite?

Good-looking quilts for good-looking guys

A few weeks ago I was flipping through an L.L.Bean catalog and saw these two quilts. I loved both and filed them away for inspiration for future projects. (Like post-move at this point.) I especially love that triangles quilt - it would be perfect way to bust through some of my American Jane fabric stash. It particularly reminds me of this quilt, and looks a tad easier.
So guess what my wondering eyes beheld when my mother-in-law showed me the newly decorated bedroom for her 2 youngest boys. Great minds do think alike. And have really good taste.

These are those two boys, my husband's younger brothers. They are pretty much the perfect uncles because not only do they like to play Wii with the nieces and nephews like most teenage uncles, but they'll also indulge them in playing "Star Wars" or hunting down bad guys, have squirt gun fights, teach them how to do cannon balls into the pool, and tolerate watching little kid shows. They also make my kids laugh like no one else. We're so lucky to have them.This is what they looked like when I first met them 12 years ago.
Their older brother was pretty cute too.

And because they have a wise and wonderful mother, she lets them add their own decorative touches to the place.

Antiquing in Maryland

Frederick is an old federal town full of lots of Revolutionary and Civil War history.

And full of lots of charm.Frederick, Maryland is also renown for it's antiquing opportunities.
There are antique shops everywhere.

For fun we hit one big place called The Emporium full of lots of individual booths. We weren't planning to really buy anything for a couple of reasons: difficulty to transport it home on an airplane, not wanting extra stuff to pack-up and move in a few weeks, and after becoming a thrift-store visitor, I have a hard time paying the increased "authentic antique" mark-up.

But we still had a great time looking.

And there was A LOT to look at!Perfect example of mark-up: Vintage Pyrex.
Cute, but twice as much as you'd pay at the Salvation Army.

I loved all these chairs! The Chippendale at the top was painted pale robin's egg blue and was child size! I also loved the variety from the upholstered Eastlake chair to the metal lawn chairs from the 50's.

This rose-colored chenille bed-spread almost made me pull out my wallet.
(Disclaimer - I only brought my little point and shoot camera and the
lighting wasn't great to begin with, so the pictures don't do this
bed cover - or any of this stuff - justice.)

I also stared at this little feather-weight for a while.

But I didn't know how I'd get it home. So I bravely walked away.

But I've saved the best for last.

There were lots of beautiful antique quilts.
And some pieced quilt tops.

Awesome fabrics!!

Each of these little hexagons were about the size of a quarter.

Again, the lighting doesn't do it justice.

Fantastic applique quilts.
I would be equally happy to give each one of them a loving home.And I loved the colors in this star quilt.
I love this pattern, but always wonder if I'd have the patience to make it.We didn't walk away from all these temptations totally empty handed.
My girls were dying to each take home a treasure, so after much deliberation we found these two mini butter-pat plates. We decided they would be perfect for their Samantha and Nellie dolls and they would be much easier to transport home on the airplane.