silly girls

Here are the next 2 blocks I made for my guild challenge quilt. In a couple months it will be my turn to choose a 12 inch block for everyone to make.

















This next picture is of the lilies blooming in my backyard. 14 years ago, before we were married, my husband gave me a box with 2 lily bulbs in it. The name on the box was Silly Girls. I think he was trying to be funny and sentimental at the same time :0) Every year without fail they brighten the garden in July. We have moved twice in that time and with each move I dig up a clump and bring them with me.



















Happy quilting!!!

outdoor show

I have been working away on all the same projects I have posted about before so I'll post some pictures from an outdoor quilt show I went to the same weekend as the Little House party. It was a gorgeous day - a bit breezy and the quilts were wonderful. The show was out at Lorraine Stagness's farm in the country. The view across the prairie is wonderful from there!
I love these circles - I could study this quilt for a long time.

This one I just thought was so pretty.

These next 2 were made as mystery quilts - there was about 7-8 of them - all different - hanging on a clothes line with the prairie as the background.I hope next post to have something of my own share.

Happy Quilting!

little quilts

My three daughters and I were invited to a Little House on the Prairie party this past weekend. It was held out at an old ranch near the mountains. It was a lovely party with old fashioned food, games, crafts... The children looked so cute dressed up in their bonnets and dresses. Near the end the hostess talked a bit about quilting. She had these lovely little quilts displayed - she had made them all from the book Prairie Children and their Quilts.She then gave each child a quilt specially made for them! I have 3 daughters so we came home with 3 quilts!!!

This one was for my youngest. She's 18 months old and just loves dolls. This quilt is perfect for a doll quilt.

Daughter #2 received this one - we plan to make some checkers and play.

My oldest daughter received this one. What special and lovely gifts! The party itself was a gift. What a beautiful day to remember

back from holidays

I haven't posted for awhile because we went away on a family holiday. We went on a road trip to Seattle. We had beautiful weather and a wonderful time. I planned ahead for 2 quilt shop stops and enjoyed both very much. My family was very patient with me.
The first shop was The Buggy Barn. I was so pleased when I saw it was only 22 miles out of our way. The setting for this shop is wonderful - the countryside is so lovely there - it is surrounded by wheat fields and so much blue sky. It is a small building but they pack it full of wonderful fabric, patterns, and samples.

The second shop was in Des Moines just south of Seattle. I had seen this shop featured in APQ Quilt Sampler spring/summer 07. It was just like in the article. In addition to loads of lovely fabric they had wonderful books that you just don't see in Canada.

I just LOVE this book!!! Page after page of incredible antique quilts and stories about the women who made them. There is endless inspiration to be found here. Oh yeah - I bought some fabric too. :0)

This is the WIP project I brought along to work on - I didn't get much sewing done though. I posted the pattern for this on March 25. I'm not real happy with the orange or purple flowers so I will pick them off and try different fabrics. I am happy to be home now and eager to get sewing again.
Happy Quilting!!

another ufo

I have been busy sewing basket blocks and 25 patches but since I posted about that last week I will show you a ufo that I have sitting on the shelf.
I got the blocks from a "pizza box" challenge with my guild. We put some fabric and some guidelines and one completed block in the box and passed it around to everyone in the guild who then made a block for your box. I really like the blocks and I got busy right away and made the setting triangles. And now I am stuck - I don't know what to do about borders. I sort of want the quilt to be larger. I've thought I would like to make wide appliqued borders for it but I'm not sure if it would be too much for an already busy quilt.

We went camping over the weekend at a beautiful mountain lake near the town of Nordegg. Nordegg is a mostly abandoned coal mining town. Several old buildings have been boarded up a long time. I like this one - the blue doors always make me smile. :0) I wonder what the building was used for... plus the view is wonderful!

Happy Quilting!!

something new

I've been working away on this quilt for awhile now - I think there are enough blocks made now to get the idea of the quilt I am making.

I had been wanting to make a basket quilt for long time and I had been collecting pink and brown fabric for it. When I saw the basket quilt on the front of the May/June 09 Quiltmaker magazine I knew I wanted to set my baskets with 25 patches too. I modified my basket block from a 9 inch block to a 10 inch block to simplify the math. I've lots of blocks to make yet - it will be a single bed size quilt when its done. I'm making it for my youngest little daughter.
A friend of mine sent me a link to this blog with an article about a "real" Mrs Sew & Sew. http://needled.wordpress.com/ (scroll down to her May 19 post) I never heard of her before. She had some informative pamphlets! :0) I got the idea for my blog name from the name I have always used when I have tea parties with my daughters.

A second look through my pictures of the old quilts convinced me that I have shown my best pictures already.
Happy Quilting!!

old quilts

My parents headed out this morning - it was a good visit. So now on to the old quilts from the quilt show. I wish my pictures were better - the quilts were WONDERFUL. Some were laid out folded, some were displayed on bed in rooms where you had to stand behind the cord... So I did my best.
This one had a wonderful variety of fabrics.

I love the scalloped border on this quilt.

This quilt was particularly difficult to photograph - the quilting was marvelous. I think the blocks have so much interest pieced from striped fabric.

This quilt was amazing - 100 years later it is in unused condition. I love quilts with Flying Geese and the fabric is such a warm lovely cheddar.

I have never personally seen such tiny even stitches. I had read about quilting like this and seen pictures of it but in person ... its incredible!

There are more - but I couldn't figure out how to load more than 5 pictures into one post. If there are people interested in old quilts poorly photographed I will post more later. :0)