Okay, maybe I've been watching too much BattleStar Galactica lately.... but my absence from blogging has been very full and it does sometimes feel like I've been planet hopping.
The week end of March 19th through the 21st was the spring Country Sampler Retreat and we had a blast! (Does anybody actually say that any more??? Probably not, I guess I'm showing my age... Oh well, it's hard being 38.... err.... 45... err... never mind.) And, wonders of wonders, I got some sewing done this time! Ya, I can hardly believe it either ... I'm usually flitting around too much, talking and keeping up with what everybody else is doing - that I don't get much done, BUT this time I actually finished something, plus started another project. Here's a couple of things I worked on....
This first one is a baby quilt that I planned to make for the shop, from the pattern Criss Cross, by Pie Plate Patterns. I love the baby fabric in this one, but using it in this pattern is not for the faint of heart. It's a beginner pattern, but NOT if you use directional fabric. You have to change all the cutting and piecing directions to keep the babies going in the right direction and therefore, you have to THINK. I'll probably keep this one for my personal use... I don't want to have to rewrite the directions.
The other thing I worked on was some four inch blocks from the book, The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt. It's a really neat book and we're working on a block of the month program using this book that will be available later this spring (more info soon!), so I wanted to get a little head start on some blocks.
A little background information on the book: In 1922 The Farmer’s Wife magazine held a letter writing contest asking farm women whether or not they would like their daughter to marry a farmer. They had an overwhelming response in the affirmative! Laurie Aaron Hird was so inspired by this story and the letters submitted to the magazine that, she created a 111 block, (6" blocks) sampler quilt! This new book begins with a short essay on life for women in America at that time and contains copies of many of the winning letters. There is also a CD containing the templates for all 111 6″ blocks.
So... a bunch of us started to make the blocks - some doing the 6" blocks, some making 4" blocks (kinda like the Dear Jane size blocks) - but we're paper piecing them. It's been sooo popular with all of us at Country Sampler, Ann has converted all - 111 blocks - to paper piecing (what a gal!) and we're gonna offer it as a BOM! Here's a couple of my blocks .....
Truthfully, they're a lot easier doing them as a paper piecing and they're such neat little honeys!
Although I was busy stitching, I did manage to take a couple of pics. This first one is a photo of our door signs for the bedrooms - Saturday was the first day of Spring after all!
And some photos of us sewing... aren't we busy little quilters!
And a few projects.... This first one is the portable design wall from our corner of the retreat. We like to see our progress!
And a beauty from Barb...
These next two photos are of Sarah Maxwell's quilts. She's our youngest member of the retreat (ya can just see a little of Sarah in this first picture) and a prolific young quilter! (You might know her mom, Tami, who works at the Papillion store.)
This last one is from Suzanne and Sandy, both work at Country Sampler. Sandy does all the piecing for two quilts and Suzanne does all the embroidery for two, and then they both have a quilt! This pattern is from Crab Apple Hill, called Friendship Bloom Over Garden Fences and we have a model and kit for sale at the Papillion store! Beautiful, huh?
Then, two days after I got back from retreat, I left for Florida. My husband's family has a rental house in the panhandle of Florida and once a year we "get" to go down and clean up, clean out, repaint and repair. The weather wasn't any better than it is here in Nebraska, but being by the ocean is really renewing... even if you're working! This is the house on the gulf....
I use to think I'd like a house on the ocean, but the upkeep is tremendous! The salt air is hard on wood, metal, windows, locks, furniture, floors, furnaces, air conditioners, stairs... everything! Can you see the bottom stairs have been buried in sand?? We've got to have the driveway dug out too... blowing sand everywhere! We painted porch rockers, cleaned windows, changed locks, cleaned out closets, worked on plumbing, and here's my favorite.... bought a new air conditioner (ruined by the salt air and sand after only two years... geez!). But it wasn't all work.... look at these beauties!
This is my FAVORITE meal - baked oysters and a bear.... heaven! But here's the best part....
Dusk at the beach... okay, maybe I'll rethink the house at the beach thing....
I came across you blog by accident doing a search for the book Scribbles Times Two.....I love your blog. You are so upbeat and the pictues are great....you gave me two more books to find and your Florida Beach House pics I loved. Greetings from New Hampshire.
Leslie Mallett, Grandmas Attic Craft Shop
Posted by: Leslie Mallett | 05/18/2010 at 08:17 AM