Local Quilt Show

This Weekend Lake Norman Quilt Guild  held their "Sailing On A Summer Breeze" quilt show in Mooresville, NC.  It's been awhile since the last local show and I was ready to go see some Inspirations.
If you click on the link above you can see some behind the scenes photos of getting ready for the show and of the judging.

Over a year ago or more, my hubby and daughter bought me a new camera mainly for me to take to quilts shows so, of course, I had it with me today.  I began taking pictures of the quilting in some, the colors in others and patterns that I really liked.  Well then all of a sudden..... DEAD BATTERIES!   WHY!  Seem like those batteries last forever but never die when you are just taking a picture of nothing special!  UGH.
Note to self.... change camera batteries before quilt shows!  Note to vendors at quilt show... SELL BATTERIES!  lol

I have been a fan of Susan Brubaker Knapp and her wonderful art quilting.  She happens to be a member of the Lake Norman Guild and I was Thrilled to see so many of her pieces at the show, up close and personal!
I have seen many of them online, but to actually see the real piece... amazing!
Here is one of her lastest and one of my favorites.

Well before my camera died, I did get a few other pictures.

My daughter is wanting a new quilt in purples and greens. Looks like a good combination.

This one was just...wow!

This one looks really fun and easy. I would like to do one in bright colors.



I'm not a pink fan really, but I do like stars!

I think the colors contrasts really make this work.

Just about the time my camera died, I came across this small wall hanging, so

I had to use my iphone to get the picture.

This received a Third Place in "small pieced" catagory.

I was kinda suprised when I saw it because....

Here is my version of the same wall hanging!

How Cool is that?  I did enter this in my county fair and did win a first place

ribbon in the "wall hanging"!  This isn't a great picture of it, washed out looking.

This does hang in my office at work!

Here is a link to a few more pictures I took.

LakeNormanQuiltShow

Just gotta brag a bit....

Brag on my baby boy!

My son Nathan has been rediscovering all his talents lately.

He has a natural talent for the gift of music and has taught himself

to play guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and now violin or fiddle

depending on what part of the country your from!  lol

He has just started trying his hand in oils and canvas too.

Lately he has gone back to younger days and started drawing and using a pencil

and sketch book (electronic style)

When he was little he would draw stick figures and make all the sound effects to go with!

About a month ago Nathan posted pictures on his facebook page saying he was going

to keep doing this until he gets it right!  Then he said that he hope to do a

children's comic book somehow. He is a kid at heart and always will be! 

Here are a couple of those pics.

The other day he posted about sixty pictures he has recently drawn.
As his Proud Momma, I loved them all!

You can see by these he doesn't have just one style.

Here is one I just fell in love with!  It is just so fun and whimsical.

Begin a quilter, I see things and think FABRIC!

So I just had to create this little guy from my stash!

Not having that artistic gene my son has, nor having much experience

in thread painting, and this type of quilting, I think I did pretty good. 

I did goof up on his eyes but it's ok.

All I know is I had a great time putting this together. 

I posted it on my facebook page

and Nathan thought it was pretty cool!  So all is good.

I hope y'all didn't mind my bragging on my baby boy just a bit!

Hopefully some of these drawings brought a smile to you

as they do for me!

Hexagons galore!

Oh My!  I thought this would be a simple pattern to take on! I'm beginning to rethink that thought!
I guess it really isn't to hard it just take time and a great deal of cutting and sewing the same shapes and
pieces over and over again.  It begins to get a bit boring and you think it will never end!

I originally found this pattern in an old McCall's Quilting magazine.  October 2008.  When son was here
visiting in  August, I told him to give me some ideas as to what type of quilt he would like. So I gave
him several magazines and books to look through and this one of his choices.

I purchased many of the fabrics at Hancocks in a 50% off all quilting fabric sale.

Some I purchased at my favorite home town quilt shop. Those I had to cut into the 2.5" strips.

The last fabric I purchased was from Connecting Threads and I bought

precut 2.5" strips!  Saved alot of time! 

I matched colors and then sewed two strips together.

Then I cut those strips into triangles using a 60 degree ruler.

Fliping that ruler back and forth to get all those triangles was a real pain.

I am sure there was an easier way to do that but I don't know what it is! 

From each strip set you get at least three pieces per colorway and have an extra couple left over.

The pattern in the magazine calls for 162 of these half hexagons. So I made all 162 of them!

Plus several more.

I put these on my working wall to see lay out the colors, then once that was done,

I began to sew one row across. Then I sewed two rows togethers and pinned back on the wall.

That is where I am at now in this quilt.

I now have to sew the two rows sets together.  That is gonna take a bit of work.

Some of them I can see are now going to line up correctly.

I think that comes from some stretching but mainly because I started on this project before Christmas and then when I started back this month I couldn't remember exactly what size I cut the first ones!

Oh well,  it will all come together like it should!

I just hope Nathan likes it!

Photo Book

Click here to view this photo book larger

Lookie what I got! For FREE!

Fabric Sample Books!  Lots of 'em!

A co-worker has a freind who is a fabric rep. He mentioned my love of

quilting and she mentioned she had some old sample books!

Hurray for Friends with Friends!

The fabric samples are really for furniture and draperies but some are

Sooooo gorgeous.

All I can think about is a Krazy Quilt!  Some pieces are already embellished with

stitching in several different colorways.

There is also some beautiful tapestry like pieces.

Most all of the patterns are in several colorsways.

There are even some FUN patterns with several different pieces

that go together.  Some have a small embroidery design too!

Most of the pieces are only about 10x12" so how ever I use these, it will have to

be a small project or projects!

Now I do have enough for a good size Krazy Quilt.

So if you have any ideas or patterns you might want to share, please do!

I'm thinking table runers, small wall art, maybe mug rugs!

I just LOVE Freebies!

Thanks Paul for thinking of me!

The Seeds are Sewn

Literally!  This weekend my husband, our daughter and me got the garden started.  We had purchased  small started plants, tomato, squash, zuchini, cucumbers and my personal favorite, okra!  I love that stuff and way, fried, pickle, stewed!   We put 13 tomato plants in the small area. 

 In the larger garden we tilled up 5 rows. Right now we have

beans and okra planted.  We will fill the rest with more

beans seeds and the corn plants we have already started in mini pots.

In the first row we have crooked neck squash, zuchini and cucumbers.

Here are my okra plants.

I am proud of my hubby as this weekend he has walked more than he has since his last back surgery.

The garden has given him a reason to "Want" to move and do something.

He actually was able to walk behind the tiller some. He did have to take breaks often.

We still have about 100 corn plants to get in the ground. OF course me and Lauren get to do that.

He can't do any bending like that.   I know every inch and every joint in my body aches!

But all is good!  OH I did find a piece of broken pottery in the garden.  We have found indian arrowheads out there before, so maybe they walked the same ground we do everyday!

I can't wait for the first tomato!  YUM!



Momma would be Proud!

Yesterday I went to visit my friends at the local quilt shop/hangout!  I haven't been there is quite awhile so I had alot of catching up to do.  Got caught up on all the gossip and new going ons around town and what everyone has been up to.

While I was there, Terri told me that Melanie was in the back sewing and was "IN LOVE" with my mom's old Bernina that is now at home there.  I haven't met her before so I was excited.  I went in the back and saw her working away thread painting using  my mom's old machine. "BART" as she calls it, because my mom had engraved her last name on, Barton, after someone had broke into their house.

She is an artist who has just recently discovered fabric and thread painting.  Melanie comes down
just about everyday to sew on "Bart" since she doesn't have her own machine.  She now loves working with fabric.  She is making a "face" quilt for the Downtown Art Crawl next month. She will be the featured artist at the quilt shop.

It is hard to see here, but these are molds of faces.  I can't wait to see the finish project.

I was hesitant to let go of my mom's machine.  She had given it to me a year before she past away.

Momma wanted to make sure I got it since I was really the only one of the sister doing much sewing.

I didn't have the space at home and I knew it would just sit around collecting dust.

So Terri offered to buy it from me to use at her quilt shop.  Then I ever felt the need to go visit it I could!

Well I am over joyed to know that I am not the only one who loves that machine!

I know Momma would be proud for someone who loves fabric to be using her machine!

Can't wait to see these as finished projects!



This and That

Howdy Y'all!

It is has been WAY to long since I last posted anything.  So this post is going to be a "catch up " post.'So here we go...

I met my sister in Atlanta for the Quilting and Sewing Expo, March 9-11.  WE HAD A BLAST!  This was a first for both of us. We spent all Thursday walking around looking at everything and of course we SHOPPED!  Friday, we had three different classes.  Here is a picture of the floor area from upstairs in a classroom.

There was so much to look at. We bought some fabric, patterns, tools and knic-knacks!

Here is my favorite finds!

Now I just need to wash my truck so I can put it on.

Here is some more stuff I bought on Thursday.

I bought the sunflower fabric to make me a new purse. So I did, a couple of days ago.

I am in the middle of making a wallet to match it.

These are some of the patterns I bought.

I love this turtle one!

I am hoping to practice my free motion using this pattern

(this is a pic of the sample one hanging up)

I want to practice my applique skills on the flower pot one.

The jacket pattern, that is just for fun!

The expo had several make and take things to do.

The one that I had the most fun with was the paint sticks.

I have never used these before but now I am hooked!

I just need some more lessons! If anyone knows of some tutorials online

please share them.  I need to learn when to use these paint sticks.

I love being creative, but I don't have that "artist" bone in my body!

Give me a pattern or something to look at and I'm good to go.

Saturday after the expo, I drove down to south Atlanta to see my kids.

My son and his girlfriend took me to one of their favorite places to do some

shopping for antiques and uniques.  A place named Kudzu.

We walked in the door and saw something I just had to have!

A Pink Zebra! 

Well when I saw the $1150 price tag, I decided I didn't like it that much!

This place had everything and more.  They also had several old quilts for sale.

They had one quilt with a signature and a date on the back.

Edna A Smith  1916 

This was in really good condition to be that old.

Price tag was $189

While in Atlanta it was a bit cold, rainey and windy, but that didn't stop the fun.

One day recently at home, it had rained one night and then the temperature drop to the low thirties. The next morning when I went out to my truck, the back deck cover had frost all over it. Nothing new but this time it was very unusual!

How cool is this? The rain/frost made the back of my truck

one big snowflake!

Well that's about it for now.  I have been playing in my new sewing playground and

still love it!  The more I'm in there, the more I love it!