Vintage Moments class pictures

This is the third class in the six class series I'm teaching.  We are using "Vintage Moments" by Marsh McClosky.  This is Barbara's center isn't it beautiful.  I just love this class.  We have the best students.  The quilt is a challenge but when you come out of this class you will now be intermediate quilters at the least.  

Here's Rita working hard at designing her center.

Becky is piecing her center Lemone star.

Lynette really is working hard.

Here is the center of Linda's center.  Love the colors!

I had a fun weekend. It was nice to get out of the apartment and be around friends. We also celebrated Katrina's birthday but I forgot to take pictures. Martina, Stephen and the kids came back with us last night and spent the night. They are on their way to Disneyland. Remember we are a great stopping point on the way down to Southern California. Hint, Hint!

I had to add this picture in of Ephram (5) taking apart the junk computer that Papa gave him.  Jeff (Papa) is so excited by Ephram being interested in everything Science.  Yesterday at Katrina and Eric's, while playing with Papa outside, Ephram kept saying that he wanted to see a black widow.  So Jeff showed him a spider web and said that if it is sticky it was a black widow web.  Well, sure enough, it was and out came a black widow.  Ephram was so excited.  The kids had a science lesson right there in the backyard.  These are the moments you treasure!

The Top is Finished!!!

I finally finished the top of the quilt I am going to teach at the Orange Blossom Guild.  I haven't made a quilt this big in awhile (70 x 84).  It is an original design so now I have to spend time making up the pattern.  I call it "99 bottles of beer".  It is made with 99 - 6 inch blocks.  I actually would have made it a little bigger but I ran out of the light blue star fabric.  I have seven blocks left.  If I only had 4 - 1 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch pieces I could have made it one more row bigger.  I did not have even a 1 inch square left.  Besides I didn't really have any time left.  I even mitered the borders.  I hope it lays flat for Linda when she quilts it.  I am not always good with borders. 

I found two bead stores today.  I forced myself out of the apartment and went shopping.  The first bead store called "Beads & Other Stuff" was a friendly little store that I know I will spend more time at.  The other store, though closer, was a little cold and not as friendly although it was a bigger store.  It is nice to have a choice.  Now if I can only find a quilt store!

Still a WIP

I am still working on this quilt but now all the blocks are done and on the wall. Next putting them all together.

Yesterday I found the Joanna's.  I was on my way to Target (don't go to Target the day before school starts!  What a zoo!) and it was right next door.  So I began collecting for my next challenge.  Fifty dollars later this is what I ended up with.

Show and Tell

I can finally show you what I have been working on.  This is my quilt for the Kings River Quilter's Guild challenge.  We were all given a picture from a magazine of a room and we were to interpret it anyway we wanted to but must use five colors from the photo and one applique or embroidered piece.  I don't have the picture but it was of a living room with traditional chairs, windows, tables, a mirror and a large plant.  Here is my interpretation.  I didn't win anything but it could be because it was in a dark corner when displayed, most everyone there is into very traditional quilts, or because it wasn't good enough.  There was one quilt that was spectacular that I liked as viewers choice.  It won for best quilting and she didn't even quilt it herself.  It was a beautiful quilt though.

But this is what I got for participating which was totally worth it.  I thought that was a great idea.  It is really a nice bag.  I like having a bag from the different guilds so I can keep things together for each one in a seperate bag.  Of course, now that we have moved I won't be able to go to the guild!  But I love it just the same.

I did email the president of the guild here in Santa Clarita but have not heard anything yet.  I thought I would wait till we got into a house but that may be sometime yet and my husband is worried about me being lonely (bless his heart). 

Here is what my secret pal gave me from Kings River (for two months).  I forgot to take a picture of the wind chime that is hanging on my extra room in our apartment that I use for a quilting room.  The flowers bring some brightness and happiness to our little apartment.  There are strings of beads tucked into the flowers.  What a cute idea.  Don't I have a great secret pal!

Spent the day with the girls and the grandkids shopping in Valencia. There came down for the day to shop for Katrina's birthday.  We had a great time.  The kids played in the kids play area as the girls went shopping for a dress for Katrina.  It is hard watching four kids run back and forth through lots of other kids.  In fact at one point I lost Daniel (18 months) because he climbed over the banquet seat style walls.  I don't know how he did it but there he was wandering on the other side toward the escalators.  I about had a heart attack when Ephram and I could not find him.  I don't think I ever want to do that again.  I still don't know how he did it without falling over and hurting himself.  Just makes me upset all over again just writing about it.

We had to say goodbye to our house this weekend.  We found out last week that we had renters that wanted to get in by today.  We thought we had two more weeks but guess again.  We had so much to do!  Painting, repairs, yard work, still had stuff to put in storage, and cleaning.  We could not have done it without our friends.  Thank you Linda M.(who is the neatest painter I have ever seen), Peggy (who painted and thankfully took all the extra yard pots), Martina, Katrina and Eric (who worked so hard doing whatever we asked), Mark (who hates putting up window covering and plumbing but did it anyways), Debbi and Rick (who worked hard Saturday and then fed us that night - great Margaritas by the way), Michael and David (who did all the dirty work), Bob (who is storing some of our junk), and Jim (who worked even though he had thrown out his back).  By Saturday night we were exhausted.  We spent the night in the Hanford Comfort Inn.  First time Jeff ever spent the night in a Hanford hotel, having been born here.  It is bitter sweet saying good bye to such a wonderful house and town.  We have lots of memories and even more special friends.  Onward to a new journey.



Work In Progress Wednesday

Here I am in our new apartment and things are better this week. Last week was pretty emotional but I am doing better. And I finally have Internet here. We are off to Hanford again this weekend. We found out our house needs to be ready to rent by Monday. We are now in Panic Mode. We maybe working all night to get it ready. Not looking forward to that.

This is the latest project that needs to get done.  I am teaching this quilt at the Orange Blossom Guild next month but need to have this top done in the next two weeks.  It is my own design and I decided I wanted it bigger.  So I continue to work on it.  I spent the last two days getting entry forms and quilts (sleeves and labels) ready for two quilt shows that are coming up.  I needed it all done by this week. 

Here are the ribbons I won at the Kings County Fair in July.  This was the first time I entered.  I entered ten quilts and received nine ribbons including two best of shows and a $44 check.  Not much for best of show but I guess it will buy four yards of fabric.  There isn't a quilt store here but I found the Beverly's Fabric Store today.  They had some really nice fabric but not the thread collection I am use to.  Nobody has thread like Thimble Towne!

It was Ephram's first day of school Monday.  I spent the night Sunday so I was there for his first day.

He is so excited to learn to read.  He just keeps saying he wants to read and do science.

Here is Ephram with sister Keira and teacher Mom.