July First Friday

When I found out Barbara Brackman was to lecture at the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival, I was about as excited as I could get (without embarrassing myself!).  Not gonna lie, in the grand scheme of the quilt world - she’s my quilty crush!  Eleanor Burns – you know I bow down to you, Nancy Doan – you rock the demonstrations……but Barbara….. you complete me!  Since I fancy reproductions during the 1800’s, her blog "Civil War Quilts" is my main source for their historical story.  Barbara is funny and witty, a book author, blogs and resides in my great state of Kansas.  I could go on and on, but you should check her out!

Civil War Quilts

Material Culture 

Disclaimer:  Any views or opinions expressed in this Blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Barbara Brackman at Civil War Quilts and Material Culture.  This Midwest chick is in no way involved with the either blog.  I’m not on her payroll, In fact I’m sure she don’t even know I exist.  I’m sharing because I appreciate complimentary directions, patterns and quilt a-longs like any other budgeted quilter does. 

Don’t forget, "Shop Local Saturdays" which always follow First Fridays.  Show your local quilt shop some shopping love!

Sunbonnet Sue and Tina?

Wow!  Pun totally intended!  2015 is the first year for the Kansas City Regional Quilt Festival.  Local guilds assisted in pulling together one of the best Quilt Festivals our metro area has seen in a while. Three fun filled days with more than 90 vendors (YES! 90 – that’s some serious shopping!), workshops, lectures and quilt displays from area guilds. 

The first order of business was to check out the Kaw Valley Quilt Guild (from Lawrence, KS).  I’d heard through the quilting vine, if you purchase raffle tickets for their opportunity quilt, you had the pleasure of having your picture taken in their booth.  Most either love Sunbonnet Sue pattern or well....despise her.  Myself, I'm not so fond of 30's icon.  Meeting my quilty friend Sue and her sister Cheri at the festival, I begged Sue (appropriately so!) to join me in this monumental photo!  

Me on the left and my buddy Sunbonnet Sue on the right! 

All in good fun, right….. Sue?  

June First Friday

Now that life has slowed down somewhat – I’m ready to resume my favorite First Friday cyber hangouts.  I’ve mentioned once or twice (or maybe more!) how I appreciate the freebies and sew-a-longs blogs or sites have to offer.  Sentimental Stitches goes above and beyond when it comes to Freebies.  On their Free Patterns tab, they have a wonderful list of blocks and miscellaneous patterns.  A few patterns are retired and for sale, but there is a long list of freebies.  

If you do nothing else, check out the Midget Blocks under the Free Patterns Tab. There is a total of 196 blocks with the first 50 being retired.  Did the skies open up?  Did I just hear a chorus of sweet angelic voices?  Honestly, I thought I'd hit the jackpot when I found those magnificent midgets.  

I love almost everything about this site, with the exception of all the advertisements.  On occasion I click on the wrong link and end up in cyber space.  Stick to her tabs, and you’ll be fine.  

Disclaimer:  Any views or opinions expressed in this Blog are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Gay at Sentimental Stitches.  This Midwest chick is in no way involved with the Sentimental Stitches Website.  I’m not on their payroll, In fact I’m sure they don’t even know I exist.  I’m sharing because I appreciate complimentary directions, patterns and quilt a-longs like any other budgeted quilter does. 

Don’t forget, "Shop Local Saturdays" always follow First Fridays.  Show your local quilt shop some love tomorrow.

R-n-R Continued

Since my point and shoot camera is out of commission, I’m using my cell phone for photos - which isn’t working out so well.  For whatever reason I thought I had transferred all the photos over to share on my last bloggy post.  Not so.  Being a vintage nut, I feel like I must share these lost lovelies with everyone.    

First, here are two more of Kelly Ashton’s creations.

Love both of these!

On to the vintage dish!

This is most lovely!  A treasure from 1935.  

Vintage hand quilting still intact.  Beautiful.

Revitalized and Rejuvenated!

Call it what you want, but I have been jump-started!  Let’s be honest, I’ve had a case the sluggish 6 pointers and the hexie ho-hums lately.  These projects of mine have gone on for-e-v-e-r!  It’s a slow and tedious process and the results aren’t happening fast enough.  Don’t I sound whiney and high maintenance?  Clearly, patience was not a virtue bestowed upon me….

But last night, a woman named Kelly Ashton gave me the kick in the pants I’ve needed.  She rocked my mathematical world at quilt guild with her 60 degree Patchwork.  Math and I never really got along, so I’ll stick with calling it hexies, triangles and 6 pointers - It doesn’t make my head hurt as bad.  

Anywho, Kelly has a book "Hexagons, Diamonds, Triangles, and More:  Skill-Building Techniques for 60-Degree Patchwork" in which she shares her piecing technics and ways to create vintage quilts in an updated fashion.  I was hooked when Kelly said she machine pieces everything…….who, wha, what did she say?  That’s right, no hand piecing!  So while I’m fumbling around with my throw sized quilt, she’s cranking out multiple quilts.  Now, we all know quick-n-speedy quilting isn’t always the best (that’s what I keep telling myself), but it would be nice to have a vintage looking quilt put together in less than 5 years……right?

Below are a few samplings of Kelly’s quilts.  Machine pieced with modern fabrics - Very nice.  

Kelly may have a flair for the modern, but her love of collecting vintage quilts is stellar.  I tried to photo as many as I could, but I wasn’t the only one drooling over her collection. 

Cheddar quilt - first I've seen with an entire cheddar background

I hope this is clear enough to see the hand quilting – stunning!

This quilt has a double pattern going – pie shaped 6 pointer and 

a triangle pattern.

Love these fabrics!

Baby....oh baby!

Imagine my surprise when I found out I was going to be a grandma again!  My daughter and husband just got their youngest in kindergarten – it wasn’t that they were trying to get pregnant, but weren’t doing anything to prevent it either.  Both figured if “it”  happened - fine, but since "it" hadn't by now, it wasn’t going to.  What do they say about famous last words or a big’ol Karma bite on the keester?  Not only she did find out she’s pregnant, but she’s having twins!  

A few days ago my daughter shared the sonogram results – both girls!  Now I can start on their first baby quilts!  I’ve been requested NOT to do anything in pink.  Yeah!  Like my daughter, I’m sick of seeing pink and more pink on baby girls. It’s over-done and I'm ready to move on to other colors.

It’s time to bring on the baby quilts!

Daughter Jamie, has requested I make miniature baby versions of the 1930’s repro I’m making for the spare bedroom.  A little surprised…. I’m a repro lover, but the 30-something crowd is usually into the Amy Butler, Kaffe and Tula Pink designers – not the Aunt Grace line!  Am I starting to look cool and hip to her?  Well ......doubtful, but I have a great stash of 30’s and really looking forward to scrapping up some baby quilts.

Close-up pic of the spare bedroom 30’s Repro border.  For baby quilts I’m imagining 3inch nine patches and a children’s print for the setting half square.  Hmm, this grandma’s got the creative juices flowing.

Lastly, I want to share my Mother’s Day gift from my youngest.  Sam surprised me with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and a new rotary cutter.  Does this 25 yr old young man know his mother or what?  What I would have given to see this 6’5” dude walk in a quilt shop, locate and purchase a rotary cutter!!

When life hands you lemons...

I hadn’t been home from my quilt retreat but a few days when my mom had a stroke.  Not one, but two strokes within days of each other.  In technical terms – she’s had a stroke/hemianopsia.  Three small brain bleeds and one large one.  To me, that sounds super serious but once the neuro-surgeon explained everything..... had anymore bleeding occurred she would have been paralyzed, so they didn't consider this as bad as I did. Since this happened on the right rear side of her brain, it’s effected Marge’s left side. The stroke damage has taken her left peripheral vision from both eyes.  Some weakness on the left side of her body, but she’s workin’ out the kinks at the rehab facility.  It’s been a couple of weeks since the initial stroke and she’s been able to regain full use of her left side, but still has left side blindness.

Does that mean Marge has let this get her down?  Ah no, she’s trying to manipulate me into breaking her out of the rehab facility. She’s bored and tired of being in bed.  I’m starting to worry she’ll barter “favors” to get a good cup of coffee – which means a cup loaded with caffeine.  She’s keeping me on my toes….I took off work while she was hospitalized and I visit each and every night after work at the rehab – each day I see her progression and with each day that ol’bird is getting ornerier. 

Coming home for my mom could be right around the corner.  Let’s hope it’s before I get a call she’s been found down the street at Starbucks!  

Now for lighter thoughts and some quilt dish!

I’ll admit I’m a snail at piecing.  But I started off the quilt retreat without having my project totally cut out.  So once at my destination, my rotary cutter didn’t stop until bed time.  Needless to say, my high hopes of completing the quilt didn’t happen. 

I have 5 additional rows complete which I haven’t added yet – then I’ll be slightly more than half done.  This 30's repro was intended to be the summer quilt for the spare bedroom.  Good thing I didn’t specify which year…

Wouldn’t you agree it’s important to support local and small businesses?  Of course, right? My thoughts exactly!  As we made our way through northern Missouri towards the retreat, we made a few stops.  And, seeing how I wanted to unwind a little, I couldn’t help but think this local establishment had just what I needed……