We're Back (and) in the Saddle Again

 ....Out where a friend is a Friend...

Even though my vacation did not materialize the way I'd imagined....it was a GREAT TIME just the same.

 

 ...spent time with my littlest Babe at the Aquarium of the Pacific:

 

....had some beach time:

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Eeje, Ana,
Dez,  Me.) 

.

 

 

 

..breakfast at Richies in Victorville (apparently a well-known place) with my sister, Renee, and  Dez, my niece.

 

...Graduation!  AND, Party !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It takes a village to launch them!

Parents, Siblings, Aunties, Grandpa and Grandma (me 😊)

 

 

 

...Wrapping up a wonderful trip in Lake Tahoe with my *bestie, Peggy.  It was so beautiful! And, relaxing.

 

 

 

 

 

Now I'm ready to get back in the swing of things in my 'ol Kentucky Home.  

Stay home, save money and finish UFO's

 

Did I accomplish ANYTHING in the Studio in June?  Why, Yes I did: 

 

 

A quick baby quilt for a dear, young mom-to-be.
(Off to the LAQ today.)

I've used this pattern several times before...one of my favorites.
Petal from The Pine Needle...a great fabric store in Lake Oswego, Oregon...sadly, no longer there.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you know, I finished and gifted three memory bears to my *bestie, Peggy, in memory of her husband Terry. HERE

One for her grand daughter, one for her and one for her daughter. She loved them, she cried... then she asked for three more. (Story later.)

 

 

 

 

I've made all the mistakes with the first three, so these should be quick.

Happy 40th Birthday to my Baby Girl, Ana.

 

 

A small wall quilt ...  Rosie O'Doggie.  We adopted Rosie when Ana was in High School....we had her 10 years before her passing.  

She was a good dog.

Paper-pieced...the pieces were teeny and I'll admit I did not remove all the paper from the backside....It is a wall hanging, so who will know??? 😀 

 The Plan now:  Finish the additional bears and be ready for July. 

*Peggy and I go back to the mid 1970's...yes, we are THAT old.

 

Yet Again

 ...We make our plans, but they might not come together the way we imagined.

I hit the road on May 30, headed to Las Vegas to see the nieces.  The first leg of my three-week driving vacation....but the car had a different idea.

 Now I'm back home, the car is in the shop and I'm making a new plan.

Reaching Back

 

 

Here it is...already Mid-Month!   Work has been WAY busier than I like...after all I am semi-retired. 
But I will not complain because next month I will be working very little as I will be traveling!

 They say a picture is worth a thousand words...this is my June Travel Plan and I can hardly wait!!

A recap of AQS Quilt Week in Paducah, KY. 

For the first time EVER I was actually able to attend classes during Quilt Week.   Well, I did miss one...The Spruced Goose...because I was still sick with the pesky hives. 
I was so disappointed, but it was what it was.

This class was taught by Nancy Mahoney and my quilting friend, Carolyn, said it was very good and fun.  I have all the fabric and the pattern so I'll just have to sew it up on my own.

 

 

 

The second class was "Quilt Brain" taught by Kestrel Michaud.  It was WAY outside my thought process, but that was the point of the class.  To get us to think about quilt making in a way we had not thought before.  I did enjoy it.  Miss Kestrel is an excellent teacher.  I would take additional classes taught by her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The One That Got Away

This wall quilt by Kestrel Michaud
won "Best Wall Quilt" at the Show. 

It is also the cover photo for the May edition of
American Quilter magazine.  Well Deserved!!

 

 

Still working on FMQ.  Practice, Practice, Practice!! 
Yes, You CAN Free Motion Quilt.

Jenny Lyon was another Instructor Extraordinaire.  Knowledgeable, Engaging, Encouraging. I wanted to BE her!!! 
Miss Jenny gave us a lot of tips and tricks...who knew it mattered if your machine had the "straight stitch" plate or the "zig zag" plate?  Well apparently it makes a difference. (PSA, use the "straight stitch" plate when FMQ-ing.) Thank you, Jenny Lyon.

My grandmother always told me "If you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all."
And we will leave it at that for the final class I attended, "Fabric Postcards."  It did not meet expectation.*

 

It was not a total waste of time and money, the class sewing machines were top-of-the-line Janome machines....VERY NICE!!  So many cool features.  I especially liked the feature that when you lift your foot from the pedal, the presser foot goes up and the needle goes down....too cool!   However, even the "show special" price took my breath away.  I think I'll stick with Miss Millie, thank you very much.**

 

What would a quilt show be without ALL THOSE VENDORS!

 

 

I do enjoy browsing the vendor booths, although I must say I'm at a stage in life where I don't have to have every new fangled gadget. 

 

I did not buy much from the Vendors.

 

Finally, Fair Food and People!

One of my favorite things to do during Quilt Week is to sit down at a table full of quilters and say
"So, where are you from?"   Met some fun ladies that week.  And, discovered two things....Thing One: the Paducah Quilt Show is pretty-much regional.  Everyone I met were mostly from neighboring states...huh?...I always thought people flocked from all across the country.  I suppose because my Auntie and I flew from the Pacific Northwest every-other year to attend this show.  But, apparently we were the exception (because Mom and Joy were here, I'm supposing.)

And, Thing Two:  True Southern women are very cultivated.  Every woman I met from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana...True southern states... were "dressed up": clothes not too casual, hair coiffed just right, painted nails, pretty jewelry....and many of them either brought their "mamas"or talked about their "mamas".  I loved them!  You could tell they made an effort .... they inspired me to do better putting  myself together each morning!  You never know who is going to knock on your door!

A shout out to all the local quilters:  If you are not a "local" you might not know that in addition to THE AQS quilt show, there are smaller, local shows all around the city....HERE is a FB link to one.

 

 

 

 

 

* When AQS sent out the Class Survey, I was honest about the Fabric Postcards class.
** Miss Millie: 

May Flowers

 

 

Don't you just LOVE May?  It's such a "just enough" month. 
Just enough rain .... just enough sun .... no  humidity yet. 
It's the best for ushering in summer.

I planted Cherry Tomatoes in a pot.

 

 

I get the best sun in the front of the house.
(I can hardly wait for those little Jewels!)

Quick April Recap.....Did I finish any of my April UFOs?  

Surprisingly YES (well, Almost)!  It was very enjoyable and I think it turned out so darn cute!!

We're On A Roll

 

 

I do still need to *FMQ and Bind, which I would have done last night but Millie has decided to "act up..."

Fussing with that ate up an hour...
by then I was out of the mood.

 

The APQ  UFO Number for May is "8" and the
River's Edge UFO Letter is "C"
and the same River's Edge Quarterly Project W1,
Peggy's Memory Bears (still have one to finish.)

 

 APQ's:  March number is 8.

Quite a few years ago I made a lap quilt for a grand-niece, "Olivia".  HERE 
At that time I had actually purchased TWO Olivia panels....now it is time for panel number two to be completed.

Panels are usually a fast, fun project. But, full disclaimer, May will be a busy month for me** so I make no promises.

 

River's Edge:  May's Letter is "C" 

 

 

I ain't gonna lie....I don't really want to do this.....it's a cut-out doll panel....purchased in a moment of weakness.   Riley Blake Forest Friends.

Why-oh-Why did I do this to myself?

On the Bright side....it's fast, it's easy and I will have a little gift to take to granddaughter, Catalina, when I see her in June. 

 

 

 

 

 

Machine Spotlight:

Miss Millie is taking the spotlight this month for a couple of reasons: 
First, this is the machine I sew on the most, but also I want to practice my *FMQ.

Janome Memory Craft 5200

This is NOT a fancy machine***...not a lot of bells and whistles.  I've had her about 15 years and I bought her used from Craig's list.  But she does what she does and she does it well without a lot of fuss 
(except when she's acting up...(see above.))

I took an FMQ class during Quilt Week and I'm anxious to put some of what I learned into practice. 
Miss Millie is the best gal for the job.

 

 A New Month....A New Plan ... Off We Go!!

 

 

      *FMQ:  Free Motion Quilting
  ** Getting ready for my driving trip in June
*** During Quilt Week, one of the classes used brand new Janome machines.  They WERE wonderful!
The  "show price" was only $6,000 (sticker shock 🤯)

Three Easy Steps

 How to TOTALLY Screw Up a Perfect Productive Streak.

 

 

.......It was a dark and stormy night....TWISTER!

Yes, I did know I moved to Tornado Alley, but this night there were 500 active tornado watches along six states...AND one flew right over MY house!!

Thankfully not much damage to our small town, but that string of storms ushered in a massive rain fall, dropping 15" of ran in about 36 hours...which resulted in local flooding.

Through it all my little house was protected, but it was a major disruption to the area.  Ok, One Down. 

...... Followed by an allergic reaction to a Medication.

Have you EVER had a really bad case of HIVES?!  It is not just a little rash, let me tell you!  Picture, if you will, thousands of  mosquito bites all (and I do mean ALL) over your body!  They blossom from swollen, itchy bites to massive red and purple, itchy splotches...all on FIRE 🔥.  And that isn't even the half of it....many other very unpleasant symptoms come along for the ride.  ... the mental fog persists even today.

Another week bites the dust.

 

They say things come in THREES. 
At least this third event was a pleasant one.

 

 

.... the Trilogy Ended with Quilt Week. Whew, relief!!

I was able to spend three wonderful days taking classes and drooling over spectacular creations.  Not to mention stimulating the quilting economy just a bit.

 

 

 

The three classes I took were all wonderful and fun (mostly). 
The instructors were excellent, passing along so much information...
I learned a lot.  I won't lie, I am a little jealous of their creative abilities.  (More about these later.)

 

 

Best of Show.  A February's Dream of Spring

The winner of Best of Show receives $20,000.  The quilt does become the property of The National Quilt Museum.
(I mention that because some winners have chosen to pass up Best of Show to maintain ownership of their creation.)
$20,000 sounds like a lot of money, but it probably took her many hundreds of hours to complete this quilt....She surely earned every penny.  Get all the details and close-up pictures HERE 

This is my personal favorite: Horse with No Name.  Thread Painting throughout.

HERE is a link to the complete list of all the Award Winners.   In total, AQS paid out $250,000 in prize money.

The week was an inspiration:  After the last Show day I came home and spent some time in the "studio" organizing and cleaning up and letting the quilting vibes rejuvenate my spirit.

Finally:  A Blast from the Past:

Quilt Week with all the Sisters (and our "driver")

 

This popped up on my FaceBook page yesterday. 
While the picture surely brightened my day, I was also a little sad as mom and Auntie are both gone now.

Next time:  Quilts and Classes.  

Now, Lord Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise (again), let's see if I can get back on my Productive Track,

And, Furthermore ...

 ... in addition to .... the UFO lists.

Sister's Birthday present:

 

 

 

 

 

 

My goal was to make her a different table runner for each month...but, if I hit the BIG celebrations, I'll be happy.*

She has a Very L-O-N-G table (72")...Happy Birthday, baby sister.

 

 

An addition to the Small Quilt Wall:  

 

Star Bright from River's Edge, the finished product from the Mystery sew-a-long a couple Saturday's back.  HERE

Practiced FMQ....it's coming along.

I like the River's Edge shop more and more...one of these days I'm going to go visit them in Wisconsin.

 

 

 

 

 

Finished up a Cat bed:

 

How could something so simple take so long to complete??
(hint....because it's boring...)

Lou already has 4 beds scattered around the house, but this came in handy when I washed two of his beds and they took DAYS to air dry.

(The inner pillow is muslin, then made a "pillow case" so it's easy to wash. 
Filling is scraps.)

 

I must say....I'm a bit proud of myself for accomplishing so much, so far this year....(the universe did not hear me say that...."Pride goes before a Fall"....Proverbs 16:18)

 

*No pattern for this runner.  I saw a picture similar to this and decided to make my own as I went along.  I'll admit, this is the second version....my first attempt was very wonky and ended up in the trash.

 

April is Brought to You By...

 

The APQ  UFO Number is 2 and the
River's Edge UFO Letter is "H"
and the NEW River's Edge Quarterly Project is W3.

APQ's:  April number is 2.

The memorial wall hanging I made for my Quilting Auntie Nyla using Row-by-Row license plates.  This is not TOO old....only a couple of years.  And, NOT the first time shown here.  

 

When originally posted as a UFO in 2023 the purpose was to learn to use the Flynn system for quilting. 
Let's see if I can kill two birds with one stone.

River's Edge:  April's Letter is "H" 

 "H" is two items:

 

A paper pieced cup....this was started WAY back .... WAY, WAY back...at least 15 years ago???  It was a class at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest in Salem,  OR.  (The store closed  in 2016. It was such a great store.) My introduction to paper piecing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And, the second item....the TP wall hanging.  I bought this pattern just before the "Lock Down."  Remember when everyone went nuts and filled their spare rooms, attics and basements with TP?  That was crazy, but the pattern is still too cute not to sew up.  

Looking at this pattern brought back fun memories of the Needlers and creating a Care Package for Miss Wanda.  HERE

 I sure miss those ladies....

 

 

 

The River's Edge Quarterly Project was to make covers for my large kitchen appliances....well, NO...just NO.  This is not the kind of sewing that "sparks joy".... so into the donation basket it all goes....thank you, Marie Kondo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Instead of non-joy-producing sewing, I'm going to make a quilt for my great nephew, Sterling.  That will bring us BOTH joy... he's a pretty happy guy most of the time, already.

There is a reason this is a UFO, even though it has not even been started...Truth be told, I've had this pattern for "a while", a LONG while.  And I'm going to see this little guy in June, so perfect timing.

 

 

 

There you have it...the plan for the month....I've made my list...
Lots of FINISHES.  I feel motivated, and I ain't foolin.