Sewing and a present

This is a darling "Lil Twister" quilt I received last week from my blogging friend Helen. We were trading some ideas, and this cute quilt showed up in my mail.  It is made with Australian fabric.  I absolutely love it.  Helen is in need of support, as her husband and son, each have health issues.  I am sending my thoughts and prayers to her.

Here are my last blocks that will wing their way to France later today.  My friend Isabelle, and I are doing Bonnie Hunter's, Oregon or Bust.  We are making each other 2 blocks a month, using our stash.  We each make 2 identical blocks, one for me and one for her.  This is so much fun, and a great way to make a full size quilt!

Saturday and Sunday I worked on these. They are called "Farmer's Market" and are table mats from the magazine "All Small" put out by Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publications.  When I saw this I felt like I just needed to make them.  It was a fun "small" project.

This quilt, "Cottage Garden Path" was an online pattern of the month back in 2006.  It is published by Jeanne Rae Crafts. She has this pattern for sale now.  I had fun making the quilt.  It was a project I had worked on, and when I moved got put away.  One day while going through a box of projects, found it and to my amazement only needed to have the bottom row put on and borders added.  This weekend, I finally got the binding sewed on.  Another older project DONE!!!  What a a great feeling that is.

I did get some of my sewing space cleaned up.  I am trying to get reorganized and rearranged.  Now that I have had the sewing space for almost 5 years, I can see how I would like things to be.  Time to start working on it.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  I am off the the post office, and to see my Dad.  Looks like a bit of a rainy and gloomy day.  We can sure use the rain. Have a good week sewing or quilting or whatever your hearts desire is.

Mary

One the road again.

Last Tuesday we went to the "Quad Cities" area. We visited John Deere Harvester.  Went on a tour to see how these big machines are made.  Now I am not a farmer, but it was interesting.

Had to check out the American White Pelican.  These birds do fascinate me. 

Checked out this quilt in  LeClaire, Iowa. American Pickers are based in this town as well.

Straight No Chaser, was the group we went to see.  They are a 10 man a Capella group. We saw them on public TV. They are on U-Tube as well.  Andy, our son had given us tickets to see them, as our Christmas gift.  It was a great show.  The auditorium was packed.

Saturday, I drove to Grand Rapids, Michigan to attend a baby shower for my girlfriend Linda's, daughter Becky.  Linda and I have known each other since we were in 6th grade.  That is a lot of years ago.  This is the quilt I made for the baby.  Becky is due May 7th and it is a girl, but they have not revealed her name yet.  We started a baby pool. I have April 30th. We all seem to think she is going to come early.  

This deer decided to come visit in Linda's backyard.  It was so good to be able to catchup with Linda and her sister Gayle.  It has been a long time since we have had the chance.

Sunday afternoon I drove to Jane's house in Lansing.  It was fun getting together with her too.  On Monday, she and her friend Sharon took me to 3 quilt shops in the area. It is always great to meet up with other quilters. Sharon is making a t-shirt quilt for her granddaughter.



This is one of them. Kean's Store.  It used to be an old fashioned dime store. Several years ago they turned it into a quilt shop and gift store. This store is in Mason, Michigan.  We also went to "Around the Block", in Portland, "Everlasting Stitches" in Holt.  It was a fun day.  We met another friend, another Mary, for dinner that evening. 
On Tuesday it was finally time to drive home. I had such a great time with everyone.  It was good for me to visit with them.  We have always helped each other.  I came home feeling like I can tackle all the things ahead of me.  Friendship support is a great thing.

I did get the hand quilting done on the two needle keeps I have been working on.  Only the binding to go. Maybe tomorrow I will have pictures to show of a couple of finished projects.

Have a great day sewing or quilting.

Mary

Saturday Fun

 Saturday I got an early start, as I had all these places to go, people to see, and things to do! This is not necessarily the order I did everything, but meeting Suzi Parron was the most important.  I attended the the lecture and book signing of Suzi's new book "Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement." The gave a very interesting lecture, and of course I had to have her sign my book.  Suzi and I have been corresponding about barn quilts for a couple of years.  It was so much fun to finally meet her.  When I walked into the lecture hall, we saw each other, and it was as if we had met before.  I grinned ear to ear for the rest of the day with the memory.

 Kankakee has a wonderful barn quilt trail. You can request through the mail for a new brochure each year with the quilts that were added the previous year.  This year they are planning to add 15 new quilts on barns.  Each year they have been making a quilt that pictures the quilts added the previous year.  The quilt above is 2011's additions.

 There was a reception, also.  Look what they did with the sandwiches, pinwheels. How cool is that!

 It just so happened that on my way home I would be able to go by 2 of the newest barn quilts.  Above is Churn Dash, on the Goetz farm in Manteno.

 Here is Rolling Star on the Meyer farm in Peotone.

On my way to Kankakee I had stopped at Sunrise Greenhouse, owned by they Woldhuis's.  We found out about this incredible place last year.  Rows and rows of flowers, shrubs, and trees.  I did pick up a few things.  My husband has not noticed the yellow magnolia tree I brought home.  I did purchase a few perennials and those gorgeous begonias you see in planter baskets.

I stopped and picked up the "food" he wanted from Ambrosino's in Frankfort.  He actually had a list of things to pickup! One being a meatball sandwich, which was hot at 10:00am, and a bit soggy at 8:30 pm, when I arrived back home1  Good thing for coolers.

I also stopped at "Tom Shelf Quilts" in Frankfort. I was looking for a specific piece of fabric. They did not have what I was looking for, but did have a pattern for a cute basket. So got the supplies to make one of them.

Then to top the night off.  I had gone to sleep and just before midnight a noise outside woke me up. Hail!!!! Here is what was outside by the patio in the back of our house.  We could really use the rain, but hail?? It did do a number on the tulips and flowering trees that were starting to loose their flowers.

Tuesday, my husband and I are traveling to Moline and Davenport.  For Christmas, our son and his girlfriend got us tickets to the Adler Threatre in downtown Davenport to see a group of men, Straight  No Chaser, sing.  He also booked a room in Moline for the night.  We have seen these fellows sing on the local PBS station.  I will be back in time for Thursday sew.

We are looking forward to going on the sleepover!

Hava great week, happy sewing or quilting.

Mary

Sewing

I have been a little busy with some sewing.  I am making signature blocks for the Dear Jane Signature Swap.  This year we have to make only 50 blocks.  Tonight I have them sewn, and signed.  I did get the binding on one quilt this week too, picture to follow.

What a week. This whole computer thing has got me in twit.  Still have not figured out to fix what is wrong.  I had someone over this morning to try his hand.  Nope! It is frustrating.  I can write, using my laptop. I still cannot log into blogger or google on the home computer.  He did set it up that I can print using the home printer.  So something good happened.

Sewing on Thursday was great.  I got most of the signature blocks, cut and sewn. I have been trying to get some of my projects organized.  I so want to rearrange my sewing room.  It is in desperate need of being cleaned up.

Tomorrow should be an exciting day.  I am going to Kankakee. Suzi Parron who wrote "Barn Quilts and the American Quilt Trail Movement" will be at the public library for a book signing.  I purchased the book when it came out.  It is such a great book. On the way I am going to stop at Woldhuisfarms, in Grant Park.  I would like a yellow magnolia.  I missed out on them last year. There is a coupon for Regal Geraniums,(not sure what they are, but will find out). It's Spring, who knows what I will find!
There is a quilt shop in Frankfort, Top Shelf Quilts. The last time we were down that way, we found a super deli, Ambrosino's. My husband has made a list for things to purchase.

I will be armed with selvage from some fabric I am looking for, a cooler for food, a pen for signing book, and the van to haul it all home!

Have a great weekend. Hope everyone gets time to sew or do something that makes you happy.

                                                                              Mary

Help

Good Morning, I need help, computer help!  As you can see I am writing on my blog.  Only problem is, I can do this on my laptop, but not on my home computer!  Last week something happened. I was trying to change the picture on my header.  I kept getting a message of my Picasa album is full, no space. Well, I did try to delete some pictures thinking that might help. Nope.  I tried to change the picture a bunch of times. Nope. I kept getting error messages. Now I can't even sign in. It is as if google accounts and  blogger does not exist on that computer!
 
Now, I cannot get into blogger, or my google account on the home computer. I also, have found out I have two google accounts. One is connected to the blogger account, (which I can't access on the home computer) and another one that I have g.mail on, (which somehow I get to, but don't care if I have) I get to my blog, and it redirects me to a diagnostic page that says it can't connect.  I can't get to blogger or google to try to get an answer. My friend Sharon came over to try to see if she could help, Nope. Yet, I can get into my blog on the laptop. . I have now added more space to the album, but afraid to try much.  I am not a computer minded person. What I have learned is by myself, or a kind person helping me.

Did I try to access it too many times, and been locked out?  I get to signin, click on it and get reconnected to the diagnostic page.  Today, I did notice that when I pull up my page on the home computer, no followers show up, as it does here on the laptop.  It appears everything else is okay on the home computer, I keep trying to signin daily, but nothing. 

I don't have the laptop connected to a printer, so can't print off any patterns I am following on a couple of sites. I hate messing around with settings, as I am sure I am really messing up.  I have always said I know just enough to be dangerous!

Does anyone have any idea of what I can do to get my blog and google accounts back on my home computer? I would appreciate the help. 

Have a great day sewing  and/or quilting.

Mary

Sewing

My friend Jane has been in town for a few days.  We sewed a lot.  She has her twister quilt top done, except for borders. It is a great looking quilt.

My sewing this week was getting 26 pillowcases done.  One more pile of fabric is off my sewing room floor. I think there is one more pile of pillowcase fabric to complete.

Have a Happy Easter.

Mary

Spring has Sprung

Yesterday, my husband Ron, Dad and I went for a drive through Morton Arboretum to take in some of the spring time goodness.  It is an amazing year for the redbuds.  I have never seen so many beautiful trees.

There were fields of bluebells.

So may violets.

And of course, my personal favorites, daffodils.
When we arrived it was a bit dreary. As we drove around the sun came out.  It was beautiful.

Happy Day, Happy Quilting

Mary