Finally, a minute to write. I've been so busy with customer

quilts, Sew What business, and family.

Speaking of family, DDIL called and said it won't be

long before baby girl makes her appearance.

She had her weekly Dr appointment today.

My bag is packed, and my project ready.

Here is what I'm working on.

"Winter Wonderland" #408

by Crabapple Hill.

I told the gals at the quilt shop I'm on the four year plan.

It will take me 2 years to do the embroidery work.

One year to piece the blocks and set it together.

Finished size 64" x 71".

And another year to get it quilted and bound.

I have quilted 2 of these for customers

and loved the combination of piecing & embroidery.

I am making mine in blue and white instead of the red.

Here is the latest in embroidery hoops.
It is so much better than the old tension hoops.
With this one you tighten and loosen it using a knob.

The best thing is your thread can’t get caught.
It’s by Clover, as is the needle threader.
And boy, do I need that needle threader!
I couldn't stitch without it.

In place of embroidery floss I’m using Sulky #12 in variegated blue.
One strand is all you need.

While I was working on my needlework
my granddaughter started a project of her own.
She cut and sewed felt pieces together to make a purse.
She was so creative with appliquéd hearts and a pocket.
I showed her how to do a running stitch
and tie a knot “one handed”.
We had so much fun chatting and stitching.
I’m going to look for stamped cross stitch for
her to do on our next visit.

Here is grandson #2. He is such a cutie with his blond hair.
He loves to be outdoors.
He wants to grow up and be a “hunter man” like his Dad.

Here’s my oldest grandson who fought having his picture taken.
He's at that age, you know.
If he’s not playing ball,
baseball, basketball, football or soccer
he’s playing video games.

I'm quilting a customer's witch quilt that is so darn cute.

I want one!

Wait til you see the pictures on Friday.

Pumpkins, Flowers & Quilts

Oh, I’m sorry I’m late. I meant to post early this morning but

I’ve been sooo busy getting ready for our weekend trip.

We are going to visit our 3 “older” grandbabies.

Thank goodness I baked all those chocolate chip cookies a few weeks ago!

Look at the cute plates I found at Wal-Mart ($3.97) to put the cookies on.

And the little pumpkin filled with flowers is from JoAnn's.

All their floral arrangements are half price.

This little cutie was under $5.00.

Perfect hostess gifts.

Check out this beauty. An authentic 1930’s scrap quilt.

I mean scrappy!

The binding is half finished as you can see in the picture.

I plan to finish up the hand work tonight while I watch

the presidential debate. I'm so glad McCain didn't back out.

I'm anxious to hear what they both have to say.

This quilt top was found by a friend

who was cleaning out her parents house.

She put it in the washer/dryer before giving it to me.

This caused the seams to get "lumpy"

and some of the fabrics to shrink.

While this made it more difficult to quilt,

I think it turned out fabulous!

A large meandering, to hold the

3 layers together, was all it needed.

I used muslin for the back and binding.

Look at these lovely vintage prints!

Just beautiful examples of the era.

I couldn't decide which one was my favorite.

How about you?

This next two photos are customer quilts I did this week.

Lin is going to applique white wool

dandelions in the 3 strips. And scallop the edges.

I put curved feathers in the border,

and butterflies and roses in the squares.

Millie used gorgeous African prints.

She has quite the collection!

I quilted an overall pattern using gold thread.

Well, that's all I have for now.

I'm taking my snowman quilt to work on in the car.

I'll share the pattern and all the details next week.

But let me warn you. Your going to want to make one.

It's THAT cute.

I quilted one for a customer and just fell in love with the pattern.

Did I just write SNOW?

The weather here is still beautiful and warm.

Perfect to spend outside with children.

Playing in the leaves.

The Last Taste of Summer

It was a busy weekend. Our sweet baby boy is growing up so fast.

We sang the “ABC” song all weekend and now I can’t get it out of my head.

His vocabulary grows with every visit. I’m amazed.

He and his buddy, Bo-Bo, the dog, are so entertaining!

On Sunday, my friend Kathie and I, took a road trip to

Pecatonica, Illinois.

It is about a hour drive depending on what scenic route you take.

The “Pec Thing” Antique & Flea Market is one of the largest in the area.

Over 400 sellers inside and out!

We walked around for 6 hours and still didn’t see everything.

Oh, but what bargains we found.

Beautiful hand embroidered linens, dishes, vintage aprons.

One vendor had 75% off everything in his booth

and Kathie bought 3 complete sets of her Blue Willow dish pattern,

still in the original box, for less than $4 a set.

Needless to say, two trips to the car thru out the day

was needed to unload our goodies.
My treasures include a drying rack, display cabinet,

vintage pillow cases, dresser scarf and two child size aprons.

Oh, the thrill of the hunt!

The weather has been beautiful here in Wisconsin

(into the 80’s during the day and cool at night).

I know other bloggers are decorating for Fall, but I just can’t.

I’m not ready to give up summer yet!

No matter what the silly calendar says.

Because you can’t fool me this year.

I know what comes after the spectacular change of color…..white.

A quilt show on Friday......I've been busy with customer quilts.

Today is Tuesday, the 23rd, no matter what the blog posting date says.

Baking & A Book

Pumpkin Bundt Cake

1 pkg. Yellow cake mix
2 eggs
¼ cup water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup (15 oz) pumpkin
2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Grease and flour 12 cup bundt pan.
In large bowl blend all ingredients.
Beat 4 minutes at medium speed.

Pour batter into pan. Shake a few times to be sure to remove any bumps.

Bake until a tooth pick or skewer inserted in center of cake

comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool cake 10 minutes. Remove from pan and top with glaze.

I have also dusted with powdered sugar in place of glaze.

Glaze

2 T butter

1 cup powdered sugar

1-3 T milk

Heat butter until melted. Stir in powdered sugar.

Mix in milk one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency.

Drizzle over cake. Let set for 30 minutes.

*******************************************************************

The Shack by William P. Young

I learned about this book from the MQR forum.
The story wrestles with the timeless question,

“Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?”
Four years after his little girl was abducted,

Mac receives a note from God to meet him at the shack

where she was apparently murdered. The story unfolds at the shack.

It's one of those books that I will have to listen to several times.

Have you read it yet?

Our sweet baby boy is coming to visit.

He and his Dad are bachelors this weekend.

DDIL is out of town with girlfriends. Shopping, eating out and sleeping in.

Now, if they just took sewing machines I'd be temped!

Until next week..... Stay safe and have a great weekend.

Karen

Retreat Results

Look! Here are the two tops I finished this weekend.

I bought this kit at Expo. The fabric line is called

Merry & Bright

and the pattern is Boxed Blessings.

Isn't this fabric fun?

Ribbon candy, peppermint stripes and red polka dots!

The pattern is quick and easy with clear instructions.

I can't wait to make another, maybe in fall colors?

Or wouldn't it be cute in 1930 reproduction prints?

Now just to get it quilted before Christmas!

The colors look washed out in the photo. But trust me.

The lavender & sweet baby print is perfect for the new room.

The pattern Dream Baby is a super easy 4 patch.

The border fabric makes the quilt! So sweet.

This is the backing fabric included with the kit. Paper doll clothes!

The weekend was such fun. The four other gals were a joy to be around.

We laughed so much! And the food was delicious.

Oh, and my Oak Leaves & Reel quilt needs one border sewn on to be finished!

Retreats are the greatest!

Back to Reality

My quilt show/retreat weekend is over and it took

me all day Monday to recuperate!

The Quilt Expo was outstanding.

We walked around the show for 4 hours.

This by far was my favorite booth

Nifty Thrifty Dry Goods .

Click on the link and check out her beautiful web site.

Full of vintage buttons, trims and ribbons.

Each of the vignettes were arranged by color.

Her pin cushions are to die for!

These photos were taken from her website.

The booth looked exactly like this!

Here are a few of the treats I found.

Nancy's Notions had 1 yard cuts of fabrics for $5.00.

I thought these Christmas prints would work in well with my stash.

Isn't this just the cutest 4th of July print?

And look at these coffee fabrics!

I am going to make a table runner for "everyday".

I know I have plenty of browns on hand to go with the mix.

Hubby & I are real coffee lovers. We grind beans for every pot.

Here are a few yards of twill tape from the Nifty Thrifty booth.

Plus I bought 2 kits which I was able to finish at the retreat!

One using "Merry & Bright" Christmas fabrics the other

perfect baby colors to match baby girls room.

I will give you retreat details and show you my finished tops tomorrow.

I have to get to work now!

P.S. Hubby & I went to see Burn After Reading with George and Brad. Don't waste your money! The best part of the movie are the ads on TV. So disappointing. And George is tooo skinny.

Fabric, Friends & Food

I'm on the road heading to the Quilt Expo in Madison.

It is the highlight of Fall for me since moving to the area.

Hundreds of quilts on display. Eye candy for the quilter's soul.

Not to mention 140 vendors! Talk about temptation.

Each booth calling to me to stop and take a look.

While there are plenty of lectures and classes

being offered, I am not taking any.

Instead I'm heading for a weekend retreat!

A few of my Sew What sisters and I are

sewing Friday afternoon to Sunday without interruptions!

I am going to make the Oak Leaves & Reel quilt like the one pictured below.

If you remember, I quilted this for a shop sample last May.

All the applique is really a printed panel. So it should go together quickly.

I thought it was the perfect fall quilt to hang in my entry way to say "Welcome".

Beautiful, don't you think?

I wanted to share with you a tote bag I just love!

I filled it with a second set of notions and keep it ready to go just for classes

and retreats. That way I'm not having to pack up every time.

Cuz, of course, I'd always forget something.

I found this cute luggage tag last year at Expo.

Wonder what I'll find this time?

Don't worry, I'll share all my goodies.

Nancy's Notions Tote

Handy pockets are great for notions and tools on the go! Four zipper pockets. insert easily by hook and loop tape along center spine.

A balanced diet is having a cookie in each hand!

I baked chocolate chip cookies to take to retreat. They're always a hit.

Just for something a little different

I added a bag of Reese's peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips.

Talk about good! Here's my favorite recipe.

Have a great weekend! See you next week.

Quilts-Quilts-Quilts

This adorable snowman quilt is from the book

Simple Seasons by Kim Diehl.

The book is filled with beautiful seasonal quilts and delicious recipes.

So much fun to quilt! This is a shop sample for

Life's a Stitch Quilt Shop.

Details of the snowman.

"African Coins" from Las Vegas customer Millie. Beautiful fabrics!

I quilted African symbols with gold metallic thread in the black border.

A flannel cuddle quilt for sure!

I'm getting ready for a big "quilty" weekend.

Details on Friday!