Memorial Day 2013

It was a rainy and stormy day in Missouri, but a good day nonetheless.  We entertained friends for lunch (ham/asparagus quiche, pasta salad and fresh fruit).  Asparagus is in season now and we have eaten it every day for a week.  It's never better than the first sprouts in the Spring.
     I did a little decorating in the house this week.  Memorial Day is the beginning of summer and for me it means flags and red, white and blue.  I have several small quilts that make their appearance and some antique (pre 1959) flags with 48 stars.  We used to own an 1860's house and when we bought it, it came with the contents.  It was quite a treasure for a dyed in the wool antique-er like me.  It also came with lots of junk, but that is another story.  One of my favorite finds was a shirt box full of small flags, probably used as table favors for a political meeting/luncheon etc.  In the same box, there was 30 or 40 plastic thimbles with a Democratic slogan on them.  Can you imagine attending an event like that today?  Thimbles for favors?  Maybe at a quilting luncheon, but not a political meeting.  Anyway, the little flags spend the summer sitting in crocks, dolls arms, and anything else that will hold them.  Like this cast iron rabbit on parade.

Then the quilts:
Spools

Embroidered Stars, a Liberty Homestead pattern.

A black bird holding a tiny nine-patch

And a Kathleen Tracy pattern called Civil War Scraps helping to commemorate my favorite Sailor.

 Some more little nine-patch basket fillers.

Then my collection of little flags...

 Cats and quilts, they just go together.  He doesn't have anything to do with Memorial Day, but just looked so cute sleeping under this quilt.

 Happy Memorial Day!
Judy

More Quilt Camp

Here we are (instructors) holding Klonda's Challenge project.  Isn't it great?

And below is the entire camp in front of The Old Schoolhouse.

Thanks, Julie, for forwarding me these pictures.

Arrow Rock Quilt Camp

I can't believe quilt camp has been over for more than a week.  I thought I would have pictures posted long before this, but it took most of last week just to catch up around the house.  It was a wonderful week with much inspiration, good quilting friends, and lots of activity.  

Everyone is busy on various projects.  Students could choose up to three projects from four options.   

  Here are my mystery quilt students working diligently on their "clues".  > 

Here is my version of the mystery
quilt.

And here is Julie's finished mystery quilt.
Approximately half of the students finished at least the center of the quilt on their day in class.


              

Here is Jane teaching her great strip pieced quilt.  You can see it in the foreground.

Here is Lola's challenge quilt.  It won 1st Runner-up in the Challenge Contest.  It was so bright and crisp, no wonder it won.
Do you remember mine from an earlier post?  It was the charity crib quilt.  

There were so many great challenge projects, the voting was difficult.  Hopefully, as this blog circulates, I will have people sending me additional pictures and I will post them.

Judy

Closing the Lid

    Last week I went back to that unfinished project referred to in an earlier post.  Remember this one?

 The last time you saw it, it was still in blocks laid out on a bed.  Now it is together and I am thinking about a backing.  I want to use it as a lap quilt for those cold Missouri evenings (still having those in May), so thought about buying a flannel fat-back.   But then I looked at the stash in my sewing room closet and thought "Why Buy?"  I really like pieced backs, but they do take some time and planning.  I pulled out my bin of CW fabrics.  Notice the lid, lol.

 I soon found a nice selection of prints in the same color way.

It didn't take long to cut nine 12 1/2 inch blocks and make a giant nine-patch.  A neutral border to show off some of the quilting to come and it was soon done.
(It is hanging a little crooked,due to photographer error.)

Now, what to do with that jumbled, lidless bin?  I used mostly fat quarters for the giant nine patch, so that created more scraps.  There certainly wasn't any room for them in that bin.  My scrap system (using the term loosely) consists of a plastic drawer unit and some plastic shoe boxes.  I cut scraps into 1-1/2in. strips, 2-1/2 in. strips, 3-1/2in. strips and 5 in. squares (charms) and sort them by light, medium and dark.  Anything else, I throw away (shudder) or pass along to my quilt guild friends who make strip blocks.  I have tried those, but I'm too OC for that much randomness.  I admire their quilts, but it drives me crazy to make those blocks.  

    Here is my stack of tidy scraps and the lid almost fits on the CW bin again.

    

Quilt camp starts this week.  WooHoo!  Julie and Lola are staying with me, so there will be lots of girlfriend time, too.  There sure won't be any posting time until after camp and Garden Show on the 11th.  Until next week, keep on stitchin'.