Pre holiday craziness!

So only a few days until Thanksgiving and my plans have all gone topsy-turvy, catawompus, or just generally turned upside down and sideways....

                                                                   Set of vintage blocks that I'm putting together...
What was going to be a quiet few days in Charleston and Edisto Beach has turned into a home-stay holiday complete with weekend guests and a full table for dinner!  Yikes...

                                                                          Sprigs and Stars in process....
So today I am making the lists (love lists!) and am preparing for a week of cooking and cleaning  (love cooking...cleaning, not so much)...which means projects like the sprigs and stars in the photo above need to get off the dining room table, into a box, and then hopefully somewhere that I can find them again the first week of December.  How I wish I had a larger studio! (but don't we all!!!)

The good news is I did find some of the mint chocolate chips for my favorite holiday cookies - Mint Snowtops!  They only distribute these around the holidays so I have to stock up when I find them!

Poor Mac...all this activity has already worn him out.....

New Mystery

This past weekend I got lots of quilt-backs pieced.  It was the last step towards getting some quilts out the door to the long arm quilter.

It is amazing how many tops had joined the que since our last quilt show!  One of the big impetuses for this was Bonnie Hunter's next mystery quilt.  I couldn't let myself start another one until the last one (yes, that was a year ago!) was finished.  So I fixed that one corner of my Orca Bay, the backing was washed and pressed, and it is all ready to be quilted!

With that I allowed myself to play in the fabric stash and pull for Easy Street.  Fun colors.  I also stopped at Hancock's for their Veterans Day sale to do a bit of stash building for E.S. (I used a lot of green this year!  Fabric that is...)

Wouldn't you know it I ran into two other quilters visiting from near Columbia  S.C. who were also planning to participate in Bonnie's mystery quilt!  Amazing who you will meet if you just carry those paint chips around a fabric store!

Anyway, I think I am set except for the grey.  I don't have much yardage in this color.  Lot of fat-quarters and some solids...guess I'll have to keep looking!

Fold and stack...

Thursday was a reorganize day.  Quilts that had come out for the program this week were put back into the closet.  New quilts that I brought with me went back to the que in the sewing-room or into the other closet.

 And best of all...a long lost/misplaced project - Sprig and Stars - reappeared!  Please tell me I'm not the only quilter who packed two projects into one basket.  Obviously the Sprigs was on the bottom!

While all this was happening I also pulled two tops to quilt up this weekend so I could send them up to NYC.  Those folks look so cold.  I also heard that a soldier who worked for me years ago lost his house in the storm.  One of the quilts is going his way.  I can't imagine being a three months away from retirement and losing everything.  Fortunately his family is ok and he says he can rebuild...though perhaps he will put off retirement for another year....

A couple of folks asked about the pattern for the sheep pincushion.  It is by Just Another Button Company and is called "ewe look fabulous."  I think I picked mine up at Paduca last year...

Lots of Quilt Talk!

The last few days have busy quilting days...well, at least busy talking about quilting...

First, I went up to Seneca, SC to do a program for the Lakes and Mountains Quilt Guild.  They are a really great group of quilters.  I changed up my 100 year of quilting presentation to include how these antique and vintage quilts can inspire modern quilters.  I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did!  It is always fun to take the quilts out for a road-trip....

On the way home I stopped in McCormick S.C. to check out some of the Quilt Blocks they are putting up on local buildings.

The local antique store is where the blocks are drafted and painted.  It looks like a wonderful project...more will be up soon!

Then last night Bonnie Hunter came by so more quilt talk!  She was on her way to Florida and my house was about the halfway point.

  Our friend Paula came by so we sat around the kitchen table and stitched.  Paula and I worked on our Sheep pincushions (mine is the little one with her winter blanket!) while Bonnie stitched down the binding on her bow-tie quilt.  My DH watched the election returns and narrated....

All and all a busy few days.  I still need to put away the quilts but that may have to wait until tomorrow.  Right now it's time for a long nap!

Packing again...

Making one last look at the quilt piles to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.  I am off to a guild in South Carolina to do my talk on 100 years of American Quilts.  It is an overview of Quilting history using a trunkshow of parts of my own collection.

                                                                     Lemoyne Star...North Carolina
Can honestly say I haven't done this the same way twice.  First, I don't bring the same quilts.  Choosing which quilts is always a huge deal for me so it would be easier if I just picked a dozen and always used those but what fun would that be?!  Besides, sometimes that quilt may be up on the wall and that is where I draw the line...not climbing up on ladders and removing quilts from display to bring along.  It isn't like I don't have others that fit the same time period...I've always had the "Noah's Ark" approach to collecting (I wan't to have two of each type) so this works for me!

                                                                         Irish Chain with swag border...circa 1840, Marlyand
The second reason is I ask the guild members to bring quilts that we fit into the "timeline."  Sometimes there are only 6-10 and once there were over 50!  Definitely keeps me on my toes!  (Have to admit to being a bit brain-dead after the 50 quilt day...quilt speed dating!)

                                            Redwork, circa 1910, Washington D.C.

Halloween Re-dec

Due to the high winds all the Halloween decorations were taken in the other day.  I hope we will be able to put them back out tomorrow morning.

                                          Entrance-way with the witch's hat I made last year!
The wind has made it a good day to air out quilts...I'm going through the "stacks" to find a selection for a program on Monday night.  Every few months I like to check the quilts, refold or re-stack (many are laid on to of each other on a spare Queen size bed.)  A few minutes in the fresh air is good for them as well as getting them out into some good light so I can check for any issues.

This one is on my list to stabilize the border and a couple of blocks where some of the batting is escaping.  It wasn't a valuable quilt nor does it have a "distinguished or historically relevant" provenance so I may do some restoration.  The blocks are easy since I have a large stash of antique fabric and orphan blocks to pull from but the border is more challenging.  It will require a lot of fabric!  Do I break down and use a repro fabric?

This is another "southern" quilt (North Carolina.)  This is one of my few antique quilts with orange in it so I'm leaving it out for the holiday!  The quilting is a Baptist Fan or elbow design done in threads that range from tan to dark brown.  The batting is thick so the stitches are fairly large.  The binding is back to front - really common in southern quilts.

On the new quilt front...I have all the inner-border done on my ribbon candy quilt, one outer border attached and the final three new sewn together.  Should have a flimsy to show soon!

Sandy on the March....

Right now attention has gone from the elections to following the Hurricane Sandy as she marches up the East Coast.  To any of you in her path, please stay safe!  (Take a cue from Goldie and curl up in quilt!)

                                          Goldie on Ribbon Candy...she isn't making it easy to finish those borders!
I'm already reading of folks who have been "stuck" in Houston due to cancelled flight (I'm having a hard time feeling bad for them!  They just have to go to the Houston Quilt Show now....), some with snow falling (which is wrong before Halloween!) and others bracing for the winds and rains.  Sounds like a good time to curl up with some hand stitching or a good book.

Which by the way, I have gone through books at an alarming rate the past couple of weeks!  About one every two days.   I have this pile by the front door to bring to the post office today and send off to my sister for her cabin up in Maine.  They are good vacation reads!

In addition to reading lots of mysteries I did some internet-stress-shopping last week.  I'm blaming this latest delivery on the pain-killers....this pile of fabric works as well as the pills do!

wordless Wednesday

Past the halfway mark!

Finally I was able to work in my sewing room for an hour or so...took me a bit of time to remember what I had going and where it all was!

I finished putting the last row on my Ribbon Candy (aka Smith Mountain from  Bonnie Hunter's class.)  It still needs some serious pressing.  I have a pile of HST ready for the border.  I hope to have the first border finished tonight so I can make a decision on an inner border...and if yes what color/fabric?  I'm jumping ahead of myself.

This morning MacBeth had his annual checkup...it took three assistants to hold him down to get his blood drawn!  He is only 22 pounds but can that terrier wiggle!  Immediately after the wrestling match he rolls over on his back with his tail wagging...hard to be mad him.  How many dogs do you know wag their tail while they get their shots?!

 Overall they said he looks good...we'll wait for the lab work...

So it is Monday...

The first presidential campaign that I have any real memory or was the 1972 campaign of George McGovern vs. Richard Nixon.  Not that I was old enough to vote but I was aware of some of the issue.  I remember in my classroom there was a board for each candidate but it was obvious that my teacher, Sister Helen Agnes  was pro McGovern!

I was sad to see that Senator McGovern passed away this weekend.  He may not have won that election but he did play a major role in social change in the 60's and 70's.

I was able to get out for a bit yesterday.  Visited an antique store and picked up a couple of vintage handkerchiefs and a dollbed...the handkerchief may end up in a pillow and the dollbed just needs a little quilt!

Hope to get back to sewing this week....Goldie is doing a great job of keeping me company and is already dressed for tonight debates....

Happy Birthday Dobby!

My youngest cat, Dobby, turns two this month.  Not entirely sure when in October is his actual birthday as he was a "rescue" kitten that came to me via my local vet.

Now that Dobby has turned two he has calmed down a bit...not more getting stuck in trees, or on the roof, or behind the refrigerator....

He weighs in at over 15 pounds but there isn't an ounce of fat on him...

He isn't the type of cat to "cuddle" but he takes his role as "head of the pride" seriously and even as a young cat when I was sick in bed one day he brought his toys to me and even made a small pile of dry cat foot next to my pillow.....

He isn't quite the "ham" that my other cats are so there are fewer photos to chose from...

If Dobby were a quilt it would be circa 1900 done in plaids and stripes....

Maybe like this Sugar loaf....

Screeching halt!

Sometimes you just need to take some time off...

that is what my doctor told me yesterday.  They had changed some of my MS meds and my body didn't like them one bit.  Bodies have a way of letting you know!  So my wildly packed schedule for the next week has been whittled down to drinking lots of fluids and a bit of stitching.

I'll continue to work on my Halloween quilt and maybe get some writing done.  Also want to organize my photo files a bit...amazing how quickly they get out of control!

I do love to look at them and see what I was doing a few years ago the same month...

Cotswold Village (2007)...

One of my favorite stops at the local boot sale (2007)...

Great quilt "finds" (2009)

Windy day in the Bahamas...(2010)

always seems more exciting than what I am doing right now! (but then we only take photos when things are interesting right!)

Frenzied Stitching...

I pulled out my Halloween UFO from last year.  The pattern is 1904 by Blackbird designs.  I did switch up some of the blocks, added some yellow, gold and a bit more green and am changing the border but it is close to the original.

When I took out the blocks I was surprised how far I had gotten...I should be able to finish it by Halloween...at least if I can stop Brownie from block surfing... and if I could stop playing with other projects

like this one that was hidden in the same box as the Halloween one....

or from playing with the Ribbon Candy quilt that is still scattered around the cutting table...