Snow in the heat of June

I'm tired of being hot and it's only June so, let's look at some cold snowy things.  This is a picture of an embroidered/stitched snow snowman throw/quilt I made for my SIL Claudia, started in Dec 06, finished in late May or early June 07.  Note: I am more of a stitcher and piecer than "quilter", so it is tied.  It has 11 snowman patterns from various designers that I have collected over the years that were snow related, and 5 from her very favorite artists.  Details about those below..........

Below is a tiny glimpse of the label on the back.  Sorry, I did not get a closer one.  The pictures were taken at a quilt show by the way.  Had my mom not entered the quilt in March for that June Quilt show in 2007, Claudia still be waiting for a finished product.  The deadline made me finish it.  For some reason self imposed deadlines don't really seem to work for me I need a deadline with possible penalites if not met, watched over from the quilt enforcement squad. (quilt police)

Here are her favorite artist's blocks........................drawn by

Lilly, her first granduaghter, age 5

Daisy her 2nd DGD, age 2 1/2?

makenna, my first grandaughter, age 5. 

Oh and by way, me, my mom and Claudia all thought these were tall snow people, WRONG!!!!......According to Makenna they are snowmen on two mountains................if only we knew what goes on in the minds of kids! lol!

Haylee,  my sister's oldest daughter, age 7

and Kelsie, my sister's DD#2, age 5

They drew such cute pictures and Claudia had no idea that her grandaughters, nieces and great niece had secretly drawn pictures for her, or that stitching them was it was in the works. When she got the blocks(yea, blocks) and fabric for Christmas and was thrilled to pieces.  I got them back assembled them into a quilt with wonky star block frames and tied it.  The patterns of the embroidered blocks ended up being all different sizes.  I didn't really think about that when I started stitching.  Thought they were about the same ............NOooooooo!! (OH yes, another one of my happy ending quiilting mishap adventures) Discovered the size difference after most were embroidered.  But I managed to get them squared up to 3 different sizes and with some clever cutting, added block frames to get them back to one size.  I think it turned out pretty cute!  I have more happy ending quilt mishap adventures, but they will be for another day.  B-) DID  ANYBODY NOTICE ..... my sister, me and my SIL all have a daughter/granddaughters that are months apart? depending on what time of year is they're  all the same age. 

Below is the top of a wool pillow top before my mom made into a pillow and gave it to me for Christmas one year. I love it!  Thank you mom!

And in case you haven't cooled off enough, here are some of the ice storm pictures from winter before last I think.????

 

Correction, was Jan 2007.  That pile center left, is/was my neighbors' large pine

Found this one of ice skaters, DGD Makenna and ger friend Gracie, Makenna is on the left, it was her second time at the ice arena, Gracie's first. not bad.  Only took them a few times around with me to get them to release their death grip hold on the handrail lol!! 

Oh, here's another winter thing I found searching through my pictures.  A snowy table runner I made my secret santa sister quiltin chick, Carol.   We had to provide our sister with a swap bag of fabrics, several patterns and a list of idea's of what we would like.  We could use these or do something else you thought they would like.  I chose this using her fabrics and one of the patterns in one of her books.  I thought about making myself one and went out and bought some of the snowy center. It may even happen..........someday, lol!!

Am wishing I was in Australia about now, waaaaaayy cooler there. But no, I am melting in Missouri. Hope you are cool where you are this weekend.  Cyndi

"snowballs" quilt went to the quilt show shop this morning

My snowballs quilt went to the quilt show/shop this morning, Lori, my stitching buddy also made one and hers is hanging there too, It's so great!!!.  Two completely different versions, one lap size, one bigger.  First picture is the pieces on the design area, not sewn together.  For the second picture while I was at my mom's, I threw it on her bed, didn't realize till later we hadn't smoothed it out on the bed very well...............SORRY, will get better pictures of both quilts this weekend. and.........................

Anna Marie took pictures of Lori and I and our quilts are our Quiltin' Chicks meeting last night.

way better than mine........Thanks Anna Marie!!!

LORI and her BEAUTIFUL QUILT

below is me with my quilt

If you have the SNOWBALLS pattern, email me and I'll send you the directions for mine as soon as they're complete.  now on to assembling the red one, a whole different setting!

If you find your self in the Jefferson City, Missouri area this weekend, head over to the LEWIS & CLARK middle school for a wonderful QUILT SHOW put on every three years (always new showings, no repeats).
Our quilts will be in Linda's Specialty Quilts booth at this show.  I do not have a good picture of mine or Lori's quilts.  Will get some at the show tomorrow or sunday.

quilt show details below:

Missouri River Quilt Guild's A Rainbow of Quilts


June 5 - 6
The 2010 Missouri River Quilt Show, "A Rainbow of Quilts" will be held at the Lewis & Clark Middle School, 325 Lewis and Clark Drive, Jefferson City Missouri 65101. The show will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturnday, June 5, and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday, June 6. The show will feature 300 quilts on display, vendors, a textile art boutique, demonstrations, scissor and knife sharpening and tickets for gift baskets and the 2010 Show Quilt. For more information, email missouririverquiltguild@yahoo.com. Tickets are $5. No charge for parking. Building is handicap accessible.

For more information, visit http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MRQG

Have a great day!  Cyndi

The Chicken Challenge and the Licorice Twist Quilt

I just got a great email from Linda Lou. She sent me a photo of her version of my Licorice Twist quilt! WOOHOO!  This is the first time I have seen one of my embroidery patterns in a complete quilt from someone I don't even know and I am excited!.  Several of my Quiltin' Chicks friends have made things, Gerry from Gerryart did the baskets and sunflowers and Sharon of  Dunn's longaberger baskets did the MONSTERS in a quilt rather than a book.  They were great too, but to receive a picture from someone I don't know was exciting.  Thank you Linda Lou for bringing sunshine to an otherwise grey day.   If she agrees to let me use her photo I'll put it here for you.

About the CHICKEN CHALLENGE, issued from our Quiltin' Chicks group............................. I have 3 done, and several more almost done!  Here's the thing, my chickens are not doing days of the week things.  They are doing things like hobbies, activities, holding collections of things etc.............so, I need to pick your brains a little.  I need all my Quiltin' Chicks friends to send me an email about your favorite hobbies, collections, activities.   I need info basically only from a few of you, but maybe some of you do things or collect things that I don't know about so everyone send me an email.  Some of you might be surprised that I knew that about you.  So far they are hilarious I am having a great time!  Okay now, you know me and you should know they are not going to be ordinary chickens............... If I can get them scanned or photoed I'll give you sneek peaks.

pile of snowballs

Only have a few minutes.  here's a quick couple of pictures of the snowball stitcheries.  Am going to set it together with some moda fabrics, found a cute Zippety Doo Dah by Sandy Gervais, couldn't find the other red one I wanted in that line so I got a different moda.  A very nice piece of fabric from a Jan Patek collection, silky smooth, mmm! Now at the store it didn't look too bad, and at night it didn't look too bad.  But in the sunny daylight am re-thinking my sashing choice.  It may be a little too tomatoey for my DMC 498.  In the meantime, take a peek at what I've been doing and part of a setting idea I've been toying with.  Snowballs in snowballs with snowball cornerstones.......................snowball fight!!!!! 

Do you think it's too tomatoey? I know that's not probably a word, but it works for me.

Here are the rest the the SNOWBALL blocks, some are only rinsed out, and haven't been pressed yet.

more later.

about ready to start throwing snowballs (up on the design wall)

woohoo, snowballs here, snowballs there.  If my camera would work I would show you the pile.  If I was at home tonight I would have thrown the sashing fabric down there with them. BUT YOU KNOW HOW LIFE GOES..if if if ......today was "cars breaking down" day, first daughters, then mine.  Fortunately mine was only a flat tire.  Hers, however, was a two day job and so she needs a ride to work, Mom to the rescue..........
anyway,  14.5 blocks are done 1.5 to go.  Saturday is my "done with the stitching portion and time for the sewing portion" goal so that I can assemble the blocks into a top.  Our Quiltin'chicks group is having a hen party, a 10-3 sit and sew.  I can't wait, good friends, lots of laughs, crunch and munch food, hopefully no unstitching!  Whether I'm done with the embroidery or not, they will be set into the top.  I can always finish embroidering them that way.  They'll just be a little more cumbersome, but not impossible.  I did get patterns packaged individually and complete sets to Patches, Etc and Specialty Quilts, but the directions for a complete quilt are still a little sketchy until this weekend. Now I haven't even finished this quilt and have sketches for a couple more pattern ideas in the works.  Just how long can one do without sleep? LOL!

snowballs, had enough yet?

Since most of the U.S. is covered with snow, I thought I'd entice you with a little more. My latest creation Snowballs, 16 - 6.5" designs done in red or blue are going to be lots of fun. Do one or all, I even reduced them in size and did some little bitty. enjoy! For patterns call Chris or Linda at the numbers at the top if you'd like.

elves, more elves and even more elves

The elf quilts now number THREE. First "Jan's Elves", a truly scrappy quilt with blocks embroidered on point!!! Quilt number 2, "Elves waltzing around in Tennesee" is another scrappy looking quilt but was actually done with a jelly roll in the Tennesee Waltz pattern. The last scrappy looking quilt is "Elves enjoying a Kansas winter" and is made from one of Moda's Kansas Troubles layer cakes. All are done from the same pattern. (for those of you who bought the pattern years ago, email me and i'll send you the new revisions and some directions for quilts 2 & 3.) They were so much fun, now I'll have to give to each of my girls whenever they come back from the quilt stores. bye for now!