GFG Quilters

Hi Everyone -

Last night was the second meeting of our Grandmother's Flower Garden group at our local library. We had nine in attendance and we had a good time. It's really inspiring to see what others are working on - makes me want to do more than one GFG (LOL). Here's a photo of the gals and some of their work.

We're having wonderful weather here in south central PA - it's going to be in the 70's again today but it should be back to more seasonable weather in the 50's by the end of the week...just in time for trick-or-treat. But this is an improvement - when I lived in Wisconsin, the kids usually had to wear their snowsuits because it was so cold. You always had to plan for a costume that would fit over the bulky winter wear.

Hope you all have a great day and keep smiling :o)

Road Trip

Hi All -

Yesterday a group from my Quilt Guild went up to Harrisburg to visit the State Museum to view some of the quilts that they have in storage. We were only able to see five quilts, but those that we saw were wonderful. There are over 200 quilts stored in special refrigerated area that is kept at around 54 degrees. Especially striking was the Wickersham Album Quilt (circa 1854). This quilt is a Pennsylvania interpretation of a Baltimore Album Quilt and there is a book with full-sized patterns available. Of course, I'm adding it to my library and also getting one for our Guild library. Another project for the future :o) There also was a Grandmother's Flower Garden (circa 1814) that really caught my eye. The maker used a chintz border and it was beautifully preserved and probably as bright as the day it was sewn to the quilt - browns, yellows, pinks, blues - BEAUTIFUL!! The layout of the GFG gave me another idea as to how to lay another one out - the first and third rounds were the same fabric with a contrasting fabric for the second round. The pathways were all the same as were the centers. What's one more project?? (As with so many quilters, I have enough projects to keep me busy until I die and then some!!). After viewing the quilts and having a great visit with the curator, we went to lunch at a little Italian restaurant down the street and then stopped at a quilt shop (of course) on our way home. What a wonderful day!! Hope you all are having a wonderful day - happy quilting and keep smiling -

Yikes!!!

How did my photo on my previous post get turned right-side up??? I was playing around in Picasa yesterday and got it turned, but had trouble uploading it. Are the photo fairies fooling around??? Now I have to figure out how I did it - oh, this computer gives me a headache sometimes :o)

Isn't It Cute!!

Hi All -

I recently purchased this adorable Scottie wall hanging and thought I'd show you all how cute it is. (Sorry it's sideways - does anyone know how to turn a photo in blogger???) I'm a soft touch for anything "Scottie" and my home reflects this. The purchase of this hanging benefited the St. Louis Scottish Terrier Rescue where we adopted Duncan and Hamish. They do such wonderful work finding loving homes for this special breed. Speaking of Duncan and Hamish...when I bought them food the other day, I couldn't resist a treat for each of them, so I purchased a couple of stuffed beef hooves. They were dancing with joy when they saw their treats and immediately took them outside and spent the afternoon in chewing delight. But...when they came in, did they smell!!! Those hooves might be great for chewing, but they're really stinky!!! Of course, that's what the pups love - the stinkier, the better!!! They got a little face bath after that caper and the hooves have been designated as an "outside" treat.

We're enjoying some beautiful fall weather - a little windy today - my whirligig is getting a workout - but it's a wonderful crisp day with blue sky and beautiful sunshine. Hope you all are having a great day, too.

Celtic Knotwork

Hi All -

Today was Guild day and we had a workshop in the morning before the regular meeting conducted by Linda Hahn. She showed us how to do these fabulous celtic knotwork blocks using fusible bias tape and a Teflon pressing sheet. This is such a slick technique and makes the knotwork easy and fun. Here are three of four of my blocks - I'm half finished with the fourth and will post when I have them all put together. This photo is kind of dark so it's hard to see that I used variegated bias tape in earth tones - brown, green, gold, burgundy - really pretty. Check out Linda's website at http://www.froghollowdesigns.com/.