Wonderful Wednesday

Hi All -

It's a beautiful day here in south central PA - the temperatures today are supposed to get up into the 60's . We really appreciate these days because we know what's coming!!!

I've gotten sidetracked with my GFG blocks lately. I've been working on some Christmas projects and you know how that is. There is only so much time in the day to get things done and I'm afraid my flower garden isn't growing much lately :o) But here is a recent completion -

And now...the adventures of Duncan and Hamish. Today, when I went outside to photograph by GFG block, I noticed Duncan was, once again, sitting in the iris in back of the fence that is supposed to keep him out. He is such a little devil!! There was a small space where I think he squeezed in -he's typical scottie. He gets his nose in a space and just keeps pushing and pushing until he can wiggle his way in. Unfortunately, that nose can get him in trouble. The other day he got out of the yard by going through a hole in the fence, which he had made previously. I had patched that hole and he decided that he would work the patch loose (really, it was more like "rip it off"). Hamish alerted me by barking at the door (his "come quick" bark) that his brother had escaped. And, sure enough, there was Duncan, nose to the ground following some critter's trail, running down through the back yards, completely ignoring my calls. This was early in the morning and I was still in jammies and slippers - ugh!!! I got my shoes and socks on, decided to get into the car to head him off, but then heard Hamish barking again. I decided to check the back yard one more time and there was Duncan, heading back toward our yard. I called and, miracle of miracles, he came to me. So he was escorted back into the yard and now the patch has been replaced by plywood temporarily. My yard is really something - I have fences within the fences to keep that Duncan Devil in. Thank goodness, too, for Hamish - he really does tattle on his brother and this isn't the first time that he's alerted us to something that Duncan shouldn't be doing - you know, his Lassie impression - come quick, the barn's on fire and Timmie has fallen in the well!!! Needless to say, life isn't boring at our house :o)

The photos are Duncan behind the fence and Hamish basking in the welcome sun.

Hope you all have a wonderful day and keep smiling -

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/.

GFG Quilters

Hi All -

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the kick-off meeting for our Grandmother's Flower Garden quilters at our local library. We had 17 ladies in attendance and had a great time. There were beginners to experts - and lots of questions about the GFG quilting process. I forgot to take my camera but here's one of my blocks that I got finished. We'll be meeting once a month and hope to inspire those wanting to make one of these beautiful quilts. We had a couple of "antique" GFG quilts to examine and admire that beautiful hand stitching. Next time I'll take my camera so that I can share our progress.

Have a great day and keep smiling!!