Little Blocks and a Finished Quilt

I have several Dutch Treat bocks to show today.


Crest

Crossroads

Crossword

Crown Molding

Daisy

And two new siggies

From Carolyn in Des Moines, IA

And Irena in the Czech Republic

And Saturday I quilted and bound the first of the tops we put together last week.





 
I normally do a straight of grain binding, but the fabric I used for the backing made an awesome binding when cut on the bias, at least I think so!
 

This little quilt measures 39" square so it was quick to finish.

Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day and remembering to give thanks to those who served and have served.

Parade of Flimsies

Our living room floor was filled this afternoon with five more little tops pieced from fabrics I pulled from my juvenile and bright prints. 

Tom pieced the rail fence blocks for this top and I joined them into rows and added the borders today.  The colors don't show correctly in this photo.  The outer border is light green with pink roses and the dark rail is a dark green with pink roses.  I'll do better with a picture after it is quilted.

I showed this top a day or two ago but it wasn't a very good picture.

After piecing that top I still had more of the Dalmatian fabric so I put together this little top today.

I still have all those HSTS from this fabric as well.  They may go into my triangle stash for projects like the Exploding Star.

I pieced this top yesterday using three fat quarters with cute little red cows, pigs and chickens.  Again, I'll get a better pic after it is quilted.

And finally this afternoon I made a couple more blocks and switched them out for some I just didn't really like in this top.

Then I added the Volkswagen borders. 

I think we've done pretty good this week, don't you?  Now to get them all quilted.

Forgot to add that the last little quilt I finished earlier this week went out the door already.  I found out that the 2 1/2 year sibling of the baby born today had attached herself pretty firmly to the quilt we gave them last week.  Didn't seem right to me that she should not only have to give up half of her parent's attention but also give up a blankie that she had fallen in love with.  So we gave them the quilt we finished last weekend for the baby and she can keep the first one.  That's what we made them for ...to wrap little ones with love.

Autumn Trails

It's getting to be that time of year again.  The Little Balkan's Quilt Guild of Pittsburg, KS holds a quilt show every year on Labor Day weekend.  In addition to a couple hundred great quilts on display, we also offer an opportunity guilt each year as our major fundraiser. 

This year our quilt is a design by Judy Laquidara who lives just across the KS/MO border and graciously allowed us to use the design  for this purpose.   By now most of you are probably familiar with the great borders Judy designs for all of her quilts and this one is no exception incorporating Snail's Trails blocks. The quilt is called "Autumn Trails".  It was pieced and hand quilted by members of our guild and measures 74 X 85". 

Tickets are $1 each. If you'd like to be the lucky winner (need not be present), contact me via the email in my profile and I'll give you the information.  It only takes one ticket to win but of course more will improve your chances! 

The First Three Rows

Here are the first three rows of Dutch Treat #2.  It's hard to get a picture that shows the colors correctly.  It really has an inner "glow" about it.

Only 11 more rows to go! Then the borders.

Dutch Treat

I'm up to 42 blocks done on my second Dutch Treat Quilt.  These were done over the last few days.

Cocoon

Conception

Cookie

Cottage

Court Jester

Courtyard

Coyote

Have a happy Wednesday

Cleaning Out and Using Up

Have spent a few more days sorting fabrics and in the process making more little quilts. Tom pieced this one and I quilted it on Saturday.

I've had this Raggedy Ann and Andy fabric for a long time and the plaids were purchased at a friend's rummage sale several years ago.

I just love the fabric I used on the back. It's also been in my stash for over five years. It was perfect for this little quilt.

I also found some REALLY BRIGHT quilt blocks that a friend gave me four or five years ago. All of them use black and white fabrics in addition to the brights.  I love using black and white in baby quilts. I'm told it's good eye exercise for babies. There were  six blocks, so I made six more using my limited stash of brights and some of the black and whites I've been hording for a "someday" project.  I'm thinking of using a small piece of Love Bug (Volkswagen) fabric for the border.  But maybe not....not even sure I like all of the blocks..I may make some others and swap some out.  Still working on this............

Then I found a bag with extra fabric and all of these HST's left over from making a birthday quilt for our great-grandson, Maison

The leftovers

Maison and his quilt. His daddy is a fireman. I designed the quilt and the ears are three dimensional.

I quilted different fire trucks in the snowball blocks

But I digress....I played around with the HST's, but in the end I couldn't figure out what to do with them and set them aside for now.  They'll end up in another project later.  Instead I cut the  blue doggy fabric, and two others into rail fence blocks and pieced this top yesterday afternoon

See that red checked  fabric (it looks pink in this picture, but trust me, it is red)? I still had the cutting ticket pinned to it. It's been in my stash since 1999. That was 3 years before I started quilting! I can't tell you the number of times I've pulled that fabric to use and then put it back on the shelf. Do you ever do that? My reasoning is usually something along the lines of "if I use it now, then another project will come along and I will wish I had it for THAT project, for which it would have been PERFECT!". Silly, huh? Well this time I used it! And I still have about 3/4 of a yard left for the future "perfect" project.

It's been a long day..6 hour round trip to Wichita for Tom's doctor appointment.  I have several new Dutch Treat blocks done but those will have to wait for another day. 

Sweet Dreams everyone!

Donna Skvarla--100 Years of American Quilts

Last Tuesday Tom and I attended the Town and Country Quilt Guild meeting in Joplin, MO where we both are members. We were treated to a trunk show of some amazing antique quilts spanning the 1850's through the 1950's. Donna Skvarla, from Norman, Oklahoma, is a certified AQS quilt appraiser and she has a wonderful collection of quilts. We not only were able to view the quilts, but Donna shared interesting facts and anecdotes about the quilts and the evolution of the art through the years.

What a treat. Some of the quilting was simply amazing. If you are looking for an interesting program for your guild, I highly recommend Donna!

I'm a Winner!

I was thrilled to discover I'd won a giveaway on Tea Mahone's blog a couple of days ago. Yesterday she posted a picture of what I'd won

and my package just arrived!  Thank you Tea!!!!  50 Moda Marbles charm squares in a collector tin and 26 Moda Shimmer charm squares.  Both of these collections will make an awesome addition to my applique stash and I've been doing a lot of that in recent months as you all know!  How lucky am I?

I realized last night I forgot to take a picture of the baby quilt that Tom pieced last week and I quilted over the weekend.  We gave it to one of the guys that works for my oxygen provider.  He's been so helpful to me over the years and he and his wife are expecting a baby boy on the 28th of this month.  Maybe we'll get to see the baby and take a picture of him with his quilt sometime.    Tom did a great job piecing it and we used fleece on the back for a really cuddly quilt.

Yesterday I finished the Irvine Bell Brand block from Lyn Brown's BOM. That is Saddleback Mountain in the background and Irvine Lake tucked into the hills. 

I'm still behind a week and need to make the background to start work on the Orange Co. Courthouse block.  Wow..40 windows!  How long are those going to take me?

I also finished another Dutch Treat block.

This one is called Coat of Arms.

Off to help Tom with another little quilt. Collaborations are fun!

Tony Munoz

It's raining...AGAIN!  And it looks like we'll have more of the same the rest of this week.  I shouldn't complain as long as we don't get the strong storms, but geez..I'm getting tired of it anyway. 

Received a couple more siggies this week.  A mother and daughter team from Germany sent these:

Regina's has such pretty yellow flowers

And her daughter Martha this darling cat.  Martha is only 10 years old!!!  Didn't she do an awesome job?  She is the youngest person we've traded with so far and I am so happy to have her block in my collection.

Monday night was our Pittsburg (Little Balkan's) Quilt Guild meeting.  I've always loved the Tennessee Waltz quilt pattern and after seeing my friend Lou's hand pieced and hand quilted version, I'm moving it up several notches on my to-do list.  She brought it for show and tell.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Our guild held beginner's classes a couple months ago and there were some great quilts made.  One of our new members brought her finished quilt for show and tell.  I just love her color choices.  If this is the kind of work she does as a beginner, can you imagine what wonderful quilts she is going to make?  Great job!

Myldred took my workshop on silk flower wall hangings in January and I think she's become addicted to making them.  This is one of another set of place mats she has made.

 Everyone who took my workshop completed their project and most have gone on to make more projects using this technique.  I'm so happy they enjoyed it.

Our program Monday was by Tony Munoz from Parsons, KS.  Tony  has given trunk shows for us before and I enjoy him every time I get to hear him speak. He is an AMAZING hand quilter.  You just have to see his work to understand how true that statement is.  He also is very, very funny and my sides hurt from laughing at some of his stories.

Normally I like to post a link to a slide show when I share trunk shows.  But I want/need to comment on the quilts Tony shared so I'll post individual pictures this time. I've tried to reduce the file sizes on the pictures so I hope this post doesn't take too long to load.

Tony's subject was "The Five W's of Mystery Quilts...Who, What, When, Where and Why."  He brought many quilts that he has acquired with unknown history, so we are left to wonder about those five "W's".  These were interspersed with quilts he has made.  Many of these where what one might call "quirky" quilts and so much fun! I won't be able to remember all of the details about each quilt but will share what I do. 

First of all..when I asked Tony if I could share pictures of his trunk show, he made me promise to get his good side.  So I hope I did!

Tony grew up in a family of nine children.  His mother made sure all of her sons could "keep house" until they were married.  So they were taught not only to cook and clean but to sew and  crochet.  Tony taught himself to quilt and this is his first quilt.  The fabrics are a wild assortment of content.

and the back

He said he was doing Sashiko quilting before it was even popular. LOL!

This Carolina Lily top was made by a male friend of Tony's.   The maker wanted to test the Lily pattern and he used the red fabric left over from sewing a shirt.  When he decided he liked it, he took the shirt apart to get enough fabric to make the four blocks for this top. Tony inherited it after the friend's death.

This is by far the most well made double knit quilt you're likely to ever see.  And we all know that 100 years from now our cotton only quilts may be in shreds, but this double knit will look just as pristine!

This is a sampler quilt that Tony has been working on for many years.  He had some hilarious stories connected to several of the blocks.  Your guild needs to book him for a trunk show so that you can hear them!

In April 2000 Parsons, KS was hit by an F3 tornado.  The Parsons Quilt Guild were meeting in the basement of the Municipal Auditorium and didn't realize what was happening until the lights went off and people starting coming in.  I believe, but am not certain, that Tony was President of the guild the next year  and suggested they all make quilts to commemorate the one year anniversary.  

This is his.  See that little piece of orange in the bottom right corner?  He says that is the color of the sky when he went outside after the tornado had passed.  I love this quilt!

I don't remember the stories behind the  next quilts, but will just share some pictures.  Some were great antique quilts, others fall into the "what were they thinking" category.  Tony loves finding these quilts in his travels.

A definite...what????????

This one had some of Tony's amazing hand quilting

A kit quilt

Lovely fan quilt

Study this a bit.  The maker obviously just got lost setting her blocks together!  What fun.

I loved this quilt

I don't remember if Tony made this top but do know he quilted it.

Close up

An interesting Wagon Wheel quilt

Another very well made quilt and I think this one might have also been double knits.  But the question is..why surround the stars with a fence?   We'll never know.

I don't remember the story about this quilt, but it was one of my favorites shown.

If you get the chance to hear Tony speak, or to see his fabulous quilting, you are in for a treat. Thanks, Tony!   Hope you all enjoyed the show.

Tomorrow or the next day I'll have pics from the Joplin guild meeting yesterday.