Toyland Tree

Hello Everyone,

Now don't get upset when I bring this subject up.....but it is only 211 days until Christmas. In the world of quilting, this equates to a nanosecond. It is hard to believe that next week it will be June when it looks and feels like December outside. There should be patio furniture out on the deck but it is still safely stored away from the hail and rain.

So since it feels like December, I started designing and making a new Christmas quilt. I brought up just a few Christmas fat quarters with me and started in.

I'm not really a pink person, but I do love pink and brown together. I love those plaids, checks and stipes too.

I broke down and purchased a light table and I'm loving it. My arms don't get nearly as tired and I can now work on the preparation of the applique pieces at night.

....here's the outcome of my stormy day projects.

The next time you see this little bear, she will have eyes. This doesn't come remotely close to the bears we have lurking around the cabin. If the bears looked this cute, everyone would be feeding them.

The little marionette needs some hair. Maybe some gold french knots are in his future.

I'll be adding some whiskers on this little snout.

I have some more blocks drawn, but I don't have enough fabric with me to pull another block together.....well on second thought, maybe I do.

Hope the sun is shining where you are.

As always,

Lynn

Back to the Civil War

Hello Everyone,

I did get some quilting completed before the girls arrived last week. I finished the blocks for month five and six for the Civil War Tribute quilt. I have never created so many half-square triangles in my whole life! They are coming out my ears.

I'm so glad that a good green and purple were introduced into the mix of colors. I'm very particular as to the direction of any "directional" fabric. It all has to be facing the same way in my book. I drive myself crazy sometimes making sure that everything is going the correct way. I know in the grand scheme of the quilt, it will never matter, but I will know if it's not right!

Look at all of these half-square triangles! This quilt is excellent for honing your accuracy while piecing.
I've introduced some of my own fabrics into this quilt. I was struggling with the "composition" of some of the blocks. Some were starting to look like they were in a state of "decomposition". I'm still trying to incorporate more of the light blue......not much success yet. But, there are six more months worth of fabric yet to arrive, so I still have more time to get the light blue looking good. I have to incorporate lots and lots of variety in my scrappy quilts while trying to stick with the Civil War look and feel. So far, so good.
Today I was playing around with some setting ideas. Way too premature and I don't have enough fabric to carry this off yet. For some silly reason, Joe doesn't care to have me pack up my Civil War stash and haul it up to the cabin with me each trip.
The sun is just starting to peek out for the first time today....and it's 3pm. More rain and thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow. Perfect quilting weather I say! But will this rain, sleet and snow ever stop?

As always,

Lynn

Hail May.....Full of Grace

Hello Everyone....Gail, Melody, Ginny and Lynn here,

Today was another one of those "just way too much fun" days. We set off for Big Trees State Park with picnic basket in hand.


Also in hand were mittens, winter coats, hats, scarves and a bottle of Zin not Zinny since she has been banned from the park for chasing chipmunks (not really, but it sounds good.) Joe, smart man that he is, decided to stay back at his woodshop and be creative while we froze in the 44 degree weather.



Melody and Gail decided to square dance and they were "full of grace." In the 1800's, this enormous tree stump was used as a dance floor....can you imagine that?


Back to the cabin then the Rummikub game came out along with more food. During the game, the hail began to fall and rattle on the roof. What a pleasant sound that was.

Ginny is making dinner, a wonderful pork tenderloin is out on the "barby". Lucky for her the hail stopped. More games and laughter tonight.....and all day tomorrow.

As always,
Lynn

Springtime in the Mountains

Good Morning to Everyone,

We headed up the hill yesterday for some "cabin time." My sister, cousin and a friend will be meeting up with us on Thursday. We thought we'd arrive early to put the patio furniture out, but it is still a little chilly with yet another chance of rain. I'm wondering if we will ever be able to sit out on the deck!

We stopped in Murphys to pick up a wine shipment at Val du Vino Winery. As you pull up to the old barn that dates back to the 1920's, you are warmly greeted by this cheerful Adirondack double chair. (Since they put their furniture out....maybe I should put mine out.)

The winery is very quaint and the owners, Jeannine Hebel and Jonathon Phillips will greet you with a smile and make you feel most welcome. http://www.valduvino.com/ The barn is beautifully restored inside. This display of hats caught my eye. It is a fun winery to visit and their wine is wonderful! It was difficult to not open a bottle last night....but I want our company to enjoy it with us.

Today is another quilting and raking day.....in that order. Joe will be up in his workshop making his items out wine barrels for the Memorial Day craft fair here in Arnold. I'll be working on the Civil War Tribute quilt and a new Christmas design. Pictures tomorrow.....maybe.

As always,
Lynn

Party in the Garden - Month #1 - Arbor

Dear Party in the Garden Followers,

What's this you say? Well, some of you have signed up for the Party in the Garden block of the month program through In Between Stitches. The first month shipped out of the store today! I will be posting a picture of the block by the 15th of each month for you to follow...or not to follow...that is the question. I'm always a firm believer in making each quilt your own.

The first block is going to be the Arbor....or the garden gate. Swing that gate wide open and spend some time in your garden...(believe me, you'll be spending lots and lots of time working on your garden!)


I included a picture of the fat quarter that you received in your package. Use this for the petals. Make some flowers "pinker" than others. Make some of your blooms lighter so that it looks like a bloom that is starting to fade. Change things up a bit. You could also cut some of your leaves out of the leaves on the fat quarter. Use your imaginations and add more leaves or flowers. SAVE THE LEFTOVER FAT QUARTER FABRIC AS YOU WILL BE USING IT IN ANOTHER BLOCK!

Cut out each fence post with the vine running up making it look like ivy is growing on them. Why not have a flower peeking out through the fence. (Now why didn't I do that?)

I appreciate all of you that signed up for this BOM program. I also appreciate all of you that purchased the pattern. For those of you that live locally, I'm offering a once a month drop in class on Monday evenings from 6-9pm. (Check the schedule on the website.) Monday is my normal work day at the shop so I promise you I will try to stay awake! I took a look at the class roster today, and I guarantee you we will have lots of fun while creating our Party in the Garden.
I'm looking forward to it.

Take care everyone and enjoy your block. If anyone has a question, please email me at patched55comcast.net or post it in the comment section and I will answer you. If anyone else would like to sign up for the program before it closes, here is the link http://www.inbetweenstitches.com/shopping/block_of_the_month/page_1.aspx

I'll be back again with another post soon. I've been working on those pesky Civil War blocks and I have pictures!

As always,
Lynn

Quilt Sampler Magazine

Hi Everyone

Check out the website for Quilt Sampler Magazine! http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines/quiltsampler/in-between-stitches_ss1.html

Scroll through all of the pictures so you can see where I get to spend every Monday. The shop is like an old dry goods store and it just a pleasant place to be.

The House of Edgewood Lane quilt is featured on page six of the store layout. It is so exciting to see a picture of one of my designs on a site other than my own blog. I made this version of the quilt out of Beach House fabric by Blackbird Designs. (There's some Rhubarb and Ginger in there too!)

The Quilt Sampler Magazine is now available at a local quilt store or news stand near you. It is such an honor to be associated with one of the featured shops.

As always,

Lynn

Sallie's Quilt is almost done!

Good Morning Everyone,

I just have to add the 7-1/2" borders, a strip of black and 6-1/2" of red and Sallie's quilt is ready to go on the quilting machine. I stuck with her yesterday.....all day. We had a later dinner than usual since I had the dining room table covered with fabric. We could have eaten on TV trays, but Zinny has a nasty habit toppling them over! She's so big now she can put her nose right on your plate if you're not paying attention.


This quilt is big and will be getting even bigger. I'll put the borders on when we get home and I have my large acrylic table that slides onto my Bernina. It makes life easier when you are trying to wrestle around with so much "bulkyness."
Here's a link to the pattern that has a blue border. http://www.inbetweenstitches.com/shopping/patterns/page_1.aspx I like the blue border also, but the red border fits my decorating style such as it is. Up here at the cabin, I call my decorating style "Early Salvation Army." Just like a quilt made out of scraps, the contents at the cabin are throwaways and previously loved items we've collected through the years. Somehow it all works....not quite sure how.....but it works.

I'll be teaching Sallie's quilt at the shop on Monday July 12th and the 26th in the evening from 6-9pm. It's going to be a long day for me since that is my normal workday. So, if you sign up for the class, you have to bring me chocolate to keep me energized!

Zinny and I are headed outside to rake those pesky pine needles. Mother Nature dumped tons of them on us this winter along with branches and general forest debris.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day.

As always,
Lynn

Remember the Civil War Tribute Quilt?

Good Morning Everyone,

Remember this pattern? The Civil War Tribute quilt that some of you are completing. Well I've been making little 6-1/2" blocks from the leftover fabric. I've had several requests to share the pattern so you can be making them along with me. Two quilts for the price of one is pretty darn hard to pass up! Just send an email to patched55@comcast.net and I'll email you the pattern in a .pdf format. I'm sure there is a way I could establish a link....but I haven't figured that one out yet. So email it is for now.


You will most likely have to dig into your stash to add a bit more variety....especially in the neutral colorway. I've made twelve of these little guys and have more fabric to incorporate from the additional months that I haven't yet completed. I'm still trying to decide just how I'm going to set my little squares. I'll get a better feel for that when a lot more of them are made and begin "speaking" to me. The set may even include some applique!

The chores for today include raking pine needles and working on Sallie's quilt. I'll post pictures of Sally tomorrow if I make significant progress today.

We have BIG plans for tomorrow! We get to have our septic tanked pumped....now doesn't that sound life fun? Zinny and I will be staying inside and downwind while Joe supervises the work crew. This is just a preventative maintenance issue before we have any significant problems. Better to be safe than sorry, especially when the septic tank gets buried under 3 feet of snow next winter!

Hope all of you have a wonderful day. Remember try to quilt everyday even for just a few minutes. All of the minutes add up to hours, and the hours add up to a finished project.

As always,

Lynn (and Zinny curled up at my feet dreaming about squirrels)

More on Sallie's Quilt

Good Morning Friends,

I only have a few minutes for a post. Joe and I have to dash off to the Livermore Wine Festival and set the booth up again. It was wonderful seeing so many quilting friends yesterday! Thank you all for stopping by to say hello....it was a treat for us to get a few minutes to chat with all of you.

Here are some new pictures of Sallie's quilt which is coming together rather nicely.

Every block is unique and I've used over 100 fabrics different fabrics.
I decided to use red for the border and I'm loving it! I've outgrown my design wall and moved to the floor. More pictures later....gotta scoot for now.
Hope you all have a wonderful Sunday.

As always,

Lynn