Star BOM #8

This is a block of the month I am doing online with Judy Laquidara. She posts the pattern on the 1st and 15th. This is the eighth in a series of thirteen.

Phew!!! Made it before the next block posting. Used the paper piecing as suggested. It was a challenge to get my printer to print correctly. But my friend Sue came to the rescue and told me to uncheck everything on my printer that wanted to pre-determine the size and it worked.

It is a busy time of year but I am looking forward to the posting Monday. Amazing how it is coming together...thanks Judy....

DownEast Trip

7:00am this morning the telephone rings and I hurriedly jump out of bed. My husband is up and ready to start his day. His agenda included a trip to Machias area. Of course, as the lady of the house I had to make sure my work is done and house neat. So I scurry around and finally off we go by 8:30am. We had breakfast about 25 minutes away from home and then made our jaunt through all the little towns. It was a very quiet day and the scenery is so barren at this time of year. A highlight of our trip and always quite a site to come upon and cross the bridge at Bucksport. It is very impressive and something you might like to do if you come to Maine.

Penobscot Narrows Observatory Open May 1st - October 31st
A one minute ride on the fastest elevator in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont will take you to the top of the tallest public bridge-observatory in the world. The others are in China, Slovakia and Thailand. Just opened in May 2007, the observatory is already proving to be a popular attraction. The beauty of the Penobscot River and surrounding countryside is immediately apparent as the elevator door slides open to a dizzying view from 420 feet up. Ascend two more levels up to find 360 degrees views, complete with identification panels showing you how to locate nearby mountains, lakes and towns.

Then we were off to Machias where I found a quilt shop 'Gingham' and of course I had to stop for a 'few minutes' and make a purchase. This is the easternmost fabric shop in the whole U.S.A. and also as a guild member I get a discount. It is always fun to see the different shops and the fabric lines they carry for their particular clientele.

Pictures below are the inlets we passed. They are so quaint and peaceful looking. But these boats represent a lot of hard and dangerous work for the men that fish with them in all kinds of weather in the Atlantic Ocean.

The person my husband wanted to see was not home so we decided to go onto Calais an hour North of Machias. I had heard that the Marden's there carried a lot of fabric so wanted to check it out. The Canadian border is just a few feet from them. There are hundreds of bolts and everything is very neat and accessible. I got a couple yards of baby material and a piece that matches a teal/black quilt I want to make using BQ2 quilt pattern by Maple Island Quilts.

It was a very long day. From Machias to Ellsworth it rained very hard and was difficult driving. After leaving Ellsworth we looked up and the stars were out and then when we arrived in Augusta they had salted the roads because they had been icy. The saying goes, 'just wait the weather will change'. We did stop and eat at 'Barb's restaurant' a place where a group of quilters ate last week. Their lobster stew was scrumptuous. Arrived home at 9:00pm. It was long and tiring but a great day to get away and change the scenery. You always feel renewed afterwards.

Two by Two Quilt

We recently had a vendor at our quilt group and she was demonstrating the 'Flip Flop Block' by Kathie Alyce. I was going to make a baby quilt and thought it would be fun to use. Curves do not intimidate me as I was a seamstress for many years. I found it very easy to use and pleased with the result.

After sharing that the baby was named Noah a fellow quilter suggested calling it 'Two by Two' . The baby shower had a cake with all these wild animals on it. I need to put a label on the back and then I will get it to them. Shhh.. do not tell if you know who it is... This is a close up. I did it on my short-arm quilter.

Kieve Quilt Retreat

Early Saturday morning 20+ gals headed to Camp Kieve in Nobleboro for our annual Fall retreat. This is the lady that greeted us at 'The Learning Center' looking very studious with a dove perched on her shoulder. A dove represents peace and it was such a peaceful place shut away from everything to do the thing we enjoy. SEW!!I have always taken my big Janome 6500 to weekend retreats. But decided it was just too heavy and purchased this Janome 760 with table. It was wonderful...It has a great feature stop/sew on it and you do not use the foot peddle. It was great for the straight sewing I was doing.

I made strippy quilts. A design by Mary Johnson.These are quick and great for kids to toss around. Now to get them on my quilter before Christmas.

The other project I had was a panel 'Rob Pete' from Quiltsmart. We learned to do this in a workshop and I chose to do a runner with fall colors. Quiltsmart is a pre-printed pattern that you sew and turn and iron on your fabric. I will finish it off by appliquing by hand. You can also do a buttonhole stitch by hand or machine.

We have a wonderful design wall at Kieve that we all use to lay out what we are doing in different stages and the following 2 are the same pattern only different use of color. It is called "Winner's Bouquet'. This is Donna's done in black, white and red.

Ann's is done in Navy, red and light patterns. Amazing how different they look. Ann is pictured in the next quilt.

Ann did 2 quilts. This one is called BQ2. I really like this and will purchase. They are big pieces but it is very striking.

The next quilts are 'stack 'n whack' that several gals had started at a workshop. First one is Anne T.

This second 'stack 'n whack' is Joanne's.
Beth's is a smaller version using the left over pieces from her bigger stack 'n whack.

Elizabeth was doing this tree that will have her genealogy on it. She changed the pattern some and it was very nice and I am sure will be cherished.
This is Deni and Sherry working at their stations. Lots of laughter this weekend.

This is the main room with a fire place at the end. I sat in a chair after lunch, with my legs hanging over the side of the arm, just to enjoy the coziness and warmth and fell asleep. Could not believe it with all the noise. (smile)

This is a quilt done by Christa using the X-box ruler. It was very different and vibrant.

For the life of me I do not know who did this. Maybe one of the gals will let me know so I can give credit. Sorry..

Here we are leaving a wonderful weekend. I took more pics but some were dark and some were in the morning when we were in our jammie's, hair not done...you know how it is...not our best... Carolyn is pictured here...she worked on a picture quilt with musical note fabric around them. It was very nice but I did not get a picture. I am sure I have missed many but this is a sampling.

Sandra's 'Retirement Sampler'

I finally quilted and delivered this sampler to my sister, Sandra. She retired in September and just had a hip replacement so decided this was a good time to get it to her. Nothing like a quilt to wrap yourself in when you are recovering. She was really surprised and that brought joy to my heart. The dog, Sam was her daughter Tracy's who lost her battle to cancer a year ago. We laughed at him because he was determined to stay there.The blocks, a design by Jean Wells, was a project we did in our local quilt chapter last Fall. It was fun deciding on the color palette. I started with black and white but could not bring myself to put a black heart or star. Adding the color added a new dimension to it. I generally do my blocks and then audition different fabrics for the borders until I decide what will work. I quilted some on my short-arm quilter and some on my domestic sewing machine. Our goal was to have it finished by September. The size is 62 x 77.

Star BOM #7

This is a block of the month I am doing online with Judy Laquidara. She posts the pattern on the 1st and 15th. This is the seventh in a series thirteen. I am using the same palette as I started with. The swirly fabric was added last month. I had questioned it but I really do like it..I have light and medium blues that will be used for the borders. I am so enjoying the process. This is the first time I have every done anything online and I am enjoying the process. And it is exciting to know other gals are doing the same thing. Thanks Judy!! P.S. From the picture it looks like I lost my points...not so!!

Theresa Star Done!!

I finally finished the quilt that was started at Casey Quilter's retreat last weekend. It is called 'Theresa's Star' by designer Theresa Eisinger. It is 64x71 and will be a gift after I quilt it. Had a hard time getting a picture as it is on an angle and I see it looks crooked. Just could not wait to post it. Will take a better picture eventually. There is more information about the quilt plus others who took part if you scroll down to next couple of entries. Also posted a close-up.

Below is a small quilt using the trimmings from above quilt. This was done by Sherry Flagg, the instructor. I have mine all sewn together into half triangles and will add sashing. I just have to size up and decide what I want to do. It will have to wait until after Christmas.

I have an album of all the quilts I have made over the years, the size, the recipient and a description. It is fun to go back and see all that I have done. I started quilting in 1973. I took a class with Cindy Black who had a class at our local high school. I got hooked and enjoy it more each day. Cindy owns Busy Thimble in Litchfield and has wonderful reproduction fabrics. It is always a joy to go there and I always come out with something.

Turning Twenty

This is the sky today overlooking our fields....oh those storm clouds are brewing....wonder what's ahead.I had told a fellow blogger that I had done two turning twenty quilts only to discover I had just one on this blog. So I got to digging in my quilt studio and found the second one (design is by Tricia Cribb's). I did this one first, and a second one for my daughter-in-law in Tn. Hers is posted and was done in pinks/purples. Easy and fun quilt. It is quite big so I put it on the line and chose to show if off with the woodsy background. It was a beautiful day outside sunny with a little wind, leaves almost gone but still green grass.

Casey's Quilters Retreat Finale

Here are my quilting buddies for 2 day retreat. L - R - Kay of Casey Quilters where we meet twice a month, Helen, Chris, Janice, and Sue.

Below is Sherry our instructor - this is her finished top that inspired us. Her's was scrappy and done in Christmas prints.

Margo's - 3 rows finished - 2 more to go. I wanted it masculine looking.

Helen was the only one to finish her top. She wanted it with an elegant look.

Chris finished this top that will be given to charity and also started a second one for charity. That is her mission in life and she is a blessing to many who would never have a quilt. She also does chemo hats. Her hands are a gift to others.

Janice stars really popped with her black and red.

Kay's cardinals all going in the right direction thanks to Helen (smile).

Last but not least we have Sue who did her's scrappy but very nice.

This was what we accomplished in 2 days and we agreed it was a wonderful time. Will be fun to see them all finished. Sherry was a wonderful hostess fixing all our meals and so all we had to do was show up and quilt. Thanks Sherry and Kay

Casey Retreat-Saturday

We arrived this morning for Casey's Retreat at Sherry's studio with sewing machines in tow and our material all cut and ready to go. Most of us had made a sample block and after putting them on the design wall some changes were made.

It was a fun day as we interacted with one another...eating lunch and dinner and all the goodies provided. Most of us conquered approx. 10 blocks. Also pictured is the quilt Sherry, our instructor, made from the corners that were cut off. We left tired but will arrive again tomorrow refreshed and ready to conquer the remaining blocks. (schroll down and you will see the finished picture of the "Theresa Star" and more information. I will post more later.

Theresa's Star

Casey Quilters Retreat will be this next week at Sherry's Studio. The project is 'Theresa's Stars' designed by Theresa Eisinger in Quiltmaker, Nov/Dec 2005. It is Queen size. Many of the gals will be using Christmas fabrics. Some have chosen other palette's.
It is a 2-day retreat. We have lunch and supper together plus coffee breaks. A wonderful time for all of us.

This square was a trial run of the fabrics I chose. I bought them last weekend when we went on a bus mystery trip with Backroad Quilters. They are:

'Splendid Holiday' by The Benartex Studio. (Gold)

'Vintage Stitches" by Thimbleberries RJR fabrics. (green)

'Let it Snow' by Kris Lammers and Maywood Studio. (Plaid)

I will pick up the orange/red for the first border 1-1 1/2" and use the Green for a 3" border.

I have a beige backing with a slight swish of green in it. It will be 61x74 approx.

At the end of next weekend I should have a completed top if everything goes right! Famous last words...It is always fun to get together with other gals on similar projects.

Star BOM #6

It is a sunny day here in Maine....temperature is 49 degrees so it is crisp. I have been under the weather for a few days physically so decided it was a good time to attempt Block #6. Judy Laquidara offers a Block of the Month designed by her in EQ6 and she posts the pattern on the 1st and 15th of each month. This has been a learning experience using the 16 inch for some of the measurements. I am finally comfortable with it after 6 blocks. My color palette has 8 colors with a new one introduced this time. It has been fun to watch the other gals each month and see their color combinations. I really appreciate this opportunity to challenge myself and Judy's time that she has put into it.

My JOY - Grandchildren - quilting & Kiting

This is a view of our Statehouse dome in the distance from across the Kennebec River. Could not resist the beauty of the season.

I had so much fun this weekend. I had my twin grandsons -10 years old on Saturday and they watched for the wind so we could fly kites. Sure enough in the afternoon there was enough to get them up and the boys were tireless, but Gram who was their helpmate was dragging before they were...it was a great time to make a memory in our wide open fields. Hard to see the kite, but the sky is beautiful with the trees with the beautiful Fall colors and white fence that holds horses. Sunday was a special day with my granddaughter.Old Fort Western, built in 1754 and a National Historic Landmark, is America's oldest surviving wooden fort - a reminder of the great contest between cultures that dominated New England life 250 years ago. Today was open house.

My granddaughter (pictured below hand quilting) served there this summer dressing in the period costume and was involved with different activities. Today I had the joy of sitting down with her and hand quilting. She is a confident young lady having made 2 quilts herself. Of course, she is following in her Gram's footsteps and her mom's, who is also an excellent seamstress. This was special for me.

Today they were baking, making beds, a man running a forge, melting pewter and making a spoon. Also young people were making apple cider and serving it. Men and women are stationed throughout the building sharing the history of James Howard and his family. If you want to know more of its history you can check out their website above.