New Blog Background

It has taken me three days but I finally got it the way I wanted it.  I am so excited I finally learned to make a photo collage and use it as my header.

Autumnal Equinox

 Welcome Fall!!!  I am definitely ready for some cooler weather.  This has been a really hot summer in Atlanta, we totally skipped Spring and went directly into Summer.  Last week I started talking to our kindergarten students about fall, and reading one of my favorite books, By the Light of the Harvest Moon by Harriet Ziefert.   The illustrations, b y Mark Jones,  are absolutely beautiful.  The students are so excited that they get to learn the big fancy word for fall, autumnal equinox.  There is nothing like hearing 20 kindergarten students try to pronounce those two words.  Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, it always has been.  I love getting out in the woods and roaming about.  Check out some of my Georgia mountain images of fall.

Hand turned wooden bowl with fall leaves.

Just looking at this makes me relax.

Pumpkin Time!

Don't know exactly what these things are but they reminded me of baby pumpkins.

Leaves are starting to turn in the mountains.

I see pumpkin pies in their future.

Great giveaway

Check out the great giveaway over at Rogue Quilter.  I shouldn't  advertise it because I would really like to have this book, but if you are into scrap quilts this would be a great addition to your collection.  Lynn Roddy Brown is the author of several other great books on scrap quilts, Simple Strategies for Scrap Quilts and Simple Strategies for block Swap Quilts.  This one looks great!!

East Cobb Show

 The preview night for the East Cobb Quilt Show was last Thursday night.  I was so excited, since it was my first quilt show and preview night.  My friend Pat, was my date for the evening, (Becky got sick on me, hope you are feeling better).  Before we could go into the show and look at the quilts there was an award ceremony, I felt like I was at the Oscar's!!  I knew that I wouldn't win anything  but it was great hearing everyone's names called out.  There was a winner from the Silver Thimble Group, congratulations Linda and Leisa!!!  Way to go.  The Best of Show is the applique quilt to the right, I could never, never do anything like that, it was amazing.  There were over 300 beautiful quilts, I tried to get photos of them all, here are some of my favorites.  Melinda Fulkerson, and the East Cobb group did a great job with the show. 

The insanity quilt, yes, those squares are that tiny.

Civil War quilt from Homestead hearth.  Maybe this will motivate me to finish mine.

This was made by Amanda, a Little Quilts employee.  Great Job Amanda!

I loved this quilt, the colors were so different.

Here I am with my quilt!!

Farmer's Wife

 

I am a little late getting on the wagon with the Farmer's Wife, and I swore that I wasn't going to do it.  When  I saw Sarah's beautiful version of it I decided that I had to do it.  I also found the Farmer's Wife Quilt Along group and thought I would try it.  I already had the book so all that was left was to get started.  I have made a few blocks just haven't shown them. The hardest part is deciding on the fabrics for each block.  I think that I have gotten spoiled doing so many kits recently.  Here are the three blocks that I made tonight.

Basket weave  (this one looks a little off, might have to redo!)

"Economy"

"Flock"

That is a housewife?

 Yesterday, I was showing DH, my newest purcahse, an antique housewife.  He thought it was something that you put bullets in.  I guess you could use it for that but I explained that this one was for sewing and it was given to soldiers in the Civil War in order for them to do their own mending.  Until recently I had no idea that the soldiers did their own mending, I don't know who I thought did it for them, and probably in lots of cases it didn't get done.  Most soldiers probably had more important things on their mind.  After buying this housewife, I decided that I wanted to make my own. I have a cute Mary Englebret one, but homemade is always nicer.  I found this pattern in Confederates in the Cornfield, probably could have made my own, but since I had the book  with the pattern I decided to go with it. 

This is my version of the housewife, not as big as the one I purchased.

Old and new side by side. 

September, Already??

Where did August go?  Oh, wait, I know, I had to go back to work. That is why there isn't as much sewing time, or actually time for anything.  This school year is really different for me.  For the first time ever I don't have a clerk to help out in the media center.  I go home exhausted very night.  I keep thinking that it will get better, but so far it hasn't.  It is times like this that I envy my friend Becky who retired a couple of years ago.  The only sewing I have managed to do is this the second block from Heartfield Manor. I  decided to step out of my box and mix batiks with prints, so far I like what I have done.  Can't wait to see the other blocks.  I really like the fact that with this BOM there is a mixture of applique and pieced blocks.  Hopefully, I won't get too far behind on these.