DRESDEN PLATE DONE!

Last winter I made a nice Dresden Plate quilt from my collection of 1930's reproduction fabrics.  I machine pieced the  blades and later found a cream fabric with small red dots for the background blocks.  I hand appliqued the blades and the centers onto the background ~~  this took a lot of time and patience.  I wish I had known about the Clover needle threader then because it has taken a lot of fussing out of my sewing.

Once the blocks were made and sewn together I made a trip to the Quilt Sampler in Springfield and found fabric for the outer border and then had the quilt machine quilted by my friend Reggie.  That's when the procrastination set in.  I knew in my heart that the Dresden was calling out for scalloped borders, but the thought of all that measuring, marking and cutting (not to mention making yards and yards of bias binding) seemed a little too much. 

The day before Thanksgiving I gave myself a mental kick and began the process ~~  measuring, marking, cutting, etc.  It's a bit daunting to take scissors and cut into a new quilt.  Then there was the small mountain of bias binding to measure, mark and cut.  I couldn't make any errors because I barely had enough fabric to cut the amount of binding I needed.  Thanksgiving afternoon after dinner was over I began stitching the binding around 40 scallops and it went fairly well.  The only thing I wish I had done differently would be to use a darker thread in the bobbin so when I wrapped the binding around to the back I could see the sewing line better.  

Here's my finished quilt except for the label. 

A folded corner showing the scallops

Miss Dottie approves

I'm pleased with this quilt and it will be a keeper for us.  I love modern quilts but there is something very satisfying about making a traditional quilt. This is the last quilt I will complete in 2013.

I hope your Thanksgiving holiday was as enjoyable as ours.  Wishing you all the best!

TWO MORE SLEEPS.......

Sweet Olive & Miss Dottie

First off I would like to welcome all the new members.  I hope you feel welcome and comfortable here...just think of me as a back-door friend - you are welcome to drop by any time.

I have accepted the fact that Winter is here to stay.  Yesterday I replaced our Fall quilt with a Log Cabin quilt we both love and use every year for Christmas.  There's nothing Christmasy about it, but we look forward to it every year.  Until recently I've not been one to make holiday-specific quilts.  Then I made a Wacky Web Halloween quilt a couple years ago and look forward to seeing it every year.  I may tackle a Christmas quilt for next year.  Another holiday I would like to celebrate with a quilt is the 4th of July.

Two more sleeps and it will be Thanksgiving.  We decided to have a small, stay-at-home celebration this year.  I will be cooking a turkey breast, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, fresh green beans with butter and almonds, fruit salad, homemade rolls and pumpkin and Dutch apple pies.  This will give us adequate leftovers that I shouldn't have to cook for a few days.  Over the long weekend I plan to bind my Dresden quilt and begin watching Downton Abbey.  I bought Series 1-3 and can't wait to get started!

Our family would need one full day to count our blessings.  We have the peace of God in our lives, good health, all our material needs are met and we have a loving family and good friends.  This summer Dottie & Olive, our two Scottish terriers, were added to our branch of the family and they have brought so much new life and joy to us. 

From my family to yours we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Don't forget to count your blessings. 

ALMOST AMISH

We have several Amish families that live on farms in our community.  Their mode of transportation is horse-drawn buggies.  It's not unusual to see a buggy with the whole family sitting in a line of traffic.  I love being the first vehicle behind the buggies because I love to see the Amish children in their traditional clothing.  Sometimes I can even catch their eye and get a little smile from them.

Recently my dear friend Alana from northern Canada sent me a gorgeous table runner made from purple batik fabrics.  I have named it Almost Amish because of the bright colors set with black.  It looks wonderful in our home.

The coasters are a bonus.  Alana did a beautiful job on the machine quilting.  Thank you, Alana!!

Winter is setting in for real in our area.  I made a quick trip out this morning to visit our computer guru and was startled to almost hit a deer who decided to cross the highway in front of me as I was driving through a patch of fog.  Thankfully I was able to miss him.  Our roads are supposed to be icy later this afternoon.  I have one more quick trip to make and then I will be tucked in for the day and probably most of the weekend. 

I will be putting together a pot of French Onion soup to have with our dinner tonight.  It's a perfect day for homemade soup and open-face roast beef sandwiches.

Wishing you a day filled with Peace & Plenty.

A SLOW WEEK

It's been an unusual week.  Hubby Jeff has been home all week with a bad sinus infection.  He's beginning to feel much better now.

Throughout the week I managed to get twenty more pillowcases made for the Cyber Elves Give Back Group at Missouri Star.  These, along with hundreds of others, will go to children who will be spending Christmas in Intensive Care units in Atlanta and Memphis.

I love doing things for children and these are quick and easy to make.  There are wonderful tutorials on YouTube that show you how to make them with French seams so there are no raw edges inside the cases.  My juvenile fabric stash is now depleted and it couldn't be for a better cause. 

Tomorrow is opening day of firearm deer season.  Jeff will wait a little bit before he goes out to hunt.  Normally opening day is crazy and there will be so many visitors in our county looking for places to hunt.  It will be a good day to stay out of the woods.

I make a large pot of chili last night and that's what Jeff wants to have again for dinner tonight.  I think I will cook a pan of cornbread to go with it tonight. 

Wishing you a happy weekend!

ANOTHER FRIDAY

It seems like last Friday was two days ago.  Just where did this week go!

I don't know what it is about me and Fridays, but it's a day when I don't care to begin a new project.  I guess it comes from years of working.  To me Friday is a day to wind up the week and enjoy the weekend.

The winner of the giveaway was thrilled and her box is heading her way.  I hope she is happy with the goodies.  I always wish I could send something to everyone who enters my drawings and I almost did that last year.  I mailed out 18 table runners and the cost of the postage really curled my hair!  We are all winners because we are quilters.  I know, I hear you ~~  you would rather have the box of goodies!!  I know how thrilling it is to have your name drawn because last year I won a drawing for the first time in my life.

Dottie and Sweet Olive are frisky today.  They want out to run and chase their balls, but everything is still muddy and slushy from being frozen.  Being California girls they have never experienced mud and slush.  I can't wait for them to see snow for the first time.  Nothing seems to bother Olive, but Dottie doesn't like anything strange on her feet.  It's going to be a very interesting winter.

I ran to town this morning and did some grocery shopping.  We have one market in our little town and they run some good specials every week.  The workers there are like family and I always spend more time visiting with them than shopping.  They will carry your groceries to your vehicle and would be highly offended if you offered them a tip.  My kind of  people.

I hope you all have a warm and safe weekend doing whatever it is you enjoy most.  Until next time I wish you ~~~

                                  Peace & Plenty

AND THE WINNER IS .........

Congratulations to Tyne Dimitron, who is the lucky winner of  the 2013 Holiday Giveaway here.

Tyne, please forward me your mailing address so your box of goodies can begin its journey to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered the drawing.  I always wish I could send a box of goodies to everyone who entered.  Again this year my Hubby Jeff was the official name puller. 

TOMATO QUILT

At last the tomato quilt I put together about a month or so ago is done.  I made it as a remembrance of the fantastic harvest of tomatoes we had this year.  Hubby says he really likes it, but I think he secretly thinks it's a bit too girlie!  This is the first quilt I have made in homage to a vegetable ~ or is it really a fruit!

Basically the quilt is an 8 1/2" square with the corners snowballed to make the blocks look rounded.  I used a variety of red and green prints from my stash for the tomatoes. The corner blocks were 1 3/4" inches and are the same dotty material as the background.  I fused and sewed on the leaves and tomato stems.  Then a 3" border from the background fabric was added and it was ready for quilting.  The binding is the same fabric as the green tomato barely peeking out of the lower left corner of the picture above.  I wanted to keep this quilt small, simple and cute.  Red/green/white is one of my favorite color combinations for quilts.   

We have been getting rain for the past few days along with gusty winds that have ripped the beautiful Fall leaves off the trees.  The Girls come into the house with their feet and skirts loaded with wet leaves.  Sweet Olive has to roll on her back in the leaves and mud, so she gets little birdbaths (in the utility tub with the sprayer) throughout the day.  Miss Dottie is very prissy and doesn't like her feet to be wet or muddy.  She stops the minute she comes into the house and waits for me to clean her feet. 

Tomorrow is the drawing for the Giveaway here.  It's still not too late to put your name in the hat.  I'm So Excited to see who wins!!  I will post the winner here and also send an email to her.

I hope the sun is shining wherever you are today.

                               Peace & Plenty

STILL TIME TO SIGN UP....

There is still time for you to sign up for the Giveaway ~~~ Next Thursday, November 7, the lucky winner's name will be drawn and posted here.

Email me if you would like to sign up:  oakerbarbie@gmail.com.

Good Luck to everyone who entered!!