Storm's a Comin'

My trip to Iowa earlier this week was not without some drama. I prefer my trips without it. The good early part was that everyone in Iowa really seemed to like me and gave me their undivided attention, even more than my family does at times, LOL.

 

Another fantastic group of sweet quilter ladies, as my daughter calls them.

 

The next day, we headed for home and decided to stop at the Amana Colonies for lunch and a quick look at a few antiques shops (of course) and the local quilt shop.  We'd been there before on another trip to Iowa last year.

 

 

 

 

 

The day was slightly overcast and I really hadn't paid much attention to the weather but noticed that the sky seemed to be getting a little dark as we were walking around shopping.

 

 

 

Such a cute little area!

 

 

 

 

 

The Painted Cupboard. I wanted to buy everything in the store!

 

 

 

Back in the car, the wind picked up and the sky became even darker. We were still hours away from home. The radio said significant storms were expected in the area we were headed into. There were no alternate routes other than the main highway going back to Chicago.

 

 

I got a text message from my son:  Storm's a Comin' he said. He was talking about the weather in Chicago but we were moving right along with it and I'm not sure if he even knew exactly where we were. Yes, I know, we're in the middle of it right now, I replied.  Stay safe. Love you.

 

 

We were on the road in the middle of nowhere and the next exit was miles away. Right about this time it started to rain - with lightning and  heavy hail. We couldn't see the road very well and my hand started shaking so I put the camera down. The weatherman on the radio then said my least favorite word during a storm - Tornadoes.

 

 

Look at those clouds!

 

The open road did not seem safe at all so we did the smart thing and decided to get off the road and hunkered down for over an hour at an oasis at the next exit until the worst part sort of passed and there was a break in the storms. At one point a storm was chasing us. My husband assured me we were driving faster than it was coming at us but it became stronger than we thought and eventually I convinced him to pull over again until it passed and we could see the road once more. We arrived home a little later than expected that evening and still  a bit shaky but you can imagine how glad we were to be safe and sound. I can't remember the last time driving was so stressful and was glad my husband came along on the trip this time. The next day I copied an emergency list of storm safety tips while on the road and stashed it in the car for the next time, just in case.  

 

 

Having Fun with Beads

I'm on a beading kick, taking a little break from quilting.  I have so much fun making things with colorful beads. Nothing fancy, just casual earrings, bracelets and necklaces to dress up a white or black t-shirt and jeans. It really gets my creativity going, playing around with all the different colors I love.

 

 

 

Someone asked about my jewelry at the retreat last month and so I brought some pieces to show people and surprisingly got some orders to make things. While I was making up orders I couldn't stop myself from creating more stuff so I made myself this bracelet. 

I have more than a few turqoise bracelets.

Here are some of my other favorite pieces.

 

 

I've been in love with colorful beads for a long time.  Several beads on the above necklace were originally from a necklace I bought as a student (!) when I visited the Lake District in England many, many years ago. I always loved the necklace which supposedly was made with polished natural stones from the area but it broke a few years later probably because I wore it so much. I couldn't fix it but hung onto it for sentimental reasons and recently decided to just use the muted colored beads in some of the other necklaces I made, spreading my memories of England around to several different pieces. I think I will use them again now that I remember I still have them. I guess I am sentimental about my beads too, LOL.

 

This necklace was made for me by my friend Julia. Isn't it lovely? Simple beads mixed with fresh water pearls.

My daughter makes jewelry too -

I can get lost in a bead store -

 

 

 

 

If you love playing with color, I'm telling you, you should try beading.

 

Flea Market Finds

We took a trip to the Flea Market on Sunday.

The weather was very cool and overcast but no rain so we gave it a shot. I love looking at all sorts of junk. You just never know what you'll find. I do try to restrain myself and only buy "necessary" items that won't add to my growing collection of clutter. Still . . . a girl's gotta have SOME fun at a flea market.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I saw a few vintage quilts but not many. No real antiques, mostly contemporary ones imported from China.

Nothing I felt I needed. I do believe I need to make a small quilt using pink, indigo and apple green, though!

 

 

In addition to quilts, I'm always on the lookout for authentic Barbie dolls or outfits from the early '60s to add to my vintage collection. Don't see many anymore.

 

 

Don't tell anyone but I actually paid $10.00 for the sunglasses a few years ago. Yes, for a doll. You don't want to know how much for the little zippered travel case to complete the outfit, LOL. Hey, I didn't buy any fabric that week. The  outfit  is original and belonged to my Barbie from my childhood but the accessories for most of the clothes got lost over the years. I like to try to replace them sometimes, just for fun. Maybe I'll take a look at eBay later  : )

 

No Barbie clothes at the flea market, but here's something else I found -

I'd been wanting a small iron like this with a green handle for awhile, ever since my publisher used one as a prop to photograph the Feedsack Flower Garden quilt in my first book, American Doll Quilts.

 

 

Now I have my very own toy iron. And then I spotted this one and knew I needed it just as much as the other one -

 

 

I haggled a bit and got both for almost nothing. What a deal! The little one with the green handle is something I would have loved as a kid. I do not believe my mom would ever have let  me have one if I asked for it though. I was kind of clumsy as a child and you can guess what would have happened.  But I can almost see myself ironing doll dresses alongside my mom. She was a great ironer, my mom, as were many women from that era. Me, now? Not so much. We live in a different world today, don't we? My own kids would not have known what to do with a toy iron. Wash & Wear, that's been my motto for years and the one they grew up with.

 

Of course, my husband wanted to know what I was going to do with my finds. Like there's an actual answer to that question . . .

 

Small Quilt Challenge for June

Are you still following along and making one small quilt a month from projects in some of my books? If so, here is the quilt for June. I cannot believe we are halfway through the second year of making these little quilts.

Follow the directions in my book Remembering Adelia to make your quilt.

 

Choose your favorite appliqué method. I hadn't appliquéd much when I made mine a few years ago and I used a simple needleturn technique, in keeping with the way Adelia and other nineteenth century women did their appliqué. If appliqué is not your thing and you are uneasy about attempting this, you can use an easier method - try fusing the shapes onto the background with fusible web (I like Light Steam-A-Seam 2) and stitching around them with a very small buttonhole or zigzag stitch on your machine.

 

Ruching  (pronounced: "rooshing") is a French term meaning to gather or pleat and was a popular embellishment on women's clothing and hats during the nineteenth century. I made this little quilt with raw edge ruffled flowers because I was inspired by photos of women's clothing that included ruching at the sleeves, necklines and bodices and wanted to incorporate it into a project.  During the nineteenth century, women also wore ruched flowers on their hats and bonnets.

  

 

 

If you don't want to use raw-edge ruching on your flowers as I did, how about making yoyos for the flowers to give it more of a '30s look? Yoyos actually date back to the 19^th century and were called rosettes then but we are more familiar with seeing them on quilts from the 20^th century.  I tried yoyos for the flowers at first but felt they looked a little too modern for a project made with reproduction prints.

Remember - you can also experiment and make the quilt in your favorite fabrics instead of 1800s reproduction prints. Have fun making this sweet little quilt and show me some pictures when you finish.