Happy Halloween, Quilters

Happy Halloween, quilters. Little bit of snow this morning. Still cool and crisp but not so bad that the dog didn't want to go for a run this morning. (She ran, I walked - and struggled to keep up, let me tell you. Crazy little 12 lb dog.) I've got work to do and she'd better rest this afternoon so I can get some things done before the trick-or-treaters come banging on the door.  

I'm having fun with wool lately and working hard on some new patterns that will be available to you soon. "Kathy does applique."

Here's a peek - this cute pincushion below will be included in a pattern for a colorful fall table runner.

(Bear's Paw quilt from my Prairie Children book. Still a favorite.) 

Fall always inspires me so much - more than any other season.

I still have so many Maple Leaf blocks left over from a swap we did in my online small quilt group awhile ago. I bring them out and look at them every now and then but that's as far as I get. Catch the free pattern here.

So many ways to make these into a cute fall quilt. Thanksgiving will be here before you know it and won't something made from these blocks look cute on your table?

 Go on - rest up, little doggie. Wish I could play with you all day but there's wool and thread to be played with instead. And that doorbell's going to start ringing soon.

More Pretty Quilts

Here are a few more quilts that were on display at the show I attended last week in Wheaton, IL. Hope they inspire you as much as they inspired me.

Leaf Play, made by Beth Huhn Hoffman, inspired by a Sue Spargo workshop.

The House Kaffe Built made by Elizabeth FitzGerald.

A fun setting for some signature blocks. Quilt made by Elizabeth FitzGerald.

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Judy Scheppach made this quilt from a Lori Smith pattern.

I think I used to have a doll like this when I was very young. It was cheap and I started to buy it for old time's sake but my good sense got the better of me. What would I do with it? I really didn't need an old doll - it was just as much fun remembering. Breakthrough: I really don't need so much "stuff" anymore.

Mary Zenger hand pieced this quilt designed by Sue Daly.

Just darling.

Quilt made by Ginny Wright.

Susan Strasser made Lucy Boston Broke My Heart.

Tree of Life quilt made by Barb Vlack,  inspired by a Sue Spargo workshop.

Center portion of the Pennies from Heaven quilt made by Marcia Cameron, designed by Gretchen Gibbons. Look at the beautiful hand-dyed wool.

Can you tell I'm inspired by all the wool applique quilts I see everywhere? I'm playing around with wool this week.

A Great Day for a Quilt Show

Going to a quilt show on an overcast, gloomy October day really does the trick if you need some perking up. The Prairie Star Quilt Guild of Wheaton, IL is having their show today (Fri) and tomorrow (Sat) at the DuPage County Fairgrounds.  It's too late to attend today but if you live in the Chicago area do yourself a favor and stop by tomorrow.  Not only are the quilts fantastic but there are wonderful VENDORS too. I brought extra cash along with my credit card in case I stayed awhile and needed to eat something but as it turned out I was frivolous and spent all my lunch money pretty early on (!) so I walked out of there hungry and penniless . . . . Yes,  I am a quilter and fabric always comes first. But no, I will not put a hot dog on my credit card . . . . It doesn't kill me to skip a meal now and then anyway, LOL.

There were so many beautiful quilts on display. I am always amazed at the level of creativity and skill when I attend shows like this. So many different styles of quilts and all done beautifully.

This quilt shows up at almost every show I attend and I'm always happy to see it - baskets from When the Cold Wind Blows by Barb Adams and Alma Allen (Trick or Treat quilt made by Marion Schlindwein)

Be Square by Jan Sharpless

Saltbox Sampler made by Carol Andermann

Mary Zenger combined wool and cotton beautifully in her Holiday Inn quilt and won first place!

Stars and Stripes (a Minnick & Simpson pattern) made by Elvira Illig

(Took this one for Sue B.)

Amish with a Twist made by Ann Kowalyszyn

One of my favorite vendor booths was Woolkeeper  - featuring lovely designs for wool applique by Kathy Wall.

I went to the show looking for some pretty wool to use in a few projects for wool applique and regular applique I'm in the process of designing. What a nice surprise to meet Kathy and discover that she's a fan and has made a few of my patterns in wool (Orange Peel above and and Civil War Baskets, below). Who knew they'd look great in wool too?? Thanks, Kathy!

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It's exciting to see all the things quilters are doing with wool now and to see all the wonderful colors available. A Different Box of Crayons also had a great booth and I bought some incredibly beautiful hand-dyed wool from them too.

Yes, I sure am going to be having some fun with wool pretty soon . . . .

There was one antique quilt booth I had to stay away from - there were way too many toy irons and sewing machines I was drooling over.

I couldn't post all of the pictures I took of quilts so I'll add them to another post in a few days. Have a great weekend. You know what I'm going to be playing around with tomorrow . . . . (no, not a toy iron, sigh. I already have a green one just like it.)

Whatcha Making?

Don't you love surprises? Yesterday's mail brought a nice surprise - eighty 6" x  6" fabric squares from a recent Small Quilt Group Charm Swap. I knew they were coming but had no idea what they would look like. 

Wow. What a nice variety. When you sign up for the swap, you buy a little over a yard of one fabric, cut it into 40 squares and send them to the swap hostess. She sorts them out and sends you 40 different print squares that others have sent to her. How much fun is that?

True, you have to pay for shipping and yardage, and so maybe it's not exactly cost effective, but it's fun to get so many different pieces of fabric to use in my small, scrappy quilts. And lots of prints I have never even seen before. I'm able to get a lot of mileage out of the six-inch size. Some quilters consider these scraps, and they toss them away. They're like jewels to me. I signed up twice for 2 sets of charms so I received 80 squares. I don't have 80 friends who quilt (or friends period, aside from all of you!) to swap fabric with so it works really well for me.

This month in my Yahoo Small Quilt Group we are working on making square in a square blocks for our small quilts of the month.

I spent some time this morning playing around with the squares and finding good combinations of prints for making my blocks. 

Now I have some smaller scraps left over to add to the pile . . . . 

By the way, is is Fabriholic or Fabricoholic??   Click here to join my group. We'll be doing another fabric swap next year.

How's Your Day Going?

Honestly, some days I feel like I live on a farm. Every morning after I get up I go out into the back yard with the dog and my bucket of oiled sunflower seeds and fill the bird feeders, sprinkle something on the ground for the squirrels (so they stay away from the feeders), refresh the bird bath, then throw the ball around for the dog and make sure she does her business.

Today, after I finished my "farm" chores and my husband left for work, I started the coffee, fed the dog and began to plan my day. Hey, a day with no commitments for a change!  I actually thought that maybe, just maybe, I could get something done. I was even willing to turn off the computer for awhile. The dog begged to go out again. I ran back inside to pour myself a cup of coffee and get my sweater. I swear, TWO minutes later, I poked my head out the window and saw that she was lying on her back, rolling in something on the grass.

When she came to the door ("Hi, Mom!")  I caught a whiff and Oh My Goodness. As soon as I let her in I regretted it. Whoa! I caught her before she ran past me, gathered her up and then tried to wipe her down with a soapy cloth but it didn't help. She smelled like a barnyard and now so did my whole house. All soaped up, she slipped away from me and ran to the sofa to dry herself off, with me screaming behind her. PUH-LEEZE! This is not happening. Not today. I just cleaned.

Let's see, what smells good today?

Spoiled city girl that I am, not wishing to get my hands even more dirty, I wrapped her up in an old towel, popped her in the car and drove to the groomer.  Please, please fit us in.

Goose Poop - I should have guessed. What dog doesn't love that scent? It could have been worse (skunk). "Oh, my, she IS a stinky girl today. Our regular bath won't get rid of the smell - do you want us to deodorize her too? There's an extra charge for that . . . ."  Of course there is.

I have to admit I was a little surprised. She's usually much more of a lady. I always thought she'd go for something slightly more floral than Goose Poop. 

Don't let the smile fool you.

I HATE getting sidetracked by silly stuff like this. I've got a couple of hours until I have to pick up the sweet-smelling little girl and I still have to figure out how to get the goose poop off the sofa cushion and my jeans. Wonder if I can salvage my day after that? If I can, I thought maybe I'd clean my desk. Or, since writing is so therapeutic for me, maybe I'll just write a cute little story about it to ease my frustration. Better than opening that box of cookies in the pantry.

So, how's your day going??