Pushing Buttons

There are lots of ways to design a blog.  There are colors to chose, layouts to decide, things to add.  Those of you who know me, know that I like to try new things.  This morning (when I should be doing other things), I decide to take time to blog.  Rather than simply adding a new post, I started pushing buttons.  Well, hopefully, I have gotten the blog back to how it looked before but I did add one new thing.  If you look to the right, notice the addition on top of my picture.  There is a space you can subscribe to the blog by email.  Now you don't have to look every day to see when there is a new post.  You can just have me show up in you inbox!

We have some new quilters that are now helping us.  Jenean is a delightful lady who pieced us some tops and left them at one of our local quilt shops for me.  A big thank you, Jenean!  I also was contacted by Deb who contributed some quilts that her quilt guild made. That is very exciting for us.  We are very grateful for all the contributions with the flu season right around the corner.  When the season hits us, we are sewing and quilting as fast as we can.  This will help us tremendously.

This is a quilt from the guild. Pinks and greens with Winnie the Pooh is a great combination for a little girl.

I love the pastel plaid on the backing.

Susan made this one.  It has great leftover squares from other projects.  She added fun sashing to give it a totally different look.

This bright backing is actually puzzle pieces that link together.

This fun quilt is also from the guild.  It can work for a boy or girl which is always a bonus for us.  I haven't used this layout for a quilt before and will certainly try it.

You can't see in the pictures but the quilter quilted words into the quilt.  I added our label and this one was a quick finish!

I am very excited with the way this quilt turned out.  It was actually one I put together some time ago for myself.  I had intended to add borders and finish it.   Recently I made the decision it was one I didn't really need to keep and instead could use it for a teenager perhaps.  Shannon took it and quilted it.

Shannon added the burgundy backing with gold thread and I think the quilting is gorgeous.  I almost had second thoughts about keeping it!

This last quilt is also from the guild.  What a fun quilt with great blocks.

Obviously the guild has some very talented members.

Balloon animals!!  I love it!

Thanks to all the quilters who contributed to these great quilts.  And thank you for looking!  As always, I love getting your comments.  Feel free to leave me one!

Tomorrow brings Greg and I traveling to New Jersey for a couple of days.  I am itching to get into the quilt room so I can play with fabric before I go. 

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Michigan, Pulled Pork and Quilts

This past week has held lots of activity for me. To begin with,  I traveled to Michigan to speak at a couple of meetings.  I had never been to Michigan before so I was excited about going.  I love going to places I have never been.  The people that I meet have been totally awesome.  My message of what possibilities there are for those of us with MS along with the idea of making a difference in the lives of others never fails to make those listening at least stop and think about where they've been and where they are headed.  That can be nothing but positive.  I was very excited to get to share the trip with my sister.  On day two of a three day trip we made it to a quilt store.  Here's what we thought we just had to bring home in our already stuffed luggage.

As you can see, the shop was called Material Mart.  We thought it was a great shop.  The problem was we only had about 40 minutes in the shop and I got a business phone call while I was there.  The phone call saved me from further damage to my fabric budget!  (Greg would say "What budget?")

Here's a quilt Kathy sewed and quilted for us.  What a great way to use those scraps of florals that you aren't quite sure what to do with.

I love the backing on this one.

Kathy also sewed and quilted this one.  It is a great print for a little boy and the plaid is a great contrasting fabric.

The backing is the same print as the focus fabric on the front.

I think this is a really fun quilt that Kathy did.  I love the slices of fruit with the daisies.

The choice of a matching stripe for the back of the quilt is perfect.

And now....introducing my new quilt model...my son Joel.  You've seen Greg's legs and hands frequently and now you get to see Joel's.  Joel and Cara flew in from Washington, D.C. Friday evening, not long after I returned from Michigan Friday afternoon.  It was Homecoming weekend at Kansas University where Joel, Joshua and his wife Jessica received their undergraduate degrees.  Football was on tap for the weekend.  It was also the last chance they would have to visit before Cara needs to stop traveling due to the newest Welch's arrival.  My son Joshua and wife Jessica live about 30 minutes from us and volunteered to do all of the cooking for us so I didn't have to worry about that.  THe food was delicious.  Josh smokes a mean pulled pork.  Not that anyone would look closely, but Greg's legs and Joel's legs look eerily similar.

Back to the quilt.  This pink cutie was a combined effort from my sister and me.  We took star blocks, added some leftover four patches to make the checkerboard and knew we had a winner.  We were one star block short.  I took some pinwheels made from half-square triangles left from the star points.  I made the missing block and it is my favorite!  Goes to show, never through away those corners you trim!

San Antonio

As you all know, I have been traveling to talk about my experience with MS and the new medication I am taking.  Last week found me in San Antonio, Texas, a place Greg and I have always wanted to visit.  We never have much free time when I travel--it is business after all, but we usually try to at least see one thing wherever we are.  San Antonio brought the Riverwalk and the Alamo.

Isn't this just so peaceful looking?  It is a beautiful area to spend time.  We rode the riverboat so we got to see lots of the area with little walking!

Here's proof I was actually there.  This picture does not tell you how hot it was. 101 degrees.  Oppressive to say the least.  However, we had a wonderful time and I got to meet some awesome people.  Not that anyone would want MS, but it has brought me to a place in my life I never expected to be.  I guess it goes to prove there is always something good if you look for it.

I actually was hoping to be able to post a fun picture.  Remember the lobster car?  Greg and I were walking down to street to the Alamo.  Along came a car with a giant Red Bull can on the back.  I could just see it in my mind.  I could have a series of weird cars I find on my trips.  However, the car was driving in traffic, not parked, my camera was in my purse, not in my hand, and I was sweating profusely.  No picture, no series.

How about some quilts?

Judith put this together with some fun girls shopping fabric.



We've got shoes, sunglasses, shopping bags and more.

Karen quilted this one with a great circle fabric in shades of pink.

You may be able to tell this is a Shelly special.  Flannel in bright colors for a girl or boy.

And of course, nothing better than a yellow flannel dot for the back.

Pink and Chocolate are still a popular choice for girls.  This rail fence takes on a graphic look with the placement of the pink strips.

Nan used a perfect backing and quilted this with an loop design.  I am sure there is a technical name for it, but I have no clue what it is!

Deb put together this fun quilt.  I gave her some random fabric and this is what she came up with.  I love the way it turned out.

Shannon quilted her magic into this quilt and used a sweet pink and orange backing.

I had an assortment of half-square triangles that I gave to Teresa and asked her to come up with something.  This is the result.  Just goes to show we have a talented group who are always willing to help.



Sandy gave the quilt the finishing touch with lollipop quilting and a girly backing.

I've got more quilts to show you in the next few days.  I am actually home this week--no traveling--so I will have a chance to post the latest quilts.  Check back!

Travels

The last two weeks have proven to be very interesting ones for me.  I've been traveling and speaking about Gilenya.  I've been to St. Joseph, Missouri, Wilmington, Delaware and back to Kansas City, Missouri.  It has been fun to get to travel a little, meeting lots of fun people, and talk about the changes in my life.  We had an extra bonus.  When Greg and I traveled to Delaware, we took an extra day, rode the train from Delaware to Washington, D.C. and were able to spend the night and next morning with our son Joel and wife Cara.  Cara and I got a little baby shopping time in while the guys did some "father-son bonding".  That's code for a beer at a local brewery.  They are not so much into the shopping.

Here's a picture of the four of us.  This was pre-hurricane Irene.  The leading edge of the storm hit about 30 minutes later with wind and rain.  Normally that wouldn't bother us, but our flight home was scheduled to leave at 1:45 that afternoon.  We ended up leaving on time, but were one of the last flights out of the airport before it was closed. 

I've got some fun quilts for you to take a look at today.

 

This quilt is great.  It is a great way to use up those scraps!

Blue stars for the backing, red with white hearts for the binding, and beautiful quilting make this one a keeper.

This quilt is made from a block I found on the Internet.  I cut it out and actually sewed it on the weekend I spent with my sister and cousin.  It was fast and fun.

Here's a look at the back...cute as always.

Here's another one of our sashed squares.  The kids love this one because they get to look for different things in the squares.

This is one of the best backings!  It gives the quilt a shot of color and ties in well with the cat squares on the front.

This is one of my favorite quilts.  I started with a pack of charm squares.  I didn't have a pattern but had seen a pictures of a quilt that was similar.  I found the border fabric on a shopping expedition with Cara's mom.  Isn't it too cute???

Karen picked out a great backing and did a wonderful job quilting.    The pictures don't do it justice.  This quilt just makes you happy!

I have more quilts to wash and get ready for the hospital.  I'll post those and the latest quilt count next time.  See ya then!

 

                                                          

Ongoing Dilemma

I have an ongoing dilemma.  It is the pile of fabric of fabric in my sewing room. Well, actually in my basement. My one room sewing room has expanded to two rooms now.  The problem is, the more we sew, the more scraps we create.  The stars we make create triangles begging to be sewn into half square triangle blocks.  The yardage has a two and a half inch strip leftover.  It wants to be part of a nine patch block.  You get the idea.  And of course, I don't throw any piece away.   Although I am usually an organized person, I am in a constant state of wondering how to organize my mess better.  In the spirit of continued optimism I am pretty sure I will just sew my way through them.  Until then, I think maybe I'll just go with more clear plastic stackable bins. 

I wanted to share another picture from my trip to Orlando to speak about Gilenya. 

Now if you live in Orlando, this wouldn't seem unusual.  It's just not the kind of thing you would see in Kansas!  I thought it was pretty cute.

I also wanted to share this photo of myself, my cousin Terri and my sister, Susan.  This was the end of our "Quilting Marathon Weekend".  It looks like we survived it in decent shape!

This is a quilt that Susan made.  Nothing says classic like blue, yellow and white.

The quilting is simply beautiful on this.  Done with a soft blue thread it says elegance to me.  I wish it were in a bigger size!

Believe it or not, these are the same fabrics, the same blocks, just turned differently and sashed with a bright royal blue.  It gives it a totally different look and feel.

A different blue and yellow backing adds that extra touch.

Normally I don't post quilts that aren't for the hospital.  I had to make and exception today for this adorable quilt.  I made it for my daughter-in-law Jessica to give to a special friend.

It has two ruffles on it that totally make it girly and so so sweet.

A special label on a pretty green and white background helps to make this a keepsake gift.  I have now used this pattern 5 times.  I may be able to sew it in my sleep.  Each one has turned out so cute.  I am sure I will use this pattern again.

Our last quilt for today is a bright and fun one.  It uses up lots of scraps.

If you look closely, Judith fussy cut little people to go in each set of blocks.

And of course, a quilt this bright deserves a multi-colored bright backing.

I'm heading to the sewing room to play with scraps.  See you next time!