Wisonsin

Earlier this week Greg and I traveled to Middleton, Wisconsin.  A lot of people questioned my sanity in agreeing to go to a northern state in the middle of the winter.  Wednesday morning we awoke to about an inch of snow and snow flurries all day.  Our flight wasn't until five p.m. so we had part of the day to drive and see a few things.  Of course, being the quilt shop lover that I am, we found a quilt store just a few miles from our hotel.  Greg took me and it was a treat!  Here's a picture of the quilt shop.

The shop is in a gorgeous building in a small town.  It sits along side the railroad tracks just down a bit from the historic train depot.  The inside of the shop is wonderful.  It has wooden floors, quilts everywhere, a wide range of fabrics and patterns and last, but not least, a sale room.  What else could you want?  I can home with a little sack of goodies.  If you are in the Madison area, I highly recommend finding this shop.

I finally did it.  After giving it a lot of thought, I decided to go for it.  I decided I had been working hard on the quilts and I deserved a treat.  Not only did I get one but I got a second one too.  Yes..a new ironing board cover!!!  Is there anything better?  Well...yes, but not at that price.  Now that I "splurged" and bought one with one for a backup, I have run across several tutorials for making your own.  Apparently, the advantage to that may be that you can throw the one you make into the washer and always have a clean cover.  I am considering that too.

Here's some quilts for you.

This is a disappearing 9 patch that Deb pieced.  With fish and frogs some little boy is going to love it.

Lois pieced these snowmen and embroidered the faces and buttons.  A bright backing gives it a fun punch of color.

Here is a fun cowboy quilt.  I have no idea why I don't have a picture of the backing!

Deb pieced this cutie with giraffe fabric.  I don't have a picture of the backing for the same reason as the last quilt!!

Amy pieced this flannel quilt with pirates.  I mentioned last time that Amy is a piecer that has recently starting helping us.  I also told you she is from Wichita.  That would be wrong!  She is actually from Olathe, KS.  Sorry for the confusion, Amy.

Judith cut this kit, and Teresa sewed it.  Sandy added the gorgeous backing and quilting.

Sandy artfully pieced the back of this cute quilt.  She also quilted it for us.

Lois pieced this simple but great quilt.  With equipment on the front, the perfect backing has wheels and road signs.  Jean quilted this for us.

Shelly pieced this flannel top.  It is so soft and cuddly.  Any little girl who likes pink and purple is going to be excited to receive it.

Judith put this kit together, Teresa sewed it and Sandy quilted it.  Sandy took some fun Winnie the Pooh fabric and inserted an orphan block on the back.  Great job, ladies!

In case you were wondering, yes, it was cold in Wisconsin.  Lake Michigan had lots of ice!

And finally, Joel and Cara have purchased a home and will be moving soon.  Simon is more than happy to help pack the boxes.

See you next time!!

Out of My Box

One of the things I love about quilting is that sometimes to make a quilt "work" you have to get out of your box.  You know, maybe try some colors that you ordinarily wouldn't use.  You might have to try making a block that you don't think you will like.  There are all sorts of ways quilts make you get out of your box.  One of the ways I decided to get out of my box in the new year was to join the local quilt guild.  I can be very happy with my cat in my sewing room.  Just the two of us.  Fabric, cat, and me.  Oh, and a snack.  That makes me happy.  However, I can tend to be so happy that I don't want to leave my sewing room.  I decided that I really needed to get out of my box and get out there in the world a little more.  On Tuesday morning, I met some friends and I joined the guild.  Since it was the first meeting of the year, the focus was on organizing.  First, organizing the group and secondly, on organizing our own sewing space.  I listened carefully thinking maybe I could pick up a new idea or two to try.  Goodness knows that I do have an issue with neatness in my sewing room(s).   Try keeping cut strips in their own containers.  You can even label the container.  Check.  I do that.  Fold all of your fabric the same way.  Check.  I do that...well, until I pull a piece of fabric out and several tumble off the shelf.  They don't get put back quite as neatly.  Keep all of your scraps in one area and in one container.  Whoops.  I started that way but now there are multiple containers.  And so it went.  I finally decided the tips were great ones, but they were intended for the average quilter.  I was beyond that and beyond hope!   I give up.  My area is just going to have to be organized chaos.  But I do have some wonderful quilts to show you!

This is just the sweetest quilt.  Peach and creams with a soft blue and yellow backing.  I pieced this because I liked the fabric so well and Sandy quilted it for me.

Five little monkeys jumping on the bed.  Many of you will recognize that phrase.  Simon and I read that book when we are together.  This yellow and brown quilt has lots of monkeys!!

My friend Cindy has donated a stack of quilts to PIECES.  This one is the softest pastel flannels.  It is so soft and cuddly.  A big thank you to Cindy!!

This sweet quilt is another one Cindy sent to us.  It may be hard to see but it has the cutest print of bird's nests with eggs and baby birds.  Cindy not only pieces the quilts but also quilts them.

I think I have mentioned we have a new piecer.  Amy is from Wichita and she pieced this quilt with soft flannels.  This one will be good for a boy or girl.

Paula pieced a fun star in boy prints.  We added a wild stripe for the backing.

This one was pieced by Judith.  She was able to take pink and green scraps and make something totally gorgeous.

Kathy pieced and quilted this gorgeous batik quilt.  It has lots of little pieces!

This quilt was done by Amy.  Again she used soft beautiful flannels.  These fabrics are favorite ones of mine with gentle flowers scattered across the fabric.

Weren't those some great quilts?   Simon approves!!





 Thanks for stopping by!

2012 Totals

Time is really flying by!  We've made it through the holidays and into 2013.  That means it is time to look at last year's numbers.  We donated 193 quilts to Lawrence Memorial Hospital in 2012.  Our total number donated since our beginning is now 443 quilts!  We are narrowing in on 500!  I don't know about you, but I find it amazing!  A huge thank you to all who helped in any way with this project of love.  My little idea has grown into a big deal!

Speaking of a big deal, I ran into a woman today in the elevator at the hospital as I was on my way to deliver more quilts.  When she saw the quilts in my arms, she exclaimed, "My daughter got one of those when she was three months old.  She still carries it everywhere and won't let her brothers touch it!"  She said it was very special to them and she went on to say it was a very big deal to get one.  

Let's take a look at some of the things we have been working on for the kids.

  

This is a quilt that was pieced by Judith.  She likes to use a lot of little squares of fabric in a variety of prints.  In other words, she has a lot of patience.  Jean, who is one of our newer quilters did the quilting for us.

I love this pattern.  Judith pieced it and again, it uses a lot of scraps.  Jean quilted it also.  This is fun in all sorts of fabrics.

This was a kit cut by Judith, pieced by Teresa and quilted by Jean.  Since it is snowmen, it is a quilt that will work all winter.

Yes!!  We have been making something besides Christmas themed quilts!  This is the familiar disappearing nine patch pattern.  The peaches, greens and blues look great together.

This is a darling quilt using a pattern we discovered in a magazine.  It is easy to sew and always turns out so cute!

This quilt, which is great for a little boy, was pieced by Lois.  We stayed with the sports theme for the backing.

As you all know, anything with yellow in it tugs at my heart.  This was a quilt donated by someone in our local quilt guild.  A big thank you to whoever pieced and quilted it.

There was a time that I really didn't like these types of prints.  Our tastes, however, change from time to time.  I think this is gorgeous.  I would even say I like these prints now.  This was pieced and quilted also by someone in the guild.  Thank you!

There are eight quilts for you this time.  I hope you liked them.  They all are wonderful in their own way and someone out there loves them!  I'll be back soon with more great stuff to look at!

Here is Simon with Mommy and Daddy.  We celebrated his first birthday while they were with us for the holidays.  I think he liked the cake!