Home From Hampton Quilt Show

While at the quilt show I ran into several fellow quilters from past and present. Some very unexpected to see like old friendships I'd made while stationed in Germany, some through our guild, others through blogging. It was nice to meet Marcie and chit chat briefly. The quilt on the wall behind us is Marcie's design! It just oozes with charm and screamed for me. I tried walking away. This little voice in my head kept saying, "it is so you". I bought it. I'm bummed that Judy and I never connected. She had left my number at home in error and when I tried calling her cell it would never go through. Perhaps next year.


I had every intention to concentrate on thread purchases for my longarm but the show specials weren't any better than purchasing off the internet so I just got the one spool to match the Swanky charm pack. I slapped my own hands several times over not to spend more and did try and help other quilters spend enough to boost the economy.

There were so many booths that had far more quilts to my liking than the actual show quilts. I have to be honest here, I am not the artsy type of quilter but can appreciate the work put into the quilts I did see. Many photos I took were for inspiration but again being honest here, I prefer my quilts to look washed, crinkled, well-loved and used!

Hampton Here I Come!

What is a post without a photo to share? I absolutely love quilted pillows. Sorry, but it is another old to me but new to you since I hadn't stitched up a thing for myself these last several days.

Saturday was spent at a Statler/Gammill meeting with other owners. I thoroughly enjoyed my new group of friends and learned some new tips & tricks. I've even learned about a quilted pillow idea and will soon make one to post and of course, add to my growing pillow collection!

I'm headed to the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show in Hampton, Virginia tomorrow with a friend, meeting up with another friend and also plan to meet a few blogging friends. I will be at the show Thursday and Friday, driving back home on Saturday. I have every intention of not spending all my pennies. Quit laughing!!

Boxy Stars Update

This Boxy Star quilt top was started last September using up scraps. Bonnie snagged it from me before the borders were on it to show at guild presentations. She offers Boxy Star free on her website with many other free patterns. I've snagged it back so I could get quilting on it. You may have remembered me posting this one already without borders and I asked for blogger input on the border fabric choices. Today was spent sewing on borders and I really love the way they make the quilt top sparkle. It is a good size quilt that needs lots more fabric for the backing. Maybe I'll just do the back scrappy too using random bits and pieces.

Sharing Older Quilts

These are new to you but made years ago. This is just a small area of this lap size quilt in the photo. A friend and I cut plenty of fabric to make a couple of these quilts several years back. I'm unsure what we must have been thinking because in the end we had so much fabric cut that we made several. My boys each own one. You'll see another in the photo below. The quilting was just a simple meander (pre-longarm days).

Here is another photo of just a few other older quilts on display in the guest room. These quilts have been with me for several years. Remember the Bull's Eye phase? How many of you have made that one?
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It was a busy weekend with quilting for others and nothing to show that I've made for myself. Today is a perfect day for quilting. It is raining and cold out. However, after waking at 2am with a wet gown (hot flash) I just couldn't get back to sleep and feel drained today. It would have been nice to have gone directly back to bed after seeing son #2 and DH out the door but I had my hair appt and boy did I need that more than sleep.

Next week is Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show! Who has plans to attend? I'm looking forward to meeting Judy and Marcie.

Pie For My Sweetie

Today for Valentine's Day I've baked my sweetie a Pecan Cheesecake Pie. He had to work today and I worked on a customer quilt so going out for dinner among the crowds just doesn't sound appealing to either one of us. I think we'll just settle in with a dinner I make, a movie and the pie.

A Finish and Old To Me New To You

As you can see, binding on and a tea bath. I love the warm look and feeling of my new crinkled up quilt. My little quilt was placed on this rake only for the picture here today. I'm still searching around my house to see where I really want it. Most of my quilts somehow end up in the living room area. This is where I see them all the time!


Valentine's Day around the corner and everybody showing off great heart quilts so I thought I'd share an old to me but new to you. A friend made this one for me many, many years ago and I still treasure it today as the first day I received it.

Skies are looking dark, winds are blowing and the air warm for February. We are in for a big storm this evening. I'm right smack dab in the center of NC.

Small Bit Of Quilting

My 1/2 sq. triangle quilt now has two borders and quilted. This is a small quilt. The 1/2 sq triangles are only 1 1/2" finished. Hopefully tomorrow I will have time to get the binding stitched on, a good tea dye bath and crinkle dry. Sorry Darlene, this one is also mine...all mine!

I also wanted to say thanks to everybody commenting on my quilt studio. For many years during my husband's military career my quilt fabric was stuffed into Rubbermaid containers due to so many moves and small housing options. It was always such a hassle to find just the right fabrics with all the unpacking and repacking of the containers. Then many times the only spot to quilt was at the kitchen table; only to be cleared for the family to eat together. This room has been a dream for a very long time. I absolutely love the space and the ability to walk back down those stairs at the end of the day and know that everything will be out just where I left it.

Mine All Mine!

Here's some show and share for you. The above is another small little quilt that I plan to quilt the heck out of then give it a tea dye bath, toss it in a hot dryer to crinkle it and then I'll wad it up in something around here for decor. The 1/2 square triangles are just leftover bits and pieces from other projects. I'd sit and sew every now and then to tame the scraps and finally decided to just put them into another little quilt.

My quilt studio is above the garage. These are the stairs that lead from the main house up. Above the door is a sweet Jo Morton quilt appliqued with wool and given to me by my friend Shirley. On the left hanging over the wall is quilt tops....and look at that, buzz saw with no borders yet. (really need to get on that!)

Here is a small view to show where I hung Center Nine Patch. The cutting table is from IKEA.

I used up what I had in my stash for the back of Center Nine Patch. I love seeing the quilted design.

This is a close up view of a few of the blocks as the sun was hitting just right through the door. I'm just so tickled with myself and how the quilting turned out on this one and it is mine all mine!