I have a friend in CA . . Vicky. It's kinda funny because she grew up in the town next to my little town in Louisiana and even played basketball for Sulphur (her town) and they played my town (Westlake). I'm sure we skunked them! :) Anyway, we're almost the same age, but we didn't know each other then. We met online and though we've been internet friends for probably four or five years, we've never met. Just to prove to you that she's a swell kinda girl, she even has a dachshund!
(This is sounding like one of Darcie's stories, huh?)
While I'm kinda off track, did you know I also met my husband online?
Back to the story . . Vicky is a very generous person . . very generous. Last year for Christmas, Vicky sent me this box of about 30 half yards of a whole collection of fabrics from Pat Campbell. They were the kind of mottled hand dyed looking fabrics and they were gorgeous (can't remember the name of the collection or I'd tell you). I knew right off that I wanted to make something for Vicky using some of that fabric so I got busy and made her a quilt, and surprised her with it.
She lives near the Road to California show and I was chatting with her a while back and she said "why don't you enter this quilt in the Road to CA show?" Heck, I'll do anything with a little encouragement. So, I burned a CD with the requisite pictures, sent in the application and today my mail man brought me the acceptance letter from the Road to CA show crew. I'm pretty excited . . wish I could go to CA in January to see it hanging but I can't. I'll just be happy to know that Vicky is there seeing her quilt in the show.
Judy
Monday, November 28, 2005
Quilt going to Road to CA Show
Thursday, November 24, 2005
Two Stash Quilts
It's Bonnie's Happy Scrappy Houses! But, I made mine 13" so they'd go faster. I had planned to not use sashing but then I thought it needed sashing. They are so fun to make. All of the fabric came from the stash. Is it too wild to donate to the tornado victims? Be honest! I'm going to bind it with a wide (maybe 3" cut) red binding.
I have probably 10 more house blocks but I ran out of the black whacky check fabric and, since the goal is to use the stash, I'm not buying more but I do love black and white fabrics. I'll find something else and make another one of these.
Notice: All my houses have purple front doors! It's my neighborhood and I can build all the houses the way *I* want them! :)
This one may not be finished. I had most of these blocks put together so last night I set them but I feel like it needs a border and maybe another row of blocks. I think I want it to be bigger but . . I'm out of the white on white. I should have not set them and I could have mixed in some other WOW's but I didn't and all these have the same WOW. So, what do I do now?
Judy
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Quilts going to Lake Charles
I finally finished the quilts for the lady whose husband was injured prior to Hurricane Rita's arrival in Lake Charles. Her favorite color is olive green and her quilt is greens and pinks/rose made from the Many Trips Around the World pattern in the Tradition with a Twist book. I love that book -- it's the Blooming Nine Patch book.
The baby quilt is a panel with an added border.
The green one is a big quilt and it was a windy day so Chad had a hard time holding it for the picture but it really is a pretty quilt.
They're off to Fed Ex tomorrow. Hopefully these will bring a little cheer to her hectic life. The recipient works for a law firm and I'm sending the quilts there since I don't know her so I'll be anxious to hear her reaction.
Judy
Monday, November 14, 2005
Graduation??? Maybe Not!
Can you believe these grades? Why do I look at them before bed time . . then I'm all angry and can't go to sleep! The problem (well . . one of the problems) is that he makes a 90 or 100 on everything he turns in but half of the assignments just don't seem to be getting done. What do you do when they're almost 18?
I can't run away from home because (1) the stash will not fit in the car; (2) the longarm will not fit in the car; (3) I have deadlines that I have not met because of Bonnie's Happy Houses! So . . I'll just go finish pulling out my hair but between these grades and the tornado watch, I am NOT going to sleep!
Judy
My First Quilt
Finn's post encouraged me to dig out my very first quilt! Back in the early 80's, I was trying to find something to occupy my time during lunch one day. Shopping was my favorite thing to do back then and I came across a little quilt shop. I had always loved sewing and had played around with some of my grandma's quilt patterns when I was a kid but I had never had a class or any "formal" quilt training. So, I signed up for a beginner's piecing class. We were going to make a four block sampler. Well, I had too much fun and I made 16 blocks. This quilt, besides being ugly, is hand pieced and hand quilted (quite sparsely!) Looks like I had lots of fun fussy cutting those roses in some of the blocks. Heck, come to think about it, everything was fussy cut since it was all done with templates and scissors.
There was a little old lady who worked in that shop, Ava Broussard. I know I would never have stuck with quilting if she had not taken me under her wing and kept me enthused. I wish she could see me now! Ava was elderly back in the 80's and I'm pretty sure she has passed away. She would invite me to her house for lunch sometimes. She lived in one of the BIG, old house in north Lake Charles . . where some of the first houses in Lake Charles had been built. Her husband had died and she lived in this huge house by herself and the neighborhood was rapidly going downhill. I always worried about her living there alone.
She made the best kibbi and she knew I loved it so she would make a big batch and freeze some for me to take home. And, she always had homemade lemonade! You know . . I might just try to make some kibbi soon in honor of Ava. I've never made it but it doesn't seem like it would be hard to make if I can find a good recipe.
Then, in the late 80's Ava began losing her eyesight and had to move from her big home where she had raised her children into a townhouse in Sulphur near her son. The new home was in a much safer neighborhood and was brand new and really nice. When Chad was born, she made a baby quilt (3 pigs) for him and I saved it so it still looks brand new. (But that baby quilt still isn't as old as my first ugly quilt!) That's probably one of the few baby gifts that I saved.
Well, this post has taken me down memory lane. Thanks Finn for prompting me to dig out my first quilt and remember how it all began.
Judy
