Quilts from the Village Quilt Show

I went to a quilt show today.  It was well over an hour from my house, but worth it.  I was smart, and asked hubby if there were any disc golf courses that he wanted to play that were near the quilt show (In Grayslake, IL).  Of course there were several disc golf courses, so he drove, dropped me off, then he went to play disc golf (he scored 6 under, so he was happy;).

I took photos of some of the quilts that caught my eye at this quilt show.  I thought that some of you might like an impromptu quilt show.

the applique was stunning on this one

a friend 'dared' this quilter to try applique, and this is what she made

the gold doesn't show up very well in the photo

I love Storm at Sea quilts, so I had to include this one.

Eileen in my PopTarts bee is making a Lucy Boston quilt, so I had to include this one.

Lucy Boston

sew striking!

I included a close up of one of the fabrics in the next quilt. She bought a layer cake with sewing themed fabrics (sewing machines, threads & needles, scissors, etc.).  You have to be close to see the fabric patterns (all batiks).

Since my hand project for the last year has been hexie's, I included this one (there were a couple hexie quilts).

The grandmother who made this one found out after the quilt top was made, that her granddaughter like unicorns even more than the giraffe's that she had requested, so the backing is unicorns. I just loved the whimsical giraffes.

This one was made with orphan blocks.  She'd made the blocks, and didn't know what to do with them until 9 years later, when she found a book with great settings, and used it to make this quilt.

her friends made these blocks and another friend put them together

I took photos of the front and the back of this quilt (hanging so that both side could be seen.

front

back

This quilt took the maker over 10 years to make.

Alaska quilt

I have the quilt magazine (3 copies) with this quilt on the cover.  I love the colors!

See if you can see the details in this mini quilt.

I took a photo of the quilting on the next quilt.

up close of the quilting

I have the book for this quilt.  It is Civil War Love Letters.  

Civil War Love Letters

Do you remember Mr. Rogers?  This hangs in a kindergarten room during the year.

This next one has won several awards at other quilt shows and wasn't eligible to win at this show, but isn't it stunning?!?!

I want to learn the stained glass technique one day.

stained glass technique

lovely piano quilt

This one was one of the challenge quilts.  It has 3D butterflies.

3D butterflies

One of the vendors was selling antique quilts.  This one was on sale.  It needs repair on a place on the front, and the backing is shredding.  Maybe I can remove the backing and appliqué the quilt to a large piece of fabric and preserve it.  I've seen antique tablecloths done this way.

antique double wedding ring quilt

I got started stitching one of the quilts that I spray basted this week.  I tried stitching a circular pattern with the walking foot, but I just can't see curves with the walking foot.  I took out the stitching (only a few inches) and started hand stitching it last night.  Hopefully I'll have something to show soon.  I plan on working on it some more tonight, while watching a movie.

What I've been working on

I may not have been in my sewing room over the summer, but I finally got back into it this month.  I've been trying to sew blocks together to get some quilt tops finished. I'm supposed to be making 5 baby quilts this year (all 5 babies have been born), and I'm WAY behind!  I cheated, and purchased a baby quilt at a quilt show back in June for one of the babies.

I had leftover blocks from the Family Reunion quilt that was raffled off back in 2023.

Me and the quilt winners

Well, I had a LOT of extra blocks, so, I made THREE baby quilts and a table runner with the extra blocks (I still have a few parts leftover).

one of the three baby quilts using the leftover blocks

I also put together 2 more baby quilts with the I Spy blocks I've been making since October 2022 using the Tickety Boo pattern.  I've had sew much fun collecting I Spy fabrics and ric rac for these blocks.  I've also made a large quilt top with these blocks.

large quilt top

for a baby boy

for a baby girl

Last Spring, I made 2 Storm at Sea Cross quilt tops.

2 of these quilt tops

On Monday, I spray basted 7 quilts before I ran out of spray baste.  It took me 4 stores to get more spray baste, but I finally did, and spray basted 5 more quilt tops (3 were table toppers/runners).  I would have basted a 13th one, but I ran out of batting :(

I've ordered more spray baste (still not here, and they cancelled 3 of the 5 cans I ordered) and I also ordered a roll of batting (also not here yet, and delayed).  Is anyone else having a hard time lately getting anything shipped when they say that it will arrive?  I've had almost everything I've ordered the past 2 months arrive late (different stores).

I've also sent 4 larger quilts to the long arm quilter. Now to get started quilting the one's I spray basted.  My larger quilt guild is having their quilt show in March 2026, so I'm trying to get some things finished so that I can put them in the quilt show.  We'll see how much quilting I get done.  

Meanwhile, I DID get some hand sewing done over the summer.  I found a pattern in August 2024, and started a new hand project then.  I figured it would take me about 5 years to finish this quilt.  Well, I've got all the hexies stitched (the chunks of hexie's still need to be stitched to one another, but I've started that already).

my 'chunks' of hexies, waiting to be stitched together

the pattern I'm making

I'm also working on the gold hexies that surround the hexies shown above.  I'm MUCH further along than I expected to be.  Maybe this won't take me 5 years after all.  

I'm trying to start blogging again.  I lost my mojo when my client (I was a caregiver) died back in 2021.  I miss blogging, and also getting things done (sewing wise).

Busy Summer!

I had a VERY busy summer!  In June, I went to Texas (checking on our parents), then went to the Missouri TOGA (Treadle On Gathering and Academy) for 3 days and played with vintage sewing machines, taught some things, and had a blast!  I didn't get any photos this time :(.

I came home for 9 days (didn't even get my stuff unpacked) then left for vacation with my hubby.  We drove thru 7 states for 17 days (4550 miles).  I visited at least 6 different quilt shops along the way.  We went to the Amana Colonies in Iowa, then drove thru Nebraska farmland to South Dakota.  In South Dakota, we visited the Badlands, Wall Drug, Mount Rushmore, Crazy Horse and Custer State Park.  

the Badlands

Mount Rushmore

Mount Rushmore at night

We drove thru Wyoming to Idaho, where we met up with hubby's parents and his brother and sister-in-law for 6 days.  We drove down to Jackson, WY and went to The Legend Of Cat Ballou at the theater.  Those actors danced, sang, and had a fun time!

While we were in Idaho, we drove to Yellowstone National Park six different days.  Two of those days we also visited the Grand Teton's.  One day we drove across the Continental Divide 8 times!

Old Faithful

just one of the many Bison we saw

hubby's family

On the way back home, we stopped in Rawlings, WY, which is the Northern Boundary of the Republic of Texas (part of the territory that Texas gave up to pay off it's debt and become a state). As native Texan's, we had to stop there (and there was a quilt shop and disc golf course there, too).

hubby by the memorial sign

We also stopped at Fort Laramie (WY) and Scott's Bluff National Park (NE).  Years ago I stopped in Winterset, IA while driving thru Iowa, and got to see 2 of the covered bridges, so I wanted to see more of the covered bridges in Iowa.  I visited the Quilt Museum and a quilt shop in Winterset, then we visited several different covered bridges.  We drove along the Mormon Trail, and found more covered bridges along the way.  As we were driving to find a hotel for the night, we drove thru Riverside, IA.  I saw a banner with Spock from Star Trek on it, then one of McCoy.  Hubby turned around and we drove back, slowly, and kept seeing different characters from the TV series.  Turns out that Riverside, IA is the FUTURE home of Captain James T. Kirk in the series.  The town had just had a Star Trek Fest 2 weeks before.  What fun!

barn quilt in town with the USS Enterprise

Well, when I got home, I had 10 days before I traveled back to Texas (again to check on our parents).  The trip really took a lot out of hubby's parents.

So, I only got in my sewing room twice between end of June till first of September :(.

A New Machine and a Spool Pin Doily

I got a new sewing machine yesterday.  I found it at a thrift shop, and couldn't resist it.  It is a toy machine that was made in England in the early to mid 1960's. It is a Vulcan Countess.  

I learned how to use my vintage Singer buttonhole makers.  I've been wanting to make a Mini Dresden Spool Pin Doily (from The Featherweight Shop).  The pattern is free if you sign up for their email list.

I don't have the correct buttonhole template.  I need the eyelet template.  I made due with one of my oldest Singer buttonhole makers, and set it to the smallest buttonhole I could make with it.  It will do.  I did order the eyelet template, so that I can make a few more of these.

on the machine that I made it on

I have another one ready and waiting for the eyelet template to arrive.  

Blogger is frustrating!  I can only reply to comments from people that I have their email addresses.  Everyone comes thru as 'no-reply'.  How irritating!  I like to reply to EVERY comment that I get.  I appreciate all the comments that I get.

A Little Stitching...

I took a Laura Heine class with my larger quilt guild (Pride of the Prairie) last Saturday.  We worked on the Tomato pin cushion collage.  The teacher was GREAT!  Her name is Linda Lambert, and she has been teaching these classes for several years now.  I learned more in this class than any other quilting class I've ever taken.  I have a LONG way to go before my collage quilt is finished, but here is what I got done during the class.

where I stopped at the end of the class 

me, working on my tomato

teacher Linda, in a blouse she made using the collage technique she was teaching

I have lots more things I want to add to my collage, including 'threading' the needle, a doily, etc.  Not sure when I'll get a chance to work on this again, since I have several things that need to get done before I can finish this.

Another thing I worked on this week was butterfly blocks for next year's Missouri TOGA raffle quilt. We're supposed to bring our finished blocks to this years TOGA.  I made 3 - 12.5 inch blocks for the raffle quilt.  I also made 3 smaller blocks for myself. These are paper pieced.  You can find the patterns here. (I enlarged the pattern to get the 12.5 inch blocks).

Pepper block

Cricket block

Gidget block

3 - 5.5" blocks blocks for me

Remember the oversized sewing notions I've been making (previous 2 blog posts) for my little quilt guild's Annual Tea?  Well, hubby finished the 2 wooden needles I asked him to make, and I got them painted.  All my oversized sewing notions are finished now.

pack of hand needles shown for size

I'll be using all of these oversized sewing notions for the Tea, then (hopefully) for this year's Lyon's Farm Fall Festival (waiting for the vendor forms to be mailed out, they are really slow).  I'll also be using them in my booth at my large quilt guild's quilt show March 14-15, 2026.  Put this show on your calendar.  It is ALWAYS a GREAT quilt show!  I attended this quilt show before I ever joined this guild.  The quilt show was why I joined this guild.

I still have a few demo's to prepare for the Missouri TOGA (Treadle On Gathering & Academy) in June.  If you love vintage sewing machines, and want to travel to Missouri, come join us.  The link above will take you to our MOTOGA page (easy to join).  We will be meeting in Ava, MO June 19-21, 2025.  If you search my blog, you can find out more about TOGA's.

Updating Oversized Sewing Notions

In my last post, I told you about the Quilter's Tea I'm decorating for my little quilt guild.  Well, I've finished the oversized notions.

My friend, Carole, suggested that I add labels to my spools of thread.  I took photos of several different ends of some of the wooden spools that I have.  I printed them out to fit the tops of each of the spools.  I used Mod Podge to attach the labels.  Again, I have a spool of Aurifil thread in the photos for scale.

The three largest spools have lids that come off, so that the spools can be used for storage.  I used the next smaller lid for each spool except for the smallest, where I used a plastic lid (from a jumbo can of Nestle's Quik).  The smaller lids fit inside each canister.

with lids off spools

I spray painted all of the 'buttons', then threaded them.  The small buttons will be attached to ribbon and used as a garland.  The large buttons are chargers.  Again, I have a spool of Aurifil thread in the photos for scale.

I sprayed 2 coats of paint on each button (more for the yellow).  The 2nd coat of paint on the blue charger crinkled on the edges, and looked bad.  Even sanding didn't help.  Since I had lots of extra yarn around, I glued some yarn to the edge of the charger, then spray painted the yarn. I think it gives it a nice texture.

yarn glued to the edges

I don't think you can see the original color of the yarn (NOT blue ;).

I did do some sewing, but I didn't take any photos.