Busy as a Bee

As April is always my busiest month I don't feel bad about "cheating" by considering my (Humble Quilts) mini swap as my April mini quilt. I would like to thank Randy (Barrister's Block) and Janet (Rogue Quilter) for doing the same. It makes me feel a lot less guilty. Do follow the link to see their adorable quilts. Lori (Humble Quilts) will be linking all of them up shortly and it is always fun to see these little gems.

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors) made a gorgeous little quilt this month. I love this style of quilt and I adore the center panel!

Pat (Thoughts from Taylors Outback) made a fantastic little doll quilt for April  and even made the doll! Amazing!

I promise hope to be back in the swing for the May minis! Thanks for your patience!

Sweet Swap Delight!

Lori at Humble Quilts hosted another enjoyable mini quilt swap. This is the fabulous quilt I received from Christy in Oregon. Look at all those geese! I think this is particularly appropriate for the spring (or rather lack thereof) we have had this year. The geese just keep going round and round since they don’t know whether to head south or go back home! I love this kind of border.

And look at this sweet label. Hand embroidered!

 She also included these lovely dish cloths and a beautiful packet of French General fabrics. Thanks again Christy!! 

Here is the little quilt I sent to Shannon in Wisconsin. I loved these little square in a square blocks with those bright reproduction centers, but it didn’t occur to me that they would become really “square” when the little block was set on point. I still like it, but it was not the look I had intended. Life’s lessons! 

Thanks Lori for another really fun swap! 

Back Online!

Between trouble with our internet and a quick trip to Florida I am woefully behind on my blog reading and posting. Yes, they do have the internet in Florida, but I didn’t want to take one minute away from my visit with our grandson. He has become a “merman” and is swimming nearly every day. We had such fun! What a treasure! 

I am diligently working on my little quilt for Lori’s (Humble Quilts) swap. I have even been thinking of “cheating” and counting it as my April mini quilt. We’ll see how the rest of the month goes!

My only accomplishments are my latest Noah and Matilda blocks. Block4D – love these grapes! 

And, block 5D. I hesitated using the black neon in the flower, but I like the result. 

Spring is our busiest time here in the boatyard so I don’t expect to get a lot of quilting time this month. Yes, even though we still have snow on the ground, customers do want their boats ready when the warm weather hits.

Happy Spring!

March Mini Quilts

I am keeping my fingers crossed that this will get posted before the technology gremlins swoop in and eliminate all I have done! 

I know it is April already, but I wanted to link the March mini finishes before they fade into obscurity. I am linking each separate March mini that I have found. If I have missed one, please let me know. These are all wonderful little treasures and it is fun to scroll through their blogs to see other inspiring creations. 

Randy - Barrister's Block 

Barbara - Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors
Kyle - Timeless Reflections 

Janet - Rogue Quilter  

Pat - Thoughts From Taylorsoutback 

I would like to claim this little gem as my April mini, but I cannot tell a lie! I bought this treasure from Ann Hermes on her new Facebook group, Handcrafted Fiber Arts, Buy, Sell, Trade. Take a moment to look at the wonderful creations!

I'll be away and off line for the rest of this week, but hopefully by the time we all finish our April quilts I will have the linky party all set up and we will find each quilt much easier!

A Fabulous visit and a Big Apology!

Apology first… I have had major internet problems for the past 4 days. I am just now getting back online at home and on the island where I work. So, I apologize to all of you who have diligently made and posted your monthly mini quilts. I plan to get a post up tomorrow and link up with all of you. If I miss yours, please let me know. I hope to have InLinkz working by next week. (one technological step at a time!)

Now for the fantastic visit… My friend Karen and I had the incredible pleasure of meeting Laura Lane (Collections Manager, NEQM) and Gladi Porche (GladiQuilts) at the NewEngland Quilt Museum on Saturday. To quote Karen “It was right up there as one of the best days ever!”.

We arrived as the doors opened and went directly to Gladi’s quilts. We had planned to meet Laura and Gladi for lunch but we had no idea that we would get a private gallery talk of the entire exhibition! Gladi went through every quilt, one by one. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this. I have admired her work for years and it was such a treat to see these gems in person and to hear about her thought processes and techniques.

Laura brought her “Foothills” (Mary Elizabeth Kinch) quilt-a-long blocks and we laid them out on the table. Wow! They are fantastic and you can see them on the Facebook page (here).

The exhibition of Japanese quilts from the 13^th Nihon show in Tokyo was in the outer gallery. It is a very diverse group of quilts, from traditional hand work to unique art quilts. And, the little gallery hosts a revolving exhibition of quilts from the museum’s collection which is always fun.

After we were through looking at the quilts (although I could have stayed all day!) we had a delightful lunch together before heading home.

My second apology is that I had to steal images from the internet because I could not get any of the photos off my camera! At first, I thought it was operator error, but I now know I need a new phone! 

If you are anywhere near New England before these quilts come down (April 21 for the Japanese quilts and April 29 for Gladi’s) I would highly recommend a visit. You will NOT be disappointed! If you can’t make it in person, do take some time to visit Gladi’s blog (GladiQuilts). She is an excellent writer as well as a quilter and her blog is always a joy to read.

I hope you all have a great, non-technological day!