December Monthly Mini

 I just love to wander through antique/junk shops. I can't afford to collect antique quilts, but I'm always looking at textiles and once in a while I find a little treasure. This little gem was sitting in a plastic bag in one of favorite stores just waiting for me to find it. My guess is that it was hand stenciled back in the 1980's when this was a popular thing to do. All it needed was a little light cleaning and some hand quilting and voila! It measures 6 3/4" x 8 1/4". I thought it had a holiday feeling so I chose to finish it for December. 

 

 

It is with heavy heart that I have decided to stop my monthly mini postings. I still plan to make minis whenever the mood strikes and I hope that you all will continue as well. I want to thank everyone of you who have participated over the last five (yes 5!) years. I have enjoyed seeing every single one of them. Maybe one of you would like to carry on the tradition?? If so, I would be a happy follower! 

Enjoy the offerings of our fellow mini makers! And I wish you a very Happy Healthy New Year!

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

The Remains of the Day

 I must confess that lately my normally bubbly "can do" attitude has lost its fizz. It came to a head yesterday when I wanted to Zoom with friends and just couldn't manage it. The plasma infusion the day before had zapped all my energy. So... as I started my little pity party about the things I cannot do right now, then I picked up pen and paper and started a list of things I am thankful for.

I am thankful that I was able to attend my local quilt group meeting a few weeks ago. I had not been since May and it was so good to see everyone! We exchanged Christmas postcards. This is the little one I made.

And this is the one I got made by Nell.

That is my friend Jennifer next to me who had a big show and tell. She cut her long hair really short and it was a hoot for her to reveal it by taking off her Santa hat! My friend Kathy finished quilting my Betsey Chutchian circles quilt. She did an amazing job!!

I was finally able to hand this over to my friend Sharon who will take it to a deserving patient at the infusion center. 

I am also thankful that I was able to spend a few hours with my Seven Sistahs last week. We had such fun. We exchanged gifts and every one of them was so unique. Including my "glass bacon" ornament from Susie Karen.

They all joke about my love of bacon and this will now have a place of honor on my tree. Karen showed her amazing quilt that she started in one of the recent workshops. Look at those circling geese!

Tina showed us this fabulous top made entirely of leftovers.

And this one boggles my mind.

She took the cutoff pieces of my "Dear Jane" failed border and made the most beautiful design for the center.

So creative! of course there is never enough food at our gatherings...

I am thankful that my blog book will cost a whole lot less this year! Every year I use "Blog to Print" and make a book of all my blog posts. It is fun to look back through the year in one easy volume. This year's will be skinny and "cheap" to print! 

I am thankful that I am able to now sit and sew most days. I have to limit it to 15 to 20 minutes at a time in between rests, but I am very thankful to be back in the sewing saddle! 

And, most of all I am thankful for a wonderful family and network of friends who have been with me every step of the way. I feel better already!! 

Enjoy your day and hope you find lots of things to be thankful for!

November Monthly Mini

 November's monthly mini is aptly called "Leftovers". I used all the tiny triangles leftover from my October mini and pieced them in rows with a tiny strip of this fabulous Betsy Chutchian stripe and voila! I can't remember who designed the serpentine stripe border print, but I love it and it seemed to fin (almost) perfectly. 

 

I must thank all the merry minimakers for sticking with me this year. It has been challenging and I hope to get back to reading and commenting on a regular basis!!

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

My Eight Year Quilt

 I started this quilt back in 2014!! At the time, I hadn't intended to us it as my "filler project", but that is just what it became. I finished all the 9-patches and hand appliqued and quilted all the circle blocks fairly quickly. 

 

Then, other hand work came along and I took my time hand binding each little 3" block (all 219 of them) whenever the mood struck. I even kept a tin of them in the car for "road trips" or waiting at extra long traffic lights (just kidding!). 

It took a few years to get all the bindings done and then they sat dormant in a box, waiting and waiting for assembly. 

So, after surgery in September, I needed something super simple to start my quilting journey again and the box came to light. I arranged the blocks as best I could and placed each row in baggies and started to assemble them. 

 

And, 3 months later... 

 

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True to naming my potholder quilts with some sort of cooking or food reference, this one has become "Donut Holes"!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving to all! 

I hope you get a little quiet quilting time amongst all the cooking!

Community Supper - the story lives on...

 I have good news for all of you who participated in the "Community Supper" potholder quilt. I decided the best way to share this truly "community" quilt, was to donate it to an institution where the public would have a chance to view it from time to time. My first choice was the New England Quilt Museum and I was pleased to have them accept it! You should all be very proud! I will do my very best to contact each participant whenever the museum puts it on exhibition so you may be able to see it in person. Thanks once again to all who had a hand in it!

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So much has happened since my last post. I fully intended to be a better blogger, but, I still have very limited energy and since I have been able to quilt again after the infusions, I have a choice of quilting or writing posts. Hmmm.... I will be better soon!!

One thing that happened (while I was sleeping) is that my "Petaluma" quilt (made with a pattern by Collector with  Needle) was displayed at the Houston Quilt Festival.

Dawn took some wonderful videos of the exhibition. I hope to someday go down the rabbit hole and attend the festival!!

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!! Hope your holiday weekend will be filled with quilty fun!

October Monthly Mini

 I am so thankful to be feeling better that I had to make something "cheerful". I love this fabulous cheddar color all year long, but it is particularly fun to use in the fall. Just a few simple appliqued circles and some broken dishes around the outside and voila, another mini is born. I'm calling this one "Unbroken" as I am feeling better each day. So happy to be quilting again!! 

I used one of my favorite cheater prints on the back. Don't worry Kyle, the label will go on soon!! 

Hope all of the mini makers had as much fun as I did this month!

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

She's Back! - But where do I start?

 So much has happened since my diagnosis in May. I'd like to say the summer flew by, but in fact, it was indeed a struggle. My surgery (mid-September) was a success and although it will be months before I am back to "normal", I am making progress every day. I'd like to say that I will be all caught up in my blog reading and commenting soon, but I have to be realistic and say that I just hope to move forward as quickly as I can and backtrack when time allows. 

After 6 months of low to no energy for quilting, I am finally back in the sewing room! I am trying to finish all the things I was working on last spring. 😂 Well, I am making an effort anyway. I can see some of the UFO's will be passed on to an unsuspecting friend!

I was able to finish this top consisting of 255 four inch blocks. All the hand appliqued circles were done so I just had to assemble them. Each fabric is a different Betsy Chutchian print. It is a true charm quilt with over 500 different fabrics!! I am calling it "Charming Betsy". I promise to get a better photo after it is quilted and bound! 

I also finished two quilts which I will be donating to the Infusion Center. I have a whole new respect for people who have to go through this process having spent over 40 hours there! 

The center of this quilt was donated by my friend Kathy Boudreau to our UFO auction last year. I don't even remember buying it, but... I simply added the Barb Vedder lolipop flowers and borders and voila! 

This second one was from a kit I bought by Pam Buda called Needle and Thread. Almost all the blocks were done last spring so I just needed to put them together. I will admit, I made it smaller than the original layout. It needed to be this size to fit on laps during infusion treatments. I will use the other blocks in another quilt I'm sure! 

 

And, the most amazing the most amazing thing that happened (while I was sleeping 😂) was this: Thanks to the fabulous Cecile Denis who wrote an article about me and my crazy potholder method for Quiltmania magazine. 

 

I was in very good company with my friend Cyndi Black (Busy Thimble) and her fabulous potholder quilt. 

Cecile not only wrote the article, but put together sample blocks for an article on the construction method. 

And, my friend Laurie LaBar wrote a fantastic article on historic Maine potholder quilts. If you don't already subscribe, I recommend doing so. In my humble opinion it is the best quilt magazine! They always have something for everyone. A great mix of traditional and modern. I am so very honored to be in this fabulous publication. Thank you Cecile and Carol et al! 

That's enough for now, I need a nap! Hope to post more soon!! Hope you all had a super summer. Happy Fall!

September Monthly Mini

 

I love everything about this little quilt! 

It doesn't look much like September, but it suits the way I am feeling right now. Full of hope for a full recovery!  It is made from Roberta Horton homespuns. I bought the entire line back in the early 1990’s. They are a joy to work with. So soft and sweet. I hand quilted the center and it was like quilting through butter. 

The little machine embroidered rickrack made a nice addition to the basket. I can’t for the life of me remember where I got that but I have used it a few times before. 

Once again, I want to thank all of you for sticking with this “mini series”. I am feeling better every day and really looking forward to getting back in full swing in the sewing room! For that reason, I am calling this one “In the Pink”.

Let’s see what you have all come up with as we say goodbye to summer.

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

August Monthly Mini

 My plasma infusion sessions (4 hours a day for 4 straight days) started the Monday after our state show. It worked well enough for me to muster enough energy to put this little guy together. I just took what I made in Barb's (Fun with Barb) class and made a few lollipop flowers and voila! I was going to call it “Pineapples in the Sky”, but then thought of a much better name: “Vedder Home and Garden”! 

I used this fun toile with grapes and wine bottles and quilted in diagonal organic lines in honor of Barb!

Thanks Barb, for such fun classes! I highly recommend her classes. She is a fantastic teacher! 

Once again, I have set this to automatically post on August 31. Screen time bothers my eyes right now, so I apologize in advance for not commenting again this month. I will have a lot of catching up to do after surgery!! Thanks for hanging in there.

 Let’s see what summer has brought to our fellow minimakers.

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

 

What I did on my summer vacation.

 

My summer has been like a 1950’s sci-fi movie – “The Energizer Bunny Meets Slothra”.

 So much has happened while I have been moving at a snail’s pace. My eyes (and energy level) won’t allow me to go into detail now, but exciting news from Dawn Cook-Ronningen (Collector with a Needle). She is having a special exhibition of quilts made from her patterns at Houston.

The amazing news is that her quilt, “Catherine’s Garden” is the featured quilt for the entire show.

It is on the cover of all the show material. Congratulations Dawn!! I'm honored that my Petaluma quilt, made with Dawn’s Fig Leaf and Flowers pattern will be there. 

I’ve been featured in a few magazine articles (I will have to post more on that later) and am included in Pamela Week’s fabulous book on potholder quilting, “Portable Patchwork” (more on that later as well). 

I was so looking forward to our state show this year. I had 2 years of catching up to do. And, my friend Randy (Barrister’s Block) was coming to visit. I had signed up for all 3 of my friend Barb’s (Fun with Barb) classes (before my diagnosis) and there was no way I was going to cancel!

 So… Randy arrived and off we went! It was great to see friends I hadn’t seen since our last in person show in 2019! Barb’s first class was “Pretty Pineapples”. I made a feeble attempt to concentrate and only made it through lunch before spending the rest of the day in bed. The next day’s class was “Liberated Houses”. What fun!! I really wanted to last all day, but alas, Randy whisked me back to the hotel for a long nap to rest up for dinner. The last class was the “Lollipop Garden” quilt. Oh, how I love Barb’s Lollipop Flowers!! I had unfortunately reached my limit so Randy graciously took the class instead. I didn't accomplish a lot, but I think I have a good start on a future monthly mini! 

We had a fun weekend and I was overwhelmed when they presented me with this fabulous quilt to keep me warm and comforted after surgery next month.

They pooled their orphan blocks and Randy assembled it and had it quilted. I adore it and it really helped last week during my plasma infusion sessions (4 hours a day, 4 days in a row). Friends are the best!! 

 

Have a wonderful winding down of summer!!

 

July Monthly Mini

 This was the last of the 3 monthly minis I made back in early June to get me through my challenging summer.  I had minimal energy at this point and had to scramble to get something made in time. Once again, the “orphan block” box came to the rescue. 

 I literally grabbed a little block and started adding others willy nilly. It was very freeing and lifted my spirits as I chugged along. I used one of my favorite Betsy Chutchian yellows on the back. 

 There are so many great names for pot luck quilts of this type, but I settled on “Scramble” as it seemed the most fitting!

Let’s see what our fellow makers have mixed together this month.

Quilting Babcia (Amity Quilter)

Randy (Barrister’s Block)

Cathy (Big Lake Quilter) 

Cyndi (Busy Thimble)

Grace (City Mouse Quilter)

Barb (Fun with Barb)

Gladi (Gladi’s Quilts)

Shasta (High Road Quilter)

Nancy (Joy For Grace)

Joy (Joyful Quilter)

Julie (Julie K Quilts)

Kathy (Kathy’s Quilts)

Katy (Katy Quilts)

Sandy (My Material Creations)

Meredithe (Pomegranate and Chintz)

Angie (Quilting on the Crescent)

Barbara (Quilts, Gravestones and Elusive Ancestors)

Janet (Rogue Quilts)

Tazzie (Tazzie Quilts)

Kyle (Timeless Reflections)

Cynthia (Wabi-Sabi Quilts)

Community Supper is on display again!

 

I wanted to let you all know that our “Community Supper” quilt will be on display at “Maine Quilts 2022” in Augusta, Maine from July 27^th through the 30^th.

 My friend Meliss told me that they made sure to display it so that both the front and back show, which means that they will see your block on the front and the “sentiment” that you wrote above our beloved pandemic on the back.

It is a wonderful show and Maine is a great place to visit at any time of the year so I hope some of you will be able to get to see it. 

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   Label with all 80 names  

 Since so many of you have asked… I am on my sixth dosage change for my current medication, and if I can’t function better than I have for the past few months, the next step will be steroids (bla!!). So, fingers crossed, this will start working and get me through until I have the surgery to remove my thymus (along with the pesky tumor). I love the surgeon already. He is very approachable and explained everything in plain understandable terms. The good news is that there is only a slight chance that the tumor is cancerous, so I move to the back of the line and can’t get in until mid September. I am thankful and pray for those who do have so much more to worry about than me.

 As for the monthly minis – July and August are set on automatic post mode, and when this current regime starts working, I should be able to get September’s out too.

 Thanks for sticking with me. I wish you all the joys of summer!