Images of fall

Ahh, fall is definitely in the air

Me thinks the neighbor made a trip to the pumpkin patch

The neighborhood merchants get into the fall spirit 

A Canadian maple leaf quilt 

Miss Callie Mae Calico is the perfect Halloween fall feline

The Blackbird sampler turned into a hooked rug

This is the view outside my kitchen window

Books for the Library

Look what the postman delivered!  It's Maggie B's latest book, Another Place and Time.

WOW!  Applique, hooked rugs, Radishes and Turnips, quilts, bedcovers and wonky pillows, all done in Maggie style.

This is one of my favorite pieces.  Maggie says:  "I have always loved old samplers and have tried counted cross stitch several times, but it was too tedious for me.  So, I decided to create a sampler with wool."  The best of both worlds--a sampler and a wool applique.

The postman's delivery also included Autumn at Notforgotten Farm.  Turkey Trot will be the perfect addition to my dough bowl of fall smalls.

AppleJack was running errands and picked up the 2013 Christmas Ornament issue for me at the LNS.  

Maggie says it best:  "I can sit anywhere with them--even in bed--and look to my heart's content."  

Princess Feather--Every quilt has a story

  Made just north of Algood in the Jeremiah Community, the Princess Feather quilt is likely the oldest documented and best preserved quilt in the area.

Mrs. John Terry along with her quilting bee made this quilt.  Princess Feather was given to Mrs. John Terry's daughter, Panizetta Frances Terry, upon her marriage to Mr Jeremiah Whitson on March 19, 1872.  Mr Whitson was a well-to-do entrepreneur and donated land to the county to build Dixie College , now Tennessee Tech University.

The hand quilting on this quilt was beautiful!  Yes, she has a few "age spots" and they look lovely on her!

Another version of a very lovely Princess Feather.

Did I mention the ladies at the Algood church served lunch yesterday?  Not pictured but delicious was homemade, church lady red velvet cake!  Yumo!

In keeping with the spirit of the quilt show, the church ladies had decorated each table with a quilt and fresh flowers--sure a nice touch.  (The quilts had been covered with a thin plastic film to protect them)

The viewing gallery was filled with antique quilts.

Fun funky quilts

Feed sack print quilts

And kitty cat quilts just for Callie Mae

Thank you Algood and Upper Cumberland for another beautiful quilt show!

25th Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival

This weekend is the 25th Anniversary of the Upper Cumberland Quilt Festival.  Boy, oh boy were there quilts!

Crazy quilts

Drunkard's Path

Hexie's

Dear Jane's (this was the quilt makers fourth Dear Jane)

Christmas (I would be having visions of sugar plum sleeping under this quilt)

Trip Around the World  (Each piece of this quilt was one inch!  The quilt was king size.  I think I would have lost my mind piecing this quilt)

Thirties print fabric--the colors are beautiful.  Perfect for spring or a nursery.

Baltimore Album

Princess Feather  (This was the oldest and my most favorite quilt)  

My favorite quilt venue

The doors outside the church

Inside the historic church

The stained glass windows inside the church

(Stay tuned for part II)

Tweaking

Last Saturday was a perfect fall day--jacket weather in the early morning, followed by warm sunshine, cool breezes and beautiful blue skies.  With a change in seasons, came time for some changes at Thistle Manor.  It all starts so innocently.  You know "let's move this one piece of furniture."  Before you know it, seems every stick of furniture in the house is being moved!  We have more sore muscles, bruises and aching back than I care to acknowledge.  The dust bunnies were running for their very lives!  Callie Mae ran for cover and comfort to her condo, hoping against hope she was still going to have a home to call her own as the insane movers made trip after trip up and down the staircase.

We both agree change is a good thing and while we still have the same address and the same pieces of furniture, it feels very different.  We are still tweaking.  Relax Callie Mae, things will stay this way for a while--the movers have to recover.

Blowing in the Wind

There's something about quilts blowing in the wind.

This was AppleJack's favorite.

Beautiful fall colors.

Applique

Halloween

Beautiful quilting!

Enhancing my Stash or Great Finds at St Charles Market

I love needlework markets--Nashville in the late winter/early spring and St. Charles in the late summer/early fall.  The designs, the linens, the fibers, the accessories--it's all so good except for the dent in my wallet.  I am a sucker for a sampler and with a name like A Sampler Grows what's not to love.  I went digging in my stash and found this great length of wide rick rack.

The Remember Me Sampler, such a sweet little sampler.  I found some "aging" spray while looking for the rick rack.

Yes!  Pat and Ann from R & R had 36 count 18 century brown linen.  AppleJack raised his eyebrow and asked, "you need more linen?"  Yes, AppleJack, it's 18 century brown linen--perfect for samplers.

Bzzzz, the bees are coming!  Am so looking forward to starting these pieces from Nan at Threadwork Primitives.  More stash dividing, I found a scrap piece of Birds of a Feather linen left over from a sampler.  Gosh I love this linen.  Come back Birds of a Feather linen!  Found this fabric several years ago and knew someday I would use it on just the right project.  The design on the yellow fabric is bees buzzing, the brown fabric is like a honeycomb, can't wait to start these projects and let Betty the finisher work her major on finishing them.

Am awaiting the arrival of more goods from the St. Charles Market.  Tomorrow is one of the areas first fall quilt shows.  Today was the perfect fall day--cool temps, crispness in the air, leaves are beginning to change.  So fun to take a stroll through the quilts on a perfect fall day!

Susie Baby and her quilt

Susie Baby and I have a long history together.  She came to live with me one Christmas many, many, many years ago.  Santa delivered her to me in his sleigh.  Susie was happy to move south as she said the winters at the North Pole were long, cold and packed with snow.  If you notice one of her shoulders is drooping--she is scheduled for some long overdue surgery.

After many years, Susie Baby has her very own quilt.  It is a simple nine patch using blues/beiges.  The quilt measures 14 1/2" x 17 1/2."

A fun little quilt for Susie Baby--I think she has earned it after all her years of service!

The bindings have been sewn on the table runners!

The long arm quilter (Cathy) did a super job with the quilting.

And who says watching Duck Dynasty is wasted time?  Maybe I can get more HST sewn during tonights episode.