Celebrating International Quilting Day

This past Saturday, March 16, was International Quilting Day!  To celebrate the day, I took a trip to a couple of the local quilt shops.  A 40%  discount sale on fabric was a good motivator.  The brown fabric is from the Cocheco Mills Collection (Judy Rothermel for Marcus Fabrics) and the blue fabric is Charlotte by Sara Morgan for Blue Hill.  I am drawn to the darker fabrics and I never seem to have lights--hopefully the bundle of fat quarter shirtings will help with that dilemma.

Waiting for me at the Quilt Shop was Pottery Shards 

and Flying Geese.  The long armed quilter had worked her magic.  Both quilts are now ready for binding.

Work continues on the bow tie quilt, progress is being made,  There are many, many bow ties in this quilt.

While I was at the second quilt shop, I found this fabric called Farmer Fancy by Windham.  While this fabric line is new to me, I believe Windham released it several years ago.  The Farmer Fancy line is based on American coverlets and there are twenty-five different prints.  Being a huge cat lover and lover of American coverlets this fabric is under consideration for the backing on the bow tie quilt.  I'm thinking using this fabric as the backing might make the quilt reversible.  Whew!  All that red is a bit scary when I think about washing.  Sure glad the ladies at the quilt shop shared Shout's Color Catcher with me. 

Feast or Famine

Yesterday was the day--the arrival of my Nashville stash!   Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy was it worth the wait.  An abundance of stitching goodness.




What's inside that bag?



Four pincushions by Nikyscreations.  Being a primitive girl, the simplicity of these designs call to me.  (And when I am needing a quick stitch and feeling the need for a sense of accomplishment, these designs meet the requirement)

Country Stitches (Brenda Gervais) very cleverly appliqued this basket onto a piece of fabric and created   a pillow. 

The minute I saw Paulette's Viktor & Irina I knew this was going in my shopping bag.  "Peace I leave with you."  Hearing those words always makes me feel more peaceful.

And since Peace seems to be something I am seeking, how could I resist Peace House by La D Da.  The giant rabbit weather vain leaping over the house--too much goodness.

Praise Ye the Lord by Carriage House.  "My sister Kathy designed this in 2002 and set it aside.  Somehow, it didn't turn up until a decade later!  This chart reminds me of the song Praise Ye The Lord, Hallelujah!"  I think Praise Ye the Lord and Peace I leave with you are destined to become companions.

Rachel Howells!  The giant birds, Adam and Eve, the man who looks like Santa Claus--a feast of goodness.

Spring at Hollyberry Farm!  

With all these new wonderful designs, of course, I needed some linen.  35 ct Weeks Dye Works cappuccino and 36 ct Edinburg raw--sampler linen.  (AppleJack calls all linen sampler linen).

Now to enjoy a Sunday afternoon of stitching.  I have a good case of gardener's legs with some blisters thrown in for good measure and needle and thread is an excellent remedy.

  

Weekend Agenda

I have a work play date with Next Year (the garden).  Here are some of the items on our agenda.

some planting

transplanting

feeding/fertilizing

 spraying

mulching

lots of mulching

and after all this, a warm soap in the tub with some Epsom salts, I suspect I might have a case of gardeners legs with this agenda.

Compromise

Last weekend it snowed, this weekend the temps are the seventies.  Gardening at Thistle Manor is a challenge.  While at the garden center this morning purchasing more mulch, I found these pansies.  They are the same bright sunny color as the daffodils and seemed to be a perfect companion.

Compromise

Throughout our married life AppleJack has spent countless hours in needlework shops, quilt shops, and quilt and needlework museums and show.  Today was my day to compromise--we went to a car show.  My knowledge of cars is limited, very limited.  Let's just say I know how to turn the key to start the engine and how to read the gasoline gauge.  Anything past this is pushing my limits.  Here are some of the sites from the car show.

This was one of my favorite cars, it is a 1955 Chevrolet.  My Aunt Molly had one of these cars.  This was the first and only car she ever owned.  She bought and learned to drive on a car like this when she was 55 years old!  She mainly drove the car to church and to the grocery store.  I think she was the envy of most of the men who ever saw her driving this car.

I think this is a 1957 Chevrolet.  Aunt Molly's car was this color

I

Aren't the tail lights on this car interesting?  It reminded me of the Batmobile.  (I think AppleJack told me this was a Cadillac)

  

A Woody, yes the door panels are wood.  

Don't have a clue what kind of car this is, Applejack reminded me it is a Ford.

This is the front of the car, very interesting paint job.  

An early American race car, a Willy's (per AppleJack this is pronounced Willis not Willy)

This car was offered to dealerships to boost sales.

Another one of my favorites, don't they have an interesting specialty?  

Turn the key to start the engine and purchase gas before the gauge reads empty, that's my knowledge of cars.  AppleJack enjoyed the car show and is very knowledgeable, he had a good time at the car show and that was enough for me.  

You is smart

Miss Callie Mae's perspective of the world

1. When life gets stressful, take a nap
2. Bird watching is an excellent past time
3. Choose people who will love you unconditionally

Christmas at Hollyberry Farm

I am determined to have a Christmas sampler for 2013!  Since I am a super slow stitcher, I have already began stitching Stacy Nash's Christmas at Hollyberry Farm.

Am stitching my sampler on Weeks Dye Works Straw (the model is stitched on R & R Mink).  I enjoy stitching with Needlepoint Silks and am converting the Gentle Arts fibers to silk fibers.


Stacy has released a companion piece to the Christmas sampler called Spring at Hollyberry Farm.  March 20th is the first official day of spring 2013, since I will be stitching the Christmas sampler in the spring, I will start the Spring sampler in the winter--just to balance out the year.

With a Light Dusting

While AppleJack, Miss Callie Mae and me were sleeping last night, it snowed!  Well sorta, remember snow in Music City is a relative term.  This is the helleborus (Lenten Rose) dusted with snow.  Such a hardy plant, blooming with the cold temps.

Looks like Mother Nature has given Miss Lenten Rose a dusting of confectioners sugar.

The faithful, bright yellow daffodils can also withstand the cold temps.  These beautiful flowers greet me each evening.  Enough to make this gardeners heart smile.

Last weekend, I made my first of many trips to the gardening center to purchase mulch, rose spray and fertilizer.  Left over leaves were raked, perennial beds were cleaned, mulch applied, roses sprayed and this weekend snow.  Gardening is challenging, Mother Nature has her own ways.  Gardening keeps me humble.

Since the winter temps have returned, there is a huge pot of vegetable soup simmering on the stove.  There are bow ties, stars and HST's to be sewn, samplers to be stitched and rugs to be hooked.  And needlework shop owners are shopping at the TNNA Market.  New designs, linens, fibers and accessories will be available next weekend!