I have a long arm quilting machine.  An APQS Millenium.  It’s taken me a while to get used to it because I’ve been rather intimidated by it.  But I overcame a hurdle recently and quilted a baby quilt for my friend Deb.  It turned out great.  I felt so proud of myself.

Here’s the front.  It’s from a pattern by Jelly Bean Counter.

Here’s a close up, but dang, you can’t really see the quilting.  The thread blended in quite a bit.

If you click on the photo, it enlarges enough to get an idea.  Otherwise, you’ll just have to take my word for it.  It turned out dang cute.

Here’s a give away I found at Green Fairy Quilts.

Click on the Green Fairy blog above and enter a comment to win.  Here are the directions:

So, under my Christmas tree I have 1 layer cake, 1 jelly roll from the Hello Betty Retro line, along with my pattern “Flower Patch” and it is going to be a wonderful Christmas present to one lucky person. Giveaway time! All you have to do to enter my giveaway is leave a comment. That gives you one entry, blog about my giveaway and you will get five entries. I will draw a random winner on Tuesday night.

Wouldn’t this be a great surprise Christmas gift?



Our meeting was at Claudia’s.  Here’s our show and tell:

Claudia finished her fabulous paper-pieced quilt. It’a absolutely beautiful.

Claudia's Fabulour Paper=pieced Quilt

Here’s the back.  The quilting really showed up with the contrast in color although it’s a little hard to see on the photo.

This beauty if by one of Claudia’s applique buddies, Ruth.

Ruth also brought this red and green beauty to share.  It’s my favorite color combination.  Someday I’m making one of my own, but not appliqued.

Red and green close up:

This was knit (if I remember right) on a circular needle.

Cindy’s bevy of bags (held by Sue).

Mary’s T shirt quilt:

Another special guest:

WISQ was at Mary’s house in October.  Here are the pix:

I found this Doll Quilt Swap online and decided to participate. Here were the guidelines It was fun deciding what to make my buddy and then really fun to receive my quilt in the mail.

Becoming a first-time grandma is a pretty amazing experience.  My husband and I were visiting the North Shore of Lake Superior when my son Jon called.  He said, “Sorry to cut your trip short, but you have a grandson.”  He came three weeks early.  I guess he couldn’t wait to meet all of us . . .  and I was so excited to meet him.  We rushed back to the Twin Cities because I just had to see him on the day he was born.

I made him a Very Hungry Caterpillar Quilt.  He loves it!

I also bought him a “Going to Grandma’s” outfit and the book On the Day You Were Born.

Grandma loves you, Henry.

There’s a new quilt shop called the Noble Quilter in Elk River, MN. A couple of my quilting buddies went with me to check it out on Saturday.  We were impressed.

The owner’s name is Angela Roberts.  She welcomed us warmly, told us about the shop and coming events, and then gave us time and space to shop.  

Her employees were equally friendly and helpful.  

The space is bright and nicely organized.  The walls are a soothing shade of blue which forms a nice backdrop for all the colors of the fabric.

There are samples, although not as many as an established shop. I’m sure there will be many soon.

A block of the month, designed by Sherri Falls, will be coming soon.  There are two color choices.  The one on display is mainly green and black.  The other choice is red and brown if I remember right. 

They currently carry Civil War, Batiks, Novelties, baby flannel and more.  I bought a few fat quarters I liked.

Here’s some information from the handout I got.  

                                             The Noble Quilter                                                                                    19570 Holt Street NW                                                                                    Elk River, MN

763.633.4669

www.thenoblequilter.com

Located on 169 No, st the last stoplight heading north out of Elk River. (197th Ave NW).  Menards and the Harley Dealership is on the right, shop is on the left in the Pearle Vision Center Building, which is next to the Aldi Grocery Store.

There will be a Grand Opening on August 28 – August 30.  

I liked this sign . . .

  . . . of course all of us quilters know this is true.  I think a visit to this new shop would make for a good day too.

     Woohoo!  I reached 5000 hits on my blog today.  It’s been just over a year since I wrote my first post.  So that averages just over 400 hits a month.

     It felt satisfying doing it all, even though there was a steep learning curve at first.  Looking back, I’m full of gratitude for all the creativity, fun, and fellowship with many wonderful quilters.  

Our meeting was at Cathy’s this month out in Buffalo.  It was fun as always, with lots of guests:  Bonnie, Diane, Judy, Ruth, Rita and Rita.  Did I get that right?

I’ll get right down to our show and tell.

Love those polka dots!

Ooh Lah Lah

Who's that hiding behind that quilt, Mary?

Shoes,

shoes,

and more shoes.

We had dessert (of course). It was sherbet with cookies. Yum, great summer treat. Thanks, Cathy.

August is a wonderful month of anticipation for me and my family.  My first grandchild is arriving in early September and I’m beside myself with delight.  

My son Jon and daughter-in-law Kate (I know, Jon and Kate, not the famous ones) decided not to find out the sex of the baby, wanting to be surprised when the big day comes.  Since Kate loves table runners, I decided to make her a pair, one pink and one blue. I call these “Is My Grandbaby a Boy or a Girl?” table runners.  

This Tuesday,  we all went shopping for a stroller for Baby S.  So it was the perfect opportunity to give Kate the table runners.  

Here’s the pink one:

Here’s the blue one:

I found a cute backing fabric that says “I love mommy” and”I love daddy” all over it.

So, is my grandbaby a boy or a girl?

I’ll find out soon . . . . . .

The pattern I used was a free one from Timeless Treasures.  It’s called Easy Striped Table Runner by Karen Montgomery.  I was going to include a link, so you could find it but in the last week or so they have taken it off their website and it is now available for purchase at the Quilt Company.

Bummer – when I printed this pattern out at the beginning of August my printer ink was in short supply so my copy is not pretty.  I planned to print out a new one.  Not now.  

Putting these together was so slick and easy.  Just six short seams and the top is done.  Cutting is a little tricky, but not bad.  (I’ll post photos and instructions soon, so keep an eye out for it if you’re interested. )

Here’s a photo of the happy couple with their new stroller:

Grandpa S had to thoroughly check it out and it passed his inspection.  Shew!

This is all so much fun.  I can hardly wait to meet my grandbaby.  A child brings so much love.  I guess that’s why they are called “a bundle of joy.”

Love you Jon and Kate.  (You’re my favorite daughter-in-law.)  :)