Where Does The Time Go?

Holy Cow. Time is just flying by. Seems like yesterday that I last posted and here it's been over a month. It's cooled off and the colors are changing already here in Wisconsin. Mark and I picked the last of our garden last night before the frost comes tonight. Checked the furnace, replaced the filters and we're trying hard not to turn it on yet. Soon, all too soon.

First up...here are some pics of the black & white star quilt from my last post. The customer loved it. The only thing she said was she wished she had asked for a contrasting thread on the back so the quilting shows up. She wanted something "curly" or "circular" in the star blocks. This is what I came up with, and then used the curly theme in the borders. It's hard to see, but the outside border has a feather-like vine with curls instead of feathers.

I tried getting pictures of the whole quilt, but you can't really see the quilting.

I love this quilt.

My daughter and I went on a trip in August. A combination birthday trip for me and a little vacation for Leslie before she entered her senior year of high school. We went to see my parents, who live in Clarksville, TN. On the way we stopped and spent the night in Tuscola, IL and shopped at the outlet mall there. The next day we stopped for a few hours in Paducah to visit the Quilt Museum and Hancock's of Paducah. Wish we had had more time but it was just as well, since the temps were around 105 and Leslie was anxious to get to Grandma's house.
Anyway, both places were absolutely awesome. The museum took our breath away. They had a wonderful display called "Oh, Wow... Miniature Quilts" that was just awesome! And the antique quilts! Oh, my.
My credit cards screamed in terror when we walked into Hancock's. Unbelievable. Half an hour after walking in, Leslie tells me "I can't believe we've been here half an hour and you only have three things in the cart" (drapery fabric to make a valance for her orange bedroom, a yard of chocolate colored fabric with pink flamingos on it and the large rotating Olfa cutting mat which was my birthday present to myself). I said "but I don't even know where to start. If I buy everything I like, I'll need a second mortgage and a U-haul to get us home!". So, I asked her to pick out a pattern that she would like to make (in my undying hope to get her interested in quilting). She picked out a cute wallhanging pattern with appliqued purses and high heel shoes on it and we were off. This girl loves picking out fabrics! We're talking stacks.
A good sign, right?
We got to my mom's without spending all our gas money to get home. The next day we went to Nashville for the AQS Quilt Show. This is the second time I have been. Beautiful quilts, (I especially enjoy the guild challenges) but to me it seems to be mostly a vendor show. We picked out more fabric for the wallhanging. I actually caught Les petting fabric in one booth. I had to laugh out loud. And if you could have seen the sheepish look on her face. She also found a pattern for the most adorable flip flop quilt. We both love flip flops. Old Navy flip flops. It's the only shoes we wear in the summer.
I bought the pattern, but told her I refused to buy fabric for it until the wallhanging was made. Now if I can just get her to help me put that wallhanging together. I also told her that it wouldn't get made unless she helped me. She said "I hate sewing", basing her opinion on the short experience of her 6th grade class. I said, "you don't have to sew, you can learn how to cut and press". I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can make the process of quilting more enjoyable for her than that stupid pillow she had to make. LOL.

She's a senior this year and a classic "girly girl" who is into clothes and music. (Disregard the "convict number" on her forehead. LOL It's a preview from the photographer.
Gotta love those dimples.

As for me, I also got the set of patterns by Amy Bradley for the "Seasonal Quilter", which is a calendar type quilt with little quilts that you interchange on it for holidays, assorted fat quarters to feed my addiction, a handquilting hoop, thread, and some "quilting" T-shirts. I also decided while there that I definitely want to learn needlepunch. I just need to let my wallet gain some weight. It's a little skinny now. LOL
Oh, I also got to test drive my "dream machine", the APQS Millenium, at the show. Sigh. Someday. And I realized after we left the show and I looked in the packet of APQS info, that I had actually been talking to Marilyn Badger, master quilter. What a nice lady.

I guess that's it for today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day! As for me, I'm off to the studio. Harry Potter is waiting for me to put my headphones back on.

piecin' love,
Terri