Fall Retreat 2009

Retreat was this past weekend. And once again, I had a wonderful time. We were at the 4-H camp again. Beautiful scenery... the trees were brilliant colors! The theme this year was Survivor: Anterg. We used different colored "buffs" to mix up the participants. Each "tribe" had one challenge to do sometime during the weekend.

The blue tribe had to put their buff over their eyes... and then eat something gross. They had to eat a gummy eyeball!

The orange tribe played a quilters' version of tug-of-war.

And of course, there were quilts hung for viewing as the quilt or top was finished. Enjoy this feast for your eyes!

This was one of my favorites.

And I loved this one also.

This was a two-sided quilt.

That's all. 360 days until the next fall retreat!

Have a great week!

Finally Some Quilts!!!

It seems like we waited forever this year.... for a calm day with no wind. Why? So we could shoot quilt pictures! I was driving home from town one day around noon... and realized it was fairly calm outside. NO wind! Ran in the house, yelled for Miss K and Rod, and in a half hour, we had taken all four quilt pics!! Wow ☺ Max decided he wanted in the pics too!

The first is Pocket Change.

This is Mittens Mittens Mittens. Miss K and I took the pic last fall at the neighbor's house.

This is Stars and Geese. Miss K and I also took it last fall.

And this is Toad in My Garden.

That's all for now. We're in the final pattern proofing stage for one more quilt this year. The quilt is finished and the picture has been taken.

Have a great weekend!

The Quilt from ...

arrrrrghhhhhhhh!

I have never had sooooooooo much trouble with a quilt!!! It made me feel stupid!

My friend J. made the top as a wedding quilt for the son of our friends. It's gorgeous! I love all the black and white prints! And it has a piece of his mother's wedding dress in it! Ahhhhhh...

The problem... first I found out I hate hate hate the batting we used. I had never used it before and I don't want to use it ever again! It feels awful... and you touch it a lot when you quilt.

The quilt is actually black black and bright white... don't know what happened to my pic!

My biggest problem though was the quilting... which I did :( Because of the setting white triangles, I decided to quilt it with white thread. Had to wait a couple weeks for the thread to come in (yes, I had to wait for white thread!!!). Then I had to figure out how to quilt it. Since it's a wedding quilt, I decided flowers, ribbons, vines, and leaves would be okay. I finally got it loaded on the frame and started quilting.

And.... could.... not.... see.... the.... quilting!!!

The fabrics are soooooo busy, I could not see the thread from the quilting. So it became quilt a flower, stop and feel where I'd already quilted, move to the next spot, quilt, stop and feel where I'd already quilted, move to the next spot, quilt, stop and feel where.......

Get the idea? I tried ever combination of lights.... everything I could thing to try. Finally today, bright sunlight, overhead lights, and shut off the machine lights... and I could see! Oh well, it's done! I spent some time de-cat-hairing it. Now it's ready for another friend to bind it!

For several years, I've been collecting the fabrics for a b&w quilt. Makes me think I may be crazy! OR....... maybe I'll just quilt mine in lime green ☺

Fall

It's September already! I'm still thinking it should be spring... not fall!!!

Anyway, I did remember to make a new desktop pic. As you may have noticed, I've fallen into a rut with the layout, but it fits with the wid.gets I use everyday... and I love the pics in the frame, so why change?

Have a great week!

scrappy thingies by gunhil.d, andrea me.negassi, and ras.pberry road - her ja.va joe collection is great...I love the colors and the elements! (even if it is about coffee!!!!)

Play: Inspired by the Child

Play: Inspired by the Child

is a new exhibit of fabric art that is opening this evening.

August 13th - September 8th

Bernina Sewing Studio

1501 Pine Lake Road, Suite 12

Exhibits the work of

Elaine Johnson

Elizabeth Sterns

Judy Bucklin Lane

Lois Puckett Wilson

Margrethe Ahlschwede

Martha Eischeid

Zita Schneider

Here are just a few to whet your appetite!

Margrethe

Lois

Elizabeth

Judy

(excuse the bad pic... couldn't get a straight on shot)

Judy

Make time to run out and see this exhibit. It's just plain adorable!

Sorensen Reunion 2009

This last Sunday was the Sorensen Reunion. We have it each year at my cousin Judy and Randy's cabin out at South Bend. We pot luck it. Randy and Larry grill hot dogs and hamburgers. We talk... and show what we've worked on during the last year. Usually the kids swim and tube. We go for a pontoon ride. The ride and the swimming were curtailed because of huge thunder storm. The talking and eating continued!

Cousin Judy was bitten by the quilting bug this last year. She's hooked! This is a quilt she made for her granddaughter Sloan. Isn't it cool?!!

This is another little quilt she made for granddaughter Bailey's doll.

Aunt Velma started this quilt. It's called South Dakota Butterflies. Her daughter Marilyn (on the left) finished it. Marilyn's sisters Jean (right) and Leesa (in the middle) helped show it. Isn't it pretty?!

I don't have the giant clan picture of all 58 of us. This is the sibling picture. L-R: Uncle Bud, Aunt Kathryn, Dad, Mom, Aunt Elsie, Uncle Ray (Elsie's husband).

Cousin Barb and her husband Richard.

Judy's kitchen. Aunt Kathryn, Jean, Jean's son Brian and his girlfriend.

The cousins and Aunt Elsie. L-R: Lois, Elsie, Deanna, Judy, Marilyn, Barb, and Leesa.

Aunt Kathryn and Mom. NOT a good pic of Mom, sorry ☺

We had a great time.

Finally

All summer I having waiting for a sunshiny day with NO wind. When I was going to be home. When Miss K and/or Rod were home.

All summer.........

And it was mostly the wind that was the problem.........

Finally, today while I was driving home from an errand in town, I realized there was NO wind!!! Grab everyone and quick, get the screen doors set up, grab the camera, let's go!

We were able to shoot the cover pics for three different patterns! In about 20 minutes!!! That has to be a record for us. Max decided he wanted to be in each pic. We'd hang the quilt(s) and he run over and lay down in front of the quilt! Quite the diva!

So, we quick snapped this one of Miss K and Max.

And another one of my flowers. There are more blooming than in the pic I took the other day.

Somehow, the pic just loses some of the color intensity no matter how I try to tweek it!

Hope you're having a great week.

p.s. You'll have to wait until the patts are published to see the quilts!

August 7, 2009

I have tried for years to get wildflowers established on our hill. With varying success. The coneflowers are still coming up... tall yellow coneflowers... short yellow coneflowers... purple coneflowers in two shades... a few red hats... and gaillardia (most have disappeared... not sure where they went)... and a little snowy partridge pea.

Well.... this year the snowy partridge pea has exploded. It probably covered a ten by fifteen area last year. It covers the hill this year!!! Not sure now if it qualifies as a wildflower or a weed! Who cares... it's blooming and pretty.

On a totally separate note, just because she needs to be remembered somewhere, today would have been my little sister Amy's 40th birthday.

Take care.

Have a great weekend.......

One More Watermelon

One more watermelon to show. This is also from the Grandma's Quilt Cookbook. I love tablerunners. Too bad Maggie the cat thinks I make them for her!

Have a great weekend!

More Watermelon

Back in 2005, I did a quilt book called Grandma's Quilt Cookbook. This is one of the quilts from the book. A great way to showcase favorite fabrics! And as many watermelon slices as you want!

Take care.

Hamburger Time!

Sam and Ashley came out for supper last night. Sam grilled hamburgers.

And then!!!! It was time for dessert ☺

There's always room for one more burger!

Does anyone besides me remember the "hamburger" cookies we made back in the late 80's or early 90's? Two vanilla wafers with a mint patty between and frosting squirted on them for lettuce and ketchup. The kids loved them. Kali and Sam don't remember them. Guess maybe we'll have to make a batch this fall ☺

Watermelon Time

I love watermelon! It smells great! It tastes great! Too bad it doesn't love me!!!

So I must be content with watermelon in other things... body splash... quilts... candles... penny rugs.

This is a penny rug I made in 2003 called Watermelon Time. I love it. I love the watermelon paired with the daisies.

Hope your week is going well!

Things have changed...

Things have changed so much. I'll explain in a minute.

Good friends of Miss K moved last year. All the way to South Carolina. She has missed them soooooo much. They were back in Nebraska a couple weeks ago. (Yes, I know, I'm slow ☺) They did manage to come to VBS for one morning while they were here. Miss K got to see them for a very short time.

(Thanx to Sandy for the great pics!)

Back to things changing. One of my best friends moved our freshman year (or maybe eighth grade). Back to Pennsylvania. Back before computers and email. Back before cell phones. Back before unlimited long distance. Back in the stone ages where people wrote letters... or they didn't. We wrote off and on (ok, more off!). And I was fortunate to be able to go see her the summer after my sophomore year. And then a few more letters and Christmas cards each year for almost 25 years. And then suddenly, no more letters.... she moved. And no more contact. (Yes, I know in this day and age, I could probably find her. It's just that it seemed it was time to end... you know?)

The difference? Miss K and the three J-boys set "play dates". Some how, with all this technology, they each get on their video game.... the J-boys in South Carolina and Miss K in Nebraska... and they play against each other through the magic of the internet. (Personally, I think that sentence should have been: they play against each other through magic!)

Cell phones and unlimited long distance means she can talk with them ... and with their Mom. Miss K misses her too!

And for me? Have you heard of Sk.ype? Wonderful tool!!! It means we can call Chad and Ryssa on the computer. They're in Arizona and we're here in Nebraska. We can see them while we talk! It's wonderful! (Wish we had known about it at Christmas!) That's like magic too!

All of these things making it not quite so bad having family and friends so far away!

Have a great week!

Driving with Miss K

While Mom stayed with us, we needed something to occupy some very long days! So almost every day Mom was here, Miss K took us for a drive. Gotta rack up those driving hours!

Well, Max thought this was just a fine idea! He got to go and Mom's dog had to stay home ☺

Mom doesn't look too frightened!

A really cool tree we saw each day down at Wagon Train Lake.

And after six days, the travelers finally returned! That's my brother David on the left and my Dad on the right.

Hope you're having a great week!

Bugs!

I picked Miss K up in town a couple Saturdays again. We took a different route home... and we saw these incredible bug sculptures! Corner of 17th and Van Dorn, I think. In front of a restaurant.

We're at VBS all week!

Hope you have a great week!!!

Quilt Humor

Check out this great blog.... she found some quilters' sayings/artwork that are a hoot!

p.s. quilt humor NOT to be confused with Good.Humor ice cream ☺