A Little Irish Chain

I'm over my funk for now. The issues from several days ago are still with me, I'll do what I can on my level. Annie, from http://anniesquilting.blogspot.com/ suggested I go shopping, which I did, and that put me back in a better humor. Thanks Annie! worked great! The other suggestion from several of you was to turn off the TV. I've been more and more successful at that over the years.

This is a little quilt (41 x 41 inches) I am making for my friends quilt class she is presenting to the quilt guild. She and I tried to settle on one colorway, but failed to agree on just one. In the end, she chose her colors and since I liked this brown and pink colorway, she suggested I make one also. I added the rounded posies since everything was so angular. The pink has a bit of blue in it, hence the cobalt blue posies. The border will be scalloped, adding more curves, using bias binding made of the same brown as that used in the chain. I'm still not sure if I should add an appliqued vine or ribbon. I'm doing the fusible interfacing method, but ran out of fusible. Oh too bad, back to the LQS tomorrow -- gee what a shame! LOL Not sure yet about working a hand buttonhole stitch or machine, but one or the other is planned.


This is NOT a hard quilt - I was surprised at how quickly it came together. What a great scrap quilt this would make!

I feel a quilt comin' on!

How can I resist this glorious color, which is just a weed! Today, I saw an entire field planted in sunflowers, but they are not all blooming yet.

I have often remarked about our BIG sky here in Nebraska (as well as Montana) -- it is so blue - never hazy or polluted, and there are no obstructions to the view. When that sky is so immense, so blue, and the sunflowers will soon be soooo yellow, all facing the sun, let me tell you, I believe God is up there feeling pretty smug with that accomplishment! I hope I have the opportunity to catch that color. It just BEGS to be a quilt!

These sunflowers are all over the sides of the gravel roads. If you aren't familiar with sunflowers, they are not a very nice flower. The stalks are all prickly, they are usually covered in ants, and other unattractive features, but the worst part is that when you cut them, the sap is extremely sticky and not easy to remove from your fingers. However, the color was worth it!

Scarcasm and Skepticism (NOT quilt related!)

(This is why I spend time quilting ... instead of dwelling on some of these issues. Stop now, and don’t read further if you don’t want to hear my rantings ...)

What will happen to all of you Bloggers if/when Google, or whoever your Blogger Controller is, decides to charge us for this lovely activity?

Why can I not believe one single piece of rhetoric a politician, or CEO, or high-level businessperson/manager might say?

How can people who earn gazillions dollars talk about saving the planet and claim they want to work on reducing greenhouse gases and solve poverty issues, when they live in a home that requires a ‘staff’, that could house a small town, and feed a small nation?

How can a Congressman who will have a very generous pension for the rest of his life REALLY respond to health care issues for the ‘rest’ of us, like the outrageous and exhorbitant high cost of medical care?

What IS the truth?

Why don’t we hear about the medical/pharmaceutical lobbyists and how much they influence the daily lives of the health care issues of the ‘regular’ citizens?

When are we going to tell the TV news agencies that we don’t believe the importance of much of what they talk about? Do you care that a Hollywood so and so, spent a night in jail, or got arrested for ... whatever? Does the entire nation need to think about that?

Why are we pumping gazillions of dollars in security for our schools, and other places, etc., when we don’t pump one dollar into helping these poor confused and sad people BEFORE they go off the deep end, emotionally?

Why is it, that if you try to actually HELP a person who is in sad emotional state, you can practically get arrested!

When you see someone who is definitely in emotional trouble, why is there NO ONE who can help?

Do you think our thoughts are really our own, or are we being led, like sheep, down a garden path by the media?

When will we all get together and insist that some things are just too much to put up with any longer? Would that be RUDE? Do I care that sometimes I HAVE to be rude to take a stand on an issue? Have we gotten so complacent with our freedom and comfort that we don’t remember how to make changes?

ANOTHER Off-Kilter Log Cabin, and a Great Book

ANOTHER off-kilter, scrappy log cabin - it started with a 'just gotta sew' day, in a futile effort to use up scraps. It became MUCH larger than I expected (72 x 92 inches), but I was wanting to try out that border to 'see what happens!' I kind of like it! And must admit the idea came from a book by Margaret Miller. This one is now on the waiting list for quilting, in my closet. When I started, I had not planned a border, and then had to be creative in the center of each border. Hey, it all adds to the "hmmm, it's interesting" factor!

I publish my quilt guild newsletter and from time to time add my own suggestions or ideas, or blocks. I printed 4 of these border blocks in the newsletter hoping someone would gain from the suggestion but ended up using it myself. Yeah, enthusiasm often gets me overloaded! This simple border block can be so creative, depending on how it's used, and the values. You might want to give it a try. This particular block is 8 inches and consists of only 2 half square triangles and 2 four patches. I was careful to use the same light background, the diagonals in the four patches were always mediums and lights and the half square triangles were always darks and lights. I think a person could float one of the edge darks into the quilt for a REALLY clever border!

This book (below) was a pleasant impulsive purchase from my LQS ($22.95). What I liked at first was that it is small (less than 6 x 8, but fat), but the "1000 Great Quilt Designs" didn't hurt either. Amazingly, it's from Readers Digest and is a WEALTH of ideas.


It is written by a quilter/graphic artist and I am overloaded with all her ideas. This is NOT a details book about how to quilt, although there is good info included. Also, you don't have to be a quilter to appreciate all the designs. If you are searching for an idea, you WILL find one here. I tend not to read the parts about enlarging, transfering, etc., but they are included. If I had anything negative to say, it's that it is printed small, and the lettering is not very bold, but then I also need new glasses, so give that some consideration if your vision needs improving. (I tried to find if there is a Large Print version but was not successful.) Even so, the drawings are wonderful. IMHO, the reader would need some quilting knowledge other than just this book.

Happy quilting from Nebraska, where it's been 100 degrees for the last few days and for at least another week!

Just to smile ...

Fons and Porter TV show mentioned "Hypoteneuse" and I had to think a bit to remember what it actually meant. Then, using my brain that explodes in all directions, THAT word got me to remembering this silly joke. (Absolutely NO disrespect meant to any folks!) Enjoy.
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There were three Indian squaws. One slept on a deerskin, one slept on an elk skin, and the third slept on a hippopotamus skin. All three became pregnant and the first two each had a baby boy. The one who slept on the hippopotamus skin had twin boys.

This goes to prove that the squaw of the hippopotamus is equal to the sons of the squaws of the other two hides.
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Definitions: The side opposite the right angle in a right triangle is called the hypoteneuse. (This term applies only to right triangles.) The two other sides (those forming the right angle) are called legs. Often the legs are labeled a and b and the hypoteneuse is labeled c. Usually the angles opposite the sides of a triangle have the same letters, but capitalized: A, B, and C.

Quilt Show is Over

I didn't come home empty handed and was very happy to receive a Second Place! (Full photo is in my previous post.) It takes courage to enter our quilts, and yes, we all compete against ourselves. Color, subject matter, technique, skills are all so subjective. Mostly, you have to have something that has impact and eye appeal - at least that's what I've noticed. Skills were not particularly noticed, because the public is not aware of how we do what we do. We stand quietly and listen to what folks say. A friend said she can tell which quilts are mine. That was a lovely compliment. I was in a good mood driving home.

Here is First Place (below) in the same category as mine above - an amazing Sunbonnet Sue through the Seasons, by Ruth. She does incredible work, and Sunbonnet Sue is forever popular. She also said she wouldn't do another one! "It was a lot of work." The quilt show was a Viewer's Choice. It was 98 degrees outside and not too much cooler inside, but we still had a great time.


Our Theme was "Diamonds." Here is the First Place in the Challenge Category. She used diamonds in her background. Sharon is an amazing quilter and comes from a family of quilters. She gets together with Mom and sisters for a yearly "Quilt-a-thon" and our quilt guild is blessed to see their new creations. This creation is totally encrusted with beads - gorgeous. She said she took a class by beading expert Nancy Eha. This is very small and simply stunning. No other entry (especially mine!) came close.