Another Day/Week in Michigan

On our drive to Suttons Bay, we saw a little gallery that had many kinetic wind sculptures in the yard, and these interesting sculptures. So of course, we had to stop and investigate!

I want the big bug on the roof!

And how about a giraffe family in your corn?

This is my totally favorite of Gwen's quilts, EVER! Not only do I want it, I want to make one too! Those liberated stars are 3"!!!! Have I LOST my mind?

Gwen thinks I have!

Tiny, tiny stars!

Look at that hand quilting!

And it just wouldn't be a good retreat without a refreshing swim in Elk Rapids. Now, remember the temperature this day wasn't over 60 degrees, and this is a spring fed lake. We were in the water about 20 minutes, but 18 minutes of it was just ME in getting in. The other 2 minutes was me flying out! LOL!

Me, Margaret and Marge - Wendy was in, but is taking the picture!

So without further ado, here are some favorites from the class.  I don't have all the names mentioned with the quilts, so forgive me for that.  There were a couple of new people, and I don't have my class roster handy to put them in the right places.  I'll try to get that corrected over the next couple of days, though.

Gwen's Liberated Baskets

Carol R.'s liberated sand pails 

Carol B.'s liberated "jacks"

Carol B.'s Liberated flying geese

Cassie's (?) Liberated all over 

Love the graphics of this one (Lois?)

Jenny's liberated baskets

Eleanor's liberated French fabric samples

Now, that I am back, I've been pretty busy with some last minute obligations.  I had a lunch/tea with my 1966 High School girlfriends today, a stitch day with my Amazing Quilt Babes yesterday, and I have been working on The Rambling River project frantically trying to finish all that I want to do to it before the due date this week.  Then this next Saturday I have a trunk show to do about an hour away, and a tea for Breast Cancer that I always make a quilt for their auction each year - and yes, that's going to be picked up from the quilter tomorrow.  Does that make you as tired as me?  It does for my furry friends!

Mayo the Wonder Dog and Clyde the cat are finally buddies

See you in a couple of days or so with more pictures of what's making me tired, but smiling!

Catching up

Yes, I know, I know! I've been back from Michigan almost an entire week and I haven't posted anything yet. I am going to rectify that for sure today (and probably later today too).  The week in Elk Rapids, Michigan was wonderful, as usual, with all my friends, and I made some new ones, too. My local friend Carol and I arrived on Sunday and met up with Wendy from California. We toodled around, got our groceries, kicked back and relaxed on Sunday night. On Monday, we decided to drive around the Leelanau peninsula which included the Sleeping Bear Dunes, a lighthouse stop, as well as our favorite place for cherry pie.

We started at Traverse City, then drove north to the point

That's me, just halfway up the interior side of the dune.

Wendy, Carol, and Sharon at the base of the dunes.

A beautiful drive about 7 miles further to the northernmost point of the peninsula brought us to the Grand Traverse Lighthouse at Northport.  A beautiful and rugged part of the peninsula, but we were the only ones there.  It was so peaceful and relaxing, we could have just curled up and stayed the rest of the day!

The Grand Traverse Lighthouse has been guiding ships and sailors since it was built in 1852.

At the lighthouse

View of Lake Michigan from the lighthouse path

At the end of the driving loop was Suttons Bay, a lovely little town with white picket fences and a most wonderful garden and florist shop.  I just couldn't figure out how to pay for the glass flowers or stow the owls in my suitcase or they would be located in Missouri right now!

Suttons Bay Florist shop lawn

Hoot, hoot!

Tuesday was the first day of the retreat, with people arriving, and we still had time to play around until late afternoon.  We did a little more shopping and antiquing here and there.  Of course, no trip to this part of the country isn't complete for me unless I go to Charlevoix.  I just love this little town, and the quilt shop there is just lovely!  Hearts to Holly always remembers us from year to year, and they have a marvelous selection of stuff that is very tempting!

Carol and I at the bay in Charlevoix.  Such a beautiful place!

So, back to the lodge, and here's the view from our window we had while sewing.  I'd post another picture of the view from our window, but it's much the same - the trees were just in a different place!

View of Elk Lake from our window every day.

Each year, Gwen brings a quilt and has it in the frame.  This year, there was a hand quilting demonstration as Nancy, Dawn, Marge and Unis quilted in the afternoon one day.  I think it was more a Tom Sawyer move on Gwen's part!

Quilting Bee at the retreat

I'll post photos of what the gals worked on this year for the Liberated Quiltmaking II theme.  I just took  Hubby's shirts (along with some thrift store finds) and this is what I accomplished.  I am going to really like this, but it's slow going for sure.  Inspired by Bonnie Hunter from Quiltville and the process was streamlined by Gwen Marston.

Just Shirts

 That's it for this installment.  More pictures and tall tales to follow soon!

Back in action!

Suffice it to say there's been a lot going on in my life since my last post.

We've decided to put the house on the market, which meant tons of boxing and storing and cleaning and such.  You know how it is when a realtor sees your house through different eyes.  All that fabric hanging out of tubs just isn't as delightful to them as your quilting friends LOL!  We really like this house, and we've only lived here 2 years - BUT Hubby has finally come to terms with not being able to care for the garden and the 3 acres as he has in the past.  My allergies have gotten worse over the years, and I'm not able to be outside anymore either - and with the corn and soy fields on all sides, there's always something in the air.  These last 2 weeks have been filled with haying and my eyes are glued shut each morning.  So enough said about that.  As soon as the house sells, we will be moving to a maintenance free, 55+ community.  More on that as news develops.

Fresh from Bonnie's visit, my guild friends have been abuzz with her techniques and ideas.  This past week found us on a little outing together and of course we had to stop at some thrift shops.  We found some great light shirts (XXL!) for a few bucks.  BUT, the last stop was even better, and I picked up some light shirts for my current project for only 50 cents a piece.  And to show you what great friends we are, we didn't fight over them at all.  We just asked for a pair of scissors, and cut sleeves off, and exchanged sleeves.  We sure got some funny looks, I gotta tell you!

Roberta, Donna, Peggy, Jan peeking from the back
Diane is hiding on the other side of the rack from the camera!

The real reason for our outing was to go to Fabri-Quilt Warehouse (again).  You'd be so proud of me!  I only brought home a fat quarter pack of animals, and 3 huge bags of donated quilted scraps to be used for the Pink Slipper Project.  The other girls brought home much, much more, though.  I won't tell on them though - I'll just let you wonder.

Paul also offered to take us upstairs on a tour of the quilting room.  At one time, this company used to quilt all the fabric for the Vera Bradley line of bags.  But not now.  These quilting machines were pretty darned impressive!  They were quilting coat linings (like Carhardt), freezer wear (coats to wear in commercial freezers) and lots of other general pre-quilting fabrics.  

Thread on the quilting machine

Some of the machines are computerized, others are not.  What you see on the rack just above the batting are the bobbins, which must be filled before the machine runs out as it's quilting.  I don't think I could do this job!

Trimming the edges off

This man is running a machine that cuts the excess edges off the finished quilted roll.  Talk about having your work heavy on your shoulders!  Man oh, man!  Pretty impressive here, too.

Putting fabric on the bolt

Here is some fabric being put onto the paper bolts.  I love machines that are designed for specific purposes.  I could have watched this rolling off, up, across and down all day!

I've also been consumed with getting the guild challenge completed and turned in before I leave for my Michigan retreat.  I can't show you the pictures until November (when the quilt show is), but I CAN show you some of the fabric and embellishments.  The challenge was to use stripes, have purple in it somewhere, and have embellishments somewhere.  My piece is 30" square and is called Stripendipity.  Stay tuned for the completed pictures in November.

Surprise

In addition to that, I've gotten the last of Hubby's shirts ready for the retreat.  I just got the bargain shirts laundered, and I need to get them cut down.  I am working on Bonnie's Virginia Bound quilt at Gwen's retreat instead of liberated quilting.  Well, I guess this is liberated quilting in a way, just not as wonky, wild and wonderful as Gwen's.  I still have my project from the first liberated class I took with Gwen, and even though I love the process, I just don't want an entire quilt of liberation.  (I just re-read what I wrote, and it sure sounds funny LOL!)  Instead, I am making a king size quilt from Hubby's old shirts.

Michigan Strings

I promise I won't be as long with posting again.  I know you understand.  I'll be gone now until Sunday, September 19th, so don't expect a new post until the 20th.  I am going to MICHIGAN!!!!!  I'll be with  30 of my best annual friends at White Birch Lodge in Elk Rapids, MI with Gwen for our retreat!

See you soon!

Missouri State Fair

OK, I have to admit it. I have never been to the Missouri State Fair. Since I'm living in Missouri now, and the guild I belong to is in Missouri, it's only right that I go. So I did! I tagged along with the group who presented for the "education" part of the fair, and we sure had a good time!

Diane, Donna, Prez Elly, Peggy, Quiltgranny

There were quilts everywhere....in cases

On walls....

Above our heads.....

With the special winners in special cases.

From the fair, we went to the famous Wheel Inn in Sedalia, MO for my initiation to a Guberburger.  I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This used to be a really cool circular drive-in with tile on the building.  But they had to move to another location....

I got mine with onion rings and a diet coke.

Would I do it again?  Or add peanut butter at home to my own burger?  uuummmmmmmmmm - no. Then on from lunch to the fabric store on the side of the highway back home.

D & T Fabrics

I was good, really, really good.  No fabric came home with me at all.  Just look at this really cute planter made from recycled jeans and embroidered sewing items stuffed with flowers and tied with a tape measure!

Smarty Pants!

Sew, till next time, keep stitching, and take time out to go your local county or state fair, too!

Quiltgranny and Granny

WHEW!

I SURVIVED!

Bonnie has come and gone, and now I am recovering from the hectic pace keeping up with her. She arrived Sunday mid-morning, and we visited, had BBQ ribs and wine and watched the first episode of Prime Suspect with Helen Mirren.

You'll never see Bonnie with empty hands, either! Here she is finishing the hand quilting in the borders of her orange quilt. A nice relaxing evening inside with the 102 degrees outside temperatures!

Cookbooks and quilting - a winning combination!

Monday morning found us with 100 lbs of quilts, 300 lbs of books and all MY gear for the Lee Summit Quilter's Guild trunk show and program.  Be sure to enlarge this photo to see my license tag holder, too.

Quiltin' Gals on the Go!

Tuesday morning we went to the Greater Kansas City Quilter's Guild for the same trunk show and program. Then in the afternoon, Bonnie had the Pineapple Blossom workshop.

This might be the Cathedral Stars workshop.....

Then, right after the workshop, we hit the road for dinner with the next guild. Of course, we had to make a quick stop at Culver's to keep Bonnie from whining, then to the the Olathe KS Quilt Guild program.  Are you tired yet?  I was!!!

Bonnie with her "teaching" quilt.

Wednesday morning was an all day workshop with the Greater KC Guild again.  This time it was Cathedral Stars.

Yes, I AM that short!

At the end of the day, you would think we would just go home and put our feet up, right?  Well, the Energizer Bunny, Bonnie and I went to the hospital to make a personal call on Margaret.  Margaret had to have hip surgery scheduled on the VERY first day of Bonnie's week!  She even tried to schedule it later, but the docs weren't having any of that.  So Bonnie took a mini-trunk show to Margaret!  I know this will get Margaret back on her feet and out of re-hab to get those Pineapple Blossoms and Cathedral Stars started!

Margaret, Mary, Bonnie

Bonnie is also working on her hexagon project that is about ten years old. She laid this out prior to leaving the house to see just what else was needed.  I don't think a black cat is really necessary, do you?

I think *my* Bonnie was trying to claim it.

Thursday morning was a relaxing day, and we did a few errands here and there.  The day was so darned hot though!  At one point the thermometer on my car for the outside temperature was 108 degrees.  

This is what just what we felt like!

That night (Thursday) we made the last trip out for a program to the Northland Needlers night time guild in Gladstone, MO. 

Here we are selling her books, and my guild's cookbooks Sew, Let's Cook!

Friday, Bonnie went with her Kansas City Quilts book editor, Jenifer Dick for a photo shoot for her newest book, Scraps and Shirt tails II that will be out in February.  I, on the other hand, went to the Missouri State Fair.  (more on that in another post) with my guild.

A very happy week for everyone, I think.  And it was great spending so much time with my old pal.  

The quilt block is even smiling!

Then came Saturday morning, and it was time to take her back to the airport. And yes, I am not kidding when I say she travels with 100 lbs of quilts! Each duffel is 50 lbs of quilts, weighed precisely on a portable fish scale! LOL!

Bye, Bye, Bonnie

So, if you ever see two duffel bags rolling down the airport baggage claim,  you'll know that Bonnie isn't far behind!  And you'd better run to keep up!  Thanks Bonnie, for all the smiles!  All 577 miles of them in the Kansas City metropolitan area!