Thank you for the replies – I LOVE reading them and I think other readers do, too. I’m having some issues with the comments not posting right away – it’s requiring me to go through each one and approve them as well as my comments, too. Very tedious to be sure. I’m hoping Kayla can fix it.
I’ve got so many great quilts to show you!
What a quilt show! Thanks, Everybody! Here are three very small quilts that I quilted on the long arm yesterday when it rained all day.
None are bound yet so I will show them again when finished.
Remember the Oh, Susannah! Story I wrote and so many thought it was worth publishing? After talking at length to the first publisher I finally learned the whole story. My manuscript was accepted but my minimum cost before distribution was $8,900! Maybe a different publisher?
Last night Hazel got rat #15 and his morning rat #16 was in my trap! I have NEVER had rats around here – what happened?
Oh Mary, it only takes TWO rats, to end up with dozens. We killed 100 last year.
Dorothy
Winchester (Near Temecula) CA
Good for Hazel for killing all of those rats for you! Today was not a nice day in north central Iowa! I was going to go grocery shopping but when I saw the blizzard-like conditions outside, I changed my plans! It can wait until tomorrow! Bailey and I have had a cozy day inside the house. I have a good book to read and I have “maid-rites” simmering on the stove. We’re “in” for the night!
What a beautiful show!! The purple heart; Alice Brown, can we see the quilt on the bed UNDER the rail fence quilt? And Kay Schleusner, the kids love their quilts. What wonderful fun to make everybody so happy! Thank you. We always love show and tell.
Is Hazel catching the rats or is it your electric trap? Think of how many there are left?
Spring can’t be far off. We just have to be patient.
Betty in Rapid City
Betty K – it goes about 50/50, Hazel and trap. I will not give up on those rats – I bought two more traps! Wasn’t the quilt show great today? Kay used to work for us and those kids got some pretty nice jolts, didn’t they?
Betty, that quilt is a manufactured quilt that I bought at a cash & carry at the Columbus,Ohio Gift Mart! I loved it & then ordered the pillow shams that took several months to arrive!! They also cost more that the quilt! It was made in the USA & well made, it’s at least 10 yrs old. I’ll send a picture to Mary & she can post it if you like.
Alice Brown – I will watch for your quilt photo in my email
I agree. Alice Brown, we would love to know more information about the white quilt under the rail fence quilt.
Go Hazel go!!!! What a huntress! Love all the reader quilts. As I’ve said before – what a talented group of ladies.
I have the CT Sewing Room quilt hanging in my sewing room – of course in the traditional CT colors. I leave it up all year long. I’m currently cutting blue and yellow strips for Bonnie Hunters Hearts of Hope quilt along starting this Friday. I’m assuming there are readers who are also going to join in.
Those stinkin rats!!! They heard you were a good cook and decided to visit. The quilts are all amazing, makes me want to get busy.
Mary, I just googled and learned they rats can have 8-18 pups at a time! 😳 Hopefully you just had one litter!
Susan from Illinois
Susan Moore – what are the chances of just one litter – each one of those could have a litter as well. I do not understand what has happened to bring these rats to my barn.
Mary, you should have a county cooperative extension office university based for your state (ours is Cornell) as every state does that you could phone or email for questions like this as they deal with agriculture, gardening regularly. It might be worth checking out what their thoughts are on this new problem as there are ever revolving remedies and solutions out there these knowledgeable agents have. It’s free here for their advice except bringing in a soil sample for testing but I can’t say enough about their excellent resources. I can still remember how popular their canning classes were.
Groceries!!!!! Just think about the room where the feed for the chickens and goats is kept. And in the nice warm barn out of the weather. And then it gets spread all over before and after eating. Heaven on earth for rats. I don’t remember if it has been really dry in Iowa, but out here, the critters move to the housing areas where there is water and feed. Maybe you were lucky all these years? It’s all about life on the farm.
Betty in Rapid City
Mary, Is there a chance the rats came with the last batch of grain you received in the barn?
Great quilt show!
So many beautiful quilts! Yahoo for Hazel! She’s just as good at catching rats as your rat trap!
Hi Mary, Great quilt show again today😃. The mug pin cushion and kitty phone holder are really neat and the quilts are wonderful! It is POURING here with tornado warnings south of us so we’re safe.
You might try a university publisher or a religious publisher. Be sure to tell them all of us will buy it, probably more than one😃.
Goooo Hazel. Is there a Hall of Fame for little dog rat killers? She should be in it. 🐶.
ask the neighbors about the rodents this year,,,,,
Today I sewed a double flannel cover for an arrow folding table. I ended up putting a gusset in it to accommodate a lever. While I love how flannel protects, I’m not so thrilled with how it ravels. Now to put a drawstring on the bottom and figure out how to make a hole to pull on the handle because it has wheels. We are selling and moving in May so I’m avoiding packing cuz I’ve already packed some of my sewing tools. So not sure why I chose making this cover. Going on retreat in less than two weeks!
I love seeing everyone’s quilts. Definitely some very talented people — from choosing fabrics to piecing them together! It is inspiring!!!!
So many great projects shared! I love that you are keeping track of the rats! That’s crazy!
Oh, what an interesting group of quilts. My favorite is the one hanging above with the lamp and tulips on the table.
Love the quilts! Is the daughters of the regiment pattern available in the store?
Barbara c – it’s in one of our Civil War books should I look to see which one?
Mary, that would be great if you can find it
Mary, I found it: A Country’s Call: Civil War Quilts and Stories of Unsung Heroines
Barbara C – oh good!!!
Go Hazel, great rat killer. I don’t have rats but a few mice(which I hate). Beautiful quilts. I love the wall hangers. Have a great evening.
Hi Mary – wow 15 rats! Hazel is certainly earning her keep! Looks like we’ll be getting rain in upstate NY tonight and tomorrow – possibly some sleet and snow too. Personally, I don’t think it will amount to much. No quilting today or tomorrow as I’m watching my two-year-old granddaughter both days. What a joy she is.
Love the Easter eggs. So pretty. All of the quilts are so pretty. Thank you for sharing the pictures.
Great quilt show! Love the kids on Kay’s quilts, haha! Very creative people, Karla’s eggs are adorable and that phone rest! What a great idea and I love the fabric used. We’ve had a couple of really nice days but now tomorrow brings rain, all day. I’ll be working on that “damn” rug! Ha! On a serious note, I have never done this before but I’m asking for prayers for my youngest daughter Jaime, she’s going to have a biopsy on a lymph node they found that was enlarged during her first mammogram a few weeks ago. We’re all worried and hoping that whatever is causing this is treatable. Jan in MA
Jan Hebert – oh, we will all remember Jaime tonight and pray the biopsy comes back negative. Such a worry for you – please keep us updated.
Jan, I will put her on our prayer list.
Such a great quilt snow today. I love the Easter eggs. I enjoy your blog so much. The comments are so interesting to read. We have received a lot of rain the last two days. It’s probably not enough to break the drought but we’ll take what we can get. Everything is greening up. I’m ready for spring.
Enjoyed the quilts!
Thank you Pam in NC for including the pattern name and company on the note on your quilt in your picture!
What a great quilt show!!! Goodness, those rats have been overly productive!!! Thank Heaven for Hazel and that wonderful trap?? Hopefully there will be an end soon!!
I was so hoping to see a post from you before I headed to bed and what a quilt show of wonderful quilts to see!! Love the eggs and Moe’s Halloween quilts and everyone’s was just so special for me to see. Now I need to turn off my brain to go to sleep after seeing them. I had gotten an email on the New England quilt show earlier and thought how I would love to travel up there to see them but now I am happy I got to see your readers projects. It’s raining here, we might hear thunder over nite weatherman said, but 60 degrees tomorrow then cooler and like Jackie said, maybe some light snow for the weekend but we will see so I will be inside sewing. Thank you again everyone for sharing your creations.
Way to go Hazel!! Such a beautiful quilt show today. I loved the eggs. I look forward to you blog every day
I love the quilt that looks like it exploded. Looks like fun to make it. My Dora (11 year old beagle) injured her right rear leg by scratching her back on the couch, and then fell off. Don’t know exactly what happened, second time she injured it. Right now she is a three legged slow mover. She injured it once before about three years ago, but doctor wasn’t sure she would survive surgery on it. She got better over time, but now seems to have reinjured it. She is on pain medication, but will be kept quiet until I can get her into the vet office on Tuesday. My husband will care for her while I attend the Mukwonago Crazy Quilters show this weekend. I have maintained my membership even tho I moved North 16 years ago. I go down every year and help at the show. It is a juried show with close to 300 quilts/items on display. I am entering two items, a large wall hanging and a Judy Niemeyer designed table runner (paper pieced). I will send pictures when I return on Sunday.
Great, great show today. Thanks to all.
Hazel is certainly excited over her catches. Such good help is hard to find.
I go to the car wash as often as I can. It helps bring spring snow and rain!
How did things go at Mayo?
Jo in Wyoming – our appointment was really for tomorrow but they called and changed it to a phone appointment! Yay!!!!
Karla T. your wool Easter eggs are darling. The quilt show is wonderful tonight. And, sunflowers for Ukraine.
I have a sunflower quilt over a chair in the living room. Plus I am working on blue and yellow blocks.
Rats have Huge families and produce faster than rabbits. Keep going little Hazel. Soon you will have them all. She must be in her glory, since that what she was bred to do.
I have two greenhouses, both small, full of spring seedlings, lettuce and radishes. We will not starve. LOL
Doubt I can survive on lettuce and radishes, but they taste really good.
Way to go Hazel! What a wonderful post with so many beautiful projects. I am happy you don’t have to drive to Rochester tomorrow. Thanks, 🥰
Love the quilt show! And Hazel is a trooper – go doggie go! Always love reading your blog and thanks for taking the time to write it – technology can be frustrating but you persevere and we all thank you for it! Blessings to you
I love the Friendship Star Halloween quilt display. So interesting to see how color choices/placement make such a difference in the look. That is one of the things I love about quilting. I used to try to follow the colors shown in a book or pattern that I had purchased. But I had some I didn’t really love. So, I forayed into just choosing colors that I really liked together. I still have some projects that I think, “not like I imagined”, but overall I love the design process a whole lot more than trying to repeat what someone else has made. But the reader quilts may lead me back to repeating what is shown. Such a creative group!
I love that Alice is making an NICU donation. That is a hard time for parents and for their baby to have something handmade is precious. I enjoyed the dog quilts by Patte and may do a take on the dark one using some big patterned fabric I fell in love with but then couldn’t figure out how to use. Again, reader quilts stimulate thought and creativity. Thanks, Mary, for the blog and sharing reader quilts.
Vicki – I agree that this blog quilt show is very inspiring! Makes me want to make many quilts!
Mary, my 90-year-old father-in-law writes action thrillers and has them for sale on Amazon. They are print-on-demand books, so no upfront major charge for the writer. I don’t know all the details on it, but that might be a way to get the Oh, Susannah Story published and available.
Writing this, I noticed that just the Comment box has a red star by it. Maybe that has something to do with problems getting comments posted? if commenters are overlooking the other boxes?
Jeanne H – a red star? I’ve talked with Kayla and begged her to fix this issue with the comments – were both working on it!
Mary, I think Jeanne H means the red asterisk. Required fields are marked with a red asterisk. Currently, only the Comments field has a red asterisk. The Name and Email fields use to have a red asterisk as well but now they don’t. I thought there is a feature on blogs that when it detects a new user/commenter, you have to manually approve their post. Maybe some people aren’t putting in both the name & email address so it thinks they are a new user.
Mary, Hmmm . . . . I even entered a name and my email address and I got the following message before my comment:. “Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.” Those gremlins are working overtime!
Janice Brown – now THAT could be a distinct possibility! I contacted Kayla
Mary, I just commented on a Susan Moore comment that had several comments, including yours. Both the Name and Email fields had red asterisks and I thought great the comments are fixed . . . Not. I got the same message before my comment . . . .“Your comment is awaiting moderation. This is a preview; your comment will be visible after it has been approved.” And, this is after my two comments above showed up.
Maybe you need more barn cats? When we moved to the farm, almost 50 years ago, the granary was infested inside and out! They had tunnels everywhere! We got 5 tame kittens free from someone in Sioux Falls. The rats left! I’m sewing a little and making greeting cards. I make 10 baggies for a mission project every day and then I can do what I want. This mission is for the young girls. It’s a tote bag with washable pads, panties, wash cloth, soap and a baggie for soiled pads made with PUL fabric. These totes go to Haiti, etc. take care! Hazel you are amazing!
Karla I love your wool Easter eggs!! Wonderful quilt show today!!
We are selling our Florida house and moving to our Michigan home. We have been “Snowbirds” here for 13 years! Needless to say I’m busy packing!! Love this Blog and look forward to reading each post.
Stay safe everyone.
Sally, Fl.
Sally J – oh, all that packing is so much work! Let us know when you get moved – you must have a Uhaul to pack?
Mary, Great quilts show today. I really enjoyed them all. Also wanted to mention how happy I am that your husband’s wound is finally improving. That is wonderful news.
Judy B – thank you for your past advice and help, too! We were warned it could be summer before it’s really healed – wow
Liked all the quilts today. Sparked a lot of ideas. Hazel sure is a trooper getting all those rats. Scary how many have been caught and how many there still may be. I freak at one mouse and usually get two. Nice to hear you can have a phone appointment at Mayo. Snow on the ground this morning that has all melted. Still chilly. Spending the rest of the day working on #12. I enjoyed the nice weather and forgot about my project.
Thanks to all for sharing their quilts. Have a great day😊
Nancy TD – and my traps got #16 and #17 last night! Where did they all come from? Just suddenly they were there!
Thanks for the wonderful quilt show! Love the variety and different patterns.
Keep up the great work, Hazel!!! 🐾
Hi Mary, did you have a good harvest season in Iowa last year? That provides plenty of food for rats etc, and they produce more young. Wheat growing areas in Australia regularly get overwhelmed with mice because of this.pleased to hear Rick is improving, all the best everyone, sandy