For the second Saturday in a row I drove to Southern Minnesota – this time to Blue Earth to attend their quilt show and it was so nice! It’s become a smaller group since Covid but the current members are very productive. I will post pictures of the quilts that “spoke” to me today – not because they’re any better than the others, they’re just the ones I liked best and could imagine making myself.
The lecture at 2 was to be Judy Martin, a long time quilter and distant friend from years ago but as it turns out she got up this morning with a sniffle and then tested positive for Covid! So guess who presented the program? Her husband Steve! And he did a great job really – poor guy. He had never been the presenter before but has been directly involved with Judy’s book publishing since the late ‘80’s. He did know the quilts which were all based on stars and honestly he did great even though he admitted to suffering a stroke two years ago. Give the man an A+!
I talked to soooo many people – here are Holly and Kay who are faithful blog readers.
And this is what I bought for the porch next year.
These are reader quilts – tomorrow I’ll post the quilt show quilts.
Taking down the farm quilt.
Putting up Linda Brannock’s August Nights
Greeting friends at the quilt show!!!
Glad you got to enjoy another quilt show. Next weekend plan to attend the North Texas Guilt Expo, so looking forward to it. 9;30 pm & has cooled to 99 degrees…kids returned to school this week & feel sorry for them. Anxiously awaiting fall weather. Everything is burning up, all but my morning glories!
Nikki – I feel bad for you Texans who are ensuring that brutal heat!!! Think about the animals!!!! Be sure to tell us lol about the Texas Quilt Expo!
Great show of readers’ quilts. I love next year’s porch quilt already. It must be fun to run into folks you know at the show. I am doing the All Ohio Shop Hop with friends. Today we visited our son near Cleveland so I visited two on my own. Have a good rest of the weekend everyone😀. Could some one send rain to Central Ohio, please?
Fun to see all the wonderful quilts.
I see you were holding Judy’s book, did you have Steve sign it?
Lori – I didn’t actually think of it till I was on my way home. I wish I had – she signed it by our quilt that’s in the book and it’s dated 1994.
Could you tell us the name of the book you had along with you to the quilt show?
Cynthia – Pieced Borders by Judy Martin and Marsha McCloskey
Hi Mary, Diane, squeek and buddy can have some rain all the way from new Zealand, another week of rain predicted for us, have some of our cooler weather too!I’m off to sunny Queensland Australia for some sunshine next Saturday! Glad you enjoyed the quilt show Mary, l prefer the local ones these days, l liked the twisted ribbon quilt from a reader, will go back for a second look. Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Thanks for the offer of rain, Sandy. We visited New Zealand in August of 2003 and fell in love with your country😀. We went to a the Pig and Whistle in Rhotorura😀
Does Judy Martin still live in Cedar Rapids? Or maybe she moved to another Iowa town, but I can’t remember? Her patterns are intense. It took my friend a week to cut pieces for one of her quilts, and she got it all together perfectly!
Aren’t quilt shows wonderful? Just love to see what everybody is making.
Tomorrow is the last day of the rally. It has rained off and on since 5:00 this afternoon. The vendors probably aren’t happy with all the rain. It rained all day the first of the week, but the bikers got buses to take them to see the fun stuff. I’m sure they enjoyed the scenry in the rain, especially when they didn’t have to drive and pay attention to the road. A lot of them don’t do well on the curvy roads in the hills…. The 83rd Rally is almost over.
Take care and be safe. Betty in Rapid City
Betty – Judy and Steve live in Grinnell, IA. Yes, LOTS of pieces in her quilts!
I like the quilts in the background of your pictures taken at the quilt show. I look forward to seeing the quilts you enjoyed. I like the panel you got for the porch quilt. The Plano Quilt Show was this weekend but I didn’t go. I’ve been having migraines from the heat and had the residual from a bad one yesterday. I haven’t missed it the past 4 years or so. It is usually a good show. I will be missing the Quilt Expo in Irving next weekend as we’re heading to Iowa to visit the grands! Yay for grandbaby hugs and cooler weather!
I like the colors in Jeanne’s mission quilts.
i love your linda brannock’s august nights quilt! thanks for sharing. i need to stop and make that. i’ve loved it since the pattern came out but have been content to just look at it. i need to make it. i’ve made some of judy martin’s quilts. very intense. all the cutting up front. but so easy after that. i was fortunate to meet her at quilt market in like 1996 or so. love seeing the quilts from everyone. patti in florida
Mary glad you had a great time at the quilt show.. can’t wait to see your pictures. Ladies you did an outstanding job with your quilts. So much talent. Spent yesterday afternoon helping my brother go through things in the home after my SIL passed in June. We had many hand so we got a lot done. Been doing sorting of my own items so my kids won’t have to.
Going to pick up my grandson today to have for a few days before he starts back to school.
Lovely… I can’t wait to see “ more quilts”.
It has been since Feb. since my last guild show. Seems like not as many anymore. All the quilt stores are “drying up” and the guilds can’t seem to find vendors!1. Very said. In early 2000 we had around 37 shops and down to maybe 10! I personally buy from quilt shops, but I can’t save them alone!
I love the panel you bought for the porch and will be interested in seeing how you finish it. I mowed lawn yesterday. It had been 5 weeks since I last mowed as we have been so dry. Our onions are harvested. The green bean, cucumber, and summer squash production has really declined. We are still getting lots of tomatoes and peppers.
I did finish the March Madness quilt top that ended up being about 44 x 50 inches. I still need to layer, quilt, and bind it, so it is still a UFO. I am glad I made it, but it is a one and done for me. The bed size March Madness you made was a long labor of love.
Vicki – and my quilt isn’t quilted yet either.I actually loved all that piecing, my favorite part of quilting. My “ to be quilted” pile is getting big.
I am happy you got out yesterday to attend something for yourself and not a medical appt. Does your mind a world of good to see some beauty. I went with two friends and my daughter on a fabric buying trip yesterday so we helped the economy with our purchase at shops in the beautiful Finger Lakes area. So green and rolling hills, I bought mostly backgrounds I do need. Two five yard purchases of different colors of Grunge and some low volume pieces to use with my scraps and fat quarter bundles.
It was nice to see Jeannie’s mission quilts as I work on them as well for our church. Hoping when I go this morning I hear good news from one of our members who is waiting to see if their daughter got a flight out of Maui yet. She was on vacation with her boyfriends family and all of them were evacuated to safety but were low on food the last they heard which has been sporadic due to cell towers gone. It’s awful seeing the destruction.
Kathy – oh, I hope that girl and family got out ok! It’s hard to look at that much destruction.
Yes there was an update in church from her parents….she was to land in Buffalo airport later this morning ! They said United Airlines was excellent in customer service waiting for this group on Saturday as a connecting flight got cancelled and luggage was feared missing but her parents said United came through and held the plane till their group arrived.
Looking forward to more quilt pictures from the show. Does anyone know the pattern for the quilt that is centered behind Mary in the photo of her with her friend?
Pam – I have a picture of it which I’ll post today – sign says it’s based on design by Nancy Mahoney. It was one of my favorites
Thanks so much, Mary. You go above and beyond!!!
Love the farm quilt and the August Nights… so pretty! (I need to get busy! LOL!)
I love your porch find for next year! I would have each of my guests next year sign the piece with a short message or just their signature. A great memory maker.
I love the panel you purchased! Full of my favorite colors and I agree with the sentiment at the bottom. For those of us that enjoy it, do you have suggestions as to where we might find it?
I love your new panel too. It’s perfect for the porch. I can’t wait to see what you do with it.
What a fun quilt show you went to. I sure hope Judy Martin is okay. Covid is on the rise here too. Will we never be done with that darn thing?
We had a neighborhood meeting here on our patio yesterday, so I was too busy to comment on the book review post. Thanks for all the great-sounding books. Here are a few of mine:
A Girl Called Samson
Where The Lost Wonder —Amy Harmon
Dreaming Of Flight….Catherine Ryan Hyde
The White Maids Diary
Have a great week everyone.
I enjoyed reading your post today, as everyday. It is so nice that you were able to go to such a nice event. I am worried about Covid, too, but went yesterday with a friend to a barbecue restaurant to celebrate my 83rd birthday. It is the first time she and I have been out like that since the pandemic. She is 85 and we are both hanging in there!!
I love looking at all the quilts and I wish I could go to some quilt shops. My local favorite closed a few years ago and the closest others are too long away for me to drive now. At least I can still drive to places close by and familiar enough to know where I am going. I don’t venture to places I don’t know. I have a close friend who recently had to give up driving because of her eyes. She was always the adventurous one of our group and the one who would always be the driver. My word, how aging can change us in so many ways. Thanks for keeping us informed and amused!
Brenda – I love entertaining and amusing all of you!!
I love all the quilts you show us and how much work it is for you. Like you don’t have enough to do. I really like the August nights quilt. Is this one of your patterns? Enjoy the day and can’t wait to see the pictures from the quilt. Oh I want to let you know that I always think of you and Connie when I’m sewing and use the log cabin pin cushion I bought when I was at the Rosemont Quilt expo in Illinois. Fun days. You two gals were always so nice and helpful. 🧵🥰
Sandy – that pincushion is ancient!!!! Pattern by Linda Brannock
Thanks for posting such pretty quilts. I love all the quilts in the background at the quilt show. Glad you were able to attend. The panel you bought our next year is precious! I went to the state fair this week. I’ll send you a couple of pics. It didn’t seem that there was as much participation as past years, but still some really beautiful quilts. And the needlework was amazing.
Have a great rest of the weekend!
So great to see you yesterday! I just bought the same panel with the flowers along with some accent fabric.
Hi Holly and Kay!
Mary, where are you finding your nice longer sleeveless tops?
In keeping with your new panel is the quote, “The best memories are made in flip flops”.
I did a quick search of Nancy Mahoney quilt patterns and, looks like the pattern in question for the quilt behind Mary is called Spruced Goose. Pattern looks to be available in paper or digital. Such a lovely quilt!
The Spruced Goose pattern was in the September/October 2018 Fons & Porter magazine called Quilting Quickly. It is a Pre-Cut Magazine, not the regular monthly magazine.
When the pandemic hit, I had it about half done using batique scraps. I put it in a box and made face masks. Besides other stuff that has to be done, I’ve been really thinking about getting it out again. Very pretty. And batiques are great colors. I used white batique for the background and won’t do that again. It is too thin. Regular broadcloth would be better, I think…..
The Rally is over, except for picking up the odds and ends and the dust settling. The area fair starts on Friday and school starts on the 22nd. And get started going thru piles of stuff….. At least I know what I want to do with it.
Have fun, no matter what you are doing and don’t forget to laugh.
Betty in Rapid City
Betty, thanks for the info in where to find the Spruced Goose pattern. I’m going to look and see if I already have that magazine. Your version sounds really pretty. Would love to have Mary post a picture of it when you get it finished.
Love Judy Martin. Have made several from her books. Very time intensive but they are beautiful.
Still doctoring with cardiologist. Now cannot get my blood pressure under control so no neck surgery yet. Almost a year of waiting.
Polly – oh, no! Why is your blood pressure high? Just genetics or stress in your life? Since Rick had his hip replaced his heart issues sorta faded away – for now probably.