For those of you that love Halloween, your day is finally here! Will you dress up in costume and go trick or treating? You all know Farmer Tim my neighbor and here is a picture of his whole family dressed in Harry Potter costumes. The middle daughter, Maddie, came up with this scenario and I love it. Can you pick out the characters from the Harry Potter books?
Did you watch the updated movie Hocus Pocus? Here is their recreation of those characters.
For me Halloween brings the ice storm of 1991 to mind – I’ll never forget it but won’t retell the story since I’ve posted it in the past.
The days have been so busy – outside fall cleanup, you know. Yesterday I started cutting down the pampas grass which is such a hated job I put it off as long as I can.
I’ve been receiving your fabric photos for the quilt along and you’re all doing well!! I’m afraid I posted the wrong start date last week – it’s November 15 and I will be sewing along with you. Everyone must have a copy of the book – we are not allowed to give you measurements. Selling books is the goal here and I’m sorry if the cover quilt is the only quilt in the book you like as someone mentioned to me. Connie and I have purchased many books for just one pattern – that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
And now I have another unparalleled quilt show for you. First a little background. In 2021 Julie, a wife, mother and grandmother, set a goal for herself to make a quilt a week using only her existing fabric. She retired 5 years ago and with no pets or animals to take care of she spends her days sewing – 6-8 hours a day. As a precaution I’m going to post these quilts in two posts, another post following this one. I would hate to lose all this work. Enjoy!
More quilt show pictures following this post.
Where do we get the book for the quilt along? I’m working on a quilt top now. Should be finished by then. Ready to start the quilt along
Get the book at your local quilt shop or Amazon – both logical places to look.
How many years left does she have to sew her stash up? ha ha
Great idea.
67…just turned 70 and I have told my kids I am going to live to be 137.
Julie B you are too funny and I did the same thing! I’ve been saying I need to live to 103 to make n finish 30 quilts on my list. Finished 3. 27 to go! Have a great start on the two king ones.
I love your quilt show. Lovely quilts and stories.
And thanks Mary for posting them!
Donna Jean from south central Kansas
Julie has made great progress. We will keep cheering you on.
What production!! Lovely variety! Thanks for sharing!
I need to join Julie in this challenge!! I assume most of us have stashes hiding somewhere. My problem is I simply love fabric!! I want all the pretty fabric!!! Maybe I will challenge myself to make one entirely from my stash in 2023 and see how that goes first!! 😂
Beautiful finishes, Julie!!!
As Laura at the Fig Leaf says, if it’s in your house, it’s in your stash!!!
LOVE the girls as the Sanderson sisters in the Hocus Pocus movies! : ) When I watched the first movie, I was amazed at how different Bette Midler looked, and at first was not sure it was her! lol
Good for Julie getting all those quilts made! Does she have plans for them all – family members? charity?
Hi Jeanne…I give most of them away to friends and family..some to charity for fund raisers. Of course, my favorites are right here in my house.
I am amazed at Julie’s quilts posted on this and your following post! A quilt a week?! And from her stash? Everyone has a better looking stash than I do!
I just looked at each quilt in your new book “Fresh Start Quilts”. I know you are not fishing for compliments but truthfully, I like every quilt in it!! I particularly like Grape Leaves & Figs and Garden Path would look pretty on my table. Picnic is another favorite as well as Wind Farm. Like I said, I like all of them!
I agree with you on the fact that I liked all of the quilts in the new book.
Carolyn
I made a similar vow awhile back but have not lived up to it. So many other hobbies interfere. I now have three quilts ready to put together. Maybe this post will get me going a bit.
Another amazing show. Such a great variety of fabrics and patterns too. Thanks for the show!
Wow! I love the quilt show! Really impressive!
Love Farmer Tim’s family! So cute.
Wow, Julie! You have one busy quilter!!! Your quilts are unique and beautiful.
No dress-up here. Going to see “Till” and then out to dinner.
Amazing quilts! I need to do the same, at least for a couple quilts before I need to shop for more fabric.
Fun family fotos…thanks farmer Tim.
Julie…isn’t retirement fun. On vacation every day.
Great quilts, and I see a pile of tops under the TV , so more fun to be had.
Did you take a picture of your stash before starting your quest?
Hi Jo…thanks for your kind comments
Retirement is the best job I have ever had…worked a long time to find that out.
The pile under the TV are all finished quilts…I have pictures of my stash in various stages…mainly after I have cleaned out. I have 5 garbage bags of fabric ready to go to the church for mission quilts. Decided it was time to let go of some stuff I know I will never use.
Fantastic quilt show and such a good idea! I love the process of making quilts and have found satisfaction in making them for a charity quilting group. Unfortunately I have not mastered being able to quit adding more fabric. Costumes are great!
Julie’s quilt show was fantastic. I appreciated the fact she used so many different patterns. Julie, I’m wondering about the blue quilt which had the pictures of handwritten notes on it. Was that a panel or are those special notes handwritten between family members? If they were handwritten, how did you transfer the information to the fabric?
Thanks!
Hi Brenda… the notes were written to a person by her husband…he wrote her a note every day. He passed away a few years ago, so she chose her favorite ones (yes, she has kept all of them).
She took pictures of the notes and sent the pictures to me. I printed them on photo fabric.
Wow!
Wow! Unbelievable quilt show. (I saw part 2 first.) A quilt a week is amazing as I can’t get the fabric cut in a week. Many beautiful quilts, some I would make some not, but all beautiful. Her work ethic and organizational skills are to be admired.
Agreed, most amazing quilt show. A quilt a week, WOW 😮
Great quilt show!! That is a great goal to set for yourself Julie. I should try that one and I’ve been retired for 15 years. I have made a lot of quilts since then but not even close to one a week! Keep up the great work!!
What great patterns , idea’s and colors. I hope she has reduced her stash. Peace Micky
Hi Mary, I love the new quilt book! I just purchased a copy at the Quilted Angel here in Petaluma CA. We are visiting with our youngest daughter who gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on October 5th. I love all the quilts in the book especially the cover quilt and Betty’s Red House Quilt. Much appreciate reading your blog 😊
Linette – congratulations on your new grand daughter! What’s her name?
WOW!!! Just WOW!!!
Wondering why you cut down your pampas grass? I have never done this and wonder what is the advantage of doing it? I have had to mow down half my patch because it keeps spreading, and getting into other areas.
Marj – the pampas grass surrounds our walkthrough gate, the only way to reach the house from the parking area. It stops the snow right in front of the gate as well making it so difficult to get out. If anyone comes here they have to walk through that gate. Too bad I can’t just set it on fire! Oh, how I wish it were somewhere else –
I remember that storm all though we lived in the desert southwest. My sister lives in St. Paul. Her birthday is October 30 so I called her to wish her a happy birthday. She said she didn’t have time to talk very long because a storm was coming and she had to pull up her garden. They had a doozy of a blizzard!! I seem to remember a couple feet of snow fell.
Amazing work.
A quilt a week?!!!! Wow is all I can say 😳
Love the Harry Potter costumes as well as Hocus Pocus! Julie has been busy-beautiful quilts!
We love Farmer Tim! And, those costume photos are wonderful!
Congratulations to Julie on her work!
Julie is very talented. Likes. color! What a challenge! Looks like she is meeting it. You go girl!!
Julie has been busy. Enjoyed both posts of her lovely quilts. I, too, am trying to use up my fabrics, but I love to shop so too often when I see a special pattern, I go to the computer and start shopping.
My family would NEVER get into the costume thing. How fun for them that they do! The Harry Potter marathon is playing all weekend in memory of the Hagrid actor’s recent demise. What a creative series! I think it re-awakened reading again for preteens.
The quilts by Julie are great, my back hurts just thinking of sewing that many hours in a day!
Bravo Julie!! Great job!
Wow, what a giagantamous stars of fabric. Hooray for her.
Thanks to Farmer Tim and his family for some very cool Halloween pictures. I love it! Make any butter beer? I remember my grandkids dressing up like Harry Potter cast and having butter beer! We use to always have family dress up parties and eat together on Halloween since many of us live on streets that are too busy for trick or treaters. Good memories. It’s so fun seeing the little ones very excited for Halloween.
Sure loved seeing all those quilts. Very colorful! Happy Halloween Mary!
Who would have the audacity to be rude enough to tell you that they only like the cover quilt?! Too many people have no filter anymore. And maybe that now includes me.
Loved the Harry Potter costumes. Farmer Tim and family did a great job. I did watch Hocus Pocus 2.
Wonderful quilts Julie!! Love Tim the Farmers family photo!!
Wow! Julie wonderful job! Both blog posts with the quilts were such a treat to see. You must have quite the stash.
Retirement is amazing.
I wonder – do you quilt your own quilts? And do you work on one at a time? I tend to have multiple projects going as I’m easily distracted by new projects.
Hi Susan…I do not do the quilting. Holly Fokkena at Prairie Rose Quilting does it.
I usually have 1 quilt going at a time…it drives me crazy to have unfinished quilt tops…right now I am working on a Block of the month from 2018…I had all the blocks cut and ready to go, but never got to them. I have 8 blocks made..should finish the quilt this weekend.
I look forward to seeing your BOM quilt. Thanks for answering.
I love the family picture of Farmer Tim’s family….Great & cleaver costumes
Julie, WOW is all I can say….amazing quilts & to be able to complete just from your stash….you go girl!!
Sandy