Since not much is happening around the farm I took a look at my saved photos and thought I’d just post several. Enjoy!
I love this quilt!
This is Jo’s quilt – Bonnie Hunter’s Bitcoin. Mine is in many pieces and I really want to go back to it.
Remember when I was making these little Bullseye blocks? I’m finally putting them together.
A reader sent this block made of 30’s fabric – are you getting ready for the Quilt Along?
The popular tug of war game between Hazel and Keeper.
An older jellyroll that is on my to-do list – the simple quilt will be fun.
This quilt is on the longarm right now – it’s going to rain tomorrow so I might get it done.
Got my stack of blues ready for the Quiltalong.
Love this!
This is still hanging in the employee bathroom and I recently sent it to someone who is struggling with the time a small business demands versus time with kids and family.
Color Parade – all blocks are made and just need assembling into what will turn out to be a huge quilt – because I wanted to use up All the fabric.
Good News – this king size quilt top is also waiting for the longarm.
This yummy soft quilt was seen at Quilting Connection in Ames, IA. This is a kit I would have bought in a split second but all kits were gone. When our quilt shop was open we took the model down when the kits were gone rather than have a disgruntled customer and I was definitely a disappointed customer.
Oh, I hate fall.
One of my favorite photos – cover quilt from Fresh Start Quilts.
Another favorite from the book – make it now for next year.
A reader asked about Thanksgiving themed quilts – I will dig deep and post later today for everyone including her. I’m going to get out my Thanksgiving things today – it’s past time.
Wasn’t this a trip down memory lane?
What a fun bunch of quilts, both finished and in process! Today I’m doing some repairs on a Civil War repro fabric quilt a re-enactor made & used, well-worn but still usable & beautiful. #loveoldquilts
I get so annoyed when a shop displays a quilt but doesn’t have the pattern. Take it down! I call it false advertising, lol.
I absolutely love fall but agree that it is a lot of work. So is spring, but we don’t grumble about that so much.
My friend owned the quilt shop in Adel but retired last year. She is enjoying her freedom and time to spend with friends and family.
Working on a dinosaur quilt for my grandson for Christmas. Cut it all out last night, ready to stitch.
Enjoy the warm weather today, for cold is coming.
I enjoy any farm photos. My favorites this fall were the beautiful display of your colorful pumpkins.
My Bitcoin quilt hasn’t gotten any further along than “someday”.
A lovely trip down memory lane.
Thank you.
Shirley from Oregon
Loved all the photos in todays post! Thanks!
Loved all the quilts today Mary. The soft creamy tan one I would have bought too.
Don’t work too hard today.
Donna
I’m sitting in the dentist chair starting my first crown process! Appreciated the diversion of beauty while numbing up. Lol
Loved the quilt show. Thank you for sharing some old pictures you had. Enjoyed it very much.
Oh, Mary!! That first quilt is a photo I’ve admired as well and would love to make!!! I have such a list of “want tos”!!!! I am making a wall quilt at the moment—cut Tuesday, stitched yesterday, hope to finish today. Then what’s next?
Enjoy your fall decorating. I took down my Halloween on Tuesday and am fall-themed now. Always nice to refresh!!
Loved all the pictures. Especially the bulls eye, jelly roll and the trifold quilt. It looks so soft. I’m working on Christmas presents.
Mary, I loved your trip down “Memory Lane”! There are so many great quilt ideas there. Thanks for sharing and have fun decorating!
Thank you for always showing us something even on a slow day. These quilts are beautiful and I especially enjoy seeing items from the past. Thank you for continuing this blog through all the frustrations….
I love the colors in that quilt that saw in Ames at the quilt show. The colors are so soft and just make me want to grab it and nap with my kitties. Thank you for your quilt show today, a calming way to start my day.
Robin
Minnesota
Mary, thanks for all the beautiful pics. What is the plant’s name that has the purple flowers? Thanks
Thanks for all the beautiful inspiration!! Absolutely wonderful. 🙂
Loved your quilt show.You certainly don’t have any trouble keeping busy. please show again when the parts and pieces are all together and quilted!
Thanks for posting. I love all the photos
Awoke this morning to a beautiful sunshiny 32*! There is snow lower down on the mountains and the birdbath has ice on it. Will finish up stitching the binding on a donation quilt today and take it tomorrow when we get together for a sew day. It’s always fun to sew with friends. Beautiful show of quilts today and I love the quilt along block sewn in 30’s prints. Hope everyone has a happy day!
That was a great quilt show! And my feet don’t evev hurt !lol
Thanks for the pictures, Mary. I do love your blog. Thanks for all the time you dedicate to it. You are right about businesses taking your time away. I owned a small quilt shop for 11 years and sold it. I miss my store but I love my freedom!
Really enjoyed the quilt diversity today. I’d like to make the bit coin quilt that Jo is making—I certainly have enough scraps to make it. I also have enough Kaffee Fassett fabrics to make that beautiful flower quilt. It’s not the fabric I need, it is to set aside time when I don’t have to do other things like cook and clean! Sigh…
Really enjoyed this post! I’m a city girl, so always love to see life on the farm pix. And the quilts! Yowza! Thanks for all your hard work maintaining this blog. I know we don’t say it enough, but we truly appreciate you!
Love the quilt show. Thanks! Brightened my cloudy morning. Our next “atmospheric river” is coming today which means tons of rain and high winds. Yuk. It will be our third in about 10 days. But I did enjoy the few sunny but cold days we had in between. Welcome fall.
Loved the quilt show!
Looking forward to Thanksgiving themed posting.
The quilt show was wonderful and I loved the picture of Hazel and Keeper. We visited my aunt and uncle Tuesday in DeKalb, IL who are currently in a nursing home. Of course Angel was with us in her stroller. This was the first time they had met her and fell in love. All the nurses/staff and residents stopped us so they could look at Angel. I can’t count how many residents said they missed their dog or cat – they had to give them up when they went to the home. Lots of tears. It broke my heart that they were so sad. It seems to me that a person would need their pet the most in a nursing home.
Loved all the beautiful quilts! Yes! Fall is so much work outside. Jerry has been very busy for weeks! However Fall is my favorite season, so beautiful…but I don’t have all that work!! Loved Hazel and Keeper playing, so glad they are buddies!
Does anyone remember back in the day, probably in the 1990’s, when one of the only web presences for quilters was the World Wide Quilting Web? At that time, quilters talked about “nothing darker than sand” quilts, like that Tri-fold quilt, which today we would likely call “low volume”. Anyway, the idea of “nothing darker than sand” has always stuck with me. Have I made one yet … 30 years later … nope! One day! I’m happy to see that Hazel and Keeper seem to be partners-in-crime now, LOL!
I had to laugh at your “I hate fall” comment. I feel alone when everyone else is loving this time of year. I love the weather and beauty but I hate fall because of the crazy amount of leaves and work involved. I have maples that take many rounds of raking and cleaning up before all the leaves have fallen. I have an oak tree that drops millions of acorns and does not drop the leaves until winter so i have all those leaves to take care of in the spring when I’m getting my flower beds and yard cleaned up. I decided to try to mow my leaves with my push mower. My shoes, pants and mower were covered with red dust from the maple leaves and my mower started smoking! YIKES! That wasn’t a good idea.
When someone says they love fall, I want to invite them to clean up my leaves and acorns. LOL!
I like that Quilting Connection, Ames, IA, quilt as well. It wouldn’t be too hard to recreate. I will be scouting through fabric. Thanks for the idea Mary.
I love Corey Yoder designs (the first quilt) and have made one. Her instructions are so well written. Funny -the last quilt you showed is the other one from your new book that I also want to make soon so I have it for next year. I found triangle papers at the crafting thrift store this week when I took a bag to them so have them already and lots of fall fabrics.
My laundry went outside on the line as soon as the sun was bright and it is already dry to take down. Wonderful sunny day. News said we are almost 7” deficit of rain this year. Thanks for sharing your photos with us.
Kathy, I’m curios about the crafting thrift store you mentioned. Is it a thrift store with just donated crafting items. If so, sounds like a great idea and someplace I’d like to visit.
Connie,
We actually have 2 in our local area. The first one started many years ago to benefit senior programs in town called Fairport. It is called Bits and Pieces and I do believe they have a website. Staffed by volunteers who handle donations, wash, price and put out on the floor for purchase. I buy so much at a very reasonable price such as stencils, beads, books, patterns, fabrics, and since moving to a larger store there are more household pieces and holiday decorations. Very popular store to shop at Wednesday thru Saturday. I found 9 yards of Fig Tree fabric recently that I pieced for a backing. They also have a tool store for donations that benefit seniors too and that is a treasure trove to buy used tools, electrical supplies, carts, shelving you name it. The other craft thrift store is called Crafting for Good run by a church and with their proceeds it goes for food and clean water in other countries.
I am donating more to them as teachers and scout groups are using it for supplies and paper goods when I have been in there. Lots of yarn donated from their bins. I also know Ithaca has one they started years ago called Sew Green and I have heard it’s popular too. Our good will stores have lots of household items but not a lot of crafts or fabrics so I think more families donate to these places as they are still going strong.
Kathy, thanks for the information. I wish we had crafting thrift stores in my area. Such a great idea. Crafting and sewing always seems like an afterthought in the Goodwill I go to. Thanks
Connie,
It’s made it alot easier for me to donate my scrapbook items, stickers, stampin up stamps, yarn – items I have way too much of and will not be put to use in my lifetime. I have too much sewing I want to spend my time on. But finding Fig Tree fabric at $3. Yd is something I could not pass up, nor when I see a Country Threads pattern dearly loved and used so that also goes up to the counter to buy. I use to go once a month as a bank branch was near them so I could pay my credit card but then the branch closed so I don’t go as often. Was always the best $20 I ever spent at the craft thrift store over new clothes any day. Ha!
Mary,
Loved all the pictures! We had some more snow last night, but was 20o here this morning. Haven’t sewn in so long! Need to put more logs into the stove soon as it is 24o out @ 11:30! My husband I’d out looking for an Elk.
Know you have many following along with your new book sew along! Great pictures!
Won’t be long and we will be selecting our Christmas tree 🎄!
interesting to see Jo’s quilt. I guess we will be seeing your progress on your quilt. I guess I am a vicarious quilter. After going some vision challenges then a thread of machine challenges. If I had not weighed the price of a new machine against my age and cost of some licensed sewing machine technicians and coming up with sticking with repairs. who knows did i make the right decision??? anyway, the struggle goes on and the quilts are eked out only very slowly. Of course there is also the fact that i love doing other forms of sewing.. only so many hours in a day. SEW
Those photos are wonderful! Thanks for sharing Mary ! A quilting friend sent me info about a Bonnie Hunter quilt along but I really want to do yours first ! Maybe I can pull some fabrics today . I have a lot of reproduction prints that are just sitting in a big tub in my fabric and yarn vault (closet.) We are snowed in due to road conditions and high winds .
Chris – snowed in already? Is this earlier than usual? Dang, it will be a long winter.
The colors in the Color Parade blocks are great! What can you tell me about the quilt?
Jane – I think it might be an original “accidental “ block design which I will write up when I’m finished. If you’ve seen it in a book, tell me
Well your accident is wonderful. I’ll watch for instructions.
Thank you!
I agree with you about quilt shops taking down the quilt if the fabrics or pattern or kit is no longer available. I love to visit quilt shops for inspiration with many examples displayed but, it’s so disappointing when told that the kit, or the fabrics or the pattern for the quilt are no longer available. Take it down and replace it with another that is available.
Beautiful 70 degree weather here in Northern Wisconsin which is so unusual for November. Enjoying every minute while it lasts.
I don’t know where I’ve been, but when I look at a quilt display I don’t always think of it in display colors. Also think about what I have at home that would work if I like the pattern….. Don’t think I’d ever buy a kit for a big quilt.
The used crafts stores sound wonderful.
And It is snowing, but not very much. The surrounding areas are getting more. And my snow shovel is downstairs so I can shovel my out the back door!!
And I’m ready to sew. Betty in Rapid City
I wondered if you were getting snow, Betty. The weatherman said you would. Stay warm and safe:)
Diane
The Corey Yoder quilt ( first quilt picture) is found in the Oh Happy Day book, that you can find at Martingale.
Thanks Mary for a great post.
I love the first and last quilts you pictured 😍. Heck, I loved them all! I spent the morning inside cleaning out cupboards and purging. Love that feeling! Heading out to do a quick clean up by our garage before the rain. We sure need the moisture! Happy Thursday everyone 👋
Lots of inspiration here! Thanks for sharing. I’m in a slump…don’t feel like sewing. 😢
I agree with not leaving up a quilt once the kits are gone. Not even the pattern available? I worked in a quilt shop for a few years after I retired and that was store policy. Better to hang something the customer can BUY!
What a beautiful quilt show today. Something for everyone. I’m enjoying looking at your bullseye quilt with the blue polka dot sashing. I love all the bright colors.
That’s a good way to set the blocks and break it up.
It’s so good to see that Keeper and Hazel are having fun together and of course living their best life too. I loved hearing Gloria’s story about Angel’s visit to the nursing home. How special for the residents to share their affection with her.
We’re dealing with lots of leaves here in Michigan, but we’re having beautiful weather to be outdoors.
Love the Bullseye blocks…..great colors and fabrics. It will always be one of my favorites. Thanks so much for sharing….and inspiring!
As always, great inspiration today! Good reminder to get my bitcoin quilt finished, too! Our fall weather has been spectacular this year, but we need rain badly. Went to Connecticut this past week to visit a good friend, and the drive through Pennsylvania was beautiful. Great, gorgeous color. Connecticut was 75 degrees…in November!
Loved seeing all the Quilts as they sure inspire you to get busy playing with fabric. Always so many ideas to think over ..
Do enjoy the sharing of ideas – fabrics – patterns have a good day..
Loved seeing your quilts and the other lovely photos.
I loved your trip down memory lane. We’ve been enjoying wonderful weather for early November. I actually had the air conditioning on in the car yesterday! We got the garden put to bed for the winter, it looks so nice to see the withering tomato plants GONE!! Now to check gutters for the rain that’s predicted for tomorrow.
My Featherweight group hasn’t met since last March, so I must find something to work on in a week. It will be nice to get together with the women again.
You mention decorating for Thanksgiving-I have a wall-hanging called Fall In Iowa. It’s from the Country Threads quilt shop series book. Mine never made it past the “flimsy” stage, but it will hang in the kitchen. I love it!!
Linda in MI – funny you should mention Fall in Iowa because a reader just requested it and after a search I found a copy for her. And get this – I forgot to hang mine up this fall!!
Mary:
I have pinned the first quilt in your post to my Pinterest board and am collecting fabrics to make it similar to this one. I just loved the soft color combinations. I also am frustrated when you see a quilt you like hanging in a shop but you can’t get the kit or the fabrics because they are out of them. I also make sure when I’m buying a kit that if there are any substitute fabrics included I will like it as well as the model quilt. I hope to get my October (Halloween) quilt bound this weekend and will send a pic to you when it is finished. Now I will be ready for next year. Thanks for your inspiration
Debbie in Iowa
I loved seeing all your quilts! How do you get so much done? Seems like you have a new quilt top finish every week! I guess I am just a slow sewer. I sew everyday for at least 4 hours and it takes me forever to finish a top!
Love!
Thank you for this wonderful post, Mary, just beautiful. I enjoyed all the eye candy and inspiration! 🥰
Is everything ok? Have not heard from you in a few days.
Well, I am a little late in responding! I love all the new quilts today And, is there a pattern for the yellow, gray, and black one. I could probably figure it out, but….LOL.
We went to our son in law’s cousin’s pig farm on Saturday. Whew. It is a BIG place and not nearly the size of some of those mega farms. The baby pigs were a hoot–squeal, squeal, squeal all the time!! Too funny. It was a beautiful fall day except for the EXTREME wind. But, the over 100 year old brick farm house was snug and wonderful. It is up in Northwestern Ohio where it is soooo flat. It reminded me of the pictures you show out your window, Mary. Growing up, I lived in the foothills of the Allegany mountains. Then, in college there were hills and where we live now there are hills. It was a really fun day:)
Thanks for another great post, Mary.