As predicted, March arrived like a lamb, temperatures even reaching the low 70s
and Wham!   Cold, wind, snow, freezing temperatures, another warm up and, again,  hit by another cold spell.  We have had at least 4 blizzards since my last blog, as well as days in the high 60s . Mother Nature certainly has not been nice this spring.  My spring flowers popped through the ground and were gloriously in bloom when the worst storm hit bringing the temperature down to 9 degrees.  Needless to say all the daffodils, tulips and budding lilacs froze.  Ah well, maybe next year!  Today it is warming up once again and melting the latest snows that drifted into our yard.


I am not sure what happened to March.  I think I grew weary of hearing the wind blow the snow past the windows and spent lots of time holed up in my basement sewing room, ignoring most of the outside world.  The rest of the month I was spending as much time as possible with my Mother who is suffering from worsening effects of Alzheimers Disease.  So, March, you were a quick pffft in my world this year.  Maybe we can get reacquainted again next year!

Happily, I will report on a most wonderful and successful evening at our theater's Oscar Night and auction.  Dizzy Donna's quilt went for a great price.... Guess who bought it?   ME, of course.  I had set  a limit of what I could spend  and was determined to stop there.  As with all good plans, I was carried away in the moment and went over my budget. but I am so pleased to be the proud owner.  My Hollywood quilt sold for a great price as well and the purchaser, learning that the theater board was wishing they had the funds to buy it,  donated it back to the theater.    The theater board is looking into having it framed and encased so it can be hung in the theater lobby.  I am so honored!  I passed a photo of the quilt and the info on to Lisa at the Quilt Rack in North Platte, NE where I purchased the fabric and she was so pleased for us as well.  Have had others ask me where I got the fabric and I hope this will send some shoppers Lisa's way!

This morning I finished a table runner and napkins to donate as a fundraiser gift pack to help with medical expenses for a couple of special people in our community. It's a  patio  party set added to a brightly colored beverage tub, drink dispenser, chip plate, glasses and snack bowl all in bright oranges, blues, pinks, greens and yellow.   It will be another fun community event scheduled for a good cause.

I just finished a very cool quilt for my Granddaughter's 13th birthday.  She is the lover of animals and especially horses. (and a terrific rider, I might add). I think I told you about the pattern and fabric I purchased, called Morning Run, last summer in Wyoming .  It started with a center panel of, what else, beautiful horses with several colorful borders,

I missed the last Mystery Quilt Class as it was the same night as Oscar Night at the theater. I now have the latest instructions and will get busy so I am caught up for next month.  We have no idea what the finished product will look like but I am having fun with it and love the fabric all in blacks and taupes.

I am very excited to have 4 new quilts to show at the Quilts of the Plains this June.  I will enter my two Stack and Whack quilts, Morning Run and my Eerie Alley checker board quilt.   The show is the same weekend (June 22nd) as my high school class reunion so it will be a busy and fun weekend.  Am looking forward to seeing lots of former classmates.   Mark the quilt show date on your calendars!

I made two antique post card wall hangings  for friends birthdays last month. One was hens and chicks and the other artists paintings of children. I love the post card pictures which always turn out so neat.

Well, hubby was scooping snow off the walks yesterday and is out on the golf course today. Told you it was crazy weather in NE Colorado.  The golfer may be a bit off as well (don't tell him I said that). I am sure they are putting around drifts of snow this afternoon. It is forcasted to turn cold and snowy again the first of next week.   Let's all hope spring finally arrives in May.  Mother Nature may skip spring and take us directly into summer and 90 degree weather this year.

I planted a pot of herbs this week so am cautiously optimistic that it will warm up soon. My four pots of bulbs are glorously blooming in my wagon in the garage.  You know,  haul them out when it is warm, pull them back in at night.   Our cat, Sassy who lives in the garage  is enjoying them.  I did take a picture his morning so I could remember what spring normally looks like.

Hope you are all getting ready for some warm weather.  In the meantime I will keep busy quilting until the weather warms up and the yard work begins.

Til next time........keep on quiltin!

Annie B.

If the forecast for this weekend in Eastern Colorado is any indication, March is coming in like a lamb. Which means, yikes, going out like a lion?    After two weeks of freezing cold, winds and inches of snow, the temperature this weekend is predicted to be in the 60s!   Yea!  Hoping it will melt some drifts in our yard and moisture into the fields around us!  Hubby is looking forward to a couple of afternoons of golf!  These guys are a bit goofy about golf.  I now fully understand the meaning of "golf widow".  Even if there is snow still on the course, they will find a way to play around it!   I am happy he loves the game and I take advantage of these times quilt,  or watch girly movies, ....so I don't get too lonely.

I have to start this blog with a story about a quilt desparately  in need of repair.   When we met our son and family in Yellowstone last summer, my daughter in law brought along a quilt she had found in the basement of her Father's home in Kentucky.  She took it home and, without a second thought, threw it in the washer. Being very old, the batting and backing pretty much disintegrated, much to her dismay.  She didn't know anything about the quilt, only that it had belonged to her Mother who passed away a few years ago.  She asked me if I could "fix it".  Oh My, I thought.  It is too large to repair with my little machine so I sought the advice of expert, Fellow Quilter.  After looking at it, he thought he could replace the batting and backing and do just enough machine quilting to hold it together once again.  As we held it up to the light, he exclaimed, "there is another quilt top under this one"!   Hmmmm, this was interesting. By holding it up to bright light we could see what appeared to be a worn wedding ring quilt under the new top. Also, the remaining pieces of old backing showed hand quilting while the new top had been tied.   I was tempted to remove the top to investigate further but came to my senses in time! I'm only going so far with this project!   Fellow quilter beautifully added the new batting, backing and quilted it and I added the new binding giving it new life as a beautiful quilt once again.  As a happy ending to the story, I surprised her with it for Christmas and she was very pleased.  Even with no more history than that, it will be a happy memory of her dear Mother.



I  remembered, finally, to photo my stack and whack quilts and will add photos of them today.  The blue, tan and green one turned our very cool with my oldest Granddaughter, exclaiming, "Grandma, I really love that one"  Hmm, maybe it will find a new home!  The orange and pink poppies are staying with me to use as a summer quilt on our bed!   I do love poppies and have a patch of them that bloom every summer! Now I will have them to enjoy inside and out.

I finished my Cliff Theater donation quilt last week and am pleased with its Hollywood look.  Fellow Quilter quilted it for me in a star pattern which added the perfect finishing touch.  The "Oscar Night" and auction will be held on April 4th with the grand reopening of our theater after installation of the new digital projector and lighting. It will be a fun and exciting evening.    Dizzy Donna has sent me her donation quilt as well.  It is a patriotic beauty and I will show it to you today as well.   I am hoping to win the bid on that one....we will see!  Can I be selfish or should  I should hope it goes for a bid so high, I cannot afford it!   Oh, darn!

We will barely get past St. Patricks Day this year and Easter will be here.  Boy, it is early this year!   I have some Easter things of my own I want to get finished up as well as making a few to sell.   I am busy making a wallhanging today for a friend's birthday.  Holidays, birthdays and special events seem to come around pretty fast these days..or maybe I am moving slower! Could that be? Once again, this year, I am two months behind on my yearly commitment to make one Christmas item a month.   Hit me with a candy cane and get me in gear!

It is cold, gray and dreary outside today and hubby is out of town for work, so its the perfect day to "hole up" and sew!   I have a volunteer job in town this afternoon so will see how much I get done before I have to hit the road!

Once again, our comment widget is up and running so please write a few words and tell me about your latest projects.  I have missed hearing from you.

Til next time.......keep on quiltin'!

Annie B.

Oh My Gosh!  It is the last day of January and I have not posted a blog in over a month!   I am not sure what happened but, ready or not, here I am again.  Sorry to be so late!

The month of December was a flurry of activity,  as it is for all my quilter friends!  I was busy getting sewing orders filled and all of a sudden it was time to begin our trek to Ohio to visit our son and family.   That trip is a story in itself.  We planned to leave Dec 20th and then hubby got a break in his work so moved departure day up to the 19th.  Yeah, right , wouldn't you know, we had our first huge winter blizzard on the 19th, couldn't even see across the road through the blowing snow so we hunkered down and hoped it would not last too long.  Little did we know it had spread across the entire midwest right down the route to Ohio.

The morning of the 20th was cold, but clear so we packed the car and headed out....after nearly getting stuck in a big drift in front of the garage. Visibility was good so we forged ahead.   After  three days of icy roads, closed interstates and a generally stressful drive, we made it in one piece, leaving hundreds of cars and trucks stranded in  ditches behind us.  The slow and cautious drive paid off!  

I closed my eyes as we drove past one of my favorite quilt shops, Cottage Inspirations, in Cambridge, NE.   Better not push my luck!  Fortunately for me, we needed to fill gas in Arapahoe so my sweet husband dropped me off at another favorite shop, Wagners Quilts and Conversation.  Had he known what lay ahead, roadwise, I doubt he would have spared me the extra browsing time. I had time to purchase a very cute panel that the owner had bordered and framed.  Had to have it. It is a collection of 5 pictures of little girls all in taupes and browns (Tracy Lizotte for Elizabeth's Studio, pattern 4300).  Just too cute!  And.....there were greeting cards that matched. Won't they make some cute gifts?  Gotta get the frame guy busy!


Once in Ohio, we enjoyed a wonderful holiday with family and friends.  Made it to the quilt shop near my son's home, Birds of a Feather in Avon.    Was disappointed as the inventory has changed from quilting to mostly yarns and knitting.   I did find some cute gingerbread man fabric on sale so snapped it up.

I have to add here that I finally got to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. What fun and I can't wait to go back again.  I became so enthralled with the display of my teenage heart throb, Elvis, that I ran out of time to see much of the rest!   Interestingly enough our Grandchildren were not too impressed as there was "no one there that they knew"  Give em 40 years. HA!

Because their home decor is more contemporary, I was delighted when I saw my D-I-L had taken the Valentine table topper I made her, and flipped it red side up to use as a Christmas topper on her kitchen island.  A hint maybe???  I will definitely make her a Christmas topper for next year!

After a glorious time with the grandchildren, it was time to start back home.  The roads had cleared, the weather was bright and sunny and all was well.  Now, this is almost a sin, but in our rush to leave, I had forgotten to bring along my Quilter's Companion book .  My husband was certain I had every quilt shop across the midwest memorized, but alas, I did not.  The second day of our drive when we stopped in Grand Island, NE for lunch he told me he would take me to Material Girl as he said he knew that was one of my favorite shops.  What a guy!!!  He went to a nearby coffee shop and let me browse (and buy) to my heart's content!  I even found 2 1/2 yards of fabric I was on the look out for, for a friend back home! Mission Accomplished.


This month I have been busy sewing Valentine, St. Patricks Day and Easter orders. I love the antique post card quilts!  I also finished the quilt I made to donate to our movie theater for their fund raiser and  Fellow Quilter is quilting it for me as I speak.  Dizzy Donna  sent me the most awesome quilt she made and donated. I hope I am lucky enough to be able to purchase it for myself. (meaning I hope there is an auction as opposed to a raffle)   I will post pictures of both next blog......which reminds me, I still haven't posted photos of my two stack and whack quilts.  Better get that done!!!
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Just this week I received an order for another Valentine topper and just finished up a St. Patrick's Day wall hanging and have a new order for a Christmas wall hanging.  I feel so lucky that others appreciate my sewing and like the things that I make.  It is very heart warming to know that my creations are bringing smiles to people all over the country.  What fun to share.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and I wish you all the best in the new year and many, many days of happy quilting!
                                                                                                     I love Ohio!
Til next time......keep on!
Annie B.


                                                                                 

Yes, you know what!  It's almost here!


We survived Thanksgiving this year with no major kitchen disasters!  Yea!  Had a house full of family, friends, kids and dogs.  What would any holiday be without full tummies and lots of activity.  The weather was unusually warm and the guys got in some golf (golf at the end of November in Colorado-who would have guessed!), we played at the park and Grandpa's golf cart racked up a few hundred more miles racing around the farm!   Our 14 year old Granddaughter got some valuable country road driving lessons with her Dad and we visited the neighbor's farm to see all her dogs, new puppies, goats, horses and cows.  Four year old twins even got to ride the gentle milk cow!  What fun!

Before turkey day, I made some new table toppers from the awesome turkey fabric I found in Pagosa Springs last fall and tried a new pattern which I really like!  (The Centerpiece Tablemat, A Tiny Treasures Pattern from Sweet Treasures designed by Terri Stoats).  It can easily be made smaller or larger and has the coolest directions for making a hexagonal center and has a very scrappy look. I received requests  for more toppers using this cool fabric and the quilt shop owner and I are now on a first name basis.  I was delighted she still had more of the fabric.   Now, if I can just figure out the math to enlarge or reduce the hexagon.   Math has never been my strongest suit but if I take my time and think about it long enough, I  can eventually figure it out!  I also altered the design a bit and made a cool gingerbread man topper as well.

I recently received a request to make a block for a friendship quilt from a friend in Nebraska.  It was an unusual block, six sided and when sewn together was totally complete.  After straining my brain  a bit to try and decide what I could make I came upon a wall hanging pattern I had purchased on one of my shopping trips called "What a Crock" by My Stitching Peace.  It made me laugh!  I resized it to fit my friends block requirements, and stitched it up in hopes it would bring a smile to her face and add a bit of fun to her quilt.
I received a thank you from her just yesterday. She loved the block and I have a cute quilted post card from her to add to my "treasure stash".

I have made more of the antique post card wall hangings which are so much fun.   I love the antique look of all of them.  I have had requests for several.  They make wonderful gifts for quilting friends.


At Quilters Annonymous we enjoyed our annual Christmas get together this week.  We had a table full of yummy treats, enjoyed show and tell and brought gifts for a gift exchange. Our fearless leader and retired teacher, Sharon, had some fun activities planned (can't take the teacher out of the quilter!)  We shared lots of laughs had a relaxing and enjoyable evening.

I loved the gift I received. It included a homemade fabric Christmas tree with gold button ornaments perfectly placed on my hoosier kitchen cabinet.  Also included were two sets of note cards including hand stamped and colored angel cards and a set of fabric covered "quilted"Christmas cards. They will be fun to use for sending thank you notes after the holidays.  I so enjoy everyones creativity!
 
My latest thoughts include "so many projects, so little time".  I want to do them ALL!

I am still sewing Christmas projects.  Nothing like waiting until the last weeks!   Once again, my sewing resolution for 2013 is to FINISH ONE CHRISTMAS PROJECT EVERY MONTH!   I am determined to get it done next year!   No excuses!

Hope all of you are enjoying the holiday season and I wish for each and everyone of you a wonderful, blessed Christmas.

Til next time.................keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

P.S.  Hopefully we will have "comments" back  soon.  Brian........????????.....are you there??????      : )

Another Halloween has come and gone and Thanksgiving is fast approaching.  I feel like the turkey moved from a trot to a full speed gallop.   I have about a month's work to get done in the next couple of weeks--isn't that the way it seems to happen every year?


I did get several halloween quilts made this year and my favorite was Eerie Alley Game Board.   OMG, did it turn out cute.  I saw the pattern in Fons and Porter's Easy Quilts Fall 2010 issue.  I ordered the kit but it arrived without the hearse fabric...and that just made the quilt so " halloween"!  I eventually found it on one of my shop hop trips and this year could hardly wait to make it.  I first made one for a friend and it turned out so cute (she loved it!) that I made one for myself.  Hers is done and was on her table for Halloween, mine is still waiting to be sandwiched and quilted.  Hopefully by next year.  Anyway........It is a purple and orange checkerboard with a pocket for checkers ( I used large orange and black buttons) a haunted house and owl fabric for one side and the top and the cute hearse fabric for the other side and along the bottom.  I also quilted a couple darling Halloween panels for wall hangings!

I am now working on a couple of Thanksgiving quilts, a table topper and a wall hanging.  Am a little behind, as usual, but have been laid up with a  respiratory infection.  If my head is fuzzy I just can't think, therefore sewing is out of the question or I end up ripping out everything that I messed up.   I concentrated on getting better and am back at my machine once again.

I am working on some more antique post card wall hangings for the upcoming holidays and actually have more on my "want to get done" list than I can possibly get finished before Christmas.  Imagine if there were six months between Thanksgiving and Christmas--oh the things we could do!  Or, imagine working on Christmas all year long--now there is a revelation!   I must somehow try that next year!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you quilters.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We will host Thanksgiving dinner at our home again this year for all who can join us.  Our Ohio family won't be able to make the trip this year and we will miss them dearly.  After last year's roaster disaster--the roaster caught on fire halfway through cooking the turkey--I have a new one purchased and ready to go.  The old one was pretty much an antique--my Mom used it when I was growing up and I inherited it when I started having the holiday dinners.  I used it twice last Thanksgiving, once for our dinner and once for our Church's turkey dinner.  Two turkeys in one year was the breaking point.   It was a bit more excitement than I needed but we changed the game plan--the turkey went into the kitchen oven, the ham was put on the BBQ grill and dinner was right on time.
We hope this year that dinner is a little calmer!

Til next time.............keep on quiltin'

Annie B.


   

Do any of you quilters have a bucket list?  I didn't think I did but a few years ago my husband and I decided that we would take a trip together every fall to someplace we had not been before.   Having said that, I guess we do have a bucket list of places we want to visit.  Time flies by so quickly we decided we just "gotta do it"!

This year was my year to choose.  I had always wanted to ride the narrow gauge train from Durango to Silverton, CO in the fall.    Now how do I get quilt shops into this picture???

A trip rule is that we do not  hurry or keep a strict schedule.  Once on the road, I asked my husband if I could stop at Ruth's Stitchery when we got to Colorado Springs.  His answer was every quilter's dream. He replied, " We can stop at all the quilt stores you want"!   What a guy!

Ruth's Stitchery in Colorado Springs has always been a favorite and I have found so many wonderful and interesting fabrics there.  This trip, I was searching for two fabrics I needed and, woo hoo.....there they were!

We then headed to the other side of town to Quilters Gift Warehouse Outlet.  I saw this ad in the Quilters Travel Companion book and it piqued my interest. The ad says "no fabic, no notions, no patterns.  Nothing but gifts for Quilters".  It was  a fun place and is actually the place where the Quilters Travel Companion book is written.  The author even autographed my book!  I bought some cute quilter novelty items and we were once again on our way.

Next stop... Alamosa.  We drove through some beautiful country on the way and the  aspen trees were at their height of color making the mountains sparkle like gold.   I entered the address for Heartstings and Heirlooms quit shop  into Gertie Garmin. She always finds the way!   This is an neat little shop and there I found,   you'll never guess,   Halloween fabric and kits.  Alas, I added more to my stash.   My friend Fancy Stitcher had asked me if I could find some black wool which I purchased for her. That reminds me, I had better get that delivered to her because it is for a Halloween project!

Next came Pagosa Springs.  Between Alamosa and Pagosa Springs is the famed Wolf Creek Pass.  OMG, the views were spectacular and the hairpin curves a bit hair raising.  In spite of stopping a dozen times to take pictures, we made it in time to go out to lunch with an Uncle who lives there. After lunch I stopped at a most interesting quilt shop, Eagle Mountain Mercantile.  It is a sporting goods, pet supply, quilt store combo.  A good idea to keep husbands entertained.  I found some cute Thanksgiving turkey fabric  which I don't come across too often so........had to get it!



We arrived in Durango in time to do a bit of sight seeing and picked up our train tickets for the next morning.  Our train ride started out on a beautiful sunny  and cool  fall morning..glad we brought coats, gloves, hats and warm socks as the car we rode in was an open air car with a glass top.  The ride to Silverton takes about 3 hours each way and included some of the most spectacular scenery I have ever seen.  The trees were sparkling gold and red against the dark green of the pines and the tops of the mountains were capped with snow.  I just sat in awe and enjoyed the ride and my husband did most of the picture taking.  Actually I sat in awe most of the ride  because my camera batteries died.   I brought along a brand new package of batteries which were not good.  Grrrrrr.  I think we got around a thousand pictures between us anyway ..... my husband said looking at them later was like visiting the department of redundancy department.  Well, every tree looked more beautiful than the last and that being said, photos still don't do justice to the expansive views.  The higher we got the cloudier the sky became and  it began to rain and then turned to snow.  We were glad for the glass roof over our heads.  The scenery reminded me of some awesome art quilts I have seen. I wish I was talented enough to make one!



Next morning, I stopped at the Durango Quilt Company.  Got some fun Christmas fabric. An unusual feature there was a pool room for husbands.... in the quilt shop .  Now that's pretty smart.

 Next day another spectacular, hair raising drive on the way to Grand Junction.  Red Mountain Pass is unbelievable and I found myself leaning toward the center of the car on some of those narrow hair pin curves.  After a brief stop in Ouray we drove through Montrose and my husband exclaimed, "there is a quilt shop, did you see it?"  Wow, I had missed it.  We stopped and browsed and I found a few more pieces I couldn't live without.   Have I trained his eye or what?

Arrived in Grand Junction late afternoon at the home of brother and sister in law.  The guys had golf plans and sis and I junked, antiqued and visited the lovely Quilters Corner Shop.   S.I.L found a crazy quilt she fell in love with and is thinking about taking the class.  Wish I lived closer!

                    Male bonding quilt----

What a wonderful trip of beauty and fun new shops to visit.  Can't wait to see where we go next year.  I hope it includes quilt shops!!  Be sure to get out there and enjoy life...it really will inspire your quilting.

 Til next time.....keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

   P.S,  You may have noticed that our comment widget, as promised by     Google, is now gone. Our guys are working on that so hopefully you will be able to comment again soon.  Writing the blogs is fun but I especially look forward to my readers' comments!

As the days fly by I suddenly realized I have not blogged about our Nebraska road trip!   Wow, where did the past few weeks go?   I see on Fellow Quilters blog that he beat me to the punch but that is ok....I'm just naturally slow at getting it done.    It is always fun to read each person's perspective of the trip and one thing we all agree on---IT WAS FUN!

I was the chauffeur on this trip as Fellow Quilter had a trip scheduled to Denver the MINUTE we arrived back home so gave him a break from driving.  I actually cleaned my car, inside and out, including vacuuming the trunk, giving us plenty of room for overnight bags and lots of fabric!  My husband even commented on the clean trunk!  Wonders never cease! When one lives in the country, the car is a second home, thus always full of whatever!   Since getting home, I have not put anything back into the trunk and amazingly enough, have not needed any of the things I thought were necessities.   Well, there is a message for me!

Our destination, Grand Island, is about a 4 hour drive from home but, not surprising, it took us about 7 hours.  The time went fast as we talked our way across the plains!

Our first stop in Cambridge was at Cottage Inspirations. The shop always has the greatest models, kits and fabrics. I found another Halloween table topper I could not resist.   Don't know what it is with me and Halloween but I love the colors, the fun and the fantasy of it all.  My Halloween tub is bulging at the seams so had better get busy and get some of it sewn up.

Next stop, just down the road was Wagner's Quilts and Conversation in Cambridge.  There I could not resist the cutest embroidered wallhanging kit called Peaceful Garden.  Also found a bag of black and orange buttons for a Halloween checker board table topper I am making.   Here I go with the Halloween thing again.

It was lunch time so we stopped a the "Feed Store" for lunch. It is quite a cute restaurant and the food was good but took 1 1/2 hours for two sandwiches and two taco specials.   We were burning daylight and shopping time so were back on the road the minute we cleaned our plates.

We arrived in Grand Island around 3:30 (after taking a wrong exit---but it went by our motel so I  pretended I was checking it out) which gave us plenty of time to shop at Material Girl.  It is such an awesome shop.  I purchased more Halloween fabric--see what I mean-- and some really cute Christmas fabric and kits.

Next we headed downtown to Nana's Country Quilt Shop. She has lots of Kansas Troubles and Civil War fabrics. Right up my alley. Love the dark colors.   I found the cutest kit called "What A Crock" that I had to buy as well as some darling snowman buttons for a wall hanging called "HO, HO, HO".

We had enough time left to look through an amazing antique shop nearby.  I found a neat "House By the Side of the Road" picture--the old kind with a small thermometer at the side.  This poem is one I remember my Grandmother telling me and brings back happy memories.  Fellow Quilter found a black crow I had to have and I found a cute metal sign announcing "Ghouls Night Out".

After a good dinner and dessert at Cold Stone Creamery (YUM) we headed back to our motel.    Being the faithful quilter he is, Fellow Quilter brought along his sewn strips of fabric to press in the motel room, thus keeping his vow to do something quilting every day.  I was impressed!!! I thought shopping was enough for me.

After visions of fabric floated through our heads all night, we were up early for coffee, breakfast and back on the road heading towards home with one more stop in mind..... North Platte and The Quilt Rack, one of our favorite shops and also a  favorite shop owner, Lisa, who is always so excited to see us and makes us feel so welcome!     I'm almost embarrassed to say I purchased another Halloween kit for a table topper but it was just to cute to resist!  I also found  fabric I had been looking for to make a charity quilt for our local theater trying to raise money for a new digital projector.  The fabric is called Lights, Camera, Action and is just what I needed for this quilt.  I plan to have it made for the next fund raiser.  Progress is being made, but raising $130,000 takes time and requires lots of help from members of our small community.  Hubby and I still love going to the movies and feel we must try to help save our little theater.  Somehow, watching a movie on the TV at home just isn't the same, not to mention the popcorn and soda!


Fellow Quilter had to be back home by 3 pm to leave for his trip to Denver and we made it just on time....well, maybe a few minutes late but it was a respectable late.  He was off and Fancy Stitcher and I headed to the coffee shop to rehash all the fun we had!

I always love our quilt trips and Fellow Quilter already has another new shop scoped out and is making plans for another trip....this time to the West.  I had better get sewing!  

Hope all of you are enjoying some new quilt shops and all your old favorites before the snow starts flying this winter.   We must stock up so we have plenty for those cold, snowy days.   Well, that's my theory and I'm sticking to it!

Till next time......keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

I mentioned last year, my disappointment, that on our trip to Cody, WY, over labor day weekend, the quilt shop was not open due to the holiday.  Well, on a repeat trip to fun filled Cody this year,   I once again headed to FRIENDS & CO. Quilt Shop (www.friendsandco.net) and got to spend some quality time browsing and buying.  It was well worth the trip. This log cabin looking shop features a covered  front porch  filled with quilts, aprons and  barrels of flowers that call out the invitation to "come on in".  The inside is loaded with fabric and inspiration.   There is an entire section of "western" fabric that fits in perfectly with the town and its history.  A few years back I made, for myself, a Roy Rogers and Dale Evans table topper.  (That doesn't date me, does it?)  On this trip I found some Buffalo Bill Cody and Annie Oakley fabric for another.   Also found some very cool batiks with cowboy boots and hats.  Meant to get them done by County Fair time but, hey, they are good for anytime in our rural setting.


I found a cool kit called "Morning Run". This quilt was calling my Granddaughter's name as it is definitely a horse lovers quilt.  She is part of an Equestrian Team and loves all things horses.  Since we have five grandchildren, I will not be finished now until four more are completed in various themes. They have long since outgrown their baby quilts!

My husband found a quilt he really admired (yes, he actually shops with me) so I had to get the kit for that as well.  It is called "Sunburst" and is done in blues and golds.   It will be especially nice to hang at Christmas time. My goal is to have it completed by Christmas THIS YEAR!    I'll keep you posted on that!

As always I added to my already bursting at the seams stash but gosh, it was fun!!


After a day in Cody, we spent several days in Yellowstone with our son and his family seeing the sights.  My DIL brought a quilt along that she found in her parents basement and without thinking, threw it into the wash. The top is still in good shape but the batting and backing pretty much disintegrated.  I brought it back home with me to see what I can do to salvage it for her.  Any suggestions from anyone out there how to best repair it?  I was thinking of adding new batting and backing and having it re-quilted. Can I do that???

Since I returned home I picked up my two stack and whack quilts from Fellow Quilter.  He did an amazingly beautiful job of quilting them for me and I even have the bindings on. They are completed!!  Soon as I get photos, I will post them for you to see.  One of them is posted on Fellow Quilters blog as it is being quilted, if you can't wait! I finished up a Halloween topper and a fall runner this week as well. Off to a good start!

I took some advice from Fellow Quilter's blog that he makes the attempt to quilt every single day even if only for a few minutes.  I don't know why, but I always feel I have to have an entire day or half a day to get any sewing done.  I am trying to adopt his philosophy and it is amazing how much can be accomplished in a weeks' time even if you only have a few minutes each day to get something started, sandwich something or put on a binding.  I'll try to stick with it!  Today, while these photos were downloading, I organized, put away, and wrote this blog. That counts, doesn't it?

The days and nights have finally cooled off a bit here in NE Colorado.  Who would have thought 95 would feel SO MUCH cooler than 105.  The garden is finally starting to produce-late but  it suffered from the heat as well, the flowers are starting to burst into glorious color and all will be going strong until the first frost. Hope it is a late one this year.  

Three friends and I are leaving on a two day quilt shop hop bright and early tomorrow morning.  Our trips are always fun and I am anxious to see what is new.  With several stops along the way, our destination shop is Material Girl Quilt Shop in Grand Island, NE which is one of our favorites. I will let you know all about it when we return.

Congratulations to Dizzy Donna for the ribbons she won at the Fair.  She has become quite an accomplished quilter and her quilts are beautiful.  Hope you all get to your County or State Fairs to admire the Quilt displays.  There are some beauties out there. Would love to hear from any of you out there who have had quilts in shows this summer.   Be sure to share them with all of us.                                                                                      
                                                                 
Til next time..............keep on quiltin'                                          THE END.
Annie B.

Another very successful Quilts of the Plains has come and gone.  The day was extremely hot as we were in the middle of our worst heat wave in years, but that did not deter a great crowd from coming to view the show.  I was there early to help hang the quilts and it went quickly as we had a great bunch of volunteers.  After enjoying a cool drink I began to enjoy the show. I may have spent more time of the shady side of the street but it was a good vantage point to take photos of the sunny side! We had some great vendors this year as well.  Junelle from the Quilt Cabin in Colby, KS is a regular and popular vendors bringing the latest and greatest to choose from.  I purchased the neatest little seam ripper with a rubber tip that flings those little broken threads right out of the seam line with little or no effort. I have used it several times already.(argh!)  A fun booth this year was an antiques dealer from Merino, CO who brought many sewing related antiques.  I purchased some very interesting tobacco flannels.  I was told these had been used in the past to line the bottoms of cigar boxes.  They are very colorful and interesting.  I also bought the cutest little scissor holder that resembles a "scuff" slipper.   Could have spent lots more money there!!    A pattern designer from Florida "Sisters at Heart, Miles Apart" who happens to be a sister of the antique dealer, also had a very cute booth.

The display of antique and miscellaneous quilts at our awesome museum was beautifully done and all who came to view the quilts could not leave until they had ventured through the museum.  A special display within the museum was the old Singer treadle sewing machine which had once belonged to my Grandmother was was donated to the museum by my Aunt.  I learned to sew on it as a child and  that brought back fond memories.   I remember-- if I didn't keep a steady pace going on the treadle, all of a sudden I was sewing backwards!  Grandma was a patient lady!  Beside the machine is Grandma's little rocking chair where she sat by a south window to do her hand work. She embroidered beautifully and I treasure the pieces she made for me. I remember playing under the quilt frame in her living room as a child when her club would come to quilt.   A Flower Garden Quilt hangs in the back of the museum display and was a quilt given to my Great Grandmother by friends and neighbors.    Talk about a walk down memory lane!!!   Great Job Ardie!!!

Friend Kelly had her booth again this year chock full of knitted, crocheted, sewn and baked items to raise money for her Grandson to attend Adams Camp.  We always look forward to seeing what Kelly and her daughters have filled their booth with. ( P.S.Her crocheted pot holders are the best and  the Brownies and Scotch-a-roos are to die for!!!)

The Friday night open sewing was a huge success with 17 taking part.  Rainbow Fabrics owner, Wanda, has purchased the building just down the street from her fabric store and it was newly painted and carpeted and has very nice lighting.  We had a great evening sewing, chatting, laughing and munching away! Thanks Wanda! I have worked on a hand embroidery Halloween piece for the past two years. Think I will have it done by this October this year?  We'll see !  : )

Be sure to check out the photo album of all the quilts in the show that Fellow Quilter has put  on his website!  It is awesome.  


In addition to the Quilt show it was my husbands class reunion year (I won't say which one but we can't be THAT old!).  We hosted a brunch at our home on Sunday morning so it was a very busy and fun weekend all around despite the temperature outside getting to  111 degrees that day.   Thank goodness for the AC!

Since the quilt show I have completed the tops for my two Stack and Whack quilts.   Yippeee!  They are now in the capable hands of Fellow quilter to be quilted.  They turned out larger than I expected but as you know one keeps adding sashes and borders until they look just right. I will post photos when they are complete.   I also completed a wall hanging for friends celebrating their 25th anniversary using antique post card prints.  They have a western/ cowboy decor in their country home and I have to admit the hanging turned out pretty darned cute!

I guess it is time to start thinking about fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving orders.  I must admit I still have a couple of 4th of July things I want to make. Maybe by next year!!

I didn't win the raffle quilt again this year.   I will keep on buying tickets......maybe someday!

Til next time......keep on quiltin'
Annie B.

Quilts of the Plains 2012 Winners announced on my blog.   Thanks for clicking to read the article.  We had a tremendous show in Wray, Colorado on June 23, 2012.  You will also find a link to the photos that I took of all of the quilts hanging outdoors on the local business storefronts.

Next years show will be held June 22, 2013, and details will be posted at The Wray Chamber Website

Sincerely,
Fellow Quilter,
Brian