Family Visits

Gary's sister, Gayle and her husband John came for a visit. A first for them. Of course we did all the tourist things like going up Pike's Peak, visiting the Cliff Dwellings, and picnicking. Here we are with Matt & Naomi in Breckenridge. Rocket & Roxanne took advantage of the rocks in the creek. It was a special treat to have family visit.

Gees Bend Quilts

Last week we went to the Denver Art Museum to see the Gees Bend Quilts. I wasn't able to take pictures so I took some from the newspaper article about them. These are quilts that were made from 1940 to 2002 by four generations of African American women who lived in rural Alabama . The quilts were made by hand using whatever they had on hand, and many were made from used clothing. I loved the denim quilts that showed where they had removed the pockets. It was really amazing to see what they did. This quilt was my favorite! It was made in the 70's with left over corduroy. The women had entered a contract with Sears to make pillow shams. They then took the leftover pieces and made quilts from them. Of course the colors popular then were the olive green, gold, brown & red. They hand quilted through all that thick material. I feel so guilty I just send my quilts off to the long arm quilter and presto they are done. These women put me to shame. .

Little Girls & Dolls

Last week must have been Doll Week. Elise came over and she dressed all the Cabbage Patch dolls that we had here, and of course we had to take a picture. Then we went up to Matt's and Roxanne wanted to play dolls. So we dressed all her dolls and again took a picture. Roxanne said that she didn't have many clothes for her Cabbage Patch dolls. I asked her if I should make some for her and she agreed. She said she needed 100 clothes for her dolls. Guess I will be a little busy this summer!

Another Finished Quilt

Are you looking for your socks? This quilt that I made while in Oklahoma is called Lost Socks from the book Sunflower Patch by Black Mountain Quilts. It was fun to make, a real easy pattern, machine buttonhole applique.
I tried a new technique where I put a very thin batting behind the block when I did the stitching. Then I added another thin batting to it when it was quilted. It makes a very heavy quilt. I am not sure I will do this again, although I started my pumpkin quilt in the same way.
My friend Ann who just got a long arm did the quilting for me. She chose a snowflake design for it and I think it turned out great.
Now that I finished one I would like to start another, but I am busy working on 3 right now. I will try and restrain myself. Except I found a great background fabric , tan with barns on it for a fall quilt. Now to find a pattern!

Uncle Wilbur

Really there is no Uncle Wilbur in our family, but we do have a fountain in downtown Colorado Springs called Uncle Wilbur. Being a hot day and Rocket & Roxanne were in town, we met Sarah & Elise at the fountain. The water was very cold, but the kids still had fun. Rocket's goal was to get Grandpa wet and he was successful.

A Finished Quilt

Here is one of the quilts that I finished while on my sewing spree in Oklahoma. It is the only one that I have quilted. The others are ready to go to the quilter as soon as I get the backing ready. This quilt is from the book "My Red Sofa" by Atkinson Designs. As soon as I saw the new Mary Englebriet fabric in the store I knew this was the quilt that I wanted to make.
I am sure that there is an unwritten rule in the quilting world that when you finish one quilt you can start 2 more quilts. That being so I have started 2 more quilts. Here are 3 quilts that I have on my design wall. One I started in Oklahoma so it doesn't count in my starting 2 this week..
These are the first 2 squares in the Great Pumpkin. They are machine applique with a buttonhole stitch. Lots of fun and I hope they will be done by fall.
I must have been in a hand sewing mood because the 2 projects that I started are applique. I had most of the fabric already so all I had to do was cut our the shapes, starch, press and then start stitching. The first one is Rabbits Prefer Chocolate, by Bunny Hill Designs.
This one is Noah by Country Threads, a pattern I have had for a couple of years. It is fun to find just the right fabric for each animal. I am now working on a fox, kangaroo, and zebra.
I am not sure what to do about the eyes. They are embroidered in the pattern, but I tried a button for the monkey's eye and I kinda like the look.
So I really finished 3 more quilt tops in Oklahoma, they just need to be quilted and the binding put on. Does that mean I get to start 6 more?