A Quilty Weekend

I was fortunate to attend, not just one, but two quilt shows over the weekend!  The Blue Valley Quilter's Guild, held their bi-annual quilt show in a beautiful Civic Center on Friday and Saturday.

The show coordinaters wanted "lots of quilts" so, I entered 12 quilts, most of them medium size. You might spot a few in these photos...

The guild is selling tickets for a chance to win this beauty and I am really hoping that my number will be drawn!  My friend, Trish, designed it, put most of it together herself and even quilted it! Isn't it gorgeous?

It was fun to meet up with Linda, [Flourishing Palms] who was in town visiting her daughter, at the show and spend some time with her. We hope to have coffee one more time before she heads back to Florida. 

A highlight of the show for me, was getting to shop at Marmalade Fabrics, who had a booth at the show. If you haven't discovered Tammy's on-line shop yet, be sure to visit soon.

Of course, I couldn't leave without picking out some fun modern fabrics! These two Mod-Century fabrics by Moda are perfect for a little project I'm working on for the Modern Designs for Classic Quilts Blog Tour, which starts today. Be sure to click on the link above to find out how to win a copy of this wonderful new book. I'll be giving away a copy during a special post on Monday, November 19, so be sure to check in that day! You can see a hint of the book under my fabric in the picture below.

I was so excited to get a message from Amy that my QR Code quilt has been nominated for the Two-Color Quilt category in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. I'd love your vote! Hop over and see all of the gorgeous entries.

If you follow college football at all, then you know that Kansas State University won again yesterday and is #2 right now. Having two children, daughter-in-law, and a son-in-law that graduated from K-State, we are following the team closely. Lula and Jane are such big fans that they were even K-State cheerleaders for halloween!

Go Wildcats!

Farmer's Wife Friday--The Sense of Creation

The letter accompanying this week's two blocks for the Farmer's Wife Quilt-along was delightful and uplifting, even poetic. Mrs. I. L. M. from Prince George County, Md., enthusiastically hopes that her daughter will marry a farmer.  She wrote, "When her heart can sing with the morning stars at the first stirrings of the new creation in spring and from that learn to go about her commonplace, homely tasks with still deeper joy over the faint flutterings of a new creation beneath her own heart, she will feel that heaven itself could not be a better place in which to live."

Our first block, Big Dipper, reminds us of those morning stars...........

The second block, Periwinkle, attests to "the delicious sensation of wondering what the earth will bring forth to establish the work of her hands..." 
My block looks a bit wobbly in the photo (those pesky bias edges!), but really, I think it will be just fine in the quilt. I had to buckle in and use the templates included in the book to create the odd triangles. Oh, and guess what! I liked doing it....there's a lot to be said for accuracy when making such a fiddly block, I'm just sayin'!

My pile of little blocks is growing! It's fun to see them all together like this...kind of addictive!

I have such a "sense of creation"! So does my FWQAL partner, Cindy. Be sure to check out her posting today as well. Her blocks, made in all solids, are awesome!

Also, I'm the Blogger's Quilt Festival featured quilter today at

Amy's Creative Side. Hop over and learn about my favorite quilting tip!

Blogger's Quilt Festival-Beaded Curtain

Welcome to the Blogger's Spring Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy's Creative Side. 

I'm excited to show you my quilt entry, Beaded Curtain.

Beaded Curtain is pretty special to me because it is actually the prototype

for my first (and only!) Moda Bake Shop quilt, called Love Beads.

It's the perfect size to use as a table runner for summer cookouts!

 It features three of my favorite quilty things....

fabulous Amy Butler fabrics, Kona grey background, and straight line quilting!

 The free tutorial for making the larger version of this quilt can be found here.

This smaller version uses just one charm pack and about one yard of background.

If you would like to try your hand at making a table runner size,

 follow the directions on 

the Moda site for making the beads and use 1.5 in. sashing 

between the rows of beads.

The backing features leftover bead and chain pieces combined 

with lovely Bird Song fabric that I'd been saving for just the right thing.

I'll have fun using the reverse side as much as the front! 

 I always enjoy the challenge of creating quilt backs that are a bit whimsical

from bits and pieces left from the front plus fabric from my stash.

 I hope that I've tempted you to give my

Moda Bakeshop quilt a whirl. 

 It's guaranteed to bring a smile to your face!

Thanks for stopping by!

Be sure and check out all the other Festival entries here.

P.S. You might want to makes sure that the coffee pot is full before you begin!

Rick Rack Paddy Whack--Blogger Quilt Festival

Hi Quilting Friends!  Welcome to the Fall Blogger's Quilt Festival put on by Amy. My entry is a fun quilt that I can actually say I designed myself for my LQS, Harper's Fabric and Quilt Co., and their popular Strip Club! Now before you get too excited, Silly Thing, the Club isn't in Los Vegas or anything. (Had you going there, didn't I?) You can join The Club monthly by purchasing a custom made jelly roll from Harper's, which is actually in a suburb of Kansas City. On the last Sunday of each month, an original pattern is revealed to be used with that particular jelly roll. It's all great fun........and addictive!!

Rick Rack Paddy Whack hangs at the top of the stairs in my house.  I love seeing it there every time I trip  walk up the stairs to my sewing room/extra bedroom. It's made using mostly Heather Bailey fabrics with a little Amy Butler and Kaffe Fasset thrown in. As you can see, jumbo rick rack separates the lighter squares from the darker rectangle strips in the design.

 While I enjoyed the process of creating a special quilt for the Strip Club, I did learn a few things along the way. First, it's really  fun to choose fabrics to make up a jelly roll, especially if you are not the one who has to cut the strips yourself and roll them up! Second, it's really, really hard to write up a pattern and get all the math right for several different sizes of quilt tops! Third, it's really, really, really hard to make a quilt and turn it into a pattern while at the same time packing up a house to move...especially after living in said house for 16 years! I get the hives just thinking about it!!

I love the quilt, though.  Isn't that rick rack cute? Now, go get your coffee pot going and break out the pumpkin cookies because your going to want some while you visit the other quilts on this wonderful Quilt Festival. Have fun!!