Aqua

 I had such grand plans in the beginning. I'd make one block each month in a different color. Well......let's say I skipped a few months along the way. But, back at it again....here's aqua.

 Now I have five finished. Seven more to go.

 The pattern is called Soul Searching and is by Kathy Doughty in her book, "Making Quilts." 

 I've pulled the fabrics for my next block. It will be the blue one because I've been wearing a lot of K.C. Royal's Blue lately and it just seemed the right thing to do. 

 As I write this, game seven of the World Series is about to begin and I'm getting nervous! If you are a baseball fan, you know what I'm talking about. The last time that our team was in the Series was 1985 and we really, really want to win. Kansas City has Royal's fever right now and our family is not excluded. Look at these cute shirts that Lula designed and her mother made!

Go Royals!!

Sunday Morning

"He who calls you is faithful;

He will surely do it."

1 Thessalonians 5:24

It's Finally a Top!

Honestly, there were times when I wondered if I'd ever finish sewing blocks for this quilt! But, oh, I am so glad that I didn't quit!

 There are a lot of seams, let me tell you. Most are pressed open. Sigh. Enough said!

 For those who wonder, the quilt top is made up of 195 six inch-churn dash blocks, plus 5 twelve-inch blocks and one large eighteen-inch churn dash.

 The bright orange, pink, red, yellow and white scrappy fabrics look stunning and cheerful posing among the fall pumpkins, don't you think!

 Many of the blocks were made for me by my talented bee-mates in the Mid-Century Modern Bee. Begun in 2013, the gals tolerated making the churn dash blocks, not just once, but twice, when my month as the Queen Bee rolled around. I can never thank you enough ladies!

 I can already tell that this is going to be among my top favorite quilts of all time! 

Now, to choose a backing and get the quilting done. Winter is on the way!

Sunday Morning

"Because your love is better than life,

my lips will glorify you.

I will praise you as long as I live,

and in your name I will lift up my hands."

Psalm 63:3,4

Welcome to Colorful Colorado

 If you have been reading my blog for awhile, you probably know that I grew up in the beautiful state of Colorado. I try to visit at least once every year. The photo below was taken within an a hour's drive of my childhood home.

With that soft spot in my heart, it was not difficult for me to say yes to Katie when she asked if I would test her new pattern called, "Welcome to Colorful Colorado".

The 66" x 81" quilt would look great as a wall hanging or even on a twin bed. It can be viewed vertically, as if you are standing looking at a sunset behind the mountain range or horizontally, where it represents the plains, mountains, and mesas of the state of Colorado.

 Because of the many pieces and the angles that need to be cut to make the design, the pattern is best suited to intermediate or advanced quilters. With accurate seam allowances and good labeling of the pieces, this makes for a fun project, though, once the cutting is finished. It's like putting together a puzzle!

 Welcome to Colorful Colorado is available for download on Craftsy. You can find it here.

 The cutting is straightforward and easily achieved by following the clear directions. Katie has included tips for sewing everything together successfully as well as some quilting ideas that can be achieved on your home sewing machine. (I haven't gotten to that quilting part yet, as you can see.)

 The quilt really is like a piece of art and I'm looking forward to seeing mine hung on a wall! If you love working with solid fabrics, this might just be an idea for your next project. I used Kona but Katie's version is lovely using Oakshot Cottons.

Sunday Morning

"The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,

in those who hope in His steadfast love."

Psalm 147:11 ESV

Autumn Fun

A beautiful sunny day, after several rainy ones, brought many visitors to the local Arboratum where the Blue Valley Quilters Guild hung their colorful quilts today. Traditional and modern designs draped side by side added extra delight  to the already gorgeous surroundings. 

 Tickets were being sold for this colorful batik quilt.

 As a member of this prolific guild, I had the pleasure of participating in a "Bed Turning", displaying and talking about a dozen of my scrappy quilts. That was fun!

 Something else that was fun: Watching my first Greek Olympics! Here's my favorite Olympian....

 I believe that the gladiator horse race may have been her best event!

Hope you are enjoying a fun weekend, as well!

Sunday Morning

"...my dear, dear friends,

 stand your ground.

And don't hold back.

Throw yourselves into the work of the Master,

confident that nothing you do for Him

is a waste of time or effort."

1 Corinthians 15:58 The Message

Royals Baseball and Other Random Stuff

Unless you live in Kansas City, you may not realize that The KC Royals baseball team has waited 29 long years for our turn to be in the playoffs. It's been a wild week for sports fans here in KC. I'm even dressing the part of a fan today! Let's Go Royals!

In between sports TV, I've been sewing a little. Here's the Union Jack that Mary asked us to make for her Mid-Century Modern Bee block this month. The tutorial is found on the Molli Sparkles blog. 

In case you've wondered, I've gotten out my own MCM blocks and started working on them again adding an 18 inch churn dash and three 12 inch ones to the mountain of six inch blocks. I'm hoping to start putting them all together this weekend.

Linda is part of the Mid-Century Modern Bee as well. She and I had fun meeting up last week at one of Kansas City's newest quilt shops, Modern Maker. We piled up our purchases and took a photo. It will be a favorite shopping spot from now on!

Another special friend, Irene, celebrated her 102nd birthday last week. Irene was my mother-in-law's best friend and a lovely lady. My sister-in-law, Kay, and I had such a sweet time visiting with her in her home. Isn't she darling... I want to be like her when I grow up!

Last month, my husband and I vacationed in northern California. We ran across this great idea in a tiny costal town. I love it!

We stopped for a burger in this fun pub. Do you wonder, as we did, how they get all those bills onto the ceiling? 

That's one way of hanging on to your money!