Two Fnishes, Finally

Michelangelo said,

 "Every block of stone has a statue inside it

 

Rome, 2007

and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it"

Awhile ago I gazed at my bag of scraps 

and thought inside that bag there is

a quilt. I just have to find it.

After some inspiration from Lori at

Humble Quilts and her quilt alongs

this is what emerged.

 "Candy Land"

22" x 26"

All those little scraps were just waiting to be sewn together to 

create this design.

I finally got it machine quilted with a diagonal star pattern 

 and then bound.

It's bright and happy.

The second quilt I finished is also

a SAL (sew along) from Humble quilts.

It's been sewn together, but waiting for

quilting inspiration.

 "Humble Abundance"

30" x 42"

It started out as one block.

Then two...

And finally six.

 I knew it wasn't finished until then.

It's machine quilted in the ditch

and I did feathers in the borders,

which don't show up,

except on the back,

but it was good to practice them anyway.

Notice the thin strip of fabric on the backing?
That's what happens when you need a yard
of fabric for the backing and
sometime in the past you've cut off a short 2 inch strip.

Humbling.

But it was the perfect fabric for the backing.

***

There's no difference in looking 

in a bag of scraps

or a pile of fat quarters or

at yardage for a potential quilt.

It's in there, you just have to discover it.

"I saw the angel in the marble and

carved until I set him free."

Michelangelo

  

Until Next Time-

Indulge

Since I've been home and
been on a completely different schedule
with different activities,
it's been a challenge to stay focused.

There's so many wonderful
quilt projects and ideas I want to
try or, at least, get back to.

Maybe my approach shouldn't
be one idea at a time,
but lots, all at one time,

 just stack them up and
start sewing and enjoy the high.

But where do you begin?
What do you put at the top of the pile?

Something old,

 

like the Roseville Album Quilt


something new,

 

like all this fun new fabric
or
something I've already started

hst for a red and white ocean wave

or
new patterns that I've been thinking about.

or
better yet,
 just waiting to see what the day brings.

But whatever I do

I'll just grab life by the tail, (or head)

 swallow big,

and smile and be happy.
(Analogy graciously given by the heron in the backyard)

Until Next Time-

I'm Where?

Have you ever found yourself driving

and suddenly thought, "How did I get here?"

Probably not a good driving technique, but

it does happen.

Last week I was playing on my Ipad and

thought what would happen if I googled myself.

What would show up?

Suddenly I found myself

in a very unexpected place.

And had to think for a moment,

"How did I get here?"

See where I ended up!

And then I found myself here!

Oh, my 

I was on Ebay.

And I was "Vintage".

How did I get there?

Here's the story.

About 4 months ago I did a major purge

throughout the entire house.

2 pickup loads to the dump

and 2 pickup loads to our local Goodwill.

I had included these two pieces.  

They were perfect, but not what I decorated with

anymore.

I was willing to send them on to a new home.

And I guess I am, in an indirect way.

***

As of yet,

no buyers.

That makes me feel sad.

***

Lesson:

You never know where you might end up.

It's a weird world out there.

Until Next time-

Off to the Antique Fair

I always look forward to a

wonderful antique fair in Denver

called,

"Old Glory"

There's always so much to see 

and plenty of temptation.

 Shabby Chic remains strong.

Everyone's booth has beautiful displays.

I could have bought all of these.

How about you?

Red chairs were everywhere.

It's a tendy color.

There weren't as many quilts as in the past,

and those that were available, had a hefty price tag.

But they're always beautiful, none the less.

I did find two treasures.

This sweet vintage kindergarten sized chair,

besides evoking school time memories,

it will be the perfect little chair for 

Sanford to stand on to be able to reach the sink

to wash his hands, brush his teeth, and 

basically play in the water.

I suppose the chair could be sanded and painted,

but look how the varnish has worn away from

so many little people sitting on it.

Or how the paint has worn away from the legs of the

chair as those same little students put their feet

under the chair and wrapped their legs around the 

metal legs.

Sometimes it's nice to leave the memories there.

The other piece was this

simple primitive wooden basket.

There's always room for another basket,

and think what it can hold.

During the summer months

it's fun to wander through an antique fair,

flea market or every a few garage sales.

You never know what treasures you'll find.
Happy treasure hunting!

Until Next Time-

A Daughter Steps In

 I've stepped away from the computer

for a few days,

and invited my daughter,

Elizabeth,

to be a guest blogger.

Hope you enjoy her thoughts.

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How do you say Happy Father’s Day to one of the key people in your life? 

I think for the three of us girls it is always hard for us to find

 enough words to express our thanks and love to our dad. 

His continuing devotion and support to us as we have grown up 

and stepped out into the world has never lagged.

Even as we have all gotten married, and have new men in our lives, 

no one can ever replace our dad. 

This is never more evident than during home improvement projects!
We love our husbands dearly, but they are still in the learning phase.

Since moving into our first home 3 years ago,
there have seemed to be an endless supply of projects ...
So who do we call?

Daddy of course!

small projects .... helping with the garden 

and big projects .… building us a new front porch

Amazing right?

We all appreciate everything he does for us from
building on our homes to building our character.
He is caring, loving, hardworking and the best father
three girls could ever ask for.

 

Many years ago

Today

Now he is imparting all of his wisdom and love to the newest generation.

 Sanford and Pa
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I know they will love and respect him as much as we do!

Happy Father’s Day, Daddy!

Until Next Time-
Elizabeth