Machine Quilting Doodles

I had a busy weekend and last few days so didn't get a chance to update my blog until now. The group of hunters that always come from Cincinnati were here for the opening of pheasant season from Friday through Tuesday. They don't stay at our house but we did go out to eat with them all the nights they were here except the last night and that night they cooked for the whole gang at our house. I had to get the tables set up but they did all the cooking of the steak dinner and all the clean up too. They do that every year and is always a treat!

Our local guild had one of our members that does a lot of machine quilting give a workshop on machine quilting Saturday. It was a fun day and I learned a few things too. The swatches are what I did in class and after I got home when ever I have had a few minutes. I really like to doodle quality of doing this.

I just got two new machine quilting books this week from Amazon.com and tried some of the techniques and quilting patterns from them on my swatches too. I just purchased Machine Quilting Solutions by Christine Maraccini and Mastering the Art of McTavishing by Karen McTavish and are both good books. The McTavishing one has a DVD included and that is nice as I can watch Karen actually quilt her designs instead of just reading about them. It is very helpful for me as I can see exactly what she is doing and how she stitches.

My most recent quilting goal is to get comfortable with machine quilting and improve my skills as well. I love the look of machine quilting that is well done and I just don't have those skills yet but I am determined!

I did try different threads on Saturday so marked the type of thread near each type. As you can see I need lots of practice.

John is back to harvesting corn but I have not been needed the last few days to run the grain cart since we have an extra guy helping now. John is so pleased with the bu/acre he is getting this year. Much better than any recent years harvest. It is good that there are more bu. to sell but it also means more bu. to store. We will be having to haul more into the local elevator this year as our bins won't hold it all and I am guessing everyone else will be too. This means long lines and long waits for the trucks to unload and that is never fun.

We did get a hard freeze several days in a row so all the flowers are gone now as are the tomato plants, etc. I always hate to have the flowers die for the year as the colorful flowers are always so pretty.

Need to get back to practicing.......

Lynn

Value Study

Weather Report - today it is NOT raining and the sun is peeking out!!! Now for the fields to dry out so we can get back to combining the corn. We missed the snow that came down west of us thank goodness, but did get over 2" of rain so the soil is supersaturated now. Our daughter reported it was a real mess on their county roads with the 3" of snow on top of very wet, rain soaked roads.

I have been steadily working on the first of my tessellated leaf quilts. Have all the (3/4" finished) blocks stitched for the first one and have them pinned to my flannel board. (Paper does not stick to flannel- ha, ha!) Anyway - what a disappointment. The values are too close on some of the fabrics and the design disappears. I thought I had a good value distribution but guess it was just color. I neglected to check it out with the green and red plastic value finders I have before I started stitching. Took a black and white photo this morning and you can really see what I mean by a mushy mess!

Since these are PP blocks I am not ripping them all out to get it right, but will go ahead and stitch them together like I planned. My new plan is this....the second quilt will be the better one and this will be a good example of what Not to do. Works for me if I can get the next one to turn out good. Was thinking of names and thought maybe the bad example should be called "Autumn Leaves - After a Rainstorm in the Gutter" and the good one "Autumn Leaves - Before the Fall". Another idea for a combined name might be "The Good, The Bad and the Ugly!"

This next black and white photo is of the second quilt strips pinned to the flannel board. I have used the green and red value plastic things plus taken black and white photos on my digital camera to make sure each set of 2 fabrics contrast with each other. The camera thing works better than the green and red value plastic. What do you think of this arrangement? Let me know if you see a problem somewhere - please.

Had a nice time yesterday after lunch with two quilty friends. I had John cut some smaller OSD boards and round the corners for me and we made pressing boards like Sharon Schamber shows in her free video. The boards are 16' x 20" and a nice size to sit beside the sewing machine and also if you have to take a board to a workshop sometime. I figured up the cost and the materials for each only came to $4 or a little more. Pretty cheap for a nice pressing board.

You know I told you I was cleaning house for some company this weekend in a post or two before this. Anyway, yesterday morning I was running my vacuum and it started making the most horrible noise. Shut it off and unplugged it and took the hose off. What a disaster - half of the blades just inside were completely gone and the other half were damaged. Know I didn't pick up something that broke them - just old age I think. I was thinking I only had the machine for 12 years or so but when I found the information about this Kirby in my files we have had it for 20 years. Wow that is a long time.

I decided I didn't want to get another Kirby brand of vac. even though they are really good because they are so awfully expensive - over $1300 now. John I made a trip to Grand Island last evening (1 1/2 hrs. away) to get a new vac. so I could finish getting everything cleaned up before the weekend. I had looked on line and found some reviews and so took the recommendation and got a Sears Kenmore. Sure hope it works good but probably won't last 20 years like the last vac. I had. Here is the new machine ready to go to work. I wonder...do you suppose I could get an add-on for this machine that would include a person to run it besides me?

John thought it was interesting that I am willing to pay top dollar for a sewing machine but not a vacuum. I said I sure know where my priorities are and they don't include cleaning!

Lynn

A Clean House

A friend sent me this in an email and I got a good chuckle out of it so am sharing it with you. It could also say "A Clean House Is A Sign of a Broken Sewing Machine" or the traditional saying "A Clean House is A Sign of A Waisted Life." In my case today it should say "A Clean House Is A Sign Of Company Coming."

Today I am cleaning house not because my computer or sewing machine are broken, but because we are having company this weekend. John and I are not super neat but not slobs either. Things do get to be a mess once in a while and I have to stop and tidy up occasionally. The house looks good now except I do need to vacuum the floors and dust the furniture yet, but I got all the laundry caught up and all the bits and pieces put in their proper places today.

We have 5 guys from the Cincinnati, Ohio area come to hunt on opening pheasant hunting season each year. They stay at a nearby motel but John and a few other locals show them around, etc. On Sunday each year they cook for all of the guys and their families and I have volunteered our house for the last 3 years. They buy the steaks and all the other food and do all the cooking and cleaning up. They don't let me do a thing in my own kitchen except to tell them where things are located. I love it!

Back to the last of the cleaning for today.....

Lynn

Tools for Constructing Miniature Quilts

Today I decided to show you the tools I use to successfully make foundation pieced or paper pieced miniature quilts. I have been piecing miniature quilts since the mid 80s and have picked up a few tricks and tips along the way that I will pass on to you.

One of the newer gadgets I use is the Add-An-Eighth ruler. This photo of the side view shows that it has an extra piece of plastic along one edge that is thicker than the ruler. This raised plastic is 1/8" wide. I use it to trim down the fabrics prior to sewing to make it easier to place the next fabric and keep my seam allowance 1/8" wide. This ruler is invaluable to me and if I broke it or lost it I would have to get another one immediately. This company also makes Add-A-Quarter rulers to use with larger blocks where you want to have 1/4" seams.

This next item is something I made to use with the above ruler. It is a piece of card stock that I have folded one edge up about 1/2". The turned up edge is just a handle to hold onto and to allow me to move the card into place. This card is about 4" x 6" and the flat edge is placed on the seam to be stitched and then the paper should be folded over the card. The Add-An-Eighth ruler is snugged up against the card and the excess fabric is trimmed off leaving a perfect 1/8" seam allowance

Also needed for cutting is a rotary cutter and mat. At one time I thought I should get the really tiny 18 mm cutter to use with my miniatures. Good idea but it won't touch the mat when used with the Add-An-Eighth ruler so it just sits in my drawer.

I purchase kids glue sticks and keep them in my refrigerator until I need them then put them back when I am not working or if they get a little sticky and then I exchange them for a cold one. You can extend the life of the glue sticks this way and don't have to toss the ones that get too sticky. I glue the first fabric down to the paper with the glue stick and glue after each seam I stitch. The just stitched fabric is folded out, seam creased then I use a tiny bit of glue to help it stay in place. This keeps the fabric from rolling back and getting tucks, plus makes piecing the really tiny miniatures so much easier. I sometimes even use a tiny bit of this glue to hold the fabric in place before it is stitched in the seam, especially if I just can't hold the pieces together and get it under the presser foot without slipping. I have used a number of brands and they all work fine. The funny thing about the glue sticks is that on the front they say "permanent" but in reading the directions on the package or on the side of the glue sticks they always say "washes out with water" so I don't worry about the glue being a problem.

Using something pointy like a seam ripper or stiletto works to hold the tiny pieces as you machine stitch them. Sometimes our fingers are just too big for those little pieces of fabric.

After each seam is stitched it needs to be creased as if pressed. I don't use an iron as the paper can curl and then it is a bigger problem to stitch the next seam. I use different things to accomplish this creasing. I mostly use what is called a "wooden iron" which is a piece of wood with an angled end on it. I have also used a Hera marker, plastic pot scrubber, plastic credit card and even my thumb nail. You just want to remember to crease the fabric not just to pat it as it won't stay for you without a good crease.

My new Bernina 730 has some feet that would work for sewing miniatures but I still choose to use the #20 foot from my old machine as it will fit the 730. This is a machine embroidery foot has an opening that is only 5 mm. I found after getting the new machine that the corresponding foot for the new machine had way too big an opening for my tiny miniatures. Some blocks I have pieced in the past are only 1/2" to 1" square and the new wider foot just didn't hold everything down. I like the fact that this foot is open in the front and I can see exactly where I am stitching and can keep my line of stitching right on the line of my paper piecing pattern.

I select and use either #60 or #70 sharp needles and a fine two ply thread to machine stitch my paper pieced miniatures. I prefer using DMC cotton embroidery thread most of the time. If you think about how short the seams are on a 1" block you can imagine that you need to set the stitch length to take a much, much shorter stitch than you would when stitching large blocks as some seams may only be 1/4' long. With the shorter stitch you need less bulk with thread so that is why I choose 2 ply thread.

The last tool that I use no matter what I am sewing is my little curved bladed scissors. They are about 3 1/2" long and are made by Havel's and I like the fact that I can reach behind the needle and foot on something I have just stitched and clip the threads, plus these scissors come in handy for clipping threads on larger blocks too. When stitching small PP blocks I clip all loose threads as soon as I am done stitching them otherwise I can have a tangled mess on the back of the block real quickly. If you look back to the blog where I showed how to rip a fabric off of a miniature block when it is stitched incorrectly I am using these scissors too as they have very narrow, sharp points.

I can't think of anything more that I use for paper piecing miniatures right now. I pretty much follow the same technique for paper piecing that they show on the tutorial on the Add-A-Quarter website with a few exceptions. I don't press with an iron and I glue the just stitched fabric down after each new seam is stitched on the blocks. The explanation of joining the blocks is good on this tutorial too. I do trim my tiny block seams down to 1/8" after stitching them at 1/4", but make sure everything is OK before I cut them down. I press the seams between the blocks open after stitching them together too - it's all about reducing bulk in the miniature. Too bad there aren't some quick fixes to reduce the bulk on my body now!!!

Happy Stitching,

Lynn

Busy Days With Little Stitching Done

Good morning! The sun is shining but it didn't get as cold last night as the night before. We had our first frost yesterday morning but it wasn't enough to kill my tomatoes or the flowers so will get to enjoy them a little while longer.

I've been busy since I last blogged on Saturday. We had our grandson's birthday party to attend, and of course play with all 4 of our grandkids on Sunday. Monday I headed to Lincoln to take my 2nd and 3rd Mastery class for my Bernina. Had one of my sisters and husband visit for a few days and my quilt guild meeting last night....Whew today is nice and quiet and no place to go!

While on the drive up to Lincoln on Monday I found out my sister and her husband were on their way to our house in their moter home for a few days. They had intended to drive to Fort Robinson in north west Nebraska and do some camping and fishing but with the weather as cold as it was predicted and the constant rain they decided to come visit us instead. John entertained them on Monday since I didn't get home from Lincoln until 11:00 pm.

Jeannine and I did have fun on Tuesday. We made her a large pressing board that she wants to sit on top of her regular ironing board, plus talked quilts most of the day. The guys did a little tinkering in the shop but mostly watched it rain and rain and rain! We got 2" out of the four day storm so we won't be harvesting for a while. (Good news the drying bin is fixed and ready to go now though.)

Back to the Mastery Classes for my new machine. The gal that is teaching them is sure doing a nice job. I have learned a lot of new techniques on this machine, more than I ever did on the old one. Some of the things I have learned I could have done on my 150 Bernina too. The teacher is using the Mastering your Bernina/bernette Sewing Machine Workbook that I found a link to on line in case some one else wants to download it.

The Bernina Sewing Center offered classes #2 in the afternoon and #3 in the evening so decided to sign up for both since I don't know if I would be available to drive to Lincoln when the #3 class is offered in the afternoon, my preferred time. Normally I don't like to drive home from Lincoln so late but didn't have any problems as the rain had let up and I had pumped myself full of caffeine with a Diet Pepsi at 6:00 pm.

We had a nice attendance at quilt guild last night. Not much business to discuss so went right to the program. We all made little pin cushions like the one I showed in an earlier post. The gal doing the program got the napkin rings, some wool to stuff it with plus brought several fabrics. Everyone had a good time making the tiny pin cushion I think.

This is how far I am on the mini tessellated leaf quilt I am making. Got a few more blocks finished but still have 8 more for this quilt besides the partly finished block. Am wondering if I really want to make two quilts....hmmm. Stitching one block at a time to keep all the fabrics in the right positions sure makes it take longer. Just hope it all has a good enough contrast to make the blocks show up after they are joined. They look a little too close right now so maybe I should sew some together and see how they look before I go on. The blocks each have 1/4" seam allowances so will look quite a bit different when sewn together to make the 3/4" blocks.

Happy Sewing,
Lynn

Plant Digging Hands

I got all the geraniums and gerbera daisies dug yesterday and brought into the garage to over winter. I have several pots of each plus decided to see if I could save my lantana and the African daisy so dug them up and potted them as well. It was quite a job and although I wore gloves my hands got pretty grimy. I just want everyone that looks at the previous post to know that my nails don't always look this bad. Didn't even think about looking at my hands when I posted the photos as I was more interested in the step by step directions and how the photos showed what I wanted to show. Boy, my hands and nails look awful - YUCK! They are pretty stained looking in the pictures.

Guess I will need a hand model from now on. It sure won't be my husband as his hands and nails look worse than mine with all the fixing he does around the farm. The only time his hands are soft and nails look good is after we have been on vacation for about a week.

Now that I have told you all about the nails I am sure you will all go back and look at the pictures to really see how gross they are now that I have pointed them out!

Back to stitching more of those leaf blocks for me now then maybe another good fingernail scrubbing and maybe some red nail polish to hide the stains!

Lynn

Ripping Paper Pieced Seams

Thought today I would show and explain how I rip when I have made a mistake in my paper piecing. The example really happened to me today so decided to take step by step photos as I was doing it. The mistake I make the most is stitching a wrong side of a fabric to a right side of a fabric. You don't have to toss the block and start over just because it is on paper but you can take the offending fabric off and preserve the paper without it tearing.

Step one - lay the paper side down on the table and lift the top fabric so you can see the stitches between the two fabrics.

Step two - start clipping those threads very carefully with a sharp pointed pair of scissors all the while pulling gently back on the top fabric to reveal more stitches as you clip.

Step three - You need to remove the thread that is still in the two fabrics and picking it out by hand takes a long time. What I do is use a piece of Masking Tape or Painter's Tape and lay it on the threads, press it down only on the threads then remove it. The threads will stick to the masking tape not to the fabric and pull right out. Do the same thing on the paper side of the block to remove any small threads too.

This example shows the threads removed and no torn paper only holes where the needle pierced the paper when it was stitched that first time.

Step four - Place your fabric back in the correct position and insert in the machine. To start stitching you need to line up your needle exactly in one hole that was made the time before. Most machines will take exactly the same size stitches so this row of stitching should follow the same holes from start to finish and not rip the paper.

This example shows what the re-stitched seam looks like - no ripped paper.

Now wasn't that cool! When I discovered this way of ripping it has made paper piecing much more enjoyable. This section of the block I was working on today only had two pieces of fabric but some blocks have many pieces and starting over on those kind of blocks is not fun.

Lynn

New Mini Quilt

The new flannel board is coming in really handy already. I started two new quilts yesterday and have the strips of fabric arranged in order for the almost identical quilts. These quilts are being made for a set of bunked doll beds I have had for a few years. Have pinned the pattern and the two blocks I have finished to the board as paper will not stick to the flannel but the insulation board and the foam backing on the headliner cloth makes it easy to pin.

I used EQ6 to design the quilt - see photo below. That is the plan to start with anyway. The colors on the printout from EQ6 are only an estimation to just give me an idea of what they will look like together. I don't worry about matching the exact fabric just use color to get an approximation. The second quilt will be pieced the same with the tessellated leaves but will have the fabrics in a different order.

I can only piece one block at a time to make sure to get the right colors in the right places. These blocks will finish .75" so am working with tiny pieces. It is slow going but that is OK. I may think differently when I get to the second quilt though - there are 40 blocks total in the quilts.

Will probably piece the background blue border in larger strips with the half square triangles but this is the only way I know how to do it when designing on EQ to make it come out looking right.

Might not get too much done on the piecing today as I think I had better bite the bullet and get outside and dig up the plants I want to over winter in the house. It is supposed to get pretty cold tonight and would hate to loose them. Saves money in the spring besides the plants are bigger to start out the spring.

Just spell checked this blog - thank goodness we have that option as there were plenty of errors. My spelling and typing can be bad at times! I try to re-read every blog to make sure it makes sense but can still miss some spelling errors.

One of my grandsons birthday is today - he is 6 and so excited for the birthday party for his friends on Saturday and his family on Sunday. Always fun to see the faces of our grandkids when they open birthday gifts and when we sing Happy Birthday to them. Can't wait to see all 4 of our grandkids on Sunday, it is always a fun time. We also want to see our daughters and husbands too, didn't mean to leave them out.

Lynn

Quilts in the Mail

I got the most wonderful package in the mail yesterday! It was from my quilt friend across the ocean in Romania. Her name is Georgeta Grama and she does wonderful shadow trapunto quilting. Visit her website to see more of her work. http://www.romanianquiltstudio.com/english/index.htm

Back to the package....Geta sent me two beautiful pieces of her work. One is a 6" square with the most delicate design and they other is a rose on a postcard. Both just take my breath away. I don't see how she does the intricate cutting to achieve her designs.

She prints her designs on paper then layers them between batting and organza. After stitching the design through the paper she removes it and cuts the excess batting away from the design. Lastly she layers it on a pretty fabric, batting and backing and machine quilts it. All I can say is "Wow" when I look at them and thank her so much.

Besides the quilts she sent 3 of her patterns printed out on paper plus some great clippers and a yard of organza. It is a lot stiffer organza than I have seen here in the fabric shops I have been to and am anxious to try her technique.

Geta was invited to have two of her pieces in Houston for the International Quilt Market and Festival and had one more accepted in the contest so if you will be there please look for them.

John has to be gone for the day to a meeting so I have a whole day with no interruptions. Want to get to sewing right away to take advantage of the quiet.

Happy sewing.

Lynn

Flannel Board & Pressing Board

Today my sewing room looks a little different. I have a new flannel board and a new large pressing board. Have had the supplies for a while but couldn't do it all myself and needed John to help me a little.

I had one of those Block Butler design wall systems but after a while it wouldn't stick to the wall and would not hold anything without pins. I rinsed it with water like the instructions to clean it but it just got worse. I had nothing behind it so all the pins were going into the wall and I sure didn't like that.

For those that don't know what a Block Butler design wall is, this is what I know. It looks like a flat batting but is tacky on both sides. One side is suppose to stick to walls, etc. and not fall down. To be fair, it did work great in the beginning. The front side is also tacky and it was to hold the fabric and blocks like design walls are supposed to. It held fabrics really well at first but always did have problems with holding blocks that were sewn.

I just got tired of messing with it so got a piece of rigid foam insulation and taped my fabric over the back with duct tape. I chose headliner fabric because I read it works better than flannel and besides I could not find any wide flannel and found this at a JoAnn's store. (Headliner fabric is used on the ceilings of cars.) This fabric has a napped front and about a 1/4 foam backing. Will let you know if I have problems with it.

I just pulled it tight as I was taping it - John helped me by cutting the 6" pieces of tape and having them ready for me to grab. We got it on the wall and he attached it with dry wall screws. We used 6 screws across the top and bottom and 7 along each side. So far things are really clinging to it. I have it about 3 feet behind my sewing machine so I can just turn around and place things or take things off when I am sewing.

The second project he helped me work on was to make a large pressing board. I followed Sharon Schamber's directions in the free video on her website and it worked great. Check out her other free videos while you are there too. http://www.sharonschambernetwork.com/free_area/free.html

I was worried after I got the fabric all stapled on that it was too loose but then Sharon's instructions say to spray it until wet and it was like magic the wrinkles disappeared and it tightened up around the board. You have to use unwashed canvas for it to shrink so that is something to remember especially if you always wash your fabrics when you bring them home - DON'T WASH THE CANVAS!!

This large pressing board sits on the top of the old kitchen island cupboard that we moved into the sewing room.

To keep it from slipping and sliding off the cupboard I had John put some 2"x2" pieces of wood along the sides.

As you can see from this photo of the backside the boards don't come all the way to the corners - they really don't need to. We set the boards in about 1/4" from the edge of the cupboard top so it would be easy to put on and take off but would still keep the board from getting dragged or bumped off. John used screws to attach the side boards and I had to check each one as he was putting it in since they were almost a little too long. I could feel the tip of one so had him back off the screw a little as I didn't want it coming through the fabric on the front.

The green you see is the felt that I spray glued to the backside to cover the wood and the staples used to attach the canvas. Sprayed the felt on some newspapers laid out in the garage then quickly brought it into the house and laid it in place. Didn't want any of the over spray getting on my floors or furniture. That stuff doesn't come off very good - at least my experience with sticky floors and kitchen cupboards one other time were a mess to clean.

This board is pretty heavy so don't think I will be moving it very often. I did have John cut 3 smaller boards 16" x 20" and round the corners. A couple of friends plan to come over and we will cover them for more portable pressing surfaces.

Now I need to get something "quilty" going so I can test out my two new things.

Until later....
Lynn

Threads Across Nebraska

I spent three days in Grand Island helping at Threads Across Nebraska this last weekend. My good friend was chairman again this year and I agreed to be her helper. She could have me fill in where ever she needed help so got to sell raffle tickets, sit with one of the premiere quilters quilts while she had a break to shop and study the rest of the quilts on exhibit. I also got to work at the front desk but high finances are not my thing! I took photos of all the quilts, details of a few plus overviews of the display area from above.

The event is held at a indoor stadium so it is great to take photos of the whole show from above. There were 30 something vendors situated in the center and quilts were displayed around the outside and one display hanging on the pipe and drapes behind the vendors booths. This photo was taken right before the show opened.

The featured quilters this year had such wonderful quilts to look at. This first one is Carol J.Falk from Nebraska City, NE. She does wonderful piecing, hand and machine quilting. I would say that most of her quilts are original designs or her own variations of traditional patterns. Carol has won numerous awards on her quilts. She is pictured with her quilt "Ocean Drift".

This is a detail photo of another of her quilts "Prairie Sky Diamonds".

The next quilter is Molly Anderson from Minden, Nebraska. Her quilts are wonderful pieces of art. She constructs the base of her quilts of hexagons then appliques, does embroidery, hand quilts and beads them. The quilts are all hand done, exquisite! She has started matting and framing some of her quilts now too. Molly is standing in front of "Pink Roses" and "Kitty on a Rug". Look for Molly's quilts in gallery showings around the country as she has done many and will probably be invited to have many more showings.

This is a detail photo of her "Pea Fowl" quilt.

Sharon Flueckinger of Kearney, Nebraska showed her wonderful hand applique and hand quilted quilts at Threads. Her work is so nicely done and very beautiful. She is standing in front of her quilt called "Circle of Flowers"

Detail of the applique on another of her quilts "2000 Millennium Grapes".

Another outstanding quilter featured this year was Sandi McMillan from Albion, NE. Sandy is a winner of many State Fair Champion ribbons as well as winning awards in national contests. She is a great teacher and has taught once at our guild but we need to have her come back again sometime. She hand and machine appliques and does the most wonderful machine quilting on a domestic machine. Quilts pictured here with Sandy are "Webster Garden" (the blue one) and "Sandhills Pride" that is a quilt that features cattle brands from her family and others.

Detail of "Folkart Sundae"

Paulette Peters of Elkhorn, Nebraska is next in line here. A lot of the quilts she exhibited at this show were pieced wallhangings - all her original designs. Paulette does wonderful applique and hand quilting as well as pieced and machine quilted quilts. She also has won numerous ribbons at the State Fair and has exhibited nationally. On the left in the photo is her quilt "Colorado Aspens" and on the right is "North Window".

The detail is of Paulette's quilt "White Poinsettias"

Another featured quilter this year was Stella Schaffert of Marquette, Nebraska. Stella does a variety of styles and types of quilts. She wins awards at the fairs and has taught quilting classes around the state. On the left is Stella's quilt "Country Memories" and on the right is "Starry Path".

Detail of thread painting in Stella's quilt "Nebraska the Good Life: Wild Flowers, Wild Life and Goldenrod".

Mary Sue Suit of Sydney, Nebraska was unable to attend the show but we are so glad her quilts made it. She does a variety of quilts and has hand and machine quilted them. She has won awards on her quilts many times. The one pictured below is "Star Bright".

This is a detail of Mary's quilt "Lazy Daisy".

Since it is a rainy day today we are not harvesting so John is playing catch up with other things and I get to spend the day in my sewing room. YeeHa!

Lynn