Good morning and thank you, Nina Sue! The Mr. opened his gifts and seemed to like both the wall quilt and the shirt.

We've had a big storm cell moving through the area for the past couple of days... lots of rain. But today the weather is much, much cooler! What a blessing!

Happy Saturday to all....

Thank you, Jeanie!

Love the wall hanging SBG..

I worked all day today and played with a bunch of 2.5" candies.. sold a little Singer machine...stopped at Shoprite on the way home to pick up some ice cream and they lost power for about an hour and could not buy any ice cream or anything cold for that matter..Transformers were exploding all over..Thank God our street was very quiet..

93* at 9 in the evening..Yuk...

Tired of the hot weather. I don't feel like doing anything... It's nice to be at work where it's air conditioned, but at home we don't have an air conditioner. We just sit and watch a video and drip with sweat.

We are on the outskirts of the big rain cell over Louisiana. Have had a ton of rain and the temps have come down a bit. Anything is a welcome relief. Heard my sister-in-law's home in Baton Rouge has 2 feet of water in it. She is a travel nurse living in NH right now, so I hope she can get home to get her house sorted out once the flooding recedes. I'm sure there will be some bad mildew damage. Those poor folks down there. They are supposed to get rain all day Mon and Tues, too.

Today at church the sweet little old man who is always there at the door to greet me was not there. Instead there was a big bowl of candy and his picture standing next to it. He was killed in a car wreck on Thursday! He always held the door for me, gave out the programs, and gave candy to the kids that came his way. So the bowl of candy was in remembrance of him... the sweetest, kindest man you'd ever hope to know. I am so sad to learn he is gone. He made everybody smile.

Then, as I rarely fail to see wildlife on our long country road near home, a huge wild turkey tom sauntered across the road in front of me. There are always animals out there. I love to see them and leave home wondering what I will see that day.

Have a lovely Sunday!

SBG, Sounds like the little old man went home...
I can't imagine 2' of water in my house! Although the basements here do often get water in them if they aren't sealed well. Michigan used to be a lot of swamp land until the past generations moved the earth around in it. Now it's a lot of lakes, with underground water being quite near the surface.
Jeanie, cool breezes, yum! :-)

We never know when someone is not going to be there. But a shock to find our they are not among us anymore, SBG.

Givio, We had to have working A/C in Texas. And we installed it in our home we built here in North Central Missouri. But we did not grow up with A/C in our childhood homes. My DH can remember when they put electrical power in his childhood home.

Honchey, are you doing more little squares like before? Are we doing the posting of #99 on Tuesday or post on 97 & 98?

Now finish some other projects in the QR.

MrSewbizgirl is a lucky guy...did you do the bluework? It's hard to tell if it's hand stitched from the photo...

Since my neighbor passed and I have seen what she's left behind I am organizing my random pieces of stash into projects...planned a quilt in EQ to start after I get a couple of quilts quilted and bound...hope to do more planning like that and to only buy to finish a project...

AC went in years ago...MrOK spends 6-8 hours in the "sauna" and getting a good night's sleep gets him back in groove for the next day. Month of August due to calves list had 23 cows on it...4 in the last 24 hours...fresh cows add time to the milking routine as their milk is not put in the bulk tank for the first 3-5 days so they are milked after all the others are done..

Beautiful summer day with low humidity after a very humid week...AC is off and windows open...have a good night...

Growing up in Massachusetts we never had air conditioning. Just opened windows and suffered.... I remember sleeping out on the screened porch many a night in the summers. Here in Mississippi we think A/C is a MUST, but my relatives who lived down here since forever didn't have it until about the 70's or 80's.

We got more rain today and the temps actually dropped to 77! Amazing, since way further north it's so much hotter.

Jeanie, I know what you mean about being sick of the 1930's fabrics. To get variety I bought a bunch of them. At Quilt Week in Paducah you had to buy a minimum of 1 yard to get the bargains, so I have full yards of many. I'm going to make some aprons out of those and try to sell them at the Christmas craft fairs I do. Gotta do something with them.

I started on the wedding gown today... :shock: Got two layers hemmed and have the two sheerest top layers to do. Tiny narrow rolled hems on sheers... what fun! Just shoot me now. :hunf:

Yes, it's hand embroidery, although the pattern also comes as a machine embroidery disc. I'm a hand embroidery girl.

Hi Everyone, All of you have been and continue to be very busy with your sewing...I was looking thru some of the new quilting magazines in JoAnn's and saw a quilt that I could use alot of my 2.5" candies..the pattern calls for pieces that are 2.5 x 4.5 sections, so, I thought that I could sew two of the patches to make one 2.5 x 4.5 piece, sew 4 of them to make a 4.5 x 8.5 piece, sew a 2.5 x 8.5 strip to each side and you end up with a finished 8 " square.. it's easy. I have one row done already... I left it at work 'cause I'm working all day tomorrow..will take some pic's tomorrow when I get home..

I will be posting block 99 Widow on Tuesday and the thread will continue for completed quilts..I don't want to post another update thread..It will be too confusing as we already have an "update" thread..

Sewbiz, where is the photo of Mr SB's shirt? I would love to see it...

Have to turn in now ..Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to work I go..in the a.m. that is. :) H.

Alright, I'll get you a picture of the shirt.

The wedding gown is done. Hallelujah! Now we shall see if I got the length right. I sure hope so. I don't want to mess with this dress any more.

Ann, if you need ideas for 2.5" candy, check out the birthday swap. We post ideas and have had several project sew-alongs. We did the Arkansas Crossroads as a baby quilt, some candy dresdens, and are now doing a Christmas stocking. Also, I have a Pinterest board for scrap quilting that has a lot of pins for using candies:https://www.pinterest.com/bonbonevans/scraps/ scroll about halfway down.

Must feel like a relief to get the gown done!
Wow, so nice of you, QNS, to offer scraps. I'm always game for some, but just got some from you recently, so will let someone else have a turn.
Great quilt top, Jeanie. What lovely colors together. Will you keep it, or will it be a present to someone? What is the size?

I finished my Widow block and some more of the older ones today... I have decided that I am done. I have 81 blocks made, and that's enough to do a nice size quilt. If I find I need more I will go back and make some of the ones I skipped. I'm just tired of them and ready to do something else. So... I DID finish with yinz, which was my goal from the start!

Heck yes, the wedding gown is a load off my mind. Have to wait til Friday to see if the length is perfect.

I use Pinterest, and yes it is addictive....disadvantage for me is the slow internet connections I occasionally have; when I want to go see an idea, I can't view anything....best time for me is early morning....gotta dash off to work....have a great day...

Good Morning Everyone, I have just posted the final block for the 30's quiltalong...so go to it all..

I worked yesterday and it was a looong day for me..Losts of stuff going on..did several re-demos for several that forgot how to use & clean their machines..didn't get to sew that much..

The new Mystery Train ride starts on the 10th of september if anyone wants to do that..Judy creates great projects from scraps..I might join in..it's a fun ride..
I'm taking it easy today..DS is in Atlantic City for the Air Show..nice & quiet in the house..

Have a good day ladies...H.

They must (quilts) keep having babies....I've been organizing those babies into viable projects....I would've enjoyed your scraps, but just have too much already...going through my neighbor's sewing room I realize I don't want to leave that much to go through...Sew must get er done....put the last stitches on a UFO quilt top tonight, now to press, cut the two borders, sandwich and quilt...hope to get it done before weekend is over...have bookwork to do tomorrow...neighbor brought over fresh sweet corn tonight...not too excited to freeze more as freezer space is limited...going to eat some fresh corn...

They must (quilts) keep having babies....I've been organizing those babies into viable projects....I would've enjoyed your scraps, but just have too much already...going through my neighbor's sewing room I realize I don't want to leave that much to go through...Sew must get er done....put the last stitches on a UFO quilt top tonight, now to press, cut the two borders, sandwich and quilt...hope to get it done before weekend is over...have bookwork to do tomorrow...neighbor brought over fresh sweet corn tonight...not too excited to freeze more as freezer space is limited...going to eat some fresh corn...

I'd love it if someone gave me corn! Or any veggies, for that matter. We did have some of the best tomatoes of my life this summer, grown by a friend and her husband.

So, I'm going to the quilt show in Vicksburg with my quilting group tomorrow. SO excited! I'm looking forward to seeing all the fabulous quilts, but also shopping with the vendors. I'll be on the lookout for some more license plates for you, QNS. This is a chance to get them without have to drive from state to state. I'm ready to SHOP.

The big special quilt at this show is The Last Supper. Looks just like the real thing and was made by a man! They say he was there at the opening night, but I don't know if he will be there tomorrow. I'll take pictures for you all.

Quilt show was great, but I was disappointed in all the quilts that I had already seen in another local show over a year ago! Too many of them....

And would you believe not one vendor had plates!? I felt certain that the vendors who were from actual shops would have last year's plates, at least. Nope. Not one. Another disappointment. The fabric for sale wasn't anything I needed, and the prices were high, so I didn't buy one thing at the show. BUT, we stopped at the big quilt shop near the show and they had a 25% discount show special going on! I bought some pretty batiks and small prints. I'm happy.

Honchey, here is a Gypsy's Wife quilt for you to look at:

(sideways, sorry...)
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Here are photos of the amazing Last Supper quilt and the man who created it.

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Simply amazing, SBG...Is the quilt made of just squares or a combination of squares and rectangles? Sorry for the disappointing show as you were so looking forward to it...

Ellis was over today...started on her word quilt...fabrics starched and pressed...basic strips cut...we also made her design to scale. We decided on a 40 x48 quilt...she's such a shortie, and she wants it to cover herself...the width allows her to use just one length of fabric...Will be fun for us to work on together...

Got first borders on a quilt top... now to get the outer one on...later...

Sorry you were disappointed, SBG, in the quilt show. The pictures you posted were great pictures that you took. I have hear of the 'Last Supper' and how it was so great to see in person.

Ok, always good to hear about your granddaughters and their sewing. I am anixous to see their results.

Honchey, I did not see patterns in the Gypsy Wife booklet, per se. Not like the FW series we have done. Maybe I should read the booklet.

Thanks for the photos of the show SBG.... I love the Gypsy Wife Quilt..I can't imagine all the time & effort put into creating the quilt.. Nina, there aren't any patterns , it's just blocks & figures and diagrams.. I was a little disappointed in the way the author wrote the pattern.. Maybe we're spoiled with all the directions,visuals & photos of the way it should be done.

Working all day tomorrow so I have to gather some stuff to bring with me..& early to bed...haven't been sleeping too well lately.. Good night all H.

I have been so busy. I have more morning chores since I don't have a house keeper here in Brady. Sigh, it looks like mine from Midland won't be able to come & clean like she & I had hoped. If she isn't able to, I will start looking for one here soon after we close on the Midland house. I also mowed the extra lots we have. There wasn't really any grass nor normal growth. Just mesquite. I did enjoy bouncing around on the riding mower. http://www.quiltinghaven.com/Smileys/default/smiley.gif

It has been cooler here for the past week but no rain here on the peninsula. It rained in town (east of us) & on the west end of the lake, but nary a drop here. At least it is cooler!

OK, the Last Supper quilt is made from all 1" squares... some specially dyed. He showed me a swatch of his 1" squares sewn together... wow. The finished squares are 1/2" and have as much on the back (in seam allowance) as on the front. He took the picture from an art book of DaVinci's Last Supper and blew it up into pixels. Then he gridded it off and built it square by square matching the colors to his pixelated grid. Someone hand dyed his muslin for the backing and it is beautiful... same dye job as the shirt he is wearing. And a famous quilter did the quilting. He had no idea how how big it was going to be when he started it. And it took 2.5 years for his part. The quilt has been done for about 16 years now, and they travel with it wherever they are invited. The couple is from Texas. The wife is a quilter but the husband made this! And it's only his second quilt. (Don't know how many he's made since it.) They travel a lot and have wonderful stories to tell.

Hope you sleep better, Honchey. I stared at the Gypsy's Wife quilt for a long time thinking "this quilt was SO much work!" Then I realized it was a GW when I noticed the long pieces coming down.

There were lots of sampler quilts there and one Farmer's Wife. Not 30's, just the first FW, I think. You tell me:

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It was QUITE impressive to stand in front of this beautiful quilt.

OK, -- "going through my neighbor's sewing room I realize I don't want to leave that much to go through" I think of that quite a bit... I pray I have things under control before I go... I hope to be blessed that way.

Bev, It's been so hot here this summer that I've mowed the grass only one time! It didn't grow, it just turned brown.

I haven't seen the Last Supper quilt before. I'm not really keen on the pixel quilts. They certainly are a lot of work, but don't have the unique, creative feel that a lot of quilts have. Even using an old pattern (or something like FWS) you put your own unique spin on it because of using your own choice of fabrics.

Lots of greens. Nice color scheme. When the fabrics are different, it's sometimes hard to tell which book it is.

I like his shirt. But I don't think I would have used white buttons...

Thanks for the info, Bonnie...Yes looks like the first FWS...need to finish both this one and the PC....:shock:

givio, I so agree....a guild member who just turned 88 has decided to downsize...her sight is limiting her sewing...I applaud her realistic approach.

I'm so tired of mowing...usually this time a year its about every 10 days...now it's about every 5 and you leave clumps even then...rained again this after noon...just can't keep track of how often we get rain...

Finished the quilt top...now going to glue baste it...using a wide flannel backing so will be cozy...

Rest easy...have bath water drawing for a good soak in the whirlpool....

That's funny... One of the first things he told us about his shirt was that it was a cotton shirt but had obviously been sewn with polyester thread. Neither the thread or buttons took any dye... only the shirt fabric. The stitching on the shirt stands out white and matches the buttons!

He's a really sweet and humble man. He loves telling you about his quilt and showing you the back side where all the great quilting really shows. There are all kinds of things quilted into that quilt. Fingernails, fish, goblets, many things you would never find looking at the front.

Oh! That's interesting. Someone just dyed a store-bought shirt? I imagined it was the fabric that was dyed when you mentioned it was the same dye job, muslin left-over from the back and someone used that to sew the shirt.

Muslin is not what it was in my hay days. Much more cheaply produced today with loosely woven thread and a higher price tag. Very thin cloth, in my opinion. I have known people who have bought clothes and then used dye to get the color they desired in weddings, etc,. Did not work too well with dh kilt's and underwear!:o

I will try to take a picture of the first Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt that hangs on my Great Room Wall, SBG, so you can see it. Maybe some of the others can find their pictures of their finished FWSQ, too. The LA cannot do my PC quilt until in September, and I am not sure I will have that many $$$ saved up then, so it might be later that I get it back in my hands.

No scraps packages will be mailed until after the first of the month to anyone. We have really cut back this last month, and need to do more of that until after December taxes in Mo. Last eleven years its really killed all thoughts of celebrating Christmas with the joys and gifts we used to do when we were working. Unlike the government, we cannot operate a household in the red and borrowed monies. So we will do what we have to do and smile because we have good health and food on our table. We are blessed ten fold....just not in the root of all evil: money. Not complaining, just the facts of life. As DGM said, " Marry first for love; second time for money!" Not sure I will ever what to marry again if I am widowed. . . but hope dh marries again if I go first. One day at a time. Enjoy today, it will not come by again.

Thanks for sharing, Jeanie...each a beauty in its own right...


Right now we have some really nice muslin in at the shop...can't remember the manufacturer, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it in a quilt...Will check out brand name tomorrow as I work...Saturday ship closes at 3:00 so a short day..

WOW. :shock: Those two are so gorgeous, Jeanie! Every block is perfect. Love the color schemes, too. You must have had fabric collections selected at the start and only worked from those. They are beautiful.

I would love to see everybody's!

I have some great news... I can breathe!! I went to do my little bride's second fitting and the dress fit perfectly, length was perfect, everyone is happy and all's right with the world! I am so relieved that I don't have to take that dress home again and do more work on it. Oh happy day. Wedding gowns are good money, but they do put you through the wringer. (Maybe that's what the money is for!)

Tomorrow is quilt group. Gotta try to get a quilt quilted tonight, and bound.

Oh, I have some lovely muslin. All the white in my flower basket embroidery quilt is that muslin. It feels like soft sheets. You can get quite a variety of quality in muslins these days... and some are as expensive as regular quilting cottons.