Friday Evening at Thimbles

Pat Wys is the heart of Silver Thimble Quilt Club.

This is not her quilt (though I'm sure she would run off with it if there were not so many witnesses in the room); we let her hold it because her shirt matched.  Pat's book, a Martingale publication, will be out soon.   Can't wait! Can't wait!  I feel like a kid with "are we there yet" anticipation.


Even though I got to Thimbles really late in evening, I got to see some amazing work by the other women.  Karin (Life in the Slow Lane) has been working on a quilt using Lilac Hill (Brannock & Patek).  I was blown away by how beautiful it is.  When he saw the picture my husband loved the quilt.  And I have to tell you, quilts are not his thing (tragic but true!). I can't wait for Mom to see it.  I'll call her as soon as I get this posted.

See? See what I mean?  Gorgeous.

I hate to post a picture when I don't have information to credit the quilt-maker, but I love the neutral colors in this pine tree quilt. The background fabric is delicious.

And this is one of Sarah's (previously wrongly credited-I am so sorry) works in progress.  Obviously she does amazing paper piecing! The pattern is by Karen K. Stone

Mom and I had just finished piecing another Stone pattern called "Rattlesnake."

I think it is time I participate in a Silver Thimble project.  This one (below), using that "Twister" tool or technique (what ever; it is "need to know" for me; I'll know when I need to know).

I may not do batiks.  The group is going to exchange fabrics, and I signed up for the traditional group.  If I find I have more batiks in my stash than I thought, I may add batik to my cutting task list.  The exchange calls for 40 ten inch squares (like a layer cake).

For today I have 3 more hexagons to sew together for my One Block Wonder (makes 110), so I may just start sewing strips together.  Who knows? 

Daughters Who Don't Listen

I was talking to someone (Marie?) in Alabama who didn't know what gooseberries were and could not believe a BERRY could be green.  Here they are:

Dad and I collaborated on dinner the first night.  He made the grilled portobello mushrooms and I made boiled beets, beet greens with red onion and cabbage soup served over rice.

I was so excited about Mom and Jan's new line of fabric:

 Remembrance

(part of the line shown)

I unrolled a jelly roll and started slicing.  Mom was trying to slow me down to get an idea what I wanted to do with it, but I WAS NOT LISTENING.  I just wanted to sew and make something.  I kept saying to myself "don't think.  SEW!"  Well, darn.  Thinking is not so overrated as I thought.  And design walls serve a really good purpose.  I don't like what I did with the beautiful fabric, and now I am going to "frog stitch" it (you know: rip-it, rip-it).  Only I will do so CAREFULLY so I can redo a more pleasing design which I will preview and THINK about before stitching together.  

Mom tried to rescue my efforts with borders and rick rack.

Ugh.

Mom mentioned when she doesn't like what she is working on, she folds it up and puts it away.  I figure maybe it is time to LISTEN.  Maybe she knows something about quilting?

We had visitors yesterday.  Debbie and Jackie (lovely lady who makes the wonderful placemats seen here) came over and brought their little baby Lily.

And Lily met Tasha.

Mom, Jackie and Debbie

They have been friends with mom for about 40 years.

I put away my "not listening; sewing" fiasco and went back to the Karen Stone's "Rattlesnake" quilt we have been working on together.  Previously I was attaching the outside of the melons to melons mother had already paper pieced, but now, with paper piecing skills from my mariner's compass class with Brenda Henning, I was able to piece the additional melon sections we need.  I have three more to do.

But that will wait.  Today we are driving to Warsaw, Missouri to see Grandpa Stockton.

The Fun Stuff

Mom had these blocks already paper pieced. She had taken this "Rattlesnake" (for Karen K. Stone's pattern, click the link) class some years ago and had the unfinished work stored away. It is what we work on when I get to visit. I love the beautiful Robin Pandolf fabric Mom chose to use. I stitched the crescents onto the "melons" then spent a lot of time pulling out paper.