Three more finishes!

I have more finishes! These quilts were in the pile needing the binding hand stitched. At this time of year, we seem to spend more time in front of the TV - sometimes watching grandsons play hockey on LiveBarn. It's a good time to do a little handwork.
 

Kite Flight was inspired by a Robert Kaufman pattern with the same name. The pattern uses a jelly roll of solid fabrics. My colored fabric was cut into strips from the same multicolored piece. 

I used Glide 40-wt thread to quilt this quilt with large loops and double loops. 

The back is a dark fabric with multiple colors. This 53” square quilt is now in the donation pile.

    

Colleen’s Brown Southwestern Quilt is 54” by 65” and will be donated in her memory. When I found the 5 fabrics stored together in Colleen’s stash, I decided to use them all in one quilt.  

The fabric that looks kind of pink is actually red.

I really thought a dark brown would tie them together but when I auditioned a variety of possibilities, I realized I needed something different and black seemed to be the best. 

The back is a light brown print fabric that I bought this past summer in Winchester, VA.  I quilted this with double loops using Glide 40-wt #24655 light tan thread.

I think I began Tiny Houses in July, 2022. It was one of those quilts where I worked on the blocks in between projects and as leaders and enders. 

 

It was fun going through my scraps and putting fabrics together for each house. 

This 54” by 56” donation quilt is stippled (like meandering but smaller in scale) because I wanted it more densely quilted with all the small seams. 

The back is a dark fabric with colorful rings from my stash.

November has been quite a month for finishing quilts. I began the month with a pile of quilts to be quilted that needed binding and a pile of quilts that needed to be quilted. Both of those original piles are gone! Of course, new piles are appearing…

 

My soul is fed by needle and thread

Fall Retreat

Our annual fall retreat is close to home and always the same four friends - although sometimes someone is missing and many times people have to come and go. We've been doing this since 2016 and it works for us. I stopped taking pictures of the people and projects a few years ago. However I did take a few photos on my walks around the property. The corn around us was being picked while we were there. The fields are down in the background of the first two pictures.

We stay in this neat older farmhouse where each of us enjoy our own bedroom, and plenty of common space for quilting, knitting, crocheting, reading, relaxing, cooking and, of course, visiting.

I worked on various projects this fall and finished two quilts that just needed the binding. 

Colleen's Farm Animals is a cute 49" square quilt. All of the fabric except the backing was Colleen's. I used a blue with bright color flecks for the back - it was purchased in Holmes County in August. I quilted this with a spiral loop using Glide 40-wt #10877 sterling thread on the top and #30281 blueberry thread on the back.

There is so much texture in this quilt that it's hard to see.

I also finished Pastel Shells. (Ray calls this the Easter Quilt.) I bought the shell fabric, a pastel jelly roll, and the backing fabric (dragon flies) while traveling in August. The border and binding are a Grunge fabric from my scrap basket. This 52" square donation quilt was quilted with meandering using Glide 40-wt #10877 sterling thread.

I also sewed two tops together - I already had the blocks made for both. 

The first is Tumbling Blocks. It still needs a border.

JGQR2C is really the last of J's graduation quilt rejects. When I was cleaning up the red and grays, I realized I had enough pieces for one more quilt. This fabric was for the 2nd graduation quilt that I rejected. It is the third quilt made with the fabric for that quilt.

I enjoyed the retreat. Although I didn't accomplish as much as I used to and using a sewing machine is hard on my body, I am very grateful that I still can sew and spend time with friends. 

One evening I walked outside and saw the remains of the sunset with some fog in the low areas. A beautiful ending to a great weekend.

Finishes!

I've  managed a couple of finishes. You may recall that I received many fabrics from my friend Colleen's stash after she passed away.

I finished Colleen's Cats. This 50" square donation quilt has a backing of Orange Plaster of Paris by Frond Design Studios. I quilted this with a large paisley motif using Glide 40-wt thread #32975 light turquoise on the top and light tan Glide 40-wt thread #24655 for the back.

Colleen's Colorful Turtles is also done. This is a 51" square donation quilt quilted with a loop de loop motif using Glide 40-wt #17443 bone thread. I bought the backing in Holmes County, OH, on our Virginia trip in August. It is green with bright color flecks. The binding is from Colleen's stash.

Cute turtle!

Coming very soon - more finishes!!!

Quilt Shops on our Fall Trip

You know you're a Quilter 

when you plan a vacation around quilt shops.

As soon as I have an idea where we are going, I research the shops on our route. We missed some this time but every one we stopped to see was worth our time!

Stitch Supply Co., Eau Claire, WI, is a favorite shop with a great selection of fabric and great employees. I was trying to stick to my list so I didn't spend much time - I didn't want to do any impulse buying! I found blue fabric that I needed for a border, marking pens, and serger needles that were all on my list. Notice the project bag under my treasures - this shop packages your items in project bags - nice!

Sew Complete,  Eau Claire, WI, is a small shop with a nice but limited fabric selection and also machines. At times I have found some great fabric here. This time I found a pair of scissors (I have 3 pair on my list). and another package of serger needles.

Busy Bobbin, Rice Lake, WI,  has a great selection of fabric and notions. I have been shopping there for years. It was hard to leave with just things that I had on my list. I almost did with the exception of the wide backing. I found scissors, fat quarters of children's fabrics, a fusible to fuse batting pieces together, a backing, a ripper, and I was given a free pattern.  

Seams Like Quilting, Spooner, WI,  is a brand new shop. I think the owner said she opened three months ago. She had a good selection of fabric and was very nice. I bought my third pair of scissors and a pretty fat quarter bundle  - you knew I'd cave eventually, right?! I'll definitely return the next time I' m in the area. 

I was being so good at the quilt store. 

Then I got out of the car and went in.

The Little Gift House in Solon Springs, WI, is a gift shop/quilt shop/cafe. There is a very good, but small selection of fabric. I was again trying to stick to my list and could not find the flannels I wanted. I'm so glad I finally got to this shop - I usually am in the area when it is closed.  I did not purchase anything except lunch but I expect to return.

47 Degrees North in Lutzen, MN, is a great little shop with a very personable owner. She has a nice selection and I found some of the flannels (gray, plaid, red) that I had on my list plus a colorful backing and one striped piece for bindings. I'll definitely return to this shop if I'm in the area again. The flannel pieces (for a quilt) and the wide backing were on my list. The piece for binding was an impulsive buy and will be used. The owner also gave me two gnome patterns that she is getting ready to do in a workshop. The patterns are free patterns that she had printed for the workshop.

The Quilt Corner in Beaver Bay, MN, is a little shop that needs at least twice as much space. The owner was nice and the selection was large. It was just hard to see things and to move around because there was so much fabric everywhere. I'll stop again though. I bought 2 charm packs that I had actually picked out before I went to the shop!

One Old Loon Quilt Shop, inTwo Harbors, MN, has the best name! 

It is a great little shop with a nice selection of fabric and notions. The owner wasn't there the day we visited but the lady working was very friendly and helpful. If I'm ever in the area again, I'll stop. I found a slightly darker gray flannel I need for the gray/red flannel quilt, some fat quarters to expand my collection of children's prints, a blue that I thought my stash should have (not on my list). And I could not resist an Old Loon shirt (definitely not on the list)!

Olive Juice Quilts in Onalaska, WI. is a large, favorite shop with a nice, helpful staff. There sale room had more fabric than some shops I've been in! I found the gray/red flannel for the flannel quilt backing in the sale room - great find! The two fat quarters are going to my children's fabric collection. That stack of tone on tone fat quarters was totally impulsive. I did use great restraint - there were MANY packaged pieces I looked at and considered but I only left with one! I picked up some Best Press too but it was packed away when I took the photo. I've been to this shop before and look forward to visiting again.

River Road Quilt Shop is also a flag and gift shop. I've visited many times and usually finds lots. The staff offers help but lets you browse. With great restraint, I only purchased 5 fat quarters. I think this completes what I need for my red and gray flannel quilt. Ray also found a Chicago Cubs flag. We both left lots behind!

Every quilt shop we visited was fun and I'd love to return to all of them. 

It started out as a harmless hobby...

 I had no idea it would come to this.

Fall Trip Part 3 of 3

Note: Quilt shops are in a separate post

We left Two Harbors in rain and knew we were so fortunate to have had great weather the previous day. 

Thank goodness the jeep smelled better - did I tell you about the bug repellent incident? A bag containing a couple different bug repellants was in my backpack. When we hiked the first two days, I removed the bag, left it in the Jeep, and replaced it after our hike. The third day, we could smell repellent in the car and when I checked my pack, one bottle had leaked but it seemed to be totally contained in a ziploc. We tossed the whole bag in the garbage and continued on but my pack smelled. Of course, I wasn't bothered with any bugs or gnats on hikes that day! We also had the smell in the car. So I tried to wash off my leather pack and air it out, and we attempted to wipe out the car. The smell was much better by the time we left Two Harbors.

We drove the St. Croix Scenic Byway from Askov, MN, through Pine City, Taylors Falls, and Stillwater, MN. We did see the sun for a while but the rain returned. 

We had lunch in Askov at Little Mermaid Cafe. We read about it online and someone mentioned aebleskivers (Danish pancake balls). So we stopped and found they only make them on the 4th Saturday of the month. We still enjoyed a good meal.

Our rental was across the river from Stillwater, MN, in Hudson, WI. I have an aunt that lives in the area. My cousin and her husband also live in Hudson but were out of town. 

Our rental was small but mighty - I loved the kitchen.

  

It was drizzling when we moved into our rental and only got worse. 

We appreciated our little fireplace and our warm, dry apartment.

On our first full day in the area, we visited my aunt. Instead of taking her out to lunch, we ordered in because the weather was so miserable. The forecast predicted rain and wind for another 24 hours so when we left Aunt, we found a grocery store and stocked up for a few meals. After we got 'home', we saw this boat on the river and were happy we weren't on that dinner cruise!

Our rental is right on the St Croix River and 
this River Boat passed by despite the weather.

Our second day in Hudson, we had the sun shine for a while! We went to the Hudson Farmer's Market and tasted freeze-dried candy - a little strange but interesting!

We headed across the river to Stillwater, MN. There were A LOT of people. We finally figured out that this wasn't a normal Saturday - it was Harvest Fest, a huge festival. There were also huge pumpkins.

We did walk on the Stillwater Lift Bridge. "It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The lift bridge closed to all traffic in August of 2017. It was reopened in 2020 and is now used for pedestrians and bicycles and connects the Loop Trail from Minnesota to Wisconsin."

We enjoyed pizza  and watching the Wisconsin football game on TV with my aunt. She and Ray are singing to me at my surprise, early birthday party.

In case you are counting the cake has a group of 7 candles
and a group of 5. My birthday is actually the 18th.

Our next and final stop on this trip was LaCrosse, WI. where we both received our bachelor's degrees from University of Wisconsin - LaCrosse. We traveled in good weather and enjoyed a stop in LeCresent, MN to get a few apples. After we crossed the Mississippi River, we  enjoyed some time in Riverside Park in LaCrosse. 

We spent some time on Granddad's Bluff taking photos of the sunset.

Our rental house was just completely renovated inside. The living room is very comfy!

We walked around the campus of UW-L and were able to get into the brand new field house which is almost finished. We also found other new buildings. Many things have changed but many stayed the same - the students in general are still kind and respectful. It was amazing how many acknowledged us as we wondered around. We weren't sure where the bookstore was (it moved!) so I asked a small group of students. They not only gave us explicit instructions, they walked upstairs with us and made sure we turned the right way and could see the sign. As we were leaving the student union, a young man was leaving and caught sight of us; he immediately grabbed the door and held it for both of us. We had a couple of conversations with students and I loved how much they were similar to the many college students I taught through the years and even to us during our college days. 

We visited a couple of quilt shops (next post) and walked around downtown for a while. It was fun to be back.

Our rental was at the base of Granddad's Bluff. As we looked up the last night at sunset, this was our view.

This morning we delayed leaving LaCrosse for an hour due to fog. When we left, we travelled along the Mississippi for awhile, hoping to see more color in the trees. We eventually left that route and headed away from the river.

We found some pretty trees!

We are now home and unpacked. We have been to the grocery store and will soon begin laundry. It was a great fall trip although we saw more color today within a 100 miles of home than anywhere else! We especially loved seeing family.

To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel 

is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, 

to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted. 

-Bill Bryson