The Gran Mere Quilter

Hot Springs Fire and Rescue floor tile

2011-04-17T10:21:00.000-07:00

I was there a few months ago for my ACLS recertification and I had my cell phone with me. Their floor tile design in the community room is a quilt design. So I took a photo of it. I drafted a 12.5" quilt block and a 24.5" quilt block. When I told one of the members, who is on our hospital transport team, she asked if I could make them a quilt to raffle off for their upcoming convention. Who am I to say no? LOL, anyway, here is all three photos. The 12.5" one, which is the first block I made, unfinished each piece is 2"x2", the flying geese are 2"x3.5". The pink and yellow quilt is mine, my Spring Quilt, and the Hot Springs Fire and Rescue one has the blue for the river and streams, green for the mountains, red for fire/rescue. The background, I literally had to scrape together all that I had to make the last 12 blue flying geese.

12 pocket purses

2010-12-04T17:29:00.000-08:00

I accidently ruined a purse I made, so needed to make a new one. An improved one. So I did. My own design I need to say. It has 12 pockets-6 on the outside, 6 on the inside. I place a firm bottom piece in the purse so it doesn't sag-and the is 4 3/4 inches by 12 inches!. What is neat is the outside pockets. Themes. I've done lighthouses, mountain view, horses, sheep, flowers, firefighter, acorn and possum. Each outside pocket is trimmed in black, has a black fastener and black handles. I try to find a button that looks good with the theme pocket. I now have some black print fabric to do black/ black & white with red trim. I think that will turn out nice. It should, I just did 10 purses, much smaller than these for my daughter. Unfortunetly I don't have photo of all that I've made but here are some. I only do about 6 of each theme.

Life in general

2010-08-27T07:06:00.001-07:00

I've been busy with work and making snowglobes out of fabric. It is for a swap I'm doing on scratchingpost yahoo group. The house cleaning is a hit or miss-nothing as changed with that! LOL Plus I need to square up my 6.5" hearts for a swap I'm doing on justquilting and I need to find a star pattern or two for anothe swap on a different group and get cracking on making them! Plus finish putting the blocks into a quilt for a commissioned quilt with applique cats on it.

I'm also working on a 12" applique of the stain glass that is above our tabernacle to place on my priest chausible. I've done a 22" version, so this is just a little bit challenging, but it gives me an excuse to sit in front of the telly with my feet up and be creative.

Megan has a website now to sell her photos on. www.megankhris.smugmug.com She has several more photos to post. She has some beautiful ones. So take a look.

Family vacation II

2010-07-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

Here are the rest of the pictures.

I have 5 fancy windows. 2 that are alike are colored textured glass in blue, green, yellow, pink and the cente oval clear with a 'frost design'.

The Palladio window above my sewing 'studio'. Then we have the Fleur de Lis window which sits at the bottom of my 20 step staircase and the spiderweb window which is Adam's room.

All of them needed to be scrapped, primed, glazed and painted.

I forgot to add the Adam came in from VA TECH and Lena his girlfriend came in from Remington VA which made the weekend that much sweeter.

We used a 40' ladder for the roof and all the windows. 2 8' ladders and 1 6' ladder for the Porte Cachere. With the loan of some tools and the 40 footer from friend Ron and one 8 footer from my next door neighbors.

Family vacation

2010-07-23T07:15:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I emailed my brother Bill in Michigan to ask him how to patch a leak in my roof. Well guess what!? He came for a working vacation! He brought his sweet wife Kellie, precious little girl Erin and Mom. Then brother Shon from MD came for an overnight visit with his two great kids Kirstin and Brian and then later my third brother Jim from DE came for an overnight visit. And everyone worked. Bill and Mike got the roof patched and tracked down a few more leaks, Kellie was scrapping, priming, painting my 5 fancy windows, with Bill reglazing. The Porte Cachere was scrapped, power washed, primed and painted also. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family. And for the first time ever, I cried when they pulled out of my driveway to go home. I hated straightening up my house because it was removing evidence they were here. Here are the photos, probably in two parts.

Lilacs

2010-06-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

I made this quilt using 4 different lilac prints for the Stanley & Isabel Bristol Family Reunion raffle. My mom won it! My friend is helping me hold it up. The partial body is me. This was from a couple of years ago. I'm going to make another one in this pattern but using flame fabric.

Regina's Monet

2010-06-10T08:11:00.000-07:00

I finished this quilt top at the retreat this past March. It's for my friend Regina. It is Monet's Countryside. I had enough fabric to make one for Megan also. The Pattern is called Summer Window from a defunct block of the month website that they graciously left the patterns up. www.sewquilty.com Go take a look at the patterns!

teaching

2010-05-04T12:22:00.000-07:00

I taught two of my friends the basics of quilting. And they started out with hand piecing. I did! and it was a great learning tool. The larger quilt was made by Pam, the smaller one by Joanne. The borders and sashing is by rotary cutter and sewing machine. I'm not that heartless!

Alley Cat Angels

2010-04-13T13:26:00.000-07:00

My backdoor neighbor is Alley Cat Angels. They capture feral cats, take them to Angels of Assisi in Roanoke where they are spayed/neutered and rabies shot. They survive on donations. The first quilt I gave them they said it helped many many cats! Their second one is at my LAQ in Oklahoma, so here is their third one. I won these cats from a Block of the Month drawing on my yahoo group justquilting.

The Delicacy and Strength of Blue

2010-04-10T15:15:00.000-07:00

I finished this quilt last night also. It just needed the final border. It is for my son's girlfriend Lena. She is such a sweetheart. We really like her. And thank goodness she is didn't mind the state of my house the first visit since I was elbow deep in quilting. LOL I showed it to her today, her bday is in June, but I might not have it back in time since I have 2 rush jobs ahead of that. So we are shooting for August

Boy Scouts of America

2010-04-10T15:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a quilt that my friend help me finish last night. Thank you Joanne! It measures 80" square. I designed the layout. Her husband Ron helped with the final placement of the framed boyscouts.

and more

2010-03-29T07:49:00.001-07:00

I started the blue one about 10 years ago. Can you believe that!? And I didn't misplace the pattern or the fabrics is what impresses me. I had the applique finished, just needed to make those HST (half square triangles)

The other quilt believe it or not, a tablerunner. The star block and the framed flying geese go the two ends of a tablerunner. When I was working on it, I thought, this would be a great quilt. So I drafted away and was pleased with the results.

eye candy keeps on coming

2010-03-29T07:42:00.000-07:00

Well! The photos still don't post in order. So I will persavere.

The vibrant one is blocks I won from a Challenge Fabric contest. I made the Maple Star-left side, 3rd block down if I remember correctly. I call this "When Pigs Dance" (I will win! LOL, and Salliejean made the dancing pig)

The other quilt is my Hotair Balloon. My friend PatL send me 3 fat quarters of fabric, a yellow, a tealish, zigzag balloon. I found the hotair balloon fabric at Walmart, took all the fabrics and a graft paper (grid paper) to my friend Trink who was in the hospital and said "Please design something for me." and she did! The pattern is called Disappearing Nine Patch. Very easy to make, very easy to misrotate the cut blocks. LOL.

more quilts

2010-03-29T07:25:00.001-07:00

These two were pieced before I left for my retreat. One is I Spy a Farm. I won 38 blocks ranging from 3" to 16" square. It was planning the layout. It went together really easy believe it or not. I measured all blocks, drew the size on graft paper with size and name, then transferred them to a large sheet of graft paper-taped together.

The second photo is "My Daddy's Maple Leaves". When my dad died October 2005 my Justquilting friends sent me 6.5" Maple Leaves in memory of him, I received 16 leaves. The center leaf I made March 2004-it was with Challenge Fabric contest we do on JQ, but I never sent it in. I designed this a few weekends ago and put it together.

Quilt Retreat 2010 & then some

2010-03-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back from my 2nd quilt retreat. This time my friend Joanne came with me. We had a great time sewing. This year I remembered to bring my machine oil! My sewing machine was so happy. I finished 3 quilt tops at the retreat. I did some finishing of other quilt tops before I left. I was on a mission along with watching Stargate Atlantis DVD's that kept me sewing along!

Since I can't seem to get the pictures and writings to match, I'm going to do one at a time.

This first one a Paperpieced thimble signature exchange I did with my yahoo group Justquilting. I had this in my bag to bring, but pulled it one and worked on it before I left!

feathered friends

2009-07-26T06:46:00.000-07:00

Last year 4 of us gals did a round robin. One of them I put chickadees on the last round, paper pieced from Margaret Rolfe's Animal Kingdom CD-ROM. Great book! Anyway, Joanne who is from Maine loved the Chickadees. Apparently they are the state bird of Maine. She wanted one. This is after I had to pick out stitches twice, then redraw the section and resew it! ugh! I said I won't ever do this block again. LOL. Well, I did. Joanne is such a good friend to me, so I made her three. Her husband is going to hang it in the breakfast nook and we'll see if she notices it. I have to sneak it to him.

Carpenter's Star

2009-07-18T18:01:00.001-07:00

the wood grain one is for my brother and his wife in Michigan. He is a builder. The soft colors are for my brother and his wife in Delaware. He is an aeronautics engineer. Way cool career! They are hand pieced and hand quilted.

Trish's quilt

2009-07-18T17:54:00.001-07:00

After 12 years, I finally finished hand quilting my dear sister's Sister' Choice quilt. This is one of the first quilts I started. Her birthday is Thursday July 24th. It will go out in the mail Monday.

The wallhanging is hand pieced and hand quilted. It is a Carpenter's Wheel, but I call it a Carpenter's Star in memory of our Dad. I had made him one, brought that home with me. I have made one for 2 of my 3 brothers and now my sister. I have one more to make. I made them in their choice of colors. I will post the other two that I've made. Different fabrics really change it.

Happy Birthday dear sister! I'm still 2 years older than you!!

Friendship Block swap Row by Row

2009-07-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

10.5 months ago, friendship blockswap yahoo group started a row by row. Season's was the theme. I picked Spring. In memory/honor of my dad and his honeybees.

There was 7 of us, one gal dropped out d/t life issues, so the hostess stepped in to fill her shows.

The rows are each different: 1st row being the quilter's theme row, squares/rectangles, curved piecing (hardly anyone's favorite technique), applique, hearts, triangles, quilters choice. One row came from Australia, my journal was sent to France and Australia. The France gal was living in the USA when she joined us.

They all did a wonderful job and their work is gorgeous up close! Thank you!

2009-03-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

Picture one and two were some tops almost finished, needed just the borders. Pictures 3 is were were did our sewing, picture 4,up hill from sewing is where we slept-I'm standing at my car and picture 4 is the main building and it is were we ate. Walker either up hill or down hill to go anywhere. And since we sat to sew, the walking was good for us.

First Retreat

2009-03-22T08:49:00.000-07:00

I went to my first quilt retreat this weekend! It was held by Patchwork Plus in Dayton VA at Massanetta Springs Conference Center on Rt 687 in Harrisonburg. It was wonderful, marathon of sewing by everyone. I swear moving vans were coming in. Such a variety of sewing and embroidery machines! And the projects the quilters brought to work on. BEing a newbie, I only brought 1.5 projects, thinking I'll be lucky if I finish the first one. That was finished the first night there! LOL, it is a row by row that I did with Justquilting yahoo group. None of the quilters at the retreat had seen an internet quilt and everyone liked it, plus the finished Americana internet quilt I had done with another group. I'll post a photo of that in the next set of pictures. I only could do 5 at a time.

The gal who I'm standing next to, her name is Shirley, I met her at the scratching post yahoo group and she invited me! Very nice person, I hope to see her next year! But she must bring a photo of her bunny Butterscotch.

One photo is the room were at, I think there was 42 quilters and we had our own table, sweet!

One photo is gals laying their work out on the floor to make sure they had it layed out right, etc, we were all admiring each other's work.

I know next year, if I run out of my projects, the gals I sat next to will keep my machine and hands busy!

A Friend's quilt

2009-01-17T16:33:00.001-08:00

I helped tie a quilt that a friend made for her hubby. We had a lot of fun and shedded some blood with those dang needles!

American Freedom Train

2009-01-11T14:02:00.000-08:00

Following WW2 and in 1977, the USA sent a train across the USA with items and documents of Freedom-a very brief thumbnail sketch of it.

One of the former guards, John Rowe and his wife in 2004 had asked me to make them wallhanging of it's emblem for their reunion, or was it 2003. Anyway, John later asked me to make one for them. Not for free either one, but I gave the quilts to them. The first one because I was tickled to have a small part of that history, and the second to them as a gift.

The one for John and MaryJane Rowe is now hanging in the Freedom Train exhibit at Mott's Military Museum in Groveport OH (Columbus).

Needless to say, I'm so psyched about it. Something I made is on display at a museum!

Scrappy quilts

2008-12-11T07:24:00.000-08:00

I have two more quilts to send to my quilter Glen in Oklahoma. The Bear Trails in blue and white. The was made with the help of my Justquilting friends, they sent me blues so I could make it scrappy. Those are 12 inch blocks. I can't recall the border size, maybe 6".

The other one, the scrappy one, those are 4patch-9patch blocks I won in the Block of the Month we do each month at Justquilting. I really like how it turned out.

I discovered that I like control scrappy. LOL, there are several great patterns on http://www.quiltville.com/ Bonnie Hunters site.

The Passage to Manhood-The Kappa Alpha Brotherhood at VA TECH

2008-12-07T18:23:00.000-08:00

As some of you know, my son Adam attends VA TECH, but he is also a member of the Kappa Alpha Order. They are not called a fraternity. Anyway, I've been wanting to make him a quilt to combine the two and I finally came up with a design that I am very happy with. It measures 83 inches by 83 inches. The center is the KA cross, I used VT fabric, orange and crimson in the 32 blocks. A thin border of the same old gold in the cross, the VT fabric and it will be bound off in black.

It will cover a queen size mattress boys! And hopefully snuggle you in my love and prayers.

His Big Brother was and absolute God send for me, Patrick. So, I made him one also. I have to send them off to Glen to be quilted yet. Adam was disappointed that I would not be quilting it.

I sure hope Adam and Patrick like it! Made with a lot of love.

quilts back from Glen!

2008-11-16T05:13:00.001-08:00

I received two quilts back from Glen 11/15, my dh's birthday! What a lovely gift for me. LOL. The first one is a 5.5" 30's repros bowtie I did on a group I used to be with a few years ago, I finally put it together. The second one is the back of my mystery quilt. the flower design is on the friendship star then he heavy quilted the red background, the chain like design is the top of the heart, he framed in the siggie strips of the heart and heavy quilted the bottom of the heart and did the neat design on the border. I still need to bind them.

I have a yard of 30's repro somewhere in the house, sigh, and I'm binding the mystery friendship quilt in black. The poppies have an orange tone to them, I didn't realize it until I put it on the border, but I really like the poppies, so I'm binding it in black which goes great with all the fabrics in the quilt.

I have two more to send off to Glen. My goal is to create a new one and put together a WIP so I can get my drawers cleared out!

Mystery quilt

2008-09-19T07:26:00.000-07:00

In February 2008, my group justquilting had a mystery quilt sew in day. I designed this top and we had a lot of fun. My husband didn't because I had to have the laptop and the tabletop computers. But he was a good sport about it.

We mailed signature strips with our name and state on it. Some of us included it in the large heart blocks, some used them on the back.

Here is a photo of three of them. Pams in pinks/blues, Joanne in blues/yellows, mine pinks/reds. The all pink one with the center ribbon went to the Bath County Relay For Life 2008 fundraiser.

Deck work

2008-09-03T10:13:00.000-07:00

Here are three photos. We still have to put lattice around the bottom and make a door between the two wooden pillars to store the lawnmower.

Back deck

2008-09-03T10:10:00.000-07:00

If I can remember how to post photos, you will see the back deck we put up, my husband, a good friend and me. We tore down the 101 year old rotted 5'x7' deck and put up a 6'x18' deck. A lot of hard work, but it was worth it! I now have an appreciation of my Dad's hard day at work.

Joys of parenthood

2008-07-11T09:14:00.000-07:00

I was a good mom the other day. I went to Blacksburg VA to spend the night with my son and to clean his kitchen for move out day. He has to do a few minor things, but the stove was the big tackle project, all cabinets washed down in and outside.

He and 2 friends have moved into a rather large 3 bedroom house. I love the kitchen and dining area, large and spacious. A large living room, family room 1 3/4 baths, 2 enclosed sunrooms and a deck.

Adam was on the 3rd floor of his apartment building, talk about being worn out! The first truck had Holly's apartment and the 7 couches from Adam's apartment. They rented a 24 footer and it was full. Then after loading we ate lunch, my treat at Macado's-I like it! First time there. Then we unloaded the truck, back to Adam's and finish his apartment which also had Ken's stuff there. But 3pm, I was plum worn out and headed on home, 1.5 hour trip. The electricity wasn't on their house yet, water was, and I wanted a shower so badly. Flowers were wilting while I walked by them. LOL

I did stop of Trinity Schoolhouse quilt shop and picked up some fabric. I told the employee of me morning and afternoon and was afraid that I stank. Afraid to touch the fabric! She said I didn't stink all. May God Bless her for that.

I'm working on cleaning the kitchen because I have mastered turning on the faucets. Sigh. Then some machine quilting on a wallhanging for a friend whose mom is fighting her second bout of ovarian cancer.

What do these words have in common? Dresser, Potato, Revive, Banana, Assess

May the Witnesses Find Peace in Their Duty

2008-07-01T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Pam, her brother is part of the VA TECH massacre investigation. She wanted to make a quilt for him, then as we got closer to finishing the top, she decided it belonged to the Salem VA State Troopers. I contacted my friends at Justquilting yahoo group for help on embroidering the names of the 32 victims, WE ARE VA TECH and 04-16-07. Muriel from PA, Sandy Jo from WI, Salliejean from IL and Shirley from AL did the names. Trink and Bev helped with the applique, Pam with the ribbon border, and Joanne with the binding. It was stippled quilted in rainbow thread by my long arm quilter Glen Cook at www.sewmanytreasures.net It was presented to the Salem Troopers by their Col. Flaherty. It was well received and we were told that they were very touched and honored to receive this gift.

We were once charged to pick a name and remember that person so no one is forgotten. I have been charged with four names, of those who my son knew. May the Witnesses Find Peace in their Duty.

Beck

2008-07-01T05:33:00.000-07:00

My maiden name is Beck. A friend found this plate at a thrift store. I would love to find four more to give to my siblings. So now I am being selfish keeping it for myself. Has anyone ever heard of a Beck's restaurant? My dad grew up on South Manitou Island, 18 miles off the coast of Michigan on Lake Michigan.

New blogger

2008-06-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

I'm Judy, home state of Michigan, transplanted after 4 other states to Virginia. Gran Mere Park is located in Stevensville, Michigan. It is a wonderful park, filled with alot of family memories.