Cool weather prep...

...also known as 'making hay while the sun shines' !

This week I decided that it's prudent that I get some things basted up to be worked on over the cooler months (even though the hubby insists on running the heat so high that I hardly know that the seasons have changed except that I am stuck INSIDE.)

So, I resurrected this quilt top that I pieced last year, I think.

I started out basting it under cover of the carport, but as the day's heat and humidity increased, I got the idea of moving the frame inside.  I knew that I didn't have room to put the frame back onto it's legs, but I could stand it on it's edge.

I pieced a back for this top shortly after I made it.  It was so nice to have everything ready to go when the mood struck to baste.

 I had done about 1/3 of the basting, and was able to take my time UNDER THE COMFORT OF AIRCONDITIONING to finish the rest.

My biggest problem now is that everytime I see the basted quilt lying around, I have a huge impetuous urge to QUILT IT NOW !

So, today I pulled out some scraps and this little tree block that I've been staring at daily (it has been on my design wall), and I pieced some 12-inch tree blocks.

 My idea is to buy several Autumn-hued solid-colored fabrics to use as all of the different backgrounds, and then use my scraps as the tree fabrics. I hope to mix the size of the blocks also, but I'll just let it develop as I go along.  For now it is a good diversion from THE BASTED TOP !

Tonight we had a real BOOMER of a thunderstorm, putting off my mowing once again, but the power outage has been corrected.  I still hear rumbles out there, so I guess we're not quite through it yet.

Ribbons and Redo

Well, a week has passed since I entered my quilts in our local county fair.  I was excited to go to the fair on the first night and find out if I had won anything.

THEN............I had mixed feelings.  Walking into the exhibit room, I was THRILLED to see ribbons on my quilts.........but disappointed to see that there were only TWO other quilts, a wallhanging, and 2 sets of placemats entered into the competition.

But, hey, it's a start, and hopefully word will get out that our fair is doing this once again after many years of NOT having home exhibits,.........and hopefully next year, there will be LOTS of beautiful handwork to admire !

In the meantime, here are my awards.....

I asked a young man who was standing in the room to take my photo,....it's a bit blurred, but better than not having one at all.

the GardenWalkQuilt won first place in quilt, pieced, hand-quilted.

the TropicTriStarQuilt won second place in quilt, machine-quilted

and then the Best in Show Ribbon was awarded to me for the Green Garden Walk Quilt !

When I went to pick up the quilts on Sunday, they gave me a check for $30.  $10 was for a first  place ribbon, and $20 was for Best in Show.  Not bad return for the $5 entry fee !

But, in the meantime, I've been busy changing my bedroom into a bedroom/sewing room combination.  Now, I know that I may regret this change when the room becomes a wreck while I am in the throes of a magnificent quilt-making revelation/machination !  But, for now, it allows me to make the other room into a sitting/late night can't sleep room.   We'll give it a try and see how it works out.  With it being just the two of us here for most of the year, we can make changes whenever I'M up to the work of it.

Here are photos of the newly painted room.

I also painted my old wooden chest of drawers to go with the white bedframe.  Having lived with it the other way for over 30 years, I am happy to see this new look.

I now refer to this as my 'princess and the pea' bed, as I have taken an extra mattress that I was storing, and added it underneath my memory foam mattress, so that I no longer have to take up room with it in a corner of the room.  It's actually quite enjoyable being up so high.  Lottie and I FEEL like princesses !  

Fair-entry day !

While living in Oklahoma for over 30 years, I learned how to make quilts.  A fun part of many years was spent preparing entries for the county fair.  I always hoped to someday move back to my little hometown and get to enter quilts here.

Well, when I moved back, I found that they had discontinued the wonderful room full of exhibits that I remembered from my childhood.  I was SO disappointed !

But this year, the fair board has decided to bring back the old tradition, and I am going out today to enter 2 quilts.  They have started out small, wanting to re-learn how to do this, and have even mentioned that I might be able to suggest ways to improve things in the coming years.

Right now the two categories for quilts are "quilt, pieced, hand-quilted", and"quilt, machine-quilted".

So I entered my Garden Walk quilt,

and this one that I can't remember the name of.  This is the one I made when I won the new Melody BabyLock sewing machine in the Blogger's Quilt Festival drawing.

Here's hoping that the next time I see these quilts, one of them has SOME KIND of ribbon on it.

It's been YEARS since I won one.