Hello,
I am enjoying the wonderful fall colors of central New York. My trip to visit Sharron was wonderful. She has a very beautiful new home in a country village outside Chicago called Somanack.

 Sharron enjoys lots of space and has a very nice new studio.  This is a shot of the design wall there One of the amazing features of the new house is a 6 foot walk in safe in the basement.  Sharron had shelves built and stores her liquer and soda there as it is behind the bar.    We spent five days breaking in her new basement studio. She learned that she can handle up to 11 folks for workshops in the future. Gals cycled in and out and four of us were there for the whole five days.

Sandy took the trophy for the most tops completed in the five days with three.   I only have good photos of two.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Melody was working on a “block of the month project “A Stroll in Paris BOM”. It is very quiet and lovely.

 

 

Susan happily worked on several projects. She and I talked a lot about books.

 

 

 

 

 

One gals spent her time honoring her daughter by working on a quilt that her daughter started before she died.  She made lots of units.

 

 

 

 

 

Val did 20 of these leaves for a quilt she was working on. She also built some bigger center blocks too.

 

 

 

 

The holidays were on Sharron’s  mind.       She showed off  her snow men project from QBL. Then got busy  making  lots of pillow cases for her Christmas party.

 

 

On the last day she put together this top.

 

 

 

 

 

I Worked on my Collar project of Aunt May’s collars and wool rounds.

This shot is of the  wool rounds at the first of the week.   I got a lot done thanks to Sharron’s encouragement and the fellowship of other quilters.  I always enjoy working in a group setting like this.

Sharron and Jim kindly took be back to the airport early on Thur morning and we got to see a spectacular sun rise.

 

 

 

 

There was also a FAB meeting  this  week.  Sharon shared her latest commission in the series of 6.  This is #4

 

 

 

 

Project Report: Collars and Old Lace This work is 34″w X 53.5″ t.. I intended to applique all the parts by hand but Sharron encouraged me to use her sewing machine. I included some lace sleeves she made and hankies too.

 

 

 

 

I am so glad she did as I applied all the pieces before I flew home. Finishing took place this week. I also discovered another box of old family lace this week……

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wool Rounds: I built this base to put the wool pieces on. I will machine stitch them down today and take the circles  with me to Regina’s for a play day tomorrow and work on this project.

 

 

 

 

 

These are the 1/4 of rounds ready for cutting and application to the background.

 

 

 

Pin Wheels:

Sharron surprised me with a gift of a kit of beautiful fabric. It is very traditional- and not my thing. I learned how to make perfect pointed centers – but not before I made some awful ones. Now to move on to the next step.

Creative Assistants: I did watch a bit of football this week and so I finished up 18 of these little folks. I have added the pin backs now and will do the squeezie paint embellishment before I put them away for QBL.

Pillow Case

Sharron mentioned that no one had ever made her a pillow case so when I got home I made her one of her own from some of the fabric that I got at the Quilt show in Canada.

Childhood Memory -Columbus Junction Basement

We moved to Columbus Junction the summer before I started Kindergarten. My parents parched a huge lot with a finished basement on it. We lived down there while Dad, Mom and Grandpa Howard put up framing and worked on finishing the up stairs. I took a good part of that first school year to do the finish work and Mom and Grandpa did that, while Dad went off to his first job as a high school principal . The move up stairs was gradual. After all the building was done, I remember Mom painted a mural on three sides of the big room at the foot of the stairs. It was of mountains and a lake, a theme that she repeated many times. She also made me a play house from old sheets that fit over a card table. There was a door and flowers painted on the out side. I spent may happy hours in there with a card board table, sink and stove. The basement was also the home of my first pets. I had white mice that lived in a blue glass battery jar at the foot of the stairs. It was my first bit responsibility. I remember too that it did not last long and we had to let the mice go in the timber.

I hope everyone is  enjoying fall.

Keep Creating

Carol

PS. One more shot of that wonderful sun rise.