What am I thankful for.....

What am I thankful for.....family and friends

May you all out there in blogland have a safe & restful

Thanksgiving holiday.

Dixie Classic Fair

Fall has officially arrived! The Dixie Classic Fair is in town.
Last night Speed Racer, DS & I went to the fair.

We walked the Midway, saw the animals, listened to country music in the Yesterday Village, walked through the Flower show (one of my favorites), saw the quilts and other arts & crafts, watched the 4-Her's with their animals (Happy Birthday 4-H) saw relatives & old friends

and ate!

My favorite is Cotton Candy.
m-m-m-m-m
If you haven't been to the fair. Time is quickly running out.
You better hurry, it's over tomorrow.

I've been busy as a bee!

I've been busy as a bee since last posting.

While using the embroidery option of my sewing machine to quilt this quilt.......

I made this "Mini Bow Tuck" bag. The first of December I will be teaching this bag at the LQS where I work.

It is now hanging in the shop.

(I like it so much, I made a second one (different fabric)to carry now. I couldn't wait till after the class.

And.....................

This bag , "Silver Handle" bag by QuiltsPlus. It's a cute little bag for ME. I really like this pattern. It is a quick little bag. The great thing is you can make as many different bag forms and change them at will to match your outfit. The frame is changable. I have the larger verison of this bag and really enjoy carrying it.

And last night I put the finsihing touches on this table topper.

"Holiday Happenings"

This also is for the LQS as a sample for another class

I will be teaching at

the end of this month.

I used the

Cedar Canyon rubbing plates and

paintstiks to make each of the

blocks.

The corner motifs where made by me to go with the rubbing plate designs.

Now that I have ALL my shop samples complete...

I have a few UFO's to complete..

m-m-m-m ............. which one do I do first!

I have been inspired!

I have found a new group of toys to play with from Cedar Canyon Textiles. I didn't get to go to Bernina University this past summer. :( But those who did from the shop came back with a LOT of new information. One of the big rages at BU were "Paintstiks on Fabric".
So the first conversation from those who went to conference upon returning went something like this...
"M" you need to get up a class using these products, they are just up your alley. They were demonstrated there and EVERYONE was excited about the finished projects. They were just

Beau-ti-ful!

So I have experimented with them. And they are fun to work with. You can get very interesting effects with them. A little on the messy side....but who doesn't like a little mess every once in a while?

The paint sticks come in Matte & Iridescent colors. (Of course I'm an Iridescent color gal!) However the Matte sticks come in a wider variety of colors. But have no fear....there is an Iridescent Blender that can transform the matte colors into Iridescent wonders.

Using the 2-hour Paintstik Lesson plan the"girls" got at BU....here are the results with the first experience with them. CCT has rubbing plates in 7 different designs ( curves, Op art, leaves, triangles,garden flowers, floral fantasy and Holiday Happenings) Fun, fun, fun. Beside doing rubbings, you can use pre-made or make your own stencils.

Then I got down the the nitty-gritty and did their "Leaves" pattern for the next project using Paintstiks.

Here are 3 of the 6 blocks I made.

Ginkgo Leaf,

Maple leaf,

and the beginnings of the Oak leaf.

The pattern calls for making the blocks into a 27" x 40" quilt, but being the rebel I am, I choose to make 2 table runners for my dining room table & buffet.

Ah-h-h, I think they turned out right pretty! Don't you?

(And....Yes, I am going to teach this class in October.)

Now I'm off to finishing my next Paintstik project....Holiday Happenings. Pictures to come later.

Have a great day!

Busy-busy summer!

I can't believe the blogging bug has passes me by. The pass few weeks of summer has flown by. It has been busy here on Fernleaf Lane. Working at the shop has taken up a lot of my time. There have been 2 of the girls out with health issues and how another has left for a teaching job in Gastonia. I am happy for her, but sad for the shop. With three employees out all the rest of us has had to pick up the extra days & hours they worked. Hopefully soon those at home recoping will be back this us.
I have been able to spend a week at the beach with DH, and the DD & SnL and DS & DnL AND the granddog! We had a house full.
I had to get a new computer and have not had time to download and pictures, so this is a pictureless post. Just wanted to let everyone know I am still here, just busy!
Hope you all have a great Labor Day Weekend. (And I don't know to go to the shop ALL weekend! So excited to having some MY TIME.)

L-O-N-G overdue......

Where to begin! The month of June has come & gone......and the middle of July is here. Where oh where has the time gone? It has been busy ...many projects completed . Here are only a few.

The quilt to the left started out small, but while some of the blocks were up on my designer wall DD came in and fell in love with the fabric and arrangement I had designed. So-o-o-o I was asked to make it Queen size for her extra bedroom. She plans on displaying it on the bed her Nana gave to her. The pillow shams are to be made from the brown & blue floral stripe fabric with large purple cording . I have named this quilt "Ashley's City Blooms" after the name of the fabric line. I designed the quilt from scratch, no pattern.

This is for two future classes I will be teaching in the next few weeks at the LQS where I work. The first being a Machine Crazy Patch technique class using Bobbin work for the fancy stitches.

Then the second class is making the

"Big Steel Ball Frame Purse" by Quilts Plus. My idea was to have a project that those who take my MCP techniques class or the Machine Needle Felting techniques class could use their samples as the front of the bag.
DS asked me to make a needle-point belt for him. (Our children really know how to get us to do things for them!) So-o-o-o, I began the belt for him. After about a week he decided I wasn't getting it finished fast enough, so he asked me to show him how to needle point. I did and the rest is history. He has completed all the stitching and is now waiting for it to come back made up into his belt. I am so proud of what he has done and surprised.

This is a baby gift that was given to my daughter-in-laws sister who is expecting her first child in August. Other goodies in the bag were burp cloths, small changing pad quilt to match the bag and other goodies for the traveling baby.

Also the end of June found the family at VIR for the Sold Cup which DH raced in. Here he is getting buckled into his car prior to the start of one of his races. (He finished 2nd in his group)

Also Memorial Day weekend found DD and I in Asheville for a girls only overnight. Shopping and the Biltmore House were on the agenda. The gardens at Biltmore were beautiful.

There were other projects started , but not complete...

(surprised that they aren't finished...I am not) I have got to finish each project before starting a new one. Also what would help is not signing up to teach a class unless I have a completed sample. (I promise myself every newsletter that I won't do it again......but oh well.....it doesn't happen!

Just had to share!

Back in the winter DHubby , B-I-L and other close friends did the male bonding thing and went to Arkansas duck hunting. Here is a video of pictures taken on the trip. Why anyone wants to get up early in the morning (well before sun rise) and stand out in the COLD is not what I call fun. But I quess being a North Carolina "boy" doesn't mind the hardships of duck hunting. Enjoy!

May is going by fast...........

This has been a busy month. The past three days found me participating in a Bernina 830 machine mastery class. Those of you who have not experienced this machine need to go by their local Bernina shop and give this machine a try. The things this machine can do is endless! The educators are still discovering new things it is capable of doing.







(This post may not make sense when I finish. I've been to the eye doctor this am. They dilated my eyes, and I am having trouble focusing! I am looking through a fog.)

This month I taught a Reversible III class at the LQS. Here are two of the finished blocks. The first is the block using very traditional fabric, and the second is done with batiks. Two very different looks.

Also the class schedule for the LQS is finished for the next newsletter. I need to get the class sign-up book completed and then ALL will be finsihed for another 3 months! I'm always glad when I have this behind me. Coming up with new classes can be a little crazy.

I have been busy working on a quilt for my daughter, (pictures to be posted after it is quilted (hopefully next week). Also one of the local quilt guild I belong to, had a lady come an show the "Square in a square" technique. Of course I had to try this method out, and those pictures will soon be posted also. I really need to learn to stay focused on ONE project, start to finsih, before starting a new one. There are TO MANY UFO's lying around my sewing space.

I and DD are planning a short trip to Asheville for a girls only weekend. Neither of us have been to the Biltmore House in a long time. Can't wait to see the new rooms that have been opened to the public since the last time we were there. Also the Biltmore Village shops are on our list to visit.

May all in bloggerland have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend. Summer is offically here!

Hoofin' 4 Hooters

Early yesterday morning, I and DD met up to go to

Old Salem for the

"Race for the Cure".

The day started out sunny and cool, but before we reached the staging area for the race , it had clouded up and became very humid.

The race organizers held the race up for about 15 minutes to allow late comers to register for the race. They had hoped for 10,000

runners/ walkers, and they got their wish.


This is how far back we were from the start line.
It took us..............

10 minutes to get to the starting line after the race started.

And 1 hour, 2 minutes and 57 seconds later (minus the 10 minutes it took to get to the start line) we crossed the finish line.

Needless to say when I got home, I spend part of the afternoon out in the screened porch laying on the couch !

I walked in memory of friends (Shirley & Suzanne) I have lost and family (Lynda) who is a survivor.

Everyone there,

for whatever reason

was there for a great cause!

I hope to be there again next year.

Oh and I forgot

Oh, I forgot....

My quilt "a Tribute to Mother"

won a blue ribbon at the Kernersville Quilt show last weekend!!!

So much to share....

Oh I have so much to share.

The past 3 weeks have been busy, busy busy!

First, today our church (Augsburg Lutheran) honored its pastor (of twenty years) with a luncheon following our service today. A quilt made by the Quilting Ministry, a scrap book filled with twenty years of memories, and a stole made by the children of the church depicting their favorite bible story were presented to him.

Mrs. Goodneedle was asked by the Youth director to make it for the children to give to him. She then asked me to help with the layout and construction techniques.
(I feel very honored to have been asked)

Here I am with the finished stole

(That cute little fury pup is Hannes. He had to give his approval too)

And here is Mrs Goodneedle with the stole also.

We are both very proud of the finished project.

Pastor Wren seemed pleased and surprised also.

Here the stole is in the construction stage. There were 23 4-inch pictures we needed to use in the stole.

Second, Mr H. P. Ueltschi, President of Bernina International AG

visited the LQS where I work part time.

The week prior to his visit had us cleaning the store top to bottom.

(In the above picture you can see Mrs. Goodneedle talking to him.)

Here Shirley & Melinda (co-owners of the shop)are presenting him with a gift basket full of goodies from the area.

He visited with four Bernina shops in North Carolina. He even brought us some Swiss Chocolate....m-m-m-m!

Thanks HP!

And thirdly, DH raced at VIR Easter weekend!It was a good weekend of racing. He improved his lap times by 4 seconds AND
the car came home with no broken parts!
Now things, I hope, will slow down. I still have a list of things that need to be finished and a few things that need to be started.
1. Samples for Kids Camp to finish
2. Fabric to cut for an upcoming class
3. Completion of a bed spread/comforter for DD
4. Classes & newsletter articles for the upcoming Sew Original Newsletter.
5. And whatever else might need to be done...
house work, exercise, rest, etc., etc. etc.

Purple Frustration

"Purple Frustration"

It is finally finished! Some would not call this a UFO, but I have been working on this Reversible III Quilt since the Staff Retreat in February.

Many (almost) tears have been shed over this quilt.

I have never been as frustrated with something I have work on,

as I have with this project.

It is a quilt as you - go technique - which I usually enjoy. But it did not go smoothly. After finally getting the second, or third block put together, I finally got the bugs out of the process of making it. However 18 blocks later (& I only needed 12), I could not find 12 blocks I was truly satisfied with. So off to the LQS, to find out there was no more of the fabric for the back of the blocks available! I therefore had to complete a project I did not feel as my best work. But I guess in time --- and they say "time heals" all things ----maybe, maybe , maybe

I'll get over my frustration with this quilt!?!?!

(Hope so - because I really like the fabrics and colors I used.)

A Tribute to Mother

I would like to introduce everyone to my mother, Melba Merritt. She was there for me threw thick or thin. A day did not go by that she did not let me know how much she loved me. The last few years of her life she suffered with diabetes, congestive heart problems and the list goes on. But she never complained.

After she passed away, the family had to go threw all the "stuff" she, Dad and 3 kids had collected over 50 years in our home. Mom was a pack-rat. She had report cards, pictures, magazines, dried flowers .....anything she thought she might need.

While going through her quilting things, my sister placed 12 of mothers' blocks she had made in the trash. I went behind her and put them out of the trash. Mother was a craftier, a flower show judge, a knitter, a hand quilter...the list goes on and on.

This is the quilt, I placed those blocks into. These blocks date back to the mid 80's. I believe they are the earliest form of what we know as a

"Stack and Wack".

Each of mother's hand stitches were evenly spaced and stitched. She took much pride in her hand work.

After completing the quilt top, a dear friend, Kay Preston, offered to quilt it for me. Mother loved birds and butterflies. As you look at Kay's beautiful quilting you will find them intertwined in the feathers, leaves and bubbles.

Mother would be so proud of this quilt. But not as proud as I am for being able to pass her blocks on to her grandchild.

I love and miss you Mom.

Just a few more.....

Here are a few more from the

Mid-Atlantic Quilt Show..

Each

Is

Special

In

It's own way!