Time Lines, Sashiko, Tulips, Traveling Day w/ Big Shakes, & Steaks

What is about trying to stay on a schedule that seems to make it harder to do?  When I started this blog I told myself that I would blog once a week. I figured that would be the only way to develop a following.   And once again here it is two weeks again since my last blog. Geeesh whiz!! But I did see that I gained another follower, Thanks Tinker!  Yaw Hoooo that gives me 5 followers! So big THANK YOU to my followers!

4th Of July Mini

This week have been a hodgepodge things going on.  Ummmm I finished hand quilting my mini 4th of July quilt. Humm just realized I had a Humble block in this as uploaded.  Oh well, it gives it Character.  LOL. I used the "Friendship Star Pattern" from Kathy Tracy's "Prairie Children & Their Quilts" (pg 13). Mine has a slightly different look from the book.  I used sashing instead of borders making this one measures nicely at a whooping 14.75'' x 21.75" I did some simple hand quilting on this one.  Around the stars, I did a echo running stitch 1/4" out and then just around the blue edge I ran another running stitch. 

Which struck my funny as I am currently doing Jane's R/W/B Blog Hop. Which you can find here.  http://janesfabrics.blogspot.com/2012/05/redwhiteblue-blog-hop-schedule.html  It started on the 1st and goes 'til the 16th.  Lots of blocks of inspiration that would work for the Quilts of Valor or any other reason you want for a Patriotic/Americana quilt.

Then ... hummmm.... Oh then I was trying my hand at Japanese Sashiko when my 9 yr. old son decided that he wanted to also try his hand at it too. So I dropped everything that I was working & got him going.   He did a simple plaid design on a 6.5" squares in an afternoon.  It is hard to tell but there are 2 colors in his plaid. So far I am working on my second square of the same size. 



Son's Japanese Sashiko



Son With His Japanese Sashiko

  I went back to also working on my Challenge tulips. Of course I never work on just one project at a time. So what else am I working on you ask? I have to start working on my 25 ~ 3" signature squares for my Quilt&Needle group, then I have my forum block on HomesteadingToday.com.  We got a piece of this really pretty paisley print on white with blue, red and yellow print on it.  So after a few days of stewing I made the choice for an applique block from the new "Quiltmaker's 100 blocks, volume 5" magazine. Then there is the block I'm doing for HoneyFork Fabric their newsletter.  They are having a "Make Ugly Beautiful Contest" for the 2012 for the Stefanie Speilman Fund for Breast Cancer Research. They sent me an "Ugly" fq to make my block(s) from. If I have it back before Aug. 1st. I could win some great prizes.... if it goes in after the 1st they will still use the block in their projects. 


Make Ugly Beautiful FQ

My Freehand Tulips




 

Testing the Background Fabrics

So from the Yellow FQ, according to the rules; you have to use a "Recognizable" amount of the fabric and each block must be in 12.5".  I had been working on my challenge tulips for my Wisconsin Friend .... which lead to inspiring for my own freehand tulips with a little fussy cutting.  And then I was thinking that I wanted to try using "Tumble Blocks" as the background fabric.  I wanted them to fade into background so that the tulips POP. I think I need to change out the top fabric for something of a more solid pale pink. And then again I might just go with that white background.  Aaaahhhh decisions!!

I actually got away for a day, which is a rare event let me tell ya!  My neighbor took my son for a couple of days and the other half & I went a couple hours North to meet a cousin & wife.  We managed to get tickets to see Garrion Keilor at the Interlochen Center of the Arts. You might know know the name from the "Prairie Home Companion" radio show.  It was great, and a Live Broadcast.  They also used some of the students from the academy as part of the show.  We got some great seats and pictures of the stage. We also got to go Don's for the BEST Shakes!!! And the price is to smile about... $5.35.  I got a picture of it with my son's Flat Stanley.  These things are monsterous.... like 64oz. of crazy goodness!!!  I had a Cherry Shake which was sooooo right as it was Cherry Festive in Traverse City.  TC is right up the road a few miles....but so crowded we stayed away.  We did get to see Traverse bay.  Even on a clouded gray morning it was pretty. 



Flat Stanley @ Don's



Flat Stanley with 64 oz. Cherry Shake



Garrison Keilor
of The Prairie Home Companion



Traverse Bay, Mi.



So then we went to Boone's for dinner. OH  Man ...  no pictures of that but it has the BEST steaks!!  Primo Prime Rib with all the fixings is what the only 3 had. I had to buck the stream and had a Filet Mignon..... YUMMMMMM.  Then we headed back.  It was a long but great day.  

Well I should go and do some sort of stitching today. So I'll sign of for now and as always.... I welcome all your comments!

Toodles,

Tricia