Happy Halloween!

Scary Buddies - Isn’t this cute?

This monthly mini took me only a week to make. The pattern is from Patch Abilities by Julie Bohringer. http://www.patchabilities.com/index.html Julie has some wonderful patterns that you can see on her website. I got this pattern from Quilt Corral Too in Rapid City. I used the Lite Steam-A-Seam2 to fuse the pattern together. While working on the hand embroidery, I watched a couple of my favorite Halloween movies like Practical Magic, Hocus-Pocus, and Under Wraps. I love a good laugh and of course, the movies get me into the mood for the season. I got a few more to watch, but I will have to work on my appliqué or my Christmas potholders instead.

I needed to get a small dowel, so I could hang my new mini in the window with a suction cup. I also needed to look for some batik for finish my pond quilt. Dan & I went to V & S Variety Store in Elma, WA. They advertised the store was an old fashioned variety store with candy, toys, housewares, and fabric. Oh, what a pleasant surprise! It is like Hobby Lobby or JoAnn’s only independent with over 5,000 bolts of fabrics. The employees were very nice and very helpful. I plan to visit again during our long winter stay.

Here’s my mini hanging in the window of our coach.
I found the perfect batik! It looks like little flagstones. A great finish edge for my pond.

Have a Safe and Happy Halloween!

Crazed over UFO Quilts

Done! Finished!
The best part about being retired is having the time to finish my unfinished objects (UFO).

This crazy quilt sat in my closet for 5 years. I almost gave it away at our garage sale. It was too big for our motorhome and our small 2-ft tree. I decided if I trimmed it down, I could still use it. Once I trimmed the skirt down, I felt like the skirt was more manageable to work on.

Squirrel is inspecting the finished Crazy Christmas Tree Skirt

Little Angels

Some buttons

Bullion stitches.

Traditional spider web

Ribbon stitches

This is a Mckenna Ryan design called "Beary & Bright". I love her quilts. I decided to do painted threads after buying Melinda Bula's "Cutting Garden Quilts". I liked the idea of adding my own quilting designs for a different look. I added loops to the corners so I can hang the wall quilt in our front windshield with suction cups.

I'm ready for Christmas!

Leaving Behind My Friends and Project Linus

Chama Quilt Show 2008 and Quilting Retreat

Since leaving Albuquerque, I have felt a little lonely for my friends I left behind. Even though we are in contact by e-mails, I still miss our Saturday meetings, the conversations, and our show-n-tell of our most recent projects.


I would like to share some of my pictures of my friends and a few of the quilts I gave to Project Linus over the past few years. I often scan the material's patterns so I can use the appliqué pattern to enhance the quilt.

Tumbling Blocks with Retro Dog


Fractions Pattern with bright paints.

Scrappy quilt was a UFO (UnFinished Object) for many years. I decided the little green men would be perfect.

Jumping Rabbit quilt. I love the Crazy 8 pattern. It is quick and easy.

Another easy pattern with butterflies.

Miss You Guys! Happy Quilting!

Quilts From My Past

Misty’s "Grandmother’s Flower Garden"

Pepper loved to sit on the hoop while I did my quilting.

Cathedral Windows - good traveling project

Double Wedding Ring for Misty. Six years and two countries later, I finally finished her wedding present.

First granddaughter - Bry’s "Peek-a-Boo" baby quilt
Pattern from QuiltMaker

I took a picture of Squirrel while he was watching a bird in our backyard. I blew it up and made a pattern out the picture. The hummingbirds and trumpets came from Carol Armstrong's books.

Squirrel thinks he knows that cat.

Finished wall quilt "My Garden Visitors"

Bry’s "Appalachian Trail " Cat approved for comfort!

This quilt was made for a friend of mine. She did not think she would ever have a child. I wanted to give her a special gift for her precious gift. This pattern came from P.S. I love you.

Second granddaughter - Vi’s baby quilt "How does your garden grow" Sunflower pattern from Carol Armstrong and Sunbonnet Sue is from P.S. I love you.

Max approves of the butterflies.

Backing Up Just a Little

So I wanted to explain how I decided to take up quilting especially in the late 70s when it was not so popular. It was also hard to find cotton material or quilting information/instructions.

I have to admit my passion for quilts started when I was a child. My Grandma made each grandchild a flannel tied quilt. I still have that quilt. The comfort and warmth kept me feeling secure during our frequent moves as my Dad received new assignments to different Naval Air Bases. This quilt was also my connection to Grandma.

Moving became a part of my life again when I married Dan 34 years ago. The Air Force moved us every three years so we, along with our two children, saw a lot of the world during his 27-year career.

I used my son as an excuse to buy material. He was going to need a couple of larger blankets for his new bunk beds, right? Why not make a quilt instead of buying all of them. Of course, it took me three years to finish it. Ami Simms quilt “Train Tracks” caught my eye in the Quilt magazine for my choo-choo train-loving 3-year old son. I marked the material with pencil and plastic templates. I sewed it together on my Mom’s old Singer. After basting the quilt, I bought a very flimsy quilting hoop from variety store. My husband had to add more wood and screws because the hoop would lean over from the weigh of the quilt. Through trial and error, and studying my magazines, I taught myself how to quilt stitch the three layers together. I did not like the rocking stitch. Too big! I could not get them small enough so I started using the stab stitch. I still use that method as of today. My only regret is not taking a picture of my first quilt.

The older posts before this one came from our first blog: Too Many Cats I plan to keep this one all about quilts, quilt shops, my projects, and any quilt shows I come across during our travels.