Christmas Splendor

--Julia posts--

May you have a blessed Christmas as you reflect on Christ's birth and his coming to earth to save mankind.

I made this quilt quite a few years back, drafting the pattern from a tiny picture in a magazine ad. I gave it to our youngest son, Craig and Ang as a wedding gift.

Fabric from India

Posted by Barbara
Terry (my husband), Mark (Polly's husband) and myself went to India on a missions trip.  I was so fascinated with the ladies saris.  The ladies  were so colorful and neat all wrapped up in 6 yards of fabric.

I bought three saris and plan to make a quilt.  Not sure yet how I will make it.  Any suggestions?

 

This is my "Pinwheel Spin" pattern.  Last week I finished up a new "Pinwheel Spin" and sent the quilt to CA to be published in my new book. Parla (my daughter) and I worked on this quilt together.

Tree of Life & Possum Town Quilters

--Julia posts--

This past Friday I enjoyed these ladies' company around the "Tree of Life" quilt at Paul's folks place.

On Saturday, I joined the other PTQer's at our annual Christmas Supper at Annette's house. Here's Annette on the left with our 2010 president, JoAnne on the right.

We had "Show & Tell" and I loved seeing all the quilts that others have been working on. Here is Watana's quilt from a pattern by Bonnie Hunter.

And CC has her BOMs ready for quilting.

Annette had a surprise for us and had a 'bed turning' of some of her quilts. I especially like this red and green one.

Posted by Barbara

I am in the process of blocking two quilts. 

The first one is "Dazzling Dasies".

The second one is "Fall Stars".  I lay the quilts on a sheet on the carpet and sprinkle the quilts with lots of water, until they are soaked.  I pull and push and tug till they are all squared up, then let them dry.

Sewing Circle in Delaware

~ Polly's Posting ~

Today was our monthly sewing circle here in Delaware!

Our group was rather small but our hearts were warmed as our hands were kept busy!

Connie and Edie knotting a comfort top.

This quilt top is getting smaller and smaller!

I love seeing the younger ones getting pointers from the older ones.  Here Darlene is helping her niece.

 Show~and~Tell 

Kristen showed some cute little stocking caps she has been making at home.

Queena K. showed some pillow cases she is making for Christmas gifts!

I showed this little quilt that I added the border to a couple weeks ago.  We bought the top for less then $20 at MCC Resource Center and all it needed was a border and now we'll have a nice little top to quilt.  Mark loves the colors and my mind is now churning for a quilt for him.

Allison showed these little dresses she is making for her dolly.

I'm amazed at how the young ones love to sew!  Here they are playing with some of the scraps that were left over from a project.

Happy sewing till next time!

Love, Polly

Tree of Life

--Julia posts--

I got to help put some stitches into this quilt today. The Grabers were together at Paul's folks for Thanksgiving and a few of us gathered here to visit. Paul's mom recieved this top from her mom's things years ago. She purchased it from an auction, probably somewhere in Indiana. We have no way of knowing how old it is or who actually pieced it.

Polly's Trip to Houston

~ Polly's Posting ~

I was so privileged to attend the International Quilt Festival down in Houston, TX earlier this month.

Here are just a few of the high-lights of my time there.

Being able to attend the show with my daughter Holly!

Taking a class by Kaffe Fasset on color. 

Running into one of my Quilting Heros ~ Hollis Chatelain ~

I had seen this quilt months earlier in one of my quilt magazines and was so intrigued by it.  How could 10 different women make self portraits and yet be so similarly alike?    I was thrilled to see the quilt there at the show and get to study it up close.

 

• I took lots of close up pictures so I could study the details in them later.

  
  

  

  
  

  
  

  

  
  

  A little closer up for details.

  
  

  

  
  

  While taking these pictures a lady tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted to know more about the quilt.  She identified herself as one of the ladies who made the quilt and said that six of the ten were meeting there at the quilt in a few minutes.   I stayed around a little longer so I could get a picture of these talented women.

  
  

  

25 Patch Star

--Julia posts--

I made this BOM, 25 Patch Star, for Donna with my Possum Town Quilters.

Blog Tour Posted by Barbara

Welcome to the 100  Block Quiltmaker blog tour. Follow the 100 Blocks Blog Tour daily Nov. 8-12 at quiltmaker.com/quilty pleasures for inspiration, ideas and giveaways galore!  My block in the magazine is Colorful Star Tricks. 
 



My pattern "Star Tricks", a 48" x 48", was the incentive to make this block.  I made Colorful Star Tricks block smaller and didn't strip piece the stars.


My sister Julia made "Give the Girl a Twirl", 48" x 48", using variegated fabric.

Make a comment on my blog and get a chance to win my book "Star Struck Quilts" which has the "Star Tricks" pattern in it.

You can purchase this magazine at Patchwork Plus or Quiltmaker.

Also check out my other blog Quiltingal

Posted by Barbara

I tried a new technique for machine quilting:  

Move the width of the zig-zag stitch to 2mm and free motion quilt.  Julia used this technique on her "Ezekiel Saw the Wheel."  She inspired me to use this method.

   

Working with metallic thread can be very trying. It loops. It breaks. It skips stitches. So...I put my thread through a whisk, loosened the top tension, and used a metallic needle size 80. It worked like a charm. :)

  

Friday I spent the day at Father and Mother's machine quilting...The humming of the machine must of put them to sleep.  

 

 Parla is home for the week.  She and I are making a "Pinwheel Spin" quilt.  It was so much fun to see her arrange the pinwheels so the values and colors were "just right".  She has a wonderful eye for placement and is very accurate in her cutting and sewing.

Dresden Plate Quilts

Amy's Creative Side is having a blogger's quilt show. Here are our quilts that we'd like to share.

In 2005 all three of us sisters entered a contest put on by MAQS called:  Dresden Plate: New Quilts from an Old Favorite.

What a treat it was for all three of our quilts to be accepted and become a part of the show for the following two years.

Julia's "A Plate of Pineapples" won fourth place.

Polly's  "The Dazzling Dresden Doodle" won fifth place.

Barbara's "Dresden Fanfare" was a finalist.

Our quilts were shown in the American Quilter's Society Museum for a couple months and then traveled with a group of 15 other quilts to various shows, guilds and museums.

We three Mennonite sister's felt so honored and blessed.

Farmer's Delight

--Julia posts--

This project keeps calling and calling and I just haven't had time to answer that call!

Magnolia Sewing Circle

~Polly's Posting~

While Barbara and I were down in Mississippi, Julia's church ladies met for their monthly sewing circle.   It was so neat to be able to see how their sewing circle operated.
I felt right at home and enjoyed pitching in and helping where needed.

Here is Julia putting a binding on a quilt for their annual school sale.

I love this picture of Julia's granddaughter, Georgiana on the sewing table with momma Sheila laughing.

Two comfort tops were put in frames that day and knotted.

I was amazed at seeing how Sheila, my niece helped knot the comforts even though she is blind.

Our sister June is on the right visiting with Julia's daughter-in-law Evie.  Jolene, (the only one busy quilting) is in the middle.

Here, four ladies are hand stitching the binding down.

  This quilt needed to be finished by the week-end for the school auction.

I was glad to be able to spend these couple hours with the Magnolia ladies.   Thanks Julia for giving us this opportunity.

Mini Sewing Retreat in Mississippi

Posted by Julia

I was so blessed to have family here for a week of sewing and fellowship. At one time we had 7 sewing machines in my sewing room with small walkways to squeeze through. It was so fun and I enjoyed it so much.

Here's June making beautiful triple feather stitches on her luscious velvet. Polly is working on the 2 braided quilts that are in the background.

Barbara did machine quilting on these Dresden Plates that are made from triangles.

She also quilted this overlaping stars quilt.

Jolene sewed Log Cabin blocks together for her masterpiece quilt that is sure to be an heirloom.

She also worked on a UFO that she started years ago of a lattice quilt with grapes that are to be appliqued to the lattice.

Here are her snippings from the grapes.

 And then she started and finished this small Square in a Square top that could pass for looking like the Pineapple block.

Polly spent her time sewing triangles for a Shenandoah Star quilt that was designed by Barbara.