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.