December 8, 2014

The Tree Is Up and Another Gift Out The Door!

We put up our tree tonight... and if you remember, it isn't any ole' tree.  it is our non-traditional piggy tree. And what is laying under it... but a stocking, Tammy bag, candy and lots of surprises for someone! Another Christmas gift out the door. Hope she likes what she is getting from Santa. :)


A stocking with a vintage piece of linen to adorn the top.


A matching Tammy bag because the stocking just isn't big enough to hold it all. :)


The matching stocking and Tammy bag.


I just love the handle on this Tammy bag.  It has scroll type swirls in the metal that match perfectly with the scrolls and swirls on the fabric.


My sweet hubby is playing hard to get! ha!


November 17, 2014

Comfort Quilt Presentation


I have been traveling all week and wanted to share some things with you this morning. On Monday, my friend Libby and I drove up to Fredericksburg, VA for a 3 day sew-in with friends.  We were on a mission to deliver a quilt that a group of 100+ quilters made for a friend who had lost her son.  Our friend Tammy is the recipient of this quilt of love and was very surprised when we presented it to her.  Some other friends on the forum had sent her a pillow and others had sent her something as well so she had no idea something else was in the works.




Friends who could not make blocks sent funds to help with backing, sashing fabrics and batting and all left over funds went to purchase a couple of extra keepsake gifts.  Tammy loves sea turtles so I bought her a glass sea turtle at the Hallmark Store.  I also had enough funds to purchase the friends hugging figurine.  This symbolizes all of the many hugs she was sent and is still being sent by all of her quilting friends.



This is Tammy and her mom...



And friends Karen (left) and Libby (right)




I got home around 6pm on Wednesday evening and left again on Saturday morning at 7am to take my mother in law Mildred and sweet Aunt Neva to see their sister in Havelock, NC.  We had a blast! Aunt Lynda made us right at home with foot soaks when we got there and a wonderful dinner of homemade beef vegetable stew with stove top cornbread fritters! yummy!  We drove down the coast to meet up with Aunt Lynda's daughter for lunch on Sunday before heading home. Aunt Lynda treated everyone to a delicious seafood lunch! Mildred, Aunt Neva and I all ordered fried shrimp, Aunt Lynda had fried oysters and Leanne had the fish tacos.  The food was excellent so we were all stuffed when we left!




And oh yes we spied a quilt shop... and yes.. we had to buy something.. But it wasn't fabric.. Actually it is the first quilt shop that I have been in that did not sell fabric.  they had tons of ready made quilts for sale, gift ware, and antiques.



It just so happened to have been Leanne's birthday the day before so we bought her a set of placemats for her dinner table and a potpourri bowl that had the aroma of vanilla, actually called a wax pottery vessel. The Habersham Candle Company makes the potpourri bowls right here in the United States, down south in Georgia.  These are not candles... they have a fragrance built right in so you only display them and enjoy the aroma without having to search for matches.

They did not have a photo of the vanilla vessel that we purchased at the Quilt Cottage so I will show you a couple of others.  Go to the candle website to view them all and the other items they have on the market.


And my birthday is this coming Friday so my mother in law bought me this sweet and cuddly piggy for my birthday.  It was between this and a new leather satchel (the satchel was not at the Quilt Cottage), and the piggy won!  I just love him!  Thank you Mildred!


We had an excellent time all the way around but on the way home it started to mist rain and the sky darkened up.  It was a miserable 3+ hours drive home and I was so glad to be safely tucked under my quilt and in the recliner resting before bedtime.

November 12, 2014

Quilted Living Book

Have you ever seen a copy of the book "Quilted Living".  The book is filled to the brim with so many inspiring projects!  You will have a hard time deciding which project you want to do first!  Mix and match design elements of more than one quilt to create an entirely different look for a new project!


There are 10 designs inside the book and after a bit of deciding and undeciding,  I chose "Liberty".  There was a quilt and a tablerunner made from the design and I chose to create the tablerunner.  I modified it a little in order to fussy cut the fabrics for the inner light colored strips.  I wanted to showcase the farm animals in the print so I cut the strips 4" instead of 2".  I also continued the border to the ends so it wrapped the entire tablerunner.

As you can see the model in the book is made from red/white and blue fabrics.  My first initial thought was to stay with the patriotic theme but my kitchen decor is pigs and apples with black appliances so I knew I wanted to  choose fabrics that would compliment my breakfast area.  I wanted to be able to use the runner year round.


My husband and I collect pottery from the Western part of North Carolina and some parts of GA, SC  and AL.  When I was getting ready to make the photos I decided to show off a few pieces of our pottery with the tablerunner.  A few extra quilted pieces never hurts anything either, right.

First up to adorn the runner, allow me to show off a couple of our many pigs we have collected over the years.  Albert Hodge's swirl pig and David Bellar's round belly pig.  The teapots in the display are also all by David Bellar.  Last, but certainly not least, is Charlie Lisk's red pig in the chair, one of our favorites!


This is actually how we will use the tablerunner. The water pitcher is by Kim Ellington and the pasta bowl and mini dressing pitcher are by Sylvia Harrison. The tablerunner is a perfect backdrop for these pottery pieces!  These pottery pieces have sat on the table for quite a long while and now they have a gorgeous runner to add a softness to all the hardscape.


I free hand quilted the runner with square spiral, ribbon candy, cross hatching and meandering.  All of this was done free form so when you look closely, you will see nothing is really even. And rightly so, when you think about farm living.  There is nothing like the carefree nature of living on a farm surrounded by nature and quilts!




Thank you for visiting my blog today!  I hope I have inspired you to create something today!

September 4, 2014

Allie's Summertime Visit!


My granddaughter Allie came for the summer so in lieu of staying online, I spent many a day with her as top priority.  I think she spoiled me as much as I spoiled her.  She was very good company for me while hubby worked in the tobacco field.


 I worked on 3 projects over the summer, including one of those being made from Riley Blake gingham check fabric.  I ordered mine from the Fat Quarter Shop, my favorite go to place for fabric.  I love their customer service, the way they pack my fabric, and most of all the way they give back to quilters all across the world by allowing bloggers to host giveaways!

I have been working on a group project all summer trying to finish hand quilting a gift that is going to someone very special.  I was waylaid by carpal tunnel when I was a little over half finished and then I obtained a very bad cut to my middle finger on the right hand. It was a really nasty cut that took almost 4 weeks to heal!  No hand quilting for me during the entire time because it was my right hand on my thimble finger. I had offers to help finish but I was determined to finish what I started and finish I finally did! I was hoping to finish and get it delivered before my day on the hop but it is not delivered so only a small sneek peek will have to do for today. Once the gift is delivered, I will create a new blog post with a full size shot, close ups and a little story behind the gift.  For now, you will just have to imagine the work that has gone in to it.

(I just noticed the 2 pieces of gingham in the cropped photo... How appropriate.)


Allie and I went fabric shopping to make her 3 dresses to wear to church while she was here.  We got dress number one completed before the nasty cut to my finger happened  and then the rest... well, they will have to be made next summer when she comes to the farm.  She looks so pretty in her new dress.

 
 After my finger healed I dabbled in a little bit of crazy quilting and finished this 6 inch block. I really like the way the background colors and the colors of my embellishing and stitching came together.  It was nice to actually get lost for a day in my stitching.  Allie worked on blanket stitching a cowboy boot to a batik background while I worked on my stitching.  She gave orders not to show her work until she can finish her project.  This is the crazy quilt block that I did.


I also did some canning and freezing which are shown in the post below this one.  We make peach ice cream every summer... several times because it is hubby's favorite... not so much mine, so I put away 2 buschel of Big Red peaches.  I also make 3 or 4 peach cobblers in the winter so a few were canned in jars... the ones for ice cream were frozen.  We love strawberry freezer jam and this summer I have tried my hand at some peach freezer jam.  I will let you know how it tastes when we break open the first jar and spread it over warm biscuits.


And now for my Riley Blake gingham project!

Madame Samm designed the Tammy Bag back early on in the blog hops and I have fallen in love with them.  It has been a while since I made the last one so I knew I wanted to make one out of gingham!  You can find the pattern HERE in her Craftsy shop!  But beware, they are like a Lay's potato chip... you cannot stop with just one!


The hand dyed lace flower is from a shoppe on Etsy, RavioleeDreams, owned by my friend Nicki Seavey.  She literally takes a paint brush and paints her laces! They are incredible!  The light teal flower was perfect for this Tammy bag!  Teal beads finished the frame perfectly and the vintage teal button was the icing on the cake!  The heart shaped white lace adorns the front and the back.  If you need laces by the yard for your projects I have it on good authority that you can find plenty with great prices at Crazy Quilting Supplies.


Allie and I are on to more adventures before she has to go back to Bama so I will catch up to you later.

Thank you for stopping by today!

September 1, 2014

Summertime Travels

 I guess you could say I have been on a blogging break.  I had my granddaughter all summer.  I think I have blogged 5 times since she came to the farm.  But that is ok... computers can wait... grandchildren cannot.  We stayed busy having fun and then I got to spend over a week in Alabama visiting the rest of my family when I took her home.

Allie has grown a mile since last summer!

So has Miss Emily!
Her momma is teaching her bad habits!
She should have on a ROLL TIDE shirt!

Ace came for play dates a few times.  
He and Allie hit it off really well!

We have our farm up for sale and are moving to be near my family when it sells.  My first cousin is a realtor and she lined up some available properties to show me just to get us started with an idea of what is out there.  Never did I realize she would have 18 properties on Friday, the first day there after a 2 day trip in.  WOW!!  Talk about total exhaustion!  The next day wasn't as bad but coupled with the exhaustion, it was... 10 properties on Saturday!  

Parker is helping my cousin's hubby show us this place. 
(which I hope we get a chance to buy!)

For the remainder of the visit, it was all about family and getting together with them, which kept me in the truck every day.  My youngest daughter is building a new home with her hubby so I opted to stay in a hotel the duration of our visit.  My friend Libby rode with me and it was always after 9:00pm before we were able to get back to our room.  We basically just got in our nighties and crashed every night. I don't think she will be so eager to go with me again.  I wore her slab dab out!

Sweet Libby

The trip was delightful regardless of how tired I was and it took me 4 days to get over the trip once I got home.  I always put away fresh peaches for homemade ice cream and cobblers and I was about out of time by the time I got home so on Thursday my mother-in-law and I made a trip to the farmers market to get some Big Reds.  Peaches will be gone next week so we cut it close this year!

Here are the fruits of our labour.

diced peaches over chocolate ice cream (don't knock it till you try)
1 large batch of homemade ice cream
19 quarts of canned peaches for cobblers
11 super-quarts of frozen peaches for ice cream
12 pints of peach freezer jam for warm biscuits
Large skillet of fried squash for dinner
12 quarts of squash ready for frying

Thank you Lord for our bounty.










June 22, 2014

Giving Quilts

We have had out of town family this weekend from South Carolina and Pennsylvania.  My father in law's brother and his sister both came for a visit.  Uncle Don has a special place in my heart and I wanted to do something nice for him.  He had a stroke a few years ago and during the winter his leg and foot stay really cold.  So I sent him home with the picnic quilt I made for our picnic trip to Duke Gardens.  Now he can be toasty and warm when he watches television.

When the realization set in that I was giving it to him, he became all smiles.  He was pleased as a little piggy to be taking the quilt home with him.


June 1, 2014

Picnic At Duke Gardens

Hubby and I chose to go to the beautiful Duke Gardens for a picnic.  They are located in Durham, NC only 30 minutes from our home.


When we arrived we started scoping out that "perfect spot" to set up our picnic.  We wanted to have lunch before roaming the gardens so the food would not have a chance to spoil... and because we were a little hungry. It took us about 10 minutes to uncover a hideaway spot just perfect for 2 romantics like ourselves.

Can you see the benches nestled away back there?
Perfect!
Looks like some other romantics found this spot too!

I made a picnic quilt special for the occasion.  We spread our picnic quilt out over one of the benches and sat up our basket.  What is in that picnic basket, you ask?  Well, we all know you need fried chicken for any picnic, right?  Hubby's favorite food in the world is fried chicken. He doesn't get it very often because I cannot fry it too well... the outer crispy coating does not stay on.  This yummy chicken came from Popeye's.  Perfect every time!  And no, that is not wine in those glasses.. it is Coca Cola! ha!


A close up of the picnic quilt showing you that yes, I did use pig fabric! :)  I bought these fabrics in 2009 in New Hampshire when I was on a quilting retreat with 70 friends from the HGTV Quilting and Needlework Forum and they have sat patiently waiting to become something.  This picnic was the perfect time to get them out and make them useful.  I made 10 1/2 inch 4-patch blocks and cut 10 1/2 inch  squares from the pig print to create my quilt.  I quilted it with a free hand square spiral.

I actually made it to fit my eating table but once it was finished and I laid it on the table, I am not so sure I want to use it there.  I added the black to make it wider and longer and I just don't know if I like it in the end.  I think I will put it in the charity cupboard and let a sweet child wrap up in it this winter.

I will tell you now that I cannot get down on the ground and sit so that is why we are not all snug as a bug sitting on the quilt.  There was a second bench so we both sat there and secretly watched everyone coming and going as we had our lunch.  They never knew we were there. :)

As we were leaving our picnic area, we went down by the pond and mama goose was there with a couple of her babies.  Are they not sweet!


And way across the pond were some Canadian Geese.  We are often visited by Canadian Geese here on our farm... 3-4 days a week, most weeks.  I love to hear them honking when they get ready to fly away.  It always makes me smile.


We started making our way around to the various flower gardens... But first I HAVE to show you this!  Is it not the most incredible water fountain you have ever seen!  I told hubby that I would love to have one just like it and he quickly replied, "well, you better win the lottery". lol


These photos are of some of the flower gardens that we enjoyed today...





And a couple of shots with the picnic quilt once again.. Did you notice that it has pigs on it!



I hope that you have enjoyed our picnic and the gorgeous Duke Gardens!  Thank you for taking the time to come and visit today!