Quilt Progress and More

First the progress with Southwestern Sunrise, Sunset.

 Actually, I meant to post last week while it was still in strips, but just did not manage to do that--which meant I had no post to link to the blogs of some favorite friends.

It was very windy when I took the quilt outside to be photographed--so you can see where the wind was pulling against the pins.  I should qualify that "very windy".  It was what much of the U.S.A. would call very windy.  For where we live, it was a typical autumn afternoon wind.

 For some reason a lone sunflower had grown and bloomed by this building and then fell to the ground from its own weight.  I tried to get the pretty head in the photograph, but it was just too sunny for me to tell if I had it in the pictures, and I missed it. Leaves are rapidly flying off trees around here. 

It's a bit sad that photographs can't capture the true colors in these fabrics--and the angle of the sun didn't help either.  However,  I can see that the quilt has good movement, and I'm eager to get the border pieced and applied so that I can get to my favorite part, the quilting.

And, pictures from shortly before last Saturday's Homecoming Parade...

Yes, skies were that blue.  And yes, the pictures were taken from the non-crowd side of the float--no idea why they did that!
Where I grew up, we built our floats of chicken wire shapes stuffed with tissues.  You can tell we live where it's windy and have to use bales of hay and straw because light stuff will get caught in the winds and blow away!!

This is this year's officer team--I'd say the one young man who is on the team is enjoying himself!  FFA has three advisors, but only one made it into the picture.
It was so cold that a friend and I watched the parade while cuddling in coats and quilts.

I have no pictures of the homecoming dance attendees, and Sweet Teen forgot to ask anyone to take their picture.  The couple was accompanied by two friends who have moved on to other schools--and they had to jump through a few hoops in order to be able to take them along.  Very different from when I was in high school and we invited past classes to the homecoming game and the homecoming dances.  (Kind of sad that they no longer do that. Or, maybe they do that in other parts of the country but just not here.)

This week Sweet Teen and two classmates are competing at the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis and will be joined by most of those pictured as well as other members of our local chapter.  It will seem strangely quiet around my home--but I'll have plenty to wear me out during the day since it's also the week of parent teacher conferences at my school, which will means I'll return home even later than usual each day.

When I get a chance, I'll link to Judy's What's on the Design Wall and Connie's Freemotion by the River.

Happy quiltmaking....

Winner and Mid-Week Report

Something very exciting happened.....

 

 I won some wonderful fabrics from Marcia at Little Pink Rose Quilting and Sewing. Marcia's blog is here. These are Pat Bravo's Art Gallery fabrics.  Some people have mentioned that they are hard to find.  Marcia has them waiting for you!

Undoubtedly I can  count on one hand the number of times in my lifetime that I have won something and still have plenty of fingers left over.  (And that is despite the fact that since my head injury last March, I have entered more give-aways than I can count.)

These are destined for either a prayer quilt or a baby quilt (although, I should say that every quilt I make is a prayer quilt since praying has blessed me as much as the recipients).

Thank you, Marcia!

 This is where the latest quilt sits--not quite stalled, but no stitches added yesterday, because I was wiped out between my horrible headache and the visit to the rehab specialist in Albuquerque.  I'm not sure I've ever gotten out of his office in less than two hours.  However, he did make an important phone call and on Friday I have an appointment with one of the best neurologists in the state.  (So, if you don't count the fact that the injury occurred over six months ago, I'm getting to see a neurologist after far less than the usual three to six month wait.)

 

Last Saturday I ran into my friend Ruth at a yard sale and told her I've been looking for some kind of portable cabinet to hold my 1000 yard spools of quilting thread.  She texted me on Monday to let me know she had something for me that she thought would work.

 So I stopped to see her on the way home.  Not only does it have drawers to hold at least 18 spools of thread, but it also has a place for me to keep my notebook of plans and notes.  I couldn't resist giving it a little polish with real furniture polish.

 This tin that I picked up at a thrift store is what I've been keeping smaller spools in, but now I'll use it to transport my tools to quilting meetings.

 Of all the sunflowers I planted, this is the only one that isn't yellow.  I'm guessing we won't get one of the red ones this year.

 I have one little blooming Cosmos.  (I planted them late and feared I'd get no blooms at all.)

 I purchased some mums for a little more fall color.

 The pinks are still blooming....

 and this little one that has not done well at all looks like it's deciding to give life a go.

 I purchased six pansies too--then forgot to transplant them, then remembered but didn't know if they'd be okay.  Well, they are turning around....

thanks to my Sweet Teen's favorite kind of day.  Yes, we are so overcast that no one would guess there are mountains beyond that hill!  (Isn't it funny that I moved to New Mexico in part because I love the sunshine, and my daughter is determined to move to a place where it rains and is cloudy a LOT more!)

 Although I'm not making as much progress as I wanted to make, I am going to link to Freshly Pieced, where you will find links to the blogs of people who have been a lot more productive than I have been.

Happy quiltmaking.....

Quilt Finish and Early Autumn

 This is one of the quilts Judy pieced.  I used it in my tutorial for how to quilt on a treadle machine.

 I stitched a variety of designs, changing from one block to the next.

 All this quilting was done on my vintage Necchi BU in 1919 Singer treadle irons.

 The back of the quilt is an Asian themed print that looks like it is patchwork.

 Signs of early autumn: cherry tree leaves turning.

 Last of the morning glories making seeds on the fence.

 Even the leaves on the Chinese elm that doesn't leaf out until the end of May...

 Fortunately, the sunflowers are still with us.

 And we may get some more blooms.

 

 These were from a package of mixed seeds,

 and I was really hoping for a couple of red ones,

 and, while it looks like that won't happen,

 these are so very cheery.  However, even the Father Hugo rose is beginning to sing an autumn song.

I'll take the Birds, Blossoms, and Butterflies quilt to Judy at choir practice so she can add the binding and put it in the cabinet for the Victory Quilt Ministry.

I'm linking to Freshly Pieced and Esther's WIPs on Wednesdays.

Happy quiltmaking......

Hunting Quilt

 What is this mess?  The trimmings from squaring up 48 half-square triangles.  Next time I'll use my old Omnigrid triangle rulers.  I forgot how much I dislike trimming squares.

Piecing done on my lovely vintage Necchi BU on the treadle from a 1919 Singer 66.  (I do still have the Singer 66, and it works fine, so I should find someone who would like to use it.)

Turned the triangles, 48 two-patch blocks, and 12 solid blocks into 12 Lincoln's Platform blocks.

 I drew diagonal lines across 24 squares.  (They're resting on a sheet of 12" deli paper.  I love that stuff--for sewing and organizing as well as in my kitchen!)

 I placed those squares on opposite sides of an un-pieced square and sewed on the line.

 ....Over and over again....
I love the hunting fabric, a gift from my dear friend Mary.  (It was a JoAnn's Fabric exclusive several years ago, but until this inspiration hit, I couldn't figure out how to use it.)

 Pressed the seams with my favorite itty-bitty steam iron--at least it's my favorite for piece work.

 All pressed.

 Trimmed--I often sew a second seam a scant 1/2-inch to the right of the line before trimming--not sure why I didn't do that before trimming this time.

 Lay out the plan.  Lay out two stacks of blocks.

 Seam, referring to plan.

 Check to be sure seams of blocks align.  The red in the Lincoln's Platform is a Robin Pandolph from several years ago. The little flowered red is a Peter Pan--I'm wondering if it was left over from a shirt I made for my father many years ago.  The beige tiny flower is from the 1980's when it was still hard to find 100% cotton for quiltmaking.

 Build the rows and piece rows together.

 Piece red inner border.

 Layer and baste with a few hundred pins.  (Pin basting because I took it to church to baste at our Victory Quilt meeting, and I didn't feel up to carting along the boards I use when basting with Sharon Schamber's thread basting method.  In hindsight, her method is faster--and is featured on you-tube.)

Pieced back--with some little surprises.

Ready for quilting.  Makes me nostalgic for hunting season on the farm in Illinois--although I usually stayed inside since there were always a few poachers who thought a hunting license entitled them to free game from other people's land and that they didn't even have to ask permission to hunt.  One year those poachers even included the president of one of the El Paso banks!
Guess I'd better get busy quilting and see how many more memories I recover!

Most often our Thanksgiving dinners included pheasant. On one of the little country roads near my work, I've seen a pair of ring-neck pheasants each day for the last several days. I don't even know if there is a pheasant hunting season here in New Mexico.

Hope your Thanksgiving Day is wonderful!