Friday, July 10, 2015

Farm Report

Hot and Humid with a Chance of Family Fun!

I'm back from my time at Pioneer Farm in Illinois.  It's a family place that we are lucky enough to enjoy due to the foresight of my late mother and father in law, Geraldine and Blair.  Here are two other posts I've done on the farm.  This one is summer and this one is winter.

Happy Birthday to me!!  Mary brought me two antique R/W quilt tops!   They will be a nice remembrance of our recent trip to Paducah where we saw a great lecture on R/W quilts.
Bear Paw is 70"x82"   the HST quilt is 66"x82"

They are both hand pieced and I would label their condition as Tender but not Fragile. (fra-geee-ly)

Does anyone know the name of the set of the Half Square Triangle quilt?
Here is how she pieced and set the blocks.
This is how I would have done it:
Curious, huh?

Here are three quilts made bySheila.  She used my fan stencil for machine quilting on the far left star quilt.  She also suggests I do a little tutorial on how to mark it.
Sheila's Nine Patch from a little swap we had - love this!
My Step mother in law, Mary's, Prairie Garden.  It was her vision to covert this lawn area by the outer barns into an Illinois prairie.  It blooms from early spring through late fall with different flowers and plants.  It is hard to capture it, but it is wonderful.
I made a few different table displays.  This is one with green apples from the front yard.
This is the view that I LOVE when I'm at the farm.  So Simple.  So Inspiring.

On the way to the farm, we stopped at Ralphie's house in Cleveland.  Here is a sneak peak of a post I'll be doing at Christmastime.  
Here is Andrew and Hanna's BF, David, playing with BB guns a the farm.   The only thing we killed were cans.  Yes, that is a real Red Rider BB Gun in the lower left corner - so funny!
Thanks for making to the end.  I will be back with a 4th of July post.   and a few more farm photos.  Hopefully I will soon be backing sewing.......what's sewing???

Happy Friday Everyone!

25 comments:

Lori said...

Summertime is a great time to enjoy travel and your cabin! Looks like fun!!! I adore your antique quilts.

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Yes...what a fun phot shoot ofsome wonderful quilts. The end of your post cracked me up! What fun! Nothing like some fresh country air!!

Diane said...

Well you obviously had a little fun on your adventure! Glad to know it was memorable and you are home safely now. Thanks for sharing the gorgeous quilts. That nine patch is a stunner!

Maureen said...

Thanks for sharing this beautiful farm. Made all the better by gorgeous quilts! That is curious how she pieced the triangle quilt. I guess we all see things differently. Looking forward to that Christmas post. I used to be so against guns and then I moved to the country...

CecileD said...

I'm glad you come back on your blog after wonderful holidays !! Woop ! Woop !
The antique tops are awesome......sweet Mary !
Thank you for sharing these lovely photos with us !
Happy quilting Barb !
Hugs !

Barb said...

What a fun post....love all of the quilts!

Amy said...

The farm and your adventures /memories are a treasure. Thanks for sharing them with us.

And I think the block might be Old Maid's Ramble according to the Nancy Hopkins perpetual block calendar. What great gifts! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Amy said...

The farm and your adventures /memories are a treasure. Thanks for sharing them with us.

And I think the block might be Old Maid's Ramble according to the Nancy Hopkins perpetual block calendar. What great gifts! I hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

What a special place. Thanks for sharing and enjoy the trip home.

Janet O. said...

Wow, what a great place to get away and enjoy family, friends, and nature.
Beautiful R/W quilts. Brackman's Encyclopedia lists that block as Old Maid's Ramble or Double Triangle.
I really like the arrangement of prairie flowers with the apples in the vase.

Angie said...

Pioneer Farm seems like a magical place - thanks for sharing!

Jean said...

Christmas in July! Love the post!

Kyle said...

What a wonderful summer trip to the farm. Your new fra-geeee-ly quilts are delightful and have been rescued by Mary for you to preserve. There's something special about visiting a simpler comfortable place.

Roxanne said...

Is there any better setting for a quilt photo shoot than over a porch rail? Thanks for the fun post!

Pat said...

From the top of your post to the photos at the end - just great!!! Love your header, the reds and whites, the fabulous 9 patch and its setting...and I bet you could hear the corn growing when nightfall arrived - the country is like that isn't it!! Very fun times for you!!

Aunt 'Reen said...

Congratulations on those fabulous Red & White quilt tops that you were gifted!
Such a beautiful Farm - looks like a wonderful vacation place!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful quilt tops! I love red and white quilts and hope to make another soon. The farm looks like a magical place!

Dawn said...

Great summer fun photos. Loved seeing the corn fields. The land returned to native prairie flowers is fantastic.

Ruth said...

How fun! I love farms even though I grew up near Chicago, IL. It would be wonderful to have a farm to go to. Most of my MN relatives that had farms have died and most of their kids didn't keep the farm. Boo Hoo! The red and white quilts are awesome.

Barbara said...

What a wonderful place to spend your vacation! I always wanted to live on a farm but never made it out of NJ, lol! Love the R/W quilts. Great photos!

Kevin the Quilter said...

How much Fun with Barb can I stand???? It looks like you all had SOOOOO much fun at the farm! I can see why you find it relaxing and inspirational. The antique tops are to die for! Love the bear paw! Please promise me you won't be sticking your tongue to any frozen posts at Christmastime?? LOL

Rachaeldaisy said...

I'd be tempted to think you drove all the way there just for those brilliant photos of the quilts hanging at the front of the house, but then all the photos show what a beautiful place it must be to visit for all sorts of reasons. Your flower arrangement is gorgeous, and I love that you keep the Christmas fun happening all year round. It's always wonderful to see what you've been up too.

Thimbleanna said...

Wow Barb -- it looks like you had a fantastic time. The farm is beautiful! And the quilts are gorgeous. I would love a tutorial on how to sew the fans by machine -- not sure the best direction to go for the least overlap! ;-D

audrey said...

Wish I could see that prairie garden! It sounds wonderful. Love seeing the quilts draped over the railing. Great pictures! How fun for your to bring a couple more quilts home!

Sujata Shah said...

Happy Birthday Barb! I enjoyed the pictures of your farm and the quilts on the railings.. Oh what a gorgeous back drop of green and blue every day! it is so nice to have a place with family history to visit to. Your family is fortunate to be able to stay connected with their family's past.
I love your red and white quilts.