Wednesday, May 2, 2018

May-hem Muchness

This is Renata's quilt with my fan stencil machine quilting.  Love it! Goes so great on this quilt.  She did a great job!
At the Quilt show in NJ I ran into Jean and she had her finished churn dash quilt with her.  What fun!
Yay!
I finished my first block of the Chrome Yellow 4-block quilt project.  It matches my green/yellow arborvitae. 
 It also looks nice with my daffodils and grape hyacinth.  YES spring has arrived in CT finally!!
I love the crisp look of a freshly finished and pressed applique' block.  I steam press it from the back on a fluffy bath towel.  I use a spray bottle of plain water to create the steam as I NEVER add water to my iron anymore.
I received several comments about my rag balls.  First I will confess, they aren't balls from strips of fabric.  They are balls of batting strips that I cover with strips that I trim from my quilt backings.  
 Rag balls were made of strips of old clothing and rolled into ball to later be used to make rag rugs and weaving.  
 I have heard of modern day quilters using selvages to tie up garden plants.
 I like them as a remembrance of the quilts I've made.  The sweet pink one below is from my Mother's Garden quilt.
 There fun to look at and if I was better at juggling, they would be good for that :)
As reported on Instagram - my Jubilee quilt is home after traveling to Houston and Chicago.
 OMG - I am missing  line of quilting by my initial and just noticed it after 5 major shows, lol.  Will take care of that soon.

They sent me show books and nice patches for my quilt.  It was a great experience and I highly recommend you enter any one of there special exhibits.    click here to see what they are calling for this year.
 What a nice touch - they packed it beautifully with lots of acid free tissue and this note which included the packers name.
And finally, we golfed for the first time last weekend with our golf buddies.  Anyone else out there golf?  I love to spend the time outside with Mr. Fun and friends.
of course I mostly love to go out to eat before or after and have a cocktail :)
Can you believe the carts had GPS so we knew exactly how far the cup was?
  Oooops, too much talking and looking in the weeds for my pink golf balls.  

Happy May!  It's Derby Day on Saturday - woo hoo!! 
xo

16 comments:

Janet O. said...

Your stencil design looks great on that quilt!
Wow--that chrome yellow block absolutely glows!! So pretty. (I never put water in my iron, either.)
Oh, those balls are a fun remembrance of your quilt creations. You can pretend you are going to make a rag rug--or practice juggling. :)
That is pretty crazy that you are just now seeing that space missing the line of quilting. Amazing how those little details can slip past us.
I have never golfed outside of a mini course, but I am getting pretty good at that. LOL

Phyllis said...

Great post! They really did take good care of your quilt, I saw your quilt in Houston, it is beautiful. Love your yellow block, wow. Why do you never put water in your steam iron anymore? I find that whatever steam iron I buy, how many times I descale the things they always start to leak and leave ugly stains on my iron board. So I was thinking the same thing, to use a water spray and just not put water into the iron anymore. Sweet rag balls btw, great idea!

Jill said...

Informative post! Agree that the fan stencil quilt goes well with Renata’s quilt. It is fun to run into a quilt buddy at a show. Chrome yellow looks like it was planned to match your yard. Lol. Perfect spot for a photo shoot. Attending a Chicago or Houston show is on my bucket list. Awesome how they pack quilts. Maybe no one noticed your missed to-be-quilted line. Appreciate the info on next year’s entry requirements. Something to ponder ;-) I am curious also why you never add water to iron? LOVE golf. First time out was this week with my ladies league. Next day I drove 500 miles round trip to attend Sauder Village Quilt Show. Two favorites back-to-back. Appreciate your informative post.

Chris said...

Good tip about no water in the iron! Recently I was working on a white background quilt (of course) when my iron leaked cruddy brown water. Thankfully I was able to wash it out of my project! No more water in my iron either!

Lori said...

Happy May! I love that graphic, classic quilt and the fans finish it off nicely.
Your yellow background quilt matches with spring!! Yay! Spring is here, for a few days anyway. Welcome home beautiful quilt!!

Barb said...

Lots of fun things but your block . Wow

Pinkadot Quilts said...

I love that yellow! How many are you making?
I too have stopped putting water in my iron, they last a lot longer!
I love that stencil you made, the pattern is perfect for that quilt.
Summer is here today 91*!!!!

Janet said...

Lots of fun in this post :0) How lovely to get your Jubilee quilt back! I had to really look to see any missing quilting line - I bet no one noticed! Your gorgeous applique block is beautifuL with your spring flowers - it's going to make an amazing quilt! I need to be more brave about cutting away behind the applique.

Kyle said...

It's always a good reunion when a quilt returns home after it's tour. Spring looks good in CT along with your glorious applique. I use to golf long ago until I was tired of embarrassing myself!

Barbara said...

Fun post, Barb! Lots going on in your world :) Your applique block is fabulous and it looks so pretty in your yard/garden! Very impressed with the "handling" of your Jubilee Quilt--such a nice way for it to be returned. Love your rag balls but not golf balls, lol!

Wendy Caton Reed said...

I LOVE that yellow "Whigged Out" block! I cannot wait to watch this one grow!

audrey said...

I've had to stop using water in my iron years ago, too many issues later on. Your Chrome yellow block is fantastic! Love those colors so much!

Angie said...

I always enjoy your journaling of quilty goodies and other great stuff! I love golf, but completely suck at playing it. So, I watch tournaments on TV while doing hand-stitching - one of my favorite Sunday afternoon activities!

CecileD said...

Your first block is amazing Barb ! And the choice of chrome yellow background sooo clever !
I really love it ! :)

O'Quilts said...

lovely post xo

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

Love that gorgeous applique block displayed outdoors!

The rag balls are such a great idea and yes, very pretty :)