A SHOW TO BEHOLD

I was recently involved with a lovely quilt show.

My BFF, Shirley Haller, lives in Evansville, IN and

for the lasts 2 years she planned, coordinated and executed the show.

ALL THAT during COVID and battling BREAST CANCER !

It wasn’t JUST a quilt show!

The St. Boniface Parish Quilters in Evansville

have members from the 3 Catholic Churches.

This show was held at Sacred Heart Parish.

A highlight of the show was a Quilts of Valor with a

special ceremony to present Veterans of War Recipients.

The quilters did a lovely job making, presenting 

honoring local recipients.

Every pew was covered!

A view from the balcony above was breathtaking. 

View from the front to the back of the church.

View from the back to front of the church.

Shirley asked me to bring some Modern quilts for this Traditional Show.

They played well with all the traditional quilts! 

Here is my PLUS + design and Modern Pumpkins

Wonky Crosses and Churn Dash had their space too!

All behaving well and holding their own !

 It was a privilege to be included in this show, inside a beautiful church,

alongside 100 other traditional quilted beauties. 

This lady right here, Shirley, is so inspirational...

besides my bestie for over 60 years!

Thank you Shirley for including me!

FROGGY KINDA DAY!

I love Quilts in the Wild...

especially mine!

Dawes Arboretum near Newark, OH is a beautiful garden.

And they happen to have frogs, dancing in the park!

Frogs practicing mediation by the water.

Frogs tending to the garden plants.

I could hear some blue grass music!

And who doesn't like a game of LEAP FROG?

But I had the most fun...finding the photo opps for my 

Wonky Crosses quilt made with Zen Chic COMMA fabrics

Sew...if you think you might want to enjoy the great outdoors...

this 24 FROG installation called 'RIBBIT The EXHIBIT'

by Artist J A COBB will be

hopping thru the park til September 8, 2021

My quilt will be gone...but this place is certainly worth the visit.

$10 entrance fee helps keep the garden beautiful

and allows for these wonderful exhibits to happen!

BAKING BOAS

Have you seen the trendy BAKING BOAS?

I received this one for Christmas last year

from my partner in crimes of fabric, yarn, travel and wine. 

Kathy Guenther! 

She also knows I am a Christmas Baking fool.

I just love it!  

She found this one at Lehman’s in Oho Amish Country.

Many specialty / botique type stores carry these in many themes. 

Calahans in Calabash, NC had these Nautical BOAs

The store BOAs are made of the thinner, flatter cotton towels and 

it looks like they have 2 towels per BOA.

Retail costs between $20-$25 

I knew I could make these as gifts!

After Christmas last year 

I bought lots of Christmas kitchen towel sets on the CHEAP! 

So each set of 2 towels, made 2 BOAs!

I only used one towel per BOA.

My supplies were less than $5 per BOA!

I made a mock up…sew easy! 

My towels were the thicker fluffy towels.

TIP! Buy towels with images on the ends in opposite direction)

I used one kitchen towel cut in half at the center.

These two pieces become the ends of the BOA.

Cut BOA neck piece, 9” x WOF. 

Press 1/2 “ on each end WST, on the RS secure the hem by sewing on ric rack.

Fold neck piece RST sew 1/4” seam to create a tube, turn right side out, press.

Fold the towel ends into a couple pleats to fit inside the tube.

Sew across the top of the pleats 1/4” before tucking into tube.

Tuck into tube about 1/2,  sew across ric rack to secure in place.

This part will be thick..use a jeans needle and adjust the pressure foot, 

if your machine has that option. 

You can add a top stitch around the BOA neck piece, if you like. 

That’s it. 

Turned out sew cute. 

And if you don’t  like aprons…it’s perfect for kitchen tasks!

Towels at your finger tips as needed!

I had lots of Christmas fabrics but needed a bit more.

Sale fabric at a local big box store is fine.

I also bought all the ric rack in sale for $1 each

I added ric rack to the bottom of the towel an extra pop. 

See finished BOAs

I made 14 BAKING BOAs.  One has been gifted already.

The rest will be gifts during the holiday season. 

They will go with some kind of baked goods. 

I love Christmas in July sewing!

How about you!  

 

CUTTING A SPECIAL GOODBYE

It’s been a very rough and sad month for me.

I had to say goodbye to a very special friend. 

He fought serious health issues, valiantly for 15 months. 

I am grateful I got to say my goodbyes while he was in hospice.

When I whispered I was there...

He opened his eyes and said…I love you.

I shared  51 years of friendship and shenanigans with...

John Michael "Moose" Mulligan.

Here, he was skiing at Snowmass Mountain, Aspen, Colorado in the 80s

That will be where his ashes will settle.

One more run down Snowmass Mountain and a final Apre Ski.

His final resting place because he had so many wonderful memories,

with all his friends, on this mountain.

This was Moose just a couple years ago!

When he would vacation with my husband, Phil and me

In Myrtle Beach, SC.  We made this journey for many, many years.

Phil and Moose golfing during thr day…dinners out at night. 

He loved those shrimp n grits.

We all have to work thru our grief any way we can.

Thru the years of loosing loved ones...fabric has been my path to healing.

 The week after Moose passed, I cut the hell out of fabric scraps.

Never underestimate the healing power of a rotary cutter.

ALL THE FEELINGS ROLLED OUT!

It began with a pile of Flea Market Fancy scraps, that I love.

2 hoarded charm packs from my stash.

Tiddly Winks and Just Wing It

cut into 2 1/2" x 5" rectangles

But the grief therapy didn't stop here.

I pulled scraps from my huge scrap basket 

and cut them into usable sizes.

2 1/2" strips

5" and 3 1/2" squares

2 1/2" squares, 2" strips and 2 1/2 x 5" rectangles

I kept some larger scraps in a separate bin.

And a bin for solid scraps.

I cut  3 sets of rectangles and 5" squares for charity quilts.

a few days before he passed...cause I knew it was gonna happen.

I had a hard time sleeping and when i became tired of 

cutting scraps, I began to purge them.

These 2 huge bags of scraps are going to my best friend 

Shirley, for her church group.

Then I found a bag of strings, some foundation pieced blocks

and a phone book that I used the pages for the foundation paper.

These go to Shirley also.

It will take time to fill the hole in my heart.

My wonderful memories made with him, will do that.

To all my friends who have supported me during this past year

during this hellish roller coaster ride, thank you.

Your prayers for Moose and me...were appreciated.