Off to KC

Our first grandchild is going to have her first child,  and grandma and great grandma are leaving this afternoon to go to KC for a baby shower for the new little fellow who will be joining our family this summer.  The little quilt is finished and it turned out well.  Looking forward to seeing everyone again.  Will be back with some pictures next week!  (Click to enlarge)

A Fun Saturday

Before I start this post, I wanted to tell you that my phone rang about 8:00 this morning and I heard "Grandma?"  It was Hannah calling from Mozambique - what a wonderful start to my day!  She is sounding just absolutely enthusiastic, happy and is really settling in to her home away from home.  There will be a post sometime today so, if you are following her blog, check later.  I am anxious to read more from her.

Now for this picture that I have posted.  Yesterday I went with Stepanie, Kathy and Linda to Decker, Michigan, which is out on the thumb of the state to attend a seminar and trunk show that was by Edyta Sitar, a young  up and coming quilter who actually lives in Marshall, Michigan, which is in the southern part of the state.  The drive there early in the morning was rather hairy since we had had snow through the night and the roads weren't clear.  Stephanie did a great job getting us there and we arrived safe and sound. Edyta is a young woman is and her work is absolutely wonderful - her quilts are gorgeous and she has the cutest accent (Polish).  It was a joy listening to her and seeing her work.  Pictures cannot capture the actual beauty of her quilts. 

She was featured in this month's issue of American Patchwork and Quilting which features this very nice photo of her being a "fabric" angel.   I am so glad that our guild is fortunate to have booked her next  fall to teach a class.  You can certainly count me in!  If you ever get a chance to go to see her or take a class, I urge you to take advantage of it,  you will most certainly be glad you did.  And in addition to the good time listening to Edyta and looking at her beautiful work, the coffee cake, rolls and coffee beforehand were yummy and the luncheon was double yummy.  It was served by the women of the church and they have some mighty good cooks there.

You can't take a road trip and not stop at a quilt shop or two along the way.  I think that is actually against the rules of quilters.  We stopped at one in Marlette and one in Frankenmuth.  In Frankenmuth, I bought this book of Christmas redwork patterns.   One more stop was made to Miles of Stitches in Hemlock and we got there in the nick of time as they were closing.  Stephanie needed some wide backing for a quilt and she was able to get what she wanted so that was a good thing.

All in all, including three very fun companions and a beautiful snowfall most of the way home (which wasn't sticking on the highway) it added up to a very nice day.  (Click to enlarge)

Another Fun Road Trip

Yesterday I went on another road trip with three of the gals from Guild - Leslie, Barbara and Judy. I thoroughly enjoyed being with them and hitting some great shops (one not so great) along the way. We even went to the one in Saginaw twice - coming and going. All the Christmas fabric was 40% off - way great deal. At Common Threads in St. Louis - what a great shop - Leslie found some lovely wool for a hanging she wants to do. It was there that they showed us the Smart Bag - a darling bag made very easily with two fat quarters and a printed sheet of iron-on interfacing. I am going to give that a try and will show you the results when I do it. I also bought some more of the Moda Christmas Fabric to go with what I have already.Among other things, Barbara came away with a great kit for a navy blue and white toile quilt. Judy found lots and lots of good things and everyone was very pleased with their shopping!! Wow, the fabric is just gorgeous!

Thank you girls, for asking me to join you for a great day! (Click to enlarge)

A Fun Saturday

Yesterday I spent the day with Stephanie, Kathy and Nancy on a road trip to northern lower Michigan checking out some wonderful quilt shops. What a treat for me and I'm so glad they asked me to go along. Above are the purchases that I made - the single hole plate for my Bernina was something I had wanted for a long time and it does seem to make a big difference in free motion quilting. I have played around with it for a little while this morning. Check out the lovely Christmas fabric - such different colors and patterns. Yummy!!! And Gwen Marston's new book has wonderful applique patterns. Have never tried wool batting so picked up a small size package of that. Great purchases, I would say. Thank you, my friends!

(Click to enlarge)