Farmpark Quilt Show, Kirkland, OH

In early March, my sister-in-law Michelle and I went to Metroparks Farmpark Quilt Show in Kirkland.  It was a nice 40 minute ride straight north.  This show was perfect, lots of quilts, but not too many.  Here is a LINK to the show.  They had some amazing picture quilts made by Cynthia England.

My favorite quilt was made by a local family in Garrettsville for an 80th birthday.  I used to live close to Garrettsville and went to their family mill many times for chicken feed.  We always called Garrettsville, Mayberry - one main street and everyone knows who you are.

My best buy at the show was a used quilt rack.  I'll send a picture later.  Speaking of best buys, our quilter's garage sale is this Saturday and can't wait to see what treasures we find.  My best friend Barbie will be coming up from Port Washington for the sale.

I wasn't sure if I could display quilt pictures from shows on my blog, but read the rules and it said as long as I included the quilt information and what show it was displayed at, then it was legal.  I hope you enjoy seeing this unique quilt.

More Flowers and Attic Windows

You must be saying, "Enough flowers already"!  Still I couldn't resist because they filled out so much more in the sunshine and a bee is busy gathering pollen - to bee or not to bee.  Can you find the bee above?  I think it's a honey bee and that is exciting because they have been scarce around here and I rarely see one, but to see one in March is a sign and wonder.  I hope a good sign.


"To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee, And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few." ~ Emily Dickinson

Michelle made an attic window quilt using a jungle theme for another baby shower.  She found a satin binding in her stash. The weather was so nice, we hung it over the deck railing for display.  Very cute!  By the way, if you click on the picture it enlarges and you can see the pattern better.

For some unknown reason, I decided to make a scrappy windmill quilt . . . someday.  At the Farm Park Quilt Show in Geauga County, I invested in a new template.  Here is my first little 4 inch windmill square.  As you can tell, the first piece did not quite match up.   Lots of little pieces to cut, like the I-Spy quilt.  You would think I would learn not to do this to myself.

First Spring Flowers

At this time of year the yard is stark and bare, plain ugly; but look – the crocuses are blooming!  Each year I run and get the camera to record the delicate blooms as if they are the first baby steps of spring.  They are hidden in the back yard behind the garage and out of sight.  The pictures are a way to keep them longer.   The flower beds are full of leaves, but I don’t want to disturb the blooms.  The old leaves add a rustic backdrop to the purple petals.  I remember a photographer once said that you had to use the camera to “isolate” the beauty.  I won’t look at the yard now, just the small, brave flowers.

 “Art is the unceasing effort to compete with the beauty of flowers - and never succeeding.”  ~ Gian Carlo Menotti

“Earth laughs in flowers.”  ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

How about these colors for a quilt?  Charcoal gray, dark green, plum purple and some golden yellow for a zinger.  

Baby Shower and Changes

Sunday - I went to a baby shower with my sister-in-law, Michelle, and nieces, Heather and Elizabeth.  Michelle and I both made a baby quilt for the expectant mom, Coley.  The shower was out in the Geauga County area and as we drove through Chardon, I commented on how much I liked that quaint little town, known mostly for the Maple Syrup Festival they have each year.  The shower was in the little town hall and just great - good food and lots of "gabbing."

Michelle's Quilt

Attic Window Quilt

Michelle's Snowman Quilt

Michelle's Disappearing 9-patch

Attic Window with back

Michelle and her one day baby quilt

•••••••••••••••

Three days later, the little town of Chardon will be remembered for more than maple syrup.  Now the name brings to mind the horrific terror of the school shooting that happened on Monday morning in the high school cafeteria.  Three young teen boys are now dead due to a senseless, violent act.  My prayers are with the families in Chardon.

Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day!   ♥

Refrigerator Art from Zoe, my granddaughter!

I made a big pot of vegetable beef barley soup.  Who doesn't love soup on a winter day?  Then I worked a little more on the attic window baby quilt.  It really is square; it's just the angle of the camera.

In honor of the holiday, my crazy Christmas cactus bloomed - only one bloom.

One Bloom for Valentine's Day

Snow Day

"And finally Winter, with its bitin', whinin' wind, and all the land will be mantled with snow."
~ Roy Bean

What a great day to get a little quilting done.  Finally, I added the borders to my strip quilt and started a little easy attic windows baby quilt.  I'll attach a picture of that later . . . it's still in pieces.

Signs and Wonders Beginning

It must be a sign that I am reading a book about blogging and then it is a wonder that I did create a blog.  The  book, is called Life from Scratch by Melissa Ford and is very entertaining, also very inexpensive for the Kindle.  Her blog is about learning to cook after her divorce, but I have not decided exactly what my blog will include - I do like cooking, reading and as you can tell by the background I picked - hope it is still there - I am interested in quilting.

So, so if you are thinking, ah, old lady, Bingo!  I don't like Bingo though!!!  I like photography, so will include pictures to go along with all the "Signs and Wonders" I will explore in this blog.

Already, I am not sure what to include in this new beginning.  Wait, I am the Queen of Quotes and here is one I really like by Annie Dillard from An American Childhood.  Her writing makes me pause and think.

I woke in bits, like all children, piecemeal over the years. I discovered myself and the world, and forgot them, and discovered them again.
Annie Dillard


That is what a blog can do, help you discover yourself . . . again.