Megan's Blog

Guild Fun

Last nite, we had Judi Gunter as our speaker at the monthly guild meeting. She did her Quilt Patterns and Pop Culture lecture/trunk show.  It was a great history lesson and she brings quilts from each decade starting with the 1830's.  She has a wonderful collection of antique doll quilts as well.  I really love when the speaker brings quilts and not just a slide show.  I understand the limitations and risks for someone flying to a lecture, but it's always nice to see the actual quilt.

And today,the bags are packed, I'm ready to go.... I get to spend the day with friends at Judi's workshop on the dreaded Feathered Star. My problem is that I can't decide what colorway I want to make it in.....so I better bring all of them.

 
Let's hope I have more luck with this method than my previous attempts!

Then really, I need to get back to the Civil War blocks, I hear them calling me all the way across the house.....guess I'll take the call tomorrow.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Quilts and Kids

There are moments with my kids that are sheer joy and they are completely unaware....

Last weekend, we started our Saturday with the soccer game.  What's better than a bright fall morning at the soccer field with kids running around (instead of me) ?

Twin #2 had played goalie for the first quarter and thank God, no goals were scored on him.  As they are getting their water bottles, #1 says to #2 "you know, you're really good at goalie!"   OMG, I'm raising kind, considerate people!  Sheer Joy for Mom!  Of course 2 minutes later their kicking each other instead of the ball....but a moment of joy leaves a lasting effect.

It was Quilt Show weekend as well,  so let me show you two of my fav's---thanks to Carol and MaryEllen, the makers of these quilts...

I guess my infatuation with red is not dying down....

There were so many wonderful quilts(too many to post here), and energetic people running the show, I went home thinking...what am I going to do for the next show?  Quilt shows are always give me a new burst of energy...how about you?

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Little Wishes

We all have our wishes, big and small.....

One of the twins expressed his new mealtime wish last nite.  We were having a discussing about who gets the last piece of Mile High Birthday Pie and the discussion went into....pie, what pie....what's pie---3.14 blah blah blah,....or 22 divided by 7....and all the sudden, the proclamation comes forth from the youngest member of the household----"Hey----no math at the table"!.....my little wish is for more days like this of the whole family sitting down to dinner silliness.

Our guild Quilt Show is next weekend and we do a fund raiser area called Little Wishes.  The goal each time is to have over 100 little quilts to auction/raffle off  ----you know, tickets, coffee cans, draw the name, yippee!....It's a great fund raiser, because all the little quilts are donated so almost everything collected is profit.  So I'm trying to finish up a few orphan blocks into some Little Wishes quilts to pass on to the guild.

this one uses some leftover block from a quilt Kathie and I did for McCall's Quick Quilts magazine.  And we even made the cover! 

I bet if I look I can probably find a few more things to go to Little Wishes and if you are in Westfield, NJ next weekend....stop by and take a chance!

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Friends of the heart...

How did my guild friends know I was in my "red stage"??

Our guild turned 25 this year, and I had the great honor to be president.  We had many ways to commemorate this anniversary.   One of them was to buy an Anniversary Bandana.  We had a bandana created for us in red and white (I had no part in the color selection, but glad it coincided with my red stage).

And our challenge at our bi-annual Quilt Show  is to use the bandana in a quilt.  To give us inspiration, one of the founding members, Barbara Schaffer,  designed a quilt with the bandana as the center medallion.  I commented to my friend Kathleen, a past president, that I really liked this quilt.  So the go-getter that she is, she started in getting this quilt made as this years President's Quilt. 

What a wonderful surprise!

The board members contributed blocks and it was quilted by the very talented Mary Vaughn.

And to double the surprise....it's 2 sided!

And so this was presented to me at the last meeting of the year.  While I am happy to have served the guild this year, I feel like I have received more than I have given, not only this quilt, but a deeper appreciation for these new and old friends of my heart.

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan

Dots what friends are for...

I am so very lucky to be part of a active quilt guild, we have all sorts of activities, speakers, and really nice people.  One of my jobs in the guild has been the chairing the Friendship Quilt, which ends up meaning I got to put it together and quilt it.

We had each person who wanted to participate pay $5 for the kit.  The kit had the block backgrounds and they each added their own red fabric for the basket. Only the people who return the block are eligible to win the quilt.  We have the reveal at our Annual Strawberry Supper (why it is called that I don't really know) and draw the winning name.  It's a really nice way to remember friends from the guild. Unfortunately, I did not win, but a very kind and generous friend did, so I guess I'll hand it over.

I didn't really have a plan in the beginning, I just know I was going thru a "red" stage....and who doesn't like red and white?

The blocks came in and true to form, I waited until a week or so til the unveiling and then started, hoping for divine inspiration.  So it came in the form of a frosted dot....'cause who doesn't like dots?

So here's the quilt....

And once I had it all done I realized:  Oh my God, you know what would go great with this quilt?

My Black and White Polka Dot Converse sneakers!  Don't you love it when a color scheme comes together?

If LakeHouse had an official shoe, this would be it.  Because, we're all about dots (and stripes) right after:  it's all about the food.

And speaking of friends....my quilting friend and teenager angst sympathizer Kathie brought me over a little gift to celebrate my new blog.

thanks Kathie!

Hugs and Stitches,

Megan

 

Sometimes you gotta get out....

My new little kitty reminds me...sometimes you just gotta get out (or try at least).

So off I went to the 2007 Quilt Convention put on by The State Quilt Guild of New Jersey .  How wonderful to see the works of so many people I know.  And how proud I am that many of the prize winners were members of my guild as well.

My personal favorite was by Susan McDermott.  She is truly a mathemagician to have figured this all out!

There was a special exhibit by Edward Bostick.  He has spoken at our guild this year and it is a delightful history lesson to hear him speak.  The story that stuck most in my mind was him telling the tale of having to spend the day sitting under the quilt rack while his grandmother and her friends quilted.  His job was to thread the needles.  He paints a vivid picture of those days.  Now I'm thinking how nice it would be to have someone whose job it is to thread my needles!

And of course, no show would be complete without a visit to the vendors.  I feel it is my responsibility to support the vendors and I am quite happy to do my part!

I was happy to see the Woopsy DayZ quilt as a kit at the Quilter's Obsession booth.  Deborah's card says "we're nuts about bolts"----adorable!

So the Woopsy Dayz lives on and while I was there, the shop ladies were explaining to a customer how the daisy gets cut up so it gives the illusion of curved piecing without the hard work.  So Holly----the message has gotten out!!

Hugs and Stitches!

Megan