1/18/14

Show Time

This morning Mike and I got an early start and headed toward Silverton to drop off the Snow Birds quilt for the Stitches in Bloom quilt show.


The show doesn't start until next week, but today was the drop off day. Next Tuesday morning I'll head over there for a three-day workshop called "Transforming the Traditional". I'm staying at the Oregon Garden Resort for the workshop, then attending the show on Friday morning before heading for home. (Click right here to read about the workshop.) It's a workshop, but it feels a little like a retreat. When I first wrote about this, I was kind of looking forward to it with no small amount of dread. Fortunately, I feel as if I've left that behind, and now I'm just looking forward to a week on my own with no responsibilities other than sewing.

Now that I've built my confidence from entering a quilt in the Oregon State Fair last summer, I'm entering quilts right and left and even planning for upcoming shows. Coincidentally, the Love Me, Love My Cat quilt is entered in the redwork challenge at the Road to California quilt show next week as well.


One of these days I want to attend that show, but with the workshop going on, I wasn't able to this year. My quilt is there by itself...and all the other quilts, of course. I hope someone is taking good care of it.

Since we got an early start, we were home in plenty of time to enjoy the sunshine on the ridge top where we live. It was dark and dreary when we headed down the hill. The cloud cover in the valley is thick. We were almost all the way to the top of the ridge before we cleared the clouds and saw the sun again. I was particularly glad we got home in time for Mike to enjoy the light. He's been down in the valley working all week and has really missed the sun.

This afternoon, I started and mostly finished my January NewFO project called "We're On a Roll". Just now I searched for a link to the pattern, which was a mistake. There are lots of cute patterns on this website, one of which I simply could not resist. See if you can guess why. 


It's called "Cats 'n Jammies". Need I say more?

Anyway...today I started the "We're on a Roll" wall hanging. First I made the background.


Then I added the toilet paper roll appliques. Here they are from top to bottom:


The drawn lines on the image below will be added when I quilt it.


I'm planning to do all the top-stitching and quilting at the same time so that the top-stitching will show on the back. I might even use contrasting thread! Wouldn't that be something?



And here's the whole thing:


And that was as far as I took that today. I'll put it away for now and start on something else. It's ready for top-stitching and quilting now. If I stick to my one quilt per month plan, it won't come up on the calendar until later this summer. I might have to start doing two quilts per month for these smaller quilts so things don't stack up too much.

Next I'm going to work on some blocks. I want to remake the last block of the Hello Moon quilt. Did you see the cute one that Heidi over at Red Letter Quilts made? You'll get a kick out of her blog post explaining her inspiration for this block.


Cute, huh? I asked for Heidi's permission to copy her block, and she graciously gave it. I think I'll make my cow purple. Remember that rhyme about the purple cow? Just now I Googled it to see if I could find out who wrote it. I loved what I found on Wikipedia:

Purple cow initially became famous as a chimerical referent in a short humorous verse by Gelett Burgess :
I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I'd rather see than be one.
Burgess became somewhat exasperated with the success of his poem, of which he was constantly reminded. A few years later, he penned a riposte that became almost as well known as the original. It was titled "Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue" and appeared in The Lark, number 24 (April 1, 1897):
The 1895 issue of The Lark in which Burgess's "Purple Cow" first appeared
Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—
I'm Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I'll Kill you if you Quote it!
However, the original has, in its own small way, become a classic, and parodic versions are common.
Funny, huh? Anyway...my cow will be purple, with my apologies to Mr. Burgess.

Also, I'm going to make my block for this month's Block Lotto, and if I still have the energy for it, I'll make two more blocks for my Yard Art quilt.



And that's it from me today. Not a bad day sewing wise. I'm hoping to get in another productive day tomorrow because next week, it's nada.

How's your weekend going?

24 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

How exciting to have two quilts off to two wonderful shows! I'm excited for your little trip too. You have so many lovely and ineresting projects going. Yes, when they are small projects, they do stack up in the wait que.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

I always love all your quilts. I'm so excited for you. Sure wished you hadn't shown me the link to Cats in pjs.....giggle. Off to take a peek. Have fun!!!

WoolenSails said...

Good luck on the shows, both wonderful quilts to enter. Love those cats in pajamas, that is fun.

Debbie

Tami C said...

Of course I can guess why! It's got cute cats on it! You really are on a roll with your wall hanging! lol You have some really cute fabrics for it. Good luck on both of your entries!!

KatieQ said...

Congratulations on having two quilts in shows. I always enjoy seeing the variety in the types of projects you work on. The toilet paper quilt is a riot, but it doesn't answer the age old question, "should it hang from the front or the back"?

Junebug613 said...

Yay Barbara! Quilts at shows everywhere! The On the Roll, is really cute! I went to the website, way too many cute things. The cow is adorable. I love your idea of doing it in purple. And of course, the info behind it. I'm sure you're going to have a wonderful time at the "retreat".

Brown Family said...

I love "Cats 'n Jammies". it is so cute! The Purple cow has always been a favorite of mine. I have several ceramic purple cows!

Good luck on the quilts in shows

Christine M said...

Your quilts are just lovely, Barbara. I must admit that I would never have thought I would see toilet paper on a quilt! LOL!

Lyndsey said...

Great work having two of your quilts in shows. The workshop sounds good fun and I'm looking forward to hearing all about it. I'm trying hard not to follow the link to the pattern but I'm sure I'll give in soon as it is so cute.

Celtic Thistle said...

Have fun at the workshop. How exciting to have your quilts in shows, what a pity though that you can't get to see one of them hanging in all its glory.

Michele said...

Oh now I wonder if you are going to try to make jammies for Smitty and Gracie and then attempt to put them into them. That would be funny to watch.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

I have always loved that quilt!! I am making this one!!!

Vicki W said...

That's a darned productive day by any standards. The new pattern is really cute!

Dana Gaffney said...

Wow, Road to California is huge. I'm so glad you entered, that's huge too.

Denise :) said...

Wow ... I'll be able to say "I knew her when..." LOL! Good luck to both your quilts, they're both fantastic! Have fun at the workshop; it really does sound interesting and right up your alley! Love the toilet paper rolls -- how funny! And I think your purple cow (to be) is a fun and fitting tribute to Mr. Burgess. He'd probably be honored. :)

Kathy Felsted Usher said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I commented without looking at your link and then deleted. Good job on the toilet paper rolls, too funny.

Needled Mom said...

Good luck with both quilts in the shows. That is great.

I love those toilet paper rolls.

Kathy S. said...

I LOVE the first finished quilt the most. I bought the magazine as soon as you posted it as a NewFO over a year ago. The magazine sill sits on my shelf and the quilt is still on my bucket list. Yours is just stunning. Good luck at the quilt show!!!

Kate said...

The toilet paper rolls are fancier than what's in this house. They look great!

Teresa in Music City said...

Congratulations on getting TWO quilts in shows - you go girl!!!! They both deserve it, and so do you :) Love the fabrics you are using on the On a Roll quilt - fun! And of course I had to ask for a copy of the cow - too cute!!!

quiltzyx said...

Wow! Look at what you've done! It's good that you got Mike back up into the sunshine & vitamin D. :)

Cats N Jammies is delightful! Yep, I know it's the pjs that sucked you in....

One year I got to help unpack quilts for Road to California & they do take EXCELLENT care of them! That was the year that Zena Thorpe entered her quilt "Kells Magnum Opus" (http://www.zenasquilts.com/pictures_of_quilts and scroll down a ways). I actually got to TOUCH it! It is even more amazing in person. I do hope at least one of my guild members remembers to take a picture of your quilt for me! I may send out a reminder....

Heidi said...

Oh, I wish I could go see your Redwork! Every year I say I will go the next...
I am behind a few days in blogland and just noticed my cow here - thank you for bringing a mention, and a smile:-)

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

That is the first poem I ever learned. I had to do a book report, complete with picture, way back in 2nd grade. My father kept that book report for decades.