Father’s Day Out

Just like last year, this Persian-Orange-lovin’ family made a trip to the Allis Connection’s antique tractor show in Amana, Iowa.

It’s a good way for us to get to spend a day with our father, and the show is always Father’s Day weekend, so that’s even better!

Given that our father had a heart attack a week before the show, we weren’t sure he’d be up to going this year. But the entire time he was in the hospital, he kept saying: “I gotta get outta here. We got a tractor show to go to!” And go we did!

It’s not just the tractor show that makes the day entertaining, however . . . it’s the fact that all five of us are trapped in a car together for 8 hours. The hilarity never stops!

My sister took us in her Charger. Deno got all excited when she passed another vehicle and those extra cylinders kicked in, but then claimed disappointment because “the rumble strip in the center just took all the fun out of it. It’s bad enough they put ’em on the outside . . .”

Daddy (who drives a tanker truck for a living) chimes in: “Yeah, I don’t know how many times I’ve been woke up by those dad-blamed things. Can’t even get in a good nap any more!”

On one of our potty/get-a-drink pitstops, Katy bought a loaf of bread from an Amish roadside stand. Darin begged her to buy a jar of jam, too, but Katy maintained that she didn’t buy the bread for him to eat in the car.

After a few more miles of his passenger-seat driving, she yipped at him for giving constant instruction, even though he wasn’t sure where we were going. He said: “Gosh darnit, I gotta ride and drive at the same time.”

She replied: “If you don’t shut up, you’re gonna be ridin’ with the loaf o’ bread in the trunk.”

“I told ya I’d need that jam,” he smirked.

We got to the tractor show just in time for the parade. Here’s a few shots of the most unusual entries they had on display this year:

Little Orange Blossom Special: This is a pair of 2/3 scale WCs, made and owned by George & Jackie Hess from Clinton, MO. The front one runs, the one being pulled on the trailer is strictly a yard ornament. This pair has been featured in a calendar!

1967 D15, pulling a wagon:

Here it is parked: (the wagon is really pretty!)

Here’s a propane version of a D15. The thing I don’t care for with the propane tractors is that I wouldn’t be real thrilled to be driving along with a full propane tank right under my nose! Just a bit too risky, I say . . .

A 1949 C . . .

A 1939 WC with an elevator. Back when we used to do all those little round bales, that thing would have come in real handy!

1937 A:

A 1954 WD-45 with a scooper on the front end:

A 1949 W Speed Patrol (my favorite model):

Here’s my brother checking it out. We have one like this, but it’s in a sad state. I’m hoping he’s gathering mental notes on how to fix ours up. I’d like to drive it someday.

This tractor gives new meaning to the phrase “back seat driver”. My sister and I both agree that we probably wouldn’t like that seat — there you are, hanging out over the road on the back side, staring at the driver’s butt in front of you . . . hmmm . . .

Now here’s something I had never seen before. A double-engine tractor. And there were TWO at this show! This one is made from two WD-45s . . .

. . . and this one is made from a WD and a WD-45 . . . Here’s a G (G stands for Garden tractor). This model has several different attachments that fit underneath for performing different tasks.Here’s a D21:An I-400:

This guy was rollin’ through the parade swiggin’ on his Pepsi:

And the newest tractor present at the show . . . a 1977 7080:

There was even a Terra Tiger on the scene. These are the ones that can go on land or water. Upon seeing it, Deno launched into a story from when he was 12 years old and riding in one, and the driver just tore out across a lake in it and scared the puddin’ out of Deno!

Vendors at the show had every imaginable old part for sale. You’d have to know exactly what you were looking for, but chances are, you’d find it, too!

Last year, we saw this Casey’s store as we made the turn to go to the tractor show, but we didn’t stop. Deno has given us a hard time ever since, because he wanted to go IN that Casey’s store because it’s so pretty.

So this year, we made a point to stop at the “pretty Casey’s store”. Deno said: “I ain’t felt like this since my first Prom!”, which set us all to laughing so hard, we could barely walk up to the door. Much to his disappointment, it looks just like any other Casey’s store on the inside. Deno was crushed.

And just like last year, I’ll leave you with the more memorable quotes from our outing, beginning with Deno’s statement inside the quilt shop that Katy and I made him go into with us:

“Sale fat quarters? Sounds like sumthin’ a Sale Barn would have.”

And Darin to Deno as we were taking pictures:

“Deno, take your shirt off and stand in front of this one and let’s get some shots.”

“You’re multi-talented, aren’t ya?”

“Ther lights ain’t very well constipated, are they?”

“Her face is like one big coin deposit.”

“I’m watchin’ my figurine.”

“When you get old, you do stupid things. Unless you done ’em all when you were young.”

“I will be nice, as long as they see things pretty much my way.”

“And just what IS a ‘festplatz’?”

The Market Report

And, no, I’m not talking about cattle . . . even though that’s what market reports around here usually mean.

I’m talking about International Quilt Market in Kansas City, which I attended a couple weeks ago. (Has it been that long already?)

I haven’t even had time to tell you about it because I hit the ground running as soon as I got home to get ready for my guild’s local quilt show this past weekend. I’ll tell you about our quilt show tomorrow.

Today, I’ll tell you what I did at Quilt Market.

I got to meet lots of people I’ve only talked to online before, and it was great getting to meet them all face to face.

And I got to see lots of friends that I met online that I’ve actually met and done stuff with before, but it was so great to get to hang out with them for a few days yet again.

I don’t have a lot of pictures, because for some reason, I go stupid at these events, and can’t seem to work my camera. I only took 8 pictures all weekend. I don’t know what that affliction is called, but it’s not good for a blogger!

I met up with Victoria, who was my roommate; her friend, Kim, joined us Friday night, and was our other roommate, and we hung out together all weekend. I always have fun with Victoria, and we never ever run out of things to talk about, or laugh about, and Kim is wonderful, and we had such a good time.

We were like bumblebees, flitting around together, splitting up to go do things on our own, getting back together, and sometimes having anywhere from one to four other people walking around with us.

I got to meet Angela Walters! One of my longarm quilting idols! I stood in line for her book signing the next day, and got a copy of her new book, Free Motion Quilting with Angela Walters. Love it! Love her!

I got to meet and chat with Tula Pink. Her booth was fabulous. She introduced us to her brother, Kam. I came home and told My Cowboy that Tula Pink has an assistant — her brother — and that maybe My Cowboy should become my assistant. He quipped back that Tula Pink was probably paying Kam, and that unless I could come up with some monetary compensation for him, it was a no go. So I’m still assistant-less . . .

I got to meet and chat with Jacquie Gering. She gave me a ticket to her book signing, and I stood in line and got an autographed copy of her book, which I also love: Quilting Modern, which she co-authored with Katie Pedersen. I’ve read Jacquie’s blog for years, so it was really great to finally meet her.

I met Kaari Meng, THE French General, and gushed like a fool. She gave me samples of her new line of fabric and paper. I feel like framing them, but I’ll most likely make something pretty when I find the time.

I met Cindy and Jina from Riley Blake Designs. Since I’ve become an instructor for Cutting Corners College, I really wanted to meet them in real life.

I got to meet Melissa Stramel from Lilac Lane in person finally. I had done some stitching for one of her patterns, and some applique for one of the projects in her new book that debutted at Market, so I stopped by her booth to say hi and meet her. She’s like a living doll, and just as adorable. Here I am posing with her in her booth (as if it’s mine and I’m the one who did all the work):

We stopped by Pat Sloan‘s booth several times. On one of those occasions, she and her Shipping Department held up her new BOM quilt for me to take a picture:

I just love that bicycle block in the lower right corner, and Pat had pins that match it:

Cute, huh? I also got a sample pack of all the fabrics in her new line with Moda, Eat Your Fruits and Veggies.

Saturday morning I got together with a bunch of blogger friends, some of whom are from the Blogger’s Retreat we have every July, and some from one of my online bees. We had breakfast together:

There’s Stephanie (Peas In A Pod), Amanda Jean (Crazy Mom Quilts), Claire (Amanda Jean’s sister), me, Cindy (Live a Colorful Life), and Tara (Tinkerfrog).

Several of them brought me gifts! I have such wonderful friends! And I was totally unprepared and didn’t bring anything . . .

Amanda Jean brought me a thread catcher:

Stephanie brought me a zippered pouch that goes with my Boss Lady tote bag that I absolutely love:

Tara gave me some homemade soap and chapstick:

Saturday night the St. Louis and Kansas City Modern Quilt Guilds co-hosted a party for anyone who wanted to attend. There are only 3 modern guilds in the state of Missouri, and the modern guild I belong to, the Pecan Valley Quilt Guild, is the third one. I found three of my fellow guild members there at the party! Jean won one of the door prizes, and it included a book that Amanda Jean is featured in, so we snagged Amanda and had her autograph Jean’s book, and get in on the picture with us:

We were obviously having fun at the party. Here’s Stephanie, me, and Victoria goofing off. I’m not sure what V’s trying to do to your head there, Steph, but you have to keep an eye on that girl!

There are so many other people I got to meet, and I’ll tell you more about some of them in later posts, so this one doesn’t get any longer.

I really had a good time, and it was all over with way too soon. I’m already excited for the next one!

MQS 2012

I can hardly believe it’s already been almost two weeks since I was at the Machine Quilter’s Showcase. I’ve been busy! And things have been a blur.

All I can say about the show is WOW! The quilts were amazing. The quilting on them made me want to come home and haul my longarm to the ditch.

But then I remembered what Angela told me: “Don’t ever compare yourself to others!”, and I’d have probably received some sort of lecture if she knew I had been thinking like that. So I banished those thoughts . . . really, Angela — they’re banished . . .

And I’ve been quilting like a fiend ever since. If practice makes perfect, well . . . I have a long row to hoe, but I’m on my way.

Anyway, about the show . . . I hung out with my friend, Bari, all day. We walked through all the vendors and all the quilts, and I think we were both on overload by the time she had to leave to go home. It was a lot to take in. And poor Bari probably got tired of all my questions. For her, it was probably like attending the show with a 5-year-old!

My fellow guild members, Alice and Susan, had a quilt in the show! I’m so proud of them!

This is the quilt Alice designed for our raffle quilt last year. Alice put it together, and Susan quilted it.

And that’s the only picture I took all day. Once again, I just wandered around with my chin on the floor, too in awe to use the camera.

Before the day was over, I did get to accomplish one goal of mine. That goal was to meet, live and in person, one of my longarming idols — McLisa Sipes!

When I found her she was wearing a pink princess tiara, complete with flashing lights, and a Princess sash, given to her by her friend, Thomas. She may or may not have been carrying a wand.

She let me hang with her for a while, and we looked at some more stuff at the show. And instead of slapping me when I asked her what her favorite color is, she just rolled her eyes.

Then I stalked her the rest of the weekend at Market . . .

At The Quilt Show

My sister and I went to the AQS Show in Paducah last week.

The entire time we were there, I never took a single picture. In fact, I never even had the camera out of its case at all. Yes, something is just wrong with me.

We visited the vendors and exhibits at the Robert Cherry Civic Center, made a first run through Hancock’s, and went through the vendors at the mall.

We spent an entire day at the Convention Center and The Bubble, looking at the quilts, and shopping the vendors.

We got together with some friends from home who were also down there to have breakfast one morning. We like to fuel up with an overly large breakfast so we don’t have to stop for lunch, then have Boy Scout’s Strawberry Shortcake for a snack to hold us till we decide to eat dinner somewhere.

We shopped the vendors downtown, went to Eleanor Burns’ Quilt In a Day Quilt Shop, did lots of walking, and had lots of fun. We even got rained on a little bit, but it didn’t matter.

I got all my scissors sharpened by none other than Scissors Man himself. They were in bad need of it, too.

I was standing in an aisle, waiting for my sister to finish browsing a booth, and who should walk by, but my friend, Michele, from quilt guild at home! She had ridden a tour bus down for the day. This is not the first time I’ve randomly run into Michele at a major quilt show, either . . . maybe we need to start coordinating schedules.

And I also got to meet Pat Sloan in person finally, and we chatted for a bit. She’s even more adorable in real life!

The kind folks at Urban Elementz were handing out goodies. I got a free ruler, and a tattoo for Ivy:

My sister bought me this book. I’m currently working on a very detailed quilt that has . . . you guessed it . . . Hand Applique with Embroidery. I kept picking the book up and putting it back, and after taking way too long trying to decide to buy it or not, she took matters into her own hands. As she stated it: “I’m not gonna have you ruining that quilt just because you didn’t buy that book!”

And we made one last run through Hancock’s on our way out of town, and I bought this fabric for a new project:

On our way home, we stopped at an enormous antique mall, and I found this:

It had to come home with me to be quilted and finished. I’m excited to get to practice some custom quilting on it, and I’ll be showing you that when I get it done.

My sister and I also chose a pattern that we are going to make together, and this trip, we chose “Medallion Melody” by Lori Smith. We both love every pattern that Lori Smith has ever designed, and have already made a couple. I’m excited to get to work on mine. When I do, I’ll show you . . .

And that’s about it. We had a good time, but it’s also good to be back home and back to work in the studio. I have a lot to get done in the next 6 weeks!

The Strangeness of Time

Wednesday morning, at 9:40 am, I pulled up in front of my daughter’s house in my truck.

Thursday morning, at 9:35 am, I pulled up in front of my daughter’s house in her car.

My truck was there waiting for me.

A lot can happen in 24 hours . . .

I woke up Wednesday morning on the quiet farm, did chores, talked to all the animals. The sun was shining.

Three hours later I was in the city, on my way to an even bigger city with my daughter. We were headed to St. Louis.

Her sister, the doctor, was flying in from LA, and we were all meeting up to spend some time together at the beginning of their vacation.

In so little time, I had transported myself from our dirt road and sprawling countryside, where it’s just us and the animals . . . to traffic, tall buildings, and people everywhere.

And choices! I get a bit overwhelmed in the city. There are just so many “things”. Foods we don’t have around here; stores I’ve never even heard of; options, options, everywhere.

And everything moves so fast, like it’s all one big race.

I have to admit it makes me a bit nervous, but my daughters are city girls to the core, and professional travelers, so I was in good hands.

And we had a lot of fun.

We shopped at a large mall.

We stayed at a very nice hotel.

We stayed up really late.

We got up really early.

Then we went back to the airport, and they both said goodbye to me, and embarked on an overseas vacation.

And just like that, I was on my own again.

Twenty-four hours later, I was back where I started from.

I came home to the quiet farm, did chores, talked to the animals. The sun was shining.

And it feels like it was all a dream. Transported to another place and time and back again. So surreal. Did it really happen?

I’m sure it did . . . because my daughters are still on a plane somewhere over the ocean . . . being transported to yet another place and time.

By 9:30 Friday morning, they’ll be halfway around the world, and I’ll be back at work in my studio . . .

I wonder where we’ll all be at 9:30 Saturday morning?

Isn’t time a strange thing?

The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase

My niece, Cassidy, took me and her mother to Dinner Theater last Saturday night.

Girl’s Night Out!

And we all needed it.

Cassidy tried to go with her husband the weekend before, but he didn’t like it, and they ended up leaving before it was over . . .

Katy’s husband had accidentally set fire to the back pasture at their place . . .

And My Cowboy had spent half the week in the hospital.

We were ready for some fun!

The event was held at the Catholic School in a town about 25 miles away. We got there early so we could stand in line for good seats, and we did get good seats. Which is extra good, or I wouldn’t have been able to see a thing!

As folks piled in, what I found funny is that almost every group was carrying a cooler packed with alcohol. They didn’t serve it at the dinner, but evidently, you were free to bring as much of your own as you wished, and boy, did folks have coolers!

They also had a drawing, and you could buy chances at winning the big prize. I think Cassidy must have lost her ticket, cos she’s rummaging.

None of the three of us won the prize.

They served us a wonderful dinner of pork chops, cheesy taters, and sweet ‘n’ sour green beans, with hot rolls, preceded by a yummy salad, and followed by a yummy dessert.

After eating enough to nearly be comatose, there was a brief intermission before the play began. Some of the men gathered in a gaggle at the back of the room, evidently needing to get up and move around after that feed.

Everything was decorated like a country cabin, one that’s inhabited by someone who loves to hunt and fish. That would be Uncle George.

The play was called “The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase”, written by Pat Cook. With only 8 cast members, one set, and lots of good laughs, it was completely delightful. The time passed without us even realizing it.

As we were all lined up and leaving the auditorium when it was over, someone knocked over an entire table of glasses, bottles, and dishes. We could hear it rattling and bouncing and shattering all over, and it seemed to go on forever, but probably didn’t seem as interminable to us as it did to the person who did it! When it finally ended, everyone clapped and cheered!

And I came home with these things in my pocket:

It was a good Girl’s Night Out. I’m suggesting to my niece and my sister that we do it again soon.

Marathon Sewing

That’s what I did all last weekend.

Our Modern Quilt Guild, the Pecan Valley Quilt Guild, hosted a member retreat, and let me just say right now how much fun I had. Oh. My. Goodness!

There were about a dozen of us there, and we chose secret stitcher sisters and passed out secret goodies to each other all weekend, we played strip poker (with fabric strips — get your mind out of the gutter!), and we played other games and ate way too much the entire time. And we sewed! We all sewed our little hearts out.

If only I myself would run as many miles as my sewing machine did this past weekend, I’d be thin as a rail!

Here’s a recap for you . . .

Stuff We Made

Barbara’s Batik Stars quilt . . .

Michelle’s Block of the Month . . .

RoseAnne’s Block of the Month . . . (same quilt, different colors – amazing, huh?)

Jeannette’s Block of the Month . . .

Stephanie’s Christmas Scrap Quilt . . .

Donna’s quilt (made from a lady’s aprons) — she’s adding inked-on line drawings to all the white spaces. This quilt will be amazing!

RoseAnne’s SnowBound Block of the Month . . .

My second Jelly Roll quilt . . .

Norma’s Star Quilt . . .

Stuff We Did

We played Strip Poker. I know absolutely nothing about cards, but I still came out ahead in the end!

We had Mexican delivered, and the girls broke out the wine and we chowed down.

Mother and daughter worked together on t-shirt quilts . . .

I had my own little station set up. That’s my pile of FIVE completed quilt tops on the corner of the table!

Stuff We Said

You know I couldn’t resist collecting quotes from this event, right?

Here they are:

“Note to self: Don’t wear a t-shirt from home when you’re out of town.”

“I don’t understand all I know about what goes on there.”

“When I was young, we called that ‘pot’.”

“I play poker every time I go to the bathroom at home. Sometimes you get a royal flush.”

“I don’t take Prozac, but I’ve made sure everyone around me does.”

“I thought she said ‘porn’.”

“I’m gonna be unhappy tomorrow, but I’m happy now.”

“That’s the first time I got confused.”

“I don’t need that tool — it’s just a way for me to screw up even faster.”

Stuff I Got To Do That I Can’t Do Where I Live

Shop at a Wal-Mart Super Center at 5:00 am.

Get pizza delivered.

Get Mexican delivered.

Finish 5 quilt tops in 46 hours.

Watch TV.

Walk across the street to a restaurant.

Sew with 11 other people and talk and laugh non-stop.

Stuff I Came Back Home To

Reality . . .

An overflowing trash can

Unscooped litterboxes

An overstuffed laundry hamper

A sink full of dirty dishes

Chores

My animals, who all missed me (or at least said they did)

My Cowboy, who I missed, and who waits on me hand and foot and spoils me rotten

Our little ranch shack on our wonderful farm . . .

And my studio . . .

And a new baby . . .

As much fun as I had, I’m still so glad to be home.

You can see some more pictures on the quilt guild’s web site: Pecan Valley Quilt Guild

I’m Still Sewing!

I sewed all last night.

And by “all last night”, I mean till midnight.

It was the Friday Night Sew-In after all!

But . . .the thing is . . .

I’m still at it!

Our guild is having our annual retreat this weekend, and oh, my goodness, am I ever having a blast!

It’s fun to quilt and sew anytime, but when you get together in groups and have all that uninterrupted time, it’s just that much better!

I’m getting so much done! This will really help my block count for my 350 Blocks Project, let me just say that right now.

Before I packed up my projects for the retreat, I was thinking (I’ve been doing a lot of that lately — it’s the treadmill’s fault!). But I was thinking . . .

If I make all these blocks, I’ll just have piles and piles of blocks.

At some point, they’re gonna all need to be set together into their respective finished projects, right?

So I figured I’d better bring some of those along to work on at this retreat. And that has been my goal — to turn the piles of blocks into finished tops.

I’ve finished three tops so far, I’m working on a few more, and we still have tomorrow!

Here’s one of them: This one is made from my Stripper’s Delight pattern, which you can find on my Free Patterns page.

Here’s another one, a Jelly Roll Race quilt top to donate to charity:

And look what I’m working on now! I have all the blocks finished and am finally setting this together, and I LOVE IT!!!!

Now, when they’ll ever make their way onto the longarm is anyone’s guess, but hey! — one step at a time, right?

I’ll be back later to tell you all about the retreat . . .

A Hasty Retreat

I’m calling it that because it flew by so fast!

I spent last weekend at a quilter’s retreat way out in the country at the cutest little B&B. Nine wonderful quilty ladies, plus the lady who organized it (Tammy, who also runs the local quilt shop), and me (the workshop teacher) were in attendance.

Let me just say we had a blast. What can be bad about quilting and laughing for an entire weekend? I can’t think of anything.

We started out Friday evening with a good warm meal, introductions, and individual show & tell. Like this bargello quilt of Rita’s . . .

. . . and Linda D.’s Rag Quilt . . .

. . . and this lovely by Cathy . . .

Then Linda D. talked about her Breast Cancer Pillow Purse project, and showed us how her group makes the Pillow Purses, and handed out kits so we could all make some to help them out. I’ll post more about that separately. It’s a great project, so it deserves its own post so I can tell you more.

We stayed up late sewing, but got up the next morning to a breakfast of warm homemade cinnamon rolls and hot coffee, and set right in with the workshop. I taught my newest pattern, Scrappy Wild Geese, designed specifically for this workshop at the request of the attendees. I thought it went really well.

There was cutting going on in the kitchen . . .

. . . sewing in the living room . . .

ironing by the staircase . . .

sewing in the dining room . . .

. . . we were everywhere, having a blast, and quilting away! Fantastic day.

Everyone got at least one block finished. Our record holder was Cathy, who finished 9 blocks! Here’s everyone with their favorite finished block, posing with me on the stairwell. I’m so proud of them all.

We were served glorious homecooked meals the entire time by Tammy, the owner of Quilted Square, who sponsored the retreat. She just worked herself silly feeding us all and taking such good care of us. After homemade lasagna for dinner Saturday night, we all settled in for a Jelly Roll Race, to make quilt tops for Project Linus.

I had never participated in a Jelly Roll Race before, and it was a blast. Who knew you could whip out a quilt top so quickly? We had 10 finished quilt tops for Project Linus in under 90 minutes!

This was also the very first quilt top that Linda S., our group’s novice, had ever completed, and she was so proud of herself. We voted to let her keep her quilt top for herself. We couldn’t bring ourselves to make her give it away, since it was so special to her! Tammy is going to help her get it finished, and Linda has promised it will always be a special quilt to her forever.

We once again stayed up until the wee hours quilting and socializing, and Sunday morning came all too soon. We got up and had a relaxing morning with some more of those cinnamon rolls and hot coffee. In such a short time, we felt like we had all been friends for years. And sadly, it was time to part ways. But we’ve all agreed that we’d do it again in a heartbeat.

Thank you, Tammy, for hosting such a wonderful event, and making sure we all had so much fun.

Santa Fe Espresso

My friend and former fellow quilt guild member, Sue, recently moved from the country into town after she and her husband became empty nesters, and they opened up the cutest little coffee shop in their tiny town.

It’s called Santa Fe Espresso, and it’s right on the square in downtown La Plata, MO. 

Not only is it a coffee shop with lots of wonderful coffee selections, they also serve homemade pies and pastries, and all sorts of goodies for lunch.

My friend, Rose Marie, and I stopped in shortly after they had opened for business, and we really enjoyed it. It’s so cute and cozy!

While we were there, My Cowboy even dropped in and tried one of their sandwiches for lunch. The food is great.

Here’s Sue and her husband, and one of their employees:

So . . . if you’re ever in the vicinity, I highly recommend it as a nice relaxing place to have a coffee break, or get a good lunch. Call me — I’ll meet you there.

I’m just thinking it’s a good thing they’re not really that close to where I live, or I’d be up there every morning!