And so it goes

It's hard to believe it's been 2 months since I posted my last entry. So much has happened. Here I am in Indiana. In early July, my hubby was offered a transfer from New Jersey to Indiana and because school starts so much earlier here, 8/17 vs 9/2, we had to hustle and get out here lickity split. So I've spent every minute since July somehow involved with moving - either getting us out here or being too depressed to think about getting us out here. But here we are. And Indiana is a nice place. Lots of great quilt shops and yarn shop - I think I'll like it.

Now while all this non posting was going on, my friend Barb came up with a great idea. She suggested we do a blog together. This is really a great idea since she is much more talented, creative, and diligent than I am. And the blog will be much better for it.

So we came up with a new name - Fun with Barb and Mary

Here's the link www.funwithbarbandmary.blogspot.com

I'll keep my old blog up but all my new posts will be over at funwithbarbandmary - please visit.

She who dies with the most fabric wins

You've heard of that old saying. Well here's a good candidate.



We play a round of LRC (left, right, center) with 3 themed fat quarters each time my group gets together. Yours truly has yet to win.

Vermont was so fun and the quilts were outstanding. It really is a different kind of show, much more traditional than any I'd been to in awhile. Barb and I went to the judges panel to hear what they are looking for in the winners. These three things they mentioned stayed with me - uniqueness, quilting that complements the quilt, humility. Yes - humility.

Here's the overall winner - a gorgeous Baltimore with all the bells and whistles.



And this was my favorite - Honey, I'm home - so thoughtful and clever.





MM

Off to Vermont

I'm off to the Vermont Quilt Show tomorrow morning. I can't wait. Barb and I have a lot of fun things planned - the Champagne and chocolate opening party tomorrow night, a trip to the Shelburne Museum for the Florence Peto exhibit, a thai food sew-in at our hotel on Saturday night, and oh yea, the show. I'll have lots to pics show when I get back.
Meanwhile here's the latest t-shirt quilt I finished up for a graduating senior. Cute no? I highly recommend doing one of these. They are hokey but nice.


MM

State Quilt Show - Part 2

Here are a few more quilts I liked at the show.
This quilt won 1st place group. Each person pieced a strip of the quilt.



Here is a cute apron block of the month quilt that was being offered by one of the vendors.



I liked this Row Houses quilt by Sue Freeland made of log cabin blocks. She used brick fabric in the center of the blocks for the chimneys.



I thought this was a cute detail - using jumbo rickrack in the border of this sailboat quilt.


MM

State Quilt Show

The New Jersey State Guild Quilt Show started yesterday. My friend Jill Reid won a 2nd place for her Hex Vex - Yes We Can Obama quilt. I think it deserved a first.



I received an honorable mention for my red and white applique quilt - the competition was tough. But, as my friend Susan pointed out, it was nice of them to match the ribbon to my quilt.



My friends and I met up at lunchtime to compare notes. The show was poorly attended - and unless it picked up today and tomorrow we doubt there'll be a show next year. Someone else said that the Lancaster Show has been discontinued. It's depressing.

I took a bunch of pictures of quilts I liked. This one by Susan Shure took 2nd place applique.



They had an exhibit of quilts done by the Brownstone quilt guild for their 25th anniversary. Quilts had to include 25 items. Here's Barb's quilt - Little Pink Houses.



And here's another I especially liked by Maureen (I can't read the last name).



Here's Therese standing in front of one of her favorites. We love Our Lady of Guadeloupe.



I'll post more over the next few days.

MM

Reveal Day

My Wednesday group had our reveal for our UFO challenge last week. A few months ago we each brought in several UFOs and the group chose which would be finished during the challenge. Sadly but not unexpected, I failed to complete my challenge but there were plenty of others who did and their projects were great.

Here is Fran's pretty quilt. She hand appliqued each 2" square, mostly floral prints, to muslin. The flowers are beaded. The week before the reveal this quilt was only two thirds finished so she was a quilting machine the last week.



Here's Sue's. She started this quilt in a class at the Vermont Quilt Show a few years ago. I can't recall the teacher but it was on mosaic quilts. Sue said most of the other students did theirs in batiks. This quilt is really dramatic in person. We told her to enter it into our Guild Show next year - it's a sure winner.



Here's Barb's little four-patch log cabins. I'll post a better shot when she's totally done. She's been trading these little log cabin blocks with Jill Reid for awhile now. The quilt has a great set - see how its woven. And I love the backing she's picked - it's like old newsprint in green.



I've got several more to show in my next post. Stay tuned.

MM

My cupcake group met this week so I have a few pictures to share.
This is Barb's Feathered Fourth quilt. Very cute - I'm trying to get her to lend it to me for the season.



I got the girls to hold up my quilt for the NJ State show. so that I could take a picture.



I made a taco salad for lunch and Barb brought a lemon/lime bundt cake for dessert.









Susan sorted her scraps - no picture.

And this is one of the quilts Jill is entering in the show.



I came across an interesting website recently. It's a searchable database from the International Quilt Study Center. I get their monthly e-mail for the quilt of the month but have never really explored the site. Lots of great quilts to see.

MM