My favorite quilt for the online quilt festival..... gone but not forgotten....

The online quilt festival...just found it at Park city Girls blog...and have to post my favorite quilt. It is the one pictured in my heading.... it was the first quilt I made in South Africa,and the first quilt that the girl I taught to hand quilt did for me while I lived there. It unfortunately was stolen when our home was burglarized. I offered a reward and the local paper kindly ran a featured article about the missing quilt, but to no avail.... I console myself with the fact that it is most likely keeping someone in South Africa warm, expecially now that winter is coming on in the Southern hemisphere. It was made using South African schwe-schwe, printed and produced by the Da Gama fabric company. I loved those geometric prints. And absolutely loved having this quilt on my bed...for the short time it was in my possession. PS- Don't forget the GIVEAWAY at JEN's Blog.

A giveaway, quilts, Amish photos and South African garden

It has been such crazy weather here.... but finally spring is definitely here. We are preparing to build a deck on the back of the house over the next month or so ... and today the Professor replaced a missing bench on the side porch. The end of classes doctoral student bash is scheduled for our house in a couple of weeks, a good way to wind down after the Professors classes for the semester. There is also one doctoral student who is finishing up and moving away...so all of the professors ( the real ones... :o) ) are invited also to say goodbye. Crawfish is on the menu... I have to admit...I have never eaten them...but I am game. Now, there is a giveaway over at Jen's blog where you can win a gift certificate. Go by and enter. I felt compelled to show the photos of a local school bus, which was parked, running, in the parking lot of a local strip mall. It was there for over an hour that I shopped. But the funny thing was that apparently they picked up their laundry/dry cleaning too... You can see it hanging in the window of the bus. Maybe I am just being gritchy, but this so reminded me of South Africa, where the school buses would be parked...at the grocery store...on teachers paydays. But they didn't just go to the store, they took the kids out of school.... too!!!! Kind of like a field trip... except it was to the grocery store. Several teachers would go together....and leave one teacher watching the children out in the parking lot. A bit of a shock, to see...till I saw this bus. I guess some things just are the same...no matter where they happen. Ok, off my soap box and onto a few quilt photos. I forgot to get a photo of the quilt hanging at the quilt shop, but do have a few photos to share of finished customer quilts. First up is a sweet little charity quilt, I volunteered to quilt for my guild.We are donating this one and a bed sized quilt to the cancer drive fundraiser. It didn't have to be done until October...but thought it best to try to do at least one donation quilt a month... the second photo shows the back side. It turned out really well. I love this red white and blue Carolina Crossroads quilt.It is scrappy...and very well done. Her mini patch squares...were perfect. What a pleasure to quilt. Next up is a cowboy quilt I did for a customer, it was a lot of fun to do.









Then a photo of my summer garden in South AFrica. It was walled in...and so pretty in early summer...this is later in the summer, after many plants had bloomed out. I sure enjoyed having Majuba keep it looking so nice. The first gardener's name was July, I adored him...but he left the landlords employ and was replaced with Majuba, who enjoyed building much more than gardening. I can say that I miss having them water and dig up the garden for me. The Professor has been filling those shoes...and when I laid all the plants out where I wanted them planted, the Professor pointed out that "Majuba" wouldn't be planting them anymore for me, so I might want to get a shovel! He is cheeky! Lastly I had to post this photo of the Amish lady and little girl putting their groceries into their buggy. I shot this when traveling in Pennsylvania last summer. This grocery store has a hitching post at the end of the parking lot...for the buggies.

A pattern giveaway.... over at Reanalily Designs...

Just a quick note, There is a great giveaway...over at my DIL's design blog, I have tested one of these patterns, Floating Bubbles... a very fun quilt and quick to make, and posted a photo of my work in progress in previous post. To sign up for an opportunity to win several of her patterns.... go to Reannalily designs and leave a comment.

We have a winner...... Halloween fun, and other things....

There is a giveaway over at Once Upon A time

to celebrate her blogiversary. So check it out, Here are a few of our Family Halloween Photos,

Homer and little skelly,

Jenga fett, of Star Wars fame, along with the "mum" teenager

Lovely Hermione is our Elisie Pie, with her Nimbus 2000, and the lovely little princess as a Penguin.

DD as 1/5 of the Village People, all the ladies dressed up as Village People for work! How fun is that?

I have done little besides travel the past week, Arkansas, then Tennessee, in on Monday...out to Atlanta tomorrow...for my first longarm class! Woo Hoo. Hoping I learn more quickly than the pantographs took me. Now had to share these divine pics of the lovely grandbabies/kids ( sorry to the older ones) and family members. Those who know us...know that the oldest children live far, far away and their parents got into the act.... Dad as Homer ( of course this could have been the Professor...sometimes I think I AM married to Homer! And DD in law was a High school Girl, not all that far removed from those days it seems. DD and the wee one, gave out candy. Wee One and I passed out the goodies, sitting out on the porch, he had to have his horse costume on of course. Now, I have been doing a bit of hand applique...while traveling, but DD gave me her UFO quilt blocks.... and I pieced the camo looking quilt together for her. I wonder can I count the UFO as an unfinished thing for me, since it isn't mine , but I will be finishing that up????May have to ask our Judge, Finn, to get her take on that question? It will be quilted next week, and she also passed on to me her other UFO.... quilt, with incomplete borders. I will piece those on....and "get her done" next week. Want to return them for Thanksgiving.... can't wait to see 2/3 of the family. Then we will have another 2/3 for Christmas. I am so looking forward to that. I may have to post photos of the Professor and I putting my longarm into my car...to make the trip to Atlanta. That should be an interesting drive?? Now concerning the longarm, I loved several names...so may have to do one with middle names too! But I did draw for a winner. Jackie was the lucky winner. Congratulations Jackie, please email me your details...and I will be back next week. Y'all have a great one! How could I not...with learning new and better tricks on my machine. Good times ahead!

Seamingly Accurate giveaway...from none other than my DD in law!!!

My DD in law, has just returned from the Houston Quilt Festival..... and launching her Seamingly Accurate as a sewing notion.....and in honor of that has decided to do a giveaway, at ReannaLilly designs, please go to her web site for a quick comment and look see. Also a peek at the quiltwoman.com booth where she was launched! I am a proud mother in law. And it has helped me with both my quilting AND making curtains for my bedrooms. A very practical tool, with many sewing applications. So I am a satisfied user also. And had to post some lovely photos..... of yet another..... look at the Princess! She is so adorable!Happiness is found in Beans and Cornbread...even with only 3 teeth! This a a photo of another DD in law, Emikins, at the War Eagle Mill....an actual grist mill in Benton county Arkansas. A lovely setting for a nice walk, across the old....working bridge... 100 yrs young, and the original sight of a grist mill. It has burned down 4 times, but the foundations are still original.Lots of charm, a few quilts made from their little feed sacks, and a warm inviting Beanery in the attic. We had a lovely lunch and browse of the premises. Crisp Autumn weather and fun! The trees are just starting to change color...very pretty!Just found another giveaway f at Sue Daleys blog, featuring lovely patterns. Loved this Halloween decor set outside the Piggly Wiggly in Starkville, MS. Love all things Autumn! I got some lovely things from the Houston Quilt Festival for my new soon to be named longarm machine, thanks to my crack monkey DD in law! They are "in the mail" ...who knows they may beat the items from my Ship!!!!Be sure and leave a comment for my giveaway, explained on previous post. Don't you love Fall, Y'all?????