Saturday's Smile!!

Happy 4th of July

to all of us in the United States!!

Please be safe and have lots of fun!!  And ponder all the liberties we have because of our brave ancestors and all the men and women in the military who protect those liberties for us!!

I Arrived Safely at My New Home

But on the way up, all through Utah there were lots and lots of fires!

 This fire was so bad that when I pulled over to get gas, there was so much ash falling that it almost seemed like it was snowing.

Both the 24 foot Budget truck and my van functioned well and got us here!

 And it was so funny.  I had about 15 men and boys help me to load the truck in St. George and another 15 or so to unload the truck in Weston.  I heard one older guy ask another of the men how can one old woman have a 24 foot truck full of stuff when she has so little furniture??  The other guy said, my wife says she is a quilter!!  I laughed out loud!!

Here is my new home and my new surroundings!!  It's like I am going to be a park ranger all day long!!

And here are the first two days of setting up my studio!!  It is going to be wonderful when it is done!!

I think I have just begun a wonderful new adventure!!

It's Moving Day!!

This afternoon the 24 foot U-Haul will be sitting out front and at 6p.m. there will be about 15 folks here to help pack it up, clean the house and eat pizza!!

Here is what my Quilt Studio and house now look like ~

Pollie is taking it in stride!!!

I'll be so happy when we are safely through this move!!

See you all at the other end!!

And the Winner of the Giveaway is . . .

Bernie of Sew Bernie ~

Congratulations, Bernie!!  

Email me with your address & I'll get it in the mail!!

*****  Thank you to everyone who left a comment *****

Saturday's Smile!!

The Woodpecker May Have To Go!!

Help Support a Fellow Quilter!!

My friend Joy was selected as a finalist in the McCall's Quilting Quilt Design Star 2012 Contest - Amateur Catagory. The requirement for this phase of the contest was that the quilt had to incoprorate the Amish Star.  This is the piece Joy made ~

And here is what Joy said about the inspiration she had for the quilt and the challenges she experienced ~

Quilt Title:	Amish Wind
First Name:	Joy
Last Name:	Tallman
City:	Perrinton
State:	MI
Finished Quilt Top Size __? x __?:	28X38
Techniques used:	Techniques used were classic patchwork , rough edge applique and hand embroidery.
Inspiration for Quilt:	I live near a large Amish community. On any given Sunday, the Amish are on the main road in their carriages going to church. On one occassion, I saw this young man following behind the carriage on his bike. He was well dressed, in his Sunday suit. It was a cold, windy fall day. Suddenly, a gust of wind came up and swooped his hat off his head and tumbled down the road. He quickly got off his bike to retrieve it. For this piece, I tried to create a pictorial quilt of this scene. I wanted the border with the star to be somewhat plain, like the Amish, which is why I used the brown and made the stars brown. The border was designed to simply frame the picture.
Challenges you experienced with design:	Up until now, I had not done a "lanscape" piece. I bought a book and used it as a guideline for the background. Auditioning fabrics, mostly Batiks, by pining them on me full size drawing of the quilt. For the tree, I sat one Sunday and cut out sooo many leaves, ironed them on with fuseable web and only stitched them down with one embroidery stitch. Making the leaves 3 D and lift for effect. The bike I found embroidered on a friends t-shirt. I took a picture of it and used that for the bike. This project has been a journey and the boy truely is my "Amish Star".

I love how she created the leaves so they would appear to be blowing in the wind!!  Please click on the button below and vote for Joy's quilt!!  We can vote once a day!!

Please help support the creativity of an amazing artist!!

Unusual Giveaway!!

I have been packing up my house and all the goodies in it in preparation for my move to Weston, ID.  I came across this unusual calender that was given to me several years ago and I have just never hung it.

It is a wonderful piece.  The crewel work is beautifully done in wool on what appears to be a linen background.  The calender is the real unique part of it.  Each month you slide the top piece from month to month.  January through May are on one side and June through December are on the back side of the paper strip.  The lower piece you move so that the first day of the month sits below the day it lands on - i.e. June 1st was on a Friday, so I moved the paper piece so the 1st was located under Friday.  It measures approximately 16" x 20".  Click on the photos to see the beautiful handwork.

I have no idea when this was made as my cousin (who gave it to me) bought it in an antique shop.  If you are interested in owning this unique calender, lease just leave a comment saying why you would like it.  Also, if you will post this giveaway on your blog with a link back to the giveaway page, you will get a second chance!!

The U-Haul is getting packed up on Wednesday, the 28th so I will pick the winner in the afternoon of Monday, June 25th!!

Oh, and if anyone knows anything about this piece, I would love to know - pleave the information in a comment and you will get another chance to win!!

In Remembrance of My Sweet Dad . . .

to all of our Dads and Hubbys and Brothers and Sons!!!

Saturday's Smile!!

The History of Flag Day

I didn't really know what Flag Day was so this year I reserched it.

This is what I found out ~

The Fourth of July was traditionally celebrated as America's birthday, but the idea of an annual day specifically celebrating the Flag is believed to have first originated in 1885. BJ Cigrand, a schoolteacher, arranged for the pupils in the Fredonia, Wisconsin Public School, District 6, to observe June 14 (the 108th anniversary of the official adoption of The Stars and Stripes) as 'Flag Birthday'. In numerous magazines and newspaper articles and public addresses over the following years, Cigrand continued to enthusiastically advocate the observance of June 14 as 'Flag Birthday', or 'Flag Day'.
On June 14, 1889, George Balch, a kindergarten teacher in New York City, planned appropriate ceremonies for the children of his school, and his idea of observing Flag Day was later adopted by the State Board of Education of New York. On June 14, 1891, the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia held a Flag Day celebration, and on June 14 of the following year, the New York Society of the Sons of the Revolution, celebrated Flag Day.
Following the suggestion of Colonel J Granville Leach (at the time historian of the Pennsylvania Society of the Sons of the Revolution), the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames of America on April 25, 1893 adopted a resolution requesting the mayor of Philadelphia and all others in authority and all private citizens to display the Flag on June 14th. Leach went on to recommend that thereafter the day be known as 'Flag Day', and on that day, school children be assembled for appropriate exercises, with each child being given a small Flag.
Two weeks later on May 8th, the Board of Managers of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution unanimously endorsed the action of the Pennsylvania Society of Colonial Dames. As a result of the resolution, Dr. Edward Brooks, then Superintendent of Public Schools of Philadelphia, directed that Flag Day exercises be held on June 14, 1893 in Independence Square. School children were assembled, each carrying a small Flag, and patriotic songs were sung and addresses delivered.
In 1894, the governor of New York directed that on June 14 the Flag be displayed on all public buildings. With BJ Cigrand and Leroy Van Horn as the moving spirits, the Illinois organization, known as the American Flag Day Association, was organized for the purpose of promoting the holding of Flag Day exercises. On June 14th, 1894, under the auspices of this association, the first general public school children's celebration of Flag Day in Chicago was held in Douglas, Garfield, Humboldt, Lincoln, and Washington Parks, with more than 300,000 children participating.
Adults, too, participated in patriotic programs. Franklin K. Lane, Secretary of the Interior, delivered a 1914 Flag Day address in which he repeated words he said the flag had spoken to him that morning: "I am what you make me; nothing more. I swing before your eyes as a bright gleam of color, a symbol of yourself."
Inspired by these three decades of state and local celebrations, Flag Day - the anniversary of the Flag Resolution of 1777 - was officially established by the Proclamation of President Woodrow Wilson on May 30th, 1916. While Flag Day was celebrated in various communities for years after Wilson's proclamation, it was not until August 3rd, 1949, that President Truman signed an Act of Congress designating June 14th of each year as National Flag Day.

It is truly a majestic flag, isn't it!!

My June Doll Quilt Swap Quilt From Trish

I just got my darling May Doll Quilt Swap quilt from Trish and I LOVE it!!  The work that Trish put into this little quilt is spectacular!!  And she even asked if she could "borrow" a little piece of lace so she could incorporate it into the quilt!!  Sooooo clever!!

 

Here are a couple of close-ups so you can see the detail work!!

And then, Trish sent the quilt in this cute little Hope Chest that she made!!  WOW!!

Thank you, Trish, it is a very special gift!!

Life is Crazy . . .

right now.  I am headed up to the Cache Valley in northern Utah to look at a renting possiblity in a lady's home.  She is looking for someone who can be home while she is on the road working from Sunday night through Thursday night!!  Dang, I'll have this big house with a quilt studio in it all to myself most of the week!!

My friends here in the desert say I am moving from the frying pan into the freezer!!  LOL!!  I'll be back next week!!

May Flowers from Pat!!

I have actually had these flowers for a couple of weeks but my life has been crazy since my Dad passed away May 1st, so I am just now getting many of the things done that I want to get in place!!

Thank you, Pat, these flowers are Purrfect!!!  Lavender is one of my very favorite colors and the extra piece of orange dot will make a great flower!!   And is that kitty the cutest, or what!!

Saturday's Smile!!