Archive for the ‘Animas Quilts’ Category

I’ve not been trying to avoid you – and quite frankly, I’m floored that it’s been 2-1/2 months since I last posted.  It’s been a wonderful summer in Montana . . . not too hot.  We’ve stayed really busy, and absolutely HAPPY!

In early July we went to BC to help our outfitter friends move the shower house from it’s previous location to a spot adjacent to the main cabin. While the guys were busy with lots of other chores, Marilyn & I painted the cabin floor. The shower house was coaxed and rolled to its new location on logs, with the assistance of being pulled or pushed by a work-horse jeep. Then, re-connected, and it’s absolutely dandy in its new location. I suspect the hunters there this Fall will like it in its new, warmer location.

Jery went looking for a good fishing hole to share with company coming in mid-July.  He found a fabulous stream, perfect for fly fishing (assuming there’s something in it to catch a fly) and also found a property that made him salivate. A few days later we were both there looking at it, and our negotiations began. We’d been looking for an investment parcel, and this is hopefully perfect because we can absolutely enjoy it while it’s value hopefully increases.

August 7th was our 6th Annual Eureka Montana Quilt Show.  The final 2 weeks (PLUS!) before the show are packed full with preparations.  It’s an outdoor show.  The Goddess of Weather definitely likes quilts as it was the only dry day in a string of 10 or so wet ones.  A gorgeous show.  And . . . . drum roll . . . my final one as ‘chair’.  I’ll remain on the steering committee, and let Carol be in charge!

A week later, three friends & I went to Trout Creek, MT to enjoy their Huckleberry Fest.  Really a fun time together, and Huckleberry Cheesecake is outstanding!

During May & June (and some July and August), I’ve been working on a quilt project designed to help brand new quilters have a positive experience while making a special quilt for an off-to-college off-spring, or a parent moving into an Independent Living situation, or ?????  It allows the quilter to select between 14 ‘tops’ and 8 borders that are interchangeable – to make a special quilt – possibly in school colors.  Go! Team!  It’ll be released by FabShop soon.  In addition to all the writing and illustrating, I enjoyed stitching 3 samples.

On August 16th we acquired the property in the Yaak region of NW Montana.  If you are curious, I have a web page for it  www.yaakcabin.com     We started looking for a small camp trailer to park there while we’re working.  Jer looked at several, and I found one a bit south of Kalispell while visiting Mother.  With the help of a construction worker across the street from the seller, we hitched its stabilizer hitch to my wagon and I hauled it home.  Scrubbed, cleaned, soaked, etc and 3 days later it was set up at the Yaak property where we’ve been the past two weekends, cleaning up the property.  We go on Friday morning and home on Sunday.  Jer’s busily cutting noxious plants so they can be effectively sprayed and eliminated.  I’m building four mammoth ‘burn piles’ for October.  LOTS of fallen timbers.  We’re heading back there this weekend, and looking forward to friends going also.

So —  whew!  needed to check in.  It’s been a fabulous summer!

It’s just that everything else seems to always get in the way . . . . Before I tell you about these two photos, I’d like to mention that my annual Quilt Retreats (2 of them – back to back) were from June 3 – 9. We had a grand time, and I do have some dandy photos of our instantaneous Outdoor Quilt Shows during each event — BUT — they are in my laptop . . . so maybe another day.

AFTER the retreats, I was home for ONE full day, and then Jery & I took off for an extended weekend trip. We returned home on Tuesday eve and spent the next 3 days catching up! Now it’s Saturday, and we’re back in forward motion.

Jer& I went to the local car show today.  They really put on a dandy show.  We love looking at the muscle cars full of memories, and the Vintage ones, plus a handful of newer wheels.  I took this photo of the ‘67 Camaro just because it had a good memory land trip.  I bought a ‘67 Camaro (hard top) on Sept 29, 1966 — the day the came out.  The very first camaros.  Mine was gold.  It was really HOT, and I drove it for 13 years, until the rust under the floors became a worry.

Then, once back home, I snapped this shot of my new perennial border garden.  A handful of the plants pouted briefly, though ALL are happy now.  We’ve had a few continuous days of rain.  Tomorrow I’ll dress for the ‘mud’ and pull some healthy weeds!

Well . . . . here I am – TARDY again!  With always the best intentions, time disappears – totally.

Quilt Market was in Minneapolis this year – May 21-23.  Our booth was really pretty – all in the Roses, Blue version.

Barb (great helper!) has family in Wisconsin, so she flew early and enjoyed a visit.

Jery & I drove to Minneapolis.  We took a rather leisurely 3 days and drove the ‘high line’ (Highway 2 across the Northern part of Montana) to Wolf Point.  The High Line continues into North Dakota, but we dropped down so we could enter ND near Medora, where we visited the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  I’d been there several years ago when teaching in Medora.  Knew Jery would like it, AND the history about Mr. Roosevelt.  We stopped at some lovely gardens along the way, enjoyed the hot tubs some evenings — other than lots of miles — took it easy.  He ‘deposited’ all the booth stuff at the convention center in Minneapolis, and headed on to Illinois to visit some favorite relatives, returning in time to see a wee bit of the show on Sunday before ‘take down.’

Monday morning we set out for Greenfield, IA, to visit friends Kathy & Gary.  Such a treat to see their home, and especially glad we saw it Monday eve and Tuesday morning.  They have some livestock, and introduced us to a new bull they named Jery . . . and a heifer named Jackie.  Hmmm.

We had a great time at their pond, and early Tuesday Kathy & I cruised in the paddle boat for a while.  Then she & I went into Winterset to see the Spool Cabinet man.  YEP —  I brought one home!

Late afternoon it started to rain, and then it absolutely POURED for over an hour.  POURED.  BLEW.  POURED.  We watched as rivers formed in their yard, racing toward the pond.  In that short downpour, they got 3-1/2″ (THREE and a HALF) of rain, causing the pond to overflow, and share most of their fish with the pond ‘next door’.  What a mess it all was.  What a storm!

We arrived home Sat. afternoon.  Sunday I went to Kalispell to see my Mother AND to pick up some large perennials for the new garden strip.  I’ll try to share that photo soon!

Retreats begin on Thursday.  Getting them packed and planting the remaining flowers (with Jer’s great help!) will keep us out of trouble today.

Actually, they are Red Angus. Heifers. One old Mama cow and her adopted calf. One Bull – sort of a ‘baby’ bull – his first ‘bull’ season.
This photo is in our back yard. Lots of grass – along with a high fire danger this year (not much snow here this winter) – helped increase our interest in some ‘visiting’ grazers.

Cute, eh ??

Between rain showers – - – here we are in today’s Rendezvous Parade — promoting our Featured Quilter for ‘10 for the Eureka Montana Quilt Show — August 7th this year.

A windy day – kind of chilly – and my EMQS shirt ended up being the windshield wiper, since to turn them on would have disturbed the wonderful paper flowers!

I think this was the first time in age that I’ve actually driven with ‘clutch power’ . . .  i.e. so slow and in 1st gear – we simply moved forward when I’d release the clutch a bit.  Was fun, eh??

The fabric arrived around 1 pm on Monday. Jery & I had gone into town to meet Neil, the nice Fed Ex guy. Home with the fabric, and Lori joined me shortly as we cut the chunks for all of our ‘designers’ to ship or have picked up by them. By 5 pm they’d been here, or were boxed, and Lori and I had pre-cut the pieces of most of the patterns we were stitching here.
Tuesday morning – 9 am – Lori, Marilyn & Florence arrived and the stitching began. Actually, Kathern had stopped by earlier and picked up her fabric and stitched while she handled phones at her brother’s business. She joined us for ‘real’ early afternoon.

We shipped two out on Wednesday – to the quilters – and the remaining 3 went Thursday. DONE.

Well, almost. I have a small project I’ll quilt here, and then all the bindings as they roll back through, and the booth drapes . . .

It’s really hard to call this work . . . . .

It’s ALMOST HERE! The NEW Split Stripes (2 of them!) and all the Blue versions of the incredible Roses — have cleared customs and ought to be on with local FedEx driver today. Neil is a really nice guy – and I’ll phone his cell shortly to arrange to meet him when he arrives at the south end of our valley. 73 pounds of New BLUE ROSES!

Then, it’s cut, cut, cut and phone the local designers to come for theirs as well as ship Mischele’s to Tennessee.

An exciting day!

You can see them all — including the new patterns we’ll be stitching – on our web page.  Go to Fabrics, then Roses. . . . .   and then to the Online Store and New Spring ‘10 Patterns in Roses . . . .

OH — Happy Day!  Everything’s Coming Up Roses

Barb & I returned to Bull River Guest Ranch in BC this past weekend to join the Cranbrook quilters for another wonderful time together. The chef was again in fabulous form — and we stitched and ate – royally!

I’m still waiting on my new fabric to arrive —  hopefully I’ll see it later this week.  Here I’m working on the blocks in the new quilt, Three Cheers, that don’t have any of the new fabric in them.

And I put the outer border on the lap quilt I’ve made as a fund-raiser for my high school – in Kansas.

It was a great get-away!

Do you know about the online magazine, Quiltposium? It has great articles (some by me, of course! ) and info and links to lots of downloadable patterns. You can read it on line, print whatever part you wish, and simply enjoy!   Shown here is the cover of the Spring edition.    You’ll find it at  www.Quiltposium.com

I’m working on articles for the Summer issue this afternoon, which reminded me that I’d failed to share this before now.

I swear — I need lots of strings on my fingers some days!

This is Lori Marvel’s lovely daughter, Cindy.  She was married last night in a beautiful ceremony.  Such a lovely Bride!  Lori has been really busy.  She made Cindy’s gown, plus the three bridesmaids, and two flower girls.  I rather suspect she did the lion’s share of the planning, also.