My Faithful Companion

Annie Pyle
July 1999 - Sept 2013

May the sun always shine on your pink belly,

May you always have a quilt to lay your head upon

and know that your kitty is always beside you.

Anna Bananarama, you really were a super dog

Hello Fall

I think this has been the most amazing summer we have had in forever. There were a few days of rain and that was it.  Endless days of sunshine and blue skies.  I got in a round of golf, the first time I've done this in years, and I have to admit, I really missed it.  I But I'm ready for some rain.  I want to quilt "guilt-free" and I need some rainy days for that.  The yard keeps beckoning me but I'm done, done, done with it!

My summer quilting has been dismal.  I spent some time this past weekend getting the final borders on this appliqued piece that I got done in May/June.  Only 2 months to get the border on, geesh!

 This is my first 4 block applique and it was great to make these big blocks. The top is 72 x 72

I've kept my hands busy with the hand quilting on this piece.  Once the binding has been finished, this will hit the wash to get out the markings, and I will be shipping it out to someone.

BTCT update: N-O-T-H-I-N-G
It will be tops on my list for Sept to December.

Quite some time back I mentioned that I wanted to get an old cross stitch piece finished.  However, these 50 something year old eyes can't see to stitch on 32 ct linen.  I borrowed a magnifying glass, but it wouldn't stay on my frame so I broke down and bought one with a clamp.  OMG, I can see.  My commitment is going to be one night a week on this and in time it will be finished.  It really is beautiful.

So I say, Good Bye summer, you've been great, but I'm really ready for the fall, the turning leaves, a few rainy days, and some crisp cool afternoons.  Bring it on!

Sharon

Picture Heavy *NW Washington Fair*

I'm starting off with one of my favorite pieces in the fair. I love the fabric choices, the use of value and the piecing was very good. This was a small piece, about 40" wide. I can imagine how amazing this would be in a queen size quilt.
I don't have much detail on the quilts. I know it seems like everything has a ribbon, but honestly, everything doesn't get one. There are just so many catagories.

This was the Best of Show  I think its an Edyta Sitar pattern, but I'm not positive.  What a great showcase of prints and colors.  It was gorgeous.

This is Donna's quilt.  I love the center motif. Yes, you've seen this quilt on my blog, bu it had a cream border with applique.  They did this as a BOM.  Nice job!

The pink ribbon is viewers choice of the day.  I think this is Jo's quilt, very cool.

Wow, wow, wow!!

Best of Hooked Rugs.  I love seeing this section as I don't hook and I don't know anyone who does.  It's the once a year opportunity to view this craft.

L-O-V-E the hooked rug house.  I would love to have this in my house.

There were very few hand quilted pieces, this one is mine.  It's still one of my favorites.

Embroidery work.  Very intense designs and the whole quilt was gorgeous.

I think this is from Judy Martin's Log Cabin book,  it was a lesson in staying focused.  I can't imagine how long this one took to piece.  Amazing job!

Yes, this is the cover quilt of AP and Q.  Tonya is a local quilter and has been having a lot of success with her quilts this year.  It was quilted by Tracey Fischer, very fun designs and the threads were fabulous.

Same quilt, two different colorways. These quilts were on opposite ends of the barn, and it was fun to tell people to turn around to see the same quilt in a different color. They would look, turn back, look again, and then see the same blocks.

These red bicycles and scotty dogs were SO cute.  Hand appliqued as well.

Love this border.

I have this pattern.................somewhere!

Another hooked rug. 

How cute are these aprons.

If you've stuck with this post, you get to see my second piece. I've shown it before and was thrilled to see all these ribbons. This one ended up going into the Large, Professional machine pieced and quilted category. It won first in this group, Best of Category, Best Professional Machine quilting, and the plaque was Judges Choice for Machine Quilting. I'm humbled, as there are many beautiful quilters in my area.

Having big open spaces of light fabric really do show off the quilting. I've hung this up in my living room so I can enjoy it for a little while before I give it away. It's a gift to a very special person who kept me on the straight and narrow during my journey through breast cancer. She doesn't know she's getting this but I'm thrilled to put these accolades on the label and gift it out.

Dad Update

Behind the bad news of a colon/rectal cancer diagnosis, we have been blessed with nothing but good news.  Dad has gotten an MRI and a CT Scan, both have NO signs of the cancer spreading.  You just don't get better news than this.  His surgeon, who initially wanted to remove Dad's colon and put him on a bag, has backed away from this surgery and has referred my Dad to Vancouver, BC (5 hours from his home, but 45 minutes from me).  The tools/equipment to do this different surgery are not available where he lives and his surgeon referred him over to a new doctor.  I looked up the new guy and he has a long list of rave reviews!

On the horse front, Hey Didjanotice raced again last night, it was Friday night under the lights.  Dad came down for the evening, a 5 hour trek, and we all headed into the track.  The race went off at close to 10:00 pm so it was a late night for his baby to be up.  I guess for all the horses, it was a late night.  We ran 3rd again, beat out by the same horse that beat us last time.  No worries though, Dad was still in the money and she ran a great race.  I think she might be sent out to the farm for some fun and games, and that this might be her last race of the summer.  There is one more that she qualifies for, but Dad doesn't want to push her too much and she has already given him 4 great races this summer, that's a lot for a 2 yr old.

Now for quilty news..............I got nothing.  Well, that's not really true, I have the NW Washington Fair to share.  But that shall wait for another post.  I'll say it again, hand quilting makes for a boring blogger!

Are you enjoying the dog days of summer?  I sure am, it's been glorious here in the NW, in fact, we've been happy when we've had an hour or two of rain this past month and a half. 

If you live close to Bellingham, I'm teaching a technique based workshop that starts in Oct, the first Sat of each month for 6 months.  At the end, you will have a lovely US flag quilt and a bag full of new tricks for your future projects.  Contact Fabric Etc for more information.

Sharon

Taking a Break

I haven't been blogging much lately and have decided to step away from the pc as much as possible when not at work.  My blogging is going "on hold" for now.  That doesn't mean I won't check my email or read  your post or comment on your blog, I just need to announce my break so I don't feel the angst of not posting.  The other issue is that my dad has been diagnosed with colon cancer..........AGAIN!!!!!!!  It's not fair, if you beat it once, you should be the winner for life.  Not so much with the big C,  you can never let your guard down.  We are in the early stages of detection, and I shall keep you posted.
During this time, know that I will be hand quilting my BTCT and a wall hanging that is being gifted out. 
Wishing everyone the best August, and remember, these are the dog days of summer, my favorite time of the year!
Sharon

Check out this Quilting!

You gotta see this post!  CLICK HERE
I have no idea who this is, no affiliation, but goodness, here is some fabulous machine quilting done on her DSM.  She talks quite a bit about her process, so grab a cuppa coffee/tea and enjoy!
Sharon

Follow up from Workshop

It's been awhile since I taught the Dresden Plate workshop. KM brought her finished project to Guild for show and tell this month.

She had several plates made before she came to class.  How fun is this piece??!!  She has used 3 blades for the buds, and has layered up smaller blades over larger ones for added interest in some flowers.

Aren't these fabulous with the stripes?  Oh, how I love this.  Did you notice the inner border on the top pictures? Very liberated, very Gwen Marston inspired.

I don't think these photos will enlarge, but the quilting is terrific on this.  K did lots of circles for a background fill, I just love everything about this piece. 

As for my own work, I'm staying the course on the hand quilting of BTCT, (boring for blogging) I've been working on another block (applique) for my SOS sampler quilt, and have stitched a bit on my Gwen Marston Medallion piece. I'm still a bit away from having the center together, once that is done I can start going around and around and around....

We are having an amazing summer here in the NW.  We will probably break records for lack of rain and for up here, that's pretty crazy.

Hope everyone is staying cool and getting in some stitch time!

Sharon