Quilt Show and a Magic Yarn Ball.

Last week was busy as I headed over to visit my parents' house to help my mom set up, take down and photograph a quilt show (link) she organized at her church. I also brought over many of my quilts to be displayed. In the days leading up to the show I worked feverishly (for me) to get a few quilts together to be available for sale.  With my mom's help I got the binding on the three little yellow coins baby quilts and got a raw edge applique charm quilt put together and finished the binding on it late the night before the show. Here are the finished products, one of the three baby quilts was purchased but the other two did not find homes so I will have to decide what to do.

On the raw edge applique quilt (tutorial) I used spray on adhesive to attach the squares as well as to "baste" the layers and that seemed to work well. Then I used the multi-stitch zig-zag to sew 1/4" in from each of the squares' edges and quilt the border. Marking before hand was very important. I marked one corner for each square to line them up and marked the edge so I would know where to start quilting. All in all it was pretty quick to whip up and the result was quite nice, I will have to try some more.

On the way home from my parents' (after losing my keys when I packed them in to the trunk resulting in a feverish search) I me up with a fellow Raveler to exchange magic yarn balls as part of a swap. I also got to meet her kids and hubby. It was very hard to resist unwinding that ball of yarn right there in my car before I drove home. So even though I got home a bit late after wandering around Pike’s Place Market with my sister I unwrapped the yarn not long after I got home and here are the results. First the yarn, 2 skeins of a pretty grey wool/soybean blend that is very soft and I think may end up as a shrug/shawl of some sort. I wore one my sister made and I think I have fallen in love with shawls. Anyway, back to the yarn. In the center was this beautiful handspun yarn, with beads, beads! I am so excited. I love the colors and this may also end up as a scarf/shawl of some sort… There was also some lovely fuzzy soft blue yarn, also hand spun I believe.

Patti also knitted up these adorable dolls for my kids. My son is loving the dragon and had a lot of fun with it in the car, though it was bad and had to “sit on the wall”. My daughter also had fun with her doll in the car, chewing on the dreads, perfect!

For me there was a pattern (I also sew), a dish towel, little purse, sewing kit (very handy!), some cool flower stitch markers (Layden pronounced them "pretty"), a bead and a piece of fabric to make a pincushion, art smock and small tote bag. And to share with my husband a bottle of wine, which I am waiting until tonight to open, can’t wait to taste it! Oh yes, there was also a cool flannel stuffed carrot which was promptly appropriated by Layden and is MIA.

While at my parents' I also stopped by Goodwill and picked up some clothes to refashion for myself and 4 dress shirts for Oli, two of which fit (I consider that a win).