patchwork – ckquilts

My favorite time of year is any holiday! I love them because I usually have a slow day at work and I get to enjoy some me time. Today is no different. I will be at work this evening and hope to finish my embroidered quilt. Just needs some quilting and a binding and it’s ready to hang up in the shop.

Oh, did I mention that I’m quitting and becoming a stay at home mom again? Yup, I’m going to be home and maybe I’ll get caught up on the projects in my urgent pile!! I may even get caught up on the Splendid Sampler and the 365 Challenge. Life sure does go by fast. I’m almost four months behind on them both thanks to work. Oh, I know, that’s a long time to not quilt but I’ve had a lot of other projects for work that had to be done. Also the decision to put my knee replacement in the forefront and get that done before the family reunion in September became more important that working. Can’t work if you can’t walk!

Today is the 25th but yesterday was a special holiday in our state – Pioneer Day. It’s a celebration of the brave men and women who crossed the plains and settled in Utah and parts of Nevada and Arizona back in the 1800’s. My ancestors were part of that event and I’m very proud of that pioneer stock. They gave up everything they had to come to Utah and settle here. Most never saw their families at home again. My father would tell us stories about his ancestors who settled in a little town called St. Thomas, Nevada, and had a hotel there. It doesn’t exist any longer due to the Hoover Dam being built and water covering the town back in 1939. Now you know a little piece of history!

I’ve been traveling around for the past few weeks. Put almost 8,000 miles on my truck as I went on the Row by Row adventure throughout the entire state of Utah then up to Washington and Oregon and parts of Idaho. I think I just added another project to my pile of Unfinished Objects! Lol! Anyhoo, you all have a wonderful day and remember to enjoy the little things of life!! Love others and always always be kind!

After 23 years of quilting, I’m going back to the beginning to show how far I’ve come as a quilter.

My first quilt was a red, pink and white patchwork heart quilt for our youngest child who was 2 weeks old when I went to my first quilt guild meeting. I received the pattern that first night and decided to do a baby quilt. I didn’t know you were supposed to prewash the reds and when I washed it the first time, it bled so bad that I had a red, pink and pink quilt. Could never get all the red dye out of the white so I put it away. I even hand quilted it. Over the years I forgot about it and recently tried to find it to no avail. While visiting my oldest daughter, I found it at her house, well loved by her little girls. Seems she wanted it and removed it out of the house without asking me. I’m ok with it but I wish she’d have told me she wanted it so I didn’t think I was losing my mind when I couldn’t find it!

Then I tried trapunto. I designed this Halloween wall hanging way back in 1998. I wanted something with cats on it. First time I did my own machine quilting with my domestic machine and a walking foot. I had a lot to learn.

I have done many wedding quilts over the years with my sister, Laura. She is the person responsible for my first attendance at quilt guild and has been my cohort in many quilting adventures over the years. The most recent was a quilt retreat at the Zermatt Resort in Midway, Utah. We took a machine applique class, wool design class and learned all about Aurifil thread. Plus we got to see lovely creatures out our hotel window. Deer, foxes and marmots came down to the pond there and enjoyed the water. It was a lovely sitting.

My niece and her husband received this lovely quilt from me as a wedding gift. One of the most difficult quilts I’ve ever done.

My latest quilts are all in a state of flux. I have several at my long arm quilter, Paula Murray, of Wellsville, Utah. She has quilted almost all of my big quilts. One of the most talented quilters I’ve ever known.

Time to call it a day. More of my quilt beginnings later after I finish my busy week of work, doctors and hospital visits. You all have a wonderful time getting to know my work!

ckquilts

Tag: patchwork

Holidays make me happy

A beginning .. my start in quilts