Wonderful Wordless Wednesday!

A Super Size King Flower Garden!

I love my sewing machines....I have too many to mention....BUT there is nothing better than sitting in my chair in front of a good T.V. show with some handwork in my lap. In my chair is exactly where I enjoyed working on the beginning of Our Flower Garden. My sister and I decided that we wanted to make a quilt using our stash. We had our plan and for a year before our sisters retreat I started making around 550 circles using a modified yoyo pattern and preparing about 200 leaves and stems for applique. I go to her cabin on the lake for about two weeks every summer for our retreat, just us and our machines! Doesn't that sound fun?

I was ready for the retreat! I made my way to Table Rock Lake where we got all set up and ready to sew. The flower blocks were the first to be made. Oh, were they fun to put together and see the end product of our work over the past year.

We marveled at all the old fabrics that brought back many memories. We told stories and just enjoyed this time thinking of the past with fondness and sentiment! Between sewing, laughing, eating, sewing, and story telling, etc., we finally got all the flower blocks done. Working on the scrappy squares used in the Irish chain was not quite as fun, however, again we were flooded with memories and stories. WeBloggers Quilt Festival were having so much fun making this quilt. As we started piecing it together we found out how large it was going to be. We actually finished piecing the top together in record time. I will admit there were many late nights!

Our quilt tops returned home with each of us ready to be quilted.

Well, the quilting is done and it was time to go back to my chair and put the binding on. The binding was put together with scraps to tie in the scrappiness of the quilt. I got to end working on this quilt in my chair sewing down the binding reflecting on many memories shared. I was again enjoying this relaxing time alone in my chair with my quilt in my lap. What a great way to finish off a quilt. I call it my super size king. It fits on my bed and hits the floor on all three sides with a fold over for the pillows. I love it!!

Thank you Amy for all your work on this wonderful Bloggers Quilt Festival. It is so much fun to see everyones talent and inspiration.

Luv ya, Gigi

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Christmas All Year at Table Rock Lake

I began my quilting journey in 1990 when I took my first class at our local Recreational Arts Center.  Little did I know that my curiosity about quilts and quilting would become a lifelong passion.  I also didn't realize how my life would change, all the wonderful people I would meet through quilting, and all the fun places I would go, either to see beautiful quilts, attend a class, or visit a quilt shop.

                                     

Quilting also brought my sister and me closer (if that was even possible) through our love of quilting and quilting together.  Many times a year, we get together to sew, seek advice, and share quilting ideas.  Being together often leads to hours of talking, laughing, talking, laughing and most importantly, QUILTING! Needless to say, we have so much fun!

My sister and I not only share ideas, but we also share fabrics.  We have the same tastes, but often have different fabrics, so it is always nice to "borrow" fabric from each other.  That is especially important when we have a scrappy quilt to make in specific colors like red, green and white/off white.

One of my favorite quilts to make, look at and admire is the Log Cabin Quilt.  Depending on how you set the blocks together, you get a different looking quilt each time.  Many quilters have come up with different and exciting designs, but my tastes tend to lean towards the traditional. 

I made this quilt in 2003-2004 using fabrics from my huge stash and fabric "borrowed" from others.  No fabrics were bought except the backing.  The process of making this quilt was very rewarding.  I love being able to make several blocks at a time and seeing the instant results.  And there is nothing like just grabbing random strips from bags and sewing them together without even thinking.  It is very calming to me.

I love my Log Cabin Quilt.  I love looking at it and I love where I have it....on our bed at our cabin at a beautiful lake in the Missouri Ozarks.  I smile every time I look at it, and often think of my sister and all the women in my life who contributed to it with their fabrics.

                                      

Thank you for stopping by and taking a stroll with me down memory lane.  I loved sharing my story and quilt with you.

And thank you, Amy from Amy's Creative Side for hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Hop on over and check out all the beautiful quilts!

---Jackie

Log Cabin Quilt:  Machine Pieced by Jackie Rodgers; Machine quilted by Beth Cronhardt.

                           

http://amyscreativeside.com/2010/10/29/bloggers-quilt-festival-fall-2010/

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Another "sisters" quilt!

---Jackie

Sisters....always trying to get you in trouble!

I got an email from my sister today and it was so funny!! She sounds desperate, excited, worried, unsure, sneaky, manipulative, sincere, and funny all in the same email. I wondered if she was one of my kids trying to get something from me...........am I back at home as a little girl and she is trying to get something from me.........am I imagining that she is trying to get something from me??????? What am I to do? Here is the email for you to read and maybe you can help me!

HELP!

I NEED AN INTERVENTION!!! I just joined another quilt a long. This one is using a cake. I know, I know.....what was I thinking??? Well, I wasn't! It was LATE last night and in a moment of weakness, I thought it looked fun. It is every other Tues. until May, so I would have two weeks to finish one block. Not a biggie, right? Right??? OK, so here's my plan... YOU JOIN WITH ME!!! haha! The way I look at it is this....you got me started on these bees, which got me hooked on quilters blogs and that got me hooked on quilt-a-longs, so you owe me!! Haha! (JUST KIDDING!) Here is the blog address: http://moosequilts.blogspot.com/2010/09/layer-cake-quilt-along-2010.html Want to JOIN???? I guess it is good that I am so excited about quilting again, but I really do need help! I didn't realize what an obsessive personality I have until now! Ha! From now on, ask me EVERYDAY if I have joined another group. Hopefully, that will shame me enough to stop! If not.....well then I just won't tell you! Haha! Love you, JACKIE

You notice she asks for help and then finishes with....well then I just won't tell you! Haha!

What is a sister to do?

Luv ya, Gigi

*** Well, are you joining the quilt-a-long with me, or not???  And remember.....payback is h*+l!    ;)   ---Jackie aka The Sister

One Thing, One Week Challenge

I joined the one thing, one week challenge last week.  My goal was to finish a strip quilt that I bought at the Houston Quilt Festival many years ago.  Well, I finished the top EXCEPT for the border which is made up of many flying geese.  That will have to wait until after Christmas.  I am happy to say that I met my goal and finished the "inside" of the quilt.  I can now enter it into the pool for a prize!  Here is the quilt top, minus the flying geese border.

As I have mentioned before in this blog, I had many challenges with this quilt, but overall, it turned out pretty good and it feels great to have it done! 

Thanks, Amy, for the challenge.  Not sure I would have finished it without the "push"!

--Jackie
http://amyscreativeside.com/

First Quilt and Things I have learned.

I joined the "One Thing, One Week Challenge" this week.  My goal is to finish the inner body of a quilt that I started about 9-10 years ago.  It has been so long, that I can't even remember when I started it!  The quilt is made up of strips (or rows) with sashing in between the rows.  The border is made up of flying geese.

The quilt is a strip of the month quilt that I bought on my very first trip to the International Quilt Festival in Houston.  I remember being very excited to start the quilt as this would be my first "block" of the month quilt to make.  I managed to make about 4 of the 10 rows before I lost interest and put it in a box for another day.  Well, that other day was 2 weeks ago. 

I had 6 rows left to make and when I started sewing them again, I realized how fun they were to make.  I still don't know why I didn't finish it years ago!  I am happy to say that I got all the rows done this week and that is why when I saw the OTOW challenge, I decided to finish the quilt body.  I'll finish the flying geese border next.

Today, I started to sew sashing between the rows and then sew the rows together.  Here's what I have learned:

1.  My sewing skills have vastly improved in the last 10 years.
2.  I DON'T like doing strip quilts.
3.  I am a much faster sewer than I was 10 years ago.
4.  My tastes have changed.

Explanation:
1.  My rows are not matching up!!  The first rows that I did 10 years ago match and the rows I have done recently match, but they don't match each other!!  Quite a dilemma!
2.  Because of the above, I am having trouble getting the blocks to come out right!  UGH!
3.  It took me at least a day to sew one row 10 years ago and I can do at least 2 rows in a day now!
4.  OK, I do still love the strip quilt, but take a look at my very first quilt that I made in 1990 below.  The colors are pink and blue which I loved then, but not so much now.  I made this in my first quilting class.  We learned to piece, applique, hand quilt and put on the binding. 

So, here's some advice to all you new quilters:  Finish what you start.  Don't save a project for a later date, because your skills will improve and your tastes will change.  You might end up with the kind of problem that I have below....

I ended up taking off a block, eliminating a row completely and fudging on others!  I just hope it turns out OK!  I will post a picture of it when it is all done.  Hopefully, that won't be 10 years from now!

---Jackie