Bonnie Miles show

My quilt group had Bonnie Miles from American Fork (Utah)

come speak to our group this last Tuesday.

She does what she calls "free quilts"

She creates large one block quilts, throwing all her scraps

and leftover pieces in a container next to her sewing machine.

As she is sewing a new quilt, so sews some scraps together too

until she has a few blocks or has created a new piece of fabric

Then she makes enough blocks to suit her needs

and puts together a top.

They were beautiful quilts!

If you are interested, Bonnie teaches each year in January

at the Bryce Canyon Getaway in Utah.

Ask and you shall receive part two

Okay, so I was feeling out of sorts socially, and I got a new calling at Church-Ward Activities Chairman. Okay, I am going to definitely be more social. This week, I went to Quilt Meeting......

I thought I had missed the meeting while in the Hospital, only to find it had been moved to this week because of maintenance at the city building we usually meet in. November meeting is always the meeting where we elect the next years board members and try to wrap up any year long projects we have been working on.

So, let me introduce you to the 2009 Syracuse Utah Quilters new president.....me! Yes, I am the new president. Kind of scary, huh! It is for me. I have been on the planning committee this year with two other ladies.

Next in my life.....I have a new member of the family, at least, for the next few weeks. A friend of V's, who was living in a foster care home, was told she was 18 years old and graduated from High School and it was time to move out.....now! She called V a week ago about midnight and said she had to be out now. D is a good girl, so it hasn't been a problem to have her here. If anything, it's kind of made V be home a little bit more, so we've had more than just hubby and I at the table for dinner. She works with V, so they trade off shifts, and clothes and I think V has kind of enjoyed sharing a room with her. V's cat, Izzy, is not happy about a new person in their room, so she sleeps in the rocking chair in our bedroom now.

I said a while ago that I could not find anything I liked to decorate my kitchen with the theme of honey bees and beehives. I was shopping at Michaels and wandered down their Christmas village isle and there it was.... Buzz's honey pot house. It was even on sale 50% off too! It fits perfect on the shelf above the phone and has all the things I wanted....honey bees and beehives and no honey bears! Not somewhere I would have thought to look, but it works! It's one of the new 2008 Lemax Christmas houses.

In closing:Okay, I am the President of a Quilt Chapter here in Utah....I need ANY suggestions you have done at your group or guild....anything, folks! Our group always has a luncheon and gift exchange in December, and one of the Summer meetings is a luncheon and a challenge fabric show by our members, but that leaves 10 months of meetings.....share, PLEASE!

Finally...a photo!

Man can walk on the moon, we can talk to a screen and see the person on the other side of the World, but it takes me an entire 2 weeks to get one photo posted! I must be the most computer challenged person on this Planet! Thank you to daughter V who finally got this photo on her phone, which she sent to my e-mail, that I saved to My Pictures.

This is my September Journal Quilt for the theme of "How do I view Nature". It is my version of a photo of Antelope Island, which is about 7 miles from here. I hand dyed the fabrics for the the Island, as well as the Borders. I tried to play with some thread painting to bring out the beach grasses along the path. My October Journal...my view of nature thru a season....is done too. Maybe if I tempt V with some chocolate, she can take a photo of that quilt too.

On to other things quilted related: I got a call from a lady named Rachel here in Utah. She runs a service group called Quilters Without Borders. It is a inter-faith group that meets in the Salt Lake area once a month to tie quilts for those in need. Each month, a different church sponsors the meeting at their church building. So far, the LDS/Mormons, Methodist, Jewish, and Zionist churches have had a turn. She is looking for someone to organize a similar group here in my area. I am debating about being that organizer. I would enjoy tying quilts with others each month, but I'm not sure if I am up to being the Head Girl. I'll have to give it some more thought..... My quilt group is also having their elections for next years board-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the planning committee. I may have a place on the Board again this year. Can I do both? Do I want to do both?

In Closing:I am going to steal the subject from my brother's blog....what's you favorite ice cream?Me....Baskin Robins 31 flavors chocolate and peanut butter. How about you?

Needed a change.....

.........so I changed my blog site look. Like it?

I went to my last planning meeting for my Syracuse Quilt chapter for 2008. Our plans:

August:Stack and Whack pumpkin block

September:Halloween redwork quilt blocks

October:Quick and easy Christmas gifts-needle case & paper pieced blocks

November:Trunk Show

December:Holiday Luncheon and gift exchange

It has been nice to be on the planning committee for this group. We have women anywhere from beginners to the expert level, so it has been a challenge to keep everyone involved and happy.
I also found out how to cut my 100 9-patch blocks....you cut each block in half top to bottom and side to side, so you end up with four equal sized squares. You sort through and re-sew the blocks together so you have a very scrappy look. I'll post photos in a couple weeks when I can get to it.

I have the 4th row of the Row quilt finished...paper pieced crazy log cabins. I am know working on the 5th row-half fan blocks. The 6th row is a pieced grandmothers flower, which I do not like, so I am going to substitute a row of basket blocks. The final row is a appliqued daisy flower. This has been fun to do, because I do not piece traditional blocks to often anymore.

In Closing:When you need a change in your life, what do you do for a quick pick-me-up? Hair dye, chocolate, shopping, new project? Share, please.......

Still no photos

Still can not post any photos...I will figure this problem out, even if it kills me...or the computer!

I have still stayed busy while everyone has been gone. Went to monthly quilt meeting on Tuesday. It was our annual luncheon and challenge meeting. Of course, the luncheon was yummy, yummy, yummy. Quilters are always good cooks! The challenge competition wasn't as exciting. Usually, we only have one fabric that everyone uses, but this year was different. S, who is on the program committee with me, brought fat quarters (in a bag) that she had got on clearance from Keepsake Quilting. Everyone reached into the bag and pulled out a different fat quarter. Some of fabric was okay and some was very ugly! Only 3 people (not me) finished, so we had a first, second and third place winner and no one was left out.

I've been working on more bags. I had set the goal to do some major, planned service on the 10th, 20th, and 30th of each month. For the 10th, which was quilt meeting day, I sewed a couple of more bags. I am going to donate them to the women shelter in the city North of us. I don't have a car, so I haven't been able to get the handle material to finish the bags yet. I am going to play on the Internet and get some more ideas for planned service projects for my set days for each month.

Tonight, daughter E is coming to get me to go see the traveling Vietnam exhibit and the presentation of QOV quilts to 40 soldiers. The QOV (Quilts of Valor) director for Utah is in my quilt group, so I've been donating tops to the group for a while. One of my quilts is being presented tonight. I am so proud of these soldiers. For those of you who do not know what QOV is, it is a group, organized by a quilter, who make quilts for wounded soldiers (physically or otherwise). The quilts are usually sent to oversea hospitals or local rehab centers. It's a nice comfortable to our service men and women. I live not to far from a base, so we have many neighbors, friends, church members, and work related people who are members of the military.

In Closing: Maybe you can help me with my service project. Do you have a group or project that touched you heart...share with me, and maybe it can be one of my projects!