Up North

Pepper's designed a free pattern for Quilter's Newsletter Magazine. It's a Drunkard's Path quilt called The Road Home. Click here to see it.

Last week Tom and I spent a few days Up North. We started by spending a night on Mackinac Island where we toured the Governor's Summer Home. We met some great girl scouts there. Each summer different girl and boy scout troops are invited to spend a week on Mackinac Island where they serve as tour guides and handle the flag ceremonies at the Fort and the Gov.'s Summer Home. They were very friendly and were especially good at taking pictures of tourists on the porch! After this picture we rode our bikes around the island. We logged 26 miles that day!









We left the island the next morning and made our way to Petoskey where we pedalled the Little Traverse Bay Wheelway. The Wheelway is a paved bike path from Charlevoix to the Little Traverse Bay State Park. We rode from Bay Harbor to the State Park and logged 16 miles. Here I am on the Wheelway as it overlooks the marina in downtown Petoskey.










Our last stop was Glen Arbor. We bicycled around the lake and canoed the Crystal River. We also drove the Pierce Stocking Drive. Pierce Stocking was a man who built a private road through the Sleeping Bear Dunes so people could enjoy the area. When he passed away the state took over the road named it after Pierce and now oversees its operation. There is a 1.5 mile hike on the drive called the Cottonwood Trail. We took the walk and I was surprised that it peaked at the top of the Dune Climb on M-109!
What a view, you can see both Glen Lakes and the Day Farm Barn.









Then we began our drive home. As we were driving past Crystal Lake we passed our Lansing biking pals Kathy and Mark! We just had to stop and get a picture.










Till next time... Happy Quilting and Biking!

More Red Cross Quilts

Check out the Eye of the Needle blog for another perspective on Red Cross quilts. Womenfolk.com also has some history and a different Red Cross pattern. I decided to do a little more searching, so I typed "red cross quilt" in google and clicked on the image button at the upper right side of the screen and found many interesting images of Red Cross quilts. The farther I looked into the pages, other images appeared that didn’t seem quilt related. I clicked on an image of an older lady (who am I kidding, she was probably my age…) and found The Journals of Annabelle Johnson. Each entry is very short and at first appears mundane (January 14, 1960 - Thursday. Fine and bright. I did a little hooking. Went to the Auxillary meeting at Alice Blaikie's. Ester was up to Gertie Patterson's to dinner.) But after reading a few, I found them oddly compelling.

Till next time... Happy Stitching

Red Cross

Today's free quilt pattern is Red Cross. This is a pattern that has been published many times in many versions. It's an easy block to make and I like using a stripe in the vertical and horizontal strips that divide the block.

On Saturday my daughter Katy called me from New York. She was there on business when her boss decided to stay an extra day and go to the Belmont Stakes! She wanted to know if I wanted to place a bet. I gave her $10 on Mine That Bird and he came in 3rd! It sure made watching the race at Dagwood's more exciting.

I biked to work 3 times this week and biked 20 miles today. That gives me a total of 44 miles this week. I've been riding my bike to work when the weather allows and I try to take a long ride each weekend. We usually ride from the Mayfair Bar in Haslett and peddle around Williamston, ending with a loop around Lake Lansing. My goal is to ride 30 miles each weekend ride.

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Union Square

It's been a cool and rainy day, perfect for blogging. Today's free quilt pattern is Union Square. I love the way it fills the whole square. It was first published by the Ladies Art Company before 1895 as Union.




Now for another blast from the past. Remember how exciting it was when a music act would be on TV? Here's A Lover's Concerto by the Toys.



Till next time... Happy Quilting.

Crossed Paths

Today's free quilt pattern is Crossed Path. It's a slight variation of a Jack in the Pulpit block. I love to sit and look through my many pattern books and I often see a block and want to change it just a little bit. In this case I changed the center of the block from a square in a square to a four patch. I've included a picture and reference to the original block in the pattern.

This weekend I planted flowers and vegetables. I've planted four tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, basil, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, Thai basil and I've got a great parsley plant that reseeded from last year. Two weeks ago I planted lettuce and spinach which is coming up nicely.

I also went on a bike ride with Tom and his bike group. We biked from Lake Lansing to Williamston. Tom and Kathy rode 30 miles and I rode 18 miles. I'm the slowest biker in the group, but I enjoy it and manage to finish and still remain upright!

The Capitol City Quilt Guild Show was a great success. I'm not sure how many attended, but it was beautiful show.

Don't you love Youtube? Here's a fund video. I remember Shindig when I was in elementary school. My mother was a big rock and roll fan, so she always let us watch Shindig.



Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Irish Puzzle

Today's free quilt pattern is Irish Puzzle. I've added the history of the block and found it was widely published under many different names.

Yesterday I went to the Capitol City Quilt Guild's quilt show at the Summit in Dimondale. Wow! It was very impressive. Over 500 quilts were hung (3 of mine, too) and about 60 great vendors. I purchased many fatt quarters of fabric including repro purples for $1 a fatt quarter! It pays to have odd taste. I bought some other beautiful repros from my sister's pal Denise at the Hollyhock Quilt Shoppe's booth. If you're Up North this summer on the sunrise side, make sure and visit this shop in Harrisville. I also went in hunt of turquoise fabrics to use in the background of a mermaid quilt I started for Colleen over 16 years ago! After I finish four block exchange blocks I'll be working on the mermaid quilt in my never ending quest to finish all my UFOs. I'm sure my goal would be easier to attain if I'd quilt buying old quilt blocks and tops, too.

It looks to be a sunny day today, so I'll be going to the East Lansing Art Fair and MSU Craft Show where I'm excited to see fellow blogger Beanie G's booth.

So if you haven't been to the Quilt Show yet, make sure and see it. And while you're there, go upstairs and take the overview of the show from the top, Spectacular!

Till next time... Happy Quilting!

Summer Cottage

Today's free quilt pattern is Summer Cottage. Even though it's a rainy, yucky day, May is cottage time in Michigan. I designed this pattern in honor of all the people I know who have cottages Up North and all the times I've been invited to stay with them. In May all the snow birds pack up their cars and make the trek back to Michigan for summer at the lake. My sister has cottages on Lake Huron and we're looking forward to riding bikes in Oscoda and taking Boomer swimming in the big lake. There's also a 100 mile bike ride that coincides with the Au Sable Canoe Race. Tom will be riding the 100 miles, while I'll be waiting at the finish line near at Mary Ellen's cottage in Oscoda.





Check out this video for a taste of the event.

Then imagine riding your bike next to the river while this madness is going on!
I think hanging out at the finish line with a cold beer is going to be my contribution to the weekend.

Till next time..... Happy Quilting!

Eight Pointed Star

Well I'm finally back to blogging. The pictured quilt is what I've been working on for the past 3 weeks. The Capitol City Quilt Guild is having their biennial show May 16-17 at the Summit in Lansing, Michigan. If you're in town you should check it out. The committee is going to hang 500(!) quilts and there's also 5o vendors. I received these quilt blocks as a parting gift when I was president in 2004-2005. Since this is our 25th anniversary as a guild, I wanted to get my President's quilt done. Each past president gets Eight Pointed Star blocks in the colors of their choice and the size of their choice. The block size on this quilt is 7 1/2". I've written up a pattern for the block and given measurements for 6 different sizes. When I chose the colors green and white in 2004, I had no idea I would be quilting it while watching the Spartans in the Final Four. Just a happy accident, but what fun.













I was president of the guild in 1984 and this is the quilt I made from my president's blocks. I asked for red, blue and tan blocks 12". The guild was much smaller then and I received 42 blocks. The quilt turned out so big, I didn't put any borders on it. That's why I asked for 7 1/2" blocks the second time. I received 56 blocks and even though the quilt turned out huge, I couldn't resist a pieced border.

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Go Green! Go White!

Go Green! Go White!

Well the game is done, but I'm not disappointed. It was a heck-of-a run. Even though the team did not play their best, they did make it to the final game and they were classy during their after game press conference.

I'm proud to be a Spartan and proud to be a Michigander (or is that Michiganian?)!

Rainbow Block Company

Pictured is a quilt I bought on eBay a few years ago. The blocks are a mixture of applique and embroidery. The quilt was made in the 1930s from blocks ordered from the Rainbow Quilt Block Company. Quilt historian and researcher Sharon Pinka came to the MSU Museum to do research on our collection of quilt kits produced by the Rainbow Block Company, so I dragged this quilt out of the closet to share it with Sharon.

In May the Capitol City Quilt Guild is having a quilt show. It is the 25th anniversary of the guild and I'm trying to finish a quilt for the show. That's why I haven't blogged in a long time.

I've also been glued to the NCAA men's basketball tournament. The MSU Spartans are in the final four, so another excuse for not blogging. Tom and I went to downtown East Lansing, to cheer on the team bus as it rolled through town. Saturday's game is special fo many reasons, but especially because it will be played in Detroit.

Time to get back to the quilt, I've got about 45 minutes of hand stitching before bed.
Go Green!

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Yankee Puzzle

Today's free quilt block is Yankee Puzzle. I love the pinwheel center and the movement created by the flying geese units.

I've discovered Widgets. They are little features you can attach to your blog. I've put in three so far. One is the last post about Harry Potter. Then I found a widget at the website of my favorite TV network, Turner Classic Movies. If you look to the right side of my column, you'll find it. You can play movie trailers, view lobby photos and old hollywood stills. I just love old movies and this is a little bit of fun I can share with all of you. The last widget I found is the game Bubbles. I've never been much for games on my computer. In the past I've dabbled with online jigsaw puzzles and games of solitaire, but this little game has got me hooked. I find myself playing this for hours at a time. I'm afraid it's going to impact my sewing productivity. My top score so far is just over 17,000. Go ahead, give this game a try, but I warn you, it's addictive.

Till nest time.... Happy Quilting!

Harry Potter Nerd Alert!

The truth is out, I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd! I've read all the books (more than once) and have seen all the movies (more than once). I can't wait for the Half Blood Prince. I plan on going the first day to see it at the IMAX in 3-D.



Till next time.... Happy Quilting!