MSU in the Fall

I can't remember when I've seen a more beautiful fall. Not only do I have the best job, but I work at the best place, the campus of MSU. Here are a few of the trees I snapped last week.
























































Today being Halloween, I've got all my candy ready for tonight and since my husband is going to the MSU football game in Minneapolis, I've got the next two days to sew. I'm starting to add fish and plants to the Mermaid quilt.
Till next time..... Happy Quilting.

Busy Weekend

It's been one busy weekend. First we went to see the new final four banner raised at Midnight Madness at the Breslin Center. It's was great to celebrate the last season's basketball team again. We got home about 1:30am.















We got up (not too early) and went to tailgate in the Commuter lot.


















Next, was the football game. It was homecoming and we won, but my favorite part of homecoming is always the Alumni Cheerleaders. They always cheer in front of our section. This year they managed some pyramids. Making it to the top of the pyramid is a great achievement, but getting down is even more fun to watch!














After the game was the Otto's annual Octoberfest. This is the best dinner party of the year. Mark and Jennifer spend months, researching the menu, then spend weeks, working on the meal. It was a great way to end the day!


















Today was the last event, a pumpkin carving party.

















Tonight, it's time to rest up and face the work week. It will feel like rest compared to this weekend!

Till next time... Happy Quilting!

Whoo Hooo!

Wow! I went to the MSU/U of M game yesterday. Not a fan left early. Tom took a picture of the scoreboard for posterity. As the fourth quarter wore on and U of M tied the game with 2 seconds to go, the biggest thought in my mind was we need to win to shut up the 2 nutty teenage boys behind us wearing maize and blue. Now, I didn't say anything rude in response to these kids, because they are just kids. But what was really disgusting was these kids dads. At one point, one of the kids took chewing gum from his mouth and threw it at unsuspecting MSU fans. The dad's response? A big high five for the kids. I guess this is why Michigan fans are hated all over the country!

But alls well that ends well as you can see by the two happy fans pictured here. I taped the game and watched the first half this morning. I'll be watching the rest tonight, then savoring it all season long.

Go Green, Go White!

Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Block Exchange

I just got back home from block exchange. I'm going to post only 2 pictures and direct you to Cyndee, Linda, and Ruth for more pix from the evening.

This quilt was made by Bonnnie. She did a clever take on the Courthouse Square pattern.























I pushed hard last weekend to finish the Ocean Waves border on the Mermaid quilt for tonight's show and tell.


















Now I'm ready to applique some friends for Colleen in the form of fish, sea horses and star fish.

Till next time...... Happy Quilting!

More Quilts from MQN

Here are a few more quilts from the Michigan Quilt Network's Showcase last weekend.

"A Garden For My Wedding Ring"























"Stars Around My Garden."























"Blocks of the Past."























My favorite was this "Love Apple" from the antique collection of April and her mom, Virginia.























I'm really enjoying all the quilt show pictures on our blogs. With three quilt shows in one weekend, it's great to see a bit of each show.

Till next time... Happy Quilting

MSU football

Time to get dressed, get out the tandem and tailgate! Go Green, Go White!



Till next time... Happy Quilting!

Michigan Quilt Network Showcase 2009

I've just spent 2 days at the Michigan Quilt Network's Showcase 2009. They had great quilts and I saw many, many friends from all around the state.

Here's a Daisy quilt, for Daisy!























This quilt was called "Stargazing Down Under" that I snapped for Ruth D.

This quilt is "Sizzling Sampler" and the owner won many of the blocks from a UFO raffle!























Here's my colleague Julie at our MSU Museum booth. We are selling books, quilts and fabric for $1.50/yard. I'll be working again on Sunday, so stop by, say hello and buy some great stuff!














Till next time..... Happy Quilting!

The Mermaid Quilt

Around 1993 I hired Charlotte Warr Anderson to teach at my Northern Michigan Quilter's Getaway retreat. I admire her work tremendously and for my money, she is the best living quiltmaker! I didn't have time to take her workshop so with the help of 10 friends, we hired Charlotte to teach us a private workshop in one of our homes. My project was to make a quilt of my daughter Colleen as a mermaid. During the workshop I got the pattern for her body drawn and her face appliqued. I also chose fabric for her body. I got stuck on the background to put her on. 10 years later (I think) I heard Charlotte was going to teach a workshop in Flint. I signed up for the workshop and brought my mermaid. At this point I had her hair appliqued to her face. I told Charlotte I was stuck on the background and in 2 minutes she had drawn the waves! Again I was amazed by her talent and willingness to share. Her waves were perfect, but because I was a unsure about where to start appliqueing them, the mermaid went back into her bin. Meanwhile I made many other quilts and was working on finishing Unfinished Projects and my Colleen grew up. She started asking if I was ever going to finish her mermaid quilt, so I decided to be brave and jump back in and finish it this time. So you see how far I've gotten. Now with an extra day off work I'm piecing triangles for an Ocean Waves border. Then I'll be appliqueing fish, sea horses, coral and plants to keep Colleen company.

Till next time....... Happy Quilting!

Welsh Quilts

Check out this link about Welsh Quilts. It's only 1:46, but the quilts are wonderful. They are wool, solids and look very much like Amish quilts. Thanks to Sally Ward of the UK for posting this on Quilter's Heritage List.

And make sure and check out Pepper Cory's Quilt Flap blog (the link is in my blog list) for more on Welsh quilts.

Pictured is a small Amish-style quilt I made in the 1990s.

Till next time... Happy Quilting!

Great Lakes Folk Festival

Next weekend is the Great Lakes Folk Festival. This wonderful 3 day event happens in downtown East Lansing and brings great music, great food, great dancing and great crafts and all for free. I want to invite everyone to come. My personal favorites are the dance tent and the Traditions Food Court. Where else can you get a perogi, a gyro, ribs and home-made root beer all in one spot? See you there.


Till next time.... Happy Quilting!

Busy Weekend

Katy arrived from Chicago on Friday afternoon. Tom, Colleen, Katy and I jumped in the car and drove to downtown Detroit to see the Star Trek Exhibit. We had a ball. When the girls were between 10 and 15 we were big fans of the Next Generation. We got to pose on the bridge (left to right, Beth, Katy, Tom and Colleen), visit Jean Luc Picard's ready room and transport.

The next morning Katy and I went to Oscoda while Tom went to Grayling. Saturday night Tom watched the launch of the Oscoda Canoe Race and woke the next morning to ride the Black Bear on his bike. He and his gang, The Barfly Bike Club, rode the 100 mile tour and arrived that evening at my sister's in Oscoda where I had cold drinks and a barbecue ready. Monday morning brought breakfast for 14, then a trip home. We stopped at the World's Largest Jerky Outlet on the M-61 exit on I-75 where Katy found snacks for her train ride home. On Monday Katy and I chose fabrics for a quilt for her. Her colors are chartruse, deep turquoise, carmel and orange. Lucky for me she found a Geisha fabric with the colors in it for me to refer to. Then we went to see Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I even managed to squeeze in a little more applique on the Mermaid quilt for Colleen. This morning she hopped the Chicago train and I went back to work.


Wow, the summer is sure going by fast. It's almost football season and here's a little teaser.

Go green, go white!

Till next time...Happy Quilting

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!