I WON

I ACTUALLY WON SOMETHING FOR MY QUILT THAT I ENTERED IN THE "OHIO OUTDOOR QUILT FESTIVAL AUG. 10TH.................... mentioned in my previous posting!!!

I apologize for the dramatics, but I have never shown a quilt in a quilt show before, and then win something!

I picked up my quilt this morning from the show, and was handed an envelope with my GOLD MEDAL....
Pretty Cool, huh?  Anyway, I just had to share my good fortune with everyone.........and what better way then put it into my blog.?

MY FIRST EVER " MEDAL!!!

Thanks for giving me a look............. hopefully you will stop back.

Thanks,
Sharon

OHIO OUTDOOR QUILT FESTIVAL 2013

I recently attended the annual Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival held in Wellington, Ohio on August 10th. It is held at the Bonnie Brae Elk Farm.  They hold this once a year dating back to 2005 and showcase over 400 quilts by hanging them on century old buildings.  They also have them inside the buildings as well.

An excerpt from their brochure:  "The Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival is not a juried show.  The show has a vitality that can only come from displaying the vibrant colors or a 10 year old's first quilt beside the sophisticated artistry of a quilter whose work has toured nationally.  Some of the quilts are purely traditional while some are clearly experimental.  Many quilts are newly completed and some have been retired after years of dedicated service.  Not limited to admiring the craftsmanship of experts, the Ohio Outdoor Quilt Festival also strives to celebrate the love of quilting in all its myriad forms." 

I live approximately 35 miles away, and wonder why in the world I never was aware of this show before the last couple of years!!!! A Big Duh!!

I didn't take pictures of all the quilts, but I tried to get most of them:)  Following are some of the pictures that I snapped.

FRONT

BACK

Here I am pointing to my quilt that took me over a year to finish, right up to the day before I turned it in for the show.  The Church needed a steeple and the bird house needed a perch.  Which you can't see either anyway!

This antique quilt was in one of the barns, so light wasn't that great!  I never took the time to appreciate the old quilts until the last few years.  Maybe because I have been making quilts for awhile now and hope some of them will have a good long life and be enjoyed by generations down the road?

Imagine, over a hundred years old!

You can only hope that your quilts will have longevity too!!

A beautiful cross stitched quilt.

If I remember correctly, this was all hand quilted.

BEAUTIFUL WORKMANSHIP

Many many years ago, my husband's mother bought his 2 sisters and me a queen size cross stitch quilt top to make.  Mine were in these colors as above.......... She also bought all the floss that was needed for all 3 quilts.  Somewhere along the line of raising 4 children and working part time, I forgot about the lovely quilt top that I was cross stitching.  We decided to downsize our house after 3 of our children married and moved out.  So, I hadn't worked on the quilt for many years and put it in a garage sale.  Oh the things you do and regret in life.  Seeing these beautiful cross stitched quilts made me sad that I had done such a stupid thing!!!

Hope you enjoyed the tour......... now back to getting my signature blocks finished:)

Sharon 

GETTING BACK ON TRACK!

It's been a busy last few weeks.  My visitors from Texas headed home last Sunday.  The house sure is empty without them.  I keep waiting for my 3 grandchildren to show up in the kitchen asking for something to eat for breakfast.  Their Gramma and Grampa would fix or find whatever they wanted:)

So, yesterday I finally returned to my craft room.  As mentioned in my earlier posts, I have been working on completing my 2 signature block swaps that need to be sent out by  the middle of September.  I have completed making both blocks, but now I am in the process of signing them.  Such a simple task!  Not for these arthritic hands I am finding out.  I have 120 blocks to sign........... Hopefully they will be in the mail soon.

SNOWBALL SIGNATURE BLOCKS

FLYING GEESE SIGNATURE BLOCKS

I must have been sleep and coffee deprived when I signed up for "both" blocks.  hahaha

SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PAST FEW WEEKS!

My 10 year old granddaughter has been wanting to learn how to sew something.  So, in less than 1 hour she mastered a simple embroidery pattern.  Doesn't her embroidery match her "happy" face?  She caught on so quickly!

   

She wanted another project!  Her mother's friend is expecting a baby soon and thought it would be fun for Gennevieve to make something for her........... "Gramma" searched the internet and came up with this pattern.

Genne picked the colors and  insisted that the elephant should have a "turquoises" tail. She also free handed the flowers on the pillow.  I think she did an outstanding job!!!  I put the border and backing on, and she stuffed it.  Now, I just have to keep supplying her with projects!!!

She did complete a secret project for her parents the day before she left...........but I can't share that with you until she gives it to them.  I just have to do "my" part on it, then mail it to her:)

Are you wondering what the heck is on her face?  Well, their dad's mother took them to a dinosaur exhibit, and they all got their faces painted.  They are adorable!!!!!

GENNEVIEVE 

IZABELA

ANDREW

My little helper in the garden!  She was so funny, she just couldn't get over how much "stuff" there was to pick. 

She found "Mr. Tomato" head...... I can't bring myself to cut him up:)

Last weekend my friend and I attended an outdoor quilt show at Bonnie Brae farms.  It is an Elk Farm, where they raise and sell elk meat.  Once a year they hold this quilt show at their farm, they hang quilts on the outside of their barns, in their barns, and various other places around the farm.  Over 700 quilts this year.  I contributed 2 of mine.  First time ever that I have ever displayed my quilts in a show.  

I will post some of my pictures from the quilt show as soon as I get them on my computer.......... check back.  It really is something to see all those quilts.

Until we meet again, 

Sharon