The passed 2 & half weeks I have been working away on a piece of Lace. My friend Debbie encouraged me to enter the flower I made in Venice in the International Old Lacers, Inc. convention. So I thought, why not. When I was checking out the information for this event I saw that they had a challenge. It was, to take a section of Limerick Lace and do your own interpretation.





This is what I made. About 3/4 of the way through I thought of
another way to do the background, that would have been, I think, nicer.
But of course I didn't have enough time to start over. I have to mail it out tomorrow.

Flowers from my garden

I'm not really into gardening. I do a little in the spring. Not much, just little...I'm just not good at it. Or I probably should say is that I don't have the patience's for it. I've always said that if I ever won the lottery I would get a gardener before I would get a cleaning lady or even a cook. (already have the cook..lol I married him) That being said I just had to share my beautiful hydrangeas from back yard.



So every May I check out the baskets of flowers at a local garden center. And I buy one or two to hanging baskets. This year instead of the already done up baskets, I just bought a bunch of plants and put them into a couple of hanging baskets that I have accumulated over the years. This is one of the 4 baskets. My husbands really is the one that makes sure that they are watered. When we first moved in to this house 37 yrs. ago I really got into the gardening thing. I had a rose garden and I planted annuals along our back wall. It looked really pretty and then the Japanese beetles came and ate my roses. I never planted them again. The next to go were the annuals. Deer. After a couple of years I just gave up. I just got tried of setting out the salad bar. I finally got Tom to spray the perennials, but I just don't have any desire to do plantings.

Update on Frost Valley Projects

Just thought I'd show you all were I'm at with the baby quilt
I think it's kinda cute. Now all it needs is machine quilting.















Here's the whole cloth quilt I started. I'm using variegated thread by Valdani. And silk batting which is a dream to hand quilt.

Making your own liquid starch

Did you know that you can't fine liquid starch at the supermarket? Spray starch only. The reason I have been looking for it, is because, I'm paper piecing and pickle dish pattern for a quilt. Barbara Barber was one of the guest Lecturers at our Guild show. She recommended starching your fabric. (It should stand up by itself) This is the best way to get really sharp points. Well let me tell you it really works. But stray starching takes to long. Sooooo, I went on the web and looked up recipes for starching clothes. This is what I got. In a large bowl or pot, stir 1/2 cup Argo cornstarch into cup of cold water. Stir in boiling water (2 quarts for heavy solution; 4 quarts for medium and 6 quarts for light solution). Dip the cloth into starch solution let let dry. I put everything in the washing machine on spin cycle. To get the excess liquid out and the I put it in the dryer for a little while. Best not to dry completely but if you do, dampen with warm water and then iron. I could not believe how easy it was to iron. Wrinkles came out so fast.... I think our mothers new something. Works much better then the spray.



If you have a free moment and would like to see the quilts that were in our show, click on http://northernstarquilters.com/ They have a running slide show of all the quilts.

Time flies when your having fun

I can't believe it's over a week since I'm back from my quilt retreat at Frost Valley. Frost Valley is a family camp that is run by the YMCA . It's located in the Catskill Mts. in NY. The funny part is that my kids went there on their school trips. This was my first time at any camp in my life. So you see, it's never to late...lol
There were 8 of us on this trip. And we each brought several projects to work on. I started a baby quilt for my Nephew who's wife is expecting in Sept. I have since finished the top except for the border.
I also brought a whole cloth quilt top to be basted. I had bought it several years ago and it has been sitting because I don't have a table big enough to do the basting. It's queen size. My friends
were really a big help in getting this done. It took longer than I thought it would. But then isn't that always the case. I couldn't wait to get home and start quilting. I forget to bring my hoop with me so I couldn't work on it up there. The bat that I'm using is silk. And it's absolutely fantastic. I'm hand quilting it, using Valdani 28wt. variegated thread for the floral design and YLI qulting thread in neutral for the background. I am so pleased. I think it's the best hand quilting I have done to date. I'm also kind of bummed because I won't be able to enter it in My quild's show next May, because it is a preprinted whole cloth and not my own design. Oh well. Maybe I will just put it in the non-judging part. I will have better picutures of it as I get more done.

Here are some more nature pictures. It's really beautiful up there in the mountains. And we were lucky to have wonderful weather. You really wanted to be out and about in the fresh air. I figured we all walked at least 3 miles a day just walking to a from the dinning hall. Not to mention the mile around the lake.
I'm going to try to keep my blog more up to date. Posting more often. Please feel free to make comments. I would love to hear from you. (If there is a you....lol) Hello out there........

Back in January I went to Venice Italy with 3 other women
to take a lacemaking class. If you scroll down you will see the
Lily that we all made. Our teacher Cristina Brunello
gave us each a pattern to take home with us. So that we
can make a small doily. Well, I have finished mine.
Considering that I had to wing some of it. (most of it)I don't think it can
out half bad. I'm rather pleased with it. Even through
I can see my mistakes. But then I'm my own worst
enemy....lol (Aren't we all ) So, now that I finished it,
Can I call it Venetian lace? Or do I say in the style of
venetian lace? Since I make it here in the good old USA.
(Tongue in cheek)hehehe....Anyways, I really enjoyed making it and I look forward to making something of my own design....