More MCC Quilt Pictures

Here are five more pictures of the 2009 MCC crazy quilt. These are pictures of the long 54 inch border that will go along the right side of the quilt. The way I loaded the pictures, the top of the border is the last picture and then work your way up. I am getting a little bit nervous as this quilt is due at the end of March and we are not completely done. I think by this time last year I was piecing it together. I know we will pull it off though, we always do!

Later,

Val

P.S. Isn't the little Hankie girl cute?

Complete MCC Block #2

Here are pictures of Block number 2 of the MCC quilt.

Enjoy!

Val

Completed 2009 MCC Blocks

I am long overdue on posting some of the completed MCC Blocks. For those of you following this blog, you know what this quilt is for. For those of you that are new, this is the second quilt that myself and 6 other ladies are making as a round robin. Last year we donated our quilt(see older posts)to the Mennonite Relief sale in Hutchinson, KS. This year the quilt is being done in pastel colors and consists of 4 fan blocks that will all face inwards, two crazy quilt blocks that are not fans and an 8 inch crazy quilt border that goes all the way around the six squares. The theme of the quilt is to do things on it that remind you of a Victorian Garden. Here are pictures of the 1st completed block. It is really going to be a stunning quilt!

Victorian Stitchery Retreat...Wow What Fun!

Well the retreat ended about a week ago and I was so tired after the retreat that I didn't feel human again until about yesterday! Yes, the rumors were true, I was so tired on Saturday that when I went to the bathroom I fell asleep for a moment. Here is a picture of the three teachers, myself and my friends Lori and Dixie. I think Lori is about to fall asleep in the picture! I couldn't have done the retreat without all of the people pictured. Thanks to the teachers for coming, thank you to the students that came and a BIG thank you to Lori and Dixie for all of your help! We are already planning next years retreat and I will keep you posted.

Val

Victorian Stitchery Retreat...Here at last!

Well, the event I have been working on for the last 9 months will finally start tomorrow! Around 60 ladies from all over the United States are coming to take classes from Judith Baker Montano, Carole Samples and Betty Pillsbury. I haven't posted all month because I have been getting ready for the retreat as well as still teaching at my "shop". Tomorrow I will move my shop into the hotel we holding the retreat in as well as picking Judith and Betty up from the airport. Miss Carole will be driving in from Omaha. Check in will begin in the evening and I can finally put faces to all the names that I have seen during registration.

I will try to post pictures after the retreat is over. We will be having a show and share time, a crazy quilt name tag contest and the great UFO exchange. Now for the surprise that none of them know about. I have arranged with Piecemaker's to send me the quilt featured on their calendar this year. Not only that but they are also sending a beautiful crazy quilt they did about 10 years ago that features different kinds of birds.

I am sure I will be exhausted will it is all done, but it will be worth it because it is going to be so much fun! I will probably host another retreat next year and maybe those of you who couldn't come this year and come next year!

Talk to you next week,

Val

Victorian Fancyworks Sampler Done!

I have finally finished my Victorian Fancyworks Sampler! Well except for any additional embellishing that I want to do to my monogram in the middle. Whew..that pattern was challenging and it really helped me to practice more difficult stitch combinations. I did enjoy doing it though.

See you later,

Val

Campbell House-St. Louis, MO

As promised, here are the pictures I took of the inside of the Campbell House in St. Louis. I was fascinated with the story behind this house. The people that lived in this house, had thirteen children. They were very wealthy and had running water in their house. The water came from the river(is it the Missouri ?) and as a result, 10 of their 13 children died from either lead poisoning from the pipes or from the river. At the time, none of this would have been know...so they never really knew why their children were dyeing. The three remaining boys lived in the house after the death of their parents and NEVER changed anything. They loved their mother so much that they didn't want anything changed. This house is one of the few houses that has all of it's original furniture. One of the boys died 2 years after his parents and of the remaining 2, one of them had a bipolar disorder of some kind. Apparently they now know that it was due to the lead in the water that their mother drank while pregnant. Of course, he lived the longest and the house was willed to I think Harvard when he died. There was a lawsuit, because people in St. Louis wanted to preserve this house and when the furniture was auctioned off they all came...bought the furniture and put it back in the house. The house is restored to perfection! The museum has a website if you google it and want to read more about.

See you later,

Val