My Friend Linda

I would really like everyone to meet my good friend Linda. We have been friends for about 15 years. To me she is Linda but to all of you she is "Lori's friend Linda no-blog". I really think she should have a blog, she would be really fun to have in the blogging world.

A couple of days ago, I was over to her house for a visit and she let me snap a few pics to share with you. She didn't want to be in them, only her quilts- but I hope she'll forgive me. I wanted you to meet her and her cute smile before you met her quilts!

This is one that she just finished, she put minky on the back. Look at the cute quilting!

I think this little selvedge project that she made and framed is just adorable.

This is a quilt she is working on now. I think those spring colors are so cheerful.

This is another quilt in progress. I always love Linda's fabric choices.

Here is a quilt that she has in her daughter Natalie's room. Gotta love that orange!!

Linda no-blog likes house quilts like me. I really love the flags in this one, don't you?

I adore this quilt. I'm especially fond of circle quilts - this one is gorgeous. The quilting is amazing so I tried to get a few shots that would show it.

This is a quilt that she made as part of a fabric challenge. I'm not sure what all the rules were but this shows you how creative and talented that she is.

She has been quilting for a long time and has so many cute quilts I didn't even scratch the surface. Maybe another time she will let me share more with you.

I hope you enjoyed meeting my friend Linda. She is so much fun and we always have such a good time when we get together...

Potato Salad and Scriptures

This week I added a few more blocks to my "Family Reunion" quilt. We met at Quilts Etc., where I am currently teaching this quilt in one of my applique clubs.

Everyone is coming along very nicely with their blocks.

Of course you can't have a family reunion without Aunt Suzanne's Potato Salad. At least we couldn't anyway!!!
This salad is missing the paprika on top. I stitched some on, but didn't like it so I "unstitched" it.

The next obvious block would be plastic utensils, wrapped in a blue and white polka dot napkin. Tied up with a bow and placed on the picnic table in preparation for the food.

Last but certainly not least, a few words from the good book that tell us of our Heavenly Fathers plan that the love of a family continues throughout the generations...

Vintage Monday - Polka Dots and Tulips

Today is Memorial Day, a perfect day for all things vintage, don't you think?

I'm remembering all of the days growing up, when Memorial Day meant Sunrise Service at the cemetary to honor those who have fought for our country and arranging flowers cut from our garden onto the graves of my ancestors.

Afterwards, a chuckwagon breakfast put on by the Lions Club and then playing with my cousins all day, with a BBQ / potluck picnic that evening involving all of my Aunts, Uncles,Cousins at my Grandparents.

We sure would have alot of fun and the evening would usually end with my Dad carrying each one of us sleeping kids out of the car and up the front porch steps, and putting us into our beds one by one. My mom would undress us and slip our nightgowns over our sleepy heads.

Things really havn't changed all that much since then except for a few more graves to decorate and a few more loved ones to miss and remember with loving fondness.

Speaking of BBQ's and potluck picnics....These are a set of bowls that I found at an antique shop. I was thrilled to find them because they are exactly like the bowls that my Mother recieved as a wedding gift in 1958. These are the bowls that held all of the potluck salads - potato, macaroni, 3 bean etc...

We lost the bowls in a house fire when I was 16, along with almost everything else (that's another story for another day) so I really am happy to have found these and bring back a little piece of the past.

There are three of them in the set and what makes them really nice, is they have lids to fit - making them perfect to take. Of course the best thing about them are the tulips - i just love them!

I also found another set that I had to have because well.........hello!! They are red polka dots! Thank you pyrex...for my red polka dot pyrex potluck bowls.(say that 3 times!)

The tablecloth that they are sitting on is also vintage and I sometimes use it for a curtain in my kitchen bay window. Can't you just see these bowls filled with salad sitting on this tablecloth in my Grandma's backyard, say oh, about 1968?

On another trip, I found matching Salt & Pepper shakers. Whooohooo! it was a happy day for me.

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday weekend. Hopefully spending it with wonderful memories of family members, past and present....

Yo-yo Mama's

This week at Material Girls we met for our 1930's club. We now call ourselves the "yo-yo mama's" because we have a yo-yo swap every month when we meet.

There are 12 of us in our group. We each bring 24 yo-yo's made from 2 different 1930's fabrics and then swap so that everyone gets to come home with 24 yo-yo's, each one different for a wide variety. We all use the same size of the yo-yo maker so that they are all exactly the same size.
Here is Shanna who has already started putting some of hers together.

We also exchange charm squares of 1930's fabrics each month when we meet.

Once in a while, we will throw in another swap and this month we decided to swap dishtowels and cookie bar recipes. We brought a recipe for everyone along with a sample of the bars.

We also are making my Apron Club quilt and Nadine who is the owner of Material Girls (and a yo-yo mama member), offers the kits for the aprons monthly.

Below are some of the completed blocks of those who brought them to show.

Rosanna brought a quilt that she just finished to show.

Here's a close up of the block and sashing. Isn't it adorable? She did a great job. Rosanna said the pattern is from Moda and is called "Basket of Flowers". I really love this quilt.

She pieced the back with leftover sashing blocks and border fabric.

We really shared some great recipes and had yummy samples. I really enjoy bar recipes for several reasons, they mix and bake up quickly, they also freeze well which makes them great for camping as well as picnics or potluck and they always look great on a plate or packaged individually for a sweet treat.

Nadine just got back from Disneyland, so she brought all of us a dishtowel and spatula instead of doing the exchange. Isn't she sweet? Thanks Nadine!!!

Here are the following dishtowels of those of us who were there this month.

We had a great time as always. Material girls is really a fun place to meet and all of us Yo-yo mama's have alot in common.

We like to share our projects with each other along with alot of visiting.

We are not a quiet group to say the least - in fact, we are pretty loud. If you happen to come into the shop during our meeting, you will hear lots of laughter from the classroom...