Pat Sloan's Blog

Pat Sloan: What do GMFG and Cows have to do with each other?

Whenever I am, I ask quilters to bring their antique quilts to show me.. Many of you don't believe I REALLY want to see them.. but I DO!!!  In Des Moines several people 'got me' and brought quilts for me to see... I get so excited!  Missey and Deb both brought some. 

This is a collage of blocks from the Grandmother's Flower Garden (GMFG) that Missey shared. And it has a great story.

Missey is really into Hexies right now.. and decied to get out her grandmother's quilts to enjoy! Her mom remembers this quilt being worked on.. which Missey thinks is about a 1940s era piece

This is the block that caught my attention. golf clubs! 30s golf cub fabric.. so cool!

Do you know anything about this fabric?

On Monday I have Nancy Mahoney on my radio podcast to talk about 30s prints.. I'm going to ask her about this fabric.

The other quilt I didn't get photos of, but this a photo from the magazine. Let me tell you the story! Deb was working in a quilt shop and someone brought in an antique quilt and Deb tried to help her research the block name, but couldn't find it. Deb loved the block so much she made a quilt using it and then had it published in For the Love of Quilting magazine! how fun is that? but the cherry on top was when she found a smiliar antique quilt one year and bought it. It's not exact but close!

We travel a lot by car, on highways, backgrounds and everything in-between. And what makes life fun is to run across an entertaining road stop! This is Fair Oaks Farms, a dairy farm/Road stop.  They had really clever signs for a mile or so coming up to the exit, and I knew I had to stop when they they had these cute cows and a promise of gourmet coffee (which was Starbucks.. yum!)

Inside the restaurant they sold their cheese, ice-cream and many other things.. I LOVE the cows above the  counter!

They have some tours of the diary farm.. cheese making and such, but we didn't have time to do that this trip.
this bench was LONG...

and I mean LONG! 

Here is their GREAT cow logo! I am wishing I'd bought a mug.. I may have to phone them to get one as they don't have it on their website.

I'm not usually a "cow" person.. but... I like this one!

What is the best road stop you have been to?

Pat Sloan: Surprise Discovery for Show and Tell

When my new Janome machine arrived I did some cleaning of my table.. moved things around a tiny bit.. and then had some manuals and such to store. This table has drawers on the left side that for some reason I rarely use. Why is that?

I decided maybe I should see what was in them and store the manual there. I open the top drawer and it's like your junk drawer in the kitchen.. only full of sewing "MISC" .. ack! Shut that one

Opened the second drawer and WOW.. what is this stuff?

it seems at some time I nicely stacked strips and chunks of fabric in here. Like I was actually going to work on a PROJECT with them. I recoginze the fabric as scraps from the Beach quilt (which I named "Breezy Boadwalk" as I couldn't decide WHICH name.. but I digress!)

ok.. so I know what the fabric WAS used in....

But what the heck was I doing with it here?

What do YOU think my plan was? Did I HAVE a plan?

This is my show and tell, real life quilting here at Camp Sloanie!

Now I'd love to see YOUR show and tell! Put a direct link to your latest blog post, your flickr folder (did you share something new?), your pinterest board, or how about your latest project loaded to craftsy?

Click the blue box and follow the directions..let's have some fun!

I can't wait to see your latest quilt, finish, start or pile of yummy fabric!

 

Pat Sloan: UFO report - The Deep Blue Sea

This is a Confession of a former "Obsessive Stitcher". When I worked in an office.... for someone else.... I came home and became an "Obsessive Stitcher". I'd stitched in 5 min breaks, I'd stitch in the car on the way to events.. If I could.. I'd have stitched at the dinner table in a restaurant. I was in NEED of stitching.

But now.. now is different. Now my life is so wonderfully filled with creativity that I no longer feel the need to be an "Obsessive Stitcher".  Which feels weird. It didn't happen over night.

But it took years and years to transform into someone that actually can sit and enjoy my surroundings without feeling the need to put my head down and go into my own little world. I enjoy my world so much more now!

But there are times I miss that "Obsessive Stitcher".  Like on road trips.  I've been hauling "The Deep Blue Sea" with me for a LONG time.. LONG... and it needs DONE... as in DONE. 

go ahead and Click the image for a MUCH larger view

Here are a few close-ups of the parts I need to work on

More quotes to stitch

What part would you stitch first? I'm leaning towards the Octopus..

This Iowa trip is SO fun!! Loving meeting everyone. I hope you are enjoying my trip photos here and at Facebook CLICK HERE Maybe next time I'll visit you!