Another quilt finish - yes!!

It is the end of August and I have completed another UFO challenge for 52 Quilts. I have had these preprinted Advent calendar panels for at least 5 years. A few years ago I made several of the cookie bowl calendar for our granddaughter, Emma. Eli was not born at that time! Savannah and Hannah also got calendars for their families.

I did not even know about the green and red panel (and I made two of them) until I was preparing my UFOs last January! Now I have gifts to spare when the need comes up!

Happy Birthday, St. Louis!

Recently St. Louis, Missouri has been in the news throughout the country. It is not the most positive situation there, so I want to showcase a happier view of my birth city. (There are MANY photos.)

We went back to visit family and to go to a tractor pull at the Washington Town and Country Fair. Wayne had been on the fair board for many years before we moved to Virginia, so it  was nostalgic to visit together. (When we were there I was a "fair widow" as my brother-in-law said. We did not see Dad from days before the fair until the day after the fair ended.) His view of the fair was very different than the view that the kids and I have.

Well, this is also the 250th anniversary of the founding of St. Louis and there are 251 birthday cakes placed throughout the metropolitan area. I was hoping to see ten of the cakes, but only got to eight so far. (Maybe we should plan a trip in the fall to find more!)

Outside Maritz, Inc., where Mom worked many years ago, Fenton, MO

Outside the Franklin County courthouse, Union, MO

 World Bird Sanctuary, Valley Park, MO

Lone Elk Park, Valley Park, MO

Endangered Wolf Center, Eureka, MO

Kirkwood Train (Amtrack) Station, Kirkwood, MO

Magic House, Kirkwood, MO

Washington Historical Society, Washington, MO

Now that we are back home, for a little bit, it is time to get back to quilting, reading, my new Cricut Explore, and writing up my picture of the day album. I am only 6 weeks behind in that!! Photos are printed, but the journaling cards are all empty.

July quilting

With all the traveling we did in July, I did not spend much time at the sewing machine. One advancement I made was in machine quilting. For the first time I am finishing a quilt with machine quilting instead of hand quilting! I will show the picture when I finish the border which IS being hand quilted. 

     I plan to have it done for my August UFO entry, since I made the quilt top many years ago. I realized that if it was going to be done this year, I needed to start learning how to machine quilt. I am not really satisfied with how it turned out, but it was a good top to practice on. I hope the next top will be easier to work on - and I remember what I learned on this one.

This small quilt was made for the grandson of my college roommate. It is my "go to" pattern now when I need something completed quickly - like before the one year old boy turns ten!! I think I counted 12 made so far.

It is another "quilt as you go" by Debbie Mumm, from her book - Debbie Mumm's Project Kids, c1999, revised 2001. ISBN:  0-9707811-4-8  I checked and there are copies available on Amazon from $0.01 and up!! 

I was able to send this one to 52 Quilts and the monthly UFO projects, although technically it was not a UFO. 

I need to write one more post to share my newest toy and another reason I am behind on my quilting. I also got the new Cricut Explore machine this month. I had it sitting in the box for three days before I had enough time to even take it out!!!

July was a short month, but so long!

July has been the month of travel. Wayne retired officially on June 27th and the "computer left the building"! Since then we have been through Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, and New York in two separate trips.

We went to Ohio for the wedding of our niece, stopping by Paul's house on the way up and the way back. They were married on July 12, which was also our 39th wedding anniversary.

It was a quick weekend, but we did get to see all my siblings and parents there. Plus our grandchildren and three of our childen  (and spouse) were there. Our other son was in New Jersey at the wedding of his wife's sister the same weekend.

 We visited the James A. Garfield house in Mentor, Ohio where this amazing library was built by his wife after his assassination. The waterfall is in the middle of town in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

After a week at home we headed to New York City by way of Pennsylvania (staying with Joel and Katie) to help move Wayne's brother and his wife from Brooklyn to the new place in New Jersey. This is the view from their new apartment by day and night. I do not always appreciate city life, but this view is absolutely amazing!!