tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39331643900722342512012-02-16T12:30:21.657-08:00Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.comBlogger2181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-64095253859041364432012-02-09T15:44:00.000-08:002012-02-09T15:44:16.340-08:00

A blogger whose blog I follow posted today that she was offended at a political post she saw on Facebook. She feels that political opinions are inappropriate among friends. I respect her opinion but do not agree. It is fine with me if she chooses to ignore those whose political views are not the same as hers but I believe that in order to make informed choices I am much better equipped if I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-41568395833172741062012-01-31T16:30:00.001-08:002012-01-31T16:36:25.390-08:00

I'm still struggling with learning how to use my Kindle. So far I have discovered that all the replies to comments I have thougtfully composed have been sent out into the vast emptyness of cyberspace. If you never heard from me is not for lack of trying. Kindle doesn't like my small town email provider. That coupled with my MAC computer alliance has resulted in an email handicap that is hard for

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-68189166055610844752012-01-21T04:55:00.000-08:002012-01-21T04:57:07.186-08:00

Being a stubborn old biddy, I have been hard pressed to understand all the hoopla over the apparent need to remain in constant contact with every other human on earth. I did finally break down and I got a cell phone last year but only because Ma Bell kept raising the rate on my standard, attached to the wall telephone service.  Adding another line to my Honey's cell service seemed like a cheaper

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44745219730557182512012-01-17T13:33:00.000-08:002012-01-17T13:33:32.927-08:00

Thank you, Lori. I love it.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-62698112226799151002012-01-12T10:30:00.000-08:002012-01-12T10:33:23.391-08:00

Second finish for this year. Another batch of bonus triangles used up. I thought these were the last of them but I found another baggie with a bunch of random sizes and color combos. I'm not inspired to do much with them at the moment. I also found a baggie with a project I had completely forgotten about. There are 32 4.5" hourglass blocks and 60 flying geese units. A small piece of the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44914551011166423652012-01-10T14:22:00.000-08:002012-01-12T10:14:16.495-08:00

First finish for 2012. Actually, I've finished some other things but they are secret so I can't show you yet. So I'll call this little 12 Days of Christmas doll quilt from Temecula Quilt Co. blog my first official finish. Yeah, I still have to sew down the binding but I'll do that tonight while Honey & I watch another episode of West Wing from Netflix. We have been watching the whole series

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-78728040253975840112012-01-08T14:12:00.000-08:002012-01-08T14:22:25.671-08:00

I couldn't resist. Reading blogs yesterday, I kept seeing all the posts about Temecula Quilt Shop's free mystery called Twelve Days of Christmas. Since I already had scraps piled all over the cutting table making my little pouches and latest leader/ender project, I decided this little cutie was just the ticket to use some more CW scraps. The blocks are really simple and fast to make. Except for

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-59571079080365163252012-01-05T07:25:00.000-08:002012-01-05T16:03:03.311-08:00

If you spend New Year's Day doing what you enjoy, it will start the year on a positive note.  Right? So I spent the day putzing around in the sewing room. I have been playing with the bin filled with bonus triangles. First off, a bunch of the larger ones (all in shades of blue) were the seeds for a new donation quilt. I'm auditioning a border here. Next I gathered a little stack of hourglass

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-41631258782275743392011-12-28T08:46:00.000-08:002011-12-28T08:46:06.113-08:00

Goals are good. We all need goals. The start of a new year is as good a time as any to set goals. It's a good idea to check the list from last year to see if we deserve a pat on the back. I didn't do too badly. I see that of the 10 UFOs I finished 8. Only 2 remain untouched. Of course those 2 are the biggest and hardest to do. That is why they remain undone. I did make 2 quilts from my bucket

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-67922055864296109112011-12-22T12:02:00.000-08:002011-12-22T12:04:08.209-08:00

We've baked dozens of cookies and made lots of fudge. Gifts are wrapped. The evergreen is decorated. The mistletoe is hung. We're ready. Merry Solstice everyone.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-73657673155402430012011-11-26T05:39:00.000-08:002011-11-26T05:40:57.232-08:00

Finished. While other people were out shopping, I put the binding on the 2 little wallhangings. Now the sewing room is in shambles so I have got to spend some time tidying up. We will be having the family here on Sunday for our turkey feast. The kids get overdosed on turkey because they celebrate Thanksgiving several times during the week at various parent's and relative's gatherings. The

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-50311458523270471562011-11-18T15:39:00.000-08:002011-11-18T15:39:50.851-08:00

Today I am a COW (cranky old woman) I credit Nancy  for the label. Three years ago this Christmas, Honey & I decided to join the 21st century and purchased, as our gift to ourselves, a spanking new 42" plasma flat screen TV. It cost around $1200, a princely sum for us old fogies on a retirement income. We chose Panasonic, a big brand name with which we were familiar.Last week, with no warning &

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-36361518924197341332011-11-17T05:45:00.000-08:002011-11-17T05:59:29.640-08:00

I love this little block. Does anyone know it's name? I've been cleaning out a container of small scraps to put together an assortment of these cute little 4" blocks. They are addictive. Of course I can't just have one project going so I've made a bunch of 3" nine patches, too. Two new little wall quilts in the works and another container of scraps emptied. Sweet DIL#3 and I got together

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-77595306148227390462011-11-05T12:29:00.000-07:002011-11-05T12:29:30.275-07:00

It has felt like Autumn for the last week or so, especially with all the sawdust flying around. The tree cutter guys have finished up falling and bucking the trees and now we have about 5 cords of wood to get split and stacked. I made a deal with 2 of the wood cutter guys to split up one of the big cedar trees for me and in exchange they can have all the rest. I don't have a woodstove or

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-28260417887712836942011-11-01T17:29:00.000-07:002011-11-01T17:29:27.018-07:00

I'm chagrined. What the heck have I been doing for the last 10 months? Suddenly it is November and I've neglected my blog to the point that I'm embarrassed. It's not that I haven't composed many interesting and inspired posts. I have, really I have. I just never actually posted them. And why not? Well...in the light of day the happenings here in the barn just didn't seem to be, well.....post

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-48436732919641539632011-10-23T22:40:00.000-07:002011-10-23T22:40:58.161-07:00

Be honest...would you pay $12.49 for Spam flavored macadamia nuts?   Me neither.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-69385635444775860902011-09-29T15:12:00.000-07:002011-09-29T15:12:15.999-07:00

Awhile back I jumped on the online mystery quilt bandwagon. Bonnie Hunter (who is the queen of scrap quilts!) posted directions to make Carolina Crossroads or something like that, I forget exactly. Lots of little 9 patches and half square triangles and hourglasses and rail fences. All itty bitty. I had so much fun making all the little parts and couldn't wait to assemble the top and see the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-26059478434018219632011-09-24T14:48:00.000-07:002011-09-24T14:48:18.498-07:00

My self declared Clear the Decks month of September is progressing quite well. Back about a year and 1/2 ago I ended up with a whole bunch of purple 9 patches abandoned to the orphan pile. I posted about the project here. Those 9 patches are now a flimsy.There were also a bunch of square in a square blocks in that orphan pile. They are now flimsy as well. It would be better if those two were

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-24892131398885433622011-09-14T04:47:00.000-07:002011-09-14T04:47:01.249-07:00

Well the Big Trip was great and we saw so many wonderful places. I even visited a few quilt shops and enhanced my stash along the way. But being without the internet for almost 5 weeks kinda got me out of the habit.  And besides, I really didn't have anything much to share except a bazillion pictures of waterfalls and wildlife. We were driving through a little town in Montana when Honey spotted

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-31447192806058947312011-06-27T15:45:00.000-07:002011-06-27T16:10:20.044-07:00

I got Rosie's Scraps basted today. She is destined for the bed in the motorhome. I first saw this design when I visited Rosie's Calico Cupboard in Southern California. Libby took me there when we got together awhile back. It's a fabulous store with all sorts of fabrics at great prices. They have notions and books and patterns and... and...well it's a really super store. Anywho...this quilt was a

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-35328062376706513902011-06-21T06:15:00.000-07:002011-06-21T06:15:09.477-07:00

My quilts are weird sizes.  I need something to put on the more or less queen size bed in our new motorhome. I've got a quilt in the works that is destined for that bed but it's a long way from finished status. Searching for a quilt to use in the meantime, I have discovered that most of my finished quilts are too small to actually fit a bed. I had a hunch that was the case since so many are used

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-74423564186439413932011-06-16T11:26:00.000-07:002011-06-16T11:28:42.919-07:00

I finished the little quilt for DIL #2. The little 4" stars were made from CW reproduction scraps. Two down and one more to go. I've pulled out a bag filled with scraps of red, white & blue patriotic prints to make something for DIL#3. Meanwhile, I dug around in my strip bin and came up with an alternate square to add to the yellow bonus HST squares. Those 9 patches are from the batch that

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-18397657159898485722011-06-12T15:39:00.000-07:002011-06-12T15:39:57.024-07:00

My girls need some little quilts to adorn their walls during the summer. What's better than Red White & Blue? I gathered together leftover scraps, a few bonus HST, and whatnot and here's what I have so far. One down, two more to go. I have a new sister-in-law. Technically she's a sorta sister-in-law since they didn't actually get married. They had a commitment ceremony where they pledged their

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-81614140157925133832011-06-07T07:35:00.000-07:002011-06-07T07:35:55.136-07:00

I just love those Kitchen Sink quilts that many creative quilters seem to effortlessly put together.  They make it sound so easy. Anything goes, just grab those precut strips and squares and those bonus HST leftover when you double sew those flying geese, sew them together and...Whaa Laa...ya got yourself a stunning quilt. Right? Wrong. I've been making a concentrated effort to empty some of my

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-43098918544912837072011-05-20T15:58:00.000-07:002011-05-20T15:58:21.328-07:00

Since the rumor is that tomorrow the world will end, I figure I should make an effort to post something on my blog. It's not like I've been just sitting around waiting for the end of the world or anything. I've actually been quite busy trying to get all the quilts on my bucket list done by May 21st as well as finish up all the unquilted tops and UFOs stacked all over my sewing room. On top of

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-75836970238134835922011-04-25T03:47:00.000-07:002011-04-25T03:47:07.086-07:00

We knew it almost right away. We liked it but we didn't love it. Oh, it was nice enough, cute, functional. It served the purpose but it just wasn't our style. All that hitching and unhitching; trying to maneuver something the length of a semi-truck in and out of tight spaces. Not to mention the little nuisances like no oven to bake muffins & coffee cake and no source of electricity to power a

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-55218914595537078282011-04-20T03:55:00.000-07:002011-04-20T03:57:39.337-07:00

I took a long winter's sleep...quite a bit longer than I intended. Between bodacious snow storms and frequent, long power outages, I spent a lot of time reading by candle light and plotting my next escape to any place without snow or freezing rain. That was often extremely hard to find. There were times when we couldn't get beyond our driveway because of all the fallen trees and deep snow. I felt

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-90910835458085211872011-01-08T03:01:00.000-08:002011-01-08T03:01:59.666-08:00

Okay, I'm really still here. We haven't left yet in search of the sun. But I am packed and ready to escape the ice & snow at any moment. Meanwhile, I'm doing some catch-up blog reading and discovered a new blog by Barbara Brackman. http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/ For all lovers of Civil War fabrics, this is a must. You know how I said I'm a 9 patch addict? Well, Joanne said she had a few

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-42979808340499674892011-01-07T18:31:00.000-08:002011-01-07T18:31:44.857-08:00

I'll be missing for awhile. Time for an escape to warmer climates. I will be sewing, reading, and drinking lots of wine. I will even try to spend some time blog surfing. See ya in a few........

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-80507051276469831292011-01-03T10:18:00.000-08:002011-01-03T10:18:42.610-08:00

Once upon a time there was a bag of fabric scraps. Buried deep in the bottom of the bag lived Harry the Hippo. Poor Harry was a tiny little thing. Once he had been very large but over time he had been cut up and parts of him had gone to live in pajamas and rompers and potholders and aprons until there was hardly anything left of him. Just a very small scrap remained and he thought he was doomed

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-3106034867847542852010-12-29T07:57:00.000-08:002010-12-29T13:54:26.688-08:00

There is something about the simple little 9 patch that I just can't resist. My obsession with quilting started with the humble little block. Way back in the mid seventies, I saw an article in a magazine (Family Circle or Woman's Day) on how to make a quilt. I went to the local fabric store and bought several yards of really crappy quality fabric in coordinating calico-ish prints in shades of

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-62640891266883142082010-12-25T03:48:00.000-08:002010-12-25T03:48:22.254-08:00

It will be a quiet day today here in the barn. We will gather our family together tomorrow to open gifts and play board games. I won't make a big sit down dinner. Instead, we will feast on various things such as Sean's awesome minestrone soup, my cheese fondue and all the appetizers  everyone will bring to share. Hubby has made pies, pumpkin and banana cream.We will spend the day eating and

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-74142306987197090702010-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:002010-12-14T15:02:12.184-08:00

I've been playing hooky. A much needed break from the sewing room and the cold, snowy weather sent us down the mountain to the big city for a little R&R and a dose of holiday cheer in the form of oversized tree ornaments, the sound of Salvation Army bells ringing, the clanging of the cable cars and the fog horns echoing across the bay. There's nothing like the Christmas season in San Francisco.  

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-79366948213033186702010-11-25T04:58:00.000-08:002010-11-25T06:25:39.292-08:00

I'm thankful for electricity today. The storm that blew in on Saturday night caused major power outages throughout the Sierra region and we have been without electricity for almost 4 full days. Since our cell phones couldn't be charged we also had no phone service. And to top it all off the highway to town was closed. That didn't really matter since we had 3 feet of snow in the driveway so we

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-17396002181857712902010-11-21T06:09:00.000-08:002010-11-21T06:09:00.164-08:00

That could very easily be a headline in newspapers around the world. My towering stack of UFOs has gotten a tiny bit shorter in the last few weeks. When I joined Finn's challenge to finish some projects before the New Year I cautiously committed to only three. The first on my list is done but not without a struggle. I wasn't crazy about it back when I started it and the years in between didn't

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-2271086283240289512010-11-20T07:18:00.000-08:002010-11-20T07:18:42.281-08:00

My car wouldn't start. The check is in the mail. Classic excuses. While working on the Vintage Christmas Tree quilt for Finn's UFO challenge, I kept trying to think of a good excuse why I had put off finishing it for so long. This poor quilt top had remained unfinished for at least 20 years. I came to the conclusion that it never got finished because it is boring. The block pattern is boring. The

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-10147747492832888232010-11-10T15:45:00.000-08:002010-11-10T15:45:57.375-08:00

I went to the final Floating Stars class. I remembered to take my camera. Three of us had actually completed our tops and brought them to show. I took pictures. I asked for permission from the makers to post the photos. I came home and packed for a trip and went off to spend some time in the company of my oldest (in terms of longevity not age) and dearest friends. I completely forgot about the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-2127658760491280052010-10-27T04:05:00.000-07:002010-10-27T04:05:07.864-07:00

Another decade has almost zipped by me and those ancient UFOs are weighing on my conscience. I really had planned to finish the oldest ones this year. I started the year with gusto but ran out of steam during the summer. I've lost the loving feeling for a couple of those old projects. Thank goodness Finn has issued her UFO Finish Challenge again this year. That's just the incentive I need. I'm

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-31591089445958802032010-10-14T15:01:00.000-07:002010-10-14T15:01:51.898-07:00

It's beginning to look like a sock. I had to rip out the first few rows when I started to turn the heel. I'm learning a new language spoken in Knittingland and I was mis-interpreting Ssk. Did you know there are some fabulous You Tube videos that show how to knit? Well, that Ssk thing went much better after I watched a video. Now I have a flap and a heel and I'm going to tackle the gusset next.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-19626801706229389352010-10-08T15:53:00.000-07:002010-10-08T15:53:34.994-07:00

It's time once again for the annual fund raising auction to benefit our local high school. For the last 2 years I have donated a quilt. This year I didn't think I could get a quilt finished in time so I planned to make some tote bags. I pulled out a bin full of parts from a project that went haywire last year. Putting together a tote bag was fast and easy since I had used the pattern before.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44644574213768542492010-09-30T07:54:00.000-07:002010-09-30T07:54:58.482-07:00

A couple of the members of the guild displayed their "antique" quilts at the show. For those of you working on hexagons, here's some inspiration. I have a baggie full of parts I purchased many years ago to make a Double Wedding Ring. I had planned to make it for my son's wedding present. He's been married 14 years now and the parts are still in the baggie. When (you notice I didn't say "if") I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44318660574781817912010-09-27T10:00:00.000-07:002010-09-27T10:58:56.928-07:00

How about some houses? A member of one of the local groups had issued a challenge. I don't now exactly what the challenge was but it did involve barns. I think there is a commercial pattern for these. Here are some of the results. Talented quilters, don't you agree?

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-1096227491754232482010-09-26T09:24:00.000-07:002010-09-26T09:24:44.219-07:00

There were lots of big quilts in the local quilt show last weekend. Very few wall quilts or doll size or miniatures. Most were done in classes or made from commercial or magazine patterns. I only spotted 3 that were hand quilted. Most were machine quilted by one of the local professional long-armers. There were these insanely difficult paper pieced ones that I marveled over. This next

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-73770760361624517322010-09-24T08:59:00.000-07:002010-09-24T08:59:07.972-07:00

I went camping. That's right. Here I am living in the woods and what do I do for fun? Why, I put my folding chair in the dirt beside a smokey camp fire by a trickling stream and sleep on a short, hard bed in a tin box while freezing my booty off. Fun times! You see, we bought a travel trailer and this week was our test run. We only went 12 miles from home in case we forgot something important

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-42988101742966833632010-09-19T08:59:00.000-07:002010-09-19T08:59:35.253-07:00

Everyone loves to get presents and unexpected presents are really special.  Yesterday I attended the local quilt show with my buddy Purple Pam. Pam is such a sweetheart that she drove several hours to meet me at the show even though she was feeling icky with some sort of sinus infection. Not only did she make the long drive but she brought me a big bag filled with a wonderful assortment of PURPLE

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-48634786072449560992010-09-15T07:32:00.000-07:002010-09-15T07:32:53.143-07:00

Our local trash company recently switched over from the old fashioned system of a human picking up  a can full of stuff each week to that specialized multi-can system and a truck with those robot arms. We now have a teeny-tiny can for "garbage" and a huge can for recyclables. We have been recyclers for decades so the new system is just dandy for us. That big can is so much more convenient than

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-32854934714620939362010-08-31T11:26:00.000-07:002010-08-31T11:26:13.569-07:00

For some unknown reason comments are not showing up in my email box.  When people are thoughtful enough to leave a comment, I feel like a doofus when I don't send a reply. So please forgive me if you weren't acknowledged. I truly love getting comments and do try to send replies and especially answer any questions. Trish asked what size the little pumpkins are. They finish at 4"x4.5". I made them

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-36018986592014830702010-08-27T14:52:00.000-07:002010-08-27T14:54:41.951-07:00

....and the acorns are dropping. Fall can't be far behind. I've been harvesting little pumpkins. Since the vines in my garden have not produced a single blossom, I've resorted to pumpkins made of cloth. I know they look more like orange apples but it was the best I could do in the short amount of time. And I've never claimed to be much good at drafting my own patterns. Copying, oh yeah, I can

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-63685357405044454092010-08-21T01:00:00.000-07:002010-08-21T01:00:13.435-07:00

I haven't posted in weeks and weeks because nothing much has been happening around here. Sewing has taken a back seat to visiting with my family and lazing around in the yard enjoying the unusually mild summer. I've read all the books on my summer reading list, some good, others only so-so.  My garden is pretty pitiful with a few cherry tomatoes and some puny zucchini. It's hardly worth the water

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-38913363426779913492010-06-30T05:52:00.000-07:002010-06-30T06:11:29.636-07:00

Little Baskets 22"x27" Small Change 17"x22" The appliqued handles weren't as hard as I thought they would be. These are all from the book Remembering Adelia by Kathleen Tracy. She has a lovely blog here. I already have these basted and ready to quilt. I'm going on a road trip soon so I plan to take one along and do some hand quilting. I'll probably machine quilt the others. These little

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-57988636659758228052010-06-26T08:58:00.000-07:002010-06-26T08:58:24.517-07:00

I haven't been spending much time in the sewing room. It's just so lovely outside. We haven't been to Yosemite for quite awhile which is a shame since it's not very far and the drive is really pleasant. Spring is the best time to visit since all the waterfalls are in full gush mode and the hoards of tourists haven't arrived. So a few days before school let out, we packed a picnic and headed out.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-12016938882492223882010-06-04T02:20:00.000-07:002010-06-04T04:21:07.864-07:00

Over the years I have made lots of little quilts, wall hangings of various sizes and mini quilts with teeny tiny pieces. I even took a class in 1987 from Becky Schaefer author of the book Working in Miniature. The technique she taught involved sewing on graph paper to make tiny blocks constructed with dozens of microscopic pieces. It's a tedious process but the results are amazing. In The Little

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-47206057572752224572010-05-31T15:31:00.000-07:002010-05-31T15:31:16.228-07:00

That quilt draped on a garden bench in my header is one of the first large quilts I ever made. I took a class at my LQS back around 1982 or there about to make a Joseph's Coat variation given by a local teacher I greatly admired, Nadine Thompson. Up until that time I had only made wall hangings and crib quilts. I filled a shoebox with carefully sewn flying geese and square in a square blocks

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-15678312935593063002010-05-30T06:09:00.000-07:002010-05-30T06:09:22.334-07:00

See that little icon in my sidebar about the process pledge? I was surfing around the blog world the other day and I spotted it and followed the link to Rossie's blog. I agree with her so I took the pledge. I love to read blogs like Elaine's and Wanda's and  Karen's because they share not just completed projects but their thought process along the way. My recent project, Days of Our Lives, has

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-6628183802420984482010-05-21T04:52:00.000-07:002010-05-21T07:11:54.707-07:00

Since I found out about the "no waste" method of making flying geese, I am no longer accumulating zillions of teeny bonus HST. But I still have several recycled salad containers full of them. One of my goals for this year is to use these little guys up. I pulled out the largest ones, more or less 2", squared them up and with no plan in mind just sewed them together. Then I sewed the pairs

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-38857530650474008652010-05-12T13:10:00.000-07:002010-05-21T15:30:56.948-07:00

Local wisdom advises not to plant your summer garden until after Mother's Day. I spent a lot of time in the yard over the last weekend getting prepared to plant my summer garden. If I had planted on Monday all my efforts would have been wasted. It snowed again yesterday. The local native Americans have a saying that winter isn't over until it snows on the dogwoods. Since the dogwoods started

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-86572527348181177972010-05-06T12:21:00.000-07:002010-05-21T16:19:04.844-07:00

Have you all tried this method for making flying geese? I had heard about it but kept using the square on the rectangle method. That's why I have accumulated a bazillion bonus HST. This morning I was reading Nichole's blog and she has a picture of those weird looking flying geese units that result during the no waste process. I needed a few flying geese to finish the border on a project. So I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-67614705189086849222010-04-30T07:08:00.000-07:002010-04-30T07:50:53.116-07:00

It snowed again yesterday. Winter is just refusing to let go. So, since I have a good excuse to put off Spring cleaning, I've tackled my crumb bin. Two little Spring minis appeared from the scrap pile.These are both small, only 15" or so, perfect little Mother's Day gifts.April has turned out to be an UP-beat month despite the dreary weather. I've been finishing UP or using UP or cleaning UP. The

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-42481480109510450532010-04-12T09:59:00.000-07:002010-04-12T11:59:52.378-07:00

As promised I took a ton of photos at the East Bay Heritage Quilt Guild show yesterday. Then I read the program. It states that attendees are welcome to take all the photos they want but that none may be posted without permission of the maker of the quilt. Bummer. It would seem that since these quilts have been on public display that the makers would have no objection to posting photos we have

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-62839381634659397262010-04-09T02:33:00.000-07:002010-08-06T15:54:06.780-07:00

.....be gone so long, I mean. We headed south for our annual month of winter escape. Our search for the sun was futile. The weather was dismal everywhere we went, all the way to the tip of Baja California and back. I took lots of sewing projects to work on but I never took them out of the tote bag. Isn't that pitiful? A whole month cooped up inside while it rained buckets and not a single stitch

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-91330701627060385942010-02-22T07:28:00.000-08:002010-02-22T09:07:46.674-08:00

Look what I found in my mailbox!Allyson of Fat Cat Quilts sent me this beautiful charm pack and an adorable pattern by Sherri K. Falls called Summer Thyme. This was such a total surprise. Allyson said that she sent it to me for being the first person to complete the Red & White Snowball quilt challenge that she and Nicole issued just before Christmas. I am just fabergasted. Thank you so much,

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-91289312922822434102010-02-16T07:07:00.000-08:002010-02-16T08:15:18.875-08:00

I don't have anything new to post. I am working on several projects but nothing is finished. I'm still quilting away on Boo Boo quilt and have found several more boo boos. That is now it's name. I was pleasantly surprised to have several commenters willing to take the crumb blocks off my hands. I even got rid of, fobbed off, packaged up and sent my skeleton fabric to a quilter that will use it.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-32400420323327150952010-02-09T09:50:00.000-08:002010-02-09T11:03:34.386-08:00

I spent an entire day rearranging my sewing room. It needed a thorough deep cleaning and that meant pulling furniture out from the walls. Since I had to wrestle with the shelves and cutting table and all that, I figured I might as well try a new arrangement. I'm a re-arranger at heart. When I was a kid, it used to drive my Mom crazy 'cause I was forever moving the furniture around. Dear Honey is

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-17992825485843874192010-02-07T16:12:00.000-08:002010-02-07T17:55:03.024-08:00

So...is it snowing at your house? It seems like winter is hitting everyone hard this year from east to west. It's been alternating between rain and snow out here at the barn so we have constant slush. Good news is our power has stayed on. That means I've been sewing. Remember that scrappy quilt I started right before I escaped to the coast on vacation? I got the piano key border on before I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-51954978670930035842010-02-03T02:26:00.000-08:002010-02-03T02:49:40.862-08:00

Lyn at Bluebird Quilts is putting together a quilt for Illene, a sister quilter. Illene's daughter is seriously ill and they could use some hugs to help them through a tough time. Since they live halfway around the world, it's not easy to put my arms around them but it's a simple thing to make some cheery 9 patches and send them off to Lyn. My little 9-patches can represent my hugs and will join

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-58987501086161159512010-01-31T11:08:00.000-08:002010-01-31T13:02:34.722-08:00

Yes, I've been missing of late. Dear Honey and I took another holiday (we love our timeshares!) Since airplane travel has lost every last bit of the glamour and fun it once held, we travel more often by car these days. There are advantages to car trips, not the least of which is that one can take along anything and everything one might possibly need including tweezers, nail clippers, corkscrews

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-58432111090102181332010-01-13T16:49:00.000-08:002010-01-13T17:19:37.233-08:00

Well, that's better. I admit it. I'm trying to use up a bunch of old, uglies in this top. I still have plenty left but I've made a good dent. Adding a few blocks with orange and a fushia eye popper certainly distracts the eye from all those dark blues, old browns and muddy greens. It isn't exactly a beauty but I'm sure it will please someone. If you stand back a little or squint a bit, you can

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-80243698206245595712010-01-12T10:37:00.000-08:002010-01-12T11:47:13.593-08:00

While I was straightening up the mess in my sewing room yesterday, I kept telling myself, "Julie, you really should get those Friday Block Party blocks made. Here it is well into January and you are getting behind already." So instead of continuing my efforts to reduce the volume in my 2.5" strip bin I went on over to the Party to check out the directions for the first 2 blocks.The choice for the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-64016323904439040942010-01-11T04:59:00.000-08:002010-01-11T05:53:34.081-08:00

How did it get to be Monday again so soon? Last week I almost missed posting for Judy's Monday Design Wall. I made myself a big note and stuck it to my computer screen so I wouldn't forget this week. My wall was full of itty bitty squares all week but yesterday I got a border on Butter Cubes and got it basted and ready to quilt. I really want to hand quilt it with a simple cross hatch. I was

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-79830562766430937522010-01-08T12:41:00.000-08:002010-01-09T06:06:16.770-08:00

Lori's cute quilt along "Cheese and Crackers" kept calling me back into the sewing room. I confess I got carried away. My resolve to use all the little precut strips and squares and triangles stock piled away in my bins and baggies took over and I lost all control. I would dart into the sewing room and sew a few more little pieces every few minutes. Before I knew it I had Part 1 all done. I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-37553121358031555302010-01-04T16:46:00.000-08:002010-01-04T17:56:18.716-08:00

......and wouldn't ya know, I'm late. There are already 49 entries to Judy's Monday Design Wall post. I have no excuse. I was just kinda preoccupied today with other stuff. I'll explain later. Anyway here's what's on my wall.There's a bunch of stuff up there. Actually, there was even more yesterday but I had to take some down to make room for my current project. All that stuff has to do partly

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-59996593602276147722009-12-31T08:18:00.000-08:002009-12-31T09:34:23.058-08:00

I think it is the Chinese that have a custom of thoroughly cleaning their homes at the start of a new year. A clean sweep so to speak. Whiping the slate clean. It sounds like such a great idea, starting the year all fresh and organized. Ain't happenin' here in the barn, though. I'm not saying I haven't toyed with the idea but the task is just a bit more than I'm willing to tackle on the last day

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-47535865993219062552009-12-30T14:02:00.000-08:002009-12-30T14:32:03.215-08:00

I was chatting with Elaine yesterday about piecing backings. I'm partial to scrappy backs. I figure if I have to sew chunks of fabric together to make a piece big enough for a quilt, I might as well use a variety of stuff and make it interesting. At the very least, I can use up some oddball pieces of stash and make them usefull.Back in the dark ages when I started quilting, folks called unmatched

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-63690708686179548492009-12-28T02:36:00.000-08:002009-12-28T03:24:53.968-08:00

These Monday Design Wall posts hosted by Judy have been fun. Sometimes there's nothing on my design wall but stray bits of thread. Other times the same thing hangs up there for several weeks waiting for inspiration to hit. The blocks from Friday Block Party go up on my wall every once in a while to sort of take stock and see what they may become.The week 52 block at Friday Block Party is an 8"

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-1456545209659087722009-12-27T05:20:00.000-08:002009-12-27T05:28:25.274-08:00

I finished the binding on Christmas day. I think I'll leave it out until Valentine's Day. It's red & white, afterall.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-36022548194561642212009-12-21T03:56:00.000-08:002009-12-21T06:39:47.886-08:00

Remember that old cliche about going back to school in September and the teacher has you write about what you did on your summer vacation? I don't think any of my teachers ever had us do that. Usually we just spent our summers playing on the lawn running through the sprinkler. We went camping in Yosemite every June and got to play in the river and sing songs around the campfire while we made

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-47796719377806023102009-12-03T16:37:00.000-08:002009-12-03T17:46:24.155-08:00

My red & white snowballs are piling up in the sewing room. I'm going to quilt this one in 2 sections with that method I learned from Paula. I need to add a border (I've picked out a nice off white with little dots of red to use) and I'll bind it using a great stripe that is from the same line of fabrics I used for several of the reds. This has been a fun project although I didn't really have the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-56942834131511134722009-12-01T03:58:00.000-08:002009-12-01T14:46:54.044-08:00

Paula had a tutorial recently showing an intriguing method for quilting a large project in sections. I'd been thinking about trying something like this and wondered if it would be a practical solution to wrestling with a large quilt while trying to machine quilt it on my ancient Bernina. It is a variation on the quilt as you go idea but without the added sashings between each block. I thought the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-22391306220499861602009-11-23T04:00:00.000-08:002009-11-23T04:55:22.688-08:00

Scrappy quilts are my favorites and I'm a big fan of Bonnie Hunter's strip cutting system. As I cut the squares and triangles from the strips, there are always the little bits left at the ends. Those little bits that are less than 2" get tossed in a basket beside my machine. I use them as leader/enders, sewing the 2" bits together, 2.5" bits together, the 3.5" bits together, and so forth. Before

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-76541724228886514702009-11-21T07:48:00.000-08:002009-11-21T07:59:00.917-08:00

After my little temper tantrum yesterday, I realized that I really need to lighten up. Afterall, it's Thanksgiving time and I should be counting my blessings and feeling goodwill toward others and all that sort of stuff. So here's a little poem to help put us all in the mood:May your stuffing be tastyMay your turkey be plump,May your potatoes and gravyHave never a lump.May your yams be

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-91141377643920942472009-11-20T10:19:00.000-08:002009-11-20T14:51:15.651-08:00

I'm still alive. I haven't dropped off the face of the earth. I just haven't been inspired to turn on the computer. Many of my favorite bloggers haven't posted a lot lately. Probably busy with holiday projects and such. So today I poured some coffee, settled into my chair and fired up the computer prepared to do some heavy duty blog surfing to catch up. I was even thinking of doing a new post

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-71480960283316225962009-11-05T06:36:00.000-08:002009-11-05T08:55:38.234-08:00

Whelp, I'm back from a little celebration excursion. Honey and I celebrated 41 years of what is often called wedded bliss but what we call stubborn perseverance. So what do two adults who qualify for the discount breakfast at Denny's do to celebrate the fact they have managed to stay married for over 40 years? Why they go to Disneyland of course! No kids, no grandkids, not even another couple

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-16437005821174585782009-10-22T07:39:00.000-07:002009-10-22T10:58:05.278-07:00

I don't usually enter giveaways but this one is really tempting and the prize is so generous I couldn't resist. Even if you don't get picked for the prize, you will still be a winner by reading Brenda's wonderful blog. It's chock full of inspiration. So hop on over and enjoy. Here's the link.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I'm not sure how

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-13134340001830022622009-10-21T08:47:00.000-07:002009-10-21T09:46:39.790-07:00

I've been on a self imposed internet break. Not that I have been totally disconnected. I'm still planted in front of the dang thing for far too many hours. But...... I've actually turned off my computer for several days at a time! GASP. And just as I suspected, I got a heck of a lot done by making myself go on a computer diet. I have almost finished all the Christmas gifts I started which was the

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-46354428768769187272009-10-12T05:00:00.000-07:002009-10-12T05:00:05.361-07:00

Not much sewing going on this week except the handwork on the tablerunners. I've got 2 done. I still need to make and sew on labels. I've worked on the blocks for Bonnie's mystery Christmas Lights a little bit in the early mornings. That's what is up there on my design wall. I doubt I'll get it done for Christmas but I may have it as a UFO top to drape on the table by December. There's just too

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-45511998703784517432009-10-11T16:20:00.000-07:002009-10-11T16:28:19.959-07:00

Hello, my name is Julie and I'm addicted to reading blogs. I'm particularly attracted to quilty blogs but I like travel blogs, too. And blogs with both are really addicting for me. Then there are the blogs with great recipes and decorating ideas. Oh, yeah, and crafty stuff. And of course gardening blogs and reading/book blogs. Blogs with quilts and gardening and travel and recipes and book

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-8286201656537776552009-10-05T07:40:00.000-07:002009-10-05T08:07:55.546-07:00

My bookclub meeting was last night and Marilyn drove so I delivered the quilt I made to donate to the local high school for their auction fundraiser. Marilyn and her hubby, Wayne, really like it and plan to place bids and try to win. Wayne was a teacher at the school for many years and although he is retired now, he is one of the organizers for the event. Our book this month was Olive Kitteridge,

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-71875690313077122232009-09-30T07:35:00.000-07:002009-09-30T08:39:47.122-07:00

When Pam was here for a visit a couple of weeks ago we were talking about Bonnie Hunter's Scrap User System. We are both fans of Bonnie's idea of cutting fabric into strips and storing the strips in bins according to size. I'm partial to the 2 & 1/2" strips for most of my scrap quilts so I've cut lots of my old outdated fabrics into strips of that size. I've steadily added to that container. The

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-5362749530502759912009-09-28T05:38:00.000-07:002009-09-28T06:05:43.701-07:00

Making a spring-ish table runner for DIL#1 is proving to be a challenge for me. I just don't have any decent springy fabrics. I picked up some new stuff at the local shop that had the same colors as a large floral I have in my stash. Remember Marcie's cute Sparkler pattern from last Christmas? I dug out the directions and tried it but, oh my, it just wasn't working. Way to busy. So I've

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-32374368515068075582009-09-25T04:50:00.000-07:002009-09-25T08:06:21.848-07:00

This one with the flying geese was all done in reproduction fabrics. It was stunning in person but my photo is very poor.When I finally got around to downloading my camera I discovered that a lot of the photos were missing. I have no idea why but I know there were some quilts I loved and I must have taken photos. On the other hand I may have just stood there and stared and thought I took a

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-82028797271056651222009-09-24T04:39:00.000-07:002009-09-24T05:50:49.855-07:00

There were many, many floral applique quilts at the show. There must have been a local class given since many were the same pattern.These "Paper Dolls" have clothes that are detachable. Very cute.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-50008604449581825802009-09-22T02:45:00.000-07:002009-09-22T03:05:51.860-07:00

The local guild holds a show every September and somehow I always miss it. This year I finally got to go. Hubby took his camera along and took photos of some of the quilts that caught his eye. He really likes scrap quilts.This next one really impressed him because it was the makers first quilt. She said it took her 2 years to complete.I haven't downloaded my camera yet. I'll have more later....

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-84346264028019057232009-09-19T13:21:00.000-07:002009-09-19T16:48:50.781-07:00

WARNING TO MY DAUGHTERS:Mariana, Jodi, Laurie, & Leann. Do not read this post if you want to be surprised at Christmas. Or go ahead and read but pretend you are surprised when you open your presents, okay?I've been a busy bee this week. Honey and I were supposed to play golf on Monday but it rained so we called it off and went on Friday instead. I shaved 10 strokes off my score from the last time

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44664914380476525182009-09-13T00:30:00.000-07:002009-09-13T01:29:31.755-07:00

For the back of the donation quilt," she said to her understanding husband. "You go right ahead, Sweetheart, get what you need. It's a nice quilt," he said.This morning Honey and I went out early to the driving range to practice. We are definitely getting better. I told him I'm ready for another actual game of golf on a real golf course. That put him in a real good mood.Good thing because he

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-50843402164697589902009-09-10T14:34:00.000-07:002009-09-10T15:11:39.488-07:00

I thought I'd use up a huge pile of half square triangles for a pieced border on the High School auction donation quilt. So I sewed a row and layed them on the quilt top. Yuck. Big Yuck. Switch gears. Sit and stare. Visualize. The stars are so busy it obviously needs a simpler border. Diamonds. Yeah, that's it, diamonds.Dig through the scrap bin and the 3 & 1/2" strip bin. Sew for awhile. Check

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-32368625084740658632009-09-07T05:44:00.000-07:002009-09-07T05:55:03.732-07:00

I promised to make a quilt to donate to our local high school for their big fundraising auction. These pinwheel star blocks were made as leader/enders. The photo color isn't true; it's very navy blue. I'm working on a pieced border made from a zillion HST left over. It needs to be done by Oct 6.

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-44648379242795159502009-09-04T16:32:00.000-07:002009-09-04T17:22:26.579-07:00

That's the name of an old Rock Hudson movie made in 1961. It sticks in my head because my cousin Claudia was in it. Yeah really. She even had a speaking part. And she had a scene where she danced with Rock, at least I think I remember that scene. I haven't watched the movie since 1961 so I may be wrong about the dancing thing. Anyway, September can come on along now. I'm done with August.I'm all

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-69440079035999754682009-09-02T08:52:00.000-07:002009-09-04T18:19:54.394-07:00

I refuse to turn the page on my calendar. It is not the end of August yet. I still have plenty of time to finish my list of finish-up challenges for the month. I made it to town yesterday just in time to keep Honey & me from starving to death and restocked the fridge. I made a stop at the post office and got my little bundle of orphans sent off to Finn to keep the Orphan Train stoked with fuel. I

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-68306073783034331942009-08-31T04:32:00.000-07:002009-08-31T05:30:51.894-07:00

I'm almost happy to see August come to an end. Not "jump up and down" happy, but almost. I do love summer and don't want to encourage winter to arrive any sooner than absolutely necessary but Kim's August finish-up challenge had me working a lot harder than I'm accustomed to working. I just may have been a tad too ambitious. That isn't anything new for me. Even though I didn't cross off

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3933164390072234251.post-42342022751541595982009-08-23T03:14:00.000-07:002009-08-23T04:04:55.141-07:00

I can't believe I'm saying this but I'm feeling rather quilted out. All this finish up activity during the last several weeks has meant I've been spending most days doing quilt related stuff and I'm beginning to burn out. I've been doing some hand quilting as well as machine quilting, binding, fabric sorting & folding, and sewing room organizing and cleaning. One big chore that's been hanging

Julie in the Barnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18147114606468287519noreply@blogger.com18