A little Trip

 Earlier in June I got to go on a little trip. I always love to see the sights - even if I have seen them before. 

However, this time, there were fences and detours and they all led to:

A BIG BOOT!!! and we were so intrigued ( and hot) that we had to go in!! It was a Museum full of STATE FAIR things - in celebration of the 250th birthday of our country... and FAIRS people!!

Who does not love a good fair!!

Check out all the preserved foods. 

And then we happened in to the QUILT part of the State fair.  My husband was pretty sure that I planned this - but I did not - and I was tickled pink... It was so great to see such wonderful quilts.

That one ^ was submitted by a 4H group- it was amazing - and the (below)  a String quilt!! LOVE it so much!!

This was a cool one too - the artist based it on her grandparents. it was quite lovely

And a CRAZY Quilt!! this one was fun. As we were admiring it a little girl asked some questions of her mother and her mother said she wasn't sure. I asked ( very timidly) if it was okay If I answered them for her since I was a Quilter... what a fun little talk we had. 

Also - I have a Crazy Quilt that my Grandmothers Mother, aunts and grandmother worked on and it dates to the 1860's - so I felt I had a little knowledge.

This quilt ( below) was made of all the ribbons this particular quilter had won over her years of being in State fairs. IT was pretty cool to look at - and also wonder how many things she baked, canned, preserved, quilted, stitched etc to win that many ribbons.

There was also a corn Husk Art display. My Hair Stylist - he LOVES Dolly Parton - so I just had to take her photo and send it to him. He Wished he had come with us!!

There were quite a few other portraits as well.

Ta da!!! The State Fairs Museum in Washington DC - it was too fun to see, and the security and docents were amazing. I was still in my boot - so they escorted me to the elevator and only snickered a little behind my back ( not really, But I would have!!)

Just so you know, we weren't really lost, but there was enough construction and detours that we weren't where we thought we were going - turns out - this was better.  And we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory on our way back to the hotel..... That always makes the day better. 

I don't live in a town - it takes us about 1 1/2 hours to get to the nearest cheesecake factory - but if I did live in a town - I might be at that place a lot!! ( too much!)

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Pringles... the Beginning

Earlier this year my friend got me into trouble with a block swap....

And we called them *Pringles* 

All of us swappers got our blocks done before the due date ( I might have been the snail in the mix) but!! We got them all in and so - she swapped and sent the mixes back out to us...

Isn't that a fun variety of blocks?  We needed to make some with the constant color too - so I chose this purple gingham... I love it....

I even got some of the blocks stitched together....

At the time we started this I didn't know that a wonderful person had already done a quilt like this - and!! she had a tutorial of sorts !!  Lynn D at Klein Meisje Quilts  I love that she used a bright constant - so I hope my purple does what her mint did....

This may be an ongoing project for a while - but if I did my math right mine will be about 72 x 90... ish!! don't forget the ISH!!

**UPDATE** A few of you asked the sizes we used - 2 x 3 1/2 inch

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Stars A Waving and Finished!! (or not) Friday

Happy Friday!!! 

I designed this quilt 15 years ago as one of the Quilt of Valor Mysteries that I ran. Over 1000 people stitched each week to make this quilt - although I was the only one who knew how it would look at the end.

Today the pattern is listed in my Etsy store ( AlyciaQuiltygirl) and it has been relisted, after selling out again. I love that this is so popular. Sales of this pattern have funded our Quilts of Valor group for a lot of years - which has been so wonderful!!

Today I am celebrating that this quilt design has wrapped so many Veterans, Kept our group going ( without having to ask for $) and !! That I still like it haha!

It is called Stars A Waving 

how did your week go??? What all did you get up to?

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Working thru the Stack

 I got to keep working thru the stacks on my Quilting table...

I finished up these blocks for Many Hearts Many Hands: 

That is all I had cut in that Color way - I have a huge box of 2 1/2 inch strips - so I think I might see if I have any of the Red/Green colorways she asked for. Well!! We all know I have red.... its really the Green I will need to look for!!

I got the backing made for my sons Dinosaur Quilt - see there is hope that I will have it quilted before his Next Birthday.!!   The dinosaur stuff is just 1 inch bigger than his quilt, so I added the grey and blue borders so I can clip it onto my long arm, know those will probably be trimmed!!

See.... there is light at the end of the Stacks and the piles... oh!! and I might have started something new anyways - I have no will power..... 

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A Little Trip - Actually I just want to show you photos

We took a little trip to my in-laws place. We had a funeral to go to, and then to catch up with some of K's ( and now mine) Friends.

I love Wide Open Spaces... and we got to see a lot.

a Train - but to be specific - a Train of Engines. I haven't seen that ( that I can remember) for a while. At least not more that two engines... So I thought it was cool.

and Goats - Goats playing King of the Hill....

One of the Ranches we drive through has a HUGE String of Bucking horses. These horses are used in the Rodeos - but to see them on the range... you would have no idea they like to buck off their riders ;-) 

And a Deer!

i think we shocked him - he was so close!!

I also got to meet Dolly and Gene Roy. You can't tell from the angle of the photo - but Gene Roy ( on the right) is taller than Me.,.... I am 5'10"  - that is one Big pet!!

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a QOV top and Finished ( or not!) Friday!

 Ohhh I may be slowly getting back in action!! I had a morning to start looking at my sewing area - and the piles... the piles people - enough to make me want to start sewing someplace else haha!

but!! I got this top finished - I just had to sew the blocks into the strips, and apply the out borders - sounds easy right?  Well - It was - but we had 42 interruptions by unknow objects driving by  - the dogs had to bark at each unknown sounds..... ( okay -it was the sound of ghosts - but Daisy was sure they were out there)

We had an accidental skunking - and boy howdy was that a stink

and! we actually had to get some work done ( good work!)

but Lookie here:

A TOP!!!

And while I was sorting in those piles - I found the binding strips I meant to make a while ago - they are now bindings - ready for our QOV's - and that pile is a lot smaller....

a

I am sort of afraid to keep digging - but I must - I must get to the bottom of the piles... before I Start something new.... right?/  Isn't that the LAW or something like that 😉

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Another QOV presentation...

 if you are following from  yesterday - I am now in car 2 for the next presentation....

We have been working with this VFW for years  - and of course - I just love them. Sharon is the VFW Aux President and this is her last year of being it. So we wanted to go out with a bang!!!

FIFTEEN Veterans were there with their families and it was so crowded - I LOVED it.

Sharon made the mistake of telling me I was in charge when I got there -the power went to my head haha!

This VFW has been renamed the Danny Dietz VFW and it was an honor to Wrap several Navy Seals, some that were even in the service with Danny in this Presentation.  ( click to Read about Danny Here ) 

I loved getting to learn the bios of these Veterans - we had those that served in: 

• Operation Joint Force
• Operation Spartan Shield
• One who was in charge of HIMARS operations ( I googled and they confirmed - HIMARS is High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems) 
• Navy Seal Officer 
• Vietnam
• Grenada
• Afghanistan
• A Computer operator
• Strategic command
• Persian gulf
• Cold war
• one that conducted night flight operations off a carrier
• A medic - who now is a command surgeon
• A machine Gunner
• an Air Force medic
• and the president of a Seal Group'

it was pretty cool!!And they were so amazed at all the beauty of the quilts they received. and were quite stunned that someone would want to honor them this way.

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QOV presentations

 Friday Afternoon found us at an Assisted Living Facility to award 3 Quilts of Valor. 

There are no photos, but it was very interesting to me. There are 14 veterans in this facility, and they do a therapy program (talk therapy).  I was allowed to sit in on it. I learned a few things, but mostly it was things that I have learned over the years of being in the units they have let me go in

The hardest part for me, was that we were in a closed room. I am kind of (okay really) Claustrophobic, and I struggle even with elevators. I was trying to center my mind, and the vet sitting next to me said - don't like small spaces eh?  Breathe with me. He was 85 - and we did some box breathing together and I was fine.

He was so very sweet, and was so fun to talk to.

( I have been in a lot of small spaces over the years with vets, but since 2020 not as much..*sigh* ) 

The Next QOV presentation was at a Breakfast!

and the latecomer ↓

This is a great group - The latecomer is not in trouble - I promise, his wife had been really sick so he was just a little late getting into the photo  but he wanted to make sure we had a photo to share.

We had a couple - she was army, he air force - so our group had 2 o the same quilts made - and I thought it would be cute to award them to them... that way they couldn't fight over whose was better. ( which I know they wouldn't - but it made everyone laugh)

I have so much fun doing these, and especially when I have gotten the chance to know the veterans personally... I might tease them a bit!!

After Breakfast, I headed back home to switch vehicles - and head to the next presentation.

(I stole my sons car so I could load all the quilts into two vehicles and not get confused!!)

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Finished!! (or not) Friday

I have a confession to make - I did not quilt this week... I went to meet my Grandbaby, and then I went and traveled a little more to see the sights....

So Absolutely nothing got done on my list ... and I am OK with that!!

I am in catch up mode - I have 3 QOV presentations this weekend ( 1 this afternoon) and I think I am about prepped for them. That is a lot of Quilt washing !

Rexie Roo Roo says I am laying down on the job....

The girls say that I should take them out more....

These guys were just happy to be... 

How did your week go??

Was it fun? Did you make sure to drink some water?

Let us all know!!

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Many Hearts Many Hands Potato Chip Ish blocks

 Many Hearts Many Hands is having another block drive with these cute little blocks - super easy to make, and!! Surprisingly all out of my scrap bin:

Prepping!! ↑

And now - A few blocks are stitched:

↓

You all knew I had the Blue - but ... were you surprised at the orange? haha!! Ya - me neither...

These are kind of fun- got more to make, and then I  think I will hang on to them for a bit, and maybe over the month I can prep some more in the colorways she asked for...

I think the drive is going until August.

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