Taking the Backroads

I have been expanding my photo services a bit - and have started taking more family type photography. A family that lives a little out of the way asked me to come to do their photography. And I had a blast!!  I went down a really cool dirt road, and under a highway - and of course - I made my husband come drive for me - so I could yell  *STOP*  every time I want to take a different photo.....

Of course - this was after I photographed the family. I wanted to make sure I had enough card space and battery  ( Ok - I do - i have 3 batteries... and 4 cards... I just wanted to sound like I had priorities)

Want to see what I saw?

Hope you said yes !!

 The little town on the way is a pretty little town and this looms over it - if you all have been in eastern colorado on I76 - you have probably seen it!!

This may have been abandoned  ( ha ha) not sure tho!

You probably remember how much I LOVE black and whites?  If I had more walls in my house - I would have a million of them..... don't ask how many walls I have already claimed......

I tell you - the sunset was just magnificent! No buildings to block anything, and no lights turning on

This time of year the sunflowers start to bloom and poor farmers have to deal with every photog in the city coming out to capture them. A lot of times to the detriment of the crop. I know - these aren't really sunflowers - but I caught the look - and .... didn't get in any field!!   ( go me!)

We will call him Cliff

Cliff heard my car and heard the window go down and he gave me quite the stare.

Anywhere I moved... Cliff kept his eagle eye on me

At first it was funny - then it was kinda creepy

He felt big and bad as we drove away

he stared down that big ol white vehicle and claimed him pasture back

I LOVE barns!!!

And the skies - I feel the clouds and the skies really add so much drama!!

This is my fence post - by the time I let my poor husband stop driving it was pretty dark - but I love the effect of the stars in the sky with this one.

And another of Cliff - just cuz I like him... and I think - deep down under that angry stare.... he loves me

and this is the family

They are moving from this beautiful location and wanted some last memories of it

Here I tried to Photograph them looking  really nostalgic

The End

QOV Flags for Sue

Just sit right back and you'll take a trip - a trip with lots of photos..... ( I sang that in my head to Gilligan's Island - there is a reason I don't write music!)

are you ready!!

A TON of Blocks came in and I want you all to see them!!

I tried to write on each one - and if I knew their blogs I included them! Go check them out! These are such amazing quilters!!

All of these - 

including the top made by Connie represent   

135 Blocks

for a total of

327 Blocks!!!

Oh My Stars!!

I am so impressed !!

and overwhelmed !

This is just awesome

I so appreciate your love and support!!

Churning Away

My Churns are growing....

I think this is going to be my final layout - and now I will start filling in the blanks


I think.

It's hard to make decisions

Ps - on the tutorial I shared ... watch it - and watch the method - the math I gave you works out perfectly for THAT tutorial.... I promise - I have practiced  ;-) 



Linking to:
Design Wall Monday
Love Laugh Quilt
Main Crush Monday
Moving it Forward
Boms Away

Lyons Outdoor Quilt Show

Today was such a great day!!
I got to spend the morning with one of my favorite groups of Veterans - I met a 97 year old Veteran who was in WWII - He was part of the first daytime attack on Tokyo in a B29 Bomber ... and way more! He told us his story and I wished I had a tape recorder ( and no - I did not think of the video camera on my phone!! Ugh!)

Then we drove up the canyon to the Lyons Outdoor Quilt show - this is the second year they have hosted this.  Last year - I was transporting a kid to law school so I was forgiven for not attending.

but THIS YEAR - I was there!!

This was me being all artsy - capturing the collage quilt and the quilt store name ( after being on Facebook I was not the only one that thought this way ha ha)

This is from the road.

I was in the car heading to the gas station - so wasn't impeding traffic

I just loved this one

It just called me - 

but then so did the other 99 quilts

My husband sorta agreed with me

If we took all of them home

and displayed them a week or two at a time

then returned them - the owners would be okay with that right??

 Check out this jeep one

I may need to do a pattern search for it

It was too cool!

This was fun

A couple of the docents were talking about the speakers their guild was ( were) having

and they said Alycia Carmin is coming in November and I said - that's me

So she went and gathered more guild members

and I got to meet the NICEST quilters!!

And now I know some of the members for when I go speak

at the Longmont Quilt Guild in November

PS - that's me with my new friends

and then - we might have had to make a run up the mountain to the chocolate factory

Cuz who can live without chocolate??

Flags for Sue #5

Here is the 5th Quilt in our Flags for Sue series.... I really like the way this one turned out.

and I had fun coming up with a new idea. 

I am so tickled to keep watching these blocks come in
I have another stack of envelopes to take photos of - and I LOVE it!!

if you are interested in making a block
http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2018/07/flags-for-sue.html

Linking with:
Finished Friday at Confessions
TGIF Friday
Finished or Not Finished

Churn Dash blocks and a tutorial

Back when I showed you this top....

 along with all of my churn dashes - there were a few comments and a bunch of emails about writing a tutorial for making Churn Dashes with 5 inch squares....

Well - I did better than that!!  The tutorial is by Missouri Star Quilt Company - and here is the link:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9i0FndQsco

1 - They use layer cakes - I cut up scraps into 5 inch squares
2. they add a little 2 1/2 inch square in the corner - I have no patience for that  ( Grin)


My dear friend asked me to make some 8 1/2 inch Churns for her - and I thought - Oh! I'll use this method and *gasp* do math!!!   Just so you know... math was a little harder than I thought this time!!

But I figured out the 8 1/2 inch ( Unfinished) measurements

Along with a lot of other measurements -
So - because I want to impress you with my Mathical skills.....

and show you all my attempts ( 2 and 4, 1 and 3, and 2 and 4 are the original MSQC Tute blocks)
the others.... they match the math below:

Ta Da!!!

So if you use the square size on the left

you will end up with an unfinished block size at the right

and the ones that are empty

I got tired.... but I will get to them too

Just based on the arithmetic pattern - I would assume that 2 1/2 inch will be 6 inches

and that 2 inches would be 4 1/2 inches - but again people

MATH!

And now!! I have another Churn Dash quilt in progress... who knows how these things happen??

linking to:
Design Wall Monday
Main Crush Monday
Monday Making

BOMS away

More Flags for Sue.... and My One Monthly Goal

it is just so much fun to go to the mailbox these days... And yes there are still a few bills - but I can easily toss those aside to ohh and ahh over the blocks!!!  Whoot Whoot!!

Want to see the loot from this week... um I mean blocks????

So I Tried to write on each photo

Because some of you told me some cool things that I didn't want to forget

Like this one

AGE 11 

Totally Awesome!!!

And here is Top Number 4

Maybe

I kinda sorta think I should put a light blue border around it

Middle bit agrees, Little bit says - eh Maybe

I said  - I want to get it in this blog post so stand up and let me take a photo!!

What do you think?

and PS - some of you (not necessarily the one under this ) said - they are not perfect

but I hope you can use them

um!! Have you ever read my blog....

Perfection is not a worry!

I can use them - they way I have been setting them is pretty dang forgiving

and PPS

you do that measurements are just an estimate right???

Suzanne

I think I should come visit about now

Is it cool in Alaska in the summer????

Do you have an igloo I could sleep in?

So!!

This photo post represents 67 new flag blocks received

( and my husband just walked in with another package!!)

for a total of

drum roll please

and calculator please

Tada

192 Blocks!!!

And Oh Ya!! My One Monthly Goal for August.... Put together as many tops as I can with these awesome blocks....

Linking to:

August One Monthly Goal


Oh and PPS or PPSS or - well I forgot where I am
If you want to make some blocks - here is the link and I would love to have them before September 1st

http://alyciaquilts.blogspot.com/2018/07/flags-for-sue.html

Becasue of the finished top:
linking to:Can I get a Whoop Whoop
Finished or not finished
TGIF Friday