As quilters we are always looking to learn new techniques and improve old ones.  On Saturday I took a crazy quilting class with Marilyn Urciuoli.  The pumpkin table runner is embellished crazy quilt stitches and ribbon embroidery. We learned a great variety of stitches and how to embellish with ribbon embroidery.  The sample was beautifully quilted.

On Sunday Tom and I visited the Remsen Barn Fest (a community north of Utica, NY) in anticipation of vending his photos next year.

Along with more than 200 craft vendors we were treated to strolling music groups: a brass trio, percussion duo and Sweet Adeline quartet.   The Snow Country Quilt Guild also holds its quilt show the weekend of the Barn Fest.

Of all the quilts on display, three of those that were hanging were finished versions of patterns that I have in my UFO stash.  (Makes me anxious to get them out and get them finished)

They featured the quilt that was part of a guild challenge.  Each person was given paint samples and had to make a block from the paint color palette.  I had heard about the quilt at the Quarterly Consortium meetings- but this is the first time I had seen it.

What a great to spend an early Fall weekend!

What a great day Monday was – we were able to spend the whole day at our favorite pastime -  quilting.

The Gang

We started off with an all day class with Linda Hunter on Redwork.  We’ll be putting the embroidery in this cute wall hanging.  She shared tips on making easy half square triangles using  Thangles, a grid and the Easy Angle ruler (I’ve had one of these rulers for some time, but have never used it);  as well as tips to addsetting triangles to finish the quilt and discussed some border options.  At the end of the class she challenged us to finish our quilts within the next couple of weeks – Sure -  right!   We all enjoyed her laid-back teaching style.

As the  guest speaker at our monthly Guild meeting Monday evening, Linda treated us to a Trunk Show of some of her beautiful quilts along with a lecture on the History of Redwork.

In addition, we  showcased our 2011 raffle quilt at the meeting.   The Thumbstall membership has been working on the applique borders and pieced blocks for the quilt over the past few months.   The pieced blocks are from the pattern, Granny Stars by Nancy Mahoney.  The border pattern was designed by one of our Guild members, Sandi Holland.  She based it on the  fabric we’ll be using in the center of the block.

Elegence

Center Block Fabric

Well official – summer is over.  We spent the last official weekend of summer doing some end of summer chores: cleaning up the vegetable garden and digging up the root vegetables:  carrots, onions, beets and carrots; weeding in the flower gardens, and freezing some more vegetables.  It was a great year for vegetables – I have a full freezer of corn, sugar snap peas, broccoli, roasted red peppers and eggplant.  After the first frost we’ll be adding the brussel sprouts.

Unfortunately preserving all that bounty has cut down on my quilting time!  I look forward to some rainy Fall and Wintery days that I can devote to just quilting – Life is good!

We ended the perfect weekend on Owasco Lake.  Owasco is the third largest of the Fingerlakes covering more than 6,000 acres.  After 4 days of 90 degree weather last week it has cooled down to the 60′s. Luckily today was in the 70′s.  – A beautiful day for boating with friends.

We met a couple from Rochester on the outing – she happens to be a quilter.  So of course we hit it off right away discussing favorite quilt shops around Central New York, charity projects….  What a small world it really is.