Yet Another Creative Excursion

Well I got back home to Maryland this weekend, and right away I got to go on another Creative Excursion!  Even on a rainy day, walking around Washington DC is one of my favorite things to do.  My morning started yesterday at a Starbucks at 1700 Pennsylvania Ave :), then I took a stroll down the street past the White House... 

...Blair House, the guest house for visiting Heads of State...

 ...The Renwick Gallery (I love this building)...

 ...The Old Executive Office Building...

 ...And I ended up Here!  The DAR is one of my very favorite museums.  I met friends from the Baltimore Applique Society, (and a visiting friend I hadn't seen in a while!) and we were treated to a wonderful presentation upstairs of some quilts that aren't displayed (We got to wear white gloves and really explore the quilts!), and then we were treated to a museum tour :) 

I left with some great photos that I was allowed to snap (but not publish), and this pattern to add to my collection!  I saw this quilt displayed in the museum, so I couldn't resist the pattern :)

...Now today I have to buckle down and get some work done for a change!

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Inspiration Everywhere...

Still walking all over Shelbyville KY and finding inspiration where ever I go.  I love this beautiful fountain for it's classic lines and carvings.

I'm always attracted to old ornate buildings, and right near where my mom lives is the Historic Court House building.
 

I'm seeing applique shapes here :)

I've enjoyed wandering Main Street all week, full of cute shops and classic old buildings (This is a view from the cute little Park)...

...And I may have just explored the inside of some of the Antique Shops while on a Creative Excursion without Barkley.  It was a lot of fun this visit because I drove and have a whole car I can fill, and not just a suitcase...I've behaved pretty well though ;)

Enjoy the day!

~ Dawn

Going on Walk About

This is Barkley.  My Mom's neighbor has been walking him for her while she's been sick, but since I'm visiting this week, I've taken over Barkley duty and we've been exploring the town together.

Barkley takes me to neat places off the beaten path.

The weather has been beautiful and we always stop to smell the roses...

...And go to the cute little park square on Main Street that Barkley and I both enjoy.

They even have a town Time Capsule buried there!

 

Since my schedule isn't booked up yet for 2037 (Yes, Google Calendar will go out that far!), I'm saving the date :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

When Two Quilters Get Together...

What do two quilters do when they get together on a visit?  Well go find a local quilt shop of course!  Even though my mom has been sick, she told me there was this fairly new quilt shop in her neighborhood, and asked if I'd like to take her to check it out.

...Well, she didn't have to ask me twice!  We went to Cotton Blossom Quilting Shop in Historic Shelbyville KY, and it was an adorable little shop.  (I'm loving this entire town by the way, and this shop is only a couple of blocks from my mom's home). They carry some lovely fabrics, in a nice mix of classic and modern.

There were beautiful samples, and tons of product around every corner.  The owners, Naomi & Kieth Cable have a great eye for display and setting up cute little vignettes to please the eye...
  

...And of course inspire.  ~ And I may just have left with a few fat quarters too.

If you are ever in the area, Historic Shelbyville Kentucky is a lovely place to visit (Beautiful Buildings, Antique Shops, and easy to access right off of I64), and Cotton Blossom Quilting Shop is like the cherry on top of an already sweet dessert :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

A Gift From One Quilter to Another :)

This is another of the projects that I was working on last week.  It was a surprise though, so I couldn't show it to you until now.

I've traveled out this week to Kentucky to visit with my mom, and to take take her to her next chemo treatment (she's battling off Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma ~ very gallantly I might add!).  Well a few weeks ago I realized that I've never made a quilt for my mom ~ she's a quilter herself and doesn't really need a quilt from me, but since she's a quilter I knew she would appreciate it :)

So I gathered some really bright and happy fabrics, (some you might recognize from the Flamingo quilt), and I made up my Chutes & Ladders pattern in a throw size quilt.  I even used a vintage sheet that I had as the light yellow inner border.

...And the vintage sheet worked great for a soft and cuddly backing too.  And just as I thought, Mom did really appreciate it :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

**PS ~ If you haven't cast your vote yet for the AccuQuilt Barn Quilt Contest, I'd really appreciate a vote cast for my little design - #26 :) You can use this link and cast one vote per email address through tomorrow, (April 18th): 

http://www.accuquilt.com/barnquilt/entry.html

Some Good News & A Friday Finish :)

Today, in the middle of frantically trying to get all of the work done for my day job, Spring Water Designs deadlines, pick up some groceries and get my household squared away before taking off on a week visit to spend some quality girl time with my Mom, I received an email with some good news that really perked me up ~ My entry for AccuQuilt's Barn Quilt Contest has made it to the Finals!  Now I need the help of my friends to go and vote for my design.  If you don't mind taking the time, here is the link to go vote (My design is #26):

http://www.accuquilt.com/barnquilt/entry.html

In between all that, I did finally get my Flamingo Challenge quilt quilted today, so I do have a Friday Finish too!  It's the first larger quilt that I've quilted on my HQ Sweet Sixteen :)

...Well I do still have to finish the binding, but it's pretty much finished!

I was running out of week quickly, so I didn't do anything fancy for the quilting, just my regular all over meander, but I think that will make for a nice comfy donation quilt.  I wanted to get it finished before leaving on my trip, because right after I get back I have to have it turned in for our Guild's quilt show display of all of the Flamingo Challenge quilts.

I used every last bit of the Flamingo fabric, with the last piece used in the backing :)

...And since it'll be a donation quilt, the guild gave out special stamped labels that I signed and pieced into the backing too.  It was a fun quilt to make, I hope someone gets lots of love from it :)

I'm a little late for WIP Wednesday, but you can still check out the Quiltsy Team blog to see what others are working on.  

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn

Another Spring Publication

This is my little mini quilt call "Dew on the Sweet Peas".  (Here I am again with the Spring Garden theme.)  This one is so me, even besides the garden theme ~ a little stitchery, a little applique, and a little wool :)

And the little Sweet Pea flowers are 3D (and super easy to make) ~ I think they make a fun little addition.  It makes for a cute welcome banner in the foyer for Spring.

...Or the potting shed :)  You can get the pattern right now in the May/June issue of Create & Decorate Magazine, and this is the magazine photo shot by Sean O'Brien.
 

I know you can usually find this magazine at JoAnn's, but you can order it online too.  It's chocked full of projects in many different craft venues.  I love their style :)

Enjoy the day!
~ Dawn