Strawberry Stroll Center Medallion

After watching that video, I decided I needed to get my act in gear.  So, here’s the first installment of Quilting Editions Strawberry Stroll.  It’s for the applique center medallion.  The design is layered on purpose to give it dimension.

Nancy A.—-I’ll get your packet in the mail next week….promise.

The seeds are little buttons I found that look a lot like black seeds.  They were added after the quilting was completed.

Strawberry Stroll Center Medallion

I included the strawberry facing left and right so that you can choose which one to work with.

SherylSigRedFinal2

When You Feel Sorry For Yourself—

It happens to all of us.  Life sometimes puts so much on our plates that we can’t even think about the next day.

A good friend sent this link to me and I want to share it with you.

I am in absolute awe of this woman and I think you will be also.

SherylSigRedFinal2

Thank You !!!

I want to say thank you to my readers who so generously gave support to Options for the telethon.  Every donation truly makes a difference.  Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I have not been able to put the final touch on the first installment for the FQ Stroll pattern due to family issues but as soon as I can get to it, I will.  I also have not had time to get the package mailed to Nancy but it is on my to-do list.  I am going to try to get both of these things done before next week.

Hang in there with me.  I’ll eventually get there  :-)

 

SherylSigRedFinal2

Options Telethon

As you know, our son Chris is a client with Options.

Chris Potholder 600x400

They are the source of his work training, his job, and provide his supervision/care at his apartment.  The workers take him shopping, to his appointments, take him on outings, etc.  Options will be providing care for our son throughout his life.

As with all agencies, funding is tight. Our state has clamped down on practically every facet of assistance to these programs that help the handicapped person.  It has become much more difficult for Options and other similar agencies to provide care but somehow they do it.

Options hosts an annual fundraiser that they call a telethon although it’s a weeks-long fundraiser rather than a phone event.  This event will soon be completed for this year (although they gratefully accept donations at any time).

Last weekend Don and I volunteered in the Options booth at the Louisiana Strawberry Festival in Ponchatoula.  We sold fabulously delicious oven baked pretzels that were mixed/proofed/baked on site.  They were a popular treat for many festival go-ers.

Don works for Weyerhaeuser and they are one of the supporting teams for this years telethon.   I don’t usually ask for much from my readers, but I’m going to make a request today.

If you have been contemplating a donation to a worthy group, please consider Options as your recipient.  If you are just in a great mood today, please consider donating to Options in the name of the Weyerhaeuser team.  All donations regardless of size are welcomed and appreciated.  Not only will our wonderful son Chris benefit, but many, many more disabled clients will benefit from your kindness.

If you decide to participate in the Weyerhaeuser donation team, please click on this link.  You will find a link on the left of the page where you can make a direct donation via PayPal or  download a paper form to donate by mail.

Options Telethon 2013 Team Weyerhaeuser 

The Options telethon ends this year on April 29th.

Thank you.

SherylSigRedFinal2

 

Strawberry Stroll Winner

The random number chosen is:

strawberrystrollnumber

The winning comment is from:

NancyAngerer

 

Nancy, I need you to get in touch with your mailing address so I can get your fabric set in the mail this week.  Congrats and enjoy!

SherylSigRedFinal2

Original Strawberry Stroll Fabrics

If you haven’t left a comment on the previous post about the 1st Quilting Editions:  Strawberry Stroll…please go do that so you can be entered to win a pack of the original FQ’s used in the design.

This is the only pack I have of these fabrics.  I’m going to check my stash as we go along to see if I can put together packs for the other designs but don’t get your hopes up too high.  I know where one bag is that has some fabrics from the next one but I don’t think it’s the whole collection.  If I can make up packets, I’ll give one packet away with each design…but no promises.  :-)

Comments left on any other post will *not* be considered in the drawing.

When you’re choosing your fabrics, please keep in mind that the overall design is only 30″ square.  There are no large pieces so anything but small scale designs won’t show up well.  Don’t stress out about the small pieces.  We’re going to take this one step at a time and if you only work on one border at a time, it will go together quickly and easily.  Promise!  Right, Denise?

In order to help you with shopping your stash or buying new FQ’s, I’ve scanned the original fabrics for you.

fabrics600x

 

SherylSigRedFinal2

Quilting Editions #1—Strawberry Stroll

I didn’t forget about our Quilting Editions projects.  It’s been more than a little crazy around here the last few weeks.  Our boys all got haircuts last Monday and I’ll write more about that later.

Our first project is “Strawberry Stroll”.  You may use a different applique motif in the medallion center if you have one you wish to use.  I don’t have any alternates for you to use and just don’t have time to draw any but you are free to use artistic freedom.

Here’s the design we’re working on right now.

Strawberry Stroll--#1 in the series

Strawberry Stroll–#1 in the series

 Click here to download the supply list/cover sheet.

Get your supplies together and I’ll put our first set of instructions up on 4/27.  That will give you almost 2 weeks to find the fabrics you want to use.

 I have one set of original fabrics that were used for this pattern.  Leave a comment  *on this post * about what colors you plan to use for your Strawberry Stroll and if you’re going to use the pattern as is or substitute a different applique center. I’ll use a random number generator to choose someone to receive this set of FQ’s.

Only one comment per reader.  

Comments must be made no later than midnight CST 4/20/2013.

 

SherylSigRedFinal2

Ready For a New Project?

For several years I designed a pattern for the FQ Stroll for BerryPatch Art & Quilt Expo in Ponchatoula.  Because Ponchatoula is well known for it’s luscious strawberries, each design featured the lovely, red fruits except for the last one.  You could easily add a strawberry in the oval by using one from a previous pattern.

BerryPatch Productions is no longer in business and there’s no quilt expo in Ponchatoula so I’ve decided to share my designs with you.  It will be set up as a twice monthly edition pattern.   Let’s call it  ”Quilting Editions”.

It won’t be like a mystery because you’ll know what you’re making and can easily choose your fabrics.  Twice a month, I’ll release a part of the design so that at the end…if you’ve been keeping up….your quilt top will be ready.

I’ll check to see if there might be kits still available for these if anyone is interested in using the original fabrics.  I’ll post that info later.

The designs will be offered in the order that I designed them.  Here they are just to get your creative juices revved up.

Strawberry Stroll--#1 in the series

Strawberry Stroll–#1 in the series

Strolling for Dessert---#2 in the series

Strolling for Dessert—#2 in the series

Berry Elegance---#3 in the series

Berry Elegance—#3 in the series

Tea With Marie---#4 and the final design in the series

Tea With Marie—#4 and the final design in the series

Do you think you’ll play along with this series?

SherylSigRedFinal2

Shearing Day Coming Up at Pieceful ‘Pacas

I haven’t been able to get a firm date for shearing but it is to be either April 8th or 9th.  That’s only a week away.  I imagine we’ll probably get started as early as 8am.  It should take 2-3 hours.

Don is going to try to be home for the shearing but we’ll need more help.  If anyone in our area is interested in seeing what goes on at a shearing, please let me know and I’ll sign you up to help.

No, you won’t be expected to rope alpacas, tie them down, or do the shearing but we’ll need help with bagging up the fleece into name specific sets, be in charge of making sure each paca gets it’s shots, blowing off the mat between boys, etc.  I’ll have the meds already drawn up and labeled and I’ll give the shots so whoever is in charge of meds doesn’t have to worry about that part.

I’ll have plenty of water on ice for us and provide coffee/muffins for breakfast and a light lunch for our helpers.

Let me know if you can join us!

SherylSigRedFinal2

Shearing Day at Gnomewood Farm

I spent this past Thursday at Gnomewood Farm near Covington, LA.  I went to help and to learn.  It was a great day!  I’m so glad I went because I probably would cry when I see the first one of ours post shearing if I hadn’t seen it first.   Our boys are due to be shorn either April 8th or 9th.

Here is part of the herd waiting for their turn.  There was a lot of humming going on that day.  One of the times they hum is when they’re nervous about something.

The alpaca in front is gorgeous.  He has the most beautiful grey fleece and an amazing coloring down the back of his neck.

The alpaca in front is gorgeous. He has the most beautiful grey fleece and an amazing coloring down the back of his neck.

"Let's blow this joint"

“Let’s blow this joint”

Paca600x400

They look so fat and fluffy with all that fleece.  Check out that sock over his nose & mouth.  Know what that’s for?  He’s a spitter.  :-)

"The Spitter"

“The Spitter”

He may be a spitter, but he’s gorgeous!  Oh, but look at him after being shorn.

TheSpitterAfter600x400

Elmer is the guy doing the shearing.  He’s from Iowa and travels all over to shear sheep, alpacas, and llamas.  He carries this corral or chute or whatever you want to call it.  It contains the animal while the shearing is being done.

ElmerShearing600x400

This is Zorro.  He was huge.

This is Zorro. He was huge with all his fleece.

He looked like a linebacker

He looked like a linebacker before Elmer did his magic.

Yikes!

Yikes!  What have you done to me?

All their white alpacas have blue eyes.  It’s called “BEW” for  ”Blue Eyed White” and I still need to do some more research on it.  All my whites have brown eyes.  I just love these blue ones!

WhitePacaBefore600x400

Before shearing

After!!!

After!!!  That’s Noel behind the paca.  She is one of the owners of the farm.

A couple more pictures of magnificent alpacas.

Paca2resize

Paca3 600x400

The shearing process yields  2 different cuts of fleece.  This is the “blanket” being shorn.  The legs, neck, and belly are called “seconds” because the fiber is shorter and not as fine.  With 21 alpacas done that day, there was a lot of fleece collected.

Beautiful gray fleece

Beautiful gray fleece

I’m looking forward to seeing what we get from our boys.

SherylSigRedFinal2

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