One more Design Star Challenge 1 entry teaser...

Notice a pattern going on here?!?! Those were for inspiration--now for the teasers....

...All will be revealed on Tuesday...I am going to quilt it tomorrow--we had to have our entry photo unquilted---not sure why--as the quilting is usually the 3rd layer in my design process. But had to follow the rules--which is usually quite hard for me. Oh and isn't that the coolest verse from Jeremiah??

World Pork Expo

First lets start by saying that--really?!?!--I have been working with hogs every day--and sometmes 2 times a day--of course that would be morning and night--so that one has to shower two and once in a while three times a day. Let's not make it easy and have the 2 a days both in the morning--that might be too much planning for some people--but I'm not really complaining as it is the life we chose and I do love working with my husband. It's just the fact that even though I grew up on a hog farm--I just don't really like to get all dirty and stinky--and if you have never smelt a hog barn--it is quite a pungent odor. I really like to stay clean and actually have my hair looking nice during the day!!
OK enough ranting about that--I am really proud of the fact that I can sort and load these critters just about as good as my husband!!

So where was I going with this post--oh yeah--the World Pork Expo is held in Des Moines every year and Loren has wanted to go every year--well this year he decided that we should go--yep--we loaded a semi at 5am--left for Des Moines at 5pm--got there about 9:30pm and returned home about 7pm the next day because we had to sort  a semi load for the following morning. Now if you didn't follow that--don't worry--just know that we totally had a little relaxing day right inbetween loading semi's!!
The trade show was quite interesting--I probaly couldn't do it more than one day--but still it was interesting. The really cool part was all the sponsored food tents outside!! The smell of grilled pork just made your mouth water--and then to find out that it was all free!! Well even better!! One company had a Hawaiian Luau theme with real hula dancers. There was fresh squeezed lemonade with appetizers in another tent. The most amazing delight was something called hog wings--they come from the shank bone in the leg--and they just melted in your mouth!! Totally worth the price of admission!!

McCall's Prize Package!!

Wow--what a cool package to recieve in the mail. Lots of goodies to play with--and I have been known to drop and then step on that cool little iron--so I think I will be putting this one in a safe place in case that happens again!! Lots of variety in the fat quarters--the large stack from Moda is woodsy flannels, a stack of Halloween, cheerful blue and yellows and some cute Snoopy ones. Now to find the right project to use them in!!
Thanks so much to McCall's Quilting magazine for this Design Star contest and all the companies that sponsor it. I am having loads of fun!!

Design Star Challenge 1 inspiration...

Just a quick little tease of my inspiration for my Challenge 1 Design Star quilt....
Got you wondering now...give me a week and all will be revealed!!!

Wedding quilt

Ashley wanted an outdoor wedding, but didn't want to deal with weather chances--so we settled on a canopy that her and Ty could get married under. We rented old porch poles from a lady in Sioux Center and I made them a quilt that would form the canopy. We wanted the quilt to have lots of symbolism and meaning to add to their special day. The center interconeccted rings consist of 4 fabrics each to represent Ashley and Ty. A cross quilted in the center to remind them to keep Christ as the center of the new family they are starting. Then through all the white rings Tyler's Mom wrote her anniversary date and the grand and great grandparents dates. I did the same thing. We also incorporated little pieces of handwork from both sides of the family. The letter above is a love letter written by Ashley's grandparents while he served in the Korean War.
A special quilt for a special couple--meant to remind them of all the years of family history before them and to keep the Lord as the center of their life.

Happy 2 year anniversary--June 4

What a great day we had 2 years ago!! We put in lots of hours putting everything together and it came together in a beautiful day.

After the reception we had a rousing game of family kickball--women vs men and of course no rules--Gma Attema even caught a pop fly in center field. Bean Bag games and ice cream sundaes finished off the evening!!

Lots of love to Ashley and Ty--we love you both and you both are doing a great job starting your new life together!!!

Fabric Choices...

Loren's niece and nephew graduated from 8th grade this year--and had 5 years of theme shirts that they wanted put into a quilt..Well 8 block isn't quite enough for a nice sized throw--so I add the 4 fabric blocks--but isn't it interesting how just the change in fabrics can make one definitly girly and the other one masculine. It isn't very often that I start with the exact same product and just by adding the right colors--come up with 2 completely different products.
Oh and they loved them--which is all that matters in the end

Under the Sea MQS 2012

Having never been to a quilt show that was just specifically for machine quilting, I didn't know what to expect--but after recieving an educational grant--I couldn't wait to find out. Mom and I set out down I-29 and 6 hours and 3 bathroom stops later we were at the Sheraton Hotel. What a great time I had in the classes--Claudia Pfeil, Deloa Jones, Dusty Farrel, Cathy Franks, and Judy Woodwarth--almost inspiration overload--but what a boost for my creativity!! I learned a little something new in every class and can't wait to try all the new designs out!!
Then came the quilt show--what a rush it was to see my quilts hanging in the same hall as some of the big names in quilting--WOW--what inspiration there was almost too much to take in. I didn't take any photos as I purchased the CD and that has many detail shots--probaly better than I would have taken.
But the highlight of the whole event was the ribbon ceremony. A complete rush to see a photo of your quilt come up on the big screen and then have the master of ceremonies say your name!!! Something I will never forget--and so happy that I could share this experience with my Mom!! She is not a quilter--but an amazing cheerleader!!

This quilt was in the Machine Embroidery catagory. I used Smith Street Designs for the applique blocks. Some of them I used fabric for the applique and some I did the colored pencil technique by Irena Blume. I digitized the words with my Art and Stitch software. Was a ton of fun to make and quilt. I called it "That new box of colors smell"--as that is a smell from my childhood that I have always loved and will never forget. This quilt recieved a 3rd place ribbon.

This quilt was in the Fabric Challenge catagory. We had a fat quarter of the light colored fabric and then had to do our best to showcase it. I used this opportunity to personally challenge myself to try something new. I have always wanted to try a Ricky Timms Rhapsody--and this seemed the perfect place to try. All I can say is that you could be seeing some more of this style--as it was way too much fun to see this one come to life. Another challenge I gave to myself was to digitize all the embroidery designs myself for this little gem. Again what a great learning experience. If any of you have wanted to try something like this--just take the plunge and go for it--you never know if you don't try. This quilt received a first place ribbon.

This was an amazing experince and so glad that I could share it with my Mom!!!