I just returned from spending a couple of days up in Downieville. We had the flooring replaced in the kitchen. Even though the kitchen is very small, this was a two day job for the installer. The house is very old and not at all square or level. It was a bit of a trick for him to create a relatively level surface on which to lay the flooring.
Before and after, bye bye green and gold!
We did things in reverse order with this room. We haven’t painted or updated the cabinets yet and Ray plans to put up some bead board in the little eating area but the two tone gold and green floors were awful so we had the new vinyl installed and we will just have to tarp it when the other projects are done. It will be a while before we tackle them and we were tired of looking at that flooring. I am happy to check this off the list as we make progress on this little house of ours.
As you know, Julia is raising pigs to show and auction at the county fair. She will be there each day and it will be time consuming for her. Since she isn’t yet driving, I will also be there quite a bit. I decided to volunteer some time at the quilt exhibit and also to…. Yikes! ….. enter a few quilts. I have never done this. It just creates this vulnerable feeling to have someone judge my work. But I am going to do this. Here are the three projects I chose to enter and why I chose them.
Positively Floating; September 2016
I finished this quilt last fall. I love the design of it and the quilting. This was the second time I quilted on a long arm and looking at it makes me want to do that again. It was a lot of fun and so different from quilting with my home machine.
It needs a sleeve and label to be ready for the show.
I will also enter my THREAD quilt.
I made this quilt when I was writing the tutorial for relief quilting. I love this little quilt.
The relief quilting was great and the improv border was so much fun to create. I think the little spools of thread add whimsy to the piece. Luckily I have a sleeve on this quilt but it needs to be labeled.
Finally I chose to enter the Sweet Tweets baby quilt.
This is a bright, colorful piece will hopefully catch the eye of visitors to the show. I am happy with the quilting I did on it. It still needs a sleeve and label.
Hopefully the visitors coming through the exhibit will like it as well!
For the next couple of days I will be in prep mode. I am vending at a quilt show for the Truckee Meadows Quilt Guild. It will be held in Reno, Nevada this weekend. It is about two hours from home but luckily my in-laws have a second home in Reno and they are graciously letting me stay there in the evenings. It would be too much to drive back and forth each night. I need to cut more fat quarter bundles and get a few other things ready so I doubt I will get any sewing done this week. If you are in the area, please come to the show and find my booth. I would love to say hi. 🙂 I will keep you posted on the show via Instagram and Facebook. I hope you will follow along with this this weekend!
Today is my husband’s birthday so I need to be baking a cake and he requested enchiladas for his birthday dinner. I am going to get the cake in the oven now before it gets too hot. Have a nice day and keep cool with this crazy heat!
Good for you Bernie! I’ve entered quilts in my NC State Fair. It’s fun to win a ribbon or prize, which I have done, because you receive a comment and scoring sheet which is helpful and humbling for good or bad. Always an opportunity for growth in our craft!
It’s also a great reason to go and see what other quilters in your area are accomplishing.
Keep us posted on your efforts.
Beth
Thank you Beth. I think the scoring sheets will be helpful. It is funny because I post all sorts of stuff on the blog but that is less intimidating than having the quilts hanging there for a week! I have always loved looking at the quilts others have made so I may as well join in. I appreciate your encouragement!
Happy birthday to your husband! It can definitely feel scary to enter work to be judged, but I hope you get a big rush of pleasure at seeing your quilts on display. It sounds like you have quite the busy time lined up between the show this weekend and all the upcoming fair activities.
Yes- very busy over the next three weeks or so. But it is all fun projects to be working on so I don’t mind.
The birthday cake just came out of the oven so that is done and now the house smells so good. Have a great day Yvonne!
Good luck-they are so pretty!
Thank you Susan. It will be a great experience, I am sure. Plus I think once I have gone through this process, I will feel more comfortable about doing it again. 🙂
Love seeing glimpses of the Downieville house – your flooring is pretty and really lightens the space.
I think you are courageous, but oh I would enter those quilts too – they are each so beautiful.
Good luck with all your activities. 🙂
Love the new flooring! Very modern feeling. Great job entering your quilts. Best wishes!
Your little house is coming along, bit by bit. I think it makes us enjoy the journey more (sometimes). Great picks on the quilts for the fair! I need to try making one of the relief quilts. I think I could do it now with my new machine! Happy birthday to your husband! I hope you have a relaxing, fun, celebratory evening!
I love your 3 choices… how could the judges not??
I also love the updated floor. Happy birthday Ray!!
Hi, I just found out we don’t need to label them for the fair. Whoohoo.
Nice that you could spend some time in Downieville. I was missing the updates of the renovations. Have fun at the fair and the show. Good luck to both Julia and you. You chose a nice variety of quilts to enter. I think a fair is a good place to start entering a show if you haven’t done it before. They’ll be viewed by a lot of people who are not primarily quilters, so your quilts will give them a range of patterns and quilting styles to look at. (Not sure if I’m expressing that well.) Have fun celebrating Ray’s birthday!
Bernie, the quilts are all beautiful! I really love the Sweet Tweets because I love birds. Good Luck you quilt very well so you have my vote. Hope your husband had a very Happy Birthday!
Good Luck I the show, three good entries. Positively Floating is my favourite. Nice flooring, it gives the kitchen a completely different look.
Good luck at the fair Julia & Bernie! So sorry I will miss you, we are headed north to visit family tomorrow. The timing of the fair is tricky to work around our family trips. I showed a couple quilts in the fair about 2 years ago. It’s a sweet venue, it’s really fun to see your quilts hanging up. And lots of people wander through, so all your friends will see them! Volunteering sounds fun. Enjoy the time! I look forward to your posts!