EQ8 Design -- New York Beauty Variation

I just put together an EQ8 design for the next big quilt I plan to make -- a New York Beauty variation.  It will be in tones of cream, ivory, and white TOTs (tone on tones), and will be embellished with lots of Venice lace and pearls, and possibly silk ribbon embroidery, too.  The lace will go around all those curves.  I need 36 yards.

I have quite a few other things to do first, but at least this pattern is now ready and waiting.  I have the fabric, too, including the backing -- got it at a smashing bargain from Marshall Dry Goods Co.  Here's the diagram:

Labels on 1936 Sunbonnet Sue Quilt

Saturday I finished putting all the labels on the back of the 1936 Sunbonnet Sue quilt.  The Sue blocks were made by relatives and friends in 1936 and given to my mother, Hester Maurine [Winings] Swiney.

It took the better part of two days to get them machine-embroidered and sewn onto the quilt.  I still need to steam them, maybe give it a little spray of sizing.  The wind was lifting the quilt there on the back deck as I was taking photos, and the sun is low, so some of the puffy areas look more puffy than they really are, and some of the labels don't look quite straight.  Optical illusion!  They're straight, they're straight.  😉

My sister Lura Kay used to play with these 18 Sunbonnet Sue blocks, when she was a little girl in the early 1940s.  She had few other toys.  She gave me the blocks four years ago.  I designed the Irish Chain spacer blocks in EQ8.  I wish I could show it to my mother!

Here are the labels:  first, the block; then the label that is sewn directly behind it on the back of the quilt.  The last label is the main quilt label.  There's a hanging sleeve at the top.  It will be hung, rather than used on a bed.  It's a keepsake!  Those Sunbonnet Sue blocks are 82 years old.

The quilt measures 87" x 87". I used #40 Omni thread on top, #60 Bottom Line in the bobbin, both in pale yellow. The batting is Poly Dream. There are 68.5 hours in the quilting alone.

Silver Threads Quilt Show at Creede, Colorado

Today we went to the Silver Threads Quilt Show.  It was named after the Silver Thread Scenic Byway that passes around Creede and north toward Lake City.  The Byway was in turn named after the silver mines that dot the area, past and present.

The quilt show was held in a community center like no other: it was blasted right out of the rock wall. There are 10,000 square feet of floor.  Read about it here:

Underground Mining Museum

One of the old cars that will be in the Cruisin' the Canyon car show tomorrow.

I told Larry to stand and look at the quilt, so my picture would show perspective, and people would be able to tell how very big this quilt is. He *looked* at it, all right. He looked at it so closely and thoroughly, I'm surprised he didn't go cross-eyed! There's always a clown amongst us.

I noticed that when a few ladies went out one of the doorways into the hall leading to other big rooms, a few of them yelped and scampered sideways.  I had to go see what the cause of this was -- and this is what I found.

I could've brought my Sunbonnet Sue quilt and had it appraised! This lady was doing appraisals.

This two-spotted stinkbug was on the seat of the pickup when I opened the door to get in. I was glad I noticed him before I clambered in and ker-plunked meseff down atop him! I sweet-talked him onto a plastic knife, and vewwwwy, vewwwwwy ca'fully (à la Victoria, age 2 or thereabouts) escorted him to a nearby flowerbed.