The final vinyl project -- welcome baby Jentry

With work and quilts and kids and school and activities and all of the other things that seem to occupy my time, it is hard to squeeze in much more. That being said, after months on the to-do list, I was finally able to get to this vinyl project to welcome baby Jentry.

Several years ago, I made a similar frame for her big brother Jax to match his nursery. Jentry's grandma sent me a photo of the crib quilt used in her room that I used for inspiration. I cut the vinyl and applied it to the mat of a store-bought picture frame. I included the baby's name, birthday, and other pertinent stats. It's a fun keepsake to show off one of new baby's photos.

This was the last hurrah for the vinyl business. Even though I said Janurary first of 2012 was the end, I had several customers that needed "just one more". This is it! Closed for good! While it was fun and a great creative outlet, there are just too many other things that occupy my time. Goodbye vinyl business, HELLO more time to get to those quilty projects!

Merry Christmas to all!

The cookies are baked, the beaters are licked. The stockings are hung, soon to be Saint Nicked!

 

The Bussard house is full of anticipation as we impatiently await Santa's visit. I've only heard, "Can we open presents yet????" about 72 times today, and it is only the 23rd. Since we are going to Grandma and Grandpa's house, we did put in a request to Santa to deliver a day early. Hopefully he will come through for us!

I've packed my quilt projects and all the project photos I've been taking with hopes to get caught up on posting a few things. I hope to start the new year all caught up!

Wishing you all a Joyous Christmas!

David, Tina, Alexander and Nicholas

Register for $25 gift cards -- 12 times!

Be sure to visit Quilted Memories on facebook here. They are giving away a $25 gift card for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas. Be sure to "LIKE" each day. They also have some fabulous promotions each day, so check back often!

Happy Quilting!

The quilt shown above, Twelve Months of Santa, was pieced by Diana Schoenhals. It was originally a Block-of-the-Month from Rustic Yearnings in Independence, Missouri.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today we pause for a moment to give thanks for our many blessings.

I am thankful to God for having our paths planned, even though it sometimes comes as a total surprise. Sixteen years ago I moved to Kansas City, I thought to finish college, but instead crossed paths at a chance meeting with a very special person. I am so very blessed that he still stands by my side. We are nearing our 15th anniversary.

I am thankful every day that I have two beautiful, healthy children. They are the light of my life. I am thankful for the laughter to bring into our lives. They have brought new perspective to my life and teach me something new every day.

The last few nights, Nick and I have been reading Turkeys We Have Loved and Eaten (and Other Thankful Stuff) by Barbara Park (a most hilarious read even if you don't have a first grader.) The first graders in the book list the things they are thankful for as 1) cranberry jelly in a can, 2) exploding biscuits, 3) rainbow sprinkles, and 4) toilet paper. And while these are all pretty wonderful things, they don't even compare to the blessings of family and friends. I am thankful for each of you!

I am so glad that God leads us where we need to be, because I could never have envisioned being in such a wonderful place in my life. I am so richly blessed!

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving day. May your travels be safe, your company be happy, and your cranberry jelly come out in the exact shape of the can!

Little helpers

Who says we don't have fun at work?

 And these little people can unpack thread like nobody's business!

A glimpse of home

Several weeks ago I ended up with a free Saturday afternoon and somehow convinced the men in my life that we should spend it at the Kansas City Quilting and Sewing Expo. We won't mention that I bartered with promises of a visit to the video game store for the two short ones and a stop at Abuelo's (Mexican yumminess) for sour cream chicken enchiladas for the big one. A win, win, win! 

We made our way through the vendors and began looking at the quilts on display. One of the main exhibits was a tribute to old Route 66. It was a 40-50 foot quilt (actually multiple quilts) depicting a map of the route stretching from California to Chicago and the sites along the way. Quilters from around the country then submitted individual miniature quilts to travel with the display. The only requirement being that it represent actual attractions along the route.

I moved along the display to the Texas Panhandle where I began to see some familiar sites. This just happens to be where I grew up. 

Then I saw one submission that was very close to home AND family.

My Dad's Aunt Ruth and Uncle Delbert left their own mark on Route 66. They were an integral part of bringing the Devil's Rope and Route 66 Museum in McLean, Texas to life. Along with Route 66 memorabilia, it houses one of the largest barbed wire collections. Historians state that, "Barbed wire gave us control of the land, and windmills made the land habitable." Barbed wire was chosen as one of the most significant patents to come out of the Industrial Revolution. 

   
If you are ever passing through the Texas Panhandle along old Route 66, this is definitely an interesting stop! And ask if Uncle Delbert is around. He is one of the those true Texas characters everyone should meet.

It really was a neat exhibit and had some amazing miniature quilts.

And of course, here are some of my favorite quilts from the show:

This quilt was made up tiny scraps of all colors of fabric that were raw-edge appliqued. It really was an amazing piece.

And the winner is... CHOCOLATE!

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to work at the Twilight Stitchers' Quilt Show in Blue Springs, Missouri. I even had time to make a few laps and check out all of the quilt yumminess. Here are a few of my favorites:

Called "A Walk in the Jungle" -- loved the giraffe in the blue pumps!

After I got home, I got a call saying I had won a door prize! Thank you, Twilight Stitchers, for this amazing basket of goodies!

Inside I found two ruler racks (one large and one small), a cute little square ruler, a table runner pattern, a box of chocolates (the good kind), and CHOCOLATE fabric! Who knew?! There was two yards of the cutest chocolate fabric with two coordinating fat quarters. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the fabric yet, but it will be something yummy!
 

After I had carefully removed the three pieces containing caramel and nuts from the box of chocolates (I had to protect my assets), I told my boys I had won some chocolate! 

I handed them the chocolate fabric and told them they could have as much as they wanted! (I'm generous that way.)

They didn't quite see the humor in it that I did. So eventually I got the box out. They were pretty excited about this development. Nick was sure these were meant to be shared by the whole family!

Now keep in mind, these two are not usually willing participants when it comes to quilt shows or fabric shopping expeditions. So when I announced that the chocolates were only for quilt lovers, they seemed very disappointed and downright put out at the injustices of the quilt world.

But Mom has a heart and an answer for everything. Anyone who could proclaim their love of quilts would be rewarded with chocolate! And let me tell you, there was a lot of quilt lovin' for the next few hours. My chocolate loving husband even arrived home from work proclaiming his love of quilts before he even made it through the door!

What could be better than quilt love and chocolate?!

Quilting is a dangerous sport

Last weekend while cutting a bunch of these

I also cut one of these.

When I've heard about rotary cutter injuries in the past, I wondered why anyone would have their fingers over on that side of the ruler anyway. All you have to do is pay attention to what you are doing and take your time... Oops!

So now I know the trade-off for that speed and multitasking: a slightly smaller finger. It still hurts, and I tend to bump it on everything I pass. On the positive side, I didn't bleed on the fabric!

To all you quilters with full fingers in tact, slow down and be careful -- it happens to the best of us!

Lisa Sipes trunk show

 

Last week, the Missour Kansas Machine Quilters Guild (MKMQG) hosted quilter Lisa Sipes who had a trunk show and shared much quilty goodness. The fuchsia hair, piercing and tattaoos may have been an eye opener for some of our more seasoned quilters, but she was very entertaining and brought some stunning quilting to share. The quilt below won a blue ribbon at MQS 2011 in the embroidery category and features some incredible micro-quilting. This was also the first quilt Lisa entered in a show (and had been quilting for only two years at that point!) WOW! The purple photo below this one is the back side of this quilt. The gold is the quilting.

 

I love the ruler work on these. Those three little lines are only an eighth inch apart. I would have loved to have seen first hand how the heck she did this.

 

I had seen many of these quilts online, but they were just incredible in person. Thanks, Lisa, for sharing your amazing work!