Mrs. BrownDirt Goes to a Lodge in the Mountains

First - let me introduce you to a good friend - a blogging friend - at Brown Dirt Cottage. She and I have so many things in common, even though she lives in Texas (and I grew up in the BIG state of Alaska). We both love iced tea, hate making ice cubes, we love quilting, collecting old dishes and vintage linens. We both have owned an antique shop at one time and we like to refinish furniture.

A while back, a friend of hers did this fabulous post - about Mrs. BrownDirt, and going camping. I thought it was so cute - so I just had to have a Mrs. BrownDirt doll too. It is not as good as a visit from the real Mrs. BrownDirt - but it is sure fun.

After Mrs. BrownDirt went camping, I thought it might be nice for her to go to a lodge, which is more to my taste.

First I had to make a Mrs. BrownDirt doll - like the one that went camping.

Hi - I'm Mrs. BrownDirt - I have a lovely patchwork dress, you didn't expect any less, did you? My hair was cut from fabric scraps with pinking shears - quite in style, don't you think?

I heard we were going to a lodge - I'd better get packed right away!

Oh no - stuck in the suitcase - I was so wiggly the photo came out blurry.

This packing is hard work . . .

I get tired on long trips - so sometimes I nap in the glove box - wonder why they call it the glove box - I find some scissors in here, and some napkins, a book about the car, some wet clothes to wipe up with - Don't wash me with those - I stain easily - but no gloves. At least it is soft and cozy, until "she" puts her camera on top of me - I really don't appreciate that.

We are heading for the lodge in the mountains - but we all got very hungry so stopped at this nifty Diner - it has all sorts of interesting old things in it.

We had to leave our Hula Hoops and Pogo Sticks outside . . .

Here I am posing with Lucy - I was going to pose with Marilyn Monroe but I didn't want her to be sad, because I am so much prettier than she is, with my velvet button eyes and painted on nose.

So we ordered sandwiches - they were big - and delicious, I have to say.

Big, and thick and yummy - I'd show you the milkshake, but someone drank it all up!

When they bring the bill, they clip it to this very old record - it is just the right size for a bracelet for me - don't you think?

Oh that frog - he's such a show off! It was him - that's who drank that whole milkshake - I'm just sayin'

Outside the Diner they had some big chairs - just my size . . .

I think I could go for another 2 napkin burger - how about you?

A ride on a bike - just the thing for after dinner . . .

Oh dear - I hope this isn't our lodge. Whew, drove right on past - what luck . . .

Here we are at last - what a long trip . .

A nice place to sit in the evening after traveling all day . . .

Here is our room in the lodge -don't you think this is better than camping in the dirt?

I think I'll take this bed . . . talk to you later, we have a lot of adventures coming up, but a girl needs her rest, if that frog would just quit hopping back and forth between the beds. G'nite

Another finish - The Farm Folks

Again - you have seen parts of this quilt before - and here are the blocks, finished , with the embroidery and set in the red gingham sashing

And here is the completed quilt. The outer border is scraps of all the tans and beiges that make up the backgrounds in the blocks. I think the binding will be gingham - cut on the bias.

And Cupcakes

And in between the quilts I've been finishing, I've been making cupcake pincushions. They are super fun to make, and cute as can be.

A friend and I are going to be doing a craft show in November. I have several other things I've made for the sale and decided to add the cupcake pincushions. It was a good choice - I've already sold a dozen of them, and it isn't even near the time for the craft show.

They are in different colors, with different colored cups too . . .

And one with whipped cream and a strawberry on top - looks almost good enough to eat, don't you think?

Finish Number Two

This quilt some of you have seen before - it is one that Peg and I had worked on together. Peg finished hers long ago and has been using it - mine has taken me a bit longer. All I had to add was the last borders and I finally found the perfect fabrics.

Here it is before I found the border fabric . . .

Some close ups . . .

And here it is with the borders finally added . . .

I added a dark gray, thin inner border and a wider brown leaf print border. Just the thing for an autumn quilt.

What have I been doing, you ask - - -

Well, I've been finishing up UFOs. I had 7 of them, and I decided in June that I would work non-stop until I had them all finished and ready to send to Peggy for quilting. So this is my journey of finishing - one quilt at a time.

Some were finished quickly, they only needed a border or two, and some were finished slowly, blocks were finished but they had to be set together and borders added. I sometimes struggle with the design of the sashing and borders on quilts. I love how the quilts eventually turn out, but there are twists and turns and ponderings and changing of mind along the way.

The first one I finished was a 70s Dresden Plate. I had found the blocks at a thrift store in Lynden, WA - and they were priced at 2.95 - not 2.95 a block - but 2.95 for all the blocks. Several were already finished and attached to the backing and there was enough backing to finish the rest of the blocks - all for 2.95 - total. Well, being frugal (cheap) I certainly couldn't pass up an opportunity like that - so they came home with me.

This is how most of them came - pieced and ready to applique to the backing . . .

I know this is a 70s quilt, because I recognize several of the fabrics in the blocks - I used them in my kids' clothes back in the 70s, so I have a reminder of those times, in blocks that someone else made.

Some still had the paper on the back from the English Paper Piecing . . .

Some didn't match with the others . . .

Some had the center appliqued on - but I wasn't crazy about that choice, so those were removed.

Since the predominant color in most of the blocks was green, I decided on a simple green sashing. It is a bright Kelly Green.

And here it is - ready to be quilted - I love the idea of blocks that someone made and then wasn't able to finish. I feel like I have helped them along to make these blocks into a wonderful quilt.