Quilting and Sewing Retreat

Here is mother and my six sister at our 16th Annual Quilting/Sewing Retreat. 

 We are in birth order.

We sure missed our sister-in-law Chery this year.

A few of our projects

Mother with her puff quilt.

 June Flory

Mother and Coleen Barnhart. Coleen's wall quilt is made from Father's shirts.

 

Julia Graber and Mother.  Julia's quilt is also made with Father's shirts.

 Sheila with her grandson George.

 Polly Yoder

 Emily Hostetler

 This quilt was huge.  My sister Polly will made another quilt using this pattern but use a  different color way and also make it smaller.

 Nieces and their quilts.

 Jolene Powell

 Katina Martin

  Clair is a professional oil painter .  Each year she makes specialty 

backpacks for her nieces and nephews. She has made 13 different backpacks and has 9 to go.

 Melissa made fitted diapers for "Diapers for Hatti".  They will go to various orphanages.

 Autumn Sensenig

 Rebecca Rittenhouse

 Holly Yoder

 Three of my sisters and one niece finished their

Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt 2016.

 My granddaughter Rowen is well on the way to learning to quilt.

Here is an interesting website.

http://topreveal.com/diy-sewing-craft-ideas

 

Mid-Appalachian Quilters Inc.

Save the date for MAQ 2016!

Held July 15-17, 2016
Mount St. Mary's University
Emmitsburg, MD

I will be teaching the following classes:

Star Chain Table Runner

• Description: Create stunning stars which has the appearance of them overlap each other. Techniques taught in this class are strip piecing, the ease of using templates, how to make a easy inset seam and many tips and tricks to challenge your quilting skills.

• Techniques Taught: Piecing in a triangle base layout, strip piecing, easy-way method for cutting from templates and tips and tricks to make quilting easy.

 Twirling Swirling Dance 

In this class you will learn how simple it is to piece in a lone star block layout. To create the spinning twirl you will strip pieces, cut diamond strips and learn how to create easy inset seams. This all day class will have you well on your way to a finished project.

Skills Taught:  Piecing in a lone star layout, strip piecing, blocking a diamond block, Easy steps on inset seams and tips and tricks to make quilting easy.

Also announcing a Blog Tour

  coming in March for my new book 

Amazingly Simple Triangle Stars

 Check back to win books and prizes.

Life at the Clines

I need to back up to Christmas.  Here is the Cline grands and great grands on Terry's side of the family.

 Dave and Parla were here for two weeks.  I enjoyed interacting with these precious little ones over Christmas.

 Brighton was so pleased with herself that she could

 climb this tree all by herself.

 Here are some of our activities over Christmas.

 Mother and Melissa

 Settlers and Rook

 The men are practicing their rook skills.

 Terry with the in-laws.

Hiking up Lover's Leap.

The Snow Storm

We are getting ready for the storm by putting extra braces in the two turkey houses.

 I love making doughnuts when it snows. 

Melissa was a big help in this process.

 The men are walking to the turkey house because

 the snow is too deep for the four wheeler.

Our boys came over and spent two nights to help with shoveling snow off the turkey house roofs.

The picnic table gives you an idea of how deep the snow was.

While the snow flakes fell Melissa and I sewed.

Home Sweet Home

Life as a Quilter....

Pretty cool gift from Melissa.

One day a month I get to spend a day quilting 

with the Bodacious Bumbling Bees.

 Trying my hand at a fiber arts quilt.

A new table runner I designed.

A close-up of the quilting.

What will this project be?

Step 1 Triangle

Step 2 Diamond

Step 3 Baby Block

Step 4 Stars

Here is one of the projects I am preparing for

 sewing retreat with my sisters.

 

 So long for this time.

Butcher Day and Quilt Projects

On December 31 we butchered two hogs with Uncle Joe's and Dad's. A couple neighbors came in and gave us a helping hand. 

Here are some of the steps of our butcher day.  
We are working on getting the fat out of the meat and cutting it into strips ready for the meat grinder.

 Now it is time to cut out the choice meat for canning.

  After the sausage is seasoned it is run through the grinder.

 Grinding the sausage a second time.

 Cooking the bones, hearts, livers, tongues and

 sweet breads for pudding meat.

 Mom is starting to package the sausage.  We first wrap the meat in clear wrap then in freezer paper. The clear wrap is an extra step we do to keep the meat sealed better for longer lasting freezer life.

 And now for the ribs, roasts, back bones and tender loins.

 This kettle is full of hog fat which is being cooked down....

 and put into lard tanks.

 After straining the lard the cracklings are dumped out.

 I am cranking the sausage stuffer while 

Uncle Joe is filling pint jars with sausage.

 Now the sausage is being stuffed into 

casing which will later be smoked.

 Here we are getting the bones out of the cooked

meat, getting it ready for the meat grinder.

The cooked meat is strained and the broth is ready to make ponhoss.

A little pudding meat, flour, cornmeal and seasonings are added to

 the broth to make the ponhoss.

 Ponhoss cooling.

Now for the next year we get to enjoy our pork. As a matter of fact we
 did a pork roast for lunch and had friends in to enjoy it.

Life as a Quilter

Here is a barn quilt block I painted for my sister-in-law.

  
The last few weeks I have been machine quilting on this quilt.