Nine Years Later and Three States Up

Hello, 

It's been a long while since I last posted. Lots of changes since my previous update.

As my title suggests, we have moved from our little farm in Kentucky to northwest Ohio. Move in day was March 27, 2020, and yes, we moved as the pandemic set in and we were asked to shelter in place.

Unpacking began and there was plenty of time to do so. Grocery shopping looked different with click lists and pick-up and going to church meant watching a livestream service.

As the year progressed, I was able to get back into my quilting projects and even began to FaceTime with my good friend in Alabama for sew days on Friday mornings. We completed the Lori Holt "Farm Girl Vintage" quilt by sewing her 6 1/2" blocks from both her "Farm Girl Vintage Book" and Farm Girl Vintage 2 Book".

   My Farm Girl quilt at the Black Swamp Quilter's Guild Quilts and Needlearts Show in October, 2021.

I also discovered FlossTube on YouTube and down the rabbit hole I went back into cross-stitch. How fun that has been as I have met some wonderful stitchers and even started my own FlossTube - "The Just BeeCuzz Buzz", publishing my 30th video yesterday.

Some exciting news is I have found some wonderful cross-stitch treasures that I will be reproducing and sharing with this community. The first ones are almost ready for release and I hope to have them ready for you next week.  They are a pair of charming silhouettes of days gone by of horse and buggy rides and a bicycle built for two. Can't wait to share them with you!

Take care. Happy Stitching and Quilting.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

 

Completed and Given

Made these door hangers recently.  The pattern is in the Spring 2014 Quilts and More magazine.  

The pink and brown one was made for my aunt for hosting our annual family reunion.  The red and blue one was an early Mother's Day gift to my mother.  They are fun to make!  The door hangers are going to be a series.  Check out the Summer 2014 Quilts and More magazine.

Can't wait to get started on this one!  But I must finish one UFO before I start something else.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Jamaican Banana Bread

A treat Just BeeCuzz ....

Yummy!!  Fuel for quilting later.

Buzz for now.

Merritt

Retreat Challenge

Just returned from our annual quilting retreat to Magnolia Park Retreat in Odenville, AL.  There were nineteen of us in "quilting retreat bliss".  We had a great time!  The food was delicious once again.  Being the semi leader of this trip, I decided we needed a challenge.  So.... I issued the color book challenge.  I purchased 2 Spring color books and challenged the ladies to choose a color page, tear it out, and interpret it into a door hanger or other decorative item.  Here are the results:

I thought the ladies that accepted the challenge did a great job!  We plan to finish them for our next business meeting in May.

Enjoy!

Buzz for now,

Merritt

First Completed Quilt of the Year!

Finished this quilt last week.  Gave to some special friends.

I'm going to have to work on my photography, ugh!  The fabrics are beautiful botanical batiks, but they don't show up very well in this picture.  

The name of the pattern is "Off Track".

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Saturday Sewing

Enjoying a day in the "Scrap Lounge".  Just finished my 8th Suzy's Sack!  These little bags are really fun to make.  Sorry for the picture quality...I'll have to work on that.

Hope your Saturday is "sew" much fun!!  

Buzz for now...

Merritt

Discharge Dyeing Class

Once again our Australian friend, Tania, taught us another fun technique.  This morning we went over to her house for a lesson on discharge dyeing of black fabrics.  The following are some pictures of some of the process using Softscrub with Bleach:

The fabric has a freezer paper kangaroo ironed on in the corner.

Tania is applying the Softscrub paste with a little bleach mixed in.

The change in color is almost immediate.

Some of our results.  It was very interesting to see the 

different colors of the background once they dried.

These were my results.  What a fun time!  Thanks, Tania!!

We're going to miss you, but have great treasures to 

remember you by.

Mexican Star Quilt

Our guild hosted a workshop last Saturday to learn how to make the Mexican Star Quilt.  Our fellow guild member, Tania Jobson taught the class.  We have been privileged as a guild to have her join us for the past 2 years.  She and her family are here from Australia on military duty.  The workshop was so much fun.  Here is my progress so far:

From strips, squares, and folded triangles, to.....

This!  The next step is to fold back the edges of the triangles to give the curved effect and then quilt it.

More to come.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Maverick Stars Complete

Such a great feeling to finish another UFO.  Maverick Stars was discovered on Quiltville.  What a fun quilt to make.  Thanks, Bonnie!  

Making Progress

The Maverick Stars quilt is progressing.

All pinned and ready to be quilted.

"Big White Dog" aka Ally doesn't understand why I don't want her help pinning the quilt :-).

Anyway, started quilting tonight.  Slow going, but I like the results.  

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Sharing a Need

Hi, friends,
Jean over at http://quiltingranny.blogspot.com is trying to spread some quilt love to the families of the Prescott, AZ firefighters' families.  If you are interested in helping, you can contact her via an email address she has posted on her blog.

I have volunteered to make one quilt - (the size she is looking for is just larger than a lap sized.)
Here's my start:

Hope you will join me.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Going Through the List

Hi,

  Although it's been sooooooooo long since I last posted anything, I've been reading other quilting blogs and enjoying the progress of others.

  After the first of the year, I decided to make a few lists:
1.  UFO's - need to be completely finished
2.  UFO's - tops that need to be quilted, bound and labeled.
3.  Projects I have pattern and fabric for that I would like to start.
4.  Projects started and completed this year.
5.  Wool felt projects I need to complete.

   One of the projects I'm working on is "Colored Pencils" in the Spring/Summer 2012 Quilt Sampler Magazine.

                                                                                

3 made, 6 to go.  All the "pencils" are cut. Making progress.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Landmark Park Quilt Show Entries

A while back I mentioned that I was finishing some quilts for the Landmark Park Quilt Show, so I thought I'd share them with you now.  The show concluded today, but no ribbons this time.  It's always an honor to have a quilt in the show though.

"When I Think of Christmas..."

This is the 2010 Fat Quarter Shop Mystery Designer Block of the Month.

"East-West Birds"

This pattern is from "Simple Choices" by Abbey Lane Quilts.

It was not judged.  It was entered as an exhibit with other quilts our guild made out of the same book.

Take Care,

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Wonderful Workshop!!

Today some of the members of the Enterprising Quilters Guild were treated to a wonderful workshop, taught by our Australian friend, Tania.  She and her family are here for military duty.  She taught us a piecing technique that allows you to add dimensional curves. We had a great time. Here are some pics:

Left block is straight piecing and Right block has the stitched curves.

The following are our instructor's samples:

The following are the patterns we used:

Buzz for now,

Merritt

It's Been Too Long...I've Missed My Quilt Blogging Frineds

Hello, Friends,
It's been too long, but you have not been forgotten.  I'm often logging on to see what beautiful quilt projects are being shared.  I am inspired by so many.  Lately, I've been working on some quilts so that they can be entered in the Landmark Park Quilt Show in October.  One of the quilts that I will be entering is part of a group "challenge" so to speak.  Those that participated bought the book, "Simple Choices" by Abbey Lane Quilts.  We each chose a block and a theme out of the book and made our quilts, while at our spring retreat.  It was so much fun to see all the different quilts from the same book.  Here is a picture of my quilt top, still needs quilting.

A little "Quilting Wilson" photo opp.

There are two other quilts that I hope to enter in the contest.  Pictures of them soon.  

Hope everyone is doing well.  Looking forward to reconnecting with my blogging friends.  

I have an all day UFO tomorrow.  Can't wait!

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Salvedged Selvages

At our last guild workshop, we did a fun project with selvages we had been saving.  The project comes from the "Quilts and More" Spring, 2010, publication.  I made the oven mitt as pictured below, but some of the ladies made the traditional square mitt.  I hope to make more for gift giving. 

I had to laugh as I read the selvages after I made this girly looking mitt - one of them reads, "No Girls Allowed".  Pretty funny. 
Take care,
Buzz for now,
Merritt

Warm Cranberry-Orange Bread

What could be better than a day off to spend with my girls and our new puppy?  Some warm Cranberry-Orange Bread to go along with it.  After all, we must be properly nourished to finish all those quilting wips. 

Cranberry-Orange Bread

From:  Favorite Recipes of Daviess County Extension Homemaker's

Owensboro, Kentucky

2 cups all-purpose flour

1cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups cranberries, coarsley cut

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1 1/2 tsp grated orange peel

1 egg, beaten

3/4 cup orange juice

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.  Stir in cranberries, pecans, and orange peel.  Combine egg(beaten), orange juice, and vegetable oil.  Add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.

Bake in a greased 5 x 9 1/2 x 2"loaf pan at 350F for 50 to 60 minutes, or until center is completley set.  Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.  Wrap with Reynolds Warp when cool, or store tightly covered.

It's Delicious!!

Fun Project



Found this adorable pattern over at

http://www.pinemtndesigns.com

this summer.  It's called

"Flower Sugar Sewing Caddy". 

I had so much fun choosing the fabrics for it.

  It fits over the arm of your favorite

stitching chair. 

I used Transfer Ease to stitch the embroidery. 

Hope you enjoy.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Future Fabric?

The fields are bursting with new cotton.  Thought you might like to see a picture of the cotton after it is harvested.

Some round bales of cotton.

Not sure exactly where the cotton goes from our area or its end product, but I'd like to think it will one day be beautiful quilting fabrics.

Buzz for now,

Merritt

Stilling Buzzing Along

It's been too long, but still buzzing along with my quilting. Perhaps I'll be able to keep up with posting more often.

I wanted to share that I entered two quilts in my very first quilt show!!  Landmark Park is a local agricultural learning and activity center. This past weekend they held their Heritage Days Fall Festival, which included a quilt show and juried quilt contest. Our guild, the Enterprising Quilters' Guild was asked to participate. As the guild president, I encouraged our members to enter their quilts and challenged myself to place two quilts in the contest as well.  Seven of our guild members entered the contest.  I am pleased to announce that all seven of us placed or received an award. The following are pictures of our quilts:

Best of Show and Best Machine Quilting by Linda West:

First Place Team/Group Quilts by Diane Howse

Quilted by Linda West

Third Place Team/Group Quilt by Merritt Crawford

Quilted by Sharon Russelburg

First Place Miniature Quilts by Karen Callen

First Place Applique by Kathi Campbell

Third Place Applique by Karen Callen

First Place Wall Quilts and Judges' Choice 

by Merritt Crawford

Second Place Wall Quilts by Kathi Campbell

Third Place Wall Quilts by Judi Rairigh

Judges' Choice and People's Choice by Karen Keevert

It was such a joy to see our ladies rewarded for their beautiful quilts.  I was very humbled to receive the awards for my quilts and I'm blessed to be able to enjoy such a wonderful hobby in quilting and to do it with such great friends.  Hope you enjoyed seeing our quilts.

Buzz for now,

Merritt