Oak Leaves and a Pineapple

This week I received two more wonderful applique blocks - this time from Julie in Tennessee! Julie's blocks are so charming and will find their way into a sampler quilt that I will always treasure. The applique swap has been so much fun - now I need to get busy on Julie's block for November!

A Hearse and a Haunted Mansion

Tonight we went to the old California Governor's Mansion for a special Halloween tour. The mansion was completely decorated for Halloween inside. The mansion was built in 1877 and was home to California Governors and their families throughout the 20th century. Governor Ronald Reagan and his family were the last to live in the mansion during the late 1960s. Also couldn't resist taking a picture of a cool hearse in front of a local costume shop. Hail Halloween everyone!

Fall Exchanges

This week I have been the lucky recipient of beautiful quilt blocks and a darling Halloween ornament. The gorgeous appliqued block is all the way from Ady in Israel, as it was my turn to receive a block from her this month. Ady's appliquing is just exquisite and I will include this beautiful block in a special piece - perhaps the center of a medallion quilt?

The sweet cake stand blocks are from a Jo Morton swap in which I participated. Just love that they come from all over the US and around the world. They are about 4 inches in size and are as cute as can be!

The darling owl ornament is from a Prairie Schooler cross stitch swap, and has surely got me in the mood for a little Halloween decorating. The ornament finishing on this piece is just lovely!

Christmas or Not?

Here is the Christmas or Not quilt all sewn together. I put it on my bed to see how big to make the borders. Thinking about what kind of borders to add... Suggestions are welcome!

Quilts Amongst the Oaks

Today we visited Alder Lane Nursery in Livermore, California. They had the most amazing quilt show where they hung quilts from the heritage oaks in the nursery. Just love the pomegranate quilt made by Alex Anderson. The gnarly old, bent over oak really caught my eye and framed the little house behind it perfectly. We purchased raffle tickets for the red basket quilt - hope we win!

Dancing Currants

This red and green appliqued block named "Dancing Currants" was made for a block swap and is on its way to Israel! There are six of us participating in the international swap and next month is my turn to receive appliqued blocks. Can't wait to see the beautiful blocks that fly my way!

Lancaster Blocks and the Castle

Have been working on cake stand blocks for a block exchange using poison green, chrome yellow and turkey red (Lancaster colors). The first block was a total wreck as my seam allowances were off so I had to set the project aside a while due to excessive frustration. This morning I tackled the block again and paid closer attention to the sizes of each component. Success = paying attention to the perpetual 1/4 inch seam allowance!

Last week we visited Hearst Castle in San Simeon. The whole experience is quite surreal in that you get to experience a bit of the 1930s movie star era up close and personal. The state of California conducts the tours and our docent, Wayne, was great in that he knew so much history about the castle and Hearst himself and encouraged questions. We also visited the picturesque town of Cambria and found the antique looking lock (next to the basket block) which actually works.