Help !!!

I'm trying to add a photo to a post and I can't get back to this page to add more text - or to do anything else.  This has never been a problem before.  Anyone know what I can do?  It's a really important picture!

How I spent my summer . . . .

I can't really call it my summer vacation because there was no vacation involved!  There are now renters in my rental house (they moved in last week - yay!) but it's still not finished.  I had the gas company out last week to turn on service since the furnace is gas and the man said no.  The furnace needs repairs.  (Of course it does.  It's been that kind of summer.)  But the repair is really expensive and the furnace in there is 50 years old so I'm just getting a new one.    I'm waiting for the contractor to call me with the date which should be tomorrow or the next day.  At least it's not freezing here and the renters said it stays nice and cozy at night.  After the wall is repaired, I think that should be it.  I honestly think that house is in better shape than the one I live in so I shouldn't be getting many calls to fix things and that's good. 

I haven't gotten any sewing at all done since I posted my last Cherry Tree blocks but, since the weather is cooler here now,  I can use my sewing room again and can't wait to start.  I'm going to pull fabrics this week for the posted blocks I haven't gotten done yet.  My oldest daughter is having her baby Oct 10 (scheduled C-section) if she doesn't go into labor before then and I want them ready to take with me when I watch her children while she's in the hospital and then the first few weeks she's home.  I may not get much done while I'm there, but why take a chance on the kids napping at the same time and me with nothing to sew?   That would be bad!!!  And I've picked the quilt pattern for new baby's quilt.  I'm just waiting to find out boy or girl before I choose fabrics.

Do any of you have this book - Quilter's Academy, Vol 3?  I also have Vols 1 and 2.  My thought was no matter how long we quilt, there should be something new to learn and I enjoyed the first two.  Honestly, I think they'd be good for beginners but I still enjoyed them.  I have a question on this one, though.  I emailed them when I got the book (when it first came out) and Harriet replied that she was busy and would give me an answer in a week or two.  I waited a month and re-emailed.  That was last April and I haven't heard back.  If any of you have this book, can you please explain the measurements on p. 95 to me?    They make no sense at all.  I'm generally very good at math and quilting math makes sense to me but not this page.  After this experience, I'm fairly certain I won't buy the rest of the series.   I really much prefer to give good reviews but can't with this book.

And I want to thank all of you who emailed me over the summer.  That was really nice, I enjoyed hearing from you, and is was something I didn't expect.  Thank you!

MIA

I've been MIA lately, at least from blogland.  I have a small rental house which has been empty for the last couple of weeks.  That means it's time to fix what tenants took or broke and do routine maintenance.  I had to hire a couple of trades and am working around their schedules and the weather.  Did you know painters want dry weather to paint outside?  Amazing!  There was a lot of damage and items, such as inside doors, blinds, and dry creek bridges (the short list), which are also MIA.  Why would anyone remove an inside door?  Or take a bridge?  Luckily, I had a good security deposit but it won't cover nearly everything they damaged or took.  So, while I'm waiting for the trades, I've been doing the work I can do myself.  

That hasn't left much 'me time' so I'm behind on this month's Cherry Tree block, dusting, dishes, playing with fabric, and anything else that's fun.  I'm hoping rental things are finished by the end of next week so life can get back to normal.

Beyond the Cherry Trees 19 and 20

Block 19

block 20

Here are blocks 19 and 20.  It's really hard to wait for the 10th each month for the next one.  Just five more and then the border.

Quilt Turning

 Or is it called a bed turning?  I can never remember.  I finally got most of the guest room cleaned out and thought I'd photograph my older quilts before Nearly Insane.  Since it's going to stay on the bed, I'm doing NI last and leaving it in place.

6-pointed Stars quilt

 The bed belonged, as far back as I know, to my great-great-grandmother Caroline Garrell.  I was told her son, my great-grandfather, was born in this bed in 1862.  

I know when he was born so the year is correct!  I don't know how long she'd had the bed at that time.

He was much older than my great-grandmother whom he married on March 22, 1900. I inherited the bedroom furniture when my great-grandmother died, just before my senior year of 

high school.  I really treasure it and still miss her.  Besides the 3/4 bed (between twin and double in size), I have a Martha Washington table, a wig stand, and a marble-top dresser with jewelry drawers and a mirror.  This was the furniture I used in my room until I got 

married and then my daughters used it when they were big enough.

Now the story of this quilt.  My great-grandparents had three children.  My grandmother was the first, then a year later a boy, and, many years later, another girl, also named Caroline for her grandmother.  This quilt was made for her husband by his mother.  He was born in 1909 but I don't know much else about his family or exactly when the quilt was made.  

From a slightly different angle

The pink print was used in several stars

 

 This red print is deteriorating in most places it was used

 

Three of the stars to show fabrics.  There are two background greens here.

Quilting from the back

If any of you can date the fabrics, I'd really appreciate a note.  My great-aunt and uncle were married in the 1930's but I have no idea if he already had the quilt. 

Winner, winner!

Linda Collins of Quilts in the Barn had a give away for pin cushion patterns and I won one of them!  She had four different patterns and mine is called Folky at Heart, perfect for me.  She also sent wool to make it with - how great is that!!!  It went together really easily and was a lot of fun to make.

Pattern and wool she sent

Pattern and finished pin cushion

I used yellow and green that I had but I really like what she sent.  Thank you, Linda!!!

I finished my Nearly Insane quilt last week but haven't photographed it yet.  I'm working on my guest room where it's going to live and need to finish that first.  The weather has been beautiful here lately so I'm also working on getting my garden in.  Rain is in the forecast for next week so I have to get that done while it's dry.

Meet Gwendie

Artists know the phrase, "Value does the work but color gets the credit."  Gwendie thinks the saying could be said for cats and dogs since I've shared pictures of my dog but never of her.  And she knows the quilts are hers because of my blog name.

Just having a cat nap

These are regular doll buggies.  Gwendie's just a big girl. 

I've been busy hand quilting my Nearly Insane quilt so there are no pictures to share yet.  I'm even behind on my Barbara Brackman Civil War blocks but will catch up when the quilting is finished.