Yellville!

It has been a long while since my last post and I am sure that many of you have even stopped checking in, BUT... my husband and I have been preparing our home for my parents as they are moving in with us. This past month I have been back in Arkansas, helping finish up the last few items that needed to be packed up before the movers arrived to move them out here.

Yellville is the small town that my parents have called home for the past 10 years. My aunt and uncle live in Yellville, along with their children and some of their grandchildren. Life is so different back in that part of the country. My family back there grow everything that they put in their mouth. I have never seen such hard working, generous and humble people in my life. My cousins Marla and Marilyn work harder than any man I know..... except for my husband of course. ;-) I just had to share a few pictures of this side of the family that I already miss.

First up.... Marla. Here is a picture of the drive going up to her home. Pretty isn't it? Her and her husband Phil own a lumber mill and raise cattle on the side. I LOVE their cows. They're Scottish Highlanders... the only beef that Queen Elizabeth will eat. You don't see them in the states very much, but are they ever cute.




Here is Marla and Phil with one of their grandsons.



Here is one of the cows. You've got to love that hair.





There were a lot of babies this year. I think they were just as curious of me as I was of them. Tomorrow Marilyn!

Aprons!

I made a few aprons this past Christmas for a couple of my daughters. As I had stated in an earlier post, I really wanted to make as much as I could to save on money. Not that my plan really worked :-), but I did enjoy the time I spent sewing for each of the girls. The pattern that I used, I had also shared with all of you before. It is a reversible apron pattern, picked on purpose, due to the fact that I am a messy cook. Since I do tend to be messy, I just assumed that everyone else is as well... hence the two-sided pattern.

The first one is Beck's. She loves anything retro, so when I saw this fabric at the quilt shop, I knew that it was meant for her!



This is the fabric that especially caught my eye for her.



This next apron is Nicole's. Those of you who are acquainted with Nicole, know that she eats clean by eating raw. She has an incredible web site that a ton of people follow. If you haven't checked it out... it is an absolute must! I decided that I would embroider the bodice of each side.










The last one that I am sharing on this post was made for my new daughter-in-law Casey. The fabric just seemed to say Casey all over it.





In the next post, I will share a couple more!

One More.......

On my last blog, I left out my granddaughter Reilly's quilt. I love this quilt! I actually made two of them, one for Reilly and one for Ashlynn. The reason why these two quilts are so dear to me is that my mom and my Aunt Sybil had a huge hand in making these quilts a reality. My mom and aunt embroidered all of the critters on each quilt. They had so much fun making the critter squares, that they made enough for me to make the two quilts. (There were even enough squares left over for me to make a rag quilt for my grandsons!) Anyway....when those two showed me what they had made I knew that I needed to go shopping to purchase enough fabric to make those squares into the quilts that my grandchildren enjoy today. I visited a cute little quilt shop back in Arkansas and purchased enough fabric to make the quilt that I am sharing with you here and then I looked for different fabric for Ashlynn's. My mom and aunt were overjoyed to see their treasured blocks made into these quilts. Since making the quilts, my aunt has passed away, but her love lives on by way of these quilts.

Quilting for my granddaughters!

I have made a quilt for each of my granddaughters, except for one, little Miss Addie. As I was going through the pictures of the quilts that I have made so far for the girls, I realized that I had never made her one. So sorry missy... grandma is going to have to jump right on that! Below however, are the ones that have gone out these physical doors of mine, but never completely out the doors of my heart. It's amazing how much you put of yourself in a quilt. I guess that is why when I find an old quilt in an antique shop, I always wonder about the person who made it. What were they thinking about when they were working so diligently on that quilt top. Who was it for? Where did the fabric come from and how long did it take them to complete it. I even wonder about the circumstances for which the quilt was made. Was it a joyous occasion, a sad occasion, or was it strictly made for needed warmth. My guess is that a lot of those old quilts were made out of sheer love for those that they were going to and for the pleasure that they would bring... I know mine are. I dearly love the ones I made these quilts for! So... without further chatter here are a few that I have sent off.

First up is Teagan's. I lLOVED this fabric when it came into the shop. It was just so cheery! Since my son and daughter-in-law had just had a new little treasure, I thought this would be just perfect!



And the label. (I realize that these are rather hard to see, but hopefully you get the idea!)



On Miss T's bed, Stef decided to put the first quilt that I ever made for them. I found this incredibly soft flannel in a cute little quilt shop that I thought would be just right. I must say, it looks pretty cute on her bed!



And its label.



Next up is Ashlynn's. Ashlynn and her mom picked out a quilt pattern from a magazine I had sent their way. Now Ashlynn just loves the ocean with its many shells, so I picked out a line of fabric from the shop, that matched just what she had in mind. This quilt, once made, looked nothing like the quilt in the magazine because it was all in Ashlynnie's colors. (Actually, I liked it way better than the one in the magazine!) I decided to scallop the edges to make it look even more distinct than the one in the magazine.



And her label.



Keira loves dogs, so when she saw this fabric, she just had to have it. I used a nice, pink, minkie on the back. That fabric is wonderfully soft, incredibly expensive, but so messy to use. Would I use it again? You bet!



And finally, here is Keira's label

Quilting for my granddaughters!

I have made a quilt for each of my granddaughters, except for one, Miss A.

Quilting for my granddaughters!

I have made a quilt for each of my granddaughters, except for one, Miss A

Quilting for my granddaughters!

I have made a quilt for each of my granddaughters, except for one