patience corner set

I really enjoyed this year's 4 inch block sew-a-long by Temecula Quilt Company.
I loosely followed her patterns, adding more of my own. A few are scaled down from the current Moda Blockheads sew-a-long. I have several blocks yet to make to get the quilt to the size I want.

I am using a Patience Corner set. Four little blocks come together to make one 12 inch finished block.
The setting pieces are cut 2 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches and 2 1/2 by 6 1/2 inches.

gathering acorns

Key Hole

Unit Blocks

I have two more quilts ready for binding. These, along with several others at this stage, are squirreled away as handwork projects to pick up during this busy fall semester.

shirting from Italy

I purchased that lovely Italian shirting in Bologna and it is making its way into my 4-inch blocks for the Temecula sew-a-long

piecing my name

To add to the Temecula inspired sew-a-long 4 inch blocks I decided to make my name in free-pieced letters Tonya Ricucci style from her Word Play Quilts that has been in my regular inspiration reading rotation since it was published in 2010.

I took a day this week to take in the John Singer Sargent exhibit that will close the end of the month at The Art Institute. It is amazing how he paints fabrics.

Dropped into the closing Georg Jensen silver exhibit and a quick look at favorites American Gothic and Nighthawks. I love watching people look at the them.

delightful book

One of my favorite blogs/Instagrams/ is Sheryl Johnson's Temecula Quilt Company.
http://temeculaquiltco.blogspot.com/
She recently published a book, Quirky Little Quilts, with Martingale.

I've been loosely following along on her blog's current 4 inch finished block Friday sew-a-long and look forward to using my limited school year sewing time to make more blocks.
Her book is a delight in how she puts together fabrics.
A happy book!

a trip to Italy

Our family took a trip to Italy this August.
We walked in the footsteps of Andy's grandfather who emigrated from Caserta.
We spent most of our time in the Bologna area, staying in the countryside, visiting the Modena vinegar making and Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making,  then ended with a trip to Rome.

my Cervasio men

Castel De Britti

balsamic vinegar of Modena

Parmigiano Reggiano

Sam and Eve in the porticos of Bologna

The Colosseum

reunion!

Our Scholten family has had reunions periodically over the years. Last week we met at my sister Beth's house.

My mom found this photo of the first Scholten reunion, organized in 1915 by my great-grandfather Jan Scholten who came to America as a homesteader in 1870. Over 150 attended!
It pictures the young people who helped set it up--my three great-aunts, Hattie and Jo on the left and Beth on the right, and my grandfather Jan is somewhere in the back row. Note the flag of the Netherlands along side the American flag.

I took along a stack of quilts to give to my cousins.

Vern loved the turkeys

Lorelei chose a sampler

Neil came on his Harley Davidson so this Dragon Teeth was just the right size to fit into his pack

Mary gets two! 

Erica and Rachel chose some nice ones

I like this one that Helen selected

My brothers-in-law made some birdhouses for the cousins using license plates from my late brother Lee's collections.