notes from Terry Ann

Stop by the State Fair

It's time for the Minnesota State Fair, where everything is on a stick, including quilts! Seriously, there is a category for 8" x 9" quilts on a stick! Can't wait to see those when I'm at the fair. Friday afternoon I'll be in Heritage Square at Rosebud's Cottage - stop by and say hi!

Here's a list of fun fair food so you can start planning what you'll eat:

Deep Fried Norwegian Banana Split (banana wrapped in lefse, deep fried and topped with ice cream, chocolate, pineapple and strawberries)

Leprechaun legs (lighty-battered deep-fried green beans with dipping sauce)

Foot Long Dessert Pizza on-a-stick (pizza dough, sweet cream cheese, cinnamon, sugar)

Pot Roast Sundae (a scoop of mashed potatoes, roast beef, gravy, corn, and cherry tomato)

macaroni and cheese on-a-stick

alligator sausage on-a-stick

Teriyaki ostrich on-a-stick

Tornado Potato, a potato spiral-cut on-a-stick

frozen grapes on-a-stick

So far, the only thing I know can't miss is the pork chop on a stick - my favorite! But I love to see and hear about all of the other crazy foods on a stick. I heard that the chocolate covered bacon is kinda good . . . in a strange way. See you Friday!!

More Minnesota shop hop quilts

Kirk and I turned our visit to Blue Earth into a fun little road trip and visited a few quilt shops on the way home. We got to River City Quilts in Mankato just after they closed at 5:00, but the shopowner let me in.  (she probably didn't want me drooling all over her window as I peeked in at all of the beautiful quilts!!) She designed this quilt out of the shop hop fabric and made two versions - one in blues and one in greens. Here's the blue one. The green one is hanging right behind it facing in the other direction - I think it's interesting to see how the quilting makes it just a little bit smaller.

We stayed in Mankato with lots of WWE wrestling fans - the roads were blocked off for the event at the Alltel Center and we had an interesting time getting to our hotel. The WWE fans we saw at our hotel were evenly divided between families and guys with big coolers . . .

The next day, we stopped in Montgomery at Quilter's Dream . Look at the Lasagne quilt they made from the Minnesota state fabric! I like the how the border print frames the quilt.

And then off to Waconia to visit Heavenly Patchwork. What fun to see another completely different quilt made out of the state fabric.

A vintage beauty

Here's the Yellow Brick Road quilt that won viewer's Choice last year at the quilt expo in Blue Earth. It is a labor of love - made by Tracy Petersen from Ledyard, IA. Tracy set her blocks on point and included lots of vintage linens, chenille with an assortment of pastel prints.

Look at this close up of all of the different styles of quilting that Tracy used in her blocks!

Woodcarver or Quilter?

At the 26th Annual Upper Midwest Woodcarvers and Quilt Expo last weekend in Blue Earth, MN woodcarvers and quilters shared the spotlight. They have more in common than you might think.

Look at this carver's hand - that is a machine quilting glove! And look at the table - wood shavings everywhere - just like a quilter with threads everywhere.

There were vendors for both fabric and wood. These wood kits did nothing to spark my imagination - but I found a great batik Jellyroll!
 
These were my favorite carvings - It looks like antique kitchen tools are another thing we have in common.

Colorful Blue Earth

Kirk and I headed down to Blue Earth last weekend for the The 26th Annual Upper Midwest Woodcarvers and Quilt Expo. The Jolly Green Giant was there to welcome us. I wonder if quilters made his HUGE shirt? And how on earth do they get the shirt over his head - he looks friendly but I don't think he bends . . .

Tracy (in red) invited us down to the show to see her group's challenge quilts. Here I am with just a few of the 12 quilters who exchanged blocks from our Confetti in the Corner book. After they exchanged blocks, each quilter put the blocks together in a different way. Take a look at these amazing quilts - no two alike! I looked at all of the quilts several times before I realized that they all started with the exact same blocks!

 

The woodcarvers displayed their projects on tables in front of the quilts and several of them sat working on projects during the show.

 

Can you believe the variety of amazing quilts? Next year's challenge will be a block exchange using civil war fabrics - with positive/negative color placement. I can't wait to see what they up with - too bad we have to wait a whole year to see them.

Rain rain go away

I went to the Powderhorn Art Fair on Saturday. The day started out with a bang - thunder, lightening and a wild storm with lots of rain. After the sun came out, I took off for the art fair. But I took the long way there, stopping at a few quilt shops along the way . . .

At Eagle Creek in Shakopee, the flowers outside were lovely - and they even brought some inside.

Here's a homegrown blossom sitting on a Club Sandwiches table runner from the Let's Do Lunch book. And here are a few more of the flowers just outside the door:

Next, I stopped at Fabric Town in Apple Valley - and I got so sidetracked by the cute displays that I forgot to take any pictures! I headed north toward the art fair, and got a perfect spot to park almost right in front of Glad Creations quilt shop - which is amazing since they are just a block away from the art fair. There was a bus right next to the shop - and I thought it was an art fair shuttle bus, until I opened the door to the quilt shop. The shop was wall to wall quilters from one of the Quilt Minnesota tours. What a lively, happy group! And there were good flowers too:

 

I walked over to the art fair, and right when I got to the park it started raining. From inside the porta potty it sounded like a hail storm, but outside it was just a drizzle! I enjoyed the soaking up all of the colors and inspiration (and the rain) even without an umbrella.

 

Here are some of the artist's tents lined up around the lake - it was nice leisurely stroll around with lots to see - and not too crowded. There was yummy kettle corn too! A perfect day.

Take a break

When you're doing all that driving and shop-hopping, you'll need to stop for a potty break. Might as well visit a great quilt from Happy Hour! Go to The Cre8tive Quilter to find out more about how Jen made her shower curtain - it's fun to see her before and after pictures.

Another day out and about

I truly am lucky to have lots of fun quilt shops nearby - I don't have to go very far to sample quilt shops during the Quilt Minnesota shop hop. I stopped at Fat Quarter Quilting in Coon Rapids, and found a Slide Show quilt made out of the Minnesota State fabric. What a great way to show off that special fabric.

 

Each shop has a free pattern for a quilt block - here is the block from Quilted Treasures of Rogers. I love the little fussy cut Minnesota motif in the center of the block. 

This little wall quilt is from Silver Lane Quilting in Forest Lake. You can see the Minnesota State capital, the Minneapolis skyline, and the north shore in the diagonal strip of the focus print. 

Explore the world!

While I've been busy exploring Minnesota quilt shops, my son Derek has been exploring the world. Here he is at the Great Wall of China.And below, another interesting view of the Great Wall.

Growing up with a quilting mom has trained him to notice geometric patterns even when he's halfway across the world - look at this great brick wall that he spotted in Beijing.

And here is the first picture he took in Seoul - gotta love all those doors!

 

He even found a quilt shop - you can see his reflection in the window taking the picture. It's fun to know that Sunbonnet Sue is a world traveler too!

Explore Minnesota

 
I took this picture on my way home from the seminar in Wisconsin - in honor of the state wide shop hop that started on Friday here in Minnesota. How many of you have seen this exact sign? Hint: if you had to go to the bathroom right after you crossed the state line . . . yup, it's at that rest area between Hudson and Woodbury on I 94.

I bet you can guess which Minnesota quilt shop had these Atkinson Designs projects on display - the clue is the monogrammed bag! You're right - it's Rosebud's Cottage in North St. Paul. The monogrammed bag is from Fat Quarter Fonts, and the Taco Salad table topper in yellow and green is from Let's Do Lunch. You'll have to stop in the shop to see if the Waffletime table runner is the long version or the square version - only part of it is in the picture.

Roseann had a great trunk show from Cherrywood fabrics - and if Kirk hadn't been waiting in the car I might still be there trying to decide which "cherry roll" to get. I liked the "Bright and Happy" colors with red yardage, but then I put them back and grabbed the "Smooth and Sandy" neutrals. Then I put them both back and grabbed the "Rich and Sparkly" Jewel tones . . . and then I switched - you guessed it - about 5 more times. I ended up with these two, and I can't wait to use them!

It was such a beautiful day that Kirk and I walked a few blocks over to Neuman's for lunch. It's one of the oldest bars in the state - open for 121 years, even during prohibition. We had really good hamburgers and onion rings.

Here's a snapshot of the view just outside the door - these guys were enjoying lunch on the patio. It's a good thing we walked to Neuman's because our minivan would have looked silly in this lineup!