I'm going to the County Fair!

I am so happy to be a part of Kat's County Fair over at "Art's Chili". It all started on September 14th and ends on October 7th.

Kat has found so much creativity in the blog world and the idea was given to her by Kat at Heart to Heart to have a virtual county fair. She asks that you take pictures of your entry. It can be anything from canning to cooking, sewing to gardening. Come one, come all! She'll have candle apples and prizes, too! It sounded like fun to me, so here is what I've got.

But before I reveal my first entry, I wanted to share this story with you.

Right after we had our firstborn, Austin, I decided to take a quilting class. I had known for a long time that quilting was something I would love to learn how to do. I met a friend by the name of Nora that has a true passion for the art of quilting and I picked her brain on it from time to time as we worked together.

She blessed us with a handmade quilt when Austin came into this world back in 1996. I was amazed at her generosity. It wasn't long after I had received it that I took my first and only quilting class back in Pittsburgh, PA. It was a six week long class and I learned everything I needed to know to produce this...

My only problem was that I didn't have a lot of time to devote to my quilt which meant it was put away for a very long time. I finally finished it by the time Austin was 10! I am not even kidding. I handstitched the entire thing. Not once did I use a sewing machine. Not because I have anything against using one to make quilts, but because they SCARE me. That's right, I am intimidated by sewing machines. Kat's daughter, Nana, encouraged me to try it out because it's not that bad. She went on to tell me about a certain injury she sustained while using a machine which wasn't the best encouragement. lol :-) Actually, just the other day I purchased a used Singer from another American that lives nearby who will soon be moving back to the States. Nana, aren't you proud of me? I'll let you in on a little secret... it's been sitting here for a week and I haven't plugged it in! I'm a scaredy-cat.

Anyway, back to my entry.

I made this cute, little wall hanging in 2002. As I pieced this together, I taught my friend, Jen, how to quilt.

The problem with quilters is that they often have several projects going at once that are put down, and if you're raising a family, they might be picked up again after several years go by. I made this quilt in 2000 around the time our 3rd child, Melanie, was born.

Here is a close-up of it.

This pile is my latest project that I am working on. I bought the sewing machine to help get the job done a lot quicker. The funny thing is this particular quilt has a large amount of applique' work that has to be done to it, which has to be done by hand. My husband gently asked me, "So why did you buy the sewing machine if you knew you would be appliqueing?" I quickly retorted with something along the lines of "Well I still need to use the sewing machine for other squares I have to make. But in all honesty, that machine scares me." I'm a chicken I tell ya!

I have to applique' 6 sets of these lovely flowers. By the way, it will take me weeks to months to do that!

So there you have it, Folks, my entry into the County Fair over at "Art's Chili". Thanks for taking a peak and please pray that I'll get my nerve up to learn how to use my new Singer.