Rita, I really like your color choices; the dark background and the batiks are lovely! Our cats like to bring parts of mice to our doorstep but fortunately they are no longer alive by the time I see them. Crawling up my leg would creep me out, too! :shock: once a mouse ran across my bare foot while I stood in the kitchen but, fortunately, it was gone under a cabinet by the time I realized what it was! :shock:

Here's a YouTube link for video instructions that makes this look a bit easier than I thought. Haven't tried it yet, but am on the way to my quilt cabin now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=LPforn3KOOs&NR=1

Reetzbobeetz wrote:
Poor little guy didn't like the rainy weather. I am laughing. That's one way we quilters can get some exercise. Lois

OMG!! A mouse up your leg. That is literally the greatest fear I have about those critters. It makes me shiver just thinking about it. I probably would have been standing on a chair, hoping my dogs would think it was a new toy (since they usually end up pulling the stuffings out of their toys).
Not sure what a tree cow is tho.
Lori

Holy Cow Rita! I would have died if one ran up my leg! Seriously? You are my hero... So brave!
I'd rather take my chances with a tree cow!

Doreen, you are too kind! I don't think it's beautiful but it was nice to try it.

I have just spent the past 15 minutes chasing a mouse around my kitchen floor. Ginger, the cat, keeps bringing them in to play with them before she dispatches them to mouse heaven! So I put the cat out of the way and then proceeded to chase the mouse from corner to corner - it's times like this I wish I was a minimalist - I used a mop to scoot it about. At one point it ran up my leg as far as my knee before I shook it off :shock: but eventually I got it to run out the door and bolt for freedom. Oh the excitement

Rita, It's beautiful.....Doreen

Jeanne, your mother's work is just beautiful! Please pass on my compliments. I made a cushion cover once for my mother and that was enough for me. This is such a labour intensive pattern but I know there are ways of doing it now that are a lot easier. Here's the cushion I made. This was back in the days when I used any fabric I could find so the border fabric is poly-cotton and the sky through the windows is cotton batiks. I don't know if my mother has ever washed it but I don't fancy it's chances.

Jeanne, I really like this size block and I never thought about doing a big one in sections. That is great idea. Thanks for sharing this info. Your moms hand work is really good. I was in Killeen and Ft Hood TX. that is where our son is stationed. He works with our wounded warriors. Thank you for posting the photos. They are really good shots. I like to click on them and they get bigger and I can see them better. I think I have sewers eyes. LOL!

Good grief, that is beautiful. I've never learned how to make the cathedral window but would love to someday. Don't think I could make anything much larger than a pilllow, or maybe a wallhanging, but love the look of it. Your mother must have the patience of Job

Bren,

I’m attaching pictures of the cathedral window quilt in progress. Mother is making the windows in sections and then will sew the sections together. It’s easier to handle the huge amount of quilting. I couldn’t possibly make 285 windows. I might push myself to make a rectangle bed pillow.
Sorry your branding was canceled. I’m guessing each weekend a fellow rancher has branding and the ranches that had to be delayed, will be back in rotation when the rest of the scheduled weeks are complete? It throws off the schedule but great to have fellow ranchers helping. It makes the process more fun and less work to be surrounded by friends. Hope it dries out enough to keep on schedule.
TX is a wonderful state. We visited San Antonio and Houston two years ago. I was going to Houston International Quilt Fest. What a treat! DH went with me. DD flew out to visit San Antonio with us. She’s not a quilter, yet and didn’t go to quilt fest. I wish I had known about all the quilt shops in San Antonio but I felt like I was pushing it with my family by attending the quilt fest. It’s beautiful area. Glad you were able to zoom down to TX to see your family.
Thank you for compliments on my tree of life quilt. I’ve got to make another. I fell in love with the colors and applique when I saw it online. Now I have several of Edyta’s books. Talented lady.

Love the roundup picture. Beautiful!

Bren,
Where in TX were you? I live in Austin. Glad you had family time.

frances

Jeanne, Thanks for the info. That is a pretty good sized Cathedral block. I just measured mine and it is 3.5" finished. I think I might try this bigger size...WOW 285! that is a lot of blocks, it sounds like she has a system figured out!

Our branding got canceled because of 2 inches of rain. You just cant brand wet hair and no one wants to get down in the mud... go figure...

I did make it to the neighbors branding and after the first pen of calves I took off for TX...

Kind of strange to leave in the afternoon to go to TX from SD. The whole trip was about 2500 miles I got to spent part of Sunday, all of Monday, all of Tuesday and part of Wed. with our son, daughter in law and our grand children... Got home Thursday night, ready to cook Friday for the branding but it didn’t stop raining so I sleep and caught up on driving/jet lag (TB)... wish I could have had a few more days in TX but I did get to see a really cool quilt shop... will post photo...

I love your tree of life

Bren,

I remembered you had asked about the size of cathedral window. Here's the measurements Mother used...

The starting muslin square is 8.5". Once sewn and folded the "window" finishes at 4.25". Mother is working on 285 windows. She has them all cut, sewn, ironed and ready for the print fabric to hand sew in each window. Wow! I couldn't believe the system she has in making the cathedral quilt. I'll attach pictures later when I'm on my desktop computer to show you the sizes. (The forum set up won't let me attached pics from my iPad). I may start a cathedral window just to make a pincushion like Maree. If I'm really brave, I'll venture onto a rectangle pillow. Depends on my staying power. 

Also, you asked about my Tree of Life quilt and if the HST were swapped or from stash? All HST were from my stash. I have a lot to use up. I would love to be in a batik swap, too.

Hope your branding went well!