The Wedding Quilt...

We live along the Big Elk River...

When we rise in the morning, 

we see the Elk through the fog,

grazing just outside the yard fence...

The Elk are calving right now and will 

bring their calves into our hay fields in June...

Two winters ago an orphan elk calf took up

with our cow herd and ate hay right off

the hay truck when we fed each morning...

When you live in this little valley,

you learn to live with the elk...

Our neighbors are getting married in August...

They also live along the Big Elk River...

This Elk quilt will be just right for them !

We are still calving now.  No time to run out

and purchase the perfect fabrics,

so I am pawing through the fabric cupboards

and making do with what I already have.

The quilt is coming together bit by bit.

We have been calving 

for more than 2 months now...

still feeding cattle in the mornings

and checking for newborn calves 

several times a day...

The first time heifers have just begun

to have their calves....3 babies so far.

This is Eleanor with her very first calf.

She is a wonderful mother.  It is a pleasure

to watch her care for her calf.

View my Instagram feed HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

Pasture Management...

I won't be listening to the 

hum of my sewing machine today...

I will be listening to the roar of this

John Deere 4440 tractor...

Climb aboard and check out

the cockpit...

This is where I will spend the day...

that is an oh so comfy hydraulic seat !

This is a room with a view...

My mission today is to flatten out 

these mole hills...

The mole hills are big...

There are hundreds and hundreds of them

in the pastures and hay fields...

The implement attached to the back of the

tractor is called a "drag"

Here is a close up...

the drag is big and very, very heavy...

It is pulled behind the tractor and

drags over the mole hills

smashing them flat...

You can see on the left side of the image

that I have run the drag over that area

and the mole hills have been obliterated.

We will be cutting hay in this field this summer

and the mole hills will make the hay dirty

and they are also hard on our hay equipment.

By flattening them out we get better

quality hay and our fields are not full

of large bumpy mole hills.

View my Instagram feed HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

Tulip Bench Pillow....DONE

 

I completed the Tulip Bench Pillow top

last week...

It is time to get it basted and under the needle...

I am machine quilting on my

Bernina 153QE

Lots of great texture and movement...

Swirls and plumes...

Machine quilting is complete.

I made a back for the pillow

and inserted the HUGE bench pillow insert...

Here comes the Show 'n Tell:

This is a big, long pillow...

It will be just perfect this summer

on the porch swing...

Make a bench pillow.....FUN!

3 weeks left in our calving season:

Lots of baby calves ganging up together, 

playing tag and having fun!

View my Instagram feed HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

The Golden Girls...

Super Cuteness... 

Golden Girl.....Born 2016

Golden Girl....a curious yearling heifer

2022...Golden Girl with her calf, 

Golden Delicious

Yes, they are twins !

2023...Golden Girl with her calf, Elsa

We now have a herd of Golden Girls !

2024...Here are Golden Girl's calves 

all grown up:

Golden Delicious and Elsa

They look just like their mama.

Golden Delicious and Elsa

They live in the same pasture right now...

As you can see...

Golden Delicious is expecting her first baby.

She is round like a barrel !

I check on these girls 2 or 3 times a day,

but no baby yet.

Yes, Golden Girl had another baby this year:

Yes, it is a heifer...yay!

This is Brookie...our 4th Golden Girl.

Maybe some day all of the Golden Girls

will be in the same pasture together and I can 

capture a family photo of all of them.

p.s.  Yes, Golden Girl has had other

golden calves but they were bull calves

and we don't keep them.

View more Golden Girl posts HERE

View my Instagram feed HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi

Hot Pads...

 

My stock pile of hot pads is running low...

I like to keep them around for gift giving...

everybody needs a new hot pad !

A great way to use up those

fabric scraps...

Insulbrite batting as the base

and then stitch & flip the fabric strips in place...

Similar to log cabin blocks...

A pile of tops all done.

All finished with the backings,

then turned right side out

with top stitching all around the edges.

They pile up quickly !

The best part is....no binding necessary.

Give them away to everyone you meet up with !

4 weeks left in the calving season...

These first time heifers are being stubborned...

no baby calves yet !

They are beautiful 2 year old heifers...

This is Eloise (left) and Elsa (right)...

They are yearling replacement heifers.

They will be bred this summer and have

their first babies next Spring.

I just love spending time in the heifer field.

You can view my

Hot Pad Tutorial HERE

View my Instagram feed HERE

CLICK HERE:  to see My Quilts

May Your Bobbin Always Be Full,

LuAnn Kessi