Beautiful. Not only did you start a project, you actually finished it. Just lovely.

Love it!

That’s fantastic. I’m impressed with all the lines you had to draw. Lines can get me sometimes! Lines and hands. Nice project for you and your DH. It compliments your pretty fireplace well.

Ya know, we need a whole room shot. 🙃

(How many of you looked up your state‘s pattern? I didn’t know about it.)

DLM, that is just magnificent. Congrats to you and DH

Beautiful piece and absolutely perfect in your setting.

Thank you all - it was a labor of love for sure.

teeda if you have access to a wood miller in your area I would figure out things to do with that Ash tree. Ash is a beautiful wood and even if your taking it down because of ash borers, they just make the wood more interesting.

bac don't forget you can change the colors for the IL quilt block if they don't work for you.

Finally Home you have no idea how true that is! Finishing projects is my nemesis.

Shee getting this drawn out was a nightmare till DH stepped in. It's all math and angles and has to start with that center square but has to be scaled to fit and I had no idea how to do that. Once he got that first square I figured it out.

Totally unique piece, beautifully executed! The scale is perfect for your fireplace wall.

Thank you, DLM--yes ash borers brought the tree to its demise. So glad to know that they add distinction to the wood. We do have access to sawmills, and also have two fireplaces in need of mantels!

It's beautiful - are you taking orders? 😊

Splendid! I admire your talent and creativity.

Gorgeous, I love it!

DLM, it is just lovely, on its own and in that spot. Beautiful!

Absolutely beautiful, thank you for sharing!

That's really beautiful! Well-done. And I had no idea about these state blocks--I looked up mine.

Can I ask how your husband made the brackets? They, too, are a perfect scale for the fireplace.

I am so impressed with your projects. The quilt block is perfection along with the mantle. And the bird houses are just so sweet. Do you mind sharing how you made those? I can’t tell what material was used to make the roofs. You have a beautiful setting!

Beautiful and the perfect setting!

That's gorgeous! I'm so impressed with all your handiwork. I'm so glad you decided to post the pics. That must be so heavy...how did you manage to hang it into the brickwork?

What gorgeous work you and your husband have done. That quilt piece is absolutely stunning and suits the space perfectly, wowzers. The bird houses are adorable. What a wonderful treat for your friends.

Wow! Your quilt block is wonderful and perfect for your fireplace. The birdhouse is darling.

Where do you find out what your state’s quilt pattern is?

Another one just amazed to see the incredible work by you and your husband. From what we can see of your house and yard, they look beautiful, too!

maddielee, I just Googled 'Maine State Quilt Pattern' to find mine, and it it popped right up -

Wow (blushing) thank you all so much. I was hesitant to share with all all the incredible talent here so it took a little nudge. I will be back later to answer questions. Having a girls coffee/cake* on the porch later this morning - managed to get the baking done yesterday but now realize I have no milk for lattes.

* lemon blueberry bread and mango muffins

AMAZING. I love it.

Came back again. Still can't get over it. It is perfect for the space, it is meaningful, it is beautifully rendered, and you recycled your own wood. Is there a word for "trifecta" when it's fourfold success?

Who knew? There is such a thing as a quadfecta!

PS Oops, it's a quinfecta. I forgot to add that the fact that you and your DH worked on it together is very sweet; what an heirloom!

Great projects DLM!! On our most recent car drive, I noticed several barns that had quilt squares painted on them (usually up above the main doors - in that peak). I didn't realize there is one for each state. We are going to have to repeat that route so I can check out the quilt squares. I need to look up Tennessee's square.

I love those little bird houses!!

DLM...it is beautiful & I learned from you that each state has a quilt square! And the birdhouses are amazing too....I want one!

Just in awe here, truly. Especially love the connection to your state and your property. And my hand is wildly waving for:
”Also made a few bird houses just for fun and and have been giving them away“ They are adorable !

Really beautiful and I had no idea about state quilt patterns. Wonderfully executed!

Bird houses are adorable!

Feathers you're going to be so sorry you asked! The brackets were a major undertaking for DH. It's the type of thing a blacksmith would do but had to improvise all that equipment. He's a mechanical engineer so if he doesn't have a tool he builds one. He bought the metal, used a blowtorch to heat the back pieces and made a jig out of a huge stump to bend them using the bucket from the tractor to hold it. The edges were heated and hammered a bit.

Then he made another jig for the curved pieces because they all had to have the same curve. Heated and hammered the edges and ends to flatten them a bit.

He riveted the pieces together and welded the mounting posts - drilled into the chimney and mortared them into the holes - they will never move! To apply the finish, he heated them to about 500 degrees in our grill then swabbed on multiple layers of linseed oil to get the burnished look.

This was the picture I showed him. That's how we operate - I give him my inspiration, he makes it happen. Pretty much the way he built the whole house.

Wow! Really gorgeous! Off to find the Texas quilt block!

tannatonk the birdhouses are all scraps - whatever wood was lying around and the roof is aluminum - thin and easy to bend but weatherproof. DH's business is residential remodel/repair so his shop is full of 'stuff'. The sticks on the sides and doors are pin nailed, the moss, lichen and little fences ares hot glued all gathered around the property. We have bamboo growing across the road from us and had a few pieces drying - used that for the entrance hole.

Annie the hanging mechanism for the quilt is an oversized version of a regular picture frame. There are two brackets on the back and heavy gauge wire strung between them, then two hooks on the fireplace, mortared in. We get a lot of wind and having it on two hooks it's more likely to stay level. It weighs about 35#.

mtn most of our projects are a joint effort. A lot of me saying 'I want this but this size or this this material' he builds it then I take over. I'm not much on power tools because I never had to be with DH around but I really admire women who get'er done on their own.

Somebody's been keeping a little secret from us. Good grief girl, I had no idea you were so crafty! Such beauty, even looking at the outdoors behind the FP.

I love the row of evergreens. Is Meadowcreek the name of your place, and I guess you all farm?

Our closest neighbors who farms, the wife made a barn quilt for their huge barn and it's gorgeous. It took a lot of men to hang it.

I bought one for my fireplace and I love how it brightens the area. My block is Carpenters wheel. Hmm, sounds like a block you and DH should do for yourselves. :)

Do you sell the birdhouses at craft shows? You should if you can whip them out that fast.

Brava! BTW, for everyone who wants to quilt their state's block, you can easily do it in your lap with a quilt frame, and then hang it on the wall. I'm not fond of my state's block, so I'll pass.

Oakley we do not farm. We're on 6.25 acres, ringed with woods. The land has been hayed by a neighboring farmer for decades and we just kept that handshake agreement when we bought the land. I don't have the temperament to do craft shows or even to go to them! Too many tchotchkes give me the jitters! And yes MeadowCreek is the name of our home.

If anyone is interested, here are the 50 states. I also learned all the national parks have their own block as well. If I were a quilter I could make a quilt for DS with all the parks he's worked at. Here's a link to all the states individually

That is amazing, DLM... I thought "DH made the mantel brackets" meant he found them at the local hardware store or got them from a metal fabricator. But he literally MADE them. Thanks for explaining the process. He did a great job!

DLM, thank you so much for the bird house info. I am dumbfounded at the effort your dh went through to craft those amazing brackets! He sounds like a treasure. Big thumbs up to you both. You’ve created heirlooms for sure.

I can't imagine why you hesitated to post your projects here - they are just amazing. You and your husband are so talented. They are beautifully crafted and they look stunning on your fireplace. And the best part is that you created them from start to finish! I'm so envious. I've been wanting to put a barn quilt on our detached garage at our place in PA. It's such a plain building and I think a quilt block would really improve it. The proportion is important, 3 across might look better.

Looking at your project may just inspire me to put them on our garage..

Thanks so much for sharing them.

Oh maire_cate that is a perfect building for a barn quilt and I don't think it's plain at all, more New England spare. Three might look great but I think one larger would work as well.

Thanks DLM - I'm sure you right about that. DH had the same thought and said that one would have more impact. I've just never been good at visualizing. But I love your description of my garage - New England spare. It's perfect. We have a contractor who can hang it - I just need to find one. The next time we go up we'll have to figure out what size would work.

Thanks again, and don't hesitate to post more projects.

Maire

Beautiful projects, DLM. You and your husband are very talented. Thanks for sharing with us.

That is the third OK quilt block I've seen so far. Who knows what it really is? lol I'd love to do Virginia though where all the blood in my body is from. :)

Two days ago I was dusting around the FP and had DH take the barn quilt down so I could dust it, only because it's summer and I'm scared to death a fiddleback will be behind it even though we spray once a year. No spider but I just noticed I still haven't dusted the block.

I love love love anything quilted.

Maire, what a beautiful garage! Is there a room upstairs? Etsy has a lot of pretty barn quilts at good prices. Mine came from a house in the middle of the woods in WV, which makes it more special. You should get one!

Oakley - there is a nice size loft above the garage with a kitchen and bathroom. It's really handy when the house is full or on those occasions when my DS and DDIL want a little more quiet with their baby. And a barn quilt would be perfect especially since the garage faces the side of the house and we could view it from the den and and guest room.

Tina M, for info about Barn Quilts, start here. They have spread widely through Kentucky and Tennessee and even more states now. For a while, I made it somewhat of a mission to photograph a lot of them when we were traveling through certain parts of the country.

Maire Cate, the barn quilts I have seen are all sizes, small and large. One would look great on your garage.

DLM, thanks for sharing the details of your project. You and your DH are quite a talented team!

Wow! What a gorgeous project. Perfect for the porch FP. DH is talented as well. Lucky you!

I was off to search state quilt patterns (who knew?!). I may have to move, as I am not fond of ours.

Wow DLM! I was impressed before, and now, after your descriptions, I'm completely blown away! Barn quilt, eh? I have a fairly large and blank side of our barn....hmmm.

Annie that gable end is crying out for a barn quilt!

Pam - that's impressive ......and looks great on your barn. And reminds me that I definitely need one on my old red garage....

Pam that is so perfect for a daylily business!

DLM, absolutely amazing!!! I am in awe of the talent.

Please share more!

Testing

because when I logged back in, every topic says no posts. I had to go under my activity to pull this up. Then if I click the conversation forum from here I get the same no posts. Can’t really use a forum that way. Perhaps time for a break anyhow.

I got the same thing Shee - seems to be working again now.