KalamaQuilts

Cheddar and Blue Orca Bay progress and wings

2012-01-14T09:01:00.000-08:00

Orca Bay Progress, with blue diamonds appliqued in centers of light Ohio Stars. Ideally, the blue strippy blocks should have had some light blues in them too, but I work strictly from stash and darks were all I had in the 1800's reproductions. A few lighter strips, or one in the center would have pulled the eye along the path of the light Ohio Stars. The finished top will still be very striking...

I had some problems with the orange strippy units and winged units working, they kept coming out at 6-3/4 inches wide rather than 6-1/2". (they are all stitched already with points and dog ears trimmed so am showing examples of the same thing with the border units that use the same winged components). When using Bonnie's recommended rulers the bottom of the block must align, regardless of whether you have blunt corner or pointy corner on the top piece.

The piece on the left has a pointy corner on the bottom so it slides right to the corner of the underneath piece. Coincidence has the top corners both blunt and matching but that is immaterial.

The right example (with the bottom to the top at the moment) shows how to work the two pieces when you have a pointy piece on a blunt corner piece. Slide that blunt corner over the bottom piece until it lays where it would if both sections were pointy. You will see at that moment that everything aligns with the straight sides and corner...eureka! Now stitch along the long edge, open gently, press without steam, trim those dog ears, and you'll see the block comes out perfectly sized.

If I can say that any worse just let me know :) The real key is to stop thinking all matching corners like we do with standard rulers and then trim to size. There is no need for trimming with the rulers Bonnie recommends...as long as your 1/4" seam is dead on.

I have no doubt Bonnie has this on her blog, with photos but I don't know how to search her blog and find it, too many sections for a simple minded girl like me. If anyone has a link I'd be glad to add it.

Orca Bay Mystery, Dinking Around

2012-01-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

You can't improve on Bonnie's vision, this is an A+ design. That said, To quote Calypso, "it is my nature" to dink around once I have something on the working wall, and those blue strippy blocks looked so lonely to me.

I have three strips of components finished on the working wall and today I've been playing with ideas for pulling more blue into the process.

#1 Is Bonnie's Orca Bay Mystery design, only in my colors.

#2 Is the addition of little blue floating diamonds on the Cheddar Ohio Star light blocks.

#3 Is the addition of little blue floating diamonds on the Cheddar centers of all the Ohio Star blocks.
All those little blue diamonds are made from the same blue in the corners of the strippy blocks.
I also tried them with scrappy blue diamonds, didn't have quite the same impact.

I like it and it won't take 5 minutes to applique one down, less if I do it on the machine.

Added the next morning: Two stars with the finished stuffed blue diamonds. Too fun!

2011 Quiltville Mystery Quilt plus 2010

2012-01-03T10:15:00.000-08:00

Beginning to assemble components after the Big Reveal New Year's Day. Total pieces to date are approximately 4400. All mid-1800's reproduction fabrics.

Bonnie's red = my cheddar
Bonnie's black = my brown
Bonnie's blue = my blue
mixed neutrals, same for both of us

Monday's linky with all the different results at Quiltville

Light and dark Ohio Stars reversed position. I'm thinking the dark stars just get lost and the sense of motion is missing in the reversed set.

The blue strippy blocks seem a bit like orphans because the blue appears no where else in the quilt. When I get that far I'll audition blue as the inner border, and/or blue instead of the neutral for the border blocks or some combination thereof.

I thought while I was making a post about the 2011 Mystery, I'd add images of my finished Roll Roll Cotton Boll 2010 Mystery. I had a brand new machine and despaired of finding my sweet spot 1/4" seam but in the end it came together beautifully.

85" X 85". I think if you click on the images they will show larger. Believe it or not I made another one in greys and blues. It is very dark but intended that way, as a slim end of bed quilt for doggies.

Letting Go

2011-04-18T07:43:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of downsizing my 'stuff' by half. This has been a ten year project to date and I am actually beginning to see the tunnel, though not quite the light at the end of it.

Without premeditated intent I've some how turned this spring into a firestorm of shucking off the unnecessary, very successfully, because I've taken to heart the advice from Rick Levine I read March 16. "Staying detached from the outcome creates enough sacred space for an original solution to magically unfold." I am just, letting go, no strings, good bye. I've come to see superfluous multiple possessions as something like these rocks. Balanced? Perhaps. Frozen? Absolutely. I'm pulling the lynch pin and letting things fall where they may.

Does this mean I've become a zealot, wearing sackcloth and ash and haranguing others to do as I do, do as I say? Hardly. I love my stuff...what remains, because it is truly what I enjoy seeing and using and find beautiful. Without the burden of too much, too many, all being too reflective of poor stewardship of the one life I have.

To that end of downsizing by half I am also shutting down my quilt blog . I am in the process of flinging old posts that are irrelevant to my life and keeping the only ones that mean something to me. You are welcome to drop by and read what will remain, although it is probably more of me than anyone is willing to know. And I can always be found at my keeper half of blogging, Quirkeries. Say hello once in awhile.

Sharyn

In My Dreams

2010-12-26T08:37:00.000-08:00

This is my dream trip. At least the one at the top of the list; there are dozens of places around the world I'd like to visit. This is Giraffe Manor in Nairobi. Built in the 1930's and offering just five overnight guest rooms, aside from the beauty and charm of the site and country, it offers Rothschild Giraffes who poke their heads in any window that happens to be open...how often can we say we breakfasted with something like this as our companion? Or sat and stitched a quilt in a place like this?

Sunday Thankies
Dreams
Possibilities
Hopes

The World Is Too Much With Us

2010-11-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

I'll admit it, my Christmas seasons are simple. We haven't done gifts for years and years, we weren't even living at home the last two years so no tree, I quit sending cards when postage went up to .15 cents...mid-70's? In spite of that kind of humbuggerish attitude I do enjoy the season very much. I do appreciate that people go to a lot of work to light up their homes and I love taking an evening just to drive around and look at them. I sing along with Rudolph and I LOVE The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Sometimes we do hang our Christmas stocking which are large and grow funny bulges as December progresses.

But there doesn't seem anywhere to go where we can shut off the world and enjoy something simple. Something so rare in the house that we'd go back to it over and over...I'm talking about the 1950's women's magazines that always had a 4-6 page Christmas story for children with lovely graphics. My brother and I LOVED them! It was the only month of the year mother would buy magazines. It's been a long long time ago when a kid would or could be entertained for a month with a ten cent publication. And it wouldn't be politically correct anymore anyway.

Saying that makes me suddenly realize that now, in her 80's, magazine subscriptions are mother's hobby, the more unusual the better. It's the only thing of hers I'd like to inherit; her neatly boxed issues surely hold a wealth of interesting fun for my info-junkie mind.

Tuesday Thankies

Memory that works

My Facets Friends

The Simple Life

Good Hair Day Bad Hair Day

2010-09-05T12:18:00.000-07:00

My girls are worth their weight in gold just for the entertainment value. We have an area under some enormous fir trees that is dry as a bone. Chickens never waste anything so they've made it their spa area. They have excavations dug out deeper than they are tall. They jump in, start flinging dusty soil, and fling/squirm/fling/squirm until they feel they've gotten their groats worth of spa treatment.

Yet twenty minutes later they will be bellied up to the beverage bar sleek and glossy, all blue/green/purple iridescent. How do they get so clean so fast? There must be a room at the chicken spa I'm not privy to.

The working wall of my mind has been kicking in, mulling over ideas for my next quilt top as my Boston Strippy winds down. I think the root seed will be the Lily Rosenberry pattern a really stunning quilt by Sue Garman. Mentally I'm already a long way from the original though...I love to mess with the recipe, quilting or cooking either one.

Sunday Thankies
Chicken song MyTunes
Nero Wolf TV series
Shovels for every task

Sanctuary and Sewing

2010-07-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

I savored some sewing time in my personal sanctuary last Wednesday (Kreth, click photo for big!). I swear, time spent here is better for me than anything a doctor could prescribe. Do you have a place to where it just feels good to go? This year I added two new duck decoys and a white ibis, Tibetan prayer flags, and yesterday I added a 40 foot string of tiny solar powered lights around the dock for those times of meditative solitude and solace of a warm late summer evening. I wish each of you could spend a couple of hours here for healing and inner peacefulness. It is nothing more than a common old farm pond, but it seems to vibrate with spirituality. Or something :)

I wrote a few posts back that quilt books have gotten so expensive as to be entirely outside my budget. I think it's been years since I bought any new quilt books, I don't take any quilt magazines...and although I do have a budget I also think we need to remember to savor the good things of life and treat ourself with the respect and care we treat others with. So with all that obfuscation blurring my good intentions, I ordered four new quilt books. They came yesterday so now I'm off to the porch swing with a fresh cuppa and mind candy to savor.

Saturday Thankies
That the weed spraying is finished for the year
That we have tractors and equipment to make the job easier
That my (Y) doesn't have to spend six hours on the tractor seat every day.

I Love Appliqué

2010-06-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

Somewhere in the deep distant past I was advised that we can only love people, not ideas or things. Phooey on that, I love appliqué and Valentine conversation hearts and fresh mown grass. I'm at the farm this week, enjoying the sanctuary of my dock and pond (which I love) and doing the prep work (which I love) for the appliqué strips on the Boston Strippy quilt shown below, and listening to the seventh book of the Gunslinger/Dark Tower series (which I love...). In the book Roland refers to Stephen King as a Wordslinger. That makes me both a wordsmith and needleslinger, love the imagery.

I need to test drive the workability of quilt blocks that use wool as part of the appliqué. I ran across this charming quilt (pdf file, takes a minute to load) by Sheri Howard named Ruby Red Dots this morning. Way cute.

Our weekend sale went great, got to meet many of our new neighbors, had plenty of good laughs, made great money, got rid of a ton of stuff, including quilt books and wall quilts. Goodbye space takers, hello fresh new ideas.

Tuesday Thankies
A multitude of things to love
The smell of a good quilt store
The smell of a good book store

The Bee's Knees

2010-06-06T14:54:00.000-07:00

They are here! Moving hives isn't something I'm in a hurry to do again any time soon, those boxes are heavy, and many many thousands of bees, buzzing in your ear, has a tendency to up the anxiety level.

These hives boxes are in bad shape, so once all the extras (58 by actual count) are cleaned and refurbished we'll be gently lifting out each frame of bee babies (10 per box) and place them gently in their new home. Bee suits optional...but recommended! Rob fixed up a beautiful protected space for them and I hope they will be happy here.

I was asked how much honey does a bee make in a day. Less than you would think. In it's approximately six week lifetime a honey bee produces less than a teaspoon. So if I got 4-1/2 gallons from these two hives last fall, you tell me how many working bees there are here. And you'll better understand why drones are kicked to the curb once the queen is fertlized.

On the quilting front I got a big stack of 3" yo-yo's finished last night while watching Apocalypse Redux. I wonder how many times since this movie came out I've paraphrased Duvall's classic "I love the smell of Napalm in the morning"? We were down to the Veteran's Administration a few weeks ago and they want Rob to come in for a physical, they are testing everyone from that war zone for Agent Orange. Loverly. Back to the quilt, I've had a brain bomb about the border. Details to follow~

On the bread front I monkeyed a lot with this recipe for Morning Glory Muffins from my King Arthur cookbook and they turned out simply divine. Fortunately I kept notes so I can do it again, but knowing me I'll probably mess with the recipe in a new way...

Sunday Thankies
A really funny potential gig
Gypsy culture
Great clients

Idle Hands, Devil's Playground

2010-05-31T16:04:00.000-07:00

No idle hands here. I said last fall I'd be bringing the bees home when FIL was gone. That job will probably be next weekend. Wait until dark when they are all inside, seal up the hives, bucket load them onto the pickup, whiz home, set them up in the dark, unseal, and eureka, hives are in Kalama.

The hard part? Take a look at this frame for comb. And this is a good one... Remember December before last we had big flooding in Chehalis? Most of FIL's hives were flooded, only two survived. He indicated he'd taken care of the empty hive boxes. Ermmm, No. He'd stacked them out of sight out of mind. So it falls to me to clean up musty moldy boxes. Yick. I still have at least 25 boxes left to do and it seems like I've already done a million. On the other hand, with all the beeswax I've ground into my blue pair of diva gloves they will be water proof into the next millennium.

Another chicken toy here on the right. You've heard of soap-on-a-rope? How about cabbage on a chain? They are loving this game, for the second cabbage I had to shorten the chain up :)

On the bread front, yesterday I made Bob's Red Mill Basic white bread recipe from the side of their flour bag, except I substituted 1/2 cup teff flour for 1/2 cup of the white. Beautiful results and extra yummy this morning for breakfast with my hot Kamut. Teff grain is from Ethopia.

Monday Thankies
A world of ingredients
honey bees
tea lights

Lucky Bamboo and the Art of Grief

2010-04-29T06:24:00.000-07:00

Two years ago when I was working with my Tibetan Oracle I discovered many interesting things, one being a complete lack of the element of water in my life. Something I did to help balance that was to seek out an indoor bamboo plant for both places and work on making my pond a sanctuary.

I got to wondering this morning if the bamboo needs fertilizer, or if that wouldn't be a good idea because the plant needs to remain on the small side. Here is a good site for info on care of Lucky Bamboo which is officially Dracaena Sanderia. This plant is poisonous to pets so keep that in mind if you have a leaf chewing cat... Seeing uncared for plants in every store in the world is like seeing abandoned animals, I feel the need to save them all. I'm trying to get over that particular urge...

On the home front, yesterday afternoon on his 92 birthday FIL died, at home on his farm where he wanted to be. Rob and I had said our goodbyes when he was still conscious, so we took some time off and left the sisters to their time. This afternoon Rob and I will go and stand Shiva while the cremation takes place and bring him back with us. It has been an interesting experience and one we are both glad we committed to. Thank you all for sharing the journey with me. This image is one Rob took this morning as I began the second day of the thirty days of "Meditations for the Passages and Celebrations of Life", a book of vigils, by Noela N. Evans.

Thursday Thankies
The hospice staff, one and all
The kindness of Rob's employer
It isn't grey and pouring.

Thoughts on Home Hospice

2010-04-11T13:28:00.001-07:00

There is no such thing as enough sleep.
There is no good way to talk about death to the dying.
The dying can and do refuse food and water. It's ok...it is the only thing in what remains of their life they have any control over.
Someone should have told us about mouth swabs before this.
Pop-up wipes are far better than tray wipes, speed is often of the essence.
People who can't stand on their own are Very heavy.
What to do with soiled security underwear is a big problem, before you know it you have a lot to deal with.
True colors and true hearts are all that remain.
Applesauce is a blessing.
Crystal Light is great for diabetics.
Always have a stitchers busy-bag at hand
When you run out of everything else, place head on bed and close eyes. Rest is where you find it.

Sunday Thankies
My little hens have been coming up to the house looking for me (((hugs chickens)))
Sunshine creating a walking opportunity for MIL
Lambs fleece and zinc salves
This spot, my last resort in ordering my thoughts

Chicken Toys and China Quilts

2010-04-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ok...I'll have a better photo but this is my newest chicken toy for the girls. A big coffee can with 1/2" holes drilled in it, filled with sunflower seeds. They have gone mad with the fun of it. The first night when I went down to put them up for the night, they had a hole beneath the canister about two feet deep and two and a half feet wide. Kick the can, knock a few seeds out, scratch around and find them :)

I'm going to change this out for a big clear one I've got with a screw on lid, will be way more convenient than the dreaded duct tape. The blur at the end of the leg above is the kicking can effect...

back later to add: because I forgot the China Quilts part :) MIL bought a quilt made in China that she just loves but it is way too wide for her bed. So because I'm a quilter I'm going to trim four or five inches off each side, rebind it with the binding that came with the quilt. Any quilt in a storm, right? A quilter will always find a way to ply her needle.

Here at hospice manor things are changing rapidly, FIL can no longer stand or get up on his own, and has lost interest in food. Last Friday he forgot how to write his name, that was a sad day. The disconnect is what I've been expecting of course, just weird to have it be here 'already' although I've been here for two years now.

Wednesday Thankies
Grapefruit
Medline Remedy
Little lamps

All My Eggs In One Basket...

2010-03-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Let me start backward and say for a number of years my mother raised chickens for extra money by selling both meat and eggs. If my memory is correct she had about 500 at a time, however many, it was one of our chores to collect eggs. Her egg basket was yellow vinyl clad steel and was about the size of a bushel basket. Big.

I have nine black sex-link hens I inherited from my father-in-law and if you've read my blog you watched them grow from babies to ladies and you know I just love 'em to pieces. All this time I've been thinking about an egg basket and using cottage cheese and Cool Whip plastic cartons. Efficient but no soul at all, none, nada.

Finally my brain kicked in; it's Easter basket time, what better time to find a perfect egg basket for nine eggs a day. Eureka! Now if you were one of my little girls wouldn't you be thrilled to have your eggs gathered in a shiny silver basket loaded with color and bling? I swear the eggs even taste better. They know when they are appreciated :)

Saturday Thankies
How hard my dementia plagued FIL laughed when I showed him the basket
That my MIL bought me pink Easter grass to cushion the eggs
How out of character each action was and is treasured in my heart

Knichen, Asparagrass, Kalnking, Thumb Quilting

2010-03-21T12:04:00.000-07:00

The three words above are father-in-law-isms. Kitchen, Asparagus, Caulking. Comes to mind because the fresh tender asparagus is coming into the produce sections now. Beyond yum. I just steam, spray with I Can't Believe It's Butter and chow down.

Not much to report on the quilt front, I'm not happy with the cornerstones of the below mentioned quilt so am rethinking that plan.

FIL gets a little weaker each week and is eating less as we wind down toward the end. Some nights he sleeps pretty well, others he is up and down three or four times an hour. "Well, I gotta get up." "How come?" "I don't know, I gotta get up."

On the other hand my little girls (hens) are eating for an army I swear. But the nine of them have laid straight through fall and winter which is quite unusual if the chicken forum group are to be believed. This is the cutest picture I've seen in awhile, click on it to see full size.

I've been asked to show what I am doing when I thumb/finger quilt, as they say a photo is worth a 1000 words. I don't use a thimble, I push the needle with my thumb or fingernail depending on which direction I'm going. The example is just on a piece of fabric, the quilt I'm working on is next door. #1 pushing away with thumb nail, #2 pushing back with finger nail. My other hand would be under the quilt letting me know each time the needle comes through. Hope the visual helps.

I started quilting with a floor frame built from instructions in a Foxfire book, 2 short side rails, 2 long top and bottom rails, sitting on chair seats. Then I used a vintage card table with the sidebars wrapped in pillow-ticking to pin to. This works beautifully because you can just work your way around the table. Then about 15 years ago I switched to strictly hoop quilting. I did buy a Grace frame in there at one point but hated it so it's gone to a friend in Canada. Back when postage was affordable. I can't imagine what it would cost to mail something like that now.

Sunday Thankies
Apple blossoms
Big grey squirrels
Yellow finches

Ruffles Have Ridges...And...

2010-03-09T13:36:00.000-08:00

Selvages/Selvedges!!! My life is complete...wonder how many bags it would take to make a checkbook cover out of the top edges?

I also got to wondering if I've been alone too much, after I said earlier when I'm feeling blue I go down and listen to the chickens tell stories. So, info junkie that I am I looked around and found this as the first post of a looong thread on a chicken forum...names have been changed to protect the Innocent of course..."I have a house chicken named Babby. I love her dearly. I have come to realize that there are "others" out there too. I was thinking that we needed a place to chat. A place that is safe, where we won't be judged that our chickens are sitting on the couch with us eating grapes..." I laughed 'till my eyes squirted. It never crossed my mind, but now that it has...

Tuesday Thankies
Noodles
Cinnamon
Robins

How Long? How Much?

2010-03-03T07:09:00.000-08:00

As I sit and stitch through the night at my FIL's bedside I've been thinking about a question my BIL asked clear back in 1972 when I had my first finished top on the frame. He wanted to know how long it takes to make a quilt and how much one cost, was it comparable to buying a blanket? With batting, backing, Merribee printed top, and the embroidery floss this quilt topped out at about $60.00 and it probably took about two months to quilt. It actually took three years to finish because I wasn't happy with the way the back looked and put it aside for a couple of years.

I believe this is quite common with quilters, strolling between projects. I wish I had the admirable tenacity to stick with one thing start to finish, but that isn't very exciting. Sometimes I'm in the mood for lots of machine work, and others, like now, I can't get enough of hand appliqué. As to cost today...some patterns alone are $60-80.00 if the quilter likes Block Of The Month programs. And I've done a couple of self designed whole cloth quilts that have more than 600 hours of quilting each.

In the night I've been quilting on the Raggedy Hearts quilt, another 30's self designed quilt based on the Bull's Eye technique. According to the webshots page link above, this quilt dates back to 2005. It took about a month to machine piece and appliqué and each year I think this is the February it will take pride of place on the bed...as long as my hand holds out 2011 might be the hallelujah February. Note that my corner stars are also raggedy, too cute.

As to how long? My stock answer for the last quarter century has been "If I were in a hurry, I'd buy a blanket".

Wednesday Thankies
Needles and thread
Ready to use batting
Wonderland of fabric...all out of reach to me, I've been on the fabric wagon since 2001

Fobbing Along

2010-02-19T08:04:00.001-08:00

I seldom mention my MIL here at the farm, probably because at 86 she can run rings around me. Here she is taking the push mower to her front yard a few days ago. She's a little dynamo...her weight is the same as her age.
A few weeks ago I was blessed with the gift of four scissor bobs from a young woman from Australia I don't even know. They are so beautiful and I'm very grateful for her kindness. Live Long and Prosper Hayley.

Friday Thankies

Books

Soup bone stock

Eyes

Faye Anderson Appliqué Designs

2010-02-14T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was just through the AQS book side of their website, and it strikes me as bizarre that they have apparently let this book go out of print while some of their old dogs are still being published. Weird. It is available on the secondary market still which is nice, because speaking for myself, I'm having a lot of fun stitching up these little six inch blocks and would recommend the book to others.

I didn't do any block stitching while I was home for three weeks, but I did get all the blocks prepped, and each night since I've been back at the funny farm I've gotten two blocks finished.

I've added some blocks which was easy to do because many of the shapes are repeated throughout the top. I've monkeyed with others just because I can...
And I'm adding the sequins and beads as I go along now. Sequins on a quilt is a new one for me; I'm triple stitching them and all independent of the appliqué stitching so if one comes off nothing else will fall apart.
As I type I'm sipping a fresh cuppa and nibbling a little box full of Necco Sweethearts candies. My second favorite holiday treat. I guess I could just go buy a roll of Necco's any time of the year, but it really wouldn't be the same thing~

Some Valentine day trivia from a book by Nigel Pennick: A combination of Norse and Roman traditions dedicated to Vali the archer, son of Odin and to Juno Februa, goddess of maternal and married love. Rob and I will be married forty years this month. I asked him yesterday if I could have another serving of forty years please...he said he'd think about it. Probably makes him tired just to think about it. I wouldn't take another forty years with me if I could get out of it :)

Sunday Thankies
Time to visit my favorite blogs
Hatching a surprise with my FIL
The sight of my hens enjoying yogurt this morning

Of Blocks and Brothers-In-Law

2010-01-17T13:59:00.001-08:00

Some more of my little 6" appliqué blocks added to the pile, they will make more visual sense when the stem-work gets added. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect pen. I think I've an idea for the sashing but will wait until I'm home for a bit and can stage try-outs on the big working wall. It is a rainy grey afternoon here, perfect weather for prepping more blocks and playing a couple of movies. Perhaps a marathon of my National Geographic Egypt series??

A wonderful treat this weekend, my BIL showed up out of the blue and we talked well into the night and again for a long time this afternoon. He'd dropped off the radar and I was very fearful we were being shunned, which is a wicked and shameful practice in my book. Apparently not, and I'm so thankful he was here to see his dad for the last time. And that FIL recognized him. Although as the night progressed he would sit up in bed and say "who is he talking to?" I'd pull my ears out and say Me!

Sunday Thankies
Conversation hearts
Good doggies
Lost little hen was found

RIP Tot50, Stop You're Killing Me

2010-01-11T12:39:00.000-08:00

Am I alone in being an office supplies junkie? I spent a lot of years working as a secretary so I appreciate good office tools, but I think the seed of the junkidom was planted pre-teen in my Christmas stocking with one of these Swingline Tot50 staplers. I still have and use it, nearly half a century later. I bought a second one when I outfitted the 5th wheel for my extended stay here at the in-laws. I use them primarily to staple manila folder templates to fabric for my chosen appliqué method, starch and press.

All fine and well, nothing remarkable in any of that except last week I went to Office Max to get some more staples and none were to be had. None at the downtown local office supply. I went on-line in my quest and found to my dismay the Tot50 has been discontinued by Swingline. Oh yes, you can buy small staplers...but they take the big honkin' staples, not my fine sharp mini-staples. I found a distributor on Ebay and ordered enough staples to last the next half century and hoo-hiss on Swingline for breaking with the past. If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

Little cheerful blocks keep appearing on the working wall (or a RV version thereof) I can usually get two a night done while FIL gears down from sundowning and into patchy sleep mode. When my eyes are too sleepy to stitch I've been working my way through ancient Egypt mysteries with Lieutenant Bak and his Medjay police force for the second time, penned by Lauren Haney. If you like mystery stories you'll love Stop You're Killing Me. You can search out titles by author, trade, sexual persuasion, genre, and much more.

Monday Thankies
Feathers
Chimes
Rhinestones

Won't See This Egg At Tesco or Safeway

2010-01-07T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder how hens can lay eggs without an episiotomy? The shells are soft when they come out, the underside of hens have super soft feathers, and she hovers lightly over the egg for a short time until the shell hardens.

I'm having a blast with my current quilt project, and it is coming together ever so well. Don't know if 30's reproductions are the right fabric for this but they are cheerful and I have them here and that is enough reason to use them for me. I've been on the fabric wagon since 2001...and I doubt I ever run out of fabric. I wish I'd never 'stocked stash'.

These will finish at six inches and every block is different. I need to get clever about some sashing or border or create more blocks because the 50 patterns from the book won't be enough. I decided long ago big borders just look like the maker ran out of steam. But I have some off-the-wall ideas perking...as usual. These are from the 2001 edition of Faye Anderson's Appliqué Designs My Mother Taught Me To Sew, an awkward title if there ever was one but nothing surprises me with an AQS publication.

These patterns are not original to the author but are based on a 1870's wool felt quilt credited to Hannah Riddle of Woolrich Maine. I'm wondering about the book information, there is no Woolrich Maine, but there is a Woolrich Woolen Mills, and there is a listing of intentions of marriage listed on a geneology site for Henry Tuckerman & Hannah Riddle July 4, 1761 of Woolwich Maine.

Whatever, a number of the shapes are used multiblock, so it will be easy to add more blocks. One unusual thing the author did with her blocks is add sequins with a seed bead which really makes the blocks pop in the cover photo. The blocks also include embroidery which bores me to death and also explains why I'm the worst embroiderer on the face of the earth. I'll do my vines with penwork which I've used on a number of my quilts with good success.

On the home hospice front, I've decided FIL's dementia symptoms are a worse punishment than congestive heart failure, acute renal failure, diabetes, or pulmonary disease. Dementia runs the show here now and the afflicted has no defense against this ghastly disorder of the brain. He knows he can't remember but can't remember that he know that. Try living with that concept 24 hours a day and you will have a window into FIL's life.

Thursday Thankies
The ability to reason
The ability to make choices
The ability to think

Flat Santa

2009-12-29T08:17:00.000-08:00

How can I keep the faith with Santa Claus when I see something like this in the neighbors yard?

Makes me feel like weeping every time I go by. Whose idea was it to invent and market something that feels this cruel? This is worse than the discarded trees on the roadside, at least we can think their last weeks were cheerful and bright. But this Santa, flat with his face frozen in the grass, puffs up each night, only to face the same sorry fate each morning. This has to be one of the circles of hell.

On the home front, let me preface by shouting, I'm no saint, I'm no angel. I'm just able to be in the right place at the right time for me. The saints of the world are the workers who keep it going. The ones who show up every day at the office salon store mill airport. I did that, I've worked for pay since I was eight years old. Here, in dementia land, for the first time I can be with my doggies around the clock. If I get wound up I can go talk it over with my hens. And I can fondle my fabric and pins and needles all night long if I want, I don't have to be anywhere tomorrow.

I've gotten some real traction on my little project, bits and pieces are turning into prepped blocks at an incredible pace. FIL has stopped asking me what I'm doing now that fabric has entered the picture. He gets that I've been a passionate quilter for all the forty years he has known me. FIL has also pretty much stopped eating and is clearly growing weaker by the day. He wakens about once an hour, says "well, I guess I gotta get up", moves to the bedside commode, and back to bed. Last night at the 3 AM-ish transfer he said "well....I know, it's a hole in the ground". Took us both by surprise and we had a good laugh.

Tuesday Thankies
Chickadees and Nuthatches
PVC pipe
My small Rowenta iron

Beginnings and Endings

2009-12-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

May all of the best the season has to offer bless you and yours, my friends.

As we have transitioned to the home hospice stage of care for my father-in-law there is a lot less for me to do so I've taken my sewing machine out and set it up on the dining table just a few steps from his bed. He keeps asking me what I'm doing, and I keep saying I'm making a quilt. Then I laugh because for four days I've been busy making a quilt and so far he hasn't seen a single piece of fabric or a needle. He just shakes his head, assigning my actions to one more dementia symptom. Mine~

He has seen a pile of manila folders getting used up

A stack of virgin 16# onion skin paper being covered with odd shapes

He has seen me standing at the dining room window tracing the onion skin shapes onto the folders

Those cut out shapes have gone into little zip-lock baggies

My mind copes with the end while my hands create the beginning

Wednesday Thankies

Little Pembroke's willingness to assume her part of the team, giving comfort by remaining curled up by Gene's side

Simply Fresh 100% orange juice

Flannel sheets

Elixir of the Pharaohs

2009-12-07T13:57:00.000-08:00

Today I have the pleasure of bottling our honey bee's output. Isn't it lovely? I probably have another gallon left to drain but it needs to settle for a few more days. These cold crisp clear days are just about my favorites of the year, it invigorates me, with the exception of keeping the stock watered. Frozen faucets and iced troughs...now here's a thought...Rob is off to the farm store for mineral blocks, hows about I call him and ask him to look at tank warmers? Sometimes good ideas are slow to sink in.

Inside at the funny farm FIL continues to pull back slowly from the brink but classic sundowning has been added to the mix of things to plague him, bless his heart. If I can sweet talk MIL into sitting next to the bed and verbally cuddling with him, after about 15 minutes he goes right off to sleep. MIL carries her own childhood baggage as do we all, and she considers this spoiling behavior and last night she wouldn't do it. So we ended up with panic attacks well into the wee hours. We have a new oxygen concentrator and I must have checked it thirty times trying to help him get his breath. When our elders say don't get old...believe it. This is our little corner of the world for the nonce.

How's this for a twist in today's modern medical practitioner? I'm looking for a new doctor for MIL and the one we've heard the best things about is going to be accepting a few new patients in January...but we have to go by the office and pick up an application; from those apps they will be choosing whom they take. Insert thunderous frowny face here. They will see her age (86) and drop it in the round file. She is in better shape than I am in many ways, and still walks four miles a day whenever she can get out. It's a weird old world isn't it?

Monday Thankies
Honey Bees
Mason jars
Flannel sheets

Toys For The Girls

2009-12-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

Good First of December my friends. Having discovered that chickens are both smart and affectionate I now worry about them getting bored in their play pen between breakfast egg-making and outdoors work-like-dog time.

This is one of the toy ideas I've devised for them, a compressed bell-shaped wild bird seed feeder. Chickens can jump good...I have this one suspended from the roof of the pen about eight inches above their heads. It didn't take them long to figure out that electing someone to the high jump position was the better part of valor rather than all of them jumping at the same time and simply accomplishing a giant chest-bump. I think for Christmas dinner I'll get them a watermelon, they are mad about it. I'll hang it in a netting bag. For common days I'll do a head of lettuce or an apple on a string. Note the bell is hung using the ubiquitous farmer's helper.

On the other front, on Thanksgiving I checked my FIL into hospital with acute renal failure. We just got home again last night and set in place the next step of care, moving his bed into the family room with a bedside commode on one side and his big brown chair on the other, my new bed for the duration.
Even though he ate next to nothing while there he is up eight pounds, all retained water. We do have a plan, and for the first time in two weeks he is hungry. Praise the Lord, and pass the French Toast.

Tuesday Thankies
Sweet yams
Zen mouse pads
Toothpaste choices

Goat Trees

2009-11-25T06:58:00.000-08:00

Each year we get our goats a Christmas tree. Down home the Lion's give us the few that didn't sell. Here we have a enormous Christmas Tree Farm right behind us and the owner has encouraged us to take trees from the back portion that needs thinned. Here comes tree number one. By the time Indiana and Freckles are finished with them there will be nothing but a barkless trunk.

Yesterday afternoon early FIL was sitting up in his big brown chair enjoying Disney's Homeward Bound and wanting to know about the cow with the injured leg. Two hours later he was slid down in the chair with just his head on the back. I asked him if he was practicing to be a slouching teenager...He said he was comfortable, leave him alone. He said it with that sideways looks that indicates he knows he isn't going to win this round. Mid-December we will move from Visiting Nurses to Hospice care.

What dementia is stealing from him now is his ability to differentiate between rooms. Here he is trying to decide which is the bathroom. His body knows what it needs, but if he heads for the kitchen or into the laundry room and I ask if he needs to use the bathroom he doesn't know. I'm grateful we have a good team in place here with the four of us.

I've been making chicken toys for my little girls. Stay tuned.

Wednesday Thankies
Two dry days
Beautiful sunrise
Good neighbors

Courses For Horses

2009-11-16T16:00:00.000-08:00

That is a chiasmus. Not much to show for learning something new each day. In ten minutes I won't even remember that. My brain matches the sky, this is the kind of day in the Pacific Northwest that snowbirds run away from.

It is still an area of incredible beauty, regardless of the liquid sun. This morning I thought I'd be a clever girl and before my FIL got up I'd run over and get a good walk in at a local golf course that allows walkers. It really is a beautiful course, and just after I snapped this photo a great blue Heron lifted off in front of me. Just after I rounded the corner of the lake my MIL called, said FIL had fallen and couldn't get up. Guess I won't be sneaking off early any more, what was I thinking?

All's well that ends well, I called 911 for a lift assist, no siren please, and they were here and organized by the time I pulled in. This afternoon FIL refused to leave his big cushy chair for lunch. I said he was, and he gave me a look (a couple of years ago he'd have give me a pounding), got up, took his walker three feet and sat down on the couch. "I'm not moving" he said. So I sat and shot the breeze with him and pretty soon Lasix and nature moved him and then he came out to the kitchen for his lunch. He has become a milk junkie. Wonder what that is all about? He doesn't remember falling, but I know inside, he sure doesn't want to do it again.

I went down to let my little girls escape the chicken play yard and out they came, clucking and curtsying, went about three feet, and as a group turned and marched back in. Way too wet. I split a big punkin and left them grinning.

Monday Thankies
Warm Socks
My yellow Gorton's fisherman hat
My Vornado

Belly Up To The Milk Bar Baby

2009-11-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

Time for another update. Cold and rain has set in so the farm chores take a different tack. The cattle get hay each morning, two bales between the six adults and three babies. The cows were terribly skittish when we first came to help, FIL fed and that was about it. Now we can walk amongst them, and I love to scratch their big foreheads while they are chowing down at the manger. Cows heads are enormous when they are twelve inches away! When I took these pictures I was actually trying to get a good shot of cow eyelashes for you, they are beautiful.

The babies, two steers and one bull, are SO cute. They belly right up to get their share. Of course the other end of the cows create a chore of a different color...'nuf said about that.

FIL, who for 90 years was the cog that pushed the wheel, has still managed in his dementia to find a cog to flummox his family. He has figured out if he says "no" he doesn't have to respond to their requests or suggestions to get in his big chair, do his exercises, do his hygiene. I was never afraid of him to begin with so when he tells me no he says it while he is doing what I asked. I always laugh and tell him I love his sense of humor and that he is doing a great job, keep it up. Old tapes die hard in this family.

We covered 3/4's of the chicken's play room with heavy plastic to keep the ground from getting so wet. Yesterday I started adding a good layer of hog fuel for the girls to scratch in. I'm going to get some sunflower seed and cracked corn and salt it like a false gold mine, give them something to work for. Their eggs are beginning to have a uniform size and shape as they mature. Some days we've had eggs so big we couldn't get the egg carton closed. And very occasionally what my little sister calls fart eggs, ones the size of a marble. No one will claim to be the layer of those...ever see a chicken blush?

And because of the kindness of a stranger, we now have four gallons of golden honey that will be ready to bottle in a few weeks. FIL and I extracted it last year; call me a wimp but I'm just not up to doing the job by myself. The gentleman who did it for me has an electric extractor that drains 18 frames at a time. Cool beans! It was fun looking in the hives with him and exciting to pull the full supers of honey, I'm thinking the bees, like the chickens, will be a job I'll keep.

I had a brain bomb the other day, and actually have my sewing machine set back up and fabric strips are turning into blocks of new fabric...stay tuned.
Until next time, that's it from the funny farm.

Monday Thankies
Birthday cards
Electricity
Sugar free pudding

Reknitted

2009-10-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Well, my time at home is nearly to an end, and while I've missed the farm and my in-laws and my chickens a ton, I've also knitted myself back together and am more than ready to take the reins of responsibility again.

I'm going to a Halloween party today where I'll see a whole lot of ladies that I originally brought together; am so happy they have gone on as a group, it shows I've done at least one thing right in my life. They will be surprised to see me, particularly 35 pounds lighter and a strawberry blond rather than a flaming red-head.

I've been to a day long yoga retreat, heaven on earth, and I've had one go at my new beginners Pilates DVD...hokey smokes...fun but if I keep it up I'll have abs of steel. I've missed my window of opportunity to run away to the beach but the month isn't over yet. I've made a new friend, something not to be sneezed at. And every where I've gone the world is a blaze of color.

Thursday Thankies

Big fat seedless grapes

Oracles

Bram Stoker

Finding Fun

2009-10-06T08:41:00.001-07:00

An update is in order. Today I am supposed to be birthing, creating, or nurturing. So first thing I put my Chiquita banana sticker to good use. I'll see if my FIL notices, can read, and will laugh. His laughs these days consists of one short bark, but I take what I can get.

I haven't mentioned my 10 girls in a long time, they are about 6 months old now and each day I get between 8-10 big brown eggs, very often with double and occasionally triple yolks. I've not the heart to tell them more white less yolk is what their silly humans need, they are so proud of their output.

We've set up a system of three doors. The wooden door they know to never come out, the 2nd screen door they always can come out and go in, and the 3rd screen door they can crowd around but never go out because when I'm coming in, it always means goodies. Fresh pumpkin, zucchini, tomatoes, apples, corn, radish and carrot tops...who knew chickens could be trained or as I mentioned in an earlier post, seek and give affection. My SIL will be here for ten days in my stead this month while I'm working at home, and I'm already worrying about will she know to hug them and accept their thank you curtsy.

It is back to that 30 tree orchard today. I had the pruning 1/2 finished, turns out I started way to early and now they need pruned again. I'll begin with the espaliered apples along the fence, easiest to reach.

My rainy day project is the workshop. Up until this May, when his dementia really set in, his shop was quite tidy, he always knew where to reach for a tool. In the course of the summer it became what you see here in the 3rd image. We spent so much time here, he and I, working on farm projects, or just running our gums around the little wood stove, and now he won't even come down there. He knows he is finished with it. It has been a difficult job but someone will have to do it sometime, it might as well be me who gets it started.

The little grey board, lower left is his very last project. It is part of the latch system on chicken house door, it pulled off one day in late spring during one of our strong valley winds. He fooled with it off and on for three days, would pick up a screw and lay it down, turn the board over and consider the wrong side, and then he laid it down for good, he could no longer make his mind and hands work in unison to put in a screw. I've left it laying there, perhaps hoping for some kind of miracle, but they are thin on the ground for 91 year old men.

That's all the news that is fit to print folks, now to have my second cuppa and cruise some of my own favorite blogs.

Tuesday Thankies
Blue sky
Crisp air
Sharp pruners
Postscript: Yes the sticker got a laugh~

Fishy Freedom

2009-09-08T07:02:00.001-07:00

Earlier this summer I had a dock built on my 70 foot-ish pond.
Laying on the dock looking down into the water became an exercise in futility, nothing to see.
I thought to get some Koi, my pocketbook thought otherwise.
I got twenty bucks worth of gold fish, 8 for a dollar.
We constructed a pen attached to the dock and released the 160 fish into it.
When I started to think about time to let them go, I began feeding them at a plastic floating circle and rang a cow bell at each feeding.
Two days ago we let our beauties go, most are six inches long and about 3/4 of an inch wide.
Guess what? When I ring the cowbell they come back to the feeding ring!

I didn't think I'd ever see them again except maybe at feeding time, but they really show up well, little schools of them snaking their way from here to there, little clusters of them lurking under leaves and in grasses around the pond.

I wish you all well little companions, thank you for being a colorful and fascinating part of my summer of 2009.

Tuesday Thankies:
Calves safely born
Autumn Mists
Working Furnace

PS: I've been asked how they will fare through the winter. The goldfish idea came from a friend who was a Washington state fish hatchery manager for many years. I asked him the same question. He said feed until the water temperature gets down to 42 degrees. At that temperature they 'go to ground' in the mud at the bottom and sort of hibernate I guess. He said don't be tempted to feed, just let them sleep and look forward to spring. So now you all know as much as I do.

2nd question, yes that 'gold' fish is greenish, there were also some greyish, blackish, and creamish. This morning when I rang the bell I think every nose was there, they'd been hiding under the dock. This evening only about 40 came to the bell, I could see other swirling and swishing groups further out, too busy running free to bother with free fish chips. Their food is like flamingo shrimp, formulated to make their color bright. We'll see how pale they are come spring ;)

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2009-08-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

Hello my friends,

We seem to have hit a plateau in the effort to outrun my FIL's dementia. Each day we have a holding pattern and he still finds something to enjoy about life is a present.

As a life-long active man who could always find something to do, something to fix, sitting in his big brown easy chair with his swollen feet up drives him crazy. He recognizes he will no long drive his tractor, mow his lawn, or feed his cows, but his heart still yearns for some kind of movement. So the solution this summer has been the phone call that says "can we go for a ride?".

We've been a lot of places these long summer days, but by far his favorite thing now is to push the cart at Wal-Mart. If it's good for him it's good for me. Today his beautiful daughters came down from Seattle to take MIL to visit family graves, so FIL and I took the opportunity to really goof off. His choice, whatever he wanted. Three hours up and down the isles at the newly revamped Wal-Mart superstore. According to my pedometer that was 3.2 miles.

He bought a nice bunch of bananas. I bought a cushy chicken floor mat, a really lovely soapstone incense burner, and a little tripod for my new camera.

I know Wal-Mart really takes a hit from communities who've seen their local shops fold when WM moves in, from lower echelon employees who have little hope of getting insurance and making a family living wage, their ungreen practices, all the overwhelming stuff each store contains. But it will always hold a special spot in my heart where my FIL spent his 91st summer, driving the grocery cart train in out around and about as his mind slowly degenerated and his body weakened. Thank you Wal-Mart for being there for me.

Saturday Thankies:
Multiple Public Restrooms
Traveling Oxygen
Good Transportation

Spencerian Penmanship

2009-07-31T18:21:00.000-07:00

I miss my Spencerian penmanship quiet time. Skritch, skritch, skritch

went my oblique angle dip pen across my copy book...with my slow but steady progress in alignment and size even my regular handwriting improved, I've gotten a compliment or two from clerks when I hand over a check. I have enough nibs to last me till the cows come home, and some lovely dip pens.
And the whole series of the Mott Media copybooks. Sometimes I look back through them and can't believe I sat down and took the time to make rows of o's and e's and s's. But each little homemade class is an exercise in stepping back from the technology overload that sometimes overwhelms me.

And one day I'll be back in my own home with space for odd hobbies, and I'll probably look back on this time away from home with some kind of nostalgia.

FIL is on a fairly even keel this week. No huge mountain and valley glucose readings, the insulin shot I give him each morning has really helped in that department. He is up to 3 liters of oxygen as the congestive heart failure kicks in fast gear, he welcomes the loaner wheelchair lift from door to car to store. With the recent heat wave he will give me a call sometime of an afternoon and say "can we go for a ride?". You bet, and off we go. We've found some neat little restaurants, and explored some of the small towns around; Napavine, Onalaska, Winlock. Mostly we just go. We had to go to Lincare and get bigger oxygen bottles!

He wanted to go with MIL and I to get groceries and 'just sit in the car'. I told him he was welcome to do that if he would leave the car running so he had air conditioning. No...he is too frugal for that, so I said "when I take my friend Theresa shopping I push her wheelchair and she pushs the shopping cart". I don't think he grasped to concept until I parked him near the necessity rooms and gave him a note to give to someone to call me if he needed me. Then a light bulb when off, he said "there's a cart, I can push it!". He did great too, wish I had a picture of us weaving and careening through a Wal_Mart Superstore, a real power high.

The funnest thing this week was playing cards with him last night. As his dementia picked up speed this spring I asked all his kids if he'd ever played games with them and they all fell about laughing at the very idea. But last night he asked his usual "what's next, what now?" question and I said we could play cards or dominos...do you know how? He didn't but he was willing to learn so we played War for about an hour and a half. He has trouble recognizing 5's and the Ace standing for 1 made him laugh, he liked having ended up with both Jokers. "Wild card" he'd chortle and roll his eyes. All in all it was good fun and good for his brain; anything with numbers or dates is pretty much beyond him normally.

Anyway, that is life on the farm for now, tomorrow the old chickens will meet the freezer and the little girls will take over. Today I found their first egg. And who knew chickens would or could be affectionate?? They are so cute. These may never make the freezer but that's ok, we don't really need to eat many eggs anyway. I sure won't miss the old red one that breaks the eggs in the nest and gobbles the yolks.

The gold fish are getting big! Four to Five inches long and fat. I bought a little scoop net the other day so I could show you all. And at this size, according to the shops we've been in, our $20.00 investment in 160 gold fish for the pond are now worth $1600.00 retail. Who knew?

Friday Thankies
That Hazel can be jollied
That Gene has learned to laugh
That our Rob will be home in a few hours. Wait 'till he sees the 60 yards of hog fuel I had delivered today...

Golfball talley: 155 gleaned by the electrician assistant this week, for a total so far of 697. Two buckets gone with Electrician who gave me a "no bill, these are enough". Cool!

Goofball Talley and MIL's Button Box

2009-07-19T12:34:00.000-07:00

This week my MIL has been scouring her cupboards for a soft measuring tape, she probably has about 4 hours into the job total. I spent 4 minutes in the sewing store and $1.09 and got us a new one. We are all so interesting in our infinite variety of personalities. I'll let you guess which one of us has more money and which more time...sort of. And now I have scored some more buttons courtesy of her searching. I'm thinking zipper pulls would be a good embellishment for something.

This week FIL has graduated to a wheel chair for any outdoor excursions and his short term memory continues to fall away. Today the loaner bull is on his mind. We sent it home in April. I tell FIL "Ben picked it up along with the red cow, remember how much trouble we had getting her into the trailer...and how the bull then followed her right in...boys being boys", and he nods and says "Oh...I'd like to go for a little ride". "And what about that bull?" Going for a little ride is his new favorite hobby. Friday we went to a quilt show :-) He thought that was real cool, he remembers quilting is my passion. Or at least he did that day.

Golfball Goofball update. I picked errant golf balls from our pasture this morning, about a third of it anyway. A large kitty litter bucket full is 30 pounds and holds 275 balls. Someday I'm going to learn to start from the far end and work back...30 pounds is way more than I want to carry a quarter of a mile.
A rather pedestrian collection today though
275 total including
1 split
12 brights
1 'pasture moist' and tossed
and one for my non-collection, a #3 Noodle Jagermeister with a winged bird and cross insignia. Jagermeister turns out to be a 70 proof herbal 'digestive' aid.
So 697 since I began counting.

The ones that didn't get counted are how ever many the ball rustlers got picking by flashlight in the night after jumping our fence. I'll have a surprise for them next time. Balls are nothing, fencing is expensive and hard work.

Sunday Blessings
Margaret's help
Beautiful weather
Sticky notes

Christmas In July

2009-07-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to get away and take a card-making class last Saturday, a mini-artist's date. Nice classmates, great teacher and fun all around. I'm not crazy about how the rub-on technique used center bottom turned out so I'll cut out something else to layer over. That is the card-makers credo...when in doubt, layer.

On the home front at the farm, you can almost see pieces of my FIL's memory chipping off and falling away into the abyss that is dementia. It is incredible how quickly this disease of age spreads once it gets it's toehold. He is loosing his ability to connect his thoughts together coherently about anything recent. The real cruelty is he recognizes and knows it. On the other hand we had a couple of good laughs yesterday and those are worth their weight in gold.

Wednesday Thankies
Fresh raspberries and blueberries
North Fork Construction
A job well done, and done

Sewing House

2009-07-10T07:43:00.000-07:00

Are these the cutest buttons you've ever seen? This image is from SnapDragon's blog. Can you see this idea translated to selvage buttons? With real buttons stitched on? Bliss~

A friend wrote something this week that made me smile. Someone was regretting not having a sewing room and Linda said "we have a sewing house". I am extremely fortunate to have a big well lighted room in my house to call my quilt-room, and here in the 5th Wheel RV at the farm I dedicated a quarter of the space to sewing. On the go I carry a busybag or busybox and can instantly have a sewing room anywhere. Life is good with a needle in hand.

Friday Thankies
Rob will be home this afternoon!
Oxygen and Lincare
Summer berries

Fishy Story, Or the 160 Who Came To Dinner

2009-07-04T17:33:00.001-07:00

What in the world??

Ah...something to do with the new dock.

Ah, the plot thickens...

Hokey Smokes Bullwinkle...They forked over 20 Samollions for 160 gold fish.

The question is WHY?

Because they were there!

Three weeks later. They've doubled in size and only three have gone to the big pond in the sky. I'm training them to come to the surface when I ring the previously mentioned cow bell. We watch the fish, the bullfrogs watch the pen, the cat watches the bullfrogs. Stay tuned.

Saturday Thankies
Freckles
Googleing
Dust that makes dirt that makes gardens that make round zucchini, Yum!

Goofball Tally

2009-07-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Updating this golf ball tally post with what I picked last week.

116 balls including 4 brights, 3 sliced open and 3 interesting ones;

A Pinnacle Ribbon 3 carrying the Susan B Komen cure logo
A Nike Swoop one with a pretty green Karma imprint
A Lucky Eagle Casino.
If I weren't trying to downsize by half, I could build a pretty interesting oddball collection.

On the dementia home front this week's interesting factoid; FIL had Rob build an extension for the hayrack on the hay wagon. Last weekend he insisted it was too high and had Rob saw off 18". Today he wants Rob to raise the rack because it is too short. Rob has been working out of town all week and I haven't had the heart or nerve to bring him up to date :) It would be a moot point if the lady who cuts and bales the hay would just get here and get the job done.

Friday Thankies
Vacuum cleaners
Cell phones
Generous and loving clients

More Repurposing

2009-06-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

Back when AOL sent CD's out by the kabillions there were any number of websites that offered crafty ideas for CD reuse. My FIL was cutting the bottoms out of food tins and hanging them up as flighty scarecrows. I gave him a hand full of old CD's and he was in love. He has them everywhere and you know what? I think they work. We had deer in the orchard eating our three new apple trees so that night he hung them all the way around and the deer haven't been in since. He also closed the gates...not that I think that had anything to do with his success.

We've had some mental gymnastic successes this week. Rob needed a ball hitch for the hay wagon, FIL couldn't remember where they were, and wasn't even too clear on what they were. Then his brain gave a little burp after two days of thinking and he knew what they were and that he could see them in his mind hanging somewhere, and he'd make a shape the size of a loaf of bread. Well that did narrow it down and about 2 hours later I had a string of 'em in hand.

Last year when he was still brightly lit he told me the story of his cow and goat bells and horse shoes. The other day I asked him if I could borrow a cow bell to train my fish (yes...) and he really had to think on that one. About 4 hours later he said "they are behind your head". Yes they were, even though I'd looked over the wall stuff 3 or 4 times.

That is two wins for our side and that leaves a really big cow bell which I told him I was going to ring every time we remembered something...because I live in a fog too. The search is now on for the plumb bob and string that he has used for 19 years to measure the well water. Yes, we could make another one...but we want That one.

Obviously I'm not getting any quilting done, but that's ok, my fabric isn't going anywhere without me.

Tuesday Thankies
A new flag
good doggies
clean dishes

Farmer's Friend

2009-06-27T21:56:00.000-07:00

In my old persona as a lady in a dress and pantyhose, if someone had asked what a farmer's most often called upon tool was I might have said barn, or tractor, but in my persona as Deva Farmer I've ferreted out the truth. The farmers best friend is baler or baling twine. Sometimes 3 to the bale but more often 2, in a winter of feeding stock a farmer ends up with hundreds or thousands of these strands.

In feeding the cattle and horsing around these bales last winter I learned fairly quickly that the knots are on one side and you cut the bale open at a knot. Then on a snowy day you sit around the wood stove in the workshop and make long ropes of this twine. Out of curiosity the other day I walked around the farm collecting images of all the places we use the stuff.

One of last summer's CD Scarecrows

Parts of an irrigation system, and a spare roll
Ladder hangers

Temporary pull-back hose hanger to keep them out of the way of a project. Since set free as we are cleaning up this Centennial year ('52 or '53) Ford tractor to sell.

Keeping spare light bulbs from going walk-about.

Axe hanger.

Twine central. These are the bare naked nails the twine is gathered on as we open the bales.

I think this is FIL's welding dealiebob. Or something.

FIL couldn't remember what this was for at all. I finally figured out the only thing this long we might need to cover was the tomato growing area. Yes! This is twine in it's natural state, on a bale.

Twine that has lost it's way.

Ah...I spy some screening for another secret project....

hoses anyone?

or chain?

or wiring?

Keeping the baby chicken nursery warm.

Keeping the lids on the garbage pails when going to the dump. Currently housing chicken feed.

Anyone ever watch Red Green? Their duct tape episodes have nothing on my FIL. We took this off a broken faucet the other day, there is about 40 layers of tape and many many wraps of twine here.

In the cow's trough.

And you thought it was staples and wire that held up fences.

On the grapes.

Hey...another backup roll.

How to garrote your DIL...FIL has put this strand across the path between the strawberries and the blueberries to keep the bird netting off the blueberries. You think after running into it 2-3 times I'd remember it was there.

A back up supply to the back up supply

Some kind of past project.

Another past project remnant.

Last year's string bean effort. He thought he could out wit our goats. Not hardly.

This lilac has a near death experience a few months ago. With the help of twine patient is doing well.

A rutabaga (?) tied up for seed.

Garden tools tied up to keep DIL out of them, and lo and behold, another back up to the back ups.

Pretty sure these dishes must have tried to get away at some point.

Yikes...a back up in our pump house. This is spreading faster than swine flu.

Lining out the garden rows.

Tying up the lilies

My orange doorstop.

Temporary leash material.

This one I'll talk about another day. It's a tear-jerker.I'm sure there are more twine incidences but these will have given you an idea of why I think baler twine is the farmer's best friend. And if you've ever uploaded multiple images to google blogger you know what a pain this post was to make. Anything for you guys...

Saturday Thankies

My Rob is home!

Baskin and Robbins

Swiss Chard

Diva Farmer

2009-06-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

My sister in law fell over laughing when she saw me mucking out the barn a few months ago but she much admired my diva gloves after I told her how tough they were.

These are ladies-who-go-to-luncheons gloves in their former life. I've picked them up for years at garage sales for a dime or so a pair. Way harder wearing than the $3-6.00 pairs at the garden centers, more comfortable to wear, and a lot easier to work in. Try it, you'll like it!

In my ever so handy beautician/farmergirl apron please note the red thing sticking out of the second pocket from the top. A $2.00 pocket knife; yes, I'm officially a farmer now. Also note the ubiquitous orange baler twine making it's second appearance here...much more to follow!

Friday Thankies
Wells
Smart Blog Readers who reminded me of camera card readers
Screen doors

Balls Anyone?

2009-06-13T14:01:00.000-07:00

Chores. Everyone has them. A chore is something we have to do, not get to do. Picking golf balls is one of mine. Nine acres of our pasture abuts a golf course. At least seven of those acres fill up with mis-directed golf balls. Someone has to pick them up...and that someone is me.

Since I have a strong accountant vein (sounds nicer than a compulsive counter) I've decided to keep track this year; how many, what kind. I haven't a clue what golf balls cost, except a friend who visited last year said his are five bucks each. Some of these I can look at and guess they were probably about 50 cents each.

This week's pick: Titleist 47
Pinnacle: 28 (also had the most brights, 15)
Top Flite: 62
Wilson: 24
Callaway: 27
Noodle/MaxFli: 17
Nike: 26
Alien: 6
TiTech: 6
Bridgestone: 11
Oddball: 36
Broken: 4
Week's total 307.
Last week I gave six grocery sacks full to a man having a garage sale :) Saved me driving all the way to the Goodwill. I'll update my totals occasionally~

Sometimes golfers on the other side of the fence will offer to purchase what I'm picking up. Those are great days. Since I don't know what they are worth, and they don't know what they are getting I say how long I've been picking that day and what is their time worth an hour. I've gotten anything from $5.00 to $30.00. One guy gave me a beer.

Saturday Thankies
A sense of humor
That I have land
That I can walk, bend over, and carry heavy sacks

After; Or The Case Of The Cobwebbed Duck

2009-06-10T17:53:00.000-07:00

Just in and back out for a few hours, back to the computerless wasteland I call home this summer. It is starting to get on my last nerve. As a result of the project in my sanctuary this week, I got to thinking we really need some Koi in my little pond. No computer to info-dig, arrugh!. My M-I-L has a set of 1950's Britannica Encyclopedias, but no joy there, apparently Koi didn't make the grade re: information in those days. As a side issue I did learn a lot I never knew about Korea. From a 1950's viewpoint mind you.
Last year I had three gleaned duck decoys in my little pond. In December we had a flood and one went walk-about to points north, one tried and got tangled in the fence, and one rode the storm and 20 foot flood waters out serenely. Just like people, those little decoys. A few weeks ago I relaunched the one that got caught in the fence trying to escape and she now glides the pond. Except yesterday I noticed she has grown a cobweb between her head and back feathers. Now I'm eyeballing the little boat my F-I-L has hanging upside down in the barn with the idea of getting to, and doing a makeover on the poor thing.

Here is the duck that rode out the storm, all clean and in possession of all her marbles. Perhaps I need to glean a boy decoy, maybe that would perk the other little miss up? Xing-Xing doesn't know what to make of her, I expect shortly he will launch himself off the end of the dock to have an up close and personal conversation.

"What dock?" you say? You have been paying attention! In February I showed the pond in this post and where is the dock? I only thought of the idea recently, and my big brother likes odd ball projects so he came down last weekend and built it for me. I'm $500.00 in materials poorer, but I LOVE my dock! All three sections will float, and the topmost section is heavily anchored to a 600 pound block of concrete. It should stay, should another flood come...
So I stopped by my friendly Ace Hardware and got a lounge chair, and took down my book and spent a lovely late afternoon relaxing, and thinking of Koi...but when you have three doggies, doggies like to be with...so pretty soon my lounge chair was full and I was thinking about running up the hill fast and hiding inside the 5th wheel for some me time.

Oh well, we love each other unconditionally, most of the time, and they never eat my last Popsicle without asking so what better companions could there be?

Wednesday Thankies
It didn't kill me to learn to drive the riding lawn mower. They will never take my diva gloves away from me though...
Chinese restaurants and a pot of tea
(((Neighbors who water plants without being asked)))

Aloha!

2009-05-30T16:04:00.001-07:00

Praise be, I got some time to sew yesterday...looky what I did! Somewhere sometime I got the idea from someone's blog to use a old t-shirt as a clothespin bag. Our old t-shirts aren't fit for anything when we get done with them, but I've been mulling the idea in the back of my mind anyway.

Yesterday when I passed a children's resale store I thought, hey, might be something cute in there. And there was, this little boys Hawaiian shirt was too scrumptious to pass up.

I just turned it wrong side out, stitched the bottom shut, figured out where I needed to sew the sleeves so the hanger still fit and eureka, the cutest clothespin bag. I had to borrow my mother-in-laws clothes line, I haven't got mine put up at the farm yet. Those peg pins were my grandmothers, I've been using them for 38 years and she got them with ration coupons during World War II. Cool beans!

Saturday Thankies
Fresh mowed lawn
Garden that is weeded
Legs Up The Wall/Viparita Karani

1st Air Cav, 'Nam, 67-69

2009-05-25T20:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all our veterans

War is asinine, but those who serve aren't.

Memorial Day Thankies

Doctors and staff at Veteran's Hospitals

M.A.S.H. units the world over, all sides

Those That Remember and Those Who Can't Forget

Orffing Up

2009-05-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

Just to let those of you know that keep in touch with me here, or keep tabs...I'm just here for clean clothes and then back to the farm. My FIL (91) had a 911 emergency and transport this week and things are really up in the air at the farm. I am so blessed that I know how to do everything on his farm just the way he does it!

You are blessed that I didn't have my camera in the ER. The high point was a young man Orffing Up, first juicy and then dry, for about 3 hours. I was so tired and hungry I just closed my eyes and drank my hot cocoa. I'm a hard woman but most of you know that already.

I MISS my reading and writing blog time of the day.
See you all Tuesday. I think. Sharyn

Friday Thankies
Paramedics
Ambulances
ER

Selvage Envy, Or You Saw It Here First

2009-05-06T16:29:00.000-07:00

I'll Fess Up. The subject of quilter's fabric selvages and projects is like a smashed thumbnail that I keep bumping up against. It's all I can do to get my own blogs tended to before I dash over to Selvage Blog and see what Karen Griska has unearthed this week. Because I've been a passionate quilter for nearly 40 years and until I saw her blog it never once crossed my mind to save all those literal miles of selvages I've cut off and pitched.

Now, I am glad I haven't been that kind of pack rat, that way lies madness and probably divorce. But...if only...sigh.

On the same subject but in a different vein, today I've been making cards, I owe about ten people thank yous and birthdays and just becauses. I'm in a funky kind of mood today, the kind of day when you don't comb your hair and might possibly be seen in the post office with your bunny slippers on. So I've been using a kind of aged and distressed packet of paper...and look what I found!! Paper selvages!! My mind is boiling with ideas!

...so Dear Cindy, my long time Facets Friend, and baby of our group, our star that has lost about 100 pounds, is a primo quilter, and is now sending out book manuscripts to editors that I expect to recognize her talent; Happy Birthday and here is the very first paper selvage card, tea dyed even. It will shortly be in your mail box. Quilter's drool envelope and all~

Wednesday Thankies

I'm not too old to have brain farts

Afternoon sun

The American Goldfinches are back (Think Snoopy's friend Woodstock. They really do fly like that.)

Hula Babe Anyone?

2009-04-29T11:54:00.001-07:00

I've always thought of exercise as something weird that other people do...I'll sit in the porch and watch thank you. But then I discovered yoga last year and it felt like coming home, and gave me a new point of view. Exercise does not have to equal a stinky noisy gym, or running until pants wetting is imminent, or any of the other associated memories I have.

So I've been thinking about what else a 50-something could try that would be fun first and exercise second. Did you know that hula hooping has come into the 21st Century? So I've ordered a starter kit from Hoopnotica and am looking forward to owning my very first hula hoop of any kind. I also joined FaceBook yesterday...but I can't see that developing into anything interesting any time soon. There were only 26 people in my graduating class.

Edited to add the next day: I made Hoopnotica in the second paragraph a link for those that has asked about getting their own hoop. I ordered the beginners kit which comes with a well recommended set of DVD's, a hoop, and a ebook. It is 20% off plus I also did a web search for Hoopnotica coupon and got another $5.00 off.

I do have a yoga instructor but I do most of my yoga with DVDs and it works very well for me because it isn't very often I can make a specific class time. So I figure hooping will be the same. Hope that helps! I'd love to have a hooping buddy.

Wednesday Thankies
The World Wide Web of information at our finger tips
Jade
Paper

How the Mighty Hath Fallen

2009-04-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy, when a client asked if I'd redo the buttons on her beautiful silk blouse I lept at the opportunity to get needle and thread going, even if for a humble project.

On my hope-to-get-it-done list this week is trim the edges on my One-Block-Wonder and get started on the borders, and definitely get my new-and-improved working wall for my 5th wheel installed. Surely I can eke out that much time? Think?

Sunday Thankies
Popping in on the last two hours hours of a three day yoga retreat...better some than none
Seed Packets
Quality time with people I care about

Hey chick, what's your sign?

2009-04-22T19:20:00.000-07:00

Springtime and the young farmer's mind turns once again to ... baby chicks! Ten little black sex-link chicks, home again home again in their little Del's Farm Store donut box; now ensconced in a marvelous 60 year old brooder chamber.

One cool beans improvement is we now have the option of chick feed that has their medicine in it, rather than the messy business of stirring it into their water each day. That will make things a lot more simple for my dear FIL with his short term memory problems.

Wednesday Thankies
Getting to see my Seattle sister-in-law for awhile
All the lawns are mowed
Mark the RV repair guy who does honest work for honest pay

WhereYaBeen, WatchaBeenDoing?

2009-04-19T18:42:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and my commitment to keep my in-laws in their home means the farm goes into full tilt...but the weather has really been glorious for the work~
White wash the fruit orchard...my FIL planted this when he was 80. Quite optimistic the family said as they smiled behind their hands... he is now 91 and his 30 fruit trees and honey bee apiary there in the back are the pride of his days. And he still gets up on the ladder to prune and trim and thin.
Paint fencing...here I go around the orchard on the driveway side.
Their little front yard needs mowed of course...and my little doggies love the big Douglas Fir tree for shade.

The asparagas spears are coming up like mad...along with the weeds.

Rob gets a head start on spraying the driveways...weeds are what all farms grow best.

I did get three more candlewick blocks finished in the early mornings and late evenings~

Sunday Thankies
My Health
My Brain
My Legs

Looky What I Found!

2009-04-12T09:42:00.000-07:00

A picture of the very first results of my virginal immersion into quilting, circa 1970. Way back in my first two blog posts I mentioned The Magazine Page that got me started. Still haven't found the page...but here is the yo-yo pillow, plus a Roman Stripe with feather stitching, one with appliqué work on it, and a green one with a piece of variegated crochet stitched to it. Humble beginnings but like the seed of an apple tree, the fun and wonder have colored my life ever since.

Sharing the spread, may they rest in peace and be waiting for me, Smoky, my first cat as an adult homeowner, and Little Grey, her son. They were both such marvelous clever intelligent companions...

Sunday Thankies
A full table
A full heart
Freedom of thought

Faux-Embroidery, or Life Is Short

2009-04-10T15:39:00.000-07:00

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, I've been trying to explain pen embroidery in an email, much easier to put some images up! These are a couple of chickens from my Maggie Walker Country Garden quilt. The quilt was such an odd size I choose to finish the blocks individually, each with a different quilting method. I think they look gorgeous this way.
This is a set I tacked together and embellished with western belt buckles, the type that were used on little boys belts back in the day. The Hamburg was hand quilted, the Polish was tied with size 8 DMC floss.

The Japanese Grey Bantam was bound with red and white chicken fabric from a friend in Austria, so I machine tacked with Mettler red machine embroidery thread. I think it came out great and I'd be perfectly happy with a quilt done like this.

Anyway, the point of my post was to show the pen work I did for the breed names. I taped the pattern on my light table, and then traced the lettering with Pigma Pens. For a project like the pen work appliqué embellishment on Little Brown Bird, I used a ultra fine sandpaper under the block so it wouldn't slip and just had at it. Some of the other blocks are shown in this post last spring.

Friday Thankies
It's Friday!
Multiple signs of spring, it really is here!
Fresh oranges and apples year around!

Candlewick Summer Spread

2009-04-05T10:10:00.001-07:00

My summer candlewick spread is progressing nicely! In fact I've finished three more blocks since I took this photo last week. As designed, these are 17" blocks but there are another couple of inches of muslin around the registration marks for trimming and I may trim them to about 18.5".

The summer candlewick spread this will replace shown in this post last July was done on whole cloth so when the candlewicking was finished the top was ready to use. As mine will have inner seams it needs to be backed so I'll make a quilt back in lighter/neutral colors so they don't shade through and then quilt the layers. I will have to do some samples...the quilting may look very odd to the eye with no batting, but since the point is a summer spread batting is the last thing I want to introduce.

I may also introduce some companionable sashing to the candlewick side. That part is still on the working wall of my mind. If it is successfully executed I think I may do a number of top/back no batting combos. Saves space and money and rather than just one spread for the hot months I'd have a variety. After all, my quilts are intended to be used. Used up is even OK, I can always make more and I have lots of cold weather quilts.

Palm Sunday Thankies
My Rob will be home for a little while today!
70 degrees!
Someone to eat a meal with!

Cat Quilting

2009-04-03T13:25:00.000-07:00

I was trimming blocks on the dining table at our 5th wheel...and our beautiful cat Conway was the recipient of some of the fly away Orts. I cringe when I see Eleanor Burns throwing scraps over her shoulder. I wonder if she really does that away from the camera...

Looks like he was working up the energy to think about doing something when he went to sleep doesn't it.

Are there any two more go-together things than cats and quilts?

Friday Thankies
Work is finished for the week
Our clean clear safe water that shows up at the tap like magic
Anticipations

Orter Make a Four Patch

2009-03-31T15:11:00.000-07:00

Or I Orter clean my working wall with a lint roller more often...But these 4 sticky tapes of Orts were so pretty I had to sew them into a block. After all, who thought we'd all be making items out of selvege edges? Stay tuned, I have a neat one of those coming up soon.

The curiosity is how all the greyish background pet hair gets up there. Do they pin themselves up at night while I'm dreaming sweet dreams of finished quilts?

In truth I roll the wall every time a project comes off of it. Quilters are certainly stringy people~

Tuesday Thankies
Yoga Tonight!
Aleve
White kitties with blue eyes

Monetize and Earth Hour

2009-03-28T10:56:00.000-07:00

I'm underwhelmed by the newest link button in our Blogger dashboard, Monetize. On the other hand today's Earth Day observations can give one reason to hope that there is hope for the human race. Not much, but still...

Regarding Google's push for bloggers to Monetize I will admit that when I first thought about doing a blog my whole focus was on another stream of income. As a self-employed Jill of all trades, I'm always looking for new ideas. The first six months I worked on my first blog I could never come up with posts I was happy with, that I could also link to Amazon or wherever. In the end I nixed the whole idea, deleted all those posts and started afresh. I discovered I loved blogging and decided to dedicate that particular small part of my life to life and living, not commerce. I've never regretted it and with over 1000 blog posts between my blogs I've found it a very elegant way to clear my mind and open my heart.

I also love reading my favorites and seeking out new ones. But I never go back to the ones who have dozens of Monetize links in their posts or whose sidebar is full of ads. This is one area of my life I deliberately choose to keep commerce free. One small plug, great, more power to us all, but I'm not a shopper and I hate being marketed to.

Regarding the second annual Earth Hour. I am so touched and encouraged that cities and countries are participating, not just individuals like thee and me. Please feel free to click on the links in this paragraph and be uplifted, rather than regarded a shopping sheeple.

And to answer a few questions about my last post: Lynn asked how I line up top and bottom for basting. I always make sure the bottom layer is larger than the top by at least three inches. After checking to be sure they are squared up I fold each top in half and tack in a bright piece of yarn or heavy Perle cotton...so before I lay them out they have a bright marker on all 4 center sides.
Then when I get the batting on the backing I fold the top in half according to those markers, line it up with the backing markers and then adjust the side markers as needed. Takes longer to say it than do it! I pin baste no further than 3-4 inches apart and so far it has worked beautifully.

Our resident numismatic (I have The Point winging it's way to me as we speak) asked if I've had my quilts appraised. Short answer, no. If they were lost I can always make another, better, and who can really put value on modern quilts? I have a whole-cloth quilt I kept track of my hand quilting time on and came in at just over 600 hours. Could I get 6-7,000 dollar for my quilts? Not hardly. I maintain a low profile and I think you have to have a name to command those dollars. I don't do for money what I do for fun. Life is too short to 'monetize' everything :)

And Linda has the best blog topper phrase I've seen, stop on over and meet the alpaca lady. I always appreciate comments, it is the best way to find new and interesting bloggers.

And my good friend Pam, clear across the world, but here in my heart, who charts her needlework progress from Australia. See, we can put all kinds of interesting links in our posts without marketing to our dear readers. Thank you all for stopping by, it is always a surprise!

edited to add on 4/4/09: I just realized I have links on my Quirkeries blog...be assured those links are for courtesy and appreciation of fair use copyright and credit to the artist and publisher. I receive zero anything in return.

Saturday Thankies
5 cows gone tomorrow
spring is upon us in the Pacific NW
Machine Quilting Unlimited magazine

Reverse Reverse!

2009-03-26T08:59:00.000-07:00

Each time I hear the word reverse my mind immediately goes to a clip from the BBC comedy Father Ted. Anyway, back to quilting, Like 'to prewash or not to prewash' there is another group, those of us who piece our backs vs. those of us who think a single color/piece of backing is sacrosanct. Both sides are right because there aren't any rules, only what works for each of us. Today I'll share some of the reverse sides (I hesitate to call them 'backs' as once they are quilted both sides do full duty on the bed.) It is fairly obvious which side of the fence I quilt on. The quilt above is the reverse side the John Deere quilt I made for Rob. This is a great way to use up what is left of theme quilt fabrics.

This is my red/white/black back titled Ode To Joan, my good friend who loves these colors in her quilts. It is the reverse side of one of my chicken quilts, Chanticleer.

I think this is one of my least attractive backs, the reverse side of one of my favorites, titled Sisters. Both sides of this quilt were my first efforts to work strictly from stash. There are only four fabrics in this back and the stripes were a real PITA to work with. This is the first time I had my working wall in place and it was invaluable, I can't imagine how I made quilts before I had one!

This is every single last piece of the fabrics my friend Elle and I purchased for a joint project titled Spirit of the Mesa. Being restricted by what you have adds a great deal of creativity to your work.

I love this reverse side because I love purple/green/yellow-orange together. It was my first effort at doing a layout in Electric Quilt software. My only one in fact, I just don't have time to work with it long enough to remember what I learn. The other side is a Delectable Mountains.
This is the reverse side of my Dear Jane/Jane Stickle quilt titled Two Sides of Jane. It was just a exercise to teach myself to appliqué, and working with mixed neutrals. I think it is my all time favorite top.

Thursday Thankies

Sewing Machines

Needles

Eyes

Soul Collage

2009-03-24T10:57:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday afternoon was a fun break for me, a five hour class which included a short yoga practice and a guided class in Soul Collage with ten lovely women at Vision Yoga/Wild Trout Gallery.

Enormous boxes of magazines, calendars, and catalogs were set out and we each just pulled a armful of sources at random, then sat at the table or curled up on the floor and each time we saw an image that sparked something in us we'd pull it out and add to our pile. I've been working on a Discovery Journal for years so was familiar with this part of the task. (If you click on the photos on my blog they open up larger in a new page)
We were then given 5" X 8" mat boards, glue stick, and scissors and encouraged to make a collage of our bits. The results were outstanding and so different. I've worked with tarot and oracle cards for years so what I see in mine and what the object of the experience was supposed to be diverged, but I understand the concept, and will make more of these little art pieces as time and inclination permit. These are easier to sit out and think about than a Discovery Journal is!

I titled my piece Botox Party, based on a snippet of conversation I heard earlier. The foundation is 3 pieces, a forest in full color and glory, a withered and frosted winter weed, and the sun behind teasel pods. For the statement I see a beautiful woman on the left railing against the body she has been given, then Aphrodite turning her back on her own beauty. Below center a false oddly shaped face is presented to the world. Which soon fades to bone and dust and what was the point?

In our teens we wish to appear older so on goes the make-up and tight clothes and we drink and smoke and behave like we think older women must do. At 30 we start dieting and tinting our first grey hairs and wish we were young again. At 50 we are going for belly bands and tummy tucks and breasts that look like wooden apples, our face skin is pulled up until our hair line is now two inches above our ears, we botox and have wands inserted all over our bodies to suck out yellow fat and bleach our teeth until they look like a packet of Chicklets. At 70 we marvel at how beautiful we were at 49 before we started taking things into our hands and skewing into a unnatural state of affairs.

I have considered all these things. If I were rolling in money I might even be tempted to try them. Obviously once you start you never know when to stop. Fortunately I have chosen to pay the mortgage and buy groceries instead. And work on my inner-mini-me. This week I'm taking a page from one of Rumi's books and polishing my heart, a forever project if there ever was one. I hope it reminds me to look at my Botox Party and appreciate what I have while I have it.

Tuesday Thankies
The blogs I enjoy visiting
Lunch out with my Rob
Candlelight

Sprung

2009-03-21T10:52:00.000-07:00

In our moderate climate baby lambs and calves are already scattered over the landscape. I would hesitate to call myself a farmwife...the sheer non-political correctness of it for one reason. But I was born and raised on a farm and coming full circle I now do much of the day to day work on my in-laws farm. So what do our thoughts turn to? Seeds, of course!

I've already ordered the giant tomato tree seeds for my father-in-law. He'd seen the annual ads on television and asked me to get them...I noticed last week he has already placed his five gallon buckets in the spots where he intends to grow them. He will be 91 next month and anything that gets him up and excited is OK by me.

I ran across this photograph recently when I was doing some research about women's employment options. This is a 1890 shot of the Burpee Seed Company order fulfillment area. Looks like a pretty nice place to work to me, Way healthier than the cotton mills for sure. I have a collection of Botanical catalog covers in one of my Webshots albums and sure enough...there was Burpee's 1890 issue. Synchronicity...Happy Spring, and here is to a cool wet fall for our friends Down Under.

Saturday Thankies
Spring always returns
My Rob will be home soon
Mourning Doves

Question of the day

2009-03-18T15:23:00.000-07:00

What to do when you run out of thread?

Paint toenails
make lists
bother other people
play with dogs

Wednesday Thankies
Thread
More Thread
There is more thread where that came from

Lent, Long Seams, and Violence

2009-03-14T14:16:00.000-07:00

Odd group of blog title subjects, eh what? This week as I've had time I've been working on the long seams of the Hydrangea One Block Wonder. As noted before long seams are about my least favorite sewing task, who knows why. Should be pure pleasure as it means the end is getting close and getting to move on to another project new or old... But I will say this, it gives me time to think.

Today I was thinking about the 40 days of Lent. I've only observed Lent once but that one time changed how I view the world and daily life. It is one of the reasons we don't bother with TV reception here; no cable, no satellite, no picture, also no newspaper. I don't know where the idea came from, probably listening to the inane things people give up...but I got a bee in my bonnet about eliminating violence from my world for 40 days.

Sound easy? Don't kid yourself, we immerse ourselves in the idea of violence. How about:

I hate Brussels Sprouts

Stop, you're twisting/breaking my arm

I'll kill you if you tell my age

I'd like to break that drivers phone/head/neck

I'd kill for a ....

That coat is to die for

Squash that spider

Smack that fly

Eat that hamburger

and that is just off the top of my head.

Off the front page news today on Google:

N. Ireland riots after police arrest 3 over killings

Women in Congo speak out about rape despite taboo

Austrian incest suspect Fritzl faces justice

Girl decapitated 700 years ago gets church burial

German town holds first burial in school shooting

Pastor's slaying suspect appointed public defender

Baby hippo won't be fed to tigers zoo says

Movies and TV? From Loony Tunes to M*A*S*H to Clockwork Orange there is no limit to far to cross. Of course I could go on all day long...and tomorrow and the next day, because it never stops. And without thinking about what it is doing to us we go on bathing in it.

Not me. No more. I am So much more careful about how I phrase things, about where I let my mind dwell, what I read. I'm not preaching, to each their own, just throwing the thought out there for rumination.

Saturday Thankies:

Dunker donuts

Salad

Rain on the roof

The Quilt Show Part II, Being Bernie Madoffed

2009-03-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

I mentioned below that The Quilt Show just isn't a good fit for me and I was going to request a refund of the balance of my subscription. That was March 3rd. I did indeed use the embedded form on the website and made an official request which included all my contact info.

Zero response, not even a form letter.

So I called the contact phone number for 'payment concerns' on Monday, March 9. No answer, after about 14 rings I got a voice mail for Lisa Bowman saying she was away from her desk and would return my call as soon as possible.

Zero response.

I called again three days later, same no answer after many rings, same voice mail.
And the same zero response.

This afternoon I sent a note to the contact address on Alex Anderson's own website:
I'm not holding my breath. I am wondering if one chick knows what the other chick is doing.

Thursday Thankies:

Robins

computers don't go up in a puff of smoke when I hit the wrong button...again.

Sunshine! Crocus!

Left Brain Right Heart and Slinky

2009-03-10T17:13:00.000-07:00

As the terrible windswept fires have rolled across Victoria Australia, I like many quilters thinking with their Right Hearts lept to my machine to 'make it all better'. My original plan was to make two tops and send them to my long time friend Pam in Victoria to finish and give to two of their friends, of which many have been wiped out.

As my machine hummed I began to think with my Left Brain, the analytical side. And something wasn't right with this picture.
#1, I was asking my friend Pam...without asking her first, to assume the cost of batt and backing, plus the time and energy to finish two quilts.
#2, when I checked on shipping, the cost to send approximately 12 yards of fabric to Australia was over the moon.
#3, Was this really the way to help those in need?

So I reigned in my ideas and with Pam's blessing and suggestion, I donated the price of 12 yards of fabric to Australian Red Cross. Having watched how ill-served the victims of Katrina were by all the well meant personal items contributed, this doesn't quite warm the cockles of my heart like thinking of a stranger wrapped in my time and love...but I'm sure it is a far better thing I've done.

On a lighter note and apropos of nothing at all, what child of the 50's and 60's doesn't remember using a Slinky? You probably have one sitting on your desk right now and haven't even played with it...Come on you slackers.

Tuesday Thankies
The people who put their lives on the line daily all over the world to keep us safe in so many different ways
The wealthy at the top who walk the walk and make the huge donations that make a difference
Survivors

Hank of Hair, A Piece of Bone

2009-03-07T16:10:00.001-08:00

It has just been one of those times when there is work going on like mad and no progress to be shown...except the Ort Jar is filling with bits left from the candlewick summer spread I've been working on, I've glommed onto a little more selvage to hoard, and there are a Ton of strips and strings in my trash can, there are now 6 empty spools on the corner of my cutting table to turn into Christmas RAKs...and take note of the 8 ounce water glass and the carrot.

So maybe soon those strips will become the three tops I'm working on (well to be honest, two will be backs), the Ort Jar will be full and the summer top will be on the bed, and I'll dream up some really exciting selvage project that will bring a smile. And maybe the carrots and water will add a little push to the pound a month I've been losing for two plus years. Stay tuned...

Saturday Thankies
SparkPeople
There are always fellow travelers
Freckles my Nubian goat is much improved

The Quilt Show

2009-03-03T10:39:00.000-08:00

I'm curious what percentage of paid members resubscribe to this on-line quilt show after their first year expires. There is no way that information will be available to the general public, but having paid for a one year subscription in a weak moment I do think I'm entitled to my opinion.

And my opinion here is the same opinion I hold with any on-line membership. Only if the subscriber is very active within the member forum and built a sense of community for themselves is there any holdover value into the second year. I have a whole lot of things I don't like about this particular site and I'm thinking about requesting a refund on the balance of my subscription.

I'll think it over while I'm at work today. And maybe some of you will leave your thoughts either way. I can see some value...just not for me.

Secondary Gratitudes, because I had trouble being grateful in the first place today.
I'm extremely grateful for my health, I'll be at the cancer clinic for a couple of hours today which is always a wake up call.

I'm extremely grateful for a nice car in excellent condition. In the Pacific Northwest boondocks, if you don't have wheels you are stuck.

I'm extremely grateful for the companies I deal with that do have a listening ear, and care about their customers. I think there are more that do than don't...we're just overwhelmed by the media about the biggies who only take and take and take and 'screw the little people' is their philosophy of business and taking bail out money.

Before

2009-03-03T08:36:00.000-08:00

I've been too busy to show progress on the quilts on the working wall, so I'll share one of my dream projects. We have a 10 acre farm where the 5th wheel is, I've featured a number of 'small space' quilting posts on that.

This was the view from my kitchen window east on February 28; we had a skiff of snow and low lying fog. The bovine ladies thought I was up Way too early for common sense.

My dream space is on the rear-most back northwest corner of the property. We can't build in that area because it lies within the 500 year flood plain. It is also the only really private area on the property. My goal is to make this my personal sanctuary. A place where I can read, dream, stitch, do my yoga practices, and simply commune with nature.

This pond will be rebuilding it's creature life this year, in December we had a flood which put the river water above the 39" fence behind the pond. I suppose what was washed out was probably replaced somewhat with whatever creatures were washed into it...The low spot in the center back is where my little space will be. I'll cut out a shallow 8'X8' space and lay in concrete building blocks even with the ground surface.

This little pond is also sanctuary to many types of migratory geese and ducks which are lovely to watch, and I often see blue dragonflies in the summer.
Anyway, perhaps sometime this coming summer I will have an After post to share.

Tuesday Thankies
Dreams
Plans
Options

Small Celebrations

2009-02-27T09:14:00.000-08:00

Today is our 39th Anniversary. I got a cheerful good morning wake up call from my Rob who is in Los Angeles today. Our anniversary always reminds me of our wedding day as it probably does most women.

My two best friends had just celebrated their wedding vows with big weddings in November and December. I'd watched them fight with their mom, call it off, call it back on, struggle with the financial side, worry themselves sick over details...so I decided we would keep it small. Small as in our parents and us, at my folk's home. As the weeks passed I could see even this was too many people if one of the people was a mean drunk.

So we decided on the following Friday which I had off, to meet when Rob got off work, grab two friends, and go to the Justice of Peace in Montesano. Which we did, and I've never regretted it for a moment. Kathy happened to have her grandmothers camera in her car so we did get three fuzzy photos which are very special to me. The picture here shows us forgetting to pay the Justice of Peace about 4:30 in the afternoon.

We then took a drive out to Westport and for our wedding dinner we had burgers from a burger stand, after which we drove to my parents house to tell them the news. Who loved and respected Rob already. Except Rob had a hard upbringing so when my dad came tearing out of the house Rob jumped back in his car and locked the doors.

My folks donated all the money they'd saved for the wedding ($35.00) to the cause and we spent our first night in the Aberdeen Holiday Inn which was the noisiest hotel I've ever been in, before or since. I got up the next morning at 6 AM and went to work. Thus endeth the story of our wedding, February 27, 1970. I love you Rob, you still look 25 to me.

Friday Thankies
Cell phones
Photos
Good burgers, which are much harder to find today than they were in 1970

(((Hugs Computer)))

2009-02-25T09:17:00.000-08:00

I suppose those with wildly active and interesting social lives don't find the on-line connections as important to their daily life as I do and more power to them. But most of my adult life we have had unscheduled schedules making it really difficult to plan for dinner with friends, meeting at the beach, joining clubs and organizations... so when my first computer entered my life in 1996 an on-line social life was like a bomb going off in my heart. Yes I know real-time people may be more important but I don't know anyone that wants to play at 4 AM or go to lunch on the spur of the moment and those are the sort of times I'm free.

And suffice it to say that I've made some lasting friendships via long distance and have traveled across the country and ocean to meet some of them, and had some of them travel across the country and around the world to spend time with me. And I can say I've never met an internet friend I didn't like. Bless you all, you warm my heart and my days with your presence.

So while on the theme I thought you might like to see the precursor to our marvelous machines of today. In some circles, the clunky box shown here with two floppy disk drives and a 5-inch screen introduced in 1981 is considered the world's "first really popular portable computer," found today in the Computer History Museum. The Osborne 1 weighed 24.5 pounds, had a detachable keyboard that served as a lid, had a carrying handle and was small enough to fit under the passenger seat of an airplane. The machine also came with a bundle of software, including WordStar for word processing, SuperCalc spreadsheet, and the BASIC programming language. We've come a long way, baby.

I'm off to the farm for a few days, I'll miss you all.

Wednesday Thankies
Automatic Microsoft updates
McAfee
Snopes

Sewing In The Bone Yard

2009-02-22T11:11:00.000-08:00

I find comfort in a good old fashioned cemetery. I've been known, on a beautiful spring or summer day, to throw the dogs in the car and do a bone yard run, visiting many family and friends who have preceded me in death as the obits say...What I've been doing the last few years is buying little metal stands at the dollar stores, probably meant for the smaller garden flags, and hanging metal wind chimes on them at the gravesides. It gives me comfort to hear and think of them, softly singing to those I miss so much.

I love stopping at old country graveyards, seeking out the pithy inscriptions on the lichen encrusted slab style stones, reading the dates and connecting them to their places in history. Do you bone yard?

The worst job I ever had was receptionist at a law firm with nine attorneys. The only thing that made that job worth getting up for was the beautiful cemetery next door where I'd take my sack lunch and stitching and let the tension roll off my shoulders. A favorite spot was on a corner under a tree where I could see the marker for a little 6 year old boy. Every couple of months the tokens at the headstone would change. Little wheeled cars, rubber dogs and cats, a Little Golden Book... I don't have children but I could certainly empathize with the loving grief of his family.

Sunday Thankies
My new Graven Images Oracle
Jewel Quest Solitaire
Google Maps

Yes, I've Been Busy

2009-02-21T11:26:00.001-08:00

I've been at our farm the last few days riding herd on my in-law's live stock while they have been sick. 'Tween times my sewing machine has been tearing along on this big stack of half-square triangles for quilt tops for Victoria's burned out families.

I started with a stack of 18" squares, stitched my double lines corner to corner, both ways, and when I started splitting them last night was astounded to discover I now had four pockets rather than four half-square triangle blocks. Those pockets needed to be split again, creating 8 half-square triangles per set of 18" squares. Cool Beans...twice the bang for my buck! I still don't understand how that worked out though...

Saturday Thankies
My Rob will be home tonight
A fun date planned for tomorrow
Fresh milk

Colors of Winter

2009-02-18T16:26:00.000-08:00

Know how a certain song will instantly transport you to a certain time and place? I think these cotton candy green and pink colors, like gorgeous marbled fabric, will always remind me of this winter.
I can't remember the last time I've used a commercial car wash because my car is one place where I'm willing to spend my hard earned cash for top of the line. I've seen what car washes do to paint finishes and strips and wipers, or used to anyway... and shuddered at the very idea of scrapes and swirls in the finish.

But this year Rob and I have both been busy, (and tired) and rather than drive a filthy car I broke down and got an $8.00 wash. Imagine my surprise to have my rear wiper slipped into a protective case, to have a prewash spray before entering the tunnel, to be lavishly bathed in this coating of soft and colorful foam, and to be encased in all sorts of different configurations of gentle lapping draping circling blue tongues dedirting my car.

And what a beautiful job! It wouldn't take long to get addicted to WashMan. In these hard times I'll save this ride for special and appreciate that somewhere someone has been building a better mouse trap.

Wednesday Thankies
Every so special yoga practice, thank you Peggy
Two little dogs who wait patiently for me to come home
One little dog who rides with and should have to help with the washer dollars...
It has been a lovely day from start to zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

Beavering Away

2009-02-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

My One-Block-Wonder continues to grow, here are the first two sections stitched together, another few days and this will be ready for it's borders.

Note the finished sections on the right are a full block shorter with all the seams taken up. Good thing I have lots of border material. I'm trying to think of something clever to do with the leftover sections from the sides. Although I promised myself this year I wasn't going to try to reinvent the wheel. I'm sure that is how I ended up with so many projects in the works. Stopping to think and then forgetting what I was thinking about.

For the next few days I have my agenda cleared and will be making tops for a friend in Alexandra Victoria to turn into quilts for the burned out families they know. This is where all those precut blocks will show their worth in time savings.

Tuesday Thankies
Making decisions and moving on
I'm lucky enough to be able to make decisions regarding my life
Things always turn out ok in the end...the big blessing~

Here an Ort There an Ort Everywhere an Ort Ort

2009-02-13T08:31:00.000-08:00

Ort \¨òrt\: noun; a snippet or leftover bit of thread, usually resulting from a voracious addiction to handcrafted needlework.

I heard the term ort early last year, it went in one ear and out the other like most things I hear... But I heard it again this week, with a photo attached to it. Well, a photo is worth a 1000 words, and here are some blogs with great ones.

Stitching Obsession

Sweet Pea (scroll down)

Dani Black Belt Stitching

If you know of any others or will share your own, give me a link, cyber photos of Ort containers would be a fun collection, one that didn't take up any room or need dusted. Like blog posts... I think this is the 100th for this blog. Off to my farm in a few minutes, y'all be good, ya hear?

Friday Thankies

Self-sufficiency

Barter

Multiple streams of income

Sunday Stitching

2009-02-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

My One Block Wonder continues to grow, this is going to be a smashing top. I picked up some used movies at Hollywood Video this week to watch while I'm sewing today.

Iron Man, Wall-e, and Brandon Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth. Now there is a variety!

Sunday Thankies
Raisins
Pop corn
Oranges

Is It Love?

2009-02-06T15:54:00.000-08:00

Approaching Valentine's Day brings thoughts of love and like and what it takes to make a marriage or relationship last. I've been a close observer of two marriages for the last 40 years that make me wonder how they ever did it...or more to the point why. Everyone's tolerance level is different though for a variety of sins; some will put up with infidelity but not drugs or alcohol, others might stay for a beating a month but leave if the finances got tight. Aren't people interesting in all their coats of many colors?

My Rob is the light of my life. This is one of the marriages I've been observing for 39 years. And the one I wonder most about, what has kept him here? Yes, I have a few good points but I have a hair trigger temper that frightens even me sometimes...

When I was a kid my mom would sometimes make our pancakes in the shape of something...balloons mostly :-) but the pleasure stuck and since Rob is our resident pancake maker and he knows the way to my heart I often get a pancake surprise with my Sunday morning coffee. I guessed at this one being a Volkswagen with CB antenna...just kidding...it is our brown and white double dapple dachshund Xing-Xing. Well Duh, of course it is. Yes, it's love and I am so blessed.

Yes, I know I could use some new dishes. I've been using 50's lusterware from soap and oatmeal boxes since we got married, a thrift store find in 1970. I love blue willow, but I've never been able to make up my mind about which line or manufacturer. I wonder if the lining of my stomach is lustered?

Friday Thankies
TGIF
Lots of work this week
The weekend to play

RV and Small Space Quilting part 4

2009-02-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

One more space tweak-ed-er in our 5th wheel RV. Call me a square peg if you will but we don't watch TV, no time and no interest. So when I bought the 5th wheel I asked the seller to take the TV out. Better them than me, those tube TV's are heavy!

Anyway that left a big wonderful space

for an ironing center to the right of the sewing machine. And you can see my little travel iron and small board fit great. I took the measurements of the space and stopped by a cabinet makers shop one day and ask if he'd cut me a board from his scraps plus four legs, he used beautiful wood and only charged me $10.00 which I thought was very reasonable for his time.

It doesn't show very well in this photo, but I also put nails in the cupboard outer facing and hung my acrylic rulers up. I was starting to put a third nail in and my Rob asked me if I'd thought that nail through...What? Think something through? He pointed out that I'd take the hide and hair off my head every time I sat down if I put a nail in that low. Bless his observant heart.

I'm off to the farm again tomorrow, and every time I step into the 5th wheel my sewing center greets me with a smile...and vice versa.

Monday Thankies
Amazon
Our volunteer service people
Animal Shelters

More One Block Wonder Tweaking

2009-01-29T15:24:00.000-08:00

After letting it set for 24 hours I spent another hour moving blocks around. In person this looks better, but I get better perspective when posted here. I think this has better flow through the center.

Those six pink blocks center bottom don't blend at all no matter what I put with them. But I need them to get the quilt to 12 X 14 rows. There isn't any more print fabric left

In the picture's perspective that pink top left looks overwhelming and unbalanced but it's beautiful in person.

More think time required! And don't Anyone think about sneezing. If all these blocks fell off the wall you'd hear the shriek from here where ever you are.

Edited to add on Friday morning: Karen had a good thought in comments, to move those pink ones to the lower right corner. Except that would require moving nearly every block in the quilt. That corner doesn't show up well because of my cutting table in the way and shadowing, but it is all deep burgundy and greens and does balance the top left. The only real problem with those pink ones is the background that makes them pop. Some of that will be taken up in the seams. No matter where I placed them they would pop!

Or it wouldn't be a problem at all if I reduced the quilt by one row. But its such beautiful fabric I couldn't bear it.

I worked with my reducing lens for a long time before I went to bed last night, and this morning I am still happy with the final layout...so as soon as I get back from the farm I'm going to commence sewing. I don't doubt a bit that once it is together I'll see something that I should have moved, but hey, life is short and my unfinished project list looms over my days... Thanks for the feedback ladies!

Thursday Thankies
Lunch with Denise
New big box of gifted mystery books
New to me authors!

Hydrangea One Block Wonder Progress

2009-01-28T15:55:00.001-08:00

My brain hurts. This is hard. Final it isn't. You stand at the working wall, surrounded by a sea of like piles...You go away and don't think about it, come back and be surprised by what works and what doesn't. Rearrange, tweak, stand back, stand Way back, tweak some more, and take pictures.

Time it let it rest some more. Switch sides of the room and go back to my movie, The Stand, and my candlewick blocks. Summer will be here before I know it, need to get that needle spurred on.

Wednesday Thankies
Trees in the fog
Snow on fencepost caps
Daffodil tips coming up

Stash

2009-01-26T12:19:00.000-08:00

As quilters, when we hear the word stash, our minds usually jump to fabric. How wonderful it all looks at the shops, how it feels, how it drapes, how it might blend with other fabrics, how it would look in a 2" section as opposed to a 42" section. Might it run or shrink, will it look dated in two years, will our storage space take another in-dump, can we afford it, do we need it, do we really want it, if our heart will stand the adrenalin push of just fondling it?

But, if we stop to think about it stash covers a lot of other things in our quilt room also.

scissors
rotary cutters
regular rulers, tape measures, rotary rulers
seam rippers
thread and bobbins
needles, machine and hand, needle books
marking tools
stencils
patterns, purchased and home printed
books
irons
whole lot of single specialty tools
straight pins, plus the magnetic holders and pin cushions. I consistently use 4 different types of straight pins...
basting tools and safety pins and tackers
quilt hoops and frames
lights
sewing baskets, tins, carry-along busy bags
some even have a stash of sewing machines
and of course, our little companions of all colors and sizes who give us encouragement each time we sit down to sew with any of the above.

Monday Thankies
The days are getting longer in my hemisphere
Fresh Water
Tea

Repurpose -- I love that word!

2009-01-24T14:21:00.001-08:00

I grew up wearing my aunt's hand-me-downs. I didn't mind but it does have some unattractive issues. Repurpose sounds so invigorating, alive, and useful, plus plain old common-sensical.

Here are a couple of repurposed items in my quilt room. I'm packing up my Grandma Pearl's pink depression glass and passing it on to my cousin Margie. But this piece I bought myself for toothpicks. I think it looks great as a flat-head-pin holder.

On the left is a planter, it once had cactus in it on Grandma Pearl's sun porch. I'll bet my grandma really loved me, my favorite job when on a stay-over was wiping down the shelves on said sun porch. What a deal for Grandma! I have a bigger round plant pot in my counter in the kitchen with most often used utensils in it. All three of these items make my heart smile with memories...and repurpose.

Saturday Thankies
Rob will be home soon!
Bookshelves
Well run forums

Bobbin Along

2009-01-22T14:27:00.000-08:00

On the sewing machine list for my Janome model the subject of pre-filled bobbins comes up at least once a week. While I was sewing mind-numbing nine-patches this week my mind wandered to bobbins.
#1 Can anyone tell me why sewing machines have to have such piddly little bobbins? What is so hard about designing a bigger bobbin case? And
#2 What is the attraction with pre-wound bobbins?

So when I took a break, I got a new spool of

Coats and Clark 100% cotton 50 weight thread, 300 yard size. Cost, 30% off at Fabric Depot, $1.30 per spool

Janome bobbins, reusable untold number of times. In 15 years I've had two break. .50 cents each

The above thread filled 8 bobbins @ 37.5 yards each.

Took 14 minutes to do, or 1.75 minutes each

Cost per bobbin .16.25 cents each. Disregarding the bobbin cost itself, as mine are reusable and the pre-filled are throw-away.

Well that's all good to know, but when trying to compare prices I find that a lot of places selling them haven't a clue what weight of thread is on them. That is comforting to know. Not.

I found one place with 108 bobbins 93 yards each, 60 weight thread for $70.00, $50.00 on sale. .47.3 cents each. Humm, 3 times the thread though. Looking further I find another site with the same offer for $33.00 for 108. 30.5 cents each. Plus shipping which can zoom up that price. So that tells me the pre-filled I see with even more thread on them are using lingerie weight thread in the 80-90 weight range. Which gives even longer sewing time. Except when sewing something you need to last like clothing and quilt seams I sure wouldn't recommend it.

Which leaves me still comparing apples and oranges, price wise, but time wise it took almost no time to fill 8 bobbins and then it was time to sit down and go back to work. Where do you fall on the do-it-yourself vs. pre-filled controversy?

Thursday Thankies
Hostess Ding-Dongs
The oddest blessings this week
Nearly a week of blue sky and sun

Yogus Interruptus

2009-01-18T10:03:00.000-08:00

Yoga is one of the great pleasures in my life, something I expect to do and enjoy doing into old age and beyond. I've never trained my animals to be still during my practice, they just seem to know, and usually one or more cats and all three dogs will get up on the couch on their red blanket and lie quietly when they see the yoga mat come out.

I've been working through a new to me yoga DVD, Yoga Therapy Prescriptions with Laura Hawes from MyYogaVideo.com. The DVD is divided into a good number of practices focused on a various health issues, the one I was trying today was for Anxiety. It is a good thing I was relaxed already...and happened to have my camera close. Otherwise they would have been banished from the room. Here is what happened.

Namaste Xavier and Xing-xing, you bless my days with your presence.

My little lost dogs that someone threw away in the forest...

along with about two dozen others from their puppy mill.

Sunday Thankies
Fresh Grapes Oranges Bananas
Digital cameras
The world and it's infinite variety

Procrastination, Thy Name Is Sharyn

2009-01-16T11:18:00.001-08:00

Two long seams to go and I can put paid to the Kudzu Baskets quilt top. So far I've found a number of reasons to procrastinate. For instance: Say good by to basket bits no longer needed. Stop to make a free wheeling star because it was cute on someone else's blog. (Jo's fault entirely, over at Pieceful Afternoon. That is my story and I'm stickin' to it)

Take note that in my frenzy to finish (or not finish) my sewing area in the quilt room is most Un-FlyLadyish. Plus the little lost dogs needed some sock-play time. Clean same...and still those two seams wait. Crazy.
OK, I've run out of things to do. Well, I could check my blog sidebar and see if my compardres have posted new interesting stuff...

Edited later in the day: Kudzu Basket top completed... can be seen on my "projects in progress" blog Devoted To The Cloth I love it! (scroll down at that link, I've added posts since).

Friday Thankies
That it's Friday, I thought it was Saturday
Daffodils are peeking out of the ground
Little dogs in training had an A+ day yesterday

Paper Embroidery Anyone?

2009-01-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

I told Loz at Bizarre Quilter a few days ago that I was the worst, bar none, embroiderer in the world. I got to thinking about it because I abhor negativity and realized I can say I do paper embroidery very well. Heaves big sigh...saved from the negative boogerman again.

I was in a 12 person card exchange for two years while I took hiatus from quilting. But you can't keep a stitcher away from thread! The first paper embroidery I did was a blue willow scene. It only took me 11 hours to complete the first one. By the time I finished 14 of them I had it down to a swift 7 hours per card. You can see the first blue willow effort in my quilt journals entry...I co-opted it into a journal cover because I had a big mistake on it. Not being sure what I was doing yet, the 3rd gentleman crossing the bridge looks like he is taking a leak rather than lifting his leg to the next step. Oops...I left the men off the rest of them. I have done many many cards and bookmarks since then, here are a couple of samples.

I just googled paper embroidery and I see there are a few free samples to download now so do that if you want to try it. I order all my patterns from the U.K., a lovely company called Creative Expressions. The first set I had snail-mailed, but the rest I have downloaded to PDF and printed out myself. Very easy transaction and instant buyers gratification!

Here are a couple of the Christmas cards I did then laid them in the bottom of a box and sprayed lightly with aerosol glue and sprinkled artificial snow on them. They were very cool looking.

The tools needed are pretty simple.

A sheet of thick fun foam (I think it is 1/2") to do the punching on.

Low tack tape to hold the pattern in place on the card stock.

card stock.

Fine needle like a size 11 appliqué. You don't want big holes in the card stock.

I talked a gentleman who makes tools for lace makers into making me a lovely punch, but for just trying it, stick a cork in the top of your needle so you have something to hang onto and start punching.

I covered my punch patterns with clear contact because I always made 14 copies. 3 layers of card stock at a time is about all your hand will want to punch, so using my pattern 4 times in a row I found covering it made it hold up well.

For natural scenes like the lighthouse I used 60 weight Mettler embroidery spool thread, but for patterns like the ones above I used my Mettler metallics...yum yum. Great carry along project if you have a stack punched, everything fits in a sandwich baggie.

This whole post is revenge on Jo over at Pieceful Afternoon for sidetracking me from Kudzu baskets and test driving free wheeling star blocks. So there Jo, bet you can't do just one paper embroidery...

Wednesday Thankies
Kudzu baskets top should be finished today
Fun blogs to visit
SUNSHINE!

Rooster Journals Anyone?

2009-01-12T15:29:00.001-08:00

I did a post on my quilt journals awhile back, but not everyone enjoys wordsmithing like I do. This is the perfect time of the year to start a different type of journal, and a lot easier...Put a fresh calendar by your sewing machine. It can even be an old one...long as it has at least 360 days.

Those neat daily boxes will hold all sorts of information that you may find astounding when added up. Depending on your projects and interests you can keep track of:

Hours (or minutes, they really add up) spent machine or hand stitching

What day you started a project

What day you completed on

How much new fabric you bring in

How much stash you use

New tools and their cost

Books added to your library

Machine needle changes

Machine services

Charity projects

Shows attended

Guild speakers

Completed blocks and milestones on special projects like the Dear Jane quilt

Try it, You'll like it!

Monday Thankies
Delicious Mexican lunch
Theresa's funny and practical Dr. Dan
Drinkable water

High Points Low Points

2009-01-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

I have my pedal to the metal, working hard to finish assembling the Kudzu Baskets quilt and I'm very very close. As I've sat sewing today I've been thinking about what sort of things slow down or stop progress on my quilt projects. And the other side of the token, what makes me commit to a new quilt.

Things I dislike

Ripping. I do it but with gritted teeth. I just bring to mind a childhood needlework teacher who said "ripping out is one of the most important parts of the learning process because it shows you what you should have done." Mostly should have done was pay more attention. Thank you Gramma Bessie, for the lesson and the memories.

Clipping seams. You can see in the attached photo where I am requiring myself to do this, because it makes a great deal of difference in how the points meet. I think this quilt is worth the effort and I'll be really glad I did it, both during the quilting process, and enjoying it on the bed. But it sure slows down the piecing.

Putting the big sections together. At that point the quilt top is very close to finished but that is lots and lots of intersections to meet. One nice thing I don't have to pin because my 1/4" seams are dead on so there is that saving grace as I Herk the sections around.

Finding I don't have enough components made. I really frown when I have to go back and make more sashing or corner blocks or whatever. Which is foolish, I nearly always have some extra fabric cut. My contrary nature I guess.

Standing on a stool to reach the top sections on my working wall. I would love to be 5'8" tall in my quilt room. The rest of the time my feet touch the floor when I walk and that seems to be sufficient to my needs.

Things I like

The smell of clean prewashed fabric as I press it
when something I experiment with works early on
The incredible resources at our fingers today; books, quilt shops, on-line blogs and websites, the generosity of bloggers who do tutorials, DVDs and TV quilt shows, guilds, magazines. When I began quilting in 1970 there was basically nothing unless you had a granny or auntie who could get you started. And it was all template then...each and every piece in a quilt had to be traced around and cut with scissors. Think about that next time you admire an intricate 1800's quilt! The only tools readily available in stores were the Aunt Martha's patterns and wooden quilt hoops.
The sheer variety of prints and patterns in our fabric availability. Walking through a fabric shop is like a free art gallery tour.
Rotary cutter, rulers, mats. What a difference in how quick and easy it is to make a quilt. Or get one started. Probably also the chief reason there are so many UFO's. We didn't cut up much fabric to start new quilts when all the pattern pieces had to be traced one by one by hand.
Quilt shows. Wow. From small local shows to regional to national to international. Talk about eye candy and inspiration. You can see in a few hours that your work is indeed better than some-worse than some, and you can see the quality and time commitment required in becoming a top show winner.
Binding. I love cutting it, sewing it on and getting my corners perfect, and stitching it down by hand. That last 8 hours is when I get to really snuggle under what is basically a finished quilt for the first time. To run my hands over the blocks as I go along...being surprised at fabric combinations, seams matchings, the quilting stitches, the joy of a project well done...and DONE.

Sunday Thankies
Yoga Bolsters
Bookends
Cell Phones

Small Space Quilting ~ Cutting

2009-01-06T08:38:00.000-08:00

My older posts about carving out quilting space in our 35' 5th wheel trailer can be found here. Scroll down the new page that opens to see the progress.

I have a kitchen cutting board that fits perfectly into one side of the double sink. With a rotary mat on top it is a good cutting solution for smaller projects. If I needed or wanted to make longer cuts I can move the sink cover cutting board to the left side of the sink to hold the folded fabric, and put a larger mat on the counter to the left.

Or another solution I've considered is making a board that covers the sink area completely. A definite possibility if we ever decide to full time RV.

I'm preparing our home to go on the market in the next month or two. When (please please) it sells I will most certainly be living full time in the RV at our farm until a house is built and it doesn't give me a moments worth of stress. I know I can quilt there with no problems with the solutions I've put in place. Ironing and tools of the trade will be posted before long~

Tuesday Thankies
The RV washer and dryer work like a dream
A day inside to work in the Big quilt room at home
Red Rose Tea and my new china leopard print mug

No Thanks, I'm Driving

2009-01-03T08:56:00.000-08:00

No resolutions that is. I was just a pup still when I realized how defeatist oriented making solemn resolutions on the 1st of January was. I'm just human...sometimes this means the strength of Hercules, and sometimes it means the backbone of Popeye's friend J. Wellington Wimpy. I yam what I yam.

I do try to make genuine effort each new day to end it with both myself and the world a better place than I found it upon arising. Some days I actually accomplish it. Most days, having made the effort is the best I can achieve.

I do each year try to add some new skill or knowledge. Some have been utter failures, some have been like finding a gold mine, and have been incorporated in to my on-going life seamlessly. This year's goal is going to be especially difficult. I'm going to take a year and not re-invent the wheel. That won't mean much to you, but I expect it to be a profound change for me and the way I tackle things.

This will be really visible in my quilting. I seldom begin with someone else's pattern or directions, and when I do, I'm almost immediately off on a tangent of changes. Often changes for the sake of changes; I'm uncomfortable being or making a clone. But I have a lot of stunning, exciting, interesting, fun patterns languishing on the shelf...I think this is the year I will make some of them. As instructed. It will no doubt be really good for my character. And probably increase my output exponentially.

Welcome 2009.

Saturday Blessings
Stan the man, the computer fixer will be here tomorrow!
Stan takes partial payment in fresh cookies and divine coffee!
My husband and all my 4 footed family are gathered together safe and warm.
I LOVE my napkins!!

Napkins!

2008-12-26T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have been having a blast making napkins out of stash crumbs! They are so easy a beginning sewist could do them, although I will admit they take time. Time well spent and a product you can enjoy every day...considering most of us have thousands of dollars worth of fabric and how often do we really get to physically enjoy and use it? Click on the photo to see a larger view.

I cut my squares at 11" which finishes as a 10" napkin.
Press, starch, then cut your square or oblong. Starch because it will make the hem stitching go a thousand times better, giving the finished edge a professional touch you'll appreciate every time you use them.
On the back side of the square use your rotary ruler and a pencil to mark a 1/2 inch line. (lightest fabric on right)
Trim off just a smidgen more than 1/2 of the boxed penciled corner (like the lightest fabric shown in the photo.
Press over the edge to the back, to the pencil line.
Next, I lay a straight pin across the pencil line corner junction, making a kitty-corner fold then fold in a perfect mitered corner and pin (like the sage fabric on the right edge). This encourages the next step/fold.
Press the long edges over on itself, giving you a double fold 1/4 inch hem.
Then flip it over and press from the right side too so the creases are nice and sharp.
For the hem itself I experimented with a straight stitch, fine but dull..
Experimented with several of my machine's embroidery stitches
And fell in love with the mode 2 stitch 66 on my Janome 6600P sewing machine, left at the default width and length. With my F2 foot that 1/4 folded seam rides between the edges of the open toe foot perfectly, which is why I can sew from the top.

Friday Thankies
Our record snow accumulation is starting to melt
My 2 little lost doggies continued progress, 4 A+ days in a row
An abundance of fresh chicken eggs to share with the neighbors

Odd Tools 101

2008-12-23T15:43:00.000-08:00

My eyes are bad, my patience is short, my coordination is iffy. If you are coordinated, have 20-20 vision and the patience of Job feel free to move along, otherwise come closer and listen. This little mirror was a bank give-away back in the 70's, it came in a little rubbery green sleeve and yes banks used to give us awards for banking with them rather than give us the Bronx cheer for being gullible enough to keep our money there. A really big deposit would sometimes garner you something as great as the little-old-lady fold away rain hats.

I've never had a sewing machine I could re-needle by feel so I put this little mirror under the foot and change out needles in a few seconds. Something else I do is keep a sticky note on top of the machine with the date needle was changed, what needle went in, and because I'm an info junkie, the project that needed the new needle. It is really surprising how time flies when sewing. Experts say depending on the fabric 4-8 hours is optimum needle life. How many years has it been since you've changed yours?

Today I'm hemming napkins made from quilt fabric culled from the recent reorganization of my stash. In the big bin of scraps (post below) I garnered 31 pieces of fabric big enough for an 11 inch square napkin. I can hardly wait to start using them, it seems nearly all my fabric holds memories...this quilt or that S.tash E.nhancement X.cursion or shared from a friends stash or a gift from a friend...a little fabric lagniappe I wasn't expecting when I started the project.

Tuesday Thankies

Sweaters

Sweatshirts

Car chains

Lazy Sunday

2008-12-21T08:55:00.000-08:00

I've had no forward progress on any projects which makes me feel a little unfinished. I am a firm believer that even 15 minutes a day adds up to completed items in a surprisingly short time. I do have a thin excuse. I spent about 2 weeks incorporating inherited stash into my own, prewashing, refolding both theirs and mine, reorganizing, and reshelfing. Now, I don't consider my own stash large at all for someone who has been a passionate quilter since 1970 and in addition to that I've been on the fabric buying wagon since October 2001, or maybe it was 2000, anyway for a long time. This is my current stash, before. I am very fortunate to have two double door closets in my quilt room, my stash took up part of one door.
Here is the beginning progress with the additional stash. Eventually I had piles everywhere and it sort of made my stomach hurt, felt like the chaos I lived in pre-FlyLady.
When it came to reshelving I got a little bogged down. I've used those plastic bins for 20 years, knew where everything was, knew what was in them I've been through them so many times since going no-buy... But they just did not work with the additional influx. In the end I only reused two of them, one for the light neutrals, and one for my 1800's reproduction fabrics. I'm happy with the finished task, one because it is finished, and two because it looks so darn nice. I'm not sure how much work it will be to keep it nice...at least the bins sort of contained my disorder. Here is the finished view, now two doors wide:
Common sense tells me that anytime we have to move something to get to something we do not have efficiency. But because we live in an A-frame my shelves are narrow at the top and get exceeding deep the further down I go. Double stacking only makes sense. So I had a brain fart...takes awhile for the other shoe to drop some days...and made a map showing what was in each stack and section. Eureka, I have efficient and beautiful. And a lot of fabric to put to use.

Note; the bottom right hand side is pre-cut blocks in about 10 different sizes from the last time I had a big re-sort/pare-down frenzy. I use these for interesting backings. Which brings us to the last stage, photo 4.
Orphan fabric. Too small to reshelve, or I've used it in several quilts and have no interest in adding it to others except as pieced backing. So I now have a overflowing bin of bits. My first project today will be to pull out anything that will work and be enjoyed as a 10"ish napkin and make lots and lots of those. I love cloth napkins and with a big stack there would be no excuse whatsoever to not be green in that area. The rest I will add to my under-the-cutting-board strips bin, and my pre-cut blocks. I also donated 5 grocery sacks of nice but not my taste fabric. Merry Christmas to me, tackling and finishing this big project was my end of the year gift to myself.

Sunday Thankies
Ruth
Irons
Washing Machines

Where Have I Been??? Not RAKing...

2008-12-18T10:47:00.000-08:00

There is quite a move afoot this year for a special type of RAK or Random Act of Kindness. I'm a great believer in RAK's and love to do them because they are always anomonyous and they will always bring a smile to someone somewhere.

My friend over at EveryThingQuilts did a post today on RAKing small ornaments. I don't know or care who started it, only that it is such a fun idea. Which got me to thinking about a post I did awhile back on all my wooden spools. Because I have such a crummy memory I made a quick unadorned project to remind me next November or early December to get a bunch of these made. I have a box of little Christmas picks with holly and tiny bells etc which would add a lot of charm and variety to the simple idea of ribbon through spool and a list for Santa. And we certainly can use plastic spools too...finally a way to repurpose those!

This idea doesn't have to be specific to Christmas either, Halloween ones, Easter ones, etc. would be super fun to hang on knobs and leave on benches around town!

Don't forget that instant Heirloom Quilt gift... still time to make one of those~

Thursday Thankies

Sunshine

Stash

Sewing Machine

Gingerbread Yogi's?

2008-12-17T15:36:00.001-08:00

Dear Santa,

I have been a reasonably good girl in 2008.

May I please have a set of these yoga pose cookie cutters?

Or better yet, a consistant supply of my neighbors gingerbread cookies, made like this? All the best to you, Mrs. Claus, the elves, and the reindeer; will have Rob's favorite sugar cookies and milk for you, and grain with a pinch of molasses for the reindeer upon your arrival. Please don't scare the goats.

Love,

Sharyn

Wednesday Thankies
A good snow shovel
Good boots
good gloves

Has Anyone Noticed

2008-12-15T06:55:00.000-08:00

Blogger's wiggly word you need to type in to prove you are semi-human when guest posting to other blogs is now easier? The randomly generated letters are never a word, but can be read as a word and quickly typed in instead of so easily mistyped. Small blessing and it may be in my head, but I like to leave comments about other blogger's posts. And I'm for anything common-sense that makes life easier. Including the new option in Settings so people don't get a popup when commenting.

Monday Thankies
Colder than a witches toe but no deep snow
authors and publishers
National flags waving in the breeze

Avoiding the Real World

2008-12-12T09:10:00.000-08:00

I turn to my blog and the imaginary world where it would be much more comforting to live. Imagine how small your money needs would be in the perfect 24 inch by 48 inch comfort nest.

I got written permission from Sarajane to show this quilt shop, a group project of some very talented polymer clay enthusiasts. I hope you'll follow the link and see the progress, the creativity is knock yer socks off wonderful.

PS: re: my post below about the 5th Wheel working wall. Rob stopped by yesterday and he said all my blocks were laying on the floor. Back to the drawing board.

Friday Thankies

Invited as a guest for dinner and a play tonight

It is starting to look like snow tomorrow

Everyone's opinions count

Selvage Edges Anyone?

2008-12-10T11:57:00.001-08:00

Meet my 2008 Christmas Cards; fun to make and easy as falling off a pile of fabric.

I layered 4 inch lengths of Warm and Natural cotton batting onto 4 inch strips of holiday fabric. On the reverse side I stitched down strips of selvage on the diagonal, diagonal just for added interest.

Once the long strips were made I trimmed the edges with a wavy edge rotary cutter, and then cut the individual ornament/cards according to the size of the image used. I tucked the twine behind the card image and stitched around that.

This idea could be easily translated to magnets and even glued to card stock for a more traditional feeling card. Since the holiday images are recycled from last year's cards and the batting and fabric all came from leftover bits I'm not sure these wouldn't take the prize for being the new catchword, Green.

If I were to do it over, I'd cut a little wider strip from the selvage edge, the sewing would go faster and would show all the different holiday fabrics to better advantage. I alternated sides when sewing down the images, couldn't decide which type was cuter.

Please visit the Selvage Blog in my Tidbits Drawer on the left...that's where I got the inspiration~ Amazing creations there.

Wednesday Thankies
Nice neighbors
Archaeologists and historians
Pampas Grass

Undefinable Unclassifiable O.D.D.B.A.L.L.S.

2008-12-09T11:59:00.000-08:00

What do you do with your unorganizable fabric stash? I don't buy fabric like this anymore, it is certainly eye-candy on the bolt, but I've yet to find a way to incorporate into my stash or my quilts.

I bring up the question because I'm integrating inherited stash into re-folded re-stacked re-examined stash of my own. I'm also organizing with an eye to showing the house which will be up for sale soon...so the fabric cupboards need to look spacious and inviting to whatever type of stash the new owners will have. No matter what stack I lay these against they don't fit. Small matter, but inquiring minds would like to know.

I took some before photos and I have a few in-progress photos, but I'm not sure the after photos will be much different than the before photos :-)

Tuesday Thankie
Delicious Leftovers
I don't own any automaker stock
I'm not the incoming President