The Pipkin House

Baby's Got a New Quilt

2012-02-13T22:56:00.005-06:00

Everyone in the family had a quilt but Maisy. That was not acceptable.

So before Christmas I gathered up a bunch of Aunt Donna scraps that just happened to have doggies on them and made a diamond quilt.

The goal was to have it ready to put under the tree, and I got as far as the quilting. But I finished the binding right after New Year's and wrapped it for her to open a couple of weeks late.

The cutey blue and white polka dot fabric
around the edge just ties it all together.

I had to do quite a bit of fussy cutting to get
the wide variety of breeds represented.

I found the big red and white polka dot yardage at the
thrift store for $1.99 and used it on the back.

I think she likes it.

Bittersweet

2012-02-09T00:30:00.001-06:00

Last year carried a fair amount of stress and I guess I’m just now allowing myself to process it all. It’s why I was away from the blog for so long.

A trip to China with work in June was amazing, but required a lot of planning on my part. And I held onto my quilt show responsibilities of laying out the show and securing folks to hang quilts even though I would be out of the country during the show.

In July my ’94 Camry wagon received bad news and it was a matter of time before it blew a gasket – literally. So the search for a new vehicle was on for the first time in twenty years.

Then in September Daddy fell out of bed. And everything else stopped for a month - except the car search, which was insane to think I could handle all at the same time. And a week and a half after going into the hospital, Daddy had a stroke. And a week and a half later he was gone.

But I had to keep the ball rolling on the car thing since I knew those trips back and forth to Memphis had only shortened the time left on the Camry.

Every night I exhausted myself trolling Autotrader, cars.com, craigslist, eBay, and local dealerships online. All in all I test drove eleven cars. And then I found it. And then it was Thanksgiving. And the sister’s Jeep was in need of too much work, so the next week, she was here buying a new vehicle herself.

And then it was Christmas. And the aunt and the sister and the sister’s dog came for about a week and we just made things as easy as we could because we were all so tired.

And then I needed to sell the Camry. I had worn the buyer’s hat for so long, it was hard to look at the car any other way. But after two posts on craigslist, someone who understood the car’s shortcomings bought it and I was relieved to not have the burden of it and to get it off my insurance.

But what I didn’t expect was the hole it left not seeing it at the end of the driveway. It had been Daddy’s car before I got it. And now it was gone. And he was really gone. And the emptiness was a little more real.

We are so thankful that his was a quiet and peaceful passing. He didn’t have to suffer in a debilitated state that he would have hated and that would have been so painful for us to watch. He turned 86 while he was in the hospital. His life had been full.

I miss so many things about him - his smile and his sense of humor and his hugs are just a few.

He would really like my new car.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-23T09:00:00.012-06:00

Photographed at the Forbidden City on my trip to China this past June

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T17:26:00.003-06:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T18:03:00.002-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-14T09:27:00.000-05:00

Thrifty Thursday

2011-09-01T09:30:00.001-05:00

I have been looking for something to use for a table in front of the wicker sofa on my porch. The sofa was a Christmas present I bought for my dad to give me. He lets us do that since he can't do any shopping anymore. I'll show it to you once I get it reupholstered.

I wanted to find a base for a slab of marble I rescued from the porch next door when the bank emptied the house upon foreclosure. It would have gone in the trash! The slab had been my temporary solution, but I had to use my recycling bin as a base since it was the only thing low enough and sturdy enough to support it. It wasn't ideal.

But then I found this great wicker table at the Briarwood sale the end of July. And it was already painted black, which made it much easier to purchase. That and the price.

wicker coffee table = $15.00

Wordless Wednesday - All's Good in the 'Hood!

2011-08-31T09:49:00.000-05:00

Patriotic Diamonds

2011-08-27T22:58:00.012-05:00

Fourth of July, friend Gwen was working on a patriotic quilt with some blocks she won at guild a few years back. It inspired me to revisit the patriotic stars that I had started over two years ago. The pattern was an adjusted version of the Stars and Stripes quilt in Kaffe Fassett's Passionate Patchwork.

Having not had a lot of time to sew in the last two years, I dove in to the project head first and was determined not to come up for air until it was all done.

There were a large variety of Aunt Donna scraps to use for the stars and I was glad to get this fussy cut diamond of the Pledge of Allegiance.

I found this little hometown toile in my stash and love the little flags in the windows even if some of them are hung improperly. When hung vertically, the blue ground should always be to the upper left facing in the direction of the largest audience.

The plan was to set all the stars together with navy prints. I had quite a few from Aunt Donna and added a couple of my own fabrics to make up the difference. Once everything was on the design wall, I couldn't stop until it was all assembled because I was not going to place those navy diamonds more than once!

Rounding out the navy prints was this lovely blueberries on a black ground. And it gave the quilt its name...

"Hooray for the Red, White, and Blueberries!"

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-17T01:11:00.002-05:00

Thrifty Thursday

2011-08-11T23:25:00.009-05:00

I have lots and lots of thrifty finds to share in
the coming weeks. I'll start with these.

One can never have enough of these wooden stands.

Glad I spotted this one.

I don't know why I bought this.
I think I was on an owl kick at the time.
It's been leaning up against the backsplash
in the corner of my kitchen for months.

I've been collecting cute little tins that
close well to jazz up my sewing storage.

My rotary blades, new and used, all fit in here perfectly.

The price on this quilt rack wouldn't let me pass it by.

It's nice and skinny to fit in a tight space in
my sewing room to hold works in progress.

carved stand = $0.59
owl mold = $0.99
Thumper suitcase = $0.25
quilt rack = $3.99

Retreat 2011 - Land's End

2011-07-30T15:31:00.000-05:00

So, remember the block on the right? Bed of Peonies.

As I began the assembly of the center portion of the Land's End,
I discovered yet one more block that was the wrong size.

Arrrggghhhh! It's supposed to be 15.5 inches unfinished. And of course it has eight-pointed stars on three corners. If you are going to have something go this wrong, you want it to happen in the presence of many experienced quilters who are quick to both sympathize and give advice.

Deconstruction of the outer corners commenced. I employed the same technique that I used on the Heavenly Stars block.

And friend Gwen just happened to have brought some lightweight interfacing. Who brings that to a quilt retreat? But the interfacing plus a skinny seam allowance and some tight stitching did the trick.

A couple of coats of spray starch and a hot iron and I was back on track.

Once the center was together, the borders went on.

And here is the completed top.
It took two guys standing on chairs to hold it up.
I was so glad to hand it off to the quilter.

Retreat 2011

2011-07-27T22:43:00.000-05:00

I did not get as much done as planned and did not take as many pictures as usual. Seeing as how I had forgotten what theme I was going with this year for my blog posts until I pulled out of the parking lot to come home, I'll just have to save that idea for next year. And it was a good one, too.

I set up in a different spot this year, but not in a new spot. I was still in the dining hall, but closer to the big corner windows. And I still had a spot to hang my design wall.

Remember Pat's project from last year?

Well, here it is completed. What an amazing thing!

Love these colors Cyndi has used.
I believe this fabric was from France.

And she took the motif from the fabric and
blew it up for the border applique.

So glad that Catherine A. was able to come to retreat this year.
She let me help layout these blocks done in the Flutterby fabrics.

Catherine has been working on this cute thing
in 30's prints for quite a while.

I think she is about finished.

This was Peggy's block-of-the-month from last year. It's done up in beautiful Christmas fabrics. The side setting triangles are done in a lovely angel print. She worked really, really hard to get her striped borders mitered just right.

Nancy D. always works on something lively.
I loved the colors in this contemporary piece.

This incredible applique quilt took
Rebecca L. two years to complete.

She does beautiful work.

So, as I was saying...

2011-07-26T00:02:00.010-05:00

Blogging takes a lot of time for me.
Taking and editing photos.
Coming up with catchy titles and pithy commentary.

Work projects consumed my energy and my
posting trickled down to nothing after March.
But I'm intent on working my way back now.

So, while I could just skip the past few months and start
with today, I'd prefer to backtrack and catch you up on:

- quilt retreat back in February
- lots and lots of thrifty finds
- a road trip with the guild in March
- a week at the beach
- the guild quilt show
- and the trip of a lifetime in June

Birthday Girl

2011-05-09T23:08:00.001-05:00

Sweet Maisy Belle - 11 in '11

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-23T09:49:00.001-05:00

In Fields of White

2011-03-19T18:13:00.021-05:00

The stand of irises at the corner of my yard reminds me of my visit to the Heian shrine in Kyoto, Japan, some years back. There, cluster after cluster of irises lined the banks of the peaceful lake within the walls of the shrine. They were everywhere, providing a calm and peaceful refuge in the middle of a busy city. I loved my visit to Japan and want to return some day.

My irises were salvaged from the alley about three years ago. When I planted them I had no idea what color they were or whether they would even make it in my newly carved out bed. But last year they bloomed for the first time. I was expecting the classic purple, but found, to my surprise, beautiful white petals instead.

This year there are more flowers than ever. They have bloomed very early and their timeliness weighs heavy on my heart. Kyoto, of course, is far away from the physical devastation, but ever close in heartache for their countrymen lost to the earthquake and the tsunami.

Flowers have long been ascribed meanings in world cultures. The iris has held a place as a sacred flower. In Greek mythology, the iris is associated with death. To the Japanese it symbolizes faith, valor, and wisdom. It is an important symbol in Japanese art. The iris is also believed to purify evil energies or to provide protection.

In Eastern cultures, white is the color of death, while in Western cultures it represents purity and peace.

Every day my irises remind me of the courage with which the Japanese people are facing terrible suffering and death and the heroism shown by the workers at the nuclear power plant in the face of grave danger. But my flowers also call me to prayer for the Japanese, for peace in the midst of the chaos and for wisdom to face a future beyond such difficulty.

For the people of Japan...Father, protect them from evil and give them hope.

Thrifty Thursday

2011-03-17T20:59:00.006-05:00

I have been off work this week for spring break. I had high hopes when the week began that I would accomplish great things, but my left eye has been quite troublesome for the last two months and it was no better this week. I do go to see the doctor in the morning and hopefully can get some answers.

I had started the week telling myself I would not go to the thrift stores this week, but feeling discouraged in other areas, I decided maybe it might perk me up. So after an errand downtown, I kept on heading west to hit the three stores on the other side of town.

And I have to say, it was worth the effort.

I never find my glasses at the thrift store, but today I found three iced teas and one old fashioned. I'm particularly in need of the iced teas.

The cabinet in the basement is full of canning jars, so I shouldn't have bothered, but you rarely see the taller quilted jars and this one came with a non-rusted ring as well.

The lemons on the one quart pitcher are in perfect condition and my Tang pitcher lids fit this as well. It's really cute.

And, of course, I couldn't pass up another one cup measure. This one has the measurements molded with the glass so they won't wear off. And check out the spouts on three sides.

I have a fabulous tin that friend Gwen gave me a few years ago for Christmas that I use for my on-the-go quilting project. But I am on the hunt for another tin to take on a trip this summer where I can't use my other one. This one was cheap enough even if I don't end up using it.

3 iced tea glasses = $2.97
1 old fashioned = $0.20
tall quilted jar = $0.25
lemonade pitcher = $1.49
1-cup measure = $0.99
cookie tin = $0.15

Total for the day = $6.05

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-02T10:00:00.001-06:00

Thrifty Thursday

2011-02-24T10:18:00.001-06:00

In early January Peggy, Gwen, and I made a trip down to Alabaster to the thrift store. I had never been to this store as it is very much out of my way. And I have to say the prices were quite high. Not something that would encourage me to make frequent visits.

But I was able to pick up a 1-cup measuring cup with a full handle. As I have mentioned before, I don't like the stick handles you find on new ones. I waited till the woman who had set it back on the shelf turned her back before I snatched it up.

As we were leaving, we had to question why someone would turn in a perfectly good measuring cup to the thrift store. Who couldn't use a clean, well-marked measuring cup? This makes the fourth 1-cup in my cabinet and I use all four when I cook.

Another store on another day yielded this retro platter. Even though I'm not really collecting 70's, I couldn't resist the cheery flowers and happy colors...or the price.

measuring cup = $3.88
retro platter = $0.99

Wordless Wednesday - Thanks a lot

2011-02-02T20:20:00.001-06:00

Snowflake and Birds in the Tree

2011-01-19T10:12:00.001-06:00

The final two blocks are both applique. Again, since my setting squares will be a variety of tans, I set the background of the Snowflake block to this red. I couldn't really see a snowflake being dark green, so I chose pale gray greens instead. I also took the little templates that make up the leafy pieces and recreated it in the computer so I wouldn't have all these overlapping pieces.

There is a hint of sparkle in the palest points.

Even though the Birds in the Tree block pattern is set on point, the pattern had it laid out as if it were a straight set. This meant I had to completely re-work the layout and re-draw the pattern.

I love the background fabric with the falling snowflakes.

I chose to make my birds all red with the tan wing accent instead of including the dark green. Much brighter, I think.

The last step before assembling the top will be to satin stitch around all the applique and add a few hand embroidered detail.

I can't believe we're almost there!

Update on friend Judy C. and her husband: they are out of Chile and back on their regularly scheduled trip in Argentina. Can't wait to hear her stories at retreat!

Bed of Peonies

2011-01-17T12:42:00.001-06:00

This is the last of the 45 degree angles. Yay! From what I could find in the Rehmel book, the basic construction of this block is called the Bed of Peonies. However, the variation of the alternating color petals doesn't seem to have a specific name.

Keith sings and this is a Christmas quilt, so I wanted to use these Aunt Donna scraps with Christmas carols printed on them. They have a little bit of sparkle and were bright white before I ran them through a tea bath. That helped soften both the glitter and the stark white. I was please with the result.

I almost messed this block up royally. I cut the square for the bottom quadrant a quarter inch too short. I didn't have any more fabric and had already made the flowers, so I really didn't want to start over. I cut some strips of iron-on interfacing and ironed them to the back all the way around. With the strips overhanging each side, I re-cut the square to the proper size. It gives an eighth of an inch of fabric for the seam, but I used a shorter stitch length and the interfacing adheres to the adjoining piece when the seam is ironed to one side. I feel the seam is secure and it sure works for me.

The directions said to cut three-quarter inch wide pieces for the stems, but there is no way they are that thick in the picture. I cut mine a half inch. There wasn't a template for the leaves, so I just cut some slightly smaller diamonds. They work.

Can you spot the first line to"O, little town of Bethlehem" in the diamond to the left? One of my favorites.

The Final Three

2011-01-16T19:01:00.006-06:00

This post is for my quilting friend Judy C. who is stuck in Puenta Arenas, Chile, with her husband by the craziest vacation delay. Locals are striking and putting up road blockades to protest rising fuel prices. Approximately 2000 tourists are trapped in two towns in southern Patagonia.

Judy's been bugging me to post the last few Land's End blocks, so here they are. I am working on them still over the holiday weekend.

Judy and her traveling companions are safe and hopefully it won't be long before they will be able to return to Argentina and resume their regular itinerary. But I'll drag this out a little by showing details in the next post so she has something to look forward to tomorrow! Ha! For now -

Chi, Chi, Chi,
le, le, le
Los turistas de Chile!

Snow Day = Sew Day

2011-01-10T14:19:00.003-06:00

Thankfully we did not get the raging winter storm that was predicted for our immediate area although parts of the state did get several inches of ice and snow.

Underlying the fluffy stuff is a layer of crunchy ice. This makes travel a little difficult and a whole lot dangerous when you live in an area not used to getting harsh winter weather on a regular basis. There was enough ice to cause schools and lots of businesses to close for the day including my work.

You can see the tracks of a few brave souls who have ventured out on my street today.

I cleared a path on my deck at one point yesterday afternoon, but it was soon covered up again. I would guess I might have about an inch of snow on top.

Last night I swept the snow off my front porch so it won't melt onto the porch boards when it warms up. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the 40's, so I imagine this wintry wonderland will disappear pretty quickly. I won't be sad. I'm not a fan of snow, at least not at my house. It's just frozen water to me and water on the house means the potential for damage.

But today I am sewing! I'm actually working on the last of the Land's End blocks. Look for an update soon.

Thrifty Thursday

2011-01-06T10:00:00.004-06:00

Just because Christmas was over didn't mean I stopped buying. That's when everyone had things on sale.

set of 4 holiday napkins = $0.90

set of 6 woven placements = $0.99

grand total = $1.89

Thrifty Thursday

2010-12-30T10:00:00.001-06:00

Here are a few more pre-Christmas purchases.

The little wooden elf was found at the Goodwill store in Madison, Mississippi, at Thanksgiving. The little plastic snowman was found locally.

I paid a little more than I wanted for these plastic ornaments, but there were about 2 dozen of them and I think they will look cute next year hanging from some strands of red beads.

This little lady looks to be early 70's to me. She has a place for a candle in the back of her head. She also needs a little touch up with some paint, but she's still charming nonetheless.

Friend Gwen had two sets of these diminutive elves. She was kind enough to give me one. These guys are 1.75 inches high at best.

wooden elf = $0.25
plastic snowman = $0.39
set of plastic ornaments = $1.98
pink angel = $0.25
elf trio = free

grand total = $2.87

Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy

2010-12-25T00:55:00.003-06:00

Thrifty Thursday - Special Edition

2010-12-23T13:00:00.002-06:00

My family was supposed to arrive yesterday around noon. That didn't happen so I decided why not use a free day to hit one of my favorite thrift stores.

The weather was very pleasant, so I took the dog along. She doesn't do anything but sit in the car and wait for me, but she was excited not to be left home alone.

One of the first things found were these cute flocked deer in two colors. They were made in Hong Kong for TG&Y probably in the 60's.

There were several packages, but I left the busted ones behind. Still, I got four packages. Enough to share with friend Gwen.

My next stop was the bins where you really have to dig. I unearthed this great tree skirt that reminded me of an old sleeping bag I had growing up. It really adds a needed punch of color at the bottom of the tree.

I also found this dish towel in the bins.

But I think this was my most spectacular Christmas find of the day. Isn't she fantastic!?

After showing her off at Gwen's, she suggested that I might be able to use her as a tree topper. I had been thinking it was time for a new one.

And she looks just splendid atop my tree!

Since I had driven to the other side of town, I decided it would be foolish not to stop at the largest thrift store in the state.

That's where I found this little fellow. He's a salt (or pepper) shaker and he was all alone. So he had to come home with me.

So how much did I spend, you are wondering. At the first stop all Christmas was on sale for 70% off used items. Yes, 70% off. Let me break that down for you.

4 packages flocked deer ornaments = $0.72
tree skirt = $0.30
kitchen towel = $0.12
angel = $0.90
reindeer salt shaker = $0.25

That is a grand total of $2.29.

I spent more than that, but you'll just have to wait to see some of the other things I got.

Thrifty Thursday

2010-12-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

You have seen my finds from two years of the World's Longest Yard Sale. And from time to time I've shown you some treasures found locally.

But some of them are just so dawg gone fun that I want to share them with you. So I have decided to do Thrifty Thursdays. This doesn't necessarily mean that I go shopping on Thursdays, just that I show you the loot on Thursdays 'cause it rhymes on the front end with thrifty.

The first item in this series was found this past Monday. So far this Christmas, I have only bought my fabulous remote control outlets.

But when I saw this sweet fellow, I knew just where he needed to go in my dining room. And he came pre-adorned with the lovely poinsettia, red berries, and striped ribbon.

Underneath the thrift store sticker there was a J. C. Penney store sticker with a handwritten price of $4.99. Wonder how old that is?

He had no chips, cracks, or crazing and that left me smiling, too.

ivory ceramic deer = $2.79

Last Minute Crafting

2010-12-22T09:18:00.000-06:00

Last year I bought the last eight matching Christmas napkins at a nearby linens store. Not having any napkin rings, I started making some by cutting up toilet paper roll tubes. I tested a too-short length of green velvet ribbon and that's as far as I got.

Of course I had plans to complete them in January when I would surely have plenty of time. Didn't happen.

So this year, with only four days left before Christmas dinner, I decided to finish them. I determined the proper length for the ribbon and used double sided tape to hold it in place while I wrapped. The last little bit was tucked inside using a glue gun.

The green velvet is pretty, but rather plain, so I went in search of just the right embellishments. A skinnier red velvet ribbon and some mismatched gold buttons looked like the perfect finish. I stayed up way too late putting them together.

And here's the final product.

Pretty spiffy even if I say so myself.

A full day indeed

2010-12-12T00:16:00.005-06:00

So the errands took me to three thrift stores where I scored some pretty good stuff.

Forgot to mention on that last post that I had started rearranging some of my kitchen cabinets to make room for my preserves, etc. Was in need of some of those plastic coated wire shelves to maximize space. Found a couple. The small one worked, but the other one was really made for a locker and it was too tall. It did fit under my sink, however, and added a little extra space.

At my first stop I found this.

I don't know that it can take the place of the Naughty/Nice stocking from last year, but it's certainly perfect for my sister's Dalmatian. It was only $2.49 and is in perfect condition.

Come to think of it, my sister's stocking has a dog on it, too! Maybe we could embroider Lola's name on the collar of that puppy at the top.

Picked up another one of these.
Now the push of one button turns off everything!
Brilliant!

Have been talking about finding a wheelchair to keep at my house for when my dad comes to visit. He only needs it when we go out, but it's a real hassle to haul in my sister's car when it is full with Daddy, Aunt Margaret Ann, and the dog plus all those gifts and suitcases. Found a nice chair for only $29.95 and it even has the foot rests.

Finally back home I managed a few more chores before collapsing in the bed!
- Unloaded the car
- Installed second remote outlet
- Washed dishes and the shelves
- Positioned shelves in cabinets and promptly filled them
- Had some hot chocolate and an iced sugar cookie
- Put away laundry
- Straightened up sewing room

Tomorrow is another day.

So Far Today...

2010-12-11T18:16:00.003-06:00

Here’s what I’ve accomplished so far today –
- Load of laundry
- Put up porch lights (dang if one stretch doesn’t have two strands out, project for another day)
- Raked and blew all leaves from front yard and curb
- Cleaned out gutter across deck and swept off deck
- Shut off outside faucets prepping for cold temps
- Disconnected and drained garden hoses
- Clear-coated pine cones
-Attached said pine cones to wreathes (they look good)
- Filled urns with Christmas tree leftovers and wrapped base with ribbon
- Decorated top of car

Have not even left the house except to walk down to that yard sale that didn’t happen. About to have some leftover Santa Fe soup and then get in the car and see what errands I can run before everything closes!

Can I say that this is the best invention ever!?

A remote control outlet for cutting your outdoor Christmas lights on and off!

The word on the weather...

2010-11-04T19:01:00.005-05:00

I send you once again to my neighbor's blog for the official explanation of our recent freakish weather. I had suspected something of the sort.

I noticed today that I could see where the hail beat the crud off my deck.

My new gutters look so pretty!

Halloween

2010-10-28T11:41:00.007-05:00

As I have said before, I'm not one for decorating at Halloween. But I've seen so many cute buntings on blogs this year that I decided that could be something simple and easy to store after the holiday.

So I went through the stash pulling purple, orange, and black fabrics and bought a few to supplement including the cute black cats on orange.

A couple of the light-up pumpkins are mine from thrift stores, but the really big ones are borrowed.

They are really bright at night.

I think I spotted a little furry goblin on the sofa.

Hit hard

2010-10-28T11:39:00.008-05:00

Last Sunday night around 10:30-11:00 pm our neighborhood was hit with some pretty terrific winds - possibly even a small tornado. We had hail the size of marbles and leaf debris plastered to the west side of our houses. It was so unsettling it didn't occur to me to take pictures at the time.

The next day I ventured out to this scene just a couple of blocks up the hill after someone posted pics online.

This one tree hit three cars.

It still had two sections of sidewalk, a length of curb, and chunks of pavement attached.

A neighbor who lives south of the boulevard posted these shots on her blog. Mavis, whose house has the tree resting on top of it, is one of our ballet moms.

The hail weakened the gutter on the back of my house and Wednesday a.m., after a brief driving downpour, it fell.

I feel I can scarcely complain though considering others suffered so much damage. Some will be out of their homes for a while till repairs can be done. I know of at least five homes that had damage and lots of trees with broken limbs. Lots of vehicles hit by tree limbs, too.

We've had company!

2010-10-28T11:12:00.009-05:00

Neighbor Peggy has had a lot of work done on her house lately-a new roof, newly glazed windows, repainted exterior trim. The biggest project of all, however, has been the repair and refinishing of her hardwood floors-upstairs and down. You can imagine what an ordeal this has been.

So for the past week plus, Peggy and most of her fur babies have been bunking in with me and Maisy. Her dog Bandit has enjoyed his own retreat elsewhere with an energetic 5th grader.

Mugsy was not real sure of the whole situation upon arrival last Wednesday morning. He decided his best vantage point was from the end of the bed in the guest room.

Ferrets Taz and Ringo, on the otherhand, have enjoyed all the comings and goings next to the back door in the kitchen.

They are either very active

or very asleep.

They are very quick to follow you, especially if you have a camera.

Most of my attempts to photograph them have resulted in "nose" shots.

Mugsy has finally ventured into the rest of the house and drinks from Maisy's water bowl. That green in the placemat sure brings out his big green eyes.

Maisy likes that the ferrets toss food out of the cage.

She is happy to clean up after them.

All in all, everyone has gotten along quite well, including the humans.

Peggy has great looking floors now. The furniture is all back in the house and everyone will head home when the fumes die down a bit.

I'm hoping Maisy won't have too much withdrawal.

TODAY I SAW

2010-09-19T23:40:00.004-05:00

another wonderful postcard from Jill in the UK.

Baby Girl Dog

2010-09-08T22:45:00.000-05:00

Peaches

2010-09-01T09:30:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday Maisy and I went to Pepper Place in search of tomatoes. I found them, but I also saw peaches everywhere. So I bought a half dozen to use making fresh peach milkshakes (a weakness this summer.)

As we turned to head back to the car, I almost stepped on this big basket of what they called "soft peaches." Five dollars for the entire basket. Twenty-nine peaches in all.

It took me forever to peel these things and cut them up to freeze. But I got enough to make three good-sized pies some time in the future. Or maybe some cobbler.

It was explained to me that soft peaches have blemishes caused by a bumpy ride up the interstate or odd wrinkles left when the fruit grows next to a tree branch or limb.

And then there was this guy...

Covenant

2010-08-29T22:34:00.005-05:00

Blessings, sweet friends, on your new life together!

On the radio...

2010-08-21T21:38:00.011-05:00

Or rather "at the radio," I should say. Spent the afternoon with friends serving up free ice cream floats and sodas at the local public radio station.

They had invited listeners to come by for a tour of their studios and lots of people took them up on the offer. I had heard about it on the radio and then got an invitation from friend Bob to help out.

Mayfield kindly donated the ice cream.

And Maggie the Mayfield cow was on hand for the festivities.

She's quite the landmark and is always a hit with the fans.

And she's also quite photogenic.

But even Maggie can't upstage the great folks at WBHM.

Patrick Dorriety, Earnest Williams, Leslie Hoggatt, Michael Krall,
Andrew Yeager, Bradley George, Tanya Ott, and Mike Morgan.

Radiant Star

2010-08-19T22:16:00.010-05:00

I am now three quarters of the way through the Land's End blocks. This is the Radiant Star block, the official name for this variation of the classic feathered star.

While it looks complicated, I got my friend Gail to print out a foundation pattern from EQ6 to the exact size. This helped me avoid the possibility that the templates weren't the right size.

And I like to paper piece, so it worked up relatively quickly. I stuck all the pieces to my portable ironing board with applique pins so they wouldn't blow away with the overhead fan on.

I love the tin I keep my applique pins in.

A few partial seams to put it all together and
I'm really pleased with the final result.

I also like the scrappy nature of the feathers.

Only one more pieced block and two applique blocks to go.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-18T09:28:00.000-05:00

WLYS 2010

2010-08-10T10:30:00.003-05:00

Peggy and I left home at 7:45 a.m. headed north to Gadsden, Alabama. It took us about 50 minutes to get to our exit and then had to follow a few extra markers to the official start of the World's Longest Yard Sale. There was an actual really big sign marking the beginning. I was driving or I would have taken a picture.

The road through Gadsden is two-lane and narrow and also handles local traffic, although I bet not many locals were out unless they were shopping. The route follows the Lookout Mountain Parkway all the way to Chattanooga, Tennessee. This was helpful as there are Parkway signs along the way.

At our first stop, I found this little fella. Anybody know anything about him? He has a mark below his tail. I do love him.

cute little duck figurine = $1.00

An insert in this book giving tips on how to rid your garden of squirrels caught my eye.

I've been looking for some simple spreaders to use with dips and the like. I think these had been hotel or restaurant ware.

gardening tip book = $0.50
trio of cheese spreaders = $0.25

I have been accumulating small shelves and brackets for possible use on the big blue wall. This one has a nice shape.

gold plastic shelf = $1.00

Apparently I started a collection of state souvenir plates on this trip. I believe I am starting with southern states.

The Arkansas plate is the most pristine of the bunch.

The Mississippi plate has something wrong with the glaze, but for the price, I couldn't pass it up. I can always replace it when I find a better one, hopefully at the thrift store. Being a native, I will definitely want to upgrade at some point.

Arkansas plate = $1.00
Mississippi plate = $0.80

Louisiana plate = $3.00
Alabama plate = $3.00

I found it odd that Biloxi showed up on the Louisiana plate.
I believe Biloxi has always been in Mississippi and Ship Island just off the Mississippi coast.

We did learn earlier in the day that any Alabama plate with the motto "The Cotton State" must have been made prior to 1963. That is the year that Texas commandeered the phrase and Alabama became the "Heart of Dixie."

The flaw in this plate seems to be that when the transfers were screen-printed, the colors were printed out of order and the black didn't end up on top as it should have been. I currently live in the "Pittsburgh of the South."

Doesn't matter though.
I think these little quirks add to their charm.

I've seen these from time to time at antique malls and thrift stores.
The price was right on this one. It's now in my fridge with tea in it.

Tang pitcher = $2.00

Another rustic shelf. I had been considering painting the 3-tiered shelf this color. I like the way the green looks against the blue.

lime green shelf = $3.45

I have always loved the look of these shelves. Gwen says these were shop class projects. This one's a bit rough and needs some TLC, but I had to get it.

crescent moon shelf = $10.00

Total spent = $22.15

We made it up to Mentone, Alabama, where folks seemed to be wrapping it up for the day even though there was still daylight. We decided to forge ahead into Georgia just to see what that part of the route had to offer. Not much it seems. So, after awhile, we were just looking for civilization again and the quickest way back to I-59.

Following the directions from the newspaper, we turned onto 189 and spotted this restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Cars filled the parking lot and folks waiting for tables sat outside sipping their BYOB wine. We decided to give it a try.

After a yummy meal, we found a quick route down the mountain to the highway and made it home just before 11:30 p.m. It was a really fun day.

WLYS 2010 - Preface

2010-08-09T23:23:00.001-05:00

Neighbor Peggy and I took this past Saturday to venture out on the World's Longest Yard Sale again. But before I give you the rundown on the day, I feel obligated to share a few things that I found earlier this summer.

In May, when I went to St. George Island, Florida, we visited several antique/junk shops in Apalachicola. I picked up this rustic three-tiered shelf for $10.

Sometime I will show you the big blue wall in my guest room. I have no ideas and too many ideas all at the same time for that wall. In the meantime, I seem to pick up anything that I like hoping it will all make sense in the end.

Back in June, on a trip to a local thrift store, I scored this classic souvenir plate for about $1. It's done in 23K gold. Having just had such a relaxing trip to Florida, it was a fabulous find.

I spotted this paint-by-number owl at another thrift store for only $1.98 and he had to come home with me. Some of his numbers still show through the paint. You can see a hint of that blue wall behind him.

Canned goods

2010-08-05T09:23:00.006-05:00

The grand total to date is 32 pints. I think I'm done with canning for a while. At least until pears are available.

I've scoured thrift stores for jars and scored a couple of coupons for canning supplies to restock rings and lids.

As much fun as eating the fruits of my labor is, I have had a blast designing new labels. I love them! The greens were hard to photograph. Imagine a little more intensity.

7 pints

5 pints

12 pints

4.5 pints

3.5 pints

The final inventory minus a few pints already given to family and friends.

Now I can get back to my quilting!

Industry

2010-08-03T00:25:00.004-05:00

Can you guess what I've been up to lately instead of blogging?

or quilting?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-28T11:58:00.002-05:00

Poinsettia

2010-06-27T13:52:00.009-05:00

This is the first of three applique blocks. I'm afraid I didn't quite get the leaves laid out as I would have wished. They're not as random as the original.

I am using light backgrounds for these blocks since the setting squares will all be the tan colors. Kinda nice that my design wall is tan.

Wordless Wednesday...so, I'm a little late

2010-06-24T10:40:00.001-05:00

Happy Daddy's Day!

2010-06-20T13:31:00.004-05:00

D & me setting up at the Canton Flea Market years ago.

He just said something funny - per usual.

Love you!!!

Christmas Star

2010-06-13T19:55:00.005-05:00

Everyone seems to agree that this block is called Christmas Star.

I have been replacing the tan fabric from the original design with golds. Brightens the whole project up immensely.

This makes block number 7 and I have the applique bits cut out for block number 8.

Yard Sale #1

2010-06-11T09:48:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I headed up to Memphis to help out with my sister's yard sale. Her neighborhood was doing a Yard Sale Day and she ended up being the coordinator.

The Commercial Appeal even did an article for Sunday's paper. The photo with the article was taken at the sale next door.

Her next door neighbor and her family set up, too. They had a good time and her sister bought an antique bed from us.

I brought back seven boxes of leftover stuff. My neighborhood is having a yard sale day July 10. We still have this cool bowl. If you're interested, make me an offer!

We were exhausted Saturday night, but found the energy to grill some steaks and eat outside. It was a nice evening and Daddy said the best part was eating with his girls. Awwww.

Leslye bought a bubble gun to entertain her dog Lola.

Did you know they make chicken-flavored bubbles?

How cool is this?! This compound bubble looks like fireworks!

Triple Play

2010-05-30T14:22:00.010-05:00

I am thrilled to be back at the Land's End project. I think Keith was getting a little worried with no new blocks since February. So far this week I have made, not one, but three blocks and this is a holiday weekend with rainy weather and lots of sewing time left.

Blocks are getting easier as I chose to do the hardest ones first. May I just say how smart I was do to this? Well, I just did.

Land's End calls these Pine Tree, Christmas Basket, Night and Noon respectively.

Judy Rehmel's book calls this the Temperance Tree. The bottom of the trunk is a slight variation from the traditional Pine Tree block. The templates for the "leaves" in this block were not the right size. It was an easy thing to adjust as they are 3" finished half-square triangle blocks.

This design most closely matches the Basket and Rose design in the Rehmel book. I am choosing to fuse the applique and then satin stitch the edges. I'll wait and do all the edging when I get the other three applique blocks done.

I use the fusing method that cuts out all the fusible from behind the center of each piece and just leaves a quarter-inch edge to hold it in place. Maybe I'll photograph that method next time and show you what I mean.

This i.d.'s as the Night and Moon block. The color placement here is different than that shown by Rehmel.

I struggled a bit with fabrics for this block, but Gwen assured me this looks good and I have to remember that I need warmer greens to tie everything together in the end.

A sense of accomplishment!

Halfway there. This thing is gonna be huge!

Evolution of the Sand Castle

2010-05-28T22:14:00.009-05:00

Sand castles built along the shore over the course of our visit took several forms from the most basic to the grandious.

Large excavation of unknown purpose

Your basic mounds with feathers on top
and connecting moats

Mysterious conical shapes atop these mounds.
vents? funnels? or maybe large early tagines?

Artistic elements begin to emerge

Homage to unknown gods

notice the crossed arms

Built for strategic advantage overlooking this inlet.
Maisy seems to like it.

An early attempt at community

Your standard castle with a moat

A fort, perhaps

At last - advancements in technology and architecture result in stone structures built to withstand the advancing tide (or not)

Location, location, location

To put it into perspective...

The view from our upper balcony.
The boardwalk takes you past the dunes right to the beach!

Same view facing west, just a few steps from our door.

If anyone can identify this lovely flower, please let me know. Foliage was a bit like a lily, but this doesn't look like a lily.

Beautiful, yet deadly - oleander.

Spotted on the return. Gwen stopped a few times before scoring a soap aloe plant to take home.

Birds on the beach

2010-05-24T10:07:00.000-05:00

There was no shortage of birds along the shoreline and I had fun trying to take pictures. Even though I took the manual to my new camera, I didn’t read it. I do know it has a setting for “Beach” which I used a lot.

The Laughing Gulls were everywhere and quite sociable. They actually do laugh. Or it certainly sounds as if they do.

"You lookin' at me?"

This is a Dunlin. I’d never heard of a dunlin. They summer on the tundras way up north. I guess our cooler spring has kept them here a little longer.

Black-bellied Plovers were easy to spot. They're very striking birds.

My best research says this is a Stilt Sandpiper. It looks a lot like a Lesser Yellowleg, but I think it’s legs are not yellow.

Gwen spotted the nest of a great blue heron on a morning walk into the St. George Island State Park. She even saw fledglings.

By the time I got there, this lone adult stood sentry with no babies in sight.

Trying to take the easy way out, these guys were hanging around a fisherman waiting for a handout.

Cute little Ruddy Turnstones ran all over the beach. They were always just a few yards in front of me as I walked.

The one bird I didn’t get photos of was the brown pelican. They seem to like the intracoastal waterway between the island and the mainland. We saw lots of them when crossing the bridge as they flew alongside in the opposite direction. Fascinating birds. I really, really wish I had pictures.

But I figure by now you have all seen pictures of brown pelicans – albeit with oil-soaked feathers and nests. If not, just visit CNN.com.

Don’t get me started.

This bird was spotted on the drive down off Hwy 231 near Troy. Made entirely out of chrome car bumpers -

mostly from VW bugs.

Beach!!!

2010-05-22T17:57:00.019-05:00

Every year, friend Nell goes to St. George Island, Florida, between the end of spring semester and the beginning of peak tourist season. She has done this pretty much since her days of getting her doctorate at Florida State.

She is kind to invite me even though I can’t ever go because we still have things going on at work. I tell her to keep including me on the off chance something happens.

This year, however, was different. The trip didn’t start until May 15 and we finished up on May 12. So, I jumped at the chance to go thinking that I might not get the opportunity again any time soon.

Maisy has made this trip before without me. My auto bobo was May 12, 2006, and Nell was to leave the next day. With me in the hospital awaiting surgery on my ankle, she scooped up Maisy, got her hair shaved off, and whisked her down to Florida along with her dog Otis.

Maisy and Otis went this year. And friend Gwen, too.

Gwen and I hauled our sewing machines and all sorts of quilting projects down there thinking we would get a lot done. But something happens when you’re at the beach. There really is something to this “island time” thing. I took my watch off when I got there and didn’t put it back on till I left. I got a little bit of sewing done. Gwen was more prolific.

I spent my time napping, walking on the beach, taking pictures of shore birds, and eating. Spent a small amount of time in the pool.

Flew my kite.

Did some shopping. Took some more pictures of birds.

On the last night there, we got to see the space shuttle docked with the space station fly by overhead. Way cool.

Of course the oil spill was on everyone’s mind.

It makes me angry and sad and I can hardly think about it without wanting to cry.

One look out over the Gulf and you pray that nothing touches such a beautiful, pristine, and natural place.

We ate as much seafood as we could while we could.

This time next week...

2010-05-03T00:03:00.001-05:00

it will all be over.

Scottie Dog

2010-04-21T23:50:00.008-05:00

The Japanese pastor at work and his wife just had their first baby about two months ago - a little boy named Keitaro. Before he was born, the gal staff gave them a baby wipe and diaper shower one morning. I had thought I would expand this pattern and make a little basket to hideaway those unsightly wipes boxes.

But I was terribly slow at revamping the pattern and I missed the shower.

Then I ran across this adorable free pattern by Denyse Schmidt and I had the perfect fabrics to make it extra special.

I found these bits of children's yukata fabrics when I was in Japan in 2003. I also picked up some odd and end handkerchiefs at the 100 Yen store. That's like our Dollar Tree. I also got Maisy's food bowl there.

The yukata fabrics are a little coarser than regular quilting fabric, so I was hesitant to incorporate them in a larger quilt project. They worked in nicely though for this little guy.

For the strip that joins the two sides, I used a Japanese panel I received as a thank you for making blocks for our sister city quilt swap with Hitachi, Japan. I found it helpful to mark all my pivot points on the strip and clip them before attempting to sew them together.

He turned out so cute. I like him as is, but he may get a red ribbon collar before he goes in the gift bag.

We'll leave the light on for you.

2010-04-07T23:41:00.000-05:00

Lots of houses in my neighborhood have front porches. Big porches. And a lot of them will have a lamp on the porch even if they have a porch light attached to the house. I thought this was a bit odd when I first moved in, but now I think it is extremely charming.

I have been on the lookout for a lamp for my porch. A couple of weeks ago I spotted one at the new thrift store. So last weekend, I bought it.

I love the softly scuffed little stars all over it. It would really be sweet in a guest room, but I'm overrun with lamps inside.

It gives off such a warm, cozy glow. I'm looking forward to spending some warm nights sitting on the porch.

On my way back from the grocery the other night, I was almost home when I started counting lamps on porches. Seven. That's a lot of lamps in a short distance.

Now mine makes eight!

Brunch at Veranda

2010-04-03T22:34:00.001-05:00

After our visit to Vulcan, we make a quick stop by the thrift store where Robbie scored a black quilted Talbot's jacket with hood for $5. Yes, $5. Didn't have a scratch on it. Marta found a knit zip-up jacket and I came home with a tank top and a skirt.

We scurried home quickly to throw together dinner as I had invited neighbors down for fudge pie dessert and a visit. Of course, William arrived right on time bearing flowers and apologizing that Michael couldn't join us because he wasn't feeling well. We were still scarfing down dinner, so I fixed him a glass of iced tea and told him to make himself at home. Peggy was a few minutes later and she brought a cheesecake she had made that day. They stayed for over three hours, so I think you could say we had some fun.

Sunday rolled around pretty quickly and one of our last outings was for the jazz brunch at Veranda on Highland. The weather had been gorgeous for two days, so if we had a few sprinkles this morning at least we would be indoors enjoying some great food and a little music.

I'm not sure what the picture looked like on Robbie's end. Robbie had the Gulf fish, which I believe was grouper, served atop roasted fingerling potatoes and sugar snap peas, drizzled with herb lemon oil.

I had the Smoked Salmon Cakes with poached eggs, caviar Champagne butter sauce, red onion marmalade and shaved fennel salad.

Marta ordered the Bananas Foster Shortstack with apple smoked bacon, crumbled pralines and chantilly cream.

I don't think there is anything short about this stack. Robbie and I helped her with the ever-so-thin slices of bacon.

After lunch we made a quick run back to Miss Rosemarie's as Marta had been thinking about the teapot she spotted on the first day.

And then the weekend was over-way too soon. A good time was had by all.

They headed home and I headed to the couch for a nap.

Visiting Vulcan

2010-04-01T23:12:00.000-05:00

After the obligatory pictures in front of the house on Saturday morning, we started the day with a visit to an exhibit of the latest work by extraordinary local artist Arthur Price. He and his wife were even there. My next door neighbor has a canvas he did for her. I was extremely jealous when I helped her hang it over her bed.

Our next stop was downtown Homewood again. We had in no way hit all the shops the day before. After lunch at O'Carr's, we headed off to pick up where we had left off and we closed down the street by the end of the afternoon.

On the way back to my side of town we made a stop at Vulcan Park.

The 50-ton statue of Vulcan, the Roman god of the forge, atop Red Mountain is the largest cast iron statue in the world. It was built for the 1904 World's Fair. You can visit this link for more detailed info.

When I first moved to Birmingham, he came down from his perch overlooking the city for a rest and some badly needed repairs. But he has been back at his station for some years now and looking better than ever.

This is the view of downtown from the base of Vulcan.

Avert your eyes!

Showing off his best side!

Taking tea

2010-03-31T20:36:00.005-05:00

Miss Rosemarie's Special Teas was a "must do" during my friends' visit. Marta had seen them featured in Tea Time magazine and she loves to take tea when she travels. Several years ago when we went to Chicago, we did tea at the Drake Hotel.

They flew into town Friday morning just in time for us to make our lunch reservation.

Miss Rosemarie's is a pretty little tea shop with outstanding food. They offer over 60 different blends of tea and stock a beautiful assortment of teapots, teacups, and accessories for purchase.

We all got the same thing for lunch - the crab crepe accompanied by warm pear bleu cheese raisin bread crostini soup and a salad of mixed greens. Marta and I had the apricot scone for dessert. Best scone we have ever had.

And Marta bought the cookbook with the recipes for our entire meal. Somehow, I think I will have to practice before I get those scones as perfect as these were.

The rest of our afternoon was spent shopping in downtown Homewood. The shop White Flowers was a favorite stop as it is with anyone who visits there. We ate dinner at home and they got the dollar tour of the house.

Gift Baskets

2010-03-28T14:37:00.011-05:00

Last week was spring break around here. I spent the entire time leading up to Friday morning cleaning my house in anticipation of a visit from two special friends from college. We had been planning this trip for over a year and it was finally happening.

Of course, cleaning turns into a bit of spring cleaning the further you get into it. Not that I had the extra time, but as long as I was going through things, I might as well tackle projects as they came up. That meant going through two drawers in my bedroom that turned into a full out closet cleaning and a big bag of things to drop off at the thrift store. Cleaning the kitchen included pulling the knobs off the stove and cleaning behind them. Something I don't think had ever been done, even by the folks who lived here before me. A warmer day in the middle of the week gave me a chance to spray the weeds in my yard. I am happy to report a goodly number of them are dying and I get to spray again next Wednesday if the weather permits.

Wanting to make my guests' visit special I had started before Christmas collecting little things for gift baskets. What started out as a few happies turned into a basket full of all sorts of fun things.

I had purchased this fabric several years ago with the intent of making something fun for these two friends. It's a long story, but Elvis figures in prominently to our annual gatherings.

Being the practical person that I am, what else could they want but Elvis potholders. These were actually supposed to be done back in the fall when we got together, but that didn't happen. They ended up being the perfect backdrop for all the other goodies in the basket.

Our first meal was at Miss Rosemarie's Special Teas. Marta is quite the tea aficionado and I made tea wallets for them to carry in their purses. I love the way they turned out and need to make myself one now!

All stuffed and placed by their beds.

Here's what's in the basket: 2 Elvis potholders, chocolate, tea wallet, shower cap, bath puff, a pack of fancy tissues, a little bottle of Dove body wash, some fun binder clips, a bottle of water, a cup I found at an antique mall, a package of homemade cookies, a special magnet featuring a local landmark, and a welcome brochure I made giving them the house rules and some ideas of what we might do while they were here.

They were tickled. It was worth all the effort, which I didn't think was any effort at all as I enjoyed every minute of making them. Robbie is holding up the cup, from a line of hotel china, I'm sure.

This is a blurry close-up of Marta holding the magnet I found at a local gallery just days before they arrived. Couldn't have been more perfect.

In the spirit of giving, Robbie gave Marta this lovely pair of kitty slippers. They have a thing about cats. Marta gave us a cute pad/pen set for our purses and a nice long pad for the refrigerator.

Robbie brought me a bottle of personalized vino. It's the Hotty Toddy house wine!

Limes

2010-03-12T10:38:00.001-06:00

This week has been ca-razy at work. So much to do and so little time to cram it all in before spring break begins next week.

And I started out on Monday having to go to the doctor for a sinus infection. I've been fighting this thing since retreat, but finally had to get serious drugs to knock it out. Getting all better now.

A neighbor posted on our Yahoo group that he had 25-30 pounds of Key limes to give away. Who has 25-30 pounds of Key limes? I put in my order and picked up a bag of 32 limes the other day.

Some of them were looking a little brown around the edges, so I went ahead and juiced half of them. Do you know how hard it is to juice these things?

Look how little they are! I know that kiss is a little forward in this picture, but not that much. There is no way I'm going to get any significant zest off those tiny rinds.

And it took eight limes to get 1/3 cup of juice for the recipe I found. I'll have to buy a regular lime to get my zest. I split the 2/3 cup I ended up with into two containers and froze them for future use.

I have college friends coming in for a visit this next week. That's a good reason to make a pie.

Stray

2010-03-03T23:09:00.008-06:00

On Monday night, around 1:00-2:00 a.m., I heard the most pitiful wailing somewhere across the street from me. After a couple of trips outside in the cold rain, I tracked it down to my neighbor's porch across the street.

A shivering, whimpering black chihuahua was huddled up against her front door and would have nothing to do with me. Nonetheless, I got a box from my house, put some dry newspaper in the bottom, and placed it at an angle against her house on her porch. I don't know if he slept in it, but he did stay quiet for the rest of the night.

Tuesday I posted on my neighborhood's Yahoo group about the unfortunate creature and a day later a neighbor says that he spotted him on his neighbor's porch and he ran. He finally tracked him down to the house across from me, but couldn't catch him.

Last night I felt I needed to explain the empty box to my neighbor and she was home the first night but slept through the whole thing!

A trap was located and borrowed this evening and I told my neighbor our intentions to try and catch the little guy. Before I could finish my dinner and we could set the trap, she calls to tell me that he was back and had followed her into her house. In fact, he was sitting on her lap.

She couldn't stay because she was off to the airport to pick up family, so I raced across the street with Maisy's musty crate from the basement. She had to put him in the crate though, because he still wasn't sure about me.

I hated to see him so scared. Gave him food and water and he just wailed the whole time he was in the crate. But he growled at Maisy and not knowing about his temperament or health, I couldn't just let him roam the house.

The crate was really musty smelling, so I dog-proofed the bathroom before letting him out of the crate while I cleaned it.
The bathroom is just about the only room in my house with a door that actually closes. This happens in a house built in 1914.

Once out of the crate I could get a better look at him. He's so thin. You can see his backbone. He has no collar, so if he ever was someone's pet it's been quite a while since he was cared for.

He finished eating his food and drank some more water and then decided I wasn't so bad after all. He sniffed the whole room and took advantage of a clean spot on the floor to make a deposit. Easily cleared away.

A scratch behind his ears left him wanting more. He's definitely been around humans before. He certainly knew what was on the other side of my neighbor's door when he scratched on it the other night.

Another neighbor is coming to pick him up tomorrow. He runs a boarding, grooming, shelter business around the corner. I know they will look for a good home for him. I think he will make a nice pet for someone. He just needs to get healthy and gain some confidence.

I had folded a towel up to put in the crate for him, but as I was letting him smell it, he just crawled right onto it and lay down. He even gave a little tail wag after a goodnight head scratch. I turned on the nightlight and shut the door.

~~He'll be at Head to Tail Animal Care on 1st Avenue North if anyone's interested.~~

He's found a home and a backup to spare!

Christmas Cactus

2010-02-24T09:37:00.007-06:00

After that last block, I decided to take on an easier one to give myself a break.

I couldn’t find this block in Judy Rehmel’s book.

Land’s End called it Christmas Cactus.

This one only has four fabrics.
Still, it has 45 pieces and 60 seams.

But it was definitely easier than the previous two.

Retreat 2010 - The Projects, Part 2

2010-02-22T11:14:00.006-06:00

Gail started on a blended triple Irish chain.
I'm looking forward to seeing this progress.

Gwen trimmed down these embroidered blocks in preparation for sashing them together with a purple gingham. These are for a special aunt who specifically requested the gingham.

This is all I can show you of a project Judy W. worked on.
It's a wedding present for her older daughter
who gets married in December.

Virginia completed the piecing on this fun quilt.

Pat started this project with a group of friends swapping 1.5 inch strips of 30's fabrics. At first she promised only to make a pillow top. Well, then maybe a wall hanging. A lap quilt might be doable. At this point, she's not sure how much further she'll take it. No matter what size she makes it, it's pretty incredible.

So far, there are 4200 1" squares in this thing.
You go, girl!

This was someone's pretty stash of vintage repros.
I do love them.

I believe these belonged to Gwen L. She picked up the pieced block patterns in Texas as part of a BOM. She then found her own applique blocks from here and there to add in.

Nancy D. took this pile of strips and turned them into

this bright and happy thing.

Mary had the cutest Dick & Jane fabric sewn up in these darling blocks.

All together, they ended up like this. Good job, Mary.

And the funnest thing on the whole retreat were these houseshoes by Helen. They make me laugh, in a good way.

Retreat 2010 - The Projects, Part 1

2010-02-21T14:36:00.002-06:00

As per usual there were lots of interesting
projects going on at retreat.

Loretta decided to take this on for her first piecing project.

Brave woman.

She started with a pile of fun fabrics,

got lots of combinations cut out and got help
from some veteran piecers,

and ended up with this crazy, pretty thing.
Only how many more to go, Loretta?

Gwen had taken an Album Cross class from
Mariann Fons some years ago.

Retreat was the opportunity to finish it.

I wish this photo showed off the repro fabrics better.

I don't know what Vasha is planning for these
little guys, but they sure are cute.

Cyndi had a whole circus of the adorable Roly Poly animals.

Sometimes it takes a village to layout blocks.
It's nice to have lots of input at retreat when you get stuck.

Serene turned this pile of stuff into

these lovely rows. She made lots more before
the weekend was over.

This is Judy C.'s One Block Wonder.
Her focus fabric has Christmas ornaments all over it.

I would have never guessed.

This was a cuddle quilt she made with some "ugly" fabric.
Looks like it turned out "pretty" well after all.

TODAY I SAW

2010-02-20T16:52:00.007-06:00

a wonderful little postcard sent to me by Jill in the UK.

Check out her lovely little blog some time.

Retreat 2010 - Bingo

2010-02-20T11:11:00.000-06:00

After using the same bingo card for several years now, Gwen and I made new ones a few weeks ago.

To maximize the options, I made up a chart of the categories and colors.

Then I dumped out my scrap bags color by color.

Here are our pretty new bingo cards.

And mine paid off three times in fat quarter winnings!

Retreat 2010 - The Equipment

2010-02-19T11:32:00.004-06:00

The diverse array of sewing machines at retreat is pretty interesting. Some people bring multiple machines depending on what they plan to work on or in case one has a breakdown. This year, though, I believe we had the oldest machine ever brought to retreat.

Donna's 1884 Singer Model 12

Love the decals.

Gwen's 1939 Featherweight

They just don't put that kind of detail in anything anymore.
How pretty.

Donna's 1947 Singer treadle
She machine quilted the prettiest feathers on this thing.

We called them "treathers."

My 1957 White in the table made for it by my Granddaddy

Susan's 1972 Singer 177C

Gail's Bernina 1130

Patty's Viking Designer II

Judy W.'s Pfaff

Daime's lightweight Janome

Jill's Bernina Aurora 440

Retreat 2010 - My projects

2010-02-18T22:37:00.000-06:00

Our annual out of town quilt retreat was last week. This is one of my most favorite things all year. But this year, I was not feeling very well, so I don't think I got the most out of it.

But I did complete the APQ stars top. Was glad to be done with all those 45 degree inset pieces. I think it came out pretty well. Lots going on with those fabrics, for sure.

I started another Christmas Northwind. Took the Sharyn Craig class back in 2003. I hate that she is retiring from teaching. I still use lots of tips I learned in that class that carry over to all my other projects.

Got all the border blocks pieced for my first year presidents blocks quilt. I will have fun putting it all together now.

I didn't take as much time taking pictures this year as I have still not read the manual for my new camera. So for now, if I get a good shot, it's a happy accident. I am having fun playing with the macro setting.

Usually the weather is cool enough on retreat that we can set our beverages out on the deck ledge to cool them down rather than walk all the way around to the other room to use their fridge. This was on Friday when we actually had a little bit of snow for awhile.

It was all gone before the sun set.

Heavenly Stars

2010-02-07T18:10:00.021-06:00

Heavenly Days is more like it, I should say! There are 56 pieces. Because I can’t pivot at the "Y" and count on accurate seaming, there are 88 separate seams.

They do love these 45 degree angles. Good thing I’ve had lots of practice with the APQ project. Judy Rehmel also calls this block Snow Crystal or Captive Beauty.

This had to have originally been hand-pieced because I don’t see those ladies at Land’s End cussin’ this thing and that’s what I’ve been close to doing. Not that hand-piecing would have made it a breeze.

And just when I get most all of it put together and measure one side, I find I have to take the outer edge apart. These blocks are supposed to measure 15.5 inches unfinished. This one measured 16.25 inches. Not good.

So how to resolve this problem.

Take out the red pieces.

Take out part of the seams between selected diamond pairs.

Measure down 0.375 inch from the point of each outer diamond parallel with the side of the block and…gulp…slice off that extra bit.

In theory this should give me the correct size once the red bits are sewn back in. Add 15 more seams for the correction.

So to test this theory, I only trimmed two sets on opposite sides of the block so I could take a measurement when they were back together.

Oh, yeah, it worked!

The outer diamonds end up just a tad smaller than the rest, but there is just no way to fix this short of re-sizing the templates, and frankly, I don’t know how I would go about that…without cussin’, that is.

But this is why I did this tricky block early in the project. I’m just glad the first one worked out or I would be very discouraged about now.

On to the next one.

A proper basting

2010-02-06T17:30:00.004-06:00

I am basting chairman for our guild. Not many folks go for the traditional thread basting anymore. I have to admit that lately I have spray-basted my smaller projects. It's just so much faster and easier, especially since I'm machine quilting.

But if you plan to quilt a bed-sized quilt by hand, thread basting is the best way to go in my opinion. It just keeps things more secure over the lengthy process.

This is Betty. She is making this quilt for her granddaughter.

A friend gave her the fabrics for the sweet little flowers that are scattered about on the top. Betty calls them violets since they are a tad smaller than most pansy patterns. And it's her quilt and she can call them anything she likes.

This is Brenda. She and Gerda came to help. Gerda is taking the pictures. Couldn't have done it without them. Every time we rolled the ends, we got a burst of energy. Still, it took the four of us four hours to complete the basting.

Next time, I believe I will ask for a minimum of six confirmed helpers.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

The Replacement

2010-01-31T17:35:00.000-06:00

Now all I have to do is read the 144 page owner's manual and I'll be in business.

Bacon Bits

2010-01-30T18:49:00.005-06:00

The approach.

The stare-down

Wait for it...

Success!

Closeup on the replay...

Busted.

A new year, a new challenge

2010-01-24T15:00:00.000-06:00

With last year's bee blocks tucked safely away in their ziploc bag (on the way to becoming yet another UFO,) my bee has started a new challenge.

This one uses calculator tape on a roll as a foundation for using up still more scraps. I like these scrap challenges as I will not run out of resources any time soon. Our tape is 2.75 inches wide.

Rules are: follow directions on blue card and stitch up 1 yard of tape leaving a generous seam allowance hanging off either side.

Last challenge we passed them around alphabetically. This time we tossed them all in the floor and grabbed someone else's. I picked up Jan L's. She wants mostly greens, some browns, wacky cuts, no novelty fabrics, and maximum width of 1.25 inches.

I think I will draw off lines on the back of my strip so I don't have to think too much and will come out with exactly what she is looking for.

In the end, we should all come away with at least 8 yards of wonderful scrappy strips.

Back on track

2010-01-24T00:50:00.014-06:00

Finally I have been able to get back to my pictures from Christmas. I wanted to post the few that I was able to take before the camera was permanently damaged.

My sister took these next two with her camera.

The stockings were hung...

This is my sister's stocking. She's not fond of it, but I think it's really cute. It was made by the same cousin of Daddy's who made mine. What a difference four years can make in styles.

Daddy had a great time. This was the best I could do for a recliner at my house. He was more engaged than I've seen him in a long time. Everything was "really pretty," "just great," or "wrapped so beautifully." He did complain that my living room was dark, so I set up a lamp just for him.

Of course, every year most of the pictures we take are of the dogs opening their presents.

This was about as still as my sister's dog Lola got the entire time they were here. It was shortly after this picture that the tripod went down and the camera was rendered inoperable. Her stocking was two-sided.

It stayed on this side most of the time.

Please Stand By...

2010-01-17T02:20:00.003-06:00

I'll be back soon. I promise.

The visiting dog broke my camera over Christmas. I have yet to replace it, but have borrowed one from work. I haven't quite gotten it figured out.

And my computer was out of commission for the past week. It is back up and running smoother than it has in a long time thanks to friend Bob.

So, please be patient just a little longer. I will be back.

Christmas in the 'Hood...and beyond

2009-12-30T23:51:00.003-06:00

So, I'm a little late putting up pictures from our third annual "Drive around and look at Christmas lights" evening. And these were actually taken on the second night as friends Gwen and Bob offered to drive me back to some favorites from the night before when I did not have my camera with me.
Some of these might be a little blurry as it was cold and taking pictures with gloves on was kinda tricky. Some might look a little crooked, but that's because we live in a hilly town and some of the streets didn't like my tripod.

How clever are these folks!?

Nothing says the holidays like rotting fruit over the front door. Actually, I really like this. And the pine bough cross on the door is lovely.

Everyone in this neighborhood had a small tree in their front yard with white lights. Maybe these folks could invest in a little longer extension cord next year so it doesn't look like the tree stepped in lighted toilet paper on the way to the front yard.

There is a house not far from mine that has a lawn covered in blow-ups. We call it "Blow-up Guy's house." It is a very fun place to drive past.

And of course Nascar Santa is included in the display.

Blow-up Guy also hosts Santa on the three nights before Christmas. Rain or shine. And while the kiddos stay in the cars, he comes to them to take last minute requests.

Snoopy has the official countdown at the end of the driveway.

A block or so away from Blow-up Guy's house there is a lighted runway for Santa. New this year is the addition of a helipad.

This is one of my favorites in my own neighborhood. It is an odd assortment of lighted tree forms and I love that they are all different. It's kinda representative of my neighborhood, too. We're all a little different over here.

Don't you just love this?! It is the Festival of Lights after all, isn't it?

This looks like the quintessential gingerbread house to me.

And this was part of a much larger and extensive display, but I really liked how the tree at the edge of the yard could stand on its own.

Once my family arrived in town, we drove around again and looked at lights. It was a little rainy, but we all enjoyed it just the same.

iQuilt

2009-12-18T13:18:00.001-06:00

Yesterday a ballet mom friend - Heather - came over and we played all day. Her dad works at the Apple store and got all these t-shirts to wear, but I gather he's not really a t-shirt kind of guy. Heather decided to take them all and make a quilt, but she'd never made a t-shirt quilt before.

She came with the shirts already cut and the interfacing ironed on the back.

First - up on the design wall in raw form for initial placement. Then they got squared up to as large as the interfacing on each would allow. I did some preliminary calculations on the graph paper and we determined the width of each column.

She had found this fun background fabric with colored snowflakes all over it. It wasn't what she was looking for in the beginning, but it turned out to be just the thing. Of course, the first things cut from the 4 yards of snowflakes was the backing and the outer borders.
Heather was kind enough to send me these pictures as I somehow left my camera at work.

Then the fun began. To make it as large as possible, we added these great strip-pieced stripy pieces. Heather says they look like elf stockings.

Adding in bits of background here and there, it all began to take shape.

Once all the outer borders went on, we pinned it up for one last picture before basting it.

I think the whole thing exceeded both our expectations! It turned out great! Can't wait to hear about Dad's reaction when he opens it Christmas.

And then there were six.

2009-11-30T22:15:00.008-06:00

This past Saturday, as part of our Thanksgiving festivities, my family and I went to see The Blind Side. This has been on my must see list since I first heard about it months ago. Not only does it involve Ole Miss football, but it also involves a couple who were my contemporaries at UM. It’s a pretty remarkable story – one I wish we heard more often. It’s the story of a family who opened their home and their hearts to a young man whose hard life had left him with nothing. Not only did they commit to being a safe haven for him, but they went so far as to become his legal guardians. He became family. They became family.

Friends at work started a project over four years ago. It began when they fostered two little sisters – 22 months and 9 months.

At some point, I decided I would make cuddle quilts for these two girls.

Adoption had been discussed, but the arduous journey through the court system dragged on for years.

And then sister number three was added.

And then sister number four.

And a couple of weeks ago, after much delay and anticipation, their family increased officially from two to six in just one afternoon.

And I got to deliver four quilts to four little girls.

APQ Update

2009-11-25T10:24:00.002-06:00

After a couple of sew days with my friend,
there are now nine complete blocks.

Seven to go.

Hotty Toddy

2009-11-20T16:45:00.001-06:00

I've been away from the blog for a few weeks. Been out of pocket.

I went to the big quilt show in Houston for the first time. Pretty amazing.

My favorite great-aunt passed away after a valiant battle with cancer. Three times this woman went up against breast cancer - and while in her 80's, too! I'll have to tell you about my Aunt Kat another time.

I've hosted both my bee and my art quilt group.

And I made a trip to my alma mater to connect with friends.

A visit to the Ole Miss campus never fails to put me back at a time and place in my life when there seemed to be endless possibilities and new discoveries around every corner. The friends I made in college are still my friends today. And I can count on them. There's a freedom and an ease in our conversations that belies the shared experiences of a maturing time in our lives. A time when we were becoming independent thinkers and adults - no longer children. No pretensions. We all know better.

The campus of the University of Mississippi is exceptionally beautiful. I'm not the only one who thinks so either. And you can almost feel the ghost of William Faulkner as you walk the square in downtown Oxford. He is still there, you know.

Every home game weekend, the biggest and best house party in college football sets up in the Grove and the Circle in the heart of campus.

People pay big money these days to hire students to set up their tents and tables. Why didn't we think of that when we were there? We could have raised a bunch of money for summer mission projects.

The tops of pop-up tents as far as the eye can see in any direction. There is no way to adequately photograph it all.

The next generation has arrived ...

and others are waiting in the wings.

She was just too fast for the camera. The tape on her back lists mom and dad's cell phone numbers just in case she scooted out of familiar territory.

Something I've never, ever seen on campus, much less in the Circle. She was a bit anxious 'cause her "mama" walked away for a moment.

A cleverly named necessity.

The old man and the tree.
The largest catalpa tree in the state of Mississippi.

Good food, good friends, good times.

Jack and friends

2009-10-31T09:01:00.004-05:00

Last night, before the rain got here, I walked around the block with the dog on leash in one hand and my camera in the other.

The guys at the end of the block have added a big spiderweb at the end of their porch complete with one huge spider.

Their flower beds are covered in orange and purple lights and have all sorts of jack-o-lanterns strewn about.

I think this pair just discovered the skeleton couple
on the settee behind them.

Next door to the guys is neighbor Peggy. I like her worried pumpkin.

This house is in the next block over. Last year I snapped a shot of their car with the tag that reads "Ghastly." The white lanterns to the right are actually plastic skulls. You should click on the picture to get a better look. I love the chandelier.

After walking the block, I headed up the hill behind me to this address. Every year this place is decked to the hilt at Christmas and Halloween. All of the remaining photos are from this one location.

This old wooden trailer sits right next to the railroad track.
I imagine engineers get a kick out of these.

I love the use of plastic trick-or-treat pumpkins and white lights for this string. It has such an old-fashioned feel about it.

This is a view down the sidewalk in front of the house. Can you imagine being a kid on Halloween (or anyone else for that matter) and walking through this magical scene?

I got spooked a little taking this shot. Had the tripod set pointing up the steps and saw a big shadow pass right over me. Turned to see a big ghoul hanging from a tree swaying in the breeze.

But my favorite thing is this sweet fellow. There are always several vintage light-up figures scattered about the property and this little bear all dressed up as a ghost tucked in amongst the bushes is the most adorable.

No ghouls here after all.

Boo Friends

2009-10-30T23:35:00.000-05:00

About a month ago when Gwen and I had a sew day, she was putting together a fun seasonal quilt around a Halloween panel she had received in the mail. Here are a few of my favorite embroidered blocks.

Didn't she do a great job?!

And so it begins - Star of Bethlehem

2009-10-23T19:48:00.006-05:00

This is not meant to be unkind toward the great ladies at Land’s End who put their time and effort into creating this project, but after sewing for many years and quilting for quite a few, I have to say the instructions for this pattern are a challenge to follow. Some templates are not exactly the correct sizes and that makes me a bit nervous. Therefore I have decided to start with the trickiest blocks to be sure they come out to the prescribed 15.5” unfinished measurement.

This means I have begun with the block they call Star of Bethlehem. And according to Judy Rehmel’s “The Quilt I.D. Book,” they are correct.

Now for fabric choices. I plan to make this quilt a bit scrappy. A pallette of eight fabrics is just not gonna cut it in 2009. Some will come from my stash, some from Aunt Donna scraps, and larger pieces, such as borders and setting squares will have to be purchased. In fact, I’ve already found two of the three borders and most of the setting square fabrics.

Back in the late 80’s the choice of Christmas fabrics was extremely limited. Most of them were small prints and I believe, at one time, I had just about all of them for use in my crafting ventures. Of all the fabrics used in the original cover quilt, the green plaid is the only one I had. And, yes, I still have a piece in my stash.

So as an homage to the original, I have used the printed green plaid in this first block. It is only proper to place it just as they did back in 1987.

After encountering 32 Y seams in this one block alone, maybe I have discovered why I never made this quilt.

One down, eleven to go.

The 1987 Land's End Christmas Catalog Quilt Project

2009-10-13T21:47:00.005-05:00

Many years ago, the good women of the Land’s End company designed and made a Christmas sampler quilt. They used eight fabrics in five colors. And then they offered the pattern for sale in their catalog.

I was not quilting at the time, but I fell in love with it and just knew one day I would quilt and I would make this wonderful thing.

My mother gave me the pattern for Christmas and I spent lots of time planning and drawing quarter inch seams around copies of all the templates. I calculated costs and even bought backing. The most expensive fabric under consideration at the time was $2.75 per yard.

But time went by and I decided I was not really interested in sampler quilts. Yet the pattern remained on the shelf as inspiration. And every once in awhile I would think about it, but not enough to pull it out a make it.

Several years ago at a college homecoming weekend I happened to mention to my friend Keith that I was quilting. At this point he mentioned that he had always wanted to have a particular quilt made.

“The 1987 Land’s End Christmas Quilt,” I said.

“How did you know?” he asked.

“I just did,” I replied. Well, what other quilt would it be? Still, it was a pretty good guess. And he had the pattern, too.

Yes, but did he still have the cover from the original catalog with the accompanying article?

I didn’t think so.

If you click on the picture I believe you can actually read most of it. They were so proud of their work.

Around mid-August I got a message from Keith saying that he was still interested in having that quilt made and that he could have some ladies in Austin make it for him. But he knew it was something I wanted to do once upon a time and wondered if I might be interested in taking it on.

I was at the critical point of putting together the last of the APQ stars and said I would have to study the pattern and get back to him. Those last three stars were extra hard because I wanted to drop everything and read through the Land’s End packet.

And so I have decided to take on this project – finally. I will be chronicling the progress on the blog so Keith and anyone else who is interested can follow along. All I ask is that you let me finish the quilt before making any big movie offers.

Final Bee Block

2009-10-11T13:43:00.010-05:00

These are the last of the bee block challenge. Somehow I got behind a month, but I wasn't the only one. Next month, I get all mine back so I can stash them in a corner to wait till I'm finished with my newest projects.

These little blocks belong to Norma Gene and they are rather smallish. The two at the top are the size made by the pattern and the two on the bottom are made with the leftovers from the two on top. She is going to have fun putting them all together.

I took advantage of overcast skies yesterday to photograph my guild's donation quilt for our website. We have our meeting tomorrow and I've had it for a month and need to return it.

But it's been raining constantly for a month, so I snapped some photos in between showers yesterday.

It really is a beautiful thing-all done up in Kaffe Fassett fabrics.

Jan and Barbara did an excellent job, don't you think.
I wouldn't mind winning this lovely.

The guild named it Razzmatazz.

Even Maisy had to stop her patrol to admire the handiwork.

Yard Sale Day

2009-10-04T17:06:00.007-05:00

Well, the big day has come and gone. I'm a wee bit richer and a whole lot lighter after delivering seven boxes to the thrift store.

We had 21 houses running yard sales yesterday in a coordinated effort. The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we had tons of traffic through the neighborhood. I think everyone considered it a good success. It's raining today.

Gwen joined in my sale and had some nifty things, but even she had to take some boxes off to the thrift store.

Over half of my stuff had already been through at least three yard sales - at my mom's, my sister's, last year in another local yard sale.

Even displayed on this cute electrified cart of Gwen's,
this canister set still wouldn't sell.

Just couldn't give the stuff away.

Late in the sale during a lull, I did walk around the block to check on the three sales one street over. They were done or packing up. But I did manage to find this little friend.

This is Maisy Mouse. I got her for free. She is dressed in her little farm outfit. Even though my sweet puppy is named for her, I didn't have a little stuffed Maisy.

Now she resides in my Maisy's bucket of toys.

Project of the Week

2009-09-29T23:41:00.007-05:00

Need I say more?

If you happen to be in Birmingham, Alabama, this weekend,
stop by the Crestwood neighborhood for some good bargains!

A line through a list

2009-09-22T17:09:00.013-05:00

A college friend once gave me a needlepoint kit with a canvas that read PROGRESS: ~~a line through a list~~. This is certainly true for the way I operate even though the list isn't actually written down all the time. The perpetual list is stored in the back of my head.

In sorting through my sewing room in preparation for the yard sale, I ran across unfinished pillows for some outdoor chairs. The tops were made over a year ago using the Jan Mullen wacky half-square triangle technique. They're supposed to coordinate with my porch swing cushions which have long since faded with the sun.

Completion of these pillows marks them off my mental list and frees up just a little more space in my studio. It feels good and they look good, too!

Closets are easily neglected when stuff is piled in front of closed doors. But this one was overdue for an inspection.

I'm so pleased with the way it's organized now. Would you believe there are four sewing machines in there? If you look hard you can spot three of them at/near the bottom. Stuff will still get piled in front of the door but will be much easier to move since there will be less of it.

Somebody came out to the porch with me this morning to take pictures of the new chair cushions. Hair is starting to come back in over her left eye and she no longer needs the collar.

A quick glance my way...

and then back to looking for squirrels.

Back in Session

2009-09-17T13:42:00.001-05:00

We started the new guild year on Monday. It was good to see everyone after being off for August. One of the highlights of each meeting is Show and Tell. It's one of the reasons we ~~endure~~ enjoy the business portion of the meeting.

One of my favorite things was this pair of bags made from recycled grocery bags and packaging plastic. Gerda found the directions in a ~~book~~ copy of Green Craft magazine and was brave enough to try it. Apparently you take a piece of parchment paper, put three layers of plastic on top (after trimming to lay flat,) and then another layer of parchment paper.
Using the wool setting on the iron, press until the layers fuse together. They will shrink some. She said different types of plastic shrink at different rates. Then cut and sew as you would fabric.
This is a dramatic one-block-wonder quilt by friend Elayne.
And this is a great little piece by Nancy. She's in another art quilt group and they experimented with glue resist dyeing.
Our guest speaker was Sally Schneider. She had some wonderful scrap quilts. I really like this one made with Civil War repros.
And this one is called "Skyrocket." I believe I might have to make this one with my 30's stash. She borrows from the Burgoyne Surrounded pattern (one of my favorites) for the sashing. Great idea.
Yesterday I went to my art quilt group meeting. Sally showed these fun and fanciful monster blocks that she is doing. I believe they are part of a BOM series.

I'm still working on pulling out yard sale stuff. Maybe I'll have a chance to get back to the sewing this weekend.

I switched to the new version of blogger editor and it messed up all my spacing, so I went back to the old editor. Anyone have any suggestions? I surely was looking forward to placing pictures in where I wanted them rather than at the top of the post.

Patience

2009-09-12T18:55:00.007-05:00

My little patient is doing well. Had a bit of a scare Thursday night. I'll spare you the details, but a follow-up visit to the vet Friday morning reassured me that everything was o.k. and healing continues.

I know she looks awkward in her little blue collar, but she is quite used to it. And she's so cute when she waddles down the hallway and it rocks from side to side.

Great progress is being made on the APQ stars. Backgrounds have now been added to three blocks. Am having to set them aside for a bit while I get ready for a yard sale in a few weeks.

I've already unpacked the sewing room closet hoping to unload some things. But it is hard to part with treasures that I thought I was saving for just the right project. I think those projects will never happen though. I really just want to do the quilting. No more painting or making stuffed toys or counted cross-stitch. Well, maybe a little thread count, but it's low on the priority list.

A handful of spider lilies have cropped up in the backyard. I love these flowers with their delicate petals and parts. In fact, I see them dotting yards all over my part of town. You never know where they will pop up and I like that about them. Random acts of beauty.