Abe's Feast...

Say, "Hi!" to Abe.  He's 10 and very happy to be in "the double digits." Abe is an active kid- spending his summers swimming, riding his bike and building bases.  The winter months are a bit of a trial for him as he's stuck inside, squirming and fidgeting.  Perhaps the trial is more on our end... He loves to read and that's a blessing during these cold months.  He likes action and adventure books. Abe's a loving child who cries when I cry and is very good at the encouraging pat on the back.  He's extremely analytical.  He sees how everything is connected and likes to set your mind at ease that all is as it should be.  He's calm, cool and collected and doesn't talk overly much. But when he chooses to say something... well, it's usually rather interesting... He was riding home from the wedding with his older brother, Dan, and made this statement:

 

Abe- "Today was a very good day!" 

Dan- "Why?" 

Abe- "Because Paul got married, today." 

Dan- "Why does that make it a good day?" 

Abe-"Because now he won't be the desperate man I always thought he would be."

 

Alrighty then.

 

Abe had a "science man" feast.  As you can see from his table, he had lots of "chemicals" and scientific concoctions decorating his table- laid with a "sterile" white tablecloth.  He had the kind of great time only a 10 year old could have mixing all the different food colorings into the jars of water.  For his appetizer, he made red jello in solo cups and then inverted them onto plates.  There were green grapes suspended in the jello to creep people out.  Everyone agreed we should have jello more often. His main course was a build-your-own-taco bar.  A big hit. He made the beverage in front of everyone, laughing maniacally as he poured together pineapple juice and lemon lime soda in a stainless steel bowl- lots of fizzing and foaming and such. His dessert was hanging from the ceiling.  Every year, Abe makes rice crispy treats. This year, he shaped them into planets and pushed the sticks of lollipops into them for satellite moons. He had them hanging from thin threads so they spun in circles when you touched them.  He made three batches so that everyone could have plenty.  For his gifts, he found some very fun spinning tops at the dollar store that light up in different colors when they're spinning.  It was a very good- and colorful- evening!      

 



Wedding accomplished!

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures from the wedding of our son, Paul, and his new bride, Kim.  They were married Monday and, as you can see, they're very happy.  We all are.

Eva, age 14y

Eva's Feast...

This is Evabeth and she's 14y.  Where does the time go?  She was six months old when we moved into this old farm house and now she is a young lady.  Eva is very friendly.  If she doesn't know you, she will as soon as she claps eyes on you!  I love watching her when she processes- "Hey, this is someone new..." and then the inevitable, "Hi!  I'm Eva!"  Never knew a stranger and she is just one of the friendliest people you'll ever meet. She is an amazing artist, truly gifted when it comes to a piece of paper and a pencil.  She draws beautiful fairies and gruesome beasts.  She loves reading her Kindle that her big brother and sister-in-law recently bought for her.  She is also a budding author.  Bekah loves to hear her stories when they go to bed.  She is a sweet and loving sister and tries her best to please her brothers and sister.  And that's not always an easy task.  She works harder than any kid her age I know. She's emotional and sensitive- and because she is so sweet, her brothers freak out when she cries- they start consoling/scolding her - anything to make her stop! John even did her chore for her the other night.  She stresses and then she stresses about stressing. It's amazing how hard a good person works to be "gooder."  She's a blessing to all who meet her.  She's absolutely precious and for those of you who don't know her, personally, I really hope that some day you will.

She had a "book" theme for her feast.  Eva does love her books.  She set her table with stacks of old books and put candles in clear glass punch cups and tissue paper wrapped stemware.  We were running a bit late for her feast... yeah, she was stressing.  It wasn't a big deal.  She got her appetizers of different filled puff pastry- spinach, garlic butter, pimento cheese and orange marmalade- cooked up and sent out early to pacify the hungry guests.  The puff pastry is kinda like thin sheets of paper, right?  Books.  Get it?  She set "wocky" sticks on their plates because they were like pencils... Her main course was stir fry with angel hair pasta, BBQ chicken, and plain chicken.  She made coffee punch for her beverage.  Jacob said that the combination of food was a bit unexpected but contrasted rather nicely.  Her dessert was a holiday favorite of chocolate mousse or peach crepes.  As her gifts, she bought different books for all of her guests from the thrift shop.  Each book was chosen with care to suit the one receiving it.  As Abe said of his book, "The Call of the Wild"- "This stuff is intense!"

Silly Eva

We finished up by being typically rowdy.  John has a large mouth- it's a fact.  And so he accepted the challenge of fitting the rim of one of the stemware into his mouth.  Turns out, you can't do that while laughing.  And if you get most of the rim into your mouth and under your lips, blowing a big puff of air out will allow your lips to stretch even further and fit around the cup... Such a silly activity, but hilariously funny.  By the way, Jacob was able to accomplish that feat, also- although with a slightly smaller glass.  Our friend, Gary, tried and I realized that his mouth is really, really small and my boys' are really, really large!  And then there was the whole trying to break a glass by screaming at it- good thing we live a half mile from the nearest neighbor.  And we're not even gonna talk about the crepe food fight...Eva's feast was just a blast!     

Coffee Punch: 2 cups sugar, 2 cups water, 2-3 Tablespoons of instant coffee crystals- cook and stir until sugar melts and begins to thicken. Cool. 30 minutes before serving, in a punch bowl mix coffee syrup, 1/2 gallon of milk, 1/2 gallon of chocolate ice cream and 1/2 gallon of vanilla ice cream. Serve.

Picture taken by son, Daniel, in his hometown of Boston, MA

Feast days!!!

(Sorry I'm a little late in posting this friends!  I won't bore you with my sob story of trying to break into my own blog-  a feat worthy of the most adept hacker, I'm thinking. (different IP address and a forgotten password- not a good combination.)  But, suddenly, the tides turned and I'm back in business!  Wish I could say what I did, but like with most technology, it's still a mystery! 


The moment we've all been waiting for has arrived.  How thrilling!  For those of you who may not be familiar with our feast day tradition...

Quite a few years ago we decided that the season was filled with too much "Give me, Give me!"  So we came up with the Feast Days as a way to encourage the "Serve you, serve you!" that needs to be in all our hearts.  We drew upon the example of Queen Ester and how, by serving meals to her King and also her enemy, she changed the fate of an entire nation.

At the end of each November, the children draw a number from a bowl to determine the order of their feast- we have about two feasts per week leading up to Christmas.  Each child meets with me, individually, and we secretly plan a special meal to serve to the family.  They give special attention in choosing foods they know the other children love. On the day prior to their feast, the two of us go out for lunch together and then shop for their feast ingredients.  They choose simple, inexpensive gifts and decorations- spending no more than $12, usually. Everything is hidden and, on their big day, the kitchen and dining room is curtained off and the cooking and decorating begins.  (The children tend to choose a theme for their feast to simplify the meal planning and the decorating.)  When all is ready, they invite their guests into the feast with great ceremony.  Will reads some scripture and after a prayer, the child goes around serving each person the meal. Clean-up is their responsibility, also.  It's a real treat for all of us. So without more ado...

Bekah, age 12y

Bekah's Feast...

This is Bekah and she's 12 years old.  Isn't she beautiful?  As my children hit the age of about 12, I find that describing them becomes more of a challenge. That might have something to do with them figuring out who they are, who they want to be and all that, I don't know. She's an unusual child.  A mixture of conflicting behavior.  She's shy but I don't think that bothers her.  She is content to not know you. She picks who she wants to know after a time of observation. She's very smart.  Very creative.  She hates housework, but likes to cook and is one of the most efficient cooks I know.  She can multi-task in there like a pro. She needs a good cuddle at least once a day, will say so and then tell you how much she enjoyed that kiss on her forehead.  She loves to sleep in and read.  She gets a inordinate amount of pleasure from her flannel jammie pants. She is a fun kid to spend time with- a child and a grown-up all rolled into one. LOVE that girl!

Bekah loves the movie, "Tangled."  Her brother, Paul, has spoiled her with a life-size cut out of Rapunzel, and a comforter and several posters.  She designed her feast around the movie and every detail was considered carefully.  Seeing as how an iron skillet was Rapunzel's weapon of choice, she set her table with a large collection of iron skillets(of which, I had more than I thought!) and filled them with lots of little candles.  In the words of Abe, "Who knew iron skillets could look so romantic?"  Purple table cloth.  But the true genius came in the lanterns hanging from the ceiling- she used two Styrofoam plates joined by a sheet of tissue paper with a little battery operated candle inside.  They looked amazing... 

Iron skillet candles and floating lanterns

She also painted some pictures like those in Rapunzel's tower.  Her appetizers were adorable stacks of fruit. 

pineapple, orange, apples, kiwi, banana, grape

Her main course was a savory venison stew served in a cast iron Dutch oven along with rustic artisan bread which had everyone groaning in pleasure.  Her beverage was root beer served over frozen root beer in chilled tankards- a tribute to the ruffians in the movie.  Her dessert was a peach (iron)skillet cake and vanilla ice cream.  Bekah's gifts for her guests were little hair-bedecked head bands.  So funny to see the guys wear them as beards. 

L-R Mr. Jim, Mary, Jacob, Bekah, Abe, Eva, Rapunzel, John, William

We had such a good time.


Iron Skillet Cake: Place a 9" iron skillet in oven and preheat to 375*.  Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter in hot skillet.  In a bowl, mix: 1 cup self-rising flour, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup milk.  Pour batter into hot skillet.  Do not stir.  Place 1 large can of drained, sliced peaches evenly on top of batter.  Do not stir.   Bake for 35-45 minutes until dark brown around edges.  Serve with vanilla ice cream.

time...

I found something to do! 

 

And I'm having a good time.  The kids have been good sports and are right there with me!  We're tearing the covers off of old books- nothing of any value, I assure you.  No, not all books are worth keeping for posterity. We're using the covers for "canvases."  Works like a charm.  Then we tear into just about anything we can get our hands on: paint, varnish, paper, stamps, tissue, burlap, cardboard, tape, sandpaper... really, there's no end of possibilities.  We even use straws and toothpicks.  I love to see what the kids are coming up with, too.  All so different. All of my paintings have collections of words on them.  I flip through the books that are de-nuded of their covers and cut out any words that I like the sound of or grab my attention and they all go into a box.  When I'm done with the picture, I pull them all out and make a single thought out of some of them.  No plan, just whatever strikes my fancy at the time.  It's a stress-free activity- I mean, the more distressed it looks the more I tend to like it.  That's just me, maybe.  And there's nothing "realistic" about the girls- so accuracy isn't an issue. My arm doesn't mind the light exercise.  It's all good. Four more weeks of physical therapy and maybe I'll be out there sewing again.  I keep seeing quilts I want to make.  

 

Gotta run!  String beans to pick!  (The kids are a huge help with all the lifting that canning involves.  I wash jars, help pick, snap and pack jars.  They move beans, and lift pots.  A real team effort.)

 

 

 

 

Local artisans at work.  My kids and nieces.

      

 

 

 

 

Don't be afraid- she now has a rooster on the fence by her.

hidden

Hiya!!

That's hillbilly for "How are you?"  Go ahead and say it fast, you'll see. 

Here's a little baby quilt I gifted away, last week.  I had the top done, but Will had to quilt it for me as I was... incapacitated.  No, silly, not decapitated.  Incapacitated. Not necessarily the same- although I suppose if you're decapitated, being incapacitated is a given.  But the reverse may not be absolute.  At any rate, the pattern is Bonnie Hunter's Pineapple Blossom. The fabrics are 1930's reproductions. Binding it is the sum total of the sewing I've done... oh wait, I serged some receiving blankets and spit-up towels.  But other than that, that's that.  No, I'm not still on pain meds.  Too bad I can't blame my mental wanderings on narcotics. It's just me.

I took my shoulder in for some maintenance work, a few weeks ago.  Wouldn't it be cool if you could just drop it off at the shop like you would your sewing machine?  Pick it up a couple weeks later all spruced and fluffed. Start sewing with it right away- working better than before.  I should have bought the extended warranty on this shoulder...  It's doing good.  I'm doing good.  Looks like I'll be out of the game and sitting on the bench for a couple months.  

I try not to whine about being bored.  I taught my kids to never say that out loud- I could always find some work for them to do. But who's going to find something for me to do?  Even work would be OK.  Oddly, to me, is the concept that a bone being sawed off in one part of your body, makes the remaining body feel absolutely ill. Doesn't it make sense to you that if the left shoulder is injured, weeding the flower beds with the right shoulder should be no big deal?  Amazingly, no.  The right arm doesn't hurt, but still you end up getting sick.  That's just weird.  And so I sit.  Walk a little. A lot of movies, books.  Typing is even still uncomfortable. Physical therapy is helping.  Not fun, but helping.

My sweet nieces will be visiting for the next couple weeks so I have a very nice diversion.  Talking doesn't hurt- though, I can't guarantee the coherency of the conversation- which is ever the case. Catch ya on the flip side!

hand dyed medallion

 Summer afternoon...

I just thought I'd pop in and say, "Hello!"  Hoping everyone is having a good summer.  Our kids are living in the pool- can you imagine anything more fun on a hot morning, afternoon and evening?  They're all getting as brown as little nuts.  Unfortunately, there are some not so fun side-effects.  Their toes are raw and poor Abe has a sore diaphragm and taking a deep breath is painful.  With some one else working the garden, my time is more my own than most summers.  And then the kids have camps- two each for the oldest two, John and Eva.  The two younger ones are planning a couple fishing jaunts with their daddy and a free movie at the library. There should be some perks to being left behind.  Their cousins have come back to Indiana for a month this summer so they are frequent visitors.  I came home last night to find that the combined crowd had eaten a raw lasagna... Didn't they notice the noodles were a bit crunchy and the cheese not melted?  Didn't keep them from eating the whole thing! Well, you know how hungry swimming can make ya.  At least I made two trays so maybe they'll give me a chance to bake this one.

This song is pretty much my aspiration...

 

 

 

I have a MRI scheduled, tomorrow, for my shoulder and then a follow up appointment with the surgeon for next week.  I sure hope they can fix me up so "I don't hurt any more."

leaders/enders

I think I need a new storage box for my 2" leader/enders, whatcha think?  That's actually quite a bit of sewing when you figure I only make one at the beginning and end of other things I sew... 

Start for coffee shop

 A wall hanging for Mary and Jacob has begun.  Jacob loves all things coffee and they've decorated their kitchen like a coffee house.  The wall hanging has some words appliqued on it- cafe, espresso, cappuccino, etc... I'll have to pace myself on all that applique- seems like I've been doing more of that, lately.  But it's a great way to thin out the scrap basket.



blue enhancement

  Speaking of scraps... I've got some new blues.  A very good thing as I just don't gravitate towards blues at the fabric stores.  How can I buy blues when there's nice warm oranges, greens, browns or reds just pining to go home with me? Oh, I notice that there's a couple things on the back of the sewing counter- of course there is.  If you have a young son or grandson, I know they'll love this book, "Sir Kevin of Devon."  I know I've recommended it, before, but here it is, again.  It's out of print but you can find a used copy on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=sir+kevin+of+devon&sprefix=Sir+Kevin+%2Cstripbooks%2C287  There's the link. The girl in the picture is me when I won the pig tail contest that the newspaper sponsored- only in West Virginia.  Not sure how old I was. My hair was half way down my thighs so it made some fairly long pigtails.

 

 

Being without a plan can be liberating

I started this quilt ages ago and I sew up a little 9" sampler block every now and then to throw into the box.  I don't have any kind of plan- wouldn't that be just too easy?  The fabrics are all from my hand dyed stash.  I suppose the large thingy in the middle will be a medallion, but whether it will end up on point or straight... if there will be sashing or alternate blocks... how many blocks it would take to make a queen size... See?  No plan.

 

 

Here's hoping that you remember to sit out in the warm summer air and watch the butterflies and bees dance from bloom to bloom and listen to the birds sing a sweet song, setting aside all the chores and work that are waiting... they won't go anywhere.  I promise.  But the days of summer will race away and we'll be huddled in the cold, drab days of winter dreaming of all the bright, sweet scented ones we didn't savor when we had the chance.  Live today. Much love and God bless! ~nines

Thank you, Sylvia!!

Birthday Loot!

I got home from Oregon in time for my birthday.  And look at what I got in the mail!  Sylvia sent me the sweetest package of orange batiks!  And can you see that small wool penny on a paper clip on top of the card? How fun!  Of course, the first thing I had to sew upon my return from Oregon was a block from them. I have enough to make five more blocks and I think with some sashing, borders and such, it'll be enough for a throw-sized quilt.  I just love the fabrics, Sylvia- It was beyond thoughtful and kind and good of you to bless my day!


My other birthday gifts:

so me...

The sewing machine(which needs a functioning foot pedal- no problem, I have plenty,) a vintage Ransburg hand painted pottery cookie jar and tin breadbox are from my sweet William and the pool float is from my dear sis-in-law, Rebecca.  I raked it in.  We had a movie night and ate cake. I had an amazing day.  God has been so good to bless me with friends and family who are so easily lovable and, for some unfathomable reason, love me.  

 Fabric purchase from Oregon...


Well, yeah, they're orange.  And they were on clearance.  There was a great quilt shop in Canby, Oregon.  I'm sorry I don't remember the name... but it's the only one there, so it shouldn't be hard to find.

Find of the decade...

Rotary blades for a dollar, each.  This little pack of two rotary blades runs $2 at Harbor Freight!  They are called "Carpet Cutter Blades" but they are the same ones we quilters use- they're sharp and stay sharp and with the price of rotary cutter blades- they are about $5 per blade, here- you can't beat this deal and we can afford to stock up.  So hit that store, friends!

Problem child...

Weird child.  Just plain ugly child... What can I say?  Not every quilt turns out to be... well, I'd settle for tolerable. I was using up these little bits of bleach resist fabric we made up a few years ago.  It sat in a bin for a few more years(time flies!)  I figured I could always cut the hideous thing into nubbin' blocks, but then... Truthfully, I think son #5 will dig it.  It's quite masculine, dontcha think?  OK, don't comment on this little foible. I quilted and bound it and I hung this small wall hanging(about 18" square) by his bed while he's working with his dad, this morning.  Hope he likes it when he gets home or else... well I haven't an idea of what else.

problem child...

 

 

Kelli's back yard

Home again, home again...

Jiggety jog! I sure did enjoy my vacation in Oregon these past two weeks. We spent every evening sitting on the back patio- until the mosquitoes came out- though, to be honest, Oregon mosquitoes are tame, indeed.

West Virginia carnivorous misquitoes

(Indiana mosquitoes are monster big and leave a goose egg size knot, but West Virginia mosquitoes are tiny little creatures, but don't let that fool ya- they'll nibble you to death and leave you itchy for weeks. I digress...Where was I? Oh, Oregon.) There's not enough room here to say what all we did- Krav Maga, kick boxing, hand gun training- I was merely a spectator- Kelli is the one you don't want to rile. We shopped, and ate at "plant-based" restaurants. I'm thinking our town could use a place like that. We went to the beach and ate Nepalese food- yummo!- and taffy. It was cold and windy, but beautifully sunny. Just plain ole had a wonderful, relaxing time.

Depoe Beach

Nines, Kelli, Ashlee

Six of our youngest kids in the loft at Grandmother and Grandfather's.
Left to right: Bekah 12, Abe 9, Evabeth 14, Paul 18, John 16, Jacob 20.

Vertical landscape outside the window

Blenko Glass from Sweet William

Honey, I'm Home!!!

We arrived home, safely, late last night.  We had a wonderful time, but there's no place like home. 

We saw beautiful country and shared some special times with family.  Some of the things I miss about living in West Virginia is the smell of woodsmoke floating through the air, the quiet of the forests(lots of bright green ferns), and the ever-present potential opportunities for some highly entertaining people watching.  My favorite part of my week was the evening activities.  We had evening singings and devotionals and afterwards, my nieces and nephews would gather at our cabin and stay up 'til 2-3am playing cards and laughing in loud whoops and hollers.  Music to my ears.  I would retire much earlier with a good book, but after I would doze off,  I'd be frequently awakened by their laughter and my heart would just smile and I'd fall back asleep.  I'm still smiling while I'm thinking of it.

 Time for the Grand Finale...

I finished these four quilts in time for our family reunion. We'll be meeting in the mountains of West Virginia on Monday.  All of my children will be there- as will all of my parents' children and grandchildren- and  even a couple great-grandchildren. There's over 30 of us, these days.  It'll be good to see everyone and catch up on all the goings-on.  One of my brothers lives in Arizona, the other lives near Chicago and my sister lives in Florida.  My parents live in West Virginia. Get a map out and you'll see it takes a concentrated effort to all convene in the same place at the same time.  And Will and I have two sons in Alabama and one in Massachusetts.  I wonder when some one will move to Montana... just to balance things out.  It better be someone else's kid.  
 


Audrey's Quilt

Audrey is my sister's only daughter and she's just the sweetest thing. Very musical and kind. She's a college student and I thought the quilt would work well in her dorm room. Even if she does live in Florida...

Caitlin's Quilt

Caitlin is my sister's older daughter-in-law. She is talented and likes bright colors- but isn't too girly.  She's very generous and a hard worker.  My nephew is a self-proclaimed caveman, so I thought he wouldn't mind the hot coral color so much since it's paired with green and gray.

Hannah's Quilt

Hannah is my older brother's only daughter.  She's artistic, intelligent and quite the individual. She rooms with my other niece, Audrey, in college.  Sometimes the two girls will come and spend a week or two with us in the summer, right before school starts, and it's the highlight of the season for me.
    

Sarah Jane's Quilt

My Mom pieced this quilt for my sister's younger daughter-in-law, Sarah Jane.  She is a very gentle soul.  Quiet but strong.  I dyed the fabrics to match her wedding colors and then cut them into 5" squares for their guests to sign at their wedding.  If you click on the picture, you might be able to see that many of the blocks are signed. I just quilted and bound it for her.

Well, ya know, I gotta go pack- or at least, get some laundry done! You guys have a great week and I'll catch ya on the flip side!  God bless!

Backside of wedding quilt

 Full Steam Ahead...

Been chugging through the projects.  Got three and a half quilts quilted up this week.  Even got one of them bound. This big one is for my nephew and his wife.  I won't show the front until it's bound.  Lord willing, that'll be this weekend's accomplishment.  My mom made the top.  It matches the baby quilt in yellow and blue in a previous post.  The quilting is plenty flawed, but they're nice folk and won't judge.

"Cutter Keeper"

Isn't that little "basket" adorable?  It's a "This and That" pattern and Sarah and I each made one about two years ago.  It was less than pleasant.  But Sandy liked mine and was wishing for one.  I would have just given her mine- anything to avoid having to make another one- but the colors weren't her style.  She had surgery, today, and so I was trying to think of something to take her.  Flowers?  It just seems redundant amidst the blooms of Spring.  So the basket with dark chocolate is gonna be the plan. Sarah, can I just say that it went together so much more smoothly this time- only took about two hours.  I think having one on hand and having already made one was helpful. Now she'll have a place to stash her scissors, and notions on her sewing table. It's lined with pockets.

Salad please!

"Mom, don't forget to tell Dad that we need some garbanzo beans for our salad!" Yep, Abe eats salad for breakfast and relishes it to the point of it almost being absurd.  But what mother can truly complain about a child loving his raw vegetables?  Not this one.

My version

Their version

My mess- all my mess



Happy Monday!!
I woke up in a great mood, today.  Weird, I know.  But I never claimed to be otherwise.

Just something to listen to as you read...

• Finished the blocks for this Baltimore-ish quilt.  Isn't it adorable, thus far?  The blocks are only 6 1/2" and contained a bit more applique than I usually prefer.  But worth it I'm thinking. I love making leader/enders and ya just can't do that with applique.  It's just so much fun to see that can fill up with them. A lot of the blocks are made from a Moda charm pack from Sandy.  When she makes a road trip I win!  Oh, and I just thought I'd show you a picture of the original pattern.  You know I love batiks and I'm certainly not shy about colors... but that's hideous.  Just dreadful.  No place to rest the eye. Exhausting! And yes, I've cleared off the work table and am onto the next projects- I need setting fabric.

hand-dyed baby

• I got this baby quilt all quilted up and bound.  A sun, some rain and fiddle head ferns at the bottom. My nephew and his wife are expecting a new bundle of joy.  Fun thing about this quilt, the lighter fabrics in the center, I dyed for the guests at their wedding to sign.  These were the extra bits.  Just added some from the stash to make it a nice size.  I'm about half way done with quilting their wedding quilt- and it's only taken me two years.  That's not so bad when you consider my son's isn't done and they've been married for longer than that!
• The kitchen cabinets are all painted.  Lightening McQueen red. I'm still painting the sink base.  Only a couple more coats to go.  A greenish blue.  So bright and cheery.  More me than the earthy tones that were in there. Yeah, the walls are yellow and the ceiling is light blue... can you have too much color? Maybe I'm breaking a quilters' rule. The upper cabinets will have to wait quite a while- they're gonna be a creamy white. And there'll be accents of black. Very 1930's.  Been listening to "Billie Holiday" Pandora station while painting.

FUN!!

Doily Alert!!  I'm planning on getting to the post office, this week, to mail the doilies to the give-away winners.  I have the snail mail addresses for Carol, Angie, Julie and Synthia.  So... I still need Sarah's and Laura's. You can find my email address on my profile page.  

It's a sign!! 

The first six friends who put their names in for the doily drawing all choose different doilies.  What's the chances of that?  Six different friends, six different doilies... and they seem to have paired off perfectly. So that must mean that you each get the doily of your choice! Might as well give them all away!  How could I disappoint any of you?  So enjoy, sweet ones!  Shoot me your snail mail addy!  God bless!

1. Angie
2. Synthia
3. Carol
4. Sarah
5. JulieQ
6. Laura

 

 

 Yeah, I'm feelin' it...

 Of course, it's orange, so... I cut this quilt out a couple of years ago...at least.  I was thinking I'd get it out every now and then and work on it.  Didn't happen, really.  For one thing, it's scrappy and I kept getting confused about what was what.  And I'm making it for me and you know how that is, you tend to put the "me" projects lower on the priority list of things to get done... kinda like my bedroom that needs a good cleaning/organizing.  So, I dug it out because I have a million other things I should be doing.  Kinda ornery that way.  I got all the blocks sewn and now I need to put them together.  It'll go back into the box while I distract myself with other things. Like painting the kitchen cabinets... when I should be quilting.





puzzle balls

Finally stuffed these little puzzle balls. Now what? I haven't a clue.

doily re-written

Finished this large doily.  I practically re-wrote the pattern.  I kinda follow the picture more than the directions... and as I was looking at the picture, I thought, "Wow, they did a really bad job at blocking this one..."  Nope, they did an amazing job blocking considering how wonky the doily was. I didn't notice until I got about half way done and by then I was committed and I liked the idea behind it.  So I went out on a limb and hoped that after all my alterations the silly thing would lay flat. Mission accomplished. I love the little flowers and leaves.





Give Away!!!! 

You knew I was gonna squeeze that in at the bottom, didn't you?  I figure there should be some sort of potential reward for muddling through my posts.  So... put your name in the hat.  If you click on the picture, you should be able to see more detail.  Just comment that you'd like a doily and put down the number of the doily you'd like. We'll count across the top row...1,2,3... and then across the bottom row... 4,5,6.  Left to right.  And just to make sure, give me a little description of the doily.  Actually, I'm just doing that for kicks.  (The bottom one on the right is smaller, but is made from 30wt- much smaller thread, but just as much, if not more, stitching than the large ones.) I look forward to hearing from you!

left to right: back row 1,2,3.  front row 4,5,6.