See? Sarah was jesting about orange mumus...

and I just have to show what I was working on last week. I decided to let Sarah's quilt simmer in my "stewdio"- I think that's Dawn's saying, and I love it. I dug out some fabric from my stash and started Bargelloing. You see, I had a dream about a quilted jacket, and I had to see it through. "I just don't remember it being this orange." That's a line from "While You Were Sleeping," since Tonya just watched it. Well, it's not as bad as it looks- at least that's what I keep telling myself. It was just dark in my livingroom, tonight, and the camara is notorious for underexposing and it makes the colors look darker than they are. Most of what looks black here is, actually, burgundy and green. really. I am planning on making the shearling jacket pattern.

I made two panels like the one on the couch for the sleeves. The panel with several waves in it will be the back and the one with the dip in the middle, I am planning to use for the front (It's upside-down in the picture, as I think it'll definitely be more slimming the other way!) I am going to quilt the panels before I cut them out. I made them plenty big so that I can wash and shrink it - several times. I want it to be soft and wrinkled. Like an old quilt. (Isn't there a Dolly Parton song about that?) I do plan to use tailer's chalk and outline the basic pattern on the panels before I quilt them- I don't want to spend hours quilting in Darcie's little stones only to find out that I put them in the armpit! The weird "cross-section of cells" fabric is for the lining and the collar. (Judy- I used 5 1/2 yards of fabric in the bargello, alone.) I mentioned to DH that maybe this is just a phase I am going through. When he asked for clarification on what "this" was, I said, "quilting." He about fell over, laughing. I have been thinking that I am unsure about how quilting fits into my life. I'm not sure if it is an escape- when I feel overwhelmed, a comfort- to help me through rough patches, or an embellishment- a way of expressing myself. But you know, I think it is different things at different times. And all of those things at the same time. The last quilted jacket I made was three years ago- seems hard to believe. And ok, I made 14 jackets that winter. They were those Just Jennifer jackets. Mindlessly slapping on patches of fabric. Around and around. No pressure and you really couldn't mess one up. And I loved them. I kept three and gave the rest away. But they don't "fit" anymore. Literally or figuratively. Those jackets expressed who I was then, but I'm ready to move on.. but man oh man.. I can't imagine what I'll be thinkin' about this one in three years!

I'm in Batik Heaven...
Can you see me dancing a jig? Actually, it's more like that little boogie dance you see football players doing in the endzone. Oh, yeah, oh yeah, Nina's a happy, happy camper. I have been eyeing this panel for some time- let's not bring ugly words into it like "covet" and "lust." I've been eyeing. That is all to which I'm confessin'. This is a hand-painted batik. Ain't it just lovely, lovely? Cost the earth, but so worth it. The top pic is of the front, but I had to show the back, 'cause that is gorgeous, too. It is about 45" long and 18" wide, and you know I'm gonna piece around it. With more batiks. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Of course, those of you in warmer climes may not appreciate how wonderful a warm afternoon in Polynesia sounds. I'm sitting in my chair with two quilts over my lap, looking at my fake fire, dreaming of being warm. I can just about get there, looking at my newest acquisition. Can I say what a shameless hu...human-being I am? It's true. I feel not the least bit of guilt over my stash. A niggle? Nope, nada. I have loved textiles all my life. I can't figure out why I should feel bad about that. Of course, it helps when you are, let's say, fiscally-challenged. Getting too much stuff is not so much a problem. On the other side, you can become a charity case and recieve everybody else's guilt-ridden stuff. And that's all good, because I don't feel compelled to keep it just 'cause dear old great aunt Ethel didn't have the time, inclination or good taste to deal with it. I pick the very best and send the rest to a better home than mine. Hey, it's like that French woman diet. Ever hear about that one? French women aren't fat because they know how to pick only the very best for themselves. They don't pig out on mediocrity, they dine fine on gourmet cuisine. Yep, that's what I'm doing with my newest batik. Yum-yum.

As you can see...
It is a very pretty quilt. Sarah's thought was that I could put feather wreaths in the plain blocks, but they seem to kinda... dangle out there... all alone... it's just sad. Any thoughts from the professionals? And it's gotta be simple 'cause this is me you're talking to, here. I tried a feather meander in the other blocks. Blech! That's what I spent all evening removing. The fabrics are plenty busy, but I don't know what could enhance it without distracting from the cool overall pattern that the log cabin blocks make, together. I could really use some input. Thanks!

Camoflage doesn't seem to work in the livingroom...
I can still see them, can you? These are just a few of the men in my life. DS Joe, DH Bill, DS Dan, and DS Jacob. For some reason, which they have tried to explain to me, but have somehow failed to convey, they love getting up at 2:30am and standing in the bitter cold all day. Sometimes they bring home some meat. DS Dan(14y) is one of those naturals who always brings home something to put in the freezer. On his first hunt when he was 12, he got a 10 point buck. Joe(15y) is laid back and just loves getting out in nature and I never hear him complain that he hasn't bagged anything, yet. He is always game to go, so he is still hopeful. This was DS Jake's(12y) first year, and he was just thrilled somebody got something. He loves smoked venison. Dan got a small buck, this year and glory, glory, they skinned it and processed all the meat themselves!! I can't tell you what a milestone this is!! And they loved it. I don't know who is more thrilled- them or me. They got to "play" with sharp knives and I got to sleep in. It was good all around. (It started as a rough day and just kinda kept rolling in that direction. First, it was very cold the night before, and that brings in the critters. Mouse chewed through the electric cord to the fridge/freezer. A simple solution with a handyman husband, but when water started spewing out all over the kitchen from the dishwasher-new- even he was stumped. Turns out the mouse was hungry and chewed through the drain hose. Can you believe that? When you live in the middle of nowhere, I guess you look like an easy target to the little furry creatures. I'll share my skunk in the house! story some time. Well, DH was sick, so it would have to wait until he got to the hardware store. Not a big problem. DS Joe cleaned up the mess- did I mention what an angel he is? Unfortunately, some one accidently closed the door to the dishwasher, which starts it automatically. Another big mess.... And I started work on quilting a quilt of Sarah's and messed up. It wasn't so much a mess up as I just wasn't feelin it. I don't care for darker thread than fabric. It looks like someone drew on the quilt. But I was running low on the color I preferred... Should have just skipped it, ordered the new thread and waited. Instead I got to spend three hours picking stitching out. Not my favorite pastime. But I love Sarah, so it was worth it. I just don't know how to quilt her quilt. I'll post a picture of it and get your opinion. Thus ended my...difficult... day. )

Xmas quilt #1, done.



I finished the quilt for my friend- who has three cats. Judy would be pleased as it is all fabric from my stash with a few contributions from someone else's. I haven't been out of the house in four days, so I decided to just make do with what I had. The backing was a bit shy so I just filled in with some of the wonky house leftovers. Funny thing about the wonky houses... took me a couple tries to get it right as I was trying to figure out how to elongate them to be the same size as the cat blocks. Finally got it right, I think. The houses were made from little leftover bits from my friend Tanya's stash. Even the binding is made from three different fabrics. Gives a whole different meaning to scrap quilt. The batting was even leftovers. Reminds me of Thanksgiving dinner! Lots of leftovers. The quilt is flannel front and back, so I hope it isn't too warm for the Pacific Northwest. Can't wait until Sarah gets back from her travels so that she can tease me about it being way too traditional for me. But it isn't for me, it's for my friend Kelli. I can be traditional if I want to be. Ok, I am sooooo over it. Where's my batiks?

Intergalactic laws concerning...
Pie making. I'm sure there is one 'cause making only one pumpkin pie just doesn't seem right, somehow. It doesn't matter how many other pies I need to make. Or how many desserts can be eaten without making the family ill. Yep, it's always two pumpkin pies. Well, DS #3 says he'll eat one for me. But DS #2 adores anything apple, so we had to make an apple pie for him. That was easy, as we had already canned about 40 quarts of apples this summer. Oh, and it's square 'cause who would ever need more than three pie pans? I used to use a quich dish for the apple pie as that seems to be the favorite among the kids. But I broke it. There was still some pie crust dough left in the bowl...and I hate to waste all that work... OK, a chocolate-pecan pie. That's all. Then DH asks if I'll make a chocolate cake for him. I had planned to make fudge... "Chocolate cake or fudge?" "Yes" stupid question. How could I refuse when he is working in my laundry room putting in shelves when I know he'd rather be out tromping through the woods... read that, sitting silent as the grave in the woods, hunting. And he doesn't ask for much, just chocolate cake and fudge. Blech. Notice how big the cake is with the buttercream frosting? That's how DH likes it- a proper cake/frosting ratio of 2-1. But then DS #4 doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, and would it really be a holiday without his favorite Chex mix? Better triple the batch, 'cause there are 11 people to consider. See, Sarah? Just a quiet day home with the family. Then there is the home-made cranberry sauce, the dressing, fried corn from Grandfather's stash, and we have to have yeast rolls and grean beans-I'm sure I am the only living American who doesn't like that green bean casserole. I'll have mine plain, thank you. Then there has to be mashed potatoes and gravy- don't you think that gravy deserves it's own food group classification? The little girls in my family like steamed peas and carrots, and I am baking a couple sweet potatoes- just plain. That's my attempt to keep things simple, this year. Hilarious, I know. Have I mentioned how much I like to cook? I don't think Thanksgiving should center around food, but I do want all of the kids to know that I want to make the day special for each of them. DS #2 says he doesn't remember ever seeing "so much foily goodness."

I talked to Sarah, a couple days ago- while she is in Arkansas, with the in-laws. (Speaking of in-laws, I would absolutely love a little insight into maintaining good relationships with in-laws. Or establishing good relationships with in-laws. I figure Sarah would find the study interesting, herself. I am wondering why it has to be so complicated. How to simplify... I'd really like to hear from those of you who just love their daughters-in-law. "tis the season for making peace and getting along with family. Appreciating differences. And having six sons, myself, well, I'd like to get set straight before it all comes back around to bite me...er...make life difficult.) Sarah is going to be traveling all over the South this week and she is planning on hitting a few quilt shops along the way. I finished her Xmas present. I am so excited and want to share pictures, but I know she'll be snooping. I also made a small (50x65") quilt for another friend. (I think I am settling back into home.) I want to quilt it, first, before I post a picture. I am hoping to get it all finished up before the weekend, so I can mail it to her for her to enjoy it for the season. It started as a panel, and I have decided that I despise them. I cut it all apart and used houses as my alternate blocks- wonkied them per Bonnie. It is also flannel and harder to get the points to come out like I'd like. Well, time to peel those 10 pounds of potatoes and get the rolls started... Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I'm gone for one week....
My DH rents the movie War of the Worlds, and I am coerced into watching it... How does he do that? Did you hear about the time he took me to see Arachnaphobia, for my birthday? I can't breath at the sight of a spider... So tonight's feature film was... disturbing. I won't give it away for those who haven't seen it yet, but it brought back memories of creepycrawlies. So, afterwards, I think that I will sit myself down in front of the computer and catch up with my friends at Quilt Mavericks. Won't that be a nice way to unwind? Ah, now that's like coming home. But wait. Seems there is a murmur of contention among the ranks... Now I can't sleep, 'cause it bothers me when folks can't seem to get along. And I don't even have a clue as to what the story is. But WAIT! As I so often tell the kids, "I don't want to know. Sit down on the couch and work it out like normal human beings." I find this method usually works quite nicely without overly exhausting me or frustrating the daylights out of me over the sheer idiocy of arguing over... something stupid. It was a full moon, last week. That can affect people in weird ways. Makes 'em act...different. (A word of unsolicited advice to those who might be acting out of character. Most people can act polite- like nothing ever happened. In a relatively short amount of time, it will be like it never happened. But my DH is a wise man, and you know what he used to say when we had a disagreement that got ugly?- and yes, it happens, "What can we do to prevent this from happening, again?" 'Cause if you act like it never happened, you'll forget it ever happened, and then, yes, it'll happen again. Yuck. let's not. I don't think I've ever been described as "polite." I tend to be one of those people who are constantly slapping their hands over their mouths with a "did I say that outloud?" look on my face. Now I wonder if anyone ever thinks, "Wow! am I rude or what?" I do know how to keep my mouth shut. Man, it sure is hard sometimes. But, I hate to hear people putting labels on anybody that they don't choose for themselves. Doesn't that seem rude? If I want to be called a quilter, then fine. An artist, then fine. Newsflash. Anybody who creates anything is an artist. A grilled cheese sandwich is a work of art in my book. Yes, if you use some of that fancy sourdough bread and colby cheese, that would be a "prime" grilled cheese sandwich, but when you get down to it, it's still just a cheese sandwich. So let's all be generous and kind, keeping an open mind that maybe we haven't all evolved as far as we might and that maybe, in time, we'll be farther on that side than this. you never know.)