The 'flu is finally letting go...

I've been down and out with the 'flu. Not a lot of fun. Of course, it would coincide with the extra days I had to work! Oh well, I lived through it and, for that, I am most grateful. My knees are still a little wobbly and my nose is peeling- a real good look for me, but otherwise I feel pretty great.

My nephew, Jonathan, was here for a visit and I didn't even get a picture of him! Bummer. There's a picture on my mom's site, if your interested. He is close to the same age as my oldest, and they get on very well. Actually, he got on great with all of my kids- my daughters' idolized him the entire time he was here! He was a great sport and ate everything I sat in front of him and I'm pretty sure that 99% of it was completely unfamiliar. The guy with the maniacal look in his eyes is my brother, David. He's Jonathan's dad. (Doesn't he remind you of that Fiennes brother in Luther? You haven't seen that movie? Well, maybe you should.) At anyrate, David is explaining to the children how redeye occurs. "Coooool," they say when they find out it has something to do with your blood veins. He is very good at explaining things. He was picking up his son after he had stayed with us a week. Ever wonder how to move a plane? In the back of a Penske moving van, apparently. Even the kids recognized the parts.

I have been playing around with Kansas Troubles blocks. I saw this idea in a book called, amazingly, Kansas Troubles. (I had some leftover yellows from my GFG.) When I realized that it included "prairie flowers," I thought I had to try it. It is a table runner- just in case it isn't recognizable. The flowers are appliqued on and I decided that I would try it their way. Maybe they've made improvements in heat-n-bond since I last tried it, 15 years ago.... nope, it's still not a great way to applique. Maybe it's me. I just have a real hard time ironing the flowers on and then stitching them down with the sewing machine. Does anyone else think this looks really bad? It's probably me. (I once had to try on 46 bras before I finally quit railing against bra designers everywhere and settled onto the thought, it's me. An epiphany moment. The amazing thing isn't that I tried on that many bras, but that I took 46 bras off those ridiculous little hangers and replaced all 46 bras to those same ridiculous hangers. Sheesh!) My point is, I just have a hard time doing some things that everyone else seems to handle just fine. It takes me a lot of time and effort to applique with the sewing machine and the results... well, pathetic. And I am left feeling really defeated. Where, if I had just done it my way- by hand, yes, it would have taken a lot of time and effort, but the end result would have looked decent. Oh well, I have a vague impression of someone who likes yellow... she won't mind if the applique looks lame. I'll try to quilt something pretty on it to make up for the applique efforts gone awry.

Selma Lou strikes again...
Well you know it's bad when that other person keeps sneakin' into your quilting room and making a mess of things and you decide she really needs a name if she is going to take the blame for her actions. Despite the fact that I have a hard and fast rule about never shelfing anything without leaving proper documentation, she is always stashing stuff without so much as a whisper of where she was going with it. But to be fair, I doubt I'd be happy with her explanations as I just cannot see how she intended that conglomeration of roses to go together in anything that resembles something I might like. ahh... lightbulb moment... maybe that's why it's on the shelf. It's all becoming clear to me now. I hated it...I mean, Selma Lou hated it and so she stuffed it on the back shelf where she thought that, after a time, we might morph into 90 year old grannies and actually like it... Selma Lou's a strange duck. I tried to lay it out in some fashion, but alas, I'm as hopeless at this as she is. I bet Bonnie could pick up those little blocks and BAM! a work of art would be born. sigh. Maybe Selma Lou was on to something... there's a little room on that back shelf.

Multiple personalities...
Wouldn't it be strange if weird projects kept popping up in your quilting room? Things that you know, without a shadow of a doubt, you would never, ever have started. I'm tellin' ya, this happens to me. Ok, true, I have some foggy recollection of having had something to do with it. I faintly recall starting these baskets because... oh, yes, that's right, I like to applique. Good a reason as any. What I don't recall, is that I got all of the handles done. And I suppose they have been sitting on the shelf for... 3, 4 years? Yeah. But homespun? I'm feeling a bit nauseous. And I didn't remember that each basket is supposed to be surrounded by itty, bitty little half square triangles. That would compensate for the rather dull, plain basket, eh? Uhuh. It ain't happenin' in my lifetime. What to do? I spent 30 minutes and pieced all the baskets together, which my other personality was kind enough to have already cut out for me. Then I thought, since we seemed to be having a moment of open communication, "WHY?" She just shrugged her shoulders and said that she wanted cherries on the baskets because she wanted to applique cherries in the borders and she looked and looked and never could find any she liked- had her heart set on something Asian-looking and so she finally settled for thimbleberries- which looks more like currants, I said. She shrugs her shoulders and says that's why it ended up in homespuns. See what happens when you settle? It's a slippery slope my friends.

Just because I can....
DH walks in on me this morning, as he is leaving for work. He stops in his tracks and starts laughing, "Are you starting another project?" I don't know how he guessed as I was only sitting in the middle of the floor with three of my stash bins opened. Yes, I'm starting a new project. Why? Just because I can. Just piddling, really. Or as my Aunt Isobel would say, noodling. Sometimes I just start things that I know I won't like, just because... I guess... because I can. They have no purpose. No destination. And no sense of color co-ordination. I just want to sew on something new that has no expectations. Do you ever do that? Sometimes I realize that it's the orneriness in me coming out. Like this little piece. I don't much care for doing borders and I said, "I'm going to do this thing." You'll notice, it's almost all borders- with 6 more to go. Why, why, why? There's already four borders and the silly thing is only 30 1/2." Which is now a major problem as the pattern says it should measure 29 1/2." So the next border isn't going to fit properly. And that leaves me annoyed. No, I had no expectations it would work out, but still, the mystery of how it all went wrong is ... perturbing. Is that a word? I think so.

Midnight on Mars...
involves a really cool bed. This bed was made by one of my brothers, Craig. He cut down the trees and dried them and peeled the bark off, and tada- after many hours, produced a very fine bed for my sweet SIL. Now that wasn't a bed, I mean bad, anniversary present! Craig has always like carpentry, I think. This the point in the blog that, if you are squeamish, you ought to slide down to the next paragraph. One day, about 15 years ago, I was paying my parents a visit, since my other brother David and his family were in town. We arrived at the house together and I didn't notice how quiet David had become when we started walking towards the door. David is a carpenter and he immediately noticed some things amiss. Like the garage door still open and the blood on the deck. A friend was home to greet us with the news that Craig had cut his thumb and another finger off. Beccie and I burst into tears and David quietly got up to clean the deck off before my mom got home from work. I think that was the most thoughtful thing I can remember David ever doing- not that he isn't very thoughtful, but I know he was just as upset as we were, maybe more, and that he was thinking of how upset my mom would be and was doing what he could to make it easier for her. Craig came home, minus one thumb and a whole lot of stitches in another finger, looking pale and stunned. My dad looked absolutely grey. It's hard to see your children hurting. I think Craig was 20 and he was making a new pulpit for the church. He is quite recovered, now, and when little children ask him what happened to his thumb, he just says, "Didn't you know? This is what happens when you pick your nose with your thumb." And he demonstrates.

The blue and white quilt was made by a dear family friend, Miss Darla, but it has served as the main quilt in the house for 15 years, and the binding has been replaced. It's time to put it into semi-retirement. The "twisted sister" quilt above, was made by my mom and is called Midnight on Mars. You see, she had all this fabric that she had been collecting for a quilt called Picnic on Mars... but in the end, I suppose she changed her mind. I'm glad I never do that. ahem. She added some of the blacks and darker colors and said that it looked more like Midnight on Mars. She picks very good names for quilts. (Judy, you should ask her for ideas for your quilt names.) I keep getting these pictures from my SIL, Lisa, of the finished bed- think they are hinting that they would like the quilt to be finished, too. As the weather doesn't allow me to get out and about, today, I'll be working on it and seeing if I can't finish it before my mom comes to visit- so she can do the binding! Can you believe it is snowing after all that sunshine? I have started doing one of Darcie's topography meanders in the two outer borders. Only mine looks more like burled wood- I obviously need to spend more time studying Darcie's fine examples. It always amazes me how each quilter's work has characteristics unique to the quilter. A meander is one of those simple designs that looks very different depending on who did it. Some have very short waves, some look like puzzle pieces(mine to tend to be this way), some have long lines in them. So Darcie's Maps look more like wood when done under the Nines interpretation- but I still think I could get closer to the look of hers- if I got a closer look at it- hint hint. But since the burled wood look is already in, I'll just finish with it. It looks nice, anyway.

What a beautiful, glorious day!!!
I am a sucker for a sunny day! I just feel happy, no matter what. Can't seem to help myself. I woke up to the sun streaming in my window and I can't even remember the last time that happened. The days have been gloomy and wet here for what seems like months. It is still very brisk out-40* and a stiff wind, but sunny, sunny, sunny! The picture was taken in WV, but seeing as how I don't have any sunny pictures from around here, that'll have to do. WV always gets our weather a day later, so I'm pretty sure they'll be in for a pretty day, tomorrow. And don't nice, sunny days help you get all kinds of things done?

• I finished the quilting on the coal mine quilt. I'm actually happy with it. Hope that'll hold through a rainy day. DH keeps trying to get me to keep it. My mom says she might come and help with the hand-binding of it. Now won't that be nice? They haven't been here in about a year and I am always ready to let some one else do the hand-binding!
• I got the guest room all cleaned out. This was the room where my MIL was staying, and I have been putting off cleaning it for a couple weeks, now. It is weird knowing that she won't be living with us, anymore. Taking care of her was a challenge, both physically and mentally, and while I am glad to no longer be burdened with that part of it, it still makes me sad. But life goes on, and she might be able to get strong enough to at least come for a short stay. My nephew, Jonathon, is coming for a visit, next week and then my brother is coming for a day, later on, to pick him up. My brother is one of those guys who closely inspects everything- just the kind of person you'd want to build your airplane- which is what he does- but not the kind you'd leave cat hairs hanging from the curtains, around. So all the cat hairs are out- I'll probably be picking them up for the next 50 years.
• Then I got about 8 loads of laundry done, so far. I know it's a good day when I can squeeze laundry in between all the other things I am doing!
• Then, I made two loves of banana bread. I found a recipe in a bread book, that comes all the way from Hawaii. Hana Bread. So I had to try it as it reminded me of Darilyn. Sorry, had no macadamia nuts and had to substitute pecans. It is very tasty. Apparently, bananas+whole wheat flour=green bread. A lovely shade of green, though. See? Nothing could spoil my good humor, today. Bill bought me a "new" wheat mill, and it is a just a thrill a minute to see what we can do with it, next.
• Then, I pinned on Michael's wedding quilt, and I didn't even get nasty when I spliced the batting- something I normally despise doing. Nope. Not this time. I just hummed away. I did have to stop and take a caffeine break as the pain between my shoulder blades was threatening to explode into the same stiff neck I have been struggling with all week. I finally resorted to using the heating pad- Judy's story gave me some pause on that number, but after three straight days of moving around like a robot- ever try to back into a long driveway when you can't turn your head?- I was all over the yard! Thankful to say, I didn't combust with the heating pad and it did seem to help.
• We found the missing bottle of medicine. Ever read that story in the Bible, "The Kindom of Heaven is like..." and it goes on to tell of this woman who has 10 gold pieces but loses 1. She seaches and sweeps and finally finds it. She throws a big party to celebrate that what she had lost is found. I felt like that lady, today. I gave Eva her medicine, two days ago, and then yesterday... it wasn't where I left it. Now this is serious as the meds can't be skipped and cost is about $275 (it was a brand new bottle.) I had enough of a lesser dose pill to combine and give her, but that was going to run out before long, and I needed to find that bottle!! Joseph stayed home from work to help me and after 2 hours of searching we found it- in the sock basket, fer cryin' out loud!

All in all, a great, great day!!

My first attempt at an altered book...
I have always liked fabric books. My sister made my oldest son one when he was a baby- full of counting projects, pockets and such. I made this as a "get well, soon" card for a friend who is having surgery this week. She is fond of vintage fabric, as her grandma used to quilt and that is what she would have used. This little book was made using a picture board book, bought at goodwill for 69c. - you just peel off the slicky pictures and you are left with a plain book. You have to cut out every other page so that there will be room for the thick fabric you'll be adding. Then you make your pages and glue them in. A very much beginner's project, but a fun little thing to do. I used an old hanky for the cover that I spray adhesived down. The rest of the pages I pieced and sewed to batting and embellished with trim and embroidery- the journaling is mostly on vellum and just sewed down. The next little book I do is going to be for me- I'll probably let my Mom borrow it. I have all of the pages torn out of hand-dyed fabric- that leaves a nice soft edge. And I won't be mounting it- it'll be all cloth. I have some lovely plums and purples and I plan on including pictures of all the kids -printed on bubble-jet fabric. And trimmed out with lots of fun fibers. After working on so many big projects, it's kinda nice to start and finish something in quick order!

Shall I tell you how my DH made me cry the other night? You might be surprised I am still calling him "dear." But they were happy tears. Years ago, I saw this movie- on A&E, called Persuasion. Most of you know I love Jane Austin (and lest you think I'm high-browed, I also get a big kick out of Buffy, the Vampire Slayer!) I mentioned to DH that I sure would like that Persuasion movie on DVD. I looked for it everywhere, but I could never find it. Finally, about three months ago, DH comments, quite casually, that he found it, but WOW! It cost almost $30. Bummer. I opened a box from the mail last week and there it was!! I cried like a big baby! Now wasn't that sweet? Oh, it is such a good movie! Bill says he thinks Sense and Sensibility is better, but I think that is only because he is the one crying like a baby at that big climactic scene at the end! This also has one of those scenes and I replayed it four times before Bill peeks around the corner of his desk and says, "Are you watching that scene, again?" It is the best letter ever written, I'm sure. It is a BBC film, with Amanda Root and Ciaran Hinds. If you like Sense and Sensability and Pride and Predjudice, you'll love this one.