But Tonya, you have been here!

Who else could have made such a mess of my sewing table? Moi? Say it ain't so! I have never seen so much as a thread out of place when visiting your blog or tutorial lessons, so I guess the blame must fall on me. I always make a mess when I'm creating- you should see how I can single-handedly destroy a kitchen! But the good news is, I finished my letters!! Feelin' pretty tickled. Of course, now I need to set them. I'm thinking that is going to take me even longer- I'm burning up brain cells at an astonishing rate. Some day they'll find me a babbling, drooling mess rocking in the sewing room... what am I saying? I am already there! What a way to go! Having a blast, playin' around in the sewing room. I made my letters quite a bit bigger than yours- I'm not sure why, it just happened that way. Don't you just love it when quilts have a will of their own? They are about -brace yourself- 11" No kidding- the lower case letters are maybe 7" or 8." Yeah, I made them lower case. Can't wait to show you, but I need to get it all together. (Hey, the day I "get it all together" will be the day... well, I just can't even imagine that possibility!) Just doesn't seem right to show them off in their birthday suits for all the world to see. Need a couple more yards of Kona black to dress them in. I smell fresh baked bread- don't worry, I've already cleaned up my mess in the kitchen, so I'm off for a cuppa and a warm roll dripping in butter!!

Zig-Zag Crazy...
Finished the wool zig-zag quilt. I tried out all kinds of different designs in the quilting- not a beauty by any means, but quite functional in these cold climes and you have to admit, it definitely has something to say! I told my mom that the girls love it, but they would need help retrieving it, if it fell to the floor- weighs a ton. I didn't have room to spread it out, so I hope I'll get to take a picture of it on their bed when I get the binding on. That'll be fun wrestling with the two-ton quilt...NOT! Ah well, I might need to rest my neck for a few days, before I start that chore. I am a bit stiff, today, from working on Tonya's letters for my bones quilt. She makes it look so easy. I finally got tired of running up and down the stairs- from the furthest end of a rather large house- just to see how did she do that? I got a little more confidence after doing a few letters, but I decided I was just going to have to accept the ones I wasn't as pleased with. It is what it is.

I'm amazed that I haven't started a new project in about 3 days, now. Some kind of record there. I do have a stack of UFO's I could piddle with if I were so inclined. And I think I am. Today is my last day of domestic freedom- some of you know what I am speaking of, and I want to make it a sensational day. Kinda puts the pressure on. The day is half over as it is. But I got to sleep in- a treat, to be sure. I had a huge mug of tea. I spoke with my mom on the phone. I pinned a very cute quilt onto the machine- you've seen that flip-flop pattern? and I am doing a bit of reading- other folks' blogs. Not a bad first half. oh, and I did two loads of laundry. But maybe not sensational. So off to the quilting room I go, to see what kind of trouble I can get into. Wish me luck!

Happiness is...

• Finding someone else to sew your backings!! How thrilling and what an epiphany! Here I have all of these handy boys, and they've been sadly under-utilized in the sewing room. I handed a sketch of the dimensions of the green and pink wool quilt to Dan and say, "Figure out how to make a backing from this flannel fabric." So, in about 2 minutes, he has the calculations made and written down. So I hand him the scissors and he's off! He sewed the pieces together and they worked perfectly. How cool is that? I am not overly fond of that tedious job- and I was able to continue my piecing on another quilt! I'm feeling very pleased about this discovery!
• The scene out my window might be a bit cold and dreary, but isn't that perfect weather to be quilting? A snowy winter makes for a happy quilter.
• Two new rolls of batting. The possibilities are endless. I'm thinking I could keep busy for a long, long time. No, I won't be hand-quilting with that Warm and Natural, but the quilting machine loves the stuff. I have about, hmmm, 20 or so tops that need to be quilted.
• That's baby Abe in the batting box. His fever broke, yesterday morning. He is feeling much better, but he's snoring so loudly his brothers are refusing to allow him to sleep in his own bed. So he's sleeping with me until his head clears. Which wouldn't be a problem if a good night's sleep on his part didn't require tucking his knees under my kidneys. I'm glad he's feeling better, even if I have to barricade my back with pillows.

Lessons for Lucy...

Poor Lucy! Whenever I use a slang term for something, I am aware that Lucy is trying to learn English and here I am confusing our dear friend. Shame on me! She asked, "What is WV?" Now I figure that is a very good question. Simply, WV is an abbreviation for the state of West Virginia. West Virginia is in the very center of the Appalachain Mountains- but these are not mountains like the ones in Europe. They are quite steep and wooded, but none so high that they reach above the tree line. In WV, the mountains are very rocky. I can only speak on what WV is to me. I grew up there, the child and grandchild and great-grandchild of West Virginians. These people are sometimes called "mountaineers," but I never recall that until the University started improving in football! It was "hillbilly" before that. And it wasn't a derogatory term. It really is a beautiful place. Lots of forests, which we call "woods" and streams- which we call "creeks." Hand-crafts are very popular and you can find a pottery shop, or wood-shop, or glass-making shop in nearly every county. The economy is, well, diverse. There are very wealthy people there, like the Rockefellers, but poverty also has a part. There are religious organization who make WV a "mission"- as if it were a third-world country. It is true that I have seen this, but folks in WV seem to look at it differently. I, personally, have never heard anyone whine about being poor. They tend to be proud of the fact that they can manage with less. The climate is fairly mild. It rains alot, and seems humid. When it snows, it rarely lasts more than a few days, but melts off quickly. The people there don't seem as open and friendly as they are here in Indiana but really, I think they are just more reserved. I love visiting there and my kids think it is the greatest place on earth. But after a week, I find that I miss the wide open spaces of Indiana. John Denver made the song, "Take Me Home Country Roads..." popular many years ago. And it does feel that way, to me.

This is where my mom and dad live. My dad cut down the trees to make the frame for their "house." He built it, himself, from the foundation up. He has a pioneer's heart and my mom plays along. They live upstairs and the downstairs is used to store their stuff. Now I know I get the "stuff" gene honestly. Lucy, how's that for a remedial tutorial?

My mom is now blogging and I wanted to introduce her to you all. Of course, most of you know her through me, but if you'd like to visit, you can find her at www.teelsidemama.blogspot.com She is also quilt crazy, so I figure you'll have lots in common to talk about. You'll find her very hospitable. She is prone to baking cookies, so if you are dieting, you might want to lay low. Sarah asked if she needs to be good, because my mom is now blogging. All I have to say to that is, she's been around for months, so Sarah, if you're trying to make a good impression- it's too late! Ah, you know I'm teasing. She loves you! And I'm sure everybody here will love her, too.

Now, you knew it was coming. You really did...

Another wool quilt. I just put this one on the frame, yesterday. I saw a similar one in a magazine several years ago and I liked it, as it was vintage. Reminds me of a girlie Charlie Brown shirt. I'm not sure how they made theirs, but I just made this like a split rail, on point. Which, combined with the extremely loose weave and low thread-count of the wool created a nightmare of bias. It still works for me, though. It has been sitting in a box for a couple years, at least, and I figured that since I am featuring old wool quilts I might as well get this one quilted. It goes along with the whole, "I don't have enough projects going so I need to add one more," schtick. I'm sure my Aunt Isobel never dreamed I'd make a quilt out of this wool- but what was I supposed to do with umpteen yards of bright, kelly-green houndstooth wool? And I really did like the pink. It is a generous queen-size for the girls' bed. Strictly a utility quilt, so I have been using it as a practice piece.

Abe the babe has croup. Yes, those are rhinestones around his neck. He wanted me to take his picture. I keep a jewelry box full of costume pieces in my quilting room so that the little ones have something fun- a treat- to play with when we are out there. Abe's daddy is going to have a cow when he sees this, but then again, maybe he won't see this. I also have a stash of wooden puzzles- one makes different quilt blocks using walnut, cedar, oak and maple squares and triangles. I'll need to take a picture of that. With Abe having croup, I have been able to blog into the morning hours. Holding a baby on your lap doesn't facilitate typing, but I get to read other people's blogs and get caught up on their goings on. Tonight, I'll be armed with that smelly chest rub stuff- I don't know if it actually helps, but I can imagine that mothers everywhere find some small comfort in feeling like they are doing something. Try not to be alarmed when a wiff of menthol seems to eminate from your computer. We made a steam room of the boys' bath, last night, and Grandfather really wouldn't approve of the condensation running down the vertical surfaces- but it really did help and my complexion is just glowing, now. Even if there are big bags under my eyes.

Laundry Woes...
I have this recurring nightmare that I can't find any clothes to wear- not that I'm naked, oddly that never seems to faze me in my dreams- I just can't find the right clothes to wear. It's too tight or too lose or too bright or not appropriate for the occasion. Just not what I want to wear. There is usually some pressing emergency that is calling me, but I can't do anything about it because I can't find the right clothes. It is an utterly frustrating nightmare and I wake up feeling more worn out than when I went to bed. I'm sure there's a very simple explanation for this dream, no doubt giving people lots of laughs. (Sarah has one where her teeth are all falling out- I'll take my wardrobe dilemma, any day!) But the fact of the matter is, I am living in another clothing nightmare.

Stretch your imagination, if you will, to consider how much laundry we are talking about when there are 11 people involved... And I am pretty sure that my aversion to doing the laundry isn't based on laziness or that the job is an odious one. What's not to like? You have this pile of smelly clothes, you shove it into the washer machine, add lovely smelling soap, softener, transfer to the dryer... fold clothes and holler for some one else to put it up. Not complicated and there would be a wonderful sense of accomplishment at the end, right? But you know, I'm gritting my teeth just thinking about it. Because the pile I am standing on never goes away- except once a year when my mother visits and she washes 24 hours a day and stays for a week. Who can live like that? TOO MUCH STUFF!! So... I bought these laundry baskets for each of the children and one for me and two for Bill(he has work clothes that need to be segregated). I told the kids that they should, under no circumstances, have more clothes than what would fit into said basket. And when the basket is full, they know where the washer is. No more, "Where's my blue shirt?" It should be in your basket. Kids grow so fast that it is hard to keep their drawers weeded of clothes that are too small or too stained. And then there's summer clothes and winter clothes and play clothes and good clothes... I'm about to take a leaf out of Bonnie's book and start cutting up clothes for a quilt. I know, I know, you are all saying, "Nines, this is how normal people live. Normal people don't have a pile of laundry called "Mt. Neverest."" Who ever said I was normal? Thus far, I have eliminated 4, yes 4, very large black trash bags of clothes. I had to take a break and go have Chinese for lunch- it was the only thing that kept me going all morning. Plus, I needed Biz and bleach- try saying that real fast 5x-just make sure there are no small children around! So, now it's time for round #2. I have not even gone into the laundry room,yet. OHHH the horror...

But, but, but... lest we become mired in the mundane, lookee what I found on a hanger, of all places. This little dress was made in Colombia. I found it for $1 at a second-hand store. Isn't it just the sweetest thing? The applique is amazing and the embroidery is very special. The colors are so bright and cheerful. All the flowers and trees have a very tropical look to them- mostly palms. I was thrilled to see that the artist signed it. Look! The little girl has a pet pig! Both of my girls have worn it, and now I am wanting to do something with it... but what? hmm... If I had a dress like this, maybe I could keep that dumb dream away!

Home again, home again, jiggety-jog!

These are two of the quilts that my grandmother made. I'd guess them to be from the 50's. They are both wool, are incredibly warm and I love how she put them together. The one with the smaller squares has some velvets in it. My mom remembers that some of these pieces came from her and her twin sister's coats and suits. Some of the the black wool bled through to the back, but for some reason, I think it's kind of pretty. It would probably drive someone else crazy. As we have already determined that I am crazy... what's a little faded wool? I have the remains of a third wool quilt in my possession, and I am thinking that I need to make re-assembling it a bigger priority. She had large scrappy wool blocks of about 12" sashed in feed sack. The feed sack disintegrated, so I took it all apart and am hoping to replace the feed sack with more wool- not easy to find cream-colored wool.

Things I learned in WV...

• When traveling, always pack a few T-shirts. We had a relative heat-wave and I had to borrow from my Dad.
• "Sissy" isn't always a put-down. I had forgotten that all girls in WV are called "Sissy" at some point. Whether you are an older sister- most likely cause, or just a customer.
• Swinging from vines isn't just for Tarzan. And it is a lot of fun to watch once you decide that you have enough sons to lose one or two.
• Pride and Prejudice- the A&E version is probably too long, but I never tired of watching Colin Firth.
• When Grandmother makes cookies twice in one day- dieting is a lost cause.
• Corn grown in your own garden, dried, shucked and popped- topped with real butter and salt, tastes nothing even remotely like that stuff in the microwavable bags.
• 38 is an age that seems old when dangling by your own questionable strength over a 20' ravine strewn with moss covered boulders.
• Moss is soft, but there is entirely too little of it covering those rocks when you slip on that same moss.
• Wood fires can provide enough warmth to heat a house to the point of leaving the windows and doors open in January.
• Sudoku can be addictive and I would consider it an entire waste of time if it didn't force me to work with numbers- something I usually avoid.
• Counting to 36 is apparently proof positive that I avoid numbers. I somehow managed to make only 35 log cabin blocks for my coal mine quilt- when I needed 36. I distinctly remember counting and recounting...
• Toilet tanks can drip a copious amount of condensed water when flushed incessantly. Sorry Dad.
• My four-year-old daughter has way more energy than I ever realized.
• I have too much stuff.

Well, I need to go tackle some of that "stuff." It's good to be home.