Ashes and Soot...

Got the current 8 blocks done. These are the sweetest little 5" blocks. And so easy! (I have been trying to work on my Dear Jane, but those blocks I, mostly, do not enjoy. Maybe they are a bit too much of a challenge.) I was woefully behind on the Ashes and Soot blocks but quickly got caught up in an evening. I am having quite the challenge of finding the softer, dull colors for these blocks. You know how I usually am drawn to the more satuarated colors. I might need to make a set of those, also. Don't tell, but I was able to work some batiks it there. It'll be our little secret.

That end of the kitchen table certainly gets a workout when it is harvest time. Abe is being a goof ball. We were making applesauce to cook down to apple butter. I have such good helpers. Reminds me of when the older children were home and they were my helpers. I really miss them. But I must say that the girls seem to be even more intuitive about what needs to be done. They even clean up the mess! How fun is that? So the apple butter has been simmering in the crockpots for two days and is ready to be canned. I was thinking about how Grandma used to make apple butter over an open fire in a big cast iron pot. What hard work she must have put into it to keep it from scalding. I almost feel guilty. Almost. And what a treat apple butter would have been for her family. It's creamy sweetness spread on one of her biscuits. Now that was an act of love if there ever was one. Yes, a treat indeed. My Daniel has always been a big fan of my apple butter and I am going to be sure to hold a jar back for him. I don't think I'll risk mailing it to him.

Hope you have a great week!

Ka-ching!

Just made this flannel quilt from some 3.5" blocks Sandy gave me. She was in the habit, at the time, of cutting all of her scraps into squares. But she doesn't care to work with flannel and was clearing some room in her stash. I rarely visit Sandy that she doesn't send me home laden with lots of really great loot. She is happy to have it out of the house so she doesn't feel guilty about it and I am happy to have her lovely cast offs! So it was my lucky day!

I whipped the blocks into 4-patches and that was as far as I had gotten. I have a box full of flannels from Kathy and when I uncovered the red flannel for the backing of the couch pillows, I came across this luscious burgundy wine... See, I was trying to pick a new project and pulling out boxes of UFO's ( Unfinished Projects) and I thought, why not? From the burgundy flannel I cut some big blocks(12.25"- yes, technically it should have been 12.5" but somehow I lost that quarter inch. Maybe it is from the flannel being so thick. It really is excellent quality.) Put the two together and now I have a warm looking and feeling quilt to cuddle under when the snow flies. How easy was that? A very fast project. I think Kathy gave me enough flannel to make a backing, even. So the whole quilt cost me zip- except for the spool of thread I used up.

This is the third UFO I have "finished" this week. I say, "finished" because they still need to be quilted and bound. sigh. Such is quilting.

A change of pace...

Sewed up some pillows, yesterday. They certainly brighten up the room. I am thinking I might put them away until winter. A friend gave me the fabric and I have had it draped over the door of my hutch- belonged to my grandmother. I liked it so much but what to do with it? It is an odd type of fabric. Looks like cotton but is very stretchy in one direction. It made easy going for making the "pillow sheets" as the girls call them. Stretched right over my old pillows. I had some red flannel- also given to me by a friend- and I used that for the backing- just overlapped it so I can take them off to wash them. Nice to have a freebie project to give the room a little lift.

Stings!

Finished the string project- finally! I started making my blocks quite a while ago. It always amazes me how fast time flies by. I usually date the projects that I make from patterns in books. Did I really make that block two years ago? See? time flies. Anyway, I finished the string quilt top and I'm happy with how it turned out. I was hoping to get by without any borders and it all worked out- even though I did have to make four extra blocks at the last minute. Isn't that how it always goes?

I love boxes and bins and baskets. Keeps me somewhat organized and it is ever so pleasant to be able to just pull out a box and sit down and start sewing. When I get tired of it, I just return it to the box and put it back on the shelf to stew for a while. When I pull it back out, it's all fresh again!

The one thing I hear complaints about when it comes to strings is removing the paper backing. Well, I have a few thoughts on that. As I do on most things, huh? Well, great grandma would certainly not have bothered with removing the paper. It makes a good insulator. But I like to get the crinkly stuff off. So I sit at the couch and start ripping- throwing the scraps of paper willy nilly about the room. That is the only way to make it fun. The willy nilly part. And the kids notice what a "fun" time you are having and they can't resist begging for the privelege of making their own willy nilly mess. Bekah is particularly good with her hands and we had the entire quilt stripped of its paper foundations in about an hour. And we had fun listening to a movie and talking.

Well. now what? Dontcha just love getting a project done and the anticipation of digging into another? I really need to spend some time quilting, but I have been out of batting- gasp! shocking I know. A sad state of affairs, indeed! I quilted a couple quilts for a friend and have managed to set aside a little for a batting buy- need to organize the coupons. Then I will be quilting up a storm. Mom and I have quite a few tops that are calling for some attention. Plus there is still a client quilt in the hopper. Until then... hmmm... the possilbilities are endless.

Soot and Ashes...

Here is the second block by Cheri. I am loving their tiny sweetness. I usually cut one out and bag it up for some fun sewing in the evenings or mornings. What time of day do you like sewing?

I have to admit I sew just about any ole time, but my very favorite time is on a crisp morning with a pot of tea at my elbow, a little music in the background. Ah what a way to start the day! The children are doing their chores and that gives me an hour or so to completely wallow in one of my most favorite things. Then school begins and I might get some sewing in before lunch. After lunch we have our quiet time- used to be nap time when the children were smaller. Now it is reading time. For at least an hour and a half. You would think that this would be a good time to sew, wouldn't you? But the house is so quiet... too precious to interrupt with sewing machine noise. So I read or crochet, protecting the silence which is golden in a house with so many energetic children. After naps, we might spend some time outside, weather permitting. Bike riding and tire swinging. Tree climbing and playing "base"- their version of "house." Then it's dinner time and a few more chores- and maybe more time to sew. I don't usually like sewing when my sweet William is home. His desk is a long way from my sewing room in the back of a pretty big rambling farm house. But I still might do it. He'll come and get me when he needs me- how I love to hear him walk into my sanctuary and tell me he is lonely for me. How sweet to be needed. So he is off, today, and I am off to... well, I don't really know. Maybe sew a bit while he works on the roof. The kids have the day off school as well. Have a wonderful day and I hope you enjoy some sewing time of your own!

Fall weather is here- clear skies and cool temps. Apple picking weather. Can you spot John near the top of the tree? Made a big pot of rabbit stew for lunch. Perfect for a cool day. What does rabbit taste like? Hmmm..... a lot like chicken, but more like turkey. In my opinion.

The art work above my ironing board. Always an inspiration. Thanks to my Aunt Isobel and the girls for that.

Ain't she sweet? Got the pattern over at... http://quiltsbycheri.blogspot.com/ I just thought it was so... sweet. It's from some that Cheri is making up called Soot and Ashes.

See? Abe is as tall as the hemlock tree! My Dad planted these a few years ago from some given to us by Paul.

Round three! Sandy made the center block and then Mom sewed round two and I just finished round three. Now it is back at Sandy's for round four. It's getting more wonky as it goes. But still quite pretty, I think. We have only one rule and that is: no buying fabric. You can only use what is in your stash. A fun challenge. Hope everyone has a lovely holiday weekend!

Handy dandy...

A couple years ago, Sandy gave me the neatest little applique "tool." It is called the Applique Pressing Sheet, by Bear Thread Designs. I LOVE it! What is it and what does it do? Well, it is basicly an opaque sheet of teflon. You lay your applique pieces on it- after they have the iron-on adhesive applied and the paper removed from the back- and press them together directly on the sheet. Allow the sheet to cool and you can peel the entire ironed unit off- ready to be pressed onto your fabric in a very easy way. No more shifting of the pieces when you lay it on your fabric and the applique ending up where you don't want it. Because it is opaque, you can match the pieces up with a drawn pattern- just place the pattern under the sheet! It really helped when I was making all those flowers for my wreath wallhanging- I just ironed all the layers and the flower centers together and then peeled them off. Now it was easy to decide exactly which flowers I wanted where. A 13x17" sheet runs around $16-18 and is a very helpful aid when appliquing. Have a great day!