New projects...

I need a new project like I need another hole in the head. I just quilted up one of my quilts and plan on giving it to someone. It's one of my favorite patterns, but I haven't had the chance to keep one for myself. I've made a couple of them. So this one's for me. A lot of the fabrics are from my Uncle Greg's stash, so that will make it extra special. I miss him. I miss the idea of him sitting there in his chair and quietly sewing the tiniest stitches and cutting his pattern pieces- all with scissors. He would back his templates with sandpaper to keep them from shifting when he traced them. I can see him playing with paints and stamps, making the most amazing patterns. He would email me pictures of his latest completed block, always beautiful. I digress.

Sandy and I cut this one out, last week. She liked the pattern so much, we also cut one out for her. She let me go through her stash and pick her colors out. How fun is that? My favorite part of quilting. Looking through all the beautiful fabric and combining different colors. Hers couldn't be more different than mine. But using the colors from her stash, of course it would be that way. I'm pretty sure I don't own a single pastel. Except the ones she has given me. I really need to branch out from my first inclination. Sometimes we get into a rut, don't we? But I like my rut!

New hair...

Amineta is so proud! As well she should be. The process took hours and hours. She didn't mind getting the twists, but the picking out- now that was just downright painful. It took two sessions to get it all twisted up. The things we girls do to look lovely! Ami looks beautiful when it is a bushy mess, but she is so much happier now that she has hair that "flips."

Currently...

I am trying to get this quilted, this week, so that I can get it bound, next week. It's a wedding gift for a friend from church. I haven't been doing any sewing for quite a while, but I had this one in one of the "to-quilt" bins. Turns out it is in her favorite colors of red, green and brown. Amazing how things turn out like that. So far, I have the top pinned onto the frame and am trying to get the back on. It's a rather large quilt and I have been... distracted. We've had friends and family visiting these past few weeks- with more to come, so the quilting has been lagging- which is all good. People are more important than things. I plan on just meandering so it shouldn't take more than a couple of hours, if all goes well. And I always bind on the machine these days. Fast and easy.

My daughter-in-law is with us this week and we've been enjoying spending time with her. The children adore her- as everyone who meets her does.

The kids and I planted corn and beans in the garden, yesterday. The garden is huge and it amazes me how fast the planting goes with all my "little" helpers. (Five of my children are bigger than I am. How weird is that?) They do almost all of it and I supervise- you know, the hole is too deep, too shallow, you're patting the soil down too firmly, not firmly enough, the rows are too close, too far apart. And finally, great job! And they did do a great job. We'll be getting tomatoes to plant, this weekend. When we returned to the house, Laurie Anne had the TV room all organized and spic and span- no small task. How cool is that? She's also helping with my Bible class projects as I am teaching this quarter. A fun class of 7-9 year olds. The first class is Wednesday and I still have a couple bulletin boards to make. She's been doing laundry- think she's trying to get on my good side? Should I tell her she's always been on my good side? I figure she already knows that. Busy days. Joe is coming for a visit this weekend and will be taking her home with him. Sigh. But we have been blessed so I'm not gonna complain. Much. And we'll have the added bonus of getting to see Joe- always a joy.

And can I just say- what a thrill it is to have some beautiful weather sandwiched in between thunderstorms and rain? Sometimes you forget just how lovely the sunshine can be. The girls and I even weeded the flower garden. Bill took one look at it and asked, 'Were all those flowers already there?" Honestly, they have been. They have just been hidden by weeds for the past couple of years. Blessing can be like that.

Notice the smile...

I don't know if I would have the same expression if I just had my face dragged through the dirt. I know I wouldn't. Kids. It's the start of "swing" season. My kids are acrobatic daredevils. I try not to watch. Their swings are right outside my quilting room- which is surrounded by windows. A constant, "Hey, Mom! Watch this!" Do I have to? Apparently it is important to them that I do. And make all the appropriately moaning and groaning sounds at their daring-do. Lots of the worried Mom routine- it wouldn't be as fun otherwise. I have to keep reminding myself that I used to like doing those kind of things, too. A lifetime ago.




In the sewing room, I've been making hundreds and hundreds of flying geese blocks. I started this project a long time ago and I have been chipping away at it a few at a time. Sarah, now you know why I haven't gotten your birthday blocks done, yet. I know it is just 16 more flying geese, but the very idea makes me nauseous. Did you have to choose that pattern? Sigh. I don't know why I picked out that particular quilt top to make when it required so many of them. A friend suggested that maybe it was like childbirth- you forget how painful it can be! Indeed. Not that they are difficult, but just oh so monotonous after the first 250. But maybe it will be worth it in the end. I am good and sick of it at this point. I can see me giving it away with little regret

Now isn't that a good feeling?

I finally, finally finished that quilt on the frame. It sat there for 7 long months. In actuality, it only took me about a day and a half to quilt. I was delayed. It aggravated my allegies and kinda took the bloom off the rose. I just didn't feel like doing it. It had been so long since I started it, that the bottom is quilted a bit different- but no one will notice but me. And since I don't really care about that, it's a non-issue. The blocks in this quilt were given to me by someone who found out I like old things. Love them. There was a bit of a hitch. They were supposed to be octagons and they were more like circles. That might be the reason they were never put together in a quilt top. The peicing was naive to say the least. There are only a few rare points existing, but with a little finaggling, it all came out in the wash. Speaking of wash... it is in desperate need of one. I figure it has been at least 80 years seen any of these fabrics have seen water. Most of them are from the 1930's, but there's also some shirting from the turn of the century. Some one used a rag bag, no doubt. I need to buy some fabric for the binding. And then it will be ready for the washer and the clothes line and finally rest on my bed. The pictures are blurry because I can't find the battery charger for my camera- had to use my Bloggie. It takes great videos, but doesn't have a flash.

Sissy...

I looked that word up and I had to giggle- "an effeminate man." In our house, we refer to someone as "sissy' when they are extra feminine- a girly girl. Or to a sister. A close sister of the heart. Someone you love. A special term of deep affection.

I got to spend some quality time with my sissies, this past week. One drove down from Lake Michigan and one from West Virginia(where, by the way, if you are a girl, half the waitresses will call you sissy, instead of hon.) We had such a blast. It's been too long since I laughed so hard or played so much. We stayed up late, colored each others hair, painted toe nails, went shopping for good smelling things, clothes and shoes. We cooked- I made desserts, baked beans and a ham, Stephie made some stellar potato salad and Lissy made banana pudding which had the kids drooling. And we talked and talked, constantly. We did regular sissy things. And it was great!

Now the house sure seems quiet. But I can still hear the laughter in every room. I feel like my batteries have been recharged. I have lots of goals on my list of things to do- all of which I'm looking forward to. Painting and sewing and gardening. Even that laundry mountain looks like more fun than usual.

And I have the anticipation of my Sissy from Alabama arriving in just a couple of weeks! She's bringing an entourage of beloved "daughters"- four of them! Can you imagine the fun we'll have? I don't think we'll be doing nails, or hair or too much cooking... but I see thrift shopping, movie watching and more talking and laughing. It's all good. It's all great! Being a sissy is just too much fun.

new cupboards...

There are certain perks to having a husband in the home improvement business. Of course a lot of the time, it's rather like the plumber with the clogged drains and leaky faucet, but when he comes through it's especially nice. Will got a bargain on these oak cupboards. He was disappointed that the ones on the end weren't the same size, but I have really low standards. I think they look just fine. And it leaves a little headroom to put my vintage sewing box.

Sandy was the one with the brilliant idea to hang cupboards on my wall in the quilting room. She's full of brilliant ideas. And an organizational wizard. Me? While I'm pretty good at getting rid of things and letting them go, the getting around to it is a challenge. I have no real inspiration on new ways of looking at the same old space. She's one of the most orderly people I know. Not my forte. I seem to work best in chaos, but I suppose there's such a thing as too much of a good thing. I like neat as well as the next person, I just really hate to stop what I'm doing to achieve that neatness. And a blank canvas can be ... well, a bit of an inspirational downer. Kinda overwhelming, I suppose. The whole, "now what?" feeling. And I'd hate to get all that neatness and orderliness messed up. 'Cause I know it won't be returning to its former state any time soon. Neurotic, I know. But I never claimed sanity as one of my stronger character qualities.

Sandy then helped me sort through all the boxes of cast offs other people had passed onto me. See? I hadn't gotten around to it- didn't even know what was in those boxes. While I may find much of it unsuitable for my needs, I'm also happy to help those people incapable of letting things go unless they imagine those things are in a safe and loving environment. I have no such emotional attachments. Or if I do, they don't last long. There comes a point when blessings can become burdens and its important to know when that point has come. Otherwise you'll end up on that TV show about people who are being buried alive by their stuff. Of course, none of those poor people think they have a problem. And we all have problems we're blind to.

Sandy and I organized my projects. I just hadn't bothered with putting them in a specific place. That would have taken time. So now all the projects are in their own bins. Yes, two bins. But honestly, don't you ever just get tired of working on the same thing, day after day? I know I do. I don't know how people start and finish a project all in one long stretch. The thought simultaneous exhausts and bores me. I love the thrill of starting something and finishing it. The middle part? Well, I enjoy the process, but it doesn't have the same excitement, does it? And finding these stowed projects brings back all the old feelings of anticipation I originally had. Always new and exciting. I like that.

Maybe I should cover that quilt on the frame with a sheet- that way it will seem new when I uncover it. It's a thought. Ah, the games we play. It's been sitting there for a shameful amount of time. Really shameful. Good thing it's one of mine, huh? I could unzipper it and try something else. Nah, I'll get to it when my muse returns. You can see how close I am to the end. The thrill of finishing it is right in front of me. Still ain't feelin' it. Love the quilt, though. The antique blocks were given to me by someone who needed to give them a good home. So glad some one knew when their blessing/burden ratio had been reached!