Something In The Making

Angel Mug Rug

2011-12-09T15:32:00.000-08:00

Isn't this angel adorable, yes!!

Her wings are very lacy looking. She included hearts on her socks. I found her at PLB Designs

I love it when I stitch out a design and it stitches as designed, no problems!

I decided to stitch her out and gift her to a friend. I know she will not see this post until she opens her package, so I am safe. In the digital world, posting of blogs, FaceBook, we could let all our secrets out.

This little project is a crazy quilted mug rug. I have added lace and ribbons with some fancy stitches.

It is a bit larger than I planned at 8 x 10. Before starting I asked Laurie about the things she collected, she answered, "angels"; what is your favorite color, she answered "purple". I think this is just perfect for her. It will look good on her desk while she is at her computer.

I have several more Christmas projects waiting to be photographed and wrapped. It will be awhile before those photo's are posted. I know those guys are in here peeking. Shhhhh, it's the time of year for secrets.

Merry Christmas to all of you

Wild Flower Rhapsody~~~August

2011-08-26T10:19:00.000-07:00

Talk about busy summer months! This sure does explain our house. So many good things happening keeping us busy. It is hard to find time for quilting when the weather is making things grow in the garden, that included the weeds. They seem to grow taller than anything else.

In the beginning of August I was able to cut out this block. It must not of been a good day because I cut two of the fabrics wrong. Doing BOM's there is not room for "do-overs".

I put it aside for a few weeks. My next trip to town I stopped at the quilt shop and asked about matching fabric. There was no luck there. Now a wild goose chase so I could finish the block on time. It is really frustrating when this happens.

We searched the fabrics, walking up and down each isle.....ohhhh cute bee fabric, old cars done in a patriotic theme,.....Christmas fabric everywhere. Come on, lets focus on what we really need.

I did find a floral blue that worked. The little flowers had the same pink hue as the pink used in this block and the greens matched too. You can see this in my HST's. How lucky was that. I was thrilled!

When i returned home to sew the block together I discovered I needed some pink fabric too. My trip to town was not well planned i guess. I went through the scraps I had been saving for this project and came across the lighter pink. There was just enough to complete this. I sewed the darker pink in the center which is what the pattern called for; the lighter pink on the outside.

Next month I will definitely be more careful when cutting. I love this BOM!! The fabrics and colors are wonderful.

Wild Flower Rhapsody for July

2011-07-12T10:24:00.000-07:00

Here is the July Block for Wild Flower Rhapsody.

HST and a 4-Patch. The more I work with the fabrics for this project the better I like it. No new fabrics this month which is the first thing I look for. Lots of tiny ornate flowers. It will not be long and I will be sewing the blocks together.

Crazy Quilting by Machine

2011-07-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

The month of July sure has been a busy one. Summer is finally here and it has me catching up everywhere I look. The grass, weeds, cleaning, painting. Grand kids with birthdays. Get aways! Car shows too.

Last night I escaped into my sewing room to do some machine crazy quilting. July's block is called Queen Anne's Lace. Wow do I ever like it. She is all done up in purples.

Usually my crazy quilting is all done by hand so machine crazy quilting is a new concept for me. I am liking how quickly a block works up.

Next month is dragonflies.

Rhubarb and Huckleberries

2011-07-07T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today's efforts produced jam and a very sticky kitchen. These are made from our rhubarb and huckleberries.

The grand kids have not been around to pluck the huckleberries from all the bushes around here so I claimed them. That was a lot of picking.

There are 14 pints but only 4 are huckleberry. So much for the idea of sending a pint to each of the kids for the grand kids to enjoy. They will have to come for a visit and perhaps grandpa will make them some pancakes to go along with the huckleberry jam.

Yes, I have been in my sewing room. Those pictures will be here later this month. Gifts need to be a suprise!

WildFlower Rhapsody BOM

2011-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

Wildflower Rhapsody BOM June block

2011-06-20T09:58:00.000-07:00

We are home from our annual fishing vacation. We came home to some really wet weather so while catching up with putting things away and laundry I cut out my block and got sewing.

This month two new fabrics were added. Imagine my excitement when I found PURPLE! Not much but I am sure there will be more.

The blocks in this BOM are really"pieced" but I enjoy them. the four patches are cut from 1 1/2 inch strips. The floral's are very delicate and blend so well.

Now I have to admit when I found this BOM online and really hesitated to get involved. I couldn't touch it to make sure the fabrics were nice or know the business I was about to work with. This quilt has been a dream and the instructor has made this so easy for us. She has posted her next BOM to start this fall. There is trouble brewing.....it's tiny sunflowers with bees!

Now to wait for July's block.

Really Rose: Chive Blossom Vinegar

2011-05-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

Living at the base of the biggest mountain around, it seems we always wait for Spring a bit longer than everyone else. It always gets here but after it shows up everywhere else. Spring has so many different meanings for all of us. No matter who you are warmer weather is at the top of your list.

For me, spring means being outside. Being outside, means playing in the dirt or riding in our cars which are older than dirt.

A few days ago we finally had our first day of 70 degree weather. Mowing, weeding and planting were on my list all week. I am still looking at things that have not started sprouting wondering if they are just ignoring the spring weather or if they are upset of the lack of Spring weather and have given up.

I glanced at the rusty old wheel barrow of herbs to see the changes. Yes the Lizard rain gauge is full too! Oh yes, the garlic chives have blossomed. I picked the blossoms off which landed in the compost pile. Meanwhile, Rose, a childhood friend is harvesting chive blossoms. This is a reminder to not throw away gorgeous, purple blossoms anymore.

This link will take you to her blog. Really Rose: Chive Blossom Vinegar

Fabric Finds

2011-05-11T08:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a busy day, the sun was out for a change. What a day!

In the morning I headed out to the local quilt shop for my BOM. I really wanted to stay home and get started outside. I browsed for background fabric for some table mats to quilt up for a birthday gift and the sale rack. You have to visit the sale racks just to see.

I found bee fabric. How did this fabric get in the store and to the sale rack without my knowledge? There is no longer bee fabric in the store but in my stash! Cute adorable bees. Like we needed more bee's hanging out with our hives. At least these bee's we do not have to feed.

What will I make:? So far, I do not know. I have started making small quilts, table runners with bee's for our fall harvest party.

It is a good thing I spent the day in the garden yesterday with our sunny weather. Today is back to normal with dreary wet rain. Mowing will be on the back burner once again...........my sewing machine is needing some attention.

Update on WildFlower Rapsody BOM

2011-04-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

#comment-form#comment-form

Beehive Quilts is posting pictures of our finished blocks. It looks like Gloria and I love the fabric choices.

Since I immediately sat down and started working on my block, emailed the picture in I won for being the first. I am anxious to see what she picks out for my fat quarters. Now to learn to wait patiently.

WildFlower Rapsody BOM

2011-04-13T12:46:00.000-07:00

I did exactly what I said I was not going to do. I joined another BOM I could not resist. All done by mail, no leaving the house which is a great idea with the way gas prices are.

Here is the site where I signed up. As of last week she still had room for 6 sign ups. Wildflower Rapsody
The fabrics are marvelous. Chocolates and pink shades done in fabulous florals.

She has given us a Blogspot to post pictures too! Right now the blog is empty but I am sure we will be fixing that as we sew our blocks.

Here is block 1 for April. There are still fabrics I have not seen but ohhhh look at this yummy color combinations. This block used 7 of the 17 fabrics we will use.

The fabrics are from Timeless Treasures called "Wing and a Prayer".

Now to wait for May's block.

Quilt Video

2011-03-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

Quilt Video by Gayle Thomas

A tribute to patchwork quilting. It is animated so enjoy.
Did you ever wonder how many ways a shape could be used?

Linen Water

2011-02-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

I was recently and frequently on a quilting blog reading about what everyone else is making. I do this with my morning coffee for inspiration. I come up with so many interesting projects to keep me busy.

We were discussing a product we use for sizing/stabilizing our fabrics as we sew. Most of us agreed the products can get expensive. Then a few other ideas started ; home recipes for the same product.

The "best press" made at home recipe was used the most.

1/4 cup vodka
2 cups distilled water
essential oils (lavender, rose or ???)

There was huge discussion on "linen water", and the chemicals we use to freshen rooms and bedding. I started reading about linen water and remembered my grandmother using it. She has a glass coke bottle that had a cork in it that was attached to something that looked like the end of a gardening watering can. Can you remember this?

As far back as ancient Egyptian and Greek times, people used lavender, rosemary, tansy, and other herbs for cleaning.

They freshened their linens by placing fragrant sachets, herbs, and flowers in drawers and closets. Homes were “sweetened” with garlands of lavender and mint.

With this simple formula you can “sweeten” your linens, too, and if you aren’t sensitive to essential oils, even use it to freshen and uplift rooms.

Lavender Linen Water

Sprinkle on sheets or other other linens to freshen.

Spray onto linens before ironing.

1 teaspoon (100 drops) lavender essential oil

5-10 drops peppermint, spearmint or rosemary essential oil (optional)

2 oz. 80+ proof vodka

24 oz. distilled water

Pour essential oils and vodka into a bottle, cap and shake to emulsion.

Mix with distilled water.
The mix will cloud, and eventually separate.
Shake well before each use.

Linen Water

by Natasha Palewandrem

Bring the Mediterranean fields of lavender or the honeyed rose scents of Grasse indoors with your own homemade linen water!

Infuse your linens with the scents of summer bottled to last the whole year. Whether adding a sumptuous touch to bedding, or creating a personalized gift for a friend, these heavenly scents are sure to impress! While linen water can be purchased, it is cost-effective, creative and satisfying to create your own with this ultra-simple plan.
Materials:

Glass or plastic bottles with caps (or spray bottle)
Essential oil (try lavender or rose for traditional scents, jasmine or plumeria blossom for exotic scents)
90 ml non-flavoured, high proof vodka (approx. 3oz)
750 ml distilled water (approx. 25 oz)
Directions:
If you are using a glass bottle, sterilize it with boiling water. If you are using a plastic bottle, pour a little very hot water into your container to rinse it. Let it dry before mixing your linen water.

In the cooled bottle, mix the vodka and 1 teaspoon (5ml) of essential oil together. Close the bottle and shake it well to mix the oil with the alcohol. (The alcohol emulsifies the oil so you will have an evenly mixed solution.)
Add the 750 ml of distilled water to the bottle. Close the container and shake again to mix the scent and the water.
Use your linen water when making the bed, pressing your linens or simply by misting the air to freshen a room. You can also try misting linen water while you are ironing or try adding a little into your dryer while your table linens are drying. You can store your linen water for 6 to 8 months. Cap your bottles tightly and store them in a cool corner to make them last.

HINT: Lavender and rose oils in pure form are safe for use on skin, so your linen water can scent your face cloths, your pillows or even your hairbrush.

(LAVENDER LINEN WATER - Lavender repels moths and smells great.)

I am going to give this a try, as soon as I pick up my essential oils. I am one of those who do not purchase room sprays due to allergens. This just might work for me.

I Found My Fabric~~~~~~~

2010-08-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Like most of us I am always on the quest for fabric. Sometimes it is a color and sometime it is a theme. Well, I have been on that quest for about fours years now for Model T fabric. I was so desperate to make a model T quilt I bought embroidery designs to pacify me. They were fun to do but this fabric is to die for! I bought the last of it; 2 1/2 yards so I have a nice piece to work with. Wonderful Model T's done in every color but the way they made them. I see green, tan, red. Model T's were black so this fabric works for me!!! the fabric is by Timeless Treasures. Now the pattern search begins!!! (and a brush up on picture taking).

This is my car, a 1923 Roadster, sitting along side the road with a vapor lock on a not sunny day. Thank goodness for the guys! Her name is "Lizzie".

This is the 1927 Touring, this one belongs to John. We refer to her as the "Buggy".

Pickles

2010-08-27T14:53:00.000-07:00

Pickles

It is official, I am behind in all my sewing projects. I am so far behind that I still have one BOM that I should of picked up three weeks ago. All I can say is, it is that time of year, summers are just busy. Even though the summer weather is a pit odd out here there are still things in the garden to tend to, and Model T runs to do while the sun is out.

I had been asking and searching around for a recipe for "mustard pickles". My grandmother used to make them. They are hard to find and there was a time I could stock up on them during the holidays. Even that has left me empty handed the last couple of years. Last month I finally got a recipe from a neighbors mother. So he showed up on our doorstep not only with the recipe but a jar of pickles. So this week was pickle making week. There are 13 pints of bread and butters, 10 pints of zucchini pickles, and 14 pints of mustard pickles

that should work huh. Now the kitchen clean up. I have done everything i can do to avoid this, including leaving the house!

Supporting Our Military

2010-08-10T10:16:00.000-07:00

As most of you know I support our military and families whenever I can. I am grateful for them. Without our military there would would be no America as we know it today. Here are a couple of places where help is needed.

Support Our Military with Your Sewing Skills

I urge all of you to find a place in your heart to support our military and their families.
If you read this web page "Soldiers Angels" you will see you can use your sewing, knitting, crocheting skills, maybe you could "adopt a solder". There are over 20 links on the lower right hand side to find a way to support them. Even if you are a non sewer, be a letter writer, send a card, Operation Phone Home, send packages to the wounded at Landsstuhl Germany. Your support is needed.

Do you enjoy your morning coffee? I bet our military would too. I have been doing this faithfully for the last several months. Every Friday morning I send out coffee passes so someone can walk into the coffee shop and have a cup of coffee. Several times I have received an email from someone in Iraq, Germany or Afghanistan. Every email is full of appreciation.

A Cup Of Coffee to Share

Remember, our military and veterans have been there for you. Be there for them.

I am Stitching for Pink

2010-06-02T09:52:00.001-07:00

The Stitching for Pink website needs your help. Every donation that is received goes directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Breast Cancer has touched our lives in one way or another.

Read all the benefits you will receive with this small donation you can make and you will receive much more in return. Digitizers like Janet Sansom - Garrison Graffix - Misty MT & more have committed to donate projects!

Please make your donation today - perhaps the donation YOU make will make the difference in finding a cure:

But a donation gives something far move valuable than money: Hope.

Our Goal is One Million Members by Oct 30, 2010.

Can we count on YOU to be one of those members? Will you click the link,

make a donation and ask your friends to join you? No matter who you honor by doing this, Please do it Today!

Once you choose hope, anythings possible. ~ Christopher Reeve

ATTN: Digitizers wishing to donate a project, place an ad, can contact our

Promotions Director at: mail to sewcraftyme@gmail.com

Baby Sewing

2010-02-12T12:23:00.000-08:00

I have been baby sewing the last few months. We are expecting our eigth grandchild on March 8th. Her name is going to be Kennedi. She will be born in Japan and she will be about 9 months old before we get to see her. Way past that new baby stage. With an older brother and sister I bet her personality is going to be "outgoing".

For each of the grandchildren I have made a quilt. This one is for Kennedi. I am putting it in the mail today in hopes it arrives before she does.

The front of the blanket has the cutest bunnies on it. The center bunny is dressed in a hat and apron surrounded by flowers. This block is hand embroidered.

The back of the quilt is dainty pink rose buds with a creamy yellow background.

The finished size is 55x42 and will be perfect for her crib.

the Lovely Lady Award

2010-01-28T11:59:00.000-08:00

My friend, Susan has given me the Lovely Lady Award.

The rules are simple -

1. Thank the person who gave the award

2. Copy the award

3. Post it on your blog

4. Tell seven things about yourself that your readers don't know.

5. Link recipient bloggers.

6. Notify the winners with comments on their blogs.

7. Keep being awesome!

7 things that my readers don't know -

1. My other car is a 1923 Ford.

2. the last time I was on vacation I was in Japan.

3. I am expecting my eigth grandchild in March 2010.

4. I was a majorette in the high school band.

5. I spent five years as a commercial fisherman.

6. I love to garden and play in the dirt.

7. I fly single engine airplanes.

Here are the bloggers I'd like to link in. You may enjoy visiting their blogs:

1. Gerry

2. Candy

The New Year and New Projects

2010-01-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

Along with the New Year I have started several projects already. I hope I save time for new things I find to do.

I have been baby sewing. One of my brothers is expecting his first grandchild two weeks before our eigth one is born. I have purchased prefolded diapers and put flannel around them for burp clothes and changing pads. I need to embroidery the stack of onsies and finish up both babies quilts which are made from panels.

This is the first year I have joined BOM's. So I picked two. One is black and white 9 inch blocks. The other is blue/green batiks using thangles.

A project just for me too! I have taken a quilt stores challenge using a Crab Apple Hill pattern, Pieces of the Past. An elegrant looking quilt which requires, crazy quilting, embroidery and applique. I loved the pattern and techiques immediately and passed on the project. Another look and I was hooked!

The challenge is easy:

Finish the quilt top by December 2010.
Hang the quilt top in the store
Quilt store customers will be voting for a favorite.
Then a prize is involved.

Three new projects and I have not even been to the Sewing Expo yet! Maybe a long winter should be ordered. Look for updates on all my sewing projects as they are completed. COMPLETE is the key word here.

Dresden Plate Pattern

2009-12-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

Most of you know, I surf the web~~~~ a lot!

Today I would like to share a quilting web site. Angie has a pattern posted for Dresden Plate Coasters. It is a PDF file for downloading. Dresden plates are easier than you think and work up.

Link to my Dreden Plate Projects: Stephanie's Quilt

Other things to check out on her site: Freebies
Membership
Newsletter

Enjoy this fun site as I did

Happy New Year

2009-12-29T08:32:00.000-08:00

Enjoy this special time of being with family and friends and cherish the

true treasures in your lives. Don't forget to tell those you love that you

love them because there is no time like the present.

Do something nice for a stranger, extend kindness and forgiveness to

someone else because of what is in your heart and not theirs, demonstrate

tolerance of another point of view because none of us is the almighty

and none of us is all knowing, and lead a child by good example in what

you say and do so that the next generations can indeed inherent an earth

worth inheriting.

Extend loyalty as always to your friends, charity to all, and to yourself,

extend the respect you deserve.

Anyone up for a New Handbag after the First of the Year?

2009-12-21T11:01:00.000-08:00

Henrietta's Handbags I Belong to a caazy quilting group (no not a group of crazy ladies) and came across this site. I had to share it with all of you.

Save this link if you are wanting that new purse for yourself. Give yoruself a treat after finishing all the hours of christmas sewing.

When the hustle and bustle makes way for calmer days, treat yourself.

A Special Gift

2009-12-21T08:09:00.000-08:00

November was a very different month for our family. Both of us were sick for several weeks and a very close family member was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Breast Cancer. It was a very emotional time while desicions had to be make as the gamot of medical tests were done.

Stuck at home, I went to my sewing room and pulled fabrics, thinking I was sorting. I came out with a group of fabrics and announced I was making a quilt for the patient and it was to be done before any surgeries. Now I was on a mission. This was November 12th.

Our families decided to have Thanksgiving together, so that date became the day she would recieve this. I chose the Dresden Plate pattern I had been doing as table runners. I made 12 plates placing 4 lengthwise and 3 across. Adding the borders made it twin size. I needed to work quickly and time allowed for everything to go just perfect.

This picture is a closeup of the peices that make up each plate. They are topstitched to the block with a feather stitch. The center circle is hand stitched in place.

The border of the quilt was done in a patchy fabric bringing the colors together. The actual quilting was done by machine which saved me a lot of time. I placed double hearts in between the plates and stitched around the blocks of the border.

Now it is almost Christmas and I have her pillow case done. I used all the same fabrics and chose to use french seams. The fabric on the end of the pillowcase, purple roses isthe same fabric use to back the quilt. It is going in the mail this afternoon so she has it before her second Chemo treatment.

A Special Lady is so deserving of a special gift.

Pocket Pal Donations

2009-12-18T09:57:00.001-08:00

Aren't they just adorable. Here is the link to a machine embroidery site Swak Embroidery .
Watch the video on how to make these adorable In-The-Hoop Pocket Pals for the little ones to cuddle up with.

The real reason I am bringing this up is the pattern is free to download. They are sending them to the military saying, "I support you".

I encourage you to download the file and send the Pocket Pal to your military families.

Last Minute Gifts!!!

2009-12-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

I received an email from my favorite quilt shop about making last minute gifts.
The headline was: 10 Minute Table Runner and Coasters Too! My thought's were: no way, now just how hoaky is that. Meanwhile, my other hand was sending an email to them signing up! Now I had to see this.

The table runner has four seams. Yes, that is it. Sew a tube, turn it inside out, sew the short sides and flip for a point. No batting no sandwiching to quilt it. I love it and it is very decorative. It actually took more than 10 minutes-classroom setting.

The project was the coaster. We purchased assorted Christmas prints, which were on sale!
They ran them through the Accurate Cutter into 5 inch squares. It took 5 squares per coaster. When they are properly stacked your sew all along the outside edge, turn them inside out and poof a coaster. I am sure many of you have made these, they fit nicely around stem ware too. The fabrics were festive and will be fun for gift giving.

Until then, stay warm!!! All week long we have had single digit cold weather. Max and Fritz ask to go out, but when I open the door they run and hide! Does that tell you anything? When it warms up i guess it will snow for me.

Do You Ever Purchase More Than One of Something?

2009-11-12T10:41:00.001-08:00

I do, especially when it comes to the grand kids. Rule of thumb is, If this granddaughter will like this item the next one is how old and almost ready too! See easy to justify the concept.

A few years ago I made this same tooth fairy pillow for my oldest granddaughter. This one is for Elizabeth. It is sad to say but I do not have one of these for the next granddaughter who is 4. I should probably rethink how I justify my concepts.

Something In The Making.....a simple piece of fabric: Holy Cow it's a Blog!!

2009-10-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

Something In The Making.....a simple piece of fabric: Holy Cow it's a Blog!!

Holy Cow it's a Blog!!

2009-10-28T09:50:00.000-07:00

I finally found my blog.....not really but life has been crazy. I am still vertical and breathing in air.

We vacationed for three weeks in Japan, cleaned out my MIL house where she lived for 50 years and signed final papers on the sale this month, all new windows in our house, plus a BRAND NEW ONE over my sewing desk, upgraded my car to a 4WD, added another Model T to our collection. Whew!

Okay, yes, I have been adding and using fabrics and thread. Now that the nights start so early I have started a hexagon quilt by hand. Very scrappy for all those odds and ends I have kept. I took a quilting class on Dresden plates. Wow! This is so simple and pictures will be up soon, well as long as I do not loose my blog again :)

I always have my eyes out for great gift giving projects and found a couple of great sites I would like to share.

Here is the "Moda Bake Shop" . I have this linked to a hexagon quilt and Dresden plate projects. Both of these are projects that jog warm memories from my past. Finally, I am taking that memory to a reality.

Calico quilt has a list of the fabric suppliers all on one page for us. Browse the links and find all sorts of quilt patterns. Grab your coffee.....no grab the coffee pot, take your time.

Happy sewing everyone

Red Hat Ladies

2009-08-19T10:08:00.000-07:00

Time has just been flying by around here. What have I been doing? Keep up, slaying all the dragons getting in our way.

My weed pile is getting taller, and already turning into dirt, it's a good thing. I will reuse all this dirt next year in the garden.
I even have more weeds growing. Speaking of gardens, I have really fed the Elk this year. They had a smorgasbord out here and have ended up with more goodies than we did.

This week I dusted off my sewing machines and embroidered some gifts for a friend leaving work and becoming a full time snow bird. She is a red hatter so she will add these items to her collection. The next step is to make my base so I can crazy quilt them to the red bag. The RW needs a tassel on the bookmark.

Time to hurry they need to be done by Saturday. In times like this, why do I rush myself???????????? If anyone is interested, this link will take you to the "Red Hat Ladies". Would you believe that they were freebies!

Our Family

2009-06-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

I will be back blogging soon. Everything has come to a screaming halt around here. Please visit our family page for more information.

New Crazy Quilting Group

2009-04-29T07:33:00.001-07:00

I am leaving this information on my blog so that all of you can check out the new "Crazy Quilting" group. Many of us belong to several but hopefully you will have the room or time to join one more.

This group is new, swaps 8 1/2 inch blocks which are randomly swapped. Most of the members have embroidery machines. Do not let that scare you away if you do not have an embroidery machine.

In the past, I have completed all of my crazy quilting by hand. I am learning a new concept here, making the block using my embroidery machine. It should save me some time.

Come on in and join the creativity.
Use this link to find us: "Crazy Quilting"

34 Matching Blocks

2009-03-21T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am just coming in to show you what I have been doing with my sewing machine.

I signed up for a swap and the only rules were 12 1/2 inches and something to do with floral.

Oh now doesn't that open a lot of ideas for most of us. My first step was to rummage through my stash to see what I had. It was my lucky day and I found three matching fabrics. There was a solid one too so I wanted to find a small embroidery design to use.

My first attempt at cutting was a disaster and I panicked that I would not have enough fabric for 34 blocks. Back to the thinking block and this is the pattern I came up with. When I started recutting my fabrics it dawned on me that the kids were coming home from Japan on leave, staying at our house..........yikes.....cancell the swap.

I stuck it out made 34 matching blocks without embroidery. A blank solid piece of fabric will call out to anyone with an embroidery machine. I was being nice and didn't know it, wasn't I.
These go out in the mail Monday so I am not late.

I have to to run. The stuffed turkey is in the oven, six of the seven grandbabies are here. One is sick on the couch. Oh, and one of the three grandfirbabies is here. A couple of the dads and DH are at the gun show (hope they bring me home a surprise). Man, I should of gone to the gun show and left the cooking to all the girls.

Gracie Pants

2009-03-06T11:26:00.001-08:00

Gracie is in need of new pants so I purchased a couple of pair for her. She will be here to spend the weekend with us so I thought I thought I would get these ready for us. The embroidery is done over the outside seam area.

The first step was to be brave enough to cut the jeans from one inseam to the other. Yikes, I hope these go back together.

I combined several modular flowers and a heart I had collected, combined them into one design from my computer. The next step was to stitched it on the jeans.

The design ended up being 9 x 5 inches; a bit larger than I wanted. While I was at it and both legs were open I stitched the same design on the other leg even though they sit differently. A 3-year-old will never tell and neither will you.

Helping Animals in Need

2009-02-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Many of us have or have had the best furbaby in the world. We make sure they are fed, bathed, and a warm place to sleep. Cuddle with them on the easy chair each night.

There are those furbabie's who are not so fortunate. Maybe they are living in kennel, or your local Humane Society. They could be rescued by someone while they wait for another home. These are sad places for them to be. We would not let our family members live this way.

there are many needs for Kennels and Humane Societies and rescue homes. Food being one item. I came across this blog with the instructions and pattern for making dog beds. There is a flat one for inside a crate and a round one for a smaller dog.

I am going to make a couple of the flat ones for crates and donate them to our local Humane Society. Please, each of you do the same. A couple of these would make a big difference no matter where you live.

Here is the link: http://shelterbeds.blogspot.com/

Information on OED

2009-02-11T13:42:00.000-08:00

There are many easily identifiable symptoms of OED. Having any or all of the known symptoms is cause for concern. Generally, if you suffer from more than three of the symptoms listed below, you are suffering from this disorder and should seek help. These are just some of the known symptoms of OED. There are many more, some of which have yet to be identified. Further symptoms will be added to the list as they are discovered.
You suffer from OED if you:

Would never dream of leaving the house without wearing embroidery
Named your embroidery machine(s)
Have actually read all or part of your machine manual(s)
Think two embroidery machines is still not enough
Have more embroidery designs than recipes
Cooking has become foreign to you
Belong to more than three online embroidery groups
Think nothing of ripping out seams in garments so you can embroider on them
Have more embroidery thread than your racks will hold
Spend more time with your machine than your family
Have been surprised to learn that you have three kids living at home, not two
Think Technicolor refers to thread charts
Are trying to figure a way to embroider your car seats
Never hear the phone ring because your machine is running
Turn your machine on before the coffee pot every morning
Never turn your machine off
Ask for stabilizer instead of jewelry for your birthday
Try to convince your law enforcement friends that bullet proof is not good
Think sewing just one design on a garment is a sign of weakness
Envision your living room carpet as an interesting fill stitch pattern
Look inside garments in stores to see what stabilizer was used
Can't wait until your spouse leaves town so you can embroider all night
Look for R/A or Pantone color numbers on cans of house paint
Think of dust bunnies as household pets
Design monograms in the dust on the coffee table with your finger
Never give a gift without having embroidered on it first
Can't relax to sleep unless the machine is running in the background
When visiting, you drive instead of flying so you can take your supplies

I ran across this from another site. I thought I would post it here so all of us could feel better about.......OED. It's not my fault.

When Will Spring Arrive

2009-02-09T07:15:00.001-08:00

Many of of us are looking for signs of "SPRING". Winter has been hard for everyone. There have been floods and outrages snow storms with ice.

I bundled up for the mid-30 temperatures to talk a walk around in my garden areas yesterday, peeking for any sign the season would change soon. I was in luck, the crocus's are coming up and the daffodils are showing too. They are almost 2 inches tall right now. The weeds are already sprouting pretty pesty greens. They are hard to pull when the ground is frozen.

Soon, soon we will have warmer weather so the flowers can bloom and more weeds can grow.

I even see the fruit trees showing off new buds. I am sure this will attract the Elk.
This weekend is Valentine's Day. However, you want to celebrate it make it a special day. It can be as simple as some favorite cookies in a packed lunch, a special desert after dinner, or a card of appreciation for someone, an email to someone you do not hear from often, or a phone call. This is where random acts of kindness fit in. Do something different make it special.

A Garden Vest

2009-01-22T07:51:00.000-08:00

How often do we sit down with a project and it is something we are making for someone else?
I think this happens more frequently than not.

this time I decided to take my yard vest and jazz it up. I found this wonderful design and decided it needed to be done for me.

I had decided not to embroidery through the entire vest because it is lined with fleece and too thick. So I sewed a patch and attached that to the vest. I secured it by appliqueing it to the vest. There is silk ribbon all the way around tied with delicate french knots. I hung a small heart charm from the top at the base of the bow.

I am sure these cute gals will help me garden don't you!

I would appreciate it if you took a moment to click this link for me.
http://www.DesignsBySiCK.com/?pointsfor=rainagade

I frequently check this site for embroidery designs. Okay, I am doing this daily, hourly, by the minute, whatever the mood brings.

There is a points system for receiving points on this site. By clicking this link I get to collect points to purchase embroidery designs. It is my way of cutting down the funds I spend on fabrics and thread. So please be kind and help me! All of your clicks would be greatly appreciated!

Another Pineapple Express Comes Through

2009-01-09T12:27:00.000-08:00

I know that my blog is about my sewing projects, then I creep into the family entries also.
Today I am showing you something a bit different.

I live in the Pacific Northwest in a rural area. I have a fondness for the quiet places to walk and what I see. There are not two days alike out here; especially when it comes to weather. This week our weather pattern has been to referred to as the Pineapple Express. This means our weather comes from the Hawaii area and heads to Washington. It causes the rain to hit the area like a train! The week before the area was covered with snow. The warmer temperatures melt the snow in the lowlands and causes snow melt on the mountain. When the rains hit us this way, and we have the snow melt that means a lot of water for our lakes and rivers.

About 24 hours into the storm they called for an evacuation of 2 small towns. Roads became unassailable in the outline areas. This included my area. A small river runs through our property and it also over flowed. I have never seen this river this high.

The picture above show where two logs have disappeared. These logs were the beginning of the path that followed the river and was part of my morning walks. This is at the north end of our property.

These two pictures are of the south end and show where the river has come over its banks. We are the last house before you come to the lake. The lake also crested and over flowed its banks closing the last road we had access of. If you think about it we had become an island. These pictures also look to the lake.

The lake is "just" around the corner. I was hoping that the pictures would show the white caps and you could see how fast the water is moving. The sound of rocks rolling under the water.
Now we will be waiting for the river to recede back to normal and see what path it takes. There will probably be a new normal for our river.

The New Year

2008-12-31T10:33:00.000-08:00

I hope this finds all of your New Year celebration happy, wholesome and safe.
May your resolution be successful all the way to 2010.

It is time to find the controls to our sewing machines, reach into those stashes, hit the quilt stores and push the buttons to go! Get those new projects going.

With that note I have found a few hours this afternoon to do just that!

Happy New Year from the Pacific Northwest.

Fairie Wall Hanging

2008-12-29T08:46:00.001-08:00

This is a wall hanging I made for my grand daughter. The final measurements are 45 inches square. The four outside fairies are seasonal fairies. I needed five stitch out's so on a quest I went. The center one I am calling the "Grand mom". The four floral blocks are also fairies but it was hard to capture that in a picture. There is a border of matching flowers for the fairies to hide in and a border of fairy wings.

The next pictures are blurry but it was too late for me to retake them. I rushed to get this wrapped and shipped to Japan on time for Christmas Day. I will have to wait for good photo's at the other end. Besides, I am missing a closeup of one of the blocks. That is what I get for being in a hurry.

I Revised My Tree Skirt

2008-12-23T13:08:00.000-08:00

A great project for all snowmen and gingerbread lovers.

This photo shows the center embroidery I stitched for the center motif. The fill stitched snowman ladies dressed up for the weather. Underneath a "Merry Christmas" greeting. On each side is rework snowmen families posing for a photo.

Then on the left side are single red work snowman with a gingerbread friend done in fill stitches.

The right side shows two addition rework snowmen with another gingerbread friend.

When the tree skirt was completed I placed it under the tree for the final picture.

The fabric i used for this is two sided quilted fabric with bias tape to finish the edges. I did that part of the tree skirt many years ago but placed bears and poinsettia's on it with wonder under. The edges were coming up here and there and this is the make over. The snowmen and ladies are stitched on various scraps of tone-on-tone white and off white fabric, Then I hand stitched them on with red pearl cotton using the button hole stitch.

Since I started machine embroidery I have purchased many designs from different digitisers and collected free designs along the way. The filled snow ladies were a Christmas gift.

The red work snowmen I have collected come from this site. Right now I have collected each one of them. This week there is a new one every day! Oh what fun, since I love snow and that includes snowmen. http://www.charmingstation.com/ Oh what fun it is!!!

Another embroidery site I visit way too often is http://www.DesignsBySiCK.com/?pointsfor=rainagade
They offer free designs that stitch out easily and as professional as the designs you purchase. If you are in need of embroidery designs check them out. I am addicted to this site.

Merry Christmas to all. May all of you have a warm and safe holiday celebration.

Our Model T Quilt

2008-12-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last fall I finished our Model T quilt. The fabric was not my first choice but hunting for fabric with Model T's on it was only adding to my stash. That was not productive. The car is open on the sides, without windows and no heater. The engine does supply some heat coming through the floor.

I made the quilt large enough to cover the both of us and if I lay it just right the heat from the engine circulates under the quilt. The quilt is very warm and does the trick.

This is the motif in the light blocks. It is actually a piece of redwork I wanted to use. the design really pulled the quilt together and was done with my embroidery machine.

The rework motifs are directional. All of the motifs on the left point to the center and the right side does the same. The top and bottom of the quilt have two going in each direction.

This is my first attempt at printing on fabric too. There are four printed pictures in the center of the quilt. Right, left, front and back. The picture of the back has Max and Fritz in the small trunk.

The very center block has our name and location with a banner. The year and model of the car is within the banner. Again, done on the embroidery machine.

The quilt was made to keep us warm but also is rugged enough to really be used. You see, even though I had not been posting I was busy in the sewing room.

Lizzie' s Bees

2008-12-10T12:46:00.000-08:00

It has been called to my attention that I have been the absent blogger. I do have to admit that i have thought about my blog. This is does not count though. More on this in a minute.

Lizzie's Bees!! I have been working on this for the last year and when October rolled around I felt successful. We are beekeepers and had just harvested our first batch of honey. Lizzie's Bees
was named after our model T, a 1923 Ford. This is also my label on our honey jars. Yes, that is our Lizzie there. When John and I looked at each other and said "Lizzie's Bees" we knew it was right. There is a web site for Lizzie's Bees but no shopping cart. The site shows you the process from the hive to honey.

The sad part about all of this is my health. This week I am told that I can not get stung anymore. I can wear my bee suit and all the garb and I am still capable of getting stung. I now need to carry an "epi pen" with me at all times. I have been stung many times and had no reaction to the sting. As time has gone on I developed an allergic reaction which worsened with each sting. The next time I get stung could be the fatal one. There are literally millions of people who deal with this situation. It is now a category which I have joined. I am no longer able to assist with the feeding and carry for our hives. I will need to rely on John and pictures for updates.

The bee's have been removed from the property. Not because of my allergies but due to a bear tearing up the hives. The bear tore apart the hives and strung frames all over the area. Bee's do not like temperatures under about 45 degrees and it was in the mid 30's here. The bee's will literally kill themselves trying to keep warm which is impossible with they are outside the hive this time of year.

The first time the bear arrived we put it back together loosing half of the population. The second time the bear came and had a repeat performance we lost more bees. This is when we removed the hives about 3 miles away. The bear has returned but I snicker thinking we tricked him. I can tell when he is around, Max and Fritz get fidgety and nervous.

Needless to say, that with the bear around my 30-40 Krag is loaded and by the door. I do not go outside, nor do Max and Fritz unless I search the back yard. I called some friends who are hunters to come out and take care of this bear but hunting season ended November 15th. I contacted the game department and this situation does not qualify for a "nuisance permit". I wonder if this bear knows this?

Oh ya, this is my sewing blog. I almost forgot. Yes, I have been sewing when my health permits me to actually do something. I have changed my style of sewing with the use of the embroidery machine I purchased this time last year. I have taken photo's of the things I have made but they must be stuck in my computer. Or, when I was thinking about my blog they did not miraculously appear on my blog. What was I thinking!!

With this posting, I will promise to be alive and participate the best I can.

More Fishing Grannies

2008-04-25T14:18:00.001-07:00

It's the end of April I am getting ready for that annual fishing trip. The weather still has me inside most of the time so my machine is still hard at work.

In a previous post I had showed you my new fishing shirt. This fishing shirt is done for another one of the ladies that always goes too. I had to have her try on her shirt so make sure of the fit. She knows I am up to something but is used to me doing this.

Please note, on her shirt I did not give her a fish, nor did I put any line on her pole! Yes, I did this on purpose. Let's see if she notices. She does have red hair so I tried to do that. It's a bit on the orange side so maybe it was a bad dye job!

I purchased these embroidery designs on line at Julia's Needle Designs. She has so many "grannies" to choose from. She camps, she......check them out

Our Daffodil Parade

2008-04-12T13:13:00.000-07:00

The clouds disappeared and we hit nearly 80 degrees. Our Spring Fling was getting under way in real Spring weather.

Every April the county has a "Daffodil Festival". There are several towns involved and all the parade entries go from town- to-town like it was a new day and a new parade. Our town is involved and the last town. The weather usually does not cooperate but delivers buckets of rain, hail and snow. This year was different. After having our high temperatures in the mid 40's the This was just for the day though because our current weather has not been above the mid 50's.

Most of you know that this winter we purchased a 1923 Ford, Model T. We were asked to bring "Lizzie" to the parade and escort an "Honarary Daffodilian". She is a personal friend of ours so we were delighted to do this for her. Lizzie does not have a heater or side windows which made me worry about keeping her warm. Who would know we did the parade with the top down!

What a great excuse to gather a few girlfriends to come up with ideas. Then the shopping and put decorations together.
It was a great day sun and everything! I mean sunglasses, no long sleeve shirts or coats.

The Seafair Pirates were around too and look who i met~~~~ haeee heeee!!! Way too much fun and such a long day. Do not ask because I am not admitting to anything!

Before I forget, and while I have "Lizzie" pictures out, look at this last photo closely. In between the front tires is a piece of embroidery I stitched up quickly. The name on it is the new business we have started. The product will be honey-pure and natural. the product will be ready this fall after harvest.

I am still working on my logo but this piece of stitchery has the main idea displayed. Now to change all this from .emb files to .jpegs. I can do it, I just need to find some more time.

We decided to call the business "Lizzie's Bee's" because the nickname for a Model T is "Tin Lizzie". If you would like to know more about this use this email and I will get back to you about our products. lizzies_bees@aldrichclan.com.

Fishing Grannie Stitch Out

2008-04-04T10:14:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone!

It has been sometime since I have been to my blog posting. Right now, chances are I will still be behind the eight ball as far as posts. This is a busy time of the year out here AND I am getting ready for that annual fishing trip.

This year we are doing things a little different. It's an easy one, we increased our vacation time! I may have a problem with laundry for this trip which is easily solved by some pre-shopping before vacation time. I know, so sad huh!

Did you notice the picture on the right? I found her on Julia's Needle Designs
She does a fantastic job of digitizing these embroidery files with all of these 'Grannie's" doing ungrannie like things. So perfect for me. Today Julia came out with a Grannie sitting but the campfire......she would look great too!

I purchased several chambray shirts and will be using this design for the "grannies" in our fishing group. I will change the hair color and the color of the shirts to match each Grannie who receives a shirt. The colors in this stitch out are perfect for me. Notice the purple pole and don't forget the makeup! I never go anywhere without my hair done and makeup on. Those are the rules, even when I am fishing.

Time for me to run off again, the yard is calling me today.

Becky:s Trout

2008-02-10T12:48:00.000-08:00

On Super Bowl Sunday John and I invited our friends over. John and Becky are part of the group that head out for our yearly fishing every spring. If something is happening at our house they are usually included. Becky and I planned dinner and snacks for the guys for the football game and we were set.

I asked Becky if she watches football and she put that look on her face. I asked her to grab a couple of shirts and bring them and we would play with my embroidery machine. Becky had worked in embroidery for several years before her illness hit her hard. Both of us were excited.

After browsing through my numerous embroidery files she found this fish which would fit perfectly on the denim shirt she brought over. It is the perfect design for her too.

She picked out the color choices and they do show nicely. She promised to bring the shirt to our yearly "fish out" in May.

Who says Super Bowl Sundays are a bad thing!

My Daughter's Lap Quilt

2008-02-04T09:00:00.001-08:00

Another finished quilt. Sometimes we just have too many projects going at once. Hurray! Another one is finished.

I had purchased this material to make myself a lap quilt. The same day my daughter arrived and fell in love with the fabric. What! I am thinking it is not even her standard color choice.She only likes anything blue.

I decided to show her a few patterns thinking she would get bored and forget about the fabric. Noooooo, she finds this pattern and decides which fabrics go next to each other and lays it all out!

When the weekend is over I race back to the fabric store to make sure I can get more yardage. I needed to make this larger than i had planned for her and her family AND make sure there was fabric enough for me. Thank goodness the quilt shop had enough for my plan. I needed to still decide what to do for the backing but i would deal with that later. The quilt is almost twin size, I wanted to make this large enough for her and the three kids to snuggle under with popcorn and movies; and yes washable.

As you can see, our "Princess" borrowed the quilt to watch a movie before the quilt left the house. She is actually not feeling well and watching a movie. Can you tell the "Princess" loves band aids! I have a feeling that my daughter will have a hard time snuggling under this quilt by herself!

The floral fabric in this quilt is a reproduction fabric. It was definitely a surprise that I was able to match it up with modern fabrics. Especially when you are matching purples and pomegranate colors. The backing is hodge podge matching colors. The quilting is stitch in the ditch.

I still have enough yardage to make myself a quilt but that project is on the back burner. I have carried too many unfinished projects into the first of the year and need to have those completed before moving on.

This is an entirely different topic........ BUT........ Jodi, the person who the quilt belongs to and Clay in the previous post hold "King Cole" are twins. There is no way they are alike.

"King Cole"

2008-01-23T16:44:00.000-08:00

I do not know what is taking me so long to put "King Cole's" pictures on this blog. I sure have looked at them enough. It is a good thing i am not touching them, the edges would already be worn away.

Cole arrived January 8, 2008 at 8:01 pm. Here he pictured with his dad. They are taking a few minutes to get to know each other. This is Clay and Heather's first baby.

The second picture of Cole is taken when he was 12 days old. I did not put him down the entire time we visited.
As you can see mom and dad are taking good care of him. Cole was at the birthday party of his oldest cousin, Louie. They are born on the same day. I hope Louie continues to stay excited about this.

Cole and his parents live 3 hours away from us. Right now it seems so far away. I am making arrangements to take a run north to stay a few days. I will work on talking mom into leaving us alone.........

The Gracie Quilt

2008-01-03T06:46:00.000-08:00

Another quilt is finished. I call this one "The Gracie Quilt". In my sewing group we were talking about how most of us stashed fabric in every nook and cranny. One of the ladies pulled out some boxes of fabric and laying on top was this gorgeous purple fabric. I immediately grabbed the top piece. I looked at her with big eyes, and please do not make me put this fabric back. As wonderful as she is I was fortunate enough to come home with the this fabric. She had had this fabric for about 10 years. I was feeling so very lucky!

This fabric has a cream background with little girls with Blondie hair all standing in the same direction. She is in a purple polka dotted dress, 60's style with white socks and black patten leather shoes. Above each girl is the name "Gracie". This happens to be the name of our youngest grand daughter. Here she is on Christmas with her new blanket.

At the age of 2, she can not read and it was a blanket. This is where reality set in, I was more excited about this quilt and our little Miss Gracie has no idea.

The quilt is not pieced. It was November when I received the fabric which meant I was in a time crunch, There was still other projects to finish.

I had a yard and a half of "Gracie fabric" so I only framed this fabric with a single border. Simple.

I did do some different things as far as quilting. Remember the embroidery machine? I had downloaded several quilting motifs and used a simple circle within a circle pattern to quilt this. It left a flower design on the back which shows up nicely. I wanted a simple design so that it did not distract from "the Gracie's" on the front. There are also strings of random hearts on the border and a single heart in each corner.

This closeup shows her name above each little girl. Now you know why I could not resist.

More Machine Embroidery Projects

2007-12-20T15:02:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more embroidered towels I have done up for holiday gifts. The snowman design is the product of some digitizing i am learning to do. I used two different pictures and combined them. Then I added the words "Let It Snow Bunches For Me".

This one is being sent to my mom because she loves Max and Fritz and knows that when the weather calls for snow I am impatiently waiting, watching.

There is also a "Taz" lover in the family. This is the same artwork we found to have painted on the tail gait of the truck. It will now be in her kitchen! Perfect colors don't you think! I do.

I have a wallet and purse started but have put them away to finish up a couple of quilts that need to be completed and put under the tree. Photo's will be here soon.

New Things To Do

2007-12-17T01:35:00.000-08:00

For many years I have wanted an embroidery machine. When I was making clothing for the kids i thought that little duckies or trains on the outfits would be so cute. Time went on and the embroidery machine did not appear.

Here it is a good 3o years later and I finally brought one home. This time when i went shopping the criteria was a bit different. I now wanted one that I could connect to my computer for digitizing. That brought the price up!

The first thing I did was open up everything and just look and read. Now the big question was, "What do I do with all of this?" I grabbed a few unused kitchen towels and surfed the Internet for designs to sew. I found the coffee cups, added some words and poof! Embroidered towels.

Wow just by pushing buttons too! Here is a closeup of the design I made.

What fun and what is next! I will keep you posted. The sad part is now I look at the bins of hand embroidery thread and worry it will collect dust.

It is the Christmas season, lets see how many gifts I can make.

Family Day

2007-12-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Anyone that knows us knows that we usually go several weekends in a row with family spending the weekends with us. This past weekend was no different. Well, just a little; it snowed for the grand kids and what fun they had!

If you notice by the outfits they were not prepared for this. Oh well, Nanna said lets go play and that they did.

The older boys had to leave Sunday to be at school on Monday so the girls thought they were the lucky ones this time since they got to stay behind a few more days.

Meanwhile, my sewing sits and waits. Soon I can post a few pieces of sewing from my new embroidery machine. I will be back soon, I still have Christmas sewing to do.

1923 Model T "Tin Lizzy"

2007-11-13T14:16:00.000-08:00

As you can see we brought this home with us. We could not resist her. She is commonly known as "Tin Lizzy"; she is a 1923 Model T. She looks good and there are very few things missing. We drove her home most of the way. We do not know what happened, but it is a FORD.

We ended up calling a friend who came with a trailer, loaded her up and put her under cover at home before the rain began.

After everyone went home John went out to start her and she started right up. Sounds like she is in need of a tune up. He has all winter to make sure she is in perfect shape for summer. I like the idea of when I leave I can make it home!

Holiday Ideas for Our Troops

2007-11-05T09:41:00.001-08:00

The holidays are approaching us quickly. As is Veterans Day which is November 11th. I would like to encourage each of you to support a Veteran in "your way".

Here are just a few ideas on where your supportis needed.

I am making lap quilts for this group American Hero Quilts
They do not have to be fancy or just red, white and blue. If you don not have time to quilt a donation of fabric will also help. This group also makes quilts for children who have lost a parent. This group is in my area of Washington. Wounded soldiers who recieve these laps quilts are from the four bases we have in the area along with the Veterans Hospital.
Donna, a quilter makes quilts for the group Quilts of Valor
They find the wounded through military chaplains at military and VA medical centers throughout the US, Europe and in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You can find soldiers in any branch of the service at Any Soldier Here you can find a list of acceptable items any soldier would like to receive. You are able to pick a specific branch of the military if you have a favorite. It can be something as simple as a box of cookies, lip gloss, baby wipes, reading material, food items. Believe me, they are grateful for any items received.
When you are making out your Christmas card list this year, also include one for the following address:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

While you are preparing for your holidays please reach out and thank our military.

Our New Baby's Quilt

2007-11-01T13:04:00.000-07:00

I have not taken care of my blog lately. I do have a list of reasons" for not being around most of which are family related. There have been weddings, bon voyages, kids moving in and out, the dreaded "Super Bug", a broken foot, and kennel cough for Fritz. For now, everything seems to be at a dull roar.

I have managed to make this baby quilt for our new grandson due mid-January 2008.The entire top of the quilt is made with fabrics from my stash. The blocks of jungle animals are left over from a quilt that I had made for my oldest grandson who will be 12 in January. You see we really do dig into that stash we stuff in all the nooks and crannies.

The second picture is a close up which includes the backing. The backing is a leafy pattern. The parents are decorating the baby's room in "camo". When fabric shopping I could not find anything in the "camo" category that inspired me.

The quilt will be gifted November 18th at the shower.

Who Loves Beans?

2007-08-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows that during the summer I spend most of my time outdoors. There are lots of weeds around here.

This is the picture of the garden for this year. The tomatoes are as high as the corn. On the far right are two posts, that support the beans. The posts are 7 feet tall. That will give you a good idea how well things have grown.

The garlic and onions are ready to be pulled and dried. After a few days of sun they will be picked.

Here are the beans that grew. So far we have just been eating and sharing them. I do need some for winter so I like to can them.

Max and Fritz love beans too! You can not go to the garden without them. They even know which rows the beans are.

Applique` Table Runner

2007-08-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

I have not been a faithful blogger over the summer months. No excuses, other than it's summer and I have been spending the majority of my time outdoors and entertaining family. Okay, I will be honest! I have been doing way too much partying! Having way too much fun. First was the wedding, then the "bon voyage" party for our son's family. Last weekend was a "ho down"......ever been to a ho down? It was a first for me. Lots of hay bales for seating. Backwoods cowboy hats and live music! Including the whole pig being roasted on a spit and great friends down by the river! Just picture redneck!

Now back to the right subject.....quilting.

My quilting has been set a side during the summer months too. The one thing I have kept up with is the quilting group. We have switched from Monday to Thursday evenings to accommodate those that work. It is working out time wise but we sure don't get as much sewing done.

We are just finishing up on our applique projects. We wanted to learn needle turn applique technique. As usual we worked the same pattern but choose our own fabrics. Here is a closeup of the applique section.

The entire project is done in red's with roses. Even the off white has tone on tone roses bus should still be appropriate for the holidays. The runner unfinished is 18.5 x 30.

This picture shows the fabrics I used. Yes, it's all pinned and secured for quilting, but first a trip to town for a making pen. After this I will bind it using the green leaf fabric.

I am pleased with the results. Our group has chosen another applique pattern to do to make sure we have this technique down.

Patch Work Party 2007

2007-08-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

The information has finally been posted on line. I first read about this in the October 2007 issue of McCall's Quilting magazine. The fabrics are bright, cheerful and would be great for the holidays. Even though I have enough projects going on I have decided to participate in Patch Work Party 2007

The idea is to purchase 12 blocks from 12 online quilting shops to make a quilt. The fabrics are from Marcus Brothers called "Home for the Holidays". Marcus Brothers also lists a free project with this fabric.

A girlfriend from our quilting group that is going to stitch along with me. As of today, we have ordered the same 4 blocks. Hopefully, each block will be a learning experience for the two of us.

Here is the link to the shops that are providing the blocks. The shops also list other goodies such as templates, finishing kits, pin, and DVDs by Marti Mitchell.

Here is a modpog of some of the blocks I will be making. All blocks are 12 inches square. When you purchase a block kit I will recieve fabrics, pattern, and templates to complete it.

Now to wait for the blocks to start arriving~~~~~~~~~~

Holly and Jim's Wedding Day

2007-07-30T08:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Jim and Holly's wedding which took place July 28th. These are the members of the wedding party.

The groom and best man found a favorite and made to time to get something to eat

There was a very messy cutting of the cake but they made up when they were finished.

Wicked cold beverages were taken in way too fast! Somebody please tell the bride this is not ice cream!

This is only a few of the pictures. As we gather more of them there will be a web site made for Jim and Holly.

I almost forgot to post this picture. Some of the wedding party came down the night before because there was work to do the morning of the wedding. With overnight quests there is always someone who can not get out of bed in the moring.

What do we do when this happens? Note the redneck alarm in his hand! The persons in this tent shall remain unnamed. Everyone knows who is inside this tent.

A July Wedding In Our Family

2007-07-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

There is only one more weekend in July and that is saved for the wedding. Everyone has worked so hard making sure every detail is perfect. This has put everyone being at wits end, the bride and groom arguing over nothing. Add a little stress, some interesting family members and what do you have? I mean, who is going to pick up the bridesmaid dresses? If you are wearing one go get it!

The bride and groom were at our place for the weekend so we were able to go over a lot of details for her day. This included the groom spending time with John mapping out the yard for parking the vehicles, tents and rigs for the overnight guests. The bride spent time with me getting rid of the last few weeds in the flower beds. While they were here and I was able to show her everything but the crazy quilted photo album. I had to keep something a secret.

The past month I have been hiding out making things for the wedding. Pictured here, is her photo album, flower girl basket, pen and cake knife. I was lucky enough to find a tiara the perfect size for the flower girl too. It was at the grocery store!
This is the photo album which i crazy quilted all in white fancy fabrics. The color she is using is blue so there is a hint of blue in the embellishing.

The front cover is where I added the names of the bride and groom and the date of marriage. The printed bride and groom is framed by lace from the brides great grandmother.

On the back of the album I printed a layered wedding cake. There are various colors of blue silk ribbon roses at the base.

There were the fun things to do for the wedding. I included a fancy bow for Max and Fritz to wear. I have already given them haircuts for the special day. I am responsible for suppling "something borrowed", another suprise I will save for the last minute.

Quilt Top Almost Complete

2007-07-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

This past week my work outside has come to a quick halt. I fell in the gravel walkway where I was working. I am getting the yard ready for my nieces wedding on July 28th. I am now wearing this gorgeous blue boot all the way to my knee. It seems we shall be friends for at least

6 weeks. It should make for a great looking tan line!

At first I did not mind being stuck in the house because I began to think of my sewing room. My daughter gaga'd over some fabric I had found for myself and asked for a lap quilt. She said, "Oh mom, this would be perfect for my couch". She is a blue person and there is not one speck of blue in this quilt. Since I had only bought enough fabric for a table runner back to the store I went for more fabric. Not that I minded.

The top of the quilt is almost finished. The blocks are 6 inches. I am working on the borders. The final outside border will be done with the print fabric and will add about 5 inches to the overall size of the quilt. I still need to decide how to quilt this. Any suggestions?

Teapot Table Topper

2007-07-06T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's finished! I found some time to come inside and sew. Remember the Sewing Expo I went to and I purchased this bright yellow/orangy banana fabric? The appliquéd blocks were done early this spring and were posted earlier this year. The quilt construction had been waiting for me. This can be used as a wall hanging or a table topper. The finished size is 33 x 33.

I have the quilt hanging on the back of my couch so when I walk by it is the first thing I see. I love how the colors compliment each other. I have always admired quilts done in bright yellow and blue and had never used them together until now.

It is too bad this was done for my daughter-in-law who is moving to Japan. If I had time between now and September I would make her another one and keep this one. I have gone through my stash checking for fabrics for this patter for me.

Now that this is finished and the weather is wonderful I need to get back outside and finish my projects for the July wedding. A few more weeds to pull and a little more paint on the house! I also need to plan the meal the day before the wedding. The wedding party will be here setting things up and a girlfriend is coming to help me decorate the deck area.

Candi's Blog and Project Linus

2007-06-18T07:36:00.000-07:00

Many of us who blog belong to several different types of groups on the Internet regarding threads, fabrics and needles. Our blogs are connected through Web rings and when we are surfing we leave notes to each other when we find a project posted we like. Some of us even find time to send personal emails to each other.

In my blog surfing I went back to Candi's blog to see how she was doing with her quilting projects. I began reading about one of her charity projects. This group is called Project Linus

This organizations mission is "to provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer "blanketeers."

Of course, financial help is appreciated but those of us who keep our hands busy quilting, crocheting, or knitting can donate the blankets we make for those children in need.

I am pasting what Candi has posted on her blog for you to read. Take a look at the two children's quilts she has donated. One in pink, and a colorful Zebra to brighten a child's day. They are "just too cute".

Candi's blog:

Project Linus is a volunteer organization I belong to. I've had a few requests for an explanation of what Project Linus is, so I asked Claire Gliddon the co-ordinator for our area if she could write out a synopsis of what we do. (I tend to be sooooooo long winded:) ) Here's the note I got back from Claire.Project Linus is a nationwide, non-profit organization, looking for people who enjoy sewing, quilting, crocheting or knitting to make blankets for children in need. That means children in hospitals, foster care, homeless or just going through a difficult time. There are no quotas, no meetings, no deadlines - we just want you to have fun doing what you enjoy most and helping your community of little people at the same time! The only requirement is that the blankets be made of washable materials. Please contact your local chapter by logging on to http://www.projectlinus.org/ and clicking on your state on the US Map shown. That will bring up all the chapters in your state and the contact information. Also note that this is a great project for teens to do their community service (for school, 4H, Girl Scouts, churches) by making no-sew fleece blankets This is fun for ALL ages and really means a lot!Thank you Claire, I really appreciate your help. Anyone interested, it really is a GREAT group. Some of the ladies meet and quilt together and have a wonderful time doing something that is so beneficial to the community. Sometimes, making only one quilt per year is all we can do, and believe me THAT is appreciated. As Claire said there are no quotas and absolutely no pressure:)

This is not the only project Candi works on. She has also supported the group of American Hero Quilts with me and Ati I am sure there are several others who have taken on the challenge.

To all of you who have participated in these type of programs; I want to thank everyone of you for taking the time out of your busy lives. Please believe that the things we do, do make a difference.

Ati's Heart Quilt for Donation to American Hero Quilts

2007-06-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

I have written a couple of posts about the American Hero Quilts and had challenged you to help this group with donations. Donations could be fabric, quilt tops, or quilting. This group is based in Washington and donates the lap sized quilts to the wounded who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Most of us know, some of us have experienced the horrors of what war can do. Those of us who sit in the safety of our homes waiting for loved ones to come home. Sometimes our prayers are not answered. Many of the soldiers have families waiting at home for them. Families with small children. What if that child's parent does not return home?

The American Hero Quilting Group is also requesting lap sized quilts for the children who are left behind when a parent does not return home.

This is why I would like to refer you to Ati's Blog. She has posted a a quilt top to donate to the quilting group. Ati lives in Norway and her native county is the Netherlands. I met Ati in a crazy quilting group CQN. She also joined a group that I am a member of called, COH where we make 6 inch crazy quilted hearts and swap them. I have collected hearts internationally. Ati has taken this one step further and taken the hearts she has collected and made them into a gorgeous quilt top. Even one of my hearts is included! Until I saw Ati's quilt I did not know that the quilting group needed "comfort quilts" for the children who have lost a parent.

Here is a picture of her quilt top. I want to thank Ati for doing this project for the children. I currently have two quilts going for American hero quilts

If you are unable to work with the colors red, white or blue, perhaps something bright and cheerful for a young child who has lost a parent would inspire you as it has Ati.

Dank u voor het doen van dit project voor de kinderen. Dank u voor het zijn u!

Since It's Raining I Am Indoors Today~~~Quilting!!!

2007-06-05T10:28:00.000-07:00

Today is one of those drippy misty rainy days that Washington sees frequently. Out of the yard I come and back to the inside things I like to do. The Food Network channel is on, brownies in the oven~~~~~~

This floral block the the first steps for a 14 inch decorative pillow top. Notice no triangles just squares.

The pillow is the current project with the Monday Quilters I meet with.

Some of you may recognize this wild fruit fabric from a shopping spree at the PNW Sewing Expo earlier this spring. I finally found a pattern that works. Then I had to go on a hunt for the right bright blue to compliment this.

The pattern is from a book I had purchased eon's ago called, AT HOME WITH THIMBLEBERRIES QUILTS, by Lynette Jensen. It is a good thing books with idea's never get old. This is the first pattern I have done in this book. It is my quess I have had the book about 15 years.

I appliqued the teapots using a fusible web. Then the button hole stitch to secure the edges. I am a beginner at the appliqueing and this process works the best for me.

At this point, the four blocks are together and I am working on the first border. Then outer border and binding need to be done.

Gardening

2007-06-03T08:53:00.000-07:00

Many of you know that I spend a majority of my time outdoors this time of year. It was my goal to put away the sewing machine, needle and thread to make sure the outdoor projects for the year were completed. Needless to say i started a few more sewing projects.

This is a picture of the garden area looking towards the house. It was taken in the early morning so you can still see the shade on the garden. The garden sits on the north property line and when I am out there I can hear the river flowing. It is a great place to just "hang out".

The end of May I started propagating soft woods. I have an experiment going with two different mediums, four different plants. This is just a start. I have some hardwoods that I will be doing in the fall. I will keep you posted of my progress.

Then there is the lawn! An hour and half with the tractor to mow it! I have been warned about taking out large patches of blackberries and making more lawn......

Look Who Is Home

2007-05-31T08:12:00.000-07:00

Look who is home! John arrived home Wednesday. I feel real fortunate that the two of them took time out to come spend a couple of days with us.

I spent most of the time in the kitchen cooking and did not care. John ate like there was no tomorrow. He said it was good to eat food that tasted like something and not out of a can. Over the weekend we had barbecued Copper River salmon and trout, pasta salad, barbecued ribs, rhubarb custard pie.

Kayden is here helping stack next winter's firewood. Kayden (3) was born when John was on his first tour in Iraq.

What a wonderful way to spend a Memorial Day weekend. It was good to have John and his family here for a few days. How I had missed him.

Heart Motif

2007-05-25T08:06:00.001-07:00

I have stitched a heart motif on an RR I am participating in.

I used Ed Mar rayon threads. The flowers are bullion roses and daisy's. I added a heart crystal in the center. There are a few beads too.

Friendship Star Table Runner~~~~tada!!

2007-05-23T08:24:00.000-07:00

I have not mentioned my table runner for some time. The table runner has been complete for a while now. I think some family stuff and a fishing vacation got in the way.

The Monday Quilting group had us working on triangles. We also had lots of practice with the seam ripper. I honestly thought that the fabric was going to fray so bad that this project would never come together.

When I started this I had pulled the dark purple and lavender fabric and the floral fabric from my stash. Then went shopping for the green to match. I actually reshopped and recut the solid green in the star twice. I blamed it on trying to use '80's fabric with fabrics from 2007. The finished size is 18 x 38. Perfect size for the dining room table. Yes, I have purple somewhere in everyroom of the house.

Now that it is complete, it is okay. Besides, I used something from my stash. I still do not see a dent in the stash or have room for more. Maybe if I try this process a couple of times it might work.

Warning Quilt Pox Symptoms

2007-05-17T08:14:00.000-07:00

In my morning browsing I found this article which is worth the read if you need a chuckle or help explainging "why" for those who do not understand.

I found this on Kathy's blog. I was actually looking at her lessons and wandered. She even has a section for sending "quilty postcards".

WARNING!QUILT POX VERY CONTAGIOUS TO ADULTS!

Symptoms:
Continual complaint as to need for snuggling under a handmade quilt. Patient has blank expression, sometimes deaf to spouse and kids. Has no taste for bedspreads or electric blankets. Hangs out at Quilting Bees. Mumbles to self "Log Cabin", "Double Wedding Ring", "Ohio Rose"...

NO KNOWN CURE!
Treatment:
Medication is useless, Disease is Not Fatal. Victim should attend as many Quilt shows and Quilt shops as possible.
Cause:
Fabric Effect
A recent study has indicated that fabric gives off certain Pheromones, that actually hypnotizes women, and causes them to purchase ungodly amounts.
Sound tests have also revealed that these fabrics emit a very high-pitched sound, heard only by a select few of the breed of women known as "quilters".
When stored in large quantities in enclosed spaces, the Pheromones cause memory loss and induce the nesting syndrome (similar to the one squirrels have before the onset of winter, i.e: storing food), therefore, perpetuating their species, and not having a population loss due to their kind being cut up into little pieces and mixed with others.
When played backwards on a LP, the sounds are heard as chants "buy me, cut me, sew me"!
In order to overcome the so called 'feeding frenzy effect' that these fabrics cause, one must wear a face mask when entering a storage facility and use ear plugs to avoid being pulled in to their grip. (One must laugh, however, at the sight of women in a fabric store, with WWII Army gas masks and headphones!)
Studies also indicate that aliens have inhabited the earth, helping to spread the effect that these fabrics have on the human woman population. They are called FABRIC STORE CLERKS.

It's That Time of Year Again~~~See ya later

2007-05-04T16:14:00.000-07:00

American Hero Quilts Update

2007-05-01T07:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you have already read my recent post regarding American Hero Quilts and my personal challenge to support this quilt group. I support them because I believe in what they are doing. You may not share my opinion, nor do you need to. In fact, I don't even want to change your mind regarding your opinion. Our troops consist of family members from each of us. As an American citizen we have the right to be for or against the issues regarding the reason our troops are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Nevertheless, our troops are coming home. Each and every member of our military need to be commended for what they do, the sacrifices they make. The reason they are there does not matter.

At the time of the posting I sent an email to the quilting group so they would know about my support and the challenge that I had posted.

This is a portion of the response I received from Sue Nebeker. I wanted all of you to know that the amount of quilts requested has grown. I urge all of you review my challenge and support them as I do.

Here is what she had to say:

Good Morning Renea,
Thank you so much for your wonderful support. Many things have changed since that original newspaper article. We are trying to support people in the medical holds as well as Madigan Arny Hospital and any other military hospital in our region. The first couple of years we were delivering 100 quilts every five to six months to Madigan. They are now asking for 50-60 a month and we always need another 30-40 for VA's rehabs etc. Our label quit saying "from the people of Vashon" since that first quilt delivery. It says, "you are our hero, thank you."

"snip snip"

Thank you for making a difference.

Sue Nebeker
helpinghands@americanheroquilts.com

American Hero Quilts

2007-04-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

Over a week ago I found this blog within one of my Webrings. I have returned to the blog everyday reading every word. Finally I sent my husband the link so he could read it. Then I shared my idea, my plan.

This project means enough to me I am going to donate fabric to this group. The quilting group is located on Vashon Island, WA. The quilts are given to the military at Madigan Hospital at Fort Lewis, WA.

Here are my challenges:

To send yardage in red, white or blue combinations as they have specified. I will send at least one a month.

The big challenge for me will be to complete a lap quilt top by September to send to them to complete.

I challenge my online quilting friends participate at least once.

Here is the story which grabbed my heart. Or you may use the link.

http://www.americanheroquilts.com/story.htm

VASHON ISLAND, WA--The story of 100 quilts begins with two hands and one tragic tale.
The hands belong to Sue Nebeker.
The tale belongs to a stranger from east of the mountains, Ken Dennis, a 22-year-old combat rifleman who came home from Iraq a troubled soul. "I just don't want to see 23 after all this," he told his parents.
Nebeker, 53, read the story of the young Marine -- abandoned by his wife, haunted by scenes of war -- in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer Aug. 13. Dennis hanged himself March 21, exactly one year after the first combat Marine deaths in Iraq. "It almost killed me, it made me so sad -- for someone not even 23 to feel such despair, such hopelessness," Nebeker said.
She cried. She railed. She lay awake at night. And then she took action -- action that comes full circle today when Nebeker and husband Clark deliver 100 red, white and blue quilts to Fort Lewis' Madigan Hospital. Officers there will distribute the quilts to injured soldiers returned from Iraq.
Call them crazy quilts. Call her obsessed. Her quilting friends do as they gather round the dining room table in her airy home overlooking Tramp Harbor.
She's determined, they say. Driven. First she caught them up in the story of the rifleman, fired up their passions, then put them to work.
"We have to do this! Have to do this!" said Katie Plucinski, 62, retired from The Boeing Co. "It's a personal way to reach out to these young people."
"Our young people," said Joyce O'Connor-Magee, 47, pastor at Vashon Island United Methodist Church.
"Our kids!" said Barbara Jansen, 65, also retired from Boeing.
"Our grandkids!" chimed in several.
Nebeker's first action was to call military hospitals to ask how she could volunteer.
Nebeker, former co-owner of a Seattle social-service agency and now partner in a long-arm quilting service, has multiple sclerosis, tires easily and has weakness in her legs. "It turns out I'm useless, except I can quilt," she said. She thought of the warmth, physical and emotional, quilts might bring to the war-wounded, who arrive in hospitals with nothing but pajamas and robes.
What she didn't think of, at first, were the sheer numbers of soldiers injured in Iraq.
Although statistics on war dead -- 1,067 as of yesterday -- are almost daily news, the number of injured is not. The latest toll is 7,531 Iraq coalition soldiers wounded in action.
And at Madigan Hospital, an average 10 inpatient soldiers arrive each week.
That's a lot of quilts.
In no time, Nebeker was calling in the girlfriends, putting up posters all over the island, activating phone trees and organizing a quilt-a-thon. The women -- coupon-clipping bargain hunters -- hit fabric stores all over the Puget Sound area, buying up clearance red, white and blue fabrics left over from the Fourth of July.
"My husband gave me a Visa card and tried not to twitch every time I charged something," said Nebeker, who would heat up the plastic with more than $1,000 debt by the project's end.
On Sept. 10-11, more than 80 people gathered at the island's Methodist church and set to work -- some on old, broken-down machines Nebeker's husband, another Boeing retiree, had refurbished.
It was Noah's Ark of volunteers. There were old and young, male and female, abled and disabled, rich and poor, liberal and conservative, and everything in between.
"You could go out in the parking lot and see the Nader car parked next to the Bush car next to the Kerry car," said Nebeker.
Organizers asked everyone to leave their politics at the door. And in the busy-ness of needles and thread, squares and batting, ironing and tying, one man's death became community salve for a war that's dividing a nation.
"It was the most amazing thing. The way people were together, and all they were thinking about was making the best possible quilt they could," said Nebeker.
Some couldn't sew, so they ironed. Some couldn't iron -- so they bought food for everyone.
One young woman came into the church and handed Nebeker a $20 bill. "She said she'd been crying ever since she heard about the quilt-a-thon. She said, 'I've just been called up.' All I could think is, 'Man, I hope I'm not making a quilt for you,' " Nebeker said.
On the evening of Sept. 11 -- three years after the World Trade Center towers tumbled in New York City -- the stitching ceased, and 85 quilts were stacked on tables ready for Nebeker to machine stitch, pack up and take to Fort Lewis. Another 15 quilts would trickle in later.
There were two sizes of quilts: small ones for wheelchairs, large ones for stretchers.
The reds were rust to rouge, and the patterns emblazoned with stripes and stars and phrases: "Land of the free" and "We the people." Some had appliques of Uncle Sam, eagles, flags. Others exploded in red, white and blue fireworks -- complete with sparkles.
On the back of each was a label that reads: "You are our hero. Thank you! The people of Vashon Island, Washington."
This week, as Nebeker's circle of friends looked at them one last time before the trip south, they grew quiet. Yes, they said, they will do another quilt-a-thon. How could they not?
"There is so much love ..." Plucinski said. "... in every stitch," said Nebeker.
"A little prayer said over every one of them," O'Connor-Magee said.
~SeattlePI, October 8, 2004M.L.Lyke, Reporter

Here are fabric requirements. Or you may use the link.

http://www.americanheroquilts.com/help.htm

There are many ways in which an individual, club, church, neighborhood, or business can help with this project. Much of the help doesn't require the skill of quilting.

Here are just some things you can do to contribute to this project, as well as our American Hero Quilt standards:

Donate fabric
Fabric must be 100% cotton. It should be washed and ironed before donating. All quilts are made in a patriotic theme, so all fabrics should be red, white and blue. Fabrics may be plain or patterned. The colors can be primary, bright colors, or the more muted Americana colors of burgundy, navy and off white.
Requirements for back of fabrics:
Please see below under "Standards" for fabric requirements
Fabric for quilt backs should not be white or light colored as some of our injured have open wounds which can cause stains.
For fabric up to 45" wide, need is 5 yards per quilt
If fabric is 90" wide, need is 2 1/2 yards per quilt
Long Arm Quilting
Long arm quilters are desperately needed to donate their time to finish quilts.
Cash donations are appreciated and can be used to purchase thread, batting, and other necessary supplies. We are a 501 (c)(3) (non-profit) and ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of all donations go to buying products to produce the quilts, or to quilt them.
Tell your friends, neighbors, and business associates about this project.
Gather friends and family for your own day of quilting. Encourage them to bring fabric. Each person can help iron, cut quilt pieces, sew the tops together, coordinate the backs and the bindings, and send off to Blueberry Hill Fabrics to be long arm quilted.

Please call or e-mail us if you wish to help in any way. Please see below for the standards for these gifts of "hugs" to be presented to our injured troops when they arrive at Madigan ~ any one of which could be your own son or daughter.

TAST Week 15 Oyster Stitch

2007-04-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks of TAST have really been a challenge. I was beginning to wonder what I was doing.

The Oyster Stitch has helped me regain my confidence once more.

I have added it as flowers over the knotted creten stitch. The thread is from Edmar, a varigated Lola.

It still needs a few things added, such as leaves or small beads. I won't be doing this just yet. I am trying to leave this block to follow along each week of TAST.

I am glad that Sharon picked an easier stitch this week!! How about everyone else?

TAST Week 14 Bonnet Stitch

2007-04-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

This stitch was a challenge. In fact, it was enough of a challenge I only did it on this doodle cloth. This is the photo of my first attempt. It is unrecognizable to say the least. My problem is how it is wrapped around the vertical stitch. The first wrap i did not pass through the fabric, the second wrap i did. I have no idea if I am wrong or right.
A few days later I tried again. There is a lot of improvement here but not good enough to actually start using this stitch yet.

Helpful hints are welcome but no throwing of tomatoes!

TAST Week 13 the Cretan Knotted Stitch

2007-03-30T08:04:00.000-07:00

What a challenge this stitch was. I can do the Cretan stitch but adding the knot was "greek" to me. What I have here is a knotted Fly stitch.

This link will show you the Cretan knotted stitch.
http://inaminuteago.com/blog/index.php

I was looking at Sharon's stitch dictionary but it still did not work out for me.
This link will take you to Sharon's stitch dictionary.
http://inaminuteago.com/stitchdict/stitch/cretan-knotted.html

If anyone has a tip they can share I would sincerely appreciate it. Advise anyone???

The Monday Friendship Star Day

2007-03-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Every other Monday I spend the day with several ladies who are beginner sane quilters. The avid quilter of the group decided to teach us triangles which is a first for me. If you check my blog, it’s the Friendship Star table runner.

Several weeks ago we completed the center blocks, constructing the star. I went home and completed the entire top right down to the pinning so I could quilt it. Yesterday we met again and what a day. All of us had a lesson with our friend the seam ripper!

We spent the day tearing out, resewing and tearing out again!! We were working on our points. Each time one of us tore out and resewed we would gather around the table for a block inspection. It was actually a great learning opportunity. Each step each of us took there were many questions. We discussed how did this happen; how do I correct this. We saw the solutions work in the end.

When I returned home I had purchased a new seam ripper. This one has a nice metal handle which suits my hands. It did feel strange to return home without seeing progress on the table runner. So maybe in time I will have the completed photo.

......meanwhile still trying to finish things up so I can get out in the garden. So far the weather is rainy and I am not feeling too guilty yet...........soon.....

Friendship Star Table Runner

2007-03-22T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here is an update on my Friendship Star table runner. I am pleased with the way all my triangles turned out. All the points are pointed just the way they are suppose to be.

The next step is to add the borders which are straight pieces. My original thought was to use the light green that I used inside the block but it is my least favorite color in this project. My next choice is to use the light lavender as the next border which is 2 inches. The floral in the center of the star will be the next border and will be 3 1/2 inches.

We are suppose to get together again on Monday to start the maching quilting. I bought lavender thread for this step.

The rainy weather is still keeping me inside but it is giving me time to finish up these projects before heading outside to the garden for the summer. Not including a couple of RR's I only have a couple of things to finish up. Back to my sewing room i go.......

TAST Week 11 Buttonhole

2007-03-20T11:10:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share this information I found on TAST that Sharon had posted. Check it out.

This is what Sharon B had to say:

A New Stitch Variety?
Posted by Sharon Bunder
Yesterday I spent some time bumping around the various sites of those people who are participating in the TAST Challenge when I came across Elisabeth’s post on Quieter moments. Elizabeth has developed a 3 pronged up and down buttonhole stitch. This immediately sent me scurrying about in my books and photocopies, notes and the like as I have a huge number of stitch varieties documented in 11 loose leaf files (all full and overflowing) I thought I had seen this stitch before, but I could not find it in any of my references. Would anyone who recognises it please let Elizabeth know. It may be a case of re-inventing a stitch but I think it might be new variety. I know I am going to play with it.

this link will take you to the Blog "Quieter Moments to see the step by step instructions with photos's.

http://quietermoments.wordpress.com/2007/03/15/step-by-step-on-a-three-prong-up-and-down-buttonhole-stitch/

Most of us who have been stitching awhile can accomplish the button hole stitch. For me, this meant that I had no motivation to complete Week 11 of TAST. Ssshhhhh don't tell I said that.

In reviewing Sharon's TAST site I found this information from the blog, Quieter Moments. The stitch variation she did was did spark my interest. Here are the results.

When I started stitching I thought I would do a seam treatment but the stitch wandered! I used two different rayon threads making the stitches sit back to back. Then added beads.

Now it's a centipede. :)

Another Completed Project

2007-03-19T10:11:00.000-07:00

This is a completed project from one of my purchases from the Sewing Expo.

Here is the front of the tooth fairy pillow. I put bows in her hair and added a string of ribbon roses at the bottom. There are flower buttons on the front of her dress too.

This is the back. I hand embroidered her name, who it was from and the date. There are buttons added on this side too.

This pillow was fun to make, easy. The yellow's, lavender and blues are great for spring.

Now it's time for the birthday wrapping.

Quilt Block

2007-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

Last Monday a group of ladies got together with sewing machines to learn how to do triangles. We were given the pattern for a table runner that described what to bring with us. Lunch too.
The scale was quite broad as far as experience. There was a lot of chatter and everyone helping everyone. It took us the better part of the day to cut out the blocks, then sew one block together.
The block is called the Friendship Star. I came home set up my machine and immediately completed the last two blocks needed for the project. I couldn't wait to add the triangles to the block to see how my color choices went together.
Can't wait to see what we do next time!

Birthday Pillowcases

2007-03-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

Today was a productive day in the sewing room. I had seen samples of homemade pillow cases and thought it was time I give it a try.

Most of the seams are french seams. I treated the seams this way because I wanted the pillowcases to be able to live through a few pillow fights. Mom doesn't sew or mend and they are moving to Japan in the fall. Kids will be kids you know.

This is the Cinderella pillowcase.

This one is Barbie Princess fabric. I did not have a lot of yardage of this fabric. I pieced several different sized strips until I had it the length I needed.

Here is Spiderman. If you check a posting from last month I had purchased this fabric at the Sewing Expo Shopping Spree! Don't tell Spiderman that the fabric is attached to the border going in the wrong direction. This is for my grandson who thinks he is "Spidyman". Maybe this will help with bedtime.

They were fun to make. It is much easier if I have yardage and only need to add trim as in the Spiderman pillowcase. Piecing the other to get the pillowcase large enough was time consuming. A pain to say the least. Now to wrap them in birthday paper.

Spring Is On It's Way

2007-03-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

I think "old man winter" is on his way out of town! It is such a good thought!

The bright yellow mini daffodils follow the crocus plant. I have them planted everywhere in the yard because they are one of the first to bloom. True signs that Spring is around the corner.

I will need to finish up the sewing projects and organize the sewing room. It is time to send the weeds to the compost pile. They are already ahead of me...but thats normal.

My Shopping Spree at the Sewing Expo

2007-03-06T07:36:00.000-08:00

After announcing a shopping day at the Sewing Expo I wonder how many of you have checked back to see how the shopping went. I arrived at the gates at 8:30 a.m. and left about 5:30 p.m. What a wonderful day.

I have been carrying around this pattern for this dragon fly quilt. By the time I had been through every booth I had collected enough fabric and a little more to make this small quilt. Mostly batiks.

Who can pass by a deal on buttons and beads? Not me!

Here is my purchase of YELLOW! Don’t ask, I am not a yellow person. There is not one speck of yellow in my house. Out side you may find yellow daffodils that is it! So here I am with fat quarters of fabric with banana's on it! I just had to have it I guess. I may redo my thinking on this and see if I can set it off with some wonderful blues and omit the brown fabric. Then it will fit in my daughter in laws kitchen. It would make a nice gift for her. I can get his finished before they leave for Japan in the fall.

Then in another isle I found a project I could not leave behind! Tooth Fairy Pillows for Kendra, Elizabeth and Gracie! The angel holds the tooth, the striped fabric is the ruffle that goes around the pillow. On the back there is a place for names and birthdays. The finished size is about 12 x 12. I need to get busy because all three grand daughters have birthdays between March and July.

Here is some Spiderman fabric. An exhibitor had used it in a jacket but my grandson Kayden thinks he is "spidyman". I purchased enough fabric for a pillow case for him. He probably needs another pair of Spiderman jammies so one pair can be in the wash occasionally.

I also like snowmen! I purchased this Christmas fabric at $1 a yard. It was another one of those deals. Everyone knows we don’t leave good deals behind!

I found several booths of Heirloom sewing and checked out the trim. The purchases I made were from Oregon and another from Holland. I felt they had the best deals and sized I needed for Crazy Quilting. My purchase included yardage and motifs. Take a look at this photo.

It is hard to get a clear photo of the fat quarters because they are wrapped in shinny cellophane and I don’t want to take it apart just yet. The FQ kits included bobbin and thread to match. At $5 it was another one of those deals I had to have. When I got home I had wished I bought more.

There were also a lot of hand outs. Some were advertising from different shops. I came home with several magazines for quilting. It definitely was a great day! Thank goodness they were passing out shopping bags to help carry all the beautiful things. Bag check was good too because the bags kept ripping and became too heavy to carry.

What all this means is I need to hide out in my sewing room and get started. So if you don't hear from me for a while.......I am........actually sewing.

Sewing and Stitchery Expo~2007

2007-02-28T08:14:00.000-08:00

http://www.sewexpo.com/expo/index.html

I have a very busy day scheduled for tomorrow. A trip to the city for a day of shopping. The sewing expo is held at the county fair grounds each year. It is full of venders from the US, Europe, and Japan. I am sure there are more countries who are represented. As I start to plan my "shopping experience" I am seeing snow falling around me. There is no way that snow is going to interfer with this shopping day.

What will i fill my shopping bags with? I don't know!! I know that EdMar Threads will be there, I will look for lace trim, buttons, beads and charms. I will probably skip shopping the regulars like JoAnns, Hancocks because those stores are in my area. Martha Pullen will have a spot, she always brings laces.

They are listing the exhibitors at this link:

http://www.sewexpo.com/expo/exhibitors.html

I will also look for "that perfect, gotta have it project" to do. Wish me luck!

I love the snow, but I am watching these huge fluffly flakes fall for hours on end this morning. Oh dear! I hope I am not just dreaming about this shopping day!

SRE Heart Mofif

2007-02-23T11:04:00.001-08:00

SRE Heart Mofif
Originally uploaded by renmedema.

The base of the heart was stitched with perle cotton #8, verigated. The SRE roses and seed beeds are randomly placed.

This motif is done on a RR block for Vicki.

TAST Week 8 Fly Stitch

2007-02-23T11:03:00.001-08:00

fly
Originally uploaded by renmedema.

TAST Week 8. On the seam treatment I experimented with a whipped fly stitch. The fly stitch is okay but the next step is a bit loose. The cluster of 3 single fly stitiches look better. At least to me.

TAST Feather Stitch

2007-02-17T19:33:00.001-08:00

feather
Originally uploaded by renmedema.

this is the first step in attaching this ciggie to my block. I used #8 perle cotton in the feather stitch.

Its A Cherry Tree

2007-02-15T10:37:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day has come and gone. I am sure that the card companies, chocolate and jewelry stores have a "hay day with this celebration. I, happen to enjoy taking part in this day.
The night before John tells me he has taken the day off from work and he needs me to help him. Actually, he said, "We are going to get dirty". A few weeks before he had teased me about a Valentines gift. I looked at him and suggested he take the day off and drag the boat to the lake for a spin. I offered a lunch to take along.
On the morning of Valentines, he has a card ready for me and inside is a receipt from the nursery. With big eyes the look I give him is followed by one word, "Trees"? I had thought he had a few more Cypress trees for the fence line.
We packed Max and Fritz in the truck for a ride to the nursery to find the lady that had helped him with his selection. To my surprise he had chosen a semi-dwarf Asian pear and a 5-way grafted cherry tree. I have asked for a cherry tree for several years now. That is all the farther that thought had gotten until today. We have several apple trees, a pear, Italian plum and a yellow plum .

By the time we get home it is more than pouring down rain. You can not tell where the sky or ground meet. Sheets of water coming down. Max and Fritz are standing under the tall evergreens protecting them from the rain; with that look of "you can't be serious" and out comes the tractor to help plant the trees. One of the comments the lady said at the nursery was, "Water these trees every three days for 6 months. The rain is not enough water for them". Oh ya right........as the rain is dripping down my cheeks and I am continually wiping it from my forehead because it is getting in my eyes.

The cherry tree has five different grafts on it. Bing, Rainer, Kristen, Glacier and Sam. They are all sweet cherries. This grafted tree is great for anyone like me who can not make up there mind on which one to take home! I was able to find some information on each type of cherry and the Asian pear.

Sweet Cherries

The Bing Cherry is one of the finest commercial sweet cherries and it is the most famous sweet cherry variety. It produces a very large, delicious cherry that ranges in color from a deep garnet to almost black. The skin is smooth and glossy and the flesh firm and sweet.
Bing Semi-Dwarf Cherry Trees:
Bing cherries are good for cooking as well as out-of-hand eating. The flesh is very solid, reddish-purple in color, and is flavorful and juicy. The Bing Cherry tree requires cross-pollination to produce fruit.
About the Rainier :
The Rainier Cherry tree produces sweet, large, yellow fruit with a red blush. The fruit is firm and the flesh is fine-textured and clear to light yellow. Fans of the Rainier appreciate the creamy-yellow flesh, which gives the blush of the skin a sunny undertone. The sweetness is what keeps them coming back for more.
The Rainier has a distinct sweet flavor. It is a very productive tree that resists cracking, spurs and doubles. The tree will pollinate with the Bing Cherry. It will not self-pollinate.
Kristin Cherry:
Purplish black Cherries- fruit ripens in July. Grows up to 25 feet tall. Cherries are very tasty. An extra sweet Cherry. Pollinate with any other cherry variety.
Rainier Cherry
Rainier Cherries are large- about an inch in diameter with firm- juicy flesh. Ripens in Mid-July. Very hardy as these Cherries are raised in Michigan. Pollinate with any other variety. Waxy green foliage.
Sam Cherries:
Sam Cherries are a large, firm Sweet Cherry with dark reddish-brown skin. History: Developed in Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
Sweet Cherries
Sweet Cherry trees grow up to 36 feet (11 metres) tall, which is much taller than Sour Cherry trees. They also spread out almost as wide as they are tall. Unlike Sour Cherry trees, a Sweet Cherry tree can't pollinate itself; it needs another Sweet Cherry tree to cross-pollinate with. And not just any ole Sweet Cherry tree. Sweet Cherry trees of the same type will not cross-pollinate, and even amongst the varieties there are some that won't cross-pollinate with each other. For instance, Bing, Emperor Francis, Lambert, Napoleon, and Star Cherry trees can't cross pollinate with each other. Consequently, when planting Sweet Cherry trees, growers have to not only plant different varieties, but also chose varieties that will pollinate each other -- and make sure that these varieties bloom at the same time! In addition to all this, bees are needed to do the pollination, so growers often put bee hives in their orchards. The complicated planning required for pollinization, plus the number of trees required, plus the huge size of each tree, is what makes them very uncommon in home gardens. Sweet Cherries are larger than Sour Cherries. They are heart-shaped and firm. The skin can be yellowish, or dark red to dark reddish-purple. Popular North American varieties include Royal Ann, Bing, Lambert and Tartarian. The trees have to be netted, or have bird scaring devices on them, because birds love these trees. Sweet Cherry cultivars are divided into two groups. Mazzards are heart-shaped, softer fruits (Guigne in French, Gean in the UK). The Bigaroon group ("Bigarreau" in France and the UK) are round, firm, crisp fruits. Cooking Tips Sweet Cherries can also be used in cooking. History The first attempt to introduce Sweet Cherries into North America didn't work out. They were brought over with British colonists in 1629 and planted on the East Coast, but they died out. Sour Cherry trees were more hardy and were grown there instead. Sweet Cherries were reintroduced over on the West Coast by Spanish missionaries. Language Notes The Latin name "Prunus avium" can be broken down as follows in a way that any gardener will understand. "Prunus" meant cherry or plum (the Greeks and Romans kind of used the same word for both), and "avium" comes from "avis", meaning birds. So, a fruit that you grow and that the birds eat. Sweet Cherries are also called "Dessert Cherries", meaning that they can be eaten fresh out of hand. But given that Sour Cherries can be cooked up in a baked good for dessert, this terminology can be unhelpful.
Cherries have been shown to have several health benefits. Cherries contain anthocyanins, which is the red pigment in berries. Cherry anthocyanins have been shown to reduce pain and inflammation[1]. Anthocyanins are also potent antioxidants. Cherries have also been shown to contain high levels of melatonin[2]. Research has shown that people who have heart attacks have low melatonin levels [3]. Besides being an anti-oxidant, melatonin has also been shown to be important for the function of the immune system. Research also indicates that melatonin suppresses COX-2.

Asian Pears
You are going to hear lots of conflicting stories about Asian Pears over the next few decades. They are tart, they are sweet; they are very good to cook with, they are not good to cook with; the trees are self-pollinating, they are not self-pollinating. And, all these stories are true. For in fact, referring to Asian Pears as "Asian Pears" is like referring to every apple grown in the United States and the Commonwealth as an "Anglo-Saxon Apple". Lumping all the apples together like that would be useless and misleading, and while Asian pear is a good term to distinguish these pears from European pears, it is not good of any use at all in helping you pick out which one is best for you. There are twenty very different ones listed on this site alone. That being said, there are general characteristics that Asian Pears mostly share, and general ways in which they can be grouped. Asian Pears fall into 3 main types:
Round or slightly-flattened with greenish or yellowish skin (the greenish colour tending towards yellow as it ripens);
Round or slightly-flattened with brownish or orangish or bronzy skin with russetting (starting off with green skin, with the browny hues and russetting happening towards ripening;
Shaped like a European pear, with green or brownish russetted skin.
The pears that originated in Japan tend to have yellow, brown or yellowish-brown skin; those that originated from China tend to have greenish-yellow skin. Aside from the few that look like pears should, Asian Pears generally are shaped like apples and have the same crisp crunch as apples when you bite into them. They are not meant to be soft and buttery like European pears. They are bigger than European pears: the smallest is about the size of a good orange, and they can equal the size of a very hefty grapefruit. Asian Pears bruise extremely easily, so they are usually shipped with padding (often little white foam net bags) around each one. Otherwise, they will turn black within a day in the spots where they have been jostled or bumped. North American producers are adapting to the growing market demand for Asian Pears, but they have a few reasons not to like them entirely:
European pears have to be picked while hard, otherwise they will go grainy and mealy on the tree. Happily, this fact also makes them easier to ship (and the pears will continue to ripen after picking). Asian Pears stop ripening the minute you pick them, and so have to be left on the tree until well into the ripening and softening stage;
Despite the fact that the Asian Pears won't ripen or develop any more flavour after they are picked, growers are now being told they have to get them off the trees a bit early anyway (see "Internal Browning" below.) This impacts the flavour;
All the Asian pear trees, if anything, produce too much fruit, so much that it can cause the limbs to break right off from the weight. Consequently, growers need to thin out the fruit when it is still very small, about the size of cherries. The trees produce many clusters of fruit, and the rule of thumb seems to be to leave one fruit growing per cluster. However, this adds to the cost of growing them, as you've got to pay people to go in and do the thinning. It also lowers your yield per acre.
A young Asian pear tree will start producing between 5 and 15 pounds (2 to 7 kg) of fruit after it is 3 years old. By the time the tree is 5 years old, it will produce 30 to 50 pounds (13 1/2 to 22 1/2 kg), and when it is mature, anywhere from 100 to 400 pounds (45 to 180 kg).The trees generally never grow more than 12 feet tall (3 1/2 metres). The ripeness of Asian Pears isn't based on firm they are, as they will always be firm and crunchy, but rather it is based on fragrance (so again, close your eyes and sniff when buying.) The fruit, though, has to be picked from the tree before it gets soft, as then it is overripe and can feel spongy. Besides being shaped differently and having a different texture from European pears, Asian Pears have another distinguishing feature. If you let European pears ripen on the tree, they taste awful. Asian Pears you can let ripen on the tree, and pull them directly off and eat them. Internal Browning There have been reports of Asian Pears that look fine on the outside, but when the consumer gets them home, the pears have gone a yucky, mooshy brown inside. This is called "internal browning" and is in fact a worldwide consumer complaint about Asian Pears. Producers have found, through trial and error, that this occurs during storage, sometimes during the very first month of storage, and generally happens mostly to Asian Pears that have been picked more than 180 days after full bloom on the tree. Producers around the world are sharing knowledge on what exactly is causing this problem and how to prevent it, but in the meantime, they are going on what they know and picking the pears just a little bit early, which impacts the flavour. The varieties of Asian Pears most susceptible to "internal browning" are Daisui Li, Olympic, Serui, Shin Li, Shinko, Tsu Li, and Ya Li. If you get a bad one, take it back to the store as the produce manager should know about it: the whole shipment may be bad. They may not want to know, they may prefer that you just pitched the pear and let them keep your money, but we'll give them the benefit of the doubt here and assume that like all good produce sellers they care about the quality of the food going out their doors. Cooking Tips Asian Pears give off a lot of juice when cooked, so if you are using them in something, be prepared to need to compensate a bit. Storage Asian Pears have a very long storage life compared to other fruit. See entries for the individual varieties for storage times, as storage life will vary. But in general, you can keep them at room temperature for up to two weeks, and in commercial storage where a precise temperature range around 34F (1 C) can be maintained, some varieties will store for up to six months. History Asian Pears seem to have been cultivated in what is now Japan, China and Korea as far back as 1100 BC, making them the oldest cultivated type of pear in the world. The market for Asian Pears in the Western world started in the 1980s, with demand coming from Asians who had moved to the West. Now, 25 years later (2004), other consumers are catching on, too. New plantings are being done to accommodate the market for these consumers. Literature & Lore Sometimes Asian Pears are called "Apple Pears". Just as Jerusalem Artichokes got their name from some misguided soul who thought s/he was being helpful, but who ended up creating a lot of confusion (fingers have been pointed at Samuel de Champlain), and just as Christopher Columbus has a lot to answer for in calling a chile a "pepper", someone thought that because these pears were shaped liked apples and were crunchy like apples, "Apple Pears" would be a really helpful name. They were wrong. You end up seeing things like this in print: "Asian Pears are a variety developed by crossbreeding pears and apples, combining the mild flavour of the former with the crispness of the latter." They are nothing of the sort, they are pears through and through. As you have seen, the generic term "Asian Pear" is causing enough confusion as it is, without nonsense like that going around.
Kosui Pears
A Kosui pear is on the small to medium side for Asian Pears. It has a round shape that looks flattened, like mandarin oranges do. The skin is tender; it will have brown russetting on a background that varies from light green to bronze-brown or bronze-yellow. The taste is very sweet with no tartness; the flesh is crisp and juicy. Storage Store in fridge for up to 1 month. History The Kosui is a hybrid between Kikusui and Wasekozo Asian Pears. It was released in Japan in 1959. Language Notes Kosui in Japanese means "Good Water".
For all of you who read this to the end.....no laughing at me in the rain and my silly boots!!!!

Treasures!!!

2007-02-10T15:55:00.000-08:00

Recently a sewing group was started in the small town where I live. Yes I was there too. There were knitters, quilters, and those who embroidered. WE meet for a few hours exchange ideas and helpful hints. The expertise is from beginners to experts.

Me being me I came home with several boxes of things. Until I got home I was only able to skim the top of each box. I had only noticed that the fabrics were...I don’t want to use the word "old" here.........from the 60's and 70's. Each block very delicately sewn together into strips.

When I was able to tear into the boxes and spread everything out I found more! Oh and more is good right. There were several strips of flannel that someone had started. Each strip is the same size and carefully top stitched. Each strip is of different flannel prints, very dated. There is enough to make a baby blanket. I will put this away for later. Threre is no extra fabric for this project.

The next piece I found was done in red, white and blue. These are not my colors to work with but I quickly purchased some solid fabrics to match it. Here is a closeup of the 4 blocks that were put together. I couldn’t decide whether the red or blue border should go on first or last so I alternated them. I do like the effects. This quilt top before the border was about 25 inches square.

It is hard to see, the picture didn’t do justice to it. The border fabrics really pulled it together. Each border strip is 2 inches; which finishes it at about 32 inches. When this is complete, it will make a nice center piece for the table. My plan is to raffle this one as a fund raiser.

As it sits now, the top is complete, the batting is cut, but I need to decide what to do with the back of it.

The next blocks I found were not so pretty but neatly done. All the points were right on, professionally done. I guess brown is not my color. There are 6 blocks that measure 12 ½ inches each. I have no idea how long they have been in this box but they still look ironed! The other problem I am having is deciding on what color of coordinating fabrics to use. There is a small flower in this block with a bit of green and red. What would you do? Here is the close up of the brown fabric. These blocks when complete will also be raffled off as a fund raiser.

The last piece I want to talk about is done it pink plaid and black and about 25 inches square. I am fearful of the fabric content and holding up in the wash. I should probably run it through the washer and dryer to see what happens. If it survives it could be another project. Again, I would never use this color combination but you never know. There is something about this piece I do like, whatever that is. What would you do with this? The only thought i came up with was black fabric with swirley's or something in it.

Just so you know, I need to head out. This time I am taking an accomplice with me. We are heading back to pick up more boxes! I will keep you posted!

2007-02-07T15:55:00.000-08:00

Most of you know that we have a son in the Navy, in his second tour in Iraq. The first news we had during the month of January extended his tour in Iraq another month. He is almost half way through this tour.

The second news we received is to transfer our son and his family to Iwakuni Japan. Right now he is scheduled to make this move this summer. Sometime in July or August. All of the details need to be worked out. Especially since he does not have a definite return date for leaving Iraq.

The down side of this is he is taking his children with him! They will be in Japan for 3 years which means Kendra will be 8 1/2, Kayden will be 6 ½ before I see them again. The whole idea of this does not sit well with this Nanna!!

I know there are allowances for the military families to return home for visits but....... I have to admit I was in a bit of a panic thinking of not seeing the grandbabies. Until I batted the 'ol blue eyes at hubby and said "pretty please can we!" I now am looking forward to the idea of the kids living abroad because we are already planning our vacation time to visit with them.

I will keep you updated on the events of the move.
http://www.travelpost.com/AS/Japan/Yamaguchi/Iwakuni/7039801

Week Five of TAST

2007-02-04T14:32:00.000-08:00

By now Sharon has had her Sunday morning coffee and browsed all the photo's for Week 5 of TAST. She didn’t find mine because I failed to take the time to photograph my stitching. So here I am. I really need to train myself to take the photo's as soon as I finish the stitching so I can have things posted on time.

In doing this stitch, I first used pearl cotton #8 in variegated green. Then added the purple pearl cotton making it a bit longer than I did with the green thread. I added lazy daisy's and a bead to dress it up.

A Friend Indeed

2007-02-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile something happens during your normal day that makes your heart skip a beat. Yesterday this happened to me.

In the morning I took off to town for general errands letting Max and Fritz ride a long. On my return I stopped at the mailbox to pick up the mail. I peaked in the box, and there was a fair amount of items left; and a package. Had I been online shopping? Had John been Ebaying again? I swear he now owns that place!

Back in the car, up the driveway, park, let Max and Fritz out, grab the mail and closed the gate, heading for the house. My thoughts are on the package that had found it’s way from Texas. Finding the scissors, I opened the package to find fabric! Lots of fabric. This is where my heart skipped a beat!

The story behind this is interesting. Several months ago I had decided that John needed a lap quilt done in fish fabric. The fabric stores I have in the area no longer carry this item. I have found it online but I never made a purchase. What if the color's weren’t right? That would be horrible and then the project would end up in the UFO pile.

The other part of this story is about the new friend from one of my online crazy quilting groups. She is from the state of Texas. You can find her blog at http://sewing-southpaw.blogspot.com/ . In January her husband left town for a week on a business trip. During this time she decided to clean and sort her studio and fabric stash to get her business going. She took pictures of fabric laying everywhere. She has been dubbed the "Fabric Queen" meaning she has the biggest personal fabric stash around. But then, we are talking about Texas here! I should of known.

It was during this time, that I continually asked, :"Any fish fabric in there?" She always replied "No, I wouldn’t buy something like that. It’s just not me." Her reply would cause a snicker at my end. This is why I was surprised when I opened the package of fish fabric. In fact, I was so excited I had to call her! I have had to promise her pictures of the completed project though. The fabric's she put together are perfectly matched and belong to together.

A big thank you to Gerry, my Southpaw Sewing Friend, who has sent this package to me. This tells me she is a very giving person. It is definitely an example of a random act of kindness.

Friends come to us in many ways. Technology has opened many avenues of communication keeping friends and families in touch. Have you reached out to a friend or family member recently?

A Month for Valentines

2007-02-01T08:53:00.000-08:00

The History of Valentine's Day

Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred.
One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death.

Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured.
According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France.

While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus.
To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification.
The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed.

Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America.

According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.)
Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia.
Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

The Heart-2-Heart Project

2007-01-30T08:36:00.000-08:00

This mornings coffee had me surfing quilting web rings and I came across this site. So I have stopped in my tracks to share it with all of you. I wish I had known about it earlier. For those of you that are inspired by this and can find some time please participate. Lets show our support for our military.

HEART-2-HEART POSTCARD PROJECT VALENTINES FOR WOUNDED SOLDIERS

Receive-by Deadline: Wednesday, February 7, 2007. To recognize and encourage the many American servicemen and women who have been wounded in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we have created the Heart-2-Heart postcard project. Our goal is to send artist-made postcards as Valentines to our military wounded at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, where all branches of the armed forces are treated. A quilt artist from the DC area has generously volunteered to deliver the cards directly to Walter Reed for distribution to the wounded—thanks!

It’s very easy to participate in the Heart-2-Heart project!

1. There is no cost to participate.

2. Make 4”x6” fiberart postcards, suitable for framing—one, two or as many as you can.

3. Write some “kind words” on the back to encourage your recipient or just to say ‘thanks’ from a grateful nation for their service and their sacrifice.

4. Sign them with your initials or your first name only, along with your city and state (and country if you are outside the U.S.). Note: using your full name is not recommended.

5. Mail them to us (one or more in the same envelope) to arrive in Houston no later than February 7, 2007. To keep each postcard clean and fresh, please do not mail the postcard itself directly through the mails without putting it in an envelope.

6. We’ll collect them in Houston and send them on to our kind-hearted artist-volunteer who will then deliver them to Walter Reed, where they will be given to the wounded. If we receive more postcards than Walter Reed needs, we’ve got volunteers standing by to deliver them to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where most of the burn victims are sent, and to the huge Bethesda Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland.

And then, thanks to all of you and your art, wounded soldiers, sailors, and Marines will learn that someone out there who doesn’t even know them still cares about them, appreciates their sacrifices, and wishes them well. That’s sure to lift the heart of every recipient and encourage him or her through the rigors of recovery and rehabilitation. What a BIG accomplishment for such a LITTLE work of art!

Postcard Guidelines:

Avoid religious symbolism or messages since the wounded are of many faiths, and it would be impractical, if not impossible, for the volunteers to match religions.

It is not necessary to use any kind of Valentine theme; your postcard may depict anything or be completely abstract.

Avoid making political statements since your political beliefs may not be the same as those of your recipient.d. Since these will be hand-delivered and will not have to go through the mails as postcards, they can be heavily embellished without concern for their safety. Heavy embellishment or no embellishment—this is entirely your choice. All types of artist-made fiberarts postcards will be welcome in this project.

A gentleman who spent time in military hospitals several years ago has offered several suggestions for subject matter for the Heart-2-Heart project.* Red, white, and/or blue, hearts, stars, Americana--anything that celebrates or reflects America is good.* Don't use too much gold and silver braid as soldiers equate that with officers.* Don't send anything political or religious. He specifically said to avoid peace signs or doves.* Avoid reminders of explosions, rockets, battles, fighting or war...nothing gloomy.* He says the design is less important than that you let the wounded servicepeople know that you are grateful for and appreciative of the job they did and the sacrifices they made (and will continue to make) for our freedom. "Thank for your service" or words to that effect written on the back is the most meaningful part of the design. We want the postcards to be tangible expressions of affection, concern, and appreciation.

A quilter who is a former pastor has added this insight: "The cards you contribute can be literally life-giving. Because of the nature of hospitals, the boredom is unimaginable. After a while, you lose touch with normalcy and run out of anything to talk about that isn't medically related. So the contributions you make to Heart-2-Heart have a double benefit. Not only is there the immediate pleasure they give, but there's the very real and concrete pleasure of being able to ENGAGE with family and friends and medical staff as you show people what you got or describe it to them over the phone."She also added this comment: "A friend who was in a Japanese internment camp in China during World War II told me she had a breakdown of sorts when she was repatriated to the U.S. Her family owned a cabin in the North Carolina mountains, and she went there and stayed for months. 'The mountains healed me,' she said. We can't take our wounded soldiers to the mountains, but what about sending the outside in to them in the form of postcards? Leaves, flowers, birds, butterflies, bugs, trees, horses, scenic vistas...perhaps these will have the same healing effects."

Check out these links! For 18 pages of pictures of postcards from the now-completed FFAC project, click here. To learn how to make a fiberarts postcard, click here!

Your postcards should be sent to arrive no later than Wednesday, February 7, 2007, to this address:

Heart-2-Heart Projectc/o Quilts, Inc.

7660 Woodway, Suite 550

Houston, Texas 77063

Attention: Amanda

We’d love to get HUNDREDS of these postcards to distribute to our wounded soldiers, both men and women, so we hope to hear from lots of you, the quilt and textile artists of the world! Please feel free to email the link to this page to all your friends who might be interested in participating, too. This is an outgrowth of the hugely successful Fiberarts For A Cause (FFAC) postcard project that raised more than $120,000 for the American Cancer Society.

The Heart-2-Heart project is not a fundraiser—it is a project to raise people’s spirits!
Karey Patterson BresenhanDirector, International Quilt Festival—Houston and Chicago

2007-01-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

This is week 4 of the TAST Challenge, the cretan stitch. I used it as a seam treatment on the main seam. Again, for decoration at the bottom of the fan holding down the piece of knitting ribbon.

Use this link to join in with the stitching.
http://inaminuteago.com/blog/index.php/archives/category/take-a-stitch-tuesday/

This link will take you to the flickr photo gallery.
http://flickr.com/groups/56846286@N00/

Boy do I have a dilemma here!

2007-01-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

A friend of mine approached me on one of my trips to town. We ended up standing around our grocery carts having this conversation about family, great finds and quilts.

She had been to a second hand store and purchased a quilt top. She wanted to get it finished off for a fund raiser of some sort. I gallantly raised my hand and thinking this was right up my alley. After all, all I had to do was finish it off right?

The day arrives when she comes to my house to deliver the quilt top. Its all folded up and by looking at the stack I knew it was a big one. We measured it out and it is 89 x 103. Holy cow, the work someone went through to get this done. My second glance told me it is done in polyester! Know wonder the colors are still so vibrant. The only other thing I know that is not "biodegradeable" are disposable diapers.

Each star is precisely pieced, each point of the star is right on. Somebody spent a lot of time on this. As a finished piece the quilt should make a great item for a fundraiser.

This project brings in so many questions.
The quilt top is already heavy. This made me think of a lightweight batting.
Since it is polyester, what fabric content can I use for the backing? Stick to cotton, or a blend? How is this going to lay right?
Hand quilting is out because it would take me so long. Would a stitch in the ditch concept work? Should I just tie it?

I am so open to suggestions right now. All of your solutions and comments are welcome.

An Online Magazine that Features a Few Friends

2007-01-26T10:49:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed the announcement, the new addition of the Crazy Quilting Online Magazine is out.

In this addition you will find an article written by Pat Winter of http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/. She has featured Ati from Norway. Pat's article is about challenging each other and finding inspiration. http://cqmagonline.com/vol06iss01/articles/655/index.shtml

Here is where you can find Ati on the web:
http://www.malinaplass.blogspot.com/
http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-HL1wd1E8dKpZl8_Q8SHWtLU-?cq=1