Rhubarb and Huckleberries

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!

I Found My Fabric~~~~~~~

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

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!

Baby Sewing

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

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

Happy New Year

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.

A Special Gift

 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

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.

Do You Ever Purchase More Than One of Something?

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.

Our Family

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

34 Matching Blocks

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

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.

When Will Spring Arrive

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.

Another Pineapple Express Comes Through

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.

Lizzie' s Bees

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.

My Daughter's Lap Quilt

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"

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.........

Family Day

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.

Our New Baby's Quilt

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?

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.