Big storm tonight --

...just a slow quiet rain in my area, but plenty of action elsewhere in the valley.  Poor BoyDog became frantic, as usual.  I can't imagine what it must be like for him.  Tabitha Gabrielle nuzzled him which helped, as you can see. Then he bravely ran to the study and hid under my desk in the dark.  You can't see his ears because they're laid back flat against his neck.  Normally they're upright, wedge-shaped, and perky.  Typical Australian Heeler.  I'm holding his collar to keep him from climbing right straight up and over me -- his toenails get plenty sharp when he's in a panic.                                                 



In this picture you can see his ears a little better.  Tabitha's ears are laid back because she hates having her picture taken.  But not so much that she'll abandon BoyDog.   "Just dumb animals"?  No way!

No mojo today, and there's plenty to be done toward clear goals.  What did I do instead?  Made a change purse big enough to hold bills too, and a card case for my license, debit card, loyalty cards, etc.  A thick stack of cards, surely I don't need so many?  The project started when I finally admitted my billfold was flat worn out.  I didn't want to make or buy another one -- rather have a bunch of separate little pouches.  I already have one for my cell phone charger, a tissue pack, and a small cosmetic bag.  Plan to add a notebook cover with a closure and slot for my pen, and a checkbook cover, also with a closure.  I hardly ever write checks but like to keep my checkbook with me.  Pictures of the process and product tomorrow.  Right now Tabitha is in my room,  whining it's time for bed.  Mothering us all, bless her heart!  More later....

The UFO Challenge

You know how much I love quilting -- design them, piece them, design the quilting, choose fabrics, save scraps -- everything about quilting.  I just can't help myself.  Dear Son the Younger worried that I don't have much of a life.  Oh, but I do!  Finally I have the time, energy, and resources to do all the quilty things I want, anytime I want.  So I do, and I love it.  BUT --  I end up with way too many almost finished projects.  So, when this year's Stashbuster UFO challenge came around, I signed on.  Info here:  http://www.stashbuster.com/index.html   At present I have "only" 21 UnFinished Objects.  Finished quite a few early in the year -- the smaller, easier, closer-to-done ones. 

This "Black Arrow" tote needed only lining, zipper, and strap.  The arrows are applique and hand embrodery.  The circles on the other side are all hand embroidery. 

 

  

Another tote, for my friend Edna.  I was going to put it off but some painful family troubles made this finish extra important.  The dark green is an all-over gecko print.  Edna loves geckos.  Her initials, on the front, are hand embroidered.  The gecko applique on the back is partly free-motion machine embroidery and partly hand embroidery.  The prickly pear pads around the sides and bottom are free-motion machine embroidery, the prickles and buds are hand embroidery. 

  

 A cosmetic case and an I-Pod sleeve, both with music themes.  An eyeglass case from a scrap of embossed black velvet, lined with red velvet -- added a little bling to that one.  A tote from orphan blocks and the legs of too-short summer pants.  Some truly butt-ugly potholders -- I'm so hard on potholders it just doesn't pay to make them pretty.

And then this lovely thing:  quite some time ago a friend sent me three tops she couldn't bring herself to finish.  I put them away and forgot about them until I listed my UFO's for this challenge.  This one, Drunkard's Path, started out in the traditional layout.  Way too busy for my bedroom.  So I took it apart down to the individual "pie-slice" units, then reassembled it in the "Dove of Peace" layout, with all the doves facing an off-set center.  Called it "Homeward Bound"   I sketched a flying bird in each block and free-motion quilted the body and feathers.  I was so excited to see the doves taking shape I quilted all the blocks before I put the top together.  So... quilt as you go to the rescue.  Here's the best part:  Dear Son the Younger, for whom I've made several quilts, had said "No more textiles, Ma, I'm running out of room."   Understandable, yes?  But when he saw these pictures he said "I want that one Ma, send it as soon as you can!   Of course I said yes, and it will soon be winging along to Norway (sorry, can never resist a pun!) More later............

Where has the time gone?!?!?

I can't believe the year's more than half gone -- must have been having way too much fun!

Still quilting right along, but have taken time off teaching for more than a year now.  My heart just wasn't in it.  I've been procrastinating of course, and for some reason haven't quite felt welcomed in either venue -- can't really say why, so it must be something in me, eh?

Then a few weeks ago I walked into one of the stores to keep my friend Carole company and before we left I'd agreed to teach a four-patch class for brand new quilters. Stage fright out the wazoo!  I had a top nearly ready so finished it up and washed it, as always.  Disaster!!!

See all the wrinkles?  All-cotton fabrics, 100% polyester thread, low-loft poly batting.  Washed it in cold water, tumbled dry on the air only setting.  Normally quilts handled this way come out just fine.  I was stunned.  Then remembered a quilt I made for my great-grandson did the same thing.  I assume it's a flaw in the batting, but the wrapper is long gone so there's every chance I'll buy that brand again.  Best to find a reliable brand I love and stick with it.  Warm and Natural or Warm and White are my preferred cotton batting.  Hmmmm!

All is not lost, however:  since I'm starting over, I can make a real attention-getter.  Without those puffy little star points at the cornerstones.  So I scribbled a few ideas but nothing made as much sense as plain old framed 4-patch blocks and sashing -- cornerstones can wait.  Made a mess of my sewing room floor, auditioning fabrics.  Settled on a large scrap and three "what was I thinking?!?!?" fabrics. 

Here's the flimsie and a closeup of the fabrics. 

I have to go now, take Daughter Dear to the lab for fasting bloodwork. When I come back I'll tell you about joining the Stashbuster UFO challenge and show you some of my finishes.



Hello again, my darlings!

Career slacker, that's me!  But I nevertheless have made a bunch of quilts.  The Music Quilt for my son  in Norway was well-received, to say the least.  

I managed to teach a bit in 2009 but slacked off beginning summer of 2010 while I had cataract surgery and lens implants.  For the first time in my life I have 20/20 vision, woo-HOOO!  When the first cataract was removed I was stunned to realize how my color-sense had degraded -- like a brown haze on a dirty window.  Went around comparing the new eye with the cataract-in-waiting eye, squinting through first one eye, then the other.  Looked like an old fashioned railroad crossing with lights blinking back and forth!

The less-happy news is that I've developed something called Fuchs Dystrophy -- involving cells in the cornea that become congested with fluid.  Not anything like glaucoma, thank God.  Treatment can hold the line up to a point, but one day I'll be needing a corneal transplant.  So believe me I use my eye drops faithfully four times a day.  A 5% sodium chloride solution (table salt!!!), they burn like crazy, but if that's what it takes to make my eye last, I'm all over it!

MANY quilts gone by the boards since I last posted.  One I'm particularly proud of is my sister's 65th birthday quilt.  First, the back -- the quilting pleases me greatly.  Next the front, a simple framed four-patch with the "frames" organized similarly to a log cabin block.  Makes me think of attic windows -- a nice surprise!  Finally a closeup of the broderie perse appliques in the borders.  She loves it!

 
You've no doubt heard of the attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords a couple of weeks ago.  Shot at close range just above her left eye, a through-and-through.  I was so stunned all I wanted to do was sew -- my therapy of choice.  Found myself making "four into nine" patches, ending with enough to make a small quilt.  I call it the "Gabby Quilt"  -- entirely scrappy, entirely from stash, and a prayer in every stitch.

After only two weeks she was moved to a  premier rehabilitation in Houston so her astronaut husband could be near her and still fulfill his professional commitments.  Sounds like answered prayer to me.  Thank you God!

Summer of 2009 my beloved  Belgian Shepherd Malinois had to have a bony tumor removed from her upper jaw.  Doesn't sound like a big deal but it's a peculiar sort of cancer that invades the lungs if ignored.  No way could I ignore it.  The process was very hard on her, which wrung my heart, so of course I found great comfort in a quilt project that I could carry around.  Ended up making a scrap quilt entirely by hand, even the binding.  What a treat that was, so soothing, and I do believe the quilt itself is indestructible! First a closeup and then the whole quilt.  Framed four-patch blocks, hand pieced and hand quilted.

Well dears, it's late and I'm worn out from helping my daughter move house today.  Despite working on it for 20 months, they weren't able to get their mortgage modified. Got their foreclosure notice this week, found a place to rent, and moved in today!  I'm so happy they have a chance to start over, and save money while they're doing so -- rent: $800 a month; mortgage payment: $1800 a month.  Imagine suddenly being $100 a month to the good!  I couldn't be happier for them.  

More later.....

Such a slacker!!!

Hello again, m'dears!  Hard to believe it's a year since my last post -- but the evidence is here before our very eyes...

I've not been blogging but I have been very busy.  making quilts of course,  some of which please me greatly. 

I made this one for my son David.  He's a composer living in Norway.  Each block has a fussy-cut musical instrument in the center.  The back has an instrument cut from the feature fabric and appliqued in the center of each block.  The quilt is assembled block by block in the quilt as you go method, with double sashings on both sides.  I chose sunny colors to cheer Dave during those cold dark bleak Norwegian winter days.   On one end I appliqued an actual-size piano keyboard --  yes, I traced it from my piano!  On the other end I appliqued, hand embroidered, and machine embroidered the melody line for and old song that means a lot to both of us -- "The Water is Wide."  He tells me he keeps it on the bed with the melody facing his desk so he can see it whenever he comes into the room.

I started a quilting class at the nearby senior center and it really took off.   Here's our original group. 

We were asked to make a celebration quilt for the center's 24th anniversary.  Red, white, and blue prints, in a basic snowball and nine patch design, with historical pictures printed in the white snowball centers.

It was such a big hit the center director asked us to do a quilt show.  We agreed, and made a four patch block design of scraps left from the celebration quilt.  We earned nearly $150, which went toward a used sewing machine, rotary cutters and mats, and other small quilting necessities.  Now women who want to explore quilting can do so without spending a lot before they know if they'll enjoy it.    Since then the group has grown enough that the center is thinking of putting us in a larger room. 

Below is the raffle quilt, and a picture of the guy who held the winning ticket.  He doesn't look all that happy because his wife had put their SON's name on the ticket -- "Mr Raffle Winner, JR" -- awwww! 

When I'm too tired to do anything complicated but still want to sew, I piece 2.5" squares, save them in a shoebox, and when inspiration hits I'm ready.  This is a "semi" bow tie design made from all shades of yellow, gold, and cream.    I used the rest of the border fabric for the backing.  A cozy nap quilt. I've a bunch more quilts to share with you but will save them for later down the road.  On each of the next three Saturdays I'll be teaching quilting at the Bernina Center in my local Hancock Fabric store.  Setting up teaching plans, making demonstration pieces for each step, writing patterns and instructions, assembling "kits" for each student -- a lovely challenge that will keep me fairly busy. 

In the Sonoran Desert we can expect summer rains -- affectionately known as "monsoons" -- and gorgeous night blooming cacti.  Not much rain this year, quite disappointing in fact.  But a good year for blooms.  No, this isn't the famous "Queen of the Night" or night-blooming cereus.  Just an ordinary columnar specimen in a pot on my porch.  See Ruth out in her jammies, taking pictures of the cactus flower -- so glad my neighbors are heavy sleepers!

Well kids, it's late and I'm hungry.  Unseasonably cool tonight, expected low about 30*F.  (I know, I know -- count my blessings, and belive me I do!) A bowl of hot oatmeal with honey, butter, cinnamon, and cream sounds like the perfect bedtime snack. 

More later....not too much later I hope!  'Night all!

halooooo!!!!

Long time since my last post, no excuse to offer. I've been dreaming up posts but now that I'm here, can't seem to remember even one of them!

But I've been quilting up a storm:

Antique Dresden Plate

The "plates" were the gift of a friend who found them at an estate sale. I rescued the plates and their muslin backing, finished them, and made setting blocks, all by hand. The quilt is reversible, pretty snazzy, yes? This was several years in the making, and I'm so proud of it.

"Windmills and Flying Geese"

Found a "kit" at a local quilt shop with twelve fat-eighths and directions for two quilts. Even after I added all the white fabrics from my stash, there was never going to be TWO quilts in this project. So I made it up as I went along, determined to use every last thread of those "kit" fabrics. Here's what came of it, a small lap quilt -- or maybe a large crib quilt

"Happy Hearts at Home" -- a tablecloth I'd planned to have done for Valentine's Day. What with life happening while I was making other plans, I finally finished it in September. So much fun embellishing it with lacy stitches from my little Brother BC1000 -- one of my all-time great buying decisions!

AND -- ta-da!!! -- The Drunkard's Path tablecloth! Finished at last, and I'm so happy to be using it. This was on the frame when DS The Elder came to live with me for a while. There wasn't enough room then, so down came the frame and the quilt went into my UFO pile. Machine pieced, hand quilted and hand embroidered. The teacup and saucer are from a cafe in Oslo, bought one dreary, cold, night of hectic last-minute Christmas shopping. I'm sure Dear Son the Younger was terribly embarrassed that I hornswoggled our waitperson into selling it to me. But I was so glad to sit down and the coffee there was so perfect, I just had to have a keepsake! (Notice the little wall hanging? It's called "Love of Two Sisters" and was made for me by my baby sis in Oklahoma, representing our closeness, and featuring beads and buttons inherited from our mother. Very precious to me...)

Well, enough for now, and let's hope I'm back again a lot sooner than in the past. Hugs to all...

EEWWWW!!!

Hello again, m'dears! Remember the evaporative cooler bailing on me, day before yesterday? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evaporative_cooler By the time I found out the water pump had failed, the hardware stores were closed. So...Miss Dog and I made it through the night with lots of fans and a the small window air conditioner in the study. I will admit it was nice to have cold dry air drifting from study to bedroom -- made me wish briefly for full-house air conditioning. But this house is so poorly insulated a major retrofitting -- better insulation in walls and roof, low-E windows, etc -- before air conditioning would be a smart choice. Methinks an inhouse dehumidifier would be smarter, since it's only necessary during monsoon season.

Anyway, I said "OK God, do Your thing" as I was drifting off to sleep. And woke up remembering there was a gently used pump in the storeroom "just in case." (Prayer, no matter how casual, really does change things.) And the pump was plug-in not wire-in. I don't mind simple electrical things, like lamp repair, and this wouldn't have been a lot harder. Dreading worse than doing, of course. So imagine my delight when all I had to do was unplug the old and plug in the "new"! It was before sunrise, with a light breeze blowing in this morning's storm -- what better time to be up on the roof? Installation was so easy I decided to stay up there for a bit of scraping and cleaning. Tucson has very hard water, and my neighborhood is on the second-hardest well in town. Plugged the roof connection, turned on the cooler, and SHAZAM! -- cool air in my house, hooray! It was so cool last night, when that storm broke in the wee hours, that Miss Dog and I woke up cuddled tight together. Here's a picture of the offending pump. The round black circle in the middle is the kitchen sink drain. All that black stuff on the pump base and its protective screening is moldy hard water deposit. No wonder it failed! And no wonder my sinuses don't hurt anymore!!

Ok that's it for a bit -- gotta go hang my freshly laundered window quilts. Yes, I use them even in the summer, as they block afternoon sun on the west side of the house, and help keep outdoor heat from radiating in during the night!

Then it's sorting mail, paying bills, more decluttering and cleaning in my bedroom and bath, and maybe even some quilting time!