Monday, November 28, 2011

Another finish


These colors are washed out. It is much brighter! I used Bonnie Hunter's pattern Crayon Box. It is very easy to put together and as you can tell it is very scrappy.

Actually I finished this a week ago -- just haven't posted. What have I been doing? That's a good question. LOL Oh yeah, I straightened up my sewing area (reorganized--although I'm the only one who can tell- LOL) and did some cleaning. I finished appliqueing the centers on the Dresden Plates. Yay! I had used blue marker to mark the turn line on the plates and rinsed them in plain water. Laid them out to dry on towels. Oh dear. One color -- a bluish gray bled a little. I will hand wash them in Synthapol with some color catchers and see it that won't take care of it. If not out comes the seam ripper and take out the offending fabric and replace it. Better to find it now than once the quilt is together. So that's part of what I will be doing today.

And this week I also have a customer's string quilt that I am repairing and then will quilt. Then I need to get the guild's Christmas party invitations labeled and in the mail. Larry has a doctor appointment tomorrow. One more step before hip replacement. He has his okay from his primary care and heart doctors. Yay!

This year we didn't gather at Larry's parents for Thanksgiving. First time in many a year. They went to see Larry's aunt and sister. Instead I cooked lunch for us. Chicken and dressing and the fixings. And pies. I have a new favorite. I made pecan and buttermilk pies. I always make pecan but not buttermilk. The buttermilk pie made me remember my mom's Jeff Davis pies that she made years ago but a little different. Really they are made pretty much the same accept one uses sweet milk and the other buttermilk. Correct me if I'm wrong. I added a little cinnamon to mine. Just a dash. Oh, and I have a new favorite pie crust recipe using olive oil. It makes me feel so much better not using shortening. I was genuinely surprised how well it turned out. I rolled it out between waxed paper and it turned out perfect. Our daughter invited us for the evening meal. We enjoyed spending time with them. Our other kids went to their other destinations for Thanksgiving.  And I stayed home and enjoyed some down time. No shopping!

Blessings,



Sunday, November 20, 2011

WCQG Bus Trip



The guild took a bus trip to Stitchin' Heaven yesterday. It was our first ever and not the last. We had a ton of fun. We left the Decatur Wal-Mart parking lot around 8am and we were driven (quite possibly the almost best part) to Quitman, Tx. We arrived around 10:45 and immediately the shop was filled with 40 women. There was plenty of room for us. They had prepared little demonstrations for us. Our bus trip coordinator had arranged for lunch through Stitchin' Heaven so we didn't have to leave to eat! They had ordered club sandwiches, chips, water, and cookies for us. It was part of our ticket price. And of course there was shopping! Those who wanted to played fat quarter bingo after lunch. Then mid afternoon we loaded back on the bus. We stopped for dinner at Cracker Barrel in Denton then loaded back up and arrived in Decatur before 7:30pm. There were snacks, water, games and DOOR PRIZES on the bus. Karen did a great job getting the trip together.
I took this standing at the front door. There were many samples hung throughout the store.


 This was their classroom--where we ate lunch and here they are playing fat quarter bingo.

I was on a mission to find fabric to sash Amanda's dresden plates. I found two pieces that I think will work well. I may rob some from another project -- you know -- the P.I.G.S. -- project in grocery sacks and replenish them when I get to them. LOL I also found a really cute fabric for DGD Aimee's butterfly quilt that we will probably start on the next time she gets to come.


I just had to have this fabric! It will be perfect. And of course we have to have some polka dots and bright pinks and yellow!

And don't you think these will go good with the Dresden Plates? I'm planning on making sashing with nine patch corner stones and then a piano key border -- real scrappy.

And then there was this scrap bag of mostly batiks --squares and rectangles-- that I couldn't resist. I was asked what I was going to do with them. I didn't know at the time I just knew I fell in love with them. After sorting them and caressing them : ) I'm thinking Christmas gifts! Little zippered bags. Tote bags. God, could you please give me superhuman ability for say two weeks so I can get everything done that I would like to make. : ) 

We were given goodie bags on the bus and there were several fat quarters for the stash. Can there ever be too much? Don't answer that!

Here's a C.A.S.A. quilt I finished. These are crumb blocks sewn block to block with sashing and borders. I have another one quilted that needs trimming and binding. I will get that done today while Larry is gone hunting. Here's a link to a tutorial for crumb quilt blocks and another (I'm not sure if I will ever make any as small as Bonnie Hunter's blocks.) But I have learned to never say never. : )

I had a little escapade with the pigs while Larry's been gone. Friday evening when I went out to feed there were feeder pigs out of their pen. These four are probably 40 to 50 pounders. The sows had rooted  the sandy soil out under the fence of their pen trying to get to the feed trough and the feeders had crawled under the fence. I got all the hogs fed and set about figuring out how was I going to get them back in their pen? They wanted to go everywhere but there. But darkness helped. One by one they went to their pen knowing that was where they needed to be and they wanted to be together. All but one. It was the stubborn one. By the time it decided it wanted in the pen it was pretty dark. I was gone all day Saturday so I didn't get to feed until Sunday morning. Uh oh -- they were out again! Repeat of Friday night. Hunger and thirst were on my side.  Got them all back in again -- there was one again that was the hold out. Probably the same one! This time the sows are locked up in their pen. Normally we leave them to graze all the time. Let's just say they won't be tasting any grass until the pen situation is remedied.

Have a wonderful Sunday and now I'm off to make a binding and get 'er dun. Then more Dresden Plate centers need appliqueing. Just a few more!

Blessings,


Friday, November 11, 2011

Blessings to our Veterans and Service Men and Women

A big Thank you to all who have served or are serving our country! Also thank you to their families who have been by their side.  They don't always get noticed for their service as well.

11/11/11 -- Too cool! Isn't it wonderful to be alive on a day like today? Make the most of it-- live like today is the most important day of your life. And tomorrow.

Blessings to all,

Sunday, November 06, 2011

Did you feel the Oklahoma earthquake?

I had fallen asleep on the couch and didn't. Larry woke me up and said he could feel it in his recliner and he watched the angels that hang from the mantel swing back and forth and said he could have sworn the wall was moving. I was so groggy that I just looked and him and went back to sleep. Then this morning I remembered and got online and googled it. Wow! 5.6 is an earthquake.

Blessings,