On the Needles

Quite a bit of progress on Charlie's next pair of sox, made from leftover yarn.  I'm up the ankle about an inch.  The toes, to the right, and heels are charcoal colored so are not very visible against the dark brown.  I hope to get far enough up the ankle that whatever colored yarn I have to use next won't show too much when Charlie crosses his knees!

4th Day of Christmas saw Martha and her family leaving for their drive back to St. Louis, my going to a lab for a blood draw, and then more knitting and a NAP.

Making vague plans for New Year's Day quilt work.  I'm NOT going to join in a Mystery for that day, but see if I can't get one of my UFOs turned into a neonatal quilt or two.  So before that I need to straighten up the room and get out the materials.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Leftover ham for lunch sandwich
Short line at the lab
Naptime quilts

Second Day of Christmas

The 26th of December is our son-in-law John's birthday.  The regular crazy event was held at son Peter and DIL Lynne's house.

We ate  some of the HOTTEST chili of our experience.

Which required a lot of beer chasers!

And the dogs romped and chased underfoot.

In other words, I good time was had by all!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Family togetherness
Peter's great cooking
Finally some SNOW

Xmas Eve preparations

Rum cake out of the oven. After it cools we'll make the rum glaze and pour it on for tomorrow's dessert.

During the baking time I finished turning the second sock heel on the "mixed yarn" socks for Charlie.

Christmas cookies and the tree are still to be decorated this afternoon.  Clam chowder for supper is our tradition.

I wish you a blessed Christmas in your own home with your traditions!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Family in good enough health to be present
Plenty of food and shelter for all
So many blessings in the darkness

What's on the Needles?

I'm starting to use up leftover sock yarn, knitting two socks at a time. I have a skein of charcoal to use as toes and heels, and maybe some stripes.  And I've pulled the bits of "manly" colors to make a pair for DH Charlie.  So far a dark brown patterned yarn, but there is some beige and grey coming, and maybe some patterned blue and purple.  This is an experiment!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Some snow on the ground
Cleaning crew came and left
Liz is bringing us December soup

Secret Sister Reveal

Patty seems happy to receive her quilt.  And even likes the back side!

The paper bags piled in front of us contain the six FQs from each of us for next year's gifts.

And a great surprise:  Patty had also drawn MY name last year for Secret Sister.  As I had requested in last year's bag, she used my FQs to make neonatal quilts and one pillow cover.  So they will be donated at our next Guild meeting.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Good time had by all at the party
Advertised winter storm did not arrive to disrupt our travel
A couple of quiet days ahead.

Secret Sister quilt finished

Look, here you can see part of the label written on the back as well as the completed binding.
All that is left is to go over front and back removing the snippets of threads.

Since I can't show the quilt yet, here is a little glimpse of "spare parts" used on the back:

This is my first use of a wool batt.  It was terribly wrinkled and I had difficulty getting it even partially smoothed out.  However, as many people have reported, it is very light and feels quite WARM.

Usually I wash every quilt I make before giving it away.  Since this batt requires drying FLAT on absorbant material and with a fan blowing over it, I don't think I have time before tomorrow's party.  Hmmm, guess I'll just have to explain what to do to the recipient.

Got very tired this morning doing the Christmas grocery shopping trip.  It took an hour and a half in Meijer's to get everything into the cart and then there was a longish line for checkout.  Next there was loading it all  into the car and then into the kitchen.  After the refrigerated items were put away I left all the rest sitting out and took a NAP.  Most of it is now out of sight at least.

And I forgot to put a few things on the list!  Oh, well, someone will have to go back before Christmas Eve to pick up the prime rib from the butcher, so more can be picked up then.

Sara

Gratitudes:

GRWC concert went well on Saturday, big crowd!
More light in the darkness with third Advent candle
Snow coming before Christmas

Wordless Wednesday

Next piece of the quilt back

I thought I was going to get the next part of the quilt quilted today, but making the back and using up my leftover fabric is taking longer than expected.

I now have this back side piece done, using up the extra HSTs and a good chunk of red solid.

I like the way this looks.  I'm using just a little tiny bit of red on the "right" side, but I generally like a lot of red. so this is appealing!

And there are some of the parts prepared for the other side piece, which will also have a chunk of red.

I hope to get this section quilted in place tomorrow.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Beautiful snow on the ground and trees
Dinner with Peter and Lynne tonight [DS & DDIL]
Continuing progress on the quilt

Scraps for the back

  I have sewn the majority of the scraps for this quilt into long, 5" segments for the back.

Now I need to figure out if the BIG pieces added to these will make the right size for the rest of the back.

Chili was a success last night at our "Dinner for Eight" of friends from Dominican Chapel, and the interesting conversation kept going until after 10 pm.

Sara

Gratitudes:

All of Charlie's help
First snow predicted
Two quilts  on the bed

Thursday Progress

The column of blocks that includes the Circle Of Geese is now quilted.  I'm doing Channel quilting, or just going up and down.

Next, adding one of the side sections, Quilt-As-You-Go style.  But first I will need to construct the backing piece, about an inch bigger than the pieced top piece.

Theatre tonight:  "Nearly Normal".

Sara

Gratitudes:

Son and DIL nearly done qualifying to receive [before Christmas?] a political refugee foster child, around 14 years old.
Chorus music humming away in my head
St. Nicholas!

Wordless Wednesday

Sara

SS progress

[Thanks for the suggestions about what to do to load more photos.  In the end I decided to pay for more storage.]

Here is a section of the Secret Sister gift.  We all provided five FQs of fabric in a paper grocery bag last December.  Since then we were to have been designing something with those fabrics.  Naturally we mostly were "thinking" about it for eleven months.
So now the crunch is on.

In November I got almost all of her fabrics made into HSTs with a gray background.  Last week they were made into blocks. Today I have gotten all the blocks together into two center pieces and two borders.

Tomorrow I hope to get the first section basted together.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Grandfather clock still chiming since 1915
Dog than purrs. or is it hums?
Replacement for lost credit card arrived

Photo blockage

Apparently I am being blocked from posting any photos.

I'm getting a message that my Blog/Picasa available storage is full, so I should purchase more storage for $2.49 per month.  Does anyone know a way around this?
It seems to me that I ought to be able to delete some photos somewhere and have the space back for future use, but I can't find any info other than "you should purchase more space."

Meanwhile, who wants to read a post with no photos?

Well, I', making progress on my Secret Sister present, due in two weeks.  I've got the full PLAN now decided on, and I've made all the pieces, except a few border strips.  Now I need to start sewing all the blocks together into two pieces for quilt-as-you-go in the center.

Sara

Gratitudes:

GRWC sang well at Fountain Street Church today
Made bread,first in a long time
Question: "If you won the Lottery what would you do?" is food for thought!

Some finishes!

The Tropical Garden is ready to be gifted.  I received the tropical backing fabric from my neighbor, and had set it aside for this one.  Yesterday I finished the binding which was started on retreat.  I used the completely-machine-sewn-binding method, found the blanket stitch really did make the backside of the binding look a little better than the straight stitch.

And the fourth doll quilt, Wonky Sixteen Patch, also got its backing, quilting and binding finished. I get a kick out of the black and white stripe binding!

We are packing up for our trip to St. Louis for Thanksgiving turkey and football.  Granddaughter Samantha is a high school senior, a cheerleader, and marching band student director.  Big final football game of her "career" this year, and lots of family doings.

I'm taking knitting for hand work.  Here's my knitting bag with the current sock on the top.

Underneath I have charcoal grey and leftover yarns to start another pair with haphazard stripes, maybe on the way home.  Eight hours in the car, sharing the driving still should give me 3-4 hours for progress.

Sara

Gratitudes:
Therapeutic massage
Michigan dried cherries
Prius for good mileage

Retreat results

Some old half-blocks sewn together into a top:

Another doll quilt top made from brights:

Borders put on two tops:

Three doll quilts quilted:

A paper-pieced circle of geese constructed:

But the very first thing I completed was the binding on this quilt.  Then I took it over to my bedroom and had it handy for middle of the night chills.

That night the temperature in the bedroom was 80, due to faulty setting of the thermostat, so the quilt was NOT needed!

But now it is on the home bed for extra warmth.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Lots accomplished and mojo returned
Friendly conversations and laughs while working
Afternoon naps!

Geese still flying

Making more flying geese strips and moving them around.  Planning to use the gray fabric for all the empty space.  Not done yet.

Today the tree specialist came and we walked the property talking about various tree's health and form.
Sugar maple and red oak need trimming.  Crab apples are diseased and need to be removed.  Shag-bark hickory is OK.   $1500 to remove HALF of the cottonwood.  Birch, oak and maple need to be fed for good growth. I love our trees and my Dad showed me that trees need maintenance.  But what a cost.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Oak branches hanging into the view of lake
Public library
Leftover chicken casserole for dinner

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Design Wall

Trying out some options.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Tigers made it to the World Series
Yankees did not.
GRWC concert music in my head

Doll Quilt Time

This is the time of year for doll quilts in our guild.  They will be collected at the November meeting for Santa Claus Girls to give to girls along with a doll.

I usually start with some easy traditional models from my pile of four patches and other orphan blocks.  Then I go to a more liberated style as I loosen up.

Above is a little table quilt gift I'm going to pass on, and then the first top for this year.

Sara

Gratitudes:

Sun at the beginning of the day
Eyes back to good enough for reading
"Gratitudes" list makes me stop and think about good things, not the negative

Took a walk this afternoon down the driveway and through the meadow too savor the fall brisk breeze and the colors.

We have had the driveway "sealed" so it is very dark, but the meadow is much more interesting.

Along the pathway is bordered by swatches of purple asters, and lots of seeds ready to fall to the ground for spring growth.  And the sumac is deep red.

And there are tiny white asters here and there.

Makes me feel like dancing!
But instead I returned home and sat to rest my legs and back.

Then to Dr. Gindzen for my every-four-weeks eye injections.

Sara

Gratitudes:

The sun shone long enough for my walk and photos
Found good border fabrics for a doll quilt
Charlie could listen to baseball on the car radio

Not inspired

This is an example of something I could be working on.  It's even appropriate for the season. I think these blocks are sewn together into groups of four already.  I'm just looking at a photo to find something I can be excited about.  But instead I'm uninspired.
When I go into my sewing room, all I can think is that the room needs ORGANIZING.

Guess that is what I need to do next!

Sara

Gratitudes:

Fall colors out the window, even under clouds
Warm enough to eat on the porch
The play at Actors' Theatre definitely not Neil Simon!

Finally I am sewing again.  Counted out 36 confetti blocks and made the beginning of a neonatal quilt.  Now to find a border and backing for 36" square fun.

Yesterday I finished adding hanging sleeves to three quilts and turned them in for the October Quilt Show of our guild.

We are getting some lovely fall color in the garden grasses, and a few trees are turning as well.


Sara

Gratitudes:

Finished PT for the knee
Charlie keeps on making dinner
Getting my quilting mojo back

Few accomplishments

I am practicing walking around the driveway circle with my borrowed walker.  The crabappples are in bloom, about a month early.

The plais Double Four-Patch is now bound and finished.

Sara

Gratitudes:

DH Charlie continues to cook, clean-up our meals, and drive me to all my appointments

Tenor Baby

One of the gals in out yenor section is expecing a baby in May,  anad I was able to get the binding on this one in time efor a shower this Sunday/

And here's the back:

Lots more bright colors for a girl whose Mom is called Tango.


Sara

Gratitudes:

Managed to attend most of a bass sectional
Charlie keeps taking good care of me
Sewing helps my mental health

One binding done

 Put the red binding on this one in the last two days, so that was some good time spent at the sewing machine/  Sent it off with two others to the Guild collection tonight for the local neonatal department.

And here is the cray back.

Sara

Gratitudes

Told them to go a little easier on the exercises today and they did

Actually quilting

Got my necessary cutting gear moved to the kitchen counter and trimmed off th edges of three quilts.  So I am actually at work again sewing.

First Aqua physical therapy today, and it went "swimmingyt" until I exited teh pool and gravity took full effect.  WOW was I sxhausted!



Sara

Gratitudes:

DH drives me everywhere


Great, late birthday dinner by Lynne
Ear;y daffodils are brightening the scene

Getting Back slowly

While in the rehab facility I used a machine that passively moved my leg from straight to bent.  This did not really count as exercize but it was to keep some motion before everything froze.  I could certainly feel when it was pushing my limits.

But I am going to return to the subject of Quilting.  Nothing was accomplished by me during the last three weeks  However, my Secret Sister sent me not only seven cards for my seventieth birthday, but she also sent me a scrap of fabric for each decade,  There's quite a variety of prints beginning with a fun Birthday print.

Also my long arm quilter Catherine kept working, and I now have received back five quilts that need to be trimmed and then bound.

I hope I will be able to slowly make progress with these, at least to have a few to turn in to the Guild collection on Tuesday.


Sara

Gratitudes:

nurses with gentle hands
dear husband's continuing care
my own bed at last