Quilting and Life in General

Life on the windy, wet and wild Coast

2012-01-25T11:16:00.008-06:00

The winter storms hit last week - and of course, I HAD to go to Portland and then to Philomath for a quilt class. The weather had been so-o mild and wonderful before that. Oh well - life on the coast isn't for the meek!!

I did delay my departure a day - Wednesday, last week, there were 108 mph winds on the coast!! So I left Thursday, which looked promising. I stopped 2 hours up the coast to check in at the Bandon quilt store. Thank goodness I did. She immediately looked up tripcheck.com and advised me on my route to avoid all the road closings due to mud and rock slides thru the mountains![3 of the 5 passes!] If I had checked that site before leaving - I probably would have chickened out!! But going across the mountains on 42 got me to the interstate easily. I did have to backtrack - the road goes generally south, but I made it without problems.

Got the royal welcome from Mr M and Miss P - "Nana, Nana!! [big hugs] Where's Papa???" LOL! As long as I get big hugs - who cares if I'm second best!! I got to take J's volunteer shift at the co-op preschool on Friday. Preschools are very loud these days!! But, of course, I loved it - especially the parachute games. There was drawing in our 'journals' and Miss P drew me along with her - I had gun-metal grey marker hair!! It was obvious who was pictured!! We came home happy and all took long naps!

Saturday I was off to the quilt class. New technique for me - textile coloring and painting from a photo. Our teacher was wonderful - very calm, very informative and answered all questions easily and fully. I was going to withhold this project until I was done .... but figured I'd forget all the details by then!

We started with a picture.

She photo-shopped them for us and printed them on fabric - backed it with freezer paper. That helped it print AND kept it in good shape for our coloring. Here's the class's fabric portraits and then mine.

While holding the phtoto, we carefully colored the fabric. Changing any colors we wanted to - she showed us an example with a baby in a stark white bow. The fabric picture's bow was a soft pink. Shading the faces especially to let them come to life. Once I got over being afraid to screw something up - it was kind-of a mixture of coloring in coloring books and the colored pencils class I took in Newport.

After coloring everything, we painted the whole project with a 50/50 mixture of textile medium and water. The colors blended together and brightened. As you can see in Mr M's hair as I was painting. Sometimes exactly what you'd hoped, sometimes not!! My grandkids don't have red hair - but they'd look good if they did!! LOL! (PS - the fabric portrait's hair is not that red in person!!)

Now we need to add borders and quilt. I'm trying out some batiks here. I'll let you see the finished project - when it happens! It's hanging on the design wall here - I just have to decide on the quilting - to quilt the faces heavily or not!!

If you want to see the other portraits in the class - and they are all wonderful - here is the link. Enjoy!!

My plans after the class changed. Hiway 20 was open, but oh-so-slow, so I didn't stay with a friend in Newport. I headed down the I-5 and stayed in Eugene at Holiday Inn Express. I explored Eugene's shopping center and even went to a movie Saturday night. I saw "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo". Very good. Granted the violence is extremely violent - but it's a small percent of the movie!?! You can pretty much close your eyes if you need to! - I'm getting wimpier in my old age.

The movie ticket was only $6 for stadium seating at 7 pm on a Saturday night!! I thought that was really cheap. Then I thought I'd have popcorn for dinner - couldn't do it - medium popcorn and medium drink was $9.75!! Is that really expensive? I sat thru the movie and then picked up a chicken nugget happy meal on the way back to the motel! Just the right size for a late, late dinner!! AND I got a hot wheels car!!! LOL! Yep, second childhoods are underrated!!

Sunday morning after checking tripcheck.com - I started off. Our usual route was now open - so went home along 38. The worse part of that was the tunnel. It's a long tunnel with a curve - AND all the lights were off in it! It was like heading into the bowels of the earth!! Pitch-black and scary! And even though my headlights were already on - it felt like they were only parking-lights - the light was quickly sucked away!!

When I got to the coast it was windy but the rivers had gone back into their banks and weren't 'leaking' onto the highway any more!! Home again, home again felt so good!

My First UFO Finish!! Hooray!

2012-01-18T09:49:00.007-06:00

I finished my first UFO for the year and I'm happy to be done with it.

This basket quilt was the New Year's Day Mystery at Planet Patchwork 2011. There were some problems with the directions and I ended up with twice as many basket feet as needed - an odd little unit standing by itself!!

I don't like mysteries - for me the mystery is "Why do I have so many UFOs and WIPs!!" I love to come to the sew-in day and work on one of my own projects. If I really like the mystery's end result - I can always do it on my own later. But, come to think about it - I don't!! I guess I just collect mysteries and BOMs!! Sorry Bonnie Hunter!! I love her mystery quilts - just never take the time to make them!

I'm bound and determined to learn FMQ this year. I've dabbled with 'loop de loop - star' on the LA machine. But that's pretty much all I do. And nothing even that organized on my DSM. So Leah Day's FMQ Wednesday is tempting me to follow thru. I've never stippled - so I followed her tutorial and stippled the center of this quilt.

There's so many variables - foot pedal speed; hand motion; keeping the pattern in your head ... let's just say I can't chew gum at the same time!! The stippling is too close on this little quilt - but it washed up well. Thank the Lord those stitches tighten up after washing - I needed some help.

My friend M, in Lincoln, quilted my Halloween Round Robin on her LA for me last April and quilted a really cute border design - she called it olives! So I attempted 'olives' in the sashings.

By now I was really tired of the whole process and rewarded myself by going back to walking foot quilting and did the outer borders with that fast and furiously!! Machine bound it and it's ready for the Brookings Baby Shower in March.

It's all from stash and I did a happy dance when this back fit!!! Isn't it cute? It's been in my stash forever. It was just the right size and now it's not languishing in my stash! LOL!

I'm on the tail end of finishing the pies and tarts blocks. Of course, I had to make new freezer paper templates - and they are so sticky the first few times! I have 9 pies pinned to the background blocks - ready for a few nights of TV.

I hope to sew the next 9 wheel sets today and then there's only 7 more sets left from wedges already cut. Then I have to decide if it's big enough or if I need to cut more Civil War fabrics for more blocks. That will be a mess - I'm not sure I've bought many more fabrics that are suitable? Oh, I probably have, but laying it out and discovering what's new/what's already in there is a big pain for me.

I also have to trim the blocks - first decide how big. I think I've cut 3 different sizes of background squares. I'll just take the littlest and see what size it is and go from there.

IF I was just starting this project again. I would make a no-shrink plastic round template for the pies and tarts. Then I could poke a hole in the center; pin the fabric pie to it and drawstring it up around the template and press. I think this would result in better circles.

My method now is to iron against the freezer paper to make the sewing line. They're pretty good - but there's little points and bumps on the pies and tarts. There are on the original too, they show up in close-up pictures. So I'm in good company, but I'm pretty insecure about my applique anyway and I think this method would have given me better lines to start with!!

DH and I were ornery last weekend! The neighbors here have a cast-iron pig bank in their entryway. They are Green Bay fans and the pig looked cold! They were gone and we brought the pig in, measured it and made it a GB kerchief on Saturday. DH looked thru my stash to find the perfect color fabrics and we found the logo online. It's so cute and the neighbors loved it when they came home ... if only it wasn't the 'kerchief of defeat'!! Oh well, there's always next year!!

Our new community college campus opened - it's basically across the highway from us and I'm taking a digital scrapbook class. Mainly to learn Photoshop - but I can see this could be as addictive as quilting!! Oh, no!!

If you 'digital scrapbook', I'd love any hints or tips and any free resources you like!! The first class was last night and I came home overwhelmed!!

I'm trying not to take our winter storm today personally!! I'm supposed to be on my way to Portland for a visit with Miss P and Mr M and then take a quilt class in Philomath Saturday. We're expecting 100 mph winds on the coast, snow up in Portland and I'm a big chicken!! So I'll stay home, sew today and hope tomorrow it all blows over!! [get it???] I'm telling you, if we lived on the East Coast - these storms would have names!!

I'll let you know how it goes!

Is January going by really fast for you too??

2012-01-08T20:02:00.007-06:00

Nothing says "Happy New Year" like a happy baby!

The weather here has been gorgeous - mostly. When it rains, it really rains, but when it doesn't - like today - we tend to forget all about those rainy days!! Is it denial or just old age memory?? Whatever - it works!

Today was wonderful, around 60 and no wind on the beach. Very unusual - we walk south when we walk and usually have to fight a head-wind coming back. But not today! No sand in our eyes; it was glorious!

I finally got the Christmas photos on the computer. My DD accidently kept my connector cable, so I had to build up the courage to transfer via my memory card. Wow - that was easy and fast!! LOL! Isn't that always the way - what you think is going to be a big problem turns out so easy. However, that last few pounds - turns out to be an obstacle! And it brings back it's friends!!

Good thing we kept the wonderful moments in our hearts because the photos were somewhat a disappointment. Someone, who shall remain anonymous,(DH) should be called 'shadow man'!! He was taking the photos and honestly - how CAN you get flash on 1/2 the picture [usually where the people are NOT] and dark shadow on the other half [where the people are]?? Oh well, next year ... there are a few that turned out, including Mr D at the top.

What are you doing to improve your quilting this year? I'm not calling it a resolution - this year resolutions are getting a bad rap! As if failing at bettering yourself is worse than not trying at all??? I'm sure they will cycle back into favor again!

This year I'm going to work at FMQ. I do some; but don't experiment 'outside my box'. And this year I'm going to!! Leah Day is having a FMQ challenge and SewCalGal is too. I've viewed both - and tomorrow I'm setting up the machine to experiment. You read it here first!!

I'm also going to participate in 'Take a Stitch Tuesday'. I've come to love embroidery. Years and years ago I taught a sampler class for Community Education in NJ - yep, 30 years ago??!! It will be nice to work with stitches again.

Stay Robin progress: We're in the 3rd month - halfway thru the challenge. Do you remember? We started with a center square - any size or shape. [Mariner's Compass] The first technique was applique;[lighthouse on the right] 2nd was paper piecing [sailboat and star] and the third was 'words.' Here is the progress - before I add the words - still working on those.

'Words' was absolutely perfect for me! I wanted to incorporate a poem into this quilt from the beginning and in the middle works. So I edited the poem and picked two verses that will fit around my piece so far. I love the alphabet by Art to Heart. It's in "The Night Before Christmas" book. So I set up some freezer paper with guildlines. I traced out the poem onto the freezer paper; then using my lightbox I traced it again onto the fabric. Now I'm not saying my eyes are getting bad; but - I traced it onto the reverse side of the fabric! AND I embroidered about 15 inches of the poem before I even noticed!! YIKES!

Needless to say - I'm going with it! It will be the same but different?!?! And Lord knows, my eyes won't notice it!!

Happy New Year again!!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T15:02:00.004-06:00

2012 kind-of snuck up on us! I remember hearing my grandmother say how the year was going so fast and I thought, "This woman has lost her mind!!!" Sorry, Grandma - I get it now!!

It's time for the yearly review! Don't know if anyone else does this ... but I enjoy looking back - since I'm such a listmaker - it's pretty easy!

I made/finished 14 quilts, mostly baby quilts or larger! 5 were UFOs (hooray!!) 1 was a PIG [project in grocery bag] just waiting it's turn for years(!), 1 sweatshirt jacket, 2 challenges and 5 new quilts finished in the same year!!! I also made 2 sewing kits for friends; 12 pair of pj pants [for grandkids and my beautician's daughter]!! 2 new Christmas stockings and repaired/added buttons to 3 old ones.

Learning to long-arm quilt and renting the local quilt shop's long arm really upped my production! I actually started a double bed quilt and finished it in just one week this fall! That's a first and I've been quilting 36 years! It was fun - I'll try to do that every year! Focus, Nana, Focus!!

I didn't finish all I had planned to finish - of course! My list seems to be getting longer - how does that happen??? But, I shouldn't be surprised - it does happen every year!

I read 71 books and really liked 28 of them! I gave those my highest rating. 4stars! I went back and read favorite authors - the books that I missed somehow.

Thomas Perry - Jane Whitefield series - the one woman witness protection agency
Nevada Barr - Anna Pidgeon series - I love how she places the stories in our National Parks
Dana Stabenow - Kate Shugak - the real reason I'm anxious to travel to Alaska! All those descriptions of Alaska amidst the adventures
Douglas Preston - his adventure books are so engaging from my couch!
John Barnes - the scifi I love to read, not too techie!
Janet Evanovich - who doesn't love Stephanie Plum? and Ranger, Joe and Grandma???

I added some new favorites too!

John Larison - an Oregon writer I discovered this year - "Northwest of Normal" describes Oregonians dead-on!!
Jack McDevitt - I started with "The Engines of God" and am anxious to continue that series

My DH gave me Stephen King's newest 11/22/63 and it's slighly mellower than Stephen King's usual - so far! I'm only half-way through it, but loving it! Looking forward to finishing it, but not as much as A is - looking forward to me finishing it, he's next on the list to read it!!

I spent yesterday at the Quilt Shop at a sew-in. They have it every year for those of us who like to avoid all the bowl games. Hmmm, we didn't realize that college doesn't play on Sundays. Oops!! But we managed to have a really good time while avoiding NFL games!! We're on our own today!

The shop is set up to give out the Planet Patchwork New Year's Day mystery. The clues are delivered every hour ... But I don't really like quilt mysteries. There I said it! I've done a few - okay 2-3 and always wish I'd made other fabric choices ... and Lord knows I have quite a few projects (LOL!)that are just waiting for me to finish them. Seems like a better use of time to work on them!

So - I worked on last year's NYD mystery!! I started it at this gathering on NYD 2011 - there was an error and I miscut ... so at the end of the day - into the bag it went. It did come out for the design wall once or twice, but nothing was done on it ALL YEAR! The pattern, the pieces, the fabrics were still gathered in the bag - ready to go again. So I took it - made two more 'stamp basket' blocks to make it bigger; added a border and started making 1/2 square triangles for another border.

It's light yellow and soft blues - but still kind of girl-y for a boy-quilt. At this point, I'm just hoping to finish it and donate it for the city-wide baby shower in March.

Off my list is my goal!! If I hadn't taken it yesterday ... well, it probably would still be in the bag by my estate sale!! Of course, it's not done-done yet! [sigh!]

I'm participating in the FMQ challenge this year - over here - I'm always saying I want to improve my FMQ; but rarely actually work on it or get out of my 'box'.

So this year - I'll at least think about it every month!! But hope to sew along. The blue baskets will be my first FMQ project for 2012!

They advised us to practice alot and I bought Christmas fabrics on sale last week up in Portland. My goal is to make fabric gift bags with all the techniques. I think machine quilting will make them heavy enough you won't be able to determine the shape of the present. I'll let you know how it goes!!

Wishing you the best in 2012. May the year be filled with friends, family, laughter, good books and sunshine! Oh, and LOTS of time to QUILT!! Definitely!!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

2011-12-21T19:00:00.003-06:00

Here's my Lighthouse Santa wishing you a Merry Christmas!

We're off on our whirlwind tour of kids and grandkids! We're also celebrating our 39th wedding anniversary! My, how time does fly!!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Here's to a "Quilt-y" New Year!

Santa's Sweatshop ... hmm ..workshop is shutting down!

2011-12-18T13:53:00.004-06:00

Okay - time to get serious - does everyone realize that Christmas Eve is THIS WEEK! Never mind wondering where the month of December went ... where on earth did 2011 go??

I've been really busy in the sewing room. I made a db4patch for mom. Using the colors that she can still see, yellow, red and blue - well it got nicknamed the gypsy quilt here! Bright! It arrived and she likes it. I told her it was a 'gypsy' quilt and she said she'd always wanted a gypsy wagon!! It's pictured at the KidVille across from the pool in Crescent City. Makes you want to be a kid again!!

Then I finished Mr D's "Jungle Boogie" quilt. It turned out fun! I blanket stitched around the animals, quilting at the same time. It's even labeled! "Jungle Boogie for Mr D from Beach Nana and Mommy 2011"

And I made 3 pair of PJ pants paired with tops found at Walmart. They're ready to wrap. Mr D gets his first pair - I'm afraid they're going to be enormous on him!! But we'll see! I love all the pants, the robot pants are for Mr M ... and I found that robot shirt ... score!!!

I also finished a name banner for Mr D. Miss P and Mr M each have one, they're crumpled in the doll bin!! Maybe, 3rd time is the charm and this one will get hung up!! There is a sleeve on all of them!!

I whipped up a play mat for Mr M. He loves his cars - they used to have an IKEA rug that was a cityscape that they could play cars on. But something happened to it. So I made this panel - it can be put away easily enough. I also tried a drawstring bag to put the new cars and planes in ... not my best work!! But I'm still trying to see if it can work.

The house is decorated ... and the first batch of cookies are given away and eaten!! So the next two days are wrapping presents and baking cookies for the kids. Hope we can avoid them better this time!!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas! Here's to a Quilt-y New Year too!!

A Few Favorite things at Christmas

2011-12-11T09:42:00.006-06:00

There are several traditions we did at Christmas growing up and raising our own children. They are a big part of all the memories that come rushing into the Christmas season. Here are a few of ours. What are your favorites?

Our Christmas tree skirt has a light back so we can trace hands on it each Christmas. It works well to trace it in pencil and then re-trace it with your favorite permanent marker. We only had 'liquid embroidery' but it worked! It's not perfect back there by any means. But you just love looking at it - again and again!

Start with the adults handprints and then add the kid's handprints each year. If you want to add pets ... wet their feet, make their paw print on a piece of paper, draw around it with a pencil before it dries, then approximate it on the skirt! You can cut around the paper and then draw around it on the skirt ... but it's easier than you think to just free-hand it! After a few years, you have a wonderful circle of hands expanding out. I'm now fitting in grandkids' hands around the edges!!

When the kids were small, at Christmas we had 'bedtime' 10 minutes earlier. They ran to get into their pjs, brushed their teeth and then came back down to the tree, turning off all the lights as they came. We sat around the lit tree and each child (I only had 2!) picked a Christmas song for us to sing. It was magical and we parents didn't mind [much] missing the first 15 minutes of our 9 o'clock tv shows!

When I was growing up, my mom and dad would wrap one present without a box and on occasion we would get to sit supervised, 'feel' it and try to guess what it was. I had a hard stuffed poodle one year ... never did figure it out - too many parts sticking out!! Tail, nose, top of head, those weird legs ...But boy, did I rip into it first thing Christmas morning!

There are certain Christmas movies that we watch every year: White Christmas; Miracle on 34th St; and Love Actually. I'd like to find a copy of the "Best Christmas Pageant Ever" cheap. It was a made for TV special and we loved it!!

I still love receiving Christmas cards [nice segue, don't you think??!] I love opening cards from friends and families far away. And I even love Christmas letters!! Short ones with pictures are my favorites, but I'd rather have a really long one that none at all!

Here's our letter this year! Short and sweet as always. And the names have been taken out to protect the 'not so innocent!'

Happy Holidays from the Boyds

Oh, my - another year just sped by! And a new grandchild joined our family! A&J2 had Mr D in April and he is a true camera hound! He sees that little red ‘focus’ light headed his way and he is all smiles!

Miss P started pre-school this year and loves it – she just missed the cut-off date for kindergarten. Mr M is so busy being 3 that you need an appointment for a hug! Although he is always available for ‘crash cars’.

We had snow and sleet on the coast, and saw our first tsunami up close and personal. We went down to Palm Springs for some fun ‘n sun in February. We came back too early and were surprised by twenty inches of rain in the month of March! Webbed feet were all the fashion!

There was lots of golf, lots of quilting, time spent with good friends - it was another wonderful year on the Oregon coast with kids and grandkids close by.

Wishing you and yours the best in 2012

December has arrived! - and we're off and running ...

2011-12-04T20:13:00.014-06:00

I don't do as much Christmas shopping and sewing now that we're retired. First, I live in a really small town and there is NO shopping! If the local Fred Meyers doesn't have it - we apparently don't need it!! So we often give money to the kids to buy what the grandchild needs/wants. Easy-peasy, but I do miss the 'thrill of the chase' sometimes!

Small town post offices also have their own special challenges! I haven't been in the post office for months when there wasn't a l*o*n*g line and more than one clerk at the counter. And don't ask for special stamps - they are available online!!!

I have no secret pals nor small sewing group to make presents for. Yes, Scrap Happens, I'm missing you - as usual!

End result?? No looming deadlines! And that's a good thing!

I think I mentioned that I hadn't made a Christmas stocking for J2, A's wife. I swore I had - this is where lists DO come in handy!! When I checked back the last few years - on my list of finished projects each year ... nada!! So when I made Mr D's stocking; I also made one for J2.

A sent me a picture of his stocking ... good thing - I'd forgotten that rendition! The theory was put a plain Christmas tree on the front of the stocking to be decorated with appropriate buttons each year. Never did it!! LOL! L&J had the same stockings, they each had 1 button on them. So, my mission, should I decide to accept it, was to sew buttons on finished stockings! ICK! There's really no room to work with them.

So here is how I did them. You will notice, there are no hands pictured in these steps. I was sewing during naps and no one was available to hold the camera. PLUS I looked down at my cuticles ... water aerobics is not kind to hands!! You will not see my hands demonstrating anything any time soon!

Start with 'findings' aka very small buttons! I got these at JoAnn's and they are the same buttons I used on "8 Tiny Reindeer" last January. Cute, nice colors and just big enough for clumsy 59 year old hands to hold on to!

I used quilting thread - figuring it was strong - and 2 needles!

Thread one needle; don't knot it; take a stitch thru the front of the stocking where you want the button placed. Start from the top and end on the top.

Thread the second needle with the other end of the thread. With each needle, in turn, go up thru one hole and down thru the other hole. Do not go into the fabric of the stocking. It helps to use 'opposite' holes for each needle's 'up' stitch. Pull on your threads until the button is tight against the stocking.

Now, unthread one needle - it's easier. Tie a square knot with the thread under the top edge of the button. Then tie another square knot under the bottom edge of the button. That's it! cut the threads as close under the button as you can.

Give the button a tug - it seems secure. Of course, it could unravel later - I just did these. They seem sturdy enough - time will tell.

Mr M and Miss P show you that they do look better 'decorated'!! Notice those really cute glasses Miss P is wearing?? Not real!! Her doctor said she needed glasses. They went to the eye doctor, talked about the great glasses she could get ... but she didn't need them! Very disappointed, she was!! So when Mommy found this 'fake' glasses at the mall - Miss P got them!

They look like such angels, don't they. They had just 'hip-checked' each other up and down the entire length of the cupboard!! Jockey-ing for 'top dog' position? While I was trying to get a picture ... guess I'm lucky they are not just a blur!

A holding Mr D in the same room got a glimpse of his future parenthood!! We both had to act like we weren't giggling!! Happy Holidays!

Christmas Quilts filled with memories

2011-11-30T17:55:00.007-06:00

I wanted to join SewCalGal's Christmas Quilt Show but I just couldn't decide which wall quilt to put in!!! Decisions, decisions - since they are all about the same size - I'm showing you all of them!

Thanks SewCalGal for hosting this. Dear Reader, be sure you head here to see all the other quilts. I've already seen some ideas I want to do for next year!!

Let the festivities begin!!

Starting with the newest ... only because blogger reverses the photos when loading :> Eight Tiny Reindeer from "The Night Before Christmas" by Art to Heart. I finished this table runner last January. I love, love, love Art to Heart - especially their stitchery alphabets - they're wonderful, stylish, easy to read fonts. Because of this project, I wanted to do more stitchery this year ... and I did do 'more' - just not as much as I thought I would! When do we ever actually meet our own expectations!! Here's my blog post where I talk about making this quilt.

Isn't this a great 'door hanger'? A favorite pattern that I can't find right now :< I'll update this post if and when it surfaces. [Anyone?? I know it was very popular!!] This was made in my 'seasonal' quilting period. There were 4 centers of the log cabins that kind-of could be used as the seasons changed. Mom and Dad were traveling to Mexico in their trailer and I made door hangers for mom - not much room in a trailer to decorate or store things. Note the yellow star button. I really like those - as you will see! I had my BIL drill button holes in dozens of them. AND I've squirreled some away for the next project needing them! Thanks, G!!!

Mom and I stenciled these trees. And we decorated them with collectable quilting pins. Quilted by hand!! Those were the days!

This button tree is so-o cute! It's in "Make it Quick for Christmas" by Debbie Mumm. It was fun to pick out the buttons. Mom didn't care for the pattern, wanted something more 'traditional' - and that's why we made the stenciled trees shown above!

Ohhh, I lived away from home many years when we didn't have the money to get back for the holidays. I made so many of these wall quilts - it was a favorite gift for family and secret pals galore! It's from the pattern "Home for Christmas #124" by Pieces From My Heart. I did change the proportions a little - made it a little taller. The back stitch alphabet was fun. I, of course, was embroidering on dark fabric [I never take the easy way out!] - so I actually marked it on the back and stitched it backwards, giving me that perfect funky look I wanted! Good thing that's what it called for.

The oldest Christmas project still in the house is Prairie Points!! This has to be from the 80s because I remember working on them in NJ - we moved from there in 85 or 86. You stitched them and then 'framed' them in a 14" hoop. I made dozens of these for friends and families. I mailed them home in the hoop, in a pizza box!! It was the perfect size and depending on the kid at the pizza place - I could get a few free clean boxes everytime we went.

There are a lot of the wooden yellow stars through the years. Most of the pictures are taken on our brick-red couch here in the condo. This year ... I want to make new stockings for us. I've embroidered the names - Beach Papa and Beach Nana and the grandkids' names. Just have to decide on the stocking pattern.

Next blog post I'll show you the method I used to add buttons to already made Christmas stockings!! These are decorative only - and I think I got them on fairly securely!! AND the antique Christmas Tree quilt I was lucky enough to get from my Grandmother. See you then.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-22T09:14:00.006-06:00

Have you ever done anything and everything to avoid a perfectly good quilt project?? That's how I was treating poor Mr D's Jungle Boogie quilt. I got the free pattern from Fat Cat's patterns. Reduced it, picked all the fabrics from my stash, cut, wonder-undered the applique, added some piano key borders, J2 even helped. Found the perfect 'jungle' backing. Made my quilt sandwich and then just let it linger in the sewing room!!

I promised to work on it this weekend at the Stashbusters At-home Retreat and ignored it all day Saturday!! I did finally machine blanket-stitch 1/2 of it Sunday and Monday - and I was cranky the whole time!!! BUT the most amazing thing happened! DH said he liked it!! Knock me over with a feather!! No 'improvements' just he liked it!!

My DH is great and I love him dearly. But he is not a fan of my scrappy quilting style. He spoils me rotten - but rarely says anything without a caveat about my quilts. I marked it on my calendar!! LOL!

Now that golfing season is over ... I decided to go to UFO Thursday at the local shop - I got 6 pies appliqued down last Thursday. I've been going gang-busters on the Pies and Tarts quilt lately - avoiding other things, probably!

Like my UFO "Over the river and thru the woods." A good friend in Newport and I decided to make 2 of those quilts together, of course, we made them in different colors, less fall, more Christmas? - she did the wonderful embroidery for both quilts and I did all the piecing. But neither one of us got our own 'assignment' done for our own quilt. So we had awesome embroidery, great blocks ready to combine with the embroidery ... but only for a mixed quilt. You'd think that would have spurred us on - to get the rest of our own quilts done. Nope!

I just got a newsy email letter saying she was working on embroidery - I asked if it was the OR&TWs? If not - put it next in line!! [not that being in line has done much for my ORTWs!! It's still in line - the blocks aren't even together yet] ... definitely a case of 'do as I say, not as I do'!! But I still have hope - after all, it IS on the list!

Today I'm furiously working on Christmas stockings for J2 and Mr D. I swore I'd made a stocking for J2 back when they were first together. But they couldn't find it - so I looked back in my 'projects list' for the last few years ... nada!!

As a famous presidential candidate said, "oops!" LOL! Trying to get them done today - we head for Portland tomorrow and would love for them to be up and hanging this year!! In my own defense, despite several pleading emails - I didn't get the picture of A's stocking until noon Sunday!! I've made so many stocking renditions over the years - who knew which one and which way the toe faced!! And good thing I waited ... I'd forgotten about THAT rendition!!

It is a really cute stocking with a blank Christmas tree on the front - the theory was, you'd add a button every year you used it. Guess how many buttons are on the tree - yep, NONE - just the star on top that came with it!! It is a pain to sew buttons on a finished stocking. So now, I'm thinking of couching a bead garland and calling it good!! We'll see - if I wasn't nervous about gluing the stocking closed - I'd try a glue gun!! Needless to say, J2's will be decorated before becoming a stocking! D's is going to be a gingerbread man. Hmm, where are those elves when you need them!!

A week ago Friday, at 8:30 pm our fridge started making a noise!! Isn't that always the way!! Appliances poop out and children get sick on Fridays!! DH asked - "what does that sound like??? It's so familiar." I nailed it - "the old pop machine in the church basement."

Yep, even though we didn't know each other during those CYF/MYF years ... both of our churches had 'that' pop machine. That noise filled our small apartment til Tuesday!! But then, the repair man turned it off! All of a sudden, we were missing the noise!! Our food went to our neighbor's fridge [with their permission - they aren't here!] What a pain!! DH was such a cutie - he was always dressed when I got up [5:45 am], ready to go get my glass of milk and banana for me before I left for water aerobics!!

Yes, I keep my bananas in the fridge - can't stand the consistancy of a room temperature banana! This is how I choke one down every day ... can you tell I take some crap about it!! I also 'dip' it into a ramekin of dry cereal ... deal with it!! LOL! AND my grandkids do the same thing - at least when I'm there!!!

DH, Love that man, [I told you I was spoiled!!], but his 'service above and beyond the call of duty' didn't help!! I was a cranky gal til Friday. It's fixed now and so much quieter than it's ever been. Just to be sure it was really fixed, it was Friday, after all! - we planned to restock the fridge Saturday.

Saturday we woke up to 3 inches of sleet!!! It was crazy - it woke us up around 4:30 hitting against the bedroom windows. It sounded like someone was pouring a bucket of gravel in the courtyard!! And our windows are on the inside of a 3 foot covered walkway, on a protected courtyard. We rarely get any weather against them!

We were out of everything grocery-wise - probably had just enough to get us thru the day, but decided we had all-wheel-drive and we should just head for town! I debated wearing my snow boots - but ended up not - thank goodness!

The sleet cover ended by the end of the view point!! 1/2 mile?? I don't think town [5 miles away] had anything at all - the road wasn't even wet!! And I thought the midwest had micro-climates!! Groceries were bought amid giggles of how dumb we would have looked in our snow gear!!

Last night the wind started H*O*W*L*I*N*G! It's supposed to be 'heavy winds' thru tonight. If by 'heavy winds' they mean people shouting "Auntie Em, Auntie Em!!" [remember Wizard of Oz???] they got it right. I put an extra fluffy quilt on our bed last night - it whistled thru all the doors and windows and it not only sounded cold - it was!!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing you all the best!

What to get the elderly relative that has everything?

2011-11-15T17:28:00.007-06:00

My dear mom is 93 and lives in the Independent Living section in one of Lincoln's Legacy Retirement communities. It's hard to find anything - from afar - that is good for Christmas. Trust me, clothing has to be tried on to be sure the size fits. And the best presents usually need to be explained - how you came up with it!! But I think I found a great gift for her!!!

I started this last year and it worked out so well, she ran out and I had to mail more ... during the Christmas season!!! Ho, Ho, Ho indeed!! So this year I doubled the 'order' and mailed it off today.

Mom loves Dark chocolate and Orange. Well, who doesn't!! And it can be a little hard to find. Something to do with commodities trading, I'm sure!!! Trader Joes carries a 'bite-size' candy that's yummy. But last year they weren't carrying it ... so I had to look further.

What's the present you ask??? Boxes of her favorite candy wrapped for Christmas - for her to give away! We need 11 boxes - okay - that is including some relatives!! And one of the medium flat rate boxes at the Post Office holds - tightly- 14!! Three unwrapped, hoping she won't give them away [again] and will have some for herself!! With room for a baggie or two of more candy on the side.

She has so much fun with this. It's prewrapped, ready for delivery. The hairdresser, the cleaning lady, the couples that sit with her at dinner, the favorite nurse and favorite HS gal at the front desk. She feels great doing it. And honestly, that feeling lasts longer than her opening a present - no matter how great - from me!!!

I'm just saying ... think about it!!

I made another DoubleSlice quilt - this one lapsized. A good friend from Newport is battling cancer. As soon as I found out, my thought was - she needs a 'recovery quilt' NOW!!

First we had a poll with mutual friends - what IS her favorite color??? Well, she's pretty colorful in fashion and home decorating!! and our consensus was green-blue-teal-yellow!! Well, favorites or not - here it comes!

I found this perfect backing - yellow with blue, green, teal dots! So fun and sunny ... just meant to be!!

I put some funky fabrics in it - things to look for: some words, houses, rabbits, spools, and anchors, of course. Then I quilted around the blocks with my DSM, tacked it with some stitched hearts. What my machine was up to, I don't know - but some of the hearts turned out kind-of funky!! Oh, well, it's sturdy for washing and that might be a conversation starter!!! (just what is that supposed to be????)

The quilt JUST FIT into another Medium Flat Rate box from the PO. Caution, it may explode when they open it!!

I DID IT!!!!

2011-11-10T18:11:00.004-06:00

Yep, I'm yelling!! I finished a double bed sized quilt, start to finish, within a week! The quilt pattern is Double Slice as seen on You-Tube. I love this pattern. It's going to be my favorite 'quick quilt' pattern for sure!!

Read the previous post to learn more about my db slice adventure!! Here is my stack of Homespuns; one pile flipped over - ready to sew.

Here's the beauty of chain piecing!! Zoom, zoom!!

The top does not have a border. I went to an unnamed chain store that carrys fabric for a cheaper price - alright it was Walmart!!! Don't think badly of me, I'm TWO AND A HALF HOURS away from a JoAnn's!! Our local store has a very good selection of expensive fabrics and I still can't spend $10 a yard on backings!!

At any rate, I bought a solid navy to make the border as planned. Got home and after washing it ... there was a join smack dab in the middle of it!!! The male cutter didn't tell me and I didn't notice it. So-o no border!! I actually like it like this - I'll have to consider if I'll put a border on the next rendition!

Don't you love it in Homespuns - the same but different. I don't think I'll ever do the pattern with high contrast fabrics. I like the feel of blending together. Also, I won't had too many really light fabrics.

And the back!! Manly, don't you think?? LOL! I was going with a "Navajo Blanket" look with homespuns. I loaded the quilt on the LongArm with the side up. So I was able to keep it centered. I love it.

The quilting is my 'signature' quilting. Loop-de-loop, 5 pointed star, loop-de-loop, etc! I love the way it softens the retangles in the pattern.

Anyway - first time in 35 years of quilting [YIKES, I'm getting old!!!] of starting a double bed size quilt and finishing it the same week!! Hip, hip hooray!!

PS I'm spent!! LOL!

Caution - your stash may be bigger than it looks!

2011-11-06T17:52:00.002-06:00

Have you seen the You-Tube Double Slice Quilt by Missouri Star Quilt Co. It's such an interesting pattern and technique. I have a great-nephew graduating from college next May. His sisters all got quilts for their graduation ... and when I saw the Double Slice quilt I thought it would look really cute [in a manly way, of course] in homespuns.

My stash resides in four Expedit bookcases from IKEA. Each cubby has a drawer that just fits it and each drawer is filled with stash - sorted by color or type. Yes, that is 32 drawers filled with stash - all I can say is "I'm working on it!!" I had 2 drawers of plaids and stripes. Not counting the beige-ing plaids and stripes - they are with the background fabrics. [4 cubbies!!!]

I think that Double Slice [DS] is like 'Stack and Slash' and 'Disappearing 9 patch' patterns - you cut as many squares of fabrics as you need blocks. For us 'math-impaired' quilters - that's a lifesaver!! But I really don't know if that is the case - as you will see!

The video used Layer Cakes - 10" squares of fabrics. They are making a lap quilt. I'm making a double bed size so I thought cutting 12.5" squares could result in 10" finished after trimming and that would be a great block size for a double bed quilt. Easy math too!

Hmmm, only 2 cubbies - I usually buy 1/3 yards and after washing; homespuns really shrink. Will I have 63 plaids and/or stripes that I can get 12.5" squares out of? No easy way to find out, just start cutting! And I don't have enough, I can always cut pieces the same size of the first cut in the instructions.

Not to worry!! I cut 157 squares!!! And I had that many more fabrics that weren't big enough to cut the 12.5" from. And that's from a small portion of my stash!! Good grief!! Note to self - DO NOT try to figure out how many blues I have!! LOL!

The technique calls for cutting at the 1/3 mark. On my squares I cut 4.5" After the first cut, turn one pile up side down. Start sewing large piece to a small piece back together. In the demo, she turned the pile up-side-down but I think next time I do this I'll mix it up and divide one pile in half and put the bottom 1/2 on top then sew. The reason is the first pieces and the last pieces will be the same mix if you just turn it upside down. And of course, if you have an odd number of fabrics - that middle one will match itself!! Type A personalities think about things like this!!

Press seam open and then cut in half across the seam. [This is the 'double' slice part!!] Half for me was 6.25". This is the point where I trimmed, and trimmed and ... well, you know - it always takes longer than you think!!

Line up your stacks of 1/2 blocks [lets call them match-sticks] so the small rectangles are at opposite ends. NOW this seems to be a symetrical block, but it isn't. Be sure to put the same 1/2 'up' when sewing. [I'm waiting while you decide if this is important to you!.] I sewed the blocks MAINLY with the match-stick up, so I could watch that seam's direction. But only 'mainly'!! All blocks will go together, but not every intersection will have that little 'water wheel-type' pinwheel. Believe it or not - I decided that I would be the only person that would notice this irregularity - so I didn't worry about it!! Yes, me!!!

Have you noticed there are no matching seams on this block. Yea!! Nothing you have to match up until you start putting your blocks together. It's a fast quilt!!

After all your blocks are sewn, press open. To lay out the quilt, alternate the squares. Block 1 - match-sticks up and down; block 2 - match-sticks sideways, etc!! I highly recommend a design space area for this layout - it's tricky to get them up or sideways at the right spot.

I like to use the old "twosies-foursies" method of piecing a top together. Grab a pair of blocks, sew them together. Sew all the 'twosies' together; then start making 'foursies'. You only have to match a few seams on each unit. Compared to sewing 9 rows of 7 where you match each intersection on each row. It's just easier to handle and faster. If you're afraid you'll forget which side is up - pin something in the top left corner before you move it!

Additional tip!!! When you do end up sewing the last row ... start pinning from the right end of the fabric. When you are done pinning, the side that goes under your sewing machine needle is in your hand, ready to place!! Not my idea - but wow, did I celebrate when I read it!! It works great not to handle that prickly edge to get it in place!!

I started cutting on Thursday. I had all my blocks sewed, trimmed, pressed and ready to go this am. My top is now together. This is a double bed size quilt!!

I have an appointment for the LongArm machine at my LQS on Wednesday. I've been quilting for 36 years - this may be the very first time I start a db-size quilt and finish it within a week!!! I'm going for it!!

The video shows an interesting border for the quilt but never really mentions it!! Two long strips of a solid fabric with a patchwork strip between them. Cute, but I can only make my quilt 82" across to not have to piece my batting. So I'm going to add a 6" solid border on each side and then use a plaid 'hit and miss' binding from my same plaids. Same difference, in theory anyway!!

I love this quilt. I think it's a great pattern for charity quilts, for 'manly' quilts, for Veterans ... it's quick, it's geometric and there's a bizillion possible looks depending on the type of fabrics you choose!

Next week - I'll show you the quilt - finished!!! In the meantime - I want you to watch the video and try not to think about just how big your stash really is!!! [evil laugh echoing here!!]

Witches, ghosties and ghouls, oh my!

2011-11-02T16:53:00.008-05:00

We had such fun last weekend! We went to Portland to my DD's Halloween extravaganza!! Miss P is born in September and Mr M in November - my DD thought a Halloween party was just the thing to celebrate both for a really fun time! And it was. My DD started decorating for the party last month!! And it was so fun - some little detail everywhere you looked. Like glow in the dark skeletons hanging on light fixtures. For more pictures, check out her blog - Ladybirdandfellow

Add food galore - chili; beer cheese soup, snackies, mummy-dogs, sprinkle in 50 friends and neighbors, for the most part dressed in costumes ... a good time was had by all!

The kiddos,what's more fun that watching your GKs race around the house with friends all dressed up in costumes!! Miss P was a cat - she has fallen in love with CATS - the Broadway production which they found on VHS at the Goodwill! Mr M was "Arry Potter" and he thought Halloween was the neatest thing this year.

Monday night, he patiently waited for the big kids to get their candy and get out of his way at every doorstep. Then he stepped in with his angel face and said, "Appy Alloween" and "thank you" for the largest share of the candy!! Almost 3 and he already knows how to work the crowd!!

DH and I went as "Dr Beach Papa" and "Beach Nana, RN" - Registered Nana that is!!

L&J were Medusa and a cowboy. There's 24 braids and 2 packs of snakes in DD's hair!! I counted them as I helped her take them out!! J had a moustache at the beginning of the night, but it kept falling off! He decided it was better to go without than find it in the punch!!

At the other end of the state Mr D was certainly smiley about his first Halloween!

He was dressed as a little monkey - art imitating life, I believe!!

What goes with a monkey these days? Why, a banana and a man in a yellow hat, of course!!

Hope Halloween found you with lots of treats and some really entertaining tricks too!

I've been slacking off on the quilting now-a-days. Reading a lot on the couch and enjoying our beautiful fall days.

Two sleeves; curtain rod and 2 mugs

2011-10-23T12:31:00.006-05:00

What is the question, the Great Carnac??

What helps a quilt to hang straight at doni's house???

I don't know about your quilts; but my quilts often need a little help to get straight with the world! When we lived in Newport we had this HUGE kitchen counter that was ceramic tile. I hate ceramic tile! It's so unforgiving; I clank, I chip and I break so many glasses and dishes because I don't pay attention!! Really, you only have to misjudge how close to the counter you are by a smidgen for a disaster!!

BUT it was a wonderful space to block wall quilts on!!! Just between you and me - I miss that portion of the counter now!!

But now we're in Brookings - a tiny little bowling alley kitchen. No room to block anything but a miniature!! I had to come up with a new plan.

I started help quilts hang straight on my quilt rack in NJ. I always sew a bottom sleeve on wall quilts. A tiny little dowel and a small tug on it when you pass by does W*O*N*D*E*R*S - believe you me! When my mom made the Red Wagon crows quilt it was a friendly quilt - it waved all over the place!! I said, that's okay mom, we'll add a bottom sleeve. She said, "Okay, but I think we're going to need a closet pole!" We didn't!

Trust me - the selvedge quilt was a nightmare and I was on a deadline [when am I not] so it had to be presentable FAST! Wash the quilt with Dye Magnets! Then dry for a short time in the dryer. Take out while still damp. Hang it on the wall quilt hanger and insert the expandable curtain rod in the bottom sleeve. Smooth it down the sides and give a little tug on both ends of the curtain rod at the same time. If it needs a little more encouragement (:>) thread matching mugs on each end. I've been known to put soup cans in the mugs for those really recalcitrant quilts!!

It seems to help, if still not happy with the results - rinse and repeat!!

This week I also finished a charity baby quilt. I live in a small town on the Oregon coast and every spring we hold a community baby shower. The quilt guild gives a baby quilt for every baby there. We had a workshop last month to make Bento Box quilts. This quilt is all from stash - including the Princess Pillow Panel+ back! All girly.

Although interesting backs lead to interesting problems. When I made A's kindergarten quilt, I backed it with a Kilban's Cat sheet. He really wanted the cats UP! I had to convince him that the cats were our little secret. People would look at the log-cabin-ish top [Crayon Box] and never know there were cats on it until he showed them!! It worked, but my DH got the biggest kick out of all that work on the top and to really impress A; all I needed was a sheet!!

The 'boy quilt' is cut and waiting for inspiration or time for me to work on it. It may be a lasagna quilt with some 'beachy' panels spaced in. The panels are just too cute not to be on the front!! I'll let you know how it turns out.

Another thing our guild is doing this year is a "Stay Robin". This is a "Round Robin" type mystery but it 'stays' with you' you do all the work and you keep it at the end. If you don't like it, well, no one to blame but yourself!!

For those who would like to 'play along'. We start with a center square. Any size; any style. I started with a paperless-paper-piecing Mariner's Compass. The first 'instruction' pulled from the basket was 'applique'. ICK! Oh well, at least it's close to the center so it's small!!

Now - I want you to do as I say, not as I do!!! My first border is due Monday - as in tomorrow!! Needless to say, I'm finishing it today!! And I'm vowing to never procrastinate on this project again ... HA! But we are skipping the month of December so you don't have to do the first two steps quickly if you want to join in!

I'll show you the applique step next week and tell you the new instructions then. Let me know if you want to play along. I'd love to see your pictures too!!

Big Finish!! It's circa 2001!!

2011-10-17T18:07:00.014-05:00

We've had some pretty amazing sunsets this month! Taken from our deck on a day so mild that we ate BOTH lunch and dinner on the deck.

We also went to see the amazing Mr D!! He's the happiest 6 month old I've ever seen - during the day! The nighttime Mr D is not happy because he is apparently not sleepy. Poor sleep deprived parents!

Last weekend I was feeling left out - all my quilting friends in Nebraska were at the Fall Retreat having fun without me!! Yes, they did pass around the phone and I got to talk to them ... but really!! It's not the same! So I drug out my UFO from 2001 - most of their hand prints were traced on this quilt, so fitting that I was working on it! [Didn't help - still missed them!]But I did basically finish this very old UFO.

My friend ML wrote 4 mysteries that we participated in at a LQS. The first one was "Fowl Event" - ML loves chickens!! I finished that one right away and since my mother loved it - she got it.

The second one was - of course - Fowl Event Two!! And it had a different setting - it was supposed to be a center medallion. But I used up ALL my 'follow someone else's pattern' during the first Fowl Event. So I did a strippie of sorts. I still made the same blocks they were using - but put them in rows. I even named it "Fowl Event Two; kind-of; sort-of" back then. Then 9-11 happened.

My first thought was to contact all my friends and family to be sure everyone was okay. No matter that we lived in NE on that day; no matter that some of our friends were in other parts of the US. I needed to touch base. So I sent out a quick letter asking for their handprint on a piece of paper. I said they could include a note but I was on a deadline - send the handprint and we could catch up later! Deadline - HA!! This quilt was then renamed "Gather ye friends and family"

We had lived in NJ for 8 years; my DH worked in the Woolworth bldg - 2 blocks from the WTC. His train came into the city under the WTC. People were waiting anxiously at the Princeton Jct train station to see who would come home. Not all of them did.

10 years later ... I took this top to the LQS to long-arm it. And it continued to give me a really hard time!! Every problem a newbie has - it's in there!!

A rip caught the LA foot while I kept quilting in place!! Well, honestly, I was looking at the pantogram, not the quilt!! Yikes - she's not going to be happy about the LA coming home with the quilt!! Some bad words and both of us ripping like maniacs we got out that rat's nest; we steam-a-seam-ed the rip and acted like nothing happened!!

One groovy-board didn't have a repeat so we had to keep moving the board forward while the needle was down and we got the design off-kilter.

Another time the bobbin ran out - how embarrassing, I AM the bobbin reminder person on Stashbusters!! I'm supposed to know better!! When we started back up, I went backwards. We had to rip out 6 L*O*N*G inches of double quilting.

I thought I was finally on a roll. That's when I discovered the back wasn't long enough! Really?? I usually have to cut a foot of backing and batting off!! [I later discovered that I pinned the back on sideways!! And it was just 2 inches short of fitting the length!!] Note to self: put a pin in the TOP of backing and batting from now on!!

Took it home; put it in timeout for a week (!) [That will teach it!!] Last weekend I finished machine quilting it with my home DSM. I free motion quilted in each hand print with matching thread; added backing and finished that last row - stitch in the ditch freehand. Good practice!!

So presenting: Gather Ye Friends and Family. All done, except for the label. I need 5 hand prints of family members who have joined us since 2001 - SIL, DIL and the precious GKs hand prints will frame the label.

I see SIL next weekend - I'll get his hand print then. He already thinks I'm crazy, what the heck!! It's a bonus when you make them think!!

Home again!

2011-10-09T15:41:00.009-05:00

Sure seems quiet around here!! LOL! The grandkids were great - and we had lots of fun. But the noise level and energy level is definitely for the young!!

I tried to cook food that their mommy liked when she was little. Didn't work! Sunday night we had the beef barley soup that Miss P likes. I made it at home and left some there for the parents. Mr M was not a fan! Oh, we got him to eat it but his face was hilarious!! Find a carrot, find celery, find tomatoes, find beans - please Nana - do not serve me this swill again!!

Monday night I made my famous [infamous??] stuffed hot dogs. Boil hot dogs; slice in half long-ways. Pile on mashed potatoes; cover with cheese slices and pop in the oven to melt the cheese. It was pretty much a staple when A&L were growing up. My friend GJ loves it - even talked a small cafe in Lincoln into making it for her!!

Well, Miss P didn't like the hot dog. Mr M didn't like the potatoes!! It must have been the cheese - cuz he's a potato fiend usually! We bribed them into eating most of it with cake and ice cream before bedtime!! Grandparents are tricky that way.

Tuesday was the absolute favorite! We went to MacDonald's, got our food - chocolate shake to share as the drink and let them play in the play-park!! A good time had by all.

The best meal seemed to be the 1/2 sandwich with crusts cut off; grapes on the side!

Miss P is in preschool this year and that helped our sanity a lot! She went M&W at 9 and was picked up at 1! During her school, I went to the Sherwood YMCA and took water aerobics classes and then did mini-grocery shopping for what we needed each day. It was wonderful and my knees really felt a whole lot better for the water exercise! Definitely doing that again. DH liked the fact that it didn't leave me time to go shopping!! He had quality time with Mr M while we were gone and it worked out great for them too. The old divide and conquer - an oldie but goodie!

We started trying to potty-train Mr M. He'll be 3 in November - not so interested. But we brought out the M&Ms and got Miss P into the act. Every time she went potty - he went in and sat on his "Cars" potty chair. We caught him at the right time once - and EVERYONE got a couple of M&Ms. If you want to see a determined 5-yr-old; offer M&Ms. I really believe she'll have him trained by the end of next week!!

I was supposed to work on a UFO this weekend. It's Stashbusters At Home Retreat. But the "Sliced Bread" WIP was calling me. I started it last March at the 'March Madness' event at our Brookings Guild. I'm surprised to say, there were some actually finished in the May show! How do they do that?? Mine is still in blocks, and a box full of strips.

Yesterday I made 15 blocks to fill in the numbers. I needed the quarter-block variations even for the pattern. There are 2 different 'points' and 4 colors. Hmmm - a picture might help!! Here it is on the design wall. Thanks to the photo - I discovered the bottom row is all twisting the wrong way!! Stay tuned for the corrected picture - next time. Hopefully with, the additional 31 quarter-blocks I'm making today to make it a row longer and a column wider. [by mistake, 5 quarter-blocks are already made, so I don't drive those math whizzes out there crazy!!]

C & I discovered this layout while she was here this summer - I needed some consulting and I love the results! Kind of Bento Box meets Log Cabin-ish with Broken Dishes thrown in??

Next challenge is to sew the blocks together - without screwing the placement all up again - hope I'm up to it!!

Of course, it goes without saying, this isn't what "Sliced Bread" is supposed to look like! The sample had the thin black strips between the blocks to calm them down. So, of course, the first thing I did was put the black into the centers ... I've been winging it ever since!! Below is one of the quilts started back at the March Madness gathering. B finished hers - it's beautiful.

We got home at sunset on Thursday night. And after laundry and grocery shopping along with other small errands ... life seems back to normal - if quiet!!

Gone Baby-sitting

2011-10-05T16:17:00.003-05:00

Back Soon!

Selvedge Yard quilt Done-done!

2011-09-24T11:53:00.022-05:00

So, as an out-of-my-box experience goes - let me tell you - that quilt grew like a summer weed. Here begins the saga: years ago I started making string blocks incorporating selvedges. 6 inch blocks and they were fun. Something else came along ... distractions, many quilts, you know how it goes.

The blocks were buried - but I still cut selvedges when I could. Those little gems are deceiving - a 'muffin-top' filled shoebox goes a very long way!! I have to admit, most of those selvedges are my very own. I did collect some from friends; at workshops and actually bought a fat quarter just for the selvedge at the end!!! I was convinced I absolutely needed, had to have, a selvedge that said 2011!! I have selvedges that have many, many dates - at least a 20+ year span. And I organized a list of all I could actually find on the quilt. If only I could find that darn list now!! There will be a later update on that!!! Much later!!!

There are 600ish selvedges in the quilt - yes, there are repeats! And the most colorful ones came from the quilts made for grandkids and the many pair of pj pants I've made them. But there are many reproduction fabrics represented!!

I always wanted to do LazyGal's free-style 'wonky' alphabet and this was the project to do it. Those letters are fun - use a whole lot of thread and are bigger than you think they are. I made the choice early on that I was going to use 'many' muslins in the words. Knowing me, it was going to happen anyway!!

I figured out my saying - hmmm - too long, shortened it and started creating. Let me tell you there were threads everywhere!! But words appeared. After I had the quote 'written' out, it was bigger than planned. [Of course, it IS that quilt!]

Revision - gonna need more blocks!! I had 25 ready to go - optimist!! Like twice as many! Oh Dear! Sew machine - sew! Most of the parts were together - altogether 49 6inch string blocks - I fit the pithy quote around the outside. Using some fudge factors - it fit pretty well!

There was blank space at the end of the words - before the corners. Hmmm, I could lengthen the quote with quilted words - fill in, so to speak, but now I'm stuck with an "AN".

Think of adjectives that start with an vowel, make lists in the middle of the night! Consult with mom over the phone. Using my own 'best' [HA! - my handwriting isn't known for it's clarity!!] handwriting I added these 'secret messages' to the quote and free-motion quilted the words. I'm pretty proud of how they came out. I even added interface to that area because the back was shadowing through. But, seriously, you could even read them!! Who knew!!

Darn - you know what would look really good finishing it off - a selvedge border!! So four 3" borders 58 inches long - I'm back in sweat shop mode! I'm loving that new ironing board that works. Sewed all four at the same time, chain stitching 60" long strips, well, better planning might have avoided that tangle!! Onwards and upwards.

Why the 'sweat shop mode'? Well, at the beginning of the summer, our local guild issued a challenge - use something in a quilt you usually don't use. Bring it to the September meeting. Of course, you mull it over, you gather the blocks, you check the selvedge supply, you have company come, you go to an awesome retreat in Sisters with Sue Spargo and Tonye Belinda Phillips, you revise ... CRAP! It's now September - hello-o-o, it has to be a finished project!!! I'm sure this sounds familiar to others as well! I do 'sweat shop mode' really, really well - lots of practice, etc!!

The back: Well, I was certified (I know you believe that now!!!) on a longarm this year and that practice piece was driving me bonkers! Too big to throw away; to big to store in my itty-bitty sewing closet - what to do! Of course, it was too small for this brute now. Pull out a way-to-dark-for-me blue backing I bought on sale eons ago - add it on. Need more batting - so I whip stitched some pieces together - yes I did!! Another first in a very long list of challenges incorporated into SY.

I considered using Tonya's alphabet to make my label - but I'd have to figure out how to make it tiny. So-o I sewed 3 blank selvedges together - and wrote my own selvedge label.

I sewed the binding down by machine, added the label and sleeves by hand. Threw that puppy in the wash with a dye magnet and ended up with the first quilt that ever obviously bled for me in a 36 year quilting career. Oh yeah - it WAS that quilt!! Poop - I washed it again with Oxy-clean and Tide stain-remover. Still bleeding. Of course, being me - I dried it in the dryer so I may be doomed. I'll go into town this week and see if they have that magic dye product and try again.

Ta Da - without further delay - presenting Selvedge Yard:

The original too long saying was: Quilting: not so much a hobby, more like an obsession. I love me some (quilting)

The revised saying with the quilted words is: Quilting: not so much a hobby [you know] more like an [infectious] obsession [and we love it sew]

Thank you, thank you very much. Elvis has left the building!!

Bonus Post!! Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T12:12:00.003-05:00

Hope you're having a great weekend. Our weather kind-of reminds us more of winter than summer this weekend. Wearing sweatshirts and socks. Closed windows - because "we're NOT" going to turn on the furnace at the beginning of Sept!! Is that the ongoing battle -err, rule- at your house too??? LOL!

Well, good news and bad news. Bad news: Our company cancelled this weekend. [Sorry it didn't work out B&D - hope everyone's feeling better soon and we'll have better luck next time.] It might have been better if they had cancelled BEFORE we bought the groceries; baked the pie and switched out the bedrooms and baths!! Good news: I had a clean house and 2 'new' days to fill with what I wanted to do!!

I'm officially CRAZY! [okay, I knew you knew that already!] The UFO I’m working on is "Selvedge Yard" made from - you guessed it, you clever girl - selvedges. Lots and lots of selvedges.

For the back, I used the long arm sample I got certified on – I heard that snicker!! Of course, I had to make it bigger, because this quilt is growing like a late summer weed! That meant I had to sew on extra batting – this may have been the first time I’ve done that!! Then add another piece of fabric for backing. I may be carrying this challenge a little farther than necessary! [ya think?] Today I’m going to frame it and spray baste it (if the weather cooperates) and hopefully, get a good start on the machine quilting.

Saturday, without company coming, I ran into the library to pick up a book or two. On the way home I had a thought. With all those selvedges - some with dates - how will anyone know when I stopped? Other than the label of course! DUH! So I stopped at the local quilting store. Bought a FQ -not my style of fabric at all - simply for the selvedge that said 2011!! AS IF I needed another one; AS IF anyone would spot it in this mess I like to call ‘SY’! LOL!

Although, while there, I did spot the new Quilt Sampler magazine and brought it home too. I'm not saying I'm a 'type A' when it comes to quilting. BUT I take my "Quilter’s Travel Companion” book and highlight the Top 10 stores when they are published. It all started when in Mpls we had time for one quilt store. Using the yellow pages, I picked one –boy, it was pitiful!

When I got home, I found out I missed a Top 10. As Scarlet in “Gone with the Wind” might had said, “As God is my witness, I shall never miss another Top 10 shop!” Each year, after I transferred all the highlighting to the new “Quilter’s Travel” book – my old book was fought over by quilting friends. I used to buy the new edition immediately upon publication – now I skip years. We don’t travel off the beaten path much now. Ironic, isn't it!! But when we do travel - the Companion goes with us. No matter how hard DH tries to hide it, then bury it in the car!!

Did I tell you my ironing board died. Yep - it only lasted 40 years, and I'm pretty sure I inherited it from my mom, at that! But I wanted to get a wide one that still folded up so I could make room in a very crowded sewing room for beds for guests, when they come to visit. Well, I'm glad to report, got my new ironing board! 18” wide – it was quite the saga!

I tried all the usual places in our very small town; nada, then our ‘local’ Walmart –45 miles away – they didn’t have that size either. So off to Medford, the ‘big’ city! Well, the medium sized city, Bed, Bath and Beyond had one – a Rowenta ironing board -$99. Hmmm, possibly not. That could buy alot of selvedges - errr, fabrics!

On to Sears – didn’t have ANY! Apparently, Sears has two grades – I was at the smaller store and they didn’t carry anything I wanted!! BUT they had a catalog que in the store. Had a 18” ironing board for $35ish. That’s better. But shipping was $39!! Wait for one almost as expensive as one I take home today?? Maybe it will have to be Rowenta's.

Then, thankfully I remembered the Medford Walmart is bigger than Crescent City's – before I cave into $99, go check it out! Happy Dance! They had it. My price range. I bought the extra cover while I was there! Goodness knows how hard that would be to find later!! Fit it into our new car - a sedan, leaving room for the golf clubs, and life was good once again!!

In fact, a little too good! I set that puppy up right next to the machine, at the low height, sewed the selvedge borders one after another – forgetting to get up and about crippled myself!! 59 - it's not just a number you can ignore!! Yesterday I set it up a few steps behind me – just so I wouldn’t forget to get up and stretch!

I’m off this week to a Folk Art Weekend with Sue Spargo in Sisters. I had to call the store to be sure … not a typo, sewing machine not required!! We’ll be gone a week by the time we also go to Portland for Miss P and DH’s birthday. A week without my sewing machine … how unusual!! But there will be plenty of handsewing of wool available!

Doni @ Oregon coast

Catch Up Time!

2011-09-02T16:58:00.002-05:00

How on earth did it get to be September? The summer is winding down and I've got lots to tell you!

I've finally gotten my quilting mojo back. YeeHa! I started with a plan I heard years ago on the Stashbusters online quilting group. Pick 5-7 projects you want to complete. Assign each one a day.

Example: Monday: Mr D's Jungle Baby quilt ... Work an hour on the project that day. After that hour is done, continue working on that project; move to another project or go sit on the deck with a book! Doesn't matter! Next day - pick up the "Tuesday" project. If you miss a day - simply start up where you are - don't worry about getting caught up.

So the first day I got the first border on Mr D's jungle baby quilt and set it aside for 'consulting' with his mom and dad as to how big to make it. [Silly mom said, if we make it bigger, we can use it on his 'big boy' bed. I said, "No worries about that, I always make a 'big boy/girl' quilt for the bed. How big do you want this baby quilt????" We decided a little longer will work. Piano key border in the works.

The second day I got out the "Selvedge Yard" UFO. And from then on, I ignored the other projects and worked on this one 5-6 hours a day!! It grew and grew and grew ... I added Unruly letters to it and am almost done with the selvedge borders going around it. This will be double credit for me - an UFO finish AND a summer challenge at guild - due in September. YIKES! It will have to remain a surprise until that meeting's reveal. But other than being twice as big as I thought it would be, I like it! And nope, not running out of selvedges yet!!

Today, it all got put away - company coming tomorrow for the weekend and needed room for the other single bed in the sewing/guest room. I feel odd about not sewing on it today - but there were threads EVERYWHERE - and we vacuumed today - so best not start up again!! Monday when they leave ... sewing commences again!

Poor "Birds of a Feather" has been languishing in the corner. So close and yet so far! But I'll get back to it - hope to finish it in September too - at last!

I've got to tell you about the coolest quilt hanger I bought. No affiliation - yada, yada - the Hang It Dang It quilt hanger.

As you know, I used to live in a large house in Nebraska. I had quilts hanging in each room - sometimes more than one in the room. Now I live in a small [some might say, 'itty bitty'] condo with lots of south facing windows and only one wall large enough and dark enough to hang a quilt. But I want to hang a bed-sized quilt today, maybe a 40" wall quilt next week, then a 60" wall quilt for Halloween ... HOW? Let me tell you!! This telescoping rod hangs with a magnet on -wait for it - one nail in the middle!! All you need it a sleeve on the back of the quilt - as usual. You might have problems getting a quilt to hang straight if there's alot of embellishments, some heavier than others. But that's not my style - so no problem!

Go to their website and check it out! I measured and hammered and hung it all by my little lonesome, while Rick sat on the couch and watched sports!! Woohoo! I've had 2 quilts on it already - both looked awesome!

A little Mr D story before I go. We were there last Monday - L & J2 had bought, for my birthday, tickets for 3 of us to go see "Pirates of Penzance" at the Shakespeare Festival in Ashland Oregon. BeachPapa was the designated babysitter. The show was G*R*E*A*T! The casting wonderful and the stage props hilarious!! A good time was had by all. If you have an opportunity to see it - run like the wind to it! And be prepared to have a great time!

We came home to a calm Papa and a calm baby - until 2 am. Then it was a howling good time for a couple of hours! I got to give him his bottle in the morning. I warmed it up first and then went in to get him up. He was all snoozy and cuddle-ly and hardly opened his eyes while chowing down the bottle. Half way thru - time for a burp. No burp cloth so I sat him up, braced against my hand. He turned and looked at me with big amazed eyes like I was crazy! "Good grief, don't you know how to burp a baby??"

R threw me a burp cloth, and Mr D went to my shoulder like 'Frankenstein' arms straight out. R laughed and he got one of those wide-eyed looks, "Good grief, there's someone else here too??" So fun to see his little personality developing. He's 5 months old, rolling over and trying to blow bubbles. Just perfect!

Next time pictures!! Happy Labor Day weekend!

Dog Days of Summer

2011-08-21T11:48:00.004-05:00

HA! We've had mostly cool fog and overcast skies this week. I did manage to get to water aerobics every morning after we got home from our 'visit the grandkids' tour. The new PJ pants went over wonderfully. Miss P alternated the pink pair with the purple pair during the day. We had to wrestle Mr M out of the racing cars after 3 days - we can only assume the 'sports' pair fits too!!

I said last June that I was tired of missing 'easy' water aerobics opportunities. I was going to go to classes when I was home - no matter how cold it was, no matter what excuses I was able to come up with! I'm happy to say, I've been almost 40 times since the first of June! And some mornings - it wasn't easy!! And I got a tan!! Which is unbelievable - 8 am and majority of classes in the fog! AND a tan down to my water shoes! Thru 4-5 feet of water!! The sun is getting stronger - I'm proof!

At least I won't look back on this summer with regrets! I do regret not using the pool at UNL more. It was just past the parking lot and we always had a good time in class. I really regret not using the pool at Newport more. I could walk to that one!! And although the workout was a DVD tape - we worked hard and I could have pulled the cart setup out anytime I was there on non-class days. If only I'd have gone!! I did walk the beach more there - it was a wide beach, walkable almost all year. The quirky winter tides being the only problem time.

The day after Labor Day I start carpooling back down to Crescent City for classes 2-3times a week. That's 40 minutes in the car, both ways - but oh, so worth it on my knees. AND it IS a beautiful facility. Of course, we do manage to talk all the way down and all the way back. And we often stop for a fruit smoothy at MacDonalds so we don't 'faint' before we get back to the border!!

Yesterday started the Stashbuster Stay-at-home Retreat. And I was actually home! So lined up a couple of projects. I wanted to finish fusing Mr D's jungle babies blocks - 3 of 8 to go. But the lion was going to be a bear! Pun unintended the first time!! His mane is so thick with so many pieces, I'm afraid it would stand up by itself with all that fusing. So I'm going to try heavy starch to hold the edges stiff until I get it stitched down.

The blocks and supplies were finally found "somewhere safe". The monkey and rhino were fused into place. I did have to re-fuse and recut some missing eyes, but everything was up on the design wall - just the lion to go.

Then I hear from the other room, "Dear, would you like to watch the first episode of 'Damages'?" It's available on Netflix streaming now and we'd never seen it. Okay - 9 episodes later ... needless to say, we're hooked! I hand quilted 'Birds of a Feather" while watching it -got 3/4 of the first border on the last side quilted! Woohoo!! A very successful Stay-at-home retreat and there's still time today to work some more!

The first border is a dark blue plaid with hanging diamonds quilted on it. I usually rub off my markings as I go, but by the last side - I finally worked out a system to avoid that and so far, so good! After the hanging diamonds I stitch in the ditch. The outer border is pieced 'ice cream cones'. I'm looking forward to getting the last border done - there's some fullness to work out on this side. Then I go back into the interior blocks for more quilting.

I've been trying to talk myself out of more quilting in there - but I know I won't be happy if I stop now. I couldn't decide what to do clear back when I started quilting it - back in 2007, according to the machine stitched date on the signature block. [sigh] So I started SITD and around all the applique - hoping against hope, that that would be enough. But suspecting just the same ...

But maybe another 2 weeks will get this albatross off my back - er - give myself a big finish from my UFO list!! It's funny - I love this quilt but I'm oh-so-very-tired of it!! Afterall, I do have a few [dozen] other beloved UFOs on my to-do list!

Mr D was on his own grand tour and we hadn't seen him for a month!! He had grown so much - he's 4 months old now. He holds his head up so well, stands on your lap with ease - in fact we have to teach him how to sit back down! And last Monday he rolled over for the first time!! Oh, dear - beware, dear parents - your life is going to change, change, change!! Here is his picture taken at the Denver wedding - little cutie that he is!

Vacation Adventures Recap

2011-08-10T14:12:00.016-05:00

L&C were here for two weeks on their vacation and we had so much fun showing them our favorite places in Oregon. Once Ljr got here for the last 5 days we walked the beach, ate at our favorite restaurants, walked the Coastal Trail and ate muffins and ice cream everyday! Hmmm, sounds a lot like the week before he came! It was overcast the second week, but that didn't slow us down. They even saw 'our invisible friend the lighthouse' with their own eyes one day!! So hard to explain there's a lighthouse out there, on the horizon, when no one can see it thru the haze. Kind-of like that spout at Whaleshead beach - a shy little thing in company!! LOL!

But one morning at water aerobics - you hear the best news there, you know! - someone mentioned that there was a 50 ft grey whale hanging around in the river south of Crescent City. She wandered in after her calf clear back in June and has been enjoying the attention and stayed. So-o off we went!

The 101 bridge is only about 20 feet above the water and yep - 'thar she blows' right by the bridge! It was so much fun seeing a whale that close - and she was showing off that day. We saw lots of spouts up close and personal; flipper waves from both flippers and a lazy loop-de-loop roll.

There was a canoe with a flutist playing her a song close by and it really gave some perspective as to how big this little gal really was. It might have been the closest we'll ever be to a whale not in captivity! Glorious!

A blogger close to the bridge said she can tell which side of the bridge the whale is on because the people automatically troop from side to side for a better view! And after a careful look for cars each time, we followed right along, back and forth!

Since we were that far south we simply went on down to some of our favorite redwoods down there. We walked along ZigZag Trail, which we loved, and thru the Cathedral grove, an old favorite. We got home just in time for happy hour at Ponchos for dinner. A great day all around.

On Friday, I turned North out of our gate when L,C&Ljr turned South to go home. I headed up to Newport for the Quilt Show. It was a beautiful show this year. We stage it at the Rec Center - wonderful space. We had such a variety of quilts AND vendors that it was a pleasure to walk thru. On Saturday, friends and neighbors made sure I got my exercise by planning their visits to the show with perfect timing - as I was saying good-bye to someone, the next friend walked in!! What fun to catch up with everyone.

Friday night I got together with friends from South Shore for a 'girls night out'. It was fun to visit and get caught up with each others' lives. And Saturday morning, 3 of us got together and did the water aerobics DVD - like old times!

Sunday I drove home - just me and 1000 RVers on the road! But the drive was uneventful and I took a 2 1/2 hour nap after water aerobics Monday morning!! Home again, home again ... until tomorrow - when we head for Portland to see the grandkids up there and babysit for a wedding.

Busy Busy Birthday!!

2011-08-07T19:30:00.004-05:00

Okay - it's not a 'zero' birthday but almost!! It's still a big number!

I've had so much fun this last week. C,L&L2 were here and the party definitely continued. We told them they couldn't come back for 9 months - that's how long it will take to work off the weight gain from muffins every morning and ice cream - the good stuff - every night!!

We were able to road trip to where a whale was hanging out - Once I get unpacked and caught up I'll sit and post pictures!!

Foggy Morning Mish-Mash!

2011-07-24T11:39:00.008-05:00

My August bouquet was Hydrangeas and sunflowers - how fun! Both are big flowers and the delivery gal is a petite little thing - when I opened the door, I couldn't even see her!! The grouping was so big we got 2 bouquets out of it so there's an all sunflower group over in C&Ls condo!

It's a cool foggy morning here. C&L are renting the condo next door and we're having such a great visit. Lots of walks on the beach, grilled dinners and of course, dessert every night!! Got to love vacations!!

One morning it was so foggy that when I followed everyone down to the beach 30 minutes later - I couldn't find them!! Spooky thick fog - where everything looks different and somehow sinister!! Was that giant piece of driftwood always hanging there like that?? [well, yes it was!]

We have so much sand added to the beach that the cave is filled - yep, the cave with a 10 foot ceiling!! So the rocks all look different - cuz you're only seeing the top part of them!

Speaking of rocks - Rock collecting: I love to pick up rocks. It was my biggest activity in Newport. There were lots of agates and fossils on that beach. Here in Brookings, not many agates or fossils that I can spot. But more colorful rocks. I especially like the ones with stripes! I polished rocks for a year and a half. I haven't done that since I moved here. Maybe I'll get back into it, maybe not - we'll see!

Where some collectors only stoop to pick up Jasper, Agates, etc. Well, not me. One day in Newport I had the most fun collecting objects with holes in them!! [I was tying them on stomping sticks and things with friends later that week!]

Yesterday was "O" rock day! Sometimes you don't spot a rock with a natural "O" on it anywhere - and other days, well, you can't avoid them! My friend D from Redding alerted me to "O" rocks, "That Oprah, she's licensing everything nowadays!!" LOL! D has a rock garden in her yard that is dedicated to "O" rocks - so hip!! These "O"s are going home to Arkansas with C&L but they make me think of D also!!

Well, Mr D is off on his great adventure today with his mom and dad. They are traveling to Colorado for J's family wedding and then on to Nebraska to visit A's family. Three weeks on the road with a 3 month old!! Camping when available! YIKES!

And you just know they will pull it off with grace and lots of wonderful memories. Mr D has already camped at a wedding close to home ... and did just fine! The only big question is can Beach Nana [that's me] live without her Mr D fix for that long? That baby is growing like a weed, and we see him just often enough to notice the changes. I swear, grandkids grow as fast as the car commercials show on tv!! Here he is with Beach Papa.

They went swimming since our last visit.

Trying out his chair now that he can hold his head up. Hmmm, was that chain always there?

This week will be jam-packed with trying to see everything in Oregon while our friends are here! LOL! Hopefully, the weather will continue to cooperate - although it's not looking good for today! Oh well, if it's icky out we will just have to sit inside and quilt - or just talk about quilting! Also fun!

Back from Sisters - but moving slow!!

2011-07-16T15:37:00.016-05:00

What a gorgeous day it was in the high desert! 80 - 85 degrees and a slight breeze in the afternoon - just enough to wave the quilts as you were trying to take a photo. It was wonderful. And the quilts seemed to be a wider variety of styles this year - I saw the majority of them ... but, even not walking the whole show - I was a broken woman the next morning!!

Eight Stashbusters Online showed up at the library at 10 am. We talked and compared notes for 30-45 minutes and then went off to rejoin the friends and family we came with. We were there from Washington, Minnesota, California, Illinois, Australia (!), and all over Oregon. [that's based on memory - may not be entirely correct!!] Thanks gals! It's always fun to meet in person.

A bus from the Newport Guild came up and I got to walk-about with friends I don't get to see as often. 8 of us actually stayed together the first block! LOL! At one point, I called V on the cell phone trying to find her "I see a sign that says ..." "Yes, I'm standing right next to it!!" LOL! It's a big crowd, that's for sure!

And thanks to C's eagle eye, I was able to meet up with C & M. We were the first 3 stashbusters to meet up at the show 5 yrs ago! We've caught up a few times over the years - this was my 12th time to the Sisters show!! C saw me and had M's cell phone number. I didn't even have M's current email address! - I'd sent her an email but when I didn't get an answer - figured she was away. We ran across each other a few times browsing the show, but met up at 1:30 for a good visit and an ice cream cone!! On a chair! In the shade!! Life is good!

After the show - back to Bend where we were staying along the river. My DD and DSIL joined us on this trip - but without the grandkids. It makes a big difference! The adults were allowed to eat together - not take turns with the kids while the other couple goes out! And of course, you know what we talked about - the grandkids, of course!! Always the case!

The food we had was awesome this year! We went to Amalia's for great Quesadillas; [shredded chicken, grilled fresh mushrooms and wilted spinach!! Yummm!]; Pine Tavern for the best Smoked Salmon salad [with pears, walnuts, blue cheese crumbles and raspberry vinegarette dressing!] and Thai food at Toomies. Needless to say, I needed to get my body to Water Aerobics when I got home - for several reasons!!

And then continuing our "Going to Sisters" grand tour, we stopped at Crater Lake. There is so-o much snow up there still this year! Our favorite picnic area was still under 3-4 feet of snow! We saw a van-load of middle schoolers snowshoe-ing away! And there was the coolest slide of snow off the lodge that still reached the roof! No water scarcity this year - so far. The Rogue River was running high at the viewpoints too!

On to Talent where we stayed with and admired Mr D!! This little guy is all smiles! And so cute - but of course, Nana would say that!!

Pelicans 101!

2011-07-05T18:15:00.004-05:00

Today is gorgeous!! Ahhh, now I remember why we love it here! LOL! I got up this am and it was thick, thick fog and I thought - not again!! There, I admitted it! But the fog burned off early and I actually walked down to the beach during low tide.

I've been fighting off this throat thing forever [all right - since Saturday!!] it just seems like forever. R was sick with throat, then cough when Miss P was here. But it seems to be taking a different course with me. So I hadn't been down to the beach since Miss P left.

We've been getting alot of sand swept in. I could see that from looking down on "the well". It's buried and not that long ago it was hip-high! The well is a rock with a deep hole in it - kind of obvious, but sometimes it feels like we're talking in code! But, I wanted to see the 'cave' - R said it was filling in. Two weeks ago, R and Miss P walked thru the cave, R only having to bend over at the other end - now there is no other end - and you'd have to crawl in! Amazing! The ocean changes so fast!

We also woke up to foam on the water today - thick foam that apparently happens in some fish cycle. Don't ask me more than that - I'm from Nebraska!! But it means there's a lot of fish in the water and the pickings are easy. So we have a lot of birds hanging about today. Including a whole group of pelicans - they're simply amazing.

First of all - they look like dinosaurs when they fly - they're all angles. They fly in groups and zoom down close to the surface, gliding, looking like stealth bombers, apparently looking for fish. When they find some, they dive into the water like yard-darts!! But when they sit - they're all curves!! One of life's mysteries!

For the first time today, we've noticed smaller ones in the flock - fledglings?? The information sheet I pulled up on Pelicans says there isn't much 'post-fledgling' care - but apparently there are some fishing lessons!!

They have been fishing in front of the condos all day - so interesting to watch. And there's a 'seagull/chickens clucking' sound!! I've been trying to compare it to something all afternoon - and that's the closest I can come to!!

This all sounds slightly weird - but it's been a really fun day watching them and hearing them and I wish you were all here to share my day!!

I quilted yesterday afternoon on Birds of a Feather. Rick went golfing and I watched "Independence Day" [of course!] and then E.T while stitching away. We had leftover BBQ sandwiches for dinner and saw some of the fireworks from our balcony. All in all, a nice, low-key day.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!

2011-07-03T15:45:00.016-05:00

Well, after our last 'talk' we headed to Portland for R&R with our DD and her family. The adults went to Cirque du Soleil's show and then we spent a few days in Portland before heading back to the coast with Miss P - our 4 yr old DGD.

I just want to show you the awesome pictures my L took of her children. She's so talented and has a gift for catching them. Of course, the kids are very used to posing for her and love to ham it up!! There were a hundred shots of the kids on my camera - I'll just show you my favorites!! Gotta love digital!!

When we left Portland we had both Miss P and Mr M (age 2) in the car. We traveled over to the Newport Aquarium while DSIL trailed behind us; on the ready to bring Mr M back home after. We wanted to see if Mr M would even leave home without a parent!! He did great! Both kids love the aquarium and it's always fun to see their excitement. These few times a year - when we head out with the kids - well, that's when I miss living closer to them!

After lunch and some time at the MacDonald's play area, Mr M and his dad headed back to Portland and Miss P headed for Brookings with us. It's a long ride but we were all 'troopers!' Within 10 minutes of arriving home ... we had all the toys out, had looked out at the ocean with the binoculars and were totally at home!!

Miss P was here for 2 full days and 4 nights ... and they were fun-packed with all of our favorite activities: digging sand on the beach; eating lunch on the patio; reading lots of library books; and a visit to "Kidtown" the Azalea Park playground. Miss P got a child's set of golf clubs this trip, so she also went to the golf course with Papa to hit a few and drive the golf cart around. They saw deer and a new fawn out there - definitely a highlight!

And I'm not saying a little spoiling wasn't being done - here's Miss P's breakfast with strawberries ala Food Network!! LOL! Yep - that's the extent of my 'fancy' meals - cutting up strawberries!

Then off we went to A&J2's so Miss P could meet Mr D and play with the bunnies! Since Miss P is the older sister - she knew what babies were, do I need to point out the real attraction was the bunnies??? LOL! She helped J2 make us blueberry pancakes the morning we were headed back to Portland.

Hasn't Mr D thrived and grown!! He's a smiley baby and lots of fun to cuddle. He was on his first camping trip the weekend before - a wedding - and did great! It's just so amazing to see him grow so fast!!

Sunday we took Miss P to the Broadway tour of "Mary Poppins." We had so much fun! Miss P stayed awake the entire show - despite not sleeping much the night before - and then cried at the end because she didn't want it to be over! I sense she's a 'chip off the old block' of her mom, who dearly loves Broadway and all things theatre.

10 days, count them, with grandchildren!!! Nana was plumb tuckered out!! I pretty much hibernated for the week since we got home. The ocean is eerily quiet{!} after all the ruckus! And while it's always wonderful to see the GKs - it's fun to get back to 'normal' too.

I entered 3 quilts in the Newport show - but Birds of a Feather-ish wasn't one of them. I'm still working on the first border ... so it will make it's debut next show! But I'm bound and determined to work on it everyday and FINISH it this summer. It's been on the UFO list TOO long. I'll let you know!!

I'd love to promise to blog again next weekend - but that's the Sister's Quilt Show weekend and I'm going to be too busy!! LOL! A bunch of Stashbusters are meeting up at the library Saturday morning; a bus is coming with Newport friends and my DD and DSIL will be with us in Bend. DD probably won't come to the show - we'll shop around in Sisters on Friday - while the boys golf. I'll tell you all about it when I get home!

Summertime and still sweatshirt weather!

2011-06-12T18:47:00.013-05:00

But of course, it's always sweatshirt weather here - sometimes you have to wear a raincoat over the sweatshirt, so guess I'll be satisfied with what we've got.

Water Aerobics started in our outside pool last Monday. It's a heated pool but weather has been in the 50s when we're in it! It's as close as I get to joining in any Polar Bear events!! Actually, the pool feels great and its fun to drive only 5 minutes to the pool. I drive 45 minutes to get to the Crescent City Pool the rest of the year. Eight am and I've already got a tan - after 4 days, I have suit-lines - even with the morning fog!! It amazes me.

June's flowers came - beautiful full dark red peonies. The bouquets have gotten bigger each month - this one was too big and top-heavy for our glass vase. I put the white flowers in a second vase/mason jar and while the peonies are starting to fade, the white flowers are still going strong.

Our local quilt shop expanded and put in a LongArm machine. You can take a LA lesson, get 'certified' and then be able to rent it and work on your own projects. I am now certified, as compared to certifiable!! I had another quilt UFO in mind for my work session, but switched it out to this flannel kids quilt. 'Brrr-winter' could take an all-over design and was a better '1st' project for me. I free motion quilted it - I'm am terrible at pantographs!!

Let me say - long arm quilters have nothing to worry about with me!! Wow - it's an eye opener to try it yourself! But, this UFO is now off my list and hopefully I'll get over there every month or two to work on another UFO. Lord knows I have enough UFOs to get thru!

Here's my Holiday Challenge again - as I told you, it won 3rd place Viewer's Choice in the Challenge category at the show!! Fun surprise!!

I finally turned the corner on my 'on again, off again' handquilting project - I'm out to the borders on my 'Birds of a Feather.' A BOM from 2006ish! I hate to quilt borders in a hoop - it's all set-up again and again with very little time quilting. So I framed it up and like working on it that way. I put it in the sewing room and as you can see - it barely fits. In fact, you have to squeeze thru to get into the room.

While we're in the sewing room - might as well have a tour!! A closet [stuffed full of quilting stuff] is on your left. The black board on the right is the computer armoir. The design wall is straight ahead, those jungle animals are half the blocks for a quilt for Mr D. It's called Jungle Boogie by Sindy Rodenmayer of Fat Cat Patterns.

The original dimensions are huge. I reduced it to 75% and the giraffe is still 23" tall! And - in case you want to make this - the pattern is not reversed, since I'm using a wonder-under method, my quilt will be backwards. I hate when that happens!!

Moving on - the next blocks on the design wall are Pies and Tarts. My goal is to have all 64 pies made and appliqued to the backgrounds by the end of July when a good friend from ARK is coming to visit. She can consult like nobody's business! I'm counting on her to help me lay it out.

In the basket on the floor is a Grandmother's Flower Garden that has been languishing for years. A church group in Lincoln NE quilted it for me and offered to bind it - I foolishly said "No, thanks." Why, oh why, did I say that??? It's still not bound - but this year .... better be longer than 365 days based on my to-do list for 2011!! LOL! Hope springs eternal!!

Then the wonderful card catalog my daughter gave/lent me for Mother's Day!! On top are various baskets, one of which holds my Sue Spargo 'Journey Tree' project.

I'd love to say that's as messy as it gets - but sadly, no - I had to straighten it up to make room for the frame!! The best I can hope for is 'livable'!!

June has sprung

2011-06-02T18:27:00.010-05:00

Last weekend was our Brookings Quilt Show as part of Azalea Festival. The weather was spotty - but that doesn't deter quilters - we're inside!

We had 162 quilts entered and all showed up. I was so glad I entered quilts that were finished - I remember those last hours of sewing against the clock many times other years and delivering quilts that were 'still smoking!'

But I was kept busy by going to work day on Monday before the show; accepting entries for 4 hours on Friday; helping to hang the show Friday night [my favorite part!]; working the show and photographing all the entries on Saturday; and wandering the show before helping with 'take down' Sunday. It seemed it went well - we'll get our report next Monday night.

We were able to sell cookies for the first time in many years - with the strict instructions that none were to be eaten inside the building. So we advertised "Go Bags of cookies" [for New Orleans fans!] And "Cookies to go".

We had everything! And could smell the baked goods right thru the zip-lock bags! I made batches of my rice krispie bars with M&Ms. But there were all the usual suspects plus a new favorite - Cranberry-White Chocolate-Oatmeal cookie. The recipe is on the Craisins Bag of Dried Cranberries! Trust me - awesome!!

One of the best perks of joining a new quilt guild is they haven't seen your quilts yet. Many don't have date restrictions on entries into shows, so you can bring out your old favorites [and see if they hold up to the new standards!] And I'm happy to report they did!

The oldest quilt I entered was the Blazing Star Whole Cloth quilt. I hand quilted this quilt in Lincoln in 1984. [isn't a yearly 'quilts finished' list handy!!!]
I ordered this pattern and was severely disappointed to receive one quarter of the star drawn out!! I, of course, picked fabrics that were too thick to see thru and had to gerry-rig a light box to trace it. Well, by the time I got to lining up the last quarter - it was 1/2" off. I stomped on it - not kidding - sprayed it with Shout and sent it thru the wash a few times. Determined, next I drew out the pattern on newsprint from a roll; [remember those - you got them from the newspaper office and they were Grrr-eat!!' This time I basted it to the fabric so it wouldn't shift; traced it and proceeded to quilt it with contrasting thread. I even made the hanging loops change color so as to match the side that was hanging out AND added an invisible pocket for a small dowel to help it hang perfectly straight!

I still love it. It was made during my 'blue and brown' period! Ha - I can hear friends laughing!! That period lasted about 30 years!! I still love blues and browns - but do work in different colors -on occasion- now!! LOL!

I entered "Lights Along the Coast" the silk-screened lighthouse panels set in a log cabin setting. My DH's admitted favorite quilt of mine! Although he still has "improvement suggestions"!!

I entered "Season's Greetings, Dearie" this year's Brookings Round Robin quilt. I'm pleased to say that 4 of the 5 quilts in our round were done by the show. And they looked mighty fine!! Many thanks to M in Lincoln for long-arming that quilt for me on my visit to Nebraska in April. It turned out so cute and provided me with a relaxing pre-show interval.

You remember "Be Mine", my Holiday Challenge - my foray into 'slow quilting' last winter. I love it - but it didn't do well in the Guild's Challenge Contest. I was surprised that it won a 3rd place Viewer's Choice at the show. Always fun to walk around the corner and find a ribbon on your quilt!

We're headed to Medford this weekend to send the new parents out for an evening while we babysit Mr D! Almost 2 months old now ... wish us luck!!

Back in the blog business!

2011-05-21T13:36:00.011-05:00

I've been spotty in blogging lately - sorry about that. There was nothing major - just a little sleeplessness, spring allergies and laziness. I'm trying to talk myself out of that routine right now!!

We've had so much fun getting to know Mr D. We saw him 3 times before he turned 1 month old! Not bad for a baby that lives 3 hours away! Of course it does help that DH loves to play golf over there. He gained 2 lbs the first month - the doctor asked if he had any other hobbies other than nursing!! NOPE! But cute as a button and starting to do those involuntary smiles!! Fun to watch him grow.

We were up in Portland last weekend and were surprised to see a giant patio project finished before we even knew it had started!! What a nice job - and so much fun to play with the kids somewhere we can also sit while waiting for action to continue! No seats on the cul de sac out front!! They are going to get so much use out of that space - fun, fun, fun!

But of course, we had some rainy days there too - it IS Portland! But L had a 'rainy day activity' hidden away. A "Mousetrap game-like" marble track toy. Unfortunately, it took two adults to figure out how to put it together while a third adult entertained the munchkins out of sight!! LOL! But very entertaining after that.

Did I mention what I got for Mother's Day from L and DH??? Well, L had found a card catalog built like a barrister's bookcase. [It comes apart for easy moving or rearranging!] Lucky for me L didn't find a space for it in her house and it came to me!! DH was not excited - there was work to be done. We hired a cabinet-maker to make a top and toe-guard for it. Then there was a whole lot of elbow grease to clean it up. [No wonder I was having allergy attacks!] - years of spiderwebs, dust and mouse doo-doo! But I'm really happy with the way it turned out. And it holds a lot of little stuff for quilting, of course, you have to remember what drawer you put it in!!! On top is this month's flowers - Flora Pacific does such a good job with monthly bouquets! It was a great gift from DH.

While I was in the quilt cave - I took a full picture of the design wall [instead of just that tease in the other picture]. That's Pies & Tarts on it. My friend J, back in Nebraska got this pattern as an English paper piecing BOM. She's been working on it for a year and it's fabulous. When I saw it a year ago - I tried to join that BOM but no luck. I did get the templates and one of the fabric packs. But then left it to 'age' for a whole year. Does anyone else do that???

This year I had a workshop on 'paperless paper piecing' and figured this would be a good project for that method, especially since I hate English PP! And it's working out well. I'm aiming for 64 pies - that will be a nice 60 x 60ish quilt that will hang in my quilt display space just right. Let's not even mention my ambitious plan of sewing 3 pies and 3 tarts by machine each day and hand appliquing them onto the background each night in front of TV. We all know that's not going to work!! LOL!

The tarts are just 'patted' on since you don't sew them until the blocks are together. I studied pictures of this project on the web, since I had to make up my own fabric selection. I had to make sure that I didn't always line up the dark wedge with the center top. [gives it a little movement] And some blocks will have darker backgrounds with light wedges. Being me [LOL!] I cut wedges for 60+ blocks and an assortment of backgrounds before I really got into production - but it is addicting to see what the next block will look like!!

We have an unexpected sunny day today, in exchange for an unexpected grey day yesterday. We've been having wonderfully civil [8 - 10ish in the mornings] low tides this week. We were down on the beach yesterday and got to see a young teenage? deer frolic in the tidepools! It was running and splashing and you could see he was loving it!! I laughed and he stopped and looked at me like "What are you looking at??" And then splashed some more. FUN!

The Merry, Merry month of May

2011-05-07T14:13:00.006-05:00

My goodness, April went fast! Of course, it was visit, visit, visit for 3 weeks - and do wash, unpack and pack again for the 4th week! Besides spending 10 days with my mom for her birthday, a visit with Miss P and Mr M [pictured here in a rare appearance without his sister!],

and we 'accepted delivery' of our new grandson,Mr D!! Two visits to meet and play with him! Here he is 2 weeks old.

I also had a 5-day retreat with the Bayshore Quilters from Newport. What fun that was!Good company and great sunsets!!

Picture 19 crazy quilters meeting in both sides of a duplex in Bandon. Lucky for me, Bandon is pretty much 1/2 way between Brookings and Newport. Although the Newport gals DID leave about 8 am to get there! 4 quilt shops on the way, don't cha know!! I left at 1 pm and we all got there about the same time - 4 pm on monday. Bags were hauled in, sewing machines were set up and let the party begin!!

The projects everyone was working on were awesome. For example, I'd never seen or heard of Lucy Boston's Patchwork of the Crosses. Oh dear, a new category of fabrics to look for!! It's fabulous! A woven log cabin, many sewing kits in an exchange, lots of eye candy - both worked on and brought in from shopping trips!

Tuesday, some of the gals took a crumb quilt class from Nancy Chong of the Pacific Rim Quilting Company. This was the 4th year they arranged a class by her. The renegades - including me - sat at home and worked on our own projects. It was a great sewing day 'while the kids were at school!'

Tuesday, I worked on 'Pies and Tarts' antique reproduction quilt. Instead of English paper piecing, I'm paper-less paper piecing by machine and got several pies and a few tarts pieced and ready for applique that day.

Wednesday was spent working on Sliced Bread - an asymetrical log cabin-ish pattern from Wilmington Fabrics. The link takes you to the index, patterns are in alphabetical order. This was a March Madness workshop we had in Brookings. It's pretty wild, so I'm looking for a 4th 'log' to mute it down a bit. Hmmm, navy? brick red? tone on tones? but 48 blocks later ... it was a very productive day.

Thursday I put my machine away and worked on the Sue Spargo wool applique project from Lincoln's class. And then when I ran out of thread colors I needed, I switched to quilting on "Birds of a Feather." Each year I drag it out of it's corner, I love it, everyone else oohs and ahhs over it and I'm dedicated to finishing it by ... until I get distracted by something else!! Poor UFO! But it's at the head of the list again. [or is it? a shoulder injury from carrying furniture sidelined me this week from any sewing!]

Friday was time to head back home again - with a short stop at Port Orford to pick up some of those missing colors of thread.

Wishing everyone a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. Hope yours includes some leisure time, a favorite activity and a wee bit of dessert!!

I'm back and new Grandbaby is here!

2011-04-16T16:34:00.016-05:00

I was in Nebraska for my mom's 93rd birthday - a whirlwind 10 days of appointments and her "to do" list for me. Here we are with mom on her birthday.

And talk about good luck - while I was in Lincoln, Sue Spargo was teaching a workshop, her Travel Journal class. What fun. J, G and I got in and had the most wonderful time working on our 'life journey' trees. Sue Spargo is a great teacher - most patient with clumsy fingers trying to learn the embroidery stitches.

Of course, I squeezed in some of my favorite quilt shops and quilting friends too. And I caved in and bought a BOM. J had been raving about the Farmer's Wife BOM Country Sampler was offering - paper pieced! I thought it sounded good, but ... then I saw the fabrics and all that willpower just went out the window! It's gorgeous and I can't wait to work on it. J and I did finish one block - and the rest are in a box I had to mail back ... I'm waiting for it's delivery on pins and needles, of course! LOL!

A good time was had by all - and although the time went entirely too fast ... it's good to be back home - even if it IS still raining here!!

I got into Portland on Tuesday - the first activity was to go to the zoo with Miss P and Mr M - and their parents. It was a quick trip because no one realized that the zoo gates closed at 4 pm. Hard to explain THAT to preschoolers looking forward to the trip!

The next day was recovery-day for Nana! Rainy in Portland too - so we played a new game - hide the pony and look for him with a flashlight! Great fun. We also ran around in circles, played 3 board games and played with play-dough. Nana was ready for a nap when they were!!

Thursday we headed for Medford for a dentist appointment and surprise - someone beat us there! Mr D - who wasn't expected until April 18 came early and we got to see him when he was just an hour old! It's hard to remember that they come that little!! Not much more than a peanut!! AND he was 7 lbs 6 ozs!! Just the right size.

Welcome to the family, little one!!

Brookings quilters ... don't look!!

2011-03-21T19:07:00.007-05:00

My DH gave me the best Christmas present last year. He arranged with a local florist to deliver 'coastal' fresh flowers every month this whole year! We were gone in February, so we skipped that month. Flora Pacifica is awesome! Each bouquet is a mixture of flowers. And there's always buds hidden away that bloom last - this month it was the red & yellow Tulips. We got them last Wednesday - and I notice the leaves are starting to droop! Trust me - it was awesome earlier!! Thanks, Dear Heart! I'm feeling so spoiled!

Now for the secret part! I've finished my Guild Holiday Challenge early. Sorry, I can't keep it under wraps for another whole two months!! We're not supposed to show it about until after the 'vote' at the end of April. But I can't wait that long!! [grin] So here it is:

Be Mine
22" x 21"
made for Brookings Quilt Guild Holiday Challenge 2011

The challenge had a size limit; and had to be a holiday. I've been reading about 'slow quilting' on the web and it intrigued me. I picked out 18 shirtings in my collection that had red in them. [no - I don't think you want to know how big that shirting collection is!! There's alot more without red!!] Then I HAND appliqued the large heart - yep, me, by hand!!! I used the freezer paper method to get a good edge and I'm amazed at how well it came out - even the top of the heart!! [insert pat on my back]

Now, I purposefully set the 1/2 inch grid for the quilting off-kilter. I didn't want any lines following - or not following the seam lines and there's not much space between 1/2 inch! If I had a do-over, I'd have set it at a better angle - but "Oh, well!" I used DMC embroidery floss - pink, yellow, green and blue - and stitched a modified Sashiko stitch for weeks and weeks! But it was fun to hand stitch on a project for a change. While I worked on it, I wadded it up in my lap, I usually quilt in a hoop. But since the whole idea was large stitches, lap quilting worked well, but I really had a crooked project before washing and blocking it! Although it IS straighter than it looks in this photo, really!

When I got to the heart, instead of following the grid, I stair-stepped the stitches across, I wasn't sure what to use to fill in those spaces. More embroidery - Algerian Eyes?? A million French Knots?

So coming home from Portland last week I stopped in Newport and consulted with S. It was a good excuse to see her! She helped me decide buttons was the way to go. I came home and started looking for tiny 'findings' buttons that were country colors. But insead, my jar of small white buttons leaped into my hands and yelled, "ME! me! me!" LOL! So I used them instead and still haven't found the others! I used the space between the stair steps for the white buttons. S had said it reminded her of a box of Valentine's Day candy - so I mixed it up a bit so it looked like some were missing!! Yum!!

Until I put the buttons on, it looked very modern to me! I used old fabrics - shirtings; an old method - sashiko and it looked modern!! But the buttons brought it back around to my antique-ish style! I'm very pleased AND I get to show a red and white quilt this month! Those of you that can go to NYC - to see the Red and White exhibit - have fun for all of us!!

We've had rain, rain and more rain since getting back from our trip. Not to mention a tsunami!! Over 10 inches in March - and it ain't done yet!!! But today it was a brighter shade of grey ... and we're taking that as an improvement!! LOL!

We were on vacation ... can you guess where we've been?

2011-02-28T18:19:00.013-06:00

Here's a hint!

!>

It's true, it's true - I got DH out of Oregon for 'basically the first time' since we moved here - almost 3 years ago!!

We had lovely weather along the coast in January - R was able to go golfing 10 times!! But we had the chance to go to Palm Springs and stay with Newport friends so we skedaddled out of here! The weather has turned B*A*D since we returned - causing R to start planning next year's trip - to stay LONGER!!

We drove South on I5 - delivering baby furniture to A&J2 and having lunch with R's golfing buddy in Ashland. Stayed in Redding with good friends B&D and then the long stretch to get to Palm Springs. We had our first In-N-Out Burger in Bakersfield. We got to Palm Springs to perfect weather - 70s, dry air and no wind!! Now that's what we're talking about!!

Sunday we took off to explore. We took the Aerial Tramway up the mountains 8500 feet above sealevel! - that's where you can sled in snow and find really big pine cones!! Then we went to my first 'new' 3D movie - The Hubble at IMAX. I was blown away! See it if you can!! Dinner was at an Italian restaurant. Our local Italian place closed when we moved to Brookings and we've been desperate for good Italian that we didn't have to cook ourselves!! That dinner was the first of lots of good Italian on this vacation!

I was great the first few days. We even went twice to Water Aerobics at the city pool. Pool's capacity was 680!! Yep, it was LARGE! Valentine's Day found us at Torme's Supper Club with a live band and dancing with my husband!! Very fun.

Then I got an 'allergic reaction of epic proportions' to something blooming in the desert! After a week in paradise (with a box of Puffs at my side) we headed to DISNEYLAND where I promptly picked up my "1st timer" button!!

>

L - a good friend from Newport went with us and she is the BEST Disneyland fan!! We had a blast with her as our guide. Loved California Adventure and "Soarin' Over California!" Second favorite was Mr PotatoHead's Arcade where I surprised my husband by having more-than-double his score!! Watch out! - I'm a mean, green, shooting machine!! The new California Adventure water-laser show "A World of Color" is simply unbelievable! When you're there - don't even think about leaving early!!

The next day R&I went to Disneyland by ourselves and we did well! Actually rode the Indiana Jones ride and Space Mountain before official opening! Magic Hour is!! Of course, we were pooped from the day before, didn't have L with us and it started raining at 2:15 ... but still, lots of fun! Scoped it out for our next visit with the grandkids!! Maybe to celebrate our 40th anniversary??? It's a thought!

Saturday it was still raining as we left LA. We made it to Santa Barbara where R attended half a year of kindergarten a l*o*n*g time ago! I toured my first mission and we stumbled across an awesome Italian restaurant downtown. They were cooking something garlic when we walked by - R immediately went in and made reservations for that night! The downtown is everything you'd want - great shopping, great food and many theaters. We saw a movie while hiding out from the rain before dinner.

Sunday saw us heading for Monterey. We had breakfast in Malibu and it was sunny and wonderful driving up Big Sur. We immediately drove the 17 mile loop around Pebble Beach. Stopped and bought sweatshirts and then had dinner at the slowest Big Bear Diner in the west!! It was comical - we advised new customers [under our breath] to order breakfast ... cuz they'd still be there!! Helpful in many ways, I'm sure!!

Monday morning we were at the Aquarium. I'm happy to say it was awesome, and also proved the little aquarium in Newport is very good too!! They had a seahorse display that was amazing. R fell in love with the Leafy Sea Dragon! Now that's a funky animal!!

On to San Francisco - and wow! We had clear weather and it was so much fun - my 1st time there and we triangulated that town!! The first thing we did after checking into our motel by Fisherman's Wharf was buy 'hop on and off sightseeing by bus' tickets good for two days! There were 4 tours and we took them all! Went around downtown several times; went out to Golden Gate Park where museums reside!; went to Saucilito over the Golden Gate Bridge and then took the night tour too!

And the food - let me tell you - it was not on our diets, but boy-oh-boy was it good!! The first night, Neptune's on Pier 39 - creamiest clam chowder we'd ever had and you know we have it every chance we get!! I'll dream of that chowder until we go back for more!

Lunch the next day was in Chinatown at R&G Lounge. R declared it was better than the food he had in Taiwan and Hong Kong! That night we went to Alioto's where I had some pasta that saved my life!! We'd just come off the night bus tour, where we were upstairs in the open air bus and we were frozen!!

The last day we bought day passes for the Muni-system. Cable cars all day long! What a blast!! The Powell and Mason line started a block from our hotel. We rode it downtown and then a different one back to the wharf. Then up to the top of Lombard street - the crooked street. We got off and walked down - trust me, it was better than walking up!! 31% grade!! Then we got on a bus to the Coit Tower. Toured the tower and then walked down Telegraph Hill hoping to see the wild parrots. [no luck] Caught our double decker tour bus and rode to North Bay - the Italian section.

We sat outside and had a wonderful late lunch in the sun. Back on the cable cars for more fun downtown! I shopped at Britex Fabrics!! They were even having a sale - I bought 1/2 yard of Japanese navy bunny-rabbit fabric!! And yes, I could have bought more, but I was able to stuff the half yard in my purse and not carry anything else cuz you need two hands to hang on the cable cars!

That night we ate at the Blue Mermaid down at the wharf. Award winning chowder ... need I say more? They drew us in and proved it! After our Italian lunch we weren't that hungry - but needed something! The crab sweet corn chowder was also yummy!!

We woke up Thursday morning to rain and forecast of really bad weather coming. So we high-tailed it home. Drove thru snow south of Crescent City - very unusual for the coast!! We had two days of cool but clear weather with whales entertaining us! And San Francisco had their first snow since 1980 the day after we left!! Someone posted ski run ratings of all the streets online - believe me - all would have been 'expert'! We were so glad we missed it!

Then the winter storm hit here - not cold enough for snow - but man 'o man - have we got wind and rain! Even so, it's good to be home - and out of the car!! I've been getting caught up on our TIVO and quilting on my "Holiday Challenge"! Yep, good to be home in any weather!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2011-02-14T10:13:00.003-06:00

Here's my DD's Facebook entry today, featuring Miss P!!

Miss P: "Why do people write songs and make music?"
DD: "That's a good question, what do you think?"
Miss P: "They write songs and make music so that people, people will fall in love with them. Right?"

A few seconds later Miss P says: "Mom, quit hugging me. I can't breathe." :)

Just the latest from some of my favorite sweethearts!!

Busy busy busy!!

2011-02-07T13:00:00.004-06:00

Oops - I skipped a week (or two) - there goes that resolution!! We've had great weather this last month - and I hesitate to brag about it. Both because no one else has had good weather and I'm afraid I'll jinx it!

I was up in Portland babysitting while L&J went to a Trail Blazer game. We did great - even though I was solo this time. First question was: "where's papa?". Well, he stayed home to golf - do you want to call him?? YES. "But papa, you always come with Nana!" 4 years old and an expert at piling on the guilt - but aren't they all?!?

Last time we were there Papa whistled with his fingers in his mouth and Mr M turned to me with a quizzical look on his face, stuck one finger in his mouth and blew hard! I knew exactly what he was asking!! "No, sweetie, Papa didn't come this time!" We had Nana's soup and watched movies and ate cake!! Just a usual day with Nana!!

We finally got pictures of the cute outfits my sister sent them from Nebraska for Christmas! What can I say - it's a busy household!

Then to Silverton for the quilt show with friends from Newport. The show was at the Oregon Gardens - 80 acres of wonderful theme gardens! Highly recommend visiting if you garden at all! Even I enjoyed it!!

Last weekend was the Brookings guild retreat. 29 crazy quilters at the Gold Beach Resort - it was fun fun fun!! Two members each taught - new techniques and great quilts. Seeing the show and tell was awesome - all the different color-ways, every quilt looked different!

I, of course, did my own thing!!! I missed the last guild meeting because of the babysitting in Portland and didn't get the instructions and supply list. So I worked on the 2nd Eric Carle bunk bed quilt. At the last minute I threw in a gallon size baggie of 2 inch squares. So between the bunk bed quilt and activities, I sewed together NINETY scrap nine patches!! I could have sewed more but ran out of time and 'beige-ing' squares!! Makes you wonder how many quilts you can make with the entire stash!!

I might be out of touch for the next week or so --- crazy schedule. But know I'll have even more to tell you when I post again!!

2nd UFO done for the year!!

2011-01-22T16:21:00.005-06:00

I am on a roll!

But I'm ashamed to say that I actually wore this jacket once without it being finished! The whole class was supposed to wear our jackets to guild last June. My sleeves weren't 'bound' or hemmed or whatever you want to call it!! But I figured no one could tell with a raw edge jacket!! And they couldn't! ... til I told them!! Why do we do that????

My DH doesn't like this jacket. And I purposefully made it all one color - but it's still too 'quilty' for the likes of him. I picked dark blues because 1) I have a truckload of blues, 2)it's my favorite color and 3) I have a jeans kind-of lifestyle! I just heard all my friends say "Duh!" LOL! Definitely describes my lifestyle, especially now that we are retired and live on the 'casual' coast!

We cut 2x4 inch pieces of our fabrics - tons of them! We slit up the side seams following that seam all the way out to our cuffs. The sweatshirt was prewashed and the right size! We started tiling the fabrics up from the bottom edge. You overlap the fabric 1/4 inch so that the edges stay together and don't show the sweatshirt. We didn't cut the front - but did draw a line that showed us where we would cut when we were done piecing. A whole lot of "Glue-Baste It" was used!! Along with spools of thread, small zigzag stitch and parallel lines of quilting a quarter inch away from each other.

There were a few of us in class making 1 color jackets. But there were some wonderful jackets using Bali-pops too!

Anyway, I finally bound the sleeves and covered the inside jacket seams and threw it in the wash. That helped lose some of the loose threads that are all over this jacket. Unfortunately it also split some of the too scant overlaps! DARN! So I "patched" over the bad seams with more of the same fabrics - and I'm not telling you where!!

That patching took longer than I thought - next time I think I'll wash it on "gentle"!!

I'm not planning on ever making this jacket again - but if I did, I would sew the pieces together like patchwork and then 'quilt' it onto the sweatshirt. Those loose threads drive me nuts!!! [is that just my Type A personality showing???] After dealing with this project, on a hunch, I'm never going to make a rag quilt!!

I'm joining some Newport friends at the Stitches in Bloom Quilt show in Silverton after babysitting for my daughter Monday. And I think I'll wear my jacket with no guilt because it's DONE-DONE!!! Hooray!!

First UFO done for the year!!! Hip hip hoorah!!

2011-01-16T18:23:00.005-06:00

I was named Queen of the UFOs this morning and my reign is OVER!! My first UFO finish of the year ... the first of many, I hope. Here is '8 tiny reindeer'! My first ever table runner.

The pattern is from "The Night Before Christmas" by Art to Heart. I love this book. Not only are there other cool projects that I'd like to make ... there is an AWESOME embroidery alphabet to use on stockings. I make alot of stockings and it's HARD to fit long names on that six inch stretch!

This project, traced in 2009, resided in a World Atlas for over a year. I cut the
wonder-under and didn't want it to curl ... and forgot about it over our move!

I love the embroidery - don't you just love that casual alphabet?? And then there was all the finish work. 8 embroidered sets of antlers, 8 red noses, 8 harness buttons, 16 tiny reindeer eyes, 6 doorknobs and some button holly! Add blush to Santa's cheeks ... more work than a baby quilt!!

The pattern called for 1 blue for the sky. Well, I tend to buy a third of a yard and didn't have an acceptable blue big enough - it's ridiculous for me to buy any more blues [among other colors!] so I used 3 of my favorites! And I love it!

Why do I feel this is bigger than it is?? 26" x 37" - entirely from stash including the back - so I'll say 1.5 yards! Not too much, but a start for the 100 yard dash in 2011!

It's machine pieced, machine appliqued, there's both machine and hand quilting! And all that hand embellishment! Fun project!

My DH even commented on it - asking why 8 schnauzers were pulling the sleigh! I said - 'they're reindeer, silly'. and he said, 'they have too much tummy - they'll never get off the ground!'

On Pepper, on Lassie, on Tonka and Rocky. Go Trei, BJ, Scout and Buffy!! LOL!

This year for Christmas DH got me flowers from a local florist each month! What a sweetie. We got our first bouquet this week. Those lilies are 8" across! It's been fun and we used the vase we bought in Newport on our way home from Christmas.

He's a keeper!

Family Questionaires!!

2011-01-15T19:53:00.003-06:00

My DD started this on her blog - Ladybird and Fellow. And although we're not nearly as cute as the grandkids - here are our answers:

DH
Favorite color: purple
Favorite sport & team: Baseball - Boston Red Socks
Favorite animal: Penguin
Favorite food: Mussels
Favorite "date" place: One if by Land Two if by Sea in NYC
Favorite books: Revolutionary War History
Favorite movies: The Graduate, The Godfather
Favorite t.v. shows: Weeds, M*A*S*H, any football game!
Favorite things about your children: Their optimism
Favorite things about your spouse: her joyful outlook on life
Place you most want to travel to: New Zealand
Craziest thing you've ever done: Hill jumping on the backroads of Nebraska

Me
Favorite color: blue
Favorite sport & team: I love watching the Olympics. Nebraska Huskers
Favorite animal: Whales
Favorite food: Ice cream! Alright, someone had to say it!!
Favorite "date" place: We used to sneak out without the kids and go to Great Adventure Amusement park!
Favorite books: "adult Nancy Drew"-ish books! Mysteries with a feisty female - authors like Sue Grafton, Janet Evanovich and John Sandford
Favorite movies: SF - romantic comedies: Independence Day; Deep Impact; It's Complicated, Mama Mia
Favorite t.v. shows: NCIS, Biggest Loser, Parenthood, West Wing
Favorite things about your children: I love how I can see how they evolved into such great adults! And the relief that they still like us! -or pretend to!!
Favorite things about your spouse: His sense of humor and general sexiness!!
Place you most want to travel to: Italy - all those Mary Stewart books read in HS!
Craziest thing you've ever done: Drove 60 miles at night with my nephew to T-P my fiance's house!! It was fun and DH did marry me in spite of it!!

Your turn - send me an email if you don't have a blog!!

Now this is a great new year!

2011-01-08T17:40:00.005-06:00

We've had six days of wonderful, sunny weather. Okay - it's not summer, so the temps have been 40-50 and it IS cold in the shade ... but sun, beautiful sun! It makes you feel that anything is possible!!

I'm late with my Year End Review!! But I'm retired now and no one really cares - including me!! LOL!

I only read 49 books this year - that's a low count for me. Of course, we moved and my son got married last summer, so I have my excuses. There were several books this year that were really good - and I highly recommend them.

The Justice Game by Randy Singer
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Gone Tomorrow by Lee Childs - Read the whole "Jack Reacher" series
The Last Child by John Hart

I've already started reading a favorite of 2011 - it's cutting into my quilting time! I'll let you know if it stays good!

I finished 19-ish projects this year! Some were numbered groups like '8 totebags for the wedding party'. Six projects were UFOs including the king-size log cabin wedding quilt. I have high hopes for finishing many more UFOs this year!

And I lost weight rather than gaining! Hip, hip hooray! I'm superstitious about mentioning numbers - but hoping to continue the downward trend this year!

Hmmm, that book is calling me again. If I can tear myself away from it - I need to frame the table runner. I'm #3 Lady in waiting in the Stashbusters UFO Challenge - I should be more motivated to work on it ... oh well!!

Happy new year, everyone!

Happy New Year!

2010-12-29T17:48:00.003-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas with the whole family! And we had fun in spite of the storm on the way home! Meandered our way through our favorite places on the coast. Even if there was a three day storm!

Celebrated our 38th wedding anniversary - WOW! Time flies - we've now been with each other 2/3rd of our life! [And they said it wouldn't last!!!] Had an awesome dinner at the Italian restaurant in Coos Bay - one of the top 10 meals ever!!

Weather just weird here! Sun, then storm, then sleet, then sun, then snow!!! If the sun comes out - watch out!! Snow or sleet shortly!! Who knew Nebraska weather was just a taste of Oregon change-ability!! But enjoying the sun - if only for a few minutes at a time.

Gave sewing cards to Miss P - getting her started early! She looks like a future quilter - don't you think??

Wishing you all a wonderful New Year!!

Merry Christmas to all...

2010-12-24T14:58:00.003-06:00

... and to all a good night!

FIVE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS - yes, I am yelling!

2010-12-20T13:49:00.009-06:00

Hasn't this year zipped right by? I'm almost ready for Christmas. The presents are made or bought ... most are wrapped ... the pile to go to Portland is gathered. Of course, there are a few last minute things I'd love to get - but the winter storm has settled in on us and we're not even leaving the condo, so much for a 'quick' trip to JoAnn's!! And, of course, the nearest JoAnn's is 2+ hours away!!

A quick trip into the grocery store to get one more bag of kisses and I'll make another batch of peanut butter kiss cookies to take up the the family. I made a batch last week and discovered "help" from a DH is different "help" from my girlfriend G!! DH unwrapped all the kisses ... that is help ... but then left for the golf course! Leaving me alone with the unwrapped, ready to pop in your mouth, kisses!! He was supposed to stand guard!! G always did!! We delivered those cookies to our favorite haunts - the swimming pool, Matties Pancake house and Poncho's Mexican. It was fun to give them the box and watch the staff 'sneak' by to get another and another!! They ARE good!

After the last of my Christmas presents were done - [yep, I'm bragging!! It doesn't happen that often - gotta celebrate!] - Last year I made a selvedge-used quilt for the shop-hop challenge and loved the look. I'd been saving selvedges for years and I wanted to make my notebook cover with them. I used a Sisters Quilt Show panel for the inside and started sewing on the selvedges.

What a mess that can make!! Piles of 'with words' and 'without words' everywhere! But very addicting! I even used selvedge for the binding! But I practiced putting that on to determine how wide to cut it [1 inch]! And I'm happy to announce that the notebook fit in with a skooch to spare!

Last year - I made notebook covers and had to go out to buy new notebooks to use in them - cuz the designated notebook would not squeeze into them! Don't want to relive that mess - so I have a hard time cutting it close!

After finishing the notebook cover - I had the fever!! So I started making 6" string blocks with them. Very addicting!! I found out last year that you don't have to have a seam allowance with selvedges. You just lay them flat, right side up, on the foundation and be sure to sew the selvedge edge over the last raw edge!

And when you 'just miss' catching the raw edge - sew it again with an embroidery stitch to catch it in place! And move on!! It was so much fun - I already have a wall-quilt in mind for these. Just what I needed - another UFO for next year's list!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas. And a Quilt-y New Year!!

Ho, Ho, Ho - last package in the mail!

2010-12-15T17:53:00.008-06:00

10 days to Christmas ... oh my!!

Yesterday I was finishing my last presents for family in Nebraska and I had so much fun!!! Unusual to hear that this close to Christmas, isn't it. I highly recommend the project to everyone!

I wanted to make notebook covers and I found a 'circular' quilting tip that was so much fun! Both tips are at the same site!! Thanks to ThreeCreativeStudios for their wonderful free projects.

The notebook cover file - [I did a variation, you know me!!!] is 'compbook.pdf'. I like that the composition books can be found everywhere and when one is filled up; the fabric cover fits the next one. And I really like that they have graph-paper books! I love graph paper for designing quilts, drawing out patterns to figure the math and making lists!! My lists are a wonder to behold!!LOL!

The file 'circle.pdf' is where the fun began!! How simple is this - and what fun to use your embroidery stitches! I bought my thumbtacks at the Dollar Store - but, they are rather thick. I have 99 more that I will kindly share!! I'll have to look at office supply stores and see if they are 'finer'. BUT - these were notebook covers and I 'scrubbed out' the little holes, in general.

90% of my stitches ended joining up pretty darn good!! I left my tack in the same place but kept switching the stitches and loved most of them! Next time I may do circles with different diameters!! And I'm going to try to figure out how to get a name in the correct spot with the correct orientation!!! I promise!!

A&J2's Christmas tree skirt is done. I lost the pattern I wanted to use somewhere during the last 6 years! But A graciously said a checkerboard patchwork would be fine.

I like to put a light backing on tree skirts. We always had fun drawing hands on the back of our tree skirt - adding paw prints when needed. But keep in mind - it always looks neater in your mind - the actual circle of hands is blurred with mistakes permanently placed!! But I love it just the same when I get it out each year!

Wishing you the best memories this Holiday! ... and if you want to save them, can I recommend a great little notebook with cover!!

Report from Santa's Workshop

2010-12-05T13:06:00.009-06:00

2 stockings for L2 - check!

The cuff with his name has been cropped out. It looks better with the additional length!! It seems that L2 is double dipping, doesn't it! He was born last December after Christmas and his mommy and daddy want a stocking for their good little boy this year. BUT so does Grandma!

My niece, LL, [the grandma mentioned above] asks me to make a stocking for each addition to their family. Started out easy!! But now those kids are getting married and having kids of their own. I've made 13 stockings since 1992!!! Think about it! 13 stockings from the same pattern, the same quilted muslin fabric, and they need to hang at the same angle!!! Ho, Ho, Ho!!

Needless to say, I've come up with a method!! First of all, don't think you're going to remember how you did them!!! I have a file folder "Christmas Stockings" and in it are these items: A freezer paper stocking shape - with whose stockings have been made from it. [I have two active ones - LL's family and my own kids' stocking shape.] The applique shapes (reduced to right size if needed) for the stocking. And a picture of at least one stocking!

You really should take a picture of the backs too! I never remember what they are!There used to be a cotton 'chamois cloth' available at JoAnns - it was the perfect weight to balance the front design and worked great. Alas, I've haven't been able to find it the last 10 years!! It also made awesome card table covers!! Should have kept those - I could use the yardage now!!

Find a fun alphabet with upper and lower case letters - you'll know it when you see it!! I don't remember where I found mine or I'd tell you! Take it to a copier and reduce it. 90%; 85%; 80%; well, you get the drift. AFTER you have reduced it - then mark the size. [90%]. It doesn't help to mark it, then reduce it farther ... you'll never know what size it is!!! You can also enlarge it for wall quilts! I have a fat file folder marked "Alphabets" too!

This year I lucked out!! L2 only has 6 letters in his name! I've done up to 8 and it's a squeeze across a 6" cuff!! With different sizes of the same alphabet the name may be smaller but at least it looks like the others.

The secret of the stocking angle is: To make the hanger I cut a piece 2 x 6.5. Press a crease lengthwise-center, fold each edge into the center, press. Now you have a 'double fold' tape look. I stitch a 1/4" top stitch down each long side to strengthen it. When your stockings are ready to put together, fold the hanger in half. On the heel side of the stocking, place it at 2". Angle it to 2" in from that side along the top. Pin well, and back stitch over it when seaming the stocking. Putting that hanger on was the hardest part of stockings. It needed to be strong and it always was a mess on the outside of the stocking. I tried everything. sewing a button over the mess - that was hard!! This method, gives me a basic hanger, it stays on, and hangs at the same angle. Not glamorous - but stockings get alot of use!!

When A - our first born went to college, I for some reason thought it would be cute to make Christmas stockings for the room mates. It was wonderful, but do you know how fast roomies come and go??? Then L, our daughter, went to college and darn! she remembered those stockings. I got suckered into it again. I've made dozens of stockings over the years!! Including 6 for pets!! At any rate - this year's requests are done!! In the mail tomorrow.

Next on the list is a new tree skirt for the newly-weds! What's on your list??

Thanksgiving is over and you know what that means: Happy Holidays!

2010-11-28T15:13:00.007-06:00

I HAVE to get my cards out early this season - because we moved this year and hardly anyone has the new address! Yes, we're still on PO forwarding - but that doesn't really get the address to those sending us cards!! So today I 'bit the bullet' and worked on our Christmas letter and decorated the condo! We don't have our artificial tree here. It's at A's - 3 hours and a mountain pass away!! Just in case the weather doesn't cooperate ... I think I can live without it. BUT if we can get over there, all the decorations are in one box - and it's on top!!

Here's our card. I've gone with nicknames here on the web!
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

Happy Holidays from the Boyds
This year went so fast – we moved to Brookings Oregon – our favorite place during vacations from Nebraska. And although it does seem a little far from kids [6 hrs or 3 hrs & a mountain range!] we love it down here. We have a wonderful view of the ocean just 200 feet below us. We can sit in front of the window or out on the balcony for hours and be totally entertained watching the ‘show’. Especially when whales are hanging around!

When we can tear ourselves away from the view, we also stay busy golfing (DH), quilting (Doni) and walking the Pacific Coast Trail together. Who knew retirement could be this busy!! And fun!

July 2010 was A and J2’s wedding. It was a great party! Whether you just chatted on the deck or danced the night away. Wonderful – and the weather was summer-y (not always the case on the coast!) Miss P was a hit as one of the flower girls. A good time was had by all! Thanks to everyone who came out to celebrate with us!

Wishing you and yours the best in 2011

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-24T10:48:00.003-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving from the blustery great NorthWest!

We drove up the coast in SNOW yesterday! Yep, it snowed at sea-level. At times, it was snowing very heavily! We had a mini 'white-out' at one point. And they were Big, Beautiful, wet flakes!

When we went past the Port Orford school - the kids were outside for recess and were running across the playground with their tongues out, catching the snow! Of course, they weren't in proper coats! They probably don't own snow gear! It was fun seeing them, because we did the same thing - didn't you??

Farther north, at Bob's Creek Viewpoint, a van of college-age students had stopped and were having a giant, riotous snowball fight!! We were hurrying to Newport to be in time for a doctor's appointment, but R wanted to stop and join in!! Now he says I owe him a snowball fight. Rats! He used to pitch for the HS team and he's way too good to play snowball fights with. I can't throw with beans and he tags me 20 to 1 of my pitiful throws. The best part of any snowball fight is to go back inside and have hot chocolate!

We headed inland via Hway 20. It was like driving thru a magical winter wonderland. Every tree, branch and plant was coated with the snow. They must not have had any wind or sun yesterday for it to stay all day. The road was clear and we loved the view all the way to Philomath!

Mr M seemed to like his new quilt. He smiled when he opened it. We laid it out on his bed and called him in - he squealed when he saw it!! A man of few words, so far! I'll post a picture of him with the quilt later.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!

Busy week!!

2010-11-21T16:13:00.007-06:00

Hooray - Mr M's big boy bed quilt is done! Number 1 is done, at any rate [darn bunk beds]

It all started with a kit I bought 3 years ago on a shop-hop. I was saving it for the 'big boy bed quilt' I knew was coming. But when I got it out - it was too small for a twin. Hmmm, now what? I couldn't find another panel to add to it, that UFO aging process worked against me. So I redesigned it - cutting the kids border into alternate blocks. And of course, buying a new border. Don't you love the fireflies?! I don't collect brights so I tried buying just enough ... I'm hoping I have enough bits and pieces to finish the second quilt!!

I also made my first pair of pillow cases to go with it[them]. The large animals on white was supposed to be the back of the quilt. I had just enough to make two pillowcases.

My DD asked me to make 'initial' post card type things to mark cubbies they now have. I didn't think they needed to be that big - and I had some strips that were just 3 1/2 inch so I made 3 1/2 inch squares. I love them - and would love to figure out a way to use them as luggage tags - but they're too flimsy to stand up to the wear and tear!

We're heading up to Portland for Thanksgiving Tuesday. I have a doctor's appointment in Newport on the way up. A & J2 are joining us on Thursday - it will be fun to have everyone together for the day! Happy turkey day to all!

Told you I'd get back on schedule!!

2010-11-13T11:43:00.006-06:00

First - this is a picture I took from our balcony after watching an airplane do this silly maneuver! I title it "what the heck was he doing!! The doe-see-doe??"

Today is busy! Brookings is having their annual Holiday Fair. And I'm sitting with the raffle quilt this afternoon. The raffle quilt is gorgeous so that should help, but our guild has been loosing money and tough times on the coast doesn't help. We are boosting raffle quilt donations by having a special: Buy $10 worth of tickets and pick a free gift; $15 and you get two! The 4patch wine glass coaster is the majority of gifts; but some of my sweatshop pin cushions are available too. Hopefully, it will help boost sales. It would be just too sad to have the guild fold when I move here!!

I need to get myself in gear. Mr M turns 2 next week - we'll celebrate on Thanksgiving - and his big boy quilt is not done. I've been playing with an adaptation of a F&P Eric Carle quilt in Sept. 2010's issue for the 2nd quilt. [Why, oh why, did they buy bunk beds????] But I'm not happy with it. So put number 2 out of my mind and got the final border on number 1 and the back ready to baste.

Hope to have our beautiful weather [66 Friday!] continue over the weekend so I can get it framed and spray basted outside. Our condo is WAY TOO SMALL to frame a twin quilt inside!

Then I finally got busy on the round robin quilt that's due MONDAY!! We had one less week this month between meetings because of Thanksgiving in two weeks - and I SWORE I was not going to wait til the last minute on these ... yeah, that's the way MOST of my resolutions go!! LOL!

The middle block of this one [there are 5 participants in our group] is a silk-screened lighthouse, I'm the first round, I 'paper-less paper-pieced' a 'ice cream cone' border around it. Happy with the 3 sides I have done. But afraid I have to hit the quilt store today for some varigated thread to machine quilt Mr M's quilt and some pinkish-red batik for the round robin. Blue batiks came in the kit but we could add other colors. I think adding colors should start in the first border ... but I only have a few batiks in my stash and all are blue!! No help here!

I'm happy to say my 2nd new pair of glasses arrived Friday. Got new glasses in September and couldn't see a thing in them!! Of course, I got them up in Portland - we're there so often and there isn't much choice down here! And what could go wrong?? LOL!

Picked them up - are they going to work?? 'Madam [really???] - there is a breaking-in period!' Ick - back twice in three days - adjustments - but then I had to come home.

Three weeks later - yea, these aren't working!! Dizzy all the time, can't see to sew. So back up to Portland. After HOURS between the eye doctor and retail area at LensCrafter(!?) it was decided I needed to have them remade. So for the last 3 weeks I've been making do with old glasses or reading glasses - headaches every day! [I don't know what happened to the ones I was replacing - they look like they'd been drop-kicked off the balconey and kept falling off my face every time I looked down!!]

The new-new ones arrived yesterday, I gingerly put the them on - wowza! was our computer screen that crooked before?? ... but I got used to that and I could see to sew again!!

All day - without a headache!! Happy Days are here again!!

Over the last 3 years ... R has been perplexed why I can't get an over-king-sized quilt made to his very particular specs done [men!!!] But this fall, I did it!! LOL! Right there in Pottery Barn was exactly what he'd been talking about!! So I ordered it, it looks great and he's no longer crabby about it!! I refuse to feel guilty about it!! You too can have this awesome quilt!!!

Yikes!! It's been over a month!

2010-11-10T18:38:00.007-06:00

Sorry! Time is speeding by this year and especially this fall. I'm sorry to say that I dropped my camera after taking the picture of the fabric postcard group. Bummer - so it had to go to the 'doctor' this month. Luckily for me, it was just a lens mounting bracket that needed replacement ... of course, it was on backorder. But it's back now.

Last week I was traveling for 5 days. Went up to Portland to pick up the camera lens; take back the new glasses that make me dizzy and see the kids. It had been three weeks! I got to Portland Nov 1st so was able to hear all about trick and treating.

We listened in when Miss P told Beachpapa about Halloween:
BPapa: "How was Halloween?"
Miss P: in very soft voice, "I was saared." [scared]
BPapa: "What?"
Miss P: in slightly louder voice, "I was saared."
BPapa: "what?"
Miss P: in very loud voice, "All right, I freaked out!"

At the 8th house they went to - 5:30 in afternoon, man answered the door in a very scary mask! Miss P screamed and ran with Mr M - the elephant - trying to run too.

He took off the mask and offered her 10 candy bars if she would come back. NOPE! She went home and enjoyed opening the door for their T&T-ers. But she's already planning what she will be next year! So I don't think anyone was permanently saared!!

Wednesday I headed for Newport and a visit with S - a quilting friend. We'd seen the Crabapple Hill pattern "Over the river and thru the woods" and loved it. S does marvelous hand embroidery but didn't want to do the piecing. So-o she did the embroidery for both quilts and I am doing the piecing for both. We didn't stick with the original browns and blacks - S has fresh red and green and I went with scrappy.[no surprise here!] I had done this type of exchange years ago and didn't realize that getting both parts done at the same time was so special! Thanks C for your wonderful applique!

I had S's blocks done and she had just my embroidery done ... so nothing to put together yet!! But I'm working on my blocks and hope to get the top together yet this year. I'll keep you posted!

That's all the news today - I'll save some so I can report in on the weekend and get back on schedule!

Home again, home again!!

2010-10-09T13:05:00.007-05:00

A week without a computer! It's amazing, but I survived ... of course, I have a LOAD of emails to sort thru and hours of reading Stashbusters digests ... one bit at a time!

Left last Friday - October 1st and what fun!! I headed up the coast and got to Bayshore early enough to stop in and see all the quilters at my favorite group! Friday evening 4 of us worked diligently on a lap quilt for our hairdresser who remarried in August. It ended up that 6 of us and 1 husband go to her!! So we organized a nickel quilt "Sunny Lanes" throw for her with everyone contributing blocks and time! We didn't get as far as I'd hoped, but we took the blocks to retreat with us [5 of us were there] and got the top and back together Monday night. We handed it off to our LA quilter with glee!!

Saturday, V and I left for Salem where Quiltopia was this weekend. We both have children in Tigard and had arranged to stay with them Saturday night. We meandered thru the country-side, from quilt store to quilt store!! Ate an awesome lunch at a local burger joint ... Burgerville! When you're out in our area you've got to try it!! They buy locally and change the menu to reflect what's in season! Yummy!!

Quiltopia had a boutique ... oh boy! We had fun there - scraps, FQs, yardage and books and magazines galore. We attended a lecture showing an awesome antique quilt collection. Then headed up the road for our lodgings with family that night!

V had it alittle easier than me!! Her family was out at a party. I was babysitting Mr M while mommy and Miss P went to a birthday party!!! We laughed and laughed about her phone call to me while I was chasing him down! He's a busy boy!! We wheeled everything with wheels back and forth between us. I rarely get him alone so this was a bonus visit.

Here's a picture of Miss P and Mr M with her princess quilt - she's also in her princess nightgown from us too! Notice the other pink blankie to the right ... yep, that's the one that's falling apart! Never very far from her.

Sunday morning V and I headed for the 'mother lode'! Yep, we went to Fabric Depot and enjoyed looking thru their acres of fabrics! Then we found "Cool Cottons" in a funky little neighborhood that we wished we had more time in. But on to IKEA for a lunch of Swedish Meatballs and a quick look-see thru their showrooms. Women on a mission, indeed!!

Made it to the Menucha retreat center with 15 minutes to spare!! I know you're all wondering what made it to retreat ... Mr M's big boy quilt blocks was number 1. I had a kit from years ago - Eric Carle's Brown Bear fabric line. Thought it would be perfect when the time came but it was too small for a twin bed quilt. So revamped it and did the cutting before leaving. I'm happy to say that I got all the blocks made! THEN I found a different Eric Carle quilt in the Fons&Porter Sep/Oct magazine that I like better. Oh well, there are bunk beds in his room ... two quilts from the same fabric could work - for twice the work, of course. How do I get myself into these dilemnas??

I also took the 'Birds of a Feather' hand quilting project and got a few hours in on it. Since the roomies liked sleeping with the windows open - I was glad I brought it, since I used it as an additional cover at night.

Monday morning, I taught 16 women the joys of fabric post cards at retreat and we had a ball. By the time I got the camera out, there were just 12 of us left!! I'd taken a paper ream box full of scraps and the peltex needed for the stiffener and everyone in class made at least one post card! I had also made "Menucha 2010" machine embroidery strips for all everyone at retreat to use in some way over our time together. A lot of them showed up in post cards and labels. I recommend doing a mini-challenge next time you retreat - it was a lot of fun and very little pressure.

Time for lunch ... more news next time!

Is it just me or is Fall going by really fast???

2010-09-28T15:00:00.010-05:00

We were in Portland for the big birthday bash. Miss P turned 4 a week ago and it was "princess-elicious" all around! There were 5 kids from daycare and it was one of the loudest parties I remember!! There was no shy, getting to know each other - nope, it was full-out chaos from the get-go!! Or, perhaps Nana is just getting old?? Don't answer that, I prefer to be oblivious too!

I made Miss P a Disney princess panel nap blanket - it was a big hit. UNTIL it was time for bed and the beloved blankie was gone in mommy's car. Then we didn't like it quite so much! I didn't get a picture of it - yet - but I'll see her this weekend and try to remember to take one.

Stashbusters online has been interesting lately. A member suggested using up whole categories of stash that you are tired of. Some used all the holiday, or all the homespun and waved 'bye-bye' gleefully. I'm not at that place quite yet. I cleaned all the "I don't love you any more" fabric out of the stash when we moved two years ago. HOWEVER, I had some yellow and white 4patches I got in an exchange some time ago. Bright yellow's not my favorite - but I really don't like WHITE! Have you ever noticed that white on white fabrics kind-of glow in the dark??? I'm more of a beige-ings type of girl. Everytime I came across those blocks - guilt struck. So that was the category I used up!

I read in Nancy Goldsworthy's book "Quilter's Guide to UFOs" about a baggie of 4patches she found. Hmmm, sounds very familiar. I started out with a blue w/yellow-ish polka dots. It was in a kit I'd gotten at a garage sale. Started to make a baby quilt - not enough of the blue. Then my water aerobics bag fell apart. They tend to do that after years of chlorine dripping in them. So I switched to making a tote. It's very cheerful looking, isn't it! Not my style but it's growing on me!!

Of course, I lost some of the 4patches in the deep piles in the sewing room - made some more and after the last seam was taken ... found them along with some blue and green 4patches too. Just enough to make a small [very narrow] wall quilt to hang my ribbons on. Hmm, too narrow - but if I add a cute scrappy border of yellows and blues - perfect!! And those just happened to be sitting in a basket, left over from the wedding quilt this summer!! The blocks are G*O*N*E!! Whether it's the size or just the accomplishment of using all those darn blocks ... I like the wall quilt!

While I was in birthday party mode, Gold Beach - the next town north of us had their quilt show. I missed it, but Brookings was putting some quilts in it and 3 of my quilts went. My lighthouse, the antique pine tree and the new ABC quilt. S took them for me and brought them home. We were in Gold Beach last Sunday eating breakfast. R bought the local paper since there was news of the proposed golf course going in. He read the first page and then opened it to continue the article. I looked over at him and thought, 'that looks familiar!' And it was! Pictured in the Banner area of the paper was my lighthouse quilt telling people where to find more pictures of the quilt show!! How fun! When I got the quilts back and finally unpacked them again ... the lighthouse quilt had won the "Fire Chief's Award!" Surprise!! You can see the kite-shaped ribbon hanging on my new wall quilt!! Along with 2 ribbons I got from Newport. I still have to find my NE State Fair ribbon - Lord, help me, it's here somewhere!!

This weekend I head for Portland area for the Newport Quilt Guild's retreat at Menucha retreat center on the Columbia Gorge. I love retreats and this one is in a beautiful area. Since I can't really pack up everything I need for the project that is calling me right now ... Reminisce is back up on the design wall. I've been trying to figure out what to take. As of now it's the itty-bitty log cabins and the Birds of a Feather quilt that has sat too long in the middle of hand quilting. It would be wonderful to have the handquilting done for the October guild meeting ... there's prizes for finished UFOs!!! It's pushing it, but within the realm of possibility ... depends on how it goes at retreat!! IF I actually stick to those projects ... it's still two whole days away ... anything can happen!!!

Photo Opps

2010-09-09T12:37:00.017-05:00

Hooray - the camera to computer to blog or email is connected! Honestly - sometimes I just put it off too long, anticipating problems - which usually don't occur!!

I guess the secret is to wear your lucky socks and not be in a hurry!! So here are some photos from last month ... 1st - I know I mentioned the ribbon I got on A&J2's wedding quilt. Beautiful ribbons this year!!

Here is the Back to School Block Exchange kid's quilt I finished - just in the nick of time to be in the Newport show. I love just bordering on 2 sides of the blocks and have the letters zigzag across the quilt.

I didn't tell you about our night visitor ... a bear walked across our parking lot leaving these paw prints! YIKES! We don't usually see bears between the highway and the ocean ... too small of a territory. Our manager here said he thought it was a youngster - under 100 lbs - and the CC construction noise probably got it turned around. He minced across the lot at first, then started hauling bear butt. Feet came together in this photo before jumping the 5' retaining wall! He apparently cleared that because there were no prints on top of it. Yep, tracking bears like Indians - pretty exciting!

When Miss P came to visit we broke up the car trip by stopping at the Bandon lighthouse. It's a river lighthouse - short and squatty. So Miss P and I climbed the steps ... I'd forgotten about the ladder at the top, but she was a trooper! We survived - and there were even smiles when we got back down.

This is the entrance to the cave on our beach. Anyone here for the wedding won't recognize it ... because then adults could walk into the cave with room to spare. What a difference a month can make on the coast!

Summer Postcards were made and mailed. I loved these little beach scene cheater squares.

AND ta-da here are the itty-bitty log cabins I've been having so much fun with. The logs finish 3/4" and there are 78 here. Blocks will finish at 3 3/4" if I don't add another round. Should keep me busy for a while!

Well, that's it - you're all caught up!! I'll have no excuses not to include photos from now on ... everything's back to normal on the computer!

It doesn't feel like fall today!!

2010-09-06T20:01:00.005-05:00

We've had stellar weather the last few weeks. A little windy at times - but sunny and blue. The last week of water aerobics outside broke our hearts!! It was perfect and it ended for the year!!

Last weekend we scurried up to Portland to get Miss P. The weather and the tide tables looked promising for entertaining a 4 yr old Granddaughter. And we had a great week. Miss P has grown so much. She's much more adventurous now. Climbing the playground equipment and climbing the rocks and logs down on the beach.

Oh yeah - and she has grown into that chatterbox stage. Not Papa's favorite trait!! She announced that she was getting a new baby sister for her birthday - she was going to trade in Mr M! I told her that all brothers and sisters want to trade in their siblings ... but she convinced me she was really serious about it!!

To celebrate this long weekend I moved my sewing space out into the diningroom - with the view. I got into my bag of "too small to use but too big to throw away" scraps and pieced 4" log cabins. It's an addiction - I want to tell you!!

I started making these little blocks back in Nebraska - yes, I moved them and the bag of scraps - get over it!! But the bag was in the way during this new rendition of my sewing space and I was trying to decide if they should just be tossed! The answer was a resounding "NO"! Some of my favorite fabrics were in that bag - and it was like sewing with 'old friends'! I had 21 blocks from Nebraska - I now have 78!

The bag is maybe 2/3 of it's former glory! And there are strips sorted by size in little boxes ready for the next sweatshop session ... I have no idea how many blocks the bag will make!! I did have to break into a few nickel squares for that last log. I was running out of dark choices in that size. But everything else is from the bag! I'll keep you posted how many blocks come out of the bag!

What am I going to do with these blocks?? No clue!! I have a 48" size wall hanging space here - if I run out of steam I can make a wall quilt for that space. That would be about 144 blocks - easy peasy!! If I'm still on a roll - it could be an almost twin size lap quilt for watching tv OR a kingsize quilt for the bedroom!! If it ends up king size I'll add another round of logs to make the blocks almost 6". Then it would take only 400 blocks compared to 900 four inch blocks!!

Oh, by the way, don't think I can't do it!! [insert seriously evil laugh here!] I can probably do it without ever touching what I consider my 'regular' stash!! I have nickel squares and assorted size squares and strips and scraps galore - not counting my 'too small, too big' sack!! And remember - I moved 2 1/2 years ago - I gave away alot of scraps and strips and squares then!!

What can I say - I'm a scrap quilter!! And it's so much fun!!!

Summertime is fleeing!

2010-08-21T18:50:00.003-05:00

Just settling in to normal life again after wedding rush. My computer had to go into the shop - he said to bring any computer programs I wanted him to load - and silly me, I thought, I have everything on here I want. Oh--h, he meant RE-load after he wiped the drive clean!! The computer is still not running well [crap!!] - and I have to find my photo software so I can load all the pictures from my camera! Until then - you'll just have to make do without pictures.

We were in the Valley last week - traveling from Newport to Portland to Talent ... and it was really, really hot! We are simply not acclimated to 100+ degrees anymore. The average temp in Brookings is 58 in the month of July! [I know - we were amazed too!]

We took the Portland grandkids to the park early in the mornings while it was still tolerable. Tried to interest them in movies in the afternoon after nap. Miss P is almost 4 and she has changed so much. She loves climbing the playground equipment now - that's new - before she was pretty much a big chicken! Mr M wants to do anything Miss P can do. He wound his way up and thru the equipment to slide down the 7 ft slide so many times he was staggering on the last trip!

We ate out and shopped too. I ordered new glasses this trip - should be here next week. DH doesn't like the wire rims I've had for 3 years ... the next ones are black plastic rims. [Hello, Buddy Holly!!] But I'll be glad to get them. These have been a pain lately - falling off every time I lean over!

In Talent we stayed with the newlyweds. We went out to dinner and breakfast everyday. DH went golfing and J2 and I went shopping in Ashland for a whole day! Two quilt stores and an awesome consignment store we both love. Bargains were had!

After six days out and about in the heat - coming home to 63 degrees felt wonderful. It's been grey [but cool] ever since. I'm putting back together my sewing space. I've got to get that under control soonest!

I need to 'spread out' enough to work but not so much that I can't quickly stash it all away to bring back in the twin beds for company. We hung the quilt racks in there this week - two of them that fit perfectly along the long wall. So I got my design wall back up. I thought I'd need it ASAP for Miss P's new nap blankie - and I might have IF I hadn't made a cutting error with the rail fence blocks. [For goodness sakes, how long have I been doing this?? Long enough to know better!! (or not)] I had a weird size block I needed to make - due to wanting to use every inch of a focus fabric I had - and figured the size out BUT forgot to add the seam allowances. I frog-stitched all of them [grumpy, grumpy] and will recut the middle rail tomorrow. It's the only fabric I have enough of to recut bigger!

Honestly, between making a 'non-scrap' quilt and using stash for most of it ... I think I need to go back to my usual: Carefree scrap quilts that grow like zucchinis in August!! Enjoy!! Photos soon, I promise.

The wedding of the year is done!

2010-08-03T20:28:00.013-05:00

No, no - not Chelsea's!! A & J2's wedding!! We had a blast! We had lots of company to guide around our new home state. Two couples have promised to come back and one other couple hasn't even left the state yet!! So I think it was all a success!

Miss P was adorable as a junior flower girl - oh wait - that's Mr G from Nebraska!

Here's Miss P!

Mr M is not much of a wedding kind of guy! To remain calm, he and his dad mainly strolled around the perimeter of the wedding.

The proud dad [DH] and mom [me] of the groom. There was beautiful scenery, Hawaiian Luau food and dancing all night. Family and friends helped make it a wonderful party - a real celebration! A good time was had by all!

The wedding quilt was a success! They don't read my blog - so it was a grand surprise!! And I grabbed it back that same night so it can be in the Newport Quilt Guild Show this weekend! I really didn't get much done this year - and HAD to put SOMETHING in the show!!

AND back on the coast, we made commemorative pin cushions! We didn't remember to take a picture of the first one - but here is the second 'sweatshop's' results.

Countdown to the wedding ...it's speeding up!!

2010-07-06T16:32:00.005-05:00

Hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend. We had lovely weather and did a few odds and ends to finish up getting ready for company!

I've been busy here - but unfortunately, not working on UFOs! I finished the row robin table runner. We were to designate a 'holiday' for a theme. My holiday was "May Day". I remember all the excitement of May Day as a kid. Finding your friends' favorite candy, picking flowers out of the garden [oh, no - not that one!!] putting it on their porch and ringing the doorbell and running! And of course, hearing your own doorbell and finding treasures!

There were 5 in our group (6 groups in all!) and we each set the theme and made our center block. The gals in our group did wonderful!! But when I got the row robin back - it definitely needed strips of color between all the yummy 'beige-ings' in the blocks. Which of course, meant that all the rows had to come apart to insert said strips! Bummer! I turned it like a pillowcase because I was under the gun to get it back up to Newport before the July meeting. For a 'time saving' step - it always takes me longer and is a pain to get it straight! Why oh why don't I remember that??? Machine quilted with invisible thread. But I think it turned out awfully cute! LOL!

And TODAY I finished the last of the small totes for the wedding party for DS's wedding! What a relief - we see the happy couple tomorrow so I can simply hand them off rather than mailing them. I used the free pattern on the web 5-6-7 tote by Windham Fabrics. It's so easy and I think it comes out cute! These are 4-5-6! and about 8" on a side.

I had yards of the VIP Pine tree print. I used 5" strips of that! I was lucky enough to find a great mottled jewel-tone green to match it - but not lucky enough that it was on sale!! Oh, never mind - lucky to find it at all! There are 3 little girls in the wedding - including the amazing Miss P! So their bags have fish, deer and iguanas on them! Miss P loves fish; Loon Lake feed deer every afternoon so the kids are bound to see them. And the iguana fabric because it was fabulous with the green!! I think A&J2 are putting bottled water, a flashlight and some trail mix in each bag! Should fit just right! Tried to make them the right size for a library book or two.

We're headed inland tomorrow. Quick stop overnight with A&J2 and then on to Sisters for the Outdoor show. Then on up to Portland to see Miss P and Mr M ... and pick up a piece of furniture that's done. Home for 2 days and then off to meet friends from Arkansas who are coming for the wedding. You may not hear from me much this month - it is filled to the brim with fun, fun, fun!

Miss P came to visit!

2010-06-28T19:39:00.009-05:00

It's official - we live here. Miss P came to visit us and it is a LONG way from Portland with a 3 yr old in the car - no matter how good she is!! It's 2010 - why don't we have teleportation as promised!! Oh, they decided to develop the internet instead!?! LOL!

Our first stop on our way to our house was the Prehistoric Gardens by Port Orford. Very low-tech but the dinosaurs are recreated as big as their skeletons - and let me tell you - some of them were very BIG! Miss P loved it.

Once we got home first matter of business was to inspect the bed and night-light situation! Then, inventory the toy basket, make sure everything moved with us. Then the small binoculars came out - didn't really get the idea that we could look outside with them. But she really kept her eyes on Nana!!

We made waffles for dinner that night and Nana got the night off - cause Papa had a new sous chef.

We went down to the beach and discovered the crescent beach we can get to in 'other than low tides' is interesting enough - no need to worry about tide tables! The last scramble over the rocks was hard though on little legs. So later that day we drove to Lone Ranch for a walk on the beach. Easy access and Miss P brought along the "Oregon Ducks whistle" or rather duck call. Very entertaining.

There's a certain march we all had to do whilst following our leader! Each night before bedtime we watched movies ["Up" and "Bolt"] and ate cake and ice cream for bedtime snacks. Is there any doubt why grandchildren need to come and visit???

After just one full day and two nights here we took off for the aquarium where met L&J and Mr M - who had never been to the aquarium before. He loved it just like Miss P does!! It was fun to watch him toddle around trying to see everything at once.

On our way back home - we stopped in Gold Beach in our never-ending quest for good pizza - and we hit the mother lode!! Yes, for the first time in Oregon, we liked the pizza at Panther's Den. We're definitely going back there for more! And a beautiful drive of just 25 miles up the coast to get there!

It started out foggy today - but WOW!

2010-06-18T19:23:00.005-05:00

I just had to take a picture of the view today. It's not foggy now! There has been a group [club or pod officially] of seals fishing our bay today.

I first noticed a flock of seagulls diving toward the water. Then I got the binoculars out and there were at least 4 seals there.

They've been up and down the bay - so much fun to watch. Needless to say, I haven't gotten as much done as planned today!! But, what the heck - this is why I'm retired!! Enjoy the weekend!

The sun ... the sun .... it's in the sky again!!!

2010-06-16T17:02:00.003-05:00

The sun has come out for days on end! Okay, it gets dark at night, but sunny days in a row!! It's a miracle! Now granted - it hasn't been sunny for more days than it wasn't ... but it sure feels good!

Our couch and chair were delivered on Saturday! So no more wicker deck chairs for watching tv and oh, my, so much more comfortable! It's starting to feel like a home! I'm still trying to crowbar everything into the sewing room! And I've machine quilted the ABC quilt around the blocks and sashes. I decided to hand quilt around the letters - my free motion quilting really isn't up to following the design I had in mind. I'll have to practice with something a little busier - too much white space on the ABC quilt. I've got much more to do with the house - especially the sewing room - in fact, I should be doing it now - not fooling around on the computer. But what the hey! or is it 'what the hay! LOL! I can sit and see the view while on the computer and it's blue out there!!

The watermelon quilt is done-done and handed in for the Newport Guild Silent Auction. Turned out cute - knew it would because I'd made one just like it back in March! But a relief to have it done.

Have you seen that commercial [Hallmark I think] that the daughters discover their dad has been saving every card they gave to him ... well, the men I know don't care much about cards. It would have worked with moms --- anyone have a male in their life that saves cards or even doesn't grouse about the cost of them??? Inquiring minds want to know!

We've been having very civilized low tides. Not before the crack of dawn ... so we've been walking the beach every morning. Had an encounter with an otter - not sure who was more surprised!! I saw him walking up the beach from the surf so I stood still and watched. He crept around a rock and next I saw him peeking around the rock at me like a cat would! Yep, I was still there - so off he ran, back to the surf. FUN!

I know I promised pictures - but I found myself NOT blogging because I don't want to take the pictures! I guess there are some things I want done before the pictures. I figured a blog entry without pictures is better than no entry until the pictures!

Next week Miss P comes home with us for 2 days - then her mom follows. I'll be taking pictures of that cutie - so it shouldn't be long before you see the place. Until then!

'Winter' weather continues here!

2010-06-06T15:45:00.003-05:00

Last week we had 2 blue sky days, 1 grey sky days and 4 days of monsoons!! We got 5 inches of rain in 2 days!! Unusual weather for June - or so we think!! Probably only because we're here! And it IS a small condo with a golfer stuck inside! On the 3rd day of monsoon, DH turned and asked, "and why did you drag me here???" LOL!

Today I gave up and went to the grocery store to buy supplies for soups! If that doesn't bring the good weather - nothing will!

Having my sewing machine set up all the time has been so much fun! Since I haven't had a dedicated sewing space for 2+ years ... I'd forgotten the joy of 'popping in' and sewing for a few minutes. Someone on Stashbusters suggested that at the end of your sewing time, however short, you quickly set up for the next session. Amazing tip! You're actually anxious to get back in there because you know that within a minute or two, you'll be whizzing along!

I'm ready to bind the (2nd) watermelon wall quilt, this one is for the Newport Guild Show Silent Auction in August. I'm hoping to hand it in Thursday when I'm there for the June meeting. But I have to find the green binding I 'put somewhere safe' Lord, help me!

Next up - or should I say - still up - the alphabet quilt from the ABC back to school exchange I hosted last year. I can't find the fabric I'd like to use to enlarge the back. Then of course, there's the problem of a dry space outside to spray baste ... BUT if I can find both the fabric and the green binding today - I'll be doing a happy dance for sure!

I went to water aerobics this week - in an outdoor pool for the first time. The weather has been so rotten, and water aerobics is at 8 am - there's only been one day it wasn't pouring at 8 am. I'm glad to report that the water was warm; and the teacher was a young man with an exercise science degree and he worked all muscle masses. Not bad at all. Hoping for clear mornings the next two days - so I can do it again before heading back up to Newport for a few days.

Off to the sewing room, to see what I can find! Sorry for the lack of pictures lately - hopefully next week. Haven't got my desktop computer set up and storage space is beginning to be an issue on this laptop ... I know, excuses, excuses!! But at least I feel guilty about it!!

No more excuses! We're HER*E!!

2010-05-28T20:13:00.004-05:00

As of yesterday, we are official residents of Brookings Oregon. The last month was a blur of cleaning, sorting, packing, hauling and unpacking. Hard work - we may be too old for this!! And for sure we have too much stuff - and I'm even talking about quilting stuff too!

We showed up at the Goodwill drop-off so much that the gal started saving good boxes for me! Now that's a full service charity!!

A week ago - we loaded the truck and moved the furniture. We had our DSIL come down from Portland to help us load and our son from Ashland come to help unload. Unloading was harder - we had to carry everything up to the second floor. And the old folks were wearing out by then - as DS said, "That's okay - this is only the first time I've moved this today!" Got it all crammed into the condo and the garage. Slept overnight and then took off for Ashland with the couch and chair we were giving to DS. Thus started the grand tour week!

You think you were ignored, we hadn't even seen the grandkids for 4 weeks! We needed some serious 'hug-pats'. So stayed in Ashland overnight with A&J2 and then drove up to Portland to L&Js for 2 days and 3 nights of no sleep! Mr M has a bad cough and is sleeping even less than usual! We had lots of fun playing and watching 'The Princess and the Frog' which is Miss P's favorite now. We also took time out to go find a few things we needed at the new condo; we saw Ironman 2 and ate at a favorite Italian restaurant.

Then off to Newport to clean and finish packing all the last minute supplies at the condo. Mr Clean Magic Eraser - if you don't have them - get them!!! That's all I have to say! We also watched alot of favorite tv shows on DVR - before we turned in our cable box! Would you believe the landlord said he'd never seen the condo left that clean and gave us back our full deposit! Hip hip hooray! Great drive down the coast to the new digs. Unloaded both cars - and fell into bed!

This morning woke up with a headache and it was all overwhelming. Boxes everywhere. DH pitched in and we got the kitchen all stashed away. Then all the clothes and linens ... now I'm in good shape except for the sewing space. Oh well, it will come!

You all know I belong to Stashbusters online. Now I told those girls to slow down with the UFO finishes - there's 79 of us in the challenge. I finished A&J2's wedding quilt in March and here I am at the top of the list already!! Yep, you may refer to me as Queen Doni this week! I've belonged to SBs for 5-6 years and have never been Queen before. As queen you have to finish an UFO during your reign [a week] or pay up a FQ! I may have to pay the penalty. We'll see! I am making the most of my queenly-ness! I may not have time to sew, but I have time to type! So they are getting daily royal decrees! I told my DH that I had to use the computer because I was queen of the UFOs. And I heard him mutter, "I'll say!" What! Off with his head!! LOL!

I'm back - and should be able to have weekly posts again. See you soon.

News from the moving front!

2010-05-02T12:12:00.003-05:00

First let me tell you if you have a chance to see a Cirque du Soleil performance - run to it!! I know they are expensive - BUT it was worth every penny!! Kooza was a hoot! And it was so much fun to go to it with my daughter - who is an expert on Cirque. The four of us [DD, DSIL, DH and me] sat mesmerized for the whole show! The grandkids are too young yet - but I can see they will be coming with us when elementary school age!

Then I was able to go right to our Bayshore Quilt Retreat in Bandon. The rest of the gals gathered on Sunday night - I joined them Monday morning and apparently brought the rain with me! It rained the next 3 days! I pieced together my Alphabet block exchange quilt into a top. It needs to be done by August for the show. And since I ran the exchange I think mine better be in there! Then worked all day on my quilted sweatshirt - it looked so easy - but I found out it's time consuming! It's supposed to be done by May meeting - but I still have to fit it and sew the final seams and 'bind' it. Tick tock, tick tock! The retreat was so much fun and we got alot of sewing done and lots of laughing and way too much 'eating of chocolate!' LOL!

Wednesday, when I got home from retreat I actually fell asleep at 6 pm! I woke up after the news and read for a couple of hours, but then slept thru the night. R got back up to Newport Thursday night and we decided to follow the good weather and turn around with 2 more carloads headed to Brookings Friday! Another trip like that and we may have 1/2 our stuff here!

It was misting here Saturday morning when we were unloading the cars. But it cleared up to be a gorgeous day. I worked most of the day - I've gotten all the non-sewing room boxes emptied and stashed. Whether I'll be able to find stuff without looking thru EVERYTHING remains to be seen. We brought our second bookcase this trip so - was able to unpack those boxes. I even sat out on the deck with a "Coastal Living" magazine in the afternoon! Beautiful blue ocean as far as you could see!

Last night I had the best hamburger I'd had in a very long time! We went up to Whaleshead to watch the spout in a sea stack there. It was the first rock spout I ever spotted back on our first visit to the Oregon coast and hence - one of my favorites! After the cool breeze chased us to dinner we went to the Whaleshead Restaurant and I got the only seat in the house with a view of the spout!!! On top of that ... it was a great hamburger with 6 pickle slices!! Bacon, cheese and homemade bun!! Just what I was craving!! R said the fish and chips were excellent too - so we have a second hangout! Our first has to be Ponchos Mexican - also discovered on our first trip!

I have my little Featherweight sewing machine here so I just may do a little piecing while Rick is playing golf today. We head back north tomorrow for haircuts and appointments.

Back home - Newport and Brookings

2010-04-21T00:24:00.009-05:00

I'm back from Nebraska and I had a marvelous time. Lots of time spent with my mom and sister and her whole family. Between Easter, mom's birthday and baby's christening ... we saw alot of each other! It's so much fun getting caught up with everyone's lives. It's really hard to keep track of 20 some relatives long distance! The great nieces and nephews are growing, the new great-great nephew is adorable; the older ones are matriculating and everyone I saw is doing great.

All the 'girls' went out for a manicure/pedicure for mom's birthday. What a blast that was! Then perfume shopping for mom. We smelled dozens of perfumes. Did you know you smell coffee beans inbetween to clear your nose??? 6 of us taking turns sniffing up the samples! Mom ended up with "Armani Mania"! Tres Chic! And because she and my great niece were so cute [ 92 and 5 yrs old] they both got freebie bags! Mom ended up with Queen Lativa's gold lame bag - I think it's big enough for mom and her dog to fit inside!!

As my dad would say, "Thanks to the 'whole fam-damly' for the great time!"

Here is a picture I took of mom with her dog, Keisha. I'm not a big fan of that bark-y little dog and I think the feeling is mutual! I'm sure she sees me as a disruption of their schedule - and she likes change about as much as I do!! But we made it thru the week without biting each other!! LOL!

Even Nebraska weather was on it's best behavior. Didn't need more than a sweatshirt jacket after the first couple of days. In fact, it hit 80 several days - so typical of Nebraska - go from furnace to air conditioning the same week!

I stayed with a quilting friend and we had lots of laughs and lots of quilting - just what I also needed. We had other quilters over and had outings to the International Quilt Museum; and four favorite quilt shops. I caught up with good friends at the University - got to see the quilts they've been working on. Went to my small group - Scrap Happens and to the guild meeting. It was a rolling show and tell - just glorious!

Last year I flew into to Omaha on a red-eye and ended up at Gretna in "The Quilted Moose" store parking lot - snoozing until they opened! [Never go to a favorite shop when overtired! Enuff said!] This year we went to the shop 6 days after I arrived. The owner said - and you haven't been here until now??? I told her DH flew me into Lincoln instead of Omaha - hoping to save some money and I told him "Don't be silly, I know how to get to Gretna!!"

My flights went fairly well - I wasn't sitting in front of any demon children this year! LOL! Got home and an hour later I was cooking dinner for the grandkids! It was easy - IKEA meatballs, but still - cooking! The next morning we headed for Newport. After 2 days there - 2 packed cars later, we're in Brookings. I have the feeling that vacation is OVER! And the move is beginning! Our barrister bookcase filled with my quilts is now here - so it feels alittle more like 'home'.

DH's plan is for us to move at least 2 carloads to Brookings each week. Hope to get the DSIL and DS to coordinate loading and unloading the truck with us towards the end of May. What a mountain of stuff to move!!! I reminded my DH that I love him - before we start moving the sewing room!!! It shouldn't be bigger than the move from NE - but I think it's "fluffed up" some!! LOL!

Back to Newport tomorrow for 2 days of sewing. Then up to Portland for a quick babysitting gig and tickets to see Cirque du Soleil's tent show. I've only seen them on TV - so I'm anxious to see them up close and personal!

Life after vacation always seems 'sped up' some how - just getting back in the groove. But I'd better get my act together - cuz here we go!!

The lull before the storm!

2010-03-31T11:52:00.005-05:00

Yep, we've had stormy weather here this last week - but I'm talking about Miss P hitting the coast. She's probably on her way with Papa right now! I have a haircut appointment today and DH said if I rode along I would be sure to jinx it - we wouldn't get back in time ... so I have made room in the sewing room for the royal port-a-crib, vacuumed and scrubbed floors. Now I'm going to enjoy the quiet - for a little while.

What a spring! I am so glad I got the wedding quilt done - but it put me way behind! I had a "LIST" to accomplish before today and I've only got a tiny bit of hand binding left. What a relief!

I went up to a favorite quilt shop an hour from home this month to get Thimbleberries panels for wall quilts for my mom. Last year there were 6 different designs there to pick from - this spring - not a one!! Panic! But they had a new pattern. Kim Schaefer's Calendar Quilts - 12 months of fun fusible projects. Looked cute - but it was sealed and didn't really tell the size of the finished wall quilts. It's sealed in a large envelope - not really a pattern, but not a book either! New packaging - which seems to be the up and coming thing! When I got it home - the size was 2" too big for mom's space! [Just once I'd like it to be the right size!!!] The layout-pattern is lifesize which created a few problems at the copy machine reducing it!!

BUT they turned out darling! My colors aren't as bright as Kim's but they are both all from stash so life is good. 'A Little Spring' is for Mom's 92nd birthday next week and 'Picnic Season' is for Mom's day. I followed the pattern exactly on the flowers [those of you who know me - take a deep breath - I know it's a shock!!] but it was a little busy [that will teach me!!] So when I did the watermelon I left off the squares in the borders and I like it better!!

So I'm chasing Miss P for the next day and a half and then back up to Portland on Friday - I leave for Nebraska at o'dark-thirty Saturday morning. I'm not taking my laptop computer this trip - DH will be alternating his time between Brookings and Newport and he needs it. So who knows how much I'll be online. I'm trying to relax on this trip - take deep breaths because the next three months will be a blur with the move and then the wedding. Be patient - there will be weekly posts again - someday!!

By the way - when I logged on to my blog to write this - I admired the wedding quilt for the umpteenth time ... and noticed a humility block! Good grief! We didn't see it when I was laying it out, while I was sewing each quarter and when I sewed it together!!! And as far as I know - no one else noticed it either! Let me know if you can find it!!! LOL! At this point - it's there forever!!

Believe it or not - the wedding quilt is DONE!

2010-03-10T22:46:00.006-06:00

Let me just say here - I love the design. I think that it came thru as I'd imagined. I saw the zigzag log cabin design in a lap quilt on Mary Johnson's website. I just enlarged it and added the "Love Stamps" which are fun - better in person, they don't look so tiny. It's 90% from stash!! I had to buy a few yellows [not my favorite color] so I figure 15-18 yards from the stash. Would be more, but I bought the back. I also learned alot working on this quilt.

Number 1: If you're making a very large quilt. Don't make the joins on the half - think about it - how do you fold large sheets? Do you really want to fold on the joined batting/backing seams over the years? Too bad I didn't think of that before ... the poor happy couple will be told to fold it in thirds for the rest of it's life ... poor babies!!

Number 2: It would have been better to seam the backing, the batting and then handsew the front joining it together. I did it the opposite and am not thrilled with the how the logs 'fluffed up'. I doubt anyone else is going to notice ... until I point it out!!! LOL! Which I will practice NOT doing tommorrow at guild! I promise.

Number 3: Just because you have enough blocks doesn't mean you really should make it that big! A 98"x98" quilt would have been just as good! And easier to handle when sewing!!

Number 4: Maybe I overreacted to all the quilt repair I've been required to do since retiring out here ... but when machine quilting on my DSM - I used a specialty stitch that takes a 'divot stitch' on each side of the seam when stitching 'in the ditch'. I think it will be stronger for heavy use ... but it doesn't look elegant enough for a wedding quilt! Speaking of elegance - what exactly does a mother of the groom wear to a 'camping wedding? Beige khakis???

But, I'm thrilled to have it done before all the excitement of moving and the wedding celebrations/company starts! Not that I'm done with wedding stuff - I volunteered to make 8 totebags for the wedding party - I MUST have been HIGH on chocolate!! They will have to wait til I get back from Nebraska next month. Maybe even after we move!

I am so-o behind on all the other little projects that were on hold for the last month! Today I worked on mom's birthday wallquilt; but behind on about 5 other projects too! But it's DONE!! Let the celebration begin!!

Still plugging away!

2010-03-03T13:26:00.003-06:00

March weather at the coast. We've been having HUGE waves lately - no beach to walk. Too scary!!

I'm going to frame and pin baste that last quarter of the wedding quilt today! Hope to have it quilted by Saturday and spend Sunday putting all 4 quarters together. Then I'll have to see what solid or dark tone-on-tone I have for binding. Anything will go with this scrap quilt!

Also have been traveling up and down the highway - from Portland to Newport, from Newport to Brookings ... both condos look pretty big after 'living in my car'!

That reminds me of my Mom and Dad traveling to Mexico with their trailer every winter. When they came back and moved into their 1000 square foot lake house, they thought it was spacious. As Dad said, "It's walls as far as you can see!"

Miss P joke - in the car she told mommy that she learned the letter W.

Mom: "what starts with W?"

Miss P: "wet, water, whale, weally"

Mom: "What's weally?"

Miss P: "You know, mommy - weally."

Mom: "Use it in a sentence."

Miss P: "I weally want a new toy!!" LOL! Gotta love 3 yr olds!!!

Okay - off to work - just wanted you to know I'm alive and kicking!

News from the sweatshop with a view!

2010-02-17T13:20:00.002-06:00

I've been 'nose to the grindstone' with A&J2's wedding quilt. My DH doesn't like it - but he doesn't like scrappy quilts and this one is the 'mother of all scrappy quilts!' I might run it by my stitchery group tomorrow. Some positive feedback is always helpful in the middle!

I've made great progress - I have finished quilting two 1/4s and have connected them. Not bad for 1 1/2 weeks.

Here is my method. The quilt is H*U*G*E! 108" square! I made specialized log cabin blocks. Cut the strip 2" and although 1.5" logs seem reasonable for a king-sized quilt - I have to admit the logs look really big! Don't ask me why! I don't know!

Each block is made from 2 colors and the colors rick-rack across the width of the quilt. Some rows repeat - due to a 'not following the plan' problem!! I discovered I'd cheerfully made 10 blocks that didn't exist in the plan - time for a new plan!! Would you believe it took me 3 hours to revamp that silly layout??? I even drew it FIVE times WRONG!

I bought an adjustable height table to jerry-rig a quilting setup with my dining room table. I set the height of the sewing machine so the extended workspace plastic thingie lines up with the height of my large dining room table. It works really slick, I'm happy to report.

I also bought one of those flexible bright lights and have it stuck to my machine. The flexible arm soon develops a 'favorite' angle - in my case it's not the angle I want - so I fixed it in the right place with a length of 1/4" masking tape! It's been invaluable for this quilt.

I made a backing 120 x 120 and then cut it into fourths! Same with my kingsize batt. Yes, it did hurt to do that!! But it created exactly the right size to work with. I could have used my 90" wide batting but my brain hurt trying to think of something that I could use easily to use up the rest! And just where I would store it til used!

When I laid out the top I used the large dance floor at a quilt group meeting place - it worked great! Then I carefully marked each block with a label in the upper left hand corner - because I needed placement AND orientation to make this work. And surprise, surprise - I didn't screw up any of the blocks! Very unusual for me!! I sewed the blocks into 1/4s and was ready to go. This made the sections I was going to quilt 55 x 55. I wouldn't want to go any bigger than that with my DSM [domestic sewing machine] As it is - it's like wrestling alligators to get it thru the harp.

I love log cabin quilts with quilting spiraling out from the center square - so that's what I chose to do. Probably why I feel like I'm wrestling alligators - I have to turn each square all the way around 3 times while quilting! Probably not the easiest choice - but I still love it.

AND I've been repairing quilts since I moved out here 18 months ago. A is really hard on quilts - they are well loved. So-o I'm quilting it with a decorative stitch - I've used it on kid's quilts - it takes a 'divot' on each side of the seam so anchors the seam allowances well and hopefully it will strengthen the seams. I'll let you know in a few years!

With half the quilt done - and a babysitting job coming up tomorrow - I am officially taking a break from it until Wednesday next week! I'm also out of the King Tut variegated green thread I'm using - so hopefully it will be here by the time we get back from Portland and then Brookings.

Is anyone else hooked on the Olympics?? Boy - I need to go into training - to watch them! I don't stay up until midnight! But I've been hand quilting on my "Birds of a Feather" and I was making good progress until the figure skating started! I have to stop to watch the routines! Don't worry - I can quilt during commercials and all the commentary!! So with both quilting projects I have been quilting 8-10 hours a day!! Now that's a sweatshop!!

It's a gorgeous day today - the ocean is blue and the sky clear! I've already walked the beach this am.

Busy busy busy!!

2010-02-09T10:56:00.004-06:00

Here is the view from our balcony in Brookings. As you can see there is a lot of interest - watching the waves break against the seastacks can entertain for hours!

I'm in Brookings with DH again. Last week I was in Newport by myself - in a sweatshop of my own making!

If you remember, at the fall retreat I pieced 1/2 the log cabin blocks for my son's wedding quilt, but didn't touch it after I got back home. Panic was beginning to set in; so I sent DH off to Brookings and I stayed home. I pieced the other 50+ blocks of the wedding quilt in 4 days. These blocks aren't regular log cabins [that would be too easy] - each is only 2 colors and they 'rick rack' across the quilt in waves of color. [whatever made me think this would be a good idea for a 'deadline' quilt??]

I filled the condo with my sewing apparatus and piles of color strips. When I ate I had to clear a one foot section of a large table to make room! Thank goodness it was only me there - cause I just left it all out for a week. I sewed for 6 hours on a 'short' day - 11 hours on the longest!!

DH took the laptop with him - so I had the desktop computer - it's slow and stuck in a corner without a view! In other words, not fun to use! I got on everyday for a few minutes and then back to the sweatshop! I walked and went to the pool, but that was basically it. My car didn't even leave the garage for 3 days!

On Friday I took the pile of blocks down to Bayshore where I laid it out on the large dance floor and my quilting group consulted! It worked great - I THINK we got most of the repeats of a specific fabric away from each other. I carefully labeled the blocks according to position and orientation - very important for this quilt. I'm sewing it together in fourths so I can quilt it myself with my DSM. I'll be working with 55 inch squares and I think that's do-able on my Janome. I have 3 of the fourths together and hope to assemble the last one today. I hate to jinx myself - but they've been going together wonderfully! I'll give you a sneak peak next week - if all goes well.

It's almost all from stash - [I bought some third yards of yellow - I don't have very much yellow in my stash] it's very scrappy and I think it's going to be good. When I get back home Thursday I'll start assembling the scrappy backs - this is a 105 x 105 quilt so I should get a HUGE start on the 100 yards used in a year contest! I hope to be binding this quilt by March ... I always was an optimist!!

Sunday two members of the Bayshore group came down on the Coastal shophop. I met them for breakfast and the quilt shop here. They came for a quick look-see at the condo and off they went back up the coast to the quilt shops. It was great to have them visit! Today two friends are coming by on their way to Palm Desert - and they are staying over! We'll give them the twin beds and we'll sleep on the blow-up mattress! We DO have four chairs so hopefully, we'll all survive! The guys, of course, are hoping to golf tomorrow - so far it looks possible - but that can change in a hurry!

News from the coast!

2010-01-23T16:32:00.005-06:00

Sorry I disappeared for the month of January. Things have been very hectic. In between all the rainy days, the trips to Portland to babysit and the general 'where the heck did this day go' - we've been exploring the Brookings area. Brookings is four and a half hours south of the Newport area. Right on the Oregon-California border.

A long term rental came up in our favorite building in our favorite complex and we took it. Are you bi-coastal when you have two rentals on the same coast? It feels like it.

DH has always loved Brookings Oregon from the first time we came here on vacations. So while we still have the Newport condo - we want to try out the Brookings area. The weather, the condo itself, the quilt group!!! We want to be very, very sure that Brookings is everything we think it is before we move from Newport. So for the next three months we will be 'camping out' in the Brookings condo and splitting our time between Newport and Brookings.

So far we have brought 5 carloads down. We have two twin beds, [Thanks L&J] 2 kitchen chairs, 2 wicker-ish arm chairs, a new big screen tv (honestly, he was just going to the grocery store unattended!!), a console for the tv, kitchen and bathroom stuff. Yes, it is true - everything you want is ALWAYS at the other place. I don't care how many lists you make!!

Thank goodness for our son A - he came down last weekend and helped carry the stuff up to the 2nd floor condo and then got all the electronics set up. He was here to answer [intelligently] any questions the cable guy had! And between the two of them, we had HDTV, DVR and WIFI by the end of the day! I don't even want to think how long it would have taken and how cranky we would have gotten, left to our own devises! Thanks again, A!

Last weekend - the first weekend we were here - there was a winter storm. And at 2:15 in the afternoon on Sunday the lights went out. For eight hours!! A 90 mile swath down the coast was powerless - and it didn't phase DH one bit!! Boy, is it dark when even the town lights are off!

We had three candles and a wind-up camping flashlight but when the sun went down at 5 pm, well, not much to do! I was finishing a really good book. [Have you read "The Help" by Stockett? If not - run out and get it!] 20 pages left - so-o I used the wind-up flashlight. They say the light lasts an hour after winding .... hmmm, not when you're reading! So I'd read two pages and wind it up, read two more pages ... DH said the coast guard probably thought I was sending SOS signals when I was winding it! But the end of the book was worth it.

I should be back on schedule for blogging from now on. And we'll take pictures from the Brookings condo so you can see our dilemma. It is six hours from Portland instead of 2 1/2 - and Lord knows I don't want to leave friends and activities in Newport ... but the view is breath-taking!! You'll be the judge of that! Next post! Promise, no - really!!!

List - the interesting part! Quilting

2009-12-31T23:59:00.002-06:00

Okay, both the kids are in bed and L&J are home so ... time to list!

This year I finished 16 quilt projects. Two were bed sized, 2 crib size and the rest were little wall quilts and pillow size. Six were UFOs - woohoo! Mom got FOUR wall quilts from Thimbleberry panels. Two for her birthday and two for Christmas. There were several non-quilty sewing projects too. Three flannel receiving blankets; satin bindings on three kid quilts; and 2 pair of pajama pants for Miss P and Mr M.

I made 40 postcards. I did 6-8 for each season: Valentines, Easter, Summer, Halloween and Christmas. But it felt like I didn't do as many as usual. I didn't make any 'special' cards, I guess.

Okay - next year's goals.

I've already joined Stashbusters No Buy and the UFO Challenge again. I'm going to keep track of stash used and hope to use 100 yards in a year. You subtract what you use but you add any fabrics that you buy. Ooops!

AND I'm in charge of the "Use your own books" challenge. 'Books' include books, patterns and magazines. It involves making a project inspired by a book you own that you haven't made anything out of. The challenge is to make at least 4 projects ... one for each quarter. And if you have an UFO as a first project from a book ... if you finish it it counts as both an UFO and the use your own book challenge!

Here's hoping that 2010 brings lots of happiness and time for quilting!

Happy New Year!

Year end tallies!!! Book Recommendations

2009-12-31T09:45:00.002-06:00

Good morning! We head for Portland today to babysit tonight for the kids and then tomorrow L and I go for some quality spa time! After facials, I'm introducing her to pedicures!!! Poor deprived gal has never had one!

I've been working on my lists - and surprisingly enough I don't 'do lists' as much as when I was working. Probably because I'm home and can get up and do what I'm thinking of - don't have to wait 8 hours to get home!

On to the lists: I read 79 books this year. That's up 25 from last year. Of course, I didn't move this year so had a little more time to lounge and read! For the first time in my life I actually don't finish all the books I start! Blasphemy! Now that I have time to read ... I quit when I don't like it! I guess I figured out there is no 'library police' to give me demerits for not finishing! AND I'm not losing sleep over this habit either!

A new resource I heard about this year is BookMarks Magazine. This is an excellent resource. Yes, you can subscribe, but really the best use of it is to make sure your library gets it; then check out the old issues. Crazy like a fox!!! You can see what sounded good from last year or earlier, and usually they are off reserve and free for you to read! Check it out! Especially you book club gals!

I keep track of my books in an old ledger book by hand before I take them back to the library. I rate them from zero stars to 4 stars. Every once in a while I give a 5* rating! I then enter the list into an Access database. I have over 2200 books rated. I've been using this method since 1980! I know it seems like 'over kill' but the reason I love it is - I can sort by star rating. So I can pull up favorite books from years ago and see if the author has written anything recently!

These books rated 4*s last year. My absolute favorite book was "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society " by Shaffer & Barrows. It's great - a quick read. Mainly because I don't think I ever put it down!

Other favorites in the running were:

Winter Study by Nevada Barr. Her 'Anna Pidgeon' series is awesome. If you haven't read her - start at the beginning and read thru them. She's one of my favorite "adult Nancy Drew" writers. Everything we loved as girls - a strong woman character you'd like to be or be friends with and a mystery to solve!

Leeway Cottage by Beth Gutcheon. Beth is a quilter, she was married to Geoffrey Gutcheon and owner of the quilt store in NYC. She also wrote (among others) Still Missing. Also a favorite

Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg. Elizabeth is prolific. Her books are quick reads, I enjoy them all but every once in a while she really hits home with me and this one did!

Alex Cross's Trial by Patterson & Dilallo. I know, I know - Patterson must be going for some kind of publishing record. Those 1 or 2 page chapters are hilarious. But it can read 'like eating popcorn!' This one was historic - not my favorite venue - but it still rated 4* with me.

Floodgates by Mary Anna Evans. Mystery set in New Orleans post Katrina. Very interesting learning more about the problems in New Orleans.

Under the Dome by Stephen King. I actually rated this 5*! Don't let the size deter you! Yes, it's 1074 pages but I think it's his best writing since his accident. It gets alittle foofy at the end, all those strings to tie back together but all in all 'Well done!' The cover was designed by advertising artists and there's not one word about the author or the book on it!

I found Richard Morgan, a Sci-fi writer, this year. His first book was "Altered Carbon" about 're-sleeving' a person's essence in a new body when killed. Of course, the method is used mostly for soldiers and very rich people. I recommended it to my son. He liked it but couldn't get over the fact that I recommended a book with that much sex in it! Okay - I'd forgotten the sex(!) I usually just retain the essence of the book in my very old, decrepit mind!!! I'm now waiting for the last book in his series from Inter-library loan.

Well, that was fun - I'll do my sewing/quilting lists later!!

Happy New Year!

My Review of Quick Ship: Small Plastic Folding Table with Adjustable Legs

2009-12-31T09:28:00.003-06:00

I saw a table like this at our retreat and thought "Wait a minute! That might be just what I need to lower my portable sewing machine with it's 'table' to my diningroom table height when I'm working on large projects."

Then N - our local 'go-to, git-r-dun' gal found this table on the web for me! Okay, I may have been whining about not finding what I saw ... LOL! DH let me get it for myself for Christmas!

The only 'drawback' is that it adjusts height at 1/2 inches and of course my diningroom table height is at 1/4 inch increment. But I like to tip my machine toward me so putting itty-bitty blocks under the back legs of the table fixes that 1/4 inch difference.

I did a review for the company and at the end they said "we can blog this for you!" Well, cool!!!

Originally submitted at CSN Supply

Correll Quick Ship-Standard Blow-Molded Plastic Folding Tables with Adjustable Legs are perfect for any occasion. Lightweight and extremely easy to handle, these durable folding tables are great for indoor or outdoor use. Terrific option for schools or companies alike.

This table great for machine quilting!

By Nebraska Quilter in Oregon from Newport Oregon on 12/31/2009

Pros: Nice Finish, Good Surface Area, Adaptable, Sturdy, Attractive Design, Good Height

Best Uses: Quilting

Describe Yourself: Midrange Shopper
It works really well. I love being able to adjust the height of this table - I line it up with my sewing machine at the height of my dining room table creating a large surface to support quilts as I machine quilt them. It's great! It folds and stores easily. It's light enough that I can set up and tear down without back strain.

(legalese)

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas

2009-12-28T01:23:00.006-06:00

We sure had a great time. Everyone was together. Portland was not raining and nice enough that we could bundle up and go for walks. Always a plus!

There were lots of wonderful presents. It's always fun to see others open presents that you picked for them ... it's great when they're excited too! I scored on what I gave DH - he's an insomniac and loves to watch stars in the middle of the night. Can't afford a telescope this year ... but I found some astrology books that were pretty exciting! AND I managed to keep secrets this year - he runs the budget so that's not exactly easy!!

We bought Robeez - little moccasins for Mr M. He's one and just started walking last month. Doesn't care for shoes ... takes them right off. Well, these are great because toddlers can't get their own shoes off! I put them on him - and he walked around like he was wearing swim fins!!! "What am I stepping on??" LOL! It was a riot to watch!

And Miss P loved all her presents and Mr M's too! She got two tea sets ... so lots of tea was served. There was a talking Buzz Lightyear that I bumped when putting presents under the tree - 'hush you stupid toy!!!' The other nana bought her the prettiest "PINK-A-LICIOUS" dress - what fun!!! And you always like to dress up for tea!

This is one of the last presents I sewed this year. Remember Mr M was a bat for Halloween because he loves to hang upside down? When I saw this embroidery pattern here - I just had to make it. I must admit I was more excited about it than my daughter. But it will grow on her - it's a Halloween decoration to remember his first Halloween.

My relatives in Nebraska were snowed in separately-at their own houses. Cell phones were ringing each other every minute or so - "what are you doing now? Is it still snowing there????" LOL! But they got together today, so all is good.

Question of the season: Why is it the person you finally decide to give up sending Christmas cards to ALWAYS sends YOU one - usually arriving on Christmas Eve???

It's that time of year for me. I have to get out the books and the lists and see what my totals are for this year. I'll let you know later this week. How many projects done? How many books read? I think we can pretty much skip how much weight lost AGAIN! Stay tuned ... the analysis is on it's way!

Today - Dec 28 is our wedding anniversary. 37 years this year. time sure flies when you're having fun! Isn't it amazing when you've been together far longer than you were without each other. And I'm the first to admit that I'm a spoiled brat! My DH takes great care of me. He even gave me a gift certificate for a favorite quilt shop in Portland for Christmas! What an enabler!!! Oh, I'm sure he'll be a curmudgeon many times this year - but I'll just have to coax him out of it as usual!

A Miss P story - you know you love them. As I was saying goodbye yesterday. I said, "When Nana and Papa come back next week we're going to have a New Year's Eve party when mommy and daddy go out. Won't that be fun???" She looked me straight in the eye and asked her mommy if she could go with them!!! Oh well, she had mommy call me tonight so she could tell me something, "I love you and I miss you!" A sign of a guilty conscience don't you think!!!

Lucky day today! I won FQs on a blog!!! Corky is a hoot - and you should check out her blog too! Thanks, Corky - it's a great prize!

Happy New Year Everyone.

Merry Christmas to all ... and to all a good night!

2009-12-21T16:29:00.017-06:00

Santa's workshop is now officially closed - well, mostly! I have one more present to do on the computer! No sewing involved.

Here's the pumphouse our garden club "The Bloomers" decorated for the holidays. As we were on the ladders putting up wreaths, S wondered why we didn't have men in the club - to help with the heavy work. I said, "It might be the name!" I thought she was going to chuckle right off the ladder! Since it's right by the gate you can see that 'arm' in the pictures. Cute as a button! The day we put up all the stuff was C*O*L*D! But it was worth it!

The last project I just finished is a present ... and although I doubt 'daughter-dear' will be checking out my blog ... I took a picture and will post it next weekend.

I did get carried away with this new pattern for a snowman ornament. I gave up wool last year when we moved here! Thanks, C for sending supplies!!! But isn't he adorable?? There's also a Christmas penny rug that I had to have - it will be an UFO for next year.

Here's my fabric Christmas cards - they turned out alittle 'too too!' If you know what I mean! I was making 16 fabric bookmarks for the ladies that helped with the recovery quilt - so I had a bright idea to use the same background for the pcs too. Not my favorite design BUT I did get both projects done! By the way, they look better by ones - not the whole group!!!

This year for the "Pushpin" show at the Visual Arts Center here in Newport I hung 6 fabric postcards in 'bell-pull' fashion. Winter, Valentine, spring, summer, fall and Christmas. Named it "A year on the coast". There were only 2 fabric entries - have to get the guild to work on that!!

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season. Here's to more love, laughter and of course, quilting in 2010!

Christmas Greetings

2009-12-13T10:47:00.006-06:00

Needless to say, of course, I'm still up to my eyebrows in sewing Christmas projects. But I wanted to share our Christmas letter with you. My letters and cards went out last week. My decorations went up too! But you can hardly see the tree for the piles of sewing on the dining room table! I miss my sewing room - and this time of year - so does R!!

R went to the grocery store yesterday and came home with 2 new tvs! And he complains about me not sticking to the list! LOL! He's on his way to A's house today to deliver one. So I have 24 hours to get this mess done and straightened up! [And here I am, playing on the computer!]

Yesterday was fun watching the ocean. It was fairly clear and there must be a booty call for the sea lions! They were swimming south. We watched 2-5 of them at a time swim by for over two hours. They are so big! Weight can be 600 lbs for the ladies and over 1,000 for the guys! So-yes, you can easily spot them swimming!

Miss P was a little scattered at gymnastics last week. Interrupting and wanting to try everything else in the room ... what can I say - she's THREE! On the way home, mommy had to have 'the talk' with her. "You know, Miss P, Santa can see you. He knows if you're paying attention to your teacher and following directions." After a moment of shocked silence in the backseat, she heard a little voice saying, "Oh oh!"

Happy Holidays from the Boyds

December continues to sneak up, even when retired. I’m still quilting – enjoying the guild here, which is very active. This summer I started taking free art classes. I’ve always wanted to be able to draw. R plays golf as much as he can. He joined a ‘traveling league’ this year and enjoys playing throughout central Oregon. Trust me - the traveling trophy is no prize to display!

Miss P is now 3 and Mr M is 1! We love seeing what they will come up with next! Mr M started walking and Miss P started gymnastic classes – let the adventures begin!

A & J2’s wedding is set for next July. We’re all looking forward to the celebration. And Miss P gets to be a flower girl!

Wishing you the best in 2010

Christmas season is upon us - thud!

2009-12-01T18:46:00.015-06:00

We've been really busy this week. Getting ready to mail presents to family in Nebraska.

Stashbusters has a wonderful reminder program. Every month on the 25th it encourages everyone to make something for Christmas AHEAD of the season. Some year I'm actually going to it!!!

Our garden club - Bloomers - took on the task of decorating the pump house at our entrance for the holidays. I helped letter this sign - very fitting for me this time of year - every year!

My mom likes to decorate her "porch". She lives in an independent living community and her porch is a little shelf outside her door - there's room for a small wall quilt there too. Last year, I lost my mind and made her a Thimbleberries panel quilt - but it was too big for her porch so she enjoyed giving it to someone else in the family. This year I reduced the same panel. The cutest border didn't cut down gracefully - darn it. But it will fit the space this year! Mom likes to display snowman stuff in January. So she can open this on Christmas.

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And because I'm on a roll! :> I also cut down a Santa panel. It won't be wrapped in her package - a bonus that she can use this month. There's the full panel laying on our table. It's a cute panel, but I'm really happy with my reduced version. Fun, don't you think!?!

We had a babysitting gig up in Portland the monday before Thanksgiving. J was getting over strep throat - ICK - so we didn't want to get there early for a change. We ended up at the mall just in time for L's break from work. We enjoyed a 1/2 sandwich and cookie with her, did a little Christmas shopping - and returning! Then we went to Blind Side. What a great movie - I loved it. See it if you get a chance.

Since we were coming back in 3 days for Thanksgiving, we brought Miss P home with us for the interim. She's 3 now and a little whiny. We think it's because mom just got a new job that is more hours than she had before. We asked Miss P where mommy was working now - at "Don't touch ANYTHING!" store! Better known as Anthropologie. And Mom's loving it despite the longer hours. Nana and Papa had fun with Miss P - we ate cake for dessert every night, we read books, we walked and played on the beach - it was even sunny while she was here - we went to the Aquarium where the octopus was awake and swimming around for once!!!

I also tried to repair Miss P's blanky - it's really in bad shape. We were hoping binding it with satin binding might help it last longer ... but what a mess! And of course, I had a 3 year old practically holding on to what she could reach while I was trying to sew on it!!! I also ran out of the pink binding. The store is 30 miles away ... naptime was coming up quickly ... so it has one blue binding corner. I told Miss P that it is to remind her than Nana loves her!!! Then we headed for home on Thanksgiving.

We had a blast up at L&Js house where Mr M kept us jumping with his 'drunken sailor' walk. Yep, like his big sister, he started walking the week of his first birthday. He's getting pretty good at it - still sits down to crawl after his sister when he wants to be fast! But that won't be the case for long. We'd better bring our running shoes at Christmas!!!

Rain rain rain!!! Okay - I'm whining!

2009-11-13T22:22:00.004-06:00

Here is the one sunset we were able to enjoy this week - I know, isn't it beautiful. But, seriously, would it hurt to have a day without rain??

Today's weather was really interesting. I woke up at 3:30ish - pretty unusual for me!! and the wind was already howling from the South. When it rained, it was truly raining sideways! Then it got calm for, I'm not sure, 30 minutes maybe? Long enough that we noticed and remarked that maybe it was going to clear up today. Then, BAM, the wind was howling from the North! Was that an eye of a hurricane??

I finished two things this week. Hip hip hooray! But I can't show them to you - Boo Hiss! I finished Mr M's name banner and since it doesn't say "Mr M" on it ... you'll just have to trust me!

The second finish was my favorite baby quilt panel machine quilted and with a satin binding. I'm not crazy about satin bindings - it kept sticking to my hands. Now you know my little secret ... manicures are not top on my list!!! Is everyone else's hands really dry from all the hand washing during flu season???

It was my first time using 505 spray basting - yes, M - I finally tried it and I liked it! And my first time for the satin binding, I'm sure I'll get better with that. Maybe I'll wear my machine quilting gloves next time! I'll try to get a picture of Mr M with the baby quilt this weekend.

I was a couch potato this week because of a problem with my foot - all better now! AND I was able to read Stephen King's newest - Under the Dome. 1074 pages!!! It came out on Monday, I was first on the request list at the library and I was done Wednesday evening! I was a 'power-couch-potato!'

I liked it! It got kind of strange at the end - bringing all those story lines back together - but you expect that with him. I think it's the best thing he's written since the accident. Not as edgy as some of them have been. I'm smiling thinking there can't be too many grey haired Nanas who finished it that quickly!!! If you're a fan - don't let the size scare you away. It reads really fast! And let me know what you think!

I'm happy to report that the Back to School ABC block exchange I was running at the guild was a success. ALL the blocks came in on time!!!! Hip hip hooray, indeed. Of course, not everyone followed the instructions, but close enough for government work, I guess! When I woke up this am - when it was obvious I wasn't going back to sleep ... I drew out settings for the ABC blocks. It's really going to be fun!

Storm Surge

2009-11-08T18:27:00.007-06:00

Well, we are here at the coast for our first storm. And it's been really interesting to watch. The ocean has swells 15 inches higher than usual - add high tide to that and it was quite the show! Waves were breaking against our dune and splashing 20 feet high! These photos were taken by my neighbor [and friend] J.

I watched all weekend - while sewing at the diningroom table! I'm almost done with Mr M's name wallquilt. I made Miss P one 3 years ago, and their mom hasn't really used it so I'm hoping with one for Mr M too - they will make their 'debut'!

This week is guild and the Back to School Applique alphabet blocks are due. I have the majority of them here, but no complete alphabets. So Thursday is the day - will all the letters show up?? I really hope so. Since I was sorting the bags into ABC1 and ABC2 I got to see them up close and personal - some are so cute. People have really thought it out. For example - I is for iguana and the background is jungle leaves! They are going to be so much fun to work with. Can't wait to see what everyone is going to come up with! We exchange the blocks - but you finish them and you can set them any way you want to. So square in a square, YBR, churn dash ... the possibilities are endless. We hope to have quite a few done for the show next August.

I washed my signature fan quilt this weekend. A stain had developed from white wine - I don't want to talk about it! Oxy-clean didn't get it out so now I'm stumped. When I wet the quilt, even though I've had it for twenty-some years, the smoke smell simply rolled off of it. My grandmother smoked like a chimney - but I'd never smelled it on the quilt. Anyone with an idea for the stain - let me know! Thanks.

Is it too late for a New Year's Resolution????

2009-11-03T10:37:00.010-06:00

First, I'll start out with some halloween pictures of the GKs. Miss P was a unicorn this year! Gotta love that cute little 3 yr old face! She was going to be a princess - but we HAVE been watching a unicorn cartoon movie alot lately and the babysitter had a unicorn costume - the rest is history!

Believe it or not - Mr M, the 'bat boy' is only one year old this month! Okay, maybe the binky gave it away! He didn't like his costume, so a binky kept him in it long enough for the pictures. His haircut makes him look like he's three! He just went thru another growth spurt but I can definitely see 'shades of things to come'!!!

Yesterday, M over at Stashbusters, lamented that she has so many books that if she just made one from each it would keep her busy for years. The light bulb went on!!!

Using the books we already own to make something!

What a concept! LOL! I made that resolution a few years back - I think I made ONE! However, that was one more than I had made before!

I'm in - let's finish a project every quarter, from a book, pattern, magazine or kit we own! Now referred to as "resources"!

That would be 4 or 5 projects - [see below], I know it's only a start - but hey! We have UFOs to finish too. And we know life is going to intervene! We COULD combine different resources and redesign something. I even have a quilt I charted out on graph paper oh-so-many-years-ago that I named "Red Wagon-ish"! I think I combined designs and layouts out of 3-4 of their books.

Linda Brannock was at our retreat once and she said something profound that I never forgot. She said, "Just because we design it that size, doesn't mean you have to make it that size!!!" WOW! Freedom! I immediately took her very large 'donkey cart' fall quilt and made it a 20 x 36 wall quilt. It's one of my favorites! In fact, I think we made 3 of them!

If you combine patterns in different resources - well, you are using them - so it counts for each resource. You might tell us which resources in your post or comment here. There was a pumpkin quilt I finally finished last July that used pumpkins out of 3 different books. AND following the edict above - I reduced them to 'play nicely' with each other!!!

Okay - there are two months left this year - anyone game to try to finish ONE by the end of the year? It might make a great holiday decoration or a present!!! If we don't get it done by December 31st - hey, we have a great start on the first one for next year!

So the challenge is: make 1 project this year and 4 projects in 2010 that are from books, patterns, magazines or kits you already own. It doesn't have to be exactly what is pictured: You can make a pillow, you can make a notebook cover, you can make a charity quilt, a miniature or adapt the idea to your own design. Just make a note of which resource you used/were inspired by. I'm going to write it in my book - inside the front cover! A post-it added to the pattern or magazine would work too!

Definitely document it in the journal you document your quilts in - you DO do that - don't you!! Okay - another resolution for you!!! LOL!

So, who's in????

PS - don't be discouraged if you're inspired to make two things from the resource! I know you don't get to mark off another resource that you used ... but you just confirmed it was a great buy!!! LOL!

Busy busy busy!

2009-10-29T15:49:00.005-05:00

Back from vacation and I'm afraid I hit the ground running! I finished the anniversary quilt for L&J - 5 years last week. It was a kit I bought for L to work on because it WAS NOT MY COLORS! The picture is kind of dull - believe you me, that quilt is bright! She picked out the kit at The Pine Needle in Lake Oswego, Oregon. It was just 10 inch squares. After she sewed the 'twosies' under supervision she never had time or the inclination to do more. So I spirited the blocks out of the house and finished them. Had M long-arm it. and ta-da! A surprise anniversary present! I decided I'm giving my kids a quilt for all anniversaries divisible by 5! Of course, since A&J2 are getting married within 8 months of L&J's 5th ... I'll be scrambling every 4 years!!! Typical me!

Today we finished binding the recovery quilt for Suzanne. I led an intrepid group of mainly non-quilters to make this cheerful checkerboard quilt. They were troopers! And my goal was to have it done in a month and we did! Didn't they do a good job!

Winter has set in here - there's been snow up in the ski areas. Mainly grey, grey rainy days these last two weeks. We'll have to adjust our attitudes - and turn on the lights!!!

I'll leave you with a Miss P statement. Papa is no longer 'Papa'. He's now "Gamp-pa" because "he's all grown up now!" LOL! I'm still 'nana' and I don't know what that means!!! I walked into the family room where Miss P and R were playing with a farm set. R had the fence on his head as a hat! I remarked that I didn't think he was very grown up! But Miss P insisted he was!!!

Just a walk in the park

2009-10-15T17:47:00.009-05:00

Hi from the road! We've had a wonderful time despite a few days of rain. Bend was rainy and COLD! The first morning we woke up to 29 degrees. It was at that moment R canceled his tee-time! Discovered the Old Mill Shopping district in Bend and loved it! Saw two movies, window shopped to my heart's content and ate at a very fast pasta restaurant.

Wednesday was rain and semis most of the day traveling. Those two do not go together! We didn't go up to Crater Lake. Only in the 40s and rain down on the highway - didn't want to chance 20s and snow up there! But fell in love with Route 66 - Oregon style - coming over the mountains to Ashland. No semis on that stretch - in fact, very little traffic of any kind.

Today was the perfect fall day - exactly what we were envisioning when we planned our "Fall Grand Tour". R went golfing with his friend and I roamed the park for hours. Here are some pictures for you to live vicariously!

Lithia Park starts out very civilized - you often find musicians and hackey-sak groups lolling about on the grass. You can sit and watch them, people sell their wares from towels - just a great gathering spot.

The playground is surrounded by colorful trees today. Children come to play on bikes, behind parents on bikes, in strollers, in slings ... a beautiful day like today brings them out in droves! No pictures, please - it makes the adults nervous!

There are a dozen bridges back and forth across the creek. Which side should I walk on? It's beautiful on both sides! Just pick and keep going!

And if you're lucky ... you'll see some shy Ashland residents. Look closely in the middle and you'll see the pair of deer that startled me as I started them! The park office estimates there are 100 deer living in the 42 acres that make up the park! And I'm sure they're telling all their country relatives to come on in - where it's safe during hunting season.

Don't worry - I also managed to get some shopping done! Probably too much according to DH! The forecast is rain on the coast when we're in Brookings ... so we'll be sitting in the alcove, reading or stitching this weekend. Maybe, just maybe it will be clear during low tide? Please???

What a quilt-y week!

2009-10-10T20:44:00.003-05:00

We left on a very PACKED 30 seat bus last Sunday. And we thought we were traveling light! A good day for traveling and the bus had huge windows for us to enjoy the view. We stopped at Greenbaum's in Salem on the way. A favorite store to stop at. And still arrived at Menucha an hour early!

This is the view from the pool area - Vista House. One of my favorite places in Oregon - there is a plaque there that says something like, "We must find the most scenic places and get the people to them." Gotta love the Corps of Engineers - they had their work cut out for them in Oregon!

If you ever get a chance to attend something at Menucha - do it! The staff was friendly, the food was good and the views were spectacular! And we got to sit and quilt, quilt, quilt with a room full of other quilters! Heaven, indeed!

In 2 and 1/2 days I got 48 of 100 log cabin blocks done for A&J2's wedding quilt; sewed smaller checkerboard blocks into bigger checkerboard blocks for the 'cancer recovery quilt' and pieced a Christmas wreath wall quilt that had been languishing in it's box since Nebraska. Thanks P! It's awaiting quilting but is DEFINITELY going to be done by December. It's just the right size for the one place I hang quilts! A very productive retreat.

Got home to an iery-ly quiet house - R was on a golf trip. The silence was just what I needed after sensory overload on retreat! Thursday I got up, went to water aerobics and then stitchery. Thanks to a group of women that I pushed around (:>) we got the 'cancer recovery quilt' top completed. After my "Fall Grand Tour" we'll tie it with prayers, bind it, take it's picture and present it to S. By the way - it looks wonderful!

Thursday night was guild meeting and Friday was an all-day workshop! That's right - counting packing last Saturday - that's seven FULL days of quilting. Just the right amount! LOL! AND I quilted Mr M's new quilt today by machine! Nope, not tired of quilting yet!!!

Tomorrow we leave for 8 days of exploring our favorite places in Oregon. More from the road later!

Fall resolutions!

2009-10-03T19:43:00.007-05:00

Time has gotten away from me lately - don't know that I'm any busier - maybe just lazier! I'm going to get back on schedule and post at least weekly - I promise.

That being said ... I'm headed for a quilt retreat tomorrow and after next weekend R and I are going on our Fall Grand Tour. So when I do post - it will either be a quick one on stolen time OR it will be in a couple of weeks with lots of news and pictures.

This weekend the guild here is having a retreat and I'm really excited - of course, I just hope it lives up to Gretna standards! 48 of the coast quilters go to the Gorge area - on the Columbia River outside of Portland. 3 hours away And the Portland shop retreats come to the coast!! To a town 20 miles away from us!!! I'm making a note of where they stay- just in case the retreat center we're going to isn't great. Half of us are going up in a bus so we're going to be taking alot less than I'm used to! I'm already starting to panic! After all, I'm used to a choice of 'too many projects' to choose from. We don't have to take bedding and towels, etc - but that never did take up more than one bed roll!

So I narrowed projects down to my son's wedding quilt - still piecing, machine quilting a baby panel for Mr M who will be ONE in November! AND a checkerboard red/white lap quilt my small group of non-quilters is making for a gal with cancer - I think I can pin the blocks together and get the center of the top done and ready for the group to piece the border blocks together next week. The retreat starts Sunday afternoon at dinner and ends Wednesday noon! I'm used to long weekend retreats but I guess most members here are retired and when you live at the coast you have alot of weekend company! But it seems so strange!

It's hard to tell when the fall leaves are going to be good. Last fall we hit the road at just the right time. This year the weather has been crazy - it was actually 88 degrees HERE at Newport just two weeks ago. I talked to G that evening and said we had Nebraska weather today - 88 and humid. She said, "No you didn't, it was beautiful and 70s here today!" Thanks, G for rubbing that in! But that weather has gone and the East Cascades are getting snow!! Who knows what the trees will do!

Our grand tour starts out going down the coast an hour to turn up the McKenzie River Road and follow it all the way to the Sisters and Bend area. After a couple of nights there we'll swing down thru the Crater Lake Park and down the Rogue River Valley. That's a great road with scenic stops in the forest where the river is especially gorgeous! On to Ashland where we will see one of R's golfing buds who moved there this summer. Oh, and of course, A & J2. THEN since we're so close ... on to Brookings thru the Redwoods (one of my favorite parts). We're staying at the condo we used to rent on vacation. By the time we get back (seven days on the road) we'll be longing to see Miss P and Mr M. And since L&J's 5th anniversary will be upon us, we'll have an excuse to head up to Portland! It'll be fun, fun, fun!

Whales were around alot in September - I saw spouts everyday from the beach or from our dining room table or even as a reward for doing dishes. It was so much fun - I love seeing them. Then we heard that they were feeding off of Rocky Creek Viewpoint so we went on a day trip. Yep, they were there! 5 of them and close enough to hear them spout. (That sound always gives me goosebumps!) We haven't gotten the trick of catching the spouts on camera but you can see the ghost of the spout in the middle of this picture. The rock-looking hump there is the whale back as he heads back down for more food. It was a gorgeous day. The waves were huge and the "splooshes" were awesome against the rocks. I could stand or sit forever and watch them but we were getting hungry so back to the car and we drove on to eat pizza and then hike on Cascade Head. We did stop on the way back home and communed some more with the whales.

Then Miss P was here for 3 days. We're potty trained now but we expect M&Ms afterwards. She talked to mommy and daddy on the phone and mentioned that she had gone potty but there were no M&Ms. Daddy assured her she'd get them when she got back home. We do cake when she's here so there was no lack of sugar - in case you were worried. When we took her back home, Mr M was all smiles - he knew something was missing and was glad to find her again!

I cheated this fall with my fall post cards. I used preprinted panels that I'd had forever and hadn't used. They turned out great. G sent me Halloween buttons last year and I put them to good use.

Happy Fall Everyone!

Quilting and Life in General

Life on the windy, wet and wild Coast

My First UFO Finish!! Hooray!

Is January going by really fast for you too??

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Santa's Sweatshop ... hmm ..workshop is shutting down!

A Few Favorite things at Christmas

December has arrived! - and we're off and running ...

Christmas Quilts filled with memories

Happy Thanksgiving!

What to get the elderly relative that has everything?

I DID IT!!!!

Caution - your stash may be bigger than it looks!

Witches, ghosties and ghouls, oh my!

Two sleeves; curtain rod and 2 mugs

Big Finish!! It's circa 2001!!

Home again!

Gone Baby-sitting

Selvedge Yard quilt Done-done!

Bonus Post!! Happy Labor Day

Catch Up Time!

Dog Days of Summer

Vacation Adventures Recap

Busy Busy Birthday!!

Foggy Morning Mish-Mash!

Back from Sisters - but moving slow!!

Pelicans 101!

Happy 4th of July Weekend!!

Summertime and still sweatshirt weather!

June has sprung

Back in the blog business!

The Merry, Merry month of May

I'm back and new Grandbaby is here!

Brookings quilters ... don't look!!

We were on vacation ... can you guess where we've been?

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Busy busy busy!!

2nd UFO done for the year!!

First UFO done for the year!!! Hip hip hoorah!!

Family Questionaires!!

Now this is a great new year!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to all...

FIVE DAYS TO CHRISTMAS - yes, I am yelling!

Ho, Ho, Ho - last package in the mail!

Report from Santa's Workshop

Thanksgiving is over and you know what that means: Happy Holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Busy week!!

Told you I'd get back on schedule!!

Yikes!! It's been over a month!

Home again, home again!!

Is it just me or is Fall going by really fast???

Photo Opps

It doesn't feel like fall today!!

Summertime is fleeing!

The wedding of the year is done!

Countdown to the wedding ...it's speeding up!!

Miss P came to visit!

It started out foggy today - but WOW!

The sun ... the sun .... it's in the sky again!!!

'Winter' weather continues here!

No more excuses! We're H*E*R*E!!

News from the moving front!

Back home - Newport and Brookings

The lull before the storm!

Believe it or not - the wedding quilt is DONE!

Still plugging away!

News from the sweatshop with a view!

Busy busy busy!!

News from the coast!

List - the interesting part! Quilting

Year end tallies!!! Book Recommendations

My Review of Quick Ship: Small Plastic Folding Table with Adjustable Legs

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas

Merry Christmas to all ... and to all a good night!

Christmas Greetings

Christmas season is upon us - thud!

Rain rain rain!!! Okay - I'm whining!

No more excuses! We're HER*E!!