Happy New Year!! It always starts with infinite possibilities ...

We have had a wild ocean this week.  Haven't even been brave enough to walk down to it!  Let alone walk along it.  The waves have been hitting our sea-stacks and roaring up double the stacks size!  Exciting to watch ... from the safety of our condo!  Thank goodness for free images online!!

I love Christmas and decorating.  Not so much the putting away of said decorations!  It just doesn't look right AFTER Christmas!  I used to blame it on presents under the tree.  When they are gone it looks empty.  Well, no room for a tree in this condo.  And it still looks empty after the 25th.  I started when we got back from Portland.  The sun was shining, the porch was dry!  I have to haul in tubs from the porch storage closet.  And every year I think I got everything!

Days later I'll be in a room and suddenly see some Christmas schmutz that I didn't see before!!  This year was no different!  How did I clear the bookcase except for the bottom shelf??  And forgetting one of my favorite wall quilts hanging in the bathroom.  The stack of Christmas CDs in the sewing room, the two wall quilts hanging on the design wall ... the Santa hat on a beach chair door mat ...

 

OK the door mat has to stay until I find our usual one!!  Santa always recoups on the beach after Christmas Eve ... Right???

After Christmas we celebrated our 47th Anniversary!!  Seems impossible!  We celebrated with an Italian dinner down in The Pearl.  R picked the restaurant because it was across the street from our hotel.  It gets cold after dark!!

One of the best meals we've had!!  Top 10 and there is a lot of competition!  47 years worth!  Trattoria Gallo Nero  I had the Beef Filetto on roasted potatoes, R had pasta with Prosciutto.  We shared both and each were a winner.

Now you know me and chocolate!  We had the flourless chocolate cake for dessert and it was so dry.  I drank 3 glasses of water after!!  

Oh well, we had awesome chocolate Lava Cake here in Brookings at O'halleran's here in Brookings the other night.  Yes, we celebrate twice!!

Now to get back to regular life!!  #toomanycookies

Time to Recap 2019!!

You sure didn't get "the rest of the story" on the blog this year!!!  Sorry about that.  I've been playing Wheel of Fortune - too much - and apparently boycotting the rest of the web!

P and I watched a new series on HBO (via BBC One)  Years and Years!  OMGoodness - it was so good.  Slightly in the future with the same political and earth problems.  It was fascinating and slightly scary!!!  One line got my attention.  Paraphrasing here:  "Remember when the political news was boring??  We used to go to the kitchen and get a snack!!!  Art imitates life!!!!

I taught Hand Embroidery last spring and I loved it!  The samplers turned out modern - just as I wanted them to!  Lots of personality in them.  I thought I would teach it again this fall, bought supplies and everything!!  But By My Hand tightened up their store space and there's no longer a classroom.  Sigh!  Oh well, who knows where I would have found the time!

I feel that I was a slacker this year in the sewing room!  The last of the dog-damaged quilts from Portland were made whole again.  And that sucked up alot of the energy in the room.  I am not mentally equipped to repair badly damaged quilts!!  And the dog-lovers have been warned!  Yes, I still love them, even the 4-footed ones!

My 2019 QOV program was ambitious!  We all worked on Sawtooth Stars and I ran an alternate block raffle each month - so making 17 alternate blocks or begging someone else to do it monthly!  We made more money than we thought we would and we did end up with plenty of quilts for the year.  And although I had my doubts about an 'inbred' selection of quilts ... that didn't happen!

Sometimes you couldn't even tell the same star blocks were in them!!  2020's monthly block is a string block aka StashLab's String star.  I'm loving it and the blocks have been coming in like clockwork.  At our December Open Sew weekend I put the first QOV top together - just to be sure it was working!!  And boy-oh-boy did it!!  Gorgeous!!

So my Finished list - 2019 included:

2 repaired quilts
6 wall or baby quilts
4 QOV quilts!!
5 pillowcases for GKids
10 Fabric Post cards for exchanges
1 Queen sized!!
10 ModSquad monthly projects

Not bad for an off-year!!

Just so you don't think I've slowed down too much ... I attended 6 Quilting retreats!!  Finishing School and Bayshore in Bandon;  Brookings Guild and 3 Amigos in Gold Beach; Sisters Week at Black Butte (2nd year!) and 3 Amigos Beach Bums in Crescent City over Labor Day Weekend!!!

P and I joined and worked on Jen Kingwell's BOM thru QuiltMania.  We were keeping up pretty well until they had the reveal ... and we didn't like it!  Darn!  We're going to change it up a bit - or get used to it!!  And oh, my! we bought a boat-load of her fabrics - probably enough to make 5 of the quilts!!!  Oops!

I read 45 books this year. (if I finish the one I'm reading!)  That number is probably a little soft - I have problems writing down the computer books I've finished!  Something about getting them ready to go back to the library helps me keep track!

Favorites:

The Day the World Came to Town  Jim Defede - The Broadway musical was based on this book.  I loved the characters, the story and how good you felt that even on 9-11 there were people in this world that did good deeds for strangers, against all the hate and fear that was blossoming.

Invisible by Andrew Grant  An Army Intelligence Agent goes undercover at the courthouse to solve a murder.

Relic by Alan Dean Foster  SciFi  The last human in the universe is telling our story

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose  - Fascinating story of the famous performance artist Marina Abramović, who staged a show in NYC.  She sits quietly at a table and audience members can participate by joining her at the table - no talking, no touching.

The Book Artist by Mark Pryor  A spy novel with so many twists and turns you can't put it down!

Here and Now and Then by Mike Chen  SciFi  Set in San Francisco where a time-traveler gets stranded and has to live invisibly to save the future.

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles  Our book club read this.  If I had known that Russian literature could be this charming - I would have read more a long time ago! :-)

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens  Another Book Club - fascinating to the last page!!

The Threadbare Heart by Jennie Nash  The description says '...23 tubs of fabric' and I knew that I'd like the main character already!!

We are experiencing a West Coast Winter Storm!  And I am up way too late!  So I may add photos to this later ... or not!  Here's to 2020 where we will do more of our favorite things and pass on the joy of living to everyone we see!!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Boyds

Loads of fun and memories this year.  R and I went to Palm Springs to get out of the rain in January – but it followed us!  February, we loved the award-winning musical, ‘Come From Away’ on tour in Portland.  MARVELOUS!!  If you get the chance … GO!   Then, Yosemite in late spring.  (a picture is above!)  My first visit, and it was awesome!  Waterfalls were in full flow for the first time in years!  And, of course, golfing and quilting kept us busy the rest of the year!

A, J2, D, K and E left on a Great Adventure!  For the next two years J2 will be teaching at The International School in Central America!  We spent time over in Central Oregon, helping sort and pack the house and, of course, we held an extended Camp Nana/Papa before they left.  We ‘skype’ often and so far so good.  It IS hot there – (the boys are always just in underwear!) but doesn’t seem to slow them down!!

I was able to go back to Nebraska in July for my Great-Niece N and H’s wedding.  What a party!  It was great spending time with family.  However, this Oregonian is not up to Nebraska summers anymore!  Can you say "Boiling Hot!"??  It was so-o hot that even Native Nebraskans living there were spent!

M, our 11 yr old!, played on the traveling baseball team this year –we were able to meet up at some of his games.  A weekend at Newport, our first Oregon home!  P, our 13 yr old!, and I bonded over jewelry she was making and shopping the Port between games!  In October, we babysat for a week, while mom and dad got away for their 15^th wedding anniversary! 

Wishing you and yours the best in 2020

College Art Class assignment is presentation on art group origins - ModSquad!!!

You know all about ModSquad if you've been following me long.  It was a 'study group' I formed and it has been so-o rewarding!!  We started 3 years ago.  I had met Deborah Boschert at the Houston Quilt Show.  She had just published a book about Modern Quilt Collage.  The book had the 7(?) layout designs of modern quilts.  I talked a few quilters here in Brookings into exploring the topic.  None of us had any idea what we were doing, so we took turns researching the layouts, presenting them to the group and then each making a sample of that layout.  We decided to keep our projects secret and try to guess who had made them.  We also were to "Gently critique" each others' work.  We learned the techniques of Landscapes, Magic 3,  One Amazing Line, Dancing Grid, Symmetry, and Modular.

We got thru the entire book the first year.  But we wanted to keep learning new techniques.  So our second year, we each picked a theme or technique to 'modernize'.  We had fun that year too!! Our assignments included Identity, Doodle Art, Couched Embroidery, Mandalas, Hide this Fabric, Vacation, Trapunto, Bird & a Word, and 50 shades (of one color)!  

This is our third year and this year we are choosing more Themes and Techniques for our assignments: A New Beginning, Daily Button, Isosceles Triangles, Personal Symbols, Curvaceous Improv, Celtic Knots, and more!

After our first year's worth of assignments we were asked to mount a display at our community library.  Okay, I might have mentioned we'd be open to doing that ... but we were IN!  They are very large cases in the entry.  Our projects were a big hit - so colorful and interesting!!  But we could only show 3 projects for each assignment.  So, then we talked our way into presenting the entire year's work at the Annual Quilt Show.  So cool to see them all together!

This has been a busy fall for me.  I was able to go to the Quilt Expo show in Portland.  And then to Bayshore Babes Retreat in Bandon.  Don't you just love retreats??? Time to Quilt til you Wilt!!  And you usually only have to help with one meal ... everyone takes turns.

I'm not active in this group since I moved to Brookings 9 years ago??? So I'm careful to be a Big Help when I'm there.  I got called out on it this year!  So I explained - my Grandmother always said, "If you're not rich, you best be useful!"  Definitely words to live by!!  I may have to make a banner saying that!!!  Tee-hee!!

 Beautiful Sunsets and Thunderstorms rolling in!!  Oh My!!

So much fun!  But I was exhausted when I came home - talk about burning the candle on each end!!  Finally getting back into my life - time to finish up some UFOs that have been in 'time-out' way too long!!  After all, Christmas IS only  75 days away!!!  ARRRG!

My State of the Stash

I belong to Stashbusters - a Yahoo quilting group.  We're a feisty bunch and the messages can be very entertaining.  During your birthday month you write a "State of the Stash" message.  I'm a Leo!!

My DH is 5 weeks younger than me - and we've been married 47 years.  And I listened to the same bad ‘older woman’ jokes for decades!! So, a few years back, I decided if I celebrate until his birthday I don't mind the jokes!!!  It's great fun!!

I've been quilting for 46+ years!  I figured out I've never gone two weeks without quilting!  And includes cross-country moves; vacations (I used to be able to do handwork in the car!) or busy times.

I don’t buy much fabric or books anymore.  (I refuse to define “much”!!)  But I am always on the lookout for reds and blues for Quilts of Valor.  I’m chair of our group and usually make 2-3 QOVs a year.  It's not so much buying more - it's replenishing the fabric.  But it does look like I bought a bunch this year!!

Otherwise, my stash was doing so-o well, I discovered Color Block method by Stash-Lab so even the scraps were kind-of-sorta under control!  But then a friend and I joined Jen Kingwell's BOM Marshal.  We don't have JK fabric out here.  We were going to stick to stash but ... a July trip to NE for a wedding.  My favorite NE store - Quilted Moose, a Gretna NE store, carries Jen's whole line.  Oh my!!!  Let’s just say I had a “Lollie-good-time”!!

I bought a bunch, enough that the owner gave me a hug when I left the store!!!  But she usually does that, it just felt longer!!!   I did split every piece with my friend.

THEN a NE friend was having a de-stashing fabric sale on  Instagram ... Gretna is her favorite store too!  And she had a giant bundle of JK fabric.  So, we bought and split that too! Friday, I brought out the JK fabric for show and tell at my small group.  Oh my!!

Meanwhile, the sewing space has exploded!  My DH has about 3" x 6" space on the single bed to sit and tie his shoes before walks!!! And not always that much!!  Our DGS was just here - it was perfectly clean then!!!  I guess it all started when I had to "find" something!

This is just one pile of a dozen(?) on the bed!

I finally gave up on fixing my DD's wedding quilt.  15 years and it's shattered!  The bad dog ate a giant hole in it 2 years back.  Discussing it with DD and offering 3 choices, she decided she'd like a redo of the pattern using the original quilt inside for the batting.  That should make future quilt historians scratch their heads!!  Tee-hee! 

I love this pattern from the Simple Joys of Quilting.  I want to try to make a QOV with blue patchwork inside and red patchwork borders!  Or is this more madness?

Each 3 1/2" square pile is 100 squares!  I'm using all the same neutral which I am in the process of cutting.  Soon I'll be ready to sew like the wind.  

I’ve discovered several things:  Most of the blues I cut for it yesterday were the same fabrics!!

Positives

I’m a good conservator – my fabric from 90’s still viable!

I’m fairly consistent in taste!  Not buying willy-nilly!

Boy, can I pack it into the space!!

The IG (Instant gratification) monkeys are alive and well in Oregon!!

Negatives

Boy, can I pack it into the space!

Squirrel Syndrome rules!!

Small condo – what space??

Am I growing in my craft or just stagnate?

Am I a hoarder??

Only one way to help this - Must Quilt Faster!!  Please don't let Marie Condo anywhere near here!!

August - my birthday MONTH!

We had a great time at Newport Oregon for the quilt show.  It was just beautiful.  No ribbons for me this year.  :<  Must try harder.  Looking back, I didn't get much done this year.  I entered my QOV quilt and Laurie Heine Bumble Bee wall quilt in the Brookings Show, and Bumble Bee and the crib "Color block"at Newport.

I have a new 'go to' dinner dish.  Hillshire Meats have the Veggie Sausage Dish on their website.  I generally add every veggie that looks good at the store!  We love asparagus, brussel sprouts, green beans, red and green peppers ...  And I don't do the lemon juice.  I think it comes out awesome no matter what you add or leave out.  We love it.  AND after it's been baked, the leftovers are good cold too. Win, Win!

Our ModSquad group's assignment this month was self-portrait.  Man, are they hard!  First you have to look at pictures of you.  That's my smile???  My top lip disappears!!  Then the project is 15" square - that's bigger than real life!!  BUT we had 14 self portraits turned in today!  That's our biggest participation ever!
Thanks, Ladies for all your hard work!

 

We, of course, thought it was going to be easy to guess who was who!  NOT!  So many techniques, so many memories, it was fun! Mine is not quite finished, I chickened out with the facial details you draw or stitch in.  Someday soon???

Next weekend is a small retreat - but I have big plans for what I will accomplish while I'm there!  (Of course!)  I have a list and several deadlines zooming up!  I'll give you a progress report next time.

Bye-bye summer, it was nice while it lasted!

Crazy Crazy days of summer are here!!

I've been a member of Stashbusters Online for many funfilled, quilty years.  I write the bobbin reminder on the weekends:

It’s the weekend and you know what that means?  Time to check your bobbin supply.  Is it time to rewind or reorder??  And your job doesn’t end there – you have to keep your eye on that little gem.  It loves to run out at the darnedest times, and that ain’t fun.  Beware when you use partial bobbins - your mind is picturing it FULL, you'll have no idea when it's going to run out!

We also have a Queen of the UFOs (not an honor!) and Ladies in Waiting procrastinating their way up to the throne!!  I’m going to have to go out and get a flight suit – the UFO Queen list is moving so fast this year!  I see I’m back up toward the top.  Luckily I finished 2 quilts!!

I've been playing with a scrap-eating technique!  Color Block!  Using all scraps of the same color, you build funky 'log cabin' blocks.  I was worried that my squares would be too dull - I don't have a lot of BRIGHTS!  But all was well in the end!  My first try was a crib sized quilt.  The second quilt was a quilt for  the Great Adventure.  With a flannel sheet for the batting, it's a 'summer' quilt.  Still heavy though - I can't seem to be satisfied with less piecing.  The more the merrier!  And heavier!!  Crib quilt will be hanging in the Newport Show this weekend.  The quilt is there and loved already!

 

The Great Adventure is on!! My DS and family moved to Central America for two years.  DDIL has a teaching job.  The chaos leading up to this event was monumental!  We went over to help pack/get the kids out of the way of packing.  And we kept the boys with us for 5 days at the end.  And then they actually left!

While they were here we went to the library summer reading program party!  The boys got to get up into a big rig (after having their faces painted!)  The most exciting thing was that there was a bunk bed in the cab!!  The boys made sure the driver knew they had a bunk bed too!

  

We walked the forest and beaches.  But I'm pretty sure they didn't get to pack that seaweed for the trip!

 

It will be hard with the kids far away, but we are skyping and trying to stay in touch.  My DGD (2 years old) will probably like us better on skype!  DS came to pick us up when we had some work done on our car.  She sang and talked about Nana & Papa all morning and during the 30 minute ride to get us.  THEN Papa got into the backseat and she was NOT happy!  We settled her down by Nana getting in the back, Papa in the front.  But she wouldn't look at us or talk to us all the way home!

 

P and I are starting her 13th birthday quilt.  Of course, she likes to text to her friends more than she likes to sew!!  (Who doesn't!?)  We have until September to get-r-dun!  As you can see, there is no sewing room and the iron is - well, it's from the 60s!!  But we're sewing!!

 

M played travel baseball this summer.  He likes to play catcher!  We managed to watch some tournament action and practices.  As you can see, a baseball left it's mark!  A bruise of the baseball stitches!  He was playing 2nd and a ground pop-up got him!  He determined he liked catcher better - because he could wear a mask!  After they (finally) won a big game, they initiated them with eye-black on their faces.  In case you ever need to know ... regular old Vaseline melts that stuff off with no trauma and even soft skin the next day!!!

The second Saturday in July is the Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show.  Always a great time.  A small group of quilting friends meet at Black Butte a few days before the show.  We have gifties for each other - this year's theme was hexies!  And someone found socks!!

We ask stashbusters members attending the show to meet up for a picture.  Always reassuring that what happens at Sisters stays at Sisters!!  LOL! We never rat out each other about spending money on fabric, etc.

 

R and I met in front of the library at Sisters. I can hear you muttering about Sisters in the summer ...  Believe it or not – it was only in the upper 70s!  Gorgeous quilts, as usual.  But I’m getting old … I only last until mid-afternoon these days!

 

After Sisters I left Oregon to go back to Nebraska for a family wedding.  Yep, a July wedding in Nebraska!  It was steamy!  But totally worth it!  Had so much fun catching up with family.  And what better time to get back together than to celebrate love??  A very happy occasion.  The three sisters back together again (with a DH within camera range)  I also got to see 2 quilting friends.  Always fun to get caught up on family and projects!!

Next Friday and Saturday is the Newport Oregon Quilt show – if you are in the area, please come over and see this show.  There are many reasons:  first the weather will be in the 60s!!!  And when you’re on the coast there is almost always a cool breeze no matter what the temp!

The show is in the Recreation center.  Big, airy, light-filled 2 story rooms display wonderful quilts!  There are numerous signs along the roads pointing out the way to the show.  Come see us!!

My grandson M, age 10 is coming home with us – so I need to reorganize the sewing room – it’s his sleeping space!!  How DOES it get so out of control so fast???

My DGD got a Marquee board and we've been having a lot of fun with messages.  I found them on sale ... and now DGS and I have one too!

Words to live by!!!