We have a new record! Unfortunately it's just 2 weeks in a row.

 But it IS two weeks in a row!!!  Pretty sad!  And I wouldn't be writing now if our plans hadn't fallen thru.  It's the Birthday Weekend! My DGD is 16 years old!!! and my DH is 70 - caught up with me again! (It's a long 5 weeks with bad, bad jokes!)

We were all ready to head up to Portland for a big celebration and then ... my DD failed a test!  Yep, she and DGS have Covid.  They are both fully vaccinated and boosted.  But it still is not a fun thing to have.  Wishing everyone a speedy recovery.

So here we are, a cool misty day on the coast - luckily, on my DH's birthday, there is football to watch!!  I feign an interest, but he sees thru me -  but it gives me time to piddle around and pretend to get things done while at the BD boy's beck and call.

Last night was his birthday dinner - he requested ham and Au gratin potatoes. AND a Marionberry pie.  Grocery store didn't have our favorite ham - Cook's Family Foods (Lincoln NE) at least not in the smaller size we needed.  But I'd already gotten the ice cream ... so I dropped the groceries "so far" off for Rick to put away. And went searching for ham at another store.

I should have know it was going to be that kind of day ... all week we have been swarming with workmen trying to finish the outside paint job they started in April!! Stairs and doors were out of commission.  Men hanging upside down painting the eaves.  AND Rick went into town for a pop, and I could NOT get the Marionberry pie filling jar open.  Looked around and no one to be found!'  I googled it - 6 ways to open a jar.  5 of them did not work.  The 6th one involved a knife wedged under the lid.  I didn't try that - I have a bad record with using knives in an unauthorized way - with stitches to prove it!  So I made my Canned in Water cherry pie for his birthday.  

I explained my sad, sad story when DH got home.  He looked at the jar, 'is this it?' and in a split second, half a turn, it was open.  (I didn't even say I'd loosened it for him!)  Luckily, cherry pie is one of my best pies!!  but now the jar is loosened and I need to buy another Pillsbury pie crust (don't judge) and get it made.  The cherry pie is almost gone! It's a birthday weekend and I'm going to share the recipe!!

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Canned Cherry Pie

Make pie crust (I use Pillsbury refrigerated crust!)

•  ¾ c sugar                                            
• 3 T flour
• 2 cans drained canned cherries in water (4 cups)
• 2 T butter

 Preheat oven to 450. Combine sugar & flour in a small bowl and stir well.  Add drained cherries and toss.  Pile cherries into dough-lined pie pan.  Dot with butter.  Put on top crust.  Bake 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 and continue to bake about 45 minutes more until crust is browned.

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At least 30 years later I'm still making it!  A neighbor in Princeton Jct oh-so-many years ago gave me her recipe.  She made her own dough (!)  But she knew I didn't.  They stopped by one evening to return something and we invited them in for some pie.  Her husband praised my pie and said he was surprised that she gave me her pie crust recipe ... my husband knew enough not to correct him, But, Oh, dear - I think her husband slept on the couch that night!  Don't know when she ever made her homemade crust again!

I'm back in the quilting mood this week.  Yes, my Eversewn still has the pedicure separator holding the cord at the right angle.  We have an appt with the Sewing Machine Dr in Medford in 2 weeks.  They are getting the part and I've got a date to haul it over.  Fingers crossed that they can fix it that day - before I come home.  We have separation anxiety without our machines, right??

Meanwhile, I'm not moving it at all, and wearing my lucky socks when operating it.  I managed to get somethings finished!  I love making progress.  Such as it is!

Sorry, this photo is sideways - the black borders are top and bottom.  This is from the Instagram sew along - #scrapsnap.  It was offered in 2020 but I didn't see it!  I saw it this year and started cutting and sewing the first day I found it.  I love the color block methods - this lay-out combines 2 different color combos for each block. yellow/orange; red/pink; blue/purple and green/teal. It really makes those blocks glow.

Many years ago this Improv Bird was offered as a free block on the web.  And now Jenny Doan tells you how.  Birds with attitude!  Just the legs are improv, you decide if they are standing still or running!  I made my Finishing School quilters make a block or two at our retreat for charity baby quilts.  I've spread the pattern around, and some people don't care for them!!!  I know, hard to believe, right?  I love them.  

I cut fabrics and background and striped legs for one of my 'very' small groups and we all went to town making wall quilts.  I had leftover 'legs' and incorporated it into a border.  It went into time-out for a while - it was wider than it was long and that just looks off-kilter to me.  But I found 3 more birds - put in a new top row. (harder than you think!  It's uneven up there!) And still had enough border to go all the way around.  Hoo Rah!  It's only a top - but it's calling to me!  Once my machine is fixed, I can see me pin basting this and finishing it yet this year!  Oh dear ... don't hold it against me if not!  I'm an incurable pie in the sky kind of girl!!

And here is Peek-a-boo! clipped ready to be bound.  The original pattern is by Missouri Star Quilts.  The squares are 5" and make a twin size quilt.  P made the quilt for a grandkid.  We thought it would look really cute as a small wall hanging.  P cut 2.5" squares but I cut 2" squares.  Last April we made them at the spring retreat.  They looked like 2 brothers and I had the youngest one!!  The 'bling' around the outside is the binding clips. 

 I love these clips - a Christmas present from a quilting friend - they hold the binding in place tightly and if it's clipped overnight, the binding stays in place as you remove the clips one at a time.  No pulling and holding it in odd hand movements (Hello 70!) and arthritis!

Enjoy the Canned Cherry Pie recipe and who knows - I might be back again next weekend!

And a fun time was had by all - again!!

 Just back from a four day retreat!!  Oh man, oh man – it was great and worth all the hassle of remembering everything you’ll need.  And then packing, driving 4 hours, unpacking, then trying to find the fabric / tool / thread that you KNOW you packed!!  It’s always crazy - but oh-so-worth-it!

Retreats are my favorite thing.  Just the time alone with your quilting peeps and your favorite activity.  They cook for us. The phone is rarely for us.  Giggling 24-7 with friends,  even without the benefit of Mike's Hard Lemonade!!  Not much money spent unless you go shop-hopping!  And win-win – you get stuff done!

On Wednesday, we arrived at the Big K Ranch in Elton OR in the afternoon – first project:  I started repairing my DGD’s Halloween quilt.  What a pain in the patooty!  So, after hours - a whole side border, I called it good until I got back home.  (Today’s update:  All broken quilted lines are sewn over.  I only have 4 squares to tack down by hand.  Tonight during tv!!)

Thursday, I started the funner(?) stuff!!  My machine was already threaded with orange … so what better time to stitch up “Peek a BOO!”  A Jenny Doan pattern for a twin sized quilt.  P made the twin quilt earlier, it was darn cute, but P and I reduced those 4” squares to 2 ½” and me 2”.  Makes a mighty fine wall quilt!  Together they look like big brother and baby Boo!!  Too cute!  L got a kick out of how we were making the same project but with totally different processes!!  All was well for me, until I forgot about the column of “Peek” resting on the table and kept sewing!  Yep, P helped by ripping that seam out and I got the errant column in.  Much cuter!!  And yes, there were games, or photo opps!  A Scissors headgear was a huge success - "Now where did I put those scissors?"

 

Friday, was the ‘funnest’ stuff!  We bought Applique with a Twist from Meg Manwaring.  (we meant to buy Daily Dose of Applique in the same set up!  It’s hard to keep your focus when you are excited to find it and you’re 69 years young!)  But the pattern is practically the same!  Kind-of, sort of!!  The sashing is scraps sewn into ‘ticker tape’.  Yep, that’s what I call it and I’m keeping it!  Ticker tape is FUN to make!  You chain stitch, of course, just add another strip of whatever color attracts your eyes!

The final ticker tape (in our version) is 2 ½”.  So we sewed!  P’s scraps were longer, mine were from an age old project of mini log cabin blocks. I’m sure you remember the grocery bag full of ‘pieces too little to use, but too big to throw away!’  I moved them to Oregon and had a ball with them.  I have enough log cabin blocks made to create a KING-size bed quilt!!  That sucker is going to be    H-E-A-V-Y!

No need to make more, so I magnanimously donated my log cabin scraps to ticker tape!  Still so fun to see all those favorite fabrics!  Sigh!  We each pieced ticker tape until we had a dozen or so – laid them out on a table and took turns picking out strips.  Ended up with a pile each!  And yes, we have as many scraps left as we took!  Scraps are famous for ‘fluffing’!

That evening I wanted to get started with a Boro wall quilt I’ve wanted to do since before COVID.  P and I went on a QuiltTour trip to Japan in January 2020.  Yes, COVID was there, and we were touring around with crowds of tourists.  But we were lucky, got to come home as scheduled; and I don’t believe anyone in our group ended up with COVID.

It was a grand tour, ending up at the Tokyo Intl Quilt Show.  We bought a few fabrics (not as many as we’d liked to – big hassle to get them home.)  So time to gather those beautiful fabrics, some we bought from Yoko Saito herself!  I played with what I’d brought, but I needed more lighter fabrics.  So took pictures of the arrangement so far, and packed it all up again.  P thought we were going to work on Kantha – also from the Orient, but very different. You think you are communicating but sometimes you’re not!  Mostly my fault, I’m sure!

I made an improv forest wall quilt earlier this year for ModSquad – I love it!  But I ended up with lots more trees than needed.  Yes, they are that addictive!  The Newport Guild has a Charity Benefit silent auction at their August Quilt Show.  This year there is a ‘tree’ theme for donations for Re-Foresting.  You can donate a small quilt for the silent auction OR you can display it and make a donation.  This is going to be a close call – it’s still in 3-5 pieces, but I already love it!  I was going to donate the 'second favorite' tree quilt - …. But I may go with a donation!!  I’ll keep you informed!

 

ModSquad Challenge

Retreat edition - in pieces!

P, L and I had been working on improv birds this spring.  We all brought them to the retreat.  They are stinking cute!  So cute that 2-3 more retreaters started them too!  I cut so many stripes so we would have a choice of stripes for bird legs.  Well, we couldn’t use them all - so I sewed them end to end and made a border I dearly love!  You just can’t go wrong with these birds!!  Here are the online directions!  Start on a free day … it’s addictive!

I'm thinking I could add one more row - there's almost enough border!  I do like rectangle quilts more than square!  We'll see.  There IS a possibility that I just want to make some more birds!!  Yes, they are that fun!!!

Can you believe we fit all that into just 4 days??? This week I'm going to watch grandchildren compete in tennis and baseball.  It may be in the rain ... but it's always good to see the 'Mids'!  They used to be the 'Littles' but now in their teens!  I have no idea how that happened!

Good books lately - 

The River by Peter Keller  Two college friends camping and canoeing in the Boundary Waters.  Tested by fire, white water and violence.  But this softie loved meeting the main characters. 

Waiting for Tom Hanks by Kerry Winfrey  A real cutie and who doesn't love Tom Hanks!  Kerry Winfrey has written several light romances - you know, the kind you long for.  She also has a newsletter that's fun to read.

The World Played Chess by Robert Dugoni  A book about serving in Vietnam.  It was heart-breaking but not too brutal for this softie.  Very good

The Book of Lost Names by Kristen Harmel  A WWII resistance in France novel.  The characters came to life and it was hard to put the book down.

See you next time!  Rain or Shine!

And Just like that - things got hectic!

 We're looking for a new rental in Brookings, yes, I know we've only been here 7 months - but not really our choice.

So whizzing around trying to see rental possibilities early - not after they're gone.  Yep, the rental market is that crazy!

Good thing I have quilting to keep my sanity!!  Ok, I heard that snicker!!

I've been making TAST work for me!! I've added stitches onto a sampler I started 15 years ago??  It was when we first moved to Oregon and I wanted a 'ocean' sampler.  It's very satisfying to watch it grow!

 

When I found it - this was how far I was.  Now - 9 more lines!!

Working on Edyta's 2020 BOW mystery.  My scrappy fabric choices didn't do much for her setting, so using the blocks I made I reorganized them into something I think worked well.  And of course, I have to make more border blocks - but did that yesterday!  So a few more tricks to make it bigger.  Original was 60 x 60 - not much good for snuggling under!

 

Edyta's version looked much better in her fabrics - but I love the zig-zag around the center in my variation!

AND I found #scrapsnap project from 2020.  Right up my alley, too bad I didn't see it back in 2020!!  Making color blocks each month and the finished quilts are awesome and definitely not cookie cutter quilts!  I'm hooked and I'm making it faster than their schedule.  Starting my third grouping today!

  

The Olympics were sometimes hard to watch, especially the 15 yr old from  Russia skater.  But I always watch them - love most of the stories.  I drug out a languishing quilt that needs to be finished and hand quilted every night.  Unfortunately, the Olympics ended and the quilt went back into the closet.  2 more easy borders to go ... soon, she promises!

AND because we needed some fun ... P & I started the improv-ish bird blocks!  We made some for baby quilts several years ago at a Finishing School.  And we both wanted to make a wall quilt ever since!  In one weekend, we made 3/4 of the blocks!! I love them, Now just have to get back to it.  

 

Birds with striped legs make it so fun.  Don't you love P's crossed leg one! Needs a cigar in it's beak!!!

Believe it or not we finally got over to Medford last weekend to celebrate Christmas with the Panama Gang! The weather was fairly clear and the kids were getting over colds - gotta make hay while the sun shines!  It was great fun to see them.  We ate Chipotle for lunch and brought Noho Hawaiian home for dinner!

We all watched the live-action Dora the Explorer and it was a blast from the past and entertaining on all levels.  The boys had a video game contest and the kids and I made some of their drawings into moveable figures.  Light cardboard, brass brads for joints.  Hard to convince the boys we needed the drawings BIGGER and we didn't have a paper punch.  Next time we will - ordered a sharp craft puncher on Amazon!!

Home for Fun Day at guild.  I haven't been very active in guild - COVID of course didn't help.  I had turned over the QOV program to another member and felt like hanging back so she could make it her own. Well, that was an easy excuse anyway!

This month's project was improv place mats.  I made mine into a table runner.  Gotta love stripes!

Hope to be back on a regular schedule blogging - see you soon!