Weekly Update

Dreary and cold Sunday here today - but that's alright, I'm not going anywhere! We've had rain and wind. One morning we found a tree branch snapped off.

I made two out of town trips this week and that is rare for me. Chet and I went to Rushville to pick up my Maple Leaves quilt from Carolyn, the longarm quilter gal. Picture of the Maple Leaves quilt is in the Feb. 22nd post. . . scroll down to older posts if interested. The second trip was to Columbus where JoAnn Fabric & Crafts had a big sale - and I had to use those coupons! I stocked up on a few necessary notions and that's it. Just a quick trip and mission accomplished!

Mark popped in a couple of times during the week to do the cell phone battery exchange - he even stayed for pizza one evening! Usually he's in such a hurry! Contact with the other kids is rare. One grand daughter emailed to tell us they were vacationing in San Juan for their Spring Break - have no idea when they're coming back. Littlest grand daughter emailed me suggesting I get an Ipod. . . I don't think so! I'm sure she could teach me to use it!

And now on to the stitching stories - - I had the binding for the Maple Leaves quilt ready to put on and it's now finished. Looks great - - another scrappy and unplanned! I can only make scrappy look quilts because there are just bits and pieces of alot left.

I also fired my up machine and put together another top (scrappy look, of course) - I'd made 48 "wonky log cabin" blocks and put them away, but they are now sewn into a top and ready to go to the longarm quilter gal on our next trip there.

Need to make a Wal Mart run yesterday and made the mistake of checking out the fabric section of the store. There were several bright and gaudy fabrics that caught my eye. Picture below shows them.

Love those big bright flowers and think the strip fabric matches beautifully. The butterfly fabric has a bit of sparkle in it. This morning I made a portfolio from the butterfly fabric, and have done two Stenographer Book covers using the flowers and the stripes. A third is cut out, fused, stacked and pinned and ready to be sewn up. These items will be part of the loot I'm taking to my beauty shop - the gal has been after me for years to make things and bring them in to her shop to sell. We'll see how it goes. They're also neat for a quick gift if you need just a little something.

And here's the Wonky Log Cabin top. It's "wonky" because I used different sizes of strips from my scrap bag.

Time to sign off for the week - take care everyone and have a good week.

Greetings from Greensburg

The spotlight this week shines on Paul - our Grandson in Wisconsin. He received all these medals and awards through his participation in the DECA club at his high school. Paul is a freshman this year. (Gosh, doesn't he look like his father?) DECA: Distributive Education Clubs of America. These clubs are throughout the states; they work with businesses, teaching the students to come up with marketing projects, merchandising. As Martha would say, "it's a good thing." Congratulations Paul - we are very proud of you.

It has been another quiet week here at home. Truthfully, I don't remember much of what I did this week. Kind of pathetic, isn't it?

Mark stopped in to switch cell phone batteries with me. The charger gadget on his phone broke, so I have to keep my battery charged up, and he stops in every few days to swap batteries. He is shopping for a replacement cell phone.

Mark is such a dear! He also went shopping for Chet a couple of times this week. Chet wanted to go for a ride on his riding mower - dead battery. So Mark went and bought a battery charger, came back and hooked it up. The next day Chet went out to "go for his ride" and it was not cooperating. So it was time for Mark to come swap cell phone batteries and we had him check out the battery in the mower - it had to be replaced. Mark & Chet went and got a new battery, Mark hooked it up and it started right off. Course now it is Sunday and it's not nice to ride around the back forty with the mower on Sunday!

I stopped at Nate & Deanies after a shopping trip - J.D. is home on Spring Break and we'd not seen him yet. I brought him back home with me - he took a shower - went to church with Chet - and came home and had me make a pan of Hamburger Helper for him. Classes are going well for him and he is enjoying college.

I just can't stay away from my sewing machine and fabric stash. A chat-room quilting buddy sent a pattern and I got kind of carried away with it - made 7 fabric covers for stenographers notebooks. . . only 6 are pictured . . . cause I threw the first one away! I added half an inch to the pattern dimensions and results were nicer.

And I made three more note pad folders - I just love that sailboat fabric - and it's almost all gone. Oh dear, I should have ordered ten yards of it! Just kidding!

Time to find something for lunch - I like to eat early - then I can have an early nap!

Till next week - take care and keep in touch.

Hello from the Hoosiers

We are enjoying our Spring like weather - not too cold these days! But then it doesn't pay to complain anyway!

It's been relatively quiet around our house. Everyone seems to be doing their own thing and keeping busy. Spring Break this week for local schools and colleges. J.D. is in town but only until Wednesday. He plans on stopping by for his favorite meal: Hamburger Helper and corn! He's not hard to please at all. All our kids are working, thank goodness. There have been a lot of layoffs at local factories and I feel sorry for them. I'm glad we're doing alright - guess old age is beneficial sometimes!

Neighborhood kids are tearing up the field out back with their ATV's. Sisters - do you remember our Mom's friend, Alma? Alma lived in a neighborhood with a lot of kids, her house was at the bottom of a slight hill. The kids used to roll down this hill with their wagons, it made Alma so nervous she had to pull her shades and close her curtains - well, I found myself doing the same thing the other day. The kids were doing 'wheelies' on a front and back wheel. I couldn't tell if they wore helmets or not. . . I just closed the curtain and went to the other side of the house! Just call me Alma now! (It wasn't the kids right next door - parents keep too close tabs on them)!

Okay - all my pictures are so dark again. This first picture is what I found when I came home from quilt guild meeting on Monday. It seems the ceramic fruit pieces I put on the mantle wasn't "pleasing to Chet's eyes" and he put his model car, pick-up and motorcycle up there! They go so well with my batik baskets mantle cover, don't they? Ho Hum - as his mother used to say!



The following pictures are some of my latest projects. I wanted to make something small so I could say I've finished something. I found the patterns online and ended up not being too happy with them. One of them has you putting in a lining - but no instructions as to how to make it, etc. Just another learning experience, I guess.






Photos below are another pattern I found online. There is a Yahoo group called Heartstrings, the gal who started it is in Minneapolis and many members are also from Minnesota. This is a kind of "wonky logcabin" quilt. It's a good way to use up all the leftover, different sizes of strips cut for other projects. I finished the last 16 (of 48) blocks this morning and they are ready to be put together now.

Mark just checked in and is coming over - his cell phone battery died and he's coming to get mine. His boss retired and Mark now has his job - says he now has a bigger spread sheet and 40 people to coordinate!

I need to hit the kitchen and rattle the pots and pans - till next week, stay well and keep in touch.

Time Changes Mess Me Up!

Oh dear, my poor body doesn't accept change very well anymore! Even my computer is rejecting the time change! I have no idea what time zone I'm in. Our county was one of those that began changing time three years ago. . . and I'm still confused. It is just a good thing I don't have to be anywhere at any specific time. . . well, except for dental and doctor appointments and they are so great about calling and reminding me.

Spring is coming to our area. The field that butts up to our back yard has been plowed. We were surprised to see the electric company put poles and wires down the center of it a few weeks ago. We'd heard the land had been sold and apartment houses were to be built there. This was all inspired by Honda's coming to Greensburg. Well, with the economy in straights, we were relieved to hear nothing was going to be build there. I'm relieved to see the field being worked - this year corn will be planted there (he rotates crops) this year.

We've had great temperatures this past week and we ventured out a couple of times. I had to have the car at the garage early last week to see why the Anti Lock Brake system light came on. Turns out it wasn't anything major - only a bulb burned out and shorted something out. I didn't ask for a loaner car so one of the mechanics drove me home and again picked me up and I took him back and paid my bill and visited with the gal in the office for a bit. She has a beautiful new granddaughter and showed me a picture. (This gal also used to come to quilt guild). So my car is good as new again. Oh - and I asked the mechanic if I passed "the old woman driver test" and he said I did just fine. I'm so pleased - unbiased opinion!

Mark stopped over to take a look at our kitchen light - which wasn't working. I was napping when he came and no one woke me up - until it was fixed. We visited for a while and then went out to Chili's to eat.

Mitch called from Florida where he was going to a funeral for the wife of a friend - pancriatic cancer. Such a horrible disease and she was so young, too. He made a very moving statement, " I'm calling those I love to let them know I do love them:" Mark said he spoke with him - we've not chatted with Tracy or Nate this week. J.D. reported in one day - he's looking forward to Spring Break (but didn't know exactly when it was).

Wednesday I visited the Columbus Star Quilters Guild. This group has a large membership, everyone was very nice and it was an entertaining event. The gals have an annual auction meeting - they go through their fabrics, patterns, magazines, and notions and sort out things they no longer like, want or need. These items are then auctioned off to guild members and funds go into the guild treasury. They have quite a few guest speakers and teachers. I was inspired to sew more and get rid of things I no longer want or need or like! I have visions of my children going through the stash and wondering "what on earth was she thinking" and I don't want them laughing at me!

And here is a quilt top ready to take to my longarm quilter gal. Another scrappy look quilt and it sure was a stinker to put together. I did talk to myself often while working on it. The quilt is folded in fourths. I'm not putting a border on it - I just want it DONE! It is pretty but my craftsmanship isn't up to par - but it will keep someone warm!

Now I imagine you are wondering what that messy bag of stuff in the next picture is. I asked fellow quilters to save selvedges for me - the edge of the fabric with writing and dots and squares on it. We don't use selvedges when making a quilt because they are so tightly woven and cause problems. Then along came someone who decided she was going to do something with them and of course I had to jump on the bandwagon, too. Gals from the Fabric Stash Chat Room, my sister and some gals in my quilt guild gave some to me. After finishing the quilt top above, I needed something totally mindless to work on so I got out the bag full of selvedges and pressed a bit and just sat down and played for a couple of hours. Two are postcards, which can be mailed (for 1st class postage) and the smaller piece is just a patch I put together, too small for a postcard and may be used as a patch on a purse front - or something like that. . . . it's too cute not to use somewhere! It's laying on a piece of bluish-lavendar fabric - it's in the meditation stage of creation!

Time to move along and do something - perhaps lunch - - I hear Chet in the garage and he'll be ready to eat something, too.

Have a good week, everyone!

Sunny Sunday

Lovely day here in central Indiana but we do have low temps and a strong wind. I check the wind by looking at the flag across the street on the neighbors yard. Chet's gone to church with his buddy Paul - he looks forward to his "outings". The outings have been rare because of the cold weather and snow. Soon he'll be able to take out the riding mower, hook up his little trailer and go about the yard picking up sticks and debris from the winter winds! He's so happy to be doing that!

We did venture out and picked up the Pioneer Braid quilt the longarm quilter gal finished. Am proud to announce I even have completed sewing the binding on it. Truly a scrappy quilt and I even sent so far as to use up odds and ends of bindings leftover from other quilts. The photo shows only a fourth of the quilt - it's a nice nap size!

Below are pictures of fabric baskets I've been making - my hairdresser has been encouraging me to bring things in to her shop and sell them. With Easter just around the corner these baskets should be a hit. She will probably put some of her products in them for display. (She also cut and colored my hair on that visit - both were long overdue!)

I haven't abandoned the "Goosey-Goosey" quilt - it calls for 80 blocks and 40 are finished. I will get back to it sometime this week. It is another scrappy look - all fabrics from the stash and using up quite a bit of fabric.

The family is doing fine. Nate is working 12 hour shifts, six days a week. His plant makes French car parts and they are building inventory - parts for older model cars. People are repairing their cars instead of buying new cars!

Tracy sent photos of Anna Grace running in the snow with her mouth open, eating snowflakes. It is a real treat for them to have snow in Mississippi!

And Mark - I think he's lost - I called him and left a message but haven't heard back from him. Perhaps I need to make a big batch of Minnesota Hotdish and invite him over!

Mitch and family are well. He's been traveling again and they've had so much snow in Green Bay. Spoke briefly with Paul (he's using his folder for math class - likes the graph paper!)

My car is going in for a check up in the morning. The Anti Lock Brake system light came on - and stayed on. This car has been super - just turned over 85,000 miles last week and the car is a 94 model. . . think it'll last the rest of my life? Knock on wood!

Off to my sewing - want to make a few more folders. Till next week, stay well and warm.