BLOGS AND BLOCKS

My husband has been gone on a business trip this week and I thought I would get so much done! Where does the time go? I can't catch up on the projects that I posted about before I left for Minnesota. I have been home for two weeks and I feel like I am spinning my wheels. I need some time to spend finishing some stuff. I haven't even read all the blogs on my bloglines. I feel bad about that. When I got home my bloglines said I had over 600 entries to catch up. Now it says 400.

It would help if Kim at http://kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/ didn't write every day. But she just can't shut up! And I want to read all her funny stories.

Then there is Mary at http://maryquilts.blogspot.com/ who not only blogs every day, but also completes an amazing amount of fabulous quilts, and now is providing instructions for them!

Darlene at http://quiltingdaze.blogspot.com/ and May Britt at http://abyquilt.blogspot.com/ always have darling projects, big and small, and I want to dive into each one of them!

Oh yes, there are many, many more of you who keep me at the computer much longer than I should be. How can I get anything done when there are so many voices waiting to be heard? And new people keep showing up! I am going to have to draw the line somewhere. But not quite yet.





OK, that reminds me of my little Plumpkin. She mimics everything she hears, of course, and her mom has gotten into the habit of saying, "Not quite yet," to her when she asks for things. Plumpkin, of course, now uses that expression constantly. In fact, she will answer her own questions and say, "Can I have a cookie, not quite yet"? Or "Can we go to the park, not quite yet"? This is a picture of her this month - June - when she decided that the only outfit she would be willing to wear was a witch costume that she spotted in her closet. She actually prefers no clothes. Her mom decided that witch clothes were just fine.





Just so you know I haven't been totally non-productive, I have been making some of those Cheri Saffiote blocks, (see http://patchalotmore.blogspot.com/2007/05/primitive-christmas-blocks.html )and I wanted to see what orphan blocks I had that might work with them. I actually found a few that sized up very nicely together. The cardinal is a Debbie Mumm design, the Santa is from Country Threads, The tree from Little Quilts, and the quilt block is a reject from a block exchange. The color was good for this. The little ornament block is one of the Saffiote blocks I made. Patti at http://quiltingisstillmypassion.blogspot.com/ has been combining her orphan blocks into an enormous quilt that is awesome. I can tell you it is hard work figuring how to fit it all together. I am thrilled with my little project and I am going to border it and call it done! Sadly, it only contains one of the Saffiote blocks, so I will still have to decide what to do with all the rest. I am in no hurry, but I would like to see SOMETHING completed!
Dang, my Bloglines is now reading 485!

MY MOM'S TREASURE

I dreamed this morning that I was at my Mom’s house and she was there. It is funny because part of me knows she is dead, but part of me doesn’t believe it. She always comes back. When she first started coming back, she was always rather dismayed, because she couldn’t find her stuff. I felt like such a traitor, having gone through her things and discarded or otherwise distributed it to family and friends. It seemed the prudent thing to do. My Mom was a collector and boy did she have stuff! My Dad wanted to get everything cleaned out. He was not sentimentally attached to things like my Mom was. He wanted to sell the house and simplify his life. It was a perfectly sensible thing to do, except that my Mom, though she was dead, was not yet ready to leave her things.

I am the oldest child of five. All my life I saw my mother accumulating her treasures. She would find them on sale at stores, at antique shops, or garage sales. Friends and family would give her little things because they loved her and wanted to please her. She always returned the favor by making them feel special for giving her the most wonderful thing. It wasn’t an act. She really was thrilled with every little thing! And she saved it all. The remarkable thing, to me, was the way she was able to display these treasures around her home. She really had a knack for giving things their own little space.

Mom had cancer and it had progressed to the point where she was bed ridden. My sister came from Tucson and I from Seattle to take up residency, once again, in Minnesota, in the home where we had lived so many years before. Our mother needed us and we were fortunate to be able to respond and help out. Hospice nurses came regularly and so a hospital bed was brought into the family room. The family room had large windows that looked out over a swampy nature preserve. Mom loved that room because she could watch the animals and birds and feel nature all around her. While under the influence of morphine, she told my daughter, “If you ever find yourself in this situation, try and get this room”.

While Mom was resting my sister and I began going through things in the basement. Mom was very artistic and so she had boxes and chests and bags of craft items. Many items were so old that they had become vintage treasures! Others things were quite hilarious. For example, she had several big milk cans filled with pinecones; and about twelve dozen egg cartons with eggs in them that had all been blown out. What could we possibly do with stuff like that? I actually wondered if Holly Hobby, from the 1970’s, had retired down there. We kept finding evidence of her presence.

One November day Mom told my sister and me to go into the basement and bring up those little birds. She had a couple drawers full of feathery little fake birds that she bought here and there on sale. We pretended to go look for them but we had already sent a big bag of them home with my daughter Polly, who lived near by, so we told Mom we couldn’t find them. In frustration, my mother said, “Tell Polly to come and look for them, she knows where they are”! Polly came over and brought the birds back and Mom said, “I knew you could find them”! Then Mom had Polly take the birds outside and decorate the trees. There was a birdfeeder at the window that my Dad kept filled and birds were always flocking to it, but she also wanted to see birds in the little pine trees out her window. The next spring some of those birds were still hanging on, but Mom was gone.

The family home has been sold and my father, now 84, has moved to an apartment in Arizona. My Mom always talked about moving there, but honestly, she couldn’t face what it would have taken to go through her acquisitions of a lifetime. She couldn’t bear to part with any of it! My sister and I tried to divide up things between her children and grandchildren. It wasn’t easy. Especially when everything you look at carries a memory. We did the best we could. But truthfully, now that it is all removed from my Mother’s house, it has lost a lot of its magic. The box of Christmas ornaments will never be the same as they were on my mother’s enchanting tree. The cute little collection of trinkets from her fireplace mantle look really dorky on mine. All of her Nelson Eddie memorabilia and records – I don’t even remember what we did with it.

In my dreams, Mom would show up and I would wonder what to tell her. She wants to know where all her things are and I guiltily have to tell her we didn’t think she was coming back. She tries to understand, but looks at me with disappointment. Where did I think she went? She was only gone for a while. I try to make sense of it, but I can’t. She is still alive, of course she is alive! She would never leave us permanently.

When I wake up I realize that my mother has indeed passed away. Several years ago, in fact. But my reality is that she is not “dead and gone”, she has just “passed on”, and at some future time we will join her. Jesus Christ has given us this gift with his resurrection and with his promise of our future resurrection. My Mother never doubted that and it is embedded in my soul. Families can be together forever.

So why the guilt about all this earthly “stuff”? I don’t know. Maybe it is because I am still on earth and view things through mortal eyes. In my dreams mortality and immortality get mixed up. There is a scripture that reads, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also”. (Luke 12:34)
When I think of my Mother’s home and all the things she possessed and loved, I know that what she loved most was my Dad, her children, her grandchildren, family and friends. She showed that to us all in so many ways. She made everyone feel welcome in her home. The truth is my Mom was the real treasure. Her family and friends each hold a part of that treasure in their hearts. That and the promise is enough for now.

Now that I have analyzed it maybe I can let go of the guilt. I hope I can explain it to her next time she comes around.

NOW I CAN RELAX

Whew, we are feeling the heat here in Virginia! (See my Weather Pixie!) But that is what summer is all about, right? Besides, I am sitting here in my air conditioned home. I only feel the heat when I want to. Yes, I am back from Minnesota. Had a nice trip. Granddaughter #1 graduated from high school--that was the main event. We had a party for her the next day with lots of relatives, friends and neighbors. It was lots of fun to see everyone.

Does the above picture look a little strange? Let me explain. We bought three yards of clear plastic sheeting at Walmart and placed it on the table. Then we took all kinds of snapshots of GD #1 and slid them under the plastic. She was the Belle of the Ball, after all. It was great. People could sit at the table and eat and look at the pictures. If we had scrapbooked all those photos we couldn't have done this! But we were lucky--they were all loose in a box. (OK, I am being facetious.) Everyone loved looking at all the pictures of her growing up. Many pictures also had friends and relatives in them, so that was fun too. (Wow, was I young when she was born!)
I also read a fabulous book that my friend gave me before I left home.
This book, Dark Enough To See The Stars Under a Jamestown Sky, is based on the original Jamestown settlement and was written by a descendant of one of the families. It is written from the woman's perspective, which made it very interesting, since it touched on the concerns and contributions of the women. It was not only illuminating, but touching. I have yet to visit Jamestown, but now when I go I will feel a kinship to the women who actually lived there. We hear so little about them, but their sacrifices serve us all. I was afraid that the story would be too dismal, but the character and goodness of the primary woman in the book was so uplifting. Books like this feed my soul!

GOING TO MINNESOTA

For the past few months my two friends and I have been getting together almost once a week. The exception being when one of us is out of town. We have had a great time visiting and eating and working on our Home Sweet Home quilts. None of us live close to another, so we travel roughly 40 minutes to one house or the other. Consequently, we spend the whole day together, until someones husband comes home and we reluctantly break until the next week. It is good to have friends! I don't know how I got so lucky, but these two are the best! Tomorrow they are getting together without me! (Blink back tears). Well, I am the one

leaving town, so it can't be helped. How did I come to meet such good friends when they live so far away? Well, at the quilt shop of course! Don't their house blocks look great?!

So tomorrow I am off to Minnesota! My oldest granddaughter is graduating from high school. I didn't even make her a quilt! She wants something puffy and will probably be happier with one from the store. Some day she will be more interested in a quilt from me. So why force it? Right? Besides, I have been rather self indulgent lately, making quilts that I like!

The little Plumpkin has turned two years old, and is the cutest child in the world! (We all have the right to say that about our own, don't you think?) My daughter, her mom, said to her recently, "Are you my sunshine?" Plumpkin replied, "I your only sunshine. I make you happy when skies are gray!" You know it, baby!

So, for the next two weeks I will be in Minnesota with family and mosquitoes (that's a given). I will be checking in on blogs when I am able.

PRIMITIVE CHRISTMAS BLOCKS

Have you seen Cheri Saffiote's new Christmas book? It has tons of the cutest little primitive folkart blocks! (Notice all the bookmarks). I decided I wanted to prepare a bunch to take with me to Minnesota next week so I have some hand work to play with. So I started preparing the blocks, then in the evening I sat down and stitched them, totally defeating the purpose, but I couldn't stop myself! I don't have any idea how I am going to arrange them in a quilt. At this point I am just making a few of them for fun and I can figure the rest out later. There are so many patterns in this book that in order to print them all, they are printed small and you have to enlarge them 200% on a copy machine. I did that to a few, and some I decided to make smaller, so enlarged them at 175%. Some are so simple that you can just sketch them out in the size you want. They are all odd ball sizes, so they will need strips, etc. to pull it all together. But for now, I just laid them all on the floor for a photo. I have to tell you, the directions in this book puzzle me. It isn't very clear what the finished size of the blocks are supposed to be. When I add up the measurements for the pieced blocks they don't compute. I finally decided I would just determine the cutting sizes on my own so I was sure of what I would get. It would be really confusing for a beginner, but I am used to winging it, so it is OK. That funny little tree in the picture will have buttons sewn on, but not until after the quilting is done. Wow, do we know how to have fun or what?

YOU CAN'T HAVE TOO MANY 9-PATCHES

I showed you my 9-patch stars previously, and I have had some snatches of time to work on that quilt. I know that every time I show a project I tell you how much I love it. I hope you don't think that I am bragging. I just get enthused about creating stuff, and whatever project I am working on is my new favorite! As I go around the blogs I am always so impressed with the amount of talent out there. The stuff I do is always quite simple, by comparison. Well, those Home Sweet Home houses were more complicated, but I just followed the directions and was inspired by the wonderful designers. Anyway...

These stars are actually called Dolley Madison Stars. I love anything with 9-patches, so they were a natural for me. I said before that I had lots of no-brainer 9-patches to make and that is just what I did. See photo example above. I actually did this no-brainer version several times. I think I fell asleep and went on auto pilot. I am trying to come up with a good excuse. Anyway, I am really swift with the seam ripper, so no harm done.

I would love to have been in a 9-patch swap, but I wasn't, so I had to make a big variety of blocks. It takes longer, as you know. But it is done. I found myself counting and recounting to see how many were completed. Then I decided to count them into piles of 10 and safety pin each group together. Lots easier to know how many I had completed.

I have all the stars joined together with sashing for the body of the quilt. I found the sashing at 50% off at the LQS. It is Moda Christmas fabric, if you can believe it. It is a pretty tan with a cable design on it. Now I am working on the border. And so it goes.

Today is another fabulous day in Virginia Beach, so I need to get out and run errands and work in the yard! Big smiley face :D

NO COMMENT???

For whatever reason, blogger didn't put a "comment" spot on my last post. I just saw that another blog had that happens, so maybe it is just a momentary fluke. Let's hope!

ADDENDUM

Thank you for visiting me at my blog. And even more thanks if you make a comment! When I wrote that last post I wasn't sure if I should publish it. I was afraid you all might think I was an unhappy, mean spirited woman. Apparently I struck a nerve! At least with some of you. Let me just make a little addendum and say that I could not get through life without a sense of humor. There are a few other necessities, such as faith in God, good friends, Diet Coke and chocolate, but really, if you can't laugh, and mostly if you can't laugh at yourself, well, how would one survive?

I do have a sarcastic streak in me as well, and that sometimes gets me into trouble. Over the years I have tried to bridle my tongue. I tell myself, "If I just keep my mouth shut, I won't say anything stupid"! Sometimes it even works. I come from a family of five children and parents who were extroverts. We had to be loud to be heard! There was a lot of competition for attention. To this day my 83 year old father is the life of any party and a joy to be around. He still tells stupid jokes and I still think he is funny!

Again, I do appreciate your comments. It is fun to have "imaginary friends" out there!

MOTHERHOOD, THE FINAL FRONTIER

You enter into the ranks of motherhood with such blossoming and optimistic innocence. A few months of sleep deprivation cures that. You always looked with disdain at those parents who didn't keep their children controlled. Your children would behave much better because you would teach them manners. Ha! Funny, you never knew about strong willed children until you had them! Now you think there is something wrong with them: they must be hyperactive or something! No Honey, they are normal. You must adapt to a new reality: Children rule. You have no life of your own. Somehow you get through their childhood. You even have moments of great pride and pleasure.

Then they become teenagers. Oddly, you retained enough of your former innocence that you never saw it coming. Another evil truth reveals itself. Teenagers are possessed. Why is your daughter crying again? Why is your son punching holes in the walls? Why is their father working late again? And where is my Prozac???

And then came Mother's Day. I used to HATE Mother's Day. What a crock! We would go to church and listen to all the MEN talk about how wonderful we mothers are. They would hand us each a petunia, and send us home; each of us feeling like we aren't THAT mother. Sometimes when the kids were little we would get a homemade gift from school. By the time they were teenagers there was nary a mumble about Mother's Day. You would not catch them giving any kind thoughts away. My husband was no better. "You aren't MY mother," he would say. Yes, most mothers end up raising their husbands also.
Well , finally Mother's Day means something! My husband has grown up and realizes that he could have been more helpful. My children have grown up and wonder how I did it all? My daughter and daughter-in-law are re-living my life, bless their hearts! They work hard to take care of their family in ways that their husbands just can't fathom. Yes, I love my son and my son-in-law, but they are men and they have a way of making things more difficult than necessary. Need I say more?
All four of my grown children called to give me love and good wishes. Really, they are great kids and I am so proud of them! Those with children look at life differently now. Funny how that happens. Both my sons have apologized to me for the trouble they gave me through the years. My youngest son, trying to add a little humor to his humility, said to me, "Mom I really love you and you are a great mom, in spite of what I may have said when I yelled at you." My reply: "I know I'm a good mother, son, I am just glad that you know it!"

Really, it wasn't as bad as the picture I painted. Really, there was lots more joy than pain. Really, it was a lot harder than I ever thought it would be. Really, I wouldn't trade any of them. And really, I love being a grandmother!

THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

I have been stitching away on another eagle project. The first project was God Bless America, which you can see by clicking on that link. I decided I wanted to make the same eagle in wool and see how it turned out. I reduced the size and changed it a little, and I love it! In fact, I love it so much that I decided to offer you a little tutorial, as well as the pattern, in case you would like to make one for your own. Make a pillow, or frame it, or whatever you like.
I use Heat n Bond Lite to trace the eagle and the stars. This is optional, but it holds the edges so they don't fray. Don't use too much heat or you will get crispy fried wool, which I have done. The eagle needs his head reversed if you trace it on the paper side of the HnB. (You can use a Sharpie pen and trace on the fusible side, then re-trace to the front for cutting, thus reversing the image). Leave the paper on the back of the cut out eagle, remove paper from the back of the stars and fuse the stars in place. Now remove the paper from the eagle and, using matching gold thread, stitch the stars to the eagle. Embroider U-S-A on the stars in black floss. Do this free hand, or see the directions below for transferring the lettering. Center the eagle on an 11" x 13" piece of black wool. Use your printed pattern to adjust the placement. Fuse and stitch down in red thread. I just use a little whip stitch. To transfer the embroidery design you will need: a Sharpie permanent marker, a chalk pencil, and tulle, or netting, -not the really fine stuff.
Cut an 8" square of tulle. Lay it on the pattern, and with the Sharpie, trace the lettering and the embroidery design. Lay the tulle on the black wool and position the embroidery in place. Trace over the tulle pattern with a chalk marker to transfer the design and lettering onto the wool. The chalk brushes off easily, so transfer a little at a time, embroider over the chalk design, then chalk on more of the pattern. etc.
The chalk doesn't show up too well in the photo, but you get the idea. Don't worry about getting the embroidery or lettering too exact. This is folk art, just have fun with it!
I decided to add fringe to mine. First I sewed a backing fabric on it, and turned the pillow inside out. Leave an opening and stuff it, then stitch it closed. I then hand stitched the fringe around the outside. I have been thinking of other ways I could finish the edge, possibly making wool fringe, or just sew a colored binding on as you would a quilt. Finish yours however you would like! Follow this link for the pattern: SWEET LAND OF LIBERTY

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL DAY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

I think I am done! At least I am done with the houses. I have them all assembled and now I have the border to do, but I am putting that off for a while so my friends can catch up with me. At least that is my excuse. I really just need to take a break and work on other stuff for a while.

This is the UFO that I am working on. I have had these blocks made for a while and need many more 9-patches to finish the quilt. I love 9-patches. They are totally mindless and always look so cute. I am using scraps and drawing on my stash to build the blocks. If I can weasel in any little homeless piece, I do! I will show more on this as I progress. I am also working up my little eagle in wool, so we shall see how that goes. I am a hands on designer. If I could only create it in my mind and then reproduce it! But no! I have to make part of a design and then let it stew to see what will come next. It is a slow and painful birth! The good news, and the bad news, is that I have no deadline, if you get my drift.
By the way, I just thought I should take a minute to mention that I haven't ever added any blogs that I read on my sidebar. The reason is that I read so many blogs (though not every day) that I am afraid I would leave someone out and I don't want anyone to feel bad. I really enjoy and appreciate all of you! I am a member of the Stash ring, and am connected to all of those quilters through clicking on that. I also have an extensive list on Bloglines that I go to. If you like to cruise blogs and haven't connected to Bloglines, just click on the icon on my sidebar and you can sign up. It is easy! This enables you to list all the blogs that you like to visit. It shows which blogs have updated entries. You can go there and click on your favorite blogs anytime.
Did you get a laugh out of my dog and cat diary post yesterday? Someone sent it to me I got a kick out of it. It really fits those animals, doesn't it? Have a happy day!

DIARY ENTRY FROM YOUR PET

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DIARY:
8:00 am- Dog food! My favorite thing!
9:30 am- A car ride! My favorite thing!
9:40 am- A walk in the park! My favorite thing!
10:30 am- Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!
12:00 pm- Lunch! My favorite thing!
1:00 pm- Played in the yard! My favorite thing!
3:00 pm- Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!
5:00 pm- Milk bones! My favorite thing!
7:00 pm- Got to play ball! My favorite thing!
8:00 pm- Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!
11:00 pm- Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DIARY:
Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.
They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed Hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.
The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.
Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am.
There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.
Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.
I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.
The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now...

ROYALTY IN VIRGINIA

I am a Yankee transplated on southern soil. We have lived here in Virginia for almost seven years. I find the history in this area to be quite facinating. For example, less than a mile down the beach from where we live is the site where the first English ships landed in 1607. This spot is located at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay where it meets the Atlantic Ocean. There are two lighthouses that mark the spot now. The old one is brick and visitors can climb up the narrow stairway to the top and look out. The second is the "new" lighthouse. It was built in around 1887, I believe. I don't think it is operational any more. GPS technology has taken over. But to recall this local history:

Four hundred years ago three ships set sail from London. Four months later they landed here on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Captain John Smith, of the Pocahontas story, was on one of them. Bet you thought that was at Plymouth Rock, didn't you? I know I did, until we moved here. In April of 1607 these ships came in and planted a wooden cross and named the spot Cape Henry, in honor of Henry, the Prince of Wales, elder son of King James I.
The expedition moved on up the bay and found what is now the James River, which took them farther inland. They settled at a spot which they named Jamestown, and it became the first permanent English colony in the new world. That is the history in a nutshell.
Lots more information available at http://www.jamestown1607.org/
This is a year of big celebrations in this area. On April 29th there was a reenactment of the cross being erected at Cape Henry. Jamestown has been rebuilt and preparing for lots of visitors also. In fact, yesterday Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip arrived here in Virginia! They have come to visit Jamestown and see what the big fuss is all about. At 81 years of age, the Queen is so gracious and energetic. I wish the weather was a little more pleasant for her visit. It has been cool and overcast the past two days. She probably gets enough of that back home. I wonder if she was hoping to go to the beach?

Also of historical note is this really cool quilt book, Quilts of Virginia 1607-1899. Not only does it contain lots of historical information about the history in this state, but it has lots of pictures of wonderful old quilts. I love traditional old quilts and could happily work on any number of the quilts that this book contains. For me, all roads lead back to quilts!

LAST HOUSES FINISHED!!!

I am happy to report that the last two houses of my Home Sweet Home quilt are completed! I have enjoyed every minute of it--now comes the border, which, I am afraid, will be long and boring. But I digress...


This block is on the bottom row in the middle. I changed it from the original Blackbird Design's Home Sweet Home pattern. (Click the link and scroll down to see what their actual original quilt looks like). I moved the year to the right side and added a flag. The two blocks are sewn together and the the flag overlaps from one block into the next. As you can see, there are lots of vines and stems in the quilt and they have been made using the Clover Bias Tape Maker. I have come to love this little gizmo. It tucks the edges of the tape under so nicely. I mentioned before that I spray it with starch and press it as it comes out of the tape maker. This gives it a nice sharp edge. I used the bias tape to form my initials and the year and it worked very well. They need to be smaller than the original design. I should have sewn the flag on first and then adapted the tulip and made it bushier, but I am just going to be happy with it the way it is. Once it is quilted I think it will be fine.

This second block may well be my favorite in the whole quilt. I love the design of it with the pieced stars and flowers. In this block I added a bit more yellow to brighten up the quilt. This is actually the center block of the quilt. Aren't those Blackbird ladies great designers?!

HOME AGAIN

I arrived home from Arizona late last night. Now I have to adjust to the three hour time change. Ugh! First thing I did was sleep till 11:00am Eastern time. Second thing was to throw in a load of laundry. and third--well, here I am! Back in blogland! My computer is as slow as I am today. But at least it is working. My son's phone, cable and internet connection was out before I left. He has the Cox package for all three. So if one goes out, they all go out. We have Cox for our cable TV connection and every time it goes out it is because a repairman was working on someone elses installation and disconnected ours! That has happened a dozen times. Next time it happens it will be bye-bye Cox. My son said there was a Cox repair truck working down the street from his house. What do you want to bet...

That darling girl in the photo is my Arizona granddaughter. She is a cutie! Almost 11 years old. The quilt is a log cabin design by Alice Berg that was in American Patchwork and Quilting a few years ago. I enlarged it to fit a queen size bed. It has little stars at the intersections. You would think I would get sick of red, white and blue, but I never seem to. Thanks for all your nice comments on my eagle, by the way. Those of you outside of America probably get sick of seeing "God Bless America", but it seems we need it more and more! Maybe we should come up with a new slogan, like "God Bless Our Patchwork World"! Any suggestions out there?

Along that same international thought, I found my signature blocks here from Cynthia in Australia when I got home. Wow, I can't believe all the countries represented! It is wonderful! Many added their blog address to their block, which I wish I had done. I will have to go through and see who I can find on line. Thanks to everyone who participated and a big thanks to Cynthia for doing all the work!

I suppose I should go now and do #4 on my list today: UNPACK I hate that part.

PVC FRAME QUESTION, etc.

Greetings from Mesa, Arizona, where the weather is sunny and breezy. Just about perfect, in fact! Time is speeding by. I arrived here last Thursday night, April 11. I'll be here for a while visiting my family. Both my sons live here, as well as my sister, aunts and uncles, dozens of cousins, and even my Dad, who moved here last October. I am happy to come here and visit with everyone. There are always projects here for "the sewer in the family". People think that if you know how to work a sewing machine you can do anything that needs to be done in that realm. I am happy to do what I can, but we all know where the real pleasure comes from, right? So I do what I can, and then I have to feed my own addiction! So yes, I brought projects to work on! I finished up my little eagle top. Now I have to quilt him, but he will be ready for the 4th of July or whatever. I also brought a UFO to work on. I am excited to work on it. I will show you that later, after I figure out how to load pictures from their computer. My DIL took my camera to work to load this Eagle photo for me.

I had more time when I first got here, so I have been going through my bloglines to check up on everyone. I still have quite a ways to go to get through, but it is nice to see what everyone is doing. The past few days I have been real busy going to lunch, etc. Oh poor me. I started writing this post several days ago, and can't seem to make it through and get it posted. Draft-edit-draft-edit, etc.

I had a question from a reader the other day who needs advice on loading her quilt on a PVC frame that she just bought and I thought I would pose the question to whomever has had experience with this. Janelle has an adjustable PVC quilt frame that is opened to 34" x 4o" and has a quilt top that measures 60" x 84". She doesn't know how to put the quilt on and get it nice and tight. She has spring type clamps rather than the half pipes. I know very little about this, so I am putting out a call for her. If you have some advice to offer, leave me a comment. I know she will appreciate any help. I am the last person to run an advice column, but I know there are many of you in blogland who have great solutions. Thank you, thank you!

KNOCK-KNOCK

Spring is in the air! Around here there are trees budding and others in full bloom! The sun is shining and happiness abounds! I am even doing some spring cleaning in anticipation of company coming for the weekend. That is my big motivator, anyway. But it feels good to shine things up and wipe away layers of dust. The truth is, I don't know if I got it all or not. My eyes don't notice such minor details anymore. I am a lot more relaxed about that stuff than I used to be. I guess I am good with who I am and past worrying about what people will think. Mostly because I have learned that most people don't really care! It is not that I think I am perfect, or above it all. I am over weight and frumpy. People look at me and feel better about themselves! So in a morose kind of way, I spread good cheer! Wow, I am way off the track...and sounding like Rodney Dangerfield! :)



So, speaking of spring, I finished my house block that has the holly and snowflakes! Seven houses done out of nine. When this quilt is finished I will be searching for a new identity. I have been so wrapped up in it.
On the other hand, I am working on a new project as well. I saw an eagle in an antique quilt in a book and drew up my own interpretation. I added the embroidered banner, etc. A really cute border is in the works.
My 23 month old granddaughter (The pink plumpkin from past post) has discovered knock-knock jokes. Yesterday she said to her mother, "knock, knock". Mom says, "who's there?" Plumpkin says, "Jack, it's time to get out of the shower!" Yes, every day she hears her mother knock on the bathroom door and yell to her brother to get out of the shower. Kids are so hilarious! I love it!
I hope you are all doing well. I haven't been blogging too much lately, in an effort to accomplish something in my life. But I try to run through my Bloglines at least once a week. I enjoy touching base with so many of you and admiring your handiwork. I am always happy to hear from you also. I have noticed some new people coming around, and that is fun too. Wow, my list is growing--no wonder I need a whole week to get through it! Have a happy holiday week celebrating Easter and Passover!

MORE HOUSES

Greeting from sunny south east Virginia, USA! Fabulous weather here! Yesterday my friend Sue and I went to lunch at a place that sits on the water of an inlet just off the Chesapeake Bay. It was so warm and delightful that we sat out on their deck. As you can imagine, they have great sea food around here. We had Greek salads and blackened salmon. We love these outdoor restaurants! You never know when a warm spell will come along, and in fact, we even sat outside one time in January! Hey, we are from Minnesota! That is a big deal! The ice is just starting to break up on the lakes back home!

I have been working on my Home Sweet Home blocks. I get so excited every time I complete a block! Since I last posted I have finished "dressing" these three house. I really am pleased with the way the red berries brighten up the first block! And I love the yellow sunflower! I need to find a way to add a little more yellow to the quilt. I love some of the fabric choices, and others - not so much. Hopefully in the end the total combination will be good. I actually changed the vase fabric in block #3, three times until I was satisfied. I mean I had the vase all prepped to sew down three times. Sue and I were talking about second guessing ourselves yesterday. I guess we all do that. I suppose there are people out there who can make choices without always questioning and re-questioning their decisions. If you are like that, please do NOT comment on my blog! Leave me some sense of normalcy.

I am also in the midst of making more 3 inch 9-patch blocks to finish a UFO. So many of you are making great progress on your UFOs. I offer my congratulations! I hope I can focus in on some of mine also. I wish I had been in a 9-patch exchange for this quilt. There are sooo many 9-patches! I have about 200 left to make. Of course we are going for variety here, so I am digging through scraps and strips. I actually like that part, but it can be rather slow going. It feels good to sit at my machine and sew little pieces together. I feel like all I have been doing lately is applique prep work. That is OK too. But I do love to piece blocks. Wow, the choices I have to make: should I applique or piece today??? I LOVE doing this stuff!

NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRESSION

Just thought I would post a little bit about the progress of my "neighborhood". I mentioned previously that after we had each made a couple blocks, my little group decided it would be a good idea to construct the houses, then proceed with the trimming. We thought, and I agree, that it would help us achieve some balance of color, etc. So here is how my blocks look at this point. Three blocks are completed, and all the houses are constructed. The small house needs windows sewn in place, (they are glued now). Except for the small house, all are sewn to a block base. The two center, lower blocks look odd right now because they have lots of trim to be added to fill all that space. But they are all progressing! Can you see that there are two alternating background fabrics? One is the Blackbird Designs Sampler fabric, which is adorable, but I am second guessing myself and wondering if I should have used the background from their "Nell's Flower Garden" line. Decisions, decisions. Too late now, so I will be happy with this. I am excited to see this quilt moving along (because I have so many others pushing and shoving their way to the front of the line!)

Did you see the meme on Yankee Quilter's blog? It also appears on Quilting Bebbs' blog and Clare's blog. (Dordogne Quilter). Probably others, but those are the ones I have seen. It is a list of 100 books. Go to one of those blogs to see it. I have read 38 books on the list. I am interested in the comments on those that I haven't read to see which ones I should pick up. There were a few I have not heard of. Some really good books on that list! Here are a few of my all time favorites that are not on the list: From Sea to Shining Sea, by James Alexander Thom (and everything else he has written!); These is My Words, by Nancy Turner (and also Sarah's Quilt, a follow-up); Katherine by Anya Seton (I should read that one again!). Also, if you are looking for something uplifting and faith promoting with Easter coming up, try The Robe and/or The Big Fisherman, by Lloyd C. Douglas. Two very old books, but well worth reading (try the library). There are so many good books out there! I get caught up in Vince Flynn, Harlan Coban, Jeffery Deaver, Preston-Childs, and I also love Belva Plain and Maeve Binchy. Talk about variety! Never enough time to do all the things we love. But I try, I really do!

ANTIQUE LOG CABIN QUILT TOP

I have this antique quilt top that I just love. I think it is interesting that each block is so unique. A half-square triangle is placed in the center of each Log Cabin block. According to some of the blocks, it really didn't matter if the HSTs were all the same size or not. The maker just added logs to bring the block to the right size. Also of note is that the logs are not all the same width. Another display of frugality, I imagine. My favorite, however, is the pieced strips. This is especially noticable in the black check. Oh, and look at the strips in photo #2 where the logs were pieced to make them long enough.

This quilt is so fragile. I wish it was quilted, but it's a little late for that! Can you see the strip that has decayed down to the threads? I am no quilt historian, and I can't remember which color was famous for doing that. Was it purple? Does anyone want to hazard a guess as to when this top was constructed?