Already August

Where has this year gone?? A lot has happened but seems days are flying by way to fast. I remember as a child and young teenager I thought Christmas would never arrive and now before I know what happened it will be Christmas again.



Last year I announced to family that there would be no more presents from me that I wanted to make each a quilt and would be putting money I'd spend on presents into their quilts until I got them finished. So this year I have been buying block of the month (BOM) kits for blocks for quilts for 3 of my 4 children, and several grand and great grand children. I have selected a special quilt for each child, and grandchild a total of 22. Since the ones for children and grandchildren are art quilts I've decided to make the children a pieced bedsize quilt as their quilts aren't large enough to cover the bed. For the other quilts I've selected to make that I can't find as BOM kits I'm collecting fabrics.



I've found some good purchases on EBay and have been able to get a good amount of the fabric for these quilts. I have all the patterns, and now most of the fabric. I plan to move into my own place again first of Sept and will then be able to go through my fabrics, pick what to use where and make a shopping list with fabric I have swatches to get rest of fabric I need to finish these.


Have a large stash of Brazilian Embroidery projects I want to finish and a good number of Counted Cross-stitch pieces.


I have moved several times since I retired in 2000, most by choice a few not and now I want to find a place and stay put. I think I have found that place in the one I'm fixing to rent. It is a nice large place with very reasonable rent. Room enough for family to visit even to have them all for holidays, and room for some to sleep over. Lots of nice closet space to organize and store things. Will have to see how "Stay Put" it will be.



I'd thought about trying to buy a place, but then I'd be responsible for repairs, and on fixed income those unexpected repair bills can be expensive. So put that idea aside.

Here is some of the latter purchases I found on EBay. I like autumn colors in the fall but really not my colors, I lean more to reds, blues, pinks, purples. But maybe it is the combination of fabrics but I really liked these.

Another Beautiful Day in South Texas

Weather is still nice, but it is early in the morning, just wait it will be sizzling hot before evening. A day to pretty to be inside and will later be to hot to be outside, just more typical weather for my part of the country. When you are raised here, as I was, it is what you know. But I've been in Tennessee on a day that was as hot, but so much more humid and much more miserable to be in. So all in all although I love to visit all parts of this country, I will prefer to live where when it is hot is isn't humid - most times.

I have been shopping EBay for fabric fat quarters to build my stash and it is growing by leaps and bounds. Right now my current passion is getting fabric to make quilts for my family. After searching for what I think would be the perfect quilt to make for each, I find that many are just the size for a wall hanging and not practical to use on a bed. Once I thought I could add fabric as borders to enlarge, but have now after long deliberation on my part found that several wouldn't lend themselves to that process and still look good. SOOOO 4 children get 2 quilts not just 1. The second being a pieced quilt.

After days of searching for patterns of pieced quilts I finally found one I like on the internet. It makes a stricking display on the bed, yet is of few parts and all straight stitching which should make assembly easy and quick. It lends itself to a variety of combinations using as little as 3 fabrics or as many as

blocks and sashing used. I've selected a number of pretty prints in colors (beige, turquoise) that my daughter-in-law said is in their bedroom. Since I'm using fat quarters my blocks will be slightly rectangular and not square. I can get 4 blocks from one fat quarter. The pattern calls for blocks that are divisible by 3, but then I tend to take artistic license with anything I do (almost) and make it my own. So my blocks will start with an 8"x10" rectangle and have sashing 2"x10" with 2" square corner stones - which will end up as Ohio Star after the half square triangles are added to each end of the sashing. My oldest daughter's will be the same measurements but using pinks and burgundy prints and I think I have enough to do the blocks, but will need to purchase fabric for cornerstones and sashing. Don't know who made this quilt, but really think whoever, did a striking job with layout and finishing.

Still have to find fabric for other two children, burgundy for youngest son and forest green and brown/beige for youngest daughter. Then figure what will go with those colors to make pleasing color arrangement. When suggesting other colors son just says burgundy - I don't do whole cloth quilts. So now I try to find 3 shades of burgundy or find other neutral colors to go with it and make it hoping he will like it when he gets it. LOL.

July 12

Today was a beautiful day, another day of clear beautiful blue sky. We've had a couple and prior to that we had 7 days of rain showers, most not lasting long but heavy just the same. Most days we had from 2 to 4 showers in a day. Not sure how much rain we got but it was welcome.

I have a neat toy Poodle and he doesn't like to get wet. Tolerates his bath, but when he looks out sees its raining, turns and comes back in. He'll go out and if grass is wet, turns and comes back in. I usually toss him out the door, and close it until he goes out and tends to his business. He'll try to come back to the door and ask to come in a couple of times, then realizes I'm not opening until he has finished. He is cute to watch as he tippy toes through the wet grass. Since we seldom have snow here, he won't have to deal with it. But I'm sure he wouldn't like it either.

Got the embellishment laces for the Ring Bearer's pillow I'm making for Grandson and his bride. I have the material and the pillow, now need to get busy and get it made - Wedding is in October. It is going to be a CQ block with Brazilian Dimensional Embroidery accents.

There is a family of kittens living under my granddaughter's house and her oldest son spyed them today when he was looking out the living room window. They are cute I've seen one kitten, he says there are more. Asked him if Momma cat was with them he said no. I'd seen a kitten the first time yesterday, so don't know if they just moved in, or have been there for awhile.

He planted seveal orange seeds in a planter between some pinto beans and now has about 7 little orange trees. His beans have produced and he carefully harvested the bounty. I cooked them for him and he picked the beans from the shells and ate them. They were snaps, and he likes green beans, but didn't want the shell part of these. But, he ate every bean there was. So I showed him to let them get bigger and cooked just the beans. He was thrilled he grew and ate the beans he grew. He is just 4.5 years old.

Friends

With the computer comes the advantage of making friends world wide. We don’t know as much about them as we probably do those that live near, but just the same we make friends. We have the chance to chat, exchange thoughts ideas, and learn from each other. We learn about the cultures of others as well as the new and interesting input to things we have in common, such as embroidery, food, quilting, and others.
I’ve spent many a pleasant hour just conversing by IM with the friends I’ve made online. I have others I chat with through posts to groups I belong to and groups that I’m the moderator for. It does make our large world so much smaller.
Today my dear DIL called they had just returned from 17 days in Europe touring among other places Greece, Italy, Rome, etc. She said she had such a fabulous time. Her son and daughter and her Mom and Dad had gone too.
She said she’d fallen in love with a Greek Island and kept telling me how beautiful it was.
Although there are some parts of Europe I’d like to see, I’d really like to be rich enough to own an RV and tour all the back roads and see the USA. But with the cost of gas, living on retirement and SS doesn’t look like a dream that will come true in my lifetime. Since I don’t play the Lottery that isn’t an option, nor spend a fortune in Vegas hoping. So will suffice with traveling there through photos and stories.
Ex always said life income is backwards, when you are young and struggling you don’t make much and you are usually trying to raise a family. After they are grown you move to a position in you career where you make better but by then you have most of the necessities, then you get to retirement and needs are less, and if lucky income is more than adequate. But during our lifetime until now the cost of gas was never the issue it is today.

My Laptop Broke

Computer Broke Computer Broke I have a laptop that I've been using for a little over a year. I use it a lot and the case is made of plastic. Seems opening it up so much the housing to the mechanism that opens the lid broke, I used it any way and now the monitor will not work. I'll be without it for a few days. So posts will be limited. I can make them from my granddaughter's computer but the scanner isn't connected to it.

I'm not sure cost of repair would be economical but will check. I'm inclined to get another that isn't made of plastic if that is possible. Seems everything today is either plastic or made in China.

Hello, a Beautiful Sunday Afternoon Here

Seems I don't have enough hours in a day to do all that I want to.

Yesterday afternoon and early evening we got some very badly needed rain. Today the sky is partly cloudy and so clear, all the dust is washed away.

The people across the street from my granddaughter moved out leaving two chairs. I talked to the owners a couple of weeks ago and today they gave them to me. One has a piece broken on the arm but think it will be easily fixed other than that they only need upholstery and refinishing. No deep scars, but the finish needs to be redone. I have a sofa and recliner and these will work nice as extra seating.

My Weaver Fever quilt arrived, I have ordered two the next will ship to me next month. I really like the fabric. Also found it in a poinsettia and fuschia. I may be ordering fabric for a couple more either as quilt kit or just fabric now that I have the pattern.

Good Morning

Yesterday was father's day. My youngest daughter called earlier in the week to ask me to join her family and since I live near I did. My granddaughter (whom I'm living with until I find a place of my own and helping take care of her boys until they get into day care and school in August) had to work she is a waitress with Olive Garden, so I took the boys with me. We had a nice bar-b-que dinner.

I did talk to my sons, othr son-in-law and ex and wished all happy father's day. Weather was beautiful but as usual this time of the year in Texas - HOT.

One of my interests is genealogy. Recently I learned of a site http://www.findagrave.com/. It is a great site, I think, as it lists those buried in cemeteries all over. As people learn of it, they add those of thier loved ones in the cemetery where they are buried if they are not already listed. Many like myself do some volunteering to add people in cemeteries near where they live, or in a cemetery where they have visited.

There is a cemetry on the way to my daughters, and a lady had requested photos of 10 headstones there. When I was coming home yesterday the sun was on the wrong side, so this morning I got up at 6, Kyron (age 4) got up with me and went too. We drove to the cemetery and walked it all, found 8 of the 10 stones, now to crop and reduce size so I can upload the the site. He asked lots of questions and learned about cemeteries, why they exist etc. He is like a sponge and wants to learn learn learn. His Mom teaches him words much beyond his age and explains what they mean, so he has a very good vocabulary.



I finished one block on Madison's (granddaughter) quilt, have one block almost finished and fabric and photos of 3 dresses to make into blocks. The blocks are of little dresses replicas (as close as possible) of some of her dresses. The blocks are 12" so the dresses are small. We showed the one to Madison, she loves pink and said that is pretty. Her Mom told her it was for her, did she like it, it was going to be for her bed. She got excited and said she liked it. She is 3 and loves the color pink, her room is pink and green and most of her dresses are in that color family. Her Mother brought out another to replicate. She takes photos for me of the dress and all the detail, then one of us finds fabric similar or if it is a dress made instead of bought I use the scraps of fabric left. This will make #6. One of the blocks (maybe will cover 2) will be a replica of her christening dress. They are fun to make and are all done by hand.

Two little impish boys

I thought their Mother was up she wasn't yet. They got in some talc powder and covered themselves good. It was funny but she wasn't the least happy with them.

They had it in thier hair, all over their bodies. They are tanned from playing outside so with all the white, they looked funny, but then her floor was white as well.

Good Morning and Welcome June

Well after fighting a blasted cold or sinus infection and really think it was the latter I feel almost human again.

I was able to sleep last night without getting up every couple of hours because of coughing.

Today I will go shopping this afternoon and pick up some backgroup fabrics for my Bonnet Girl Blocks. Have fabric for the garments, may need some flesh, but should have the rest. Hopefully I can start one block in the next day or so. They are larger than any I've worked on before, so will see how this one works out. They are considered double blocks and measure 22x30 finished. If I like the look then I'll have less blocks to make to finish a quilt top.

Since I really like the blocks if I don't like the size I may have to reduce them to a smaller sized block.

Also, will cut out the other 3 paperdoll dresses for those blocks this week. One will need to have embroidery on it, the other 2 have applique and some embellishments.

Still working on the Vintage Valentine blocks since I found the border fabric. It is on order and hopefully will ship soon

Another very hot Texas Day and it is only May

If the weather is any indication, we are in for a very hot summer.

Worked on genealogy again today. Ancestry.com has added some new features that are nice. They need to fix a method where like names can be merged an where when you find someone in a public tree and incorporate into your tree that it looks for names of people you all ready have rather than create a duplicate.

Worked on the recipes for my bio that I'm doing for my family. This has evolved into a lot larger project than I first set out to do, but hope my children and descendants will enjoy the end item.

'Tis A Great Morning Today

After a couple of days of great cool weather with the house open and fresh air flowing it went back to Texas weather HOT and we had to close all the windows and turn on the AC. This morning is Great in that I feel good, I slept good last night and for all intent and purpose it is a great day to be alive.

Spent the day yesterday working on my genealogy, every day I find more - there is no end. About 1980 I saw a chart listing 5 generations of ancestors for a person and decided that would be a neat gift for my children. So my search began. A few were easy to find, most were not. In the beginning resources were limited and at first I relied on Mother to tell me who was related to whom, what children they had etc. This gave me a starting place. With my computer addition to my life I found the Internet and resources were better - but still not that many. As I progressed, I learned of a Family History Center connected with the local Church of Latter Day Saints and went there many times to search their records. Then I learned of the State Genealogical Society that has a library "FULL" of records and data near the State Capital in Austin and went there and spent many hours only skimming the surface of all the records I might find there.

Time, life, money, family, jobs, etc it all interferes or makes it where I can't do what I want all the time. Hmm think we all have those problems at times.

I found on the Internet as more people began to search their roots more and more resources - some good, some Ok, and others not so good - you have to learn to be selective and check and recheck what others have out there.

In these I found access to birth/marriage/divorce records, and census records and with this I was able to support some of my findings and find other information I'd been seeking. For years I had ancestors for my children back the 5 generations for all but one link and others back many more generations. In 2007 while searching for this family in the census I found Mr. Glaspy as a stepchild with his mother and step father. I now had a complete 5 generation of ancestors for my children. I don't have her maiden name yet and that is my goal at the moment who was Elizabeth married to Mr. Glaspy.

Sometime in the 80s you had been receiving Internet with unlimited usage, and they decided people were spending to many hours using it so they changed and you had just so many hours to use each month. Before this change with AOL there were groups where you could go for genealogy and get loads of help. Many of the members were house bound and enjoyed being able to talk to others through the Internet and would have purchased books of records to use. If you were looking for example Mr. Glaspy as I was you could post the information you had and then others seeing it would research it in the material they had and if they found him, give you book, page number and the information there. I got a lot of help from this and filled in quite a few gaps in this ancestor search I was doing. But with the on sought of the limited usage times this service dwindled and I had to seek other ways to find our roots.

I have written my own biography for my children, grandchildren and great grandchildren and any future generations that would be interested in reading it.

If I can find a stopping place as there is no finishing place in genealogy - it continues to grow either through new finds or through new marriages and births. But somewhere I need to say enough is enough and put all that I've gathered into one huge book. I have direct lines back to 1000 and other lines for people marrying into this family back many generations as well. It is a very multi-branched tree with lots of little off-branch limbs.

I don't have nor do I have the time and energy to search out and prove every leaf attached to every limb in this tree. I just hope that most of it is correct to the best of my ability or someone else (that had it out on the Internet to share). That when this book is done that the reader will realize the magnitude of time it would take to resource every entry and verify all the data, etc. and use it as a reference point to give them some information to possibly verify if need be for their usage.

Only for the love of a Child

A little boy's harvest of his first crop.

Mothers are mothers even when they become grandmothers or in this case a great grandmother. I told you earlier about the pinto beans we planted and they grew and now we could pick pinto bean snaps. This little one has been collecting his beans all week and I think he now has enough to cook for him to eat with his meal tonight.

My children grew flowers and vegetables, had rabbits and calves and chickens. This little one lives in town so he can help grow flowers and vegetables. And does he ever get a great thrill when he finds a bean big enough to pick and he is good and leaves the little ones on the vine to get bigger.

I'll report later on how he liked to eat the harvest of his crop.

Flash fom my Great Grandson

Not long after I come to stay for awhile and help my single mother Granddaughter with her two young boys I saved some orange seeds and helped the oldest plant them. Later when I had fixed some pinto beans to cook I save a few of the beans and helped him plant those too. After so long a time I decided the orange seeds weren't going to sprout and come up - but I hadn't told him yet.

The beans came up right away the bushes are now big and he is picking beans and sooooo excited.

He just came inside from checking his beans all excited telling me MeMaw come look, come look, two leaves, it's got two leaves. Nothing would satisfy him but I MUST come look. Well guess what down in between the pinto bean plants were two small orange trees emerging, one has two leaves the other the leaves aren't opened yet. This little boy all of 4 years old was so thrilled and excited. Now he is watching them often to keep a check on them. I have saved some apple seeds and will find a planter and plant them for him tooo.

It is amazing to me how very little it takes to to entertain a child. From 4 or 5 orange seeds and as many pinto bean seeds we have had hours of fun. There was the cost of $2.00 for the sack of good soil to plant them in but that is a small price to pay for the hours of fun.

I need to save and plant an avacodo seed too for him to watch grow.

Good Morning

Well today and yesterday we woke to a beautiful cool day. After several days of hot and humid it was very welcome. Doors and windows open a nice breeze through the house - 'tis nice.

Today oh today what shall I do. After loosing my cool and writing a nasty gram regarding a BOM I'd been signed up for yesterday hope today will be better. I'd signed up for this BOM from this shop because of the border on the quilt. There were two shops offering the quilt as a BOM. Now that I finished buying all the BOM I am told the border fabric wasn't included in the offer and is no longer available at that shop. Since I've bought other BOM kits and they've included all the fabric in the cost to complete a top. I was angry to learn AFTER I'd completed the set that this wasn't included. I went looking for the fabric they'd used and so far have been unsuccessful. NOW this quilt that was for a granddaughter is sore subject to me and really not sure at this point I want to finish it - and I have 1/2 of the blocks stitched. GRRRRRR

Maybe if I do as I've done in the past when things aren't working set it aside and come back to it later. It is in pinks and burgundy (predominant colors) on a beige background. The border is a flower strip of roses and other flowers and is by Benartex. Guess I need 2 1/2 yards of it if I can find it or find something that I can substitute. The other shop had a fabric somewhat like the background of the blocks and didn't pop like this fabric did for the border.

Not like I don't have enough other blocks to work on. I have about 6 BOM blocks that need the pattern traced to either fusible or freezer paper as the case applies. I have the two paper doll dress blocks that I can add the rick rack to one, and then applique to the background and have fabric for one new one that I picked up from my daughter Mother's Day. Have two small blocks that I have traced to fusible that I need to fuse to fabric, cut out and fix to the background fabric to practice how me and sewing machine geehaw in doing the machine applique - I've really never done it before. I have several spools of the invisible thread in smoke and clear - so I'm prepared that far. I used to do the fusible applique on sweatshirts but used the bottles of paint that you edged the edges with, and never tried to attach with the sewing machine.

Granddaughter is off today and spending time with her boys, so I will see what I can accomplish in the way of one of these projects. Will do a bit more surfing for my fabric. I've put a close up of the border (the only picture I have of it) so just in case YOU see it you'll let me know where. Thanks in advance.

I did work on my life story for my children. After chatting online with a member of a group I belong to she mentioned gathering family recipes and making a book. That gave me an idea to add some mention of family dinners and special recipes or at least my twist on some. Yesterday I worked on that and added some 20 more pages to the book. There are several recipes that I want to include but have to find them - and right now they are in storage with everything else (almost) that I own. I only have what I could pack in the trunk of a car with me for now.

Sometime in the next couple of months hope to find a place (once I decide what town I want to live in for the rest of my life) and either buy (my first choice) or rent (only if it will not change as I don't ever want to move again). My wants aren't a lot, but may make it hard to find. Want a place with larger rooms. At least 3 preferably 4 bedrooms - and you ask why? if you are single do you want that big of a house. WEEEELLLL I have a lot of "Stuff". Computer stuff, quilting stuff, embroidery stuff, cooking stuff, just stuff in general and a lot of "STUFF" that probably has been packed and moved, packed and moved and needs to be trashed. LOL.

I'd like 2 living areas and 2 dining at least a 1 car garage, with space for a garden and on soil that is easy to work - not the black gumbo of some areas. Oh yes and I prefer a larger kitchen so when I have family I have room to cook and place to store all my cooking "stuff".

Now if I were only rich, won the lottery - but have to play to d that and I don't very often, so guess I'll have to settle with what I can find and afford - isn't that the story of life.

Have a great day, I'm definitely going to.

Another Day Another Opportunity

And what will I do with it. HMMMM, need to finish the two Paper Doll Dress blocks I started for Madisons's quilt. Have a bunch of BOM Quilt blocks I need to trace to either fusible webbing or to freezer paper. Have the last of th blocks for Vintage Valentine arriving today or tomorrow they were shipped from Texas Quilt Works at Rockwall, Texas yesterday.

Spent last evening and this morning cleaning up some issues with my computer. It now works and runs like it should. Guess all mechanical devices especially computers need some down time for maintenance.

I did write some in my book (thought I was to a stopping point with it, guess not) last evening. Got into a message exchange with a person on one of the Yahoo groups I belong to re-living our past and remembering what was when we were younger. She mentioned making recipe collection of recipes of her family and gave me the idea to add some of the favorites that I've made that my family always liked.

It is nice to reflect on our past with others and comments generate memories of things past we hadn't forgotten, just didn't remember until something triggered a recollection.

She and I agreed that the country was in a much better position then than now.

Where oh Where has this year gone

Seems like yesterday I was celebrating New Years and here we are almost to June. I remember as a child that time drug and seemed the days took for ever to move by. Any day I was looking forward to, birthday, party, school event, or Christmas seemed would never get here. Now they fly by - I'm told it has to with age. Reckon????

I have more BOM packets arriving this week. Also, found a kit for a quilt I found online that I really liked. This one is pieced and looks like a lattice. It is called Weaver Fever. The quilt I saw pictured was in blue, yellow and white and very stricking. It is from a series of fabrics (I'll have to share the name later I don't remember it at the moment) that have daisies scattered in them and on that is a large stripe with a vine of daisies running lengthwise. The stripe has the vine of white daisies in the center with yellow on one side and blue on the other. Since the fabrics are all from the same designer and manufacturer they work great together. The fabric also comes in red and yellow although I love red and it is my favorite color not sure I liked it with yellow.

Know, I'd better get busy and get more fusible purchased and get these patterns traced to it. Have a large roll of Freezer paper for the ones I need to trace to it. Soon I'll have all my BOM kits and none made. Stop putting other things in front of your BOM projects, Elsie. If you don't you'll never get them all finished.

Mother's Day 2008

It was a great day.



Granddaughter sent out for donuts. I went to the store and picked up a deep fryer for her sons to give her for their gift. We went to my youngest daughters for late lunch and had bar-b-qued brisket, mashed potatoes and corn on the cob.

Had calls or notes from all my children and my ex, since my phone doesn't work at daughters, he tracked me down and called me on her phone. It was a good day.

I'm making my youngest granddaughter a quilt with little dresses to replicate a dress she has. So my daughter pulled several from her closet and took photos of them with close-ups of detail for me to use. I took and showed her the 2 I'd been working on and she really liked them as did her mother-in-law. I have fabric for 2 more. One of the dresses is made from an antique pillow case (or from one that has embroidery on it with crocheted lace on the edge). She got it online. The open end with the embroidery makes the hem, they cut off the closed end of the pillow case, rounded out the two sides to form arm holes, gathered across top and finished with a binding. Added ribbons to tie on at shoulders, took matching color fabric and made pataloons. It is cute.


One of the 3 dresses we took pictures of was a tiny green and pink gingham check. Her other grandmother had made it for her. It was from a pattern I'm sure most of us had for our daughters when they were small. It is one piece with the hem going around and up the back to fasten at the shoulders. My daughter wore them, but the back criss crossed with buttons at the shoulders. Opened flat for ironing - yes ironing - then we didn't have wash and wear fabrics. We ironed clothes, pillow cases, tablecloths, and scarfs, at least I did. All were starched and I don't miss the ironing or the time it took, but do miss the feel of crawing in bed with fresh sheets from the clothesline and nice crisp pillow cases.


The last dress was a seersucker check of pink and green with watermelon slices along the border (of the green check). With accents of little bumble bees buzzing around the flowers attached with the slices.


This will give me about 1/3 of the blocks for this quilt. One will be a minature as close as I can get to her Christening dress since it was purchased. I did buy some material and make her bonnet and booties. So that one will have to wait until I get more settled in my own place and get things unpacked.

Quilts

I will spend a good portion of this day "Mother's Day" doing what I want. After all it is "My Day" right and yours if you are a mother.



I hope to get the last BOM traced to fusible and/or freezer paper as the block requires. The barns, the chicken and the dog quilts will have a good portion of the block hand appliqued and therefore this part will be traced to freezer paper. I like the freezer paper for my hand applique. I know others use a variety of different methods in their hand applique. But think you need to try several and decide what works best for you. Like anything else what works for someone else may not work for us.

Both the chicken and dog quilts (photos on side) have some very tiny parts to make them look realistic and these do not lend themselves well to needle-turn applique. I have one block of the chicken quilt done and there were a few feathers that were so small it was almost impossible to use this method of applique. With this I decided to combine the two methods.

Since I've not done the machine fusible applique method, I have done a lot of research on the subject and also took close looks at the details of this type of applique at quilt shows. Found some that were extremely well done and others well that lacked a lot.

No, I'm not a perfectionist, but do like my work well done. Somewhere just shy of perfection. I have taken a couple of flower stems from one of my In Full Bloom blocks and traced to fusible. I will practice on these and give each to the great grandson's I'm staying with at the moment. Kyron was excited, and Ty was also, but he is younger.

Once these are done and I see how I fare I'll feel more comfortable working on these blocks for the quilts. I'm not leery of my sewing machine for we were good friends for many years, sewing regular things like clothing. Just not so sure of my skills in doing a small zig-zag around tiny parts of a photo quilt. I know some just sew a small strait stitch line near the edge of these, but I don't like that edge left raw. I don't like the look of satin stitching as you have to try and match thread and change every time you move to another fabric. So I'm going with the invisible threads (clear and dark) and doing the small zig-zag stitch on mine. There again we have choices and depends on the look you like or want.

I will add photos as I can with my progress, so stay tuned for future posts.

Happy Mother's Day to those Mothers reading my Blog

Good Morning and hope you are having a great Mother's Day.

I am blessed with a large loving family. Large for my Mother only had 2 children and 6 grandchildren, so my 4 children and 11 grandchilren and 6 great grandchildren is large to me by that standard.

Although we don't all live close by distance we are all close by love.

Another new Quilt BOM

Today I received the first of 9 blocks for Sea Breeze by McKenna Ryan. The colors are soft and somewhat patel. It is a different twist to a sea scape and so far think I'll enjoy making it. I like her patterns in that she designs them for fusible machine applique and therefore reverses the pattern pieces. In this manner when you trace to your fusible and iron the fusible on the wrong side of the fabric, then cut out and fuse to the backing they are all facing the same as in the picture.

Not all designers do that, so beware when you are working with fusible machine applique and you want the same look as the finished example be sure to read if the designer did the reversing for you. If not then you need to make a reverse copy of the patterns before transferring the design (pattern) to your fusible.

Madison's Quilt Paper Doll Dresses

I have two that I hope to have finished in a day or two. Still need to make the slip for the one with the pantaloons and put it all together and applique to the background. The other one needs baby rick-rack added and then appliqued to the background.

I have ???? more to make. So far I am using scraps from dresses she has had. Or material to represent a purchased dress. She just turned 3 so there aren't a lot yet to choose from.

The first one was the all pink with the flower tone on tone print border. The one pictured is the second one I made. I did the first by sewing machine and it seemed very stiff. These two are sewn totally by hand and are much nicer. And it really didn't take that long.

life without internet

Oh how our lives are now somewhat controlled by the internet. I didn't have it for about 2 weeks when changing providers and it was strange. I constantly thought of something needed to look it up online only to remember I couldn't.

I did get some sewing done. Made the dresses for two of the Paper Doll Dress quilt I'm making for my granddaughter Madison. And almost finished a block for the Vintage Valentine quilt I'm making for another granddaughter Sarah. Need to add some rick rack to one of the dresses and make a petticoat for the other, then applique them to the background fabric. The colors of both quilts are pinks and greens. I found identical material that looks solid from a distance and came in pale pink and green. I will alternate the blocks. Most of the dresses are pink so they will look good on either.

While I didn't have the internet I reminissed about our forefathers and mothers and how they spent their days. No TV, no Internet, no radio a lot of the time, no electrical appliances. All of which are to make life or living easier and I really wonder do they.

Today it seems families don't get together often. It is lack of interest in family or just a busier life style that leaves no time for visiting.

Being a Gypsy and Organization

Not my strong strait. I try but seems I never get it right. I have a friend whose daily routine is so organized she does the same thing at the same time every morning and most of the day. The only change to her routine is if she goes shopping etc. The clock strikes 10 and she is off to bed, every night. I'd never be able to rule my life in this manner. I never do the same thing every morning or any other time of the day. The closest I came to that was when I worked and had to be at work at a specific time - and had trouble doing that.

I never get up at the same time, and definitely never go to bed at the same time. My bedtime ranges from 9:00 pm to 4:00 am. I seem to have developed as I age my Mother's sleep problems. I remember that she slept very little at night when she was older and napped during the day. She slept for several short periods rather than one long restful sleep at night. She loved to read and if she got a new novel or 2 she'd read day and night until she finished the book. I used to laugh at her reading method for a new book. She read the last few pages - couldn't wait to see how it ended, then a few in the middle, then read the book front cover to back.

I find I have nights when I just don't go to sleep no matter how hard I try. So rather than waste the time rolling in bed, I get up and do something. If I'm home I watch TV and sew or watch TV and work on the computer. I'm always doing at least 2 things at the same time.

I've tried recently to get some of my things more organized. I have made a log on my computer to keep track of all the Block of The Month (BOM) blocks I'm receiving every month. To keep the progress of blocks in work and finished. I've got plastic shoe boxes to house each quilts set of block BOM. I've got a large plastic storage box with lid to house the gallon sized zip-lock bags with my Unfinished Projects (UFO) inside. I have all my EdMar threads in a large bag, and I have all my DMC embroidery thread on bobbins in plastic boxes made for this purpose.

Since retirement in 2000 I've been somewhat of a gypsy and moved and done for the most part what I wanted to. I moved to Yorktown to be near my youngest daughter. Shortly after that she changed jobs and didn't have the time off she'd had before. I found the people in Yorktown to be stuffy and cliquish. I'd tried unsuccessfully for a number of years to get training on computers, so checked into this at a school in Victoria. They said they provided it but I had to take an advanced electronics course to get it. The computer training was supposed to be included in the curriculum for that course. I say supposed to be, because when I got to the computer part at most it was 6 weeks, the entire course was around 14 months more or less a couple of months. I was very disgusted. I'd asked questions and more questions only to be told I had to complete the electronic part. Never really getting good answers as to what the computer training entailed. When getting there I realized it was just tacked on to get more students and that the instructor wasn't versed very well on computers. He taught what was before him but didn't know his subject.

I'd moved to Victoria from Yorktown and was staying with my Granddaughter, Cassie while going to school. Yorktown was about 40 miles one way from Victoria and with gas costs beginning to raise it was financially impossible for me to drive back and forth 5 days a week.

Graduated in June, Cassie's lease was up in Sep or Oct she was moving and I did also. I'd put all my household items in storage. So added the things I'd had at her apartment to storage and stayed with Carlene for a short time. I checked schools in San Antonio - I still wanted to learn about computers - and found one that offered and intensive course on computers. It also contained a lot of electronic training - but they gave me credit for that part from the school I'd just attended. The computer training was 8 months - much more what I should have gotten in Victoria. So I found a small efficiency apartment near the school, packed enough furniture and belongings to survive and moved to San Antonio. I got my diploma in May the following year. When my lease was up in June, I'd decided to move back to the Temple area and live near a person I'd worked with at the VA Hospital in Temple.

Since my retirement in 2000 and her retirement in 2001 we'd become close friends enjoyed a lot of the same things. She lived alone as did I and when I asked her what she thought she said how soon can you get here. Told her needed to put what I had in the apartment in storage, go to the doctor as I'd become extremely weak, and then I'd be there. Well after a lot of struggling I got things out of the apartment and in a storage unit. Kept the doctor appointment and found I was very low on potassium. In 1999 I had gallbladder surgery and tests showed then I was extremely low on potassium. I'd thought that it was caused by the infection I had in my gallbladder. But seems it is a trait that I inherited from my Father's side of the family. I remember my Father complaining of foot and leg cramps - but taken as a nuisance then and never investigated medically. And, I'm not sure then they would have suspected potassium levels as a cause. Recently I reconnected with a cousin, descent of my Father's oldest brother. She too suffers from low potassium.

I now watch my potassium level and take over the counter pills (when I remember to) and try to eat on a regular basis foods rich in postassium.

I stayed with my friend, found a house across the street from her and lived there a year. I was subjected to the landlord witch from hell. she was unreasonable, and made life miserable. She decided I wanted to buy the place but would never give me a price or terms and said after another couple of months she'd discuss it. At end of lease I moved. At the time I was working for a Realtor and rented a house he managed (Huge Mistake). He told me the owner wouldn't be back for at least 3 years. She arrived back less than 30 days after signing the lease and wanted her house back. I fought to stay in the house, after all I'd just moved and had partially unpacked, I didn't feel like house hunting, repacking and moving again so soon. I finally got tired of her harrassment and the fact she wouldn't fix things that broke. The multimeter box was faulty and was a fire hazard and she wouldn't fix it - so I put everything back in storage and stayed with my friend again.

I will hopefully move ONCE more and then stay put - at least that is my desire. I forsee no reason to chase after a course as I did with my computer training. No other friends that I want to live near, now I am at the point I want to find a place (maybe buy) and stay put.

Then I can get things organized, and get projects finished, find new ones and finish them. Sounds like a plan now to make it work.

My Other Passion - My Family

I grew up with one brother 5 years younger. For years I was my father's shadow. I loved to go with him to the fields, fishing, hunting, to town, where ever he went. I didn't enjoy housework, but was always willing to clean from top to bottom before my date arrived when I was older. We had a large living/dining room with vinyl tile flooring. I mopped it weekly and then on my hands and knees waxed it. None of this pour on wax and apply with a mop. Nope it was paste floor wax applied by hand.

I loved playing with dolls and my brother was my first live doll. As I got older my Aunts and Uncles provided me many to play with when we visited or they came to see us. Mother's brothers Uncle Joe and Uncle Chink each had 4, all younger. Her other brothers and sister had children older than I.

I married just a few months shy of 16 and had my first child in November, just after I was 17 in July. I was thrilled I now had my own live doll. He was a good baby, we were living in New Jersey as his father was in the service and stationed there. He was born the day after Thanksgiving. He was transferred to Virginia and then discharged after serving 2 years. We moved back home to Texas where he resumed his government job that he left when drafted into the Army.

We had 3 more children, daughter, son, daughter and I enjoyed being a mother and homemaker. I worked some but was mostly a stay at home Mom until my last child was born and I too was hired to work at Kelly AFB in San Antonio.

I loved to sew and made many if not most of the clothes my children wore, most of mine and all of my mothers. As children grew and we could we'd travel with their dad to places he was going to work. We'd do things in the evenings and on weekends. We had a 1957 Chevy we bought brand new. He always said I could pack more in that car and still have room for us and the kidoes than most could pack in a pickup.

We enjoyed fishing and going to the coast and camping. Later we got a boat and would go fishing every chance we got. Since we lived about 150 miles from the coast we'd go down after work on Friday and back on Sunday eve. The Texas gulf coast has many nice places to fish. I felt as I was partially raised there from the time I spent there with my father.

My grandmother lived between Fulton and Rockport on the Texas Gulf Coast. I spent many weekends there fishing with my father and brother every chance he got. For some reason he would never get in a boat to fish. He always waded, fished from the piers or the rock jetties.

You have to know that my father had an obsessional fear of calamity. His fears were to the point we couldn't ride a Ferris Wheell - it might fall, when I flew to be with James in New Jersey, the plane might crash, etc. In fact when we went to get the ticket he did his best to convince me to take the train - or the bus. Learning that they both took a number of days and nights to get there, plus food, and no place to sleep he relented and I flew. Mother said his mother was always very fearful of injury or calamity. There were 6 children born to John Lisha and Lina Frances Henry Hearn, 3 boys, 3 girls. Only one daughter still lived. Her oldest daughter died shortly after the birth of her daughter. Her second daughter died before she turned two. I'm told she died after putting a flower (crowpoision) in her mouth or chewing on it. Uncle Julious who was older at the time said she starved to death. And this might have been the result of the poison in that she couldn't keep food on her stomach. This was some 60 years ago and the medical knowlege wasn't all that great then.

I seem when I talk about family to bounce from one point in time to another. When talking about one I remember another. So you will find that this is much that way. Thoughts of my life and my family as I think of them.

Someone taught Daddy to make fishing rods. He made several and today none are left that I know of. He ordered special cane poles, bought ferrels and special threads and varnish to wrap and attach the ferrels and the varnish to finish it. When James was stationed in NJ, we were a short walking distance from the ocean, and he loved to fish. Daddy made a wooden box to ship the cane fishing rod Daddy had made him to NJ. When we left we had no way to take it and James gave it to our landlord Joe Fierro.

They were great landlords. Joe and Mary were Italian and she was an excellant cook. She was also superstitious and would not let me turn down food for fear my baby would be marked. They planted their entire back yard in garden. She fired squash blossoms and they are good. Joe made wine and had a large (Karo Syrup bottle of wine with his evening meals). When they bought the house there were two barrels of wine in the cellar and I think he added a barrel or so each year. I didn't drink and never went down in the cellar.

I am so very proud of my family, they are all doing well, have good families and are doing great. They have given me 11 fantastic grandchildren who in turn are supplying continuing generations of great grandchildren. My Dad was a great and fantastic Grandfather (PawPaw) and loved his grandchildren deeply. Anytime James and I wanted to go out, he was always there ready and willing to babysit. No matter how tired he was, nor how bad he felt, he never told us no. If Mother implied she didn't feel like it or that he was to tired, he'd say "hush Marie they are no trouble." and she say "ok".

My children were lucky to have doting grandparents - not all childlren are as lucky. I had one grandparent and one step granddad. My Mother's Dad was alive but lived so far away we seldom saw him, and I really never knew him. Daddy's mother and daddy died before I was born.

My Quilting

I have seen lots of Blogs by other people and have decided to start one of my own. I love to share and help others and have a couple of Yahoo Groups one for Bonnet Girls and another for BE (Brazilian Dimensional embroidery).

I had these groups before but lost access to my email account through a glich in the system when I was processing a change to my password. It seems things got scrambled, and now according to Yahoo I don't know where I was born. LOL

With my large family I'm trying desperately to get each at least a quilt top finished. Once I've accomplished this I will then work towards getting them quilted. 4 children, 11 grandchildren and at last count 6 great grandchildren. Total 21 quilts - then I have some extra that I like and want to make - guess they'll grace my beds.

I like the art quilts - the ones that look like a photo, and applique over pieced quilts. At the moment I've chosen to make art quilts for children and grandchildren and pieced quilts for great grandchildren. Some I've chosen are just hand applique, some are fusible machine applique and others combine the two.

I learned several years back that shopping to collect all the fabric, even just purchasing fat quarters was time consuming and expensive. Since you only need small amounts of fabric, but you need many different colors, textures and patterns. If you are lucky to live in a town with more than one quilt store and/or fabric shop you fare better. If not then you have to travel and normally most shops wouldn't have all the fabric selection you need, so that means shopping at more than one store. When I started this project, gas was much much cheaper, but time was still 24 hours a day. I learned quickly that the expense of shopping for fabrics added up quickly.

Learning about BOMs I soon realized that even those costs per block seemed high, they were in fact very cost effective. Then I started my search online to find the quilts I wanted to make offered as BOM. I've been lucky and found most.

I have a number of the Calendar Quilt patterns by Piecemakers. Along with several from Maggie Walker, Carimae Simmons and McKenna Ryan. There are a few others that I like from other designers, and at the moment can't remember their names. The name Carimae Simmons may not be a recognizable name to you as she is a local Texas designer and I have a number of her quilts. I have all the blocks of one completed and together with the first border attached (my first quilt - other than a few quilted panel baby quilts I made for grandchildren). The outside border of this quilt has an appliqued vine running from each corner to center of border and I'm working on this. I have 6 of 12 blocks appliqued for another of her quilts, and several other BOM & kits for probably 4 of the designs by Carimae Simmons.

Right now I'm collecting BOM for the following quilts: Country Journal, Summer's End, Forgotten Barns, Spring is in The Air, In Full Bloom, Storybrook Farm, and Vintage Valentine.
I have the blocks for Vintage Valentine and have 6 of them stitched.

I did a calculation recently that if I made 3 blocks a week I could finish the quilts I need to make in a little over a year. But, with life as it happens at my house don't think that is possible - so, if
I make one a week I should be able to complete the tops in 4-5 years - hmmmm that is doable, if I can keep on schedule. Also think the fusible machine applique will move faster than the hand applique (at least I hope) so that should help me make my goal.