Gifts and other projects from this Christmas season

 I made myself this lap afghan this December, using bits of yarn skeins that I found at our local second-hand store.

  It's a wonderful size for my lap and legs inside, but I'm currently finding it helpful for when I get into the cold car on these Winter mornings.  I very much enjoyed picking up some crocheting for the first time in a great while.

This quilt was made earlier in the year, and gifted to my friend's mother-in-law, Jo Easley, also a friend of mine. 

The yellow quilt, measuring approximately 50 inches square is actually two-sided, having begun with me piecing 8-inch hexagons together. I then took the leftover triangles, from cutting out the hexies, and turned them into stars.  As it developed, what was intended for a backing for the hexagon quilt turned out to be what I now consider the front, instead.  I gifted this one to my sister-in-law, Deb Powers, for her 65th birthday, on December 27th, 2020.  She said that I need not give her another gift for the remainder of her birthdays !  She treasures this quilt !

All machine-quilted

This little log-cabin quilt, just big enough to cover the knees while sitting, was made as a gift for Carole B. after seeing a bed-sized quilt that she had made many years ago.  Carole's husband, (both of them in their 70's)
, mysteriously disappeared this past Summer, and has not been found.  He was suffering early stages of dementia, and his car was found abandoned in the center of a country road, with the drivers' side door open, and no sign of him or any struggle.

And this one was gifted to my fellow quilter-friend, Darleene.  The fabric line was called Air Mail, and thusly, I thought that it was fairly appropriate, as Darleene is a formal Post Office Mistress/mail deliverer.

There are a couple more finishes but they will have to wait until received by the intended family members.

I'm getting behind !

 I finish things now, and I think, "I need to make a new post on my blog about this !"  But time passes and I start something else, and..................I GET BEHIND !

So, to catch up, I think that I have just two new finishes.  

First, if you've read my blog for a while, you may remember that last year I made a very big throw quilt,       

close to twin-size, for my daughter, using her papa's flannel shirts.  It was her memory quilt, and she loves it.......snuggles in it on her couch.   Well, it's been bothering me, since then, that I still had a big zip-lock baggie of the leftover pieces that were just too big, and frankly, too dear, for me to toss out.  

So, I got them out with the idea of making myself a rag quilt.  Instead, it turned into a lap throw without a batting, just big enough for me to snuggle under in the recliner, and feel like I still have James close by (just a little bit) !

 I bought a piece of flannel, for the back, that reminds me alot of the brighter flannel shirts that he wore in his younger days.  As he got older, he got more conservative.

I included a couple of pockets, and several of the shirt labels, and I'm really happy with it.

***************************************************************

Then while a friend and I were visiting another widow last week, I showed her my memory quiltie, and she acted (teasingly) like she was going to keep it.  I said, "do you want a quilt?"  She promptly went back to her bedroom and then returned to hand me a plastic bag filled with pieces of poly-cotton solids in quarter-yard or so cuts.  I thought, "oh, no....not poly !  

But I told her that I would see what I could come up with, and she told my friend that as long as it was made with love, it would be wonderful.  Well, later I went to a secondhand store that I haunt, and I was hoping to find more fabric, possibly for a backing .  Then I came upon this beautiful sheet, and realized that the print contained several of the fabric colors from her bag.

 I went right home, washed and dried that sheet, and cut out my design.    That was Saturday, and on Tuesday I put the last stitches into the binding. This is a photo of the top before quilting.

  It was a challenge to work with the poly-cotton after so many years of 100% cotton fabrics, and don't even ask what it was like to join two pieces of extra-loft batting together by zig-zag stitches on the machine !   But, I am very happy with the finished product, and I hope to be able to give it to Mama Nelly on Sunday, at church.

**************************************************************
And, oh yeh !   This will be an upcoming finish.  The center portion is all pieced, BIG HEXIES !   But I haven't decided whether or not I want any borders. Stay tuned !

Yard sale treasures

Hello friends.  Just popping in to journal my treasure find.

  I came across a yard sale today at the end of my street.  The man who lived there died this summer, and the house has now sold.  The people who bought the house also got all contents of whatever was left in the house and sheds.  

 I walked up to a tarp lying on the ground, scattered with what looked like quilt piecing.  Turned out they were quilt tops, hand-pieced (tucks and all), and the lady said that they were priced at $5. each.  I chose this one with black blocks as it's piecing seemed to be the best of the lot, and I was intrigued with what could be a somewhat more masculine colorway.....the others were pretty bright, or very pastel/girly.

 When another shopper saw me looking at these, she told me that there were more in one of the sheds.  I went through those also, and then chose this one with string blocks.  I'd like to copy the design if I don't actually finish this top into a quilt.  I mean it's a simple block that I see everywhere, but perhaps having this where I can see it often, I'll be more inspired to actually make one. 

 It's mostly hand-pieced, but I can see where someone took some of the quarter blocks and machine-sewed them into the final block size.  There are bits of newpaper stuck in some of the seams as well. I sprayed them both down with my waterhose, and the fabrics in this one dried VERY stiff.  They don't seem to be thicker, so I don't know what that's about, but I wouldn't want to try hand-quilting through THEM !

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FINISHED....Oklahoma Stars inTennessee......a project from the past and present

 Oklahoma Stars in Tennessee

This one goes back to my Oklahoma days, but I'm not sure of the year.  Maybe after 2000?  Anyway, I dug it out a few months ago, and found that the inner skinny border was cut too short, and was pulling the corners inward.  So I removed it,........and it was in a lovely bright green that just really picked up on the green in the final border..........but I had no more of it, so I went with this gold.  Then it hung on my design wall until I felt so guilty that I just HAD to quilt it.

 I started out hand-quilting, then added quite a bit by machine, returning to hand-stitching for going around the design motifs in the outer border.  It has an all cotton batting, so I may find that the batting in those open areas of that border  migrates upon washing.  But being a wall-hanging, I hope to not wash it TOO often, and even then, to do so in a gentle manner.

 I haven't had any success in coming up with what I want to piece next, so I'm basting up my daughter's second signature/friendship quilt top from her days of joining me at our Spinning Spools Quilt Guild meetings.  Today I bought the backing fabric, and moved the living room furniture around in preparation for tomorrow's thread-basting.  I'd start it now, but know that after mowing the front yard, I don't have the stamina to finish it tonight, and Marley cat would just love to claim it as her hammock.   

Remember, this is how I baste my quilts.......although, NOW I use my living room rather than doing them outside.

A post for August

 How sad it would be to let this month get away from me without atleast posting ONCE !  

  I kindof lost my sewing mojo for a little bit, just not feeling the usual energy, but I did get a small top pieced, and another one pieced AND quilted and bound !

 

This one is taking it's time telling me what kind of border it wants, IF ANY.  So it is on hold for now.

 

Of course, the photos didn't come out in the order that I wanted, and I no longer see the option to delete one and add it back.

However, with this little one, I finished the binding last night, and washed and dried it today.  A you-tuber that I watch mentioned a stitch-along that she was interested in, and I took the idea and ran with it.   It's small, 36 inches square, but it was a fun distraction.  I machine-quilted near the seams within the colored squares, (2 inch finished squares), and hand/big-stitched with embroidery floss inside the white four-patches.  The most fun was making a binding to sortof complement each colored section around the outside edges.   The backing fabric was not chosen until I had pieced the top, and it's amazing how the colors go perfectly with the piecing.
 

The binding fabric is a favorite from Connecting Threads.  Sadly, it's made with a very loosely woven griege goods, causing it to ravel terribly, but it gives such a wonderful look when cut along the stripe.

 And, NOW, just because I'm between projects again, and still hankering to play with fabric, I took the triangle cutoffs from making bias seams in the binding, mixed them with some scraps from a friend, and made myself another potholder/plate holder.  It was a good chance to practice some free-motion quilting.  Obviously it's been WAY TOO LONG since I've done any !  But I now have a fun daily reminder of quilting time.

Powers Family Reunion

In this crazy year of social distancing, we were finally able to gather these 5 siblings, me and 4 of 5 brothers, and some of the extended family for another reunion.  The last one was 4 years ago,

 at Fathers' day, 2016.  Since then my sister, Mary,  has passed away. 

A big change for me was that I have been widowed since then, so I was going alone.  But at the last, I got in touch, (through Facebook!) with a niece that I had not seen since she was maybe 2-3 years old.  She is now 46 !   She wanted to come !  Precious reunion just right there ! 

  Even the rest of the family had not seen Ruhama, since 1998, at her mom's funeral.

 She and her husband drove to my house from just one county over , and followed me out to my brother's cabin on the Buffalo river.   Can you just imagine us living that close all this time and not knowing it ! ? !

Anyway, it made it very nice, and she was able to call her dad, Richard,

the last brother that I have yet to reunite with, and I got to finally talk to him on the phone (we send cards at Christmas/birthdays).  He was unable to come out and bear the extreme heat and humidity.


Jeff and Judy drove ahead of me to remind me how to find Ted's place.  Judy's daughter, Trista, and her man, Terry also followed. 

Ted kept the smaller kids busy playing in the river and creek, and most of us wound up escaping to the airconditioned cabin when we could no longer take the heat. 

  Ted and Gina layed out a spread of food that was just amazing, including ribs that were totally falling off of the bone !  And, OH!, the strawberry cake !

 John and Deb were there most of the day, and his son, Josh (and Sasha, his wife) came later, and a few of John's grandkids stayed awhile, enjoying some kayaking and good food and company. 

We were very heartened to have my brother, Jim, his fiance, Lisa,
his daughter, Kasie,

 and his granddaughter,Lindsay Victoria,

   there.  Sadly, Jim's son, Lindsay, took his own life a week earlier, and we will be reuniting for the memorial NEXT weekend, LORD willing.

My daughter, Kelley, and her husband and kids were UNABLE to come due to his position with the army, and the fact that his coworker had been exposed to someone who tested positive for the Covid 19 virus.  This caused Tim to have to be quarantined at home until the coworker is cleared or Tim is cleared.  Very disappointing, but life these days. 

All in all, it was a WONDERFUL day, and I am very grateful to GOD for the chance for us all to be together again.   We should NEVER take that for granted.  You never know when it's the LAST TIME you'll ever see someone you love in this lifetime.

  EDIT:  Ruhama's sister, Vivian, (who I also haven't seen since 1976 or 77,) and her husband, Chris,  just added me as a friend on Facebook, and shared this photo.

Joe, Tim, Chris and Micah,........Chris and Vivian, with Princess Jocelyn

CHARMED small quilt, FINISHED

Yesterday I finished binding the small quilt made from charm packs.  For some reason, I have been off on a lark of using polyester batting again.  I had given it up for YEARS and YEARS, but a friend had some put back, and after helping her with hers, I tried using it again.

Pros and cons.........

Pro Polyester---I love the puffed up look that you get with the extra-loft batting when your quilt top is made up of just squares......particularly around 4 inches square.  I like the unwrinkled, smooth look of the fabric IN the squares, after washing the quilt.  Hand-quilting is an unbelievable DREAM after working with cotton for so long.........this was SO EASY.  A needle just glides through the polyester.
Con Polyester---NO DRAPE.  I sat back in my recliner last night to snuggle with the newly finished quilt, and it just stood out from the sides of my body like it was spring-loaded !  Sadness........oh, the sadness !

Pro Cotton/Cotton Blend---I love the crinkly look of most quilts that have been made with a cotton batting, particularly a really scrappy quilt..........it makes it look like it is already old and loved.
I love the drape of a washed, and then MANY-TIMES washed cotton-filled quilt.  It lies against the body as it should, hugging with the love that was stitched into it.
Con Cotton/Cotton Blend---That same crinkly texture that I have loved for so many years turns right around and disappoints me with my more modern designs that have been straight-line machine-quilted.  They finish with a wonderful linear, crisp look, and then wrinkle all up in the dryer.  Crazy, aren't I ?  I love it and regret it for the same exact look.

So, I guess the lesson learned is that there is a place for everything, and you don't know until you try !

So here's the quilt.

A small quilt top

Not a lot to report, but I am sewing a bit.  I dug into my stash of charm squares, mixed several lots to get a good mix of light and medium prints, and came up with this top that measures 52 inches square.

 I made a back for it today, and, to me, it is TOTALLY unrelated to the front.  But it was the best that I could do with limited choices here at home and in this town.  Atleast there IS quite a bit of PINK in the quilt top.  

 The dark print is a pretty, rich, dark pink, althought it is reading as red here. Using my one-by-twos and clamps, as usual,  I thread-basted the quilt this afternoon, in my living room.

  Somehow I'm finding myself still in this 'retro' mode, enjoying the use of polyester battings again.  I think that my mind has chosen to forget what it's like to find one of these polyester-batted quilts BEARDING, with lots of nice little fuzzies protruding ever so meekly from the surface of the quilt.  If that annoying tendency rears it's ugly head, I'm sure that I will go RUNNING back to my cotton batts !  But I'm loving the lightweight feel of these for Summer. 

  I think that I'm going to hand-quilt this one, but haven't decided yet if I will use the Q-Snap floor frame.  

A couple of things to share just to catch up this blog.  

 Here is a baby-sized quilt that I made several months ago......not sure if I shared it then or not.  It's made from a charm pack called "Airmail", I think.

  Last week....


...I made this back for the comfort quilt that my friend is making for herself, for some treatments that she may be undergoing soon.

There's a cross, made from blue pinwheels, in the center.

Below is the front of the quilt, in progress at the time of this photo.

And, one other note, I stopped taking my blood-pressure medication on Monday June 29, 2020.  No problems.