Lesson for Today - Thanks, Mary Ellen!

I'm still working on my Easy Peasy Scrappy Spools, started a week ago, and I'll post a photo hopefully Sunday evening. It's looking so darned comfy and nice. The next part is thinking of a good border - can't just have any ole border, you know! This one will definitely be hand quilted.

Lesson: This melon colored 12 inch block was made for a friend, but the color is just too, too, uhh uninspiring. And I DID put some white behind it hoping that trick might improve it, but NO, it did not. Do you remember Mary Ellen Hopkins (It's OK to Sit on My Quilt) saying, if you have large pieces, your fabric needs to have some oomph (or something to that effect). The blue one has 'oomph' and is much nicer (IMHO) than the melon.

I've been tagged, and a CHALLENGE

Carol of Giraffe Dreams has done me the honor of tagging me. I'm not sure there is much of interest (to me, anyway) but I'll play, partially. I say partially, because I HATE to ask people to do things for me -- is that weird?

But before I do this, I want to CHALLENGE a LOT of you out there. Many of you have NEVER shown your faces on your blogs, and for me, it's hard to 'connect' without a photo. I'm going to show you ME, now YOU show me YOU! This was before attending a recent "Western Theme" event. Note the barbed wire wall hanging! Now THAT's weird!


But thank you Carole, for thinking of me. I'm in good company because you also tagged several others.

Let's see ... 7 weird things

1. I was born in a big city for had the very good fortune to grow up on a farm, NEAR the city. That's not weird, that's just darned lucky. Not a day goes by that I don't appreciate my good fortune.

(My DH should be saying what's weird about me ...)

2. When I was 16, and other girls were getting cars for their 16th birthday, my Dad gave me an International Harvester Manure Spreader! AND, I tell you, I was HAPPY!!! (Hey, I had a bunch of horses to care for!)

3. If you tell me I HAVE to do something, I won't do it. I even warn people ahead of time, 'please don't tell me what I HAVE to do!

4. I worked for many years in the Radioactive Waste Industry.

5 I take power naps -- yep, 5-10 minutes, or even less, and I'm ready to go again!

6. When I was 53, I rappelled down a mountain.

7. Monday is my favorite day of the week. I've always LOVED going to work! DH says THAT IS WEIRD!)

Easy Peasy Scrappy Spools

OK, since we're (most of us) all quilters and sewists, how many of you think you should have a Spool Quilt somewhere in your life? I've wanted to make one for a very long time, and the Spool is perfect for a stash project. Also, this block is about as easy as it gets, especially if you already have strips cut. My pattern is the same as many others. I wrote up my own directions, but really, it's pretty hard to NOT appear 'lifted' from another source. Mine is NOT -- it's just a VERY easy and effective block. Try it!

I made 58 on Friday and Sunday, without breaking a sweat. They are on (where else?) my living room floor and I'll show them in a few days, hopefully. I'm setting mine diagonally - size yet to be determined. I suppose, the size is determined by when I get tired of making them! LOL

Eazy Peazy Scrappy Spools
6 in. block finished
Skill level - EASY
You will need Lights (background) and darks (spools)

If you have 2 ½ in. strips already cut, you are already well along in the process, which is EASY. Then, it will take about 4 minutes to sew and press each individual 6 ½ in. block. That’s less time than a TV commercial!

Make these 6 ½ inch. blocks in groups of 4 for a 12 ½ in. larger block (like first photo), or set them individually. Set then straight, or diagonally.

For One 6 ½ in. (Raw) block, you must have at least, the following amount of fabric.

Dark (the spool): 2 ½ x 16 ½ in. dark (minimum per 6 ½ in. block)
Light (background) 2 ½ x 13 in. (minimum per 6 ½ in. block)

Cutting Directions:

Dark: Cut one piece 2 ½ x 6 ½ in. for spool center
Cut four 2 ½ x 2 ½ in. squares of same dark fabric for spool corners

Light: Cut two pieces at 2 ½ x 6 ½ in. for spool background

Method: With the 4 dark pieces, place at each end of the light background piece. Sew diagonally from corner to corner, as shown below - I call this a Quick Corner. Sew just a hairline to the outside of that diagonal line. Trim the outer fabric and discard. (This time, I am NOT saving the discard for very small HSTs, but if that’s your thing, have fun. They would make a great border!) Press seam to triangle.

Both the background pieces with the Quick Corners are the same.
Sew background piece to center dark spool on each side. Press seam to the dark spindle . You’re done with that block.

The Great Great Aunts - Crossing the Atlantic Ocean

As a young girl, at family gatherings, I remember watching the “old ladies” do their quiet magic with crochet hooks. I was fascinated watching the quickness of their fingers, hearing the gentle clicking of their crochet hooks and marveling at the beautiful and intricate finished projects. Even to a child, it was magic. They sat quietly in corners, always being useful, keeping hands busy, and working intently on their intricate projects.

My grandmother was one of those crocheting ladies. Grandma died at age 99, about 30 years ago, and she told me this story, about HER great aunts.

“They were leaving Germany, for political, or economic reasons. This would be a long journey, on a clipper ship -- to unknown places -- you know, ships had only sails in the mid 1800s, and it might take 6-8 weeks if weather was good, but longer, if weather did not cooperate. For this particular group of immigrant ladies, somewhere along the way, the story goes, they were tragically becalmed (no wind) for many weeks. "

As she told me the story, I piped in something about, “the poor things, “starvation”, “scurvy” “how terrible” “what did they do?”, etc. Her response was unexpected ...

“Becalmed? Starving? It was MUCH WORSE than that!!!”

Even worse than “starving”???

“Yes, much worse,” she answered, ”They ran out of crochet thread!”

Animal Strings - DONE

I posted this recently, but today it's DONE. And done in time for the Linus Project deadline.

In my opinion, a LOT of quilting was needed to blend the raucous colors to some degree. I quilt on my DSM. And I had to use one color, a medium brown/tan, that still is too obvious but what else can one do with this project? The beginning quilting is always better than the end quilting since by the time one gets near the end, one is really getting tired of the job! We quilters could use a new book that helps us carry on with enthusiasm after the excitement of a new quilt begins to wane, and we get to the "I'm sick of looking at it" stage! If you have one, drop me a line.

Below is a closer shot of the topographical contour pattern. This took a LOT of quilting, and impatience DID enter the picture.


I'm trying to show the quilting with better lighting. Not sure it's successful, but again, it's DONE.

I quilted stars in the cream border with a light thread, and in the outer border, straight boxy lines, trying to follow the darker lines in the check.

Spring and fall

Yesterday was a beautiful day – much of our snow was GONE, although patches still existed -- I couldn’t wait to come home and WALK OUTSIDE in the sunshine!

Although I had to BEG, DH joined me, but argued about it’s benefit. My solution to winter blahs and any ailment, is that sunshine, exercise and looking at our big blue sky has restorative and recuperative properties -- he reluctantly found a hat and jacket and joined me, grumbling.

We have sidewalks most of the way, although snow and ice and puddles still existed.

All went well until he saw a former co-worker driving down the street. As DH spontaneously stepped into the street to hail and wave, SOMETHING went wrong, and splat! Uhhhh, wha happened? There was leftover ice on the roadside. Did he slip on that? Of course, he was totally embarrassed, and popped up in a moment with my immediate assistance. Meanwhile his friend had stopped his vehicle and backed up to be of assistance, and MORE street traffic stopped – an embarrassment to anyone, but this was a former co-worker! Arghhh – the story will get back to his old office about “poor ole guy – see what happens when the boss man retires”! A devastating event for the macho ego, and he’s insisting “I’m not going to admit any damage in front of anyone, by gosh – I’m just fine!”

Checking to see what had caused the problem, snow? Ice? What??? I looked at DH, and in addition to being very muddy, his backside, back, knee, leg, and arm and shoulder for gosh sakes were generously smeared with chunks of ...DOGGIE DOOOOO .. ARGHHHH, yes, that’s what caused him to slip, and, since I helped him up, I also have it on me (no gloves) -- I’ve stepped in it, brushed off his backside, back, leg, arm, and my hands were covered before I realized is was NOT mud! Frankly, we STINK like SXXX!!!

OK, trying to gain composure, clearly stating he is perfectly OK, we trudge home, smelling quite terrible, trying to make light of the situation, but we are both thinking of complaining to …the dog? , hollering at … the city? Who can we blame for this misadventure?

Arriving home requires carefull peeling off our stinking clothing outside on the deck, shaking the clods of Sxxx off of his jacket, jeans, and both our shoes, hoping our neighbors don’t complain about these 2 senior citizens stripping in plain sight! Hole in his jeans, bloody knee and hands, in addition to embarrassment, and mortification, and, even his WALLET (worn in back jeans pocket) is full of SXXX! That was just tooooo much!

Today, I'm hearing a lot of groans and moans from DH. We are waiting for the telephone calls and guffaws, and jests. I think he's in one piece. My poor baby.

Today is another warm spring-like day - A walk would be nice.