Happy Valentine's Day

If you find it in your heart

to care for somebody else,

you will have succeeded.
Maya Angelou

Whipped Up a Scrappy

Sometimes in the quilting world you just want to work up a top so easy-peasy that you don’t even have to think.  Can I get an *Amen*?!!

This Totally Scrappy top filled that bill for me last night.  I won all of these blocks in a lottery and I just had to lay them out and sew rows and *whoopee!* a finished top.  The blocks were from the Quilter’s Cache website, a design called Scrapbagger:

http://www.quilterscache.com/S/ScrapbaggerBlock.html

And for a totally off-topic picture, I saw this little thing hanging in a scrub forest  made up of oaks, cypress, wax myrtles, palmetto palms, etc.

In our area, these are usually for early detection of the Mediterranean fruit fly that can cause very serious harm to our food supply.  Although we often think of how these little devils can destroy the extremely valuable citrus crops, they actually attack over 250 different fruits, vegetables and nuts, including tomatoes, peppers, guavas and mangoes.   This is a close-up of the trap, but it was being used in California against the threat of Light Brown Apple Moths ... doesn’t sound likely here.

Because they weren’t near citrus trees, I can’t help but wonder what they are targeting.  I didn’t find anything on the State Agriculture website, but I’ll watch the newspaper to see if anything comes up.  Just curious, don’tcha know??

My First Doll Quilt

I blogged about the Lil’ Twister baby quilt that I made recently (see photo in this post).  The baby-to-be has a big sister (aged 2 ½) and I usually give any siblings a little gift along with the baby gift so they won’t feel left out.  This time I had bought a cute stuffed toy known as a “Pillow Pet” … this little ladybug has a Velcro belt underneath that you can undo and lay the critter flat for a small pillow.  I decided to make the critter a little blankie that matched the baby’s quilt.  It is doll-sized at 12 ¼ x 14 ¼ and I love its diminutive dimensions!

And I am making progress on working on my mom’s storage boxes.  This is why there is too much stuff:

These were all in a Baggie from just from one box of bathroom items (there are more boxes) – and she already has other multiples of these scissors, nail clippers and tweezers in her bathroom at assisted living.  These are going out the door ASAP … then maybe my sanity will come back!

National Get Organized Month

I'm not really late - I just didn't report last month about an activity that I had started.

It was January that was actually “National Get Organized Month” which is sponsored by the National Association of Professional Organizers.   I do watch HGTV and I have seen the people who go into homes and help the messy to recover their spaces but I guess I never paid attention to the fact that there is a professional organization for those skilled people!  Right now, I admire their abilities.

The reason I’m interested is that I have started to clear out my mother’s storage area – whew! – what a task!  I started in January with the goal of moving her stuff from a very large unit to a much smaller (and less expensive) unit.  She used to have furniture in there, but that’s gone  so if I could reduce the size and number of the boxes, I could manage it better.

Last month, I selected box after box that was labeled “seasonal” ….. these all held silk flowers, knick-knacks, stuffed animals, etc associated with an event such as Valentine’s Day, Easter, Fourth of July, Halloween, etc.

My mother is now in an assisted living facility and has limited space to display all of her memorabilia.  The problem is that she has not only accumulated her own stuff over her 85 years, but that she also has stuff from both sets of my grandparents.  I am doing my best to weed out duplicates and ascertain which have sentimental value for her.  Then I’m saving a few for each season/holiday and putting them into separate boxes so I can haul them over to her when it’s the right time.

This is a photo of part of the “unsorted” seasonal stuff, after I had already polished off the huge amount of Christmas stuff and the final sorted stuff after I boxed it up to go back to storage.  Believe me, it’s reduced – took me two days to finish.

That's spring and Easter on the right

And this is the next load that I have in my spare room to sort.  I’m determined to get her into a smaller storage unit by April.  Wish me luck!

I did get my Craftsy BOMs for February finished today.  These were designed to teach people two methods of creating half-square triangles.  I’ve used both methods before so it wasn’t new-to-me and they went quickly.  The third block is because I had some scraps and thought I’d send this “matching” block along with the others to my group’s monthly block lottery.  The one on the left is called a Balkan Puzzle, the one on the right is a Zig-Zag and the third is just a scrappy.

If I turn it sideways, I could call it railroad gates to go
 with the kerchiefs and little trains in the blocks above!

QOV Update

I met with my Quilt of Valor group yesterday and took my finished top.  When I took the close-up picture, I forgot to get the detail of the inner border.  It was a bugga-boo to put on.  The fabric was originally rows of the letters *USA* separated by stars in a square.  The volunteers had already cut it apart when I received it, so I had to be careful when sewing it on so that I didn’t cut off the tops and bottoms of the letters (not a full 1/4 inch available).  But first, I had to piece the borders in such a way that the integrity of the letters was maintained (no mitering like I normally would do).  Then I kept trying to fit the border so that nothing was cutoff.  I finally gave up and let the ends at two corners read *US*.  Best I could do!

Bonnie Hunter Pattern - Fourth of July

Now that I am more familiar with the pattern (I printed off my own copy from Bonnie's website - she gives blanket permission to do that), I know that many of the squares are not turned properly.  My next one will be much better!  Other members brought back finished tops, too, so the group now has 5 tops at the long-arm quilters (volunteers).  Our next meeting will be spent making up lots more kits that can be signed out and brought back.

Another top ready for borders

And yet ANOTHER top having borders sewn on

And yes, we went out to lunch again, and I readily admit to succumbing to the allure of the raisin toast.  I had tomato rice soup and the toast and both were wonderful!

Now I’m planning on a lazy weekend.  The weather has been so great here that I just want to get outdoors and piddle around – no heavy weed pulling, no extreme walks, just leisurely enjoying the balmy temperature while it lasts.  My azaleas and day lilies are blooming and my lone orchid has a new stalk.  I was so excited to see it since I was pretty sure I had brown-thumbed the poor plant to death.  But apparently, it is happy, so I fed it and we’ll see if it makes it to flowering!

The stalk coming out at the top left is the flower starting to form -
 I'll hitch it to the green stake when it gets a little longer

Happy Groundhog Day!

Groundhog Day has its roots in Candlemas Day in Europe when early Christian clergy blessed candles and distributed them to people in the dark of Winter.  An old English saying had it that if Candlemas was fair and bright then Winter had another flight, but if Candlemas brought clouds and rain, then Winter would not come again.

Here in the US, the Delaware Indians had settled in an encampment known as Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (about 90 miles north of Pittsburgh).  For the Delaware, groundhogs were honorable ancestors and they watched for them to see their shadow to predict the continuation of Winter.  The Germans had watched for a badger to predict the same and brought their traditions to America.  The two rituals have blended together into our modern day event of Groundhog Day.

The earliest American reference to Groundhog Day comes from 1841 and is taken from a Morgantown storekeeper’s diary.  James Morris’ diary can be found at the Pennsylvania Dutch Folklore Center at Franklin and Marshall College.  Morris says:

            “Last Tuesday, the 2^nd, was Candlemas day, the day on which, according to the Germans, the Groundhog peeps out of his winter quarters and if he sees his shadow he pops back for another six weeks nap, but if the day be cloudy re remains out, as the weather is to be moderate.”

So, today Punxsutawney Phil, as he is affectionately known, did see his shadow, so unfortunately, there will not be an early Spring.  On the plus side, Phil has only a 39% track record of being correct.  To read more about Groundhog Day or to know more about the making of the movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray, go to http://www.stormfax.com/ghogday.htm

Here in my sewing room, it is pleasant and bright.  I am working on a Quilt of Valor.  Today, I will be putting on an inner and outer border then I’ll turn it in at the group’s meeting tomorrow.

the tags on the left are row numbers so I could keep them in order!

2012 NEWFO Challenge Update

I have the button on my sidebar and you can read about the 2012 NEWFO Challenge at Cat Patches.  I really think I’m going to like this Challenge!  This is my status report for my January projects:

• I had wanted to work with the Lil’ Twister tool and the first photo below is my first finished top that used the 5” size tool, and
• I liked working with the smaller tool so much that I purchased the larger size (suitable for layer cakes).  The second photo below is the finished NEWFO for a baby due any day now (having a deadline works wonders), and
• The Craftsy website with Amy Gibson is offering a free BOM video and many of them will be new-to-me techniques.  I am planning to make these up each month in the colors of my group’s block lottery.  January’s colors were blue and yellow.  The two free-form blocks that Craftsy put forth for January were a stretch for my abilities since I like structure so much and have trouble doing wonky, but I enjoyed working with them.  The third photo is of those two blocks that went out into the mail.

Top Done

Quilted and Finished

Blocks Done

I did not get around to working with the various-colored dots fabric that I had wanted to make up into the Alaska Homestead blocks, so I’ve moved it into February – you’ll see what I did instead below.

In addition to NEWFOs, I also had a modest goal to complete one UFO each month.  This UFO got done:

Quilt Finished

And this UFO got to the finished top stage:

Top Done

Another UFO got quilted on the frame but still needs more quilting in the borders and the binding put on.  It will be finished in February so I’ll show it then.  So all-in-all, January went pretty well for me!

National Kazoo Day

In keeping with my policy to celebrate every little eccentric thing out there – here goes!

What in the world is a “Kazoo”?  Well, it’s either an amazingly versatile musical instrument or the most annoying torture device ever invented.  It is categorized within the class of instruments known as “mirlitons”.  Mirlitons are those instruments that have a vibrating membrane.
 
The kazoo is thought to have originated in Africa where they have mirlitons made from animal horns that are used in traditional ceremonies.  A legend exists that modern kazoos were invented by a former slave, Alabama Vest, in Macon, GA in the USA.  Vest had a clockmaker build a kazoo from his design and he introduced it at the 1852 Georgia State Fair.

The submarine shape (like mine above) was created in 1902 and was a popular instrument in many minstrel shows and jug bands in the early 1900s.

National Kazoo Day is the brainchild of the president of Kazoobie, Inc. that sells a million kazoos annually - can you believe it?  Fortunately, a great many of those kazoos are left to languish in drawers, closets and garages.  In my humble opinion, kazoos are meant to be played only in parades and should never be brought inside – LOL!

And back on the quilty front, I have finished the top with the safari animals.  I think I originally called it “Windows on the Serengeti”.  I had intended to have a fancier layout of the windows by putting them on point, but sometimes I tire of a particular project and just want to move on.  This is a good “boy” quilt just as it is, so it’s done!  It's not out-of-square, it just needs to be ironed.  I do that just before I quilt and not a minute sooner ...

I’ve also started another Lil’ Twister quilt using the larger template for a friend’s grandbaby soon to be born.  This is the start … there is a short deadline for this one!

So I’d better get off the computer and get to sewin’ …….

Happy Chinese New Year!

The beginning of the Chinese New Year depends on the date of the New Moon in Aquarius and can be anytime from Jan 21 to Feb 18^th.  Today (Jan 23^rd) begins the year of the Dragon … but did you know that there are actually 5 dragons?  Each Chinese year is named for an animal that rules that year and every animal of their zodiac has 5 elements associated with it.  This is the year of the Water Dragon – the others are Wood, Fire, Earth and Metal.  The Chinese Lunar Calendar is 2,640 years older than ours and has a 12 year cycle with a different animal for each year – therefore the Water Dragon has not appeared for 60 years.

Babies said to be born in this year of the Dragon are said to be imaginative, full of fun and energetic.  They are doers that make things happen, demanding perfection from themselves and others.  Famous people that were/are Dragons include: Joan of Arc, John Lennon, Sandra Bullock, Salvador Dali, Mr. Rogers and Robin Williams.

If you like to appliqué, there is a darling dragon quilt pattern for sale by Needlesongs called Little Dragons Everywhere:

Click on this link to purchase (I am not affiliated with Needlesongs - I just thought this was cute!):

http://www.creativequiltkits.com/little-dragons-everywhere-applique-quilt-pattern-by-needlesongs.html

Quilts of Valor

In addition to taking beginner’s Yoga classes (that I have been liking a lot), I’ve added another new activity to my calendar.  The closest quilt shop to me (Crafty Threads) has graciously allowed a local Quilts of Valor group to meet in their large classroom and I decided to step out of my comfort zone and join.  It’s very hard for me to walk into a new situation, but I had decided to try to be a little more active in my local community and this seemed a good fit for my skills.

The mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover all combat service members and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing quilts.  And I was pleasantly surprised how easy it was to slot right into this local group.   One of the things that some members do during the monthly meetings is to make up kits of blocks that other quilters can pick up and sign out to take home to work on.  I posted about those [here] when I made a few in advance of going to the monthly get-together. 

So when I walked into the shop on meeting day (Friday), I brought back the last of my finished 4-patch blocks and they set me to work laying out a top to sew together.

This is the Fourth of July pattern offered by Bonnie Hunter free for personal and charitable use.  Thank you so much for your generosity, Bonnie!

This particular group has only been meeting for a short while and they have already completed 4 quilts to distribute.    One will be given out in early February to a recipient who was hit by an IED in Afghanistan two years ago.  He is currently undergoing rehabilitation here locally.  We have two major Veterans’ care centers in our area (the James A Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa and the Bay Pines VA Healthcare Center in St Petersburg) plus several outpatient clinics.

We also went to a nearby restaurant that we could walk to for lunch.  This is the look back at my lonely sewing machine where I was sewing together rows when we left for lunch.

And quilters being quilters, someone brought homemade cookie bars.  Oh, joy!  This group could be addictive … I’ll definitely be going back!

And as a small aside … remember I was having trouble with my thread breaking on the top I was trying to quilt on my frame?  Well, I bought this product that was recommended to resolve that issue.  It’s a liquid silicone to drop onto the thread and bobbin spools.  I’ll report back if it works for me.

World Travelers

I am not a world traveler, but my quilts for children sure are!  I am learning a lot of geography by following the Rotoplast Blog that documents the medical missions teams that are dispersed worldwide to perform surgery on children born with cleft palates and/or cleft lips.  They often partner with other organizations that you might be familiar with - like Smile Train.

Since the map of the world has changed so much since I was in school, I had to look up the location of the mission in Nov-Dec 2011.  That was when Rotoplast sponsored a Smile Train mission to the Republic of Togo in West Africa.

US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, visited there just last week (Jan 2012) advising Togo President Faure Gnassingbe during her visit that the US would be a good partner to Togo as they strengthen their democracy.

It is very heartwarming to think that a group that I am in played a small part in creating good relations by sending our quilts to comfort their children during surgery.  This is a photo from the Rotoplast Blog of a stone outside of the hospital in the capital city of Lome that pretty much sums it up:

It is no small thing that which is done out of love.

The current mission to Lima, Peru is just about to wrap up and the next mission will be to Chittagong, Bangladesh.  I know where Bangladesh is, but again I’ll have to look up Chittagong and follow the blog and hope to catch a rare glimpse of one of my quilts.

I send my quilts through the Sunshine On-line Quilt Guild.  This is my most recent work in progress (I’m back to working on something I started in Oct 2011):

Roadblock on the Frame

I’m so easily derailed.  I have the lovely Tam’s Patch block quilt top on the frame with all of its great novelty prints and I’m having trouble with the thread breaking.  Since it had so many colors in it, with a black background on the top, but a medium colored backing, I decided that I would try a variegated thread.  Good plan, right?!

I usually use Gutterman thread on the frame (that I buy on sale) and that has always worked well for me – a little linty, but I clean the bobbin case often.  So this time I put another brand on of variegated thread and made almost one whole pass across the quilt top.  I was thinking it was great and sewed so nicely that I just might recommend it to others.  I guess that woke the thread demons up!  The thread started breaking about every nine  inches.  I am so ticked.  Now I wouldn’t go so far as to name the exact cause yet, because there could be lots of reasons.

·         It could be old - I know I’ve had the thread for more than a year and never used it – although it has been stored out of the sun that is so fierce in FL

·         It could be the machine – I’ve rethreaded it twice

·         It could be the needle – I’ve change it

·         It could be the machine tension – never had to change it before (but who knows?)

·         It could be the surface tension of the fabric (why did the first pass go so smoothly?)

·         It could be my frustration level – Aha!  That’s why I’m letting it set for a few days to think about its sins – sort of a “thread timeout”.  Maybe that’ll help!

So meanwhile, I finished up putting the borders onto the Lil’ Twister top.  This just grew out of my trial run at using this dandy tool.  I wish I had found the cute outside border fabric before I made the twisters and I would have incorporated some there, but now I know.  It sort of looks like a medallion center.

The light blue surrounding the twisters has multi-colored numbers in it.  I really think I like making the twisters.  I might try the heart or wreath next – or maybe get the giant-size tool – I see Twisters in my future!

2012 Goals and Progress

I’ve decided that I will strive for these three quilting goals for each month of 2012:

• start (and finish!) one NEWFO [see button on sidebar]
• finish one old UFO
• create two new blocks from Craftsy’s BOM – use the appropriate colors for submission to my group’s block lottery

That seems like a manageable set of goals and right now I’m on track for January.  If I stick to the first two, I will have 12 children’s quilts for Wrap-a-Smile and 12 quilts for Wrap-Them-in-Love, the two groups that my Sunshine On-line Quilt Guild supports.

So what is my progress so far?  These are the four Craftsy BOMs for January that I worked up – the topic was Slashed Blocks (two designs):

They are in the mail already to my group's quilt block lottery.
 
And, this is my most recent finished UFO.

You know that some quilts just don’t appeal to you until they are quilted and then they look just fine.  That was the way it was with this scrappy quilt that used leftover Dora the Explorer fabric.  I think scrappy quilts look best when they use tons of small pieces and tons of different fabrics.  I much prefer “controlled scrappy” for larger size blocks and strips, but I tried not to be so particular with this top.  I wanted to have a bin of lights and darks and just pull strips and use them, so that’s what I did.  I wasn’t happy about the look, but I think it looks OK quilted with just fanciful swirls.  It was an interesting learning experience and used up some scraps, so it was worthwhile!

I also had an exercise goal for 2012 that I have already implemented.  I’m taking a class in Yoga.  This is me:

Credit: Free photos from acobox.com

Not!  I’ve NEVER been able to touch my toes, even when I was a stringy, 87 lb teenager – and splits are purely a laughing matter for me.  My goals in this beginner Yoga class are to learn correct breathing and posture and hopefully begin to develop some flexibility. We’ll see!

National Hot Tea Month

Did you know that January is National Hot Tea month?!  Well, I’ve never been a coffee drinker but I just can’t do without my tea – hot, cold, lukewarm – caffeine, decaff, herbal – it’s all ok with me.  I once had a friend stay in our condo for a week when we were out of town and she told me afterwards that she had opened one of my kitchen drawers and found “all of the tea in the world”.  Not quite true, but these are a few of the varieties that I have on hand now:

I guess I do appreciate the many different varieties that are available!

And I even like reading about tea.  Have you ever read any of Laura Childs’ Tea Shop Mysteries?  These are light mysteries set in historic Charleston, SC.  The first in the series was titled “Death by Darjeeling” and featured Theodosia Browning, the owner of the Indigo Tea Shop, and her talented staff who blend teas, offer tea tastings and bake wonderful scones and other dishes in between investigating murders, mischief and mayhem.  This is the most recent of these "cozy mysteries with a twist" that I read – it was #12 in the series (and BTW, recipes of the delightful tea shop offerings are included in the books – yum!):

And I found the most darling BOM wallhanging that is starting this month.   I can't post the picture due to copyright, but click on the link the see the wallhanging that is being sponsored by Angie Padilla at:  http://ajpadilla.com/bom/asian-teapots

These blocks will only be free during the month they are issued, after that the past blocks will be available if you are a subscriber to Angie’s website and newsletter.  Since I love the many beautiful oriental prints that are in quilt shops now, I’ll be putting this BOM on my to-do list.

National Bird Day

Why National Bird Day?

• The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
• Today, nearly 12 percent of the world's 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world's 330 parrot species.
• Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
• Many of the world's parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
• Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
• The survival and well-being of the world's birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.

This is the reason for National Bird Day.

Check out Beth's Blog at:  http://quilterb-bethsblog.blogspot.com/ to see her beautiful photos of wild birds and her very excellent quilts, also!