Fabulous Friday

For today: 

Looking Out My Window: Yes, it is beginning to look like fall.  

 

On my front porch

My Weekend Plans Include: I'm going to visit the nursery and get some more tulips and daffodils bulbs to plant.  I always seem to miss doing that in the fall.  It will make the spring more colorful.

I’m Reading: Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush.  This is a great book.  She seems so down to earth.

Movie Marquee:  I finally got season 2 of Mad Men from the library.

Something Quiltie: I've been working on a charity quilt.  I still had Christmas fabric leftover from making those pillowcases.  This easy pattern, A Streak of Sunshine, is from Bonnie Hunter's website, Quiltville.com. Check it out. Do something good for your stash and your heart.

One of My Favorite Things: Fall has such a distinctive smell.   It's spicy with the warm homey smells of cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, baked apples, warm pumpkin bread, and spiced hot tea. Funny how I thought of everything connected with food!

I’m Thinking About: It funny how one whiff of something can transfer you back to special memories. I loved the smell of burning leaves. ( a nonfood smell!)  I can picture my dad burning piles of leaves in the front of my childhood house and Jane and me running through or riding our bikes through the smoke.  It's what we use to do in the fall.   I'm sure we didn't smell too good afterward, but it was wonderful fun.

What’s For Dinner: Ed's having tamales and I'm trying to get my body into shape for Florida, just a protein shake, not that that's going to help at this point. LOL

A Favorite Photo:  

 Elizabeth and Ed, Fall, 
1986

The tastes of fall

Until Next Time-Kyle

Reverse Sewing

I knew I had to do.

I didn't want to.

There's something seemingly negative about going backward,

even if it means you can go forward more positively.

 

I finally had started a

Crabapple Hills pattern,

Snowmen A to Zzzz.

 

 

 I don't do a lot of embroidery, but this quilt is so delightful, and, well,

my friends are all working on it too, soooo... I just had to join in.

I had bought the listed embroidery floss and started on two blocks.

Then I was reminded, when I saw another friends beautiful 

interpretation of the pattern this past weekend, that you can

choose your own floss colors.  Dah!

Wow! I liked it even more.

 

So last night, small scissors in hand,

a movie playing, I did my

reverse sewing.

 

I'm back to the beginning and heading

off to HL to see what colors speak to me.  

I'll get some seed beads too, in loo of,

the dreaded dangling french knot.

Why not!?!

You have to dance your own dance.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Squirreling Away

There have been several busy squirrels

in our yard this past week.

Each one is hectically burying some

horse chestnuts from a tree down the street.

My flower barrels seem to be a favorite 

spot.  I guess the dirt is soft.

I'll leave the nuts there when I pull up the 

flowers, but will

they remember they're there?

I went to the farmer's market again.

There were good deals today.

I have felt like a squirrel, busy storing food 

away for the winter, squash, pumpkin, chili rellenos,

Ed  made carrot juice, and cabbage rolls.

The squirrel family and I might have a similar problem.

Once I put it in the freezer, sometimes I forget

that it's there. 

Hopefully, we'll both remember and

enjoy the fruits of our labor when the cold weather approaches.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Fabulous Friday

For today: 

Looking Out My Window: I have been waiting for my pumpkin to transform into the fantasy pumpkin I thought I planted.  

 I think I planted a different variety, a Jarrahdale pumpkin.

I'm not sure how I messed up.  I was told I would never get a job in the seed lab at CSU. 
 

My Weekend Plans Include: This weekend is Quilt-a-Fair, put on by the Colorado Quilt Council.  Our store, of course, has a booth, but I don't have to work, so I plan to attend and probably spend a little $.  All the shops bring fun stuff so it's fun to browse and plan new things.

I’m Reading: Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush.

Movie Marquee: "The Shop Around the Corner" with Margaret Sullivan and Jimmy Stewart, 1940.  The remake, of course, is "You've Got Mail".  The second one is "Leap Year".  I also have season 2 of "Mad Men" waiting for me at library.  Might be a busy movie weekend.

Something Quiltie: I just ordered a second pair of 4" Needlecraft Omnigrid scissors.   These scissors have the sharpest point of any scissor I have ever used.  They are great for clipping inner points and inner curves.  I've been afraid I would loose my only pair so now I have two.  I love these scissors.

I’m Thinking About: I recently had an issue with my credit card and had to cancel it.  There had been some unauthorized charges.  I really appreciate the bank giving me a call, while I was in Minnesota, of course, and getting on the situation quickly.  Don't you wish everyone was honest and played nice.

One of My Favorite Things: I love baggallini's.  I'm hoping the vendor at Quilt-a-Fair comes well stocked.  They're fun, light weigh, great colors, and very functional. I have a few!

What’s For Dinner: Fish tacos.

A Favorite Photo: 

Me and my dear friends this past weekend.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Pillowcases

The other day at work a woman came in the store and said

her small group was going to get together to make pillowcases

for one of the agencies in town that work with children.

It was to be  part of the One Million Pillowcases that APQ is heading up.

I asked if I could contribute a couple of pillowcases as well. 

"Sure, the more the better,"

I came home and started planning and rummaging through 

my stash.

I found a box with some Christmas fabrics that 

I probably wouldn't be using in a quilt

but perfect for little kids pillowcases.

It's interesting that when you need a piece a certain size

how with all of the fabric you have, nothing is 

the right measurement.

Or the other thing is that somewhere over time I have cut out a small

bit from the corner and now it won't work either.

But somehow I managed to sew together a few 

fun and festive pillowcases that

some kids might enjoy.

I'm on a roll now.

I plan to keep going and see just how many I can

get out of that pile of fabric.

It might take some creative planning,

but

will be fun to do and my stash will be

diminished by one yard per case!

Until Next Time-Kyle

SURPRISE!

This weekend was totally out of the box.

Where was Kyle?

Clues...

I was in the land of...

 

 

Did you guess?

Minneapolis.

But the question remains, why?

I am lucky enough to have two friendships that each span over 55 years.

I met Karen when I started kindergarten and we have

remained friends ever since.

Janet and I have been friends since preschool. WOW!

 

 This year we all turned XX.

Karen's birthday is this week and one of her dear friends,

Cathryn, planned a surprise party for her.

Well, Janet jumped on a plane from Detroit and

I jumped on a plane from Denver and we both

came to the party!

And did we surprise Karen.

 Surprise!

Janet, Karen and Me

Needless to say, it was a wonderful

weekend, full of old memories

and new.

Two things to remember...

go outside the box once in a while and 

do something unexpected

and friendship is valuable.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Fabulous Friday

For today: 

Looking Out My Window: It's another beautiful morning in Colorado, a beautiful blue sky and bright sunshine.
 

My Weekend Plans Include: Lots of surprises.  I'll share later.

I’m Reading: My library holds have all come at once.  I'm still working on House Rules by Jodi Picoult, but I've also picked up two books by Janet Evanovich, Sizzling Sixteen and Hero at Large.

Movie Marquee:   This is Ed's weekend for his movies. Guy stuff.

Something Quiltie: I started hand quilting my antique Ocean Wave.  It's been awhile since I have just sat down and done some hand quilting.  It felt good to get back into the rhythm.  My philosophy has been do just a hoop a day.  Sorry to say, I might need to revamp my thinking.

I’m Thinking About: Elizabeth called with some good news this week, Don has scheduled his defense. That means he is almost through and will graduate in Dec. He'll officially be Dr. Don.  I'm proud of all my kids.

One of My Favorite Things: I splurged on a manicure and even a pedicure this week.  My poor extremities were so dry and in need of some pampering.  It felt good for someone else to take care of me.

What’s For Dinner: Everyone probably thinks I only eat turkey burgers, but they are perfect on a Friday night when I am tired.

A Favorite Photo:  

 Positano, Italy
Don't you wish we were on a plane heading there?

Until Next Time-Kyle

Everything is Peachy

I have peaches on my mind.

I picked up a box of peaches and

now I have to get busy and do something with them.

I've made a peach pie.

Thank you, Michelle, for your delicious recipe.

 

Frozen Peach Daiquiris', yum

Peach Salsa

Peach muffins and scones

The rest got peeled, sliced and put into the freezer.

That was fun.
I felt like I was on Iron Chef and peaches
were the secret ingredient.

Have a peaches and cream kind of day.

Until Next Time-Kyle

A Quilt Orphan

I was on my way somewhere when I drove past an estate sale.  

I have friends that are always finding fabulous treasurers at these kinds of sales, 

so I stopped

to see what treasures might be there for me.

Lots of people.

Not tons of stuff.

It looked like most of the "good" stuff

probably was already gone.

But then I saw this poor little quilt sitting near the fireplace.

I brought it home for a few dollars.

As you can see, it's not in the best shape, lots of holes

where the fabric has just worn out.

It's the Jacob's ladder pattern.

It was probably made in the 30's.  

I have another quilt with the same worn pinks.

I love 2 color quilts.

My thoughts are:

1. leave the quilt alone and just 

enjoy the present condition, the softness of the

fabrics and the hand quilting.

2. Try to repair the worn areas, by removing the

last row of blocks and using the fabric pieces to replace

the other missing pieces.

I guess it might depend on how much time I want to spend on

this project.

I know when I get that old, I might need just a few repairs

to make me feel better.

Any Thoughts?

Until Next Time-Kyle

Fabulous Friday

For today: 

Looking Out My Window: My petunia's and other summer flowers are looking a bit bedraggled. I think weekends plans will also include cleaning out the flower pots and adding some mums.
 

My Weekend Plans Include: Peaches.  I bought a box of Palisade Peaches from the rotary club and they are ready for pick up on Saturday.  I don't can things anymore, so I'll make one peach pie for immediate consumption and freeze the rest.

I’m Reading: House Rules by Jodi Picoult. It's the story of a boy who has Asperger's syndrome and the effect on his family,and what it means to be different in society and how our legal system might not work well for those who have difficulty communicating in the "normal way".

Movie Marquee:  I dug way deep to find this one, "Midnight" staring Claudette Colbert, 1939.  Also "Crazy Heart" with Maggie Gyllenhaal, whose brother, Jake Gyllenhaal, I saw in Leadville a couple of weeks ago.

Something Quiltie: Yesterday we had "Stashbuster's Club" at the store.  It's a fun and motivating class that meets monthly to get everyone finding their stash, organizing their stash, and even using their stash.

We had 48 people in attendance.   There was lots of show and tell and a lot of laughter. It's all suppose to be FUN!

 We rotate teaching responsibilities. 

 I brought the cupcakes! Triple Chocolate!

 

I’m Thinking About: Have you ever watch the show "The Hoarders" on A&E.  Well, don't.  I haven't, but have seen the previews.  It will make you feel sick.  But, it might make us detach from some old things. I'm not including my fabric.

One of My Favorite Things: is to give a hug and get a hug.

What I’m Planning: My trip to Florida to see Kate.  We're looking for the perfect place to stay on Sanibel Island.

What’s For Dinner: Hmmmm. Good question.

A Favorite Photo:   

 1962

The first day of junior high

Look at all the stuff we carried

Plus we're pretty stylin'!

Until Next Time-Kyle

September Show and Tell

It's a new month 

and new/old quilts to show.

The good part about this process is

that it has helped me remember

what's in my quilt collection, refold,

and air each one.

It fun to look at how my color choices, 

styles, patterns and needs have changed over the years.

This month I chose a couple quilts that went
with the Farmer's Market theme.

The Farmer's Daughter
1999

This quilt was started as a block exchange  with
my quilt group.
The pattern was from Country Threads.
It's a fun way to get a variety of
fabrics and colors.

 Plus it provides memories
of friends and time together.

This quilt's right off the ranch.

A Hole in the Barn Door
1992

I really don't live on a ranch, nor do I love
cows, but this pattern from
Red Wagon was kind of fun.
It was fun to use stripes and plaids
slightly off grain and enjoy the casual look.

I added the appliques on the border.
Notice the sheep.
It escaped through the barn door too.

September is also the time for "Back to School."
Time to learn the basics.

ABC's
2001

This pattern is designed Starry Night Pattern Co.
Instead of wools, I used flannels so it
wouldn't be so heavy.

I love Connie's whimsical and simple designs.
It was really fun to make.

Sorry but now is the time to start thinking about the
Christmas holidays if you plan to make a quilt.

The book, Tis the Season,Quilts and Other Comforts, by Jeanne Large
and Shelly Wicks is one of the best holiday books to
come along in a while. I made this quilt as
a store sample and created a kit as well.

Tis the Season
2010

I decided to make it from flannel and did fusable
applique with a machine buttonhole stitch.
Fast, fun and easy!

Machine quilted and then added button embellishments.

And, of course, stitched on  the label.

Then just an update.
I finished machine quilting my diversion,
"My Sweet Baby Nine Patch"

It was my first time to machine quilt feathers.
Fun, fun, fun!

I didn't mark or draw one line.
Try it you'll like it.

Until Next time-Kyle

Happy Birthday, Martin

"They say it's your birthday."

 Martin and Jessica

"We're going to have a good time."

I am so lucky to have Martin as a son-in-law.

He is so passionate and creative about so many things in his life.

He's a chef, a musician, a BMW aficionado, photographer,

a fitness enthusiast, and beer brewer.

He's an exciting guy to know.

He is the perfect husband for Jessica and they

make a perfect couple.

Wishing you a very Happy Birthday, Martin!

I tried to find Bob Dylan singing Happy Birthday, but

I thought maybe the Beatles would be next best.

Until Next Time-Kyle

Fabulous Friday

For today:

Looking Out My Window: It is going to be a perfectly lovely Colorado weekend.

My Weekend Plans Include: Friends, Food, and Fun
 

I’m Reading: Time to start a couple of new audio books, something lighthearted, Fairies and the Quest for Never Land, and The Coffee Trader by David Liss, a historical suspense thriller.
 

Movie Marquee: Ed has never seen The Full Monty and in contrast Harvey, with James Stewart, 1950.

Something Quiltie: I love the feel of the Kyoto bamboo batting made by Moda. It is soft, breathable, won't bunch or clump, made with 50% bamboo and 50% organic cotton, little shrinkage, and quilting can be up to 8" apart.  I have used the batt a couple times.  The quilts did feel just a bit heavier.
 

I’m Thinking About: My mom.  She passed away 25 years ago.  It's hard to believe, but I think of her almost everyday.

One of My Favorite Things: Is turning on the computer in the morning and seeing who has posted something new on their blog.

What I’m Planning: To try and stay on top of things next week.  This week just got away from me.

What’s For Dinner:  Ahi tuna, grilled, of course.

A Favorite Photo:  

"A Change is Coming"

Easliy Sidetracked

I hate to admit it, but I can easily be distracted.

If I'm doing a bit of house cleaning, and walk past something more interesting,

I can easily be distracted. 

Who wouldn't.

If I'm working on the computer, it doesn't take much 

for me to suddenly be playing on the computer, visiting new blogs and old friends.

If I'm quilting and have a specific project to work on, 

my attention can be easily directed to something completely new.

Even writing this, I have wandered off a couple of times.

I needed breakfast.

I got sidetracked a couple of weeks ago

while I was working on my stashbuster's quilt.

I had some 1 1/2" strips of 30's fabrics in a very tiny pile.

Let me emphasize tiny pile.

I should do something with those.

Using a pattern idea from 

Miss Rosie's Spice of Life Quilts

as a springboard, I made some 3" baby nine patches

 

and set them together in a diagonal set with white rectangles

Of course, I didn't have enough 1 1/2" strips in that original pile,

so I had to get out my collection of 30's fabrics, cut more strips, sew more

baby nine patches...

My quick little project was suddenly 

taking priority and time.

I added a 1 1/2" white border.

When you're creating as you go, it's important to stop,step back,

and think what the next design element should be.

I still had strips

I sewed them together, thinking a piano key border, but

that didn't fit into the rest of the design... too big and heavy.

So I cut a little more.

and made a single row of squares as the next border.

 That worked.

It needed one more border to contain the pattern.

Using the same width as the white rectangles, I cut a 3"

border to finish the design.

It's certainly nothing elaborate or breathtaking.

But it did get rid of the tiny pile of 30's fabrics that had 

diverted my attention.

 

Today I'll baste it and practice 

machine quilting feathers on it.

That is, if I don't get sidetracked.

Until Next Time-Kyle