Origami Face Mask DIY

This came up on my read one day--I enjoy doing origami and thought this was a super way to make a mask- from

These instructions and video are provided by Aplat

Patriotic Sewing!

Diary of a Quilter has the easiest way to sew a small 

patriotic US flag

these could be placemats, table runners, wall decorations.

It's quilt as you sew!

Check it out!

Here is another "Freedom" sewing adventure--designed by Charisma Horton

Love the look of this Freedom Quilt!  Why not use your stash!

Calling All Hands!

If you are anything like me, you want to help or assist during this

crisis, but you don't know what you can do?

Here are a couple of ways to assist:

If you are a quilter, check this out!

"What does love look like?

It has the hands to help others.

It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy.

It has eyes to see misery and want.

It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men.

That is what love looks like."

Memorial Day 2020!

Memorial Day is an American holiday, observed on the last Monday of May, honoring the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Memorial Day 2020 occurs on Monday, May 25. 

Originally known as Decoration Day, it originated in the years following the Civil War and became an official federal holiday in 1971. Many Americans observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries or memorials, holding family gatherings and participating in parades. Unofficially, it marks the beginning of the summer season.

Early Observances of Memorial Day

The Civil War, which ended in the spring of 1865, claimed more lives than any conflict in U.S. history and required the establishment of the country’s first national cemeteries.

By the late 1860s, Americans in various towns and cities had begun holding springtime tributes to these countless fallen soldiers, decorating their graves with flowers and reciting prayers.

Did you know? Each year on Memorial Day a national moment of remembrance takes place at 3:00 p.m. local time.

It is unclear where exactly this tradition originated; numerous different communities may have independently initiated the memorial gatherings. And some records show that one of the earliest Memorial Day commemoration was organized by a group of freed slaves in Charleston, South Carolina less than a month after the Confederacy surrendered in 1865. Nevertheless, in 1966 the federal government declared Waterloo, New York, the official birthplace of Memorial Day.

READ MORE: One of the Earliest Memorial Day Ceremonies Was Held by Freed Slaves

Waterloo—which first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—was chosen because it hosted an annual, community-wide event, during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

Concord/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0

Decoration Day

On May 5, 1868, General John A. Logan, leader of an organization for Northern Civil War veterans, called for a nationwide day of remembrance later that month. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed.

The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle.

On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.

Many Northern states held similar commemorative events and reprised the tradition in subsequent years; by 1890 each one had made Decoration Day an official state holiday. Southern states, on the other hand, continued to honor their dead on separate days until after World War I.

Confederate Memorial Day is still celebrated in several states and will be on Sunday, April 26, 2020 in Florida; on Monday, April 27, 2020 in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi and on May 11, 2020, in parts of South Carolina. The practice of commemorating the Confederacy became even more controversial after massacre at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015

History of Memorial Day

Memorial Day, as Decoration Day gradually came to be known, originally honored only those lost while fighting in the Civil War. But during World War I the United States found itself embroiled in another major conflict, and the holiday evolved to commemorate American military personnel who died in all wars, including World War II, The Vietnam War, The Korean War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For decades, Memorial Day continued to be observed on May 30, the date Logan had selected for the first Decoration Day. But in 1968 Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which established Memorial Day as the last Monday in May in order to create a three-day weekend for federal employees; the change went into effect in 1971. The same law also declared Memorial Day a federal holiday.

Memorial Day Traditions

Cities and towns across the United States host Memorial Day parades each year, often incorporating military personnel and members of veterans’ organizations. Some of the largest parades take place in Chicago, New York and Washington, D.C.

Americans also observe Memorial Day by visiting cemeteries and memorials. Some people wear a red poppy in remembrance of those fallen in war—a tradition that began with a World War I poem. On a less somber note, many people take weekend trips or throw parties and barbecues on the holiday, perhaps because Memorial Day weekend—the long weekend comprising the Saturday and Sunday before Memorial Day and Memorial Day itself—unofficially marks the beginning of summer.

Stuck!

Yes, I'm just like many of you--stuck!  Stuck with my motivation!  Stuck with my creativity!
Stuck!  Stuck!  Stuck!  Just like the scene from the movie "The Christmas Story"


I've heard from several of my friends that they are also 'stuck'--the mojo has gone or maybe, it's just lying low till we get moving outdoors again and away from our 'stuck' in lives!

Oh my word!  There are a zillion sites with motivation quotes!  I'm pulling out my hair--none of those quotes will help with this situation we are 'stuck' with!

So,,,,,,what do I do? I sit and watch videos--not very productive for sure!  But, at least, I"m not
stuck in my world for awhile....how is it in your world?????

It's A Kaleidoscope!!

Holy Moly!  It's time to make something quick and easy--

I'm breaking out the small double pointed needles to whip out

some kitchen dishcloths to keep me clean!

I've not had my year long projects close at hand--I'm almost

going crazy without needles in my hands

Then I came across this! Knitpicks has a "ton" of free--

yes!  free! dishcloth patterns--

my stash baskets are overflowing with cotton yarns.

choosing the first pattern will be difficult--maybe, monthly theme--

like May Flowers--  Like the purple Bellflower of the bright yellow

Sunflower--there are 52 free patterns--one for each week of the year!

Anniversary!!

Today is our 57th Anniversary--can't believe we have been together this long--there are good days and bad days, but throughout those times, we have worked together to get everything sorted out.

The photo is at our 50th anniversary vow renewal!  It was something crazy we did!  and it was fun times with our family-- Graceland Wedding Chapel was the location with "Elvis" officiating!

So seven years later, we remember our day in Las Vegas and our celebration of our love of each other and our joy of God Almighty who guides us each and every day!

Book List

Books!  What would we do without books?

I'm ready with another stack of books to read--maybe, these

will last through the summer--

depends if we are home bound often

Noah Gordon had a smash hit with his book "The Physician"--

sorry that I didn't read it--will keep my eyes out for a copy on Paperback Swap

In the meantime, I'm readying "The Winemaker"--setting is late 1800's in Northern Spain--

and of course, wine making is involved!  

Jennifer Chiaverini's "The Sugar Camp Quilt" will be a light hearted read --

taking place during years leading up to Civil War in Creek's Crossing, Pennsylvania

Jennifer has written numerous books about quilting and quilters--this one was

found on PBS

Another PBS book is Shari Lapena's "The Couple Next Door"

described as nerve racking unraveling--we'll see!

Historical on the agenda:

"Hidden in Plain View"--this is the secret story of quilts and the

underground railroads--movies have been made about this route

for slaves seeking freedom--it's time to see how they achieve

their goals with the written word.

"Cotton" by Stephen Yafa---The biography of a revolutionary fiber!!

So much to learn about a fiber I like to spin and so many of us

use in our everyday life.

Now, these books have already been read and set off  for someone else

to enjoy--Another PBS find:  Mike Blakely--author, singer-songwriter

presents two novels in one volume--"The Snowy Range Gang" and

"Vendetta Gold"--both western settings.

A new author to me is Jeff Carson and the first in his series set

in Colorado small town, "Foreign Deceit" --from the first page

I was pulled into this drama--of course, it helps that I love anything

to do with Colorado.  I plan to order other books in this series with

his hero David Wolf

John Sanford--one of my go to authors--"Masked Prey"--love

the Prey series with characters you journey with through

their trials and tribulations

No matter where we are  or what we do, Books take us into

a world of  adventure, sadness, joy, happiness, a place

where we escape if just for an hour or two.

Happy reading!!

2020 Stitch Along

Calico Patch is hosting a summer stitch along--this shows wool but

there is no reason why it can't be with fabric as well.

Check out their website to see what it planned.

Begins June 1 and runs through August.

Here are the list of designers that will participate and when

 June 1 – 7             Calico Patch Designs                          calicopatchdesigns.com

     June 8 – 14           Blueberry Backroads                           blueberrybackroads.com

     June 15 – 21         My Red Door Designs                          myreddoordesigns.com

     June 22 – 28         Red Button Quilt Co                            redbuttonquiltco.com

     June 29 - July 5      Rusty Crow                                         rustycrow.com

     July 6 – 12            Linen Closet Designs                           facebook.com/LinenClosetDesigns

     July 13 – 19          the cottage rose-Pattern Originals      cottagerosequiltshop.com

     July 20 – 26          The Woolen Needle                             thewoolenneedle.com

     July 27 - Aug 2       Through The Needle’s Eye                   needleseyestories.com

     Aug 3 – 9             Traditional Primitives                          traditionalprimitives.com

     Aug 10 – 16          Yellow Creek Quilt Designs                   yellowcreekquiltdesigns.com

     Aug 17 – 23          Sew Cherished                                    sewcherished.com

     Aug 24 – 31          Calico Patch Designs                            calicopatchdesigns.com

It Was Right In Front of My Eyes!

Since my sewing machine is sick and in machine hospital, I finally decided to sit at the loom and finish what I began several months ago--warping!  I hate warping the loom!  Weaving is a pleasure--thinking of the next project is a pleasure!  Selecting yarns is a pleasure, winding the warp--well, not such a pleasure, but it's not like warping a loom!

Okay, gal--sit down, begin.............................all that needs to be done is tie on loose end to the end  through the reed--that can't be too hard, can it?  No not really!  The warp for the next project is already there---get to it!  Motivation speech in my head as I walked up the stairs to the studio---------------------there it is--so daunting a task! 

These will be colorful towels for someone--

That wasn't so hard, was it old gal?!  Just took you a little of pushing to get you up

the stairs into the studio--

Staring me in the face was the window to the outside world--right there--

right in front of my eyes--

The world of nature!  and what? is that? I see?

A bird nest!!  Momma Robin appeared in my frame--

you could never tell there was a nest in the Magnolia tree

until she flew up and sat on a branch and three hungry little

mouths reached up to take the food--it only took a few seconds:

 she was off again in search of food for her little ones.

I thought, sometimes, we miss the most important things in our lives

and most often those moments pop up right before our eyes!

The Secret of Chimneys

Audio here

Miss Marple investigates in this Agatha Christie murder mystery

" It introduces the characters of Superintendent Battle and Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent. At the request of George Lomax, Lord Caterham reluctantly agrees to host a weekend party at his home, Chimneys. A murder occurs in the house, beginning a week of fast-paced events with police among the guests.

   The novel was well received at first publication, described as more than a murder mystery, as it is a treasure hunt. Later reviews found it a first class romp and one of the author's best early thrillers. The most recent review says the novel requires a hefty suspension of disbelief. The later reviewers note that descriptions of characters use the terminology of the times in which it was written, and might be considered racist decades later."

Diamond Mitts designed by Elaine Jones

I still have handspun yarn from the 'waves of hope" hat--

Casting on and watching...............or maybe, listening

Oh Woe Is Me-----

On top of all this virus stuff, wearing masks, washing your hands till they're raw, social distancing--I have NO sewing machine!!  So, Woe is Me!  

"This phrase means I am in trouble or I am struggling. People might say woe is me when they are going through hard times, when they are sad about something, or whenever obstacles befall them on the path of life. The phrase is archaic, and today it is mostly used ironically or in self-deprecation."

Am I really that bad off?  Not really!  There are many who have suffered more distress than I'll ever know--we think our personal situation is awful--when we can't do the things we like-

But, I do have other projects to pull out and finish.  Here is one that I"ll begin tonight as I listen to live streaming country music

Proximity Hat designed by Orange Smoothie is the winner for my

needles!  

I just finished plying this handspun wool/silk blend and it will make a nice hat--

think I'll need to do 4 ply for this hat; otherwise, it will fit a small head

and believe or not--I have a big fat head!

No more Woe is Me! 

It Finally Happen.......................

I was breezing along with all my sewing projects; even

finished these two UFOs below--

got this quilted and the binding sewn on

then quilted this one, put the binding on

and THEN it happen!!

My Bernina machine went bonkers!!  It stalled out on me!

Fabric would not feed through the needle--

can we say flustered--changed the needle, pulled out the bobbin

and cleaned all the parts underneath--changed thread several times,

still no results--

still had trouble with the fabric feeding through, it just sits there

and churns in one spot!!  Read all the internet suggestions and

nothing changed a thing.....I give up........

Time to get it to repair shop!

Only problem--Bernina shop isn't open!!  But, you can drop them

an email and then drop off the machine--outside their door with

note attached to machine with all the information--they'll pick it

up and send you a receipt!

Guess that's what I'll do--

since I don't have another sewing machine--

I will not be sewing anytime soon--

Let's just go to another project and finish up

these knitting projects

Chunky yarn makes a perfect hat and quick knit

Finished! Complete! Hip Hip Yahoo!!

This is a hat from my previous handspun mentioned in blog--I liked knitting this pattern--

really enjoyed the feel of my handspun in my hands

Another one bites the dust—from the stash of UFOs!!

That panel has been around for years—attic windows framed the

Tree nicely!

There was no black fabric in my bins!  And every internet 

Shop I contacted had none—zero, zilch, nada—

I settled for this black with trees—cut lengthwise 

For sides to keep trees in the right direction—

Every time I sewed the top borders on—

I put them upside down!!

Ripppppppp do it right! 

Fiber, Fiber, Fiber

Okay--digging away in my fiber closet, I turned up a bin of my hand dyed

wool from many many moons ago!  At one time, I taught a workshop --

Dyeing Fleece in the Grease--a fun workshop--truly loved the way

the wool locks came out of the dye pot--I'd forgotten that I had this

bin--and it was with pleasure I took the bin out to sort through the colors

I even found a half full bobbin and a finished one!  Gee whiz!  why did I stop working with this gorgeous stuff--I think the wool was  BFF--but don't hold me to that!  The locks are so

wonderful to touch and look at.............. 

So, in the evenings as we sit on the patio--I'm teasing the locks for spinning--

I can't find my flicker brush--doesn't matter--feels so good on my hands.

I decided to spin from the lock instead of teasing the fiber out--

Hubby says it will take me six months to do that whole bin--

bet he's wrong!!  If only I stick to it and don't get distracted by something else!

At least one bobbin has been plied and another waits its turn!  The Bin is just a little less full!

Picnic in Style!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio has the perfect recipe for this summer's picnic cloth!

I'm ready to spread out this colorful quilt and set out my best

fried chicken, pickles, potato salad, deviled eggs and share with my

family!!

Here are my blocks from the scrap bin.  Below is the ones made with

their kit.  Waiting for the next step---

And below is step 2--interesting what you can do with your stash!

 Here are some tempting recipes for a picnic!

Yum! Yum!  Fried Chicken!  Finger food on a skewer!

How about pickled radishes? everybody loves a good Deviled egg-- and everyone

has their favorite recipe too!