Update!!

 There is proof —no goofing off here!  Some days, of course, are more productive than others.  The past few weeks my quilting buddy and I had prepared our tops to do long arm quilting at our local quilt shop.  It’s a fun day when we venture into that special room!  

Top #1 my friend has used this interesting set for this top! 

She had a collection of "Fiesta" shirts from San Antonio big yearly event.  The tee shirts are so colorful-she took a tee shirt class and used her shirts to create this smashing top

The backing was a bright yellow minkie--when I took the photo, the yellow color washed out--but trust me, it is a bright yellow.

Finally!  Put this heart quilt top together--been sewing on it for several months. THis is from Fat Quarter Shop charity yearly event.  Lots of hearts!

I used a good portion from the stash bin

Another one finished!  THis is a top I had in my 'to do' list for awhile--finally got it under the long arm needle.  It was a free monthly quilt along several years ago

I decided to do boxes for my quilting mode--not bad for my first time quilting straight lines.

THis is a leader-ender block top--done on paper 8.5'X8.5"  When I had several, I had to put them together to see the results of all those blocks of strings--think I'll add to it as time goes along.

Now, it's a perfect size for tot's bed

up close and personal.  I used my camera to see how the blocks fit together before I sewed them together.

An orphan finish!  I really enjoy constructing these orphan blocks into a top.

If you ever make one too many blocks--then think what am I going to do with these leftovers?

no problem--just save them for later sewing.

So many interesting orphans went into this top!  The geisha girls are from a wall hanging my friend did many moons ago--didn't have the heart to  destroy this when we redid our bedroom.  It fits nicely in this group.  IN fact, I don't think there is anything that doesn't fit into an orphan!

At the present time, I'm working on 'chicken' orphan!  Soon it will be completed for show and tell!

1052 and counting

Lisa Bongean is hosting "O' Say Can You Sew Quilt Along”—here is clue 5 that I'm working on.

not to say I've completed clues 1-4, but when I have time and patience (to work with small pieces) I pull out the instructions and plow along.

So far, I"m working on this clue which needs 1152 half square triangles!  Yes!! You read that right—1152! 

One of the easiest way to get those little things is to use printed papers.

To figure I need 1152 and one sheet will yield 40 = 28 sheets of paper!  

I sew a few, cut them apart and at night, I tear off the paper.

Bowl is holding three sheets of triangles--next step: press!  ugh!  my least favorite part of quilting!

It will take 9 triangles to make a block, measuring 3.5"  Itsy bitsy!

But, I bet this will be one brilliant quilt when all the blocks are placed together.

I’m so glad I have this cutting mat!  It makes cutting these half square triangles easier. It turns!

Laying out the sewn papers to cut, make one cut and turn the mat for the next cut, etc till finished

Now, all the triangles are cut apart and headed to next stage—tearing the paper off—easy enough to do—just takes some manual labor. 

Confetti!!

Finished half squares—240 so far! 

One 3.5” block! 

Going to sew more today…….. maybe! 

Cooler Please!

 Cooler please!!! It’s been so darn hot!!  I’m ready to think cooler, be cooler, make cooler!!!  I think it's time to begin some fall quilt and knit patterns.  I'm searching--searching!  for that feel cooler pattern!

Here is a list of what I've found so far:

Fort Worth FAbric Studio--new mystery

Join their Facebook group to receive all the free instructions or you can purchase a kit from their website  Halloween is just around the corner!

Fat quarter shop Halloween sew along is already completed but you can still find the free pattern here

Alycia quilts presents her new Quilt of Valor pattern beginning September 21--she'll post the fabric requirements Septembewr 7, which gives you plenty of time to gather your supplies

Think Christmas!  Keep watch on the website to see the requirements! @Fat Quarter Shop

And something for knitters!

Instagram--@Sweaterfreak--beginning August 5 Insta Slip Cowl   

We’re going to need this cowl  -when- the weather takes that turn to cool! 

Some details: This will be a simple slip stitch cowl with no cast on and no bind off using two colors and you will need 190 yards of each color of heavy fingering or sport weight. She used Finull for hers but you can use any yarn that knits up to 23 sts per 4" on 3.75mm/US#5 needles. Change needles to get your gauge. This is a cowl so gauge is not super crucial. >>There are three clues: 5th, 12th and 19th of August!

What’s Cookin’?

Well, it happen!  I purchase sweet yellow onions all the time--onions with lots of yellow skins.

When you get them in a mesh bag, the yellow onion skins are contained--now, that is the purpose of the mesh bags--to contain the yellow skins!  Peel as much of the skins off the onions and leave the skins inside the bag!  It can be thrown right into the DYEPOT just like that. 

I collect as many onion skins as I can over a small period of time--we like sweet onions so 

I accumulate alot of skins--NO, don't throw them away!

I've known to ask the produce manager to save the skins for me or I'll rake up a batch when I go to the grocery!

 

Sorry--I didn't use the mesh bag this time--filled up my large pan with yellow skins, added water to top them off and placed them on a burner--

this is one time you can dye in the kitchen!  No mordants or harmful chemicals added to the pot!

The skins boiled away so I added some eggs to the mix--thinking boiled eggs are always a good thing  in

the kitchen!

After about 10 minutes of boiling, I have nice colored eggs--soft yellow to add to my white ones. I saved the boiled onion skins for a time when I'll throw in some yarn to dye.

A couple of the eggs split during cooking; this is what you get on the egg after peeling.

Now, I'm off to make Deviled Eggs!

To devil means to “combine a food with various hot or spicy seasonings such as red pepper, mustard, or Tabasco sauce, thereby creating a 'deviled' dish,” according to the Food Lover's Companion, the definitive guide to all things food and cooking.

I make my 'deviled' egg yolks with mayo, salt, pepper, dash of vinegar, yellow mustard (sometimes, I'll use my homemade mustard, which is sweet-spicy), little sweetner (can be honey)  Mash all together till creamy--fill the empty egg shells with mixture.

I like to add toppings--

e.g. cooked bacon, curry powder, jalapeno slices, sometimes--a boiled shrimp if I've flavored the eggyolk mixture with spices like cayene.

How do you make your deviled eggs??  Always need these eggs for a picnic or a party--first thing eaten with a crowd!

Museum of Western Art

 

Museum of Western Art is in our backyard.  This past week we attended an open house for their special exhibit with Becky Crouch Patterson, artist, author, designer as she celebrates 

"Lukenbach Legacy:  Hondo's Daughter"-- Hondo is historical owner of Luckenbach!

if you haven't heard of Luckenback, then here is some history--this town is a state of mind! you must listen to the song too --

back to the museum open house event

Becky opened her first one woman show with outstanding fiber art and oil paintings.

We enjoyed meeting Becky, sharing a glass of Newsome wine with her as she

shared a couple of her stories about her life growing up in Luckenbach light

Machine embroidery pieces "Women in Blue Bonnet"

Close-up of lacework on the collar

Machine embroidery "Picasso's Blue Boy"

42"X 54" "Angels on HIgh"

55"x36"  "Feria de las Flores"

"Make Me An Instrucment"

36"x48" Hondo's Sheep in Sunset"

96"x72"  "If you Love Me Feed My Sheep"

60"x72" Best People on Earth Are Dogs and Horses

36x48"  "Wears No Man's Brand"

I didn't take photos of her paintings, which were colorful and beautiful--

Becky calls her fiber hangings "tapestries".  But, what is a tapestry? 

a piece of thick textile fabric with pictures or designs formed by weaving colored weft threads or by embroidering on canvas, used as a wall hanging

Here is what I call a tapestry.

Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may be visible. In tapestry weaving, weft yarns are typically discontinuous; the artisan interlaces each coloured weft back and forth in its own small pattern area. It is a plain weft-faced weave having weft threads of different colours worked over portions of the warp to form the design.

What do you think is a tapestry??

Great Balls of Wool!

 I can hear the song in my head—“great balls of fire”  

 as I plod through my wool fiber that has accumulated over the years. 

How often do I wear wool?  All most never since I live in a warm state—oh, we do have ‘cold snap’ occasionally that lasts maybe one or two days—otherwise, there is no need to have bins of wool fiber. What to do with all that “stuff”.  I don’t want to throw away!  I could stuff pillows with some.  Or compost, if I had a compost pile.

I’m going to make balls!  Yes!  Great balls of wool!  Balls of felt!  which will be perfect to use in the dryer--then I thought, I have a baby in the house at times!.. He would love playing with these super soft wool balls.  And when thrown, no damage would be done!

Here is one bin of wool--dyed wool fleece and carded roving

I begin to roll the fleece into a small tight ball--'squirrel' moment!  Look at the crimp on that fleece!  This would be so nice to spin--

Gotta to stop thinking about the spinablility of the fleece and stick to the action at hand!

Keep adding fleece to the small ball and keep rolling until there is a large size ball.

You're saying "why are pantry hose involved?"  THis is my lazy way to make felted balls.

The traditional method means lots of soak and rolling in hot soapy water.

Lazy way--panty hose!  Do you know how hard it is to find panty hose in this day and age?  how many people wear panty hose anymore?  I did find these knee highs--will work fine for this task.

TAke that nice tight ball of wool and stuff into pantry hose

Tie a knot tightly!

Stuff as many wool balls into the panty hose, tighting between each ball.

Next, here comes the fun--throw into washing machine with hot soapy water (I usually wash towels in the load--gives the balls some friction)  When the cycle has run, pop into the dryer!  

Did say it was the lazy way to felt?!

Ta-da!  Great balls of wool! 

All felted and freed from panty hose trappings!  Easy peazy!  Still more fiber to use!  Back to making great balls of wool!!