Berries Added

I've got aspargus! I don't plant a garden any more but the aspargus still comes up every year. We planted these plants about 40 years ago and even then we dug them up from an old abandoned house. I wonder how old they are. Yes, it tasted as good as it looks.

I added some red berries to my applique and even a yellow flower. Definitely spices it up. I also appliqued a bit on Birdy's tail. I'm slowly working on another block, maybe 1/3 done.

Gas has gone to over $4 a gallon here in my part of Michigan. I know you California gals have been there but.... Unemployment here is 15 percent. And remember that only counts the people registered for looking for employment. It doesn't include people who have given up, often due to mental or physical problems. I see so many senior citizens working at minumum wage jobs. These were the jobs youth used to have. Oh, me. I bought a pack of (10) single edge razor blades and they cost $6. Food prices are outragous but my favorite store did have a lot of things I like to eat (milk, cottage cheese, eggs, Cherios, tomatoes, lettuce) on sale last week. I stocked up on the cereal and donated some to a food drive. I have mixed feelings about some of the people asking for food. Is anyone in their home smoking? Do they buy soda, chips? Are they eating fast food or buying coffee by the cup? Where do they set the thermastat in their home? Do they have cable, Internet, cell phones? I know my local free food pantry is giving out recipes with the food. Maybe some people are learning how to cook from scratch. This is the first time for so many people that they have had to start living on a budget and "making do." Of course they should have been saving and not paying interest on credit cards and then things would be better for them now. We never bought anything (except a house and car) until we had the money saved to buy it. Now it is hard to get the price of anything. They just want to tell you how much the payments will be. We went as long as 26 weeks one year when my husband was laid off, many years ago now, but without debts, we were able to "make due." Sorry about the soap box. I'm stopping at the library today for free books and tapes.

My friend has completed half of her six weeks of radiation treatment. She is doing very well and her only side effect is hair loss. We are going to get her a wig tomorrow. She is also taking an oral chemotherappy drug. She takes one pill each day and each one costs $197. Yes, there is no period there. It is nearly two hundred dollars. Her little bottle had 21 capsules and I asked her if she ever carried over $4,000 in her purse before. Her insurance is covering nearly all of the cost.

I see that the spell check is not working again so good luck reading my post. Have a quilty day!

Playing

Last weekend I decided to do some cleaning up in my sewing room. I got the floor swept and found a box to hold the scraps from my big ironing board. Just had to sew. Result was this 12" block. I found a pizza box to store it in. Not much cleaning up got done but some good quilt therapy did.

Kipper also decided to play. He stole two pieces of fabric. I don't know why he likes to eat fabric so much. He isn't allowed in my sewing room but I had these by my computer area, where I do my hand sewing. It looks like he took a giant bite but actually the fabric was folded and he was chewing. Yes he has a bone, actually several, and yes he chews them. Sigh. The second piece of fabric was to be his second course and I rescued it. No pic.

Hope everyone is having a good quilting day.

Background
Here are pics of the background fabrics I bought for the Birds of a Feather applique. I took them without flash so have some shadows but maybe you can get the idea. I have used numbers 2 and 3 from the left so far. Number 2 is beige and the pattern shows up better than the pic.

What's In Your Name?
When I saw this on Norma's Random Stitches I thought no way for me. If she thought "N" was hard and Granny thought "L" was hard, well how about "K"? Last night I was too worn down to do anything. I thought about reading but wandered your blogs instead. Then I decided to see how many words I could think of that started with "K". Could I use them to do this challenge? Well, here goes.

Name: Katie
Four Letter Word: kind (Please be this to my word choices.)
Vehicle: kayak (Did you know that Alaska has more water vehicles than road ones.)
TV Show: Reges and Kelly Show.
City: Kansas City (Hi DGD #1)
Boy's Name: Keith (I think there are more proper names with "K" than regular ones.)
Girl's Name: Kari (Hi DGD#2)
Occupation: kennel keeper (There's a twofer. That makes up for the TV Show.)
Something I Wear: kimono (I've been reading about Taniwa's. So beautiful.)
Actually I wear kitty-print pajamas.)
Food: kale (I like the stuff, especially with other greens.)
Something In My Bathroom: kinfolk's kids (Well, sometimes they are there.)
Reason For Being Late: keys (Can't find them.)
Something I Shout: Kipper, come. (Good dog.)

More Applique

I finished the two birds. I redesigned the vine and leaves some. I didn't realize how close in color the leaves and vine were but they are OK. The pattern called for some round berries but I don't know if I will add them or not. The second pic can also be horizontal. I also used my own idea on how to arrange the leaves. It too is suppose to have some berries.

Even with the frost last night, the tulips in my yard are standing proudly today. So nice to see.

The bottom pic is the field across the road from my house. It has winter wheat and looks so green - just like the grass in my yard. For any who don't know, winter wheat is planted in the fall and grows a few inches, then dies down for the winter. In the spring it has a root system and begins growing just like grass does. It allows for a crop much earlier than spring wheat, which can't be planted yet.

Hope everything is growing where you are, too.

My Little Corner of the World

I've shown pics of my sewing room, why not share my computer work area? This is it as of this morning. The dogs are Kipper, hiding my shoes and socks under the table, and one of my son's dogs named Betsy. I'm keeping two of my son's dogs for a couple months while he is trying to sell his house in AL. He and his family will be moving back to MI. Hurrah! Okay, back to my room. At the left of the first pic is an air cleaner. Works well. The small table is an old sewing machine and among other things, my pin cushion and hand cream have landed there. Love those lamps that swing to give light directly over my work areas. I also love that roller plastic drawer thing. I have one like it in FL and I just move the contents back and forth as I migrate. Also notice the Hawaii Quilt on the couch is ready for a cover up when it gets cool.

In the second pic you can see I have my comfy rocking chair and my back rest. I found these at AAA in FL last winter and just love them. Great for the car too. The ones I have are made by Tavelon. They are really comfy for the back and are let air circulate when the weather is hot.

Let's see what else is about me. The "house" my dad made and holds tissues. The clip holds papers to type on my computer. I actually hold my lap top on my lap when I use it. I love my lap top. If anyone is thinking of getting one, the one thing I would recommend is also buying an air blower to set it on. This plugs into a port (never have too many of them) and when I turn the computer on, it begins blowing air on to the bottom of the computer. It keeps my the computer from getting hot and my lap too. Best $29 I ever spent. Okay, what else? A printer, scanner, clock, timer, cup and lint brush (remember there are three dogs here now), lots of pens and such under the papers. Actually they are organized with boxes and silverware dividers. One of them has hand sewing equipment. On the lower level are phone books, stapler, hole punch, back scratcher and a thing with a long handle that holds cream to dispense and rub on my back. Another great gadget. Of course there are lots papers, files, and what is all that other stuff? Right now I am sorting and scanning pictures so have a sack for recycle paper, milk crate with files, waste paper basket and paper shredder sitting on the floor between my chair and the armour. Oh, I see the TV remove on the top of my computer. And my mouse. I prefer it to the internal one on the laptop.

So what do you think of work area?

Rows Done

All my western theme orphans and fabric bits are sewn into rows. My sewing room floor sure need a good sweeping. I'm not looking forward to sewing the rows together as some of them are a bit wobbly. I like to do this type of creative sewing.

Old Block

When I visited my aunt last week, she gave me some blocks and cut fabric that were in my grandma's trunk. There is only one of this design. It is sewn by hand and doesn't fit together to lie flat. The diameter varies from 11 to 11.5 inches. I want to put some of these blocks together some way. What should I do about this one? I can fix the center either with additional stitching or by adding a round piece. I hate to remove her stitching. Should I just do some ironing to roll the edges of some pieces over? Maybe tack the roll-over down in a few places? How would I decide where to iron? It probably would help to have the pattern. I can't see any way I can save the outside points. Maybe I should remove the stitchng or some of it and start over. No one will see the stitiching after it is quilted anyway. I'd like to make a small quilt to put on a table and give it back to my aunt. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Flash From The Past

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with two of my cousins and my Aunt Mary. We shared old pictures. This one includes my great grandfather Daniel who my mother said was in the Civil War. He lied about being only 16 years old and joined near the end of the war. There doesn't seem to be any proof of this story but maybe... I know the pic was taken in 1919 as the baby died in 1920 when she was two years old. My mother is seated in front of her grandfather. She would have been seven years old. Her brother is beside her and four years old. The woman was not their grandmother but was the third wife of their grandfather. Daniel is the fourth generation of my family who first came from Germany to America in 1753. This first generation American and two of his sons served in the War of Revolution (as the documents called it). Now I have lots more pics to look through and write about. I'm determined to get my stories about my ancestors done this summer.

Have you ever eaten huckleberry pie? My Aunt Mary found one in her freezer that she had made last fall. You can't believe how delicious it was. She still picks the berries every fall. They grow wild on her land. Huckleberries are smaller than blueberries but taste so much better. Why is that true of wild berries? Now days I can find only a few wild strawberries which I immediately eat. So many of our berries are now grown because they have the ability to travel well. A lot of taste is lost when that is the primary criteria as to which variety to grow. Anyway, I shared a wonderful meal with all the pickles, applesauce, raw veggie tray, fruit/nut bread, corn, squash, mashed potatoes, baked beans, and roast pork. I'm sure I forgot some of the foods but anyway, I ate some of all of them. Everything was so good but the pie was absolutely heavenly!

What's New?

I have made a couple more rows to my orphan quilt. That red and blue row may not stay. Bits of the red and blue would have been good throughout the blocks. I have enough bits and tiny orphans to make another row and then I'll decide what to do next.

A couple weeks ago I went by my LQS and while there, I signed up for an applique class. Last Friday I went to the first class. It meets once a month and there are six classes. It is from a book called Birds of a Feather. The instructor has enlarged the patterns for us. I should have put a ruler in the pic. Anyway, each bird is about 5 inches. This instructor does the most perfect applique. I took a class from her several years ago too. That was before I had hand surgery and at that time, I was having trouble gripping the needle and also holding the fabric. Now I'm able to do these things, so I wanted to try again. The instructor has so many great hints and gives each student a needle and so much more. She also lets us use her glue, thread, scissors, etc. Most of all she is very nice and allows for individual likes and dislikes.

After looking through my stash (I think I can't really see it unless it is pulled out and thrown about some.), I decided to use a purple theme. The instructor teaches the needle turn method although she has also taught the spray starch one. Her edges are so smooth and you get the feel that the applique is printed on the background. I tried to do some of this but I really like a 3D feel better. I actually like wrinkles. Although I like to add batting under my piece, I didn't do this on either bird. I did sew the wing on the left bird by sewing all the way around two layers of right- side-together fabric, then slicing the back and turning. That way I just tacked the wing down. I should have left the front end of the wing open and turned it from there and then appliqued it down. Around the birds, are a lot of vine. The instructor makes hers by just eye balling the turning and ironing of 3/4 inch bias strips. She showed us some other ways too. I had this Clover bias tape maker and hadn't used it. It works wonderfully! The end of the strips get a little off but other than that, it really works.

Looks Good

Guess what I made from those apples in my last post. LOL When blog reading, I've been seeing such yummy looking foods lately. Today I ate lunch at a place where I hadn't eaten before. They are known for their fish and pie - well not together. The fried cod was the best I've had from a restaurant in a long time. And this piece of pie came home for my supper. It was no sugar added and yup, I ate it al a mode. Very good. It is on a salad plate. That's how big one piece was.

I made two more rows putting orphans together. Now I have a 12 inch block ready to run through the sewing machine. Not sure when that will be.

Orphans

I made a visit to my LQS last week. I found the apples fabric on the discount shelf. Just had to have it. Almost four yards. How would it look in a four posy patch? Have you ever made a table cloth? How do you do it? Just like any other quilt? What kind of batting?

I also dumped out the bag of orphans I had started in Florida. I tried to do some arranging on my big ironing board. I just don't know. I guess I need to get out my improvised design wall and put it up. Then I saw how Finn was making rows of orphans. Hey, would that work? I made two rows. They are about 40 inches long and 4/1/2 inches wide. I thought they would be set horizontally but I like the looks of them vertically. I enjoy making orphans but find it hard to figure out what to make to put them together. Any ideas?

Back to Quilting

I saw this block on one of your sites and loved it. So I grabbed a couple fabrics and started sewing. Whoops. I need to adjust my MI sewing machine. Where does the needle go for that perfect scant 1/4 inch? And where is my favorite 1/4 inch foot? Oh, just do it. No ironing, no trimming - just sew. The result is the top pic which can't even be ironed into shape. Next I got the machine adjusted and me used to using it again. Every time this machine is turned off, it goes back to a set stitch length. My one in FL stays where it was last set. Now I'm not complaining about having two sewing machines in my two homes, just commenting on how I get used to how a machine works and how hard it is to remember how another one works. I blame it on old age. Hey, getting older has to be good for something. I remembered to clean and oil my FL sewing machine the day before I left. And to remove my favorite 1/4 inch foot. I put it in an empty pill bottle and packed it. But where? I had emptied both suitcases. After sleeping on it, I finally found my foot in Kipper's plastic shoe box - the box where I keep all his things to carry on our migrations. Hey, doesn't it make sense to put the most important things together? How dump that I was looking with my other sewing things I had brought back! So with the iron heated and the machine adjusted, I buzzed right along. Oh, no. I put the HST together wrong. The last pic is the correct block in progress. How did that other bit of stitching get in that pic? The correct block is now done and in the orphan box.

I also visited my LQS and will tell you about that soon.

Ball Thrower

I just got around to emptying my camera onto my computer. Here is a Florida flashback. Kipper got one of these ball throwers for Christmas several years ago. It broke two years ago and thanks for DD1 and family, he got another one this year. But it was back ordered. Then when it arrived it threw one ball and quit so I had to make phone calls. They finally sent another. It throws balls automatically. I have it set on every 7 seconds, still Kipper gets impatient and will paw at it. I put it on a chair to prevent him doing this and breaking it. Kipper comes close to it and stares at it, as the machine makes a noise that changes. He knows exactly when to bolt for the catch. The third pic is of a catch. Click on the movie. Whoops, he forgot to open his mouth, so the ball bounced off his nose and he had to run after it. He sure loves this thing. It had to stay in Florida. In case you are wondering about the metal post, it is the base of my clothes line which had been put away in the shed.

Today I actually cut some fabric and ran my MI sewing machine. I can't find my favorite 1/4 inch foot. I know I put it in an empty pill bottle and packed it somewhere. Hummm. Where?

Quilt Therapy

Yesterday I spent some time sorting out and discarding or filing miscellaneous papers. I found one I had printed from the computer in May 2006. I don't know if I mentioned it in one of my prior blog posts but if I can't remember, you probably can't either. It is a response from a doctor named Susan Delaney Mech to someone who asked if quilting could be therapy. Her response was, "Quilting has several important health benefits:
* Quilting lowers your heart rate and blood pressure.
* Quilting helps you sleep better.
* Quilters have fewer colds and influenzas.
*Quilter's wounds heal faster.
* Quilting gives you the time and space to think your own thoughts,
to dream your own dreams, and to plan your life.
The calming rhythms of quilting allow us to process whatever challenges we face and to listen for that still, quiet voice that brings compassion and guidance. Quilting is about love and relationship. It is life-affirming and life-giving. In short, quilting is therapy."

The bold to some words are from the author. I have no idea what her opinions are based on but to me they seem to be right-on. Just the message I need just now. Was it just chance that I picked up this paper or ..? Anyway, I got the message and will visit my sewing room today.

Costs to Fly

Like everything else, the cost to fly is going up again. Do you remember that when you were given a price, that was how much money you needed. Many places started quoting prices without the taxes and fees for fuel and whatever. Next they started charging for the snacks and then for the seat. I'm not talking about business or first class. Just coach. Yes, it costs to select a seat on the isle or window. Without paying more money you are assigned the middle seat. They also charge to have your suitcases checked in at the curb. This doesn't include the tip. They weigh your suitcase and charge more if it weighs more than 50 pounds. Once I opened mine and moved things between the two suitcases to keep both of them under the limit. I replaced a heavy suitcase with good pulling power with a lighter one and haven't had this problem since. Have you heard the latest? They are going to fly only one suitcase in cargo unless you pay extra for the second one. Oh, me. I think they were saying the second suitcase will cost $50. If you are flying, read the small print and be prepared for the added costs!

Back Up North and Winter

Kipper and I arrived safely. Three inches of snow this morning and Kipper just loves it. Rolling and Rolling. As you can see I got the computer back up and going. No problem. TV cable was more problem but working now.

Big gratuities to my daughter in Florida who helped me with all the last minute things in FL and got us to the airport and to my son who was here in MI to help me get this house up and running again. He had driven from AL with two of his dogs to leave with Kipper and me for a couple months while they try to sell their house there. They will be moving back to MI this summer.

This morning I am off to see my friend Shirley who visited me in FL in January. She had surgery two weeks ago for a brain tumor. Very unexpected. They found it on a Monday and removed as much as they could two days later. There were no signs of it last August so it is very aggressive. Biopsy says stage 4. Not good at all. They are going to give her radiation 5 days a week for six weeks. We don't know when it will start. They would like to give her chemo but she is a liver transplant (14 years next September) and it would cause her liver to reject. She came through the brain surgery fine and was out of the hospital in two days. Now she is back to her home (alone). She has a very positive outlook and is feeling very good right now. They took her car keys away so I'm planning on spending lots of time with her. Shirley and I used to work together and have done a lot of traveling together since our husbands died. Sorry to be sharing this sad news but there was no other way to let you know why I may be away and not doing much quilty things for a while. I'm planning to get some hand work projects together for me to work on while waiting with her during treatments and such.

Quilt Books

The hardest part of packing to migrate from FL to MI is deciding what sewing things to leave and what to take. All things that could rust go. The stash stays. the books are always a question. I got these books for Christmas this year and had great plans to make all sorts of goodies. It didn't happen. If I take them north, will it happen this summer? I do take pics of things I leave here. This jogs my memory when I repeat this process next fall.

Kipper is all set to fly. He is such a good traveler. He likes his kennel and they are always amazed that he gets right in. Do to his size, he must fly in the cargo. So many airlines do not carry dogs now. Kipper has always flown NWA and they do a good job. They have a special place in cargo that has temperature and ventilation control and his kennel is strapped in. Most of the larger planes have accommodations for two dogs. One time we got delayed on the runway during take- off and they turned off the air blowing to the passengers. I got the flight attendant and asked her to make sure the pilot knew there was a dog in hold. Answer came back that he knew. Five minutes later, I got the attendant again. This time, the pilot said he had air blowing on the dog the whole time. Passengers could be miserable but he's take care of the dog. Some bigger airports like Tampa and Detroit have special pet vans that carry the dog in air conditioned comfort from the airport to the plane. Kipper is very comfortable in a large kennel (weighs 50 pounds but is long and tall) but they insist that he have an extra large one so he can stand up and lift his head. Now, neither Kipper nor I want him doing this during his travel, but...rules are rules. (To fill up this larger kennel, I put a pad inside the sides - like a bumper pad for a baby bed, besides the pad he lays on.) This extra large kennel also means $80 more for a total of $300 one way travel. Mind you, my ticket cost $250 for round trip. Oh well, he is my very good companion and I say this is my smoking, drinking, gambling, golfing, hair dresser, and whatever else money. Much better way to spend it. The airlines also restricts when they will not fly a dog. This is dependant to the tarmac temperature. They can't fly if the temp will be over 85 degrees and you never know about FL. Today is cool - high of about 70 but tomorrow (when we fly) is suppose to be higher. They fly no dogs during the months of June, July, August and September. For the last few years, we had had a direct flight, but this year NWA has none from anywhere in FL, so we must change planes in Detroit. The airline requires Kipper have flying papers saying he is fit to travel. These are done on a form of which one copy is sent to the state. Since my MI vet knows Kipper, he doesn't charge me anything for doing this. Here is FL, I have established a vet too but this year the charge was $10 for the physical and $55 for the traveling form. It seems the State of FL charges the vets for these forms. Oh, me. They do know how to get the bucks from the tourists.

This is my last post until I get set back up in MI.