Creating a Picture Quilt

Since Rich and I retired one of our favorite things to do is travel and on those travels, take pictures.  One day I decided to turn one of my favorite pictures into a quilt.  I did it by just looking at the picture and cutting out pieces of fabric that looked like they would come out looking like my picture. Here is that first project from a picture I took on Kauai in Hawaii.

Here are some of my other projects.  Each is made using a collection of landscape fabrics and fabric scraps cut into big pieces for the background and smaller pieces for the details.

Following are the steps I use to create these pictures.  Keep in mind I have made this up myself, I am not a pro and have not been trained. I have read a few books and looked at some videos for ideas and techniques.

The first step is to find a picture you have taken or really like.  This picture I took in Vancouver following an Alaska trip.   The second, and most important step, is to gather your fabrics.  There are a number of wonderful actual landscape fabrics on the market and I have quite a few.  I fill in with other fabric scraps from my stash.

Next you need to cut your backing fabric and batting.  I used a 10" square for this example and Warm and Natural for the batting.  This will be the base for your project.  Then start with the background fabrics.  I always start with the sky and work my way down.  I use Frixion markers if I need to draw out my pattern since they disappear easily.  Once you have your background fabrics then you can sew them to the backing using a blanket stitch in matching colors.  If you choose this is when you would do any decorative stitching on the background that you want to use.  I quilted the clouds using clear thread.

Then for me this is where the real fun begins.  Now you will fussy cut your detail fabrics and begin layering them onto the background.  I use a glue stick to hold them down and stitch them on using free motion techniques.  I keep cutting, layering and stitching until I get the desired effect.  

The next step is TOTALLY OPTIONAL will probably scare a lot of people.  I like to do a little extra shading with fabric paint to give my picture a little more dimension.  I do water down the paint because I don't want definite dark lines.  But as I said, this step is not necessary, just something I like to do.

Now, this is what the back of your piece will look like.  I personally don't like the look, probably because I always use white bobbin thread.  But if you do,  at this point just add the binding of your choice.  I prefer to cut a piece of background/binding fabric bigger than my piece and use the self-binding technique.  That is definitely a matter of personal preference.  

I hope this has taken some of the mystery out of making a picture quilt.  This piece took less than two hours to create and that included taking all the pictures as I went along.

If you care to see more of my creations check out my crafting Facebook page My Grammy's House and items I have for sale at https://www.etsy.com/shop/lindy71.

Visiting Magnolia Silos in Waco, TX

Yesterday was a girls' day out with a trip to the Magnolia Silos in Waco, popularized on the HGTV show Fixer Upper.  We began the trip at 6:30 am for the 2-hour drive, knowing the earlier we arrived the smaller the crowds would be.  Success!  We parked in the only free parking lot next to the store, about the third car in the lot.  Our first trip was to the bakery where there were only 3 other people in the shop.  We selected our treats and took them outside to eat in what was a perfect day.  Breakfast was wonderful!  The shop opened at 9:00 and we were some of the first in.  It is a beautiful shop full of fabulous finds.  But then I wouldn't have expected anything different from Joanna.  It is spread out on 2 levels and full of the most friendly and helpful employees you will ever find.  We spent about an hour looking at everything and of course making a few purchases - no lines yet!  The grounds outside were just beautiful and geared toward families.  It was surrounded by food trucks (I imagine they are only open on the weekends).  Even the local police were very friendly and one took this wonderful picture of the three of us.

As you have probably guessed I am a big fan of this show - yes I've seen every episode (more than once).  I decided if I ever got to Waco I not only wanted to see the shop but at least some of the houses remodeled on the show.  Now, for obvious reasons, addresses of the homes are not made public.  But I have always prided myself on my internet research skills and created a spreadsheet of each season complete with people's names and address of all the homes.  I mapped out our route on a Waco map, pulled up GPS and off we went.




The first stop was Clint Harp's woodworking studio, featured on almost every episode.  It wasn't far from Magnolia and right next door to the home the Gaines' remodeled for them on one of the shows.  Unfortunately because Clint couldn't even walk from the house across the driveway to the shop without getting accosted by fans (I would never do that!) they have sold the house and it is now a AIRBNB.  The shop was adorable and he will be getting his own show on DIY network in a few months.

We saw a number of the houses.  In all the pictures the one on the left is from the show and the one on the right is the picture I took.  The trip was an eye opener.  Many of the houses still looked good but many have not been kept up, especially the landscaping.  Sadly, a number of people have turned their home into a B&B either to cash in on the fame or because of stalkers (I am NOT a stalker - I don't care what my husband says!).  If you are a fan you will surely recognize some or all of these.

This first one belongs to a wealthy doctor and it has a wonderful view of Lake Waco.  It has always been one of my favorites.

This one was purchased by a cute single guy.  What you never saw in the show were the massive power lines and towers just feet from the house.  You can see part of one in my picture.

The next five houses all look pretty good although the landscaping has changed some since the shows.

I don' remember the carport on this house and am pretty sure it is not something Chip and Joanna would have done.  It also had a "For Sale by Owner" sign in the yard.

This one looked really good until you saw the location.  Just to the right of the house is a main road with retail buildings and directly behind them was another main road and buildings.  You don't get to see that on the shows.

These next two didn't look bad but were in questionable neighborhoods.   The second house looks like the trim around the windows has been repainted since the show.

I wonder what Chip and Joanna think about the current condition of these homes.  Maybe someday they should do a show where they revisit the houses and people.  

We would have liked to have seen more homes but they are spread out.  We might have to make another trip.  We also did some of the local shops and had lunch.  On our way past Magnolia on our way home late in the afternoon we could see the line to the bakery was wrapped around the building, every parking lot was full and there were hundreds of people milling around.  Getting there early is the secret.

Looking Back at 2016

The year 2016 was quite eventful for our family.  Some happy and some not so happy.  But either way, change definitely gets harder the older one gets.  And older we are getting.

In January Rich and I took off on a road trip to Phoenix, Arizona.  Something on Rich's bucket list has been to attend a Barrett Jackson Auto Auction.  He crossed that one off while in Phoenix.  We didn't make the actual auction but we did get to the first preview day and saw all the beautiful antique cars that were for sale.


Another item on his list from as far back as childhood was to go to Carlsbad Caverns.  He got to check that one off too.





We took  a day trip to one of our favorite places, Sedona, Arizona.  We also had two days in Tuscon where were able to visit an old friend.



In February I came to the  realization that I was old enough to join the Southlake Senior Citizen Center.  It was strange being there since my mom was a long-time member and some of her old friends are still there.   I got brave and joined their Tai Chi class.  My first class was pitiful!  I was so out of balance, mostly due to my fake knees, that I had to hold on to something for most of the one hour and had to sit and rest frequently,  Much to the shock of the other students and instructors I returned and every week got better and better,  So much so that after about 4 classes I was standing and participating in the whole class without sitting.  Rich decided to join and today we are still going every week and loving every class.  My role model is our 77 year old Chinese instructor.

In June we checked off another item on that bucket list - a two week land/sea trip to Alaska.  We went with good friends who were celebrating their recent retirement.  We flew into Fairbanks where we spent the first two days on our own prior to the tour.  The tour began in Fairbanks followed by a glass-top train trip and an overnight stay in Denali.  Then a bus trip to Anchorage for a day continuing to Seward to get on the Norwegian Sun.  The second week was spent eating and relaxing on the ship while seeing some of the most beautiful sights in the world including the Hubbard Glacier.  We had stops in Icy Strait Point, Sitka, Juneau and Ketchikan.  After we got off the trip we stayed in Vancouver for 2 days before returning home,  It was the trip of  a lifetime!

Now here is where the change part comes into play.  James made the realization at his work that things were not looking good for his future there and decided after 10 years it was time to look for another job.  Good jobs in his field of aircraft maintenance management were not very plentiful in our area so he started to broaden his horizon.  He ended up accepting a Director of Maintenance job with a company in Delaware.  Which of course meant uprooting his family to the East Coast.  It was exciting for them to move to a new part of the country but devastating for the family they left behind.
Having grown up in New Jersey and Pennsylvania Rich and I knew we would not be moving back to the cold weather.  So late last summer we had a very tearful goodbye.

Some of you may or may may not know that our oldest daughter Cindy has suffered with the disease of alcoholism for many years.  Late in 2015 she was arrested for her 3rd Texas DUI which is a felony.  She was in jail then miraculously was sent to a wonderful women's recovery center instead of a long jail sentence.  She has been there for 5 months and faces at least another 4 or 5 months before beginning a long probation term.  And also as some of you may not know, our youngest grandaughter Daphne was born to Cindy who was not able to care for her.  Jennifer and James have been raising her since she was 7 months old.  Lovingly Cindy signed over her rights so Jenn and James were able to adopt Daphne.  The final adoption took place in November and they are now officially her family.

In October Rich and I took another trip, this time to Palm Springs, California.  We both love that part of the country and enjoyed 5 days of total relaxation in the sun.


About 3 weeks after returning from CA we embarked on a 3500 mile road trip to see the kids for Thanksgiving.  We spent night one in Vicksburg, Mississippi before traveling to our first main stop of 4 days in Destin Florida.  We had heard a lot about Destin but had never been there.  We loved the white sand and blue water.  We left there for one night in Lumberton, NC.  From there we went to Burke, Virginia where we spent 2 nights with my cousin Kathy and her husband Linwood.  I am an only child and consider Kathy to be my sister.  We had a great visit and got to see her daughters and their 3 kids.  We left them on the final leg to Pennsylvania to spend a week with Jenn and family.  We loved where they live - right in the heart of Amish country.  The rolling hills and farmland were just what we remembered from living in PA.  But the cold was a little to much for our liking.  We had a great visit and a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Kathy and Linwood were also able to make it for dinner.  We had our Christmas with the kids since we knew we wouldn't be seeing them.  We again tearfully left them for a long 2 day ride home.

As soon as we got home it was time to decorate for Christmas.  It was a little difficult knowing it would only be the two of us.  It was sad without the kids, Cindy being away and my mom no longer here.  But I love Christmas and all the decorations and refuse to let the sadness ruin that.  So I put up 3 trees, a multitude of decorations and Rich lit up the outside of the house.  Christmas is a time to celebrate and be happy and not a time to feel sorry for myself.

A few weeks after arriving home we were able to have our first and second visits with Cindy which went very well.  She is doing well, looking good and hopeful for the future.  We just want the best life for her.

A week before Christmas we had a party for the members of our antique Ford car club.  I cooked for a week and had quite the spread.  That is something I really enjoy doing but don't get to do often.  We had about 15 people attend and had a great time.  We have been blessed to have found such a wonderful group of friends.

Rich and I were slated to usher at the 4:00 service at church on Christmas Eve.  As I was handing out bulletins to people coming in I started to get visions of black spider webs in my eyes.  We decided to leave church and go to the ER to be on the safe side.  After a battery of tests to rule out a mini stroke and a day and a half in the hospital I was finally released late Christmas Day.  Some of the webs are still there and I will be seeing my opthomologist ASAP.  I came home and between the two of us we cooked our prime rib and Yorkshire Pudding dinner and were able to relax for our late Christmas celebration and dinner.

We always stay at home on New Year's Eve and this year will be no different.  It will be a time to look ahead at our new adventures for next year.  Right now we have one Carribbean cruise planned and undoubtedly a we will take number of trips to PA (not by car!).  We are in the beginning stages of planning another bucket list trip for 2018 - a week on the Big Island in Hawaii continuing on for another week in Tahiti and Bora Bora to stay in a glass floored hut.  We have to continue to check off that bucket list while we still can.  One never knows what the future will bring.  We will continue to take our Tai Chi classes and will try to get more physically active (on my part).

I hope all of you have had a great year and wish you nothing but the best for the coming year.  Happy New Year!

My Favorite Sewing Tools

My husband spends a lot of time in the garage restoring his antique car.  That garage is full of every tool imaginable.  Well, my sewing room is just the same.  I love tools and gadgets!  I comb through quilting catalogs and go to sewing groups at local stores where I learn all about the latest and greatest must have tools.  I'll talk about my favorites.

First and foremost is a rotary cutter and cutting mat.  I have had them for years but when I was making clothes they weren't really practical for cutting out patterns.  Once I got into quilting and smaller projects I started using them more and more.  I have 4 cutting mats of varying sizes and numerous cutters since it is usually easier for me to buy a new one than to sharpen the old one.  I guess I need to invest in a rotary blade sharpener.  Here is a picture of one of my smaller mats.  I have a really large one on my cutting counter.  I use them all.

 Next are my quilting gloves.  They are really stretchy and have rubberized fingertips.  I would never be able to "free motion quilt" without them.  When you sew the "feed dogs" under the machine and the pressure foot pull the fabric through the machine.  When you "free motion" you drop the feed dogs and use a pressure foot that doesn't actually touch the fabric.  I am the one moving the fabric while the needle remains in the same place.  The gloves help to push and pull the fabric creating the stitches.  It is now one of my favorite things to do once I took a class and got over being intimidated by the process.  I've only accidentally stitched the glove once!

Good scissors and a measuring device are a must.  Normally I would say that a really good pair of large fabric scissors would be a good investment.  For me I hardly ever use mine since I no longer sew clothes and use the rotary cutter.  If you are making clothes, yes they are important.  The duck bill scissors and nail scissors are great for applique.  When doing that you have to cut away excess material while not cutting the fabric underneath.  They are invaluable when doing applique work.  The pink ones have real sharp points and are spring loaded.  These are great for snipping thread ends real close to your work.  The slide measure is great for almost anything and this one is also an aid in drawing circles.

Miscellaneous accessories are very useful.  The metal measuring guage is really handy especially for 1/4 seams (commonly used in quilting).  The little red clips are great when doing binding around a quilt and much better than pins.  I buy a small package almost every time I am in a quilt store because one can never have too many of these.  The curved safety pins are used when stacking quilt layers together so they don't move prior to quilting.  I also like spray basting for stacking too.  I do make mistakes so a good seam ripper is essential.  This one happens to be handmade by the husband of a lady I know from a quilting club.  The sassy scissors are just plain fun but also very sharp.  And the sixth finger is one of my new favorite tools.  It is great when feeding something small under the pressure foot and you need something to push with so you don't sew your finger.

I have a ton of embroidery thread spools and got real tired of loose thread hanging all over the place.  These fun thread peels are great for taming all those loose ends.  And the bobbin holders are also quite useful.  I do try to keep it full of wound bobbins.  I love the colors!  The are sold by http://smartneedle.com/product/peels-spool-huggers/.  

Marking pens.  I always thought that it was considered cheating if you marked a design on your fabric prior to free motion quilting.  Not so according to the instructor I had.  So a good marking pen that disappears is a must.  This same instructor used Frixion pens and I fell in love with them!  They come in a variety of colors and write like a gel pen.  When you want to get rid of the marks you just have to hold a hot iron over the pen marks (without actually touching them) and you can literally watch them disappear.

My sewing table is chock full of all these tools but I use them every time I sew.  Hopefully you have learned something.

Cutting it Up

Last year I asked Rich for a Brother Scan and Cut for Christmas.  As he almost always does when I ask for something for Christmas he got it for me.  Such a good guy!  I really had no idea why I needed this but at the quilting store where I attend club meetings they talk about how great it is all the time.  I think the owner could sell ice to an Eskimo.  She certainly made me want one.  For those who don't know what this is here is a picture and description.

As I usually do with something new I read up and watch video tutorials.  I finally got up the nerve to actually take this thing out of the box and use it.  My first project involved cutting out fabric for an applique project I was making for a friend.  Prior to cutting fabric you must iron on a heat sensitive adhesive to stiffen the fabric.  I am not fond of heat adhesives and neither is my embroidery/sewing machine.  But I have learned to use a lite adhesive which is a little friendlier to my machine needles.  This project involved cutting a lot of pieces which it did very well.  I am still not sure I couldn't have done it with scissors just as fast if not faster but the pieces were cut out perfectly.  Here is that first project.  As you can see it involved a LOT of cutting.  I gave this to friends who had just retired and camp a lot.

My machine came with a rhinestone kit.  I LOVE bling so I knew this was something I really wanted to play with.  It involves cutting small holes in a thick felt-like fabric that form a pre-loaded design.  Once all the holes are cut you pour loose rhinestones or crystals on top and spread them around with a special brush.  They all fall into the holes right side up.  (Some of mine did need a little help with a pair of tweezers.)  A piece of special heat sensitive tape is put on top of all the rhinestones then placed on a shirt.  You then iron them on to the shirt.  My first project turned out great but my stones keep falling off.  I have since purchased a teflon ironing sheet which I think will help the next time I try this.

The next projects involved cutting out heat transfer vinyl for shirts.  My first attempts resulted in the total destruction of expensive glitter vinyl.  After going back to more tutorials I finally got the hang of it.  Some vinyls are cut face up and some face down.  Some patterns are cut with a normal image and some the image has to be reversed.  And vinyls differ in thickness so a lot of test cuts have to be made.  But if I just slow down and think about what I am doing this is now my favorite thing to do.  The intricate patterns take a lot of "weeding" out the pieces you don't want.  It's a little time consuming but worth it.  They are my favorite designs.  A friend from my sewing clubs turned me on to a shop in Dallas that sells the supplies really cheap and they have a great selection.  Thanks Phyllis!  Here are my latest creations.

I am always on the hunt for inexpensive but good t-shirts.  I have found my favorites come from Walmart believe it or not.  I can't wait to wear the pumpkin shirt as it is my favorite so far.  I have worn the others and they wash well.  I love the cruising themed ones too as we cruise at least once every year.  And I envision a few new shirts for Christmas.  Of course the machine is just the start of the hobby.  There are lots of tools involved it it too.  And of course sheets of glitter!

Happy cutting!

Hatch Chilies - Yes It's a Southern Thing

It it hatch chili time!  Being a Yankee I of course had no idea what a hatch chili was. Here is a quote from www.melissas.com.

It's no secret why everyone is obsessed with Hatch Chiles. Named after the original growing area in Hatch, New Mexico, authentic Hatch Chiles are truly a Southwestern favorite. No other chile is prized more than this variety which grows in the Hatch Valley, just north of Las Cruces. The valley, which stretches along the Rio Grande’s southern-most bend before crossing into Texas and Mexico, is covered with row after row of these green leafy chile plants for most of the summer. Chefs say that the intense sunlight and cool nights in this valley result in a uniquely flavored chile that's unrivaled by any other. Hatch Chiles have a meaty flesh and mild-medium heat making them ideal for use in Chile Con Queso, Chile Rellenos, and Chile Verde. But it doesn't just stop there. You can also try roasting and using them in salads, soups, stews, dips, and sandwiches. For even more great ideas on how to use this incredible chile, purchase a copy of Melissa's Hatch Chile Cookbook.

 After 25 years in Texas I finally succumbed to the excitement last year and discovered how good they really are.  Central Market, one of our gourmet grocery stores, has a yearly hatch chili festival.  They roll out large grills to their sidewalks and roast them there on the spot.  They come in hot and mild but I am still eating the mild ones.  Half the things in the store are made with hatch chilies.  It's quite the festival.

 

Last year a friend told me how to roast them on the grill then freeze them.  When ready to use you would just wash off the charred bits and chop them for recipes.  I did that and it worked great.  Except when I am in the middle of a recipe and want chilies I am usually too lazy to go through that process.  Plus they are really cold to work with when they are still frozen (I almost never plan ahead).  So this year I bought a container and used a few in a recipe (below) then peeled, removed the seeds and chopped the rest and froze them in ice cube trays.  I now have a bag in the freezer ready to add to a recipe with no fuss.  Yay me!

Now for that recipe.  I started making this soup recipe for pot-luck meals when we lived in New Jersey.  Of course then I used canned green chilies.  What did I know!  I just made a pot last week using fresh hatch chilies and it makes a huge amount.  We had one lunch and I was able to freeze 5 more lunch size containers.  I once calculated the calories and it came to about 770 a serving so it's not something to want to have often.  But it is a real treat when you do need some comfort.

This recipe is really good using the hatch chilies.