Quilting for a Good Cause

Today was a nice cool rainy August day in Texas. Now those aren't words we usually say here as it is usually 100 degrees and never rains this time of year. But it was the perfect day to get around to a project that needed attention. My favorite quilt store in Grapevine, Must Love Fabric, participates in a national program called Project Linus. It is an organization that hand makes blankets for critically ill children.  Here is the link if you are interested in the program.  www.projectlinus.org.

Must Love Fabric has a very organized program.  There are people who donate fabric for the quilts, others who piece together the quilts, some who do the actual quilting and some who put on the binding.  I am sure there are those who do all those jobs but I am not one of them.  Maybe when I get better at quilting.  On Sunday afternoons they have a group that gets together at the store to work on the quilts.  I might consider joining them once football season starts and now that the grand kids are no longer here on Sundays.  They have a box in the store that contains pieced quilts complete with batting and backing for volunteers to take home to quilt.  I did that a few months ago and finally got the nerve to actually quilt it today.  I procrastinated because I really dislike large projects.  I have a large sewing room but it is very crowded and I am intimated when it comes to big projects.  I am also not very good at them.  But the girls at the store said it was the perfect opportunity to practice my free motion quilting.  And I do need practice with that!  It actually wasn't too bad.  Not perfect, but I turned out OK.   I will return it to the store this week for someone to bind.  Next time I will do the piecing since I really need practice in that area too.  Meeting up corners is tricky, at least for me.  But I felt good to be able do something useful.  This store contributes about 200-300 quilts a year to this program!

This store also has people who make dog and cat beds that are donated to animal shelters.  They have a collection box for fabric and batting scraps.  This is great because most sewists have a hard time throwing away even the smallest scraps.  Now I just save them in a bag and take it to the store.  Nothing like a good recycling program!

Here is a link to this favorite store of mine.  It is owned by a woman who lives in my neighborhood.  She started out in a little rickety house with uneven floors and this past winter moved up to a wonderful store front.  She refers to the old shop as "the little shop of horrors". http://www.mustlovefabric.com/ 

Keeping Busy

The last two weeks I have been in need of a little occupational therapy to keep my mind off the fact that Jennifer and James and our 5 grand kids moved 1200 miles away to Pennsylvania.  At the rate I am going I will be able to use up a lot of my fabric stash.

This weekend I started 4 new placemats and finished them today.  Mind you I don't actually need new placemats because I have a zillion of them but they are one of my favorite things to make.  Instant gratification is something I really like and placemats fill that order.

I started with a bundle of fat quarters that I fell in love with a few months ago.  I loved the fall colors so kept them for a fall project.  If you don't know what a fat quarter is it is 1/4 of a yard of fabric that the stores make from leftovers and have available for quick purchases.  They are my favorites and I almost never enter a fabric store without purchasing a few.  My favorite store offers a deal where if you buy 6 you get one free.  Who could resist that??

I hadn't actually used my sewing machine for embroidery much lately so I decided to put a pumpkin applique in the center.  I need to do more of that because watching a sewing machine sew without actually having to touch it is quite therapeutic.  If you doubt me, go to a sewing store and ask for a demo of an embroidery machine.

If you look closely at these mats you will notice they are each a little different.  They are all made using the same fabrics, just in a different order.  I realized after adding the first orange border that I did not have enough fabric to make them all identical.  I had to do a little creative piecing to get all 4 made.  I already had the fabric for the backside in my "stash" just waiting for a good project to come along.  The only extra fabric I needed to buy was 2/3 yard of the binding fabric.

A few months ago I took a one day class on free motion quilting.  I put what I learned to good use on these.  The center white block is "stippled".  That is the absolute best for taking your mind off troubles.  Normally a sewing machine "pulls" the fabric through the "feed dogs" and "pressure foot".  With free motion you use a special foot that doesn't actual touch the fabric and you drop the feed dogs.  You are the one driving the fabric around to creatively quilt your piece.  Special gloves with rubber fingers are a must for this.  That's how I quilted the entire mat.  Lots of therapy there!

Now a "real quilter" would probably never think to top stitch the front side of the binding.  I HATE hand sewing and will avoid that at all costs.  So I sew my binding to the backside then wrap it around to the front and top stitch.  My project - my way!

I hope you enjoyed this little "lesson" and maybe learned something about quilting.  Writing is also therapeutic so I will probably doing a lot more of it.

Working on Me!

Five weeks ago I began a low carb and exercise journey.  The last visit to my doctor showed that my A1C blood sugar numbers had spiked.  They have been the same 5.6 for years but this time jumped to 6.4.  If you know anything about blood sugar those are not high numbers but the spike was concerning.  My doctor thinks it was because my blood tests were done right after the holidays and you all know how many goodies I make every year.  She didn't want to change my medicine just yet so told me to watch my carb intake and we'll see in April how the tests go.

Having a lapband meant that I couldn't eat bread (gums up the system).  But I did discover years ago that if I toasted it, including rolls, bagels, English muffins, etc., I could eat bread with no problem.  My favorite food is potato chips, especially with dip.  And of course who doesn't like candy and chocolate!  Well, those days are over!  In the last 5 weeks I have not had bread of any kind, no pasta or rice, no potatoes or potato chips, no cookies or cake, and no candy.  I have actually gotten to the point where I don't miss those things anymore (on most days anyway).  The most carbs I eat are on the mornings I have a Chobani Flip yogurt for breakfast and my coffee creamer.  And that's about it!  Other mornings I just have a hard boiled egg for breakfast.  I replaced the ever present candy in the candy dish with nuts.  And my salvation are Parmesan chips that I make every week.

Now one would have expected a huge weight loss after all that.  Not so much!  I have only lost 6 lbs.  But I will keep on this road to see what my blood sugar levels are at my next appointment.  And now it has become a habit not to eat those foods.  I doubt if I will ever go back to eating a lot of carbs.

Five weeks ago I also decided to join the town's Senior Citizen Center.  It's in a beautiful brand new building with lots of amenities.  They have an exercise room with 2 treadmills, 3 recumbent bikes, 2 weight machines and free weights.  Believe it or not I have gone almost every day for the last five weeks (except for weekends when they are closed)!  I alternate between treadmill and bike but my favorite part are the Tai Chi classes on Thursday mornings.  My first week was quite pitiful.  Tai Chi helps balance but if you have poor balance to begin with it is very challenging.  And I had to sit down about every 5 minutes in the hour-long class.  The second week I only sat 4 times and did a lot better.  This week everyone in the class commented on how good I was doing and how much longer I lasted, only sitting once or twice.  Last week Rich decided to give it a try with me.  His first week was just as bad as mine but he returned a second time and likes it too.  We found some Youtube videos that we project onto our TV to practice at home.


When I was rehabbing my fake knees one of the exercises was deep knee bends.  I really struggled with them and still do.  Last night something told me to try doing it again before I went to bed and guess what??   I was able to bend so low I actually sat on my heels!  I haven't been able to do that for about 10 years. And I got back up again! I guess something is working (probably the bike).

I don't know who turned on the switch in my head to do this and keep doing this but I like it.  I feel a lot better and have much more energy than I used to.  We are planning a trip to Alaska with friends and I really want to be able to enjoy it and do a lot of sightseeing.  That's my goal right now.

Simba's Story

My name is Simba.  I am a Great Pyrenees.  The name was given to me by my first family - a really nice family with 4 kids.  Unfortunately when I was six months old they had some hard times and found it really difficult to take care of me.  They put my picture on Facebook and my new mama, who spends a lot of time there, saw me and fell in love.  Who wouldn't fall in love with this picture (left)?

My new family brought me home that night.  They also had a 15 year old Golden Retriever and a 21 year old cat. I was so excited to have some other animals to play with.  They weren't quite as excited - especially the cat!

Mama and Daddy decided I needed some professional training so they sent me away to doggie camp.  I was gone one week then came home for a week.  I went for another week then home for 2 weeks.  That was the last time I saw my new friends.  While I was gone for my third week of training they both got sick and had to be euthanized.  My new family was devastated but glad to have me for company.   As far as that training went, it was OK but I am bred to be"an independent thinker" and tend to do what they ask only some of the time.  But they still love me!

My trainer said that I needed to be crate trained.  Mama and Daddy tried that when they went out a few times but I didn't like it one bit.  Here is how I showed them:

They finally gave up and started leaving me lose in the house when they went out.  I only ate a few things while they were gone.  Pillows and remote controls were my favorites.   I am a smart dog, though,  and have learned that if I am good they will praise me and give me a treat.  It pays to be good while they are gone!

My new yard is much bigger than my old one and it has trees, bushes, a cement pond and squirrels to chase.  I love being in my yard.  But in the Texas summer when it is too hot I don't stay out too long.  I prefer the air conditioning.  The best part is when the 5 grand kids come to play with me.  I love watching them swim and sometimes we will all gather sticks and branches together,

Great Pyrenees dogs are bred to be livestock guardian dogs.  Well, they never got me any other animals to guard (that stuffy HOA would not like that) but I do have chores to do around the house.

I have to pre-wash the dishes

I have to keep the bed warm for Mama & Daddy every night

My most important job is to guard the couches

I am a really smart dog.  I know that because Mama and Daddy tell me that all the time.  Here are some things that I know for sure:

1.  It is not time to get up in the morning until Daddy turns off the alarm.  Once I hear those beeps I know I can get out of bed.
2.  When I do get out of bed it is time for breakfast and a glucosomine pill.  Once I have that it is time to go out and not before.
3.  My Mama likes to sew.  Anytime she mentions the word "upstairs" that is my cue to go help her.  I like to climb the stairs right next to her to see who can get to the top first!   She also has treats in the desk drawer and I nudge her until I get one.  That's the only way she can get anything done.

4.  My humans like to eat a meal in the middle of the afternoon.  I will ask to go out while they are eating because I know that when they are done it is nap time with Mama on our bed.  I don't want anything to disturb that!

5.  There is something in the living room that makes a "bonging" sound all day and night.  When it is daylight and it bongs 3 times I know it is time for my dinner.  I will immediately get up and lay down in front of the pantry door.  That's where the food is kept.   Daddy will get the hint that it is time to feed me.
6.  After dinner it is time for one of my chores - dish cleaning.  Sometimes Mama sits at the table too long to suit me and I will sit in front of her and whine until she gets up to let me do my job.  Sometimes she just doesn't get the hint!
7.  Once the sun sets I know it is time to relax - its almost time for bed.  I love hanging out with Daddy on the couch.  It is so comforting.

8.  I just recently learned what "go potty" means.  It means that my humans want me to go out about 7:00 every night to go to the bathroom.  If I do that I get to stay in for at least 12 hours (yes I can hold it that long!) undisturbed. 

9.  After a few hours of couch time with Daddy he tells me it is time for bed.  I don't always get up and follow him because I know that its not really bed time until he makes that beeping sound on the alarm again.  Once that is done I will get up and go to bed. 

10.  I leave just enough room in bed for Mama every night because I know I have to share.  But once she comes in the room and closes the bathroom door I can relax and stretch out in her place too.  It's fun seeing what a hard time she has trying to move me out of her way.  I love my Mama and like to sleep on her feet all night!

Well, that's my story!  Life is good.

On October 1 I attended a Zentangle class at my church.  I have seen many zentangles on Pinterest and was fascinated.  My father was a pen and ink artist (among other types of art) and I thought why not, maybe I could do it too.  I always told people I couldn't draw but truthfully I was too intimidated to try for fear of failure in my father's eyes.  Well I went to the class and was immediately hooked,  The instructor was a certified instructor and did a great job of selling me on this new addiction.  We started out with 2 small tiles.  She demonstrated each step and the history behind the art.  That part went right over my head as I was too anxious to dig into creating.  Here are my two tiles from that class.

We did learn the names of each different design but of course that went in one ear and out the other.  My brain does not work with details like that.  The next day I made a trip to Michaels for more supplies.  It didn't take much.  I bought one notebook, a set of 3 Micron pens, a drawing pencil and some things for smudging the pencil shadings (no idea what the technical name is).  Here are my creations so far.  I get my ideas from Pinterest then make them my own.

I am now studying zentangle quilting as many of these patterns are the same or similar to some used in free motion quilting.  That is something else that scares me but something I will be trying in the near future. Of course since my first love is sewing I decided my new collection of art supplies needed to be stored in a way that I could take them on vacation if I chose.  So I made a quilted case to hold everything.  I didn't have a pattern and made it up as I went along.  It has a slot for the notebook on one side and slots for my pens and markers on the other side as well as a clear snapped pouch for small items.  I like something I can pick up and take with me since I can't do that with my sewing machine.

 I only have a few more pages in my first notebook and have already purchased a second.  Plus some colored pencils (not my favorite), some colored fine tip markers and one brush marker (I see a lot more of those in my future.

I sure wish my dad was still alive so I could have him help me with this.  Hopefully he would be proud that I am at least trying to follow in his footsteps.  Here are two of his colored pen and ink drawings.  Some of my favorites are his black and white ones but I will save them for another blog.

Sewing Projects

OK, so it's been almost as year since I wrote a blog.  About a year ago I purchased my embroidery machine and have been cooped up in my sewing room ever since.  I have made a lot of fun things while exploring and learning this fabulous macine.  I have many items on Etsy for sale but I'll write about them another day (promise!).  Today I will share some of my personal projects.

A new friend from my church was looking for someone to trade craft supplies for some ribbon samples she got from market.  Of course I was game for that!  She came loaded with shopping bags and large bins full of samples.  We sorted through some and I came out with a pile of samples.

They were about 6 inches long and glued and stapled to cardboard headers.  There some beautiful satin wired pieces.  It took an afternoon to remove them from the headers and remove all the wire from the edges.  I have been looking into crazy quilting and had great plans!  I bought some fake suede fabric at Hobby Lobby.  Using some of my embroidery software I embroidered 8 blocks and made a shoulder bag.  I created the flap and pocket using some of my new treasures.  I sewed them on using clear thread and a zig zag stitch.  The ribbon was already embellished so I didn't have to get fancy,  I added an adjustable strap and a metal "frog" latch.  Here is the finished bag.  And  I still have hundreds of samples!

Most fabric and quilt shops in the nation have a yearly contest called Row by Row.  This year's theme was Water.  Each shop designs their own row and gives out the pattern or sells a kit to complete their row.  The contest requires you use 8 different patterns and you must visit the store in person to get the patterns or kits (no mail order)).  They give you about 2 months to complete the quilt and the first person who returns it to their store wins a prize.  I had great plans to do this and collected one pattern and one kit to start with.  I was a little intimated by the kit since I had to hand cut and stitch all the pieces so it took a month to get the nerve to try it.  By then people were already turning in their completed quilts.  Oh well.  It will make a nice table runner or maybe I'll decide to sell it on Etsy.  But it was fun since I did the driving on this one.

I love Fall especially after a long hot Texas Summer.  Here are two project I can't wait to use.  One is a banner that I again had to hand cut the pieces and machine applique them.  The quilting was done in the hoop on my fancy machine using a leaf outline pattern.  The towel was done in the hoop and all I had to do was place and trim the orange fabric and change thread color when the machine told me to.

I also love Christmas and decided to make this banner.  Again the pieces were hand cut and machine appliqued manually.

There are so many unwritten blogs running through my head.  I promise I will write more than once a year.  If you enjoy reading my blogs please follow me on here to get automatic emails when I do write again.

Finally Cooler Weather

I was shocked to see that it has been a year since I wrote a blog.  Guess I've been busy!  After a long hot Texas summer it has finally cooled off.  One of my favorite things to do in the fall is make a giant pot of beef stew.  Today is the day!  I have made this recipe for as long as I can remember.  When we were first married (42 years ago!) we did a lot of tent camping with friends every fall.  We lived in New Jersey at the time so we were used to much cooler weather.  I would always make a big pot of stew to take.  Once the tent was set up we would heat up the stew over a fire.  Every time I make stew these memories come back to me.

Beef Stew

2 lbs stew meat
2 bags frozen stew vegetables
Minced garlic
2 pkgs mushroom gravy mix
Red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 cups water
Worcestershire Sauce
Oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika

Brown beef cubes in oil.  Add about 2 tbs red wine to deglaze the pan.  Add salt, pepper and paprika to taste.  Add about 1 tsp of minced refrigerated garlic and a splash of Worcestershire sauce.  Add 1 cup of beef broth, 2 cups of water.  Sprinkle 1 package of mushroom gravy mix over the top and stir to blend.  Add two bags of frozen vegetables.  Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Cook for about 2-3 hours.   About a half hour before serving add and strir in the second package of mushroom gravy mix.  Simmer uncovered until thickened.

Note:  I am making this in my dutch oven but before I had one I mixed everything in a crock pot and cooked all day.

We will be enjoying this tonight with heated dinner rolls and for many other nights since I will have enough to freeze for additional meals.

Camping trips in the 1970's

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