Happy Mother's Day!

Love you Mom.

I will be home to see you (and Dad) in June.

(Photo of a photo taken in Germany.  I was about three.)

And here are my three, since Mother's Day is about celebrating being a mother as much as having one.

Eron asked me what I wanted for Mother's Day, so I asked him to please come play Frisbee with me.  It is so hard to find someone to fling a disk with when you are over 50.

(I stole this shot from his Facebook page)

Here is Eron in a swimming pool.

Maybe Andy will join us.

(My favorite shot of Andy.  Also stolen from his Facebook page.)

I hope to see Adam too.

(This is Adam in a hammock on my patio last weekend with his Arlo.)

End of the Christmas stay-cation

Snow fell on Stars in Georgia (making fun of license plates which say "stars fell on Alabama").

I am probably the only quilter alive over the age of 50 who had not made a "rag" quilt.

Not any more!  I just finished one.

Here is the back story:  Mother was cleaning stuff out and came across a big box of flannel squares she'd cut to make a rag quilt, but then she lost interest (who knows how long ago), so she set the box aside for me.  I brought it home last summer and also set it aside.

Yesterday I got it out and started sorting.  Some squares were in pairs with batting between, so I began stitching those first.

The directions were for 9 inch blocks with smaller 4-patch groups alternating.  Well, that wasn't going to work, since I had 8 inch squares to start with.  Maybe she'd been working from a different pattern?

She had the soft sides of the flannel layered together, so I reversed that to put the soft side out. Marked a big old X to stitch on (note the sandpaper under the fabric helps it stay put to mark on).

I kept it simple and went with the 8 inch blocks with 5 1/2 inch batting between and 1 inch joining seams.

You make a LOT of squares.  My rag quilt is 9 blocks across by 11 down.  I think that is a nice 1 person throw size, so that is 99 x 2 squares!

These are the rows laid out. I resorted to marking the rows with a Sharpie so I wouldn't get them out of order.

This is the BACK side once they are all stitched together and stitched 1 inch in all the way around.

I still have to do all the clipping and then take it to a laundromat to wash.  I have listened to quilters talk about the shedding this quilt will do, so I know not to clip seams indoors or to wash (initially) in my own washer.

Here are the unclipped seams.  The instructions said to stitch them open.  I don't really know why.

Neither does Kitten.

Nor this silly guy (son #2)

Nor does son #1

We missed you #3.  Hope to see #3 soon.

MIL update: She was out of the hospital and back at her sister's house yesterday afternoon. Evidently these "things" happen, and they had happened to her before. She'll see a doctor in town sometime this week.

Sunday musings

"Look! My eye matches your shirt!" Said Kitten as she watched the birds outside the kitchen window.  

 I cleaned up the sewing room and pinned my latest works on the wall where I could enjoy them as I sew.

I am going to tackle the quilting on "Nests" next.  I would love to give this to a certain son, but I doubt I will have it bound by Christmas 2010.

I'll just jump in with my walking foot and see what happens. I am a little afraid, since this was one of the first tops I pieced two years ago.  It is kinda wonky. I have learned a lot about piecing since then.

I added a cheerful little tree to my sewing room window. 

 This son (below), not the one referred to above, had a birthday this week. Twenty-six years ago he was born in Orange Park, Florida.  Now he is trying to grow a handle-bar mustache.  I am not sure what type of quilt I will end up making for him someday.  This son will appreciate recycled clothing in his, so maybe something with shirts from Goodwill (or the ones left behind in the closet-taking up fabric storage room)?

He came by my work, and we went on a little walk down the halls of the school.  We went by the cosmetology department, but they were through giving haircuts for the quarter, so he couldn't get trimmed up. He needed to borrow my car because, while his car was in Gainesville, GA; his keys were in downtown Atlanta. Then, when he brought my car back, he nearly left with MY keys in his coat pocket.

Oh, oh, I just had a pretty great idea for a quilt for him.  I just need to collect Che Guevara t-shirts until I have enough to make an "El Che" t-shirt quilt.  Thanks for helping me think of it!

Andy's House: Catch up post #2

A friend of Andy's (from Tennessee?) made this beautiful wreath from greens she got from her own yard. What a great house warming gift.

This is Andy and his new home. We wanted to see his new home, so we brought up some boxes of books he left at our house (not that we needed an excuse).

Since Andy bought a home, he also adopted a dog. His dog is quite shy, but the perfect dog for Andy.

And his roommate's (Lizzie's) kitty terrorizes the dog. Andy says the cat attacks the dog's face and "rides around" by hanging onto the dog's fur. The dog is so docile he tolerates the cat, but spends a lot of time sitting in his crate where he is protected from sneak attacks.

And doesn't she look sweet?

Happy Mail

I have started collecting my mother's books by purchasing them off the internet. These two came in the mail today. Well, I bought two copies of "Free Spirit," but no reason to photograph it twice. It turned out I had a copy here at home too, so I am flush with "Spirit." I am having a hard time locating an affordable copy of "Miss Jump's Quilt Album." I would love to hear from someone who would like to do an exchange or offer me a copy at a reasonable price.

Then, from Cathy in Tasmania(!) a lovely thimble and postcard. Doesn't Tasmania look like the most magical place? You can see that wrascally Tasmanian Devil in the middle of the card. Thanks Cathy!

And finally, because I don't see my son, Andy, often, I have to include the postcard sent to my address (Andy's former address), by Te (accent on the e) from Iceland. I am thinking Andy, since he checks Facebook often, would see the card on my blog before he will actually come pick it up. So, Andy, if you are reading, this card has a lovely stamp, and Te wrote a great deal on the back, but you'll have to come pick it up, or call me and I'll read it to you.

Look what is new at our house! A Lone Star Quilt

Kitten-who-still-needs-a-home approved!

And Falling TimbersAll are gifts from "Simon at work" who is generous beyond generous. He said he was doing some cleaning out. He also brought me two beautiful watercolors. Now that middle son is spending more time living somewhere else, I have a place to lay out and admire quilts. You may notice that he (Andy) has a few things left in the room, like his bookcases and books.

One more Millie (#6 for me)

I have been messing around cleaning my office and trying to quilt, so I haven't gotten much done except for organizing. Oh, I remember how I have spent my weekend: Andy went to Texas for a family reunion (his Dad's side), so I cleaned his room. I found his W-2, so I am thinking he has yet to file his taxes. Also, Adam went out of town (camping with friends), so I am dog sitting Dubsley (aka The Big Brown Monster). My dogs are not thrilled with the visitor, so we have had to watch for skirmishes. Meanwhile Rescued Wren is doing fabulous, and not causing any trouble. I let her roam the house last night instead of closing her up in the bathroom. No problem! I have chosen the colors for my next Millie bite. I thought the kitty face would be a touch of whimsy to add to the quilt at the time we added Wren to our lives.

Kitty on the Mend

Update: Wren was sneezing a little blood, so I called Dr. Evans and she wants me to start putting hot compresses on twice a day. And, yes, her (Wren's) legs are that long and skinny.