Holiday Happy Day(s)

I'm getting back to a little sewing. I'd like to make some progress on this hexagon center medallion. I started it at Mom's house back in August. Sewing is not a priority since I started practicing golf. (It's not an obession if you only go to the driving range once or twice a day. Right?)

 Only one more hexie-block to go! Next I have to decide if I am going to do like the picture in the book and join these blocks with unbleached muslin hexagons or black ones. I'll post pictures of both to see what they look like.

My yard project is coming along weather permitting. The ridiculous amount of rain Atlanta had this year put outdoor activities at risk of failure (like the 2013 tomato crop). The whole project began as I searched for someone to correct the horrendous drainage problem in my back yard. Now I have underground drains, steps to access my upper yard and the beginnings of dry creek beds. The trees came down.
The overgrown shrubs were yanked out. And that was the front yard.
The back yard was similarly de-foliated.

Ada Yuen of Eastern Redbud conceived the design. She wanted the storage building gone, but the boys talked me into keeping it, so she will work around it.

I love the steps! Finally easy access to the upper level of the yard. What you cannot see is the network of underground tubes to guide the water away from the house. This was phase one; the phase two plan is on its way to me.

My bed is covered by a quilt Mom made; I cannot wait to hop in and get a good night's rest.

One more thing before I go: Family, friends and neighbors may need us, and sometime we may need them too. Let's get our priorities straight and give each other a hand.

Not together

But look what is visiting me: 

 What a lovely butterfly!

I was lucky enough to get two good shots.

Now I need to concentrate; the wedding is tomorrow, and I need to get stuff rolling. 

I am lucky enough to be mother-of-the groom, so you'd think I could just show up and have fun, but I am also mother of the groomsmen (two of them at least), and one of them is a rouge entity. We don't know where he is most of the time, nor what he is doing. I purchased his shirt, pants, socks, belt and shoes for the wedding, but he has not tried any of it on. I even had the Brooks Brothers pants hemmed on a guess of how long they should be. It is his own fault if he has high-water pants and too big/small shoes tomorrow. 

But I am sure we will all have a great time. 

(Sorry about the bugs, Mom; I have not been sewing.)

Wandering Quilter in Kansas City

On the way to Mom and Dad's from the airport we stopped by Asiatica. We'd read about it on Barbara Brackman's blog. Mom and I were both overwhelmed by the rolls of vintage kimono fabric stored in their work rooms.  Asiatica designers make lovely new garments for high end consumers. Sorry I was too shy to ask if I could take photos. Watch the video on their website.  Really, it it worth your time.

Once we got to the house, I threw my new(ish) quilt over the bed.

Great Grandmother "Mom" Irvin pieced it and I just finished quilting it. I felt it important for Mother to see it in person. 

Mom saw lots of friends: Jan Patek (her design partner), Barb Adams and Alma Allen, Sandy Gervais, Rita Briner of Quilter's Station, Terry Thompson, the Buggy Barn girls Pam Soliday and Janet Nesbitt and Edie McGinnis. The market was HUGE, and we got properly worn out traipsing all over it.

One woman we were very happy to meet is Delores Storm. She designs under Lackadaises, and we love her use of vintage found treasures and wool. Check out her redwork designs too.

Back at the house I mentioned to Mom I'd like to make a string pieced star quilt like one I'd seen, so she brought out this:

I don't remember seeing it before.

She is looking for the pattern.

It is so soft with age.

And it has wonderful geranium leaf fabric on the back. (sigh)

I may want to make another rag quilt too, so she brings this out:

Dang. The back as lovely as the front:

Shoot. Big squares and little ones.

So I just keep plugging away at my quilts:

I finished the binding on Eron's (my paramedic son who is engaged to the lovely Meredith) quilt.

It came out very nice I think.

He wants it for his firehouse bunk, and he requested black, white and red (he said it is a fireman thing). I learned the stack method for the stars at a class with Peggy Barkle, so finishing it for Eron was a no-brainer. 

I am trying to get a good photo of an open Morning Glory (Mom just corrected me; this is a Moon Flower, and it blooms at night, so good luck getting a photo of it) in Mom and Dad's yard. 

This curled up one will have to do for now.

By the way, it is seven months after Mom's knee replacement surgery and Dad is still bringing her breakfast in bed. Every day!

(I got nothing else.)

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.

Xmas misc

Merry Christmas to All!

Eron (son #1) came over and helped me learn how to use the rapid-shooting on my new camera.

Here is what a 6' 3" guy doing capoeira in my front hallway looks like:

A mid-air shot just before his feet hit the ground.

Fun!  I didn't try it.

I finished Adam's quilt this morning.

I love it so much I may have to buy it back from him.  Or rent it for a couple of years.

And Eron caught me on my own camera.  Dang, I should have smiled.

Oh, on a sad note, MIL is in the hospital (rectal prolapse), so hubby had to run over to Kennesaw to be with her.  I made him take his medications, shaving kit and a big blanket in case he gets caught over there.  We are expecting snow in Atlanta so he may not be able to get back home and she could be there a while.