I am here no pictures.

I have been cutting back all the dead flowers in the yard. Laying patio blocks and pavers. I am wore out today. Maybe a day to stay in and get the vac out and also to get some stitching done. Making progress on the Christmas quilt for my son. Now I am sneezing. Allergies are acting up. If the weather holds out for a few more days I will have everything cut back. Then need to dig some ornamental grass out and divide. They can take over if you don't watch them. This one has been dug up before and it needs to be thinned out really badly. I have the TV on and the morning news is on. All you see is politics. I was so glad when the last voting season ended and here we are again. All the slander and back stabbing. Face it we are in trouble and no one side is right. We need to work to gether to get through this. Time they all grew up and got along. That will never happen. It is the fact the media is hanging on every word that is spocken and it gets twisted. My Great Grandfather was an avid political watcher and he would say the same thing happened back then. He walked 12 miles to see Abraham Lincoln debate. I guess I was told not to throw stones but own up to the ones that were cast if you are guilty. Have a Great Day. Chris

Who do I ask?

Who do you ask? Well the question I am asking is what kind of thread do you use? All cotton? Poly and Cotton? 40wt? 50wt? Lots of questions to ask. Do you use plain cotton to hand quilt with? Do you use a coated cotton to quilt with and what is it coated with Beeswax or conditioner? Machine quilting poly and cotton? All Cotton? Poly or rayon? Choices???

Where do you begin to look and get answers? I guess buy the best you can afford and try all the choices. I have a little of all of it. How about you?

Rearranging and cleaning somewhat done

This last week has been busy and rearranging of my living room. Well it is listed on the house description as a Great Room. It is 17ft wide by 24ft long. This half of the Great room is now the dining room. I had the Curio cabinet in the background in the kitchen eating area, but it was to crowded. So we moved it several years ago. It didn't match any of the furniture in the living room. More of the story is my Mother bought this table with 6 chairs and she is very short. The table top was to high for her to sit at comfortably. Plus the finish was wearing off. We found her another table she really likes and it fits in her eating area of her kitchen much better. So this one needed refinishing and my husband took on the job. We tried selling it and to get what she needs out of it for the price she paid for it we just kept it.

So we had to find a spot for it in my house. At some point my son will have it. The table has two leaves and it opens to 8ft long. I told my husband it would make a great cutting table. He said only if you can protect the top of it. It is solid oak. Most tables are veneer. I think I am going to look for the old fashion cutting boards that fold. Then I can place the folded board in a closet when not in use. The cabinet had to be cleaned inside and out. It was so clean and I turned to my husband and said it is about time for Brody the youngest grandson to come. He loves to stand and place his hands on the freshly cleaned glass to look at all the things inside. Sure enough they came two hours later, but I was lucky he wasn't attracted to it this time. Lots of not expensive things, but things from my Grandmother's and my Mom and Mother -in-law in the cabinet. Pictures of my family and grandkids also. Priceless to me and my family. They mean more to me. My son says he will take all that I own to the landfill when I am gone. Nice kid right? LOL Now I guess I have to make Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. Also I need to make place mats and table runners for this table. Better get going. Chris

Quilting and House cleaning

Fall house cleaning is in the process. I have two rooms done and today carpets get scrubbed. I do my own. I also am going to out and spread pre emergent herbicide on the lawn. The piecing I am doing is going quite well. I have 60 of the 100 blocks all pieced pressed and ready to sew together. I do need to cut some more 4 patch pieces to finish out the top. As I am sewing this together I am thinking about reusing this pattern with 30-40's prints and white sashing. Not sure I will do it right away, but it is possible to put on the to-do list. Funny how the to-do list gets longer and the finished quilts are still in the process and not finished. Doing better on that account. If you are like me the to-do list gets longer and longer everytime you log onto the blogs. Chris

Tip of the Day

This is a tip of the day that is cheap and very helpful. The fresh fruit and veggies that I have been bringing in the house attract small fruit insects. My neighbor told me to do this. Add Cider Vinegar to a small bowl and then two drops of dish soap to the bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

Punch a few small holes in the plastic wrap and set on the counter. The dark brown in the bowl is dead insect and the top left is a speck of brown and it is a dead one on the inside of the plastic wrap. I didn't think it was working and to my surprise this morning there are a couple dozen dead insect in the bowl. After a few days change the solution and you will be insect free in your kitchen.

More scraps and the end product

This is a WIP I started with the last quilt. As I was cutting I made 2 1/2 squares and also 1 1/2 squares. This is the 2 1/2 in squares sewn together in 4 patches and two 4 patches sewn together with a sashing piece.

Here is the finished block.
Here is the intersection of 4 blocks and the secondary design of the 16 patch block that is sashed. This will be the total top of the quilt with all the intersections of the 4 blocks for a quilt for my son. I see in the picture I have the upper left block turned the wrong way. At least I don't have to rip out they aren't sewn together. This is to be a Christmas gift so I had better get moving along. It has 100 blocks to make a king sized quilt.

This was an accident making this block. My husband liked the looks of a quilt in a magazine and I made it on the straight instead of on point and he liked it better. This is the same block as the Ugly quilt I have in progress for his room. That will be the next one to finish. Chris

Finally

To start out I am dog sitting my son's dog. She is a Blue Healer and her name is Bashful. She is 3 years old and still kinda hyper, but a good dog. Typical dog likes to lay where she can see you. She is a spoiled dog when she comes to Grandma's house.

This is my most favorite product on the market. I use these when I wash my quilts to collect the color out of the wash water. I washed my quilt this morning and the purple color on the rt side it the sheet after washing the quilt. They do work.

This is the finished washed quilt. Lots of hours in this one and the use of all the scraps makes me feel like it didn't cost to much to make.

All I had to buy for it was the batting and the black fabric. Otherwise it was scraps I had here in the house.

This is the back of the quilt. I was given the backing from my Mom she had bought it for another quilt and didn't end up using it.

1200 yards of thread were used in the machine quilting on this quilt. Now I have to clean. All kinds of thread ends all over the house.

This isn't where this will be used, but I thought it would look good on this bed. It is going to be used on the couch. My husband sleeps on the couch most of the time and the couch quilt has seen better days. I will keep it for a throw when we have the grandkids, but it was fading and also the stitching is breaking on the quilting. Lots of diagonal quilting was done on it.
I am so glad this one is done. A couple set backs and finally it is done. Chris

My Marks disappeared

Everything I did yesterday went wrong. My tomatoes got moldy before they dried. My dehydrator isn't powerful enough to handle what I was trying to do. Don't know unless you try. I tried sewing on this quilt along the border edge and had to rip it out. So I hand basted the border because doing it by hand machine it stretch. After 3 hours of hand basting I decided I would use marking pens to make my marks for the grid sewing. I set up a table in the living room and stuck with the project until all was marked. Mind you I drove 90 miles to get the white marking pens to do this quilt with the day before. I was so excited to think I was going to get this quilt done soon.

After 2 1/2 more hours I decided to eat supper and then sew. I went to pick up the quilt and the marks had all disappeared. I was so frustrated. My husband just looked at me like what happened. I didn't pay enough attention to the directions on the packages of these pens. I saw removable with water and it didn't say air erase. I called my Mom and she said is there something wrong with the product. I don't think so I was so anxious to get this done I didn't understand the labeling. I got out a chalk pencil marker and remarked the border on one side. I know this marking tool does rub off so I decided to do one at a time. As I was marking I got of with the ruler and had to go back and correct the markings I made. I went in and stitched the markings and cut the batting and backing off the one side. My husband teased me and said are you staying up to finish and I said no. So today I need to get more marked and stitched. So close to the finish and then all this trouble. Lesson learned read all the packaging before purchase and use. Chris

Cooking and Dehydrating today

This is my dehydrator. I have it loaded with many goodies. I am trying a different thing for me. I am trying tomatoes. Look at all this color. This is the Bell Peppers we started in the house this last spring. We have so many of them I decided to dry some. Green, orange, yellow and red. We had some white ones also.

I have several layers or trays of the tomatoes. These are the end of the season and weren't as pretty as some from the early growing period. Anxious to see how they do. Then you run them through the food processor to pulverize to make a powder to add to soups and stews. I canned tons of tomatoes and ran out of jars. You can not believe the smells going on in the kitchen right now. Also cooler weather. I have some leftover ham that has to get used. So the dried beans are soaking and the Ham and Bean soup is going to get underway. I make the Senate Bean Soup that the Senators in DC have on their menu everyday in the kitchens at the Capital building. Ham, beans, carrots, celery, onions, potatoes are all cooked together and thickened with mashing some of the beans. A little cornbread on the side and you have a complete meal in one pot. That is my kind of meal.

My Mother loves all that I make but she won't cook for herself. So I make a large amount and freeze portions and when she is bored with the food she has I take in a batch to her and she is eating a better meal than the fast food places and out of cans. I don't cook with store bought canned food and I don't use salt. Healthy cooking but why do I gain weight. It tastes to good. I have lost about 12 lbs. and doing it by cutting back the amount I eat. Plus all the exercise in the yard cleaning it up for fall. Can you smell the great smells from my kitchen?? Chris

No pictures today

I would like to know how there can be so much dust in the house? I know sewing causes dust, I know having doors and windows open can cause dust but please. I have enough dust you would think I lived in and open barn. I thought maybe the doors and windows open that the air would blow it on through. Foolish me. I change the furnace filters every month. There are only two of us in this house and we are sedimentary individuals. I dust and two hours later I see another layer. What would it be like if I didn't dust for two weeks? Hate to say it but this summer while I was out trying to keep up with the yard work that happened. Maybe if I had white furniture I wouldn't see it so plainly. Can you imagine having the fireplace burning and all the dust from that. Well I haven't burned much for the last two years because of the smoke and the dirt from all the wood. Where does it come from? I guess the old saying that housework is never done is true. I know I sure don't have the patience to dust everyday and have to do it all over again the next. We have no animals and grandkids are here every other weekend for a few hours. I guess there is no real answer, but I have to get rid of a layer since I have been typing this post another bunch has settled. No wonder I have allergies. Chris

Next UFO

This is the next project to get attention. This is for Christmas gift for my son. Better get to it. These are other projects I started the 9 patch in the square is the one I am machine quilting.

This is what the block will look like. 4 four patches with sashing and a corner square

. I called this one the Ugly Quilt. I used fabric that was dark and maybe wouldn't use up unless it was cut up in small pieces.

This is the intersection of four of the previous blocks. The alternate block it forms is a 16 patch with sashing. It is a very masculine quilt and I really need to gt some of this pieced so I know what the backing for it will need to be. Scrappy again. Chris

I did something I don't normally do

This is me all 58 1/2 years of me. Getting old and feeling every moment of it.

I took a picture of myself. Look at the chicken neck the graying hair and the dark circles under the eyes. I have had enough stress in my life for ten people and more to come. Will I make it to 100 I don't think so. The stories I could tell and the feelings I could share, but will anyone care. Probably not. This is part of the Golden Age thing we are to enjoy as we get older. LOL Chris

What is happening to this old World

I just read where an earthquake hit New Zealand. Another oil rig has exploded and several Hurricanes. Prayers and best wishes with all involved. Chris

No sewing going on here

I am sitting in the Great Room and looking at the sunlight coming in the dirty windows. We live in the middle of a corn field and until the corn has been picked doesn't pay to wash windows. You can see the sun coming in the sliding glass door. My Curio cabinet needs clean inside and out.

I really would like to paint the cabinet a dark charcoal gray or black. Hubby says no. I will have to work on getting him convinced it would look better.

This it the Secretary we don't really use other than to collect junk. I have never been much of a letter writer. I guess I should be becoming a lost art to hand write a letter to someone. The large rooster use to be a lamp. The rod that went through it was not centered and it would tip over easy. Took the electric parts out and made it a statue. I love Chickens.
This is the mantle over the stone fireplace. Which is a wood burning fireplace. We have burned a lot of wood. Not so much since Jeff has been sick. To hard to go out and cut wood and get it here. I keep some on hand if we loose electricity we can stay warm for a period of time.

I would like a gas insert, but the cost is out of my budget for now. Believe it or not we live in a manufactured home, yes a double wide mobile home.
We have four bedrooms a large kitchen and two full bathrooms and a laundry room. 1500sq feet of living space. In the Winter I like sitting beside the fireplace and hand stitching or quilting. Need to house clean and paint. No fun there. Chris

Progress is slow

Here is the quilting on each of the 100 blocks. I am now trying to come up with an idea for the quilting on the borders. Wanda from Exuberant Color made a suggestion to do a diagonal grid in the larger part of the border. I have been under the weather the last couple days. I think a flu bug. Had no energy to get anything done.

This is the fabric I used for the back of the quilt. You can see some of the quilting design. Maybe one of these days I will be done with this. Going to take another nap today to try and get over this crap. I already took one this morning. Upset stomach and chills make me think when the kids were here they brought something home to Grandma. Not their fault. Derek was not himself while he was here either. Chris