Sitting here thinking where has this month gone.......

It was foggy this morning and cool out. Today is about 70 degrees out and the sun is out. Yard work continued outside, but it is winding down. Not much more to do. The tips of the trees are starting to turn.

In my thoughts today which is a scary process, I thought about how many things I need to do before Christmas. I have decorations I don't use and I should pass them along. I have many sewing projects to complete. I have cleaning and painting of rooms. Oh well if it gets done ok or if not that is ok too.

Funny when you get older the importance of things change. I guess the stress of it all comes with a price I don't want to pay anymore. If I was 20 years younger I would be part way through with the sewing for gifts.

Are you ready for Christmas? Are you ready for Winter? I know I'm not. Chris

A Girl after my heart

Well she is now sitting up on her own and can push herself up by herself. She went to the workshop with my son and she was really dirty. But I said kids are the original "wash and wear. So the field was picked and she sat out there and played in the dirt.

I'm sure a bath and bed came soon afterwards. She is cute, but she will be a gardener at some point in her life. I need to look for some farmers coveralls for her now. Have a great day. Chris 

Tips on storing fabrics

I love fabric and like to be able to see all the colors and textures, but this is the down fall. Light is your enemy when it comes to exposing it.

Think about how curtains fade in the sunlight over time. Not only is sunlight a hazard, but artificial lighting can be an enemy also. I worked and managed several fabric shops. We were constantly moving fabric out of direct light and artificial lighting also.

When you go to purchase fabric look at the folded crease. Do you see a difference in shades of the fabric? Usually that means the fabric has been there a long time. If you are cutting the fabric up into small pieces then ask for a discount. If you are using larger pieces make sure you purchase enough to work around the flaw.

Now to storing it when you get home. I wash my fabrics so I try and fold it a different way after washing. Helps get the folded crease out of the fabrics and I need to fold it to fit on my shelves. Bolt fabrics I buy I take off the cardboard center because of the tanic acid in the cardboard. That is what causes brown spots on vintage fabrics. It is a chemical that is natural in wood products and cardboard is made from wood.   Now storage issues can be hard. Not everyone has archival storage boxes to put your fabric into.

Plastic containers might be the answer for dust and light issues, but if stored in a damp environment it can produce mold and mildew. Open air storage on shelves can cause the fading of colors and dust and mold and mildew. Especially if stored in a damp basement.

Is there a perfect area to sew and store fabrics? Well not in my world there isn't. We have damp and humid summers. I like light when sewing whether it is the sunlight coming in the window or artificial light. I have dust and odors because my husband smokes and we have a fireplace. Also my storage is limited because of the size of the house we live in and I have to much to store it properly. Do I get enough used up fast enough, NO!!!!!

Working with fabric is a joy to many of us  and your storage  methods can be hard to chose. I don't think any of us have a perfect solution to the issues that are at hand. Use what you have or can afford. Remember you tried and did the best you can with this problem. Chris  

Well some results

Here is my son with the little one. He has guardianship over her. She is 6 1/2 months old now. He just bought this used tractor to mow with.

You can see a couple little white spots peaking through. a couple teeth are showing up. She is full of it and tries to out smart everyone. Chris

Got one to upload

I am still trying. This was the tail end of one cherry tomato plant. When we cut the 12 foot runners the remaining stem was dripping water like a leaky faucet. Never seen that happen, but we cut this plant before it was dead.

In light of all the horrible things going on in the World at least the biggest share of Americans are rallying around all the destruction going on in the western part of the States. What happen to kindness and compassion for others? In many cases even the family unit has gone by the wayside. I appreciate all of you and your thoughts.

Have a great evening. Chris New TV season starts tonight. Have my hand sewing close by.

Will keep trying

I checked Bing and I guess Blogger is having issues. They are working on the picture and posting problems. So I will try to work around it for now. Chris

Lots of digging

 Well my issues with blogger and my camera are not resolved. I have another option I need to try, but my patience is gone right now. We dug potatoes yesterday and got 2 5 gallon buckets out of 1 pound of seed potatoes.

 

I have done some sewing and then I tried to upload and no luck. Might be a sign time to stop blogging. Chris

Looking at old pictures

Forgot I have a whole quilt of these in a pile. Yes one of my piles. Maybe I should look for it.

 

 

 

I have at least a lap quilt of these blocks in there in another pile. What have I been thinking of????

This is the block pieces that make the block above. Light and dark sides. I think I need my head examined. I need to get to work.
Took my Mother for an eye appointment and she is to have cataract surgery next month. So more hand work will have to be in the works for the time at the hospital and appointments. Chris

This is a test

I'm trying to upload some images from my Picasa account.

Ok got this to work so I guess I download to my Picasa account on my PC from my camera and use my laptop to add to my blog. Major chore to blog, but it works. Sad part is my Kodak camera works fine, but the Company is out of that part for support. Next purchase will have to be a new camera. I guess I'm out of date to. Chris

Here we go again pictures won't upload

I did get this one to upload for you. This is the latest hand piece block. I have another one done which I pictured earlier in a stage of getting it completed.

 

I did get up early and finished up the last of 70 string blocks. I need to recheck for being square and all the correct size. Then I will add the sashing and corner stones. I think I have enough scraps for 6 more of them in queen size. Shame on me for hording scraps.

 

Part of the trouble I have with uploading the pictures is the computer that the program is on is Windows XP and it is a Kodak program. My newer laptop has Windows 7, but the Kodak program is not compatible. Also no updates because Kodak doesn't support the program anymore. I think I might try and email the pictures to myself and try downloading to my documents on my laptop. Tried Picasa and couldn't get it to work even though I have an account. Need to research my avenues more and find a solution. My Granddaughter needs to come and show old granny what to do. Out of my league. Chris ps just downloaded Picasa and will try another avenue of adding pictures to my blog between two computers. Confusing.

My backside is sore LOL

Well I'm up early. Almost done with coffee and reading my blogs for this morning. Going to the dungeon to sew in a couple minutes. Suppose to rain today so no journeys out in the rain unless necessary.

We are updating some of the birdhouses. They needed a reno job and trying to get then put back up before the cold hits us. This year we are more prepared with the Fall work than any other year in the last 12. Watch we will have a long Fall season and we will not have had to rush.

I need to do Fall house cleaning. Painting this Winter is a must also. We have to pick colors and get started, but it will be after the heat goes away. Suppose to be almost 90 degrees today and very humid. Must be Indian Summer here.

Well need another cup of coffee and off to make more of a mess in the dungeon. Later. Chris

Dedication

Well today is not a dedicated day for me. I am aimlessly wondering from one task to another. I keep searching for the right thing to interest me.

We have had a little rain today and now the sun is coming out. Humidity a sunlight make for a steamy afternoon. I think I will turn the fan on and go sew some. Really should be cleaning or sorting through one of the many piles I have placed in my sewing room.

I keep saying, but the dedication and urge haven't hit me. It is now 3:10pm in the afternoon, don't think it will happen. Where do others find the where with all to teach and write new patterns and design? I would like to have all this, but I guess I have this stick -to-ed-ness issue. I start but burn out before the end results.

Note to self get with it. I guess teaching old dogs new trick isn't easy. I really need to turn over a new leaf when it comes to that kind of stuff.

Well the garden for veggies is done. We have to dig potatoes and pull a few radishes, but the season is winding down. Where has the Summer gone. I am not looking forward to the cold and snowy Winter ahead.

I have been listening to comments on the daytime talk shows about unplugging. I maybe need to practice this too. I do enjoy a few blogs first thing in the morning while having my coffee and maybe checking in before bedtime, but I caught myself checking every 30 minutes today to see if anyone updated their blogs. Enough is enough. I need a life seated at the machine. LOL No I'm not depressed just envious of others dedication and their accomplishments. Good for all of you. I will be back later after I kick my behind. Chris

Yes I am crazy more handwork

This is what the drafted pattern looks like. Yes it is a block others have done, but I made my own templates.

 

I decided as large as it is about 24 of these with some connecting half blocks would go fairly fast, but that is only true if you cut out the right sized pieces. I made the mistake of cutting a template with the seam allowance on it several days ago and then I proceeded to add another seam allowance and wondered why it didn't fit. This isn't a rotary cutter type project. It would go faster. Then after several attempts to sew the correct sequence together I am this far. I thought I counted right and had all the pieces cut out to find out I am short one red one and four of the off white. So today I will get that done and complete the first block. Hand work takes up a lot of time and the prep work to get to the hand stitching is my weakness. All the years of sewing I hated cutting out a pattern most of all.

 

I wanted to be at the machine and not taking the time to cut out something.

Raining today so we will be inside. Need to make homemade Chicken and noodles today for lunch. My Mom is coming to eat with us. Have a Great day. Chris 

Lots mentally going on

Yesterday I got up early and spent almost 6 hours sewing. Proud to say I have used up 5 containers of scraps so far on my string blocks. I plan on making about 20 more blocks and then I sure hope I have enough to finish this quilt.
I listened to Netflix while sewing and got lost in the drama of the show I was watching. Only a few more episodes in the "Crossing Jordan" series I am watching. I think there were 7 seasons.

So on to the brain overload. I should have been hand sewing while watching "NCIS" And "NCIS LA" because the were reruns. Can't wait until the new season starts. Note to self get some hand work out to be ready.....

So back to what I did. Well the time drain was looking at Pinterest. I looked under the topic of quilting and ran across a blog through searching that was intriguing to me. Lots of scrappy quilts and hand and machine piecing. I haven't ever seen this blog before, but she uses ideas from Material Obsession. Her use of floral and geometric prints together in the same blocks got my brain over stimulated. I was tired and went to bed. Well didn't sleep long and was back up in 45 minutes. Then up again in 3 hours and up early again.

I need to unwind and not over do it tonight. My mind was wandering to all the fabric still laying there that needs put away or cut and sorted let alone all the sewing that is in stages of completion. So many within hours of being a total top.

Today I will get out another scrap bin to complete a few more of these string blocks to get closer to the 80 6inch blocks that I have set for my sized quilt I plan on completing. It has been a good use of all this small pieces I just didn't have the heart to get rid of.

I need to find a calmer way to think through all this quilting ideas walking or should I say running through my brain cells. It is like a tornado of ideas hit and fleeting only to hit again and again. I saw myself in a dream world sitting with bushel baskets overflowing with scraps sitting at my feet and I was overwhelmed with thread, needles, and scissors and unreal goals of blocks that needed completion before I could leave. I'm tired maybe I should go back to bed and start the day over. LOL Chris 

Strings are joining

Here is the layout I think I will use. This background fabric is the $2.97 a yard fabric I bought. I think it will set off the string blocks really well.

I laid out the blocks on top of the fabric just as an audition. The quilt is already spoken for even before it is done. We will see. Went and picked up the kids today and spent a little time with them. They are growing up and time flies really fast. Chris

I just read a blog and I'm puzzled

I just got done reading a well written blogger's post. She and her husband are prepared for a natural or man made disaster. They have plans, made supplies and ready in every way. I do believe in having yourself prepared and put up supplies. We have lived in the country miles away from a community and gone several days without electricity because we were at the end of the line. I have always had flour, sugar, coffee and dry staples in abundance on hand. We canned 400-500 quarts of food every year. We always had a gas stove so we could cook and a wood burner to stay warm with. I had two freezers full, but if you lost electricity in the summer you stood losing a lot of food.

Being prepared is good, but is your stashing tons of supplies really practical. What if a tornado wipes out everything insight. You still have nothing. Is storage above ground right or should you have storm cellars and root cellars like our grandparents had? I guess your fears can paralyze you, but think this completely through.

At this point in my life I don't see a complete collapse of our government, but you never know what will happen an hour from now. Do you only have enough supplies for a few days or are you prepared? Chris

What is your dream?

Diana Nyad the lady that swam from Cuba to the Keys said "Dreams don't have a timeline." At her age to be that fit to swim 110 miles is a dream come true for her.

So what are your dreams? Well mine has been to have a business, which I did with my husband. It was hard work, but it didn't pay the bills. So we gave it up and worked hard for other concerns. In the end the jobs we took played havoc with our health.

My dream today is to have time to accomplish all the sewing and quilting that are on my bucket list. I think I will be almost 200 at the rate I'm going.

It was a stressful day. In court twice over kids. I wasn't there, but my heart was. Only to have it continued. Not anything to get concerned about, but the delay is overwhelming.

My ultimate dream is to have peace and less strife going on in this Cruel Old World. Chris