Oh A Starry Sight

Ok this is not for my house, but a request for a family member. She lives in a really old house and is trying to transfer her bedroom closet. The doors that were there fell apart so she asked me to make two curtains for her closet. She came up with the star pattern and the way it was to be placed on the curtains. I have put off doing them and today is the day to get them done.

This is the corners and they measure about 7 inches square.

Now that I have all the stars fused down I can stitch around them and they can be pressed and delivered.

I sure hope they are to her liking. It is an Onsneberg fabric for the main part of the curtain. They are 6ft long. Something like this might look good on a shower curtain front also.
Chris

Finally some rain

We finally got 3/10 of an inch. More than we have had in over three weeks. The grass is burning up. Lately up before daybreak and yet I still not getting a lot done. I sat and read a quilting book this morning and the time slipped away real fast. I envy those that have all the resources and the time to create. I am the chief cook and bottle washer, taxi driver and grandma to everyone. No ME days are available.
I caught myself starring out the window this evening while it rained and thought oh great more work. The rain brings the grass. The grass needs to be mowed and the way I use to do it was easy, but I have a second opinion being my husband and it doesn't go as well.
Patience isn't as much of a virtue as a learned reflex to being older.
I said to my husband the other day that we make better grandparents than we did parents. We have more insight as to what is important and more time to deal with the little things in life.
We were to busy trying to keep it all together and we forgot the fun in life. We were watching my grandson and his actions are so much like my sons' were at the same age.
Grandchildren are a gift we receive for being there for all the scraped knees and the runny noses. If you are a grandparent savor every moment. They grow up so fast and you will miss something if you blink to long.
I wonder why I didn't take that picture when she was three and doing the dishes from a chair. Also why I didn't have the right nails for him to build his fort in the backyard. Find time to tell stories and let them know where they came from. Family history is important. These younguns will be part of the backbone of our Country some day and they need to know we are a proud family and we stand our ground in a pinch.
The value of the rain to nurture the ground and the crops are as important as we are with our children and grandchildren. Keep them fed and happy and they will produce a nice family themselves. Chris

Visitor coming just my Sister

My sister is coming to visit for a couple days from Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It is about a 4 hour trip. She will stay either at my house or my Mother's. Due to circumstances beyond her and my control she wasn't available to visit us all for several years and now is enjoying some family time which we all missed.
This picture is of the eating area in my kitchen. We had this farm table cut down about a year ago to fit this kitchen nook better. We refinished the top and made it a more sturdy finish than what was originally on it. I have decided to make a table cloth to use to keep it from getting scratched up. So far no damage, but there is always the first time. I have these Hexie flowers made and not sure what to do with them. Thought about adding them to a piece of flax colored linen to make a random placed table cloth. Not sure if I want stems or leaves. Maybe just appliqued on and placed wherever they drop. It is suppose to be terribly hot out the next few days and I should do some dusting and scrubbing before she comes and wants to leave just from my messy house looking as it does.

During the Summer months I let my house go and I shouldn't, but the outside and all the flower beds need attention too. I had a neighbor walk by yesterday and she was complimenting me on the flowers and my yard. Well she didn't get close to see all the weeds under neath the flowers that you can't see from the road. I didn't invite her to come look closer either. LOL

Jeff is feeling better and maybe I can get him to do a project out in the garage and I can clean some today.
Next week I should have green beans to pick. First of the this year. I can't wait.They taste so good fresh out of the garden.

Well my Brain is percolating as to what to do with the hexies so I had better go and experiment with them. Later Chris

How do you buy your fabric???

Do you do it by the Internet? The color charts and hope it is what you want? I sold fabric for 18 years and I have handled fabric for over 50 years and I like to touch. How about you?

This is the type of fabric store I would frequent. All the bolts lined up in a row and every imaginable color and pattern available to touch feel and purchase because I know it is what I want. When you get a cut fabric online if you haven't felt the fabric before or the line of fabric how many of you are disappointed that it isn't what you thought it was and feel like you were taken? Other fabric sales people and I know several out there know what I am talking about, The fabric is printed on different weights and counts of thread. Some fabric lines are printed on several weights of blank fabric and not every store gets the same quality. If you have every tried to match fabric because you ran out you can be surprised at the quality and weight of a yard of fabric. Some of the Big Box stores get a medium quality fabric and that is part of the reason it is a lower price. The other is the sheer volume of a line of fabric sold to a Big Box store can cut the shipping and handling plus the cost of the bolts. Cheaper isn't always better. This is why I like to touch and feel what I buy. I have found very good quality fabric at Walmart believe it or not and yet I have gone to a high end quilt shop and got a well know designer fabric and I was really upset with the quality.
So are you a snob like me and want quality and the thrill of the feel or do you like what ever you get in the mail? Let me hear from you. The last picture was taken on the net from a website called www.diaryofaquilter.com. I do not know even where they exist or have I purchased from them. Chris

Sun is out and warm today

The look out is really good other than we had all the rain early and now nothing. Things are drying up fast.
We spent the better part of the morning at the hospital yesterday going through another procedure for my husband. We made some progress but our hopes were up to far. He has to go back again in three weeks for more. This time it was more uncomfortable for him. Not the procedure itself, but the discomfort afterwards. Hopefully today he is better and can
get back to more normal activity.
Today is my day to do laundry and try and get something done in the house. I need to sew, but the time isn't in the schedule. Maybe if I scurry around I can find a few minutes to get something done.
Flowers are blooming and the dust is settling in the house. I need to get the dust rag going. See you later. Chris

Scraps

Ever feel like things never get done. The last few weeks have been kinda tough on me. My goals were derailed and I determined I need to get back on the saddle and get as much accomplished as I can and not get derailed anymore. Focus on the pile of scraps had been daunting. I have more scraps then yardage anymore. The colors and prints are fun to look at and see how many times you have used them in other quilts.

Trying to make something come together with all the scraps has been a challenge to me. I plan on a couch quilt out of this pile of scrappy blocks.

The colors in this make me want to smile and feel like my time has been worth while on my efforts to use up scraps. Still have more to get done and today is so humid out and I plan on turning up the music and rocking to the sounds of the machine and the stereo. Have fun today and look at the things as a stage of your vision for peace and happiness.

Chris

Have a Safe and Happy 4th

We are just going to stay in and stay cool. Saturday I think I am taking my mother to do some shopping. No real plans other than that. We can see fireworks from our back yard so why fight the crowds. We will just fight the mosquitoes. Would like to get into the sewing room, but had no interest. Need to buy some things to get back to working on some UFO's to finish them.
Hubby is doing so much better with the eating thing. We are just so pleased with the progress. He has another procedure on Tuesday and then I think our troubles will be put on the back burner for a while. The heat index for today right now is 108*F. Not nice outside at all. We mowed early to beat the heat. Everyone stay safe and enjoy the holiday. Chris