Monthly Archives: October 2016
Our road trip started with threatening skies overhead. We went to visit
our daughter and grandson in the Portland area. He will be a teenager this coming month. It is amazing how much the younger generation knows about computers. I have asked him to learn how to make a website so he can put one up for the sheep and fleeces I hope to have for sale in the spring.
I peeled and sliced 100# of bananas when after we arrived home. They are now in the freezer. I will do the last 40# tomorrow. It is wonderful to have them all ready frozen when we get the urge to blend them and add berries for a treat. No it’s not “just like ice cream”, but it is a wonderful healthy substitute.
Monster case and more yarn
These monster bags were really fun to make and went quickly. The zippers were easy to put in as well. This free pattern is from United Notions called Lil’ Monster Pencil Case. I think they are a bit big for pencil cases, but there are certainly many other uses for them. (Double click on red to get to the site).
Enough sock yarn for 9 more pair of socks arrived in my mail box. I love getting these packages. But I have enough now for the winter, so no more ordering.
Serger foot class and pumpkin potholders
Today’s serger foot class was very interesting. Here are the samples I came home with using the lace foot and the lace foot and the blind hem foot. The above is sewing lace to lace and lace to fabric as in heirloom sewing.
Then we worked on the flatlock stitch which can be used with either side as the pretty side. This was very popular on T-shirts a few years ago.
I folded a part of this fabric so you could see both the front and the back on a blind hem.
I tried, but will need more practice to hit those little sequins right in the holes that are in the middle. I was supposed to just sew in the holes, but obviously, I missed.
And here’s another place that I need more practice. The one on the left is normal quilt binding. The one on the right was using commercial bias tape. Binding potholders is a place with plenty of room for improvement.
A finish for this week
I ended up quilting this more densely than usual. It is a crocodile pattern to go with the fishing flannel on the back. I didn’t realize how dense it would be. However, it is okay and it is a finished product.
Then I thought I’m make a pumpkin potholder. Does anyone know how to put bias around a potholder so it looks good? Sally – is there a big secret to this. I’m tossing this one on which I practiced. It is very sad.
Cleaning outside the new house, inside the barn
Today was cleaning day #1. I had the house and decks pressure sprayed. The house needs primer and two coats of paint, the deck foundations are fine, but the boards will have to be replaced. The fellows also helped me by moving the furniture out of the house and into the garage. Now the garage is quite full again, but the leftovers are all in one place. I have to call and see how much of it Goodwill is willing to take. The rest will probably end up as land fill.
And cleaning the barn – well, here are some photos which I took after some of the work has been done.
And this is looking much better than it did. By evening it was more organized, but it will be weeks before we have the barn looking like a horse barn again.
Machines are not inanimate!
If machines were inanimate, then they would do what they are programmed to do. Both my embroidery machine and my quilting machine know – they absolutely know – the second I walk away from them. And just like toddlers or pets, that is the moment they choose to act up.
The pattern doesn’t show well here, but it is crocodiles. It is rather stitch intensive and the machine does not want me to walk away for even a few seconds. Therefore the quilting is not finished. Hopefully tomorrow.
Today was full of phone calls and an appointments. The locksmith has been out and the locks are all re-keyed. I have been to the gym. The power and the sewer have been transferred to our name. The checking account has been set up and there will be checks coming. It’s nice when tax deductible and income are all separate.
An appointment is set for tomorrow to get the moss pressure washed off the roof and the exterior of the house and decks will be washed as well. Then we can stain decks and have the exterior painted.
This weekend, I worked some on my October schedule. Yesterday and today, I followed it (except the quilt isn’t finished) and it still amazes me how much more I can finish when I schedule. I realize that without the schedule, I spend too much time on the computer. Oh, the things one learns and is tempted to make or buy! But at this point, definitely not another machine that must be tended.
Corn Maze, making memories, and CELEBRATION
A corn maze is great fun for every age. Our grandsons decided the best way to make sure we were out before dark was to always take the left road. Since there were no dead ends, it worked. We made the circle by always leaning to the left and arrived back where we started.
Corn maze fact: Did you know that the farmer plants the corn, then when it is about a foot high, he takes a rototiller through it to make a pattern for the maze? Today, one maze was a shark and the other was a seahorse.
After the corn maze, we had to decide what to do next. Many activities were for younger children
The boys decided to pick out some pumpkins instead of the other activities available. This pumpkin was 84#. Of course, they took several small ones and another three that were medium size for the front door. The grandparents came home with fresh Brussels sprouts on the stem.
And since I know you’ve been patiently waiting to see this finished quilt top, and it is now published in the “The Quilt Pattern Magazine” , I’d like to present CELEBRATION
You are welcome to go to their website and get the pattern.
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