2017
05/05

Category:
farming
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Sanibel Island mini

Sanibel Island mini is now completed.   I purchased this kit several years ago when we were visiting Florida.   There is a fair amount of fabric manipulation for the sand.   This was a ufo because I really didn’t know how to put all the shells in the sand.  I ended up gluing them on as there were no holes in them.  It is a small piece and would at most be hand washed.  Week one of my goals is finished.   It is also the only one that is a ufo.   The other  3 goals have not yet been started.

The back just has a triangle corner on each side so I can slip a small dowel under them and hang it.

And these are the handsome men who fathered all those fast little ones who dodge and dart.

2017
05/04

Category:
Life
spinning

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Preparing wool, thunder, lightning

After two and a half days of wonderful weather, the storm rolled in.   This afternoon we have had thunder, lightning and buckets of rain.  So I’m getting to this post before the power goes out.

Preparing the wool for spinning.

After removing as much vegetable matter as I could, I washed this wool

 and here it is laying on a screen drying.  When dry and any vegetable matter I can pick out has been removed,

I roll it on this carding machine to get all the fibers going the same direction before spinning it.

I then roll it into these rolags from which I spin.

This afternoon

These beautiful flowers arrived from my oldest son.

 

 

 

 

2017
05/04

Category:
Life
spinning

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Another beautiful day

We had another beautiful day where I sat in the sun spinning as DH read.  It felt like we were on vacation.   These beautiful days have been gone since last fall and we stopped most everything and just enjoyed it.

We went to a meeting on stem cell therapy as I am interested in that rather than have a knee replacement.  Now I have made a call to my doctor asking who she might recommend if anyone.

Then we came home, had lunch, and enjoyed more sun and reading/spinning.    Oh, yes, he is reading ‘The long winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder.    That series really helps me appreciate what we have.  Somehow waking up to snow on my bed does not appeal to me.  Nor does putting all my earthly possessions in a covered wagon and starting over every couple years.  At the same time, we never know what tomorrow will bring, so I think it is important to know how to take care of your basic needs such as gardening, sewing, etc.

We truly enjoyed this day.

PS  The blog is late, not because I didn’t get to it, but we have been without internet for a few hours

 

 

2017
05/02

Category:
farming
food
Life
spinning

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

Weed whacking & spinning

I had a pair of younger women who wanted to work doing some weed whacking.   Do you see all those nettles?   We have a good acre of them that no animal will touch, so they have to be manually cut back about 3-4 times during the summer.   While they did this

I made some brownies

Cut and dehydrated  half a quart of parsley for the winter

Canned 26 pints of black beans for quick cooking, and relaxed while spinning this gorgeous wool with angora blended in.   It is so soft and wonderful feeling.   I hope your day was as beautiful.

2017
05/01

Category:
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
2 Comments »

April’s finishes May’s goals

May Monthly goals:  May will have more outside activities, so fewer inside goals.

  1. Linking up to ONE Monthly Goal to get this Sanibel Island piece done.  
  2. Patchwork times chose #11, so maybe I will get this rabbit done
  3. Hatched in Africa designs will go on at least one pair of jeans
  4. WA state quilters  will be my fish quilt.  I will aim to get two sections done this month

If spring actually shows up, even this may be pushing it and I may not get these all done.   But I will try.

April’s finishes –  monthly goals did not all get done.  But 4 out of 7 items are finished and I’m happy about that.

DONE:   1.   Linking up with Elm Street  One Monthly Goal finishing Spidron which is hand work.

DONE:   2.   Patchwork times Judy has chosen #1 which on my list will be 11 (since 1 has been finished)  It is a braided table runner kit by Jenny Beyer, which is still in the package.

3.   All People Quilt will be Winter Wonderland Wild bunny -which did not get started last month

DONE:  4.   HIA will be a Monster Truck boys quilt found at  https://hatchedinafrica.com/detail.aspx?id=1692&c=&sc=

5.   WA state #4 fish quilt.   I need to digitize the applique for this quilt, so need to start it now.   There is no way it will get finished this month.

DONE:  6.   I would like to get Judy L “Tell it to the stars” quilted and bound.

7.   I have designs to digitize for 7 dishtowels.

2017
04/30

Category:
Life
quilts
spinning

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Just Do It

I wasn’t sure how to quilt this quilt so asked advice.  Several of my friends suggested that I “just do it”.   They suggested I’d be happier with something rather than just looking at it and doing nothing.  Well, it is nearly done.  I just have to finish the binding so I’m calling it an April finish.  I didn’t find a design I was totally happy with, but I can live with this and it is finished.

These locks are now on a screen drying and I’m hoping for time later this week to start carding them.

Your “happiness” dose.

2017
04/28

Category:
farming
Life
Shopping

COMMENTS:
Comments Closed

A good day includes pretty flowers

I took one of our daughters shopping with me today and  because a good day calls for pretty flowers, we came home with these pretty plants to grace our front yard.  And while we were at C0stco, she found some shirts she liked.

We visited another three stores and came home with a few groceries as well.

And these hydrangea came home with me.   Now I must find them a permanent home in the ground as they will become large.

These bleeding hearts have popped back to life and will soon take over the entire corner and will need staking as well.

Spring must be ready to appear as the azaleas are also blooming.  Then why is it still so cool outside?

We didn’t grow worms last year and the year before, they didn’t make it through the winter, so this year we are starting over.   Their castings are so good for the garden. We picked these up on our morning excursion

After lunch I skirted two more of the fleeces.   This one is a very pretty silver.   Look at the lovely crimp!.

And this lovely brown is now soaking to clean.

Recap of yardage used this year.

Used this Week:   Apr 28                 9.0 yards

Used year to Date                          89.00 yards

Goal:                                                   300.00 yards

Yards to goal:                                   211.00 yards

Added this Week:                               0.00 yards
Added Year to Date:                          13.00 yards

New Yards to quilt goal:                 223.00 yards
Net Used  2017                                      77.00 yards used by the end of the 1st    third of the year, is a bit behind, but I can live with that.

2017
04/27

Category:
farming
Life
quilts

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Monster trucks and dentist

Monster trucks finished at 48 x 54″ and will be a great boy quilt.   I’ll put it aside until just the right boy happens along for this quilt.     I have cut out the backing for the Jinny Beyer wall hanging and that’s as far as I got before I had to go to the dentist.

Routine cleanings just aren’t routine anymore.   That took nearly 2 hours and then there was traffic to contend with on the way home.   So this is today’s limit.

The trash has been hauled from the barn and there are now lights in the barn.   It’s great that some things get done without my direct supervision.   That is today’s wrap.

2017
04/26

Category:
quilts

COMMENTS:
3 Comments »

One Monthly Goal

Today I can link up my Spidron finish to this One monthly goal which encourages us to keep working on ufos:  http://www.elmstreetquilts.com/2017/04/one-monthly-goal-april-finish.html.

2017
04/26

Category:
farming
Life

COMMENTS:
1 Comment »

Planned and changes

Well, I had planned to quilt the braided quilt top,

but couldn’t decide on a design.   And I planned to put the binding on the monster truck quilt, but that also went astray. 

  Instead, the plumber was here, working on the barn and we ended up removing many things from the barn which are now on the disposal pile which is supposed to leave tomorrow.    The middle of the barn looks pretty good.   The table holds the fleeces that I still have to skirt. And there are lights sitting there which will be installed tomorrow.

I think all these cabinets are leaving tomorrow.

After that a neighbor, Franna, came and taught me about skirting a fleece.   I didn’t have a clue what was involved.  I had been told that it just meant taking off the poopy parts.   Not so.   We picked out as much vegetation as we could (that takes a long time, if sheep have not had coats) and we checked for breaks in the fiber as well.

Here is a Cormo/Shetland cross fleece on which we worked, picking out much vegetation and other stuff.   2 fleeces took us about 3 hours. You can see here that it has a nice crimp to it – and also a bit of vegetation left.  A good wash, combing or carding, then spinning and knitting or crochet and it will be a beautiful garment someday.  It is soft and has good shine to it

And here is your sheep fix today – of the yearling ewes that will be next years mothers.