Monthly Archives: February 2014

2014
02/28

Category:
Garden

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Spring gardening in PNW.

Spring can’t be far away, can it?    It was a beautiful day at 55 degrees with sun.    And the daffodils are well on their way.   Can this forecast for cold rain Saturday and possibly snow Sunday with a freezing low Saturday evening possibly be right?

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I started in the greenhouse – which has no heat but is out of the wind and I’m about one-third of the way through the weeding.   I’m hoping Sunday to get finished and get some seeds started.

greenhouse

 

2014
02/27

Category:
quilts

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SEW EXPO (part 1)

The Sew Expo is an event Mary and I look forward to seeing together each year.    So today was our fun day.   We wandered the aisles looking for products that we just had to take home and I went with a shopping list.

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But first look at these darling designs with faces made from covered buttons. ( most booths don’t want their designs photographed, but it was okay with this one)

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On my shopping list was a prairie point maker which came home  with me.   I also purchased their point templates.

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and some sewing needles…………

 

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and some double stick tape to tape most anything.  The sales lady said her husband’s pants were hemmed with it and it has help through two years of washing.   It also has lots of uses in the home decorating  department.

 

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and some mylar for embroidery designs…..

 

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and a bit of ribbon…………..

 

P1000865 Competitive dogs

 and came home tired to a pair of very eager to be loved dogs.

 

2014
02/26

Category:
Life

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Retirement Lunch

No, I didn’t retire.   A wife and mother doesn’t  retire.   We love our work too much.

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However DH(on the right in the first photo)  is retiring the day after tomorrow.   I was invited to the luncheon.  The man they  talked about and the innovative things he did for the aerospace industry and especially to help the engineers were all new to me.    According to the gentleman giving the talk, he has designed programs  that have helped the company be 5-10 years ahead of other aerospace companies.   Who knew?   He never talked about his work and I  am not  technically inclined so didn’t ask him about what he did.  Perhaps we both thought I wouldn’t understand all the technical stuff and that would be true – I just knew he worked as a programmer who worked with engineers and yes, I did know he had a nice title.

But the side I know is the husband and father, the provider and protector – the man who bristles when I call him a genius.   He considers himself just an ordinary man.    To me, it is very interesting how a person can live two such varied lives.   But that could also be because the issues are home are so very different from the issues at work.  And he handles the issues where he is while he is there.

And though I learned things about him that 51 years of marriage didn’t tell me,  it really wouldn’t have mattered if he hadn’t done all that, he is still the man I fell in love with all those years ago.

 

2014
02/25

Category:
quilts

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Embroidering Jeans

New jeans call for new embroideries.   So that’s what happened today.   I first removed the inside seam as far up as I needed to lay it flat.

P1000866 opening jeans legs

Since I wanted the  design to be only slightly to the front and over the outside seam, I checked to make sure the  design was lined up that way and without wrinkles.

P1000867 opened jeans leg

I hooped cut away stabilizer and then sprayed sticky 505 so that the jeans would adhere to the stabilizer while stitching.  I also pinned the jeans to the side of the stabilizer just inside the hoop as they are heavy and could fall off the machine.

Then I altered the design to fit the area.   I really like Zundt designs.   They are beautiful with adequate coverage while staying soft.

 

P1000868 first emb done

I liked the way the first one turned out well enough, I decided to just reverse the design for the other leg and I also did change one of the colors for fun.

P1000870  both legs done and hemmed

Here they are with the side seam sewn back up, hemmed  and ready to wear.

2014
02/24

Category:
quilts

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Sweatshirt jacket #2

Tax preparation has taken most of my day, but I did get this jacket started.  At this point the beading is pinned on.   I will fasten it before attaching the grosgrain down the front.

starting a new jacket

These beads are some I purchased to go around a pillow, but didn’t decide on a pillow.  I think I like them here and am counting on them going through the laundry intact.

P1000863 auditioning new fabrics

I’m auditioning these fabrics as I will cut off the bottom band and do something different there as well as add some pockets.  It seems my jackets evolve as they hang here in the sewing room.  Do you have a favorite of these fabrics?

 

2014
02/23

Category:
quilts

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A beautiful work of the past

P1000861 Piano shawl

 and closer

P1000860 closer of piano shawl

This lovely crocheted piece was once a piano shawl   My mother’s grandparents kept it on their piano.   They were the first of their family to leave the Lutheran church because they found a truth they believed held more closely to the Bible.  They held church in their home and invited others to share with them.    I don’t know exactly how old it is, but Mother who was born in 1916 has a note pinned to it saying that it belonged to her Grandparents.  Her grandfather was born in 1858 and immigrated here in 1889.

It’s enjoyable to have a piece of your own past.   I hope someday one of my daughters will also enjoy it.

2014
02/22

Category:
quilts

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Rabbit food run

After a restful day, we made a rabbit food run and finished getting our steps for the day as measured on our Fitbits.  My goal is 15,000 steps.

 

P1000862 Coastal

2014
02/21

Category:
Foods

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Scalloped potatoes

P1000856 casserole w hot dogs

This is the easy way that has evolved at our house.  I use a layer of very thinly sliced potatoes,

P1000855 big franks

followed by a layer of thinly sliced hot dogs – as you can see the vegan type usually end up a bit crumbly, which makes them easier to spread around.

 

P1000857 casserole w cheese

P1000858 Daiya cheese

Then layer with cheese.   This is a vegan cheese and I use either mozzarella or cheddar flavor, depending on what I have on hand.  Salt to taste with each layer.  Repeat for a second layer, ending with cheese on top.  This photo is a big skimpy on the cheese because I ran out.  I then pour milk (soy or any type) to cover the potatoes and most of the cheese.   Bake at 350 for about  75 minutes.   Ovens vary, so yours may be a bit faster or slower.

P1000859 potatoes done

This is the end product, ready to serve. I do hope you enjoy the ease as well as the taste.

2014
02/21

Category:
Foods
Life
quilts

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Friday Variety: Quilt, food, & dog

P1000849 quilt bound

The quilt has been bound and is ready for a child who might be cold.   It has a heavy batting and will be quite warm.

 

P1000854 sweet potato flour

I tried a new flour in the pancakes this morning.   I was told to use it straight across for wheat and it is gluten-free.  This is not an inexpensive flour. but there are times when one needs to have something for someone who is gluten intolerant and it is good to know what to use.  The pancakes were a bit thicker than I usually get from this recipe, but they were extremely delicious.

 

P1000859 potatoes done

A casserole is ready for tonight and one for tomorrow.   Bill says he’s never seen a potato he didn’t like and can’t ever get tired of them, which is good for me.

 

P1000852 lacey digging feet

Lacey is digging a cave.   It is on the hillside under the side deck.   So far, she has it deep enough, that when she is in it, you do not see her.   I think she is planning to have puppies there.  We have other plans.  As dirty as those feet look, as soon as they are dry, the “Teflon” dog will shed the dirt and get up looking as though she had never seen dirt.   I love that their whole coat does this.

I went to the doctor to have the stitches removed from my finger and he was very pleased with how it looked.

2014
02/20

Category:
quilts

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Challenges Met

What a challenging day!   Between the sheep and the tension issues, I had a full day.

P1000844 2003 shop hop blocks

These are some of the Shop Hop Blocks from 2003 – hey! that was only 10.5 years ago.   A shop hop is where several stores decide to have an open house on the same days.   This was Western Washington and I think there were over 50 quilt stores at that time.   Each store gives a pattern for a block and 2 or 3 barely big enough pieces of fabric to make parts of their block.   Then it is up to you to add fabric to it and make all the blocks come together.   A challenge when the stores don’t get together and decide what colors with which you will be working.   I actually finished the top  ago and it has been waiting for me to do something.   Saturday, our church is distributing meals and clothing, blankets, etc to the local street mission.   Now this is quilted and I will bind it tomorrow so someone can use it.

 

P1000845 saam ripper

P1000847 closing seam ripper

I said the day was challenging.   Have I also told you that my seam ripper and I have a  running  affair?  Here is my favorite.   It seems to stay sharp and closes nicely.  This quilt has over 4000 stitches in a row.    I got nearly to the end of one row when I realized the tension was horrible and I had to take the entire row out.    In the midst of that, I could hear a sheep crying.   So, difficult as it was to get to the sheep some 500 feet away through rough terrain, I stopped in the middle of this ripping to go find and help said sheep.  Indeed, she had badly tangled herself in some netting left lying out there.   So, I released her and came back to finish this.  Without these challenges the binding would be done.   Why is it that something that take a mere 15 minutes to put in can take a couple of hours to remove?