While We Were Away...

We traveled to western Illinois last month for the funeral of an extended family member. Beautiful country nearing the Mississippi River; rich soil, sprawling acreage dotted with family farms. There was a quilt in the Fellowship Hall there, this one commemorating the church’s 150th anniversary back in 2009. I'm drawn to them. While the guests that day were enjoying a lovely reception of foods prepared by the ladies of the church I was studying the church's history, Immanuel Lutheran in Altona, as it was portrayed through this beautifully crafted wall quilt. I've said it before; every quilt tells a story!

This church has great sentimental connection for my husband, 

Mr. G's grandfather was called here as the pastor from 1946-1955; 

he has many memories from this place.

From western Illinois we traveled east to Buffalo and then on to New Hampshire to celebrate my Dad's 98th birthday with him in his home. It was a very special day!

The next day we took Dad down to his hometown in Massachusetts, the the Historic Document Center there where he recorded an oral history for posterity. Although he looks deep in thought in this picture he had a wonderful time remembering his many and varied experiences on the highway department, the fire department and even had a few stories (that I'd never heard before) about growing up as a young boy in town, the adventures that he had and mischief that he got himself into! It was a wonderful day!

We returned home to an abundance of Iris in bloom, a newly hatched family of baby bluebirds, an abundance of strawberries at a nearby farm and Peonies ready to pop! That's about it for this catch-up account of where I've been and what's new (one of those afore-mentioned posts that I had composed over and over in my mind but never committed to). 

*As I write this today, Mama Bluebird is sitting on a second batch of eggs 

for the season; the babies shown above have already grown and fledged. New life abounds!*

What's new with you?

Life is Good!

Red Letter Day!

Another day, another flimsy; no, actually it's a day to celebrate: here's "Red Letter Day", a completed quilt top at long last! I'd been very, very far behind on this block-of-the-month. This one took some full speed concentration and focused effort but, today, it's together and there's no looking back. 

This applique block brings me joy- I fussy cut that circle from a charm square, it appears to be a fluffy dandelion gone to seed. Isn't it cute?

I've got a LOT of reds left over that are destined to become something else, I'll run them through the die cutter and store the pieces for another quilt, another day.  

Another reason to celebrate today: baby bluebirds growing up, growing feathers and thriving; all thanks to that electrified bird house pole! I'm thrilled to check on them daily and have this first family to fledge soon, it's been over a year since that's occurred here. 

Friends gifted us with peaches last week that I transformed into a deep dish peach pie (ignore the less than picture perfect top crust; I'm calling it "rustic".) at Mr. G's request. It wasn't around for long.

Just in case you think that I'm only producing flimsies and that Snowbird is gathering dust, that's not the case! Here's another Wonder Curve pattern, this one came free with the tool. I'm trying out this background fill for the quilting, I believe it plays well off the arc shapes. This piece is a table runner, one that would be great in spring or at Eastertime. I ordered the Wonder Curve long arm rulers last week to stitch in the ditch around these specific curves and inside the curves as well. Stay tuned.

Yes, there's quilting being accomplished. These quilted pieces are all awaiting hand finishing or binding to be attached, it's an ongoing process. Hands won't grow idle any time soon. In the meantime, today's a day to celebrate: another flimsy joins the to-be-quilted-queue! 

What small victories are party-worthy

 at your house today?

Life is Good!

It's All Good

I got the Workout quilt off the rails yesterday, it measures 58" square. I've really enjoyed working on this one. It's from the Wonderful Curves Sampler Book and uses the Wonder Curve ruler. I'll get the binding attached and whipped down today. The curved pieces are my last little bits of true Indigo fabric that I have saved hoarded over the years for something special- apparently this was it! I'm going to try more of the blocks from this book, I love using the Wonder Curve!

"Timeless" has all of the blocks pieced but not set together yet, hopefully over the weekend. I have the border fabrics all ready to go for this one too.

While I've been working inside the house Mr. G. has been pressure washing outside: the eaves, the gutters. I'm always scared to death of him doing ladder work, it ramps up my blood pressure to the limit. The other morning I heard noises that sounded unfamiliar, I wondered if he was off the ladder. This is what I found. I almost had a stroke on the spot; I never expected to see this! In all fairness, he was wearing the Cougar Paws that I bought him a few years ago when he had to check on the chimney but, still. He's fine, on the ground and all in one piece. It's all good. 

Thank you all for your prayers for my Mom; I hope you'll continue to pray for this next step. She's graduated from the rehab and is at home with my Dad again. She's transitioning just fine, it's just going to take time and some patience; she will be attending out-patient PT a few times a week near their home. In honor of her happy news I made her favorite dessert to celebrate! Grape Nut Custard, an old New England favorite. I found the recipe, one that came from Yankee magazine, and linked it here, if you'd like to try it. 

And, in other great news, the baby Bluebirds have hatched 

and are thriving atop that electrified pole!

So far, so good.

Yes, it's all good!

Life is Good!

Protecting The Bluebirds

Over the years we've seen countless batches of bluebirds nest, raise their babies and fledge into the wild from our backyard nesting box. It's always been our joy to monitor the nests and observe the birds return again and again. Our joy turned to horror over the past few nestings as the boxes have been raided by black snakes who've repeatedly wiped out the babies. Seemingly undaunted, the bluebirds continue to return and build more nests! We've launched into protection mode around here, the aim is to stop the predators from getting to the top of the pole and, ultimately, to the newly hatched babies. Previous attempts have been thwarted, even the razor wire! I wanted to quit; to simply take down the nesting box and call it a day. Mr. G talked me out of that, he explained that we owed to the birds to do more. Don't ever underestimate the ingenuity and stick-to-it-iveness of a retired engineer! So, we've developed a new baffle, it's two feet long, has a lid and is very tippy and unstable- just what a snake doesn't like. He said something about the adhesive side of Gorilla Tape making an appearance but I still wasn't sure. 

And then this arrived in the mail. Oh. I shouldn't have been shocked (sorry). He's pulling out the big guns! Yep, in addition to all of the above, he's also electrifying the pole (a three prong approach), the charge will be the same voltage as an electric fence used to contain cattle or horses. The birds in (or on) the box won't be bothered by this because they won't touch the baffle and the pole simultaneously. It won't kill the snake but it will most definitely deter them from climbing onto the supporting pole. All in the name of protecting the bluebirds. We currently have a clutch of two eggs, Mama's sitting on them, she's counting on us. 

Life is Good!

The Heartbreak of an Empty Nest

As you know from an earlier post we had four precious baby Bluebirds in this house. On Monday, when I was out in the garden, they were happily chirping away, I made a mental note to check on their growth, realizing they would be fledging before too long. On Tuesday morning I stepped outside to let Hannes out before I ran some errands and noticed a small head poking out the entrance to the birdhouse. My first thought was: "it's too early for those babies to be up in the opening yet." As I got a closer look my heart broke wide open; it wasn't a bird at all but, rather, a black snake looking back at me! I was horrified!! I couldn't deal with the situation right then; it was too late to rescue the babies anyway. Mr. Goodneedle was also away from home that morning. I called him a few hours later and explained what I had discovered. By the time I got home he had cleaned out the house; all that remained when he went out there was an empty nest; the snake was gone. Yesterday the two of us researched all sorts of solutions to this problem. Mr. G. came up with, what we hope will be, an effective deterrent to this ever occurring again.

He made razor-sharp bands of pokey-outy metal barbs and has strategically positioned them, in three places, up the pole. We also replaced our stove-pipe type baffle with a conical one. We've got our fingers crossed that this will work. I continue to feel so bad every time I look outside at the barren house. I feel as though I let Mama and the babies down; we hope and pray that they'll try again and give our backyard another shot. 

Fingers crossed. 

Life is Good!

...but, oh, so hard somedays...

Elephants On The Move...

I've got the entire top cut out and all the pieces labeled for "Elephant Parade" by Sew Fresh Quilts. This one has been on my "to do" list for a very long time, it's for Lynnleigh. 

Guess what her favorite animal is. I'm adding more baby elephants and omitting the flowers, bird, turtle and frog. Her current favorite colors are coral and teal, that's how it will be bordered. I'm off this weekend to sew by the lake on a retreat with a few friends. I'll have to buckle down and pay attention as I sew with these blocks- there's many pieces and they're each a little bit different. I've done two sample blocks already, that will help. For me, mindless sewing is a better choice on retreat so that I can sew, chat, listen and chat some more. Not to worry, though, I'm packing up a boxful of that, too, just in case! 

140 hexagons and 280 setting triangles all packed and ready to follow along behind the elephants (or, to take their place if yours truly gets too distracted 😉). There's enough here to complete the current scrappy on my design wall. Along with those packed-up pachyderms and other projects there's plenty more moving forward too:

Currently under the needle is my four block applique wallhanging from a Sue Nickels workshop that I took a few years ago; I've been inspired to finish this and hang it after visiting the Nat'l Quilt Museum and seeing her work, and her sister's (Pat Holly) on display there. Peacock Shell background fill with a cross-hatched border. Not much more to go. 

I was the lucky-ducky winner of this FABULOUS new book from a giveaway on Instagram! The Country Threads gals (that's their quilt, Seaglass, on the far left) had posted the contest and my name was selected from a drawing! I was so excited to learn of the win and even more so now that I have the book, I want to make every. single. quilt. in it!

Speaking of feeling lucky and moving on... I'm fully vaccinated now and extremely thankful for that good fortune too. I had ZERO reaction to the first round. The second one was completely painless but I started feeling achey all-over approximately twelve hours later, that lasted for about a day and then vanished as quickly as it came . Achey joints and muscles seem like a small price to pay for the sense of thankfulness and freedom. Moving on...

The post-COVID vaccination soreness was no match for the post-mulch-spreading aching that ensued as I prepare the perennial garden for spring. We spread four pick-up truck loads in two days!  It's always so exciting to greet the emerging plants once again and to take the after-winter inventory. I believe that I may have lost my Cone Flowers and one Hosta, but all hope is not lost-  it's still early. Fingers crossed. 

The Lenten Rose in all its glory is a joy to behold right now; and, the bluebirds are building a nest!

Hope and promise; moving forward... here we go, 

full steam ahead! 

Life is Good!

Single Family Household

It's quiet around here again; Chez Goodneedle has gone back to being a single family household. In the uncharacteristic stillness I have loaded "Scarlet Stars" onto Snowbird this morning and begun quilting it.  I sure do miss my little garden helper! Every day after lunch Lynnleigh and I would go out and do the deadheading, watering, or bird feeder filling;  she was always quick to remind me what needed to be done. Now I'm on my own. I know how very happy they all are to be back in their own home and beds once again. They have made some huge improvements to their home, updating and modernizing.

The circa 1964 kitchen was gutted and a new, sleek, modern one exists in its place. Our son and daughter-in-law had some great ideas and vision that transformed this space into one that is uniquely theirs. Our son and Mr. Goodneedle constructed the dining table and built in benches for their eating area.

This island top is a slice of an oak tree that once grew at Virginia International Raceway. Purchased in an auction years ago this slab of wood has resided in our basement until its recent restoration. They also had two bathrooms and their mudroom gutted and remodeled. They now have a new house with the same address as before, we couldn't be happier for them!

Switching gears: I made the recent birthday boy a pillow using Elizabeth Hartman's "Penguin Party" pattern. I believe he liked it, penguins are his favorite animal. 

Naturally, Nana and PawPaw couldn't take birthday gifts to the Capital City without a little something for the birthday boy's sister. I do believe she might just have the best dressed dolls anywhere. 

Last week, during Quilt Camp, I had to construct parts of a tumbler for demonstration purposes. Surprisingly, I discovered at that time that I have misplaced (or completely LOST!) a completed Scrappy Tumbler quilt somewhere along the line. A couple of summers ago I made two out of my charm bins and now can only find one. Where that second one has gotten to is anyone's guess. I will go ahead and finish this one now, leader-ender fashion, to replace the lost one. Maybe, by doing that, the missing one will resurface. Heaven knows, I have enough charms and scraps to keep this up for a very long time!

We picked up a couple of bouquets at Trader Joe's last week to place on the altar at church. They came home with us after worship and have remained vibrant and healthy looking all week. I just love having fresh flowers in the house, the ones that I find there are always nice and very reasonably priced. 

I took this picture yesterday afternoon; our THIRD Bluebird clutch this season! Once before we had two Bluebird families in one season, but never three!! So, maybe there is another family living at our address after all, just when I thought we were down to only the two of us once again. 😉

Life is Good!

Catching Up!

Summer is zipping by at the speed of light! We traveled last evening to the Capital City to watch these two swim at that same speed, they're crazy fast! Naturally we're biased, they are our grandchildren after all, but we continue to be delighted to see their competitive spirits balanced out with good manners and excellent sportsmanship at their swim meets. These two are definitely water babies through and through.

Indulge me as I ramble from here, this catch-up post is necessary to get me where I need to be for upcoming sewing and quilty posts. Now for total randomness:

This is a recent photograph of the kitchen in our son's home; he and his family have temporarily been displaced (to Chez Goodneedle!) while their home goes through a major renovation. They are making good progress and the daily changes are astonishing! Our two youngest grandchildren are currently visiting their other grandparents; for now it's just Kyle and Leigh Anna living here with their two dogs.

Speaking of their two dogs; their vet makes house calls in a BIG way! Last week Leigh Anna called her as their female dog, Hallie, had a bad case of "happy tail" that simply refused to heal. It was a constant source of bleeding that they had dealt with on and off for the better part of a year. She would smack her tail on something (anything) and injure it, then it would bleed and she would wag her tail... over and over, you get the picture. The decision was made to dock her tail. The vet came out and did the surgery, parked right there at the end of our driveway! Hallie has done extremely well over the past week recovering and getting used to wagging a stump instead of her long tail. I find this whole mobile vet concept to be brilliant!

Mr. Goodneedle can't eat red tomatoes, (but he loves them) the less acidic yellow tomatoes are his delight. We have friends from church who keep him in good supply! There's a few red ones for me!

The bluebirds are at it again! We've had a second nesting this summer with five (just hatched!) new mouths to feed!

I have fallen heir to this treasure. When I was in Jr. High we sold these door to door as a fundraiser. Do you remember when zip codes were first introduced? I do. Zip codes and area codes; according to this directory, were introduced in 1963. There was a grace period as they came in to existence (I can't recall how long) but I remember, too, the threat of returned mail if the zip code wasn't included. This well-worn booklet is one that was worth its weight in gold back in the day, I remember consulting it all the time. No home could be without one; we sold many, many copies! 

One last photo to close out. We had our small quilt group meeting last week at a member's home. This is the view from her sewing room. We had a garden tour before we adjourned inside, isn't it lovely? I seriously doubt that I could stay indoors with this just outside the window; even to sew!

Life is Good!