Late August Wrap-Up

I had a friend ask me the other day of I was ever going to post again; that's how long it's been since I've updated here! Sheesh. It's not that I haven't been doing anything, that would be the simplest explanation; actually, the exact opposite is the case. I'm going to bring the blog up to date, but it will take several posts to accomplish that. At last post, I was pulling blocks-of-the-month out of the stash closet (it just keeps giving... ) and setting them together. I'll pick back up there. This one was called The Chain Gang, it's been aging, like a fine wine, since 2010. Out of the bin and into the light: two blocks needed to bring it to a respectable size. I decided on a straight set and sashed it with a gray fabric that I had left over from another, different, (more recent) block-of-the-month. I found some bright grunge fabrics to use as the cornerstones so that the "chains" would remain unbroken. I had to order more Kona black to finish up the borders after the blocks were completed.

"The Chain Gang" ~ 56" X 72"

So, here we are, eleven years later~ finally at the flimsy stage. Another one to add to the ever-growing "to be quilted" queue! After all these years I've decided to not waste anymore time on this one, even to think of a clever name for it. It will simply be called The Chain Gang, as it was titled originally. 

One more late-August update, our baby turned 41 years old; he graciously hosted us at HIS house this year to celebrate! As the month wound down we've been treated to an absolute abundance of fresh tomatoes from the garden of friends. I needed to find a way to use them up quickly. I found this quick and easy recipe for homemade soup.

Fresh and colorful tomatoes before (l) and after (r) oven roasting. 

This tomato soup is smooth, flavorful and delicious. If you're looking for a use for extra tomatoes you might want to give this recipe a try!

I was able to get in some reading time in August; these two books held my attention for a few weeks. I'm already onto a new book for September which I'm loving, I'll report on that in a future post. I can't say that I particularly enjoyed Picoult's novel, it was a little over the top for me. Berg's "The Confession Club" was a fun and diversionary story which I liked very much; a friend had recommended it to me and I'm so glad that she did!

Elmer the elephant made his way down off the shelf and onto my cutting table while I was stitching up the  last blocks of The Chain Gang. He's good company, sewing is always more fun with friends! Stay tuned, I have lots more to show and tell. I can't believe that we're rocketing our way toward Labor Day already! 

Happy September!

Life is Good!

A Day To Catch Up

I needed a catch-up day, not to be confused with a ketchup day- see yesterday's post and below; but I digress- things have been piling up around here and it was high time to get back to basic tasks that had been put off for one reason or another.  Hannes joined me in the sewing room for a good stretch of time yesterday, something that he hasn't done in months. Mr. Goodneedle was using a big woodchipper out back and I believe that the noise and the vibration of that piece of machinery drove him to seek a location far from that, where he felt safe. Years ago he always stayed with me in here, back then he would jump up and sleep on the back of the sofa while I quilted. It was wonderful to have his company again  (apparently he needed a catch up day too, one that included napping 😉) it felt like old times. 

I got "Elephant Love" quilted and off the rails. How to quilt elephants? With a heavy duty needle, their hides are very tough! 😂 Sorry, I couldn't resist. I used the "African Samba" pantograph on this one, it seemed like a perfect match. This one is for Lynneigh, because she loves elephants and I love her. 💗

While I was catching up I started watching a new series on Discovery+ entitled "The Laundry Guy". Here's a still photo from the first episode, wouldn't you just know that the first laundry challenge to come his way would be an antique quilt? The premise of the show is this: individuals with particular laundry/stain concerns take them to Patric Richardson, also known as "the laundry evangelist",  for him to tackle. He demonstrates and explains how to remove them and, then, further care for the item.  I love this show, check it out!

An update, or "catch-up" on the ketchup "shortage". Mr. G and I were out running errands last evening and we stopped for a quick bite at a drive-thru on our way back home. I noticed a sign at the pick up window that stated "ketchup available upon request", that's new. My husband asked for ketchup to which the restaurant employee manning the window asked: "you'd like a little bit of ketchup?" "Yes", Mr. G responded. She readied the order and passed the sack out to our car. When we pulled our food from the bag to eat, here is what we discovered. Again, NINE(!) packets- for an order of fries! Maybe nine is the default setting, maybe nine packets is a "little bit", OR, maybe, there really is no shortage after all! I didn't toss these packets but, rather,  put them in the "bank" when we got home, our new rainy day fund!

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!

With A Little Help From My Friends!

I recently celebrated a birthday; in grand style-- with a little help from my friends! My high school friends, to be more accurate. This year the day just happened to fall on the same day as our high school reunion! Mr. Goodneedle and I were in the same class so this event was great fun for both of us; we're still talking about what a terrific time we had visiting and catching up with classmates.

A specially decorated name tag greeted me at the registration table. The name tags, all bearing our high school yearbook photos were helpful for identifying each other but they make me laugh. Akin to one's "permanent record", like it or not, that photo will follow your every step for the rest of your life! I have heard that there were approximately 80 people in attendance, a great turnout. The event was held on the grounds of a classmate, it was the perfect venue on a gloriously clear and sunny fall day!

I was lucky enough to share a dinner table with my two best friends from all those many years ago. There's nothing like a reunion such as this one to take one back. It wasn't difficult to remember all those fun (and often not-so-fun) times when I was an insecure and tentative teenager worried about insignificant and trivial matters (which were anything but at that time!). What a gift it is now to reflect and realize that all these decades later maturity yields a secure and stable outlook freeing us from the fear and anxiety of our youth.  I believe that my parents and grandparents reassured me with similar words and encouragement at the time; but why would I have listened then-- I was a teenager after all. Now, I feel that responsibility, to offer reassurance and encourage. Surviving those teenage years is not for the weak and timid; but oh, the years after are God-given blessings, each and every one!

Life is Good!

Running In Circles

Years ago I had a friend who would say she was running so fast she had to run in circles to keep from taking off. That's the way I have felt lately, simply trying to stay abreast of my day-to-day activities as well as catch up with all of those back-burnered projects from last year. The Quilty 365 is one of those, being sufficiently inspired to join the group, albeit late, it's one more commitment that I will honor for 2017; even if I have to swim hard, upstream, to get there. Finishing December's circles is a big hurdle along the way. I am hand appliquéing mine, I love the process. I did have an inquiry as to the method of preparation that I use to accomplish these. This post will attempt to explain; I am sure everyone has their own preferred method, this just happens to be mine. I have cut my background squares 4.5". I am using a 3.25" diameter circle from Karen Kay Buckley's Bigger Perfect Circles pack. These are heat-resistant mylar and, as the product name implies, PERFECT every. single. time. My preparation method is adapted from the instructions that come with the packaging of this product.

The first step is drawing around the circle onto the back of my chosen piece of fabric for that day.

I then cut out around the drawn outline, leaving approximately a 3/8" seam allowance.

From there I place, by hand, a loose running stitch inside that seam allowance using a doubled thread.

Centering the mylar circle back inside the fabric, lining the edges with the drawn outline inside, I draw up the threads tightly against the edge of the Perfect Circle and knot the gathering threads. 

From there I take the circle to a towel-covered (to protect your ironing surface) ironing board. I "paint" a small section of the circle edge with a small brush and spray starch which I have squirted into the cap for this purpose.

I then use my dry iron to apply heat to that section to dry it. From there I work my way, with the iron, around the entire circle. If any "points" occur from pleats, this is the time to correct that; using the tip of the iron against the dampened fabric edge, smooth the fabric back into position using the mylar circle as reinforcement. Hold the iron there a few seconds longer if need be. Once the circle has been starched, pressed and dried I flip it over and give it an additional press on the front before taking it to my work table where I let it "set" for an hour or so. I do each circle the same way. Don't skip the "setting" period. Believe me, that hour or more is a valuable investment in all your preparation time! You don't want a less than dry circle springing out of shape. Ask me how I know. 

After the circles have "set" and are completely and totally dry, I snip the gathering threads on the back and gently slip out the mylar circle. These circles can be used over and over and over again!

The last step of prep before hand appliqué is to center the circle on the background. I measure each and every time. My circles need to sit 5/8" on each side from the cut background edge. I use a very small amount of washable glue from a gluestick to hold the circle in the center and hand baste along the edge into position. From this step I can stack up my blocks and place them next to my chair for the evening, with any matching thread colors that I need, where I will relax with hand work while watching TV. I hope you have found this helpful and will enjoy the process as much as I do. It's a good thing too; I have 314 more to go!

Life is Good!

Round After Relaxing Round

 Completed circles for November 2016 ~ (Nov. 10 - Nov. 30)

This is a catch-up post, literally and figuratively. I posted here last month about joining in the Quilty 365 challenge and my progress, or lack of it, in November. I began the challenge on November 10, 2016 and plan to continue through that date this year. Well, I decided to put myself back on track by doubling and tripling up on my appliqué circles to bring myself current. I am now preparing all the circles for the past month of December by going through my stash of collected (over the decades) Christmas fabrics and basting them into postion so that I can do the hand work in the evenings. It is truly relaxing.

Speaking of relaxing: these are some of the Christmas gifts that my daughter and I made together last month. We combined forces; she made up a few large batches of homemade bath salts and I made loads of faced washcloths. We bundled them up and traded with each other to make these cute gifts of relaxation for our friends: cute washcloths and bath salts given as sets for tranquil time-out.  Ahhhhh.

Life is Good!