lace flower cart finished - CQJP2013

Remember me....BUT

It is common knowledge among all our friends that my funeral will be a huge potluck with everyone bringing food so DH can have enough in the freezer to last him until all the widows line up at the gate or until he learns how to use the stove....  I'm betting on the widows.

So last Sunday our newspaper ran a feature about the programs at funerals and how they're changing... Instead of the standard scripture verses or hymns, often they contain lyrics to popular music, poems by family members or friends and even humorous verses written by the deceased... They invited readers to send in contributions of their own..

Since I've already mention I have a box of all the things I'm taking with me when I go, writing a verse for the program was just my cup of tea!!!

Remember my forest, 

remember my dolls,

but remember to feed my husband 

when I’m gone

Remember my needlework, 

remember my buttons,

but remember to bake sour cream rolls 

for my husband when I’m gone.

Remember my corgis,

remember my sheep,  

but remember home-cooked food for 

my husband when I’m gone.

Remember my smile,

remember my friends,

but remember to leave your phone number 

with hot dishes when I’m gone.

He’s a great guy,  give him a hug.

He has a warm heart, make him smile.

But most of all remember to feed my husband

now that I’m gone

 p.s. recipe for sour creams rolls on back of the program..

Chatelaine - phase one

I'm going to a CQ workshop in July and had wanted to make a new chatelaine.. This old photo makes mine look pretty good but believe me, it is now old, well traveled, quite shabby, and the fact I spilled a cup of coffee on it didn't help.  And since my new group of CQers want to make one I'll try to make a tutorial out of it...

Phase one - Planning... Make a list of everything you absolutely need to stitch  ...whether you're on a plane or on a cruise or on a mountain top..  You can't go look for a tool, you have to have it with you!

The first chatelaine I made had a lot of beautiful (but not really necessary) vintage tools and it was too cumbersome.. This one had just what I thought I needed and has served me well... except I have now grown used to having my tiny (3+") hemostats handy since my fingers don't work as well as they used to.

I used to have a needle case for the long doll needles which I no longer need  and I need to drill a small hole and add a chain to  my vintage awl because sometimes it falls out when I pack the chatelaine.

I 'll have to find a place for the hemostats.. .probably upper right and move the awl and needle case to the left... Maybe it can go where the pincushion is and I'll move the pincushion up.... I'll pin them to my old chatelaine and see what works best. The basic shape for the chatelaine is very simple but  the planning stage is crucial because it's difficult to add  openings and pockets after it is assembled.... And keep in mind whether you are right or left-handed. For me the scissors HAVE to be on my right side.

I can guarantee once you've used one on the go you'll appreciate the convenience of it... It was especially helpful in classes and workshops where each person is allotted a very small section of the work space.  This time I'm thinking I'll make a elegant coordinated traveling case for
mine... It deserves it.

Remember my wish?..It's now official!

Last winter when I was able to start teaching CQ at the new thread store, it was my wish to gather enough stitchers to start a CQ group... and yesterday was the very first meeting of the "Stitchin' Crazy" needlework group...  There were 9 of us including me and 6 were students from my classes..  3 other ladies expressed an interest but were unable to attend the first meeting... 2 are from Idaho and the rest are from in and around Spokane..

Of course we started the day with a stash dash in my barn.. Since most are new to crazy quilting they had no stash at all... The invitation read "It's a party....bring scissors" and they all did.

Then we had lunch and finished the day with a show and tell with projects done previously or work from our classes.  They all were so enthusiastic and had a long list of things they wanted to learn.  But first off it was unanimous that our first group project should be a chatelaine like mine... So by next month's meeting I'll have a pattern prepared and a stash of lace and trims for them to chose from..  Morris loved it and was always trying to be the center of attention (see center right).  He voted for everything...especially dessert.

ssssssssssssh...not a word! and GREAT LIGHT

Well the day of the door is coming much sooner than I thought.  I was thinking DH was leaving town toward the end of June but in fact he will  be going to Canada on the 9th until the 14th... So I best start getting everything in order next week.  The door is very heavy so I've decided I'll need his help removing it and I'll tell him I'm going to paint it.....I just won't mention that I'm going to paint it 9 different colors..






As you know I am always stitching on the go and with my eyes I seldom find adequate light.. I have a portable Ott light but it is too bulky just to throw in my sewing bag... but this light from Amazon is fantastic and only about $20.  It's design to clip on a music stand and besides working on batteries, it has an AC adapter.  It has 4 separate LED bulbs (2 in each head)  and clips right on my hoop or anything close.  I can definitely see it clipped to the tray on an airplane..  The arms are about 12" long.  It weighs practically nothing and rolls up to fit right into my sewing bag...

I can use it to stitch even when mom is sleeping in the  room.  Only one little problem.. It's easy to depress the light button when it's in the sewing  bag so I always slip one battery out... no big deal and GREAT LIGHT!!!



 
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AH83UG/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Not your bottom...I promise!!!

I've received several comments and emails from ladies claiming I used their backside as my inspiration for my bloomer lady... Not so...I assure I posed for it myself.  About 28 years ago( over 1/4 century ago) when I started the nursery I designed this logo.  The bloomer part was easy but getting the position of the feet correct and the hat, shoulders and hoe were giving me fits... So I had a good friend come with a polaroid camera (remember those?) and while I posed she took lots of pictures until I found a position which I could use...

I had great fun with this logo and it served me well... It was not only on my nursery website (now defunct), it was on T-shirts, garden signs, note cards, etc. I found a few sets of the note cards in the barn and if you are into garden humor you may enjoy them.... I may even put some on Etsy this summer.

CQJP finished

Sex on the Farm

This time of year there is a cloud of testosterone hanging over the garden... Our male birds of color become just dazzling in their breeding plumage. With two exceptions all of the birds in this photo collage are our spring and summer birds of color.  Not all come to the feeders as some feed on insects.  Lower right are the varied thrush and one of two species of waxwings which just pass through fall and winter... The gold finch, chickadee, nuthatches, house finches, quail, and woodpeckers are with us year round..

I especially appreciate these flying spectacles of color as the majority of the birds in the garden are shades of grays and browns such as the hawk , dove  and wren  below. (Not that I love them any less.)

When we bought the farm 33 years ago there were only two varieties of birds.... killdeer and meadowlark. There was just this derelict house on a barren piece of land and 2 nearly dead locust trees.. Our huge variety of birds is not by accident.  The requirement for absolutely everything planted over the years has been that it had to provide either food or habitat for birds.

Block Tip (my opinion only)

 When I am making a block I ALWAYS (always-always-always) leave a border of at least 1 1/2" around the image area. ie. If  I want a 6" image area I make a 9" block.  If I  want an  11" image area I make a 14" block. My beginning students get a pattern for a 9" block and in the 1st class I have them baste around a 6" area... I can only tell them you may want this extra space later and I know they think WHY???

Now I have a good example to show them... This image area is basted in black and after I had the idea of a lace cart I wanted more space lower right...The cottage is firmly placed at this point.  And since I'm making this up as I go along I quite often want to adjust the perimeter of my block even up to the very last...  So having this extra space allows me to do that.



So since I have such a generous allowance of fabric it is no problem to lower the image space 1/2" and to the right 1/2".  So you can see the difference that 1/2" makes.  Now I have a lot more room to play with my cart... It doesn't really take any more time or material to make the block large enough to have that generous margin and I highly recommend doing so!!!! (my opinion only)

Quite often I receive blocks in RRs which only have a 1/4" allowance.  With shrinkage or distortion during stitching that narrow allowance is limiting.  You probably will end up with a 5 1/2" block..  All the extra margin makes blocking and finishing much easier.. Now I have these photos to add to my slide show on block construction....

Waiting to be kissed and lace cart

Isn't this amazing?  I love what people do with my buttons!!! I  want Marilyn to send me a larger picture because this will be an terrific brooch.

And yes I believe a lace cart is doable because this looks great even rough cut...  Gone again today.

Bloomers (my size) and thinking ahead!!!

I spent last night at my mother's assisted living facility while she is recovering from a medical procedure.  The scary thing is I fit right in and was welcomed as a new resident... Home for a bit today and will go back..  Did get a lot of stitching done.

Here's the progress on June's CQJP project.  The stuffing in her bloomers needs a little fine tuning but she's there to stay and will work on her flower garden now... Somehow I ended up with very little seam anywhere for fancy stitching...

Thinking ahead.... I mention I wanted to repeat some of my favorite motifs..  Well I also want to redo some BETTER...  One is a flower/garden cart.  I have done several over the years on RR blocks but none I was overjoyed with so I want to try again with a different approach.   I decided that I might build my cart with lace this time..  The more I thought about it the more I liked the idea.. I eventually want to do one block with a garden bench and may build it with lace also.. So many of the larger laces have such gorgeous structural elements.

Pheasant Chicks - News from the farm

These are now 2 days old and we're raising them as part of volunteer program for the Wildlife Council.  I will nurture them for 6 weeks and then release them into the wild..  There is a male pheasant croaking in the garden... thinking I'm sure "Bring on the girls!" Yesterday I was at the eye surgeon's when DH brought them home but I had a pen set up in the laundry room..  He opened the box and they immediately scattered and were so tiny they went right through the wires on the pen.  When I arrived he was dashing to and fro trying to gather them but the faster he collected them the faster they escaped..  Of course Morris is fascinated by them.

There is a poem which starts "My heart is like a singing bird..."  I always think of that line when I count the things in my life which bring me great joy... High on that list are singing birds.... In my garden now there is a   symphony of singing birds including robins, song sparrows, white crown sparrows, chipping sparrows, meadow larks, doves, etc. etc. but my favorite are the little house wrens.  They sit low on the apricot tree and I get to watch them puff up and sing with great gusto... My bird book describes it as a "bubbling" song and indeed it is.  One of my cottage blocks must have bird song as a theme.

There will be more eye surgery (partly due to the injury and partly due to the macular)  and my surgeon assured me that it's a necessary thing so now it has to be scheduled and move on...

Rabbits and Daisies -CQJP #5

I found the runaway rabbit and Morris was not guilty... As soon as I found it I stitched it firmly on the block.... I had experimented with wording on felt for the lift-up tabs for my Morris book and liked it.  Did it again with the limerick on this block..  Will explain the process if anyone is interested.

I did stitch a nice, well-behaved little bunny lower right.