New cuties and our bad air...

I have the next six blocks all prepped which for me is putting it on a foundation, adding knit fusible interfacing, basting in the size of the block and basting in a red "stop" line to keep me from adding beads I'll eventually have to cut off.  Then I also put fusible knit interfacing on the back of the images to help them sit smoothly on the block.  This took some time but now I have all six blocks read to go and here are the images I have chosen to finish this project...

 

And Spokane had the dubious distinction of having the worst air quality in the entire nation yesterday with an index reading of over 300 which is hazardous for everyone.  It is because of all the fires.  All outdoor activities were cancelled and everyone was urged to stay indoors.   It is really bothering my eyes, I have a sore throat and a terrible headache and the fires continue to explode. This was taken yesterday... not too far from us.  All my hummingbirds have left and I know it is because of the terrible air.

Corset cuties - April - June

I did the final touches on April, May and June and started prepping the last 6 blocks last night...  I should be caught up by the end of Sept.  especially since fall  is coming and I just got Sling TV.  I love rehab shows and I could never get them before because we have never had cable or satellite TV...

More UFOs

Several years ago in one of my less lucid moments (and there have been many) I made a slipcover for my ratty old desk chair.  I used a white bedspread.  It was absolutely gorgeous at the beginning but easily  soiled with use and every time I washed it, it became grungier and grungier... So a new slipcover has been on my list a LONG time..  I kept bringing in pieces of fabric from the barn and draping it on the chair to decide which I would  use...  This photo was taken in November 2012 when the selection process started and have now ended with a different piece entirely...  DH is out of town for 5 days and this has moved to the top of my list.  In fact I am washing the tapestry fabric at this very moment...not only to preshrink it but to give it an aged look.


Also in this vein of getting organized I think I have finally solved the problem of keeping track of my buttons that I paint.  I have used baggies, envelopes, and various containers but all have been so inconvenient when an order comes in.  I needed something I could find buttons quickly and have handy when I needed it.

 Since my inventory of hand painted buttons is so low at this time,  I figured that now was the ideal time to come up with a solution.. hopefully the final solution and I think I have.

Years ago I bought this wall thingy with 100 pouches for earrings but I never really used it and even tried to give it away once on this blog. But now I'm so glad I kept it... I alphabetized the list of buttons I usually paint and made labels for the pockets.

Then I went to my magic barn and found this vintage rolling rack that I vaguely remember women used when they ironed.  I have two and used to use them for display in booths at shows...of course I never get rid of anything and this project proves why.




I hung the pockets (shortened a bit) on one side and on the back side I hung a shoe holder in which I keep shipping supplies... labels, envelopes, tapes, etc. I can roll it next to the desk when I need it and out of the way when its not needed.  I have been using it now for about a month and it is going to be the best solution..  There are a few little things to tweek but I'm happy with it.... plus I've been able to "upcyle" three things to make them useful again and that is always a plus in my book.

Note: this is just for my hand painted buttons... All the CQ buttons are in bags, drawers,  and jars...

More American songbirds from the Singer series.

I just finished a few more birds in the series of American song birds put out on advertising cards by Singer Sewing Machines around the turn of the century. There were 14 birds in the series and some I will probably not do again as I tend to only paint birds from my garden...

All  buttons are hand painted by me and there are no transfers. They are meant for decorative or collective purposes and are not washable.. Each finished button received several coats of an acyrilic sealer to protect them. They are lovely on needlework and made into jewelry

Sit-down dinner with the "good stuff"

More than twenty years ago we belonged to a very large gourmet dinner group.  Names were drawn every six months and dinners were exchanged in groups of 4 couples.  We belonged for years and enjoyed it thoroughly.  We were all like minded in that we loved to cook and use all our "good stuff" (the good stuff being china, silver and crystal)  We were also all of an age when we had received "good stuff" for weddings presents.  Although no longer   members of the group, we have kept up dinner exchanges with some of  the friends and last night we had them over... (Can you identify the flowers in the bouquets)

The menu was:

appetizer:

coconut shrimp

prosciutto and melon

goat cheese and crackers

soup: chilled cucumber soup with tomato sorbet 

salad: citrus salad with bibb lettuce and avocado, oranges, and almonds with poppy seed citrus dressing

main:  Seafood thermidor  (halibut, cod and scallops)

        Madagascar pink rice and red quinoa

        Sauteed Bok Choy

dessert:  Towers of layers of dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse

 

My favorite on the menu was the chilled cucumber soup with the savory tomato sorbet which I served in china cups.  Also at our age we try to keep the portions smaller.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And a good time was had by all...

 

And could you name the flowers?  Sylphium (yellow daisy-like flowers),  tansy, limonium, perovskia, and oregano "Herrenhausen" one of my all time favorite fall perennials.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well I finished the old round robin Christmas blocks into an accordion fold book for the mantle during the holidays.... a project long on my to-do list.

It is hard to see details so below are two close up shots.

After it was all assembled I added some gold cord on the front along with some gold button and a tassel or two.  I used a glue gun for these final touches.

 

It all folds up nicely for storage and I think I will make a nice bag for it with gold scraps.  I did a tutorial on this project and it will be in the winter issue of Pam Kellogg's CQ magazine.