i just have to write this down...

megan is going to a swim party this weekend and she is going to wear a "zucchini".....and maybe her friend will be wearing a "zucchini" too!

Sewing With Yarn

Yarn used in this is Sophie's Toes by Emily Parson. It is yummy stuff, and sews as nicely as it crochets. [and probably knits up nice, but I don't knit]

I have added yarn as part of quilts several times now, usually as a border/binding treatment. So deciding to add yarn for the bandaid over the repairs to this block are not so far fetched an idea for me.

I simply crocheted a bias tape. Yarn will bend really nicely....even better than fabric cut on the bias. The part going 'through' AZ is stitched a little thinner than than the rest of it.

Most of it is 3-stitch wide rope, but as I loosely measured up to the AZ patch, I crocheted a long chain, w/o ending the yarn on the rope, then crocheted 2 rows on that chain. When I had that done, I went back to crocheting the other way again.....

This sorta shows how I am stitching this down, using the same yarn I crocheted with. I will have more pix soon because I am almost done with this!

Progress Outside

While the dog escaped twice today, and the 2 girls went in 5 different directions, Dan was able to put this gate up....yipeeeeeeeee

And he took the temp gate off the front door....double dip yipppp--eeeee.

Of course, he was only able to install one of the 2 gates, the white table will still stay where it is for now.

Never guess we have young children around.....

Eye Candy

Susan, over at Plays With Needles, is doing a CQ block for DMC embroidery threads...they called her!!!....and the process is really fascinating and worth looking at, even if CQ'ing [crazy quilting] is not your bag of tea....hoho

As for me...I need to re-learn how to do creative things with children around. I can do the boring house hold chores, but I really need to do hand work when they are here so I can ease some of my own tension. I think it will be good for them too, how else did my children learn to sew if not by watching me? So time for the grandchildren to see me at it too. Maybe Megan can help me with the block she altered....

Repairs On the Block That Meg Cut

I end up with my pictures all out of order, rats. Anyway, I have started the satin stitch on the grand canyon....and not sure I like it. I think I will put it down for a day or 2 .....another idea I had was to couch a heavy thread along the cut line.

I was looking at the cut around the WA patch, and it looked just like the way the Columbia River goes through the state....

seeeeee.......

this bottom line could be the river that divides OR and WA....

the grand canyon before the satin stitch.

the meandering line as it goes between.

And the beginning of Mosaic Block #6 ?????

This is a paper pieced dolphin. I got the idea to use it from another blogger/quilter, of course. Thank You Jo! {i thought it was a raccoon drinking from her watering cans....go see what you think}

5 minutes

to myself... a week of children and visiting relatives. Need to get back in the groove!

Fixing the "Altered" Block

Thank You for all the kind words about the "altered" block. I told Megan at the time that some day we would laugh about it, and my daughter told me the same thing. I have started the repair and am going to call it the Grand Canyon because Meg cut right through the Arizona patch. I am also using a purple fabric behind it, one that I love, so I am letting some of it show. Quilting Fitzy is right, appliqué is easy to fix!

not a good day

this

with these

did this

which left me....

crying.

she picked the block that represents my children.

I Am Urrkk't

irritated. bothered. maddened.

I thought I might need another spool of the Oliver Twist thread I am using for the stitching on the mosaic blocks.

After searching for a decent deal, I figured I would get the spool from eQuilter where I got the first spool.

14.50 $. For 3 spools? Ok. Shipping = 5.95 sheesh.

What came in the mail was 1. One. A single spool.

I wrote them a note suggesting they change the wording. I was nice about it, didn't make waves, didn't ask for anything. So I got a reply thanking me for the suggestion, sorry you were bummed, have a nice day.

Guess I should have bitched, might have gotten something for my 20 bucks.

On a completely different note.......

WM commented that her eyebrows were getting a hint of grey/gray in them, and thought maybe she could use Just For Men on them. But I am concerned she might start growing facial hair....better to use a permanent marker.....

More Mosaic Blocks

Sew, I have been soing. Working on the mosaic blocks. This first pic is an idea, not necessarily something I will include on this quilt. Jude Hill, over at Spirit Cloth, does this checkerboard and it looked like fun, so I gave it a try.
The Tasmania bit came off a t-shirt given to me by a quilter down under in Tasmania, along with a baggie of sand from her favorite beach!!!!! The 'friends' sq. is from another quilter friend.
and this block above has much to do with my children and me. The state patches are from a novelty print, of course. I decided to use just the states that I have been to since this is my quilt after all.


Egg Sunday, Ashley took Megan and Lily with them to hunt for goodies. Danny is holding Lily, and another family member is holding Danny and Ashley's Rhiley.

Bright Quilt!

I didn't make this, though it's a color I enjoy working with! And it has an open house plan, or a dollhouse-like view. My guess is it's all hand done.

I found this picture on **Luana Rubin's flickr page from the Tokyo Quilt Festival in Feb. 2010. The quilt is made by Yoko Sekita. I don't know if you can enlarge the picture from here, but I know you can from the link. It's worth enlarging!!! And here are more pictures of this and other quilts at the show taken by another people. [I Googled the show and clicked on this blogs link and followed her links to her flickr page....]

**Luana is the owner of eQuilter. com one of the better quilt fabric websites. Prices may be a bit steep, but the descriptions, and photos, of the fabrics are wonderful!

5...count 'um...5 years old

Happy Birthday my dear Megan!!!!!!!!!!

The child that turned me into a Grandmother!

I love you Meg-a-roo!

Eyebrows

WM commented that the Mona Lisa doesn't have eyebrows either.....so of course I had to Google her, ML not WM, and I found just the thing!