Setsubun-New Shoes for the Festival

Hi Everyone, I'm posting my 12x12x12 piece now because it's as done as I can get it with all that's going on right now. I am definitely using this as a learning experience of what to do and what not to do...I am not sure what the next pieces will bring but I am sure that there are a couple of things I will not do. found that for a piece this size-I didn't like the fused effect. It's o.k. for smaller things like post cards and trading cards but I really must say I like a finished edge. I am having a little trouble with the concept of loosening up too. It's a small piece and I just fussed over stuff. It reminded me of when I was a young girl and test taking. I was a great student except when it came to taking tests. When I have more time and am more comfortable with this I think I will have more fun too.

Anyway, this is my interpretation of Setsubun -around Feb 2nd the Japanese celebrate Setsubun- It is a celebration of spring and renewal. I cut up and manipulated a photo-copy of a Hiroshige woodblock print. It is really much larger. I used it because I had this wonderful Bali fabric that I've used for the binding and it looked almost exactly like the water in the print. Inside the store, I used a couple of sweet, actual wooden zori that I found at the craft store. There was a little Kimono there too and so in it went. Cherry blossoms are very representative of this festival and so I included these -known as Sakura. I sewed lines into the flooring to make it look more like wood and had planned to use my Aquarelle pencils to make wood grain but I have just run out of time and hope to do that when I get back from our trip.

On my next piece, I plan to do something that more reflects actual handwork which is sorely missing on this piece. This is really about collage and, not that I don't plan to do that(it's fun) I wanted to put more of my own handwork into a layout rather than using photocopied art as a background. It feels like cheating. Of course, as soon as I was finished, I thought of a thousand things I could have done differently.

Anyway-I hope you all like it and I'll do better soon. I'm so impressed with the work that has been posted. You women are so talented and it makes me proud to be in such good company.I can't get over how lovely the things are that I've seen posted the past few days. Real artists are present here in the Quilt Studio.

Loot from the girlfriends&new reads

Last night was (Quilting)girls night out-what that means is that we went out to a local place, Skipper's on the harbor and exchanged our Christmas loot. It was made even more fun by the fact that we were trying to be inconspicuous in a booth but we had gifts that were rather large in some cases. Since it was a slow night in the village in winter-it worked out o.k.

I got a very funny book by Amy Sedaris-who some of you may know from "Strangers with Candy" on Comedy Central(I think-I can't remember the network) Anyway-It's amusing for several reasons, not the least of which is a look at personal hygiene and home remedies you never want to try. My favorite bit so far is the "Meat Cake" that you can put together for unexpected company. Here's a shot of that.

Along with this I got some lovely fabric from the Old Country Store in Amish Country, where my friend Pam went a while back-She was thinking ahead and good for her!

I got a couple of books I had been wanting as well-"Climbing the Mango Trees" by Madhur Jaffrey-a memoir about her childhood in India and how the cooks in her ancient family expressed themselves and the seasons in food.

I also got a book by John Sedgwick called, "In My Blood" This one is of interest to me because I have always had an interest in the Sedgwick family for several reasons. Somehow they have shown up in an interesting way for me throughout the years. When I worked in cosmetics years ago I met(really briefly and totally intoxicated) Edie Sedgwick-who was a protege of Andy Warhol(I think they're making a movie called Factory Girl, about her) and known as the "it girl" of the day. She died f an overdose which came as no surprise to anyone who met her during that time but there was something fabulous and fascinating about her. The family goes back to the signing of the Constitution and, of course, there is Kyra Sedgwick who is the star of "The Closer" one of the great programs on t.v. They have a burial plot that is shaped like a piece of pie. It is called, appropriately enough, the Sedgwick Pie and the stones go back to before the revolution. It is said that they made it in this shape so that when judgement day comes they will all sit up and face forward seeing the Patriarch of the clan. The other unfortunate thing about them is that there is a strong line of depression & mental illness that, while researching the book, John has traced way, way back. I love history so I can't put it down. It's really about the history of our country, Boston Brahmin's and Stockbridge and what happened to the Native American population of that town. Anyway-I loves me a good read!

I'm really enjoying the 12x12 pieces that have been posted so far and I have come to the conclusion that I may have to post late. I spent all day yesterday between the Dr's office being a pin cushion and shopping for the trip. I have a number of important things to take care of today that are not quilt related so I don't think I'll finish on time and therefore I'll wait till other have posted & move to the end of the line. It's not like me and I don't like being late.

Winter redux & Wip Wed on Tues

I just want to give a shout out to Susan at Desert Sky-I tried to log in and comment several times-even anonymously and it doesn't like me. But I like you so I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your new blog site and header. Very cool! When things calm down I'll try to re-decorate around here too.

I also want to mention to DebR(and anyone else that cares) that the goldfinch pic from yesterday is from a couple of summers ago. I just used to to illustrate the really warm temps we had. The goldfinches are my delight. We have a number of feeders, including one that had about 25 stations. Last winter the finches didn't fly away in the fall but stayed on and put on their winter coats of a more dull green. They looked like tiny, little parrots. We fed them all winter and the bill for thistle seed was somewhere up around the national debt. We worried that we were upsetting the balance of nature by continuing their feed thinking that maybe they didn't migrate because we were making life too easy for them. Only I would worry about such things-but they are such a delight and one feeder is right outside my kitchen window where I can watch them bickering and zooming around the yard in that cool wave-like, undulating flying pattern they have. Anyway, this year we decided that we should discontinue the feeders around the end of Sept. and so they went where ever it is they go down south. When they come back there are sometimes 30-40 of them. It's a sight to behold and yet another way for me to waste an hour.... mesmerizing.

I will be busy with other things tomorrow so I am posting Wip Wed today. These are little paper pieced kimono that I have been working on from time to time. I put them in the same place I keep the Asian fabric and yesterday they tumbled out with a piece of it. I used my Carol Doak program to print out the kimono in different sizes which I will eventually put together. The other shot is of a top that I did back when I didn't know that you should be careful with bias edges. I made a bunch of blocks of a string type and the cut them across on the diagonal and re-set them-light with dark etc. Anyway. It's in amazingly good shape and with some care I will border and bind it for myself because I still love the fabrics and the colors eventhough I did it long ago.

So, I'll leave you with another shot of the top and be on my merry way.

Summer in Winter & two-fer Meme

It was 70 degrees here this weekend. A few more of these days and this guy will be back with his pals. Very strange!

Two-Fer Meme (courtesy of DebR)
Two names you go by:1.. Dee 2.DeeDee -my best friend still calls me this eventhough it started out as a joke when she introduced me to a librarian where she works as DeeDee-she's an exotic dancer. It became the joke that stuck.(I have large boobage for my 5'2" frame)
Two parts of your heritage:1.German-Mother's side2.Scotch, English, Cherokee-father.
Two things that scare you:1.. Snakes .2 Religious fundamentalists of any persuasion
Two everyday essentials:1.Tea 2. books magazines-reading stuff
Two things you are wearing right now:1.Jammy bottoms 2.old comfy sweatshirt-flip flops-I just got up
Two of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment):1Dixie Chicks 2.The new 4-disc Vince Gill Album. There's not a bad song on it and I'm normally not a big country western fan. One song on it, I think it's called "the reason why" ,is the best ballad I've heard in years and makes me want to slow dance-very romantic.
Two things you want in a relationship (other than love):I'm going to go with DebR on this plus I'd need to add respect to the list. It's hard to pick only 2 1.. Security2.. Independence
Two truths:1.. I'm often more comfortable with men than women-experience has taught me that men are more direct and straightforward. women have often hurt me more with backstabbing than any man has ever hurt me. 2.I'm a devoted friend-I expect the same in return and it is rare. I only have one friend to whom I would trust anything important-the rest are acquaintances. I think it's that way with many people.
Two favorite hobbies:1.reading 2.quilting
Two things you need to do this week:1.. Finish the 12x12x4 piece and post it 2.shop for our trip
Two stores you shop at: 1. Borders Sentimental stitches-quilt shop
Two favorite sports- 1. I hate sports....really. I used to play tennis a thousand years ago. Problems with my back led to my sporting downfall. that and I hate sports.
Two shows you like to watch:1.Nip/Tuck 2. For years I've been a fan of the most ridiculous show and I'm admitting it here for the first public time-The Soup on the E-channel. It used to be Talk Soup with Greg Kinear years ago and was gone for a while but now it's back and always makes me laugh by taking clips from the worst crap on t.v. and adding humorous commentary and comments out of context. It's my guilty pleasure on weekends-after that I re-read War & Peace or Proust to make up for it.
Two things you’d buy if money were no object:1. A BMW for me. 2..A really nice 4-wheel drive truck for Roger. I have an Explorer4-wheel drive but he's not comfortable in it. It has a tight cab space. If money were no object we could afford the insurance on them too!
Two wishes for 2007:1. That my family remain well and without any major illnesses or injuries. 2. That it's a year without a bunch of funerals-last year there were too many.

Anyone who wants this just take it- I hate to tag people.

I'm still working on the challenge piece and hope to finish it today-I'm on the fence about it. It's O.K. I thought when I signed up for this quarterly thing that my first piece wouldn't be due till the end of March or so. I think I could have done better were there a bit more time. I sort of feel like I'm throwing it together just to get it done and I don't like that feeling. I realize it doesn't have to be a masterpiece but I have so much going on right now in my family life that I' not giving it my all. I wanted better for my first piece. Oh well...I'm never really happy with my work no matter what. Too critical. I need to work on that a lot this year. My motto will be "Better done than perfect"

Pile o' Possibilities or KISS

This pile of stuff is really just a glimpse of what I've been up to. The real problem for me is to pair things down or Kiss-Keep it simple, stupid. I have to keep reminding myself that it's only a 12 in. piece and I must think in the spare, Asian tradition of less means more.

In line with that notion, I got out a book of woodblock prints by Hiroshige. His 100 Views of Edo is very famous and when the plates are viewed individually what comes across most is the simplicity and deeper meaning of certain images. For any of you who are not familiar with these prints-Edo was the ancient name for the village where Tokyo stands today. As with all places depicted in ancient times-much is different. However, in Japan, the ancient is revered and kept sacred so there are many items within these views, such as bridges and temples and even prefectures that remain essentially the same. I decided that since I am using the shoe and bag theme in Japan, I would also incorporate the element of the seasons since they play a very important part in Asian culture. They provide a rhythm for celebration and honoring the families departed members as well as honoring the living. There are festivals for sending the souls on their way, and honoring ancestors by sweeping of the grave stones and placement of favorite foods for the departed spirits. There are children's festivals-boys day and girls day in late spring, I think. Some celebrate the full moon by having a festival for viewing it and the there are lantern festivals and a personal favorite of mine is the day in January when women have traditionally taken sewing needles and put them into large beeswax blocks in temples where they are blessed for the coming year. The sewing of Kimono in Japan is done by artists who are sometimes made official national treasures by the government. They are a dying breed as the money culture has taken young people away from traditional arts &crafts. Anyway, as you can imagine, there are so many things churning around in my head that I am tempted to use a line from Monty Python-"My brain hurts" So as hard as it is for me-I'll try to keep it simple because as it is in Asian culture...simple is what best illustrates something of dignified beauty. So for my first piece I plan to use "winter" as a theme as well and since I'm making four of these I'll go along with the seasons.

Create a Connection quiz, for DebR

DebR of Red Shoe Ramblings is a guest blogger on Create a Connection and asks us to do this quiz. Since I am a huge fan of Deb, here goes.........1. I have never wanted to- climb mountains. I've never understood why someone would need to put themselves in danger and subject their families to endless grief and loss, to get to the top of some rocks. Life is too short and precious.We need to see(really see) what is here on earth around us. and-gamble-I can't stand the thought of money down the toilet; but I've always thought I might like to _fly-before all the bad things happened in 2001,flying was the coolest thing ever.I loved every minute of it.
2. When I was _10_ years old, I believed _that God hated me.
3. If I was my own best friend, what I would enjoy the most about spending time with Me would be- I'm very adaptable, kind, and a great listener,sometimes too good; while what I'd find the most irritating would be -everthing I don't do that I should-I'm irritatingly easily distracted and that is the reason for the chaos that often accompanies me- and that I'm not much of a talker. I'm a student of human nature. I'd rather listen and people watch. I often think of social gatherings as theater.
4. If the story of my life up to this point was being published tomorrow, it would be titled "_Thanks for Giving Me Back My Life" and it would be dedicated to- My husband ,Roger & my son, James
5. When my time on Earth is over, and the people who loved me are remembering me, it would please me if they said- she was a great friend, a woman of faith, and boy was she smart.
Here's the Create a Connection site-scroll down a day or so since I'm late doing this.Sorry Deb. http://www.bealivebelievebeyou.com/create/

WIP Wed ... not & remembering Keiko

I wish I could show you all something more coherent and closer to looking finished but that would be a lie. I have several possibilities churning around and I just wish that it wasn't due on the 12th. Usually, Jan. is a month where I could unwind and do basically not a lot. This year, I have a number of pleasant and a couple of unpleasant things looming. It figures! That's just the way life goes. It goes into the same category of questions such as "why don't I make a Christmas quilt or decorations in July when nothing is going on?"It's just the universe laughing at us when we think things will be smooth sailing. Punishment for hubris? Whatever.

The little doll in the pic is a gift I received from a lovely Japanese girl who worked for the cosmetic company, Shiseido. Many centuries ago, when I was a young woman in the business, I had to arrange for the opening of their cosmetic line in a big department store here. The company sent 4 very young girls who spoke something resembling English to demonstrate their product. They really were so adorable. Keiko was the older of the bunch and probably 19 at the time. They all came dressed in Kimono and accessories, right down to their tabi socks and zori. I was enchanted. When I would drop them at their motel I had to allow extra time because they would bow and I would bow and they would bow and I would bow and...well...that would go on until I had backed out far enough to get in my car and leave. Very amusing and completely enchanting. As a parting thank you to me for the help-Keiko gave me this doll that she made. That was 36 years ago. This little doll normally resides with my Guan Yin and other Asian figurines.Whenever I see it I wonder what became of her. I think she was engaged to a guy from Canada. I was hoping for inspiration seeping through this well-made doll. My mind is cluttered with "have to do" & "should get done" and I'm just not thinking clearly.

The Mary Englebreit card is one I bought a while back and I'm showing it for Janet who also saves ephemera(crap) and makes me smile daily. Thanks Janet! Anyway, she was saying that she woke up thinking in a very positive manner about being creative from this day forward. I felt the same way the night of New Years Day. I thought, "tomorrow I will get up and begin a new and more creative life." I really couldn't wait to go to sleep so I could wake and get going. Life just gets in the way and I am unable to live with total chaos. Controlled chaos...that I can handle. I need to get out the dust cloths and super-sucker(electrolux) and a bit of lemon oil or I can't function. The grocery store is also a must since we are down to crackers and tuna. Lets not even talk about the laundry, O.K.? I need some clothes to wear to N.C. for Aunt Mattie's 90th. Unfortunately, I'm a "do one thing at a time and do it well" person so I'm not thriving in this climate of chaos. The point of this long and winding ramble is that I have nothing good to show for myself yet. I am fairly good in a crunch though so lets hope I can pull my tush out of the fire in the stretch. It could happen! Yeah! it could!!

wrap it up, baby!

I must say, I'm so ready to put it all away. Next year I should give serious thought to how many lights get wound up into the tree since I nearly fell over from going round and round . Had I fallen it wuld have been one of those commercials-"help I've fallen and I can't get up"- only I would have been enrobed in tiny lights as well. While the tree is going up it seems like a good idea to load that sucker up...not so much when you're untwirling all the cords and such. Anyway it's a done deal! What I like best about the un-doing of Christmas is that everything looks so spacious and well...I hesitate to say it...but...neat. you in the back....stop that laughing immediately!

Here is a pic of the little Amish mini I finished for a friend. I have made a number of these and friends hint that they would appreciate having one. My only issue is not with making them but the black fabric. Oh! how hard it is on the eyes. I made aone for the wall in my home and I hand quilted it with black thread. Black on black..OMG I was like one of those little Italian Nuns who go blind from making hand sewn delicates for the rich women. I think I need one of those hilarious head lamps that Dorothy has-I'm not sure even that would help.

We had a really fun time New Years Eve. There were about 16 of us at the restaurant and then we went back to Joe&Jeri's house. There were cream puffs-nuff said! My son had a couple of friends over and they made themselves those puff canapes and had a bottleof champagne and some sparkling cider for the drivers. When we got home they were playing adults only Pictionary. It was very funny. I got "kinky sex" right and they all roared. Beneath the roar was that look they give older people like they can't believe you could know such a thing-pffft to them ! Kids always think their parents began life as such. Roger and I just look at each other and chuckle. How the hell do they think they got here anyway!

Well, I think I will say farewell now-I have the 12x12x4 thingy looming in a very small wondow of time before we have to go to N.C. for Aunt Mattie's 90th. I've never done one of these before and I'm hitting a brick wall. After I get done with the clean-up, I'll just dive in with both feet and hope something looks appealing enough to show you all. Adios muchachas..you too Roger!!

All's well that ends well

Just a last post for the last day of the year. We are going out to dinner with friends at a very good local Italian place called Intermezzo. It's right around the corner and the food is outstanding. There will be about 15 of us. Should be fun. We go out early and the return to the same house where we had Christmas Eve, the famous Joe & Jeri's. It's like Ricks place in the movie Casablanca. To paraphrase-"Sooner or later everyone comes to Joe & Jeri's." We probably won't stay long since we have become old farts in the staying awake area. We are both so used to getting up at dawn that by 10 p.m. we are leaning sideways embarassingly. Even my son James and his girlfriend Dani are having a quiet night. He bought a bottle of champagne and some canapes to heat in the oven. We will probably come back early and crash their party. All of their friends are doing something else or have gone away for the holiday. I think they might be happy to see us.

Last night we saw Happy Feet- It was fun but I didn't like the way they did the ending. It seemed like they needed to put in something as filler and decided to use a rather serious subject to be solved by one little penguin. It just didn't feel right. I thought they should have kept it in the realm of a fantasy cartoon. Most of the movie was like a Busby Berkley musical and if you know who that is your as old as me. Then they switched to somber and dark. . Oh well, that's what makes a horse race. All kinds!

Here is a shot of a little chair my husband made for me and two little fishermen along with some of my chickens and a few of the books I have read recently and consider keepers. Big Calvin Trillin fan here I have all his books but "Dinner with Alice" is still one of my favs. His wife Alice passed away a few years ago. She was his somewhat reluctant travel companion and I wondered how he would fare without her. Now he gives great walking tours of obscure and undiscovered places to eat in Manhattan with fabulous food. There's a waiting list to get into a tour. I doubt many will get to go since Calvin is getting on and he only does it twice a year in the spring and fall. The novel "Distant Land of My Father" is one of my all-time favs. It's not new, a couple of years old but I rarely re-read too many things but this is one. Wonderful story.

Lastly-here is a shot of a couple of my husband's more precious toy trains. One is antique and the other is an exact replica of a New York Central train down to the sounds it can make. It's a Lionel and it was one of the first really expensive things Roger treated himself to when we were sort of financially better off.When was that?? Someday I'll take pics of all the trains, and there are many. Many. I enjoy seeing him delight in them the way he enjoys my delight in fabric and art so we work well together and isn't that just the best mix of all? Happy New Year to all of you wonderful people who have given me so much these past months and so generously. It means more than words can adequately express. Be well and warm and safe!

last meme of the year

Do you own a gun? No but there are days when I think one might be called for. Such a weird question.
What’s your favorite Christmas song?I have a few-It's comin' on Christmas(wish I had a river I could skate away on)Little St. Nick(beach boys) are two favs
What do you prefer to drink in the morning?-you haven't read my blog about the tea, have you? It's tea, tea, and then some tea. Strong, with milk and sweetner.
What do you think of hot dogs? I like them occasionally but I prefer some good German sausage like bratwurst.
Can you do push-ups? I suppose if someone put that gun I don't have to my head I could do one. I have disc problems in my back so it would not go well
What’s your favorite piece of jewelry?I have a few. I'm an earring and ring person. I own many beautiful pieces of both. For a while I went through a native american jewelry phase and I have a few rings and earrings of that style but mostly I like gold and sterling hoops.
What is your secret weapon to lure the opposite sex?HAHAAHA In my house-food.
Middle name?Louise
Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment:1-what's for lunch?
2. I should get to the store for leg of lamb for New years day. 3 don't forget the mint jelly.
Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:tea,iced tea, iced white tea with apple or pear flavoring. Does water count? Lots of water.
What time did you wake up today? 5:45 a.m.
Current hate?I don't usually hate anything or anyone but in this case I'll make an exception-the media and network t.v. studios for buying up all the good cable channels and putting re-runs of programs on a continuous loop and calling it programming. It's disgusting what they've done to A&E , Bravo and other stations and then to have to pay a cable compnay for that drivel. At first I was delighted by them putting on programs I couldn't stay up to watch but by the time I flipped to A&E for the same CSI-Miami re-run three times during the holiday weekend I nearly lost it for real. Here where I live there is no choice-it's all connected. DSL-t.v. etc. Also, Ted Turner bought up all the MGM old great movies and you can't get Turner classic movies without a package here. He sucks and so do the networks-don't get me started.
Favorite place to be?In my house on a snowy day when everyone is home and safe.
Least favorite place to be? Doctors office-any kind. Dentist. Grocery store
Where would you like to go?I could easily go to Hawaii again. I loved San Francisco and I loved Paducah but I was there when it was 99 degrees and I couldn't really enjoy it. So many places.
Do you own slippers? Not really. I kind of live in flip flops all year round in the house.
What shirt are you wearing?apricot linen shirt
Do you burn or tan? I would burn if I went out in the sun. I'm not a sun person and I guess it has been a good idea since my skin is fairly wrinkle free even at 58.
Favorite color(s)?Another thing I'm a real Gemini about. I love colors and yet I wear almost all beige, white,black and occasional pale tints. I adore red and in my closet of shame there are a huge number of earthy tones.
What is your favorite holiday? It's not that I don't like holidays but I think too much gets made about them and it diminishes the importance and makes people crazy with things they think they can't live without doing. I'm really always happiest when they are over and I can clean up the mess and clutter(I know, I know, but holiday clutter gets old quickly)
What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child?Not a lot since I knew early on that I lived with the real monsters. Definitely snakes would be up there too.
What’s in your pockets right now?grocery list
Last thing that made you laugh?I am easily amused and childlike. Ellen had a re-run of the artwork people did depicting her-it was funny
Best bed sheets as a child? Wow, I'm with Janet on this one. I come from a far off universe where there were only white sheets.
Would you be a pirate?Probably not, I'm really a nice person. I don't think I could pillage. I do contemplate giving the odd person a good smack now and then.
Worst injury you’ve ever had?When my son was an infant I stepped out of our car onto a patch of ice and in order to keep from dropping him I fell on my tailbone. It was the begining of the end of my back.
Are your parents still together? No-Father dead- evil step father dead-mother-still living
Do you wish on shooting stars-always. what could it hurt?
What is your favorite book(s)? Oh My! Have you seen my bookshelves? If I had only five to choose-East of Eden, the encyclopedia(I know I'm weird, but I like reading them)The Gold Coast because it takes place not far from me and I love a good cautionary tale in the style of "the bigger they are the harder they fall." A couple of obscure books on the history of China and Japan which would be of no interest to anyone but me.
What is your favorite candy?You would probably think it would be chocolate but I like me a good tootsie roll pop.the chocolate ones or cherry. and I am a total sucker for the hershey kisses with cherry cordial centers. Oh how I rue the day they made those little buggers.
What song did you have played at your wedding?Both times were simple here comes the bride on the organ.Very small dinner afterwards.Second time was the charm.
How is the weather outside right now? Really warm for this time in NY
What was your first thought this morning when you woke up? It was dark and I sensed my husband was not there but I didn't want to reach over in case he was and I would wake him. So(poor me) I stayed in bed till it got a little moe light and I could see. He was already up but being very quiet downstairs.

For Debra

Hi Debra- I am happy to donate the quilt but I just feel bad that some lovely woman is going to have to quilt the BEAST. I have heard that it's a bitch to quilt something wonky and this definitly fits that pic. The size is 68x58 because I was having menopausal mania and decided at some point to make it a lap quilt for myself rather than a wall hanging for a large livingroom wall. Trouble is, I ran out of long border pieces and only had enough to do the top and bottom before I freaked out and put it away. I can easily remove the top and bottom very quickly. I do not have backing or batting, so your offer sounds great. I would be happy to send you what ever the backing costs as well as the batting which I am also out of and I will certainly bind it when done. Just one very important note-We will be gone from the 17th to the 21st of Jan so don't send me anything to arrive around that time. There is no one here to pick up packages delivered. Our mail comes to a box at the bottom of the hill and I don't want anyone to get hurt trying to get up here if the weather gets bad and the drive is not cleared. Any time before or after those dates will work great.

On a semi-related topic-in Jan. I hope to get into the closet and sort out some of the largesse that is just taking up space. Is that the sort of thing that one could post in Traders Village? If so, books, patterns, and some older fabric await some talented person who would like them.

Let me know about the quilt top-TTYL

the WIP that was-or-why the 1/4 inch matters

I like to call this my menopausal quilt. I don't really know what the hell I'm going to do with it except perhaps use it one day to illustrate to a class what happens when you don't have a quarter inch foot and you are in a manic phase. I really loved all these fabrics and made may more nine patches than appear here. There in a box in THE CLOSET OF SHAME. When I put this together, I can't imagine what I was thinking. I only know I wasn't measuring. Probably, I thought (in some parallel universe) once I got it together it would all come out right. NOT, and so it takes up a special place of honor(or horror) on the top of my list of UFOs. So much promise-so little matching of seams. One day I will take it apart and figure something out....but not today! I just want you to notice that I am, if nothing else, consistantly wrong about every measurment in every block. Thank you, thank you very much.

WOW-if you click on it it's even bigger more awful...It made me yelp! Good thing we're friends or you'd drum me out of the group!Did I mention I made this ten years ago?

six weird things

I'm a little tired today-post holiday clean-up and such. Getting ready for the 12x12x4 challenge prompted me to cleanup my so-called studio area, which is just a long wall in my bedroom that is the repositary for all the crap in my art life. I needed a big shovel and trash bag to get to the surface and that's what I did yesterday. So today I'm meme-ing and chillin'. The guys are off to work and the house is fairly quiet. Here are my six things-which will prompt a my husband to say, "only six?"

1.
I have a touch of agoraphobia-and I must force myself to go out everyday even if it means just opening the door and walking outside. Skipping a day and staying inside makes it worse the next day.
2.
Shoe fetish here-what makes it really weird is that for years I wore very beautiful and expensive high heels and now I have problems with my feet and legs so that all I can wear is flats. I must have 50 pairs of shoes and I only wear 5.

3.
I am a tea drinker and then some. I drink many mugs of tea in a day. I grew up in a house with a British step-father so I learned to love a good cuppa. I'm so fussy about my tea that I actually carry some with me in my purse so I have my own brand and not that pissy stuff that passes for tea here in the U.S. I drink PG Tips from England and my husband buys it for in in commercial service sized boxes of 500 from the manufacturer-importer several boxes at a time. Can you say OCD. I actually feel annoyed when I can't have my tea fast enough in the morning. I married the best man alive.

4.
I am supersticious about a couple of things to the extreme. Coming from a very horrifying childhood made me afraid to express too much joy out loud. I am still afraid to voice too much happiness for fear that the proverbial foot will come out of the sky and stomp on my happiness. Being a student of Asian history made me aware of certain asian principles that have translated to my own life such as not boasting or being openly too proud. In ancient times Chinese women would not praise a new-born child for fear that the gods would be envious and take the child.To some extent, this is how I feel about things that are important to me. I will never say out loud that life is good. The last time I said it out loud was Sept 10th 2001.

5. I still like herring salad

6.
Being a Gemini, I have many interests and some are polar opposites. For instance, I like classical music(Water Music by Handel, Hyden Trumpet Concerto and most things played by YoYo Ma) and even opera(Italian) but I'm happy to hear a lot of country like Montgomery Gentry's "Christmas with the family"(the funniest seasonal song ever made) and I love my Charlie Byrd retrospective and some Dixie Chicks as well. I draw the line at most rap but I have heard some I almost like though not in large doses and I have to be in the mood.

Well, if you're still with me... your really a good friend....I'll try to do better tomorrow or even later.

because this can't wait for tomorrow

http://manolomen.com/2006/12/20/dont-like-women-youll-love-our-sweaters/ Enjoy!

Big fun with the family

Merry Christmas to you all. We had the best time. A mix of fun, really good food and friends and of course loot to boot. These are some of things I got from Santa. The JoAnns cards are from my very generous and funny BIL Bob. He couldn't find any large denomination cards so he just grabbed a handful. I got Borders cards from Roger and books I wanted. There is a biography of Chas Addams, of Addams Family fame, missing from the pic since I already took that up to bed last night-very interesting. He had a very unusual life. I love me a good biography. I also got the Quilt National Book for this year which has some very unusual quilts in it by award winners. I had written these titles down wanting to go and ask my friend at the Library to get them for me from interloans. I guess Roger saw the list and smart fella that I married-he got them for me! How cool is that ? Especially since that list was laying around forever on some corner of the desk and if you could see the chaos on the desk you would be amazed too! The other gift missing from the pic is from my son. It's two DVD sets. One of Animaniacs and the other is Pinky & The Brain. I can't wait to open them and watch. When James was a little boy we watched them together and I would plotz at the dialog and music. They occasionally show them on the carton network and we still get giggles. We used to sing all the songs together(well O.K.....maybe I sang them alone) and burst out laughing. We still watch cartoons. (I know-sad...overgrown child here)

On Christmas Eve we went to our friends, Joe & Jeri's house for a buffet dinner. Our son James came along after he was finished with work. We're still groaning from too much food and a bit of drink. The table was full for hours and then... came dessert. Oink! Life is good but somewhat larger.

The weather here is very warm and that would be alright if it weren't for the fact that we are all melting in our winter clothes. Also, we know what's coming and it makes it that much harder to go from very warm to verrrrry cold!

I hope you all had a great celebration. Tomorrow I'll get more pics together of Christmas.

little baskets...of what?

This little basket quilt is one I found in among the UFOs(what UFOs?) in the closet of shame. It's one of a couple that were done several years ago and before I got a 1/4 in. foot and didn't think it made a difference(wow). Of sourse it means everything or at least the difference between a piece you are proud to have displayed or one that someone will one day refer to as naive or country-crafty or some other words for something not very well done. The fabrics are much like the ones in the little houses I showed the other day. It was bits and pieces of really nice fabric I hated to throw away and so I paper-pieced these baskets with the intention of eventually doing some sort of applique or needlework in the baskets. I'n not sure that I can manage to do that now since my hands are geting more arthritic by the day and embroidery and applique and even hand quilting are not high on my list of things I can do comfortably now. That's not to mention the eyesight. I take a medication that effects my eyesight and there's no way around it. I have a lot of trouble focusing sometimes. It's not too bad but just bad enough that it makes trying to see small work a struggle sometimes. Can't see up close with the glasses on and can't quite focus with them off. I've gone the bifocal route and it made me crazy. Maybe I'll just fuse some flowers and call it done.I'm in awe of you ladies who do the beautiful crewel and french knots and such. How pretty would that be? Any suggestions?
Among the many things I plan to do very soon is learn to machine quilt and I think it will make life with sore hands a bit easier.
I signed up for the 12x12x4 challenge today and my theme is going to be Asian shoes and purses. I have seen a lot of really fun quilts this year that have a theme of handbags or shoes and I have a large amount of Asian fabrics so I'm going to have fun playing around with that idea(cause I really need something else to do-heh) It's good to venture into a new area though and I need to loosen up in the art area so I'm hoping to incorporate those two things into these pieces.
Well...packages to wrap-tea to drink-cookies to eat. Have fun everyone.

Little wooden artist- for Janet

What??? two posts in one day, what does she do with her time???? Not a lot today-yay!!!

Janet left me a comment that asked to see the wooden-soldier-artist my husband gave me years ago-it's a favorite of mine and I'm tempted to keep him out all the time except I get such joy from unwrapping him once a year. It's small & so hard to get a good shot so pardon my pic. Click for a larger shot but pardon my dust. Just warning you.

WIP Wed.

Here is a Wip that I unearthed recently. I love making houses. These are paper pieced and made from left over bits of fabric that I just couldn't bear to throw away. It's a mixed bag of everything and I will quilt feathered wreaths in the blank bocks-eventually. In it's original form it had a checkerboard around the edges but I was a bad quilter and left the top in a place where it got something spilled on it. I think it might have been sewing machine oil and thank goodness I found it when I did because all that was required was removing the borders. As long as I had to do that I decided to take the whole thing apart and put the plain blocks separating each house. Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

The window is one in my living room. I don't know if it was the time of day or the camera but I couldn't get a good shot no matter what. These are little houses that my husband bought me several years in a row. on the right is a wooden soldier but he's holding a big brush and artists palette. It's one of my fav. Christmas things that my husband got for me. Well, I'm off to do some errands and think of some type of finger food to provide for the Christmas Eve dinner that we go to at our friends house. I've been charged with making a salad and an canape. I will be making a pasta salad that's basically tortellini with antipasto ingredients included=tortellini,diced salami, diced capicola ham, diced provalone, green and black olives, diced celery, strips of roasted red pepper, and Italian dressing, marinate for a day(it's delish but even better a day or two later.) Along with that I'm making crab stuffed mushrooms. See you tomorrow.

Giving thanks

I had so much trouble with blogger yesterday that I never really got it together. Try, try, again. I have read what a few women have written on their blogs about the season and all that comes along with it-the pace, the over-hype, the seasonal frenzy, and so on. It would be really good this time of year to be removed a bit from all that and just appreciate what we have. It's very hard to keep the focus but all we have is right now with a prayer for more tomorrows. This morning I was in full panic mode and very grumpy. Most of this was brought on by my own personal lack of focus and excuses for not having done things in a timely manner when I had the opportunity. Back in September-everything seems possible. So we say to ourselves-I can do that, and that, and that and so on. I remain ever the Gemini psycho personality. I work really well with my back against the wall. Well, for me that is. Not so much for my family, who really deserve this Oscar.....Oh! where was I? I'm married to the most thoughtful and kind man who has ever lived and together we raised a great kid. We all have a wicked sense of humor and so why is it that I put myself into this panic and completely loose that sense of humor when simply delegating and organizing a bit would make life easier for everyone? Possible New Years resolution here?

Anyway, my January is starting to look a little more ick than Jan usually looks. We have a trip the third week to celebrate the 90th birthday of our Aunt in N.C. not far from Charlotte. To drive or to fly, nothing to wear, dealing with my least favorite family members socially. All things to look forward to(not). We go because the delightful Uncle has asked us to and there is nothing we wouldn't do for him-even face some of my least fav people. I keep thinking it's only two days-then I remember what one day is like with a couple of these relatives and I feel the need for Valium or large quantities of liquor. Good thing I don't like drugs and I can't drink more than a couple of glasses of wine. Hey! Maybe that's the ticket...Drink wine going-drink while there(a lot) and someone can tell me how it went when we get home!

On a much brighter note, I want to thank you lovely ladies who comment and say such nice things. It really does make my day. I wish you all Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah or Kwanza or Druids Day etc. Don't want to leave anyone out and the way Blogger has been working(or not working) I may not get the chance to wish blessings upon anyone before the 25th. How fortunate are we to have each other to bounce ideas off of, give value to our creations, and generally be hear to listen to each other. What a gift!

Not sure why this came out so blurry-I'll blame it on Blogger-everything else is their fault...Click for a close up if you want it's an old one from 10 years ago or so.

Festivus

Festivus...for the rest of us! Enjoy the pretty tree-I'm making stuff-see you monday.

Thanks to Debra for the Quilt Studio weight challenge in Jan. I'm there...sooooooothere, waddle, waddle.

Maybe I'm just being touchy, but

Why, OH WHY does Blogger Beta have a check box to remember you and you still have to sign in every damn time you do anything???? It's pointless not to mention verrrrry annoying. They may be a free service but it sucks more every day. Rant over...carry on.

WIP wed on Fri

I thought I would post a pic of the blocks that I made the other day when I had no internet connection. Oh! the things you can acomplish when forced to focus. Anyway, these are just lying on the floor in no particular order. It was a good idea to do that today since I saw the need for an extra row and I'm short two blocks which will take no time at all. I ahppen to be a collector of Asian fabrics but my son is a big fan as well. He picked out all of these fabrics himself with the exception of a couple that I needed to make a clear definition between the light and dark. Since he will, no doubt, drag this around and I will probably find it in a ball on the floor-I decided to take my husbands advice and keep it simple stupid(well he didn't say that but I infer)so that I won't go crazy when it gets abused.

I am now at the point of the Christmas cycle when I fear that I have forgotten some impotant thing for someone. Don't know what that is but these things often appear as a blinding flash in the middle of the night. Sitting bolt upright in bed from a dead sleep-that's when my memory apparently engages relly well. Whatever! Why not make a list you may ask? Well it's a part of my DNA-buried deep in the genetic make-up that I'm just not complete unless I'm worrying about some obscure thing.

Yesterday I was on the treadmill watching Elizabeth with Cate Blanchette(great day on AMC-mostly period pieces. I even saw the old Bette Davis Elizabeth )and I suddenly had the most awful problem with my restless leg syndrome. Numby(word?)toes and crampy toes on the left foot. Couldn't find a comfortable position all afternoon and it didn't help me get to sleep any easier. They have meds for this but the meds are a sedative and I think that's the last thing I really need. If anything, I need a good shot of adrenaline to get off my ass and keep moving. So I ,more or less, try to ignore the spasms and pains. Yesterday it was nearly impossible. Hope it's not a thing that happens often.

Well, I'm off to make another couple of blocks, wrap some stuff, figure out dinner plans etc. Hope you have a great day. Do something fun!

a day without a modem, or, how I got a lot done for a change

I totally missed WIP wed. We had a modem that was ancient and needed replacing and so my helpful son, James, took it to the cable co. store yesterday and go a new one. Whatever was wrong is now fixed and, for me at least, the internet is now not closed. Funny thing though, a whole day without connection equals a day that Dee got a lot done for a change. I worked on James' quilt top and nearly got it done. I'm having some issues with blogger(as are many) so I'll post pics at another time. For today, I'm trying to get over a weird sinus thingy(tech term). I don't have a sinus infection or a cold but when I bend forward I almost loose the ability to reamin standing. Really woozy and a little nauseating. I don't do well on most meds- a touchy stomach- but I had to resort to some Sudafed to try and get active enough to stand upright without feeling like I was on the water in a boat, something which normally makes me feel good but not so much right now.

The quilt above is only a pre-printed piece I bought years ago and outline stitched and quickly bound. It's bright and cheerful though so I still hang the thing. Someday I'll get around to making a really pretty Christmas quilt like the ones I've seen on Rian's and Jenny's blogs as well as a number of other blogs. Again, that would be a great thing to do in the new year or even in July. Where did I put that list?

Well here on Long Island it's spring in December. Right now the temps are around 50-60. This must be what it's like to have Christmas in places like California. It's really weird for NY in December. Not complaining, mind you, I just don't know what to wear. It's t-shirt weather all day and then it gets down to 37-40ish at night. You go to sleep wanting the window open a little and in the early morning it's fricken freezing! It's finally happened-I am OLD. I have blogged about my health and the weather.....UGH..sorry. I'll do better tomorrow when, hopefully, the stars are in alignment and blogger is working(heh), and I feel more like Dorothy , who is often a very funny lady.

A more festive approach

these guys came by and ate all the herring salad-thus the look of pale, glass-eyed fishiness.

Really they are a couple of the Santa figures(duh) that I have collected in these past years. One of my most early memories as a child(that ws not horrifying)is that of a very large, real live Herr Christmas who came to my Oma's house when I must have been a toddler in Germany. It is, in fact, one of only two memories I have of that time. He was, of course,huge and had a sack in which he had lumps of coal and twigs for some and gifts of candy for others. I seem to recall that it was chocolate but I think I know this because I was told it, and not from memory. I remember a tree with real candles burning and of course the ubiquitous german spice cookies along with something that you can't get anymore. Little champagne bottles made of chocolate and filled with liquor. You can get some kinds now but not like the ones I remember being imported back then. They were made from a type of chocolate that had a very crispy crunchy texture and with the liquor-they were a festival for the mouth. I think I remember someone telling me that I absconded with a package and slept well that night(tales of things to come)hic!

Anyway I thought that the Santas would make a more festive picture than the hideously pepto-pink herring salad.

I'm waybehind in everything and since I've vowed not to panic anymore(heh)I better get going to the post office, grocery(there's only herring salad left)and bookstore. have fun!

the things we do for love or, eeew... herring salad

I haven't posted for a few days-Christmas got in the way and today my son took the camera to school for his photography class so tomorrow will be a post about the house and decorating. This weekend, my husband, the best husband ever(Hi Honey!) made an annual tradition at our house. I was born in Germany and without going into too much detail-my Grandmother or Oma, was a major influence in my life. Many of her influences were hard to live with while some have become a gift that it took me a while to unwrap. One of the influences is cooking. I grew up with really good German food and much to my dismay, there are many things that I can never duplicate because I never took the time to learn these recipes when it counted. From time to time I see on talented Kristens delightful blog from Germany the occasional recipe or item that she blogs about that makes me have a sharp intake of breath and a real longing for those moments so very long ago. It's a shame that due to circumstances beyond my control, much of what I learned from Oma has been lost to my memory or should I say lack of memory. Stuff like farina dumplings that were (I think )called griesklosse(sp)and a number of spectacular baked things. Anyway, of all things to remember, I remember the foods at Christmas and the wonderful stollen and liebkucken that we always had. I also remember a traditional food that will most certainly die with me. Herring Salad. It's festive....very festive.....and pink from the beets and mayo(I know, I know an aquired taste) Anyway..it requires a lot of chopping. Chopped herring, green apples, pickled beets, onions. Every year my husband makes it for me..mememe all me(cause no one else wants it). It's one of those things that people do for each other out of love and probably a lot like the lutefisk thing in Scandinavian households to which I would add my gag. Except this really is good...and pink. Oh, alright I'm shuttin' up now. Until tomorrow.

panic in the streets!!(O.K. just my street)

Christmas Panic has set in-AGH!!!
I finally managed to get this post done-Blogger was being a pain this morning. Here is the WIP I should have posted yesterday when I just had no more time to play with posting. It's a Laurel Burch pre-print (click to make larger-but it really gets big & I don't know why)and that's about all I have to offer today. I just machine outlined the squares and finished fast. Many Christmas things taking precidence. I'm trying to keep the Christmas spirit going but it always seems to wind up being so hectic feeling that the enjoyment goes out of December and what should be a fun time for the holiday. Of course, if I would make a plan and make things in August-when there is all the time in the world-all of this panic would not be happening. I think a lot of it is artificially induced by merchandising and media but my internal panic button is pushed nevertheless. Speaking of buttons-Below is a button that will take you to a candle which you can light for free. It's a drug company but however they get the money to fight this deadly pervasive disease is O.K. with me.
Off to the stores and grocery etc. maybe I can have some of that gelato fall into my basket again....maybe lemon this timemmmm.
https://www.lighttounite.org/index.aspx?email_link=lighttounite

Late Afternoon Addendum-Note to the hubster.. reading this while I'm out shopping...good news-I didn't get the lemon gelato. Bad news-there's still some pistachio

Tales of my morning-sushi & flowers & trees, Oh my!!

I had the most productive morning. Clearly all the planets were in alignment and the holiday spirits are happy. I cleaned, shopped, got the tree, got some special cards, stopped for sushi(Hi Garrison!) and some other asian fast-food for my husbands lunch and I am now going to sit and finish writing some letters for the Food Pantry donations. Excellent day. Isn't it great when you set out with a list and actually come back (having forgotten the list) and have everything!!Eureka-hot damn.I did buy one thing that was completely unexpected...pistachio gelato. Gad !I fought with that container until it overwhelmed me and clacked along behind me out to the car jumped up and sat on the windshield blocking my vision until I finally had to relent and give it a ride home with me.

The sushi was delicious and I toasted fruit jar nicky for having a son with great taste and Oh! by the way-she's got talent to die for. Have you seen her woven quilt pieces-go now and look.. I'm going to entertain myself with the pistachio gelato while you do that. I'll be here-I'm the one with the spoon, the gelato, and no self-control.

Havin' lunch with these guys

I had a devil of a time trying to get anything to work on Beta Blogger this morning and I hope this will even load-I dragged out some of the Christmas stuff and I'm always happy to see these guys. It's a pre-printed Debbie Mumm panel but it's cheerful and people like the look of it so up it goes-

Winter has come to Long Island-it's crystal clear and you can see all the way across the sound to Bridgeport. The wind is a bit fierce and a little mean so I didn't spend much time outdoors. Tomorrow I will run to the nursery for a tree. We always get Frasier Firs because they have thicker branches that hold heavy ornaments and we have many of those. Plus we are convinced that they last longer and smell wonderful. They drink a lot of water and stay pretty right to the end-then all in one day they drop everything. Since we have done this for many years now we seem to be able to time it perfectly or near perfect anyway. Just about Jan 1 that sucker is dead, dead, dead. Perfect!

This weekend we rented The DaVinci Code- all I have to say is what was all the fuss and hype about? It's not even a really good movie...Meh! Funny, because it contains all the things that would ordinarily make for good watching-fabulous art, religious icons, historical exposition,Tom Hanks, great scenery, but I was nearly asleep in the first 15 min. How could they make a movie about and with all these great things and loose me? It was so dark I had trouble seeing what was happening. I understand the need to transmit the concept of darkness but I hate when I can't see what 's happening-would a little light have killed them? Anyway, like I said-Meh!

I'll go and work on some secret projects now and hopefully tomorrow will go better on blogger. I may spend some time praying that Debra is still talking to me since I threw a wrench into her motor this morning regarding my lack of talent with certain piecing principles. Hi Debra!!Love you!!!!Does anyone else watch The Amazing Race? Thank the Lord those two bimbettes are finally gone-off you go with your tiaras....gag

Hi everybody! A couple of people have asked me to show some of the Amish-type quilts I've made and today I came across this one. It needs a little press but I just don't have time. The season is really upon us. I have much to accomplish for the Food Pantry administration-letters to write etc. so I'll keep it short. Also there's a doozy of a storm outside. Two weather patterns colliding over us. It was bound to turn to winter sooner rather than later and based on this wild wind, I'd say it's coming sooner! I have a chicken in the oven with some sweet potatoes on which I have put olive oil and a little cinnamon. It's begining to smell a lot like Christmas(good title for a song)around here and I am just praying that the power doesn't go out before the bird is ready. This weekend I plan to clean a little, put up some more decorations and I will most likely get the tree on Mon or Tues. Roger bought me a new tree stand-it's one of those things that rights the tree with a foot pedal. Cool. In the center it looks like the jaws of life and they come up out of the stand and clamp on it automatically. Cost a bundle-but men and their toys etc...We are all chiropractors dreams around here so anything that eliminates the need to be on the ground fiddling with Frazier Fir is a good thing.

Well, I have much to do-I signed on for Debra's 2007 charity quilts effort begining in Jan. Hope there will be other folks with some time too. It's a little frightening to sign up for anything right now since I'm really swamped but I am blessed in my life with a wonderful family and there are so many who have been delt a terrible blow by this war in Iraq. No matter how you feel about the war itself, And everyone knows how I feel about that (trying to remain calm) but I feel even worse about how the lives of these young people who return with injuries and are seemingly left alone with their wounds both physical and emotional. They deserve our comfort in any way we can give it. Debra also has a call for a group of quilts that will be made for Ronald McDonald House so that's another way to help. O.K.-stepping down from the soapbox and returning to the sewing machine. Have a great weekend everyone.

Channeling(and then strangling) the Martha gene

I was reading a great blog entry by a talented fellow blogger the other day. It was by Marty from textiles in time. It's only from the other day and about being a creative woman who also has a house to keep and family to care for. Go ahead and read it...I'll wait, lalalalalalalallalalalalllfalalalala back? O.k. that's a smart lady with a great attitude and I want some for Christmas. However, I can't seem to let go of the urge to so the Martha-thing. Now mind you, it's not because I have a demanding husband and child. In fact, they're very much like the experience that she describes in her writing-if I only asked, they would do so many of the things I hate to do without complaint. They love to see me happy and being creative. So I'm putting on my shrink cap and examining my own head. Why do I fight asking? Why do I wait until things are at a dramatic point and I'm totally not enjoying the time of year or being creative? I think it must be some genetic thing. Martha is eastern European descent and I was born in Germany. It must be something bred into the genes. I say this because I know several people who are the same way. They can't, or won't delegate. Somewhere in my messy past someone told me that I wasn't a good woman if I didn't have a sparkling home and further-that I should be ashamed for not making it so. For heavens sake-I'm very close to 60-when does one develope the ability to let go of the Martha gene? It really takes a lot of the fun out of many things including holidays. I don't usually make New Years resolutions because I get depressed when I don't keep them but I'm making an exception this year-This year, I will find a way to strangle the inner Martha.

Having said all of that and asked myself all of these questions I must now say that I'm late posting today because I painted my front door a beautiful intense barn red. I am so happy with the color I could plotz. The bad part is that it's oil based paint and will not dry till March and I have people in and out of this door all the time. Gad, My son got annoyed with me for putting Wet Paint signs up all over but I think he'll be a lunatic when he ruins his good clothes. Why didn't I do this in July? The sun hits that door all day-it would have dried in a day.

Also, I went up in the attic(shudderrr) and got some of the literally thousands of decorations down. I have a number of Christmas quilts. All wall-hanging size and masses of things like you see above. Every year I say I'm going to weed out the stuff-and then the day after New Years I am so sick of everything and in no mood to look at it-sooo I shove it in boxes and say something like "I'll sort out this crap later" HA! Another year passes...... There is some really awful weather predicted for the next day or so and in anticipation of this I went to Blockbuster and rented the only two things that interested me. A study in contrasts here- The DaVinci Code, and The Libertine with Johnny Depp. I ma curious about the DaVinci thing and Mr. Depp can just stand there and look rakish anytime for me. He doesn't have to do a thing except cast that devilish eye around. sigh..... Funny that I should find him attractive because most of the time he really looks like he could use a good washing and I'm very fussy about personal hygiene. Must be the BAD BOY thing. Also not normal for me. Maybe I can get rid of it the same time I get rid of the Martha Gene. See ya later.

It fell into my basket WIP-really

Every year by the time I get the tree up I'm hitting myself over the head that I didn't make a new tree skirt. By then, of course, it's nearly over and I have grand plans for the coming year where I will make a Martha Stewart Christmas by the following year begining with a fabulous elaborate tree skirt. Well, that never happens so yesterday while I was perusing in JoAnn's for assorted items, I saw this really fast pre-printed sew-it-up-in-an-hour tree skirt. It's a lot more cutesy than I normally would pick but at this point in the game I had to take what was available and it's bright and cheery. I got two Hobbs batts and was able to use my coupon on the big one so that was a great buy. I also bought some Robson-Anton thread for which I had to trade my first-born son, but I do like this thread. Again, I only use it for top stitching since I only have one son. Then, since it's in the same shopping mall area as Wally World(walmart) I went there to see if they had the iron I was looking for. I won't go into the great iron extravaganza of last year-sufice to say that even though I was born in Germany I will not ever buy another Rowenta. Anyway, the best iron I had for years was a cheapish Black&Decker. That thing went on forever(until I dropped it) and then began to leak. Last week I saw on JoAnn's on-line that B&D had come out with a new model that is supposed to rival the Rowenta in terms of weight and heat etc. I like a good heavy iron that gets really hot. JoAnn's store person told me they only have it on-line so I shuffled over to Walmart and found it-on sale. I'll let you know how it turns out-today I need to press some window toppers that are drapery weight material and if the iron isn't a good one it can take forever to press them.
On an artistic note, I am begining work on a wedding announcement for my friends daughter who married a few weeks ago. I make these things look like antique sampler-type framed pieces with the names and dates and such. I'll show it when I finish. This one will be water color pencils and pen and ink. I should probably clean my house-dust bunnies are taking over. Before I go I want to thank all the nice people who stopped by to comment on things I've shown-Since I started this-I feel so energized and encouraged. That's a wonderful feeling and I suppose what makes this blogging thing so special. My family are all great people but they have almost zero interst in what I do artistically so it means a lot to have people I consider really talented, say nice things and offer encouragement. Great motivation.

Wheeee..lookee what I got

I just wanted to let you all know that I got instant fun-in-an-envelope in the mail. I got my copy of darling Deborah's delightful book(say that fast 4 times) It's really fun. Plus I have this great piece of hand dyed loveliness to get to work with. This would be a great thing to have if you are one of those folks who need to entertain young people in extra-curricular activities. It's not hard stuff to do and one could jazz it up as much as desired or just keep it simple. Anyway-get your copy today by going to Deborah's blog and ordering immediately for a fun time for all. Even if you don't want to buy one you should go and see what fabulousness there is. Deborah is one amazingly talented woman.I'm going to check out my copy right now...

the camera-I wish it would lie-and shopping day

Today I am off to do some shopping and so I will leave you in the capable, (if bacon grease spotted) hands of my kitchen pals. Digital cameras are ugly truthtellers. I 've been thinking lately as I take pics that I should go around and take random shots just to see what I can't normally see- and for crap sake clean it.
So, I'm off to see if any of the Black Friday people left anything for me to buy. I plan to go to JoAnn's(no.. not for me-settle down now)I need to get some gifts for the Thursday night quilting Ladies. I feel I must come up with something special for them since they are not obsessive compulsive fabric hoarders and actually require and occasional purchase to increase their stashes. One of them is very traditional and makes lovely, well constructed, traditional patterns. The other does the same but really takes off when I give her something very different in the way of a fabric she normally wouldn't have picked out. Beneath the surface lies an artist screaming to get out. Then I have to come up with something for the "Guys" around here and of course, for Dani-who will probably get a gift certificate to the Salon that we both go to. I did that last time but I think she really appreciated it. Other than that I have only to get something for my niece. I'm making a quilt for her but I am not gooing to drive myself crazy trying to finish it by Christmas since I have a number of other things in the works. Say...what happened to my "I'm going to make things in August so I don't go crazy in Dec.?" Oh well-best intentions. One of the quilt ladies likes those Jim Shore quilt angel figurines so I ordered her one of those too.
I just wanted to say how happy I was to get my copy of Deborah's great little book on making small art pieces & post cards. It's so cute and full of fun ideas and only $12. Great gift for someone who has never done this type of thing before- here's a link to her at Deborah's Journal. Tell her I sent you.... Hey! I better get going before the day gets away from me. I'll let you know how I make out later.

Addendum to the trip some 4 hours later.....Shopping sucks but I did remember the most important purchase of the day-Bagels, fresh from the little old bagel maker..

Further evidence for my new Sistah down South-or..my camera battery died

This picture is for Jodie-The Carolina Quilter-(there's a link in my list) who we have now discovered is a long-lost southern relative. Funny thing is-I never got around to commenting on her blog that we must be related since we have read all of the same books-separated at birth...hmmmm. I think probably not since she's such a young thang whereas I....am....not so much. however, Roger lives by the old saying that you're as young as you act-in which case I am 12. So-the picture is one of several I took the other day to show my ugly stash keeping. On that day I decided I would show the lesser of two hideous pics. Today I attempted to take a nice pic and found the camera had no battery power and all of my men were missing so no one could help me with that. So here is the awful truth. What you can't see above all this fabric is Lionel trains and accessories all the way to the ceiling. I may have mentioned that we never argue about our purchases since we are the 2 oldest children in the house. Roger has some really beautiful antique pieces and many, many, wonderful Lionel train layout pieces. We're waiting for the only real kid in the house to get married and give up his room(dreaming here) so that Roger can set up a layout with mountains and train stations, scale model cars and stores and such. That's not likely in the near future and McDonald men tend to move away, marry, and then come back home with the wife and kid in tow. Hell...that's how we got this giant house to begin with. Anyway-someday, when the train stuff moves I will have lots of room for more fabric(cause I really need some-heh)
I really enjoyed the blogs about Thanksgiving- we had a great day. I started my son's quilt and decided that since everything of his is always in a ball on the floor in his room-I wasn't going to go crazy with any fancy patterns. I just started a large block courthouse steps with very big centers and large pieces. It will go together fast and I won't cry when I see it laying around. Other than that I have had to go and buy some food since everyone was home for 4 days and it looked like a plague of locust came through-I got some delicious jumbo shrimp to make scampi tonight-simple and delish with a salad and a little rice to sop up the wine sauce. I hope you all have a nice dinner too-see you tomorrow with new pics(I hope)