New Year's Eve

First of of all - Happy 2010! I am wishing you health, happiness, peace and contentment in the upcoming new year and all that follow, plus wishing you many happy hours spent in our shared passion of quilting. May your bobbin always be full, your needle sharp and your projects fall together effortlessly. Enjoy every minute spent with fabric and thread, girl friends! And I include in my wishes any of my family or other non-quilters reading my blog.

Resolutions - I don't think I am going to bother making any as I usually don't carry through. I probably should resolve to not start anything until I finish some of the things already in the works. Oh me, Oh my! Here is an example---I have always thought about doing hexagons - and they are fun and beautiful but they take a long time to make. I love these and do enjoy the process but at my age I think I will do something else that is a little faster. I envision doing enough to make a pretty addition to a totebag or tablerunner and not a grandmother's flower garden quilt!

Just wanted to show you what I picked up at Material Mart yesterday for $7.00. In a plastic bag, there are a lot of two and a half inch strips of the neutral fabric and a nice pile of quarter yard pieces of the same fabric plus another small print. I think this will be a great little pile of fabric that goes with lots of things. (Click to enlarge)

With hugs, Carol.

Ain't They Sweet?

When I was putting things away (the bedroom where I sew looked like a hurricane went through) I found a manilla envelope with all kinds of little goodies in it that I must have set aside for something. It had some darling pictures of the girls, some letters and notes they had written, and other little bits of memorabilia that grandmas save! There were quite a few pictures - no time sequence - mainly just really cute ones of the girls that I had set aside. I just now scanned this one of Norah and Molly sometime in the late 80's when they all came back to Illinois from Michigan to visit grandma and grandpa for Christmas. I am pretty sure it was before Hannah was born. Anyway, they both had new haircuts and are as cute as can be! I just could not resist posting this picture! (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday - A Day Late

This is what a lovely young teacher in Portland, Oregon, wore for the first time on Christmas Day - which I had almost forgotten was Fashion Friday! Doug gave Molly a ring Christmas morning - how romantic is that? I was with Sherry, Barclay and Hannah opening gifts when Molly called. In a few minutes - she was on the speaker phone - she said he had given her the ring. Lots of wonderful, loud reaction to the news - some tears - what a lovely moment. Doug is welcomed by all of us with open arms. This Christmas was a little hard for Sherry and Barclay with both older girls not here. However, she knew they were both in happy places and that is so very true. Molly sent us this picture by e-mail.

I am so lazy today - but that usually happens the day after Christmas. Hope you all had a great day.

Merry Christmas from Funoldhag

A sweet Christmas picture of my three granddaughters in about 1994 - all looking cute in their bangs. How the time has flown by - in a little more than a month, Hannah will turn 21. They have been such a joy in my life and in their grandfather's life also. Merry Christmas to all my friends out there in the land of blogs. And best wishes for a happy 2010. Take care and God bless. (Click to enlarge)

Something's Missing

Several weeks ago, I ordered a big - really big - ribbon tied group of fat quarters from Hancock of Paducah. It has been here for a few days now and I have not untied the bow to see what all is inside. However, I like what I see.

As I have said before, when it comes to quilting I do not just have one area that is my main interest. I work more with some types of fabric sometimes - but love it all. Lately, I have been drawn to Civil War prints. Now isn't that a great stack of fabric?

And Christmas, I love Christmas, but the last couple of weeks before the actual day are pretty hectic even when you are an old lady and don't do all the things you used to do. This year I have been sidelined a bit with a cold and have done lots of lazing around and spinning my wheels. However, I am feeling much better and certainly can't complain as I have been so blessed with good health. I did get my cards out and packages off that needed to be sent. I still have a little shopping to do and there is still plenty of time for that. I will be with Sherry, Barclay and Hannah Christmas Eve and with them at Deb and Steve's (their bffs - great people!!) so I will being making a red cake (that is my specialty) as my contribution to dinner. Therefore, I do not have a lot of cooking to do.

So what is missing? I haven't been sewing! That will all change after the Christmas celebration. I will just relax, get done what I need to do and enjoy this lovely season! The Civil War prints (and all the other fabric down in the basement) will be there waiting to be cut and sewn. (Click to enlarge)

Hannah's Gingerbread House

During the Christmas season of 1996, I went with Hannah and Sherry to Hannah's school where everyone was making gingerbread houses. My contribution was to make royal icing for the mortar to hold the houses together. Had never made it and it was surprisingly easy to do. The houses were made from kits. Here is Hannah's house amidst the building scraps and she is painstakingly putting the M & M's on her roof. I imagine quite a bit of the material that went into the cute little structures was taste tested before it was applied.

What a lovely little house! Mom and daughter are both looking very proud of their creation. What a "sweet" memory! (Click to enlarge)

The Mystery Quilt

A few days back, I posted a picture of this quilt and could not figure out where the block was and how it went together. Several of you left comments and sent e-mails. Today there was an e-mail from Pokey with this link to a blog which explains a lot -

http://floribunda.blogspot.com/2009/12/y-not.html

It seems to be that this would be a very time consuming, though gorgeous quilt, with lots and lots of "y" seams to contend with. As pretty as I think it is, I don't think I will be trying to make it. I do thank everyone who took an interest in this. Maybe some one will decide to give it a try.

Fashion Friday

What the young mother and her two little girls wore on Christmas Eve in 1981. This is such a happy picture of all three of them. Norah is looking so cute in her little green dress with a white collar and cuffs plus a smocked insert in the bodice of her dress. Little Miss Molly is wearing what looks to be the same red nightie that big sister wore in an earlier picture, but Grandma could be wrong on that. Regardless, she is happy as can be. Wearing a hot pink sweater and a satinlike blouse, Sherry is her usual pretty self. Note that Uncle Bill has updated the reindeer's antler and has added an ornament for little Molly. In the lower right hand corner, there is a little needlepoint stocking that I made for Norah's first Christmas. That was the only one like that I did, but each girl has a strip pieced stocking that they still hang each year. The year Hannah was born, I scrambled and found some of the same fabric along with some newer pieces and made her one that came out very much like the original ones. (Click to enlarge)

Some Favorite Christmas Pictures

Here is my favorite youngest granddaughter, Hannah Alice, all dressed up in a little dress I made for her mother many years ago. There were lots of little snowmen in the fabric. How cute.

And here is Miss Molly Rose all dressed for Christmas dinner. We were all dressed very casual as we are most of the time, and before dinner Molly slipped out and came back all dressed in this pretty dress, tights and red shoes. What an "OOOOOOOH" moment for me. She is my favorite middle granddaughter.

And here is my favorite oldest granddaughter, Norah Lee, all dressed in lovely jewelry from the jewelry tin that was at grandma's house and that they all loved. Lovely reminders of Christmas's Past. (Click to enlarge)

Making Totebags

Totebags have been underway this past week and a half or so. The first one is the same pattern as the paper pieced one I did a little earlier only much faster using strips of batiks and I think just as pretty. The bag is a nice size and went together easily.

This is an oriental fabric version of the big one I did last spring in batiks and it is equally as pretty. I still have to find a button for the flap. I am thinking of covering a large button form and using that. It's just for pretty since there is velcro holding the flap down. I still want to make one more bag but I can do that a little later. Have to finish a little shopping and get things wrapped up to get on the way to people I love! (Click to enlarge)

Christmas with Our First Grandchild - 1977

Here is little Norah Lee all dressed in her little red nightie and nightcap awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus. That was the beginning of a long string of fun Christmases with Norah, Molly and Hannah. Nothing like it when the little ones are around. Christmas is special all the time, but even more so when there are kiddies.Sherry and Uncle Bill beside the card Bill made for them with an ornament bearing Norah's name on Rudolph's antler. (An added note later: If you thought you may have seen this picture before, you are right! Senior moments are coming faster and lasting longer!! However, it's a cute picture and I am going to leave it. Will try to not repeat posts!)

The Name of This Block?

Saw this picture on the internet and am trying to figure out where the block is or how it is pieced. I usually can isolate the block and tell how it goes together but this one has me stumped. I can see how the ribbon effect is done on the border. This looked like it might be a candidate for a project made with jelly roll strips that some of us exchanged at a get together (fun time, girls) last night. Don't have to worry about getting it done until next year at this time! Any ideas what this is called and how to do it? It reminds me of a caned chair seat. We traded batiks - they are so gorgeous! (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday

The model this morning is my dad, Charlie, dressed for a cold, snowy day in Illinois back in the late 60's or early 70's. I remember Dad wearing sweatshirts and wool shirts in layers - the only coat I can remember his wearing was his hunting jacket. On this cold day he is in his hunting cap, green and black checked wool shirt and khaki pants. He also wears buckled boots. Not a fashion plate, Dad was a hardy, hardworking, good man. This is another picture that Bud sent me sometime ago that I had never seen. Such a good one! (Click to enlarge)

Anyone Remember Making These?

I ran across these on the internet and they brought back memories. Back in the 1960's when we lived in Topeka, Kansas, I made some plates like these to hang on my kitchen wall. The kitchen was turquoise and white and so were the plates. I thought these were the cutest things way back when. Maybe some of you younger girls will remember your mothers having little knickknacks like this hanging around your home. The dishes were purchased at the dime store where they had all kinds of pieces of white dinnerware very cheap. In fact, at one time I had an entire set that I purchased which we used for everyday. I still have one old soup bowl left. Nowadays the dollar stores replace the five and dimes and you can still get some good bargains there. (Click to enlarge)

A Big Pot of Soup

Much to my daughter's delight, today I made a huge pot of veggie soup. I got out the old pan that has cooked many batches of soup over the years and filled it with all the good stuff that goes into that good old comfort food. It's impossible for me to make a small pot of soup, anyway. This was the perfect day - we woke up to a lot of snow on the ground, school was cancelled which gave Sherry a day off and just perfect timing for this little endeavor. It turned out great and I will have enough left for at least two or three more meals. Sher has been hinting about this for sometime now and was tickled when she found out she could bring a big pan over and take the soup home for her and Barclay to enjoy.

I also had a fun time sitting for a couple of hours with my neighbor's great granddaughter - a darling little 8 year old girl. That was such fun - reminded me of when I first moved here and Hannah would spend quite a bit of time with me. I always so loved having the girls around - and of course, I still do, but they don't want to play "Go Fish" or "Crazy Eights" anymore! Taryn can come visit me anytime. She's a sweetheart.

One other little note - Wednesday evenings the show Modern Family is on television. I am so hooked on that one - it is absolutely as funny as can be and full of quirky characters and great writing and acting. And while I am speaking of tv shows - I was in KC when Dancing With the Stars crowned their winner - a big thumbs down from this old gal. Could not believe who won! Nuff said!

Another Old Piece from the Cedar Chest

This is the center of a small piece that is probably rayon and is most likely meant to be the cover for an old baby carriage. The quilting is lovely and so is the embroidery. It is bound in pink satin - probably ribbon.

Here is a closeup of the quilting stitches and embroidery. Very nicely done. This, too, was in things that belonged to Ray's mother. However, I know that it was not something she did but I don't have any idea of who would have done it. It is very thin and may just have a piece of fabric in it for the batting.

In each corner is this pretty quilted star. This is a very pretty little piece.

Also in the cedar chest and I will take some photos one day is a quilt that Ray's mom did embroider some blocks that were published in the newspaper every week. His grandmother then evidently put it together and quilted it. After the first of the year when things are slowed down, I will pull the chest out of the closet and see what else interesting is in there that I could share. (Click to enlarge)

Jane, Tarzan and Cheetah

Tonight at the guild Christmas dinner, three of the four of us who trade the ATCs exchanged cards. Julie and I had both done posts about our cards so we knew that our great minds were in the same channel. However, when Clair came up with her card ----- there was Cheetah!! How fun is that? Debby wasn't there tonight - she is traveling - and now we wonder if she is doing Boy? Wasn't he with Tarzan, too? (Click to enlarge)

An Old Crazy Quilt Piece

I found this old crazy quilt piece in some of Ray's mother's things. It had to be an old pillowtop that had been taken apart. At one time, I am sure it was beautiful. The fabrics are mainly velveteen and the embroidery stitches are lovely, but the velveteen is worn and weak and the stitches broken and some of the floss is missing. One of the center pieces evidently had two painted flowers as a feature but they are almost gone.

The turquoise blue is very pretty and seems to have held up best of all. You can see how some of the stitching is just gone between the pieces.

Here is a part that probably was just lovely when it was new.

This shows the backing and more of the front. The fancy stitching here is very pretty. I have no idea who made this nor where Clemie got it. So many unknowns out there. Just thought you might enjoy this little piece of the past in the world of needleworkers. (Click to enlarge)

December ATCs

The theme for our artist trading cards this month is "Jungle Boogie" and here are my cards. I found this darling little "Jane" on the internet and also the cute background on another website. Jane is cutout and mounted with a little piece of sticky foam that scrapbookers use to make her stand away from the card but that doesn't show up in the picture very well. (Click to enlarge)

Those Joann Coupons

Don't those Joann coupons just burn a hole in your pocket? Seems almost like you have to use the darned things and it is so hard to find something not on sale already. A couple of days before I went to Kansas City I found this book -
and it is absolutely beautiful. The patterns are so very pretty and the quilt artist used batiks and regular fabrics in her blocks. I think they are splendid.

Even though I have done many different types of blocks in the many years I have been quilting and liked all of them, I have never found anything I love more than applique.

This quilt, although there is only one block of applique, is absolutely a stunner. The colors just scream out at me - and what a lovely bit of photography with the stones and the green hydrangeas. It's a mystery to me how I will ever get all the quilts made that are in my head -maybe I will have a senior moment and forget about them!! Just joshing! (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday

I have two old Spiegel catalogs that I saved - one from 1961 and one from 1965. A week or so ago I did a post on my other blog related ot the oldest one. By far the most interesting fact about the catalogs is what was not in them - no digital cameras, cd players, etc. In fact, there have been a lot of things that have come and gone since then. In the picture above is an example of the dresses - and the prices - that were popular at the time along with the hairdos. Actually, I really liked that style a lot and remember having a bright red one.

I started thinking about sizes - I cannot remember for the life of me ever seeing any size 0, 2 or 4 in stores back then. Size 6 and 8 were very tiny and 10 and 12 were just about perfect. So I turned to the size chart in the old catalog------------

and look - size 5 is smaller than size 0 today. Sizing has been changed drastically in the 48 years since the old catalog was published. So this can either make a person feel better about the size being worn - or lots worse when you think about what it would have been had sizes not been changed. I don't even want to think about what my size would be on the old chart!!! (Click to enlarge)

A Great Tip I Got From Kathy

I hope you can get an idea from these pictures how to sandwich the layers of a quilt using a great tip I got from one of the girls in our guild who does just beautiful machine quilting. She uses little strips of fusible web to hold everything together. I actually took the web from the release paper of wonder under and cut little strips, laid them on the batting (starting in the center) then unfolded the top and ironed it to the batting. I was careful not to press the embroidery that I had in the blocks. It only takes a few strips for each side - the middle, and left and right sides.

If you enlarge this, you can see the web, I think. Otherwise, it sure is a blank canvas, right?

After you have put down the web, fold the back over and iron. Presto, it's all ready to go to the machine. Thanks, Kathy!! It's a keeper. (Click to enlarge)

Back Home Again

Returned home late last night from Kansas City after a great weekend with my family. My new grandson's mother spends time house and pet sitting in a wonderful home overlooking the Country Club Plaza which is lit and ablaze with Christmas lights on Thanksgiving night for the season. On Friday night, she had us all down for wine and snacks - what fun. It was almost like a repeat of Norah and Chad's wedding on Mackinac Island in September. Here are my three granddaughters - I kind of like them!!!! Will post more later. Hope you all had a great holiday, also. Now on to Christmas - and it will arrive quickly! (Click to enlarge)

Have a Lovely Thanksgiving!

In the morning, I fly to Kansas City to spend Thanksgiving with my family. Sherry, Barclay and Hannah are driving and Molly is flying in from Portland. They will all stay with Norah and Chad and I will stay with Bill and Ann. It is always so good to be together - it's always fun when we're together. I am so thankful for my family and for the fact that I have been blessed with good health and still able to get around quite well for my age. Have a wonderful day, eat lots of good stuff and I will be back in a week. Hugs, Carol

To the Art Fair

Sherry picked me up this afternoon and we went out for a nice lunch then over to the art fair at the Center for the Arts that is held every year at this time. The artists are juried in and all of the booths are filled with lovely goodies to buy - I am sure much Christmas shopping is done there each year. There are lots of ceramics, jewelry, wood carvings--and some of the most beautiful felted wool articles in the way of tams, flowers, vests, scarves, jackets, etc. If I were young and wealthy and thin (I don't think that's going to happen!) I would love to wear things like that. However, I can still enjoy looking at them and dreaming a bit. I usually don't buy much of anything, but today a booth with this beautiful candle holder and other great items caught our eyes and I really just thought this is one of the prettiest things I have seen in a long time. I love candles and especially ones that twinkle through mosaic like exteriors. Can you see the real flower that is integrated in the holder somehow? Isn't that just the coolest thing? Sherry wanted to buy it for me, but I will let her find something else and call this a Christmas present for me from me. Merry Christmas, Carol! (Click to enlarge)

The Tote Bag

The "icicles" totebag is finished and hung on the knob of the old chest of drawers to have it's picture taken. (When I enlarged the picture, I could see that the old drawer pull is loose and I need to get a screwdriver and tighten the screw!) It went together pretty well although I would not ever do the lining again as they instructed. It was different than the usual way of making the lining and the bag, taking the darts in the bottoms of each, sewing the tops together with the bag inside the lining and tucking the lining in the bag. Of course, top stitching comes after that. They had you take the whole flat bag and flat lining and sew across the top, then open it out, fold in half and sew the three sides, leaving a space for turning. The darts had to be made before turning. That was the awkward part. After the paperpiecing was done, I stitched in the ditch around each icicle and just the wavy running lines on the bands. Also made a bottom for the inside by covering some rigid cardboard with the lining fabric. I am very happy with it. (Click to enlarge)

Fashion Friday

Nelle and her friend, Ruth, in their finery ready for a lovely day. Ruth's lovely outfit consists of a dress or skirt of taffeta with a double ruffle around the bottom and she is wearing a pretty belted three-quarter coat. Her shoes are white as are her stockings. She carries a lovely metal purse with a pretty chain handle. A really pretty high crowned hat that has a flower feature on on the top completes her ensemble. Nelle is looking very stylish in what seems to be a two piece dark suit that has button and piping trim on the sleeves and pocket. She, too, is wearing white shoes and they are the high top button style. More ornate than Ruth's, Nelle's hat is the same high crown type with a lovely floral cluster on the side. Two very pretty ladies on a lovely day in Peoria, Illinois, way back somewhere around 1920. Were they on their way to Glen Oak Park? (Click to enlarge)

What a Disappointment

Did you watch Dancing With the Stars tonight? I am soooooo disappointed and so surprised that Joanna and Derrick were voted off. I was sure the finals would be Joanna, Maya and Kelly - and
not Donny. He was okay but certainly not as good as Joanna. Bah, Humbug!

A Pretty Evening Sky

I enjoy the little condo I live in a lot, but there certainly is not anything in the way of scenery to look at. All the little houses are painted a brown that I never would have picked out and the carports have no doors. I am by no means knocking this place, though, as there are some really nice people here and the board takes good care of everything. I was on the board for a long time and this is a unique little complex and it's really the perfect spot for me. I digress, as usual, since what I wanted to do was comment on this beautiful sunset I photographed a couple of evenings ago. I held the camera high to get as little of the buildings as possible. You can't see a lot of the sky here but that evening what you could see was so very pretty. I loved the bare tree silhouetted against the pinks and mauves of sunset. Digital cameras are such fun and the photos so clear and beautiful. (Click to enlarge)

Icicle Totebag

This is a pattern I found on the RJR fabric company website that I thought was pretty cute. I have one side paperpieced and the other ready to go. Using oriental fabrics that I already have.

This is what it will look like - when I printed out the pattern I did it on draft so the color isn't good but you can still see what it is. I needed to start something else, right? You can find this pattern at http://www.rjrfabrics.com/patterns/patterns_search.cfm. All of the fabric companies have lots of pretty free patterns that you can download. Moda, Hoffman, etc. all offer lots of great projects. And Moda Bake Shop is another really cool website. (Click to enlarge)