Fare Thee Well

 I began this blog in January of 2008.  For the past 13 years, and in 1,680 posts, I have tried to write content that is positive, encouraging, and perhaps even a bit inspirational.

Imagine my surprise when my Friday inbox included a notice from The Google that my post titled, "Birthday Cards," was deemed to contain unacceptable content.  Birthday cards!  Pictures of birthday cards!  You've seen the cards I make.  Have you ever found them to have any sort of unacceptable content?

The following day, they notified me that after further study, they decided to allow the post to be reinstated.  However, it was not returned to my active blog.  It had reverted to "draft" status.  I reread it.  It was short and sweet and harmless.  I don't dare activate it again, since I'll likely be awarded a second black mark from almighty google for my errant ways.

And so, it seems the time has come for me to say goodbye.

I have enjoyed my blogging experience, but I enjoy freedom from censorship more.

The Lord bless you, and keep you;

 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;

2The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.’  Numbers 6:24-26

Easter Eggs

 As I was trying to update the blog layout, I realized I neglected to show you the Easter Egg postcards taht I made for my grandchildren.  Here they are:

The backs were indicators (to me) of who they went to.  I later wrote their names on them, along with the year.

I'm sure I've missed a lot more post material over the past month.  Sorry about that!!

Busy, busy!

So Busy!

 I can't believe it's been more than a month since I last posted.  So much for my "be back soon" goal.  hahaha!  The year is getting away from me!!

I made a few more birthday cards over the past month:

These two were made and mailed as postcards.

This was made for a friend who just turned...yep, you guessed it!...90!

We had another Zoom class this month, taught by Lynn Koolish.  It was called ColorPOP.  She taught the class in two sessions, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Here is my finished project:

I've been hitting the few estate sales that have come to my attention.  My sister was here recently, and found this painting for me, at Visalia Antiques.  She then encouraged me to put together a gallery wall.

I do have a LOT of paintings and framed art, so I agreed it was a great idea.  But how?  She sent a link to a youtube video that described making patterns of your artwork, placing them on the wall, and then using them to place nails and hang the paintings.

I only made one nail hole for each painting (well, except for the ones that required 2 nails).  It came out perfectly!  Perhaps I should do this in the living room too!

Last but not least, is the house in Cambria.  We have been busy painting, as we await our turn on the Foundation Guy's schedule.

The back bedroom had been white.  We painted it blue, with white woodwork.

The back bathroom was pale yellow.

We painted it white, as I try to decide what other color(s) I might prefer.

The beige hall

is now white.  I need to go back, and finish the woodwork.

An interesting note is that the house, with the mold/mildew issues, had retained some of the smell in the walls.  We used a primer by Zinsser called "Odor Killer."  It works!!  I had been told I MUST use shellac, but "be sure to turn off all gas, and be careful because it's explosive."  !!!  A different salesman suggested Odor Killer, so I tried it.  It works amazingly well.  

We are working our way through the house, back to front, first coating everything with Odor Killer primer, then following with walls, then woodwork.  It is a slow process, but oh, so worth it!!

I would be remiss if I did not leave you with a picture from the beach.

Happy Quilting!

More Birthday Cards

 March is a month filled with birthdays.  In my last post, I shared the cards I made for my son and my granddaughter.  This past week, I finished two more cards for friends.  I haven't done much sewing, but some is better than none, right?

I found these fish faces in a bin.  I'm not sure what I had planned for them, but I think this is effective, no?

Estate sales continue to be few and far between.  However one popped up last weekend, that had several nautical-themed things and kitties.  I LOVE this painted rock!!  I keep expecting it to begin purring.

My garden has a single iris bloom.  Hopefully it is a herald of many blooms to come.  This one is in the backyard, in an iris patch that has rarely bloomed over the past 10 years.  The neighbor cut down seven trees from the fence line, so these plants are getting much more sun than ever before.  I look forward to seeing what color iris I have planted back there.  

And that's all I've got for now.  Hopefully I'll have more to post later this month.

Happy Quilting!

Birthday Cards

 A couple of weeks ago, I had cataracts surgery, so I haven't been doing a lot of sewing.  I finished the Jean Impey class, but only have 9 stars on my design wall.  I'm not sure if/when I will get back to them.  There's so much to do, and I seem to be lacking time to get things done.

But yesterday, I took the time to make a couple of birthday cards.  My middle son, when asked what he wanted for his birthday, replied, "World Peace."  yeah, yeah, okay.  He's said this before.  I made a card similar to the one I gave him the last time he said he wanted World Piece.  Here is this year's card:

It should fit with the first World Piece, though I'm not sure what kind of map it will create.  In looking at the fabric, it does not seem to have the entire world, just a small portion of it, repeated again and again.  oh well.

The other card I made is for my oldest granddaughter.  Her tenth birthday is next week.  I can't believe she is ten years old.  wow!

And that's all I've got for now.  Hopefully my eyes will settle and I will become more productive as I get used to seeing intense colors.  I am amazed by how washed out I'd thought the world had become.  

Happy Quilting!!

Quilt(s) for Sale

 A few years ago, I was a member of SAQA, Studio Art Quilt Associates.  As a member, I enjoyed participating in their trunk shows and fundraisers.  I am no longer a member, but I received an email from them earlier this month.  I kept meaning to post it, I'm finally getting around to it.

I made a little quilt for the 2017 SAQA traveling trunk show.  The trunks have finished their travels, and some of the little quilts are now for sale.  When I say "little," I mean 10"x7".  Very little.

"Sunset Sea"

This was my contribution.  It is now for sale on the SAQA website, through the end of February.  The remaining quilts for sale are listed in alphabetical order, by artist.  You can find them here.

I love seeing the myriad of designs and techniques that are exhibited in such a small space.  After looking at the web page, I want to make more small art quilts.  But for now?  I have a few larger, more traditional quilts on my cutting/sewing tables.  I'd best finish them before starting something new.

Thank you for looking!

Be Mine, Valentine(s)

 For a change, I realized that Valentine's Day was quickly approaching...in early February.  I made plans to make valentines for my grandchildren, then realized I was running out of time.  Quick!!  Stitch those hearts!

Above shows the tops, below are the backs.  There is a bunny, for P, who was born in the year of the rabbit.  There are puppies for A, who LOVES dogs.  There are street signs for truck-loving J, books for F, and balls for the youngest, H.  Hopefully each will recognize his/her own valentine.  If not, I will.

Not wanting their parents to feel overlooked, I also made cards for my sons and their wives.  The boys will be here for breakfast with the children.  Two of the wives will be absent because of work.

As with the cards for the grands, I went with themed backgrounds.  Patriotic for A, cowgirl for A; strawberries for M, wood for A; woods for M, and measuring sticks for D.  A well-rounded bunch, for sure!

As I was sewing, I ran across this red background for a card, which I began in December.  I decided to finish it off as a valentine-ish birthday card for a friend.  I usually make winter-themed cards for her, since her birthday is in early February.  This one is quite different.

On Friday, I took part 1 of a Zoom class with Jean Impey.  The class is called "Twinkle," and it focuses on making Liberated Stars.  My design wall already had a UFO in residence.  hmmm.  These seem to play well together.  I wonder if they'll end up as a single piece?

Yesterday, I realized that with all of the valentines I'd already made, I'd yet to make one for my Valentine.  I spent the morning piecing this little house (the color of our big house), and trying to personalize it a bit.  Each year, I make a valentine for him.  You can see more of them here.  I'm sure I had another post with ALL of the valentines I've made for my husband, but apparently I neglected to tag it.  sigh.

In other news, I went to an estate sale on Friday, and had happy hunting.  I found this cement pagoda, that reminds me of my mom.  She had one similar, in her front yard.

I also found this pair of iris lamps.  I bought them for Cambria House, but may end up keeping them here.  I really like them!

And speaking of Cambria House, work continues.  I pulled up carpet last week, and found that the floor beneath the window is squishy and falling.  Not only does it need to be replaced, but the subflooring as well.  But first, the foundation.

All in all, the vacation home will be an adventure.  It may look like the above today, but that will change.  In contrast, it is a mile or two from the ocean, which also changes...but is always there, should we wish to visit.

And with that, I've got a breakfast to assemble before heading off to church.

Happy Valentine's Day!

And, Blink! It's February!

 Where do the days go?  I wish I had a pile of quiltie pictures to share, but I do not.  I have spent some time with fabric, but not much that has been productive.  Well, there was one old UFO, that was "fixed."

In 2014, we made basket blocks for our outgoing guild President.  I finished my basket, but did not find the time to fill it.  I turned it in "as is," and thought I'd either fill it later, or make a replacement block.

Last month, Leslie returned the basket, with the request to "fill it with flowers, please."  Alrighty then.  No more procrastination, (though you'll have to admit that 6 years was a pretty impressive delay, right?)

Above is the "before."  Below is the "after."  I think it finished well.  I am glad that I was given a second chance to improve it.  I no longer cringe when I see it.

I've been working on Bonnie Hunter's Grassy Creek Mystery.  Though the last clue was revealed a while back, I am still working my way through.  This picture was taken a few weeks ago.  I'm currently plugging away at clue #5.

Cambria House is a work in progress.  When we first bought it, I thought, "It just needs a bit of TLC."  But now?  It's not so much Tender Loving Care that is needed...it's Tough Love.

Following our noses, we've tried to find the source(s) of a lingering musty/mildewy odor.  When I pulled up the carpet in the front bedroom?  I think I found the culprit.  The floor and subflooring are collapsing under the window.  We have foundation experts scheduled for ASAP, which might still be a month out or longer.  Once the foundation is stabilized, we'll be hiring an expert to work on the subfloor and floor.  We'd like to replace the wood floor with another wood floor.  It really is beautiful, though it is showing its age.  (This part of the house is at least 80 years old.)

Our other big news is the recent announcement of grandchild #6, due in September.

Many people are ruing these days, but I've learned it is much better to learn to give thanks in ALL things.  When one learns to do that, eyes are opened, and abundant blessings are found all around.

Happy February, quiltie friends!

A 2020 Finish

 In looking through my "recent" posts, I see that I never posted about a fun Zoom class that our guild offered back in November.  The class was with the Material Girlfriends, and was called "Rosie Runner."  We had planned our annual guild retreat, but since that was cancelled?  We met together online via Zoom instead.

It was great fun to dig through my scrap box, rather than cut into new yardage.  I found that I had a LOT of scrap reds to play with.  woohoo!

I think I got this far on the project during the course of the day:

Here is the finished table runner:

Here is is, in context:

When a friend saw that I was making this, she called dibs.  I sent it to her, and she sent a picture of the runner in use.  I smiled when I saw that they liked the fabric on the back, as much as the top.

Other than that?  We continue to do work on our new property.  This week, the termites are being dealt with.  Next week?  The Mold Doctor will see what he can do to rid us of the icky stuff.  The job will involve removing and replacing dry wall and insulation.  Fun stuff!  But his expectation is for it to take a mere 2-3 days, so perhaps it is not all that involved after all...if you know what you are doing.  He comes highly recommended.  I'm so excited!!

And I guess that's going to do it for now.

Happy Quilting!

Estate Sale Treasures

 One of my favorite things to do on a weekend is to poke through an estate sale, or two, or three.  2020 was a horrible year for them, what with the lockdown and all.  But I keep my eyes open and my ears to the ground, and every once in a while, one will come to my attention.  This happened last month...or was it the month before?  It's kind of blurring.  Anyway, one of our dear guild members passed away in the Fall, and her house was cleared out.  I heard about the sale, and off I went.

I was most interested in her quilts, primarily because I had quilted one of them several years back.  I put hours upon hours into it, and cringed when I gave her the bill.  But she LOVED it.  It was in the estate sale, for about 10% of what I charged her to quilt it.

Oh, look at that.  It HAS been years since I quilted that quilt!  This is an old picture, taken when I finished the quilting.  In the years since, I've peeled off that wallpaper, and painted the wall...purple!  I hadn't even thought about putting it on our bed yet.  I should try that and see how it looks.  wow!

Above is a close-up of the quilting.  It is an over-sized queen.  As I said, it took hours to quilt it.  I couldn't believe it was up for grabs at the estate sale.

Next is another quilt of Phyllis', that I bought at the sale.  This one is flannel, and oh, so cozy!  I had just washed it, dried it, and was letting it dry even more in this quick photo.  (A friend wondered if this was a quilt she had quilted for Phyllis.  It wasn't.)

On her bulletin board were her ribbons.  Beautiful memories!

And finally, the piece de resistance:  Her President's Quilt, from 1993.

Each year, our outgoing guild president is presented with a box full of blocks.  When Phyllis' year ended, I had been in charge of her quilt.  I had asked everyone to make their favorite 12" (finished) block, and to sign it on the outside, so that we would know whose block it was.  Then I set them together, in a way that would give us some space to quilt.

I love the variety, don't you?  The only problem with the plan, was that Phyllis did not do much hand quilting.  We began quilting it at one of the first Best of the Valley quilt shows, and I hadn't seen it since.  When I would ask her about it, she would shake her head and say she didn't know what happened to it.

Once I finish my "current" - and I use the phrase loosely - hand quilting project, this is what I want to tackle next.  It is actually close to half done.  Quilted in the 90's, it does not have the sort of elaborate quilting that you usually see nowadays.  It's more functional quilting, to hold the 3 layers together, with little more than stitch in the ditch.  I may finish it with that, and then decide if it needs a bit more.

So, that's what I've got for today.  Some older quilts, once again seeing the light of day.  There's nothing better than a quilt made with love, to wrap up in, on a cold winter's day.

Happy Quilting!