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!

Checking In

Wow!  Hard to believe it's been a month since I last posted.  The days are flying by quickly.  2020 will soon be a memory if it keeps advancing at this rate!

We spent the second week of February in Oceanside, CA.  Hubby was there for the first part of the week.  I spent the second part hunkered down with my quilting.

 I had a view of the water from my upstairs suite.  Very nice!!  At one point I worked on this wonky fish quilt, but it wasn't coming out the way I'd hoped.

 Eventually I switched back to "Two Beauties," and was able to finish it in time to enter in the Best of the Valley Quilt Show.  The entry deadline was February 14.  Acceptance letters went out this past weekend.

I was busy finishing the facing on Valentine's Day, so hubby had to wait a few days for his valentine.  I decided that our little beach getaway was the perfect inspiration.

 Earlier in the week, I'd put together this valentine for our oldest granddaughter.  She will soon be 9.  I used a hand towel that I'd found at an estate sale sometime during the past year.

 I had lots of quilted scraps that I put together for granddaughter #2's valentine.

 Her valentine was 2-sided, and stuffed like a tiny pillow.

Granddaughter #3's valentine was stuffed, with a rattle inside.

 It was also 2-sided.

 Granddaughter #4's heart was also stuffed, with a rattle.  If I remember correctly, both sides were similar.

 Last, but not least, our grandson's stuffed heart also contained a rattle.

 His had this cute bird fabric on the back.  Very baby boy manly, in my opinion.

And there you go.  Some stitching has been happening, but not a lot.  From now until the end of April, the quilt show will be my priority.  Goals are good!

My Week in Pictures

A Cat and A Valentine

When I talk about our cats, Malcolm, Edgar and Charlie are the stars. Many people think we only have the three of them. But we don't. We also have a fourth cat, a spooky little almost blind little gal named Hecate. (It's pronounced Heh-Ka-Tee, like one of the witches in MacBeth.)

I have no idea where she spends her days. It is a mystery. But once the sun goes down, she's on our porch. And first thing in the morning, she'll even think about stepping foot inside.


This is about as close as she comes.

I go to get the camera, and she turns tail and takes off.

She used to be all white, with some Siamese tips to her face and feet. She's so dark now, that I often do not recognize her.

Even though she can barely see, that doesn't stop her from climbing trees or dancing across the rooftops.

You've heard of stop and smell the roses? She stops to smell the bamboo...or anything else around her. I am certain that she navigates by sound and smell and everything but sight.

I took a very nice picture of Pete's valentine, and Blogger flipped it. Flippin' Blogger!

For some reason, the lesser photo was acceptable.

Number 3 on my February Goals List was "Make valentines." I made one. One is better than none.

Do you like the beaded picot trim I created around the edge? That is the one skill I learned from Thom Adkins that made his class last year worth the time. The center heart is velvet.

And on that, I'll wish you a Happy Valentine's Day!!!

***The new printer is an HP Photosmart Plus. It doesn't have any visible numbers. The blurb promised it would "print/copy/scan." The good news is that was 1/3 the cost of the last one, and the quality of photo printing is better. The bad news is that I can no longer do two-sided printing or booklets or any of the things I need to do for BOTV that apparently I took for granted. *sigh* Do I need to get yet ANOTHER printer?

I didn't know it didn't do these things until I tried to do them. terrific. And if two-sided printing is the very first thing I tried to do, you can assume, and be correct in assuming, that I use that feature daily. arg.

A Use For Red

I've been trying to finish my "Flower Fades" quilt. As with last week, "all I have left are binding and the dimensional applique." This is what the flowers looked like, before I began messing with them.

Perhaps I should have used extra batting, but I didn't. I had to do something, to rescue the quilt from its two dimensions.

I turned to the reds.

I basted around the edge of the piecework, then zig-zag-basted across the body of the piece. You may be able to see the stitching, if you click on the image.

Then I started pulling on the basting threads.

I'm trying to cover the original red quilted ruff with dimension.

Here it is, all pinned in place.

Here's another view.

It's taking a long time to sew it down, because not only am I sewing around the edges, but I am picking up each basting thread and sewing it in place. Hopefully by the time I make it around, the fabric will be secure. I suspect I will have to do some additional tacking, to be sure it stays put.

I've sewn about halfway around the first flower. My husband saw it, and asked, "Is that a flower?" yes. "Is it a coxcomb?" yes. "woohooo! I got it right!!" woohoo! He got it right.

Maybe that's because every year for the past 20 years I've been planting coxcomb from seed. Every year I have a crop of beauties like this:

My husband never asks about my quilts or quilting, and very rarely shows any interest in either.

Yet, every year I make him a valentine. This year's edition is already underway, made with leftovers. The heart is red velvet, from Adam's' Santa suit.

2011 valentine, in progress. Measures 6" square

And since we're in the season of love, I thought I'd show you this photo. From l to r we've got Malcolm, Edgar, and Charlie. If I thought my house was cold, they proved me right. Why else would they be so piled on top of each other?

Malcolm hasn't been feeling very well lately, but I guess when you've put almost 11 years with his kind of mileage on a cat, he has a right to feel poorly.

And that's what I've got for now. I have a quilt-for-hire awaiting my attention, a valentine to finish, and some more tacking down of dimensional applique to do before the day is done. Enjoy your weekend!!