Moving..............

I was born in Iowa.  I still have kin there and several close friends.  I am sure that anyone who reads this blog has heard me say "it is hot."   Last year about did me in.  I honestly don't think I can do another year of day in and day out, week after week, month after month of 90 degree plus weather and humidity on top of it.  I have several other reasons for deciding to pick up and move but the above is a good one.  So, hopefully sometime before it gets hot, my house will be sold and I will trek north to Iowa. 

Iowa of course is not perfect.  It does get cold and sometimes it gets really cold.  I am retired, I don't have to do anything I don't want to do, I can stay inside and quilt.  There is nothing prettier than watching snow falling.  And since I can stay in and look at it I don't have to put up with the negatives. 

For the last several weeks I have been on Zillow.com and Realtor.com looking for that perfect house that will suit what I need and a little of what I want.  I have been keeping a spread sheet, in that way, I can easily compare houses that I like and look at the pros and cons at the same time.  I will let you know how my hunt goes. 

Now quilting..............


Forever Grateful
 

This quilt is one that I started at a retreat.  There is 27 pieces in a block.  It takes time to make one.  I managed to get a few made at that retreat.  I brought it home put it away and the next year I dug it out for retreat.  I made a few more blocks.  I put it away.  Then I decided that it would be my project when sewing with the Stitch and Cackle Quilt Circle group.  I got a few more blocks done.  Then I decided that if I was ever going to finish this quilt I would have to work on it more.  So I did, but then, I got bored and you know what happens when I get bored.  So it is languishing on my design wall waiting for me to get the quilt off the top of it that I am presently working on.

Hope all is well with you..............

Quilts finished, The Idiot's Corner, It is Hot

It is Hot...............
Southern Louisiana.........is it hotter than normal?   It feels like it.  I can't wait for winter.  I am sick of my summer clothes, I am tired of being hot.  My flower garden needs weeding and there is no way I am going out there and suffer.  It will just have to look bad.  I think everyone up north should put one of those wind "things" that produce electricity in their yard.  Point it towards Louisiana, we would be cool and you could blow our hurricanes (when we have them) back to the gulf.  I think that is a great idea.  The government would probably put it in your yard.  Now, I know if you live in Arizona it is hot, but you don't have humidity.  I'm through whining.  I feel better.

Quilts tops are finished.............

Eyelashes for a Lady

This is a quilt that has been on my design wall for a longgggg time.  I decided I just have to finish it.  Actually I would like to get it quilted.  I probably will do it myself, but at the moment, I have another on George.  This is a Judy Neimeyer pattern.  She named this pattern Tumbleweeds, it is appropriate.  It does look like Tumbleweeds.  But you know me, I looked at it and saw eyelashes.   Those of you who know and those of you who don't know (now do) the curved piece with the points is known as The New York Beauty or Lady Liberty.  Lady Liberty does not have eyelashes.  I decided that if she had a box of false eyelashes they would look like this quilt.  I have not seen Lady Liberty up close, so I don't know what size her eyes are.  If they are really big, and  I sort of think they are, she might have to put all the pieces of one color on one eye.  Wouldn't that be jazzy with one eye one color and the other eye another color?  Dress that lady up................

This quilt was supposedly one of my quick quilts.  I pulled this line of fabric plus a couple more pieces out of my stash.  It really does have a pattern to it.  The pattern is not based on the 4 patch squares but on the 4" block.  I did them by color.  If you set down with a piece of paper you could figure it out.  This quilt took me longer because I was using 3 pieces of fabric with the same background color.  It would have been easier if I had used four and I think it would have looked better.  This is a Sharie scrappy since Sharie cannot do scrappy.  I have not named this quilt top as yet.  I need to give it some thought.  By time, I get the back made, and I am ready to quilt it, I will have come up with something.

The Idiot's Corner...........
I try really hard to ignore what is going on in the world.  But now and then, there is some idiot that comes up with a stupid idea that they want us all to abide by.   A few days ago, I got up in the morning, read my email, went to my news page to see what was going on in the world.  This hit me in the face.  Seattle, wants to ban the words brown-bag and citizen because they are potentially offensive.  I went to Komo News (in Seattle) on the net, found the article and proceeded to tell them what I thought of the idiot who came up with the idea.  Of course he was in the Civil Rights Division, which means he does not have common sense.  I also sent the same emails to Mr. Bronstein of the Civil Rights Division.  Mr. Bronstein did write me back with a huge excuse trying to cover his butt.  That really ticked me off.  Can you imagine going to jail or being sued for saying the words brown-bag or citizen.  All this guy is trying to do, not make this a better country, but gain power for himself. 

Hope you all have a cooler day than I have.  Hope all is well.

Yethi Says it is Hot, Quilts and Bug Bites

Fire Ants....




One
week ago
tomorrow, I was out watering a flower bed.  Anyone living in the south is familiar with Fire Ants.  Some living out of the south have probably heard of them.  Fire Ants build mounds, and it is unbelievable how many ants there can be in a mound.  I have found that if I take a broomstick and punch several holes in them, the ants come swarming out.  Then I take cheap iodized salt (sometimes at 25 cents a box) and I sprinkle it on top of the mound.  This usually works the first time, but if not the second time, you never see those ants again.  Now back to my story, I was watering.  When I finished I was curling up the hose to put it away, I looked down and I had ants to my knees.  Thankfully, I had on jeans, socks and shoes.  I started patting at them and then decided to wash them off.  I was lucky, I only had 5 bites.  I think I am allergic to them.   In the picture that is one bite.  They burn, they hurt and they itch.  I woke up two nights in a row scratching.  They are not fun.  Today, that bite is about the size of a quarter.  Thankfully all of them quit itching about 3 days ago.

The problem with the mounds is when you mow your yard, you mow over the top and then when you are walking in the grass you can't see them.  That is why I didn't know that the ants were there.  I try to keep the ants out of my back yard because of my dogs.  It is a fenced area, so that is the area that I am most concerned about.  Fire Ants can kill a cow, can you imagine a poor dog. 

Yethi says it is hot.............


First the Back

I bought this fan a while back.  I keep it in my office.  Central air (I have two) just cannot keep the house cool.  Between the heat and the humidity, it is an impossible  feat.  Yethi discovered this fan.  Notice on the back picture her hair is split. 

And Now the Front










Quilting....
This is the center of a scrappy quilt that I have been working on.  It is not quite put together.  I hope to have the borders on by the next time I blog. 

Hope all is well with you.

A Movie and a New Quilting Product

Movie.............
Yesterday,  I went with a group numbering 7 of us to lunch and then to see the movie "The Lone Ranger."  If you have not seen it, go see it.  It is great, it is funny, it is good entertainment.  It was so nice to go to movie that you didn't hear a cuss word every other word.  The professional critics of this movie should be sued by Disney.  They have probably cost them millions of dollars.  Now for what reason????  Do these people get paid off???   They certainly did not see the same movie I saw or there is something wrong with their moral compass.  I read an article the day before I went about how Johnny Depp is losing his pull.  I hope Johnny Depp keeps doing what he is doing.  I am not a particular fan of his.  I have not seen all of his movies, but this guy who wrote this article was completely overboard with his opinion.   Go see the movie, I think you will like it, expect to be entertained. 

New Product..............
Have you ever made a quilt and had a terrible time getting the corners sharp and the binding filled?  One morning I woke up about 5:30 and it was not daylight.  It is a long story but I don't like to get up unless the sun is up.  So I closed my eyes and laid there.  The night before I was binding a quilt.  I started thinking about that binding and then it popped into my little brain.................This is the result.......

 



 

Sharie's Binding Corner's and Sharie's Binding Strips. 

The corners and strips are meant for a 1/4 inch finished binding.  A glue stick and binding clips would be helpful.  The corners and strips are applied to the seam of your binding after the binding is put on the quilt and before you hand-sew the binding to the back of the quilt.  Instructions are included in the packaging.

For purchasing and shipping charges, please contact me at 
kinhistorian@camtel.net  


...Binding Corners are 4 to a package @ $3.00 per package
...Binding Strips are 2 at 50" in length for $4.00
per package. 
...Binding Strips are 4 at 50" in length for $7.50
per package

Quilt............


Iowa Country Roads

I have just finished this lap quilt.  I enjoyed quilting it on George.  I have lots of tops that need to be quilted so George and I are going to be busy.  I named this quilt "Iowa Country Roads."  It takes a little imagination but if you know anything about roads in the country in Iowa, it is a good name.


Nebraska, Kitty Kat, and Quilting...........

Nebraska - International Quilt Study Center and Museum

I want to touch on one of the galleries at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum at Lincoln, NE.   This particular gallery had Janet Finley's pictures on display.  The museum curators picked certain pictures, had them blown up to a very large size and then found a quilt to match the quilt in the picture from their collection and displayed it

with the pictures.  This exhibition was very well done. 

Janet Finley and I had our picture taken in front of this picture.  The museum had this quilt displayed on the opposite wall.  The quilt is absolutely beautiful.  Click on this picture so you can see the quilt better.  

If you are interested Janet Finley's book can be purchased through Amazon.com.  Check my right column for details. 

Janet Finley and Sharie

Kitty Kat
JAC (Just A Cat)

This is JAC.  She loves to watch me sew.   I think she is a ham.  I think she likes to get her picture taken.  She must think it is a good thing, because I am talking sweetly to her.  She has a squeaky meow and she likes to talk to me. 


 

 
























Quilting..........

As you all know since I harp on it a lot, I am trying to use up lots of my fabric in my stash.  This is one of those quilts.  It goes together really really fast.  It is a quilt that if you needed one for a gift in a hurry you could make it in a short period of time.  I made this with the "Late Bloomers" line from Moda.  I have enough of this fabric to make two quilts with each a pieced back and I am sure I will have fabric left over. 

Cabin Fever & Take 5 or is it 6 & a Flying Saucer

Cabin Fever..........

Cabin Fever - fabric

In my last posting, I mentioned that I had ordered the pattern Cabin Fever by Judy Niemeyer.  It came........  To do a 72x72 inch quilt you need 72 fat quarters.  I went to the garage, it is where I keep most of my stash and all of my batiks.  I started pawing through the batiks.  Not to repeat any of the fabric and to have a big enough piece, I came up with nearly all of my 72 pieces.  Tomorrow, I may go to QB, I have a class to attend, so will take my list and see what I can find to round out all the fabric I will need to make the quilt.
                                                                          
 Take 5 or maybe it is 6.........


Take 5 or maybe it is 6

 The girls I quilt with (Cackle & Stitch Sewing Circle),  found a pattern that they thought we should all make.  It calls for 5 fabrics.  The fabrics I wanted to use were in my stash (see I am serious about using my stash).  I have had the fabric a long time and I am sure that I could not find them if I went looking and really did not want to.  So,  I picked another color from my stash and I am using 2 fabrics for my number 5.  Also instead of making five different squares I am making 6. 

On the large squares I am embroidering (machine) quilt patterns.  I am using "request" batting.  Then I am trimming that batting up to the embroidery.  When I quilt it it will have a double layer of batting under the embroidery.  I think this will work.  I am sure it has been done before.  This is suppose to be a quick quilt.  Of course it would be quicker if I didn't embroider it.

Flying Saucer

I have had a flag pole in my yard for many years.  The flag is suppose to be lit at night.  I have tried several different ways to light it.  I have tried electric lights - the yardman ( not the one I have now) somehow managed to mess them up.  Then, I decided solar is the way to go.  The trouble with solar ( although they have gotten better) they just don't throw light to a far enough distance.  Not long ago, I found this light.  It is placed under the ball of the flag.  The top has solar panels on it and underneath is a lot of lights (I didn't count).  A friend's husband put it up for me yesterday.  It has to charge.  I am hopeing  tonight that it will have charged enough.  Doesn't it look like a flying saucer?????  Click on picture, the top of the flag should be easier to see. 

Hope all is well.

The Queen and Etc...........

Yethi - The Queen

Yethi........
This is Yethi.  She think she's a queen.  I went in to make my bed and here she is snoring away.  The picture of comfort.  She had a hair cut last week.  I had the groomer cut her short.  Her hair is a lot to take care of.  She is really a beautiful dog with or without hair. 

Quilting......
I have not worked on my nine-patch this week.  I am binding two quilts.  Both must be done.  One is for my brother.  It is his birthday present.  It is late.  The other quilt is being entered in a show in March.  I am quickly running out of time.  In a few days I will be back at it.  I am anxious to finish the nine-patch quilts, I think they will jazz up my bedroom for spring. 

Log Cabin

I was pawing through a magazine the other day.  I found an ad for this quilt.  It is a Judy Niemeyer design.  I love log cabin quilts and I thought - this is up my alley,  points and logs.  Somehow I must restrain myself from starting this quilt.  I already have a Judy Niemeyer on the design wall.  It is nearly finished, and will be soon.  So many quilts to make, not enough time.

Sulphur.........
Have you ever fought city hall?  I am finding that it is much like doing genealogy.  It is sort of a mystery.  It is hard to understand why they do the things they do.  I believe that probably the biggest reason they do stupid things is for votes.  Another good reason is they are just plain stupid. 

Why would any city in their right minds (speaking of the powers to be) give a drainage ditch to the land owners along the drainage ditch.  They gave it to them for their own use.  Now what would their use be?  For what purpose would they need a drainage ditch?  This ditch is used to take out the rain water from the area.  Those of you who are familiar with Louisiana know that when it rains, it pours, and it just doesn't pour a little bit.  Now, unfortuately, that ditch runs in the back of some property owners who do not take care of their own property so why would they take care of a drainage ditch.  When the drainage ditch has trash, dirt that moves in from other areas because of rain water, weeds grow, there is not room for rain water.   The neighborhood is dependant on that ditch taking the rain water out of the area and keeping their homes from flooding.  Now the neighborhood is dependant on people who will not take care of their own let alone a drainage ditch.   This ditch must be maintained.  I just cannot believe that these people are so stupid.   If you live in Sulphur, you best watch what city hall is doing. 

I hope you all have a good day. 

Design Wall and the End of October

I have been busy, busy working on quilts.  Most of them have been entered in the quilt show at Beaumont, TX.  The show will be held in February 2012.  And then there are the quilts that I just make to make.  I have lots of fabric that I am trying to use up.  I am trying to be wiser about what I purchase.  I no longer buy fabric just to put in my stash, actually that statement depends on how you look at stash.  I do buy fabric that I have no idea what I am going to do with it but I really don't consider that my stash.  When I buy for stash, I buy one piece usually at a time.  If I buy fabric for a project, even when I don't have one in mind,  I will buy fabrics that coordinate with each other and probably several.  Then I will go to my stash and fill in (if I can) for any added fabrics that I might need for that project.  This quilt (above)started with a line (Wrapped in Paisley).  The line just doesn't have enough of the colors that I need so thus I have dug around and found several pieces that will go with it.

It is the end of October.  We went from hot at the beginning of the month to chilly on the last day of the month.  I love October.  It is probably the best month of the year.  The leaves are turning.  The big maple in the front yard is very pretty with its shades of red.  For the most part the changing of the colors this far south just are not very attractive.  Most of the trees are an ugly brown. 

When October comes, I always give my little speech.  And that is, all of you ladies that have not made your appointment or had your mammogram this year, need to do that.  One in 7 women will get breast cancer.  For those of you who are in guild, how many women are in the guild and then do the math.  I belong to a bee.  There are 21 of us in the bee.  Three of us have had breast cancer and we have been lucky we are all long term survivors.  Notice, I said long term.  Breast cancer needs to be found early, so don't put off that mammogram.  And for the men in everyone's life, I have known three men with breast cancer.  It does happen.  Men do need to do a breast exam and if they find something, don't think it will go away, get it checked.

Hope all is well on your end.