I'm Back..................

I am back, but I think I have said that before.  I have been dragging my feet a lot.  But, I do have some quilts done or nearly done.  I should have more done in all reality.  My brain really has not been on quilting but on selling a house and buying a house.  I am so tired of looking at houses (on the net).  And I think I am tired because it has been a chilly winter and a very gloomy one.  I like sunshine.  I do much better if the sun is shining.  But, when looking at houses, you can sure get a lot of ideas.  I have looked at www.zillow.com a lot.  They post the houses that are "for sale by owner" plus those that are for sale by realtor.  I have been looking primarily at the Cedar Rapids/Marion, IA area.  Here is my soapbox  I cannot believe the people vote themselves a tax and if they are not voting for the tax and letting the politicians tell them what is best for them, and the politicians are adding the tax unto an overtaxed situation already, there is something wrong with that picture.  Actually, I cannot believe that I am moving there, I have to be out of my mind, between the taxes, the snow, the cold, I have to have rocks in my head.  I keep telling myself - it will be okay.  It just makes me wonder how many of the people of Iowa loose their homes because they cannot pay the tax? 

Quilts - The World of the Wild Goose
As I said I have been quilting.  Here is one that I have been working on.  I am going to post more in a day or so.  So if you want to see the latest do come back. 

The World of the Wild Goose

 

This quilt has a long story.  I started this at a retreat a few years ago.  Each block has 27 pieces.  It takes a lot of time to make one block.  I didn't make very many at that retreat.  I took the blocks home and put them in a box, marked the box, put them on the shelf.  Next year, retreat, take the box down, go to retreat, make a few blocks, take them home, put them in the box, and put them on the shelf.  I was quilting with some girls at night and I decided this would be a good project.  The problem was, I only met with them usually one time a week.  It was for 2 hours.  I was lucky to make one block.  I decided I was not going to get this quilt done.  I took it home, put it on the design wall and made a few blocks and decided I was bored.  So I put another quilt on top of it, made it, then made a few blocks for this quilt, got bored, made another quilt and it was vicious circle.  Maybe three months ago, I decided I needed to finish this quilt.

 

I looked at the quilt, I still had about 50 blocks to go.  I thought - there is no way on this earth that I am going to finish it.  So I looked at and thought - I will redesign it.  So off to the computer, I took it from 144 block quilt to a 100 block quilt.  That cut down the blocks a bit that I still had to make.  I had nearly all of them done, when the thought came to me - what are you going to do about the border?  The border really needed something, but not too busy because the middle is busy, really busy.  I was standing in front of the quilt looking at an outside block and thought - what would it look like if I expanded this lavender piece into the border.  I got some fabric, folded it, slapped it on the design wall, stuck a pin in it and did the same to the gold.  I stood back and looked at it and thought - that will work. 

 

Now, what am I going to name it?  I had thought of it many times over the period of time that I have been making it.   I knew I had to name it something with geese or goose because of all the flying geese in the pattern.  Lots of times I will get an idea from doing searches on line with just a word.  Well, I tried that, but I could not get anything to fit.  I really wanted to bring in the color of the quilt so it would have meaning.  In the end, I came up with "The World of the Wild Goose."  And it is the world of the wild goose, the gold fields, the blue water, the red sunsets, the purple mountains and the white snow.   Now, wasn't I lucky, I picked those colors :-)  You might want to enlarge this picture so you can see the pattern better. 

 

When I made the border blocks, my quilt went from 100 blocks back to a 144 block quilt. 

 

Genealogy

I am trying to solve the mystery of the "M's."  In my Crago/Craigo line beginning with Nathan born 1783 his name is Nathan M. Crago.  What is "M?"  Nathan named nearly all of his children with an "M" for a middle name.  It tracks through the generations.  I find that the Crago's named all of their children for somebody.  Continental Congress, Revolutionary War, VA governors, anybody who was anybody, the Crago's borrowed their name.  We do have Marion used for a middle name, but I would like to see it in the earlier generations.  Francis Marion, most of the towns, and counties that are named Marion, are named for Francis Marion.  It is hard to find any documentation that lists a full name.  Anyone doing Crago/Craigo/Cragow genealogy if you have an answer, I sure would like to hear it.  Contact me by my email address. 

 

Hope you all have a great day..................

 



 





Genealogy --- Crago variations and McGahey variations of names

In the right column, under Genealogy, I have added a paragraph.  If you are doing genealogy, or you know people with those surnames, please read it, just in case you might have some information for me.  I would really like to find these people and what their relationship was if any.  We are talking in the period of time around 1750 to roughly 1850.   Contact me through my email address.  Thanks a bunch.

Nine Patch and Etc.........



Nine Patch

 Nine Patch
I am still working on my nine patch.  As you can see in the picture I have added a few blocks.  This is actually two quilts.  The one on the left is turned so that I could get it on the design wall.  This is the width it will be approximately without borders. 

Blog
When I type I do not get - WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET - It is often times fraustrating.  In the right column under the books and movies section, every time I change this I have a terrible time with the spacing.  I can change it and it is a mess and it takes several times to get it right.  At the moment it is not right because I am fraustrated.  Does anyone know how to fix this so I don't have to do it over and over again?

Downton Abbey
I have been watching the third season of Downton Abbey.  I bought the DVD.  I just did not want to try to catch it on TV.  I just knew I would miss an episode.  I also have the other two seasons and according to Masterpiece theatre we will have a 4th season.  I just can't imagine it ending.  It is so well done. 

Weather
Today, it is chilly, but the sun is shining.  We have had rain, rain, and more rain.  It is mighty wet.  We had alot of wind in the storms that went through.   I have lost a large bush in my front yard.  I need to find one to replace it that grows very fast.  I hate loosing any of the foliage in the front of the house.  It protects the house from the West sun.  Living here as you all know, because I complain a lot,  the summers can be a bear when it comes to hot weather. 

                                                                                    Genealogy

I wanted to show you this old car.  Isn't it terrific?  I wish we still had it in the family.  It probably went to a junk pile long ago. 

L to R..........Alice Hanson, my aunt - Alice Cline, my great grandmother - Maryetta Hanson, my grandmother - George Hanson, my father - Christopher Hanson, my grandfather.

My father told me when I found this picture in amongst other pictures, that his father had bought this car.  Christopher really didn't know much about driving.  He decided to take the family to Hawkeye Downs.  They were having a rodeo at the Downs.  This had to be about 1924.  The roads were not in very good shape, most of them not being paved.  It had rained which made the roads in even worse shape.  The car slid off the road unto its side in a ditch.  Christopher never drove the car again.  He gave it to my dad's brother, Fred.  Fred was about 19 years older than my dad. 




Aunt Alice Curl's 1924

  My Aunt Alice must have been younger than 16 (in the car picture).  Notice her long curls.  She always had beautiful hair.  It had to be shortly after this picture was taken she cut off her long curls.  In 1984, when they came to me they were in this very old cigar box tied with the original ribbon and on the lid it is written - Alice cut her hair March 12, 1924.

Notice the price of cigars.

Click on the pictures to make them larger.

Hope all is well with you.

A Little History and a Book Review

Olive Filena Andrews b. 1833

Awhile back, I mentioned that I would now and then write about my genealogy and post some old pictures.  This lady is my great great grandmother.  She was Olive Filena Andrews Graham.  She was born in Ashtabula Co., OH in 1833.  She died at Jones Co., IA in 1888.  She was married Oct 1852 to James Thomas Graham.  She was the mother of 5 daughters and 3 sons.  One of her daughters had a very small write up in the Linesville, PA newspaper.  It said - Miss Hattie Graham of Linesville, has just finished a quilt called the "Old Maid's Patience" containing 10,080 pieces. 

Now if you think about it, they were lucky if their bed was a full sized bed.  Bed's were very small.  Those pieces in that quilt had to be very tiny.  I have tried to find a picture of an Old Maid's Patience quilt without luck.  I did find one somewhere along the line, but it could not be the same quilt.  The pieces were much too large for a quilt with these very small pieces.  If anyone finds one I would love to see it.

I made a quilt some time ago and named it "Hattie's Inspiration."  It has a lot of pieces but not near the number that Hattie put into her quilt.  You can find "Hattie's Inspiration" in the right column in the gallery section. 

A Book Review

Many of you are familiar with "Why Quilts Matter."  On their site they have a review of  the book "Quilts in Everyday Life 1855-1955  A 100-Year Photographic History by Janet E. Finley.  The review is very well done .  You can check it out on their site http://whyquiltsmatter.org/welcome/quilts-in-everyday-life-by-janet-finley/

Hallelujah and etc

hallelujah

I quilt with 7 others in the Stitch and Cackle Quilt Circle.  I am piecing 36 of these blocks.  This is my project for when I sew with the circle.  I am going to remake the yellow block.  The yellow although very pretty and shows well close up, at a distance it is washed out.  I dug around in my stash and found a bolder yellow.  It should work.

I am going to on occasion post some old photos - The Good Old Days -

This is the first one.  This was taken on about July 23, 1965 at Brainerd, MN.  I was feeding a bear. 



I started doing the family genealogy in 1984.  My aunt had passed away and I was the executrix for her estate.  Going through her things I found an old bible.  Inside was this list of people with dates and places.  Something clicked, I just had to know about those people.  I am still at it, still looking for things.  You solve one mystery and create 10 more. 



Ellen Jane Ellinger b. 1822

 In looking for all the people on both sides of the family, I found on my mother's side, Ellen's.  There is probably more.  I have found people with the middle initial of E.  I have no idea if it is Ellen.  One of my mysteries to solve. 

To read more about the Ellen's check out my geneaology section. 

Paul Hanson Book

A friend of mine, Paul Hanson from Mason City, Iowa has written a book - Reminiscings of an Iowa Farm Boy.  It is a wonderful book it brings back so many memories. 


This is a picture of the farm.  It is Century Farm, in other words it has been in the same family for over 100 years. 

I lived on this farm, when I was 17 years old.  I spent a year there going to school and taking care of chickens.  For a city girl it was a new experience and one that I have cherished all of my life.  The Hanson's were and are wonderful people.  They are family..............

Hanson Century Farm

Hope all is well on your end.

Side Bar - Quilting and Genealogy

I have added a couple of things to the side bar.  I bought a basket pattern some time ago.  I found someone on the net (blogs) who also has the same pattern.  We have decided to make it together.  A friend of mine here in Moss Bluff saw the pattern and she has sent for it.  So there is three of us so far that is going to make the quilt.  If you want to make it, check the side bar for where you can buy the pattern.  In January, those who have a blog, I will post their blog addresses and then you can check on their progress.  Our plans are to start the quilt on February 1st.

Also on the side bar I have posted surnames and states of whom and where I am researching for genealogy.  If you have any knowledge of these surnames, I would appreciate an email.  For most of these people I have nearly exhausted the information that I can find on the net.  I actually need to go to where these people lived.  That is easier said than done.

Bonnie Lou Krumm Wyatt-Meis

Bonni Lou Krumm b. 1 Feb 1931 Cedar Rapids, Linn Co., IA d.24 Oct 2009 Cedar Rapids, Linn Co., IA Daughter of Fredrick N. Krumm and Viola I. Blessing Krumm m. 1st. Robert Wayatt Aug 1949 m. 2nd. Herman "Ben" Meis 1 Jan. 1990 Cedar Rapids, IA d. 31 Mar 2006 Children: Scott, Robin, Kim, Peter, Tom, Barbara, Matt and Jeffery Siblings: Betsy, Beverly, Fred, and Don Viola was the daughter of Alice Dyson Blessing Roosa/Rose Alice was the sister of Delila Dyson Crago Hronik (listed in the genealogy at the end of the blog).