End of July................

It is hard to believe that it is the end of July.  Can you hear Jingle Bells around the corner.  It seems like after the 1st of August, time just flies.  I have a lot to do, and I imagine if you are a quilter or a crafts person, you are thinking, "how am I going to get all of this done."

Michael's Quilt

One more project finished.  This is the doggy quilt for Michael.  You can't see the quilting but I put doggies and doggy bones on it. 



Starring the Waterlilies

 I am working on the back for Spinning Stars.  I still have more to add to this back.  Some if not all of you know that I piece my backs.  I make my backs without a pattern and by the seat of my pants.  It is rare that I actually take pencil and paper and draw them out.  This quilt top is based on a pattern by Dot Collins.  I took her pattern did a little change (surprise, surprise), made it a bit larger.  I am going to have her do the quilting.  She is an award winning quilter and does a wonderful job.  I would like to enter it in shows next year and the following year. 

There is a Lot of Spinning Going On

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

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.

Rain, Rain Go Away...........

I hear thunder.........so far no rain today, but I think it is coming.  We have had rain for days.  Sometimes it has been a lot.  The grass and the weeds grow, grow and grow some more.  The yardman was here today.  My yard was looking like a field.  One nice thing, everything is green and actually when it rains it is cooler and the gulf stays cooler.  Down here we are about 45 miles north of the gulf living with the fear of a hurricane dropping in very quickly.  A cooler gulf is good. 

Gabrielle's Quilt

I have been working on grandchild number 2's quilt.  Last posting I showed grandchild number 1's quilt.  I finished the binding a couple of days ago.  And now I am quilting grandchild number 3's quilt.  "George" and I have been rather close.  I have had words (no cussing but close) for George.  I used King Tut thread.  King Tut is one of the best cotton threads around.  George did not like it and anything I did to try to fix it, did not work.  When I bought the machine the company sent me a sample of "So Fine."  So Fine is made by Superior Threads and they are also the maker of King Tut.  So Fine is a poly thread.  I tried the sample, hoorah, it was great, no breakage.  I found a sale and ordered several cones of thread.  Quite by accident I bought the same thread that I using in King Tut.  When the cones arrived I discovered I had the same color thread, so thus stopped using the cotton and changed to the poly.  I am back in good spirits and I like George again. 

This quilt has lots of color.  The center is actually a tree (you can click on picture to make it larger).   I loved this fabric when I bought it.  The scraps are on the back. 

Hope all is well with you.

Awesome and not so Awesome

I have posted all the pictures from Alaska.  I just want to say Alaska is awesome but there are things that are not awesome.  I enjoyed my trip immensely.  Alaska has absolutely gorgeous scenery, I loved the food, and I loved seeing the wild animals.  What is not so awesome is a lot of trash lying around.  The towns were getting ready for "tourists."  They call all the fishing people that come there "tourists."  Kenai is known for the fishing - salmon.  They were cleaning the towns up spic and span.  They looked very nice, but if you get out of the towns, people just have a lot of trash.  Very unattractive.  I know you have to duck a wandering bear and grass munching moose now and then, but a big dog is a good alarm system.  I saw some yards that really looked super.  I would guess they have a system.  This ends my saga on Alaska.  I don't know if I will ever get back but I have been looking at a quilting cruise.  Sounds like so much fun for next year.  We will see.  To read about my trip and to see pictures check out the previous postings. 

March

I have been working on blocks for my bee.  I am finished.  This is the last of them.  We made one block for each month for 19 months. 

April

February

July










                                                                                                                                                                                                I have to show you my kitty-kats.  As most of you know I had back surgery, this is my brace with JAC.  JAC likes to get into any box and I guess the brace qualifies.......

Smokey, is very much like a dog.  He follows me around.  He likes to get up on the back of this chair when I am sitting in it (my office).  Then he plays with my hair. 

Hope all is well on your end.

JAC (Just a Cat)



Smokey



At The Cabin..........

At the cabin.........what a view..........


At the Cabin



At the Cabin

We stayed in a cabin on a lake.  The cabin was nice for the time of year that we were there.  Beth and Jim stayed in it during the winter.   They had problems trying to keep the cabin warm.  The cabin was roomy with 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, kitchen/dining area, and a large living room.  Across the back of the house it was almost all glass.  There was also a game room, garage, and a mud room.  The view here changed from the time that we arrived until we left.  When we arrived none of the birch trees had leafed out, but by time we left they had.  Early in the morning the lake would be still, there wasn't a ripple on it.  The reflection in the water was gorgeous. 

Beaver

We were visited by a beaver.  He was building a house within about 10 feet of the back porch.  He would swim around, find a stick (sometimes big sticks) bring them back, hop up on the pier, cut them up and add to his house. 



Duck at the Cabin

 We had many ducks on the lake.  I was amazed at how beautiful they were.  They were black and white.  Ducks I had never seen before.






Sarah's Quilt










I have been working on quilts for my grandchildren, they live in Washington State.  Now there is another lovely place to visit.  They live on Whidbey Island.  This is the first one I finished and I quilted it myself on "George" (George is an APQS sit down long arm).   It will not win any awards, but it was actually easier to do then what I thought it would be.  I need practice.  The stitches are a long way from being the same size.

My Alaska story will be continued for another week or two.  If you would like to see what has already been written check the previous posts.  To make the pictures larger, click on them.