Valentine's Day #1

My granddaughter spent Valentine's Day with me.  Her Mama and Daddy had a short weekend to themselves.  Magic Man was on the road, entertaining families for the Lover's holiday.  We will celebrate when he is home again.

Zoe just celebrated her 2nd birthday.  She told me at breakfast Thursday she wanted pizza and salad Friday night.  Not bad menu planning for a kiddo her age.  Pizza it is, so we made homemade pizza.  We got the recipe from "12 Tomatoes" and it is one of the best I've ever tasted.  The salad was a simple compilation of lettuce, cucumber slices, and shaved carrots.  It looked like a flower, but most of the flower was eaten before I could get the camera to the table. (Note to self - photo before placing dish in front of the kid)

Cheesy Pizza from 12 Tomatoes

We were up early (like 5 a.m. - yawn and streeeetch) Saturday, Zoe hungry for yesterday's egg harvest.  It was probably a good thing, we had a busy day ahead of us.  Shortly after breakfast we fed the chickens, then started Strawberry Jam.

We gave a good rinse to the berries at the kitchen sink.  Zoe is in charge of Quality Control.

High quality berries make the best jam.

 Then it was time to husk the berries.  I cut a little too much off one of the berries.  Zoe sifted through the chicken scraps and put the red parts back into the berry bowl.  She was very patient pulling off the green parts.

Zoe quickly learns to husk berries

 A quick spin in the food processor and the jam starts cooking.  The house is filled with the fresh scent of sweet berries.  There is no commercial fragrance that can compare.

Pectin and sugar in the fruit mixture.  Yummy.  Smells heavenly in here.

 It was not easy waiting to sample the finished product, but the wait was worth every second.  "No toast, spoon!" was Zoe's recommendation.  I have to agree.  Sometimes it is best to veer from the norm.

Nine pints should get us by until peaches are ready to harvest. 

It was time for lunch and a nap.  5 a.m. caught up with both of us.  The last activity of the day was planting the garden.  We planted strawberries (Magic Man and I never did get any from last year, so we  bought 12 more plants - I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but not very hopeful), a set of onions, potatoes, and cabbage.  Zoe loved breaking up the dirt clods.  She's the only person I know who loves this clay soil.

Tilling the old fashioned way and guarding strawberries

The chores are finally over.  We grabbed chairs and watched the chickens race from the pen and scratch in the fallen leaves.  They found worms and tender little greens.  We had a bowl of Blue Bell on the back porch swing and waited for Mama to come.

Zoe wasn't ready for the day to end, and neither was I.  But she'll come back soon to help plant more seeds.  Perhaps I'll be rested by then.  Maybe we'll make homemade bread to go with some jam.

Oh, and Mama - don't forget the hair ties next time (I never have the right ones on hand).  The little bands that held her cute pigtails don't last more than one use.  I hate sending my angel back home looking like a ragamuffin.

Love,
KoKo

P.S.  KoKo is the translated name given to me.  I wanted to be called Eko, Osage for grandmother.  Zoe couldn't quite get that name out.  KoKo is fine with me.   Magic Man answers to PawPaw.  even I can't say In' Dan Zhe for grandfather.

Lordy, The Thing One Finds When Deep Cleaning

It is almost Christmas, and I'm in a frenzy.  Magic Man's family is coming HERE for the holidays.  I'm excited to be hosting, but what were we thinking?!?!

MIL is a terrific housekeeper.  Me?  Not so much.  I maintain a little dust and chaos is healthy for a home.  But push aside my beliefs, I want MIL to be comfortable.  So along with freezer food preparations, scrubbed floors and bathrooms - and I do mean scrubbed, there's washing sheets, rearranging the guest bedroom to open trundle for Magic Man and me.  (Can't let MIL and FIL sleep in those uncomfortable beds), decorating the house AND the Magic Shop Party Room, where the festivities will be held.  Home was a cheap hotel.  Food to be served at the Party Room where the rest of the family would camp.

All of this nonsense to let you know that in cleaning out the closets, I found a quilt top my Grandmother made, who knows how long ago.  She went into a nursing home in the early 80's.  We suspected it was made long before then.

When Granny was admitted to the nursing home, many of her possessions were divided; her house placed on the market, yada yada yada.  As the only grandchild who shared her passion for "making your own," I received this quilt top.  It had the batting and the backing, she started quilting but only finished about a 4" square, leaving me to finish the project.  With a 4-year old in the house, quilting was out of the question.  So the quilt went into the back of the closet, only to be recovered a month ago, almost 30 years later (see note about a little dust and chaos above).

Quilt Top on Frame

Now, life is calmer - just a tad, so I set up my quilt frame (never used, mind you) and tackled the project.  Magic Man came if from work, rolled his eyes and politely smiled at the monstrosity sharing our living room.  Justification - it isn't any larger than the Christmas tree, so I see no need for complaints.

Granny loved details.  She crocheted and tatted with sewing thread; knitted with fine yarns; hand stitches were practically invisible.  Her work was always exquisite.  She could sew like no one I knew and my daughter, her great granddaughter, has that same natural talent (but doesn't use it often).

Cross Stitched Detail

And now I'm quilting.  By hand.  It would be so much easier to send the top to April and let her long arm do the job.  That would not be acceptable by Granny.  I am happy the quilt lines are printed on the fabric.

Quilting, Quilting and Quilting

If you don't hear from me for a while, you know where I am.

My First Pieced Quilt

To the experienced quilter, you know what I mean when I say, "I did it!  Look at my first quilt!"  I saw this pattern almost two years ago (A Baker's Dozen, 13 quilts from Jelly Rolls, layer cakes, and more) and knew I had to try this.  I made a lot of changes to the printed instructions, but the results are just as good.

Planning the quilt:

Stage 1:  Insert texture into the quilt.  This allows my granddaughter, almost 2 by Christmas, to love on her quilt.  Test proved positive when I handed her a couple of blocks.  She loved rubbing her delicate cheeks against the fabric.

Stage 2: Pick fabric with her first words.  Zoe loves monkeys, chickens, dogs, shoes, eggs, rabbits, carrots.  She knows the words and the ASL signs.  These are also incorporated into the quilt.  She pointed out these as she "trashed my stash."

Any good quilter, honest quilter will agree that the finished project is not a one-man job.  It's like playing solitaire.  Someone is going to recommend a move at some point, whether it's moving a block, alternate fabric, or a technique.  She will voice her opinion.

Speaking of Solitaire.  My friend Dirk is a hunter.  He claims to carry a deck of cards with him on any hunting expedition.  Should he get lost, he'll sit and play a game of solitaire.  Someone will show up to tell him his next move.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears (of joy)

Since this was a jelly roll quilt, every fabric choice came from a bolt, so out came the handy-dandy rotary cutter and mat.  Scores later (oh, such a bad pun) it was time to build blocks.

• Our neighbor Beth dropped by and while she was here, I put her artistic eye to work.  She was essential to the final block layout.
• My dear friend Nancy showed me how to sew the blocks together.  She fussed and fussed how often I need to measure, remeasure, and re-remeasure after each seam.  Repeat after pressing the seams.  Annoying yes, but I loved the results.  (She lovingly chastised me for selecting an "on point" quilt for my first.)  She also helped with the pillow, actually did most of the work when I was ill that weekend.  
• A HUGE thanks to the staff at Joann's in Sugar Land.  They had the fabric I needed (beyond my stash).  For the backing, I needed 5 1/4 yards.  I couldn't find the fabric locally, but they had exactly 5 1/3 yards in stock.  I came home a happy girl.
• Cynthia, Lhonda, Laurel, and Pam were my cheerleaders.  They doled out the encouragement to keep me going.
• April quilted the package.  She did an extraordinary job, down to the thread color.
• Margie and Ina helped with the binding and finishing touches.
• Mom is hiding the packages at her place until Christmas.

The worst part of this entire process is waiting until Christmas to give Zoe her new blanket.  I can hardly wait to see her face Christmas morning.

Here is the finished quilt.  Magic Man and I scuba dive, as does Zoe's parents.  Fish seemed a fitting theme.

Fish Quilt - DONE

Bubbles from the fish

"Cat" fish hiding in the coral

Sea Monkeys

Textures and colors

Tuna fish (center small), you know "chicken of the sea"

Catching Up: Quilt for Layla

Layla is a very young lady battling a form of cancer normally found in retirees.  She moved to Texas from a land far, far away, then moved out of the country.  She and her family fell in love with Texas and its western, laid back lifestyle.  She loves horses.

My friends L and M purchased Texas and western fabric last Christmas, well just because they are really nice people, and added it to my stash.  It was perfect for Layla's horse quilt.  

My second quilt from start to finish in 3 days, interspersed with work.

Quilt Finished

Fav Fabric 1

Fav Fabric 2

I hope Layla finds comfort with her horses.

Catching Up: On hold for an emergency

Good morning,

I know, I know, I promised there would be postings of my projects, but after lunch with friends we were informed that another friend's daughter has cancer.  This is a young girl, about 12, who has cancer.  She's lost part of her lung, and the cancer is throughout her chest area.  Please pray for this young girl.  Her dad and I worked together years ago.

It's back to the stash and sewing room to make a lap quilt just for her.

Thank you all for your prayers.

Catching Up: Quilts

Quilting is new to me.  Rag Edge quilts are not nearly as challenging, so those don't qualify for this post.

My first quilt was a t-shirt memorial quilt for my long time friend Jim, well that would be his wife and family.  Jim is responsible for my involvement with robotics.  This quilt was made of shirts donated by teams (quilt front) and volunteers (quilt back).  Needless to say, but the time we added the stabilizer for the front and back pieces and the batting, this quilt weighed about 35 pounds.   In addition to the quilt, we found Marine Corps fabric for a throw pillow.  

I wish I had better pictures available, but as a last minute project, I don't have any of my own.

A year later a second memorial quilt was in the making, this time with Gerald's shirts.  The front side of the quilt is the most decorative, the back side of the quilt is the other side of the shirt.  The widow requested her quilt by her husband's birthday.  I think she likes it.

Last but not least is my first attempt at a pieced quilt - and I decided to make this one on-point.  My quilting friends called me crazy.  What was I thinking?  Oh yes, I wasn't and the pattern was adorable.  How could I resist?  This quilt uses textured fabrics and the cotton motifs contain granddaughter's favorite things, such as monkeys, trees, chickens, etc. and colors.  And as scuba divers, we tried to capture some of the fish colors and markings.  

Today the top is at the quilter's, with a request to delay the quilting until Thanksgiving.  I'm too tempted to give the quilt and pillow to her before Christmas.

Quilt Top

Pillow front

Pillow back

Catching Up: Toys for Tots

So!  I have been formally chastised for not posting pictures of my projects.  And not just the recent projects either.  Readers, I beg your support (and forgiveness), you know how it is - daily activities, family, and WIP often takes precedence over blogging.

Here goes Round 1...
Toys for Tots is one of my favorite Christmas charities, based on the fact that our US Marines sponsor this program.  They volunteer their lives for our freedoms and have a spare hand to help children at Christmas.  And - I love their commercial where the little girl asks the Marine if he's Santa, but haven't seen it in a couple of years.  It makes me tear-up thinking about it.

Purchasing a gift doesn't seem adequate, so I sew.  Normally I make rag edge quilts, one for a boy, one for a girl, but this year I ventured into something new:  Pillow Pets!  These little guys are so cute, so easy, so soft and cuddly.  The idea came from this site:  http://www.allfreesewing.com/Sewn-Toys/Sewing-Pattern-for-Pillow-Pet with written and video instructions. 

I followed most of their instructions making a quick mod suggested by granddaughter.  We replaced the step to sew the head to the pillow cover by sewing Velcro (loop side) to the cover and (hook side) to the back of the head.  I used two strips about 4" long, spacing them 1" apart.  Granddaughter loves that she can yank off the head, cuddle with it at nap time and still use the pillow.  Two gifts for the price of one.  I love it because I can wash the pillow cover, dry it easily, AND the loops on the Velcro don't attach to other items in the dryer.  Multi-tasking?  OK, that's a stretch.

Sigh, life is good.

Zebra

Pink Puppy - TFT

Cat - TFT