Photo Transfer Stuff

I've been so busy working, getting produce out of the garden and just trying to keep my head above water that I haven't allowed myself time to sit down and write anything lately.  This time of year just gets crazy!  Last weekend it was canning apple pie filling -- so that's done.  I've still got hot peppers and the last of the tomatoes waiting for me.  The pepper jelly will be wonderful this winter and I think I'm just going to toss the tomatoes into jars and can them rather than doing more salsa or pizza sauce.  They'll taste good in chili, soup or over roasts this winter.  At this point -- simple is good!

I did manage to sit down at the computer to transfer a series of photos to fabric for a client.  She's making a graduation quilt for her grandaughter.  I had the best time with this project!  We ended up with 15 sheets of photos.  It was fun for me to see the progression from baby to beautiful young woman.  Besides that -- I love doing the photo transfer onto fabric.  It's magic!

Another Good Weekend!

We woke up on Saturday to miserable weather -- rainy, gray, misty, damp, dreary -- the kind of day that most people hate.  I, on the other hand, really love them because they make me feel like staying home and being domestic!  After a couple of cups of tea I mixed up some pork stew and threw it in the crockpot and then decided I needed homemade bread to go with the stew so I made a big loaf of New York Rye.  The recipe is from my friend, Mary LeClerc, and it's SUCH good bread!  So -- with the stew cooking and the bread raising I headed off to my sewing room.  (Yippee!!)  I'd started working on the pieced border for Queenie and I really wanted to get that done.  What a pleasant way to spend a rainy day!  I got the border pieced and added to the quilt, the stew was great and the bread was even better!  All in all -- a very successful rainy day!  (BTW:  The big blob on the quilt is a shadow.  I didn't have the patience to wait!)

We bought a new cardboard scratching pad for the cats.  It comes with a packet of catnip to pour into the little holes in the cardboard -- which we did.  Now we have an addicted cat.  Missy has decided that catnip is the next best thing to tuna!  In fact, she may think it's even BETTER than tuna!

Greg picked some tomatoes for me on Sunday afternoon so I got busy and made up a big batch of salsa. It's going to taste good this winter!

All in all -- a very successful weekend!

Editing, Canning & Queenie

I spent last weekend mostly tied to my computer editing my table runner book for the publisher.  NOT what I really wanted to be doing!  After all -- I wrote the damned thing couldn't somebody ELSE be responsible for correcting the things I screwed up?  (I know I'm being unreasonable but HEY!  I'm an ARTISTE!)  Actually, it didn't go that badly -- I simply didn't want to do it but I promised I'd have it back by Monday sooooooo..........  Got it done and sent back on Sunday afternoon.  I still need to write a couple of paragraphs to be added in -- but that shouldn't take too long.  (Famous last words!) 

I did manage to take a couple of breaks and do some fun things -- or at least things that I actually WANTED to do!  Once of them was to make some Dilled Green Beans.  Since we've got a healthy crop of green beans in our garden I thought it would be fun to try them.  I made four pints and then cold-packed them.  The recipe says to let them sit for at least two weeks before you taste.  Sure hope they're as good as people say!

Earlier in the week I made four pints of pickled green grape tomatoes.  I'm REALLY anxious to give them a try!  The recipe said they'd keep in the fridge if I didn't want to cold pack them so -- in the fridge they went.  These guys only have to sit for a week -- so next weekend I'm going to give them a try and I'll let you know.  I've got HUNDREDS of little green tomatoes and if these are good they may all get pickled and canned!  I'm thinking they might make nice Christmas gifts for those daring enough to give them a try!

After I ceremoniously sent off the corrected edits I celebrated by heading to my sewing room.    I had all the pieces and parts ready to sew together for my Queen's Court (Queenie) quilt so I at least got that done.  I even managed to get parts of the pieced bordered sewn so maybe I can get that added next weekend.  I'd love to sneak some time in my room before the weekend but I've got something every night this week and I know it's not likely to happen.  Anyway -- here's where I am on Queenie.  It looks okay now -- but wait until you see it with the border! 

Queenie

I made a promise to myself several weeks ago that I wasn't going to spend the entire three-day Labor Day weekend working and doing chores.  There needed to be some fun involved!  I managed to accomplish that!  On Saturday evening Greg and I attended a Farm Party at our friends' home out in the country.  We had SUCH a good time!  If you've never been to a Farm Party -- then you've really missed out.  This one was in honor of our wonderful friend Gladys Nekola and it was an absolute blast!  The party was held in their large machine shed (Rex had to move all his equipment and tools!), there were tables set up for eating, a dance floor because there was a karaoke DJ, and so much food it was absolutely impossible to "try a little of everything!"  The family provided pulled pork, potato salad and pasta salad.  Gladys made her famous kolaches and with two pastry chefs in the family you can about imagine the desserts!  Everyone else brought food to share and they actually had to set up more tables to hold it all.  People ate, sang, danced, laughed and then ate some more!  Greg and I had a wonderful time and it was a wonderful way to spend Saturday night.  THANK YOU!

Sunday we attended church, did chores and some gardening and then I snuck into my sewing room.  I'd picked out some fabrics a couple of weeks ago and I'd been cutting away on them whenever I got a few minutes.  Actually, I'd started updating one of my first published patterns (Queen's Court) and it's been so long since I've made the quilt that I got myself thoroughly confused when I was figuring yardage so I decided to make the lap size version to reacquaint myself with how everything went together.  I'd forgotten how much I actually enjoyed making this pattern because the blocks go together so quickly!  I declared Labor Day to be a Sewing Day and got all the blocks finished up.  Now I need to piece the setting triangles and the border and put it all together.  Maybe this weekend?  Here's a photo of some of the blocks.  I think it's going to look just fine.  Now I can't wait to get the rest of it done!

Sarah's Quilt

I got something finished again last night!  It's not really a big deal -- but it still feels good to be able to say that something is actually DONE!  My friend, Sarah, has had carpal tunnel surgery and it's hard for her to do binding.  Since I LOVE doing binding I try to grab her quilts when they're ready to be bound.  That's what I did with this one.  I just didn't think it would take me so darned long to get it finished!  This quilt has been hanging around my living room so long that I was actually starting to think it belonged there! 

I think Sarah told me this was a Buggy Barn pattern for a crazy quilt.  I like it and once I finally got going the binding didn't really take very long!

Dinah

Well, I was hoping to have something to show for my weekend -- but it just didn't happen. We spent all day Friday at the State Fair and had a wonderful time. Saturday was spent doing chores and revising a pattern that I want to send to my publisher and Sunday was mostly spent with Greg's family. It was a very nice weekend but I always end up feeling frustrated because there aren't enough hours to get everything done that I've got planned. (I know -- we all have that same problem!)

My friend, Mary, on the other hand, seems to get things done! I don't know how she manages to cram 48 hours into 24 -- but she does! She just sent me a photo of Dinah's Delight and it's all quilted and bound! She does the quilting herself on her Juki and she does an amazing job! This is a quilt I designed a while back and since Mary's my Pattern Tester Extraordinaire she actually got hers pieced before I did.  (I just finished my top a couple of weeks ago and it sure isn't quilted yet!)  I know I'm prejudiced -- but I really think this is a good looking quilt!

THANK YOU MARY!! 

Blue Ribbon Winners

Several of you have asked me about the Blue Ribbon Winners and Best of Show quilts at the Iowa State Fair.  I wasn't able to photograph any of them when we were judging because they're the very last quilts to get hung.  Well, now you can see them!  They're in this You-Tube video.  Iowa Public Television showed up late in the day to interview us and to photograph some of the quilts so you'll see me in the video.  Please remember, when you view the video, that it was the end of a VERY LONG day and, quite frankly I'm surprised I'm not drooling because by the time they talked to me I was barely conscious!  Also remember -- the camera adds weight.  In my case it added about 80 pounds!!!

Here's the You-Tube link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeRABzM_w5s&feature=player_embedded

If that doesn't work then please go to the IPT page below and find the Blue Ribbon Winners 2010 video. 

http://www.iptv.org/fair/story.cfm/story/sf10_20100818_3_11/video