Just Granny's

The "in-between-the-holidays" lull

2009-12-30T10:08:00.003-05:00

Mr. Wonderful is at the gym, being so good at his workouts, he has worked out 3-4 times a week for the last ten years. I started a couple times, and oozed out of it. He loves it and never gets tired of it...

But since he's occupied, and not on his laptop, I'm taking the opportunity to play on it for a while...tee hee. My poor little puter has issues, and my "techie-geek" son worked on it for a while when he was here for the holidays. It works in spurts now, I can milk my cows on Facebook if I log in through Mozilla, and I can read blogs through AOL, but can't post anything. He wants me to back up all of my pictures and files and then he can "start from scratch" whatever that means. He said my files are corrupted, but I've known for a long time parts of me were corrupted, I just never told anybody....tee hee While on my blogging hiatis, I managed to get 4 Linus Project blankets done,,,I tried my hand at the raggy quilts, and while I love the fact that I could use up little pieces of batting, I'm not too sure I did it right. I freehanded hearts in the blocks, and oh, my, it was so easy, I was afraid I was doing it wrong...but it looks ok, and I personally know a few little girls who would love these little blankies. Not my favorite way of quilting, but I hope the ladies who run the Linus Project in my area find a home for them, anyway.

I also got three raggy rugs done. I have the most awesome cousins, and I wanted to give a little something to them for all the support and love they have given me this year. Cheryl, Rainy, and Lorie, I love you!

Santa's job was lighter this year, due to the economy, so Mrs. Claus had a lighter job, too. None of the grandbabies recognized him this year, but his watch almost gave him away...good thing Papa thinks fast!

Rachel, from Country & Cosy at http://countrycosy.wordpress.com/ sent a little squishy all the way from Belgium! She is such a precious person, loving and giving. Her eye candy alone is worth the click! She included some hand-dyed threads from Gloriana Threads, and (how did she know?) I've been eyeing some blackwork designs here http://www.sebadesigns.com/ so I'm dying to try it out. They even have some freebies, if you want to venture over and see.

I have been given a box of quilting magazines by a friend who's aunt passed, and she was a beautiful quilter. Most of them are "Quilt" magazines from the 80's, 90's, and early 2000's. If anybody is interested in some, let me know, I'll share, or I'll swap, what ever you'd like.

The quilting community has given me so much joy... the love and support of beautiful people all around the world is astounding. So, I am wishing you all have many blessings and much love for the New Year.

xoxo

lyn

An old dog CAN learn new tricks!

2009-10-23T11:46:00.003-04:00

The classes with Annie at http://simplearts.com/blog/ is so good for me, although the blocks we've done so far, are ones I've done before, Annie is making me ***PIN EVERYTHING*** and ***SEW ACCURATE .25" SEAMS*** (AACCKKK) so this will be the most perfect quilt I've ever made, it's not all the way perfect, but it sure is a lot closer than anything I've ever made before!!! The class coming up today is hand applique, and I can't wait!! That is one thing I've never done, and I'm soooo anxious to learn. A couple of my blogging friends do such beautiful, stunning applique, and I've asked them for tips, but have never leaped over that log. Now is the time, I guess, and I'm ready! What a nice take-along project for the camper, or waiting rooms at Dr.'s offices, or road trips when I'm not driving. I like the machine applique just fine, but then again, you're tied to the machine, and although I LOVE Bessie, but she doesn't like traveling in the car, and it is nice to do a project on my own, I hope she understands....

And......whoa, Nelly!! Look what the mail lady brought me today! Aren't these little girls just the pretty kids on the block?

Kelly from http://kankerdoodle.blogspot.com/ sent these scraps because I was an "almost winner" again on one of her giveaways! she sure is a generous blogger, just look at all this loveliness!! I'm positive she looked into my heart and found some of my favorite fabrics to send!! Don't you think these beauties will play nicely in my scrapbox?

Hope all your scraps are finding new friends to play with!

lyn

Bloggers Quilt Festival

2009-10-09T10:33:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited to be in on the Blogger's Quilt Festival again! The last one gave me hours and hours of eye candy!! If you didn't participate last spring, try it now, click on the box on my sidebar and get a pot of coffee or tea on, you're in for a great ride!

In my estimation, it is so hard to pick a quilt to enter, each one has such a unique feeling, and like babies, it is hard to pick the "best." So, I decided to pick the latest. This is my blue Country Crossroads. I saw the pattern in a book at the library, and kinda drew it out on the back of a grocery reciept. I wrote "Country Crossroads" on the reciept, so that must be the name of the quilt in the book, or it could have been the name of the book...???...with me, you never know.

I had tried freehand stitching with the machine in the past. It was not an enjoyable experience, to say the least. I got sooo frustrated. But when it came to quilting this little deary, I just could not justify straight stitching a grid on her, with all the squares, she had so many sharp corners already, I felt she needed some curves to soften her up. I decided to freehand with a little guide line. Got out my trusty tools, (if you use a yogurt cup with a technical look on your face, you can call it a "tool") and marked each of the larger squares...

now, mind you, I have never been a leap-er...I usually just don't go off on new tangents, I'm normally a one-trick-pony when it comes to freehanding, and leave it to the "better quilters" to fight the big lions...but this time, I leapt!
And lo and behold, I liked it. Really! I guess old dogs actually CAN learn new tricks. I think the difference was, I was more patient, and I had some sort of control by using guide lines. I accepted all the little crooked parts as "personality" and I think they honestly softened the strict lines of the pattern. I'm already thinking about what I could do with the scrappy "Jacks" that I'm doing next.

And, like a scrumptious dessert, Look what came in the mail from Maria at http://allmomasquilt.blogspot.com/ for the Friendship Bag Swap. The wonderful bag was expertly made, and is right now being used to hold our Gold Ribbons that are completed! It came with a couple sweet treats, oh, girls, DANISH CHOCOLATE!! need I say that was gone before any grandbabies could lay eyes on it? tee hee It was sooo delicious! Thank you, to my new friend, I will love using it! Hop over to Marie's to see all of her eye candy, she is so sweet, herself**

These are the fabrics I've pulled for the Quilting 101 classes I won. The bird fabric was left over from the new curtains in the camper, I bought TONS of it, waaayyy too much, so I thought this would be a good way to use more of it up. You'll find it in all of my scrappy quilts, cuz it goes with everything.

The first class was easy peasy, I have not gotten my book yet, from Amazon, but I really didn't need it for the first class. Annie, at http://simplearts.com/blogs/, is so patient and thorough, if you're interested in some on-line classes, you really should check her out.

Hope you all have fun in the Festival!

lyn

Are your feet getting cold???

2009-09-30T07:58:00.009-04:00

Because I think Hell is freezing over!!! I have won something! Me! Granny! Yes, folks, the world must be turning on a different axis,,, the man on the moon has turned into cheese,,, and Santa has come early this year!! can I get a "Whoop Whoop???"

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the Divine Miss Em at http://emsscrapbag.blogspot.com/ was given an entry to a 12 week quilting class given by Annie Smith at http://simplearts.com/blogs/ make all the blocks for this beauty.

But, life being busy, she could not accept it and she (in the kindness of her heart) offered the class as a giveaway. Boy, I wanted to win that, I have NEVER had ANY lessons on quilting, and have always done it my way, which I'm sure is the wrong way. But, alas, I lost,which did not suprise me, because I have never won a giveaway, EVER!

Mary at http://needledmom.blogspot.com/ was the lucky winner. Well, ladies, guess who got an e-mail yesterday asking if I would still like those classes?? ME! That's right, Mary was traveling and would miss the first few weeks, so she has shared!!! What a sweet heart she is!!! oh, can you tell how excited I am? In the speed of light, I was registered and classes start on Thursday!! wowzie wow wow!! I have to get a book, I have to get some fat quarters, I have to get a hold of myself! Being an "almost winner" is wonderful!

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This is what we did this weekend! My brother had his yearly Fish Fry and so we played, and ate, and laughed, and ate some more!

Tony, Jakey, & James

Elly, Jakey, Jonnie, Liberty

Elly

"the gang" (Elizabeth had a birthday party to go to)

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So, now I have to go the LQS for some supplies to start the class, I'm still working on the "Blue Beast" she is soooo big, but I am half way done with the binding now, so I'll have a fresh start on the new blocks.

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Have you all signed up for finn's annual New Year's Eve UFO Finish Challenge? I signed up for 6 finishes,,,,EEK! I'm going to have to get a move on!

Hope all your UFO's get finished this year!

lyn

Who could it be, now?

2009-09-25T10:28:00.005-04:00

The giveaway was sooo much fun for me, the talented ladies who entered all had their own reasons to "pick" or "no-pick" and I kept a tally.

PICK: 21

NO-PICK:22

plus, a very diplomatic scrappy quilter, who did not commit either way.

(you know who you are,,tee hee)

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Most of you commented "this is the way I would do it, but you do it the way you feel is right" which reminds me of how uniquely personal quilting decisions are. We all have our own little quirks and quips, don't we?

Being a woman of a certain age, I've come to not only accept my own imperfections, but embrace them and even giggle at them.

So, I left that little mistake, thinking it was nnooo biiiggg ddeeeaaalll! It would never show in the end, and I really could find plenty of bigger problems to fret about....

And, you knew what was going to happen, didn't you? that darn old quilting Karma bit me....hard!

I turned, upside down, not one,

not two....

but THREE blocks,,,and it was AFTER some of the borders were on,

Boy, oh, boy, did I have to pick!! Crappity Crap Crap Crap!

That should teach me a lesson, Never think the Quilting Karma's not watching!!!

So, now to the Best Part! I was most scientific in the draw, and hand wrote all the names on a paper, cut them and folded them, tossed them in a basket, and had Mr. Wonderful pull out a name.

He pulled a winner,,,,and another winner was attached and fell on the table...that means a winner, and almost winner!

So, the Cinderberry Stitches pattern and fat quarters will go to Deb who has three wonderful blogs, and one is dedicated to donations crafts! Please go visit her, and she will definately inspire you!

The almost winner is Sue, who does not have a blog, but I'll e-mail her, and let her know she should, she just seems so sweet in her comments. I have three more of the same fat quarters, so I'll send her a "second place prize" since Mr. Wonderful dropped her. (ouch)

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Thanks to all the dear stitchers who played along...and now I'm off to read all these wonderful bloggers!

Hope all your blocks are turned the right way!

A "Thanks For Sharing" Giveaway!

2009-09-21T10:55:00.004-04:00

I have been sewing my leaders and enders all year, (if you haven't already done them, go check out quiltville.com/leadersenders.shtml) It is a loooonnnngggg process, you could just whip up a basketfull of HST's, but then you still have to use a scrap to start strips on other quilts. So, my thrifty nature is drawn to this system. and, after a ton of scraps, I have acquired enough HST's to make a full size quilt for the guest room. I LOVE the scrappiness of this project, and I was anxious to get it done. I sewed squares into blocks, blocks into strips, laid it all out on our bed to make sure no two adjoining squares had the same fabric...

and BOOM! Mr. Wonderful dropped a bomb, he announced, in a pleading tone, that he rreeeeaaalllyyy loved this one. The best one yet, wouldn't it look good on our bed? Did I have to make it for the guest room? Nobody would be able to enjoy it unless we had guests.

So, plan B.....make it larger to fit our bed, which is a California Queen, back to the old scrap bag!

That meant I had to start a new quilt to produce more Leaders and Enders, right?

I started a matchy-matchy blue Irish Chain. Every so often, I veer from the scrappy and I have to do a matchy-matchy to renew my sense of order, and to show off some of my favorite fabrics. I stripped, and I blocked, and I was merrily ironing along, When I stumbled upon a disaster...EEK! What the...........surely, Mr. Wonderful must have gotten up in the middle of the night and tried to sew blocks, because "I" would not do this. "I" was careful. cautious, vigilant!!! "I" fastidiously made sure ALL of my seam allowances were lined up PERFECTLY! Of course, he denied all accusations.

Girls, you have all helped me soooo much, through all of my foibles, frustrations, and fretting, so would you continue to help this old gal out? I will share a beautiful Cinderberry Stitches pattern and 3 fat quarters, if you'll leave a comment in answer to this question:

"Would you un-sew this seam and return it to it's perfected state? Or would you leave it, and pray the Quilt Police never lay eyes on this quilt?"

To get a second entry in the giveaway, post this on your blog, so I can get other opinions. I will have Mr. Wonderful pick the winner on Friday.

Here's hoping all your seam allowances are straight!

lyn

Busy times for little ones...

2009-09-14T12:36:00.004-04:00

School has started, so we had our last camping trip for the summer,,,which is always sad, for the kids, AND for Granny and Papa.

We have to wait for the weekends to take them, and if they have sports or cheerleading, we don't get the extended time with them.

But on days when Jakey has to go in for his chemo, Mom and Dad bring him into the city the night before, so he can get his spinal tap early in the mornings. (The staff has requested a minimum of people in the clinic, because of the H1N1 virus.) So that means Granny and Papa get the delightful company of Elizabeth and Jonny, (who really is a little angel.) He is the best 2-year-old I've ever known. And I've known quite a few. Today is Jakey's first day of pre-school, and he was just a little nervous last night. He just had his treatments on Friday, and he is pumped full of chemo, steroids, and antibiotics, which magnifies any stresses in his little body. He was a little excited this morning, so we have Jonny today, just in case Mommy had to stay at the school for a few hours.

With the kids in school, I have been putzing with my scrappy "Jacks in Six" (thank you, Finn, for telling me the name of this block!) I now have enough to make a queen size quilt, so I'll be stitching them together soon.

I did get my Friendship Bag Swap package out to "Anne" last week, (ssshhh! its a secret, so don't tell her) and I think she will be getting it in the next few days...I hope she likes it! I hopped over to her blog, and she does a lot of crochet and knitting, and in one of the pictures, she had her yarn in a plastic store bag. That gave me the idea to make her a bag that would hold 3 or 4 skeins of yarn. The ones in the tutorial were tiny, but I'm sure the "bag police" would not arrest me for giving a larger bag...???...

I know I'm early on this swap, but I never know when I'll get a minute or two to play with Bessie (my machine) so that is done and I can start on Christmas gifts,,,,EEK,,,did I say the "C" word? It is looming up fast here, and I have a lot to do. time flies! the older I get, the faster it goes!

Hope all your 2-year-olds are angelic!

lyn

I've given up...

2009-09-01T10:22:00.005-04:00

...on pinwheels, I love the movement they give a scrappy old quilt, but couldn't make up my mind on what to do with them,,,

So, I took all of my 240+ "leaders and enders" and ironed themand sorted them so I would not repeat the same HST in a block, I was very careful!and I squared them up, and I squared them up....And, yes, then I squared them up....and put them together,,,,and I STILL got two of the same HST in one block (probably many blocks) ok, I happen to have a nifty little "unsewing tool" for just such an occasion. Guess what I'll be doing this evening?

Does anybody know the name of this block? I have seen it, but I never knew the name. You all know I'm pattern-impared, so I cannot follow by all the beautiful patterns out there, (maybe that should be my next goal) I have to "see" it, then I can figure out in my head how to make them. It's a pain, but I can live with it. I could not find my way out of my own kitchen with either a pattern or a recipe,,,I sew and cook by feel.

Last week, we had the girls, and we are acostomed to finding little notes around the house that say "We Love you" and sweet little girl sayings...But I was intrigued when I saw this one on the buffet, to: world

from: Liberty

"I bleavan fairy's"

so, I'm spreading the word,,,now all the world knows, Lib,

Hope all your fairy's are as precious as this one!

lyn

Bundles of Love for Iraq

2009-08-23T22:25:00.006-04:00

I have just heard about the most wonderful gift. A soldier in Iraq is ending his tour of duty in October, and the blessed man would like to give back to the people of Iraq.

After reading the book, 3 Cups of Tea, he has come up with the idea

to give the women whose lives have been turned upside down, bundles of love. He said they use and re-use everything there, every thread, every square inch of fabric, every scrap of yarn! The ultimate recycle circle. So, I have thrown in my hat, I know I have stash, needles, and yarn galore to share, do you? The quilting community has given me soooo much in the way of friendship, so I am happy to give a little back. You can help, too, if you'd like, You can read the post about it here at his wife's page...kristinlaflamme.com. He really is Mr. Incredible. There are links to the "411" pages at the bottom of her post...

I'm off to the post office in the morning to get my box and send it off. The flat rate boxes cost $11.95 to send, doesn't matter how much it weighs. Too bad we don't have a place for this in the US, like Every Women's Place, or homeless shelters...any body know of a place here we send a bundle of love?

Hope all your bundles are full of love,

lyn

Have you ever?

2009-08-11T09:21:00.005-04:00

Have you ever just played with fabric, just because you loved the fabric?
Sara, the quiltingbookworm, sent some fabrics with her PIF and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! So, I putzed for a while and thought I would make a practice bag because, in a moment of weakness, I joined the Friendship Bag Swap. (the link is on the right column) and I have no idea what to make.

My Mr. Wonderful makes the best little model, doesn't he? He was out in the garden, and found our first tomato!! Hip Hip Hooray!!! Let the feeding frenzy begin!

Rachel has a great tutorial on her blog, friendship-bag-tutorial., but it seemed too small, so I amended the measurements and ended up with this little sweetie. I love it! (thanks Sara, for the four patches!)

I think I might do some little stitcherie and start there?

What fun! how do you make up your mind?

Hope all your tomatoes are ripe!

lyn

Just a little stitching

2009-08-03T19:45:00.003-04:00

I have not been completely lazy, I have sewn a few things, this little quilt was for a fund raiser that my SIL Kathy was puting together. A family in upper New York lost 3 daughters in a car accident, so I sent a quilt and a lot of prayers. I took the girls to a little quilt show just north of me last weekend, and they were so impressed! They oohh-ed and aahh-ed all over the quilts. They voted for their favorites and had such a hard time making up their minds.

But, boy the minute we got home, they wanted to do crafts right away, they were so inspired! I didn't want to get the sewing machine going because we had Jonathan, who is two, and is more interested in pushing buttons than sewing the fabric, So, we crocheted,,,and we crocheted!

Until it became too quiet! I looked in the toy room, no baby, I looked in the family room, no baby,,,I was getting nervous! the girls found him in the living room....Jonathan had almost fallen asleep in the corner with Cubbie. Thank Goodness for Cubbie, she is a better babysitter than Granny is!

This week, the girls are still stitching, one way or another, so I've made up my mind that we are going to every quilt show we can, just to keep them interested and maybe,,,just maybe,,,they will someday be so moved, they might finish a project!!???!!!

The weather has been cool here, lately, which I love! high 60's to mid 70's. But today was back to normal, and got up to 80. Humid. Sticky. My tomatoes love it!

Hope all your babies have loving dogs to cuddle with!

lyn

What a nice homecoming!!!

2009-07-22T21:23:00.006-04:00

Mr. Wonderful and I just got home from Virginia, we had a lovely time with family, full of fun, love, and a few giggles. As we were pulling into our drive, we both mentioned how nice the trip was, and how nice it was to come home. Our neighbor took care of the dog-dogs and picked up the mail every day...and just look what I came home to.

Sara, also known as the quiltingbookworm a PIF that I jumped in on, and she has sooo many wonderful things in this package!! I LOVE the bookbag she made, and she even threw in some blocks,,,I just might have to make another bag to match!! The little pin cushion is so adorable!! I'm going to have to hide it from Jakey, he is always wanting pillows for his little animals...tee hee

She also made this candle mat,,,and it matches my family room perfectly!! How did you know, Sara???

Inside the book bag was a book, "The Memory Keeper's Daughter" by Kim Edwards (I would like to put a link in here, but I'm link-impaired) and just a few weeks ago, I almost bought that book at Barnes and Noble, but thought I should wait till the paper back came out...Now I have it!! And I just finished my last book last night, so I'll have to start on this one tonite.

Thank you, you little bookworm, what a gem!!

But, now I have to get 3 joiners so I can Pay It Forward to them...Any takers??

Hope all your pin cushions are accounted for.

lyn

Tea parties on the Deck...

2009-07-11T09:36:00.005-04:00

...are the most fun when you have little girls in dresses, wearing Granny's high heels, and party hats, Our summer is going so fast, I cannot believe July is half gone already!!

We have cooked out, we have had kids on skates, bikes, boats, and parades, we have done all the beaches, and we have ***giggled.***

And in between all that, I even managed to put a few stitches in a quilt or two. This is one I putzed at for about a month, it started out to be just a project, I had scraps and have always wanted to do a Double Irish Chain, so I slooowwwlllyyy worked on this one.

We have had so much company this summer, that it took over a month to finish it, but I love it now that it is done. the scrappy look is so appealing to me.

And I wonder if finn recognises any of her scraps? She knows I love scraps!!!

And, how do you like my $1.00 headboard? When I bought it at a yard sale, it was broken, and some of the finials were missing, Mr. Wonderful about had a hissy fit!!!! This thing was UGLY!!! But I saw the potential, so I took two legs off a broken stool for the missing finials, cut some one by fours to replace the legs, and slapped some black paint on the whole mess. I love it, but Mr. Wonderful is mortified when I tell everybody that it only cost $1.00...I'm so proud of my thriftiness, and he is sooooo proud of my efforts, but God forbid that I tell anybody how cheap I am!! tee hee...so don't tell anybody, okay? It will be just our secret.

Hope all your finials are glued on tight!!!

lyn

Whattya Know?

2009-06-29T19:25:00.003-04:00

She remembers how to blog...Shall I apologize for being gone so long or shall I just slip in here like I've been here the whole time? Actually, I have been lurking here and there, and loving every body's posts. Now I've worked up the gumption to be a big girl and blog myself!

Besides, I am so proud to show off these pictures...

Elizabeth is sewing....and she is doing such a good job of it, too! She is only 6 years old, and she is a whiz at the machine, her and Bessie have become best of friends! Just look at those lines, and the form, and the curved seam allowances give it soooooo much character...don't you think?? :-) I have not put one stitch in these blocks! (ok, I did the cutting of the strips, but she selected the scraps, and the yellows, she stitched, and she designed)

(When I started taking pictures, she HAD to stop...run into the bedroom....and get her Hanna Montana slippers to show off,,,,too cute!!)

And the absolute BEST part of all this is...50 years from now, she will be (hopefully) sitting at her machine, telling her grand babies about making her first quilt with HER granny...brings tears to my eyes!

Thanks to you all for hanging in there with me! and for giving me HOURS of entertainment with your blogs...

Hope all of you remember how to strip! tee hee

lyn

Virtual Spring Quilt Festival!!!

2009-04-20T11:27:00.004-04:00

I have been busy for the last two days...busy being totally engrossed in the First Virtual Quit Festival over at http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/. She has come up with such a wonderful idea.

So, the whole time I'm devouring all of the other entrant's quilts, I have been thinking of my own quilts,,,can you pick a favorite? Is it like babies, you love each one different, and the same? This squirmy little bundle is my very first attempt at quilting. My son and his wife was expecting a pink little baby girl, and so I pulled out one of my great-grandmother's aprons, one of my grandmother's tablecloths, and ran over to my mother's to grab one of her blouses.

I used an old blanket of my Grampa's for the batting, and one of my other grandma's curtains for the backing...it turned out to be the most comfy little thing in the world, and Elizabeth still thinks of it as her "best blanket."

What more could a granny ask for?

Not only did it pass some of our family "feelings" down to this baby, but it also made me leap into a new world of quilting. Each one of my quilts tell a story, but this one has history....sigh....feels so comfy!!

now, your job is to jump over to Park City Girl's blog and let us know about your favorite quilt! Be prepared to spend HOURS there!!

hope all your quilts are squirmy!!

lyn

Moving forward

2009-03-04T19:46:00.003-05:00

We have had the pleasure of our little Jakey here the last week, his sister has a rotten cold, and Jakey;s counts are not good enough to fight off a cold,,,We have read so many books, and colored so many pictures of Lightning McQueen that our eyes are blurry.

We have three birthday grandies this week alone,

So we partied all weekend! the kids were so fun,

We are planing a benefit to help the kids with the extra costs of Jacob's care, ie: travel, work loss, costs to stay in Grand Rapids, etc. So, my Aunt Biggie made a quilt to raffle off, this is a rotten picture of it, but the quilt is awesome,,,hand quilted, machine pieced.

oddly enough, she did not know that this pattern was called "Jacob's Ladder" funny how things happen. ??

Hope all your grandies are giggling!

lyn

My Family has Tragedies

2009-02-07T10:11:00.002-05:00

Last year, my grandson, Jacob, was diagnosed with Leukemia. He has had very large doses of chemo, and since he is a male, he will have to have the treatments for over three years. I'm not sure why I haven't blogged about it before, it was so raw that I was not settled in my own mind enough to talk about it. He is three years old, and the most charming little boy you ever saw. He quickly got to the point where he did not want to go to the clinic for all the procedures, and he would cry, the poor baby...then, one of the nurses had a birthday, and Jakey and his parents brought a treat to share with all the staff at the clinic...he didn't put up a fuss...he was glad to go and to share his treats...so now they take a treat every time, and that precious little child is glad to go have a spinal tap, just so he can give. What a wonderful insight to his personality!

We were just reeling from that news, when my darling daughter passed away in her sleep. The autopsy is not back yet, but I know the cause of death, the Lord needed an angel.

My heart is so full, I'm not sure how to share all my feelings, I miss my little African Star, she was my baby, and always will be. My girlfriend left a comment on the last post telling you all what happened, I just don't have the gumption to write it all.

So, please say prayers for us, Mr. Wonderful did not only lose a daughter, he lost his best friend.

Hope all your heartaches are healing,

lyn

Where the Heck Have I Been?

2009-01-05T20:37:00.002-05:00

As you all have seen on the news, Michigan has had bad weather for as long as I can remember. We live on Lake Michigan, and we get what is lovingly called "lake effect snows." We have already had 68.3 inches of snow in the month of December, then we had a thaw and a freeze, then rain...and another freeze. so we had about three inches of solid ice.

Now, anybody with a Mr. Wonderful of their own knows you can't keep a good man down...unless you break his legs. God took care of that during a trip to the mail box. I was sitting in the living room with my daughter and I thought he was in his office. I heard a muffled moan, listened for it again, and finally said to DD, "Do you hear Dad yelling at us?" We found him flat on the driveway, unable to get a foot hold, and twisted, in a weird way, You guessed it, Surgery Room #6C . A normal person would have pain after a surgery like that, but he said he had the worst of the pain before. Still, he has progressed from walker, to crutches, now he is using a cane, and in the morning he walks without anything. (In the mean time, guess who has to do all the menial little chores that a Mr. Wonderful is responsible for??? Guess who can't remember to take something out for dinner??? Guess who forgot how to turn on a crock pot??? that's right, this old fat granny, that's who!!!)

Plus, we have had tricklers for the Holidays, I finally got my Rob and Lucy, I haven't had them for an extended time in a couple years, they came for weddings and funerals, but then Rob had to rush off to get back to work. (He is an air traffic controller) so, I finally got my hands on those little girls, we did everything!! and we giggled while we did it!!!

Angela and Al just left on Sunday, she helped with her Dad, blogger would not let me add any more pictures, so I can't show her off, she is 107 pounds of heart, and the most loving daughter a mom could ask for.

I got all but one of my kids home this year, so that is pretty good odds. People tease me about having a tribe, and if they were all home at once, we'd have to rent a hall to have dinner together...tee hee

I did not get the yellow sunshine done for Finn's UFO challenge, I'm still plucking away at it, one stitch at a time. My first hand stitched bedsize quilt. I will feel like a big kid when I get it all done..... but I did get the Ethnic Star done, and my little ethnic star loved it!!! I'll have to show a picture when blogger feels more generous.

This was the last of the gifts I got completed. Digging around in bins for all my UFO's for the challenge, I found stuff I forgot I had. I"ll save the stories of them for another blog.

Hope all your Mr. Wonderfuls are able to cook for you!!!

lyn

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

2008-12-05T19:52:00.002-05:00

We are getting an inch an hour in Michigan today, and it's not supposed to stop until Sunday night. Any body want to take bets on a total for two days? We had a visit from Santa already (AKA Mr. Wonderful) did anybody recognise him? Five of our grandchildren were already on his lap this year, and not one of them knew it was Papa!

Then we went home and decorated Christmas cookies...and waited for Papa to "get up from his nap"

We had a wonderful weekend, and now, all the company have gone home and the hugs have went with them. The last of the kids left yesterday, the family room is vacuumed, the bedding is washed, the cookies are all gone, and Granny's house is quiet.

But, the postman continued our Christmas vibe today, and brought the most wonderful package. Norma sent me a new ruler caddy, hand made by her Great White Hunter!!! How did she know I wanted one? needed one? I absolutely LOVE it!! It is extra long, and has five slots!! I"m going to have to go shopping to get more rulers!! hip hip hooray!!

My rulers are all so happy, I think I can hear them giggling in the next room! tee hee, they will nest good tonight, Thank you, Dear Norma!!

I hope you all have happy rulers!

lyn

Gearing up for the Holiday Season

2008-11-24T20:10:00.004-05:00

I have been feverishly working on gifts for Christmas, it is a favorite tradition of mine to send out hand made gifts to some of the loved ones who have a place in my heart. Some of my family never read blogs, so I can show a few of the ones I have done. This is for my wonderful DIL, she is a "purry" type and I know she will love the french look to this. Pink is her signature color.

This one has some memories in it, my mother's blouse, and my grandmother's fabric. It is for my nephew's family, they just bought a new home outside of Chicago, so this fits.

This is for a perfect friend, she and I have been best of friends since we were 13,,,and I'm not going to count how many years that is!!

This is a rag rug for my neice, she loves the bags I made, and hinted that she'd love a rug, too. I love the controlled ragginess in this one.

And, another UFO of the yarn brand. I had a few granny suares, so I put them together and kept going, this one is a Linus Project blanket. I am still bogged down with yarn, after 6 of these are done, I have to admit to at least 5 more boxes of yarn...is that a bad thing? or do I get bonus points for using the skeins up? tee hee

As for Mr. Wonderful, he is getting physical therapy on his shoulder, his insulin has been readjusted and they added another fast acting insulin, he has had an MRI on his knee, and will most likely have to have surgery, his back has been getting worse(worse than BEFORE his back surgery!), and they will re-evaluate in January. His stomach is better, with the help of Reglan, his foot problem is something called Charcot Foot, and is caused by his diabetes, and he has an appointment with a foot surgeon for that one. We only have one Dr. appt this week,,,,hip hip hooray!! one more thing to be thankful about! His pains are easing, one by one, and he is, once more, the wonderful husband I love.

I just want all of you to know how thankful I am, to have found a whole world of women to share and laugh and learn with. In these blogs, we spill our hearts, not just our stitches, and you have all been so wonderful!

I am thankful for you!

hope all your hearts are thankful!

lyn

I'm a quilting flunky

2008-11-12T20:35:00.004-05:00

I have not done any real-quilting around here, I should get going! I have to get caught up for Christmas,,,, but I have been stitching, the crochet kind of stitches,,,

I have dozens and dozens of skeins and balls of yarn, along with UFO's of the afghan variety, and they are taking up room in my "fabric area." So, I pulled a bunch of them out, put them in piles that kinda matched, and started crocheting again,,, these three are for the Linus Project in our county.

Hopefully, Donna can pick them up and they will be keeping a child warm by Christmas...???

All of the patterns are mindless patterns, no real complicated stitches here, which I find comforting in my old age, the older I get, the less complicated I like my life (and stitching) to be. I don't have to consult a pattern book every five stitches, I don't have to count higher than 10, and I can mix two reds together without feeling like a yarn-idiot. So, I have two reds in the same blanket,,,do you think a six year old will notice?

My wonderful friend, Brenda, was over for dinner last night, and we both agree,---- simple is the new fun---- She has crocheted, but only granny squares, and I tried to tell her how easy these patterns are, once you are done stitching, you're done...no sewing the squares together, the ends are already tucked in, just zip-zap-done. Perfect, Simple, Forgiving, and Old Fashioned....just like me!!!

Hope all your patterns are getting easier!

lyn

Monster Balls!

2008-11-02T15:59:00.007-05:00

I was invited to a Ball! So I grabbed my rattiest black cape, my droopiest black hat, and I cackled all the way there!!!

The croud was eerie at the school!!! Witches and Vampires! Woopies and Faries!!! You know a family is kookie when the adults are just as dressed up as the kids!! And we were not out numbered!!Sitting pretty, these witches were waiting for their turn in the Costume Prominade....this was the only time they sat down, they danced all night!!And I had a dance with a Vampire,,,shhhhhhh.....don't tell Mr. Wonderful!! "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too!"

After the festivities, the kids all came to Granny and Papa's house to rest (yeah, right)

Elly learned to crochet, and crochet she did !!! We have 6 foot chains, in red, purple, pink, and blue. Anybody need a 6 foot chain? We have an abundance of them! But just look at the determination in her face!!!!

She got it down pretty quick!! Papa kept asking "Why don't you show her how to do the next row?" But he never learned how to crochet, he has no idea how much practice it takes to regulate the tension, or get into the rhythm of moving both hands full of fingers all at once. She wasn't ready to go on to the next row,,,,believe me! But the girl can chain!! boy howdie, can she chain!! I learned to finger crochet when I was little...anybody remember that? But I stuck a hook in her hands, and I think she's going to be a natural. Of course, all my grandchildren are especially talented,,,don't you know. tee hee

Then we tested Norma's recipe for these treats, and boy, she was right, perfect for wee ones to help on, and they are scrumptious!! no left overs after this tea party! Even Papa had tea with us!!

Hope all your chains are pretty chains!

lyn

Another UFO down

2008-10-24T21:59:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was such a BEAUTIFUL day, and the weather man was promising rain in the afternoon, so we went for a walk before the raindrops fell. The sky to the East was as blue as an ocean, but then the clouds became thicker

and the sprinkles started messing with my mascara!

So, I decided maybe I should play inside,

So, I finished the long promised lap blanket for Mr. Wonderful, my retired Marine.

He was so thrilled with it, he cuddled up with his book and his beloved remote, and proceded to fall asleep. How much more of a compliment could a wife get? A sleeping husband in his own little blankie...warms the heart, doesn't it, girls???

Hope all your Mr. Wonderful's are warm and snuggly!!

lyn

One more UFO done!!

2008-10-14T09:05:00.004-04:00

With all the time we have spent in the Doctors offices with Mr. Wonderful, I have done ALOT of stitching! And I finally got one finished, all the way! It was nice to have some time with Bessie (my machine) and our visit was productive! We talked, we giggled, and we sewed,,,how wonderful!!!
This pattern is a freebie from http://www.homeberries.com/, She has some beautiful patterns!!! This one was free, can you believe it? You should go check her out!
All is getting better with Mr. Wonderful, he had the zap done on his back, he is in therepy for his shoulder, and the build-up in his carotid arteries is under control. I have done a LOT of cooking lately, and I think that has given him the strength to get better (yeah, that was it) tee hee

Actually, I have been spoiling him, and now it is time to crack that old whip again and turn him back into my "Personal Happiness Supporter" (in other words, it is time for him to start baking again)

Hope you all have your loved ones watched over

lyn

Give aways are soo much fun!!

2008-10-06T11:25:00.003-04:00

I'm so excited!!! We are up north in our little book store, and I could not wait till we got home (tomorrow) to pick the winners of the little Granny bags...Mr. Wonderful waited patiently as I wrote the names down, ripped the paper in strips, and he pulled two names....

And the winners are...

Jeanne and Norma, so, girls, send your address and I will be sure to get it out by Wednesday!

hope you all have a baggy day!!!!
lyn

I missed the big one!

2008-10-01T08:29:00.003-04:00

Jeanne, at luv2stitch is having a giveaway for her 200th post! She is soooo talented, that I would LOVE to win anything from her blog, but after I left a comment, I wondered how many posts I had...am I the only one who forgets to look at the number? so, I checked it out, and would you beleive it, I missed my 50th!

Is that time for celebrating? I"m in my 50's all over the place, no matter how you look at it, I think that is a good time to celebrate!! So, I have a couple of Granny Bags, shall we share those? Why not!!!!
So, there's no "rules" just a give away!
Leave a comment, and I'll pick two names,,,just leave me an e-mail address if you don't have a blog. How about Monday? is that long enough? OK, Monday it is!

How else could I thank all you wonderful women for making me feel so at home in this vast world of bloggerville.
Thanks, to all of you!
lyn

A stitch in time...

2008-09-16T22:37:00.004-04:00

Granny and Papa have had the blessing of the two oldest girls the last month or so, and Granny has had enough children to know that a busy child is a happy child... So, we do a lot of crafts at Granny and Papa's house. The three oldest grandchildren are boys, and when they were younger, I taught them how to stitch, too. Now, they are teens, and do not want to be reminded how much they LOVED to stitch!!! But the girls will carry this love all they way through life!! (that is Granny's wish!) So, we drew our pictures,
Then we taped them to the window, and it did not matter to Liberty that hers was up-side-down, but Elly would have had conniptions if hers was taped wrong. We traced our pictures, and we were soooooo happy!
No peeking,,,,you have to wait!!!
Our fingers were so nimble, our needles flew!
Have you ever seen such concentration???

Our work in progress...now all Granny has to do is figure out how we want to finish them, and we'll let you see the end result when we're done...

Hope all your needles are flying, too!

lyn

Ti-i-i-ime is not on my side...

2008-09-13T10:45:00.003-04:00

OK, girls, beat me now and get it over with, I am not a good blogger, I have missed you all, and do I get an extra 100 points for blogging BEFORE I read my 212 e-mails???

I have finished the benefit quilt, (good thing, since it is only a week away) it is all quilted, washed and we are guarding it from dog hair the best we can!!

The girls have been here a lot, and entertaining them has been a treat. We painted, cut, stitched, and colored. We found the perfect letters at a yard sale, an E for Elly...and an L for Liberty, they must have known I was coming??? could it be more perfect??? And after school started, Papa and Granny had some wonderful free time up at our trailer. (sigh) it is sooo peaceful up there.

On Finn's blog, I pledged to finish 5 projects by the end of the year, EEEEK!!

I have the Benefit (leaders and enders, which is DONE!!!) the African Star, (which is still in strips) the yellow wondow pane (which needs to be taken apart and re-aligned) the Project Linus, (Liberty and I are working on, and she is THRILLED) and I have a Marine Corps one to do for Mr. Wonderful, (just a lap quilt, I cheated and bought some panels)

The only problem is,,,I have been stitching more than I have been quilting, so I better "get to gettin" here because time slips by fast in this house!

hope you all are passing time happily

lyn

Fabric Inspirations

2008-08-06T09:27:00.003-04:00

Anybody else falling in love this summer? I found this fabric in an "End-of-the-bolt-get-rid-of-it" bin at Hobby Lobby. It was over four and a half yards of 54", and regularly priced at $24.97 yd. I paid $13 for the whole shot.
(pardon me while I wipe the drool off my chin) Now, the dilemma was...what could I do with this fabric? I could just throw it on the bed and roll around on it, (it has SUCH good "hand") or I could dress a couple granddaughters in it, or I could just let it stew in the sewing closet (which it has been doing for a while, now)

Oh, girls, just look at this fabric! How can you NOT do Something with it!! So, I decided to let the fabric be the boss, and just window pane it. I have some coral colored flannel for the backing, and I'm going to try my hand at hand quilting with the bigger stitches and thread just around the flowers. When I was pregnant, 34 years ago, a friend of mine made a Bambi quilt for me, and she quilted just around the animals. That quilt was a favorite in this house for a long time, and I would take a picture of it, but it is on one of the grandbabies beds at their home. But, it seems to me that the quilting brought out the animals in the print, so, whattya think? Is it hard? Do you think I can handle it? I can always try it and if it really looks crappy, I can hide it in the kid's room.

But that is going to have to wait, along with the scrappy benefit quilt, because we're going to New York for 5 (or maybe 6) days to visit family. Not the city, this time, but upper state, Watertown, where my Mr. Wonderful grew up. I am going to enjoy this trip sooooo much! I have the most wonderful SIL's and the brothers are great, too, I can't wait!! We are packing today, and I have packed some stitching, some crocheting, and I"m off to the Library. Can't go away without a few books!

Have a great weekend, ladies, and I hope all your fabrics give you some inspiration!

lyn

Ol' Bessie is humming a happy tune!

2008-08-03T07:14:00.005-04:00

I have struggled to get to my machine for a while, now. I spent time with the grandbabies, went on summer jaunts with Mr. Wonderful, did a lot of fartin' around in the yard, and the beach is always calling my name. So the lack of gumption in the sewing department was not bothering me too much, my African Star was whispering to me, and I found a beautiful yellow flowered fabric that has been nicely asking to be cut into, but nothing was screaming at me.

Then I heard of a friend who is planning a benefit, soooooo,,,what more motive could you ask for? I could cook,,,,naw.... I could sing,,,,,gawd no,,,, how about a good Irish jig?
Wait just a dog-gone minute.....I have TONS of leaders and enders (4-patches) to be used! Those darn ol' things have been bugging me lately. I even had them sorted (kinda sorta) in bunches... so I was half way there!!! Put them in a block,
put some blocks together,
figure out some sashing,
and in a day, you have a scrappy little flimsy. This one has 12" blocks, 2" sashing, and measures 58"x72" and I'm thinking it needs a green border, whaddya think? So far, all I've used is scraps, so if I buy a few yards of green, no big deal. And I won't have to do an Irish jig after all!!

The bonus is...Bessie is running again, and she has a smile on her face. You know how she loves a good benefit!
So, we're off to the LQS around the corner, anybody need anything while I'm there?

Hope all your Bessies are Happy Bessies!
lyn

I got nuthin'

2008-07-28T05:22:00.003-04:00

In the middle of summer fun, yard work, and kids off from school, I have been sooooo lazy. Not one stitch has been put in anything quilty!!! I made a few little girl's sundresses but that about covers the stitches in Granny's house this summer. I am hoping for some inspiration!!! Any body have any on hand to spare??? But I think I'm not the only one, as the summer gets busy and the yard work is plenty, I don't know about you, but I get pooped by the end of the day!

Mr. Wonderful went on a three day writer's conference in Indiana, and that left DD#3 and I to fend for ourselves,,,you all know what that means...........FAST FOOD!!!! Mr. Wonderful is such a wonderful chef, and he is basically a healthy chef, with his diabetes and all, and he really likes that "every-day-a-different-dish" thing. I, on the other hand, am a good cook as long as it is for something special, and I have specialties, (I have to admit that my fried chicken cannot be beat). So, while he was away, we hit the chinese buffet, the pizza parlor, and you guessed it, Mickey D's was calling our names!! All of those things are a rarity around here, if we have fast food, it is Subway. Now, I'm not knocking Subway, I love it, and it really is healthier,,,,,but girls, a Big Mac once in a while, mmmmm....can you hear my fat cells giggling? Let;s change the subject, I"m getting hungry!!

The beaches here are so perfect this time of year, we have sugar-sand beaches, and the sun sets over Lake Michigan with reds, purples, and oranges and makes the "evening times of life" absolutely gorgeous!!!

When the kids were younger, we co-owned a hang glider and would spend all day at the beach with friends and family. The guys would glide off the dunes over the water, and the women would watch the younger ones in the water, and pass out PB&J's and rinse off sandy little paddies.

Oh, for the days gone by, right? If you look close, to the left of the seagull, you can almost see Finn's house. These pictures were taken by my DD#2, she and a friend came to spend the weekend a little while back and the weather was not perfect for the beach, but they went anyway, away from the tourist beaches, and they had a great time.

So, that is all I have, just some summer thoughts and some dirty fingernails from weeding the tomatoes.

Hope your summers are just as "beachy"

lyn

I'm Honored

2008-07-16T06:47:00.006-04:00

I have been honored with an award from Norma. It is not just the usual "I think you're great" award, because Norma is not the usual "I think you're great" blogger. Any of you who know her will agree, she has a rare heart, and she has touched me and welcomed me into her circle. So, I accept this award, and now it is with great honor, I will present it to five others who have touched my heart. This sounds so easy, just to run down the list of your "buddies" and pick a couple.

But then you have to pause, and remember each one of these people have shared a piece of their lives with us. They lay their heart out for all to read, and they lay their loves on the pages of these blogs hoping you will love them, too. This picture (above) reminds me of our friends on the blogs, one heart strung to the next,,,, you don't just find a friend, you are linked to all of her friends, too. Prairie Sisters. Teaching, learning, sharing, comforting, keeping each other company, and daring to shed a tear now and then with them. We are a lot like the women of long ago, bonding through a love of fabrics, threads, colors, and giggles, as they gathered to quilt.
When you (with beating heart and worried brow) log your first post, it is so scary. Will anybody be interested? Will anybody care? Will anybody read? Am I smart/witty/interesting/likable enough to find a reader who will be my friend? You shine your light off the bow, and wonder if there is another ship out there who will shine theirs back. And hope for a good wind to fill your sails.
Even if you're not the largest sail, somebody is out there! They see your signals, and understand your rigging, and ride the same waves. And,,,they leave a comment! God Bless the first person who left you a comment!!! And then they came back to see you another time! And you know that what ever you blog about, there will be a passing from that other boat, which keeps you blogging on. Before you know it, you are in a fleet, sharing the winds with so many others.
And you find kindred spirits, both sunning on the same rock. No matter what color, creed, or craze, we're all on the same rock, sharing the same sun. Swimming in the same murky waters.

So, my task is to share this award with five other bloggers. Wow, easy and hard at the same time, easy because the names burst out at me, but hard, because how do you tell them how important they are to you?

My first comment came from Kris at quiltedsimple. Her and I were newbies together, and she hung in there with me, and I fell in love with her babies, and my leg hurt when Jesse fell skating, and she was so patient through my Jacobs Ladder. (God Bless you, Kris)

Then there came Finn at Pieces from my scrapbag ! What a coup that was!!! Every body knows what a wonderful gem Finn is, so giving of her heart, to know Finn is to know generosity! But what they might not know is the little girl who plays in that scrapbag, the one who is so precious and gives you half of her cookies. I love that little girl. Thank you, Finny-finn-finn, for all you've given!!!

Norma would fall in right here, because I found her through Finn, but I can't give the award back...can I??? Her and I share a lot. Inside and out! tee hee

Caroline of Knotgarden is the most talented person!!! But, still she is so down to earth, kind, and sharing. I am honored she reads my blog. She is tutoring me in Applique, and as soon as I stitch this thing, I"ll share it with you. Her eye for color is outstanding, and I am in constant awe of her handwork. I am also drawn to her photography. I could learn a lot hanging out at her place!! And she is a lady, both in her honor and in her stitching.

And... Lorraine, at Granny Loz, and I have a wonderful Granny thing, she is sooo witty, and you should see her beautiful stitching!! I think the greatest thing would be to hang out with her for a day!! Hey, Loz, wanna "do lunch?" My sides would ache from the giggles...

The fifth person is hard for me to name, because I'm a "lurker" over there, I have not the confidence to comment. Hers was the first blog I read all the way through, from the very beginning to now. I cried when her Dad died, and I was proud of her daughter's stitches, and I know all the symptoms of Autism. Isn't it amazing how you feel so close to a person on here, and they don't know you from Eve? She is so busy, and has so many wonderful comments, so I just read her blog, I don't "participate." So, Lucy, would be my fifth, but she is on a "blogging vacation" anyway, so she won't miss it.

So, there you have it, girls, I love and admire all of you! and I'm having the most wonderful time in your "quilting bees" so I thank you all!

Hope all your "bee's" are buzzing!!

lyn

Raggy Baggy Tutorial

2008-07-09T21:31:00.007-04:00

So many of you have asked about my bags, ie: how do you start the bottom, how do you attach the handles, so in honor of Finn, (who is the Tutorial Wonder) I thought I'd tell all of you at once, and do a tutorial. Here goes, (for my first) let me know if I've left anything out. I'm not good at reading patterns, so ,Lord help me, I'm in no position to write one, good luck with this!!!

[Any comments about the liver spots on my hands will not be tolerated! 8-) ]

I start out with a size "K" hook, and strips cut (some people tear them) to 5/8 inch wide. To make a large bag, you will need about four 4-inch balls of strips. (the equivalent of one full size sheet or 3 and a half yards of fabric.)
Chain 24 . chain 2 and stitch first dc in 24th stitch. dc all the way down your chain.
In the last stitch, dc 4, Turn the corner to dc on other side of the chain. (I dc over the tail here, to save the trouble of weaving it in later) Dc all the way down this side. Dc 4 in the last stitch and slip stitch to end first row at the first stitch. Chain 2 at start of all rows, and dc in the same stitch. Dc all the way around the row, double the stitch in the curves for 3 stitches to ease the corners for the second row. On the third row, dc all the way around, without adding any stitches, this will curl your sides up to form the bag. Continue all your rows with a single dc in each stitch. I usually go 14 rows before I add the handles.
On the 14th row, you will have a good size bag. Now we need to add the last two rows with the handles. We'll need to find your "true sides". To find your sides, lay flat and slip your finger into the lone stitch at the side, this is your true side. I count seven stitches toward the middle.
(it is very important to mark where your handles will start and stop, believe me, it is confusing if you don't) Use a strip of a darker color to mark your seventh stitch on all four sides. Dc around to the marker on the 15th row, (or how ever many rows you wish) and then chain 30. I have used less, but 30 stitches is a good amount to give you room to slip the bag over your shoulder.
Dc to attach it where your other marker is. (the 7th stitch from the left side.)This shows how the chain start would look like.

Continue to dc around to the other side where you will chain 30 at the next marker. Attach with a dc and continue to dc through the row. On the 16th row, dc all the way around, even in the chain. This will beef up the handle a bit and the double crochet strengthens it bit more. At the end of the 16th row, tie off.
Here, you can see how the two rows make up the handles.

I always try to add a little interest, a crocheted flower, this one has a heart because I didn't have enough of the purple to do a whole flower.

And there you have it. Once you get your strips sewn and in balls, the actual crocheting only takes a couple hours. Good luck, everybody, let me know if you make one!

Hope you all have a raggy baggy night!

lyn

I'm on the run again!

2008-07-02T07:36:00.003-04:00

My Lillies are the most beautiful thing in my yard right now, I just love these little ladies!! I am thinking about moving them, tho. I've had them for about 8 or 9 years, and they are on the East side of the house. They bloom every year, but they should have gotten a little fuller by now, and I still only get about 3 stalks every year. (I want about 20) so Mr Wonderful said he would move them to a sunnier spot? Any suggestions? I just love these, my heart soars every year when they bloom.
I am off to the Library and Video store this morning, because we are leaving for the "north country" and Elly and DD#3 are going with us this time, so we need "busy stuff" in case there is rain. Our little sanctuary is going to be a zoo this time, tho, for the holiday weekend. Good for the resort, bad for the regulars. But, there will be plenty of activities to keep two girls busy.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday...I will pause for a moment and try to fathom the depth of what this day means to us here in the most wonderful United States of America.
oh, and have a blast!
lyn

It's Official...

2008-06-28T17:44:00.004-04:00

I have become a Bag Lady!!!! I made this one with a "Lazy Girl Design" pattern and I absolutely LOVE it!! and I have gotten many compliments on it! I highly recommend it and would give you a link if I could only figure out an easier way to do it! Any help out there, Ladies???
These I crocheted while we were up North, and they are all gone, the "Pool Grannies" all wanted some, and the lightest one ended up as a shower gift filled with what-nots and tied up with a rag bow. Lorraine bought it and is now pushing for a few more in reserve, since "green" is in with the young crowd and the bag was a big hit.
So, I am making more, and have orders for two made out of camo colors (???)
My swap partner, Rachel, is such a sweetie, and I received her box today when I got home. Above is the package I sent her, and below is the wonderful box I received. The card is covering the name of the chocolate,,,Lindt, my favorite, and the perfect little doll from the thrift store, and best of all, the polka-dot kitty...perfection wrapped in cotton!!! I'll have three grand daughters wanting to make quilts for her! tee hee.... Wonderful goodies, all over the place!!

We have been trotting the state, hither and yon, visiting and hiding. Then we run back home and work our hineys off catching up on yard work. In between we caught the nastiest "ick" I've ever had, and it lasted days...and days...I still have bags under my eyes. Could we have eaten a bad tomato??? or two? EEEK

Now we are under a severe storm warning, and it is raining sideways, so I"ll take the rest of the night to get caught up with all of you, How have you been?? I've missed you and thought of you many times!

Hope you all get to cuddle pink polka-dot kitties!

lyn

I am one big Swapper

2008-06-09T22:23:00.009-04:00

I have joined a swap, a Sweet Goodness Swap, to be exact, and they have given me homework...so I will show some pics of Jakey to entertain you while I answer a few questions: (His little shirt says "Little Guys Rule")

Let's Get to Know Each Other And Play 20 Questions!

1. What is your favorite Summer Drink(s)?

I love Lemonade with Diet 7-Up added, even the Crystal Light is good to me

2. What is your favorite Summer Activity?

swimming and geocaching, maybe walking, too

3. If you could spend a lazy afternoon reading, what would be in your hands?

Some fiction, but I love any non-fiction, right now I'm reading Eden's Outcasts (The story of Louisa May Alcott and Her Father) by John Matteson, people's lives are so interesting to me

4. What is your favorite type of craft/art medium?

it would have to be fabric, I love the feel of new fabric

5. What is one art/craft supply you absolutely have been dying to have or try?

I think I've tried just about everything, at least once, but I would like to try braiding rugs again, now that I have the patience to finish one.

6. What are your favorite colors in our 'rainbow sherbet' theme? Pink, lime green, yellow, orange, aqua (or blue)

pink, yellow, and blue

7. What is your favorite sweet treat?

oh, easy...milk chocolate

8. Are there any craft or art supplies you would NOT be interested in receiving?

can't think of any...I'm easy

9. What is your favorite song today?

I cry every single time I sing "How Great Thou Art"

10. How do you 'pamper' yourself during the hot summer days?

I stay in the cool house and I eat ice cream cones

11. Do you have any kidlets or pets?

I have two of the best dogs in the world, and I have 8 grandbabies ranging from 1 to 18 that come to play with the dogs.

12. What is your best potluck dish for summer get togethers?

Usually, everybody asks me to bring my cheeseball and my cherry chocolate cake

13. If you could take a summer vacation anywhere, where would it be?

I would go back to Martha's Vineyard, I just love the slow, summery style there, it is a little like my small resort town, only on a much grander scale

14. Describe your decorating style. Does that say anything about your personality?

I'm not sure I have a "style" ...and I think that says everything about my personality...I am a "collection" of all that I love

15. What are your initials?

LSH

16. Why do you like to join swaps?

I have always loved to "share" things and get to know people

17. You have 25 dollars to spend just on you for a little treat. What do you buy? ((you can list more than one thing)

I would spend it junk shopping, (my favorite) we have a little store called the Junction, and all proceeds go to fund church camps, so I spend a lot of time there.

18. What's one craft supply or art supply you absolutely can not live without?

I would shrivel up and die without my sewing machine, it grounds me.

19. Who's the last person you hugged?

I just hugged my daughter good night

20. What's your favorite number and why?

I love 8, obviously, but don't you think 3 is just a pretty number? both in scale and in appearance.

So, there you have it! More snippets of the secret life of Old Fat Grannys!!

Hope all your treats are chocolate-y!
lyn

Marshmallows, Hobo Pies, and Kids, OH MY

2008-06-09T08:19:00.003-04:00

I have come to the conclusion that the best part of camping is the food, and the unlimited caloric availability. S'mores,
and can you just smell the cherry pie in this little baby here? HMMMMM life is good.

And then it's off to the pool (16 thousand times a day when the kids are with us) and my beach bag was drenched after two trips. I pulled out my crochet hook, gave up on the idea of a basket, and made a better bag, one that would dry faster....

Granny's got a brand new bag! All the other "Pool Grannys" were ooohhing and aaahhing over my bag! I have orders for at least three more!
So, we played Strawberry Shortcake, we colored, we dodged raindrops, and we sang till our voiceboxes were raw, and we just about gave up and went to town to rent some movies, when all of a sudden, the skies became clear, the Lord smiled down on our campsite, and three nice little giggling girls (and a most hilarious boy) ran up the hill and asked Liberty if she wanted to play...(my Lib is on the right)
We were truly blessed with these kids, and they had such good Moms!

Now we are home, and Libbee is back with Mom and Dad, and Granny and Papa are rested, looking forward to Elly's turn!

Hope all your weekends were full of giggles and catapillers!

lyn

What season is it?

2008-06-04T11:21:00.004-04:00

All our spring blossoms are "past their prime" like me, but it is not quite summer yet... at my house, we call that Helicopter Season, translated, that means I am sweeping the deck and sidewalks daily and it looks like it's snowing when the wind blows. The good news, is that in a week and a half, Mr. Wonderful can put down his cedar shavings and make all the flower beds look gorgeous!

My "Ethnic Stars" are coming along slowly but surely, they are kinda finicky because I picked the stripes,,,forethought is a wonderful trait that I know nothing about. But oh, girls, look at how ethnic it looks!! How fitting for today!

It is Liberty's turn to go with Granny, Papa, and Auntie Leash to the Creek, and her last day of school is today, so tomorrow we will be off! That means S'mores, Hobo pies, Hot dogs over the fire, and Pop, I always drink Pop (Diet 7-Up) when I'm out in the wild,,,call me crazy!

So, we are packing the Strawberry Shortcake Game, coloring books, and Granny's bag has some new balls to play with....

Does this look like a basket to you? I'm gonna figure out how to make one using the rug theory. Think it will work??? I cut up two old valances from the 80's and some left over black from the rug. I think I can...I think I can...

So I will be gone all weekend, back (dirty and sore and tired) on Sunday, so you kids behave while I'm gone!

Hope your weekend is "Campy"

hugs, lyn

As a Bee....

2008-05-30T19:10:00.005-04:00

As I'm veeerrryyy slooowwwly working on my Ethnic Star, I have been pecking away at some other things,,,,I am done with the rug, and I love it!! How scrappy can you get? I am so glad I pulled it out and started over! It is flat now and the black-ish stripes just give it a little definition, don't ya think? And the outside has been calling my name, large cuts of lilacs make my kitchen table feel like a garden,,,
and cut roses fill a vase on my computer desk, and, oh....girls.... I think this must be what Heaven smells like?
Liberty was sick, running fevers, caughing, poor baby. It was just a bad nasty virus going around... so we took Elly home with us for the week, and had a ball with her! She had the three of us going non-stop. It is so wonderful to be able to have a "tag team" with the kids, I get worn out and pass her onto Auntie Leash, then she passes her onto Papa, then back to Granny, whew, time to rest!
The holiday weekend was wonderful, with cookouts and bar-b-q's and family and friends.

My prayers and thanks go out to all the families who have sons and daughters, husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, who are fighting for our freedom, God bless us all!
lyn

Cuttin' a Rug

2008-05-22T08:59:00.002-04:00

Getting the strips together is the most time consuming part of the process. I started sewing them by hand while watching TV, and crocheting them as I went. Tread a needle, sew strips till the thread ran out, attach strip to the last one on the rug, crochet the strip, sew strips. I got a little rhythm going during Desparate Housewives and Dancing, and I added a black stripe to contain all the scrappiness of it all. (sorry about the rotten pic)Then, I got to really looking at it, and decided I could do better, and I had a major bump in the middle that I tried to stretch out, but it always came back. So, I gave up and ripped it out, started all over, and this time it is going so fast because I (finally) followed Finns advice and sewed the strips on the machine. And now look, even Cubby likes this one better! She can't wait till I leave it on the floor for good, she thinks I lay it down just for her.

In between, I tested a theory. I wanted to put a flannel backing on the Ethnic Star, but I wasn't sure how it would wash. I had visions of the flannel shrinking and getting so soft, and the front, not shrinking as much, so it would be wrinkled, puckered, and old looking,,, sounds wonderful to me. What a wonderful, warm, cozy effect that would be, right?

So I cut a square of flannel, and a square of cotton, put a simple grid on it, and bound it. Threw it in the washer and dryer, rubbing my hands together the whole time, thinking how clever I was, I was going to make this quilt look a hundred years old! Pleasure oozed out of my pores.
Until I pulled it out of the washer. It did not look a hundred years old, it did not have the wrinkled, softly aged look at all. It just had the puffy look of the 70's & 80's. I was so disappointed. I hung my head as I brought it up to show DD#3. I handed it to her and tried to explain that I had other theories we could test out......She didn't hear a word I said, she was squeeling with delight! "OH, That is exactly what I wanted!! Look how old that looks! It's perfect!!! Oh, Mom, I"m going to LOVE it! Thank you so much!" Needless to say, I (like any of you would have done,) pretended that was exactly what I wanted it to look like.

Why is it, I think the 80's are out of fashion, and now my daughter thinks of the 80's as "retro." Go figure...

Hope your day is wrinkled and sofly aged!

lyn

I am going to have to start a Support Group

2008-05-16T08:50:00.009-04:00

I have neglected my family, my dogs, and I cannot concentrate at work, this drug is so powerful.
These habits need a stronger will than mine to be conquered. I need therapy and rehab. But it's not my fault...Blame the pusher!

That's right, you know who you are,,,finn!!!! (finn has a wonderful tutorial on her blog, she is so patient with us) You lured us into your trap so smoothly! You knew how addicting your drug was, and yet you taunted us all with your innocent looking crochet hook. All along, you were plotting to get us hooked, so you could laugh at us with your scraps!!! Well, your trick worked, I am hooked, and I know others who have fallen under your spell!
I am never going to be able to do another thing with my hands, I will grow old sewing strips together!

....What have we here??

ok, I might be able to put the strips down for just a moment ot two, but then I'm back to the guilty pleasure of ragging a rug.

Actually, this is not that far off, I am really loving this process!! I have loved rag rugs forever, and now I am addicted!

thank you, again, Finn, for the wonderful lessons!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, mine will be a little "ragged"

lyn

Ps: Carolyn at http://ohioquilter.blogspot.com/ has an awesome give away, go "dream" on her blog!

We were off to see the Wizard!

2008-05-14T16:48:00.006-04:00

The wonderful

"Wizard of Oz"

My "Good Little Witches", Elly and Liberty, were absolutely awed by Dorothy and Glenda, and after the play, they had to talk to all the characters.

I am soooo proud of our little town production of "The Wizard of Oz"

the witches flew like professionals! And even Toto remembered his lines.
Nobody gets paid, nobody gets awards, the ticket sales go toward keeping the little theater open, and all the actors get is a little bit of fame in the local paper.
Eight weeks of four-nights-a-week practice, grueling study of lines, sore throats from saying "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too" 26 times a day,

But, after the last bow, all the actors came down into the audience and signed autographs, posed with children so old fat grannies could take pictures, and were the picture of patience while the flash wouldn't go off,,,now THAT, my dear friends, is acting!

This is a sneak peak at my "Ethnic Star"

Can anyone guess who it's for?

I hope you all have a "Wicked" evening,,,

lyn

Home again, Home again...

2008-05-10T11:44:00.004-04:00

Jiggety Jig!!!!!

Mr. Wonderful and I went to Whiskey Creek just south of Scottville, MI. It is a lazy creek that is serene and beautiful and fresh,,,I can't type all the adjectives for this place. We found it by accident,
When we were first married, we planned a trip to Hawaii for our Honeymoon. Lo and behold, a "Club Package" was pitched to us, a condo club which cost about $1000 base fee and $57 a year dues. The package saved us about $3200 on the trip to Hawaii so we signed on the dotted line and figured we'd not pay the dues the next year, and still would have saved a bundle. After that trip, the next year we used the club to go to Cape Cod, then Long Island, then Stratford, then Aruba, then Orlando, and with each trip we saved at least $1200-5000! Never could we have been able to afford the trips without the club, since the airfare and everything was included.

But then, one year hit us pretty bad, I lost my youngest son, Mr. Wonderful had to have back surgery, developed neuropathy and had to retire, my job got downsized...Our heads were still spinning, we could not afford to go, and really didn't have the gumption to skip all over the globe, anyway.

The next Valentines day, I was looking for a little two day get away for us, and since Mr. Wonderful had just had foot surgery, we couldn't go far. On my club plan, I searched for a cabin. "Whiskey Creek Resort" came up, and with our club plan, it was only $10 a night, so I jumped on it, one of the luckiest things ever!

We bought a camper trailer, and we leave it up there all summer, so it is like a cabin in the woods, only with all the comforts of home, yet a getaway, with the trickling of the creek, birds, deer, turkeys, and no phone! We can still get Good Morning America, but the Mr. turns it off after the news, (wow, very different than his usual habits) and we cook desserts on the fire, and drink our coffee in the morning by the fire. There is a club house with an indoor pool, hot tub, little restaurant, and on the weekends they have a band, or bingo, or something. On one side of the resort, you can buy your own lot, like we did, or there is a campground, and little log cabins scattered all over. 655 acres of vacation.

And the smell of apple blossoms add to the headiness of the resort. It only rained one day, so we went to a little bookstore in town, and the owner had missed us over the winter! We spent the biggest part of the day there, sitting with our tea, and looking over magazines, and catching up with the computer.

So, we have had our little piece of heaven, up on a little hill, surrounded by trees, I've read a whole book this week, and now it is back to work, and I missed the kids, and of course, all of you's.

Happy Mother's Day to all of us tomorrow, may our hearts be filled to the brim with love and goodness!

I hope you all have your little piece of heaven,

lyn

Going,,,going,,,,

2008-05-05T11:12:00.003-04:00

Almost gone! Mr.Wonderful and I are taking the RV up north to our very favorite little spot in the woods.
Here are the Ethnic prints I'm drooling over, I'm planning a wonderful suprise for my DD#3. The photo is not letting the yummi-ness show through, but I'll keep you updated on the progress.
These are going to be for my dear friend, Loydie, (short for Loydell, named after her father) and she is just as unique and special as her name.
Life is a "whirlwind" these days, so it will be a nice time to get the "wheels" on the road (sorry, I have fits of corny now and then)
These pin wheels are made from the generous gift of scraps from the generous and giving Finn, thank you, Finn!

Hope all your weeks are "deer" (geez, I am getting bad)
lyn

May Day

2008-05-01T16:59:00.001-04:00

Does anybody else remember "dancing around the May Pole"? Why did we do that? And I also remember making posey pockets and leaving them on our mother's door knobs on May Day. Why did we stop doing that?

I am grabbing the flag Norma at Random Stitches threw down on her post the other day, it looks like fun!

You have to use the first letter of your first name to answer each of the following. One word only. They have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

WHAT IS YOUR NAME
Lyn

4 LETTER WORD
Love
(is there any other?)

VEHICLE
Lincoln
(I wish)

TV SHOW
Lucy
(showing my age)

CITY
Louisville
(hello, DD#1)

BOY NAME
Louis
(my grampa)

GIRL NAME
Liberty
(my grand daughter)

OCCUPATION
Librarian
(this is my dream job)

SOMETHING YOU WEAR
Lingerie
(with diamond necklaces :-)))

FOOD
Lobster
(dreaming of butter running down my forearms)

SOMETHING IN THE BATHROOM
Lotions
(tons of jams and jellys in there)

REASON FOR BEING LATE
Llama
(I hate when they break down on the highway)

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT
licketysplit!
(this was the hardest one!)

I'm going to challenge you all, (yes, you too) to do this one!

This was a good day to do this, because Blogger would not let me add any pictures. I got some new "ethnic" looking prints and you will love them, as soon as I can show them!

Hope all your Llamas are running good today!
Lyn

I conquered the Beast!

2008-04-27T20:59:00.000-04:00

You'd think I was showing off the beast which is done!done!done!
But really, I'm showing off my back yard which is full of forsythias! The pattern I was kinda/sorta looking at while I made this quilt left the sides of the "lover's knots" unfinished. As I put it together, they looked undone, see the top pic, at the bottom right "knot" of the quilt? now look at this side, I "applied" the forgotten corner (the purple and black 2x2 squares) to make it look finished.
This quilt is so old, I'm not sure how to date it. In the 80's, I babysat my nephew every day before and after school, he would just get the bus from here because his mom and dad were already at work. My brother is a huge outdoors man, and he befriended an old woods-woman who lived in the UP. She owned about 300 acres of forest and she let my brother hunt and fish on her land. She canned all her veg's and caught all her own meat, she was a beekeeper and sold honey in quart jars and she quilted and sold the quilts for $20 apiece! they were all different, all crazy (pun intended) and all the stitches were crooked, uneven, in different colored thread, and they were tied. My brother bought me two of them (because I would never let him pay me for babysitting) before she passed away. One is on my daughter's bed, she loves it, it weighs at least ten pounds, (all double knit polyester)and this one I keep in the RV to keep us warm on cold spring nights. This one sings to me. I should take closer photos so you could see the fabrics,
they date all the way from the fifties to the mid 70's
This is the back, oddly pieced, with one fabric of orange and yellow flowers and another fabric that I think I had bed sheets of, while I still lived at my Mom's house...(long time ago)

These quilts, to me are the epitome of "Utility Quilts" and that is exactly what I do, utilize them with all my heart!

Thanks, Bobber, for these gifts!

Hope all your Spring nights are cozy!!

lyn

How do you quilt an Elephant?

2008-04-25T19:21:00.000-04:00

One stitch at a time!! I've been conquering the beast slowly but surely.
I'm taking all of your wonderful advise and settled for a straight stitch in the (hardest, darnedest, and most stubborn) middle section.
And winding a heart vine around the edge border. Now I"m pecking away at the binding. Then I have to finish the bed skirt and the shams, and viola! new bedding! but then, I'll have to paint the room, maybe get new carpet, redesign the headboard, maybe strip the nightstands, probably have to buy new fabric for the curtains, ahhhh, life is and endless banquet of possibilities!!
in the meantime, I whipped up a table top for my girlfriend, Brennie, her and I have been best of friends since we were in Jr High cheerleading together, (we cheered the dinosaurs it was so long ago,,,tee hee)
what could be more fitting than a friendship star? low contrast, soft colors, and sweet. Just like my Brennie!

Hope all your friendships are sweet!
lyn

The purple passion pizzled

2008-04-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

oh, girls, it was a wonderful idea in the beginning! I drew a heart, swirled a sun in there, and thought it would be easy-peasy-punkin-pie to quilt over the paper and end up with the world's greatest quilted-by-lynie thing ever. As usual, I'm stuck. I am as coordinated as a soup sandwich, and the quilting of the thing is driving me crazy. Do you remember all the hours I spent practising on those easytohandle doll quilts? Did you hear me say how easy Tonia's was to quilt by machine? Did you hear the screams from Michigan last night when the darn thing was giving me fits?

What should I do? (A) take all the pins out of the papers and calmly throw them in the frazzle-ratsin garbage bin? (B) Sell my youngest child and pay a LAQ to do the dirty work for me? or (C) Put it away for a few days and compose my normally-easy-going self to give the thing another twirl on the dance floor? I promise, I did not crumple these papers in a rage. They crumpled all by their selves when I GENTLY rolled the thing up to put it on the golldarn machine. Please send HELP! If you have no help, Please send CHOCOLATE!

The good news is that Mr. Wonderful has come through his eye-implant surgery with flying colors. He is sleeping off the anesthesia and I went for a walkabout with my camera,
Crocus and Tulips peeking out in the sun! A sure sign of Spring in Michigan
And this baby was my mother's tulip. I replanted some out of her yard after she passed in '03. Red was her favorite color in everything, not just tulips, she raised and sold iris and poppies until the early 70's when some friendly young adults came in a Volkswagen van and bought every poppy she had. She was so proud of the sale, she called me to brag about it. I had to break the news to her that they might not plant them. She watched for the police to come for the next two months. I miss my innocent, unsuspecting, full of red poppies Mom.

She couldn't quilt, either.

Hope all your stitches don't have to be pulled out.

lyn

Hi, Honey, I'm home!

2008-04-12T10:26:00.001-04:00

Wow, that 8 days went so fast, my head is still spinning! I zoomed on DD#1's quilt and finally got it all done,
Then she had car trouble on the way, (new transmission) so we rented her a car and got her home last Saturday. She loved her quilt and slept with it the whole time she was here,

So the whole week was running, (literally) and any slow times were shuffling cards and playing Skip-Bo (she and I played it the whole time she was growing up and now it's become a tradition) cookouts, shopping, hot-tubbing, and giggling, not to mention the put-a-yard-on-my-waste meals my DH prepared. So now my little home is quiet and the beds are stripped, the carpets vacuumed, the toys and bikes put away, and my baby girl is sleeping in her own bed tonite. (boohoo) even tho she is 37 this year, she will always be my baby. And her babies will always be my babies,

It's wonderful to see them come, and it's kinda good to see them go, I'm exhausted and ready to get back to normal. I'll bet I have a TON of blogs to catch up on. Here I come!

Hope all your babies are cuddling in a quilt tonite.

Lyn

A Blessing in a Box

2008-04-01T17:24:00.001-04:00

Girls, can you peek in here and see a heart?
Because it was loaded with kindness and generosity, all the way to the top
Orphans and mug-rugs and blocks, oh my!
Look at all the yumminess!
and Candy, Too!!!! And to top it all off, Scraps, and Scraps Galore!...someone give me a mop, cuz my heart's in a puddle!

Little Miss Finn is one of the most open and generous persons in all of Blogdom Land. This box is proof, she sent not only pieces of her scrap bag, she sent pieces of herself. How can you thank some one for all that? Her heart is bigger than the Great Lake that lies between us!

Thank you, Finn,
Lyn

Guess what I did...

2008-03-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

For some dumb reason, I wanted to make a dress form to fit my awful, square, old-fat-granny body. I thought it would be a good idea. So, my best (the only one I would let tape my body) friend, Annie, and I went to the store for duct tape, stopped at Good Will and picked up a couple floor lamps, threw on one of DH's old shirts, and ripped tape like mad hatters, Annie went glam, and bought purple tape, and we taped,
and we taped, till our fingers were sore from ripping the tape
But, in the end, Lucy and Ethyl were born again. I'm too tired to glue all the fabric nice and neat like I originally planned, so I threw on a blouse and pinned fabric at the bottom, and viola
If you sew any clothing at all, I recommend this very highly, I am boxy and lumpy, so off-the-rack or out-of-a-pattern always has to be altered. I have become a wiz at elastic and darts over trhe years.
This is easy, fast, (about an hour and a half for each) and cheap. Now you're talking my language!

Hope all your mini-me's are fast and easy! tee hee
lyn

Snowing sideways in Michigan

2008-03-25T17:48:00.000-04:00

That's right, 45-50 mph winds, and winter weather warnings. Welcome to Michigan in Springtime :-))))

The dreariness of it lasted all day till I got home from work and found a beautiful package, from the beautiful and talented finn !

I have to admit, my DH was as excited as I was and he peeked before I got home. So, I had to re-wrap for a picture, (they are so like children, aren't they? tee hee)

She shared some awesome fabric, a crochet coaster, and lots of I-can't-wait-to-plant-them seeds.

Her stationary is perfection!

Thank you, Finn, You are so giving,

Lyn

No quilt yet

2008-03-19T21:46:00.000-04:00

First we had to paint some sunshine,
so we could have pretty flowers and butterflies, while we have a wonderful picnic,
then we can work inside,
and after the girls went home, we found notes all over the house,
(plese Don't thro this tisho Box a way)
because tissue boxes make the best Barbie doll beds.
Maybe we'll quilt tomorrow?
I hope the sun shines on all your picnics!
lyn

I have been tagged

2008-03-17T19:22:00.000-04:00

by Kris at quiltedsimple to tell a bit about myself, you all know I can't spell, so I can''t use that! These are hard, kinda, you really have to think, and I just don't like to think...tee hee

here goes:

Where was I ten years ago? in exactly the same place. I love it like that, I'm not a mover or a shaker, so if you give a good rut, I will wallow in it till the cows come home. I wish I still had the first house I ever bought, but I ended up with too many bodies and had to build a new one, this one is home, but that one was "back home."

Things on my to-do list for today? I had to take DH to two Dr. appts, one was three hours, one was about an hour, in between I went to the fabric store to buy batting for DD#1's quilt, so I was even later to work than I thought I would be. Then I ran home for "the eatin' of the cabbage" since it is St. Paddy's day. then I ran my DD#3 to work, came home to the puter, then I'll work on my other DD's quilt, in between Dancing With The Stars.

What would I do if I suddenly became a Billionaire? First I would build a new church, so our roof would never leak again, then I would build new homes for all my children on the lake, then I would supplement the state funding for our Area Intermediate School District so they would have enough funds for a water bed in each room. I would go to Good Will, and buy all the prom dresses for my dress-up-tea-parties, I could even afford to have them sent to the cleaners! Finally, I would split up all the big cities into little towns like mine, because we never have crime bigger than a tipped tractor.

What are my 3 bad habits? Procrastination, first and foremost! after asking my DD and my DH, I would have to say #2 would be procrastination, and # 3 would have to be procrastination, in that order. (After some deliberation behind my back, the list is #1 procrastinator, #2 I'm stubborn, and #3 I'm a sucker.)

Five jobs I've had? 1. I went around to all the independent gas stations around town and read their meters twice a day, it wasn't exciting, but I could drag the kids in the car, so I didn't have to pay a babysitter. 2. I started bookkeeping for my mother when I was 12. I'm still an accountant. 3. I was a Nurses Aide 4. I cleaned houses. 5. I taught migrant children in the summers through the Red Cross. Loved it!

Five things you don't know about me. 1. I have crusty moles. thank goodness they are in spots that don't see the light of day, but they are still there, lurking on my body. 2. I collect clocks. I love clocks, I think they are fascinating! Each clock is like a child, with it's own personality. Every face is different, the chimes sing to my heart, and just the thought of watching time is a miracle to me. In the room I am sitting in now, the last count was 47. 3. I met my DH online. I know, it does not sound like me, but I wasn't one to go out "men shopping" and anything I met on the blind dates were either a drinker or a druggie, being raised in the 60's, it was very hard to find somebody my age who was "normal." This was in the mid 90's when it was odd, not fashionable like now. 4. I was Michigan's Foster Parent of the Year in 1986 and I was a single mom. 5. I am the worlds worst pack rat. Thank goodness I built this home, because I built in lots of storage. I have the oddest things, but if anybody needs leather hair curlers from 1882, send 'em my way.

Whew, that was harder than it looks!! If you have already been tagged, you are excused on this one, BUT YOU! yeah, you, you're it! get busy, and let me know when you have it all done, so I can get all your nitty gritty!

have a thoughtful day,

lyn

We interrupt this regularly scheduled quilting...

2008-03-16T08:52:00.000-04:00

My beautiful daughter is coming home from Kentucky for a week during Spring Break and is bringing her three boys with her. These three are my oldest grandchildren, Chris is 19, Andrew just turned 16, and Blakey is 7. My poor little "Sissie" is a single Mom and is so wonderful with her children, she's buying her own home, paying her own bills, working full time, and fighting the Mommy wars all by herself. I was thinking the other day, (a chore for me these days): Tonia's three stars (her wonderful boys) Tonia's quilt, three quilted stars, I should make a quilt for Sissie with three stars floating in the center square. So, I put aside my purple passion, and off I went on a tangent, only a couple hours later, I ended up with these three stars. I have to go shopping to finish the rest of the top. So far I've only used scraps, but I need more of the background, and I might as well pick up some FQ's to make corner patches that signify all her siblings. It is an easy-peasy pattern, so I should have it done in a week. I have figured it all out in my head. Danger: slippery when thinking!

Hope all the stars in your life are shining bright!
lyn

Apple Purses...

2008-03-13T21:55:00.000-04:00

are my new favorite,

My DH (the resident chef) made a wonderful dinner, and he also made a wonderful dessert for us and my girlfirend, Brennie. He adores her, so we always have a yummy treat when she comes. This week, he made Apple Purses, he had something similar at Barnes and Noble a while back, so he fussed and fretted, and combined about three recipes, till his came out much better! She feels so spoiled coming over to see us, and he is proud

as a peacock to feed her. He was raised in bad foster homes who only gave the bananas to their "real kids", so, to him, food is love, so he feeds you out of love and if you "mmmm" and "ahhhh" that means you love him back. This is why I am a fat old granny, he feeds me well! I love treats, I will bypass supper to save room for dessert.

Are you all drooling yet? He usually makes everything from scratch, but after Brennie left, he confided that he used "store-bought" crust. It was wonderful, and there was enough left over to eat in bed at midnight last night......yummy!

Have a treat, or come vist us and I'll have DH make a purse!

Lyn

She's Baa-aack

2008-03-11T08:26:00.000-04:00

I have had problems with my cable/Internet. We switched not long ago to a "bundle" and all the computers network off mine. Something went haywire and we had to have the cable guy out here yesterday. Whew, what a hassle! You never realize how much you depend on these machines until they don't work!

Anyway,,,,,,,I've started a new project, a purple project! My husband's favorite color is purple, and his favorite flower is lilac. So, I am starting a new quilt for him, well, for our bed, and I have to paint the bedroom first and get rid of the blue. The pattern is an old 80's pattern from Eleanor Burns, called (are you ready for this?) Lovers Knot. It is only two blocks with some setting triangles, and I love the way it is coming along. I have had a lot of time to work on it this past weekend, my poor DH has been sick in bed with the latest virus going around. I'm not sure why I'm not the one who get sick, I'm the one who wipes noses, kisses baby toes, etc.

My top should be done today, but it is my "Brennie" night. I'm almost ashamed to admit it, but I have made "appointments" with all my girlfriends, to spend one-on-one time with the ones who are important to me, sounds wierd, but it works! The first Tuesday of the month is my ex-sisters-in-law night. They said I could only divorce some of the family. not all of the family. The second Tuesday is my Brennie, we have been best friends since we were 13, and I'm not going to count the years. Then the last Wednesday is my Annie, the one who was supposed to be my sister. We have been sisters since 1980. Which to me doesn't seem that long ago, but it has already been 28 years,,,,geez! And then there's Connie, she's an elementary teacher, so any night of the week is good for her as long as it's not P/T conferences, which this week is. Then, my two favorite co-workers in the world from a job I had in the 70's and early 80's meet me at Barnes and Noble every once in a while to catch up. All my other friends I see at candle parties, or baby showers, but these women are so inportant to me, and with everybody's jobs, kids, grandkids, husbands, and housework it is hard to see everybody you love. Call me crazy, but look at all the "girl time" I get, even though I work and have a family. I am truly blessed!

Have a great "girly day"

lyn

It's Time!!!

2008-03-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

Hip Hip Hooray!

Spring is on it's way and it's time to get my seeds planted, I save all my yogurt cups through the year and start my own. Am I the only cheapskate in the crowd? I feel that God has given me these seeds free, and I"d rather start them on my own than pay $9 a flat at the greenhouse.
We can't put them in the ground here until Memorial Day, so I usually start them now, so they're bloomin by the end of May. These are Debbie's Dream marigold and I have plenty, if anybody wants a few just e-mail me and I will gladly share.
Free Flats of Flowers! Get Your Bouquet Here!
As I tell my DH, I'm not cheap, I just enjoy "free" alot.

The little quilts are practice squares from scraps for my messy, uneven, etc. machine quilting. Yes, my dears, I still need practice.

Does anybody recognize the Cubby Bear? Baseball Season is also on it's way, and we love the Cubbys and the Tigers, (even when they lose).

Happy Planting Everyone!
lyn

Just about as crafty as a Granny gets

2008-02-24T08:25:00.000-05:00

Lamby & I have been crocheting, Does anybody remember "broomstick lace?" it is old, old, old, so ancient, I don't remember my own grandmother ever doing it, I have only seen it done once, other than the baby blanket I did over 30 years ago!
The real story is...The "broomstick" has been in the same drawer in the buffet since I finished the baby blanket for my oldest, he is now 33 years old. Along comes Leash rummaging and trying to organize, and the thing drops on the floor and the bottom breaks. I am the resident Glue Guru, so I glue it back together, telling her the whole time, Nanny gave me this 34 years ago, you have to be careful, plastic gets brittle,etc, etc, etc. Then, Elizabeth comes over and wants to know what it is, so I show her, next thing you know, she is watching a dolly blanket grow before her eyes. She just happens to have a cold dolly that has a dress that will match these leftover 1982 yarn balls! What luck! So, no quilting, just broomsticking. I am honestly riding my broomstick...tee hee! Anybody remember this stitch?
The wonderful and talented libby challenged us all to reveal our ironing boards, and you know me, I jumped right in and claimed the prize for the oldest, most decrepit, etc. My Mom recieved this when she married my Dad as a hand-me-down in 1950. It was up all during my childhood, and in the 60's when polyester came out, it was pitched into the basement never to be seen again. Fast forward to my own housekeeping, and I loved cotton, thought polyester was icky feeling, so I needed an ironing board, bad. The ol' girl ended up in my bedroom for years, then we built the new house and she became Queen of the Laundry Room. She has helped me tremendously and one of my grandaughters have already claimed her.
I was confident the Queen would be my shoo-in for some kind of praise, but to my suprise, she still looks good, (just a few cobwebs underneath, like me) the forties green is hardly faded, and her fairly new dress is not as tattered as you would think. So here is my friend, The Queen.

Have a wonderful day!
lyn

Wow, busy, busy, busy

2008-02-20T09:48:00.000-05:00

It has been a wild weekend, and still busy on Wednesday. For Valentine's day, my DH rented a cottage here, http://www.doublejj.com/accommodations/loghomes.htm

it is about 5 miles from our home, so travelling in Feb wasn't an issue. This is the fourth time we've taken advantage of the "Sweetheart Special" which is 2 day, 1 night accomodations, Prime Rib dinner (w/ their fabulous desert) and breakfast. For pennies, you can stay two nights since it is winter and they are a resort. So we left on Thursday, ran home cuz we forgot our bathing suits, had a wonderful dinner, lounged in the hot tub, got up Friday and had a wonderful breakfast, ran home cuz we forgot DH's meds, picked up some low-calorie snacks, and spent the rest of the day reading, and pruning in the hot tub, and reading, awe-some weekend! I win the prize for having the most romantic husband!

We got home on Saturday, and Sunday was my Darling Leashie's 23rd birthday. I made the Lasagna, and her Daddy made the cake. She is such a darling! There are not enough adjectives in the English Language to describe how loving she is. She became mine when she was two weeks shy of a year, and she weighed 8 lbs. 10 oz. at a year old. She came with half a hospital and 17 medications, most of them given 6 times a day. Through the years, she has given me many scares, many messes and many, many smiles. She is the last one, she is the baby, she is the one who cured my "I Want Another Baby" itch. She's the one who got the new crib, after 6 boys, she got all new clothes, she's the one who still lives at home. Thank God!

So now I'm thinking about the deserts, Double JJ Ranch mixes 37 kinds of chocolate and molds it into a truffle-like ball about the size of an x-large egg, they lay it into a martini glass and cover it with a rich vanilla creme......(sorry, need a napkin to wipe my drool)....I have dreams about this "Chocolate Ball" I wish I had pics but I didn't have my camera, next time...

Leashie's favorite cake for her birthday is what her and her daddy call "Dump Cake" the easiest cake in the world, and you would be suprised at how good it tastes. All you have to do is "dump" a can of cherry pie filling and a can of pineapple (not drained) in the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan and sprinkle a whole box of white or yellow cake mix (dry, not made as directed on box) on top, slice a stick of butter or margarine into thin pats and lay them on top of the cake mix. bake as directed on cake mix box and that's it. I usually sprinkle colored sugar on top, green & red for christmas, pink and purple for Leash, we are a home-made-cake family. Next time I'll tell you all how we make our "Paddy Cake"

have a wonderful day!

lyn

I'm a Stackin'...

2008-02-12T10:06:00.002-05:00

and I'm a Whackin'!

We are definately tired of the cold, blowing snow outside, so a little Spring inside would be great, Right?
So we brought out the blooms! I got the book, Stack-N-Whackier by Bethany S. Reynolds, from our little library and it is soooooo easy!

I would love to get a triangle (like Starmaker 6) and have a whack at it,(pun intended, tee hee) But all I have are squares and rectangle, so I just made QST and...viola!

I have my favorite, whaddya think?

four little opportunities to practice my quilting!

Don't look too closely, when i'm eighty years old and am perfect on the quilting, I'm going to blame all these "littles" on the grandkids ;-)

We are now in the middle of spring, and the lady bugs are going about their business!

Have a day full of pink and purple blossoms,

lyn

I've heard it said...

2008-02-11T11:36:00.001-05:00

that practice makes perfect, but I'm sure the person who said that never saw my quilting. Last week, Jakey and I made four little log cabins, and then his Daddy came to get him, so I sewed them together and made a little "pet quilt" thinking I'd get a little hand quilting practice out of it. I love doing hand work in the evening while DH and DD#3 watch TV. That little thing took me three nights to quilt. My stitching is sad, my stitching is crooked, my stitching is uneven. Practice? not so perfect. So, Elizabeth picked out some fabric, and we made a star, Granny

practiced maching quilting, instant gratification is a wonderful thing! But my stitches are still uneven. But, it only took about an hour (I'm not the fastest truck in the passing lane) and this time, I don't cross any lines or turn an odd corner. I didn't feel like such a slo-poke. Seems to me, that maching quilting is what I'm going to practice more often, tee hee.

Soooo, today, kids, we'll play with some other fabrics, maybe something spring-y, whaddya say?

have a great day,

lyn

Please tell me how...

2008-02-08T21:38:00.001-05:00

you label your quilts.
What is the most important info to put on the label? What is the best way to attach it? Who are you labeling it for? My Aunt Biggie never labels, and from reading the blogs, I have "heard" how important it is...

On Jakey's race car quilt I embroidered his name, mine and Elizabeth's initials and the year, is that enough?

For Elizabeth's I cut a heart out of my mother's blouse and added the names off all the generations of fabrics that went into the quilt,
and for Tony's I again stitched my mom's blouse that matched and this time added the year.
I'd show you all but blogger won't let me add any more pics,
oh, pooh.

Please help me decide the best way to label.
thanks to all who comment...
lyn

My very First

2008-02-01T19:09:00.000-05:00

A sleepy just-woke-up grandaughter and the first quilt I ever attempted. I was stupid, I was heartfelt, and I was a rookie. What can I say???

The tiny pink flowers are from my Great-granny's apron, the pink/red/white plaid is from fabric that my grandmother made curtains out of in the 50's?/60's?, the mint is fabric left from a blouse she made for herself. On a corner is a heart cut from my mother's "lucky" bingo blouse. It has been loved, tossed, spit-up on, and washed a thousand times and it is the softest hug you could ever imagine. I made it for the baby shower when Katie and Tony were expecting Elizabeth, and she is now 4, almost 5.

Elizabeth just left, dragging her "bankie" with her. And Granny's heart swells with every hug............... please hang on while I grab a tissue, sniff, sniff...

This is the second quilt, easy-peasy!!! This was for James, DS1, It was a strippy with a cha-cha-chi-wowie animal print on the back for his wife, our wild child! tee hee,( lets see if she reads this) It has various strips from my Grampa's suit (brown solid)lt tan & black solid), Nanny's fabric, and one of the maternity tops I wore when I was pregnant for him,(black gingham)I can hear it now, what a pack rat she is, and you, my dear reader are absolutely right!!! I have GOT to call that 1-800 number in the morning!! The quilt was ooh-ed and ahh-ed over but it was huge, hard to handle, and it was sooooo hard to keep the strips straight, I had no idea I was supposed to sew one strip left and the next strip to the right. So, I ended up taking it apart many times to take the half-moon shape out of it,,,,,geez oh pete, it took a long time!)

The third quilt I made for our RV and it is still out there, with 3 feet of snow, so I have no picture of it. It is just a plain machine quilted thing, with acorns and pine needles on it. For camping, you know.

Then, my beautiful-but-fashion-impaired Mom Passed to be with the Lord, and she left us 61 pair of the same pants, well, some were black, some were brown, some pink, some green, navy, rose, tan, purple...you get the idea. They were all stretch, double knit, polyester, perma-seam down the front, slacks. All were whacked off and stitch-witchery-ed to a perfect 23 inch inseam. And here it is, Gramma's Pants:

Which reminds me, I have to do a Gramma's Pants for the boys, too. I donated all the black (29 pair) but who else is 4'9" and wears double knit pants? in purple? or lime green? just what I thought, too.

So, dear reader, now you know why I'm so proud of Tony's quilt, it's the best one yet!!! An actual pattern and everything, (I can learn,,,I can learn,,,I can learn,,,)

And sew on and sew forth!

lyn

Jacob's Ladder: Done

2008-01-27T22:07:00.001-05:00

It is finished, bound, and labeled, so now it is in the hands of my wonderful son, Tony
this picture is of Tony and Jonathan, his youngest, (Daddy's boy)

Tone loved all the symbolism in the quilt, the three fabrics/his three children, the label was made from one of my Mom's shirts, the thread was my grandmother's, and I buried a button that was my great-grandmothers, so altogether, six generations were represented in the quilt. Hard to do and make it safe for tiny babies, visually pleasing, and still manly enough for a 31 year old son.

My Elly Loves to Sew

2008-01-22T15:53:00.000-05:00

The minute Elly and Liberty walk in the door at Granny & Papa's house, the first thing out of their mouth is "Granny, can we do a craft?" their mom and dad always chastise the girls, "Say hello first, girls..." but I really take it as a compliment, since I"m the one who does crafty things with them all the time. Usually, they come on Friday after school and stay till Sunday after dinner, and that isn't long enough for them, they want to stay "Just one more hour...Please Granny?" So, we have done a lot of crafts! and, of course, Elizabeth and Jakey want to come, too, and play with their cousins. Jonathan is a toddler, and still gets anxious leaving his Mama, so he only stays for a couple hours, till nap time. Does any of this sound familiar? I remember loving to stay at my Nanny's house, too. I tell my kids not to take it personally, I don't have to do laundry, I don't work on the weekends, Leashie (my daughter, still at home) and I will "tag team" them with sewing, beading, painting, Barbies, etc.

Elly is the oldest of this crowd, being 6, (almost 7) and she is usually the one who wants to be the leader. When their "other Papa" (my x-husband, though we are friendly and I love his wife, she has been good to my kids through the years) got sick, my kids decided to throw a fundraiser to help with the $10,000 monthly treatment costs. So, all the little ones came for a weekend and each picked out a fabric, and we made a quick quilt, each one sewed a strip of two fabrics, then I made four-patches while Leashie played Barbies with the ones who weren't sewing. It was great! By the time Sunday came around, we had most of the quilt top done and each one of them were so proud!

By the end of the week, I added the sashing, backing, quilting and binding, and it was wonderful!

James (my son) came to pick it up at work on Friday, and while i was showing it off to him, the whole place was astonished at how well it looked for the babies picking the fabric, piecing, etc. I made the remark "I just hope it brings in at least $40 at the auction." Well, my boss went out to the showroom, grabbed $250 tool off the shelf, handed it to Jame and told him to give the quilt to his dad and auction off the tool. I was so proud of my boss at that moment!

So, now when Papa gets out of his bed, God bless him, he always has that quilt with him. I'm so proud of that.

It was at that time that Elly wanted her own sewing machine, in fact, she wanted mine to take home, tee hee. So that's what she got, her own machine for Christmas.

And she'll always remember her 6th Christmas, when Granny got her a sewing machine.

Have fun with your babies/grandbabies

Lyn

Jakey's Ladder

2008-01-21T12:02:00.000-05:00

I'm almost done with the Jacob's Ladder, and I love the movement! all that's left is the Border, I'm doing it in the rust color. Don't tell Aunt Biggie, but I machine quilted it, but, hey, it's not a UFO...right?

Am I the only one who tapes a button to my finger instead of using a thimble? (Don't tell Aunt Biggie this , either.) I glued the holes shut, and roughed up the surface, the I tape it to my finger with surgical tape, I used to use bandaids, but that got expensive. I am as coordinated as a soup sandwich with a thimble, I have tried all kinds, but either I can't bend my finger, or I can't "feel" the needle, or the darn thing won't stay on! So, anytime I'm doing hand sewing (like the border on this quilt) I just tape my handy-dandy button to my finger and I'm good to go! Yes, I guess that makes me "thimble impaired" but at least I have the button to be my "crutch." Wish all my problems were remedied that easily.

Have a creative day, gals
Lyn

Jacob's Ladder

2008-01-18T09:39:00.000-05:00

I'm starting a new project, a Jacob's Ladder for my son, Tony, because his son's name is Jacob. Tony is such a wonderful father, his heart is so good. I am amazed at the genuine-ness of him. So, I have some of my Nanny's fabric, and will somehow incorporate that into the quilt. Nanny was the most wonderful grandma of all times, to all of us, so that will be special to him.

I'm off to my "studio", otherwise known as Leash's old room.

Lyn

Waste of time?

2008-01-15T16:50:00.000-05:00

Barbie and Ken get a picnic quilt

My DH (see, I'm a big blogger now, with initials and everything) had to have surgery on his back, they go in with probes and zap his nerves. I don't know about you, but I get nervous and can't pay attention to a book while I'm in the hospital, so I brought some hand work with me. I am practicing my hand quilting, I have never done a whole quilt, and so I practice with the littles, that way, if I really mess up, people through the ages will think a child did it,,,,sneaky!

Why is the binding getting to be my favorite part of quilting? Am I the only one?

Have a wonderful night, I'm off to make supper for my DH and my DD...

Lyn

My Lovely Aunt Biggie

2008-01-09T22:14:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Biggie called me tonight, she wanted to disagree with my blog, she said I wasn't an old fat Granny, she is a beautiful, slender, Great Grandma, so she has no idea where I'm coming from. When my first two grandsons were old enough to talk, they called me Grandma, they lived in Kentucky and had three grandma's, when their Mom said "Grandma's on the phone" they asked "Grandma Who?" ......that about broke my heart, I wasn't special, I was Grandma from Michigan, so the next summer they stayed with us for a couple months, and I paid them a quarter every time they called me Granny, they earned enough to buy fishing poles and tackle boxes that summer, and the Granny stuck and I have paid dearly for the special name. Now, the younger grandbabies have never known me as Grandma, they have other Grandmas, but I'm Granny, and as Liberty said, I'm "the only-est Granny!"

I have raised 8 kids, all the way through the two's, to the twenty's and I have earned the title Old Fat Granny, I'm proud of it, and I'm good at it, so...Sorry, Aunt Biggie, its stuck.

this is the quilt that Aunt Biggie made me last year, the first one was when I was a teenager, and it is still my favorite, She is the one who introduced me to quilts. My grandmother sewed, but not quilted. I'm not sure why.

Have a lovely night's sleep,

lyn

The Fat Girl Trifecta

2008-01-08T09:11:00.000-05:00

I have hit what I think is the "fat girl trifecta"... in the last year, I have:
1. had a hysterectomy,
2. got an antibody thing that messed up my thyroid, and
3. quit smoking.
Now, besides pregnancy, those three things are the best way I know of to gain weight. So, now I have to watch all those sickening ads on TV about losing weight, getting fit, yada yada yada. I hate the fact that I have all this crap to lose, I hate the fact that it costs a lot of money to lose it, and I hate the fact that if I don't lose it, I'm going to have to use my stash to make a wardrobe of mu-mu's.

I can be happy about the fact that the darn blogger wont let me post a picture, ;-)

My Granny's Aprons

2008-01-07T05:22:00.000-05:00

This fabric was my great-granny's apron material. This isn't a repro, it is vintage. Every time I look at it, I can smell her. Apples and White Shoulders. Granny wore an over-the-neck apron all day, every day, and she was up, dressed, and her bed was made by 5:oo am. By 5:30 am, she had the potatoes peeled for supper and cherry jello jelly-ing in the ice-box. Granny's house was never without fresh peanut butter cookies and jello. When my grandmother, Nanny, passed in 1997, I inherited some of her fabric, and I found this cut already in a dress pattern, sleeves and all, but never sewn together. I wonder why she never finished it? I used some of it for a baby quilt for my granddaughter, because I wanted her to have that same warm "family" feeling just looking at it. Some day when I'm gone, my granddaughters will find little treasures like this and wonder why I was going to make a dress out of it, and why I never finished it. And then they'll press the fabric to their nose and smell White Shoulders.

MMMM...Warm...Family.

happy blogging,

lyn

2008-01-06T21:10:00.000-05:00

I am starting out with a picture of my Elizabeth giving Granny sewing lessons. We were sewing a quilt for her new little brother, Jonathan, not yet born. She was only three at the time, now a Big Girl of four.
You can just see how she loves it, just like Granny!
Hope you all enjoy my post,