Ms Grundy again

Hats and Baby Socks for Cheyenne River Reservation  My daughter and her family live in Southern Texas - My son and his family live in Florida. I love to knit - but my husband and I have all the socks, mittens, hats we need. However, lots of people need warm socks, hats, and mittens in South Dakota. They are Lakota Sioux  http://www.lakotayouth.org/ https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/NativeAmericanSupport/conversations/messages 

8" square    from Miniatures in minutes by Terrie Sandelin  Yes, it's truly crazy!  Next about 18 by 22    Made two - for friends  And, last but not least  Harmonic convergence based on pattern by Ricky Tims 

Glade Top Trail - Mark Twain National Forest  near Ava, MO and old iron bridge over Beaver Creek - scheduled to be torn down - funds available if you want to move it

My fiber guild - Fiber Folks of SW MO - had a project where you had to blindly draw three crayons from a box, then create a project using those colors. When I drew my crayons, the socks in my hand at the time were these colors.  finished my mini shawl It's made from tofutsies - a yarn that is part chitin - a fiber made from shrimp and crab shells  Elm Leaf pattern from Ravelry

Our little Min Pin, Bridget,  passed away early Sept 16. We loved her a lot and she loved us. I think she had a good life in the 12 years she was with us. She was diabetic, and had to have insulin shots with her meals twice a day, for many years. She became blind with cataracts, and that made her timid about stairs, and about j umping off the bed. We nearly lost her last summer - the vet thought she wouldn't make it through the night, but she rallied. Finally, her kidneys failed. Of course we will miss her.  — with  Jerry Dean .

from a kit from Merrily We Quilt Along As I am sure my nephews/nieces-in-law don't read my blog, these are gifts for my new grand-nephews. The tree needs more quilting in those wide spaces. I did stitch-in-the-ditch on all seams, outlined the pale stars with satin stitch in blue, and meandered in the larger word spaces.

I finished a pair for me - using Tofutsies Power Stripes. The tofutsies is partly made from chitin from shrimp and crab shells! also partly soysilk! My guild, Fiber Folks of SW MO, had a challenge where you had to (randomly, blindly) pick 3 crayons, and then complete a project (knit, woven, spun, whatever) using those 3 colors. When I picked my crayons, these socks were in my hands, on my needles at the time. Fate? Then I started a pair for my husband (which takes approximately FOREVER) ​ with KnitPicks ​Stroll Fingering in Forest Heather (green). Both are (will be) beautiful. But I wanted a quicker finish - so I started the Antler hat -using SWTC Therapi in a lovely soft denim blue. The Therapi is partly made from Jade! Both Tofutsies and Therapy are soft, normal-feeling 50% wool. Have any of you used strange fibers?

Thursday, June 20, 2013 Eight hours in a car with an eight year old and a ten year old, two days in a row is.... Well, fun! Last summer, Traveling to Florida to meet our son's new son, and taking our daughter's kids with us(their Mom n Dad had to work.)-- Mammoth Spring AR, where an entire huge river just appears out of the ground...   Zac being a scary tourist

Can't believe I haven't posted in so long. I have been busy making quilts for soldiers. Our SW MO National Guard has an engineering Company in Afghanistan right now - due back sometime before the new year. Our library quilting group is making each soldier a quilt - about 70 tops done so far. I personally have sewn at least 10 - Some I made all the blocks, some I made half the blocks (others donated), some I just sewed together blocks. first post about these quilts album of quilts

I have sewn a couple of blouses recently, with unspectacular results. Also, I was watching for a sale of my favorite shirt - CJ Banks never-iron, and that time rolled around. I also had free shipping, and an extra 15%off. I ordered five shirts and a jacket - all for nearly Wal-Mart prices. I rarely buy clothes, but last time I ordered online, it was from CJ Banks, and I was quite pleased. The clothes were good quality, on sale, and fit well. This time, the blouses (shirts Whatever) fit fine, are just as advertised, and are beautiful. HOWEVER, as I was hanging them up, one button came off, and when I tried one on, another button pulled right off. I had to replace two buttons before ever wearing a shirt! Also, the dark brown button spare had a huge light-colored gouge in it. I always sew the extra buttons into the side seam, because who can find that little envelope with one button in it when you need it? Or else, I have thrown away the little envelopes and dumped all the buttons i...

Another binding that I'm really proud of - 14 by 16

A friend who looked at a picture of this thought it looked like monkeys' faces. I had put together the center of this, then stopped, because I thought I had no more butterfly fabric - then, of course, I found some -four small pieces - just enough for borders. I have about 2" by 20" left now. Then, sitting right beside my machine was some navy blue twill. I bought it in the remnant bin at the quilt shop to use for soldiers' quilts, but it just wasn't the same 'hand' as regular quilting fabric. But it was a great color match for this one, so I cut backing and batting, spray-basted, quilted and bound it yesterday.  The binding was sewn with navy on top, and cream on the bottom, to match the backing. I have to say that this is the best binding I have ever done, and since it was so close to perfect, I actually picked out three small places where the cream stitching went over onto the navy and redid them. Beauty! My stairwell

Spring Beauties -iris n pansies in our garden

There are at least 7 (maybe 8) geese families at Jolly Mill Park.

My first quilt for Patriotic QUilters of Pierce City Patriotic Quilts of Pierce City Please help us make quilts for our soldiers! If you have some red, white, blue, or gold quilting fabric, make us a nine-patch block 12 ½” – to end up at 12” finished  (each piece will start at 4 ½”) One block at a time!              National Guard members of our 276 th Engineering Company (203 rd Battalion) from all over our region are in Afghanistan right now. We want to give them a warm welcome home! Blocks can be turned in to any branch, or mailed to the Pierce City Branch, and will be joined into as many lap-size quilts as we can make.           Fabric that is not too feminine is preferred. Mail to : Pierce City Branch Library   101 N. Walnut   Pierce City MO 65723 Attn: quilts in bottom left corner Thanks! 

how to tell if your fabrics have enough contrast edited to add: Now these are all sewn together! Luckily, after I sewed the first two blocks together, I noticed that some blocks are turned the wrong way. See how the dark (green)squares in the front all march to the upper left? And the ones in the back rows march off to the right? Yeah, that's wrong. Now it's all sewn correctly, and green goes up to the left, while all the orange marches up to the right. (SO, SO GLAD I only  had to unpick one single short seam.) Now I have to get the borders on - a plain one, a pieced one, and then a plain one. (The pieces for the middle border are all done.)

suddenly - seems like overnight - we have blossoms on the serviceberry trees, and tulips in the yard. The daffodils are almost gone -

Last night I finished the last of the Celtic Solstice blocks - and used up all my fabric - had to piece together blue scraps to get the last 5 triangles - have about 12" (square) of orange left, and had to get more greens and creamy background -  The pieces for the border are done, too, so just have to get them into one piece and decide on the plain borders - since I don't have anywhere near enough of the background fabrics I used.

My daughter worked at this daycare for 15 years. When she moved out of state, she asked all her current and previous "kids" to come and paint their handprints. They also put their names and ages on it. I quilted around each one.  This was finished before Christmas; I thought I had blogged it, but can't find the post...

finished on St.Pat's - I may have to change the name - on a queen sized bed

Sleet and snow on Sunday: daffodils on Tuesday I love this picture - love the curve of the road, the rise of the hill, the bare trees, the single pop of Spring mid the brown and black- testimony to rebirth

I made this for my daughter in one evening and one morning - all from scraps.

1. In a block that has 52 pieces, it is conceivably a minor miracle if SOME of your points meet. Everything is bias everywhere!! 2. regardless of how I try to press them, my seams WILL be pressed away from the chevrons. 3. Has anyone just said, "Forget the chevrons! Those are really just 4 half-square triangles!" and then acted accordingly? (Wait!! That would make it 60 pieces in a block!!!)

Every year, Bonnie Hunter (quiltville.com) does a mystery. I thought I wouldn't like a mystery, but I love all her quilts. Last year I followed her mystery, Easy Street - and really loved it. The top is long done, and I haven't decided if I will quilt it myself or send it to a longarmer. So this year I was excited to do another Bonnie mystery - Celtic Solstice. Her colors were darker blues, but I used a bright turquoise. I am loving the process, not sure I love the colors... about 50% done to see what others have done: http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/01/mystery-monday-link-up-part-6.html