SOCIAL BUTTERFLY

I'm flitting about...places to go, things to see.....

I'll be back with you before you know it!

TECHNOLOGY - LOVE/HATE

I have such a love/hate relationship with technology.  I go from being afraid to press a key (for instance when using photo editing programs) to slamming every single one out of pure frustration.

I'm still struggling to fix the mess that developed when I upgraded my 8 year old desk top Mac....nothing is where I want it and I can't open ANY of my zillion word processing files!!!  This 'designed obsolesence' makes furious!! 

However, as I'm dragged, kicking and screaming toward new products....sometimes there's a "how did I live without this moment'.

I now use these Bluetooth wireless ear buds during our daily appx. 90 min. 'forced march' (otherwise known as a morning walk, except ours has four 1,000 foot elevation changes). Being tethered to ear buds with long cords is such a nuisance....and since I often wear them while cooking/cleaning.....they get in the way.  

There are numerous brands on the market....these ran around $30.  The battery lasts for about 4-5 hours...depending upon what you are listening to.  It can be recharged using the black USB 'gagetity' thing you see here.  Mine can link with two devices...my iphone and my iPad. Though switching between them is not always seamless.....esp. if both devices have Bluetooth connected AND they are near each other.  There's quite a selection to choose from online....ours came from Amazon.com (where we order just about everything, including dog food!). 

I've been thrilled with them because due to issues I have with my inner ears, I'm unable to wear noise canceling wireless headphones.....which would be my preferred choice on airplanes or in the car on long trips.  

Oh yes......this is a good step forward!!

SUMMER HARVEST

For years and years we maintained a large garden.......I canned/froze/cooked the bounty.  In my previous life I was quite the foodie. We've made more than a few attempts to get a decent garden going here but the soil is so lousy AND full of rocks....not stones....rocks.  The only real option would be to build raised beds....both 'the husband' and myself have terrible backs so that thought was quickly forgotten.

 We ('the husband') has several large pots on the South facing side of our home which have yielded a ton of tomatoes this year.  Perfectly shaped ones...no end rot or anything.  Yeah!

 This location is also perfect for growing basil....a personal favorite of mine.  Also after several false starts, I now have a well established area on the North side of our house where my sage is thriving.

One way we continue to enjoy both basil and sage all year is to wash and dry the leaves in a salad spinner.  They are then chopped in the food processor and transferred to a freezer container.  This allows me to have fresh herbs stored in the freezer all year long.  It's easy to remove just the amount you need, using a spoon or fork.

 When I have a bumper crop of basil like now, I also make pesto.

The mixture is measured into miniature muffin tins or ice cube trays.  Once frozen, they are popped out and the cubes are then stored in the freezer in freezer zip lock bags.  You can also use a small ice cream type scoop and plop individual amounts onto a cookie sheet and freeze.  When hard, these too can be transferred to a freezer bag for storage.  This is such a great convenience for a light meal of pesto pasta, homemade french bread, and a salad!

OREGON THEME

Because I'm trying very hard to pace myself, as my old worn out body tries to heal.....my stitching projects are not zooming out of the studio very quickly as in the past.

However, I am making progress on the Oregon theme wall quilt.  About a dozen more pine trees have been cut to fill the space in front of Mt. Hood and once the hand applique of the tree trunks is complete, I'll begin auditioning fabrics for the branches.

I'm sure there will be more details......but in my new "one day at a time' pace.....all that will come later.  It feels very good to be touching fabric again!!

PIN CUSHION

Now that I'm feeling ohhhhh so much better.......a busy personal schedule is keeping me away from the studio. (and will for most of August) 

However, I was in need of a small gift and decided a pin cushion is something that just about everyone can use.

This beauty was made by Patsy Thompson, who makes magic with her sewing machine.  Patsy was an original member of Fiber Junkies, a group of 6 that started about 7 years ago (note to self - check on the date!) 

It features free motion quilting on dyed fabrics.  Interest and texture was created by burning holes into the top layer of fabric.

backside

 Not wanting to be a copy cat.....but being inspired to go beyond making a plain square or circular one.....I recalled an interesting pin cushion I'd seen in a gift shop.  It was made to look like a rose/flower of some sort.

Most of us have probably made a rose using lengths of ribbon.  So, that was what I attempted to do....filling a folded strip of fabric with wool batting.  The stuffed yellow circle center worked great but the rest didn't. Sorry, I have no photo to share of that disaster.  

So I began again......this time I cut circles of fabric and batting.....

..........folding in half....sewing the edges together.  There is probably a mathematical way to make the sections fit together better than mine did.....but in the end....it worked fine. (The 3 center ones were smaller circles, the outer ones slightly larger.)

Instead of finishing the lower sides and bottom with fabric, felt leaves surround the piece, attached with an embroidered vein. 

Have you made any fun pin cushions?  Do share your ideas.......

FOG = SNOW

We've been told by the locals that the number of days of early morning fog in late summer, equals the number of days of snow in the winter.

 That has me worried..... photo shows the back of our house...with a bank of fog just coming over the top.  Within minutes it was engulfed by fog.

 This morning view has been almost daily now for about 2 weeks.....

Though it is beautiful as the sun begins to burn it off!

NATURE'S BEAUTY

The back of our house faces north....with a partial roof over a large deck. That combo has always made it difficult to grow and enjoy flowers in that area.

Ta-da.......we tried coleus this year.......lucious colors.....happy, happy plants.

Click on photo for a larger view.

......AT LEAST I'M WORKING!!

At least I'm trying to get back to my routine.  Landscape quilts are wayyyy out of my comfort zone.....just don't have the eye for them.

However, an 'Oregon' wall quilt theme was requested by my nephew and I'll give it my best effort.

Sure it's still not much to look at.....but I'm enjoying the process even after rejecting piles and piles of fabrics for this project......and I always say, I love a challenge.

ABSENT!

It's with a really warm heart that I write today to thank the many, many of you who actually noticed I hadn't been posting and THEN took the time to write and inquire if all was well.  It sure did a gal good!!

So...the fact of the matter is/was.....that I hadn't been well for a couple of weeks.....details aren't important, but the outlook is just fine.  Though I've had to stay away from the computer, my Kindle, hand sewing, and machine work.....all those activities are slowly being resumed.  (Even the dreaded daily 'forced march' took place today...95% of it!)

Being glued to our couch was a lot easier after I discovered all the seasons of Downton Abby were on Amazon Prime.  Watching them through a haze of pain meds. made this hard to imagine lifestyle almost real!!  

Obviously I have nothing really much to share with you at the moment.  However, I have a fall wedding wall quilt request from a family member and the design is creeping into my head (clearly, I'm getting better!) Yesterday I actually pulled out some fabric and puttered a bit. It 'ain't' much.....but it looked like the Mona Lisa to me!

CATTAILS IN SILHOUETTE - NEW WORK

The final piece of my micro-wave dyed failure....which was ultimately rescued by mono-printing......was like money burning a hole in my pocket.  I couldn't wait to 'cash it in' and develop another silhouette piece.

The motifs were based on my cattails design published in my book "The Wholecloth Garment Stori" and a series of stencils I developed for Quilting Creations. (I have NEVER been able to get a good photo for this piece!!!)  It's hand stipple quilted with trapunto work and beaded. This subtle wall quilt is available at my gallery shop....trust me, it's beautifully executed.

CATTAILS IN SILHOUETTE   10" X 11.5" 

AVAILABLE HERE

Artist micro-waved dyed, mono-printed, appliqued and 

hand embroidered.

**  All three pieces can be purchased together at a discount and free shipping....use the link above to visit my gallery shop.