My Very First Quilt

When I was in high school, a friend of mine was making a Cathedral Windows quilt - all stitched by hand. I was intrigued, and she showed me how to do it. I determined to make one, and give it to my mom. I did make it, although I became very tired of the hand sewing, and settled on a size that could be put on the back of the couch, and made a matching pillow to go with it. These days it would be considered a table runner. 

I found it at my parents' house when I was packing them up, and brought it home. I washed it for the first time ever (over 35 years since I made it). It shrank a bit, but cleaned right up. It now measures 23 inches by 46 inches.

The fabrics in the "windows" were in our family's fabric stash way back when, lots of them from clothing items I had made. Most of them are pretty faded now, but are still recognizable. They are probably all mostly polyester, too! The background was 100% cotton muslin.

The blue print in the center, and the plaid print on the upper right are from two of my favorite shirts I made way back in the early 70's. 

The pillow case

That's when the quilting bug bit me. I'm still infected!

What Goes Around...

 When my children were in ninth grade, they were required to do a CAPstone project during the year. This Citizen Action Project was a service project to benefit the community in some way. Each student did their own project, and most projects took much of the school year to complete, from submitted proposal to finished project.

Beth chose to make dolls to donate to the Seattle Children's Hospital. These dolls were made of muslin, and had no features. The idea was that a child in the hospital could draw their own face on the doll, and how they felt about being in the hospital (happy, sad, relieved, mad, etc.)

2002 - Beth sewing her dolls

Beth with one of the finished dolls.

Dolls on display at home before taking them to Children's Hospital

Last week Beth was at her local hospital with her daughter Rachel (age 2). Rachel was getting tubes put in her ears (9 ear infections in two years). Guess what they gave Rachel? That's right, a muslin doll. Plus a bonus: a little hospital gown to go with it.

Rachel's new baby

Beth drew in features like Rachel's - green eyes, and a delightful smile. Especially now that she has her tubes in. Rachel loves her new baby.

Our thanks to the volunteer who made this baby. It really helped Rachel, and I know other children have been helped by these dolls also.

Buffalo West Wing by Julie Hyzy

Just what the doctor ordered: light, engaging, fun.

Book four in the White House Chef Mystery series.

The Only Pencil Worth Owning

I've had it with cheap pencils: the tips break too easily, they do not write smoothly, they feel rough against your skin, and their erasers leave big black smudges all over the paper.

Back to a Ticonderoga Number 2 for me. They glide across the paper leaving a clear, dark gray line. The heft is perfect, and feel nice next to your fingers. They erase clearly with no smudges or tears.

Give me my Ticonderoga with a yellow legal pad, and I'm all set. For anything.

Another One Bites the Dust

Cleopatra: a Life by Stacy Schiff

One of my book groups is reading this book this month. I should love it - it's history, and about someone I've always been curious about. But every time I sit down to read it, I fall asleep.

The writing is very good, but the content just can't keep me engaged. Probably because my poor little mind has so much going on it right now. The cover alone is stunning, but it doesn't keep me awake either.

I think at another time I might enjoy this book. Right now, I think I need something lighter, more immediately engaging. A diversion rather than a history lesson.

Happy Anniversary!

 Traveling through life with Ray has always been an adventure. I couldn't be happier.

31 years today.

Oh, and happy Valentine's day to everyone else!

Where has the last month gone??

If someone stopped by my blog recently, they might get the idea that all I do is read and occasionally quilt. Not so. I feel as though I haven't had almost any time to read, and virtually no time to quilt.

I've mentioned before that my mother has Alzheimer's, and my dad has dementia. In the last few months things have escalated for both of them, and we started looking for an assisted living place for them to move into. When they came here to visit at Thanksgiving, we found the perfect place and they put a deposit down.

We found out the first week in January that there was an opening. I've been on a dead run ever since. I flew to Seattle and spent a week with Mom and Dad getting the first phase of packing done. It was a two-fold project: one, to pack the things they brought here with them, and two, pack up the "extras" in the house and put them into storage so we can get the house on the market. My sister worked all day, then came over at night to help me pack some more. In and around the packing we went to a few doctor's appointments.

Then I came home for a week - a good respite for me, and even more for my parents. Their friends and neighbors wined and dined them at farewell lunches and dinners.

Then back to Seattle for another mad rush of packing and cleaning. The end of that week the house was immaculate, and ready to paint. Cheryl and I flew here with my parents on Thursday night and on Friday we moved them into their new assisted living digs. They were troopers. We tried to help them get settled as soon as possible. 

There are still a few things I need to find in their boxes and get for them, but I'd say they're 99% moved in, and mostly feel like it's home now. It's been two weeks. They've gotten a new doctor whom they really like, they are meeting people at their place, and we get to see them as much as we want (maybe more than they want!).

I sure hope that when I'm 80 years old I can/will adapt so easily and cheerfully. They have made the whole process so easy for me. I hope I've helped them a little bit too. Life is settling into a new routine for all of us. Hopefully a little calmer than the last four weeks.

A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner

I don't think I've ever encountered a book series where each book feels fresh and new. Turner's done a great job of keeping me enthralled.

This is the fourth book in the Queen's Thief series, and I read a rumor that says there is another one coming out.

I can't wait.

Stoneworks Quilt

I saw this quilt on display and fell in love with it immediately. I bought the kit, and actually made it pretty quickly after I bought it. Often my kits sit around for years while more pressing projects make their way to the forefront. Although I love the look of "scrappy" quilts, I don't like making them. I worry about color placement and balance. This quilt had a mix of random placement and some exact placement. I enlisted the help of Trish and Audrey to help me make sure everything came out balanced. 

The designer modeled the pattern after some mosaic tiles she saw in Italy (the floor tiles in St. Mark's in Venice). The design was beautiful, but I didn't feel the pattern was executed very well. It was a good thing I'm an experienced quilter, or I may have thrown the whole project out the window in frustration. 

The fabric was from the Stonehenge collection by Northcott Silk, and it was a dream to work with. The feel and look of it was luxurious. I forget how much I like Northcott fabrics. 

When I finished the quilt, I decided I wanted Valerie Cutrer to quilt it. I knew she'd do it just right, and she did. I just got it back, and I love it. I hope you can see some of the quilting in the bottom two pictures. She quilted each of those small squares individually, and it really enhances the idea of the tiles.

I've got a new - to me - camera. A very nice one. But I'm having problems learning how to use it. I was so disappointed in the pictures of my last quilt. These are a little better, but I've really got to work on getting used to this camera. (In all of my spare time).

Quilt details:
Pattern: Stoneworks by Ann Anderson Designs
Size: 94 inches by 94 inches
Fabric: Stonehenge Collection by Northcott Silk, Inc.
Finished: February 2011

The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Book 3 in The Queen's Thief series.

I'm going to the store and buying these books. I want to go back to page one of The Thief, and start all over, trying to catch more of the subtle hints and pieces of the puzzle.

I'm on to Book 4, and I can't wait.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Heart-stopping, intriguing, twisting, turning, it was a book I could not put down.

The Queen's Thief series (this is book 2) by Megan Whalen Turner is outstanding. The writing is impeccable, and the story ever-engaging.