Flashback Friday -- Mother-in-law

This photo is circa 1920. My future mother-in-law Madeline wore a pleated white dress, and my future uncle-in-law Ted looked cute in his sailor suit.

Kate is all packed up and ready to go

Kate has passed her tests and is ready to go out in the world. Go to my PATTERNS page and check out "Kate & Friends: Paper Pieced People."
The pattern has 60+ master foundations to copy so you can put together a wide assortment of small people of your own.

Aren’t They Darling?

Vicky of Cat in the Batt just sent me scans of her paper pieced people.

They are called “GG” and Megan – grandmother and granddaughter. I think they are very cute.

Paper piecing creates lots of little scraps; just look at Vicky’s sewing area.
That’s it. The pattern, “Kate & Friends: paper pieced people,” has been tested by three wonderful quilters – Vicky, Nancy, and Jan. It is now ready for a market launch. I’ll put the announcement up this week. I hope lots of people want to make their own little people.

Click on “paper pieced people” in the label below this post to see all the ones we have. Now, I have to put them all together in a really good quilt.

A Charming Couple

Introducing Quilted Cactus and her DH.
Quiltfitzy just sent me a scan of her two paper pieced people. She is testing the pattern before it goes on the market. She embellished them with buttons down her shirt and a pocket in his. What a clever girl she is. Thanks Nancy.

Precarious Perch

I just spotted Blackie napping, but he looks as if he could slide off the pile any minute. I guess he got really tired on our morning walk.

We (Coach Robert, Christine, Blackie) are walking every day now, a mile a day.

I am making great progress with my Journal quilt, but it is secret. I am taking progress pictures which can be shown in November when the Houston Quilt Festival opens.

Guilty Quilter

Dorothy posted great news about her “Boob Quilt” on her blog today. The story said the quilt was seven years in the making.

I can beat that, I have 17 quilt blocks from 1995 for a Habitat for Humanity quilt that I haven’t put together yet. I imagine the contributing quilters have forgotten all about their blocks and the project. I have not. I feel guilty. By posting this in public view I hope I’ll be motivated to finish the quilt and get it to H4H before Christmas.

I need one of these.

My Mileage DID Vary

I know you are probably bored by all this walking stuff, but who else can I tell?

I started a walking program on February 2, 2007. My coach sees that I walk every other day for 35 minutes. It has improved my life, but I don’t enjoy doing it. We (coach and I) had gradually worked our way up to what we thought was three-quarters of a mile (9 laps up and down the lane).

A blog friend offered to gift me her old pedometer. She sent it, we set it up, clipped it on and began walking. Well, to my amazement I’ve been walking one mile, not three-quarters of a mile.

I promise quilting content soon. Meanwhile, many thanks to the blogger (who is listed in the sidebar and has “Art” in her blog name). I am working on my Journal quilt for Houston and it must be kept secret.

Flashback Friday -- Tahoe 1955

Chris and Judy at Lake Tahoe 1955

Wild Blackberry Jam

RECIPE

Find some wild blackberries in your back yard.
Pick them. Rinse off the wildlife.
Find pears in your refrigerator.
Peel, core, and chop pears. Oh, this is Wild Blackberry and pear jam.
Put chopped pears in a good-sized pot. Pour berries on pears.
Pour sugar on berries and pears. Stir and turn the heat on low.
Watch the pot while it cooks.
When jam has solidified to the correct point, pour it in two bowls.
Toast some homemade bread. Spread with warm jam. Enjoy to the last bite.

For a little more detail about making blackberry/pear jam, go to Robert Cooks and find a few more of his recipes.

Thank you Robert. Thanks for the morning walk too.

Willow Weeping (and Cooling)

Back in March of this year I posted about our trimmed willow tree and called it “Willow, the Wisp.” Today, the tree is doing its job and cooling us down on this warm August day. There is a slight Delta breeze.

Jan's Little People

Jan Howard just gave me three paper pieced people. She named them too. She reported that she had fun putting them together, and they reminded her of playing with paper dolls.

The little boy is named Adam. Can you see his freckles? Jan knew she had the perfect fabric in her stash for a freckle face kid. She purposely made his hair “big” so the red hair would show. The girl is Kaitlin, and the woman is called Dorcas.

Thanks Jan.

Georges Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon

The painting by Georges Seurat, Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte, has been on my mind lately whilst trying to come with an idea for my paper pieced people quilt. Dorothy gave me a wild idea. She suggested re-creating the painting in cloth and using my little people in the park instead of Seurat’s people. I think that might be a wonderful quilt, but I think it would take years to create. So, I digitally inserted my paper pieced persona into the painting just for fun.
To see a good image of the painting, go to the Art Institute of Chicago’s image.

And, then I ran across this “sculpture” of Sunday Afternoon. It looks worse for wear in this picture, but I am sure it was terrific when it was fresh. It also reminded me of the sod couch I posted a few days ago. Scroll down till you find “I Like.” Can you imagine one of the topiary bustle ladies standing next to the green grass couch, or perhaps the fellow in the foreground reclining on it?

Flashback Friday -- Davis' Birthday

Ah, yes, I remember it well – August 10, 1966. Our son Davis was born that day.

It is hard to believe he is a grown up man today because we don’t feel 41 years older. Happy Birthday to you.

Floating Ideas

I saw this blurry photo of a marvelous quilt on Renske Helmuth’s blog. It is called “Kaleidoscope of Nations.” She said it was auctioned in a Mennonite Ontario Relief Sale in 2003 for a record-breaking $44,000! I wish the picture was better.

I did a rough circle layout with my little paper pieced people. I’m pondering ideas for a quilt. I don’t think I can come up with anything as spectacular as Renske’s quilt. My people just look as if they are floating around aimlessly. They could make a nice quilt border.
Edited to add: I found another picture of the Kaleidoscope

Whole Lot of Shaking Going on

They are driving sheet piling around the perimeter of the Delta Coves project here on the island. We can feel our whole house shake when the driver starts to vibrate. These are not good vibrations.

I hope they finish soon.
The picture shows an arrow pointing to our house and a star where the piles are being driven today.

I Like

Wouldn’t you love to have this couch in your yard? I would. Instructions for making a “Sod Couch” can be found at Ready Made Magazine. I found the link at Patti’s Ponderings blog.

When I made my own paper pieced persona back in June I said I liked black and white polka dots and I had red shoes. I didn’t own a polka dot blouse then, but the recent Nordstrom sale catalog featured one and I knew it was mine! I bought it. I like it very much.

New Header

Vicky of Cat in the Batt inspired me to try a new header. I think I did it correctly. I also posted a new picture of me because the one I had up previously was (gulp) several years old. I would not want any of my fans to be shocked if they met me today.

Big Project

I just found some new photos (May, 2007) of the Delta Coves project – my new neighbor. You can see more of them at this site. It may not interest you much, but it is very interesting to me.

There is a red arrow pointing to my house on the lower left hand side. Click on the picture to see a larger view.

Julie

I sort of promised Zoe was the last little woman, but I had to try out a new foundation for doing women’s short sleeves (all the other ones were for elbow-length sleeves or long sleeves or sleeveless). Thus we have Julie. The cat just wandered in.

There is a real-life kitten (about 6-months-old) trying to wander into our life. He/she is black and white -- a darling little thing. It sneaks in the back door when it is open and no one is around. The kitchen with our cats’ bowls is a few steps from the door. The kitten runs away fast when we appear.

We don’t want or need another cat. We have Feather (fluffy white with a tail that looks like an old fashioned turkey feather duster), Blackie (sleek black), and our 15-year old friend, Aucuba (tortoise shorthair). And then there is Getoutahere, a deaf golden shorthair that sneaks in every day. Aucuba hates them all.