The firehouse will stay open

The Bethel Island fire station, built in the 1940s, will stay open for now. The East Contra Costa Fire Protection District Board voted last night to keep the island fire station going. The photo above was taken a long time ago with the proud early volunteers. You can see a picture of the station as it looks today by scrolling down to my post on June 24. A cement block front addition was added to the Quonset hut some time ago.

I handed out over 50 red plastic firefighter helmets to Bethel Islanders attending the meeting. The women put them right on, but the men were a little shy about wearing them. However, the bright red showed up in the hall so the board could see that there were a lot of people from the island in the audience. There was standing room only.

I was so proud of the people from the island. At least 25 of them gave thoughtful comments to the board.

One man was late to the meeting and he told the board why. He said just as he was getting ready to leave the island, a boat pulled in to the dock at his harbor. A passenger on the boat was in distress and needed medical help. The local firefighters and an EMT came right to the dock. An ambulance was called from Oakley. In the meantime the patient was given first aid. The ambulance arrived and it took five men to maneuver the heavy person into the vehicle.

I’ve always been so glad we have a fire station on the island. I designed a pattern a few years ago called Kate & Friends. The cover shows my version of my friend Kate all dressed up to attend the Firemen’s Ball. She was a beautiful person. She was the secretary at the fire station and the whole town loved her. She started her job at the station by washing trucks and equipment, but gradually she began getting the files in order and getting the paperwork done. Kate died a few years ago.

My faces

Joan Samuelson has been posting daily quilted faces on her Rosegarden Quilts blog. They are amazing little studies. She has been making one a day since the first of the year. Terry Grant saw them and was inspired to post some of her quilted faces on her blog – And Sew it Goes – on January 12 and January 16.

I was delighted to see the works of these two talented quilters.

I was inspired to put up some faces of my own. Four are faces I’ve made and one is a face quilt I bought through the Alzheimer’s auction run by Ami Simms. The last one is an unusual face I found on the web. You can click on the images to see them larger.

This is a portrait of our Aunt Ginnie which was auctioned to raise money for the Priority Alzheimer’s quilt auction.

This is a corn face I made for the We the People quilt in 2002.

This is a “face” quilt block without a face, but with a distinct hairdo that many people recognized as Gerrie.

This is not quite a face, but the underlying structure of one. I made this for the book cover of The Alpine Quilt by Mary Daheim. It was rejected, but I had fun doing it.

I won this quilt called “I Think My Brain is Leaking” by Marcia Middents of Tempe, Arizona through the Alzheimer’s Priority Quilt Auction.

This last one is Olympia Snowwoman of Maine. It was a giant snow woman made by the people of Bethel, Maine. To give you some idea of the size, note that the eyelashes are skis and the mouth is made from tires.

Before and after

Every time I go to get a haircut I think there will be a magical transformation, but it never happens. I always look exactly the same when I come home. Terry Grant refers to this phenomenon as “helmet hair.” My experience last Thursday once again showed that I was doomed to have the same hairdo forever. I always ask for something new and fun but, no matter the establishment or operator, the result looks just the same in a few days.

The block today is really for last Thursday, July 23, but I didn’t get it finished that day.

For some reason my new scanner is distorting the blocks – I really don’t sew that crookedly. I do make mistakes sometimes but these scans exaggerate any flaws. I’ve been going back and forth with Epson tech support but I don’t dare tell them that I am putting fabric in the machine. I just tell them that I am putting 4.5-inch square pictures on the flatbed and they are not coming out square. I’ve tried putting the blocks right in the middle of the bed but they still come out longer than they should. My old HP scanner does not distort the blocks, however the color is not as good.

Anyway, should you have any desire to make a 4-inch paper pieced block of my hairdo, Before & After, click on the small graphic below and you will be taken to a full size set of foundations to print out for your own personal use.

I have a lot of work to do today to make up for the days I missed. I think I will do some very simple blocks to fill out the rest of July. This block-a-day project has been fun. I would like a complete calendar for the month.

First Ladies' gowns

I am fascinated by First Ladies. I’ve read many books about and by our country’s First Ladies – Eleanor Roosevelt, Betty Ford, Abigail Adams, Rosalynn Carter, Barbara Bush etc. I've read presidential biographies too, but reading about presidential wives gives me a different perspective on their terms.

With only a few days to go until the inauguration of a new president I’m thinking about First Ladies’ gowns. I’ve been searching the web for pictures of inaugural gowns. Two memorable ones stood out:

Mamie Eisenhower’s pink full skirted gown with 3456 pearls (or sequins), and Jackie Kennedy’s sleek satin dress.

Many top notch fashion designers have submitted sketches of gowns they think would look good on the next first lady – Michelle Obama. I decided to play the game too. I had some fun making some small quilted sample gowns for Mrs. Obama.

I wonder if her inaugural gown will look anything like one of these.

If you want to play a fun game: “match historical gowns to First Ladies” click on the pictures below.

Business cards

I printed some business cards to hand out at my class reuion next Friday.
I've heard of Moo Cards, but I didn't have time to send away for them. Maybe I'll try that later.

You only get one chance to make a LAST impression

Isn’t this a gorgeous piece of fabric? It’s called “Imperial Garden” by Michael Miller. I have three yards.
I bought it because it was so similar to the small print I used for Kate in my Kate & Friends pattern. It is a much larger print -- full-size for a real human being.
I don’t know why I bought it. Perhaps a dress, but we never go anywhere special.

Now, my 50th high school reunion is coming up. I want to make a good impression. I’d love to wear a dress like Kate’s, but strapless dresses are not for me at this time in my life. I am still slim enough to wear a long sheath, but I can’t decide on the bodice design. I’ll have to go out looking for patterns right away. I hope my friend Yvonne (a seamstress) has some open time between now and October 10.

Any suggestions will be welcome.

The last time I saw my classmates I looked like this:

Walking Journey Journal Quilt 2007

Click on the picture for more detail.

My walking journey started February 2, 2007. The preliminary quilt sketches based on my blog and my life fit right into the Journal Quilt 2007 project.

In the lower left hand corner of the quilt there are doctors examining my left foot. (The people on the quilt are paper pieced from my pattern, Kate & Friends.) Prior to my walking journey, five doctors had diagnosed my painful foot problem as a neuroma (2003), nail fungus (2005), and finally PAD requiring immediate surgery (January 2007). Walking is an alternative to surgery. That is the path I took.

The journey started just outside my front door on our short gravel lane. The winding path on the quilt is an actual photo of the pea gravel, and the foot prints on the path are my Nike Free® shoe soles printed on cloth.

The gray haired man with the big stopwatch is my dear husband (and coach) Robert. He has been with me every step of this journey.

A redwing blackbird (Western bi-colored blackbird) appeared in our neighborhood in March. His call “Lucky meeeee” was a cheerful accompaniment early on. The blackbird has a bead eye. After a few weeks, our cat Blackie appeared at the side of the lane. He began walking with us on a regular basis.

The woman with the red hair and the purple tights is my long-time friend and practitioner Philadelphia. She has sent love to me all along the way.

About halfway into the journey our fluffy white cat Feather began showing up on the lane. Blackie and Feather finally figured out our routine. Now they travel a bit and sit down and wait for us to catch up. Our 15-year-old cat Aucuba tried walking with us a few times, but she decided to wait on the top step and watch our progress. The three cats are still delighting me on my walks. Their images are printed on fabric circles.

Quilting around the curving path reminded me of my daily laps. By mid-September, 2007 my foot had improved impressively. I am no longer an invalid. Healing is shown by the lovely green rising above the red pain at the bottom (fabric by Frieda Anderson). At the top right of the quilt I’m waving thanks to my wonderful support team. The journey continues.

Other Journal Quilts I’ve found online today:


Virginia Greaves

Wendy L Starn

Lynn Majidimehr

Gerrie Congdon

Heidi Miracle-McMahill

Terry Grant

Kate's Friend Sophie

A friend and pattern tester, Sophie, made this little woman. She said, “When I saw the wrap top, it reminded me of the pink wrap sweater I was wearing, so I made a version of myself that reflected my graying blondish hair, my sweater, my comfy khakis and brown clogs.” Sophie also said she found exactly the right batik for her hair.

I had made a little girl Sophie named Blondberry back in June

Framed

I’ve been busy quilting but I don’t have anything to show for it, except this.
This is Dorcas and her child made by my pattern tester Jan Howard. I framed them and sent them to New York today. They are going to the Quilt Bug store in Esperance. I think they might hang on the wall there.

It was easy to put together since I already had Dorcas and her child and a finished circle to use for a frame. I just sewed side strips and top and bottom strips on the little people blocks and put the frame over them. I used a simple running stich on the machine to put the circle on the background. Then I trimed off the extra edges. It probably took me less than two hours (that would be one hour for normal people, but I am the world’s slowest seamstress).
The other quilting projects can’t be shown because one is a surprise for someone, and the other is my Journal quilt. So I am covered with threads and scraps of fabric but cannot do much of a show and tell.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

Getting Rid of Jaggies

Tedious work. I am eliminating jaggies from the Paper Pieced People foundations. It was fine for me to piece on foundations with jaggie lines, but I really can’t expect other people to keep to the straight and narrow when the line they are trying to sew on is all bumpy. You can click on the picture above and see how jaggie the first ones were.

I have 59 individual foundations to antialias. So far, I’ve done eight of them. I could have drawn them in another format to start with, but I had to make little changes as I did my experiments and gifs were the easiest to use.
Also, tedious work – I am still on my walking program. I started on February 2, 2007 and things were supposed to improve in six months. Well, things are better, but I am not having fun yet.

Two Handsome Guys

Wow. These two fellows look good to me. The one on the left is my Dear Husband Robert. He is standing next to Michael.

Robert really did give me the shirt off his back. His favorite shirt was wearing out around the collar and cuffs. He wore that shirt at least once a week for years and years. The color was so nice on him. He wore it to Nordstrom one day and asked if they had another one just like it, but they didn’t.
He finally donated it to the Paper Pieced People cause. I cut a chunk out of the back and will preserve it forever in a quilt.

There is a basketball connection here. Robert’s grandfather, Deke, often told us about the beginnings of basketball in Springfield, Massachusetts at the YMCA. He said he knew James Naismith who invented the game in 1891. Deke said he played basketball at the YMCA. When the game first began, soccer balls were dribbled up and down a court and thrown into a peach basket placed up high. It took a decade for someone to invent an open ended net so the ball didn’t have to be manually retrieved from the basket when a score was made.

Zoe

Where did Zoe come from? She demanded recognition, but her fashion sense is not mine. You would never get me back into Capri pants (pedal pushers) again. I could wear them because I am slim, but I think they look very odd. They are an awkward length. I suppose if you are young and lithe you could keep moving around, and as my grandmother always said, “You can’t see the harness on a trotting horse.”