Baby Blanket

Ziggy Lamb by Shannon Fabrics

This baby blanket came in a kit with pieces of fabric and a picture of the lamb to trace.  Pink Minky fabric with dots for the backing.  The top background was in two pieces, the solid pink and the chevron fabric to cut and applique.

One of my friends makes the most wonderful baby things with Minke and fleece but I'd never really tried.  The directions warned about paying attention to the fabric nap, which made me a little apprehensive but, really, it was easy to figure out.  A walking foot is pretty essential to keep things from slipping.  I took out my bobbin case at the end of the project, and sure enough, there was a LOT of stuff underneath.

The only thing I'd change is putting on a cotton binding, I wasn't a fan of trying to bind with fleece.  I think my friend uses a pillowcase finish with top stitching, but I do love a binding.  Oh, and I'd probably make the name larger.  

The blanket is ever so cuddly.

Welcome Flowers

Flowers from my second Jeanine Babich Welcome Banner, shown below.

Instead of piecing little black and white squares, I used a patterned black and white fabric, which made the start of the banner much faster.  I accidentally made a few extra flowers, and that was nice too.

I have been checking the news from time to time for the Christine Blasey Ford testimony.  I am sad, there can be no good outcome that I can see today.  But, how I admire her courage.  I don't have that kind of courage, I know that.  I have courage in other ways, but not courage to answer questions for four hours before a national audience or courage to tell my story before senators with a president ready to tweet.

I hope, contrary to what I have heard, that every senator is watching today with an open mind, listening to both sides of the story and hearing the words.  Watching the faces.  Paying attention.

Half Square Triangle Baby Quilt

A member of the baby quilt group gave everyone fabric and instructions for making a half square triangle quilt.  This was probably, oh, maybe late last fall.

The instructions for making the little half square triangle squares were for making eighteen at a time, and sewing them was a breeze.  That took about five minutes.  So easy.

But, squaring all those little blocks took a much longer time.  I got bogged down, especially because I squared two sets in slightly different sizes than the first two I'd made and I didn't realize that until I had sewed the larger blocks.  At that point, the project languished on my sewing room floor.

I am in the mood to work on UFO's and decided that this just needed to be done.  It wasn't going to be perfect because of my squaring error but with all those triangles the error wasn't going to be all that visible anyway.  And it isn't, and now the quilt is finished and I have a blank spot on my floor.

Starting yesterday morning, the server for my college email must have gone down.  I noticed when I took the picture of this quilt and emailed it to myself and it never arrived on my open email.  And soon, email wasn't accessible.  I really, really missed that connection and was so happy when I could access it again a few minutes ago.  Thanks to those who worked on it, whoever you are.

Rain and Un-Birthday

I stayed a few minutes too long in Target yesterday, shopping for an un-birthday gift for Nora.  Today is Aaron's birthday, and I enjoy getting a small un-birthday gift for the sibling whose birthday it isn't.  In this case, wrist weights.  I was checking out when the pouring rain started, and while the rain is slower now, it has been steady for much of the past 24 hours.  It looks like it will go on like that for the next day. 

Today didn't turn out as planned.  There was no Wombat game for Nora, the softball fields were too wet.  Aaron has a fever and an upset belly, no doubt what the kids have been passing around in school.  Nora had it two weeks ago  There was no football game for Aaron and no family party.

Aaron's mom made the three-hour round trip to pick up a battery-powered motor bike.  He is a happy, but sick, guy.

I've been thinking about the shootings in Cincinnati this past week.  So many times I've taken the grands to Fountain Square, where the 5/3 Bank building is (site of the shooting.)  There have been Graeter cupcakes and splashing in the  fountain (not the big one that was a gift from France) and watching the All Star game and movies on the big screen.  Watching the skaters at Christmas and looking for decorated fiberglass pigs a few years ago during the World Choir Games  So many times we'd stepped on or off the bus across the street.

I'm a believer that life has to continue with joy.  We'll go back.  But I'll always think about those people whose lives were changed that Thursday morning.  

  

Brown Glassware

My car is weighted down with two boxes of this Franciscan glassware, ready for Goodwill.  

I got them at Tiffin Glass Company, where they were made, back in the 70's, in their sales room.  They were irregular, some were just a little crooked on their bases, some had a tiny bubble or two.  Besides the juice and water glasses, I had sherbet dishes and large glasses without stems.  They sold for $1 each.

Many of my neighbors had these in various colors.  They weren't expensive in the sales room, and they didn't break easily.  With years of everyday use with children, I don't think one ever broke.  They were just too heavy to break easily.

I haven't used them for many years.  They were packed away, and they were one of those things that I moved to Northern Kentucky and shouldn't have.  They have been in their tote for the past eleven years here.

Now it's time to let them go.  I don't want my daughters to have to deal with them, and they remember them fondly but don't want them.  They are just too heavy and just too 70's.

Something in me wants to take out just one sherbet dish and keep it for old times sake, to remember  all those family meals with them.  But I have a nice set of similar green Franciscan that I really do use often, and a set of blue juice glasses.  Those are good enough for memories.

And yes, I could sell them, but they are irregular (although you'd probably never notice.)  Someone will be happy to have them, and if I can pass on some happiness, it will be a good day.

Somebody Else's Scraps

A couple of weeks ago some quilting friends and I went to Quilters Garden in Lawrenceburg, Inidiana.  It was my first time visiting that quilt shop and I liked it a lot.  If you're local and like to quilt, you should definitely go.

A fun feature is their little scrap bags, kraft paper lunch-size bags with mystery scraps.  They are $5 each or free with a $50 purchase.  Most of us spent at least $50 that day, including me.

My bag had scrap sets and some pieced strips, with matching gold, green, and tan yardage scraps.  Adding the blue and red, I came up with this baby quilt.

I really planned to use my sit-down quilter,which needs some use, but the modern look of this little quilt asked for walking foot quilting.  So be it.

Somebody else's scraps are always better.

Shadow Work

Anita Goodesign Shadow Work. 

This was truly so fun to do.  The first embroidery colors are stitched on a piece of fabric over batting, then a layer of batiste is placed on top, followed by more embroidery.

It was all the better because I had a scrap of batiste and didn't need to make a trip to the fabric store.  I'm guessing it was left from a Martha Pullen sample ages ago.  That would be the only reason I'd have a bit of that lightweight fabric.

There are puddles in the street so it must have rained during the night.  Things feel clean in the sunshine this morning.  And, it's September!