more shirts

Here are more shirts in progress, these were not done yet when these photos were taken.

Design wall

Here are some of the sweatshirts I am working on for the Country Store at the Legacies of Love Quilt Show in May.

My neck feels better today. Sunday, I was tying blocks of wood near the ceiling in Janow's stall for swallows to nest on. Last fall, all the stalls were rebuilt and the new ones don't have any ledges for swallows to nest on, but the same swallows came back to nest in the same place they always have.

They seemed pretty upset, so I scrounged some wood pieces to hang as nesting ledges. Tying them up near the ceiling just about killed my neck, but I got three up. Yesterday, the birds were definitely checking them out, though I could not see any nest building evidence. I will keep watch.


Chica and Paula are growing fast! They hate to be out of site of one another. Chica, the Brahma, is supposed to be the better breed for human freindship, but, while she began as the easiest one to handle, she hasnt inproved much. Paula, the Plymouth Rock, has changed a lot. I can hold her surrounded by my hands and she will fall asleep, all the while Chica chirping fantically. Chica is a real chatterbox.

Paula Pullet and Chica Chicken

Here they are.

They are growing fast. We are holding them as much as possible so that they will be easy to handle. Maybe. Jospeh is helping a lot.

I am hoping they will be more effective than pesticides in the garden, or insecticidal soap that makes the vegetables taste soapy. We have snails, earwigs, cabbage worms and tomato worms.

Right now we have a crop of mosquitos that is phenomenal. I have to look over the fence and see if the nieghbors pool cover is full of water. If it is, I have to walk around and talk to them, or call the West Nile Virus authorities. Mosquitos are usually not so prevalent in Milpitas!

I am working on Primiitve sweatshirts for the Country Store at Legacies of Love Quilt Show. I ordered frames for many of my batiks too. And I'm trying to learn GIMP.



Quilt show info is on my web page, the first page, as well as pictures of my entries. Four quilts and a 'doll'. ust click on the red-yellow-orangy DOUBLECATBATIK banner, it's a link.

Chicken!

I got "Key Search" done just in time, stitching the sleeve down at about 6:30am. Then I put the paper label for the quilt show on it. Those labels come one to a page, with a reciept for the quilt that is signed by the quilt show official who takes your quilt. I had misplaced the receipt for "June Four Patch," but I figured I could Xerox a new one, if I could find a blank one to copy. It's one of those little things that you count on being easy to resolve at the crucial time.
So on I went, to sew the label onto "Sue Crack's Up." I thought I had done it already, but there was the label, filled out and ready to sew on. But....There WAS a label on "Sue," it was the "Coniferous Child" Label. So I took it off and sewed the "Sue" label on "Sue." Then I took the "Coniferous" label to sew onto the "Coniferous" quilt.......That's tight, you guessed. There it was, the RECEIPT for "June Four Patch" sewn on in place of the "June" label. I got it all straightened out, but I think I had to remove and re-apply nearly every label.

The turn-in location for south Fremont was Sisters 'n' Stiches quilt shop, which I had looked for twice but never found. It's a new shop. I didn't have a lot of faith. It is in a sort-of-rebuilt werehouse. I found it this time. It is very small, packed with fabric. A very sood selection of the lighter values, which the much closer Fabrics 'n' Fun is lacking. So, of course, I bought fabric. But I only bought for the Charm Square Exchange whcich was comming up and I ended up playing hooky on it anyway.

Now I have a lot of work to do getting ready for the Country Store at the quilt show. I Downlaoded The Gimp Photo Editor Freeware and got a new printer and some photo quality blank greeting cards with envelopes. Now I have to learn that.

Yeaterday, there was sun, so I went to Concord to get hay for Noble Steed. An hour away, remember? And can't go in the rain becuase the hay will get wet and then mold. Well.......They had chicks there, cheeping and scratching under the heat lamps, so I got two pullets. and some starter scratch, and a water reservoir. Not to mention three kinds of horse wormer and another box of Rounders Horse Treats. And a few cans of cat food that Mr.Picky Eater has never seen and so has never rejected.

I am hoping that my 9 year old son's friend calls today. He has had the whole week off school but has not been able to get together with any of his friends. Many of them go to different schools that do not get his week off for Spring Break, they got last week. People are really bad about getting back to kids or making commitments and following through. Grown ups seem to have no problem standing up little kids. Of course, that teaches their own kids a great lesson too. A promise is only good until something better comes along. Grrr.

Closer Still

Just finished putting on binding at 6:57am. Now I have to sew down the sleeve by hand, and snip loose threads. There are a lot of loose threads! I think I'll make it...........maybe............

Down to the Wire

Yet another photo of Key Search in progress. The deadline for this quilt to be done for the show is April 13th. It's already entered and the paperwork submitted, but I am still quilting the top, and haven't even cut the binding or the sleeve! Will I make it?

The quilting pattern and colors are very interesting. I'm glad I picked white for the backing. I backed Merry Horses in white, with red quilting, and it was very striking. It was up in Ohlone Arts during the Misson San Jose Outdoor Quilt Show last year. Flipping it around to the back surprised everyone who saw it.
(You can see it on my website. Just click here On the picture of it)



Key Search has the quilted image of five antique keys hidden in it. My intention was to sell this quilt, but the more I work on it, the more I like it. I think I will keep it for my own bed......

Ring Bling

My friend Chris sent me this website. This is something I never thought of! It's worth checking out.


CJs
Phone
Jewelry

Horse of a Different Color

Janow slept in poop. Horses do that. Since he is white, the poop left some very visible green stains. I showed the stains to Jay, saying "Someone swapped my Lipizzan for an appaloosa!"
Jay replied: "That's not an appaloosa, that's a crapaloosa!"
He has three white horses, he should know.

Lost

I had battery problems in the car this week. I had to drive a bit to increase the charge. We, 9yr old Joseph and I, started at the library. We took Calaveras to 880 North, exited Dixon Lanidng and went East. Passing Mill Creek Apartments, we turned left on Milmot. We passed the park with tennis courts and playground, the into some new attractive single family homes with zero lot lines, over an aquaduct and into a business park. Huge square builings, combo office space/wearhouse/R&D, all uniformly landscaped. I said, "Wow, look at this! I didn't even know it was here!"
Jospeh replied "I did. Denise got lost here."