A Snails Pace

I planted Marigolds a week ago Sunday. One week later, only two remained. Here they are.


We have snails.


They arent fast, but they don't have to be.

Dang.

Troup 92 Court of Honor

Boy Scout Troup 92
Court of Honor


Last Monday was the first Court of Honor since Joe has been in Boy Scouts. It's a quarterly awards dinner where ranks and merit badges are handed out. Joseph got his Boy Scout Badge and now is eligible to go for the rank of Tenderfoot. When he attains that, he can work toward merit badges.

Next to him is Gary and his mom. He had a good time snowboarding with Gary at Dodge Ridge the weekend before. Gary is a pretty level headed sort of dude, and I'm glad he likes to hang with him. Then James, who is also in Mrs. Maultsby's 5th/6th grade, then Sahil and his mom. Jeremy, who is usually up to something, and his mom, (on our right) looking over their shoulders. Maybe just a habit, maybe........

Whiskers is working her way right in. We are figuring out exactly how she likes to be petted- one person holds her and another person pets her head. Otherwise pet real fast head-to-tail, head-to-tail. She has found Liz, or at least Liz's crickets. Now we have to figure out how to keep her away. We put Liz on the ice box, but it's hard to see her and keep track of her water. Sunday we put the cage outside and she enjoyed the sun.

Chica came out limping on Sunday. Dave examined her foot, which is hard to see with all the feathers. Apparently, she snagged a toe on something and pulled the toenail nearly off, maybe part of the toe. It was hard to tell with the dried blood and feathers. Feathers on the feet is not a good idea for chickens. I held her while Dave put Ambesol on the toe. Five minutes later, Dave held her while cut off the dangling bit and washed it, then put peroxide on it. We put peroxide on it later that day, and again this morning. She is not limping now, but I will continue with peroxide for a bit. It was easy, and inexpensive, another point for chickens as pets.

Janow had the equine chiropractor today, it was neither easy nor inexpensive, yet another point for chickens as pets.

Primitives Strawberries

Here is something for people who like to make their own projects instead of buying the already made ones.

These are pretty cool, just in time for spring. Bowl fillers are for decoration, in bowls or baskets. These would be fantastic with a springtime table runner.

The best part is that you can make them yourself. This e-pattern is available on ebay, just click on the picture to go right to the listing.

E-patterns are great, because the pattern can be e-mailed to you immediately upon payment. All you have to do is print it out on your computer!!

Jenny, of Columnhouseprimitives made the pattern herself, so you can't buy it in a store. If you don't want to print it out on your computer, you can "contact seller" and ask if she can snail mail it to you. It will probably cost an extra thirty-some cents in postage.

I think it would make a good mother/daughter or troup project, just in time for spring! The grunge is optional.

Jenny has some other really to-die-for things listed, one of which I bid one--and I'm not telling you which- 'cause I want to win it!

Machine Quilting

Here is the shoo-fly quilt I am machine quilting.It is a Piecemakers Quilting Guild of Southern Alameda County Community Quilts project. We make over a hundred quilts a year and donate them to different charities in the community. Most of the materials are donated, much by guild members. Different people will design the quilt and cut it. Then it gets packaged into kits. It may be a few blocks to make, or completed block to assemble into the top. Members take a kit at general meetings to work on at home.
They range in size from lap quilts to wrap around you whilke you sit, to preemie infants quilts that make the incubators look less sterile.
We also have tie-ins, where many of us get together and set up frames and tie them to finsih them.

Juki LZ-583

This is the machine I bought used, the one I used for the cat beds.

I have been gathering information of industrial sewing machine needles and looking for more feet and another bobbin case. I am also trying to find good sources of thread. It helped when I figured out what kind of thread I wanted.

The feet are the hardest part. This machine is niether long shank, short shank, nor snap on, so I am having a hard time locating feet. I want to use it to make saddlepads, which doesnt help. Sewing machine people want to know what I am going to use it for so they can advise me, but they don't know anything about saddlepads.

I can make them with cotton or wool batting, which will be interesting because commercial pads are made with low loft needled poly batt. Easier to work with.

Bio

I made this at R.J.'s request:

Click to go

Cat Beds

Here are the cat beds I made for the animal shelter.They were good for practice on the industrial machine. It is VERY different!

It is mach harder to control, but I think I can learn it.

Judy Dains is going to teach a workshop on May 5th, and I want to go. I took a workshop from her 5 years ago and learned a lot.

I finally started quilting the community quilts I promised to do. It is a shoo-fly block scrap quilt. Other people made the top, and I basted it and am machine quilting it. I forgot how much I like to machine quilt!

I have ordered more saddle pads to embellish, and some fabric UV to protect the fabric from the sun. The industrial is easy enough to use that I might be able to make saddlepads from the ground up. I am in the process fo learning about needles and thread for it.

Joseph is going on his first Boy Scout trip, solo. It is a ski/snowboard trip, he picked snowboarding. Surprise surprise. We went to the thrift shop and got him some pants to wear. This late in the season, he would not get much chance to wear them, but they will be outgrown for next year. He is looking forward to it. He has already earned his Boy Scout Patch, now he can go for Tenderfoot.

Capuchin with Biscotti

Here is Carl, the Capuchin monkey, sitting on top of the world. All 11 inches of him(11 inches sitting down that is, he wouldn't stand up to be measured, says he is retired!)

He won 3rd place at California State Fair in 2006. I remember sewing each little floss hair on, one at a time. Whew!

Now he is on ebay. You can read more about him and his biscotti by clicking here

What is going on...

This is what is going on now.
I am sorting and cutting 2 inch squares for my Burgoyne Srrounded quilt, and I have designed a new 4-Patch to use the squares that I de-select for the Burgoyne.

The T-Shirts and paints are in the hands of the kids for the Andinkra Project. It's really fun with the kids.

I have a new book on Foundation piecing, just what I needed, NEW IDEAS!

The Industrial Juki is defying me. I have cat beds for the animal shelter that I want to finish on it, but............

The Pre-sist I wanted to try is still sitting un-opened......

I am doing research on making cotton fabric more sun-proof, that might be possible, and that is good.

Shedding is picking up at the ranch. It has reached nuisance proportions, but I know that The Big Shed has not even begun yet! Janow is getting itchy to get ready, so rolls in the dirt regularly. SOme days I think I should give up grooming and just plant seeds!

right now.....

Here is what is on my table right now. Paper piecing.

I just bought a new book on paper piecing but haven't had a chance to read it. Fabric n Fun in Milpitas is having a huge sale. They are merging with a sewing machine store on White Road in San Jose, so they are moving their op. SO much for convenience. After that, Sisters N Stitches in Fremont will be closer.

I am looking into a product to provide UV protection to fabric for my saddle pads.

I also stare at and ponder excessively my industrial machine. I don't know why it intimidates me. eeck!

Andinkra Project

Here are samples I made with the Jaquard fabric paints I ordered for the 5th 6th grade T-shirt fundraiser. They are going to stamp Andinkra designs on the shirts for themselves and to sell.

These are on muslin. I made Andikra symbol stamps, as well as some patterns and shapes from different materials.

I made these to get a better feel for washes using this paint, and so the kids could see what they look like and how they look like when they are stamped on.

I made notes on the fabric of the colors and tecniques I used.

I made some on black fabric using the metallic paints.

For the backgrounds I used different things to stamp on textures. After that dired I stamped on top of that with some of the stamps I made.
I also made strips of black and white Kona cotton sewn together with a sample of each color on it. I didn't take pictures of those, they were boring.

I obtained 72 new blank T-shirts in a mix of black and white and different sizes. Joseph and Dave and I pre-washed them to remove sizing and pre-shrink them and then folded them all and put them back in the box.

Monday, I go to the classroom to demonstrate techniques so the students can get a feel for what they will be doing.