Buck's Fitness Center

Buck’s idea of weight-lifting. We used “Old Blue”, my dad’s old pick-up, which is currently our hunting, firewood and go-to-the-dump truck.

Buck decided he did not need to have all the fun by himself.  He invited me to help.

Buck says along with getting fit, we can get warm five times with this firewood:   

• 1) When cut [It was raining when he started, over 90° when he finished – I missed out on that one – oh, darn!]   
• 2) Loaded [hot]   
• 3) Unloaded [still hot]   
• 4) Stacked [I will wait for cooler days for that chore, thank you very much.] and   
• 5) Burned [Oh, yeah! This saves big-time on the heating bill…]

Photo Templates

I got tired of fighting to get my images placed in my blog posts where I wanted them. I often want two or three photos side-by-side. I decided to solve the problem by making my own plain color paper templates (and creating some using my own photos manipulated by my photo-editing software). I can add my photos and sub-titles on top of my templates using my photo-editing software, then save it as a new image that I can upload in one fell swoop.

I know there are fancy template software packages out there with images that take up A LOT of space on the ol' hard drive. For now, I will play with my own templates. After all, I have taken so many photos over the years, why not show off my own creations before I get excited about ones developed by others?

Genealady on Etsy

I now have a store on Etsy named Genealady:

These are what I listed today: 

 

And these get listed next:

         http://www.etsy.com/shop/genealady

PAC Contribs

Today they are on the way to the PAC chair for the California Rural Letter Carriers' Association. I have been meaning to do this for awhile. Finally did. Now that I have more time than money -- which is not necessarily saying much -- I am making things to be used as fund-raisers.

Things I learned making the snowman:
1. Invisible thread is hard to work with by hand.
2. Quilt the little pop-out pieces (Hard to see in the photo, but the cardinal, the hatband and the carrot nose are separate pieces that are stitched on to give a "built-up" look.) BEFORE you attach them to the quilt piece.

The other hanging quilt includes the block I needed to do for Sara's Second Saturday class. I got started and decided to finish the project. Since I need to get these items in the mail in time for the snowman to make the Fall Carrier Seminar Day, I decided to finish the other project and send it along with the snowman. So, Sara is going to have to settle for a picture of the completed block when I show up at class this coming Saturday.

This quilt also includes the design from a tee-shirt I don't believe I ever got around to wearing. The color is that florescent "safety green" that I thought was so great when my husband was still working construction and wearing a lot of that color. It was hard finding fabrics to match, or even blend, especially when I found the blue background with green, yellow and orange dots fabric I thought really set off the background color of the shirt and had to try to make it look decent with the strawberries on black fabric. This shirt design was from the state convention site in Oxnard, known for growing strawberries. That was the only strawberry pattern in the entire fabric store. So, there is a reason for the stretch in making these fabrics work together.

Things I learned doing this project:

1. Iron-on pellon stabilizes knits pretty well. I used a light-weight so that I could stitch through it easily.
2. Even with iron-on pellon, knits will still stretch if you are not careful.
3. Screen-print and sewing machines do not mix well. I had to free-hand the stitching on the design. The bottom teeth were not the problem. The pressure feet could not slide on the painted surface. I could not even use the pressure post without a pressure foot.
4. Do not, and I mean DO NOT iron over a screen-print surface with a hot iron. I almost messed up the design by accidentally getting the iron too close. Use a cover cloth or press on the opposite side of the fabric.

DUP Hellos and Good-bys

Daughters of Utah Pioneers started up again last week. Of course, I am referring to the general membership of our camp in Turlock. We officers and advisors had our training meeting a month ago, and our board meeting the week before to start planning for the coming year which ends in May.






Two long-time members are moving--probably gone as I write. As a board, because of their contributions over the years, wanted to give them a remembrance. I offered to make each a quilt square with a sego lily -- the association's official flower. I chose sage green and lavender, the official colors. The fabrics I chose looked great together on the cutting board. Unfortunately, they did not have as much contrast as I would have wanted once the block was stitched together. I added a decorative stitch around the green star.

I was happy with the final result. 

Another member lost her son in an auto accident over Labor Day weekend. I made her a square using the same pattern. His obituary picture was in the center square. I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but these are the colors I used.

One thing I realized is how much I depend on my big yarn needle. It helps me ease fabric that wants to pucker or I can use it to convince several layers of fabric to move smoothly through the pressure foot.

It is handier than a seam ripper -- I keep it in my pin cushion. It also is easier maneuvering in tight places, which is how it can get working around the sewing machine needle shaft and pressure foot.

Charity Quilt

Finished up a child-size quilt top for the Gateway Quilter's Guild charity quilt project.

It is a cute little pattern called "I Spy."  Easy, too.

I also have been working on my Civil War Reproduction BOM squares. Started sewing the pieces by hand before I got the new sewing machine with the 1/4" foot.  Will finish it by hand -- takes a lot longer, but more authentic since sewing machines were invented shortly before the Civil War and were not in widespread use at the time.

Art of Bragging

It is time to brag again about the beautiful artwork sent to Buck and me by two of my daughters-in-law in the form of greeting cards.


Toadaly Handmade by WSE:












 By Li'l Momma.