Random Musings

A quilt shop sent this in their newsletter today: Advice from a 1949 Singer Sewing Manual "Prepare yourself mentally for sewing. Think about what you are going to do. . . never approach sewing with a sigh or lackadaisically. Good results are difficult when indifference predominates. Never try to sew with a sink full of dirty dishes or beds unmade. When there are urgent housekeeping chores, do these first so your mind is free to enjoy your sewing. . .When you sew, make yourself as attractive as possible. Put on a clean dress. Keep a little bag full of French chalk near your sewing machine to dust your fingers at intervals. Have your hair in order, powder and lipstick put on . . .[If] you are constantly fearful that a visitor will drop in or your husband will come home and you will not look neatly put together, you will not enjoy your sewing as you should." Say WHAT?   So little did those writers know. :)

66,246 quilts awarded. The average age of a soldier is 19. Made of 100% cotton, these quilts are given to soldiers injured in combat,  to small children who have lost a parent in combat, and to injured veterans. One of the five quilt exhibits at the expo was from Quilts of Valor . There is a QOV guild in Wake Forrest that also had a booth set up. Below is one of my favorites from their exhibit, along with a copy of the information sheet that went with it.  For more info on Quilts of Valor, check out one of their promotional videos below:

At a sewing or quilting expo, there are usually 3 parts: the exhibits, the vendor booths, and the classrooms. This was the first time I had ever shelled out money for the classes, and I was VERY pleased with the results. Every class was very practical and informative, and only one did I feel like I was in the wrong place (the teacher was a clothes designer who has tailored garments for many many years and she was a tad over my head) but even there I did learn quite a few practical things. So here's a few of my favorite classroom (both formal and from the free expo stage lectures) lessons:  The longarm quilting teacher showed us how she took the feather pattern she was teaching us and used it in different directions to create the above chicken. How cool is that? Of course, she used different colored threads and fabric painting to create the accents, but it was still neat to see how one basic pattern turned in different directions and different sizes could create something so det...

Raleigh Sew & Quilt Expo Post #2: One of the four quilt exhibits was an international competition. All the quilts were to be shaped like a house and had to do with the theme of home. They quilts were going to be auctioned off at some point as some fundraiser (sorry, I didn't read all the details). Besides being impressed with the wide variety of interpretations of the theme, I kept wishing all my kid friends were with me to see some of the entries. So I took pictures for them instead: Based on the movie Up This one was definitely 3D! My favorite of the three mice houses. And I included this one just because I like the old lady, and it's about quilting. :) The black outline doesn't show up on the black showcurtain too well,  but it' s earth and the sun.This one reminded me of my artist friend Sara Mincy because she makes those little circle things (can't remember what they're called at the moment) as well as folds fabric/paper. V...

From the Raleigh Convention Center, last week, Post One: Overlooking Exhibit Hall A where the expo was held:  The Gammill classroom where I took 2 classes. Maybe one day I'll actually own one of these machines!  Part of the Fons & Porter Quilt Exhibit: and a close-up of the quilt above. :) Even the best quilters don't always get their pieces totally lined up correctly!  I've seen a similar version of this quilt (but with diamonds, not stars) and one day hope to try it. The coolest thing was the quilting below, which is one of the patterns covered in a class I took. And another quilt that I thought was absolutely stunning:  The coolest thing? It's simply sqaures, lines and triangles. Even the quilting is simple with straight and diagonal lines. :) Tomorrow: Kid Friendly Quilts ;)

Has it only been a week since the robbery? It seems like much, much longer than that. But yesterday, as we contemplated the day, I made the comment to Bobby that while I didn't want to head back to the gym, I knew every day I didn't was another day I voluntarily surrendered to those guys. I decided I would attend the 2nd class (which was a wise move as the pool is still not working) and do some yard work outside. At one point I headed back inside for string to tie up a tomato plant, and realized I had locked myelf out. Yes, locking ALL the doors and windows clearly has a disadvantage. I figured I would finish up what yard work I could, then walk to my mother-in-law's for her spare key. As I was heading toward the shed, this car with two young men cames down the road, STOPS when it sees me, and slowly starts backing up. At this point my heart is absolutely racing. I have no keys, no cell phone, no camera, nothing to write with, no mace....nothing. They pull in the 2nd drive...

Irony (besides the opposite of wrinkly) asking 2 young men "Can I help you?" only to find out a few minutes later they were robbing your house being told by a deputy "don't touch anything" while you have to sit and wait for 2 hrs and all you can see is housework that needs doing. (Do you know how many cobwebs are on my front porch?) police asking a colorblind person what color truck the men were driving a man having to reach across the book "Choosing Gratitude" to steal my jewelry box being asked to describe one of the expensive rings I had, and the first word that came to my mind was "heinous" having your house photographed for criminal files when you left it for the gym with dirty laundry sorted into piles on the floor, an unmade bed, and breakfast dishes still on the table our "mean" rooster (everyone asks us if he's mean) taking all the grown hens into hiding in the field when the robbers came laughter - Bobby and I...

Well, I don't know if it died of natural causes or the mother smothered it, but our little biddy is just about as flat as Flat Stanley. I was hoping Bobby would get to see it hop around last night (she's had it hidden every time he's looked), but that wasn't to be the case. We're giving the other hen another week or two, and then she's coming off the nest whether she wants to or not. Enough is enough. And if two crazy Momma-wanna-be-hens aren't enough, I've discovered why all these little scratches keep appearing on our vehicles: And last but not least, the turtle population is really getting out of control at the pond. I'm not crazy about the idea of shooting them as people have suggested, but I have no other ideas on how to narrow them, either. Turtle soup anyone? and the scary thing is that he's only a medium size turtle!  My first guess was a snapping turtle (because his head was so mobile) but looking at the picture it looks li...

I think I've shared the problems of our broody hen. (A hen that wants to be a Mom and hogs the nest, taking ALL eggs that are laid in hopes of hatching them.) We actually had a second hen go broody, and we moved her to the little hen house and pen in hopes she would hatch her two eggs and get it out of her system. Evidently, one of the eggs she had under didn't actually belong to her but to the original broody hen, for it hatched this past week (after 2 weeks on the nest...it requires at least 3). I tried to get a picture, but by the time I discovered the fluffball hopping around and on its Mama and came back inside for the camera, Mama hen forced her brood of one back underneath. I took the one remaining egg and put it back in the big hen house with the other hen. But this is our first ever naturally hatched egg! In the midst of all this craziness, one of our reds has found a box in the garage where she has started laying. I'm thankful, as it eliminates the possibility o...

The ideas are there, always lulling around in the back of my mind. Some of them go away after a time; others continue to lollygag about and taunt me. Twice I have signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month - a hysterically crazy idea that you can write the rough draft for an entire novel in one month), but the designated month of November is always one of our craziest months. One year I actually started and got to about 20,000 words (50,000 is the bare minimum limit), but had to decide that my family, home, and sanity were more important than mere ramblings. But for the first time ever, there is now a Camp NaNoWriMo. It's being held this month, which my husband wisely advised against, and in the month of August, which I crazily just signed up for. So sometime in the next two months I need to actually choose one of my crazy ideas and create a baseline. That's exciting and intimidating. Every idea has potential and life. But some roughs are rougher than others. I fe...

I do not want to dwell on reality today (like goodbyes to family members, aging parents, hurting nieces, etc), so I am instead contemplating the trivial wonderfulness of life: First, Chick-fil-A has updated their dessert menu. I've not tried the new brownies, even though they look good, because I REALLY liked the old brownies. These don't have the cute little chopped nuts on top, though they do have chocolate chunks inside.  BUT, what is absolutely so good it should be sinful is their new chocolate chip cookies. The calorie count is atrocious, but they do have oatmeal and wheat flour, so they can't be totally bad, right? Second, I have book club tonight. That makes me sound hip, and just typing the words "hip" and "me" in the same sentence makes me laugh. This more accurately describes me: I'm seriously contemplating getting this shirt (and debating whether or not I have the guts to buy one that says "Mom loves ME best") to wear...

This time last week we had arrived in Alabama and were asleep in the basement at my parent's house. And life has not stopped spinning since then. Saturday we drove 3 hours northwest to Pisgah, AL (pronounced Piz-gee, with emphasis on the first syllable) for my cousin's wedding. It was great to catch up, albeit briefly, with family. Then we started the 3 hr drive back to my parents' house. While crossing Lake Guntersville on the way back we were able to see 2 eagles perched on their nests (the bridge on the way there is an old bridge with the metal braces overhead, and this is where they built). Sunday morning was church of course, so we drove the 45 minutes to where Dad is pastoring (we don't stay at the parsonage because the bathroom and bedroom doors aren't wide enough for a wheelchair). Due to the holiday we had the afternoon with family, playing with my niece and catching up with my two younger siblings. At times like this, nothing thrills my heart more than...