Alice

 

 

Alice is at a quilt retreat.   It's July, but the Menopause Mamas who are in charge of the thermostat have turned it down to 65 degrees.

How is Alice supposed to get a proper quarter-inch seam when her fingers are frozen?

More tote bags

  

I'm addicted.   I can't stop making them.  I've given away about 3 dozen and sold one.   And yet I keep making them. 

It's just so relaxing to sit and watch a video or TV show or movie and keep my hands busy.

And I keep finding good colored, cheap yarn.

Toast really likes his bed.

 And here's yet another.......

Quilted Portraits - Jessica, Cherry and Karen

 The Chisholm Trail Quilt Guild had a class taught by Jean Impey last week.   

I haven't done a class in quite a while, but this one looked like fun.   And it was!   I am absolutely hooked.

I have finished two portraits already and am working on a third.

The first one is Jessica.  Jessica is a realtor.  She just found out that her client, who is scheduled to close in a week, has just quit his job.   Bye, bye, commission!

The second is Cherry.   She loves vintage cars and is pleased that her new boyfriend is taking her to a car show this weekend.   Hope he doesn't just take her for a ride.

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Then there's Karen, a vegetarian.  Karen is looking at the menu of a new restaurant and wondering what she can order.  Karen is radishing, even in a potato sack dress.  

Crocheted Tote Bags

 Last year I saw a pattern for a crocheted tote bag that was made from the bits and pieces left over from other projects.   I have found crocheting and knitting to be a very peaceful activity, one that I can do alone or with others.   It keeps my hands busy while my mind is free to watch a movie on TV or think about just about anything that's on my mind.  

I've made a bunch.  A bunch!   I keep buying yarn on sale at thrift stores and Austin Creative Recycle and garage sales.   The variety of colors is fun.  I love adding a few feet of yellow to a basically blue bag.   Or shots of orange to a brown one.

My first giveaways were to some of my retreat friends - I brought in four bags to a retreat and they were all claimed. 

  

I gave bags to the two ladies who run the retreat center. 

 (The cat there really loves it!)  

The next month, I brought two bags to another retreat and gave one to the friend who couldn't attend but is a part of the group.

At Christmas, I gave bags to another two great nieces.

Now I'm making another batch to my other retreat friends.   My yarn stash is four times the size of the one I started with, but I've had a lot of pleasure in this endeavor.

Reading to the Twins

 Phoenix, Skye, and their grandmother Diane came to visit on Monday.   By the time the day was over, two of us were exhausted.   But we had a good time getting to know these sweet babies better.   

I'm happy that it was a pretty, warm day and we could spend lots of time outside.

The table is one that Diane and I ate at as children.

 

Linus Challange

My small guild in my small town is a strong supporter of the Linus Connection, which furnishes quilts to local children in hospitals, shelters, and other situations where a quilt could be comforting. This Spring we were gifted withsome lovely new fabric in one-yard pieces. Kits were made up of three pieces anddistributed to members. The challange was to make a quilt with all three, addingin whatever was needed. The quilts will be shown in late May and members willvote on their favorite. This picture is of me showing my entry off to a defferent group of quilter friends. (I am currently a member of three local guilds.)

Stockpiling

 I've noticed that my piecing skills are not improving.   In fact, they are getting worse.  

Some of this is because of my machine problems - my main machine has been out of commission for many months now.  Some is because of eyesight.   Some is due to plain old carelessness.

At any rate, I've decided to concentrate on making graduation quilts for my great-grandchildren and my sisters grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  As they're done, I will label them and stockpile them in my sewing room closet.

The photo shows one of the two tops that I finished for the T. twins, who are now in their early teens.  The tops are at the long-armers now.

The picture was taken at one of the Pebbles group meetings which we hold out in the park due to the pandemic and social distancing requirements.   We use one of the outdoor pavilions and enjoy the fresh air and sunshine as well as each other's company.