Do you like a mystery?

A puzzle? I do! *VBS* If you were making a quilt, similar to one you had seen, but not the same, I'd be curious. I'd want to figure out what you were doing differently, to make it your "own". Maybe I'm the only one who does that....? We'll see *VBS* Here's the quilt in progress that I'm sewing together right now. I've told you several times it is a "variation" on Gypsy Quilter's quilt that she calls "Kitchen Sink". I think her idea rocks!! But....I like doing my own thing *VBS* And I have and I'm very satified that I've captured her idea, but done it my way.
 I've made progress since yesterday. I thought I'b be further along than this, but hey...I'm making progress. I do confess to needing a fresh popcorn break in the afternoon *S* Soooo, look real close....have you figured out how my version is different from the 3(or more)"Kitchen Sink" quilts that Gypsy Quilter has listed on her sidebar?????

Wednesday Works in Progress...lots!

and a Happy Sunny Wednesday to all in Blogland *VBS* Busy weekend is past, and supposedly summer has begun...but we've had freeze warnings the past 2 nights, and my furnace continues to run as needed...brrr! I'm back in stride with cutting up scraps...an hour or so a day, at the dining room table, really produces results! Some are being used in the Orange Crush mystery...especially the lights!
 THIS is what's on my list today. I have enough of this "Kitchen Sink" variation(San, at Gypsy Quilters design) to sew an 88" X 96" top. I hope to get the pairs laid out today and joining them into rows.
 Bonnie has posted the 5th step in our mystery, and this is what my blocks will look like! I love them. Here's 9 blocks laid out together. I had lunch with Betsy yesterday, and she fell in love with the secondary pattern they form. I hope everyone was safe from Saturday nights storms across the nation, and that you all had a lovely Memorial Day weekend *VBS*

Memorial Day Memories and a Me-Me.....

I know Memorial Day is for honoring and remembering our fallen war heroes...and I do, altho I've not lost anyone in combat. I'm choosing to let my memories linger on my beloved parents and Gram Lottie. That's the thing with photographs...they freeze and hold a love one in time. This picture of my parents and my Mother's mother was taken years before I was born in 1940. I can't help but wonder what dreams they dreamed for the future...aging seems to have given me more cause to wonder about their dreams and what came true and what didn't. When I was a child, we honored Memorial Day in my family. By the time I was old enough to remember, there was a grave with our name on it, my baby brother. And Gram Lottie's husband, my maternal grandfather, who died before I was 2. Back then Memorial Day always came on May 30th. No extended weekend to slip away to the cabin or lake. Just the day...for remembering and for taking flowers to the cemetary. By the 30th of May, WI generally has lilac blooming. Those and lilies of the valley. Our bouquets were generally one, or both, of those flowers. The scent of lilacs colors all of my memories of this Day. I won't be going to the cemetary, which is some 40+ miles away, tomorrow. I was there on Mohter's Day with DD#1. I put a new joint stone on the graves of my parents this spring, she took me to see it. And I visited the fairly new grave of my favorite paternal aunt, Lucille. She is the one who got me started piecing quilts *VBS*. She died in Kansas City, MO back in April of 2007. I was unable to be at the cemetary when she was interred, but have now paid my resepcts to her. There is only one member of my Father's family is still living, and none of my Mother's. It definitely moves one to the outer edge.
I've been tagged by Norma of Random Stitches for a me-me. Since I've never done this one, I will *VBS*, Thanks Norma!
1. What I was doing 10 years ago. 1998~I was living alone with my golden retriever and recovering from my first cornea transplant. Doing pretty much what I am do in 2008, enjoying retirement and making quilts.
2. Five things that are on my "to-do" list today. Put my new red chair on my little patio, water the plants, shower, cut more scraps to sizes and work on my Orange Crush Mystery quilt.
3. Snacks I like. Crackers and hummus, chips and salsa, apple slices and carmel to dip them in, cookies and milk, fresh popcorn.
4.Things I would do if I was a billionaire. Rescue ALL the "golden oldies" at the Golden retriever rescue in MN, fund as many 'no kill' animal shelters as possible, make sure my kids all had homes they owned,provide college money for any and all the grandkids, give my sisters enough to make sure they were secure and comfortable.
5. Place I have lived. Wisconsin, Mississippi, Oregon, Michigan and back to Wisconsin to stay. In WI, I have always lived with 100 miles of where I was born.
Now I'm suppose to tag another 5 or 6 people, so.... I tag YOU, and YOU and YOU and those two hiding over there in the corner *VBS*. Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!

Thoughts about UFO's and WIPs...

on a sunny Wednesday. I've been playing the 'fool's pup' today, getting very little done and having a good time doing it *VBS* Accomplishments? A shower, one load of laundry, some pieces cut to size, a few more than a few, sewn. Oh, and I made a kettle of a chunky turkey hot dish. Yup, we call it "hot dish" here in WI also. I browned a sweet, mild onion in EVOO, add part of a pound of fresh ground turkey from our famous Turkey Store. When the turkey lost it's pink, I chopped in several stalks of celery, and one medium zuchinni...large chunks on both. At that point you could add almost anything you wanted to, but I opted for a can(just one cause there IS only me after all) of diced tomatoes. Stirred it well, and let it simmer til the veggies were tender but chewy. I then added about a cup(give or take)of frozen cooked rice from the freezer. Once it was thawed and stirred in, it took up the small amount of juice from those tomatoes. I had a very late lunch....about 3:15 to be exact, and am ready to pronounce the "hot dish" as tasty and filling without being fattening.And there you have it. Even with that modest amount of raw materials, I'll be eating this for about 6 meals! Don't know if it would freeze or not.And I've been thinking about a baby quilt for the new little grandchild coming in mid July. I've had this 'one' started for a couple of years now. I loved making the 16 patch center...didn't love how putzy it is to add the squares to the top and bottom pieces and have them match up. Another 3 or 4 blocks and I'll have a 3 X 4 set...that should do the trick for Grandson #11???????
And I've been thinking alot about doll quilts again. Maybe we are all having way too much fun making these little quilts, but why not??? I love them, and was thinking about this particular picture in the Little Quilts book.
Way back when I had decided to I really wanted to make this one in particular. I think I have enough repro pinks now that I can manage it. And thanks to my friend Vera, at KC Quilter, I also have a nice selection of indigo blues *VBS*

Ebony and the Pumpkin Soup...

Our windy temps are hanging in the low 50's today. Quite a contrast with the heat that the southwest is excperiencing. We do have sunshine, however, and Ebby finds it most welcome. Apparently I have a 'tissue paper' cat on my hands *VBS* Remember her and the lime green tissue of Oct.'06?
 The lovely raspberry tissue was in my Mother's Day gift box...but not for long. She began late Sunday evening to see if she could lay on the part sticking out of the clothing box...which was hard, since the box was on the footstool...LOL
 I'm nothing if not a softie for this bewitching black cat. Of course I put the tissue on the floor for her. Over the course of last week, the tissue has collected a catnip mouse(or 3) a jingle ball, a catnip stuffed moose, and her scratch box. Part of each day is spent laying on the tissue paper. She has abandoned the couch in favor of the tissue.
 The best new game in town is called "mom, put the mouse UNDER the tissue for me to find"...and I do *VBS*, over and over. The tissue now has several holes and looks thoroughly rumpled, but never fear, there is second sheet in the box.
***The Pumpkin Soup ditty goes like this "Kitty-Kats that hula hoop,frogs and rats with stinky boots, witches hat and Granny's boot....all go in my Pumpkin Soup"...compliments of Kari Pearson of KP Kids fame. The fabric has ALL of those things printed amongst the words...I loved it. It's from quite a few years back, and I only saw it once while shopping. Wish I had bought more.

Pumpkin Soup comes home....

One of life's little jokes is waking me up 5 a.m. when I have no reason to be awake or up that early. There are new meds in my life and I suspect that is part of it. On the plus side, look what greets you as the day begins... Just about 5:30 and the sky seems to promise a beautiful day ahead. I do love this view from my little patio, looking southeast.
 The visit from DD#1 last Sunday also brought home an old friend of mine, the Pumpkin Soup quilt. This is one I did back in 2001. Many of the utility stitches were placed with tears in my eyes as I watched CCN's coverage of the 9/11 disaster. This one is all flannel except the pumpkin soup fabric. It's a KP Kids fabric with a funny little ditty about pumpkin soup and stinky witches boots. DD was in love with this one the whole time I was making and quilting it. I swear I had barely snipped the last thread from binding and it got whisked away to her house. I asked her to bring it back for a label and a better picture. I was kinda sad to find it smells like her cedar chest. I guess that means she MIGHT have collected enough quilts to NOT have them all out in use...LOL.
 For about 2 hours yesterday afternoon, I reveled in quilter heaven. That's what it took to do the cross hatching on this little doll quilt from the Prairie Children book. I don't do much of the fine hand quilting anymore, with thread and the small needle. Which is sad, because I do love it so. I suppose in some sense I'm reaching back for that feeling these days, despite the extreme difficulty with my vision. As before, I find that my hands remember how it goes *VBS* I have alot of numbness in my hands now, and I stop frequently and let them dangle, that's ok...it just means it takes longer to finish the quilting. I'm thinking of getting a bigger top basted with the good old Mountain Mist batt and once again plying needle and thread in this fashion. My stitches still are looking pretty darn good. I'm slowly making my way around the inner border, doing both the ecru and the blue at the same time, but just one needle. That's plenty to keep track of when they are less than an inch long! I'll do something simple in the red border, a scallop or some such thing. I love the Amish pumpkin seed design, but my stencil is wider than that border. I've begun to piece the Bear Paw from the same book, and will be moving on to one with pink fabrics next *VBS* And I'm still plugging along with the Quiltville Mystery blocks...slowly!

Sunny Sunday pieces...

and welcome sunshine it is *VBS* My part of WI is still swinging wildly between seasons. 80 degrees one day and 50 the next. But the grass is green, flowers are blooming and the season of blizzards is past(I hope!) Part of my loot from the shopping trip with Betsy. The stripe is for a narrow inner border on that Country Roads quilt top. The piece of cheddary yellow is 'just because'.
 My main purchase was these 6 quarter yard pieces of Pat Spaeth reproduction fabrics to 'piece' out what I have. As you can see they are for the Prairie Children doll quilts. I was sadly lacking anything remotely pink, and new lights are always welcome.
 Betsy and I had a wonderful, altho brief shopping trip. Lunch was chinese, a new place for me...yummy! We hit only one fabric shop, but that's ok. My rug is out to 20", and from all reports I've heard, my students are doing much better than that! Norma, at Random Stitches is making one, as is Leslie at Pieceful Moments. Today I see that Granny Lyn, at Just Granny's has begun an oval rug *VBS* Everyone is doing so well with them...I'm very proud of all of you!!
 And here is the weekends work....5 paks of 9 wax begonias each to plant in my flower boxes and bots. It's that time again *VBS*

Shades of Summer, past....

A very quick 'pop in' post this morning. I have a sunny day opportunity to go shopping with Betsy. They has sold their last store, and she needs to bo some account closing in a mid-size city 40 miles east of here. She promised some fabric store shopping and lunch *VBS*And since a post just isn't much without a picture...enjoy last years patio while I'm gone.... I'll be back soon! *VBS* Hugs for all!

Tuesday Tidbits....

a little of this and a little of that...what used to be refered to as "a Duke's mizture"...that's what I have for you on this wild and windy Tuesday. And a smile *VBS*, of course... Part of my Mother's Day loot, a thoughtful gift from DD#1 who love the "All you need is love" fabrics from Moda. This will be a nice addition to my Moda JellyRoll from JulieQ.
 Another piece of the Orange Crush Mystery...a revised square using a different red.
 Here's the first attempt for comparison.
 And a little show stopper for sure. DGS#10 is now officially 3 months old and growing nicely. A picture for Gram on the quilt she made him. He'll be visiting the end of the month...hurray for that!
My bruises are healing and the scrapes are closed over. The stiffness is past and I feel almost human again. Thank you for your good wishes, thoughts and hugs. AND suggestions...I will be speaking to the village clerk about that unmarked end of the foundation slab.
This village is tiny, just over a thousand people. An attendant is something that will never happen, but I think the bright spray paint to indicate the edges would be a very good idea all around, and an inexpensive 'fix'.
My corner of the world is finally turning green, I see tiny 'squirrel ear' sized leaves. On the old river road, the faint green 'mist' now hangs on the hill sides, soon to be full fledged woods. The growing season is upon us, at last.

Speaking of Jack....

who fell down and broke something, *S*, it was Finn who came tumbling after. A few days ago, after cleaning the garage, I took the recycling into the village as my last act of the afternoon. Turned out to be a real show stopper. To make a long story short, I didn't notice the recycle bins were shoved back further than usual and that the pavement ended before the last of the bins. The drop is about 2"... plenty for me to turn an ankle. I did and went head long. My bags of newpaper and plastic broke the fall, but I've been a pretty banged up, bruised, aching MESS these past few days. I tore up my palm, elbow and knee on the left and hit my right shoulder hard. I'm feeling much better,but have a ways to go. Luckily I didn't break ANYTHING. I'm very grateful for that1 *VBS* I got borders cut and sewn on my little Prairie Children Broken Dishes. Now to get it basted and quilted.
 This great red is what I felt would work beautifully for my Orange Crush Mystery. I was pleased as punch to have 2 yards of this old RJR to put with black. Should be great, right???
 But cut, and sewn into Step 4, of the Quiltville mystery, this is what happens to my gorgeous red.....
 I could hardly believe my eyes. I thought it was the lighting in the sewing area. But full spectrum, natural or plain old lightbulb....it just DOESN'T work. Luckily I've only cut a part of what is needed, and only made two blocks. I'm now in search mode for a brighter red. I don't want it to JUMP off the quilt, but being able to see it in the block would be nice *VBS*

Back to the rug...and other stuff

Remember this? The first 3 rows of the newly begun crocheted rug...from last Wednesday. At the time, I had 3 tennis ball size rag balls sewn for this rug. The size you make the balls is up to you. I find it hard to hold and wind a ball much bigger than a tennis ball. Friend Jean makes them bigger than grapefruit, but that size makes my hands and wrists hurt. Make yours according to what works for you. The 3 balls took the rug out to about 10". I didn't think to measure. More sewing of strips was needed, but I didn't get around to that until yesterday.
 An hour of sewing will result in a nice pile of "stuff". I watched a movie last evening and did the snipping apart and excess trimming. Got the balls wrapped and even managed a bit of crocheting before bedtime. The little rug is now out to 14". Progress begins to slow down as the rug gets larger.INCREASES change as it gets larger. I find I only need to increase(2 sc in same stitch) about every 4th to 9th stitches as it grows. That's a big spread I know, but you will learn to keep an eye on the stitch you are doing and when it is laying as if PULLED to the right, it's time for a 2nd one in that same stitch. This is NOT an exact science. Way too many variables...the weight of your fabric, the width you made the strips, how tight or loosely you crochet, etc. I think it is as variable as we are individual. That seems to be true in cooking also. You can follow an exact recipe and still get a different result. Just don't get discouraged. *VBS*
 I think most of you know that I also make "mug rugs" from the same basic beginning of the bigger rug. Just quit when you have the desired size. I used to make them about 4-4.5", but I now go out to a full 5". That way if the mug or glass is larger, the rim of the rug doesn't 'throw' the balance off. I also do what I call fabric baskets(altho I suppose they are more 'bowl' like).Determine the size you want them to be by the BASE size. Once you have the(i.e.) 6" base, you STOP increasing...period. Within a round or two the piece will begin to curl up and continue to curl up into straight sides as you go. The heighth you make them is up to you. I've made tiny 2" and 3" baskets, using a smaller hook and narrower strips, and I've made big 10+" base ones. I've made one just the perfect size to hold 8 of the 5" mug rugs *VBS* It was a gift for Betsy. With the one in this picture, I decided to see if I could make a COVER for an odd plastic container. It sits next to my sewing chair and holds spools of thread, seam ripper, safety pins, a small scissor, an emory board and a few other odds and ends. I measuredthe crocheted base against the container and once I had it big enough, I stopped increasing. This is the result. It was crocheted from odd bits left over balls. It's NOT gorgeous, but the idea works. You could crochet a handle for it, if you wanted a true basket.
 
And last but not least today, a wonderful package arrived yesterday from my PIF partner, Dee of Thea Quilts. I received this absolutely gorgeous little quilt, love those tiny buttons Dee!! And such fun Aunt Gracies type fabrics. I also received some scrump-DEE-lishous Dove and Ghirardelli Chocolates. AND, as a special treat, a bag of Dunkin' Donuts coffee beans! I was just astonished at all the goodies you sent me Dee, and I thank you for my wonderful treats!!

Busy, busy, busy.....

and nothing new to show you today, but thought I'd stop by and say "Happy Cinco de Mayo" everyone! Our weather has turned warm and sunny, and it's a pleasure to be outside getting ready for summer. Too soon to plant, but clean up works!A bit of utility quiliting to peek at until I get that tutorial done. And just for fun, the "me-me" going around....**You have to use the first letter of your first name to answer each of the following. One word only. They have to be real places, names, things...nothing made up! Try to use different answers if the person in front of you had the same 1st initial. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question**

NAME: Sylvia

4 LETTER WORD: sure

VEHICLE: S.U.V.

TV SHOW: Sunset Strip

CITY: Seattle

BOYS NAME: Sam

GIRLS NAME: Susanna

OCCUPATION: Sheriff

FOOD: Salmon

SOMETHING IN THE BATHROOM: Soap

REASON FOR BEING LATE: Sleeping

SOMETHING YOU SHOUT: Stop!!!

And I'm going to tag you and you and you!