I’ve made it this far. It’s in the machine being quilted. It’s a bit bulky to fit through the machine but so far so good and I think (hope) it will go quickly and without too many problems. I just have to keep reminding myself that it’s ok if it’s not perfect. I’m not entering it in a contest to be judged, it’s just going to be used to cuddle on the couch with and that will be fine!
Full of jam that is. Last night I finally made a batch of raspberry jam. In my humble opinion this is really the only kind of jam that a person needs. I recognize however that if we have some variety it only makes the raspberry jam better. I think this is the third time this season I’ve tried to make raspberry jam. Mysteriously the berries keep disappearing. I do have to admit however that my fingers are always the ones stained with raspberries! No one else here to blame. I did enjoy every bite however. This time I was smart. I bought two half flats and even after I had eaten most of the first I still had berries to make jam. Success! The lucky jars are now residing in the freezer with the jars of strawberry-blueberry and mango jam.
So hard to believe it’s the 6th of August. If you live in the Pacific Northwest however you’re glad that it’s August and summer has arrived! Finally. We certainly have been patient for long enough.
I recently had a birthday. Now for some this is not an extraordinary event however this was a significant birthday. Usually birthdays are not a big deal to me but this bigger number really makes me stop and think.. Well that was enough thinking.
Last weekend we were invited to my brother and sister-in-laws place at Lakebay. I was just looking at the pictures again and it has me longing to be back there and enjoy the beautiful views, the beach and the good company. One of my brothers lives on San Juan Island and he even brought crab. I’m still drooling thinking about the many good meals that I had. The rest of my family made it a special weekend celebrating my birthday and the birthdays of my hubby and also brother Dave. We don’t usually get to all celebrate together so that was a special day. Even our kids were there. Jim, Dale and Jill, Larry and Joni, Dave, Amy, Kim and Aaron, thanks for the memories.
I decided I should take a hostess gift with me. As I thought about it I decided that some new dish towels and hot pads were in order. I just bought a new toy, a Slice Fabrique and had a die for it called under the sea so I wanted to do some applique on the towels. There was a bit of learning curve to the process but I did make some appliques and for a fast project it was lots of fun and I like the way they turned out. The towels are microfiber so they should dry lots of dishes and still be functional. In a vacation house this is important. Who wants to spend time doing laundry.
Well, the last few weeks have certainly been busy. I’ve just spent a week at Girl Scout camp. It’s always a great time but this year the weather was not as cooperative as sometimes. We did have a bit of blue skies but mostly it was cool and grey. Not much rain until the end of the week which was nice however. We usually have about 160 girls and 52 staff so it’s a busy place with lots of laughter, friends and great outdoor activities. This picture is from a trip on the lake by some of the staff about 9 in the evening. We raft the canoes together and travel around the lake and sing for about an hour or so. For those of us “vintage” scouts we get to sing all the old songs that we love and have the pleasure of teaching these wonderful old traditions to the younger leaders who have not had an opportunity to sing them all for these years. It was a terribly windy day this year until about 5 minutes before we were to make the decision to go or not. The GS Gods were with us and we got to go and once again celebrate this wonderful tradition.
Been a while since I’ve updated this blog. I’ve been busy with things like a trip to Portland, getting ready for camp, Father’s Day and trips to the ER with a sick kid upgrading a computer and oh yes, a bit of work, laundry and other assorted items.. All interesting in different ways! None of this however has kept me from investing in a bit of fabric and doing a bit of sewing.
I have almost all of the rows together for my x’s and o’s quilt and am anxious to get back to that. This probably isn’t going to be the week for that however. Probably not until the end of month. I have also started another project. It’s called The Farmers Wife Quilt Sampler Quilt. I’ve been watching as folks all over blog land have been joining this quilt along and I decided that maybe I should do this at my own pace. It’s based on letters from 1920 farm wives and it contains 111 blocks they inspired. Bloggers I have noticed have talked about doing 2 blocks a week and so far I’ve had fun. I’ve just finished my first 4. Here again, there will probably be no more until close to the end of the month but I look forward to the process. I’ve enjoyed it for several reasons. I think it’s been a bit more like fashion sewing because there is a specific pattern and template pieces. It has been interesting to try to keep the accuracy up as I trace and cut the pieces with the scissors but I’ve enjoyed the very small projects and sense of accomplishment when they are done.
We are still waiting for summer to arrive but at least today there was sun. We were out for a drive and bought some fresh fruit so I think tomorrow there will be strawberry jam. I just unearthed the jam jars from the storage room and now have to go and read the directions on the pectin box. I’ll make freezer jam and will probably need to go and buy some sugar and lemon juice before I start.
More fun to follow.
Well, finally after a long time I’ve finished the first row of this quilt top. I’m pleased with the way it’s coming together and the squares are all fairly even. I decided I need to use the same foot with the same settings and then all the seams are the same width and much easier to line up. When I was sewing clothing there didn’t seem to be so many decisions but I suppose the reality was that I had done that for so long I didn’t really think about the tools, only the process. I really think the next quilt will go faster because there will not be so much decision making involved when I get to the actual sewing process. Now I have to finish cutting the sashing strips for the rest of the quilt and I can finish this part and move on. I’ve done the math, ironed the fabric and look forward to the finish.
Yesterday I took the ferry across the water to meet a dear friend. We met on our first day of college and our friendship has endured through all the years and all sorts of good times and hard times. Nice to have a friend like that. We can always pick up where the last conversation ended even if it’s been months or sometimes it has been a year or two. She lives about an hour and a half from me so although we share regular email we only get a real visit every few months. Yesterday was the day! She has a niece getting married next summer and that child has asked for a king sized quilt. Now my DF is an accomplished seamstress but in recent years has found knitting to be more her calling. It was with great pleasure that we met at Heirloom Quilts and Fabrics in Poulsbo. With the a bit of time and some help from the sewing experts in the store we picked out some gorgeous batik fabric for the quilt. She has a year to craft this lovely gift and is anxious to get it started. She is going to piece the top and have it professionally quilted. I’m excited to see the end result.
What would a trip to a quilt shop be however if I didn’t make a purchase as well. I certainly need to support the local economy. Actually, I was very restrained and only came home with three pieces of fabric. I was a very good girl! Now I’m anxious to get back to some sewing however. I did manage to get a few blocks sewn yesterday but there will be no more time for several days. For now I will just have to be content to stare at the new additions and dream the dream of projects yet to come.
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