Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 5:06 am on December 9, 2016 Permalink  

  Today there were several things to take care of and . . . it was the first day that I went into the basement closet and got out a winter jacket. Ugh! The fact that I have not been out of the house in several days tells that story.

  After picking up some groceries we stopped in at Brett’s home. Dennis’ nephew runs a concrete crew from early spring to late fall and is now back at his second career . . . a quilter. Brett has a huge basement and he can spread out like no one’s business. When he told me he had stood in line at JoAnn Fabrics cutting table on Black Friday, I did as much as I could to hide a smirk. He was number 59 in line. He went on to tell me he went back the next day as each sale deal had a definite calendar date. Brett is well on his way with a king sized quilt top. Choosing a quilt block that is 24″ x 24″ and features an eight point star, I give him lots of credit. He may be loosing a few star points when he trims his quilt blocks but that is the name of the game and indicates that at some time within the sewing of that block the 1/4″ seam allowance was foregone. I encouraged him and gave him a few pointers . . . literally.

  I don’t think I have ever made a quilt top that I had wished for a bit more patience in an aspect of the piecing. That very same is what makes our quilts unique. If they had been turned out in China, Japan or Vietnam, it would have been cookie cutter turn outs. Hands on makes quilts special to make and oh so special to give.

  Dennis and I returned home and were thankful to feel the warmth of our home when we came through the back door. The wind and cold will drive through us until we toughen up a bit. Dennis turned his attention to making a spicy hamburger noodle hot dish for supper and I began hand hemming a quilt on the dining room table. Fast forward: the kitchen is beginning to smell really good as there is an addition of several slices of cheesy garlic bread baking as well as the hotdish. It’s time for me to call it a day in the hemming of the quilt and get the dining room table ready for some “good eating.”

   
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  Noreen 5:10 am on December 8, 2016 Permalink  

  I have lived in a farm home, a brick two story schoolhouse made into a home and also a two story with a full basement and a walk up attic home. This 720 square foot home with a basement and a walk up attic seems to fill the bill for what Dennis and I need. The kicker on this size of home is: when a key component needs to be moved or replaced, it starts a domino effect for multiple items. Today it was a table in one of our storage closets. Man oh man, how can one small table hold so much and what will those items now be placed on or in. Long story short: the entire basement sewing studio and adjacent storage closets got a good sifting, sorting and . . . what the heck, lets get the vacuum out while I am at it.

  Dennis was at his Korean Veterans luncheon today in Mankato so there was no one about but me and a few stray dust bunnies that were just a tad bit long in the ear.

  Dennis got home safely, there is a cake baked and frosted in the kitchen and I even got a bit of sewing done on the down side of the afternoon. It is supper time and I think a can of beans and a package of precooked brats will make a great supper . . . with a piece of cake for dessert. Great day here on Stauffer.

   
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  Noreen 5:26 am on December 7, 2016 Permalink  

  Who Needs Snow? 

  

  With quilt batting abound, I find it a great substitution for the wet cold stuff . . . that we have not had any of so far. When the batting is unleashed from its package you know the sewing studio has been busy. Via my Mom, Mountain Mist quilt batting was the one to use if you wanted a good finished project. In recent times, just as other products, I find it lacking for consistency in the loft. There may be a wad of it misplaced and another spot might have a bald spot. The Old Alley Quilt Shop sells the Quilter’s Dream Batting. it has even loft and it doesn’t take long after letting it out of the package, it settles down and is ready to use. For Cheyenne’s t-shirt quilt I am using the Dream Puff. It is the loftiest and it touts “Lighter Than a Feather Yet Warmer Than Down.” I must say when I came upstairs this afternoon, I could not believe the howling of the wind through the evergreen tree. In the sewing studio the only sound that may be heard once in a while is a heavy sigh as I am working through a challenge.  This project is beginning to take shape . . . like in a 77″ x 75″ shape.  It’s time to fix supper and Dennis has requested chicken titties and mashed potatoes.  Sounds good to me as well.

   
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  Noreen 4:35 am on December 6, 2016 Permalink  

  I Could Not Resist 

  

  Going to the metro last weekend to see Nicholas and Megan I could not resist running off a stitch project, and yes, thus the bricks I had photographed earlier were used to frame the stitchery. The last I saw, Megan was looking for a Command Strip to put the stitchery up above his kennel.  Poor Kodi. A young Labradoodle that has a lot of energy. I know it will all settle down, but in the mean time that puppy gets so many commands from so many. That is not found at any obedient classes. I had better watch it, or Kodi will be found on our doorstep.

   
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  Noreen 4:34 am on December 5, 2016 Permalink  

  I was so sure we would wake up to white this morning. Nope. Just more moisture in the form of mist and rain. Our usual Sunday morning hot cinnamon rolls sure makes the house smell great. Dennis decided to try for a nap and I headed down here to the sewing studio. It is now 4:30 and I am closing up shop. Cheyenne’s t-shirt quilt top is complete. It was a real challenge for me to come up with fabric from my closet for the back material. I completed her wishes for the top: black and light blue. The back will be more representative of the fact that a grandma put it together. Dennis helped decide on two fabrics to piece together with black being the dominant. Cheyenne will have to overlook the flowery prints.

  Taking request from family . . . I am totally in. I do need to pull from what I have when it comes to fabrics until it is either do or die, or Dennis will have to find us a job as I doubt inheriting a fabric shop is in the picture.

  It takes a minimum of eight to nine yards of fabric for a double sized quilt when you pencil in piecing around the t-shirt squares, stabilizers, borders, the backing and the binding. We gladly contribute the batting that will best serve the project. Seven children, ten grandchildren and six great grands will no doubt assist in slimming down the fabric closet. I enjoy using the fabrics that have been donated to my closet from the families of quilting friends that I have lost over the last several years. It’s a good thing.

   
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  Noreen 7:38 am on December 4, 2016 Permalink  

  It is 7:30 and Dennis and I just got home in the dark from Eden Prairie. It is unusual for us be out on the roads this late in the day. We enjoyed seeing Nicholas, who just turned nine, go through the regimen and exercises to be awarded his black belt in Tae Kwan-Do. It was a singular exercise, a partner exercise and the breaking of the boards. The ending was 30 pushups and then 50 sit-ups. Nicholas was breathing hard but the smile on his face receiving the black belt was amazing.  This was the culmination of four years of Nicholas’ determination as well as the family working through two nights a week of diligence. Going for Dairy Queens afterward wasn’t half bad either. His chocolate coated double bump cone had his total attention. Grandpa Dennis and I are so glad the winter weather held so we could attend. Driving home we did run into rain in Mankato. Great day and we are now home safe and sound.

   
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  Noreen 4:57 am on December 3, 2016 Permalink  

  So Much Available 

  

  Cheyenne’s quilt top is all all about her track, field and cross country endeavors in college. Memories. When I think of what my Mom went through to make memories for us via her sewing machine . . . I can surely imagine. The pile of unruly t-shirts could now be totally transformed into pieces of fabric that lay straight and are ready to be stitched without puckering. The varied types of stabilizers available can make the most challenging project a lot of fun. I did have one oops this afternoon. Hot irons and stabilizers need to know their boundaries. I have been working around the hole in my ironing board cover for several weeks. After today I will need to get serious about replacing it . . . or, I may just make a make-shift one out of muslin that I have. I can recall my Mom’s ironing board having such covers, layer upon layer as one after another was weakened with weekly laundry that found its way to the ironing board. There was no such thing as permanent press . . .  and didn’t Elvera and I know it.

   
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  Noreen 3:20 am on December 2, 2016 Permalink  

  Back on Track 

  

  I got a bit off track on Wednesday, but today the Russian Tea Cakes are baked and ready to be dusted with powdered sugar. I know they are messy, but to pop one for a tasty treat, FYI: it is worth it. I think they have already been sampled. Dennis had company for the best part of the day. When his daughter’s home is going to be shown by a real estate prospective, Dennis gets her Terrier until the coast is clear. As I was watching the timer for the cookies, I decided on 14″ blocks for the t-shirt quilt top. I think supper prep will go very smoothly as the cutting table has been closed down for the day.  The 16 blocks and the stabilizer for them is ready to be transformed at the ironing board for good stitching at the sewing machine. Foregoing the stabilizer on knit clothes is worse than herding cats.  Small steps and checking items off my list for the week one by one.

   
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  Noreen 2:58 am on December 1, 2016 Permalink  

  Equipped to the Hilt 

  

  Sometimes I need to throw a little weight around. Kevin used lead ingots from his Linotype when he needed to add a bit of weight to solidify a project. I have some trusty bricks to help me out. Believe me they are old and heavy, not some newer lightweight clay. Now . . . I think I am on to making some Russian Tea Cakes. When the kids were home for Thanksgiving, Megan seemed to enjoy them. They are messy with the powdered sugar, but oh so good as just a “pop in the mouth treat.”

   
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  Noreen 3:42 am on November 30, 2016 Permalink  

  Clearing the Field 

  

  I know myself well enough not to have too many things on the sewing tables that need finishing. Before I begin a t-shirt quilt top, this nine patch block set into a six inch block beckons to be finished. Once the binding is on, it will find a spot in the living room to be handy for me sitting at the dining room table for hand hemming. I know full well I can’t stay at the hemming for too long. As long as it is within my view on the main level of the home there is not a chance for “out of site, out of mind.” While this project will be waiting in the wings for me to return to, I will wander down into the sewing studio and begin the paperwork figuring out measurements for the various stages of the t-shirt quilt top. On a side bar: the air is so humid Dennis and I are both feeling it in the joints. I will take an ache of this type rather than the full body ache of shoveling snow. Ya, ya . . . I do know that will come in days ahead.