Me, Myself and Memories

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  Noreen 2:56 am on August 25, 2015 Permalink  

  Great Sleeping Weather 

  The windows on three sides of our home stayed open all night long.  It could not have been more conducive to good sleeping if we had been up north in a cabin off of Lake Superior.  Who knew Stauffer Avenue had so much going for it?  These temps and low dew points may not last, but I will take this reprieve right up to November.

  Monday mornings seem to trip the housework mode entirely on its own.  Sorting laundry, loading a clean Swiffer and using a spray of Windex here and there, I was in the zone.  Dennis felt the compelling morning energy by going on a shopping trip for new tires for his little red Ford pickup.  We bought the 2005 used pickup in the summer of 2008.  Dennis felt we had really gotten good mileage out of the tires that were on the pickup at that time.  Shopping locally Dennis was very happy with the quote for tires, balancing, alignment and wiring needed for pulling a trailer for the price of $700.00 plus tax.  He received a heartfelt “Thank you for buying from us” from the owner’s young son.  Sweet.

  I had asked Dennis to bring home milk and an onion for the evening meal fixings.  You got it!  Dennis scored cucumbers on Saturday and we were short an onion for creamed cucumbers to go with his left-over hot dish that he had fixed for last night’s supper.  I did get a call from Dennis as he was hefting different onions in the store.  It was a choice of yellow, white or red.  He came home with a white onion as the the yellow ones were showing their age and he passed on having chopped red onions in his cucumber dish.  As tomorrow is the farmers market here in town, he knew he could pick up some really choice onions there.

  I hop around from task to task as it keeps me from overdoing those areas of the body that have arthritis ready to make its presence known.  I was pleased to have gone through the refrigerator to take a check of what needed to be sorted.  The front of the shelves are for those items that need to be used in the next several days; condiments that don’t need to be kept as cool go to the shelves in the door.  They do tend to wander at will throughout the refrigerator.  Room was made for the creamed cucumbers and I headed for my sewing area.

  

  Continual sewing of two patches at a time for later pressing really takes less thread and no mess of ends of thread being clipped off after each block has been run through the machine.

  I may sit at the sewing machine for no more than an hour and then head over to the ironing board and continue swapping back and forth.  It is so much easier on the back rather than having a portion of it seizing up.  The scrappy quilt will need time at both the machine and the ironing board.  This is not a project to finish in short order.  My Mom taught me years ago to do the chain sewing when multiple pieces of the same size are in a quilt.  It takes so much less thread and the time saved of clipping the tread on either end of the sewn item really counts up.  Now if only they would take themselves over to the ironing board – that would be the neatest thing since sliced bread.

  I did get the paper and pencil out to see just what would be required for a queen sized quilt from my scrappy squares.  I do believe I have enough of the 2.5 inch squares that will result in the 4.25 inch center each 6.5 inch finished quilt block.

  It’s time to enjoy more of this great day and take a stroll out to the gardens and I know Butter Ball will be right beside me the entire time.  We may even find a stray weed or two to pull.  We have supper preparation totally in the bag so I can’t think of anything better than some patio time.

   
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  Noreen 4:18 am on August 21, 2015 Permalink  

  Preparation 101 

  

  The stack of fabric to the top of the photo is what’s ready for consideration into the next scrappy quilt. My friend, Doreen, said she was in favor of lighter colors for this project. It is time to sort and head in that pastel direction.  Kevin has offered to use his huge cutter in his print shop to help cut multiple pieces.  In a perfect world, my scraps would all be the same size rather than a bit of this and a bit of that.

   

  

  Here is the same stack of fabric, but now cut in 2.5″ squares for the centers of the quilt blocks. I did not have the heart, nor the arm strength, to begin cutting the sashing that will go around the center of each block. That will be for another day. Preparation 101 has shut off the lights and closed down the shop .

   
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  Noreen 5:37 am on August 20, 2015 Permalink  

  Modern Marvels 

  There are more modern marvels that I have seen in my lifetime that I could possibly list.  I do know that at a time when I was in grade school attending Renville County Rural District #34, life was quite simplistic.  Television was found in some homes, but not as yet in ours.  The radio was our entertainment after the supper livestock chores were done.  The round Oak table was the center for homework and handwork.  There was little need for the lights to be on in our home beyond the kitchen until bedtime.

  My Mom was a great teacher in assisting whoever needed help with homework that involved English, spelling and history. My Dad was the go-to person for arithmetic.  Mom would be helping Calvin with homework, and with her other eye, she would be critiquing my stitches as I would work on a stamped dishtowel.  Embroidery work was like a national pastime.  The patterns that could be stamped were usually good for a maximum of two times using a hot iron.  After that, we relied on the little piece of carbon paper that was attached to the milk hauler’s receipt of the daily pickup of milk from Dad’s dairy herd.  The patterns for embroidery were traced very carefully using the carbon paper on the dish towels that had been feed sacks that were taken apart, hemmed and then bleached to a bright white.  The carbon pieces after use, were secured in a used envelope that had held a pattern from the Farm Journal Magazine.   The carbon paper was truly a modern marvel.

  

  The gift of carbon paper from a musty old courthouse
  vault that keeps on giving.

  At a time in the recent past while being employed at the Watonwan County Courthouse, it was not uncommon for offices to clean out the old vaults to make room for the mounting amount of records.  Joy Sing walked over from the County Recorder’s office one day and asked if I would have a use for some old carbon paper.  All of the individual records were using no carbon required (NCR), carbonless paper.  As I had always remained entrenched in quilting and embroidery, I thought I had won the lottery.

  As late as today, I gingerly took out the box of  carbon paper and peeled off a single sheet to use in a quilt project.  I doubt that very many of the 100 sheets are missing from the box.  I finished tracing my pattern and . . . no, I did not throw away the carbon sheet.  I placed it back into the box.  It’s very doubtful I will ever use the last sheet in this box.  It does speak to the fact that I so treasure having the supplies to enjoy my sewing, crafting and quilting, I can’t bring myself to be wasteful.  I can remember when resources were hard to come by and dreams of working on a project had to go by the wayside for the lack thereof.

  Remembering and having memories of tougher times, has brought me to taking advantage when there has been a chance to add to my sewing and crafting stashes with little or no expenditure of resources . . . or Kevin and Kersten know just where to put a few treasures that they have come across.  I sometimes admit to Dennis that I feel like a hoarder.  Dennis very quickly talks me down when he reminds me of how many people have received gifts of blankets and quilts and other handmade treasures from Stauffer Avenue, or even that I have shared what I have with someone that may not have the means.  Sharing with the wanna-be who may not have an awareness of what is needed, or how to get started on their own, may begin a lifetime of enjoyment for them.

  There are many numerous modern marvels that I have witnessed in my seventy one years, but it takes a lot to beat carbon paper.

   
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  Noreen 4:02 am on August 17, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Dennis ( 40 ), Lorraine ( 6 ), quilting   

  Settling In 

  The older ones on Stauffer Avenue have had a whirlwind of items on the calendar.  After each appointment or event, it pleases us to check it off and say, “Well done.”

  Last night the telephone rang.  Not even looking at the caller I.D., I had an inkling who it might be.  My Aunt Lorraine from Arizona does call on a Saturday evening about the 9 p.m. time.  Our visit last night lasted for a full hour.  Lorraine is 84 and lives with her daughter after my uncle passed away.  Lorraine is a retired teacher from the Jackson, Minnesota, area, who taught children in need of speech therapy.  Our bond is family ties as well as the love of fabric and quilting.  Each year as Lorraine visits her remaining three children in Minnesota, Dennis and I are always graced with a day’s visit from her.  I feel very honored.

  Through family connections, Lorraine has found a friend.  Dick is a widower, about the same age as Lorraine.  Lorraine and Dick enjoy going out for coffee and he enjoys taking her to various quilting shops to the degree that he is trying his hand at a project or two using her tools and sewing machine.  A teacher and her student.  It makes me smile.  Lorraine’s son is a young widower and works in Hastings at a large printing company.  Mark is on his feet for the entire work shift, and while Lorraine was visiting him this passed summer, Mark took her to several quilt shops in his area.  As it turns out, his wife had been a quilter and he has a good sewing machine.  Lorraine was happy to report that Mark has finished his first queen-sized quilt.  Working with multi-colored layouts has given him an eye for color combinations. Being on his feet all day, the relaxation sets in as he whiles away home time sitting at the sewing machine being creative in his own right.  Lorraine has managed to encourage two special fellows in her life to share her passion.  Now there is a subtle, persuasive personality.

  

  This scrappy quilt will be using more of what has been left over from previous projects. It will lend itself to more of the pastel colors, as Dennis’ quilt had the darker hues.

  I have appreciated Dennis’ help in the sewing room, helping me to herd large quilts under the sewing machine needle as I put bindings on.  This summer he tackled using a quilting tack gun to hold layers of the quilt together.  Who knows?  Perhaps Dennis will find himself being pulled into the world of lint, fuzz and threads.  Not!

  The calendar is clear for some time of appointments and events and I am ready to settle in and begin on my next scrappy quilt projects.  I will be able to use many lengths of scraps that are two and a half inches in width, quite a bit larger than the ones used for Dennis’ scrappy quilt.

  Balance in my day is what brings joy to my life.  Checking out the flower gardens every day on a walk with Butter Ball comes first with a cup of coffee.  As I type, we are in for some rain that will be coming out of the very dark clouds, insuring the gardens won’t need to be watered.  I have an idea the sewing machine will be humming tomorrow.

   
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  Noreen 2:15 am on July 28, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Carrie ( 12 ), Dad ( 5 ), Kevin ( 8 ), Mom ( 5 ), quilt   

  Due Diligence 

  Seeing projects through to their ends is, indeed, due diligence.  Off and on during the heat of the summer, I have been working on my scrappy quilt project.  Quilt projects are always a challenge when working with fabric and threads.  Having the vision of the final hurdle needs patience until the due diligence has been done.

  

  I did not need to use the little silver tool to thread the finer sewing needles until I reached my 70th birthday. I never fully appreciated how much easier life could be with these little freebies.

  This week, the hemming of the scrappy quilt is that last hurdle.  Hand hemming is still the most desirable option.  High loft batting, fluffy flannel, scrappy quilt top and the binding makes too many layers under the Model 1802 Sears sewing machine for a quality looking hurdle.  My Mom preferred the blind stitch for hemming.  Double quilt thread in a very sharp needle fills the bill.  Think about it: you are in the bed and tug the quilt up tight to your chin, the hem edge often times feels that tight tug.  The double threaded needle of tough quilt thread sure can’t hurt to keep the binding in place. As it is the blind stitch, I am able to use the white quilt thread I had on hand as it wouldn’t be visible.

  I don’t mind the time it takes for hand hemming.  A project such a this deserves that quality of time.  One of my Dad’s favorite sayings: “You don’t have time to do it right, but you always have time to do it over.”  Wow, what pops into my mind immediately after typing that line is the amount of farrowing crates the kids’ dad built, each time thinking the latest was the greatest.  Both Kevin and I do not mind taking the time in doing projects right the first time.  I can’t speak for Carrie, as her hubby Jeremy drives that engine.  I like due diligence.

  Regardless of how warm and humid it is outside, driving me into the sewing room to begin with, I don’t like sitting at the sewing table for long periods of time.  A tender back makes for moving often.  There is junk mail to check out, putting a new blurb onto my blog, or checking the refrigerator for what is available for suppertime fixings.  Time frames are workable when those of Stauffer Avenue are retired.  Checking the weather forecast, I think Wednesday will be a day for outside work: a lower dew point and temps in the low eighties.

   
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  Noreen 4:08 am on July 17, 2015 Permalink  

  I Do Have a Wish List 

  Who doesn’t have a wish list?  Mine is quite simple.  It involves  2″x 4″ and 1″ x 4″ lumber lengths.  It is called a wish list as it cannot come into fruition here on Stauffer Avenue. . . for lack of square footage.  Perhaps if we would ever move to a different location, I would be whipping out a tape measure to size up a room suitable for a quilt frame.   Dad made Mom the quilt frame that served her oh so well for as long as she could do full-size quilts.   A king sized quilt is 92″ x 102″ and this gives an idea as to what was needed for the frame.   The 2″ x 4s” were used for the longest length and they had holes drilled into them about every 5″ on the width side of the board.  The 1″ x 4s” were for the narrowest length of the quilt and also had holes drilled into them every 5″ into each end. Dad had made four wooden stands that were about waist high. The four boards were made into a rectangle held up by the stands and what held the frame together were long bolts that slid into the holes.

  The backing of the quilt, with the wrong side of the fabric facing up, was the first item held in place with thumbtacks on all four sides of the frame.  You can bet the frame was adjusted to ensure that there would be no slack or puckering.  You have heard of military beds checked so a tossed quarter would bounce off of the taut blankets . . . so was the quilt backing checked on Lena’s projects.  Much time was spent making sure the batting and the pieced quilt top was placed with as much care as possible.  A sprawling area for a quilting project was not to be had for Mom, but the quilt frame loaded with the goodies was set right over the dining room table. Dining room chairs were a good height to sit on while at the frame. Then began the many hours of intense handwork.  As the stitching went across the width of the quilt, there was no need to reach very far into the quilt, as a few thumbtacks were removed, the bolts came out of the holes and a 1″ x 4″ was rolled and the completed stitched area was out of the way, making for a new area to work.  The process of rolling and having the bolts to secure the adjusted size allowed for very little stress in the shoulders of reaching too far to be comfortable.

  I don’t have a quilt frame, but I do have two church tables sitting together, allowing for a flat area of 60″ x 90″.  I go through the same process of layering, using painter’s tape to secure a taut backing.  The batting and pieced top are put into place and thumbtacked down.  At one time it bothered me that I was putting tacks into the surface of these tables, but I had bought them to use.  In times past, I needed to secure all layers with safety pins . . . many, many safety pins of various sizes.   Not being able to reach under the quilt to tie or hand sew it, I wanted the three layers to be held in place as taut as possible.  Bending over the tables and pushing the safety pins in and then closing each one was difficult on the back as well as my less than straight fingers.

  

  The bag of pins is retired and the basting gun has
  really saved on the fingers and hands.

  I can say with huge relief that the bag of pins was retired when I discovered the basting gun.  Much like labels that are attached to garments when we purchase them, these basting pins are much shorter to allow for a tighter pinch in holding the quilting layers together.  Yes,  there is still a lot of bending over the tables, but the fingers get a much needed break.  This afternoon Dennis took a shift will the basting gun and he agreed, this is much easier and quicker than using pins.  This quilt has a high loft batting and will be tied with embroidery floss. The recommendation is for the knots to be placed four inches apart.  As I slide my hand beneath the quilt to guide the needle carrying the floss, there will be no chance of fabric shifting.

  

  This plastic grid is slid along under the quilt layers to
  allow the basting gun to apply the tacks.

  This quilt is queen size and there is a secret in getting it tied: you don’t think about how many knots it will take to get the job done.  I don’t have a time frame and no doubt there will be breaks to help Dennis with the yard work, keep the house tidy, take care of laundry and keep the Curry Cafe going with meals.

  Quilting is either something you enjoy investing energy and time in, or . . . you shop for blankets and curse when you cut one of those nylon basting tacks and one end of it disappears and you find it later when the sharp end creeps out and pokes you.

  In life, please remember to give and have no remembrance of it, or take and remember it always.

   
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  Noreen 3:52 am on July 11, 2015 Permalink  

  Fleeting Thoughts: 

  Dennis came down to the sewing room this afternoon to take a “look see.”  The quilt top is getting down to the very last border around the perimeter.  I have some black leftovers to trim it out.  I will need 340″ in total length for the four sides.  Tomorrow, I will be brave and take a look at how much black there is . . . enough for a 3″ wide x 340″ length, would be ideal.  No good will come about in a quilt project unless you do the math before you cut.

   
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  Noreen 4:33 am on July 10, 2015 Permalink  

  Up For a Challenge 

  In the heat and humidity of summer days, I always have a backup plan, and that would be my basement sewing room.  The dehumidifier keeps the air drier than in days of old when the basement floors would actually sweat.  I don’t spend hour upon hour at sewing, as the back needs a break every hour on the hour.  That gives me a chance to check out what Dennis is up to in the porch or to take a stroll into the gardens to see if the mosquitoes have been intimidated by the heat and humidity.

  This summer I have issued myself a challenge that involves my sewing: no new fabric is to be cut into for a quilt top, until I have my leftover scraps used up.  Let’s see . . . I have been making blankets and quilts since Carrie and Kevin have been small, and I don’t believe in throwing too much of anything away.  I think I could have safely estimated the amount of leftover scraps by the pound.  The first thing in the challenge was to sort through according to size more so than color.  A scrappy quilt knows no specific color pallet.  I decided to do the least desirable stash of leftovers first.  I ended up with a huge brown paper bag of fabric scraps ranging in 1″ wide to 2.5″ wide.  The Internet was a valuable tool to find the patterns that would serve me and my stash.

  The pattern I chose was called a string quilt and that was all the motivation I needed.  Years past I had made Dennis’ granddaughter Sadie a quilt using her t-shirts from three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  That allowed me quite a bit of black scraps to pull this all together.  As I have said . . . I don’t throw much of anything away.

  This afternoon a break was needed when I had the total of 56 nine inch blocks sewn together.  What remains is a decision on what type of border I will add with an additional group of leftovers.  Sewing of this type of pattern takes a lot of thread.  Lucky me,  I had a shoe box full of an assortment of colors of thread that I had purchased in an antique shop in Nebraska several years ago.  This shop bought out estates, and though the thread didn’t qualify as antiques, anybody who happened to walk into the front door of their shop and had money to spend was bound to find something to pique their interests.

  

  It was enjoyable pulling one scrap at a time out of the brown paper bag next to the sewing machine. I could relate when each of the patterned fabric had been used in times past.

  I am by no means close to having a finished product.  The quilt top will be of a queen size and as of now it is 70″ x 80″ and the border will bring it up to snuff.  My intent is that Dennis will have this quilt when the cold winter of 2015 hits. Dennis equates bulk and weight with warmth and that will take batting that does not work up well with long arm sewing machines.  In making a decision for the back of this scrappy quilt, I am thinking of purchasing flannel.  Real 100% cotton flannel shrinks more than one would think.  By the time it is washed and dried, it will work perfectly.  The extra wide fabric marketed for the back of quilts is 108 inches wide and eliminates seaming the 44″ wide that is the usual on the bolts of fabric.  In time to come, I will be sitting in the basement with the quilt spread over the top of my two church tables making a lot of knots with embroidery floss.  It’s not about the time a project takes, it’s about the challenge.  The remaining stash of leftovers has been tucked away until the time is right.  I don’t want to be led astray with my mind being caught up in what might be regarding a project yet to be.

   
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  Noreen 5:16 am on June 29, 2015 Permalink
  Tags: Carrie ( 12 ), Farm wife, Mother-in-law Esther, Old Alley Quilt Shop, Overall Sam, Sun Bonnet Sue   

  What’s a Person to Do? 

  When the garden work is done and the grass doesn’t need mowing, there has to be a respite.  We enjoyed a day away from home yesterday and today I felt like pulling in for some quiet stitching.  I have often said I do not want to leave unfinished sewing projects and go on with new.  It is very difficult to recapture the same enthusiasm as when a project was first started.

  I can recall 1967 when my horizons were small and centered on being a farm wife and a mother of a toddler.  Mother-in-law Esther piqued my creative nature with crochet thread, embroidery and tube painting.  I was able to invest in some of my own paints and Esther would allow me to use additional colors from her collection.  When I saw the Sun Bonnet Sue and Overall Sam unfinished quilt blocks, I knew there would be a few cases of eggs that would jingle my fun money cup.

  

  Sun Bonnet Sue, circa 1960s, as one of the hottest
  patterns to hit the Farm Journal, lady page.

  At that time, I would wait until Carrie was napping, or after her bedtime and the paints would come out of the storage.  I may not have had a lot of time in one block, but soon I could see some progress to Sun Bonnet Sue.  Though the twelve blocks were painted, the resources it would take to piece it into a quilt top had to be put on hold.  Never forgotten, but stored mindfully.

  In 2014, I began checking all my stashes to make sure the forgotten were given a new lease on life.  Out came Sun Bonnet Sue to be made into a quilt top and she took an early spring trip to the Old Alley Quilt Shop to be finished as a “for real “quilt.  At the time when I dropped off the project, I made another appointment with Sharon for an additional project to be quilted on her long arm.  I beat feet it home and the Overall Sam quilt blocks got to see the light of day.  One problem: all of the paint tubes had dried tips and it was a no go for the state they were in.  I got online and finding that the Tri-Chem company still was in operation, I ordered new tips. When the package arrived I organized my sewing room to allow for a painting area.  There were no nap times to work my schedule around.  I painted at will and still had time for gardening and keeping the home on track.  Dennis never lacked for clean clothes or missing a meal.

  

  It warms the cockles of my heart to see Overall Sam ready
  for adorning any bed that is worth a night of rest.

  When my appointment at Old Alley came about in January of 2015, Overall Sam and I were ready.  I must admit, I had noticed that my painting hand was not as steady as it had been in 1967.  Life is what it is, and I enjoyed being able to complete this long lost project.

  As of this afternoon, Overall Sam is finished from head to hem.  This is what I do, when time allows and the humid temps keep me indoors.  Right now there are no plans as to where Sun Bonnet Sue and Overall Sam will find their final home.  For now, I can enjoy them and appreciate a hobby that at one time was the center of my free time.  Mother-in-law Esther and I had quite the time sharing projects and even treks to purchase additional colors of paint.  Oh, for the sweet memories.  It is fair to think that everyone has such sweet memories, isn’t it?

   
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  Noreen 4:41 am on February 24, 2015 Permalink  

  Good Feelings 

  

  A time back I was puzzling on what to do with four dinner napkins I had purchased many years ago. The graph paper came out and now there are four dinner napkins tricked out for use in bread baskets or as napkins. Surprisingly, I only used two skeins of floss from my stash. All four carry the same message, but I will admit there are variations on each of the four by a stitch or two that was missed or misplaced. Those tell-tale differences prove they were not mass produced in China. Counted Cross Stitch can while away the hours and take one’s mind into a mood on concentration of counting, thus not being open to more serious thoughts or even some physical discomfort. That’s a good thing.  An extra plus, it is a very quiet hobby . . . hush, Dennis is napping.