9-Patch from the Past

These are the 9-patch blocks I ran across while cleaning. They're not reproduction fabrics..they're authentic 1970's. Not for sure exactly the date they were made, but the lady who made them told me she made them "awhile back". Sounds authentic to me!

Here's the delima. Do I put them together as-is, or do I split them and maybe add a little dimension to the blocks? I was told these blocks were mine to keep and to do with them what I wanted...so I need some help. A traditional 9-patch quilt isn't something that interests me, but what exactly do I do? HELP?! The blocks are 9" blocks, so there's plenty of size to work with.

In the last Quick Quilts magazine I picked up, there is an article on doing just what I'm thinking. Splitting each 9-patch and adding a black strip down the center to make a strip thru each 9-patch block. It called "Stack a New Deck" by Karla Alexander. Looks interesting, but will it work on these "older" fabrics?

Still pondering....

Barbed Wire and boo-boos

Straight from Dictionary.com
barbed wire
n : strong wire with barbs at regular intervals used to prevent passage

Yesterday's "come and go with me" took about 4 hours. I had a day planned of re-organizing some boxes of quilty-stuff so I could get back to sewing, but OH NO...!

We happen to own property about 20 miles from our house. It's also not a place that you want to be stranded or break down. Nobody drives by on a regular basis--Boonies is a good term. It also happens to be the farm where this Okie was born. The farm raises decent bermudagrass and we bale it into big round bales to feed to cattle during the winter months. With the drought Oklahoma is experiencing, we're fortunate enough to have 200+ bales on this farm. The problem is they're 20 miles from our house. We don't have the equipment (yet) to move them home.

Dean (dh) got the bright idea to built a 2-wire barbed wire fence around the bales to detour someone from driving by and picking up one at a time. It would take some time to get the fence tore down perhaps before somebody would drive by and notice bales missing. We do have good neighbors who watch this hay pile, but there's always gotta be somebody who will think of trying to steal.

Yep....I am a walking scratch-ouch today. If there's a barb, it's gonna reach-out-and-grab me. Yes, my tetnus shot is up-to-date and yes, they're covered in Neosporin. Thank goodness for leather gloves or my fingers would be poked to death.

Back to sorting quilty stuff..I did find a pile of 23 (why an odd number) of 9-patch blocks made by my neighbor (I inherited her sewing room)that she made back in the early 1970's. Real "funky" colors if you ask me, but it'll make a cute quilt to give to the daughter that takes care of her.

If you have an extra minute, go over and visit http://nopuppydogtails.blogspot.com/ Cindy won a viewers choice award for her latest quilt. I tell ya..the girl has talent.

Perenially Crazy

I have a love for the things that are outtawack. Maybe for things that are eclectic....or things that are just different from the rest of the world. I can blame it on my Mom since she's not here to say different. I use to tell her that she dropped me too many times...

I recently fell in love with this quilt:


It's called Folk Art Flowers and is in the book Perenially Crazy from Buggy Barn Quilts. It just LOOKS like me.

Much to my surprise, this book was delivered to my home a couple days ago. A surprise b'day gift from my dear friend in Arkansas. I now know for sure what will be my next to-do quilt. The instructions look easy and I think I can even find fabrics from my stash to use.

With all the weird-ness going on here in cyber-land, it's nice to know that we do have friends who understand. Thanks Cindy....I REALLY needed this!


Thoughts from a recent (work) meeting:

• Remember that I can only control MY response.
• Try to balance the good/bad.
• Don't skip recess--take a break and enjoy your friends.
• Be a good listener.
• Some people just don't want to change--and will never believe.

Nothing but Hot

It's Hot..it's past hot...

In Lawton, Oklahoma it was 120º on the bank sign. We do believe it don't we? We have to make payments to them and believe every other number they give us, so their temperature sign must be correct also.

I heard on the national news that every one of the lower states saw above 90º temperatures this week, so I know we're not alone. Dh says there's a 70% chance it's NOT going to rain this weekend.....typical farmer. All of his hay is baled and stacked, so he's now ready for a good soaking rain. Somebody tell whoever's in charge, ok?

I'm still plugging away on the bullseye blocks. We have one gone to camp, so I'm the official "come and help me for a second" person in the evenings. Leaves very little sewing time, but I'll get there.....eventually.

Assumption: the a/c works better if you clean the screens.

Sprinkles and a Present in the Mail!

This Saturday is a relaxed day. Other than it being hotter than hot, it's another saturday of getting things caught up. Do we really wear THAT many pairs of jeans in a week?

Trying to think of something to put a spark into a plain saturday, I made a special dessert. Oreo pudding made with regular milk and a tub of french vanilla yogurt added. Layered with cool whip/cream cheese mixture. Makes for a cool dessert on a 100+ degree lunch break. A few sprinkles added on top (yes, my donut shop days are sneaking out) and they wanted to know who was coming for company?! Gee.....try to be nice...and you almost get accused of something.

Then the rural carrier came about 2pm and delivered a package all the way from Canada! She couldn' believe that I'd know someone that far away. Yes, she knows I don't get out much. Troy thought I had ordered more fabric, so he opened it up to see my prize. After he held the pink fabric up, I told him it was a a Gail-bag. He knows better than to ask. I then explained it caught threads and he nodded his head as if it made sense to him. As he installed it next to my serger, he muttered a comment about "hitting the bag so the vacuum cleaner wouldn't get stopped up",

but he wouldn't repeat what he said.

No this machine doesn't usually set on my kitchen table, but it's working better here while I'm making curtains. Gail I LOVE the bag. It'll usually set next to my Bernina and yes, I'll try to hit the bag just for Troy's sake!

Another Friday

It's hot, but I keep reminding myself that it is July. It's always hot in July and will be hot in August and September. But, I'll probably gripe about the cold too. In February will you remind me that I like July better?

I get to meet the nicest people. Yesterday I had the honor of meeting a little boy and his mother. The Mom is Harriett and it was so nice to meet somebody that has the same crafty-attitude that I do. I enjoyed learning about her family and her background. And Cullen...he reminds me so much of my middle child... He's such a doll...one that won't set still... but I couldn't get him to go home with me. A JohnDeere tractor ride wouldn't even persuade him. I'm hoping that Harriett will come to quilt guild and get to meet other quilty people in Western Oklahoma. She has lots of talent and a great smile!

I get to meet the nicest people...

July 12, 1961

About 11:45pm, 45 years ago this old gal made her way into a cold delivery room in Anadarko, Oklahoma. Born the second child to a poor share-croper farm couple, they never knew what they were in for but they knew it would be their last child born.They even stayed to see the first 39 of those years.

There's been a lot of water under the bridge during these past 45 years. A lot of roads traveled, lots of red dirt still under the fingernails and I'm sure the next 45 years will have just as many hills and valleys.

I can say that I have a lot of friends and aquaintances. Some come and go but the best always stay around. The very best has been around for 28 of the most recent birthdays and he hasn't found out how to get rid of me yet!

We'll see what he fixes for supper...... I better get the cake in the oven.

Start of a Bullseye

I started this bullseye several months ago. Not enough homespuns collected and not enough different colors. Now I have too much--typical for me. But, will probably make a keyboard border or something special to go around the edges.

Just need to take the time to sew the quarter pieces back together.

There are 56-9" squares, and with a pieced border it will make a nice wrap-up-in quilt.

It's not been a difficult project, and I seem to be doing a lot of those here lately. I saw somebody else's bullseye (sorry can't remember who) and thought I'd better get busy on mine too.

When I get back to a project where the points have to match, I may be lost!

Going to be a soft homey-style quilt and already have somebody laying claim to it.

Blogger does some weird things, sometimes doesn't it?

Sunday Afternoon Fun

I like to fish. If somebody even thinks about going, my poles are on the back of the pickup. Don't like to go alone, but if the wind is just right...we go. Sunday was a good day to go fishing. One of those last-minute thoughts, but we went and it was productive and fun.

Fish are now filets in my 'fridge waiting to be supper. Yes, it's me, Trent, Troy and Andy. We can't go fishing without Andy. He guards the tacklebox and loves to cool off in the pond.

BTW--Troy caught the biggest fish--(on the right). It's a 3lb. bass. Trent's was 2.5 and mine was almost 2.

I did get to sew this weekend, but will post that later. We had a very busy weekend!

Some People Don't Miss a Thing...

Have you ever had a friend whom you knew you were long lost sisters, but just weren't raised together? Well..there's a commenter on my blog who is like that. Cindy and I have known each other a long time..and she never misses a beat.

She saw this DWR on my table and she knew I hadn't shown it to her before. So here--


This is actually a cheater-cloth that my Mom made. I inherited 99.99% of her sewing things back in 1998 and this was in with them. It had to be before 1986 that this was made. Even though it has some age to it, it's just like brand new. I'm sure Mom meant for it to be a quilt, but I dug it out and used it to cover the table. She isn't here in person for our celebrations, but my house is still full of her memories. I haven't decided to just hem the edges or put a backing on it and do some quilting to hold them together. The strips seams are ironed opened and really need to be covered or they are going to fray eventually. It's a really bright tablecovering and really adds color to the room. ..just one of those things that is too pretty to hide in the cabinet. Thanks Mom!

Supper was a Success

Supper Menu:
Smoked Ribs
Brauts w/sauerkraut
Italian Brisket
potatoe/sausage casserole
Asian Salad
Cantelope

Desserts:
Kahlua Chocolate Cake
Cherry Dessert

There were 20 invited, and 18 showed up. There might be enough leftovers for us lunch today. I think everybody showed up starved and hadn't eaten for days!

This was a belated celebration for Trent graduating from college. When you go to a school 4 hours away from home, it's hard for everybody to go to graduation. I promised him a get together after harvest and when things slowed down...which they never will, but it turned out good.

It's FRIDAY!

I am a Snapdragon What Flower Are You?

"Mischief is your middle name, but your first is friend. You are quite the prankster that loves to make other people laugh."

OK...I admit it. I should be doing other stuff, but I'm playing catch-up. I have a big weekend planned, but saw this on Mary's site and couldn't resist. A another gal here read it and said it was very true to me!

There are 20 invited to the house for supper tonight. Will let you know tomorrow how it goes....wish me luck! AND...I even vacuumed.

My Two Favorite Cookie Recipes

Bonnie asked me what my favorite cookie recipe was. I(my family) have two.

This is a Betty Crocker recipe I cut off of the back of a flour sack maybe 15 years ago and still have it taped to the inside of my kitchen cabinet.

The Good Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter softened (three sticks)
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 large eggs
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (or use milk chocolate to your
taste)

Heat oven to 350°

1. Mix butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl.
2. Mix together, and stir in, flour, baking soda and salt.
3. Stir in chocolate chips.
4. Drop dough by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. (I use the airbake cookie sheets--and use TWO of them..one baking and one cooling.)
5. Bake 11-13 minutes or until lightly browned. (take them out when they're still very light--they'll cook for 2-3 more minutes when you remove them from the oven.)
6. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet.
7. Cool on a wire rack.

I have made these for bake sales, to take to stock shows, for office get-to-gethers and even sold them in my bakery shop. They are always good and stay soft. I finally got smart and bought a cookie dough scoop and it makes the job so much easier.

My second favorite cookie recipe is from CindyB. I'm hoping she'll post a lot of her recipes, but this one is wonderful and it'll be just fine if she re-does it! I have the print out from where she posted this in AlexAnderson's Message board on December 15, 2002. Cindy...it's a treasure to me!

Big Soft Bakery Ginger Cookies

• 2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened (not vegetable spread)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 Tablespoon water
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 Tablespoons white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.
3. In large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, then stir in molasses and water.
5. Gradually add the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.
6. Shape dough into walnut sized balls and roll in remaining 2 Tablespoons of sugar.
7. Place cookies 2 inches apart on baking sheet.
8. Bake for 12 minutes in preheated oven.
9. Cool on baking sheet for five minutes then move to wire rack.
10. Store in airtight container.

Thanks for the Welcome!

I've been reading the blogs in the Stashbuster's Ring for awhile now and hope I can eliminate some of my projects like the rest of you have been doing.

Have actually know JudyL and Vicky for quite awhile and they're both very talented ladies.

You're an ambitious bunch of quilters...keep it up because you're great encouragement!

And again, Thanks for the Welcome.

Patriotic

I typically don't decorate for the July 4th Holiday. Growing up, July meant working in the peanut fields and usually was up to my knees in mud moving irrigation pipes. That is another story...but since this is a quilty site..I'll show my July/Patriotic side.

This quilt was made a few years ago during my bakery years. I did try to do a few projects now and then, and this was one of them. This is actually my first Bernina-quilted project. I will not take a closer picture of it because it's not the best quilting. It is finished, and it will hang on my wall tho.

I saw this quilt pattern for sale in a magazine and thought it was a little too much red/white/blue for a bed-sized quilt--which is what they advertised the pattern for. After a zillion HST, it's a wall-sized banner.

This is the only thing I have for decoration for this holiday. Like younger years, we're still busy farming (but thankfully not peanuts)....so this is as decorated as I get.

I did take the quilt outside and take a picture of it laying in the grass. The colors are so much better outside than in my dark living room.

Everybody have a good and SAFE HOLIDAY!

NEW Pictures!

Sorry if you're sick of this quilt. It's been a fun project for me as I need fast & easy right now in my life!

The sunflower quilting designs are from Fons & Porter magazine--the one that you just got in the mail. The smaller design--with fewer petals is one that Gail sent me. The side borders are a tad-bit narrower, so I had to shrink the flower down. The butterfly was an afterthought, but I love the way it looks on there.
The two-color binding was also a last-minute thought. No, it's not completely sewn down, but that is just a minor thing I can do..eventually. I tried really hard not to buy anything for this..but I did not have brown thread (for the flower centers) in my thread-stash.

My camera finally came in yesterday and it's been fun to play with a new toy. It has a few too many bells and whistles, but I figure it out eventually. My other camera never would've taken this good of closeups. Now I see that I didn't get all of my paper picked out of my quilt designs! tsk,tsk....

I fell in love with this background fabric and think it's what made me decide to finally do the sunflowers. It just all worked..and that is what I love about quilting!

AND...the fact it's farm related probably doesn't hurt either!

Easy Weekend

It's Saturday. For the first time in our lives, it's a day that's not hurry-hurry. We've always had jobs where we've had to be somewhere at the crack of dawn and now we don't. It's nice. Nice setting at my own kitchen table drinking some fresh brewed coffee and contemplating the rest of the day. So, this is how the rest of the world lives?

After coffee I remembered that the farmers market was going to be open today. DH thought he'd come along so he could run a few errands too. After three stops for him and my stop at walmart for brown thread (CindyB offered to fax me some but we haven't figured out how to make that technology work), we made it back home just in time for lunch.

Fresh cucumbers, yellow squash and horrible-tasting cantelope were at the market. I can eat my weight in cantelope...but not this one. The cottontail rabbits outside will get to nibble on it.

So, the day was spent with me behind my Bernina and DH and Troy in the shop working on a spray-rig to spray chemicals on weeds. The sunflower is almost finished and just needs binding. I'm thrilled. When my new digital camera comes in the mail (hopefully Monday) I'll take some pictures. It turned out better than I ever though it would.

Since I can't show you pictures of the finished-only-needs-binding sunflower, I'll show you a picture of another quilt I made awhile back. Cindy told me she was working on a quilt with polyester in it and thought I'd show this one. The back and the front solid squares are poly. It wasn't difficult to sew, but it sure brought back some memories of sewing with my Mom back in the early '70's. Do you remember those double-knit pants...yuck. I even offered to send Cindy a bunch of poly so she might make a few more poly quilts...she gave me a polite "no thank you". Some friend she is...

TCM is having a weekend of Betty Davis. After listening to her biography while I'm sewing, all I can hear is Karen Carnes' song in my head!

Hope everybody has a good weekend.

Sunflower Summer

Since today is the first day of Summer, this is the perfect day to show some sunflowers!

These are the first pictures of the finished top. It's pinned to the backing and as of this afternoon, I have the blue part of the quilt stippled.
These pictures aren't the best--the fabrics are very bright primary colors, but with a borrowed camera and under florescent lights I can at least show what I did with the sunflowers.
I can also say that this quilt was entirely made from fabric from stash....if I made 20 of these in all different fabrics, I'd STILL have stash....*sigh*
The ladybugs were DH's idea. I was going to do butterflys, but he thought the red bugs would add some more color. Yes...I need all the help I can get and they're good at giving it!
I'm also tempted to do a 3-D butterfly...one that the wings are free, but this is for a 4-yr old little girl. Do I dare?


This is the backing fabric...I think it is what inspired the front.

First day of summer. If this is only a preview..it's going to be a long hot, humid summer!

Cool June Saturday

Whenever it rains in June, you count your blessings. All of the wheat-ground has been worked (or scratched as DH said) so the almost 3" of rain soaked right in. You can almost hear the earth saying "ahhhhhhhh, thanks for the drink".

Woke up this morning to the worse headache I've had in months. In a previous life I had them so bad I'd see cross-eyed. This was almost to that extreme. After a breakfast of waffles, sausage and an extra boy at the kitchen table, I relaxed with several cups of coffee, a nap, and a long hot shower..... headache is finally gone.

So....it's now Bernina time! Going to try to get the sashings put on this sunflower creation I've started. Since I'm digital camera-less, I'll show a picture of the first block made. They are large blocks (about 17"--and yes that's an odd size, but it's what the fabric was already cut into), but I think it'll be a cute quilt. This is a gift going to Holcomb, Kansas to a sweet little girl. The sister claimed the first sunflower pillow I made, and she informed me that she'd like one too. So, to be different I'm making this sister a blankie.

Since I'm in a posting-picture mood. Here's a picture of the first sunflower project. This was paperpieced and something I hadn't done in awhile. Good old Bernie learned some new cuss words while I did this one. IF CindyB didn't live so far away, she'd help me with my PP. She likes to do it....I'm still practicing. I'll stick to piecing and machine applique till she and I move closer together! I actually had plans on making several of these PP sunflower blocks and making a bigger project. Wasn't going to happen. After I mailed this present, I even had to go visit the recipient and had to see it again! Remind me to ship things FAR away that I don't want to see again?!

Red Bandana sashings and a colorful background and I think the appliqued sunflower quilt will be loved. Can't wait to see it finished! Sooooo...back to Bernie.

Thursday Musings

Just another day at the office until I get about half-way home. Cell phone (don't you love these modern conveniences) rings and Short-person on the other end starts with "MOM?!....can you stop and pick up some things?" This isn't typical of him, so I'm thinking MAJOR-IMPORTANT things, right? His list starts with the essentials: milk, bread, mt. dew...and oh yeah....some triple A batteries. Now, this kid has been spending a lot of hours driving a tractor back and forth the past two weeks and I can't think of why in the world he needs triple A batteries....but his dear old mother bought some. He later informed me that the tractor radio won't pick up anything "decent".

Cell phones? I have a love-hate relationship with the major companies. Four cell phones, two phone land-lines, internet service, satellite television--all different plans. No, when you live in the boonies you cannot get every modern convenience. Do you remember the ad "reach out and touch somebody"....believe it was one of the phone companies. Now I have the "reach out and cut the line so we can have some privacy"attitude! I know I know...but it's amazing what we spend to "keep in touch" with the world. Actually cell phones have probably kept us more in-touch with our kids than we ever did with our own parents. What is the world going to be like if/when we ever have grandchildren?

So....back to my sewing machine. I'm actually dusting fabric off (remember we just finished wheat harvest and there still dust in the air!) and sewing some seams. Four large sunflower blocks machine appliqued and maybe even have the sashing on them tonight. IF somebody doesn't come in and want supper --sure smells good.

Oh..some good news. Received a phone call (about noon) from oldest Son, Travis. He and Priscila were in the Houston Airport and were buying a cup of coffee waiting to board a plane for Mazatlan, Mexico. That is the city where she is from and they are going down to visit for a few days. Wish they would've bought Me a plane ticket.... They'll have fun, can't wait to see the pictures.

NOW..back to the Bernina.