South Padre Island

 Aggh.. it has been a long time since I posted anything, yet again. Sorry!

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I started work at an aerospace company in 1985, right before I graduated from USC (Master of Liberal Arts) and worked there for nearly 10 years, until the programming department was outsourced. I worked for the company that got the outsource contract for another 27 years, supporting the same customer. I finally had the chance to become 'A Real Girl' when the customer decided to employ me directly! I switched jobs on my birthday this last year and one of the things that came with the job was 50 hours of vacation. Now at this company you have to use your vacation before the end of the year - if you have time left at the end of the year, you can only save up to 40 hours and those have to be used by March of the next year. So what to do with my 50 hours?

We decided to investigate the southwest part of Texas (we have explored the northeast, the southeast and central so far). Plane flight to Austin the day after Thanksgiving and then we started our exploring. One of the things that was highest on our list was visiting Starbase in the very tippy bottom of the state.  We made it down there just before sunset and decided we liked the area a lot. 

One of the Starships

Sunset at Starbase

South Padre Island is near  to Starbase as the crow flies, but to get to it from Starbase means a 35 mile journey. We were looking for someplace to spend the night and decided we wanted to be near the water. We found a hotel with beach access and headed there.

View from our room on the fourth floor - you can just make out the water. The guy at the front desk said they USED to have full beach view, until the building in the back was put up.

Walkway to the beach

 Port Isabel Lighthouse

 From Port Isabel, you take the Queen Isabella Bridge. You can just make out Starbase (it was foggy a lot!)

We liked it so much that we spent most of the rest of our vacation days on South Padre, though we did take jaunts out to the surrounding area. It was fairly hot compared to the beach! We liked Los Fresnos and Harlingen. We explored Brownsville and Edinburg, but they are a bit noisy!

There was an amusement area. Tucked into a corner was this amazing sandcastle display.

I spent some time sewing up the Winding Ways blocks from my Go bag. I actually finished all 9 of the blocks and sewed them into a top. (It's going to be a table mat)

We went down to the beach every day, sometimes more than once a day.

View of the Gulf of Mexico.

Collected lots of sea shells.

I can identify most of them - there are several cockle shells, several oysters (the outsides of several look like they are rocks, but turn them over and you see they are really oysters), a partial mussel shell, a partial whelk shell, a baby's ear, a blue-edged scallop, a sundial, a clam shell, a lettered olive, a bonnet shell - could be a white scotch bonnet which the identification pages say is pretty rare, and a half-naked pen shell. 

There is a wee orangish cockle shell on the bottom right that has a hole - evidently Moon snails like to latch onto other mollusks and liquify the owner for their dinner.  

My favorite is the lettered olive - it has such an interesting surface - very polished and smooth. The pen shell is the most delicate - it traveled home inside the large oyster shell at the top. 

I need to find a way to display them. Probably need to get a shadow box.

And we made it back to Starbase before we left. Amazingly we got there just as the road was closing for the movement of the launch vehicle - the rocket part that will lift the Starship into space, back to its hanger. The guard was so excited!  We pulled over on a side road and got out just as it was passing by. It's HUGE!

Video of the launch vehicle being moved - not sure if this will work in the published version of this post - I can't get it to run in the preview. We shall see!

We went back up to Austin the day before our flight home so we would be 'in the area' and not have to rush to the airport. (We learned that lesson when we went to central Texas a few years ago..it was quite the wild ride and we were so frazzled when we got on the plane) We took a drive north of Austin to see more of the Hill Country. Since it was Fall, there were lots of gorgeous trees.

We want to go back to South Padre!

Trip to Washington

We drove up to Washington in May, to see our son, his wife and our new grandson.

We went via a different route up this time, so it would not seem totally like 'Groundhog Day'.

One of the side trips we went on was to Lassen Volcanic Park. It was too early for the park to be open since there was still a large amount of snow. But we got to see the first lake. 

It was pretty cold and rainy! We decided we really needed to get new windshield wipers, so we stopped at the nearest WalMart. And were we ever glad we did - most of the next couple of days it was either raining or spitting. We drove under a rainbow!

We saw lots of cool scenery.

and we finally got to meet the little man!

Son and his family live in a house with this view out their front window:

Isn't that the most gorgeous view? I adore the lilac bush...and the color combination is so pleasant.

Heading back home we saw some more interesting scenery - the apple trees and pear trees were in bloom

Did not find what kind of trees these were but loved the stand:

There were vineyards

and mountains

When the kids were little we went on a trip up to Washington and one of the amazing sights we saw were these colorful trucks by the side of the road. I always wanted to get a picture of that sight, but when we came back from that trip, it was dark out. I kind of remembered where it was - Black Butte, but wasn't really sure. When we saw the sign for Black Butte I got my camera ready and lo and behold...there they were! This was my chance to get my shot, and I think it turned out great!

From the internet, these are water tanker trucks for fire fighting that go all over the West. The guy delights in painting each new truck a different color.

Winding Ways Blocks

One of the things I picked up at Retreat was a project bag with several hand pieced winding ways blocks, already cut out pieces for several more blocks and the templates. I am having a blast sewing them up.

I made up kits of enough pieces to make a block. They are in my Go bag.

I had to cut a few more fabrics to make full block sets. Had a few left over. They were sitting on my ironing table. So I played with them. And sewed them up into this:

What is it, you say? I don't know! It could be on the label when I am done,

Bloomin' Bowl

Bloomin' Bowl

The working title of the bowl of fruit and flowers... not sure if that is it's final name, but I like this one better than the others.

The applique is done. I have some embroidery to do and some more accents with Inktense pencils.

Then I have to think about how to quilt it. Its not a huge wall hanging, so it likely will be done by hand.

This is been a long project!

20th Anniversary, Valley of the Sun Retreat

This was the 20th anniversary of the Arizona Valley of the Sun Retreat!

G drove me to Arizona so I could take Mama's Bernina - a 930 Record. I learned how to change the bobbin, how to thread the machine and sewed a lot. By time the Retreat ended, I was good friends with Nina.

It was held in a different hotel this year - last year was also not in the normal quilting retreat location. The old retreat location has been closed and even Google Maps does not indicate there is even a hotel at its old address. No one can tell us if its being renovated or if its going to be torn down. It was a perfect spot for us though!!

This hotel, the retreat room is much smaller. So we had two rooms, one for the sewing machines and one for the cutting mats and ironing boards.

Back to Blogging

Its been a long time since I posted anything. 

It was a long, painful slog thru Mama and Daddy's estate but its mostly finished now.

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I just had one of those 'when you are looking for something else and find something that you knew you had and have been looking for for a lonnnngggg time' events just a few minutes ago...

I was looking for a gift box for a present. Did not find the right size box. But I did find my collection of Invisfil bobbins and threads that I have been looking for for over a year! One of my sewing buddies and I bought two each of the 6 spool collections (they were pretty pricey even when we bought them a number of years ago.) Two boxes are pastels, two boxes are jewel tones. She took all of them and ran bobbins off each one...so each of us have half a spool of the ones we bought and a bobbin of the ones we didn't. Cannot believe where they were...how does that happen?!! Had my Sewline glue pen and my Bohin fabric pencils in there too. I must have been doing some applique project and put all the tools in the bag, then stuffed the bag in my gift bag storage. What possessed me to put it there, we will never know.

Cannot tell you how many times I went thru all my project bags and all the nooks and crannies in my sewing room, looking for them.

In Memorium

My Daddy passed away yesterday...my Mama is not expected to last more than another day. Theirs was a long and happy marriage - they married in 1952.  Unfortunately, COVID paid a visit to their house and they could not fight it off. 

Sis came down with symptoms first, got a COVID rapid response test and it lit up almost immediately. Sis was Mama and Daddy's primary caretaker. When COVID hit, she restricted the number of folks coming in to the house, but unfortunately, something got thru her gauntlet and infected first her, then my parents. Since both parents were on hospice care, there were a bunch of medical folks that came to assess and help with their care. They also had a caretaker come in for a few hours so if Sis had to do something out of the house, she scheduled it during that time. Sis did not actually go anywhere around any people since March when the first quarantine hit - mostly she drove her car for a few miles to keep the battery charged. What was the source of infection? We will probably never know. Not one of the medical staff seemed ill nor was reported to be later out with COVID.

Sis was still trying to care for my parents with a serious case of COVID - she had a bad headache, fever, body aches and stabbing sensations...and almost passed out every time she had to get up to care for either of them. The final straw was when the caretaker got COVID, leaving Sis to mange by herself. Her daughter came to help and we hope she does not come down with COVID. I would have tried to help out but I have back issues that would not let me shift either parent, I am immunocompromised and in the age range where bad COVID stuff is harder to fight off.

Their passing is not unexpected - they were over 90 and in poor enough health to be on hospice. It's just sad that this virus did them in. 

I owe a lot to my parents, not just for giving me life and a happy childhood, but for many other things, tangible and intangible. They gave me the best sister.

My Daddy made me many tools for my sewing room. Mama gave me the love of sewing and designing. They always encouraged my sewing endeavors and were genuinely impressed by my quilts.

Me as a baby with Mama and Daddy

I will miss them. A lot. My heart is broken at this point.

New Year's Sewing (and Cooking!)

Starting to work on my New Year's goals!

One of my goals is to learn ruler work. So, off to the Amazon Shopping Mall to see what they offer...lo and behold, I found the Westalee folks DID create a version of the ruler foot for the Singer Slants!!! Oh my gosh...I ordered that so quick - cashed in a few gift cards and its on its way - should be here in a couple of weeks - I think it might have to come all the way from Australia! Now I should be able to use Jenny Lind to learn ruler work. Comes with the arc template and Stable Tape (I think that goes on the ruler to keep it from sliding- but I will know better once the package arrives.) Yippety Skippety!!!

So to keep busy until that arrives (waiting with bated breath!), I am working on the secret project for Retreat. 

Since I can't show that...I will show my Hoppin' John that I made for lunch!

It was delicious!

My variation has black eye peas, wild rice, diced tomatoes, a carrot, some celery, a can of mushrooms & chopped shallot cooked in chicken stock...seasoned with curry powder, garlic, parsley and rosemary...topped with fresh green onion...

Happy New Year - 2021!!

 

Happy New Year - 2021

The wedding was lovely, the bride was beautiful, my DS looked happy. It was a bit odd being a Zoom wedding...we watched on my phone but probably should have brought the computer in.

I made a cake for us to eat after a late lunch, in their honor - since you can't get cake thru Zoom!

Recipe:

2 tbs almond meal

2 tbs coconut flour

2 tbs Monkfruit sweetener

1 tsp Baking Powder

5 packets True Orange powder

2 eggs

1/2 c fresh or frozen cranberries, washed

cream cheese for frosting

mix all the dry ingredients in a Corning Ware French White ramekin (or use other small microwave safe bowl)

add eggs and mix to make batter

add cranberries and mix

microwave for 4 minutes

let cool for 10 minutes, turn out onto plate and frost with cream cheese if desired. The cake is pretty fragile so, I opted to just do the top.

Let us hope this is not the way the new year goes:

A few years ago, I posted about how my DH, G reacted to having Black Eye Peas for lunch on New Years day...(2012 Black Eye Peas)

I am making a combination of black eye peas and wild rice for lunch this year. Will be a kind of Hoppin' John, which I understand is field peas and white rice...but since black eye peas are related to field peas and, though wild rice is not actually 'rice', its a long grain, it is close enough and I bet that it will taste yummo.

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Thirty One - 2021 Sewing Goals

Hey...I MADE it to Day 31! Posted every single day in December - whoohoo! 

I did find that hour yesterday to finish off the bowtie pillows for G and me. I used up almost all of the stuffing, so going to have to order a few more packages. It's nice to have them on hand when inspiration hits instead of having to wait for them to be delivered or...horrors...have to go into the store.

AND... I won at 'Bobbin Chicken' - Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Sewing/Quilting Goals for 2021

I want to finish some of my UFOs and not start so many new projects! (Shiny!)

Get a ruler foot and start practicing.

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My DS is getting married today. We are watching via ZOOM - de rigueur for these Coronavirus days, I suppose!  I hope he and his bride will be very happy. They plan to have a re-dedication service sometime when the virus is either gone or under control, when we all can gather again.

I hope 2021 will be a way better year than 2020.

Tomorrow, Jan 1st,  at 12:01am it will be the first time EVER when hind sight will be 2020!

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Thirty - First 2021 Project (or Last 2020 Project)

I will finish making the neck pillows for G and me. But I might get to them before 2020 is done - we will see! I have the fabrics and the hand holds...just need a spare hour! 

I used this pattern - it really does sew up in 30 minutes. The longest parts are 1)finding the fabric and 2) stuffing the bowtie. I am not sure she mentions this in the instructions, but leave an opening the size of your hand so you can stuff it easier. The first one I made I ended up ripping out part of the seam to make it so I could reach inside the pillow.

30 Minute Bowtie Neck Pillow

bowtie neck pillow

Finishing the Coronavirus Challenge piece is also high on my list for 2021 - I doubt I will be done with it in 2020.

And I will work on my UFOs before I start a new project! (hahahaha....dunno if I can keep to that!)

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Nine - Latest Project

Hum...the prompt for today is Latest Project...I already covered my latest applique project in the post on what is On My Design Wall - the bowl of flowers and fruit, which needs an appropriate name (the instructor called hers 'For Anne') 'Still Life' or 'Bowl of Flowers and Fruit' seems a bit boring!

I do have some other projects but most of them I already covered as well. Except for the secret project for the Coronavirus Quilt Challenge for Retreat....but since its secret until Retreat in mid February, I can't show it to you until after! I can show you the fabric that we need to use somewhere in the project. 

Here are the rules for the Challenge:

Coronavirus Quilt Challenge 2021 Retreat

“Make me laugh or smile” 

With the doom and gloom of the coronavirus pandemic and being locked down in our homes for long periods of time, we have decided we need a challenge to make us laugh or smile. 

Rules will be as follows:

1. Use the Fabric “Bamboo on Navy Blue” given out at the 2020 Retreat.  Use a sizable piece(s) so that we can recognize it.  (Thanks to Yetta for challenge fabric)   We do have a couple of fat quarters left.  So if you decide you want to take on the challenge you can email Kim to drop one in the mail to you.  
2. Make a quilted wall-hanging (maximum size 30 X 30), quilted bag or quilted table runner.  

Think outside the block and add text as you like, pictures, art, embroidery, etc., the object is to create a challenge piece that makes the viewer laugh, giggle or at least smile.  Who’s been hoarding the toilet paper?  Remember to keep it clean!  

Inspiration or ideas could come from something you enjoyed doing, something you saw, a book you read or something you created during the shutdown.  

Challenge yourself to try a new to you technique. Maybe it’s paper piecing, appliqué, redwork or sewing a zipper in the bag you want to make.  Stretch those quilting wings! 

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Eight - Skill I Want to Improve

Prompt for today is Skill I Want to Improve. 

Ruler work. But first, I have to solve what machine that I have that could DO ruler work. I have no space for a long arm or a mid arm, so it will have to be one of the machines I already have. I can get the ruler foot for the short/low shank machines  - Elvie ( the Singer 15) is probably the only one that I could use, but I have no extension table for Elvie - probably would SWIM in Jenny Lind's extension table. And the throat area is a bit small - I could learn on Elvie and hope to get a bigger throat machine someday. 

 

And then I will have to invest in some rulers! I have enough to learn on. but it sure would be nice to get some of the fancy designs.

And I would like to get better on all Free Motion Quilting...not just Ruler Work. I need to banish some of the stuff that is living on my sewing table!

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Seven - Techniques to Try

Today's prompt is techniques to try. I have more questions! Are these techniques 'I' would like to try? or are they techniques I have tried and want to pass on? I am going with 'Techniques I would like to try'.

One technique I would like to try is using my new SewTites to hold pieces while doing flat-back EPP.  I already have tried the clips with the flat-back stitch, but I need to try with these magnetic pieces to see if they hold better - or if the magnets just drag on the pieces. 

Susan Carlson's collage technique. I would love to have her Master Class. Or Emily Taylor's collage technique. I have read both these ladies blogs but have never done a fabric collage.

Susan Carlson

Emily Taylor

Some esoteric things it might be fun to try:

encaustic collage - but...I don't have enough workspace in my studio for hot wax. Maybe someday. 

alcohol inks - I have the inks and paper but my studio has carpeting and I have been loathe to even try this just in case it would get away from me. I suppose I could do this on the patio - will have to think about this.

Stained Glass - I probably don't have the strength to crack the glass anymore. So, I make do with stained glass style quilting.

Repairing a plaster carving - I have one of my grandfather's plaster carvings that has some minor damage that needs repairing. Would love to get that out of my studio and onto the wall. 

I would love to make a Moravian Star...I have the templates in a file, just need to print and sew. This one is so elegant! and I need that hanger too!

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Six - Favorite Sewing Foot

Topic for today is my favorite sewing foot. Not sure I have one. 

I tend to use the general purpose zigzag foot on Jenny Lind (my main machine) most of the time. I do switch out to a hopping foot for free motion quilting (FMQ), but I cannot say that is a favorite foot - it's square and it squeaks and is a Pain In The Posterior to put on. I sometimes use the zipper foot, but can't say that is a favorite either.

On Aurora (the treadle), I have gone footless for FMQ- a bit dangerous but I only do it if I have use the Octi-hoops. But that IS fun! There was a guy named Tim Latimer that did FMQ on treadles that had a modified open toe foot, but I haven't seen him posting in a while - but gosh his work was splendid. I can't get an open toe foot for either Aurora (she has back clamps) or Jenny Lind (she is a slant shank) nor can I get a ruler foot - the folks at Westalee that make ruler feet for domestics have not found enough interest from the slant shank sewers to make it worth their while to produce one. Alis is a short shank, but trying to do ruler work with an hand crank just seems like it would take more hands than I have! I suppose I could try it on Elvie (model 15) - she needs a good spa day though before I can use her much.

I have a CurveMaster foot. That might be a favorite, but I don't do enough curved piecing. I suppose it could be used as a 1/4 inch foot, but, again, I don't do much real patchwork.

A pillow cover I made with the Curve Master foot:

 Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge  

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Five - Show Your Scraps

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Scraps...there is a saying we quilters have. 'You should never leave two scraps together in the dark, they breed!'

I will never use up all my scraps - unless I wholesale stuffed 'em into a pillow form. But then I would be looking for that perfect piece of fabric and it would be gone...so nah, not going to stuff them!

We saw some of my scraps the other day...here are more...they are breeding. I tend to group like scraps into a zipper bag - sometimes with a label on the bag but more often than not I don't.

Bottom of the scrap box

On the worktable

In the closet

On the side of the worktable

Top of the heap in the scrap box

I have a lot of scraps. This is only some of my scraps...hard to believe, but there are MORE.

 Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge   

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Four - State of My Worktable

Oh dear...the state of my worktable is the topic for today. Yikes. It's in disarray!  

I can show you what it SHOULD look like - and did for a short time when my son first moved out and I snagged his room for my studio.

It hasn't looked like that for many a year! I keep acquiring more and more stuff!

Here is a peek at what it looks like today...If I have to cut something, I have to move piles. It would be nice to have a bigger workroom. I dream of an open area. Or I guess I could pitch some stuff, but sure as shooting, the day after I pitch the stuff, I would NEED it. 

My scraps have taken over. Will show those to you tomorrow. And maybe get some of it cleaned up!

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge   

2020 31 Day Blog Writing Challenge - Day Twenty Three - Pre Wash or Not?

Oh...Pre Wash or Not - the greatest debate for quilters...not so much for sewers, since for sewing, you should ALWAYS wash so that shrinkage happens before you invest your time in sewing and fitting a garment. 

For quilters, it's kind of a toss-up. Some people have to wash every piece of fabric in their stash since the finishing chemicals bother them. But most of us will probably admit we don't always wash. 

You probably should not mix washed and unwashed though - that shrinkage problem can crop up and if you have unwashed and washed together, you will get an uneven surface...unless...that happens to be what you were going for in the first place.

Some colors need to be prewashed...black, dark blues and dark reds especially if the quilt has white or off white or even tan as part of the colors- there have been nasty surprises when the quilt is washed with crocking or bleeding. Always use a color catcher or two on the first wash of a quilt to help keep the loose dye from settling where it shouldn't.

Scrap quilts you probably can get away with not washing or even mixing washed and not washed since the scraps tend to be smaller.

If the fabric has an extra heavy sizing, I  wash it before use.  

You can get into trouble even steam pressing if the fabrics are not washed. Here is an applique project that I almost ruined steam pressing - the applique fabrics were not washed and horror of horrors, the dark pink on the blossom on the right bled into the pale blue background!! I had many a blue word to say about how stupid I was to steam this piece! Fortunately, I did not let it dry before I tried repairing. Repeated applications of water with a q-tip swab diluted the bleed until it was pretty much gone - I can still tell its there, but I doubt anyone else can. (Sweet Magnolias - Cathy Van Bruggen design) This wall hanging should never be washed!

Link to the Muppin Blog Writing Challenge