Small Ripples in the Pond

Time to Sew Again

2009-12-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

I'm excited for January to arrive. I know, I know, Christmas isn't even here yet. But I've signed up for two quilting clubs at The Wild Rose Quilt Shop (http://www.thewildrosequiltshop.com/) in Orting and I can't wait to get started.

Each group meets once a month.

One is the "Lunch Bunch" and we meet for 4 hours and each work on our own quilt that will be complete at the end of the year. And, as indicated by the group name, we meet over lunch time and have a meal together.

The Second group is "Jo's Little Women Club". It is a step back in time to the Civil War era, with sewing small quilts using reproduction fabrics from that time. We will be discussing books written about that time period, learning about women's lives back then, taking some field trips to local quilt shows, possibly even making some soap.

This is a photo of one of the quilts we'll be making:

"Jo" is Jo Morton of Jo Morton Quits, Nebraska City, NE, and her fabrics are Andover Fabrics. I've just become aware of her and her reproduction fabrics and can't wait to learn more.

But first .... Christmas ..... :)

Baseball

2009-10-20T13:52:00.001-07:00

There is an echo in Safeco Field!!

It is my opinion that there are TWO seasons to each year: 7 months of BASEBALL and 5 months of WAITING for baseball.

FOUR AND A HALF MONTHS TILL SPRING TRAINING BEGINS!!!

The Lady Washington

2009-08-22T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'd like to begin by mentioning that my love for sailing began when I was in my teens. I had a friend who would take me with her when her parents went sailing on their sailboat. I fell in love with the movement of the boat on the water, the sounds of the lines straining with the tension of the sails full of air, and the cry of the gulls. To me, then and now, it just doesn't get any better than that.

I've always dreamed of having my own boat and being able to be out on the water whenever I wanted to, but that never happened. But through the years I've had occasion to get out on someone else's boat and when that happened, I loved every moment of it. There was a time, about 15-20 years ago, when we were able to be aboard a friend's 49 ft sailboat for a week in the Canadian San Juan Islands. That was such an amazing opportunity and I will remember it forever. But that's another story. :)

I wasn't aware of The Lady Washington, nor that it was possible to actually sail on her. When I discovered her online I couldn't buy tickets fast enough. I was delighted to find that I could get tickets for the Sunset Sail on Wednesday, August 19th.

If you aren't aware of her either, just a little background: The Lady Washington is the Official Ship of the State of Washington. She is a full-scale reproduction of the original Lady Washington built in the British Colony of Massachusetts in the 1750's. In more recent times, you may remember her from the movie Pirates of the Caribbean in which she played The HMS Interceptor. I must admit I did think a time or two, while moving about her deck, that Johnny Depp did indeed walk this very deck also. I digress ... LOL

Our three hour sail was done on a 90 degree day, so the weather was perfect, and the sunset magnificent. We arrived at the dock about 3 hours early, intentionally, so we could hang out at the water until time to board. We found a little pub nearby and sat outside and enjoyed oyster sandwiches and conversation with another guest, while breathing the salt air and enjoying the sounds of the waterway. Walking a short distance, we found a small marina store, and purchased some bottled water and snacks to take aboard with us. At approximately 6pm we were allowed to board, given safety instructions and then motored away from the dock and out into Commencement Bay.

The Hawaiian Chieftan sailed at the same time, and we considered ourselves fortunate to be aboard The Lady this first time out. (when buying tickets, you can not specify which ship you want to be on, you just have to get lucky enough to be assigned to the one that you want) Once away from Thea Foss Waterway and out into the bay, sails were raised and engines slowed (I'm not sure if they were ever completely cut). We stayed in that vicinity of the bay for the evening, sailing back and forth, while the crew attempted a few sailing maneuvers. The 360 turn without changing the sails only accomplished 180 degrees, but impressive just the same. And then the setting sun took center stage.

It was difficult to disembark, but the attitude seemed to be that Barb could NOT now live aboard The Lady, no matter how much she might want to. We left the world of water and fantasy and returned to automobiles & paved highways, and made our way home.

We have committed to sailing on The Lady at least once each summer, and are so very pleased to have found her.

If you'd like to know more about her, you can read about her, and The Hawaiian Chieftan, here: Grays Harbor Historical Seaport

And .... finally ... some of the photos I took while aboard:

The Lady Washington, before boarding

Would those be pirates climbing the rigging?

Me, with The Hawaiian Chieftan in the distance

The Hawaiian Chieftan

As close as we could come to Pirates - a few members of the crew

Another view of The Hawaiian Chieftan

Sailboats on Commencement Bay

Mount Rainier at sunset

A beautiful sunset

Another of the sunset, with the Olympic Mountains to the right

Two of the crew, and a last peek at the sun for the day

The end of the day, with the lights on shore beginning to become visible as darkness takes hold.

Baseball Trivia

2009-06-18T07:41:00.000-07:00

from "The Great American Baseball Quiz by Paul Dickson"

1. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in the National League in 1947. The first African-American to play in the American League, 11 weeks later, was Larry Doby.

2. In 1995, when Cal Ripkin Jr. broke Lou Gehrig's record by playing in 2131 consecutive games, Joe DiMaggio, one of Gehrig's former teammates, was on hand to shake Ripken's hand and congratulate him.

3. The New York Yankees have won 26 World Championships.

4. The only player to win the Rookie of the Year, MVP, and Cy Young award is Don Newcombe.

5. The slow-witted, terminally ill catcher in the 1973 baseball movie Bang the Drum Slowly was played by Robert De Niro.

6. After the U.S., the Dominican Republic has produced the most Major League baseball players.

7. The record for hitting home runs in the most consecutive games (the record is eight) is held by Ken Griffey Jr. of the 1993 Seattle Mariners, Don Mattingly of the 1987 New York Yankees, and Dale Long of the 1956 Pittsburgh Pirates.

8. The first player to earn $1 million in one season was Nolan Ryan.

9. In the 1952 movie The Winning Team, Ronald Reagan played Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander.

10. The Major League ballplayer who went on to become the star of a popular Western series on television was The Rifleman's Chuck Connors. (He is one of a handful of athletes in the history of American professional sports to have played for both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.)

11. The franchise that played the first game of the season at home nearly every year from 1882 through 2008 is The Cincinnati Reds.

12. The first player to have his signature branded into a Louisville Slugger bat, in 1905, was Honus Wagner.

13. In the language of baseballese, an easily fielded pop bly is know as a can of corn.

And there you have it, my Thursday Thirteen for today!

Chinese Garden, Portland, Oregon

2009-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if Green Thumb Sunday meme is still active or not. I signed up for it last week, but have heard nothing back. But here's a post for it anyway. :)

For Mother's Day this year, my kids invited me to Portland to go out to lunch and then spend some time at the Chinese Garden. It is located at NW Third and Everett, downtown Portland, and I can't say enough positive things about it. This was my second visit to the Garden and I again enjoyed the lush green of the spring growth and the tranquility of the environment.

This is one of the many photos I took while there, showing the view through one of the many ornate windows:

And this close up of the Washington State flower,a rhododendron, in full bloom:

Saturday Photo Hunt: Advertisement

2009-06-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

Lots of ADVERTISEMENTS at the ball park.
This one was taken at Safeco in Seattle.
And, of course, we are advertising Starbucks in Seattle. *smile*

Fabulous Friday!

2009-06-05T08:14:00.000-07:00

I'm up, out of bed once more. Some mornings, that's saying a lot. This morning was one of those. I hit the beloved snooze button twice. The third time that the jarring, nerve racking buzzer sounded I decided I couldn't hear it again, and pulled myself up and sat on the side of my bed.

I wanted to go back to work why????? OH! I remember! Pay Day! LOL And today's the day that my treasured check will be waiting in my inbox when I arrive at the office. I'm preparing myself for the tiny amount it will be this time. I took two weeks off of work to go play in the lovely state of Washington. I had a wonderful time, going here and there, but only managed to get 15 hours of work in for this pay period. Like I said: it will be a very tiny check this time. LOL

And speaking of playing in Washington, I leave you with a photo. Our last playday was Monday, when we went to the Zoo. After being on our feet all day, and working up quite an appetite, we took ourselves down to the water front and ate dinner at The Pink Door (located in Post Alley at Pike Place Market). The weather was amazing and they were seating outside. I took this photo from our table while waiting for what turned out to be an amazing antipasto plate. If you're not familiar with Seattle, this is Elliot Bay:

(click photo to enlarge)

Woodland Park Zoo, Seattle

2009-06-04T07:44:00.000-07:00

A Day at the Zoo

Deciding to take advantage of the beautiful summer weather we've been having, hubby and I spent the day at the Zoo Monday. Woodland Park Zoo, in Seattle, Washington, sits on 92 acres, north of downtown and just west of Green Lake. Once inside the gates, there is no feeling of being in the city. The canopy of mature trees gives shade and buffers the sound of the city. We strolled for hours, unaware of the city's activity so nearby.

Thinking that we had arrived early enough to see some morning activity, we soon became aware that it was already nap time for many of the animals. Sleeping lions, tigers and bears (oh my!) gave no reason to linger to watch, but moving on we found plenty of activity to keep us interested.

Beginning in the African Savanna, we were delighted to see Ostrich moving about the field with the Zebras and Gazelle. It is always amazing to me how large an African Ostrich is.

This Giraffe found himself some shade, out of the mid-day sun.

Moving on down the path, we came across a couple of hippos cooling themselves in a pool of water.

Difficult to see in the photo, but beautiful in person, these weaverbird nests are incredible. The male weaverbird builds a pear-shaped nest by weaving together fresh grasses. He begins with just a ring, then builds outward, making the nest the same way a person weaves a basket. Once his nest is built the male hangs upside down from the nest, flapping his wings wildly and singing loudly to attract a female. After the eggs hatch, both parents feed and guard their young. The weaverbirds are especially abundant in the savannas of East and South Africa.

Just across the main path from the African Savanna we found the Elephants in Tropical Asia. This elephant was pulling food from a bucket hanging high from a wooden structure.

A favorite of mine, the Siamangs, were fascinating. The adults mate for life and their singing appears to reinforce their pair bond. It is also a way of them keeping other siamangs away from their feeding grounds. Whatever the reason, they seem content to be in motion and "sing" continually. The males make a different noise than the females, as they puff up the sacks under their chins. The volume is surprisingly loud and as we finally walked away from the exhibit, we could hear them singing from a distance.

We were fortunate enough to observe some interaction between two very large Orangutan before they parted company and each sought out his own shady area for a nap.They were huge, and their fur was a rusty orange color. As is typical for me, I was so interested in what they were doing that I forgot to take a photo.

Moving into Australasia we found some kangaroos lounging in the shade. Although not active, at least they weren't sleeping. It would have been a treat to see them hopping about, but no such luck.

Cutting across the North Meadow we came across this Peacock wandering in the grass. His coloring was brilliant. He did open his tail a few times, but each time he was facing away from me so I wasn't able to photograph it.

In the Tropical Rain Forest, this sloth bear was awake and pacing, while another was sleeping. His long thick coat made me wonder how hot he was in the 80+ degree weather.

This photo doesn't do the new Penguin Exhibit justice. We spent about an hour there, observing the penguins and then listening to the Keeper Talk. I have a soft spot in my heart for these little guys and enjoyed every minute of my time with them.

I never tire of watching them "fly" through the water. There was some porpoising going on too (sure hope I spelled that right! LOL) and it brought a smile to my face each time I saw them break the surface of the water.

Last, we visited the Gorilla Exhibit. This is always a mixed bag of feelings for me. I feel drawn to them, and my trip to the zoo would not be complete without visiting them. But when I make eye contact with any of them, there is so much intelligence looking back at me, that it just breaks my heart to see them confined the way that they are. I want to gather them up and take them back to their home, ya know? - sigh - I realize that most of them were born in captivity, but my heart still longs for them to be free in their own habitat. I always wonder what they are thinking as they look into my eyes.

And the Thirteenth photo of "things I saw at the Zoo" are these two tired feet! We didn't get to see everything, because these feet would take me no further. We left early and vowed to return again soon.

Thanks for walking through the zoo with me.

Hairy-Scary!!

2009-06-02T13:33:00.000-07:00

So I had my hair colored today. At a new shop. OMG that can be SO scary.

Let me back up by saying that I colored my hair for several years in my 50's and then decided about a year or two ago that I would grow it out to see what color it was. Do you have any idea how many months that takes???? LOL Well, about 8-10 months later I had my answer. I had more gray in the front than the back, but still more brown than gray. However, that brown color, that had been so rich and dark throughout my life, has now faded to this drab non-descript color of some sort of faded brown. Oh well, still not too bad. I decided to keep it.

However, not only the color faded, but it's getting thinner and more fine. What's a girl to do? I knew! A perm would be just the ticket. I made an appointment and presented myself to my stylist with every intention of purchasing curls and body for my hair. No sooner had my butt hit the chair and she began to give me her list of reasons why she didnt think a perm was a good idea. What the heck? No perm? Then what? She suggested color again. And like an idiot I said Okay.

So it was back to the color, grow out, color circle again. I hate grow out. And I dont want high maintenance hair anymore. Anyway, no matter what color is put on my hair, it has a mind of it's own and turns red within a few weeks.

So that brings me back to today. I want to grow out the color and let it go natural - again. From previous experience I know I'm looking at 8-10 months to accomplish this. So I came up with a plan: semi-permanent color until I have all this old color cut off, then let the semi-permanent color fade away. New hair dresser agreed. So we were off and running.

She put the color on and I sat in the chair and watched. What is that orange color I'm seeing? Oh man am I going to be more red than I was when I walked in here? Am I going to be able to go to work tomorrow without a bag over my head? Does this girl even know what she's doing? As I sat and stared into the mirror, watching the chemicals turn from light to dark, I then worried if I was going to have black hair by the time we were done. About 20 minutes later a walk to the shampoo bowl and a walk back to the chair showed me that I had exactly what I wanted! Whew! Pretty scary there for a while, but way cool now! Loving my new color!

Green Thumb Sunday

2009-05-31T10:15:00.000-07:00

This is my first post to Green Thumb Sunday. I thought that I'd like to share part of what I've been doing on our new deck. Container gardening has always been a challenge for me at this house, because the backyard faces west and things can get very hot and dry out there in a hurry. But newly-retired hubby vows that he will help me with keeping them wet this year, so we have set out several pots.

I think my favorite group is the one with the little water garden.

The small plant to the front is a coleus. The larger pot just an assortment of geraniums, marigolds, alyssym and lobelia.

The third pot contains my simple attempt at a tiny water garden. I love the sound of the water dripping from the little fountain. I purchased the floaters at a local pond shop. I think they have doubled in size in the week or two that I've had them. There are new little plants growing off of the mother plants. I will soon have too much for the pot. What to do then? I may have to toss them over the fence into the neighbors large pond. I'm sure that those frogs that keep me awake each night would enjoy them. :) The "Father" rock was a gift to hubby from one of our daughters a year or two ago.

Thursday Thirteen

2009-05-28T10:10:00.000-07:00

Having let my blog sit idle for over two - count 'em TWO!! - years, I've decided I'd like to try to get it up and running. Why you ask? Hmmmm maybe I can think of

13 REASONS WHY (in no particular order):

13. An inactive blog looks so sad, just sitting there.

12. I have more time on my hands now that I've cut back on my work hours.

11. I love to type.

10. I love to write.

09. I miss having internet friends. When I bought my first computer, about a dozen years ago, I stumbled upon a chat room and made some really close internet friends. After a couple years that chat room dwindled down to just a few and then finally went away. I've always missed that camaraderie.

08. I belonged to another group of internet friends the last few years and recently that message board slowed down more and more, with each of us becoming busy with other things, until it just didn't make any sense to keep the board up anymore. With it gone, I feel kinda lost.

07. Soooo .... I'm hoping to make NEW internet friends and thought my blog just might be the way. Plus, a few of that recent group blog, and maybe this is a way to keep touch with them.

06. It will give me a reason to use my new dig camera.

05. It will give me an avenue to explore what other people are thinking and doing.

04. If I keep my mind open, I just might learn something new.

03. Did I mention making new friends? ;)

02. It would be nice to have something creative to do. Pogo games can get boring after a while.

01. A Girl Just Has to Have Fun! :)

Class Quilt

2007-04-05T19:20:00.000-07:00

My quilt from my latest class is pinned together and ready to quilt. The shiny spots you see are the brass pins that are holding the top, batting and back together. I'm going to quilt this one myself, on my machine, just to see how I can do. I did try to shadow quilt one of the bow-ties, and except for one or two wobbly stitches, it turned out pretty good.

I learned a lot in this class. A lot of new techniques were introduced and I feel a little more confident to pick designs and color now.

Here's a close up of one of the corners. The binding isn't on yet. The brown you see at the bottom is actually the backing.

Many Trips

2007-02-19T20:02:00.000-08:00

I really like this block. I haven't been as pleased with a block as I am with this one in a long time. I love the colors, and the movement. It's called "Many Trips".

Sewing Again

2007-01-28T18:01:00.000-08:00

When I went back to work last spring, I forgot that I had a sewing machine. Well, maybe didn't forget, but sure didn't make time to use it anymore. In December I realized that if I want to sew, I will have to schedule time to do it and make it a priority. So I signed up for a new quilting class and have taken two of the eight so far. Here's my first block, and I'm working on block number two.

The colors are exciting and different from anything I've done before and I'm really enjoying it. This is the Log Cabin block.

6th Quilt Block

2006-08-13T17:31:00.000-07:00

This one just makes me laugh. I missed the class on how to do it, and the instructions that I picked up were not complete. I thought that I could fake it, and I sorta did ... except that when I was done, the block is 11 1/4" square instead of 12 1/2" square. LOL Oh well .... guess I'll not be using this one in the quilt. LOL

A Finished Quilt

2006-08-12T16:38:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed at how long it's been since I posted anything here. I went back to work the end of May, and obviously I haven't had much time for anything but that. However, I DID manage to finally complete the binding on my quilt and it's even been through the washer and dryer to soften it up. Any evening that's a little cool, you can find me curled up under it on the couch.

5th Quilt Block

2006-06-13T19:01:00.000-07:00

Another square for the block a month quilt. This makes 5. I tossed this one together in a hurry. And it shows. Oh well. What the heck. :) I'm a working girl now. I'm just happy to have it done in time for class Thursday night.

My First Quilt - back from the quilter

2006-06-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

My quilt is back from the quilters. Wish I had a better camera or was a better photographer, but this will give you an idea what it looks like. I still need to put the binding on.

A little closer up, to give you a better idea of what the quilter did. She used a varigated thread.

Here's a close up of what she did in the group of 4 small, light squares. You can see on the other photo what she did in the small, single light squares.

And a close look at the boarder. She used feathers here and I'm really happy with it.

4th Quilt Block

2006-05-09T18:10:00.000-07:00

4 down, 8 to go. The blue and white is finally growing on me and I'm starting to see the possibilities of a quilt finally being made from these blocks. This block went together much easier than last months, and I notice that I'm becoming more confident of my ability to put a block together.

The little squares, that have 4 triangles in them, are 3" squares. So you can see that those little triangles are 3" by 1-1/2" deep, pretty darned small to be working with. I learned a great technique for sewing those together and cutting on the diagonal that made them very easy to work with.

3rd Quilt Block

2006-04-14T12:17:00.000-07:00

I learned a valuable lesson on April's Block of the Month: never leave it for the last minute. I was frantically sewing this block together yesterday and then rushed out the door to class with it. My points are off and the seams on the back are not pressed in the right direction. I'm tempted to take it apart and begin again. But I'm also tempted to just leave it as is and say "good enough" again.
The fabrics continue to be blue and white, so it looks like the only way that I'm going to get more colors in it is to make more blocks with different fabrics and mix them all together with multi colored sashing and borders. Actually, that sounds like a fun thing to do.
I have the fabric and pattern for May's block and I'm going to do it in the next couple of days before I forget everything she taught us about it. This next one has some very small triangles and looks difficult. I definately need to take my time on it.

First Quilter Experience

2006-04-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

Well, I took my first quilt to the quilter yesterday. Bobby, the owner and quilter, at Riverside Quilting couldn't have been more helpful and understanding of my inexperience. I needed to choose thread and the quilting pattern, and I didn't know what to choose. I finally agreed to pay a certain amount of money that gave her some flexibility in the pattern and I chose a green variegated thread. That may change when she actually gets ready to quilt it. I have about a 7-8 week wait until I get it back. This will sure test my patience, huh? We decided on some feathering for the quilting and I assume there will be some other pattern in there as well.

Quilting is certainly a learning experience and I learn more with each thing that I do.

On my way home from the quilter, I stopped at a fabric store and bought some cute baby flannel for a quilt for a great niece. It has little booties and blocks and butterflies on it, along with lots of other cute baby things. It will be fun to work on.

Flannel Quilt is Complete

2006-04-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

After spending a total of about 10 hours sewing yesterday and the day before, my Johnny and Buck quilt is complete. I learned a lot doing this, and would hate to add up how many stitches that I ripped out and redid. I finally had to say "good enough" and just finish it, because it has to go in the mail on Monday so that it will be in Nebraska in time for the baby shower.

I love the feel of this quilt. I made it with Moda flannel fabric, the print is Johnny and Buck, a retro cowboy and indians print collection. For the batting I used 100% cotton (Warm and Natural), and although not thick, I am hoping it will provide the warmth needed on those cold winter Nebraska days and nights.

For the quilting I used a natural color thread in a diagonal pattern through the corners of the squares. It was simple and quick, just what I needed, since I haven't taken a machine quilting class yet. I struggled with the stitch length and thread tension when I began, but eventually figured it out.
I can't wait to see my new great-grandson all wrapped up in this.

Looking for Quilting Pattern

2006-04-02T10:22:00.000-07:00

I have been searching for quilting patterns for my quilt. For this first quilt, I want to keep the cost down, and I'm a little confused as to what I get for the basic fee. But what I have in mind is something like these. It would be an all-over, edge to edge pattern. I do prefer the top one to the bottom one, but I don't know if it would be more expensive. I am hoping I will understand it all better once I have met with the quilter.

My First Quilt still in progress

2006-04-01T10:22:00.000-08:00

I have an appointment to take my quilt top and backing to the quilter on April 11th. Then it will take about a month to get it back. At that point, I will have to put on the binding and it will finally be done. Melli mentioned a quilt pattern she saw with X's and O's, so I snapped a photo of my waiting quilt top. Do you see X's and O's here? I do!! This is an Irish Chain variation, and we noticed in class, when laying it out, that you can make X's and O's with it.

We've had some cool evenings lately, and I've sure wished this quilt was done so I could curl up in it while watching TV. It's new home will be the back of my couch, just for that purpose.

Flannel Quilt Progress

2006-03-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

My flannel quilt is coming along nicely. I completed sewing all the squares and strips together a couple of days ago, and today I pin basted it all together. I chose Warm and Natural batting and I'm excited to begin quilting now. I'm also nervous to begin. I guess I'm afraid that I'll mess it up. I plan to make a little sandwich of the fabric and batting to try out the quilting stitch before I begin. That way I can be sure that I have the stitch length and thread tension correct. I bought some of the red horseshoe fabric today for the binding. I think that will make all the red "pop" and be pretty cute.

Nothing to do with sewing: Seattle Mariner's opening day baseball game is Monday at 2:05pm. I have tickets in hand and cant wait to be there. Hooooray!! It's time for baseball once again.

Flannel Quilt - Retro 1950's Cowboy and Indian Print "Johnny and Buck"

2006-03-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I finally cut out the second half of the squares for the flannel quilt. Once cut, I couldn't help but lay them out in order to be sewn. As one thing usually leads to another, next I had to sew a strip together to see how it was going to look. Six strips later, I couldn't resist sewing the strips together to see even better how things were shaping up. A break for dinner and then there I was in front of the sewing machine again. This time sewing the other six strips. They went together quickly, because the flannel sort of stuck to it's self and there was no slipping and sliding of the fabric as I was sewing. I love sewing on flannel!! There are 20 different fabrics in this quilt, the photo only shows 11.

Applique Class Project

2006-03-23T12:27:00.000-08:00

Working on my applique homework today for class on Saturday. I woke this morning and realized that I haven't done a thing on it all week, so lots to do today and tomorrow.

Churn Dash Quilt Fabric

2006-03-21T16:40:00.000-08:00

I was on my way to play Bingo today, and made a side trip to the The Calico Cat quilt shop in Auburn (Washington). I didn't allow enough time to look around as much as I would have liked, so I'll go back soon. But I did pick up 3 more fat quarters for my "Dash to the Finish" quilt, and now I have all 20 that I need. (I posted a pic of the pattern down a few posts) I'm really anxous to get started on this one, but I need to finish the Johnny and Buck quilt first.

Here's how far I am on the Johnny and Buck quilt. It's flannel and I have half the squares cut. Baby is due the end of May. I'd better get busy, don't cha think?

My First Applique

2006-03-19T14:37:00.000-08:00

I took my first class for Beginner Applique yesterday. There's another class next week. I knew nothing about applique going in, and I can't believe how much I learned in 3 hours.

The flower in the center of this block is applique - the fabric was hand sewn on top of the fabric. I love doing hand work, so I really enjoyed doing this. The little flower was just a practice piece on some inexpensive muslin, to learn the technique. But I couldn't just toss it aside when I was done. After all, it's my first and I want to save it - so I designed a little quickie block using the same fabrics and sewed it up this afternoon.

Picking Threads, etc.

2006-03-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I spent about an hour picking and clipping loose threads from the back of my quilt, getting it ready to go to the quilter. I'm only half done. I can honestly say this is my least favorite part of making a quilt. Very tedious. But, once done, it's ready to go. I cut and seamed the backing yesterday, so now all I need to do is make the drive north to drop it off at the quilter. While cutting the backing, I went ahead and cut the strips for the binding too, so I'll be ready with that when I get it back.

Today I have my block of the month class, and I'm looking forward to seeing what our next block looks like. I have my fingers crossed for a new color of fabric.

Also today, I am planning to pre-wash some fabric for the hand applique class that I'm taking Saturday. I've never done any applique, so this should be a real learning experience for me.

The squares for Baby Jones' quilt are still only half cut. I need to get busy on that or he will be born before it's done. I'm making it out of retro print flannel and the colors are soft and sweet. It makes me smile to work on it. :) note: Baby Jones is my great-grandson, due to be born the first of June.

I bought a quilt pattern yesterday that I will use for the fat quarters I began collecting at Expo. I picked up 5 more the other day while at the fabric store, and need to find 7 more that I like. Then I will have the 20 that I need. Here's the pattern:

It's a Debbie's Creative Moments pattern, "A Dash to the Finish". Finished size is 57" x 68". The fabrics that I'm using are mostly Moda, with lots of greens, and some pink and rust. I may add some blue with my next choices. Most of the prints are florals.

A Finished Apron!

2006-03-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Mom's reversible apron is finished. It wasn't as easy as I expected, but I had fun with it anyway. I even managed to sew the ties on correctly the first time, so that they matched the side of the fabric they were sewn to.

Here's a close up of the fabric. It's Champaigne Gardens (Cream Small Calico & Calico Stripe) by Faye Burgos for Marcus Brothers. The pattern is Mary Mulari's Reversible Apron (www.marymulari.com).

Continuing on with the apron

2006-03-10T19:24:00.000-08:00

I'm going slow but sure on Mom's apron. I wanted to use one of the decorative stitches on my new machine, so I tried a few on scraps and picked the one I liked the best. Instead of the usual top stitch around the edge of the pockets, I used a stitch that overlapped from the edge of the pocket onto the fabric of the apron. It left a cute decorative stitch and the edge sewn down flat against the apron. Very cute!

This is the stitch that I used. I have never taken any classes on machine applique, but I have a feeling that it's probably done very much like this.

An Apron and a Rag Basket

2006-03-07T11:21:00.000-08:00

I spent the morning cutting out a reversible apron that I'm making for my mom. It's pink and lavendar with tiny little rosebuds. I'm going to Oregon for a week, so I'll probably take my sewing machine with me and work on the apron and some piece work for a quilt project I started a few days ago.

This is a rag basket I made a few years back. It sits in my sewing room, holding a Christmas cactus. I've made several of these baskets and given them away to friends and relatives. The strips are torn so that the edges are ragged, and then the fabric is wound around cotton rope in such a way that it all ties together, with a fabric stitch from current row to previous row. These are fun and fast to make, although not inexpensive. They use a lot of fabric.

My Sewing Room

2006-03-06T15:43:00.000-08:00

This is the area in the guest room that I've set up for my sewing. It's pretty bare bones at this point. I'd love to have one of those Koala sewing cabinets. And a cutting table. But all in good time.
I keep the ironing board set up at the end of the bed, but when company comes and uses the guest room, I hide it away in the closet to give them more room.
The opposite wall holds a chest of drawers and chair for guest use. At the moment I'm pulling the wood chair over to the sewing table, but I'll be shopping for an adjustable sewing chair soon.

Sew Expo

2006-03-06T10:32:00.000-08:00

Having spent a total of 10 hours in 2 days at Sew Expo this past Friday and Sunday, I can't let it slip by without sharing about it here. This was my first time to attend, although it takes place right here in my own back yard (Puyallup, Washington) and is 24 years old. Now that I'm back into sewing and enjoying it so much, I was encouraged by friends to attend Expo and I'm so glad that I did. With over 80 seminars & workshops and 200+ vendors, there is too much for one person to see all of, but certainly more than enough to keep you busy for many many hours. Because almost everything was new to me, there wasn't a vendor booth there that I didn't find something interesting in.

I experienced a number of 'firsts' for myself. I bought my first piece of fabric with absolutely no idea what I was going to do with it, but it was just too pretty not to own. (I've been told yes, that's the way to play the game *smile*) I bought my first 'fat quarters' (I just recently learned that they are not a quarter yard cut off the bolt, as I had assumed, but a half yard cut that has been cut down the middle to make a piece about 18" x 22".) And I bought my first batiks.

I also began my 'stash'. I've just come to realize what that term means in quilting. Once the quilting bug has bit you, you fall in love with color and design, and when you see a fabric that you love, you just have to have it. And so it goes on the shelf, waiting for that perfect project to be used in. These piles of waiting fabric are called a quilters stash. Mine is very tiny, but a start. I have seen photos of quilt rooms where the stash is 8 bookcases full of fabric!! I don't plan to ever get that carried away with it all, but I expect that my stash will grow with each trip to the fabric store. Here's my bookcase in my sewing room as of this morning.

And a close up of that beginning stash. Some of these fabrics are for a specific project, but some is just because I had to have it. And I'll think of how I'll use it later.

If you've hung in here this far with me, thanks for sharing my interest with me. I'm just having so much fun with all this. First thing out of bed this morning, I found myself in my sewing room folding fat quarters that I purchased yesterday. Who'd a thunk it! *grin*

Knitting and Dishcloths

2006-03-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

I love to knit. I taught myself how, with some help from my mom, when I was about 14. I've tried a few sweaters, and baby stuff, but I'm never happy with the way I sew it together, so I pretty much stick to simple things. Here's a pic of a dish cloth that I made recently. And the beginning of one I just started. I like to work on these while I watch TV.

First Quilt Top

2006-03-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

This is the upper corner of the quilt top that I made during my beginning quilt class. It's my first quilt and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. If I had it to do over, I would choose a different highlight fabric (the light green squares) so that it included more of the colors within the border. But, again, this is all about learning at this point, and that's just what I did with this quilt top: learned a lot. My points turned out fairly well, and I'm happy with that. The backing will be the plum color of the small border before the 8" border. (note: the green in the pieced portion of the quilt really does match the border well, but for some reason the camera distorted the colors.)

... and then there were two. 2nd quilt block

2006-02-24T17:00:00.000-08:00

oh my gosh this one was more difficult than the first. But I got it done. The instructor of the class says that by the time that we are finished we should have about 40 different fabrics in this quilt. I'm getting bored with the blue and white. The flowers on this one have little yellow centers, so I'm hoping for some yellow fabric to come. I have a new best friend: my seam ripper.

Block-a-month Quilt

2006-02-14T22:36:00.000-08:00

This is my first block for my block-a-month quilt. After just completing my first quilt top of 4 and 2 inch squares, these little triangles were quite the challenge for me. Matter of fact, I threw the first one away and started over! This one turned out better and I learned a lot. And that's what it's all about at this point: learning. I have no idea what the other 11 blocks will look like. I show up each month and get the next one. ~ I'm really loving my new hobby!

Small Squares Becoming Large Blocks

2006-02-07T08:36:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't hear, yes I finally made a choice and bought a sewing machine. I had buyers remorse for a couple of days, because I really wasn't as informed as I should have been when I bought it, and I was afraid I'd bought the wrong one. However, it's working fine for me, and each time I use it I like it more. My quilt top is coming along. The piece work is a total of 48 blocks, each block made up of 10 little squares. Then a couple of borders will go around the outside of those. As of last night, I have 24 blocks completed and sewn together. This is SO fun! :) Creativity in color and shape ... hey .... a lot like PSP. :)

Buying a Sewing Machine

2006-01-31T10:28:00.000-08:00

You know, buying a sewing machine shouldn't be so tuff. After two trips to the shop, and about three hours, I came away feeling like I was being conned by a used car salesman. None of the machines had a price tag on them. I had to ask the price of each. The top of the line that she spent tons of time telling me about and getting me all excited about ... was only $9000!!!! Can you believe that? Good grief!! I said "very nice, but WAY out of my budget. What cha got for under a thousand?" She showed me a nice machine that does what I need and more. "How much?" I ask. She says "I'll have to go check". Why does that ring of "I'll have to go show this to my manager" at the car lot? sheeeeeeesh She comes back and says $699. Well, still more than I had in mind, but I guess I could make a few payments. Still not sure, so she says she'll write the info down for me, so I have it when I come back. The slip says regular price $1499, sale price $799. Now wait. You said $699. Ohhhh that was the old sale price that's not in effect now. hmmmmm okay this still looks like a pretty good deal. I go online, at home, to compare prices. Another road block. I'm finding lots about sewing machines, but no prices. I go to the Pfaff site. There's the machine I want. No prices. Is this a conspiracy? Do I even know how to spell conspiracy, yet alone recognize one when I see it? I find my model a couple of places on the internet that say MRSP is $999. Crud. I really really reaaaalllly feel like I'm getting ripped off here. So .... no new machine for me until I figure out how this all works. LIke I said ... it just shouldn't be this tuff to buy a sewing machine.

Mission Statement

2006-01-29T17:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Small Ripples in the Pond. It's my intention to keep a record here of the projects that I am currently working on, and to share anything to do with the creative process. I've recently returned to quilting, which I barely began about 15 years ago. Having taken a beginning quilting class at that time, I became discouraged when I tried to hand quilt my project, and it ended up on the shelf for 15 years, with the intent of someday finishing it. I also dabble in sewing, knitting, crocheting, and card making.