questions of the day

 

sometimes I sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits

 Questions from Sunday Stealing this week

 

1. Five problems with social media

> it encourages people to think they are more important than other people (opinions)

> people feel free to comment negatively, ignoring society rules that help us get along

> personal info is over shared with others who don't care about the sharer

> lies and hate are written so some people think they are true

> people become obsessed and let it rule their time while ignoring the people in the room

 

 2. A place you would like to live, but have never visited

 Wales and Italy, both in the countryside not in the city

3. Someone who fascinates you and why

The Dalai Llama because his life is about helping others

Dr Brian Weiss as he's uncovered so many people's past lives allowing them to heal in this one, I want to hear more stories from him, and how this affects his life

 

4. Do you have tattoos?  What are they and why?

No

5. A book you love, and one you didn’t.

I love so many books, and mostly it's about the authors so once they write lyrically to my heart I read everything they've written. I love Maeve Binchy's books for their character's honesty. I love Sara Dunnant for her lyricism that engages my mind so that I lost track of time. I loved the Thornbirds, and Sarum and the Harry Potter series, especially love Diana Gabaldon for immersing  me in another time. I love Jude Devereaux for books on time travel. 

I seldom finish books I do not like, so I have a hard time saying negatives. I'd guess the most recent one I didn't like was Crawdads sing.... I went back and finished and was cross about it

6. A fruit you dislike, and why

I love fruit and vegetables. A food I dislike is any strong smelling fish

7. Two words/phrases that make you laugh

from Gillmore girls   "oy vey enough with the poodles already!" and from the little girl I was a nanny for, " lick-sticks" for lipstick and "cuddle-sacks" for culdesac

8. A quote you try to live by

be nice

9. Something you miss

a strong injury free body, a time when people cared about the common good not just themselves, being able to safely dye my hair, being thin.

10. Three weird traits you have

are you calling me weird?  I'd say I am about as neurotic as others but one person's fears are different from another persons, so they call them neurotic.  I have some old superstitious  habits from the mother that are weird... if I forget something and have to go back in a locked house for it, I must sit before leaving.

11. What you wore today

are wearing, cuddle duds fleece leggings with a loose turtleneck sweater that swings below my hips. Or, my uniform on cool days, which we're having 

12. Word/phrase you use constantly

to the poodle, stop barking!

to my husband, what will we have for lunch/dinner

to the world at large, aaaack!

13. One thing you’re excited for

14. Your feelings on ageism

it's a lack of respect of knowledge gained from study time and experience. Everyone will age (if they are lucky) so have some perspective. 

Respect is never misplaced

you can't see the hidden pains people carry, be kind

15. Three interesting facts about yourself

I had to do this exercise at a meet and greet and it was fun to see who was open to sharing unique things about themselves, and who wasn't. ("I'm blond, I'm retired, I live in the neighborhood") (snore) 

I was a wench at the Rennaisance Festival for many years, one of which was as a magician's assisstant

I taught English at Berlitz Language School to people from other countries who moved to FL

I really wish I could travel back to earlier times to see how people really lived, but be able to come back where I know how to cope!

 what would you say?

linking with 

https://sundaystealing.blogspot.com/

sewing Saturday

 

So... sew.... it's Saturday and time to see some of what I've been sewing this week!

RSC color of the month is red, and I love it! Out came the scrap bin and I made the little sweater by appliqueing a strong woman on it!

all the colors so far

I spent several days this week sorting my finished quilts... many many of them that were jumbled from the move. I put them in categories, and number order for lectures, and found a couple UFO's mixed in! 

One of them started at our rental when we were were house hunting, a painted bird Spring piece, I finished! More pics next week when I can get the best lighting, but this is a teaser...

click on the image to see quilting and painted bird, but I hope to do a post on this next Friday! I had a lot of fun finishing it with special binding, quilting etc this week.

I found red scrappy squares and diamonds too... and wanted to turn them into something lovely...

what fun to make improv flying geese, by the easiest technique I've ever done. I made it up so I'll give more details when it's finished. I plan to add on the flying geese style blocks with free form curved insets. 

I found a painted scrap of fabric, cut it into these two pieces, painted in faces to turn the abstract scene into two goddesses. I did stick a couple appliques on too. Then quilted them and they've been looking over the studio this week.

I think the stencil I did over the painted piece had the curliques that turned into breasts 

just a few from the collection

I chose fabrics for 14 tumbling blocks in red and have been stitching while watching tv this week. 

I cut my own papers out of stiff printer paper.

last item to share this week, my kaleidoscope hexie blocks in red!

I asked my resident mathematician to help me figure out why my blue blocks cupped. 

I think the designer was not correct when she said measure 1 3/16" from the side to mark cutting lines... I changed it to 1 1/8th" and when the two 5" squares are face to face, mark in from top right corner, in from lower left corner, and cut on diagonal. Sew the straight edges, open,  and make three sets for each hexie. The colors so far...

So red was energizing for me, in a stressful week of decisions about the vaccines. I painted also and watched cool videos like history of how the first trousers were made and used, animals called capybaras

and listening to the wonderful Detective chopra series on audio books. 

you know how I love elephants..... https://vaseemkhan.com/books/

Linking to

myquiltinfatuation Thursdays

off the wall Fridays
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays 
tgiffridayfinished or not  

http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss

Midweek makers wednesdays 

 design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays 
 slow stitching Sundays

scrap happy Saturdays

I Like Thursday # 243

one of my older quilts

Happy Spring!

 It's time for I Like Thursday... when we share our list of things big and small that we liked this week...

I am writing this on Wednesday, the day before I was to go for my second vaccine shot. I spoke to the doctor's office today and told her of my reactions to the first shot... hives on legs, inflammation, swollen gums and she said not to get the second dose. Especially as it's given in a non medical facility that is not close to a hospital. I am of two minds about this... I need to be protected but my body is not able...She said these are allergic reactions not normal ones.

Thing is folks... we  need the majority of citizens to get the vaccine to make the country safe. If a lot of people refuse to take the offered safety from this deadly disease, then I won't be safe. They will keep it going, and it will continue to morph into variants that are even stronger. 

If everyone doesn't do their best to help, we'll all be unsafe.Just like with smallpox, measles, and polio.

some people  have politicized this disease... just know that even the former president got the vaccine and even says he is responsible for it's development. He had covid but he had access to the Nation's best care, do you? I don't.

 So today while my husband is  standing in line for a shot at safety, I have more research to do to know when, what or how to take a risk at getting a second shot. The doctor said I might handle the J& J as mostly younger women get the blood clots... o.m.g. If I try getting the second dose she said to do it in a hospital. So....

I'll start the party with an older quilt I made to show how to use beads while applique-ing. I used it as a class sample. (I miss teaching)
 

I liked having supplies to make art

I liked watching ink spread on my calendar page

 I liked having ingredients this week to make good things to eat.

 and watching videos like Oprah's Spirit Sunday and Dr Brian Weiss and Shirley MacLaine discussing past lives, I liked TED talks on the roku,

 I liked reading and listening to good stories.

 

This was delightful in every way... a retired detective is given a baby elephant that turns out to be a blessing... it's a mystery set in modern day Mumbai and is read wonderfully on audio. I laughed out loud so many times although it's not a comedy as such. It is funny in the way life is funny. I ordered the next book in the series and started it yesterday. 

I like that when I have occular migraines I have the time to lie down with an ice pack til they pass. I've had 4 in the last week, I believe from people putting down lawn chemicals around us. 

I like that dh found natural fish supplements for our sorry grass

I did a big sort and "organization" of my finished quilts this week, whew! I've made about 250 and kept most of them from king to small wall art. I keep them in order for my lectures mainly, but they got jumbled in the move and I didn't want to do the heavy lifting to sort them. Now they are ready to put on shelves, hopefully allowing me to bring them out on a rotating basis in the house.

I like that we had a couple days of cool weather this week, a respite from the heat that accumulates in the master BR making it hard to sleep

I loved the last episodes of Queen's Gambit, and The Crown, and this season of Brokenwood and Murdoch mysteries that has come available.

I'm tired of my fave tv shows saying they're new when they are repeats (This is Us and Good Doctor)

I liked hand sewing the binding on my painted bird quilt meaning I finished the quilting and it's done! I like hand sewing my tiny tumbling blocks while watching tv. 

I love the color red, color of this month on rainbow scrap challenge. 

Milo's moments

Milo:  I like getting my own pancake, or muffin. When my pawrents have to clean my bad ear they give me treats after. I drag my paws into the ear-cleaning-room, but run to the treat cabinet when done! 

Mama and Daddy love me, even when I put up a fight!

Please visit these fine folks keeping lists and let me know if you posted a list so I can add you in! 

https://quiltingpatch.blogspot.com/2021/05/jaime-things-i-like-0521.html

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/  

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

   http://littlepenguinquilts

https://www.homesewnbyus.com/ 

https://faithtrustandbreastcancer.blogspot.com/ 

https://www.knitbygodshand.com/
  http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  

 

 http://www.piecefulthoughts.com

 craftscaviescontras
https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/   https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/  
https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/   

http://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/

https://100sweets.blogspot.com/

 

the knitty quilter

https://quiltschmilt.wordpress.com/blog-posts/    

Linking to

http://frombolttobeauty.blogspot.com/

off the wall Fridays 

can I get a whoop whoop Fridays 
tgiffridayfinished or not 

Thankful Thursdays pet parade 

https://www.knitbygodshand.com/
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/ 

 

sewing Saturday two finishes both using scraps

 

24.5" X 36"

for this week's sewing round up, I have lots to share! This was finished last week and I am still seeking a name for it! I LOVE the colors and pattern. I got it free on the craftgossip site, it's paper pieced and you must plan colors so they come back together into stars. 

 I used all scraps and the bins are still full.

I quilted it following lines plus some free motion flowers in each star, and followed the diagonal lines out into the borders

I used superior rainbows thread a lot as it's in the same colors. Love that I had a confetti like fabric in stash to use for the binding! 

next up is the pattern by Beth Shibley found here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4Sh3M0tfxM&t=1s)

21" X 31"

She has lots of videos on youtube of free patterns. On this one, I did it her way at first, then as it was too chaotic for me in my scraps, I took out the ancient patriotic bin and thought, lets play with this idea. 

I started with 6" squares, four for each star. All face up, I marked in and down from the upper left corner 1.5" and from the bottom right corner the same. All blocks cut the same, on the diagonal the way Beth showed us. 

 Then I made sure to keep the same fabrics in the corners while mixing the points a bit. Beth did it much more random and hers looked good that way, while mine looked like a quilt in a blender! So I had to instill more order. 

You can see a mixed up one on the bottom left, and ones with more repetition on the rest.

I used up a lot of scraps from that americana collection of mine, but the bin is still full. I had just enough of the binding stripe to do this quilted runner, which will count for my Table scraps entry in July! (you'll see it again folks) 

had to piece these scraps for the backing and piece my batting but waste not want not I say.

both of these need names... ideas?

this week I've been going through my old teaching materials, from the many classes I developed and taught over the years. It's interesting to remember how much work goes into teaching 6 hour workshops and how much fun it was. It felt like I am at a crossroads.... what will I do in future?  How long will I keep all the samples, step outs and hand outs?

Linking to

Midweek makers wednesdays  

design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays

patchwork Sunday                    
oh Scrap Sundays 

 scrap happy Saturdays

paint party Friday...flowers, owls, and turtles

 

It's all about watching paint dry today! Spring is springing from snow to heat around here, the pollen count is high and I painted four small floral scenes to send to friends

Joann in the Netherlands do you see yours?

so much fun to paint on this shape paper (fluid, 140 lb) and I love my #8 silver black velvet brush

I wanted to remember how to paint this owl, so I painted a companion, and here they are in the studio. When I feel safe again, I'll get someone to frame them for me! (click any image to enlarge it for detail)

one morning I felt like exploring light, and using my long narrow paper, and these happened.

I like them so much I don't want to mess them up with more stuff! I used prismacolor watercolor pencils and my waterbrush to blend colors, the white gel pen to paint a pattern on the hanging pot.

I was surprised to turn the page in my Joanna Basford coloring calendar to see this week's sea...

and have been having a good time coloring painting and inking these

this is last week's page and I just love it! She's an amazing illustrator!

it's interesting to me to come and go adding a touch here or there, and seeing how colors look together. 

I thought at first, it says a lot about a painter, which colors are being used the most, but I also know that prismacolor pencils tend to break in a sharpener so you might grind them down more from that. Still... I seem to turn to gold and orange, to lime and turquoise a lot although I am liking the gray and purple to create shadows too.

I think from looking at my artwork you can see I like saturated color!

For my non painting friends, these pencils are easy to use, with sharp points, and if you color a line of two colors next to each other, then dab with a waterpen they will blend in front of your eyes. If you have gone over a color with water, you can recolor on top of dried paint, then dab with water to see a blending that is really pretty.

our new hanging solar lights! Saturated colors

linking to

https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

I Like Thursday #242

 

It's Thursday and I'm starting my list with coloring in my Joanna Basford weekly calendar. I am using my watercolor pencils this week, even had to resharpen them! For the non painters out there, these look like pencils but when you dab water on the colored page the paints disolve and mix like any watercolor paints! Just an easier application.

I color or paint, shadow and highlight on that week's pic all week long!

these white balls turn all the colors of the rainbow when it gets dark, thank you to Rebecca for featuring them on her Friday Likes page (https://www.knitbygodshand.com/)

they constantly change color !!!

 

I tried a new recipe last weekend...

 er... we've been whittling it down daily since Sunday. It's so good, made with sweetened condensed milk cream cheese and chocolate! I used graham crackers to make the crust https://www.backtomysouthernroots.com/sweetened-condensed-milk-chocolate-pie/

did you say pie???

I'm LOVING the audio book playing in the studio this week

set in England during WW2, mainly a story of women and their relationships to each other. 5 women compete for a cooking show, but it's about sisters, and friends, and people you'd be surprised to become friends with. I'll look for more Jennifer Ryan books now.

 I'm enjoying watching this show, taking three families back in time to experience life anew

spring cartoon

I like that I can now see the top of my kitchen desk

 

I love how Milo looks (and smells) after we finish grooming him

Milo: I would like pancakes too Mama, your cooking tastes so good!

Milo's pancakes (what's left) on the small back plate

 

Mama: I gave you a whole one honey. It was just cut into four pieces and you ate it standing up not on a plate

Milo: right, you and Daddy had a plate of food and I had no plate of food so I want one!

Mama: well you had one already and you're not as big as us

Milo: hmmm maybe you should not have so much

Mama: oy... and it had sugar and butter in it, while your dog food has vitamins and protein.

Milo: sugar and butter have vitamins. Vitamin S and Vitamin B!

Mama: uhhhhh not so much, they just taste good

Milo: yes taste good = good, I'll have more please! 

please visit these fine folks keeping lists of likes and join us if you do a list too

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/  

grammajudyb.blogspot.com

   http://littlepenguinquilts

https://www.homesewnbyus.com/ 

https://faithtrustandbreastcancer.blogspot.com/ 

https://www.knitbygodshand.com/
  http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  

 

 http://www.piecefulthoughts.com

 craftscaviescontras
https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/   https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/  
https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/   

http://dreamworthyquilts.blogspot.com/

https://100sweets.blogspot.com/

 

the knitty quilter

https://quiltschmilt.wordpress.com/blog-posts/    
 mmmquilts.com/

Linking to these parties!

Thankful Thursdays pet parade

http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/ 

 

t is for Tuesday

 

Welcome to T is for Tuesday... or chooseday as I say... where we talk about our lives, cooking, drinking and art! 

The above pic is my coloring of Joanna Basford's weekly calendar (little by little it gets colored in thru the week, I'll show the whole scene on Friday!

as to my featured "drink" this week, it's buttermilk that was used to make lovely whole wheat pancakes and a wonderful chocolate cream cheese buttermilk pie!

listening to Kitchen Front while working this morning

whole wheat, cinnamon sugar buttermilk pancakes

I've been sewing and painting, and grooming the poodle this week as my creative work.

Mama did you call me to come have my pancake?

 I found the recipe online for whole wheat pancakes using buttermilk. Do you look at what supplies you have then google what to make with them? I do... and I usually combine several recipes, like the pancakes, I drop in some brown sugar/melted butter/cinnamon crumbles that caramelize in the pan. 

yum

so have a good week, and enjoy this lovely song

 spring.... enjoy this lovely song from the show South Pacific

linking to 

T stands for Tuesday... like a "drink' post