STONE ANGELS BOOK

 

 

 

I finally finished putting together my book of the stone angels.  This started out as a wallhanging then sanity made me think of where I could put another wallhanging - hence I decided to make it into a book.  I am very pleased with it and it can be displayed on a coffee table quite nicely.

I used the crazy quilt method of piecing and embellishing the blocks but did a lot of Karen Ruane's type of embellishment that I have learned in her classes using lots of french knots, bullions and web stitches.

 

This was a fun project to do.  I now have to finish a book I started of our 50th. anniversery card collection.  I just have to do a cover and then put it together.  After that I am going to do one of Karen Valentine's lace books from her class that I signed up for.

 

I am still working on my old linens squares that I have decided is going to be a wallhanging to hang on a large wall in my Florida sunroom.  It will be roughly 60 x 60" and with the 9 foot something ceilings in there it will have lots of room.



STORM

Last Friday night Harv and I were sitting in the family room watching TV and he mentioned that it was raining out and that the wind was picking up.  There were no warnings on TV so I didn't pay too much attention to it.  A little later I heard a bang and didn't think too much about it until I looked out the patio door and all I saw was a tree covering my tea cart and part of the table. It was the whole top of a tree BUT was not one of ours.  This tree had been blown into our backyard with the winds of about 50 MPR.  We only have one neighbour whose yard it could come from and it wasn't from his.   We could tell by the type of tree it was.

We live in a fairly wooded area so it could have come from anywhere.

I commented to Harv that good job it was night and we weren't outside.  Sat. I went out to look and he came around the side of the house and down the ramp to see this tree.  We were both stumped as to whose tree it was.  We went back inside and I was in the laundry room off the kitchen and I heard another thump.  I looked out the window and what do I see but a 20-25 ft. dead branch about 4-5" around.  It must have come down like a spear because it went right thru one of the 2x6 deck boards.  Just thank goodness it had not happened while we were out there.  If it had hit one of us in the head or almost anywhere we would probably not be here telling you about it.  Heaven knows where this came from.  Must have blown up top of our old trees and then worked its way down.  We do have the tree trimmers out every 2 years and they go through the trees and take the branches up and cut off any dead limbs.  We just had it done last year.  Living in trees is lovely and keeps us very cool but I never thought of it as being that dangerous.  Here are a couple of pics.

When we came home from Florida I commented that the deck did not look bad and we probably did not need to power wash it this year.  Well that has changed with all the rain we have had.  Between all the rain and shade from the trees it is filthy.  If it ever stops raining almost every day or night we will get it washed.

2MORE SQUARES

I just finished sewing down the second of 2 more old linens squares.  I still have 4 more of the large side ones to finish.  I am going to have to lay off the piecing for awhile as I am having trouble with my upper back muscles and had a terrible back muscle spasm in the night on Friday night.  I am back using the muscle relaxants for a week or so to get it down.  I think it is all the bending over the counter trying to piece them that has done me in.  Sewing I am sitting at the right height so that should not be doing it.  I hate to stop at this stage but know I have to.  Must find something else to occupy my time.

Here are the 2 pics:

 

 

 

PICTURES

 

 

 

 

 

Here is our 4th boy cooling off from the mid nineties we have been having here in chicago.



GRANDMA TIME

I spent part of last week baby sitting for my daughter so she could accompany her husband to Hawaii.
He had to go for a dinner meeting for one night so I suggested she go with him and spend a week or so.  She did and they were gone last week. I was over with the 3 boys or should I say 4 including the dog.  They are 10, 15 and 18 so were very easy.  The hardest part was the chauffering.  One going to an afternoon camp for a couple of hours (the younest) and the oldest going to a college class at Harper college as he will be a senior next year.  He is taking a 6 week class in information systems to see if that is what he would like to study.  He is a great reader and loves books so there is that avenue also.  I was just worried that I would forget one or not make it in time.  They had different starting and stopping times but I made it fine.  The middle boy was at a soccer camp at Notre Dame in Inidana until Mon. then he was finished for the week.  Their other Grandma came over and did the balance of the week so it was easy for both of us.

My daughter dropped the youngest at camp today then came over to lunch.  She bought me this humongous bouquet of flowers from her garden.  Her hydranges are just gorgeous plus the various lilies and other flowers. She also bought us a box of chocolate covered macadamian nuts from Hawaii.  They will go down good.  She also bought Axel her dog a kiddie pool because he loves to be outside and will stay for hours.  The trouble is she says he goes in the pool then rolls in the dirt and back in the pool to make muddy water.  They empty it and start over.

Here are a couple of pics.

 

Well Blogger is not co-operating.  It let me pick out the pics but will not download.  I will try again later.



FIRST BLOCKS

I spent the afternoon working on cutting up some of the linens and piecing 2 squares.  The top square and the bottom square.  This means the middle is done.  I think that is the easy part.

A also included a pic of one of the prettiest flower I have seen embroidered on the old linen pieces.
The 2 flowers were on a piece of fabric that had been torn off and only the flower parts left.  Thank goodness.  I have included a pic of this so you can see.  I think the way they filled in each petal with white stitching is what helps to set it off.

 

 

 



The bottom picture has to be rotated to the right.  The long lacey piece is the bottom.



LIKE BETTER

I put a cluster of the yoyos on the upper left corner and it does look so much better.  Looked too bare before.

 

Taking pictures and poslting them helps you to see your work so much better.  You look at it with a new eye.









NEW LINENS QUILT

I have put together the beginning of the old linens quilt.  I liked the picture of the gal and have used it for the centre.  To offset it I had 2 identical pieces of old flowers and leaves and put one on top and one on the bottom of the gal.  I am going to put a row of yoyos all around the gal to frame her and in the spaces between the flowers will put a circle of hexagons.

The rows around the centre will be done in a rough crazy quilt type way.  I will be using larger pieces then you would usually so I can take advantage of the pretty parts of the linen.  I will fill in with plain pieces that I can use hexagons and yoyos on them. 

This  at least is my plan. Nothing ever is written in stone so things may change once I start cutting, etc.

Below is a pic of the gal with the piece of flowers both above and below.  Also a pic of this with a few yoyos and hexagons just placed there to see the results.  When I looked at the pic myself I havedecided to do a cluster of yoyos in the upper left corner.  That corner is barer then the others and will need a cluster I think.  Will post as I go along with this project.

Also have just about finished my stone angel book and will photo it and post in a few days.

 

 

 

OLD LINENS

I have spent the last couple of weeks cleaning and ironing my trunk full of old linens.  Most of these were obtained when we had our cottage in Wisconsin with a few from the Florida flea market.

I thought I had better start cleaning out some of my stuff and either using or getting rid of a lot of it.

I have decided I want to make a patchwork type quilt from many of these. Probably have enough to make more then one.  I am going to just lay out a backing fabric - probably an old sheet - and cut pieces and just lay them randomly on the sheet.  Overlapping with pieces that have lace edges.  The good thing is that most of these were homemade and the edgings are cotton crochet of one sort or another.  They are far sturdier then the French laces I am used to using. I intend to just roughly embroider them down with simple stitches and maybe add some yo-yos and possibly some hexagons.

Here are some of the linens.