Bonsai and Blocks

Well, we've had more rain and even some snow today.... when will it end and become spring! The daffodils are blooming as are the cherry trees but when I saw snow in the rain this morning I nearly went back to bed and hid! But since His Highness, Sir Levi, thought it was time to get up, we did. That dog thinks he runs the house..

And what am I accomplishing today? Not much other than working on the blocks for the sashing on the pot quilt. I have 10 done... well not totally done... they still need the setting triangles added to it, but I figured I'd make the 113 blocks first and then add the triangles. Spent most of yesterday afternoon cutting 1" strips of the coral and turquoise and then sub-cutting them into 1.5, 2.5,3.5 and 4 inch pieces. And now am starting to figure out the process for turning all those dang little strips into these blocks. Sort of mindless sewing but it's going to look great.

Monday we took a drive to Federal Way and the Weyerhaeuser campus to see the Pacific Rim Bonsai gardens before they close to the public on April 1. This absolutely stunning and valuable collection of bonsai is being closed due to the economy. Why couldn't the execs at Wyrhsr just take a cut in their bonuses to keep this collection going. It's a wonderful place to visit and so inspiring. Managed to take a few pictures and had fun playing with them in Photoshop. I'll miss the garden...we always enjoyed taking our visitors to see it. Some of the trees are over 1,000 years old.. evidently there is an auction of 50 of the trees on June 6th.. Gene wants to go and see it... would be interesting to watch the bidding. The time and care that goes into bonsai is amazing and I just think it's terrible that we will be loosing this wonderful space and place. Hopefully whoever buys them will treasure them for many more years. Maybe I'll try this in my old age...add it to my bucket list!

Sure and Begorra - The Blocks Are Done

Well, they may not be Irish but they are done! I should raise a Guiness or three to that milestone.

Finished all the embroidery on the 12 blocks about 11:00 last night - Love, love, love the Kokopelli block. Now I need to find fabric for the sashing and borders. Long story...

Also need to take a break from this one, whilst I search for fabric, and make a quilt for the soon-to-be-born daughter of our real estate agent. We met Jen many years ago when she was holding an openhouse across the street and we've kept in touch since then and she will handle the sale of our Seattle house when we're ready. She's given us tons of advice and I thought it would be fun to do something for her....so of course, a baby quilt. I found 8 blocks that i had done for some earlier project and they are perfect for a little girl so I'm mixing them with some baby duckling fabric and making up as I go along. Nothing spectacular... but we wanted to thank her somehow for hanging in with us so this seemed perfect. no pictures yet.

So now on to the contiuning saga of turquoise, coral and black fabric. Ah, Cherrywood's would the perfect fabrics but they are so expensive... I'm going to mull this over, over a Guiness..or a pint 'o tea!

2 Blocks Left - Check This One Out

I finished the Red Clay block today. (Click on the picture to see a larger view) Started it last night and totally I think I must have about 5 hours of stitching in it. Changing thread and bobbin thread is time consuming! Plus my machine was acting up...I'm sure it's not me! Anyway, after several unkind words, at one point, I just un-threaded it and re-threaded it and took the bobbin out and put it back in (sort of like re-booting the computer) and then it played nice! And this episode was at the end of the process...

Love, love, love this block. Just adding the thread designs has made it spectacular. The color in the pictures is fairly close but you don't get the depth in a picture. Betty said when she quilts this she will trapunto the pots... they will really "pop".

So now I have two more to do, hoping to get them all done this weekend. Then I need to decide what kind of beads/stones/etc I will add to the eyes and a few other places. Oh, yeah, and then on to the sashing blocks...all 103 of them. Would be nice if I actually had fabric picked out for it.

Weather is perfect for quilting today...i.e. RAIN and WIND! Yesterday was gorgeous..sunny, warmish, really great.

Pot Update

Progress is being made.... I have 8 of the pots embroidered! 4 more to go. It gets easier as I do them but the last four are the hardest of them all...lots of details. But I can see the end... have decided that rather than fuss with trying to get my Bernina to do the eyes and flower centers, I'm going to either use hot fix rhinestones or some sort of metallic "beads" - saw some that will work at the Sewing Expo so I think I'll use that sort of thing. Not a lot..but they'll add another dimension.

Still need to decide on the sashing pattern. Am going to use some stash fabric and make up a few of the blocks the pattern suggests and see if I like them or not. And will try a brown/black color instead of solid black which is too harsh for my taste...

..more snow today but it came in the form of ice/sleet/snow and now rain... been snowing up in the mountains I guess but we really haven't gotten much of anything to worry about!

Still planning on a trip to NM right after Easter and I'm actually making some progress on cleaning and emptying and tossing and donating stuff. Still way too much stuff !! And in all the mess I've managed to loose my watch... it'll show up but for now... oh well when one is retired, one does not need a watch.

Relatives

Well, Miss Froggy has found a sister, or mother, or aunt...we're not sure. But "she" lives in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. As you can see from the picture, she obviously has led a different life...an inside life... out of the sun. Miss Froggy is demanding a makeover so we'll see what happens. They both have Westies to love them though.

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini

Acckkk... it's a frog in an "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"...and why you ask? Well, she's a family heirloom. Which will surprise all my family that reads this.

Many years ago, when my mom and step-father lived in South Texas, a friend of my mom's gave her this ceramic frog . Originally "Miss Froggy" was wearing a yellow polka dot bikini, but time and sunshine and age got to her. I "inherited" her and now she's going to go and live in New Mexico with us. If you look closely, you'll see she has acquired the Seattle suntan...green moss - from living outside on our front porch.

In order to prepare MF for her next journey, Gene filled her with concrete and a steel tie wire for some structural strength, as along the way she has also "lost" a couple of parts that glue doesn't seem to hold. Her bikini is faded (no spots) so I will eventually paint some dots on it.... But she will have a place of honor (quit laughing) at our new home.

As Kermit the Frog once said "It's not easy being green".

Pizza Party

Last night we watched the Oscars and had home-made pizza for supper. For some strange reason, I decided to make pizza "from scratch"... used a recipe from Trio's in Boston for the dough and for the sauce/toppings used a really old recipe from a good cook in my home town - have had the recipe for more years than I'll admit. OK - Elvis had not left the building yet when I got this recipe. Anyway, in order to save calories (HA!) I used Italian sausage made using chicken. Couldn't tell the difference. The sauce uses tomato paste and tomato soup...not exactly a real Italian tomato sauce but easy and what did we know back then in northern Minnesota!! Pretty good all around and cheaper than ordering from the pizza place.Best part of our Oscars' party - Hugh Jackman!! Oh, yeah, the pizza was good and we're having leftovers tonight for supper.

SSCC Arboretum

There is a wonderful arboretum at South Seattle Community College and Thursday, after I met with the unemployment folks down there (yup, still no job) my trusty Canon 30-D and I went over to take pictures. The sun was out and it was a great place to wander around and practice. Got a few good pictures but of course the joy of digital cameras means you can take many many pics and not worry about the cost of developing them !! I had fun with Photoshop too on some of them afterwards.

And yes, I'm still looking for a job. Me and a few hundred's of others.

If you want to see all my pictures from the arboretum, here they are: (If you want to slow it down or stop it, hover your mouse over the picture and the controls will show and you can change the speed) Also, if you want to see the pictures in a larger size, just double click on one of them and you'll go to the album site.

Bread and Flowers

No - not flour! That was in the last post...this is "flowers" as in crocuses (crocii? ) that are blooming in our front yard. I wandered out with my 30D and tried to get some pictures of the first flowers to bloom... and then I got "lost" in Photoshop and voila...several minutes later... there are pictures...had to post them just to see how they look and for some "cheerfulness" today. Hopefully tomorrow will be just as nice. If the weather is good, I'll take my camera along to my meeting and then go across campus to the arboretum again and take some pictures. Without dog or husband. Dog is staying home, husband will be in class.

Beer Bread

OK - today was sunny, warmish, just a gorgeous spring day in Seattle. So did we go for a walk? No. I worked on some files for my appointment with the unemployment dept tomorrow - going to talk about getting approved for training so that I can still collect unemployment but don't have to look for a job. Not sure how that will go but I got my paperwork in order. Also sent my resume out to 3 places.

Then I baked bread. It's a great thing to do to work off frustration - so I used a great recipe for Beer Rye bread...makes four round loaves and includes 3 C of beer (used ESB Ale) and also molasses, orange zest, caraway seeds, etc. Sure makes the house smell good. It's an easy recipe although you do have to be prepared for it since you need beer and caraway seeds...which are not always in the cupboard. But today they were.... at some point in the day I thought maybe I should just have drunk the beer instead of putting it in the bread.!!

Not much else happening around here. Had a great walk at the SSCC Arboretum yesterday after we went to Rockler's to get a wood "medallion" for the back of my rocker. We had Levi along and he really enjoyed the arboretum....wow, so many things to smell and dig... he was in doggy heaven. It's really a nice spot and just the right size - not so big that you get lost or exhausted or overloaded with what you are seeing. Gene is taking a Conifer class at SSCC so he was using the time to identify the trees and learn what more of them are. It was fun.

OK - bread is cool enough to cut and taste now!!

Sunshine on My Shoulder....etc etc

Yes, sunshine today...wind was still cold down on the waterfront but over on the Vashon side it was nice... sunny and not as windy. So Levi the Magnificent and I walked for over an hour. He was very good...got to meet another Westie named Larry. They seem to "recognize" each other .. not sure if all breeds do that, but Westies sure seem to.

Went shopping today and found a great red cashmere/wool coat at Nordie's for 40% off.... just what I've been looking for...can wear with jeans or slacks or even a dress/skirt (as if I ever wear them). So that was fun. Gene and I went out for Valentine's Day dinner tonight...beat the rush! at our favorite Turkish restaurant Ephesus. Yummy as usual and much less crowded than the Hallmark Holiday crowd!

And such fun - Gene and I went to Hardwick's hardware store over by the UW and I "spent" my gift certificate. What girl has a husband who gets her a gift certificate to a hardware store? I do and I love it - it's been there for years and seems to be totally unorganized but they know where everything is and what everything is. Lots of used items and lots of fun to wander around the uneven floors and narrow aisles. Never even knew that they have furniture and after looking at all my options to spend my money, I found this wonderful unfinished wood rocker...I've been wanting one for ages so we brought it home and Gene will varnish, or whatever, it when we get to NM. I've got the perfect fabric in my stash for seat and back cushions. Such fun. The ears? Levi of course had to check it out in the living room.

Got two of the pot blocks stitched and have to admit I don't see as much difference in them as I thought I would. Maybe I need to re-think some of the thread colors. But progress is being made.

Busy day but nothing exciting!! Just a nice sunny day in Seattle for a change!!

SNOW!! School Starting Late!!

Yup, it "snowed" last night.... about 1/8 inch..maybe 1/4 inch.... and Seattle is delaying the start of the school day!! This is too funny for words... maybe garbage pickup will be delayed too??? What a hoot!! You can almost see the snow...

Here is the announcement in the school district's words:

February 9, 2009: All Seattle Public Schools will start two hours late today and buses will operate on regular routes. Due to weather concerns, all schools will start two hours late today. Buses will operate on regular routes. There will be no door-to-door service, no Head Start and pre-school, and no half day a.m. kindergarten or half day p.m. kindergarten. Full day kindergarten classes will be in session with a two-hour start delay. There will no before school breakfast service available.

Good laugh to start the week! The sun is shining and what was there is gone.... this city is ... well, I can't think of an appropriate word at the moment!!

Company Coming - Better Get a Bed

Oh dear - we are going to have to do something about beds for the NM house...Bev, Barb and Carol are coming to visit the end of August... I guess the piles of fabric, covered with a quilt, won't do.... hmmm...darn, there goes that idea of decorating simply and green !! Tee Hee!! Let's see, we'll have the hide-a-bed and a double bed for them.... and we could set up a tent in the back yard. And we do have one of those air-beds too. Never fear, ladies, something will be available for you by then!! Come on down! Slumber party time.... Levi can't wait to see y'all!!

A Comfy Guest Bed

When thinking about our guest room in the LV house, I found this suggestion on the web and thought it might have some merit since most of my friends are quilters? Not sure about the rest of the folks who might visit...maybe they'll have to stay at the Holiday Inn Guest Room or the Santa Fe Inn Guest Room rather than the Casa Levi Guest Room.

Why buy a whole piece of furniture for an occasional use? Just stack your fabric stash to create a guest bed when company comes to visit. If you have a guest who likes a firmer mattress, slap your rotary cutting mat on top. If they like a softer mattress, top it with some batting. It saves raw materials, and you don’t need an extra room to store the bed even when it’s not in use.

Thread, Thread and More Thread

Not only does the pot quilt require lots of different fabrics, it also needs LOTS of colors of thread for the stitching. I went to Joann's on Wednesday and got several spools of thread and am now starting to pull spools from my thread stash. I'm sure I'll have to go back to get more....and after this, may never have to buy thread again. Yeah, right! Anyway, got the first block stitched...the Zuni Black on White block. It only required satin stitching and three colors of thread (gray, white and black) so it was a good one to start with. Finally got the Bernina to play nice and got my settings worked out for the satin stitching. It looks good and I am admitting that all the points are not perfect!!

I talked with Betty Standiferd at Southwest Decoratives about quilting my project. She is the designer of the pattern and the long-arm expert at SWD so I figured she'd be the most logical one to do it. She quoted me a really fair price and also gave me some tips on the stitching and the sashing. We had a nice, long talk and I feel like I can actually finish this thing. She also told me she was designing 8 more pottery blocks...can't wait to see those... Also the designs have been digitized by another person and Betty can stitch them onto fabric that I could make pillows from. Like putting them on Ultrasuede and making pillows for a bench or couch in the great room. What a cool idea.

Why doesn't anyone ever have thread sales?

Done!! with the 1st Step

Yahooooooooooooo............... I finished all the blocks. The last one nearly drove me to cracking open a bottle of something! But I muddled thru and got 'er done! Now to start the stitching on each one. Satin stitching around most of the designs with some decorative stuff added in also. But that means another trip to the fabric store for some stabilizer to use when I stitch the outer edges of the pots.

They really do look great and i think the hardest part is done. Still don't really want to face the sashing/border blocks but like Scarlett "I'll think about that tomorrow" or the day after I finish the stitching.

Saturday Night Excitement

NOT! We must be getting old...went out for supper tonight at Charlestown with all the other old folks in town.... :) and ready for sleep at 9:00 although I did sit up and watch Miss America..even though Gene told me ahead of time who won! But it was still fun to watch - I remember sitting up and watching it with my mom back in "the day".. some of the talent was pretty interesting back then...trampoline, baton twirling, etc..and the gowns...oh my... like debutantes and virgins! Tee Hee... and definitely no bikinis.

Got one more block done today so there is one more to go. I started working on it but the fabric choices are not feeling right and I need to re-visit the tracings of the patterns. this one has got tiny little pieces and lots of colors - butterflies...and the cutest little green frog...of course I have the perfect fabric for that one. My eyes got too tired and I left it all for tomorrow. Am really looking forward to getting this last one done and then starting the stitching....

Got bad news last night that my sister in law, Carol, had a mastectomy and has to have chemo and radiation. Damn!!! I haven't talked with her, just with David. Will call her tomorrow .. unbelieveable... this means we won't be going down to visit them until later... she won't be having much company..I just want her to get well. Will be asking all my prayer warrior friends to put her on their lists. Both her and David as he tries to be a good nurse! He did say she's a lousy patient...they have an excellent cancer center in Mobile so she's in good hands. God will bless her, I know!!

Off to bed now so I can get up on time to get to church for choir warmup at 8:25. It's cold out and some flurries but here it just seems to be raining.. at least the burn ban has been lifted with this change in weather..

LMS

And blocks to go before I sleep....

Moving the slide show of blocks up to this post to keep it at the top of the blog... so glad I decided to document it.

Making good progress on the blocks but am getting really tired of the messy sewing room. But why clean when I am still cutting and pasting etc fabric and Steam a Seam and making a general mess out of my space!! I have a pretty good process down now, however, so hoping to get all the blocks appliqued by the end of the weekend. Been aiming for one a day.... the hardest ones are all at the end.... then I get to clean up the mess and go on to all the stitching on each block.

Still haven't decided what to do for the sashing... not terribly fond of the one that is in the pattern...especially since it has 130 little blocks to make AARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Have to figure out something different me thinks.

The inaguration is over.... what a day! Can't imagine how tired they all must be... and what is must be like to live in the White House for the two little girls.

More Blocks....

Today is sunny and beautiful here in Seattle. I was determined to do at least one more block although I'm tired and just feel like doing nothing! Oh the life of a "sort of retired" person. Ha!! I have finished 4 blocks now and started the 5th one but am stymied since the picture of the block is not really clear and the directions give me colors that don't appear in the picture. I think it's because so many of the dark colors look black... so it's time to stop for the day and get a fresh start in the daylight tomorrow. Iv'e got #1, #4, #7 and #8 done (counting from left to right on row 1 and then going to row 2) and am starting on #3. The bird looks black but supposedly the body is "green mesh"...whatever that means...

Have to admit that I'm hooked on all the inagural coverage on tv... what a time to be alive. Just realized today that this really is an historic event... I mean, I know it's historic but really thought about it today and came to the realization that we all we've had are white guys for presidents...different backgrounds in life but still all white guys. And here we are with a man who is making us realize that there are many colors in this country and around the world and I just thought it must be great for those who aren't white to see this... hard to explain but he really does reach so many people on so many levels. I'm thrilled... felt that he would be President some day after his speech back in 2004 at the convention... I remember saying that to Gene. Just didn't think it would be this soon. What a heavy burden he is inheriting and certainly needs our prayers and good wishes. God Speed Mr President.

Bountiful Blessings (aka The Pot Quilt) Slideshow Started

Started a slideshow for the pot quilt and hope that as I add pictures to it it will update on this site. Have half of one pot done...need to cut out the rest of the designs for this one today and then start the next... not sure yet if I will do the stitching on each block as I get it done or wait and do them all at once. Probably best to do them as I get done... we'll see....the WIP.