More Details from my Laura Heine's Tomato PIncushion quilt design

These are the final views of the pincushion quilt that I will take until the quilt is finished.  The best part about constructing the top of this quilt is that the the only pattern was the pattern for the big pincushion.  The collage elements are left to the imagination of the quilt designer, and this was the fun part.  Choosing fabrics for the backgrounds, and then deciding element placement was the most exciting part.  I was so lucky to find the fabric with the cute little girl - and I'm sorry, but I don't remember who produced this fabric.  Years ago I designed a watercolor quilt, and enjoyed that designing process so much.  There were fabrics in that quilt that disappeared when everything was put together - I even have a block in that quilt that says BEEF, but you don't see it when you look at the overall quilt.  This quilt is the same way.  There are so many elements in this actual quilt, from scriptures to German writing, to gnomes, to birds, to flowers, etc.  They all go together to make a whole impression that is very pleasing to look at.  Now, if I can quilt it without destroying it, I will be very happy.  Time to go to work!

Monday Noon, January 28, 2018

Amazing blue skies, shadow contrasts, and a peak of the mountains this morning.  This is the view from my back window today.  And we are having a heat wave.  Temperature up to 31 degrees F. today!  The last month and a half have been bitter cold.  Makes me very thankful for a warm home.

A Freckle-faced Coleus Plant to Brighten the Day

My husband, Ron, passed away two years ago, four days short of his 84th birthday.  Yesterday, on his birthday, I was so surprised to receive a phone call from an old friend from our Olympia. Washington days, who now lives in St. George, calling to tell me that as long as he is alive, he will call me on Ron's birthday.  Then a visit from a neighbor, just to chat and check up on me.  And the last visitor was my wonderful, kind (young) neighbor, who brought this plant.  She remembered how Ron was always going to the local grocery store, and purchasing plants and flowers to give to friends for one reason or another.  These remembrances made a lovely day - and the sun did shine, also.  Even one kindness from those around us, or voices from our past makes the day brighter.

More of My Tomato Pincushion Quilt

More details from my collage quilt.  Double clicking on the parts will enlarge.  Perhaps I'll move to more collage quilts - they are really fun to do, and there are no points to match!

The Exalted Tomato Pincushion

I am so thankful that there are such creative people in the quilting world.  The designer for this collage quilt is Laua Heine, who live-in Billings, Montana.  Her imaginative designs sets my creative juices flowing.  My quilt is ready to be quilted.  Here are two detail pictures - one the pincushion, and one the bottom right-hand corner.  A lot of the fun was finding fabrics that could become part of the collage.

Winter and Stuff

The winter has been so cold and bitter.  However, differences between Preston and northwestern Wyoming (Penrose), is that the wind doesn't blow so often or so hard.  Since this picture was taken last week, the sidewalk has been shoveled, and the temperature has been above freezing, maybe 4 times?  So the snow is settling, and each storm has only given us 3-5 inches.  Nothing to worry about.  And, yes, the frosty ground and its heaving has put the sundial out of kilter, so it looks a little tipsy.  Thoughts for today, unrelated to the snow, and from various activities of the day.
#1.  I remember when Penney's had rows of panty hose for sale.  Now, I buy them from the grocery store.  (Is panty hose singular or plural?)  And, there doesn't seem to be any front or back???  And when one leg is in, the second one seems to be twisted....  I about have my compression hose put on easier than panty hose.  Go figure.
#2.  Why are there so few handicapped parking places - and why do people park in the diagonally striped line places, so that others can't unload wheelchair bound persons.  I never used to be aware of this until I became one.
#3.  Bandaids have become so expensive!  Dishwasher soapy water makes for small breaks in the skin on my fingers.  Neosporin and an overnight band-aid cover helps heal.  But there are so many varieties of band aids, and each little box is expensive.  I may still find one that will stay one for a while?  And, no, I don't put lotion on underneath them - just a dab of Neosporin on the spot.  And, yes, I have tried the stuff that seals the cut.  Oh, we'll....

                            My Raised Beds for a Garden-to-be

                     

Last spring, when I told my son, Tony, that I would really like to have a small raised bed to grow a few vegetables without bending over, he put his creative mind to work.  We were having a fence put around our back yard, and he took down the basketball hoop that had been here since we moved to Preston.  We were left with a large concrete pad, and in trying to figure out what to do with it, this became the foundation for these raised beds.  Like all projects of size, this seemed easy to Tony at first, but his original assessment that that the project would be finished in a few weeks, proved to be too optimistic - in all, and between other things, it took about two months to complete. Some input from a visiting brother-in-law showed that Tony was on the right track, and he really worked hard on this project.  I planted the 8 tomato plants that I had optimistically purchased the last of May, and they are thriving - will just have to cover them this fall so that we can enjoy the late crop.  The gardens are waist-high, and there is room for a large garden next spring.  Tony placed a bench at the back, and put a rug in the center - for comfort and looks, too.  Next spring, the drip system will go into the beds, and seeds and plants should make it look good.

My Fairy Garden

This fairy garden sits on my front porch.  My neighbor, Tayzlie, (almost ready for kindergarten) helped me put the moss int he appropriate places.  There are only four plants in this garden, but then, fairies can live on stardust, right?  The house and fairy (an artist) are Mary Englebreight pieces - brightens up the dark corner on my front porch.

Spring Has Come - Sort Of

 All of the tulips are either blooming or ready to bloom, bringing a lot of cheer to this rather dreary, cloudy day.  Pink in the front flower bed.

 Daffodils by the sundial.  (No sun, so they help brighten the day.

 Pansies and violas in the tubs that Mary Lynn planted for me.

 And, tulips in front of the living room window.  All of the bulbs seemed to benefit from the extra moisture we've had this winter and spring.  They are blooming in abundance.

And this tulip is my favorite.  It blooms at the side of the house, and even though it's been planted for over ten years, the blooms are just as large year after year.  As the bloom "ages", it turns lighter and lighter, ending up a lovely pink-white.  I'm so glad we were graced with beautiful flowers.

A Little Change is Good for Us

My living room has now been changed from the appearance of a long bowling alley to a more cozy aspect.  Be sure to click on the picture to see it in full.  Some of my friends and I had a consultation, and this is the result.  I'm a little pleased with myself.  Think I'll spend more time in this room now.

Update on Our Winter

 So much snow yesterday.  No animal has yet walked across our back yard - old prints are just dimples in the snow.

 The snow is so high on our roof - the worry comes when the rains begin, because tenth whole thing gets heavier.  One year, while we were wintering in Arizona, our neighbor decided that we needed to have our roofs de-snowed (a new term).  So, he hired a father and son duo, and they didd a great job.  A friend took a picture of our front yard and sent it to us with the comment, "You can't come home yet - you wouldn't be able to get into your house. "  Truly, the piles of snow came up to the eaves.

 Our wonderful driveway and front sidewalk - cleared three times yesterday by good Samaritans in the neighborhood.

The large evergreen at the corner of our neighbor's lot branches over our land, sheltering the water hydrant.  At least you can see it.

And the Snow Continued On

 We woke up to snow this morning, and, although our driveway had been cleared, it and the sidewalk were once again filled in.  This little statue of a little boy holding a frog is shivering in the cold and snow, with a cap of snow.  We are grateful to be inside, and to have neighbors who are so willing to help us.  Offers to go to the store for us were included.  By tonight, the clearing has happened three times, and it still fills in.  Estimation by those who've lived here forever is about 16-18" here.  Wonder how the mountains are faring?

 The apple tree, which had so many apples last fall, and became the resting place of many migrating birds as they stopped and ate, as do the deer from Creamery Hollow. now wears snow, and looks like a Japanese etching - as does the garden shed below.  The little sun face has hands that are holding a pyramid of snow.

 Fortunately, we can stay inside and keep warm.  This was taken this morning - the table is much higher with snow tonight.

 And, in the midst of this, my $2.25 amaryllis that my neighbor planted for me is happily growing, and will certainly give us a flower or two.

And, with all of this, Happy New Year to all!

The End of 2016 and the Beginning of 2017

 This picture of Ron was taken about Thanksgiving time when Tony and Brianna were here.  Tony put up the Christmas tree and Brianna decorated it.  Yesterday, my friends, Abbey, her daughter, Bobby, and granddaughter, Olivia, came and put everything away.  Last year at this time, I was in the U of Utah Medical Center, and don't know who put away Christmas.  This is beginning to be a habit, I'm afraid.

 This was the view from my hospital bed last January-February.  Ron now has the same view, except he doesn't get a potted flower.  Instead, I made a draft catcher to put in the window sill.  Ron has had this bed and the view which had lots of greenery and flowers beginning in August, 2016.  Fortunately, he could move around the house quite a bit until just recently.

 Ron was in the hospital here in Preston from the Thursday before Christmas until the day after.  His home care nurse, whom we dearly love, and her son Jensen, came to visit us in the hospital - just a friendly visit.  We have so appreciated the home health care that we both have received in this past year.  Now, he is glad to be back home, and we are getting along the best that is possible.

And, to finish this entry, this is a panoramic view of the orchard and Bear River Mountains taken by Tony last winter.  Be sure to click on it to enlarge this one.

The New Rage - Mug Rugs

Larger than a coaster, smaller than a hot pad or a place mat, making rug mugs has really gotten a lot of attention.  I found this pattern on Pinterest, and went to the blog to get directions.  Fun, but like all small quilts, the binding is a challenge.  Maybe I need an adaptation for future projects?  These are the ones that I've been making:

My New Sewing Machine Cabinet - Making Life Easier

Warning:  Dwight and Steve might not be interested in this....As I reach an older age (81+), I wonder how much longer I will enjoy making quilts and playing with fabric.  I made the decision last spring to purchase a new sewing machine - it's wonderful - snips the thread, gives me all kinds of options, semi-threads the needle (doesn't like the size 70 needle that I like to piece fabric with, but I can live with that.)  However, the new machine is much longer than my older machine, and so I was doing make-shift sewing, until I purchased this cabinet from my local Pfaff store - the cabinet is made in Provo, and the lowering and raising of the machine is done electrically!  Love it.  However, the purchase of something like this is like buying a set of large dominoes.  When daughter Julia and her husband Mike came to see us, Mike and I went shopping in Logan, and purchased my cabinet.  Julie and I hurriedly emptied the older cabinet, so that the new one could be installed while we still had company.  Now comes the domino part - Three new drawers to partition and sort and use.  And sort and sort and sort.  After sorting machine accessories, needles, etc., I started working on the tubs of fabric and fabric scraps that we had to move in order to install the new cabinet....What a project.  In my important papers, I found an article I had saved with a way of organizing those scraps  so that they would be more useable.  So, first I sorted according to color, style, etc., and then am dedicating about an hour a day to cutting into fat quarters, l0". 5", and 2-1/2" squares.....Hopefully, we won't have a houseful of company for a while, because the upstairs guest room bed is full of fabric.

 In progress - Organization does not happen overnight.

 This part folds up and is supported by legs that clip into the back.

 The drawers are wonderful - I used storage partitions purchased at the local variety store.

Almost finished!