A little of this and a little of that! Mostly this:

and a bit of this:

This is the best bread I have ever made! It was from a French bread recipe but I didn’t let the crust get too crusty. We like it soft .

And finally, I managed to get this pittle piece quilted last week:

Here is a close up of the quilting:

I liked the way it has turned out so far. I still need to finish the edges and I intend to do this with a facing. Click on the “Tutorials” link on the side  if you are interested in my facing tutorial.

Back to a movie and my sock knitting! Until next time…

I got a new sock knitting book! Here it is:

This book had an interesting idea called an “After thought heel.” The idea is that you knit a tube but use a piece of waste yarn where the heels goes and then come back and knit the heel later. I like this idea. I would like to try a sock with a pattern and I think it would be easier to do if I only had to think about the pattern and not the heel at the same time. So I decided to try this out. This is what it looks like when you knit across the number of stitches you need for your heel with saste yarn and then knit across these same stitches with the regular yarn to make your tube:

Then you insert your needle in the stitches on one side like this:

Next you begin to pull out the waste yarn (red) and pick up stitches on another needle like this:

When you have pulled out all the waste yarn and picked up the live stitches, you can knit in the heel and end up with something like this (depending of course on how you knit your heels):

I need more practice on this. The heel I did required the dreaded Kitchener stitch that I also need to practice. I think I like this plan though. It is definitely worth working on. It would allow me to work mindless rounds anywhere and focus on the harder parts when I am home and can concentrate.

JoAnn’s had a great sale on sock yarn and then I got an extra 20% off coupon. So this is actually the FIRST time I bought actual sock yarn for knitting socks! I was always freaked out about using wool but thanks to some encouragement from Melody at Fibermania, I decided to take the plunge!

Thanks Mel! Here is the first pair I started using Deborah Norville’s Serenity which is a blend of merino wool, bamboo, and nylon:

As you can see I have a very long way to go! It takes a while on size 2 dpns! Whew! I think that is about enough for one post! Until next time….

….both since I have posted and since I have done any sewing! I went back to school this fall for an advanced certificate in Chemical Processing. Back in the day, I got a BS in Chemistry with a teaching certificate and then I stayed home with my own kids for the next….ummmm…..number of years .  So now that my youngest is a sophomore in high school and the other three are all in college, I decided to get ready to go back into the work force.

I have been enjoying my classes but it seriously eats into my creative time! Actually, it isn’t the time so much as the fact that my brain is too tired when I do have time that nothing much creative has happened.

So a few weeks back, I decided to take some of my free motion trees and make them into cards:

Last weekend, I made a few postcards but didn’t take any pics yet. Today, I was thinking about the delicate balancing act of being mom, wife, student etc. This led to this simple piece:

It measures approx. 9″ by 21″ so it isn’t very big. I am going to make it my goal to quilt and finish this piece by Sunday night.  My dear hubby bought me a new camera recently and I am very pleased to say that these colors are pretty true to life! The picture above was taken with my old camera and should be a brighter purple than the pic shows.

I have another idea for another small piece…..maybe I will get back dow there again tonight! Until next time….

I decided to do one more little “sketch” before calling it a day. It seems that as soon as I sit down at the machine, all my doodling ideas fly out of my head and I draw a complete blank. Oh well, it isn’t much but at least I did something.

Not sure what I will do with this, I might cut it apart and use the pieces for cardmaking The edges are unfinished but I wil probably finish them with paint if I use it for cards.

Now back to pondering the baby quilt!

Okay, I finished the traditional mini tumbler made from repro prints. It was a beautiful day to sit out on my park bench and hand stitch the binding. Here is a picture before washing:

And here is what it looks like after washing:

The biggest difference can be seen in the borders. I use Warm and Natural batting which is 100% needle punched cotton. I love the way it softens after washing.

I am really pleased with the free hand feathers in the border but I can see here that I have a lot of work to do when it comes to photographing my quilts. These pics look washed out and definitely not as crisp as I would like.

I have a baby shower to attend on Sunday and haven’t even started the baby quilt yet. I better at least decide tonight what I am going to do!

Until next time….

I used to make only traditional quilts, my favorites being scrap quilts with reproduction or real vintage fabrics. I still love these but in the last few years have moved into more of an abstract arty style. Yesterday while surfing the net, I came across some wonderful blogs that reminded me of my roots in traditional scrap quilts. There is a lady named Lucy who lives in the Netherlands and I spent a number of hours (yes, hours!) yesterday enjoying her blog as the rain poured down outside. Here is the link to her site called Quilting the Past. SHe inspired me to dig out some scraps and make a vintage style miniature quilt.

The tumblers are 1 1/2 inches high and the whole top is about 15″ x 20″. This shows machine quilting on my favorite machine, a 1955 SInger Model 201:

I am actually a bit farther than this now. I stitched the tumblers in the ditch and then free handed feathers in the borders. I am using a repro yellow for the binding. I should have a picture of the finished product tomorrow.

It does feel good to start and finish a project in one weekend! That doesn’t happen very often these days. I also knitted half a sock on a trip to IKEA Friday so this is the most productive fiberwise I have been in a long time!

Until next time….

Thanks for the comments on my last little piece! I was encouraged to try a bit more tree sketching. I have never thought I was any good at drawing so it was a bit scary to try sketching at the machine without a pattern or anything to follow. But since I was working on small scraps of fabric and batting, I didn’t have anything to lose but time. This is what I ended up with:

Here are closeups:

I used light blue thread for the trees ( because it was already in the machine ) and again finished the edges with silver paint. Looks like it is time for me to clean my cutting mat!  The sizes are in the 4 1/2 to 6″ range. 

Until next time….

I spent a little time playing tonight and came up with this:

It measures about 6″ x 10″ and is actually straight. I took the pic with it hanging on my little wire clothesline in my sewing room so it isn’t flat against the wall and wants to twist. I started with a piece of hand dyed fabric and chalked in the tree trunk and moon. Then I machine quilted followed by a bit of Shiva paintsticks on the trunk and moon. Finally I trimmed and finished the edges with a bit of silver acrylic paint. Now I am deciding if I like it enough to frame. It was an experiment. I rather like the tree except for the branch on the left side, way too thick and no idea how to fix it. If I trim it off, the rest of the tree is too far to the left. Hmmmm……. The moon is more golden than I would like but my selection of paintsticks is VERY limited. I went over it with white but it didn’t lighten it much.  Any ideas, thoughts, critiques?

Until next time……

 A Peek Inside the ObamaCare Bill

I don’t normally use my blog for this kind of posting but so many people are in favor of the healthcare bill and do not even know what it actually says. We must be INFORMED no matter what side of the issue you are on.

Here are a few items in the Healthcare bill you may not know about. I sure hope our reps have read this. This is a quick inventory from Family Security Matters. But please, do not take my word or their word for it, at the bottom of this note is a link so you can read the actual healthcare bill FOR YOURSELF.

I urge everyone pro or con to urge their reps to READ this before voting. You owe it to yourself and this great country to BE INFORMED and to insist that your reps are INFORMED!

Pg 22 of the HC Bill mandates the Government will audit books of all employers that self insure.
Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill — a Government committee (good luck with that!) will decide what treatments/benefits a person may receive.
Pg 29 lines 4-16 in the HC bill — YOUR HEALTHCARE WILL BE RATIONED!
Pg 42 of HC Bill — The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you.
PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill — HC will be provided to ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.
Pg 58 HC Bill — Government will have real-time access to individual’s finances and a National ID Healthcard will be issued!
Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Government will have direct access to your bank accts for election funds transfer.
PG 65 Sec 164 is a payoff subsidized plan for retirees and their families in Unions & community organizations (read: ACORN).
Pg 72 Lines 8-14 Government will create an HC20Exchange to bring private HC plans under Government control.
PG 91 Lines 4-7 HC Bill — Government mandates linguistic appropriate services. Example — Translation for illegal aliens.
Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Government will use groups, i.e. ACORN & Americorps, to sign up individuals for Government HC plan.
PG 85 Line 7 HC Bill — Specifics of Benefit Levels for Plans. AARP members — your Health care WILL be rationed.
PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill — Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid. No choice.
pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue Government on price fixing. No “judicial review” against Government Monopoly.
pg 127 Lines 1-16 HC Bill — Doctors/ AMA — The Government will tell YOU what you can earn.
Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees into public option plan. NO CHOICE.
Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families.
Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from individual taxes. (Americans will pay.)
Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Admin ( th e GOVERNMENT) will have access to ALL Americans’ finances and personal records.
PG 203 Line 14-15 HC — “The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax” Yes, it says that.
Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill Government will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.
Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill — Doctors — doesn’t matter what specialty — will all be paid the same.
PG 253 Line 10-18 Government sets value of Doctor’s time, professional judgment, etc. Literally, value of humans.
PG 265 Sec 1131 Go vernment mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.
Pg 317 L 13-20 OMG!! PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Government tells Doctors what/how much they can own.
Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion — Government will mandate hospitals cannot expand.
Pg 354 Sec 1177 — Government will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs people!
PG 425 Lines 4-12 Government mandates Advance Care Planning Consultations. Think Senior Citizens end of life prodding.
PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Government provides approved list of end of life resources, guiding you in how to die.
PG 427 Lines 15-24 Government mandates program for orders for end of life. The Government has a say in how your life ends.
PG 429 Lines 10-12 “advanced care consultation” may include an ORDER for end of life plans. AN ORDER from the Government to end a life!
Page 472 Lines 14-17 PAYMENT TO COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATION. 1 monthly payment to a community-based organization. (Like ACORN?)

This bill would drive unemployment, taxes, and the deficit through the stratosphere. It would turn hospitals into the DMV, dramatically reduce our access to healthcare, let bureaucracy decide when it’s time for us to die, and guarantee that no one in his right mind goes to medical school. As for the damage this would do to individual liberty — I’d rather not go there.

If this nightmare bill isn’t Obama’s Waterloo, then it’s America’s.

PLEASE READ THE ACTUAL BILL AT:

http://tinyurl.com/mqswlo

8-3-09 ADDENDUM TO POST: I received an anonymous comment (I don’t approve anonymous comments as a rule) that I really wanted to respond to here. The commenter said : None of this is true.” and left a link to a web site which claimed to refute all the above claims.  I did go to the site and read the article there. I found it utterly fascinating that the body of this  article itself in fact, agreed  that over half  of these things are true! The link is here if you are interested (http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/jul/30/e-mail-analysis-health-bill-needs-check-/) but that is missing the point.

The critical point here is NOT to take info from me, another website, or even the House Summary of the bill but to READ the actual bill itself and make up your own mind if this is what you want. This is what I did. I would not post the above claims if I did not go to the actual document and read it first. I believe these things ARE true. You are free to believe differently, that is what makes this country great. At this point, we still have that freedom…..

Again, my point is not to convince anyone of anything here but to urge anyone and everyone to READ the bill and demand that your reps do so as well.

Next post is back to quilt art which I hope to do some of today ……However, at the end of the day, this is my blog and I retain the right to add postings about anything at all that outrages me, moves me, makes me cry or laugh hysterically, or just gets my dander up. So, I appreciate those who read and take what they wish from this blog as well as those who choose to leave graciously after deciding this is not for them! This will remain a blog primarily about my artistic pursuits but you have been warned that approximately one post out of 50 may read otherwise!

Have a wonderful day all!

This past week, my youngest daughter and I traveled from Michigan to Wisconsin to visit family. THis is a picture of the lighhouse at Manistique, Michigan:

Michigan really is lovely! I took the next picture on the walkway up to the lighthouse:

What a wonderful picture of perseverance!

Thanks to everyone who left comments on spurring creativity. All were wonderful ideas and so I had my daughter randomly choose the “winners.”  They have been notified by e-mail and I cannot wait to see what they come up with for the hand dyed dogs!

Tomorrow, we are making the long drive home to Michigan and real life. It has ben great fun seeing family again but I am missing the kids and hubby I left at home!

Until next time…