Jeanne's Life

Emma and the Sad Willow Tree

2010-02-17T20:26:00.006-06:00

Before you play this video you need to turn off the music at the bottom of the page. I hope you enjoy it. I did.

Springtime

2009-05-16T13:33:00.006-05:00

Growing up in Utah I loved a song that went something like this...
"When it's springtime in the Rockies..."
That’s all I remember of it. My dad used to sing it when I was very young. It is a love song. It had something about I'll be coming home to you, in it.

Well...

When it’s springtime in Oklahoma...
We get tornadoes and severe Thunder storms.
Luckily we have never been hit by one and the closest one, to do major damage close to us, was May 3rd 1999. It came about 3 miles from us. And it was scary.

Well we had severe Thunder Storms last night and it was the second time this week. I was outside when the Dry line was passing over and took these pictures.
We have had close to a month of rain. It seems like every time we get a bright sunny day it turns into a night of twisters. The hot humid air does not like the cool night air.
That’s what we get for living in “Oklahoma where the wind comes whipping down the plains.”.

But if we didn't have all that rain, we wouldn't have these beautiful flowers.

Purple salvia

Mock Orange. My favorite.

I got cuttings from my Mother's bush in Missouri a few years ago and I haven't killed it yet. I think it is going to live. It has the most incredible smell. I can't wait for it to be big enough to bring cuttings into the house. I just love the fragrance.

Monochromatic Color Challenge Swap

2009-04-30T19:48:00.002-05:00

I actually got this wonderful little quilt-let about a month ago but have been very busy, (my life is about to get even busier) But I must say how wonderful it is. It came all the way from Trisha in Seattle Washington at http://www.tlcstitches.blogspot.com/. She said it represents her spring time which is rainy. I love yellow and red so it is perfect. A big Thank You.

Cowboy Ike

2009-03-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

Creative

2009-03-02T17:39:00.001-06:00

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Sassy Flirty Apron Swap

2009-02-03T17:05:00.002-06:00

Here is the Apron I made for the Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice Sassy Flirty Apron Swap. It is made form vintage fabric from the 50's. It is 100% cotton and Was very fun to make.

New quilt for Four Season Quilt Swap 5

2009-02-03T16:50:00.005-06:00

The rules were you had to use one color family and you could use black white or grey and one accent color. My partner wanted orange or red. Well I thought orange was easier, a greater range of color. I used blak and greenas my accent. She also wanted it to be an autumn quilt. Well this was right up my ally and I loved doing it. It went together so fast and easy, just one afternoon and evening and it was done. I am going to have to make me one now because I love it so much.

A close up of the quilting. As you can tell they are autumn leaves.

Joy to Everyone

2008-12-16T13:04:00.001-06:00

You need to check out this video presentation. It only takes a few minutes but it well worth it.

Josephine Benifite Auction

2008-11-22T10:37:00.010-06:00

This is my niece Josephine. She was born on October 22. Shortly after she was born she was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, or Edward's Syndrome.

She will not live long-trisomy 18 is genetic disorder where there is extra material from the

18th chromosome (like extra material from the 21st chromosome causes down syndrome.) About 95% die in utero. Of liveborn infants, only 50% live to 2 months,

and only 5-10% will survive their first year of life.Josephine has had many blue spells. Because of her condition she will stop breathing.

It seems that anytime her little body is under stress she has difficulty breathing. My brother asked me to make her a burial dress after the first episode.

This was a wonderful experience. I felt so honored to be apart of Josephine’s life,

to sew a dress that instead of being her christening gown would be her burial gown.

(You just can’t find dresses that small. I had to sew a doll pattern.)

Josephine is going strong on 1 month!

My Sister Lucy and niece Angelic are hosting an online benefit to help pay

for medical expenses. Any bids/donations would be great! Check it out here. The auction will start November 26th and last one week.

Check out Josephine's story and her amazing family here.

Hot Drinks for Hot Mommas

2008-10-29T17:07:00.004-05:00

Here is the apron I made for the Hot Drinks' for Hot Mommas Apron swap. The pattern is called "The Sassy Apron" designed by Lucy Byrd.

It is a 2 sided apron for when you are working hard in the house and the door bell rings. You can just whip off your dirty apron and turn it over and you have on a nice clean apron for company. (That is unless you’ve already turned it over once.)

Here is a close up of the fabrics I used. The theme was hot drinks. So I have cocoa cups and mugs on one side, and the other side is dots that can be the foam on top. Then the ruffle looks like the steam rising warmly off it.

Of course I couldn't send it off without 2 of my favorite cocoas, raspberry and amaretto, and a hand made cocoa mug.

The Family

2008-10-27T16:13:00.003-05:00

I just want everyone to know where I stand on this issue. I don't live in California but I do support the idea of the Traditional Family. It is very important to me. Everyone has the right of choice, as long as it doesn't hurt someone else. I would vote Yes to protect the sanctity of Marriage.

The Family: A Proclamation to the World
We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Round Robin Quilt

2008-10-23T17:08:00.003-05:00

Round 3

Spring Fling Round Robin. Just a littl peek so you can really wonder. I wonder what it looks like, I wonder how it will be finished. and I wonder who it will go to.

Ike

2008-09-26T16:09:00.003-05:00

Just when I thought this little boy couldn’t get any cuter he went and got glasses. His mom took him and his sister with her to the eye doctors and they all had their eyes examined. Well Zoë will need glasses in the future but Ike’s were off the chart bad.

This is what his dad said about it…

”We just discovered that Ike is blind as a bat. The eye doctor kept saying, "whoa" every time he made an adjustment. He made a point to let us know that Isaac has more than your average bad eyesight. He's unique. “

He may have gone from future athlete to future Chess Champion but I think he is adorable.

And I miss him much.

Ikie Grammy Loves You!

A Few Fun Things

2008-09-23T17:38:00.007-05:00

I realized that I have been far to busy to do much blogging lately.
So I’ll show you a few fun things I have been doing.

First off here is the apron I made for the Fall round of the

Sassy Apron Swap.

The rules were:
1- A full apron for good coverage for all that holiday baking.
2- Include a hot pad to use in all that holiday baking.
3- A pie recipe to be used in holiday baking

Well as you can see I did homage to the pie.

You can check out all the taste pie recipes I included at my food blog.

After the last round in the Four Season Quilt swap I was feeling a little bad because I was enjoying the challenge and the exchange with other great quilters plus the quilts were small and doable. I was really going to miss the swapping but thanks to Margaret, I found out about her Spring Fling Round Robin quilt exchange.

Again the rules were simple. You made an 8 inch finished block according to the final recipients’ preferences. Here is a sneak peek of the one I did.

Sorry that is all I can show you for now.

I sent off my little block then waited to see what would come in the mail. Well here is the send round. I received an 8 inch block and had to add boarders to bring it out to 13 inch block. Again you just get a sneak peak. (I’ll have to post the final blocks when the swap is over)

I am finding that this is quite a challenge to work off of someone else’s idea, make it your own and still leave it possible for someone else to add onto it also.

Last of all. Last Saturday my husband and I went to the Walnut Valley Guitar Festival. Man was it great. National music competitions etc.

I just wanted to show off what I picked up at one of the craft booths. All I can say is that I wished I had a pair of knitting needles the rest of the day. Noting better then listening to great music and knitting. OH yeah we did snarf a funnel cake with powdered sugar. I guess I did blow the diet for that day.

Summer Quilt

2008-08-15T14:38:00.006-05:00

I received this great quilt from Gwen. It is the last of the Four Season Quilts. I am sad to see the swap come to a close. It has been a fun thing to be a part of. I have gotten 4 wonderful quilts and I feel that I now have a little piece of the world. This quilt has come to me all the way from Germany. Gwen said she picked the fabric up while on a trip to her home country of Brittany in France. She said the fabric it typical Breton fabric. Well all I can say is that I LOVE IT!!!
Gwen has fussy cut little pictures bordered them with blue and yellow. Then she cut them askew and sashed them with red. Look at the detail on the mitterd boarder. Such attention to detail. Great work!

Yellow and Blue is one of my favorite color combinations. My kitchen is yellow and I have many blue things to go in it. This will look great in it.

All these great sea scapes.

This woman just looks sad to me. I wonder if she is missing her homeland. I can tell you I am sure enjoying a little bit of Brittany via Germany.

Catch Up Swaps

2008-07-15T22:36:00.008-05:00

Sorry Sorry Sorry!

I have been really busy this summer. And here is a big reason.

This is Isaac Oscar Petersen (Ike)

And this is Zoë Ingrid Petersen

They are two of my wonderful Grandchildren

that I only get to see about once a year

so I spent a lot of time with them the past 2 weeks.

Well I need to do catch up on the swaps I have been involved with.

Sassy Apron Swap

Here is the Lovley Brandy modeling my summer Sassy Apron . It came all the way from Astralia.
Here is a close up of the details. I just love it. Very cute and I am going to have to gaurd it well from my daughter-in law aka the lovely Brandy

Srcap Fabric Swap

Package #1 came from M. Rivas in Atlanta GA.

This is a close up of one of my favorites.

Pacxkage #2 came from J. Tacy from Weare NH

A close up of one of the treasures.

It was really fun to get these fabrics. I love fabrics! With several of my daughters at home the last 2 weeks I had to really guard them well.
My mind keeps thinking of tots and little clutches and other girly things to make with these wounderful pieces. May be an accent on an Apron or 2.

Thank you all for Playing so nicely with me and being patient while I played with my Grandchildren.

Memorial Day

2008-05-26T22:08:00.006-05:00

My Father passed away January 25th of this year.
Today I went, with my Mother and sister Lucy's family,
to the little cemetery where he was buried.

My nieces and I had gathered flowers from around Mom's home.

We made 2 lovely, mostly wild flower, bouquets.

We placed one on Dad's grave and the

other one my Brother-in-Law's Mother's grave.

It was a good day for remembering.
We had a lovely visit.

Summer's Here

2008-05-23T15:35:00.004-05:00

Summer's here
I'm for that
Got my rubber sandals,
Got my Straw Hat.
It's my favorite time of the year
and I'm glad that it's here.

Just a little song by James Taylor that has been going through my head that last few days.
Well here is my summer SASSY APRON for someone special. But I won't say who.

My sister told me that this was an apron that my Mother's Mother would always make for the Church bazaars when my mother was frowing up. Well I am alwasy up for a chaneges when it comes to sewing so I came up with a pattern using my quilting tools. It was time consuming and I know of alot of ways to make it faster now that I have finished it. But that is for next time.

Clsoe up of the waist band. The one rule for summer was that you must..."The apron has to have some sort of embellishment this time like Ric-rack, fancy trims, decorative stitching, BUT must be washable so NO GLUE.) " Well I used NO GLUE!!! I sewed every thing.

Here is the close up of the hem detail.

I did end up making it revesable. I was just going to line it but if you go to the work of linning it you might as well make it pretty and sassy on both sides.

Fabric Swap

2008-05-14T15:59:00.004-05:00

Tracey at Itching 2 B Stitching is hosting a fabric scrap swap. If she can get enough people to sign up you could get 2 partners. It is open until May 20th. To sign up you need to go over to her blog and get the information and email her. It sounds like a lot of fun. This is a great way to clear out some of your old bits and get someone else's little treasures. You know that one gal's scraps are another gal's treasures.

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T21:26:00.013-05:00

Lenore Wood Bennion

Today is that day that we honor those women who raised us, who gave us of their time and love. I know that I gave my mother fits growing up.

She didn't deserve it.

One of my daughters gave my a little pin that she made when expecting her first child.It was like a little book that folded out and said,

"A woman can only understand her mother once she has become one."

The older I get the more I realize what my mother did for me. I don't believe that you have to actually give birth and raise children to be a loving woman who mothers others. I have known so many women who have never had the opportunity to be mothers who have had such an influence on me and my children. But now that I am facing the dreaded empty nest I look back on my life and am so very grateful to my mother for all that she has taught me.

I just want to thank her.

Because she took the time to teach me to sew when I was 12 years old, (And boy did that take patience!) I was able to sew wedding dresses and prom dresses for my daughters. Mother would make me sew PJ's for my little brothers. She said it didn't matter what they looked like but I needed the practice. She taught me to sew French seams and flat-feld seams. When I was only in Ninth grade she bought me the fabric to make my own coat and helped me make bound button holes. There wasn’t anything I wasn’t confident enough to sew. Because of this I was able to sew anything for my children. At one point I was making every thing they worn except their shoes and socks. …Thanks Mom!

I don't remember how old I was when Mother taught me to cook. I do know that I was baking cookies by the time I was 10 because I cut my finger on a Crisco can lid. I remember Mom teaching me about tsp. tbl. and c., and how to measure Crisco in the liquid measuring cup using water displacement. When I was about 13 Mom handed me the recipe for whole wheat bread and asked me to make it. There was a list of ingredients and no instructions. It is a good thing I had watched Mom enough to know how to knead the bread. It turned out well and I have been baking bread ever since. In fact when my brother Joe the Potter was teaching me to make pots and was showing me how to knead the clay he was quite impressed how quickly I picked up his new technique. It wasn’t until the next time I was making bread that I realized that I had mastered that technique when I was 13.

Thanks Mom for taking the time to teach me to cook. I have fed my family for years now.

My mother raised a large family. There are 12 of us living children. Here we are before the last 2 were born. I just love this picture of us. That is me with wiggly Sam on my lap on the front row. Happy Days.

Here we all are right after my Father's funeral. What a crown of jewels.

Mother went back to school when I was in Jr. High. It took her several years of summer school and night classes but she graduated from collage in August of 1974. I was so proud of my mother for that. She became a kindergarten teacher after me parents moved to rural Missouri. She taught in the public schools until she was 72.

She was well loved but her teaching influence started way before that. I remember Mom reading to us every night when I was growing up. We didn't have a TV in the home for most of my life and this was a great way to keep us quiet for a while. But because of this we are all avid readers. We have had many family discussions on books we have read all the way from Harry Potter to Lord of the Rings. The interesting thing is that Mom rarely read a novel for herself. She said that she felt that her time was too precious so she needed to use it wisely. Mom always read the news paper, Church magazines, Educational journals and all of the National Geographic(not just the pictures).
Thanks Mom for reading to me.

Because my Mother made parenting look so easy and installed in her children the importance of family she now has close to 1oo descendants. Every year she makes a handmade Christmas ornament for her grand children and great grand children.

Octophrost from Christmas 2007
99 Opctopi. You can read about it here and here.

I now am contunuing the tradition with my own grand children.Here is a wonderful 4 generation picture with me, Mom, Madi, and Rachel.

Thanks again Mom for being such a good example to me.

The Wedding

2008-05-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

Well the wedding has come and gone and I think I will live. After the wedding reception was over and we were cleaning up I was talking with some one. (I talked with so many people that day) I realized that we weren’t done until we got home unpacked and put every thing away. So well I almost have every thing put away. So I wanted to share a few pictures. My daughter Josie took the pictures.

Emily and Cousin Katie (Her Maid of Honor)

The Bride, Emily

A Close up of the wedding dress.

The Newly Wed Couple
Emily and Lance

Men in Black

Lane and Braxton, the Best Man

The Father and the Bride

The Mother and the Bride

The Grooms Family

The Brides Family

The Cake.

Spring Quilt's

2008-05-01T21:47:00.002-05:00

Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail

I started this spring quilt in March but then I had to concentrate on my daughter's wedding so I had to put off finishing it till the last minute. But I did get it in the Mail on May 1st. So I just squeaked under the wire.

I did have several people ask me what it was. It is 3 bunnies: Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. They have been over to see Mr. McGregor’s Garden. And here is the finished quilt.

If you look carefully you can see the carrots growing in Mr. McGregor's Garden

Close up of the bunnies.

And the cute little faces.

All the way from Luxemburg

I got this wonderful little quilt from Liliane at addicted
It is absolutely beautiful. I just love it.

What a happy day to open a package all the way from Luxemburg

Her workmanship is just great. I love the colors. I have always wanted to do a log cabin quilt so of course I just love this one.

OH Happy day!!!

More on the Wedding Dress

2008-04-06T20:41:00.000-05:00

So some of you know that my daughter EM is getting married in only 3 more weeks (That makes me a little nervous.), well I have been working on the Wedding Dress for about a month and a half. Remember the Corset!

I just wanted to show that I am making allot of progress. In fact the dress is almost done I am just doing my favorite the embellishing.

This is what I have been doing. I am couching silk ribbon onto the front of the bodice. The dress is made of dupioni silk which has a very subtle sheen.

I first laid ½ inch ribbon on the cross hatching I did and am now stitching it down with silk embroidery thread.

I then took 2 stitches where the ribbon crosses.

You pull it up tight.

Then take 2 stiches the other way forming a cross.

Then on to the next point. I ran the thread between the front and the lining.
This is what I got done in about 6 hours. Not to much left to do right. Oh I still have beads to put on it. I'll show more latter.

Sassy Apron Swap Summer Version

2008-04-02T21:41:00.001-05:00

It is time again to sign up for Lucy's Sassy Apron Swap. It has been a very fun swap and I know you will enjoy if you come and play. But you better hurry because the swap will close on Tax day, April 15th. So head over to The Sassy Apron page and follow the insturctions. Happy Aponing!

Spring Quiltiness

2008-03-28T15:29:00.001-05:00

Well I had to stop work on the wedding dress so that I could get this sweet little thing going. I have loved watching Jude Hill's work and this is inspired by her. I don't think I can come anywhere near her quality of work but I just loved her little bunnies. So I am making a version of my own. I hope it turns out like the picture in my head and is well loved.

Pay It Forward 2

2008-03-16T17:14:00.000-05:00

OK This Picture has nothing to do with Pay It Forward but, Rachel just sent me these wonderful pictures of my granddaughter, Madi,
and I couldn’t help being the Grandmother and show off. You can see my other 2 grand children at "One Was Johnny"

I forgot to include the rules for Pay It Forward. You sign up on my blog and I will send you a handmade craft sometime in the next 365 days. You know that part. But in order to play you must post a "Pay it Forward" on your blog and promise to send a handmade craft to the first 3 people who sign up on your blog. And they send it on to 3 people and so forth. It is just like the Movie
"Pay it Forward"

Now for who would like to PLAY
Angelic is the first!

Mary Lois is second

Miniature quilter
will need to commit to the pay it Forward to be on the list.

Spring Pay It Forward

2008-03-16T00:35:00.001-05:00

Daffodils From My Yard

(For the bit of Welchness in me)

Spring is finally starting to show its head out side. I have been longing for warmer weather. I have had a colder then usual winter this year. I think it is because I spent part of January driving to Utah, then up to Rexburg Idaho, and then home through Wyoming. Needless to say I saw more snow this year then I want to see in a long time. I think I like living in a slightly southern state.

Anyway back to the subject at hand. I was able to get into another Pay It Forward. I was the 3rd person to sign up for Zoesquid's PIF. So now I am offering to send a hand made craft to the first 3 people to sign up. Now you must remember that It will be something in the next 365 days, probably in May sometime after my daughters wedding. So don't be shy and sign up.

Sassy Apron

2008-03-07T16:28:00.001-06:00

It Has Come!!!!

I'm so excited.

I got this wonderful Package all the way from England from Cara L.

I have been checking my mailbox for over a week ever since my sister Lucy told me my apron was on it's way. Well today was the day. I have bee waiting for spring to come. I am sooooo!!! tired of the cold. I know that Oklahoma doesn't get as cold as you in the northern states but I have been to cold this winter. This lovely little apron will be just the trick. I love the pink flowers. The pocket will be just right for carrying my i-pod around in while I listen to Jane Austen or Thomas Hardy from LibriVox. Right now I am listening to Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. (I think I have a new favorite author.)

Here is the reverse side of the apron. The pocket had cute little Lambs on it.
The recipie is for leeek and potato soup. I can't wait to try it. That should help me get over this cold feeling.

Cara sent this lovely postcard of Woodford Halse, in Northhamptonshire. England. I love it. I would like to visit England one day. I have a rich family heritage from the Great Britton.

Also as you can see she also sent me some chocolate. I have always loved Cadbury eggs at Easter and am excited to try this candy.

Thanks so much. This is what makes swapping so much fun.

I've Been Tagged

2008-03-06T16:52:00.000-06:00

The rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (with at least 123 pages)
2. Turn to page 123
3. Find the 5th sentence
4. Post the next three sentences
5. Tag 5 people

“What happened to it?” asked Mack.
“That’s what we don’t know,” said Ceese patiently.
Mack just sat there, looking back and forth between them.
“I was preparing dinner,” said Mrs. Tucker. “I checked in the fridge to make sure there was enough chili for the two of us, and there was.

Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite authors. I have read most of what he has written. This is a great book based on the story from Shakespeare "A Midsummer’s Night Dream".

Now most everyone I know well has been tagged. So I am picking people who I haven't met but have left messages on my blog. So if you ever come looking here again you are tagged.

Happy Reading!

The Corset

2008-03-05T21:46:00.000-06:00

I have been very busy the past month. My daughter is getting married at the end of April and of course I wanted to make the Wedding dress.

After trying on dresses at a bridal store to figure out what style she looked best in, we decided that she looked best in a fitted bodice with at flared skirt. To make every thing look and fit nice I decided that a well fitting corset was a necessity. (Don’t we all want a little help? Just pull those strings in tight.)

EM works nights and I work days. We never see each other, that made fitting the corset very hard. So with the help of Josie we made a duck tape dress form. I then started making the corset and over the past month with a lot of redoes’ I got the pattern right for EM and the wonder is finished.

Now on to the dress.

Sassy Apron Swap

2008-02-26T16:17:00.000-06:00

I feel so good I got my Apron done yester day. I took it to work and got a sweet young mother to model it for me.

This is Liz wearing my reversible spring apron. Note how the angle is carried out in the on-point design with the pocket repeating the folded down corner.

Partner I hope you love this Spring Sassy Apron.

4 Season Winter Quit Exchange

2008-02-06T18:34:00.000-06:00

It came!!!

My four season winter quilt came.

I am so excited.

I received ths great little quilt from Dannielle. The colors are cool and very wintery and I especially love the embroidered snow flakes.

Thank you,Thank you, Danielle.

I love it and my daughter is trying to steal it and take it back to Africa with her.

I'll have to hide it really well!

Once there was a Snowman

2008-01-15T22:31:00.000-06:00

Well it feels very good to get this done!!!! I knew that January would be very busy for me so I started this 1st thing after Christmas and have worked on it in my spare time. I really had to step out of my comfort zone with this design. I had a whole different quilt in mind till I got my partners preferences.

All appliqué are made of wool and machine appliquéd.
The quilting is quite primitive. All quilting is done with pearl cotton, so needless to say all the knots are showing on the wrong side. Sorry partner but that's part of the charm.
I had to add the promise of spring with this cardinal. I watch the Cardinals feed outside my kitchen window in the summer.
Close up of the 2 appliqué styles.

Here in Oklahoma we have been enjoying wounderful temps. in the 50's to 60's. Well tonight a cold front is cmming in and we should get snow.

Sassy Apron Swap - Spring 2008

2008-01-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

My sister Lucy has started an apron swap. It will bu fun to join. So if you love aprons then this is the swap for you. Read all about it at this site.

The Apronista: The Apronista Vintage Apron Giveaway

2008-01-06T11:15:00.000-06:00

Apronista is giving away this wouderful book. If you love aprons then it's a must have. You can enter to win at the following site.

The Apronista: The Apronista Vintage Apron Giveaway

Pesto Ham Roll-ups

2007-12-19T15:47:00.000-06:00

A few months ago my sister Lucy asked people to blog what yummy things they did with pesto. I blogged pesto grilled sandwiches. They were yummy. Well last night I had a Christmas party I had to take snack food to so I thought up these very yummy "Pesto Ham Roll-ups"
So Lucy these are for you.

You start with a pumpernickel tortilla. If you can’t find pumpernickel then try an other flavor like sun dried tomato. I mixed cream cheese and pesto about 2 to 1 ( 1 cup cheese ½ cup pesto).
Spread out the cheese/pesto mix evenly.

Place a layer of thin delli ham over the cheese.Use a pizza cutter to trim the sides to make the tortilla squarish. You could do this before you spread out the cheese and added the ham, but then you couldn't eat the scraps.

Lay a row of black olives about 1 inch from one of the edges. Then you fold the edge up over the olives and start rolling. Refrigerate for about 10 to 15 minutes. This will firm up the cheese and make them easier to slice.
Use a sharp serrated knife to saw the rolls into pin wheels. DO NOT press down. This will case the cheese to squish out the sides.

Plate them up and enjoy. And yes they were very very yummy!!

December Ice Storm of 2007

2007-12-17T00:25:00.000-06:00

I can’t even call this the Ice Storm of 2007. It’s like a Blue Moon.
This is the 2nd ice storm of 2007.
This is a picture of behind my sister Anne’s house in Southern Missouri, taken in January 2007. She called it “Day After Tomorrow”. She said they had about an inch of ice on every thing. It makes for a beautiful picture but is miserable to live through. They were without power for over a week. My sister Lucy, my brother Sam and my parents were also without power for the same time but since they have a private well with an electric pump, they were also with out water. Just imagine no lights, heat or water for over a week.

In 2002 we here in Oklahoma had a bad ice storm. The rain kept coming for about 2 days. We were woken up in the night to what sounded like gun shots. It was our trees breaking. We lost 4 big old trees that year. We were without power for 10 days. I have really learned to be grateful for light.

Well the ice came this year early Sunday morning December 9, 2007. With the concern for people having to drive on the ice all church services were cancelled for the day. On Monday most schools in the state were closed because of the ice. Well not Oklahoma State University. My son Kit had his 1st final at 8:00 AM Monday morning. So we headed out an hour and 15 minutes early. We drove 35 to 45 miles an hour all the way to Stillwater. He did make it to his test on time but a 35 minute trip took us one hour. I took my camera with me because I knew there would be some great shots.

Well we didn’t get as much ice as I was fearing. Oklahoma City and Tulsa were hit much worse then we were. They still have places out of power a week latter. We got about 3/8 inch of ice and no power outages or tree damage. We were very blessed. They are saying this is the worst ice storm so far in the State, but I think it is because it hit the biggest cities in the state and more people have been left with out power for longer.

The following are a few of the pictures I took on the way home that day from Stillwater.

We stopped for Lunch at Arby's. Ice is covering every thing. Pretty but treacherous. I have a BIG bruse on my tush to prove it. (I also have new boots)

As a quilter I have always thought of the color of ice as blue. But after my first ice storm I learned that ice is the color things with a touch of silver. Looking out across this wheat field winter ice must always have green in it.

Some one went off the road. You can't tell from this angle that the SUV is at the bottom of a 45 degree drop off. It took my husband Brad a few minutes to realize that the SUV didn't cause the earth to crack but that it is a sky pond with a small stream running from it.

This tree has been a favorite for years. It has always been the best shaped tree winter or summer. The branch that is hanging down was caused by the 2002 ice storm. Before that storm this was a most perfectly formed tree.

This is a wonderful old stone house not far from the perfect tree. I don't know how old it is. No one has lived in it as long as I've lived in Oklahoma. Notice no windows or door. One day one of my kids and I got brave enough to go have a look inside it. Well the cows had been living in it. The floor is completely rotted out. I have always thought it would be a wonderful house to gut and redo. Great stone work.

Here is my kids car. the ice is about 3/8 inch thick. The other cars we thawed out twice on Sunday so they were not so bad on Monday when we had to go to work.

Close up of our grass. You can see we did have green grass before the ice came. Not any more. We now have snow. It snowed yesterday so we are officially into winter. Hopefully it will only last a few months. That’s the nice thing about living farther south. We'll have bad weather for a few weeks then it will warm up and then get cold again but usually by mid February we are starting to get Spring like weather.

The icicles do help to get us in the Holiday mood. I have been looking at some big realistic looking icicles that you can hang on your house but didn't want to pay what the store was asking for them. Well Mother Nature helped my out and I didn't need to buy any.

Christmas Ornaments

2007-12-09T19:27:00.000-06:00

My sister Lucy Posted about my mother's Christmas ornament tradition. It was they posted by Future Girl who is the maker of the pattern. Both have written wonderful things about my Mother. She started making handmade ornaments for her grandchildren just after my second daughter was born. She only had about 8 grandchildren at the time. She realized 2 things: 1 she would soon have a lot of grand children, and 2 that she wouldn’t be able to buy each of them a present. She also realized that as we children where getting married and moving out our 1st Christmases were a little skimpy on the decorations. She decided that she would start making hand made ornaments for her grandchildren so that as they moved out on their own they would be able to take some of there Christmas traditions with them. Each of my children has gotten a box of Christmas traditions to start their own homes with.

My niece Angelic, who is the oldest grandchild, has made this great picture collection of all the ornaments. That my mother has made. She is missing the spider of 2002, but you can see it on one of my close-ups of my trees latter in this post.

My daughters posted this to Future Girl,

Alisa said...
I am one of the lucky grandchildren. And my granmother really is amazing. She has raised a large (LARGE) family who all respect and love creating. We are all in her debt for the handmade legacy she has given us.

Laura Orr said...
I am one of the 99 grandchildren that loves her grandma so very much. I am 28 years old and I have an ornament on my tree for each Christmas since I was about 3 years old. Every year I carefully place the ornaments on my tree and remember the excitment I felt when we got Grandama's package in the mail and how our eyes grew as we opened it. My Chrstmas tree truly bares the mark of unconditional love. Thank you grandma for such a wonderful gift, and thank you for helping get the pattern available to my grandma and posting such a wonderful story about her. -

Rachel Hatch said...
I am one of Lenore's grand daughters. I have about 25 years of ornaments. Every year I long for the new ornament. It is my favorite tradition. My mother (Lenore's daughter) has now started making ornaments for her grandchildren. I'm so happy my grandmother started this tradition & I look forward to making ornaments for my grandchildren. ~

With only 2 children unmarried I don’t have a lot of my mother’s ornaments left at my house. I decided that I would continue the tradition with my own children and grand children.

In this Picture you can see one of the felt stars I made last year. It had silver thread embroidery and glass beads that catch the light. You can also see the beaded Icicles that I made in 2005. I like the idea of having things that catch and reflect the light. Christmas is about sharing the light of Christ in our lives.

On the left hand side of the tree there is a macramé snowflake. This was the very first Christmas ornament I made after I was married in 1976. I always meant to make more then one but I took a long time to make and every year after that I had babies to take care of. Now I don’t know where the pattern is.

Here is a close up of one of this years orniments. I am making beaded snowflakes. You can also see the spider ornament that my mother made.

Pay It Forward

2007-12-07T10:17:00.000-06:00

My Niece Angelic told me about this wonderful pay it forward Christmas craft swap. (I don't know if it is limited to a Christmas craft, but I love the idea, so...) It's over at S'wonderfully Ordinary.

Anyway, here's how it goes:

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay it forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it. The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

So, if you're one of the first 3 people to comment, copy and paste the above paragraph on your blog and share the crafty love!....of course, the challenge being, are there even enough people that read this blog to post?

So the race is on! First 3 people to post AND link on their blog that they are also doing the Pay it forward craft swap, I will mail you a Christmas wonderful!

THANKS!!

There is still one spot open!
Don't be shy.

New Blog---Jeanne's Food

2007-12-03T21:52:00.000-06:00

My Children are always calling me to get a recipe. Not once, not twice, but every Holiday they can’t fine the recipe so they call. I love them all and love talking with all of them but some times I can’t find the recipe either. Sooo, I decided to make a new blog and post them all here as I think of them and as they are needed. So enjoy all!

Here is just a tempting example of what is in store for you at Jeanne's Food

The Bizarre and Yummy

2007-11-14T17:17:00.000-06:00

We love Halloween at out house.
It is a great time for dressing up and having a really fun time.

One thing I have learned over the years is to make Halloween dinner easy and nutritious because it is that last good thing your kids will eat for days.

I had planned on fixing this dish on Halloween but then realized

that our church was having a "Chili Cook Off" that night.

So I saved it for the following Sunday dinner.

It is very easy and yummy.

First I started with this Black spaghetti I found at Target.

It is Target's store brand, I find that most “Archer Farm's"

things are pretty good quality.

Cook according to the directions on the package.

If you are wondering the black color comes from squid ink.

It tasted like regular spagetti.

I made the sauce the day before and left it in the crock pot for half a day.
I used meat balls. (eye balls)
Italian sausage cooked in the skins then sliced and browned
(One of my daughters calls these pig snouts)
Slices of pepperoni
Sautéed mushrooms
Sliced Olives
A jar of your favorite pasta sauce

(I like the no sugar added with garlic and basil)

Drain and rinse the spaghetti.
If you add a little olive oil to the water

it helps to keep your spaghetti from sticking

Plate up the spagetti. Add your sauce. You now have a meal fit for Halloween.

I also made this Apple Crown cake for dessert.

A week earlyer when I was gone my son Kit, had made a cake that turned out pretty well but it being from scratch is was only at its best that 1st day. So no one wanted to finish it up after the 2 day. Well Sunday morning EM looked undre the cake safe thinking to see the old cake and low and behold there was this new cake. She wondered where Martha was. Now I don't clame to be Martha but this is a really yummy cake and not so hard to make.

EM suggested that I make a Carmelly sauce to put on it.
I know it kind of looks like gravy but believe me it doesn't taste like it.I wanted to show this close up of the cake so you can see the layers of cake and apples.
Also notice Kit ready to dig into his piece. When the kids were little we started a habit that no one takes a bite of desert till the one who made it takes a bite first. Just a polite thing. That way Mom gets to taste it before everyone is done eating it. So you see Kit ready and waiting for me to stop taking pictures and take a bite.
YES it was that good!!

Quilt for Madi

2007-11-13T20:43:00.001-06:00

I wanted to post this before Madi was born but I didn’t want her mom to see it because it was a surprise. So I am now posting it

Here is the front. This Quilt pattern is called Kansas Troubles.

Madi’s dad is a cowboy from Montana. His mom still lives on the Ranch she raised her children on. Carson would love to move back up there and have a place of his own. I knew that one day Madi will be a cowgirl her self so I wanted to make her a cowgirl quilt. So I collected a lot of pink and brown fabric.
I hunted in several quilt stores to find the novelty cowgirl prints but it was worth it. They really make the quilt. I fussy cut them into about 5 ½ inch squares.

I sewed triangles to all 4 corners. I cut the triangles big enough that I could float the squares. This gives you the illusion of great piecing because you don’t cut off any corners.

I sewed pink fabric on to the brown novelty print and brown on to the light print.

Then I cut strips of both brown and pink. The brown went on the pink and the pink on the brown.

Here I was trying to decide if I would try and put small fussy cuts in the corners.

I nixed this idea and went with the half square triangles.
I really liked the effect better. Close up of the quilting.

For the backing of the quilt I didn't want to go and buy more fabric. (I was in a hurry to get this done; Rachel was trying to have the baby early) So I used up all the left over fabric and unused fabrics. Note the pink fabric with the saddles that didn't make it into the front.

Well Rachel was suspecting a quilt. What can I say her mother is a quilter.

But she loved it and that makes it all worth it.

It was very fun to make and now

Madi will be encercled with love from her Grammie.

The Call

2007-11-12T16:48:00.000-06:00

My son Kit just received a mission call to serve in Sacramento California for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He will be teaching the Spanish speaking people there. We are very pleased with his decision to serve a 2 year mission. He has been a wonderful boy to raise, but now he is a man and is doing the right thing. I am so grateful for the honor I have had as being his Mom. It will be hard to have him gone for 2 years. I don’t think I like the idea of an empty nest. EM is still here but we almost never see her any more. We want our children to grow up and go out into the world and be successful but we sure do miss them when they do. I have found with raising 7 children that once they lHave left home once they are never really home after that. They may come home to visit, or even to live for a while. But they have changed and are more like a roommate and less like a child.

So Kit we are very pleased with you and are glad you have made this choice.

“Remember Who You Are” and

“Return with Honor”.

Madi

2007-11-06T17:05:00.000-06:00

I have a new little Grandbaby.

Her name is Madilyn Avery Hatch.

She was born October 20th 2007

9 lbs, 1 oz

19 inches long

(2 days later she was 21 inches long)

EM and I drove 17 hours to stay with Rachel after Madi came.
It was very wonderful to be able to spend a whole week holding Madi
and helping Rachel get used to being a new mom. Madi is her 1st baby

New babies come into the world so inocent, wounderful and wrinckley!

Since Madi was such a big baby she was a very good baby. I have found that big babies are less fussy, they eat well, and sleep well. Their little tummy's are bigger and can hold more so they are satisfied longer.

All I can say is that she was wonderful.

Welcom to the world Madi!

Madi's Mom wanted to have her 3 weeks early and called to tell me that she was hurting so bad and had been walking all day to try to get the baby to come and was at the hospital cuz this had to be labor. I wished her well and told her to call me if they decided to keep her there.
After I got off the phone I remembered that Kit was scheduled to get his wisdom teeth out that Friday. So I called Rachel back and told her that she was just going to have to go home and wait because I could only take care of 1 sick kid at a time and Kit was scheduled 1st.
Well they kept her at the hospital for a few hours and then told her to go home and get some rest. They gave her a sleeping pill. I thought that was nice of Madi to wait so that I could come and help out after she was born.

Kit after the Wisdom teeth came out.

He has a great Rice Bag made by his Aunt Lucy of My Byrd House. It is a long bag made of cotten fabric filled with rice. It is in a fun slip case (like a pillow case) that can be removed easly and washed. You put the rice bag in the microwave for 2 minutes and that it makes a great heat pack. Kit lived it and it really helped to reduce the swelling.

A Walk Down a Country Lane

2007-09-30T19:42:00.000-05:00

Last week I went and spent the weekend at my parents home. They live down a quiet country road in southern Missouri. I always love going there even if it isn't the home I was raised in. It is quiet and peaceful. Several of my 11 siblings live close and it is always wonderful to visit with everyone. The best thing is that most all of my problems are left home at my real life and this is my retreat.

My Dad goes out and walks in the early morning almost every day. I love to walk and talk with him. He is getting older (85) and slowing down a bit. But the company is still wonderful.

This little view through the fence reminds me of the old nursery rhyme, "One Misty Moisty Morning"

A look off across an old corn field. Everything is misty in the in morning in Missouri. Notice all the volunteer corn that is coming up.

The remains of the corn field. It is always interesting to see what is planted in this field. I’ve seen green beans, summer squash and now corn.

Poke Berries. I was once taught that if the berries are purple they are OK to eat. Well I’ve been told these are poisons. Watch little ones don’t eat them even though they look tempting.

I don’t know if this old oil truck works or not but I sure like the looks of it.

On the way back home the sun was starting to come through the trees.

Rope swings in an old oak tree, one of my children’s favorite memories of the farm in swinging in the tire swing. I don’t know how many time my dad has had to replace the ropes. I think my brother or one of my brothers-in-law replaced it the last time. Dad is far too old to be climbing trees.

Back down the drive to the house.

In the autumn in Missouri you must always look out for spiders. I almost walked right into this one. We were eye to eye when I noticed it. NOT FUN.

Good Mail Day

2007-09-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

As I was coming home from the store, where I had gone to get a quilt batt, I stopped at the mail box. There in my mail box was a lumpy package. I looked at it and wondered if my daughter in Africa had sent me something with out telling me. Then I noticed that the Stamps were from Australia. I was very excited and new exactly what it was.

My 4 seasons quilt.

Here is the front. I love the colors. Such great autumny colors.

Here is a close-up of the front.

Here is the Back. What fun autumn fabric.

And here is the label. Thanks Jane Hanna from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

2007-09-24T21:25:00.000-05:00

Take the Quiz here!

My sister sent this Jane Austin Quiz, Which Heroine are you?

Mississippi Mud

2007-09-24T18:48:00.001-05:00

Ok this is another Brownie recipe. The Problem is that I didn’t think of blogging it until we were serving it up.

Step 1: Well you take my favorite ingredient which is Betty Crocker Brownie mix. The basic one is best. Mix it up according to the instructions on the box.

Step 2: Add as many walnut pieces as you can, at least a cup or 2 full! Eat several of the walnuts they are so very good for you!

Step 3: Pour everything into a Pam sprayed pan. (I doubled my batch by using 2 mixes and lots and lots of nuts, so I baked it in a jelly roll pan. If you only use 1 mix the you can use a 9x13 cake pan.)

Step 4: Now bake it according to the package instructions.

Step 5: When the brownies are done cooking take them out of the oven and put 1 layer of miniature marshmallows on top. This is not as easy as it sounds. They like to roll off the brownies and go down under the burners on the stove. You can’t leave them there, they will burn next time you cook something. I found that if I could get them to kind of stick on the hot!!! edge of the brownies (Remember that the pan is very HOT) they will work as a fence to trap those rolly polly marshmallows

Step 6: Put the Brownies back into the oven for about 5 minutes. This allows the marshmallows to melt and get a little crunchy on the edges just like roasted marshmallows.

Step 7: Take the brownies out of the oven again and put a layer of chocolate chips on them. Yes they are also rolly polly and want to go down under the burners and onto the floor. Why didn’t I just put the brownies onto the counter? That would be too easy.

Step 7: Brownies go back into the oven again just long enough to melt those chocolate chips. Take them out of the oven and smooth the Chocolate out carefully with a spatula.

Let them cool, cut them up and enjoy!!

This is the effect the brownies will have on your family.
Every one will sink into a sugar comma for an hour or so.

Having wonderful Chocolaty dreams and wake to tell you

how wonderful you are and ask you to make them more often.

**By the way this is my Brother Sam and his young son Toshi.

Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2007-09-07T13:53:00.000-05:00

Ok Lucy this is for you. Eat your heart out.

This was my lunch to day. It was inspired by you.

Pesto Mozzarella Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:
2 slices of homemade whole wheat/oat-bran bread
Several slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
2 Tbs. of pesto
Butter

Directions:
1- I toasted one side of the bead in a hot cast iron skillet. (This step is not necessary but I thought it would keep the sandwich from getting to soggy in the center.)
2- I spread the toasted side of each slice of the bread with 1 Tbls. of pesto.
3- Place the slices of fresh mozzarella on the pesto.
4- Place the other piece of bread face down on the cheese.
5- Lightly butter both sides of the sandwich.
6- Place in a Panini Press and cook till done.

Eat and Enjoy!!!

It was as yummy it looks.

Oh now don't forget the most important step.
Don't forget the antacid.

Autumn Quilt Exchange Teaser 2

2007-08-30T06:38:00.000-05:00

With some of the quilting

Close up of quilting

Back detail of quilting

Tasty Goodness

2007-08-29T17:59:00.000-05:00

I have enjoyed reading my nieces (Katie and Angelic) cooking blogs.

Lucy has impressed me with her great cooking tutorials.

So I am posting one of my own.

OH! Wait I didn't do the cooking.

Emily did.

So here goes.

“EM’s Bribe the Guys at Work Brownies”

Emily drives a fork-lift on night shift at Ditch Witch.
She is one of the few girls out there at night so what can I say
she has them eating out of her hand. –literally

You start with the secret ingredient…. TWO Betty Crocker Brownie Mixes.

Mix as directed on back of the package.

You’ll have to look up the ingredients needed yourself.
Be very careful to follow directions precisely... no sneaking tastes!

Next you have to add the Nestlé Chocolate Chunks that you forgot and left in the hot car
so you stuck them in the freezer. You have one Big Hard Lump.

So you get out the butcher knife and start hacking.
It doesn’t work.
You have to get a hammer and start smacking.
Finally the chocolate is soft enough to start chopping with the butcher knife.

You mix the large chunks (because you got tiered of chopping)
into the already mixed batter (Which you haven’t been snitching)
and spread it out in a Cookie tray sprayed with Pam.

Note how the chunks look like icebergs.

More chocolaty "bergs"

Put them in the hot oven and bake.
(Now I think you can look up the temperature and time yourself.)

Time to lick the spoon.

I mean really get into it.
You deserve it.
You have really worked hard.

Time to clean up.... Oh wait Mom did that part.

Now let them cool.
We don't want to burn our tongue’s on the
molten chocolate chunks do we.

Notice how the brownies have come up around those chocolaty bergs.

The only thing that would make them better is chunks of walnuts.

Now plate them up and watch them disappear.

Seasonal Quilt Block Exchange

2007-08-28T16:27:00.000-05:00

OK, I am not going to tell who this is for.

I just want to get wet your appetites a little.

I have set a goal to not buy fabric for things like this and try to use from my stash. (My husband will love this!) So here are close ups of some of the fabrics I used.

Fabric 1: Is autumn leaves with a few nuts. I great fabric I found in my stash. It is not a new retro print but older fabric. Very nice.

I have a lot of fabric that I have been given by friends who are cleaning out their stash, or are older and don't sew much any more. (You can never be to old!) So I don't remember where I got this but I love it!

Fabric 2: I bought this for a Christmas Orniment project that I ended up only making 1 orniment. So I have about a yard of this. It is scarlet with a print that looks like a brush stroke. I used 2 other red prints that are red on red but their print just looked solid red in the pic's.

Fabric 3: A nice little flowering vine with autumn colored flowers. Another older fabric that I don't know where it came from but I love it. I wish I had more of it now. Sad I have less then a fat quarter.

Fabric 4: I bought this a few years ago. We had a family quilt block exchange at one of our Bennion Family reunions and I had thought I might use this fabric. I picked it up in a great little shop in Springfield MO. http://www.quiltsampler.com/productcart/pc/home.asp
I found it on their sale table. Always check out the sale table!!

Fabric 5: Again another gift fabric. What else can you call them when some one is giving away their stash. "I'm just a girl who can't say no!" You can nevre have to much fabric! Fabric 6: A great golden tan. You can never have to many tans. They go with so many things. I don't remember when where or why I bought this other then I love it and and it is a dark version of yellow my favorit color. I feel that every quilt needs a yellow in it to brighten it up. Well this is my yellow even if it is a tan. There is also a nice little brown print that Ipicked up at the shop in MO.

Last is Fabric 7: A green border. I bought this at the same time I bought fabric 4 and for the same reason. Thing is I didn't use either for that project so I have them to use now. And since this is an Autumn quilt I felt that It needed green cuz here in Oklahoma the grass is green for a long long time.

So here is the work in progress.
The pattern is called tessellating leaves.

New Project

2007-08-11T17:28:00.001-05:00

This is a little piece I started working on the other night. I got the Idea from the book Convergence, by Ricky Tims.

I started with 4 of my hand dyed fabrics.

I cut them into strips, starting with 3/4" and increasing the stops by 1/4". The Largest is 2 1/2"

I then sewed them together as shown, going from smallest to largest in opposite directions.

I decided which colors I wanted to go beside each other and cut them again with the same increments and sewed them together the same way. I know I will be putting a border on it and some kind of decorative quilting.

I'll post more as it is finished.

Trip to Utah

2007-08-06T17:42:00.000-05:00

I just got home from a great trip to north eastern Utah. We stayed in a little cabin that belongs to my great Grandfather’s family organization. (John M Cannon family) It is right on the edge of the Uintah Mountains. This place is like heaven to me. I think I could live here. We try to come up once a year. It is hard making the long journey from Oklahoma but a week hiking and sitting around in the shade reading, or playing with the grand babies is wonderful.

This is a picture of one of the hikes we went on. so beautiful!!!

This peak is right out the back window of the cabin. my son Kit and some of his cousins tried to climb it. Kit got part way and realized he was out of his league and came back. Jimmy, Eddie, John, and Katie's husband Nate all climbed to the top, right up the rock face. They went the hard way. The view is wonderful but what a hard climb!!!

This is a different view of the same peak. About 29 years ago, just after my second child (Alisa) was born, Brad and I climbed up this same peak. But as you can see from the picture we went up the draw to the west of the peak and around the back and came to the same beautiful view of the valley with out all the rock climbing.

With 4 of my 5 girls we had a project night at the cabin. Rachel is expecting her first baby in October and we had fun decorating these onsies for her. Josie had come up with the idea and Alisa had actually done this before.

Josie and I had dyed the onsies and then we used freezer paper to make stencils. We used regular craft paint mixed with fabric medium. It was great fun.