Progress!

I have all the component parts of the Storm at Sea quilt finished and may even end up with a few extra.  This will be fine as I've been moving various colors around to get a good mix.  Each block has small and large square-in-a-square blocks and diamond blocks.  The points need to meet fairly closely, so I've made the squares a little oversized and then trimmed them down.  I still have to fudge to fit, but after doing two blocks, I think they will go together OK.  I will need to remember to press the rows in opposite directions or they just won't fit together easily.   It all takes some concentration, so I'll take it slow.     

Sisters Choice

I can't remember when I started this - sometime this spring - but I finally finished it at the end of October.  I used my Go Baby! die cutter for the Sisters Choice blocks, so the blocks went together quicker and more accurately than if I had cut them myself.  The quilt grew and grew so that I needed to buy more fabric (the yellow pin dot mostly) and dig into my scraps, but it all started with a fat quarter bundle of "Dutch Garden" from Boundless. 

It took me a while to quilt as I went very slowly and carefully, using a stencil for the on-point plain blocks, free motion in the pieced blocks, and a 1" grid around the edge of the center.   I kept waiting for a sunny day to photograph it - no luck!  November has been exceedingly gloomy.  But here is a photo from our recent show and tell at guild.

Deconstruction

This week, I spent a little time taking apart a quilted jacket that I really liked but never wore.  I had made it using some hand dyes that I bought from my friend Jenny H. some years ago.  It was too warm to wear inside and too light to wear outside most of the time.  And the sleeves were tight.  So I turned it into a vest.  Paul said it didn't look quite right, so I took it in here and there and also made it a little shorter.   It looks OK now, and it will keep me warmer this winter.

I can turn the leftover sleeves into a tote bag, with the bottom part of the jacket as handles.  But I have set those aside for now.  I really need to get back to my Storm at Sea.  I realized that I made a mistake cutting, which isn't bad as I have plenty of scraps to cut up.  My blue box is overflowing.  I've allowed myself to get distracted because it requires fairly precise sewing.   Intense concentration can be hard at this time of year.

Meanwhile, I've been knitting a little scarf for myself.

It's a very light acrylic yarn with little gold threads throughout that I got on sale last year.  I made up the pattern and it's actually working.  I discovered a couple of years ago that I just don't have it in me to knit a whole sweater or even a pair of socks.  Scarves are good for just vegging out in front of the TV on a gloomy afternoon.  I do have to count a little to maintain this pattern, but a stitch counter attached to a needle has proven handy.  It's not a Christmas gift, so I can let it keep me busy (or not) all winter if I feel like it.  :-)

Pre-holiday busy-ness

It seems "The Holidays" are almost upon us, and I don't feel ready.  It snowed yesterday - just big wet flakes, but enough to remind us that winter is on our doorstep.  I just planted spring bulbs last week!We put the bird feeders out, and I did some online gift ordering.  Some books just a few days ago have already arrived, and I'm expecting a few more packages soon.  Amazon is right on top of things (My NJ brother's company works for them, so I know they are!). 

I ordered three copies of one new Vermont title and then a few books that I have enjoyed this year for various relatives who seem to depend on our [retired librarian] suggestions.  I like to mail holiday packages out early - there are at least six each year - and that means anything I want to make for Christmas needs to be finished soon.

My WI brother (at left) has been in the hospital and rehab for three weeks, and I have been putting together recipes for a cookbook to give him this season.  He has diabetes and a number of other health issues, so I'm trying to concentrate on easy and healthy foods he can make after work or on weekends. 

He says he doesn't have time to cook so I'm including some things that can be made ahead and frozen, like the following chicken recipe.  I haven't made it for a while, so I tested my recipe the other night, and Paul pronounced it excellent.  Phew!  Here it is...

           
Amazingly Useful Chicken

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease a baking pan with sides (I using a roasting pan).    Cut 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in strips and pile in the pan. Mix together:  

2 T. olive oil
2 t. chili powder
1 ½ t. cumin
½ t. garlic powder
½ t. oregano
¼ t. salt

Sprinkle over chicken.  Sometimes I prepare a while ahead and “marinate” the chicken in this mixture for a while.  In a bowl mix:

One or two green or red peppers, cut in strips
One sliced medium onion
Any other vegetables you would like (zucchini, green beans, etc.)

Pour into pan and mix with the chicken.  Bake 20-25 min., stirring once or twice, until chicken is done.  Serve hot or cold, over rice, on top of a tossed salad (like taco salad), or in taco/fajita shells.

Along with the cookbook, I've ordered him some cooking utensils and will make him a couple of new potholders using orphan quilt blocks.  Other than that, I'm not planning to sew any more gifts for Christmas, but those are famous last words!

Little purses, etc.

Yesterday, I finished making 8 "run around" bags using a pattern by Lazy Girls.  I've made several before, include a couple for Paul's sister Pat.  She wanted some to give to friends in Florida who keep admiring hers.  When I asked her what colors or styles, she said, "Florida."  I hope she likes what I picked out!

One of hers is a little less busy than "Florida" because I thought perhaps she might have a more conservative friend, and I kept two others very similar to the above to give as gifts myself.  They're going in the mail today.  Pat and her husband have been living in a camper in their driveway since the recent hurricane pretty much gutted their house.  I hope these little gifts brighten her day.

And speaking of brightening a day, when I go to the post office with the purses, I'll also step across the street to deliver some quilts to a lady who is getting an apartment ready for her niece and small great nieces.  They are re-locating here in the frozen North from Puerto Rico.  Apparently, Elizabeth lost five relatives in the recent hurricane there and doesn't want to lose any more.  I have been looking for people to give quilts to as my etsy shop doesn't really get much action.  I'm so glad to be able to do this for them!  Here are two of the quilts.

The other is a teal and purple child-sized quilt I made before we got the new computer and lost some of my photos.  My quilt rack still has plenty of quilts on it, just waiting for homes, and during 2018 I hope to keep giving them away until there's a manageable number!

Westview Meadows show

A few months ago, a former neighbor who has since moved to a senior residence with assisted and independent living asked me to display my quilts in their gallery space.  While my brother Axel was visiting, he helped me choose some of the quilts, but the space turned out to be a little longer than we had figured.  The quilts are to be up throughout November and December, and Paul, Chris, and I hung them last Thursday.  It all went rather quickly because of their nifty hanging system which is meant for paintings but works well for quilts, too.  Here are the photos I took with my phone.

In a little seating alcove, we hung the Australian Christmas quilt made with fabrics sent by some Aussies in a swap.  I used the fabrics in a row by row swap to surround a panel of floral wreaths.  I love the subtle colors.  I had brought some Christmas stockings for the show, which we looped over the ends of the rods.  Next came The Blue Bird of Happiness which usually hangs over our guest bed in my sewing room.  It's adapted from an Edyta Sitar design.

To the right of these there's a little jog in the wall with a small wool appliqued vase of flowers which I forgot to photograph.  Then there's a long wall with all the rest of the quilts - Bloom Where You're Planted, E Pluribus Unum (Out of Many, One), Civil War Sampler, and Atlantic Crossing.  The latter I just finished hand quilted (after two years!) a couple of weeks ago.  It's a Deb Tucker design.  You can see one of the residents taking a closer look at it - using some of the white gloves I brought along for just that purpose.  I was worried about touching because the gallery space opens out into the dining room where oil, chocolate, and other stains might be lurking.

I'm so glad we managed to get the exhibit up quickly, and I'll be doing a short presentation at the center in December.  Here's another photo of Atlantic Crossing.

I love making those "migrating geese"!

Scenes from the museum

The Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden, Colorado, currently has an exhibit of modern quilts, which I saw about a week ago with two online quilting friends.  Many of the quilts were riffs on Log Cabin and Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.  Here are a few favorites.

The rest of the story

Our last days in Colorado were busy but more laid back than Tuesday and Wednesday.  Thursday afteroon we went to the movies to see The Battle of the Sexes, about the rivalry between tennis stars Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, although it was about so much more than their famous match.  The acting was great.  Late that afternoon, we attended a book signing at the Golden History Museum.  Mom's friend Andi Pearson has written her first novel, and it's set in Colorado, so I can't wait to dive into it.  We had dinner at Purple Ginger, an Asian fusion restaurant where Dad has his 80th birthday party.  I love the food there. 

On Friday, we woke to snow!

I met online quilting friends Cindy and Karen at the Blue Sky Café for lunch and then a visit to the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum for an exhibit of modern quilts.  It is truly amazing how quilters can be strangers one minute and friends the next, just because we talk the same language and have so much in common.  It was fun touring the museum together as we dissected each quilt and talked about how they were quilted.  Cindy has a long arm machine which was helpful.    We asked the volunteer in the gift shop to take our picture.

Saturday, we accompanied Mom to a luncheon of Indo-Dutch people at a Vietnamese restaurant.  I think the group of 35 overwhelmed the staff a bit, but I enjoyed seeing all the various Indo-Dutch people.  Sunday morning, while Mom went to church, Paul and I visited Buffalo Bill's grave and museum for the umpteenth time.  The view from the top of Lookout Mountain is fantastic.  It was quite windy, so I spent quite a bit of time in the gift shop looking for tchotchkes to take home.

We were going to visit Leadville on Monday, but the weather report (snow and ice) kept us in, which was fine.  We all went to see Victoria and Abdul, starring Judi Dench as Queen Victoria, and it was a delightful end to a very nice vacation!

Wednesday in Colorado

Last Wednesday, we got up early to explore Lamar before heading to Bent's Old Fort outside of LaJunta.   The visitors center has a large statue of the "Madonna of the Trails, " one of 12 erected by the D.A.R. to honor the women who traveled the Santa Fe Trail.   As you can see, it was a bright, sunny day (as many Colorado days are), so I couldn't get her features.  Paul said her face looked a little like George Washington's and she had combat boots on (which I would wear, too, if I had to traverse that trail!).

The Visitors Center in Lamar is an Amtrak train station that has been very nicely renovated, and the volunteers there are very enthusiastic about sharing their town which has a somewhat sad downtown with many closed shops.  Up the street, a large truck stop is being built and, they said, will employ 90 people, a welcome economic improvement perhaps.   Also up the street is "the oldest building in the world," a former gas station made of petrified wood.

From there, we headed to LaJunta and Bent's Old Fort.  Along we the way, we passed a farm with a number of zebras feeding.  They were protected by some emus or ostriches (I don't know the difference), and there appeared to be a number of smaller critters (zebra babies?) walking about.  Jenny took a picture, but my phone wasn't up to the task.  When we arrived at the old fort, which has been lovingly renovated, we were greeted by a horse and an ox grazing in the field.  The path recommends watching for rattlesnakes.  Yikes!

At any rate, Bent's Old Fort is the oldest settlement in Colorado, having been built in the 1840s as a trading post.  Our tour guide was in costume and told us about preparing buffalo hides, the experiences of various guests who stopped for the night, and life on the plains.   Two hours flew by.  

From there, we drove to LaJunta for lunch at a small café that seems to attract locals and specializes in home cooking.  The pies sounded great, but we opted for salads.  This sculpture greets visitors, and Paul really liked the dog in the center.  I'm sorry my picture doesn't do it justice.  From there, we headed home to Golden.  More later!

Our Colorado trip, part 1

We were there ten days, but they flew by.  Still, it feels good to be home, sleeping in our own bed, working in our own kitchen, etc.  We arrived in Golden on Saturday afternoon, Oct. 21.  It was good to see Mom again - it's been a year but she seems just as vital as ever, at age 95.  On Sunday we accompanied her to the ballet in HD at the movies.  Live, from Moscow, the Bolshoi presented Le Corsaire, a drama full of pirates and Turks, with some lovely pas de deux and ensemble dancing, notably an "animated flower garden."  Watching in the movies, we get to see the dancers' faces, which is fun.

On Monday, Mom, Jenny, and I did a little shopping - the Dutch store with cookies and cough drops to take home; a wonderful Mexican market with delicious bread; the post office; and the grocery store/pharmacy.  It was a nice day to rest before Tuesday and Wednesday when Paul, Jenny and I headed out to explore the Plains in the eastern part of the state. 

The landscape is entirely different from the awesome Rockies and we passed through some sad, small towns along the way.  Farming and ranching are big here, but Jenny said that many young people have left for Denver and other places to look for work.

We visited three National Park Service sites, with our first stop at the site of the Sand Creek Massacre, which is eight miles over gravel roads from the main highway.  It was sad to learn that so many Native Americans were slaughtered here.   Our park ranger, Jodi, gave an excellent talk.  We went up a windy hill to a monument and overlook.  As you can see the sky was brilliant, but it was very windy.

From there, we continued toward Granada and the Japanese-American Relocation Center called "Amache."  It was a large site with barracks and common buildings which are no longer there except for a few rebuilt structures and lots of cellar holes.  There is a museum in Granada but during the school year it's only open with an appointment.  We could drive through and were impressed (not in a positive way) by the sheer size of the "center."  The map shows all of the sites around the country during the 1940s.

I have read quite a bit about the Japanese relocation, including Tallgrass

by Sandra Dallas (which I plan to re-read since she based the story here), Journey to Topaz by Yoshiko Uchida, The No-No Boy by John Okada, and The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  This tour really brought the sadness to life for me.  I was impressed by the cemetery we stumbled upon.  It contained the bodies of men from Amache who volunteered to fight for the US in WWII.

From there, we headed to a motel in nearby Lamar and dinner at a Thai restaurant which was quite good.  More tomorrow...