Busy Creative Weekend!

I got a bee in my bonnet to make a prayer flag and found some red, white and blue fabrics in my stash, which I easily cut into triangles and sewed to a continuous blue top. You can see them outside and inside!

Then it was time to make a birthday card for my first grand child who turned 21 this week. I'm late by a few days...Remember that wonky heart I knit when learning fair isle knitting for the baby afghan? I pulled it out of my basket of yarns and tied it to a hard board folded in half

8" X 11" card and on the inside I wrote:

What to send to my recently turned 21 year old grandson?

Words of Wisdom, Mikiah:

From my perch of nearly 70 years you'd think I'd have something profound to say. In fact it's all quite simple.

Live life to the fullest...it goes by faster than you'd believe.

It pays to be honest, kind hearted and caring. Whether you call it Karma or just common sense, it does come back to bite you

and I'd rather be kissed than bit.

The Commandment that says do unto other as you would have others do unto you will give you a life of few regrets. And no matter

how you try to paint life later you cannot erase those things you wish you'd never done or said.

Causing others pain causes you the most pain of all. I know.

Make the most of each day. Don't be afraid of hard work. Learn at every corner. Create when you can.

Take time to smell the roses, look at things of beauty...it's in nature all around you, just open your eyes, see, smell, listen, touch, feel, and taste it...Life!

Enjoy!

Life is a journey of adventures, it has waves that beg you to ride its crests, and you often crash down in ways that bruise the ego, heart and body,

if in the end we can pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and say for the most part we enjoyed the ride then we created more good than

naught in life and that is very worthwhile.

Stay the ride it's worth it in the end.

Love,

Your Grandma Lynn

And after that I had to sew a patch on the big quilt that had come undone on one seam in the dryer. After I put it aside before I had time to fold it and put it away

it became heavy at the bottom.

Looking further I found my furry friend curled up

snoozing in his new favorite place.

What's a gal to do?

I lied...I put it on my bed and had to show you!

Folksy "Come Dance" Quilt Finally Finished

For those of you following my quilt story you remember that my son asked me to make him this huge 90" square (give or take an ") quilt for dancing on at folk festivals he and his family attend in the summer time. Today I put the finishing touches on it. Poor Henry is going to miss this big blanket when it finally goes into the mail. But here he enjoys it with its border and binding sewn on...The binding is all in velvet from my stash. I just realized that my son requested this quilt on May 15th, I came home and started it on 18th, and I finished it on May 28th 11 days later! Wow, I made it in less than two weeks! Now that IS impressive if I do say so myself.

(Most photos will enlarge when clicked on) I even embroidered one section for the dance theme... and I used my free motion sewing to write across the top border: "Come Dance * Dan *

* Dan * Jackie *

* And then a baby face for yet unnamed baby expected in August this summer *

* Mikiah *

my just turned 21 yr old grand son, my son's eldest child * Kaeli *

My son's teen aged daughter, my second grand child

I added free motion swirls across the other three sides, which can best be seen

on the reverse side...they added quilting to the border but are green thread on

green fabric on top; and green thread on orange nylon backing.

The dots on the orange middle are the back side of the tied knots on top

quilting the middle section in this tied style.

Henry and I put it on the back lawn to practice dancing on it and it did not slip or slide

as I'd feared.

Here you can see the spiral design on the velvet border.

I machine sewed the binding on front and back to make it sturdy. Since it will be used a lot

I did not want to chance a neatly hand sewn binding on the back.

For something I had much trepidation about starting

due to it's size and weight (the upholstery samples are some very heavy, some light)

and moving it under my sewing machine turned out to be do able given

that I set up frames and chairs to old the bulk while running it under the machine.

Each seam is sewn at least three times for durability.

And the nylon seemed to do it's job as requested "water proof" by son;

as the grass was wet and it kept it from soaking through to the top as I sat on it.

I have washed it three times, twice just the top and finally the whole sandwiched quilt

and it dried for a while in the dryer on low heat/delicate until the nylon was dry;

then I air dried it over chairs until the rest was dry.

And it did not shrink!

I will not take on another so big a project anytime soon,

but I am very happy that I was able to fill my son's request by

accomplishing this one.

Now,

Let the Dancing begin!

I promise, this is the last you will see of this quilt, unless of course my son

sends photos of them dancing on it!

;-))

Fit To Be Tied or Tying One On!

:Tools of the Trade:

I've never "tied a quilt" before

so I had to learn the ins and outs of it.

First I discovered I needed a very sharp needle with a big eye.

Then even that was difficult to push and pull through these thick upholstery samples

so I found a thing called a "needle puller" a small round thin rubber disk that when held between index finger and thumb worked the needle through the

fabric with ease! Amazing.

And of course those 150 safety pins to hold it all in place.I called my friend, Diane in Davis, the Queen of Quilting for advice about

tying the knots. And I went on line and watched a video too

just to get her words to have a visual to go along with them.

It's push needle with yarn into and out of fabric (about 1/4") then back again

through same holes...with two strands laid out flat in opposite directions to tie.

Tie them like tying your shoes, but do it twice around, and then twice around again

and then pull it tight into a surgeons knot!

Now it won't come undone!

This is the orange nylon water proof fabric on the back and you can see the yarn

(backs of the knots which are on top)

and see how nicely it quilts up!

I made a lot of knots...they sort of look like ants crawling across the blanket. But they are soft yarn and will be good for dancing on comfortably AND they will be wonderful for baby to use as a playground and tug at the knots with tiny fingers!

:NEXT:

Tonight I cut away the excess batting (the white stuff middle layer showing outside

the green border) & I also

sewed around the inside of the border on the machine so none of those inner pieces can escape!

And this weekend I will find fabric for a binding and sew it on next.

&&&&&

I'm taking my Sun Flower quilt (Indian Summer, seen in my banner) to Davis today for the

Sunflower Show! She will be there until the end of June!

Have a fun weekend!

Henry Claims His Territory on Festival Blanket Progress

Mom washed the Festival Blanket AGAIN and put it outside. I don't know why she makes such a big deal about my wanting to climb all over it! I mean THIS IS MY TERRITORY!!!

Okay, she laid it out on the floor and put some batting under it and some orange nylon stuff under that and then she got down on her hands and knees and pinned 150 safety pins all over it. I know because I counted them as I walked along side of her. She looked a lot like a big mama cat! ...the orange stuff slides around a bit and so she may have to put this rubbery stuff on that, 'we'll see', she said.

I like when she washes it and puts it on the lawn to dry. The pretty green border is part velvet and part shiny green leaves and goes really well in my backyard. I think it should stay here. It's great for my sun bathing!

Well, I am catching up on my mail over breakfast. I'll keep you posted on what more she's doing with MY BIG Festival Blanket! Happy Animal Wednesday!

signed: Henry V **** PS: If you want to see more of the art gallery show go back to her post for yesterday! **** OH yeah! And she wanted me to tell you that her first grand child

turned 21 yesterday!

Happy Birthday, Mikiah!

;-)) ****

Vacaville Art League 34th Annual Juried Art Show

Phillip Glashoff was one of the three judges for this show and this is one of his wonderful metal sculptures that stands outside the gallery greeting us, toasting us on reception night 2011. I met artist Victoria Ross when I snapped this photo of her winning drawing/pastel called "Summer Grazers". She said she was glad I liked it. She got both second place and Juror's Award for her art. She then was nice enough to go seek out my art and complimented me on it later on.

I was so happy this piece got such a good wall location. It really stood out under that bright light!

One hundred and ten pieces made it into the show. It's incredible to be able to say two of them were mine. I liked this clay piece, which I believe was called "The Game"...

That box of strawberries is a very amazing painting too don't you agree? As is the face below it.

I love all of Jan Manalo's work, this altered book no exception!

This winner is oil painting called "Turkish Fruit Stand" by Patricia Puryear.

Best of Show and First Place went to Karen Lee Ford for "The Gift" a charcoal and Pastel

beautifully and provocatively done.

The rooms were packed with visitors to the show and reception.

This sculpture in glass and watches called "It's Time" by Pamela Smeenk

was intriguing to look at as well.

I liked this photograhy submission of faces.

I watched this woman collect her award. They only gave them this year to the top

winners. Best of Show/Jurors/and First place winners.

Our gallery does an excellent job of representing artists works,

but our community is not a rich one.

I felt very rewarded just seeing people taking the time to look at my work.

I wonder what they were thinking!

This first place went to Diana Corbitt for her mixed media piece called

"Can't Keep Still"

At the end of the evening awards were given out, volunteers were thanked,

and we were once again reminded that getting into the show

is "just a crap shoot". It really is, so much good art is not selected.

My luck has been oh so good since the beginning

as each time I have entered something of mine has been selected and I have

won something on at least one each show I've entered.

I love doing this.

Cacti and Cat on a Blanket!

On Saturday we went out garage sailing (sale-ing) and we visited this home with some beautiful cacti in their front yard. I thought, how appropriate for Cactus Monday, which I haven't participated in in quite a while. Each one of these were new to me... How interesting this white furry one is on the left. I may actually have a smaller version of the one on the right...or something quite similar... On Saturday I just about got the top of the Festival Quilt done; and Henry V really does think I am making it for him. He claimed territory every chance he got...including diving underneath it and scratching me (I am sure unintentionally) twice attacking my hands holding up ends trying to get it to my sewing machine to add this green border.

On Sunday I did lots more, which I'll show you in another post soon. Henry V, King of the Festival Quilt

Happy Cactus Monday!