Back to California!

A busy, busy two week visit in California has begun!  School is out today, and then granddaughter Lia goes to a weeklong camp on Sunday.  Granddaddy and I have been running lots of errands for the family, so our days are lively and full.  I blogged nearly a year ago about Lia and Locke's FIRST day of school, and here it is, the last day!

A few pictures of our doings:

Lia at right with two friends, in front of their Science Fair project

Lia's good friend Kate (in pink) and Lia, at their tennis lesson

Locke's class is having a pajama party all day at school today.  Here he is showing what he hopes to do at school!

Eyes still closed, sleeping bag and pillow at the ready!  Locke is wearing
the dino slippers we gave him for Xmas!

Lia and several friends "to be different" decided to wear tutus
on this last day of school!  (Check out those gorgeous and huge
hydrangeas behind her!)

CA Kids' Crib Quils

These are the crib quilts I made for Lia and Locke as newborns.  Lia's was always "used"; I had hoped it would become her "lovey" quilt, but instead, she bonded to a little pink blanket, her "Baa-Baa."  Her nursery was decorated with Paddington Bear motifs, and so I luckily found several different Paddington-themed fabrics.  This was only the 3rd or 4th quilt I ever made, and I came up with the design myself.  It was minimally and very simply straight-line machine quilted.  What I was most proud of was how Paddington in the lower left corner holds a kite string that I stitched in black to reach up to the kite in the middle row, which flies in the air above a Paddington who is taking his leisure! 

<><>

I loved the border fabric with the stripes and little Paddingtons!

Locke's crib quilt is below.  Kathy chose to use it as a wall hanging in his nursery, which had a "Transportation" theme.  For it I used a favorite Marsha McCloskey design, "Sawtooth Stars and Double Four-Patch." 

Some of the navy fabrics faded badly in this wall-hanging.  The one of the ships in the lower right double four patch and the upper left, second row.  Oddly, other dark blues didn't fade at all, nor did any of the other colors.  The sun is so intense here in California that fading has been a problem in this quilt and in the wedding quilt I made for Kathy and her husband.

I chiefly straight line machine quilted this quilt, but I hand quilted cloud-shapes in the outer border, to echo the clouds I used for the backing; see below. 

IN TERRA PAX

I made all my children patriotic wall hangings after the tragic, life-changing events of September, 2001.  For daughter Kathy and her husband, since they had met and married in NYC, I made theirs from a fabric I just happened to have bought a few years before, of the New York skyline.  I reversed the fabric panel  on the bottom, so that it looks as if the skyline is a reflection.

Surrounding the panels, I inked the word PEACE in many different languages, altering the font as seemed appropriate.  The dove and the Latin inscriptions "In Terra Pax" seemed appropriate, too.

I worked these little quilts up so quickly that fall before Christmas that I failed to take photographs of the resulting quilts.  Recently I found this one in the guest room closet.  It formerly hung in the study, but after they had the study totally re-done with built-ins along 3 walls, wall space was at a  premium, and so this never got re-hung. 

Now, with beloved daughter Kathy gone from our lives, I am wondering if her husband would let me have this back?  If it's been relegated to a closet for a long time, why not?  I don't know if I have the courage to ask him, however.

Here are closer views. I quilted lightly, chiefly just around the major shapes in the panels and then did some "in the ditch" quilting.    I hand-blanket stitched around the dove.  Some close-ups:

Hand-quilting the Alice Quilt

Last October in my quilt guild participants picked up the quilts that had been added to by another guild member.  Participants had several months before placed UFO's (unfinished objects, as in unfinished quilts) in a Trick or Treat bag; bags were then randomly chosen by other members.  We took another's UFO home with us to complete by the October meeting.

As it turned out, good friend Patty chose my bag, not knowing it was mine.  She did a fabulous jobs of completing the Alice in Wonderland panel to which I has simply added two plain borders.  Patty completed the quilt by adding two pieced borders and then three other plain one to make this quilt quite eye-catching.  I had included fabrics from my stash that I thought might work in the bag with the panel.

I am now hand quilting the center panel with perle cotton thread.  I plan to machine quilt all the borders in some very simple manner.  Then the quilt will be given to a great niece who turns one this summer.  Friend Linda was eager to see just how the hand-quilting was coming along, and so I am posting photos of it, still not finished, chiefly for her!

Here are the photos:

I used gray thread for the cat and tree trunk; green for the shrubbery and the leaves on the tree (more to be added later).
And then Alice is quilted with colors as described below the second photo.  Click to enlarge!

For Alice, yellow for her hair; blue for her dress; white
for her apron and collar,  

This is what the quilt looks like in its entirety.  I discussed this quilt
in a post in October of last year.  

Busy Bees at the China Dolls Bee!

My quilting bee met over at my house today.  We gathered around 10:00, and the last one left around 4:00. All except the hostess got so much sewing/quilting done!  Several made tea cozies that turned out beautifully. Still others had different projects they wanted to spend time on.  I spent most of the morning cooking, and then while the others worked after lunch, I relaxed and visited.

Lynne's birthday is tomorrow, Valentine's Day, and I made her a fabric birthday card, which all signed, using pictures taken at previous bees.  The Cherry Pudding Cake was her "birthday cake", complete with a candle in the form of a question mark!        

All seemed to enjoy the two soups, and most sampled both--chicken noodle and Three Tomatoes, with smoky salmon spread and crackers.  When they first arrived, I had a fresh cranberry/orange/walnut bread with either butter or whipped cream cheese.  For dessert after the soups, I made Cherry Pudding Cake, which all seemed to enjoy.  I've linked three of these recipes--they are truly winners!

Now here are some pictures of the China Dolls at work:

Lynne with the birthday "cake" and her fabric card

Carol hand quilting

Priscella helping Dodie find something on her laptop, in my studio.
Notice that the Three Boys quilt is now hanging on the wall!

Sandy working on a black quilted jacket

Rita sewed the binding on this old quilt, which she had restored for an
in-law of her daughter.  A charming quilt!  Bow-tie pattern, with
a great variety of very old fabrics.

Priscella showing the tea cozy she finished today!  

Hilary showing off HER tea cozy!

Here's the lovely quilt which Carol was working on.  Hand-pieced, hand-appliqued, and hand quilted.  WOW!

A Stole for DA!

DA is an affectionate nickname for our woman pastor. She grew up two doors down from us in our old neighborhood. Our youngest daughter and she have been good friends throughout the years.   Her parents remained dear friends of ours, too, and when we all had to leave the old street, her mom and I and another good friend looked for houses close to one another.  Eventually two of us built new houses and the other bought a just-completed house on our block.

DA has now been pastor of our church for ten years.  I have made her an anniversary gift, which will be presented at the surprise party for her tomorrow.  She needed a white stole; she'd been relying on a borrowed white one all these years.  I fashioned if from little 6" crazy quilt blocks, using white-on-white quilting fabric.  At the bottom, I appliqued a descending dove.  Doves are a symbol closely associated with our church.

Here is the completed stole:

And now, some close-up views of it:

Book Buddies in JANUARY!

Sharon's lovely living room

Last week our book club met at Sharon's house.  Before we sat down to eat a fantastic dessert (more about that later!), I happened to notice how lovely all of our purses and books looked, patiently waiting for us to join them!  In truth, several of us rearranged the books to display the fronts, but otherwise, this is how the living room looked right after all had arrived.  Sharon and Joe's house is so lovingly and serenely decorated.  Just being in their living room makes one feel at peace.


But the dessert!  It was beyond delicious, and so beautiful to look at.  I wish that I'd taken a photo of it, before Sharon and Judy served it to us.  It was a White Chocolate Bread Pudding.  If you want a copy of it, email me, and I'll send it to you!  When you see its ingredients, you will understand why it was so scrumptious.

Our discussion just might have been the best one ever!  We had read BODY SURFING by Anita Shreve.  For one thing, it did seem as if all had read ALL the book.  For another, most found the book easier to read than some we've chosen.  And, too, it was a provocative and "meaty" book for discussion.  Some of us (Judy, Genie, and Alice) have ready many Anita Shreve books.  I find them addictive!  I think more of our group will read more of her books after this experience. 

Here we all are, gathered around the dining table.  I'll post both pictures, as some of us look better in one, some in another!

Clockwise, from the left:  Faith, Alice, Rosemary, Genie, Sharon (standing), Jo, Ibby (standing),
Thelma, Mona, Judy.

Note the "sand castle" centerpiece!  So appropriate, given the
beach setting of our book, Anita Shreve's BODY SURFING

 Below, you see us as we discuss.  I seem to be making a point--find me in purple, and everyone is listening attentively.  To the far left is Genie, who did a wonderful job of leading discussion.  To my right is Jo, and to my left, Faith and Mona.  The heads you see belong to, I think (!)  Sharon, our hostess, and Thelma.

My Studio Friends and Companions!

Harry and Ellie Marsh, dear friends, former next door neighbors, came to visit us in October.  Soon after they left, I received a surprise gift.  Ellie had found the doll which is standing on top of my pink sewing box among her mother's things, when she and a family member were going through the house.  She thought it the perfect gift for me, and I agree!  Here she and my other "studio friends" are:

Here's a close-up view of this darling doll and her all needle working tools!

Then I received another surprise gift from another dear friend from days gone by--my former roommate Nancy.  She sent me the adorable little mouse which is atop the plaid box.  She came in this box, and I loved it so much, that I decided to display her with the box.  Nancy knows my love of reading, but how did she know that HEIDI was one of my all-time favorite children's books?  This little mouse lady is holding a copy of HEIDI!

My other little studio "friend" I got in Nova Scotia years ago.  She holds a sign that says, "When life gives you scraps, make quilts."  What great advice!

Oh, the snow man peeking over the jar?  That's one that grandsons Malcolm and Dawson and I made either last year or the year before!  I was thrilled to see all the snowmen they had made on that occasion prominently displayed in their living room with all the other Christmas decor!

       

Christmas in Michigan

The grandsons were still in school for the week before Xmas, which meant we didn't get to spend as much time with them as we'd have liked.  But Christmas weekend was packed full of fun with the boys.  We played lots of board games and a few Wii games as well, chiefly after Santa had arrived and brought new games.  Our son came from St. Louis with his dog Zeno (a Border Collie) to spend the holiday weekend with all of us. Ace, the family's Labradoodle, has "territorial" issues, so the dogs have to take turns having time-outs in their respective crates.  

The week was capped off in fine style by attending the Little Caesar Bowl game with the grandsons, our daughter, and son-in-law.  The game was between Western Michigan and Purdue.   Our son-in-law teaches at Western Michigan.  WMU lost the game, but it was a close and exciting one, in many ways almost as much of an "offensive show off" game as was the Baylor/Washington Alamo Bowl game!

I went off and left my "memory stick" from my camera in my computer, and thus I took NO pictures myself of our fun time in Michigan for Christmas!  My daughter did, though, so I have a few from her to share.

Saying good-bye to the grandsons

Xmas Eve--two happy brothers!

Uncle Rob and the labradoodle Ace

Granddaddy reading The Night Before Christmas to the grandsons

Book Buddies Christmas Meeting

I went to two back to back Christmas parties with two of my favorite groups--the Book Buddies book club and our Supper Club.

I hosted the book club, and it is this group I'll write about today.  We read the wonderfully refreshing and happy book A YEAR IN PROVENCE, such a good choice for this time of year!  We usually have snacks or desserts, but in honor of the occasion I prepared a light supper.  I made a Barefoot Contessa Provencal Vegetable soup and a Joy of Cooking French tart, Apricot and Almond.

After the meal, we discussed the book, and Thelma did a wonderful job of leading the discussion, bringing in much background information as well as sharing her own experiences of living in a foreign country, in her case, Brazil.

Three of the members presented us with little gifts!  I had old fashioned English "crackers" for the women, which contained paper crowns.  Here are photos from this occasion:

The gifts--the little Peace ornament from Genie, a bag of rosemary from, who else, Rosemary, and a
lovely beaded book mark that Thelma made for each of us.

Here are Monda, Jo, and Sharon, in their paper crowns.

And now Ibby, Judy, Thelma, Genie, and Rosemary

I joined Mona, Jo, and Sharon