Saturday, November 29th

Tomorrow is the last day of the month.  There are only 25 days, nine hours and 15 minutes till Christmas as I write this!  I’m sure you wanted to know that, lol :)

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with much to be thankful for.  Our thanksgiving was a little cold and cloudy but at least three of us got to spend thanksgiving together even if it was a restaurant dinner and not home-cooked.   Not surprisingly, my dad did not come with us, making excuses at the last minute.  He does not enjoy eating out anymore and prefers to stay close to home.  Change in routine upsets him-these are all aspects of dementia. 

In NH it was a different story, the same pre-Thanksgiving storm that gave the south shore of Boston rain and slush, dumped 10 inches of heavy, wet snow on the southern part of the state and created a widespread power outage, Thursday.   I guess it was lucky that I wasn’t hosting a large crowd like last Thanksgiving.  What do you do with a partially cooked 18 lb turkey when there’s no power?  

I was scheduled to work Friday but after calling to confirm that my house was part of the outage and that power wasn’t expected to be restored till Monday, I decided to come home Friday morning,  it was a good thing I did too, because I had accidentally turned the furnace off the previous weekend . The good news is that we got our power on last night ahead of schedule.  

One casualty of the storm was my beloved Sargeant’s crabapple that was split in two by the ice laden snow.  It survived many storms including the ice storm of 2008.

Monograms really seem to be a  big decorating trend this year and I’ve seen several Christmas wreaths on Pinterest that I liked.  I decided that I would revamp my berry wreath that I’ve had for eons.   I purchased a 7 1/2” letter “G” at Michaels and a can of red spray paint.  Applied several coats and then brushed on a coat of Mod Podge and sprinkled it with red micro-glitter.  Changed the bow from red-velvet to red & white check ribbon and I love how it looks.     Decided to hang it on the porch wall adjacent to the door because live greens would dry out too quickly on the closed in porch.

This berry wreath has served me well.  Some of the paper-mache berries crack, but it’s a quick touch up with nail polish. 

Well, I’m off to the attic to pull down some more decorations.   Have a good weekend!

Gail :)

 

Quick Catch Up

Just catching up here.  Haven’t posted since July.   As I drink my second cup of coffee this morning, I look outside and there is frost on the deck, the BBQ grill and the lawn.  We’ve already had a dusting of snow and that’s gone now but next weeks is Thanksgiving and then it’s a short four weeks till Christmas. 

My family is scattered this year so I won’t be hosting Thanksgiving Dinner.   Instead four of us will be going to a restaurant and most likely it will end up being three of us (my father, who suffers from dementia has a habit of cancelling at the last minute).

Living back home and caring for my father  hasn’t been everything I thought it would be.  My father puts up obstacles to anyone helping him.  He fights to stay in control but is losing the battle with memory loss and rationality and this makes him fight harder.   I wish that he would recognize that he can accept help and still keep his dignity and most of his independence.  Being a former police officer, marine and athlete, he is very much a “macho man” even at 85.   It would make all of our lives much easier--if he would accept some help and social services and stop pretending that he is as capable as he was.  We are trying to make it possible for him to stay in his home environment as long as possible but neither my sister nor I can be there 24/7.  The state is suspending his license in mid-December because of three minor accidents where he was at fault.   He refuses to give it up voluntarily, insisting that he is a “good driver”.  We have tried rationalizing with him about his decreased reaction time and the amount of traffic where he lives to no avail.        

I have found it’s hard to reconnect or make new friends in a new place at this “age”.  Everyone is pre-occupied with their own lives, family,  work, etc.  It seems like people no longer make conversation.  They are self-absorbed by their phones, email, text messages and e-readers. 

I dressed up for Halloween and handed out the candy at my father’s house.  My dad did not participate.   It was nice meeting his neighbors & their children and grandchildren.  I heard so many “nice” stories of favors and kindnesses that my mother and father did for many of them.  My mother especially was much loved and remembered.  

On a funny note, when my father saw my costume he didn’t get that it WAS a costume and  thought I was dressing up to go out.

 

I decorated my house for Halloween and Ernie put on a seasonal bow tie!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m going to my daughter’s next weekend so I can bring Calvin’s advent calendar that I made from a panel last winter.  We won’t see each other for Thanksgiving because there is a family wedding on her father’s side that weekend.   I’ve finished purchasing all the “advent gifts” to go in the pockets.   Because I didn’t want to candy in all of the pockets, it ended up being quite expensive, even at the dollar store.   Some of the  gifts were too large and  will be wrapped up. I’ll put a card in that days pocket with a corresponding number on the gift.   

 

In hindsight, I wish I’d made an advent calendar that had ornaments to hang on buttons for each day.  Oh well, lesson learned.  I do think it’s a good tool for learning to count though.

 

Well that’s it for this post.   Thanks for stopping by.

 

Gail

Consider the bees

Haven’t been posting for a few weeks.  During that time, much has happened.  I got to spend a few wonderful weeks with my DD#2.  We spent most of our time visiting places in New England that were on both of our bucket lists before she left for a new life and career in Spain.  I also started a new job—closer to my dad’s so that I can stay with him during the week.   Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the internet at his house.

That’s partly been a good thing as I tend to be distracted by it.   Not having the internet has forced me  to turn to other activities like long walks after work and restoring some of the gardens at my dad’s house that are overgrown.   I also do most of the cooking and spend more time in conversation with my dad.  I’m catching up on books I’ve wanted to read and learning how to download books from the library onto the kindle my daughter gave me.

The weather has been wonderful.  My walking has taken me through neighborhoods where I grew up and I’ve rediscovered the pleasure and convenience of living in suburbia—a walk to the corner store for milk and a newspaper, a short drive to reach a major store, rubbish pick-up and mail delivery—all things I don’t have here.   Ernie, my cat travels back and forth with me and is adjusting well to living in two places.

As I mentioned above the gardens that once were a showplace of 100 year old peonies and roses have become overgrown.   The rich loamy soil that was once like wet coffee grinds is now dry and powdery and full of shallow tree roots,  due to my father letting trees grow everywhere.   He has several 2nd generation Norway maples that are the offspring of a larger tree in a neighbor’s yard.   He thought the trees would meant less mowing for him but the trees have sapped all of the nutrients out of the soil and the grass now has to be heavily fertilized and watered in order to maintain the “golf-course” look that my dad wants.

My dad isn’t alone,  all of the neighbors on his street seem to be in competition for the greenest and thickest turf and most mornings when I leave for work, I see at least one landscaping company trucks parked at a neighbor’s. The problem with this is that across the street from my dad’s house, the Plymouth River flows.   All of that nitrogen-rich fertilizer and pesticide is leaching through the soil into the river. 

Years ago a beautiful lawn was lush and green and full of white clover.   White clover is a legume, it pulls nitrogen from the air and fixes it to its roots.   The grass that grows in with the clover is dark green, healthy and lush.  

White clover is no longer added to grass seed mixtures.  I had a difficult time finding it and when I did the salesman told me that it was considered a “weed”.  Some of the other reasons are that it dies down in winter and creates temporary bare patches, which, btw, quickly fill in by the more desirable perennial grass rhizomes.   Clover also attracts honey and bumble bees which are docile and non-aggressive but sometimes get confused with wasps and hornets which are aggressive.  Clover also attracts wildlife like deer and rabbits because it is rich in nutrients and lastly there are the little white flowers which some lawn purists find objectionable.  They can be minimized by frequent mowing.   Clover also smells amazing when it is cut, even better than grass, and recovers very quickly from mowing or foot traffic.  Clover will quickly shade out weed seeds like crab grass and chickweed.

Lastly, all of us have in some part contributed to CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) that is affecting the honey bee population.  Most experts agree that one of the  main contributors to CCD is the use of pesticides that are used in the lawn industry.   It’s been a long time since I’ve seen honeybees buzzing about in my garden or lawn and this year, I’ve seen less and less solitary bees.   I’m getting worried.    We need to make it right again and not be swayed into thinking that a weed-free/insect-free  lawn is the only alternative and only possible by using chemicals (there are organic alternatives available).  Water, ph levels and choosing the correct species of grass for the area are equally as important.

Benefits of Clover (excerpted from www.almanac.com/content/clover-comeback)

• White clover (Trifolium repens) is a rapid spreader that crowds out broadleaf weeds while it grows harmoniously with grass. It will thrive in areas that are poorly drained or too shady for a conventional lawn.
• Being a legume, clover has the ability to convert nitrogen into fertilizer using bacteria in it's root system, practically eliminating the need for additional fertilization.
• It is an extremely drought-resistant plant and will keep its cool-green color even during the hottest and driest parts of summer.
• Left uncut, white clover grows 4-8 inches tall and produces small white flowers that are often tinged with pink. The flowers not only create a beautiful visual effect, but also bring in bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects that prey on garden pests.
• Honeybees rarely sting when they are away from their hive, but if they make you uncomfortable or you are allergic to bee stings, simply have the lawn mowed more often when clover is in bloom.

Happy Memorial Day - 2014!

Today is a day for parades, flags, barbecues and decorating the graves of loved ones.   I am always reminded of red geraniums on Memorial Day.  They were the flowers that my mother and grandmother placed at our family’s gravesites because of their patriotic red color, draught tolerance and because they bloom continuously till frost.   

These days, Geraniums seem to be underappreciated in home gardens, but if you have difficulty keeping up with watering, they work well for containers and window boxes, and now there are  so many more hybrid colors and forms available besides the traditional “fire engine red”. They also combine well with other popular annuals.  I planted some pale salmon bi-color geraniums and white Bacopa (Sutera) in my father’s window boxes this spring because I know that they will look good, even if he forgets to water them between my visits. 

Memorial Day is also the day for remembering our fallen heroes.  I saw this poem by Carl Sandburg on a paving stone in a public garden. It made me think of Memorial Day.  

 

Grass
By Carl Sandburg

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.
Shovel them under and let me work—
I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg
And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.
Shovel them under and let me work.
Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:
What place is this?
Where are we now?

I am the grass.
Let me work.

 

Weekend in DC

This past weekend, my daughter received her MBA from Georgetown University.   My sister, BIL, older daughter and and Carolyn’s dad and step mom were with us which gave the weekend a real vacation feel.  We were very fortunate that the weather was on the cool and dry side.  In fact, with the exception of down pours on Thursday night and a few sprinkles on Friday night, the weather was wonderful.

 The Graduation was held indoors and followed by a reception for grads and families at the university.  It was great to meet some of my daughter’s friends.  Later our family group had a fabulous dinner at La Chaumiere Restaurant in Georgetown, where most of us ordered the soft-shelled crab special.   After dinner we had drinks at small boutique hotel’s rooftop bar that had some pretty neat views of Georgetown and DC.  We also made it to the rooftop bar at the W Hotel, just down the street from the white house.  This bar has amazing views of the Washington Monument. 

Saturday morning we had our long-awaited white house tour which, aside from seeing my sweet girl receive her degree, was the highlight of the weekend.  After waiting four months for the tickets to come through, I just wanted to linger and take everything in.  Unfortunately, picture taking is not allowed inside but my sister and I both wished there was a garden tour because what we could see of the gardens through the windows was enchanting.  There are small seating areas and planting that you never see in pictures.  Each of the rooms we toured had a beautiful flower arrangement that complimented the room’s color scheme and decor. We were told that the white house employs 35 florists that create these amazing arrangements based on the seasons .   The arrangements we saw contained many different rose colors and varieties, as well as peonies, ranunculus, foliage and some exotic lily species, but there was also some spirea and hydrangea blossoms that probably came right from the white house shrubbery.   Several tall vases in the dining room were covered with English ivy leaves just overlapped in a spiral fashion.  

After the white house tour on Saturday morning, we walked all of the major monuments until we couldn’t walk anymore then it was a cab ride to BSF in Foggy Bottom for delicious burgers, shakes and sweet potato fries, and a trip to the National Cathedral which was cut short when my sister realized that she had left her iPhone in the cab we’d taken earlier.   Fortunately, we did get the phone back later that night thanks to a very kind cab driver. 

  Sunday morning we were up early to get tickets for the newly re-opened Washington Monument.  The views from the top give you a true perspective of the scale of Washington DC and how the city is laid out.   We spotted a few things from up there that we missed on the ground but the best view was of the white house and Capital.  On the elevator ride down the lights are turned off so that you can see the construction details of the tower and the dedication plaques on the inside walls.   Eventually the stairwell will be opened in the 755 ft. obelisk for guided walking tours.  The monument had been closed for repairs since 2009 or 2010, after an earthquake caused structural damage.  It’s only been reopened since April of this year.

 

Hummingbirds

Do you put up a hummingbird feeder?   Do you put it up on a certain date or do you just wait till you see them in your area?. I’ve always sort of timed putting mine up with the flowering of my Sargeants crabapple tree which is just outside my kitchen window, but this year it seems that a lot of the flowering shrubs and trees are behind schedule so I checked the hummingbird migration map and they are already active in my area.  This map also covers the eastern provinces of Canada.  You can check out the species of hummingbirds that have been seen in your state on this website too.
In the northeast we have only one species of hummingbird that visits feeders regularly and that is the Ruby-throated Hummingbird.  However, that being said, a few sightings of Rufous and Calliope hummingbirds have been made in New Hampshire in the last couple of years.  This could possibly be due to global warming expanding their ranges, or the little guys just got bored and decided to take a road trip.
My feeder attaches to my kitchen window with suction cups and has a perch.  I like it because I can get a good view of the birds from my breakfast counter and at the sink.  They don’t seem to mind me standing close by while they are feeding.   
Hang your feeder about 4 ft off the ground so that it is away from predators (like kitties).  Hummingbirds for their size are very territorial and will not tolerate attitude from other hummers or small birds.  I once saw one chase off a larger goldfinch that was too close to a feeder!  The suggested spacing for feeders is to place them out of sight of each other to prevent one bird from monopolizing all of them. 
You don’t have to purchase the “nectar” that’s sold in the stores.  They get most of their protein and nutrients from eating small flies and spiders, so they really don’t need any of the “extra” ingredients.   I make up my own sugar solution of 1/4 cup granulated white sugar to 2 cups of boiled well water.  This is not as sweet as some recipes that call for more sugar, but it is still attractive to the birds without attracting bees.  I don’t add red food dye either, since the red feeder will attract their attention. I store any extra food in the fridge but get rid of it after a week if I haven’t used it.  If you have chlorinated water, you might want to use bottled water instead.  






My feeder was purchased from Wild Bird’s unlimited.  It has a lifetime warrantee.  There are many different models. though that hang on feeder poles  or even hanging baskets and window boxes. 
I know some people are concerned about ants and bees. My feeder has a well in the center that you fill with water to discourage ants and I can buy tiny bee cages that fit into the openings on the feeder and prevent bees and hornets from getting to the nectar.  I’m also very careful when filling and replacing it.  I don’t overfill my feeder and I use a wet paper towel to wipe up any drips right away.
In my experience, the heaviest feeding times are between late June and August, after that it dwindles off.  Most of the birds start their migration south in mid-August.  The older ones leave first,  followed by the current year’s nestlings.
I’ve given hummingbird feeders as gifts to family and friends who tell me later how much enjoyment they get out of watching the little birds.  I like to hear that because the more we enjoy something, the more vested we are in preserving it.
Gail

Gardening Chores

Yesterday I set up my summer porch.   Now for me, summer is officially here—well sort of.  I love sitting out here in the late afternoon and early evening.   It’s my favorite part of this house and a great place to read, put your feet up or just listen to the grass grow, lol.

Just the deck left to set up.  Today, I have an appointment, afterwards I’ll stop and get my potting supplies and work on the deck planters.   I’m still bringing in my annuals at night.  The temps have dropped precariously low a couple of times this past week and we are not officially frost-free till Memorial Day.

 

Another chore I did yesterday was to inspect my garden hoses and hook them up.   I store my garden hoses in the garage for the winter after they are completely drained of any water.   When I buy garden hoses, I buy the best quality that I can afford.   My first choice is natural rubber but I know that is getting harder to find.  

One thing that annoys me when I’m watering is leaking (usually down the front of my pants or on my feet) and the easiest way to prevent that is to replace the washers in the connection fittings every year.   Below is a picture of a new washer (on the left) and the washer that I replaced (on the right).   In only a year, the washer shrunk and the rubber dried out, because of water conditions (minerals, chlorine, etc).   The washers are a very inexpensive fix.  You can buy a bag of them for less than $2.00.   Garden hoses come in two diameter sizes—1/2 and 5/8 inches but the connections and washers are  a standard size and  fit both.  You can buy different kinds of washers, some are plastic,  I think the rubber ones below are the best.

 

If I can’t remove the old washer with my finger, I will carefully pry it out with a flat head screw driver.  You may find that the new replacement washer is a bit too large, just use your finger to push it down as far as it will go, so that it sits tight in the bottom of the coupling.   You’ll know if it isn’t seated correctly if you can’t thread the coupling onto the outdoor faucet.

 

Gail :)

A Special Day to Remember

Today would have been my mom’s 88th birthday.   Below is one of my favorite pictures of her taken in Ogunquit, Maine when she was 79.  It used to be an annual day trip for us every summer to walk the Marginal Way followed by lunch at the Oar House Restaurant and followed later by an ice cream on the drive home.  We had stops along the way that we looked forward to.  One was Stone Wall Kitchens where we sampled their jams and condiments.  This picture was taken on our last walk there together.  After that, she told me that the walking was just getting too much for her.  We did continue to go to Ogunquit for a few more summers after that, but we never walked the Marginal Way together again.  

Yesterday, my sister and I gathered at my dad’s house to spend the day with him.  We visited the newly restored Fogg Library in South Weymouth.   This was the closest library when I lived at home and it was a mile away.   My mom didn’t drive till after I graduated from high school so a friend and I would walk to this library every week during summer breaks to read magazines in the cool interior and check out books.  My favorite books back then were historical novels about the kings and queens of Europe and mysteries by Daphne DuMaurier. 

Olden’s Drug Store was across the square and where most of the high school kids hung out, so if it was a hot afternoon we’d sometimes sit at the soda fountain and have a coke before the walk home.  Olden’s is still there, but the soda fountain is long gone.  

The library was closed for ten years while the renovations were made.  I do miss the huge old card files that were located right behind the librarian’s desk.  They’ve been replaced with shelves for DVD’s.  The librarian told me that they had been gone for a long time, even before the restoration began.   I guess that makes sense because, most libraries are computerized today.  The librarian looked bored though, with no books to stamp or cards to file.

After the visit, we all noticed that something seemed to be missing from the library we remembered and then realized it was the smell of the old books and oiled wood but in time, I think it will come back.

After going to the library, my dad treated us to lunch and then we went to the cemetery to plant flowers and do some clean up at mom’s gravesite. We weeded, edged, mulched and planted together as a team.   It was our birthday and mother’s day gift to her this year.  I think she would be happy.

I hope you all have a wonderful mother’s day.   Build wonderful memories for the future.

Gail     

Tangled

This is a picture of the designated “junk” drawer in my kitchen.  Look familiar?   I bet you have one too.

 

 

Every few months, it gets to me when I can’t find something that I KNOW is in there and I stop whatever else I’m doing at the moment and tear this drawer apart.  I spend a lot of time organizing it all over again so that everything has a place and fits nicely.   Well, that lasts for a few months and then it goes back to being a tangled mess. 

Today was one of those days when I was looking for the USB cord for my Passport external hard drive.   Its been about a month and a half since I got the new laptop and I wanted to back up some files.   I keep all of the USB cords in the junk drawer, trouble is, they are all different and it takes time to figure out which one is the right USB cord because I still have all the USB cords for two cameras, an external DVD/R, my old GPS, a speaker for my iPhone and a few more gadgets that are all stored conveniently nearby in the junk drawer.

Today I solved this problem with the help of my Dymo Letratag hand-held label maker.   I bought my label maker last fall on sale.  It was kind of an impulse purchase but I have been labeling everything that sits still, since.  I love it for labeling leftovers and frozen food.  I have used it to organize my spices, storage boxes for Xmas decorations, tools, garden supplies and even my my sewing supplies.  It really came in handy this past tax season when I reorganized all of my personal files.  I was able to down-size from a beat-up and rusted two drawer file cabinet to one small file box.  And my label maker is so much faster and economical than printing a whole sheet of  labels when you only need one (you can print out multiple labels on the Dymo too).  My label maker came with a paper label cassette and I purchased an additional plastic one that I used to label my USB cords.  The paper labels work best for file folders, cardboard boxes, books, etc.   Even though the Dymo uses 4 AA batteries,  they last quite a long time.

There are many different models and makes of hand-held label makers like the Dymo to choose with various options.  Mine has options that allow me to print labels with both upper and lower case fonts in different sizes along with symbols, multiple lines, dates and numbers.   I have even given label makers as gifts and everyone is usually surprised at how many uses they can find for them.  

My USB cords are all labeled now and I won’t have to empty out the junk drawer next time to find the right one. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So that’s my contribution to today’s enlightenment.

Gail

Looking Back at Early Projects…Part 2

I apologize for the quality of the photos in these two posts.  These were taken before the days of digital.  You remember, don’t you?  When we bought rolls of film, loaded the camera, took way too many pictures, then sent them off to be developed and hoped that they all came out good.

In 1987, I took a class at the Brass Thimble Quilt Shop in Manchester, NH.  That shop closed several years later and the owner moved back to her hometown in northern Maine.  I cannot remember her name but she was a talented teacher.  

I took a crazy-patch appliqué class which resulted in the flimsy below.   The colors in this are so ‘80’s—remember “dusty rose” and “dusty blue”?   This top is entirely hand-pieced and appliquéd.  The crazy border was still unfinished in 2009 when I got laid off and I finished piecing it then but it remains unfinished because I want to appliqué a partial floral border on the edges and I’m undecided whether I will hand or machine quilt it.  What would you do? 

 

 

In 1990 I made this Debbie Mumm design called “An Apple A Day”   I loved her whimsical country style.  My kitchen, back then, had red countertops and harvest gold appliances (1970’s) so I made this quilt to hang on the wall.   The picture shows it after being basted but it did get quilted on a transatlantic passage by car carrier to Germany and Sweden! (there wasn’t very much to do on that cruise).  I still have this quilt but now I only display it at Christmas along with my other red and green quilts. 

 

 

According to what I wrote on the back of the picture below, I purchased this as a quilt kit in 1991 from Keepsake Quilting.  It was made for my friend, Diane who lived in an adorable log cabin and collected Snowmen.  This  kit came with all of the fabrics, batting and pattern.   I satin stitched his “twiggy” arms  which I  think looked a lot better than sewing real twigs to the fabric !

 

 

The next  photo is of the small wall-hanging I did for a guild challenge.  Just like the Xmas  raffle quilts, we were given packets of material and instructions to make a wall-hanging.  We had to use all of the fabrics in the pack but could add two or three additional fabrics of our choice.   It’s been so long I’m only guessing when I say that I added the pinks and light green fabrics.     Thankfully, I can still remember the names of the two sweet little models. All of the challenge quilts were displayed at the guild’s quilt show that year after which, it went to my aunt who lived in Florida who loved it.

 

The Dresden plate quilt below was made from a Quilt In A Day book by Wendy Gilbert.  I finished the top in 1992 but it stayed a “flimsy” till 2009 when I had it machine quilted.  I originally intended to hand-quilt this but I never really liked hand quilting so it was easy to put this quilt aside.   Several times, I was  tempted to donate/purge this top.  I am so happy now that I didn’t.  It is filled with wonderful scraps from my daughters’ clothing, my sewing projects and from swaps with friends.    (side note—I did (accidentally) sell the original  binding and backing fabric for this quilt at a yard sale [sigh])

 

 

 

This has been a short history of some of my projects, there are many more but I didn’t always take pictures and some were blocks or quilts that I did as a member of a guild committee or round-robin groups.  I am trying to do a better job of documenting all of my future projects which I posted about in March 2013.

Having written this post and viewing these pictures again, I can see my transformation from a very inexperienced quilt maker to a “competent” quilt maker.  I can also see the many ways that I want to improve.   Henry David Thoreau said that you should never look back unless you are planning to go that way.   I think for most of us, looking back and seeing where you came from is a good way to know the direction you want to go.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

Gail

Looking Back at First Projects – Part One

I was going through some pictures this week and came across some of my first quilt projects.   I thought I would share these photos because I think hope they show an improvement in my quilting and sewing skills.  I’ve been sewing for over 50 years but in the beginning most of my sewing was garment sewing.

I can’t pinpoint the exact year I started quilting.  I knew very little about quilting or sewing and I wasn’t raised by people who did either.  My grandmother crocheted and knitted but I don’t remember her ever using the treadle sewing machine kept in her back room.  My mother only did hand sewing to mend or hem things.  When I went to a public high school, that offered Home Ec classes, I signed up for sewing.  I worked on a strawberry farm the summer I turned 15 and earned enough money (with a little added by my parents) to buy a Singer Stylist Model 237.    There was a fabric store about a mile from our house.  My friend and I would sometimes walk there (because neither of us were old enough to drive) and buy a Simplicity Pattern for $1.25 and a yard of material to make a skirt.

By the time I was in my 20’s and 30’s I’d made  some “tied” comforters and decorative pillows with thick batting for gifts.  I don’t have any pictures of those to show because film costing so much to develop, taking pictures of sewing projects was sort of a waste. 

My very, very first “quilt” was made for my high school friend, Marie and her husband, Bob who were expecting their first baby in 1974,.  I made a patchwork quilt of multi-color gingham squares with a double eyelet ruffle around the edge.  I used the ultra loft batting  and tied  it with ribbon bows.  The predominant color was a soft orange because ultrasound wasn’t routinely used, so the sex of most babies remained a mystery until birth.   I thought I was playing it safe with the orange.

 

The quilt above brings tears to my eyes because this picture is all I have left of it.   Not knowing the first thing about quilting, I made this in 1982 for my then, baby daughter.  I drew the heart shape freehand and it came out perfect w/out redrawing (I don’t think I’ve ever been that lucky again).  I appliquéd each heart to a square of  background fabric.  The back is also made up of individual squares  (I think I was reading Georgia Bonesteel’s book about lap quilting when I started this).    I “typed’ the quilt label on my portable typewriter.  I don’t think the white fabric was 100% cotton, it may have been a blend.   I named this quilt “Primary Hearts”.  Sadly, very sadly now--I let this quilt be donated when my daughter redecorated her room, in her late teens.  If anyone happened to buy this at a Goodwill or charity shop, I would love to know that it is safe and in a good home.

1976 was the American Bicentennial and every town and village in the US was making a commemorative quilt.  Our little NH town was no different and blocks were being made to represent each of the historical buildings, volunteer organizations, groups and businesses in town.   Nel, the postmistress of our tiny little post office (the other half of the building was the locksmith’s shop)asked me if I would make a block to represent their building.  I knew nothing about appliqué at the time which is pretty evident from this block which turned out to be about 2 inches smaller than it was supposed to be.  It’s also the  only block that has a person’s name on it.  You can’t see it in this photo, but I embroidered my name in the lower left corner  and found out later that I wasn’t supposed to do that.  The quilt still hangs in the Historical Society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fast forward to 1986 and I attended my first quilt show!  Wow, I was hooked and immediately joined MVQG (Merrimack Valley Quilter’s Guild).  I was so inspired by the amazing quilts that I saw displayed and so excited that there existed a group of people who met regularly to talk about and make quilts!  I loved attending the monthly  meetings, there were lectures and workshops by well-known quilters as well as supplies and notions available to purchase.  Each fall, the  MVQ Executive Board selected fabrics and passed block kits out to members who volunteered to make  blocks that were assembled into quilts and raffled off at the Christmas Party.  The first year I joined I was a little late to get my block done, but the second year I made a mariner’s compass, pieced completely by hand.    I thought the background fabric looked like ice crystals.  My block made it into one of the four quilts that were raffled off —but I didn’t win any of them :(

 

In 1990 our library was trying to raise funds for a badly-needed addition.  An appropriation to repair, remodel and expand the library had been turned down by voters at the town meeting so the Friends of the Library decided to try to raise funds for some  immediate repairs.   I donated a quilt for the Friends’ auction  The room was packed and I was so proud of my quilt that I designed and made  until another quilt that was so much better than mine came up for auction.  There was furious bidding for that quilt and deservedly so.  It was beautiful and I wanted to bid on it myself.   At that moment I realized how poor my fabric choices were for the quilt I had made. Looking at the picture now,  I know that it was too monotone.  There needed to be contrast between the baskets and the flowers and background.  And even though it was hand quilted, it did not raise as much money for the library as I had hoped.

 

 

To be continued…..Part II

Art in Bloom

Every year MOFA, the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, hosts an exhibit called “Art in Bloom”.  Various groups, garden clubs and floral designers create floral arrangements based on a piece of art that is on display in the museum.

My sister and I made a last minute decision to go yesterday and literally met up on the same speeding subway car. I took the commuter rail to Boston, texting my sister when I got to the subway, so she was able to leave her office within minutes of my train departing the station and meet up with me several stops later.

We were both excited to go to this event because it coincides with another exhibit at MOFA called “Quilts and Color” showcasing quilts from the Pilgrim and Roy Collection.  This turned out to be so much more than we expected.  We’ve all seen  antique and vintage quilts on display but seeing them at MOFA elevated the quilts from beautiful examples of needlework to fine art!  They looked as much at home hanging on the museums walls as the museum’s other art collection.  

 

Some of these quilts looked like they were illuminated from within.  My sister compared it to looking through a stained glass window. This is not all of the quilts from the exhibit. I started off taking pictures with my iPhone but it switched to video mode and I couldn’t get it switched back. 

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We ran out of time before we could see all of the flower arrangements but what we did see was wonderful.  These are not your average florist bouquets.  These  really did match the artwork they represented.  From the quality and scale of the flowers that I saw, I’m sure the arrangements put a considerable dent in some budgets. 

So even though the “Blooms” part of the exhibit ended yesterday you can still see the quilts which will be on display through July 27th.  I hope my pictures will entice you to want to see the rest!  Here is the link to the museum’s website, if you’d like to learn more. 

Gail :)

Ducklings

I hope you all had a nice Easter.   I did.  This year, we also celebrated my little sister's 53rd birthday which fell during the week.   

It was great to have my dad with us. As I've mentioned before he usually makes excuses about holidays but this year he was eager to go when I picked him up and he really enjoyed himself.  My dad was very complimentary of my sister's wonderful cooking as we all were.  Of course, we overdid the dessert table but that's always been the case in our family.
God forbid we should run out!

 

My sister makes wonderful popovers for every holiday!  She always sets a beautiful table and "the ducklings" were a big hit as they marched around the center.  My brother-in-law colors eggs for each of us every year so that we can do the the traditional Polish "egg" cracking war-- the last egg left without a crack is the winner and brings luck to the owner.  After dinner, Calvin had fun hunting for eggs around their yard.  At almost four, he didn't need very much help finding them this year.

I've posted the instructions for the ducklings, if you'd like to get a start on next Easter, lol.   They would also be cute added to a spring wreath or for baby shower favors.  I know of several baby showers coming up this summer. 

I also created a "prim" version too.  My prim version was actually a happy mistake that I filled it with catnip and is now in Ernie's "toy box". 

Well, that's it for today.  I'm off to start some seeds and paint some flower pots!   Have a wonderful day!

Gail