Design Wall Monday Jan. 24, 2011

I needed to start something new. Something that didn't need a great deal of concentration. Something fun! Something different. I needed to be quilting, of course. The bonus of this project is it also involves machine embroidery, another luv of mine. So, this is what I've been up to with Miss Ellie' for the past week.

Here are some close ups of a few of the crazy quilt blocks that I have completed. These are all designs from the Molly Mine website. Totally done in the hoop. Applique and machine embroidery. I'm using some of my Batik fabric stash for the blocks. Each quilt block takes about an hour or more to complete.

There are twenty blocks in this series. I plan to make a wall hanging or table cloth with the finished project using some regular cotton embroidery floss to tie the quilt top.


The Molly Mine machine embroidery website has a series of three Crazy Quilt projects. Beautiful! Linda's digitizing is awesome! These blocks are from the Series one quilt, but do check out the Christmas quilt and Series two. All very tempting!

A special thank you to all of you for the warm and thoughtful emails, cards, phone calls and comments about our sweet Bootsy. It's been a difficult time, but your caring words have helped more than you will ever know.

Lack of Interest

I completed the Patriots Dream quilt top just before Bootsy died. It's been hanging on the design wall since then. I have the backing and batting ready. But, my heart is just not into going into the sewing room and doing any kind of meaningful work. I wander in, look around and leave. Bootsy and I spent so much time together there. Not that she wasn't part of every inch of our home. It's just the sewing room seems more painful a place to be without her. I'm just not ready I guess....so projects linger as I heal.

Bootsy 2000 - 2010

She came into our lives on a warm July day in 2000. She was a birthday gift that year. All 2 and half pounds of her! I carried her around like a stuffed toy, tucking her into my shirt or under my arm a lot of the time while I did things around the house. She was so tiny those first few months, I was afraid we would step on her.

She loved her life on Timber Hill. We called it "her domain" as she made sure everything and everybody followed the routine! Always on the lookout for wild life (preferably a squirrel to chase)-- and visitors to play with and cuddle with. She loved family and friends to come and visit. We used to say,"it must be pretty boring with us all the time, huh Boots?" (it probably was) but she went along with our daily routine and seemed to know exactly what time it was, and when we should do things. If we didn't get lunch going on time, or dinner started soon enough, she would look at us and head to the kitchen checking back to make sure we knew it was close to meal time.

One of the highlights of her day was her walk with Bill out to the wildlife cameras. She would wait patiently for him to get dressed each morning and as he was putting on his shoes, she would eventually get impatient and would start out the door without him. Headed for the small walking trail they traveled each day. Occasionally looking back to make sure he was coming along---

Like a lot of little dogs, she thought she was much larger than her actual 10 pounds of boundless energy. Checking on things, playing with toys, running down the hall to the sewing room, jumping onto the bed to get us up, reminding us of it was time to do this or that. Barking at the neighbor cat, or chasing the squirrel from the back patio. Sleeping by my side in the evenings on the sofa as I watched TV or stitched on a quilt binding . She was always close by, if not right on your lap---and such a part of our daily lives.

Even in the last few days of her life she would run and jump just like the puppy she always was even as we tried to prolong her life by trying keep her calm and resting a lot of the time. She died last Thursday despite all our efforts to treat her progressing congestive heart failure. The house is strangely quiet now as we try to come to terms with her loss. We all loved her so much, and she is greatly missed. The delight of our days and into the long evening shadows. Always with us---our beloved Bootsy.



THE LAST BATTLE--Author Unknown

IF IT SHOULD BE THAT I GROW FRAIL AND WEAK AND PAIN SHOULD KEEP ME FROM MY SLEEP, THEN WILL YOU DO WHAT MUST BE DONE, FOR THIS--THE LAST BATTLE CAN'T BE WON. YOU WILL BE BE SAD I UNDERSTAND, BUT DON'T LET GRIEF THEN STAY YOU HAND, FOR ON THIS DAY, MORE THAN THE REST, YOUR LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP MUST STAND THE TEST. WE HAVE HAD SO MANY HAPPY YEARS, YOU WOULDN'T WANT ME TO SUFFER SO. WHEN THE TIME COMES, PLEASE, LET ME GO. TAKE ME TO WHERE TO MY NEEDS THYE'LL TEND, ONLY, STAY WITH ME TILL THE END. AND HOLD ME FIRM AND SPEAK TO ME UNTIL MY EYES NO LONGER SEE. I KNOW IN TIME YOU WILL AGREE IT IS A KINDNESS YOU DO TO ME. ALTHOUGH MY TAIL ITS LAST HAS WAVED, FROM PAIN AND SUFFERING I HAVE BEEN SAVED. DON'T GRIEVE THAT IT MUST BE YOU WHO HAD TO DECIDE THIS THING TO DO; WE'VE BEEN SO CLOSE--WE TWO--THESE YEARS, DON'T LET YOUR HEART HOLD ANY TEARS.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

The Teacup and Saucer candle Jana and Holly crafted for us this Christmas.

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Some of the ornaments on the tree

Our Christmas tree

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And then there is this tree. You see it when you come up the long drive way to the house. I can see it from our kitchen window and I may leave it up all year! It's so pretty!

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A little Santa wallhanging my quilting friend Betty showed a group of us how to make.

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The mantle in the family room

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One of the porcelain Santa's

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Bald Eagle

While most of my blogging is about quilts, once in awhile it's fun

to blog about other things happening on Timber Hill---like this picture.

Magnificent Bald Eagle (click on pic. to enlarge)

I snapped this picture yesterday afternoon. This Eagle perched at the top of this tall fir tree on Timber Hill for about 3 hours. It overlooks the Laguna at the base of Timber Hill. We are fairly sure he was hunting the ducks that winter at the Laguna.
Laguna

Beautiful Day

Today was a beautiful day on Timber Hill, and we spent most of the day outdoors enjoying the fall weather and doing some chores before the next rain. Here are some pictures of what I am blessed to see and enjoy every day.

Coming up the long driveway home

Colorful maples

Looking east down onto Timber Hill

Last of the hydrangea's

last show of color

View towards the Laguna from our deck

Tractor man

Our Boots. Outdoors is still her favorite spot.

Keeping an eye on everything and everybody

Spash of color at the front deck

Wild mushrooms are everywhere on Timber Hill now

in every crevice and rock

Among the fir needles

Overlooking the back yard and woods beyond

Design Wall Monday Dec. 6, 2010

This is a machine embroidery project I loaded onto the long arm. Maybe I will quilt a feathered circle around the main embroidery or some cross hatching. I haven't quite decided, so each time I pass by the frame I think maybe this motif, maybe that design--

The Patriot's Dream stitching is all finished with the exception of the applique stars down in the bottom section and the blue border than needs to be sewn on. I can't find the original blue fabric in my stash, so I'm off to the local quilt shop to see if I can find a good match. It feels so good to have all the stitching completed!

This picture is looking out across the back yard into the woods from our house. The Japanese Maples are just turning color, and are so pretty.

What's Off the Long Arm

Hot Diggity Dog is finished! It is approx. 64" x 64". I used Soft & Bright batting. I thought it would have a lighter feel, but the quilt is larger and heavier than I thought it would be. Amanda and I made this quilt during this past summer break. "Amanda and Peanut"

What's on the Long Arm

Hot Diggity Dog is on the long arm today---well, actually I just finished quilting it, and it's off the frame. Now, to make the binding and label.

Thankfulness

I feel this picture of our granddaughter perhaps says it all.

We are over abundantly blessed with many things, which included being together to share a tasty Thanksgiving dinner. We did not do much cooking except for a few special side dishes as we opted to purchase our organic turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings precooked at our local grocery.

Some family members expressed some serious concerns with our disregard with "family traditions". I had my doubts too. After all, how could we not go shopping for that perfect turkey, select seasonings, perform ritual brining, slather butter, bake and cube dry breads, chop assorted vegetables, simmer broth, mix, mash and stir everything ourselves? and what if it didn't taste good?

Worry not! The dinner was perfection! Dare I say---perhaps better than what we could have cooked on our own. The turkey and dressing was moist and delicious, the mashed potatoes were buttery smooth! Tender hot rolls and loads of tasty gravy. Baked yams in a decadent orange sauce...oh, and yummy pumpkin pie is included.

It's not that I don't love cooking Thanksgiving dinner---but after many decades of doing this ritual dinner, and discovering that some one else can do it just as well, if not better ( and may I add for less cost)---This Grandmama is ready to embrace pre cooked Thanksgiving dinners in the future with no reservations! Oh my--this is a good thing!

I've not been quilting very much, but working on one of my "forever projects". It's the patriotic redwork & bluework stitchery, "A Patriots Dream".I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as they say, and may actually get this finished by the new year.

A glimpse at some of the different sections.

I plan to do some hand quilting designs on this project to finish it up.