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Post by gramma15 on Dec 11, 2019 20:02:48 GMT
Good afternoon everyone. I woke up this morning to find that dh had simmered chicken during the night so that I could make chicken soup so I finished up the soup and it's now simmering with the veggies and all in it. I also worked on a thermal stitch earwarmer that I'm making for my sil. He works outdoors (when he works as his work is pretty much seasonal) so he needs something to keep his ears warm Ginny now that you mentioned the book that Phyl talked about I do remember reading it. Don't know how I could have forgotten. I liked the book and I think that's the book that mentioned the Baltimore quilts or squares or whatever. This book I'm reading of hers is kind of discouraging me from trying quilts because she mentions all the mistakes that not so good quilters make and how great some are in taking your eye from one part of the quilt to another and how different hues of the same color blend together to make a good overall look. I'm not good at all in picking what fabrics go together. Even in crochet I'm always amazed when I put some colors together and they actually look good. And I do remember the instructor at the quilt classes I did take talk about how people pick lights and darks and mentioned that most times the ones we think are darks aren't really darks at all. The poor choices of fabric are evident in the blocks that CJ gave us links too...some blocks are fantastic while others, because of poor fabric and color choices don't look good at all. CJ, its so great to hear that you are excited about the prospect of working on the reindeer quilt. Your ideas for putting it together truly do sound wonderful and it will be an amazing quilt. I just wish we could see a picture when it's done. I was smiling as I was reading that book because one woman talked about all her quilt tops she had made that she had never finished to make into a completed quilt. I thought of you with your stash of lots of tops. I think the tops in themselves are beautiful without having been made into completed quilts Yes my son was wrong in not writing a thank you himself. I should have insisted he do that. My inlaws had plenty of money so a $25 gift was well below what they could have afforded. That being said I think that most people think (except me) that the gift they've made is wonderful and are very sad when it is not acknowleged with a thank you note. So even if your ds' knitting project was horribly ugly she undoubtedly meant well.My sister in law's grandmother sent three small crochet blankets when my first dgs was born and they were very ugly. Not only that but I didn't realize at least one of them was made with partly wool yarn and the rest acrylic so when I washed it the wool part shrank and of course the rest didn't.I always hesitate sending a handmade gift because I'm always afraid the recipient won't like it...well actually any gift but if they didn't like my handmade one I'd be hurt. I always think that my grandchildren in Indiana wear the things I make them to church and the older ladies at church will notice mistakes.. Ginny, you're right though to stay out of the situation...what CJ said.
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Post by choney2 on Dec 12, 2019 2:23:46 GMT
Thanks Ruth and CJ for your wisdom and compassion with this silly situation. Yup, I am just gonna stay out of it and the issue is a bit deeper than my sister will ever figure out. For me, its just a shame that I do have some family members, who might have different opinions on many subjects than Dd has but they are still family and all the family I have on my side.. Not bad people necessarily just different.
Ruth, I will figure out which book it was that Chiaverini annoyed me.....but PLEASE do not let her scare you away from quilting. If you want to try, go ahead. You have a great eye for crafting with all your crochetting- and I am sure would make a lovely quilt. And the secret to fabric selection??? Find a main fabric that you love and pull colors out of that to match. Its not that tough, and most fabric stores will help. You can do this!!
CJ- so good to hear that you got your creative juices flowing and are quilting again!! Wish we could see pictures of each other’s work....but I love what you are planning and am sure it will turn out great.
Got a few more cards done and Dh and I did some Christmas shopping this afternoon.
TIme to get some sleep. Night all! GInny
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Post by gramma15 on Dec 12, 2019 3:18:02 GMT
We do have to be thankful for the family we have despite their quirks and idiosyncrasies. At my age, at least, there aren't that many left. I know quite well that there are things about me that bother others.
Ginny, congraulations on getting those cards done and some shopping done also. I don't think I'll go out and finish mine tomorrow but maybe Friday.. I'm just not too motivated to go anywhere right now but I have to do it sometime and there isn't much time left before Christmas. I know my dh would say that I don't need to get him anything. In fact he's already said it but I know he has a couple little things for me and I don't want him to think that I was just too lazy to try.
I think I will try a quilt after I get back here from Indiana. Right now I'm too busy getting ready to go there and also ready for Christmas. I won't have the "correct" fabric or know the approved way of making them but they will be for my family and they won't know the difference and will only know that I made the quilts for them.I would also like to make little things that are quilted like tote bags, table toppers, etc.Maybe some baby blankets.
Have a good sleep everyone
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Post by snowsaint on Dec 12, 2019 16:09:10 GMT
It's a dreary morning with the temperature at 35*. Today is quilting, but I'm not going. I wouldn't want to sit next to me yet! I'm much improved but still have a cough that makes others shudder! The average age of of the members of our group is about 80.
Yesterday I finally got my hair cut and did some grocery shopping. It was too much too soon, so I'm glad I'm staying at home today! A real fireplace would be nice today! I have the makings for hot chocolate with some tiny marshmallows!
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Post by cj59 on Dec 12, 2019 21:50:32 GMT
Hello Crafters Sue - I'm sorry you still have that cough, hope it gets better soon. Hope you can enjoy some hot chocolate and marshmallows even without the real fire Ginny - I'm glad you have more of your cards and shopping done, hope you can get it all done soon. I can imagine it's pretty stressful buying for your children and grandchildren - but hopefully fun too. Ruth - Ginny is right, you can easily pick fabrics after working with yarns like you have for so many years. The internet makes it so easy now for quilting. There are many really simple quilt patterns and I'll be happy to guide you to some of them when you are interested. I've made a few quilt tops myself and all I did was cut a large piece of several fabrics and sewed them together in rows and made a large top. I stopped worrying about lights/mediums/darks fabrics a long time ago. I just pick a fabric I like and then pick a few others that have colors that are in the main one. That's what I'm doing with the Rudolph quilt. I hope you will be able to work on some quilting after you move. Phyl - Hope you are getting in some crafting. It's cold and sunny here today, but I didn't have to go out except to get the mail and put the trash container out for pickup tomorrow (and feed the birds), so that was nice. I starched and pressed all the fabric for the Rudolph quilt and cut out the blocks and strips, so I'm ready to start piecing it. It should be pretty quick since it's just all straight line sewing. I had forgot that the Rudolph fabric had a red background so I can't sash those blocks in red, I have a pretty shiny gold fabric to use instead. I'm going to make 25 blocks - sashed in green, gold and/or white and sew them together in rows of 5. I figured out a diagram where I could place them in diagonal rows that should look nice. Take care everyone!
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Post by gramma15 on Dec 12, 2019 23:26:48 GMT
CJ, I think the gold will add the most wonderful touch to your quilt. And I can't thank you enough for offering to guide me to some easy patterns. That is very generous of you to offer to use your time to help me. One fabric that I would like to make into something quilted is some pieces of fabric that I have that has Peanuts characters on it...Charlie Brown and all. I'm thinking that I could cut it so that each block has the part with the character...well I'm not explaining it well but they are all an overall design with character scenes as well as background around them. Some might be hard to do that with but I'm not sure. I haven't seen them in awhile.
Sue, I'm sorry to hear that you're still not feeling well and still coughing a lot. I hope you're well soon. Sorry that you have to miss your quilting. I know that's something you look forward to doing and is a time of relaxation for you.
Phyl, how is your day going?
Ginny, did you babysit today. Your grandchildren certainly seem like a delight.
I never did get the thermal stitch earwarmer done yesterday. That stitch takes a long time even though I'm doing it in hdc instead of sc. I did make two other earwarmers last evening though and even finished them completely since it's nearly Christmas and I need to get some of these completed. This morning I started a hat for the mail carrier. It's the Lakeside beanie which is nice and thick and warm and also easy to make. It's all fpdc except for the top where you do your increasing and is nearly done.I'll get a small gift card to go with it when I go out tomorrow to finish my shopping and take care of a few other errands.
Have a great evening. I'll check back later to see if Phyl or Ginny stopped in
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Post by phyl on Dec 12, 2019 23:37:17 GMT
evening, Cj The reindeer quilt will be pretty. anything red I always wash my fabric.well I usually wash all my fabrics.
years ago I bought 2 yards of red from a quilt shop.the fabric was from Japan.
HAD IT IN THE SINK.Took the fabric and put it in the tub. don't know how many times I changed the water. looked like the red sea.put it in the washer hot and cold water. added my gray fabric with chickens on it. my chickens heads came out pink.
then I remembered Sandy who worked in a dry cleaners told me years ago over seas were not locking their colors.that is why we see dry clan only on alot of our clothes.so now I try to see if the fabric comes from a forgin county. most fabrics do.DON'T TRUST JAPAN!
part of the reason I do wash fabric is so it won't shrink after a project is made.wall hangings and table runners are not necssary to wash.
Ruth how big is your MACHINE? COULD YOU HAVE ROOM TO TAKE IT WITH YOU? MAYBE TAKE A CLASS At A QUILT SHOP,JOIN A SEWING/QUILTING GROUP.FIND OUT IF A SHOP WOULD LOAN OR RENT YOU A MACHINE WHILE YOU ARE THERE. THERE ARE SOME SMALL MACHINES QUILTERS BUY TO TAKE WITH ON TRIPS. SOME OF THE QUILTERS BRING A FEATHERWEIGHT MACHINE TO SEW DAYS.
WISH I COULD FINE ONE AT A GOOD PRICE.
WELL GOT THE RESULTS OF MY PLATELET COUNT. UP A LITTLE MORE THIS MONTH. HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE CLINIC MAYBE MONDAY.least it is not a big jump like last month.phyl
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Post by choney2 on Dec 13, 2019 1:21:39 GMT
Good evening,
Absolutely some wonderful advice from CJ and Phyl about quilting.....but now I am getting off track.
Phyl, I forget did they tweak your medication last month with the higher count or opt to wait to see this months platelet levels? Yes, I would think it takes the clinic a few days to check in all blood test results and contact the patient. I hope and pray that you are feeling ok and that they can get your platelet levels back down to where they want them. Gee, you had some wonderful advice for Ruth about finding a guild, or even a shop to take quilting lessons at! Joanns even offers some quilting classes. And I totally agree that red fabric is difficult- and known for bleeding. They do sell those bleed stopping sheets-you wash with them in the load to catch dye that has bled out. Not sure how well they work, however. And yes, I know many of the guild types have travel machines so they can leave their big machines at home. A nice luxury for sure!
Ruth, what a lovely idea to make a hat for your mail carrier!! Wow- winters are harsh by you and a nice warm hat would be welcome for sure. That is an awesome idea. Now as far as quilting goes, well if you are doing a complicated pattern the rules do matter, but if you were just making a quilt from 5 inch squares, well all that really matters is that you use a 1/4 seam allowance throughout. Then you could cut the fabric to get a good piece of a peanuts character in each square. There are plenty of good youtubes on cutting fabric with a rotary and quilt assembly. they way I see it, as long as you are not submitting your quilt for judging at the state fair, as long as you are happy with it who cares?? Love your Dh for cooking that chicken for you. He is quite a keeper.
CJ- sounds like you had a great day- feeding the birds and just staying home to play with fabric.I love the way this Rudolph quilt sounds, and think that the gold fabric will really “pop” the red and look so very pretty. Did you start assembly today?
Sue, so sorry that you missed quilting group and that you still have a nasty cough. Indeed best that you stayed home. Glad you got your hair cut- which I am sure lifted your spirits. It always feel good getting a hair cut! Hope you and your husband are better soon.
Worked this am.....and then spent the day with my very silly youngest DGD.She hardly napped, but was a lot of fun to be with. Such a silly little girl. No crafting for me today, but I am hoping that tomorrow I can work on the Bible cover- and finish it Sunday. Still no news on my machine....but that is ok, I have a machine to use.
Cold day here, and I hear its going to get colder. I got a few more Christmas cards out, will send a few more tomorrow. Oh- from looking at the Chiaverini books, I figure it was Sonoma Rose (the title) of the book that she bashed some politicians.It was somewhere around 2012- and I see that she has written a few books since then. I will say her historical books are interesting. I refuse to spend a cent on one, and get from the library. All in all a gifted author, just wish she would keep her politics to herself.
Enough from me tonight. Off to write another Christmas card. Ginny
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Post by phyl on Dec 13, 2019 3:22:28 GMT
yes I am ok and feel great.
no same dosage of meds as last month. think they wanted to see if it would spike again. so far it has not.
still think when I came down with the sinus is what cause it to go up. had bloody nostrils for a couple of weeks. as long as the blood was not running out or dripping I kinda ok with it. dr.pete did say one time platelets are fickle, one month down,next month up. infections and viruses can play a part in them going up also.
I AM A LITTLE MIFFED GIRLS.I know some years back I did buy hanukkah fabric at hobby lobby.none of the stores have it around here. most places online do not have it either.
wellI Checked OUT H.L. ONLINE. the owner say they will not stock anything crafts for the jewish. said something about you people.
well is that not discimation? now from what Mike's dad told me the ortodox jews are something don't remember how he said it but sounds like they can get very rude when shopping.
wanted to do a table runner for rob and jay for next year. phyl
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Post by gramma15 on Dec 13, 2019 22:43:32 GMT
Phyl, the info about HL not selling anything to do with Judaism is an untrue rumor spread back in 2013 which may have happened because of an incident in one store. They do in fact sell many Hanukah items both online and in the store. I haven't seen fabric though, just decorative items and things like already made table runners, wall hangings, candles, etc. Target supposedly sells Hanukah fabric. My actual Target store doesn't sell fabric at all but supposedly it's sold on their online site. And thank you very much for the quilting info!
Went out and did a whole bunch of errands. Everyone was so happy and friendly today. There weren't any lines even in our office where they do vehicle registrations. Here registrations and driver's licenses are done by completely different departments and offices. Last time I was there there was quite a long line. Today one person ahead of me and I actually got called immediately after she did.Same at the post office...no one in line. I made three other stops and am safely home. While in Walmart I ran into someone I used to work with (I retired 16 years ago) and he told me that one of my former "bosses" was fired. Well I know it's not good behaviour to be glad about someones misfortune but this woman truly deserved it and it was long in coming. she was very unprofessional and was the cause of the unjust firing of quite a few people.And then she wasn't happy with just getting them fired...she also caused many of them to loose their licenses too. I did a bit of saying Merry Christmas but it sure felt weird saying it because it just doesnt feel like Christmas season to me.
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Post by cj59 on Dec 13, 2019 23:19:37 GMT
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Post by choney2 on Dec 14, 2019 2:09:08 GMT
Good evening,
Phyl, walmart had a tiny amount of fabric for Hanukkah online, and I would think that Amazon would also have some. I did check HL online and while I found no specific fabric for Hanukkah, they did have a lot of decorations for the holiday. I admit to being surprised that they would discriminate - after all Jesus was Jewish, and well, it makes no sense not to market items for a holiday that is mentioned in the Old Testament. We used to live in an area where there was a significant Orthodox population- my experience is that the Orthodox are just normal people whose religious beliefs are a bit different than ours. And there are polite and rude people all over- irregardless of religious beliefs. Anyway I hope you can find some fabrics that work for you. Making a table runner for Rob and Jay sounds like a lovely idea. The good news is you have a lot of time to find fabric you like. Glad to hear that you are feeling well!!!
Ruth, congrats on getting those errands done. Its almost a miracle that a trip to motor vehicle went so well. Ok, so its not nice to hear of someone elses demise, (let me finish.....I am certainly just as human as anyone else!) but sometimes its nice to hear of deserved justice in this life. I wonder why the person was fired-sounds like he or she ruined many lives. What a shame. So sorry to hear that you are not feeling the Christmas spirit. Its been a very busy fall for you- buying the new home and all. I hope that you can maybe do some reading to refresh the reason for the season in your heart. Yet some years its just tough to feel the Christmas spirit- perhaps a good movie or some Christmas music (if listening to music is something you enjoy) might work.
CJ- leave it to you to find some great ideas! I have never heard of sewing a panel right on top of the fabric but its a great idea if saving fabric is not the main idea. We have the same foggy and rainy weather. Think its with us for tomorrow at least. Hope you can find the inspiration to get back to that quilt - rainy weather is good quilting weather!
Its back, and it runs so well. My machine, that is! Just had time to turn it on.....will play more on Sunday and Monday.
Went shopping with Dh today, and picked up my machine. Think I finished most of the Christmas cards with the exception of one that I just realized I have to send. Now I’d better get to bed.
Have a good evening all Ginny
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Post by megk31 on Dec 14, 2019 4:09:09 GMT
Hi Ginny, Ruth ,Phyl, cj, Sue. Hope you are all enjoying a nice warm cozy evening at home. It has been a wet cold day here and I just stayed home. I should have gone to my knit wits gp. but I decided to try and get some of my Christmas stuff done. It donned on me last night I hadn't started on anything so today I ordered some items for DD. I have not sent any cards yet but my list is much shorter as many of my friends have passed away.
Devin is in middle school this year and sings with the school choir. Last evening the band and the choir gave a concert and I really enjoyed that. I usually don't go out at night but I live 3 houses down from the school. I have been trying to finish some of my UFO's before I start something new. I really would like to start a new project. Hobby Lobby is going to open a new store near me and I am looking forward to that. They have taken over the store where TOYS R US used to be. There is another Hobby Lobby but it is further away.
I have been trying to catch with some of your posts I just need to check in more often. Ruth have you read any of Betty Neels books. Her stories are for when you need something relaxing to read. Betty Neels took up writing when she retired from nursing. She died a few years ago but she wrote over 100+ books.
Sue, I am glad you got home safely and you missed the snow in Iowa. I spent 3 years there the first time I came to the U.S. I was not used to that much snow.
Sue, hope you are feeling better now.
Ginny, sounds like you are busier now than when you were driving the school bus.
cj, good to see you are busy quilting. Hope you are not snowed in.
I am off to watch a Hallmark movie.
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Post by gramma15 on Dec 14, 2019 5:38:17 GMT
Meg, it's always so good to see you here. I can't believe Devon is in middle school already! How old is he now? It's great that he sings in the choir and that you got to go and see the performance. I, too, am not keeping up on my Christmas needs. I did finish my shopping today but haven't done even one card or note.I had decided to not send cards just a note. Last few years I've been cutting way down on the cards I sent and last year got back quite a number fewer than I sent and, as you said, at our age when we don't hear from people we wonder if they are still "with" us. One friend did send a nice card after Christmas with a nice letter included so I know she's ok. She's a lot younger than I am though too. So far this year I've received one card.I expect that next week there will be a few more but I don't expect to get many. Yes Ginny does sound busier than ever doesn't she.
CJ, I watched the video for which you posted the link. It's a great idea. I don't know how straight I can sew anymore but I'll try that on some fabric I don't care about and see how it goes. I do love how it looks. My fabric with Peanut's characters isn't like hers but I think I can still use her method. It should work great if I can find appropriate fabric to go with the main ones. This morning it suddenly occurred to me that each piece of fabric is a different color and might not go well together but with her method it should work out fine.
Ginny, I'm glad to hear that you got your machine home and that it works so well now. I'm sure you're not disappointed that you aren't going to be buying a new one now because as you mentioned some aren't made as well as the ones even a few years back. I hope you can get time to sew with it this weekend.
When I saw the man today that I used to work with I was very shocked at how old he looks. He's only 64 years old and looks like he's about 90. He has definitely not aged well. He is a nice man though and has many interests that are likely keeping him busy in his retirement.He was an excellent nurse and I would think the hospital will really miss him. As for the person that was fired, I did find by being nosey on the internet that she got a job at the community college teaching (or I guess it's teaching...she could be the dean for all I know) in their nursing school.It's not as though she was going to starve because she has a husband and their children are adults so it does seem to me that they should be able to get along fine on just his salary unlike some of the people she managed to get fired over the years.I'm sure surprised she did get fired from her supervisory position because they had a big "good old boy" thing going on there and she was one of the elect group. New admin came in though and I guess she didn't pull the wool over their eyes like she did with the previous ones.The new people pretty much cleaned house from what I hear.
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Post by choney2 on Dec 14, 2019 11:07:45 GMT
Good morning! What a pleasant surprise to wake up and see that Meg stopped in to say hello.
Meg, all I can say is that its such a blessing that you live so close that you could see Devins Christmas concert at school!OK so they probably called it a holiday concert, but still its very nice that they put on a presentation like that for you to enjoy. Its such a wonderful thing that you and Devin can share your lives with each other, there are many articles on the benefits to all of having multiple generations in close contact with each other- something I think the Amish do right. How exciting that you will be getting a Hobby Lobby closer to you! Just remember they are closed on Sundays...but a great store and I love their yarn selection. And I did not realize how much we missed you here until I read that you missed your Knit Wits group this past week. We got so used to hearing about Knit Wits from you!!! I figure that many are also not attending this past week and next, getting ready for Christmas and the other holidays celebrated this time of year.
Ruth, so this supervisor got what she deserved. That is ironic that you figure she is spreading “her joy” at the local community college- here the head of the nursing program at the local community college has an awful reputation for being a monster who steps on toes and does whatever.....not a nice person nor someone you would really want mentoring the next generation. How do these people manage to get into positions of influence? Do not sweat it with the Christmas cards....you can always send notes to those you want to keep in touch with when you get a chance during winter. I doubt you will get much opportunity to send notes, however- bet you and Dh will be busy preparing to shift your lives to Indiana.
Hoping that I can get to sew tomorrow. Today is a family day- we are seeing both DD’s at different times. I woke up early this am, which is why I am here now. KInd of nice having a little quiet time before the day really starts and I got to see Ds as he left for work.
GInny
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