Carol Morrissey

Hungry Birds

2011-02-04T09:20:00.001-06:00

We've been putting lots of feed out for the birds this week. The fountain in the tiny pond near the feeders was frozen, so I poured some hot water on it to get the water going and melt some of the ice so the birds could get a drink.

There was heavy traffic at the feeders yesterday and quite a variety of birds. They are very busy this morning looking for the seed, which is covered by last night's snow, so I'll go out and uncover it and fill the hanging feeder. I don't know how many hours I spent standing at the window watching them yesterday. It was impossible to walk by and not stop to look.

Quilters Guild of Dallas Meeting This Week

2011-01-04T10:00:00.000-06:00

I'm so happy to be invited back to my hometown guild to give the program and workshop this week. The guild meeting is Thursday night (January 6) and the two-day workshop is Friday and Saturday. For information about the guild, go to http://www.quiltersguildofdallas.org/ .

Twisted Stitchers Ornament Exchange

2011-01-03T08:22:00.000-06:00

WOW! What a treat it was to come home from our Twisted Stitchers party with a bag full of fabulous handmade, unique ornaments! Thank you, Sandy, for another great evening at your lovely home.

Becky's fused glass trees.

Julie's chenille stem trees.

Sharon's "world's tiniest table runners"

Tonya's amazing variety of felt and metal goodies.

Judy's handpainted glass ornaments.

Sandy's Zentangled stocking and my felt and metal snowflake.

Juanita's vintage tin houses.

Pillowcases for Christmas

2011-01-02T19:55:00.000-06:00

It seems like children get way too much stuff for Christmas. So much that they are overwhelmed by it all. Hmmm, I'm sounding like a...grandma, which I am. I'll bet my own grandparents said the same thing when my cousins and I were little. My maternal grandparents gave each of us cousins a paper sack with an orange, an apple, some nuts and candy and $1.00. But that was when a dollar would buy five gallons of gas! My paternal grandparents were more indulgent, as I was an only grandchild on that side for a long time. Dolls--I still have Daisy--and other toys, until I began reading, and then every year I received a subscription to National Geographic. I loved every issue. Anyway, this year we got simple gifts for the six grandkids and grandniece and nephew, but I made everyone a pillowcase and put them on pillows. Here are five of the eight that I made. They loved them! I think I'll do this every year.

Teensy Tiny Green Friend

2010-06-09T00:31:00.000-05:00

This little guy didn't seem the least bit afraid to pose on my finger. I found him climbing on a sunflower in the back yard. What a cutie! I made a giant iguana quilt--maybe I need to make a tiny little green lizard quilt.

Fun In Austin

2010-02-07T19:30:00.000-06:00

The Austin Area Quilt Guild is a wonderful group and they made me feel so welcome. On Saturday and Sunday of last week, we had a two-day workshop. Everyone brought their drawing or photo and I helped them with construction techniques and design decisions. Getting started is definitely the hardest part. It's so much fun to see all the different subjects that people select for their quilts.

Finally...

2010-01-26T22:54:00.000-06:00

Several friends asked me to post a how-to for my little Christmas trees made from chenille stems (f/k/a pipe cleaners). I tried to find instructions for a tiny tree like this but the only one I found was about 10-12 inches tall and took about 24 chenille stems. The assembly was awkward, too, so I decided to try to make my own version. This tree measures about 4 1/2" with the stand.

Supplies: Needle-nose pliers, wire snippers, eight chenille stems, ruler.

1. Fold one chenille stem in half, wrapping it around the tip of the needle-nose pliers to form a tiny loop at the middle (in case you want to hang the tree on a tree). Make a couple of twists. This is the "trunk."

2. Cut two 1" pieces. Arrange into an "X" and twist half a turn.

3. Hold the trunk with the two loose ends up and place the "X" over the two chenille stems. Push the "X" snugly toward the top and hold it there while you twist the stems one time.

4. Cut two 1 1/2" pieces of chenille stem. Hold in an "X" shape and make a half twist. As you did in step 3, place the "X" between the two stems of the trunk, then twist the trunk tightly once or twice.

5. Cut three 2" pieces and six 1" pieces of chenille stem. Twist a 1" piece about 1/2" from both ends of each 2" piece. Pinch the twisted spot with the needle-nose pliers to secure. Hold all three of the completed 2" pieces together so that they cross at the middle (looks like a snowflake). Hold with both hands (three pieces in one hand, three in the other) and make a half twist . Place over the two stems of the trunk as before, and twist the trunk stems twice.

6. Cut three 2 1/2" pieces, six 2" pieces and six 1 1/2" pieces. Near both ends of each 2 1/2" piece, twist a 2" and a 1 1/2" piece (the shorter pieces nearer the tips). As in step 5, pinch each twist with the pliers, arrange as a snowflake, make a half-twist, place on the trunk, and twist the trunk twice.

7. Last set of branches: Cut three 3" pieces and twelve 2" pieces. Twist two 2" pieces near both ends of each 3" piece, pinch with pliers, arrange as a snowflake, half-twist, place on trunk, twist twice.

8. The tree stand: Mike cut slices (about 5/8" thick) of large dowel rod (1 1/2" diameter) and drilled a small hole in the center. I painted them white, poured a puddle of glue onto a piece of aluminum foil, plus a pile of white glitter nearby, placed the point of a pencil in the hole and rolled the outer edges of the dowel in the glue and then in the glitter and placed it on another piece of foil to dry. After the edges dried, I put glue on the top and sprinkled more glitter on. The hole is just large enough for me to push the trunk of the tree into it, but if necessary, you could glue the tree trunk into the hole. The trunk will be a little bit too long when you finish. I usually trim it about 1".

Arrange the branches realistically (HA HA) and you're done. I found it easier to arrange and bend the branches with the needle-nose pliers. If you're really obsessive, you can make teensy beaded ornaments for your tree, or how about a garland of seed beads? Fun! One last word of advice: I have used lots of different types of chenille stems. If you use the metallic, sparkly ones--they remind me of vintage aluminum trees--wear gloves while you are making them. That stuff is hard on your skin!

I Hope It's Not Genetic

2010-01-11T11:56:00.000-06:00

While organizing some things, I came upon a box of "treasures" that my mother had packed when my grandmother moved. I have many such boxes and sometimes I go through them and sometimes I just pack them away. This particular box--a tiny one--contained the following: a rusted sewing machine needle, a two-inch long pencil, a one-inch red crayon, and two notes written by my grandmother. One of the notes is written on a small piece of an envelope postmarked 1979 and the other is on the back of a receipt dated 1986. My grandmother set the standard for recycling. The notes contain information about yardage for pillows and the number of squares needed for, presumably, a pieced quilt. These items have been sitting on my bathroom vanity for at least two weeks, and I fear I can't throw them away. Apparently, it IS genetic.

Two down...

2009-11-30T14:58:00.000-06:00

Two blocks down, eleven to go. Yep, I'm working on a new block of the month pattern for Quilt Market next spring. I know--two plus eleven is thirteen, not twelve, as in months in the year, but trust me on this.

I'm still obsessed with the 2 1/2" strips (won another five or six yards of them, which makes over 20 yards that I've won playing Left Center Right). My friends are definitely getting suspicious, but really, you can't "fix" the game. Just lucky, I guess.

2009-11-18T23:18:00.000-06:00

There has been some on-line discussion about non-traditional family trees, so I'm posting a photo of my grandson's family tree quilt that my daughter and I designed earlier this year. It's now one of my patterns (http://www.ocaroldesigns.com ), and we named it "Whooo's Your Granddaddy?". The close-up shows Jake as the baby bird in the nest, with mom and dad nearby, and on the branches are the aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents, with their relationship and name written on the leaves. We have a very non-traditional family, so this worked well because you can add as many birds and leaves as you want.

Socks!

2009-11-12T14:26:00.000-06:00

I like to hand-dye socks and sometimes I give them to my friends just for fun. Eight of us are going to Anna Maria Island, Florida, today and I dyed a batch aqua because that seemed beachy.

Cross Timbers Artists Guild Tour

2009-11-11T08:13:00.000-06:00

I was forced to do some panic cleaning for the tour that took place last weekend. What a fun experience! I almost hate to start a project because my sewing room is tidy for once. If you want to look at some more photos of my quilts and other things that I set up for the tour, go here: http://ocarol.smugmug.com/Other/CTSA-Tour-2009-Carol-Morrissey/10265658_VSGT6#708459798_DmbHP

And the Roses Just Keep Blooming!

2009-10-25T18:52:00.000-05:00

The roses are still putting on a pretty good show. Le Marne, Knockout, Penelope, Iceberg and Graham Thomas are shown here. You can see King sitting in front of the Knockout. That bush is about eight feet tall.

It seems later in the year than it really is. My schedule is all mixed up because Quilt Market and Festival were two weeks early this year. I'm accustomed to loading everything into the greenhouse before I leave for Quilt Market but I didn't have to this time.

Sunset!

2009-10-25T15:15:00.000-05:00

It seems like the best sunsets happen this time of year. We made it home from El Fenix last night just in time for me to run outside with my camera.

Asters

2009-10-17T15:24:00.000-05:00

Every year I intend to prune the asters during the summer so they won't be so leggy and every year I forget. By the time I think about it, the flower buds are already forming. I couldn't bear to throw away this old wicker chair that is rotten, so I put it in the flower bed, just below the little rock wall where the asters grow. I just love the way they look growing through the chair. I'm glad I didn't cut them back this year!

My Assistant

2009-10-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

I was trying to photograph a new pattern model. My assistant, Kingston, isn't all that helpful, but he IS handsome.

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig

2009-10-15T11:28:00.000-05:00

Quilt Market was lots of fun and so inspiring. It's always exciting to see all the vendors with their new merchandise. It just sets your head to spinning! The creativity is contagious, I'm sure. This year's IQA show is amazing, as always. I was excited and humbled to have two of my quilts in the show. Here I am with my Iguana. I do love those Tsukineko inks that I used to paint him. The other quilt that is in the show is my Carrot Farm--a very different look than the Iguana. I made it in response to Judy Kriehn's challenge to make a "long skinny" quilt for the Dallas Quilt Celebration. It seems that the "large applique" category only specified a 72" dimension on one side, so the other side...

Quilts and Dogs

2009-09-29T08:17:00.000-05:00

Every time I try to photograph a quilt, EVERY time, one of the dogs has to help.

Spider Lilies!

2009-09-28T21:38:00.000-05:00

Just when you think there will be no new blooms until next spring...SPIDER LILIES! I love their color. It's like the inside of a watermelon. They are popping up in places I don't even remember planting them. And the garlic chives bloomed with a vengeance this year. The bees loved it. I wonder if the chives make the honey taste funny.

A Great Day For Dyeing!

2009-09-10T11:18:00.001-05:00

I hadn't planned to dye today but a girl's just GOT to sometimes. I pulled out a couple of extra-wide pieces that were already dyed light green and decided to overdye them to use for some quilt backs. A little fuchsia, a batch of golden yellow--let the dyeing begin.

It's a beautiful day in Double Oak, Texas, and only 85 degrees at 11:00 a.m., but it only takes a few minutes to break out in a sweat, or a "glow" for those who prefer a more ladylike term. As we Texans say, "It's not the heat, it's the humidity."

Along comes one of my best helpers to inspect the work.

He leaves behind a mud resist.

Can't waste leftover dye! Toss a little turquoise into the fuchsia, maybe a little more turquoise...

Now I MUST get back to the sewing machine--quilt binding's a'waitin'.

The Last Time I Saw Them...

2009-08-28T14:16:00.000-05:00

By August 22 the caterpillars had grown a lot. In the morning, they looked like this. By evening, they had disappeared. I'm hoping the birds didn't get them.

It Bloomed!

2009-08-25T09:15:00.000-05:00

I repotted this orchid a few months ago because it looked so pitiful. It has been resting in a happy place all summer next to the little pond in front of the kitchen window. A few days ago I spotted what looked like flower buds and this morning...

More Caterpillar Happenings

2009-08-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

The black swallowtail butterfly caterpillars have at least doubled in size in 48 hours. It makes me laugh when they put up their little orange "horns" to try and scare me away. It's hard to capture that in a photo, though, because they stay up for only a few seconds and by the time I focus, the "horns" are gone.

Caterpillars, Day One

2009-08-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

Exciting stuff! It looks like the black swallowtail butterfly I spotted in the back yard last week laid eggs. Today I saw some teeny caterpillars on the parsley. Stay tuned for caterpillar updates. Yeah, big times in Double Oak.

Love That Sewline Pencil!

2009-04-03T20:00:00.000-05:00

I was at Quilt Country today and saw Sandy's display of the Sewline pencils. Everybody has been raving about them but I kept forgetting to get one. I knew that I was going to have to draw the butterflies in the corner triangles of the Make A Wish quilt because there was no way I could just freehand them and keep them fairly symmetrical.

This pencil is THE BEST! Several colors of lead are available--I bought green and white. I used the green on the blue fabric to draw the butterflies and I was surprised how easily it went on--no dragging and pulling the fabric. The fine line is perfect and the lead is very strong, although you don't have to apply much pressure to make a mark. The marks stay on long enough to get the quilting done, but they are easy to remove (there is a special eraser on the pencil, but I just rubbed the lead off with cloth--okay, it was the sleeve of my T-shirt).
Top photo: lines drawn on fabric
Second photo: right half of butterfly quilted
Last photo: butterfly completed

2009-02-10T20:25:00.000-06:00

Here is our new, gigantic puppy. Kingston (a/k/a King, or The King as we fear he will become) is only four months old but he is almost too big for me to pick up. If the loose skin and gargantuan feet are any indication, he will be approximately the size of a cow someday. Dolly is bossing him around and he is taking it well. Cici the cat is still in hiding.

Quilt Crawl at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science

2009-01-27T16:34:00.000-06:00

The hair on my arms stood up the first time I saw my quilts hanging at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. When I was a child, my parents would bring me to Fair Park to visit this museum, which at that time was called the Museum of Natural History, if I recall correctly. The building is so familiar to me, and walking up that staircase, running my hand along that cool, smooth metal banister, well, it was a wonderful feeling of deja vu. And to imagine that I would someday have my work hanging there...it just wasn't something I could have imagined.

I spent last Saturday at the museum, talking with visitors, many of whom were participants in the first of three Quilt Mania II Quilt Crawls (http://www.quiltmania.org/). Eighteen Dallas-area venues are participating in Quilt Mania II and you can check the web site for locations and schedules. Here are a few photos from my visit on Saturday.

Mikey, The Certified Safety Professional

2009-01-26T13:18:00.000-06:00

Looking over my shoulder, he said, "Why is that funny?" Yes, it is his jacket draped over a heater. No, the heater wasn't on, but still...

But Can I Drink It?

2009-01-26T10:44:00.000-06:00

I'm always on the lookout for odd signs. This is one of the best ones I've seen lately. I was so glad I had my camera with me (I try not to leave home without it). I navigated a quick U-turn in the parking lot, briefly parked my car in a no parking zone, ran up the incline to the construction site--to the puzzlement of other shoppers--but it was worth the effort.

I know what it was supposed to say, but I couldn't help but think of possible captions for this photo.

1. So, how did it get here?

2. How will it get back?

3. Okay, I can't move it, but can I drink it?

Lucky Woodpecker!

2009-01-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

I was in the bedroom when I heard the louder-than-usual "thud" on the living room window. I always cringe when I heard that sound because I know that a bird has flown into a window, mistaking the reflection for the wide open sky. Just a couple of weeks ago, a goldfinch crashed and I picked him up and put him in a safe place. In only a few minutes, he regained his senses and flew away. But this poor woodpecker looked like he might not survive. He had knocked himself unconscious, so I couldn't tell if he was dead or alive. His little pointy tongue was hanging out and he didn't move at first, but then I saw him blink. I put him in a notch in our biggest tree where he could not fall out. In half a hour or so, I checked on him and he was perking up, so I took this photo. A few minutes later I checked on him again and he jumped up and flew to the top of a big tree, apparently as good as new.

Naaahhhh, I'll Stay Inside Today

2009-01-12T16:22:00.000-06:00

There's lots of fresh snow in Breckenridge! Everybody went skiing today except me and I had a fine time sitting by the window, watching the snow blowing by. It was too windy, too cloudy and too cold for a fair weather skiier like me!

Tidying My Dyeing Workspace

2009-01-05T14:10:00.000-06:00

It might look messy to you, but I should have taken "before" pics so the relative tidiness could be fully appreciated. My little shed feels so spacious now, even though Mike moved my boxes of printed patterns in there. He put lots of heavy duty shelving up to hold all those boxes (and get them out of "his" garage to make room for his fancy new table saw). Having a clean (sort of) space has inspired me to do a little dyeing and fabric painting in the last few days. We got a tiny refrigerator from our neighbor's garage sale so that I can keep dye solution cool in the summer, and I've also got my old microwave out there for batching small things during the cold weather, like one or two yard pieces or socks.

Brown Sugar Meteorite

2009-01-04T11:12:00.000-06:00

I found this mysterious object in a bag of brown sugar. It was darker and smoother when I found it. It has been sitting on the spice shelf for a couple of years. It always makes me smile when I see it. I thought I'd better photograph it before it deteriorates more.

Dye Discharge Mystery

2009-01-04T10:58:00.000-06:00

The spot remover removed not only the butter spatters but also the dye (see previous post), so I thought I'd finish the job, this time with an intentional dye discharge since the shirt wasn't fit to wear in its current condition. My first attempt involved using the same spot remover that had removed the butter and the dye. I gathered the shirt in pleats and put rubber bands on it and put the spot remover on. After two attempts, no additional dye had been discharged. So, I rinsed the shirt, mixed up a thiox solution and applied it. Again, no luck. Odd, it always worked before. I thought maybe I'd mixed it incorrectly, so I made ANOTHER thiox solution and applied it and, you guessed it, no luck! The shirt was ruined anyway, so in desperation, I rinsed the shirt again, pulled out the chlorine bleach, applied it to the shirt and TA-DA! The color disappeared in a wink. I had some anti-chlorine drops on hand, so I soaked it in a solution, so the shirt should be okay.

More Poppies

2008-12-29T19:43:00.001-06:00

I finished the orange version of my Georgetown Poppies just in time to send it to Roswell, New Mexico, so that they could have it on hand for the guild meeting. I'll be going there in February and we'll make the poppies in a workshop. Quilting this on my George machine was a snap!

The first version was shades of red.

Got The Butter Out, or A Tale of Accidental Dye Discharge

2008-12-26T20:47:00.000-06:00

Krissy always has her camera ready. She snapped this one while I was standing in the parking lot of the Crab Trap. Phyllis loaned me her handy travel-sized spot remover so that I could try to get the butter out of my T-shirt. The sauteed scallops were very good, but very buttery and I must have been hungry and sloppy. The spot remover didn't work, so I tried a 24-hour soak with another spot remover when we got to the condo. Still no luck. When we got back from Florida, I tried an extra-strength stain remover that I had at home. TA-DA! Got the butter out, but got some of the dye out, too. This is why the label says, "always test in an inconspicuous area before treating garment."

Doodle-y Two-fers

2008-12-13T21:28:00.000-06:00

I really enjoy this technique. Over the last few years I've made several of these doodle-y quilts. I have a sketchbook of swirly doodles that I drew with quilting lines in mind, but ended up using the designs for fabric shapes instead. It's so much fun to cut out the shapes and then separate them onto two backgrounds to get the positive and negative effects. This photo is of two little quilts, about 9" x 12" each, sitting side-by-side on the interfacing and backing so that I can quilt them both at the same time.

Did I mention that I love my APQS George? It's doodle-tastic!

S'More Retreat at Hummingbird Music Camp

2008-10-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

Every year the S'More Quilting Retreat takes place in Jemez Springs, New Mexico. We had a wonderful time there this year--good food, perfect weather, and fun people! The class this year was the Georgetown Poppies project, one of my fused flower patterns. I met so many nice people and I hope everyone had as much fun as I did.

Texas Chainsaw MANIAC

2008-08-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

Don't you love the sound of a chainsaw on a Sunday morning? Our neighbors needed to have a huge limb removed and Mike a/k/a "Have Chainsaw, Will Travel" was eager to take care of the problem. Given his history, I was a little concerned about the combination of chainsaw + extension ladder + rope, but all's well that ends well.

A Fabulous Week At QSDS!

2008-07-03T21:07:00.001-05:00

Carol Soderlund (pictured above) taught a workshop that was everything I'd hoped for and more, and I'm pretty sure everyone in the class felt the same way. When was the last time you spent seven days in a room with nineteen women and never heard a single complaint? Okay, you can't count heating or air conditioning issues.

The days at QSDS flew by while we dyed 1,029 different swatches of cotton, plus a variety of larger pieces using techniques we learned in the class. Here are all of us next to our sample boards.

Everybody sing along:

Ninety-nine buckets of dye to be mixed,

Ninety-nine buckets of dye,

Take one down, stir it around,

Ninety-eight buckets of dye to be mixed.

No cats or sneezing allowed!

We could hardly wait to start assembling The Book, and, incredibly, by the end of the third day, all 1,029 colors had been dyed, cut, labeled and distributed among ourselves, ready for taping into our huge reference books. Here, Carol demonstrates the proper taping procedure with some Magic Pointer Finger action.

Ooooohhh, aaahhhh!

I'm so glad that taking this class was my New Year's Resolution. It was lots more fun than losing 40 pounds!

Oops, I Did It Again

2008-06-18T08:01:00.000-05:00

Motocactus magnificus--and isn't it?

This cactus had three tiny buds last week and now...

Oh, noooooooo!

2008-06-15T14:12:00.000-05:00

I feared this would happen. First I joined a cacti and succulent group. Then I poked fun at them. Then I found myself shopping for new succulent plants. Then, and this is the part I feared most--I made a label for the pot: "pleiospilos nelii." Yes, I've stooped to labeling succulents. The next thing you know, I'll be trying to grow them from seed. I wonder if there is a support group. I could organize one. CSA--Cacti and Succulents Anonymous. Anyway, after I planted the five pleiospilos nelii into a pretty red pot, I covered the sand and gravel with my best aqua pebbles. Somebody stop me!

Texas Star Hibiscus

2008-06-14T18:12:00.000-05:00

When I bought this plant last year, I asked the owner of the nursery if it was the "infamous Texas star hibiscus." She laughed and said it was indeed. This plant's leaves look so much like marijuana leaves that supposedly some gardeners have been "busted" for growing it.

Mine started blooming this week and it has gobs of buds. It's between five and six feet tall, so if you get one, allow plenty of room!

It's appropriately named because it has star shapes front, back and center and the leaves are stars, too (well, sort of). It dies to the ground in winter but comes back with a vengeance in the spring.

2008-06-12T21:47:00.001-05:00

This agapanthus cracks me up! It is trying so hard to open, but it looks like it is wearing a little bonnet.

The one next to it is almost open. The color is just spectacular!

My Father's Encyclopedias

2008-06-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

While cleaning my sewing room, I came across my father's 1934 World Book encyclopedias, as well as my own 1961 Collier's edition. He was 10 years old when he got his books and I was 11. My grandmother kept his until she felt I was old enough to take good care of them. As a child, I spent many hours carefully turning the yellowed pages, studying the odd photos and drawings. Look how much bigger the 1961 stack is than the 1934! Oh, and to the left is a dictionary that was a gift from a guy I was dating in 1979, right before I met Mike. How many people you know have received dictionaries as a token of affection?

In the 1934 World Book, there is only one entry for "World War" because, of course, there had been only one prior to 1934. Here is a photo of the "Leaders of the Allied Powers" and the "Leaders of the Central Powers."

The section on Frank Lloyd Wright is one short paragraph, and begins: "Wright, Frank Lloyd (1869- )" because he was still living, as was Orville Wright (1871- ). Interesting stuff.

He actually said, "You people need to get a life."

2008-04-19T20:57:00.000-05:00

But when Mike saw our inchies (okay, mostly inch and one-halfies) he said, "Those are cute. I like that one...and that one...and," well, you get the picture.

Here are the ones I made (above).

Here are the ones I received in exchange. I just love them! I think I'll use some invisible thread and hand-sew the corners of the inchies to a background and put them in a shadow box.

Having A Bad Feather Day

2008-04-04T14:57:00.000-05:00

I think he's using a new product called "Nest Head."

Dinner Time!

2008-04-03T18:58:00.000-05:00

This very chubby squirrel has discovered our bird feeder near the kitchen window. She sees us watching her, but she is not afraid.

Shopping Is Hard Work

2008-04-03T17:54:00.000-05:00

Buying groceries is hard work, but Jake says, "I can do it all by myself!"

Did I Mention That I Love George?

2008-02-10T21:18:00.000-06:00

I love my APQS George, that is. It stitches like but-tah! Plus, it takes me about one-fourth the time to quilt a piece as it did on a small machine because I don't have to keep rearranging the quilt constantly. Sometimes I like to use an old wooden embroidery hoop (a) to keep the layers nice and tight and flat, and (b) the hoop is a great handle to hold for moving the quilt. I split the inside ring so that I could slip it past the machine needle easily. The bottom ring is already split so it doesn't have to be tweaked. I put it the bottom ring on the machine bed first, spread the quilt over it, slide the top ring over it, smooth the layers, and push the top ring inside the bottom and start quilting. When I get too near the edge of the hoop, I slip the inner hoop up and rearrange the quilt.

Waiting For A Handout

2008-01-31T19:27:00.000-06:00

I think that if I stood very still on the patio for a few minutes, with a handful of bread crumbs, these little critters would eat right out of my hand! The tiny squirrel (notice how he poses for the camera) is the king of the mountain, chasing away everyone except the jay, who gets to eat when he wants while the squirrel sits nearby and barks pitifully.

Not Old Enough To Be Vintage, Just Old Enough To Be Embarrassing

2008-01-14T21:37:00.000-06:00

While cleaning my sewing room, I found a box of patterns that survived the last culling in 2000. Ooooh, look at the 13 Great Hats! Notice the French at the bottom of the pattern: 13 Chapeaux Sensass. Seeing it in French just makes you want to make them ALL! I guess because the French are the undisputed arbiters of haute couture, we home-sewers who bought this pattern thought, "Hmmm, looky there. It sez in French that these here hats are sensass, so I'd better make some so I can look sensass-tional."

Looking at this pattern now, I'm thinking that maybe two are great (or at least suitable for wearing to the beach) and the other eleven are better suited for the cast of "One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest." Maybe I'd better save this pattern--just a few more years.

If you're going for the flying squirrel look, I've got your pattern. A big, pink flying squirrel with linebacker shoulders. Look how teeny the model's head looks in the drawing. I think she needs a great chapeau--maybe the one at the bottom right on the cover above (looking somewhat like a floral sourdough loaf teetering on the model's head) to balance her little head with the bulk of the shoulder pads. Or maybe the bright yellow, polka-dotted chapeau sensass pictured on the back that looks like a shower cap I had in 1966. Fortunately, I never took this pattern out of its jacket. But when I bought it, I must have thought it looked sensass.

2008-01-04T21:09:00.000-06:00

What a yucky way for a four-year-old to spend Christmas. We took some gifts to Faith and played for a little while. Four days later--what a difference! She's diggin' that new car and has nearly mastered the steering and braking techniques. Look at that smile! Go Faith, go Faith!

Easy Triker

2008-01-04T20:59:00.000-06:00

How is it possible that Jake is big enough to ride the new tricycle he got for his birthday in August? He's concentrating so hard on keeping his feet on the pedals. Check out the thumb action on the handy chrome bell. DING DING DING-watch out, here I come!

A New Year

2008-01-01T14:41:00.000-06:00

I've heard you should spend New Year's Day doing what you want to do the rest of the year. I made a promise to myself to paint this year, and I don't mean the living room. So, in keeping with my promise, today I worked on a lily that I'm making for the QuiltMania II exhibit that opens in September. I'm painting the major shapes separately on white cotton, then I'll cut them out and applique them. So far I've painted the basic shapes and some of the shading on the petals, and the fuzzy orange things that stain your clothes if you brush against them (anthers), and the green filaments and stigma. No, I didn't know what they were called--I had to look it up. There is an iron in the second photo for scale reference--in the words of Tiny Elvis, "Those thangs are huge, man!"

I drew the lily from a photo I took last year in Cannero, Italy, at my friend Barbara's house.

Bizarre Ornament Challenge

2007-12-20T20:18:00.000-06:00

Krissy, you win. What sicko dreamed up this nightmarish ornament, anyway? So what's next, a chicken serving a steaming plate of wings? A cow firin' up the grill with a big T-bone on it?

Waste Not, Says Pappy

2007-12-20T19:48:00.000-06:00

Just because a box of tissues disentegrates does not mean that it can't be salvaged. Mike has had this box for, well, more years than I can remember. It is such a lovely decorative accent in his office. Apparently, he does not use many tissues. Or maybe he is refilling this box. In the second photo you can see that on the top of the box, the outer layer of the cardboard (the printed layer) is gone, and only the brown cardboard remains. Also notice that early repairs were accomplished using masking tape and blue painter's tape. You can see the blue tape peeking from the edge of a later repair. Obviously, the painter's tape was not a lifetime fix, as subsequent deterioration required a more durable repair. YES--the always reliable, sturdy and non-biodegradble DUCT TAPE! By golly, this box is going to last forever.

Crazed, Snowball-Making Squirrel

2007-12-12T19:53:00.000-06:00

This little guy kept the big birds at bay while he ran back and forth, from the porch to the tree, burying his pieces of bread in a secret hiding place. He couldn't have been eating all of it because he was so tiny. Every time he picked up a new piece of bread, he tasted it, rotated it, tasted it, rotated it...and then ran away to hide it.

He is very adept at jumping from the porch to the tree, staying airborn much further than you would imagine that he could. I got a shot of him mid-air. If I could have gotten a picture of him from the front, you would have seen that he had a huge chunk of bread in his mouth.

The birds were able to enjoy a few crumbs, though, while the squirrel was busy hiding his stash.
Here he goes, running back to the pan of bread to protect it from the birds.

How Could I Resist?

2007-12-05T12:06:00.000-06:00

Every year I say, "No more Christmas ornaments!" Mike says the tree is going to collapse under its own weight. But how could I walk away from Mr. Potato Head putting his very own nose on the snowman? Just too irresistible!

A Room With A View

2007-12-03T20:27:00.000-06:00

I just LOVE having a window over my kitchen sink. The only drawback is that sometimes I just stand there and watch the birds instead of doing something I need to be doing, like washing dishes. There are a couple of feeders near the window, and the birds love to drink from the tiny pond. If I move slowly, I can sneak up to the window with my camera and get some nice photos.

Moss Balls

2007-12-02T17:05:00.001-06:00

Krissy gave me the ball 'o moss on the left. Gee, no one every gave me a moss ball before! A couple of days later I found the moss-on-a-stick (hmmm, a new State Fair of Texas delicacy??) as I was walking to the Museum of Science in Houston. This stuff grows like crazy in Houston! I'm pretty sure I don't want it in my own yard, though, and the moss on a stick is spitting out seeds, so I think I'm going to have to throw it away. But for now I'll just enjoy looking at it in my kitchen window.

Pretty Paintbrush

2007-09-21T15:27:00.000-05:00

Have you ever bought a paintbrush just because it was visually appealing? I'm sure that this brush has magical qualities. I'm convinced that, after jumping into a fat pan of watercolor and leaping into my hand, it will produce art superior to any I have been able to make with less lovely brushes. The expectation is so great and the likelihood for disappointment even greater. So, there it sits, just looking pretty.

Far Out

2007-08-22T14:04:00.000-05:00

I don't know why I pulled back the fronds of the Kimberly Queen fern when I watered it, but I did, and look what I found. ORANGE fungi. Like, totally far out. I think I hear the Sorcerer's Apprentice. I think I see a new quilt.

Hot Fun In The Summertime

2007-08-10T13:56:00.000-05:00

Just when we thought it was safe to go outside, summer arrived in Double Oak. Not great for gardening, but perfect for dyeing fabric. I'm glad Mike put a cover over the porch of the dyeing shed, f/k/a the potting shed, so at least I've got some shade in the 100 degree heat.

I found a small outdoor table and chairs in the "AS-IS" section at IKEA. They are the perfect size for the porch. Here you can see a clear plastic bin filled with my favorite containers (Gatorade bottles) for dye concentrates. A larger container holds the dye fixative, which I add to the concentrate as needed. Sitting on the porch is a recycled container full of water for rinsing spoons or containers. On the end of the table is the lid to a rubber tub with two yards of fabric wadded on top.

The lid is a convenient size for dyeing one or two yards. I've found that eight ounces of liquid is usually enough for one yard of PFD cotton if I am careful about applying it. I typically use this method (the lids) when I am using only one color of dye on each piece of fabric. After the dye is applied, I stack the lids on a plastic sheet to batch. Each of the lids has a two-yard piece on it, so there are about 26 yards of fabric stacked here.

I HATE wearing a respirator when I am mixing dyes, so I made a mixing box. I trimmed one side and a portion of the top off a sturdy box. I split a couple of plastic bags along one side, taped them together lengthwise and taped one edge to the top of the box. Inside are layers of newspaper and a spray bottle full of water to dampen the newspaper so that the runaway dye particles stick to the paper and don't float into the air. After I mix the dyes inside the box, I just fold the damp newspaper and throw it away.

got peaches?

2007-07-10T20:26:00.000-05:00

The peach crop in northern Texas was so pitiful last year that peaches had to be IMPORTED into Weatherford for the annual Parker County Peach Festival. But not so this year! Because of our record-breaking rainfall, the peach crop is so plentiful that growers are reporting limb-breaking harvests! Thank goodness--I was down to one last batch of frozen peaches. I've bought one bushel and want to get another this week. Put up so far (put up???--do I sound like my grandmother, or what?): four pints of preserves, three quarts of pickled peaches, and the rest are sliced, sugared and frozen in small bags.

Roses Always Win

2007-06-10T18:02:00.000-05:00

I think, "I'll just do this one last thing and then I'll go inside." And there's no need to put my gloves on because I'm only going to do this "one last thing." Then, before you know it, I'm pruning just one more thing, and still no gloves because I was just going to be outside another minute or two and then go inside. I didn't realize I'd caught a thorn, or that it had caught me, until I looked down to see why my finger was stinging. Yes, that's blood. That thorn was about 3/8" long!

Wild Plums

2007-05-30T10:45:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I noticed a small tree in the front yard that was not something I had planted. I let it keep growing and before too long I realized it was a wild plum. It bore fruit, new trees came up from the fallen fruit, and now the area next to the driveway has turned into a little thicket of wild plum trees. This spring's mild temperatures and heavy rain have resulted in a HUGE crop of plums--okay, well, huge relative to the size of the "grove" of trees. The neighbors drive by slowly when I am picking fruit. It's already been established that they think I'm, ummm, different, but I'm willing to bet that they haven't a clue about what I'm doing out there. I don't think there are any other people in the 'hood canning anything.

I've picked about 20 pounds (about 1/4 of them are pictured here in the beautiful orange colander that Micki gave me) and there are still at least that many more still on the trees. Lots of fruit has fallen, too, and when I am picking I can smell the fermenting fruit on the ground. This week I've made 14 pints of wild plum jam. Yum! Unfortunately, the plums are tiny and each one yields only a couple of teaspoons of fruit, so it takes a lot of slicing to prepare enough fruit for the jam. Oh, my wrists and shoulders! But this winter we'll be happy when we are still eating homemade jam.

When Momo Mows

2007-04-01T19:48:00.000-05:00

Nothing is more relaxing than mowing the yard on a beautiful spring day. If I had to push a mower all over the yard, I'm sure I wouldn't think it is relaxing, but driving Lonnie the Lawnmower is easy. I wish Mike would fix my drinkholder, though, because riding around in the sun sure makes a girl thirsty. I mow selectively, taking care to leave the brown-eyed Susans, gallardia and larkspur standing. It looks kind of messy in spots, but the payoff is worth it later on when the wildflowers are in bloom. I'm pretty sure the neighbors think I'm a little odd, but they've never complained, even when I'm letting the wildflowers go to seed later in the season.

HEY! Look what I found in the greenhouse today! An amazing amayrillis (see my hand next to it for scale) and lots of little blooms on the rhizomatous begonias. I love the way those little begonia blooms dangle from the tiny stems.

Mikey the Safety Engineer Sustains Another Injury

2007-03-28T08:59:00.000-05:00

It is a blogworthy event, although not quite as dramatic as the lightning strike while using a power tool on wet pavement during a thunderstorm. Yes, once again, Mike fails to heed his own professional advice (you know, the advice of a Certified Safety Professional and member of the American Society of Safety Engineers, also known as The Cobblers' Children Who Have No Shoes Society). Wouldn't you protect yourself with gloves if you were welding? Yes, of course you would. But professionals who know the rules are apparently exempt from them. Photographic evidence follows. This is not a stigmata, but a welding-related burn.

2007-02-05T21:44:00.000-06:00

Apparently, posting once a month is my limit. I swore I'd push myself to once a week (ooooooh!) but so far that seems to be too big a chore. But I'm still optimistic that I'll get motivated.

The last ski trip was great, but on my birthday one of my friends broke her leg our first day on the mountain--bummer! Now we're back in Breckenridge again and what a perfect day it was today. The sun was shining, no crowds, no wind, lots of packed snow, warm enough to unzip your jacket. Today was probably in the top three of the best ski days ever.

Last weekend was quite a treat, seeing the Creativity Center in LaGrange and meeting the artists in residence, Liz Berg and Virginia Spiegel. I can see how this place would inspire you to create.

2007-01-08T00:11:00.000-06:00

Sure, we all knew that Colorado had gotten a lot of snow lately. But when Billie, Peg, Letha and I were on the plane approaching the Denver airport, we were surprised by the expanse of white ground, as far as you could see, in every direction. The runway was partially clean, but there was still lots of ice and snow around the edges, and enormous mounds piled here and there where the snow had been pushed back from the runway. The sun was shining brightly, though and the day looked promising. When we got on the shuttle bound for Breckenridge, the driver told us that our trip would take longer than usual, but he couldn't say how much longer. We had to take an alternate route because of an avalanche that had occurred a couple of hours earlier. The snow had come crashing over the highway, covering several cars, and sending one of them rolling 200 feet or so down the side of the mountain. All eight of the cars' occupants were rescued, but the highway was closed and all of that traffic was going the same way we were. So the 1 1/2 hour trip turned into a 3 1/2 hour trip, but we were just happy to get here.

We had planned to ski today, but when we heard that the HIGH temperature on the mountain was going to be around zero, and that the wind was going to be gusting to 60 mph on the peak, we decided we'd pass. We walked to town, did a little shopping, ate lunch, went to the grocery store and came back to the condo for some of Billie's yummy chili. Tomorrow we ski.

Jose Cuervo, you're not a friend of mine tonight

2007-01-02T00:04:00.000-06:00

Tequila and knitting don't mix. Even a novice knitter like me understands that there might be some issues if I continued knitting the afghan after discovering that my last row, which should have consisted of 216 stitches, had somehow grown to 228 stitches. Hmmm. Tequila, combined with a little lime juice, triple sec, and curcacao, is a soothing elixir after a hard day of cooking, entertaining family, giving my mother a permanent (or "home permanent" as she calls it), cutting her hair, cutting my husband's hair, blah, blah, blah. But it might have left me feeling a little too confident and could have diminished my attention span just a little. I couldn't make myself to go sleep with those extra 12 stitches on my mind, so I reverse knitted the row onto a different set of circular needles and then re-knit it back onto the original needles. Yep, I'm feelin' pretty smug right about now. And I came SO close to the 216 stitches that it should have been. SO close.

Imagine...the piano

2006-12-05T08:39:00.000-06:00

Last night I went to an exhibit at the Goss Gallery on Cedar Springs in Dallas. The theme is a celebration of world peace, and on view in the gallery (under the watchful eyes of two of Dallas's finest) is the piano on which John Lennon composed "Imagine."
The war-themed photography in the exhibit is stunning.
http://www.gossgallery.com

Afterwards, we went to the home of Kenny Goss and George Michael to have dinner. It is a gorgeous home full of amazing art and I was terrified that I would bump something. A very interesting evening.

weird weather; martini emergency

2006-11-29T19:45:00.000-06:00

After spending all of my life in Texas, you'd think nothing would surprise me when it comes to the weather. This morning I took photos of some of my roses because today will definitely be their last hurrah for 2006. Today, a high in the upper seventies--tonight, a low in the mid-twenties! I've put off loading the last of the tender plants into the greenhouse, so tonight I was hauling the little red wagon around, gathering the succulents that have been living on the porches all summer and fall.

I had a rather tiring day, so I decided a martini was in order. WHAT? NO OLIVES? There must be a jar here somewhere...pushing jars of mustard around, peeking behind the apricot preserves. AHA! Olives! But they're stuffed with jalapenos. Well, how bad could it be? Actually, it's very good. In fact, this might be my new favorite. Move over dirty martini--hot and dirty martini is movin' in.

2006-10-10T20:33:00.000-05:00

I got so frustrated the last time I posted a blog. Couldn't get photos to load. I tried and tried and it said they were loading but they never showed up. Maybe this time...

I have an odd succulent plant on the front porch that I have had for many years. This year it decided to bloom, and bloom, and bloom again. It has two buds on it at the moment and every morning I get up to see if they have opened yet. The blooms last less than a day and then they wither.

Okay, the photo thing appears to be working so here I go. Look at this baby. Couldn't you just squeeze him?

I knew this would happen

2006-09-25T08:07:00.000-05:00

Start keeping a blog and then you're away from home for a couple of weeks, and the blog is neglected.

Is this weather great or what? Just the other day I broke into song, "Our state fair is a great state fair, don't miss it, don't even be late." Every September, when the morning air is chilled, you know that the Great State Fair of Texas can't be far away. On last night's news, Big Tex's head was sitting on the ground, waiting to be hoisted to its perch on Big Tex's shoulders. There was a time when we would stand in front of Big Tex and wait for his jaw to move so that we could hear, "HOW-dee, folks. Wel-come to the State Fair of Texas." Now I just use it as a landmark to find the onion strings and Fletcher's corny dogs.

We had such an awfully dry winter and summer and several small trees in our yard recently died, despite my fairly careful attention. The saddest loss was a 20' river birch that Mike bought me a few years ago. The bark was beautiful and I peeled several pieces of it to save after Mike cut it down.

The roses are very happy about this cooler, wetter weather and have begun a new blooming cycle. Chives are also blooming, as well as the bitterweed, salvias, skullcap, crepe myrtles, mealy blue sage, and spider lilies are popping up here and there.

relief from summer heat

2006-09-09T08:47:00.000-05:00

When the cooler fall air arrives, the sunsets seem to be more spectacular. Last evening's sunset was not THAT amazing, but it was lovely.

Faith goes shopping

2006-09-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

Mommy needed a break so Momo and Pappy took Faith to IKEA. She's a very good shopper!

Good day sunshine

2006-09-02T12:06:00.000-05:00

Jake frowns when he is facing the bright light that comes through the skylights in Lydia's living room. Necessity is the mother of invention. That's an umbrella wedged into the chair, with a blanket draped over it to eliminate the glare.

Yesterday, while Lydia and I hustled between doctors' offices, the Jujube slept through it all. Well, almost all. He did have a moment when they poked his little heel to get some blood, but he went right back to sleep. Five hours and hardly a peep!

A six-pack--the perfect gift; Truth in advertising

2006-08-31T16:22:00.000-05:00

If your friend brings you a six-pack of assorted yummy brews as a souvenir from her trip, is that better than a T-shirt? You bet'cha! The reviews are in and Staggering Elk wins by an antler.

The signs over the bananas at the grocery store almost always say "Golden Ripe Bananas," even if they are lime green and hard as those "ripe" avocados they're also selling. At last, my local grocer has acknowledged that not all bananas are "golden ripe." I feel better.

You can call me Mo...

2006-08-30T20:28:00.000-05:00

Panic set in when I realized that I had to name my blog. A quick phone call to Sandy and TA-DA! When she said, "How about Momo something?", I knew she was on the right track. Some call me Mo, the grandkids call me Momo, so "One Mo Blog" seemed perfect. Tomorrow I'll figure out how to...oh, why wait? I've got a twelve day-old grandbaby and TICK-TOCK. Before you know it, he'll be saying, "MOMO! Where's the bubble gum machine?"

Here is Baby Jake at his first quilt show with Mommy and Daddy, wearing Momo's shibori T-shirt.