I'm having a very laid back Fourth of July day here in the midwest. I started off by sleeping in until 8:30--trying to recover form that canoe trip yesterday, I think :o) Will be doing some gardening if I ever get out of my jammies, and I want to make it to Hancock Fabrics to get a pattern and fabric for a sundress for Lily. Later, we'll fire up the grill and have steaks for supper--just Don and me.
No matter how you're celebrating the holiday, take a look at Sunday's post at Vrooman's Quilts here:
http://vroomansquilts.blogspot.com/2011/07/fourth.html
At the bottom she enters a quote of Erma Bombeck (which I'm not able to cut and paste for some reason). I loved reading Erma back in the day and I miss her down-to-earth commonsense wisdom--and humor. She always nailed it, with a laugh, right?
Happy Birthday, USA!
Monday, July 4, 2011
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Paddling the Hay River
I went on a canoe trip today on the Hay River near my house. Tessa, Lily and I put the canoe in at the bridge about 1/2 mile away and expected to paddle downstream for a couple of hours to the second bridge where we left her car. We had a gorgeous morning for the trip--temps in the 70's, clear sky, gentle breeze. And the scenery was out of this world! Of course, no camera with us but I took these pix from the bridge where we started. We could smell the scent of the pines in the air along with other clean outdoorsy fragrances. The paddling was so easy, all I had to do was simply guide the canoe around the gentle curves. We saw wildlife! Boy, did we! Over the course of the trip, we spotted 2 otter and 1 beaver, several ducks and 2 that acted like they were wounded to lure us away from their ducklings, 4 sightings of bald eagles (twice they flew right over our heads!), 4 fawns and 5 adult white tail deer. There were lots of birds in the trees making all sorts of noise calling to each other, and we were surrounded by the most beautiful black-winged and blue bodied damselflies. A totally beautiful start to our trip. We paddled along until we came to the first bridge and we all agreed that we should have left the car at that bridge, but we didn't so, we journeyed onward to the second bridge.That's when the nightmare began. The breeze died down and was replaced by hot sun. Deer flies descended on us in droves and replaced the gentle little damselflies. The deer flies seemed to be attracted to the combined scents of bug spray and sun block. Tessa and Lily had it worse than me since I'd neglected to put on the sunblock. If you don't know about deer flies, they like to live in the shade and they bite! Hard! And they can draw blood! Fortunately, they move slowly and are easy to slap and kill, (sorry, PETA) but not when you're paddling a canoe! Then we began to come across giant trees fallen over the river, blocking our way. We had to crouch down and go under, or do some pretty fancy paddling to go around them, and in one case, Tessa and I had to get out and push the canoe under the tree trunk with Lily in it, lying flat on her stomach. And we discovered that the bottom of the river was either about 6 feet of mucky goop that sucked at our sandals and generally hampered everything, OR in the really shallow places, it was all rocks and we grounded ourselves more than once and had to get out and pull the canoe off the gravel bars. It seemed that this river wanted to really make our lives hell and it became more curvy and twisty as we went on and that meant that I was constantly steering and trying to keep to the deepest channel, and that was very hard work!
All we could think about was getting to the second bridge where the car was. And when would we get there???? I kept telling myself that each stroke of the paddle meant we were closer to the end, and FINALLY, we saw the second bridge! Yea!!!! We pulled up to the bank and Tessa stepped out--into even deeper muck! She managed to make her way up the very steep bank and there was the car! On the other side of the river than where we were! What to do? I crossed my fingers and hoped the water was shallow enough and I started pulling the canoe, with Lily in it, across to the other side and we made it, with me only getting wet to my thighs, thank goodness.
Now, all three of us are tired and sore, and I have a very red sunburned nose, but we are happy we went on this adventure to see some of Mother Nature that we have only glimpsed as we cross the bridges in the car. The trip that was supposed to be a couple of hours--turned out to be 4 1/2 hours!
Would I do it again? You bet! But only to the first bridge. ;) And with a camera.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there. I think EVERY day should be celebrated as Father's Day--and Mother's Day as well. I want to share some things that I remember about my dad who died when I was 10 years old.
As a girl and even into adulthood, I missed him so much. Even today, I can get teary eyed if I'm not careful, when I'm thinking or talking about my dad. (It's probably unresolved grief or some other emotional disorder but it is what it is.) At any rate, my daughter asked me the other day to tell her something about her grandfather whom she's never met of course. I told her he was a lot like her cousin George, who is named after my dad. Dad was a fun loving person--I remember that he laughed and joked a lot, but he was a very responsible person at the same time. He liked to whistle while he was working around the house--I rarely hear people whistling any more. Does that mean we're less happy and contented than we were in the 50's?
My dad earned some kind of mechanical degree through a correspondence school and supported the 6 of us in the family with his blue collar wages. After work he would tend the garden and the yard and in the winter, take us skating and sledding and spend time in his basement workshop. As a young man in the 30's he and a buddy took off from Minnesota to travel to the west coast and they landed jobs in the orchards of California. I like to think that the oranges I eat today come from the trees he planted back then.
I loved my dad very much. I always felt valuable and special when I was with him. He seemed to enjoy having me with him while he did things and he taught me how to use woodworking and gardening tools by letting me work alongside him. He would spend ten cents to buy an ice cream cone for me while my mom was the one who kept a tight fist on the pocketbook. After our Saturday night baths, my sisters and I, in our bathrobes, would "dance" with Dad by standing on his feet and moving around the living room floor with him. I believe Lawrence Welk was our radio dance band. After his death from what was probably his 5th or 6th heart attack, I missed having him at my graduations, my wedding, and the births of my children.
To all the "kids" whose dads are still dancing on this earth, enjoy every minute you have with them. Make time to spend with Dad--and Mom too. Appreciate them. Savor every minute you have with them. If you have problems with Dad--or Mom--work it out. Solve the problem or let it go. All too soon your dads will be gone and you'll only have memories to cherish. Let your memories be good ones.
As a girl and even into adulthood, I missed him so much. Even today, I can get teary eyed if I'm not careful, when I'm thinking or talking about my dad. (It's probably unresolved grief or some other emotional disorder but it is what it is.) At any rate, my daughter asked me the other day to tell her something about her grandfather whom she's never met of course. I told her he was a lot like her cousin George, who is named after my dad. Dad was a fun loving person--I remember that he laughed and joked a lot, but he was a very responsible person at the same time. He liked to whistle while he was working around the house--I rarely hear people whistling any more. Does that mean we're less happy and contented than we were in the 50's?
My dad earned some kind of mechanical degree through a correspondence school and supported the 6 of us in the family with his blue collar wages. After work he would tend the garden and the yard and in the winter, take us skating and sledding and spend time in his basement workshop. As a young man in the 30's he and a buddy took off from Minnesota to travel to the west coast and they landed jobs in the orchards of California. I like to think that the oranges I eat today come from the trees he planted back then.
I loved my dad very much. I always felt valuable and special when I was with him. He seemed to enjoy having me with him while he did things and he taught me how to use woodworking and gardening tools by letting me work alongside him. He would spend ten cents to buy an ice cream cone for me while my mom was the one who kept a tight fist on the pocketbook. After our Saturday night baths, my sisters and I, in our bathrobes, would "dance" with Dad by standing on his feet and moving around the living room floor with him. I believe Lawrence Welk was our radio dance band. After his death from what was probably his 5th or 6th heart attack, I missed having him at my graduations, my wedding, and the births of my children.
To all the "kids" whose dads are still dancing on this earth, enjoy every minute you have with them. Make time to spend with Dad--and Mom too. Appreciate them. Savor every minute you have with them. If you have problems with Dad--or Mom--work it out. Solve the problem or let it go. All too soon your dads will be gone and you'll only have memories to cherish. Let your memories be good ones.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Needle Threading Tutorial
One of the bloggers I follow, Vesuviusmama, posted recently, "Were there any good embroidery needle threaders on the market?" I don't know if she found any but I decided to share how I thread my needles with embroidery floss without using a threader.
The pix are blurry because I had to hold the camera in one hand while holding the needle and floss in the other and contorting like a pretzel to get the right angle. And I have a crappy camera. Yeah, lets blame it on the camera. ;) Anyway, I hope that between the text and the pix, you can figure out what I'm trying to say here.
I draw the strands of floss out of the 6 ply thread, one at a time. I hold the 6 ply between my thumb and first finger--either hand--and draw out one strand while the rest of them bunch up. Don't worry, they don't tangle. Just straighten them out when you've got the first thread pulled out. Then draw out another if you need to. In the pix, I'm just using one thread.
If I'm using more than one strand, I put them together and then proceed with making a loop and I place the needle in the loop as shown.
Next, I hold the loop between my left thumb and first finger (I'm right handed so you lefties will have to do it your way) and snug it down between my fingers so only a teeny tiny bit of the thread shows--with the needle still in the teeny tiny loop.
Then, I draw the needle out of the loop leaving the thread snugged between my fingers. I thread that tiny loop into the eye of the needle instead of trying to get the end of the thread into the eye.
I won't say this works "every" time because I often have to repeat the looping and threading a few times until I get the loop in the eye. (of the needle I mean, not my eye. :)) I think the trick is to keep the tiny loop really tight around the needle before you draw out the needle. Anyway, I have much better luck threading needles this way--especially when embroidering--than trying to stick the end of the thread into the eye.
Then you just pull one end of the thread through the needle and you're ready to go.
The pix are blurry because I had to hold the camera in one hand while holding the needle and floss in the other and contorting like a pretzel to get the right angle. And I have a crappy camera. Yeah, lets blame it on the camera. ;) Anyway, I hope that between the text and the pix, you can figure out what I'm trying to say here.
I draw the strands of floss out of the 6 ply thread, one at a time. I hold the 6 ply between my thumb and first finger--either hand--and draw out one strand while the rest of them bunch up. Don't worry, they don't tangle. Just straighten them out when you've got the first thread pulled out. Then draw out another if you need to. In the pix, I'm just using one thread.
If I'm using more than one strand, I put them together and then proceed with making a loop and I place the needle in the loop as shown.
Next, I hold the loop between my left thumb and first finger (I'm right handed so you lefties will have to do it your way) and snug it down between my fingers so only a teeny tiny bit of the thread shows--with the needle still in the teeny tiny loop.
Then, I draw the needle out of the loop leaving the thread snugged between my fingers. I thread that tiny loop into the eye of the needle instead of trying to get the end of the thread into the eye.
I won't say this works "every" time because I often have to repeat the looping and threading a few times until I get the loop in the eye. (of the needle I mean, not my eye. :)) I think the trick is to keep the tiny loop really tight around the needle before you draw out the needle. Anyway, I have much better luck threading needles this way--especially when embroidering--than trying to stick the end of the thread into the eye. 
Then you just pull one end of the thread through the needle and you're ready to go.I hope this is useful information. Try it and see if this works for you.
Barb H
Saturday, April 2, 2011
The Judge's Critique
I took a big risk. I entered my Hungry Caterpillar quilt (pictured in my previous post) in the quilt show in Rice Lake, WI. That wasn't the risk. On the entry form, I had to chose between simply entering the quilt or entering it and having it critiqued by the judges. "What the heck?" says I, after minutes of trying to decide what to do. "Go for it."
Today, I went to the show. As usual, it was a lovely show with lots of very intricate and beautifully done quilts. The vendors were exceptional and although I vowed to not purchase anything, I did find a few fat quarters and a quilt kit with a fishing theme for my husband's favorite cousin who's like a brother who loves fishing equally as much as he loves golf.
No, I didn't win a ribbon or any other kind of award, and that's pretty much what I expected. However, I was flabbergasted when I read the judge's critique after I got home. She said, "Fun quilt--Great colors--Very good piecing, good binding. Hand stitching could be closer. I like that you washed it and it puckered/shrunk a bit--makes it look great. Great Quilting designs. Some pindots on back from minor tension issues--but overall REALLY Good Quilting."
I never thought the critique would be so positive! I'm my own harshest critic, I guess. So, I'm thinking of beginning a quilt designated exclusively for showing. I picked out the pattern many years ago and haven't had the courage to start it for fear that I wasn't good enough. Now, I think I can tackle it and simply take my time until it's finished. I think I could have it finished in time for next year's show.
Today, I went to the show. As usual, it was a lovely show with lots of very intricate and beautifully done quilts. The vendors were exceptional and although I vowed to not purchase anything, I did find a few fat quarters and a quilt kit with a fishing theme for my husband's favorite cousin who's like a brother who loves fishing equally as much as he loves golf.
No, I didn't win a ribbon or any other kind of award, and that's pretty much what I expected. However, I was flabbergasted when I read the judge's critique after I got home. She said, "Fun quilt--Great colors--Very good piecing, good binding. Hand stitching could be closer. I like that you washed it and it puckered/shrunk a bit--makes it look great. Great Quilting designs. Some pindots on back from minor tension issues--but overall REALLY Good Quilting."
I never thought the critique would be so positive! I'm my own harshest critic, I guess. So, I'm thinking of beginning a quilt designated exclusively for showing. I picked out the pattern many years ago and haven't had the courage to start it for fear that I wasn't good enough. Now, I think I can tackle it and simply take my time until it's finished. I think I could have it finished in time for next year's show.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Munch, Munch, Yum!
This is a quilt I made for my best friend's (almost) new grandson, Archer. He's nearly a year old now and my rule is I'm doing good if I get the baby quilt to the kid before he starts kindergarten. So I'm good. 
I found the printed Hungry Caterpillar fabric a year ago or so and couldn't decide how to use it. Finally, I sat down with graph paper and pencils and made a diagram of the quilt I wanted to make. So this is an original Barb H design--rarely do I design my quilts. I'm much more confortable using someone else's patterns. Now maybe, if I had a computer design program. . . I took some shots of the quilting on this piece. I did this on my Husqvarna Viking Lily 545 and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Thanks again to Diane Gaudyinski's books for giving me the courage to try this intricate style of FMQ. Since this is all free hand quilting, I appreciate that it's not perfect, and that I will never be a perfect free hand quilter, so don't be too critical. 
This is a closeup of one of the wings on the butterfly. I used some metalic gold thread as an accent on the wings, the leaf, and the hairs of the caterpillar. In the sunlight, it simply glistens. 
Here's the leaf with the gold accent in the veining.
I'm sending a copy of Eric Carle's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, along with the quilt. I know Archer and his parents--and his 3 year old sister!--will enjoy it.
I found the printed Hungry Caterpillar fabric a year ago or so and couldn't decide how to use it. Finally, I sat down with graph paper and pencils and made a diagram of the quilt I wanted to make. So this is an original Barb H design--rarely do I design my quilts. I'm much more confortable using someone else's patterns. Now maybe, if I had a computer design program. . . I took some shots of the quilting on this piece. I did this on my Husqvarna Viking Lily 545 and I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Thanks again to Diane Gaudyinski's books for giving me the courage to try this intricate style of FMQ. Since this is all free hand quilting, I appreciate that it's not perfect, and that I will never be a perfect free hand quilter, so don't be too critical. 
This is a closeup of one of the wings on the butterfly. I used some metalic gold thread as an accent on the wings, the leaf, and the hairs of the caterpillar. In the sunlight, it simply glistens. 
Here's the leaf with the gold accent in the veining. 
And this is a shot of the quilt back with a penny for scale. For once I think the back is as pretty or moreso than the front.
I'm sending a copy of Eric Carle's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, along with the quilt. I know Archer and his parents--and his 3 year old sister!--will enjoy it.Making this quilt was pure joy. As you may know, I've been totally absorbed in political activities here in Wisconsin and I found myself getting extremely exhausted from being outraged at our governor and his shenanigans. Sitting down to work on this quilt took my mind off politics for a few hours at a time and enabled me to relax and enjoy what I was doing for a sweet little boy.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Fantastic Giveaway
Go here: http://emsewandsew.blogspot.com/2011/03/civil-war-reproduction-fabrics-giveaway.html for a fantastic giveaway of 10.5 yards of Civil War reproduction fabrics and book, The Civil War Diary Quilt. Hurry! It closes at 11:30 PM Mountain Daylight Savings Time. I personally LOVE civil war fabrics and can't wait to get the email telling me I've won this wonderful prize--but you can enter if you want anyway. ;-)
Tomorrow is National Quilting Day. I'm going to spend it at a quilting workday with my new guild. I can't wait--it's going to be a lot of fun, fun, fun! I have a baby quilt and a twin quilt that I can work on doing the actual FMQ on and get them finished.
TTFN
Tomorrow is National Quilting Day. I'm going to spend it at a quilting workday with my new guild. I can't wait--it's going to be a lot of fun, fun, fun! I have a baby quilt and a twin quilt that I can work on doing the actual FMQ on and get them finished.
TTFN
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