Virtual Retreat Aug thru Dec 2015 Info on first post

[genevacarroll]

Thank you everyone for the lovely comments about my new granddaughter. She is precious. Her folks are pretty smitten with her also!

For those that asked, our home is off the county road in a small neighborhood where the Yakima River bends. So our mailboxes are about a quarter mile away where the paved road ends. The goats are a neighbors and to put it simply, they are really stupid! They kept following me and I kept saying "go home!". My husband saw me coming up our driveway and got his camera to take our picture. The goats actually came up onto the front porch and stood around like they were waiting to come indoors! My husband finally chased the away. It was quite funny.

I love goat cheese, but it's much easier to buy it!

I finished Victorina's baby sampler. I will take it to get framed today.



Now it's time to get back to the square in a square fiasco. And I need to get busy on a quilt for my grandson due in early January! Life is good!

geneva

[rehak]

Love the sampler, too! So many cute things for the cute little girl!

[rehak]

So many things to comment on! I was in bed with a migraine for most of Sunday/Monday, busy all day Tuesday/Wednesday, and come back and find 38 new messages here! Yikes!

Geneva, your new granddaughter is lovely!! And what a darling Halloween onesie for her! Too cute! Love the sampler, as well; very nicely done!

Lotti, those bags are wonderful! I am impressed with the camera bag and all the pockets....I am itching to get a new camera, but the need to carry extra lenses always puts me off. That bag does look comfy and easy to carry; did you design it yourself, or is it a pattern? I'm thinking if I ever do upgrade, I'll need to make a bag like that, lightweight and comfy to carry all the stuff.

Dorothy, your mondo bag is lovely too! What a fun shape and colors to it!

I've been working on a Halloween table runner; started quilting yesterday. I'll try and get pics today. It is 5 star blocks, on point; so far I've stitched around the outline of the stars and have done one background of one star block -- I'm doing spiderweb quilting in the backgrounds, then will quilt some Halloweeny shape in the center square of each star, and then straight lines in the background/border/setting triangle fabric of the whole thing. Using neon green for part and gray for part. Although the star outline quilting doesn't show much, so might need to do a few double rows there to make that pop. I'll save that for last....

Counting down to Houston as well My dear friend arrives Weds, then the fun begins!

[rehak]

Heather - Sorry to hear about your migraine no fun for sure. Looking forward to a picture of your table runner sounds pretty spooky to me!
Barb

[rehak]

Oh my goodness, y'all.....major goof yesterday.

I decided on a simple ghost shape for the center square of the stars on my Halloween table runner. Drew a template on brown paper, still haven't bought freezer paper, so thought "Hey! I could probably trace this on Heat-n-Bond Lite, just touch it with the iron to hold it there temporarily, quilt around it, then peel off...."

(can you tell I don't use that stuff much??? And what happened next...????)

Oye.

Well, it worked to hold the templates in place, but as you all have guessed, peeling it off removed the paper, but not the sticky gunk. Ack!!!!

I scraped and peeled and scraped and peeled and gave up, and finally did yet another internet search for ideas and finally found a solution --- iron plain brown paper onto the sticky residue, then peel back while hot. yes! the sticky residue sticks to the paper and peels off of the fabric quite nicely, leaving no marks or gunk behind. Thank goodness!!!

Have gone and written FREEZER PAPER on my shopping list, and my friend coming for Houston has said she'll put some in her suitcase if I don't buy it before then. You may all laugh, but please don't inundate me with packs of freezer paper! LOL!! I promise I've learned my lesson.....

[rehak]

Heather,
I home schooled my boys. The most important thing I could have ever taught them was how to 'Find' the information needed. You are definitely progressing along. Without learning experiences like this would we really grow intellectually? I doubt it, we learn more from the things that don't work than from everything falling into place. I thought you would need to put a layer of chiffon? over your project just to hold the sticky stuff. I'm glad you shared, I never thought about brown paper heated and removed while hot,, I'm still learning too. Thanks.
Luann

[rehak]

Heather,
I home schooled my boys. The most important thing I could have ever taught them was how to 'Find' the information needed. You are definitely progressing along. Without learning experiences like this would we really grow intellectually? I doubt it, we learn more from the things that don't work than from everything falling into place. I thought you would need to put a layer of chiffon? over your project just to hold the sticky stuff. I'm glad you shared, I never thought about brown paper heated and removed while hot,, I'm still learning too. Thanks.
Luann

Luann, I didn't know you home schooled your boys! I also home school mine. Daunting, but fun and worth it.

Happy my mistake could help someone else! Yes, I was thinking "what sheer fabric can I put on top of this to make it seem on purpose...???" Luckily I had chosen a ghost shape, so a sheer would have actually made sense, had I needed to resort to that.

I definitely learn, a LOT, from my mistakes....or, well, I have A LOT of "opportunities for growth and learning." LOL! Only rarely do I make the same mistake again later.....and I do have a fine sense of humor/"ah, well, that was fun!" about it all, which helps. I find that to be another important lesson -- okay, you messed up, now figure out how to fix it and move on. No point in moping about. i think this is why each quilt I make is my "best quilt so far" -- because I've taken all I've leaned with each one prior and improved my skills in some way.

Hoping you all get a nice chuckle, and yes, learn from my mistakes this time

[genevacarroll]

Oh Heather,
Thank you for the chuckle. I hope you don't mind that I did chuckle. I taught my kids "What are mistakes for?" And they would reply "Learning!" Wish I had home schooled my kids.....

So one of the reasons I chuckled was because I remember in the late 70's my great Aunt Blanche (who was VERY prim and proper) finally decided to wear....pants.! :woohoo: But of course she had to press them. Someone told her to use a brown grocery bag to press her polyester pants, which she did. Unfortunately she pressed her pants with the grocery store logo against her pants. Viola! She was then a walking advertisement for the grocery store! It still makes me laugh after all these years. So glad your ghost turned out perfect!

Have a good weekend everyone!
geneva

[genevacarroll]

My day at retreat:
Quilted up 4 pieces for a modified mondo bag. Put a backing on the frame of my longarm, two very thin layers a batting, and laid the four pieces on top. I put a different design in each of those 8x26" pieces. Then I grabbed some squares of hand dyes I had and put a block pattern in each of those. I will have 8 squares, 8 1/2" each. They'll make large mug rugs or small pot holders! I've already assembled the four bag pieces into the basic shape. I'm thinking about covering all interior seams with binding and using the same for around the edge. But it would be faster to just make a liner, and then I could add pockets too.
This all started with someone wanting to see my ' book ' of quilting designs! Yikes, there's over 1,000 available on the Pro Stitcher and it doesn't have a printed out list of them. I probably couldn't lift the book if there was one. So, anyway I told her I'd show her a few samples and we'd go from there. Hope she can make a decision based upon what I have to offer. I meet her next Wednesday at my 'club house stitchers' group.


Inside and out



Off to supper, I'll be back at retreat tomorrow,,,,
Luann
PS I haven't caught up with everyone's news, but congrats on the babies!

[genevacarroll]

Forgive me for posting this here but I am a bit stressed and don't have the patience to search for how to get to the prayer list.

Just returned home after leaving Loren in the hospital with pneumonia in the lower lobe on his left side. Please pray for him. He wouldn't eat or drink so he was very weak and kept trying to get up (without help). After getting him off the floor for the second time, I called an ambulance. Can't you just see the picture of me picking up a 232 lb man. It definitely would have gone viral if anyone were there to film me putting a sheet under his arms, while standing on top of the bed, to pull him back in it.

Only one bruise to my knee from the experience.

Thank you friends, I am going to try to get some sleep--who knows what tomorrow will bring.

[twiglet]

I hope it will bring Loren on the mend now he's in hospital and getting treatment. Here's hoping he's soon well and you get some rest. I'll be thinking of you both xx

[twiglet]

Oh my Ritzy - Glad you called an ambulance and Loren is being taken care of. Hopefully he'll be in good shape in a couple of days. I agree with Wendy nice for you to get some sleep too. Take care. Barb

[twiglet]

Yikes Heather - what a mess! I've only used heat and bond a couple of times but left it in place, glad I didn't try to remove.

Here's another use for plain brown paper - iron paper onto candle wax drips on table clothes or carpet and peel off the wax.

Barb

[genevacarroll]

Ritzy, hugs for you my friend.

Sleep well.
Geneva

[lotti]

Ritzy, hugs and stregth to you and Loren. Hope some rest will benefit both of you.
I copied your post to the Prayer List - we're on the case!


A nice place to recuperate and gather strength...