Some sewing done this week. It seems as if it has been a week of interruptions, we don't mind. The boys have a four day weekend off school, so that means extra noise today. They have their cousin Jacob over so we have an extra boy to share in the commotion. We like that too. So, while there haven't been any major accomplishments this week I have been working away at the current work-in-progress. Dear Jane has become the first focus, until I run our of yellows and have to get some more. Then I will decide how I am going to put together my applique blocks. There is another one done.

I finished it last night. I am not an expert appliquer, but I enjoy it. These days that's what counts.

The latest Dear Jane, of course I can't remember the name but I think the number is B-8. It is mostly comprised of Y seams, right up my alley. I love the challenge of getting them right and I did. I have another block mostly done, just needing the applique in the corners. It was Y seams too. I'll try to get that one done tonight so I can have a picture tomorrow.

After I card another bat of wool the rest of the afternoon will be spent with applique, I have one more block prepped and then I will see what I want to do with the blocks I have done, or if I want to make any more. As usual, I don't feel there is any hurry to decide. With all of the decisions one has to make being able to take time to make a leisurely decision is a real treat.

So, time to card wool.

I really hate having my picture taken but we've had so many requests because of it's being our 44th wedding anniversary that I gave in. Now it's over and done with for another year.

One of our gifts this year was a year's subscription to the butterfly house. Off we went this morning and enjoyed ourselves tremendously. Thank-you Timothy and Rosa.

So as you can imagine there wasn't much sewing done today. The colors and sounds, flowers, foliage butterflies and tiny little button quail to keep the ants down, are all inspirational. I come home refreshed and at peace. A morning well spent!

We had a lovely anniversary party on Sunday.

The giant sushi is actually a cake. Timothy and Rosa are the only ones who actually eat the stuff but the cake was good and Ambrosina had her opportunity to be creative.

There was more food than the sixteen of us could actually eat, but I enjoy eating the leftovers during the week for lunches and snacks. A good time was had by all.

Who could imagine that bacon wrapped around dill pickles and put under the broiler would be so good?

I finished this quilt this morning. It was really hard to get it quilted, but it wasn't the quilt is was the machine. It took forever because the thread kept breaking. I am talking about it breaking on every line that went from left to right, and also on any of the thicker part. I am talking about at least half a dozen times, if not more, on each 8 inch block. I though I would never get done. I took fully three times longer than it should have and Julia Juki has to go back into the shop when I can afford it. I did every thing: Changing needles, adjusting tension, changing the kind of the needle, rethreading, the list goes on and on. Finally I just gritted my teeth and kept going. I think I know what is wrong with her but I don't have the money right now.

And the back. One of my scrappy pieced.

Wheel bearings are out on the front of the van. The tool to fix them with costs twice as much as the part, we are going to try to rent one, or borrow one. We need a car and it's a year before we can afford one so we have to baby poor Doris along until we can replace her. We've had her for 8+ years and she has been in an accident. We are going to try to get a car that was born in this century when we buy. Doris is a '95. I consider she has done very good for us.

Second time dyeing, it is actually a deeper blue than is shown. For some reason my camera isn't working very good today. I intend to get some more blue dye payday.

For the rest of the week I am thinking that I will work on Dear Jane. For our anniversary Phillip and Malachi got me a big bundle of fat eighths and fat quarters. Some of it is yellow, all is pretty and very special. Sammy got me a necklace with a pink stone. I think they had a lot of guidance from their mother this year, but I always love what they get me. Even though I didn't spend a lot of money on what I got them they were excited and like what they got. They are sweet boys.

So for me this afternoon, I am seriously thinking of a nap. We had a terrific storm last night. he basementHailstones the size of golf balls and I am not kidding. We seldom hear anything down here in the basement but last night it sounded like some machinery going off in our bedroom. The loudest I ever heard and it really woke us up. Scared the daylights out of me--I didn't know what was going on at first. So, a nap sounds really good.

B-7 Baseball Diamond. Although this could have been pieced I decided to do hand applique. It didn't take long and I enjoy the work.

So, I went out to check my wool and it is not dry yet, so no picture today. We have had the wettest coldest August on record so far, the wool has been taking days to dry when it should take only hours. Gives me a chance to cultivate my patience.

As you can see the pattern is starting to emerge. This is a very fine thread 12/2 so it will take a lot of weaving, I'm happy with that. This is an overshot pattern, but I can't remember the pattern name off hand and I will have to look it up.

Tomorrow my wool should be dry and I will get a picture. Until then there is some carding waiting for me, I have found the carding takes longer than the spinning so at this point while I am spinning some I am trying to spend the bulk of the time on the carding until is done. Until tomorrow then.

Another very definitely busy week. The boys started school today. I think Ambrosina is glad but I miss the noise, however, I am not their mother, merely a grandmother and am one step removed from the constant oversight!

I didn't think that I was ever going to get a chance to weave this week.  My temple (the green thing) was missing a screw. I think I mentioned that before, I went up to my junk drawer in the sewing table and the first screw I saw fit perfectly. Guys have to over think everything. Or else, not think enough, I don't know which.

So i wove in the first inch of tabby, the plain white strip, and tried to place on the temple and the clip that holds the two rods in place was missing. I hadn't used it in a very long time so no surprise there. It too is probably in a warehouse in Walla Walla with my hand carders and all the missing sock mates.

Well necessity gave birth again.

The velcro cable ties that the sewing machine repairman puts on my sewing machine cords to keep them tidy. Works great!

Now, as I went to weave, the sewing box that is on casters that I sit on to weave broke and almost threw me onto the floor. I wedged a piece of 2 x 4 under the corner but it still tilts and makes it very hard to treadle, sigh. We work with what we've got.

I dyed yesterday, picture of the yarn tomorrow, it's hanging out to dry. We have had the wettest August on record and it's taking days to dry my yarn when it usually takes just hours.

I splurged. Buying the software for Dear Jane, and the rulers, I will have to make more than one I guess to make spending the money worth while.

Now, from the noise upstairs, the boys are home and I want to run (more like plod) upstairs and see how their first day of school went.

Hand spun yarn pre-soaking before going into the dyepot.

Simmering in the dyepot.

Blocking and drying, love, love, love that blue! So much fun, I had forgotten just how good wool-being-dyed smells!

I was getting no end of help all day either. I spent a lot more time upstairs today than usual. With Ambrosina and Leon gone for their anniversary David and I are watching the boys and I can't watch them from down here.

B-6 and B-7, can't remember their names off hand but Dear Jane is now going to be the main focus of my sewing until it gets done or something more urgent comes along; or I run out of yellow fabric and have to work on some other project until I get more.

I have had a very satisfying day and I am pleased with what I have gotten done today. Now I am tired and intend to relax with some handwork that doesn't take too much concentration until it's time for bed.

So anyway, I've been busy, busy, busy, but I haven't had a lot to show for it. This is the next to the last week before the boys start school and we have been cramming a lot into our time, getting ready and doing the last minute things we wanted to get done before the end of summer. How can summer be almost done, I'm not ready for it to be over. Next thing we know it will be cold and we will have to balance between turning on the heater for it to be warm enough but not sending the power bill up to high. Oiy.

My only finish in the last week. I have been focusing all my attention on getting this finished so I can clean out my sewing corner upstairs before we have guests this weekend. This quilt got huge 117 x 117 approx. I should have made it four blocks by four blocks, but I made it five by five, which is why it got so big.

Still and all, I really like it.

Tomorrow morning I am getting the dye pot out and dying wool. Also cleaning out my sewing corner.

Tomorrow is also David and my 44th wedding anniversary. Also Ambrosina and Leon's 17th wedding anniversary. Also Leon's brother Abe and his wife share the same anniversary and I think it's 19th for them. The 23rd is Timothy and Rosa's 10th for them. We have one big party planned for next weekend. Ambrosina and Leon are going away this weekend. Since Ambrosina has to do so much work for the party she needs to get her celebration in early.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll have some pictures of dyed wool if all goes well. I am starting out with blue because that is the color my sister needs for her current project and she got me the wool. It's been a long time since I did any dying and I am quite excited about it. I have never used this kind of dye so it should also be very interesting. Can't wait!

After last week I decided to take things easier this week and so haven't accomplished a whole lot. Except...

Grandson Ben's turtle quilt. I cannot believe how long this quilt took. I had so many interruptions this week. I never got even a full mornings sewing in. School starts in a couple of weeks so things should go a little smoother after that. I know that there are strong feelings both pro and con about using sheets in quilts. I have to say that the perfect fabric for this border is a sheet. It was just what I wanted to tie in with the brown stripes of the sashes so I went for it. And I like it.

I imagine there are people with strong feelings about piecing the backs the way I do also, but they work for me on my budget so I go with them. The smaller pieces on the left are fabric samples of drapery fabric. I was just short of the print, which was also drapery fabric, and since they were the same weight I foresee no problem. My eleven year old grandson won't care one way or the other. By the time he was used it on the grass and taken it camping they will blend pretty well. I also used pieces of binding left over from other quilts. Scrappy binding is always interesting.

I planned on spending the afternoon weaving yesterday, but after (and only after) I got the heading woven in I discovered that I had missed several dents (slots) in the reed on my threading and had to untie and rethread part of it. I really need more light over there!

So this morning after I finished binding Ben's quilt I cam down and got my headings woven in. When I went to put my temple on, the green rod you see on top, I discovered there is a screw missing. It seems like there has been just one thing after another making it difficult to get anywhere on this warp. Naturally out in a three car garage, full of tools, equipment and just plain junk there isn't a single screw that will fit. Argh. I'll go through my sewing machine parts tomorrow and find something. Never send a man to do a woman's work, to paraphrase an old saying.

So there you have it. An easier week but not without its blessings. Now to my lace pillow for an afternoon's relaxation.

Not much sewing went on today. Ambrosina is getting ready to paint the kitchen so I helped her carrying things out into the dining room a little. I did a bit of quilting, then a little spinning. Then I came down here to the dungeon part of the basement.

I am ready to weave in the headings. It took a little longer than I anticipated, but I got it done. This is only the second time I have tied the warp onto the rod in this manner, usually I tie it directly onto the rod but this way is a lot easier to get the tension even, I'm just not used to doing it that way yet. If I have time tomorrow I will start weaving. Tomorrow is shopping day however so it may have to wait until Saturday afternoon. I'm happy.

This came in the mail from Amazon today. I ready it in the library on Vashon over 30 years ago and wanted a copy but it was out of print. I looked it up last week and it was a really low price even with shipping so I was happy to get it. Can't wait to start some of the patterns.

I started a new lace pattern last night, I'll have pictures tomorrow. I need to recover my lace pillow and re-stuff it. I used chopped up hay last time but I see from some videos on YouTube that pillow makers are using sawdust now. I don't like the hard foam ones they don't hold as well after a few uses. I have made some foam ones and I don't like them as well. I'm just happy to be doing my lace again.

I've used that word several times. Happy, happy, happy. Life is pretty darn good!