A few more rows finished this week. I'm well into the "Chicken Wire" part of the pattern.
I also worked on my whole cloth quilt. This was a kit from Keepsake Quilting. They don't seem to have the same pattern anymore, but here's a link to one that's similar. I don't know if you can tell that I've made some progress. I have two needles with thread in the lower left-hand corner, barely visible. I use two or three needles at a time, so I can continue to work without having to move the hoop after reaching the edge of the hoop with one needle. I always start quilting in the middle of the quilt and work toward the outside. Same with basting. As I quilt, I remove any basting stitches that are likely to get caught up in the stitching.
Speaking of quilts, you may remember this quilt I finished a little over a year ago, which I call "Spring Flowers." I started collecting the fabrics for it in 1999, Susan Branch's "The Language of Flowers," which was already difficult to find then.
I had an interesting little adventure related to it this week. I have a Twitter account where I do most of my political activity. I came across the fabric designer and was so excited to find her, I tweeted this photo to her. A number of other people saw the photo and commented on it, so now I have some new Twitter friends I can share artistic pursuits with when the election is over. I recorded details of how I made the quilt here.
Speaking of political activity, I've been writing letters to voters through this program. This isn't really political, because the letters don't promote any candidate or party. We are just asking people to join us in voting and explain why voting is important to us. We receive form letters to print off with a place for us to write in the name of each person, our reasons for asking them to join us in voting and a signature (first name and last initial). At the bottom of the page is a link they can use to check their registration and details about voting in their state. We write out the envelopes by hand, as well. This pretty much ensure that people will open them. We will save them until just before the election, some time in October, and then mail them. I don't really enjoy talking to people on the phone, even if it's just asking them if they plan to vote and if they need information about their polling place. This is something I can do that's peaceful and relaxing, like knitting or quilting. I'm sure there are other similar programs elsewhere, if you're looking for something to do.
Our tiny vegetable garden is starting to produce. I thought these peas were beautiful.
The peas and their pods were delicate and tasty. If anything, the pods were sweeter than the peas. They went into the salad, along with one of our radishes.
DH came back from Trader Joe's with some hamburger buns. I thought we still had Boca Burgers in the freezer, but I couldn't find them, so I pulled out a package of Quorn Meatless Crumbles and Made Sloppy Joe's, which was a little more work than just microwaving a couple of Boca Burgers, but was still tasty with "french fries" cooked in the air fryer and a nice salad.
Besides food from the garden, the Aerogarden has been producing more herbs than we can use. On Tuesday I cut off some of the flowers from the Thai basil and stuck them into a vase. They are still pretty today, and the scent (from the leaves) is lovely.
Some of the Thai and regular basil went into the trays of our dehydrator. When it was dry, I stored them in plastic bags to use later. You crumble them up when you're ready to use them. That way, they have more flavor, so I'm told.
I've continued to be dissatisfied with Billy's hair, and Emil's to a somewhat lesser degree. I glue Billy's down around the sides and back and keep a rubber band around his head when he isn't in use, but it's a real nuisance, and sometimes I have to retake photos because his hair looks bad. Someone on Facebook had a doll with Billy's face and a wig, and he looked perfect. She said it was "Johnny" from Monique Trading Company and told me the size. I ordered wigs for them a couple of days later. The wigs arrived on Friday, and I tried them on on Saturday, to see if I wanted to go all the way and shave the boys' heads. Here's Billy's new look.
Emil picked a slightly darker shade of brown for his.
Emil's hair isn't that bad, because the rubber band that holds his special glasses on also holds the hair down. I think the wigs will work. I may have to trim Emil's in back. Either it's a little longer than Billy's or his head is smaller. I'll work the transformation into the stories.
We've continued having family meetings via Zoom on Sundays. It's good to catch up with the family members who can make it. (That's our granddog Louis under the table, upper left. Fluffy the cat is in our daughter's lap.)
Dusty had his stitches out on Wednesday. He had three little adenomas (like little moles or skin tags) removed from his sides when he was in La-la land having his teeth cleaned. He's all healed up.
The weather has been a little cooler. Nights are always cooler here, but the days tend to be warm. I'm still getting up between 5:00 and 6:00 to open up the house, but it feels like autumn is on its way.
What's on my needles: The Which Came First Shawl, well into the third section.
I also worked on my whole cloth quilt. This was a kit from Keepsake Quilting. They don't seem to have the same pattern anymore, but here's a link to one that's similar. I don't know if you can tell that I've made some progress. I have two needles with thread in the lower left-hand corner, barely visible. I use two or three needles at a time, so I can continue to work without having to move the hoop after reaching the edge of the hoop with one needle. I always start quilting in the middle of the quilt and work toward the outside. Same with basting. As I quilt, I remove any basting stitches that are likely to get caught up in the stitching.
Speaking of quilts, you may remember this quilt I finished a little over a year ago, which I call "Spring Flowers." I started collecting the fabrics for it in 1999, Susan Branch's "The Language of Flowers," which was already difficult to find then.
I had an interesting little adventure related to it this week. I have a Twitter account where I do most of my political activity. I came across the fabric designer and was so excited to find her, I tweeted this photo to her. A number of other people saw the photo and commented on it, so now I have some new Twitter friends I can share artistic pursuits with when the election is over. I recorded details of how I made the quilt here.
Speaking of political activity, I've been writing letters to voters through this program. This isn't really political, because the letters don't promote any candidate or party. We are just asking people to join us in voting and explain why voting is important to us. We receive form letters to print off with a place for us to write in the name of each person, our reasons for asking them to join us in voting and a signature (first name and last initial). At the bottom of the page is a link they can use to check their registration and details about voting in their state. We write out the envelopes by hand, as well. This pretty much ensure that people will open them. We will save them until just before the election, some time in October, and then mail them. I don't really enjoy talking to people on the phone, even if it's just asking them if they plan to vote and if they need information about their polling place. This is something I can do that's peaceful and relaxing, like knitting or quilting. I'm sure there are other similar programs elsewhere, if you're looking for something to do.
Our tiny vegetable garden is starting to produce. I thought these peas were beautiful.
DH came back from Trader Joe's with some hamburger buns. I thought we still had Boca Burgers in the freezer, but I couldn't find them, so I pulled out a package of Quorn Meatless Crumbles and Made Sloppy Joe's, which was a little more work than just microwaving a couple of Boca Burgers, but was still tasty with "french fries" cooked in the air fryer and a nice salad.
Besides food from the garden, the Aerogarden has been producing more herbs than we can use. On Tuesday I cut off some of the flowers from the Thai basil and stuck them into a vase. They are still pretty today, and the scent (from the leaves) is lovely.
Some of the Thai and regular basil went into the trays of our dehydrator. When it was dry, I stored them in plastic bags to use later. You crumble them up when you're ready to use them. That way, they have more flavor, so I'm told.
I've continued to be dissatisfied with Billy's hair, and Emil's to a somewhat lesser degree. I glue Billy's down around the sides and back and keep a rubber band around his head when he isn't in use, but it's a real nuisance, and sometimes I have to retake photos because his hair looks bad. Someone on Facebook had a doll with Billy's face and a wig, and he looked perfect. She said it was "Johnny" from Monique Trading Company and told me the size. I ordered wigs for them a couple of days later. The wigs arrived on Friday, and I tried them on on Saturday, to see if I wanted to go all the way and shave the boys' heads. Here's Billy's new look.
Emil picked a slightly darker shade of brown for his.
Emil's hair isn't that bad, because the rubber band that holds his special glasses on also holds the hair down. I think the wigs will work. I may have to trim Emil's in back. Either it's a little longer than Billy's or his head is smaller. I'll work the transformation into the stories.
Dusty had his stitches out on Wednesday. He had three little adenomas (like little moles or skin tags) removed from his sides when he was in La-la land having his teeth cleaned. He's all healed up.
The weather has been a little cooler. Nights are always cooler here, but the days tend to be warm. I'm still getting up between 5:00 and 6:00 to open up the house, but it feels like autumn is on its way.
What's on my sewing machine: Some repairs and now doll masks.
What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. A little more progress this week.
What's in The Doll's Storybook: Getting What You Want, the dolls learn about compromise.
What's in The Doll's Storybook: Getting What You Want, the dolls learn about compromise.
What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still Mrs. Tim of the Regiment by D. E. Stevenson.
What's in my wine glass: La Crime Purpura Tinto Seco. Very nice.
What's my tip of the week: Soaking cut-up potatoes for a couple of hours in plain water, then draining them and drying them off, helps them fry up crisply in the air fryer, a healthful alternative to regular fresh or frozen french fries.
Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.
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