Taking the High Road

Tour de Fleece ends this week. 

So far, I've managed to spin a little bit each day. I'm plying the Frog Prince yarn now. 

I had to leave the wheel at home when we went to visit the Beaverton kids for the weekend. I took my drop spindle with me and managed to spin each day we were there. I'm using my Golding Tsunami drop spindle and this Ashford merino and silk top roving I started a few years ago, before I got my wheel.

Jolena received a new dress during the week using the fabric she picked out at The Stitchin' Post in Sisters during the quilt show. With it, she's wearing a pair of the new shoes we received from FairyTaleLOVEit on Etsy. The owner lives in the Ukraine. The shoes and clothes are expensive, but they are very well made and cute.

One reason we picked this week to go to Beaverton, which is close to Portland, Oregon, was to visit the Portland Highland Games in Gresham. DH decided to wear his kilt and everything that goes with it. I made these kilt hose in 2011 after taking the class with Mary Scot Huff at the Sock Summit. This is the first time he worked them.

He didn't have his ghillie brogues (shoes) yet, so he won some black walking shoes. We found the ghillie brogues at the games.

Our son and his boys also dressed in kilts for the games. It was easy to spot them coming. Very few children wore kilts to the games.

During the opening ceremonies, we were entertained by a bagpipe band.

There were a lot of interesting competitive events, such as the Kilted Mile, a foot race for men, women and children. (I believe the children's event was just one time around the track.

We watched the men's Caber Toss. They have to get a long log-shaped piece of wood balanced and then toss it so the top hits the ground first. Then they are successful if the other end lands between 9:00 and 3:00 from where the tosser is standing.

We left to watch the kids participating in their own versions. This our grandsons' cousin Leo tossing the caber. He was good at it.

Johan did well at the stone toss.

Soren is a good runner. He did well at the Farmer's Walk.

Johan also medaled in the sheep toss. For the kids, they used a stuffed animal sheep with the stuffing replaced by rocks for weight. (If you look over the pink tape in the photo, you can see the sheep flying through the air, well over the tape.)

We went to a local park on Sunday so the kids could play at the splash pad (which they call a spray ground) and the playground. Then we went out to eat. DH and I stopped off at Noble Woods Park for a walk with the dogs before going on to watch the kids at 53rd Avenue Community Park.

The pups went to the groomer on Tuesday, a few days before our trip. Here they are, enjoying their post-grooming stupor.

The sunflowers along the Larkspur Trail are beginning to bloom. Soon we'll be back to walking the trail.

We're on the road today. It will be good to get home.
What's on my needles: Still the Coastal Skies Shawl. Almost finished!

What's on my sewing machine: Costumes for the dolls.

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Finally making progress!

What's in The Doll's Storybook: Heat Wave.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Flirt by M. C. Beaton. Now listening to Cadenza by Stella Riley. We also listened to more of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte while driving.

What's in my wine glass: Grifone Primitivo from old vine Zinfandel 2017 vintage. We found it at Trader Joe's. A good buy for a nice wine.

What's my tip of the week: If you can figure out a way to do it based on how your dishwasher is configured, you can sort the cutlery as you put it into the dishwasher rather than as you take it out. It's much faster, because you usually put the various items into the dishwasher one or a few at a time and taking them out all at once. It does take training family members, though. You will have to make the decision about whether the training is worth the effort.

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.

From Soup to Nuts

During their last visit, the kids brought us a Kabocha squash (Japanese pumpkin) from their veggie share. 

Cutting it up was a challenge. I should have used my rotary cutter! However, I got it cut up, saved the seeds and roasted the squash. I have some put away in the freezer, but I made a nice soup out of two cups of it. I was happy with my recipe, which was improvised from several recipes I found online. I used the slow cooker. Here's the recipe:

Slow-cooked Curried Squash Soup

Ingredients
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper flakes
• 2 cups water
• 1 2-cup bouillon cube
• 2 cups roasted winter squash, diced
• 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 sliced zucchinis
• 1 (15 oz.) can coconut milk
• 1 Lime
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Sauté onion and red bell pepper for 3-5 minutes or until onion begins to soften. Add the garlic and cook one more minute.Stir in the curry powder, cumin, coriander and pepper flakes. Sauté a few minutes more. Add to zucchini, winter squash, soy sauce, water and bouillon cube in slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Add coconut milk for the last 30 minutes. Add salt (if needed)and pepper to taste. serve with lime quarters and sprigs of cilantro.

I also cleaned and roasted the seeds. You can eat the husks and all. They're nice sprinkled in the soup or over a salad.

I finally managed to get the fiber studio straightened out, although I still have some things to do to the loom before I can make the rag rugs for the house. It's nice having a comfortable chair for sewing and a chair mat, so I can roll the chair around. When I'm sewing, I like to keep a pressing mat on the table where you see the laptop in the photo.

I've had to move my Yelloware bowls to make more storage for large items needed as props for the stories. They now grace the upper cabinets in my kitchen.

The chair mat also makes it possible to close the sewing cabinet nicely, because the whole cabinet is resting on the mat instead of the carpet. I still need to get a wall lamp for over the cutting cabinet.

I used this Coca-Cola crate for storing little things in my old fiber studio, but I've discovered that it's perfect for storing little shoes by installing little floors in each of the upper three rows of compartments. I used heavy-duty interfacing left over from another project. The boots don't fit, so they are stored elsewhere. I still have more shoes coming, so it's going to take some thought to find a place for them.

Speaking of shoes, I managed to crochet this pair of shoes this past week. It was a challenge, because I'm not much of a crocheter, however, they are done and I may make another pair or two.

Tour de Fleece started on Saturday. By the end of the day, this is how much I had done. (If you read my blog post last week, you will perhaps remember that I started out with some on the spool already.)

I did some hand-quilting on my whole cloth quilt. I noticed an area where the pattern was fading, perhaps because of exposure to the light or humidity. I'm trying to finish that area before it disappears. You can see that instead of sewing in a straight line, I sew in a zig-zag line across the area. This provides some stretchability, which keeps the knots from popping through or the threads from breaking.

You can also see another trick of mine, leaving several threaded needles in my work where I left off quilting as I got close to the edge of the hoop.

Another surprise flower showed up in our front flower bed. These look like miniature carnations. (My card, normal business card size, is in the photo for scale.)

We had the soup on Saturday night at the beginning of a big meal that included salmon marinated and grilled on the BBQ we bought on sale at the beginning of winter, along with salad and sourdough bread. We didn't have dessert, and we couldn't exactly end the meal with nuts, as is customary, but Kabocha squash seeds are close.

After that big meal, I planned to walk the dogs during the afternoon on Sunday. The pups and I finally made it to 60 miles in 30 days, and here's the proof.

I feel a lot more fit than I did 30 days ago. I haven't missed a day of walks since June 7th. I'll keep it up as long as I can. Tuesday we're supposed to get rain. With luck, we can get out when it isn't raining.




What's on my needles: Still the Coastal Skies. A few more rows finished.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: The Philosophy of Sad Times. (Note: This story was not intended to be political. The stories are for children. Adults reading this one should not read anything political into it.)

What's on my sewing machine: Currently undercover. (Resting.)

What's in my hoop: Still the Whole Cloth Quilt. Finally making progress!

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished The Wicked Godmother by M. C. Beaton. Now reading The Flirt by M. C. Beaton.

What's in my wine glass: Kirkland (nothing but the best from Costco) Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage 2017. Surprisingly good.

What's my tip of the week: Don't throw out the liquid in that jar of pickled beets when all the beets are gone. It can be used to make a pretty and tasty egg treat. Just place a peeled boiled egg down in the liquid and leave it for a few days. The longer you leave it, the redder it gets––no food coloring needed. It's tasty as well as pretty. If you are using canned pickled beets, I recommend pouring the liquid into a glass or plastic container.

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.

No Rest for the Wicked...or the Weary

Common Threads met at Carol's.

She had this great quilt top finished. It was made from a pack of 19th Century Reproduction fabrics from a fabric/fiber museum, which has since closed. I was hand-quilting (my Sistine Chapel), Margareth was working on her appliqué quilt top, and several people were knitting various projects.

Park City Quilt Guild met that evening. I asked for volunteers to make house blocks for a quilt for Habitat for Humanity, for the silent auction. Several people offered. I'll pick the finished blocks up at Davidene's on September 1st. We had a small turnout, probably because many people have fled to Montana, Idaho and Oregon to view the eclipse. However, we had a rewarding show-and-tell.

This quilt was based on the instructions and quilts in the book “One Block Wonders” by Jan Krenz. 

This baby quilt was made from a panel that was cut apart and then sewn together with other fabrics.

A member of an Airstream trailer organization made this quilt as a fundraiser for her group.

This quilt is in the process of quilting. It will be a gift for a friend of the quilter.

The doll-clothes sweat shop is still in operation. I finished a robe for Carter to go with his PJs. The robe is based on McCalls 2506, but without the extra thicknesses of facings and lined collar. Fleece is thick, but it doesn't fray, so I only hemmed the edges where I needed to cover seams.

I made one for the Habitat girl, too, but in purple. Then I made a hat and scarf for each, while I was working with the fleece. It was like this one I made for Daphne's Hannah last year. 

For the hat, you cut a rectangle 7" X 14", then make cuts 1/2" apart and 2" deep slong one of the long sides. Sew the short sides together and tie the "fringe" together with a 1/2" X 7" strip of fleece. Cut the ends of the tie off to match the fringe. For the scarf, cut a strip 1 1/2" X 21" and make cuts 1/2" apart and 2" deep on each end. There's only one seam for the hat and none for the scarf. Easy.

Then I made a shirt and trousers for Carter.

The shirt is based on the Cowgirl Shirt in Fancywork and Fashion’s Best Doll Clothes Book by Joan Hinds. I used the pattern to draw a new one, with the bottom cut straight instead of curved, and the length the same as the center front and back. I also made short sleeves. The trousers were based on Liberty Jane’s Boot-cut Jeans pattern, but since they would be skin tight on Carter, I added 1/4" to the width of each pattern piece for the front and the back. I left off the back pockets, but made everything else the same. Here you can see one of the front pockets.

The Habitat girl needed a sun hat, too, so I made one for her with denim and a blue quilting fabric lining. She also needed a water bottle. Since I didn't have any more Thyrovet bottles (yet), I used a party-favor bubble-stuff bottle, with the bubble stuff still inside. I glued a bead on top. The recipient can have fun making bubbles, and then have the water bottle for her doll.

I made the mistake of posting photos of Carter on Facebook. Someone from Therapy Animals of Utah (an organization I belong to) saw it and recruited me to dress a doll for their silent auction in early November. My deadline is October 28th. Yesterday my Habitat contact brought the Creatology girl over for "fittings." Fortunately, the clothes I've made that have been modeled by my in-house models fit her, so I'll be good for both dolls. We picked out some things for the Habitat girl, and there was plenty left, so other than making more PJs, another Jacket, scarf and winter hat and a sun hat, I may not have to make too much for the second one.


Carter went off with them. He will be interviewed by our local paper on Thursday, and I hope to have a link to the interview for next week's post.

I took time out from Habitat duty to proofread a sewing tutorial for a dress for Götz Happy Kidz dolls designed by a friend and test-sew it for her. Here's my version of her dress (she has four other test-sewers):

I'll share the information when she's ready to publish the pattern. For a preview, see Andrea's blog.

And because Mandy is so stinkin' cute, here's a closeup.

I did finish my spinning project. Here it is on the bobbin.

As I'm writing this, the yarn has been washed and is hanging up to dry. I'll try to get a yardage count when it's dry. I've been busy.

What's on my needles: Still the Gracie Cardigan in “Cyan” for Mandy. Ready to start the "sleeves" (they're very short).

What's on my Featherweight: Still clothes for the Habitat for Humanity dolls, a house block for the Habitat quilt and…doll clothes for Therapy Animals of Utah.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Finished spinning the Woodland Woolworks Merino Combed Top Multicolor Mojave Heather and N-plied it. Stanzi is now awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to Stranger Child by Rachel Abbott (One of my favorite authors). Now listening to And the Rest is History by Jodi Taylor, one of the Chronicles of St. Mary’s novels. On the Kindle app, still reading Undeniable by Laura Stapleton.

What's in my wine glass: Two-buck Chuck (Charles Shaw from Trader Joe’s) Merlot. I prefer their Shiraz, but the Merlot is pretty good, and certainly a good value.

What's my tip of the week: Dropping freshly hard-boiled eggs into cold water makes them easier to peel.

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 were harmed during the production of this blog post.

Drive Slow!

Common Threads met at Karan’s. Remember this?

It was great to see Karan’s appliqué quilt on the wall.

Several people were leaving town for the first week in July, when we usually have our meetings, but we had a fifth Thursday, so we decided to meet. Karan is working on her Christmas appliqué quilt. Remember this?

Now she has also finished this snowman block.

And now she’s working on this one.

It was good to see everyone. It has been awhile. While there, I CO for Matty’s Layered Look pullover. It’s a quick knit, and now it’s done.

The yarn is Knit Picks Imagination in "Woodsman" (discontinued) and Palette in "Golden Heather." 

Next I made Matty a shirt and shorts set out of homespun from my stash.

For one final outfit, I sewed some long pants to go with Matty’s French Back-to-school Cardigan. The long-sleeve T-shirt is from this seller on eBay. It comes in a set of four: blue, lavender, orange and red.

When I ordered Matty, I also ordered some PJs for him from the company, so they should be there already. The clothes I made him are in the mail and could be delivered today, but Johan's birthday party is July 8th, so there's plenty of time. Now I’m working on a more or less identical Layered-look pullover for Carter to keep.

Matty and Carter are My Sibling/My Pal dolls. An internet friend who lives in the UK saw the photos of Carter and decided, after checking out the cost of shipping, to purchase one for herself. It will be fun to see what she makes for him.

It was making me hot to look at Mandy in her steampunk costume, so I changed her into something casual. Here she is, ready to go berry picking. I didn’t have the heart to tell her we don’t have berries yet.

I didn't notice as I was taking the photos, but the bright blue sky was reflected in Mandy's red hair, making it look the same color as her shirt, and the wood behind her is almost the same color as her hair.

I need to get busy on making clothes for Carter and the Habitat Girl. I’m looking at outfits a little more stylish than the basic patterns I used last year, so I’m doing some experimentation. I dove into my quilting stash and put together this outfit for Vroni (for now, then at Christmas, it will go to DGD2’s dolls).

I think it needs to be a little baggier, especially for the Creatology doll I’m expecting to be outfitting for Habitat’s silent auction. I picked up some fabric at the quilt shop because I have very little pink, and I wanted something to go with the pink and white striped leggings I got on sale awhile back.

The pups received their summer haircuts on Wednesday. We have so many burrs in the backyard and on the hiking trails now, it isn’t practical for them to be in something more poodle-ish. We went to Gorgoza Pond later that day, then to Run-A-Muk Dog Park on Friday. (You can just see his pink tongue as he runs down the stone walkway.)

On Saturday, it was Toll Canyon. We noticed a lot of new signage for the trails, so Basin Rec has been busy. The Fairy Tree had a couple of Barbies.This was something new. You never know what you're going to see hanging from the Fairy Tree.

I took a photo of my boys. (Guess which one hasn't had his summer haircut yet.)

We stopped at the “Watering Hole” on the way back. Dusty is getting much braver about getting into the water now. I’m hoping we’ll have him swimming this summer.

Rocky is back to his old trick of running ahead on the way back, and Dusty should have been worn out from tearing like mad up and down the trail, trying to keep track of all of us.

One of our grandkitties, Fluffy, had surgery on Tuesday to remove a mass from her mouth. It was scary, but she came through the surgery well. The biopsy came back on Thursday, and it was negative. Whew!

Tour de Fleece has started on Ravelry. I'm participating, but nothing much to show yet.

Happy anniversary to DS and DDIL2 today!

Lighted sign as you enter our neighborhood: "Drive Slow." I need to lose a few IQ points to be able to do that, but I'll happily drive slowly. Happy Independence Day to all you US Americans. Don't catch anything on fire, and drive slowly!

What's on my needles: Carter’s Layered-look Pullover, this time to keep.

What's on my Featherweight: More doll clothes.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is out and at work.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas is for the road. Listened to Mercedes Lackey’s Fortune’s Fool. Now listening to Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick, another of the Cobbled Court Quilts series. On the Kindle app, still reading Undeniable by Laura Stapleton.

What's in my wine glass: Frontera Cabernet Merlot in the big bottle.

What's my tip of the week: We all know tape is good for putting things together, but did you know it can be good for taking things apart? Fine cactus needles, splinters and insect stingers can be removed by applying tape (transparent, cellophane, masking or duct) gently to the affected area and pull off. Just be careful with insect stingers; some insects, like bees, leave behind the little sack with venom, and if you squeeze that, you can make matters worse. Tape can also be used to pull the tiny bits of threads away from a seam you’ve ripped. Also for lint or cat hair.

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 were harmed during the production of this blog post.