Paying It Forward

To finish the Therapy Animals of Utah doll with a flourish:

This is a somewhat artistic representation of the uniform used by therapy teams for the organization. The shirt is made from a Garanimals boys shirt in a size 5T that I took apart, because it was the only green knit fabric I could find in my town. I might be able to get something else out of what's left, especially the navy blue sleeves. The pattern is the free polo shirt by Dolls Duds from Pixie Faire. The pants are from the jeans pattern I just used and have used several times before, Liberty Jane Boot Cut Jeans, also from Pixie Faire, not free, but I've had my money's worth of value out of it. She also had to have new shoes, as her sneakers, black patent-leather shoes and the blue Mary Jane's that she arrived on my doorstep wearing, were not regulation.

I've named the little bulldog "Billy." He came from Emily Rose, by way of Amazon. He came with a pink leash and collar, which will go with him to his new home, but since pink leashes and collars aren't regulation for therapy teams, I made him a new set just for visits. I had a collection of old leashes, collars and harnesses that had been chewed in two by the pups or not in use anymore. I cut the skinniest one (actually our late cat's harness) to use for the leash and collar. The plastic buckle was used on the collar, and a small clasp from a dog leash was used on the leash.

Zoey was excited to have a puppy to train to be a therapy dog, so she took this selfie.

We know that Billy will be a great therapy dog. Although he may look fierce, he's actually just soft fluff inside. He's well behaved, too. He has "sit" and "stay" down perfectly. (And he's smiling in all the photos. Maybe you can't tell.)

Park City Quilt Guild met this week at Davidene's. I went especially to take the finished Habitat for Humanity silent auction quilt for show-and-tell, as well as the quilt from 2015, loaned back to me for that purpose. We have a new quilter in the group. She actually is new to quilting, having only made five quilts, but she has already purchased a long-arm quilting machine. She brought this "simple" kaleidoscope quilt. (Simple, because the blocks only have four pieces. They are quarter-square triangles.) Besides the black solid used for the sashing strips, the entire quilt was made using one fabric, which you can see on the borders.

Linda works at the store. She was working on this appliqué quilt from a design by Edyta Sitar.

Guild members had made this Trip Around the World quilt using fat quarters each participant brought in.

Lynn had made this baby quilt for her new grandchild. The nursery is ocean-themed.

Jill made this quilt from a panel, doing what she always does with panels: cutting them apart.

Linda showed us this fun barnyard animal selfie panel the shop just got in.

 Friday night was the annual Overall Ball for Habitat for Humanity, which included the silent auction. I was mostly interested in how the  dolls and the quilt did. My friend Shirley, who is on the board of the local Habitat for Humanity organization, bought the girl doll (she named Rose) and both trunks, as well as most of the shoes. I provided Carter, some of the shoes and the brushes. I made all of Carter's outfits and a few things for Rose. The rest of Rose's outfits were made by generous friends on Ravelry. Both dolls wore overalls to the ball, as we were all supposed to do. (Jeans were OK, but I made overalls for the dolls, and they had their screwdrivers in their pockets.

The dolls attracted a lot of attention. There was a crowd around the dolls the whole time the silent auction went on. I moved in and out of the crowd to answer questions and bring people's attention to the flyers and cards from My Sibling/My Pal Dolls.

The bid sheets had a price for people to buy the item outright, which one frustrated (because people kept upping the bid) lady finally did, buying both dolls for $175 each. She explained that she had twin five-year-old grandchildren, a boy and a girl. I'm so glad they get to stay together.

The quilt didn't attract as much attention, but it was popular. One lady kept begging her husband to let her buy it, and he finally gave in. (He left the event at the end of the evening with the quilt wrapped around his shoulders!)

Life at home has continued with home repairs and culling of "stuff." We will run out of time soon, though, at least for the outdoor work. Charlie's birthday (aka "International Talk Like a Pirate Day" brought our first snow, although it didn't stick. Friday we got more:

On Sunday, it snowed all day long. [Sigh!]

The pups have been a little frustrated by the cold, damp weather, which shortens walks and pretty much eliminates any real hikes. They still enjoy their snuggles on the couch, though, and their food. They get a spoonful of whole-milk yoghurt every morning. When we finish the container, they get to lick it. Dusty decided to keep the container this time.

What's on my needles: Just finished the red cardigan for Vroni, so I CO the iPhone Pouch for my niece. I'll try to show off the cardigan in next week's blog post. Maybe the pouch, too.

What's on my Featherweight: More doll clothes for Christmas and to replace what I gave away, so I don't have to see naked and semi-naked dolls standing around. It makes me cold.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is still awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished A Royal Pain by Rhys Bowen, the second of her novels for me. I haven't decided what to listen to next. Still just a couple of chapters into Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Crane Lake Malbec.

What's my tip of the week: You can increase the amount of soluble fiber when you make oatmeal by reducing each cup of rolled oats to 3/4 cup and adding 1/8 cup of oat bran. 

There's No Place Like Home...Wherever That Is

Shortly after we left Oregon, DDIL2 took photos of the Kaleidoscope quilt.

What a joy to see it photographed with the quilting showing up so well!

After leaving Bend, we stopped overnight in Winnemucca, at the KOA, where we could count on having hookups so we could clean our little home and an off-leash enclosure for the pups, so Dusty could run.

I finished the snood, lace collar and mitts for the steampunk costume (more on that later), so with no knitting to do, I CO the French Back-to-school Cardigan for Matty (Johan's birthday present), who has arrived in Oregon as of this writing. It's a quick project, and I've done it a few times before. Carter is my model.

It took a couple of days, because I was busy cleaning the fifth wheel, then the house bathrooms and kitchen, as I awaited the appointed time to take the trailer back to its storage spot.

DH wanted more of the Tofu Chocolate Pudding I took on the trip.

It's so easy. Just put in the blender: 1 pkg silken tofu, 3/4 C cocoa powder, 1/4 C honey and 1/3 C milk (dairy or nondairy, skim OK). Blend until smooth and pour either into individual cups or a refrigerator container and chill at least 15 minutes. It will keep several days.

I also made some French bread. It's funny how not cooking for a couple of weeks can make me want to cook. I had to try out the olive oil and fig vinegar we bought at the last place we did wine-tasting.

I had made a bean/vegetable stew to go with the French bread. Gotta love slow-cookers when it's hot.

OK, finally to the steampunk costume for Mandy. (It will go on to Daphne's dolls at Christmas. Hope she likes steampunk.)

Mandy was glad to get some use out of her hat.

Mandy (a.k.a. Amanda Katherine von Götz, PhD) is in her lab, preparing for a lecture at the Royal Society of Engineers. Goggles are a must when working in the lab, to protect your eyes from chemicals and accidental dangerous projectiles. Even that test tube could explode at any moment.

Mandy found out that SCUBA masks could be made with your vision prescription built in, so she had her lab goggles made that way. That saves eye strain.

At the meeting, she will explain her discovery of a chemical reaction that will create steam without harming the environment or resorting to petrochemicals, because that’s what steampunk is all about. She says. She also says girls can be anything they want to be when they grow up.

She likes the human-size cork board in her lab, because she can find her notes easily.

Mandy had to go on vacation with us so she would be available for fittings. She's a great traveler. I never once heard her ask if we were there yet.

Details for the petticoat, corset, Braemar jacket and goggles are in the project notes on Ravelry: http://www.ravelry.com/projects/PeggyStuart/three-steps-2. Everything else was improvised.

I think I need to go take a nap/

What's on my needles: Finished the the steampunk costume and a cardigan for Matty.

What's on my Featherweight: Put away for now.

What's on my loom: Still waiting, but dreaming about new digs. Like this maybe?

What's on my wheel: Stanzi also still waiting.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Jodi Taylor’s A Symphony of Echoes again, with DH as we traveled. Then started Funny in Farsi: A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America by Firoozeh Dumas. I'm listening to Fortune's Food: Tales of the Five Hundred Kingdoms by Mercedes Lackey. Sounds interesting so far. On the Kindle app, still reading Undeniable by Laura Stapleton.

What's in my wine glass: Kirkland Cabernet Souvignon 2015 vintage…ooooh! Now how did we get that? Utah Costco can’t sell “liquor.” (But is wine really “liquor?”)

What's my tip of the week: It’s easy to cook presoaked beans in the slow cooker, but at higher elevations it can take a lot longer than expected. Add some kombu seawead to the slow cooker (about 2-3 inches), and it will go faster. At any elevation.

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.

Raising the Steeks

This is Carter.

After an internship as a model for our grandsons' doll clothes, he will be completely outfitted with his own clothes and go on to his paying job (paying, in that he will be bringing in money) at Habitat for Humanity as part of their silent auction in October. After that, he will go to a new home, most likely with a child who will cherish him and his wardrobe. 

Carter came to us from My Sibling and My Pal Dolls and came with his own denim carry tote (so he can go everywhere), a lttle plastic-free shopping bag for his groceries and a booklet on how to protect the environment. It's a good thing he arrived on a warm day. Carter definitely needs some winter clothes at our place. I'll be making him some sweaters, and changing him into some warmer pants.

He told me he was named after the former president, who has been such a supporter of Habitat for Humanity.

One of the first things I did was to try Gabi's sweater on him to help me in designing a sweater for him and other dolls his size. I found it tighter than I liked for this kind of sweater.

It fit him about the same as it did Molly, who came to Vintage Stitchers with Janet, just for the purpose of trying the sweater on for size.

Molly is an American Girl doll. She has smaller shoulders than Carter, but her arms are longer. The chest measurements are about the same. Looks like I'll be writing the pattern for another steeked doll sweater very soon.

In the meantime, Vroni's sweater is coming along. I'm on the second sleeve now, but here it was with the first sleeve underway.

My test knitter, Penny, encouraged me to draw up a full chart for the body and the sleeve. I'm very grateful to her, because it turned out to be easier than I thought, and I can see it will make it easier for people who want to follow my pattern. I'm also grateful to Simon, who inspired me to make Fair Isle sweaters for dolls (by making some himself) and then sent Vroni to live with me.

I've learned a lot about making these sweaters and am hoping to have very clear directions when I get done with this one.

In other doll news, Dolly got her ears pierced.

Actually, they are stick-on rhinestones, and they can be removed easily.

I found them at Michael's. I'm going to check with DD first to see if she thinks having a doll with pierced ears might make Daphne want to get her ears pierced. If I get the OK, a package of these will be in the birthday present in May.

The snow is melting and after the crazy blizzard a week ago that resulted in my getting home at 11:20 PM from a rehearsal that got out at 9:10 PM, we haven't had any more snow. I was happy to get to Vintage Stitchers, first time in a month. I had picked up my Kaleidoscope quilt from being quilted. I took it to Vintage Stitchers to show off the custom quilting done by Cindy, who works out of Davidene's Quilt Shop. I hope to get the binding on it this week.

Barbara had finished this great quilt.

The backing fabric she found for it is perfect. That's it, hanging on the chair.

Marilyn had this great machine appliqué quilt.

Barbara showed off her Dresden Plate quilt, because Janet was working on one.

Janet put down the samples of background fabric under her finished Dresden Plates, to get our advice about which one was most suitable. We all voted for the one on the left, which has a printed pattern that resembles a loose-weave fabric.

The quilt is for her daughter, who is getting married. Several of us went through our batiks and donated the colors she wanted, so she could have a variety.

Janet has been making pussy hats for friends.

With bulky yarn they go fast, and everyone wants them. She can make one in an evening, about as fast as making a dishcloth. Janet is so generous with her time.

Here's some added cuteness and a taste of spring, for my readers who live in parts of the country where spring comes when it's supposed to: our two younger grandsons planting strawberries at a local nursery.

Speaking of "spring," the pups are happy to get out in the backyard again, which they have been able to do the last few days, first with supervision: someone to keep them away from the house, where large blocks of ice were coming off the roof, a serious danger. We then graduated to letting them out alone for short periods when we couldn't see any snow hanging off the edges of the roof. Now the roof is clear...until the next blizzard.

What's on my needles: The second sleeve on the “Vroni’s Lavender Fields” sweater.

What's on my Featherweight: Steeks for “Vroni’s Lavender Fields” sweater are finished. Waiting for the next one.

What's on my loom: I still haven’t started anything with the leftover warp.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi still looking at me reproachfully.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to D. E. Stevenson’s Vittoria Cottage. Now listening to Lies, Damned Lies, and History by Jodi Taylor. On the Kindle app, I’m still reading Dying to Read, The Cate Kinkaid Files Book #1.

What's in my wine glass: Fish Eye Shiraz. Always nice value.

What's my tip of the week: Like creamed soups but don’t want to fill up on cream? Want to add protein to a boxed soup? Use a carton of silken tofu to make your soup creamy without the fat or to increase the protein for a quick meal. Blend in the blender or use an immersion blender or egg beater to mix the tofu with some liquid. The soft tofu is the easiest to blend, but you can use even the extra firm with the same results. You might need to adjust the seasonings, because the tofu doesn’t add any.

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.

High Fiber—Doing Dishes and Other Chores

My life is in pieces:

The Kaleidoscope Quilt is coming along. Here are four blocks on the design wall:

All of the centers are done, and half of the blocks are completely finished.

I started some dishcloths using Knit Picks Dishie. This project is easier to work on when I'm riding in the car for quick trips. The colors are, from left, Pomegranate, Azure, Mulberry. (Azure is also the one I'm currently knitting.) The pattern is Grandmother's Favorite, free on Ravelry.

For Joanie's birthday, I promised to finish piecing her Pine Tree Quilt top. I spent an afternoon at her house. Here's a photo of the layout she chose. The sashing is the fabric under the blocks, and the fabric to the right will be a 3" border. (For scale, the blocks will be 7" finished and the sashing 1" finished.) The fabric at the bottom is the backing.

I had to leave about 4:00 PM, so I'll have to have another session, but I have the top two rows of blocks sewn together and the rows sewn. The bottom two rows of blocks are sewn together, and the other two sashing rows are sew. The cornerstones will be the same fabric as the sashing, and Joanie plans to embroider wild grasses over the cornerstones.

Vintage Stitchers met on Thursday at Rebecca's. Brenda has been busy since we saw her last. She has finished several quilt tops. This is her machine-embroidered Halloween Quilt.

She pieced this top at a quilt retreat recently.

Brenda has had these fabrics for some time.

Here is another machine-embroidery project, this one using patterns from Bird Brain Designs.

Rebecca had finished this cross-stitch for her daughter.

Remember her Christmas quilt? She inherited most of the blocks from a friend who passed away a few years ago. She finished the quilt, adding her own special touches. Now it's done, and what a great tribute to her friend.

She has several quilts to piece for gifts, so she's making 1600 quilts. Here's the first one, ready to have quilted.

Janet had finished piecing this quilt top, which was part of a "Route 66" BOM. She will probably add borders.

As for life at home, the first real snow of the season has arrived. This was just the beginning.

Stay warm, everyone, and watch out for ice.

What's on my needles:  Hand-quilting the Delectable Pathways, knitting the Trickle Brick Socks and dishcloths.

What's on my Featherweight: Kaleidoscope Quilt. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished Darken the Stars. Now listening to Georgette Heyer's Beauvallet. (I love her books. They're so full of humor, adventure and romance.) Still reading Three Silver Doves by Deborah Garn on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Glen Ellen's Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 vintage. Nice and fruity.

What's my tip of the week: For hand-quilting, thread your needle before cutting it from the spool. Let that end be the short one, and your thread won't tangle. No thread treatment (such as beeswax) needed.

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.