The Last Day of November......

As I clean up for Christmas, I have found most of my woodcarving collection.

.Thanks to Rich for the gifts.

With the surprise of the holiday stress!!!, I debriefed by making rope bowls.

and rope bowls and more rope bowls...OMG..

Really quite like meditation.

I now have plenty for Lynsey to give out at school

Looks like 16 made in my stress reducing frenzy.

With the creation of these three rope coasters, I have now

finished off every little tiny bit of rope I had...

Way too much relaxation!!!!

Recently, I have felt run over by the folks living in my household.

The recent incident:  I could not watch Netflix in my sewing room.

My clever SIL found my smart TV remote in Evan's room...I was clueless!!!

My roommates seem to think that what is mine, is theirs for the taking..

Grrrrrrrr.

I have now decorated my newly found remote in nail polish and duct tape that might

be undesirable to a 14 year old...I even tied a big Pumpkin bell on it.

What do you think???  Desperate measures....right??

Thanksgiving done...on to the next holiday

Hanging now, is a red and white Irish Chain.

I made this back in the day when I could do hand quilting.

I see that I included hand quilted stars.

Going through 60 years of Christmas, I am giving things to my daughter who is setting 

up her home in Portland, Oregon. 

My man and I used to collect antique quilts before we adopted our children.

Giving this Christmas lovely to her was emotionally hard...It is circa 1900.
We have owned it for 40 years.

I love it.  It reminds me of our life together, the Mr and me...
Now, it will join the next generation to enjoy.

Last night my girl and her man came home with a big, fluffy real Frasier Fir
Emily put the lights on it...The children will be delighted when they see it.
She said it was a present to lift my spirits since she will be staying in Portland
for Christmas this year..
Lift my spirits, it did...I love it.

Very grateful for my daughter and her man for helping me start Christmas
And for doing Thanksgiving...I am so around the bend that this is such
a surprisingly hard holiday season for me.
They leave this Monday...taking my heart with them., leaving
wonderful memories here and the feeling of being still loved.

My son still rises.
He had the outside Christmas lights up for me to see coming home
from tonight's Saturday night meeting..
My children, totally grown up...helping their mother!!!.
Wonderful..

De-Stressing the Turkey...

Looking forward to Thanksgiving, I forgot how stressful holidays can be.

This new rope bowl obsession is helping me relax.

This experiment was with three ropes for the handles and variegated thread.

I used up the purple that Susie had given me...and some of the red I had left.

Added those to the regular all cotton clothesline...

And, I made the handles 3 ropes wide...so much nicer.

I do like this one.  Lynsey is noting the bowls....You know, Grandma, I think that

my teachers would like those bowls better than the extract we are making/????

Really, Lynsey....and you have 4 teachers?????? Dear Dear Dear me!!!

So far, this is the rope that works the best for me..soon I will try it with blue Kool-Aid.

My girl and her man are here for Thanksgiving.  We are having 11 people.

My son-in-law and my daughter are cooking...He is a brilliant cook...I have announced that I will be reading on the porch during that time. Everyone was delighted with that??????  Evidently I bring the holiday

stress with my intense personality...Fine...I will just get out of the way and relax!!!

It is a more difficult transition than I had expected for me.

I have two quilting books from the library to keep me busy!!

Rosie was left in Portland...no Charlotte for dogs!!

She goes to the Double Dog Ranch in Oregon...They pick her up in a bus at a specific bus stop.

She went last time too.  Last time she was a bit concerned...this time when Rosie

saw the bus coming around the bend to the bus stop...she wagged her tail and could not 

wait to board...amazing...The Ranch posts pictures on Instagram of the dogs having fun.

Emily keeps looking to see how Rosie is doing.

She is always doing great!!..

Rosie is in the back right with her nose peaking above.

Can you imagine a doggie vacation like this!!

I certainly hope that all of you have peace at Thanksgiving.

xo

Crazy...About Rope Bowls...Actually, Just Crazy.....

This experiment was in perfecting handles...second try and in using two sizes of rope.

Red is macrame rope and white is 100% cotton clothesline...(difference in weight and size)

Tonight my son bought blue Kool Aid for my next challenge on the 100% cotton clothesline.

I ordered a thrifty electric burner on Amazon so I can dye rope outside when the weather warms up.

Four block start of my purple challenge...3 years in the starting..

The midnight excitement...With my girl coming in in 6 hours on the red eye.

Gotta sew cuz I will never sleep.

Taking donations of cotton clothesline...to feed my new addiction.

xo

Creative Process According to Me

The top is done...It is just the look I was hoping for.
This quilt was made from blocks using up scraps.
It was so relaxing...for a few years it sat around...UFO
Then I put in the lattice...and it sat around another  year..etc..
In the past month, I decided to finish something..anything..
I did not want a square quilt, so I started adding pieces.
The black border batik, I brought back from my daughter's stash in Portland
The Kaffe brown shot cotton is from a sale at Foust Textiles, years ago.
The odd pieces I added...This random windmill,

A piece of a skirt I made my daughter in kindergarten.
31 years ago...Fabric from Mae's discount fabric in Miami.

A piece of my grandmother's apron.

Old Navy boxer shorts from my son.

Yellow square bargain fabric from Randy's quilt store in Greensboro
When Emily was starting a graduate program in oboe.

When the creativity started to roll, I made Stitch get off my fabric.
Here he is, pouting with Zoe.

A finish is exhilarating.

I will have to wait until after the holidays to piece a backing.

Then, into my pile of the unquilted...it goes..

One step further to the end of one more UFO

The beginning of this year's Christmas cactus blossoms.
All I know about Christmas cacti, I learned from Wanda

A cold, but lovely day.

My son scrubbed the 14 year old's room for my daughter.

Thank you God, Fintan and the angels for my son.

Talking About the Process...

About 20 years ago our favorite..great Uncle Kieran... came to the States to visit.

He was 80 years old.  At each family place, he bought and planted a Japanese Maple tree.

This time of year, when our tree is stunning,I always think of him.

He then, went home to Ireland.  

He announced he was done with kidney dialysis so he stopped.

In three days he was dead.  His good heart glows in the fall in our front yard..

Choosing the last border for my rustic 16 patch in turquoise and brown..

Putting it all up on the blog gives me a different perspective.

Oh, my goodness...this is harder than I had thought.

Too bad the turquoise is gone...alas...

Now I usually like stripped borders horizontally...However, this vertical seems the

best bet as the other one is so wonky on this busy quilt...hmm..

Just putting it out there for feedback.

The shock when a quilter realizes that her 50 year old stash is out of wack.

Need more in the dark turquoise range.

My girl and her man's booth at the Irish fundraiser in Portland

Hand carved Santas by him...and home sewn Christmas catnip pouches by her.

Below, my stomach insists that I switch to Rhine wine 

from yummy Red.

Sad...change is hard....

To compensate...Trader Joe's offered me this today:

Peppermint Joe-Joe's

The season's favorite.

A happy thought...a very happy one

My girl and her man arrive soon for Thanksgiving.
Oh, my heart!!

A Friday Night Date with....My Sewing Machine!!!

Exercise??  Walking the aisles of Tuesday Morning.
A find!! Five Fat Quarters (Benedex) for $5.99...So excited..worth the exercise!!

Tonight...my first rope bowl with handles...using the fabric wrap like Susie showed me.
I used batiks so it would not fray.

Show and tell pictures from the Queen Bee
Marie's Blue and White Irish Chain.

Made by Deborah

Heather's Triangles

Heather and her Orange

Our Lucy died last year of cancer.  Her scraps went to Ellen.
A place mat here from Lucy's scraps...She would have been so pleased.

Ellen, our artist...we love Ellen.

More place mat material...Ellen, log cabin with Elvis.
Just her style.

Jean's Triangle quilt, shown at Wednesday night IQ meeting.

Candy reminding me of my grandma.
When I would sleep beside her growing up....under her pillow would be
Bit O' Honey candy and True Detective Magazine.
At 99 She was clear minded, smart, artistic and wonderful ! xoxo

As long as I am aging....this is my goal!!
Who I Want to Be: Margaret Fabrizio

Sew Much Fun at the O'Quilts Place..

Evan and his friends...ninth grade stuff

Emily's catnip toys for the Irish bazaar in Portland.

Queen Bee Sit and Sew....7 machines and way too much fun.

Crowded around my small old table makes it easier to chat.

Teacher presents....homemade.extract...Lemon, Mint and Vanilla
Little bottles have been ordered...and jars are shaken every day for a month.
Recipe for DIY Extract

Grating the lemons.

Dylan separating the mint leaves from the stems.

Lynsey splitting open the vanilla beans
All we needed was a big old bottle of cheap vodka and we were all set.

My new ironing board cover...Take a good look..you will never see it so neat again!!

Mrs and Mr. O'Quilts
xoxox

great tute for rope bowls

and 

Wonderful free tutes and ideas for holiday making:

Michele's Blog...Hearts and Hands