David had to go up to the VA hospital in Indianapolis last week to have his ears checked.  They said he was good to go, so we went.  Antiquing, that  is.  We took back roads to Noblesville where there are some really nice antique malls.  We didn’t have a lot of time, but what time we had was fruitful.

I wasn’t looking for a pitcher, but this one practically jumped in my hands and said, “Please take me home.”  So I did.  It was a good price and I can see flowers displayed in it on Easter.

Another vintage tablecloth was found.  I am pretty particular the tablecloths I bring home now because I have been collecting them for years, but this one was so vibrant and in very good condition. It doesn’t, however, fit our big, square dining table so I will have to put another tablecloth under it that fits and put it on top.  I like it though. I use my tablecloths.  I don’t just store them away never to see the light of day.  There’s something homey about a tablecloth on a table as if something special is going to happen.  Mother always had an oilcloth tablecloth on the kitchen table at home and when we had company, she got out her good tablecloths.  It always made the meals more special.

Love the colors.

David is good at scoping out things I like.  He came up to me and asked if I had seen the fabric and I hadn’t.  Found these pretty pieces that will be going into a quilt. In fact, I have already cut into them.  With good fabric going for eight to ten dollars a yard anymore, it’s nice to find a yard or two for two or three dollars.

Found this book on a half price table and since I love vintage children’s books, I decided to get it.  After I got it home I was reading it and found that it had some quirky renditions of old fairytales and nursery rhymes.

Such as When The Old Woman Moved From the Shoe.

Or The Search For Bo-Peep’s Sheep.

Here’s Little Bo Peep.  Hey, wouldn’t that be a good name for a chicken?  Just thought of that.

Love the graphics in old children’s books.  This book was published in 1937.

I feel like with the cold weather and being so busy, I have neglected the furry pets in our family. This is what meets me every time I go out the door.  Belle with her rope, wanting to play.  She can just about pull my arm out of the socket when she tugs it.  Strong little critter.  Most labs don’t have such a strong mouth.

Then there’s Bonnie who is ignoring me because I spend way too much time with the chickens and not enough with her.

This use to be Delilah, but David and I both think she looks like an eagle, so her name from now on will be Freedom.  I cannot get a really good picture of her because she is always moving, but she really does look like an eagle.

White head and all.

This chick is learning to perch and I found her here yesterday.  ‘I’m king of the hill!”

These are a couple of things I baked this week.  Apple crunch and blackberry crunch. Sorry, but they have both been eaten.  David and I are pigs, I’m afraid, when it comes to sweet stuff.

Well, hope you have better things to do than to sit around staring at chickens.  Have a great day.  Bye.

 

 

What do you get when you cross a can of spray paint,

an old wooden bracelet,

and a box of yellow chicks?

You get a chick bracelet or a bracelet for chicks, whichever you prefer.

When I saw the box of chicks at the store, immediately my mind said, “Mind, those would be so cute on a bracelet.” Yep, that’s how my mind works.

First I sanded the bracelet.

Then I spray painted it.  That took the longest. About three days to get it covered well and dried.  Then with my trusty glue gun I began to glue on chicks.

Not these chicks.

 

These chicks.  I was really happy with how it turned out.

As I photographed the chicks today they got closer,

and closer,

and closer,

What?!?!  Are you lookin’ at me chicky?

Here’s to chick bracelets and nosy chicks.  Bye

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Six little ladies have come to our house to stay.  Two Buff Orpingtons, two Rhode Island Reds, and two Barred Rock pullets.  I’ve been studying up on different breeds of chickens and these seemed the best breeds for eggs and temperament.  I’m hoping in a few months to be gathering fresh eggs.

 

Until we got the heat lamps situated close enough, the little chicks piled into a ball of fluff in the corner of the cage.  Now that they are warm enough, they are venturing out into their big world of cagedom.

I’m going to name them all, but I am waiting for their personalities to come out.  Chickens really do have personalities. I notice one is more vocal than the rest, one is more aggressive having already pecked my finger, and one is pretty passive.  They are all so cute. They are so much fun to watch.  I grew up around chickens so I have been around baby chicks before, but this is the first time I have been responsible for them.  I feel like they are my babies and I want each one to make it to adulthood.

 

They are already getting their pinfeathers.  They are growing up so fast,  Waaaa.

Looks like your typical Easter chicken doesn’t she?  Didn’t remember how messy chickens are.  They are going to keep me busy.

 

And now for a quiz.

 

What is this?

1. A giant hairball?

2. A breast implant that went terribly wrong?

3.  A figment of my imagination?

4. None of the above?

 

If you said “none of the above” you are smarter than the average bear. Who use to say that?

Of course you know this is a fabric ball.

When I buy new fabric, I tear off the selvages and put them in a basket and when I have time, I roll the strips into balls.  I guess you can tell I have bought great quantities of fabric because I have made several balls.  These are solid fabric.  I have seen fabric balls for sale and they are usually Styrofoam balls with a few strips of fabric wrapped around them and sell for two or three dollars.  No Styrofoam balls in mine.   After I had made way too many, I decided I was going to try to make a giant fabric ball and so…..

I began rolling and rolling fabric until I had one this big.

 

This is how it compares with the regular size ball.  I have made it my goal to make the biggest fabric ball I can.  Everyone needs a goal?  Right?  Maybe I will get into the Guiness Book of World Records.

Before I leave I will introduce you to our granddog, Jackson.  He has been staying with us this week while his parents were having fun elsewhere.  He’s going home soon.  I will miss him.  Here’s to dog sitting, baby chicks and ball rolling. What an exciting life! Bye.

A while back I showed you what I had been working on for a long time.  I called it my big fat project.  Today I am going to show you each individual block I painted.  Believe me, I enjoyed doing this so much and was kind of sad when I was finished.  When we started, I thought I was going to have to paint sixty some quilt blocks.  I didn’t have to paint nearly that many although I did end up painting one hundred and fifty blocks including the all white ones.

So here are the blocks.

This one is called Snowball

 

Four crowns.

 

Mexican Rose

 

Pinwheel.

 

Kentucky Chain.

 

Sunbonnet Sue.

Schoolhouse.

 

Bowtie.

Monkey Wrench

 

Card Trick.

Cabin Windows.

Maple Leaf.

 

Pride of the Forest.

 

 G

Greek Cross

This one is just called “Vase” because it is the medallion for a quilt.   It’s my very favorite block I painted.

 

Clay’s Choice.

 

Toss the Bouquet.

 

Kansas Star.

 

Grandmother’s Quilt.

 

Folk Art Album, another medallion for a quilt.

Flying Birds.

Oak Leaf and Cherries.

Sadie’s Choice Rose.

 

Nosegay.

 

Cottage Tulips

 

London Roads.

 

Robbing Peter to Pay Paul.

 

Rose of Sharon.  One of my first block that I painted.  Ignore the boo-boos.

 

Navajo Weaving.

 

Rail Fence.

 

 

Pansy.  Looks more like a tulip to me.

Ohio Star.

 

Rolling Stone.

Paddle Wheel painted in Easter colors.

Dresden Plate.

 

Friends Among the Pines.

Currants.

Aircraft.

I think this one is called Squares and Triangles.  Makes sense.

Pine Tree.

 

Rail Fence.

 

Moon and Stars.

Pomegranate.

Bright Hopes.

Topeka Rose

 

I’m going to have to look this one up as I forget its name at the moment..

That’s about all of them.  This was such a fun project.  This Spring I am going to paint a barn quilt for the front of our house.  Maybe I will just cover our house in quilt blocks.  Wouldn’t that make an interesting tourist attraction for Columbus?  The Quilted House.  I like the sound of that.  Wonder if the city fathers would frown upon it?   Have a great day. Bye.

 

Just watched the last of this season’s Downton Abbey.   Not to be a spoiler I will just say, “Sob, cry, bawl, wail, and weep.”  Bye

I have gotten busy and finished up a few projects lately that I have had on the back burner while we worked on the shop ceiling.  One of them was my quilted ironing board cover.

I am really happy with my quilted ironing board cover.  It fits so well and is a joy to iron upon.

I like the way it looks and plan  to make another one in brighter colors.

See how well it fits although I think I will add an inch or so to the pattern next time.

I finished another knitted scarf.  This one is a gift.  Really like the colors in this one.

Got my little tea quilt completed this week.  It’s not my best work, but I was in a hurry to get it finished.  Still like it though.  Now I am starting on a coffee quilt.  Not to be confused with another quilt I showed you I had started.  I always have several quilts going at a time.

Now cue West Side Story music and look at all the prettiness.

I feel pretty, oh so pretty,

 

I feel pretty and witty and bright

It’s a pity,

any squirrel who isn’t me tonight.  Yes, White Tail is staying around and actually posing for pictures.  I keep him/her fed well so he/she will stay around.  Don’t want it to wander into the street.   Such a pretty squirrel.

Now there’s that rainbow squirrel coming around. Something strange is happening here at the Craig house.  Bye.

 

 

I love Valentine’s Day.  I have loved it since that first day in elementary school when we  decorated shoeboxes and set them on our desks in preparation to getting lots of Valentines from our classmates.  Of course, back then, we got to celebrate the day in the classroom.  I don’t know if the powers that be consider it politically correct to celebrate a day of love.  There might be some unloved people who might be offended.  I hope not.

Anyway, I looked forward to the day with much excitement.   Mom would take me shopping for Valentines to pass out to my classmates. Big decisions had to be made as to what kind we would buy.  Then we would take them home where more big decisions were made on who would get which Valentine in my collection.  The cute boy would get the most lovey dovey one, of course.  My best friends would get the best ones in the lot.  People I weren’t too fond of would get the smaller Valentines. There were always a few that were smaller than the others.  Everyone in my class got one, though because no one was to be left out.

The big day would finally arrive and I would dress up just a little better that day. I wanted to look pretty for the boys. Yes, I was boy crazy even in elementary school.  I took my precious Valentines to school and put one in each student’s box.  We all would then have to wait until the last hour of the school day for the Valentine’s Day party.  Some years my mother was in charge of bringing cookies or cupcakes and a drink.  My mother always went all out in making pretty decorated treats for all of us.  I still have her heart cookie cutters and use them every year.

We were all excited and could barely contain ourselves waiting for the party.  It’s a wonder we got any school work done that day.  Then our teacher would tell us to put our books away and we knew it was time.  Our boxes stuffed with Valentine love were brought out and we began to look at each one deciding if the person who gave it really “loved” us or not. Gee, I wish I still had those Valentines.  They are probably collectibles now.  Then we were served our refreshments and ate happily all the sweetness that had been prepared for us.  Our teacher would always have a couple of games for us to play.  Then the bell would ring and the party and the school day was over.

I would hold tightly to my Valentine box on the school bus home and as soon as I got there I would open the box and look at all the pretty Valentine cards again.

As an adult, I have received my share of Valentines cards, but usually I am the one who sends them rather than gets them.  I knew I was not marrying a romantic when my husband to be brought me a box of chocolates the day after Valentines Day.  They were cheaper you see!  He has more than made up for that faux pas in the years of our marriage.  He may not always send flowers, but I know he loves me when he builds me a quilt ceiling in my shop or a chicken coop for my planned chickens or lets me get another lab puppy like he is going to this year, I hope.  The most romantic and sweet thing David ever did for me was when our daughter was born.  My mother was taking care of our sons while I was in the hospital and David bought her and me both a dozen red roses.  I just loved him for that.  Of course, I always said my mother liked David better than she like me!    They always got along really well.

I have always felt badly for husbands whose wives expect them to go out and buy them something for Valentine’s Day. I don’t expect anything and then I’m not disappointed.  Anyway, why is it just the husband who is expected to treat the wife?  Why not the other way around?  I don’t know any personally, but I do know there are women who get really angry if their husbands or boyfriends don’t buy them something expensive or at least get them flowers.  One year I told David I did not want to be one of those women who expect her husband to buy her flowers or a gift for Valentine’s Day.  Guess what?  That year I got flowers and a card.  Was I happy?  Of course, but I really didn’t expect them.

This Valentine’s Day I wish you all love.  You are loved whether you know it or not.  I know I am loved by someone who was willing to die for me.  Jesus.  If no one loves me, I know He does.  I know there are many alone on Valentine’s Day. Don’t ever feel that you are not loved.  I love you and wish you the most wonderful day ever.  Love someone, hug your dog, cuddle a baby, give a smile to a stranger, they might need it.  Happy Valentine’s Day a few days early.  Bye.

Whew, the last few weeks I have been sewing and quilting deprived as I worked on my big, fat project which I disclosed to you on my last post.  But this week I have been sewing up a storm and enjoying every minute of it.

 

When we had a quilt shop several years ago, I carried a lot of Debbie Mumm material and quilting books.  I have a lot of them myself.  This is one of them. See that cute Tea quilt in the background?  I have wanted to make it for years, but the time never seemed right.

 

This is the one that was in the book.  I like the colors, but I had a Valentine type one in mind.  I have some fabric called Pamkitty and Pamkitty Love that I have used in several projects. I love the colors in these fabrics.  So bright and cheerful.  So that is what I used in the first quilt picture in the blog.  I haven’t quilted it yet, so will show you when it is completed.

 

This is a block from a small quilt I started this afternoon.  I am just designing it as I go along.  This is Pamkitty Love material also.  It is so vintage looking.  I hope I get it done before Valentine’s Day.

 

I have been doing some baking also.  I made a yellow cake this week.  I used a box cake mix, gasp.  Really, I like a yellow cake made from a box mix rather than from scratch.  When I was growing up, I made so many yellow cakes.  There was one called the one, two, three, four cake, I don’t know why now, but I made them all the time.  My mother made everything from scratch.  No cutting corners with her.  When I discovered box cakes after I was married I very seldom made cakes from scratch until lately again. Anyway, I didn’t want to put icing on it so I beat up some whipping cream with a little sugar and a couple of tablespoons of homemade strawberry preserves.

 

Added a couple of drops of food coloring to make it pretty.  Left a little on the beaters to lick.  Did I say a little?  Hmmmm.

 

Put a small dollop on a piece of cake.  Did I say a small dollop?  Let’s just say I like a little cake with my whipped cream.  It was so good.

 

Add a dollop to a cup of coffee and oh, man, you have died and gone to heaven.  And you tell yourself you better walk an extra mile today.

 

Now for my tutorial.  Have you ever looked for a pretty ironing board cover?  I never can find one I like.  When Martha Stewart was in Kmart, she had some pretty ones once in a while and I have ordered Laura Ashley ironing board covers from Amazon.  Lately, there is a dearth of pretty ironing board covers.  I saw a homemade one on a blog I read and thought to myself, “Self, you can make one of those.”  So I set right in to trying it.   First I made a quilt big enough to fit my ironing board.  You could use an old quilt if you have one around you don’t mind cutting up.

Next I taped several sheets of newspaper together to make the pattern.

 

If you have a husband or any man will do, you will have him turn your ironing board upside down on the newspaper and draw around it with a fine point marker.   I then marked an extra three and a quarter inches to the pattern for the lip of the ironing board and a one inch turn under.

If I make another one, I will add an extra inch to work with because my cover just fit the board. That would be an extra four and a quarter inches.

 

Next I turned under a one inch casing for elastic. See that pretty flowered backing I have on  the back of my quilted cover?  That’s from a sheet I got at a garage sale for one dollar.  Can’t beat that.  I didn’t turn under the raw edge as my quilt had been made with heavier batting than I would generally use for this, but it was what I had on hand at the moment and I couldn’t wait to go buy some more. This edge won’t show anyway, so it’s really not a problem.

 

Next you measure around your ironing board to cut your elastic.  I just taped one end to the board and walked around the board holding the elastic until the two ends of the elastic met and I cut it then.  It took over three yards.

 

I mark both ends of the elastic so I will match the right sides when I sew them together.  Using a safety pin, run the elastic through the casing.  This is where it gets a little hard.  If you don’t have a lot of hand strength, which I don’t, your hands become very tired trying to get the elastic to run through.  I enlisted my good husband and it took us both to pull and tug the elastic, but we finally got it done.  I am thinking of another, easier way to put in the elastic, but I’ll tell you about it when I make another cover.

 

This is not the finished product because I forgot to take a picture of it.  Suffice it to say, it fit beautifully and stays on better than the store bought covers.  I plan to make more in many colors because I do a lot of ironing and like to do it on pretty covers.

 

This is what my old  cover looks like and see, it doesn’t stay on very well.  I find that often with store bought covers.  No matter how much you stretch them and work with them, they just don’t fit your ironing board very well.  If you like making things like this, it is a fun, easy project.  I had it completed in a couple of days and I was working on my quilt during that time also.

It’s the month of love, so love the one you’re with, find someone to love, love your dog, cat or rabbit or just love your neighbor as yourself.  Bye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have been teasing you about my big, fat project for several months now.  Okay, I have to admit to you there isn’t a big, fat project…..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gotcha!  there really is and today is the day I will show it to you.

When we moved into this house 36 years ago we didn’t have a garage.  We decided we needed one if only to store things.  Some of my family came down and helped lay the concrete floor and David built the garage all by himself.  I went away for a weekend to visit my parents with the children and when I came back the garage was done.

It is a two and a half car garage.  Who in the world has half a car to park?  We parked our cars in it occasionally, but it really became a place to change the oil, store stuff and for David to have a place to work on projects.

Fast forward a few years and we  enclosed the garage because we just weren’t using it as such.  When we closed our quilt shop several years ago, we thought we might sell fabric out of our little shop so David put in new lighting.  The shop never happened and the building became my quilt studio.  David’s section kept getting smaller and smaller until he now has just a little space in the corner where he stores his tools.

I was working at the time and I wanted a heated place to work so I had a small furnace put in my studio.  Then we put in an air conditioner, a refrigerator and a microwave.  Suddenly, I was almost living out there sewing and quilting and listening to my talk radio shows.   I refused to have a telephone there to disturb me.  Still don’t have one although I do have my cellphone with me sometimes.

The shop is completely insulated, but for years we just had insulation batts exposed in the ceiling.  I didn’t like it, but I lived with it.  Then we decided to put in a bead board ceiling. Well, since we do everything ourselves almost, we tried to put the ceiling in together.  It didn’t work.  I have no upper body strength and had to hold the boards up while David took forever to nail them.  We finally gave up when we knew we couldn’t work together on that project.  So, for years, I have had a partial bead board ceiling which wasn’t attractive.

See, it really is ugly.  It’s been like that for years because we had other things to do.

Last October we took a trip through Tennessee to look at barn quilts  A lightbulb went off in my head.  There was something we could do to make the ceiling look better.

We bought David this new toy.  His big yellow compression machine.

I happened on this wonderful book on Amazon and bought it. I will have to tell you about Carrie Hall sometime. She was an amazing woman.  I also poured through this great pattern book for inspiration

We began haunting Lowes for two by two boards.  Every Lowes we visited we cleaned them out of these boards, but we still had to order one hundred and forty more of them and we still are seven short.

Then I got out my acrylic paints and went to work.

I began to paint quilt blocks.

And more quilt blocks.

Quilt blocks began to take over my shop.

I really loved some of them. This is my favorite.

Every nook and cranny of my shop had quilt blocks stacked up.  My sewing and quilting suffered tremendously.

Meanwhile, Bonnie and Belle began snout painting our back door.  Isn’t it lovely?

Then the real work began.  This wonderful man had a big job ahead of him, but he now had his new compression nail gun and he went to work.

He began nailing row after row of the boards onto the ceiling.  He said if he hadn’t had his compression nail gun he would have quit after the first few boards.  Man, I’m glad we bought it for him!

Each board made the ceiling prettier and brighter.  I was so happy.

Some of the corners didn’t quite match, just like on some of my quilts, but with the warped ceiling David had to work with, I think he did a great job.

Now I love looking up at my ceiling.  It will be fun working in my shop and coming in each day and seeing our handiwork.

Like I said, we aren’t quite finished.  Waiting for our last seven board to arrive to paint.  We need to paint and install molding around the ceiling. Then I am going to paint walls and the concrete floor. That won’t get done until Spring and I just could not wait a moment longer to show you what we have been doing.  Hope you like it.

 

Well, now you have heard about my big, fat project.  Hope you weren’t disappointed.  Now it’s on to the next project.  Bye.