Works in Progress -- Time keeps on Marching, marching, marching into the future....

Wow! the days go by quickly! Don't they?  Sometimes they disappear so quickly and even tho we know we must have gone through them, we can't really account for everything that kept us busy...

By my standards, I was busy...  but then of course my standards of busy-ness includes lots of reading, crocheting, and watching tv time!  So to me, taking on an unusual project, or attending to "out of town" guests, and giving a bit of help to a senior relative, means I have been busy!

My "out of town" niece brought to mind some family heirlooms that I had rescued about 5 years ago, from a DIRE situation (another family member was intending to take piles of collected goods to the landfill in the back of his truck!)  So, since my niece was here for a few days, I gave her the option of taking possession of some of these items from her grandmother and great grandmother and deciding their fate...

My reason for passing along these things is because I do not have my own direct decendants (my children have no children) to give them to, so better the decision made now than to have the same kind of fate befall these heirlooms that I already saved them from...

There was a gathering and organizing and packing up job that occupied a couple of days and that job led to my next idea...

 

 

Family Photos...

 

It seems that I have become the keeper of the history...  but like I said, alot of this has no where to go after me...

 

There were many photos left in my Mother's house after she died and again, it was me who rescued quite a number of photos, especially photos of my fathers family (my Mother had a extreme dislike of my father's mother and therefore did not care how or where those photos were kept)  But I found them and have organized and identified those that I could...

 

 

Many of the oldest photos remain in piled stacks, or in 'books' as they were recieved by the photo shop way back in the 30's, 40's and 50's...

 

 

Even photos taken in the 60's, 70's, 80's and up into the 90's, remain in stacks in boxes or envelopes...

 

So, I decided it was time.  Time to get them in order, time to decide what is worth the space, and time to cull pictures of roads and trees, mountains and lakesides, pictures of someone standing beside a tree or a building so far away, their identity is in question...

 

Pictures of other people, taken a time ago and their names forgotten or become unimportant through the years.

 

And still there are stacks to organize...

 

Now, my order of business is that I decided there is no point in trying to figure out years that pictures were taken, so I am working on general categories...

 

My first category...

 

 

then

 

The Baby Years

 

Working and Growing

 

Life after the Children...

 

and maybe a few sub categories, but for now, this is my method...

quick little...

I discovered a link up this morning that I wanted to tell you about...

What is a link up you say? It is a web page were bloggers can list their current post on their blog and when someone cliks on a little icon they are brought to a blog where they can read MORE about what interests them...

Check out Live a Colourful Life, Really Random Link up

And just as a little reminder, if you look up at the tab bar at the top of my page, not the very top, silly! just below the title and the header pictures...  You will see a tab that says, Link Parties...
If you clik on that it will go to a page where I have posted the icons for other link up pages for various days of the week...

Using these link-ups are a great way to discover new blogs that may suit your reading style and interests...

Whats in the Bag, Dad?

 



 

Strawberry Plants in Bloom on my front 'porch'...

 

Work in Progress -- Modern Classics Challenge

I am inspired!

The other day a friend was looking for the name and instructions to make a 'classic' quilt block.  Classic but not very well known.  Over time the design and its instruction have become "little known".

One of my Quilting "things" is to collect old quilt patterns and booklets and magazines....  I have thumbed through these books over and over and over and, well, if I must say so, I knew what she was looking for, and I knew where to look for it!

Then another friend sent me an email to tell me that she really enjoyed the way I was able to share my knowledge of quilting...

So those two 'events' have inspired me to make for myself and new SUMMER CHALLENGE for 2013. 

I would very much like if you could follow along!

THIS IS THE MODERN CLASSICS SUMMER CHALLENGE

I will post a unusual quilt block each week, along with a tutorial of how to put it together.   Each block, I hope will introduce you to what was once before called MODERN QUILTING!  

I will be starting the challenge on May 21, 2013 and the last post will be on Sept 03 2013,  by my count that is 18 weeks so 18 blocks. And I have a feeling that will not be nearly enough to cover all the interesting early MODERN quilt blocks!

 

There will be blocks that are fairly simple with straight line sewing, there will be blocks with triangles of various sizes, there will be blocks that are appliqued and there will be blocks with curves, and there will even be blocks to embellish with embroidery stitches!

 

 

Unlike last summer's self challenge to make 10 quilts and donate each of the quilts, my challenge is to awaken an interest in some of these patterns and designs.   I hope that somewhere along the weeks of the summer YOU will find a quilt block that you LOVE and will make your very own MODERN CLASSIC.

 

I am posting these all on my blog and I do ask that you use the designs only for yourself, if you know someone who likes the pattern, please ask them to come visit my blog to get the instructions.  

 

 

None of the patterns are original designs by me, but I am doing the research and posting the information about them.

 

I will give you as much history on the blocks that I am able to discover.

 

So if you would like to follow along with this series your best bet is to sign up on my email list so that each time I update the blog you will not miss and 'episode'...

 

Also if you are so inclined, I would so much appreciate knowing how you are doing with each block posted and if you have a question that I did not address in a particular post, leave a comment, or use my email contact which is on my blogger profile.

 

I hope to set up a group flickr account so that you can post photos of the blocks that you accomplish!

 

Ready?

 

Works in Progress - It Could Be Anything....

I have not written a blog post for almost two weeks, that is quite unusual for me because I always have something to say...

 In fact I talk so much that my husband has got into the habit of saying "umhumm", whenever he vaguely hears my voice....

He has no idea what I have said and I suspect that it really doesn't much matter to him... Someday I hope to say to him " DUCK! "   and he will say "umm" and then not have time to utter the "humm" part of the word....

I have been spring cleaning again -- I keep getting this urge or need to declutter.   The things I went through 6 months ago and decided to keep are again on the chopping block...  Space is not at a premium in my house, I still have some empty shelves, empty drawers and empty rods in the closets, but I keep thinking back to when I was a child and had my bed, and a dresser and a few books and about three china horses on top of my dresser.  My room was not piled with things or toys or dolls.   When I wanted to take up a crafty project, there always seemed an old shirt or skirt to take apart to make barbie clothes with, or my gramma would give me yarn to knit a scarf, or my dad would buy me a paint by number kit .

I keep yearning to make things simple...

But it is not so simple to live simply...  Sorting scrappy squares, in anticipation of a summer marathon of quilt top making...  want to sew along with me, this summer?  I have not set myself a plan or a goal yet, tho...

 

A box of chocolates, that have already been eaten and then filled with scrappy triangle pieces....   I have been sewing them, light to dark for a day or so now, with no real plan for them as yet -- other than a someday quilt top -- maybe part of my summer project...

 

 

These blocks were from a few years back, a pattern from Quiltmaker Magazine that a group of 5 exchanged blocks from...  I used half the blocks and made a really nice lap size quilt, but still have about 30 blocks -- I think it might be a bed runner....  and more half squares sewn together, not sure where or what their purpose is.  And under the "heritage squares" are a stack of blue and white bowtie blocks...

 

 

 

and this developing "postage stamp" project, each block is 25 squares and measures 6.5 inches --- the postage stamp squares are 1.5 inch each...  a long way to go....

 

 

And while I watch my favourite shows in the evenings or sometimes when I wake up at 1am, instead of laying in bed, I get up and crochet...

 

This granny square project is well on its way, all the 'rounds' are made --- 80 of them and now I am adding the last white round to make each granny square, square and at the same time joining them...

 

 

And who but Walter finds a way to lighten up any serious thoughts!  If he could talk he would be saying, " Take a Break, Already!"  Walter thinks everything except laying around is work...  I think I do agree.

 

 

 

and if I have the GAUL to ignore his suggestion to take a break, he just lays on top of my work or my instruction sheet and forces me to consider his suggestions...

 

 

Even if you don't have a 'Walter' sit back and find that ZEN moment.