Patchwork Pirate Retreat Weekend

Lauri and Linda joined me in a mini-retreat this weekend.  We have had as many as eight join me for at a retreat at my house, but this time we had but two.  However, we had plenty of space to spread out and didn't have to fight over cutting tables and ironing boards.  

Jeanie and her friend, Bridget, joined us for dinner at Olive Garden (truly a most authentic Italian restaurant...snerk!).  She is a delightful young lady who belly dances with Jeanie, and has quite the skill with making fabric flowers for hair decorations.  Jean was wearing one oversize flower in her hair--beautiful!  Sadly I didn't get any photos of either Bridget or Jeanie's hair flower.  

During the weekend, I worked on several projects:

Finished working on Sharon's Patchwork Pirate quilt.  It took a bit of work since the last row was not put on straight, so I had to trim down one side and let out a couple of seams to lengthen the other.  I just hope that it lays flat when it's done...I wasn't totally confident that it was done well, especially with all the adjustments.  The punch of color around the outside is the perfect balance to the quilt, although it's a bit off-center from the previous rounds.  I guess that it is telling for the types of quilters we are--a rather colorful and lopsided crew.  In case you're wondering, the flags read:  "Kona Black Bess" which is Sharon's Pirate Name.  Mine is Capt. Cutter the Mad.

Next, I was cutting Halloween fabrics for a charm square swap for my local guild.  Every month, the guild has a themed swap in which you make packs of 3 different fabrics cut to 6" to exchange with each person signed up to participate.  In this case, there are 18 people signed up to swap, so I cut 18 copies of each of three fabrics.  I will collate these and pin them together with my name on them so they know who they came from.  Since I signed up twice, I need to choose three more fabrics.  I will get duplicates of everything, but if I'm making 4-patches, that will be perfect--two of these and two of those...  Or I can sub-cut them into four 3" squares and make smaller 4-patches or 9-patches if I use a different center square.  There are lots of design possibilities, although I have to be honest--I have yet to do much with the dozen or more swapped sets that I've done already (there are birds, patriotics, dots, Christmas, farm animals, summer fun, and several more).  I did start piecing a charity quilt with some bright ones that were donated to the guild, and I added a few from my collection to make a couple more blocks.  Other than that, I haven't done much.  The Frugal Fairy reigns:  this swap didn't require me to purchase anything--I pulled these right from my stash of Halloween fabrics.  Maybe I will sub-cut them to 3" squares and put a black square in the center...or something blood red...ooooo...the creative juices are flowing now!

I also worked on piecing together the blocks for Cammie's quilt.  It still needs a border or two around the outside before it's complete.  Right now it measures more than 5 feet square--I wonder if I should take one row off the side and make it narrower and longer--a 4 by 6 grid, rather than a 5 by 5.  Sure, I'd have one block left over, but it would be put on the back as part of the label or just for decoration.  Then I could add a simple border--something in Girl Scout green, perhaps, and piece the rest of the fabrics I have for the back and a pillowcase.  Then I can put it on the longarm and get it quilted up for Miss Cam...maybe by her birthday!

Community Service blocks - 9 patches from donated 2 1/2" squares, which will be sewn into quilt tops and donated to one of a variety of charitable organizations locally.  There are a number of organizations that they have given to over the years, including the Red Cross, a women's shelter, Churches, police and fire departments, foster care, and many more.  The committee usually selects one charity to donate to each year, but I don't know which one was selected this year.  I was able to complete 32 blocks for this endeavor.

Friendship blocks - I made at least 8 different blocks for friends--I still have two more to make, but I can work on those tomorrow, I think.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of them--I handed them over to Linda to account for them and they will be turned back to their owners next month at the meeting.

Kelly and I watched a TV miniseries called the Crimson Petal and the White.  Intriguing story, but it ended like a Crichton novel--abruptly and with more questions than answers.  What happened to the wife?  Where did the nanny take the little girl?  WTF?  I hate those movies.  Gimmie a good ending or a gruesome one...just don't leave me guessing!  Now I have to stay up late and try to think up my own ending.  Gah!  Maybe I'll just go watch Pride & Prejudice again.  Gotta get me some Firth!

Heckava day

Today marked the first of Emma's karate lessons.  We bought a gift certificate from the school auction leftovers for a fraction of its value so she gets four private lessons, unlimited (about 8) group lessons, a uniform & belt, a t-shirt, a patch and a sticker.  Pretty cool deal!  However, I know we won't be able to afford it at full price, especially now that the other two kids want to take some lessons, too, so I'm going to look into lessons at the Y.  Looks like they started last week for the beginner class.  Maybe we can sneak them in anyway...if there's room.  I know a lady who works there.  Maybe she'll take cookies as a bribe.

Emma's bike is in for repairs.  The kick stand fell off it ages ago--was fixed, got broken, fixed again, broken again...and in the meantime, other things have broken and bent as it fell over.  The gear shifter, the breaks, the chain, etc.  Kelly took it to a repair shop where we discovered this will cost more than $100.  Getting a new bike would cost more than $400, so this is the way to go.  She's taken a new interest in biking this year and has just learned to bike with no hands.  I have no fear about this--I used to bike all over town with no hands--around corners, too--but I never had the good sense to wear a helmet.  She does.  See?  The next generation is smarter already!  They even wear SEAT BELTS!  Whew...I don't fear the future now!

Jen and I worked on our yurts for a bit today.  We got the tono glued and screwed together into a circle, then drilled holes into the ends of the poles so we can insert the pencil rod into it.  Note our very creative drilling platform, and shimmed the drill to level.  We still have to drill holes in the *other* end of the rafters that tie onto the khana (baby gate walls), and into the tono (roof ring) that the rafters will fit into.  The only part of the hardware on Jen's yurt after that is the door to put into the frame!  Then there's the software part--the roof and wall canvas.

For me, I have to make sure I have enough rafter pieces, then drill those on both ends.  I also have to buy the pencil rod, the cable to go around the outside, drill the holes in the tono, and figure out a door.  I might just use a cloth flap instead of a door if I run out of time.  Next Tuesday we're going to have a Yurt-a-thon to try to get it done before July Coronation.  I'd like to make a fabric door with my coat of arms on it.

In further Emma news (apparently, it's all about Emma today!), her Kindle is broken.  It's not even a year old and the screen pooped out on it.  Or shattered.  Or something.  This guy's eyes and forehead never go away, eerily staring at you while you try to read, but the bottom of the screen works normally.  It's really hard to read a book when half the page is always missing.  I don't know what we can do about it--I would bet fixing it would cost as much as replacing it, so we might have to do that.  The cover that it's sitting on was made by her Grandma and has been living in that protective cover for several months.  I don't know if it got dropped or stepped on (more than once), but I'm disappointed that it's not working anymore.  She's gotten a lot of use out of it.

I've been knitting away on this Turkish sock and have now come to the brutal conclusion that it's too narrow for my Duck Feet.  I can hear Jean saying, "But I've got Quad-A feet!  It'll fit ME!"  Well, sorry, darlin--I really had my heart set on having this alpaca on my own feet.  However, that said, I *can* be bribed/commissioned to make you a pair of long, skinny Turkish socks. :)  I have a book of patterns and you can choose your favorite!  And pick your colors, too!  Or I can give you a copy of whatever pattern you want, and you could knit your own!  We could start at the Pitt Camping Adventure!  Next month!  Woot!

Ben taking a break in the back yard, eating a Skittle Rice Krispie square.  I had made RK squares with M&Ms before, but the two littler kids don't like chocolate that much (weird), so they asked if I could make it with Skittles instead.  "SURE!"  I said.  Right after you mix in the rice cereal, you put in about a cup of the candies and fluff them through before dumping it into the 9 x 13 pan.  I usually lightly butter my hands and press the squares into the pan a bit so it's a little more smooth on top.  Yes, I handle worms and toads just before handling the butter, so it's all good and natural.  Mmmm!  Note that they also discovered the age-old tradition of wrapping the swing once around the cross-bar so you have a higher swing.  This whole swing set may have to go, unfortunately--Kelly discovered earwigs all over the grass around it, which are attracted to rotting wood.  We already replaced the slide which was cracking and the supports under it were completely rotten.  I don't know what we'll do to replace it--these things are expensive! Maybe we should just get a trampoline.

Some flowers I took a picture of in the back yard.  I don't know what these are, but they sure are pretty!  I love that the stems are all fuzzy and the flowers themselves are screamin' pink!  These grow back every year along the rock wall.  Behind the wall is a line of trees which work great for a visual barrier, but the dog next door (some variety of Australian shepherd, I think) discovered that he can just burst through it, run across our yard, and dig under our fence to make a great escape.  I joked with Bob that those Australians...bunch of criminals...always looking for a way to escape!  Or maybe he just wants to go on walkabout?  In any case, we have to fix the hole under the fence again, though I'd much rather have Bob build a real fence between our properties.  

Finished a quilt block for next Monday's meeting.  It's...ta-da!  A frog!  It still needs eyes, but I don't know what I'm going to use for eyes yet.  The directions suggested just using polka dot fabric on a white background, cut around two of the dots and using those as eyes.  You can even cut them out kind of crooked to make them into googley-eyes.

K