damn snow

i just thought i was going to okc today. everything was going good until i slowed down to make sure no one was coming from either side, that's when the trouble started. in other words "i ain't goin nowhere". now i have no excuse not to work on those pesky miters. damnit!!!

"don't fence me in"

it may no be much to anyone but me but at my guild for me to win a challenge that is something. the majority of my guild is very traditional and that ain't bad but it ain't me. i love the strange and unusual. when pam announced that i had won first place i was really surprised.

the challenge was "Go Green". everything was supposed to be recycled. nothing bought except your thread. i used old clothes that i had intended for a class at houston. for some reason that i can't explain i save the underwires from my bras. when i buy a new one i always take the underwires out. hate 'em. it just came to me one night while i was trying to shut down and go to sleep. i thought of the wires as horrible fences that keep things in. then the old song title "don't fence me in" came in my head. breasts come in all shapes and sizes as in mountains, so i made the mountains look like breasts with nipples as the mountain tops. i didn't show it to any of my sewing group since the judging was supposed to be anonymous. some of them said they knew it was me when they saw it.

to make things even better the gift certificate is from the shop where i work. i know just what i want. merry christmas to me!

i made new purse

went to norman saturday and took a class from ann gaines on how to make a grommet purse. it was an indigo junction pattern but she has changed it enough, and may i add simplified, that it is a different pattern now. we all added out little changes. it turned out great, i love it and everyone that sees it loves it. can't wait to make another one.

my sewing group wants to make one so i guess we are all going to have new purses. it is so roomy inside with pockets of all sizes. the purse would make a good diaper bag.

had a great day at gail's yesterday. that place is busy and crazy all day long. i love it.....

halloween 2009

another successful run for the candy...
river was a US Marine, koty was a zombie cowboy, cash was a mummy, and riley was Derek Jeter #2.

i made caramel chocolate covered apples with m&m's and toffee bits. wouldn't want to make those for a living. i bought a big bag of the good chocolate candy and we had 0 trick or treaters so i proceeded to eat most of the candy. save me from myself.

angela did a good job with the boys costumes. they are easy to please and very authentic. thank goodness i just had to mess with one costume.

riley and i spend the day before looking for his since the plan his mom had for his didn't work out. courtney had to work and skip didn't have a clue so it fell in my lap. we had fun. couldn't afford to go to very many stores looking for stuff since riley thinks he gets a prize every time we walk through a new door. anyway we found everything we needed in walmart. what would we do without it. i hate it but end up there regardless. skip got the right font for me and we fused and stitched him some numbers and all was happy. he was more proud of the numbers than anything else.

foot in mouth

angela (ex dil) came into the house last week and asked me why koty was digging holes in the side yard. i busted outside to really scold him for digging yet another useless hole, when i came around the corner his uncle skip was digging by this time. i asked, with hands on hips, what are you doing??? koty looked up with his never ending jaggedy smile and said i am putting this wooden cross up that i made so every day when river and me get off the bus we can say a prayer for uncle cody in iraq.

hands on hips pulled foot out of her mouth turned and quietly went back in the house wiping tears. i couldn't have loved him more at this minute.

i need duct tape!!!

i will in the future be carrying a roll of duct tape with me where ever i go. why do i feel like i have to volunteer for everything that comes along before anyone has even asked for help? good grief charlie brown save me from myself. my bffs know what i am referring to. they try to to save me from myself but one of them can't always be near. when i am left to my own devices i will surely get myself in trouble.

the dye workshop i taught was a success. everyone had great results. i surprised myself, didn't know i had it in me.

guild garage sale was another success. everyone turned out and worked hard. couldn't ask for more. looking forward to announcing to the guild what we made.

on to more funner things... got a new computer this week. haven't transfered my files and things so no pictures. going to get a new camera this weekend so i can shoot till i drop in houston. the convoy starts tuesday morning. can't wait.

on a scale of 1-10 things are pretty much at a 9. i try to be a glass half full person my sidekick is a glass half empty. guess that is why we make a good pair. when i get too full of myself she lets me know and when she is almost empty i fill her back up. as a matter of fact all the people in our group compliment each other. what are the odds in a random group of people thrown together by chance getting along so well. my parents didn't give me sisters but as usual fate stepped in and gave me these women. i couldn't be happier.

rusting pictures

the first one i thought looks like birch tree trunks, the second looks like sunflowers (i think). the black came from soaking the rusted doorknobs in water before i wrapped them with the fabric.










here are the pics i took of the steps i took in rusting the previous fabric. i thought i would throw in a beautiful rainbow i saw this morning when i went outside to see why all the cows were bawling. we got the rainbow before the rain storm this time. the vinegar soaked fabric baked (100 degrees +) in the OK sun for three days.

still rusting

i have discovered a few things since my last rusting. when my pam and i were dying fabric i thought that i would take a piece of the fabric that i had soaking in the soda ash solution and rust it. after a week there was barely any rusting action going on at all. the piece was virtually rust free. a few days later pam told me she read somewhere not to use soda ash on your fabric prior to rusting because it would retards the rusting. it came to me one night while i was trying to shut off and go to sleep that if i washed the finished rusted fabric with some soda ash in the washer with some very hot water that it would stop the rusting action so as not to cause the fabric to fall apart in a few years. the last wash was with laundry detergent alone.

so far i have liked the results. the fabric is softer with the soda ash after wash than with the salt. more of the actual rust that is on the fabric when you first unwrap it is gone also with the soda ash. i am going to sew some rust fabric to a white piece of fabric and wash it and then iron it wet and see if any wanders over to the white. i will post what happens.

not a laid back sunday morning....

nothing like a good f-bomb dropping mad rage early on a sunday morning. went out the garage door and the neighbors dog and tore up three sacks of extremely gross trash. good grief, where's a loaded gun when you need one?

leaving for the kids vacation tomorrow so i will be out of pocket until thursday. this will be a xanax a day trip i am sure. i would give my life for my grandsons in a second but to be closed up in a car with them for 6 hours straight gives me thoughts that had best not be shared. give me strength.

i am starting on my christmas gifts to everyone in my sewing group today. each one will be different and hopefully enjoyed by all. these will be tongue in cheek so they'll have to lighten up when they get them.

worked up a good sweat working off my mad spell that now i have to take a shower. i am trying to stay inspired to work on the aforementioned. stay motivated, stay motivated, stay motivated.

this is where i'd like to be.

another successful rust

i loved the way this piece of fabric turned out. i wrapped it around a iron rod and then scrunched it then wrapped rusted wire around it, wrapped it in saran wrap and let it bake in the sun for 4 days. there are all kinds of feather patterns in this piece. can't wait to do another one.

another looney cloon retreat

i cannot wait to get on the road for retreat. it is what keeps me going and able to deal with my day to day obligations. it is the eye in the middle of my hurricane of a life. this doesn't mean that i don't cherish every minute that i spend with my family but sometimes i need a break to refuel. it's not only family that i need a break from but the many things that i haven't learned to say no to. slowly but surely i am eliminating things that have taken up so much of my time.

i can't get to my sewing room to work on ideas that i have in my mind, actually i really can't get IN my sewing room because the door is blocked with everything that was against one wall because the mud guy is working on the walls. i had my husband close the door off from my sewing room to the main bathroom. every time someone abused the bathroom they would open the door to my sewing room and well you know. now there is only one door leading into my room, i have to get used to going all the way around the house to get there. it is kind of hid in the back of the house. i like that.

the experiment

the experiment didn't work with my father in law coming to live with us. he arrived on a wednesday and he went home on a wednesday. one week...

rex and i thought we were prepared to take care of him but we were sorely wrong. what ya gonna do bad boy, bad boy, what ya gonna do.

trouble maker and shadow dye fabric

a good friend of mine, for reasons i had rather keep to myself, has nicknamed me "troublemaker" and now she has nicknamed pam 'the shadow". i have been dying fabric for awhile and now "the shadow" is in on the fun. we have decided to do some workshops dying fabric and whatever else tickles our fancy. we are by no means professional but we sure have loads of fun learning as we go. i am not afraid to make a mistake in front of people who think i know what i am doing. the following is some pics or our process. i am not a photographer. oh yeah, my grandson, koty worked on his 4th of july t-shirt.



i am using ann johnston's book "color by accident" for the basic recipes and tweeking them along the way. the first is bound with rubber bands, dyed, unbound, rebound, and another color added.

my favorite

i layed this fabric on the grass and squirted the left over dye willy nilly. kinda looks like someone broke a bunch of bloody eggs on the ground. that's just my opinion.

yellow to red

single color, red, light and dark

i sold a quilt

i am trying to make myself finish a quilt that i sold before i made it. this won't happen again. i like to do my quilting when i am in the mood. it's not something i would make for myself so that is another hurtle i have to jump to make myself work on it. i am glad that i haven't been paid yet as that would be another form of pressure that i don't enjoy. i promise the quilt is square, when i took the picture i was home alone so i had to lay it in the floor. i also separated those two red blocks that are sticking out like a bloody thumb.

that's right, sometimes we wear diapers on our heads...

i don't know how this got started, i only know that when riley is in the mood for diapers on the head you better be willing to participate or go home. no one is exempt.

Wichita Mtn Quilt Guild robbed

i guess you could say this is old news, at least according to our local newspaper and television station, but our guild cargo trailer and it's contents was stolen May 13, 2009. it was the evening of the last big storm we had with the straight line winds that shredded everyone's roof. the rat bastards just backed up to the trailer and took off right before the storm started. may they rot in hell and their lives turn to crap. there, i feel better. there is also a description of the trailer on our website. wmqg.net

i case you don't want to go to the website here is a brief description: 2000 (year) 6' X 12' enclosed black Cargo Craft trailer, tandem axle, side door on right, double doors on back, chrome fenders. chrome trim missing from left back door. slight damage to upper left corner of back of trailer. trailer was full of quilt racks. the trailer also had custom shelves inside. contact carol capshaw 580-365-4555, pam wisner 580-429-8280, or kathy burnett 580-429-3558.

i get really upset when i think of how hard our guild worked to raise the money to buy the racks and trailer and someone who has no moral values or respect for anything just ripped it our from under us. i have to believe that this happened for a reason. we are not supposed to ask why. i have to forgive and move on.

chiseled in cloth workshop

if you ever get the chance to take a workshop from margaret bucklew, grab it. pam, kathy, becky, and i took a workshop with margaret at happiness is quilting quilt shop in mckinney, tx. we had a great time on the road, at the dive hotel, during the class, and on the way home. when you are with great friends what else can you do but enjoy yourself. check out these websites, chiseledincloth.com and happinessisquilting.com you won't regret the visit.

i will post pictures of the other girls portraits after our guild meeting monday. hopefully i will be able to add a pic of mine later on today. i should be working on mine right now but you see what i am doing. good thing i don't try and make a living at this quilting thing. although i could eliminate exercise as a weight loss option, cause i'd be starving to skinnyville.

i have also been rusting fabric. i should of taken a picture of this before i tore it in half. it's still pretty cool. if you are interested in rusting fabric you are in luck because it is the easiest dying technique that you will ever do.

things you will need:
cotton fabric i used pfd (prepared for dying) because that is what i had

rusty objects i found mine in our barn happy hunting!

vinegar i used cider vinegar because, you know, that is what i had

a container that you won't mind if it gets rust stains in it and you won't mind that you can't use it for anything else unless you plan on spending a good amount of time scrubbing it clean.

table salt

synthrapol i used it because, you know or dawn dishwashing liquid or whatever laundry soap that you have

saran wrap to cover the pot or a plastic bag to put the stuff in. the pot covered with saran is better i think because the sun can get in there and really bake it

wet your fabric with the vinegar

manipulate the fabric any way you want, fold it, roll it, scrunch it up, wrap the fabric around the rusty things or put them on top you will have to experiment with this step. you get different results each time.

this is the objects that i used and the pot i put everything in. i haven't told my husband that i used the pot he cooks beer in yet.

construction, it never ends.....

construction is going pretty good now. rex has been painting all week or at least trying. the rain is killing us. not being one to wish away the rain but could we just have a few days so the dry wall mud can dry out.

there has been good progress on the add on.  almost done.....

pam and i have been playing with the thermo fax machine. hopefully i can get some pictures posted soon. we are serious beginners right now, but give us a few weeks and we will have some knock out results.

found treasures

my kids think i am out on a limb sometimes. but that's ok. the older i get the less i worry about being perceived as odd. that being said, my cousin wendy has asked me to help her restore some quilts that our great grandmother "little granny" made. when i brough them home last night and showed my son and "dil" they weren't too impressed with them. i, on the other hand wanted to do a cartwheel, but i know that can't happen. i can read my son's mind at times like this. he is thinking "good Lord, i am going to have to take care of her someday when she finally looses it". i was so excited about these quilts i couldn't hardly contain myself.

the quilts are primitive to say the least, but just looking at them and thinking about the hardships she was enduring while making the quilts just staggers the mind. i can't even think about using my rotary cutter if the blade is dull or if i don't have the right color of thread, my day of quilting is shot. the quilts are made entirely, i'm sure, out of unused clothing and whatever she could get her hands on, but the colors are perfect. they look like they should all be in the quilt together. how did she do it?

i shop for hours at quilt shop after quilt shop looking for just the right fabric. what would it be like to wait for someone to abandon an article of clothing just so you could start a quilt.

hopefully today i will get a few pictures of the quilts posted. this will be a before and after event. i am not going to try and remake the quilts like i would have made them. i want them to look like little granny made them. i just want to repair them so they can make it another 100 years. oh yes, i forgot to say that little granny was born 6 or 7 years after the end of the civil war, she lived to be 93. my grandmother, ethel,, and wendy's grandmother, maggie, were sisters. little granny was their mother. grandma ethel lived to be 101, she died in 1989. i'm not sure how old aunt maggie was when she died. i am going to document all the information we have on the quilts on a label when i am finished.

waiting for "most handsome imperial angel baby" to wake up so i can get home and start the repairs. this is going to be a wonderful experience.

one of the reasons i am so excited was when i took the quilts to show my quilt group they discovered another quilt under one of the tops. it was fabulous. they found a crazy quilt with embroidered blocks. there are birds, flowers, swirlies, and little baby hands with initials. i just can't explain how excited i am do have found this treasure.

construction underway

we are starting a house renovation and add on. i am trying to prepare myself to be completely upside down for a few months. that won't be a stretch, believe me.

my father-in-law, bill, is coming to live with us as soon as his bedroom (the add on) is ready. this will be a learning experience for all of us. i just hope he can get used to the total craziness that is a constant around here.

pam just sent me a quote that says "a spotless house is a sign of a wasted life". can i get this on a t-shirt? happy to say i was not born with the cleaning gene. i have made it 50+ years just fine. rex is also an enabler in this dept.

carol c.

oqso retreat, wagnor, ok.

what a wonderful weekend at wagnor, oklahoma, at the oqso retreat. it snowed, rained, fogged, and pretty much did everything with the exception of a tornado. this was the view out of the window in the main sewing room. what a view. the picture doesn't do it justice.

i was hung over when i got home from sewing, staying up late, overeating,friendly gossip, and just having fun. i love retreats.

i'll play in the mud if i want.

this is a classic case of pouting. his dad told him to get out of the mud. as soon as dad walked off riley went right back to the mud. i love him.

cleaning day

i got the urge to clean my sewing space today. it doesn't happen very often, i hope the mood lasts long enough for me to get the room clean. i have so much crap it ain't even funny. i am trying to purge but it isn't easy. i can give books, patterns, and gadgets away but can't quite seem to let go of my fabric.

i am going to start dying my own since commercial fabrics cost a king's ransom. if i get some dyed this weekend i will post a picture.

it is quiet today compared to yesterday. river and koty are not here right now and riley is taking a nap. i haven't heard anybody yell "granny" in almost 30 minutes. yesterday was crazy and me along with it. should of taken a whole xanax.

this is a picture of a quilt i am going to teach if anyone signs up.

i got a blue ribbon

i got a blue ribbon and an honorable mention at our local quilt show. first time. what a thrill. this has encouraged me to enter in the okc quilt show.

my thoughts on things

my life is my family. what would i do without them or them without me. i like to think i am irreplaceable, but we all know that isn't true.....

welcome to my world

i have the typical, modern american family.  not perfect, but by no means broken.  we are on the proverbial roller coaster of life, sometimes you’re on the straight and narrow and sometimes it’s a  bumpy hell of a ride.  we always seem to work things out.  there are wins and losses, separations and divorces, fights and makeups, but through it all we have one thing that saves us.  a sense of humor and the ability to laugh at ourselves and each other.  
 
my dad never felt sorry for me or my brothers while we were growing up and things were bad.  he wrote in his journal “hard times give you character”.  when i was 17 and first read this after his death i thought what a jerk, but now 30 years later i understand.  it’s all the things that happen in your life that make you who you are, good or bad.  it would of been nice to get a pat on the head instead of a kick in the rear but that didn’t happen, get over it.  i think we have turned out ok, not perfect but by no means broken.

ps the title of my blog doesn't come from me being fearless, it comes from me longing to be fearless.