DJs

Two more...

and the scalloped border is going well:

It turned out to be possible to dispense with the fabric glue. That would have been a lot of glue.

Oopsie Doodle

An angel, C., an angel with a longarm, let me come over to her house to get this quilt (destined for the East Cobb Quilt Show) quilted. So far so good. Sadly, in a moment of madness, I decided the only suitable border was a scalloped one following the pattern in the print. Nice, eh? Only it turns out it is not possible to sew the binding on to by machine. Too curvy. So I have resorted to glue and hand-stitching to attach it. Pray for me.

Another DJ block, but it may be awhile before I can do more, since the show looms and I must get the four show quilt preparations completed:

Very Funny Rembrandt

Rembrandt uses my canvas floorcloth as a play tent.

There has truly been a death in the family. This minivan is a top of the line 1995 model and I have had it all of its life. At the time of its death last night, it had some transmission trouble and the driver's door would no longer close (yes, I was barreling up and down the expressway with nothing between me and the open pavement), but it got 23.5 mpg overall and I raised my son in it. Oh, so many scenic drives through the mountains, the camping trips, the soccer games, 186,000 miles of living. At the dealership, I told it over and over how I had loved it and I love it still. I could hear it crying for me as I bought the Honda Fit and abandoned Dear Dear Minivan.

Now I have this. It's okay, I guess. There's no room for my purse and no place to put a drink bigger than a Dixie cup, but it has a power outlet, iPod outlet, and a USB outlet. But I want you back, Old Blue!

Update for Brenda re Berks County Pattern

Hi, Brenda! You are set to "no-reply" and I don't see an email in your Profile...yes, I would be happy to send you just the hand-drawn face on skin fabric and the organdy for the apron since you already have the pattern, for $7 +$1 postage = $8.00. If you would just like to send a check, that will be fine since I don't have that option on the website.

Jo Showing Prim Ports at Schoolhouse: YouTube!

What a delight it was to wake up this morning to find out about the Andover Schoolhouse videos on YouTube and that they include Jo showing my three Primitive Portraits partway (about midway) through this one:

Oh, Jo! :-)

I added kit versions for four of my patterns this morning; all four of the kit versions include the face for the figure in the pattern hand-drawn by me on enough fabric to complete the head and whatever body sections are visible :-).

Album Quilt 1870 includes a nine-block panel section from Jo's fabric From Lucinda's Window and the single block that the little girl is holding in its hoop (blocks will probably vary from cover photo).

Berks County 1850 includes the hand-drawn face, skin fabric, and organdy for the apron.

I have two new patterns that have silk matka as the central background for the applique picture; these patterns include the hand-drawn face/skin fabric and the section of silk matka, prewashed. See pictures on sidebar at right of these four patterns, plus they are on the website.

One of my apple trees on this wonderfully rainy morning; it could be rainy like this 24/7 in Georgia if I may put in my order for that :-):

Emails from College and Victory...For Now

Breaking short a Florida vacation to attend a funeral in Tennessee, Timmy calls from a Greyhound Bus:

Timmy: Hi, Mom. Can you pick me up at 4am tomorrow at the Greyhound Bus Station downtown Atlanta? [Friend's] Mom died. We're all going to the funeral in Nashville [about 12 of them].

Mom: Okay. Where are you now?

Timmy: We're going to layover at Tampa for a day, then it'll only be two hours' drive to Atlanta [I swear he said this]. Mom, the people around here are scary.

Mom: Timmy. They couldn't possibly make you layover at Tampa for a whole day and you can't drive from Tampa to Atlanta in two hours unless it's you at the wheel. Do you know any geography at all? Florida is long and Georgia is long. Didn't you notice that on the drive down? And have you ever learned your months?

a few hours later:

Timmy: Hi, Mom.

Mom: How's it going?

Timmy: There's a strange man sitting next to me. He says his name is Tiger. He's covered all over with something. Can you drive down and meet the bus partway?

Mom: Ha ha I know you are just kidding.

Timmy: Mommy, save me.

Mom: Timmy. You are going to be a Marine. Think of this bus ride as a military maneuver in Odd Territory.

Timmy: Help me.

24 hours later after Timmy has caught up on sleep at home and shopped at Value Village for funeral clothes, since he has nothing black and nothing suitable actually of any kind:

Timmy: Look, Mom, we found four matching black vests, aren't they cool?

Mom: Oh, Timmy. You aren't going to wear those to the funeral [Mom envisions them in matching vests at the funeral, very possibly putting on some sort of musical revue]?

Timmy: Nah. Just wear them around at the hotel. Mom, where did these black pants come from [sporting unusually attractive black slacks]?? I found them in my room. I've never seen them before.

Mom [in sacred hushed tones]: Oh. God must have put them there. For you to wear to the funeral.

Timmy [in the same tone]: You're right. And the first girl who admires them will become my wife. [pause] [regular voice] Oh wait, these are from my Halloween costume.

So, it is a sad situation but Timmy and F., on their way at 6am to pick up the other friends and drive to Nashville. In their vests.

Got the next Circuit Rider block done:

Neighbor Update: I do thank you all for your interest in my frustrating House Next Door situation. Found out from the County a few days ago that they have not had a valid business license since 2005 and have never had permission to operate out of a home. I am going to suggest that when Code Enforcement investigates a complaint like this that they either check for a valid license themselves or clue in the complainant that they should check on this. It could have saved me years of frustration.

Currently, they appear to have moved operations out of the house, although they are still coming home at night, of course, since they unfortunately own the house. Gaston the Housebound is sometimes not pleased at being kept in and has taken Tomcat-like steps to protest:

But still I keep him in and suffer the consequences.

Code Enforcement cited these company owners for some things, most important being the expired license. Another department is doing some work on this operating-without-a-license infraction. The Code Enforcement officer told me that the co-owner he spoke with threatened me with various things, the only thing of which he would state specifically is that they were going to sue me of course.

I think I mentioned I haven't been able to grow tomatoes in my tomato bed since they started filling my property with the diesel fumes, so yesterday I planted five for possible fall tomatoes as a victory measure. I feel like I'm reclaiming my yard:

Surprises

One surprise was that I really enjoyed piecing this Stickle triangle:

It looks so much like a church I suppose Jane had that in mind when making it, don't you think?

Of course, there's that other triangle that looks precisely like a 1930s radio microphone complete with art deco styling and I don't suppose she knew about those :-).

Next surprise was that I (suddenly and without warning) pulled out this stack of feedsack Second Saturday Sampler blocks that has been languishing helpless for years:

and threw them into their green polka-dot setting:

Last and most astonishing surprise is that there may be some progress on the Torment subject, but it's too soon to be sure yet.

Torment

There are times when it would be nice to fix the covers just right...

and hide:

From under the cover, I did manage to finish two Stickle blocks:

but last week there was a Distasteful Agenda and no other quilting happened. The guys in the house next door happen to run a heavy duty construction business out of the house. This violates code. Code Enforcement does not care. A few feet from my house and a few inches from my driveway, there is constant activity involving two or more large diesel-engine trucks (one beeps as it is being backed up the loooooong driveway) that are kept running in the driveway with the sickening diesel fumes filling my house, a flat-bed trailer and a hard-sided utility trailer, two employees, two owners, two yellow cars (all vehicles carry the business name on the side), and a carport kept crammed with construction debris including toilets, fixtures, lumber. Years ago, Code Enforcement apparently encouraged them to move out, which they did for about a year, then one sad day they returned and C.E. has done nothing from that day to this despite my pleas.

I began to try again on this last Sunday. I don't know what things are like where you live, but in DeKalb County, Georgia, Code Enforcement has the endearing quality of looking for something to cite you for when you make a complaint.

Last time I complained about all of this, they cited me for having a picnic table on my patio. I am serious. They said it was furniture. Here is the picnic table, still guilty and on the patio:

I just want you to gaze upon this picnic table. I'm sure you can see where this is more important than a construction business being run out of a house in a subdivision. Discrimination towards women? I'm just askin'.

Last time I complained about this business, the owners did some hollering at me and stormed on to my property saying they were going to "set me straight", upon which I called 911 and relayed the request to stop hollering and to stay off my property. Since then, I don't venture out into the yard if they are around, which is much of the time, so it's been hard to do any yard work. Since I knew if nothing else, Code Enforcement would be sure to come out to my property looking for any disruptive picnic tables, I spent about 12 hours total doing heavy yard work, putting a pile of leafy and branchy refuse on the street that rivaled Stone Mountain. I have to at least try to foil them, eh?

Dear Reader, I could barely move this morning. Oh, the tearing muscles in leg and stomach. I am almost 60 after all. This called for ibuprofen and epsom salts with rosemary in a hot tub:

I only take showers. Rembrandt was shocked by this tub water and by me sitting in it. Naturally I enticed her with a sprig of rosemary:

She tried the water...

and it was yummy...

These guys have also been encroaching somewhat on the property line, if memory serves me correctly of where it's located. There was an encounter with one of the employees a few days ago that required another 911 call and a police report as I stood from my property taking a picture of the business sign on the side of the truck he was backing into the driveway...among the many foul and cursing things he was swearing at me, including that he would kill my cat [Gaston goes outside for short periods, well, he used to], he was shouting at me not to take his picture. Hmm wonder why a recent immigrant would object to that, hmmm? He came on to my property a few feet during this. So I am having a surveyor come out tomorrow to stake the line partway back and I will build a fence, which unfortunately can only be four feet tall. I'm planning seven fence sections, which means digging eight post holes and putting the posts in. I have found that I can't lift an 80-lb. bag of concrete any more. Isn't it typical that after being home all summer, DS is currently on a Florida beach?

So Dear Reader, I hope to report in a few days that I have somehow gotten this fence put up. Who knows about the code violation, but I'm going to work on it. Have contacted the Commissioner's Office (haven't heard a thing back) and Dale Russell, TV government watchdog (haven't heard a thing back).

Second to Last Week of Summer Break

Less than two weeks left now of summer break from the Day Job. I've been trying to a maximize my time these past weeks but the time has sped by like a bolt of lightning. Maybe I shouldn't have slept through it like Gaston here. Just kidding. I was mostly awake. After Gaston finally got up, I got these fabrics made into a top, using the Over the Top Tunic pattern from Indygo Junction:

The latest Stickle block. G2. I didn't like it as it was, so I moved some lines around in EQ6:

The versions that others made that follow the pattern, however, are very attractive. Looks sort of like a pair of arrowheads.

I have the first three rows of Dear Jane put together!

Yesterday, I attended Barbara Barnes' class on Big Stitch Quilting at Little Quilts that she has been teaching, incidentally, for six years. I have wanted to take it for ages, and I can tell you, it is one fine class. Take it if you can. Her big stitch quilting is legendary for who knows how far around for its beauty. Barbara gives you her whole method for doing the stitch in the class, plus her advice on thread, needles, batting, basting, and backing.

Two Stickles

A triangle...

and the infamous G06, with the precious tiny star safely enclosed by the larger one. We hand pieced this one last night in our Dear Jane group at Little Quilts. Please let me know if you are interested in signing up for this group for the Fall Schedule: Keep the Janiacs alive :-) !