APRIL EARLY SPRING 4/18/18

I just know Spring is here, seems to be backing into the county though. And the wind, Lordy have mercy! We watched a huge crane and  tree cutters take down a ginormous cotton wood that split and fell on the roof of some condos. It was thrilling for Betty to watch the big trucks work and how they pulled and cut that tree off the roof. I'm afraid the roof was rather damaged! And all due to the high winds,  >60 mph around here, after several days of high winds,  I get headaches and cranky! Growing up in the "windy city," (Chicago), thought I knew wind, yes, it gets windy in Chicago even though the name"Windy City" was given to Chicago for a different reason. Moving to the Front Range, I was introduced REAL wind. More wind in the forecast, put on those ankle weights.....

Lots of the bulbs are blooming that Betty and I planted last FALL! Betty walks around the flower beds smelling all the blooms, (sometimes picking the flowers too). So, so cute!

Finished 'sandwiching' another 2 inch square quilt and ready to start machine quilting! I enjoy all the steps making a quilt but the sandwiching part. It is very 'futzy' to me as well as frustrating. I suppose everyone has their favorite and very least favorite part to all craft projects and now you know mine;-]  

Knitting wise, 3 sweaters on the needles, a shawl and 2 pairs of socks, yikes! One pair of socks is on 000 needles! My friend and I are knitting each a pair to see if this is a better wearing sock. Have decided merino wool is too fragile for socks and found some BFL at the Interweave Festival last week. The festival was a big nothing for me! Many of my fav dealers weren't there, though no fault to the yarn dealers, and very little fiber but fingering weight yarn and all highly processed! I did enjoy immensely  sitting out in the lobby watching all the goings on and knitting. Talking with people I only see at these events and of course visiting with friends I see often. I'm a people watcher.

Tonight I am attending my first American Sewing Guild (ASG). This guild has a group for couture sewing which I am very interested in. I have also been of late wanting to join another sewing/knitting/quilting group. It has been several years since I left the quilting group I had attended for several, (15 years or so), and am feeling the need/desire to join another group. I am excited to check out this guild, meet new people and see what is happening in the sewing world. Spring kinda brings me out of the house and my little world;-/

Garden is being planted early this year. Already planted-peas,lettuce, radishes,spinach,cabbage and 6 tomato plants in Wall-O-Waters. So exciting! Kale in tomorrow ahead of snow coming in on Friday.

May Spring be truly here....soon.....

THE MAKING OF A BASKET/BOWL

Fold the rope to the left and zigzag down the center with a wide zigzag stitch

keep turning the rope counter clock wise slowly, all the while zigzagging catching both sides of the rope. Sewing on a cotton clothes line produces a lot of lint, these baskets/bowls use a lot of thread…

so I cleaned my machine every bobbin change and oiled the machine every two bobbin changes. Use a big needle or a jean needle if you have one avaiable. Get into the rhythm and it will become meditative before you know it.

Make a flat disk to what size you wish, then…

push down in the center

raising the side up about 45 degrees

each round raise the side a little higher to build the side walls.

keep going round and round…raising the side

when you have the height wanted

and if you choose to have a handle,

back stitch where you want to start your handle and cut the threads

make a loop the size wanted then start stitching on the other side,( see picture 3rd one down),  remember to back stitch! go around and add another width to the handle. Add as many widths as you like or have rope to use, don’t waste any.

see below how it all come together ;-)

I had a little bit of line left, so got a little creative.

every bowl/basket will be different if you let the moment do all the creativity.

inside my completed bowl

 Using my bowl for storing loose makeup containers.

that’s pretty much it….let your creativity go wild. These are fast and it feels great to finish something useful all in an hour to a couple of hours.

Don’t forget to put on a corny movie, one you have seen a hundred times so you do not actual have to watch the movie.

Have fun, and be sure to share what you create!

THE MAKING OF CLOTHES LINE BOWLS

sewing clothes lines round and round is equivalent to meditating, no it is a form of meditation. i start with no more than a couple of inches and sew till i feel like stopping or run out of rope and it matters not which one happens first. every design starts out with “i wonder what shape this will take on”. the excitement is watching the entire project come together, knowing at the end it will be the perfect completed object, beautiful and useful.

tomorrow, i promise , i will put a few how too’s on the blog to get you started. be careful though, and know how addictive this kind of sewing is…you have been forewarned .  

AMISH COUNTRY

the amish use no electricity in their homes

so on wash day amish hang all their clothes out on the line.

it is a beautiful site the laundry hung from the house to a pole far out in the yard.

clothes grouped together

adult clothing, followed by the children biggest to smallest.

a world of intent and organization.

i could of pulled over beside every amish farm house and gazed at their laundry.

for some reason i find amish clothes line very soothing.

a visual slow down statement !

the amish use a pulley system to hang their laundry. 

i took these pictures to show my husband in hopes of being able to install this line in my yard.

{ won't the HOA love this }

another past time is fishing 

[ i couldn't take any pictures of the amish close up.

i love this culture and to photograph their faces would be disrespectful ]

the little boy sitting on the cooler caught the fish and was thrilled to show us his cat fish.

i can see his big eyes full of excitement and that smile on his face....joy!

at the fair. this women was on her way [ quickly i might add ] to collect her small child after the greased pig contest.

here in lancaster they grease the kids arms and not the pig ;)

watching the grease pig contest.

an amish buggy

amish buggies are small to get into..

[ or i am just getting too big ;( ]

oh joy i fit. getting in is harder than i thought. they are very small inside and are on metal springs that move A LOT. having not ever gotten in a buggy i was a little weary of them.

but what fun i had being inside. 

an amish buggy is made locally, only about 12 builders in the county. 

cost about 7000-7500 dollars. 

horse cost 3000-4000 dollars.

this buggy i am sitting in is about 20 years old.

the horses generally do not out survive the buggy.

i was amazed by what the amish can pack into one of these buggies.

jake the owner of this buggy said 900 pounds was the limit for a buggy horse to pull and only a short distance. 

cover bridges also call out to me.

days of old, slowness, calmness

and absolutely beautiful.

only one car at a time can pass through these old bridges.

would of loved to have heard a buggy on the bridge...

iron wheels turning and horses hoofs clip clopping.

lancaster for me is better than any therapist i could visit. 

it is watching real people in their world 

i feel my shoulders dropping

the lines on my forehead smoothing out

and i am exhaling..

thank you lancaster [ helen, glen, alice, alica,  jake, lydia,

orphra, dave, and anyone else i missed]  for a wonderful time.

hope to return soon.