Weekly update: parties and scraps + reading

 

Friday evening:  the 151st annual Carthage College Christmas Festival.  The college chapel is a beautiful setting for the splendid music.  

Rotary friends and family had dinner at a Kenosha restaurant beforehand.   

Kaylynn, whose family is in the top photo, is a freshman at Carthage this year and in the orchestra.  Donna and I (lower photo) have known her since she was born. 

   

Saturday began with the funeral for our Rotary friend Nate at a church in Waukegan.  It was a chilly service because the church furnace was on the blink.  (Ironically Nate was a long-time trustee so just a few years ago he'd have been the one fussing over the troubleshooting and arranging for the repair.) 

Nate, Phil, and Stevens at the Rotary Golf Outing in 2024.  (Phil is still alive and kicking!)

I had to leave the funeral early to get to the Lake County Women's Coalition luncheon.  Another Festive Food exchange and a nice time had by everyone.  

Rosemary's 80th birthday celebration was early Saturday evening.  The restaurant was full with family and so many friends.  

(She's the one for whom I made the 8-candle mug rug that you saw a week or so ago.)

Among the ZB library folks. 

 Rosemary was a social worker for many years. She moonlighted at the library when I started there.  A couple of years later I hired her as the circulation/tech services department head. An excellent decision!  And she and Stevens got along wonderfully.

Entertainment!  Rosemary's nephew is a performer (he once rode around inside the library on a unicycle).  He juggled balls inside and fire outside.  

# # # # # #

Snow fell overnight -- 6"!  Neighbors Mike and Jen are out of town but the young man on the their other side snowblowed what I didn't shovel.  I was grateful!  

A clear driveway meant that I could go to church, a good thing since I was liturgist.  Once I got back home I stayed inside.   I moderated the ALA Retired Members Round Table book group on Zoom.  We used prompts rather than specific books. This time we shared "traveler's tales."  Good recommendations from everyone.

Yes, I did get time to sew.  I'm saving the clues for the Quiltville mystery. Not rushing to keep up has been very liberating.  

I had parts already prepped for five daisy mug rugs.  The daisy appliques are the most time-consuming to fuse (two layers of WOW), trace, and cut.  The mug rugs are offered to P.E.O. chapters who order the yearbook covers that are my chapter's fundraising project. 

The 100 framed four-patch blocks for the Many Hands, Many Hearts drive generated a lot of black and white scraps.  Here's what some of those scraps have become.  

Blocks are 6.5" unfinished.

# # # # # 

  Carly Anne York's book was already in preparation before the cuts to federal funding for scientific research were announced.  The "silly science" she writes about is precisely why that funding is important.   Some topics we know about--using snake venom to produce anti-venom, and from snakes to frog venom and leech secretions to create anticoagulants and other drugs.    Cockroaches are able to flatten their bodies and squeeze into teeny crevices because their carapaces are plates that collapse into one another.  That inspired robots that can squeeze flat with splayed legs to go into the rubble of collapsed buildings to search for survivors. The levitating frog demonstrates the power of electromagnetism.  The salmon cannon gets them up and over dams so they can spawn and can also keep invasive species (like Asian carp) from invading.   

Fascinating and accessibly-written.  This would be a good Christmas gift for teens to adults.

Linking up with Design Wall Monday  Oh Scrap! Sew and Tell Monday Musings

Friday check in: holiday happenings and some sewing

 

Clear skies, cold temperatures this week.

The supermoon as seen from the back yard Thursday at 5 p.m.  

Tuesday:   Zion Woman's Club luncheon at a local restaurant.  We exchanged "festive food" -- a useful alternative to white elephants which are too often a way to get rid of one "dustable" and in turn take home someone else's dustable.   I brought some of my Christmas tablecloths to set the table. 

Wednesday:  the quilt guild holiday dinner at a restaurant in Antioch.  There were fun games (A-Z, name a quilt-related item; what's on your phone? with points for apps, battery life, etc.).  Each attendee got five tickets for a UFO raffle and could buy more. I brought two UFOs (14 yards by weight) and, hooray, I didn't win anything.  There was an ornament swap and a Secret Santa tote bag swap.   The white elephant had to be a quilting notion or tool. (I gave a never-opened Kimberbell template set--list price $49.95--that I got for $2.00 at a thrift shop.) 

I showed my contributions a couple of weeks ago.  Here's the tote bag I got -- a great size to haul works-in-progress.

See the quilt behind me?  That's this year's guild raffle quilt.  The winning ticket was drawn at the end of the evening.   The winner was present and she was delighted.

# # # # # # 

In the studio:  I'm working on two projects at once.  

I began the String X blocks a few weeks ago.  I used all of one blue print and found another that's so close in color you can hardly tell the difference. 

 I need to cut more strings to size (1-1/2" to 2-1/2" by 5").   I have enough blue for 24 quarters (=6 blocks).  I'll try to find another blue to make a total of 25 blocks. 

When Cynthia announced the new block drive for Many Hands and Many Hearts   (here)  I got right to work!  The framed four-patches are fun to make.  

Linking up at Finished or Not Friday

Weekly update: a snowy end to November

 

The boys are back! 

The nutcracker collection began with a gift from my mother shortly after we were married.  She gave us two or three more.   I've acquired the rest at TJ Maxx, estate/rummage/garage sales, and thrift shops.   They're all German.  

I made Good Cheer in 2013 from swap blocks.

The rest of the nutcrackers are providing a backup chorus for the Christmas tree.

Just as forecast, it began snowing at noon Saturday and continued all night long.  This was the view from the front door this morning.  9" accumulation.  

I shoveled the front stoop and walk.  My next door neighbor and the neighbor next to him got the driveway cleared at noon.  

I didn't go out at all!

Snow days = sew days, and I did. 

The Blue Shirt Bow Ties quilt is finished.  I had just the right medium blue in the backings stash (2004 on the selvedge but I got it some years later on clearance). 

I quilted it with rust-colored thread using the serpentine stitch. 

Another shirting project!  I cut all the fabric earlier in the week so it was ready to assemble Saturday.

  This is my version of Flutterby, the Running Doe top-along for October. All shirts except for the lime green solid.  (It was the November top-along (finished a couple of weeks ago) that began what turned out to be a month of thrifted shirts.   I have already pulled fabric for the December top-along -- not shirts!) 

# # # # #

My stated goals for November were to finish 20 placemats, give away 100 yards of fabric, and sew faster. 

Placemats:  check.

Giveaway:  just 2 yards.

Sew faster:  I did pretty well with these finishes in addition to the bow ties.  (I've reported on each one as I've made them.)

Stash report for November:   Fabric OUT 89-3/8 yards.  Fabric IN:  48-1/2 yards, $49, average $1.00 per yard.

Stash report YTC:  Fabric OUT 837-3/8 yards.  Fabric IN: 1338-1/2 yards, $1217, average $1.09 per yard.  

Busy week ahead with two holiday luncheons, a holiday dinner, a concert, and more.  I have some gifts to order and holiday cards to address.   I'm beginning to mull over some quilt projects with 2026 deadlines.  I will not perish from inactivity.

Linking up with OMG report Oh Scrap! Sew and Tell  Monday Musings  Design Wall Monday

P.S.  I wish the old guy were here to enjoy the nutcrackers.   (Photo November 2024.)

Friday check in: thankful for so many things

 I'm thankful for good and generous friends.  Thanksgiving dinner at Linda and Alan's was so enjoyable.  They are the kind of people who can--and do--open their home (and their hearts) and entertain without fuss.  The other guests were friends from their church, including three families originally from Nigeria, with kids ranging in age from 6 to college freshmen. (One of the freshmen (at Yale) received a coveted STAR scholarship from P.E.O., sponsored by Linda's and my chapter.)                         

We finished the puzzle just as Linda called us to dinner.  

As I wrote earlier, I contributed Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish.  I also made this casserole. I left some with the hosts and have some (a lot) to enjoy at home. 

# # # # # #

Never turn down a good sale--all this for $240.26

I am thankful for good customer service!  In mid-October Connecting Threads had their Essential Threads on sale.  I bought a lot.  Two weeks later I checked on the order status. It said UPS had delivered November 8, but I didn't receive it.   I filed a claim with CT by email but got only "we'll respond in 5 business days." This past Monday I called -- and they replaced the entire order at no charge!  Not only that, it arrived on Wednesday. 

# # # # # #

In the studio:    I took a break from thrifted shirts to make a mug rug for a friend's 80th birthday. The party is next week. 

But I couldn't leave the bow ties on the wall for long.  The border is another thrifted sheet (Ralph Lauren).  I basted it last evening and it's under the needle now.  I will treat myself to more sewing as a reward for bringing the Christmas decorations up from the basement closet.  

Linking up with Finished or Not Friday.  

I'm thankful to the wonderful quiltmakers I've met and gotten to know! 

Midweek: bows in rows + reading

 

Late November in the state park:  deep red Virginia creeper, new lichen, oak leaves, and the starry remains of asters.

In domestic news:  as I wrote Monday, I bought a turkey though I'm going to friends' for Thanksgiving.  I roasted the turkey yesterday.  I carved it with portions now in the freezer.  I made stock from the carcass.  

There wasn't much left when I went to Stiles, the produce/flower stand just over the border in Wisconsin. Susan will close up next Sunday.  She takes the holidays off and will get back to the greenhouse in January.   

# # # # # 

In the studio:  I finished the bowtie blocks and assembled them in rows (well, columns, but that doesn't rhyme).  

I have enough of the terracotta background for borders but I'm considering the options.  

# # # # # # 
I've known about this book forever because it was a Crime Club selection and in the collections of the libraries where I worked. (Or was it because Stevens had a paperback copy? At one time he had several hundred paperback classic mysteries.)  

 Last weekend I got a used copy (rebound in stout buckram, withdrawn from the Rockford PL) and I finally read it.  In short:  Adrian Messenger gives a list with 10 names to his friend at Scotland Yard.   Days later he perishes in an airline crash over the Atlantic.  The friend suspects foul play and engages Anthony Gethryn to investigate.  

It's so good.  Pleasantly dated but very well-written and suspenseful. 

Now I want to the see the movie but it isn't available to stream.  Alas, I no longer have a DVD player.

This is the original cover.  According to GoodReads it's the 12th of MacDonald's books featuring Gethryn.  I don't think I've read any of them.

Linking up with  Wednesday Wait Loss

Weekly update: a finish and a good book

 

The thrifted shirts quilt is finished. 

  I made the rounds of local thrift shops and scored two twin sheet sets (flat and fitted) and two flat sheets.  They're all cotton.   I can usually differentiate between microfiber and cotton with just a glance (something about the sheen?) though some 60/40 blends can be deceiving.    

I put one of them to use right away for the shirtings quilt.  It's the paisley.  I had to cut around some small stains.  I added the blue floral to make it wide enough.  

 

It is futile to think I'll use up all of those shirtings but as I cut strips I also cut a bunch of 3-1/2" squares.  I thought about sewing them in four-patches but, no, they want to be a little more decorative.   The background is another thrifted sheet, never used, that's been in the stash for several years.  

The bowties were easy sewing while I watched The Great Escaper with Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson.  A poignant story made more so knowing it was both actors' final roles.  

# # # # # # #

Mystery fans, this is a good one!

Skulduggery and shenanigans in the elver business in Maine. Baby eels are harvested legally and illegally and then shipped or smuggled to Korea where they are allowed to grow. Then they become sushi.

The Viertels (father and son) have written an eco-mystery reminiscent of Carl Hiassen.

# # # # # #

A P.E.O. sister has invited me to join her and her family for Thanksgiving dinner.  I will take Mama Stamberg's cranberry relish.  (It was sad not to have the annual recitation of the recipe on NPR last Friday. Stamberg passed away in October.)   I'll also make another side.   I bought a turkey for myself because Jewel had them for .69/lb.  I'll be eating turkey for months.

Linking up with  Sew and Tell Design Wall Monday Oh Scrap! Monday Musings

# # # # # #

P.S. about eels:   when Stevens was a child the family spent a week in Watermill, Long Island, each summer.  One year he caught eels for pocket money.  His back-at-school report on "what I did on my summer vacation" was about eeling.  The teacher did not believe him.  I am still  [what's midway between sadness and outrage?] on behalf of that eight-year-old. 

Midweek: RSC finish and a start

  

I'm thoroughly caught up in The American Revolution, the new Ken Burns documentary.  Though all episodes are streaming now, I'm watching each evening on WTTW, the Chicago PBS station. 

The November issue of The Atlantic has an article by Burns about making the show.  He talks about the challenges of recreating events from two centuries ago. There are many written records but of course none of the photographs, film footage, or oral histories used in his films about the Civil War, WWII, and Vietnam.  He gives great credit to the many reenactors who participated.  

As I watch I sew.   And here's what happened.  

Rainbow 9-Patch is finished.  I used the serpentine stitch.   The quilting took one evening -- four hours. (News, Ken Burns, and a one-hour episode of an Acorn mystery.) 

I have overflowing tubs of backing fabrics but I found these bright prints on another shelf.  The top right and the bottom are different colorways of the same print. 

Total fabric used:  7-1/2 yards.

Another project leaped onto the cutting table and from there to the sewing machine and the design wall.  All shirtings.*   8-1/2" blocks.  

I have in mind making 72 blocks to finish at 64 x 72 (bigger if I add a border).

*Thrifted shirts. Stevens' shirts are still in the closet.  

There's a fireplace in the living room that we (I) don't use.  It's very drafty and quilts make a great draft-stopper.  Sometimes they decide they want to be rearranged, as I found out this morning.  

Linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss

Weekly update: local history, bunco, a finish, and the other RSC project

The Zion Woman's Club fall Bunco fundraiser was Friday night. As club president I had a lot invested in the outcome and I am delighted to report that it was a great success.  If I added correctly, the gross income was $1950.   One winner was very lucky indeed -- she won $215 in the 50/50 cash raffle, $225 in the gift card raffle, and the quilt I donated.  

 # # # # #

 I enjoyed two programs sponsored by the Waukegan History Museum in honor of Indigenous Peoples Month.  

Thursday evening was a showing of "The Negotiator."    Billy Caldwell,  

(c) Susan Kelsey 

aka Sauganash, was the son of a Mohawk mother and an Irish father. He worked for the trader John Kinzie at Fort Dearborn (Chicago), was an influential negotiator for the tribes for the 1829 Second Treaty of Prairie du Chien, and eventually was among the Indians removed to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Sauganash neighborhood on Chicago's north side is named for him (as is Caldwell Avenue). Susan Kelsey wrote a book about Billy Caldwell and then produced a film: more information here . Fascinating Chicago and Native American history.

Saturday morning archaeologist Dan Melone talked about pre-European inhabitants of northeastern Illinois. I learned a lot, not the least of which is that there are burial mounds in our county. I asked how to recognize one and he gave the dimensions -- a low mound, about 7 x 10 feet. In other words, they're not all giant formations. But he didn't provide specific locations for privacy's sake.

Sunday afternoon I went to the open house at my home town historical society. It was in honor of Northbrook's 124th anniversary. Though the first non-native settlers came in the 1830's (land in this part of Illinois was $1.25/acre), the town was not incorporated until 1901.

The building was a tavern moved from its original location at a busy highway intersection to the village park. (I was home that day and watched it.) The upstairs is decorated like a late 19th century house.

# # # # #

I spent time in the studio, too!

Weave is not only finished, it's out of the house. I donated it and another quilt to Cory's Project for their big fundraising event next month.

There will be two swaps at the guild holiday party.  Each year there's an ornament swap and this year there's a tote bag swap. I made a pot holder ("an ornament for your kitchen").

The tote bag can be any size, any style. Small gifts (sewing or non-sewing) can be included. The lime/gray/black panel was in the orphans box so half the work was already done.

All year I've made 9-patch blocks in the RSC color of the month. I clipped a photo from a magazine and used it as my inspiration. The design uses 12 sets of 8 blocks. RSC had 10 colors plus neutral. I chose gray for the neutral and coral for the twelfth color.

I auditioned several fabrics for the setting squares and triangles, and finally decided on a light taupe print.

Getting all the blocks in the correct order was tricky.

It's basted and I'm contemplating how to quilt it.

# # # # # #

Linking up with Design Wall Monday Sew and Tell Monday Musings , Oh Scrap! and RSC Saturday

P.S. I walked at Illinois Beach on Saturday. 70 degrees meant shirtsleeves in mid-November! Granted, it's a flannel shirt, but still . . . the temperature dropped to the high 40's on Sunday.