Busy

We have been making applesauce every day for the past week. About a bushel each day. We should be done soon. And Elly came over for the weekend. Something about her cat that ran away back in June showed up and they had a funeral service. Poor little girl. She was so happy the cat was found but did not understand why they were putting dirt on his box in the hole. So she came to the farm to get some animal time. Good thing she likes kielbasa since I had lots.

I am mentally packing my bags for a trip to England to visit one of my sisters for a week. Visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum is on the agenda. I wonder what amazing antique textiles will be on display? After that is a week in Poland to celebrate my aunt's 90th birthday. 

One of the things on my to-do list was to get a haircut. When the girl asked how I wanted it cut, I said like hers. Well, it looks nothing like hers. And I forgot that I wanted to get a good picture for the back cover of my book. Maybe it will grow quickly or I could wear a hat. Or maybe I can skip the picture part. Or I could submit a nice one from years ago.

I have done very little stitching since I got home from the retreat. But I knew that I had other things to do. I did a bit while babysitting the other night and then some more before going to bed a couple of nights. This might be completed before I leave so I will have to prep some more.

Morrell # 18

Good thing that I still have several BTCT blocks prepped so I will have some handwork to take along. Not sure of I will take any textbooks since what I am working on is computer stuff.

Blessings,
Chris

Shipshewana Retreat

How can life ever return to normal after 5 whole days of quilting in Shipshewana?
Thank you Gay Bomers and Brenda Papadakis for organizing these retreats.

After 8 hours on the road, we arrived at Gretchen's  farm where she invited us to stay overnight. I showed her my completed Dear Jane top and several works in progress that I had brought along, naively thinking I would get a lot of work done on each one. Then Gretchen proceeded to show us her completed quilts. Oh my goodness! She was ready and had about 20 (I forgot to count) full sized quilts that she had made over the years and the stories that go along with each one. Of course, my camera was packed away in the trunk of my car with dead batteries. I have been emailing with Gretchen since spring when we connected through our blogs and realized that our husbands have known each other for many years. We both raise Guernsey cows.

Now one the rules of quilt retreats include "what goes on at retreat stays at retreat", but I can share what I did. I started the Sarah Morrell quilt. Yup! I did.

 I got 10 of 12 foundation pieced strips for one of the blocks and prepped an applique block so I had something to hand stitch on. I did not have all the paper strips with me so could not finish it. Silly me. I thought I could get all 10 blocks foundation pieced.

Morrell Block #39

 I did have 4 BTCT blocks with me to work on, but starting on a new one is always exciting.

BTCT Block # 16

 I also took a workshop with Ann Holte.

Lancaster Diamond Sampler

 Ann made a reproduction of the original. It does look intimidating but will be very simple to make once you understand how to work with those 65 degree diamonds. It's all in the book.

 I made one block.

When I got home I started a new blog. It was easy. Too easy. The name? Quilting Morrell at the Farm.
Here I will journal my way through the making of  my Morrell quilt. If I can ever figure out how to set up a linky party, I will. That way others can come on board and share their progress also.

Blessings,
Chris

Applesauce and Laundry

Today we officially began making applesauce. Our 4 dwarf tress had another bumper crop and there are still 8 big feed bags filled with apples sitting in the porch keeping cool.  We can applesauce for the whole year or 2 if there are lots. There are two Golden Delicious, one Empire and one Mutsu.

     Two of the little girl grandchildren helped Grampa pick apples two weeks ago. 

 It is such a beautiful warm fall day here. I went to waterfit this afternoon. It is one physical activity that I can do because there is little impact on my joints. Today, however, first I forgot my underwear. I usually put on my bathing suit at home. I know I put the underwear in the bag with an extra towel since I planned to wash my hair since it was going to be wet anyway. So I did, but did not have the extra towel. Then when I got home and went to hang up the $78 new bathing suit, it was not in the bag nor was my shampoo. Sigh. I probably should drive back into town and find it. It took me a few months to find a swim suit in my size. But it is a beautiful day and I could use some more sunshine. After all, it is November and lots of brilliant sunshine is a gift, one of the few things I learned in grade 11 geography. That and how to read a road map.  

Also, I must clarify that when I "pre-wash" my fabrics, I do not use soap or fabric softener. I fill up my top load machine with either warm or cold water, depending if the cold water pressure lets me. Today we had replaced the water intake valve and ran through a load of farmer work clothes and they were totally covered in sand. So, I cleaned the machine, then filled it up with cold water but it was totally filled with sand again, so I drained it and did yet another load and drained that. Then I washed a load of towels and after that some of the laundry from my trip. As it turned out, a water hose in the barn had come off and the well was draining and drawing sand. Yuk. This is one of the things we have to deal with on the farm and hard water fed well that also feeds 120 head of cows.

I do not like to agitate it too much so the threads do not ravel and get knotted up. I turn off the machine then add the fabric to the water and slosh it up and down by hand until everything is wet. I let it soak for 15-20 minutes or a couple of hours if I forget, then spin it out and dry in the dryer. I might put in a dozen fat quarters in the dryer at a time. I will add the tiniest piece of a fabric sheet to cut the static. I used to take them out when still a bit damp then press them but anymore I just let them dry totally and get them out right away. I give them a quick press before folding.

I got some applique done on BTCT circles and leaves while visiting my daughter but got more hugs and kisses in from my grandson. I got lots of homework done this trip. I will be returning there in 9 weeks to stay for the birth of their second baby.

Next week I am going to Shipshewana Indiana for the Just Takes 2 retreat with Brenda Papadakis and Gay Bomers. I have some of my bags and projects packed and will complete that as soon as I can do the rest of my laundry. Then I will be off to Europe. Sounds so adventurous. I will be going to visit my sister In England for a week then to help my aunt celebrate her 90th birthday in Poland. That I am really looking forward to.

But first, I received the completed content edit of my manuscript back and now to approve all the edits and onto the next stage of publishing my book.

I did drive back into town and found my wet bathing suit and shampoo bottle and found the underwear on the floor where they fell out of the bag when I took the bathing suit out to put on.

Blessings,
Chris