Happy Halloween!

As am adult I don’t go in for the Halloween holiday… its not what it used to be and Axel goes nuts at the door. But when I did the World Wide Photo Walk earlier this month, I saw these tombstones and what better time to post grave markers than on ‘All Hollows Eve’?

I’m on my way to HOUSTON!

to see the International Quilt Festival. This year it is truly International, as I will meet my friend from Sweden. It is her first visit to a huge gargantuan quilt show. I think even a large local show would be overwhelming for her, as there doesn’t appear to be too much in the way of quilting overseas… and I know, with certainly -not on the same level that we do it, !!!

I am also meeting up with many others. But more about friends and the actual show, vendors and classes when I get back home.

This year I submitted pictures for the ‘Eye of the Quilter’ photo exhibit. The theme this year is Fauna and Flora, my 2 favorite subjects, ok I like any theme of nature. Since some of my favorites of the fauna…. were taken in South Africa… I chose 2 of those to submit and one taken of flora over the summer in the Virginia area. I am happy to report that all 3 were accepted. I won’t post them here…. now, but I will share them when I get back.

More Later, I promise!!!

Beth

Recent Projects

In the last few weeks I have completed 2 projects… and I am working on one that is not mine.

The quilt guild just raffled off a quilt and we have already begun the next raffle quilt, which is usually the case with raffle quilts. I volunteered to do 2 of the blocks in red work embroidery and offered to do one of the borders. It is about 72” long… and there is a lot of work in it. I have about 2/3 of it done!!!  But no pictures so far.

I did make a baby quilt too. Nothing fancy and I think it is the way I will go in the future. Most babies are not visual in the early months and then when they are, black and white is the most stimulating. The pattern is simple, the Disappearing 9 Patch made with bright fabrics for the centers. It goes together quickly and will work for boys (more blues and purples), girls (reds and pinks)… and unknowns (an equal amount of all the colors).

The backing for this quilt is flannel… in a very colorful graphic!

For myself I also made another little jacket. My DH picked up the fabric for me on his first trip to South Africa. I deliberated between using a wax batik or this hand printed cotton. I have made this jacket before (see here) no modifications, and I made a pink elephant one that modified by lining with flannel.  Once again I modified the pattern (The Raglan Topper), by making it longer, used the binding to hem instead of turning the bottom edge up, added some pockets and curved the front corner. The jacket is totally unconstructed and simple to put together-no lining and no interfacings… the pockets won’t hold much, in terms of weight, but they are nice to have.

The only other things of note are… I cleaned up my sewing space…. not perfect, just put away the treads, rulers, cutters, etc. and gave the floor a good vacuuming!

Next up… International Quilt Festival Houston!

More later-Beth

Fall

It is fall here… days are getting noticeably shorter and cooler, and the trees are turning… It would have been nice to go over to the Blue Ridge Mountains to see the color there, but the Shenandoah National Park was closed with the rest of the Government. So this weekend we went looking for some local color.

We had the DGS with us Saturday and Sunday, so we took him out for a walk at a small reservoir. The breeze was a little chilly…and the sun was out. I didn’t find much in the way of color… Lots of yellow, green and orange. The poplars are done (leaves gone), the dogwood is not a pretty red and the oaks may be brown before good color sets.

and there were power lines in the way for vista shots. This was the best shot with color. Also found some dogwood berries, it was the best red I saw. As you can see the leaves were dull purple-y brown.

This was my favorite picture -a gold field with a few remaining bits of color- but then again I always like thistles.

We found some active bits of nature… a few butterflies and grasshoppers flitting about and some Wooly Bear Caterpillars. DGS wanting to hold the ‘bear’, but the ‘bear’ wasn’t going to climb on a human. They all seemed to be on a mission… could it be preparing for winter?

For more information on these guys you can go here or here. Interesting… reading about what they become, what they eat and how fast they can travel! Oh and can the really predict the winter?

It seems that the winter prediction between the caterpillar and my dogs are way different! The dogs say harsh…. the caterpillar says mild. Interesting!

After walking and looking at nature, DGS was done and opted for a ride back to the car. We all forgot that he is sensitive to ragweed… so he was feeling a little punkie… next time allergy meds before he arrives at the grandparents house, unless we get a good frost first, which may happen this next weekend. YaY for frost on the pumpkin!!!

More later--- Beth

Day 15

Of the shut down-We are now at 3 weeks without pay.

If it were up to me…. I would fire every single one in Congress! I would tie their compensation to hard deadlines. They don’t get paid! and if they can’t get the job done, they pay US, as in WE The PEOPLE.

On the news last night, “I” heard that some of these elected persons think that we want them to HOLD the line… and not reopen the government, not give in, hold the line. REALLY? Have they seen the polls on this issue? Their constituents must all be independently wealthy -because what I hear is really different!

I don’t know where we can go from here… but as a country we the people need to take back some control. Our politicians seem to think being elected to Congress is about them and their views, not those in their home districts or Political Party as a whole.

It has become so divisive and fractured that they are willing to cripple the entire country (debt ceiling) to be right. I don’t know about you, but I am tired of struggling to live every single month, in an economy that is just barely staying ahead of failure.

I don’t want to experience a depression. The last several recessions have been enough!

I think we need some reforms. I think we need some National Referendums to make some changes. I think we need to simplify our government, and start by instituting term limits, campaign contributions (imagine how nice elections season would be if they didn’t have so much money for awful commercials), outlaw PACS- let states govern themselves… and keep the Federal portion confined to the big picture.

Of course what I think doesn’t matter…. I generally won’t discuss politics, because it can be so contentious… but I think right now we are all fed up with the whole bunch!!! I know I am!

What do you think????

 

Wild Flowers

World Wide Photowalk 2013

Yesterday I participated in an annual even… see the details here….a first time for me on one of the walks…. None have been where I’ve been or when I have been available. Plenty of things tried to get in the way of this… for me…. Jinny Beyer Studio BIG 1 day sale, a Quilting Store going out of business sale-last day, and the Waterford Fair.

Since one was happening right in the town I live in, Leesburg Virginia, and I have not (in the whole year I have lived here) walked in the downtown historic area!!! I joined.

The group met at 10 in the morning, about 50+/-, walking and shooting until noon, and then meet in a local place for lunch. I couldn’t stay for lunch… the  kids were coming for dinner…. and I was cooking!

So…. my favorite shots from the day (I’m saving a couple for posting that are Halloween appropriate until then).

Almost Dead

Classic Door

Red Wall

Iron Detail

Through the Doorway

Wasp or Hornet

And this guy I think I am going to post as my entry…. Not a prize winner, but different!

Do you have a favorite of the ones here? Which one and why?

More later…. Beth

 

What

in the world am I going to blog about? It is the question I have been asking myself for the last week or so. I don’t have anything to say… at least nothing I think anyone wants to hear about.

The DH (dear husband) was away on business last week. It was a long week. A very long week, not really sure why.

I had quilty things that I attended -a bee and a couple of meetings. Both were enjoyable, but neither one was very exciting. I have accepted the nomination for Guild  Secretary. I think it is the only position I have never held on an Executive Board level. May have to practice penmanship. I have suspended the work on the Chickens, because I had a baby quilt to finish. Its done and good thing too. The baby arrived so the quilt will go in the mail soon. And I am quilting another large throw quilt… about 70 x 70, as long as I have the machine set up for quilting… It has been waiting all summer to be quilted.

There is a single constant these last few weeks though. Both of the dogs, Axel and Linzi, are dropping hair like there will be no tomorrow. Between the 2 of them they deposit a small dog every other day. I find the little “fluff” dog floating around on the hardwood floor. So I vacuum just about every day, either the floor or the stairs! I brush them as well, but it never ends. I have never seen these 2 shed like this. It will be interesting to see if it correlates to how cold the winter is.

We also have a new wrinkle. The ‘Budget Impasse’.  DH of course works for the government, but his job is considered essential so he has to report for work regardless. Which means he is employed, but he doesn’t get paid. Is there a term for that? You know when you are out of work and pay its called unemployment. Is there a term for someone that works but doesn’t receive their pay? Oh and all the rules regarding time off, change too. If you have leave scheduled and take it, it’s now called “self-furlough”.

Really?

and of course because we need a picture. One that I think sums it up.

Storm clouds… taken from the back deck in June. It looked like a fierce storm, but didn’t produce much in the way of… storm…..

More later…. Beth