Friends Visiting

It has been a fun and busy start to September... and here we are looking at the first day of fall. Where has the summer gone?

I had a friend, Laetitia, from South Africa visiting and she brought along one of her friends, Ilette, as

well. Laetitia and I were in the Jacaranda Quilt Guild together and were members of a home group (bee) that met just about every week in the evenings. I collected them at O'Hare on Saturday and from there we visited a Quilt Shop. Quiltfabric.com, one of my favorites when I lived there, and I always try to stop in for a visit when in town. I love the huge selection of batiks!! We made a stop at a retailer for some necessities and then dinner at Portillos, burgers and beer long what could be better after a long flight? Does Laetitia look happy and excited?

The following day we did Chicago. We did a lot of walking. Navy Pier, caught a lake tour boat, and we saw one of the tall ships sailing about as well.


We then took a friends suggestion and made our way to the Chicago Cultural Center, which had escaped my notice ... when I lived here. There are 2 dome rooms, one on the north end of the building and the one we wanted to see the Preston Bradley Hall with the Tiffany Dome is on the south end. The Mosaic is absolutely stunning and worth the few minutes it takes to visit it. My photos are not the best. I had the zoom lens and it does not do so well in low light, but this will give you an idea....  those tiles are about 1/2 inch square, so there are millions of them.... and many of them glitter too.

We next walked across the street and spent a few minutes under the trees listening to the Jazz Festival music and viewing some of the artists on our way to 'Cloudgate' otherwise known as the BEAN. I have never seen so many people at the bean. I have even  been there when, the only reflection has been us, no other people on the square!!! It was very very busy... and I forgot to mention HOT in Chicago.

Our next stop was the Buckingham Fountain, which was under renovation when I came in the past and you would think I would take a picture of it.... nope... We continued our walking tour... on down to the Field Museum and then along the waterfront back to the car.

It was a long day, and we packed a lot into it.

I will share more in the next few days.... More for sure 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

Houston …. 2013

First a picture. A sparrow.

I mentioned at the end of my last post that we have been back in the states for year now. I can still remember the anticipation of our move to South Africa! and when we left we thought that we would be gone at least 3 years, and possibly 5 years, and returning would be to Chicagoland. Isn’t it amazing how things can change?

I figured that we would settle down… here and get quiet… and back into a routine. OK, for the record, I never have a real routine… I don’t know how some folks do it, because I don’t do the same thing from one week to the next, never mind day to day!

I was happily unpacking, putting things away and basically finally settling…thinking that my adventures are over for awhile -when an email arrives early in the new year. Would I consider going to Houston for Quilt Festival this year? Escorting and helping a friend around the city and venue? I know you are all thinking a friend from South Africa, but no. A friend I have known online (-A Pickle-) from a Yahoo Group, that hails from Sweden. Yes none other than Wolfie!!! (she blogs here).

We have been working out the logistics and details… and are in the final count down. For me, the trip is hop and a skip, but for her, somewhat longer…. We have planned classes, shopping, viewing the quilts, site seeing and anything else we can cram in to 5 days!!! Are you going to Houston for the Quilt Festival this year?

and last another picture.

For lunch he had Spaghetti-O’s. How he got it on his forehead I have no idea, but I at least had the foresight to cover his clothes with a towel.

More later- Beth

Local Views

I recently visited the little ‘burg’ of Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. It sits between 2 rivers…. The Shenandoah and the Potomac. The rivers come together and flow on East toward the Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic Oceans as the Potomac.

Lots of American history comes together here or maybe comes apart is a more apt term. It is where the North and the South Divided during the Civil War. This was not our original destination, but an accident closed the road to Frederick MD, so we decided to drive to Harpers Ferry… instead. We drove around the upper part of the village, and then took a drive through the Harpers Ferry National Park…. We were just in time to take a walking tour of a local Farm and heard a bit of the history from a Park Guide. I enjoyed hearing some of the history… and the start of the war with the abolitionist John Brown and his attempt to capture the Armory and Gun Factory in Harpers Ferry, of the area and the names involved, but when he started to describe the battles and who was where, I lost interest. If you are interested in knowing more….. see HERE or Here or here

I am always more interested in how they lived in those days… like how the cannons were hefted by men up the rocky hillsides from the train tracks below- about a 1,000 feet…. 10,000 pound cannons hauled up by 100 or more men in late June!!! They tried mules, but it was too hard on them!!! Can you imagine… that hard labor and the less than healthy  food that was available then? Not to mention the heat and humidity, that is always present at this time of year….

So they hauled a cannon like this up a wall of rocks and trees like this…

A cannon row:

So, when our guide started talking about General Lee and the other Generals on either side… I wandered off with the camera and took some nature shots.

This butterfly is smaller than a Quarter. When it’s wings are folded it is smaller than a dime!!! It is an Eastern Tailed Blue Hairstreak.

Hiding in the shade I found a Moth resting.

Also spotted was the remains of a flower. I don’t know what flower, but whatever it was I don’t think it is nearly as interesting as it’s seed head….

On our way into one of the restored original buildings in Harpers Ferry, I saw this door latch. It has been there a long while…. and used much, as we can see by the wearing on the metal. Isn’t a beautiful piece of workmanship?

A Lot Going ON…

Since the Surprise post…. there has  been a few days of quiet and many days hectic of activity!!!! Some sewing, some cleaning, some family, some travel, some baseball and some holidays, and site seeing!!!

SEWING…. (I’ll tell a bit more about these projects in another post)

no pictures of cleaning…. well because who really wants to see that? and none of travel, because it was a quick trip back to Chicagoland.

FAMILY…. this little guy, Darling Grandson (DSG), just 2- and his parents , moved to the area in the middle of April. So we have spent lots of time with family!! I have a Sister in Law and her family here, and an Aunt and family here as well! Some of my missing time has been spent one on one with the DSG….

  

BASEBALL….  in addition to moving, we have taken in some baseball- our 7 year old nephew at Little League and of course the Nationals!!!

  

MEMORIA DAY…. We were on the Mall and witnessed Rolling Thunder-200,000+ motorcycles rolling in a protest ride and honors our HEROs

  

we also honored our HEROs with carnations. This was at the WW2 memorial.

SIGHT SEEING…. some canons from Harpers Ferry West Virginia

  

and the new monument to Martin Luther King. It is very striking, both in size and concept.

So now you know why things have been very quiet on the blog… but I will endeavor to be more…. informative… and post more pictures.

More Later--

Beth

Out of Commission

That would be me… I am immobile…. resting…. and healing. On Monday or Tuesday I was tossing some toys for the dogs (at least that is what I think was the cause) and inadvertently, pulled, strained or tore a muscle in my back.

When I went to work on Wednesday…. things progressed rapidly downhill. By midafternoon, I knew something was wrong… but wrongly thinking I would work through it.

When I got up on Thursday morning, I could hardly walk and trying to find balance was excruciating. So I started with ice… and by Friday was using heat, and by Friday evening a bit looser and more mobile, but only to go the bathroom, reheat the rice bag or have a little water. Otherwise it was more time in the chair.

The good news is… today while stiff, walking is easier, but there is still some pain when I move just so- the wrong way. So once again I am sitting in ‘the chair’ with heat. So, for the time being I am down for the count.

Our trip home from the US had us stop overnight in London. DH has a friend from work that lives there, and they (Kevin and Heather O) insisted that we stay with them. They were the greatest hosts. They both had to work of course, but made us feel very welcome and expected. With Tube passes, cell phone and local maps.

On our first day we took a walk around Hyde Park and saw the fence panel (above), the goose and the seagulls. When we started out it was warm… but it soon turned cold!!!

Kevin also arranged for us to view the Key Ceremony at the Tower of London. It wasn’t your ordinary daytime tour. This was a night time tour and semi-private. Unfortunately it was typical ‘English’ weather, so we didn’t get to walk and listen to the guide, but we did get to visit the Tower Church, and get a up close and personal with a few of the relics and stones of some of the bodies that have been interred. After the history and the Key Ceremony we were invited to the Beefeaters Pub. *a little history* The Guards of the Tower are a special group from the English Military, and a few select are chosen to be Tower Yeoman Warders, it is a lifetime job and there are only 38 at any given time. After the Key Ceremony the real jewel of this tour is a visit to the Yeoman Warders Pub. Where we had a drink or two with the Warder that was our guide. The inside of the pub has been decorated in badges or shields from various forms of ‘guards’ or police from around the world. I saw several shields from the USA, (FDNY, FBI, , Secret Service and all the branches of the US Military).  The last couple of years the US Embassy and the Warders have a Whiffle Ball Tournament, this is the trophy from 2 years ago.

That is all I have… 2012 is waiting in the wings and will be here soon!!! Ok for me a little sooner than for (most) of  you…. Until later….

Happy New Year!!!

Beth