Dresden Plates

Recently, while browsing the web, I came across an idea to make dresden plate placemats.

I love my Studio cutter...
after pressing several fat quarters I quickly ran them through the cutter and in a matter of minutes had enough blades cut for 13 plates!

I quickly pieced together six  plates.  Then I layered batting, backing. and the plate face-down and carefully stitched around the zig zag edge.  I birthed through the center hole, but couldn't get the points to lay flat. (sorry didn't think to take a picture of the mess!)




My back-up plan had me reverse-birthing (yikes!) and then stitching around the edge and cutting off the points.  When I birthed it the second time I had a nice 10inch round plate.

I'm not sure if a 10inch round matt is big enough for a placemat.  I may have to applique the plates onto a larger square or rectangle before layering. 

 Maybe I can just round out the points and stitch them on rather than fuss with applique-ing the points.   What do you think?

blue bag update

I recently made my grandson a little  blue bag,  at his request, so that he could carry his books to church for reading during mass.  The grocery sacks that we were using, were just too big!

When he came back to visit the next weekend, he wanted a red bag.  Time being short, we compromised!

Projects

I have been working on several crafts the last few weeks.

I joined an online yahoo swap group to make hand-pieced POTC blocks. (I don't remember exactly what POTC stands for... I think its something like points of the cross.. but I'm not sure.) After an incorrectly-sized home-made template and false start, I am finally on track and have completed my first block.

It's a little bit wonky in the picture because I removed the template papers from the top.  I should have left them in until connecting it to the next block.  I'll leave it for now and fuss with it later.

I have also begun making some dresden plate placemats for sale at a couple of upcoming craft shows.  These are still a work in progress.

Last, but not least, I pieced this little bag from scraps for my grandson to carry some books to church in.  He is now big enough for Sunday school and the last few weeks he has been able to sit through mass without fidgeting too much if he has some picture books to read.   The shopping bags I had on hand for him to carry his books were way too big so he asked me to make him a blue one that was just his size.  How could Nana refuse?!   As you can see, he was very pleased. 

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But now, I must add some red to the bag!  (why, I have no idea, but that is what has gotten into his head this week).  So I will be fusing his initials onto the bag ... and maybe the outline of a little car too, just for fun!

August Happenings

My daughters new used car broke down two days after driving it off the lot.  She bought the car "as is" and was shocked when the dealer wouldn't do anything about it.  After a lot of tears and whining and phone calls back and forth with the dealer, they finally agreed to look at it and 10 days later it is finally in working order... there was something wrong with the computer chip in the key!  While all the car drama was going on I was called on to be Mom's taxi service, shuffling her to and from work.  Also, my oldest grandson's time at daycare ended and Pre-K schooling began.  The first two weeks of Pre-K are only part-time classes... so I have been picking him up and keeping him busy in the afternoons until her workday was done, then picking her up and taking them both home.

Of course, this all happens as the county fair opened!  I worked with some of the FCE ladies receiving entries for the Women's Building competition and display.  I was able to gather and enter a couple of my own entries too! 

Easy Street won a blue ribbon in the machine piece/quilted category
Welcome Basket Sampler won a blue ribbon in the wall hanging category
Lucky Charms won a red ribbon in the applique category
Matthew's Puppy Quilt won a red ribbon in the embroidered quilt category... and....

 

I also won a blue ribbon in the "Farm Life" category for a picture of my grandson after picking a basket of berries!

 

We took him to the last day of the fair and he really enjoyed all the rides..each of them.... several times!  We had to stop and get some cotton candy before heading home!

P. C. Fair

Wednesday was day one of the ten day Putnam County Fair.

I will be working in the Women's Building taking in and displaying entries for competition.  I will be entering my Easy Street, Welcome Basket Wall Hanging as well as some photographs, and Matthew will enter his Puppy Quilt.)

Janice, Merry and I in 2012

In years past, FCE clubs ran the Country Store to raise money to fund our charitable activities in the community (school supplies, backpacks for children of Vets, backpacks of food for disadvantaged kids to have something to eat on weekends).  


Regulations imposed and liability issues faced by UT in the unlikely event of food poisoning,  make it impossible for us to sell foods that are not prepared in a certified kitchen.  It is a time-consuming proposition for our members to individually go through the inspection and certification process in order to bake at home and bring some items to sell.  So, the decision was made to give up the Country Store as our fundraising project.  

However, there will still be a Country Store this year.  Some ladies in the community (some of whom are FCE members) got permission from the Fair Board, and they will be running the Country Store for profit instead. They aren't worried about certified kitchens or liability.  I  may bake a few cakes and pies to sell... just for the fun of it... or, I may not.  I may just enjoy my grandson this year and have fun at the fair instead of working all those hours!

Trees

We recently discovered that the pine tree closest to the house had branches that were splitting up the middle and we were risking a chance that they would fall on the house with the next storm.  Also, those 4 maple tree trunks at the back of the property have grown so big that they fill up the drainage ditch that runs across the back of the property causing the yard to flood every time it rains!... and it has been a very wet Spring/Summer season.  

When the weather finally dried up enough we had a contractor come in and remove the two pines and those 4 maples.  I spent the day taking pictures and watching in awe as the guy in the bucket went up and down and  up an down, removing branches. 




 He would drop the branches to the ground and the guys below would feed them into the grinder.

 When he had free access the to trunks, the big crane was brought in. 

 He then tied cables high up on the trunk... and a second cable a few feet lower.  He hooked up to the crane and sliced off the top of the tree.

 It was a bit scary seeing the tree top swinging over the roof top.  But they gently lowered it to the ground and fed it through the grinder.

 

Now the job is done and the backyard is much brighter.  We can even wave hello to our neighbors now.