Hope Banner

Several years ago, retired members of a local church realized that there was a need for a safe and supervised environment for post-high school students with disabilities.  These former teachers, nurses and businessmen gathered together, and with funding from their parish, formed Hope Academy.  Every Wednesday during the school year these 20-something individuals, with a variety of disabilities, gather together for a day of fun activities, crafts, games and meals.  This also provided a much needed break for parents of these special young adults.

The program began in a small house behind the church with four students, two volunteers (retired teacher and a nurse) with at one parent required to take a turn to attend each week to help.  This year we expanded to 6 students and added two more permanent adult volunteer and moved into the large activity room in the church basement.

We wanted to decorate the bare walls of the room with something that the kids could make.  The decision was made to make a banner to hang on the back wall of the meeting room.  I spent the first half of the school year working with each child, parent, and volunteer choosing, fusing and blanket-stitching applique blocks. 

Trey

Blake

Olivia

Suzie

Ashley E

Ashley W

Matthew

Carole

Margena

Becky

Barbara

Brenda

Carl

 

HelenMarie

Julie

 

Janey

I am playing with the layout and sashing right now.  
The two original "teachers" are in the top row on the left.  
The two new "teachers" joined us this year will be on the right.  
There are six current students in the second row.
The third and fourth rows are parents.
 

There are two blocks still being worked on by teacher/parent and I still need to cut cornerstones and applique "Hope Academy" on the blue panel in the top middle.  But I am finally making visible progress on this project!

Another Acquisition!

Today I was gifted with this beautiful, in a cabinet, Singer 15-90.  

Margena is downsizing... she and her son have swapped houses... his small two bedroom home was getting too small for his growing family and her 5-bedroom family house in the country was too big for her living alone.  Everyone is happier, but she is still trying to give stuff away that she no longer has room to keep.

This was her mother's sewing machine; she remembers making costumes and clothes for her children with it.

I checked on the serial number and found it was made in 1946.

 Look at the beautiful etching on this metal plate!

Some of the decals on the front and center of the base are worn, as is the finish on the wooden table... but this was a well used and cared for machine.

I'm not too sure about this motor and light.  I doubt they were original parts. The light is held on with this awesome chrome disk, but they just stand out as too different with their plastic-y white casings.  I'll have to ask when I see her next week what the story is.

But, look at what I found in the bottom drawer!  The original manual (which is how I know it's a 15-90!) and the original box full of assorted attachments!

Progress Report

I started this afghan three years ago as a tv watching - keep my hands busy project.  I love the teal color and haven't seen a yarn this color before (the picture doesn't do it justice).  The pattern is called King Charles Brocade.
I did two rows of double crochet around the edge... couldn't remember how to do the scalloped edging that I normally have done in the past. (sigh)

I added an additonal border to my Basket Sampler Wall Hanging to make it better fit my wall.  I'm in the process of blanket stitching the wording.... one step closer to a finish!

I spent most of yesterday cleaning up and organizing my sewing room.  I can now see my cutting table top!  I have now formed a plan for borders for my Easy Street quilt (with help from my online friend Cindy and EQ7).  

One block complete.... 115 to go!


This was a groundbreaking week for my daughter and grandson as they began work on their first new home.

Snowy Day in TN

Snowy days in TN when you are almost 4 can be lots of fun.
I had to make him several snowballs.... which he then threw at me!

We rolled several around the backyard and made these friends!

Then we walked down the block to great grandma's house

He noticed the footprints in the snow and just had to follow them!  Nancy Drew came to mind as I watched him hunch over looking for each footprint!
So cute!

 

Yardsale Saturday

Last year, Bonnie Hunter started a yardsale saturday where followers could link up and sell quilty items they no longer wanted.     This event is now being hosted by ColoradoLady and I since I have been cleaning and organizing I have decided to participate this month.

Listed below are some items that I would like to sell.  If you are interested in purchasing something, leave a comment below or email me at    madakamom@aol.com
Be sure to include your name and contact information so I can get back to you.


I keep my grandson on Saturdays, so I may not be able to respond immediately, but I will answer all inquiries in the order they arrive, ASAP!

This is my first online yardsale, so please be patient with me.  I only just heard about this so I haven't checked on shipping costs.  My plan will be to take items to the Post Office on Monday, check on what it will cost to ship to you, then I will notify you the cost. If that is acceptable to you, send me a check and I'll send you the items.   Sound like a plan??  Good...  here we go.

#1 a patriotic quilted jacket  $15.00(plus shipping) 

I believe it is a size large or 12/14.  I'm not really sure when or where I aquired this, but I no longer have any interest in wearing it.... especially in the July heat of Tennessee!

 Item #2  Child's animal print fabric  $10.00 (plus shipping)


These two coordinating fabrics come with a typed pattern to make a rag quilt.  There are a couple of completed blocks.  No batting included.

2 yards

3 yards

              ******************************

The following kits are patterns and fabric that I bought fully intending to make quilts, but just do not have enough time.  

Because yardage needed for each kit includes measurements like 1/4, 1/2, 1/3, 3/8, 7/8 ...I have just estimated total yardage (I am mathematically challenged when it comes to adding different denominator fractions..I could figure it out given enough time but don't want to go to the effort, hope you don't mind)




Item #3  Summer Twist Quilt Kit $40 (plus shipping)  SOLD

 This kit includes pattern and just over 6 yds of fabric for the quilt top plus an additional 5yds for backing

Item #4  Pinwheel Fun $40 (plus shipping)  SOLD

 
This kit includes pattern and ~9 yds of fabric for the quilt top plus an additional 5yds for backing

Item #5  Pretty in Pink $40 (plus shipping)SOLD

This kit includes pattern and ~9 yds of fabric for the quilt top plus an additional 5yds for backing

Item #6  Fall Spin $40 (plus shipping) SOLD

 
This kit includes pattern and ~10 yds of fabric for the quilt top plus an additional 5yds for backing
 

Item #7  Christmas $40 (plus shipping)  SOLD

 
This kit includes pattern and ~12 yds of fabric for the quilt top plus an additional 5yds for backing


Be sure to check out the other yardsale items available that are linked at

http://ColoradoLady.blogspot.com

2013 TOTALS

The month has quickly slipped by.  I started out a bit slow as I recovered from the flu, but have finished out the month with a bang. 

I started the month by taking some time to organize and list all the UFOs I have in my possession with the idea of making a plan to actually complete them... see my earlier post here:  http://madakamom.blogspot.com/2013/01/ufo-listing.html  So with that in mind I decided to attempt completion of one UFO each month.

Back in 2010 Pat Sloan offered up a free wall hanging pattern, Lucky Charms 
http://patsloan.typepad.com/quiltershome/pat-sloans-lucky-charms-sew-along-part-1.html  .  
The center block included some applique and since my zig-zag stitch is not working correctly I had to do that by hand and fell behind completion.  I eventually finished the top and it has sat in Topville joining other tops waiting to be quilted while I worked on customer quilts, gifts and various projects.  Recently,  I had several delays in working on customer quilts (waiting for backing or batting to be delivered) so I decided to pull this out and get it done.  I am pleased with the way it turned out!

I have worked every spare minute (hours) this month working to complete parts and assemble Easy Street... a mystery quilt by Bonnie Hunter.. offered free on her blog until June 2013

 http://quiltville.blogspot.com/p/easy-street-mystery.html

 I didn't want this to become yet another UFO!

I didn't have Bonnie's neon color choices and since the goal was to shop the stash, I used my Civil War Reproduction fabrics that I have been hoarding.  If I had known how this would all come together I would have changed the color placement, making either the purple or the blue dominant color rather than the green, but I am happy with the results.  Now I have to decide on final borders, but that will be a post for next week.



WORK COMPLETED IN JANUARY
.....10.....customer tops quilted (YTD 10)
.....02.....customer quilts bound (YTD  02)
.....01.....flimsy completed waiting to be quilted  (YTD  1) Easy Street
.....01.....quilted flimsy (YTD  1) Lucky Charms

..............hand-work hours (YTD )
        Bonnie Projects
.....00.....cheddar bowties blocks hand-pieced YTD  0 ...  81 of 162 in 2012)
.....00.....cheddar bowtie rows stitched (YTD  0 .... 9 of 18 in 2012)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 1 hourglass blocks made (YTD 0 .. 21of 112 in 2012)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 2  3.5in string blocks made (completed in 2012 )
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 3 2in HSTs (YTD 0 ....120 of 175 in 2012)
.....06.....Orca Bay Step 4 5.5in string blocks (YTD 06....24 of 32 in 2012)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 5 cut 350 triangles and stitch to part 3 (0 of 175)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 6 cut 2.5in squares and assemble Ohio Stars (0)
.....00.....Floribunda Blocks (12 YTD).... with parts completed to assemble more blocks
..............Talkin Turkey..... 2 blocks complete plus parts
..............Midnight Flight....1 block complete plus parts
..............Winston Ways... 2 blocks complete plus parts
..............Easy Street Steps 1-7 Completed in 2012
.....13.....Easy Street Step 8 Block A (16 of 16)
.....09..............Block B ( YD 9 of 9)

Monday Mornings

Monday mornings you can usually find me trying to clear paperwork and clutter off the dining room table, paying bills, and balancing accounts.  


My son usually entertains himself playing with is Wii or sitting in front of the tv watching his favorite shows and coloring.  He loves to color and paint.  For Christmas he received several sets of markers, crayons, paints, coloring books and kits.

A new tradition has started....   The kits involve mixing colors to get different shades of the same color.  So, his sister has been coming over Monday mornings and they paint together.  He really enjoys her company and attention and I love seeing them bond together.

After a couple hours of painting we clean up and head out for lunch... soup and salad at Olive Garden!

Easy Street Update

I am getting closer to a finish...

I ran just 36 bricks short of the light color fabric.  
I searched local LQS, but no more was available.
I posted at missingfabrics.com and although I received one answer, it was the correct print on the fabric, just the wrong colorway.  But I did order several yards with the idea of using it for the final borders.

As it turns out, I somehow made too many 4-patches.  So I spent last night frogging them and the pressing and sewing the light squares into bricks.  I had enough to make the needed parts for the last 5 blocks.

With all the piecing going on in this quilt, I don't think these pieced parts will stand out too much!

Here are the last 5 blocks stacked and laid out and ready to sew.  I plan to work on these in spare minutes during the week.  

I have recently designated Sunday afternoons as my ME-SEWING time, so the plan is to get this top together on Sunday.

After that, I have to decide what to do for the borders.  I have browsed through the Quiltville album of completed tops and I am leaning towards either the checkerboard border (I can't locate the maker or blog for that one) or the hst border by Cathy in TN.
 

 There is a lot more work involved in making all those hsts, but using the Easy Angle Ruler will make it easier.

The New Saturday Routine

My daughter is back to working on Saturdays again (sigh) but that means that we have the grandson for the day.  Two weeks ago he arrived around 7:30am and I offered him pancakes. 

"No I don't like pancakes... I want cereal"

So I gave him a small bowl of cheerios and milk and went about making pancakes because I had promised them to my son.  I made a big platefull, with extras to be warmed and eaten during the week.  Then I conned my grandson into tasting one.

"I LOVE pancakes!"

I don't think he knew what they were when I first offered... and just like his mother, his first reaction to something new is NO!  Mom doesn't have time in the morning to cook "fancy" breakfasts and get him ready for daycare and her for work.  Now he is all excited and I promised him pancakes every Saturday morning he came to visit.

I decided to plan ahead and mix up the incredients Friday night before going to bed..... big mistake!  The recipie called for 2TBS of sugar and  1/2 tsp salt.  Unfortunately I misread the directions.  As I was dumping the second tablespoon of salt into the mix I was thinking... that was an awful lot of salt!  I looked back at the recipie and realized I had mixed up the sugar and salt amounts!  AAACCCKKK! 

So I had my engineer husband do the math and adjust the recipe and then sent him out to Walmart for more flour.  I now have enough pancake mix for 12 batches!

jumbo ziplock bag full of pancake mix!

So the little one arrived Saturday morning, all excited to eat pancakes, and I was ready.  He ate 18! 

So my Saturday mornings will now include pancakes and Mickey Mouse.... what more could you ask for!

2012 FINAL TOTALS

I completed all the must have done for Christmas customer work and planned to get more done as well as quilting one or two for me, but then life got in the way.  My grandson was sent home from daycare and straight to the pediatrician's office we went.  Flu confirmed. UGH! Three days later, I had it!  Double UGH!  So between feeling lousy and making three Christmas dinners and keeping up with family stuff over the holidays I didn't get any additional quilting done.  But, because I could work in short spurts as energy permitted I was able to keep up with Bonnie's Easy Street Mystery... until the last two rapid fire steps that completed the blocks and assembled the top.  I'm still working on making the blocks..just a few more to go.  I hope to have the top assembled soon.

WORK COMPLETED IN DECEMBER
.....06.....customer tops quilted (YTD 91)
.....03.....customer quilts bound (YTD 18)
.....00.....flimsy completed waiting to be quilted  (YTD 12)
.....01.....quilted flimsy (YTD 5)... Improv, Pink Baby, Pink Flannel, Twirl, Amelia, Cardinals
.....00.....Mini Cell phone purses completed for spa night!(YTD 50)
..............hand-work hours (YTD 89) (40 frill scarves, 3 hat/scarf sets)
        Bonnie Projects
.....00.....cheddar bowties blocks hand-pieced (YTD 81 of 162)
.....00.....cheddar bowtie rows stitched (YTD 9 of 18)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 1 hourglass blocks made (YTD 21of 112)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 2  3.5in string blocks made (YTD 37 of 36 )
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 3 2in HSTs (YTD 120 of 175)
.....17.....Orca Bay Step 4 5.5in string blocks (YTD 24 of 32)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 5 cut 350 triangles and stitch to part 3 (0 of 175)
.....00.....Orca Bay Step 6 cut 2.5in squares and assemble Ohio Stars (0)
.....00.....Floribunda Blocks (12 YTD).... with parts completed to assemble more blocks
..............Talkin Turkey..... 2 blocks complete plus parts
..............Midnight Flight....1 block complete plus parts
..............Winston Ways... 2 blocks complete plus parts
....192....Easy Street Step 1 4-patches
....128....Easy Street Step 2 flying geese
.....64............background rectangles
.....64......Easy Street Step 3  64 shaded 4-patches
.....04........... corner triangles
.....64......Easy Street Step 4 double geese
....145............green squares
.....64......Easy Street Step 5 sitting turkeys
...128......Easy Street Step 6 doubl bricks
.....76...........76 quarter square triangles
.....04......Easy Street Step 7  #1 triangles
.....12...............#2 Triangles
.....03......Easy Street Step 8 Block A (3 of 12)
.....01..............Block B (1 of 9)

UFO Listing

It's that time of year again... new resolutions, new goals.  To that end, Pat Sloan is starting her UFO Busting "Program" this week... You can follow along on her blog beginning here... 

http://blog.patsloan.com/2013/01/pat-sloan-12-ufo-busting-tips-know-what-you-have-is-tip1.html

The first step is to know what I have.  With last years UFO listing as a guideline, I am taking inventory of what I have done in 2012 and what still remains hidden in boxes, totes and closets.


COMPLETED IN 2012
Improv Block Quilt (february)
Scotts Squares (december)
Pink Baby Flannel (november)
Pink Baby FQ (november)
3 pj pants for grandson (december)
8 table runners (november)
50 mini purses (August)

WAITING TO BE QUILTED
Orange/Blue Jelly Roll (Sept 2012)
Antique top acquired at Bell Buckle 2012
Christmas Swap Blocks (moved up in march 2012)
Baltimore Album Quilt (moved up in april 2012)
ScrapMania Thangles Quilt (moved up in june 2012)
Civil War Snowball Quilt (made sometime in 2011)
Rosewood Cottage - 1/2 hand quilted (waiting since 2006)
Lucky Charms (waiting since 2010)
Basket Sampler Quilt (waiting since 2011)
Birthday Star (waiting since 2008)...may get rid of this one
Monkey Wrench BOM (waiting since 2007)... trying to sell as a top
Set of 4 placemats (waiting since 2011)

WORK-IN-PROGRESS
2012 Orca Bay - some of steps 1-4 completed (working as a leader/ender)
2012 Cheddar Bowties - 81 blocks complete (1/4 of the quilt)...hand project
2012 Easy Street - working on step 8
2012 Florabunda - 4 more blocks to make


ALMOST DONE
2012 Basic Class Wall Hanging - need to finish hand applique on 4th block then assemble
2012 Pillow Cover - assemble parts
2009 Sunbonnet Sue - needs 3 prairie point borders to be a flimsy
2012 Blue Baby Flannel (gift for grandson)
2012 Becky's Barn Basket Blocks (small wallhanging)


CLASS PROJECTS STARTED
2012 Winston Ways (2 blocks)
2012 Turkey Tracks (2 blocks)
2012 Midnight Flight (1 block)


STARTED AND STOPPED DEAD
2010 Vicksburg BOM - 3 to hand applique..I may just assemble the completed blocks into a flimsy and quit
2011 Happiness Key - background prepared
2011 Dear Jane/Hot Momma Rose - 3 blocks complete
2010 Swartz Creek Quilt - unfinished class project
2009 1950s Santa - applique - working on block 2 of 12
2006 Barn Blocks - 5 more applique blocks, then log cabin blocks to assemble


KITS NOT YET STARTED
Pastel stars
Pink Baby Quilt
5-Star Tablerunner
Parisian 20
Cardinal Wall Hanging
Quilt Diva
Colonial Christmas
Golden Stars tablerunner
CJ's Care Bears
Iris Table Runner
2 American Dolls
Charm Square CW String blocks
Jamestown Landing BOM
Green/Pink BOM
Black White & Red
Orphan Fan Blocks
Heart Blocks
Pumpkin wall hanging
4th July Wall Hanging - paper pieced
Recycle Quilt Teddy Bears
2012 Maria's Stars
2012 Black White Gray Stars
at least 12 QOM kits

Easy Street... question

I have made several Block A and love the look

Block A

I have also made several Block B... 
But, I have been thinking about changing the center of B block to a purple ... giving the block a slightly different look (green is not my favorite color and had I realized how predominent the green would be I would have swapped the blue and green colors.  But since it was a mystery... it is what it is and I can live with it.

Block B

Alternate Block B

And here the all the blocks are laid out ... but i can't decide if I like the purple or green center on the B block better. 

Assembled Corner

Assembled Corner Alternate Block B

Any thoughts or suggestions?