Family Photos

Spending time with my grandmother this week reminded me of how fast the times go by and how quickly we are without those we love. Grannie will be 96 this May. She's lived through the depression, the 20's, the dust storms of Texas, wars, good times and evil times.

Mildred Waldean McPeak Carathers - what a name. She knew my grandfather was her man when he showed up on a first date with a quilt pattern - Elmer D Carathers - the D doesn't stand for anything. They eloped to Mexico and then came home and went back to their family homes and didn't tell anyone they were married. Months later, a relative that lived near the border was visiting and asked Grannie's mother why no one told them Mildred was getting married.

Seems the marriage was posted in a local paper down south.

When Papa was on a train going to military training, he passed through Nashville. He fell in love with the trees and when he got out of the military training, he moved his young family from Texas to Tennessee. But even today...Texas is still home to Grannie.

Here's some photos (poor quality) that I took pictures of this week. Now that I know my daughter's copier can scan pictures, I'll borrow Grannie's books and scan the pictures.

I've started with the Carathers' family, added some Lewis pictures, some McPeak pictures, and some pictures I took at Grannie's yesterday of her talents. Her real talent is quilting, but that is what this whole blog about. If you would like to see some pictures of quilts, just scan through the posts.

I finished all the trim on Michael's stocking. I think it turned out really nice. We're filling it with match box cars.

Jenni's stocking is ready for the trim work. Found out last night that she was going to buy them all a stocking and Sally forced her away from that area of the store!

One more stocking to go for Rory!

This is the back of the wallhanging I was making for Jonathan, although I've decided to give it to Adam now. I still have to corners to add quilting and then the binding. I quilted it in black. Hard to see on the front, but the back looks nice.

I'm also doing this blanket for Adam. I added my dad's patch off his football jacket to the corner and I'm picking up the letter from Adam's school today to put on the other corner.

Here's another pocket scarf. This one is going to be for Sally, the other one is going to be Jenni's. I've got one more to make, but I'm just adding some old lace and crochet, so it should go faster. This scarf is about ready to be put together if Sally will stay in bed a little longer!

4 more days of sewing! I still have to wrap the gifts....I've got to start Christmas earlier next year!

The Stocking were Hung by the Chimney....

I'm in the process of making 3 stockings, for Jenni, Michael, & Rory. This is the basic pattern, but each one will have a different tree layout on them. These are the materials I'm using. The tree material is actually the only Christmas themed material. I bought the other material when I thought that I was pregnant last year. God didn't give us a child then, but He did through this little family, so I thought it appropriate that I use the material for their stockings.

Checking My List - Twice

My project for this weekend....a pocket scarf for Sally.
I saw one of these at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for about $30 and it looked so warm. I had several yards of fleece at home, so I thought I would try it out. Fairly simple "pattern"...I used Jenni to measure about how long to make it for Sally. But it looked so plain.
I went into town and tried to find some trim that I liked and in the middle of one store it came to me....buttons and embroidery. Wasn't real easy to embroidery on, but I don't think my needle was really sharp enough.
I've got enough to do about 3 scarfs and I'm thinking of making some for a craft show next year.
My mother let me have one of Daddy's football jacket patches (since he and Adam attended the same school). I'm going to sew the bulldog patch on the corner of a blanket. I had done one for Sally with her letter and chervons from band and Adam really likes it. Hopefully, he do some activities during the next 3 1/2 years that we can add to it.
I almost have all the quilting done on the wall hanging, but I'm not sure that I'm going to give it to Jonathan. Not sure what I'll do with it yet.

Old Craft Revisited

When I was a little girl, my mother did alot of extra jobs to earn money and stay at home. I really didn't realize she was doing these jobs, they just seemed like a normal part of her day while she took care of her family.

She took in ironing, extra kids, sewing, and working for the county (going into poverty income homes and teaching naturtition). We also made jewelry.

We travled alot in the summers and Daddy would take us mostly out west, to old mines and mountain tops...places off the beaten trail. We would load the truck with all kinds of pretty rocks. Then when we got home we would tumble them, polish them, and make jewelry with them. I have the box of rocks that were left over. I've moved it around for years, used them in crafts and just let the kids play with them. Even used them in a devotion here.

But I've pulled them out to actually make some jewelry for me to sale this time. The braclet with the big rocks is one of the ones I made as a kid (I had to add a few links to it). The other two are new ones.

Here are some of the necklaces. I took them to work and sold one right away, so Ken is planning on taking some to work next week.

It fun to work with the rock again (agates, quarts, tiger's eye, apache teardrops, snowflake). It brings back those times working as a family. I'm hoping that I can do something with these and also make a little extra money. My supplies are old and I'm having trouble finding a place to get the same type of supplies now. Most jewerly now is done with beading. No beading with these rock.

Placemats & Projects

I was reminded of some placemats my grandmother has made for me over the years this morning. The Log Cabin and Dresden Plate designs are Christmas themed.

This heart, shapped string, scrap and (I believe) card game are for every day use.

I've gotten the wall hanging for Jonathan pieced and have started quilting it. I'm using black thread, which is new for me. I really can't see the quilting from the front, so I'm not sure how it will turn out.

Christmas Projects 2008

I seem to always wait til just before Christmas to start my Christmas projects. Grannie use to make something for everyone and she said that she started Jan. 1 to have them all due by Christmas. I haven't learned my lesson yet.

We draw names among the adults in my family and I always try to make something for them. We got Jonathan's name again. I know that I did him a wall hanging last year, so this year I thought I would do this framed piece.

It's called the Oriole Circle (glad I don't have to pronounce it). The picture looks really good, but here is my version getting started. The points in black and white are due using the paper foundation method. I've only used it once before when making a vest.

I didn't have any paper foundation paper, so I just used copy paper. This first block I did by hand watching TV last night, but today, I did the rest of them on the sewing machine. I'm trying to get all the point done so that I can take them to my grandmother's tomorrow and then while I sit with her, I can add the black corners.

I'm hoping that this project goes pretty fast. Where the picture has the block matted and framed, my mother thinks that I should use material instead of the mat (still frame it) but do some fancy quilting in the black to give more detail. I'll just have to see have far I get when it gets closer to Christmas.

Jonathan & Michael (my nephews) got married right after we moved back to Tennessee. With the move I didn't have time to make them a wedding quilt (which was my plans). I did crochet their last names and had them framed. They seemed to really appreicate them. But I always wanted to do them something quilted.

When we got Michael's name a few years back, I did him a wall hanging with flags and stars. He was in Iraq for 2 tours and was fixing to leave for his first tour when I gave him the wall hanging. Suzanne is his wife.

For Jonathan, I made his wife a Christmas table runner one year with wreaths and packages on it (a pattern I designed myself for the packages). But they divorced shortly after and I didn't ask if she took the table runner (I did make it for her). So I've been really happy that I was able to do him a couple of pieces.

We also got Suzanne's name this year, which I had a couple of years ago and did a blue log cabin table runner for her. I'm thinking of doing a couple sets of pillow cases using some of these materials as a pieced strip across the ends. I'm not sure which color to go with yet, I've got to do some research and see what her colors are in her bedroom.

As I was hunting through my material stash, I found these two blocks which I'm thinking of doing something for each of the kids, but I can't decide what to do. So I would welcome any thoughts and suggestions.

This flower block done with wool green, green/plaid, & black was done by Grannie Lewis (who passed away right before Sally turned 1 year old). It's done on a heavy white material, so it would be hard to quilt it. I'm thinking that I have enough of the pieces to make 2 blocks, I've got to find some green to match the stems, eveything else, she already had cut out. This will probably be Adam's gift.

This Dresden's Plate was done by Grannie Carathers. Don't tell, but I "borrowed" it from her house. I added the center and appliqued it to the white material last year, but just never figured out what to do with it after that. I didn't "find" anything else that would have gone with this one block...so again I need ideas on what to do with this one. It's going to be for Sally.