Take a Long, Hard Look

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:17:00.002-06:00

I've joined up with the recently formed Fort Worth Modern Quilting Guild and we're following Sew Mama Sew's Modern Block of the Month, though we're several months behind them. I wasn't particularly excited about the pattern until I saw it in my own fabrics.

I've been seeing this pattern pop up several different places and really like it. It lays out similar to the cross/plus quilt. I had in mind some particular fabrics to use and a certain person to give the finished quilt to. But now I'm not thinking she will totally love those fabrics. So should I choose different fabrics? Or should I make her a different quilt?

This is my first time playing around with a log cabin block. I'm not sure where I'll go with it yet. I will probably make these blocks bigger, and will for sure make some more blocks. This jelly roll had been floating around for a couple years and I figured it was time I did something with it.

This is my new design wall! It's just a flannel sheet tacked up but I love it! I pulled out these double hourglass blocks from ages ago and was reinspired to keep making them. My hope is for a king size!

You can also see 2 finished tops hanging also. The one on the right is awaiting basting and the one on the left is waiting for me to choose some backing fabric and decide how to quilt it.

And Daniel thinks he has to be in every picture.

I decided to keep a note with them so I can see how I'm progressing. I need about 130 more!

What are you up to?

Four for Friday

2012-01-20T23:40:00.001-06:00

Van: Earthquake Tourism

2012-01-20T21:14:00.000-06:00

These are the kinds of shelters Tommy worked on. A 5'20" Dutchman from India named Titus (the Titan) tried to recruit Tommy.

A view of Van and the Iranian border from our friends' apartment. From what he heard, if you climb the mountains, the gun ships will come.

A shelter he built.

Tea, bread and cheese breaks hourly.

Remains of a collapsed hotel after clean up.

Van: Katie's Home in Rubble

2012-01-06T09:50:00.000-06:00

When we flew out of Istanbul, Tommy flew into Van to help our friend Joseph pack up their old home as well as help with some relief effort and shelter building.
These pictures are from inside our friend's apartment and building. They were not home during the earthquake.

The stairwell outside their apartment

Entry hall

Fallen bookshelf; why anchoring them to the wall is valuable

Kitchen; none of their dishes broke

Kitchen. The living room sustained no real damage, even the china cabinet there was fine.

Stairwell after Tommy swept the debris to the sides so the movers wouldn't slip.

They don't have freight elevators, so everything goes up and down flights of stairs. One man will carry a whole couch up the stairs by himself on his back.

One more Van post, and we'll move on to our Christmas celebrations (of which I haven't even looked at the pictures!) and some new year resolutions.

Tarsus: Where we Take the Scenic Route

2011-12-31T23:29:00.000-06:00

We took a day trip to Tarsus and a few things in the area with our friends and their three youngest kids. First we went to see this canyon which for the life of me I can't find anywhere online. No clue what it's called or really even how to find it on a map.

Katie and I with Raymond and Robert

Wish I had some sort of stats to give you, but it was pretty awesome.

The guys took turns throwing rocks off the bridge into the water below.

We drove for a while on roads like this. No signs, no directions.

After a while we stopped and asked a man with his donkey where this road would take us.

He said we would be "Doomed" if we continued.

And then we turned around.

Tarsus Waterfalls. Not quite Yosemite, but pretty.

St. Paul's Well. Because if there is an old well in Tarsus, Paul must have used it right?

Cleopatra's Arch, where she met Mark Antony, as seen from the car.

After some more driving on more improved roads we found another exciting site. Again, no signs (seriously I saw one sign off the highway), no directions, no one selling tshirts and mugs and charging $30 to enter. There wasn't even another person around aside from the shepherd keeping these sheep.

A Roman Road, probably 2000 years old.

Paul probably walked here.

We didn't walk too far, as it was getting dark and chilly.

Pretty amazing, the Romans really knew what they were doing.

Soon to come- Van: Katie's Home in Rubble

Adana Part 2: Where Tommy and I get Touristy

2011-12-31T22:36:00.000-06:00

Dogs all over Adana

This ruin was off the coast of the Mediterranean on the side of the highway outside of Mercin. Ruins are so plentiful that many of them aren't really a big deal. In America we'd charge $30 to see each one and sell tshirts and postcards outside as well.

That's the Mediterranean Sea in the background

Heaven and Hell

Overlooking Heaven

Hell. Its hard to get a feel for the size of this sinkhole. Wikipedia puts it at 420 feet deep.

Not that the railing would have helped, but I held on tight!

Rickety little platform that jets out over the sinkhole.

On his way to Heaven, some 300 steps go down to the bottom. He made it further than I did, but neither one of us got to the bottom. I knew for each crooked step I took down, I'd have to take back up.

Overlooking Lake Adana, on a clearer day you could see the mountains in the background

The Roman bridge still standing in Adana. We thought it was really interesting how each arch was shaped a little differently.

That's the big fancy mosque in the background, some say it's nicer than Sultanahmet.

Tommy stood out in his green jacket, he was always easy to find. Everyone else had on black or gray.

Adana Part 1

2011-12-31T21:49:00.000-06:00

After leaving Istanbul, I flew to Adana where my friend has relocated with her kids and Tommy flew to Van where my friend's husband was helping in the relief effort after the earthquake which caused them to relocate. We spent Monday through Saturday apart. But I had two other moms and six children to keep me busy.

Joanie. Such an adorable drama queen. She wasn't saying many words, but she can sing and dance!

And yes, that's a Starbucks cup.

That's Ataturk in the background. He's everywhere. Their national pride borders on religion.

Raymond was 9 months old when I had last seen him. I totally shed a tear or two during his school performance.

Salgam, a nasty drink made from red carrot pickles. My friend made me drink it, just like she made me eat durian.

Katie looking for cheddar cheese. But there's really only two kinds of cheese in Turkey, and cheddar isn't one of them.

Rachel and I making thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving Dinner. Zucchini casserole, turkey breast (called hindi in turkish), gravy, green bean casserole, stuffing, pineapple casserole, carrot souffle, mashed potatoes and rolls.

Most of my time in Adana was spent helping my friend find a new apartment. My first turkish word was "for rent." I had a rough time with jet lag but loved spending time there. Katie says I picked up the language quickly, as in I was able to learn a few words and phrases and remember and use them. I was a bit sad when it was time to leave because I was enjoying that aspect more that I thought I would. I have no clue how to go about spelling anything I learned, so I won't bother with that.

Istanbul Part 3: Us at Hagia Sophia

2011-12-16T08:19:00.001-06:00

Once Tommy and I got back in the states, we hit the ground running. A trip to San Antonio to get Daniel, family staying with us for a few days, and Christmas to get ready for! And I'm working part time gift wrapping again. So blogging sort of fell behind.

These pictures were supposed to be part of the last post, but I guess I didn't know what I was doing. So here they are now. Proof we were actually there.

One of my favorite shots of the inside of Hagia Sophia

Tommy standing in front of the spot the imam leads muslims in prayer. This is obviously not original, but is also not a working mosque, or church.

Me standing upstairs. Can you see the jet lag?

me and some big bell, haha

This was the courtyard area that baptisms were done in

Istanbul Part 2: Hagia Sophia

2011-12-07T14:42:00.001-06:00

View of the outside of Hagia Sophia

I couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like to visit Hagia Sophia in its heyday. It is such a large complex; what would it have been like to gather there with other believers to worship?

Dozens of large Candelabras provided light

Seraphim

Virgin Mary and Jesus

These were the only crosses I saw

view from upstairs

Mosaic

There were several mosaics upstairs, some in better shape than this one. The details are amazing.

Jesus

Worn down doorway

You can see the 1600 years of use by how worn down this entry way is. I would love to take the audio tour here. Hagia Sophia changed hands many times before becoming a museum. While it is nice to have grand places to worship the Lord, there is such joy knowing the entire earth is His and He reserves no special privileges for those who call upon His name from loftier locations.

as always, you can click any of the pictures to see them larger.

Istanbul Part 1

2011-12-06T15:10:00.001-06:00

Tommy and I flew into Istanbul on a Saturday evening and flew out the following Monday morning. So Sunday was our one and only day to see the sights. Fortunately several of the big sights are all within walking distance of one another so we were able to take the tram to one area Sunday morning and back to the home we were staying in that evening.

Blue Mosque/Sultan Ahmed Mosque

First we saw the Blue Mosque. While we were in the courtyard a man approached us asking if we were newly-weds (because we were so happy!) He offered to be our tour guide (more like told us) if we would visit his cousin's carpet shop after we saw the mosque. I was so busy trying to listen and look that I didn't really do either well. After the mosque he walked with us to the carpet shop where I insisted we really didn't have time as we only had one day in Istanbul. It was kind of an awkward situation, but I figured they were probably used to it.

The courtyard of Blue Mosque

Inside Blue Mosque

Ornate detailing of Blue Mosque

Fresh squeezed pomegranate juice

There were all sorts of street vendors, and about as many cats and dogs.

Cats and Dogs everywhere in the streets

The Basilica Cistern, 532AD

The cisterns were pretty interesting, I'm not quite sure what the story behind them is though. We didn't have time to read pamphlets or take audio tours, maybe next time!

Medusa head pillar

All but two of the pillars were plain, this one and another with an upside down Medusa head were the only ones so elaborate.

It's dark underground!

Tommy with Zeus at the Archaeological Museum

We were at the Archaeological Museum when the jet lag started to overcome us. I could have laid down on the stone floor and fell asleep but I pushed through!

Ancient Jewelry

Bookoos of old stuff covered floors and floors of the museum. We didn't even see it all.

Old Religious Artifacts

He is the Good Shepherd

Cats inside Museums

There were seriously cats and dogs all over. The dogs all had tags in the ears, they had been captured and re-released.

Bazaar

The actual Grand Bazaar wasn't open on Sunday, but there were still tons of other shops to visit. So much to buy and such little time!

Bazaar at Night

As you can see it was a pretty dreary day, but thankfully there was no rain!
Stay tuned to the next post with pictures of Hagia Sophia.

Baby Shark :Trick-or-Treak

2011-11-01T09:08:00.000-05:00

Daniel said he wanted to be a scary animal for Halloween and we had been given a shark costume.

Perfect!

We were invited to join our friends again for dinner and trick-or-treating.

Mimi graciously agreed to paint faces. She kept it nice and simple for Daniel.

Some of our crew

Shark & Gypsy

My boys

He couldn't wait to get his jaws on some candy

Daddy inspection/tax

Check out previous years:

2008- Farmer

2009- Skunk

2010- Skunk

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T09:56:00.000-05:00

For Me?

2011-10-28T18:21:00.000-05:00

I came across this the other day and think it's pretty stinkin' funny.

WIP Wednesday #5

2011-10-26T15:53:00.001-05:00

I finished piecing this top and put some boarders on it. It's now waiting for a back. It's not my usual colors, but it looks pretty cheerful, and that's always my thing.

This guy is always a work in progress!!

I made these the last couple days. Used these tutorials:

Fully Lined Zippered Box Pouch

Zipper Pouch

Makeup Bag

I like the first one the best, though it took the longest. Putting interfacing on both the outside and lining fabric is the best way to go. I'm thinking I need some larger zippers!!

Quotes

2011-10-21T15:24:00.001-05:00

"Look Mama, this matches. See the blue?"

"At least he has pants on this time." -Tommy

*Daniel has been sick for the past week, and though today he's doing much better, he's still pretty tired and has been sleeping more than normal, and in unusual places.

WIP Wednesday #4

2011-10-12T13:42:00.001-05:00

Things are in various stages this week. I ended up taking quite a break from sewing, partly because of a 2 week trip to San Antonio and partly because I'm lame.

While I was in San Antonio, I picked up a few new fabrics. The 5th, 6th and 8th from the top all came from 7th Heaven. The 3rd from the bottom is from Hobby Lobby and I also pulled out a few from my stash. Not sure what pattern I want to use these for, but right now they are just marinating in the creative juices.

This is what I'm actively working on. Love the part when you really see the blocks start to come together.

These guys still need to be basted. The bane of my quilting existence.

I scored this lot from the JoAnns that is liquidating near me. 5 zippers and about 4.5 yards of fabric all for less than $15. Signs said it was all half off, but my original total was close to $45. Pretty sure I'll be back before they close! I am thinking of making some pouches with some of this.

Gouda Chicken

2011-10-11T09:15:00.000-05:00

I don't normally post recipes, I'm not sure I ever have before in fact. But Tommy gave last night's dinner about the highest rating it could get. Let me explain:

We've been working hard to get Daniel to eat all of his food lately. You know, carrying over unfinished dinner for breakfast; just being firm about his needing to eat what he's been given.

So last night Tommy's practically drooling over dinner and I have to convince him not to put more on his plate so we'll have leftovers for dinner the next night. He and I finish our food, and Daniel is slowing, but steadily working on his food when he has about half of his Gouda Chicken left.

And Tommy asks him, "Daniel, are you finished?" To which Daniel of course replies, "Yes." All so Tommy could finish Daniel's food!!

Anyway, on with the recipe, which is inspired by EMealz:

Ingredients:
Chicken breast or tenderloins, pounded thin, 2 pounds or so
6 slices of gouda cheese
Cream of Chicken Soup
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup butter
2-3 cups stuffing mix (unprepared)

Directions:
Lay chicken flat on the bottom of a 9x13.
Place cheese slices on top.
Mix soup and wine, spread over cheese.
Melt butter and mix with stuffing and put over soup mix. Or put the stuffing down and pour melted butter over it. Or you could probably even just put pats of butter over the stuffing.
Bake 45 minutes on 350.
Serve with whatever you like, we had fruit salad.

Super easy and very tasty!

Exclaim!

2011-10-01T13:27:00.000-05:00

When I type, I like to use lots of exclamation points. Rarely more than one at a time and usually not for two back to back sentences. I use them in sentences which, when read aloud, would be read with a smile. When I see a period, I think of a monotone voice devoid of emotion, simply delivering information.

Whenever I use an exclamation point, in the back of my mind is a blog from a friend, almost two years ago.

Cut out all these exclamation points. An exclamation point is like laughing loudly at your own joke.

—F. Scott Fitzgerald, as quoted in Beloved Infidel, p. 198.

To which I replied:

What if you're a really funny person?!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-09-21T10:12:00.000-05:00

Indy-In

2011-09-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

That's what Daniel calls Indians. Any time he sees someone with a shirt off (usually in a book) he asks if they are an indian.

Tommy is such a great daddy! He took some brown flannel and made Daniel's shirt and then helped him paint it up. There are even hand prints on it.

They set up the teepee and watched clips from Dances with Wolves and such on youtube.

WIP Wednesday #3

2011-08-31T13:39:00.000-05:00

After not touching my sewing machine for close to two weeks, I knew I needed to get back at it! And I'm so glad I did.

I've sewn together three rows of my kaleidoscope quilt. You may think they look like columns, but I promise you, they are rows. I love how the shapes are popping out already. I can't wait until it's hanging on my wall and I can gaze at it all day. There are only two more rows to go. I was excited to finish her up when I saw this:

How did this happen!?! The orange block is the one with the mistake. At this point there would be a disgusting amount of seam ripping to fix it so I'm trying to decide how much it will bother me. I am thinking that appliqueing new triangles over the existing ones will be the easiest fix.

Since I will be in San Antonio for about two weeks next month, I decided it was time to pick up embroidery. It's a bit unreasonable to think that I'd actually get any sewing done there, but this is something I can pick up and set down easily and shove into a bag when needed. My first attempt was actually not bad, I didn't feel the need to throw it away, it might even get used to label a quilt.

Rachel let me borrow this book, and I love it! Super easy and some great project ideas. Some of my stitches need some serious work, others are tolerable. While I'm in SA I plan on meeting up with Amy and getting a few pointers.

This quilt just needs to be bound! I cut the strips and now need to sew them together. I will probably stitch both sides of the binding on the machine for this one.

What are you making?

Construct a Party

2011-08-24T14:38:00.000-05:00

Today is Daniel's 3rd Birthday. He has been such a blessing to our family; I cannot imagine life without my sweet boy. This past weekend we celebrated by having some friends and family over and throwing a Construction themed party. I neglected to take pictures of many of the cute decorations Tommy helped me create, but that's okay because we were busy enjoying ourselves!

In no particular order:

We didn't want to leave our little friends out, so we found some plastic hammers they could slobber on.

Food was devoured.

Thanks to my hubby who made some awesome signs!

We drug Daniel's work bench inside, along with all the tools he's acquired.

We started the party with a gravel box and a sand box, and ended with two sand and gravel boxes.

The kids couldn't get enough!

Our new living room layout is much more conducive to large groups.

Daniel had plenty of help opening gifts.

Tommy scored some foam from work, made some wooden mallets and let the kids hammer golf tees in. Everyone loved this activity.

One of the highlights for Daniel was unrestricted access to the juice boxes.

I absolutely love how his cake turned out! It was cute & tasty!

The bigger kids got some time alone with the sand.

Chocolate and Vanilla layers, with sweet cream filling and homemade chocolate frosting.

Praise God the party was such a success. There wasn't any major squabbling among the kids, they really seemed to enjoy themselves the entire time. Daniel was thrilled to have all his friends here to celebrate, and I don't think he really even 'got' that it was all for him. I think it will be hard to top this party next year, but we had so much fun we might just recycle the theme.

Grayscale

2011-08-16T13:43:00.001-05:00

**I accidentally deleted this post, but with the help of my husband, have recreated it. All original comments are lost however.

When choosing fabric for my current project I knew that value would be really important. I pulled several fabrics from my stash aiming for strong values and light values. To see this better I took some shots in black and white. Some of the fabrics have more of a medium value and I regret a few choices. I still love the fabrics but I think they might get lost among the others.

The Final Cut

Top in B&W

Top in Color

Can you see the patterns? The Kaleidoscope?

I didn't spend alot of time arranging the fabrics here, just tried to make sure same fabrics weren't clustered together too much. The 2nd, 3rd and 5th blocks on the last column are my least favorites. I'm not sure that I'll change them, but the contrast isn't very strong. I can see the pattern within the blocks but I think it will only get stronger once they are sewn together.

I have planned for it to be 6x6 blocks, but I want to hang it on the wall and I'm not sure that will fit the spot I have in mind. This one still has quite a bit of work to go, arranging and sizing. I haven't even thought about borders yet!

Any suggestions?

Life Lately

2011-08-10T15:07:00.000-05:00

Two dozen beautiful roses for our 6th anniversary

Sadly they didn't even last a week

There is much more order here than appears

WIP Wednesday #2

2011-08-03T13:36:00.000-05:00

**I accidentally deleted this post, but with the help of my husband, have recreated it. All original comments are lost however.

This week I got the urge to re-organize my stash after coming across a post from In Color Order about folding methods. She also gives great advice on how to sort fabrics as well. I only did this to fabric less than one yard, the rest is folded differently.

Christmas Fabrics- I can't wait for cooler weather!! It's hard to even look at these when it's 108 outside!!

These are whites, black & whites, and batiks,

and prints with many colors

ROYGBV

And I finished 2 quilts this week!!

I used several different thread colors to outline each block in this cheater cloth.

This panel and several of the fabrics came from my grandmom a while back. I finished the top sometime last year, but didn't get around to basting it until recently.

And the show stopper:

Half Square Triangles made for a dear friend.

I suppose you'll just have to tilt your head.

Sometimes I really hate Blogger. But blogging takes enough time without figuring out how to do it 'better'

Tiffani has been an incredible source of support and encouragement as I've dealt with infertility the last two years. She and her husband have been trying for a while too. What a blessing to have a friend to commiserate with and to seek joy in the midst with!

Tiffani has mentioned a few times that she knows when they have another baby I will make them a quilt.

The Lord hasn't withheld good things from me while I'm waiting, Why should I withhold this from my dear friend!?

Though I am kinda withholding since I won't let her take possession until I can show it off at quilt sitters at my LQS.

Tiffani- I love you like a sister and pray that the Lord would open your womb and bless your family with another baby to raise to his glory! Until that day, I can't think of anyone I'd rather wait with!