Confession ~ Lawn Sabotage

Crafty Serenity ~ the hubby is with fishing buddies, playing 42 on the cabin porch while it rains ~ I'm home alone with yards of freshly colored and waxed fabrics that are waiting their turn in the pot of boiling water ~ hot water frees the fabric of batik wax ~ returning the material to soft and supple ~ all the emerging patterns and colors makes me as giddy as a school girl with a new box of crayons...

Suddenly ~ totally encircled by a steam that smells like cooked greens. Wait, was that right? NO! cooked GRASS! 

In my haste to dash between raindrops and the overzealous desire to remove ALL the wax from EVERY project ~ I cooked my yard with a pot of boiling, wax saturated water. 

But ~ I sure am happy when I look at the fabrics and scarves I made that weekend.

Happy coloring,
Tana

P.S. Some of the fabrics and scarves are slowly being listed on my etsy site, www.grannysgift.etsy.com 

Knit Together

August 1981, my Florida born dog and I started our journey to Texas. It was a homecoming of sorts for me and a new adventure for him. A Great Aunt that I barely knew, shared her home so that I could afford to continue my college education. 

The youngest of 5 children, with my grandmother being the oldest, Aunt Beth was just a few years older than my dad. I hesitated on the move for a bit, because I did not want to go from my parents house into another "parental" situation. I am happy to say, that we had a really great year! 

We drank Coke (Coca Cola) by the cases, she taught me to knit and needlepoint. Sometimes Grandmomma would join us with catfish from a farm between our homes and we would cook and stay up all night talking about life, school, men, expectations and reality. 

Me in my first knitted yellow cap. And yes, our snowwoman is wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette. (Virginia Slims if memory serves.) One of those things...you just had to be there.

Final goodbyes were said to Aunt Beth today. When you share your life with someone they just own a piece of you. ♥ Please kiss Grandmomma for me and hug my dog!

Sunny, wondering about the cold wet white stuff!

Shoes on Before Nine Equals Great Rewards

Years of working from home have indulged my preference to go barefoot, especially in the early morning hours when the coffee is hot and the house is quiet. However, this past Thursday and Friday I received rich and colorful rewards for being pressed and dressed before the 9 o'clock hour.

Karen K. Stone (yes, the picture is borrowed~I was too saturated with information to remember pictures) delivered a talk to the Quilter's Guild of East Texas and taught a class on Friday.

karenkstone.com

 O(!)M(!)G(!) !!! 

Her approach to color and her method of harmonious relationships between fabrics is fabulous. Highly recommend anyone seizing the opportunity to hear her speak and a class is better yet! (She has a book too ~ just sayin')

I had to listen carefully to Karen with my eyes (eyes-not a typo!) and was very happy with the resulting quilt block. This is from Karen's quilt "Wild Women Don't Get the Blues". My one block will be made into a wall hanging as a reminder that it is "ok to go wild".

The place of honor is already reserved on the craft room wall!

Happy coloring,
Tana

Doodle Upgraded

Who knew that those mindless scribbles on the sides of my calendar and note pads had real purpose. The doodles most often appear when I'm talking (or long long holds) on the phone and after discovering Zentangle art, I decided their "Zen" powers have kept me calm during impending telephone angst. A full description of Zentangle can be found at zentangle.com but even those of us with an informal knowledge, pen and paper can still have fun.

Before I really knew that I was creating a tangle, I had quilted and painted this piece with colored pencil on Kona cotton.

Hmmm, doodling with a sewing machine. I think I will finish this with a black satin stitch edging and add a hanging loop to the back. 

Now that I am aware that my doodles are more than just doodles and that many patterns even have names, I have stepped up the doodle game. (Albeit with a double ended Sharpie and art paper.)

Not real sure why the droplets emerged.  Possibly thinking of all the sweat that has poured from my pores these past few days while at the campground.

"Garden Floor" began with the checkerboard pattern. I wanted to see how difficult is was to give it a wave. After that, I really did not know where the design was going to go. I wasn't surprised that it ended in flowers. If it isn't a heart, then it is usually a flower. 

Hope you are feeling the urge to doodle a little. 

Happy coloring, Tana

Love to Go a Wandering

It only took a year of indecision, but we finally plunged back into the world of camping. The matching logo shirts and mugs were from the RV dealership in celebration of 50 years. I am sure I have 50 years of wandering left in me....(LOL! A couple of centenarians pulling a 30ft trailer. Move out of the way quickly.)

The first outing was a three night stay in a state park close to home. Even though this is our fourth trailer, each has its own personality and quirks. 

And this is the first one to have most of the comforts of home!

Hubby asked me the other day (while we were re-packing after the weekend trip) if I was going to be able to sew at the dining table. Tee hee...he knows me too well, and no, the sewing machine probably will not be going on trips. 

However, I am rarely without a traveling craft. 

I fell in love with this quilt pattern at the first of the summer and cut several units to hand piece while in the car.

Guidelines for a travel craft are:

• it must not be messy (this project almost has too many pieces, but if they stay in their own bag, things usually work fine)
• pattern should not require too much counting, labeling or referencing
• if the project is put down or I look away to view the scenery, it should be easy to pick up and start again

A good start to a happy quilt...