Around the House and Gardens

My friend Beppi gave me these great pamphlets from the 40's and 50's on crocheting all those awesome doilies you see at garage sales, vintage shops and thrift stores.  Usually they're in pretty crummy condition or expensive.  With the help of the internet and tenacity I am teaching myself to crochet these crazy  feminine little things!  I am refraining from putting them on the arms and backs of the household seating.  I'm sure my husband appreciates!

 These books are in such perfect condition....but so fragile!  I have to be careful turning the pages.  I've thought about copying each pattern so I don't mess up the books.  I'd have to buy ink then....something I always forget of course until I need the printer.

 I did finish this doily.  It really is beautiful, but I brought it to Maryland and gave it to my sister NeeKee and totally forgot to take a finished pic.  Crocheting these old patterns is so much fun, and I feel like I'm channeling a little bit of what it must have been like during that time.  Pretty things were much more precious it seems.  My Mom told me my Grandmother had a friend make her a large table doily in the pineapple pattern for her table.

 So many of them.  I've started a Queen Ann's lace tablecloth since...It's coming along.....maybe pictures soon.

 We did take a little trip this summer....here is the girls walking down the path to the old Oliver homestead in Great Smokey Mountain National Park.

 There were thousands of these little butterflies everywhere!  I took this picture as we waited on the road for a stubborn bear to be removed by the rangers.

 These cute little barn swallows were timidly looking out at us.  Their mother was frantically flying around scolding us.

 Lovely

 When I got back the garden of course was a summer mess.....You don't want to see pics of that do you?  Here is a little of the bounty I've been picking.

 Here's some more....heirloom Cherokee corn and three different types of peppers:  Thai, Fish and Cayenne.  There's also cucumbers in the crock.  I'm hoping to make fermented pickles....we'll see!

Quilting and How To Make a Pinwheel Square

Inspiration...This mag inspired me...first my Sister Ginger bought this magazine....I wanted it...She refused to relinquish it...so I had to go buy my own. I love the quilt on the front.  It's not so perfect, and  I love that!

I'm not a fan of those matchy matchy quilts that are all even and perfect. They make me feel...well...uncomfortable. Like being in a living room where everything matches...and you know...where no one ever goes.

Well there isn't a room like that in my house. Never will there be.  We use every inch in our house.  I like quilts like that.  Not a hang on the wall quilt...A snuggle under quilt is better.

So I'm attempting to make a similar quilt using scraps from some sewing projects.

You make the whole square from 2 inch strips of fabric.  Starting with 2" X 2" squares and going out from there until you form a roughly 12 1/2" X 12 1/2" Square.  I iron each seam after sewing.  Hopefully that will help make it look nice.  I don't know,  somewhere I heard ironing is the key to good sewing.  Sooo....I've been ironing ever since.  At least my seams.  As anyone who knows me... knows I hate to iron.  My husband just forced me to buy a full sized ironing board.  I've been using a little traveling one forever.  I'm kinda glad he did....don't tell him!

Looka how sweet!

I do like this look.  The colors are fun and unpredictable.  Makes you wanna stare.

Started the next one!  Here you can see the layout of a square before it's sewn.

This is a not so good pin wheel square.  I like this one too.  It's really easy.  I'll show you how.

Cut out four squares.  These are about 4".  I just stack the fabric up and use a template and rotary cutter.  Just discovered these rotary cutters and I like them a lot.  You can cut out four squares lickity split.

Yep...there they are.  Four lovely squares.  I like using unexpected fabrics and colors together.

Put two squares top side facing one another and draw a line diagonally down the center.

Sew a seam on each side (not on the line) of the line.

Then cut along the line to divide the squares in half and into triangles.

Iron them flat this way.....

Then iron them open.  It will form four squares of two fabrics each.  Assemble in the pattern you want...

 Sew two squares facing each other together...iron flat.  Sew the other two squares facing each other together...iron flat....(Is this confusing?)  Then sew the two pieces together facing each other...iron flat.  It's really easy once ya get it....and fast (Which I like).

The second one turned out much better I must say.  Not content to start one quilt...I started two.  Not smart.  Now I'll have to finish them......smiles and smiles!

Planting in August...and my Granny Square Afghan

July is done with.

Vacation is done with.

August is here and it is time to plant.....To me this is the very best time to plant in our area.  It's been extremely humid.  The rest of the country is in drought and we're slogging around the yard.  The driveway is sopping and I almost got stuck today when I drove slightly off the rocks.

One worry is the lack of water coming down the Mississippi.  Plaquemines has actually declared a "state of emergency".  Whatever that means...because salt water is intruding up the river and has came further than the drinking water intake.   They're now barging in fresh water.

Maybe there isn't enough water up river...but here there's too much.  On vacation we felt as if we were dragging around a rain cloud.  Everywhere we went it rained...these aren't places known for their rain.  When we were at the Chaco Culture World Heritage Site in New Mexico...It rained!  It was an amazing sight to see.  The water cascaded over the edge of the mesa in multiple water falls.  They only receive 8 to 10 inches of water a year and it rained while we were there!  Here we've received eight inches of rain in one hour before.  Yet thousands of people once lived in Chaco.  Amazing.

I've started pulling out the seeds I am going to plant.  Here is a list of what to plant now if you are in the New Orleans area.

Irish Potatoes - Plant whole small potatoes.

Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants - Plant transplants.  (You're eggplants may look good still.  Mine do.)

Plant the following in small pots or soil squares:  Broccoli, cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower.

Plant the following straight in the garden:  Swiss chard, collards, cucumbers squash, beans, mustard, green beans, southern peas, turnips.

This year in the spring my neighbor planted Camellia Red beans in her garden as a cover crop.  They produced well and she gave me a bag.   Fresh red beans are awesome!  I never really thought much of red beans and rice.  It was nice occasionally, but nothing I craved.  Fresh red beans are totally different!  They are so much better than the dried ones.  Soooo I bought a bag today and I am going to plant some in my fall garden.  I certainly will plant some in February as well.  I'm impressed.

Here is what I have done with the granny squares I recently started making with remnants of bright cotton yarn.  I did most of these while traveling in the car on vacation.  Umm that's a moon and stars melon in the bowl (my centerpiece).  Love my little piece of the 70's.

It was so much fun to make and easy...and the colors are a lot more fun than the mauve and blue ones all matchy I remember hating as a child.....it's still drafty....I remember hating that as a child to....but if I ever get that VW van...I'll have the perfect cover for the loft bed.....

If you wanna learn here is a link to a cool tutorial...

Good tutorial on how to make a basic granny square. Lots of pics...

How To Crochet A Rug

This rug is easy to make and so cottage cozy comfy! I made rugs for both of my girls' rooms. Sessie and Talia share a room and Tera gets one all to herself. Lucky girl...privileges of the first born. The rooms are the same size but Talia and Sessie's room has two separate closets, bunk beds and they each have their very own armoire.  

The rugs I bought them a while back....welllll...were a little threadbare so I moved them to the garden.  Yep I use worn out cotton rugs in the garden underneath the mulch.  They suppress weeds great!  Beats just throwing them away!

Any ol' way....This rug is made up of old sheets, blankets, material and anything else, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips.  I've seen descriptions how to make this on the Internet, and they required carefully cutting the strips evenly then sewing the ends together on the bias....my eyes go cross with that kind of stuff.  I love Mary Jane Butters and her book "MaryJane's Stitching Room".  She does away with all that perfection stuff and gets right to making really awesome fun rugs.

This is basically how you make them:

First Cut up a bunch of sheets, blankets, fabric, etc...into 1 1/2 inch strips.  (Don't try to make them perfect.  Just as even as you can.  Even fabric that frays a little adds character to the rug.)
Hint From Kristi:  Fold the large piece of fabric, sheet, blanket etc.. in half and stitch one side closed to form a tube.  Then begin cutting from the top and go in a spiral pattern cutting the fabric into one giant 1 1/2 inch strip.  Otherwise you must cut a slit on each end of each strip and pull one strip through the end of another and then through slit on the other end to join them.  That's confusing...I know.  Or you must sew each end of a strip to the end of another to join them.  Sewing one big seam makes much more sense.  Sigh...are you confused yet?

Anyways...Next...you get a large crochet hook.  Or whittle one from a piece of wood yourself.  That's what I did!  I whittled it from a piece of cypress my honey gave me.  It's not too pretty, but I love it!

Then you crochet about 10 single chains..or more if you want the oval longer.  Next double back and chain two stitches into the end and then go down the side stitching single chains back into the rug.

Start circling around the edges adding extra stitches at the rounded ends as needed to expand and make the rug lie flat.

So easy and fun...but warning...it takes muscles to man handle the heavy rug around.  Another hint is to keep your stitches on the loose side.  This makes it easier to handle.

Anyone who is better at expressing crochet terms and knows what I'm talking about...Feel free to comment and add to this or correct me!

The rug in the beginning.  See the big ball of fabric strips ready to go!

Close up of my awesome personally whittled cypress crochet hook!

Hey hey...this rug is progressing!

Here's the one I made to go beside Tera's bed.  Ummm...I know it's uneven.  I wasn't that great then.  But Hey!  I'm better now!  and Tera still likes it.

Flossie likes this rug.

Flossie REALLY likes this rug.

So Do's I!

Getting Ready For Christmas!

Me loves Christmas!  ...and this year I seem to be especially feeling it!  I don't know....just sorta happier than usual.  I'm not supersticious...I don't think anyway...but when I get like this I sorta keep looking over my shoulder thinking maybe something is going to happen to ruin it...maybe it will, maybe it won't, but I'm going to have fun regardless.  I'm learning a little more each day to plan for the future...but don't forget to LIVE in the moment. 
Here are the bento's I made for the girls recently.  Penguins!  It's hard boiled eggs wrapped in nori and accented with cheddar cheese beak and feet and nori eyes.  The teachers love to look at the girls lunches!  I really hated waking and making traditional lunches everyday.  I actually look forward to making these lunches!

Close up of Artie the penguin.

We decided this Saturday would be sweets making day.  Tera helped by making brownies for the Youth Group Party that night and making the cupcakes for my Sunday School class this Sunday.  I teach the 10, 11 and 12 year olds.  I have between 25 and 30 of them every Sunday.  Challenging fun!

Don't you love Tera's improvised cooling rack?  It's the top part of a broiler pan on top of a food storage container.  Yeah and that's our prize winning, butt kicking ginger bread house in the back.  (minus a few eaten and falling off pieces)  Everyone else did traditional.  We did a beach and surf theme...the "Ho Ho Cabana".  Bring it on Doug and Debbie...   :-)...

Talia helping make treats to give to the girls teachers.  Very yum and easy...just spread peanut butter on town house crackers and dip in melted chocolate.  Talia became a world class dipper yesterday.... We also dipped pretzel rods and twists in chocolate and decorated with sprinkles and white chocolate.

These are Tera's hardworking hands perched on her retro apron.  See those clipped nails?  She forgoes the lovely nail look just like her Mother.  She really loves the lovely nail look, but she loves being able to play the violin unhindered a lot more.  I really try to steer my girls completely away from our societies idea that girls value is in their beauty.  I teach them that beauty is really nice...but very fleeting....I see 50 year old woman running flat out every day trying to catch it and not quite succeeding...beauty really is in who and what you become...and skills, talent and quality character you develop usually far outlast any beauty you might have been given at birth....I love my girls....

Look at that gurl dip!

Now for the icing on the cake...

....and pictures of the finished treats for the teachers!

...and a little holly for some Christmas cheer!

...lovely Tera....

...mmmmhhmmmm....

... an easy nice decoration touch...a red rose in the middle of a mint julep cup surrounded by holly berries and herbs!