Hospitality?

No, this is not lunch. Today or any other day. How often do you have people besides your immediate family over for a meal? In the tiny circles in which I travel, I get odd comments about our frequent hospitality. People seem genuinely shocked that we have so many "outsiders" here for meals.

Having extra meal guests is very commonplace at our house. I am thankful that my DH doesn't mind feeding an extra mouth or two (or three...).

This week at Curves, I was introduced to a newcomer as the woman who wants to feed the world. I explained that the comment was a bit of an exaggeration! Then they asked me how many times I had fed non-family this past week or so. Well, it started with having 6 college men over for supper a week ago, then taking same group a supply of groceries (it was their fall break, and they were camping!), sent lunch for two on Sunday, then we had someone over for pizza and dessert after church Sunday night, made 4 to-go suppers for another group Wednesday night, we're having a family of four over tonight, one for breakfast tomorrow, and so on, and so on. It's been a slow week, LOL! That's not a lot...or is it??

Our frequent hospitality offers stem from our church involvement. I for one enjoy meeting new members and getting to know some who have been there for a while even better. Our house is never as perfectly decorated and maintained as I would like. I would nearly always (in retrospect) have changed the menu a little (either in amount, selection, or preparation). But it is what it is. There was a day when I would literally work in a frenzy (cooking, cleaning, wiping, fussing) until the guest knocked at the door. The visits were strained and uncomfortable. It was a wonder anyone came back.

So, how often do you open your home to others?

Curious in NC,

~Joan

Stardust In My Eyes...and on My Design Wall

This is my latest scrap buster. I had made quite a few of the pieced units heretofore, and was eager to put a few rows together. This is how much I assembled last night...

The colored squares are 4" finished. The cream squares in the star centers are 2" finished. This is using up bits and pieces of some-nearly-and-some-now-gone-from-my-stash fabrics. Such a simple pattern, but so beautiful. I've made and sold some tops made from this pattern. I don't know if this one will end up living here or not.

Here is my accomplishment as of a few minutes ago. I think I'll make it twice this big, so I'm halfway there. It measures 34-1/2" by 71" now. If I double this, it will be 69" x 71". Hmmm...That's nearly square, and that won't work. Have to give that some more thought later.

Here is a close up of the top so far. I am using my favorite Thimbleberries cream for all the stars. It has a toile-like appearance. It keeps the quilt from being too scrappy.

Anything goes in this scrappy quilt! The pattern is called Stardust. I have many more pieces already cut for it and have determined about how many more I need. It's time to start couting to see how many more need to be cut. I never tire of scrap quilts.

Good night,

~Joan

Goodbye, New Friend

I have just listed this quilted topper on eBay. How could I? After being initially gripped with the burning desire to make one, I did. After I sewed the binding down by hand this AM (while listening to my youngest children read me their stories for the day aloud and stopping to grade the math lessons completed for the day) I realized I didn't really have a suitable place for it. It's a little too wide to put on my kitchen table. Mutiny would ensue if I tried to put in on the kitchen island. That's a place for WORK, not beauty, I'm told.

In my non-interior-decorator's mind, I think this would be lovely on a round table (which we don't have) with a flower arrangement or candle on the center square (which, for potential bidders is a 6" square, LOL).

Back down to the sewing/school room for me, where I have more hand work awaiting as well as some school work to grade. The excitement just never ends around here.

~Joan

Texas Truffle Eye Candy

This is a Texas Truffle lone star that Emily pieced for a customer. There is applique in the corner squares, but the customer is going to do that herself (yay!!). It doesn't sag in person...must be the way they're holding it.

This is 78" square. The pieced inner border really sets it off, doesn't it?

~Joan

Fall Decorations, Take 18

This is the first thing I ever tole painted. It was made in a beginner's class several years ago. A similar plaque was displayed in a vender's booth at a craft fair I frequented. There was a sign below that said "Learn How to Paint This". Being a pumpka-holic, I was hooked. I'd always wanted to learn tole painting. I only took 2 classes, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

~Joan

Keepin' It Real

If you read my post from last night, you know I was gripped with a burning desire to make this quilt top after supper, and stay up until it was finished. Well, I did so, but it was a challenge. Not a challenge to design it myself, but a challenge to find enough space on my cutting table to make the silly thing. It has been so long since I've sewn regularly that my cutting table was a shambles. Here is the before...

Scary--isn't it? I think so. Just keepin' it real.

On the right (in front) among other things is a stack of quilt magazines, my red scrap bin, a bolt of brown (what was that used for?). There are scraps of trimmings from I-can't-remember-what on the 18" x 24" green mat in the center. To the left is another motley crew of I-have-no-idea-where-those-came-froms. Enough to make a grown woman cry. Oh--that would be me.

But I was determined to machine quilt my little Octagonal Fall top today. In order to do that, I'd need to lie it down flat somewhere and cut backing and batting. I needed to clean up that table. But being a quilter, I could not just throw away all the scraps. They could most likely be used in a future project. So I painstakingly sorted them by color into my "scrap boxes", aka plastic shoe boxes by colors (reds, blues, greens, and all the others--4 boxes total).

Like a breath of fresh air...

That's what I am talking about. The quilt top has been quilted and the binding is sewn to the front. We have liftoff!

~Joan

Fall Decorations, Take 17

It finally happened...I'm fresh out of fall quilts. Here is a picture of some wooden pumpkins I tole painted a few years ago. I gave my sister and my friend a set, too (2 Dianes). My dad cut these one year when I was visiting with him (hi, Dad!). They are on our living room mantle. They are made from 1" pine, so they stand up all by themselves.

Today was my 3-month anniversary at Curves. I need to get more serious about losing weight and getting more fit. I'm not sure how I fell off the wagon this month, but several things come to mind...apple pie, mini candy bars, cinnamon rolls. I continue to amaze myself about eating things that I know I shouldn't and thinking it won't really matter this time. For crying out loud, every time is an important time. Just venting and giving myself the what for here. Hopefully next month's report will be a big improvement. I stayed the same weight (which is better than gaining) and lost only 2 more inches. All I can think is, "So many more to go!" Here's to next month...

~Joan