GLORIOUS CREATIONS

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/08/two-bits-dont-make-dollar.html

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Monday, April 20, 2015

SCRAP THERAPY: TRASHY PIECING

Every month I have scraps, all kinds, all shapes and sizes. Most of my scraps of a considerable size are cut into squares and rectangles.

When cut to size, I am left with little odd shaped pieces too tiny to piece which are pushed off onto the floor to be vacuumed up later, or swept up to use as fire starters which are soaked with melted wax.

I am a huge endorser of "Thread Savers" and Bonnie Hunter's "Leaders and Enders". I have always hated throwing away the little pieces which don't make it into my perimeters of 1 1/2" squares or larger. I am not a person who would use "Snippets" or make a project of them.

The other day while working on my blocks for the BOM for guild I had lots of odd shaped pieces. Some of considerable size and some tiny. I also had some leader and ender blocks which I wasn't pleased with because I had done them quickly and not watched what fabrics went where and had not nested my seams correctly. I knew they would end up in a pitch pile because I would not take the time to deconstruct them to re construct them.

I was cleaning the floor and thought if these were a little larger they would make pieces for a crazy quilt block. The "light"went on. I could foundation piece these little pieces. I had recently found a roll of very thin brown paper in my stash. It is less than the thickness of newspaper. It is twelve inches wide. So I cut blocks out of it which were 6" square. It was the perfect size for me to deal with. Instead of leaders and enders I was "Trash" sewing and ended up with the above

"trashy blocks" made completely from trash.

I will call this quilt top when completed:

"My sCRAPPY QUILT"

The following blog is about a quilt I designed and made using "Leaders and enders"

Other blogs by me:

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2015/03/quilt-challenge-out-on-limb.html

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Friday, March 20, 2015

QUILT CHALLENGE: "OUT ON A LIMB" PICTURES

I belong to the "Piecemakers" guild located in St. Clair, Missouri. It is a small town about 45 minutes west of St. Louis. We are a nice size guild of about 120 members. (Each meeting we have 80+ members attend.) We meet on the third Wednesday of each month, unless weather doesn't permit. Our members come from as far away as southwest Missouri and downtown St. Louis.

Meetings begin in the morning with a brunch hosted by 7-8 members. We progress to the business meeting and then to the program. There is always an inspiring show-n-tell after the program. Dismissal is usually right before lunch, when, after meeting programs begin. There is a monthly Dear Jane group. This past month we had a class on how to use felted wool in a project presented by a very talented member.

The guild has challenges which I eagerly look forward to. Some are more difficult than others and most are out of my comfort zone. I have blogged previously about other challenges I have participated in. Those blogs are located under the label on the right of this page, "Quilt: Challenge".

This challenge was in the out of the box category for me. I had no idea what I was going to do, much less an inspiration what to do. I am glad I went the extra mile and made myself meet the deadline.

The rules of this challenge were: It had to fit the theme of "Out on a limb". It had to be 16" X 20"

It was Due at the March Meeting quilted and bound. You had to place your limb in the exact place it was on the pattern. You had to use the time and season specified on the pattern.

Here are our challenges:

SPRING MORNING SPRING NOON SPRING NIGHT

SUMMER MORNING SUMMER NOON SUMMER NIGHT

FALL MORNING FALL NOON FALL NIGHT

WINTER MORNING WINTER NOON WINTER NIGHT

Thanks for visiting. The following link is how I constructed my challenge:

Other blogs by me:

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/2014/06/copperhead-snake-close-encounter.html

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Thursday, March 19, 2015

QUILT CHALLENGE: "OUT ON A LIMB"

I finished another Challenge. The name of the Challenge is, "OUT ON A LIMB". I joined on a whim. I was already over-burdened with projects which had deadlines. I didn't need another one!

There were 12 participants. Twelve patterns, 20" X 16", were handed out. Each one was a portion of a continuous limb. This limb stretched through a year of seasons. Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter were then divided into morning, noon, and night. You were to interpret your section anyway you wanted. There were two guidelines: your limb had to enter and leave the pattern exactly where it was marked on the pattern, and the piece had to be 16"X 20" when bound.

The pattern on the left is Winter night. I took so long to make the decision to sign up that I got leftovers. Winter is not my cup of tea, especially when I am creating. I love to make things with lots of flowers and leaves and birds. What kind of leaves is there on a winter tree? What kind of Living things are out on a winter's night? What kind of sky is there on a winter's night. I was out on the end of the limb, which is not the same as being at the end of a rope, but both spell disaster.

The Challenge was due in March, totally finished and bound. This is January. What do I have for inspiration? I had brain block big time. I wanted to get started on this and get it out of the way. I knew if I left it sit I would not get it done and would disappoint myself and the other participants.

The only for sure I knew I needed was a night time winter sky. Winter skies are cold and crisp and sometimes have snow showers. The stars seem to be close enough to touch. Knowing that did not inspire a quilt.

I didn't need to worry because inspiration flew in when I was at the barn. It was daylight but there was the night inspiration in a near by tree. It was a Barred Owl. Now that we don't have 30 barn cats, the mice have been replicating at a phenomenal speed. (Coyotes came by and knocked the population down to two males.) We hadn't seen a mouse, rabbit or snake in years. We've seen an overabundance of them during the last year. Here is one of our visitors:

Now was the time to get a sheet of paper the size of the pattern and sketch out my ideas. The pattern had a branch which elbowed out of the center of the branch. I did a little pruning and cut off that branch and added another to the left to balance the branch. I have mentioned I like to make leaves. The only leaves winter makes available to me are stubborn shriveled up dead leaves. I drew some wind torn leaves. I could have put snow but I have had enough of that and couldn't stand the idea of it in my quilt. I went on line and googled images of the Barred Owl. I couldn't find one I thought suited my branch.

Since he was there to harvest my mice I thought I should also incorporate a mouse on the branch. and the mouse should be dead because it was caught and killed. I set the scene and was satisfied with my sketch and then went to search the stash for the fabrics I would need.

The first part I needed was a night time sky. Nothing jumped out which said this is night. I am not in the vicinity of quilt stores. Each one is at least 30 minutes away. I could use that hour sewing, the weather was snowy, not conducive to a road trip. Stash shopping was my alternative.

What will I do? I have previously used a gridded background in other challenges, using fabrics which blend, as in the water color technique. I picked 1.5 inch squares, my previous endeavors have used 2.5" and 2" squares. I was hoping I would get a look as if the sky was changing into dawn the next day.

When I do grids I cut a piece of freezer paper larger than what I need. My Vertical grid lines are spaced the width of the square I am using. My horizontal grid lines are spaced the width of the finished square. The picture on the left shows the grids. You can also see where I have placed squares. I use a glue stick of the washable variety. It doesn't seem to harm the fabric, most of it stays on the paper. (The grid is drawn on the shiny side of the freezer paper.)

The Picture on the right shows how I apply the squares. I start from the bottom of the design and place the first square with it on the line. It will extend 1/2 inch into the next square. This is where I put the dab of glue. The next square is put on the line over lapping the 1/2 inch and it also over laps the square above. And so on and so forth. (The glue is only on the top edge of the square. You don't want your squares glued together.)

Doing it this way I can arrange the squares in a gradual gradation of color. In my mind it makes the background look as if it were painted. The glue holds them in place temporarily till they can be sewn together. If I am unhappy with my choices it is very easy to change the position of the squares.

I set about turning all the blues I could find into 1 1/2" squares. Stacking the piles on a Styrofoam tray in ascending blue hues.

"Whoo, whoo's coming to dinner"

My next "chore" would be to get the branch from the paper to the background. I had the perfect fabric. It was a fabric which had fur looking streaks on it. I traced the limb on it until the area to be appliqued was too small to applique by needle turn. I don't do iron-on applique. After Appliqueing the branch to the background I used a black sharpie to contour the branch. I finished the small branches, drawing them with a fine point brown Sharpie.

The leaves are several layers of fabric, bonded together with Wonderunder". Then they are pressed into their wrinkled shape.

The owl was appliqued onto a large piece of fabric that I used for his face. I didn't want to make a mistake on the little quilt so I pre-appliqued him on another surface. This allowed me to stuff his wing lightly and add dimension to the quilt. When I was satisfied with how he looked I trimmed the base fabric to 1/4 inch and needle turned him onto the branch.

His mouse friend was a piece of faux fur lining from an old coat, with a red bead for his eye, and a piece of one of my hair bands for his tail.

I was attempting to make the Sky look like when the night is turning to dawn and the moon light reflecting off the snow. I wanted the owl to looked surprised at the mouse approaching him on the branch, perplexed at what he should do.

I have mentioned in other Challenge blogs how satisfying they have been for me. They prevent me from doing the same thing all the time. They teach me new techniques. They help reacquaint me with the contents of my stash. This one did all those things.

You will find the pictures of the "Out on a limb" challenges on the following blog.
Our guild has wonderfully talented and creative quilters.
http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2015/03/quilt-challenge-out-on-limb-pictures.html

I can't wait to see what challenge is next.

Other blog sites by me:

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/challah-made-easy.html

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Saturday, March 14, 2015

CHALLAH BAKING WITH BABA

Baking with Baba, I don't remember the pictures being taken but I do remember the occasion. We recently purchased a film and slide scanner. The negatives were in an envelope. I am so glad we rescued them before they became degraded.

I wish we had had a digital camera back then.

We would've known the pictures weren't in focus and could have retaken them.

Who could have imagined one so small could be so attentive. These pictures were taken in October 2003. Our grandson was born in February 2001. He was 20 months old when these photos were taken. Children are never too young to help in the kitchen

He was asking me if he was doing it right. I was telling him to push and squish it, not roll it in a ball. The trusting eyes with the questioning look.

Where have those times gone?

Now they are replaced with eyes which are filled with googling not goggling.

The pleasure and satisfaction he had, is showing in his posture.

The recipe we used is on this blog:

This job takes all my concentration.

It really takes a strong man to use a rolling pin. Baba helped me make Cinnamon rolls too. We used the same dough for them.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/05/cinnamon-rolls-from-challah.html

Cinnamon roll Tutorial

RECIPE FOR MAKING MACAROONS

FROM THE EXTRA EGG WHITES:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/12/cookies-cookies-and-more.html

Thanks for stopping by. I hope my explanations were clear.

If you have any questions about baking please write.

Baking is a fun and relaxing endeavor.

Our grandchildren live in Tampa and San Diego, How many precious memories have we missed?

Other blog sites by me:

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

http://organicinstlouis.blogspot.com/2013/08/blackberries-kitchen-aid.html

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

New Blog:

Blogs about our pair of pitbulls.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

REPAIRING CLOTH WEBBING STRAPS

You can successfully repair the cloth webbing straps on suitcases, purses, etc. I recently had a reason to repair a couple of items. We had a dog whose desire was to chew lots of things. Her favorite chew item was handles. Purses and suitcases, if they could be reached, were favorite targets.

I didn't throw out the chewed items because they had cloth webbed handles and I thought I could replace them. A couple of months went by and still no repair and the new puppy came into the age of chewing and she chewed through her leash. (It was hanging from a door knob, easy to grab for the outside trips.) Necessity is the mother of invention (I knew that leash would be needed with in the hour).

I laid the leash on the counter, next to a bag of onions. The light bulb went on. I could try the webbing of the onion bag. The sewing machine is always up, it was change the 1/4" quilting foot to the zigzag foot and put in a size 16 needle.

I trimmed the edges of the chew so they would butt against each other. Then I zigzagged over the join a couple of times. This didn't feel stable at all. A pit bull pup will pull that apart in no time. I cut a strip of onion bag net and wrapped it around the join twice and then I zigzagged lengthwise on top of the onion bag webbing. It worked wonderfully, it was nice and strong.

I went to retrieve the camera bag with wide straps and tried it on the camera strap. It worked even better than on the leash. (It was wider and you had more area to add strength.)

I have a stash of all sorts of bag nettings, finding a color which would match nicely wasn't a problem. Using the nettings for crafts is neat but it 's nice to know they are great for useful things too. I also save used dryer sheets, and used shout color catcher sheets.

more blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup,

who has become a hidden treasure.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Thursday, February 12, 2015

A QUILT CHALLENGE: RED, WHITE AND BLUE, REACHES ITS DESTINATION

"LIBERTY STAMP"

The Liberty challenge has found its way on board the

USS Carl Vinson.

It was our Son's Birthday, January 29.

Thirteen stripes and thirteen stars,

Songs written in metered bars,

A flag created by a sempstress hand,

Many Sons fought for this land.

Our son has made his stamp,

Keeping the light in freedom's lamp,

May it shine bright from sea to sea,

Reminding every one, our Sons keep us free.

USS CARL VINSON
I want to thank our children in the armed services for all they do to protect the freedoms we enjoy.

more blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-quilt-challenge.html

blogs about the wildflowers on our farm

Organic methods we use, some cooking and some poetry,

blogs about Seed sprouting, insects, and garden pictures

Blog about an endangered beneficial beetle

http://pitbulladog.blogspot.com/

Chronicling our adventures with a dumped Pit Bull Pup,

who has become a hidden treasure.

All recipes, pictures, and writings are my own.

I give credit for items which belong to other people in my blogs .

Please do not copy without permission

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

A QUILT CHALLENGE: RED, WHITE AND BLUE, FINISHED

LIBERTY'S STAMP 28" X 26"

Taking a deep breath,

Letting out a sigh,

I finished, it's not a UFO,

Oh my, Oh my.

I need to tell you the end of the story before you know what happened in between. I made it to the finish line, which was a challenge in itself.

With our children visiting, and beginning the challenge when it was already more than half over (remember I wasn't going to join this challenge). I only joined because the hostess broke her foot and extended the finishing date. I presumed that translated into me being able to stretch my time too.

Today a friend discussed in an email how she wished she didn't start new projects and could get some of her UFOs finished. I replied, slap my hands and teach me to say no. I don't seem to be able to resist a new appealing project. Especially when it is a "Challenge". What do I have to prove, nothing. I am hoping with each challenge I increase my knowledge of the art of quilting. I have written two blogs on this challenge. If you haven't seen the blogs, here are the links:

Introductory Blog about this challenge and other challenges I have participated in:

Short blog on my beginning the challenge:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-quilt-challenge-red-white-blue.html

"FREEDOM'S NEVER FREE" 25"X 20"

Today's blog is to show what we accomplished with basic fabrics (we means, the participants in the challenge). Using fabrics which were not fancy and had no pzazz on their own. If they were on a table you wouldn't walk by and have to fondle them. They wouldn't jump out with their beautiful designs begging to be touched. They are solids. They are supporting actors, not what you would call major players. These fabrics in the hands of four quilters became show offs, literally shouting, "Look, I'm important, aren't I beautiful!"

The colors spoke to us in a patriotic vein. We have sons, daughters and relatives in the Armed Services. This showed in how we decided to interpret the fabrics. Remember, Toby never said we had to use some of each fabric. We could have made a quilt with only white and another color in the collection. The only rule was to use the fabrics in the collection.

"MADE IN AMERICA" 18" X 18"

"MADE IN AMERICA" This wall hanging is the epitome of the phrase. She not only made the wall hanging but it is made with American produced fabric.

Close-up showing her Red Work skills.

HARVEST TABLE RUNNER 60" X 24" (Wonderful for celebrating the 4th of July)

I recommend you challenge yourself to a project you think you will have no interest in. You'll never know what journey it will lead you on. What great adventure you might have going into uncharted territories. That said, I signed up for another Challenge at guild today. It may be a step into "never never land", the lure of a fantasy trip in my future.

I participated in an on-line Challenge in a yahoo group I belong to. It was a lot of fun and let free some of my inner child. This is the link to that blog:

http://gloriouscreations.blogspot.com/2011/06/scraps-become-utilitarian.html

I will be posting a blog about my inspiration for the "Liberty Fabrics" and how I constructed it. It will contain information about what I learned and what I wish I knew.

Thank you Toby for presenting us the opportunity to get to know these fabrics.

Visit Toby Lischko's on line shop. She has great patterns of her own design.

http://gatewayquiltsnstuff.com/

Toby's blog: She has on-line giveaways of great fabrics.

http://www.gatewayquiltsnstuff.blogspot.com/

more blogs by me:

http://glosgarden.blogspot.com/

Where I have stories of my cats and other pets

a blog about my courtship with my husband,

and a blog about my most embarrassing moment.

A "Soap box" blog where I do air my opinions.