Recent Ramblings

Raised Rows

Brookdale Farm

Yum Yum!

Clean Berries

Pick the red ones

What fun days! Friday morning I went strawberry picking with daughter number two and kids – in Pungo, Virginia. I’ve heard for years about the good pickin’s down that way, but this was my first outing in the area. Brookland Farm delivered as promised!  The strawberries were in raised rows and rested cleanly on black plastic.  Clean, juicy and sweet berries!  We quickly picked two buckets, and munched on them the rest of the day.  We enjoyed the lovely rural drive, with added bonus of a  dinosaur-lined walk in front of the nearby Virginia Beach Airport.

On Saturday, after a very damp morning at the South of the James Market, I drove to Scottsville to donate my father’s uniforms to the Scottsville Museum.  If you haven’t visited this historical gem, put it on your list.  The current exhibit is Where the River Bends, Scottsville and the James.  Right across the street is Canal Park with reconstuctions of the batteaus (and clean bathrooms).

While you’re in town, you may want to drive out to the shopping center (route 6 thru town, then bear left to continue on route 6 to the top of the hill), where I discovered a charming antique mall, River Town Antiques, which has been open for four years.  Selection was extensive and prices were reasonable.  I happened to be here on Customer Appreciation Day, and the hot dog and angel food/pineapple cake were delicious!

Spring Postcard Swap

Spring Post Cards

Fly Free Blue

Fly Free Yellow

It’s May, so it’s Virginia Consortium of Quilters Postcard swap time! I have several balls in the air this month, so I did mine early. I took advantage of Sue Price and Elizabeth Gibson’s wonderful themofax service on etsy and ordered a screen from a butterfly photo I took at Lewis Ginter last year.  The screen was here by the end of the week! I haven’t a clue where it is now, but at least I got my postcards made before it disappeared into the clutter!  I started on the blue cloud fabric, but was happier with the visibility of the yellow.  I wound up printing the image twice – I had to put more pressure on the scraper than I remembered to get the paint thru the screen.  I carved two text stamps, ‘fly free!’ and ‘escape the grid’, but found that the alphabet embroidery feature of my sewing machine did a better job.

I’m very pleased with my postcards!  Our theme was ‘cravings’, and this was the note on the back of the card:

“With the azaleas in full bloom, and a yellow haze on everything, I crave the freedom to fly away like a butterfly, to enjoy each lovely flower, without a thought for spring cleaning!”

For more great info on thermofax printing and quilt arts in general, check out   Elizabeth’s blog.

Featherweight!!

Featherweight and all the fittin’s

Centennial Badge

Sales info on Featherweight

As I was prowling estate sales on Saturday, I came across one of those magical black suitcases, the kind that tend to contain a Singer Featherweight sewing machine – and that’s what was inside this one!! Case and machine were in exccellent condition, with all pieces present and accounted for. It was priced at more that I wanted to pay, but they took a bid.

Sunday I picked up my new Featherweight! These machines are a dream to sew on and easily portable for sewing gatherings and classes. I’ve been using a white one from 1964 that’s led a hard life, and actually belongs to my brother. Our dad bought it at a swap meet at some point, sans case and attachments, for $5!  I’ve wanted an older black one for years. Based on the serial number, the one now sitting on my sewing table was assigned it’s number in October 1950. The badge says 1851 – 1951, and the letter (!) from father to daughter regarding the machine,  that was in the case, is dated January 1951, so I suspect the actually date of the machine is 1951.

Interestingly, the sales brochure for Singer machines, which was also in the case, shows not only the Featherweight, but on the same page an electrified vibrating shuttle machine, Model 128. This is the same model as my non-electric handcranks, which are dated 1895 and 1920.

Transcript of letter:
January 19, 1951
Dear Lois: I enclose a folder of sewing machines. This morning Jeanne and I stopped in at the Singer place, Ridgewood, and priced a couple of machines. The Portable on page 13, the large picture, model No 221-1 seems to be one of the best. It is $149.50. If you want a cabinet type the one on page 8, no 201-1, which fits on the cabinet no. 40 on page 9 is one of the best. If you want either one of these say the word and I shall get it for you or send you a check for the proper amount, if you want to get it somewhere out there. I think it would pay you to get a machine now if you want one and you could probably learn to do a good deal of sewing if you have a machine. … Sewing machines may, like most other things, be harder to get later. So if you want one write or telephone and I shall send a check tout de suite. We have a sunny warm day for my birthday – sixty years of antiquity. Your loving father…
(written up side of page) Don’t fool with a second-hand machine – the advise of mother – in buying something that will last as long as a sewing machine. (written upside down on the bottom of the page) Also old machines are harder to get repair parts for.

What a good father!

Water Color Adventure

James River Railroad Bridge

Cosmos in Monterey, Virginia

Pioneer Farm, NC

Maymont Japanese Garden

Sunday was a very rainy Easter here in central Virginia. I’d been thinking about doing some water colors, and browsing the excellent video clips out there on the web. And I was toying with the idea of attending the Bon Air Artist Association meeting coming up on Wednesday.  I’ve been admiring their shows for the past 20 years, but never thought of myself as an artist.  Times change.

So I got out the paints and brushes, and over the next couple of days came up with these pieces. Lessson learned – I definately need to brush up on my skills! Got some books from the library yesterday, and checking on classes. I did go to the meeting last night which was very inspiring. They have approximately 140 members working in all media and are focused on exhibiting their art. Maybe I’ll need a workshop in Bath by September!!

Early Spring at Maymont

Too many pesky people – I’m out of here.

If I pretend I’m sleeping, maybe they’ll go away.

Happy Happy Spring!

Morning – bah!

My own eagle

Weather is finally starting to warm up!  Hubster and I enjoy early spring at Maymont last Thursday – lots of animals around and daffodils in bloom.  We came in from the side of the Dooley mansion, thinking it wouldn’t be as much of a walk.  Obviously I haven’t been in awhile – no matter where you enter, you’re guaranteed several miles of wandering about!

Winter Quilting

President Blocks

Memories of 2012

Caught by the Surf

Mug Rug

March already!! Apologies to my faithful readers – January and February slipped away from me. We bid my 93 year old father good bye in mid January, and I’m starting to get myself back together. Hospice, his choice, was a godsend.

Meanwhile, I have been in the studio. Creativity has marvelous healing powers. I started working on the first quilt top shown above in early January at our quilting beach retreat. I’ve had the blocks since 2004 – they were given to me by my quilt chapter when I stepped down as president. They sat in a drawer for all this time because I couldn’t figure out how to set them – I wanted more control on their orientation than the square format of the blocks were allow. I’m very pleased with this solution! I stitched each block to fusible interfacing in a cirlce, then turned and ironed to the stripped background.

The second quilt came together as I was cleaning off my sewing table in December and came across a lone TARDIS with fusible already on the back of it! I was just back from the trip to NYC, and had see the December full moon the night before thru our lace curtains…. The purple fabric of the blocks was some muslin I thru into the dye bath when I was dying the garden gloves my husband brought me from a rainy parking lot.  The palms were pink, but the cream of the fabric was still dingy after several washings.  Now they’re purple!!

I’ve finally finished the seashore wall hanging of our daughter, at 3 years old, running from the waves! She’s a bit older now.  I may do it over – it doesn’t pop as I would like.

The mug run was one of our beach projects that I didn’t get to til the end of January.  I was so pleased with it that I’ve made eight of them to set aside as Christmas presents.  And my morning beverages sits on one beside me now as I type!!

Hope your March is full of wind, rain, and early Spring buds!!

Streets of New York

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Watching the Times Square count down last night I was amazed anew at the number of people in New York City.  During my visit in mid-December, mid-week, I was fascinated by the flocks of folks on the sidewalks and fearlessly navigating cab traffic on foot.  I may have mentioned that we were in a motor coach – I’m not sure how that’s different from a bus, but our ‘operator’ assured us it is so, which is why he’s not a ‘bus driver’.  Distinction aside, we had a great view and I took rather more photos that I really needed to. Perhaps you will enjoy them as much as I do!