The Patriot's Heart

The Patriot's Heart. All red white and blue. Nothing but red white and blue were my rules for the quilt. I'm still in the process of finishing this wall hanging. The top, coverlet part, is done, all the hearts are made from a template.

You can make your own template, too. Whatever size you want. I make my templates from a Cheerioes box. You can make one too. Then use the template for all the base fabrics. I started this quilt in 2003. The majority was finished last year . But I just need to bind it and get a sleeve on the back to hang it up.

My DH is in the service, so I'm pretty patriotic. So this goes out to all the mommys, daddys, sons and daughters serving our country. Thank you.

Steps to making your own heart blocks. Or just make one for an accent pillow for your bed. Or for a wedding gift:

Step 1. Cut out your template from a cereal box

Step 2. Cut out 15 hearts on some muslin for your base fabric using your template. Trace around the template with a pen, pencil. or whatever you feel like using.

Step 3. Choose your theme and the fabrics to match. Fun themes are patriotic, white on white, spring flowers, birds, cats, family (each heart can represent a different person in your family, that's fun. Add dates and names. Ooooo makes a nice heirloom), NRA and guns for your man, ...........oh..........whatever you love. Your state or Country of origin, be it California, Florida, Michigan, or Australia!! Holidays. Goodness. The themes are endless.

Step 4. Yay!!! Now get all 15 hearts all filled up with fancy fabrics sewn together in the CQ form.

Step 5. Embroider the seams and embellish the heart shaped blocks with beads, fancy lace, buttons, and trims. Embroider motifs to fit your theme.

Step 6. Pin and blanket stitch the hearts onto another piece of fabric using a contrasting and strong thread. I used black tatting thread to blanket (or some call it button hole) stitch the hearts onto a piece of fabric.

Step 7. Choose the smallest block, crop it, and use that block to crop all the other blocks.

Step 8. Machine stitch them all together any way you want. Mine was done three across and five up and down.

Step 9. Using a disappearing ink quilters pen, mark swirls on the blocks in between the hearts. Hand quilt it to another big piece of muslin like an old sheet. No batting necessary. If you don't want to hand quilt it, quilt it any way you want. Machine. Straight lines using a ruler. Whatever strikes your fancy. It's your quilt, after all.

Step 10. Sash it, back it with another sheet, tie the center blocks.

Step 11. Hand quilt the sashing.

Step 12. Bind it. Then put a tube of fabric on the back top for hanging.

DONE!!

Wow!! Now you know why it took me four ye years to make. Yikes!!

My beautiful home

This is my lovely mountain community here in Southern CA. We actually have four seasons , and we got 5 feet of snow in the period of two days last year. School was closed. Guess I'm buying a snow blower this year.

Valley temperatures hover near the 100s in the summer while here in the mountains it rarely gets above 85 degrees.

Also here's a picture of my really cool home nestled in the trees. We have about 7 really huge trees on our property. In the valley, where we used to live, we had zero. The air is much cleaner up here, too.

The top photo is the view out our loft, my bedroom window!! Can you imagine looking at this every day!! I'm so lucky. I live where people wish to vacation. Lucky Lucky me. And thanks to my Dear Husband, who works his rear off to afford to live here. I'm a lucky girl. The crazy mountain girl.

Getting old, I guess

Oh my goodness!! You think I'd be able to go for a mere 1/2 hour jog. Y know!! I mean, I gave myself shin splints. SHIN SPLINTS!! On only a 1/2 hour jog. Now, take it, I hadn't done that kind of jogging for 7 years, an last time it was on straight city streets. I guess a 5 degree slope is major on the joints and shins, at that. But, HELLO!! I thought I could do it. I was having fun, too. Bopping along to up-beat music.

But then I took a spill on the stairs the day after, and landed right on my butt and layed there deciding weather I should move again. Something had jarred in my hip joint that shouldn't have. And so, I've been in my bed letting people do stuff for me all week. I was pretty pathetic. And in the worst pain ever. So painful, I was dizzy and felt like I was gunna puke my brains out. I painfully hobbled to the toilet a couple of times. Alleve became my friend. And Tylenol PM in the evenings became my buddy. And the chiropractor. Yay for thoughtful chiropractors. I'd still be in bed if it weren't for him.

I'm back to recovery. And I won't give up. I'll start jogging.............hmmmmm..............next year!! LOL. For now I'll just do the walking thing. And try not to fall on the stairs. After all, I'm not getting any younger. I'm old. 35. Old. Arthritic. Old. I'm old. I feel really really old.

Long time no talk

Wow!! Sorry it's been a long time since I last posted. Been busy. Now I have two in school. I get to clean the house more and I actually went for a jog yesterday. I wanted to do more, but I'm realizing that as you get older, and you body says, "STOP!!" ya better listen, or you'll be sorry. I'm glad I listened, becaue I had to take some asprin so I could sleep last ight as my legs were scraming at me. I didn't think I was doing THAT much, but while plugging along, my body said, "Ok, that's enough." So I walked back to my car and went home. Today, my back kills, but, al least, my legs don't hurt any more. It's good to listen to your body. Especially if you haven't rone for a real jog in 6 years. LOL

So for us old folks, just take it easy. If you havn't gone for a jog in over 6 years, wake up in the morning and say, "Hey, what a good day for a jog", just remember to listen to your body if it says stop. But don't let your body run yor life. There's another side to your body communication, too.

I have a ilttle moto that I keep telling myself: "I will put my body into subjection." If you're over weigh, quit feeding your face, and get out and get some activity. And when your body says, "I'm hungry and tired." Well, too bad. The body is not the boss. You are. So tell the body that you are in charge, and not even a pang in the stomach or lethergy in your joints is gunna stop you. Say, "Body, I don't cre if you're tired or hungry, you're getting oatmeal and blueberries with soy milk, and then you are going for a brisk walk. So there!!" Hungry!!Pah!! Tired!!! Ha!! You're not in charge!! I am. You WILL eat right and you WILL get some fun exercise and do good things today. Quit being a scared lazy butt!! Just do it.

This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be happy with it. And my body will not rule me. I will rule it. Kindly. The body is not in charge. Just like God. He is in charge. He is nice to us. He takes care of us. We do not boss Him around. He kindly tells us how it's going to be. Hear ye, if you have ears: "Be not deceived. God is not mocked. Whatsoever a man sows, that's what he's gunna reep." Just as God's in charge of this world. We need to be in charge of our bodies. Dont' decieve yourself. If you sow choolate, cake, and a big huge stake, and then not exercise for a week, you're not gunna feel real good. And it's your fault.

BE THE BOSS!!

Rousched Silk Flowers Tutorial cont.

Step 7: Oh look!! Now just open your flower keeping the raw edges on the bottom. Isn't it cute?? But we're not done yet. We've gotta tack it on a block somewhere. Here, I have a girls Christmas stocking I'm working on. I like to put five or six couching stitches on to keep the flower in it's place. Just put it anywhere you want. You can make it part of a seam treatment on a crazy quilt. You can make it the major motif in the center of a patch, or even the center of a sane quilt. You can use it for more framing on the corner of sash work. Goodness!! The possibilities are endless.

Step 8: And now that I have a beading needle in hand, I just start doing cute little beaded rounds in the center of the flowers. Or you could change needles and do a bunch of french knots in the center. Or even a straight stitch to mimic stamen. How fun is this??
It's your flower. Your creation. Your art. What do you want to see here? I'd love to see some of these cute little buds and flowers on your own work. Feel free to e-mail me pictures.



Step 9: Now make more. Yes!! And put them anywhere you want on your block. As you can see. I've scattered these flowers on both a purple seam and most of a patch. Then I added leaves. And the leaves aren't even green. They're metalic gold. Who says you have to make your leaves green, anyways?? Ya know. It's your art. Do what the fabric and embellishments ask for. And you could dangle charms, broaches, and old pearl necklaces in there if you want. It's a good day to create.

Love ya all. Happy stitching.

Rousched Silk Flowers Tutorial

Introduction: Here, I've decided to post a tutorial on my blog on how I make these rousched flowers. What is rousching? It's basically just gathered fabric for embellishing. In the Victorian era, it was very popular in clothes. Ruffles and lace and frills. Even men got into it.

You can make rousched flowers with bias cut silk ribbon or the cheaper way, with rousched silk fabric. This is a very inspirational way of embellishing. The possibilities are endless. It's a good day. And this is a day to be inspired to spread beauty around the world with art. There are nine simple steps to making these lovely flowers.

Step 1. Here are the supplies you'll need for the basic rousched flower: silk fabric cut on the bias or bias cut silk ribbon (the fabric is cheaper) thread or floss of the same color as the fabric, a beading needle, and beads (beads are optional). I prefer a beading needle, because it glides through the fabric nicely. AND I like to use beads at the end when the flower is all done.

The bigger you cut the fabric, the bigger your flowers will be. I usually cut my fabric to 1 inch X 3 1/2 inches or linger. Whatever. I'm not too picky about it, as you can tell. But they should be cut to what you see to your left. It's not an exact measurement.



Step 2. Fold the fabric in half long ways and make a running stitch along the raw edge. You should be going through two pieces of fabric. Easy!!

Step 3. Now just pull to gather your fabric. Look!! It's already coming into a circle!













Step 4. Now this part is a little tricky and hard to explain. We want to make a circle, so we need to sew the ends together. We don't want any raw edges showing on top. So, again, with just a simple running stitch, put the two edges together ("right on right", for those who sew), and pull the thread through without gathering. But you can pull the center of the flower to gather it nice and tight. Realize, you're going through four layers of fabric when sewing the two raw edges together. But it should be easy since the fabric is really thin. And a beading needle is also very pointy.





















Step 5. Now go right back down that same running stitch so the the thread is now coming out of the bottom center of the flower.

Tomorrow I'll show you how to tack it onto a block and the endless possibilities of these cute little flower. Or big ones. Depending on what you want to accomplish.

Michael

Michael. He's the baby. And, even though he's turned 3, I have a tendency to baby him too much. After all, he's my last one. I try not to treat him like a baby, but I do. I've gotta stop that. Don't want to make him into a sissy. At least he's starting to talk now. "Gok" is a dog. "Keecak" is a kitty cat. Eventually he'll get all the words. And then I'll have to tell him to please be quiet so I can think. Ha!!

Me

This is me before I lost 25 lbs. I'll have to get another picture taken. I think this one was taken almost two years ago. I really wasn't feeling good then, either.

And that reminds me that I really need to do some aerobics after I get done blogging here. Little Michael will join me. He's so cute. I've yet to post a pic of him. Of course, you can see him in the back ground of both Adam's an Alec's pictures. So cute.

I like to read, do Bible studies to get to know God more, Crazy Quilt, and I'll share some of that later, too. I'll even share what I've learned from God's Word. I love art, the Bible, my family, my dear husband, Steve, serving in Iraq right now. I'm very proud of him.

Well, supper awaits.

The Crazy Mountian Girl

Alec

July 26, 3008

Here's Alec. He's got more energy in his little toe, than we all have put together. He loves to go go go, and do do do. He remembers everything. He'll do well in school starting Kindergarten next month. If we can keep his little butt in his chair. I'm proud of him already. He's so smart.
Alec likes to climb trees, be other places besides home, discover new places and new things, and visit friends. As I said, he likes to go go go. He'll be the first out of the house come graduation time. He'll probebly be a world traveler, because he just can't sit still. He always wants to be some place different than where he is. That's Alec for ya.

I'm a Blogger

July 26, 2008

I've been wanting to start a blog for a long time. Now, look. You can check out pictures of my kids, my art, and read about what my husband is doing and about knowing Jesus Christ.

This is Adam, my oldest. He likes electronics and anything that has buttons. He likes to see how things work.

And there's the wood in the background. It gets cold even here in Southern California. It actually got below zero with the wind chill this past winter. Burrr.

Adam will be in first grade next month. I'm so proud of him, like most mothers.