"Houses" Quilt

Finished this quilt in early June.  It measures approx 40 in X 46 in.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  I gave it to a friend in real estate.  

Practice Pieces Quilt

I still working (off/on) to improve my free motion machine quilting.  I have trouble keeping the stitch length even.  This small lap quilt was made using small practice pieces.  Finished size approx 32 in x 48 in. I gifted it to a friend in December who was going through chemotherapy for multiple myeloma.  He died earlier this year from complications.  

Hearts Baby Quilt

I made this quilt using scrape fabrics.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  Measures 40 in square.  I gave it to a friend to use for her grandbabies.

The back is pieced also using leftover pink fabrics.

Two Fabric Postcards

Recently made these two fabric postcards for friends.   This one is approx 5.5 in X 7.5 in.  It was machine appliqued and quilted.  The edges were zigzagged. 

This one is approx 5.5 in X 7.25 in.  It was machine appliqued and quilted.  The edges were finished with binding.

Lacey Knit Chuppah

This blanket was knit at the request of a friend for her upcoming Jewish wedding in November.  She wanted it to actually use it as a chuppah.  It blocked out to approx 54 in square.  The pattern (modified to knit as a whole piece rather than in four segments) is Lacey Knit Chuppah by Bubbie Knit.  The yarn is Cascade Yarns Pacific in white. The first two photos are after blocking.  The last two are during blocking.

Red and Blue Lap Quilt

The center indigo dyed fabric is from the indigo shibori dye class I took in early June.  I like the added strip of red.  It is 45 in square, machine quilted.  I have haven't decided who I'll give it to but have a friend in mind.  

The back is a neutral fabric with a strip of red along one side.

My rescue dog Lizzie likes the quilt.  This photo was taken before I had sewn down the binding.

Bag for Use with a Walker

I made this bag for my friend (for >40 yrs now).  She has multiple sclerosis and uses a walker.  The pattern is Simplicity 2300, bag A. I modified the pattern just a bit so there is no seams on the side and the zipper pocket in the front has a bias finish along the top edge which was sewn down rather than another seam there. 

I also added a button closure and a key keeper (hook on a strap so the keys don't get lost in the bottom). I also added a button closure and a key keeper (hook on a strap so the keys don't get lost in the bottom).  The shoulder strap (not well seen in the photo) is adjustable.

I think it really needs to be a smaller by about 25% as I am concerned that if it is actually full it will be too heavy and make it too difficult for my friend to lift the walker when needed or make the walker unstable.  She hasn't had the bag long so no reported problems (so hopefully my worries are unfounded).

Herringbone Quilt

I made this quilt after seeing one made by my Facebook friend (Scott Murkin, a palliative care physician who makes and judges quilts!).  I drafted the pattern by looking at his quilt.  It's a herringbone pattern.  The quilt is machine pieced and quilted.  It measures approx 40 in X 49 in.  It's been sent to friends to use as a baby quilt.

Fidget Quilt for a Friend with Alzheimer's

The Christmas card from my college physics professor was the spark for this quilt for his wife.  I knew she had some dementia problems but now they have moved from their home in Alexandria, VA to North Carolina to be near their daughter and her family.  So I wanted to make her a quilt and had read that fidget quilts were good for those with Alzheimer's.  After looking through stuff in my sewing room this is the quilt I made for her.  It is machine pieced and quilted.  It is 26 in square.  

 This area has a working button from an old pair of jeans waistband.  The waistband loop was used to hold the strings of beads that can be "worried" or used as prayer beads.  The red button is sewn on to the green velvet ribbon which covers a velcro strip.  I placed a bracelet there that can be removed or simple fiddled with.

 I took an old name badge holder and sewed it onto the center square (after all the quilting was done) which can be used to hold photos of her friends/family.  I had a ribbon strip with the words "timeless treasures" that seemed appropriate for that area.  A working zipper has been placed here as well.

 I found three old wooden thread spools that I strung together on a piece of heavy cord.  The cord is attached only at the ends so the spools can be moved back and forth.  All the pockets on the quilt are working pockets and can hold items such as tissues or more photos or pieces of candy.

 I attached a piece of silk ribbon to this block that can be untied and retied.

 I know she isn't lucky to have Alzheimer's but she is lucky in the sense that she has a loving family.  Again the buttons from the jeans work.

 These pockets work.  I sewed a strip of red velvet ribbon along the bottom here and sewed a cat button for another "texture/tactile" element.

Three Pussy Hats

I have a friend going to Washington DC to participate in the Women's March on Washington.  She is meeting a few of her friends there who are also participating in the march.  There is a group (Pussy Hat Project) encouraging the knitting/wearing of pussy hats.  I knit three hats for my friend to take with her.  I knit all of them using the pattern KitKat Hat by Andre Sue.  I modified the body on hats the first and third hats.  This first one used the Milanese Lace Topper for the body.  The yarn is  Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in raspberry.

This second hat was knit using Loops & Threads Facets yarn in the color ruby. 

For the third hat I just continued the ribbing in the center of the front and back.  The yarn is Lion Brand Vanna's Choice in rose.

 Other patterns for the project hats can be found here (both for knitting and crocheting).

Sweater for a Friend's Dog

I knit this sweater for a friend's dog who feels the winter cold in his old bones.  It was knit using the pattern The Ozzie large dog sweater by Jenna Greer.  The yarn is  Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in two colors (527 Abalone and 155 obsidian).  

Scrappy Baby Quilt

This scrappy baby quilt was made for my medical school roommate who's first grandchild (a boy) was recently born.  It is machine pieced and quilted. It measures 42 in square. 

 This area of the quilt has angles, words, a motorcycle, a bear, dogs, and trees.

 This are of the quilt has trees, a lamp, a girl, a horse, and flowers.

 This area has dogs, scissors, trees.

 The back features Dr. Seuss fabric.

Epic Road Trip 2016

My husband's brother Bart (army chaplain) and family (wife Amy and son Ethan) are now stationed in Aberdeen Proving Ground just north of Baltimore, MD.  I used this to convince my husband to go on a 15 day road trip to New England area to visit friends and family.  I booked all our hotels through Expedia -- criteria other than cost/comfort included workout rooms, location near interstate &/or friend/family, and laundry.  The trip turned out to be 3512 miles of driving in my Volvo XC60.  In a few places friends or family drove us around their town -- we were ever so grateful for those breaks to just be driven.  Yes, the trip included a few snafus but it was way more good than bad.  We left a jacket at one hotel (they are mailing it to us), accidentally threw away Brett's Bubba Travel mug, and had to buy two new tires while in Boston area.  

Day #1 was our longest drive as we drove from Little Rock, AR to Knoxville, TN (11 hours).  The best thing about the Travelodge was that is is a short walk to a gem of a restaurant -- Aubrey's.  I saw this photo in Aubrey's.  I decided it was Brett and I as we started our trip (see the smiles).

Day #2 we drove to Lovettsville, VA and spent the night at my first Bed & Breakfast which (probably unfairly) turned me off B&B's. In fairness, it was very quiet and the couple running the place were nice but I think they have much to learn about the business.  On this stop had dinner at the Coachhouse Grill n' Bar before meeting up with blog friend Dr. Tara Scheck and her family at a Ghost Walk in Harpers Ferry, WV..  I regret that we didn't manage to get any photos of our meeting, but it was fun to meet them.  What a great family!

Day #3 we went back to Harpers Ferry to see it in the daylight before going to the National Museum of Civil War Medicine in nearby Fredrick, MD.  From there we drove the short distance to the Holiday Inn Express in Edgewood, MD.  This nice hotel would be our home for all the time we spend in the Aberdeen/Baltimore area (did laundry at this hotel).  Bart, Amy, and Ethan picked us up and took us to dinner at Tidewater Grille for some great crab cakes. This is the site where we meet Tara and her family the evening before for the Ghost Walk.

 Part of the Appalachian Trail actually goes through Harpers Ferry.

Day #4 my husband Brett spent time with Amy and Ethan (Bart had to leave town for a few days) while I drove into Baltimore to meet my friend Marla who works at John Hopkins's Hospital in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man department.  Marla and I meet when we were both general surgery residents in West Virginia.  She went on to get a degree in public health and had a gift for languages (knows French, Spanish, German, and Italian in addition to English).  She gave me a short tour of John Hopkins and took me to lunch at Atwater's Cafe (good food/drink).  I later meet up with Brett, Ethan, and Amy for a short walk and then dinner at Island Spice (Jamaican cuisine restaurant near our hotel, very good). Marla and I in a self with John Hopkin's bust.

Day #5 Brett and I walked around the nearby town of Bel Air, MD and ate our leftovers from the Jamaican cafe for lunch before Amy and Ethan picked us up and took us down to Ft. McHenry which is a really nice place!  Great conversation while we drove and toured the Fort.  

Day #6 we drove to Hamden, CT.  The afternoon was spent driving by the Eli Whitney Museum (a bit disappointed as it turned out to be geared more towards classroom activities for children) and wandering around an antique shore.  We meet up with blog friend Neha (@purpleque), her husband, and daughter for dinner at  Tibetan Kitchen (good food). 

Day #7 we drove to Waltham/Boston, MA via Springfield, MA.  In Springfield we visited the Springfield Museums -- only managed to go through the Dr. Seuss sculptor garden and the history museum.  At the history museum we meet a gentleman named Carl who volunteered at the Springfield Armory and walked us up there giving us a history lesson en route of the town.  Before leaving Springfield my husband checked the tires and found some odd "bubbling" or "cobbling" effect of the rubber on the front two tires.  We decided on the drive that we would replace those two either that afternoon (as it turned out) or the next morning.  The tire drama shortened the time we got to spend with our nephew Dallas and his girlfriend Gwen.  They drove us to our met up with blog friend Paul Levy (did you know he once worked in Little Rock, AR).  Paul treated us to dinner at Legal Seafood.  Wonderful conversation and dinner.  Enjoyed the evening immensely. The first photo here is of me sitting in one of the Dr. Seuss sculptures. 

 Brett and I at the Springfield Armory (I love the "mishaps").

Paul and I at Legal Seafood

 

Day #8 we drove to Nashua, NH to see my longtime friend and college roommate Kay.  We had a nice walk in the Mine Falls Park before lunching at the Nashua Gardens (great sandwiches).  Then came the long drive to Bethlehem, PA to spend the night at the home of another college friend Ben and his family.  We arrived late, around 9 pm, but Ben and his wife Vicki welcomed us and visited  with us before showing us to our beds.  Kay and I in the photo.  Loved seeing her.

Day #9 we spent visiting with Ben and Vicki.  Nice walk with Ben, his dog Paddy, and a neighbor dog Koa.  Vicki make us a nice lunch of butternut squash soup (perfect on the cold damp day).  They then gave us a tour of their historic town of Bethlehem, PA.  We were back on the road by mid-afternoon to head back to Edgewood Holiday Inn Express.  These two could run a B&B.  They are gracious hosts.

Day #10 was spent with Bart, Amy, and Ethan -- church on base including after-service donut fellowship where we meet several of their friends, fire starting class at the Anita C. Leight Esturary Center, Ethan trying to show us how to play video games (Brett and I failed miserably), and dinner at Tidewater Grill (as good the second time). 

Day #11 was spent with Bart, Amy, and Ethan.  Went downtown to the Maryland Historic Society Museum only to find they were closed on Monday.  Walked to nearby Ceremony Coffee shop (good coffee) before heading back to their home to play Uno (Ethan didn't have the advantage with this old school card game) and to just talk before having dinner at Dickie's BBQ.  

Day #12 we headed to Alexandria, VA to meet up with my old college physics professor Dr. Anderson who dropped us off downtown DC so we could see some of the monuments and museums.  There is no way to see them all in half a day.  We did see the Vietnam Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, the WW II Memorial, the Washington Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, and the FDR Memorial up close and drove by the MLK Memorial.  We saw some of the exhibits in the Air & Space Museum and the History Museum.  We enjoyed visiting with Dr. Anderson and his wife.  We had a lovely meal with them at Atlantis.

Day #13 we began our trip home by going through Herndon, VA, then to Uppersville, VA where we stopped for lunch at Hunter's Head Tavern (great place/food) and were waited on by a lovely waitress who's grandmother is from Russellville, AR.  We stopped in on a couple of antique shops that day before stopping in Christianburg, VA for the night where we were given a room upgrade. 

Day #14 we drove to Franklin, TN.  My husband loves Civil War history (so enjoyed Harpers Ferry, Springfield Armory, and this place).  We walked the left-flank battlefield, saw the cemetery, and walked downtown.  Dinner at Puckett's was great including the live music.

Day #15 we drove home.  That evening we went to my colleague/fellow blogger's wedding reception (congratulations and best wishes to her and her new husband).