Black Friday (On Monday!)

My daughters invited me to go shop with them at Old Navy. Each had a special coupon - one for $10 off the other for $20 off - but we had to spend more than $40. It might take all three of us.

This is what we got:

The funky shoes are mine - not much at Old Navy fits Old Ladies....

and they were not on sale.

But we got an amazing deal.

I think you can see the original prices, and the sale prices on these price tags.

(Sigh) Monday-before-Thanksgiving-shopping

at Black Friday prices.

CathyH

Be Thankful

Be Thankful. That is a good exhortation.

My two girls and I made this little decoration many years ago. It was such a special time when we could sew together! I think I did the embroidery and they did the patchwork.

And every year it instructs us: BE THANKFUL.

Thankful for another year to live.

Thankful for The Lord's bountiful provision. DAILY.

Thankful for the opportunity to love and serve our parents.

Thankful for the opportunity to see our children grow into Thankful People.

Thankful for a creative heritage:

My Mom loved to quilt. She made dozens and dozens of table runners like this. She had a special knack with color. And she was PROLIFIC in her production of pretty items and generous in giving gifts. I am thankful for the few years I was able to care for her - and to continue to give her opportunity with quilting and creating as long as she could.

Thanksgiving is the favorite holiday in this house. Fall colors reminding us that God changes the seasons (even in Texas) and a quiet opportunity to have a holiday where we just

GIVE THANKS

May you take this opportunity to give thanks to God, for He is good.

CathyH

Box #1

From time to time I am going to open a box in my sewing room and see what is in it. Today I would like to introduce Box #1.

You can probably see that this is a collection of ties. My Man's ties. And I think they look really good with one another, in addition to holding some significant nostalgic memories.

Here you can see the points of the ties, and if you look closely at the more solid burgundy tie, you will see it bears the image of Mickey Mouse (perhaps a common theme in our lives, if you look at this quilt block)

Hmm. I think I will start another project. First I will wash the ties, and then I will find the old dress shirts I saved to use in a shirt-and-tie quilt...

I might learn to love silk.

CathyH

Pink Bandana - and Denim

Our Son will be warm now. I finished the denim rag quilt for him this weekend. It went back to school with him, but I snapped a few pictures before it landed in the dorm.

This quilt is much more orderly than the other son's quilt. I even aimed at making the grain of each denim block run up and down the quilt.

The back includes his school's colors in flannal. . . and a pink bandana.

In high school this son began running with a pink bandana around his head.

Why?

Practical reason: It kept sweat from dripping in his eyes.

Parent reason: It made him easier to pick out of a crowd of skinny runners.

Philosophical reason: It takes a tough guy to wear a pink bandana.

I've often thought of carrying a sign to Cross Country meets or other races that said:

FEAR THE PINK BANDANA!

I really like the way the red flannel shows through the ragged seam allowances.

I clipped the seams on this rag quilt (I had not, in the last quilt) and am quite pleased with the uniform chenille look they created.

But it made a LOT of crumbs! When I washed the quilt, the denim and flannel frayed, as hoped, but left little scraps of thread clinging all over the flannel. I tried packing tape and finally resorted to using my vacuum cleaner to try to get the crumbs off.

I guess I've added new meaning to a clean finish!

CathyH

More Denim

My college freshman son called home to ask when his quilt would be done. After record heat all summer - fall has arrived! So I started cutting up old jeans.

Someone had given me a bag full of old jeans - the kind with enough holes or tears that they would not be very beneficial even for the thrift store. Some of these were mens' jeans - which meant I could get nine inch squares. I cut off the legs, and started making 9" squares.

I had purchased some flannel to back this quilt. I aimed at his school colors - red and blue. I included a gray plaid that would match his sheets and started cutting MORE 9" squares.

I guess I have my work cut out for me.

CathyH

Bloggers Block of the Month #2

I finished my second Block of the month.

It was not as easy as I thought it would be -

mostly because I just didn't think.

This is what my first effort looked like:

I just didn't let my right brain know

what my left brain was doing.

I chain-sewed the scrap triangles together and I liked the little flags so much, they now sit on my design wall.

I like having a bunch of projects going

so I can change colors whenever I want.

And with this project, you can see all the other Bloggers' blocks, too.

CathyH

Denim Rag

I can't always go to quilt shows,

but I love the inspiration of seeing what others create.

At Amy's Creative Side we ALL have the opportunity to go to a quilt show . . . by visiting the blogs of hundreds of people who quilt.

The show is called the Bloggers Quilt Fest.

Be sure to visit the Quilt Fest and get inspired to Create!!

I want to show the denim rag quilt I made for my son upon his graduation from high school. He currently studies architecture (check here for some of his work) and wanted a quilt

made of denim and flannal

with no particular pattern

with uneven edges.

This is what I created for him:

It's called a "Rag Quilt" because you leave the raw edges of the denim and flannel showing and, frankly, they look like rags! Typically you are supposed to clip the seam allowances every quarter inch or so and that helps it fray. I remember (with FOND MEMORIES) how cut off jeans would fray. That was the 'look' I wanted with this quilt, so I did not clip all the seam allowances. (I did clip the seam allowances at each of the seam intersections so they would fray freely) The only disadvantage to this method? It continually leaves little pieces of thread behind. (Like Hansel & Gretel leaving bread crumbs behind, this will be helpful if he ever gets lost in the forest and someone needs to find him)

It actually has some pattern to it - a group of eleven squares of a variety of sizes. Some miscellaneous squares are added to "square up" the quilt and fill in some leftover spaces. The sets of squares fit together - but you would be hard-pressed to actually SEE the pattern repeated. (Yeah, i know. That makes you want, all the more, to find the pattern!!)

The back of the quilt is even more un-planned, with a couple of blue plaids and some solid blue.

While the back may lack in beauty and orderliness, it excels in warmth, softness, and comfort.

Every kid needs their own blanket, not matter what age.

CathyH