Lynn Carson Harris

A Couple of Raisins in a Cup

I really enjoy spending time with P.  I love hearing her observations of the world around her.

After our recent rain the weather has been cooler and crispier. The mosquitoes have even been taking the days off.

Yesterday, P and I enjoyed a lovely afternoon outside. We took the picnic blanket, a stack of books, the baby doll, some knitting, the camera, cups of water - you know, the essentials- out in the yard.

 

There we were, lying under the edge of the plum tree looking up into fluffy white clouds on a sea of deep blue. It was beautiful.

P said, "We are like a couple of raisins on the bottom of a cup."

What?

She went on to explain that the air was the cocoa and the clouds were the whipped cream on top.

Yeah, it was just like that,  a beautiful relaxing afternoon outside.

We stayed out until the mosquitoes started to find us.

While scratching the latest bites she said, "Putting bug stick (liquid antihistamine) on bites is a good thing to do...

unless they are bites from a crocodile or something like that."

Yes, she is a very wise child.

Do you have any good childhood wisdom to share?

In the mean time, I hope you feel like a happy raisin in the bottom of a cup.

Progress

I am still working on the UFOs. This one is almost finished!

Thoughtful Sunday

"The Princess looked at her more closely.

'Tell me," she resumed, 'are you of royal blood?'

'Better than that, ma'am,' said Dorothy. 'I cam from Kansas.'"

Ozma of Oz, Frank Baum, 1907.

Twizzle Socks

I am slowly working my way through my yarn stash. These quick 2 x 2 rib crew socks are made from Mountain Colors Twizzle yarn. 85% Merino Wool, 15% Silk. Size 2.5 needles.

 

Yay for new socks. Yay for using up some of what I have.

Cleaning up the slow way makes me happy.

Strippy Stars

I finished the strippy stars top.

 

Six years ago at a quilt retreat I made this and had the part on the left of the next photo sewn together. I had the brown floral and two narrow blue strips cut so that I could add another row of stars.

 

I even had all but three of the star blocks made. But, when I got home from retreat the quilt and parts remained in a pile and I never got back to it. I think I had convinced myself that this would be a twin quilt. In the mean time I used four of the star blocks in a doll quilt. 

With Project UFO underway I pulled this out again and decided to go back to the queen size quilt plan. I made seven more blocks and had a look at it. There was one block that seemed to stand out as too pale compared to the others and another that was all too dark. I decided to switch the centers on those blocks and sew it together.

Here it is all finished up. Not a great photo but I was getting eaten by mosquitoes so was in a hurry.

 

Today I pieced together fabric for a back.

I hope to get it basted together this weekend.

I think I may try to quilt some feathered vines in the plain strips.

Fit for a Queen

P said the other day that she wanted to make the space under the stairs a "queenly place" for queens, princesses, and fairies. I have helped her start the transformation.

We went through my bins of thrifted fabrics and linens and found a green toile tapestry of birds and leaves to hang on the wall and she chose a few other fancy items for decoration.  We also draped a large piece of red and white damask fabric across the opening.

 

D installed some hooks for her to hang some "queenly things." and B fixed a lamp for light.

 

She says she will draw some queenly things to decorate the backs of the stairs.

M has fun getting in there and playing games with her.

Overall she seems thrilled with the space. It is fun to have a doorway to such a magical place in my sewing room.

Eventually it will be a storage space for me but for now, it will be a place fit for a queen, or princess, or fairy, (or maybe even a mermaid she says).

Vintage Yardage

I thought you might want to see some vintage fabric yardage.

I found these long forgotten pieces of fabric yesterday while looking for something else in the sewing room. There is at least three yards of each.

 

I love that they are all the old narrow width- and just look at that lovely selvedge. Sigh.

 

Summer has arrived but I still don't spend much time outside because of the mosquitoes. I am eagerly awaiting the day they blow away. 

In the mean time I am trying to be productive with my time in the house. I have decided that one of my summer projects will be to finish as many unfinished projects in the sewing room as I can. You know, cleaning up the slow way. I am determined to get some of these piles cleared up.

I am on my way with these star blocks that I made today. That is all I need to finish a queen size quilt that I started at Beaver Island Quilt Retreat in 2004!!

If I hadn't put four of the blocks in this quilt and mailed it away I would have only needed to make three more blocks. Three. That was all I needed to finish a queen size quilt. That is what I get for not finishing it at the time. I have had the unfinished top and fabrics to finish it in a pile for almost SIX YEARS.

Yes, its time has come.

Is anyone else up for a summer of Project UFO? Let's get those projects finished!!

Clear Color

I have a few quilt tops featuring solid fabrics that I want to quilt and get finished. My problem is that I can't decide how to quilt them.

What color thread should I use? How do I quilt them without losing the crisp clear colors of the solid fabrics?

Anything I come up with tends to muddy the overall look of the quilt. I could just quilt in the ditch between the fabric colors but I do like a lot of quilting on a quilt. It just makes it feel right. I also want both of these quilts to be USED.

I'll be using a thin thread to down play the quilting but I don't have color or a sewing design plan yet.

Have you made a quilt with many solid color fabrics?

How would you quilt it?

I am open to suggestions.

Garden Window Quilt

I finished quilting this quilt last night. I was so happy with how it turned out that I raced to get the binding sewn down this morning.

I rinsed it and put in in the fluff cycle in the dryer and it came out with the look and feel that I love in a quilt.

 

It has the soft drape that is perfect for snuggling a little one.

 

I love the way the hand dyed blue fabric looks like a window to the sky (I wish that showed better in the pictures) and the secondary blue and green star pattern that happens with the alternate hourglass blocks.

 

It measures 40 inches by 51.5 inches.

Thoughtful Sunday

"A seed is wonderful. It grows. Something comes out of the ground. A green stem comes out. Little leaves get bigger."

Seeds and More Seeds, Millicent E. Selsam, 1959.