I cooked up a fitting red, white and blue dessert for the 4th of July: mini cherry pies!

Of course, you’ll need a napkin to go with it.

July 4th: Happy Independence Day

P.S. I read a story about a survey in which 26% of the American respondents could not name the country from which we won independence…if true, what’s going on with that?

When baby deer mosey though the backyard, it must be spring, even though it’s almost mid-July. That’s the joke around here- spring is a week in July and summer is two weeks in August.

This morning I watched one rascal lean on the stake and chicken-wire to nibble on a young Aspen tree. Aha- the mystery of the pushed-in chicken wire is solved. So cute- but not too cute. I  knocked on the window to make the little guy move on. This fast growing baby deer monster did move on- to the wildflowers!

As I recall,  the “Happy Feet” roller ball foot massage gadget promised world peace if only we’d all take care of our sore feet. Obviously, not enough of us bought this item, but my feet are certainly happy because of it. It lives under the computer desk, so my feet can get relief any old time.    P.S. I have a Happy Hand gadget too!

July 3: Happy Feet!

I love the owl fabrics (Alexander Henry) and the zippers and the canvas. Altogether, I think it adds up to a wonderful tote bag. The lizard just wanted to join in the fun. He sits on the quilt storage shelf and watches over me.

My sewing room looks like a tornado roared through it. I started the day with 5 projects in various stages: the Krista Quilt; underwater coral reef; table runner; and two zipper totes. Hours later, only 4 projects litter the tables and walls.

This tote is grocery bag size, with ties on the sides to cinch it in along the top. I rustled through my fabrics and supplies to find everything without having to shop. Of course, I had plenty of zippers, but I had to find zippers (in the right colors) under 10″ long. That took some searching. Then I had to find matching thread for all the zippers…

But now, the first Zipper Tote is done. And as fellow quilter Kathy says, “done is good”.

More finds at The Big Sale in Medford last weekend. I thought the woman in front of me would buy them, but she said “no one serves coffee in demitasse cups anymore”. The volunteers encouraged her to serve whiskey instead! I love them, but I plan to serve tea and little snacks.

June 19: Whiskey or Green Tea?

I found this mystery item at The Big Sale in Medford, buried on the kitchen gadget table, on sale for 12 1/2 cents. Hey, it was half-price day.

I photographed it against a placemat, to show off the stainless steel sheet with holes in it.

On the back a sticker said “Made in Korea”, so this must be a finished item, not an orphaned part of something else.

I don’t usually buy things “on speculation”, but I just had to speculate about this.What is it? Who owned it before me? How old is it? What will I do with it? When will I put it in a garage sale?

June 13: UFO! Unidentified Found Object, that is.

I returned to the Medford area with Pat so we could go to the reception for the “Art and Science” mixed media art show at Southern Oregon University in which she has a quilt. On Day 1, we went to Grants Pass with April Hill (mother-in-law). First stop, the Grants Pass Museum of Art to see “‘Transformations ‘09, an exhibit by members of the Studio Art Quilt Association. Next door we browsed the Grants Pass Arts and Fair Trade shop, where we all found something to buy. Before leaving Grants Pass, we stopped at the Textile Connection, which had the most beautiful fabrics from around the world. Pat had to buy a few chunks of the hand-dyed hand-woven hemp, which looks a bit like burlap but is beautifully soft and wonderful.

Pat did all the driving, thank you Pat. We had to go to Fabric of Vision in Ashland, again. And again. Then we learned about the Big Sale, a warehouse garage sale at half-price because it was the last day. Pat found a brand new dish towel for 50 cents- look for a tote bag in the future. I found something too, but will save it for later. Dinner at Bambu (southeast Asian food), in Medford, with Pat, April and Bob Hill (in-laws).

But all good things must come to an end, and finally it was time to go home. We couldn’t stop talking about the pieces in the Art and Science exhibit: paintings, drawings, sculptures, digital prints, 3D printed objects, and a quilt!

Ingredients:

paper flower petals

wire stems

brads in assorted colors

one vase

Directions:

Combine paper flowers; create a flower with the wire and brad.

Repeat.

Arrange in vase.

June 6: How To Spend A Sunday Without Deadlines

I’m turning squares into circles. It’s a Saturday thing. Next comes the bias tape, for bias covered curves (instead of piecing the curve)!

May 29: Straw Into Gold