Pumpkin Surprise!

Last Fall I purchased a cool looking pumpkin from the Lawrence Garden Club's plant sale/auction. It  was orange with dark green splattered along its bottom half, and had a bumpy texture all around it. I wanted  to save the seeds - but I'm a lazy seed saver so basically, I left it out all winter behind our garage. After the snow melted I discovered it had decomposed, and there were the seeds waiting for me to harvest! But, at least one was left behind, because a few weeks later this pumpkin plant began to grow, and grow, and grow......

It was covered with beautiful blossoms.  The blossoms fell and fruit began to form, but those pesky ground squirrels ate them! 

Luckily one survived and we're giving it much love and care in hopes of it becoming just as beautiful as its "mother."

Cycling 🚴‍♀️

Got back to cycling this year after a four year hiatus. Life became busy, and we put off riding, but kept up our walking schedule. It takes extra effort to gear up to ride, checking tire pressure, doing stretches to limber up, etc. Best time is early morning 9 - 9:30 am to beat the heat and traffic. We ride out 1/2 hour and back 1/2 hour usually covering 15 miles or so. This includes lots of hills on 44th Avenue and CR 215, along with 48th Avenue heading west, and the killer hill on the way back on 44th "Larry's hill" as we refer to it. It feels so good when we're done!

Peddling Partners

Bike Storage

Mode of transportation!

An added bonus this year includes passing a couple of Amish farms on 48th Avenue. One family was picking up hay bales using a steam engine tractor pulling a trailer. At the second farm we are greeted by 2 very young children, jumping and waving, saying "hi" as we pass. They're adorable!

House Block Party

Sorry, not really a party, but I had a lot of fun finishing this block! First time finishing a one block item for a client. Gave me a chance to "play" a bit and hone my skills.

Custom quilting: micro-stippling in background, scalloped shingles on roof, piano keys on outside boarder. Free form and ruler work.

Don’t you hate when that happens?

You search for the perfect backpack-not too big, not too small, just right - with the right amount of pockets in all the right places, not too heavy, or too wide, and zippers that are easy to open and close. You find it and USE it - over and over and over..........UNTIL - AAACK - it falls apart:

Fear not, it can be repaired with help from Geralyn Creates! Old gray fabric replaced around the zipper opening and made a little wider to accommodate more packing. Patched and sealed around the handle to stop additional fabric fraying. 

Another satisfied customer: "Thank you so much it looks fantastic. I am so impressed!" Ms. S

Yummy goodness

I’d been wanting to try a recipe that appeared in my mailbox about 2 months ago -“Tofu Lasagna”
Last week we had all the ingredients, so it was time! It turned out great and was a nice addition to our regular eating regime.  Definitely make it again for ourselves and family gatherings.

Served with fresh Michigan grown asparagus bought at the South Haven Farmer's Market.

Also went well accompanied by fresh picked summer squash from Ed's garden baked in the sun oven!

The whole wheat noodles fell apart a bit while precooking, but didn't ruin the taste.

Bake in a 9" X 13" pan @ 350 degrees for 45 - 50 minutes, or until thoroughly heated.  

TOFU - SPINACH LASAGNA

1/2 lb lasagna noodles - cooked

2 - 10 oz pkgs frozen, chopped spinach, thawed and drained

4 cups tomato sauce

Mix together in blender or food processor:

1 lb soft tofu

1 lb firm tofu

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 cup soy milk (I used almond milk)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp lemon juice (I used lime juice)

3 tsp minced fresh basil

(I also added dried thyme and oregano-1 tsp each)

2 tsp salt

After blended, stir in spinach.

Layer in the pan:

sauce

noodles

tofu filling

-as many times as it takes to use up the ingredients finishing with a layer of noodles and sauce on the top!

Bake and enjoy!

Luvin’ this sunshine!

What glorious weather we’ve been having! Finally a long stretch of sun-filled days without all that humidity. Can't think of a better way to celebrate than cooking in the sun ovens!!!!

Beautiful baby summer squash smothered with onions, sprinkled with fresh ground black pepper, dried thyme, basil, and oregano, and last but not least smoked paprika! (There's also a chunk of the ginormous zucchini we found at Ed's garden in this pan).

The large zucchini cut and seeds taken out before baking.

This is what the sun ovens look like baking away! Oven temps reached 350 degrees and it took about an hour to cook the zucchini. Lots more sun time so we also cooked brown rice, and cauliflower (from Ed's garden) seasoned with sweet tasting brown rice miso, smoked paprika, basil, and salt.

Everything turned out well. We ate all day long....fresh baked.....kissed by the sun.....fresh from the garden.

Come sail away.......

Many moons (maybe three years), ago my brother Marty asked if I would make new covers for the cushions on his sailboat ⛵️. I had never done this before but was up for the challenge. I watched a few Sailrite videos and felt confident about completing the task. We already owned a heavy duty machine (Can you believe it? What luck!) and decided to purchase the heat blade cutter to seal cut the Sunbrella fabric. Marty brought over his small air compressor and picked up an air powered staple gun (Harbor Freight). I was in business!

Some of the cushions had wooden backing so the fabric was stapled on. Others had zipper closures. Never having seen the placement of the cushions, I tried to follow the grain of the old fabric in order to get the direction for the stripes. Looks like I got it right!

I also learned a lot about matching stripes, repeats, and getting those big pieces of foam into the new covers! Whew!

I was asked to join a sail date a couple years ago, but we had already scheduled a family vacation. Marty sent me these pictures a couple months ago. Maybe someday I'll get to see these cushions again in person. 😊

Results

Finished the quilt this morning. Went with gold “Glide” thread #21245 Dijon which is named from the mustard, with a shine to it. The edge to edge stitching is called “holly simple pano 002.” Set up and stitching took about 2 1/2 hours.

Quilt size 34 x 65.5    Sized the pattern down to 8.5 to condense.

Very cute quilt. I like how the stitching doesn’t take away from the pattern.

Christmas in July 🎄

This whimsical quilt top is just about ready to be loaded on the frame. Still pondering 🤔 how to quilt it.....edge to edge, custom design, and also what color thread to use. It’s been hand pieced - a lot of time and accuracy went into making it so I’d like to follow thru with that in mind.

And trying to decide which color thread to go with:

Variegated red, green, white; solid green, gold, or red?

Decisions, decisions..........any suggestions let me know. Hoping to complete this job in the next few days.

Vintage sewing machine

One of my best finds last summer was this vintage Sears Kenmore sewing machine. It is in mint condition and sews beautifully!

This machine will do straight, zig-zag, and reverse stitching.

Sears Kenmore

L

And...it has

 the date purchased inside the manual's cover: December 4, 1971.  Now let's see.......help me out all you CPA's.....YES that's 45 years old. It amazes me how long lasting these machines are. 

This machine was sold Summer 2018 to a client who I know will take very good care of her. She's a beauty!

A Valentine Tribute

Hello friends!

My plan was to blog at least once a month, but that didn't happen for January 2016!  Oh well, I have good reason.  I was busy quilting!

September 2014 was a very sad month.  My sister-in-law Annette (Zych) Glista lost her father.  Then one week later her mother passed away too.  They were definitely a special couple-truly in love.

Throughout my career in healthcare, mostly working in Nursing Homes and Home Health Care, this occurred quite often. One couple in particular stands out in my memory. They lived in an assisted living apartment until the wife became ill and was transferred to the Nursing facility.  Her husband would visit at meal times, feeding her ever so attentively because she couldn't eat on her own. He always had a smile on his face and greeted everyone cheerfully.  Over many months....maybe a year, he never missed a visit.  True devotion! Then one day his wife passed away.  He went home to his apartment that evening, and he too passed. I believe some couples become so close and love each other so much that they cannot bear the thought of living alone without the other.  True love!

So, by request, I created three Memory Quilts in honor of two very special people: William and Mildred Zych.  Several large bags of clothing (t-shirts, sweatshirts, p.j.'s, robes, etc.) were delivered and here is how they were transformed! Comfy, cozy,  flannel backed quilts!

Next up is another memory quilt "western style" and a t-shirt quilt made out of triathlon shirts! Have I sparked your interest and imagination to create something similar for you? Let me know......we can make it happen!

Christmas 2013 Quilt

Completing projects is always satisfying, so when my friend Nadine shared that she had pieced a quilt top 2 years ago, but hadn't quilted it yet I couldn't refuse to help get it done! She had seen a strip quilt I'd made with the students at school. It was quilted with a basic, yet effective meandering stitch similar to what puzzle pieces look like when joined together to form a picture. I told her if she didn't mind that same pattern (the only one I've mastered so far) I would take on the project. She wanted it before Christmas so she could give it to her daughter Karen who plans to visit from Oregon this Christmas. So, that's what I did last weekend. Using my New Home table top sewing machine:

 Yes, this little machine quilted a 80" X 90" quilt. It takes a lot of maneuvering and patience, but it is possible.

It's an amazing quilt. Nadine used fabric from her family's past and every square has a special memory.

 It wouldn't be complete without a label so I embroidered one and hand stitched it on the back. The label reads "Christmas 2013" because Nadine finished the piecing back then, and gave it to her daughter with the promise of completing it one day.

I am honored to have been a part of this wonderful keepsake!

Bazaar Success!

Thank you!! To everyone who made our BGLC Christmas program and Bazaar a success! It was great to see friends, families, and co-workers visiting throughout the day. From the class programs........... to the choir.....it was a great performance for all to enjoy!

Holiday Bazaar 12/10/2015

Just a reminder of the Holiday Bazaar this Thursday, 12/10/15, 9:00 a.m. at the BGLC! (Program begins at 9:30 a.m.) Here's a quick peek at some of the items that may be available for purchase:

Olaf pillow cases....

Team pillow cases....

Owl pillow cases......

Oink! Oink!

Frog bean bags!

And lots more........Come and visit us Thursday!

Project Linus

Received a request to make a blanket for "Project Linus" (Linus the Peanuts character) from a class at the Van Buren Tech Center. The blankets will be donated to local hospitals. This is what I created with help from some wonderful students at the Learning Center:

And again, the fabric was donated. Thank you Mrs. Getty!!

In the beginning there was........

COLOR:

My first "strippy" quilt. One day I will explain how this is created from 2 1/2" strips - another fun, quick project. But for now, it will be used to display my practice free motion quilting. Each row has a different pattern repeated from edge to edge.

The purple row is a traditional stippling pattern, while the dark blue row is something I created.....I call it "City Scape."

The dark blue flower strip is again, my own creation. It's like drawing with thread. The lime green strip was quilted with stitches to mimic ripples on a lake. 

Until next time........Enjoy!

The Pillowcase Gallery

Today was a great day for sewing. Lots of sunshine through my window. Much better than yesterday when we awoke to a fresh coat of snow - the wet, heavy stuff. All morning long the lights were flickering off and on....then at 3 p.m. they went off for good. Luckily, we had just finished all the laundry. I was disappointed because I got the itch to sew some pillowcases. Then.....Frank to the rescue...he set me up with battery power and I was off and running(sewing). Amazingly, the power came back on at 5:30 p.m. and the sewing continued.  And here's what I've completed so far:

A pair of ballerina themed cases. I fell in love with this material when I saw it at the American Sewing Expo in Novi, MI September 2015.

This ballerina reminds me someone I know.......any guesses Becky? Rose?

For those football fans....made from left-overs from other projects.

These may be Christmas, or "Woodsy" themed....made from resale shop remnants.

And we can't forget the dog lovers! Also, resale shop remnants.

Butterfly Themed

Fun, quick, project!