bloghop

double four patch by Paula the Quilter

One of my blog friends, Paula the Quilter (and knitter), invited me to join in the Around the World Blog Hop, which includes a few questions and answers:


What am I working on? Right now I am making two t-shirt quilts (in my head).

IT IS TIME, time to gather t-shirts and make a quilt for graduation. A family tradition for two generations now, and this year there are two high school seniors in the family.

A little background... In the 80s or 90s, I don't remember exactly when, I read an article in a magazine (remember those glossy soft book-like things where we used to get ideas) about a mom who had saved t-shirts from her child growing up (sports, school, vacation, etc.) and put them together in a quilt for the child to take to college. I loved this idea, so immediately started saving my kids' tees.

Melissa's

Around the turn of the century (2000), I made one for each of my two girls, the design all uniform, in rows, one-directional. Initially I used yarn to tie the quilt sandwich together, but found that did not last, so after much use those two got refurbished and quilted properly.

I thought I was finished making t-shirt quilts, you know - been there, done that!

THEN the grandkids started coming along, and they told me they were saving their t-shirts for their graduation quilt that granma Susan would make for them...

How does my work differ from others of its genre? The actual work of sewing and quilting does not differ from others, but the finished product is very personal and unique and full of granma love.

granddaughter Sarah's - all in rows, one direction, added t-scraps for border

grandson Kyle's - rows again but shirts turned different directions

Why do I create what I do? Tradition, family, memories, rite of passage, milestones, recycling.

NEXT I tried to do one without rows, and came up with this one (below), which was more in sections than rows, a little bit harder. Carrie wanted it more random, even without sashing, but I found that not using sashing at all made it too stretchy. This very minimal strip (1/2" black between the shirts) made the colors really pop out.

daughter Carrie's #2

NOW we are now caught up to present day. I have 2 more grandchildren to make quilts for - in time for graduation next spring. 

With all these past experiences and pictures to build on, I asked my last two granddaughters what design, color theme, and backing they wanted for their t-shirt quilts. I showed them pictures of my past quilts and lots of links to ideas on Pinterest.

Madison: "I like Kyle's and Carrie's where they're not all just laid out in squares but instead rotated to fit and has the rectangles and squares. Maybe, if there's enough, use the squares from fronts of shirts as the border (like Sarah's)...just a thought. I'm gonna stick with basic black background. Flannel on the back! Don't know color yet..."

How does my creating process work? The creative process includes input from the person who will be receiving the quilt, time spent with that person, trial and error, and again lots of love!

Tee time table:

Save t-shirts forever

Give t-shirts to Granma by 11th grade

Last call for t-shirts mid 12th grade

Wash t-shirts

Cut out designs to be used

First draft laid out on floor

Decide on layout and sizes

Iron on fusible backing

Cut out squares

Decide on color for strips

Sew together top

Get fabric for backing

Take to quilter

Pick up from quilter

Make label

Finish binding

Voila!

SO, it is that time, time to start sewing on these quilts. 

BUT, I am on the road, 1500 miles away from home and hearth and sewing machine. 

When are you coming home to make my quilt, granma?

Soon! Don't worry, it will get done. I am working on it right now.

In my head :)



here are a couple of blogs where I get great inspiration:
Linda at life, quilts, and a cat too (great t-shirt quilt inspiration)
Wanda at Exuberant Color

photo sharing

I am enjoying my Desktop wallpaper photo thanks to Kerri in upstate New York. Kerri lives on a farm and always has great pictures of flowers and birds.

If you sit in front of a computer all day like me, it is easy to change your view on life by simply changing your wallpaper.

But always ask permission first before using someone else's masterpiece - thanks, Kerri!

simple truths

I have been enjoying reading Live Love Lead, an online blog by Dan Cathy. Dan is the president of Chick-fil-A, son of the company's founder Truett Cathy. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. This is not about chicken or cows, but real life stories told by this down-to-earth Southerner.

I loved his story about Thanksgiving and family traditions, Creating a Beautiful Work of Art.

And the one about this busy time of year when you see lots of lines - all those folks standing in lines waiting to pay for gifts, waiting for food, waiting to see Santa, remember to Look Past the Line.

When reading Mr. Cathy's thoughts, I wonder does this very busy man really write a daily blog? And take the time to post on Facebook? Or does he get his secretary to do it? The stories are very genuine and personal, so I think he really does, maybe while sitting at his desk he is really blogging instead of working, what a great idea!

I was going to quote him, but his blog has an extensive legal section, which after reading I was too confused to try it, so just follow the links!

Check out his blog, it is worth the visit - Live Love Lead by Dan T. Cathy

virtual hiking

No time to plan a hike
or just too hot?
How about a virtual hike
to the beautiful Smoky Mountains...

start out by a cool stream


slow down, enjoy the colorful mountain laurel


stop and rest at a scenic vista


watch the sun set over the mountains


Let Doug McFalls at Reflections of the Smokies be your virtual guide. Doug hikes these trails daily, living and working atop Mt. LeConte in the lodge. Or visit him in person, take one of the many trails to the top of Mt. LeConte, spend the night or just go for the day. You won't be disappointed!

Or you could go on this virtual video hike with the llama train carrying supplies to the top of Mt. LeConte.

~all photos used with permission, thanks Doug!

the backup plan

Off and on since I have been blogging I have wondered if I should back up my blog. I think of it especially when Blogger has a glitch (which thankfully hasn't happened in a while).

I sent out an email to several blogger friends about how to do a back up, and I was surprised at the answers, most of which were like me {clueless}. A simple quest ended up with a lot of input, so I will just list all the answers I received (over 13!):

Sorry, I'm about as tech retarded as it's possible to be.....LOL. Must be something out there somewhere that tells how.

I am ignoring the whole concept...

Sorry no I have no idea. I'm sure there is a way to do it though.

I have no idea---but if you find out something, please let me know.

No, I had not even heard of it.

Didn't know I was suppose to. Oh gosh, another thing to think about.

It's something I've never actually thought much about.

I’m just going to trust Google to back up their servers (and my blog) and not worry about backing things up here.

A few brave souls have actually backed up their blogs and shared their expertise:

I use Scrapbook...it's a Firefox add on.

I actually just use Blurb to slurp my blog into book format. The software is free, you can then either print a book from them or save the file.

Blogger Export - This just backs up the posts (not the photos, comments, etc.)

To get a full working *local* copy of your blog on your computer, check out a website grabber program called HTTrack.

I used an external hard drive - it ended up in two parts: (1) text and (2) visual. I wonder how they are to match themselves up with each other if it comes to that?

Firefox - using the Monthly Drop Down Menu

Probably the reason I started thinking about this again was seeing this ad:

Blog2Print Auto Save - We'll email you a PDF of your blog every month, or every quarter - your choice. Just tell us when to start, and we'll handle the rest. You'll have a copy to keep always. (for a fee of course)

I decided to try some of the ideas I received on one of my small blogs:

Blogger Export took about a minute - just blog posts, no pictures, but would do if nothing else works.

Blurb (blog-to-book software) - took about 5 minutes - have used this before, words and pictures, each post on a separate page, a viable option whether you want to print a book or just keep it on your hard drive.

HTTrack took maybe 10 minutes - very impressive. Free software download that makes a mirror of the website, it opens up offline and looks just like the internet site. Everything seems to work except the comments.

There are probably more options out there, any input is welcome. Thanks for all the email responses, folks! I didn't put names (because I didn't ask permission first) but you know who you are!

Of course whichever backup plan is used, the location of the backup copy is something to think about - if stored on your computer it might crash, or if stored on external memory your house might catch fire. But I think if the house was on fire, a blog backup would be the least of my worries!


Over 13 responses to my question, sounds like a Thursday 13!

virtual travel

No time to take a trip
or go on vacation?
How about a virtual trip
to all places near and far...

like Australia...


The Razorback - "Along Victoria's famous Great Ocean Road, between Lorne and Warrnambool, there is a stretch of coastline known as The Shipwreck Coast..." read more about it here by Alice.

See the wild horses and
ruins of Carnegie's Dungeness on Cumberland Island, Georgia, and more beautiful sights here by Sandra.

See the picture postcard shots
taken on a recent trip to Maine by June.

Hit the Barn Quilt Trail

and see how this form of art is done with Suzi who is writing a book documenting the phenomenon of this beautiful countryside palette.


Isn't this better than enduring the boring vacation slide show or home movies!



~all photos used with permission, thanks y'all!

housekeeping

Sometimes you just have to clean house, get rid of the clutter, stuff that has been piling up, well virtually anyway.

Yesterday I cleaned out and organized all my internet favorites, stuff I had saved, websites I wanted to go back to, stories and articles and blogs I wanted to read. Here are some things I found hidden in my 'to be read' pile.

If kids designed the food pyramid (pictured above), found here. I think pizza should be at the top, what about you?

Did you know that Kermit the Frog has decided it is actually pretty easy to be green? Read more here.

Change the world and make some major dough doing it! Enter Google's Project 10 to the 100th.

Keep up with all the books you own or have read at Library Thing. What's on your bookshelf?

The New York Times says that Twitter is "one of the fastest-growing phenomena on the Internet." As of July 2008, over two million Twitter accounts were registered. Just answer the question, What are you doing?

And on my to do list, a meme sent to me by fellow blogger. Joann is a breast cancer survivor, and since October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we are thinking of all of you and wishing you well. Go over and visit her at her blog: Higher Ground (Welcome to the latest news of the boobs).

So here is what she sent me to do:

* Grab the nearest book.
* Open the book to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post the text of the next two to five sentences in your blog along with these instructions.
* Don’t dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual one: pick the CLOSEST.
* Tag five other people to do the same

Since I work here at home, the closest book is The AAMT Book of Style

cannot, can't

Use cannot instead of can not.

Use cannot instead of shortened form can't except in direct quotations.

Well, that was pretty boring! Hopefully some others will have more interesting books nearby, like Bonnie, Judith, San, Byron, and Janet.

My virtual housekeeping is done, now on to some real housekeeping? Well, maybe another day.

quotable

Motherhood is an emotional rollercoaster ride with all the highs and lows, twists and turns, and nauseating moments you get from the one at your local amusement park. However, unlike your typical two-minute ride, this one lasts a lifetime and begins moments after you pee on a stick. ~Shannon

Motherhood has changed me. Before I became a mother, I was the sort of person who would cautiously nibble the toes off a gingerbread man first. Now that I'm a mother, the first thing I do is maul the head off. I like to hear it crack. ~Givinya

Recent winners in the Mother's Day Quote contest at blogtations.

Merry Christmas to All!

A Christmas card from our house to yours, Merry Christmas to all!


Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends.

1. Wrapping or gift bags? Wrapping, lots of curly ribbons

2. Real or artificial tree? Love the pre-lit artificial, no muss no fuss

3. When do you put up the tree? The first week of December

4. When do you take the tree down? Before New Years

5. Do you like eggnog? No, I remember seeing my mom make some when I was young, those raw eggs did it for me

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Bike - it was big and blue, and I could ride with no hands... ahh those were the days!

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, carved from olive wood from the Holy Land, brought back from a trip my mother took there

8. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Underwear - that was the year I sneaked and opened my presents, boy was I bummed out... I don't sneak anymore.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Old fashioned snail mail, Christmas stamps, Christmas letter, the whole 9 yards. We do print out the address labels though.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie? It depends on my mood, right now I am thinking Christmas Vacation, a real representation of the family holiday experience. Doesn't everyone have a cousin Eddie?

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? The week after Thanksgiving. One track mind, one holiday finished before starting another.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cheese ball, sausage balls, ambrosia, stocking candy. I wonder how many Weight Watcher points are in sausage balls...

13. Clear lights or colored on the tree? The pre-lit tree has clear (see #2) and that's fine with me

14. Favorite Christmas song? White Christmas - Bing does it up right, especially in the movie of the same name when he sings with Rosemary Clooney, classic.

15. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Luckily we only travel as far as next door for Christmas Eve, and stay home on Christmas morning.

16. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? Of course, everyone knows the lyrics to Rudolph …

17. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel, needlepoint made by my mom.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas Morning? Christmas morning! It's all about the anticipation.

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? TV commercials.

20. Do you decorate your tree in any specific theme or color? Hand made, handed-down ornaments.

21. What do you leave for Santa? Well, it's been a while, but I remember milk and cookies.

22. Least favorite holiday song? Please Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Christmas - I love all of John Denver's songs except this one!

23. Favorite ornament? Ones with the kids' pictures as babies.

24. Family tradition? Christmas Eve at the old family homestead, all the kids, grandkids, sisters, brothers, cousins, nephews, nieces, etc.

25. Ever been to Midnight Mass? No

26. Most memorable good deed you witnessed or participated in during the holidays? Well, I can't recall one, which is pretty sad!

Sent to me by Byron at Knoxville Trivia Blog

Rules for the game include:
Link to the person that tagged you, and post the rules on your blog.
Share Christmas facts about yourself.
Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

Passing it on to: Sandy, Joann, Jelly, Laurel, June, Kerri, and Bonnie.

Merry Christmas!

turkey trot

The turkeys are back!

Don't they know that tomorrow is turkey day?

Don't they see the turkey deep fryer getting filled with oil,

the turkey platter coming out of the cabinet?

They travel in a group, flock, or posse, a community of turkeys traveling around visiting the neighbors, seeing what is new.



Like the turkeys, there is also a community of bloggers. Since I work at home, it helps me stay 'connected' with other folks without dealing with the office politics. Just hanging out 'round the virtual water cooler, occasionally offering my two cents' worth.



I check in with my neighbors out in blogland to see what they are up to, what stories or pictures they have to share. One of my neighbors up in Tennessee, Byron at Knoxville Trivia Blog recently received the Community Blogger Award and kindly passed it on to me!

"The Community Blog Award celebrates people who reach out and makes the blogger community a better one."

Byron described my blog:

"She takes beautiful photographs. She blogs about the kind of things that I like, such as family, mountains, old barns and a plethora of other subjects. She's as country as barbed wire and bailing twine, and not ashamed to admit it, and I like that."

He went on to reference my "where I'm from" post, and said,

"Sounds like we have a lot of the same things in common, only you've been sprinkled and I've been dunked!"

Thanks for the kind words. Hmmm... country as barbed wire and bailing twine?



This award is flying out to more neighbors in the community:

Georgia blogger - Elementary Historyteacher at Georgia on My Mind gathers Georgia bloggers together for a biweekly carnival of Georgia blogs.

Virginia blogger - June at Spatter has joined the blogging community of Floyd, Virginia, a small one-light town chock full of artists and writers and bloggers. She says, "What I write feels and looks like spatter to me...spurts of inspiration."

North Carolina blogger - Gypsy Quilter is part of the quilting community, and says, "Whenever I wander, wherever I roam, if my fabric goes with me, then I feel at home. Some children grow up using every crayon in the box. I still do, only now they are fabric boxes."

Have a great turkey day everyone!


~featured on Georgia Blog Carnival #23

photo blogs

Seeing Anew

Blue Ridge Blog

Southern Highlands Cam

Shabby~Chic Cat's Gardening Close~ups!

Fragments from Floyd

Life in Westcliffe

It's all about the pictures!

Thanks to bloggers who post great pictures, it is like sitting on the couch and looking through a virtual photo album.

treehuggers

Only after the last tree has been cut down,
Only after the last river has been poisoned,
Only after the last fish has been caught,
Only then will you find that money cannot be eaten.
~The Cree Indian Prophecy

In honor of the thousands of bloggers who participated yesterday in blog action day, focused on the environment, climate change, and sustainability.

~photo of our misty woods after a night shower, 10 October, 2007

keep smiling

Do you use smiley faces? Do you receive smiley faces? Do you wish you had a smiley face?

Where did smiley faces come from? Did Forrest Gump come up with them when he wiped his mud-covered face off with a yellow t-shirt, and said "Have a nice day"?

What about the craze of computer smileys, which started out as :) and have evolved into a whole culture of smileys, or emoticons!



No matter how grouchy you're feeling,
You'll find the smile more or less healing.
It grows in a wreath
All around the front teeth -
Thus preserving the face from congealing.
~Anthony Euwer

Here is a 'you make me smile award' from fellow blogger (and quilter and transcriptionist) Gypsy Quilter, who recently passed it on to me, thanks!



Smiling is infectious,
U can catch it like the flu.
Someone smiled at me today,
And I started smiling too,
Now I am passing it on to you!



Some smile quotes from the Quote Garden

origin of the smiley face