Olympic designs make me want to sew

As I've been watching the Winter Olympics in Sochi, I am mesmerized by all of the colorful patchwork inspired designs found in banners, backdrops, and number bibs worn by participants.  Just look at those ombre like bars of color.  Doesn't it make you want to pull out some fabric and sew?

I did pull out some fabric and started my own APQ "Tone it Down" quilt this week.  Directions are found in the February issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. This may take me some time but I'm enjoying the process.  I did find, however, that I prefer to make the nine 5 inch blocks first and then sew them together rather than make the strips as shown in the magazine that are then sewn together.  It just seems to stay more accurate and easy to match up this way.

So there you have it, 1/5 of the blocks completed!  I know that doesn't sound like much but isn't it cool how the pattern created by the chains is already appearing?

The Lori Holt Quilty Sew Along project for this week was these adorable houses.

I followed Amy Smart's idea of fussy cutting little figures for the doorways.

The wolf is at the door and Little Red is being cautious.

I received this button assortment as a cute little Valentine gift at a quilt store.  I included them in the picture because the colors coordinate abut also because they are titled the "welcome home assortment."

I also liked the use of "Bake Sale" fabric by Lori Holt for the roof as chosen by the Fat Quarter Shop so made that my choice as well.

Lori Holt showed all the participants how to put the left side of the sampler quilt together on her blog, so I sashed and sewed those pieces together as well.  That will be my sewing for this week as I'm off on a little adventure tomorrow morning.

Valentine weekend

I was able to enjoy some quality time last weekend with my sweetie.  With Friday being Valentine's Day and Monday being President's Day, I had four days with Glen when his clients didn't demand any of his time.  It was blissful.  On Saturday we visited Oscar and his parents in Salt Lake City for a bit, went to the book sale at the King's English bookstore, enjoyed a yummy lunch across the street at 15th and 15th intersection, and then ventured on to Park City to people watch.  We then found ourselves in Midway where it was warm and the ice was melting.

Folks were lined up to tour the ice castle before it closed for the season.  The warm weather was quickly turning everything to slush.

But it was still blue. . .

and other worldly. . .

and beautiful.

To give some scale, those are giant and very old pine trees in the background.

The ice castle is located right in downtown Midway at 100 N. and 100 West.  Make sure to plan for it next year.  Some beautiful music videos have been made in the castle this year by the Piano Guys and Alex Boye with Lexi Walker and the One Voice Children's Choir.  Take a look, enjoy the music from "Frozen" and Vivaldi's Winter, and see inside the castle.

Memoirs of an imaginary friend

While growing up, did you have an imaginary friend?  I don't remember one but perhaps it wasn't needed as I am the oldest of six children and I was only seven when my youngest sister was born.  There were always people around with whom to play and talk and create.

My only daughter, however, did have an imaginary friend.  Her name was Lucy and she became "real" for the entire family.  How could she not when you would find yourself shooed off a chair because Lucy was already sitting there?  Janae came after three brothers and the final brother didn't arrive until she was five, so perhaps she really needed an imaginary friend.  I certainly enjoyed hearing all about Lucy and her escapades.  Lucy remained a part of our conversations until the day that she arrived with all her cousins for Janae to babysit.  Janae described bunk beds similar to shoe boxes stacked the ceiling and way too much activity.  All those imaginary people soon exited Janae's room and moved to Europe, Lucy included.  I always loved that Lucy was named Lucy for that was the name of my beloved great grandmother.

"Memoirs of an imaginary friend" by Matthew Dicks is told from the point of view of an imaginary friend who has been created in the mind of an eight year old autistic boy named Max.  The reader soon learns that imaginary friends can see one another and that who they will see is what their friend has imagined them to be.  They are also limited by what their friend imagines that they can do.  Budo, Max's friend can walk through doors and is smart and imaginative himself.  Those qualities are important to the story, as they will allow Budo to save Max in the end.  The reader learns about real love (a man lays down his life for another) and real evil (manipulate others until you get what you want) while reading this engaging and truly imaginative story.

This is the author's third novel and he is a teacher so the school setting of most of this book feels natural and real (at least for this former teacher :)  The book has also been optioned for a movie and I hope that they do it right.  It would make a great movie.  Does anyone want to share anything about their imaginary friends?

George Lawrence Jenson and Della Maretta Clement

George Lawrence Jenson was born on February 22, 1894 in Peoa, Summit County, Utah to Ola Joseph Jenson and Nancy Morrell.  He was their second child and first son. His grandparents, Ola Jenson and Anna Carlsson were married in Sweden in 1866 and had a daughter before joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and immigrating to the American West and settling in Peoa where Ola Joseph Jenson was born in 1869.

At some point George is found in Talmage, Duchesne, Utah where he meets Della Maretta Clement.  They are married in the Salt Lake Temple on June 28, 1916.  They continue to live in Talmage near Della's parents until the Fall of 1917 when Della's family including George and Della move to the north side of the town of Duchesne.  Talmage proved to be a hard place to farm and support one's family because of a lack of consistent water. George worked with his father-in-law and brothers-in-law in working sawmills at several different locations around Duchsne for lumber.

George also worked much of his life as a sheep herder in the Uinta Mountains north of Duschsne.  This is a picture of him with his daughter, Dorothea, taken at his sheep camp in the 1950's.  He passed away from a heart attack October 15, 1963 in Hanna, Duschsne County. Utah.

Della Maretta Clement was born in Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah to Jesse Warren Clement and Sarah Matilda Brady on July 15, 1896.  She was the oldest of nine children and enjoyed a wonderful childhood in Fairview.   She moved with her family to Talmage, first called Winn, in 1912 which is   where she met George.  She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and died in Bennion, Salt Lake County, Utah on March 10, 1955.

George and Della raised a wonderful family and always worked hard.  Two of their sons served their country during World War II.  They had several daughters including the two in the above picture.

I found this copy of Della's death certificate.  My husband, Glen, remembers a few things about her funeral.  He was just four years old.

Both George and Della are buried in the Utahn Cemetery near their son, Clive, who most likely died of spinal meningitis which was untreatable at that time.  It was a very sad time for them.

Clive is in these early pictures of their family included in Della's youngest brother, Ted Clement's book, "Time and Chance."

 This picture of Della Clement Jenson with her father, spouse, siblings, and children was taken in 1925.  L-R back row, Della Jenson, Jesse Warren Clement, sister Sarah Vail Clement, George Jenson, Jordan Lowell Clement.  L-R front row, Clive Aldin Jenson, Hazel Jenson, Lyle Edison Clement (baby unkown).

 

This is a picture of several of the Jenson sisters at Murray Park in the 1950's.

Murray Park was a popular location for Jenson family reunions.  Their son, Jordan Clay Jensen, is pictured here with all of his sisters except for Hazel.  Left to right; Dot or Dorthea, Gloria, Nina, Julienne, Alice, Joanne, and Linda in the late 1970's.  Jordan also had a brother namedAral.

Alice, Linda, and Julienne were able to join us at the same park last summer for another family reunion.

George and Della had a large number of their posterity in attendance.

Farmer's Wife Revival Class Part 2 blocks

I finished my ten blocks for the Farmer's Wife Revival Class Part 2.  In trying to use all the different fabrics in my Picket Fence by Chloe's Closet bundle, I was disappointed in the look of a couple of my blocks.  From now on I will try to do better by matching the fabric choices to the block.  I do think that this will make a very cheerful quilt.

Love Grows

I finally completely finished my Love Grows little quilt.  It only took me a year to pull it out again.  Something to do with hearts this time of year I guess.  I also think that I was finally confident enough to do the machine quilting.

And this is where it ended up, on a tension rod in front of the fireplace.

That is one drafty fireplace insert (which we hope to replace in the near future) and my quilt was just the right size, so hubby came up with the idea to hang it there.  I actually like it better than I thought I would.  Maybe I will have to make more seasonal small quilts 36 inches square.  Please don't be concerned, we also turned the pilot light off.

I even machine quilted looping hearts along the border.

I went with yo yo flowers for the grow part.

It has been a long time since I made yo yo flowers.  Janae, do you remember that outfit?

I love this heart garland I bought years ago.

I brought my Valentine decorations box from Arizona on my last road trip.

I also moved these pictures from my Arizona sewing room.  It is my family through the early years and a great memory board.  On this day of love, may I say how much I love my family which now includes five in-laws and almost a dozen grand children as well as the sweet faces above.

I hope that you are having a great Valentine's Day. . .

and are remembering to "always look on the bright side of life."

My sew along projects for February

This is my autumn leaves portion of Lori Holt's Quilty Sew Along.  I can hear someone saying, "Oh, I thought that they were Christmas lights."  I made a mistake and the stems are supposed to alternate, you know, like falling autumn leaves.  Just for fun, I decided to pose them with some Valentines :)

I also made some tulips.  No mistakes here.

I was "sew" excited about the latest Saturday Sampler project that I had it together within an hour of getting back home.  And yes, there is a mistake :(  I was supposed to cut 11 inch strips for each side of the red roof.  My rotary cutter decided to make it 10 inches.  There was not extra fabric for a redo.

I know that there will be some trimming going on next month.  I hope it will become a non-issue.  This house looks so cute surrounded by all the other blocks.

Farmer's Wife Revisited

These are my first ten blocks from my Craftsy class, The Farmer's Wife Quilt Revival, using simplified cutting and piecing techniques.  I bought my Farmer's Wife book several years ago, made one block, and then put it away for a better day.  When I saw links to this class, I knew the better day had arrived.

I am using this assortment of Picket Fence by Chloe's Closet for Moda fabrics also purchased several years ago.

These are the blocks for my February class.  Directions for ten more blocks are released each month.  There are 111 Farmer's Wife blocks in all so this will last through 2014.  One pays monthly for the pattern for each set of 10 blocks.  I have completed block one with five more cut out and ready to sew.

I have also pulled the fabric for three more blocks.  I am trying to use as many fabrics as possible each month.  I am really excited that this is working so well for me.  You should have seen that poor block I made before I gave it up years ago.  I think this is going to be a very cheerful quilt.  If I loved the fabric way back when, then I usually still love it when I pull it out again.