the emotional life of sølje

Wow… that 1st left side triangle was something! I ended up paperpiecing the block, but added some of my own lines. The book didn’t quite follow the block (though, I did see Jane had some of her own problems with that one). I ended up forgetting to add two triangles–one on each side of the bottom section. Oh well. Over all I do like this block. I enjoyed also using the Nancy Kirk charm pack for this one. I used two different fabrics, but the colors for both swatches matched, so the greens and reds worked.

And another corner:

It looks bunched up. I English paperpieced the pink sections together and then appliqued the whole thing down to a background. I think it will be fine once I sew it into the border–and perhaps press the heck out of it

I also have the label corner almost finished, but will finish up the embroidery when the triangles are all finished. 25 more triangles and one corner left to go!

Tags: Dear Jane // Add Comment »

warning… ranting ahead. Show of hands, how many of you love the Pioneer Woman’s recipes? Ok, again, how many of you like being given the credit deserved when a photo, recipe, artwork (displayed in a quilt show for example) are passed off as someone else’s giving you no credit whatsoever? No? Then it’s time to ask Ms Drummond why she has built her company on passing off “great ideas, recipes, etc” as her own, while just “keeping it real”? (most recent knock off is from her episode with the brownies. Not her original recipe).

You know those cookbooks that are created by various church, support, women’s league groups? She has pulled MANY MANY MANY of her recipes from those, tweaking an ingredient or two all while not saying who the recipe was actually created by. But you go to Foodnetwork’s site and see her recipes published from the show and you see Ree Drummond “all rights reserved”.

Honestly, how many people that are living ranch lives live like this? Ever wonder how they (Drummonds) afford it? It’s a show, people. It isn’t real. Yes, she has kids and a husband. She plays with her words so you feel like you know her. But she certainly isn’t “keeping it real” by any means.

She’s been called out over the past year for not sourcing recipes specifically and slowly she is starting to state where she gets them from. But I guess when you pull from an obscure cookbook, you think you’ll be safe.

Give sources, give credit. Period. Speaking of which, Kevin was approached by an art gallery to have one of his photos printed for a customer. They’ll will credit him, blah blah blah. Hello?? In the digital age, are any of even safe to keep original work, original? Oh, and the gallery will keep the photo on file for future customers. It sounds to me like the gallery (one on Staten Island) wants to make money off of his original work? Or am I off base?

Stealing work and not making things right really annoy me. And I am sorry if you love the PW and have upset you.

Tags: Art, life ramblings // Add Comment »

I decided this morning that I needed to take off the two borders to add the 1/4″ white strip between the blocks and triangles. I’m glad I did, I like it even more.

I love the corner! Not perfect, but I just love it.

Tags: Dear Jane // 2 Comments »

Today, after spending HOURS on my first corner kite block, I decided to attempt attaching my two finished borders. I haven’t found if I am suppose to add a white border between the blocks and triangles, and totally forgot about it until after I finished sewing the first border down. I do like having the white border breaking up the prints, but I really don’t think I will be ripping it off anytime soon to add it. If I ever get a wild hair and decide to make this quilt again, I will plan to add the border.

This quilt is really quite a storyteller of my sewing abilities changing over time. There are some pretty bad looking blocks in there that I see–my critical eye just cringes. But, considering that I started this project when I was still pretty new to quilting… I’m ok with it. A little bit. I am very hard on myself when I see my sewing isn’t “just right”. But I will quilt it, wash it, and forget about it (at least until I get critical again). Maybe whoever ends up with this quilt after I die won’t even think about the lopped off points and just see how exciting it really is.

And my first corner:

oy.

Started in 1999… finished in ??? (hopefully 2012).

Tags: Dear Jane // 3 Comments »

I have progress to report! I worked on a few triangles after my last post on my DJ quilt in May, but gave up on it again for a while. Since I am no longer doing a block of the week project (Civil War Quilts project from 2011), I decided to pick back up on Jane. I plan to finish at least one block a week and get this top done before the end of the year. At this point I only have 26 triangles and 4 corners left to do before Jane will be done!! Wow! to think I started this in 1999. Here are the pictures of the right side. I accidentally mixed up block 7 and 8, but I don’t feel like ripping them out to switch. Maybe later.

Not perfect, but finished. I hate seeing the errors in different placements, but sewing the triangles is a challenge. No wonder I have waited as long as I have to finish this up.

Tags: Dear Jane // 1 Comment »

From this:

at 10 weeks.

Add a little food and water and 10 weeks later:

poof! and still growing! He’ll probably put on another 30lbs and many inches by the time he is finished growing. At our last vet visit at the 4month mark he was 35lbs. Maybe we should have considered a mini-labradoodle

woof!

Tags: A Family Affair // Add Comment »

Last Friday I woke up to an unhappy surprise: the heat source was no longer working in our home. We’ve had issues with our furnace and have basically stopped using it because it puts out a lot of energy and a lot of cold air. Repair calls seem to not help, and we get the “time to replace” talk. We are planning to replace it, but we’ve done a lot of repairs in the home and don’t (can’t) spend the money on that right now. So, we use our gas fireplace and have two portable heaters in the coldest parts of the house. Friday, the pilot light went out in the gas fireplace.

I called the company that installed the fireplace in 2004 and was told to call Puget Sound Energy to come out and relight the pilot (for free PSE does this). That guy came out a couple of hours later, but it wouldn’t stay lit, so that means it is something more than just a pilot light out. Being annoyed with the original company that I called, I called a different energy service that is just down the street. We added a space heater in the living room for the weekend (and it has been cold!).

Company #2 repair guy came out promptly at 9am Monday morning and we spent $224 to essentially have him vacuum out the fireplace. I could tell that he was annoyed that our insert wasn’t coming apart easy for him, but considering he was here for only 45 minutes and I spent over $200, I have little sympathy in that department. He suggested that for another $122 he could replace the thermocouple, that it may go out soon (later reading, we see an average lifespan of 5yrs for those). I said no (already in sticker shock) and he closed it up and I gave him a payment check.

Tuesday morning…. the thermocouple goes out. Which means no fire, no warmth, I’m ready to cry, and feeling very frustrated. So I call company #2, the dispatcher asks if I got an estimate for repair and told her that I was told $122. She has him call to confirm, and now he tells me that price is $257!!!! Are you crazy? After pulling my jaw off the floor, I said “$257?”
Him: yes.
Me: I don’t think I can pay that much
Him: well, if it takes less time it will be less, but it took me a long time to get it undone and I have to take it all apart.
Me: ok, I will call back if we decide to have it repaired. (it is obvious he doesn’t want to work on my fireplace).

So I call company #1 that installed it and I told the guy what was wrong but it would still cost a $99 service call to make sure. I could not get any estimate on parts and labor costs. I am really ready for tears at this point (there have been a lot of little frustrating things going on lately… life isn’t smooth, I know, and really this is bottom of the scale in regards to being a big deal. People all over are going through worse. I’m being a cheap ass and don’t want to spend another $200+).

Kevin tells me he’s sure he can fix it, and we both start googling and youtubing. I find out that the part is less than $20. Yes… you heard me correctly, less than TWENTY DOLLARS! And you can buy it at any hardware store. We went to Home Depot first, but the guy we asked zeroed in on “gas fireplace” and not “thermocouple” and immediately said they don’t have gas fireplaces there. I asked where the furnace parts are. After we wandered around, we decided to go to McLendons. Home Depot has the part, I can guarantee it because the thermocouple is the same in hot water tanks, furnaces, and gas fireplaces. There were three sizes to choose from, we went with the middle, 24″, but the 18″ would have been just fine (and I think it was an 18″ that was removed. Here is the new one:

See that receipt? With tax, $13.13!! We are already coming out ahead. So it was time to start the clock. Kevin has never done this repair before… very green, though he has repair experience around the house. Just not on the gas fireplace. Side note: I know how to change the batteries for the remote

Ok… just a note: I don’t really know “what” I’m talking about. I’m using layman terms, and if you get annoyed by “thingy”, be kind in comments. I’m only trying to save you some money.

7:10
A very sad and cold fireplace.

Remove glass. For our Lennox Elite Series, flipping down the bottom vent and flipping up the top vent, you will see wingnuts at the top of the glass. Remove. It may take a little bit of muscle and a flat tip screwdriver to ease it out. We’ve never removed the glass before, so it was a little more difficult. Take this time to clean the glass. I use White Off. < --link for illustration purposes. You can buy it probably anywhere including a grocery store. Remove logs, lava rocks and be careful not to lose the stuff in front that gives a glow to the front flames (don't know what it's called, sorry).

Remove the burner plate. The screws were pretty tight on the burner plate. coaxing them was difficult especially since it was a tight place to work in. But after loosening, Kevin was able to unscrew by hand and lift out the burner. Also in the back, loosening the gas valve needs to be done (I've added notes at flickr for the locations if you can't see the pic).

Remove a ton of screws on the plate under the burner. (I don’t know why wordpress isn’t letting me close out the code for that pic above… annoying. this text should not be a link).

Kevin has also removed the front facing by the pilot light dials in this pic (four more screws along the sides). Ok, I am seriously wondering why there are so many screws on the part that under the burner? There were surely more 10. Anyway, don’t lose your screws….

After removing the zillions of screws, you can move this section carefully.

The thermocouple is on the far left. Find where it leads to, loosening the couplings, and replace with the new. Easy. (ok, scary to me, easy to do).

Old one:

Now working backwards, put stuff back in place. Lots of screws. Lots.

After putting glass back on, start the pilot light. And guess what? At 8:20:

So an hour and 10 minutes for a novice. I think next time Kevin (or I) could change it out in 30-45 minutes. A lot of time was spent looking for tools and getting acquainted with the fireplace parts.

Initial cost from Company #1: $99
Estimate from Company #2: $257
Actual cost doing it ourselves: $13.13

Huge savings!

Tags: Home Repair Stuff // 2 Comments »

During the 2011 WASIQ Leavenworth retreat, we had a jelly roll race. No, not with cake, but from strips of fabrics that when rolled up resemble a jelly roll. Here are the quilts from the quilters participating:

ps… I won (hi Julie! hehehe) I am in the bottom row, smack dab in the middle.
Here is a closer shot of my top:

Honestly? I don’t care much for the jelly roll quilts. Even after using my favorite bright batiks, it just wasn’t calling my name. So fast forward a few weeks ago when I discovered a pattern from Erin Erickson called Two Zip Hipster. I wasn’t really sure what fabric I wanted to use, so I waited until after Christmas to get serious about making it. After the boys went back to school this week, I put some things away in the quilt room, looked at some of my fabrics but nothing called out to me to use it with this pattern. That’s when I remembered the jelly roll top. I did not hesitate in the least when I started cutting up pieces for the purse/bag. I labeled my pieces and let it sit until I had some time to use brain power on this (there were zippers involved after all!).

My Jelly Roll Two Zip Hipster:

Also an inside pocket (notice the lining is also from the jelly roll top):

Two pockets on the outside. One with a zipper and one just above that is open.

As you can see, it is large enough to hold magazines, a book, Kindle, etc. This is also the first time I have used a rectangle and slider for a purse strap. Snazzy!

Seems more like a good summertime purse, but I think I need some brightness around here right now. The weather has been dreary. I am thinking about making a second one that is a little quieter in color. Overall it was a fun pattern along with great pictures for those visual learners (like me!). I’d recommend!

Tags: Sewing // 8 Comments »

I can’t believe I have stuck through with this quilt all the way to the end! It has definitely helped my goal of doing a little sewing each week (or at the very least once a month if I was catching up). I am also glad that I decided to use Cherrywood Fabrics for this quilt, the colors are beautiful. The camera just cannot fully show the variations of each dyed fabric.

I need to also note that no white fabric was used in this quilt. Many of very light yellows or grays read white in photos however.

Peace and Plenty was my extra block to add to the layout

And now for the almost finished top:

So now I am considering borders. I’m not sure if I will add one, or just a strip of black. Some thoughts are black/colored squares (abt 1″)/black, prairie braid, I thought briefly about a piano key border (not going to happen, I don’t think it would work with the blocks), and I even thought about a few star blocks with black backgrounds. Whatever I decide, I need more black so that will mean *shopping*

Tags: Quilting, Sewing // 5 Comments »

Our annual tradition. This year we decided to make our own gingerbread (read, “Mom decided she didn’t want to buy a kit”). Talking to Daniel, he decided he wanted to make a gingerbread pyramid and for Darrin I went with a house. I looked at templates online, and in the end decided to wing it with my quilting rulers in hand. I used this gingerbread recipe from my Mrs. Field’s Cookie Book.

Here are some great new tips in regards to building: melt sugar in a pan (med/med high heat) and dip edges to build. I also used a silicon brush to brush extra melted sugar along edges. It sets up fairly quickly and it helps to have extra hands during this process. Be patient, just when you think that dry sugar isn’t going to do anything, the magic begins.

2nd pic: sugar is almost ready, whisk out all the lumps.

Where the sugar was dipped/brushed, it is very noticeable now, but the royal icing and candy will cover that up, so don’t worry. For Darrin’s house, I placed the sides onto foil on a cookie sheet, crushed up Jolly Ranchers and filled in the windows, and put it under broil for just a few minutes. Watch it closely, you don’t want to burn it (which I did, we put the burnt side facing towards the insides).

I love this! The hardened sugar just pulled right off with a little help from water. The little tubes left behind from the brush are kind of cool.

Building is complete, royal icing is ready (recipe here, it was a good one) Boys are ready to decorate!

Darrin’s finished house.

Daniel’s finished pyramid

And we ended by decorating gingerbread cookies. Much tastier than the old, hard, tasteless gingerbread you get in the kits. I now have a headache from all the sugar! (I’ve been staying away from sugar for the last week–trying to get back in line with a clean-eating diet plan).

Daniel made an Egyptian cookie… I won’t mention what dad was going to do with the candy corns. So with that, another tradition complete for 2011.

Tags: A Family Affair, Cooking // Add Comment »

Tonight I finished the 7th row of the Civil War Quilts project. Only one row left–or 5 weeks left until the last block is released (also, 5 weeks left till the end of the year!). So here are the past 7 weeks of blocks:

I’m looking forward to being finished with this project.

Tags: Quilting, Sewing // 1 Comment »

Ok, promise this won’t become a puppy blog… maybe a mix when pictures are cute, I don’t know! Anyway, I wanted to report we are trying out the name of Gordon or Gordy (or is it Gordie) on our new family member.

Cuteness

Gracie wasn’t thrilled that her lap spot on Dad was already occupied. Dad tried to discuss it with her gently

Our first night with Gordon went really well. He only whined at 6:30 this morning to be let out of his crate to go potty, and then he was ready to play. I can imagine how he was with his littermates in the mornings! He still has the sweetest personality, and loves being with his boys. If the boys are somewhere he isn’t, he’ll whine a little bit–wondering where they went and come back! We just love this guy!

Tags: A Family Affair // Add Comment »

It has been about five and a half months since Bonnie passed away, and it has been quiet without a dog in the house. Kevin talked about not getting one for a long time, I was ready by the time September rolled around. I like having a dog in the house especially when Kevin is travelling, so I am thinking with travel happening more often (as well as many overnight scout weekends), Kev finally relented and agreed.

I have been scanning craigslist and other sources (petfinder, nwsource, etc) for a couple of months now, and on Thursday I found a Labradoodle on craigslist, visited, but the dog didn’t feel right for us. The poor dog has been in at least three different homes, and now looking for a 4th. For as popular as Labradoodles are, I am sure he’ll find a home quickly, but it didn’t feel right for us. He was a bargain dog, but got to go with gut feelings on that one.

After coming home yesterday, I did one last look through local want ads and came across a doodle breeder in Duvall who had 3 F1B Standard Labradoodles boys left. All 5 of the girls were sold right away, but the boys were still there (will be 11 weeks on 11/7) so they were discounted in order to find families to bond with. I sent Kevin pictures (he’s out of town right now), and he agreed again, so I set up a meeting for this morning.

All three boys were so sweet! The guy Darrin and I came home with was the fluffier of the three, but there was another boy that I loved too. He sat next to me, and just looked up with his sweet eyes… sigh. Anyway, this litter was named after ice cream flavors… not only did he had a pink collar, but his kennel name was Tutti Fruiti… hmmmm LOL! We’ll be coming up with a name after Kev gets home tomorrow.

I am in love. Gracie the cat is not impressed, but she hasn’t hissed and is still just in checking out mode. I think he knows she has his number. But she is pretty relaxed, and honestly I don’t think she cares. Anyway, “PuppyX” came from Foxtail Ridge, and if Standard Labradoodles are too big for you, they have a litter of miniature Labradoodles coming soon. The mom was very sweet too But the last two boy standard doodles are very sweet too! So far the puppy experience has been very good. I remember when Bonnie was a puppy and the first night was a little stressful, but we are ready…

Tags: A Family Affair // 3 Comments »

Six rows are finished. Just two more to go and the top will be done. The closer I get to the end, the more I think I am going to do something different for the four corners. I will wait until the last row before I decide what blocks to make.

Tags: Quilting, Sewing // Add Comment »

This post references this post. Last year author Karen Lohn contacted me about using my 2007 Journal Quilt that I created for Quilt Art’s challenge for the International Quilt Festival in Houston in a book. That quilt project was a good process quilt for me. I definitely preferred 2007’s challenge over previous years’ requirements of a small quilt each month.

Gratuitous camera phone shot

I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I am impressed with Karen’s book and it looks to have interesting suggested projects to try–in all fiber areas, not just quilting. The projects are diverse, the images within the book are abundant, and the stories are interesting. She needs to get it on to Amazon so it can be previewed, imo.

Tags: Fiber Art that doesn't fall into one catagory, Great Products, Journal Quilts, Sewing // Add Comment »