TIF Challenge and Weather Watching

This is my completed piece for November. I could have souped it up alittle more but have to declare it finished for now.

I waited patiently to get the info for Decembers TIF.. I made up this block last night and got some threads together. It can ride around with me in alittle tin for when I can pull it out. After making it, I cleaned up my table, put the sew machine away and stashed stuff in the closet. I can say that I've more or less stuck to the Challenge and have something to show for each month. I wasn't going to quit this far in. My only unfinished one is Augusts"balance" block, and it's 98 % done.... I'm hoping I'll be able to get this one done before months end and saying Taaa-dahh to this.


I've packed a bag with some things to work on, some books, alarm clock, photos, camera cable, etc. Now it's on to clothes which I hate doing at any time. It's something I always over think when packing wearables. I'm watching the weather diligently and it looks like the week ahead has some precarious moments involving substantial snow amounts. I'm trying not to get worked up about it but I do dread winter travel up here around the Great Lakes. It blows, literally and figuritively, LOL


Felon is going to the vet in the morning to have a cyst like tumor removed from his front elbow. Once he's safely back home, I'll feel better for going.
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I never meant to sound like such a downer in my other post. I was thinking outloud It's hard going but it's only temporary. The important thing is being around and nearer the family right now, especially for Christmas. I didn't think that I 'd have such difficulties coming north when we did and when I'm honest with myself despite everything, I see how much I put the cart before the horse in doing so.Hence, my best made plans not always wisest. My husband is in a whole different place with his life and I'm truly thankful that he's supporting me to go back and do this. ......... The phone just rang and the nursing home said that their sending my dad to the hospital for some testing and DX for all the pain he's in..... hello intuition.... I'm freaking listening, see?

Have a good week all...

Happy Holidays to All My Blogging Friends!

I'm leaving 12/3.... don't know about the status I'll have online but here's hoping and anticipating that you'll
have the happiest of holidays ever! Hugs to you all!

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I 've created a Christmas Playlist for you ( see bottom of blog) to share what the season means to me. It's not your average "carol" and I'm sure you'll enjoy them. Please turn your speakers up and enjoy the music. Merry Christmas and Happy Solstice to all my dear friends on line...I 'll be back as soon as I can...

Rebuilding Foundations and a Thank You...

Jane with arms crossed- Concrete-July 2006 Do I Look Happy? Really I Am!

I've had a bad habit the majority of my life for plunging ahead and skipping steps, adamant to my sense of right and wrong. and stubborn accepting my own intuitions... I've always known there's a natural progression to things but lately I've had to admit that no matter how I try to steer them (or think I am) I keep ending back at the same place ... it's become obvious to the point where God above is no longer whispering to me but knocking me upside the head to listen to the real plan that I have no control over. I can't keep pushing my way through life against the grain of the universe and silencing the voice that keeps telling me that what I'm doing just isn't working. This was true way back in September... duh...another 3 months wasted to denial for not listening.Big family pow wow later, it's been decided that I leave here for awhile....No need to freak... it's no separation or divorce for D and I...I've just got to go back home while there still is home.

Now help me??? What do I pack to leave what I know?

Home Fires Burning 2008

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I want to thank everybody for voting on my CQ Autumn Burst via Quilting Gallery (please check the Gallery out).... It was neck and neck for awhile but the numbers won out... it was something fun and with the close vote... hey, anything could have happened.... THANKS TO YOU ALL !!!, I may try something like it again,or NOT. ...It was a small time thrill none the less, LOL!

The Teddy Bear Project and a Link or 2

I was asked for alittle more info on the Teddy Bear Project from my pals Sue from the Magpies Nest , Judy from Stitch Along With Me, and Janet from Go Crazy With Me . So I thought I'd answer here. Our town is small so there's no red tape or "channels" to be got through for doing good deeds. It cracks me up sometimes to hear what people go through to GIVE THINGS to charitiable organizations... the requirements, applications, and background checks in order to bless others is out of hand. Thankfully, since we are a community oriented locale, we don't have that. People jump in here... no pomp. If there's a need, it gets done... no politics, no "I make a motion to accept", no bullshit.

So the guild went and bought a boatload of brand new teddy bears from a store in Marquette and asked that we make quilts for each bear. Minimum size is 24" x 24". The original idea was to donate to the St Vincent Christmas need, for the many down and out families here in the area. Well, as all good things grow, we've now decided to make this a year round project... the local hospital, county and city police, fire department, and shelter home will be supplied with the bears to give as needed... along with the continued supply to St Vincents. Some "little guy" will have a new buddy this holiday.. "Green Gene".


Over at Quilting Gallery there's an exhibition going on of quilts that were entered into the Living Healing Quilt Project. These quilts were created to show the experiences of the indigenous Native Indians as they were ripped from their families and sent to government "schools" in Canada. This practice was also done in the United States as well, under the guise of reform and religion. I hate this part of our history and know that there's no way that these attrocities can ever be repaid to these people. These quilts are very special so please click the logo below to see them.

Well, that didn't work.. so please click here for the link...

Living Healing Quilts.....

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Thanksgiving's going to be pretty low key here... the Detroit Lions have their chance to win or be beaten on the National front tomorrow. We'll be watching and I'm sure wanting to hit Coach Marinelli upside the head with a drumstick or 2. The prediction from this camp is if there's no win tomorrow , HE WILL BE FIRED...if not there's something rotten in Detroit, just like Kwame Kilpatrick. If it was you or me our checks would cease for such poor performance. D worked for "Henry" and he would have been canned by now... IOHO (in our humble opinion) What the heck is going on here????

Crazy Quilt Vote Needed

Click Above to be Taken to Poll - "Autumn Burst"

I was looking around at the quilts submitted to the Quilting Gallery Bloggers list for their Fall photo contest and noticed that there was not one crazy quilted piece entered. Out of charactor for me, I went ahead and submitted the very untraditional autumn crazy block I'd just finished. Well 43 pieces in all were submitted and only 1 crazy block ... mine, so I'm unabashedly asking for your vote here. Not so much for me to win but as a way to get crazy quilting acknowledged in a more mainstream kind of way. Just click the vote box above and scroll down a few spots to Autumn Burst. Of course there's many other great pieces, the Gecko and the "I Spy" down the list are fab ... but I'd really appreciate you clicking on mine. Thanks all, for your support. It'll be fun to see the outcome and alot less stressful than Nov 4th.

" Autumn Burst"

Thursdays Guild Meet

The snow was blowing to beat the band on the way to town... white out vision and frigid temps but we made it. Barb's lived up here her whole life and has the driving experience to prove it. Needless to say it was a skeleton group and not a lot of time to stay and chit chat after. Everyone just wanted to get home. But heres some of the show and tell :

This Michigan quilt was great. It was being shipped over to Ireland to a cousin who had visited this summer. I thought she did a great job appliqueing the Upper Peninsula.

This batik sampler quilt had interesting color combos.

Diana's Christmas quilt looked like it had cards sewn into it and it was quilted with the most awesome metallic thread.
The charity bearity project has another month to go. They're so cute that we've decided to keep this an ongoing project year round. A great stash and scrap buster.

The teddy quilt I made below ended up at 36 x36 with a loden green fur back... very snuggly and very simple

I was only able to make one pillowcase, it had flannel on one side and a nature print on the other. I didn't take any photos of the pillowcases but there was quite a stack of those to be sent out to the troops. I'll get the final counts of the bears and cases when all's done.
And heres a pic of Sue's humongous quilt sack... you could fit a man in there!


There's not much snow on the ground and although the temperatures have been in the teens, it's tolerable. My Detroit Lions play tomorrow. It's an awful year to be a fan as they've not won one flippin' game. The stadium attendance is so poor that they haven't sold enough tickets to televise the game locally so it's a double hurt for anyone who loves he game. One eye to the TV is all it takes....

Busy With Blocks

the Cabin at 24 X 26

My math skills stink and I had to tweak as I went and there's plenty of those little places that need thread and stitches on them immediatly to tame them down

I still haven't gotten my other machine fixed yet but I'm more than thankful to have this one

These oblong blocks were a pain ... trying to keep the patches from having that stacked up look on the ends

I love playing with fabric and picking out what bounces off of the previous patch... I can loose hours doing it...

and of course you know I needed more blocks to add to all my other blocks...had to feed my addiction!

an ornament block... I see a manger or a camping tent... maybe a birdhouse

an Obama block for history ... yes, that's black in there with the Democratic blue

then the November TIF block pieced with threads to use above

and this made up as a joke for my husband. Our Detroit Lions are the worst team in the NFL , not able to pull off 1 win so far this year. Rumor has it, we my go all the way with ZERO for the season. We are razzed unmercifully by everyone but the games themselves have now become comedies.

After the piecing frenzy, I cleaned up the whole mess and organized everything upstairs that needed it. I started a new St Vincent bag and remade my to do list. I put things away that I KNOW I'm not going to get to and made the things I want to work on, more accessible.

I'm looking forward to some changes in the "near future" so I got out this clock that I'd brought home from my mom and dads earlier this year. I put it on my sewing table as a reminder of how precious time is... time and what I do with it. I really need to work on how I spend it

Veterans Day 2008

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ In Memory of my Brother ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christopher Freeland born January 1949 - Died December 1973

24 years and 11 mos

US Army Tank Commander ... Vietnam

Gone but not forgotten, loved and missed everyday!

Resurrecting the Cabin Block

Time to take a fresh look at this block and fired up from Allies new project. It's calling for a border with some printed imagery... way too much fun... thanks for the nudge as to where my heart is Allie!!!

I have another hiatus here as D left for Detroit this morning.... Hermit Bliss for 4 days... blessed "piece" and quiet!

but the best of all?

The weather has been stellar this past week and I finally got to the "big project". K came with the Bobcat and pushed these county dirt piles around. Now for the lumbar workout, pulling sods and clumps.

Is it possible that a tomatoe may show its face....

viney cucumber, squash and pumpkin off to the side on the incline...

Kentucky pole beans growing up the tipee and the old log chair as a place to rest and "watch the weeds grow" ???? Taming the soil in these woods is not for the faint hearted.

Needless to say, I am thrilled to have the start of my garden.

County dirt = free

Use of Bobcat = 2 housecleaning jobs

1 broken steel rake = repaired

cedar logs = free

4 Alleives and a 6 pack of Bud Light = approx $7.99

Vegetable garden = PRICELESS

We have the deer fencing behind the garage scavenged from a job D did over the summer, scrap cedar posts are waiting for us at the sawmill... did I say I'm estatic?

What I've been up to....

Got the ornament stitched up... hung with ribbon and a button

the little tag says "Happy Thanksgiving" Mom and Dad


and 1 banner done out of the 3... at least the other 2 will be ready to work on come next Halloween

November TIF and Hermitage...

Sharon is such a pusher of the mind and didn't fail this month with the challenge posted here. Looking around I found several sites which led me to believe that the field of "typography" is wide open and mostly associated with perception via the eye of the beholder. Well , I'm the be-holder for the next month, so I chose this...

When I purchased Carole Samples CQ Templates (which I'm wanting to work more with, along with her Treasury of CQ Stitches book) , she had enclosed a cross stitch stencil as well as 2 monogram stencils of my initials. These turned out to be the perfect base of this months block. Thanks again Carole


I was amazed with myself at what I was able to accomplish yesterday when I put my mind to it. This will be the center motif. It was easy to stitch on the muslin which I had backed with fusible interfacing but the color will definitley clash. I debated using a Kool Aid dye and still may. I'm sure it will color the blue and green stitches... at best an over dyed effect, should I dare?? If you have any input dyeing this at this stage, please let me know what you think. I'll probably piece this up tomorrow and then it will be too late. A thinking woman would have dyed it before stitching but you should know me by now, LOL


I lost my glasses sometime last Friday (frown) and have looked in every possible place for them. I think they're out in the woods...They were the pair prior to my last RX. Well I got out my newest glasses and WOW, COULD I SEE! EVERYTHING CAME IN CLEAR AS A BELL. I loved my old specs because I could see fairly well close up but still wear them without tripping... it's leading me to believe that I'm now (another frown) at the bifocal stage. But I'm loving this new "look" on life and being able to read without holding things at arms length. I started the "New Mercies" book by Sandra Dallas. A slow take off so far, I hope it improves. I see she has a new one coming out next year, Prayers for Sale.


Rox gave me a set of curtains that she needs shortened... the cafe part hemmed up to make another valance. I was looking at the discounted price... way to go Roxanne!! (That's 17.83 not 12.83)

mini vacation begin....

November 4th 2008 - Tuesday

No matter what happens today, I'll do all I can to make this a better country and uphold the ideals of our democracy

Voter #150 at the Arvon Town Hall, and proud to do so

I voted for all the people before me who dreamed the American dream

for those who stood up for the Dream

and in support of all the workers who continue to keep this great country's Dream going

UAW Emblem and UAW strikers images via Yahoo images. Dehass Homestead from Baraga County Historical Photos