Bats in the Attic!

It was a TWO bat night. Yep TWO. I guess bats are like mice? they run in...ummm....HERDS? Colonies? Gaggles? Yes. I like that one. Gaggles of bats. Okay. So Jeff comes knocking on the bedroom door this morning saying "Mom!You are NOT going to believe this! There is another bat in my room!" All I can think of is :::OH GROSS:::

The LARGE pic is from Ann's Blog. Seems she had a bat in her house the other day too! We have the Orkin Man come out quarterly and do his usual pest control thing. Last time came he asked if he could put "sticky traps" in tight places to catch spiders and the like. They are little cardboard tube things with sticky inside. Think of it as bug decoupage. Gross I know, but highly effective near doors and windows where creepy crawlers like to come in at night.

Jeff has one in his closet, near the attic opening in the wall. In it....a live bat was stuck and couldn't get out. OH EWWWWWWWWW! He said "Don't you want to see it? What should I do?" I said "NO WAY JOSE!!" So he proceeded to go down to his Dad's workroom in the basement for a pair of leather work gloves. He took the sticky trap and the bat outside, but he couldn't get the bat off the sticky. It was hopeless. The whole thing is just so YUCK! So...he had to put it out of it's misery and bury it. I am just so totally grossed out.


SO! To get my mind off of it I'm going to post about my thrifting adventures yesterday! I live in Wallburg, NC, which according to the WIKIPEDIA is located in Davidson County, North Carolina. It is incorporated, but was never recognized as a CDP by the US Census prior to its incorporation in 2004. SO! When I did a search on population for Wallburg NC, it said...ZERO! *LOL* I guess this is why my mailing address is Winston-Salem, but technically I'm in Wallburg. Funny thing...Walburg is SO small that it lists THESE Area Businesses, Schools, Churches:

Wallburg Elementary School, Wallburg Baptist Church, Vernon Forest Baptist Church, Shady Grove Un. Methodist, Tyco Electronics, NewBridge Bank, Wallburg Mulch, Food Lion, CVS, Dollar General, Little Richard's Barbecue, Wallburg Diner, Wendy's, Subway, China One, Domino's Pizza

That's about IT folks! I think there is also a mortuary, a dry cleaners,a gas station, a car wash, and a tanning salon. But really, what more do I need? The NC map shows Davidson County in Red. Wallburg is a speck in the middle of the red somewhere!

The post office, a cute white building attached to the Wallburg Diner, has a sign that reads WALLBURG MAIN POST OFFICE. Like there is any other? It's a one window hole in the wall (Wich I love greatly! Believe me! NO LINES!) But Main Post Office? *giggle*(this is another reason I need to remember to bring my camera with me on my jaunts!)

Where is this all leading? Oh yes..back to yesterday's junking and discovery road trip! I pretty much have to draw a 15 to 20 mile radius around me to get "anywhere". I'm smack-dab between Winston, Greensboro, Kernersville, Highpoint, and Thomasville. The nearest Bank of America is about 10 to 12 miles away in any direction. So instead of going to the same one all the time, I've been doing it Buffet Style and exploring!

You know how an airplane stewardess, uh, excuse me, flight attendant says "Please note that the closest exit may be BEHIND YOU?" That was how I came to discover that there is a little Bank of America about 12 miles from me in Thomasville. Mind you, I'd been going to the big conglomerate B of A in Winston,having to take the interstate,dealing with it's long drive up lines, etc. So....Thomasville it was. I'd never been THERE before.

No interstate...just a straight shot south on highway 109 and I was there in no time. And a bonus! I found the Goodwill, AND an antique mall! Oh joy! And since it was already past 3pm, I figured I could dawdle a bit.

I found a rocking chair for the living room for $35 that Oscar is here checking out. Behind him is a patchwork duck from an 1800's quilt that was a whopping $3.25.

I found a 40 piece SET of 1930's depression glassware...a MATCHED SET! For $50.00. That was my big expense for the day,but I have been wanting a matched set for so long, wondering how I could do it piece-meal! Now I have more dishes than I know what to do with, and they don't exactly go with my burlap insulated tumblers and mugs, but oh well! Its MY life, right? :cD


And this little ditty....How many yards of this ADORABLE CAT FABRIC are in this large jumper? It's 100% cotton and hasn't been washed or worn. $5.00!! But what really caught my eye is the buttons! Hand painted ceramic cat buttons! What kind of fun embellishments will these be? Not even sure what to do with them yet,but the cat fabric is too adorable, and I'm usually not into novelty fabrics.







So...have I distracted you from the thoughts of bats in the attic yet? Hmmmmmm.....

Just a little bit freaked out!

How many of you know what it is like to be just on the edge of drifting off to sleep when the cat starts playing with something, scooting it across the floor, and you have to get up and check out what it is?

I opened the bedroom door, turned on the light...and there on the carpet was a BAT. Not a baseball bat, not a quilt BATT, but...a flying, flapping, bat-man style bat! Only he wasn't flying anymore because I think Oscar broke his wing...

It is now 1:20 am and I am sipping a cup of cocoa, trying to un-freak myself out so I can get back to sleep. Where did the bat come from? (And what's worse...Why was the first thought that came to my mind "Where is my camera? This is good blog stuff!") *rolling eyes* No, I didn't get a pic. Instead I got a towel. By this time everyone one was up. We spread the towel over the bat, scooped it up, and gently deposited it in the front yard where nature can take it's course.

Oscar is 2 for 2 today.....earlier it was a bunny he caught in the woods. *Sniffle* He got Thumper. So much for loving the country life! (At least it wasn't a snake??)

More Manic Piecing!

Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece Piece! And the bin is just as full as it ever was.

I had to be a bit ummmmm "inventive???" on these borders. I thought there was going to be plenty of the purple,but doing the letters takes more fabric than you think it does with all the trimming,etc. SO! I stuck in some leftover bits from Tonyas quilt....thinking it was going to just END with that purple border. Nope. The voices in my head said..."it needs MORE!"

So last night, I was doing more.

I have people ask all the time why I use a foundation for string piecing. I suppose if you are sewing from STRAIGHT strips (versus the mess you see in my bin below) you can get by with sewing straight strips together and just sub cutting them. My strips can be tapered end cuts from squaring up a piece of fabric, many are torn strips from getting something on-grain. I feel like this adds more character to the quilt when everything isn't arrow-straight and precision cut. Look at the difference between "antique" quilts, and new quilts. See what I mean? So I use a foundation when string piecing. Usually paper because I like to remove it. I don't want that extra thickness of fabric in there.

So the borders for this quilt were pieced the same way I did the little stringies below. I covered phone book pages with the strings, and then sub cut them into whatever width I wanted. I could get 3 sub cuts from each phone book page, so it was speed piecing in a way. Better than whoever had the idea of covering adding machine tape?! Just cover REGULAR SIZED paper, and slice it up. Works for me!

I'm off this morning with Jeff to a job fair. He's GOT to get a job, but it has to be one that will work around his summer school schedule. Evenings and weekends is what he needs. And if HE weren't so picky about what he will take or won't, he probably WOULD have a job by now..(good thing he doesn't read my blog, huh?) Anyway..wish us luck!

Brighten Up!!

You know those two stringy-thingies I made recently? (One is winging it's way to Tonya in Paris! I hope she likes it!) Well...I made them in manic moments of trying to deplete an overstuffed bin of solid colored strings and bits.

And no matter how random I tried to be...I did end up pulling out all the "BEST" colors, leaving a lot of BLAH! How can I keep sewing with these unless I add some more bright and snappy colors to it to liven it up a bit? The pic with the blocks is what I have cut to add to the mess, shown below in the boring pile pic. Just a lot of navy, black, red, and not much else bright.















I get this feeling that I'm not depleting, I am INCREASING the mess. See the acrobatics my mind is going through? "Yes, but if you add more strings,you will make more quilts and USE MORE STASH!" "But this bin will never get EMPTY" "Do you want it empty??" "But what if I need these 1/4 yard pieces for something REALLY cool, and I've stripped them all up into this mess?" These are the voices in my head, but it's okay...they know me here! *LOL*

I went through the small cuts...and cut up stuff that was less than 1/4 yard, and some others I thought would help the string bin out. My project? Wonky log cabin blocks, 8" tall. Width? Doesn't matter! As long as they are all 8" tall! Not sure how this is going to work yet, but....what can I say....Be liberated! Quilt bra-less! *LOL*

Happy Birthday, Porter!

My Baby Sister Mary and her hubby Kelly have two darling kids. The youngest, Porter, just turned one! And I was the happy recipient of first birthday cake mess in my inbox!! Oh boy! Does this bring back memories?!

It looks like sister Mary is not to be out done by sister Joy when it comes to homemade birthday cakes! They have more artistic ability than I ever did in this area, and I love seeing what they both come up with!

Of course, we know how MUCH food coloring it takes to get icing to be bright blue, and bright red (not pink!)!! And when you put that much food coloring in the icing, you know where ELSE it is going to wind up?? *LOL* I'm sure Porter had a great time with his Superman cake, and was taken RIGHT TO A BATH!!

I wish I could have been there Sis, it looks like you had a wonderful time! Love ya!

Buddy's Buzz Cut!

Here are some pics of a very happy Buddy Boy! I should have got the "BEFORE" shot....very long dark golden retriever hair everywhere, including bushy tail and feet and feathering on his legs.

The new groomer was so GREAT with him, he loved her! And of course,he loves the attention so much, and is so lazy, that he just lays there for her and takes all the pampering in.

I just told her to buzz him all over. It makes it easier to find the ticks here :c( I keep flea/tick stuff on the dogs,but the ticks here in the woods are so BAD this year. We've even found them in the house. I am wondering if I need flea/tick stuff for the humans in the household too!

Who would have guessed that there was a yellow lab hiding under my golden!? He was so happy and you could tell it felt so good when I brought him home. Sadie came running to check out who this spiffed up version of Buddy was...and they went running and playing in the back yard. Buddy loves to roll around and around on his back, I bet it feels WONDERFUL to him! It's so funny to watch him kick his legs and squirm to itch all the "good parts", like a bear up against a tree.

His foot is doing better. He is using it more and more as the weeks go by. And the best part is, he is HAPPY! Who can resist that big boy smile??

Rosanne's Spaghetti Salad

I've had requests for the spaghetti salad that Rosanne made last monday at our sewing day!

Here you go:

SPAGHETTI SALAD

1 lb. spaghetti
1/2 jar Salad Supreme (By McCormick, comes in a shaker jar thing in the spice aisle)
1 sm. bottle Italian dressing
1 bunch radishes
1 tomato, chopped (Or sliced grape or cherry tomatoes)
1 bell pepper
4 celery stalks
5 green onions
1 cucumber, quartered & sliced.
1 package pepperoni slices
sliced olives

I also think that feta cheese would go great in here, or Parmesan or whatever you have on hand. What about mushrooms? Throw those in too. Grated carrot? go for it!

Cook the spaghetti. Dice up radishes, tomato, bell pepper, celery and green onions. Rinse spaghetti well after it is cooked. Mix all the vegetables with the spaghetti. Add pepperoni and cheeses if desired. Pour the Salad Supreme and Italian dressing over the mixture and stir well. Chill for 2 hours before serving. Mix well again before serving.

This is one of those things that also probably tastes better the next day, that is IF there is any left!

P.S. this is the "INDUSTRIAL" size jar of Salad Supreme...you know, Sam's Club? Costco? I'm thinking that 1/2 a jar of the "normal" supermarket version is probably about 2 tablespoons worth?(Or is this where they suggest 'to taste'??)

Old Inspirations

I am a "historical" quilt book junkie. I've got a couple books from the 70's that call to me as much as newer books do. This one is called New Discoveries In American Quilts by Robert Bishop.

It was this book, and the larger photo in the "America's Glorious Quilts" Coffee table book that really got me intrigued with Salinda Rupps Quilt (now referred to as nearly insane..and believe me,it is!)

What's funny about these 1970 books is they were "pre" rotary cutter and modern methods, so they are kind of funny to read in those terms. They also contain a LOT of black and white photos! What GOOD are black and white photos? I know color printing wasn't as "evolved" 30+ years ago as it is now, and I'm guessing it was VERY expensive at that time.

But having black and white photos can be a boon too, because you start to see things in terms of value, not color. You are free to interpret what you want in the gray scale.

However, there is ONE photo I really wish I could see in color in this book! I even blew the picture up so you can see it. Crumb pieced diamonds! I don't even know what size they are, but faced with a basket of odd crumbs, the bare bones of what was left after my students combed through my stash in my crumbs workshop, I decided to just piece a couple. And a couple more....and, okay 20 more... :c)I'm using phone book pages as the foundation. When you trim the blocks,you get fun weird angles along the edges. Many of the blocks in the quilt show recogniseable patchwork parts which I think are fun. 9 patches, 4 patches, square in a square, broken dishes, etc. I hope you can see it by clickingon the pic! So I'm playing. I don't know how I'll set them..maybe in rows like this, or in stars, or alternating with plain diamonds....but I am so intrigued by the little pieces in these diamonds. My 60 degree diamonds are 4" per side.

I took buddy to get a hair cut this morning. I found the card for a local gal who does dog grooming, and she is very close. She was great with Buddy and called me in a n hour and a half saying he was done and ready to pick up! He looks great, and so much cooler!

Another Lil' Stringy Thingy!

Look! The Blue Wizard is home! And she runs like a dream! It wasn't cheap to get her fixed, but undoubtedly worth it. I have NOT heard from the ebay seller...after I sent him pics of the broken mess. He sent one email saying it was UPS's fault. Excuse me? the box was in perfect condition. No holes, no tape off, nothing. The box was too big for the machine, the machine rattled around because there was not enough packing material in the box. UPS didn't do that. Besides..there was no foot pedal,no belt, no bobbin case?? working condition?(okay, don't get my blood boiling again here....)

So..The wizard is home. And she sews beautifully! Who WOULDN'T love to sew on a machine called WIZARD?? Just to prove it, I made this little stringy thingy for Tonya! She has invited me to do a collaborative book with her and I am so tickled. I haven't been able to spend much time with her on it yet, or give much input, but I've had other irons in the fire.

So Ton, Lil' Stringy Thingy is on it's way to Gay Paree! Be watchin for it. Sorry I don't have time to hand quilt it for you myself,but I'm sure you will come up with something wunnerful!

Yesterday I also found a box waiting for me. Oh boy. I'm going to have to ban myself from ebay...I've now got the set of insulated MUGS from my childhood, and the CARRIER they go in! Weeeeeeee! But I'm done now. I certainly don't need an ice bucket, and not sure I want the pitcher..well....we'll see! My family just stands around shaking their heads!

Virginia Wanderings

I am back from teaching in Woodbridge Virginia! We had a great class on Sunday, and it was really fun to see all the variations of boxy stars these ladies turned out. I just love to meet quilters from all over.

I was so tired by 6pm that I went to a local chinese buffet, ate my fill and went back to the hotel room. All thoughts of piecing my evening hours away went out the window. I laid down, and fell asleep to some episode of Law and Order, slept through til after 7am the next morning!


Sometimes I don't sleep so well in hotels. Something about the A/C running on and off and bells of elevators reverberating through the halls, noisy guests late at night who don't seem to care that people are sleeping behind closed doors. Know what I mean? But the bed was extra comfy, and I got the rest I needed!

Monday was an extra bonus! One of the gals at the boxy stars workshop, Roseanne, asked me if I wanted to join her and two of her friends for a sew-in day at her house since I didn't have to be at the guild for my lecture/trunkshow until 7pm! WEEEEEeee! Sewing with other quilters is MUCH more fun than sewing by yourself in a hotel room. I packed up my featherweight, my nearly insane (completely insane) quilt, and off I went to Aquia, about 30 minutes from where I was staying in Woodbridge. we had a GREAT sew day. Roseanne made us a summer spagetti salad that was ultra yummy (we all had to find out how she made it...) and we had chocolate amish bread for dessert. All in all I finished 7 blocks while I was away. Still have a LONG way to go tho!


At 5:15pm I met up with the other quilter gals at Famous Dave's BBQ...oh YUMMY! They have a BBQ salad that is to die for! Not to mention that the corn muffins are more like corn cupcakes...good enough for dessert!

The trunk show and lecture was extra fun. I love talking to other quilters and seeing them get jazzed about organizing and cutting their scraps into useable sizes so they can turn out more quilts. When the light bulb goes on about leaders & enders...you can just see it in their faces!

I headed home yesterday, taking the leisurely route. I've always wanted to stop in Fredericksburg, and I wasn't disappointed! There are a TON of antique shops there. (all the antique-y pics are from my antiquing jaunts!) I got there before 10am and the antique places weren't open yet, but the old Ben Franklin was! It is an old time Ben Franklin, complete with popcorn machine right at the front door when you walk in. I found a really neat wire basket there, and low and behold..the PERFECT backing for the nearly insane quilt.


I didn't expect to find any quilts to come home with me.....but I surprised myself! A cheddar/brown/green Carpenter's Wheel! LOOK AT THIS BABY!! It was.....tada....$29.95! I love how the center star is different from the other stars, and the other stars alternate in their color pattern too. See? The quilting stitches are really nice...double rows in the border. And even though it isn't so pretty, I appreciate what the maker had to go through to get her green fabric. It's hand dyed. And obviously not long-term color fast. But she did what she could, and I love that about this quilt.

I also found some cute cute hexagon heart pillows. Fabrics are shredding, but the prints are so neat, and they were 25% off in that booth and just said "take us home!" So I did.

After the antiques I walked around and even spent a bit of time at the confederate cemetery.

Another jaunt down the road took me to Meadow Farm in Glen Allen, an 1860 living historical farm and museum. You can take tours of the historic house, and it is furnished. Of course I was all excited about the early treadle machine, and the quilts on the beds. There was one I wish I could have taken pics of, but my battery was dead by this time!

I got home about 11:30pm. Completely exhausted, but happy to have been able to visit everywhere! (and now this is me playing CATCH UP!!)