5th Sunday in January

"Two are better than one,

because they have a good [more satisfying]

reward for their labor;

For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow.

But woe to him who is alone when he falls

and has not another to lift him up!"

Ecclesiastes 4: 9, 10  Amplified

Farmer's Wife Friday-- Partners

It's time again to interview another farmer's wife from the 1920's, and find out why she'd want her daughter to marry a farmer.  This week's wife is from Canadian County, Oklahoma and has a little different perspective than the wives in the past weeks.

 First off, she grew up on a farm but hated it. Secondly, I'm pretty sure that she and Mr. Farmer had some premarital counseling before they married because this lady wisely advises, "husband and wife need to come to an understanding, the first thing, that she needs new modern implements as well as he. Also, the 'chore' question should be settled early in the action." (Well said, my dear!)

 Mrs. J.R.F. loves music and even gave up a "promising musical future" to marry her man....but that doesn't mean she does anything she doesn't want to....and that includes milking cows. Nope. She told him she wouldn't and he doesn't expect it. I love it!  They are partners and respect each other's rights, she says. If every family operated this way,  I bet  there would be less broken dishes!

 Broken Dishes-Block #11

 Checkerboard-Block #19

I enjoyed making the blocks this week.; no Y seams anywhere-- just squares and triangles. They went together pretty painlessly, which made me really happy, as that hasn't been the case lately! Oh, I forgot to tell you, Mrs. Farmer's reason for wanting her daughter to marry a farmer.....it"would insure our grandchildren a splendid physical development"!

 Here are the last dozen sampler blocks that I've sewn. Aren't they cheerful looking!  Now, I'm heading over to Cindy's to see her pretty blocks in all solid fabrics. She always has clever comments about the letters and I'm positive that today will be no exception!

What is it?

A few weeks ago I tempted you with this........ and you probably wondered, 

"What in the world?"

Now does it look like anything familiar?

 Go on. Keep staring at it. You'll get it.

 If you said, "Oh, that looks like a bunch of teeny, tiny,  little squares QR Code.", you would be right!

 According to Wikapedia, the QR (Quick Response) Code was first created by the Toyota company, in 1994, to track vehicles during manufacture. Since then, the black and white code has become one of the most popular types of two-dimensional bar codes and allows a product to be decoded at a high rate of speed. You see them everywhere: on the back of cereal boxes, in magazine ads, promotions for tourist attractions..... I even saw one in my church bulletin last week!


 I always think the codes look like little quilts, so decided I should have one of my own..In my own colors though...no black and white for me! Two colors are a bit boring, so I  added an accent too....a place for your eye to land!

Wanting the code to represent Lollyquiltz, I hid some personal information among all those little squares. Maybe you can spot them....my initials, a face and a cross. I know the piecing looks daunting, with all those mosaic tile size pieces, but I figured out a slick way to get them together without losing my mind completely! It's not perfect, but then, neither am I.

A larger wall-quilt version is in the works now and I'll be leading a workshop on making this fun project at the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild retreat in late March. What colors would you choose if you made your own QR Code?

4th Sunday in January

"When I am afraid, I will trust in you.

In God, whose word I praise, 

in God I trust; I will not be afraid."

Psalm 56: 3, 4

Farmer's Wife Friday--The Brightest and Happiest Place on Earth

I thought I was in the brightest and happiest place on earth.....

but this week's Farmer's Wife, who hales from Oklahoma, would disagree, it seems. She claims  ..... "rural life, with its independence, its beauties and its improvement, make the farmer's home the brightest and happiest place on earth." The two blocks accompanying the letter are bright and cheerful, even if they both required inset seams....

 I used foundation piecing to make the Flower Pot block, something that was probably never even heard of in the home economic classes that Mrs. D. A. highly regards for the education of her daughters in "dignifying housekeeping."

 A rotary cutter and rulers make precision easier (and possible, in my case) in the sewing of the Garden Path block. I'm certain that flower gardens are included in the beauties this farmer's wife enjoyed. 

 Having majored  in home economics in college myself, (I don't think they even call it that any more!) I certainly understand the author's regard for the subject matter. Her opening sentence makes me smile though: "Home Economics have been put within the reach of every farm girl, so that even though a mother may be a poor cook and an indifferent housekeeper, her daughter needs not be." Now, that's a high recommendation!

Be sure to visit Cindy at Live A Colorful Life,  to see how her blocks came out using solid fabrics and read her take on the happiest place on earth.

My Pincushions

Beth is hosting a parade this week. A Pincushion Parade, no less! Since I do love a parade, I decided to join in the fun.  Here's my parade....

 As you can see, all of my pincushions are hand made. I love and use them all! Starting at the top and going clockwise in the photo below, may I present my parade entries:
1. Grey wool cushion made by a bff, Vicki: it holds my sewing needles and I think it is adorable!
2. Largest and oldest of the six, this flannel lovely holds my flat head pins mostly and is always close-by.I bought it at a bazaar and it used to sit atop a terracotta flower pot.
3. I made his felted wool book-style pin holder. It comes in handy when traveling. (You can see the inside in the next picture.)
4. The baby of the group, I keep this little bottle cap cushion in a tin with my binding clips.( I never wear it on my finger the way I am supposed to though.)
5. My favorite little glass-head straight pins keep company in this pin cushion that I made using a pattern from a magazine a few years ago. 
6. Every parade needs a celebrity and this one is mine. Cindy, who blogs at Live a Colorful Life, gifted this gorgeous cushion to me. It is made from fabric selvages that all have special meaning to me. I especially like the crushed walnut shell filling.

 My pin cushions are always laying around my sewing room, but if I were going to store them somewhere special, it would definitely be in this pink antique sewing basket. It is one of my prized possessions and belonged to my beloved grandmother, Rossie, who made all of her quilts on a treadle machine.

Peek inside the sewing basket and you can quickly see that inflation has hit the thread market, just like everything else! I'm not sure how old these wooden spools are.

Why not join the fun by linking up with  Love, Laugh, Quilt and join the  Pincushion Parade! I'd love to see your entries!

3rd Sunday in January

"Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another,

be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, 

but with blessing, because to this you are called,

so that you may inherit a blessing."

I Peter 3: 8, 9

Farmer's Wife Friday Part Two- Live A Successful Life

The sun had gone down by the time I finished making the last two blocks for this week's Farmer's Wife Sampler so my pictures are a strange color. Sorry about that....but, here they are and I'm pretty proud of the way they turned out. I don't even WANT to know how many hours I spent on them though!

 First up, is block #47, called Homemaker. This block is not for the faint of heart (neither is homemaking, really) even when you use foundation piecing like I did. The reason...two words: Inset Seams. Whew! Glad to have that one out of my hair!

 The second challenging block of the day weighs in with 68 pieces-- all inside a little six inch block, people!! Star Gardener, block #87, is pretty but time consuming. I doubt that many gardeners in the 1920's had time to make many of these lovelies, I'm just sayin'!

 If feels good to be caught up on my Farmer's Wife blocks and like anything else, once I got started, I found my rhythm!

See you next week for two more garden-themed blocks.  (That top green/red block kinda  looks like it ate too many Christmas cookies, doesn't it!) Bye.

Farmer's Wife Friday Part One -Live a Successful Life

True confession time here....I've had a hard time being motivated to get back at making the  Farmer's Wife Sampler blocks after a short vacation from those little guys. Today was the day that Cindy and I agreed to begin our 2012 countdown...

one letter a week until we finish them all.

It's been a busy week. 

I waited till the last minute.

These are the two blocks I finished....I was supposed to make four..

sigh...stay tuned for that.

 Our letter this week is from right up the road from me in Shawnee County, Kansas.

Evening Star went together quick and easy, just as I was hoping. 

The farmer's wife would agree with me,

 as she has even more on her plate than I do!

 Her jobs of homemaker, social manager, livestock breeder, gardener, financier, bookkeeper, manufacturer, canner, nurse, teacher 

make her a real business woman.

Hmmm...sounds like a lot of women I know!
(Well, maybe not the livestock breeder.)

 I'll add the other two blocks to next week's Farmer's Wife post.

Meanwhile, I better get busy with some home-making of my own!

Let's go see the pretty blocks that Cindy made...

I bet she got all four finished!

Hand Quilting

I used to do some hand quilting.

It's not my favorite thing about making a quilt.

Obviously.....

That's why I almost exclusively machine quilt every thing I make!

Today, in my sewing room simplification, I ran across this....

 If you've followed Lollyquiltz for long,

you have probably noticed that besides not being a hand-quilter,

I also seldom do any hand applique. 

Here's proof that I can do both, if I'm so inclined!

All of the appliques are outlined, it just needs a little more quilting in the background.

I have no idea what year I started this quilt, but since I still like the folk art style, I think that I might make it a goal to finish it in 2012. 

Maybe if I say that publicly, it will do it!!

 I've also been going through my quilting books, weeding out ones 

that I know I'll never use. Here's the stack that I have left!

Whew, I do like a good quilting book, I'll say that!!

 Here's the stack that I weeded out...not quite as tall as the keeper stack,

but still, a bunch of books!

 If you see a title in this picture that interests you and that you think

you would like, let me know. 
****edited: The 3 books have been spoken for! 

I'll send a book to the first three people who ask!

(I'd love to do more, but with postage so high, I really can't. 

I better limit it to USA, also, for the same reason.)

It was fun reading all of your guesses for my least-favorite-color.

I love color, and really, any hue can look good in the right combination, I think,

that's why I didn't say "the color I can't stand!"

Heidi, your cowboy fabric is on it's way...and there's not a trace of magenta in it!


P.S. My daughter is having a great give-away on her blog, Homemade Ginger,
 this week if anyone is interested in "saving money"! LOL
You can find it here.

2nd Sunday in January

" For I know the plans I have for 

you," declares the Lord, "plans to 

prosper you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

No Reply Bloggers

A while back, Karen, from Sew Many Ways, posted this great little tutorial about No Reply Bloggers. Every blog reader and commenter should take note. I always feel so badly when someone takes the time to leave me a comment and then I have no way to reply to them because of the settings they have on their blogger profile. At the start of this new year, why not take a moment to check yours, especially if you notice that you never hear back from me (or other bloggers) when you leave a comment. In the color contest that I have going from Friday, someone correctly guessed my least favorite color, however, since they are a No  Reply Blogger, sadly I can not contact them. Therefore, I hid their answer and I'm leaving the guessing open for another day. Try again if you want, everyone.
Click here to see if you are a No Reply Blogger.
That's all folks!
*someone has correctly guessed my least favorite color as magenta so the contest is now closed. Thanks*

Simplify

In January, blog friend, Andie, chooses a word for the year instead of a resolution.

That seems like a good idea, so I told her that I would have to 

think about it and try to come up with a word of my own.

SIMPLIFY  is something my husband and I have been talking a lot about lately.

It seems like a good theme word for 2012.

There's not better place to start than here.....

Uhhh.....ya. things have gotten a little out of control in the sewing room!

 It's a small room that I have to share with a bed, 

so things can get cramped pretty fast, If I'm not careful.

If you have followed Lollyquitz for awhile, you know that 

using my scraps is something that I love to do.

I throw scraps in a basket, and when it's full, I cut the pieces up into

usable squares and strips. The basket is full!

This method provides me with a ready source for

the Leader/Ender quilts that I am always working on.

I started a new one this week using a tutorial pattern mentioned by 

Jodi, who blogs at Pleasant Home, 
and is like minded in the scrap-using-department.

Check out her blog this month for loads of scrap-spiration!

Here's my first block for a Scrap Picnic Quilt.....

I started with a charm pack called "Dream On", by Urban Chicks,
 that I discovered in my sewing room purging. 
The charms  set the color scheme for pulling more squares.

Every where I look, I see fabric that needs put away...

Here are some fabrics that I pulled 3 years quite awhile ago to make a

cowboy themed quilt for my grand daughter. 

When her bedroom was re-decorated 
I realized that the quilt wasn't going to happen.

But, for some reason, I kept all of the fabrics together.

Soooooo......I was thinking, if any of you would like a jump start on such 

a quilt, perhaps you would like my fabrics.

There are 19 pieces in this stack. I'll send them to the first person

who correctly identifies my least favorite color. 
*contest is now closed*

(Just mention ONE color, 'kay!) Sound like fun?

Here's a hint: The color is a shade not just a basic color category, 

i.e. violet, not purple. Can you guess?

Make sure that I have access to your email address 

so that I can contact you, if you are the winner.

Have a great weekend.

I'm going to keep simplifying, so come back next week for more

gifts from my sewing room!

Carla
*We have a winner! Heidi from  Boys, Buttons and Butterflies has correctly 
guessed my least favorite color as magenta. Thanks for playing everyone!

Purple

It's not that I don't like purple. 

After all, when I got married (a long time ago) 

my bridesmaids wore lilac.

I just don't have much in my house. At all! 

I own one purple sweater. Other than that, this is about it...

 When I ran across this purple cauliflower at the grocery,

 I just had to try it...

Isn't it gorgeous! 

Tasted yummy, too! 

 And after making this Puzzle Star block today

I wondered why I don't use the lavender color more often.

 I added my block to a royal looking set of stars

made by several other quilters

and will soon be putting them all together for a very special quilt top.

I think it is going to be really pretty.

Come back tomorrow for a peek into

my sewing room as I do some 

New Year's cleaning.

(I might even be giving away some of my stash,

you never know!!)