The Granny Diaries

Name That PhD Giveaway

Last Friday, an event occurred that had been years in the making.  My oldest son was officially hooded at The University of Cincinnati.  UC is a family institution - more of our degrees have come from this university than any other school. 

The proud papa could scarcely control his pride.  The SUV and I met in the now defunct Sander Hall at UC.  We watched as it was imploded several years later and gathered a chunk of the structure as a memento of our whirlwind courtship.  Some women have pressed flowers, I have concrete.  It symbolizes a tale that involves a ditsy roommate, the laundry room and a pair of overalls.  There have been more romantic tales, but as of Monday, we have been married for 36 years.

The ceremony was long because the first born graduated with a few of his closest friends.  The University bestowed degrees upon all the Master's and Doctoral candidates for the entire year.  They also recreated the 1970 class graduation which had been delayed due to certain events at another Ohio University. 

The SUV just wanted to get everything moving so he could congratulate the Doc.

Kathy, Emily, and I amused ourselves with the electronic scoreboard and our cameras.  We know how to behave at a ceremony of such gravitas.

These lovely ladies also have at least one degree from UC,  It really is a new family tradition.

So... without further ado...and in honor of being able to yell "Is there a doctor in the house?" and receiving an affirmative reply...I have a new game for all of us to play:

"Name That Phd"

This little zipper pouch will be awarded to the first player who correctly guesses the area of study in which our family Doctor was hooded.  The pouch will be packed with a few little surprises including a fat quarter.

Join the fun and name that doctorate in the comments before Saturday at midnight eastern time.  The winner will be announced on Monday morning.  If no one guesses the correct degree, a winner will be drawn at random.

Good Luck, and May the Force Be with You!

Perfection, Peanuts, and the Bermuda Triangle

I seem to get stuck in certain colorways.  After sewing several dozen bags in chocolate and aqua you'd think I would be sick of it but no, I simply ordered more Dandy Damask and kept stitching away.

One theory of the Bermuda Triangle is that several powerful magnetic fields collide.  This combination of Michael Miller, Robert Kaufmann, and Alexander Henry has sucked me in for months.

My family would say that my studio is the real Bermuda Triangle: the place where all things crafty go to breed.

  

Then there is the Paula Prass Woodland Delight obsession.  I'm not sure that I can blame this on Magnetism.  More likely it was the pink and orange.  

Not to set Gloria Steinham's teeth on edge but, I like pink.  Lots of pink.  Mix it with green and I am in heaven.

Which is why I was a little disappointed when the Modern Quilt Guild chose the yellow, black, white, and gray palette for our first block swap.

Then I swapped blocks and was delighted to see how the darks and lights popped on our simple nine patches.  I can't wait to get my final block so I can set and quilt them.

This was my first block swap.  I have always avoided this activity because I knew I would never be satisfied with my own work.  I used my seam ripper more on this little project than anything else I have made this year.  I wanted those corners to be exact!

Then came the squaring up process.  I confess that my fear of screwing up a finished block  is almost equal to my anxiety over using Grizelda (my serger). 

Sigh...

My desire for perfection when sewing for others is in equal and opposite proportion to my personal lack of perfection.  While this may be insightful, it makes block swaps a challenge.  Is anyone else like this?

Now there are moments in my life when perfection takes a back seat to process.  Case in point: the peanut people habitat.

Lucy, Maggie, and I have fallen in love with Nuddles.  Made of corn starch, they stick together with a bit of moisture.  Lucy loves glitter and pipe cleaners.  Maggie likes peanuts.  I got a kick out of Lucy having no qualms about redoing my work.  Gloria Steinham would like her fearlessness. 

Did I mention that Maggie's favorite part was the peanuts?

Peanut people are so imperfect that they are perfectly wonderful.  I hope to embrace my inner peanut person and stop worrying about the corners of my blocks for our next swap.

Something exciting happened this weekend and I want to celebrate it by having my very first giveaway!

Wednesday morning I will share our family's exciting event and announce the details.  You won't have to become a follower, tweet, bleat, or post about anything to enter.  You don't have to quilt, knit, stitch or buy anything.  You just have to check in on the 16th.  It is just what the Doctor ordered!

The Fabric of My Life

I love Quilt Market!

I have never been there, but I love it.  All the online shops clean house in anticipation of the new fabric lines and it feels like Christmas to me.  Just look at the lovelies that have arrived at my doorstep in the last two weeks!  Sale prices allow me to indulge in my new found passion for for apple green.  And spring green.  And acid green.  And bright green.  Yes, pink and aqua creep into the palette but I am still loving that green!

Remember Giveaway Day?  This amazing batch of scraps arrived from JCasa Handmade and I have been sorting through it since Memorial Day.

"Someone sent you scraps?" asked my poor SUV. (Slightly Used Husband)

"Yes."  I purred.  "Isn't this piece amazing?"

"I guess.  Are you going to keep all that?"  Poor deluded man, he believes one can have enough fabric.  The SUV seems to forget his ninety-seven antique woodworking planes in the basement.  I accept his addiction.  He is going to have to learn to deal with mine.

Jennifer had already joined a few of the charm pieces she sent.  They looked a bit familiar so I took them to my studio and sliced them in half and joined them all together.  That's when I recognized my little fabric pals.

The doll quilt on the bottom (upper right hand side) was made for me by my grandmother 50 years ago (That's right, I 'm vintage!). 

The doll quilt on top was made with the scraps from Jennifer. 

My quilt has been loved for half a century and is a bit faded. 

Maybe one of my granddaughters will still have her doll quilt when I am 100 and remark that it looks a bit lighter than she remembered when she shares it with her granddaughter. 

Who would be my great-great granddaughter. 

Wow, I hope they fix the oil leak in the Gulf by then.

I hope I have teeth.

Then I made a quilt and pillow from my own scrap bag for little Cora.  A girl after my own heart, she actually wakes up asking for her baby doll. 

Here's the palette for the nine-patch block swap for The Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild. We meet tomorrow night and I am excited to see what everyone else has created. 

I tried to talk them into apple green instead of yellow but apparently everyone does not share my passion for granny smith apple green.

This bit of fabric will be a Sis Boom  Patricia Tunic for me.  I haven't sewn anything for myself for years.  This also represents my very first Amy Butler purchase. 

Can you believe it? 

I was an Amy Butler Virgin! 

Hooray for Quilt Market!  I found this Bali Gate in pink from the Love Collection at less than $6/yard!

You have to love Quilt Market!

Happy Birthday, Bro!

 

This is my brother, David, with his lovely wife, Becky.  They were high school sweethearts.  Imagine that in this day and age!  This photo was borrowed from the wedding pics of his oldest son, also, David. 

I am the oldest and he is the second of six children. He looks and sounds so much like our father did when we were children that I have actually startled when he has entered a room. 

Today is his birthday.  I am not going to tell you how old he is because that would be snitching on Becky. 

I am going to tell you that he was born in Texas, and I remember frequently playing "The Yellow Rose of Texas" on our little phonograph. 

His favorite color was green. 

He loved Davy Crockett and we always watched "Lassie" on Sunday evenings when we were children.  That's back when the Campbell's Kids were the sponsors and Fess Parker played Davy Crockett.  We used to turn our jungle gym into a conestoga wagon and fight imaginary enemies along the wagon train's route.

Our swingset turned into a rocket ship and we tried to land on the Planet Tang.

We were quarantined for chicken pox or measles when we were little.  We each broke out in spots exactly 10 days apart from one another when there were five children in the family (You do the math!)

He was a great Little League player and I remember watching his games with a bit of envy.  No one believed that girls could play ball back then.  

He once rode a unicycle all the way to school.

He and my sister, Kathleen, were so close when they were little that they developed "Twin Speak."  They looked for Run Claw on Christmas Eve and hit the Big Boy for a wish whamich. 

He was a charming, shy, and sensitive child who grew up to be a charming, confident, sensitive man.

Today, he is father to four amazing young adults.  I wish I knew him better but, time, family circumstances, and distance have made that difficult.  Despite all that, I have known him longer than any other person on this earth and I love him very much.

Happy Birthday, David!