PORCH CHATTER: THROWBACK THURSDAY

This Throwback Thursday is not about quilting.  It is about summertime living.

When I buy green beans in the summertime, I follow a certain ritual when I prepare them.  Sometimes I am going to have only one meal from what I bought at the Open Air Market and other times I buy enough to freeze some for later.

No matter how much I have, I still follow the ritual of sitting on my back porch in my swing and breaking the beans.  This is how I remember the way we did it when I was growing up.

This morning was that morning this week for me to break beans.  I had enough for this evening's supper and more for later that I put in my freezer.

When I am doing this my mind wanders back to the days when we played outside, usually barefoot, until it was dark.  Since we had no air conditioning, we simply found a shady spot for cooling off.

Just thinkin' about "Summertime and the livin' is easy . . . "

This was LilBit's contribution to the morning's  activity.

She just "sunbathed" on the rug by the door!

Do you have "rituals" like this?  Things you do because they bring back great memories of a "time gone by"?


                           -sandi

THROWBACK THURSDAY 2

Throwback Thursday 2 is another post about one of my very first quilts.

 

My daughter's heritage from her paternal side of the family is Irish.  When I first started quilting I decided to make an Irish Chain quilt for her.  I used Eleanor Burns pattern.

 

This label says the quilt was made in 1998.  I had just started quilting and was still stumbling along.

 

The fabrics are definitely examples of a tentative quilter.  One light, one medium light, and one medium.  Not much contrast.  Just enough to see the pattern.

This quilt is queen size and was quilted on my domestic sewing machine.  The pictures are current.  She still uses that quilt.

Yes, that is LilBit resting on the pillow!

So many of my quilts live with my daughter and her family.  I am trying to photograph all of them and get them into albums on my computer.  I have some hard copy pictures, but they have not been journaled well at all.


                                               -sandi

THROW BACK THURSDAY

When I started quilting I was self-taught.  Having been a sewist for most of my life (made my first pillow at age 10), I thought I could teach myself to quilt.  It worked out fine.  As time went by I decided to take classes and improve my skills.

I was like most quilters when I started.  I thought everyone would want a quilt!  Oh my, found out that was not totally the case!

One of the first quilts I ever made was a gift for someone.  I took into consideration that this person was a craftsman and I chose some fabrics that looked like wood grains and stones and decided to make a simple Stack and Whack called Pointless Wonder.  Not sure I remember who wrote this pattern. 

I thought it was perfect and I called the finish, "Stars for Construction".  I was thanked properly for it, but with little enthusiasm.  After all, it was totally machine made and not "hand quilted".  You know the story - not a real quilt if done by machine.

I gave the finished quilt (really small size) for a Christmas gift.  When I would visit I would see it lying on the back of the couch.  Not sure it was big enough to ever be used much. 

This is a really ugly quilt!!  It is very dull and boring.  The only thing I find interesting is the way I put the sashing in and did not use cornerstones!

The quilt has now come back to me since the recipient has passed away.  I look at this little quilt and remember how proud I was when I completed it in  2002.

So, I look at it now and wonder "What was I thinking?"  That little jewel is so pitiful!!  It is loosely quilted and I used some kind of poly batting that has not behaved well at all.

I simply did what I knew at the time. As I review my quilts over the years I see myself improving.  My quilts have continued to evolve. 

                                           -sandi

WHAT HAPPENED IN JUNE

June has been a very busy month for my family and me.  We have had a high school graduation

The Birmingham Boys Choir Spring Concert

Fifth Grade Awards Day

And several days of visiting with our grandchildren.  Whew!! How wonderful and busy.

I have not accomplished very much in the way of quilting this month, but I will show what I have worked on and/or completed.

I completed the Auburn quilt for my grandson to take to college with him.  The pattern came from "Skip the Borders" written by Julie Herman.

My contribution to Sharon's block from our SLKS quilting buddies Round Robin.

This is a small (9" x 11") sketch piece for Modern Quilt Guild.  It is called "Roy G. Biv #1).  A larger piece will develop from this practice sketch piece.  All Kona Cottons.

The back of "Roy G. Biv #1". 

Another block finished in my Starry,
Starry Night BOM from scrappy Batiks.

Chattanooga Modern Quilt
Guild Sew-In Project for this
quarter was this cute little carry-
all pouch bag.




I always keep some practice pieces sandwiched together so I can check my quilting stitches, etc. before I use them on the "real" project.  When I finish, I make them into placemats.  This is a nice Maple Leaf orphan block worked into a mat.

 

This is Linda showing what she did for her row on my SLKS Round Robin this month.

It did not seem to me that I accomplished very much when I thought about the month, but when I look at this post, I feel better about what I have achieved.

Thanks for stopping by!!

                                -sandi