Drawing questions

While sitting in the car waiting for Super G (Mom) to conduct her business at the post office I sketched up this ATC. For some reason none of the pictures I took of it were in focus! But this is the best of the lot.

I enjoy drawing like this but for some reason can't get myself to do it in the infamous Red Sketchbook. Can't wait for December when I have to send it back. I'm ordering a different color next time! So what do you think...is this cartoony type of drawing OK?

Speaking of Mom going into the post office by herself we had excellent news at her Monday neurosurgeon visit. Instead of seeing Anne, the physician's assistant, we saw Dr. Handsome (name changed to protect the innocent and describe the doctor!). He took off the neck brace! So Mom is well on the road to recovery. We signed her up for Dial-a-ride and are soliciting friends to drive her to various activities which are integral to a happy life for her. Getting her to ask for help is a huge hurdle. She has agreed to online grocery shopping. I know what she likes so that will make it easier.

The limitations set by Dr. Handsome were only two: no lifting anything weighing more than five pounds (did some serious culling in her purse!) and no driving until evaluated at her next appointment in October.

Mom's good news is also good news for me. I am anticipating going home early in a August.

The Big Guy has started moving boxes over to the new house. We can't move too much because the building inspector has to approve the new electrical first. But the boxes are in the bedroom half of the house which wasn't damaged in the fire.

I have been dreaming about decorating the new house. Want to put bead board half way up one wall in the master bedroom and paint it a shade of green with a lighter green above. Want to get one of those beds that is a top bunk with a work space instead of a bottom bunk for my studio so the grandchild will always have a place to sleep. Want to put my antique sleigh bed in the front bedroom for mom when she visits along with the dresser that holds a TV. The middle bedroom will be a dedicated guest room for the landlord's mom who visits from Mexico (she is going to teach me Spanish and I am going to teach her English!). I want to get a rectangular table for the kitchen but will probably settle for the round one we have already. Hope to be able to set-up my drafting board in my studio, too. It may be too big.

So, I am looking forward to the end of this adventure with mom and starting over in the new place. I'll keep you posted.

THE TENNESSEE QUILTS

I finally finished the blocks for Anna Maria Horner's project making quilts for people who suffered losses in the recent floods in TN. They are wrapped and ready to be mailed later today. Look at Anna Maria's blogspot for info on this worthy project. If I weren't measuring challenged this would have been a snap. I'm sure it will be really easy for you!

I'm on a roll with the food quilt. I think I have cut enough squares and I purchased the buttercup Kona cotton I want for the corners (not a jellyroll :( - couldn't find one I could touch!). Now all I have to do is cut the buttercup (after I decide what size it should be) and start sewing. Maybe today? After Sunday lunch with the Mom's gang, and games and desert with her gentleman friend.

Flag Day

Flag Day was last Monday and I was inspired to sketch flags. The above is flagus interuptus. The rest of the drawing lost in space as I needed to stop and help Mom. Perhaps inspiration will slap me in the face at some future time and this will get finished (like on the fourth of July? :} ).



Left Mom at the Senior Center eating a gluten filled lunch and I went and sat at Starbucks. Had a lovely conversation with a total stranger whose political leanings matched mine - a rare find in this area of California.

This flag is a perfect example of failure to pay attention - not always a bad thing. I noticed when I posted this that the stripes are wonky. I guess it goes with the Starbucks logo which I intentionally made wonky (notice the Vulcan hands?).

I looked up info on Flag Day as I had forgotten my grade school history on the origin. I did remember that Betsy Ross is credited with the design of the first flag. She changed the stars from six-pointed ones to five pointed ones. According to Wikipedia she did this for two reasons - the five pointed star was easier to cut out (there is a trick to it that I used to know) and it is also easier to recognize a five pointed star from a distance.



Here is a quite old project (a purse) I did as part of a challenge when I was in the Marin Needle Arts Guild in the good old days (2001, I think). The star was cut out using Betsy Ross's method. I was a new quilter at the time and didn't know much. In order to satin stitch the star down I put scotch tape on the edges at a stabilizer! LOL! But it worked! Not only did it stabilize the edges, but it also held the star in place. Was kind of icky to remove, however!



This is the only other flag related project I have done. It is a lap quilt that I made for my mother's (late) husband in 2004. He loved Coca Cola loge products and when I saw this fabric I knew I had to make him a quilt.


I had recently taken a machine quilting class and the stars were a manifestation of my new-found skill (?!).


Here is a good view of the logo fabric.



This is the back, which I love because it showcases lots of fabrics that I have used on other quilts. My Mom has this on her couch and I love sitting with it over my lap when it is cold (about four days a year!)

That is the extent of my flag day offering. Kuddos to Betsy Ross. I think Flag Day should be called "Betsy Ross Flag Day" to celebrate contributions women's sewing has made.

What once was lost...

YEAH!!! I found the ATCs that I thought I had lost. I am so happy. The Big Guy is visiting me and Mom here in SoCal and he dropped something between the mattress and the bed. In the process of retrieving that I saw a little pack of ATCs! Sure started my day off well!

You may notice the drawing on the lower left is quite different from my usual style. The grandchild did a super hero for me. When I have access to my printer again I am going to print that one and see if I can make a pendant like "Remember" that I made at A Work of Heart. It will be my talisman and good luck piece.

The other good thing is that The Big Guy is going to give me a day off. He has been here three days so pretty much knows Mom's routine. I think I will call my girlfriend and see if she wants a visitor.



This is one of the ATCs I really didn't want to lose. I like pen and ink, especially when it works well. This image is of Mom while she was still in the hospital and pretty out of it on morphine. If you look at her facebook fan page - The Adventures of Super G - you will see how much better she is. Two more months in the brace and she will be re-evaluated by the neuro surgeon.

The Big Guy brought me my Singer Featherweight and two of my UFOs. I have been collaborating with Artquiltmaker on the food quilt and may go to the quilt store today (or - don't tell die hard quilters) Beverly's (I have coupons) and get a charm pack of a solid color, buttercup, and start working on that one. I only have 63 6 1/2 inch blocks cut so need some more food prints. Saw tons of them on the internet yesterday. Wonder what the smallest piece is Beverly's will cut? I only want two of each print. Artquiltmaker says I need 238 blocks! So I still need 88 other prints. Geez, are there 88 more food prints out there? Maybe I need four of each print? With four of each I'd only need 60 prints. That's still pretty daunting! I think this might have been a good thing to do BEFORE I started cutting blocks! Oh well, onward and upward! Stay tuned.