The FWS Pony Club Quilt-Along wk 39 Sugar Bowl & Summer's Dream Discussion Page
 

When I go to look at the week's block I can't believe that there are just several pages left....I've got to get crackin' on the blocks I haven't done yet...working on sugar bowl and cut Summer's Dream...Just have to get them together...

And you too....QuiltE...and others awaiting in that virtual RV. Joy, the propane tank is filled and we are ready for winter...what ever comes this year. Drought is still a problem....very dry here. First thing tomorrow, we clip wing feathers of 33 pullet hens that are 5 months old. They were determined to scratch out the fall onion garden and did get under the wire that was protecting it...so we clip wing feathers, shut them up in their pen, and re-plant the garden again.

QNS are you sure you and DH are retired? Sounds like you are still working full time:shock:

We're all anxious to hear about this last FWS exhibit QE! Best of luck.

No blocks for me....yet! Plan for the day is school, laundry, sew!! I didn't sew yesterday as originally planned (had to take dh for some tests--all if fine), however I did get the papers off all 40 if my completed PC blocks yesterday! It was a big job, but one I am glad is done. I have a retreat in a three weeks and my goal is to get the last 25 blocks that I need for my 2 quilts finished so I can work on sashing at the retreat.

QuiltE...it's so good to have you back in the saddle and observing. Can't wait to see what your sewing machine has been storing up this past couple of months. I bet it will sew you such beautiful things as a reward for getting it going again. BTW, do you have a name for it?
QNS...you're ready for winter early. I hope that doesn't mean it will come early. We've finally got the final underlayment on the roof...each time we quit we had to put up temporary tar paper so the porch wouldn't get rained out...and now it's raining without any drips inside. Hooray! Now it just has to clear up enough to get the last layer of roofing on. Then we can think about putting the garden and yard to bed for winter. The leaves haven't started falling in earnest yet so that will be a couple of weeks at least. I have about half of my PC blocks on my design wall and have started to figure out my setting block. Everything has to be rearranged for color balance but maybe I can have a couple of pictures for you guys next week. This thing has taken on a life of it's own and nothing else in my sewing room is getting done.:o

Thanks GGal ... observing is all I can say for now ... better than not, though. I feel so out of the loop and haven't read any of the back threads in forever!!!!! The first thing I'll be doing when I get back to the sewing room will be a list ... must do, need to do, should do, want to do ... you get the picture! The unforunate part is the want to do's will get put on the back burner for the must do's. All about deadlines and priorities. In my "adopted" family, I have a new Grand Niece that needs a quilt and of course, Christmas is coming and some must do's for that. PC? the must do part of that will be the Bonus Blocks and I vow they will be done on time! I've even been thinking of the pattern and think I have that figured out already ... we'll see how many times I change that thought, before they are made!

I smiled when you wrote ... "The leaves haven't started falling in earnest yet" ... same thing here! They are in their not-quite-the-showiest state right now. The hills where there are masses are showing quite pretty and hopefully this weekend everyone can enjoy them for Thanksgiving. That being said, rain is making a guest appearance ... and sadly with rain, the leaves may start a tumbling before they are at their finest. :(

Yes, holidays are coming on; turkeys are gobbling at every little sound. Dh decided the pullets wings needed trimming, so he goes out at 5 am this morning to clip each of the 33 pullets himself and gets himself locked in the hen house!! Thanks a wire off the feeder, he gets himself out again. As he clipped wings, he put them outside...except one dark cornish pullet flew over his head and back into the house again. One of them laid an egg last night, 'causing a riot in the hen house. Dh thought a 'coon was after them and hollered to me to help. Luckily the flashlight revealed no coon, or cause for the disturbance, except an egg in the nest.

Dh got his 1200 rpm blender and is really enjoying it. His cousin's wife gave me red sweet vinegar to put out in a jar lid to kill our many fruit flies we have in the house...and I showed it to dh. But when he was blending up his juices, he seen that on the counter thought it was a juice, ignored the fruit flies and poured the whole thing, into his blender. I did come along and ask, "Where is the red wine & fruit flies that was here?" thus saving him from drinking it.

That's my stories for the week...have a good one everyone...may every one get all caught us with us on the last four weeks...eight weeks to go!!

Now that's a story QNSue ... that we should get all caught up in the remaining time!!! You're too funny today!\

*Gulp* for your husband's new brew ... you'd better watch him!!!

For fruit flies ... I toss a few bananas slices in a custard dish. Top with plastic stretch wrap. Pierce it with a needle for little holes. Flies go in ... and don't come out! :) I figure if I use the vinegar route, I'd end up spilling it all over the counter top, then there'd be a real mess!

Do the turkeys know their destiny?

Yeaaaaaaa for the FIRST egg!!!!!

I was visiting a friend in PEI a few years ago when she got her first egg from the pullets the morning I departed. So before I headed to the airport, here were the two of us eating that one tiny egg .... together. And laughing the whole time! :)

QuiltE, Happy Thanksgiving in Canada, hope you have a wonderful holiday.

QNS your story has me sitting here chuckling away to myself, I can just picture your DH and his blender, it is probably something my DH would do:o

Dh has always been the 'absent minded' professor...will leave the burners on the stove on after he cooks, etc., loses everything and cannot find it again....like his glasses or keys. At least, he removes his pans from the stove now. He has been know to burn up several tea kettles by ignoring them on the stove. Finally got one that has a loud whistle on it. Because of his neck and back problems, all the driving falls on my shoulders, as all the book work, financial dealings, etc, I guess I use the quilt room as an escape to relax.

Tomatoes are calling my name as we picked them up yesterday from BIL; must wash up the stack of dirty dishes and do some housework too. Neighbor Ladies are selling their beautiful new LA Grimmell worth the money...hard times there, and they need the cash. Too bad I don't have any. Such is life.

My quilt room is also my place to escape. My DH is retired but he follows the stock market so CNBC is on all day in the main living area. My sewing room is just off the dining room and doesn't have a door to close so I can still hear most of it and be close by but DH seldom comes in so the creativity doesn't have to be packed away. I just cover my machine, unplug the iron and leave it ready to pick up right where I left off.
QuiltE...have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your adopted family. It's so nice to be with people that choose to love you! I'm waiting to hear how your entries did at the fair. Will you hang your ribbons on your display wall just to remind you that it's really worth the trouble to get the points pointy and the corners square?
I'm so sorry to hear your neighbors have to sell their LA. It must have given them a lot of pleasure and you will not have someone so handy to quilt for you.

I always think this is our PC Round Robin letter. :-) Years ago my Mom and her siblings had a round robin letter chain. Can't remember who started it, but an envelope with five letters would arrive about every 4-6 weeks. Mom would take out her "old" letter and write a new one and send it on to the next sibling. As family was spread from California to Washington, DC this was a great way to keep abreast of family happenings without making long distance telephone calls. Amazing that we can do this so quickly over the QB!
I too escape to the sewing room. It's the part of me that is not "defined by the man in my life". Being farming partners has been a great ride, but I still have my own personality (as he has his) to foster.
Yesterday I dug some corn stalk ground to get ready for planting of winter rye so we have some fresh greens for the cows early next spring as hay supplies are very tight thus expensive this year. We need rain so that the rye will germinate after DH gets it seeded. Then I drove pickup with small trailer behind while DH loaded it with big square (3 x 3 x 6 feet) hay bales to be put in the hay shed for winter. 80 bales--6 at a time.
Today custom chopper here to chop earlage--aka snaplage. This machine takes the whole ear off the corn stalk and grinds it up kernels, cob and some husk and blows it into a large self unloading box. DH and DS are hauling the loads to the bag. Here's a pic of a bag and bagger. Our bag will be about 150' long--not as long as this one. Corn is unloaded into the side elevator (the inclined plane looking object) to get pressed into the bag.[ATTACH=CONFIG]367538[/ATTACH]

And you wonder why I'm behind on PC!!!!
QNS, what a good wife you are to warn DH of the little extra protein he might have ingested!!
Happy Thanksgiving, QE. Grand time to spend with friends and family, isn't it?
Carrie, another retreat? You'll be the first one done with your blocks!
GGal--the leaves are falling fast and furious here. Today has cooled down considerably. Think it was cooler at 1:00 pm than it was at 9:00 am.
Looks like a long day here on the farm--will likely get called in for nighttime milking--so will get the rest of my groceries put away and maybe sneak in a few sewing minutes.

Ok, how or where do you store a bag that long??? do you have machines to get the earlage out of the bag??? I'm amazed at the size of the equipment a farmer needs to his work...


Happy Thanksgiving QuiltE....

I always wondered what those long tubes were in the fields--thanks, OK for the info. It's amazing how much work goes into farming. How do you find time to quilt?
I love your stories QNS & Ggal--someone asked me what DH stands for. I said most of the time it stands for Dear Hubby but other times......well, you can substitute another D.
Had a great shopping trip today. We go to a small LQS out in the country; the trees are just gorgeous right now. Bright red, yellows, and oranges. Weather perfect today. At this LQS, the owner has a program that whatever you buy during your birthday month is 1/2 your age off. So I got 32% off everything I bought. I guess it pays to get old LOL.
Happy Thanksgiving, QE. Do Canucks do turkey?

Dubib...my son raises tomatoes, lots of them for farmers market, and he lives in Round Rock and his farm is at Taylor. His seedlings are started in late December, he plants them under white plastic, and makes sure they get watered regularly. When it gets hot, it's about one inch of water every day. He has tomatoes by end of May. He plants about every 2-3 weeks so he has tomatoes for market all summer. He does stake them up off the ground so the soil doesn't cook them when it gets hot. It can be done but it takes a lot of attention.
Jan, I like your LQS's program! I hope you adequately used your discount.
OkSewGlad...what busy days in harvest. Do you have your forages tested so you can balance your feed? We've gotten good rain the past couple of weeks and I'm finally getting some ripe tomatoes. With the heat this summer my beefsteak never set any fruit.

Awwww Shucks!
How nice of all of you to send Thanksgiving Greetings to me! I really do appreciate it!

Yes, Canucks do Turkey!!! .... as is the common popular meal at Christmas and Easter too!
I did a turkey breast with crockpot stuffing (homemade), mashed potatoes, veggies, homemade cranberries and apple pie last night for a friend. Good deal for me, as now I have leftovers for the next few days. Saturday night I'll be with my "adopted" family for a full out meal again! My offering will be Creamed Onions, which was ALWAYS a family MUST have and I was entrusted with the recipe a few years ago. They are indeed delicious.

A word about my "adopted" family ... no, none of us are adopted. They are a family of three siblings, my age ... their spouses, each with two kids, all partnered up. And now we have two more in the next generation .... so my "adopted" Great Niece and Nephew! The nice part about it is that the siblings were raised in the same community, so we have a lot of crossover connections and have known each other for years. Additionally, the sister is a couple years younger than me, and in high school we were often asked if we were sisters! And apparently my one sister has been asked the same in recent years. The family are amazing and so close, friendly and genuine. and at times I get totally Being that my family have all pretty much gone their ways, and when we do get together it's not the best of times ... at times I get totally ovewhelmed when I am with my new family, as to how they all interact and what a wonderful time we all have together!

Moving on to farming .... being that we know that OK has collapsed from her busy day!

You asked where does one put one of these "sausages"? .... you'll often see them running along a fencerow. Sometimes we used to put sand down in a field, and run three or four of them side by side. They don't have to be 150 ft long ... often that is determined by what feed you have and how much ... and the space you have available. It can be ended at whatever point works for you!

Those "sausage" tubes can also hold "wet" hay known as haylage, or corn known as silage. Does the same purpose as the tower silos that you see on farms. Some differences ... lower machinery cost as you do not have to have silo unloaders, nor the cost of the silo itself. And those tower silos do need to be climbed by the farmer ... and some fear heights, to say the least about the legs giving out!

Another sausage would be "wet" hay bales inside the tube. This way you can just drive into the hay bale with a fork on the front of a tractor and take the bale away. You sometimes see the large square bales inside tubes too.

GGal asked about the forages being tested ... on our farm, yes we tested all the feeds we grew on our farm. Then working with a dairy nutritionist we balanced the feed rations to ensure the cattle were getting the right nutrients for good production and the health of the animal in the most cost effective manner. Many farmers do a better job at feeding their livestock .... than feeding themselves and their families! Just think of it ... we have the nutrition labels for all our cattle feed, and then follow the dietary plan set up by the cow-dietitian! :)

Quilting on a Farm? ... I admire OKSGlad for finding and making the time to do so. I just never had time for it. Did a little years ago, then things just geared up too much between keeping things going in the barn, the fields ... and of course, then had all my farm office duties while keeping meals on the table. So the sewing efforts got set aside and the most I did was mending .... which always became a mountain before I got at it! :) So kudos to you OKSGlad for finding your "me-time"

QNSue .. Oh so sorry you are losing the Moss Sisters LAQ. Is there someone in the area that will purchase it, and will mean that you;ll still have a local person available. BTW any word on your FWS at the other LAQ?

OKSGlad ... love the RR Letter concept! I remember one Aunt who used to do one letter for all, and then photocopy it and send it off to each family. Though this idea is better ... each can answer questions and it's more like a running commentary. Just think of the fun of the letters going around the circuit of the siblings! How life and communications have changed with internet and email!

GGal .. thanks for the wishes, and only time will tell. Yes my ribbons have been kept on my design wall, near my light switch ... just for the reason you mentioned!! Helps keep me on notice to stick with things, and pay attention to detail.

'Tis getting late, and I need to be off to the Fair early in the morning to get those entries in!
Better get some sleep!! Good Night! :D

Well, BIL tomatoes were a bust. Too ripe, spoiled the whole batch after beginning of the process. We all tried. I love the tales of the farm...it was so different fifty years ago!!

I drove the team of horses a few times for Granddad to pick the corn by hand...one ear at a time...into the wagon with one side higher than the other so the ears would bounce back into the wagon... some 60 plus years ago!

It was wonderful this morning reading everyone's story; made the day a little brighter. We finally got about 3 or 4 inches of rain that soaked right into the ground yesterday and last night, but it turned cold here...41 when dh dug the sweet potatoes this morning. I pulled all the beets and turnips, giving the tops to the guineas who thanked me for them.

Unexpected photo from the past was published today on the Wildwood AF facebook page, showing me very much a mother-to-be with our first child that was born July 1969 in Alaska...at 9 lbs, 12 oz. and 21 inches long...Sam cost us a $17.89 hospital bill back then...probably the photo was taken in early June...looked like twins!!

Oh now isn't that a FUN find! I do think that you now need to show us the photo!!! :)

I was around farms growing up, but never worked on one so this is interesting info. :)

I have had a good week...I got 5 PC blocks finished and 2 Rosie ones. Might have a little time to get some more done this weekend.

Tonight the kids and I are going on a "Chocolate Walk" in a nearby town. A lot of small shops are open late (8pm-11pm) and offering chocolate treats. They have done this for many years but we've never gone before. I am looking forward to checking out some of those shops I drive by all the time but have never stopped.

Tomorrow we are going to an auction. It is supposed to be cold, so not sure how long we will stay...kind of depends on if there is anything "good" that we really want and if things are going "high" or not.

OMG a CHOCOLATE Walk! ......... they must have people by the millions show up!

And then with all that chocolate, do you reallythink you're going to bring those darlings home and get them to go to sleep? :)

I'll look forward to hearing more about the chocolates .... and good luck at the auction tomorrow. Looking for anything in particular?

Wow a Chocolate Walk, count me in, I'll be right there:D
Love all the farm stories, I am a city girl, who hates getting her feet dirty, it's just one of my little quirks:p

Will have to put my thinking cap on for some unique farm stories for you MiraB ... of course, none come to mind as they are "normal" to me!

I'm sure many of you could tell me LOTS of city stories ... I have such limited exposure in that regard!! :)

JeanieG I PP'd my blocks and they turned our correct. sorry I can't help.

Try again, Jeanie, after a good night's sleep. Like Mirab I paperpieced mine and the pieces fit fine.

Jeanie, the triangles are both the wrong size. Here is how I figured it out.
I used the corner block to come up with the correct size small triangle and when I sewed the side blocks together that strip was too short to sew to the large square made from the triangles so I squared the large triangles I sewed together by the length of that strip. I added the final triangle after everything else was together and squared it up and it came to a perfect 8 1/2.
Hope this helps. Honchey also posted an alert a couple weeks ago that the angle side of the triangle should be 4 1/2 inches but the template is 4 7/8

Hi All, There are some boo boos in some of the blocks...QNS had some problems with the first petal of Floral Bouquet? We will be doing that one in a couple of weeks.. Sugar Bowl done with pping...no problems...Jeanie, starch your fabric...pin the large center triangles on the outside edge to keep from stretching...The long side especially because there's alot of give there...

Jeanie, I believe I made a post about this previously. the corner triangle is bigger than necessary... trim it to the size of the large triangles in the center of the block...that should do it...

Yes, I had problems with the template petal in Floral bouquet, going left to right, the first petal "8", does not fit into that slot when you put it together...I did it the second time, carefully marking all intersection of lines, pinning it 'on' the dot, matching dots, taking my time sewing very carefully from dot to dot. Same problem. Rather than throw it away, I made a dart almost the whole distance from center to the outside and "fit" it into the slot. PP may be easier; and may not have that problem.

Several blocks will be substituted in the quilt itself; and I would love to wait until we exchange our very special blocks before I set my quilt together....I will work them right into the quilt itself...as a big part of the PC trail together.

And I want my blocks signed by everyone using their QB name and date. Please. Thank you.

Good idea, QNSue ... I had been thinking of the same! Of course, then I wondered if that was something that I'd missed and was going to ask closer to the time!! hhhhmmmmm? I thought I had my block chosen, but may just make a design change now!

Watch you language when you're around your grandkids, ladies LOL!!!! We all use abbreviations: DH, SIL, QAYG, FART, etc., and my family knows most of them, esp FART. I walked into Starbucks and heard a voice from across the room "hey grandma, how was your FART yesterday?" It was my DGS. His 3 friends, 3 customers, and 2 counterpersons just all stood there with their mouths hanging open!! I was beet red but explained to all what a FART was and everyone thought it was really funny. (I think I'm still blushing as I type this.) They were all good sports and DGS's friends were coming up with their own acronyms. The best one was CART--chick acquisition road trip; they were headed to the mall after class to check out chicks. So never think your families aren't listening when you talk; and they'll remind you of what you said at the most embarrassing time. I'm still laughing!