BBs go to the Beach - Day One

Well here we are  - at the beach.    We just couldn't believe all the fabulous colors!  Look at Jody waving!

We took a break and went to lunch -this was the view from our table.

Then it's back to the condo to change and get a little sand between our toes (the view from our balcony)

The end of a perfect day!

and the beginning of another one -

Wish you were all here!!!!!!!!!!

Yahoo # 3

Kathy received a quilting newsletter some years back, from the front of it, she designed these blocks. She has decided to now use this for a small table quilt to add to her July 4th decor..

Now if you aren't into quilting, crafting, you may ask what was holding her up..May not understand how all of us have unfinished projects..Its not that we don't know where to start, what to do, or it has become overwhelming..Perhaps, just wanted to start something new, which has happen to me more times than I want to admit..None of which were  Kathy's reason, these had gotten lost in her stash, and other projects. You know, Out of sight out of mind. :)


Another thing to remember is that anything that is not finished is not meant to be finished at that time. You have to admit that sounds good. hehehehehehe When you finally get to it (sometimes a year or more later) your ideas (like Kathy) have changed and something new will come from these treasurers...
The Ol'Blogger

Yahoo # 2

Kathy's 2nd "you always have other options "
This image was on the front of Kathy's dictionary. Inspiration comes from any where. For years Cindy,Beth and Starr was in blocks exchange. Leaves and items related to trees was the blocks they swapped.  Kathy started this using those blocks..She is going to add to this and again make a small lap quilt..The Ol'Blogger

YAHOO # 1

The next few days I will be blogging on unfinished projects Kathy found while reorganizing her studio.. This piece was "tumbling blocks" she had started sometime back.. I just talked to her and she has already appliqued this to fabric and is in the process of making it into a small lap quilt.. Can hardly wait to see what she is doing. Hopefully will get a picture of the finished project..  "The Elder always says, "YAHOO = (You Always Have Other Options) , don,t pitch."
The Ol'Blogger

Daddy

My Daddy died in May the year I turned 8 in November, which has been 57 years ago. Just this pass year did I get to see this picture of him, which is the best one I had every see of his face. I sent the picture in an email to each of my SoTA Sisters, wanting to share with them. With out my knowing anything about this they created this wall hanging for me and presented it to me last Tuesday, while at the "Summer Studio". The bead on the hat pin is the color of my birthstone, the fabric was designed by Kathy, and all provided pieces for this lovely wall hanging. Girls this so touched my heart, I will cherish this always. I have drawn strength all this week from the love you all have for me and I know will continue too. Thank you and I truly love each and everyone of you.  The Ol' Blogger

Unusual, Unique, and Uncommon.....

I love this bracelet Sherry made  from what I would consider uncommon.....using a metal zipper and large black and white beads..Not only is it bold and stylish, it is certain to add a little extra excitement to any outfit and will definitely get you noticed!
The Ol'Blogger

Beautiful Bead Board.

 We have here "The Elder's beading board..She brought this out and we all had a fit over it..So on Chocolate Night (which will be in September this year) she will be guiding the rest of us as we make our own..Did you know that King Tut had elaborate bead work in his tomb, including a pair of slippers and a hassock showing captive nations? My guess they would have loved to had a beading board as nice as Jody's..

I.U. Transplant Quilts..

 These are in the process of become lap quilts for I.U. Transplant Ward in Indianapolis. Kathy has been reorganizing her sewing studio and she found this half finished project so she added some borders and is finishing it..   

 This quilt is with a fabric she had purchased many years back..She had never found a home for it..by adding some others she created this beauty to be a lap quilt.

Another one in the making stages...These pictures just do not do them justices..They are breath taking in real time.. When sandwiched together and quilted all three will be on their way to touch a life, from Kathy. 

Soviet Union Pin Cushion

Pin cushion doll, Cindy found at an antique shop. She is hard stuffed in what might have been 1940's fabric, with blond hair, a detailed painted face. She stands around 4"high and is a little over 2' around I would guess.. Of course she is soiled and age colored, which makes her a great, different earlier doll for display.....Because pins were costly in earlier times, small boxes were typically used to store them. Pin cushions emerged in 15th century England, and by the 1800's were sold as common trinkets or gifts to commemorate events. They became novelty decorations in Victorian households, crafted in various shapes and ornamented with embroidery.


In the picture below, found on the bottom of her with "made in Soviet Union" stamped on there...

 

Ashley Visits (aka " Our Little Chocolate Chip")

Today was wonderful, we all gathered at the "Summer Studio". The SoTA Sisters had a visit from their SoTA Sisters Niece Ashley.. She loved the swing, not too high..With a sweet smile the whole day and a giggle for us all, she said "High enough"..

She beaded making bracelet for Fancy Nancy's Dog...and smiling the whole time..What a doll..





Also did some stamping..and drew circles, ovals and used chalk to draw on the drive way. Ashley took Fancy Nancy for a stroll in the stroller.  Ashley hurry back to visit with us again! Thank you for the Ashley Pops you made us they were delicious.. The Ol'Blogger

P.S Ashley made our day totally delightful, I've decided to call her our "Little Chocolate Chip" The Elder.

Bet they weren't made in China !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

   Just two cute, I can't wait till tomorrow to put these on the blog. I have to go to sleep earlier tonight as tomorrow is "Summer Studio Day", so I can get up on time.. So here they are... Cindy sent me these pictures tonight..

   She said and I quote..."I have been wanting to recover my 1960's card table and chairs for over two years.

    I FINALLY got that accomplished. The fabrics were pieced together, then I used fusible vinyl by heat & bond to cover the fabric.

    The frames were all painted black (they had been a brownish color that had become very scratched over the years.) Then the fabric was stretched over the bottoms, backs of chairs and table top.

These chairs and table were my Mom's- still have the Samsonite tags on them-the chairs were $8.98 each... wow that seems a little expensive for the 60's. But they are much more than that now.

I am sooooo enjoying getting some of the major projects done!!!!".
Told by Cindy, typed by The Ol' Blogger

Cousin are Wonderful...

We have a picture of Sherry, Cindy's cousin, with her "head" planter. She enjoys plants and flowers so Cindy knew she would like this..It is a mold that you use with concrete, stains and embed a clay flower pot into. So Cindy created this fun and funky gift for 60th birthday...Hey, Cindy I am a cousin also, don't forget, I have a birthday coming up...giggle. The Ol'Blogger

"Adirondack Alcohol Inks"

Cindy used "Adirondack Alcohol inks on her mail box...She said " it didn't exactly turn out like she thought- it was impossible to see the inks on black! I may go over the mailbox again with some other ink colors" she is not sure yet...Oh boy a new toy.,,

Bench Pillow

Just got this picture this morning.... It IS FINISHED!!!!! And it is amazing....Love the fringe...Cindy this is a beautiful pillow...When you enter her front door this is what will greet you... The Ol' Blogger

Crazy Quilt Piece

 Cindy is working on this "Crazy Quilt Piece"..When finished it will be a pillow for her Grand Piano Bench.... Definitely this picture must be enlarged to see all the added embellishments... She liked Jody's that she made her sister, so well she decided it was a must for her bench... The Ol'Blogger

Old Ladder gets New Life....

"  The Elder" hates throwing out old ladders, but there does come a point when an old wooden ladder just isn't safe to use anymore..Old ladders, can be used for other things besides climbing however...Instead of tossing out this ladder she has painted and will be adding shelves like the bottom board to make this into the perfect book case....or a place to sit her favorite things....When she gets it finished and placed in her house I will add a picture in its new place...The Ol'Blogger

Friends Forever....

Best friends are hard to find, harder to leave, and impossible to forget...This is so true with Jody and her friend Kay from their school years...Although miles has separated them, they have kept the friendship growing...Kay came for a visit and met all of us at "The Summer Studio"... We can understand how the friendship has lasted over the years..We were very impressed with Kay...Looking forward to her return...The Ol'Blogger

Zippora the Spider

Interesting Fact about the spider from the web site Fun Facts about Spiders....Did you know that spiders cannot physically die of natural causes? If kept safe, a spider can continue to live and grow larger for a theoretically unlimited amount of time. In fact, in China there exists a collection of 'holy' spiders, hatched some 2,800 years ago during the height of the Mang-Tsun dynasty. 

The Spider pictured here isn't going to die natural either..Sherry's hands created this beauty (if spiders can be a beauty) using metal zippers,black beads strung on wire with a dab of black felt...Which she pinned to the outside of the purse she made... 

 

B151

Sherry has her B151 done...Isn't it beautiful? I love the edges. Don't remember seeing that in the instructions. We got the pattern from "Fire Mountain".

Almost Diamonds......

I just love these bracelets Sherry created. With the zipper parts and all the bead work she will sure to noticed when wearing these...

 I found this interesting facts on the Internet about "Bracelets" so I am sharing...

Where did the name 'Bracelet' come from? The term bracelet originates from the Latin word 'brachile' meaning of the arm. Bracelets have been an item of jewellery loved by people for many years and can be dated back to the Ancient Egyptians of around 7000BC. These were not made out of diamonds but bones and wood and where worn to represent religious or spiritual matters such as scarab bracelets which symbolised rebirth and regeneration.


I love how she used the zipper pull in the one pictured below..The colors and design are perfect..The Ol'Blogger

Button,Button who has the Button.....

I have no idea who's this is, but I took the picture last week at the Summer Studio, so I am assuming these would be "The Elders"..I love this jar and all the buttons in the jar...But then they could belong to Cindy as she was working on a crazy quilt pillow top for her Grand Piano...

Interesting Fact about Buttons....Compared to many other collectibles, buttons are very reasonable in price. Beautiful and fascinating buttons can be purchased for as little as a dollar or less. However, rare buttons may cost many hundreds or even thousands of dollars. And then there are the ones that came from a loved ones garment and they are priceless. The Ol'Blogger

Sherry's is done....

Sherry has gotten her egg made for the little vase the girls got each of us on their trip to The Cincinnati Quilt Show.. It is darling... 

Sherry's purse

First Sherry hand embroidery the flowers and vines, then she turned that into this gorgeous, unique and stylish purse..Cindy is in the back ground.

Sisters Love....

There is a Vietnamese Proverb- sisters are as close as hands and feet...Well, Jody has gone one step farther and with her hands created this beautiful Pillow for her sister...Yes, she hand pieced the whole pillow then did hand crazy quilting with lace, thread, and ribbons to say how much she loves her sister Phillis..Surly this will bring sweet dreams to a dearly loved sister..As with all Crazy Quilting Items, one must enlarge to see all the detail...The Ol'Blogger

Giving Back

Kathy peeping out from behind one of many special lap quilts she has lovingly made...Wanting to use up some of her stash and share from her being blessed, Kathy decided back in January 2011 to make these special quilts to give to the  I.U. transplant ward in Indianapolis. She has averaged around 3 a month since then..Her future Daughter-in-love, Laura, works on this ward..So Kathy lets her present them to those who are having transplants...She has shared some wonderful stories of how much this little quilts has touched others lives..Kathy is sharing these gifts of love to warm the hearts of those who are experiencing a rough time....That would be our Kathy, oozing with love for others always...We all love you Kathy...The Ol'Bogger

Seed Beads and More

 Bracelet with Seed Beads made by Kathy..Designer Esther Pollock Exclusively for Fire Mountain Gems and Beads.. Where we get a lot of our beads....Below is picture of all the jewelry Kathy has made for those who are in the wedding party for her son..Complete with the cool colors of the ocean with its sandy beaches where they are holding the wedding...The Ol'Blogger 

Sugar and Spice

Kathy is finishing up this baby quilt for a friend, Rachael's baby...The embroidery she has done is beautiful...Sugar and Spice...

Jitter Bug...

Cloth with quilt block pattern printed on it, as opposed to a quilt pattern created by different pieces of cloth cut out and sewn together, is known as Cheater Cloth. Cheater cloth became available in the 1850's. The first cheater cloth patterns where imitation chintz patches. In the early 1900's, other patterns such as Log Cabin and Charm Quilts became available on cheater cloth. In the 1930's, Sears offered cheater cloth in patterns such as Dresden Plate. Double Wedding Ring, and Grandmother's Flower Garden. Cheater cloth is still being produced today and a bolt or two can be found in just about every quilt store.

Which Rhona found this one and really liked it..So she purchased it and has finished it now..Jitter Bug is the name of this cloth...This one makes me smile..Cheerful just like our Rhona...The Ol'Blogger

Fun Day at The Elders...

The Elder is sewing away on her Featherweight..Below Sherry is checking one of the bags she is making for her grandchildren to keep their camping items in...

Cindy is busy cutting pieces for a quilt she is making to lay across her pillows. I believe it is to match the quilt she made...That is Kathy in the far right of the picture..She is working on the embroidery below..Which will turn into a darling purse...Bobbie, Kathy's Mom,  joined us at Jody's on this day..the picture I took of her was all blurry so I have none to share..But we always love when she comes to visit...The Ol'Blogger..