Renfro Valley, Kentucky

What a great weekend!  Barbie and I were on the road again and took a tour to Renfro Valley, Kentucky with Buckeye Tours out of Cambridge, Ohio.  I have to say if you are looking for a fun and relaxing way to travel, check out their website . . .  http://buckeyetours.net/   I give them a five star rating.  They are easy to contact and when you call, you get to speak to a "live" person.  That is big in my book.  Our tour director, Sarah, was fun and professional and our bus driver, Jim, was excellent.  Needless to say, after our last tour with "another unnamed tour group," we could relax and enjoy the journey.  I hope to travel with Buckeye Tours in the future.

Kentucky is a charming state with rolling horse farms and lovely countryside.  The people are so friendly and I love their accents and how they say, "you all."  

The weather started out rainy, but quickly changed to blue skies and fluffy white clouds.  Sorry, I can't show many pictures.  There was a glitch with my camera.  I bought a new SD card and when I tried to use it, it said that it needed formatted.  What is that all about?  I tried to "format" it, but it just didn't work.  So there I was, stuck without my camera!  However, I was able to take a few pictures on the camera hard drive.  Barbie didn't bring her camera because it was acting up too.  Ah well, life is never perfect, so we go with the flow.

Renfro Valley:

If you love country gospel music and browsing in little local shops, you should visit Renfro Valley.  Their website, linked above, tells about all the upcoming shows and about the history of Renfro Valley.  I have to say the shows were so inspiring.  Listening to the entertainers was like getting a heart massage.  They feature many big names in the music world.  Our evening show headliners were Mo Bandy, Janie Fricke and David Frizzell.  We were lucky enough to beat the crowd out after the show and get a couple of signed CD's.  It was fantastic evening of fun and music.  

Painted Quilts in Renfro Valley

If you like quilts but don't like to sew them, how about painting them on your barn or your house?  Here are a few examples that I found in Renfro Valley to inspire you to put down the needle and pick up the paint brush . . . 

Another good find from our trip is a book that I purchased from the Kentucky Artisan Center in Berea, Kentucky.  Quilt Stories: A Collection of Short Stories, Poems, and Plays.   It is published by the University Press of Kentucky.  I can't wait to read it!  

Thanks for visiting my blog.  Stop back again, you all!

Double Slice Layer Cake

Double sliced layer cake, not a chocolate layer cake, although it is pink enough to be strawberry flavored.  For my latest quilting project, I decided to try the tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Company, one of my favorite sites, and make the "Double Slice Layer Cake" pattern with Pink Dazzle fabric from AdornIt.  I picked this fabric line with a young girl/teen in mind.

I don't think that I am always the best judge of what goes together, but how could I go wrong with a matching layer cake?  Hmmmm.  I'm not sure if I like it or not.  It seems awfully busy and polka dotty.  Of course I am still not done moving around the blocks and it will have a border.  That will change it up.  I'll show the finished product later.  Hopefully it will come together and be awesome . . .

I still have some to finish sewing

Isn't he cute?  Do you think it's a Woolly Bear or a carpet sweeper?

To escape the crazy pink quilt, I decided to go out on the porch and sew on some binding.  I'm in the basement all day tied to the computer online, so the porch is my retreat spot.  Well, what do I see?  I think it's a woolly bear caterpillar, but my son says it's just a bug.  Does anybody know?  In Cleveland, we have a Woolly Bear Caterpillar festival where the caterpillar predicts winter based on the stripes.  If this is the real thing, I think this little guy may be predicting snow, snow and more snow.

Then a flock of big black birds stopped by and robbed the bird feeder.  Look at the size of these scavengers.

One good thing going on outside though, my tangled vine of Morning Glories that climbed up to my garage roof "finally" bloomed into one flower.  Maybe more will come out later.

Back to the binding.  I'm turning binding for my "first quilt ever" to be in a show, the Streetsboro Quilt Show.  I'll post more information about that event later.  This quilt was my third I ever made and a BOM Sampler.  A big challenge for my beginner skills.  Three years later, I finally finished the dang thing, I mean the lovely quilt.

I'm not going to post a picture of the quilt now, because I want to take photos of it in the show.  I will show you a tiny sample of what I'm doing though.  Hopefully the judges will have some advice on binding because I know my hand sewing is not the best. That is fine, I'm enjoying the process, as Miss Carol would say.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and I hope you are enjoying the little pleasures in your life today.

"I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." ~ Maya Angelou

Barbie's Quilts

Barb's Happy Kitten Quilt 

Barbie and I have been friends for more years than I want to admit.  Now we are more than friends, we are Qbees.  It all started with yet another garage sale.  We were browsing around sales and came across material and a White Sewing machine.  She bought some material; I bought the machine and then the fun began.  At that time, Barbie had been working on an applique quilt that she created from old coloring book pages - see the quilt above.  To me, this is folk art.  You will never find another quilt like this!  Much of the material is from her old scrap barrel and it is all "hand quilted."  It's so interesting and fun to see all the different "happy" kitties.  You can enlarge the quilt by clicking on the picture.  The black border has little paw prints.  Perfect fit.

Another quilt Barbie  completed is this Baby Log Cabin, so soft and pretty.  It went to Colorado for her new great granddaughter, Willow Harper.  Isn't that a pretty name for a lovely little girl?

Barbie and Willow Harper

Firecracker Quilt

Barbie made this quilt for her friend Cindy.  Cindy loves wolves and bright colors.  Barbie thought the firecracker theme fit her perfectly - and it does.

  

Bruce's Quilt

Barbie's son Bruce was in the Coast Guard and stationed in Kodiak, Alaska.  Barbie picked out the material and designed this quilt for him . . . Miss Carol of Sweet Peas and Possum helped with the flying geese (come to think of it, she has helped me with flying geese lately too)  Take a look at this sweet Alaska themed quilt.  

30's Quilt

Barbie loves the 30's Depression prints and made this quilt just for fun.  It's a rainbow of color.

These are just a sampling of all the quilts Barbie has completed in the past three years.  She is an inspiration to me to keep sewing and trying new ideas.  Barbie is my best Qbee! 

 “To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.”            ~ Reba McEntire
. . . and a best friend!  

Kent Haymaker Farmers' Market Mural

For most of the 20 years that the Kent Haymaker Farmers' Market has been in existence, I am happy to say that I was there.  If you know anything about Kent, the market is located down Franklin Avenue past Ray’s.  In the first years, the market was tiny with only a handful of vendors, but now . . . America is on a health kick and everyone wants to eat healthy and buy local.  I say, “It’s time to visit the market!” 

Our little market has grown into a community hot spot and that is where we spend our Saturday mornings.  I guess the fact that my son Earl sells corn down at the market is a big incentive – free corn for mom!  However, I would go with or without the corn.  My son Adam and my granddaughter Zoe usually go with me and Zoe put it very nicely when she said, “Everyone knows me at the market.”  And indeed they do: the cookie lady, the scone man, the bread lady the maple popcorn lady, the pierogie booth and the cheese sample guy.  We visit them all!

This year, the market planners commissioned a mural to be painted on the “legs” or pillars of the overpass bridge.  A young artist, Elaine Hullihen who studied art at Kent State, is doing the mural.  The mural has vegetables, people, art, and poetry to represent the market and Kent’s history.  I had the pleasure of meeting Elaine.  She is a wonderful young lady who along with doing art also teaches yoga.  Climbing up on that lift and painting the pillars – I can see that yoga might come in handy. 

I am very proud to live in Kent when I see art projects like this happening in the community.  Click on the link to view an article from our local paper about the mural project: http://www.recordpub.com/news/slideshow/5204161

Take a look at the mural progress so far.  I will add more posts as the painting gets closer to completion.

Artist Elaine Hullihen at work

Do you see the hands?

My son Earl selling corn.

We enjoy a variety of local entertainment.  Lots of talent in Kent

Zoe loves the flowers

Model of Mural

The mural is starting to come to life.  Can you see part of the poem?

The hands are taking shape

I can hardly wait to see the finished mural.  How about you?  I'll be sure to share more pictures.

Zesty Salsa Time

The tomatoes are coming into season in Ohio which means the jars and canner are coming up from the basement.  My son brought me a little present of half a bushel of plum tomatoes and now it's time to make the salsa.  I've been making this same salsa for a number of years and it tastes a little different each time depending on the tomatoes, the weather and the degree of heat in the hot peppers.  Still it always tastes yummy!  Nothing is better than opening a dark red jar full of summer vegetables and sunshine on a cold winter's evening.  It is so worth all the time and effort.

First you have to peel all the tomatoes.  To blanch
them, I wash the tomatoes, put them in the sink
with the stopper in and then pour boiling water over
them in the sink.  Wait a minute or two, pull the stopper
with a long spoon and spray tomatoes with cold water.
Now they are ready to peel.

 

Now for the vegetables . . .

Five cups of green peppers

Five cups of chopped onion

The recipe calls for 2&1/2 cups of hot peppers.  I used six because I don't like my salsa too hot.
Don't forget to wear gloves when working with hot peppers.   The juice will burn your hands, lips, eyes, etc.  Be careful!

Fresh cilantro and garlic - salt and vinegar (not pictured)

Here it is all sealed up and ready for the basement shelf.
The recipe is taken from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

Here is the complete recipe if you want to make your own salsa:

10 cups tomatoes, blanched, peeled, and chopped

5 cups of green pepper, chopped

5 cups of chopped onions

2  & 1/2 cups of chopped hot pepper (adjust to taste)  I only use about 6 peppers

1 & 1/4 cups of cider vinegar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro (you can add more to taste)

3 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce (optional)

Combine all ingredients and bring to a boil.  Pack in hot jars and process 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Enjoy!

Singer Golden Touch & Sew Model 620 -1966

I have stopped going to most garage sales so I could get all the "stuff" out of my basement and make room for my sewing room and material.  Unfortunately there was a one right across the street, so it was only polite to visit your neighbor's sale, right?  I saw nothing of interest until I spotted a sewing machine case under a table.

"Oh, is that a sewing machine?"  I innocently inquired.  As you can guess, that opened the door for an hour of sewing talk and my eventual purchase of a $12 Singer Golden Touch & Sew machine.  Do I need it?  No, but I have been visiting all those wonderful blogs where quilters collect machines and name them.  I could clean it up and name it Goldie, I reasoned.  Does it sew?  Well, it runs, but no manual.  Anyone who sews should be able to figure out any machine, right?  Don't answer that.

Here is Goldie.  Look at all those levers!

It came with enough metal attachments to keep any adventurous quilter busy for weeks.  Check out the paraphernalia . . .

These could be used for some serious torture!  The big attachment that looks like it could crawl is a button hole maker.

Easy to figure out if you have the manual - right!  Of course the only manual was for the button hole attachment.  Just figures!   I check Ebay.  Manuals are $16 and up; more than the machine.

Vintage Sewing Machine Manuals

After another search on the Internet, I found a site that sells vintage sewing machine manuals for $5.00 each.  How great is that?  It also accepts Pay Pal, so I found the manual for my Goldie and bought it.  They downloaded it to my email as a PDF file in less than five minutes.  It is clear and easy to read.  In fact it is the manual in a scanned form.  I would never have figured out how to thread the bobbin without it.  You have to jump through two hoops, say three mantras and pull your left ear. Here is the website if you need a sewing machine manual: http://www.mastersewusa.com/index.html 

I discovered that the bobbin is actually wound right in the bobbin case.  

Sew, I studied the manual and finally filled the bobbin.  I spent another hour setting tension and getting thread length and stitches fixed.  Now it sews! :)  

Did anyone ever sew on a machine like this in the past?  Thanks for coming along on my little sewing machine adventure.  I think this quote is appropriate for the complexity of Goldie.

"One has to look out for engineers - they begin with sewing machines and end up with the atomic bomb." ~Marcel Pagnot