Oct.24,th a busy week

The weather has been very pleasant with lots of sunny days, with cool evenings . It’s a perfect time for roasting hot dogs or sausages over the fire pit. It’s also a good time for butchering. We did up some sausage and made it into links. Then cold smoked them.

The family just loves these served with homemade wheat pancakes on Saturday morning.

Another favorite ,come fall is apple butter making. I do most of the work for this. It is something I enjoy! I do it over the fire pit. It takes most of the day to cook down. I put foil around my pot so that the smoke doesn’t soot the pot up,for it is a lot of hard scrubbing to get soot off .

  
It is also time to cleanup under the pecan trees so that as the nuts drop it isn’t so hard to pick them up. So as I was doing Apple butter ,I worked on the cleaning up.

  
I almost waited to long for I did find some fresh pecan nuts.. Pecan pie will be on our thanksgiving table. 😄

  
I also had time for a little sewing. I was able to finish this quilt top . I’m happy with the way this pattern turn out. 

 
And while I was trying to get a photo of the quilt top, a little dog just had to have her picture taken! She barked at me then sat there looking at me with those eyes… I took the picture ,showed it to her ,and that was one pleased little dog!!conceited much? :)) 

 Take care friends, Deb

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Oct.16 th, a quilters confession

Two hrs ago I was in a very BAD mood,ready to ball up every piece of fabric on the table and throw it! Good thing nobody came in to ask me a question or want something they might have got their heads bit off…. Not a very good attitude to have for a mature lady to have,well… I don’t know about the mature part but I did have a little integrity left. Here’s how it started…. I was given a box of fabric from my husbands aunt to make a quilt for her and hubby’s mama. It was Grandma’s scrap fabric,(By the way was such a dear soul) I very much want to do this for them,why saving vintage fabric is a passion. 

So this is what was in the box…. 

 
  
With these three colors with the most yardage and lots of small pieces ,a fat quarter or less.

  
I started working with 9 patch blocks,with a snowball block

  
Not to bad.. Old looking..so I kept sewing ..with an uneasy feeling that this isn’t going right. I just didn’t like the pink and blue.

  
I’m beginning to not like it so I changed the pattern a bit…

 

 

Helped a little but it still gave the same color tone that just put my teeth on edge!! So I went to the bear paw block…

  
Even worst!!! So back to this…

  
By now I’m in a really bad mood for I wasted a whole day, and I hated it all… Went to bed thinking it will look better in the morning. Needless to say that morning did not make it better. Now I know I was to use only that fabric but I had had it!!! I went to my stash and started to pull fabric that I thought would help put these colors together with style,White ,cream,black and a black and red. 

  
White wasn’t the answer nor was the black,but the red and black… I let you decide . 🙂

  
And for the patch blocks..

 
The black and red adds to each color and brings out it beauty,not fade it or clash.

I now have a little hope that these two tops will be something I can give to two dear ladies without wanting to hide in a closet when I give them the quilts.

So back to sewing with renewed courage!😀

  

Oct.4th, then Museum quilts

The first quilt that I’m posting was amazing, made by Granny Irwin. 

 
   
 
 

 
 
Impressed? I sure was!! 

 
Another one of her crazy quilts

  
The next quilt was made by Earl Blackwell, he was disabled with emphysema.He would work,on the quilt while propped up in bed. His wife hand quilted the quilt, it took her only three months.

  
This quilt was made by a 15 yr old girl in 1864.  
  
  
How about the twisted tobacco on this quilt..  
  
  
The lady who made this quilt traveled so she gathered fabric from each State for this quilt   

  
The hand quilting on this quilt ,puts my hand quilting to shame!!  
  
I bought this book while there at the museum,it is awesome read of the people . Just a small peak… 

  
 
Sorry that it is sideways…😕

There is so much more to see and the photos only show a fraction what is to see and feel!!

So if you are going though Tennessee, look up the Museum, stop and visit for its a wonderful place to stretch your legs. If your a quilt lover than purchase the book to read on the way home, you’ll not be sorry!

Now back to my “life “

Oct 2nd, Appalachia Museum

On our way home from the school reunion, Monday morning, hubby gave me the option of stopping wherever I got the notion to stop along the way home. That wasn’t gonna be hard I thought for there’s always a quilt shop to be found. And sure enough I spotted a billboard that read the best prices around… We turned off the exit that was given on the sign,then took up the hunt for the store. I got sidetracked when I saw this beautiful place with a wonderful sign that read ” The Museum of the Appalachia” let the past touch your soul. All thoughts of bargain fabric flew out the window, and I promptly said let’s stop right now to see this place. Hubby ,I believe must of been praying that something other then a fabric store would appear. 😉 He was very willing to turn around to pursue that fancy of mine.

And OH the fun we had!!!!!!

 

Clay county,Kentucky, was a leading salt producer in the state during the 19th century. Goose creek met the red bird river to form the South Fork in Kentucky, where there were salt works.

 

Talk about small houses, I think this one takes the prize for being the smallest! One room , that wasn’t much longer than his bed,and the width about the same as the length. In the one room there was a bed ( along the left wall) a small stove across from the bed to your right with a small stand / table. He had a few other possessions in there a bean pot , frying pan and a fiddle.there was a sign saying he made the statement that,that’s all a man needed.

In the above photo,hubby sitting like the old man in the picture that’s hanging on the outside wall.

 
   
 

This is a little playhouse that a father made for his only daughter. The little quilt was lovely in the doll cradle. 

  
This was the home of Daniel Boone. As I stood inside of this cabin I try to imagine how it would feel to sweep the dirt floor, to stand over the fireplace to cook,to wash clothes with a scrub board and tub,and to mend clothes,knit by the dim candle light and how cold the winters must have been . It boggled my brain!!

  
  
All I can say is the strength of these dear ladies was amazing!!

  
Inside the church. Do you think one could fall asleep on those benches?!

  
Ever read the book Christy? Benches and desk from her schoolroom. 

If you have never read the book ,it is a wonderful book to read.

  
Wonderful old looms, cotton gins, and spinning wheels.

  
  
  
This loom was in the little loom house. Hard to get a good picture for it was darker in there with no lights.

  
  
A two seater privy. 

There was so much more to see, barns ,more houses,workshops and a whiskey still. Pictures just can’t tell it all. 

 
A doctors office 

  
And bits of wisdom for all!

Coming up next … The wonderful quilts that were there!! 

Oct. 1 st,a cute two room house

Hubby and I went to Ohio for a 70th school reunion that he attended as a child in 3rd and 4th grade.

We were put up in this little house that was owned and lived in by the aunt of the older couple ,who so kindly invited us to stay there. 

 The kitchen was on the left side as you walk in the door . The microwave was the most modern item in the house. 🙂 There was just a few electrical outlets,but no running water. One needed to get water at the hand pump just outside the door.

 This bed was on the right side as one walk though the door.  

The little living room across from the bed.

  
At the end of the kitchen and across from the living room was this cute little high hair.

 
This the main bedroom. The quilt was made out of polyester knit fabric,the quilting done by hand was lovely.

  
This little room was at the end of the bedroom. I know that come winter it was much nicer to use this little room then to have to go out to the out house!!!

Hubby and I enjoyed our stay,also made me appreciate running water that one doesn’t have heat by stove or microwave to have hot water, and the potty pail…well let’s just say that it wouldn’t have been fun to be the chore that Mom left you in charge of!!!!

Some more of our trip coming up in the next post….until then I’m back to the quilting frame. 😄