Feng Shui in the loft

Ta Da!  A day later and look how organized...it's a first for this sewing loft!

Yesterday I decided that the piles of fabric had to be picked up and refolded to fit into the bins for two reasons - the bins were flowing over onto the floor (left side of photo) making it difficult to find colors and for positive Feng Shui! I was able to get through the black, blue and red fabric before running out of steam. Today I attacked the greens...tomorrow the rest. I am hoping that by folding the fabric in a 12" square it will all fit and will make it easier to find just the right piece. We'll see ~

Seasons

People often say that we don't have all 4 seasons in Petersburg ~ it seems the seasons are Rain & Winter, but this year they would be wrong! Our  summer was unusually nice with enough sunny days to call it a summer. Now the colors in the muskeg are copper toned and it's been fall-like with loads of rain and wind.  I enjoy the Devil's Club plant in the back muskeg through all its changes; this year I decided to capture it with the camera. 

(Clicking on blog photos will enlarge them.)

Third Grade Reunion

Yesterday the trio of retired third grade teachers met in our living room to set up a museum program for the elementary school classes this month. John's latest art will be featured in a solo exhibit during the month of October at the Clausen Museum here in Petersburg. You can imagine all the ideas flowing in conversation as they decided what the curriculum should be! John will teach the program to the fifth grade classes and Susan will do the rest. To Sally's disappointment she will be out of town and won't be able to help.

The show was spread out around the perimeter of the living room. Susan held up Black & White #7 for the camera as John posed. Numbers 1-6 are not visible in any of the photos... We'll post them after the show

(black + white = mccabe) begins.

The museum program was begun many years ago by our Elementary School Librarian, Cathy Cronlund, to introduce the school children to the local museum, it's displays, and the culture of SE Alaska. Each month teachers would take their classes to the museum where Cathy would teach a lesson. Cathy has retired and spends some of the year out of Petersburg so Susan decided to revive the program. This will be the first of hopefully many to come.

Dig Out Those Old Bread Machines!

 

I enjoy baking bread almost as much as I enjoy eating it. There is nothing quite like the smell that fills the house during baking nor the urge to cut into the loaf just as it comes out of the oven. I think my parents gave us our bread machine years ago and I would mix up a loaf before bed, using the timer to postpone the process so that we would wake to hot baked bread in the morning.  Some loaves would be tall and airy and others would be short and heavy...but all would be square. Over the years I got out of the habit of using it. This summer when Annie, Kent and Brooke were visiting I got out the machine and Annie found the recipe she uses. (My mom has continued to use her bread machine only to mix the dough, forming the loaf by hand and baking it in the oven with great success ~ Annie uses the same method). It was a snap. I have been experimenting with the recipe adding molasses, whole wheat flour, and stone cut oats. This is a moist loaf that is wonderful with Grandma Koke's homemade jelly. The leftovers get sliced and frozen for toast or sandwiches.

 

Light Oat Bread
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup rolled oats
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons dry yeast
3 cups flour
Add to bread machine pan. Use dough setting. Form loaf. Rise in greased pan about 30 minutes. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Deer Alert!

You know how I am one to chase deer off the property using many methods... Well, the other day I was sitting at the computer and movement caused me to glance out the sliding door and there she was! Ready to jump up and chase her out of the garden, I took a second look and noticed the tumor above the front leg. That took the wind out of my sails and I grabbed the camera instead. Took this shot through the window. She hobbled off into the muskeg leaving me thinking about her plight.

New Projects

Whirl'in Dervish

I downloaded a free pattern the other day and decided to use up some of the stash. I enjoyed making it ~ had to make templates for the triangles and then it dawned on me...matching points! This is a pattern for an anal personality. Do you think it needs a border? I think I will just bind it after machine quilting.

 

This table topper was my first attempt at trying a Ricky Timms conversion method. I watched him demonstrate the method on The Quilt Show (online) and it looked so easy. Yep, it was actually very easy but as you can see my fabric choice didn't let the conversion stand out. It used up 3 fat quarters of batik so that was good! I finished it off with freehand machine quilting using variegated thread.

 

 This is the second attempt with the method but using much less fabric. Don't know what I will do with it...maybe will be a little table topper for Caitlin's white side table. I think I will check out his book in the library before trying it again.

 

Rainy Fall Day in Petersburg continued

John spent the rainy day in the studio (aka garage) fixing up some oils. How do you like the large easel he made leaning against the back wall...nothing but top notch around here!
Can you tell that I have been digging and rearranging? Pulled out two huge day lilies then moved some geraniums around from the back yard. I also did a major butchering on the Ladies Mantle...feels so good!
LL Bean and Extra Tuffs make a handsome getup for photographing in a downpour.

Wrangell Avenue in the rain
Petersburg Mountain hiding in the mist

Rainy Fall Day in Petersburg continued

Fall colors up at the High School.




Walking up to the Elementary School I came upon this noisy raven at the Big Kid's End.

They have taken the old swimming pool out now and have filled in the hole with rock. This is the old entry to the pool.
A view of the school from the new Aquatic Center.

Rainy Fall Day in Petersburg

I had to take a walk out in the rain today to snap some good shots of our fall weather. This really is a weird time of year ~ yesterday afternoon was filled with temperate sunshine and the kids were playing in the woods at the swing; today the rain shifts from sprinkles to down-pours.



This is a shot of the gully...the drain from north Wrangell Avenue comes out of the black pipe on the left. The swollen creek has it's own set of rapids from all the water it has collected on it's trip down to the Narrows.


This shows the blow-down from 2 weeks ago as well as the swollen creek in our gully.


Blueberries in the backyard are clinging to red leafed branches.


The Devil's Club is constantly changing.

A Vine Maple is beginning to turn color in the side yard between Wolf's and our garage.

Banana Point continued

The rock I had planned to use as a seat by the campfire.

The tide passed the zig-zag row of sew weed and headed for our fire!

Mmmmm...
Hebrew Nationals with a Mike's Hard ~ can't beat that...

Alder branches make perfect roasting sticks...usually I roast one at a time but I was hungry!

John made a great fire ~ after watching the tide charging into the beach he moved to higher ground.

Air bubbles were playing with the rushing tide.

Sunday at Banana Point

John had the yearnings for a hot dog cookout so we packed up the car Sunday afternoon and headed "out the road" to Banana Point. Note the trusty Alaskan all purpose containers/camp stool/water dowser aka five gallon buckets!