Stranded in Denver

Wayne and Fischer at the game - the white area in the
background is the soccer field as seen through
the blizzard. Chris took this
photo with his cell phone.

The guys went to the game and watched it through a blinding snow storm. I watched it on TV from the comfort of my living room couch through the snow-encrusted lenses of the cameras televising the match. They stayed in a Denver hotel Friday night and it continued to snow all night long. My son and grandson managed to get to the airport and, after hours of delays, flew home to Omaha. It has been quite an adventure for my nine year old grandson. The roads were so treacherous on Saturday (lots of accidents and a fifty car pile-up on I-25) that Wayne decided to stay one more night in the hotel. I heartily agreed with that decision. It's a little better today but only 9 degrees so the snow isn't melting. Wayne thinks he'll be able to make it home later today. It's typically a two hour drive but I'm sure it won't be this time.

On the bright side, the landscape is beautiful and we're grateful for seven inches of lovely wet snow. I've been hunkered down in my quilt loft working on projects, listening to audio books and sipping tea - it's a fine way of life for me.

Soccer for the Boys

Our son and grandson flew into Denver yesterday. We collected them and brought them to our house for one night. After lunch today this group of three generations drove back to Denver where they will attend a soccer game tonight - World Cup qualifying match between USA and Costa Rica. They are all avid soccer fans and the tickets for this game were hard to find. They will spend the night in a Denver hotel then Wayne will drive home tomorrow (if there isn't too much snow) and our son and grandson will fly home to Nebraska. It is snowing heavily here in Estes and Denver will get snow this  evening too. Soccer players are hardy souls and will play regardless of the weather. My three took warm clothes for sitting in the stands. I know they will all have a wonderful time together.

Florida Vacation

Jenny and family watching the sunset

view from our condo

dolphin watching

Wayne and I just got home from ten days in sunny Florida. Most of that time we were with our daughter and her family on Anna Maria Island on the gulf coast. Our days were filled with beach time, sea food, bird and dolphin watching, reading, and enjoying our time together. Our rented condo was right on the beach of the charming island so it was just a few steps to the sea. The weather was perfect - we had only a half day of rain during which time we played card games.

The only mishap was sitting on and breaking my beloved Kindle which I've had for several years. A call to customer service verified that it was beyond repair. I ordered a new one today and have been assured that all my content will be transferable to the new one. I'm feeling rather lost without it but I have plenty of "real" books to keep me going. My current read is The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing by Richard Dawkins. It sounds like heavy reading but it's actually fascinating and most interesting.

Transferring Images for Embroidery

This is the method I've developed for transferring images from paper to fabric, usually for embroidering. It's so simple and doesn't require an expensive light box.

Supplies
   plastic tub with lid - mine is 23 x 17 x 6 in.
   light - mine is a corded florescent model, the type usually used under kitchen cabinets. It fits easily inside the tub.
   Plexiglas - mine is 20 x 15 in. and balances across the top of the tub
   masking tape - easy release
   binder clips
   plastic ruler
   pen - I use a friction or heat erasable pen called FriXion
   image - printed on copy paper
   fabric

All supplies fit nicely into the tub when not in use.

Method
For this project I cut squares of fabric an inch larger than needed and stitched around each square close to the edges to minimize fraying. Once the embroidery is finished I will cut these squares to the right size using a rotary cutter and square ruler.

I pressed diagonal lines in the fabric. To find the exact center of the image, I used a ruler and pencil to draw a box around the image (you can't see that here) then drew two diagonal lines.

I taped the image to the Plexiglas and, using the diagonal lines, centered it over the image. Using the clip and masking tape I anchored the fabric.

For this project (all straight lines) I used the ruler and pen to trace the image onto the fabric. You could also trace the image freehand. Once the embroidery is finished I can remove the drawn lines with a quick press of my iron.

This is the Ruby Short McKim project I mentioned in my last post. I finished tracing the last of twenty blocks last night and I'm ready to start embroidering.

Skiing for Wayne; Sewing for Me

Wayne and several friends have been skiing at Winter Park since Friday. He calls me each day and reports having a great time. They will be home tomorrow afternoon.

I miss him but I've been busy with a marathon sewing/stitching week-end. I'm in the process of tracing stitching lines on twenty white cotton 9 inch squares to be embroidered in deep blue. The designs are those of Ruby Short McKim which I purchased in book form. Originally published in newspapers in the early 1900's, the Quaddy Quilty patterns were a collaboration with Thorton Burgess based on the characters in his many books for children. Most of the characters are woodland animals with names like Chatterer the Red Squirrel, Hooty the Owl, and Buster Bear. When I've finished the embroidery, I'll sash and border the quilt in blue and hand quilt it.

I've been working on several other projects as well including a prototype of a small wall quilt which Trail Ridge Quilters will sell in honor of Rocky Mountain National Park's Centennial in 2015. I designed a quilt on the computer using EQ6 and submitted my application on behalf of TRQ. I was overjoyed to receive acceptance of our proposal on Friday. Five percent of the profits will go to RMNP Nature Association and the rest to Estes Park Medical Center. I have no idea how many we might sell beginning January 2014 and I'm hoping the committee will allow us to take orders in advance. It will be fun and exciting to do this project.