Edna and Albert

I noticed that there were two spiders living between the screen and window in our bathroom a few days ago.  I am sure their names are Edna and Albert, don’t you think so?  Every day the two of them are there just hanging out but usually one is near the top of the window and the other is near the bottom.  In this photo Edna is on the back side of the screen and a little larger than Albert who is on the blinds that are between the window and screen.  Albert seems to be a little out of focus though, sorry Albert.

Normally I would not let them stay but have not taken off the screen for a while and vacuumed the dirt, webs and sorry to say the spiders too.  One good thing is that they can’t escape into the house so for right now they can stay.  I need to clean the windows one of these days so maybe I shouldn’t have found out their names as it always hard to vacuum up the neighbors. 

This afternoon Edna (I presume it is Edna as I have read that female spiders are larger than the males) was just walking towards Albert presumably to have a chat about maybe changing their living arrangements but he must have not liked the look in her eyes as he took this defensive pose and didn't want to listen to a word she was saying.  You know most spiders have 4 pairs of eyes so he had a lot check out when he looked into her eyes.  He stayed like that giving her an evil look with his front legs extended and must have said a few stern words to her as she stopped her approach and thought the situation over a bit then high tailed it to the other side of the window as quick as can be.  I wonder what he said….I just don’t speak or understand spider language but know his tone indicated he was not happy.

I am thinking Albert is tougher than he looks but it might be that I am not sure there is anything between the window and screen for them to eat and maybe, just maybe Edna was thinking Albert looked a little tasty.  I have also read that female spiders often times eat the males after mating so if that is the case, Albert’s days just might be numbered.

Have a good day,
Lynn

Quick Pillowcases

Finished making the three pillowcases I cut out this weekend.  The guild I belong to is making the pillowcases to be donated to our local hospital.  They will also be counted in the American Patchwork and Quilting 1,000,000 Pillowcase Challenge.  The hospital gives pillowcases to children that are hospitalized and this is a small hospital so this is a doable project for our guild.
I chose to not put an accent strip on my pillowcases so just had two pieces of fabric and cut the body 27” and the cuff at 9”.  Next time I think I will cut the cuff a couple of inches wider.  The cuff is OK the way I made it but maybe a little narrow.  Next time I think I will cut the body at 26” and cuff at 11”.  This cuff measurement might not seem right to cut it 11” and to cut the body at 26 but remember that the cuff is folded in half.  If I increase the width cut of the cuff 2” to get one more inch of finished cuff I need to reduce the body by 1”or the pillowcase might be too long.  You don’t have to come up with your own patterns as there are many patterns out there on the web for pillowcases but I think anything goes so long as it fits a pillow and would be comfortable to lay on.  Lots of patterns can be found on the American Patchwork and Quilting 1,000,000 Pillowcase Challenge web page so check it out.

I constructed my pillowcases using the sausage method – here is a You-Tube video that shows the process.  Love that the finished pillowcase has no raw edges as they are all enclosed.  Pull up the video or follow the photos to make this easy pillowcase.  This first seam is 1/4”.

		Sewing the Cuff to the Body VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

The most amazing thing about making a pillowcase this way is pulling the body out of the cuff after this first seam is stitched.  I press the seam toward the cuff making sure I don’t have any pleats on either side then top stitch close to the edge of the cuff.  Since I am not using the accent strip the cuff tends to roll back and the top stitching will keep it flat after laundering. 

		Turning, Pressing and Top Stitching the Cuff VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

At this point I trim the selvage edges off the pillowcase, square up the raw edges on the end and pin it right sides out, yes that is correct RIGHT SIDES OUT.  The side and bottom seams are stitched as a French seam and to do a seam this method you need to first stitch 1/4” seam with the right sides to the outside.  Match the cuff edges and seams and be sure to back stitch at both ends.  Your seam will be an L shape as you will turn the corner at the bottom and stitch along that edge too.  Clip excess fabric from the corner to reduce the bulk then turn it inside out.  Using a point turner push out the corners.

Trim Selvages, Pin, Stitch Seam and Clip Corners VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Press the pillowcase flat making sure the seams are pushed out all the way.  Stitch a 3/8” seam encasing the previous seam, making sure to back stitch at the beginning and end.  You have more bulk where the cuff meets the body of the pillowcase and sometimes the machine foot doesn’t want to climb over it or takes a giant stitch after the bulk.  To help with this problem I use a plastic tool that came with my Bernina machine and put on section of it partially under the back edge of the foot to help support it when I am starting to stitch over the bulky seam and under the front edge as I am leaving the bulky area.  If you don’t have something similar that came with your machine you can find something else to do the same job, maybe a piece of cardboard or plastic – anything to raise the foot to the same height as the highest part to keep your stitching even and the stitching moving along.

Pressing then Sewing the Final Seam VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Here are the three pillowcases folded and all ready to be taken to the October guild meeting.  They took so little time and fabric and will hopefully put a smile on a child’s face.
I want to share a story about buying the fabric for the pillowcases.  I was shopping for inexpensive fabric at the Joann’s store for these cases and lots of other sewers were shopping that same day. (Remember I told you they are having a liquidation sale at the store near me.)  Another woman with two small children was also going round and round the isles of fabric like I was and her cart had lots of bolts that she wanted yardage from.  We got to talking and I told her what I was looking for and what our guild was going to do with the pillowcases.  She told me “thank you” and that she had a handicapped child that had been on the receiving end of a pillowcase once and that it meant so much to the child and to the rest of the family to think a perfect stranger had done something like that.  I am sure it was not the hospital we give to but another facility somewhere but it is nice to know they really do make a difference in people’s lives. 

My challenge to you if you have not done any before is to make a couple of pillowcases and find a worthy cause to donate them to.  It will make you feel like in a small way you have helped to make someone’s life a little cheerier, their day a little brighter or pain a little less.   Make sure you register the number of pillowcases you donated to your cause on the American Patchwork and Quilting 1,000,000 web page to help them reach their goal.  You don’t send the cases to them although they do have a list of charities on the website if you don’t have one in mind already.  They just want the number made..as I finish typing this there have been 306,265 pillowcases made for charity.

One last note – I want to have 4 more cut out and waiting for my 4 grandchildren to stitch.  They are ages 5 to 11 years old so the older ones can probably sew them without much help and I can help the younger one but he loves to sew and always wants to use the machine when he is here.  None of them live close so I will have to wait for them to visit then we will get them made.   I want them to feel good about making something for a sick child and giving it away with no strings attached.  This will be fun for them and fun for me to help them.

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Until Later,
Lynn

Easy Quick Meal

I just hate to stop what I am doing and make a meal if I am in the middle of a sewing or quilting project.   I have several quick easy meals that I can whip up in about 10 minutes and they taste good too!  Here is what I made today – Tortellini with chicken and Alfredo sauce and green beans with bacon.
I buy the fresh tri-colored cheese filled tortellini at Sams or Wallmart and keep a package or two in my freezer most of the time ready to use at a moments notice and today was such a day.  Here are the all the ingredients in the main dish, all kept in the cupboard or freezer to be ready when needed.The first thing I do is put on a large pot of water to cook the tortellini then I started the sauce.  Chop the onion (I only use about 1/3 of one onion for one can of chicken), cook in about 2-3 teaspoons of oil until onions are soft, add a can of drained chopped chicken, chop it up a bit more with the spoon then add the jar of Alfredo sauce.  My favorite brand is Bertolli.  Yum….it smells so good while it is simmering until the rest is ready.  The pasta only needs a few minutes to cook and then it will be drained and ready to serve.

  

  

I also served green beans cooked with chopped bacon.  I also keep a package of pre-cooked bacon in the freezer so took a couple of slices out and chopped them up and added them to the green beans.  I did start the beans when I started the water for the tortellini pasta so they could cook a few minutes to get the flavor of the bacon infused into the beans.

Normally I would have something for a salad but didn’t have anything on hand but John and I enjoyed the meal the way it was.  It was very flavorful and hearty and for me was quick and easy.

Do any of you have recipes that your go to when you need a quick and easy meal?  Please share as I would love to have a few more I can rely on.

Lynn

End Of Summer

My purple coneflowers are so pretty I hate to think that one of these days we will get a frost to kill them and all the rest of the summer flowers so I am enjoying them while I can.

Lynn