Flower Centers

I didn't get much done yesterday but look at this new block and ponder leaf fabric selection and flower center selection. I did choose to use the brighter flowers, chose a different fabric for the large leaves, then looked at my choice for centers.

The gold fabric I thought I wanted just was too dull, needed something with a little more spark to it so cut out a brighter orange/yellow center and laid it on one of the flowers - much better. Look at the photo above - the flower on the left has the first choice and the one on the right has my final selection. Also changed the fabric for the larger leaves as I found a bit brighter fabric that also gives the basket block a little more life.

I really enjoy the fabric selection process so didn't mind cutting out all the leaves over again and removing the fused centers and replacing them with the better choice.

In case you might be curious this is how I place these small applique pieces for fusing.

I use the long tweezers that came with my serger and a stiletto to place the pieces and move them into the correct position. I do however cut them out holding onto the fabric. I like to use a micro serrated pair of scissors by Elan to cut the small shapes out. I can clip off areas that need smoothing with these scissors too as they grab the fabric as I am cutting so can cut just tiny bits if I need to.

Have the basket of flowers fused to the background now and have started doing the buttonhole stitch around the different parts this morning using the silk YLI thread. So far so good but have to run an errand this afternoon so won't get it all done until later.

We have 31 calves now - had 6 on Sunday and 5 yesterday and only one so far today. If they keep up this pace we will be done soon. Of course there are always some that are late every year.

The wind is really blowing hard again today only this time it is from the north west plus it is cold, cold cold! The corn shucks that blew out of my flower beds on Sunday are back again today. Will be glad when everything greens up and crops are planted to keep those pesky shucks out of my flower beds.

We are lucky though as some areas of Nebraska are getting a doosie of a snow storm. Just talked to my brother in central Nebraska and they had an inch plus lots of wind so it piled up in drifts. Think the north part of Nebraska was predicted to get 5 to 8" snow plus the high winds - YUCK!!! I want it to be spring.

Back to the sewing machine for a little more stitching before I have to leave.

Lynn

Not Glue

I want to clear up a misunderstanding a couple people have had about how I am attaching these tiny applique pieces to the background. I am not using the Elmer's School Glue on this project but using a fusible paper backed web. Since I am doing the buttonhole stitch by machine I don't worry about it being a little stiff.

Better get to town and get another gal. of milk and a few other groceries. Am making Chili Soup for supper tonight. Cold day today so it should taste pretty good.

Lynn

Bright or Dull?

I started working on another block yesterday - same basket of flowers but different fabrics. This one is going to be made into a quilt for me to keep. Figured while I was at it I should do it right away or I would never do one for myself. Cut all the pieces and arranged them then decided I needed to try a brighter fabric for the big flowers. The whole piece looked really dull with the first flowers so hope I sparked it up with a brighter pink.

Here are the two blocks, one with the dull flowers and one with the bright flowers. The colors are not exactly right on the computer but you get the idea. The basket is a dark purple batik. Even if I used the duller flowers I would re-make the upper flower as two of the petals are too dark - they don't even show up as part of the flower.

What do you think - bright or dull?

This piece of batik fabric was my inspiration for the fabric choices. May use a little of it in a border or just use it on the back. The print is small enough scale to use in the piecing so may do that...who knows will just have to see I guess.

Trying to get this block fused this morning as I want to do a little tidying up this afternoon. Daughter A is coming this evening with our two granddaughters - can't wait. They are so much fun and it has been a while since we have seen them.

It really got cold yesterday but we didn't get any of the predicted snow, however the wind blew all day and is still blowing so the cold temp. feel even colder. I almost laugh when I say the wind is blowing now after that horrible wind we had last Sunday and Monday. What we are having now seems a mere breeze!

Yesterday we had 5 calves born and there were two new ones this morning. That brings the total up to somewhere around 16 or 17. I was asked about our cows and for our area in the mid-west we have an average size cow herd with our near 100 cows. The cattle are beef cattle not milking cows so any milk the cows produce goes to feed her calf. We keep the calves with the cows until Dec. then wean them off the cows. Since the cows are pregnant again this gives the mother a time to build up some extra reserve before she has her new calf in March/April.

The weaned calves go into a lot by themselves and John feeds them until we sell them in January at the sale barn to a larger feedlot where they feed them to butchering size. The calves need to learn to eat out of a feed bunk. Most of them have been out in the cornstalks since we brought them home from the pasture and were eating grass as well as cow's milk all summer so they don't really know what a feed bunk is. Some catch on right away and some others it takes a while. We have hay for them in a feeder all the time too. The calves of course don't want to be away from their mothers and bawl and bawl for several days and nights, plus the cows are bawling too so it is quite noisy around here for about a week.

Guess that is enough about cows and calves for today.

Until later,
Lynn

Other Block Finished

I finished doing the machine buttonhole stitch on the second block this afternoon. Actually it was the first block I made and decided the value was not good so made another one. This block does look better with the stitching done but still like the other one better as it is not so "matchy, matchy". Think I will keep it and work it into one of the auction quilts I need to make though as it is still nice enough looking especially after the buttonhole stitching was done.

To remember what it looked like before the stitching I posted a photo of it below. I did add a few more leaves, flowers and buds after this photo was taken though.

Now I need to plan for sure how I will finish these blocks into quilts. I will probably be working with my EQ6 to get it all worked out before I sew. That is what I do for most quilts even if I make some changes as I am going since it helps me to start out with a general plan.

We did get some rain yesterday - pounding rain that came horizontal. It didn't last long though but settled the dust. This morning we had a few flakes of snow and it is windy again but nothing like yesterday. It is much colder today too with the high only in the low 40s.

Until Later,
Lynn

Stitching Finished

This block now has all the stitching done. I wanted you to see how much the stitching added to the different pieces so loaded a before and after photo to this blog.

Happy Quilting,

Lynn

No More Knotting Threads!

I just had one of those TA-DA moments I had to share with you. Up until this time after I have stitched my buttonhole line of stitching and ended it, I have been pulling the top thread to the back and tying the two threads into a double knot. Have been doing this with the beginning threads too and it is really time consuming to stop and tie knots all the time. Since I am using silk thread and small stitches I really didn't want any of them pulling out.

While stitching, stopping, and tying knots over and over this morning I was thinking there had to be an easier way to keep the silk threads I am using on the buttonhole stitching from coming undone besides tying knots.

What I tried and it worked was doing a tiny straight stitch up to the point where I wanted to start buttonhole stitching. This stitching is done right next to the applique on the background fabric and will be covered by the first buttonhole stitches.

I then turn the fabric around with the needle in the fabric and switch to the buttonhole stitch. Do the buttonhole stitching to the end of the line, turn my work and switch to the tiny straight stitch and go back over the line I just buttonholed for several stitches. I try to keep this stitching right over the other stitching next to the applique on the background. I probably stitch back over about 3 to 4 stitches then cut my threads.

My 730 Bernina has a place where I can program in the settings for the stitches I use most so have these two stitches programed. I only have to press the icon for the stitch and it switches it from buttonhole to straight and it keeps all the settings for width, length, needle position, etc.

This has saved me loads of time...that is why I wanted to share it with you. Probably lots of people already do this but it was new for me.

I did some simple drawings to illustrate my method and posted the photo below. Click on it to make the larger.

Thundering now - maybe we will get some rain.

Happy, Happy Quilting Today,

Lynn

Machine Buttonhole Applique With Magnifying Lens

Had a chance to sew for a while yesterday and got some of the machine buttonhole stitching done on this tiny applique. I am using YLI 100 wt. silk thread and it is working great. I have the red flowers and their centers to applique yet plus want to do some thread work to make centers for the small periwinkle flowers then the block will be finished. By the way the bobbin sitting on the block is to give you an idea of the size of the block and applique I am working with.

I do love the magnifier lens set I purchased to go with my Bernina and use the .7 lens to see the small stitches on this applique. For those with Bernina machines I have the buttonhole stitch width set at 1.2 and the length set at 1.2 so it is very small and hard to see. I guess I should say as my eyes age the really tiny stitching is hard to see so these lenses are just the ticket for me!

This next photo is of the machine set up to do the stitching with the .7 lens attached and the one following it is without. You can see a how much it helps - in person it is a little more clear than the photos too. Also want to point out I use the #20 applique foot from my old 150 machine. The #20c that came with this machine has just a little too much space between the toes for me when I am working on miniatures. In fact I use this #20 foot almost exclusively when sewing miniatures. Since I do a lot of paper piecing I can see where I am sewing with this foot really well.

I backed away a little for this next photo so you could see how it is attached to the machine. There is this metal hook kind of thing that sticks out from the left hand side and the lens screw slips into the hook. You tighten the screw and are set to sew.

I had one of those hook things on my last machine and didn't know what it was for, now I know.

I hope to get this block finished and do the machine buttonhole on the block I first rejected. The stitching may make it better, who knows.

The wind is really blowing hard here today as it was yesterday and the dirt is going with it. It is awful outside and I am hoping I can stay in all day today and not go anywhere. Sometimes the stronger gusts are blowing dirt so thick it almost obscures the barn from sight from the house - reminds me of a blizzard. The weather report says we are supposed to get some rain this afternoon so I hope we do to help settle the dust. The wind is even blowing dirt out of my flower beds. They need water to help keep the dirt where it belongs but I sure don't want to get out to do it today.

Will put some music on to drown out the noise of the wind and get to stitching.

Happy Quilting to you all,
Lynn

National Quilting Day

Happy National Quilting Day,

Let's Celebrate!

Quilt Guild Meeting

We had quilt guild last night but had a change of program because our speaker, a good friend of mine, got the flu. She called me around noon as she couldn't get hold of the program chairman of the guild to let me know she just was not going to make it. She did however give me the name of a friend that was willing to come do a program for us instead.

After making repeated calls to our president and VP with no answer I called another member and asked what I should do. We both agreed I should call the lady and see if she would come that night.

I called Gloria Hall who also lives near Lincoln and she graciously agreed to come and do a program for us. What a wonderful thing to do at the last minute - she said her friend Bonnie would do the same if the tables were turned. That is the sign of a true friend!

Anyway, Gloria came with her grandson and gave a wonderful program on quilts in her collection from 1800 - 1950s. She had done research on a lot of them and had great stories to accompany the quilts. If you are ever in need of a great program consider Gloria Hall. She has gone to Japan twice to teach and lecture and has lectured all over the US so I know she will travel. Check out her website here. She collects and sells quilts so check them out on the website too - Grandma's Quilts

Better get off the computer now and get ready for my lunch guests. My friend M had a birthday yesterday so I invited her and another friend over for lunch. The lasagna is made and the house is clean so just need to get myself ready.

Happy Quilting,
Lynn

Spring Calves

There is nothing more cute than baby animals of any kind! We had our first calves yesterday morning and this cow pictured below had twins! The twins do not look like each other and are different genders too. One is a black white face and the other is a reddish brown with a white face. The mother is a red Limousine/Hereford cross and the bull is a black Limousine. The little reddish brown one was a little confused and was nursing on a cow that wandered up to check out the new babies yesterday afternoon. The curious cow just stood there and let it nurse. Of course the mother was a little confused too so John got the new family in the barn to let them get to know each other better. This is the 3rd time this cow has had twins. She had a single last year but twins the two years before.

The photo below is of the other twin - both were napping near their mother when I first went out to see them in the afternoon.

Happy for signs of Spring!

Lynn

EQ6 Setting

This is the photo I showed in my last post. I printed the ring out from my EQ6 program exactly the size I would use, cut out the inner circle and laid it over my actual block to see what it would look like.

This next photo is a print out from EQ6 in color. I played with the setting and to actually see what it might look like I put a copy of a photo I took of the block above and in EQ6 I used the set photo tool then sized it to match the size of the oval. The white corners of the photo covered some of the piecing so I couldn't get a really good idea of how it would look so took it one more step.

First I moved the correctly sized photo to the side of the quilt in the program then printed a couple of copies of it in color. The print out has both the quilt plan and the photo to the side. These printouts are not the same size as the original but the block is sized to be nearly in scale with the piecing so that is OK. I cut out the oval from the inside of the quilt then cut out the photo that was printed to the side and placed it under the cutout and taped it down. Ta Da....A fairly good rendition of my idea.

One last thing I did with these paper quilts is that I quickly cut out some of the flowers from the other copy and taped a group of them in the corner to see what that concept might look like. I really like the general idea of this quilt now so will work on paper piecing the oval to start.

Not sure if I will have a chance to sew unless it is later today if at all. I need to make a lasagna to put in the refrigerator for Friday and am also making some enchiladas to take to a friend today plus running to town for groceries, doing a little house cleaning.....you get the idea, too many things getting in the way of sewing.

A good friend from college is coming here to do a trunk show for our guild meeting on Thursday night and staying at my house until we go to the workshop she is doing for the guild on Saturday. I have asked two other friends over for lunch on Friday so the Lasagna will be for that. Like to cook things ahead of time if I am having company as it makes the kitchen stay neater and I won't feel rushed on Friday morning that way either.

The enchiladas I will take to a friend that just got home from having a double mastectomy. She is a young gal only 38 yr. old. (By my standards anyway.) The lump she found did not show up on her mammogram last fall and again in Jan. Luckily her Dr. had an ultrasound done and then a biopsy to determine that it indeed was cancer. Guess this kind of cancer is undetected by a mastectomy and the Dr.s said it could likely show up in the other breast at some later time so advised a double mastectomy. My friend agreed. She will be undergoing chemo in a few weeks too. Besides the food I am taking a few of my DVDs and a couple books to her. Her mom will be here this week then she has to go home to Minnesota so will try to go see her as often as I can.

One granddaughter called me yesterday to ask me what my favorite season is. I told her spring....love the smells and the greening up of nature. She had to ask 10 people what their favorite season was for a school project. Think they were learning to graph. Always fun to visit with the kids!

Lynn

Second Tiny Basket of Flowers

I have been working on another hopefully better version of my basket applique. Today I pulled brighter red for the large flowers and a periwinkle for the small flowers plus used light green fabrics for the leaves. The only fabrics the same on the two blocks are the basket, flower centers and background fabrics.

I placed the two blocks side by side for this photo to compare. I know the leaves look a little bland on the newest block but I intend to embroider veins to give them more distinction and some stems for the small flowers and leaves.

This next photo was taken with the black and white option on my camera. You can see all the leaves and flowers on the new block on the right. Again the stitching on the new leaves will help them show up better but do like the values of the different fabrics on the new block vs the first one I made.

I'm working with my Electric Quilt program to design the setting. This is one idea I have come up with so far. It would be an oval of paper pieced points surrounding the applique. If I use this I might do some applique flowers in the corners....not sure yet. I usually play with several ideas before I settle on one. Maybe I would do the ring with two shades of green fabric that kind of blend to minimize the sharp points. Don't want this border to distract from the applique.

I did get outside some today just to walk around the yard since it was so nice. Temps. were not quite as warm as yesterdays 80 F. but were still in low 70s. Warm weather sure gives me spring fever. I got some of my flower beds cleaned off yesterday and hope I didn't get in too big a hurry. We could still get some bad weather in March.

Our cows are supposed to start having their calves any time now. John checks them several times a day but so far none yet. Can't wait as they are so cute when they are little. Will keep you informed of our new arrivals!

Happy Quilting,
Lynn

Tiny Applique

Here is the block I worked on this weekend. As you can see from the ruler how small it is so definitely was tricky to cut the pieces. I do like the design I came up with but not sure about the fabrics - too bad I got in a hurry and fused everything down already!

I think it is too matchy, matchy for one thing and another the dark leaves against the basket don't show up if you are over a foot away. The values of the different fabrics are just too close together. Forgot to get out my value finders when I was working on it.

For those of you that don't know what I am talking about I will explain. I have these two Plexiglas pieces, one red and one green. You hold them in front of your eyes and look at your project. The theory is that it takes the color out and you just see value.

I took the next two photos with the value finder over my camera lens. The photo is not exactly what I see but you get the idea. If you notice, the green filter makes the dark green leaves disappear on the basket. The values of the flowers are also too much alike too. Will keep this block but will work on another to see if I can make it better for the miniature quilt I am planning.

Happy Quilting!

Lynn

Western Meadowlark

Yesterday morning I heard a very distinctive bird song so looked out the front door and saw a Western Meadowlark sitting in a tree in our yard. Made me think of spring to hear it singing. I don't know if they stay around all winter or not - don't remember seeing them but according to this website, Nebraska is supposed to be a winter site for them.

It was really singing and was staying put in the tree so grabbed my camera and zoomed up as much as I could to get it's photo. Was hoping to get it with it's beak open singing but that was not to be as it flew away after my first shot.

The photo is a little grainy as I cropped it to get a close enough picture of the bird. The original shot even with the 6x zoom was still quite a distance away as you can see from this original. It is amazing how close you can crop and still get a photo close enough to recognize even if it is a little fuzzy.

Worked on a new quilt project yesterday and will get photos posted after I crop and get them sized. I like to crop my photos at 800x600 which makes most of them 100K to 200K. Figure my free photo allotment on Blogger will last longer if I reduce the size of the photos. So far I have only used 5% and have been blogging almost a year. Are the photos large enough when you click on them to see what you want to see or should I be making them larger?

Still thinking of spring - temperatures are supposed to get into low 70s today. YAY! After last weeks below freezing days this is heaven.

Lynn

Purse Fixed

In my last post I showed my saggy purse and today you can see the fix. The change doesn't show up in the photos as much as it does in person. The original posts about making the purse end with this one that shows the original purse just after I finished it. Over time the interfacing was just not stiff enough and softened up to make it un-attractive as well as very saggy.

Yesterday while my grandsons played I ripped and got it ready for more re-enforcement. I cut iron-on batting to fit both sides of the front and ironed them in place. Sounds easy but with the lining still attached to over half of the purse it was a jostling mess trying to turn it on the small sleeve board to get it attached.

I stitched over the original seams to hold it in place and maneuvered it under my machine presser foot and did a little machine quilting on the areas I could reach to hold it together better.

Tucked the lining back inside and cut a piece of the plastic needlepoint canvas to fit the bottom and inserted it inside the purse. Stitched it to the bottom seams then turned the lining back inside where it belonged. Did my hand stitching to close the opening then top stitched it around the top of the purse. It seems to stand up better now so hope it holds up after using it.

While I was in the fix it mood I decided to make a few other improvements on this purse. The strap had also gotten "wimpy" and kept folding up so I added a triple strip of fabric with batting fused to the back. Edge stitched it then re-stitched the other lines on it to help secure it. Like the feel of it better now. The strap was a little too long before so shortened it before I stitched it back on the purse.

The last thing I changed was to rip off the Velcro and use a magnetic snap on the flap and purse. The Velcro never did hold and the hook part of it was always snagging something. I had to put a patch on the flap with the snap attached then quilt on the lines that were on the front of the purse to hold it securely.

Took a little time to get it all done but I do like it better now. The lining is a little ripply but it will just have to stay like it is but from now on I want to add the iron-on batting to my linings and do quilting on them to make them just a little more sturdy.

Had a great time with my grandsons yesterday. The little one is just so much fun to listen too. He has more stories to tell and they are all long and involved and so funny but I dare not laugh at him as he is so serious.

C was glad he got to come along too as he didn't have school yesterday. Know he would have felt bad if M got to come see us and he didn't. He is only in kindergarten but has gotten so tall lately. I should say tall and skinny! S says she can't find jeans to fit for his long legs and skinny body. He has gotten used to baggy butt jeans and wears a belt to hold them up with even the slimmest of slims.

The weather has warmed up some today and think it is up to 45-50 this afternoon. Feels so good compared to the freezing temps. we have had for the last week.

Not sure what to work on next so you will have to stay tuned to find out.

Lynn

Purse Fix

Look what my batik purse has done - it is saggy and baggy! The double iron on interfacing was not stiff enough to hold up so today I am going to take the lining out and try to "stiffen" it up with some iron on fleece.

I know, I know, what a PAIN! If I didn't really like this purse I wouldn't be doing the repair work, but it has been fun to carry and I love the fabrics.

My two grandsons will be here by 10 this morning so plan to take it to the basement with a seam ripper and do the nasty part of taking it apart while I watch them play.

S is coming down to help her dad move our cows from the stock field they are at now back here. The cows will be starting to have calves in a couple of weeks so want them home to watch more closely.

John and S, along with some friends will be moving them the 5 miles on horseback. Will be a chilly job today for sure. The temperatures are only supposed to hover around the freezing point all day. Will try to get a photo or two if I can of the process but the boys and I may just stay home and wait until they get here.

My kindergartner grandson C has the day off so glad he can come along too. He would have been very disappointed to have to go to school if his brother M got to come down here and he didn't.

Better get off the computer and get ready for my cuties!

Lynn

Ready To Go Shopping!

I finished my new purse last night and I love it. I did make a few changes from the pattern though. I added another outside pocket, made the straps longer, used a snap closure instead of the button and loop and did not add the bows on the sides.

I left the bows off as I am really a klutzy person and knew I would probably catch them on something and rip them off. What I did instead was take tiny darts on the sides to make the ends fold in when closed.

I like the inside pockets and have them divided up for the different things I always carry such as my cell phone, tiny address book, a pen, etc. I have one larger area I didn't divide up and it kind of wants to hang open so think I will add a loop and button to that pocket yet.

Notice the quilted lining - I LOVE IT! What a nice thing to look at when I open my purse each time.

I covered two layers of plastic needlepoint canvas to lay in the bottom for support. It is light weight and you can stitch through it too. I did cut the corners off on an angle to keep them from wearing a hole in the corners of the insert or bag. I have seen purses/bags carried that have had the corners wear out because of the stiffening material they used in the bottom.

Since I like to carry my purses over my shoulder I lengthened the strap length from 20" to 28" so I could carry it over my shoulder even over a coat. The original length was just too short for me.

Today is really a dreary day out. We have been getting a light freezing mist last night and this morning. Must not be too icy out yet as the traffic going by on the highway is moving along. The sand/salt trucks were by early so that helped I am sure.

I really have to chuckle when I say "traffic" though. We see several cars/trucks go buy each hour, yes I said hour. That is really not traffic in any sense of the word compared to city or well populated areas. That is OK with me as I love living here in the country in the middle of the United States where our population is low!

Want to sew more today but haven't decided what yet - will let you know.

Lynn

Previewing Quilting Designs

I am trying the technique from Carla's Feathered Fibers blog to plan the quilting for the front of my purse. You can see and read how she does it on the following blog entries, here, here, here, and here. Plus photos of other quilting designs drawn for two other of her quilts here and here. Her work is exquisite, both the designing and the execution! She uses Photoshop to do the drawings but I used Photoshop Elements and it worked but my designs are very crude compared to Carla's. I would think you could even use the Paint program or any other drawing program to try this technique.

I first took a photo of the purse front then downloaded it to my computer, opened it in Photoshop Elements and used the Wacom tablet I have to do the drawing as I just have a little better control using it vs the mouse when drawing. If I didn't like an idea I had drawn I would erase it with a click of the Undo button and try another.

This was very beneficial for me and I could see (despite my crude efforts) what my ideas might look like on the actual piece.

Now to get it quilted - have played on the computer long enough.

Lynn

Mini Bow Tucks Purse

Don't get me wrong but I was so glad when the party we had at our house was over on Saturday night. I enjoyed having everyone and had a good time but had been so anxious to get started sewing on something since it had been such a long time since I had touched my sewing machine. I just knew if I got a project out during the week I would have a gigantic mess to clean up as I am not a neat and tidy sewer and didn't want to have to do that so restrained myself and kept the machine covered and the fabric put away....sigh!

What a good feeling Sunday afternoon to pull the fabrics and pattern for the Mini Bow Tucks purse out and get started. I got all the pieces cut and the fusible batting ironed on the pieces that needed it and started quilting the bag lining. I showed the fabrics I selected for this purse on this blog entry.

The pattern said it didn't have to be quilted much but since I had been away from my machine so long I decided the lining to my purse was going to be heavily quilted. As you can see from the two sides below I do need more practice as there are lots of jiggles, wayward stitching lines and non-uniform shapes. I decided this was the inside so what ever I quilted was going to stay and just enjoyed the process. I quilted a feather design on one side and bubbles on the other. The quilting thread I used on these two panels is King Tut color # 930 on the top and Bottom Line color # 653 in the bobbin - both are by Superior Threads.

Now to quilt the outside of the purse today. Don't think I will do as much quilting on those pieces as the fabrics are busy patterned fabrics and the quilting wouldn't show much anyway.

I am so happy to be home now and sewing!!!!!!

Lynn

Trip Highlights

Finally stealing a little time this morning to post a few photos of our recent trip. We started by driving towards New Orleans where John was a voting delegate at a convention. Our first sightseeing stop was at Vicksburg, Mississippi to see the Vicksburg National Military Park. We only spent a half a day seeing the monuments and areas where the fighting took place during the Civil War but it was very, very interesting. Standing on ground were so many men died was sobering and the gray misty day helped set the mood. My husband is one of those people that want to read everything, and I mean everything written in a museum so he could have spent days there.

Before you look at the next photo I want you to know these are not tainted beads. I caught them during a daytime family parade so didn't show any of my body parts to get them. We were in New Orleans the first weekend of Mardi Gras and got to see a couple of parades - at least I got to see the parades. John was in meetings during the day times so missed out on them but there were a couple of other friends I hung out with and we took in the sights. A fun time but guess you have to be from there to really "get it".

Some cousins that live down there took me to see the Laura Creole Plantation west of New Orleans. Again John didn't get to go as he was in meetings. I loved the history of the place and seeing how they might have lived.

No trip to New Orleans would be complete without riding on the Street Cars. My friends and I got pretty good at riding and transferring between routes.

Guess that is all for now - I am really playing hooky from what I should be doing which is getting ready for a pot luck dinner at my house tonight. I need to mop my kitchen floor and dust the furniture yet.

Maybe will get to start sewing next week - I hope!

Lynn