Autumn at Last!

 

I have been absent for far too long. Frankly, I just didn't have it in me to blog. This has been the most brutal summer I can remember, or maybe I'm just getting older! At any rate it WAS a tough one. 

Thankfully it is over now and we are enjoying (SO MUCH!) cooler temperatures and a rain shower now and then. 

I've got autumnal decor out, and we have some new baby chicks! That always makes me happy. Mr. Muddling has succumbed to their charms as well. LOL! They are just so cute!

We have a lot of mustard greens in the garden both for the older chickens and the littles. They love them!

The feed store gave Mr. Muddling that Wizard of Eggs sign the last time he bought chick starter feed. They eat a LOT! 

 

In my last post, I told about a quilt I had made for the USO. Well, they are not getting it. My friend Sandy's son wondered if we might have one to give to an employee of his who was being deployed to Israel. Of course! We gave him that one and promised to pray for him. Sandy and I were both so glad to have one to send with him.

 

 

I finished this one, called Leftovers, a strip club pattern from Cozy Quilt. It was quite easy once I got my brain synced with the instructions!  Honestly, sometimes it takes a while. Plus, my quilting machine decided to misbehave resulting in my having to unstitch a large row of quilting and redo it. Always interesting, isn't it?

Anyway, I got it boxed up and Mr. Muddling took it to the post office. It is on its way to Wisconsin to a pastor there. I hope she likes it!

 

I had a surprise package recently. A blog friend send me a lot of fabric she will not be able to use. I will have to live a long time, but I'm surely going to try to use it all up!

I hope you're having a wonderful day and that things you are working on do NOT misbehave! In the midst of all our challenges, God is still and always faithful. Thank God, we can count on HIM!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

Still

 

We are still here and it is still very hot. Nevertheless. You know, nothing is forever. These days with both their good parts and their bad will pass. In the meantime, we will continue to do the same things we always do - our best!

The garden has been such a blessing this year. Although we have not had a huge harvest of vegetables, we have had a massive amount of zinnias, and they have been so pretty out in the garden and in here in vases. We have enjoyed them tremendously.

Right now the cleaning crew is taking care of clearing the area. And in the process, they are getting rid of whatever insects may be lurking in there!

 

 

And this is just part of our crew! They look like they mean business, don't they!

 

I have completed another quilt for the USO Lounge. This one will go in the next batch. I had some parts to this one left over from a similar one I made earlier which you can see here.

 

The border, backing and binding are all the same blue and white print. 

 

 

I finished this little Christmas panel, too. I had a lot of fun playing with small designs in the quilting of it. This one will be displayed here for Christmas.

 

There have been many of these units made recently. I started this quilt, I believe in 2018. It is Bonnie Hunter's "Blue Ridge Beauty" from her book Adventures with Leaders and Enders. This is the only place I can find I mentioned it here.  If you look at that blog post you can see that I had already made a good many of the blocks. There are still a lot to make, but they are easy blocks!

I hope you are not having too difficult a time with your weather. I've been praying for the people who have been impacted by the terrible fires all over the place lately. My heart aches for them.

We ARE living in perilous times right now. But our Heavenly Father knows all we're going through and He is always watching over us. He is a very present help in time of trouble! 

My thoughts and prayers are with you, too!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

 

Five for the USO

 

This is the first of three that my friend Sandy made for the USO. Isn't it pretty!

 

Here is the second. I love how she set this one and the smaller tumblers really shine here.

 

This is her third one. You just can't go wrong with a patriotic color combo for these service members.  We really appreciate all they do and sacrifice to serve our great country. 

 

This one I made I already showed.

 

This is the other one I made, also already shown. 

These five new quilts should make the volunteers at the USO Lounge at our local airport happy. Sandy and her sweet husband will be delivering these.

 

I've been working on this Christmas panel. I'll show the completed project soon.

 

I've had a little personal drama. I thought I had a tooth needing a root canal and had that scheduled. But the Saturday before it was to happen I awoke to a rash on the left side of my face and in my left eye. I went to Urgent Care right away and discovered I have a case of shingles. Mr. Muddling and I both had the immunization several years ago. Nevertheless. 

Things we had scheduled have been cancelled and I'm thankful for plenty to keep me busy inside. 

It's too hot to be outside for any length of time anyway!

 

I hope you are having a wonderful beginning to your week and more happy days to follow. God is still on the throne and all is well!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

Another Red White and Blue

 

I finished this one the end of July, just haven't found the energy to post about it before now.

 

I've made this design several times  before. Mary Johnson is so generous to share her patterns and directions, including those that use the Accuquilt fabric cutter dies. This one is very easy and makes a striking, I think, patriotic quilt. It will be going to the USO Lounge at our local airport.

 

I would call it controlled chaos out there, but obviously it is not very well controlled! I'm just thrilled we've been able to keep alive as much as we have. It has been very hot and dry here, but that is nothing new. Still not fun, but thank God for air conditioning!

 

We have three of these little bird baths at strategic locations in the back yard. The birds need all the help they can get. 

 

I hope your weather is not unbearable and that all is well in your corner of the world!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

Three Cheers for the Red White and Blue

 

Another quilt for the USO Lounge at our local airport is ready! Half square triangles are such fun to use.

 

I backed it with this blue print and bound it with the same blue in the quilt.

 

I tried to be so careful getting all the bits lined up correctly, but somehow between the design wall and the sewing machine.......some of them ended up in the wrong spot! Rip it out and do it again. You know the drill. But it is done now, and that makes me happy!

 

Lots of pretty things out in the back yard. We have more zinnias this year than we've ever had. Of course they LIKE the hot, dry weather. The rest of us - not so much. 

Last year, I just tossed the spent zinnias back into the garden and behind it and in other spots, too. It worked really well this time! 

I noticed a vine running rampant in the garden that I did not plant. I decided to leave it alone and see what happened. Yesterday I noticed the cutest tiny watermelon growing! No idea if it will actually grow up to be a big watermelon, but it will be interesting to watch anyway!

Isn't it funny how things sometimes work and other times do not work at all. Sort of like me! LOL! But we do have fun, and enjoy life's good surprises. God is still good all the time and for that I am extremely grateful.

I hope you have a good weekend and find things that surprise you in good way!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

Anniversary Quilt

 

We made a little trip recently to join the celebration of our cousin's 34 years in ministry. Of course I had to make a quilt for her!

 

She is such a pretty, dainty lady and these fabrics seemed just right for her. (She likes red, too!)

 

I really love how it came together. I had several ideas, but this one is the one I chose, and I think it worked out well!

 

As always, I am so thankful for my quilt machine! I've had it for a while now, and I have never regretted buying it. Or being thankful for my sweet Mr. Muddling being with me every step along the way. It does help to have a cheering section!

 

I used this golden print as backing and bound it with the same solid red as the borders and sashing.

 

 

It did look mighty comfortable out on the patio, but she is enjoying it in her home!

 

 

We've had temperatures of near 100F (or more) every day for a couple of weeks, and it's not over yet. So far everything is staying alive. Matter of fact, it looks rather like a jungle in spots! We do have rain barrels and are thankful for that added resource in these hot days. 

I hope all is well in your part of the world. I know I've been absent for far too long. Somehow, I just couldn't seem to get to it. I have another quilt to show, but we'll let that wait for later!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

Catching Up With Mrs. Muddling - That's Me

 

First of all I've finished Mr. Muddling's quilt. Yes, I know, it does seem as if he gets a lot of quilts. He does. And we like it that way. 

 

Here are some process shots. I had started with nine patches of lots of reproduction fabrics. Then it grew. What I've neglected to show is that I backed it with a mottled brown flannel. Nice and comfy, cozy!

 

 

Here are some of the pretties out in the back yard. On the lower left is a shot of one of the many bunches of muscadine grapes on the vines growing on the chicken yard fence! There are things growing in the vegetable garden, too, but no pictures yet.

 

 

And, I've been having fun playing with lots of things inside. I recently bought this pretty sewing machine on the upper right. This was made in 1953 in Japan. It is in such good condition! I cannot wait for Mr. Muddling to get it in good working order so I can play with it.

I recently discovered a blog called, Gone to the Beach, and on an Easter post she showed some of the prettiest decoupage eggs. I had to get some paper mache eggs to try my hand at it. Results lower left!

The lower center is another experiment - waterglassing eggs. Seems its a preservation idea that's been around for a very long time. Fresh eggs (of which we have a surplus at the moment) are submerged in a water/pickling lime solution. There is a very good success rate (100 percent, they say) up to eight months, and maybe even longer! There are lots of videos on You Tube. Chickens tend to lay a lot in warm weather and not so much in colder weather. 

Lower right is a mini quilt I made from another design of the brilliant Sheryl Johnson of Temecula Quilt. It has not yet been hand quilted, but I'll get there sooner or later.

You may have noticed that I like to play. A lot.

I hope you are having fun playing at whatever gives you joy!

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine

 

I Have the BEST Friends

 

First of all, I'd like you to meet my friend, Peggy Martin. Isn't she a lovely rose! I bought this one a few years ago, but this year, she has outdone herself in beauty and abundance of blooms. Miss Peggy is named for the woman in whose yard she survived Hurricane Katrina. You can read about it here. I do love a good story, don't you?

 

I have completed another mini quilt designed by Sheryl Johnson of Temecula Quilt Company. I think I have been well and truly bitten by that bug!

 

Lots going on outside around here, and I love it. I only wish I had more stamina to do more! Mr. Muddling got the garden tilled last week and there are a few cucumber plants trying to get big enough to climb. Still a lot to be planted, but it's a start. Don't you love that sweet little lamb? The cows in the pasture are at a farm where we buy fresh-from-the-cows-milk. They had a tragedy of a business fire a few years back, but now they've rebuilt and are back in business! I am really happy about that. We bought some of their grass fed beef, too! There were barbecue ribs tonight!

 

This quilt will be headed to Mr. Muddling's cousin this weekend. The colors are exactly what she requested and I "happened" to have the fabric, thanks to my friend Deb, who had sent me that perfect fat quarter pack of fabric a while back! Aren't friends wonderful? I am so thankful.

 

 

There were leftovers which will turn into another quilt for our local airport's USO Lounge. It is being made by my friend 

Sandy! As I said, I have the best friends!

 

I am so glad to count you as my friend, too, if you are a reader of this blog. I hope you have many friends to bless you, as well!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

King Size Batik Quilt

 

I finally finished this king size batik for a friend of ours. And she liked it. Which is a very good thing!  I had finished the quilt top quite a while ago, I just couldn't seem to get myself to do the quilting. But I finally did, and I am so glad!

 

I really like how all the colors and patterns played together. It is a free pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting called Juxtaposition. Super easy to make and a good way to use up some of those batiks I've been hoarding for so long!

 

Meanwhile, here at Muddle Manor some of the things that are making me really happy (Left to right, top, and then left to right, bottom):

Spirea (or bridal veil) in bloom, a little owl our daughter Mary made for me many years ago sitting on a little twig chair, resin bird on nest, our redbud tree in glorious bloom, the cutest little fawn on my bookcase, the first dogwood bloom of the year and last but not least, Dinah on the back of the porch swing on our patio. She had been afraid of that swing forever, but obviously she has overcome that! Good girl! 

 

This is what I'm working on now. I've a long way to go to make it as big as I want. I think I'll need sixty blocks. I have thirty-six so far. It IS fun to see quilts grow and evolve.

 

Houston has decided that it's time for Spring, or maybe Summer, so that's what we're having this week. Next week, who knows! We've been working outside, and there is a lot to get done out there. 

 

I hope it is wonderful where you are and that you are having lots of fun. I believe in having fun!

 

Praying for you all!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

Ah, February

 

February is not my favorite month. The excitement of Christmas and New Year's have passed and it is still cold. It has been very rainy here, which we needed, so I'm trying not to complain. (But it is a muddy mess!)

Anyway, I try to create things inside to look at that make me happy. Sometimes the smallest things can make a huge difference in my attitude.  

 

The paperwhites and the new growth on the dogwood are very encouraging outside. Even artificial flowers are a mood enhancer. Most of the plants we rescued from the cold are still imprisoned on the patio. And yes, there is still a lighted Christmas wreath in my sewing room. Small handwork keeps me busy inside, and there have been lots of seeds started in pots outside. The little rabbit with his heart shaped balloons just makes me smile!

 

 

This is what I'm working on the sewing room now. I started with nine patches of mostly reproduction fabrics. I made a lot of them and put them up on the design wall. Blah. So, I added some triangles to make square in a square blocks. Better, but still not there. So, I added more triangles. I don't know if this will be IT or not, but we'll all find out sooner or later!

 

And THIS is what happens when my renegade chickens break into Ruthie's Garden - CARNAGE! Sheesh! Those were carnations.

 

Oh, well. I've tried to save what I can and there will doubtless be more flowering plants to replace them. Gardening is a never ending adventure. I remain optimistic!

 

I hope you remain optimistic, too. There are always tough times, but there are always good times, too. We just have to hold on until they get here!  And trust the good Lord who has never failed us!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine 

 

First Finish of 2023

 

I quilted this one in December, but never got around to sewing the binding on until January, so we'll just call it 2023. This quilt started off as a pattern from Mary Johnson who is so generous with the quilt patterns she creates. I decided to add in some sixteen patch blocks for the fun of it. I like the secondary pattern they create.

 

I used a red print for the backing and a solid red for the binding. It will be going to the USO Lounge at IAH.

 

It looks pretty comfortable on the patio swing. 

The shelves behind hold plants I'm attempting to save from the cold. The arctic blast is gone, but usually we get another cold weather in February. 

 

I've been working on a little quilt and trying my hand at hand quilting. Not impressed with my needlework so far, but surely I will improve!

 

 

Mr. Muddling and I moved the little greenhouse to the other side of the back yard. New Year, new ideas for organization, and I hope more productivity out there!

 

I am always encouraged seeing the stubborn persistence of plants. That poinsettia at the top left is from Christmas 2021. I left it outside all year until the cold came, and it is still trying to produce big flower bracts. Chickens are always endlessly amusing! Paperwhites have grown from bulbs newly planted and are blooming, and the Althea (Rose of Sharon) is already putting out new greenery.

And then there are Buddy and Lady - taking it easy and trying to stay warm when it was so cold. 

 

Life is still good. God is still on His throne, and there is still always reason to hope and to move forward with courage!

 

Hugs and kisses,

Elaine