Here a pin, there a pin

I can hear someone saying - Where have you been young lady?  I have had my nose to the grind stone.  As Vice President of one of the guilds,  the President and I wanted to give each of our members a little present at our Christmas party.   She made ornaments and I made pincushions. And some members got potholders. 

Funny - how much we think alike - We both made a spool for one of the members.  :)  

I used Wooly flannel for the background and then did wool applique and did the blanket stitch by hand on them. Then I filled them with walnut shells and polyfil.  

 

On one hand 20 pincushions may not seem like a lot to show for a little over a week, but considering that a lot of it was hand work I'm feeling pretty good about it.  

Today I want to start quilting the Scavenger quilt. I know I said I was going to do that a week ago - but that got interrupted - Today - I really really want to start on that.  I'll let you know. 

Blessings - Lynn

Rolling Rolling Rolling

I feel like the little engine that could, chugging along being very focused on my tracks. 
I've been working on all the SNR Projects to have my samples done that I need to for next year. Continuing on with our seasonal "Block of 2 Months" Here is the summer project. 

I now need to sandwich it and quilt it and will hopefully be doing that this weekend.  

Next on the agenda will be the fall project - I already had the background together on this and finally got my other pieces fused on. 

Speaking of fusing - I've been using a different fusible and until this project, I have really liked it for cotton, batik and wool.  However for some reason it is not holding. I am planning on using the top stitching  as part of the quilting and as I stated above, I plan on doing that this weekend.  Good thing before the pieces fall off.
Then I already have this one pinned and ready to quilt.  

That will finish up the 5 projects for next years BO2M.  

I also got this pin cushion scrap bag made for the gift exchange at the Party.

And, I also got the scavenger quilt sanwiched and pinned - then realized that there were puckers in the back and had to un-pin and re-pin.    Rrrrrg.  

 But it is now done and ready again so that will be the next thing to get done.  Or actually maybe the first thing since it needs to be done by Dec 13th.  Hmm I may need to adjust my schedule.  :)

We have got a lot going on for the group, as President and Vice President we are also giving each member a little gift.  She has made Wool Ornaments for each member and I am giving pot holders and pin cushions.  So in between all the quilting I am working on the pincushions.  

Oh ya busy time of year for sure.    What do you have going on? 
Well I hope whatever you're doing you're enjoying it.  
Blessings, 
Lynn 

A Hero honored but never Met... Great Great Grandpa

A Hero honored, but never met, my great great Grandfather. Frank C. High, earned the Medal of honor May 16, 1899. 

 My Mom whom was still alive at the time and I were flown from Salem Oregon to Ashland on a Navy Jet for the Ceremony to dedicate the VFW Hall in honor of Frank. 

This Plaque in the top left of the picture below is on a podium outside the State Capital in Salem Oregon.  

 

The showcase pictured at the bottom of the picture above is in the Ashland Oregon VFW hall that was dedicated in his honor. 

 

My Mom, Sister and I.  Mom is holding the statue that was part of the display set up for Frank.   

My Mother was quite fond of Grandpa High.  I however never knew him.  But I'm proud that he did whatever he needed to do to fight for our country.  

Thank you to ALL who serve to protect our country.

The below article was written back in 1998 and gives more information about Grandpa High. 

Ashland man still a hero 100 years after Spanish-American War

By PAUL FATTIG
Posted May. 16, 1998 at 2:00 AM
Updated Feb 16, 2011 at 7:33 AM 

Frank C. High earned the Medal of Honor 99 years ago today.

ASHLAND -- To most folks today, the name Frank C. High doesn't ring any bells.But to Maj. Dave Stuckey, training officer for the 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry, of the Oregon Army National Guard, the name commands a 21-gun salute.

What he did at the bridge, with insurmountable odds against him, it's just incredible, said Stuckey, 35, who each day passes by High's name and photograph under glass at the Ashland Armory.

Ninety-nine years ago today, High earned the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration for gallantry.

Pvt. High's mettle was tested on a burning bridge in the Philippines on May 16, 1899, while serving as a member of the 2nd Oregon Volunteer Infantry on the heels of the Spanish-American War. The unit was part of what evolved into today's guard.

The soldier was among 22 scouts who charged across a burning bridge, under heavy fire and completely routed 600 of the enemy who were entrenched in a strongly fortified position, according to the official citation. Next to the photograph of High with his pencil-thin mustache hangs the gold Medal of Honor with its sky blue ribbon.

High, who was 91 when he died in Ashland in 1966, is the only Southern Oregonian ever to win the medal, observed Christian Hald, a retired medical doctor and local military historian.

It's an extremely rare award -- it's not a medal that is easy to come by, said Hald, who, as a combat infantry officer during World War II, won two Silver Stars for bravery. In addition to being a doctor, Hald retired as a colonel from the local guard unit where he now holds the title of honorary colonel.

Of the 12 Medals of Honor awarded to Oregonians since the medals were first issued in the Civil War, only three were given to living individuals, Hald said, adding, The rest died because of their valor.

High's daughter, Mae High, a nurse who worked with Hald at the Ashland Community Hospital for about 30 years, gave Hald the medal and certificate of award about 10 years ago. Hald gave it to the Armory, where it could be displayed.

Although High was born just across the state line in California where his family had a ranch, he joined the Oregon volunteers in Jacksonville, according to a 1966 article in the Mail Tribune.

High was among many Oregonians who marched into the military at the outset of the Spanish-American War in the spring of 1898. Their patriotic fever was sparked by the sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor.

The war would be brief, ending on Aug. 12, 1898, with the United States receiving Guam, the Philippines and Puerto Rico as part of a peace treaty.

To beef up the army, President William McKinley called for 125,000 volunteers nationwide. Part of Oregon's mission was to provide an infantry regiment that was designated the 2nd Oregon, in deference to the 1st Oregon that served in the Civil War.

Most of the Oregon volunteers didn't go to Cuba. Instead, they were among those shipped to the Philippines, where Commodore George Dewey and his sailors quickly defeated the Spanish navy.

Although the volunteers easily routed the Spanish troops, they encountered another enemy: Filipino freedom fighters.

In February 1899, Filipino insurgents attacked American troops around Manila, triggering the beginning of a 10-year guerrilla war.

That spring, the 1st North Dakota Infantry was ordered to eradicate insurgents from their stronghold near Manila. A civilian named Henry Young organized an elite scouting reconnaissance force that included 16 men from the North Dakota unit and four men, including High, from the 2nd Oregon.

The scouts were deployed ahead of the main column, often drawing enemy fire.

The scouts encountered the Filipino fighters on May 13, and Young was mortally wounded. Three days later, the scouts discovered that the insurgents had set fire to an important bridge near San Isadoro.

Because the river could not be forded, High and the other scouts dashed across the burning bridge into a hail of bullets. Supported by the 2nd Oregon, the scouts led the fight to remove the Filipinos from their dug-in positions.

High, for whom High Street in Ashland is named, was among three members of the 2nd Oregon who would be decorated for their actions. In June 1899 the Oregon volunteers sailed back to Oregon.

A lot of people today don't have a sense of history, Stuckey said. But in the military we have a little better sense of forgotten campaigns and battles.

When you see that medal, you have to be impressed, he added.

UFO Busting

It was a little late coming but the UFO Buster number for the month with All People Quilts is #9.  For me that means "Henrietta Whiskers".    I am hand piecing this quit and you can read more about it by clicking the name above. 












When I started working on this at the beginning of the year I only had two blocks done.  



And Part of block 3  - 

So last March - I finished Block 3 

And got Block 4 done. 

 Then I got the background of block 5 sewn together, ready for the applique.  

And the pieces cut out for block 6 - 

So this is where I will start this month.  Doing the applique for block 5 and sewing block 6 together and doing the applique on it.  Hopefully I will be able to do all this and several more blocks.

As always I'll keep you posted.  
Blessings, 
Lynn 

Quilting Along

The last couple of days have been very productive.  I have 3 small quilts that need to be Quilted for the SNR Guild Sample for next year.  I think I've already told you but hey I'll tell ya again -  next year instead of a Block of the Month to go along with the monthly workshops, we are having 5 - 2 month projects.  They are seasonal wall hangings, Fall, Winter, Spring, Summer and a Flag.  I wrote about it here also.  
Here's Spring just needs the hand sewing of the binding.  

I often use matching thread when I quilt - but I have to say the quilting looked really neat from the back.   Hopefully you can see it.  

Can you see it better here? 

And because I was on a roll I started on my next one.  

And before I started on these - I made this new travel bag for my Hubby.  

Today I want to start quilting this - 

Hopefully I can get most of it done too - then I need to get busy doing bindings.  

Have a Blessed Day - Lynn 

October Finishes and November Wishes

Let me state right out of the gate - I had a wonderful visit with my Sister.  We didn't do any extraordinary things, she helped me get ready for the craft fair and I helped her make a couple of gifts and we just spent time together enjoying each other - that was awesome.  

This was right before we went to an early dinner at Bubba Gumps.  

It was wonderful.  She and I had the Jambalaya and my hubby had the Fish N Chips.  

I definately need to go back there again.  But now it's time to see how I did on my goals - How did I do?   Well it's time check in and find out. 

October 2016 Goals 

1.  Craft Fair Items - Due by 14th.  Additional Dolls, Trick or Treat Bags and possibly pot holders.  Goal Met!

2. Bee-utiful BOW - Complete the remaining 3 blocks. 

Well - I only completed one!  Goal 1/3 Met.  :) 

Still need their stitches!  

3.  SNR Guild BOM  Work on making more of the samples.  

  Goal make 2 of the 4 remaining blocks. Goal Met

4.  CRQ Guild - Workshop - Flower Block (pictured above)  Finish the flowers. 

This got put on the back burner.... 

5.  Retreat - I change my mind on this alot and sometimes it doesn't go as planned.  Possibilities:  The Kimberbell Table Topper I've been wanting to make for the last 2 months.  LOL   

Here's what I got done on this:   

Here's a little close up.  

 And the eyes on the material are glow in the dark so my friend gave me some glow in the dark thread to quilt it with.  I was having a really hard time getting it to show up on the picture but here are the best shots.  

And as I said - plans change or my mind changes on what I end up taking and working on at the retreat -  Next will be Raggedy Ann and Andy.  You  can read more about my motivation and where this started by clicking    Raggedy Ann here.   

Here's how I did on it.  

6.  Sister's Visit Projects - She wants a box pouch for herself.  

Next - she wants to make a box pouch for a present.  So we'll work on that. 

And she wants to make a mixer cover like the one I made her for a present for another friend.  I'll be posting pictures of our progress on that. Goal will be to complete these so she can take home.  She will be bringing fabric for them. 

Goal Met!

Here are the Box Pouches we completed:  The red one is hers. 

We made an extra one of those and not the mixer cover. She doesn't need the mixer cover for a present for a few months so we decided to wait until she is back in Decmember to work on that.   

7.  APQ - UFO  # 8  This is "Folk Art Gathering". 

Beginning Status - 

With all this other I have no idea if I'll have time to work on a UFO - But lets give it a try.  Goal is to make progress.  The circled area above are the blocks I got sewn the last time I worked on it.  Here is a post of where I left off.

Goal Met - Progress Made!  

 I  appliqued 3 of the pennies that are in the bottom right of the picture above.  

Then I sewed them together: 

Then I worked on getting the top border together and prepped for the Angel that goes in the center:

Then I sewed little square in a squares together: 

They go on the left side of this row - which I got sewn together: 

Then I sewed the circle and star on the bucket in the middle of this next row and sewed them together: 

I sewed the 3 rows I assembled onto the quilt. 

 I also have a couple more blocks done: 

The Cat kinda looks like an owl - but it is primitive.  :)

Circled below are the area's worked on other than getting the rows of blocks I had done or mostly done sewn together.  The angel block is prepped and ready for me to applique.  The cat on the bottom left is done and the pumpkin block on the bottom right is done.  

8.  CRQ Guild Workshop - Lone Star Block - Goal Start.  

This goal is off the list.  AKA - Not done and won't be.  :)  

Some other stuff came up on the day of the workshop and I was out of town.

9.  Two of the 3 additional dolls are already spoken for.  One wants pink and one wants Red, White and Blue.  Goal: Get the extra doll done for the Craft Fair and start on the other 2.   Goal Met!

I had two Mickey / Minnie Mouse Dolls and they both sold.  I can't believe I didn't get pictures of them after they were all put together.  

Bonus

B1  - Work more on the military charity top and try to finish.

B2  - Work more on the dish towels and pot holders.  I made pletny of Potholders!   

Recap:   How did I do?  6 Met,  1 Not,  1 took off list,  1 - 1/3 done.  Pretty good I guess.  :)  

November 2016 Goals

1.  SNR Guild Scavenger Hunt blocks:  I got them assembled into a flimsy yesterday so goal will be to sandwich it and start quilting.   

2.  SNR Guild Projects - Need to quilt the samples.  Minimum Goal - Quilt 2. 

    

Quilt the Flag

Quilt the Flower Pot Sample

Quilt the Snowflake Sample

3.  SNR - Make the Summer and Fall Project Samples. 

4.  Gifts   -  Little Wallets, Scissor Fobs, Ornaments, and Dish Towels.  

5.  SNR - Christmas Party Gift.  Make something - I'm thinking of one of the scrap bag pincushions - Goal Get Gift Done.    

6.  UFO  # _________    Make Progress.  ( Not sure why but they still have not posted the random number - will update when I get)

7.   Military Charity Quilt - Finish the backing and Sandwich. 

Here's the top.  

Here's part of the back. 

I'm sure I have plenty on the list - however there are a couple more things I want to accomplish this month if I can.  So call them Extras or Bonus.  

B1.  U of O Duck Throw Quilt for a family friend using fleece and cotton.  Waiting for material to arrive in the mail.  It will look similar to this:  

B2.  Work some on the Bear Quilt.  After having my Sister here we were able to come up with some ideas on were to go from here so now I can do a little more work on it.  So I'd like to make some progress of some sort on it.  

Extra 1.  Keep stitching on my Bee_utiful QAL  Blocks.  Still have 2 left. 

Extra 2.  Finish the Buttermilk Basin "W" Block and the Final Block. 

Extra 3.  Stitch more of the "Farmhouse Threads"  Blocks I fused over the Summer. 

Well I think that's good for now.  I better get at it.  

Blessings 

Lynn