Good Morning From Arizona!

It`s not summer till next week. Yeah right! Phoenix will be 120 this weekend.  In this part of Northwestern Arizona it should be somewhere around 110.  I`m watering trees and plants more often this past month. What hasn`t turned brown the rabbits have eaten. The baby quail have arrived. They look like peanuts now.  No pictures because I don`t want to frighten them. I killed my first rattlesnake this season two months ago.  There are lots of snakes this year..  

The picture above is beautiful Indian Paintbrush.

My eye surgeries are complete.  Long distance vision is great. I need glasses for close up work, but that may change in the next month.  It`s nice to blog again, drive and sew.

The picture below is my friend from Iowa setting up his trommel so he can run the dirt he brought home from the  desert. The gold and small gravels drop thru the mesh into the sluice underneath. The  water running through the sluice washes the lighter gravels into a tub you can`t see and the gold being heavier than the dirt stays in the sluice box. This is a simplistic explanation.

My husband and I recirculated water in our clean up systems.  If there`s clay in the soil your water gets slick and slimy real fast and the clay dries your hands. After your clean-up (the equipment), you need a really good hand moisturizer so your fingers don`t crack.  Corn Huskers Lotion works  real well.  Make sure your hands are free of potions and lotions before you pan or whatever method you chose to use to clean up. Oils, as on greasy hands will float the gold out of your pan. We  dredged in Colorado, metal detected in Utah and here in Arizona. No matter how you find your gold it is hard work. I loved it!  I got used to scorpions dropping into my lap while sitting in holes. Sitting was more comfortable than standing. I was never stung. 

This wide bush is Mormon Tea or Ephedra. The small bush to the left is Sticky Buckwheat .

Last but not least. I `ve had 20 star blocks sitting in my room for two years. My favorite is the butterfly block below. All the blocks are sewn with different scrap fabrics.  Hopefully this is a quilt I will finish this summer!

 A few more blocks.

Thank you for visiting!  Sam the dog, Mr Cat (the cat of course) and I are happy. I wake up everyday to fresh air,  a sleepy cat on my pillow, beautiful views and the sounds of cactus wrens and quail.  

Cathy

Halloween Haunts Blog Hop! Welcome!

Hello! It`s my turn to share my Halloween Haunts project. Please visit the other folks taking part as well. Their links are below this post.  I wanted a reversible table mat perfect for Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. The pumpkin and floral fabrics were in my stash. I purchased the scarecrow fabric on Etsy.  I`ve been wanting to use the floral print for Christmas a long time. The reds, greens and metallic threads are perfect.  The pumpkin / scarecrow  side is sixteen, 6 inch blocks. The back is one piece. I`ve had that fabric a long time. So glad I was able to use it. The finished size is 22 inches square. 

Thank you Marian, our hostess and creator of this Hop. It`s been fun!

Below is today`s list of participants with more projects to share. Some are sharing tutorials and many are having Giveaways. Thanks for visiting!


Tweety Loves Quilting
Sandy
How Art You
Cate's Place
Feather Your Nest
Why Knot Kwilt

Wednesday October 28
Bumbleberry Stitches
Meadow Brook
Sew Many Yarns
In Stitches & Seams
Seams To Be Sew

Hot,Hot,Hot!

I`m happy to be posting again! Thank you for visiting. Looks like we`ll be 103-104 all week, give or take a few degrees. This is unusual. Last summer was about ten degrees cooler.  Every morning about 5:30 or 6:00 A:M I doing yard work. This week I started to dismantle this travel trailer.

Somebody pulled the  roof staples on the edges for me. I still need to get on a ladder to free the center part of the roof. That`s going to be the hardest part. I peeled  metal and insulation from the front and one side yesterday. I hope to finish pulling off the rest of the metal on that side tomorrow and then attack the front again. The windows are out, the appliance hook-ups, gas line. bathroom and flooring need to come out. I plan to save the frame , putting a 500 gallon water hauling tank on it so I can haul my water again. I`m paying for delivery now and it gets expensive even though I`m thrifty with my water.

I am feeling the effects of the drought now. I hear the acquifers are dropping. This is the first year I`ve had to water my desert vegetation and desert willows. The Joshua trees might have a few years le

left.

 Pictures

This is a Beaver Tail my husband brought home . Somebody was metal detecting for nuggets, pulled out the cactus and left it. The pink flowers are just emerging and should be in full bloom before the end of the week.

This is a Barrel Cactus. Also dug up and tossed. BLM and Park Service frown on that. There are two buds in the center ready to open.  When we were prospecting we never disturbed the plants. We worked around them

Indulge me. Sam was watching me take pictures. He`s my cutie Lab/Dane.

Clouds forming behind the Grand Wash Cliffs. My backyard.

I made an ironing pad last week. My ironing board kept crashing at my feet. Not helpful! I cut binding to match the back side of the pad. The size of the pad is 23" x 23" . A nice size for me. I lined it with  Insulbright and Warm and Natural Cotton batting 

That`s about it.  I`m into 18 months of widowhood now (is there such a word)?  The second year is still hard, but for me somewhat better than the year before. The time goes so fast. Yes it hurts, yes I miss him. We have to go on. God is giving me these days for a purpose and I don`t want to waste the time he has given me. Any talents I have are a blessing from him. However most days I need a good shove from up above.

Thank you for visiting me. I appreciate it.

Cathy

Have A Latte Blog Hop The Complete List

This is Day Two! This is the complete list of Hop Participants. Enjoy! The projects I`ve seen so far are fabulous. Thanks and please visit these talented women.

April 13

Seams to be Sew

I Peace 2-Mary

Janes Quilting

Moose Stash Quilting

        April 14

How Art You?

Stitchin By the Lake

Selina Quilts

Beads and Birds

          April 15

Just Let Me Quilt

Life in the Scrapatch

Grandmamas Stories

Wow I Like That

        

  April 16

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Mountain Stitches

Whims and Fancies

Living my Dream

  17

Creatin' in the Sticks

Lakeshore Stitches

From This to That

A Stitch in time

  April 20

Quiltings by Kathy

Why Know Kwilt

Elizabeth Coughlin Designs

  April 21

Sunshine Reflections

Words & Stitches

It Seams to be Sew

  April 22

Chitter Chatter Designs

Sew Peace to Peace

Everyone Deserves a Quilt

Rainbows Bunnies Cupcakes

  April 23

Cates Linens

Needled Mom

SewWeStitc

Have a Latte Blog Hop Starts Today!

Today`s  and the following three days participants are listed below. This Hop is a coffee lover oriented Blog Hop, lots of nice fabric, talent and I`ll bet gorgeous projects as well. It continues till April 23 which is my day. Mdm. Samm of  Sew We Stitch is the creator of this Hop and Joan of Moose Stash Quilting has kept things in order. Thank you Joan and Madam Samm for your hard work. I will list the rest of the participants on Tuesday. Long Story! Thank you.

               April 13

Seams to be Sew

I Peace 2-Mary

Janes Quilting

Garden Path Quilts

April 14

How Art You?

Stitchin By the Lake

Selina Quilts

Beads and Birds

          April 15

Just Let Me Quilt

Life in the Scrapatch

Grandmamas Stories

Wow I Like That

        

  April 16

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Mountain Stitches

Whims and Fancies
Living my Dream

Precision Deluxe Stitchmatic Electric Sewing Machine

Good Morning. Yesterday I bought a Precision Deluxe Stitchmatic Electric sewing machine. Ten dollars at the thrift shop. I love everything about it. Made in Japan, almost no wear and since it is a Singer 15 clone my Singer short shank attachments and bobbin case fit.  I need to buy a foot pedal. Other than that it`s ready to go.

The last two nights there was  a light rain. The sun is up now making it just right for a walk. The temps will be in the 60'S. I am doing real well and waiting impatiently for the fabric shops to start selling the Have a Latte fabrics. I`m excited about this upcoming blog hop. The button is on my sidebar.

Thank you my blog friends and first time visitors for stopping by. I appreciate it!

Cathy

See You In September Blog Hop, My Day

Thanks to Shari, aka Fearless Leader and Madam Samm, the creator of this Hop, for giving us a platform to share our creations. We are required to make three projects, one showcasing Riley Blake Gingham. RBD was considering discontinuing their gingham line. How silly was that! The medium gingham has been saved. Alas the small and large patterns will be gone. Hey, we still have the medium, which I find just about right for my projects. The other items we made were our choice.

 My last minute pictures were taken in the rain. The remnants of Hurricane Norbert are passing through today and tomorrow. I won`t be covered in dust, a bonus.

I crocheted a warm, cozy  hat with a pom pom on top.  Just for me. The dog carried it to bed a few days ago. A stamp of approval!

A hot pad for my daughter in law. The pad is lined with Insulbright and Warm and Natural Cotton Batting. I`m also going to make her a matching table topper. The fabric was given to me a few years ago. I like the quaint print. I love my daughter in law!

I made this table mat for me.  The gingham is Riley Blake. The print is Moda`s Glamping. It`s lined with flannel and backed with lime green Kona Cotton. I liked working with scraps.

Below is the list of today`s presenters. Please visit them and enjoy their creations.

Susie's World
Needled Mom
Cate's Linens
How ART you?
I Like To QuiltBlog

Quiltscap

I haven`t been able to visit previous posts for this Hop. I promise that I`ll catch up with all of you. 

Cathy

I`m Back!

Thank you Followers and other visitors. For those of you who don`t know what`s been going on I was widowed five months ago. Three months later I lost my twin and her husband in a fire. It`s been a rough ride but I`m having better days and back to sewing. I finished my first project in eight or nine months, a bag for my daughter in law. I always drift to bags. It took me a month to finish it. The fabric was cut two months ago. It`s been hard to sit and I had a short attention span. Sewing for people I love has been wonderful. I am eager to do more.

This is a lined bag with two lined pockets on each side. The print fabric is Michael Miller`s Trailer Travel. The solids are Kona Solids. The tutorial is  Fresh Lemons Farmer`s Market Bag 
The corners are boxed and it`s a decent size.

 The drought is continuing. No wildflowers, none.  My lilacs, rosemary and  pine tree are hanging in there. That`s it for today. Thank you for visiting. I`m okay and I`ll continue to post.

Cathy

Christmas Sewing

Happy to say I`m sewing again. I try to do an hour a morning after the treadmill. Beautiful weather, a little crispy in the morning. Perfect Fall desert weather.

I started a few scrappy little projects for gifts like these little mug rugs. The lion and wiseman prints were won in a Giveaway last year. The green fabric to right is Debbie Mumm.

More of the Christmas fabric I won including the gingerbread print.

This is a nine patch block for a scrappy table runner.

I am busy cleaning up flower beds, grooming dogs and getting ready for Thanksgiving. My son and daughter in law will cook the turkey while his dad I make dressing and pies. It`s going to be a great holiday! I am blessed to have this beautiful family. Friends from Iowa have been visiting . It`s been a great month.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cathy

The Sew & Show Blog. The Door To Blog Hops.

Hi, I`m popping in again. I`ve been so busy with my husband I havn`t had the time I promised you. Wish I had some autumn pictures to share, but no changing leaves here The cactus is always green. Tourist traffic has been heavy with the closure of Grand Canyon and many folks are coming here to see the Skywalk. It`s on the reservation, not in the national park. The Skywalk is open for business.

 Like to sew and share your creativity? Well you must visit  Mdm. Samm, blog hop hostess with a passion for fun and great Blog Hops. That is Madam`s link below this paragraph. I was  new to blog hops and never shared a project online before, sort of on the shy side. I was hooked after my first hop and they can be habit forming. So many  ladies from everywhere on the globe share their talent.  Sew & Show sums up what the Hops are all about. The fabulous cheerleaders are essential to keeping our fun organized. I hope you try something new. Share you sewing talents with fantastic people. It`s all fun and a goodtime. 

Thank you so much for visiting. I appreciate it. And don`t forget to visit the Sew & Show Blog.

Arizona Pictures and what`s been happening!

Hello. It`s a lovely desert day.  A friend sent me these wonderful scraps and fabric samples. How lucky am I! They are just right for my craft show projects. See the bundle of zippers? I bought a lot of 25  from  Zipit Zippers , a great Etsy shop. Huge selection ,good customer service, really good prices and fast shipping! I`ve been so busy and sometimes a little tired so am just now getting started with my sewing. 

  Now I`ll share a few pictures of our Arizona beauty.  It`s cooler, 50`s in early morning, and we have an unusual resurgence of yellow flowers and green mountains.There was lots of flooding and it brought our desert back to life.

 This is about ten miles from home. We never have smog, once in a while smoke from fires. You can`t see them but there are hundreds of black and yellow caterpillers crossing the road

 The tree to the left is a Cat`s Claw and it sure matches that description. The white flowers are gourd blossoms. It is Datura. I don`t know the name of the yellow flowers. They make  the landscape glow.

 On the back side of all this green is a dry lake bed, Red Lake. It`s a little mucky and soggy from all the rain. Lots of car commercials are filmed on that lake bed. If you happen to drive by when they are filming you can see the cars smashed up in the process of filming the commercials. Movies are filmed out here too.

 The hills are not normally that green, or green at all.

 More Datura, sage and flowers.

Almost home!

Thank you for visiting.. I heard geese going south last week. Made my day. Bless you all,
Cathy

Giveaway Wins and A Blog Hop.

Come On Rain!

This is a look at the lake (Lake Mead) a few days ago. Storm clouds produced a few scattered showers.  No rain at my house but a downpour a half mile down the road. Baked two pound cakes and a tray of dog biscuits this morning. Too hot and humid but things have to get done. The dogs circled the stove as the biscuits baked and are now circling the table where the biscuits cool. One dog is quite tall and can clean up the table in a second! It`s a reminder of our Great Dane, Sinbad Samson, who nabbed  an Easter Ham from the stove top and ate well.

I finished my HO HO HO Blog Hop project. It`s a secret.

And-I won two Giveaways!

Thearica at  PigTales and Quilts had a super Giveaway to celebrate her daughter`s birthday. She made a beautiful Tammy Bag including a change purse and a sweet drawstring bag holding tasty mints. Her pictures are nicer than those I took. This bag will hold an unbelievable amount of items. I use mine to keep my shopping organized. You can buy the Tammy Project Bag Pattern HERE

I won a $20.00 Fabric Worm Gift Certificate as part of Clover and Violet`s ongoing Season By Hand Series. This was pretty darn exciting for me. Wow, fabric money! I chose this custom fabric bundle. I am fond of old travel trailers so I adore Michael Miller`s Travelin` Thru fabric. The rest of the bundle are perfect blends.

I will shop at Fabric Worm again. It`s an easy to navigate site with lots of great fabric and superb customer service.


Finally had rain yesterday. More lightening than rain, but a drizzle is better than nothing.  Temperatures are cooler too.

I`m hoping the fires in California subside very soon. Too much tragedy in the West this summer. And there`s a lot of summer left. I hear this one was man caused. I like long jail time for arsonists. Firefighter`s, families and wildlife are at risk. Yep, long jail time in a hideous prison.

That`s about it. Thank you for visiting.
Cathy

Quilt Pattern Question

Good Morning everyone! Still hot and humid, but any day I can put my feet on the floor is a good day! I`ll start with the quilt, an indigo quilt with provenance.  A few years ago this lovely quilt was handed to me to sell. Hand stitched, every bit of it. A set decorator quickly bought it. I`v been kicking myself a lot for not buying it. The heir is a close friend.  The pictures are small but you can still appreciate the beauty. Is there a name for this pattern? The pictures will enlarge when you click them. The quilt pics won`t get too much larger.

Now on to the houseplant. A neighbor gave this to me, no idea what it is or how to care for it. I looked online but didn`t find any information. I will add that the "root" looks like a bulb or possibly a corm. It seems to like some shade. The underside of the leaves are purple. The one my neighbor kept has thick stems and she keeps it on a side table near a window but not in direct light.  I want to thank everyone who answered my questions about the philodendren.

I miss my daily walk outdoors. The humidity affects my breathing, so I use my  treadmill every day. I guess that sounds odd but it`s the only room with space. It`s set up near a window providing a breeze and it`s turned a little so I can watch TV. I walk a half hour every day at 2 mph. I`m trying to build the speed and distance. Walking makes me feel good in so many ways.

I won a great giveaway at Pig Tales and Quilts. Thank you Thearica! I think I spelled that right. I`ll post more about that later.

A picture of the drive to the Skywalk. It will be paved soon. The faint road to the right leads to homes on the mountainside.

Thank you my friends for visiting. I appreciate each and everyone of you.

Cathy

Vintage Hexagon Crib Quilt

This is the best day I`ve had in the three weeks since learning I have asthma. I don`t like staying indoors but my allergies are intense. Lots of pollen and dust. While avoiding the dreaded pollen I`ve been  making another tote bag for my DIL. Hand quilting the sides today. Should be done by Saturday. 

I`m doing a short re-post today about a very old hand quilted Hexagon Crib Quilt. I love this little blanket purchased at a yard sale. It is made from scraps.   We were friends of the family. The gentleman selling this precious quilt had been recently widowed. I think he charged me $3.00. I offered more but he wouldn`t take it.

Isn`t it splendid! I`m pulling lots of UFO embroidery projects out of drawers. Embroidery is so restful. I``ve had so much fun these last couple of days quietly hand stitching. Thank you for visiting. I appreciate it.

Cathy

Ah, Sweet Return To Blogging!

Hello Followers and readers new to my blog.  I`m glad to be back, finally having  energy to do what I love. This is the first day I`ve had any real  enthusiasm since the allergic asthma came along. My lifestyle has changed for the better except for wearing a mask outside and when I clean house. I eat better and get extra exercise trying to keep my house clean. We have had high, gusty winds that drive fine sand into the house.  The drapes are going and I`m using easily washable throw rugs instead of carpet. The Neti pot needs a post of it`s own, haha!

 My first project is  a few mug rugs for my sister in Pennsylvania. I`m making the binding, using scraps given to me a few years ago and  they are suitable for my little rugs.

I washed them in a sink this morning and decided to hang them in the fresh breeze. They were dry in five minutes. Sister`s mug rugs will be finished later today after which I`m finally going to finish a vintage Bucilla Dogwood quilt top. It`s a full size top that cost me $3.00 for the complete kit.  That was a steal.

My sis is my twin. We "lost" each other for 40 years and she found me on Ancestry. I now have nieces and a nephew. Life is good. As for the asthma, it`s a bump in the road. I take it seriously and I continue to move on like others do. I miss my walks outside and use the treadmill because of that darn wind. Anyway, thank you for sticking around. I can`t wait to return to the blog hops!

Our local National Natural Joshua Tree Landmark. Lots of Staghorn Cholla in there too.

Have a pleasant day!

Cathy