Hi!

I'm a dabbler in many, many kinds of crafts.
You name it, if I haven't tried it,
I've wanted to.

Currently, I'm about to cut out the pieces of a quilt square 
for the NOCC memorial quilts.   Not familiar with NOCC?
I'll post a link below. 

It's going to be a variation on the traditional Puss In The Corner
pattern.  The variation is that I plan to applique a cat silhouette
in one of the large white squares and a dog silhouette in the large
white square opposite.  We'll have to see how that works out.   
My web page design skills are rudimentary right now.  When I've 
mastered my new ftp (file transfer program), I'll post a diagram 
here.  Maybe even, when it's done, a scanned picture.  

The basic color scheme will be blue and white, with the appliques
fabric from my stash.  They are fabrics I dyed during a class in 
fabric marbling a few years back.  That was a lot of fun,
and I love the look of marbled fabric.  But it does require some 
specialized materials and a big block of time and space.  An ideal
craft for a workshop or class situation.  But not terribly practical
for a lone, sporadic worker in the field.

The square will be in memory of a young woman, just a few weeks older
than my own daughter.  Like many women, her symptoms were vague and 
perhaps a bit ambiguous for months.  By the time she and, even more
her physicians, took them seriously, it was too late.  I have heard
that story too many times!  Her mother posted such a moving, grief-
stricken letter that I volunteered to do a quilt square in her memory.

So time to get cutting!   







March 25, 1998

Hmmm!  Since typing the material above, I got sidetracked.  That
never happens to you, does it?

Naahh!  

I made my granddaughter (she's six-and-a-half, in the first grade,
and very intelligent--of course) a skirt and a sunbonnet.  She had to
"be" a famous American, and chose Susan B. Anthony. Two days of work 
for about 3 minutes of class time.  But then, I've always wanted to 
make a sunbonnet.  It turned out to be extremely simple.


 Also, we got involved with making a paper mache bowl.  Did you ever
try to explain to a six-year-old the concepts of 'horizontal' and
'vertical' when applied to a curved surface?  Take my advice: 
don't bother!

Next time I go down, we're going to paint the bowl.  Oh, goody!

We also will make jello Easter eggs.  She's terribly excited about 
that.  (To tell the truth, I'm kinda looking forward to it too.) ;>}




April 6, 1998
The bowl turned out rather well, and we had a lot of fun painting 
it.  She says she is going to give it to her best friend; time will
tell.  Next bowl we make will have a base; a section of paper cup can
be incorporated early in the paper mache process.  She now has a
burning desire for grown-up brushes!  The little brush that
came with her water colors is kind of limited, I must admit.  And of
course, I didn't let her use my expensive, good brushes.  (Mean old
grandma!)  There is a birthday coming up; we also saw a children's
craft book in Sam's  Club Saturday.  Why do I have the feeling that
it will be easy to shop for birthday presents this year?

 
The Jell-o Easter eggs were a success, as well.  You've probably seen
the molds in the grocery store.  My daughter-in-law had a set from 
last year, but they didn't have the interior embossing this year's
version has.  The designs that makes are rather attractive.  Tips:
let the first layer of jello sit longer than the directions 
recommend, and use very contrasting colors.  Blue and green
together are attractive, but a bit subtle for children's tastes.

My Crafty List of Links