Birthing at the Deercamp

A Deep Camp Get-together birthed a Relay for Life Donation Quilt, 2007. This Texas themed quilt will be raffled to raise much needed funds for Cancer research. The Wacky Pac Quilters each produced blocks. WOW, did it turn out great? I say it did! I plan to buy many, many tickets. Hopefully many more will also. If you would like tickets email me and we can exchanged snail mail addresses www.sewhappy10000@yahoo.com .

The following photos are the Wackies present and other projects they worked on during the weekend. I spent my extra time cutting fabric squares for my OLD BAG SWAP (See Posts). The picture at the bottom shows a "little problem" that occured. Never had this happen before. I use a thread stand and when my thread broke, I examined my thread and found that it had wrapped all up in my machines fly wheel and machine motor. I still don't know how this happened. It was so nicely wound--really neat and nice. Who knows. Only me--this could happen to only me. The hightlight of the day on Sunday was a visit from Jeri. She dropped by on her way home from Compass Centre. She ate lunch and shared some chocolate cheesecake and Rasberry Tea. A little conversation and she was off in the the afternoon sun.
{The remainder of the Wacky Pak group was attending a retreat at Compass Centre and one is Moose hunting (we will not go there LOL) Good Luck, Kathy L., using your moose call!}

A FLOWER FOR A FRIEND

A flower for a friend. She died Monday night in her sleep. She was 56 years old. She had no apparent health problems, but did not darken a doctors door for checkups and such. You know, one of those people who does not go to the doctor unless sick. No cholesterol check, no blood pressure check, no mamogram----nothing. She woke her husband up in the night breathing heavily, an unusual sound for her. He called a son and 911. She soon died before anyone could get there. She has a single daughter, a married son and two small grandchildren. She led a very active life. A real estate agent and very active in the community. The autopsy report is not in yet. I will let you know what is found out.

A wake up call, ladies. Visit your doctor and have every test that he suggests you have. If he finds something wrong, it could just possibly save your life. In this day and time the medical field is so advanced that we are afraid that someone might find out we are sick, so we avoid going. Don't do that! Go--have the tests--live your life to the fullest and give your children and grandchildren the benefit of having you around for a very long time. When our time comes we will slide in to a skreeching halt with a smile on our face and a sweated brow shouting--"It was a hell of a ride"--but not until we are 100.

Have a great, long , life--my friends.

RELAY FOR LIFE DONATION QUILT

The Wacky Pac is committed to donating another quilt for "Relay for Life", a cancer awareness fundraiser. We have made one the past two years, each in honor of a member of our quilting group. This years quilt will be a Christmas Quilt, a TEXAS Christmas Quilt. The blocks are in and the quilt will be put together next week. The above block is my contribution. After the "Put-the Quilt-Together Party", I will post a picture. I hope you are looking forward to that! I am and the quilt will be awesome! Our best is what we want to give as this is such a worthy cause.

APPLIQUE?--OK!

I am curator at the local small town museum. The above is an antique quilt that has been at the museum since 1967. When 6 of our Wacky Bee group of 10 decided to start an applique bee, I started to look for a project. I was looking for some quilting project that I could work on when a sewing machine is out of the question, To satisfy my longing to work on some quilting project. This quilt WAS a beautiful one in it's day. The green is now brown, the reds less than bright, and the binding gone completely. You can tell that the maker had a new sewing machine as every stitch was done by machine except the quilting. I made a copy of one of the 24 inch blocks and traced the pieces onto freezer paper. Wanting to exploring all applique techniques in order to find the "one best for me", I chose the method with freezer paper on the back of the fabric. This method is especially good for "Hand applique by machie", but is also used for hand applique. After applique is complete, the fabric behind the applique is cut away and then the paper can be removed. I ironed the paper onto the back of the fabrics I chose. I trimmed the pieces leaving 1/8 to 1/4 inch turn under allowance. I then clipped the curves of the pieces and then used Elmer's school glue stick to fold the edges up over the freezer. I really enjoyed the glue stick that is purple until it dries. I could readily see the glue easily. I went to Sally's Beauty Supply store to look for a cuticle stick to use to smooth the edges into place. What I found was a stick I had not ever seen. It has emory board ends, like very fine sandpaper, it grips the fabric and helps enormously in blending the seam allowances over the freezer paper to make smoother even edges. After several pieces were done, I decided to try pressing a piece. The iron dried the glue and smoothed the edges even more. The points were a challence, but I soon discovered that after the glue was applied, I could put my thumbnail at the point of the leaf and know exactly where to fold the point in to. I then added more glue stick on the fabric now showing at the point and continued to fold the sides in one at a time. The points were perfect. aaaaaaaahhhhhhhhh. I love it when that happens.
I wanted to duplicate the block, yet improve upon it. I know that improvement is in the eye of the beholder, so maybe you can add "your2cents" in the form of a comment. I pieced the background, as you can see. I started out doing all the green in the same fabric. Then, being the sssccrraapppyyy person that I am, I kept adding more fabrics until I had many,many fabrics. Same with the red. Then, I discovered that although I had cut the peices the same size as the original quilt, the leaves would not fit where they should in the way that they should. I made an overlay of the pattern from clear shower curtain material and couldn't believe my eyes--I had added a flower in the center. I didn't even realize that there was not one in the original quilt. I really like it there and I rearranged the other pieces so they will fit. The picture here is of the block still in progress. Some leaves are missing and all are not in their exact place, but maybe you can kind of see what it will look like. Used a new gadget called circleze for the flower centers. That is another story. I thought I did not like it until I played with it for awhile. I finally got the hang of it and used alot of starch and then it began to work good.

More later. Applique Bee is tomorrow. I know we will all grow because of it. Maybe we will design our own blocks. That is what I am hoping for. See ya! M

Antique Charm Square Quilt

This one is only a piece of a top. Thirties and Forties fabrics are included. Feed/flour sacks are included. The feed sacks being a looser weave. This pattern is called "Apple Core" in this area.
Such a fine example of a simpler way of life. A time when women worked really hard physically, but had the satisfaction of being the heart of the home. Women fullfilled the role of wife and mother. The male and female roles were definately seperately defined. The women knew how to cook, clean, and wash, but also they had a garden, chickens, and a quilting frame hanging from the ceiling. Quilting patterns were torn from magazines and borrowed from neighbors. The quilt store was also the feed store. Sacks of feed and flour were chosen for their beautiful fabric containers. The time was simpler and oh so different from anything we will ever know of. I am not sure it was not better. We have such better and quicker ways of doing our work and yet we have less time. Go figure.

Antique Drunkards Path

I own quite a few antique quilts. I thought you guys might like to see them! The above is a Drunkards Path. It is full of wonderful prints, checks, and shirtings. The backing is made of dyed feed sacks. You can see the sack emblem in the picture on the right. I have not had this quilt appraised, but I personally believe this quilt was made around the turn of the century. It is in excellent condition down to the binding. I came to me through my husbands family. Probably from Alabama. Thanks for looking. There are more to come. I have lots more!

Annale's Block

Wacky Wednesday was yesterday and Annale received her Texas blocks from the group. This is my block to her. A long horn found in a wonderful old coloring book. She received so many neet blocks. I forgot my camera, but I hope someone else will post them on the WackyPac blog.

WACKY CAKE

I cleaned out a cabinet this morning (I know-what was I thinking?) and found an old recipe book with this recipe in it. Wacky Cake--how appropriate. Upon closer inspection I noticed that this cake has no eggs. I am sure this is a recipe developed during World War II when eggs were scarce. If you try it, please post to let me know how it turned out. I would try it, but I am on a diet, you know. If I make it, I will eat the whole thing.

Wacky Cake

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup salad oil
1 tsp. soda
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup cold water

Sift all dry ingredients into an ungreased square pan. Make 3 holes in the mixture, 1 long, 1 medium hole and 1 short. Put salad oil into the long hole, vinegar into the medium hole and vanilla into short hole, Completely cover mixture with cold water. Stir well with fork and bake 24 minutes. at 350 degrees. Frost with favorite frosting.

Let me hear from you on this one!