Going Up and Coming Down

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^Going UP  ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The ceiling fan arrived, as you know, and Frank called Hunter to ask if he could help with the chore of putting it up.

It took them only one trip to the hardware store, lunch at the newly opened Shrimp Basket and a lot of alien theories.

The last fan was such a huge heavy looking one, this sleek ceiling hugging fan makes the ceilings in the room soar!  The room looks less cluttered because your eye is not drawn up.  Well, make that read the ceiling looks less cluttered, the room still looks cluttered to me.








Frank was concerned that the fan with only three blades wouldn't move as much air as the original fan with 5 blades.  But the pitch on these blades is steeper than most fans and it blows some air around, let me tell you!

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Coming Down  ////////////////////////////////////////

The Kaleidoscope of Quilts Show came down on Thursday.  I went over and helped distribute quilts back to their owners and coordinate the poles and hanging wires.  

The very last quilt to be taken down was the Daily Bird.  It had been hanging in the very front of the library behind the checkout desk.  

When I was walking around helping I had a number of people stop me asking if that was my quilt.  Everyone loved it!  They wanted it to stay on that wall forever!  

It really was a great place for it, a perfectly sized wall.  

Maybe I should have left it there for a while!

Today I will attempt to bring you a picture.....of the Daily Bird in Tennessee. TN

Julie Sefton, who lives in TN, is teaching Lynne Tyler's Liberated Bird Class in MO ….

get this …..❤and she has my Daily Bird Quilt with her!

I am so freaking excited about that.

Let me find the photos she sent but let me give you this click to her blog so you can see her class.  I wanted to fly down and take it myself.  Just to play around with the Big Dogs, you know.  But this medication has me so messed up, I literally can't think straight.  I almost think the headaches would be better.

Well, there might not be pictures on this blog. Luckily, there are pictures on Julie's wonderful blog. Me and My Quilts.

The Daily Bird on Julie' Blog 

And her class starts:  The Fun Begins

I can't wait to see the class birds!  they are always so fun and different.  And their stories could fill a book! LOL,  Yep, they all have stories too!  Funny how that happens.

Maybe I need to teach one down here and get some Southern Bird Stories.

Well, I am giving up on getting a picture to you right now.  Photoshop Elements has to download some sort of update, Photoshop Organizer can't find any photos and wont let me go get them, the blog won't upload the photos till they have been changed to 640 from the large that I shoot.  I need to remember to shoot the ones around here on 640, which is a Medium setting on this camera

I can't put a picture on my blog---but I can do this 💀💝💥😖🐈🐧🐣🐶🎸💯靧靤面靨

Go figure.  Although those last four are pretty neat for a quilt.  They look like buildings or science experiments.

I am seriously thinking about taking the old computer to Tim, having him dump everything except my blog and my photo files and I will be perfectly happy working with just that forever...…..

Just go see Julie's blog, she has lots of nice photos...…..

The Daily Bird Quilt Flew The Coop

Now that I have awoken from my own fog, you need to check out the post from a few days ago on Julie's blog.

Me and My Quilts 

Click on the link to see the whole story on Julie's blog.  She does a whole photo shoot with the little tweeters.  They are famous, darling!

She is doing a class on Lynne's Liberated Birds in St Louis, MO on July 14 (and may have a few spots left if you are going to be in town).  She asked if my birds could fly up there and play with the people taking her class.

But of course!

Number 8, Please Step Forward!

Judy at Patchwork Times has pulled number 8 for the next UFO to work on.

And I will use this and the Asterisk quilt for REME Guild as my One Monthly Goal for March.  I can't figure out what color to make the center.  If this continues, it will be plain blank.

I am pleased to introduce to you (drumroll please)

 Nummmmmm - berrrrrrrrr 8...........


The Bird Quilt! It is my new favorite thing in the world!  (get it??)

It has several names,  and I guess now I really should figure out what to finally call it, for once and for all.

The Daily Bird - because every day in December I made a new bird and there are 31 of them in the quilt.









 Bird Is The Word - If you remember, every bird had his (or her) own story.  It was sometimes a color story or it could be a person story.  Or just some crazy imaginings in my head.

And if you are my age, you might remember this ditty:

The Bird is the Word     oh, you gotta watch this to the end!
Frank  used to imitate this guy all the time.  Must have been in his manic episodes!  



But if you are younger, you might remember this one, and think it was written for this episode of the Family Guy:

bird is the word 



or this one......  bird is the word

OMG.......now the stupid thing in in my head forever.

Definitely found the name, huh?   Now to find the quilting design.  Lynne, how did you quilt yours?

Rainy Day Sewing

The  Block Lotto is back in full swing.  If you played with them before you might want to head over and see what is happening now.  There are guest Lotto Masters who guide the months rather than Sophie doing all the work.  New and fresh. 

So this month is using up some orphan blocks and scraps.  I was going to do more, but I ended up with 5 blocks.  The orphans need to be 3 1/2 unfinished and my orphans are all larger blocks.  So I used up these 5 for the pot.

Not particularly  my cup of tea but I will offer them up as donation blocks for the kitty.

I spent the afternoon clearing up some of the clutter I created on my sewing table.  Boy, is it a mess!

One of the things was the back that needed to be sewn for the Daily Bird. Basically what I do is just hang up the quilt top and cover it with the backing material.

Then I fill in the gaps! 

I generally add a white or ecru square for the label information.  I like that better than sewing on labels at the end.    See the birds through the label? 

You can see my One Road Through Town piece that will be in at least one show this spring.  Maybe two.  I will have to see what it gets juried into. 

I got another tree block done tonight.  Nothing on TV,  so I just sewed.  The block is next to Red.

I will even them out when they are all done.  

Here is the whole layout so far.  The long piece on the right will be the border.  I will start laying out the words soon. 

AND.......you will be pleased to know.  I think I have my next quilt chosen.  My friend Bertha in California sent me the templates for the one she did.  I will have to ask her if I can post it.  It is amazing.  More on that later though.

I had the book it came from, but of course it flooded. 

And I need to quilt a few things before I get too far ahead on the tops........not that
I am not far enough behind in everything, but you know what I mean........

Cold Birds.......

The temps reached all the way to 29 today.  Positively sweltering.  We are now heading toward 48 hours below freezing.  My fountain is almost solid, and the dog water has been solid since Monday.

I picked up frozen poop all day. 

I am putting the birds together.  I must have made a million HSTs.  Every time I thought I had the spaces filled, I would see more to fill.  I was moving them around until they had a comfortable place to nest.

Interestingly the twins did not want to be next to each other.  And the Love Birds...Oh my!  They wouldn't leave the nest long enough to get any HSTs!

I hit on a great fabric sale and bought 4 yard lengths for backings.  This grey one I bought 8 yards.

I am thinking the yellow birds, well, will be for the Daily Bird Quilt.










Here are some other fabrics that came in the shipment somehow.  Also in 4 yard lengths, go figure.

The solid grey is actually a pale aqua, maybe a teal.....which is more green I guess.

I started filling in the holes and some birds got an extra layer of HSTs.

I couldn't get these two silly birds to stand correctly.   They wanted to hang  off the side of the design wall.

Some got  a surrounding of HSTs.

Still clinging to the side though.

 I decided to add a date and my initials to some of the larger spaces. It was either that or  more HSTs.  I intended to try some branch blocks, but totally became obsessed with making those HSTs. The 2 really does look weird, though, huh?

Here is what it currently looks like.  I hope it is not jumbled looking.  What do you think?

I am going to use  this as my OMG for January!  Go see the rest of  everybody's goals for the month.








I started putting the blocks together in larger blocks.  Here is my first corner.



Geez, those Love Birds................look at the mess they made on the floor.....

Day 1 Year 2018

Did you know the Gregorian Calendar, the one we use today, was set up in 1582. But not all countries used it as their civil calendar until 1923.  Took them a long time to get with the program.  The big difference from the


previously popular Julian calendar was the length of a day.  The Gregorian year equals 365.2425 days where the Julian Calendar Year was 365.25 days.

If you subscribe to the Buddhist Year the date would be 2562.  And the female Tibetan Fire Rooster Calendar is 2144.

So Happy Gregorian New Year to you all.

It was in the teens last night and today the highest number on the thermometer outside my back door only went to 27.  Last year we were in the camper from Hell with no heat.  It does get very cold in South Louisiana, doesn’t it.


I spent the day in my sewing room putting the HSTs on the birds.  I am thinking in either need it make some additional birds or to use some sort of alternative block.

I was thinking that the branch block from the Modern Guild might be an interesting thing.  The birds could appear to sit on the branches and sing their hearts out all day long.

I am listening to The Last Tudor by Phillipa Gregory.  She writes amazing biographical stories about the women in the 1400s and 1500s in Old England.  Lady Jane Grey, War of the Roses, The White Queen, the Red Queen.   The Seymores and the Stewarts.  If you like historical reads, definitely look her up in your library.




DiNozzo oversaw the replenishing of the Dog Bone Inventory.  We go through a ton of Milkbones every week. 

Here is the wine jelly I made from the leftover wine at the CAAWS Volunteer Party. It is absolutely wonderful.    Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio.  And edible flowers from Whole Foods.

And that is my new pig plate.  

And I am making vodka and scotch vanilla extract.  It needs to sit for 8 weeks before you use it.

I am going to be ready for the year 2144.......or 2562.........whichever is your preference.

New Year's Eve Bird #31

Happy New Year!

The Daily Bird quota has been met!  31 days in December and 31 birds. 

Bet you didn't think I could do it.  There were some close calls when I fell behind, and I caught up....several times.

We will celebrate the old year's dying by keeping McGee from dying.  He is terrified by fireworks and the sound.  There are some  people behind us just out of the city limits who shoot off tons of very loud and bright fireworks. 

Poor McGee he has a terrible time. 

This final bird celebrates the night with a full front of fireworks and bright orange wings.  He is the most beautiful after the sun sets and the night is dark. 

He often brings with him loud music, like the 1812 Overture and Livin' in the USA.

McGee hates that too.......Hopefully McGee will live to celebrate January 1st with us.

Daily Bird #30 and Me and the Italian Stud On the Beach.....

Crossing the hump........from the 20s to the 30s.

This bright bird is all batik-y and happy.  He flew in and showed me his wings which were every color of the rainbow.  I had a hard time trying to find an appropriate chest for him.

I tried several colors but it was the yellow that made him sing!

He didn't tell me his name, but flew out quickly.  Out the window.

Well, he would have if my windows opened!  I actually had to let him out the door with the dogs.  But flying out the window sounds so much more fun.......and he is.....after all.......a FUN guy.

Last night I was playing around with a new technique that has been a year and a half in the making.

The box of NeoColors was the very last thing I ordered and received before the flood.  It was such an ordinary thing to do, order art supplies from the internet and get it delivered.  That was in August 2016.  It is amazing to me that I would remember such an ordinary thing.  But it is as clear in my memory today as it was that day.

And at some point I uncovered it in a box as I was unpacking to put the Quilt Studio back together.  And here they are.

 So, for art's sake, I plagiarized a  poster from an internet site.

It was the first time using anything like those colors.  This is so cool.  Now I have to learn to control the water disbursement.  I figure a few more purloined posters and I will be an expert!

See Frank and I on that island overlooking the ocean cay.  That must be Vesuvius if that is Naples, Italy. We were there years ago and I remember the bus ride along the coast to see Pompeii.  We dined in Naples in an ocean side cafe under an arbor of grapes.  Frank was so sick from bus ride he just sat there with his head on the table and moaned. 




Our traveling companion, Janice, took him down the street to a pharmacy where she pantomimed throwing up.  They gave him some medicinal concoction that instantly relieved him. 

So that must be me with some Italian stud sitting there on the beach.  Frank doesn't play guitar, either.

Daily Bird #29

I saw where LSU arrived in whatever city they are scheduled to play in whatever bowl game they won.  

You can tell I am not a big sports fan, but it does allow me to spend unadulterated time in the Quilt Studio. 

But LSU does sport purple and gold uniform colors.  Which in turn makes a nice pallet for a bird, don't you think?

The patterns on his chest sort of look like those drawings they do that show the  various players where to move on the field.

He is really good at statistics.  Oh, oh.


I tried to write statistician, but it spell checked to transvestite!

Which would be this guy...........

28 Birds on Dec 28th --- Finally

I think for the most part of this month I have been caught up.  Just when I am not caught up it seems to be BIG.

I did work in the sewing room all day.  Except when I had to go outside and retrieve one of the dogs, sometimes two together and once all three.  The day was so frigid I didn't want them outside for lengths of time.  Damn, it was cold picking up doggy do do.

Future Bird

 When I started this bird thing, I intended to do a couple of birds to get the hang of the technique then put it aside to plan a quilt after I finished several other  things.  Like my OMG stuff.
Nicole said, December and all the holiday stuff is so difficult to control.  She was right.

I want to do a grey background with black and white birds.  The beaks would be the pop of color. I have been collecting greys and, of course, black and whites.  Making this guy made that ides resurface.  So I guess he is Future Bird!

Peachie Margarita

I found the Parakeets!   They just happened in this afternoon, probably taking shelter from the cold rain outside.  It seems tat most of the birds in here are boy birds.   This girl is definitely a lady.  She knew Apple the Brown Betty Bird had come by and she came to visit bringing her  friend with her.

They sampled the various margarita mixes and decided to stay!

ZeLima Margarita

Peachie Margarita and ZeLima Margarita travel together often.  They sometimes hang out in Luau Paloma Bars, gaily twittering about in the canopy of leaves above the customers heads.

They look best on a bright sunny day when they can spread their wings and flitter about in splendid color!

Yes, Peachie and ZeLima Margaritas are the best!

The Daily Bird # 23 - Rosie the Riveting

Baby sitting duties are finished until Tuesday.  I am hoping both baby and grandma will be well again.  I am so glad to have found this new allergy doctor, I knew I was sick, but it was just a malaise rather than a down and out illness.  He is working on strengthening my immune system with a series of vaccines and anti-histamine response medications.  I haven't felt this well in years.


When I met my cousin at Middendorf's I snapped a few pics of their German Santa.  The area is known for its German settlers.  Hammond, LA was established by Peter Hammond (1798–1870), the surname anglicized from Peter av Hamerdal who was escaping the Napoleonic Wars in Europe.  

Here in South Louisiana, the German tradition of having Santa or Weihnachtsmann come on Christmas Eve is why we share our family gifts on the night of Christmas Eve.  In the morning we wake up to the Christkind or Christmas Angel who brought gifts to the children.  I love the way we separate where the gifts come from.   It  makes our gifts to each other more meaningful. 

We have talked about Middendorf's before, the best thin fried catfish in the world!   Amazing stuff, it is.

Some of the Germans settled here from the German ships that were in the New Orleans Port as World War I broke out.  They had to quickly assimilate and learn to speak English because to speak German meant you could be arrested or worse.  Eventally they sent for their families to join them in South Louisiana.   I have the German side of my genes though my mother's mother, who came to America as a young girl to work with her dressmaker Aunt Wilhelmina Pottharstt in New Orleans about that time.  they were escaping the horror of the French-German no man's land called Alsace-Lorrain. 

That probably was not the beginning of my fabric genes.  I am thinking that goes way back even further!

McGee says I need to feed him, so let me show you the ne bird quickly here.

This is Rose.  Or Rosie the Riveting, as her friends call her.  She is such a cheerful gal, she loves to gossip and she is a chirper! 

All  day long, day in and day out.  She chirps about the love birds and where they are hiding this hour.  She chirps about the Patriotic Pigeons and the new Tax Bill......get it?

LOL.  Although about now she is getting on the nerves of every bird in the room. 

I am thinking that i need to put a bird cage in there and cover that girl up for the night.