Rayen

I picked up a lot of three quilts at the thrift auction that were not photographed very well, and (because of the lack of good pics) kind of a mystery. They just arrived, so let's take them out and see what I got. All three were in rough but still usable shape, with staining being the biggest issue. A small polyester and wool utility quilt that is topstitched together with a vintage sheet backing, probably from the sixties or seventies. No issues other than a few seams that need to be sewn down. I love that the maker cobbled together scraps to make this piece. A machine stitched queen size quilt top with patchwork depicting a very long dachshund pup. Stained but adorable. A very old unfinished crazy quilt top, probably from the turn of the twentieth century, with exquisite embroidery. Sadly someone tried to launder it (never ever ever wash vintage crazy quilts.) There are obvious signs of dye migration, silk patch shattering and overall age and water damage....

My guy and I were out walking an antique mall last week when I spotted a bundle of vintage DMC floss in a bunch of very old plastic bags held together by a key ring. I knew even for $9.95 no one would probably buy it (the bags were soiled and worn, and the floss had probably been in them for decades) but when I looked through the floss and saw how pretty it was I decided to take it home with me. The ring held thirty bags of floss, some with multiple skeins. I'd date it back to the 60's or 70's. Once outside the old bags the floss glowed like it was brand new -- 44 unused skeins and 16 partials. To pay less than ten dollars for it is a major score, because it's worth about fifty bucks. The seller obviously didn't know (or didn't care) about how much floss is worth. I do. DMC just raised their prices this year, and on average floss went from .79 a skein to .95 a skein. That doesn't sound like much to people who don't embroider, until you ...

I've created an album with pics of my 2025 mini-quilt calendar project for anyone who wants to see more, and read my thoughts about the project and how it helped me get through what has been a horrendous year.

I try not to be negative (truly) but there were a lot of things that happened this year that prompted me to say no and walk away (sometimes literally.) I thought I'd reflect because maybe you did the same. Black Friday Fallout: My guy and I never go out on Black Friday, and after Thanksgiving this year things got so bad that we've made a point to avoid the malls whenever possible. I always despise how rudely people behave while they're frantically rushing around and spending too much money for the holidays. It also seems like every other person who crosses our path is sneezing or coughing this month, too. As a result we're walking in parks and around little towns instead of walking malls, and we're much happier (and healthier.) Book Marketing: I've received book promo e-mails with these subject lines: "A Discovery That Could Kill Us All" "Warning: These Books Could Cause Emotional Damage" "One Mistake Could Unleash Cata...

I took the day off to spend my guy's birthday with him last week, and I thought the little harmless things I had planned would be fine. First I took him to have breakfast at a local restaurant, only we missed their window for serving breakfast by 15 minutes. No problem, I thought, we'd just drive over to another restaurant nearby that served breakfast all day. Only the car then wouldn't start. This is why I keep paying for AAA every year, by the way. Anyway, we were hungry, and decided to walk to the other restaurant, where we did have a nice breakfast. Then we hiked back and called the AAA roadside assistance, which arrived about 20 minutes later to inform us that our battery was the culprit, and promptly tried to sell us a new battery for fifty bucks more than we could get one at the local auto parts (you cannot scam a former HVAC mechanic, or a gal who did a trade school course in diesel engine mechanics with her dyslexic dad.) We got a jump instead of th...

There were a couple of yarn lots I put a minimum bid on in December, but they ended up in bidding wars that knocked me out of the competition. I thought I'd point out why high bidding prices make thrifting as expensive as buying new for retail. This 22 lbs. lot probably has about 50 skeins in it (if you do the math, that's how many would weigh 22 lbs.) They're mostly Red Heart Super Saver skeins, which I like a lot, and retail for $4.99 each, or about $250.00 for 50 of them. It's a lot of yarn, so I only wanted to bid the minimum $15.00 (shipping and handling would have been an extra $22.00.) There were no pics of what was in the box, and it would be a bit of a hassle to store, so that was all I was interested in paying. I was the first bidder but the bidding war began almost immediately, and the winning bid was $77.33. That's probably going to run over a hundred dollars with shipping, which is $2.00 a skein. Here's a slightly smaller lot of yar...

My last wannabuts bid for the year was for this lot of quilts that I quite forgot that I bid on until I got the notice I had won the lot for the minimum bid, plus one penny shipping. The two patchwork quilts look like utility quilts (and I will probably use those as crate liners for our pups.) It was the third quilt that caught my attention. From the photos in the listing this crazy quilt is definitely vintage, with the typical shattering and threadbare patches that are typical of those made at the turn of the twentieth century. Judging by the dye migration stains on the front and the foundation fabric someone probably tried to wash it, which is why you should always have vintage quilts cleaned by a an antique textile cleaning pro. As is the crazy quilt is probably not worth repairing, although I can't decide that until I see it in person. What I am interested in is dating the piece and perhaps using some of the patchwork for next year's calendar quilted tote proje...

Last week I burned two fingers on my working hand while making dinner (I'm clumsy with it), and then tore off a third of a nail on my non-working hand because it had split down the middle and I thought, hey, why bother getting the clippers -- just tear it off the broken bits. How badly could it be? P.S. Always get the clippers. Anyway, my Christmas bad luck is still going strong, but I'm combatting it by working daily on keeping my energy and happiness levels high. Here are three things I did on the same day that really made me happy instead of depressed. Using this recipe I made sugarfree cinnamon roll chaffles (like waffles but safe for diabetics), which were delicious and add something to my very limited breakfast menu. I'm continuing to crochet the granny stitch rectangle throw every day, and on this day when I was finished I realized it had grown a bit too large to photograph on the table -- it really works up fast. My guy and I visited a book...

Sometimes I need to be reminded that by creating art I belong to a community of makers who do the same. I think it's the isolation; I need to get out and get inspired by others in person when I can, or seek out their creations when I need comfort or a boot in the creative butt. The county quilt show did that this year, and so does the Orlando Weavers' holiday show when they come to town every December. I've attended it for three years now, and I always score beautiful hand woven art yarn and kitchen towels, but more importantly, I can be around other makers and talk with them. Had a blast at the show this year. :) I invested in some native made jewelry with pearls for my favorite person's Christmas gift, but because she's not coming to visit us this year I can't see her opening them. On the upside, it was nice to be able to ship her gift direct to her from an indy jewelry shop in the islands. I got myself a pearl bracelet from 14carrot, my ...

I admit, Black Friday and Christmas shopping is usually wasted on me. I try never to step foot outside the house during the madness after Thanksgiving, and I thrift or make most of my gifts for Christmas. This year I needed to boost my spirits after the bad news, so I decided to do a little shopping from indy sellers during December for someone who rarely gets gifts: me. These silver beads from LadyBirdBeadsCo are both new and vintage, and go nicely with the silver and garnet frog brooch I thrifted. I'll be using these as stitch embellishments next month for the first of my calendar project tote bags. These three mystery fat quarter bundles came from FlatWaterMuse . I (obviously) don't need the fabric, but I needed the mystery. Love all three sets. Now I'll just have fun with them. 14carrot, my favorite Etsy seller, really came to my rescue with a handmade pearl bracelet, three adorable quilt tags and two bags of charms and jewelry findings that I c...

The final lot I thrifted for 2025 arrived right before Thanksgiving, and there was much to be grateful for. Twenty-one skeins of clean, odorless unused yarn with the original labels, and four types/colors came in multiples. What I thought were five skeins of my favorite Mandala yarn in Serene turned out to be seven. These retail for $8.99 each at Lion Brand; you're looking at $62.93 in yarn right here. Lots more treasures came with the yarn: 30 small vintage skeins of plastic canvas and needlepoint yarns, 25 packages of vintage seam binding, a kit to make an amigurumi puppy, new and used knitting needles and a huge bag of crochet hooks. There was even a ball of hemp cord for jewelry making. Although I know it's worth more I'll price the skeins at $5.00 each resale, that's a $105.00 value. Everything else I'd say is worth $25.00, for a total of $130.00 for the lot. My max bid was $35.00, but I ended up paying $34.00 due to my strategies. That...

The afghan I made out of yarn scraps was meant to last another month, but my hands seized up with a bad arthritis flare so I kept working on it until it was large enough to use on cold nights. Very happy with how it turned out -- certainly colorful. I'm still hand quilting the pink only quilt, which has been fun but also a bit of a bear to manage. Crochet is good for me, too. It helps me work out a lot of frustration and aggression, like what I imagine punching a heavy bag is for a boxer. I just don't have wear the clunky gloves. :) Seriously, being able do something that I love (crochet) as physical therapy in order to keep doing I desperately don't want to give up doing (quilting) has also helped me deal with the depression over the limitations and fading abilities of old age, too. Going to the quilt show this year also helped my spirits tremendously. No matter what condition I'm in, being around quilts and the people who make them makes me happy. N...

My inner child has been crying a lot this month, but things are finally starting to calm down. Tomorrow is my guy's birthday, which is always fun for me. There is only a little over two weeks left before December 26th arrives, for which I have to think up a goofy name. Happiest Day of the Year tops the list. Then in just under three weeks New Year's will arrive, and I can start on my first calendar quilted tote. I'm really excited about this annual project. While I've been coping with the bad luck and downs of the holidays my work on the granny stitch rectangle throw has really helped me get my hands, my head and my heart in good places. I'm out of the splint now and my sprained finger is much better, thanks to the physical therapy aspect. I know the throw probably looks ugly to everyone else but I love the un-Christmasy colors, and I'm proud of myself for finally figuring out this pattern. Above all I'm glad that I didn't give up on m...

A few days before Thanksgiving I saw a little white bit of fluff on the garage doormat, but when I reached down to pick it up it fluttered and moved. That's when I realized it was a Virginia Tiger Moth, just like the one I rescued in March of 2024 . This little one was a bit more beat up, and couldn't seem to fly away, so I collected her on a piece of paper and put her in a little habitat with some Japanese maple leaves. There she can spend her final days resting and out of danger . If she happens to lay eggs, I'll look after them, too. I know it's a bit weird to rescue a dying moth. But these tragic insects remind me to be grateful for my life, and to do what I can for the helpless.

I've been watching History's Greatest Mysteries on Tubi , mainly because I love Lawrence Fishburne's voice, which falls into the very limited range of sounds I can still hear at present (I also think he's an amazing actor.) Because most of the mysteries presented have yet to be solved, I've been thinking about what the possible solutions could be. Writers by trade have to be problem solvers, and we often think in directions other people don't. So here are: Ten Solutions to Unsolved Mysteries (If I were writing books about them) Atlantis: A continent inhabited by a highly advanced civilization and destroyed by a mysterious natural or man-made disaster that made it sink under the ocean. Solution: Atlantis is entirely invented. Plato based his fiction on some real historic events and then highly embellished them, which added all those tantalizing but ultimately meaningless clues. Bigfoot: People have been chasing after this large, mythic creature sai...

Last month our nephew came to visit (hopefully he'll be moving in shortly) and we took him to the Winter Garden saturday farmer's market to walk around and see all the goodies. That included this one-ton pumpkin on display. On our way home we stopped at Goodwill, where I found some fun things. First was this brand new in the package Soho Loft 3 drawer closet organizer for $7.99. They retail for twice that, and it had never been taken out of the package. I'm going to use this to store crochet patterns. Next were two books; I've read the Linda Howard and own a copy but it's falling apart, so it's a replacement. It's OOP and costs $9.99 for a Kindle version. I've never read the Nathaniel Philbrick book and while I didn't much enjoy his last one about Custer, I would like to know more about the Mayflower versus the crap I learned in school, and he's the man for historical accuracy. This one retails new for $8.95. I got both for $3.9...

Last night we learned that despite promises made by others to us that we will definitely not be having any guests for Christmas. The extra hours I've put in for the last couple of months at the day job to "buy" a week off during Christmas to spend my vacation with our guests in the end were for nothing. The turkey for my second Thanksgiving dinner, also planned for this month, will stay in the freezer until February or possibly March. I wasn't really surprised. No one with as much bad luck during the holidays as I have can be startled by more of the same. I thought about it while I was crocheting last night, and there is still a lot to be thankful for this Christmas: it'll just be me and my guy, which is cozy. We always enjoy spending time together. I have a splinted finger, so less work is less stress on my hands. I can take off a week any time I want this month, and since I worked hard for it, I will. I'll have plenty of time to work on my ...