Fresh from the vine....

 

At last, at last!! Enough tomatoes for more than just a taste.  I have had two tomatoes for a snack two nights in a row and consider myself blessed.   I could about eat the entire bowl...I do love tomatoes that much.  When I think of tomatoes, I think of my nephew Glen and me coming in from our adventures and having two or three for a snack in the afternoon.

After vacuuming and finishing a bit of laundry...I went to the sewing room and have finished the backing for the crumb quilt.  I won't be attempting getting the layers together for a few days.  I so wish I could get in the floor on my knees but that is no longer possible.  

It was overcast this morning, then the sun shone most of the day, but now overcast again.  We need rain so I am complaining.  I am hoping to get out for a drive at some point.  I have been seeing sumac ablaze with color but always at times I cannot stop and/or not room to pull off the road.  I have in mind places that it grows along dirt roads.

For now, I will wish you all a good week ahead.  I am tickled that I got to start mine off with a bit of sewing.

From Lorelei....

 Last week they never notified Sarah that Lorelei was one of the kids exposed to the child that tested positive for Covid.  From things I have seen on the local news, if a kid has had direct contact with another student that has tested positive, the parents are notified.  We kept waiting last week, and Sarah never got any notification.  And then by the time she didn't hear anything, Lorelei does not want to come for just one night...she wants to stay two.   So we got her this weekend.  

Anyway, I have a couple pics of Kitty Soft Paws that she took...

Isn't she beautiful.

And she has the personality to match.  She really is a sweetheart.

**********

Now for some of Lorelei's artwork....

The above is something she looked at and drew...it was not her creation.  Not sure how to word that.  But shoot, to even look at someone else's sketch and to draw that good is amazing to me.

And then there is the above...something she drew from some game, so for sure not her creation...but her drawing of someone else's creation.

And then there is the above and below.

I think she did make them up.  She calls them her robot girls...

I think she is creative.  And believe you me, she get this part from her mom, papaw and her aunt.  And not sure about her dad and his side of the family.  I would dearly love to be able to sketch, but I am just not good at it.

Just wanted to share these....hope you guys are having a good weekend.  

Going to try explaining...

 Joy, at Joyful Quilter asked me how I made the leaf.  I made another one yesterday and tried to take photos along the way.  I know I should have taken a couple more, but going to make do with the photos I took.  This post is photo heavy, and will may be boring to some of you...don't feel bad or feel like you have to comment...I tried to write how I did it without photos to email Joy, but it is just not the same as with pics.  

(Please note, I forgot to change the copyright from Lorelei to my name...she did not take the pictures.)

I used a piece of  paper and folded it in half, and cut out the leaf shape.  

I opened the shape and cut in half from top to bottom, cutting a slightly curved edge down the middle.  As you can see I drew an angle on both pieces while they were laying face up, together.  This is a sort of guide/safety measure.  to give me a straight line to lay your first fabric strip against.  And also, this is to ensure I make halves that fit together when completed.

Above we see first fabric pinned to the paper...it is lined up on one of those lines, though you don't see the line.  I will place another strip of fabric right sides down, along this piece and sew.  Then flip the fabric open and press.  Then place another fabric on top of that. 

 If I don't like how wide the fabric is, I can bring my next fabric back away from the edge and sew.  I continue on till the half leaf shape is completely covered by fabric strips.  I used a basic 1/4 inch seam through out, but this is one part that the seam does not have to be exact.  And in a case like above, I trimmed away the excess of the fabric on bottom but that is not absolutely necessary.

I totally forgot to take a pic from the top of the piece...but as you can see, it looks a mess till trimmed.  I always prefer to lay on the cutting mat and trim with rotary cutter along the edge of the paper foundation.

Next I choose a fabric for the stem.  I want it a bit longer at the top especially, and I should have left more room at the tip than this shows.  I lay the fabric RIGHT SIDE UP and then place one leaf half RIGHT SIDE UP on the chosen fabric.

Again, use the rotary cutter and trim along the edge of the half leaf.  

Now, remove the paper from the back of the leaf and place the leaf and the stemfabric right sides together and take to sewing machine and sew using a quarter inch seam.  They look like they can never be sewn together but you just sew a few stitches and manipulate the fabric.

After sewing, use iron to press the fabric away from the leaf.  See how nice and flat it lays...

Then take the other half of the leaf and place on top of the stem fabric.   Remember both should be RIGHT SIDES UP.   I usually start at the wide part a bit over an inch wide and then angle it till it gets narrower.    I don't really know if anyone will try this, but if anyone does, if you make the vein too narrow there can be a mess with the seams being too close together.  I don't mind the little bit at the tip, but not sure if it could be made to press flat if it was that narrow all along the vein. 

 

Again, trim along edge of leaf half, remove paper, and place right sides together and take to sewing machine.

A new leaf is born!