MSU Fall Fest in Crystal Springs

October 20, 2009 at 19:16 (Butterflies, Gardening)

Caution:  This post is photo intensive!!!

Last Friday, I boarded a bus in Hammond along with fellow Tangipahoa Master Gardeners bound for the MSU Truck Crops Experimental  Station in Crystal Springs, MS  for their annual Fall Fest.

Chris took the day off from work and went along with us.   We made stops in Amite and Kentwood to pick up more members of our group.  Even though the weather had taken a sharp decline overnight and it was *cold*, we had a bus full of happy gardeners.

Tangipahoa Master Gardeners

Tangipahoa Master Gardeners

More Master Gardeners and guests

More Master Gardeners and guests

As soon as we arrived, everyone left the bus in a flash and headed off to see the sights.   First stop for most everyone was the Information Booth.

Fall Fest Information Tent

Fall Fest Information Tent

Chris and I made a bee-line for a lecture by Catherine Hansen Strange from Hattiesburg  about using produce to make arrangements.  It was an interesting presentation and I got some good ideas for future use.    I’ll have to admit some things did not lend themselves well to my home but they were good inspiration.

Fresh Persimmon Branches

Fresh Persimmon Branches

Asparagus Bundles with Gerbera Daisies

Asparagus Bundles with Gerbera Daisies

We stayed around for the following lecture on plant propagation by Nellie Neal.  It was *wonderful*.  She is a natural speaker and is passionate about gardening.  Chris and I both are very interested in propagation so we were thrilled to sit in on her lecture.    She has promised a more advanced lecture at the next Fall Fest and we’re planning to be there!  Does that mean we’re “Garden Groupies”????   :-)

Sharp Knife, Fresh Seeds, and New Plants For You lecture by Nellie Neal

Sharp Knife, Fresh Seeds, and New Plants For You lecture by Nellie Neal

We were short on time so we left the lecture hall to see the outdoor show.  Since it was noon, we decided to have lunch before trekking through the mud.  There was food of practically every kind at our disposal.  Chris and I chose a fried catfish plate and then we shared a hot funnel cake…Yummy!  Looks like lots of other people thought lunch was a good idea also.

Lunch Time

Lunch Time

Did I mention it was cold?  Anything under 60 degrees is cold to those of us who live in south Louisiana….and 50 degrees was cold!  Did I also mention that in my hard-headed state, I refused to take a jacket?  I wore somewhat long sleeves but it got a little nippy for me.  It was also windy and the ground was damp from all the recent rain….so lots of mud in high foot traffic areas. ….think…where the vendors were set up.  In some places you had to get creative to get around….but it was worth it.

Beautiful Fall Scene

Beautiful Fall Scene

Gulf Fritillary Feasting on Lantana

Gulf Fritillary Feasting on Lantana

Chris and I are in love with Butterfly Gardens so we spent a good bit of time there.  Tomorrow I have an appointment with the science teacher at a local high school to help plan a butterfly garden for them.  I’m excited about that!  If you have tips about butterfly gardening, please send me a comment!  If you have a favorite book or web site/blog about butterfly gardening…..send me a comment!

Butterfly Garden

Butterfly Garden

GazeboResize

Gazebo in Butterfly Garden

Wonderful Color!

Wonderful Color!

These next pictures almost don’t look real but I promise they are.  :-)

Gulf Fritillary on Pea Gravel Walkway

Gulf Fritillary on Pea Gravel Walkway

I’m not sure how I was able to get so many nice shots of butterflies that day.  They were plentiful and cooperative.  :-)  This one is a little blurry but I like it.

Gulf Fritillary on Ornamental Grass

Gulf Fritillary on Ornamental Grass

Pair of Gulf Fritillary Butterflies on Ornamental Grass

Pair of Gulf Fritillary Butterflies on Ornamental Grass

Lovely Lantana

Lovely Lantana

Master Gardener On The Move

Master Gardener On The Move

Beautiful Sunflowers covered with Bees—almost like a Smorgasbord for Bees!

Colorful Sunflowers

Colorful Sunflowers

Another Hungry Bee

Another Hungry Bee

Here’s a shot of our extension agent and former president of our Master Gardener group.

Sandra and Jarold

Sandra and Jarold

Sandra looks cold doesn’t she?

Are you a Master Gardener too?  Tell me about your experiences and where you’re located.  If you’re not a Master Gardener….why not?  It’s a great program.  You learn so much and you will continue to learn every day.  It’s also a wonderful way to give back to the community.  It’s up to us to make our world a better place to live.  I’ll post links later about how to get more info so you can become a Master Gardener too.  Until next time….

siggysheryl

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You Never Know

October 19, 2009 at 17:22 (Quilting)

how things you do affect others.  This isn’t another rant so don’t worry.  :-)

Several years ago….probably back in  2001,  I taught a beginner quilting class to a group of homeschool students.  We met once a week in the classroom at our local Hobby Lobby.  I had about 6 girls in the class and they were anywhere from around 9 years of age to high school senior level.

After the class was over, I lost touch with them because I left for a travel nursing assignment in Minnesota and then went from there to Maryland.  I don’t think I’ve seen any of them since that time although I gave up traveling to stay home to work instead.

Last weekend, I was in Hobby Lobby to purchase a bit of background fabric for some—yep—blocks for an internet swap hosted by my friend Denise.  After I had checked out and was headed out the door,  I heard someone call my name.  I feel badly because I didn’t recognize the lady calling out to me.  She recognized that I was trying to remember  and told me who she was and said she just wanted me to know that her daughter who had been one of my students is now married…..and has that quilt on her bed….and is busy making another quilt ….a baby quilt.  :-)

Even though I didn’t have time to talk to her (I had Chris and his girlfriend with me–yes–Chris has a girlfriend) that was such a special moment and just writing this post almost brings tears to my eyes.

Those few weeks I spent teaching those young girls how to quilt touched their lives….and mine has been touched as well.

siggysheryl

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Where Did Courtesy Go?

October 18, 2009 at 23:32 (What a World!)

I’m on a large number of mailing lists and I enjoy most of them.  Some of them are gardening related…some are quilt related…some are canning & preserving related…some are butterfly lists…and on and on.

I’m what’s called a “lurker” on most of these lists because although I have an interest in the topic, I’m usually not knowledgeable enough about the subject matter to help…so I don’t post…therefore I’m a lurker.  :-)

First, let me say that I’m the parent of a disabled son so I may be a little more sensitive to negative attitudes toward the handicapped than someone else.   I’m also probably more aware of their rights.

Over the last few days on one of these lists (no, I won’t name it), there’s been a lot of discussion about the use of wheelchairs & scooters at public/private events such as  International Quilt Festival in Houston.   Some of the people on the list I’m referring to (and we’ll just call it “the list”) have been somewhat outspoken against allowing these mobility devices to be used in such places.  My comments to follow have been put into my own words so they’re not exactly as written on the list.

There was talk of people who use wheelchairs/scooters being rude and then someone posted about some people using scooters just because they were too overweight to walk and then someone  else went so far as to wonder  why an overweight woman didn’t  do anything about it?

I’d like to suggest that if someone in a wheelchair/scooter was/is rude…they’re that way at home and not just in public.  The mobility device didn’t make them that way.  And not all ambulatory people are sweet & kind.  Some of them are downright rude.   Rude people are rude….wherever they are….nice people are nice….wherever they are.

Commenting on the obese woman in the scooter…as an RN I know there are many medical conditions that can contribute to obesity.  It’s not always a bend the arm at the elbow and insert the fork in the mouth kind of problem and to automatically assume that overeating is the reason is just not nice.  And then to suggest (as was done) that the large woman in the scooter should have weight loss surgery was out of line  and it was insensitive.

Some of the list members have suggested that certain times of the day be set aside for wheelchair/scooter festival goers and limit their attendance to those time frames.  Some suggested wheelchair/scooter lanes be set up in front of the quilts  for them.  The lane might not be such a bad idea except it would restrict the viewability of the quilts for non-handicapped people  and that doesn’t seem quite fair either.

I thought about this topic for a long time and finally got up the nerve to send a response to the list about it.  I was nice but guess what???  My post didn’t make it to the list so I can’t help but think it was removed by the list owner.  Maybe it was just one of those cyber-anomolies but I’m thinking not.

In my response, I said this (and I can post my response here because I wrote it…sections were edited that might reveal the name of the list)

“I’m a lurker who usually loves reading this list because I’ve gleaned some valuable knowledge that I can translate  —————  (unfortunately I don’t have enough experience to help anyone).  Our goal is for me to —————one day.

I have to agree with ———- and I know many of you are probably tired of this topic already so I apologize for chipping in.  I am especially disappointed in comments made by what I believe to be one of the leaders of this list.  I’m not trying to flame a fire but this is my perception.

There are people with all sorts of disabilities. There are innumerable medical conditions that can contribute to obesity.  Weight loss surgery is not an option for everyone nor have I been convinced that it is safe.  I’m an RN and I’ve seen some tragic results.

My DS is disabled and is lucky enough to not require mobility devices but should he ever need one….we will make use of it.  One thing we all need to keep in mind (whether we agree or not) is that rights of handicapped are federally mandated.  This includes wheelchair accessibility.  Setting aside a certain time of day for wheelchairs/scooters and restricting those users may very well violate the federal laws.

Let’s all please use a little kindness and remember that our own circumstances can change in the blink of an eye….and we (those of us who are ambulatory)  may need to use assistive devices for our own mobility.  I’m going back to my corner.”

In closing today, I want to say that it’s very sad to see people so intolerant of differences of others.   I don’t know when we became such a “me” society.  We would all do well to take a few minutes to pass on a little kindness and practice a little more courtesy.

siggysheryl

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BerryPatch Quilt & Art Expo

October 9, 2009 at 20:17 (Quilting)

was last Saturday in Ponchatoula, LA.  (Warning:  This is a long post)

The day started out looking like thunderstorms but it turned out to be a beautiful day!  Quilts were hanging from balconies and store fronts in downtown.  My friends at BerryPatch Preservation for Quilting & Visual Arts did a wonderful job!  Thank you Charlotte, Doris, and Danette and all your devoted helpers for all the work you do.

The Community Center was awash with Hoffman Challenge entries, quilts made for Wounded Warriors, a wonderful exhibit by my friend Rhoda Jordan, Amish quilts, You’ve Got That Celtic Feeling mystery quilts and many more beauties.

Vendors were set up with lots of lovely quilty stuff for us to purchase.  I found a great pattern for a large tote.  It’s called Chubby Charmer by Penny Sturges for Quilts illustrated.  The photo on the pattern is adorable but the sample Bright Hopes Quilt Shop had made was the clincher for a sale!

Demo’s were presented hourly.  At noon, I gave a lecture based on my experiences with internet quilting.  I called it “Internet Quilt Junkie”.   Of course, hindsight is perfect and I can think of so much more I *should* have included in the lecture.  I showed somewhere around 30 quilts and quilted items.  There was a nice group of people in the audience and I think they enjoyed the lecture.

I was in nervous overload but somehow I made it through.  Thanks Myrlene for the water!  I wasn’t prepared for how dry my throat would be.  Don built a nice frame for us to hang the quilts from.  It sure did come in handy.  Thank you dear!

Yvonne loaned  her portable design wall to me so I could display blocks from various swaps.  The design wall was a wonderful thing to use!  Click on the link if you want to see one up close.

With the help of my sister Vanessa and son Chris we displayed blocks from swaps:

  • Halloween blocks
  • Red Hat blocks
  • Perfume Bottle blocks (designed by Deb Kauffunger)
  • Butterfly blocks
  • Louisiana themed blocks
  • Texas themed blocks.

Faith carried small pieces through the audience so they could get a close-up view.

Several weeks ago I asked for people to send blogs/sites they believe to be worth visiting.  I promised to post the hand-out for download for Great Blogs and Sites According To Sheryl so here it is.  Somehow the info for my own sites got left off the bottom of the hand-out so please download a new copy.  Please forgive.  :-)

If you submitted a a blog or site that didn’t get included…please remember I assembled the listing according to what my vision is of a great blog/site.  I posted that info here.

Here I am at the beginning of the lecture:

See the fear in those eyes?

See the fear in those eyes?

And here’s a photo a little further into the lecture:

Signature blocks

Signature blocks

These signature blocks were from the first internet swap I ever joined.  If I remember correctly, the swap was hosted by a lady in Montgomery, AL.  There’s no pattern for the quilt.  I just made it up and used the Square in a Square ruler with it.

Here’s DS, Chris on stage with swap blocks, Totally Tubular (Rita Hutchens) and  Blooming Nine Patch (Blanche Young) from online challenges with TQP members.

Stage

And a picture of me with the yet to be finished Eye of the Storm quilt top.  I’ve got a rope border planned for it.

Finally looking more at ease...

Finally looking more at ease...

That’s a good thing…the lecture was over!  :-)

siggysheryl

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Aye Yi Yi

September 28, 2009 at 00:31 (Quilting)
Tags:

I’m determined to learn how to use my Grace frame/Juki combo.  No, I mean it.  I’m going to master that beast!

But these pins are something else!  I read somewhere that corsage pins are great for pinning the quilt top/backing to the leaders.  And it’s true.  I just haven’t figured out how not to butcher my fingers in the process of pinning, quilting, unpinning.  These things are downright vicious.  I’m not kidding.  They look innocent don’t they?  Well, looks can be deceiving!

Corsage Pins

Corsage Pins

They really are handy for the purpose and can easily be found at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels or even at your local florist.  But why didn’t I figure out that I need to weave the pin into the fabric so that the tip isn’t exposed for me to run my fingers into???  I’ve lost enough DNA from pin pricks that there could never be any doubt whose quilting room it is!  Hopefully, I will remember to put them in properly from now on.

Quilt pinned to take-up pole leader

Quilt pinned to take-up pole leader

I’m so glad to finally have this quilt done.  Now, I just have to do the binding and I’m going to try to get that done this week.  This is only a small picture and my quilting isn’t great for sure (the only thing I know how to do is meander)  but this is the only way I’m going to learn.  This design is from a book by Rita Hutchens called Totally Tubular.

We had a challenge on The Quilting Post several years ago and this was the pattern everyone had to use.  They also had to use a certain percentage of brown fabric.  I think we all agreed to call our efforts something like “Totally Insane”.  This design isn’t for the faint of heart but it’s certainly interesting!

When we were working on this challenge, Rita was gracious enough to join our private,  little list of players so she could offer help when we got stuck.  We got stuck a lot!  Lol.

Totally Tubular....or it is Total Madness???

Totally Tubular....or it is Total Madness???

This quilt has so many bias edges that it will probably never lie flat or be straight.  Oh well…

siggysheryl

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Exploring Louisiana–The Grand Isle Tour—Final Chapter

September 23, 2009 at 17:20 (Exploring Louisiana)

Here’s the last chapter of our Grand Isle Tour.  How did you like the post office built off the ground?  I’ve got an idea it’s very convenient at times.

We fell in love with the beautiful flora in Grand Isle so I’ll show you some more pictures.  The first one is a Rubber Tree.  We have grown these in pots before but never have we seen them this size!

Rubber Tree

Rubber Tree

I have another picture of a different Rubber Tree that is also larger than the house but that picture didn’t turn out too well.

I kept seeing these beautiful trees and thought they looked familiar but I had to get close to realize they’re Norfolk Island Pines!

Norfolk Island Pine

Norfolk Island Pine

Just 2 more pictures and we’ll be done with this tour.  I think this truck has probably been in the water since Katrina.

4 years later

4 years later

This crane didn’t seem to care that I was taking his picture.

Last Crane Leaving Grand Isle

Last Crane Leaving Grand Isle

We headed home via Hwy 1 all the way up to Port Allen and across the Mississippi River bridge to Baton Rouge and then home.  It was an all day trip but one we enjoyed.

siggysheryl

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What’s on my Design Wall Today???

September 22, 2009 at 00:11 (Quilting)

Over at Patchwork Times, it’s Design Wall Monday.  The day is almost over but I finally got a somewhat decent picture.  Chris helped me put the blocks up last night on my design wall but my flash is much too strong and then the batteries in my camera died so the pics I had weren’t good ones.

I got some new batteries today and I’m not going to tell you what I used as a filter for the flash…ok….but don’t blame me because you made me tell you….I used a pair of Chris’s Tidy Whities to filter the flash.  Hey!  It worked.  ;-)   And remember, you made me tell you.

These blocks are from a swap several years ago that was called Eye of the Storm.  The pattern is actually Hope of Hartford from Marcia Hohn’s site.  I’ve got pictures of some of the quilts that came from that swap on this page.  I’m hoping to get mine sewn together this week.

Eye of the Storm

Eye of the Storm

So, that’s what’s on my design wall today.

siggysheryl

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Happy Birthday Daddy

September 16, 2009 at 21:57 (Family & Friends)

Daddy would have been 66 –oops–76–today.  He’s been gone for over 4 years but I still think about him all the time.  He passed on so many things he loved to me.

He loved music and played the piano, organ, and accordian.  I love music but I gave up playing piano a long time ago.  I just don’t have the discipline it takes to be a good piano player.  Daddy was self-taught.  In his family of 7 children, money was always tight.  One brother got piano lessons and from what I understand Daddy would hide and watch and then sneak to the piano to play.  He was never happy to do “straight by the music” playing.  He always started and ended with a roll from bass to treble.  It was his hallmark so to speak.

We used to gather around the piano and sing as he played old songs from old hymnals…none of this stuff they sing in church these days.  We sang “Ivory Palaces”, “The Fight Is On”, “How Great Thou Art”, “Victory in Jesus”,  and many others.   He even for a time was the piano player in a gospel quartet when we lived in Kosciusko, MS.   Even after we moved to Alabama, we used to hop in the car and travel to a gospel singing hours away.  I located someone who actually has a postcard size picture of that quartet and she’s going to send me a copy.

He loved growing things.  Flowers were a passion.  He just seemed to have the right touch to make something grow and bloom.   Mother loves flowers too.  Between the 2 of them, I’ve developed a love of flowers also. I think he would be fascinated with my Square Foot Garden which btw has red tomatoes now!

Daddy was a football nut.  He loved to watch football and I think really liked college games more than pro.  I can recall many a cold night that we would drive out to a high hill so he could pick up a game on the radio station.  He would stack televisions on top of each other so he could watch more than 1 game at a time and he always had at least one radio playing with a different game.  Talk about early multi-vision.  Lol.

I like to watch football too.  I may not know what they’re doing but I still like to watch.  :-)

Daddy loved to fish.  He was never a hunter but he loved to throw a line out in the pond.  I was the oldest of 4 girls so I was the one who always went fishing with him.  When I was really little, he took me out on the creek bank one night and when we got home I was covered head to toe with mosquito bites.  Oh man, was my Mother mad!!!!

Several years ago, he expressed an interest in hand piecing a quilt top so I gave him several FQ’s for his birthday and Vanessa cut them up into squares for him.  He made several blocks for Chris…enough to make a quilt with.  They’re plain 12-patch blocks but they’re special.  I need to get that quilt finished.  Faith got blocks also but he never got around to making blocks for the other grandchildren.  He ran out of time and I think he just didn’t have the energy to do them all.

He was quite a talented man and he was a brilliant man.  He used to play bridge and he was amazing to watch.  After the first hand was played, he knew who held what cards and could even predict how they would be played.  I tried bridge for a while but it took much too much concentration for me to be good at it.  I did  play Rook though and loved it…Guess who else played Rook?  Lol.

To end this post, I’ll share a picture with you.  It’s Daddy when he was a young man…much too young to be married with a baby but there he was….holding me.

I love you and miss you Daddy.

siggysheryl

Oliver Kermit Chipley and baby Sheryl

Oliver Kermit Chipley and baby Sheryl

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Looking for Millennium/Y2K fabrics

September 16, 2009 at 16:23 (Uncategorized)

I’m putting together a quilt top using blocks from a swap I hosted back during the Y2K craze.  The swap used a pattern by Deb Kauffunger and we used Millennium themed fabrics for the body of the perfume bottles.  The swap was called “Millennium Time in a Bottle”.

Somewhere in this maze of fabric stash I have some Y2K fabrics but I can’t find them.  I would say they’re hiding with the MOH (Mission of Hope) quilts that are ready to be quilted but I found those  :-)

I’m hoping some of you can help me out.  I need several different Y2K fabrics to make the piano key border.  A good friend is already sending me several prints.  I need some red, green, orange to go with the ones Jane is sending.

I’ll gladly send something in return if you can help.  Just post a comment and I’ll send you my mailing info.

Oh, btw….true to my usual self….I needed these yesterday!  Lol.  Seriously, I need to get the quilt top finished in 2 weeks.

Thanks for any help you can give!

siggysheryl

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What Makes a Great Blog?

September 13, 2009 at 23:55 (Computer Stuff, Quilting)

I guess the answer to that question depends heavily on who you’re asking.  For me, a great quilting blog has a good mixture of:

1.  Quilty stuff you’re working on

2.  Snippets from your life

3.  Tutorials or info pages about how to do things

4.  Free patterns

5.  Links to other great blogs

I’m working up a hand-out to use along with a lecture about internet quilting.  I recently asked members of some online groups to share blogs/web sites they consider to be “must-see” and I got some good leads.  Some leads had nice patterns but no other info.  I’m not against people promoting their patterns/books/etc. but that’s not really what I’m looking for.

This isn’t meant to be a put-down on anyone who has a retail-only site so please don’t take it the wrong way.  Everyone is entitled to do their blog/site their own way and I respect that.

So….if your blog/site fills my list as above…please send me a link so I can take a look.  I’ll post the file after I get it completed.  :-)

siggysheryl

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