This is a picture of a baby quilt I am making for a new baby expected in my family. She is expected on Jan 15, 2010. Her mom and dad tell me her name will be Abigail Louise. This will be their first baby. They are so excited. The mother is a computer programmer for a travel agency. The father is an Emergency Medical Technician. The mother is my oldest granddaughter. They have asked me to be an attendant (doula) for her when she is in labor. I am so excited. There is nothing more gratifying to me than being with a woman during labor and birth and to be there when a new life comes into the world. I did this for a few years as a nurse and always shed a few tears at each birth, most of the time tears of happiness, and on a few occasions tears of sadness with the family. I was with Mary when she gave birth to her son, Jeremy more than 30 years ago. I started the quilt about 6 weeks ago. I made the little butterflies and flowers by hand and hand appliqued them onto the quilt. I sewed the rest of the quilt by machine. After basting the batting and backing to the quilt top (what you see), I have been quilting the 3 layers together by hand. This is why it is not finished yet. This is the part that takes some time. I plan to have it completed by 1/15/10. I wanted to share this with you and hope Coreen shares her baby afghan she is making with us.
66 comments:
Hi folks, this is my first time to post a picture. I can't believe I did it. I have learned so much from all of you and especially Chloe.
Jan, What a beautiful baby quilt! Your granddaughter will be so happy. And you did a beautiful job on the post. Your picture upload was perfect.
I am walking out the door for a while, but I'm going to read your post more slowly when I get back. Thanks for sharing!
(I'm taking my computer with me, but it may be a while before I can use it)
Chloe, thank you for those kind words. I don't know whether I am prouder of the quilt or the post! The baby shower is today at 1 pm. I am taking the parents a pic of the quilt with a promise of completing it by the birth.
Oh Jan, WOW, that quilt is absolutely beautiful...the detail is wonderful,
a keepsake that I am sure will be treasured & someday the baby will know what a wonderful
gift she was given....
Jan, you do have the patience of a saint, since
I know how much time & effort is needed to create such an exquisite quilt...
And what a wonderful first post....(on your own)
Wonderful quilt and story to go with it. I never have quite figured out what appliqué are.
My family were pioneers and settlers, and all the women had a quilting frame tucked away in some corner for cold winter months. They didn't put the family history or tell stories like some of the quilts I've seen in Mayberry RFD, I mean Mt Airy, but they have stood the test of time and we have many of them still.
Jan,
Very nice post. Like Chloe; Coreen, and all the rest have said; specially the details.!!
Can I have one. Chloe once told me that im just a big baby; and I can prove it...waaaaa, waaaa. I will send you a pic that I want on it...it is from my favorite Playboy Mag...I don't read the articles...
I think that's the wrong kind of bottle Solar. :)
Yes, ditto to the above Jan. Very beautiful quilt and great post. I had to hurry and scan down to see if you did it yourself and sure enough, you mastered Posting 101. Congrats.
You earned your official turtle shell. Comes in handy in the winter or in case you get under a tree with those pesky little squirrels dropping Cypress nut bombs.
Nope Solar you can't have a quilt unless you are "born again". Since that's not likely, you'll have to wait until your next life but I wouldn't rush this one. You might just come back as something that can't use a cute baby quilt.
I did go and buy a AC/heater today. The guy at the hardware store talked me into a smaller one than I thought I wanted. He said the bigger one would be too much for where I will be using it. He said that I would also probably need to change the outlet and the wiring to accomodate the larger units. The one he recommended is a 12,000/11,000. I have just the AC in there now but the AC is larger than 12,000, it's probably closer to 18,000.
I had an AC/heater this same size in my big room before I got the bigger one. The heater part worked just right for the big room(25x25 with high ceiling) but the AC wouldn't cool enough in the dead of summer.
I'm sure the heater part will do for the lower level but I hope the AC part will be enough for summer. The AC unit is in a bedroom window but I blow a little fan right outside the door of that bedroom to cool the kitchen area. I have a little AC in the kitchen but don't use it.
This guy did seem to know what he was talking about and he did talk me into a smaller, cheaper size(and on sale)unit so I hope he's right. He said that if I had too much AC in that room, the AC wouldn't work hard enough to pull the humidity out of the air and the unit could freeze up.
Now boys, does all that sound right?
Carol,
The big question to me would be the wattage/amperage of the unit, what kind of circuit breaker you're on and what the plug looks like. I've heard of units freezing up when they're low on coolant, I'm not sure about unit size but the swamp could be special.
I'm coming back as a sea otter. I want some fun after this life. :)
All use 220 but the AC only and this smaller AC/heater needs 20 amps and the bigger AC/heater needs 30. There are also different plugs. I'm not sure how big the breaker is in that room but I know I had to change the wire and plug in the big room when I got the bigger unit.
If your going to be a sea otter, watch out for those killer whales, the transient Orcas. They love little cute sea otters.
I'm having a hard time with the logic test part of your answer. I'm not sure which unit is where.
The 30 amp needs a special plug, special breaker, and larger wire between the plug and the breaker. It should also be the only outlet on that breaker.
It's been a while, but I think it takes #10 wire to handle 30 amp, otherwise it gets hot. Even if it doesn't get hot enough to start a fire, it can expand and contract in the connections at both ends, which can result in loose connections, which can causing arcing and heat. Stranded wire works better than solid because electricity travels on the outside of the wire, and lots of little wires have more surface area than one big one.
Outlets are usually wired with #12 and lights with #14 (the bigger the number, the smaller the wire), but your mileage may vary as some contracts gift inspectors with bottles of Jack to not see illegal wiring.
My home has several illegal outlets and it wasn't caught in building or during the inspection when I bought it.
The size requirements also vary depending on room size and ambient temperature (difference between temperature outside and what you want inside). So an air conditioner in the shade will work better, but not so much a heater.
Looking around it looks like a 12,000 btu unit should be good for a 600 square foot room.
Carol,
Just getting back, and I agree with Don.
But I didn't know that you were going to buy a new heating source...I would have looked an over head one. They are gas heated line in, just like the clothes washers. let me see if i can find one that caught my eye, and had my name on it...
I have no gas out here Solar. It had to be a window type unit.
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Carol, you are an adventuress. You just have adventures in different ways than in past years. Your living in your camp by the river is an adventure. You absolutely amaze me. Its great you have some engineers and construction folks on here to talk you through all that electrical stuff.
Coreen, I am not at all patient when it is something I don't like doing. Making a quilt is different. I worked on it one weekend for about 15 hours and the time flew and I would forget to eat. It is something that is so much fun to do. Sometimes when I am working on a quilt, it is hard to sleep b/c I will mentally put it together in my sleep and wake up several times at night working out a construction part of it.
Don, sea otters are so cute. I did see a segment on TV where those orca whales had sea otters for snacks.
"My family were pioneers and settlers, and all the women had a quilting frame tucked away in some corner for cold winter months." It is great that you still have some old quilts that your female ancestors made. They are treasures. It was a form of art for our women pioneer ancestors and one of the few ways they had to express their creativity.
Solar, LOL you don't read the playboy articles. I have seen many art quilts but not any that have the art on them that you are talking about.
I just got back from a baby shower for my granddaughter. I put a picture of the quilt in a gift bag with some cute baby stuff with a promise to complete the quilt by the time Abigail is here.
What I'm mainly concerned with guys is will it warm up that area in the winter and cool it in the summer. I think I'm OK with the wiring stuff.
Ivy, I see your Alabama team is doing well. I just got my CBS back so I haven't been able to watch it. I ran that channel search this morning because my local NBC disappeared. It must have been a problem with the local station.
When I did that, I lost my CBS but picked up another one from somewhere else. CBS is very iffy, I have to play with the antenna. Well then this afternoon that CBS went bye bye and I ran another channel search and lost both. After some playing with the antenna and many more channel searches, I got the old CBS back. Arrrrrhg. If I just knew who I could sue for mental cruelty.
You busy Coreen? We could get a jury made up of people like myself who are just as aggravated. I think we could win and win big. Somebody needs to pay. Then we could both retire and I can spend my free time running around my living room looking for a signal.
I hope I do not bore you with all this stuff but now I have another baby quilt to put together. My grandson and his wife are expecting a baby boy. They want a camping theme on their quilt. My gr'daug and gr'son are brother and sister.
Ivy, Congratulations! I see Alabama and Florida are playing - looks like Alabama may be #1 after this game. Both yours and Carols teams are doing great.
Solar,
I have a large Turkish blanket with a nude of a woman on it. Does that count? Got it in 79 when I was there, it's wearing well. I have no idea what it's made of. Fuzzy but resilient.
"He said that if I had too much AC in that room, the AC wouldn't work hard enough to pull the humidity"
Carol, I think the guys is right. If you oversize your cooling, for instance, it will cool down the room too fast, and then if you're insulation isn't that good, you'll lose that cool air very quickly, causing it to cycle on and off too often. Same goes with the heat. What he told you about the humidity is also true. In high humidity areas like we both live in, the unit needs to run longer to remove the humidity from the air. Since it's a smaller unit, it cost less to run - that along with it not cycling on and off so much will save you more money in the long run to.
... still catching up on posts.
"I have a large Turkish blanket with a nude of a woman on it"
Well tell her to get off that blanket Solar!
Since '79 is a long time.
"I hope I do not bore you with all this stuff but now I have another baby quilt to put together."
My land Jan, you have so many grandchildren. It must be wonderful. Heck no, you never bore us. We love hearing about all those cute little babies. I hope now that you've got the picture uploading now, you post some pictures of those babies, as well as the older kids and adults.
Don, large turkish blanket with a nude on it -hmmm.
We quilters are always trying to come up with a quilt our men will like - I think you are onto something Solar - no joke.
She's probably the longest relations ship I've had Chloe. :^) 30 years now. Goes anywhere I want with no complaints, and looks as good as the first day she same into my life.
LOL
Oh, Don wrote that post 'to' Solar. Sorry about the joke Don. I tease Solar about such things.
"Goes anywhere I want with no complaints, and looks as good as the first day she same into my life."
MG, You've found the PERFECT relationship!!
Chloe, you are so right - I have 8 grandchildren. Only the oldest 2 are having babies now. The others had better wait for a few years - their parents agree.
That's a lot of grandchildren Jan. They'll give you plenty to post about here then, and lots to share. I hope we'll be hearing lots more about them.
I love it Jan. It's so nice to have such talent and diversity on our blog. I'm very impressed with your work Jan.
Thanks Chloe, I forgot we have our own heating and cooling specialist on our blog also. That's exactly what I needed to know. Now I can't wait to get it in. My guys have another job tomorrow but they may be able to work me in. If not, then Monday. I'm too old to be cold. Old bones just don't take it well.
Jan,
I love your baby quilt. I wonder if I would have the patience to do that. Like you said once, I think if I could find some kind of quilting class or group to meet with, I would love doing it, esp. since I liked sewing. I would just love to make my grandchild one. My son would be so impressed.
"I'm too old to be cold. Old bones just don't take it well."
I know exactly what you mean Carol. I really hate to be cold. 'Course, I don't like to be hot either. I'm always looking for the perfect temperature. Ha!
Unless they have a girl, I don't know how much good jewelry making would be.
Carol, I'm not the expert in this family, but I'm married to one. I only know the easy part. One thing I didn't ask you is how many square feet you're looking to heat.
Chloe,
I totally agree with you. I think between the two though, I'd rather be cold. At least you can add clothes.
"I think if I could find some kind of quilting class or group to meet with, I would love doing it"
Mary, Do it! If you would love to learn to quilt, then you should find a way to learn it.
That's true Mary. But one thing I love about warm weather, is the casual way it allows you to dress. I love dressing in cool clothes, and wearing flip flops for months on end.
But, if there weren't any AC, it'd still be miserable. So you're right, heat can be worse.
The only problem with finding a class is that my schedule at work changes all the time. I never know what days I'm going to be off. I guess if I find a class, I can just tell them not to schedule me that day. You would think after working at that hospital for 21 yrs., I could have a schedule that would stay the same.
Chloe, I guess I was thinking of last night. Had my electricity gone off during a heat spell, it would have been worse. There's only so many clothes you can take off. By the time my power came on last night, I had 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of sweat pants, and 3 pairs of socks on and a quilt on top of me.
Carol, I just had him read what you said. I saw that you said it was for a 25x25 high ceiling room. The 12,000 BTU you got is a 1 ton, which heats and cools up to about 500 sq ft. The 18,000 you already had is a 1 1/2 ton. It does up to 750 sq ft. Since your 25x25 ft room is 625sq feet, with high ceilings, he thinks you need the 1 1/2 ton. He said 'especially' since your insulation isn't that good.
To clarify, you need the 18000 BTU unit. He said it's not going to cycle on and off too much, unless it's 'way' too big for the room.
"By the time my power came on last night, I had 3 sweaters, 2 pairs of sweat pants, and 3 pairs of socks on and a quilt on top of me."
LOL Mary. If it had been me, I would have probably been sitting out in my car with the engine running, so I could turn on the car heater.
No Chloe, the 25x25 is my living room. I have a big AC/heater in that room that works well. It's the only warm room I have now. I need one for the bedroom to heat it and the adjoining kitchen and bathroom. That's where I'm putting the smaller unit.
I did have a smaller unit in the big room and the heater worked well but it was not enough AC.
The living room is about 4 feet above the other part of the camp. The heat up there does not go down into the other rooms.
That thought did occur but I'm not sure if my car would have started. When I went out this morning, I couldn't start it. Luckily the girl that lives across the street from me works at the hospital so I had to hitch a ride with her. I think it's my battery.
Oh. Well then, since it depends on the square feet, you're all set if it's under 500 sq. ft. (which it sounds like it is).
I was so tired when I got off work, I didn't want to wait for Wally World to change it so I bought a battery charger. Now I have to go read how to use it in case I have to charge it in the morning.
"I think it's my battery."
If it's not one thing, it's another Mary.
Do you think the cold weather is what caused it?
See you all tomorrow.
It will be nice to have some heat down there that I'm comfortable leaving on when I'm not here. I leave the AC/heater on in the living room but Maggie stays in the bedroom when I'm gone even if it's cold in there. I don't know why.
Coreen, do you have your Christmas decorations all up? Are you going to put up some pics?
We watched the game at the home of our late friend with all the friends of our friend. The game, of course, was awesome, but my awe is reserved for our friend's wife and the strength and endurance she shows...how can you be concerned about others when you are in the worst pain of your life? I want to be happy for the win for our Crimson Tide, and I am, but I am somber nonetheless.
"Breathe," she says, "one breath at a time."
Carol,
I bought my mother a little propane radiant heater for emergencies. We get ice storms where the heat can be lost for a day or two. My cousin gave her a kerosene heater, which of course is very dangerous.
Do you have a backup?
Your friend, Ivy, probably needs to have her friends around. She probably feels terribly alone right now.
I bet that was somewhat uncomfortable cheering for your team under the circumstances but your friend probably needs something cheerful also.
What is sad is that when a person goes from being part of a couple to being a single, they sometimes don't feel like they belong to the couples friends anymore.
And often the couples friends don't include them anymore.
Thanks, Carol. It will be interesting to see what happens. This couples' home and lake house were the center of all the action. Laughter and music was their heart and soul...we laughed and sang because they were laughing and singing. In case I didn't mention, they are Cajuns from Louisiana...how could there not be laughter and music? I don't know where the laughter or music will come from now.
What part of La. Ivy? Have any of your other couple friends lost spouses thur death or divorce? If so, are they still part of your group of friends?
Coreen said she lost her husband a while back. Coreen are you still involved with the couple friends you used to have?
Good thing I checked in tonite, Carol, it was
not a 'husband' that had a heartache & died,
but a guy I had gone with for a pretty long time...
David was 59, had been diagnosed with diabetes
late in life, did not pay attention to it,
& collapsed & died one a.m., 3 years ago, trying to drive himself to the hospital...He was 59, a widower, an attorney (public defender)....while we were a couple it was not the same as being a 'married couple', & friendships with couples who were married, was
not quite the same as if you are all married,
not sure if I can explain it more clearly.
But as far as your observation about when
a couple becomes a single & the change in the
relationship with other marrieds, the relationship usually does change...the single
sooner or later is left out of the married group...my instinct tells me it is because
the other married women consider the single
a threat to their security (just as many married women view their own single friends)..
it is just the way it is.....
And backing through the comments, my tree is
not completed yet, lights are on it (700) but
thats it for today....
It did snow, some slush left now, it has stopped, hopefully it will be sunny in the a.m.
so it will dry it out....Let you know tomorrow..
We're waiting for the pics Coreen.
Your right about married couples Coreen and it is so sad because not only do you lose one of the most significant relationships of your life when you lose a spouse but that loss just cascades into so many other losses. I guess that is why it tops the chart in Holmes Stress Inventory.
Ever heard of that inventory?
HOLMES-RAHE LIFE STRESS INVENTORY
It helped to hang out with the Psych instructors when I was teaching. One of my friends was preparing a class and was using that inventory. She gave me the test. I took it and I must have had several stressors at the time and scored high enough to have an increased risk for injury and/or illness. My friend also told me that. Probably wasn't a good idea, knowing me.
Well later that day I was warming up for a softball game. I was playing some rec softball at the time. As someone was firing a pitch to me, for some dumb reason I looked away and the softball hit me right in the trachea. I felt my trachea slam into my spine. I didn't talk very well for several days.
I'm not sure if it was all my past stressors that influenced that accident or the fact that my friend told me I had a 90% chance of having an accident. I felt that it was more likely the latter.
That's why my reading those horoscopes, Chloe, is not a good idea.
If you are suggestive, it might not be a good idea to take that inventory and score it. Or if you do, don't go play any softball.
Carol, you guys are the psych buffs,
so no, never heard of that stress chart...just going with past experience...since you are single too, I would guess that married female friends may have felt threatened if you were around their spouse...
& since often the married couples groups develop from the husband's business contacts, the now single widow is no longer valuable to the
business involvement...
and the exclusion occurs relatively
quickly, usually within a year, unless she winds up with a guy from
the group...I know, I'm being callous, but that's the way it happens...
And yes, I willl provide you with pics, but not just yet...
Carol, why I have zero belief in
psychology...looked at your stress
chart & it only confirmed what I already know---score so low---no significant problems.....
Night now....
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