COLD HANDS

and feet. Judy, I was going to respond as a comment but thought better of that. While this isn't exactly quilt related it certainly makes a difference if you are a quilter. I speak of Raynaud's disease. Only a rheumatologist can tell you for sure but it's a problem I've had since my teens. My early and long lasting smoking habit certainly made it much worse than had I had the sense to refrain. My daughter who has never smoked has it took, even in Los Angeles. It is a disorder that causes the capillaries in extremities to constrict if any part of you gets chilled. When it's bad it doesn't make any difference what you are wearing but keeping yourself warm is certainly the first line of defense. Two of my toes have been repeatedly frost bitten which has done a fair amount of tissue damage and can now occur significantly above freezing. I know just what you are going through. Get some very serious (and no doubt expensive) skiing mittens. Mittens are much better than gloves as having all your fingers in one place, surrounded by insulation is much more effective. When walking out doors in cold weather I wear good wool or synthetic socks designed for hunting/skiing. I've also read that keeping the back of your neck protected helps too. I have an unusually heavy head of hair for such an old hag but I still wear a hat, no matter how it messes the hair pulled down over my ears. Ears and nose are also susceptible. If you smoke - DON'T. There is medication which helps. One is a vaso-dilator such as heart patients use. That has made a big difference in my problem. I just walked Shadow to the mailbox a bit under a half mile each way while the temperature is in low fifties and my toes are cold fifteen minutes after getting home. Don't immerse your extremities in very hot water as you might not have enough sensation to be able to tell if it is too hot. I've found that sitting with my hands under my butt and thighs helps warm them. Google Renaud's and talk to your doc.

To make this more quilt specific I now see light at the end of the boys' rag quilts tunnel. They are not done but I think they will be in time for Santa to deliver them.

Jane in NC

California Fire Victims

The quilting group I teach recently sent a baby quilt to an organization helping young victims of the California fires. I included my e-mail address and received a kind thank you note the same day the quilt was received.

This morning I heard there's more Santa Ana winds in Malibu, whipping up another fire, so they'll be needing even more quilts.

http://heartstringsquiltproject.blogspot.com/

There's a need for quilts all over the world, so I guess the best thing to do is to choose a reputable charity and help as much as possible.

SeamSTRESS Sally

Rice bags

If you need one in a big hurry, just pour the rice into a sock and tie the end shut! (I've done this when there was no sewing machine handy). NancyH

Rice bags

Several years ago, I bought a large package of men's extra large white tube socks to make rice bags. They work very well, just fill with rice and stitch the top closed. A fat quarter was just the right size to make a little "pillowcase" to cover them.

Pat in Rockport, TX

My hands are cold

This time of year in the upper midwest (of the USA), the days get colder. Even with the thermostat set to a comfortable temp daytimes, my hands tend to get cold. And once my fingers get cold, I have a difficult time getting them warm again. Even hot dishwater does not always help. Rice bags to the rescue. I dug out the rice bag I made several years ago and heated it in the microwave. Then I snuggled under a quilt on the sofa and wrapped the bag around my right hand. Not only did it warm my hand, it also relieved a minor arthritis discomfort in my index finger. Yesterday I stopped at the store and bought a large bag of long-grain white rice. I'm too busy today, but within the next couple days I will cut up some flannel and make a couple more bags. I like to make a matching "pillowcase" which I can slip off the bag and wash if necessary for you do not want to wash the rice bag itself. If you need a pattern, you can google rice bag pattern. Here's the link to one pattern site and you can easily find others. These make great Christmas gifts, too.
JudyPete
http://www.sewing.org/enthusiast/html/ef_ricebags.html

West Michigan checking in

Thank you for the nice comments on my quilts.
Yes, Nancy, I'm thinking of making a smaller one.
It will just be a matter of making smaller squares.
The one pictured is 61/2 inch sqs.
We woke up to about 3 inches of the white stuff
this morning. The Cardinals look beautiful in their
red coats sitting in the pine trees with the snow
around them. My turkey is done 2 hours early.
I never trust the time it says to cook them and
I'm always afraid it won't get done in time so I put
it in early. Took exactly 4 hours in the Cook-in-Bag.
Hope everyone enjoys their day.
Mayme

A couple more quilts

This is the quilt for the GGB and the Pumpkin wall hanging.

West Michigan checking in

West MI checks in often but hasn't posted lately. Is everyone

ready for Thanksgiving? I've been getting things ready for the

last two days so there isn't much to do in the morning. I finally

got a quilt back from the LAQ that I took to her the 30th of January.

I have been quilting Split Nine Patch baby quilts on Grace. I made a

carved pumpkin face wall hanging for one of my DD's. We found out

about a month ago that we are going to be great grandparents in Feb.

Being a GGP is just fine with me but I don't know about this being the

Mother of a Grandma! I had just finished one of the Split Nine Patches

and told my DH that I had so much money wrapped up in it that I was

going to save it for our first GGC never dreaming it would be so soon. I

figure I'm just a head of the game with the quilt all done. I have all the

receiving blankets and a few burp rags sewn. The baby will have 12

grandparents. Will it be spoiled? Maybe just a little.

Brenda and Nellie how are you doing? Brenda, maybe after you move we will

be able to get together. I have such good memories of our MI retreat.

DH and Granddaughter both got deer this year. Don and I are adjusting well

to retirement. I think he will have a hard time as Winter comes and there is

nothing to do outside. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Hugs, Mayme

Three Pillows - Or a Dress, Two Napkins and a Tea Towel

I don't have a quilt in the works right now, but I like to be sewing on SOMEthing! Here are three small projects that I recently completed. These nifty pillow covers are made from a linen blend dress (the green), two napkins from the clearance shelf, and a vintage tea towel.

The green dress was found at a yard sale, new with tags, for a mere pittance. I was too big to wear it (it was too small LOL), but I loved the hem. It was self-lined and I included the lining when I turned it into a pillow case.

As for the striped table napkins ... they were new so I pre-washed to shrink the cotton fabric and simply stitched on the hem line (they have a nice wide 1-inch turned hem.

The tea towel is vintage but had a huge hole on one end. Still, it was a lovely design and I recycled it to a pillow cover. Yes, I know the lime-green doesn't go too well with the reds -- I placed it on the sofa for the photo and then returned it to the bedroom where it fits right in with the color scheme.

So what kinds of sewing projects have You been working on lately?

Remember This? Keepsake Quilting Sold My Challenge Entry ...

Got an envelope in the mail today from Keepsake Quilting and I found a brief note telling me that they had sold my entry to their "Create a Pieced Color Burst" challenge and a check for the amount of my price I had put on my quilt. Whoop-de-doo! It's not coming home!! I am pleased about that outcome because I would not have had any place to hang the silly thing. I hope it is making some child's room look a little brighter.

Judy

Fortune cookie patterns

Thank you both for all the information. The one uses quite a bit of fabric and makes a large cookie, the Nancy's Notions one is smaller and I'm going to try this one out first as our guild has about sixty members at this point. The cost of the first one would be prohibitive for party favors, I think, but the pattern is great for whatever else you might like to do with it. Will keep you posted and put up a pic if I am successful. Thanks again. Lavinia-TN

this format... fortune cookies

the way this new format works, you only see responding posts if you click on the "comments" button. at least on my computer this part of reading is extremely s-l-o-w, but sometimes there is really good info in these that i wouldn't see if i didn't click. but the other side of the coin is that if someone makes a post after i've read the comments, i don't know it unless i've made a note of how many comments were there to begin with and how many are there now. that means i have to constantly recheck prior posts.

so... i posted this in the comments section of the question for fortune cookies, but i don't know if anyone will see it who might be interested. that's why i'm gonna post it on the "main" board and i think from now on unless it is a personal comment on a picture of a quilt, or something of that nature, i'm going to continue posting on the main board.

here's my post:
there is a free downloadable .pdf from nancy's notions site. i happened to see her show this past week on making fabric bowls and it was also shown. i hope the whole link will post, but if not just go to her site and put in fortune cookie in the search box.
http://www.nancysnotions.com/NNVia/viaImagePageTacony.jsp?searchText=1057028&pd=OLFA%20ROTARY%20CIRCLE%20CUTTER%20--%20VIEW%20FREE%20PROJECT%20SHEET
dutchrose ---{-@

Fabric Fortune Cookies

Lavinia,

Anna Chan has a pattern for the cookies from 1997. Her info on the pattern is P.O. Box 320488 SanFrancisco, CA 94132-o488 or I could share my copy. You can reach me at the blog or the yahoo site. My other e-mail is fiorenza@charter.net. Let me know what you would like to do. I have not tried the pattern, but I thought I might use it to make favors for a Tet Celebration at the adoption agency my daughter came thru (she's from VietNam, but I thought the favors would be fun). After all, even Anna says on the pattern that this pattern is calorie free!

On a sadder note, for any of you have who had the chance to experience Dr. Myrna Packard as a professor/teacher at Ohio State, UW-Milwaukee, or Alverno College and the Quilted Basket in Menomonee Falls, WI, Myrna passed away early this morning. This funny, energetic, sharing person touched the lives of many and left a definite impression that life was meant to be lived. I will miss my friend and please let me know if you knew Myrna and would like info on her services in Wisconsin. Good-bye wonderful woman....

Blessings, Shelli