sewing for school 1

so...at about 3am a few days ago...i had an epiphany...you know how understanding how an atom is structured...protons and neutrons in the nucleus and electrons around the outside? well, i have had students just NOT GET IT. that may not be too surprising to some of my readers, but others are saying "what is a atom, if not the big bomb-thing?" well...i thought of a way to present the information in a hands-on way...



ok...so after i woke fonda up looking for a pen...i went out and wrote what you see in black...she looked at me funny in the morning and asked if it made sense to *me* and i said "yup!" and proceeded to explain my logic...and it all started with her sending me a link
"http://www.thecheesethief.com/2011/11/how-to-weave-paper-ball-ornament.html"> so, really it is all her fault. this is how i am going to make the electrons! with a bell inside and silver because *they are electrons!*

she just looked at me like i was crazy...but there will be more to come soon...i got the chickens atoms made and we just went out and bought the material for some electrons and the snaps and the bells...i am SO excited...more later!

peace! (yay! - sewing for school!!!!!)

sew IIc

so...i made more 25-patch squares (total of 8x7 = 54) and now i have to make the 9-patches...while doing that...wren has made herself at home in my dark scrap box...



a bit later... (check out her nose-spot on the plastic-box)


and...a bit later...i wonder how she can breathe in this position...


so...that is what has been happening in our world...peace

sew...IIb

so...i did the math, finally...



and i decided that a quilt that was larger than an king-size quilt, would probably be a bit big...i decided to change it a bit to a 7x6 (it might still be increased) and now would be the size of a twin-size quilt.



we shall see what happens when i get more and start laying it out...i have not decided what to use as the *between* color yet. i want it to be all one color and white would just be too white. i think black would be nice, but i also am thinking that Splash "Pool" would be nice, too (my favorite color of blue) - we bought a bolt of it last year (a 13 yard bolt), and i only have a few yards left...lori bought another bolt and put it out to sell because we really can't afford it at this point - maybe when i (finally) get a full-time job (oh, and we want a bolt of Kona Black)...just $150-$200 for both...so, not yet : )

i have a phone interview after the first of the year - we shall see : )

peace.

sew...II

i was thinking about all the stupid scraps we have (a muck-bucket full)...so i started cutting them up - only got through three bags and got a wide variety of lights and darks



and



these are all 2" squares.

i then had to figure out what the heck to do with all these craps...and i saw in some magazine a quilt i really liked...a bunch of 25-patchs and 9-patches with some solids between. so, being the cheap poor PT professor - i chose to make it in my "glue book"



i decided that the above layout was going to be too small, so...the plan is to do it 10x8 squares of 25-patches (80 total 25-patches and 63 9-patches)



and trying to do the math:



so, then i started to make the 25-patches...





my helper supervisor: wren



finally - some things to iron - with the drink of champions (diet pepsi)



and the first few 25-patch blocks



this is just the first taste - more later as the progress continues : )

peace.

sew...

i have not had the opportunity to sew much this last semester - teaching three classes is a challenge - but i think i did OK and had many students really say they enjoyed the class - and BIO 112 for spring semester is FULL! (apparently this has not happened for a long time)...yikes! (big smile).

so, next semester should be "easier" with only two classes and having taught them both this semester...so i hope to have a chance to sew some more...

over the last semester, i had the chance to finish up something that i started a few years ago without the final product in mind...taking mom-scraps and putting them together willy-nilly...with thanks to Lori Richardson at Cotton Fields in Washington, NC (man, i miss her and the store/friends since we moved), i followed her lead and started to square up my pieces and put them together. i do not have progress pictures for this, but i have a bad picture of the finished top:



this is an applique Mom started and i finished and then added to the quilt:



this is the opposite corner that was just fun for color and some more Mom test-blocks:



this quilt will be backed with a dark blue star-patterned piece and i have no idea what pattern will be used to quilt it. i do know that i would like to get this done soon - it will be a office quilt - our office is way cold - in any season. it is about a twin size.

now...for a place to do the basting...still searching : ) may try to use some places at school - gotta ask the security guards when i might be able to access some of the larger spaces.

i will post it again after it is quilted...better pictures and all that : )

peace for now

oh, and franklynn...

his handlebar whiskers fell out soon after the last post of him with them featured...we were hoping they would grow back and it appears that they are; on his right is the longer one, the one on his left is growing back, too, but so far much shorter and not visible in this picture:



and a nod to the upcoming season - actually the picture was taken last year, but the idea is the same:



enjoy and peace...

reasons to be happy for the seasons

heading home about a week ago...some time after 5pm on a tuesday or thursday - pretty sunset that i wanted to share:



peace.

reasons to get up at o'dark in the morning

just wanted to share a photo with you-all...this is the only one i got after fussing about getting in the right place and right magnification, etc.



he flew away right after that...7am before an exam...

peace