Finished Tumbled Rocks

This past year was like a whirlwind of events.  I am concentrating on slowing things down a little around the Hollow and completing some projects.  Below is some photos that were on my camera from last summer.  These are the rocks that I was tumbling... remember that? ;)  The whole process was quite the adventure, since yours truly didn't read books on the topic. 

 

All of the stones lost mass as the grit wore away at their jagged surfaces.  In this experiment, I found out in a "hands on" way the lessons of tumbling.  The yellow and white stones are Citrine.  As you can see, they tumble and polish beautifully.  They can go through a regular tumbling process and stay somewhat predictable on their shape, losing a 1/4 to a 1/3 of their mass.  If you look at the upper right corner, the tourmaline and amethyst can be seen.  They lost very little mass in the tumbling process and turned out equally as well.  The moonstone in the upper left corner suffered very little surface loss but never really achieved a smooth finish. :(  Will definitely have to be getting some books on the subject to correct this problem.

 

While tumbling all of these stones, the most important of all lessons is to take out the stones with surface fractures and reserve them for another tumble.  Upon completion, many of my stones had  internal fissures.  My personal thought is that fissures add to the mystery of the stones.  They give them a rustic inner beauty.  With the rough cut bulk stones that I purchased on Ebay and my vast inexperience,  I was fortunate to have several nice finished pieces.   

 

 

Remember all that gorgeous Fluorite that I had?  Most of it disappeared in the tumbling process. Yikes! Upon more research into the subject via the Internet, my suspicions were confirmed that it is a softer stone.  I proved this with my little pile that is one over from the Citrine on the left.  They came out with a frosted appearance like the moonstone.  But they still are very pretty. :)

On the bottom left is the Labradorite.  It will be going into the tumbler again.  I will be doing some major reading on this rock.  They lost very little mass and were pulled out after the second tumble, due to all of the surface cracks.  The lot definitely needs to go back to the rough grit until their exterior surfaces are smooth.

I really did enjoy diving into this process of rock tumbling armed  with little knowledge.  Normally, my method is to research a topic to death.  This time, I decided to just enjoy the process.  Here are some things that I did learn: 

1.  Get a Cheap Strainer to clean the rocks.

2.  Take out the rocks with surface flaws after the second tumble.

3.  With Chicago Tumbler,  buy a Lortone belt that will not break!

4.  Clean your rocks outside over a large bucket or pot.

5.  Be careful where you dump the rinse water.

6.  Keep a notebook with times and pointers.

7.  Be Patient with the Process!

This summer will definitely find me tumbling again, and I look forward to wire wrapping a few of these to make pendants.  My son is a wonderful jewelry maker.  His attention to detail is absolutely amazing.  Hopefully, he can teach his Mom a little about the craft!  ;)

Disappearing 9 Patch Quilt & A Little Free Motion Quilting

Hello everyone!!  It is so nice to be blogging again.  Thankfully, my son's laptop has not had as many updates as mine.  So far, blogger's system is tolerating my posting from here.  I hope that this will hold out long enough for blogger to finish fixing the problem...

I have not been idle this winter.  Do you remember my first quilt?  Shouldn't be too hard-- I have only worked on two.  LOL  Well, the plunge has been taken to quilt it on my own machine.  The preparation began on the batting... My choice was a thick wool blanket.  I was terrified of bearding, so a layer of cheesecloth was added to each side.  Let the pinning begin! 

The large safety pins were purchased at a discount store.  They are huge.  I bent them to make the sandwiching process easier.  To be honest, my finger and knees were sore by the time it was completed.  My cat sat up on the couch watching the whole time! ;)

It is hard to see, but the center was finished with a simple stitch in the ditch.  (Well simple for someone that is NOT a newbie! ;) )  The process was a lesson in patience for me.  Not only was I trying to get use to this big bundle of a quilt (the blanket was really thick) , but my need for speed was smacked down a few times.  Synchronization with the machine is definitely a necessity to get a nice smooth line.  With it being my first pieced quilt, there were a few flaws here and there to work around. ;)

Then came the free motion quilting.  I could have easily lost my patience over my own inexperience.  First thing learned-- the need to get the pressure from the foot right. My batting was soooo thick.  It was a shock how much it needed to be changed.  Second--  Sit higher than normal to have a birds eye view of my work.  When sitting at normal height, I found myself pulling the quilt causing an unfortunate needle break.  Third--  Never blame the machine.  Yours truly broke two needles by putting them in backwards.  I didn't even know that they could be put in backwards! LOL  That one cost me 20 minutes of hard thinking.  I just laugh, thinking back about it. 

 

 

I really had a blast fumbling my way through quilting.  It was something that I never dreamt I could do.  It seriously felt good to practice at a new art.  Hopefully, the future will find me perfecting my technique, but this quilt will always stand tall as being my first of everything in the quilting world.  My pride over floweth on this one.  It means the world to me.  Now, the next decision is the choice of binding.  I hope to have it finished by the end of the month! :)

Problems With Blogger

I was determined to start off the New Year by blogging with more frequency. Evidently, Blogger had other ideas. Unfortunately, I have been unable to load pictures for quite some time now to my posts. Blogger says they are working on the problem but here I sit still waiting...

A Story for The New Year

Here is a little story that you may have heard before.  It was sent to me from a fellow employee at work, and I just love it...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him.

When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.  He shook the jar lightly.  The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.  Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.  The students responded with a unanimous "yes".

The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand...  The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.  The golf balls are the important things-- your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions-- and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.  The sand is everything else-- the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.  The same goes for life.  If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.  Spend time with your children.  Spend time with your parents.  Visit your grandparents.  Take your spouse out for dinner.  Play another 18.  There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.  Take care of the golf balls first-- the things that really matter... Set your priorities... The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.  The professor smiled and said, "I'm glad you asked.  The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers with a friend."

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!





MERRY CHRISTMAS!

From Our Family to Yours

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

A Christmas Gift ~ Hand Blown Glass Ornament

Take a look at these beautiful hand blown glass ornaments with a Seussian swirl!  Aren't they absolutely lovely?  My son purchased both of these at a craft fair last November in Elizabeth, Illinois from a local artisan.  They are marvelous. 

 

Here is the first ornament. It has a swirl made up of 8 different colors divided by cobalt blue glass.  It almost looks air brushed from far away...

 

 

 Upon a closer inspection, the viewer can see the different bands of color.  My son chose this ornament for himself.

Here is the second ornament.  He surprised me with an early Christmas gift of this lovely ball.  It is so cool.  The colors are mixed with the same cobalt blue glass.   It reminds me of an ornament out of one of Dr. Seuss's books!  I just love it!! 

The gentlemen that sold these told my son that if they should ever be damaged, he will gladly do repairs.  How odd is that to hear nowadays?  I try so hard not to be a part of the throw away society movement.  It warms my heart to know that my son values the work of others and purchases gifts that are true heirlooms. 

**Note**  Farmerboy also picked up a hand painted ball ornament with an old Minneapolis Moline Z painted on it.  The Artist said that she likes to pick an odd tractor here and there to grace her ornaments.  She made my son very happy. :)

It amazes me how my kid can gift me with items that I haven't even thought of, and they are so perfect for me.  This ornament is a true treasure.  I was informed that the artist also creates ornaments in different shapes.  I can see this as the beginning of an amazing collection!

How to Make Rice & Wool Microwaveable Hand Warmers from an Upcycled Sweater

Here is a quick "how to" for an inexpensive Christmas gift -- wool and rice microwaveable  hand warmers.  Not only is it a present that is absolutely perfect for the chill ridden season, it is also a fun project to get you into that Christmassy mood!   If you don't have a wool sweater laying around your house, head to the local thrift store and give them a sale for the holiday season. :)   Purchase a 75% to 100% wool sweater that is dry clean only (the ingredients for a great felting sweater ;) ).   Next, wash the sweater with some detergent on hot.  Once the washing is done, you should see that the knitting stitches are almost lost in the intermeshing of fibers.  Finally, throw it in the dryer and get ready for a wintery project.

 

Here is an oversized vest that I felted from my local thrift store.  It came to the store with a few holes in it.  The ladies are smart enough to still put it out for sale, because us wool lovers are waiting to snatch up a deal! ;)  Just think of how many warmers a crafty seamstress could get out of one oversized vest... *sigh*

 

Originally, my thought was to do two different sizes of warmers.  But after getting the first set made, I decided the second size would be too big for my needs.  So, the template size for my hand warmers was 3 by 4 inches.  Four rectangles will be needed to make a pair.  Place them wrong sides together and fastened them well with pins, since wool has a tendency to shift shape while sewing.

The best thing about this project is that you simply just sew around the outside edge of the rectangle, leaving a 1/4 inch seam allowance.   Start sewing your warmers by going forward and reverse to lock your thread and start to head around each side.  Stop within a half of an inch of the starting point, lock your thread again and cut your piece free of the machine.  Using a funnel (I bought a cheap 3 pack from the dollar store.), fill your little bag 3/4 full of rice (also purchased at the dollar store).  To finish, you can either sew the hole by hand or use your machine.

How much simpler can it be?  (This project would be great for me to  use up some of those sweater remnants that are in my stash.  Yay!)  They are perfect for holding in ones hands, placing in  pockets or sticking inside mittens.  All one has to do is pop them in the microwave for 30 to 35 seconds to warm them up.  I know it doesn't seem that long, but they can get REALLY hot... Trust me.   So, be careful handling them and make sure that they are not damp- prior to heating- in any way.  These of course are not washable but can be cleaned on the surface with a wet cloth.

This particular pair is heading to the home of my younger sister for a test run.  She works for her local school system (First through third grade... YIKES) and her normal routine has her outside with the kids for short periods of time.  Similar hand warmers have been rumored to hold heat for up to 25 minutes.    I will let her put them to the test! ;)