A Dilly Dally Weekend!

Our guild had a "Time to Sew" weekend ... as always, it was a ton of fun ... you can read about it here.  Usually the only thing I accomplish is socializing, but I actually managed to get some things done!

Valerie and I made matching tablerunners.  The designer and pattern information is on the guild blog.  I had never used a G.E. Designs "quilt as you go" pattern before ... I loved it!  I plan to use more of her designs in the future!

I recently had my Popsicle Sticks quilted by one of our local long arm quilters.  I pieced this last summer using two Bali Pops, one colorway was called Berry Bliss and the other Cappachino.  I was very happy with how the colors worked out and am absolutely in love with the pattern!  Terry Atkinson has another hit on her hands!  I sewed the binding on and today began hand sewing it down while watching the Oscars.

This is a scrap quilt I pieced a while ago ... it has a lengthy back story, so I'll share that when it's finished.  I pieced the backing while at the guild event, so it is off to a local long arm quilter this week! 

Most importantly ... I made my Dilly Dally goal of getting another log on the cabin blocks!  Honestly ... it was tough with traveling this week and work ... but I finished them this morning!  Yep ... I did the happy dance!

That is the dillydally news from this remote corner of the planet!  I hope you had an opportunity to dillydally this weekend!  Have a great week!  Do dillydally!

Dilly Dally Fabric - Gotta have It!

Remember PJ?  She won the 200th post drawing.  PJ told me that my little snowmaid angel loves her new home in Iowa.  I know ... warms my heart ... makes me happy!  PJ recently sent me this photo as well...

...the name of the fabric line is "Dilly Dally"!  The designers are Me and My Sister, a few years back they had another line called "Strawberry Lemonade".  I loved it ... hoarded it ... made multiple items with it ... and still have a jelly roll and some yardage left!  It was happy fabric ... it made me smile when I used it ... it still makes me smile!  Gosh ... I just love happy fabric!

Many of you have emailed me about this fabric line since it was introduced ... thank you for thinking of me ... and then making the effort to contact me.  I am always so touched by your thoughtfulness.  While in Anchorage, I looked for the fabric in every quilt store ... found two bolts of it ... and loved what little of it I saw!  Like the Strawberry Lemonade ... Dilly Dally is happy fabric too!  Sooo ... I am going to have to get me some!  ;-)

Seriously ... you were all correct ... it just screams Mrs. Dilly Dally!  I love precuts ... so have been looking at multiple patterns ... trying to make a decision.  The hard part of ordering online ... is you sort of have to know in advance what you're going to make with it ... yuck ... that is so tough ... I prefer to be moved by dillydally  winds ... I work best on a whim.  I would much rather have it in a local store where I can touch and smell it ... yep ... then it could tell me what I should create with it!  Now listen ... I have claimed on several occasions that I am ... for real ... a fruit loop!  But ... I am a happy fruit loop and they are the best kind to be around.

Speaking of my unique personality type ... I have to share with you a recent comment left on this blog that really touched my heart ... she mentioned that she liked following my steady stream of conversation ... wasn't that sweet?  She appreciates my nonsense ... oops, I mean funsense!  When I showed the comment to Mr. DillyDally, he started laughing!  Because he has to listen to it!  I just have to giggle ... because he only hears and you only read a fraction of what is going on in my dillydally head!

Have a wonderful dillydally weekend!

 

Gosh...It Feels Good to be Home!

It is always great to visit the city ... in Alaska, the "city" is Anchorage!

It was cold and clear the entire time I was there ... winter still has a very firm grip on us Alaskans.  This is the view facing inland, that is the Chugach Range in the background.

This was the view facing the inlet ... you can see the ice on the seawater.  Behind the clouds in the distance we could get glimpses of Mt. McKinley ... my little camera could not pick it up.  The mountain is very elusive ... but trust me ... it's there!

The professional conference I attended was everything I thought it would be and more!  I left inspired and rejuvenated ... and am reminded again of how lucky I am to have a career that I look forward to every day!

But ... as most of you know ... I am a small town girl at heart and was ready to return to Cordova today.

The view from my front deck tonight ... what a wonderful way to welcome me home ... Glinda, the Good Witch was right, "There's no place like home." 

Oh-Oh! A Dillydally Goal!?!

As always ... another week just flew by!  I leave for Anchorage again tomorrow...work related conference.  It will be educational ... enjoyable ... and inspirational! 

I have accomplished some dillydallying this past week ... remember this?

Well ... it was transformed into this ...

... a new handbag for an long time friend.

As a dillydallier ... setting dillydally goals will work some times ... but not always ... however, our intentions are always good.  Our hearts truly are in the right place.  So ... I am saying this out loud in blogland with a bit of hesitation ... I plan to add a log to the Snake River Log Cabin quilt I'm piecing every week until the top is finished!  Whew!  There ... I said it! 

I know ... I know ... this photo looks a lot like the last update.  Guess you'll just have to count the logs each time to keep me honest! ;-)  No ... seriously ... it feels good to have met my goal ... at least this week! ;-)

After the fresh snowfall we had last weekend, the sky has remained clear everyday this week!  

Plus, we keep gaining minutes of sunlight everyday ... about an hour a week!  Today it was still light at 6:00 pm!  

Well ... my bags are packed ... I threw in some knitting and embroidery to do in the hotel room.  I'm not sure if I'll be blogging while gone ... don't forget ... take good care and make time to dillydally!

My Valentines!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Thought I would share pictures of those who are my Valentines ... these two are very dear to my heart ...

... Sister DillyDally is seven and Brother DillyDally is two years old in this picture.  They are wearing the first sweaters that I designed ... back then I always knit their sweaters two sizes too big so that they could wear them longer.  I no longer have to do that ... (sniff, sniff) ... they are adult size now ... (choke) ... I miss those little hands holding mine.

And then ... there is the love of my life ...

... (sigh) ... doing what he loves ... bird hunting with his best friend, Finse.  They were so close ... (tears) ... Finse was devoted to Mr. DillyDally and only tolerated the rest of us.  Mr. DillyDally still holds my hand.

Next we have the current DillyDally pets ... my personal supervisor ...

... Teacup DillyDally ... she is old and grouchy most of the time ... takes her supervisory responsibilities far too seriously ... but is loved and adored!  If she doesn't get her way, she likes to scratch my hand.

And then there is the DillyDally family member who is always happy ...

... sweet Kysa DillyDally!  Her love for us is completely unconditional and her only wish is to please everyone.  She shows her affection by licking my hand.

I can't think about this holiday with out thinking about my father, Buddy.  Today was his birthday ...

... he is on the left, with his brother Mayvin on the right.  They are at an antique farm show, demonstrating a shingle maker from our family farm in northern Minnesota.  This picture was taken in 1991 ... twenty years ago ... he would have been 81 years old today.  I am so grateful for the life he gave me.  I loved placing my small hand in his strong ones.

I hope your Valentine's Day was spent with those you love.  Celebrate love everyday, hold hands and ...

Celebrating a QBee Birthday!

I don't know what you all in the outside world think ... but in our remote corner of the planet ... we all can't believe that we are approaching the middle of February!  Don't get me wrong ... we are not complaining ... our days are getting longer at a very quick pace!  It's just that time is marching on ...although ... there are some aspects of aging I embrace ... like celebrating a QBee's birthday!

Hmmm ... a gift ... I usually have a Happy Unbirthday Party for all the QBees once a year ... you can read about the 2010 party here.  So when their real birthday comes around we usually do something simple ... like go out for lunch!  Today we celebrated QBee Valerie's birthday!  With lunch of course!

Recently, Bonnie Hunter shared a unique "catch all" or "scrap bin" that while in California, quilters in her class were using.  She liked them so much that the woman, Chris, gave her one (here) and then blogged a tutorial on how to make them (here)!  I was just itching for an excuse to make one ... and along came Valerie's birthday!

Begin by gently taking apart a square shaped tissue box.  Please refer to Chris' tutorial for official instructions, she is much better at writing directions than I am.

Cut a piece of fabric that is larger than your box.  Chris used glue.  I'm not a glue kind of girl, so I used fusible web.  Iron a piece of fusible web that is slightly smaller than your fabric but larger than the box.  

Remove paper and fuse to the front of the box.  Be sure to do this on a nonstick surface.  Trim fabric with fusible as shown above.

This is what the front looks like after all the edges have been turned and fused in place.

Using a strong fabric glue ... secure the ends of the box together.

Next use the glue to secure velcro to the two side tabs.

The boxes are intended to be stored flat, which makes them extremely convenient to travel with.

I intend to sandwich mine between two rulers when packing for a quilting class or sew-in event.

This is what it looks like when it is folded into its three dimensional shape ... I can just see it at Valerie's sewing station filled the thread ends and dog ears!  Love it!  Thank you Chris for sharing this terrific idea!  I can't wait to make another ... and another ... and ... well ... you know me!

A birthday and Valentine's Day ... sounds like the perfect excuse to dillydally in the kitchen!  I'm a big "Bakerella" fan!  On a recent post she shared an idea for making Whoopie Pies as a Valentine's Treat!  One of the QBees is allergic to chocolate so I made strawberry ones.  

I don't have a cookie scoop, that would have made getting them a consistent size much easier! ;-)

They would make great cookies just like this ... straight from the oven!  I will be making a note of that!

These really were fun and easy to make ... the most difficult part of the whole experience was finding two cookies that were the same size! ;-) No ... seriously ... I am getting a cookie scoop!

I was very pleased at how they looked after the filling was applied!  They really were fun and easy to make ... I highly recommend them!

We had a fun afternoon ... showering Valerie with gifts and affection ... catching up with one another ...

... and talking a ton about our upcoming quilt vacation!  Minnesota Shop Hop here we come!  We are beside ourselves with excitement!

We had a weekend filled with big fluffy flakes of snow...

...perfect weather for dillydallying!  I hope your weekend was filled with dillydallying too!

A Dillydally Slacker!

Teaching takes a lot of energy, so between my job and this cold ... there hasn't been a whole lot of dillydallying going on ... yep ... I have been a dillydally slacker this week.  My cold symptoms are improving every day ... I can feel my dillydally urges resurfacing!

I did manage to get another "log" on the Snake River Cabin blocks!  You might remember ... I celebrate small chunks of achievement on this type of quilt!  Every log receives it own little "happy dance"!  Noooo ... I have no intention of posting a video of me doing the happy dance ... the blog police would probably place me behind bars!

I also medicated myself by starting a new project with some of that yummy new fabric I recently purchased ... I love the side effects from this form of medication ... yes, it is addictive ... and I make no apologies! ;-)

I may have been a dillydally slacker this week ... but my supervisor never ignores her responsibilities!  ;-)

I hope your week was filled with dillydally fun!

Happy Iceworm Festival!

I love nearly everything (still miss getting the Sunday paper Sunday morning) about living in this little town located on a remote corner of our planet ... but the Iceworm Festival is my favorite time to be a Cordovan!

We are a hardy bunch ... over the past 26 years we've attended the Iceworm Festival, Mr. DillyDally and I have seen everything in terms of weather ... but 2011 was charmed ... clear skies and sun!

We always begin our Saturday activities with the Catholic Church's annual Pancake Feed!  These four chefs cook for hundreds every year!  And most importantly, they have fun doing it!  The chef wearing the green apron mixes up multiple 5 gallon buckets of sourdough starter each year for the pancakes.  His wife was recently telling me many stories of sourdough "running a muck" in their home over the years!  I love that kind of history ... someone needs to be writing this stuff down!

Next, we were off to the Survival Suit Races!  The waters of Prince William Sound are very cold ... even in the summer ... if you fall in, hypothermia will take you in a matter of minutes.  Knowing how to properly use a survival suit is a must.  

This is a team comprised of students from my school ... they run down the deck and have to get into their suits ... 

... getting into a suit is tougher than one would think ... it is important to do it quickly, but in order for you to survive, it must also be done correctly.

After jumping into the water, they swim as quickly as they can to a survival raft ...

... once all four members of the team are in the raft ... the clock stops.  Here a boy scout leader is assisting troop members into the raft!  It is fun to cheer on the teams ... a place where everyone wins!

Next it is off to be inspired by the Arts and Crafts display!  This hooked rug was made by an elder in our community ... she designed it herself ... it is of her home here in Cordova.  She is an amazing women with talent that is admired by all.

This quilt was made by a friend to celebrate her parents 50th Wedding Anniversary.  What a treasure!

I love the way the quilter used Alaska themed fabric in this pattern ... it is beautiful!

 

Beautiful!

Stunning!

Lovely!

A couple of Popsicle Sticks quilts from our Popsicle Party last summer.  You can read about it here.  The one on the right was made with Bali Pops ... the one on the left was made with scraps from the quilter's stash!  Both are beautiful ... it is such a fun pattern! 

Alaska Native beading and beading on glass balls.  The glass balls were used years ago on Japanese nets as floats ... and continue to be found while beach combing area beaches ... they are a treasure!

Local artist painting on black velvet ... gorgeous!

This was made with a mystery pattern our guild did last spring.

Another beautiful quilt made with Bali Pops!  See ... there is a lot of dillydallying going on in Cordova!

This was a quilt sponsored by the Cordova Historical Society a few years back ... a block for every month of the year.

Lego creations are on display every year as well.  They are always very creative ... and almost make me miss stepping on those little pieces in the middle of the night many years ago when the DillyDally children had them everywhere!  Fond memories!

Next it is our annual parade!

Former girl scout and her son Skye are there for his first Iceworm Parade!

Our Citizen of the Year!  He is so deserving ... relentlessly working for all aspects of our community!  I always refer to him as "my second favorite Norwegian" ... come on ... I have to let Mr. DillyDally be my first favorite!

Scouting is an important part of our community ... Mr. DillyDally and I were both leaders for many years ... we love what it does for youth here in Cordova.

Here are many of the girls with their float ... too dang cute!

Here are the Boy Scouts with theirs ... don't they look great?

Aboard the fire truck are Miss. Iceworm and her royal court.  Baby Iceworm greets the crowd!

Every year the parade ends with the "big" iceworm wiggling its way down main street.  Cordova's children serve as his legs every year ... they are always sooo excited ... once in place they are unable to see where they are going.  This year the iceworm forgot to wait for their guide ... a bit of a pile up on the back end! ;-)

With their guide in place ...

... and everyone back on their feet ... they were able to safely make it down the street!  The entire crowd cheered!

My cough and cold were getting the best of me, so we skipped the ice cream and cake social.  This was the view from our front deck after the parade ... what lovely weather!

Remember ... I am not a photographer ... all I do is point and click on a camera with few bells and whistles.  But I wanted to catch proof that we did have a fireworks display.  It was wonderful and is so appreciated by everyone.

As the sun sets on Cordova's Iceworm Festival I am reminded why it is so important to those of us who live here...

... it is all about friends ... family ... and community coming together to create their own fun for one another.  Such a simple concept yet so powerful.  Yep ... I love my little town on this remote corner of the planet!