Black Red White...Apple core...life

So I haven't posted much lately because my back has been out and I haven't been doing many, if any, projects because it hurt to sit. All I have been doing is using a heat pad and working, which keeps re-throwing my back out. It will be OK; this happens often and I am used to it, but it sure is annoying. Today I left work early because it was slow and a non-floral holiday so there was no reason for three of us to be there. On the way home I got a call from my older sister telling me my stepfather had a stroke and a brain aneurysm on Sunday and that they might have to operate. If they can't fix it, then he will more than likely die in less than three months. If that happens, my children will very much miss their Grandpa Smith. I have to say my back is nothing compared to that bit of news. So, if you have a small prayer you can spare, say one for my step- dad. I am here trying to clear my thoughts, and so I started on this, something I've wanted to do for at least 20 years, a black, red and white apple core quilt (my three favorite colors).

I am not Annemarie

Dec 31 2008
Just to clear something up, I am not Annamarie; she is a very nice person who likes to read my blog. She has posted me as a blog she likes to read, and this has caused a little confusion. Because she doesn't have a blog of her own, people seem to be getting us confused. I just wanted to clarify this because it seems to have been happening for about 1 or 2 months now.

Jan 19 2009
Since this is still happening I will bring this post to the top every time I get called Annamarie. Maybe it will stop soon, because it keeps confusing people.

February 7 2009
It happened again today so I will just bring this to the top of the posts again.

Pj's for two

My oldest two daughters have out grown all their PJ's, and the youngest has received them all. So I needed to make two sets of PJ's, but I am trying not to spend too much money on things like this. This is a sort-of-late Christmas present to them. So I went to my fabric stash and found I owned one piece of flannel; shocking since I don't buy flannel. Then I remembered it was a gift about five years ago, just happened to have monkeys wearing Christmas hats and red and silver snowflakes, fitting for a late Christmas present.

I could either make one outfit with pants and a shirt or I could make two sets by just using the flannel for the pants and asking the girls to find comfortable cotton shirts they already owned and put a pocket on them so it would match. I figured the second was the best solution, so Sunday morning I got up at my normal time (between four and five a.m.) and set to work on this project. By church at nine a.m. I had one completely made and the second all cut out and ready to go when I got home.

I only had one pattern for PJ's, and my oldest two daughters had both out grown it, so much of the time was spent re-drafting the pattern to fit them. I think they came out pretty well without having to go to the store for any of it. I purposely made them extra long (they are cuffed it's hard to tell in photo) and a little loose in the waist so they could wear them a few years by dropping the cuff later.

Don't think the youngest was left out she was happy to have all the left over scraps so she could sew her dolls some clothes, so they all got something they wanted.

Oya on facebook

Ok, I am going to show my age; I have heard about face book but don't really know what it is. But I was given this link to an oya page on it, so I am posting it for all those Oya fans out there to look at.

There are a few crochet patterns there posted such as this, this and this, oh and this one too and here and here and lastly.