Flat Angels

A couple new ones. Front and back of two. I found an old angel, made from my original pattern! So now I have that again :-). The wings of both are from the old pattern; the body of the first angel (green w/the pink wings) is a triangle cut by the Sizzix, while the body of the second angel (green w/yellow wings) is cut from my old pattern. I still need to learn to make faces!! And they will be on their way to new homes soon.

Mitered corners

Mitered corners are easy once you know how. This tutorial is based on a demonstration by Siri Woods, and her friend Yvonne, at a recent Willapa Harbor Quilters meeting. She based her demonstration on a post by Paige Handmade, https://paigehandmade.com/sewing-tutorial/mitered-corner.

Siri added a couple simple things to make it easier. They will make sense once you start!

Precision is very important! Your corner will turn out perfectly if you measure precisely.

The first is a template for ironing the fabric. Draw a line on a piece of lightweight cardboard (I used an old envelope), the width of your first fold. Stick that template into the fold of your fabric so the edge is right along that line. My fold, and therefore my line, is 1/2 inch (from edge of the template to the line).

The second is to make a square, that is double the size of your fold. For example, my fold is 1/2 inch, so my square is 1 inch by 1 inch. I added an extra step by cutting it diagonally into a triangle.

So you have your fabric folded and ironed.

Now you want to mark where you are going to sew. Use the triangle to mark the sewing line.

It helps to use your ruler to draw the line.

Fold the fabric in half, matching up the ends of that black line, and pin it.

Sew across the line.

And then trim the excess fabric. I like to grade the point and then cut following the sewing line.

Now turn that inside out, and poke out the point.

You’ll get something like this, before you trim the corners.

Once you have all 4 corners sewn, you can turn them, then iron the mitered corners. Mine didn’t turn out perfectly, but I am still pretty pleased with it.

Updates…

The sun is finished! And at it’s new home in Alaska.

The spiral is nearing completion. I’m taking a break & doing some little, one-two night projects-making cards & more circles for the lampshades (no photos yet).

Cards for this, cards for that!

I needed a couple sympathy cards awhile back, so… I made them. Embellished some hearts, stuck them on blank cards, and shipped them off. It’s a nice easy embroidery project, and I love making them. I just hope the recipients appreciate them, but if they don’t, I’ll never know. Sometimes you just have to send things into the universe and let them go.

These were originally on a jumpsuit I made over 40 (40!!) years ago. I can’t remember exactly what happened to it… I think it shrank (LOL) but I didn’t want to lose the embroidery work.

These are all sympathy cards. ‘Nough said.

The red heart was just fun to make; it’ll go on the next card I need.
The blue (unfinished) heart on the right will be a thank you card.

This was a bit of a goof; I thought the diamond shape would be great, but it doesn’t really fit on card stock. So, it’ll get backed with felt & turned into an IFAQH.

Wings Over Willapa 2023

Gail and I had a wonderful trip over to Long Island, down by Ilwaco, WA! As part of Wings Over Willapa 2023, the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge sponsored a ferry over to the island, from 9 a.m. til 2:30 p.m. And there was a lot more to see than just the island! Holey cow, there is a TON of artwork at the refuge! Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything on the refuge website about all the art.

We got there shortly before 9 a.m., thinking we’d be one of the early birds. Hahaha!! We didn’t count on all the avid birders & hikers that came armed with cameras and walking sticks, and a rather pushy attitude to be first on the ferry. Next year we’ll be there about 10 a.m., since we stood around in the rain for about an hour and a half before getting toted over to the island.

In the meantime, I took advantage of the wait and strolled through the art walk. It. Is. Gorgeous!! Beautiful signage, poetry, and a wide variety of artistic excellence. Because it was so wet, and yes, slippery too, I didn’t do the Cutthroat Trail, which simulates salmon climbing the fish ladder, but I’ll be back in drier weather! The ranger we spoke with also recommended coming when the tide is high, because it changes the landscape around the walk.

The walkway itself is beautiful too; curving, undulating rail. Several metal birds with common names.

The feathers included a poem by Emily Dickinson, “Hope” is the thing with feathers.

The Cutthroat climb and one of the ceramic sculptures.

And of course insects and salmon!

And for the main event, over to the island! Long Island is entirely under the jurisdiction of the refuge, so no dogs allowed. But you can camp, fish, forage for shellfish, and of course hike. Hunting isn’t allowed on the island, but there is limited hunting in other parts of the refuge.

The ferry. A wet wait, but by the time we started hiking, the rain was mostly done.

We were on the main trail, going to the Cedar Grove. Several trails off the main trail that, given time, I’d love to explore. Most of the trail was fairly easy, but there was one rather steep hill that was a bit challenging. Gail had a tougher time than me; we used to be pretty equally out of breath, but I did better this time. Thanks to the every-other-day walks with Bear I think; so all that walking is paying off!

It was super nice to be really out in the woods; no highway noise, houses, fences, or barking dogs. We didn’t see any deer, elk, or bears, and very few birds; probably due to the number of people on the trail, and the wet weather. But we did see 2 squirrels!

One squirrel let me get close enough for a decent photo! And Gail posed for me too!

There was some evidence of logging, from the late 1800s through the 1950s. You can see where the springboards were placed to allow the fallers to cut down the tree. At first we thought they might be giant woodpecker holes LOL!!

The cedar trees are especially intriguing to me. All sorts of shapes, fissures, and holes in them. One of these days an embroidery will evolve, I’m sure.

We ended up our trip with a visit to the refuge headquarters, hoping to bid on some artwork again. Alas, the silent auction was held that evening, in the local casino. I was very disappointed, but we just couldn’t leave the dogs that long. More artwork helped alleviate the disappointment. We saw the tables last year, and this year the stools had just been finished up and installed. Amazing work!

A small selection of stools and tables; I think there are 5 tables with 6 stools around each table. Absolutely gorgeous!

We drove through the gate, stopped for a couple pictures, and just as we drove down the road, it started raining again. Stopped just in time!

WHT Day 17 – The End!

And today is my last day, at least for a while! Bear & I were out of the house before 6 a.m.; stopped & got a coffee & a bagel, and were at Adna about 6:45. It was already a warm, sun drenched day however, so I decided to go at least 2 1/2 or 3 miles, turn around, take a break, and then park at the Chehalis trail head & do the last couple miles.

The burning Chehalis sun… at 7 a.m.!

By the time we got back to the car at Adna, it was pretty warm for Bear. He didn’t stop and lay down, but he sure did like his water. So the split walk was a good plan.

We finally got to cross the brand new bridge at Littell! I didn’t realize it was curvy; very cool!! And it’s so pretty, with some lovely landscaping.

Shady rest spot!

Someone Irish lives here!

It was so hazy, Mt Rainier was barely visible.

The bane of my garden when I was a student at UC Davis!

Approaching the new bridge, coming from Chehalis.

The turn around spot; one of these days Gail & I will ride the train that crosses here.

The end! Chehalis trailhead.

WHT Day 16

Short walk today! I wanted to get Bear out before I left for AK and this was perfect. I didn’t quite get to the Adna trail head on Day 15, so did that short bit today. Good thing it was short too, as it was a bit warm. Bear just doesn’t do “hot” very well!

Not much to photograph on this part of the trail. It’s essentially straight, uncomplicated, and lots of farms and houses. Pretty enough, but I much prefer the less populated part of the trail, closer to Raymond.

One more day and I’ll be done! Adna to Chehalis is only a bit over 4.5 miles, according to the map… It’s also going to be a very warm section, so it means a very early start. I’m going to try & leave as close to 5 a.m. as I can get my behind out of bed!

I think this might be the longest bridge.

The cows weren’t minding the heat at all!

But poor Bear doesn’t appreciate it! Plenty of water is some help though.

WHT Day 15

Now this was a beautiful, cool walk! From Ceres Hill to Bunker Creek Road was mostly very shady, and the cooler temperatures helped a lot to make this a very enjoyable walk. I did bring the daypack, chair, and water, which Bear appreciated.

The bench is a bit wobbly-use care sitting on it! The dog treats memorialize Yuba and Riley, who must have taken numerous walks on the trail. And can you believe the Minion!?

Bear did lay down once; it wasn’t hot so maybe he just needed a quick break. Shortly after that, we stopped for a long break, water, and a sandwich.

One frustration, however mild, is that we often parallel a river. But there’s no way to get down to it for a drink or a quick swim to cool off. Bear always looks at the river, ever hopeful for a side trip.

The Chehalis River

Only 5 1/2 more miles to go. I’ll take Bear on the short bit from Adna back to Bunker Creek Road, where I stopped today. The stretch from Adna to the Chehalis trail head looks like there’s very little shade, and I want to do that part all in one go. So, Bear will not be with me for the very last day. It’s 4 1/2 miles one way, which he could do easily, but coming back might really overtax his cooling system and I sure don’t want to make him sick.

WHT Day 14

We parked at Rainbow Falls State Park again, and turned right, towards Ceres Hill. The first couple miles were warm with little shade. The highlight was getting to watch some logging! There’s a machine that picks the log up, strips the branches and foliage, cuts the log, and then puts in the log truck pile. I’ve seen logging operations on Netflix, but this was my first real life logging.

Since it was already warm, I was scoping out rest spots for the walk back to the car. There’s a good one, close to the logging site, so I may get to watch more later.

We went about another mile and stopped for a water break and a rest. This is going to be my longest walk yet, and I knew I’d need this break. Nice cool shady bridge!

We didn’t stop again til we got to Ceres Hill, about 6 miles, and turned around. Bear was going great until we turned around, and then he started dragging behind me. So we stopped pretty quickly for a water break, under a very shady tree. About half the trail had been very shady, but that was going to change…

As it got closer to noon, the trees overhead didn’t block the sun, as the canopies didn’t quite meet over the trail. Bear did okay; slow, but going; until after we stopped for lunch.

Lunch break and a long rest.

Thought I’d stop here for lunch; it was shady earlier!

After lunch Bear really started to slow down. We stopped numerous times for water and cooling down. This was the hottest day we’d hiked; it was 87 via the car thermometer when we got back to the car. So, I’m not sure if Bear will be coming for the rest of the trail. I was very lucky he didn’t get heat stroke.

I was sure glad I used my daypack this trip. The little chair was great for a real rest. And Bear sure appreciated the 2 quarts of water I packed. I have a pack for him too, but he gets so hot using it; I was glad I didn’t make him use it.

WHT Day 13

Haha! 13th day is bad luck? Let’s just say it wasn’t one of my favorites. I parked at Rainbow Falls State Park, which is a lovely place. Nice and shady, although you have to drive around to Hwy 6 to access most of the hiking trails. They’re short, hilly, and just gorgeous. Some old growth forest to traipse through.

But I digress!! It’s about a half mile walk to get to the WHT. I turned left onto the trail, heading west. At the corner is Dryad’s Rest, “Dryad’s Rest is a 57-acre property in central Washington state that has been made available for LARP events, photo shoots and indie film production, to name a few. It was established in 2006 by the owner of Costumes, Period of WA.” See their Facebook page for more information, but do not go to their website; it’s been hacked. Anyway, at the corner is this really cool dragon and an old beat up travel trailer.

Bear has never heard sprinklers-he was fascinated by the click-click-click of the moving sprinklers!

It’s not a very shady section, but it wasn’t super hot today. I was disappointed to see a couple things on the trail… namely someone hotdogging with a dirt bike or motorcycle and digging a slice out of the trail, as well as someone putting out religious tracts & a sign. Ugh, that does not belong on a public trail.

We walked to the “meditation rock”, where we stopped last time. Both of us enjoyed the rest, the quiet, and wished we could swim in the river. But it would have been a long scramble down a very, very steep cliff.

The “meditation rock” is hidden by greenery until you get closer to the river.

On the way back, I saw this great berry site; unfortunately that hill is quite steep. Not a good place for me to pick, darn it! I wish that tree wasn’t dead, but the dark orange is stunning against all the green.