Mountain Village

     People have often wondered what it looked like where I first lived when I go the teaching job in Alaska.  Mountain Village is a small Yupik Eskimo village of about 750 persons located about 450 miles west of Anchorage on the north bank of the Yukon river in the Yukon Delta.  Mountain houses the district office of the Lower Yukon School District, a school district of 11 villages covering an area roughly the half size of the state of Louisiana.
     Travel in the summer is either by boat or plane, and in the winter by snow machine and plane.  There is only one road in the entire district which links Mountain Village to St. Marys, 18 miles away.  Pitkas Point is also along this road.
     The school in Mountain, when I was teaching there, had a staff of around 20 to 25 including all teachers and support staff.  The school had an enrollment of about 250.  The high school had four to five teachers.  I taught Business and Social Studies, there were also a Shop/Science, Math/Home Ec, and English/PE teachers.  Total enrollment in the high school had a low of 37 and a high of 86 during my seven years there. 
     The picture on top is a view from a plane when I was off to another village as the chaperone for the basketball team.  For orientation, the view is to the north.  The original runway used to be just to the right out of the picture.  The frozen river is at the bottom.  The line of houses to the left/west, is along the side of the "mountain" which is the dominant feature of the local terrain and is the last significant earth feature before the seacoast.  The location of where I lived is at the lower left point of the red line.  To the northwest of that location you can somewhat make out the school with the clearing in front of it.
     The other picture is the housing unit, duplex, of which I lived, sometimes with another teacher, sometimes not, depending on the number of other teachers that were single or with families.  We sometimes had to double up.  In our contract, this particular housing unit was classified as "B" and had a base price of $480 a month plus 10% of our salary.  In effect, the school district charged us about $2,200 a month for rent.  And this was from 1989 to 1997.  This did include all heating fuel, electricity and water.  Which actually was a pretty good deal considering that at that time regular gas was $1.75 a gallon, milk was nearly $6 a gallon, potatoes were $10 a bag, etc. 
     I still can't believe that I had the nerve to accept the job and fly sight unseen from Michigan all the way out there, but it was one of the best experiences ever.  The memories are really quite something.  I could type away for pages.
     There are a couple of other pictures that Bert and I have so I will try to find them and give some brief descriptions.
     Happy spring.  We are up to almost 14 1/2 hours of daylight but still only about 50 degrees.

Three-Seam Pillowcases

     I've had fun making these.  I had bought all of this fabric on sale at Walmart several years ago.  I was planning on being earth-concious and making draw-string bags for Christmas Gifts instead of using wrapping paper.  Well, that time has come and went several times over.  Then I ran across a blog posting showing how to make three-seam pillowcases.  So cool, so easy, and it used up all of the fabric and now I have eight pillowcases to donate. 
     But, the possibilities are endless.  Instead of using a small border between the body and the edging, what about a piece of lace?  Or silk for the edging? Or . . .!?
     So, off I go to attack another pile of UFO's and make a dent.  I'm on a roll and having fun and getting lots of sewing done.
     Spring is trying to arrive here but it is having to claw it's way here.  We've been in the low 40's here and there by the afternoon, but yesterday we got a couple of inches of snow.  The highway was treacherous this morning and slow-going.  Still lots of snow in the yard so we are weeks away from outside spring cleaning.
     State conference is over for another year.  All of the students were so helpful and understanding again this year and the adivisor stepped up to the plate and the public served as judges.  Thanks to all.  Computers were my nemesis this time.  Sometimes I do with for the days of typewriters.  My students did really well and one will be traveling to D.C. with me next month.  It should be exciting, especially since our opening ceremonies will be on the Mall in front of the Washington Monument.  How lovely spring in D.C. should be.  I'm really looking forward to 60's and 70's. 
     Well, off I go.

Yellow Brick and Jelly Roll

     Finally I have finished this.  It is the gift that I made for Grandma for Christmas.  I actually did have it made back in October, but the initial lady that I found to quilt it could not fit it in until January.  Okay, so then I took a class at the local quilt shop on how to operate a long-arm machine and then we could rent her machine to do our own quilting.  That is what I did and quilted both quilts for less than I was going to pay to have this one quilted by someone else.  I scheduled a time at the end of February.

     This is the Yellow Brick Road pattern and is super simple to make.  This took 12 fat quarters to complete a quilt about a twin size.  The dimensions for all the pieces are very similar, all straight seams, mixing and matching the colors and widths until blocks are made which are then laid out by block pattern in the order of your choice.  I made this complete top in about 4 1/2 hours and I wasn't even rushing.   

     Here is the back of the quilt showing the quilting.  I used a pantograph to follow for my first time.  I also used a variagated thread of blue and yellow which and feel so-so about but over all I am pleased with

the results.  My loops are the smoothest, but for a first time I'm happy.

     The next quilt is one that I made from a Jelly Roll that Mom bought for my birthday several years back.  It had been sitting on a shelf waiting for me to decide on the pattern to use and since all the fabrics were a rainbow of Bali prints I chose this pattern since it would highlight all of the prints equally and be bright.  I chose a different pantograph for this one, and again used a variagated thread, this time heavy on the orange color.  I'm very happy with this one with the quilting and color and everything.  Again my loops need some work, but it was a real learning experience and I'll surely rent the long-arm again.

     I've been sewing like made this spring break and have finished two other tops and eight, three seam pillowcases.  Pictures of them in a later post.

Clear skies and sunshine?

     Okay, so Jackie has been going on and on about all of the sunshine and clear skies that we have had for the last couple of weeks.  And sure, we had hurricane force winds in the valley on Friday and some places are still without power two days later, and today's forcast was for more sunshine and strong breezes.  Well, very little breeze, no sunshine, and SNOW!  It's only September 26 and while it may be Alaska, we typically don't get snow until the middle of October on average. 
     At least it only lasted for about an hour and while there was a smidgen of a white glaze on the grass, it all melted off rather quickly and just left us shaking our heads. 
     We have begun winterizing outside, well at least Bert has, by taking all the bonsai down from the railings and covering them with straw and several other sensitive plants, but we still have yet to trim back the Antique Rose and Clematis yet.  Maybe we need to get moving on things.
     In the meantime, here are four more completed blocks of the Baltimore quilt.  Only one to go, which is a bit slow since there are over 50 berries to sew on and their stems embroider.
     I've got a few other projects in various states of construction and I'll be home alone in October for about 10 days so I am lining up a few more projects.  Don't know how much progress I will make though since I have so many things on tap for work.
     Oh well, until then . . .

Birds, Berries and Crowns

     As is usual with the Labor Day weekend, there seems to be a lot of labor going on but this year it didn't seem to involve the manual type like working on the house or yard or anything like that.  

     Friday was a day off for the kids at school and we had another rip-rousing day of meetings. Little preparation from the leaders that be as usual but a whole list of extra stuff that we were/are expected to determine and create that day and in the days to come. It is going to be a very interesting year I am sure and we are only three weeks in. 

     Saturday was a day to catch up and get things done around the house on the inside.  Most exciting things like pay bills, clean the desk, do the laundry and the like. 

     Sunday we slept in later than planned and the day seemed very short.  Before we knew it the afternoon had zipped by and we were running around getting ready for Coronation.  Sadly, while it was good to see friends and a former student received a scholarship, this years event was not in our opinion up to the caliber of events in the past and our choice for Empress did not win in the balloting.  We ended up leaving early due to being tired, we had been at the event for four hours already and their was still one act to go.  I must be getting old since I can't stay out that late anymore. 

  We picked more raspberries this week so after a week with a raspberry pie I made a raspberry crumble for dessert for tonight's supper.  Really scrumptious.  The strawberries are long gone and it doesn't look our apples will do anything this year again. 

     Through the whole weekend though I have managed to insert some sewing here and there.  I had converted a photo into a stitching program for my embroidery machine but it just really didn't turn out.  It wasn't the most optimum photo to begin with so I am not totally disappointed, but I will have to work the program more to get better results in the future.  I've also continued to work on finishing up the nine blocks in the baltimore album quilt.  The designs are a bit more stylized but I really like Susan McKelvey's type of work and plan on making more of the patterns in her book.  I actually started these last summer while traveling and continued this summer while traveling.  I'm just about ready to stitch them all together into one.  Only small hand embroidery details left on the last five.  Hope you enjoy looking at these four.

     Well, off to other tasks at hand as the new work week beckons.

 

Salmon Quilt

     Well, I finally got both of my sewing machines back from the doctor, so it was about time that I accomplished something on the sewing front.  First I had to clean off my sewing desk which took the better part of a morning.  I sorted and tossed and organized along the way so that was why it took a bit longer. 

     I decided to stipple in all the inner parts of the fish and did an echo quilt pattern on all the area outside of the fish.  I am really please with how the effect came out.  The echo quilting on the Bali Batik fabric really has a lot of dimension to the look between the color of the fabric and the direction of the lines of the quilting.  A lot of movement.  This pattern was also a fusible applique technique but again, since I don't like that, and I really like to do needle-turn, that is how I chose to do it.  Of course it took a lot longer, but it is very relaxing to me and is something that I do when I pop a movie in.

Close-up of echo quilting

     The green in the picture above is more the color of the background.  I was trying to get a picture of the quilting so I took the flash off and it darkened things up quilt a bit. 

     Several people have asked what I meant in my previous posting as to my reference about doing a "cloud stipple".  Well, I did a stipple stitch, but with a more horizontal meander rather than an all-over meander.  It sort of gave a cloud effect where the sky is.  You never know unless you try and I am pleased with the results.

Cloud effect stipple stitch

     Enjoying one last day before school starts.  Looking through a few more sewing projects to see what I can work on this afternoon.  I was lazy today and slept in since it will be the last day for that luxury for quite awhile.  Sunny this morning but it is getting cloudy.  Could we be in for a 29th straight day of at least a trace of precipitation?  We set a new record at 28.

     There is one last bit to the saga of the bathroom remodel, but it is all done and I will tell that tale at a later date.

     Enjoy the last of summer.

Hello all

Here is my latest quilting accomplishment.  I bought the fabric just less than a year ago as a summer project to take along on travels and the like.  Had it done by the end of the year but didn't machine quilt the panels until about the last two months on and off.  Finished it up a couple of weeks ago but just got pictures taken.  Tried something a little different on the sky.  Not really a stipple but what I'm calling a cloud stipple.  I'm fairly pleased with the outcome.  The original pattern of Alaska Wildflowers called for iron on applique.  Well, I just don't abide by that technique so I did it all by needle turn.  I embellished it a bit with some embroidery on the leaves and flowers and some beads in the middle of a few flowers.  Hard to see in the picture though.

Trying to machine quilt a salmon wall hanging but the bobbin winder on my embroidery machine broke in the bobbin winding position and the threads on the presser foot screw on my other machine are stripped so a presser foot doesn't stay on anymore.  Both are off to the doctor.

Life has been very busy lately.  Grades were due the first week of March and then we were off to Sedona for Spring break.  Other than the snow we had a good time.  Not much hiking though.  Then I got through organizing state conference and getting back to a routine in school.  Then the very next week I started working on a program for a conference that is occurring this week.  I promised last year as a return favor.  It was 24 pages so it took a good deal of time.  Now I'm getting all the yearbooks ready for distribution this week and finalzing grades next week for Seniors, a five day weekend in Sitka, followed by graduation, followed by finals and then school is over for the year.  Summer is going to be a bit busy as well.

Give me another week or two and I will have a final picture of the bathroom shower.  I got the tiling all done last weekend so hopefully this weekend I will be able to grout.  Wait a few days to seal and then caulk and install the shower door and it will be all done.  The shower has taken since Christmas to get finished, but as you can see from the synopsis above, I've been a bit preoccupied.

Until later . . .