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I’m already bored. I took another COVID test last night and I’m still positive. So my isolation continues. I’ll take another test tomorrow but I’m guessing it will be positive as well.

I feel like I’m almost back to normal. I’m at that thick mucus stage. I won’t go into detail.

When I went to bed last night I decided to not set an alarm. I wanted to let my body decide what time to get up. Well, my body said it needed some sleep. I didn’t get up until 10:30. It was so late that instead of having breakfast, I had left over spaghetti! And I liked it!

I didn’t do much all day. I had wanted to start on another Frankenbag that will be for a gift and was going to make another indigo batik and KFC scrap combo.

I just love this bag! I had originally purchased those indigo batiks intending to combine them with yellow KFC prints for a quilt and just never got around to it. They are so fabulous combined with these left over strip tube pieces from my KFC trip quilt.

When I was thinking about it, it hit me that it might be interesting to combine these bright scraps with some blue aboriginal fabrics, so I pulled out my strip sets and started cutting.

I got the pieces of scraps put together and tossed them up on my design wall and started trying things out.

I liked the initial look of it so I decided to go ahead and do it and see how it worked.

Once I got the elements of the panel made I decided to try some contrasting color to see how I liked it. First I tried some yellow Aboriginal fabric. I liked it but I didn’t love it. It just felt a little too stark. Too much contrast.

So I checked the pile of recently used fabrics on my cutting table and had a eureka moment! This color way of Brandon Mably’s pods did the trick for me!

So, why do I like this one better than the yellow Aboriginal fabric? First, I think because it’s darker so it doesn’t stand out as much. Plus, the orange just feels better with the blues than the yellow does. I also like the variation in the design. The yellow almost reads like a solid. This fabric has more color and movement. And last, I love the pops of blue in this — it helps it make more sense and play along better with the blue Aboriginal design.

So I went about executing this combo in the first bag panel, and I love it!

I had enough time to finish up the second panel as well.

I plan on getting this all quilted and getting the bag body constructed tomorrow.

I had a few minutes earlier in the day and decided to make some zipper pulls so I would have them on hand when I finished some upcoming bags. So I dug out some brown faux leather strips that matches my tags and got to cutting, tying and pulling.

I’m not sure but it looks like I made around 20 of them. So that will be enough for ten bags. I put the finished pulls in the little drawstring bag that my first order of tags came in.

My big priority for tomorrow is voting. Oregon is all vote by mail and I’ve had my ballot for a week or so, plus all my official voter information booklets. So I will probably get that done as I eat my breakfast. It’s a great way to vote! I can do research on candidates and issues as I fill out my ballot. It’s so civilized! I’m in a new Congressional district that Oregon gained with the 2020 Census, and there are a LOT of candidates running for that seat. I’ve been getting an insane amount of political candidate mail every day for the last month or so. I have a lot of research to do.

Bender and Rico were very good dogs today. They spent nearly the entire day outside and just hung out like pros. I did go out and toss the ball for them a few times. That was really their only form of entertainment and exercise today.

They did lose a little patience with me after I finished sewing this evening. Rico had had it by that time!

And then, because he’s such a good boy, everything was fine.

A friend of mine went to the coast today and I’m really envious. Before I got sick we had planned to go together with our many combined dogs. I still have some hope that I may be able to go later this week. I haven’t given up yet,

After a great day (more on this later), I felt good enough to hit my sewing room tonight and finish the yellow and blue Frankenbag I’ve been working on. I had to completely cut and construct the lining and pockets and then sew the lining to the bag body and do all the finishing. Here’s the result.

Here’s the other side.

It seems like forever since I’ve done any sewing. It’s amazing what being busy and sick will do to your sewing time!

Here’s some more detail. I just love this lining fabric!

More eye candy…

You might notice that I added a beaded zipper pull to this bag on the placket zipper and pocket zipper.

I don’t know why it took me so long to remember to add a zipper pull. I’ve been adding them to zipper pouches for some time. Several years ago I bought a bunch of spools of different colors of faux leather and a bag of wooden beads. They are so quick and easy to make and make finding the zipper pull so much easier.

I even pulled a finished bag out of my closet and added zipper pulls.

It rained this morning, but the afternoon brought better weather so I loaded the dogs in the car and headed out for a different friend’s place to run Bender and Rico in her field. We had a wonderful time. These boys do love to get out and run!

OMG! I just love it here this time of year! Look how gorgeous it is!!!

I took a few pictures…

After our field run I decided to take some back roads on the way home. We wandered around the Balk Peak area until the road we were on turned into a dirt road and eventually met up with a street I’m familiar with.

Then I had to pull over and take in the amazing view. It as gorgeous but windy.

It was just a striking day with amazing and dramatic skies.

Good grief. Look at that!

This made me feel so good! Nothing like going from being stuck in the house to being outdoors in such a vast space.

When I got home I threw some spaghetti sauce on the stove. I had planned to make it for my brothers while they were here and needed to get it cooked since I had thawed some hamburger and sausage.

It made a really nice dinner, especially since I’ve been craving pasta. I have enough left over for a few dinners and got a couple containers in my freezer for later.

Huge thanks to everyone who sent good wishes for me during my COVID party. I’m happy to report that I’m feeling so much better today. I started monoclonal antibodies a couple days ago and my improvement from this morning to now is remarkable! My worst symptom has been head congestion. I got off pretty lucky.

The boys have been pretty restless the last few days with the lack of activity. I still don’t feel quite up to a longer walk so I took them out to a friend’s place this afternoon to let them run in her field. It was so good for all of us.

It was 70 degrees today! After so many cool and rainy days it was just magnificent. And these boys wore themselves out! I’m so sad I didn’t take a chair with me and sit in all that glory for a couple hours.

Here’s some of the fun…

I was changing my sheets on my new bed tonight and thought It was a good time to try out my Moss Garden quilt to see how it fits. And I think it’s good to go.

So after I finally finish the yellow and blue Frankenbag I’m working on, I may make the backing for this quilt. Here’s the fabric I’m using. I bought it on sale a few years ago. I think I paid $4 per yard. A pretty damned good deal. I have some left over blocks that I’ll use on the backing. Looks like I should make some curtains too!

It brings some needed color that beige room!

After such a gorgeous day I was happy to have a gorgeous night. I sat on my patio for an hour or so and answered emails and had a phone call with a friend. It seems like such a luxury after the weather we’ve been having.

Imagine how wonderful it would have been if all those chairs were filled with friends…

I’ve gotten a ton of photos of Frankenbags from readers that I haven’t had a chance to share yet. So here we go.

This first one was made by Sara Rajagopalan. She said she stumbled upon my blog while waiting at the hospital during her husband’s surgery. During the past few weeks, she needed some de-stress time and made some stress buster crumb blocks to incorporate in this bag. It’s like a celebration in a bag! All those colors and shapes. It’s a great bag. And I love that she added her own variations.

This next one was made by Jane Knaub. She’s made other Frankenbags but this is the first time she’s tried a zippered placket. She said she’s been putting it off, but it really wasn’t too bad. She made this as a gift for a girlfriend she’s going to visit in June.  She has two more girl friends she’s meeting with at the same time so she needs to do two more bags.

Of course I love all the blue and orange and that applique panel is just great! And I love that she went for the zipper placket. They do get easier with each one you make.

This next bag is from Marcia Larson. I love the cool feeling of the first photo… and the deep and vibrant reds on the other side. And all that graphic black and white is so good!

Marcia said that if she ever wanted to sell one, it would be in the 4 figures considering the hours it took her to complete it! She likes that this bag challenged her to be more creative.,.. and I can’t tell you how happy that makes me!!!

Next up is this bag from Paulette Aldrich. She’s made other Frankenbags. You might remember the handle detail she’s added. I bought some of that hardware and want to give that treatment a try. It’s pretty cool! I love all that graphic black and white and the tilted block on the back is so great! I’m going to have to try that! The panel on the front is so fun too.

Finally tonight there’s this bag from Jean Williams. I just love all those pineapples and they’re even better combined with the black and white jumble! And I really love her lining and placket fabrics together! So good!

My brothers have been sending me updates from their trip to Seattle to visit my 95 year old aunt. They sent me this photo today. This is my mother’s family, taken around 1948.

My mom is in the front row on the far right, in the dark suit. My dad is right behind her. The aunt that my brothers are visiting is next to my mom, in the light suit.

This next photo is my aunt and her twin brother (he’s at the far right in the back row above). It’s from their high school graduation. It’s in a small frame and sits on a table in my living room.

Here’s my brothers flanking my tiny aunt and my cousin on the far right.

I’m really glad that I haven’t been terribly sick, but I feel really bad that I missed this visit.

I was all ready for my vacation to start this morning when it was brought to a screeching halt by a positive COVID test.

So, no vacation for me. No trip to Seattle to see my aunt. No visit with my brothers. And all that work in getting my house ready, and I’m the only one who will appreciate it. At least I have a fridge full of food to hold me over!

I feel pretty good. It really only feels like a cold and not a very bad one. My sinuses are congested and I have a cough but not a terrible cough. And I had a fever earlier today but Tylenol took care of it. I’m being careful to drink lots of water and eat good food. I just had dinner and I hadn’t eaten since lunch. It just never occurred to me to eat. I had pulled some home made chicken tortilla soup out of my freezer this morning.

I have all the stuff ready to make spaghetti… I planned to make it for dinner tonight. So I will make a big pot, eat some, and freeze the rest. It will be nice to have that in the freezer too.

My doctor has approved monoclonal antibodies and they should be delivered tonight. They help boost your antibody response and help make the virus more mild. I also had my second booster vaccine about a month ago. So if I had to get it, this is a good time to get it.

I had a few phone calls with nurses and doctors today. Apparently, I should feel better soon and my symptoms should be gone in five days. Then I’ll need to isolate for another five days. Pretty much the exact length of my vacation.

So, I’m thinking I may just go to work next week if I feel ok and will plan some vacation time when I’m better and can enjoy it.

Since I’ll be stuck at home for ten days. I hope I’ll feel better in the next couple days so I can get into my sewing room and get some stuff done. Since I can’t go anywhere, I think I’ll actually work a few days next week instead of burning my vacation sitting at home. Then I’ll schedule some vacation later.

I’m pretty sure I picked it up at Pickleball on Sunday. I’m still wearing masks to the grocery store. So pickleball was the first indoor activity I’ve done without a mask.

Apparently the pandemic ISN’T actually over!!!

Bender is already terribly bored with this sickness stuff. He played and played with this ball this morning and then fell asleep like this! He was so groggy when he woke up!

Hopefully I’ll be able to get out for some walks later this weekend. The doc said to be sure I don’t over do it. But these boys are going to be bouncing off the walls if they don’t get their walks!

I leave you tonight with this… Where’s Rico?

Please send positive energy my way!!!

I got up this morning and hit the road for Molalla where Rico had his weekly sheep herding lesson. It was a great opportunity to work on different sheep in a different place and on very different terrain. And he was such a good boy!

We worked in a pasture that’s on a hillside and is covered with tree stumps. There were high and low points in the field so Rico couldn’t always see the sheep. It was really challenging and he was just a trooper.

We worked mostly on driving, which is basically pushing the sheep away from me. The dog’s natural desire is to bring the sheep to the handler. So driving is challenging. He worked so well… worked really far away from me, was calm and controlled, and kept the sheep going in a relative straight line. Here’s a bit of video.

Wow. There’s not much to that video. But you get a little of an idea.

It was fun to be down at Trudy’s again and see all the lambs and how much they’ve grown. Trudy was giving some alfalfa to some sheep in the barn and all the ewes and lambs were hopeful she was giving it to all of them and they came running.

They were all so disappointed when they didn’t get any alfalfa. And look at how big those lambs are! They grow so darned fast!

There is one set of triplets that Trudy still has staying in the barn because the mom has a chapped udder and isn’t letting the lambs feed as much as they want because it’s painful. So the smallest one is getting the short shrift. So Trudy is confining the lamb with a yearling ewe that only had one lamb and she’s getting her fill there.

And Trudy has to treat the ewe with the chapped udder. Here she is putting Bag Balm on the ewe.

I’ve kept Bag Balm in my house for years. It’s a really dense treatment for dry skin, sort of the consistency of thick Vaseline. I know people who use it on their summer feet. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen it actually used on udders!

It was really good to be outside and moving around. But wow… it was really wet. Rico was soaked by the time we were done. And here’s a really good reason why I wear my knee high rubber boots for herding…

After seeing the lambs again I had to hightail it home in time to work our fundraising drive for three hours. While I was on the air from my sewing room, a COYOTE ran right across my front lawn! It was all I could do to keep it together as I was talking!

After a nice and relatively dry walk I grabbed some dinner and then hit my sewing room. I managed to finish quilting the second blue and yellow bag panel and I got the body of the bag constructed.

Here’s a picture with the lining and and fabric for the inner pockets.

And some pictures for me..

Tomorrow morning a friend and I are meeting for a pickleball lesson. I’m really looking forward to it1 It will be good to start a busy Sunday with some physical activity.

After that I’m meeting the friend who will be staying with my dogs a couple of evenings soon. Then more housekeeping. I’m so close to having it all done.

Well, it’s finally Friday. Only six more sleeps and I will be on 1.5 weeks vacation. Oh, sweet vacation!

Rico has a sheep herding lesson tomorrow morning outside Molalla, Oregon, and then I have to hightail it home to be on the radio for three hours to wrap up our fundraising drive. It’s been a busy ten days.

Here I am live on the radio Thursday morning from my sewing room.

We’ve had a rainy few days. We started out our afternoon walk in a light mist and by the end of it, this is what was happening…

It took me forever to dry out. And it was not easy to get my drenched clothes off so I could warm up. But the boys REALLY enjoyed getting toweled off when we got home.

I was happy to have a lovely and mostly dry evening walk.

And I found some time to hit my sewing room when we got back. I managed to finish up the second blue and yellow bag panel.

That yellow fabric on the side will be the lining. it’s one of the yellow fabrics on the curved blocks of this bag.

And I managed to get one panel quilted.

Here’s some eye candy…

I just love those pops of pint and turquoise.

I love the way it all sparkles under my needle!

The dogwood trees are in full bloom and I just love them. Here’s one that we passed on our walk today that was the most amazing shade of pink.

And down the street from this tree is this amazing lilac bush. It’s the most amazing shade of pale pink and the individual blooms are huge.

Bender has become enamored with my new yellow bath mat. He keeps bringing it to me with great excitement and anticipation.

My house cleaning is continuing. Today I washed some baseboards and cleaned my two ceiling fans. Not much left to do to be ready for company in a few days.

My mind was going in a different direction for a new project and then an old high school friend of mine posted a bag she made from my tutorial and my plan came to a screeching halt.

She made an adorable upcycled denim bag with a giant yellow sunflower appliqued on it.

Here’s the bag that Linda Remund Ivie made that inspired my next project…

It was just so cheerful and sunny that I just HAD to make a blue and yellow bag. So I started on it this afternoon and got a good start on it. I managed to finish one panel.

I think I might actually like this color combo better than the blue and orange. But I’ll hold my final opinion until this bag is done. Someone on Instagram said it’s celestial.

Someone either emailed or messaged me a Monet quote: “There is no blue without yellow and without orange.” And I totally get it! Yellow and orange make blue more spectacular! I’m so sorry I can’t credit the person who sent me that quote, because I love it!

Here’s my four curvy pieced blocks just because I love them!

I decided to use up some of the smaller scraps I generate when making these blocks and whipped up some crumb blocks.

I was thinking that piece of fabric at the far right in the second photo will be the lining for this bag. It’s Kaffe’s Belle Epoch in gray. And as I was searching the inter-webs for it I learned that it’s hard to come by. So it’s unlikely I will use this only half yard I have for a bag lining. I’ll have to dig into my stash and find something less dear. But it looks really cool with this bag!

I have all the block elements for the second panel done. I just need to put them all together with the blue Aboriginal fabrics.

The weather today was so glorious. I managed to get out for my afternoon walk and then an evening walk in a short sleeve T-shirt. I’m glad I got to enjoy it because there is rain in the weather forecast for the next ten days.

I have one more Frankenbag from reader Allanah Lewis to share with you tonight. And interestingly, she’s combined some aboriginal fabric with some KFC fabrics! Along with some other pieces. I love the way she left the Aboriginal fabric in a large piece. The colors are good too.

After our fun playing pickleball on Sunday, my friend Anne and I met at a racquet store this afternoon and bought pickleball paddles! It looks like we’re committed now! We’re taking an introductory class on Sunday!

I’m happy to report that I have one more week of work and then I’m taking about a week-and-a-half off!!! I really need some time off!

I’ve been working a lot of hours and our drives are usually pretty stressful. So I’m tired tonight and I have to be up early. I’ll be on the radio at 7 am.

So I didn’t do much tonight. I worked until 6. Grabbed dinner. Then took the dogs for a walk and the weather was so gorgeous! I just love these lovely spring evenings.

When I got home I hurried and packaged up the orange and blue bag I finished on Sunday and took a quick trip to the post office. While I was out I stopped at JoAnn’s and bought 15 yards of fusible interfacing.

That’s a lot of interfacing. It’s enough for the lining of about 15 bags. It will last a day or two.

When I got home I pulled a few pieces of KFC fabric to combine with the blue Aboriginal fabrics I’ve been having fun with. But I want to combine yellow KFC fabrics with the blue. Here’s what I ended up with.

Each of those yellow fabrics has a touch of blue, which is a nice touch.

I really hate to cut into the yellow Uzbekistan fabric since it’s no longer available. I have about a yard of it. But I don’t have any plans for it and it’s not big enough to do anything to significant, so a bag seems like a good idea.

I like this combo and will probably just go ahead and start cutting tomorrow. I have another idea I’m ruminating on for some out of print KFC strips a friend gave me. That’s for a little later.

I went to Rico’s agility class last night and it was such a beautiful evening. It had rained a good part of the day but was so nice later in the day. I just had to snap this photo on my way, the sky was so incredible.

We arrived before our class time so I let the boys have a romp in the grass seed field.

And this next one just made me laugh!

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And by the way… that’s me on Instagram if you didn’t already know.

These guys just made me laugh in that grass!

I might have mentioned that the dogwood trees are blooming in Portland right now. They are so gorgeous… one of my favorite blooming trees each spring.

And as the dogwood are reaching their glory, the Japanese cherry trees are fading.

Ok, now I’m off to bed for an early morning.

I met some friends this morning for a rousing game of pickleball. One of my friends had recently started playing and invited two of us out to give it a try and it was a blast!

Here’s a quick video about pickleball.

We had so much fun we signed up for a free introduction to pickleball seminar! And I have to admit that I’m feeling it tonight! I think I’ll sleep well.

I didn’t get much done today. It was such a gorgeous day that I really just wanted to enjoy as much of it as I could. So I took the boys for a nice long 4.5 mile walk before dinner and it was glorious! We’ve got a few days of rain on the way so it was nice to have a sunny Sunday.

I did hit my sewing room this evening to finish up the orange and blue bag I’ve been working on. All I had to do was sew the sides of the lining together and then sew it into the bag and do all the finishing. It probably only took an hour or so, but it’s done.

I posted a photo of this unfinished bag with the lining on Facebook yesterday and sold it before it was even done. I’ve got two other people that want to buy essentially the same bag but I’m not inclined to make very many multiples of the same design. I will probably make another one of these in the future but I have other things I want to do now.

Here’s some detail photos.

OMG! That lining is so good! I just love it!

Here’s some close ups that just make me happy.

On our walk tonight I saw some really gorgeous blooms. This first one is a rhododendron. It was the prettiest pale pink color. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

And this yellow tulip was spectacular! It was huge and the most gorgeous color.

Around 8:00 I went out and was playing with the boys and took a spin around the yard and caught the aroma of my lilac bush and it was so amazing! I had to cut some blooms and bring them into the house.

And now my entire house smells like lilacs!

We’re in the middle of an on air fundraising drive, so I’m wiped out. I worked six hours today and barely had enough oomph left to walk the dogs three miles before dinner. So I’m winding down before hitting the sack.

I was looking through my Instagram account the other night and realized that this orange and blue Frankenbag I’m working on is the 20th one I’ve made with the zipper placket and zipper pocket since December.

Here’s all of them in one place…

It’s kind of hard to believe I’ve made 20 of this version!

I think I made 30 of the bags without the zipper placket. So that’s 50 bags in a year! That’s a lot of bags!

I’m happy to say that I’ve slept like a baby in my new bed the last two nights. It’s made me realize how often I was waking up and repositioning in my old bed. It feels so good to sleep so undisturbed! I’m really happy about this.

Since I worked so many hours today I wasn’t productive much beyond that. But I did manage to get my new bathroom linens in place. And I love the way it looks. Here’s a look at before, with the red rug, and after with that magnificent bird shower curtain!

Here’s a better look at that shower curtain.

That great big print is making me feel very happy! If you’re in need of a pick-me-up in your home decor I recommend you switch out your shower curtain, towels and rugs. It’s such an easy change and makes a huge difference! This bathroom feels so much brighter and lighter.

I have a few reader frankenbags to share with you tonight. This first one was made by Niki Sager and I love it! that sunburst fabrics is so wonderful and I like how she’s combined it with the darker blues. Very nice Niki!

These next two bags come from from Paulette Aldrich. I just love those flying geese and the black and white is so good. And all that green is so yummy. And look at the cool detail she’s added to her cork handle. I love it! And everyone is making zipper plackets! I love seeing people get over their fear of zippers!

Next up is this bag made by Connie Nygard. She said she’s hat these fabrics in her stash for many years. Those cat faces are so fun combined with the other black, white and red fabrics! She said this bag was a great way to use up fabric that she didn’t even know she had!

This next bag was made by Laurie Grawl. I love her very scrappy fabrics and relaxed design. This feels very sweet and romantic to me. And it feels like something you’ve loved for years.

These last two bags tonight were made by Betty Sims. How can you go wrong with letting a big Philip Jacobs blooms just be a big old bloom? it’s lovely! and I do love that geometric turquoise fabric. All very graphic and rhythmic.

Thanks to everyone who sent in photos and sent me such nice messages!