Richard and I spent the last four days camping with some of my sisters and our children and grandchildren. It's become an annual thing (read about the 2015 trip here) so that we get to catch up with the nieces and nephews that we rarely get to see anymore.
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| Town of Woodworth photo |
Everyone is living their own lives in different parts of the state and, yes, even the country. Jobs and children's activities make traveling difficult.
And let's be honest, now that our parents are deceased, we aren't making any big efforts. People make an effort to visit parents, especially elderly or sickly ones, so it was much easier to run into each other.
This weekend, however, we made a big effort. I say big because camping in this Louisiana heat is something of a chore. Thankfully, one family had a boat, so the children could go boating, tubing, and swimming. There are always fans and air conditioners to retreat to when the sweltering heat is just too much. Let's not forget the iced tea!
We share campers and take turns cooking, so that means everyone gets a share of the mess and the extra heat that cooking brings. We ate well: roast pork, fried chicken, boudin, dressing, salads, breads, cookies, pies, even spaghetti. (Richard and I made spaghetti for about 40 people--the problem: only 18 were there for lunch!)
We have now returned home, cleaned up the camper, returned all the pots and pans, the clothing, and the many other odds and ends to their respective places, and taken cool showers. As mom used to say, "Ahhh."
Though I did not go swimming or boating, I swept away great piles of sand. So I thought I'd let that sand be inspiration for today's post.
Happy Quilting,
It's hot in Texas, y'all! I know this because I spent a hot weekend there. I am a member of the (Moreauville, LA) Lacombe family through my late mom. So when the oldest of the Lacombe's decided to have a reunion, I got an invite along with my seven sisters. Only four of us were able to make it, but we dragged along husbands, a few children, and several grands.
Everyone loved the place...my cousin's very nice pool was most popular, but their pond definitely drew a few of the younger ones. They paddled and splashed around so much that the fish, I am certain, celebrated our departure.
These three were inseparable all weekend. It's odd now to think that the one standing had never met the other two. They are fourth or fifth cousins, but I'm sure there are some Instagram pictures being shared right now.
These two almost facing the camera, Aunt Ann (in white) and Uncle Kelly (in red) will celebrate their 60th anniversary in just a month or so. The guy all the way on the right is the cousin whose home we invaded like ants--crawling into every corner and eating all but the wood.
We shared a few big moments--announcements, well wishes, and memories of those who are no longer with us.
Here's my little crew ready to pounce into the soup line. This family knows how to eat! Wayne and Pam served several meals but managed to keep it different and interesting: spaghetti, hamburgers, crawfish pie, gumbo, fried fish and shrimp, and a table laden with cookies, cobblers, and breads. An ice-cream truck came by and parked in the drive for quite a while.
Richard and I left before the rib cook-off because I had to show up for work this morning. Wouldn't that have been fun? And I do love ribs!
One way to burn off the calories is to climb up many crazy-small, hard steps and slide down. Do it a couple of times and muscles that are 50+ years old start crying. Oddly, the younger set didn't seem to be bothered by either the hard steps or the muscles.
We had fireworks on Saturday night. The teen-aged boys in crowd enjoyed setting off the fireworks. Our shy 16-year-old who rarely talks to anyone but his Poppa, Lane, hung out with Texas neighbors until the wee hours. All the way back home he told Poppa about the things they did, how they worked together to clean up the fireworks mess, played in the pool and so on. (Maybe I can stop worrying about his shyness.)
Whether we were sitting around tables of food, lounging at the pool, or cooling off in the water, there were people to meet and get to know. Cousins from as far away as California, Indiana, and Florida dropped in for a few hours or a couple of days. Everyone seems to have the gift of gab in this clan.
Richard and I ended the weekend with mass at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Orange. When we returned to the family, we began packing up and saying goodbyes. It was a bittersweet morning, but that's to be expected after spending two days laughing, crying and hugging, even in that severe heat.
Of course our drive into Orange had me looking at the architecture of the surrounding homes and buildings. These two neighbor the church and I just had to snap a couple of pictures "on the fly."
What are some of the things your family does when you're reunited with far-flung members?
Today I made a couple of hooded beach towels for the little granddaughters. They love to go to the beach or to Mim's house to swim. A school of fish, they are.
Tracking pool water into the house is an idea few of the adults appreciate. So I thought I'd help just a little by making some hooded towels. And to help you, I thought I'd write a tutorial that explains how I did this.
Supplies:
1 regular bath towel (27 X 52)
1 regular hand towel (16 X 28)
fabric scraps (fat quarter) 5 X 33
(These measurements are for the supplies I had. You may have to make adjustments to fit your own supplies.)
To determine the length of the fabric you will need double the width of the hand towel and add one inch. If your hand towel is 17 X 30, the final measurement is 17 x 2 + 1. So the fabric should measure 5 X 35. If you're using scraps or a fat quarter, you'll need to piece the fabric, but don't forget to add the extra 1/2 inch for the seams.
Once the fabric is cut to the right length, press the seams open. Then fold and press down 1/2 inch along one long side and both short edges. Set aside for a moment.
Figure out which side of the hand towel is the right side. (Not all hand towels have a right and wrong side.) With right sides together (RST) fold the towel in half on the width and make a short angular seam beginning 1 and 1/2 inches from the edge. Sew almost to the edge but stop short of the hem seam.
Now to make the hood, lay the towel down and place one hem edge on top of the other hem so that they both lie flat. Sew the entire length of the center back seam. Tip: To encourage the seam to lie flat, sew in a wavy, rather than straight line. Notice how crooked my seam is? That's on purpose!
Now you're ready to add the colorful fabric that trims out the hood. There are two open edges of the hood, one with a seam and one without. Lay the hood on the worktable with the un-seamed edge right side down. Pin the fabric along the edge wrong sides together. Tip: the fabric will roll around to the other side leaving a small amount to frame the wearer's face. You can adjust the width of this amount by moving the decorative fabric. Look at the bottom picture on the left to see the difference. I prefer the wider version, but the decision is the maker's.
Once this seam is made, turn the decorative fabric around to the right side of the hand towel and pin in place. Be careful to make sure the edge is flat.
Sew along the edge of the fabric to create a top-stitch. Tip: I use my presser foot to keep my seam fairly even, just a point on the presser foot as you would the lines on the machine.
Now you're ready to attach the hood to the bath towel. Determine the right side, and then fold the towel in half on the width to find the center and pin to mark. Lay the towel on your work surface so that the center portion of the towel is flat. Beginning at the center, pin the edge of the hood so that the center back seam of the hood is directly on the pinned center of the towel.
Tips: I opened the hood center back seam to reduce bulk. I also sewed this seam so that both hems lay flat by sewing a wavy line as I had earlier. One final touch I added is a small tailor-tack at each end of the hood to help hold the seam together. To do this, make a narrow, tight zigzag stitch about 1/4 inch long.
