Category Archives: family

Life is Good

     I had fun this week volunteering at school and at the Operation Christmas Child warehouse. It renewed my sense of -if we all work together the world to make a difference,  life is easier and richer. I read a link on a blog last week about a community that came together to save a barn in Vermont and make it into an artist and community spot. I will send you to Martha Sacco’s knitting website : www.greenmountainknittingbags.com. Go to last week’s news and you will hear about the wonderful sense of community in Starksboro, VT. Martha has a once weekly sale of her beautiful bags for knitting. Yes, I am the proud owner of one.

     I have been a bit distracted this week. I did decide that I absolutely love Aurifil thread for piecing. If you put it in the bobbin, it lasts forever. It is smooth as butter on top! No lint, very fine and my new machine loves it as well. It is expensive but comes in a large quantity. When I looked for it last night, Mai-Britt Axelson is a sponsor. More eye candy for you-http://www.linen-and-silk.com.

  

     I know you are looking for completed UFOS. None yet although my back is pieced (on the left), thread purchased and now ready to go on this top(right) from my Carol Soderlund workshop. Distracted I was by finding bits and pieces of this UFO in my Christmas fabrics.

     I am grateful for all God has blessed us with this Thanksgiving. Life is indeed good. Happy Thanksgiving and Happy sewing, my friends. Put your feet up after turkey dinner is done and enjoy the links.

Almost #4 and #5 for Project Joy

     I know, I know that almost doesn’t count but this has been crazy week and I want to show you almost. This blogging thing is a bit crazy and I have to admit to you that I missed it this week when I couldn’t keep up with it. I felt like I was letting you down. Or I wasn’t pulling my end of the deal . What is really strange is that I am completing things, I am not sure I even like. Just to have something to show you. Which makes me feel a bit vulnerable and not necessarily proud of what I am producing. But what I am ” getting out of ” this whole thing is a great bit of humility, a great sense of respect for those who do this blogging thing well and much improved construction technique for sewing  just because I am sewing more.

     I have finished #4 except the binding so I know it doesn’t count just yet. It looks like a spider web and I am happy to say Betsy -my new machine-did her part. After a software update and two new parts for a machine less than six months old,  she still needs to win me over though. I am skeptical.

  

  

      The binding will be done tonight while I watch tv with the kids. I did some random crazy quilting over a very chaotic quilting.

  # 5 I am not sure it is worth saving. It was in the middle of the whole sewing machine debacle and I am sick of wavy. So am in a quandry of whether or not to finish. I did spend 2 hours trying to pick out bad stitching. Yuck.

       My husband brought home thirty roses yesterday to celebrate our first date thirty years ago. What a nice and romantic guy I have.

     I am very grateful for him! Now, on to sewing. Happy sewing, my friends.

Project Joy: #1

  

      We had a great weekend and enjoyed time at my daughter’s college. The weather was in the 60’s and sunny which really hasn’t happened much this fall. I had high hopes for many portrait pictures to show you but my family is not happy with the camera. That really surprised me. Or they just didn’t have fun with me adjusting camera settings. Manual mode is very hard for me. Just can’t seem to get the hang of it. Maybe not having fun is a mild phrase-they were getting annoyed . I moved on to the dogs and they started running away.  I need new subjects. But here’s my crew. We will learn how to crop this weekend. Thank goodness.
     I did manage to finish this quilt over the weekend. I began quilting 20 years ago using reproduction fabrics and they fit well in all of our older homes. When I was sewing on it this weekend, I still loved the softness in my hand of the old indigoes. The Bowtie pattern is one of my favorites. I wonder if I could work with the pattern improvisationally. Guess it’s an idea for a series next year.
                                                         Bowtie Beauty
                                                            40×56
     Ok seriously my pictures are way too dark. Must get back to the camera manual and sewing. Happy sewing,  my friends. 

Erin’s Quilt

     I made a quilt for my daughter this spring in celebration of her high school graduation. She picked out the fabrics and I made the quilt. The fabrics tended to give me a headache after awhile as it was very busy. But now that I see it on her bed at college, it is absolutely her and she loves to snuggle with it when she studies. So that’s all that counts when you give a quilt as a gift: that it is used and appreciated. I do miss her but know she is enjoying the college life. Except for the work. Isn’t that why they are there?

     I have finished one piece this weekend and am working on another for you tomorrow. I have questions about showing you a piece I may submit to a quilt show so must reconcile that before I post. I am just figuring out what is appropriate to post and not. If anyone has any good references for that , let me know. Also, my class starts tomorrow night for photography. We will have a final project due so am really excited.
Knowing I have an audience is really motivating me to complete my work. Thanks for stopping in. Happy sewing my friends.