Category: Quilting

First day

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OK, were done with that one and it’s on to this year, 2012, and what a start!

Teacup version:

  • Polly ate something she shouldn’t have and she’s sick.
  • It is 57  and sunny for the moment, will reach 61 for a high with rain again later.   It was already raining like heck this morning when I went out to do my rounds.  Oh yes, and the (scary) wind turned my umbrella over when I set it down to water the chickens, and promptly filled it with water. Tonight will be 20 degrees and colder still tomorrow.  Well really we are just being plunged into the deep freeze for the whole week.
  • Took advantage of the sunshine and mucked out the chicken house before the rain leaks under and tonight’s freeze makes that job impossible.  (I’m brilliant that way sometimes.)
  • Read everyone’s New Year’s resolutions. . .

Which brings me to mine.  I’m not going there.  I just have to agree with DJ Lutz at Almost Out of Ink, when he penned this as his one and only resolution,

“I will simply resolve to try to be a better person each day. And if I can do something to make the world a better place, either through my writing or (gasp) by personal interaction, all the better.”

As regards myself, I will only add this to his statement,

I need to get my spiritual life back on track. 

NO, not to worry.  It’s not that I have given up my faith, nothing of the sort!  I’ve just been lazy about it, and that bothers me.

Something  I will do this year that is not really a resolution because I will do them regardless are:

  • Get my ETSY store up and running.  Now that all the home repairs are completed and I have a studio to work in.  * This makes me happy!
  • Continue my research for my book.

Why make it hard?  Why set myself up for failure?  This is simply the easiest and wisest choice.

*NOTE:  It is said that if you want to love your work, then work at something you love.  Now I won’t go into a whole treatise on the subject as this fellow already did that job HERE,  and its translatable into fourteen languages.  Why would I try to reinvent the wheel?   What I will say is this:   I love being a sewist/quilter/writer.  Better, it seems to come easily to me.   I could use more practice in design to get a handle on mixing patterns but that will come with practical experience and maybe a class or two.  The book could take longer.

Happy New Year Everyone!

 

 

Learning a New Craft: needle turned applique

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This week I have begun to teach myself how to do needle turned applique.  If you have never heard of this before here is a nice calming video from Deb at Connecting Threads to help you learn.

Connecting Threads can be found  HERE

Points you may want to consider before you start:

  • Start small
  • Start with something easy… something easy is NOT Maple leaves.
  • Don’t teach yourself on a deadline… like say, a gift for a friend.

If you watch the video, follow Deb’s instructions, and my hints above, then you will probably have a fun time learning this beautiful craft.  😉

If you do try it, then please let me know how you liked it!

HAVE FUN!

If I wait till it’s done… It will never get posted!

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Yes friends I am just that way.  I want it all to be perfect, but it is not.  I think it will take quite awhile for it all to shake out, and settle into where it goes.  That aside, here is the basic layout.

The window quilt is whole cloth, and was a practice piece for machine stippling and binding the edges.   It also instantly and dramatically warmed up my room!  The handbag collection was my Mother-in-laws.  The little bed by where I work is Tucker’s place.  🙂

So, it’s all here, and like I said it still needs a bit of fluffing and folding, but it will sort itself out as I use it and find the logical places for it all.

And this is very special to me…

The vintage telephone table was a recent purchase.  The vintage telephone belonged to Bob’s parents and still has the old phone number on it… the one I dialed so long ago and he answered…  AND IT STILL WORKS!  😉

Things I learned how to do:

  1. Use a pneumatic nail gun
  2. Use a radial miter saw (and didn’t hurt myself!)
  3. Build and install a sewing counter (it’s there on the left in the first photo)
  4. Lay and cut in vinyl flooring.
  5. Miter and nail in shoe to hold flooring

Bob painted the ceiling and helped me carrying the heavy stuff.  He also helped me with hanging the wire shelving and the peg board (it takes two for those jobs).  But the rest of it was all me.

Can’t you just feel me smiling?

Now, what else can I tear up fix around here?  OH, I know, the laundry/mud room!