you know it's a good day when...

I don't require a lot to make me happy, a day spent at home is one of my favorite treats, and last Thursday it was especially nice because I got to sew on all 4 of my machines in one day!  What makes a good day for you?  

At the moment, I am in the recliner with my feet up because I have been on my feet all day at Bear Patch, we had a sale today and it was well-attended, to put it mildly.  We had 5 cutting table and 2 cash registers up and running almost the entire day, a lot of yards of fabric went out the door!  We collected food for the local food shelf and toys for the Lions Club, too, and many boxes of that went out the door.  It was a fun, upbeat day and I saw so many people I know.

I am so happy to report that I have had some good sales of my patterns, lately the most popular has been Chill Pill, which is kind of surprising to me.  I thought that it was almost too simple to justify putting it into print, but I am learning that there is a place for that, and simple doesn't mean without value.  I liked it myself, but didn't think it would attract much attention when there are so many patterns to choose from.  It helps tremendously that I can have the quilts on display prominently in the store, and being there to tell people about the pattern and myself is also a bonus.  I'm having fun with it!  And a huge thank you to Dan for his help with the pattern cover designs, it is so crucial to have an attractive and appealing cover to gain the attention of the looker.  He is doing an awesome job!  He also has had a very busy period at work so it's not easy to pin him down on a deadline for my patterns!  

I completed a quilt for a customer yesterday and got permission to share it with you, it is different because it is hand embroidered and then colored with crayon.  This shows one of the 9 different blocks--

I finished knitting a helmetliner to be sent off to the military, I was going to post a picture here but the uplink isn't working right.  It's like a hoodie-hat, and the picture of me wearing it is just something you are going to have to live without, believe me, you aren't missing much!  Cast on a sock that will be for Leisl, I was thinking about trying out the 2-at-one-time method on the "magic loop" needle, but didn't have the right needle so doing it my regular way.  That's all for now!

Not dead yet!

As the title states, I'm still here, just taking a break from some things to take care of other things!  Doesn't mean I haven't thought about you, but just in my own little world for a bit.  A good chunk of my recent time was spent at Nancy's new house, very conducive to concentrated sewing and creating but no internet so I had to struggle along without my daily fix of on-line time.  We went out a couple days for lunch and shopping and so I could get a wireless signal and at least read emails.  Cell phones didn't work reliably there, either, so there was some peace and quiet to be had.  She does have very good satellite TV so we could watch something other than political commercials!  And, of course, take in the beautiful lake and scenery.  What a great house for sewing and crafting!  And what is it about a new kitchen that makes cooking so much more fun?  She has a kitchen island about 5 or so feet long, perfect for measuring and cutting long borders!  Some might think that is just a lucky coincidence, but I'm thinking Nancy had that in the back of her mind when she made the floor plan just for my convenience!  I thank you, Nancy, from the bottom of my heart, for your thoughtfulness and hospitality!  

In your honor, I have decided to name a new pattern that I put together on your counter the Chill Pill--you know what that means!  Nancy's words of wisdom for whenever we get in a snit, just take a chill pill!

Patterns:  Square Pair, Hocus Pocus and Chill Pill.  Soon to be released!  As soon as I get the final changes on the instructions, photos to Dan, time for Dan to get the covers together and back to me, then to the print shop.  So a bit of time but the end is within sight!

Can you believe that Dan went skiing yesterday?!!  Mammoth Mt. opened Monday for the season, they were the first CA ski area to open this year after some good snowfall, and he is psyched!  He was in San Fran last weekend for a trade show and a couple weeks before that for pleasure, and it warms my heart to know that Dan and Brita and Ben can all be together.  I miss you guys!!  Brita ran a half-marathon--YAY!!  I remember all those days of running cross-country at St. Francis, just think of all the miles those little legs have run!  And now she is doing charge nursing on her station, I predict that she will be "VP of Excellent MN Nurses in CA" shortly!

The clock just struck 11 so I am going to see if I can get a few minutes of Y & R before bopping downstairs to my machine.  Have a great day!