Saturday, November 14, 2015

some more projects that are almost checked off the list

Some more project progress today!  Sadly, tomorrow I have to leave.  Happily, tomorrow I get to go home!  With a box full of done and/or partially done quilty goodness!

I made 3 strings of Christmas pennants, like the ones hanging on the windows below.  They were cut from a printed fabric panel, fused, stitched to backing, sewn to a ribbon and voila!


Here are 2 quick and easy tablerunners (sorry Amy!) in holiday fabrics, made from a pattern that includes 5 total designs, by In The Doghouse.  They aren't very big, so quick to put together.  I picked these fabrics at Bear Patch and made kits of each, so we will have them ready to display for Christmas gift ideas.  Still needing quilting and binding, but that will have to happen at home.


Here's something I didn't make, but have longed for.  Leisl, my friend, makes these bowl holders to use in the microwave.  Perfect for my morning oatmeal!


I worked on this red and white quilt yesterday, and ran off the rails last night when I started to put the rows together and got them out of order.  So I set it aside, took some stitches out this afternoon, and now it's all together in the right order!


Tonight I'm joining the movie watchers for a viewing of Julie and Julia.  
A great show for the 2nd or 3rd time!

Friday, November 13, 2015

retreating....

I'm a lucky happy girl, spending time with my friends and my machine!  And I'm loving the chance to be immersed in my sewing, I have so many things to make and so little time to make it!
Here's some results--

Legendary by Elizabeth Hartman

Little cuddle bunnies an old edition of Love Patchwork and Quilting.

Delight by Jaybird Quilts.

Sweetpea Pods by Lazy Girl.
Enjoying some good meals and M&M's, too!

Thursday, November 5, 2015

metal work

 FINALLY!  I have a finished railing!  This followed all of our work to replace the nasty old carpet with laminated wood flooring.  To get the flooring to work and run over the edge to the open room below, we had to remove all of the vertical small log spindles.  We kept the large logs that kept the top rail in place.  I really really wanted something different to go up there, but I had a hard time determining what that would be.  After deciding on getting some kind of metal panels, I had to figure out what that would be and who could make them for me.  I looked at lots of pictures and samples everywhere I could find them.  I finally settled on a rough sketch, knowing I wanted something that wasn't a solid barrier, but still safe for little people.  After a little shopping around, I found the metal works that could make what I needed--Accent Ornamental Iron--in Cambridge, about 20 miles north.


There are 5 panels like this around the loft and I love it!  Bob was a little bit slower to jump on the band wagon, but that's not unexpected.  We have totally different perspectives on design and color.  Bob is all left brain (loves puzzles, analysis, computers, etc.) and I am primarily right brain (love color, design, creativity, etc.).  I tease Bob that if he ever needs a head CT it will show a big empty cavern where his right brain should be!

Here's a tip that helps with some of that creativity.  Last night, I was trying to arrange 8 shades of green from my fabric stash.  I know the picture looks kind of brown more than green, but trust me, in real life they are shades of green!  In the next picture the fabrics converted to black and white (real easy to do on iphone or iphoto in the effects when editing).  Looking at them this way, I can more easily rearrange to get them in order.


With the season definitely switching to autumn, and very soon winter, I found some interesting pieces of nature that don't show up at other times.  We have a little nest on a low branch that seems too big for hummingbirds but too small for anything else.  But it's really neat!  There's one single leaf left on the whole tree, the one dangling from the nest because it's fastened into the nest.  And I got a good close up to really get a good look at the parts and pieces that made the nest.

I could also see several other nests up high that are hidden until the leaves disappear.  I wonder what was living in them?


Even a paper wasp hive that has survived the windy weather.
And some pretty "berries" that aren't really berries?  The first ones are actually on our asparagus plants--

And this is bittersweet growing wild.  It has grown into a nice big vine.


So we're about ready for winter, it's inevitable, so let's get it on!