Hocus Pocus updated

My pattern, Hocus Pocus, was first created in November at Nancy's Shangri-La, made in Christmas fabrics for the store's window display.  I really enjoyed all the positive comments from people, it is kind of weird to put my own design out there for all the world (well at least the Bear Patch world) to see and analyze.  I knew that it would need to be remade in some new fabrics so now that we are past the holidays, I put together a new sample and used those bright, bold Kaffe Fassett prints along with the Rowan shot cloth solids for a new look.  It really turned out lively!  It also makes for a very good learning project for quilters who want to do something past their beginner quilt, so I added it to the class offerings.   It will be fun to teach it to others, and get their feedback.  I was mortified when I discovered I had made a typo on the fabric requirements, shorting the border fabric 1/4 yard, actually less than that, but nonetheless too short to reach.  There is a way around it, but made me really feel badly for people who have purchased it and will end up facing the same problem and cursing the designer (me!!).  So if you are one of them, make the following change:

Twin size lengthwise border fabric should be 2 1/2 yds, NOT 2 1/4 yds!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!  It is sunny here and I get to sew!

An ordinary day

My felted hat experiment turned out OK, modeled by my mom!  I felted it twice in my own machine (front loader) and I think my mom washed it twice in her own machine (top loader) to get it to fit.  I used Paton's classic wool, double stranded.  It was a free pattern on Ravelry, by the way, if you aren't familiar with Ravelry you need to explore it.  I really wish there was a quilter's equivalent.

Worked on sewing my new blocks for the Block of the Month quilt for Bear Patch, it is a very pretty group of fabric and the blocks are coming together well.  I am hoping that possibly I will have it together by Monday, though not quilted.  At least it can be on display until I get it on my machine.  I have another sort of practice quilt on the frame right now, something I put together from flannel scraps a few years back but never finished.  I am practicing how to do an all-over freehand feather design, trying to add a new skill.  It's not coming quickly!

Bob did me a very big favor today and installed some new lighting above my longarm machine and table.  We had thought to just add 4' onto the existing 8' track lighting, pop in a couple new fixtures, and voila!  However, the existing track didn't mesh with the new track, so Bob ended up going back to Home Depot for more track and replacing the old.  The old fixtures do work on the new track luckily.  And there are worse things than a guy making 2 trips to Home Depot in one day!  So now I have improved lighting for the length of the 14' table, which I greatly appreciate.

Catch-up

So, I haven't shown any pictures lately of what's in the works, so here's a little catch-up:

A new sample from my own pattern, Hocus Pocus, to be a class at Bear Patch.  Made with Rowan fabrics by Kaffe Fassett, mostly.  The first photo shows half of the quilt, I don't have anybody home to hold it up for me to get the whole thing.  One thing I really need to come up with is a better system for hanging quilts for pictures.  I quilted it with a pantogram called Flower Power.  The colors in the pictures look a lot more faded than it actually is.

Some knitting highlights:  a simple scarf using Noro Silk Garden yarn and a pattern from Ravelry

Socks for Leisl, a BD present, they are on the back burner at the moment while my impulsivity makes me do other things

Another scarf from a pattern on Ravelry by Yarn Harlot, the yarn is a synthetic and nice and soft, I bought it at a place in Spooner,WI.

Finished a quilt of Nancy's--

Just sent off a package to Dan with a stocking cap and scarf, among other gifts.  Yesterday we got to surprise him with a gift card at the service counter of the grocery store he goes to, that was fun.  Thank you to Vons for arranging that!

And now I am on my way upstairs to work on star blocks for a new Block of the Month class.  Beautiful fabric!  The fire is burning hot in the woodstove, the Christmas lights are on, a little music and -20 outside.  Poor Bob, had to go to work!  I thought I might have to go out to get a couple more stocking stuffers, but that plan might change unless the thermometer makes a recovery!

Cap and gown time

An event that just doesn't happen very often--siblings in one room together!  Gathered for the occasion of Nora's graduation...

shown here with proud parents Mary and Jarry following the ceremony in Frost Arena on the campus of South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD.  Very fun and we are all proud of her for making her way through all the fun and not-so-fun moments and now she will be another in our family of nurses!  It also was fun to be back at my own alma mater, as just a scant 32 years earlier I graduated with the same degree in the same building (which happened to be new at the time!) with the same hopes and fears, relief and trepidation.  I did have the bonus of Bob to hold me a little bit steady over the rough spots, it does help to have someone else who knows what it's like to be put in the spot of holding someone else's life in your hands, and then go home and act like nothing happened because if you talk about it you are breaking every confidentiality rule in the book and besides they just don't get it and that's OK because I just don't get the essence of what they do either!  So it was very good to meet Nora's good friend, Abby, and see that they will surely be there for each other over the next few months.  Nora is getting set to move to her own place in Sioux Falls and go to work for Sanford Medical Center (lucky for Sanford) in the near future.  Best wishes!  Kudos!  Congrats!

Missing Denny

In memory of our friend and cabin cousin, Denny Arnold

just one of those nights...

Having one of those nights...wake up at 2:30, not sure why, can't find a comfortable spot, can't get back to sleep, think it might have something to do with all the very rich food I ate at our Bear Patch Christmas party last night!  It was a very fun holiday event, 21 of us met for appetizers at the store then over to Ingredients for wonderful food.  My choice was the walleye, preceded by a delish salad which contained poached pears and greens and nuts.  The pan fried fish fillets were done perfectly, nestled on top of a mountain of yummy mashed potatoes, drizzled with lemon sauce, and topped with finely shredded strings of beets that must have been deep fried or something to make them curly crispy.  The presentation was awesome.  Dessert was a chocolate present--literally, a chocolate brownie and molten chocolate wrapped up in pastry, escorted by ice cream and nuts.  Lovely in so many ways!  Then we returned to the store for our gift swap/exchange, and time to visit together unimpeded by customers!  Debbie and Laurel always give us very thoughtful gifts, in addition to our own private sale, we received personalized tote bags with the cutest labels and our 2009 calendars.  All-in-all, a good way to celebrate the season with my co-workers.  Did I mention we also brought toys and toiletries for donations?  We had one whole cutting table full of good things to give away.  The fresh snow wasn't enough to stop us all from attending, although we did see several cars off the road, hope they weren't missing any fun parties like ours!