Ice storm...

The winds kept me up for a couple hours last night.  Winds are common place here, but the pecking of ice on the windows is a bit more ominous.  Good news, we still have power. I thought I'd share some of the beauty with you.  The air after an ice storm always smells especially sweet.  I'll spare you the havoc that the ice wreaks on our trees.  Trees in this neck of the woods are honored, I guess because there are more fields than anything.  So when a tree is taken out, or nearly so, it's always a bit sad. But you can't deny that the ice is awfully pretty and if you can't take the bitter with the sweet then you can't be a very well adjusted person, now can you? 

 The flower garden that went to weed at the end of the summer now has it's own sort of beauty.

 This garden ornament is my favorite picture after the berries. 

The grass shatters when you walk on it and makes a slight jingling noise.

My sweetheart broke the handle on his truck door trying to get into it, this morning.  Wonder how long this will take to melt?  

 Easy does it...

I don't know about you, but I like to ease into the week.  I am blessed with being able to work from home.  So I'm wearing a ratty sweater- holes and all.  Box of tissues at my elbow- sinus infection. Pumpkin roll- remedy to a low blood sugar. My daughter is an assistant baker at a bake shop and she brings home some amazing goodies. Thoughts of sewing. Just taking things slow. 

Thread guide... maybe you'd be interested in this little gadget.  It's such a small and insignificant thing, but it works like a dream.  A dress maker would never be able to grasp the concept of how much thread a quilter goes through.  Where they buy a spool, we buy a cone.  My cone is getting low.  That's alright, I have a drawer of extra ones.  This guide keeps the tension nice and also keeps the cone from skittering across the table.  It's just a dowel rod with a hole drilled in the bottom, and an eyelet screwed into the top.  You could put your cone in a mug if you're still having skittering problems. The cones sure are nice when you're winding 25 bobbins at a time.  Barely makes a dent in the thread.

This is one of the little bags I make from ready-made place mats.  I actually made this place mat from some scraps, but I usually buy the place mats at a thrift shop for a buck.  The bags sell for $10.  Not bad. The place mats are lined and the edges are finished so there are no raw seams. Think they will make nice Christmas gifts- stuffed with some fun things. A lot of nurses buy them to store their stethoscopes and such.  Keeps toys separate in diaper bags.  Store make up.  Just whatever. Takes me about ten minutes to whip one up. Pioneer Woman has some really pretty place mats.

 Homely...

  In the US when we say "homely"  we're describing something dowdy, ugly.  But I've seen some home improvement shows from the UK and when they say "homely" they're using it as we would "homey."  Something cozy and warm. This one has the bases covered.  It's homey and homely. It's a client's quilt and I'm impressed with it- in that it's entirely hand stitched. It's just not entirely pretty.  But very homey.  And I think it will look sweet on a bed.  Of course, I've never actually met a quilt I didn't like on some level. As you can see, I'm just meandering it and she is using a Warm and Natural batting so with one wash it will have an even more homey feel and look to it.  It's growing on me.

Sleepy head...

I just couldn't resist sharing this picture.  He was eating some cheese puffs and then he wasn't. Fell asleep with his hand in the "cookie jar."
 

Blitz...

This is my fat goat.  I love him as much as any one ever loved their dog. OK, maybe that's an exaggeration as some people are just a a little over the top with their dogs.  But you get my point.  We love him.  He moves around the property taking care of weeds and overgrown grass.  He loves people.  He especially loves to be read to. He never head butts. But if you punch him on the top of the head, he practically purrs.  

I'm getting my autumn quilts put up.  I don't have a lot of free wall space, so sometimes I need to scour the house for an empty place.  This is my bathroom wall.  Yes, it's orange.  (I heard somewhere that the color is complimentary to skin tone, so you look better in the mirror.  That's what I heard anyway.  I am going through a grey phase where I want to paint everything grey- a shocker to my family because they know how much I like color.  But grey makes a nice background for pops of color.)  I made a couple wall hangings using this design and then had a moment where I thought, "Wouldn't it be cool to have a bed sized tree quilt?"  With the tree as big as the bed.  No kidding.  I got all of the HST(5") made and got distracted by something else.  Now where did I put that...

Today is a "BIG" day.  I'm putting a king size quilt on the quilting frame.  I've been putting it off for three weeks now.  I had to unearth the frame- it was a landing zone for husband's crates and boxes.  And then all of my tubs underneath were getting clutter on top of them which makes it impossible to get the quilt through. So, now all of that's resolved and the quilt will go on. Hopefully.  I had a happy moment when the batting and the backing proved to be big enough.  It's for a client and it's always a gamble that they have the measurements correct.  My luck with that gamble is about 50/50. It's just a simple meander as the top is super busy.  I'll try to post a picture when I get it on. The size is a bit daunting, but maybe I'll be surprised and it will go more smoothly than I expect.

  

Two minis bound and ready to go...

Finished binding these two mini wall hangings.  I love hand sewing- just hard to find the time.  Or to justify the extra time it takes when I know I can do it in a fraction of the time on my sewing machine.  But there's something very therapeutic about sliding the needle through the fabric while listening to music on the stereo.  Peaceful.  And who couldn't use a little more peaceful in their life? 

Forty Christmas postcards...

I finished up these postcards for the holidays.  Can't wait to send them on their way!  

I've had the worst head cold this week, but I think I've turned the corner. Today I'm attempting to sew little draw string bags for my husband's business.  One of the things he engraves is bracelets and I just haven't found a way to package them pretty.  So I'll try this and see if it is time effective.  Post pictures later!  Hope everyone is having a pleasant- and productive, day!

Maybe it's me...

There comes a moment in your life when you see a pattern.  I'm 51 and I'm beginning to get an inkling that maybe the mess isn't the projects' fault.  It's all me.  

I've been making postcards- for Christmas- and even though they are only 4"x 6" they seem to make a big mess.  I mean, I seem to make a big mess. There's bits of fabric, stabilizer, embellishments, different colors of thread- just stuff.  I keep thinking I need to put it away, but then I get to thinking I probably won't drag it all out again.  What a bother!  I've made about 35 cards and I'm getting close to finishing up.  I need to bind the edges and then I'll be done.  I'll show you a few once I'm at that point.  

Speaking of Christmas... (Is it too early to mention Christmas?  I'm one of those dreaded people who honestly doesn't mind the Christmas carols on the loud speaker of the store even if it's not Thanksgiving yet.  I mean, it's not like there are Thanksgiving songs to play.  I've been listening to Christmas music for a while now.  I figure since I'm working on a Christmas project it would be easier if I get into the spirit.)  Our family is planning on making some new Christmas traditions, this year.  I suppose it isn't a tradition until you've done it a few times.  But I love traditions and I've been having to sacrifice quite a few of mine over the last couple of years.  You see, my husband, William, has an Etsy shop and he really gets slammed with last minute shoppers in December.  I mean slammed.  We pretty much work around the clock and so even if we had time to do the usual, who has the energy or the drive?  

I have been considering a few things.  Opening presents on January 25- catch the after Christmas sales and having extra funds from the successful business month of December. Having our big dinner that day. Still opening stockings on December 25th. Still fix a big brunch that morning.  We usually visit the tree lot the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but this year we're going to get an small artificial tree (making all of the ornaments) and then go and cut down a big live tree on the first day of winter- the 21st.  Plan out cookie baking days, fruit cake making day, postcard addressing day, a couple of quiet evenings with candle light and reading (Eva's request) - anything festive I can think of to fill December and January- ahead of time and decorate the house until it's the gaudiest thing you've ever seen. We have an extra month after all. Do you have a beloved Christmas tradition I could incorporate?  

Making December even more hectic, we're expecting a new grandson on Christmas day.  So we'll need to keep all of our plans flexible. Considering the cause, I'm fine with that!