Catching a Breather

I'm back... I promise to be better at posting more often this winter when we get past the busy gardening season, and I can turn my attention almost exclusively to sewing or sewing related past-times.

This has been a very 'sewing intense' week however. It began when we went to Iowa to visit very good friends, John & Kathy, and I sewed little Jane blocks all the way down and back, plus one or two while we were there sitting and visiting, and in the hotel room on the way.

Then I had 2 all-day sewing days back-to-back on Wednesday and Thursday with 2 of my small groups. Unfortunately I didn't think to take my camera. We sewed at Diana's on Wednesday, with Carol and Kimm. That's a machine sewing group, but the last few times I've sewed by hand anyway, as I am obsessed with 'Jane' right now. Then Thursday we had our hand sewing bee, and went to 'Crispy's' house for the first time. She lives 35 miles west of Bismarck, in a charming little home that was moved into town from the country! In the past we've met at the country club in her small town in the summer months when it's worked out. We also got a chance to meet her very nice S.O.

Then Saturday was guild day. I'm still getting comfortable with my role as president, so I get a bit nervous. It surprises me, but it has been a few years since I've been in the work world, so maybe it shouldn't. Anyway, each month it gets easier! And I taught the morning workshop this month, which was on hand piecing (now THERE'S a surprsie!). :) I tried to twist Crispy's arm into teaching it, as she's the pro, but she had to work so wasn't available with her expertise.

Hey, I got a new toy!!! After all the chatter about hand piecing, I bought a new sewing machine. I've been wanting a Babylock and I finally got one. They just came out with a new model, the Symphony, to replace the Espire. And I got a deal I couldn't refuse from one of Bismarck's FINEST quilt shops, Bismarck Sewing & Quilting. (We have 3 good shops, and one BAD one... and anyone in Bismarck knows which is which, I'm sure!). ;-) Later I'll follow up with a picture of new Annie (her name), but right now I can't find my camera cable. (Another big surprise....!) This machine does everything but embroider, which I don't need because I recently bought the Babylock Professional Embroidery machine, also from Joy.

Here are the Dear Jane blocks I've completed recently. Actually, some aren't that recent but just haven't ever been posted. I think there are still more that have been missed, and one day I'll get that all straightened out, but not today.

A-12 Framed Fancy



B-2 Sweet Tater Pie



B-5 Hot Cross Buns



B-9 Tinker Toy



B-10 Jud's Trophy



C-6 Ashley's Aura (Needs work... applique is not my forte' yet)



C-7 Megan's Mountain Laurel



G-1 Hattie's Hen House



H-11 Piercing Rays



I-2 Kaye's Courtyard



J-6 Granny Weaver



K-7 Rose of Sharing (Another one that's going to need a little more work...)



And with that, I'm off... have a wonderful rest of the weekend, and a great new week! We're getting ready for autum up here in North Dakota.

A Very Busy Week

What a busy week it's been. DH and I were contemplating on it as we took a break at the end of the weekend and thought about all we've accomplished in just the last week.

Our time has shifted away from finishing my quilting studio for the time being, and into his shop and outdoor work. Since I got his undivided time and attention all winter, I guess I won't complain (at least for the time being). :)

Here's a closet he built around his heating system in his shop. The French door was really a bit of over-kill, but it was free, so what the hey... When we bought our home, it was part of the many materials that had been left in the basement by the former owners who never quite realized all their ambitions. Since the door is pine, and our woodwork is oak, we had no use for it in the house. My job is the 'painting princess' for this and any other finishing project.



I want to call attention to my French friends of a couple of the artifacts up on the shelf. When we were living in France, we loved going to the open air flea markets. We found LOTS of treasures there. One thing we were collecting were the old galvanized steel watering pitchers, which you'll see a couple of. And also at the left end of the shelf is an old metal carrying 'tote' for bottles or whatever (like our old milk delivery pieces here in the US). We developed a real appreciation for French wine while there, and we had wine bottles sitting in this item for decoration purposes, as much as anything. Ever since then, Dennis has referred to it as his 'French 6-pack'.

Then we turned our efforts to outdoors. We got instant forest two days ago. We have some really great neighbors, and a couple of years ago they gave us first shot at buying some really nice big spruce trees from their lot. To make the deal even more enticing is that they have a friend who moves trees, so we got these very mature trees for a song. We moved 8 of them 2 years ago, and 8 more Monday. I'll try to show before and after shots of the various spots where they were planted.


















Can you say Happy Farmer???




How it's done...









And today, we are FINALLY going to plant our vegetable garden. We had debated about not even having one this year, what with hurting knees and feet (for BOTH of us). But we just couldn't quite make ourselves do without... especially fresh tomatoes! That's why we're getting the late start. We were lucky to even find nice plants anymore at this time of the year. (We never start with seeds, our growing season is too short and/or the kinds of veggies we concentrate on are more conducive to just starting with already established plants.)


After all the hard work, it was time for another sewing day with friends. This time it was with Evelyn and Denise. I really wanted to get a day in with Denise as she is starting a new job very soon, and had a couple week lapse between the last and the new one. And I definitely wanted to take advantage of that window of opportunity. Evelyn was finishing up a quilt top on a mystery quilt we started in guild workshop last Saturday (which Denise taught, incidentally).

Denise was working on a Jinny Beyer BOM, Moonglow, from Bismarck Sewing and Quilting, a favorite shop I've mentioned recently. (N-O-T to be confused with a very unscrupulous local shop who shall not be named, which I've noted has recently taken part of Bismarck Sewing & Quilting's name as part of their advertising, to plant branding confusion: "Bismarck's Sewing and Quilting Headquarters". No coincidence, I might add.) Denise also works part-time at Bismarck Sewing and Quilting. Small world isn't it?



Anyhoo, she got me going again on my Jinny Beyer project, and now I'm all inspired to keep working on it. Thus far, I had only done the first block, and block #6 is now out! I had ended up hand-piecing block #1, which I'm finding myself doing more and more when I'm challenged with something tricky when machine-piecing. But I think it may end up being a combination of paper piecing the various units, then hand piecing them together. We'll just see...

And last but not least, I did knock off another Dear Jane block last night. This was B-3, Mirror Images.

OK, that was NOT last, need an update of 'how my garden grows'...


Same hosta scene, different day.


Note the pixie, not the errant weed!


"Stepping Out" Irises from Mom! Don't you just love them!?


What an assist the sun gives in this beauty.


First time seeing this little bloomer. It's a variegated miniature iris.

And did I mention spring is absolutely my favorite time of year!!!???? :) :) :)

Sewing Day

I was going to post last night, but I was too exhausted. It was a very full day, we had a sewing day with a machine sewing group of friends, and what a wonderful day it was. One of our friends in the group is still working, so we must be content for the time being to meet when her work schedule permits it. Retirement is in the near future for her, and I'm so glad about that!


As you can see, Diana has a wonderful big open area for us to sew (and that doesn't even count her big quilting studio).

Kimm was working on a very pretty charming Valentine table runner.



And Diana and Carol were both working on a little tote bag for notions, makeup, or whatever.



Diana was our over-achiever and actually got TWO done!


And Carol's little tote is very lovely too. Carol is about the only quilter I know who can honestly claim "No UFO's"!!!


At the end of that wonderful day, I had a meeting of our Quiltfest Planning Committee. Quiltfest is our big annual quilt show, and the planning of it is a major endeavor. Our chairperson is doing a wonderful job, and makes working together on it a pleasure! That's a rare gift, and we're very lucky to have her! We weren't able to hold it in our usual library meeting room, so Joy, the owner of one of our best local quilt shops was gracious enough to let us hold it in the classroom area of her shop. Oh darn... so hard to be in such an environment! ;-)

And speaking of Joy, I would like to make an observation. Yesterday (between the friends' sewing day, and the evening Quiltfest meeting), I was in her quilt shop. I observed her with a customer, using sign language. I was flabbergasted because she did it so naturally and with such apparent ability! When I questioned an employee about it, I found that she had only learned it very recently. And she had done so because of a desire to help one specific customer who was deaf. This customer had a desire to take quilting classes and the operation of her new Elissimo. Now that is service above and beyond the call of duty, wouldn't you say?