Snowball Quilt Update

So as previously stated I am participating in the Red and White Snowball challenge and I received all my light fabrics that were part of the swap. No duplicates and a wonderful mix of fabrics. I have been saying all along that I was not going to do the red. I was planning on doing another color with the lights but I love red and I kept thinking about it and I went to my stash and I have plenty so I too am doing the red.

Yesterday was very rainy here, thank you Ida, so I ironed and cut all day. Just a little more cutting to do today and I'll get started on the sewing. But I see the sun peaking out so I may end up outside instead. You see, we New Englanders know that we'll be stuck indoors for a while soon so we tend to be out when we can to enjoy every last minute of fall and there has been some very nice weather lately so I have not been in my sewing room at all until yesterday. I am anxious to get going here. Can't wait to see everyone elses quilts.

How much fun is getting fabric in the mail! I am participating in the Snowball Quilt challenge hosted by Allyson and Nicole and part of the fun is exchanging light fabric with the people you've been matched up with as swap partners. Some of my fabric packages have arrived and what fun it is to open them although one of my swappers, Debra, is saving all the packages and waiting until they all arrive and then opening them! What stamina! I could not wait so I opened them as they arrived. The above picture shows what has arrived and above them is the three fabrics I sent out. What a wonderful combination and no duplicates.

On a side note, I stopped at my LQS yesterday to get the Easy Angle ruler that I have been wanting ever since Nicole showed how she is using it on this challenge. When I went in, the place was in a jumble with fabric everywhere, her long arm taken apart and all the displays down. She is closing! She decided late last week to close-no explanation although I think the shop was a victim of the economy. I have been getting all my quilts quilted there so I need to find a new quilter. Help! There have been a number of shops that have closed around here in the past couple of years. I sure hope it stops.

Fabric Is On It's Way

Have you heard about the Red and White Snowball Challenge? I am participating in it and also the fabric swap that goes along with it so I got my light strips ready this weekend and got them in the mail today so my swap partners should have them soon. I am actually trying to decide if I am going to do reds or something else.

Now the Kaffe Fassett book is an entirely different story.

My sister and one of her friends flew to Eastern Tennessee to go to a 3-day workshop with Kaffe. We had been there in April for my nephew's wedding and we found Tennessee Quilts, a wonderful quilt shop in Jonesboro. We got on their e-mail list and an e-mail came across about this workshop and my sister declared "Roadtrip"!! Unfortunately, I work at a college and there's no taking time off in the middle of a semester so she went with a friend. But she did bring me back this book, signed by Kaffe, which I have been drooling over eversince. Can't wait to try one the patterns in here.

So Katy, Julie, Debra, Jennifer, Kathy and Esther, be looking for your package from NH!

My Mojo

So I think my quilting Mojo has got up and left. Since my surgery I haven't done much sewing and I had no project that was exciting me enough to get going. That was until the Red and White Snowball Challenge hosted by Allyson and Nicole.

So check it out. I haven't decided if I'm going to do red and white though. I may go rogue! I know some others are doing other colors. I have something really different that keeps showing up in my head so who knows whay I'll do or will I chicken out and do red and white, which I love by the way. So stay tuned.

I haven't been totally idle though. I love scarves and I am knitting this one which is a free pattern on the Purl Soho blog. Not for the faint of heart though. This is a lace pattern and it takes some concentration but the yarn is yummy and it has been fun to knit again. I'll be doing this one for a while though since I love my scarves long. So whether you're knitting or sewing, try a new project. Just what I needed!

It's Still October for Crying Out Loud

It's was mighty cold here last week when my grandsons came for the day. There really is a baby in there somewhere in that fleece above! Jackson wasn't quite sure he was enjoying the walk we had last Friday morning. Afterall, it's October and it's supposed to be warmer than this.

But the other two, Carter and Ga, did enjoy the walk. The leaves were beautiful, the neighborhood was mostly quiet and it was nice to be out in the fresh air. What you can't quite see in this picture is that is was just starting to snow at this point. Baby Jackson is still not sure what to make of this.

Then is was time to rake some of those pretty leaves by this expert raking crew I hired with the promise of a grilled cheese for lunch. The littlest crew member did a great job for a while until it was more fun to mess the pile of leaves up. Oh well. There will be more to rake next week.

Maine

We went to Maine to check on our cottage before we turn it over to a winter tenant. It was a cool, crisp autumn day and it was a beautiful ride. It's a 3 hour ride from our home in NH so you have to enjoy the ride and who wouldn't with scenery like this. This is what our freeways look like. What do yours look like?

Here's our little cottage waiting for us.

The view is as spectacular as it was in summer. Just a few less leaves right now.

Here's the best climbing tree ever. I think it is so beautiful with it's leaves mostly off.

And the view from the kitchen sink isn't bad either.

So until next spring we say goodbye. I'm going to miss going up here until then.

Just Putterin'

I'm still here just puttering around the house and getting out some fall decorations. I want to thank everyone who e-mailed me and checked on me after my recent surgery. I'm doing well and glad I went ahead with this surgery. As you can see, Oscar the cat also joined me on the resting routine on his own little love seat that he seems to have adopted as his own. He does look nice with the fall pillows behind him, doesn't he.

I just love the colors of fall and enjoy pulling out these colors into my home.

This is an older quilt I hand pieced and hand quilted many years ago.

I found this little homemade brown pedestal on the left below in Maine when I was there this summer. I love it. I just seem to llike pedestals!

I hope you all are enjoying fall. The colors in the trees are changing rapidly here and are so beautiful. It's chilly here today so it certainly feels like fall!

The View From the Couch

I'm Back! I had surgery one week ago today and my view has been this since. Everything I need at my fingertips. Water in my grandson's Lightning McQueen cup, chap stick, something to soothe a sore throat, Tylenol and the stronger prescription meds (Yeah!), a computer that went mostly unused and there's even a Halloween pattern that came in the mail which will not be made by Halloween for sure! I am doing good and am on the mend.

I want to thank all of you who checked on me. Bloggers are the best! To let you know what I had done without using the exact words which I don't want coming up in some Google search by some kook out there, I had my front, top shelf reduced. I have had a lot of physical problems in recent years from the "girls" and needed to do this. I can feel a difference already so once I'm all healed I am hopeful that I will have some relief from the pain I was having in assorted places. It was getting to the point where sitting at the sewing machine was painful to the upper back and it wasn't an ergonomic problem with the machine. So I am here resting and walking outside in our gorgeous fall weather and plan on going back to work next week. Until then I have a lot of checking up to do on all of you-you've been busy I see!

Out of Commission?

Here in NH today fall feels like it has arrived! I have the fireplace lit in my great room to take off the chill so I'm starting to get out a few fall decorations. I just finished this runner for my kitchen island. I have made this pattern before-it's one of Heather Peterson's designs-and I love it. Nice and long and it fits perfect here.
Then I gathered up any quilt with a fall look and put it on my quilt ladder for some great color and fall design. I'll get the rest of the fall stuff out tomorrow.

One of the reasons I am trying to get things out is because I am going to be out of commission for a bit here. I am having some surgery on Monday, (nothing serious) and I know I won't feel like doing any of it after that. So it will be nice to come home from the hospital and see some pretty fall things out. So hopefully I'll be back blogging soon and have tales to tell. See you soon.

What To Do With a Door

I was surprised today to see my last post occurred in August. I have just been very busy at my job at a local college and have not been commenting at your blogs and just barely keeping up with Bloglines but I'm here today and since there has been no sewing going on, I thought I'd show you a transformation I took on in the last few weeks. I have had this door in my possession, and a couple of others like it at one time, for probably 20 years. They were in an old building my cousin ran as a retreat house for the local Diocese and they were renovating and I couldn't bear to see such beautifully constructed doors with such wonderful bead detail go into a dumpster so home they went with me.
Then on someone's blog, I don't remember whose-sorry, I saw a door made into a blackboard and instantly I knew what I was going to do with my door. I have always wanted a blackboard in my kitchen-I grew up in a house with one in the kitchen, but wall space is at a minimum so I needed a small door and this one is tall but skinny. So what to do? Turn it on it's side.

I was originally going to paint the trim white but I opted to strip it and refinish it and then painted the center panel with the blackboard paint. The door was in tough shape so it took a bit of work but the beauty of the wood shines through.

So up it went today and I think it looks great. I still have the tray for chalk and an eraser to finish and attach to the bottom but that won't take long.

So that is what I've been up to. This, and enjoying the beautiful NH weather we have been having here. Hope your long weekend is a good one. I have to work Monday-BooHoo!
Make sure you check out other creative designs at Make your Monday!

My Most Recent Quilt

Here's the most recent thing to come out of the sewing room. I love this quilt and I especially love the border (Penny the cat seems to like it too). I am just loving red and white lately. The center of the quilt is made with Roman Holiday charm squares by 3 Sisters for Moda which I have had for a while. Don't you just love anything Moda? I could not buy the border fabric that came with this group, it's sold out everywhere, but got this fabric from another 3 Sisters fabric group called Glace.
The pattern came from Heather Peterson's Charmed and Dangerous book. My quilter did a paisley looking quilting pattern which compliments the quilt nicely.

I don't even know what I'll make next. I have been so busy at work I don't know night from day. Some sewing time is just what my spirit needs so I'll be at it again soon I'm sure. By the way, the fall banner is up because it was really cool here this morning. It feels like Autumn is here to me!

A Giveaway

There's nothing better than a giveaway so here's one to check out. Heather Peterson of Anka's Treasures is having a blog anniversary giveaway so check out her blog to check out the fabulous things she has to give away. Here's a few things I have made using her fabric and patterns. Her patterns by the way have great directions with really good shortcuts.

This first one is a table runner made out of one of her little Charmers patterns and her Rebel Roses fabric. Just love this fabric. I also made this runner out of fall fabrics and am still working on it so I'll show that off one of these days. It's nice and long and fits perfectly on my kitchen island.
Also made a table topper out of the same fabric and another of her patterns.

And I have actually almost finished this quilt. Just needs some binding.

So go check out her blog and maybe you'll be one of the winners. I hope I am.

The Party's Over

Really, I'm still here on earth! Just absent from blogging because I am back at work at the college where I work after a summer off. I have been just overwhelmed with the amount of work there is to do before all the students show up next week. Anyways here's some of what I did on my summer vacation.

I saw the woman on the left, my MIL, accept her award for Senior Citizen of the year in her town. It was a surprise and this woman is really hard to surprise so it was a super colossal surprise.
I made this quilt

and this quilt. I have actually got this one back from my quilter so I'll get a picture posted soon. I also made a fall table runner but I haven't quilted it yet so it will show up here at some point.

I welcomed a new grandson and played alot with his big brother, my first grandson. It was a fun time going to the beach with him.

I picked a few flowers from my garden. I also was able to pick peas and lettuce and that was it. It was too wet a summer for a garden in NH this summer.

I also went to Maine, did a bit of antiquing, and just generally recharged my batteries. It was a good summer. Hope yours was too.

More of Maine

Just a few more pictures from Maine. Below is a little bay we discovered near the Lighthouse we had a picnic at. By the way, since some of you have asked, the lighthouse was at Pemaquid Point which is near Damariscotta, Maine which is coincidently near Wiscasset, Maine. There is a fabulous fabric collection coming out this fall called Wiscasset by Minnick and Simpson and I can't wait to get my hands on some. See how I tied in my vacation to quilting so expertly?
I was facsicated by this giant rock that had been tossed by the ocean. That must have been one mighty storm that did that. That rock was the size of a car.

Here's a "summer cottage" at least a millionaire's idea of a cottage.

This is our field which leads to our shoreline. It doesn't look like we are on the ocean but we are. This is actually a saltwater river and the open ocean is just off to the right. My husband did manage to find some wild blueberries in the field but not many. I think it was too wet and cold too long this summer for the blueberries.

So that's our Maine. It's a resorative place to be and I'm lucky to be able to go there.

Back from Maine

We're back from some time at our cottage on the coast of Maine and we had a wonderful time. Our daughter came along too since her husband had to work so it was nice to have her along especially as an antiquing buddy for me. By the way, Andrea, this is what most of the coast of Maine really looks like-rock bound.

We did a bit of everything. Here are DD and DH beach combing on our little slice of shore looking for sea glass. My daughter and I have been collecting sea glass for many years and have definitely noticed a sharp decline in what we find. Stupid recycling we both declared!

We had a picnic at a local lighthouse one gorgeous day. Peanut butter and honey sandwiches sure taste good sitting on rocks on the shore on a sunny, breezy day.

And speaking of my daughter, Caryl, she posted this picture of herself on her blog so I borrowed it. She must have originally borrowed it from my photo album since this is my picture. She thinks it was taken the summer before 4th grade and this is at our Maine property. She was so proud of that darn fish. She caught a lot of fish that year, which really bugged her older brother. Anyways, we are very lucky to have such a wonderful place to recharge our batteries. I read Anne Morrow Lindbergh's book, Gift from the Sea while up there and I loved it. Her writings about women having to recharge their lives and the concept of "replenishing solitude" struck a chord with me. Our cottage is somewhat isolated and it's a good place to recharge which I did. More pictures in the days to come.