2014 in review

I love spending a few hours this time of year looking over the quilts I've made in the past twelve months. Since my life and my sewing are so intermingled, I find it a nice reflection on what was happening in life.

In no particular order, some collages of 2014...

 2014 was definitely the year of the mini for me.

And keeping up with the UFOs.

I did some curved piecing and an appliqué quilt.

I think my favorite one to make was my Sampler Quilt!

So what's up for 2015? Well, that's next!
Happy, Happy, Happy New Year to each one of you! Thank you for spending a fun quilty year with me!!!

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Merry Christmas

It's quiet here on Christmas morning, not like so many years of pandemonium, when my children were growing up, packages were being opened, paper being torn off them, squeals of delight coming from the living room, trying to make some coffee to come alive while it was still dark out.
Nope, that's not the way it is these days.
Having a quiet breakfast, with Roy snoring in his chair.  Quiet.  No newspaper for DH to read.
No hullabaloo.
I miss it.
And I don't.



 You know it's not Christmas in my family, unless I make my infamous famous Greek honey cookies.

Lois groaned when I told her I was making them at the studio in between weaving.
She groaned because they are impossible to stay away from.
I.M.P.O.S.S.I.B.L.E.

 And yes, that's a can of paint on the counter.
Damn maid, anyway.

Boiling the syrup is hazardous.
Yes, it boiled over a bit, making clean up a real chore.
But the cookies are SO worth it.

Over my fireplace at the studio, I realized that I had a study in black and white going on.
Totally unplanned.

My dear friend, Robin, does these drawings in ink..........with a Bic pen, no less.

He recently had a small, local show, this is one of the two prints that I bought, of lilacs.

This work is one that I snatched from my father's antique barn, years ago, and though I have tried to find out about it origins, the best I can cipher is that it is from a print from an old hunting magazine.
 I've always loved it.

 This is an original by Robin, of bittersweet, one of my favorite invasive species.

And the second print I bought at his show, of a fern.
I love his ferns.

The next black and white is a photo that I love, of my three daughters, and my "adopted" daughter.
Left to right, Holly, Brooke, Johanna, and Morgan.
God, I love those girls.

And this one, my paternal grandmother, Vivien Noel Cooper.  She was the first woman in Ticonderoga, NY, to drive around her own AUTOMOBILE.
At least that's the story.

And lastly, this is a photograph of my house, the studio,  taken in 1921.   I have tried to bring it back to that glory.

Back when the highway was dirt.

Yes, it's quiet here on Christmas day.  But it's good. 
We had a wonderful Christmas eve get together last night, with all the noise and fun a body could handle.
A little reflection  and reminiscing and a peaceful Christmas morning never hurt anybody.
Who knew?

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Some year end projects...

It's that time of year when all the normal routines fall away and the busyness of the season takes hold. I have been sewing and finishing up some projects, but haven't taken the time to share here on the blog. Maybe some of us Instagrammers are getting a little lazy on the blog front. And it hasn't helped that there's been so little sun here for picture taking in maybe a month?

So I'm dropping in today to share a few photos of some recent finishes.

Cheerio pattern by Thimbleblossoms, quilted by Crinklelove.

Peppermint Float in Cotton + Steel, quilted by me...

A mini quilt made by me for a Christmas exchange. Tutorial found at Modern Handcraft...

I love the Cotton + Steel Feather print binding on this one...

After you make something for someone else, do you end up making another for yourself? More Hexagons...

And that's a wrap on the sewing for this year!  I'll be back with some year end collages and some thoughts on the future of the blog {and there is a future}.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. Enjoy every single little minute!
Blessings...

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The Winner

I have been busy all day putting together my Christmas present to myself.
Why do I do this to myself, I ask.


Anyway, using random.org, I have a winner of the towel giveaway.


It is GLENNA, of Eye of the Needle 

Congrats!!!
Email me your full name and address, and I will send your towel right out.
And let us know how you like it!!!

Happy Friday, back to my project.

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Liberty of London Quilt

I can't remember how long I've been a fan of Liberty of London fabric. I guess just about as long as I've loved fabric, which is a long time!

When Liberty of London contacted me to design a simple quilt using their fabric, I was beyond thrilled! Do you find it fascinating to stare at all the little details of a fabric as I do? If so, the Liberty fabric is so full of gorgeous detail you'll find yourself lost in the beauty of it as you sew.

So here is the quilt I designed for them. Simple, clean and fresh.

You'll find more pictures and full instructions at the Liberty Craft Blog. And be sure to visit the Liberty Fabric Store to see all the Liberty products and Haberdashery {I feel so British using that term!}

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Snow, a link, and a giveaway.

OK, so you know the history.....head trauma, surgeries, headaches.  But this last MRI did not show any bone growth, so my neurosurgeon said he thought that perhaps my sinuses were causing my facial pain.
Off to the ENT.  Ct scan showed that my sinuses are generally fine, but that the openings to them are very small.
Of course they are.  Pfffft.
His take on my headache is that it is a "cauldron headache".  He said that with all the head trauma from the fall and the surgeries, the hole in the back of my head, the rods in my neck, that maybe the pressure in my sinuses was just ONE thing more to fill that cauldron to overflowing.
He felt that my relief from Claritin D, with the decongestant, and my distress with impending storms, somewhat pointed to my sinuses.
So yesterday I had a balloon sinuplasty done.
He had originally wanted to do it in his office, but the more I thought about it, the more horrible that idea was to me.
I've had enough torture to last me quite a long time.  So I opted for day surgery and drugs.

Yesterday was a long day......and the pain in my face.........well, let's just say it topped the list of AWFUL.  I  was in bed early.
This morning, I have the shadows of two black eyes, and the swelling in my sinuses make me feel like my whole HEAD is a BALLOON.
Tomorrow should be better.  Then we'll see if this helped, or not.

I am trying not to go there......if it doesn't help, I have no idea what is next for me.
I only know that three years of a headache every day, in varying degrees, is enough to try the patience of a saint.
And I'm not.

Moving right along.

I just want to remind you all that the Hip to Be Square looper loom, which I created to continue my recycling efforts of loopers from Solmate Socks, is now being distributed by Andrew Gustin, the son of my friend and mentor, Chris Gustin.  He has done some wonderful things with my ideas, and come up with fascinating ideas of his own........more sizes, color combos.   They make great Christmas gifts for adult and kids, and FOR YOURSELF.....you can see them HERE 
or email him HERE

Lois and I are in collaboration on some new place mats....I am cutting and sewing fabric, and sewing hems, she is weaving.

Our placemat selection is limited, we haven't made any in a while.

Hopefully, we'll get a stack of them done between other things.
We work well together. 

Oh, yeah, I mentioned a GIVEAWAY.

Well, it is Christmas, and it's always nice to get a gift you didn't plan on getting.

So,  the gift this year is one of my brand new design of dish towels  from Crazy as a Loom.

I will randomly pick the winner on Friday the 19th sometime in the evening.  All you have to do is post a comment and mention "TOWEL".

I am trying to get through the holidays without being stressed.  I am very much looking forward to 2015 and all it may bring.
I'm the eternal optimist.
I think that is what saves me, to be honest. 
I can't imagine anything else.
See you in the comments!!!!

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Charley Harper Fabrics

I became a huge fan of the artwork of Charley Harper after running across a book of his work in Anthropologie many years ago. I bought the book thinking it could be an inspiration for some appliqué designs. I never followed through with that (and wanting to avoid copyright issues), so I was thrilled when Birch Fabrics introduced the Charley Harper fabric!

I've had the fabric, and actually attempted a couple of ideas using it, but just couldn't come up with exactly what to do with it.

Yesterday I just got all the fabric out, pulled some coordinating basics and started making. It was one of those sewing days that created a huge mess, but I literally lost track of time. And here's what I came up with...

It's quite a slow process, but I'm fussy cutting the adorable motifs and framing them all to fit into several defined sizes.

And they'll all fit together into a neat little grid, kind of resembling a gallery wall.

So it's back to work this afternoon, fitting all these puzzle piece together...

And did you know that there is a recent release of some newer prints? Hoping they arrive in my mailbox today!

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Some dye, and some sun.

Bart and the girls LOVE their covered run, and especially so, now that they have lots of straw to wade around in.  Thanks, Denise, for that tip.

While they are busy scratching and pecking, I've been busy weaving, then dyeing mohair throws.

 A lot of fringe to be tied............

First we soak the finished throw in warm water and Synthrapol.

Then we mix up some dye!!

 I used both these containers......but I have to say that the canner was my favorite.

The dye always looks darker in the water.
So I opt for more dye, rather than less.

This one is lavender.

Then there is a lot rinsing, washing then drying.....by this time I was so busy, I wasn't much in the mood to take pictures.
No, honestly, I forgot.

But the results are astounding.
One cream, then: raspberry, paprika, lavender, sea breeze, evergreen, and caramel.

Can I just tell you that I froze my BUTT OFF with this little photo shoot??   It was brutally cold that day, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take advantage of the incredible sunshine.
So??
How do you like them???

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