Ohio Star blocks...

My house has gone quiet. After four weeks of visitors big and small, my husband and I are appreciating  the quiet. But we sure do miss the patter-patter of little feet, the "hey, Nana"s, and the expressions of unconditional love.

I Love You Nana A Lot (with 100s of smiles and zero frowns)

Seems the perfect time to start a new project. My St Louis Modern Quilt Guild has issued this years' challenge ~ make a modern quilt using the traditional block Ohio Star.

I came up with a plan, pulled out my collection of Washi fabric and started cutting triangles.

So here's a start ~ one cute little 6" Ohio Star block...

And another...

I'm up to eight out of the seventeen that I need. Oh, and lots of other blocks too!

You won't see the rest of this one until the final reveal in September. Hope it turns out as well as it looks in my head!

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Getting it right, or nearly.

After kayaking yesterday, I was ready to get back to the studio today.
I love to get there early, because the light there in the morning is special.

So I walked around taking some shots.  There are always projects underway.
 I'll get back to this one soon.

Loved the sunlight on one of the window seats where the cats lounge. 

DH said that maybe my recovery would take a year, or more.

Sometimes I think he might be right.

But one thing I do know is this:  the changes are so gradual, that I can't identify them day to day.

But every few weeks, I realize that things have changed.  

A little better, a little more normal.

It's slow, but I'm hoping it's sure.

I believe that my frame of mind has played  a huge role in how I've put this behind me. 

Believing that has kept me focused.

 

 

And I'm back to the loom.  Where I belong.

We have 5 of the 50 done.

Woot.

Here's a little pink and white. (it's actually faded red)

And some blue and white.

 

 While we are busy working inside, Next is having a tense conversation with a little black cat that seems intent on making CAAL his home.

Next wasn't buying it.

They were nose to nose, and you could hear them growling.

 

Love these hemmed blue jean rugs that L just took off the loom.......there are two.

Then she got a little creative, and did an awesome job on this one.

 (Don't tell her, but she's turning into a real, rag rug WEAVER, picking out her own colors and designing on the fly)

I wish I had a lot more of this fabric, but there isn't much left.
It makes such a pretty rug.

But this is my  favorite so far of this batch.  It took the longest, but I do love it.

"Clasped weft."            
  Say that 3 times fast.  Oh, go ahead, you know you want to.

 Ain't life grand?

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Ahhh.

A day off, finally.
Kayaking with L and her sister, C.

Are you loving  what it says on L's rear window????
ELIMINATOR
Ha!!!!

 We went to Crane Pond, and it was absolutely lovely.

It's true, life can be tough sometimes.
You see it everywhere.

But then, too, there is beauty all around us.

This is my fave kind of day off.

 Yes, I still wake up with a headache every day.  But I think it's getting better.
And I'm here.
And I'm weaving.
And I'm kayaking.

Life. Is. Good.
And don't forget it.

Sometimes, for no particular reason, I feel a surge of joy.
Just to be here, and to have another day.

 Because every day is precious.

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Digging in the dirt

Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The first hour is the rudder of the day.”

 I like to start mine early.  Alone.  Quiet.  No distractions.  I get my cuppa tea, and start the day on my own terms.
It is good to know what you need.  It is even better to listen to that voice that tells you.

I have loved to roto-till for thirty years.  I have no idea why it makes me so happy.  But it does.
Back in the early 80's, I bought a Troy Bilt 8 HP rototiller.   BIG BOY.   I tilled up an acre or so.  I had 80 tomato plants at one time.  As a matter of fact, when my middle daughter was just a few weeks old, I canned about 100 quarts of tomatoes from that garden.

For 20 years, while I lived in my little house in the country, I rototilled my garden every year.   My garden was so big, that I gave vegetables away at harvest time.
I loved it.  I loved going out there, and tilling up the earth  to prepare it for receiving all my seeds and plants.   It was just heavenly to be out there in the early morning tilling up the weeds between the rows.  It was a meditative experience for me, and a huge part of my life. But when I moved from the country house 9 years ago, I gave up my old tiller, and my garden.

I've missed it terribly.
I tried having a small garden at the studio when I first bought it, but I never had enough time for it, and the woodchucks ate it as fast as I planted it.
This year, after dreaming of a garden all winter while recovering from brain surgery, I decided to go for it.
First off, I called someone to come till the space up.  It wasn't exactly a fulfilling experience.
So then I went to the local Agway, and they had a rototiller I could rent.  But when I called my husband, it wasn't a good day for him.
All my efforts to have a garden this year seemed thwarted.
So I went and bought myself a rototiller.
News bulletin:  You do not have to lose spontaneity as you age.  No, you absolutely do not.  I needed a rototiller.  For my garden.  FOR ME.

I now have a sweet little garden, fenced to protect it from the critters.   I have tilled it up three times so far, and can I just tell you that it is just as joyful today to be out there digging those tines into the rich earth, as it was with my old Troy Bilt all those years ago.

The weaving weekend over, we are back to normal at the studio.
I am working on 50 new rugs for the web site..............
Can I do it???
Sure, but it might take a while.

 It sure will be fun, though.

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Back at it.

Hard to believe, but my last weaving  bootcamp  weekend was last June.  Until now, that is.

I used my "panorama" option to show you what went on this weekend.  Although it would be really hard to convey what was packed into just 48 hours.
Warps were wound, and looms were woven on.

I had three lovely students, one from NH, and two from right here in NY.  
We went over an incredible amount of  material, and they did very well.  The weekend is always intense, and a learning experience for everyone, even me.
I have found that teaching weaving just makes me a better weaver.


The cats seem to love the company, which makes me feel bad that they don't have it more often.
But then maybe they would sleep right through it anyway.

Thank you Chris, Sally, and Kathy, for an awesome weekend.  Here's to the amazing weaving ahead of you!!!
Sydney says:
Come again!!!   I'm not even mad at you for not letting me up on the counter.
Honest.

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Here kitty.

The box that L built for N & N is now inside, and has been converted into a cat tower.

 After much complaining by the "Fab Four", she changed the initials.
She put the letters in order of how the cats arrived at Crazy as a Loom.
Kizzy came first 2007, then Miss Puss, a few months later, then Jinksie, spring 2009, and last but not least, Sydney, in September 2009.

Kizzy is my little manx cat.  Uh, did I say little???
He weighs TWENTY lbs.

But oh, my, is he handsome????
 This photo, as well as the one above, were taken by L with my camera, when I thought she was weaving.  Ahem.
Great shots, though.

And then there's Nexxie, who came a year ago.
Today it was raining, so I took him on the inside porch with me for a while.
He cried LOUDLY the whole time, and wasn't happy until I let him out on the outside porch.
Which he calls home.

Winter will be a different story.  He'll have to cry.  I can't leave him outside all winter alone.
ALTHOUGH, there IS a black cat lurking in the tall grass behind the shed.
I don't think Nexxie likes him though, if the frequent wounds from fighting are any indication.

I have a busy weekend coming up.  I just wanted to stop in and say hello.  Change is on my mind, but I am practicing patience.  Or trying to.
Good things take time.

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Tsuru Sampler

First up, if you're in a Reader, take a moment and click on over to the blog. I've got a new design and I'd love to know what you think! Thanks to Beth Bradford for not only coming up with a design that really fits my style, but doing all the technical work to make it appear!

I'm excited to now have links to all my social media sites. With a click you'll find me on Flickr, Instagram, and Pinterest. Google Reader is disappearing soon, so you'll also find a link to my feed on Bloglovin'. And finally a quick link to email me!

Next up, I'm excited to share my Tsuru Sampler. My very first quilt was a sampler and I always think of them as a good learning quilt. This one was no exception. Having signed up for the Quilt Design tool on Threadbias and needing a project to play around with and learn the program, I started designing several different blocks. Tsuru was sitting on my cutting table at the time and I just started playing - stitching up each block as I drew.

I had fun sewing up some blocks I had never tried before...

And challenged by some of the graphic prints in the line...

This turned out to be one of my favorite blocks...

Perfect block for this sampler ~ Birds in the Air...

And I love how these cross blocks sneak into the border...

I even tried some custom quilting designs that were definitely new to me!

One of the things I love about quilting is that there's always something new to try and something different to learn! Well, that and all the gorgeous fabric :)

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