Red Letter Day

Red Letter Day ~ a new Thimbleblossoms pattern ~ super quick and fun one too! I'll let the pictures do the talking today :-)

I'm happy with the quilting too! I did a big "X" through the center of the quilt in both directions, then echoing straight lines, creating a "V" in each quadrant.

Backing and binding coordinate nicely with the front...

Making it a Red Letter Day!

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Paddling the river.

Could you ask for better weather???  I don't think so.
Out on the water today, with a motley crew.  

 I loved the American flag, strung out over the river.

Can't get as close as I would like, but this isn't bad.  He's a handsome one.

I've had a nasty headache for two days, but I've been determined not to let it slow me down too much.

Of course, there's always the worry, that it has come back to stay.
I can't go there.

 So I keep trudging on, one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, counting my blessings,
every single one.

Family is #1 on my list of things to be thankful for.

And I am, every single day.

As we were paddling down the river, I turned to my grandson, to take his picture.  I got less than an exuberant response.
Nothing I said was working.
Finally, I said to him, " Bulletin:  Mean boy paddles the Schroon River."

That worked.

Being with the people you love, that love you, that's all that really matters.
Headache be damned.

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This and That.

Miss Puss has taken over "the box".
Ever since we took it off the counter, and put it by the window, she has assumed ownership.

This has been a busy week.

Stalking grandkids on their way to and from the neighborhood ice cream shop.

How could anyone so small keep me SO BUSY.

Do you see the loopers???  She is enthralled.  Loopers just appeal to kids of all ages.

I had some help this week.

And I will take any help I can get.

Back at the studio, I have decided, after much thought, to downsize a bit.  I have 11 looms, which is the least amount of looms I have owned in years, but still too many.
So I am putting my Macomber loom up for sale, 32" wide, 4 harness.
It is a lovely loom, and I have spent many happy hours weaving on it, but I just can't weave on eleven looms.  It isn't possible.
And when I realized how long it had been since I had woven on this one, it seemed to make sense to move it along.

Other than that, I am reading "The Book Thief", planning my next kayaking trip,
and reflecting on the curiousness of life in general.

Some words I like.

Have patience with everything that remains unsolved in your heart. Do not despair if the answers don’t come immediately. Some answers are only revealed with the passage of time.
Try to love the questions themselves. Do not look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day.
Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926).

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Celebrate Christmas - a giveaway!

Christmas in July! I wonder where that started? Probably by a quilter who looked at her list of holiday projects and decided she'd better start in July!

Today I'm here to introduce you to a new book by the staff at Martingale. So whether you're starting your holiday projects now, next month or December 15th {like me}, this book is loaded with some great ideas! And if you're making gifts or your own holiday decor, I think you'll find some super cute quilts, pillows, table runners, and more!

Here are a few that really caught my eye:

This Chevron tree is awesome! Make it for a small apartment or home to serve as the holiday tree year after year. Or hang it in an entry-way or kitchen with a table of wrapped gifts underneath.

And how fun is this tree skirt? You can't go wrong with polka-dots! I love the colors in this one, but it  would also be just beautiful in more traditional Christmas colors.

I love the simplicity of this pretty woodland pillow. It's made with wools and could certainly be displayed beyond Christmas.

Have you noticed the holiday fabric arriving in your local quilt stores? I guess it's time to get planning!

So now to the fun part! Would you like to get a head start and win a copy of Celebrate Christmas? Leave a comment below and let me know what kind of holiday projects you like to sew. And are you a get-it-done early person? Or more like me and sewing holiday projects on December 24th? Be sure there's an email address associated with your comment and I'll pick one person to win an ebook on July 9th. Good luck!

For more chances to win, visit the other bloggers on the hop:

Thursday, June 26 - Stitch This!

Friday, June 27 - Silver Thimble Talk

Saturday, June 28 - Magnolia Bay Quilts

Monday, June 30 - Ruby Blue Quilts

Tuesday, July 1 - SewCalGal

Wednesday, July 2 - Hyacinth Quilt Designs

Thursday, July 3 - Gen Q

Saturday, July 5 - Quilter Chic

Monday, July 7 - Reanna Lily Designs

Tuesday, July 8 - The Teacher's Pet

Wednesday, July 9 - Amy's Creative Side

The book is available for purchase at Martingale or Amazon or ask for it at your local quilt shop!

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Saturday musings.

The spoiled cats at the studio have three window seats, one square, and two oval.  
First off, let me say that I do not take full responsibility for how spoiled ROTTEN they are.
One Miss L has had a lot to do with that, no matter how much she vehemently denies that she even LIKES them.
Anyway......they love their window seats, but they get nasty and covered with cat hair.  Cleaning them is nearly impossible.  So I went online to see if I could buy replacement covers.
I bought one for the square seat, $14.95, on Ebay.
But no oval ones.  NONE. 
So I went to Joann's Fabric Store, with my 40% coupon in hand, bought a yard of sherpa for $6.95, 
brought it home, cut the old one apart to make a pattern, and then I made two of that yard.
And I am very happy with them.
Next 40% coupon I get, I am going to buy another yard, and keep it ON HAND.

Lois is making paper birch rugs from our new stash of loopers.

These make the best bath mats ever.   These are 32"x 52", and maybe after these we will make some smaller ones.

Getting ready to live at the studio next spring, I am getting all sorts of things done over there.
So last night, after dinner, I met the man from AFSCO fencing.  My plan is to fence in the side yard for my boy Roy, and of course, any future dogs.  I will never be without a dog in my life.  It just doesn't feel right.
But being that the studio is on a state highway, safety is the number one priority.

While I was waiting for him to come, I was wandering around outside, and found this behind the barn.  It came from a florist friend who was going out of business, and it has been languishing for at least 6 years, until now, when it has a brand new purpose in life.

Oh, my how I love to repurpose things.
It was not in the chicken run for 50 seconds, before these two were up on it.

My chair is a popular hang out, too.  Of course it is.
I love sitting out there with them, they are somehow so calming.
Yes, I have clicked with my chicks.
But how do you name them, when you can't tell them apart??
 There are 5 of the yellow, buff orpingtons or buff rocks, who knows.
There are 3 of the Rhode Island Reds, and 3 of the Araucanas.
Then there is the barred rock, Vicky.
And the black Jersey Giant, Black Betty.

Life is simpler here.  I long for this place.
I think it is where I am meant to be.

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And the clock ticks.

The days fly by.  It seems that I never have enough time to do what I want to do.   I am as busy as I want to be, sometimes busier.
Two days a week, I am at the beck and call of one baby Dale.

 Still not much hair, but teeth are coming in.

 

 And she is on her hands and knees, and on the move.

Back at the studio I am doing some weaving, not nearly as much as the "old" me used to do.
But enough.

Another porch rug, this one 30"x116".  Of course, you could use it in a hall way, or in your kitchen, or just about anywhere.
But doesn't "porch rug" just sound good?

 The chicks are growing so fast, and I am not getting rid of a one of them.
So far, only two have names.
The little pecked one, that is half the size of the rest, is thriving.  But because we put Vicks on her neck to keep the others from pecking her, Lois named her Vicky.

The other one with a name is a large black one, that I am sure I did not order.  But the hatchery usually gives you extras, and while we ordered 25, we got 28.  Two died, so my bff and I each got 13.
This girl is not a barred rock.  She is solid black, and by far the biggest hen there.
And she is THE BOSS LADY.
So I called her Black Betty (bam a lam)

 

Now every night, I have had to make the trip to the studio, to make sure the chicks were in.

Even though there is an enclosed run outside the coop, I do not trust it.

It is very rural there, and there are all kinds of critters.

 

If a determined predator has all night to figure it out, I am afraid they might.
So I make the trip.
But not any more.
Thank goodness.
I found  the Automatic Chicken Coop Door
and it is amazing.

You can see by the cord, that my old hand operated door is still in place on the outside of the coop, if ever I need it.
But the automatic door is on a timer.
It opens at 7am and lets them out, and closes at 8:45pm, and shuts them in.
Ahhhhh.
It does work like a charm.

Until the day when I can make the studio my home,  this will do the trick.
In the meantime, I am preparing for that day, getting everything just the way I want it.
Moving will be a snap.
Living there will be a joy.

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Flowering Snowball

2014 may be the year of curves and quilt-alongs and using some of the long-hoarded stash.

I joined the Flowering Snowball QAL. This one has been on my list ever since I pinned it from Molly Flanders Makerie.

I started with a new collection - Emmy Grace, by Bari J for Art Gallery - and pulled from my stash in teals, pinks, greens, gold and charcoal, 50 fabrics in all.

Instagram photo

I splurged on a template set from Customplastic on Etsy. It made for some quick cutting!

And super easy to piece blocks! My 12" block has very gentle curves. Pinning the curves makes the sewing a breeze! The tutorial is here and the QAL starts here.

In other goings-on, I've pin basted and started quilting my Gypsy Kisses. So far so good!

Instagram photo

And the garden is flowering too!!!

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