What's Lois doing????

No, she hasn't escaped Crazy as a Loom.  Yet.

She is busy, too.
Weaving Rosepath rugs on the Cranbrook.

If you squint, you can see the diamonds.  They will be easily visible when it is on the floor.
 We are hoping to have a few of these for the Southern, Adirondack Fiber Festival on September 27 and 28, in Greenwich, NY.

Remember the refrigerator pickles I made not long ago??  I got the recipe off Pinterest.  I don't know why I didn't stick to the tried and true recipes that I have had for 30 years.
These pickles were horrific, and tasted like pure vinegar.  I dumped them all.

I got out an old cookbook, and made my "14 day Sweet Pickles".
As always, they rocked.

I made a mistake when I first made them, back in the 70's.  The recipe called for celery seed, and I used mustard seed.  The pickles were so good, I changed the recipe.  No one will ever know what they taste like made "by the book".  Ha!

September is MONKEY SALE month.
Stay tuned.

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Hello there.

Busy, busy, busy.

I am so busy.  How did I ever find time to do nursing?  I'll never know.

Of course, two days a week, I am loving my time with baby Dale.  She is on the move, and she has my heart in her fat little hands.  
Back in the winter, when I told my daughter I would watch the baby two days a week, until she is a year old, I wondered.   Would I be able to do it, with my HEAD????
Would the headaches allow me to do it??  Would it all be too much???

I won't lie to you, there have been mornings, when I didn't feel as good as I would have liked.
But I managed.  And for the most part, it has been just fine.
It means so much to me that I have been able to do this for my daughter, and it has been a very special time, to be with this lovely little girl.  
I am so grateful.

I think back to my three surgeries, and marvel that I am here, and able to experience this little
 wonder.

And I don't even mind that I sing Sesame Street songs for days after I see her.
It's ok.
I like Elmo.  I do.

The studio is undergoing some change.
The side yard is all fenced in now, for Roy.

 Black chain link, 5 ft high, tensile wire along the bottom, two gates.  It is very nice looking, and blends in well.

Roy is one spoiled boy.

I am moving everything weaving related out of the living room, to make it more comfortable for us when we stay there.
It's all about downsizing, and evolving.

I guess it's a lifetime process, this evolving thing.

 I am hoping to have an OPEN STUDIO TOUR, and a SALE, this fall.  I have way more yarn and thread than I will ever use.

Time for a cuppa tea, and some of that yummy glazed lemon zucchini bread I just made.  
I'll let you know how it is.

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Gathering Flowers Quilt

I've been quilting and quilting and quilting and finished up my Gathering Flowers Quilt. The pattern is from Anna Maria Horner and although there are 2 variations of the block, I chose to do the pieced one. The other is gathered and dimensional.

This is a completely pieced flower block and full of curves. The curves seem to be a theme for me this year! The background is 2-tone. I used a white solid and a very subtle gray print. If you look close you can see the pinwheels that form in the background. Love that!

I struggled in choosing a binding for the quilt and "settled" on a navy diagonal stripe from April Showers. I ended up loving it!

The background quilting is a loopy paisley fill and I marked a design with a circle template that created a big, round flower motif on the flower. I shared a Flipgram tutorial on Instagram, which you can view here. (Wait a few seconds for it to play)

The quilt sure is a mix of fabrics! Each wedge was cut from a different fabric and the outside petals are all a bold graphic print.

It was a fun quilt to make and I think I've finally made peace with curves!

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Sew, sew, sew...

Four days of sewing, sewing, sewing. It keeps us busy while we talk, laugh and eat. Quilt Retreat ~ sometimes productive, but always fun. I get to go with a bunch of ladies who never cease to amaze me with their talent and kindness. I'm very blessed.

Last week turned out to be one of those productive retreats. It seems I brought just the right mix of piecing projects. One small, one larger and one half-way done.

I had 16 of my 30 Flowering Snowball blocks completed and decided to tackle the remaining 14. Done and done! It was a breeze to set them together once I got home and I now have a top. More details to come on this one!

Our Modern Quilt Guild has a fund raising sale at the end of each year. Last year I won a jelly-roll of Kate Spain's Cuzco. It's so pretty! Since I had it all cut out before I left, I was able to piece the small Zipper quilt the first day. It's an older line, and I was wondering what I'd be able to find for a backing and binding. What do you know - the next day my friend, Gina noticed that Abby was destashing several yards on Instagram. Score! Meant to be :-)

And remember all those squares of Bonnie and Camille fabrics that I cut from scraps? Yup! Got most of those blocks done too! I finished the final few when I got home and quickly set them together. The pattern is Great Granny Squares by Lori Holt.

We had a fun little secret sister swap this time too.  I asked for something for my sewing room and one of my best buddies, Rene, made this beautiful sewing machine cover. I love it and it was desperately needed!

It felt good to finish up a few quilt tops last week. I've got some new fabric calling my name...

The cycle never ends!

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a few words. and a couple of pictures.

Hmm.....

Things that made me happy today........
Watching two young woodchucks wrestling with each other, enjoying the labyrinth.
I can enjoy them now that my veggie garden is FENCED.

Getting started on a custom order for TEN cream colored placemats.

Listening to Prairie Home Companion.

Taking my woven band off the loom.....ready to sew.
I am so enamored.

Having my headache dull down to a 6-7, for several hours.
I give thank to the universe.

It totally makes every minute count.

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One day at a time.

I do apologize for my lackadaisical blogging.   My only excuse is the truth.
I am having trouble with my life.
Managing it through daily pain.

Trying to keep my sense of humor, my perspective, my sense of purpose, that has never failed me in the past.
But then again, I have never experienced anything like this.

I came in from a short walk, my husband was in his recliner.
I put my fingers on either side of his head, on his temples, and pressed hard.  He winced.
Then I pressed on his face, around his eyes, hard, he moaned.

He said, when I took my hands away, "what was that??"

I said, "That's the way I feel every day.  I wanted someone to know."

Pathetic, I fear.

But sometimes it does seem like I am in this place that I can't explain, and that truthfully,  is hard for other people to hear about.
People that don't know me well, and can't tell from my expression, think I am just fine.
I have gotten pretty good at hiding just how much pain I walk around with.

What happened to May and part of June........when my headache had dulled down so much I almost felt normal?
I keep reminding myself of that.  Telling myself that it could happen again.  It could.

I pray for the breaks, however short they are.  I take them and relish every minute of them.

Last night I dreamed that a little, bald man whispered in my ear, he said, "Don't worry, I've got this.  I will take care of your headache.".

If only.

The chicks are settled in.   Bart is being a gentleman, so far.   Bossy, but not mean, yet.
Eight hens, and a rooster.......sounds like a perfect little group.

Weaving a bit, here and there. 
Still in love with my Swedish band loom.  Working on a guitar strap right now.


But regardless of how hard life can be sometimes, no matter how many losses and set backs there are,   there is always PURE JOY.
It often comes in small packages.

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Wee Wander Patchwork

The past two weeks have been filled with kids. Not much sewing and not much blogging, but certainly lots of giggles.

I made my granddaughters new blankets. They are patchwork squares from Wee Wander by Sarah Jane with some coordinating prints thrown in. I'm not sure they'd be considered quilts - I didn't add any batting, but simply backed them in super soft white minky. The kids seem to love the soft feel of the fabric and it makes for a nice lightweight, drapey blanket.

I love the simple design of the patchwork squares...

And I added some quick quilting to hold all the layers together by straight stitching diagonally through all the squares in both directions...

They turned out super soft and colorful!

In addition to having the girls, we were kept on our toes by this little guy...

So tomorrow I'm off on a quilting retreat! I'm bringing way too many projects and looking forward to sewing and hanging out with my best buddies!

I'll be posting on Instagram if you care to get a sneak peek!

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