A day at the studio.

I love the studio in the autumn.  The light is lovely.  I always feel at peace there.

Here's what I've been weaving on the AVL.

Baby blankets, the softest imaginable.

 When I get this warp done, I will take the blankets off, hem them, and wash them.
They come out of the dryer soft and fluffy.

Kizzy and Jinx love this sunny spot on the bed.
 They don't care about working.

 
Lois and I do lunch promptly at noon. 
Sydney is responsible for letting us know when that time arrives.
She is very good at it.

Lois is weaving off the Cranbrook warp, in more rosepath rugs.
Next up:  mohair throws.

My new attitude of downsizing, and keeping things simple, is feeling good.

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Que sera

Mostly I haven't been blogging, because I have been overwhelmed with my life.

I don't know why that's so hard to admit, but it's the ugly truth.

The headaches, three years later, still rule.  How is that possible???

The most recent MRI shows no bone growth, and my Skype last Thursday with my neurosurgeon  did not give me any answers.  The good news is, I guess, that my doctor says my MRI looks good.
He doesn't think my headache is being caused by my Chiari, my surgeries, or regrowth of bone.

He is stumped. 
Oh, good.

He suspects that my sinuses are somehow involved, so he asked me to use an Afrin spray for 4 days.....to see if I got relief. 
I didn't.
In fact, I had the worst headache EVER.

But I am willing to pursue the sinus issue, and have an ENT appt in two weeks.  I am not giving up, even though some days it feels like I want to.


Today was a sunny fall day, and I had one project that I have wanted to do for a while.

I wanted to get my chickens to clean up my garden.

 Lois helped me, and we made a "tunnel" out of some pallets, and some leftover fencing.

Within 5 minutes, one of the buff girls squeezed out through the slats, so we had to cover the pallets with the fencing.

 

The garden got out of hand, as they sometimes do at the end of summer.

Here is where the tunnel opens into the garden.

 

 

The flock stayed in the tunnel for most of the day.

They weren't quite sure what to do with that big open space at the end of the tunnel.

 

 

A few of them did get about three feet into the garden, but they didn't stay long.

I read about a man in England, who had "chunnels" made from wire, all over his property, moving his chickens around, to "work the land".

I told the girls they weren't living for free, that they had to make better use  of their time.

I explained that I would really like the garden to be cleaned up, sometime before  Thanksgiving.

Which means that you need to work yourself out of the tunnel, at some point.

Are you listening???

Bart says, " I'll tell them, but first we have to make sure we eat every bug in this tunnel."

Great.

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The Ladies' Stitching Club

I have a finished quilt to share today! I've posted some pictures on Instagram, but I'm not sure if I've documented this quilt on the blog?

Anyway, the pattern is a free one on Moda's website: The Ladies Stitching Club. It was published several years ago and I just loved the design. The pattern as written makes for a lot of fabric waste. In fact, there are directions for a second quilt using the cut-offs. I remember trying it and being unhappy with how much was wasted, especially since I didn't want a second quilt out of the same fabrics. I set it aside, knowing someday I'd be back to it.

On a whim, I bought several pieces from the Art Gallery line Indelible. This pattern immediately came to mind and I knew I could figure out a different way to piece it. And it worked out perfectly!

Here's how I did it:

I cut my triangles a bit larger than the original pattern. My strips were cut at 5 1/2". Then I used a 60 degree triangle ruler to cut all my triangles, both print and white. I cut white and solid-colored strips 1 1/2".

I sewed a 1 1/2" strip to one side of the triangle. The bottom edge is trimmed even with the bottom edge of the triangle (your 60 degree line on the ruler should match up with the edge of the triangle). The top of the strip is trimmed even with the top of the triangle also, which will be 5 1/2" from the bottom edge.

Line up your next triangle (60 degrees are great because they match right up!) and sew it on to complete the block.

Follow the pattern to make the white blocks with the colored strips in the same way. Be sure to make half the blocks going one direction and half going the other, just like the pattern!

I didn't make any special blocks for the ends. Just sewed on an extra triangle on each row and squared them off when the top was completed.

My straight line quilting zig zagged along parallel to the 1" strips...

This gorgeous print from Indelible is on the back and it's bound in Art Gallery's Squared Elements in gray. I seem to be using that print for bindings a lot lately!

Couldn't be happier with this quilt and we so enjoyed photographing it on this gorgeous day!!

I'm off on another retreat this week - bringing some smaller projects to work on. For some insta-pics be sure to follow me on Instagram! Have a great week!

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A pick me up.

What, you say???  Another post????
What's going on???


Just wanted to share a little bit of sunshine with you.
If this doesn't make you smile, then you might be in a coma.

I've watched it SEVERAL times. :)

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Amen Sister

I don't know what's up with my blogging.  Sometimes I think I just have no more to say, then other times I think it is the drain of dealing with my head every day.
It sure has changed my life.

And it seems like I am busy, too busy, all the time.
Does that happen to you??   There is so much to do, there is never enough time in the day.


One little lady is on the move, and there is no sitting when I'm with her.
It didn't seem this hard when I was raising my children, all those years ago.
But how I love her.

I am weaving baby blankets on the AVL, hoping to have a pile of them.
Of course, everything that could go wrong, did.
I think it took me about a yard, to get through all the kinks.

I did manage to take Roy for a long walk today.  He is feeling much better.

I love the fall, it has always been my favorite time of year.

Tonight I went over to the studio, when I remembered  that I hadn't closed the shed.  And that was as good an excuse as any.   I stayed for a bit, talked to the chickie girls, and Bart.  Did a little weaving.
When I left to come home, I locked the door and shut it, at the exact same moment that I realized that my keys were on the kitchen counter.
Too late.
Locked out.
I could have called DH, 10 miles away, but I knew he was busy closing the pool.
I could have called L, 5 miles away, but I hated to bother her.
I called my neighbor, who has an emergency key, but she wasn't home.

Hmm.

So tonight I proved a couple of things.

1. These windows should always be locked, they are pretty accessible, even though they are high.

2.  And 67 year old women can still break into their own house through the window.

Amen.

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Goings On...

It's been a strange week. The calendar and the school buses say Fall, but it's sure felt like Summer. For me, it's been a week of finishing some things up and starting some new ones. Do you remember the little quilt I made on retreat a month ago? It's all quilted and bound!

Last December I won a Jelly Roll of Cuzco at our STLMQG auction. I don't usually use just one line of fabric in a quilt, but this was a fun, easy project and I love how bright and colorful it is. Lots of pinks and purples - I think I'll set it aside to gift to a lucky young lady someday.

The pattern is Zipper by Thimbleblossoms. I made the small version, but you could also make the large version with just one Jelly Roll. I do have some pretty scraps left, and plan to use them in some zipper pouches.

Speaking of bright, beautiful colors, I'm also working with some Liberty of London Tana Lawns this week. As I was cutting and sipping tea, I felt very British! More to come on this little project!

The garden has passed it's peak, but Fall always seems to bring out something new. It's supposed to cool down this weekend and I hope to do some cleanup and Fall planting. Enjoy your weekend!

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It's over.

I love your new pocketbook, Mimi.

Last February,  I committed to watching my grandbaby, two days a week, for 6 months, until she was a year old
I wondered if I would be able to do it, knowing how impossible my head can be.
But I am three weeks from getting it done.  I am so blessed to have had this special time with her.

I will still watch her one day a week, til it snows.

Hmm, dishtowel for a bib, Mimi????

My 10 year old grandgirl decided she can make her own eggs.
And she did a great job.

 They grow up so fast.
It is shocking to me, actually.

I managed to make some dill pickles. 

 Along with the 14 day sweet pickles, and the Winter Salad, I am done for this year.

 

The Winter Salad is the best.

 

I am almost done with the AVL warp that started out with a baby wrap for my granddaughter.

After much thought, I decided that baby wraps and all their complications, were not for me.

This is going to be a poncho.

My little garden has produced tomatoes, despite my neglect,

 so I made some simple pasta with onions and garlic.

Summer is over.  I'm glad.

Autumn is my favorite time of year.

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