Just a Little Bit...

I haven't been able to spend much time with Naomi Janome.  

However, I did manage to get a few little things done.

Here's the quick story on these two projects...

While packing up to move, 

I came across some leftover blocks

and pieces that I had planned to use up.

So.  

That's what I did.

I used them up.

I had five 5" squares and the brown polka-dotted fabric.
Plenty to make this 16" pillow cover for Jill.

I had these blocks and the striped fabric for binding left,
so I made an 18" mini quilt.

It's fun to make little things.

Doll clothes and a t-shirt quilt are coming up soon!

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

The Meeting...

It was a great meeting...

Bren and I met on the Wool Snippets message board about 13 years ago.  We started chatting via instant message and eventually began talking with each other on the phone.  Never together in person...until yesterday.  Now that I live in Colorado, Bren and I live a short almost 3 hours apart.  She patiently waited until I got (mostly) settled before she demanded begged for us to meet.  The date was set for yesterday.  What a great day!  We lunched, we shopped (more on that below) and we laughed and we chatted. I met the kids and then it was time to leave.  A really fun day and it was so nice to actually spend time with each other.  We plan to get together often...working together and apart on various quilting projects.

We shopped at Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver, a craft store with yarn and wool and quilting cotton. What a fun shop!  We both found some 'cannot leave without it' fabrics.  Here's what I came home with...

This is Liberty voile...I had never seen it in person before.  To touch it...ohmy.  I bought 1/2 yard of it...not sure what I'll be making but I could not resist.

 This will be used to make a cover for my crockpot...which needs to sit on the kitchen counter because there is no space for it anywhere else.

  I think these are just delightful fabrics!  Will use them to make some kind of quilt...not for sure what pattern, yet.

I absolutely L-O-V-E this fabric...kind of a gray green with dark circles around the x's.  Nothing spectacular about it...but it definitely wanted to come home with me.  I cannot remember if I was going to use it with the above pieces, or not.  

This is Sherlock, one of Bren's cats.  He is very outgoing and friendly.  Nosy, too.  ~grin~

Kelley, of With Hook and Needle fame, sent Bren a quilt top to machine quilt...and she received it yesterday!   I was so happy it got there so that I was able to see it!  The quilt top is for Kelley's Mom and is all hand-pieced...absolutely beautiful work!  (I am fortunate to own a quilt that Kelley hand-pieced.)  Here's the quilt Bren received yesterday...

sorry, a bit blurry.

The landscape...beautiful mountains near Denver.  

I had a wonderful day with my good friend...and am already looking forward to the next time we're together.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Simple Sewing Sunday...

I did some sewing this morning.  Just some simple sewing (hence the name of this post).  I made a 14x22 inch pillow cover for myself.  Nothing difficult...but extremely satisfying.

  

You may think that you've seen this pillow before.  And, you are correct. Partially.  Here is what you're thinking of...

                                 
This is the pillow I made for Kim, back in July.  It is just a plain pillow cover, with no quilting (per her request).  The one I made for myself today is quilted with horizontal lines and variegated thread. Just because.   

Sister Jill and I went to Pueblo yesterday.  Pueblo is about 30 miles from Canon City and is much larger...about 6 times larger than Canon City.  Lots more shopping there.  Yesterday, we visited Kohl's, Hobby Lobby, and Jack-in-the-Box.  I need wall art for the six foot wall that is in the dining area of this apartment.  I think this is a good start, though I have no clear plan...just will add to this as I see more that I would like to hang there.  

This is going to be a fun week.  I am going to finally meet a longtime friend...we met online on the Wool Snippets message board but have never been together in person.  I am so excited! More on that later.  

Have a great week!


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

A Mini Tour...

There is no way to describe the mountains

except to say that they are awesome!

(click on the photos to enlarge them)

A shot of the gorge...and the bridge across.

Anyone want to zipline across the gorge?

Medium security prison in Canon City.

Deputy Warden's house...built in 1901 by prison labor

The Winery at Holy Cross Abbey in Canon City, CO

 

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Best-Laid Plans and All That...

Two years ago, I purchased some fabric.  Wait! What?  ~grin~ Okay...just read on.  It is called Doglandia and it is - yes, of course it is - dog-themed. Here is the post I wrote when I purchased it...in August of 2013. Big plans for it, as you will see.  Click here.    

Since then, I have acquired more fabric and made more plans for those fabrics and, well, you know how that goes. So, a few months ago, I decided that I was never going to follow through with the plans I had for the Doglandia fabrics.  That is when I made Kim a few pillows with it...

Then, as I was organizing my new sewing room these last few weeks, I came across the rest of this fabric. I set it aside, because I knew I needed to do more with it.  Like...make a pillow or two for myself. And, then...I decided that I should make some napkins.  So, that's what Naomi Janome and I were up to yesterday...sewing cloth napkins.

How fun are these?  

I actually made two of the brown ones...and there is enough fabric left to make a few pillow covers.

Have a great weekend!




"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Happy Day!!

YAY!  After almost 5 weeks of no sewing (well, except for the curtains for the new sewing room, but I'm not really counting that) Naomi Janome and I partnered up today...got a small project started and finished!

YAY!  Me Mum needed a new zippy purse with a wrist strap...so that's what we did...made a zippy purse!

I even remembered to put a label on the back...

There are a few things to find places for, and there are things to put on the walls, but I am calling the sewing room 'ready for sewing'. Whew.  

One of these days, sister Jill will take me around to look some of the special sights here in Canon City.  I will take lots of photos and share them here.  This is a nice place to live.

  


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Getting Settled...

I am here...and still unpacking.  It's taking me longer than it should, but I want things where I can find them, so I am trying to place them all where they belong.  You know?

The kitchen is almost done...all the boxes are unpacked and the cupboards are filled.  Need to hang a few things on the walls and then I will call it done.

The living room is sort of done.  Need to decide what to put on the corner curio cabinet and in the barrister bookcase.  Which, of course, means that there are several boxes sitting in this room.

The bedroom is mostly done...still need to hang things on the wall.

The bathroom is done.  Except to hang a few things.

My sewing room is a mess!  I am slowly getting it put together, but wow, do I have a lot of stuff!  I really need to keep working at it and get it done, though, cuz I really want to do some sewing!

Other than that, I am enjoying Canon City.  Small town atmosphere...everyone friendly...everything easy to find... beautiful mountains all around...what is not to like?

I signed up for a hand-quilting class at the First Stitches shop.  It is in 2 weeks...I will let you know how it went.

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I received a box in the mail today...from Cathy.  You all remember who Cathy is, right?  The one who sends me boxes of fabric for doll clothes and other stuff.  Today's box contained knits, the cutest piece of corduroy ever, wonderful cottons, wooden buttons, elastic, a few hand-knit shawls (not shown), crocheted flowers, 2 pair doll shoes (not shown), 3 skeins of yarn, tiny ribbon flowers and 2 white t-shirts(not shown). Makes me smile, for sure!  Thank you, Cathy!!

That's all I have for today.  Perhaps one day soon I will sit and write a nice long post.  Perhaps.


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Here I Am...in Colorado!!!

I made it!  I am here in Canon City, Colorado!  It is glorious, here!  I look out my window and see a mountain!  I knew the landscape would be awesome...but in person, it is truly amazing!  And, without a good camera, there is no way to capture the breadth and depth of these views!   

We left Madison on Monday about 2:30 p.m. and arrived here Wednesday about 10:15 a.m..  It was a long few days on the road, but we did it!  I am in my apartment, and it is beginning to take shape.  Good grief, but I have a lot of stuff!  And, I must say...the room with the most boxes is...yes, my sewing room! WOW!!!

That's all for now.  Thanks for all of your support and well-wishes.





"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

SWEET TWEETS Blog Hop...

I am honored to be part of this blog hop for my friend, Erin, of the Why Not Sew? blog.  Erin has definitely cornered the market on cute and sweet projects.  She is uber-talented and has stretched herself beyond measure in the last few years…showing versatility and talent with each project she tackles.  I am just so darn proud of her…especially now that she is published! 

Sweet Tweets:  Simple Stitches, Whimsical Birds is the title of her book and it is indeed full of sweet projects..all with cute little birds. Erin has mastered the art of raw-edge appliqué, where the free-motion stitching looks like sketching.  She shares her technique and knowledge with us on each one of the 12 projects this book offers. 

Sweet Tweets book cover

For this book tour post, I chose to make the book bag for my granddaughter, Kaylynn.  She is an avid reader and loves bags. 

Erin's bag

The pattern calls for linen, but for this bag, I chose to use a canvas duck for more durability.  And, because I used a sturdier fabric, I omitted the use of interfacing.  The instructions were clear and easy to follow and this bag was quickly put together.  I was a bit nervous about the raw-edge appliqué, not having done any of it previously.   But, I carefully followed the instructions given and am so very pleased with the results.      

I was so excited that I found this cute bird fabric to use as the lining.  How cute is that, hey?

I also made one long shoulder strap instead of two shorter ones…for an over- the-shoulder style.

My Granddaughter has already received this bag and LOVES it.

Thank you, Erin, for including me in your excitement!

I am able to offer a giveaway with this blog hop.  If you'd like to win an e-copy of this book, please leave a comment on this post.  I will draw a winner on Monday morning, September 14.  In the meantime, follow along with the rest of the blog hop to see the other projects being made.  

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The giveaway is over...I apologize for being a day late in announcing the winner.  I am in the process of moving and am travelling with my moving truck.  The winner is...Indianna, who wrote "The lining fabric is just perfect. I love the fact the book has lots of small projects as they are my favourite things to make. Quick and satisfying, especially if there's a cute bird involved."

Please email me at act_collies@yahoo.com with your email address.  Thank you, everyone!

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Here are the others on the blog book tour:

(I am not sure why this doesn't all look the same, but the links are there.)

Tuesday, Sept.8 - Erin (intro post)   Why Not Sew?

Wednesday, Sept.9 - Heidi  Fabric Mutt

Thursday, Sept.10 - Debbie  A Quilter's Table

Friday, Sept.11 - No Post

Saturday, Sept.12 - Jacque The Doodles of My Mind

Monday, Sept.14 - Amy  nanaCompany

Tuesday, Sept.15 - Svetlana  s.o.t.a.k handmade

Wednesday, Sept.16 - Renee  Sewn With Grace

Thursday, Sept.17 - Martingale Stitch This! The Martingale Blog

Friday, Sept.18 - Heather  Vintage Grey Handmade

Saturday, Sept.19 - Clara and Jennie  Clover & Violet

Monday, Sept.21 - Amanda Jean  Crazy Mom Quilts

Tuesday, Sept.22 - Cindy  Live a Colorful Life

Wednesday, Sept.23 - Carla Grace and Favour

Thursday, Sept.24 - Mary  Molly Flanders

Friday, Sept.25 - No Post

Saturday, Sept.26 - Erin, Big Giveaway Post!!!  Why Not Sew?

Three Days...

Grieving for Tag.  ohboy.  ~sigh~  I'm gonna tell you...it is tough being without him.
  

I will be okay. Eventually.

Having things to keep busy with helps keep my mind occupied. The perfect distraction...there are just 3 more days until 'load the truck and leave Wisconsin' day!  I have a lot packed, but there is much more to do.  

I spent Wednesday and Thursday of this week in Eau Claire visiting family and friends.  It was a nice time...although, as always, it was not nearly enough time.

Keep an eye on Facebook to see how my trip is going and (hopefully) photos of what I've seen along the way to my new home in Colorado.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.". Jeremiah 29:11

Time to Say Good-bye...

It is done.

TagEButt

February 8, 2002 - September 7, 2015

My laughter.
My heart.
My always.