Winner and wierd encounter....

I'm late with my giveaway winner's name.

I had 2 entries for the quilt book.

I held up a hat for LN to choose a name from.

Kelly from happy hollow homestead blog is the winner.

Kelly please email me your address and I'll ship it out tomorrow.

Happy sewing girl!

 

Speaking of sewing I had a weird experience last week at a shop.

Me and my oldest R went to an appointment 1 1/2 hrs. away and returned by a quilt shop near there.

We entered the shop and started looking for fabric to match the graduation colors I posted earlier.

I was approached and informed they were closing in 10 min.

I said ok and kept looking.

A minute later the lady came back and said again we' re closing in 10 min.
I am a small business owner so I understood they wanted to leave.

Ok I got it so I took my 2 fabrics to be cut at the counter.

I asked for 1 yd. of each fabric.

Apparently I'm not with the quilting times because I wanted more than a fat quarter.

I received a "how much" reply.

I repeated 1 yd. of each.

Now I was asked "what are you making" and replied distractedly " a quilt".
I was thinking about what I already had at home and did I need anything else since I wouldn't be down that way for quite awhile.

Seriously I thought the lady was going to throw me out after that.

I was not being a smart ass and believe me I know what that is because I usually am one.

I was just answering honestly.

I'm not an experienced quilter or current with quilt names or fabric names or reproduction this or quilt designer that, etc. , etc.

This lady and her friend acted as if I was a moron or incompetent.

I explained I didn't know what pattern I was going to use I was just gathering fabrics I liked.

I left with a sour taste in my mouth for the quilt snobbery displayed.

I'm just a girl who like to sew and make things I like or what to gift to someone.

I'm old school and buy fabric by the yard of half or quarter.

If I buy fat quarters it is usually because they are precut and packaged which R did pick 2 out of a basket by their counter to go with what I was having cut. 

A quilt has always been to me a twin, full, or queen sized and for a bed.

I'm working on that and enjoy seeing other sizes on other blogs and in stores.

I admire quilters who are so in it they know all this and can throw out the terms easily.

I also am frugal I guess and generally like everything to be useful and rarely just make something to store it for posterity.

 

Please don't make someone feel stupid because they choose another way.

There is enough room for all of us. 

 

What do you get?

When you do 1 1/2 hrs of heavy legs at gym then come home and shovel 2 1/2 ton of stone dust?

Tomorrow will be interesting.

The cows always shove a hole in front if their water trough and I always forget water is running and flood it!

Hopefully we both behave better for at least a little while.

It's the nature of the beast for cows and we have tried everything short of concrete. No concrete because they then form a hole around it.

Never win situation I guess.

After filling it in the adjacent lot where we store their round bales I found this.

This is a branch S cut off driveway tree and left laying.

Apparently the rabbits? like the taste? 

That's my theory anyhow.

This is color palette I'm using to make a graduation present. The left print is the backing and maybe a fussy cut here or there. It's tennis players which she is. To all quilters what do you think is a good simple quilt pattern? I still have a white with blue jays printing on it bring shipped to me. Her college mascot will be the jays with blue as college color and orange her favorite color. Any thoughts will be appreciated .

Another weekend...

Another one for the books, in the bag...

Friday night and Saturday night LN and I made the 70 mi round trip to her sewing mentors house. We spent another 3 1/2 hrs Friday and 5 hrs Saturday sewing. LN got her coat body sewn and attached lining sewn together and began to attach it. LN and A added extras like a coordinating men's tie as a seperator of the coat and lining. They also brainstormed some trim details to pull the  dress colors into the dark blue of the coat. The coat wool is lightweight so a good choice for spring or fall wearing. The heavier lining adds stability so it ll lay nicely. There is so much left to do. We ll hike back over Saturday afternoon for another go round. There is a bunch of hand sewing as homework before Saturday comes back around.

Otherwise LN  and I cleaned sheep, steer and pig pens and fill water, weighed steers, changed mats around in steer pen and played with pigs . I worked the Saturday crowd at our feed store alone so S could go to an auction .

A little retail therapy was achieved of necessity . LN needed earrings and a necklace as well as shoes for her outfit. All were found at a reasonable price or on sale. She also is required to dress up on days her team has away games. With her growing taller this requires more dresses that fit the dress code in her school .

She also seems to be going through a spurt so the dress she made which was looser in the thigh/hip area is a little snugger than 2 weeks ago. This does not please her at all. She s decided to change her diet around and work a little harder at practice. Less Doritos and more apples and celery. Not best time for mama nature to bless her with growth spurt . We ll deal but frustrating. This dress has to fit her in April for 4-h and October for MIWW and if necessary January of 2015. There is no extra fabric to let out .Yikes....

6 inches and a giveaway

We were blessed with 6 inches of snow again last night and today.

I say blessed because we will be thankful when July and August rolls around.

The moisture is always welcome.

How's that for positive?

I love the snow so it's easy for me to be positive.

I stayed inside most of the day in my sewing room.

I didn't create anything.

I did help LN get her dress hemmed including the lining.

 

She has to add a hook and eye and chain the lining down but it's mostly done.

The coat is cut out and bodice and skirt basted together just to show LN how it will look.

Bad picture , sorry but the window is above it with the sun reflecting off the snow.

The coat is laying out to train the wool pleat in the back to lay nicely.

Wool is so malleable and has a memory it maintains.

Of course I needed my assistance to get any work done.

 

 

Ln's  sewing mentor always makes each day positive for her.

She 's a special lady, mother of 2 under 3 yr old and working fulltime as well as serving on various service committees and helping teach a lot of kids to sew.

Her hubby is crazy busy as well with his editors job and kids and life and etc...

This is their daughter.

She is always happy and full of vinegar.

I play with her and her brother while LN and A sew.

He is quieter and looks like his papa.

Always busy playing, loves the outdoors.

 

 

Lots of details to add after constructing the rest  of the coat and lining it.

Time is winding down with 25 hrs into this so far.

 

This was Saturday.

LN was basting her interfacing onto her coat bodice.

Her "hat" was the St Patty's Day favor her 4-H club made this week for the local hospitals.

Leave it to LN to keep it fun. 

 

I was cleaning and sorting in my sewing room and I found 2 copies of this book.

Although I like more traditional styles, this is so bright and cheery I would like to make it.

 

How about a giveaway?

I've never done one so let's start with this book.

It has lots of pictures with great instructions.

There are traditional as well as newer (to 1988) quilts.

 

Anyone interested please leave a comment telling me something you think is interesting.

  I'll chose the recipient next Monday.

Please feel free to share with others unless you are worried this will lessen your odds ;}.

 

A week of possibilities.

 

 

Hurry...

I'm hurrying as fast as I can pedal.

Guess what I'm doing?

Come on you ll never guess, right?

At least I have a cup of tea to ease me!

More self inflicted pain...

Not only are my thighs and tush hurting from gym yesterday but I came home today to find a few ton of stone to unload. 

Great right? 

No more giant sinkholes and ruts from snow, ice, customers and tractor trailers you say? True but I worked out arms and back today too so now I'm hunched over from gym and stone shoveling. That ll teach me to take 2 weeks off gym to recover from calf muscle I pulled. But look what S made me (actually it's for him, he dislikes walking unless it's high and dry).

The pea gravel, Yellow brick road to the store. It looks so funny to me but he s happy. Seriously if I hadn't seen both our plumbing parts I'd swear I'm the man here.

Aroma ?

I went to the gym this morning. Came back home and showered and fed animals. Yes I'm lazy at 5:30 when I get up so they wait till I get back to eat. Anyhow I took a shower and took off for every 3 wk chiropractor appt. when I came home me and S put a round bale to arena cows. Funny thing I open every gate (there are 4) and slough through all the sucking boot mud and cut and dispose of the million strings on the bale if I can find them. S sits his behind on the tractor , spikes the bale and dumps it, puts away tractor. I reverse all the gates and mud and turn out cows.  I'm not sure the balance of chores is very equal. Next up I have 2 ewes and I thought 2 lambs limping. Again I sloughed through mud, ran everyone inside (after playing ring a round the Rosie a few times) and doctored the 2 ewes feet. The lambs turned out to be 3 that had foot issues and last 2 born needed ear tags and scrapie tags. Got that done, untied steers who are petrified of piglets still and fight me to get loose and let's not discuss task of getting them inside in the 1st place, haltered and tied where they eat (beside the pigs). Came inside , scrubbed hands a few times, stink of foot nastiness  and now want a shower again. All before noon. Wheeeee!!!

Hogs and Hems ...

Cool title but no hems were completed.

LN did start her long coat yesterday and do more hand sewing on her dress

but we are far from hemming either.

She sits so demurely to grade her seams.

This picture is from last weeks session.

She says her back hurts after sewing for hours.

Wonder why ?

Look how far she bends over when cutting or pinning.

Owww...

 

Today we went to pick out and bring home her market hogs.

We lucked out and found 2 from the same lady and were happy with the price as well.

So meet Scrappy and Pablo....

A girl and her pigs, it's a good thing.

 



Tuesday-Snow Day

Well I managed to add the borders and quilt the layers together.

I used a seersucker blue from my stash.

It was just scraps but long enough by 2" to get my length.

Actually the yellow was scraps too.

Long arms, LN held it up for me.

The lighting is bad in my basement room , sorry the colors and patterns are showing wonky.

 

I love the back.

It has all the animals kids find fascinating in fun colors.

Now I need to bind and wash so it can be delivered.

 

With 2 days off for the snow and ice LN amused herself by working on a 4-H assignment.

She had to come up with some science type classes for 9-12 year olds.

She created bubbles but they won't lift off the counter.

She tried to encapsulate this figure but the metal kept popping it.

She successfully encapsulates the button several types. 

She made different types of solutions and one blew giant bubbles but I didn't take my camera outside.

Sorry for the over ripe bananas but definitely time for banana bread don't you think?

After playing around she made time to do some handsewing on her new sewing project for 4-H and Make it with Wool contests.

Spoiler alert!!!!

She was stitching down her lining by the zipper and working on her sleeve seams.

This is an accurate pic of the blue fabric and white shows well also.

She has more handwork to do before Saturday when we go back to her mentors to start her full length overcoat and finish her dress details (length, buttons, etc.).

This picture is bad but gives you some idea.

We were at her mentors and the sun was killing the camera and it was too cold to go outside

for a better shot of a half done dress.

I'll take plenty after it's all done.

It's going to surprise everyone that knows LN's edgy choices.

It's very demure and sweet.

Have to work on shoes to fit dress and coat which is a dark blue with flecks of white and light blue.

 

 

 



Lil Something ...

I'm late with this gift as the little boy is 3 months old.

I doubt he'll mind.

A whole lotta busy but good for babies, right?

Fun way to spend a snowy day .

 

Now to finish.... {sigh} 

Given a choice....

Given a choice of sleeping inside where it's dry and warmer or

outside in the freezing rain then turned snow,

where do you think the steers chose?

 

That is snow imbedded in an inch of ice that fell before snow began.

 

The major accumulation is to occur today.

 

I think....

I'm going to sew a clothes pin bag (mine disintegrated yesterday) and

 maybe start a small quilt for a new baby (actually born in early Dec).

 

A few nights ago when I tried to go to bed I found this.

LN felt the need to dump 3 loads of laundry needing folded on my bed.

Grrrr.....

It only took a few minutes to fold but I was tired.

LN was asleep, snoring.

 I checked when I found this "present".

She told me the next morning she did it before supper thinking she'd help me fold as we watched TV before bed as me and her do sometimes.

However we didn't go upstairs till bed and so..........

Gotta love my kids sometimes, sometimes not.

Yep, I went there.

 

All...

All the reports are varied with as much as 14" to as low as 1" of snow headed to DE.

All the water troughs are filled up.

All the feed barrels are filled up.

All groceries are taken care of, at least that we needed anyhow. I keep plenty of grub around.

All my books are downloaded onto my Kindle. This is important believe me.

All the laundry we need is done. The rest can wait like rugs, extra sheets for MIL and such.

All my sleep can be caught up on I hope, please, please, please.

All my taxpapers are waiting to be completed if I so choose.

 

Bring on the next storm I'm as ready as I'm going to get.

 

Cold rain has begun, here it comes.

 

See ya on the flip side of whatever we get.

 

LN is going to be in school in July, maybe August.