Animation!

I was playing around on my computer and ran across a tool of google+ called  'auto awesome'.  Click here to take a look at what it can do with your photos!  For the animated photo above, I had taken a series of photos of Tag laying on the sofa.  He would occasionally lick his foot...and this is the motion that they put to the photo.  How fun is that!  



"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

Counting the Days...and Some Finishes!

 I am definitely counting the days until I no longer need to go to work in the morning.  I don't necessarily want these last 11 (yes, only eleven more days to work!) days to go by fast...ohwell, who am I kidding?  Of course, I do want them to go by quickly.  I am rarin' to go and excited to start and just plain giddy about the entire thought of not working!  

I am training someone to do my job.  Not an easy task.  What is so routine and mundane to me requires much thought for someone new.  I try to be a good teacher and be patient.  I am of the belief that one can always take that extra step to help...whether it be a coworker, a student, a doctor, another staff member or, and especially, a client.  Now I get questioned as to why I 'had' to do something.  I keep repeating that 'it's all in the details'.  

All I can say is this;  once I am gone, there is nothing I can do about how things are done there.  So, I'll do what I can now to train and get things organized and written down and then forget about it when I leave. 

Anyway. 

Not much has been accomplished this past week.  BUT, I did manage to get all the woolens mailed out and I do want to thank those of you who helped me out.  I still have some bundles and pieces available over at The Chocolate Puppy...take a look-see if you're interested.  Once I retire, I need to get all my fat quarters ready to go out the door.  I'll let you know how that's going.

Remember this quilt? 

It was to be for the baby of a coworker...the greens are left from the quilt I made for their first baby.  See it here.  I thought it would be really fun for the two sisters to have quilts made with the same fabrics but with a totally different pattern.  Good idea hey?  But, when I started quilting it, I didn't like what I was doing.  So.  I made this one, instead. 

Gotta love that polka-dot backing!  I haven't washed/dried it, so it's not got all that crinkly softness, yet.  I am very happy with it and am excited to give it to Baby Emily.


What do you do when you just don't like something you're working on?  Do you plow through it?  Do you ditch it and start something else?  Do you set it aside and hope that a fresh look will change your feeling for it?  I think I've done all of the above.

With the zigzag baby quilt, I decided to gift it to someone else.  So, I cut it down so there was just the zigzag center and the first solid border and am sending it to Ellie.  Julie's dog.  Poor thing doesn't have anything made by me.  ~sigh~  It is ~24", I think.

This is the first time that I finished the backside of the binding with machine stitching...I thought it turned out okay for a first attempt.  

Today, I finished the second sweatshirt jacket for Aunt Bev.  Finally.  I've been working on it here and there for at least a month.  Not like it was taking that much time.  I just wasn't getting to it.  I hope she likes it...

It's cool today, and it's been raining on and off.  Not complaining, just saying.  

I think that's all I have for now.  

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

The Orange Quilt...

...is half quilted.

YAY!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The selling of woolens over at

The Chocolate Puppy

is going well.

So far, I've sold 2/3's

of what I put up this past week.

Thank you!

Still some nice pieces left over there. 

And.

I still have overdyed fat quarters...

4 totes full.

I'll be listing them in late July.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And, I lied.

Well, I didn't mean to lie.

On June 1, I posted that I had made my

last pre-retirement fabric purchase.

HA!

That didn't last long, hey?

Yeah, so I did.

I made another fabric purchase.

TYPE by Julia Rothman

for Windham Fabrics.

Who could resist this

collection of 7 fabrics?

Not me.

(Obviously.)

No set plan for them.

Yet.

They are for after I move.

As are many other things.

~grin~

"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

Baby Cassandra's Quilt...and more.

I can finally show you this baby quilt that I finished about 2 months ago.  It's for Baby Cassandra...a sweet little baby girl whose Mommy works with me.    I used fabric from Erin of Why Not Sew? and Cathy of Turtle Hill Quilter, plus a few I had...all small prints along with Kona solid in Snow.  The backing is a pink and white checkered flannel.  So soft!!  I quilted it with diagonal lines both directions.  (These first pictures aren't the greatest.  Sorry.) 

 

 

Here's a photo of Baby Cassandra (8 weeks old) with her new quilt.  Look at all her hair!  She is as cute as a button.

I finally got thread for the orange quilt.  Hope to get that one finished, as the baby is awaitin'! 

Hope you all have a great weekend.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Later.  

oops...I forgot about the '...and more' part!
  
Lookie who came to live with us...meet Naomi Janome's cousin, Serger Sue!

 Naomi and Sue have been spending time catching up on all the news...and the upcoming exciting news we have to share!  I haven't done a test-drive, yet.  But, I did read the instruction manual!    

                                   

      
Here's the story:  I had a serger years ago...used it a lot.  Until it froze on me.  I wasn't doing much sewing then, so it wasn't a big deal.  Then, when I started sewing again, my sweet friend, Brenis, sent me a 'found' serger.  It looked almost new, but was seriously messed up.  I could never get the tension right...and it had a few other issues...and then I didn't use it.  When I moved last summer, it found a new home.  Little did I know where my path was leading me.  Now, in need of a serger again, Serger Sue came to the rescue!

Yes.  More news.  Coming 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

FINALLY...SALE WOOL IS LISTED!

If you are interested in buying woolens that are priced to sell, please visit my other blog, The Chocolate Puppy.

Thank you for looking.



"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

Technical Difficulties

 Google and I aren't getting along very well.  Therefore, listing the textured woolens on "The Chocolate Puppy" has been delayed.  I will get them up as soon as I am able to.

I apologize for any inconvenience.  Please be sure to check back.

WOOLENS FOR SALE!

I have finally finished listing all of the bundles of wool...30 of them.  Tomorrow, I will list the pieces of textured woolens that I have.  

Go HERE to shop!

Thank you in advance.

What else did I do today?  A coworker has a special book of scriptures that she keeps in her purse.  She was showing me how worn it was getting...and asked if I would make her a little book cozy to keep it in.  So, I did that early this a.m.

I think she'll like it...

I'll be back tomorrow with more woolens on my other blog, 
"The Chocolate Puppy".

 Have a good night!




"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 afuture.". Jeremiah 29:11

Crockpot Beef Stroganoff...and Other Stuff.

I love using my crockpot.  It's so nice to come home from work and have my lunch/supper waiting for me.  I work 8:00-2:00...right through lunchtime.  I get a 15 minute break, but that's not much time to eat lunch.  I sometimes remember to take a snack along with me.  However, when I forget, or just plain don't think about it, I am beyond hungry by the time I get home.  That is when I truly appreciate my crockpot... and great crockpot recipes.  

I ran across this recipe on The Thread Catcher's blog.  It sounded so good that I just had to try it.  I modified it just a tad...here's my version:

CROCKPOT BEEF STROGANOFF
1 pound beef stew meat
salt and pepper
1/4 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can golden mushroom soup
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 12 oz. pkg. egg noodles

Brown meat, add salt and pepper to taste.  
Put water, onion, Worcestershire Sauce, and soups into crockpot.  Add meat.  Cook on low for 8 hours (or high for 5 hours).

About 30 minutes before serving time, cook 1/2 package of noodles.  Drain and add to crockpot.  Add in the cream cheese, stirring all together.  When cream cheese is completely melted (~20 min.), serve.  

Scrumptious!! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I didn't get much done yesterday.  But, I did get this pin-basted!  If I had had the right color thread, it would be at least partially quilted.   I'll get at that this week.

And, I watched the movie, "Flight", with Denzel Washington.  Great movie...and who doesn't love Denzel!!

I am still getting wool ready to sell.  If I get another tote sorted, I will be through half of the totes, and may start listing it next weekend.  I will keep you posted.      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When I walked into my bedroom last night, this is what I found...

It looks as if Tag got my side of the bed ready for me to jump into and then took his place.  Doesn't it?    ~grin~   Just so you know, he really doesn't lay there...his sleeping place is the bottom corner of the bed. 



"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 Next Chapter...

So.

As you know, I am retiring...

only 26 more days to work.

I am very excited about that!

What else do I have planned?

Well, I am moving.

 Yup.

 Back to my hometown.

Eau Claire.

You may remember that I

went there for a short visit

just over a month ago.

I had a purpose in going

at the time I did.

I needed to see how things were

going with me Mum.

I needed to decide if what I

had in mind was a good idea.

Yes, it was.

And, is.

The plan:

I am moving back to Eau Claire, 

the town I grew up in...

about 3 hours north of  Madison.

I am excited about this...

I will be with my friends

and family members that 

I have missed being near.

(I moved here 23 years ago

to be near my then teen-aged sons

who had moved here

to live with their Dad.)

I am going home.

I am happy about that.

Yet, there is sadness, too.

I'll be leaving my sons 

and grandchildren behind.

And, my wonderful friends.

But, right now,

this is what I need to do.

I feel very strongly about it.

Me Mum is going to be 83.

She has Parkinson's Disease.

She is doing okay, but it is apparent

that she is declining/aging.

I hope to help her have

a peaceful life.

My plan is to move at the end

of August when my lease expires.

 I am looking forward

to starting this next chapter.

"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

...have you any wool?

ohboy...do I ever!

Have wool, that is.

LOTS and LOTS of wool.

I need to get it out the door.

So...this week will be spent

getting it ready to go.

Measuring and pricing.

Bundles and pieces.

Overdyes and textures.

Priced to sell.

I'll let you know when it's ready...

 

"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

Orange...Finished!!

 YAY!

A finish!

Well, sorta.

The quilt top is finished.

WHEW!

And, yes.

I know the outside edges are not even...

that's what happens when I am

making this up as I am going along.

 When measuring is apparently a challenge.

At least, seems that it was this morning.

But, I'm not worried...

it will all work itself out.

The most important thing... 

I am happy with it.  

~grin~

Now for lunch.

And more sweatshirt jacket sewing.

Hope you're having a great day!

"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

2wenty thr3e...and counting.

Awhile ago, I picked up a charm pack of the

2wenty thr3e fabric collection

(no, those are not typos)....

Today, I picked up a few pieces
of yardage to match...
(only the center one is from the 2wenty thr3e collection)

 I love these!

I also picked up a bit of fabric

so I could finish the orange quilt.

I didn't have quite enough leftover

pieces to make an entire backing.

Gotta love these dots...

These are my last pre-retirement fabric purchases.

For sure.

When I was in Eau Claire last month,

my Aunt Bev asked me to make some

sweatshirts into jackets for her.

I've been a sewist for years...

so have more experience in

making clothes than in making quilts.

However, I had never done anything

like what she wanted.

But...

how difficult could it be?

Before I came home,

I did up a white

sweatshirt jacket for her.

Apparently, she's not taken it off since.
(okay, kidding, but I gather she really likes it!)

I brought 2 home with me.

Here's the gray one...

It's pretty simple to do...

just cut up the front and face the edges.

Then, cut off the ribbing at the

waist and sleeves and add facings.

That sleeve isn't meant to be worn turned back;

it's just like that to show the facing.

The next one I make is going to be

very unique and fun.

I think.

We shall see if I end up doing

what I have in mind.

It's kind of a 'make it up as I go along' thing.

Ya know?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Only 31 days left to work.

But, who's counting?

"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