Sunday Scripture...

Isaiah 7:14

 

Saturday Silliness...

I know, Steve. I know.

Just In Time...

As I was pulling fabric for the Grammie's Jammies this year, I got the niggly feeling that I'd already used the plaid flannel for Grandson before. Sooooo, I went back through last year's photographs and blog posts to find that I had, in fact, made last year what I'd planned for this year. Great. Now what?

I went through my soft cottons and found this fabric for our "sporto" guy. Although they have two Golden retrievers now, their last dog was a gorgeous big, black Labrador retriever named Duncan. He was our grandson's "goodest boy", and we all miss him - even though the Goldens have also stolen our hearts. I think he'll like this fabric for his pjs this year, and I'll find a red or black long sleeved t-shirt to go with the bottoms. Crisis (and a duplicate gift) averted. 

 

Then I got to thinking about the girls. I had planned to make nighties, thinking that I'd made pj pants for them last year. Wrong again. The photos from last year revealed that I had already made nighties last year. I don't want to duplicate, so I'll make these pajama pants from the fabrics I already chose. 

 

I'll likely choose a pretty white top to go with the floral, and green or russet to go with the gnomes. I'm planning to be out shopping for them either Sunday or Monday, and I just take a fabric swatch with me to find the perfect colors.

I'm glad I take photos of the finished gifts each year. That way I can be sure to avoid what I almost did this year! Now that I've settled on the fabrics and patterns, I'll start cutting today. We did get snow yesterday, but thanks to Andy, I'll be able to get out to work tonight. In the meantime, I'll be making jammies. Woo hoo!

 

December Classmate Gathering...

Back Row (l-r): Ken, Donna, Jeff, Deb, Kathy, Dan, John and Jay. Front Row (l-r): Julie, Bruce, Janet, Deb, Brad

Last night, I went to bed happy tired. I got up early in the morning and made three dozen cinnamon rolls. I got them frosted just in time to drop off some rolls at work, and get to the restaurant for our classmate get together with the rest of them. Thankfully, I came home empty-handed. As usual, we had a great group, and we spent lots of time gabbing, laughing, and eating great food. I look forward to seeing them every month. 

I'll be busy with the elves today, so I'm going to keep this short. I have lots to do and plan to keep my blinders on for the next few days. You can count on me to share what I get done, and what's left to do. Nothing like waiting until (nearly) the last minute, right? I seem to work best under a wee bit of pressure. See you tomorrow.

A Cinnamon Roll Day...

"Christmas In The Wood" by Philip Vinton Clayton (1865-1946)

I'm sure you can understand why I love this image so much. I'd like to think that this sort of shenanigans take place in our "habitat" when I take treats down to feed our resident critters. We still don't have lasting snow on the ground this season (but we're supposed to get 3-5" on Thursday), so I have only taken down apple, carrot, corn, and a couple other fruit/vegetable snacks so far. I won't be putting down anything that will attract the resident coyotes any closer to the farmhouse than they already come.

I'm hitting the ground running today. I have three double batches of cinnamon rolls to make and frost by 2 pm today. I have our monthly classmate dinner at 3 pm, and a couple four packs to drop off to two of the gals at work on my way to the restaurant. Of course, there have to be some for here, and a four pack for our neighbors.

I'd love to chat, but I have a lot to do. Enjoy this image and I hope it makes you smile as much as I did. I'll be back tomorrow with our monthly group photograph. 

Fabric Choices...

 

This is the flannel print I've chosen for Grandson's jammies. I love the plaid and may even make a pair for his Grandpa, too!

This flannel print is for one of the granddaughters (likely the younger one - who is now 17). Too childish, or do you think she'll like them?

 

 

I can't make up my mind here. I love both prints. Probably for Granddaughter #1. What do you think? Either one? Neither? (If it's the plaid, they'll be pj pants. If it's the floral, likely a nightgown.) It's okay. Be honest. I can take it, and I still have time to go in a different direction.

 

 

Loose Ends...

It's been a weekend of tying up a few loose ends. I mailed out the artist trading cards for this month, spent some time tidying up the studio, and putting up our Christmas decorations. Outside, we hung our garland on the porch rail, and added a sweet wooden snowman that was a gift from Shelly. The snowman is holding a ball of lights that show up at night, but it was too foggy last night to get a good photograph. I'll try again when it's clear.

This week, I'll be prewashing fabric for jammies; preparing a few other things to mail out; baking cinnamon rolls on Wednesday for our classmate dinner that evening (I have orders this time); and of course, sewing.

I'm going to hit the ground running this morning. I'm packaging up my mailings first to get them in the mailbox before our carrier arrives. I'm back to making lists, so I'll be able to see my progress as I get my work done. I'm also going to commit to daily lists going into and through 2025. I missed a lunch date with a dear friend last week because I hadn't written it down. That won't happen again. So you're seeing one of my 2025 resolutions here first.

I'll close for now, but I'll share jammie fabrics tomorrow. I'll be heading to the washer to get the fabrics going. Remember, I always prewash them in hot water/warm dryer. If anything is going to shrink, it will happen before I turn them into garments. The sooner they wash and dry, the sooner I'll be sewing. 

See you mañana!

Sunday Scripture...

John 8:12

 

December Artist Trading Cards Complete...

I completed the December artist trading cards yesterday before I went to work. The most finicky part was attaching the feathers. I only placed one holding stitch halfway up each feather, and then secured it in position by stitching the "nib" (point of the quill pen) with gold threads.
 

 

 

Once everything was placed and secured, I used a gold metallic thread to stitch all the way around the outside edge of the piece. The finished design was then glued to a playing card, my label added, and the card was then placed into a protective cellophane card holder. 

 

They'll post today - including an extra card I made for the winner of the guessing game a couple days ago. That card will be mailing to Charlene in Phoenix for being the first to guess how I was going to interpret this month's prompt. Marrianne got more of the details, but Charlene was first with the concept. Thanks, Marrianne and everyone else for sharing your guesses. I had fun reading your comments.

I'll be prewashing fabrics for Grammie's Jammies today, and preparing them for cutting...my least favorite part of sewing garments. I have to do it myself, too, because none of the elves are allowed to use my electric scissors. Fun Times...

ATC WIP...

They're not finished yet, but I'm going to share my idea and how it's going so far. This is taking a little longer than I thought it might and it's a little fiddly, so I wanted to share a bit of the process.

My interpretation of "Pen and Ink" isn't a real reach - even if the execution might be. I'm literally creating a pen and inkwell on fabric. I have a pile of turkey feathers (the smaller, fluffy ones), some vinyl, cork fabric, blue swirl fabric (remember how I do adore swirl fabric? I have in in multiple colors), and the gold thread.

I spent waaaaay too much time cutting out vinyl in tiny bottle shapes. Dang! See-thru is really hard to see to cut. sigh But I persevered and got them all cut out. Then, I drew cork stopper shapes on natural cork fabric, and cut out those shapes. I have small squares of silk fabric that I'll sew to the background fabric that has writing printed onto it, and those feathers will become quill pens. The gold thread is to just stitch a small "v" on the end of the quills to mimic a pen nib (even though - technically - quill pens didn't have them). 

The components of the bottle are all secured to each other, but I'm going to do an outline stitch around the whole thing to secure them to the bases. I'm also doing things in steps to layer them correctly. It all takes a bit more time.

I'll work on them again today to see if I can get them done. Yesterday's work was squeezed in between bread rises, as it was also a baking day. I wanted to make better progress on the cards, but this was as far as I got after a false start with something that didn't work out. We'll see if I can do better today.

I'll share my progress tomorrow. Hopefully, they'll be "envelope ready" by the time I need to leave for my three-hour shift at work. I'm heading upstairs right now to get back to it. (I'll take my cuppa with me.)

Can You Guess?...

Today is bread baking day, but I'll also be working on the December ATCs I need to send out this month. I pulled the elements I'll be using to create my "Pen and Ink"-themed artist trading cards. I was just tickled to come up with this idea.

So - the first person to figure out what I plan to do with these elements to meet the theme Jan prompted will receive one of the cards. I'll make an extra one if someone figures it out. Leave your guess in the comments.

Oh. One thing. I may switch out the blue fabric for black. Does that help? hee hee Good luck! (Remember, the theme is "pen and ink".)

Shipping Day...

First on my agenda today is to ship out orders. I'll get that finished, and then I have to re-clean my studio. It's a wreck since preparing for the Touchmark show. Before I can do any holiday sewing, I need to reclaim my work space. 

Now that I've reorganized the attic, I'll be able to move a few things upstairs until after Christmas and New Years. After I've done my mailings, I'll be working on my December ATCs for the swap. I'd like to finish those by tomorrow to mail.

Once the ATCs are on their way, I'll be turning my attention to Grammie's Jammies and a special project I'm working on for Handsome. I'll be busy with those things for the next week or so. I really don't want to be right up against Christmas, so this schedule should help avoid that (and leave a little buffer if I need it). Here we go again!

New Listings Soon...

Well, as enthusiastic as the residents were over my offerings, I did come home with napkins, handbags, necklaces and wallets. To tell the truth, everything is still packed in my Explorer and I have to go to work today. No. I wasn't slacking on Sunday and Monday. I was actually cleaning and reorganizing the attic - and it really needed it! After climbing the stairs multiple times, it's hard to believe I once contemplated finishing off the space to turn into my studio!

Anyway, I'm going to go through my inventory tomorrow and then I'll be rephotographing items for my Etsy shop - and listing the napkins here first. I'll generate links for direct purchase through my Square account, which is safe and secure, but doesn't go through Etsy.

Once I've done all that, I'll be starting on Christmas gifts for our family. I hope the elves are ready. It's going to be a whirlwind of activity around my own Santa's Workshop.

For now, it's off to work for me. I'll be back tomorrow with more updates. 

Seven Years Later...

Paneras Knitting Girlfriends - 2012

In 2012, I wrote about my "Circle of Influence". You know...you become the five people with whom you spend the most time. Here's a link to that post. I wrote about the quilty ladies at Sandy's Quilt Shop where I spent many a Saturday morning. I also wrote about the wonderful group I spent every Tuesday night with in Port Charlotte.

At first we met at Books A Million, but after showing up one night to find out that they'd closed their coffee shop and were looking to "cater to a younger clientele", we pulled up stakes that very night and moved across to Paneras. It was the best move ever, as they were much more hospitable. We never looked back.

Over the years, our group changed, grew, and we suffered losses. Our 100 year old friend, Beulah had to stop coming because the slightest wrong move would break one of her bones. She moved to a beautiful facility in Sarasota, and we were sad to see her go. The two ladies in front wearing red - Adele and Helen - passed away during that time. Then, my dear friend, Ellen (in the green) moved back to Delaware to be closer to her daughter. Tammy (back row, far right) was the founder of our group, and she and her husband (a military man) moved to Virginia with their family. 

New members came and went, but our group still met every Tuesday, taught willing newcomers, and shared our projects. One of those regulars was my friend and fellow Wisconsinite, Anne (standing in front of Tammy in this picture). I forgot her hometown, but we always had something to chat about, and her work was impeccable. 

When Handsome and I decided to move back to Wisconsin, these were the beautiful friends (and those from Sandy's) that I missed the most. Even though we came back to dear friends we'd left behind when we moved to Florida, my heart still belongs to these women.

Fast forward to last Saturday. Jan met me at Touchmark and she unloaded my Explorer as I began setup. Did I mention Jan is a Life Enrichment Coordinator there? She shared her artistic skills with them, and they create beautiful things. Anyway, she chatted with residents as they passed through the room my booth was in, and frequently introduced them to "her sister, Donna".

My back was to the room as I set up my wares on the table and displays I'd brought along. Jan said something to another lady, so I turned around to say, "Hello", when I froze in place. Likewise, the beautiful face staring back at me shared my shocked expression.

Who was looking back at me but my friend, Anne. I immediately teared up. Words can't really express just how emotional I became seeing her. I couldn't stop hugging her and telling her how happy I was to see her. She told me, "You have no idea how much I've wondered where you are and what you're doing!" I kept telling her how much I missed her and our Panera ladies, and that seeing her was the most fabulous surprise ever!

She told me that she had tried to muster a group to knit and stitch at Touchmark, but only a couple of ladies had shown any interest. They continue to meet on Thursday afternoons in one of the parlors, so she didn't have to be completely alone.

We talked about old times, old friends, and I got her up to date about the ones I could. Then, I told her that after Christmas she could count on me driving up to Appleton a couple times a month to sit and stitch/knit with her and her friends. I meant every word, too.

Look at it as an extended Birthday gift, or an early Christmas gift, but seeing Anne was indeed a gift. I can't wait to see her again - but I have a few things to accomplish before Santa comes, so my next trip to Appleton will have to wait until after the holidays. It will be like old times when I can once again sit and create with my friend, Anne. I'm still smiling.

Sunday Scripture...

Psalm 100:3

 

Show Time!...

My niece, Stephanie and her son are Mrs  Santa and the elf. She's the Director here at Touchmark, and this merry band is moving through the show handing out candy canes. Of course, I had to have my photo taken with them!

This is my booth at this show. I'm in a lovely room with another vendor, and all the booths are spread out on the first floor of this community. There are total of eighteen vendors selling their wares here today. 

I was so glad to have Jan here to help me set up my booth, and although she had a lunch date with her husband, she'll be back for tear down. (Yay!)

I'm typing this in my cell phone, so I'll keep it short. Yes, I've been selling steadily, but I'll write more on Monday. The most beautiful surprise happened today, and I want to write about it in full to give it the weight it deserves. Suffice it to say now that I was in tears. More about that later, though.

Another customer just came in so I'll close for now. More later!

Finished...

I finished all the napkins. They're all labeled, packaged, and inventoried for the show on Saturday. Counting the ones I completed yesterday, I'll have a total of 130 napkins, packaged in sets of two and four.

I haven't made the bookmarks, or anything else on my ambitious list, but I still have a large selection for my booth. There will be cork handbags, totes, pouches, and wallets. I'll also have embroidered jewelry (necklaces), and pincushions. My booth is only an 8' table at this event, so I don't have much space available. I'm quite sure I'll fill every square inch of it, though.

My plan is to create bookmarks to donate as gifts in the Touchmark library after the first of the year. I think the residents would like that, and it will be my way of giving back after the holidays.

I'm going to be on a dead run today. First, I'll be running to the bank to get cash for my show drawer. Then, I'll be making sale signage for my booth, loading all my inventory into totes, and then loading my Explorer so I can be on my way early tomorrow. 

I'll post a little later tomorrow, so I can take a few photographs of my booth to share. I'll have it up by noon for you, so don't worry if you stop by in the morning and I haven't posted yet. Wish me luck!

Weekend Offerings...

This is the first batch of completed napkins for this weekend. These took longer than expected, so I've made the decision to finish what I've already cut out and then make one other small (requested item) to add to my other current offerings for the show.

These five images represent ninety completed napkins. They're 100% cotton, machine washable/dryable, and each double-sided napkin measures 9" square. 

Top Left: Red Berries and Birds (available quantity: 20) Top Right: Dog Breeds (available quantity: 14)

Middle Left: White Poinsettias (available quantity: 24) Middle Right: Dogs 'n Cats (available quantity: 16)

Bottom: Gold Floral (available quantity: 16)

These will be packaged in sets of 2 and sets of 4, so it should offer a nice selection for residents for themselves or as gifts.

I still have four more fabric prints to do today. There are 40 total napkins to finish. So, I'll be taking a total of 130 napkins with me. What I don't sell at the show, I'll list in my Etsy shop and gift some, as well.

It was about mid-afternoon yesterday when I realized that I won't have time to make caddies, but I will be making cork with printed tape bookmarks. Apparently, bookmarks are big sellers because the facility has an impressive, well-used library. The residents love to read, so I'll be sure to make some beautiful placekeepers after I complete the last 40 napkins today.

Tomorrow, I'll enter everything into my Square inventory and pack up to be able to drive out early Saturday. I plan to be at Touchmark by 8:30 am. Jan lives in the area, so she'll meet me there to help me unload the Explorer and set up my booth. As I write this, it's snowing and blowing outside, so I hope that's out of Mother Nature's system by then, so I'm not fighting weather that morning! 

For now, I'll just put my nose to the grindstone and complete these two projects so I'm ready for the next phase. I'll show you the rest of the napkins tomorrow.

November Artist Trading Cards...

November Treasures ATC Exchange ATCs - Theme: Fabric

Dropping in for a quick visit today before I head to the studio to get busy. I wanted to share the cards traded in my sister, Jan's Handmade Treasures by Jan group for November. Our theme prompt was Fabric.

Our next prompt is for the December theme, which is Pen & Ink. I can't wait to share what I've come up with for this one! I already know exactly how I'm going to execute this theme. Understand that most of these artists work in paper, so every time I create my cards, I bear this in mind. But in keeping with my chosen medium, my cards will continue to interpret the prompts in fabric and thread. This one is going to be fun! 

Of course, I'm not going to work on these until after this weekend. Right now, I'm making oodles of napkins. I'll share what those look like tomorrow. At this point, I'm sewing, turning, topstitching and folding into sets. More to do before this weekend, so I'm going back to the studio again. I'll share more next time.

One more thing: Thank you so much for all the lovely Birthday messages. You're all so kind, and it's plain to see why I love each and every one of you. I wish I could hug each of you in person. Thanks again.

Seven Decades...

Brynwood Needleworks - It's My Birthday

If a picture is worth a thousand words, this just about says it all for me. Our daughter-in-law snapped this photo over the weekend. She loves the blue wall backdrop and is working on a series of pictures of family members - either serious or cutting up - in front of it. Although I also gave her a serious, happy pose, this was (one of) me being silly, and it's my favorite.

I think this perfectly captures how I feel about this Birthday. Being 70 is a blessing, and as most women in my lineage reach their late 90's and even 100's, I'm happy to be right here right now. 

So, even though I'm working my six hour shift today, I'm going to celebrate...and I'll continue the partying right through the end of this month. Handsome and I will do something special after I get past the show this weekend. Then I'll take a short, celebratory breather before I start making the annual Grammie's Jammies.

If you're friends with me on Facebook, you'll know that I'm sponsoring a fundraiser for Critter Junction Pet Rescue, LLC of Fond du Lac, WI the rescue that gave me so much help with Claudette and Crystal when they had their litters of kittens.

When both of my little girls were pregnant with litters of kittens - and then Claudette came up with an injured paw - Renee at the rescue helped me with advice, and then took in both cats until after they weaned their litters. Once the kittens were weaned, both mamas went by transport to a clinic that spayed both of them. The kittens were all placed in loving homes and while Claudette immediately came home, Crystal came back after escaping her adopted home. All of the medical help was done at no cost to me, even though I donated the costs for the spays back to the clinic. I also take bags of food to them when I'm able. They're a great cause, and I thought giving back to them would be a great way to celebrate this Birthday. They rely solely on donations, so if you're so inclined, any amount helps them take care of other homeless animals. If you're not on FB, you can click on the name of the rescue above. I made it a link right to the donation page.

Gotta run now. I don't want to be late for work and get hollered at on my Birthday. I'm looking forward to the best of all days. See you tomorrow!

Getting Started...

I pulled fabrics yesterday after assessing just what I want to accomplish in the next few days. I also found myself thinking about what kinds of things the residents might be interested in. Rather than spend this time making more handbags and wallets, I decided that fabric napkin sets, mug mats, gift card holders, and walker caddies might be more desirable - especially pretty things for the ladies, and patriotic things for men and/or women.

So, I just started pulling fabrics that I thought might be suitable for my projects. I'm going to do the napkins in sets of two and four. They'll be nine inches square. That's size we use here, and who really needs a big napkin anyway? I haven't decided yet whether or not they'll be two-sided, or just put a mitered hem on single thickness fabric. I'll decide that when I start cutting.

 
I'm sure I won't use all of the fabrics I've photographed here, but these give me myriad options once I begin.

I'm off to the DMV this morning as my driver's license needs to be renewed. They'll be taking a new mug shot, and making sure I can see well enough to get behind the wheel. Once that's over, I'll be back home to start sewing. What's a little production sewing between now and Thursday, right? 

Oh, and tomorrow is my actual Birthday...and I'm working. Talk about poor planning. I should have switched with someone else weeks ago, so now I'm committed. I have a new Birthday photo to share that our dear daughter-in-law snapped over the weekend. I can't wait to show it to you tomorrow! See you then.

Sunday Scripture...

Psalms 69:30

 

Holiday Vendor Fair...

It's going to be a busy next seven days! I've been invited to participate as a vendor at the Touchmark Retirement Community Holiday Vendor Fair.  This year's date is Saturday, December 7, 2024 from 10 am until 2 pm. 

Of course, I have stock to take with me, but I'm going to whip up a few other items to add to my offerings that I think might be good gift ideas. So starting this weekend, I'll be preparing fabrics and notions to do some intense production sewing. 

I'll have everything finished no later than Thursday, so I can set up the inventory in my Square account for my point-of-sale checkout. Then, Friday I'll pack up the Explorer so I can drive up the valley to Appleton first thing in the morning on Saturday.

I'll share images of my offerings as I prepare everything, and I'm surely going to take photos of my booth as soon as I finish my set up. I'm really looking forward to it!

Here's the information again in case you're local and would like to attend. Stop in and say hi if you're in the area!