A Productive Weekend...

Brynwood Needleworks - Dog-Themed Custom Mask Order

 

It's amazing how much I can accomplish when I'm feeling good. This weekend, I completed a custom mask order for a friend. She ordered all these fabrics from Spoonflower, sent them to me - along with a mask that fits all her family members as a pattern - and asked me to make a batch for her and her kidlets, who all participate in showing dogs.

The mask she sent was made from a knit fabric, so I made my own template to mimic the style and size of her, and made a protoype for size. I tried on her mask, and then tried on the one I'd made. I changed my pattern slightly, added side tucks to each one, and voila! They were a perfect fit. 

I'll be mailing them to my friend, and she, her son and two daughters will all be able to safely attend dog shows. I hope she loves them!

 

Brynwood Needleworks - Autumn Table Mat

This was something I brought to Wisconsin from my Florida Saturday morning coffee club at Sandy's Quilt Shop. It was packed safely away with other projects I needed to finish. I chose a pretty, coordinating floral fabric for the backing, and then added a light print fabric for the binding.

I sandwiched the fabrics with a central batting, and then machine quilted the layers together. Once that was done, I attached a binding and sat down with a hot cup of tea to finish the hand sewing the binding. I'm glad to add another completed project to my list for 2020. 

Now, the table topper sits on our kitchen table, along with my small acorn cookie jar (filled with candy corn and candy pumpkins. High sugar, I know, but they been a perennial favorite for both Handsome and me, and we don't over do it.)

It's beginning to look a lot like Autumn outside. The leaves are turning color, and most of the birds are on their way South. I saw a flock of bluebirds in our apple tree yesterday. Such a beautiful sight! I was happy and sad at the same time, because they're so beautiful, but I know they're getting ready to leave. 

 

Most of our hummingbirds are gone, too, but a pretty, green female is still coming to the feeder. Handsome can see that I'm already contemplating knitting a little sweater for her (or even making a home for her inside if she doesn't leave in time)! kidding. not kidding. I'm sure she'll leave soon, but the feeders will stay out until I'm sure she's on her way to warmer climes, too. I'm going to miss those little hummers, and will look forward to them returning next Spring.

 

Guild Night In Florida...

Brynwood Needleworks - Disconnected Piecers Quilt Guild Annual Meeting Night

 

Goodness, did I have fun last night! I got to see all my dear quilting friends at our guild meeting in Port Charlotte, Florida. I was so warmly greeted when I walked in the door, and wish the night could have lasted at least twice as long!

The guest speaker for the evening was Sharon Ralph, a certified Judy Niemeyer instructor, who showed many examples of her own gorgeous quilts. I'm sharing just a few of my personal favorites in the collage above. Sharon will be teaching Niemeyer techniques to guild members in a two-day class this weekend.

I was able to chat with quite a few ladies, and was pleased to see that the guild has nearly doubled in size since the last time I was there. It was the annual meeting, so new officers were elected. There was also discussion about the next quilt show...scheduled for February 20, 2020...and I'm definitely planning to be there! Perhaps next year, we'll be here a little longer - our usual January, and add February to our stay.

I'm having lunch with my friends, Kathy and Nora (who used to own Sandy's Quilt Shop) before the weekend, so we can have a little extra girlfriend time. I miss the coffee group we used to have on Saturday mornings, and this way I can hear about what everyone has been doing to keep busy.

 

I'm sorry I won't be here for another meeting, so I'll have to settle for online updates to see what the ladies are accomplishing while I'm back in Wisconsin. That will have to do until I see them all again. Seeing all the beautiful quilts, I'm inspired to make my contributions to our charitable quilts for the preschool Headstart and Hospice programs as soon as I get home. I'll get them finished so I can send them south as soon as possible...and look forward to the next time I see my quilting friends again.

By Jove, I Think I've Got It...

Thank you to everyone who left a comment on yesterday's post. 

I read (and think I replied to) every one of them and tried your suggestions.

No matter how I tried, that luscious fabric included with the kit just wasn't

going to work. Even skinnied down to 1", there was too much white to avoid.

I love the fabric, but not for this project. I'll save it to use with something else.

What to do? Go shopping in the studio, of course!

I liked the comments suggesting I skew this toward a holiday piece by going 

with the red/pink/green colorway or a plaid-patterned fabric, so I started 

thinking about what I had that might incorporate all those colors in one fabric. 

I remembered purchasing a fabric like that when Sandy's Quilt Shop was 

going out of business (bowing head). I climbed my step ladder until I could 

reach the right shelf on my "tower" cubby storage. Bingo! I found it! 

When I put with the blocks, it worked!

  While I was up there, I found a "pinky" red that would coordinate, too. When I laid everything out like this a light bulb went on...table runner! I'm thinking I'll use the much more subtle tone-on-tone floral as the main  fabric, turn the blocks on point and then use the patterned fabric for the  backing and binding. You like? It's ok. You can be honest.   I'm saving the assembly for a few days. I'm heading off to another retreat with my gal pal, Susan Slaton on Sunday. I'll be in Sebring, FL until  Wednesday...three full days of sewing, creating and sharing girl time. I'll pack this with my other projects and work on it while I'm there.   One more very important thing:

web image

Today is Patriots' Day. My prayer is that today, and in all the days ahead, our country is never again attacked as we were on that fateful day thirteen years ago. Today, I'll be pausing to reflect on the events of 9.11.01 and remember those who were lost. Stay safe and vigilant, my friends.

One More Coffee Club Date and Studio Progress...

Empty Shelves and Good Friends. (l-r: Brenda, me, Kathy, Fay, Nora and Joni)

I have more photos of the progress in the studio below, but first I want

to mention that today is our last Coffee Club Saturday for the foreseeable

future. Today the shop will close its doors for good and Kathy and Nora

are going "on break". They've devoted a lot of time and energy into their

quilt shop venture and they're ready to spend some time doing fun things

with their families. We'll still see each other at guild, but no more Saturdays.

All of us in 2012. (l-r: Flo, Joni, Nora, Fay, Kathy, me and Brenda)

When I think about all the fun we've had together on these mornings, I know it's going to feel weird not getting up on Saturday to go down to the shop. We got to know each other better and we shared a lot of laughs and more than a few tears. We mourned the loss of loved ones and we've celebrated life. Now it's time to start a new chapter. I know we'll all keep in touch. Our visits will just be at different  times and in different places. Change is inevitable. We'll embrace it. We're all wishing Kathy and Nora wonderful new adventures. No "goodbyes".  Just good wishes.

 I know you're all waiting for a studio update, too, so here you go...

 We finished the floor before 5 o'clock yesterday. Trim pieces were installed 

behind these Koala furniture pieces, but not where shelves will be installed. I 

don't want to remove the baseboard from those areas, so we left them all in place. 

This picture is from the doorway into the room. My computer will be in the 

corner straight ahead and my serger table is right next to it. (Pardon the lamp. It's 

temporary and ugly. I just needed it for light until I decide how to light the space.)

 This is taken from the opposite corner from the door. Shelves will be installed on

 the wall behind me. The shelves with the partitions are part of my "tower of fabric"

 from the old studio. I placed it here for a preview. They'll be stacked and secured

 to the wall before I put all the folded fabric back. I can't wait to see it all in place!

 This door goes to the shared bathroom between the studio and the other

guest room. I'll be placing the cutting table under the window on the left.

 Shelves here for bolts of fabric. There will be a total of 129" of shelves on

this wall and the section of wall to the left of the window. There's one more

26" shelf unit that will be next to the bathroom door for a few more bolts.

I'm envisioning a riot of color on those walls, which is why I chose the soft

color for the wall itself. Which leaves only one more area to reveal to you.

The studio closet! I'm really proud of the way this entire floor turned out, but I  think

 the way I (perfectly) pieced the boards around the door hardware and into  the closet

 is my favorite part. I got better as I went along and was almost a pro by the  time I came

to the part that would be behind doors. It's a shame it will be hidden more often than not.

 Before I quit for the day, I moved all my drawer units into place, along with 

the large rolls of specialty fabric I have. Some of it is decorator fabric I have for

projects I've been thinking about, and then there are a few vintage bridal laces

I purchased for future garments. Now, they're in a place where I don't have

to worry about them falling on me like they did whenever I turned on a light

in the old studio. Clean, dry storage for my finer fabrics. I'm happier already.

 There are also drawers containing my wools, bindings, adhesives, ribbons, charm

packs, fabric set aside to finish more napkins or table runners and a lot of other good

 stuff. I also have my specialty papers (printables, etc.), rubber stamps and jewelry

  findings in the other drawers. There's a lot more here than meets the eye, but I know

 what is where and am happy to have it in the studio rather than in closets in other

 rooms or otherwise scattered around the house. Handsome is happy about this, too.

There's still a shelf above all these drawer units that I'll use for my baskets of batting.

 That should just about complete the available closet space until I sort and purge further.

I'm off to Coffee Club and then back home to get those shelves ready to install.

I know one thing is for sure...I'm finished working on my knees for the rest of

this project! My hands and knees are officially on break. Now it's only fun stuff.

Tomorrow is a new Sunday Scripture and I'll be back with lots of pictures Monday.

 Tag and Handsome can't wait until this is all done, so I better get back to it.

Progress Report - Full Disclosure...

 When last we met, I was preparing the old guest room for a coat

of paint. This is the way it looked after the holes were repaired. Yes.

There were actually two different colored paints on the walls in here. 

The dark color on the window wall was used to cover HUGE colored flowers

that graced the wall when we first bought our home. Lucky for the little girl

who lived here before us, but not so lucky for the grandparents who moved

in and had to cover them. (Of course, that would have been the two of us!)

 This is how the room looked after the first coat of paint. I used Behr 

"Waterfall Mist" (Code #W-D 510). It looks silvery blue, but is a little

more blue-ish in the middle part of the day. I purchased color/primer

all-in-one, hoping that it would cover completely with one coat.

 Same room, opposite wall.

 I really like this image with the "artsy" ladder shadow play. It's not the

 shadow of the step stool you can see. Rather, the larger one out of frame.

 Tag kinda let the "cat" out of the bag about how chaotic the house

is these days. I can't believe ALL this stuff was in the studio...

 and that it's camping out all over the house now. This is the reason I'm

working so hard to get this project accomplished ASAP. What a mess!

 This is actually our second guest room. The futon Tag was complaining about is

under all that fabric and supplies. (See arrow?) Definitely no naps here these days!

 This is the other side of the same room. Oh, dear. I have so much to do!

 Handsome has been so patient. He just walks through the house,

shakes his head back and forth, says, "Donna Carole" and sighs.

I do believe he's a saint and I'm not ashamed to tell the world so.

 Turns out the room did need a second coat of paint, so I did that yesterday

 morning while Handsome drove to Sandy's Quilt Shop to pick up the five

  shelf units that started all this remodeling. You might notice that I've

 reinstalled the cleaned window blinds on the likewise, newly clean window.

I left the curtain rod in place so that I could hang all my beautiful acorn

ornaments on it. Many of these were gifts from blog friends, so they are

important to me. I'll show you more pictures of them after the room is finished.

 The second coat of paint dried by mid-day, so Handsome and I pulled out the

carpeting, padding and those pesky tack rails. (Those were a bear to remove!)

I managed to install five rows of the vinyl plank flooring before I had to quit for

 the day. (My knees were starting to protest, so I decided to listen.) I also found

 that this floor height doesn't match up to the height of the tile in the adjacent

 room and hallway, so I have to go choose a transition piece before I can proceed.

 I need to find out how that transition piece has to be installed before I do more.

 I'd like to crow about this flooring a bit, too. I'm really happy with the way

 it looks. There will be no apparent seams when it's all down, so I won't

have to worry about losing dropped pins or needles in any flooring cracks. 

That's critical for any craft studio. It's going to help keep my space clean, too.

The planks are so pliable, they bend when you take them out of the package.
Each piece is cut to size with a utility knife and the floor snaps together at joints.
There's no adhesive either, so it's easier to install than rolled flooring.

Finally, I think it looks pretty darn realistic, with a slight sheen. It will be easy to clean and last a long, long time. The plan is to get the rest of it installed today so I can start putting my new studio together - and then  reclaim the rest of our home by the weekend. What's today? Oh, yeah. 

"Julie, Julie, Julie!"

Should be downhill from here, right?

I've Got Plans...

Brynwood April Hibiscus

  I had so much fun with my class yesterday. Every one of my students "got it". By the end of the day, they all went home with a great start to their own projects.   If you've taught someone else a technique you love, whether or or not it's sewing, quilting, needlework or something else, you know that sense of satisfaction one gets when you see the light go on in your student's eyes. It really never gets old.   I'm looking forward to watching these students become even more proficient in hand applique'. Perhaps we'll even get together again for a more advanced class.
Monday will bring another class, but today I'll visit with my Coffee Club  girlfriends. We got the "memo" that the shop will officially close in two weeks. We try not to think about it and just enjoy what time we have left in the shop.   It's a really good thing that we'll see each other A.S. (After Shop) or we would  have a much worse time coping with this new phase in Kathy and Nora's lives.  While we wish them all the best (and of course, we do), we can't help but lament  the loss of another wonderful quilt shop in our area. So, I'm off to catch up with them and hear more about what they have planned for their retirements.
I hope all of you savor every moment of your weekend. The weather is getting nicer up North, and Florida is starting to lift a little higher out of the ocean as our beloved snowbirds pull up stakes and head back to their northern homes.
See ya later, friends. Gotta run and get this weekend started!

On A Wonderful Day Like Today...

 We're invited to the home of friends for dinner this evening, so I

made a "thank you" gift to take along for our hostess. I've been 

making them each time we go to a new home for the first time.

I can tell you that this gift idea has been really appreciated each time.

I chose this soft botanical fabric for one side of these two-sided napkins.

 Because our host is a musician friend, I chose music-themed fabric that

coordinates with the fabric on the front. I'm happy with the way they look.

These napkins took a total of two hours to make from fabric choice to

completion. Making a set of six takes less than an afternoon, and they

really make a nice impression as a gift. I've sent them to friends and

family, too, so I frequently choose colors I already know they love.

Now, all I have to do is decide what I'll wear this evening. hmmmmm.

I'll be joining the girls at our Coffee Club this morning.

Last week was wild, as we all helped with the Going Out Of Business

Sale rather than hanging around drinking coffee and visiting. There was

not time to catch up or commiserate. I'm guessing there will be more of

the same this weekend. Kathy and Nora have had a crazy, busy week.

I'll have one stop after I leave there and then a quick trip to Venice so I

can go to the Venice Guild Quilt Show. I'll spend a couple of hours there

before going home so Handsome and I can go to dinner with friends.

As I think about my schedule today, I can't help but appreciate the blessings

in my life. Doesn't this sound like a wonderful way to spend a Saturday?

(Yup. I think so, too.)

A Helpful Sewing Tip...

They say that "Necessity is the Mother of Invention." Well, yesterday was a
little frustrating while I was sewing my easy quilt top together. Every other
seam would get hung up on that little lip between the height of my sewing
machine and my plexiglass sewing table. Each time the seam allowance on
the underside faced toward the needle, it would hang up on that darn lip.
I had to stop every time to make sure that the seam didn't change direction
as my fabric was drawn toward the needle. It was driving me a bit buggy.

I remembered that I have some 2 1/2" wide vinyl Amazing Tape™ in my

drawer and I had an idea! This tape has no adhesive on it, and I already

have it for number of different uses. I put a strip around leftover tubes

of Christmas wrapping paper so it doesn't unroll itself. I use it on my 

twill tape rolls to keep them tidy in my storage drawer. It's great for

lots of other uses in the studio, too. Now I can add another use for it.

I cut a 3 1/2 inch length of the Amazing Tape™ from the roll and placed it on

the bed of my sewing machine starting over the middle of the bobbin case.

 Then I smoothed it down, bridging that pesky step to the sewing table. 

I ran my finger over the tape on the plexiglass side, which created a

nice, little ramp that my fabric could travel over as I sew. It's better to

use the wider version of this vinyl tape so the seam allowance doesn't catch

away from the area you're directly sewing. At least that's my preference.

See? No more step. Now it's just a smooth transition from the

sewing table to the machine. The best part is that my seam 

allowance won't get hung up anymore and I can just sew right on.

They just glide right up and over the hump, toward the needle!

Feel free to use this idea. (I'm not charging for it or anything! lol)

 I'm off to Coffee Club today. It's going to be busy. Sisters, Kathy and Nora 

have decided to close the shop. They sent out a broadcast email to our guild

 members, as well as to other local guilds, and their "Going Out of Business" 

sale starts today. It's bittersweet, but the girls want to enjoy retirement rather 

than run their shop anymore. We all completely understand, but we're still sad.

Change is always a little difficult, and for all of us, this will be a big change.

We'll be there to help Kathy and Nora close this chapter of their lives, and

then they can move forward together with new adventures ahead of them.

Looks like March really does come in like a lion!