Looks Like We Made It...

 ...to Meadville, PA, that is.

It was a bit of an arduous drive through the mountains of

West Virginia to get here, especially in the rain, but Pennsylvania

proved welcoming. There was a lot of sunshine and the steep ups

and downs slowly transformed into rolling hills and valleys.

 Handsome went over to the college yesterday to pick up his

registration packet, which always includes a college tote bag.

Inside are all his class schedules, meal card and a few other goodies.

 

This year, he came back with a matching packet for me!

Go figure. I only go to one group gathering, the Thursday recitals

and the concert finale on Friday, but here was my own meal card,

schedule (in case I want to sit in), and even my own swanky pen!

 While he was over at the college, I was working on the knitting for my special project. I finished it around 9 last night, and will start my day today doing all the joining and yarn tucking. After that, I'll add the ribbon closure and perhaps a button or two just to trim it out a little more. I'll decide when I get to that point.
I'm also making something for our great-nephew's Christening next month. I brought Sofie along so she'll be helping me out with the machine sewing part of that project. She also has a small embroidery unit, so I'm going to add a little something extra, too.
Tag will be here tomorrow. He's so excited to share his good news! You'll have to come back to read all about it. (He can hardly wait!)

A Gift For An Old Friend...

Gosh! It's June already!!! Time sure does fly. Sofie and I created a new set of napkins yesterday. The fabrics are from Red Rooster Fabrics. They're a line called "Heartstrings" by Terri Degenkolb of Whimsicals.

This is a set of four 12" napkins for a friend I'll be meeting with for a day of lunch and shopping. I sure hope she likes them!

Kathy and I met over ten years ago. When I closed my needlework shop, Stitches, she and her business partner purchased many of my fixtures and my cash register for a shop they were opening on the other end of Main Street.

We've kept in touch through the years and Tag and I were fortunate to spend time with her last summer. I'm so glad that we'll be able to be together again for a few hours today. I'm sure we'll have fun finding new items to add to our creative supplies.

I promise to share what I find with you, but for now I'd better finish getting ready. I can't be sitting around in my jammies when she arrives, you know!

I Really Like Paper Piecing...

This is my first attempt at paper piecing and I am really happy with the way the block went together. I had a little trouble with the "reverse" thinking at the beginning, but quickly "turned my thinking around" (I know...narf!) and this Friendship Star block was my first paper pieced block.

Loreen (my friend and our class instructor) shared a joke with our friend, Will. They had all of us laughing. Will is quite accomplished with his machines. He's got more than two Babylocks and was sitting at his Janome for the class. He told us that he earned three ribbons at the Venice (FL) Quilt Show a few weeks ago. We were all duly impressed, even though we didn't get to see the actual quilts.

There were five of us taking the class, but most of the gals were camera shy. That's my Sofia in the foreground, and she was quite happy to help me create my block(s). I like the fact that, unlike Miss Ellie (my Ellisimo) and Prissy (my Espire), Sofie only weights about 12 pounds. It's a truly portable machine, so I don't have to worry about lugging around something heavier.

If anyone needed to cut their fabrics, the main cutting table in the front of the shop was available. It's also where we gathered to watch Loreen demonstrate layout or other paper piecing techniques. There may have been money and merchandise exchanging hands, too, although I was sworn to secrecy so I couldn't possibly comment.

This was as far as I got on the second block yesterday. It's called Kansas Troubles. I used the same fabrics that I've been using in my Farmer's Wife blocks, so I can add it to the blocks to go into my Farmer's Wife quilt when I complete them.

All in all, I think the class was a great success for me. I now understand the concept of paper piecing, and have completed one block, with patterns for three more from the class to finish. They meet every week, so perhaps I'll go back over again. All I can say for now is that I'm happy I took the class, because I've found that I really like paper piecing! If you haven't tried it before, get thee to a class and learn. Who knows? You might like it, too!

An Elegant, Vintage Solution...

After much deliberation, I finally decided that this would be the best place for my sewing machine to travel when we're moving our "cottage" down the road...in the space between the foot of my bed and the wall of our bedroom at the front of the Flying Cloud.

When I purchased Sofie, she arrived in a beautiful, wheeled case...that was just too wide to fit into this space. I couldn't make it work any way I tried. I had was forced to find another way to keep my Sofie - and her accessories - safe during transport.
I went into our tiny attic space to see if one of the suitcases (we won't need to use to travel now) might work.

Look what I found! Handsome scored this at an estate sale we attended when we still lived in Wisconsin. It's one of those gorgeous, vintage suitcases that you use for car travel, but would never trust in the hands of any airline on earth. It's mahogany leather, tooled with the most beautiful designs - and after taking a few measurements -
I found that Sofie and all her accessories fit perfectly inside! The little 14 pound sweetheart, her embroidery attachment, hoop, plastic box with interchangeable presser feet, and instruction manuals all snuggled safely within the padded interior.
I'll need to make a proper padded cover for the embroidery attachment and hoop, but otherwise, it's already road-worthy.
After I asked if it was alright for me to use it, I loaded up "our" vintage suitcase and found that it fit into its new travel spot with room to spare. Guess that means I'll have room for the vintage train case I'm going to use to hold some of my other craft projects for our trip!

I can't think of a better solution to my modern dilemma than a vintage suitcase. I'm so happy that Handsome was willing to share! Yup. It's confirmed once again. I'm one Lucky Girl!

I'm inspired to find more vintage accessories for our cottage now. (Thanks, Rett! Your links to Sisters On The Fly started me down this path. I don't think I'll carry it as far as the Sisters did, but more vintage is definitely a good thing.)

I'd Like You To Meet Sofie...

Miss Ellie (my Babylock Ellisimo) and Prissy (my Espire) are the hardest working employees a seamstress could ever want, but there's just one thing. They refuse to leave the house. They love being in the studio on their respective tables and they prefer to wait for me right there for me.
I found myself needing an employee who was willing to travel, who didn't take up much room and who would happily tackle any project I might want to attempt while on the road.

I reviewed a number of resume's, and yesterday I hired Sofie. Her full name is Babylock Sophia, but like Miss Ellie and Prissy, she likes having a nickname. It's a good thing, too, because I told her that's how we roll at Brynwood.
At a mere fourteen pounds and a petite fifteen inches long (without the embroidery unit attached), she won't add much weight to the coach or need a room to herself when it's time to hit the open road. She can embroider small designs (up to 4" x 4"), and she's sturdy enough to quilt. She also has many of the features of the "big girls". She has an automatic thread cutter, the much used and appreciated needle threader, and built in specialty stitches. I know that our association will be a match made in...Sarasota!

Now, don't think I went out and paid a full contract price to employ Sweet Sofie. Thanks go to my dear friend, Carol of Serendipity (who lives part time in Sarasota). She wasn't using Sofie to her full potential and decided to let someone else hire her. I jumped at the chance! I'm sure that she'll enjoy working with my other two girls...and I know she's going to love the wayfaring life I have planned for her.
If you haven't visited Carol before, be sure to stop over to see her beautiful spot in Blogland. She and I have been friends since meeting a few years ago at a local quilt shop. We've taken classes together, and since her latest trip south, we've met with another blogging friend (who I'll tell you about soon) for lunch, shopping and visiting. She creates truly fabulous quilts, participates in Tablescape Tuesdays, and she's in the process of redecorating her blog these days. Of course, you'll remember to tell her "hello" from me, right?

Sofie is looking forward to sharing some of my creative collaborations with you over the summer and into fall. She'll be back to visit again before you know it.