Dresden Plates

Just a quick post to show the finished quilt, the result of which is our guild's round robin choice for the past few months.  I put the bottom left plate in my bag along with a few pieces of fabric and told the rest of the quilters that I didn't care about the size, or colors, but they all chose to use the same shades and WOW! There were 2 extra--10 in all that did not match so one became the label and the other a small table topper.  Loved this project!

The New Year

 I did not stay up to see the new year in. I went to bed early and figured from past experience, that the new year would arrive with or without my seeing the ball drop.  When I got up this morning, like I thought, it had come as it had in the 72 previous years of my life, although it was very cold.  I am done with the cold...oh wait, I have no say in the matter.  Christmas was quiet here and snowy!  My purchase earlier of the turned dowel and the help of the Mr. turned out to be a sweet porch angel. I will be able to change the head gear and the items in her hands for the seasons.  We did have friends for Christmas Day and my sweet neighbors exchanged goodies which are nearly gone, (thank goodness).  Below are gifts from my wonderful neighbor from across the street.  The beautiful Chrystal ball came last year and this fall,  she followed with the metal hanger.  It is beautiful and may stay up all year.  And this year....

 This lovely glass tree with the glass balls were from her.  It is not very tall....perhaps 9 inches, but it is so very pretty and she is a treasure for sure.  Thank you Mary.  I have been quilting with a group at our library and when I told them that I had a blog, although some knew it, they asked what I blogged about.  I realize that I haven't been real consistent with it, but told them that I would blog about them.  Not wanting to publish pictures of them for privacy issues, I will be taking pictures of their projects and progresses so this is just the beginning of my promise to them.

Imagination is the highest kite one can fly. ~ Lauren Bacall 

Christmas

 OMG! I have been so busy that I did not realize how long it had been! And I just got interrupted with an hour long call from a classmate who calls annually to wish us a Merry Christmas.  Truly I am blessed to have friends who stay in touch after nearly 55 years.  Yikes! Has it been that long since high school graduation?  I have been baking.....numerous kinds of goodies and will package them to deliver to neighbors and friends this week.  I started later this year.  Had lunch with 20 plus prior school dist employees from Rawlins who are now residents here, and visited with neighbors for coffee and am working on quilt projects and below my latest project.  I actually had to make a list this morning in order to get everything done today.  Got the dogs bathed, peanut butter buckeyes finished , three loads of laundry, this blog, my daughter called, krautburger filling ready for the bread I have yet to make plus a million other things.  I simply do not have enough time in my day.

So at a cute shop last weekend with a friend who came to spend the weekend, I found this turned piece for $8.00 and had a snapshot of a porch angel I wanted make.  The Mr. immediately set to work on it.  Love him!  The base is from a brass lamp we were scrapping, the wings from a pallet piece and the arms were from two stairway pieces that I have been dragging with me for years. I will try to finish this blog later this week but gotta go and get my bread made.

pig pen

 This again is my collection of pig cutting boards. I was not happy with my previous display, so when my buddy, Pat was here this weekend, we hit some flea markets as well as some retail stores and we got an inspiration for a different display.  I had picked up some fence pickets this summer for a quarter apiece and did not know what I would do with them, but being the cheapskate that I am, I hit upon an idea.  The Mr. got busy and helped with my project and after a little drilling, and screwing and painting, look here!

I have yet to finish with a sign at the top. But it is on it's way.  We decided just to lean it and then it can be moved so anyone who knows me understands that I move things all of the time.

This past couple of weeks has been so busy, and I am not complaining, but it has not afforded me the time to get to some things.  This week my friend was here on Sat and Sun, Mon I caught up a little, Tues I quilted, or sewed really at the library with several friends, Wed I had an applique session, Thursday was lunch with retired school employees and today again is UFO (unfinished objects of the fabric or needlework items) and tomorrow is to shop for Thanksgiving.  Speaking of that, my neighbor invited us to join them and friends so I volunteered to make several things to help out.  It was so very nice of her and she also asked if I knew of anyone else, just to invite them also.  She invited a couple of single neighbors also....what a sweet thing to do.  We are truly blessed with good friends and neighbors.

The library here is a wonderful place for the community to access!  We were able to secure a room every Tuesday to have for the day so that our little group can quilt.  We sign up for 3 months and there are accomodations for our machines and irons, and cutting boards etc.  There also is a coffee shop and sandwich shop in the building so it will give us a place this winter to congregate together.  Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful!

More chalk paint and stuff

 Oops..forgot to turn the photo! I finished the chair and look at the pumpkin.  It was scarred and looked horrid and since it was a fake one that I've had for years, what the heck.  I like it! There is so much controversy about using Annie Sloan wax over the paint, but I found it easy and like the matte finish, plus no fumes or sticky varnish. Durability?  We will see.

 So I had my pigs on top of my cupboards, but since there are now six, they are quite heavy and I decided that they might be too much weight for the cupboards.  I personally know of two people who had their upper cupboards fall and lose dishes when not enough hardware was used to secure that much weight.  Dishes are heavy actually.  So my little piggies are in their pigpen.

 I have been taking a class to complete a "Gypsy Wife" quilt and I had no idea really that there were so many squares.  I know for sure that I finished 43 squares yesterday and today although they are small...4-3 inches and the other ones which are larger were done during the last month, it feels like a 100 at least.  There are about 10 or so more to complete, using some of the ones below by adding more rounds, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel on this portion.  Next will be to try to put the sections together with narrow strips (yet to be cut). At least I have been able to use from my stash and put to use some of the smaller pieces of fabric that I could not bring myself to discard.

I have also been working with a friend to organize a group of gals (who want to machine quilt in a group) to find a place to work.  We need a large room with electrical facilities where we can spend several hours a day.  The Laramie County Library has been able to fill that need and we will hope that it works.  I have more than a dozen quilt projects started, so hopefully this will motivate me to finish some.

With daylight savings time ending this weekend and the temperature dropping now, it sure feels like winter is here or close at least.  Not my favorite time of the year and the wind nearly blows me away. How many shopping days until spring?

"Wherever you are it is your own friends who make your world." ~ William James

Chalk Paint and Flea market find

 It has been nearly 2 weeks since I posted, but I have been busy. So first the chalk paint!  I have wanted to try this for quite some time now and spending the weekend with a friend gave me the opportunity.  We had intended to go to the French Nest in Ft. Collins and then on to Lyons and a quilt store there among other things.  However weather predictions and WIND gave us reason to change plans.  We stayed in Brighton on last Saturday and stopped at a shop which sold Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and had many examples of the finished applications.  So far it has not disappointed me!  Although it did take two coats which is recommended, a light first coat followed by a second coat and then a wax coat.  I need to apply a second coat of wax still I feel.

 These pieces did not match each other or anything else and I wanted to make them more alike! The light does make them seem a little different, but they are not and I need to do the chair for the coffee bar and I have ideas about some other garage sale pieces that I have.  Really, you do not need to prime, or sand or prepare the pieces except for cleaning.

 This little piggy went to market and I snatched him up!  He has been cleaned and oiled and will soon join my five other pig cutting boards atop my cupboards.  I want to display them differently and am working on that.  He was at a flea market in Lafayette CO where we frequent and can always spend all afternoon.

So back to being busy.  I have been to 3 quilt meetings, met with the 2 friends with whom I traveled to the Midwest, spent a good amount of time trying to arrange a room at our local library for a quilting and sewing place for the winter, again with 2 friends, spent the weekend in CO where I also had breakfast with my two sisters and a friend. I am blessed with friends, I know.  With winter fast approaching though, I may be staying home for a while.

More trip and treasure

 This little guy is not part of the trip, but one small part of a garage sale box that I paid $1.00 to a woman who was downsizing.  (I should probably be doing that too.) In the box was a butane curling, about 100 clothespins in a ziploc, two rolls of wallpaper border, elastic for sewing, many buttons and pins, a box with sewing machine feet, sewing machine needles (new) and countless other items, some of which I took to a thrift shop.  But this old pincushion, in pristine condition with his "tail" pins was the best treasure.  I have a soft spot for pincushions and have actually been making a few more for our retreat next summer.

 This barn was one of many on our trip which captivated us.  There are several quilt blocks on this one and the barn like so many, was in great condition.  I do not even remember where it was.

At the Yoder Farm, which we toured, I took a snap of this yellow flower which the young Mennonite woman who was our guide on the Amish farm showed us.  She said it was called a popcorn plant because when the leaves were rubbed, it would smell like buttered popcorn.  It did indeed!  I met yesterday with the two gals I was lucky enough to make this trip so much fun and we hope now to be able to quilt on a regular basis.  We are sadly losing one of our two quilt shops so that may involve some more trips together.

I have my fall flowers out, hung my skeleton on my hook, put my fall wreath on the door, but snow is predicted for the first part of the week.  What happened to fall?  Halloween is next now so....

Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat!