Plugging away ....

The weather here has been lovely. We even have a blanket of snow! 

I've been knitting away on the Storm Sweater by Petite Knit. It's an easy knit ... the pattern mainly consists of strategically placed knit and purl stitches. 

This is what it looks like once you have joined the front.

I did manage to finish the sweater ... well except for the collar. With everything presently going on in my life, I'm just not in the mood for anything complicated or requiring thinking. I've put it aside until my mind is uncluttered. So close and yet .... lol

On another note, if you like reading about sheep farming, Adventures in Yarn Farming by Barbara Parry is a wonderful book. 

The pictures are lovely. She touches on all aspects of the processing of fleece from shearing to dying. She even includes different projects.

That's it for now. Thank you for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace.

Cheers!

Farmer's Market

 I have now switched to working from home. I had avoided this for quite some time. I figured, working at the office would get me out of the house. But, I will admit, I am enjoying working from home. 

Because I am such a home body (what can I say I'm comfortable in my home ... it's so peaceful and there's so much to do) I have to plan outings. So ... on Saturday, I went to the Farmer's Market. It was nice to get out ... it was such a gorgeous day. 

Bought lots of locally grown organic vegetables and treated myself to a bouquet of flowers from Mossbrook Roots Flower Farm. Who knew we had a flower farm in our area.

They included Thai Basil in the bouquet, it smells so lovely!

I do hope you are taking the time to enjoy the outdoors. We have had such a lovely summer here in way upstate NY.

Thanks for stopping by. Catch you all later.

Baby ... It's cold outside!

We had a wonderful snow storm this weekend that lasted well into Sunday. Not sure how many inches of snow we received. It was so windy, all I know is that I shoveled three (3) feet of snow ...

Today, is quite windy and brrrr!

A perfect day to sit with a latte and read the new cookbook I recently bought .... The Red Truck Bakery Cookbook

Interesting read with lots of wonderful recipes. I myself love a cookbook filled with pictures and stories related to the recipes.

Given how cold it is today, it was a perfect day to try the Howdy Neighbor Muffin recipe. It did not disappoint.

OMG ... they were delish!

Catch you all later! Cheers!

I sit a lot .... quietly!

As I've mentioned in a past post ... I haven't been up to much these past few months. I mainly sit quietly .... solitude and silence has been my constant companion as of late. Not complaining, it's what is at the moment .... what I need. As Sara, a friend, would say, "hanging on to my peace!"

Last Sunday, I went into Montreal to celebrate my mother's 82nd birthday. There is this wonderful book store on the West Island that I just love getting lost in it's many aisles of books. Chapter's is a must to visit when you're in the city. I'm all for supporting local bookstores ....

I picked up this wonderful book ... The Subtle art of not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson.

A potty mouth book with wisdom. If you are easily offended, I would not recommend it. Like I said, potty mouth ... but it does make valid points! It's NOT a book about being indifferent ... au contraire! Choose wisely what you are going to care about and care deeply ... FULLY give a Hoot! Using clean language here! lol It all makes sense to me.

A passage that caused me to reflect ... regarding the positive thinking movement ...

A wise book to cuddle with on a cold winter day ....

Thanks for stopping by my little corner in cyberspace!

Catch you all later!

Reading break ...!

Vicki from Colorways by Vicki Welsh had blogged about an audio book she found interesting, Spaceman by Mike Massimino.

Some may or may not know this, but I'm a big space history buff. I just love reading about the space program, mainly during the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo era.

I thought perhaps it would be good for me to pick up Mike Massimino's book and expand my knowledge to the shuttle era. I'm certainly interested in the Hubble Telescope, which he serviced.

I wasn't disappointed! What a great book. I can certainly see a difference in writing style between this era of astronauts and those of the 1960's.

Massimino made it real. He was candid and honest about his experience, the mistakes he's made. He wasn't afraid to tell it like it was for him, how he worked through some issues to become a better human and in turn a better astronaut. There's a human element that I hadn't read in other biographies (Deke Slayton, Alan Sheppard).

I highly recommend this biography. A lot of what he writes about is applicable to everyone, and not just those seeking a career in space travel!

Cheers!

What's your passion?

I've pretty much caught up on the machine quilting and binding of all the projects I have written about. Hurry for me. What this also means is that I've been taking a break from quilting and ... catching up on my reading.

I don't know why, but I find it difficult to balance work with other activities that I enjoy, like reading and journaling. Seems I put a lot of pressure on myself to get samples done for the shoppe. Sigh!

Life is a balancing act and sometimes I'm not well balanced .... leaning way to much towards the work side. So this summer, I've taken upon myself to sit and read a book at least an hour a day. It's been a great summer .... much to nice to be sitting indoors with the a/c on, thus making it easy for me to keep to my goal.

A book I enjoyed tremendously was Big Magic - Creative living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert (author of Eat Pray Love, which I have not read)

I loved it!  Just what I needed!

In a nut shell, it is about creating for the sake of creating. Does everything you create have to have a purpose? Must make money for you? If you enjoy writing, write ... who cares if it gets published or not! What is important is that you are enjoying the process!  And if you want to publish your work, do so!

There is a quote that struck a cord with me. In finding your passion, the question is not, "what are you passionate about?" But more like "What are you passionate enough about that you are willing to endure the most disagreeable aspect of the work?" That's the part I'm stuck on!

One thing I know for sure is that I am passionate about my quilt shoppe Fibre Junction, however I am also passionate about life. I am curious by nature. I learned that I needed to not only set boundaries between creating for Fibre and creating for myself, but to maintain those boundaries.

I enjoy reading and journaling, something I had not done in a very long time. Happily, I've picked it back up and enjoying every minute of it.

What are you passionate about? Are you living a balanced life?

Thank you for stopping by my little corner in cyber space! Cheers!

Reading Between the Wine ....!

I've joined a book club! I thought it would help me get out of this funk ... and get out of the house a bit more.  I'm such a home body! I know, you would never think that of me. lol

You've got to admit, the book club name is so appropriate pour moi! I do love wine .... it's the French in me!

Last night, we discussed Splinters of Light by Rachael Herron. Great book! It is the story of two sisters, fraternal twins, their relationship and the transformation it undergoes when one of the sisters learn that she has early onset of Alzheimer.

In the beginning I had a difficult time getting into it, the book was all over the place. I kept having to refer back to see where the heck she was. You see, I hadn't read the synopsis. The author often places you in Nora's mind, as she attempts to cope with what is going on with her health. Nora is a journalist and the mother of a 16 year daughter. Once Nora learns of her diagnose, you have a clear understanding how her mind is working, the changes that are taking place, her concerns for her daughter, Ellie, in relation to Nora's twin sister, Marianne. Goodness, I think I cried throughout the rest of the book!

I'm not one to read a lot of adult fiction, so this book club is good for me. It forces me to read books that I would not normally pick up and ... enjoy a glass of wine when we have our gathering. The fiction I tend to read are more in the children's category. I recently finished Grenshaw by Katherine Applegate.

 I have to admit, the cover attracted me! What's not to like ... a kid with a baseball cap and a cat! What I like about children's books is that they deal with complex issues in a non complex way. Adults tend to complicate things, over analyze, over think everything making the situation worse than it seems. I can much better deal with a kid's mind than an adult's mind! Hum... what does that say about me? lol Yea, I haven't really grown up yet, have I?!  Cheers!

We interrupt our UFO plan ......

Reading a great book...

Daring Greatly by Brene Brown .... Can't seem to put it down.... It's been a while since I've read a psychology book.  Well worth the read if you're into this kind of stuff!

In the mean time, renovations are on schedule.  Penelope is down and the room is almost empty.  Allow me to share some before pictures.

Notice the carpet and the closets?  Quite the waste of space if you ask me!  Guess what's happening to that wall long, very deep closet?  ;o)

By Thursday evening, it was brought down to this.

And this....

Hum ..... I'm hoping DH will be able to do something with this floor.  I so loved the way the floor in our bedroom turned out.  

Saturday is massive demolition day.  My favourite brother is coming down and off they'll go!

Thanks for stopping by!  Cheers!

The designer gene...!

There are some individuals that were born with the designer gene.  They just seem to have a knack for decorating.

Take Kaaren from The Painted Quilt blog, she is just one of those talented people that I admire.  I look at the pictures of her home and WOW!  Wish I could do that.  She has such an eye for colour and placement.  There are many on blog land that I admire and I enjoy reading about their decorating adventures.

Sadly, I do not seem to have been born with that special decorating gene.  To compensate, I subscribe to magazines and at times buy books on the subject, all in the hopes that it will come naturally for me.

Let me share with you my latest magazine find.

A Primitive Place and Country Journal, what a great magazine!

If you are into primitive anything, this is the ONE for you.  Well worth the price!

I just love looking at the photographs and day dream!

Oh...... how I wish my home looked like that!

Of course,  I have to be realistic.  I could have it looking like that but ... I'd be spending my day following DD and DH with a vacuum cleaner and bucket to clean up after them and/or replacing the items to it's original place! lol  I would much rather be quilting!  Oh well!

They do have a blog called A primitive Place and Country Journal, for those that are interested.

Simple Country Wisdom - 501 Old-Fashioned Ideas to Simplify your Life by Susan Waggoner it another of my find.

Lots of pictures, which I so enjoy, and wonderful suggestions!

I have not finished reading it yet.  It has been so busy with the many quilting classes that I am teaching, but I have enjoyed what I have read so far.

On the quilting front, Spring Fling by Jane Patek is still on Penelope.  Sigh!  Not enough hours in the day!

I still have not attempted to transfer the design from the Santa's Comin' to Town pattern, so that means I am still itching for a hand project.

Today, I will be making an attempt to dig myself into my sewing room.  Yes, you read right!  It's been a dumping ground for the past 2 weeks.  Anyone want to come over and help me dig? lol

I did pick a winner of the "name that quilt" challenge and it is Pam from Pam's Place.  Pam, if you would kindly refresh my memory as to where I should mail this little prize, I would be much obliged.

Thank you for stopping by.  If you do not see me again for a while it may be that I have become lost in my sewing room.  Perhaps even managed to be under a fabric avalanche! lol  Cheers!

Civil War stuff......

Have you seen this new book from the author of Prairie Children and their Quilts?

Kathleen Tracy has come out with The civil War Sewing Circle book - Quilts and Sewing Accessories Inspired by the Era and was a gem it is.

It's so inspirational!

There are so many projects I could make out of that book!

As a matter of fact, I have recently completed a small quilt from that book!

Tah dah.....!

This cute little doll quilt is called Scrap Square Doll Quilt!

Except for the sashing, I used all scraps to make it!

It's presently in the Shoppe on a shelf, keeping a doll warm! It is winter! ;o)

I have another project started that I hope to show you as soon as I complete it! Gotta get moving so I can blog about it! lol

Thanks you for stopping by! Keep well!

MQX ... the last day!

Saturday morning, I once again took classes all day. My last class ending at 3:00 p.m.

I do want to tell you about one of the classes I took with Sally Terry. What a wonderful teacher she is. The class was called Instant Fills and Meanders.

If you haven't picked up her book Pathways to Better Quilting, I strongly suggest that you do. It's a must in a machine quilter's library.

She breaks down machine quilting patterns into 5 shapes, and from these shapes you create the various designs that make up your filler or quilting pattern.

I was so ecstatic when I saw her class in the catalogue, I just had to take it. If I had to walk away with only one important piece of advice that came from her class (and they were many, she freely shares her knowledge and experience) it would be "work your mistakes in, make it look as though you planned it that way". That somehow took a load off my shoulders. It removed the fear of making a mistake and having to croak! lol

I suppose I should talk about my purchases. I mean, I cannot go to a show and not buy anything.

As you can see I didn't pick up much in terms of goodies. I tried to stay reasonable despite Superior Threads offering their products close to whole sale. I mean, not that I didn't want to buy anything related to quilting, it's just well, I think I felt self conscious financially.

You see, I did make a huge expense while at the show. I'd like to place the fault on Vicki and say "she made me do it", but I'd be fibbing. No, Vicki did not make me do anything, she was a great support.

I suppose I should get to the point! I did test drive many longarms. Yes, I was very impressed with the A-1 Quilting Machine, it's a smooth running machine. But, that's not the one I bought. I bought the APQS Millennium with extras including the hydraulic table! Oh, I CAN blame the hydraulic table on Vicki! lol

Now, can I blame the longarm purchase on Sue Patten? lol No, but she was a factor in my decision. She is an amazing woman, full of energy. You bet I'll be taking classes with her next year, if not sooner.

Some have asked me how I based my decision. For one, I did my research and without getting too spiritual, I based it on my feelings. APQS just felt right for me. Couple that with wonderful people at the booth, and it was a sell for me. Mark Caraher was tending the booth the whole time, he's a great person. I tell you the energy was wonderful. I tear when I think of my purchase experience. I know, I get emotional at times! lol

The next day I went to the booth to ask about something, you know how your mind sort of shuts down when you've made such a purchase. Questions come up the next day. The lady there was very supportive. I watched as the sales people interacted and it felt genuine.

So there you have it, my first longarm purchase! I am so excited, I can hardly stand it. Delivery date is around mid July!

Thank you for stopping by and sharing this new joy with me! I hope you have a wonderful day!

ps: Picture of Sue and I graciously provided by Vicki W. Thanks again Vicki!

I joined a gym...........

Yep, like I need more distractions and commitments in my life lol .

Jennifer, my quilting bee buddy, and I thought it would be a great idea and motivator to get our bodies back in shape. I mean, I already have a round shape but I thought I'd get a more lean shape, if you know what I mean! ;o) Of course, Jennifer is only doing it to tone her muscles.

So today, I brought my heart rate up to 180 beats per minute. That's about the level it goes up too when I see George Cluny! lol Of course I had to work to get it that high on the thread mill! lol I'm sure I don't need to tell you that my older body is aching at the moment!

I do hope you have all had a wonderful weekend. I certainly did! We went to Massachusetts for a visit with the family. I'm sure you can guess where I spent a good part of my Saturday? Yep The Quilted Crow.

I bought the book Remembrance by Jo Morton.

It has some sweet looking quilts. I'm starting to develop a taste for older more reproductive style quilts. You can view some of the quilts in the book here.

Of course they had a kit for one of the quilts, Peppermint Twist, that I just had to have.

Seriously, I really couldn't resist the gorgeous fabrics they choose! I mean, I couldn't have done a better job at picking the fabrics myself! ;o) lol

Yea, I know, I need another project like I need to join a gym! lol

Okay, I think it's time for me to close this post because I'm just being silly! Gosh, I'm tired and aching!

Keep fit everyone! Thanks for stopping by!

I have been inspired!

I have been waiting patiently for a machine quilting design for Winter Sentry! Alas, it has come!

I treated myself to this book, Machine Quilting Solutions, Techniques for Fast & Simple to Award-Winning Designs by Christine Maraccini.

I am always on the look out for a new and better way of doing things. This book was a great buy! I like the way the author approaches the subject of designs. She offers methods of analyzing a quilt as well as techniques for creating your design. There are lots of pictures, always a bonus, that are a source of inspiration!

As I perused the pages of this book, while waiting for dd to finish her figure skating lesson, the inspiration came. The star border on Winter Sentry was giving me such a difficult time! I now know how I shall approach this little gem! Stay tune for pictures!

I shall now leave you to draw my idea on graph paper and onward to the machine quilting! I do hope to be able to finish this quilt today!

Thank you so much for your support. I love reading your comments! Have a great day everyone!

Thanks for the laugh!

Yesterday, I arrived home at 7:45 p.m. after an insane day!

I left home around 10:00 a.m. and arrived at school at 1:15 p.m. I was stuck in traffic for two and a half hours (2 1/2) on the Mercier bridge. Usually I'm at school within an hour. One thing about small town USA, traffic is considered 3 (three) cars at a stop sign. lol Although I come from a large city and am acclimated with traffic jams, I must admit, you loose your patience after living in an area with so little traffic. Of course, it didn't help the situation that I was meeting someone at 12:45 p.m. and could not reach that individual! You can just imagine, after the week I had, I was fit to be tied when I arrived at school!

After class, I felt like quitting school! Enough is enough! I just wanted to cry! So I left for home as opposed to going out for a drink with friends. I really wasn't in a good mood! When I arrived home, I hugged my little girl and settled her in bed for her nightly reading.

I poured myself a glass of wine and started thinking about what I want to do with my life. Wanting to hear the rain falling, I opened the front door and found a package from Amazon. I'm thinking, gosh that was quick, I placed an order for school books a couple of days ago! I opened the package.

I laughed so hard I cried! Cheryl, you made my day! Thank you!

Allow me to explain, a while back my friend Cheryl (from Oz) and I were chatting about manners and how some people just don't seem to have any. She made reference to this book and how great it was. I had never heard of Miss Manners only of Emily Post.

I flipped through and read a few entries and just loved it! She really does have a way with words!

Of course I teased Cheryl, I mean, should I be taking this personally? ROFL

So, if you need any advice on manners, I'm the gal with the reference! lol

Today I'm doing better and I still want to quit school! I was going to forfeit my quilting bee in order to do some school work, but I'm thinking that perhaps I should seek a change of scenery.

I do want to thank you all for your kind words and encouragement! It means a lot to me.

I do hope you are all having a great week! Thank you so much for stopping by!