I’m still here

I’m still here! We started painting our house two weeks ago, and it’s slow going. The cleaning, the taping, the trim work, more taping, the walls, cleaning the brushes, removing the tape. My mother and sister helped us do the kitchen, the breakfast room, and the hall. It took us four days to do these rooms. Here’s the new look (excuse the ’stuff’ laying around, but we’re still putting everything back in it’s place and hanging things back on the walls):

Can you see the pale yellow on the walls? The official name is Havana Cream. The trim is done in Swiss Coffee. We decided the Swiss must take a lot of cream in their coffee. We’re doing the dining room this weekend, and then we’ll move on to the living room in the next few weeks.  The living room is going to be a nightmare because we have a cathedral ceiling with 16 foot walls. We’ve decided we’re going to have to rent scaffolding to do the ceiling and the walls.

Jenifer has finally received orders for school and is leaving for Yorktown, Virginia in August. Her school is in Marine Science Technology with the Coast Guard. Once finished she’ll work in marine ecology, and she’s hoping to be stationed on either the east or west coast. I’m excited for her, but I still hate to see her go. It’s been nice having her stationed close to home for the last few years. Jenifer is taking two weeks of leave,  and Michell is coming home for a few days during that time so we’ll have a nice visit before she leaves for Virginia.

It’s been quite hot here in Texas. The dog days of summer. We’ve been in the upper 90s for the past few weeks and, of course, we always have high humidity, which makes it seem hotter still. Even the breeze is hot. I sometimes wonder why I bother to put on makeup. The weatherman keeps saying we should expect thunderstorms, but so far we’ve only seen a few sprinkles and dark clouds off in the distance. Here’s a nice cold drink that I’ve digitized. You can download it from the box on the right.

Until next time!

New fall 2008 colors

Pantone has put out its forecast for colors this fall as selected by New York’s fashion designers. It looks like cool colors like purple, teal, red, and navy are our choices. Excuse me, that’s Royal Lilac, Caribbean Blue, Aurora Red, and Twilight Blue. I’m happy. The greens, browns, and khakis so popular the last few years have never looked good on me, so I’m excited to see bright colors showing up in stores again. According to Pantone this fall is:

Best described as a season of change, defined by rich, elegant hues that offer a vibrant selection. New York’s fashion designers emphasize cooler blues, greens and purples in the top five tones used in their collections, followed by variations of warm red, orange and yellow. Conventional tones such as warm autumn hues, chocolate browns and steel grays are also among the fall color choices. Blue and purple tones have become staples, as illustrated by Blue Iris, one of the top 10 colors chosen by designers this season, and Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2008.

Blue Iris, a beautifully balanced blue with an undertone of purple, is a favorite among designers, as it combines the calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple. Dramatic Royal Lilac brings purple to the forefront of fashion, and generates a bit of heat with its exciting red undertones. Serene, sophisticated Caribbean Blue is another popular hue this fall, especially in jewelry and accessories. But it can add a colorful intensity wherever it is used in the wardrobe. Twilight Blue, a twist on a classic navy, shows the transitional aspect of spring segueing into fall. Serving as a wonderful base color, Shady Glade delivers a natural elegance to the fall palette. Taking green in an interesting direction with its true green characteristics, this hue is a departure from from greens of seasonsn past, which have had distinctively yellow undertones. Reds are a steadfast favorite for fall and Aurora Red is no exception. Versatile and universally appealing, this true red adds a splash of energy to the palette. Soft, dusky Withered Rose, with its pinkish qualities and brown undertones, is a versatile hue that blends with every shade. Ochre, a beautifully mellow yellow with a hint of mustard, adds a touch of lightness and spice. Orange has had a long run, and now, more than ever, consumers are gravitating toward intense shades like Burnt Orange, bringing this once steady background color to the foreground. The complex yet modest Shitake is an intriguingly understated shade, especially when teamed with the robust shades of fall ‘08.

You can go to Pantone and download their book showing the new color selections.

Until next time!

Give away: Sew Gracious bag

You can win this bag! Go here and she’ll tell you what you need to do. She’s choosing a winner on July 10th so you still have time. Good luck!

Until next time!

Make this: #14

Made by Rae has this tutorial to make this Itty Bitty baby dress. She gives you the pattern for a newborn and for a 1-3 month old little girl. Amber from Inspiration for Crafting enlarged the original dress to fit a toddler (I believe a 3T). You can find the pattern here. 

Amber’s site shows several ways to fix up onesies for a little boy. The first is with a little bow tie. The tutorial is here. The second tutorial is for a onesie with a necktie. You can find it here. While you’re there be sure and read her tip for using plastic produce bags in place of Wonder Under. I use a lot of Wonder Under so I’ll have to give this a try.

Oh Fransson has a nice tutorial to make this giraffe quilt. She used a giraffe print Minky as a backing for this quilt. She suggests that if you use Minky that you only quilt the top and batting before adding the backing. The quilt is small, but it’s just the right size for a stroller or to use in the car seat. She gives wonderful step-by-step instructions on making a crazy nine patch block.

Until next time!

Make this: #13

Lola…again has posted tutorials to make her angel and jenny bags. The angel bag is the pink one, and the jenny bag is the orange. She also has a few more tutorials on her site so check them out while you’re there.

Show Your Workings has this tutorial for a Japanese knot bag. The tutorial is actually a PDF so you can download it to your computer. The pattern uses two fat quarters and is reversible. Very cute.

Lila Tueller Designs has this tutorial to make a cute little dress out of a ‘onesie’. It’s a great project to use up your fabric scraps, and it’s easy to make. I’ll remind you all again that I still don’t have grandchildren (Michell…are you reading this?), but perhaps some of you can make this cute little dress for a cute little girl.

Until next time!

Here’s something I did today

I wanted to try digitizing an outline using different colors. Is this also called redwork? I picked this simple design. It was easy! I sewed these out and they both look great.

It didn’t take me all day to do these two designs. I started a few more, deleted quite a few. But I also changed the sheets, did the laundry, washed the dishes, picked up the house, and spent some time with ‘the boys’ (or the three little pigs). Because Roger was in Houston today, the dogs kept me company in my sewing room. 

I had a very quiet, slow Saturday. It was nice to stay home for a change. 

Until next time!

Give away: take your pick at sugarbug!

Sugarbug is giving away either a bag, an apron, cloth napkins, or a child’s smock. Your choice…if she picks your name! Sign up for it here.

Look what I found!

I was cleaning out files on my laptop this evening, and I found this design I digitized some time ago. I redid it this evening. I deleted quite a few of my earlier designs tonight, but I found a few that aren’t too bad and salvageable with some tweaking. I’m embarrassed to admit it, but I think I submitted this one to Ann the Gran and Sew Forum when I first digitized it. I was so proud of myself. Well, we all must start somewhere. Anyway, I’ve redone it and it sews out quite nice.

I’ve recently stepped down as rescue coordinator for the South Central Bloodhound Club. I will finally have time to sew again. I still plan to help out with rescuing and helping the dogs, but I’ve so missed my sewing. I’m trying to decide what to sew first…choices, choices.

Until next time!

 

I’ve been busy

It’s been a while since I’ve been here. Where should I start? Last Saturday we drove to Post, Texas, which is just outside Lubbock, and almost a seven hour drive from home. We delivered Coco to her new family, who drove about the same distance from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here are the last photos I took of her before she left.

Please ignore all the water on the wall in the photo of Moose and Coco drinking. Coco does enjoy a long, cool drink of water, and she also enjoys tossing it all over the floor, the wall, herself, and any other dog that just happens to be near.

On our way home we got behind this guy, and he was not happy to be in this trailer.

If you remember, a few weeks ago we took Jenifer our old washer and dryer. While we there I visited a couple of quilt stores in the area. I didn’t buy anything in the first one, but I picked up these fat quarters in the second one. I didn’t get to spend a lot of time in this shop because my ‘traveling companions’ were getting quite bored and ready to move on.

I’ve spent a small fortune on gas the last few weekends. I plan to stay home this next weekend; however, Roger’s planning a trip to Houston to see his dad. He’s planning to take his Jeep, with the top off, and I find nothing enjoyable or fun about riding through blast furnace temperatures with the hot wind whipping through my hair. I’m not even going to discuss the bugs splatting off the windshield!

Until next time!

Keep this under your hat

I’ll let you in on this little secret. I’ve posted this set of hats to download. Now I’ve got to go and draw up a design that someone has requested.

Until next time!

Make this: #12

Pink Penguin has several nice tutorials. Here are the instructions to make a fabric basket. This tutorial is very easy to follow. I think I’ll make some of these to use around the house and in my sewing room. These  would also make nice gift baskets for someone special. Especially if they’re done in birthday or Christmas fabric. While you’re at the Pink Penguin be sure and check out her other tutorials for both a pen and camera case.

My girls are in their twenties and have already moved out on their own and, unfortunately for me, there are no grandchildren in sight in the near (or distant) future. However, for those of you who still have a little girl at home, Grand Revival Design has this tutorial for a ruffled skirt. She also has this pattern for a cute little girl’s hat. This tutorial is very easy. You can whip up several of these in one sewing session.

You can download the bird pattern at Spool to make this cute mobile. Look for the link to the PDF in the upper right corner. Over the next few months Spool is planning to give directions to make the bird mobile. Each bird only takes two pieces of fabric so throw in a needle & thread and you have a great travel project.

Until next time!

Make this: #11

Ric Rac made this tutorial for a little tape measure pouch to carry her sharp scissors in to class. This is one very talented lady. She has several tutorials on her site and freely admits to an obsession with fabric selvages. In an earlier post I gave you her link to make a selvage quilt. Her other tutorials include a bucket bag…very cute. You can find it here. Finally, here are instructions to make her one hour bag.

Carla’s Feathered Fibers has a tutorial on how to create ‘inchies’. Inchies are one inch quilts that are fast and fun to make. What can you do with these? Lots of things. You can frame them as a set and hang them on your wall, you can use them to embellish a quilt or other project, or add an eyelet and make your own necklace or bracelet. You can take part in a swap or a challenge where a coordinator will give details such as size, color, theme, etc. This is a basic tutorial, but Carla encourages you to expand as you learn, especially when it’s time to embellish your inchies. If you find the one inch size too intimidating then try making double inches (two inches) or inchies plus (one and a half inches). Carla has several other tutorials that you can find here.

Until next time!

Give away: See Mommy Sew purse

See Mommy Sew is giving away this purse to celebrate 10,000 visits to her blog. I can only imagine how long that took! The purse is made of Ginger Blossom and Amy Butler fabrics. To win, just leave a comment about what your favorite fabric is right now and, if you can, why. She’s picking the winner next Monday so hurry on over. While you’re there, check out her birthday banner tutorial, which I think can probably be used for just about any holiday or special family celebration.

Until next time!

Back to work…again

It’s Monday again. I got to work this morning and my mouse wouldn’t work. I banged it around quite a bit, and it still didn’t see things my way. Come to find out, it just needed a new battery, but there were no batteries in the supply cabinet. I made the rounds of my co-workers until I finally found someone who had one tucked away in their desk drawer. I forgot to pick up my keys when I left work so tomorrow morning I’ll have to hunt someone up who can let me into my office. 

I’m going into work late tomorrow as I have to drop Moose off at the vet. He’s having eye surgery. His tear ducts are blocked, and the medicine we’ve given him over the last few months hasn’t worked as intended. Moose is twelve years old, and we really had to ask ourselves if this was a wise thing to do; however, he still plays with the other dogs, and he runs across the yard when it’s time to come in the house. He usually spends more time in the house than out and just sleeps the day away. I know he’s going to be very grouchy in the morning because he’s not going to get his breakfast kibble, which means I’m going to have to drag him into the vet’s office. Wouldn’t you know I have a meeting tomorrow morning, and I’ll show up covered in dog hair. I’ll wear brown and that should hide most of it.

I fully intended to come home this evening and start sewing…something! But Roger was starving, ravenous so we went out for dinner. I finished up this design when I got home. I got a pattern for a makeup bag and plan to use this when I sew it up. I’m thinking the bag will make a neat little gift. The design sews out very nice. I’ve put it in the downloads so you can use it if you like.

Until next time!

I love that washer & dryer!

My new Maytag Epic washer and dryer were installed this past Thursday. Maytag recommends that you use the new “high-efficiency” detergent in these so I had to make a run to Target to get some.  The washer uses very little water; in fact, I can hardly see any water in the tub when it’s washing. I can hear it when it empties, but even that doesn’t take very long. Much more energy efficient.

The small book that came with both of them are required reading in order to use them properly. The old days of washers with a knob for load type, a knob for water temperature, and an on/off button are gone. As well as dryers with a heat setting knob and an on/off button. The new washer lets me set either pre-set or manual settings, and lets me decide how dirty the load is, how fast I want the drum to spin, and then it tells me how long it’s going to take to wash the load. Ditto with the dryer. I’m very impressed.

Roger went scuba diving today, and I plan to straighten up the house and clean up my sewing room. As you can tell, I haven’t started picking up anything, but I’m writing this instead. My sewing room is looking messy, and I’d like to rearrange it to make better use of the space. I haven’t decided yet what will work best. 

I did this tulip design last night and started on a set of redwork hats. I’m still working on a website, but it’s close to the bottom of my list these days. Roger and I are working on the house. We’re getting ready to start painting on the inside so we can put down wood floors in the living and dining rooms. Once we’re done painting the inside we’re painting the outside, but that’s going to take a little longer because we’re arguing on the color.

I’ve posted the tulips so you can download them. Until next time!

UPDATE:

I forgot to upload the tulip design. It’s there now!