Sign of the times?

Sad news today. I was taking a look online at my LQS's site to see if they had any new and interesting classes for the month. January had nothing new so I paged forward to February. The entry on the 28th said "Last day of business". WHAT????

I immediately called the store. The gal that answered confirmed what I read but she said January 31st would be the last day. I told her what the website said and she said that was the owner being positive - saying they could last until February 28th. She said it was just decided this past weekend when they had finished with the year-end inventory.

I am going to go by there before the week is out and see the owner. I want to convey my sadness, my condolences to her as well as offer some encouraging words for her. I wonder if they have a sign like this in the window.

There was no mention of a sale on the site or by the gal who answered the phone. Maybe they are just sending it all back to the manufacturers? Maybe someone else is buying the inventory? Maybe the employees divided it all up amongst themselves?? I have no idea.

The store was not very big but the owner always had a good mix of fabrics. She had some of the latest and greatest, not always an entire line but then she would have a few prints that I had never seen before. The staff was helpful and friendly and funny. I guess that 'member' key chain that I purchased this past fall (and good for a full year) will be a collector's item in another month. I am bummed. I can only imagine how the owner and the staff feel.

Prayers - for the owner and staff of the LQS. That if they need to work they would be able to find employment. For them to rely upon the Lord for their needs, to trust in Him for their future.

Some last minute gifts

Happy Day After Christmas! Some people refer to it as Boxing Day but I never really got that. My sister would call today Merry After Birth - but that's just wrong on so many levels. She is twisted that way. ;)

I did venture out this morning, not too early though - to WM where it was not crowded really and the cashier said that it was the busiest it had been all day. I got some lights for 50% off and a big red metal tray and a red metal 'tub' (also 50% off). I plan to plant bright yellow and orange flowers in it this spring/summer! Then I went to the LQS, where all fabric was 50% off. I think my college girl and I were the only ones in there. All I wanted was a yard of some beautiful red wool that I saw on Black Friday but didn't get. I looked at all the other fabric anyway but I resisted. For now. The sale DOES go until the 31st ;)

After reading this apron tutorial by JonaG, I decided to make a couple of her aprons for the gal that owns the gym that I go to and the gal that teaches classes there. A couple of fun gals and I wanted to give them a little something. I made them on the 23rd and we went in on Christmas Eve, on our way to the movie and set them on their desks.

I have some more aprons to sew and I should be working on them now, so I guess I will push myself away from the computer.

Praise - all the holiday travelers that I know arrived at their destinations safely and before Christmas. Prayers - for safety for all those dealing with the unusual weather. Many family and friends are getting snow instead of their usual rain.

Three days in a row!

Almost like the days when I started blogging! I should make it a goal to learn how to take the pictures off of the camera and put them on to the computer. Hubby has this whole 'system' though of how to categorize them. I am sure I would fall asleep during that lesson. Sometimes though I have something I want to post about but the pictures I want to use or not available. :S

So here is another peek at some of the lovely fabrics I got on Black Friday. I have admired the Farmer's Market fabrics but really wasn't sure what to do with them. At 50% off I figured I could find something. ;) Again, I wanted MORE of the prints from this line but I resisted. I listened to the voice in my head. Oh I argued with it, but in the end it won.

I had this magazine already and they have a CUTE apron made up in these fabrics. They are by designer Cindy Taylor Oates.

Actually it is a mother/daughter set of aprons. They did use the blue background big dahlia print in the magazine but the LQS only had the green. The clincher was that the LQS had a sample made up and hanging there. I got enough to make a mother/daughter set. No idea when I will make them or who it will be for but I am prepared.

I got a text from my daughter when she was at the train station and then a phone call from my friend that dropped her off. She said there were lots of college students boarding the train. So many parents waiting for their children to come home tonight or tomorrow or in the next day or so. So many children anxious to be home with their families for the holidays. It reminds me of the movie White Christmas when they are on the train. I LOVE THAT MOVIE! We will be watching it before Christmas. It is a tradition. We do fast forward through the 'Choreography' number - it is just strange. The kids and I laugh when Danny Kaye pretends to have twisted his ankle. We will also watch Miracle on 34th Street, The Santa Clause, Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas and maybe It's a Wonderful Life. It is not a favorite of mine at all. I know. HORRORS! Can you believe I am even admitting that on the world wide web??? My kids tried to watch it years ago and thought there was too much talking. Maybe it is time to try it again. We will get some other Christmas movies from Netflix too. I like Polar Express and Christmas with the Kranks and a couple of the Home Alone movies. I have some older movies on reserve as well. What is YOUR favorite Christmas movie??

Prayers - continued prayers for Freda's Hive and all that is buzzing around there. Again prayers for safe travel for my college girl.

It has been a GOOD WEEK!

Good but very busy. I have been stitching away on that binding. There were moments that I enjoyed it. MOMENTS. Most of the time it was just 'get er dun' thinking. I had a deadline! My daughter leaves for school on the 24th. I didn't even sit in front of the tv. That would require moving a comfortable chair and a good light and all my 'stuff'. I just sat in the chair in my bedroom and put on some music and stitched. And stitched. And stitched some more. I finally had to put in the mouth guard that I bought the other day when I realized that I was clenching my jaw. Hand sewing is NOT relaxing to me. ;)

But before the binding was finished I remembered to call and order some bobbins for my machine. My daughter picked them up for me on Thursday at the LQS. The Bernina repairman makes a stop there each Thursday and had some on hand so he brought them. Now I can use different colors! Now I don't have to unwind other bobbins so I can sew in a different color! How liberating a few bobbins can make me feel. :D

Then, I had a good mail day! WOOO HOOOO! Who doesn't love a good mail day and then when that mail day means FABRIC, all the better. The rest of the Andover Halfway Cafe fabric arrived. This is for the Galveston Quilt (free patten on the Andover site). I wasn't able to find the brown Dimples fabric that the pattern called for but I found a good substitute last week. I just need some time...

THEN look what I got. FINALLY! I have been stalking Tanya's site to see when she would have the new patterns available. It seemed forever since her last post and then FINALLY a post AND it was about her new patterns. I got an 'old' pattern too. Again with the time requirement...

All the while that I was stitching the binding I was thinking about a quilt label. I have never made one before. I have never labeled a quilt before! Des from Quilt Taffy had told me she was making one the other day. I thought about NOT making one. I thought about making one. I thought about HOW to make one. I thought about how to attach it. I thought about what it should say. All that time to bind a quilt sure allows for a lot of thought. Binding DONE! Label made and on!! Here is what I came up with. I am not sure that I LOVE it. I am not sure that I did it correctly. Seems a little bulky to me. I know some people put the fabric used and the pattern and where the pattern came from. That would have taken the entire back of the quilt. I kept it short and sweet. So what should I have done differently with the label? You know, for next time. (note - the one line I 'smudged' on purpose in photo editing, for privacy)

Now for the washing and drying. I am a bit apprehensive about this. I LOVED the quilt all smooth and pretty. I wasn't sure it was the style of quilt to be wrinkled and puckery. I wasn't sure that I was going to like it still. I wasn't sure that all the colors weren't going to run. I wasn't sure that the binding wasn't going to come undone. I wasn't sure that the label wasn't going to fall off. I forged ahead. I said a little prayer. It seemed so much smaller when it came out of the wash. All the colors were still in place, as was the label. Now for the dryer. When I opened the dryer - puckers! I really liked it! But would my daughter??

YES!! My daughter loves it! She likes the puckers and wrinkles. She LOVES the love note on the label. :D

The quilt top went together pretty quickly but the rest of the process seemed to drag on forever. I am glad to have the hand sewing of a binding under my belt. I won't have to put it off so long for the next quilt. I'm not afraid of that part anymore. I don't LOVE it but I know that I can do it. Next challenge will be machine sewing the binding on and getting those corners right. Always something.

Prayers - I have a LOT of packing to do! That was hanging over my head while I was sewing. For me to stay focused and on task as I get that huge job underway. Prayers that the entire house buying process goes well and we are able to close in early October. Praise that the quilt turned out just fine. An answer to my prayer before sticking it in the wash.

Harvest time

I LOVE this time of year. Crisp cool mornings, blue skies, perfect temperatures during the day. A tinge of color as the leaves are just now beginning to change. Here is the harvest from our backyard fruit trees. Apples and Pears. Now compared to some harvest pictures I have seen on blogs this year our harvest is nothing. If you compare it to the first harvest that we had from these trees though it is HUGE! The first year that we picked apples they just covered the bottom of the basket.

I may make some applesauce, just to eat fresh. Homemade applesauce and potato latkes. Mmmmmm.
Here are a couple of pictures of our new house. You can see we need some landscaping. I think it will look LOVELY covered with snow. :D This is the front of the house and in the distance is the shop.

This is the backside of the house. Closest slider is the master bedroom. It doesn't show up great in this picture but there is a creek to the left and near the creek is some tile/stonework for a little sitting area and a fire pit.

I forgot to tell you that I finally got up the nerve (and remembered the date) to attend the local quilt guild meeting the other night. I told the family what was there for dinner prep and headed out. I even checked online to double check the address and then checked a map to be sure of where I was going. I arrived at the church on time and there were only a few cars out front. Hmmmmm. I parked and went in and the only group I saw meeting was Alcoholics Anonymous. None of them had quilts. So back to the car. The LQS was closed by now. The other craft store in town was also closed. Who could I call to find out where the meeting actually was? I called my hubby and had him look up the info on the computer. I had all the info correct. The only people I could think of at that point were the two ladies that quilted the Lakeside Charm quilt for me. They said they would meet me at the meeting and sit with me. Well I was sure if they were in the meeting though their phones wouldn't be on. I called the one - ring, ring, ring. Phooey. I called the other number - ring, ring, "HELLO". BINGO!!! So I explained the situation and she says. "Well I wondered where you were last night". LAST NIGHT??? Last night?? She said the meetings are on Tuesdays. That is NOT what the website says. Darn and phooey! Now I need to wait until October and hope that I remember.

For any fans of BL, the new season starts Tuesday, Sept 16th!! WOO HOOOO! I LOVE The Biggest Loser.

Prayers - for these last few days that my daughter is home. We take her to college next week. Just that we would be loving and really cherish the time that we have with her. For her new adventure. That she would thrive and grow and learn. Also for her roommate, for her safe travel to school and for her school year ahead. Praise - The internet is a wonderful thing when two gals can get to know each other ahead of time.