Thankful

I'm thankful for a lovely Thanksgiving dinner at home with my favorite people.

Even though my mother was in the emergency room the next morning after a fall, I'm thankful that nothing is broken. She has an ugly bruise and a back sprain. She will be OK.

I'm thankful that my sister was able to come down and stay with Mom these last two nights. A visiting nurse will be assessing her situation today.

Her friends have already offered her their spare walkers to help her get around! I'm thankful she has friends watching out for her when we aren't there.

I'm thankful for my church family who was so supportive at the church bazaar yesterday. Sales were not great for me, but Pete sold out of his PVC marshmallow shooters again! I'm hoping to do an Etsy shop update later today, in time for Cyber Monday, but that will depend on how Mom is doing.

Fail!

Just a quick post to show you my sewing failure from yesterday.

I was ready to sew the borders on these blocks and noticed that I had a bunch of white bits left over. Oops. And I thought I was in the zone!

Can you see where one of the yellow "geese" is missing a background triangle? He was actually missing both triangles, but I was able to add the one in the corner without tearing the block apart.

I really like the colors, so I'll need to try again. But not right now. I need to unearth my dining room table from a mountain of craft supplies so we can eat dinner there tomorrow!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

A New Crochet Project

Just what I needed to do days before a craft show: try something new!
There aren't many tutorials out there for these crochet ball covers, so I started with one and changed it up when I got lost! I've been using at least 3 different kinds of thread which work up differently, so I adjust as I go along. I should probably write down my favorite stitch combos.
Thank you, Jim, for getting me started!


I've had this box of satin ornaments for YEARS! I think I bought them for my Girl Scouts to experiment with, but it didn't go well. I'm happy to finally have a use for them.

Each one takes me almost and hour to crochet. Now I'm struggling with how much to charge for them. $3 or $5? I think they need a bow around the top loop.

Julia has been stringing my rolled paper beads into bracelets. The bright colors add to the look I'm going for on my awesome new white tree!

The tiny wooden spools of thread were an antique show purchase a few years ago. Until now, they have been displayed in baskets and in a glass pedestal trifle dish. Strung with crochet thread and a few buttons, I think they are super cute!

And, of course, I needed a tiny tree skirt to complete the look.
Almost ready for a show or two!

Crafty Finds

I went on a crafty errand for my church on Thursday. We needed to purchase supplies for our Advent Wreath-making workshop from Fall River Floral Supply. It is strictly a wholesale operation, so you basically shop the warehouse. It was so much fun! I brought my own tax paperwork so I picked up a couple of things. And I can't wait to go back again. This is one of three aisles of ribbon!

As we were driving through rural Rhode Island today, we stumbled upon an alpaca event at a yarn store. Aren't they cute?

I had to buy a skein to try. I'm allergic to some animals, so I'm hoping I'm not allergic to alpacas! I want to be able to wear the scarf I make from this luscious yarn! Sabrina contributed the fiber for this skein. I hope to bring my Girl Scouts on a field trip to the farm as part of their Textile Arts badge.

What crafty goodness did you find this week?

Repair Project

How am I going to fix this?

I made this pillow for my nephew David some time in the early 90's when he was 9 or 10 years old. He has used it, loved it and carted it around with him all these years. It was even in his tent on the river this summer. He asked his mom to fix it for him, and she passed it back to me. I think I will remove the fish and put them on a fresh backing. There is a tear on the red fish, just above his eye at the seam line that I'm not sure how to deal with. The back of the pillow is faded and thin, but intact.

What would you do? Fusible web? Machine applique? Tulle overlay?

Isn't it nice to discover that something you made has been so loved and appreciated?

Ready to Sew

On the list today:

Some tiny, paper-pieced, slightly modern Christmas trees to be made into lapel pins. These piles will produce 12 blocks, assembly-line style.

Yes. I need reading glasses to sew these tiny pieces. I'm old like that!
Don't you love the Kate Spain paper plate?

Baby Shower Crafts

I've spent the last two days making fun stuff for my niece's baby shower. I'm almost positive she doesn't read my bog. (I have another niece who drops by from time to time. Hi, Katie!)


Julia made 24 chocolate-covered Oreos for favors. My mother, the happy Great-Grandmother, helped tie on the little pacifiers and bows.

There are people in my family who don't understand this crafty obsession and will think this corsage is ridiculous. But come on, how cute is this? (If she won't wear it, at least it looks good on the basket.)

I had seen some baby wreaths online, but I can't remember where, so I had to make it up as I went along. (I thought Jodi made one, but I can't find it.) I wrapped and scrunched washcloths around a styrofoam ring, pinned into the back. Cute baby socks are rolled into roses. I added a brush, a binkie and a bow. Cute now, useful later!

Then I had to make a pennant banner because everyone is doing it! A few sheets of scrapbook paper, some awesome ric-rac, some cutting, gluing, and stitching. Easy peasy!

We can't wait to see the Mom- and Dad-to-be and the rest of my family this weekend!

A Finish!

The Christmas tree skirt is done with 2 days to spare!
I think it looks really cool on my leverite.
(leverite = slang for a big rock, as in leave-her-right there)

I used a light green thread (Superior So Fine #450) for the machine quilting and bound it in a black Christmas print.


Oooooh. Feathers!
(They are not perfect, so it's a good thing they blend in.)

The back was pieced with leftovers from the front. I was going to piece strips all the way across, but I got bored and threw in some big pieces on the sides. I was planning to cut the slit down that center green stripe, but I forgot and it ended up 45° away.

This is the original made by my mother in the early 90's that I was asked to reproduce. I'm pleased that the pattern is the same with the colors in the same position, but mine has a more modern feel, as it should.

Today is Veterans' Day, which means went to a parade this morning. We crossed a pedestrian bridge over the river to get from the parade route on Main Street to the park where the ceremonies are held. You can see we have just a little bit of Fall color hanging on.

Boy, does it feel good to finish something!

Unsewing and College Tours

OK, girls. When you're right, you're right! Janice, Jackie and Karen all counseled that I should replace that iffy green on the tree skirt setting triangles. I used it, figuring I didn't have time to shop for something better and it would be OK under a Christmas tree. It was not OK.

Last night, when I pulled out the leftover fabric from piecing the top to piece the back, I realized I had some big pieces of dark green! It only took 20 minutes of "unsewing" the yucky green and 30 minutes to sew on the better green.

I should stop calling it yucky. It is a lovely piece of fabric, but it just didn't play nicely with the other greens in the piece. I'm much happier now. Time to quilt!


By the way, does anyone recognize this pattern? My mother made one of these tree skirts in the early 90's, but we can't find the pattern. I'd like to identify the source and give credit to the designer. I'm working off of photos and measurements of the original.

***

I did not get to sew over the weekend because I was with my awesome Girl Scout troop! Most of them are juniors in high school and they decided they wanted to go on some college tours together. So on Saturday, we went to a Junior Preview Day at Bryant University. It was incredibly informative and we felt welcome and comfortable there. Unfortunately, they don't offer the programs my girls are interested in.

We spent the night at a nearby Girl Scout camp. We arrived early enough to go on a hike. We're getting lazy in our old age. We ordered Chinese food for dinner!

On Sunday morning, we left here...

to go here!
Talk about culture shock!

Salve Regina University is in Newport, RI and occupies a gilded-age mansion and cottages in addition to more modern buildings. The "welcome" from the admissions department took place in the dining room of the mansion (above).


While we enjoyed the tourist aspect of exploring campus, it was not the school for most of my girls. One senior interested in the nursing program will return with her parents to get a better look. Overall, it was a great weekend!

Deadlines

If you visit regularly, you know I can't get anything done without a deadline. There is one looming for this tree skirt, but I'm stuck again. I am really pleased to have the triangles done and I think they look pretty cool. But I'm not happy with the setting triangles.

I have some time to sew this afternoon, so do I just push ahead with this fabric?
Or should I wait until Monday when I have time to shop for something better?

What would you do?