Snow anyone?

This was the scene off and on all day with a little sunshine sprinkled in so we could enjoy the sparkling snow. At times it was a veritable blizzard, and then just as quickly it would completely stop, melt, only to start the process all over again.
I finally finished completing the move into the new bathroom which meant going through everything in the old bathroom and doing a major cleaning and moving of stuff. It amazes me how things just keep accumulating, the sheer volume of it all. After the holidays Dale will start on the old bathroom, which will get a jacuzzi tub along with a total remodel. A room at a time and our little house will be all new.

I finally got a little bit of decorating done. Made some fabric Christmas trees for the entry. It wasn't my best sewing job, but quick, and at least I have a bit of decorating done. I saw this adorable owl pennant, and followed the link to the directions. I'm tempted to make these tomorrow, when really I should be working on my younger daughter's quilt.
The clouds, of course have moved off, leaving us with a cold, clear night. But hopefully that means a nice sunny day tomorrow with good solar gain.

Winter Wonderland

Well, the day dawned dark and drizzly, but the moisture turned to snow off and on all day yesterday. Surprisingly the 8 ft. baseboard heater and the little fan heater are enough to keep the sewing room comfortable even on cloudy days. It will likely be next year before we have gas out there.

I've been busy, cleaning up my sewing room which desperately needed it. I've bound a few more quilts and also put together a black and white quilt from the blocks I won at least year's retreat. I'm pleased with the results, and I also tried out the new pantograph I got at the NM Longarm meeting Dec. 1st. I got it from Dave Hudson, the "Pattern Man."

Having done a few pantographs, I know what I like and what is easier for me now. I don't like a lot of sharp points, finding those much easier to execute from the front of the machine. I got my "winnings" from ebay, a box of threads, mostly polyester which the machine seems to like, although I've also had good luck with Signature cotton.

The sun is shining at the moment, but there is a dark bank of clouds to the south. I hope they don't come this way. I need the sunshine, which is why I live in the southwest. Hope you all have sunshine in your day.

Soup weather

The wind blew all night, and continued through the morning until just a bit ago, and now we're finally getting a little bit of precipitation driving against the windows by the wind. Definitely makes me want to cook and have soup. I love my pressure cooker. I don't think I'd be able to cook dried beans without it. The first time I tried, we were living in Colorado at 5,000 ft. elevation and though I cooked the beans all day, they were still hard by afternoon. That's when I got a pressure cooker and have never looked back. I still don't soak my beans overnight, preferring to zap them with just enough water to cover in the microwave for 10 minutes, before cooking.

I had a productive day Thursday, but not nearly as productive yesterday. I've got the black & white blocks I won at the AZ retreat last year made into a top, and loaded on the long-arm for today's task. It will be another donation quilt for an older child.

I thought the challenge to post every day in November was great, but I knew I wouldn't be able to participate. But I'm challenging myself to be more than just an occasional poster.

My regular visit to the post office yielded a box of fabric from Fabric.com that I didn't order! I tried to contact them, but I'll have to wait until Monday. Either someone sent me a gift, or somehow they pulled my name out of the ether because I've never ordered from them and don't have an account. A mystery to solve.

Christmas countdown

Honestly I just don't know how the days get away from me so fast. And now I have physical therapy to contend with in my day. Calling it therapy is a misnomer. I'm sure the results, which seem elusive to me at the moment, will be therapeutic, but at present it would be more aptly titled physical torture! Compound it with sleeping poorly, and my days really get away from me.


I did manage to finish a quilt, which just needs a label now. I find labelling difficult, not in the execution, but naming a quilt, and adding all the information about it. I don't think that any of my quilts will be the subject heirloom scrutiny as they are functional and meant to be used and loved to pieces, so the labelling seems rather superfluous to me. (And I just can't give up the double "L" on words like cancel, label, travel when adding ING.) I'm not posting a better picture in case the recipient is wandering around my blog. Not likely, but if I were to assume that, for sure she'd see it. I've started on the other daughter's quilt, and I think I can get it done in time. I took my inspiration for it from this Denise Schmidt design. I just persued that site a little more and found out she even has workshops! Dream on!