End of June-where did it go??

I can't believe June ends today. What happened to it??? We will be posting our free July redwork pattern on our web site tomorrow. Be sure to check over there and take advantage of it. We are going back and forth between embroidery patterns and variations of our Care Quilt. It's hard to work on a full size quilt during summer-just too hot I think--but we're trying!

It's been great to have my sewing machine back. I stitched up the front of a new bag and am busy working on embellishments now. I was having some real problems with it but over coffee this morning, Jeanne helped me think more clearly! I was thinking too much about the whole front of the bag-she suggested that I just break it down and focus on one block at a time. Just hearing that made me feel more free to let my imagination flow. We'll see what I get done tonight.

Take a peek at the beatiful photo I added of some pink and white lillies I spied at the Paine Art Musuem and Gardens yesterday. It was a gorgeous, slightly overcast day for walking through gardens and snapping pictures. What fun and how inspiring!

It's BACK!

Picked up the sewing machine last night. Thankfully it didn't require new parts or something complicated like that. Just a tension problem apparently.

Time to jump back into projects now that I can count on it again. My old friend is back!! I have a tote to finish today that is made from the same fat quarters of pink/green/white fabrics we used for the Care Quilt. But this will be really embellised with beading, embroidery, and other cool stuff. We wanted to add some embellishments to the Care Quilt but didn't because we wanted it to be able to be curled up with no "sharp" edges intruding on the perfect nap and comfort quilt. But on this bag-anything goes!

Julia Grace (3 weeks old now) is beautiful. We visited her last night and had the fun of seeing her very much wide awake. What a little beauty! More pics to follow.

Sick sewing machine

So my sewing machine (Bernina 140-Patchwork) is sick and at the hospital. There is some kind of a subtle click when I start it and the bobbin is just not holding the correct tension. I tried to do everything I knew to fix it but no such luck. I even cleaned all the parts that I could think to clean. So Jeanne and I drove it to the hospital and checked it in. I hope it's like going to a spa weekend somewhere exotic. I hope it's not painful and scary. But I think it probably is going to be scary for the poor thing. Isn't it funny when you know your machine is gone that everything you look at makes me want to sew with it? Jeanne says I can use hers but it's just not the same. So sad...

ETSY shop to begin

Jeanne and I have decided to post some items on ETSY to sell in order to make room for some more fabric! We will be working on that this weekend and will let you know here when items go up. So far, we know we have some of our great pincushions and Toto pillows ready to go. We always make up several samples of each pattern as we get the measurements correct and those items are usually sitting around in my studio waiting to be needed. Since we have had to clean out so much because of flood anticipation, it's time to look at what we are keeping with a new set of eyes. Keep your eye here for news!

Back to the Care Quilt

Jeanne took the photo here of the Care Quilt when we got it back from Whispering Pines Quilt Shop. We love the textured effect that the meandering quilting added. She hung the quilt a wall of her barn/house and used natural light for the photo. I think it looks great and the colors glow. I did the binding last week and the quilt will head off for Spain this week to bring comfort and Care to a family member as she goes through chemo treatments.

What we love about this quilt is the simplicity of the design but the ability to make it speak to the recipient. Whether you use a charm pack, scraps from your stash, or shop for just the right blend of colored prints, the ease of assembly and simple layout pattern brings it all together. Using all the embellishments you want to add or just leaving it plain, it says "We care and are with you". That's a pretty important thing to say.

Flooding and Rain In Oshkosh, WI

We've had almost 6 inches of rain here in Oshkosh since late yesterday evening. Most of the city streets have been under water. Jeanne and I were high enough out of town that we didn't get flooded although we watched the water run over from the fields and thought it might get close to us at times. I moved most of the items that were close to the floor in my quilting room up higher just in case. Having a studio in the basement means you don't have to fight the hot weather but the possibility of water damage was scary. Luckily, it has finally stopped raining.

I'm not sure if I will be able to get into town to go to work this morning. Hmmm..how about a late start after some quilting time???

Julia!

Did I mention that the baby quilt was finished exactly 3 days before Julia arrived??? I must say that it wasn't as much fun to make as other baby quilts have been. I think it was the combination of too many different fabrics. It wasn't fun to machine sew-the chenille, minkee, and cotton just did NOT get along. I love the look of it (picture to follow when I get it downloaded) and the feel is wonderful for a child. BUT it sure wasn't much fun to stitch. And there was just no way I was going to be able to hand quilt it all over so I just did some big x's in the cotton squares.

Jeanne and I survived the rainstorms that covered our part of Wisconsin all weekend. I can't swear that we aren't a bit moldy around the edges but the beautiful greens that have resultd from the rain are something to see. And both of us have lots of irises blooming-all golden and blue with a few spots of apricot thrown in for good measure. The mounds of dianthus in my favorite flower bed are a wonderful shot of hot pink. Now if it will just stop raining so I can go out and pick some flowers, it would be perfect!

New Grand Daughter!

Whew--what excitement in our family. A new grand-daughter was born yesterday! Mom and Julia Grace are doing well. Weighing in at 7 lbs. 13 oz and measuring 17 1/2 inches-she is a perfect armfull. Lots of black hair and blue eyes (for now!) complete the picture. There is much joy and, of course, a baby quilt made especially for her.

Jeanne's Birthday!

It's Jeanne's birthday today! So everybody say "Happy birthday!" We had a girlfriend party last night-complete with pizza and ice cream cake and flowers. It was fun-especially because her 5 year old twin grandsons 'crashed' the party due to babysitter complications. I think they thought it was pretty cool to go to Grandma's Girlfriend Party.

We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow to lay out our summer design plans. I think we both have pretty good sized lists of what we want to work on next. Coming up with an agreed upon list that satisfies both of our creative and technical spirits usually takes a bit of compromise. But if we have a big enough pot of coffee and a treat or two-we CAN DO IT! We'll share our plans at the end of the week.

Free Pattern up on web site

Seems like May has come and gone so quickly! Our monthly free pattern has been uploaded to our web site and we think you'll love it. Who doesn't like to embroider tea pots???? June is the perfect time of year for tea parties and this quick-to-stitch design will get you in the mood.

Jeanne continues to work on her apron designs and I'm busy with yo-yo's and another version of the Care Quilt. We'll be sharing some new photos in a day or so. Until then--enjoy the first day of June!