I don't usually share much information of a personal nature here on my blog, but I'm making an exception for a minute because I'm celebrating a milestone. Like so many women, I started putting on the pounds through the years without really realizing it. Three years ago I woke up one morning and didn't like what I saw in the mirror. I joined Weight Watchers and it took me exactly one year to loose 50 pounds. A couple of weeks ago was the two year anniversary of maintaining my goal weight. None of it has been easy - and it probably never will be. Not a day goes by that I wouldn't love to eat a big bag of M&Ms or a giant Hershey bar, (can you tell chocolate is my weakness?) but I've learned to be content with a small bite now & again so I don't feel deprived. Here are a couple of before & after pictures so you can see how my looks have changed. I feel 10 years younger and have lots more energy than I used to, plus I know I'm a lot healthier, and it's fun to buy new clothes!
Last week I went on an overnight retreat with a group of four other friends. First we met up for some shopping at a great antique store - I was strong and resisted buying anything, but there WAS a piece of yellowware I saw that I've been thinking about ever since. Then we visited a new quilt shop and ate lunch at Olive Garden before heading up the canyon seven miles to Janet's cabin. Most of the time was spent just sitting and talking (solving the world's problems - you know how it goes, right?) and we watched a movie in the evening. But we were able to do a little craft project the next morning and made some cute little birds with their nests full of treasures and trinkets. This is my little bird sporting a crown.
Janet nicely provided all the supplies needed for these and it was so much fun to sit out on the deck to do our stitching. It was hard to choose which fabrics and embellishments to use because she brought so much stuff, but I think every single one turned out darling. Here are a couple of group shots.
And I have to tell you about the cabin we stayed in. It was built over 50 years ago and when Janet's parent bought it about 20 years ago, all the furnishing were included. They haven't done ANY updating except to add carpet in the living room area so it was like visiting a museum set from a different era. I loved it!
Things to notice include the barkcloth curtains and light fixtures - - -
- - - - the green brick fireplace - - -
- - - the wood paneling - - -
- - - the chrome kitchen table - - -
- - - the retro stove and vintage linoleum and counter top - - -
and the kitchy furniture - -
It was so fun to imagine the family gatherings that have taken place here through the years. I'm pretty sure that some of this stuff would be quite valuable to collectors.
Great getaway and it was so wonderful to catch up on what has been happening to my friends. I highly recommend outings like this and I feel fortunate to have been invited!
I made this little hooked piece from a kit I bought from Ali Strebel when she taught a workshop for our guild a month or two ago. After thinking about how to finish it, I decided to make it a pillow with proddy fringe and I like the way it turned out.
Usually when I make a pillow, I sew all around the outside edge leaving an opening so it can be stuffed. Then I sew the opening closed by hand. However, I've learned that the seam allowance I take when hand sewing isn't always accurate, and then the piece gets skewed a bit. Now I usually piece the back of the pillow and leave an opening in that. Then I sew completely around the outside edge - in this case it was 1/2" from the last row of hooking. I turn the pillow inside out - then stuff it and sew the opening on the backing fabric closed.
I added two rows of proddy fringe in the 1/2" seam allowance - for the back row I used all brown fabric, and on the front row I alternated between brown, blue and red.
I do like the way it turned out, but it sure did use a LOT of my wool fabric! I think I used more fabric for the fringe than I did to do the actual hooking! Can't imagine how much would be used if an entire rug was prodded! I don't think I'll do this finish very often just because of that reason. Oh, and one more piece of information - I tried to use my rug hook to bring the fringe through the linen backing, but it kept pulling the white polyfil out - so I ended up using a hemostat instead and it worked wonderfully!
Another project I recently finished was turning all my little hooked pieces into tiny pillows.
Here they are displayed on my coffee table in an old sifter.
The Utah Hook-In was held over the weekend. I write the blog for the Guild, so if you would like to see some of the rugs that were on display there, you can check it out here.
A few weeks ago when I stopped in at my local quilt store, I picked up a flyer with information about an upcoming neighborhood quilt show. When I went to check it out over the weekend it turned out to be such a fun event! A quilt group who calls themselves the Vineyard Quilters share their quilts with the public just for fun each summer - there are about 15 of them and most of them are neighbors. The were probably 200 quilts displayed in the yards of three adjacent homes - hung on fences and ropes using clothes pins. The group meets once a month in each other's homes and often work on the same project using their own choice of fabrics. Looks like most of them prefer a cottage style colorway, but there were a couple primitive quilts included. I was pretty surprised to find that NONE of them were bloggers, so I can't give you any contact information, but I hope you enjoy all the pictures I took - here there are in no particular order. Do you have a favorite? I think mine might be the mini quilt that is framed behind glass - I'm pretty sure it'a a Lori Smith design.
