Home From Vacation

Hubby & I explored Western Montana with our 5th wheel all of last week - sure saw some pretty country! We stayed in my favorite campground for two days where I could hear the breeze blowing through the trees, smell the pine in the air, and listen to the gurgle of this small stream all night long - loved it!

Our truck rides too rough to do any stitching on the road, but each evening when we parked I was able to do a little work on these small hexie flowers - - -

- - - and I got nine more stars done on my hooked table runner - only six more to go, plus a piano key border at each end.

It's kinda funny how I was seeing planted wheelbarrows wherever we went! I saw these at Flathead Lake all lined up on the lawn alongside the road we were travelling. There were a few more scattered throughout the yard too.

And there were two of these outside a junk shop in Helena that we stopped at.

Now I'm on the lookout for a few more for my own yard! I've had this one for many years under the trees by my front door.

Hooked rugs are rarely seen here in the west, but I spotted this one at an antique store in a very small town called Choteau. It was priced at only $50, but I didn't love it enough to buy it. The hooking was completed but the edge hadn't been finished yet. The tag said it was needlework so I educated the proprietor a little about rug hooking before I left.

One of the things I usually dread about camping is mosquito bites! I always seem to have a bad time with them - they turn red and swell up terribly - and the itching drives me crazy for at LEAST an entire week!

I've been learning about the benefits of using essential oils lately, and when I read that lavender oil applied to a mosquito bite will help it feel better, I decided to pack my bottle and give it a try. WOW! What a difference it made! I applied a small amount each time I was bit and almost immediately I found relief! They healed quickly and and the itching stopped completely. I'll never travel without it again. I used doTERRA brand, but I'm sure any of them will work the same way. Just thought I'd pass that info along to anyone who might benefit from it too!

We got a late start on our garden in the spring, but we are finally eating zucchini and the green beans and corn will be on soon - YUM!

Mostly Hooking

I've been spending most of my time working on rug projects lately - this star runner has nine more 'blocks' completed for a total of eighteen so far. However, I'm not loving the background on a few of them so they might need to be pulled out and replaced.  BTW - see those green strips across the top & bottom of my picture? Those are pieces of polar fleece fabric that I sewed onto the linen to make it big enough to fit my rug hooking frame - I bought a remnant for just a dollar or so. My friend Sharon does this and I thought it was a great idea since my linen only had a couple of inches on either side.

Last week at rug group there was some nice show & tell. Nancy finished this floral which is an adaptation of a Pat Cross design - she added her own border and it looks great.

Nancy has made good progress on the rug she started in the Sharon Smith class. She purchased a kit and is determined to only use the wool that she received for this project. I especially like the flower boxes beneath the windows of the purple house - it's an antique paisley that is perfect for that!

And she is done with the stockings she made for her two new grandsons and a grand niece. Christmas in JULY!

Yvonne finished this little log cabin rug while she was there with us. She has a spot all picked out for where it will be displayed on an antique table in her home.

My little quilt group met at Jackie's this month - she has crocheted cotton rugs scattered all over her log home. These were being aired on the deck railing when we arrived and I thought they looked so neat hanging there.

And finally - I wanted to give you all a heads up about a great sale. The shop "I Have a Notion" is having a clearance sale on books - each one is only $4! I bought eight of them and they're all wonderful. There are still a lot to choose from and include some for rug hooking and quilting - check it out HERE! Shipping costs are reasonable since she uses book rates.