A New Work Center At Last!

Here's My New Cutting/Pressing Area!  Just finished this morning!!!!

I wanted to share pictures now, cuz we all know it won't stay this pristine very long!  You know how it is...it only takes a little creative energy to cause an explosion!

Hmmm...the old yellow paint looks a little tired next to my new bright blue & white fabric...

Sheesh!  One thing always seems to lead to another!  Maybe I shouldn't go there right now...

 

The old counter top height units from the good ol' days at the Family Practice Clinic were I used to work came up from The Dungeon.  They were free standing and were given to me for precisely this use when we moved the practice into a new building.  My back will really appreciate this new height for cutting and pressing...stooping is not what we do best. 

 

The cabinets are wider than they are deep & I decided to place them so that the drawers and shelves are most accessible and so that I could retain as much walk space in this little room as possible.  That left a little hiding place in the far back corner, so what you can't see is that a bookcase loaded with books and inspiration is tucked in underneath.

 

The new upholstered top is made from a 37 x 62 inch piece of 5/8" particle board.  We nipped all four corners so that I won't impale myself!  We put the leaf back in the dining room table so we could lay everything out flat and I cut (actually I ripped) my drapery weight fabric for the ironing surface 44.5 x 69.5, then layered on a slighty smaller piece of silver coated ironing board fabric, (also ripped).  I layered both face up on top of a piece of warm and natural same size as the silver stuff.  I did a bunch of centering, smoothing and ironed out some creases and the curled edges that I had torn, then grabbed the far side and flipped it all over in one fell swoop, so that my pretty print was face down on the table and the silver was sandwiched face down now, between it and the warm and natural.  We centered the board on top of those then wrapped and stapled, folding the corners in gift wrap style.  We did a sneak peek before we stapled all the way around to make sure there were no wrinkles or distortion.  I also folded the raw edges of the topper fabric under so I wouldn't have any frayed stringys dangling down...that. being one of the downsides of tearing fabric. 

 

Before it went on the counter we put a layer of rubber shelf liner down to protect the original melamine and to keep it from sliding around.  Did you know that you can purchase yardage of that stuff off a big roll in the fabric department at Wally World?  Yep!  You sure can! 

I found the adorable drapery fabric at the "J" store in the clearance section and it was included in the 50% off sale this week to boot!  SCORE!  $7.50 a yard!!!!!  Gotta love that!  It's perfectly smooth so that I won't be "embossing" any interesting designs into whatever I'm pressing.  I also had a coupon for my Silver Heat Resistant fabric.  The warm and natural batting for that "little bit, but not too much Cush" has been hanging out in the Underground Stash Storage Unit forever, so I'm considering that free!  My sheet of particleboard was about $15 bucks and they were friendly enough at Lowes to do the main cuts for me.  Part of the leftovers from that have already been used to put a new back on a little cheap-o bookcase that now, no longer sways in the wind!  It's already back in place full of quilty books!

 

See that Iron back there?  That's my new cordless, brand starts with "P"!  Lovin' It!!!!  Not exactly cheap but SOOO worth it!  More than a Cheap-O and less than those pretty yellow ones with the "O" name!  If there's anything that can get my sewing day off to a bad start, it's snagging a big chunk of freshly squared up and ironed cotton on iron cords!  I get a little cranky when I re-wrinkle what I just un-wrinkled!  When I want a blast of steam, it really delivers!

 

Gotta Love My Birdies and Swirlie Branches!  Right????  I did!  Bought 5 yards...enough to recover when I need to, plus make a sewing machine cover...cover a bulletin board...

hmm...did I get enough????

 

 

Thanks to the tutorial from Lori at Bee In My Bonnet on how to do this I'm almost at a point that I can start sewing again...as soon as my sewing machine is found under Mount Vesuvius on the other side of the room!

 

I'm Sooooo Excited!  Can You Tell?!?!?!?!  But before I start using this great new workspace...I better start on a little dinner yumminess for my willingly helpful husband!

 

 

~Nancie Anne

A Sweet Treat.....Because All I've Done In My Sewing Room Is Rearrange It!

YUM! Homemade French Vanilla Moo-Moo Latte!

 

 

 Dispense about a cup of Crushed Ice From Your Fridge...

Splash some milk in it...oh about 1/2 to 3/4 of a cup I suppose...

add generous spoonfuls (to taste) of your favorite instant

Foo-Foo Coffee ...

(Mine is Mtn. Sibs French Vanilla...give it a sec, you'll get it...little red plastic container...) 

 Pulse these ingredients in your food processor or blender til ice is chipped up finer...smaller than pea sized, greater than sand. 

 Then add some scoop-o's of Vanillar Ice Cream and pulse, adding more as needed so its thick milkshake texture...

pour in a BIG mug from a dear friend and enjoy!
Top with Whipped Cream if you have any handy!

 

~Nancie Anne

Busting Stashzilla With Country Corners!!!

Country Corners Block #2 is Complete!  Not too shabby if I say so myself!  I think it has a certain cuteness factor!  Again, the majority of the prints are from my ancient stash, some of them 20 +/- years old!  You see, there is some hope for me afterall!

 

I really had fun exploring some "new to me" construction processes & the precision that my 9 individual blocks, components, went together with, thanks to Lynn Wilder's wonderful, Patchwork Math Book and her "little Tipsies!" 

My biggest hiccup was the final assembly, making sure that my "arrows" were pointing inward and placing certain little cute things in corners soI wouldn't get a crick in my neck looking at them upside down!  I finally got things straightened up, after "revisiting" some seams!  Ah well, all's well that ends well!

Block #1 is lonely no more and I can't wait to make #3.  It's a Beauty!

It's a Sew Lovely Saturday!

~Nancie Anne

Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show 2014

Today was the opening of the Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show at our local high school.  We went early and quickly so I could return home to keep an eye on our recovering patient. 
It's been quite a drama/trauma around here this week.  Our 11 month old puppy, Tess, is a CHEWER!  Her bad habit almost took her from us Monday.  She crashed and went into shock before they could get her to surgery and it was touch and go, getting her stabilized enough to take the risk of opening her up to remove an intestinal blockage.  Any one thing in the contents removed could have, would have, should have, passed "naturally" but it appears that she's been saving up bits and pieces for this event for quite some time, because, although I recognized parts of chewed toys, much of what was stuck in there, becoming a hard ball was from toys that had long been disposed of. 
I just have to say that I'm ever so grateful for my daughter, who, although works in a very busy Vet practice in California, and was seeing her own patients, was the most remarkable advocate for Tess and for us.  It's a long story, but its very likely that Tessie wouldn't be with us now, healing at home, had it not been for some persistence on my part and for our daughters intervention in helping a new grad Vet through a rough patch.  Fortunately they knew each other as Vet Techs and friends before either of them went off to Vet School and I think the support and experience of a colleague was welcome and invaluable.  Monday couldn't have been much more stressful...we truly didn't think Tessie would be returning to our arms...but she has and my face has been covered in kisses many times since anesthesia wore off!

The end of the week was so opposite...first my inbox held wonderful news from Lynn Wilder about potentially working with Marcus Brothers Fabric. Friday arrived and her good news was confirmed. 
Tess came home Thursday and the bill wasn't as frightening as I thought it was going to be.
These events were followed by the news that a good friends son has remarried and his two little girls have a new Mom who truly cares for them as though they're her own...and they got another sister in the bargain.
Then I found out I won my choice of a book and pattern from Geoff's Mom.  Thank You Ever So Much Joyce!  I can't wait to find my goodies in the mailbox!  I'll share pictures of my new toys as soon as I get them!

Todays big news is that I entered "that challenge block contest" at our local quilt show again...and tomorrow I'll be bringing home a total of 12 blocks including my winner!  I couldn't resist...I kinda fell in love with the bright paisley challenge fabric last year and had all kinds of ideas swirling in my head!  I have contended, repeatedly, all year long, that last years committee failed miserably in their prescribed standard of finding the most repulsive bolt of fabric they can to challenge us with.  Not only did I not feel any nausea or trepidation about purchasing a packet...I, in fact, bought several...I'm not going to admit how many I did buy...in two separate purchases!

I had also entered five other blocks...two or three of which I had put more stock in being winners than my silly little owl!

 

This kitty dresden block will also be returning home with me, so I think my theme will be The Owl and The Pussycat...which was one of my favorite childhood storybooks.  Some of the blocks that I selected are pretty simple but the colors are right...others passed them over...for me they will become a canvas for embellishment as I retell the tale.

 

I admit, I'm a little disappointed that a couple of them were snapped up by participants who placed higher than I did...but then again...I still have the fabric and I can recreate them if I so choose!  As a plus, I wasn't dead last in the voting this year either!  As it turned out the number of blocks entered grew from 64 to 70 during the course of the day!  The top 5 will take home their winning block plus 11 more.  The dear little lucky lady who sat in 6th place will take home the remaining 10 which fortunately, coordinated pretty darn good together!

 

I bought ONE...only one, only the very LAST one, of the packets of scary fabric for next years challenge...shall we say the committee who goes out and (usually) finds the most horrible stuff imaginable is back on track!

 

So, for your entertainment, I've made my very first Smilebox video ever for Post #101!

It is a sampling of the 175 Quilts entered in this years show. 

I hope you enjoy it!

Idaho PieceMakerS Quilt Show
Kuna, Idaho
August 2nd & 3rd, 2014
at Kuna High School
The first weekend of August Every Year!

 

Digital slideshow made with Smilebox ~Nancie Anne

Mad As A Hatter!!!

But I'll Tell You A Secret~All The Best People Are!

It only seems fitting that my 100th post is about a finish!  Not my 100th finish, but nonetheless, a finish, and that's something to cheer about...and this is a pretty cheery quilt!  Here it lies rumpled in the long grass between the fruit trees in our mini orchard!

Mad Hats pattern by The Quilted Fish

I have no idea where this, "just for the fun of it" quilt is going to fit into my life.  But it does make me smile.  Its about as polar opposite to my usual color and style selection as one can get, but here I am grinning from ear to ear!

I saw this quilt at one of the vendor booths at the 2011 Quilting In The Garden Show.  I passed on purchasing the kit, but took a picture of it.  When I got home and shared my quilt show photos with my Quilty Buddy she immediately fell in love and said "Oh!  We have to do that!"  I ordered the pattern, she started tracking down the prints at our LQS and we were off and running.  A movie marathon day while cutting fabric together on her huge kitchen island!  We found two great bright whites that we used for the background.  One with perfect nested circles, kind of like little targets and the other a squiggly irregular stripe, which I chose to cut sometimes horizontally, sometimes vertically, depending upon the blocks location.  This meant that each Mad Hat had to know where it was going to live before any sewing took place!

Our quilter, Tracy, beat me to the punch and ordered the cute teapot and cup pantograph, before I had a chance to order it for her and we decided we really wanted to see its cuteness too so we gambled and decided to quilt it in red.  I'll be crossing my fingers and toes and adding vinegar and color catchers to the wash the first time I launder it for sure!

I chose to make self covered buttons for the centers of each of the 9 raggedy little flowers. 

A Very Merry Un-Birthday To You!  And You!

~Nancie Anne





July Still Feels A Little Patriotic...and Hot!

First of all!  Shame On Me!  We went to the hills yesterday.  I had two perfectly good cameras and my phone with me!  I did not take one single solitary picture...not even one at the spot we found where the view was amazing and the softly wafting breeze through the trees was such a welcome respite from the heat we'd been in, that it tempted us not to want to leave that spot.  Not one photo!  Not of the quilt shop where we stopped so I could grab additional yardage from the rapidly decreasing bolt of perfect blue batik.  Not one of the chunky little spotted fawn standing in someone's driveway, the smoke rising from the wildfire several miles to our east, nor of the dozens of kayakers & rafters, or the beautiful clear glassy water running under the old rickety patchwork bridge that we crossed our fingers and drove over.  Not even one of the blob that my husband identified as bear poop!  Shameful I am!

I assembled my last two Country Homecoming house blocks earlier this month and as you can see, I decided to add just a little patriotic salute in the last one!  I couldn't resist marking the date and stage of construction on the calendar with a little touch of the red, white & blue!  I'm also liking my purple and red plaid door quite a bit!  And how about the blue/grey saltbox houses reappearing on another set of chimneys?!

 I gathered the blocks up this morning, stole the thumbtack style magnets off my refrigerator and took the whole caboodle out and "tacked" them onto the siding on the north side of the house where the light is better for photos.  I always imagine the people driving up and down the street are wondering what the crazy lady is doing with quilt blocks on the side of her house as they go by when I do this!  But hey, these strong little magnets hang tight to the side of the house and the light is so much better than what I can achieve inside on the design wall.

So there you have it!  The crazy lady's fantasy neighborhood in no particular order.  This is definitely not the final layout!  I now have two months, (only two months) to assemble these with sashing and then the wonderful vine, leaves and stars border which is what drew me to want to make this quilt.

I'm looking forward to seeing the neighborhoods constructed by my fellow builders "down the road" at Kim's Big Quilting Adventure! (click!)

I'm keepin' cool today, with a ton of stitching that needs to be done by next weekend!  It's creeping up on Quilt Show time!  More on that in a couple of weeks!

~Nancie Anne

Natures Fireworks!!!



Every year, except one year when it was late, this Golden Rain Tree gives us the gift of this golden fireworks display for the Fourth of July, in sprays of brilliant yellow flowers.

  The sprays burst outwardly from it's undulating branches, not to be outdone by some of the holidays most brilliant pyrotechnics! 

 





 The best part is, that we get to enjoy these fireworks all day long, every day, for a couple of weeks, then suddenly the flowers become little bright green lanterns, then brown seed pods that open and drop their hard shiny black pea sized seeds.

As a result we're cultivating more of these wonderful trees to replace the old poplars across the front of our property, whose lifespan is coming to an end.

The best part is, this is the view from where I post to you and from where I sew!

 We Wish You All, A Safe & Happy 4th!

~Nancie Anne & Family