So all checked in ;-)

So thanks to my muse (AKA: hubby) I leave tomorrow to Salt Lake City to attend a 3 day class at Handi Quilter to get to know my machine…hopefully frontwards and backwards….lol

This should be fun and hopefully will put an end to my fear of not knowing how to sew ;-) lol.. I just want to be able to show full respect to my machines thus I’m trying to learn as much as I can about their care and use….

I managed to use some miles to get my ticket but due to that fact I am stuck not flying direct so my travel days will be long….but heck I’m retire so might as well just relax and go with the flow……and enjoy the journey….. ;-)))

I’m posting some photos of my neighborhood…from my hubby and my many day to day walks….it’s such a pretty area…..a golf course and there is one tree I just love! Let’s see if you can pick it out ;-)))))

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So I will be online for a few days.have opted to NOT carry laptop….. ;-))))

So think Christmas???????/

So this past summer I made stockings and a Christmas countdown calendar for my youngest son and his then soon to be bride….

well of course every parent knows when you have more then one….you’re bound to hear so where’s mine?????…..

So this past week or so I have been working on completing my other son and his wife’s calendar and stockings….. went through a few test runs for a design that would coordinate with the basic kit type countdown calendar…….I made an original that I love… 

but it was mentioned that if there were 3-4 of them hanging together they might prove to be too busy? (NOT in my opinion...but that’s okay since my hubby loves it and has stated hey that/those (meaning I must make another one at least…. can be ours)

But so I went back to the drawing board and came up with these….there is a set of 4 (just in case down the road they decide to add to their family ;-) actually they are expecting a baby this coming April (their first;-) another grandchild for us!! YAY! I’ve been told they are perfect thankfully….

So now I’m once again back to the drawing board for my biggest critic….lol my daughter! Have to make her a set of 4 stockings….

the 3 stockings I made last year just weren’t what she had in mind…and now she has added Brynn to their brood anyway..They were my first attempt ever at sewing stockings……and boy I sure wish I had a background in sewing or had taken Home Ec classes in high school….. but you know us art students never had time to add more electives to one’s high school schedules…..Anyway back to Keli’s set? She made sure to let me know she preferred a different set (politely of course)……. (See example of why I call her my biggest critic..and to think I brought her up this opinioned or confident?….lol.)

But not sure yet what I will come up with?  here is my start??? 

One thing though….. this time she’ll be stuck and has to take what she gets  lol lol …I want to get on to sewing some of my ideas….I have so much I have yet to try…….

Fall Drive..Road Trip to Web Fabrics….

So took my Road trip to Web Fabrics ….. how do you like my new fabrics…… then enjoy my Fall Photos….no sun today but still some pretty fall colors….

 

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Road trip day?

So my hubby had to take a fast trip to CA for a meeting..and I mean quick…Thurs morning till midnight Fri….poor guy….at our age trips like this can be rough….lol….  but oh well…..I’m sure he’ll find some fun out of it, he took his camera as usual.

But so let’s see….no sun outside yet think today is good day for a road trip to spend that gift card that’s been sitting by since July… so Web Fabrics here I come….might also be a good test for my back…. might get to see if the injections seem to make a difference? I hope I hope……

Also I have a couple ideas possibly even a series in mind to work on… involves leaves…….more so I mean using my leaf printing on fabric and my leaf cyanotype on fabrics……. here is a little peek……

 

A downtime day…..

So today will have to be a downtime day orders from headquarters…..  Actually I mean the doctor….. I had some injections in my lumbar today in hopes of some successful pain management???  Wish me luck…. since the injections were this morning I’m to take it easy all day…. I can’t drive a car for 24 hours sooooo I assume I shouldn’t drive my sewing machine either?

So that leaves me time to ponder? Has anyone noticed? Are Christmas stockings  right or left footed????? Since I am working on Christmas Stockings for the kids and their families it suddenly  hit me?  Which way are Christmas stockings to hang? hmmmmmmm opinions anyone?

For example….  Here is photo are the ones I gave Brian and Heather at one of their wedding showers this summer.

Now here is are photos of the  front and back of one I am working on right now?

 

 

 

 

 

 

So is there a right or left foot to a Christmas stocking?  lol  and is it just a personal preference;  which direction one hangs them?

Surface design is fun!

So I’ve been having fun experimenting with surface design and dyeing lately…remember this photo? well it turned into……

 

then remember the rusting?? well it turned into….. 

Sadly the fabric does not photograph that well but the two pieces are great and somewhat  different dependant on which side of fabric you choose to view… the black was created by using tannin….my first time messing around with that….I look forward to more experimentation……. but for now…I’m suddenly busy working on some Christmas items I have promised my daughters….. have a great day!!!

I intend to just keep on sewing away……

 

So a road trip day or…..stay home and sew?

Okay so it’s one of those days….too many choices? I was going to make a road trip today to Web Fabrics since I have this wonderful gift certificate wanting to be spent…..BUT……the weather sucks….it’s now officially raining and even starting to get foggy so that would not be the enjoyable drive i had imagined….I wanted a nice sunny fall day drive….it’s amazing how the colors have changed since last week

and Purcellville can be a pretty country road drive dependant on the route one takes….oh well there’s always next week….if this fall is like my last 5 fall seasons in VA we’ll have the colors for a while ;-)

So I wandered downstairs to move my rusting fabric outside in the rain but instead decided it had rusted enough sooooooo to unwind the fabric to see what I had created…..the piece of

fabric I used the powered tannin along with the steel wool turned out interesting but I was not completely pleased with the results of the other fabric which you see on the left side of photo. It had large areas of white due to the water it sat in so I am experimenting once again….will let it sit a few more days to bake…lol…… then see if anything happened.

So I hopefully have finally settled back in at home after my whirlwind summer and early fall and am trying to reset habits…..back to blogging and hope to set a daily agenda to keep me on course I’ve set for myself. today since I’m going to skip the fall drive I’m heading off to the bank for quick errand then hope to settle in for a day of sewing! Hope  the weather has cleared in MI so Bill can complete his Harsens Island workday…..