Pole Barn Completed

The pole barn was finished a couple of weeks ago, but I haven’t been the most mobile this year so didn’t get a picture taken till now.  Here it is in all its glory:

Those walls are 16′ high.  It’s quite something.

Between the driveway and the pole barn is a planting of azure monkshood:

This plant is thriving.  It was under an English walnut tree, which had to be cut down to make the new driveway extension for the pole barn.  My husband left 5′ of trunk at my request, so the plant will still have nice support.  Since we have more than 1,000 trees on our property (and it was a corn field when we purchased it), it was sad that the tree had to be removed, but won’t make much of a difference for fall raking, and the firewood will keep our neighbors nice and cosy this winter.  

The perennial is only 3 years old and is the latest blooming perennial in our yard.  It’s something I look forward to seeing every year.  And here is a nice close-up photo:

 

Hugs…

Pole Barn Update and Purse Completed

It’s been a busy week here.  The pole barn is almost finished:

It still needs some translucent panels on the south wall, the big garage door, and more gravel for the floor.  Hopefully, it will be finished by the end of the week.

The Hot Patterns purse is completed:

There are 3 ways you can wear this purse.

#1 – Slip your arm through the holes and it drapes down the side of your body.  This will work well in the summer, but no way is that opening big enough for an arm wearing a bulky winter coat.  I live in Upstate New York, so the purse won’t be worn that way this winter.

#2 – See the little gold D-rings on the side? 2 G-ring clamps with a strap can be attached to those rings, but my local JoAnns was out of them, so the strap has not been added yet.  Instructions for making a tassel and fringe are included in the pattern and that would hang along one edge.  It looks really nice on the pattern picture.  I’ll add that when the G-ring clamps arrive.

#3 – It can be folded in half and used as a clutch.

This purse was a prototype.  I didn’t bother decorating it as I was testing it for size.  It’s way too small for me.  I know, I know, you all think it’s plenty big as it is.  Well, I like BIG purses.  This one measures 12″ wide by 20″ long, but you can only put things in half that length.  It has 2 pockets inside, but the opening is so small at the top, it’s hard to get your hand inside the purse, let alone your hand with anything in it. 

My plan is to make it 18″ wide and also flare the top more.  This might get accomplished, it might not.  I’m not sure I want to bother making it again.  Putting that bias binding around the inside armhole was an ordeal.  The curves are sharp at the bottom and top edges, so that needs to be reconfigured also. 

I’m glad I made it, but I’m not too sure I’ll ever use it, or make a larger, reconfigured version better fitting for my lifestyle or not.  

Hugs…

Pole Barn II

Lots more work got done on the pole barn:

There is now a nice gravel base leading from the driveway to the interior of the pole barn.  Eventually, it will have a cement floor, but we’ll let the gravel settle for a year before that is added.

And do you see that big lift on the left?  The top wall beams are being added. 
The trusses were next:

The man with the big smile and outstretched arms is our contractor.  He’s an A1 contractor in my book. 

It’s amazing how fast the shell is going up.  

On the textile front, ‘work is progressing on a crazy quilt block – Nikki’s Face DYB block – and it will be mailed this week.  I want to take it the RAFA meeting on Thursday to see if I can get some people interested in crazy quilts.

Physical therapy has been completed for my knee injury, the surgical boot is off my foot from the foot surgery, and I see the vascular surgeon this afternoon to hopefully get some help with the circulation in my left leg.  I should be good to go after that and am really looking forward to not seeing anymore doctors for a loooooong time.

The upside of the knee injury though was going for physical therapy.  Everyone there is so nice and did such a good job getting me up and moving again.  Now I signed up for their strength training and look forward to every exercise session.  

That is something I never, ever thought I’d say.   It’s all Mark and Arthur and Amy’s fault – the wonderfully kind, helpful, knowledgable physical therapists at Churchville Physical Therapy.    They make you feel like family, and so do the two receptionists.   I’m having a senior moment and forgot their names, but trust me, they are also wonderful people.

Hugs…

Pole Barn

Lots has been going on here.  We recently contracted with Duane Feor to build a pole barn on our property.  Our driveway has been filled with all sorts of heavy machinery, lots of cute hunky workers, and much progress has been made.

The first day the site  was cleared:

Then the first load of lumber was delivered:

My husband planted those evergreen trees 30 years ago.  They have really grown.  The lilies were added about 4 years ago and he has planted several varieties so we have gorgeous blooms from early spring through August. 

Gunner visited too – our contractor’s dog:

It was hot when he was here, so I put out a couple of bowls of water for her.  Yes, Gunner is a female.  Ask Duane why he called her Gunner.  I think she looks more like a Daisy Mae. 

The next day the Bobcat driver arrived with a humongous drill.  His leg is in the picture so you can judge for yourself how big that drill is:

Most of the post holes were dug by the drill, but 2 holes had to be dug by hand.  We considered ourselves lucky so many were able to be done by machine.  Our area has some big rocks. 

The following day the first level posts were cemented in the holes:

More pole barn pictures will be posted tomorrow.  I can’t get over how much work got done in one week.

On the creative side, it’s also been a productive week.  Knitting was started on a vintage hand knit baby kimono sweater.  I’m not sure it will be long enough, but it’s been a long time since I’ve knit anything baby sized.  This is a really old pattern and had no stitch gauge or measurements.  It called for fingering weight yarn, and I’m using it, but who knows what was commonly called fingering weight yarn in 1907?

My Pfaff sewing machine was updated so it now has all the new stitches, a new thread guide, and the updating party was a lot of fun.  It was great seeing everyone.

And last, but not least, I’m making a new purse – the La Rue Messenger/Toe/Clutch pattern from Hot Patterns.  For some reaon, I’m making mistake after mistake.  It took me 2 hours to sew one 12″ zipper.  From using the wrong foot, to not threading the bobbin properly, to sewing it to the wrong side of the lining, etc…  I could go on and on. 

The pattern is perfectly fine.  All the flubs and trips to the frog pond (for rippit, rippit, rippit sessions) are totally my fault.  There have been so many mistakes, I’m a bit leery of working on it today, but that is exactly what I plan on doing after I upload this blog entry.  Wish me luck!!!  I need it.  I think I have a bad infestation of the dreaded sewing sleeths.  I need them to begone!!!

Hugs…

Little Visitor

 Lookie what I found in my front yard:

This little deer has been visiting daily, and I finally got a picture.   It has created a pathway through the lilac bushes and walks up to the house to snack on the flowers by the living room windows.   I wish it would develop an appetite for something besides my flowers though.  There are plenty of veggies for it to enjoy in the backyard. 

It’s oppressively hot and humid this weekend.  A good time to stay inside and work on a project.  I purchased a couple of new sewing patterns and will hopefully start a purse today.  My fabric collection came to the rescue and the purse will be made from left over material from a project made last year – the cushions for my daughter’s basement. 

I throw very few fabric scraps out, and there was a lot of leftover fabric from this project.  My daughter had given me 2 love seat covers to use, and I had to cut into both of them to cover the 2 cushions last year.  There is probably enough leftover fabric here for quite a few more projects.

Don’t you love it when you have just the fabric you need for a project in the house?  But who am I kidding?  I have enough fabric to last a couple of lifetimes.  Now don’t laugh, but I purposely built a fabric collection while my husband was still working.  I figured after he retired, our discretionary income would be curtailed.  Well, he retired way before he wanted, and we’re living on a budget for the first time in our lives.  No complaints from me.  It’s great having him home.  After 36 years, I still get butterflies in my stomach when I see him walk into a room.  Heck, he still thinks I’m petite.   Ah, love really is blind. 

Happily, I can sew to my heart’s content from my fabric collection.  Comfort quilts – made for local non-profit organizations, art quilts, clothing for myself, etc… you name it, I’ve got the fabric for it, and it’s all paid for, washed and ready to be used. 

Now onto the purse.  Pictures soon to come – I hope. 

Hugs…

A Fun Day

Yesterday was my daughter’s birthday – Happy Birthday dear heart – and we celebrated by going out on the new boat she and her husband recently purchased.  The weather was perfect.  My husband and I picked up my Dad – 90 years young – for a fun day on the water.  Of course, the new puppy came along too.  He’s still nameless, but he’s a born sailor.  He explored the boat, found a comfy spot, and settled down for a snooze. 

As we left the very muddy river – the dam was opened that morning and it stirred up a lot of silt – and entered Lake Ontario,  we passed the Wild Hearts catamaran:

It’s a party boat that can be rented out. 

Then on past the light beacon at the end of the Lake Ontario pier:

 

Seems like the grafitti artists did their thing on the nice white surface.  I guess they couldn’t resist it.

Then we hit Lake Ontario and my son-in-law opened her up.  Oh boy, was it ever fun.  I do so love being in a boat with the sun shining, the wind in my face, and the spray from the boat hitting the water falling on me.  See the beautiful design from the boat wake:

That design will definitely be in a future textile piece.

And here’s a picture of my Dad up front:

 Would you believe he’s wearing his RayBans sunglasses from WWII?  Yes, I said WWII.  My Dad served on an air craft carrier, and he and those sunglasses of his traveled the world. 

We thought sitting up front  would be the best place for him to see everything, but he laughingly said, as soon we picked up speed, all he saw was the sun in the sky. 

We went back to the dock and feasted on a wonderful meal my son-in-law and daughter made for us.  Next year, when my knee and foot are healed, I’ll be the cook again.  They were both good sports about doing all the work this year, and I felt like it was my birthday, not my daughter’s. 

This was a day to be stored in my memory bank.  We had such a good time – even if my 90 year young Dad could get in and out of the boat easier than I could. 

Hugs…

Beaded Ring and Thoughts to Ponder

With all my sofa time this spring and summer, I’ve been having a great time making beaded rings.  Here’s a picture of the newest one:

These take very little time to make and I’m enjoying experimenting with colors and different bead finishes.  The matte beads are really appealing but the high gloss ones sparkle.  The matte ring I made looks great with white knit slacks, yet this shiny one does too. 

I’ve learned an awful lot about using beads and how the background fabric affects the color.  No more do I select my beads from the container alone.  Now they are spread out on the fabric so I can see how they will appear.  

Bead selection for a project has changed more than once because of that, and I’ve learned to pull out colors I don’t think will work.  I’ve read all this information in books over the years, so I knew this intellectually, but this summer’s hands-on exercises were invaluable. 

Yes, I cherish the books I purchase.  I read them, I’m inspired by them, but nothing replaces actual work experience.  There is something to be said for taking on an apprentice to learn a skill.  Those guilds we read about in our history books served a purpose -  passing on knowledge, experience and technique – keeping their crafts alive and flourishing.   Are our modern day workshops taking the place of those historic guilds?  Our internet classes? 

Leaving you a few thoughts to ponder and of course, some hugs…

New Puppy

There is a new addition to my family.  My daughter and her husband welcomed a new puppy into their home.  Of course, the minute I saw him I had to pick him up and begin cuddling him:

 

Is that not an adorable puppy?  He’s a Samoyed, 12 weeks old, and can you believe even his eyelashes are white?   He’s a vocal little guy and very shy.  It was really hard for me to hand him back to her.  I gave him a few kisses, he gave me a few back, and is happily settling into his new home. 

Hugs…

August’s RAFA Meeting

What a great time I had at the monthly Rochester Area Fiber Artist’s meeting Thursday.  It’s the first meeting I’ve been able to attend since April.  My dear husband drove me and picked me up after it, and it was the best present he could have given me.

Show and tell was fabulous as lots of the members had been to Quilting By The Lake, and brought pieces started in classes, plus showed lots of samples from technique classes.  I’m so glad I already own a glue gun because the pieces that came out of one of the technique classes were intriguing.  Everything from napkins to paper towels, coffee filters, tyvek, plastic wrap, felt, brown paper,  and a multitude of other surfaces were being painted and melted to create gorgeous dimensional and ethereal looking bits and pieces.

First up is a picture of a beautifully embroidered piece of art made in Syria:

To really appreciate it, I cropped and enlarged a small section of it also.  And don’t forget, if you double click on the picture it will enlarge for you.

The embroidery is magnificent – straight stitch, couching, color choices, design – everything about this piece resonated with my soul.  Seeing it, made my day.

Caris showed a couple of works in progress.  The first one is her fabric version of a street scene she photographed inVenice.  I wish I could show you the original photograph next to the fiber piece because it really evokes the lighting of the photography perfectly.  Keep in mind, this is a work in progress.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to share a picture with all of you when it is completed.

Caris is also working on a scientific quilt for her son.  There are all sorts of symbols and images from the scientific world.  As that was my poorest subject in school, the minute she said what each image represents, it went in one ear and out the other.  LOL  She will be adding a DNA helix – I remembered that!!! – and this also is a work in progress:

Elaine made a felted fish, and doesn’t it look terrific?  There are beads underneath the fins so the fins will be 3 dimensional.  I’m not sure the photograph does it justice, but it was really well done.

Donna took some classes from Rayna Gilman.  She experimented with screen work and used Elmer’s School glue as a resist on some pieces.  It’s especially interesting how she experimented to see how the glue would gradually dissolve to create lighter and lighter images.  Donna thinks outside the box, and tries things that would never occur to most people.  This idea was really great and is another project added to my “To-Try” list. 

And here’s another piece that Donna created:

There were lots more pieces shown, but I have to get permission from the artists before I post anymore to the blog. 

I dearly wish I could show a photo I took of new quilt made for Genessee Valley Quilt Club, Inc to raffle, but it’s under wraps till the big unveiling on their website.  Then I’ll be able to link to that photo.  Trust me – it’s drop dead gorgeous – a black background with vibrant appliqued and pieced blocks.  It is drama personified.  I hope I win it.  It’s cetainly not for lack of buying tickets, that’s for sure. 

Hugs…

Retail Therapy III

More goodies to share with you from my recent shopping splurge:

These are 2 issues of Inspirations magazine from Australia #58 is on the left  and 62 on the right.  They are filled with abolutely gorgeous embroidery patterns and wonderful close up photos of the work, and how to accomplish some of the stitches.  I heard about this magazine on the yahoo crazyquiltinternation group, and decided to see what the magazine was like.  Here is a picture of one of the embroideries from issue # 58:

Gorgeous, true???  Will I ever stitch something like this?  Who knows.  I’ve learned to eliminate the word never from my vocabulary.  All things are possible. 

Hugs…