This looks pretty empty now but you'll see a good view tomorrow.We got some young help today getting furniture ready for the store.

And a more mature friend of ours.

Cleaning and adding touches of gold - to age the pieces.

Molly really likes the lamp.

Tomorrow is grand opening. Are we ready? We'll have to be. It'll be great fun.

WHAT'S ON MY MACHINE MONDAY

This is a quilt I'm starting for a customer. I did the wide border but it's not seeable because of the fabric print. I'll show all later. It's being done for a man living in Arizona and the quilt does have that kind of look, so it won't be a flowery design. but more Navaho.I knitted these booties as a pair - but do they look like a pair? You can see the difference in the cuff. So now I'm making matches for both of these.

Concrete is going into our sign hole. My husband and second son Joe do that.

My oldest son Nathaniel (a sign man) is helping the girls with the graphics for the sign. He routed out the sign and the letters.

The windows have all their casing.

The lights are all in.

We are opening this Thursday. There's still a lot to be done.

Quilts and Cats

I just finished binding my Hawaiian Trumpet flower quilt. Almost had it sold, but then it fell through. Maybe I'll sell it, maybe I'll just keep it. I'll see what my husband thinks when he sees it on the bed.

This is my fall quilt that I have on my bed now. Several years ago on a trip to Walmart, I asked my husband if he could pick out 3 yards of fabric that he really liked and I'd make a quilt from it. He picked the leafy fabric and this is what resulted. I've been using it every fall since then.

I made this cat over the last couple of days. I'm not real happy with her, as it show in her face. She does look rather sad. Her ears are glued to her head which is glued to her body which is glued to her feet. I don't know that she'll stand a lot of kid wear. I don't think I'll use that pattern on one again.

Trim boards

It's not quite as dark as it looks. I took this picture 2 minutes ago. Jordan is painting the trim. The girls' are hoping they'll get started this evening actually putting them on.

Last evening we went out by the road and placed our new sign. Look how much bigger it is than the one we have now. The graphics will be great and readable. The old one (the one in front) is not very readable at all to passing cars. My daughter (who teaches) and another teacher took their classes on a forest walk. They stopped in our yard, fed the fish and chickens, collected eggs, and had lunch on the putting green. Children always like coming to our house.

New Hooded Sweater.

Just got the buttons put on this one. It feels nice and soft but durable. Lion brand Wool-ease. Fits a 1 year old.

It's such a lovely fall. Suppose to get to 85 today, but I doubt it gets that high. The girls took the afternoon off to go golfing.

What's on my Machine Monday

It's the same things as last week. There's no pressure to get it done and so I haven't worked on it much except at odd times. After my classes last week, I changed my idea for the center applique, which I'm not real happy about. But we all need things to learn on.These are a few things I finished in the past week. A deer, a washcloth, and some of those flowers. The others were already done. These are all to sell in our shop.

I did apply for a business license today. That makes us official and legal.

The Shop is Coming Along

This week was a moving week getting some things done. Here's the primer going on with the help of older brother Chris.Victoria and Veronica pose for a shot.

Chris is again helping with texturing.
Now the ceiling is getting sprayed.

And the walls are getting rolled. Pink on most of the walls and brown on the back wall.

There's still a lot to be done, but it sure is nice to get past the mudding and sanding and see things visibly move along.

INNOVATIONS 2009

I took several great classes at Innovations. This is Grace Anderson from Grants Pass, Or. She has greatly inspired me and taken me out of my box of what I can do. I love her work.Here are some samples of what she does.

You can click on the pictures to make them larger and see the work better.

These vines are a wonderful addition to what I can do.

This is Lisa Coker from Texas. She has a great Texan drawl.

Here are examples of what she taught.

Now to try some things out. One of the biggest things I got is to learn to doodle and just practice on paper. Especially to take several elements and put them together smoothly. I think any doodler could become a good longarm quilter.

INNOVATIONS 2009

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Above is a slideshow presentation of many of the quilts at Innovations in Tacoma. I went and took classes and took pictures of the quilts. It is a machine quilting show. As you'll see , I really seem to like applique quilts best, but I did get a lot of variety. Below are some historical quilts the La Conner Museum are displaying at the show. The basket quilt was done in 1845. The others are later - the dogwood being done in the 1950's.

Some blown glass by Dale Chihuly at the Union Station in Tacoma.

I'll show the work of my teachers tomorrow as I have more classes then.

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Look at all those weeds! A lot of thistles.I decided I'd better take care of them. It doesn't look perfect but a lot better. I'm too old to take it for too long.

Flowers in front of my house. They add a lot of color to our place.

WHAT'S ON MY MACHINE MONDAY

I'm getting my Lilies wallhanging going. I'm doing an echo quilting which tenses me up some. I'm not used to doing this kind of thing. Plus my thread is breaking. I've changed needle a couple of times. Can't figure out the problem. So I go to Bayside Quilting tomorrow and might get some help from Bonnie.I knitted this sweater over the last couple of weeks. It was painstaking but the results are really worth it. I'm very happy with it.

My daughters got me patterns for fabric animals. They want them for the store. So here I go. I don't want to make clothing, so quilts and animals must be it.

Little Bo Peep Lost Her Sheep

But I lost my girls. I've been helping a friend sew dresses for her little girls. I thought they were coming to finish the dresses today and I was going to give the girls these lambs and headbands I made to match their dresses. But they didn't come today. So the lambs just sit and wait for their new mistresses to come. Maybe tomorrow. Mom wanted the girls to wear their dresses to church.

Fall Tablerunner and a cute Daisy

This is another Fall tablerunner completed

And a close up of the quilting. I am starting to get a little more free with trying more thread work. I want to keep doing more.
This is a cutie named Daisy Joy who is trying out my sweater. Her mother used to babysit my children. Now my girls babysit hers.