Sewing Room Reunion

Not quite two weeks, but almost. I have been so dad-blamed busy, I haven't seen the inside of the sewing room since before Cait and Kathryn's visit. But I'm back this morning. Anna is cleaning downstairs, and I should have a couple or three hours to play.

This (above) is what I plan to work on. I bought the printed duck fabric and the pattern several weeks ago with plans to make these pants. It has been in the shopping bag ever since. I hope to at least get it cut out and maybe a few seams sewn today.

Tonight, Jesse is beginning a months-long adventure. I'm taking him to the bus station, where he will board a Greyhound to Las Vegas to spend a week with a longtime friend of his. From there, he goes on to San Diego to visit another friend who will then drive him to the trail head of the Pacific Crest Trail to begin his long walk. He plans to make the entire hike, from southern California to northern Washington, before returning home. If he does that, I won't see him again for several months (he hopes to be home by football season). I'm hoping he gets enough of it within a couple of weeks and returns home. We'll see.

He's excited about the adventure, but of course Grandma is worried silly. What about bears? And snow and ice and rain and twisted ankles and broken legs and earthquakes and landslides and.... Well, you get the picture. Nothing has yet been invented that I don't have the capacity to worry about. So maybe the separation will be good for the both of us. Keep us in your prayers.

For now, I have a pair of pants to sew.

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On 02/28/2018, Patty McDonald said ...

Walking the PCT is a great adventure for a young man. I do hope he is going with a friend. I still believe there is safety in numbers.
Enjoy your time in the sewing room and think on all things quilty. Patty Mc

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On 02/28/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

More power to you as you cut out the pants and sew! They look cute and comfy.

As for Jesse's adventure, a wonderful pastor once said that family can keep the young ones safe 100% of the time unless war is declared, they fall in with the wrong crowd, they step off a curb without looking. the elevator beings a free fall, they fall in love with the wrong person, and so on and so on, ad infinitum. You just cannot keep them safe because you cannot be everywhere. God can. Trust, have faith, and keep the money for a train trip home handy. I agree there is safety in numbers, too.

Happy sewing!

Hugs!

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On 03/01/2018, Debbie Price said ...

Glad you got back in your sewing room. Those pants look so comfortable!
Oh, that is a very long hike! I will worry with you 😱 I am a BIG worrier, even though I know I shouldn't be. Is he doing this with a friend?

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On 03/01/2018, Sue, a Florida Farm Girl said ...

Oh, I'm excited about Jesse's adventures. Keep us posted on his progress. I think his bravest feat is taking that bus cross country!! Haven't tackled an item of clothing in many years, so good luck to you.
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Family Time

Taco loves that Kathryn brought her platypus. He loves to snuggle with it.

Cait and Kathryn are here for a visit from Providence. The trip is mainly for house hunting, as they plan to move back to Alabama in the late spring. It will be good to have them close again.

So I probably won’t have a lot more time for blogging for the next week or so. And certainly no time for quilting (boo hoo). So everyone hang loose and I’ll see you when I see you.

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On 02/18/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

What a charming photo of Taco with his platypus!

Cheers that Cait and Kathryn are moving back to your neck of the woods!!! JOY!! Plus, you might get to go along on the house hunt. I LOVE doing that and I certainly wish you the energy needed if you love it, too.

Hugs!
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Window Dressing

Last March, daughter Andy gave me a Wayfair gift card for my birthday. I used it to purchase three lace curtain panels with the idea of replacing the wooden blinds in the living room with them. When I finally got around to taking those blinds down recently, I wasn’t pleased with the lace panels on the bay window. So instead, I hung them in the dining room. And I love them there. I left the wooden blinds on the dining room windows since they are in much better condition that the living room blinds were. And I think the lace curtains add a bit of softness and coziness to them.

But now I still have to decide what I’m going to do to dress the living room bay window. I have some ideas, any one of which is going to necessitate a trip to the fabric store, I’m afraid. 

Happy weekend, everyone.

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On 02/16/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

Lovely! Your red transferware is beautiful, too, and looks good above your window. What wonderful eye candy!

Hugs!

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On 02/17/2018, Dolores Tanner said ...

I read that Hawley book too!! And felt the same way at 1st, had a hard time getting into it, what IS this about, but after awhile i liked it, but felt it just ended with not too much resolved really, where did they go from there?
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“Heartwarming"

Here’s me and my “Heartwarming” quilt at show-and-tell yesterday. 

This is the first quilt in which I've used wool batting. Well, actually Lena, my long-armer, used the wool batting but upon my instructions. I don’t hate it, but I don’t think I’ll use it again. It makes the quilt a little too poofy, I think, and it's very airy and lightweight. Sort of reminds me of when I used to use 100% polyester batting. For this quilt, the romantic look, I suppose it works. But my favorite batting is still 80/20. 

Closeup of lace flange

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On 02/13/2018, Sylvia said ...

So beautiful!

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On 02/13/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

What a simply charming and sweet quilt you created! The lace adds just the right finishing touch.

You're looking good, too!

Hugs!

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On 02/13/2018, Beverly said ...

I'm in love, Susan. I think it is gorgeous.♥♥♥

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On 02/14/2018, Julie said ...

Love the quilt and you look so pretty! I really like the wool batting, but especially the fact that wool doesn't have a "memory," so the folds won't turn into permanent creases. Or so I've been told....haha!

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Perseverance

The back pain has been horrible the past few days. (Nevertheless, she persevered.) I made it to church yesterday. Then my sister and I had lunch at Logan’s after church. 

This morning, after a night of tossing and turning and not much sleep, I got up, got ready, and attended quilt guild meeting. This afternoon, I’m scheduled to pick up my sisters and get to book club by 2:00.

I'm working under the assumption that if I just keep pushing on and living my life, the pain will eventually give up and go away when it sees it’s not going to keep me down. So far, the pain hasn’t become discouraged. 

Here are a few photos I snapped of show-and-tell at this morning’s guild meeting.

Ann’s Kitties quilt from a pattern she found at Shiny Happy World (ShinyHappyWorld.com).

A happy scrappy cuddle quilt

Another interpretation of Lori Holt’s  Farm Girl Sampler

I took my “Heart Warming” quilt, which I finished binding yesterday, for show and tell, and I have photos. But if I don’t get a move on, I’m going to be late for book club. So I’ll post pics of it tomorrow. 

 

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On 02/12/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

What wonderful quilts and I so appreciate your sharing the photos!

So sorry you've got such awful back pain. Hope your strategy of ignoring it so it goes away works - or that better living through chemistry, a heating pad, or a combination of those things helps to bring you meaningful relief.

I'm looking forward to seeing your "Heart Warming" quilt tomorrow.

Hugs!
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Window On the Rainy World

Shortly after Vann and I moved into The Yellow House in 1996, we had wooden blinds installed on the front windows. Those blinds served well for about twenty years. But just after Vann left us, the blinds started going too. There was a lifetime guarantee on them by the company that installed them, but that company has been out of business for years--so how one would go about collecting on that guarantee is a mystery. Anyway I have grown quite tired of even the idea of wooden blinds. I want some pretty window treatments. 

So right before my new floors were installed, I took down the blinds in the living room and put them out for the trash man. They were in no shape that anyone could reuse them, so I thought trash was the best place for them. This morning, I removed the brackets that held them up and gave the windows a good cleaning, at least on the inside).

I had the red-and-white striped valance put up in, I believe, 2011, the last time I did any major redecorating in the house. It had been installed incorrectly, and it fell down in about 2014. As luck would have it, it fell just before Christmas and coinciding with a visit from my stepdaughter Amy--who can do just about anything. With the help of Jesse, she put it right back up for me, correctly this time. 

My quandary now is whether or not I want to keep it. The pros or keeping it are: I like the fabric, it won’t be easy to get down, and there will be major repairs to the wall and window frame to be made when it comes down.  The cons of keeping it are: not crazy about the style, it might not go with whatever fabric I decide upon for the curtains (cross that bridge later, huh?), If I ever repaint this room, it will have to come down (another bridge to cross later). So I suppose that, for now, the valance stays.

My friends Lori and Greg are on their way to replace the plug that provides power to my microwave. The plug has given up the ghost and I now have a long and ugly extension cord supplying power to it. When I posed the rhetorical question to Jesse as to why everything in this house seems to be going bad at once, he replied, “Because it’s an old house.” Somehow I don’t think of a 20-something-year-old house as old. But then Jesse is only 20-something, so I guess things look differently to him.

Have a nice weekend, everyone. (Wow, this has been a boring post, hasn’t it?)

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On 02/10/2018, Dorris said ...

Sue your post are never boring. I always enjoy reading them. I don't get out much so reading your post is like having a good neighbor. Dorris

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On 02/10/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

I always enjoy your posts, too!

I like the valences and wish you well in whatever you decide to do about them.

Hugs!

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On 02/11/2018, Julie in WA said ...

Your posts are never boring! This morning, on day 10 of a yucky keep-me-on-the-sofa cold, I just enjoy reading posts like this...it is like visiting with a friend when outside contact is limited.

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On 02/11/2018, Sue, a Florida Farm Girl said ...

We get spoiled to the easy maintenance of a new house and when age creeps up on it, it comes as a shock. We had that very issue with our former house. Nope, the post is not boring. You share your life with us and that's just fine.

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On 02/11/2018, Sheryl Colle said ...

I think the valance is very attractive, but I guess I'm seeing it for the first time.

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On 02/12/2018, Pat said ...

No, not boring at all! Everyday life decisions... we all have them. I sometimes wish we had left bare windows, but our blinds do give privacy at times.

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On 02/15/2018, Jan said ...

Love to read your posts.

My house is 90 years old. It has the original pine hardwood floors, which may be worth more than the house. It creaks & groans like I do, but it's still home.
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New Floor

Not since my last case of the flu cleared up have I been so glad to be rid of something. The old carpet is gone, with its fibers and embedded dust and pet hairs that could never be adequately vacuumed up. This is my new wood floor. I’m already seeing a difference in my breathing.

I still have carpeting upstairs, the original carpet that was in the new house when we moved here 22 years ago. But it’s a lower loft carpet than the frieze type that we had installed on the first floor about ten years ago. It has always been a problem. You could vacuum till you dropped and never get rid of the fuzz and fibers that come off the stuff.

Eventually, I will get the upstairs replaced with wood, but it will be a while. The chaos that this experience provided to my life was more than I needed. I’m still not finished putting everything back together, but I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Enough so that I can say it was worth it. I love my new floor.

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On 02/03/2018, Debbie Price said ...

It's gorgeous! I love wood floors! Now you need a Swiffer!

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On 02/03/2018, Linda Enneking said ...

It is beautiful, and if it helps you breathe easier it is worth the expense and the hassle of installation.

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On 02/03/2018, Barbara Anne said ...

How nice those new wood floors look and I applaud your boldness in putting up with the mess the installation caused. Oh, so worth it now!! Enjoy the ease of vacuuming and breathing.

Hugs!

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On 02/03/2018, Loribelle said ...

Gorgeous!

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On 02/03/2018, Patty McDonald said ...

Beautiful wood floor! We did 3 rooms in our house and, with 5 dogs, it has made a huge difference. It is easy to clean and I know I'm getting all that dog hair. It makes me feel better Hope you feel the same way.

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On 02/04/2018, Sue, a Florida Farm Girl said ...

Congratulations on the new floor. Looks lovely.

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On 02/04/2018, Linda said ...

Really, really nice.

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On 02/05/2018, Bonnie said ...

What a thrill. I remember getting new flooring: it was all the work of moving, but staying in the same house! Enjoy.

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On 02/05/2018, diane said ...

You are right when you say your breathing is better. It is amazing how much mini dust the carpet holds. The floor looks great.

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On 02/09/2018, Pat said ...

Beautiful flooring! Mine is very similar. We removed carpet even older than yours. But my husband’s mother lived here alone & there wasn’t much wear. Still... I love my wood (mine’s laminate boards, not floating.) Know you’ll enjoy it.
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