Case of the missing glasses - SOLVED .....

Lookie what I found on the back deck this morning....

Apparently, someone wanted to borrow them and decided to have them for a snack instead!  I'm guessing Nelson.....but he wouldn't confess! I looked for the rest of it but as you can see, they are tortoise shell.  The yard is full of mud, leaves, sticks, sweet gum balls, and dog droppings.  They could be anywhere!

Blessings, Cathi

Where, oh where could they be? .....

I can't tell you how many times I have misplaced my Wal-Mart reading glasses.  The last pair I misplaced was left in a restaurant in Mt. Airy back in August.  I thought I was doing great to have kept these so long.  But sure enough this past Tuesday, they seem to have gone permanently missing this time!  I would say I looked everywhere but if I had, I would have found them.

Here is the empty case for proof........

Wednesday afternoon, after my FIRST trip to IKEA with The Married One (that story is for another day), I headed to Hobby Lobby for a replacement pair with my 40% off coupon.  I found these already marked 60% off .....

 

Reagan modeling for me

I should have been using this cute pin......

 

I bought this at the Christmas Carousel craft show held in Raleigh during Thanksgiving weekend about 7 years ago.  Hard to tell but unless you enlarge the picture but it's a cute little quilter just working away.  

Oh, how I hate that my eyes are getting old!

Blessings, Cathi

I'm finished with flannel.....

Dear Hubby's flannel quilt top is finally together.  It was a struggle.  No points match.  It shifted a lot.  I pinned a lot.  And it's finished.  It's the last quilt I plan on making out of flannel.

 

Except for the quilting .....but that's for another day.

Blessings, Cathi

What I like about December and January.....

NO NASCAR !

 

Blessings, Cathi

I mentioned before that I gave a program for the District 4 of Quilters of South Carolina meeting.   I don't have any pictures because I was the speaker and would look silly standing up front with a microphone in one hand and the camera in the other.  And because .... as usual .... I forgot to take the camera.  The name of my speech was When a Door Closes........ As you can imagine, it was about losing my job and taking a new direction in life.

I had a wonderful time.  They were very good to me.  Pat Bartholomew, who is the district rep and the planner of annual meeting, gave me a very nice gift.  Pat knows my tastes well.  She gave me a copy of Terri Degenkolb's book, Occasions, along with a kit to make the snowman quilt inside. 

Note on the picture of the cover that the book is no longer available.  I stole the picture of the cover from Terri's website.

Before this book, which I didn't have by the way, I had 6 of Terri's books.  I just love them.  Just don't ask me how many of the projects I have completed from any of them ! LOL

Anyway, thank you, Pat and District 4 for inviting me to your meeting, treating me like a queen, and being a very good friend!

Blessings, Cathi

My very first design.....

I actually designed my very first quilt.  I used Cheri Saffiote-Payne's quilt that I had chosen for last month's Charming Girls challenge as a starting off point.  When I finished with it, the only thing that was the same was the size of the first block and the fact that it had a flower on it.

I haven't decided on a name or finished writing the pattern yet.  This is just the prototype.  There is a little tweaking to do.  But it's a start.  All the appliques are wool and the backgrounds are from my extremely large stash of plaids.

Blessings, Cathi

February Charming Girls AND Guys .....

The name has changed but the plan is the same.  Here is my plan for the month of February.

Number 1

Finish Dear Hubby's flannel top that I didn't finish last month.  It's killing me to cut off all those points because of my bad cutting 5 years ago. I'm just going to sew with my eyes closed and work my way through it!

Number 2

Quilt the Hidden Stars that I finished back in November (?).  I would like to give it for a gift in March.  I already have the backing.

 

Number 3

I was supposed to take a class two Saturdays ago but had to cancel due to the situation with my father-in-law.  I was supposed to have it cut out before class started.  I got most of it cut out but after talking with the teacher and seeing some of the other quilt tops, I decided that my lights weren't light enough.   So project number 3 to finish is to cut approximately 300 more pieces of the light fabrics again.  I will have no problem using the other lights for another project.

Blessings, Cathi

ANOTHER new hobby.....

So much has happened since I last posted.  First a sincere thank you to all who left comments and sent emails about my father-in-law.

I was asked to give a program last weekend for a group of quilters in Columbia, SC.  It was the perfect opportunity to introduce my new business, Shakerwood Woolens. I finally decided to start selling my hand-dyed wool. I took all the wool I had dyed up to that point just to show them what I had been doing.  They bought half of it!  I was really surprised.  I still have some of the business plan to work out but I am on my way.  I am going to sell mostly through being a vendor at quilt shows and retreats. I am going to make this one-time (maybe!) plea.  If you know of a quilt show or retreat that would want hand-dyed wool as a vendor in the Carolinas, Virginia or Georgia, please let me know.

I went to the Quilting and Needle Art Extravaganza held in Statesville, NC last Friday.  About 40 vendors of quilt shops, wool, scrapbooking, yarn shops, etc. held in one place.  

I HAD to make some purchases so I decided on this two-sided hoop and pattern for a punch needle project.  I already owned the punch needle thinking I would learn "one day". It is really fun to do. Hopefully I can show a finished project soon. 

The pattern is by Brenda Gervais.  I just love her designs.  I just love this hoop.  They can be used separately or with the joining posts.  Like the lady said that sold it to me. I could have a project going on both hoops at the same time.  Like I need MORE projects going on simultaneously!!

Blessings, Cathi