The Woolen Rabbit

Finishing up....

I'm embarrassed to say how long this quilt sat in my studio un-quilted. I had made a mistake that required pulling one of the blocks apart,so it sat and sat and sat.

I finally fixed it and put it on my long arm machine a few weeks ago and finished up with the binding today...wheee!

 

I am excited to start new projects, but I have committed to finishing a few that have been staring at me with judging eyes (if they had eyes that is..ha!)

This is the Jolly Bar Jazz Quilt Pattern from Fat Quarters Fabric Shop. I will post a little more information about the pattern and the fabric when I post  the final pictures.
This really was an easy quilt pattern to put together, so don't let my procrastination deter anyone for doing this quilt.

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To all of you Moms out there, have a WONDERFUL MOTHER'S DAY!!

Me Made May...

"Be still to know the absolute.
Be active to know the outer.
The two spring from the same source,
All of life is one whole."
Deng Ming~Dao

It's been a little while since I have visited, but here I am again like a bad penny that keeps coming back..LOL

I have found that I am feeling less and less comfortable spending time on Facebook.  I miss the uncomplicated days of getting to know new friends through blogging, so I thought that I would try to spend my more of my time here blogging and reading blogs again.

So in the world of "makers", May is a dedicated month of concentrated making, whether it be sewing, quilting, knitting, etc.  Every year on Instagram, I see all of the fun things that people I know both personally and from afar are creating and I love it!  I find it so inspirational.  This year I thought I would take a little jump into this effort.

Now, I will be lucky to finish a few things, but knowing that I have such a hard time finding clothes that fit correctly, I wanted to concentrate on sewing some new things. Taking it slow and spending more time on quality over quantity and learning new skills.  I am always amazed at the people who can consistently crank out both beautiful quality items and doing it quickly.  I'm sure that I won't be one of them, at least for a spell for sure.

I'm also going to try to sew with a purpose by trying to create somewhat of a capsule wardrobe to mix and match and commit to keeping and having less.  I think it will help create more space in my brain if that makes sense, ha!  If nothing else, it will make getting ready for a day or traveling much simpler.

What do you think?  Do any of you live with capsule wardrobes?

Settling In

Now that the Christmas tree and decorations have been taken down, we are coming into one of my favorite seasons minus the cold weather.

As much as I love the craziness of the holidays and spending time with my big family, I love when we settle into the hum-drum days of winter.  The days are now getting lighter, ever be it so slowly and the demands on our time are much less.


Last year my friend, Terry, sent me this puzzle knowing how much I love the ocean and how much I loved the puzzle when she pieced it together.  I didn't dare put it on my kitchen table however with a young cat in the house who notices "EVERYTHING!" 
I wasn't quite sure if I was ever going to be able to do this, even this year.  Such a dilemma!


After Christmas, I presented this dilemma to Ken knowing he enjoys doing puzzles with me.  He hemmed and hawed a bit at first about what building materials would work without breaking the bank and this is what he came up with.
I love it!  
The material is lightweight and the handle makes it so easy to take on and off while keeping little "Miss Nosey" away from the puzzle pieces.  
Looking back at one of Terry's posts when she was putting this together, I noticed that she found this one a bit challenging because the colors in the picture are not quite true.  Hmmm, if she found this a bit challenging, then I am going to probably find it very challenging as she is a puzzle aficionado!  Wish me luck over the next few weeks..ha!

How do you like to pass the winter days?

Baby It's Cold Outside!

It's no surprise when it is in the teens and single numbers here in New Hampshire in January, but with all of the warmer weather we have been having these last few years, it always makes you suck your breath in when the usual winter weather makes her cold appearance!

I have been working on this beautiful shawl, designed by Woolenberry, named Spotlight and I am knitting this in my Opal yarn. Using the colorways "Cornhusk" and "au naturale", I am loving how soft and squishy this is knitting up and looking forward to the lacework that comes at the end of this shawl.  It's been a while since I have done some real lacework!  
I may have a larger lace project on the horizon this year, so this will be good training for reading those lace charts again.

The temperatures are supposed to moderate a bit this weekend, it will be nice to get outside again without freezing!
Yay!!!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend in your corner of the world!
xoxo

Happy New Year!

 

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.
In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.  Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment; our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
 Deng Ming~Dao

Hello dear friends!

Somethings always remain the same and true, which is why I always use this inspiring Tao quote to start off my year and this year is no different.

Last year when I wrote my yearly post, I set some goals for the upcoming year.  Goals like committing to the crafts that I have loved over the years but have let some lapse. Weaving, sewing, reading and walking.

This year I worked through a difficult weaving warp and while I only was able to complete 3 towels out of 9, I stuck with it and didn't give up (normally I would have just cut the warp off and toss it).
 I finished spinning up some fiber I had been gifted years ago and created a sweet little sweater vest for my littlest granddaughter.
I made some drink coasters out of rope and 3 good sized quilts for my grandchildren.  I finished up the year with 2 little ruffled scarves!

While I am still struggling a little with forcing myself to get back out into the world, we did go on an AMAZING adventure to Italy for our 30th anniversary. Such a breathtaking place that I can hardly wait to visit again!

I am walking again daily and while I didn't read as much as I did last year, I only missed my goal by 3 books and I am learning Italian!

I feel good about what I accomplished when I look back at 2024.  Next year I will continue to work on creating new things.  My loom has 8 harnesses, but I have ever only used 4 of them.  This year I will take on the challenge of 8 harness weaving.  I also want to become more proficient with my big long arm quilting machine.  More reading and walks....and new adventures!

This year promises to have some challenging days ahead, but keeping a positive attitude will help us meet the challenges!

Whew this is more than I have posted on this day in a long time! ❤️
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What are your personal goals for 2025?