Quilt Retreat 2011

Need I say more?

The beginning of a quilt by the retreat crew for our next auction....LOVE IT!

OMG!

A simple bright fabric center encased in simple borders...brilliant!

A clever husband drew out this quilt pattern on plywood.

Irish chain updated for Jelly Rolls

Check out those clever prairie points.

these colors will keep you awake

For our lone knitter

Sunbonnet Sue gone Hallowe'en.

Secret Sister gifts

Love this!

As declared by the maker...'One ugly charity quilt!'

Beautiful quilt... and look at all those cords!

Hundreds of safety pins!

Of course I can say more.


My own output was very slim for the weekend.  I did get most of a little quilt quilted (not shown above), cut fabric for a simple baby quilt, watched a couple of movies, played computer games, worked on my knitting and read most of a book on Brain Games for Your Dog but most of my weekend was spent just relaxing in a lovely location.  Camp Allen is just outside of Navasota, TX, home to W. C. Mercantile, a great little yarn shop, and three of us made a pilgrimage there on Saturday afternoon.


What I love about sewing retreats is the opportunity to get away from it all and do what I want when I want without concern for laundry, meals, or dog walking.  The fact that I can get some concentrated sewing time is just a bonus.


What I hate about sewing retreats is all that concentrated time with a small group of people.  I live alone with a couple of dogs and tend to do my own thing.  Imagine my surprise when I heard later that some of the attendees seemed to note how I spent my time.  I didn't notice what most of them were doing, just the results of their work.  


I've really got to get out more!


One thing I did do on my own was go in search of a screw for my sewing machine.  I ended  up in a small hardware store in Hempstead.  They sent me to a former sewing machine repair store in search of my screw.  I never found the screw but I did find a new member of my pack.


Meet Pierre:

He has settled into a spot in front of the fireplace and Alex and Kelis have accepted him as just an other odd thing in the house.  He has Alex's anatomy, Kelis's coloring and Kemora's face ...  all for a unique mix of Dachshund traits.


Would I go on another retreat...probably.  I have been on several corporate retreats which are very similar and several sewing ones in previous years.  2012 may be the year that I spend retreating....there is a knitting one coming up in February and one in April for the sewers and, of course another quilt guild retreat in September.  Now that I know the venue so well I will be able to take advantage of all it has to offer like hiking trails, a meditation labyrinth, and I might just make it onto a horse for trail ride.  Of course, Navasota deserves at least a few hours exploring it's unique shopping district.


It could be a great year! 

Quilt Across Texas Shop Hop - Part 2

As September began to wind down I realized that I did not have much time left to complete the Texas Shop Hop.  Heck, I had only visited one shop (Heavenly Threads in Trinity) of the 91 in the hop.


All became clear to me when a Saturday Strippers gathering was cancelled which meant I had approximately a day and a half all to myself.  Quickly I called Paul to let him know he was baby sitting Kelis for a couple of days and I contacted Alex's foster mom to see if a visit with Alex would fit into their plans.  Both Paul and Liz and Sid were agreeable so I packed the car that Thursday evening and, after water aerobics and Knitting on Friday, I hit the road for this new adventure.


A couple of things first - I had FIVE things to navigate by - a traditional Texas road map, the directions from the shop hop people, a download from Google maps, my GPS and my new phone's navigation application.  Despite all these instructions I got lost about twelve times and added about fifty useless miles tothe car.


But I digress..


My first destination was Lone Star Quiltworks in Bryan Texas.  I saw a lot of magnificent homes while getting lost trying to get there and my visit started on a funny note.  I charged into the store and asked for the restroom.  Knowing I was in distress the clerk pointed me to a lovely restroom with lots of decorations for children and reminders to wash my hands.  Imagine my embarrassment when I came out and realized that I was in children's toy/book store.  With a very red face I left and went into the correct store, just one slot over in the strip mall.


Lone Star is a large, well lit and well stocked quilt store.  They have a lot of patterns for accessories and lots of samples.  They also have great little gadgets and notions and I will admit I picked up a few Christmas presents.  One thing I noticed was their sale rack where everything was $4.00 a yard if you bought five yards or whatever was on the bolt.  I found a lovely floral border print in brown that would be great as a backing for a quilt or as a quilt border or cut up into a One Block Wonder type quilt.


After restocking my water bottle I hit the road again for Taylor Texas and E-Jay's Trunk.  This is a tiny store with a wonderful ambiance.  No pressure here!  I found a lovely piece of jacquard woven navy fabric of tiny school houses and stars that are the perfect weight for a house/sun dress or slouchy pajama style pants.  I ended up having a wonderful conversation with the owner of the store next door on the relative merits of crocheting versus knitting.  A great stop! 


It was getting late in the afternoon so I only made two more shops.  Both were sewing machine shops with a nod to quilting and other sewing activities.


Austin Sewing Machines in Round Rock was very hard to get to if you did not know the area.  They had a lot of fabric but, after using their restroom, I realized that there was nothing that caught my eye so I moved on.  Don't get me wrong, it is a big bright store and they had a lot of intriguing embroidery software but my brain just couldn't absorb any of it.  Sorry!


On to the Ready To Sew Bernina store in Cedar Park.  This store is in a very classy plaza and the parking lot was very full with people getting errands done before heading home for a quiet evening at home.  Tress in the parking lot always get my vote for ambiance.  When I walked in the store I was greeted with a comment from the owner 'You realize we are closing in ten minutes?".  Of course I didn't know you were closing in ten minutes because I am a brain dead shop hopper who has traveled almost two hundred miles today just to get to your wonderful shop.  I didn't stop for even ten minutes but got in, got my passport stamped and got out.


Back in the car I decided to call it a day and find where the next shop on my list was located and  to find a motel nearby so I could start early in the morning.  Ended up in an extended stay hotel for $39.99 (including taxes), didn't sleep well but enough that I know I won't stay there again!  Never found the Holiday Inn that was supposed to be in the area.


The rest will have to wait for another day.

Free Shipping

Those are the words that get the heart of any on-line shopper to go pitter-patter in anticipation of beating the system by getting the most bang for your buck by getting free shipping.


I have learned over the years to restrain myself but sometime you just have to break out of the mold and SHOP!


It happened to me the other day.


Fabric.com is one of my favorite places to buy fabric (like yardage for the backs of quilts), simple sewing patterns or when I know exactly what I want and they have it at a good price.


They had advertised that a couple of high quality brands of quilting cottons were on sale at up to 60% off and I decided to take a look.


None of the fabrics that I liked in those brands were deeply discounted so I decided to browse around to see if these was anything else that struck my fancy.


Of course I did find something that was cute, cheap and added it to my cart.


That was the beginning of the end for me.


A simple knitting pattern for $3.00 (50% off the original!) of a little dachshund named Tofu began the craziness of finding enough to fill up my shopping cart with $35.00 worth of goods so I would not have to pay shipping on Tofu.


The hunt was on!


With $32.00 to spend I went first to the $1.93 a yard fabric.  You could buy a lot of ugly fabric here but I found some lovely oxford cloth shirting fabric that would make a great pool dress.  Three yards went into the cart for $5.79.


$26.21 to go!


Next I went over to the 60% off category of home decor fabrics to see if there was anything I wanted for another bog coat.  A wonderful embroidered denim presented itself so I bought a yard (all I need for a bog coat) at $6.36.


$19.85 to go!


This was taking a long time so I next went to a category that I try to avoid...the prepared for dying section.  The prices here are not hugely discounted but they had some lovely mid-weight cotton. I know I can have fun playing with it so into the cart it went, two yards for a cost of $17.96.


$1.89 left.. now that's more like it!


Trying to find something for $1.89 on a web site that has over 50,000 items can be very time consuming.  Never fear, I have a method.  When I am down to the last few dollars I go hunting for deeply discounted notions.  In this case, not hugely discounted but something I always need are point protectors for knitting needles.  I found some from Clover for $2.68 and into my shopping cart they went.


Ta Da!  $35.79!


My order now qualified for free shipping.


Mission accomplished.


Is that a round of applause I hear?

Seriously though, Fabric.com is a great place for for all kinds of fabrics at great prices.  I have never been disappointed by what I have ordered and I have even used some of it as I intended.  


And they have knitting supplies now so I just may have to keep going back for more.


What were Alex and Kelis doing while I was shopping? 

Sleeping!  They have learned that when I am on a hunt on the computer that no treats are forthcoming so sleep is their alternative activity.

Houston Art Asylum Road Trip

A few days ago I decided that I needed some retail therapy.


I was feeling crabby with the beginnings of a cold and I had not hit any of my favorite places to shop in a long, long time.


I figured that I could do Sew Crafty Houston, Yarns 2 Ewe and Time Treasured Quilts in an extended afternoon.


I mentioned to my buddy, Janetta, that I needed to shop and we tentatively planned on heading out this morning after Knitting Friday today.


With no plans, three of us headed out this morning for the three places I had planned on visiting plus the addition of Houston Art Asylum.


I AM SO GLAD WE WENT TO THE ART ASYLUM FIRST!


The attendant said that they opened a couple of years ago with mostly purchased stock.  Today it is almost a going concern with huge amounts of donated material.


I could have spent the whole day there just rummaging around in the fabric, yarn, books, doll parts, tools parts, knick knacks and about a zillion other things.


Here are just some of the pictures I wanted to take of what they had...there would have been more but my battery died.

 What would you do with these horns?

 I need a trophy!!

$3.00 a yard for standard fabric, $6.00 for upholstery fabrics!!!

No funky smells, no stains, no mold, no mildew... all of this stuff is in mint condition with the exception of normal wear and tear...which only makes some pieces more interesting!


What did I get?


Nothing.


WHAT!?!


Yup, I bought nothing.  With about 60 boxes and bins of donations for the Kingwood Area Quilt Guild garage sale I couldn't bring myself to buy any of the fabric, yarn, beads, buttons or other funky stuff offered.


BUT, I will be back after the show in mid-April, when I get my house back - watch out...I could go a little crazy.


If you have a couple of hours some day go to the Houston Art Asylum.  I don;t see how you could be disappointed and, with great eating nearby you could make it the focus of an afternoon in the City.


The other places, well that's a tale for another day.


Have a great weekend!  

Loot!

One of the things I really enjoy about this season are the ASG neighborhood groups holiday celebrations.

The food is always amazing on both sides of the equation... some is sublimely delicious while some is inedible...or at least for me.

I seem to split my contributions three ways... a quick pick from the supermarket, something from Sweet Sadies or something I actually make from scratch.  This year the quick pick was salad, Sweet Sadies contributed Cajun Rice or potato salad and I made batches of fudge...yum!

Besides the food there are gift exchanges or swaps.

One group decided on an unusual gift swap this year.  Each of us had to made a tote bag from our stash.  The gift was to be wrapped in a brown paper bag.  I made a gray/gold/pink tote lined in grey silky stuff with a zippered pocket inserted into the facing.  No picture but it was pretty basic if a little on the small side.

A dear friend chose it and I hope she gets a lot of use out of it.

I, on the other hand, picked a bag that included a huge tote made from upholstery scraps.  

Pretty neat, isn't it?

There are a couple of large pockets on the inside and it could carry a whole queen size quilt if needed.  Look closely at that flower embellishment...that button is fabulous!

Thanks, Donna!

The other type of gifting that goes on is the gift exchange.

In this one each person either chooses a gift from the pile or steals a gift from someone else.  I put together a pile of wool roving, felted coasters, a felted sweater with a lot of texture and a homemade sachet of moth repellent.  It ended up in the hands of a woman who does a lot work with wool and wool felt so I hope she can use everything.

I scored big time.  I was the eighteenth person to draw out of 19(I think) and by then most of the big loot was frozen... like the pile of red silk bits and beads...oh, how covetted that package!  The only thing that I saw that I was interested in was a book from the Kyoto Costume Institute called Fashion.. A History from the 18th to the 20th century.  It is 735 pages packed with all sorts of information about fashion.  There are several editions available and this is the one I received:


I have already spent many hours reading the easily digestible essays and the little bits of explanation for particular items of clothing.  Two of the things I have learned is that stomachers really have nothing to do with stomachs and that corsets have always been, and will continue to be, instruments of torture.  Can you imagine yourself stuffed into a corset that had 182 whale bones as its support?

Today was my last holiday related get together for this season when I made a brief appearance at a friend's open house.  Someone brought some cakey lemon balls that were infused with a lemon liquer.  I love citrus flavored food but these were way over the top.  I must try to make some of these for myself so I can indulge without worrying about getting pulled over for driving while drunk.  ;-)

Time for me to start getting back to normal eating and gathering some things for Paul.  We will be eating a Sweet Sadie's turkey for Christmas Day and I am so looking forward to that as they do a mean turkey.  Maybe I can persuade him to make some of his fabulous scalloped potatoes?

Hint, Hint :-)    

Etsy Houston Party

Last night was the first party for Etsy sellers who work out of Houston.  Esty is this great marketplace where small makers can sell their products on-line without a huge investment in a stand alone store front.  In addition, sellers can find you by searching for products without your wares getting buried by big stores in standard google searches.

The party was a chance for Etsy sellers here to meet each other, try new crafty techniques and for poeple like me, to bask in their creativity.

One of the makers I met was Sharon who makes small art quilts for sale on Etsy.  Her blog is here and I love her little creations.  They are delightful, slices-of-life that would brighten any empty corner of my home.

Check out Sharon and her store and while you are in Etsy, check out some of the other makers I enjoy visiting like b*bags, Craft Leftovers and heather fish. 

I don't think you will be disappointed.

Yarn Twirler

No not me, my latest tool to make knitting easier for me.  My most favroite tool continues to be the Knit Kit but coming on strong is my Yarn Twirler.

Here it is in action:

A member of the Kingwood Yarn it! Darn it! group saw one at a craft fair and asked her husband to make her one.  The rest is history.

Essentially it is a dowel that goes through the center of your ball of yarn and, as you knit, your ball of yarns spins around.

It add a little bit of tension to your yarn which helps in keeping consistent tension in your project and it allows you to feed your yarn from the outside of the ball.

Truly a great tool. 

Another bonus is that Alex and the Girls are completely disinterested in my yarn when they are on this Twirler.  I don't know why but they completely ignore them.

Of course, a Yarn Twirler deserves its own bag ...

The fabric was from my stash of cute fabrics that I have no idea how I will use it and the cord is something I bought 6 - 7 years ago.  All this time I thought it was leather braided into a cord until I worked with it last night and found out it was plastic.

No more rain today... Yeah!

Here's hoping it dries out enough over night that the Dachshund meet-up tomorrow won't be in a sea of mud.  I can only hope.

The Knitter's Book of Yarn

I tend to be someone who likes to know the technical details behind whatever I am doing.  When it comes to knitting I like to know the whys for a procedure as well as the hows.

For instance, to knit means, to me, to pull the loop toward me while to purl means to push it away from me.  For others its all about front loops and back loops which is incomprehensible to me.
.
While browsing through the new Kingwood Branch library I found the Knitter's Book of Yarn and I have fallen in love with it.

Every other book for knitters seems to concentrate on the weight of the yarn....fingering, worsted, chunky etc.  and gives you ideas on how to use these weights of yarn in different projects.

This book  concentrates on how the yarn is made, the number of plys and how the construction of the yarn itelf makes it suitable for different projects.

For instance, a single ply yarn can be any weight from lace to chunky but is unsuitable for projects that will get a lot of wear and tear as it is relatively fragile.  More plys means more strength.


Imagine light bulbs going off every where.

Success in a project is not only dependent on the skill of the knitter but on the weight and number of plys of the yarn.

I have only sampled the contents but I am already intrigued and can't wait to get my own copy.

I see that the author has another book just on wool.  I am sure that it as fascinating as her first book and I intend to get my order into Amazon as soon as possible.

If you would like to sample the Book of Yarn and you live in Kingwood, I will be returning it to the library this weekend so it should be available to you on Monday.

Stray Sock Creatures

One the joys of collecting others discards for the quilt guild Fish Pond next year is that I get a chance to see all the books and magazines that others don't need anymore.  One of the books I have  been intrigued by is Stray Sock Sewing: Making One of a Kind Creatures from Socks.

Daniel (just Daniel), the author, explains in great detail how to use socks, new or used, to create some really cute little critters.  While his socks are perfect for each application, I found some good substitutes at Target the other day for $0.25 a pair.

Here are the two I made while clearing out the Tivo this evening:

The one on the left is a long eared imaginary animal while the other is sort of a cat.

I think I need to work the faces before I consider giving similar toys to any small children.

Until then I think Alex will enjoy them when I stop admiring my handwork....some time tomorrow.

I hope your week has gone well and that you have lots of fun stuff planned for your weekend.  My weekend is over-planned right now and I am trying to figure out what to delete.

Wish me luck!

Very Clever

Sandy the Wonder Girl gave me a very clever tote bag from Forever Twenty One.

Closed as a  little handbag

Open as a larger handbag

It even has a magnetic snap closure at the top and is made out of heavy duty duck cloth.

Now all I need to do is decide if or when I will decorate it!

Thanks Sandy!

Six Word Memoirs

There is a story out there that Hemmingway was challenged to write a story of only six words. This is what he came up with:

For Sale - Baby shoes. Never worn.

Those six words do tell a whole story and Smith Magazine was inspired by it to solicit six word memoirs from its readers.

The first compilation of those submissions is a book called 'Not Quite What I was Planning 'and I just returned it to the library as I now have my own copy.

It is one of those books that you dip into every once in a while and get inspired on every page.

One I like is:

Editor. Get it? (can't remember you wrote this one)

That made me laugh out loud.

Others are heartbreaking.

Born with Glaucoma... Fading to Black... (Susan Giutso)

I have, of course, been playing around with what I could use as a six word memoir. So far I have come up with:

Bella, Maria, Paul, Mary, Jane, Alex.

which is a list of some of the people and animals who have been adopted into my home over the years.

Another is:

I shouldn't have said that, again.

which relates to my habit of opening my mouth before thinking about what to say.

I'm sure I can come up with others but until I do I will continue to enjoy my new bathroom book.

Do you have a six word memoir in you?

Liberty of London at Target

Although I bought dog toys at Target today (see previous post) I went there to see the new line of Liberty of London items they just started marketing.

Before I go on, please understand that Liberty of London prints are legendary. I even bought some years ago and made it into a dress. I spoke about it earlier here. Although my dress has been washed a zillion times the fabric still maintains its bright colors and wonderful hand.

What I saw at Target today is not the same quality although the prints were wonderful.. The fabrics were thin cottons or polyester and would probably not last through 10 washings without having holes occur

BUT

they have lots of other, non-clothing options with the same prints on things like dinner ware, yard tools and BICYCLES!

For a small investment you can a bit of Liberty of London for your space.

Not a bad deal when your expectations have been set correctly.

Another Bad Dog Toy

I was in Target this afternoon and found what I thought would be good chew toys for Kimora and Alex. Alex, as you know, is a huge chewer while Kimora chews, I think, just because Alex does.

I bought two different chew toys by Petstages. They were both advertised for Power Chewers. One was a mini Orka, and the other a mini Barbell Chew. Both boasted of many hours of chewing pleasure.

Pure puffery.

Within two hours both were down to such small bits that I had to get out the vaccum cleaner in order to clean up the mess.

I got each of them for about $4.00 each while Amazon has one for $7 and the other for $2. I don;t understand the pricing but more than $0.10 would be too much.

I wonder if Alex will need a stomach pump to get any random bits out of his gut? I hope not!

In Memoriam

Finally, after much abuse and the last 13 days buried in the backyard, my Canon Power Shot has finally bit the dust.

It is dead.

Completely kaput.

Gone to the great camera graveyard in the far beyond.

It's battered mechanical bits are frozen solid.

The battery pack is dead.

Even a new battery could not get things going again.

So Mr. Canon, you make a really tough product but even the toughest product can only take so much from my wild boy, Alex, the bandy legged Dachshund. I took myself off to the store the other day and bought a new Canon Power Shot. I am sure that Alex will try to defeat your product quality but I am going to try even harder to keep the new one out of his field of view. Yours truly, A very satisfied customer.

I Thought I Was Safe.....

from fabric lust, at least for a few months.

After all I picked up about 25 yards at the latest fabric sale I attended and a dear friend gave me another ten yards of fabulous cottons for Christmas.

How could I possibly want more fabric?

Then I saw a post in Vogue.com about a new line of fabric being sponsored by the Victoria and Albert Museum. The first collection, produced by Liberty Art Fabrics for the museum, are based on fabrics in a quilt made in 1829 to celebrate Wellington's victory at Vittoria.

If you are interested, and I know I am, you can pre-order the fabrics at the V and A Shop for $5.64 (approx.) a fat quarter . Yardage is also available.

I will now struggle to keep my credit card in the wallet.

I don't need more fabric.

I don't need more fabric.

I really don't need more fabric.

Where's that website again?

Shopping Opportunity

Artgirlz is a wonderful online store offering unique pewter charms, felted wool balls, rubber stamps and patterns on how to use all their stuff. I have been a fan since I first saw them at the International Quilt Festival several years ago and I am in love with their quirky style.

Anyway... they are going out of business and everthing in their store is 30% off. This may be the last time you can find things like their 'Don't Panic' rubber stamp or the little wool balls needed to make wonderful bracelets so don't hesitate and head over to their store for some great deals.

Sign up for their newsletter or peak at their blog to keep track of their continuing adverntues.

Alison and Tracy will be missed but I am sure we will see them around in a new reincarnation.

Aunt Kate's Quilting Bee

One of the joys of collecting items for the Kingwood Area Quilt Guild Fish Pond is that I get to see all the goodies that people donate to the cause. Some of the goodies are not so good and have to be discarded but most of them are in good condition and provide me with hours of pleasure. Among all the fabrics, patterns, notions and magazines that have been donated, I came across a quilting magazine called Aunt Kate's Quilting Bee.

Begun in 1962 by Glenna Boyd (1919-2006) this publication was considered one of the best in the market from 1962 until it ceased publication in 1980. Printed on glossy paper with some fuzzy black and white photograghs, this publication gives us a wonderful look at our quilting heritage. Aunt Kate also re-published patterns from the the 1920' and 1930's, crocheted edgings from a book originally published in 1916, contemporary apron and potholder patterns as well as original quilt block patterns from her readers.

The issues I have had the privilege of purusing come from 1976 and 1977.

How things have changed in 30 years.

Back then it was all about the blocks.

Most of the quilts discussed were made up of multipes of one complex block that was meant to be hand pieced. There were lots of curves and lots of pieces in each block. Now its all about the overall quilt design with blocks designed to be machine pieced. If you were lucky enough to get a block published in Aunt Kate's Quilting Bee you could make up to $9.00 if you completed all of the elements required in good order. Now the magazines pay between $150.00 and $300.00 for each quilt they accept for publication with the magazine's staff writing the actual instructions.

As a subscriber you were expected to create templates from the printed instructions and gather the pieces into labelled file folders or large size envelopes for future use. There was a section every issue where women asked for other block patterns to be swapped or bought. Blocks by Nancy Cabot were much sought after in the requests I have read. She published block patterns in the Chicago Tribune in the 1930's and published two pamphlets of bock patterns in 1934 and 1935. What a find these booklets would be today!

One interesting part of the publication was where subscribers' wrote in looking for pen pals and round robin opportunities. Not only were their full names and addresses printed, but birthdays and wedding anniversaries as well. In this day of identity theft I wonder how such notices would be handled today?

Even though there are quite a few typos and the use of the opening phrase of 'Now girls..' just grates on my nerves, this is magazine is a delightful look at quilting from the 60's and 70's.

If you come across this periodical take the time to look it over and read some of the charming articles. I don't think you will be disappointed with the time spent.

Sewing Gifts

In keeping with the time of year, many people who know sewers are out trying to find something to feed the sewer's need for more stuff. Instead of opting for a gift certificate to their favorite fabric shop you may want consider going to the electronics, office supply, grocery and hardware stores to find great gifts for the sewer in your life.

Not that a gift certificate would not be appreciated but there are other places to find great gifts and stocking stuffers for sewers.

For instance, at the electronics store, you can find an iPod phone or iPod Nano Touch. This gift would give the sewer not only a nice MP3 type musc player but a lot of applications are out there that would appreciated like a quilt block sampler or a set of videos on how to do several complex sewing related tasks.

While you are there you can also get the little vacuum attachments for sucking up dust from delicate computers. Great for getting all the thread lint out of the bobbin area of any sewing machine.

Over at the hardware store there are a lot magnetized gadgets that are a real boon to those of us who work with dangerous things like pins and needles. One that I use a lot is a pointer type thing with a magnet in the tip. They even make them wth an LED light in the tip as well. Just run it under the sewing table and pins and needles just leap onto the tip ready for re-use.

Another thing I have heard about, but not personally seen, is a magnetic bowl that mechanics use to corral nuts and bolts. I must get one of these as I have heard you only need to fling things in the direction of the bowl and the pins and needles just jump into it for re-use.

At the office supply store there are a lot of things that sewers need. Pick up some extra paper and printer cartridges. Not galmorous but they would save a lot of cursing when the sewer finds out that there is no paper or ink in the printer when they just have to print out 25 pages of how to sew a particular project. Files folders, plastc sheet protectors, newsprint sheets, colorful binders and file boxes are always in great demand when the urge to re-oganize somes upon the sewer.

And don't forget the grocery store as a source of stocking stuffers for sewers. Skip the flowers and pre-made dinners and find the freezer paper. My freezer paper has not made it back into the kitchen for months as I have been using it a lot to make applique templates. A not very galmorous gift but a great stocking stuffer would be washable glue in sticks or bottles. Don't forget to pick up some colored pencils, marking pens, Sharpies, lead pencils, art erasers or crayons. All are things that are needed by the sewer and just never seem to be on hand when needed.

If you must go into a sewing store, consider an expensive add-on for the sewer's current sewing machine, new embroidery disks, or, if you must, a new, top-of-the-line sewing machine. More modest needs are straight pins, size one safety pins, big spools of the sewer's favorite neutral sewing thread or pre-wound bobbins.

For as little as a $1.00 even a cash strapped little kid can make a sewer's life brighter.

Happy shopping!

Black Friday

I love Black Friday! The getting up early and sneaking out of the house without waking up the dogs, the extra heavy duty coffee bought from the gas station to get my eyes open and then there is the wait in a crowd of like minded wackos in front of the chosen store for the deeply discounted thing you have been yearning to purchase.

Yup, I love it all.

This Black Frday there wasn't all that much I was excited about in most of the ads but JoAnn's, once again, was selling what I needed.

This is when I stock up on needed items... like batting for quilts at $4.40 a yard rather than the $10.99 regular price (I bought the whole bolt) or interfacing for garments and bags at $0.30 a yard or flannel for one yard hugs at $1.19 a yard. Love it, love it, love it!

I was also able to put together children's art kits at Michaels for under $10.00 each. These will be going to a local charity once I get some tote bags made to hold each set.

I'm almost sorry that its over. There is one toy I was looking for but did not get. I am now searching on-line to see if I can find it before they are all sold out or the store's servers crash (JoAnn's are down for the count.).

Wish me luck!

For Your Wish List

I just got a wonderful book in the mail that I think you will want on your wish list especially if you are a Jane Austen fan..

It's called 'Jane Austen's Sewing Box'. Subtitled 'Craft Projects & Stories From Jane Austen's Novels', the author, Jennifer Forrest, takes fourteen projects referenced in Jane Austen's novels and gives you a historical perspective on the project, excerpts from the novels relating to the project and then gives you instructions on how to reproduce the project.

Projects include a 'huswife', a bonnet, a needlepoint pillow, a knitted miser bag and nine more for you to try out.

I love this book.

It is a joy to read each section with the mix of historical information and the bits from the novels.

The projects are interesting and the illustrations are lavish.

Just browsing through it for a bit this afternoon I was taken back to the Regency Period and kept imagining myself the clothing of the period sitting in the rooms pictured working on paper flowers for the coming holidays.

Although this book does not have a U.S. publisher, it is available through Amazon from several sellers. Mine came from The Book Depository in Gloucester, U.K. It only took a week to get here and I am so looking forward to cuddling up in bed with Alex and the Girls to read it this evening.

For those who watch the movies based on Austen's novels and get distracted from the action by the clothing, accessories and home decorations, this is the book for their library.