Prezzies and Progress

This post is dedicated to Marissa who reminded me at knitting tonight that I was being a very bad blogger. Hey, it was a busy summer and I never seemed to have a good clean surface to photograph on. How could that ever happen?

Any way I am starting off today acknowledging two fab presents from my knitting buddies. Thank you so much Marissa and Sherry, you ROCK!

Marissa brought me back this adorable bag from her vacation in the Phillipines. It makes the best do-dad bag, it already is filled with scissors, a row counter, darning needle, blah blah blah, oh yea, it also fits a set of DPNs.

Which brings me to the fabulous gadget Sherry made for me. She had fashioned these clever point protectors for DPNs. Your needles are kept neatly together and better yet your stiches don't scootch off the needles!

As you can see, there has been some progress on the toe-up socks. They are taking a break though while I knit like a fiend on other things.

In October I am going to be selling some of my handiwork at the Waterford Fair in Virginia. Like a total boob, I miss read the inventory request they sent me. Now I am trying desperately to catch up. There has been a lot of stash reduction, which is a great thing particularly the wee amounts that I cannot bear to throw away. These are some of the smaller cellphone/iPod purses that I have been cranking out. Hopefully they will be popped into the wash this weekend and have the crap shrunk out of them. I am going to have a dining room table full of soggy stinky wool. Yipee.

These happy little fat guys will be Christmas ornaments, also for the fair. Why, oh why, do I procrastinate like this?

Studio Friday - Who?!

"I am curious to see/ hear/ read who everyone takes their inspiration from - an artist of traditional media, multimedia, craft world, living or dead. Who would we like to have the chance to meet and speak with, or to thank for inspiring us? " ~ Jo

For a gal who did so miserably in Geometry, it dominates my creative endeavors. Who knew?

The Amish, the ladies of Gees Bend, Denyse Schmidt and Kaffe Fassett are my primary inspirations when working on one of my quilts. Each brings something different to the party...unmuddied jewel tones and near perfection...joyous primitive utility...uncluttered imperfection...riotously unabashed loud prints.

Years ago I was very attracted to Gustav Klimt's paintings because of their mixture of realism and geometry.

More and more, I now find my daily inspiration in the blogs that I read. The people I would like to meet, have tea with, giggle with and quilt are Jane, Jan, Alicia and Blair.

Montreal Part Deux

These awesome Adirondack chairs were part of the street fair at the comedy festival. I thought, "This is an awesome photo-op!" Ann and Missy were less than enthusiastic. On the second pass I finally cajoled them into a photo with big blue chair. I found out at dinner tonight that I was quite the pain in the ass about it...moi? But hey girls, what did I tell you? Great photo, even if you wouldn't climb up and have a seat.

Good Girls Go to Heaven, Bad Girls Go to Montreal

...or so the t-shirts say.

Bonjourhello! It was time for the girls weekend. Ann, Missy and I jetted off to Montreal for a few days. We headed off for Canada to escaped the heat and humidty of Philadelphia, but of course we took it with us. Still it was nothing that couldn't be cured with shady decks and pitchers of sangria.

Montreal was a blast. We hit the International Fireworks Festival; gold and white weeping willow shells are my favorite. We went to see Dimitri Martin at the Juste Per Rire Festival and after wandered the street fair packed with performance artists, mini comedy venues and people playing games...pure fun.
We did the obligatory drinks at the Swelligan...ooops Nelligan, with the shi-shi people.

Best of all in Montreal were the men, oh my! Yes, they were short. But, heavens they were something to look at. I think the three of us agree that the award goes to Steve at Eggspectations where pancakes were served with a wink and a cheeky smile. We were three puddles in a booth. And of course a special mention to Sam at the desk of the Cantalie, who took flirtation to an all new level.

Yup, I think that Montreal is worth a second visit!

Studio Friday - Sidekick(s)

This week at Studio Friday, we were asked about the sidekick(s) that keep us company in our creative spaces. Well, these two have been the topic of previous postings for Studio Friday. But as an adoring adopted mom, I had to share more pictures of my babies, Artemis and Tosca.

My girls look a lot alike, but have very distinctive personalities. Artemis is the older queen bee of the household. She is way too smart for a cat and has a distinct talent for vengeance. My friends and I like to rile her up sometimes so we can get a good laugh over her growling hissy fits, she has quite a temper. She loves it when I quilt; nesting in all the cut pieces, using my lap frame as a kitty hammock, and having lots of doo-dads and spools of thread to casually push off the edge of the sewing table. Most fun, but slightly anxiety producing, is watching her daintily picking glass head pins off of the magnetic pincushion and dropping them back on, plink. She does not have much appreciation for knitting, although she has made off with several skeins of Reynolds Odyssey. Maybe she realized I was losing interest in the project and was saving me from the guilt of a UFO. But as I said she's a vengeful creature and she has gone to great lengths to get to projects and chomp off the yarn, just to show me that she is not too old or fat to get anywhere.

Tosca, aka Toscabelle, is the baby of the family. She is very petite and still has the impossibly soft coat of a kitten. She is the opposite of Artemis in temperament, relentlessly sweet, dumber then a stone, and truly able to leap tall buildings at a single bound (I suspect that she has been aiding Artemis in the stealing of skeins of yarn hidden in high places.) Tosca is a knitter! She loves to curl up on my lap while I knit and knead away at my knitting. I have seen her so enthralled with kneading a skein of slippery cushy yarn that she started to drool as she purred away. She never bites the yarn, just lays on it and kills the tension...sigh. Tosca's second passion is napping on the laptop...so what if my keyboard is jammed? It's so nice and warm.

I don't know if they do much for my creativity, and do tend to leave way to much of a hairy imprint on my work; but there is nothing better in a moment of stress than scooping up a warm sleeping kitty and burying your face in their fur.

Sock it to me...

...I don't think that this is what Goldie Hawn had in mind. Have to say that other than portability I have never seen the appeal of knitting my own socks. It is so much easier to pop into the Gap and pick up three pairs for $9. But, I am weak and susceptible to peer pressure. If all your friends were knitting socks, would you? Duh...

So, when Lisa from Rosie's announced that she would be teaching a "Toe-Up" class, I caved. And I started dreaming about socks.

On Sunday we gathered to knit socks from the toe-up. My knitting buds Sherry and Marissa were there, along with some other very nice ladies with sharp pointy DPNs. Only one other gal was a sock virgin.

Marissa and I picked the same colorway of Sockotta. Look Marissa...finally a blue stripe!!!!! Our skeins started in different places and it looked like we were knitting on different yarns. Her's was all blue at the beginning, no green; mine was all green, but I picked the yarn because of the blue.

This is the second start for this sock. My first attempt was too big and the stitches too loose. Now my stitches are fab, but the sock is still a wee bit big. Oh well.

My first toe is pretty, let's see how my first heel turns out.

Studio Friday- Family

"Family history, things that have been passed down from one family member to the next, family values, all influence me as an artist, whether I'm consciously aware of it or not. I wonder how others are influenced or inspired by their families---either past or present. What family treasures might be found in others' studios?"

This pastel portrait of my paternal grandmother hangs on the wall across from my work table. My father and uncle called my grandmother "the Duchess" behind her back. She thought that "the Duchess" was a close friend of her sons- she never suspected. When my grandparents passed away her portrait came to reside with me.

I love it. She looks so glamorous in it. And my friend Harold has identified from whence my "look" has come from. The "look," unfortunately not being her smashing sense of style, but the "I cannot believe you just said/did something soooo stupid look." I have never seen the look myself, but apparently Harold has... heh heh heh...many times.

I also inherited the Duchess's Canton china collection. The basic blue and white china is so classic, but I have been told quite toxic. Does anyone know if orchids can get lead poisoning? Can I blame its refusal to bloom on that, and not my dismal gardening skills?

My life was blessed with three grandmothers, with two of them I had very loving affectionate relationships. But the Duchess didn't do warm and fuzzy well. I always knew that she loved and was proud of me, but personal displays happened rarely. It was made clear to me how much, when in her final days I went to sit with her in the hospital. My grandfather had brought to the hospital some of her favorite things, a needlepoint pillow I had made for her as a child and a picture of me.

Does the Duchess influence my art? Not sure about that, but I often think she is looking down from the wall with a look of approval at my latest creation, if not my gardening skills.

Tag-o-rama

I have entered my first swap. The wonderful Dacia Ray is running a gift tag swap and was wonderful enough to let me play along, even though she had closed the roles. Dacia's tags are here, Joanne of StarDustShoes's are here and Alicia P. of Posy fame are here. I am waiting my return package with great anticipation. All the tags I have seen on other blogs are all so creative, each special with different techniques.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to do for this challenge. Our family has very limited experience with gift tags. Even at Christmas, the tags are basic at best and ball point pen right on the wrapping paper is the family favorite. Santa's reindeers also give us Christmas presents. How those eight tiny reindeer manage to hold those ball point pens in their tiny little hooves, I'll never know.

So, tag-impaired, I tried to think of something inventive to do for the swap. I thought about knitting little tag cozies. That would be cool- so off I went to the stationary store to purchase blank tags. It was Sunday, they were all closed. None of the drug stores had tags either, so I grabbed poster board as an option. Then knitting with wire and beads hopped in my mind, the bead store was closed too. ( I have gotten there since and picked up supplies...maybe some silver knit cuffs are in my future?)

Back home and all I had was a sheet of poster board. I thought maybe I could do some of my mini foundation pieced flags on the tags. While searching for my paper patterns I came upon a bag of unused log cabin squares from a quilt I had made while mourning the death of a dear friend and sorority sister. The yellow centers represented hope cutting through our sorrow. There were coincidently eleven squares, the number of tags I needed. I stitched these on to the poster board, gave them fabric ties and embellished with buttons from my collection.

Handling these squares again brought a flood of memories and a bit of sadness. I am happy that they were incorporated into such a fun project, hope triumphs! I hope those who receive one of my tags in their package feel the love that pieced these squares.

Space?!?!

Space? Space? You would think that living alone, all that space is mine. No one else's wardrobe to contend with...Only my shoes... Only my books...Only my hobbies. And yet my home feels amazingly crowded.

They invade every nook and crany of my home. Everywhere I want to be they are- on the couch, in the bed, laying on the laptop, on the work table, oy, even drinking out of the toilet (foul disgusting habit, bad gross Toscabelle!!) How about in the suitcase (ok, zipped in the suitcase while I went to Houston. Bad mommy... stupid stupid Toscabelle. At least Artemis was happy being a single cat again for the day.)

I love my two fur balls, but what I wouldn't do for a smidge of space to myself.

Studio Friday- Contrast

"...something about contrast, or juxtaposition. it could mean something concrete, like a contrast in colors, textures, or lines. . .or something more symbolic." Laura

This week's topic was a no brainer for me. This past fall I had the opportunity to be on HGTV's make-over show Mission Organization. The subject of the make-over was my living/sewing room.



Yup, I needed help. After a lot of hard work and creative space planning, this is what I happily ended up with.

Treats

It was a nice treat. It was a really nice treat. My parents were in town for the weekend and I spent Mothers Day with my mummy for the first time in ages. Traditionally, Christmas is really the only holiday we are all together and do really well. I cannot recall the last time I got to give my mom a big hug and kiss on Mothers Day and let her know in person how much I love her.

The other treat was brunch at the Four Seasons. Brunch was scrumptious, the service impeccable, a most civilized event. Even the occasional shreiking child could not ruin it.

Two other unprecedent events occurred...in a family noted for extending the giving of birthday presents to the months following the date, two birthday presents were actually given early! One was the lovely Clapotis my mom has artfully draped over her shoulders. It was knit using the Silk Noir in Plum Loco from Great Adirondak Yarns. The drape on the scarf/shawl is wonderful, an ideal weight for cool summer evenings. The color of the Clapotis is much much better in person, the photo really doesn't do it justice.

Present number two was an early birthday present for me. My mom brought back from Arizona a lovely bundle of fat quarters for my stash. The colors are those of the Sedona Desert, all are handpainted or batiks.

Studio Friday- Robot

What robot can we find in your studio? And what does it do? Maybe you even have more than the one?

I used up my entire memory card on my camera taking my first-ever movie clip. It was breathtaking cinematography. The plot was riveting...would the automatic buttonholer make a perfect button hole? Would it choke? Would the thread break? Would the movie clip crash the laptop? OH YEAH! Crashed like a ton o' bricks.

My other favorite automated function in my studio is the updating of the podcasts that I subscribe to on i-Tunes...Craft Sanity...KnitTunes...Knitty D and the City...NPR Story of the Day.


But this wasn't really fun, so I did a little coloring with my buddy, Jake. I tutor Jake in reading once a week. We took a break from the longer words and longer books we are now reading and drew cool robots for my studio. This is the robot Jake made for me. He's a dancing fool robot, grooving to the tunes on my iPod, under the sparkly disco ball. Yes, even eight-year old Jake understands about me and sparkly things! This dude is going to break hearts, seriously.

And here is my robot, he's a whiz with scissors and always cuts the fabric to perfect dimensions. He also measures twice and cuts once. I obviously had nothing to do with writing his programming.

I have survived

...my first outing to the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival. Off I went to Baltimore with two bus loads of knitters from Rosie's Yarn Cellar for a beautiful day of yarn gorging. I approached the event with a certain amount of anxiety for such a fun day...what should I buy? how much should I buy? would I oversleep and miss the bus? and most importantly, would I attempt the Koigu mill ends booth?

And why you might ask would a visit to that booth promote anxiety attacks? They sell the mill ends of Koigu for cents on the gram and has consistently resulted in something of mythic proportions...knitters gone wild...when knitters attack...the tales would curdle your blood. As a first-timer I didn't know how I was going to approach the situation. My competitive side wanted to jump right in. My cautious side said to hang back, watch the yarn brawl from the side lines and maybe take photos of my normally mild mannered friends in a Koigu-induced frenzy.

I got to the booth, my cautious side was rudely pushed aside, and my competitive side started grabbing Kiogu with joyous abandon. I even worked up a sweat. Happily though a lot of budgets were busted, there was no pulling of hair or blood shed. I have no photographic evidence of the carnage at the Koigu booth- just a pic of my own haul, not bad for a virgin.

The festival was a wee bit overwhelming. After displaying such a shocking lack of discretion at the Kiogu booth I became a real commitment-phobe. Beautiful yarn all around me, but nothing to make my Lady Eleanor. And lots of adorable livestock...sheep, of course...llamas

and my favorites, alpacas.

Unfortunately that is the one rule of the Rosie's bus, no bringing home livestock. Plus I guess they don't make ideal apartment pets. Wonder if they can be trained to do stairs or use a litterbox? Their faces are so sweet, not the silly supercilious look of camels.

I did manage to commit to one lucious yarn before the day was over. This lux hank of lace weight silk and kid mohair is destined to become a Kimono Shawl from Folk Shawls. I bought it from Ellen's 1/2 Pint Farm. They'll be one of my stops again next year.

Now, what the hell am I going to do with all that Koigu?

Studio Friday - Sounds

What are the sounds in your studio? Sit quietly and listen. I am sure you'll be surprised at what you hear!"

The obvious that anyone will hear are cars, sirens, people walking by chatting and laughing, and the squealing brakes on the Penn bus when it stops at the corner. Listen a little closer, you can hear my wind chimes and Artemis and Tosca chasing each other back and forth through my bedroom.

What I hear is my stash whispering to me, "knit me"..."sew me"..."oooh oooh I'd be a great scarf"..."we'd look great together as a bag"..."quilt me"..."grandma's garden please"..."lets try a Kaffe." Wow, what a needy, whiney stash I have.

And then there is the rail o'unfinished quilts, "Ahem...Claudia will be too old for a baby blankie if you don't hurry up"..."just been hanging out here for years" ..."don't you love me anymore?"

Good lord, who knew listening to your studio space could be so guilt inducing?

And now for the bling update, checked the window at the eyewear store and somebody bought my sunglasses! I know I said, "if they are still there when the income tax return comes...blah blah blah." The hell with all that, check still is not here and eBay had them for almost half price. The bling is mine!

Studio Friday - Playtime!

This week for Studio Friday we were to have fun...doodle....make a mess...free flow....with our drawing implement in our mouths? Geez, I don't know about this one. I thought this was supposed to be fun, not fraught with anguish. Where do I begin?

1. My doodles on a good day are linear, overly controlled and uptight.
2. An inventory of my art supplies is pathetic...paint pens are dried up....tossed my wee watercolors pallet in a clutter clearing frenzy....cannot find a paint brush that isn't more suitable for painting woodwork...oh and chalk pastels in the mouth, blehhhh!
3. Cool, found a brand new tin of Caran D'Ache colored pencils stashed away. Pretty colors, yipeeee!
4. Flat on the table or hanging on the wall? Either way I couldn't put enough pressure to get a good line. And I have a huge psychological hang up about pencils with teeth marks in them...super ick.
5. I was just about to resort to using the ugly coral lipstick that was a free gift with purchase when I found a few markers that weren't past their prime.

Consider me stretched! And fully aware of how pitiful my selection of art supplies truly is, sigh.

Studio Friday- Sparkle/Shine or Shimmer

This week's topic for Studio Friday asked us for things in our space that Sparkle/Shine or Shimmer. I had a wee bit of difficulty with this since I work mostly in feltable wool yarns and cotton textiles. Not really a glitter girl in my knitting and quilting. Odd though, since I am quite the sparkley girl...sparkley earrings, sparkley shoes, sparkley barrettes, oh I could go on.

My glass beads have a nice bit of sparkle. And my brand new Addi Turbos are quite shiny. Sadly, the photo does not do their shininess justice (but the future entrelac bag...yummy. )

And just as I was dispairing my lack of dramatic bling in my studio, these little darlings caught my eye. Walking home from work, I passed a store front that always catches my attention for their fab, uber-curant eyewear. There hanging in the window were these sunglasses. A bit excessive, yes, but I just love them! Hhhmmm, when the income tax return comes, if they are still there they are mine.

My Work Hands- Studio Friday

Idle hands are the devil's playthings. Thank heavens we are all so busy!

Today for Studio Friday we are being asked about our work hands. I have always marveled at those women who create art and who craft and still manage to be well manicured. Once I got sucked into the acrylic nail tip craze. They lasted about two weeks. Two weeks that I couldn't hold a sewing needle. Two weeks that my nails poked through my knitting. Bring on the dish of acetone cause those nails have got to go! I have another problem with manicured nails...color. All that color flashing around at the tips of my fingers is sooooo distracting; I am fascinated by it.

I have a lovely scar on the inside of my left-hand ring finger. About six years ago I had a very misguided "I am woman. Hear me roar," moment. I attempted to move a medium sized, but suprisingly heavy, entertainment center from the fourth to third floor. The need to have it done now defeated every bit of patience and knowledge of physics that I possessed. At the bottom of the very steep and narrow staircase I lost control...momentum and gravity had taken over...and pinned my finger to the wall with a corner of the enterainment center. The ER doc said it was just shy of the bone. They could stitch me up, but weren't sure that I would be able to use the finger again and most cetainly would never be able to totally straighten it. Haha, silly doctors, everything works just fine. It just looks icky, bleh.

Now I have "I am woman. Watch me hire a handyman," moments.

Golden Slumbers?

Back to working on Claudia's blankie. The good news is that there is every possibility that it will be finished before Claudia hits pre-school. This may be a record for me. Artemis is enjoying having a quilt top to lounge on. When I try to move her, she thumps her tail, and bears her fang (yup, singular, she broke one off in a plastic frenzy induced by a stinky pair of brand new platform flip-flops.)

I do have a design dilemma. Most of my quilts have lyrics on them...patriotic songs or lullabys, etc. I have reached the border that would normally hold these, but...all of the other quilting on this piece is straight lines, no curves...straight lines are a breeze and super quick, lyrics take a long time.

Oy! However I do know what I will use if I go with lyrics...

Golden slumbers fill your eyes

Smiles awake you when you rise

Sleep pretty darling do not cry

And I will sing a lullaby

Studio Fridays

The view from my studio windows are largely old townhouses with skyscrapers in the distance. The trees are budding and spring is finally coming to Philadelphia! One of my favorite things to see out my windows is the Peco Building, which has a lit banner that all night has messages wrapping the building. I get to see what groups and special events are happening in town and between messages...the time!

I also have a tiny window by the ceiling. Hanging right outside are silverware windchimes my darling friend Bill made me for my fortieth birthday.

And as much as I love living in the city, I crave color most. This is the fantasy view from my studio window...sigh.

The Entrelac Felted Bag

My bag is finished and I love it! Knitting this was lots of fun, watching the diamonds evolve and the colors change. This is one of the best patterns for Noro Kuryeon- not only do the diamonds change color without a ton of lose ends, but felted the colors mellow and WOW! I always swear that I will take photos before they hit the washing machine and forget. This bag is no exception. I am nothing if not consistent.

Lady E. here I come!

Let me preface this by saying, I am a wrap girl. My mom probably didn't swaddle me properly at birth, so I am always wrapped in something, preferably cashmere.

When Scarf Style first came out I couldn't resist. One of the main reasons was the Lady Eleanor wrap- loved the colors, the texture, the enveloping size- had to knit one! Then I got home and sat down with the pattern, scratched my head in consternation, sighed and picked another project. Not only was she going to be v. expensive, but what the heck was going on in those directions?

Then along came the Entrelac Felted Bag class at Rosie's last Sunday. Who knew this stuff was actually going to be so easy once you got your mind twisted around the concept? And its like eating peanuts...I cannot stop. My bag is coming along fabulously and Lady E. is speeding back to the top of the cue. Now I just have to pick out yarn that won't eat up the mortgage payment.

I've been so agitated!

Well, I had a small crisis this week with the washing machine. Lots of agitation going on, but very little draining...rinsing ...or spinning. Okay, so no draining , rinsing or spinning. There my whites sat in a big tub of soapy water. My good friend and handyman had been over to hook up the dryer vent to the outside and one of the connections had been left unconnected. Thank god I said something to him before my $65 service call. A few minutes and screws later and the machine was operational again!! That is a huge relief, I was having visions of me hemorrhaging cash into Sears' pockets.

My first act with my resurrected washing machine was felt two bags that were waiting in the wings. The top one is a random wool that I bought from someone's stash on eBay for dirt cheap. It was not by any means a pleasure to knit with, but it felts great. The bottom bag is knit from Noro Kuryeon. I love the self striping and there is always something in the colorway that makes you say "hmmm?" then "yah baby!" when it comes out of the machine. I always love the surprise of felting, what will come out of that machine?

My LYS has started carrying the beautiful yearns of the Great Adirondack Yarn Company. I was seduced by some jewel toned silk in a colorway called Plum Loco. I have cast on for another Clapotis, this one for my mother's birthday. Sadly the photo does not do the yarn justice.

Home from Houston

Home from Houston, where I had a mighty fine time (said with a Texas twang.) I managed to not voice any of my political opinions in front of anyone I would offend or incite to violence. It was a great visit. Patty's house is adorable, with a huge fenced in yard for the dogs.

I spent the weekend spooning with a hot redhead...no, not Patty...Ruby, her red doberman. Friday night she hoped on the bed and started digging at the covers. I thought I was being ejected from the bed. She scooted under the covers and curled up against me. Snuggled down and there she stayed for hours. Most action I've gotten in ages!

Saturday morning dobbie #2, Boobah, ate a tub of plumber's putty left by the bathroom contractors. He was one unhappy pup. There was one whole stretch where he sounded like one of the girls trying to cough up a hair ball. Patty and I did do some significant damage that afternoon at Home Depot...a new toilet, funky shower head with five body jets, and beautiful faucets for the tub and sink. While there, I was seduced by Silstone counters and began plotting what I could do in that kitchen I don't use.

I'll be looking on the internet for more cheap flights to Houston.

Finally a finished object

Artemis takes napping very seriously. Her favorite place to nap is in the midst of whatever project I am currently working on. All my quilts are infused with sweet kitty-dreams and unfortunately a healthy dose of cat hair. I don't know what it is about my quilts that attracts her to them. A psychic once said that Artemis was living her first life as a cat. I think she was a seamstress whose bad karma caused her to slide several levels down the soul chain. Anyway, her latest nest is about to go to its new home in Houston with my friend Patty.

I began making this decorative quilt/bed runner this summer after we had seen a groovy piece of Indian embroidery in a store window. She wanted something like it to go at the foot of her bed and coincidently I had a heap of upholstery samples that would look great in her bedroom. The concept was kind of crazy quiltish and built on a muslin base. Like all my quilts I loved doing the top and was dragging my feet on the finishing. Once again I estimated incorrectly how much fabric I would need for the backing and was short...crap, crap, crap. So I put off the finishing. And then came the Mission Org shoot. The runner was folded up neatly on a slacks hanger with the left over fabric and fringe I got for the short ends and hung up on my "projects in progress rail." And there it hung and hung and then Patty up and moved to Houston.

Of course the thing wasn't finished in time to give it to her as a going away present, so I am taking it to her on Friday as a house warming present. My first trip to TX and I'm a bit leery about being that close to Crawford. Everyone pray for me : )

Amazingly it is done! And I don't even leave until tomorrow. Quick, check to see if hell has frozen over...

Not unsuprisingly the baby quilt is still unfinished. I am determined it will be done before Claudia enters kindergarten...nothing like an achievable goal...yeah baby!