My Sewing Room

Oh my gosh, my poor sewing room!  I don't know when I'll see it again...it's going to storage.  So sad.

LaDonna

Farmer's Wife Block 3

From LaDonna:   My basket block: 

From Diana:  Here are my two blocks...of course they look different in person.  The red has silver snowflakes on the white and the dark is actually dark green and black checks. 

I thought that they would look better than they do. I absolutely agonize over every color for each and every block. I change my mind countless of times and when I do decide and cut the fabric a nagging little voice keeps asking if maybe it would have looked better the other way!

~Diana

Dear Friends,

I debated about writing this...you know, putting it all out there.  But I've come to realize that the term "blogging friends" really just means "friends".  As an army wife, friends come and go, some are friends just for a season, and a few are friends for life.  When I started this blog, I had no idea what the support, in comments and emails, would come to mean to me from my blogging friends.  So, I wanted to let you know what is going on.

As I've mentioned, we are moving.  Movers will be here next week.  What I haven't told you is my husband will be moving to Virginia for his new job and I (and the Scotties) will be moving back to my parents' house in Tennessee.   My mother is fading away.  My dad is her caregiver, but things are getting to be too much for him, as his own health is declining.  Hospice is now involved and my sister keeps warning me to be prepared for how bad she is.  I think I've cried more in the past month than I have in, well, forever.  And I'm not a pretty cryer!  But right now, I can't stop.  The tears just keep coming. 

My husband will go next week to look for an apartment.  Evidently, despite the internet age we're living in, you have to be there in person to get an apartment.  I will be here for the packers.  We are setting aside things I will take, things he will take, and then what the movers will store.  We've been through many separations before, but this is harder.  My stress level is pretty intense; I'm eating Tums like candy, not sleeping that well, my mind just keeps going in circles.  I'm already missing my husband and he's not even gone yet! 

As this is mainly a quilting/sewing blog, you'll understand why there won't be many posts from me.  I'm taking a couple of projects with me, but I'm not really expecting much progress.  Diana's life is crazy hectic, but hopefully, she'll be able to post some things now and then.  I know she's working on a couple of things when she can between chasing those grandkids around!   I'll be checking in on your blogs, may not have time to leave a comment, but I really enjoy seeing what all you're doing.

Love to you all,

LaDonna

Nothing like a deadline

My husband likes Hawaiian shirts. He's found a few cotton ones at Goodwill and he really enjoys wearing them...comfortable and cool. The problem is most of the shirts in the stores are made out of rayon.  Rayon and heat don't play well together. When we went to the market days days a few weeks ago, a guy was selling cotton shirts for $70 and up! Some of them were out of fabric at Jo-Ann's...I know because I've seen it there! So my husband said he could make his own for way less than that! Now my husband has made 18th centhury reproduction clothes, all by hand, including the buttonholes! He does a great job, makes nice, small, neat stitches.  He didn't want me to make his shirt; he wanted to make it himself! So he did!  Here's some pictures of him in my sewing room, happily sewing!

I helped him fussy cut the pattern (gotta get those dragons centered!), helped him a little bit with the instructions (do you know how long it's been since I've sewn clothes?!), and when he got frustrated with the buttonholes, I did that and sewed the buttons on by machine (love that feature on my sewing maching...once sewed 300 buttons on a quilt in practically no time at all...but I digress!)  So since the movers will be here in a couple of weeks, he finally got it finished!

Can you see the dragon on the back?  I think this fabric would make some very interesting kaleidoscope blocks!  By the way, this is McCall's pattern 2149.  He did a great job!

LaDonna

Farmer's Wife Update

Diana and I are both doing the Farmer's Wife blocks, but very sporadically!  We wanted no pressure, no deadlines, just enjoy the progress, however slowly that might be!  Here's what we've done so for in a combination post.

From Diana: 

What on earth am I doing??

I must be crazy!  When LaDonna and I first started the Farmer's Wife project, we decided to to it with Christmas colors.  She would do reds and I would do burgundies, since we each had more of those colors.  So I thought!   While I was gathering the Christmas greens and reds to send to LaDonna, I discovered that I also had lots of reds and greens in addition to my burgundies and dark greens!  I got to thinking about all of that fabric.  What am I going to do with all of this stuff?  Then it came to me...I have two children and two different color ways.  Duh... make one of each and maybe there won't be any fussing about one child eventually getting "the Christmas Quilt".   That way each of my beloved children will get a Christmas quilt from Mom.

Here's what I've done so far....block one and two for the red version:

Block one in burgandy:

Block two for burgandy, I know it's a bit different, but it is Christmas fabric and it works for the burgandy colors:

~Diana


LaDonna's block one and two:

I am thoroughly enjoying sewing these blocks on my Featherweight!  We are doing paper piecing on some, rotary cutting and regular sewing on others, anything to avoid hand sewing!  I can understand now why some people say these little blocks are addictive!

It may be a while before we are able to post again.  Life is getting a bit complicated right now, but I hope you'll still check in with us from time to time. 

LaDonna