December is half gone

and I'll be working on Christmas gifts and crafts and sewing up to Christmas Eve. I have most of my ornaments done. I did do the little landscapes on spools, they were fun but very time consuming. I have 5 more to do. They should be given to the kids soon, or it will be too late for this year. I got an order for one Bear With Me bear, and am taking before and after pictures. I want to keep a photo album of my bears only. This one involves a sweat shirt with an embroidered heart, to be used as the chest of the bear, and an old blanket, aqua and white, that has a jacquard design, with the colors reversed on each side. I'm using the blanket for the bottom and legs, as well as part of the head. The sweatshirt will be used for the top and arms. The blanket has a satin border on 2 sides, so I'm using that for the paws and foot bottoms, and the inside of the ears. I'm fusing pellon on the backs of all surfaces to make it stronger and so it does not stretch when I stuff it. I had that problem last year when I made 10 out of sweatshirts. They got too big because the fabric stretched as I overstuffed them. It will save on stuffing, which isn't cheap. The pellon is spendy too. I still want to make doll clothes for one granddaughter, a jeans stocking for our youngest great-granddaughter, and maybe should do some actual shopping. We need to buy our exchange gifts, no ideas. Then there's some food prep too. Add in there a trip to Faribault to see the ortho dr. about my sore back. I'll make it. I usually do. Time for bed soon.

September, October, Nowonder, I'm behind.

Where do the months go? Here it is 5 weeks until Christmas, and I'm still thinking about what to do for ornaments for the grandkids and greatgrandkids. Every year there are more, around 18 this year. Last year I painted on old wooden spools, made Santas and snowmen, don't even have a picture of one. I'll try to remember to do that when we go to our son's for Christmas. I'll be making another Christmas stocking for our ggd Makayla this year, she was born in January.
I've also started advertising my "Bear With Me" memory bears. For me it's a mission project. I do get paid for them, but since they usually go to family or friends of someone who has passed away, I feel a connection to the person they honor, as I'm making them from the clothing of that person. I'm putting a picture here of the sample bear I made from a shirt and denim dress. I am also interested in making prayer quilts, which will be a church project. Small quilts are made for people who request one in honor of someone who is ill or needs comforting, something similar to the prayer shawls. Since I don't knit or crochet, this would be a good way for me to participate. Quilts are made and then tied by church members and prayers are offered during the tying process. I'll be meeting with the prayer shawl ladies today, and see what comes of it. Karen/Prairiedog

Gotta sew

I'm up, early with Denny now that he's on day hours at school. Today is his last day for the week, so I had better get busy finishing Jill's wedding quilt. I have 17 days left to quilt it, after I finish the top which I fully intend to do today. Then iron the backing and batting, set up tables in the garage, lay it all out and pin the whole thing together, to prepare for machine quilting. I plan to do just ditch sewing, so it will just be time consuming. Then the binding which will be sewn on by hand. Add a label, and go.

We have lots of other activities this month, Bullhead Days this weekend in Waterville. Denny works Fri. evening in the hamburger stand, and I have to make 2 pies for the Ice Cream Social at church on Sunday. Hopefully the weather man is correct, and we have sunny weather for the weekend. I also have some projects to do for Horizons, need to make up and send thank you cards to the participants in our downtown beautification. Will do that on the computer. We also have a Lions club picnic, Todd's birthday, Gregg and Cathy's 25th anniversary and Jill and Josh's wedding, a couple Horizon meetings, yada, yada, yada.....

We are having cool weather for this time of year, it's just 55 deg. at 7 a.m., the river is not moving a bit, and it is covered with fluffy cottonwood tree seeds. Looks yukky.

Now to work!! Karen/Prairiedog

Almost forgot

Today is our youngest son, Brent's, birthday, he's 33, and still mom's boy. Hope this year is better for him than the last one, anything would be. Today is also our great-granddaughter, Marissa's 5th birthday. Made her a cute apron for her gift, she liked it. Here's a picture, a country girl, fresh from the rainy outdoors, and showing her girly apron. Didn't get a smile from her, did later. And a hug.

A year or so later....

Today is my day to update my blog. I will try to come here daily, use it as a diary as I first intended, and keep me focused on my projects.
We are finally getting the rain we have needed for weeks, and this should save the lawns, crops, and bring up the rivers and lakes somewhat. The robins are sure loving it, have seen several hopping around, even up on the cement patio, with squirmy worms in their beaks. We have a couple mother ducks in the area, one with 3 babies, and one with about 9. There is also a single young duckling all alone, hope he or she makes it, have seen it feeding under the bird feeders. There are predators around, just looking for something tasty. The ducks like the rain too.
Today I will head up to my "sewing studio" and work more on Jill's wedding quilt, more rows to make and sew on, then quilt, quilt, quilt. I wonder how long that will actually take me, I need it done in 3 weeks!
Denny started working day hours this week, and he will play horseshoes this evening if it stops raining, so I'll be alone many hours and will have time to quilt, and maybe some housework. We need to learn to go to bed earlier, 5:15 a.m. comes fast. At least it's only 3 days a week, as he has 4 day weekends all summer.

New month, new message

July is here, it's hot, but green and lush around here. I am not doing any quilting this week, been working on furniture, painted my kitchen table, sanded a 50cent chair, and cleaning for the weekend. It's supposed to be a warm July 4th weekend, probably very busy here on the river between the lakes. Most of the family will be camping near by, so we'll have lots of drop-ins. The year is half gone, the baseball season half gone, and soon will be the county fairs and school starting again. Yuk, don't come too soon, fall.

April 1, 2008

Well, for a diary, I'm not keeping up. Been sick with a cold, besides running here and there. Went to a quilt expo yesterday, found out I know most of the tricks. Oh, well, it's always fun to go places with the friends. We had a nice lunch and I bought more sewing machine needles and a bit of fabric. Nothing like what some of the ladies spent. I did buy a cute metal pig shaped watering can. You fill it up on the back and it sprinkles out the snout. It will look cool in my garden, which is 6 x 8 feet.
I have a church meeting today, and then hope after that to get home and work on some sewing. Have lots of painting projects to do too. Hoping to sell them over the blogs. I did sell some quilt blocks I made on eBay, that gives me incentive to do more. I didn't make a lot on them, for the time, but I enjoyed making them. Hope the buyer likes them. I'll be back later to update my day.