Giving Thanks

I'm thankful for many things, first and foremost that I'm still moving forward on this lovely life journey with my one and only husband.

There are loads of reasons to be thankful in 2024; both gains and losses count. We've both shed quite a few pounds, which gave us a healthier life. The frig and pantry are no longer stuffed with sugary snacks, so our grocery budget is lower as well. Closets are cleaned out, too large clothing donated, and new skinny sizes added. YAY!

Home improvements are in process around here. Planning and working together on projects has always been fun and we're still learning new skills. These changes provide us the opportunity to get rid of lots of unnecessary stuff. Paring down is a challenge, given our vast collections of hobby gear, but we are working on it. Prioritizing what we want and what we need is key.

I'm thankful that the two of us don't really have to consider what others think, say, or do. We're certainly old enough to decide for ourselves how we spend our time and what's right for us. Letting go of the expectations of others gives us peace of mind.

A simple, comfortable, happy home has always been our goal. Putting things in perspective has allowed us to experience less stress, less worry, and less drama. Old habits can be hard to break but this year's fresh starts have been invigorating. Less is more, and I'm thankful for it! 

We're moving forward...

Renewal

It's a new year, and time to start fresh. Out with the old, in with whatever comes next.

Last week I finished up a few projects, organized my sewing space, cleaned the rest of the house, and updated my fabric inventory spreadsheet. From the looks of that, I need more time to stitch!

Today's featured quilt is one I finished in November. It's an attic window design, using soft sage green stripes with cream and natural muslin. Combining the chisel die with squares and triangles make this block easy to construct.  

Renewal

Quilting is emphasized with a triple serpentine stitch in a green variegated thread. The alternate rows are in cream thread using a notched stitch. I named this 54” square quilt Renewal.

Here's to a calm and relaxing new year!

Accuquilt dies used:

55735 Chisel 2¼” x 4½”
55147 Half square triangle 2¼”
55395 Square 2¼”
55805 Half square triangle 5”
55032 Strip 3 ½”
55017 Strip 2 ½”

I own many yards of  fabric, 

therefore I NEED to sew!

 

On Every Corner

A new year and a new decade has arrived! Like most folks, I like to do a reset in January. Wrap up year end items. Clear out clutter. Consider what's next, what makes me happy. For me, a fresh start is energizing.

Today's quilt, On Every Corner, is one I finished just before Christmas. Green, cream, navy, and rust prints were cut into strips and squares and arranged in a diagonal pattern. I worked up the design in EQ8 software before cutting with AccuQuilt.

Fabric for the backing and binding is a grayish tan cobblestone print. I quilted with tan thread, using a straight stitch along the seams, keeping the diagonal lines toward the center. These calming colors would be right at home in a mountain cabin, don't you think?

What's next for me isn't difficult to figure out...I already have a huge list of quilts to make. Modern, vintage style, large and small. My sewing room is clean and organized. The only thing now is to decide which one to cut first.

Accuquilt dies used:

3 ½” x 6 ½” rectangle 55005

3 ½” square 55006

Pursuit of happiness =

more fabric,

more quilts,

more time in my sewing room

Cottage Charm

What a sweet soft quilt made for a country setting. I cut scrap pieces in neutrals and brights with Accuquilt 3 ½” square and 3 ½”x 6 ½” rectangle dies. 

Making the modified log cabin blocks was my camping project, stitched on a portable machine while we were at Defeated Creek Campground in April.

I finished it off here at home, adding 2” sashing in a pale spring green. Backing is cut from an old soft floral sheet. I mounted it on my Flynn Quilt Frame, free motion quilting in a meandering pattern with tan thread.

Cottage Charm, 45” x 55” in size, could be the perfect accent to someone's shabby chic décor. Can't you see it in a log cabin or cottage, draped over a wicker chair or an iron bed?

Beautiful things

come together

one stitch

at a time

Fresh Laundry

There's something about the smell and feel of freshly washed laundry. Clean and crisp. That's what I was going for with an update of our laundry room last week.

It all started when my eighteen year old washer began to make crazy sounds. A search for a reliable replacement led us to Speed Queen. A Labor Day sale at Gibson's Furniture in Gallatin gave us a great price on a new set, thanks to Eddie and Scott.

Perfect time for a quick redecorate, don't you think? I painted the walls a pretty gray-blue. Galvanized panels are perfect for the laundry sink backsplash. We painted the switchplates, cabinet knobs and hardware in hammered silver to match. Jerold installed a new under cabinet LED light.

A few antique blue Mason jars, old washboards and clothespins, Mason jar prints and a small painting I finished in the spring complete the transformation. The little scrap quilt is called Tropical Geese.

Results:  Fresh laundry room, bright, clean and crisp.

Normal

is just a setting

on the dryer

Freshening Up

January seems like the perfect time to freshen up things around the house. It's kind of like fluffing the nest before a long cold spell. After taking down Christmas decorations, I like simplicity and cozy corners for winter relaxation.

Last week we updated our guest room with a clean coat of light grey paint and rearranged the furniture. I packed away memories and pared down knick-knacks. An older soft quilt in navy, hunter green and burgundy makes the bed just the right spot for a nap.

Having a comfortable, warm place to call home is important to me. It doesn't have to be expensive or fancy, just a simple, basic place where my sweetheart and I can enjoy life, retirement, and our hobbies. Home is our sanctuary.

 

 

A Breath Of Fresh Air

Twisted Picnic Squares

How refreshing! This morning I have our windows open, with fans pulling cool, sweet breezes through the house. That's a welcome change from the heat and oppressive humidity of the past two months. I'm having my coffee on the porch as I write, watching the hummers feed. It's a perfect way to begin a Monday.

Last week when it was so hot and rainy, I stayed indoors to finish another quilted piece. This one is in country summer colors with two old fashioned bright blue floral prints and contrasting red gingham accents.  Perfect for a summer picnic, don't you think?

“Some old-fashioned things 

like fresh air and sunshine 

are hard to beat.” 

~Laura Ingalls Wilder

Refreshing Change: Sewing Room Update

Spring is here and I made good on my threat of moving furniture in the sewing room. I did it all by myself in an afternoon. I will admit to having felt slider feet on two tables and wheels on another. 

 

I put the sewing table back-to-back with the cutting table in the center of the room. I can walk all the way around with easy access to my wall mounted ironing board, design wall, and storage cabinets. This new island is directly under the ceiling fan/light for nearly perfect illumination. An Ott-Lite bulb in the swing arm fixture plus a small Ott-Lite lamp gives me more brightness at the sewing machine. 

  

My scrap basket organizer and two drawer units are tucked under the island, along with the serger, since I don't use it as often. A simple backless bar stool gives me a place to perch at the higher level cutting table. My desk and wicker chair now face a window beside the closet.

I really like this layout, plus moving things around provided an opportunity to clean and declutter. Things that don't belong somehow have a way of migrating into this room (I blame the cat), but I put them back where they belong. I have two large bags and a box of purged stuff in the car for donation, and I tossed some old magazines after cutting out a few dozen pages for my idea notebooks.

There's more organizing left, and I thought of several other storage ideas, but the room is more functional and less messy. It feels like a little retreat again, a refreshing place to escape, and it only took a day. I highly recommend moving furniture around and creating a new look for spring.

You never know what treasures you have, 

until you clean your room.

Cleaning is just putting stuff in less obvious places.

I can't clean my sewing room 

because I get distracted by the cool stuff I find.

Simplify!

That's my theme for January. 

Sim-pli-fy:  
to make easier to do or understand
   a: to reduce to basic essentials

   b: to streamline

   c: to clarify

There are a lot of areas to work on, and I've already started. Home, shopping, food, clothing, hobbies, habits and goals are all under review. I'm hoping that simplifying life will lead to harmony, joy, peacefulness, fun, and a beautiful 2014.

Useful Notion: There is beauty in simplicity. 

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. --Confucius

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify. --Henry David Thoreau

** BRRRR!  it's COLD here on the ridge this morning!  Three degrees at 6 am.