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I have been trying to get motivated to get back into my sewing room now that the holidays are over. I have been obsessed with knitting socks at present. For Christmas my sister and husband both gave me some beautiful sock yarn, so I am trying to knit the perfect pair of socks. In the past the few pairs that I have made have been a little too big or had a hole or two in the gusset. I think that I am getting the hang of it with the help of a good book- Sensational Knitted Socks by Charlene Schurch. So far so good... no holes yet!
Happy New Year from Kip, a visitor to our back yard and Sammy.  Peace and happiness to all in 2012.
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I just finished machine-quilting a quilt made by my friend Tamah. It is always a pleasure to work on a well- made and beautiful quilt. I was tempted to keep this one... it looked great in my house.
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Buddy with his new best friend Sam.
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Kip smilling.
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I have been busy the past month sewing, knitting and felting like a manic. The house has smelled like wet dog for weeks now due to felting my wool purses. It is just amazing to me that you can throw a huge knit bag into the washing machine a few times and it shrinks down so soft and thick. I will post more at another time with my felting process.

But for now my purses and other creations are set up at the Autumn Artfest craft show at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship church of Raleigh, 3313 Wade Ave (just a few blocks away from Whole Foods). The show runs Friday, November 4th (tonight) through Sunday afternoon November 6th.

I have been a vendor at this show the past 3 years. It is one of my favorites because of the quality and variety of the art work. I am offering wool felted purses, santas made from recycled wool, cotton yoga mat bags, colorful fabric dog and cat collars and fabric note cards.

Its a great place to buy local crafts/arts.
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I finished the baby clothes memory quilt and it has gone to its new home. I really enjoyed working on it and I appreciate my client trusting me to use my creative license..... and I am so happy that she loved it. I had two backing fabrics that I liked;  it was a hard decision but I went with the blue.

I had it up on my design wall for a few weeks and I found it so pleasing to look at.  I am now missing it...oh well, on to the next project.

I named this quilt Beginnings:
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Being married to a seed nut (which is different than a Brazil nut) has many advantages. We had a summer filled with wonderful vegetables. But we also have many beautiful flowers growing, most of which Craig has grown from saved seed. Wherever we go it seems like he is collecting seed pods, cuttings,or leaves. Some seeds are forgotten in coat pockets or the glove compartment for a few months, but they always eventually get found and planted, even though we aren't sure what they are.  The latest (and somewhat unwanted) example was the overly enthusiastic Cardinal Climber - it attempted to take over a whole corner of our backyard flower garden, and even ended up at the top of our Dogwood tree!  (That one came from the garden at Robin's Nest B&B in Mount Holly).

Some of our more interesting finds are these beautiful Hibiscus, the foliage of which  look suspiciously like an illegal substance. We found the yellow (Sunset Hibiscus) and red (Coccinea, or Texas Star) varieties in the Raulston Arboretum in Raleigh a few summers ago. The white variety (White Texas Star) was a gift from a fellow tomato lover exchanged while at Monticello last fall.  Next year Craig will grow a rare pink one found  while kayaking on Falls Lake this summer (and for which Craig risked tipping over to get the seed pods).  

Fall is in the air, and we are going to miss our fruits, veggies and flowers of the summer. But we have plenty of seeds and discoveries for next year's gardens.

Take a look at these beauties.
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My favorite Pilates/stretch instructor mentioned that her daughter's Girl Scout troop is working on their Silver Award. The girls have decided to make Beads of Courage Bead Bags for young cancer patients at Duke Children's Hospital and the Pediatric Hematology Oncology Units at UNC Hospitals. It is a great project -  the cancer patients get beads each time they visit for a treatment, blood work, or doctor appointment and they keep their beads in the home-made colorful bags.  

The girls needed donations of fabric, thread, ribbon and pins....who better to donate to a good cause than quilters!  I am proud to say that my quilting bee, "The Threads of Friendship" donated yards of fabric as well as sewing supplies and 30 completed Bead Bags (shown below). Thank You to a great group of women!!

This is a wonderful opportunity to teach girls to sew while they also are learning about the trials of kids dealing with cancer. The girls are hoping to make over 50 bags by the end of September and they will continue to make them throughout the year. Way to Go Raleigh Girl Scout troop 883!!!

Also, check out Diane Moore's blog and website Striving For More, she brought Beads of Courage to the Triangle after her daughter's couragous fight with cancer.
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UFOs and cats 09/14/2011
 
I don't know what there is about cats and quilters, but every quilt studio needs a cat or two. Sammy is now discovering the joys of my sewing room...he is fascinated with all of my gadgets, especially my bobbins. I now have to put all the dangers away, and there are quite a few in my sewing room. It is like having a toddler around. 

I have been busy finishing up my Primitive Gatherings "Folk Album" wool quilt. It has been a pleasure working on this for the past 3 years (no - really, I am not kidding). I love hand-appliqueing with wool, especially these beautiful hand-dyed wools. I decided that because all of the applique was done by hand, it deserved to finished off with hand-quilting. It was worth all the work - it really is beautiful.

I have also finished machine quilting a Carolina Lily quilt for Tamah, which came our really nice.

Last but not least here are some updated pics of Kip and Sam, who are having the best time together.
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I just can't say enough about Safe Haven for Cats in Raleigh. As a wonderful non-profit, no kill shelter, it is no wonder they are always full! The cats are well cared for by the small staff and wonderful volunteers. Our Sam had all his shots and was neutered before we adopted him. He is also clearly well adjusted and socialized.

One of the first things I did when we brought Sam home was to make he and Kip a new collar (I didn't want Kip to feel left out). This led me to the idea of making cat collars and donating the proceeds to Safe Haven. So when I get my ETSY site up and running again, I will be offering them.

Here are a few pics of Kip, Sam and collars:
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Last Friday Craig and I went out to lunch at our favorite Mexican Restaurant - Cafe Capistrano, off Durant Road in North Raleigh, which just so happens to be in the same plaza as Safe Haven for Cats. I lured Craig in there for just a look, and we were so impressed. They have many beautiful adult cats as well as teenagers and kittens. The cats were in clean large cages (some of walk-in size) with plenty of toys and nice bedding. I was tempted, of course, and Craig seemed to be encouraging me. My eye caught a cute gray and white kitten having a great time with his siblings. Well, to make a long story short, he is now a well- loved member of our family. His name at the shelter was Cronkite, which doesn't quite roll of the tongue; we needed something catchier. And so he is now Sam (or Sammy or Little Dude or...).

Kip (our Maine Coon) loves him - they are constantly playing, and Mocha and Bud want to love him, but he is still a little shy around the dogs.

Meet Sam!
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I finished the top of the baby memory quilt and have been looking for the perfect fabric for the backing. With all the quilt/fabric stores in this area I didn't think it would be so hard. But after looking at three stores I found just what I was looking for at Quilts Like Crazy in Wake Forest. It picks up the browns, blues and beige colors from the top in a nice vine pattern. 

Here are a few pics:
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