Hippos in tutus?

well, that's what this made the DH think of

I painted the bathroom this week (undoubtedly the most difficult room in the house to paint!) and I wanted to keep any splatters of paint off of the shower head and the lamp tops

a flat bottom coffee filter split to the center and then wrapped around each one and taped shut did a great job

but I agree -- it's hippos in tutus

this is the latest of the shed door pieces -- the main pieces are in place and now I'm putting in the smaller ones -- moving right along

this piece, titled "The Eagle Flies" is progressing nicely too

this one has been a very loosely designed piece -- last night I decided to try adding the bronze bugle beads along the edges of the eagle's wings just to see how it looks and I love it!

the more I do on this one, the better I like it

last Sunday's post talked about the hat I was working on for Mr Cute -- in the end after I had it all knit I ripped it all out and started over again because it was still just too big

this one is much better -- and the bonus is not just one tractor, but tractors all around the hat!

one of the things I love about this time of year is the pumpkins in all the stores

this year I've seen some particularly "warty" ones -- love that texture!

Finding a new "normal"

the packing continues

yesterday we had a small crew that came and moved all of the boxes that we had packed up in the past couple of weeks out into the garage so we can get them loaded into the pod this week

as we were chatting with them we mentioned that there was a doll house here that we would give to anyone that was interested in coming after it

a little later in the day one of the fellows came back and got it

I'm delighted!! it's gone to a little girl (and her mama) that are excited to have it, and I now have a large empty space --- yippee!!

yesterday's activities also included painting the primer coat of paint under the front door (that area had been really beat up over the past 12 years) and a coat of primer on the wall I had skim coated with wall board compound a couple of weeks ago

last year when I was working on my entry for the Hoffman Challenge, I was working on some techniques that I had not tried before -- in the process of doing that, I created this piece, which I titled "Feather Duster"

this year I donated it to the SAQA auction

and I learned yesterday that it was purchased during the auction

even though I don't get any monetary gain from this, it feels wonderful to know that someone thought it was worth paying for!

when I get to the end of the day of physical work, I'm still spending some time working on art projects

this week I finished the hand work on this piece -- number 10 in the series

and it's exciting to know that I'm getting closer to the time when I'll actually be able to start doing more than the hand work as my sewing machine will probably be back in a usable condition in the next week -- (another reward for all the hard work rearranging things!)

so this is the next piece -- which I started working on last night while enjoying a movie on PBS

I have been working on this piece of jewelry this week

I've had that piece of picture jasper and the carved bone moon face for a while, but only recently was able to get the porcelain eagle that I was searching for

and I've changed the glue I'm using to attach things to the backing so I don't have to build up so much of a bezel around the pieces with beads

so far I'm very pleased with how this piece is going

and the tractor hat is nearly done -- last night I started on the decreases for the top of the head

yup, lots of things are getting done

just keep chugging along!!

third time the charm?

not long ago  made Mr Cute a new sweater with all kinds of construction equipment on it (pictures of it in this post)

there was some yarn left over from that project, so I decided I would make him a hat with a tractor knit in from that left over yarn as a Christmas present

the hat knitting has not gone well (you'd think it would, I've literally knit over 100 hats in the past few years)

there is no picture of the first attempt -- shall we say that a mobius hat is not desirable -- and somewhere between the cast on and the 2nd row of ribbing in the round I managed to get it twisted, so it was quickly ripped out

the picture on the left here was the next attempt -- no mobius!  all good, right?  uh, not so much as it wasn't until I had the ribbing finished and started to think about the pattern knitting that I realized that my brain must have been on vacation --

unless you are doing an all over repeating pattern of some sort, you can't do pattern knitting in the round -- the knitting of a tractor requires carrying the yarn back and forth over the back of the work -- so last night I ripped all that out AGAIN! and started again, working back and forth in rows

we'll get this figured out yet

it's finally finished

I started this piece back in August, originally intending to enter it in a "mini fest" of one of my beading groups, but with all the other things I've been doing, I just couldn't get it done by the deadline

I do like the way it came out -- I had forgotten that doing the inside edge of the open work was so difficult (I hadn't done that on a piece for a very long time) -- and I would do another one with that open work because I really like the way it looks

since the last post, when I was still working on this piece, I did the rest of the hand stitching on this piece

and I've started working on this one

somehow at the beginning of this one I started working at the top edge with all those little pieces and then realized I should have started at the bottom edge -- so I've been working both ends to the middle -- it's coming along

while the DH was having his cataract surgeries, I spent some time in the waiting area of the surgery center

this was the view out those windows -- pretty amazing!  it was fascinating to watch the shadows on the mountain change as the clouds moved across the sky

the packing continues -- books, music, dishes into boxes -- several trips to donate van loads full of "stuff" -- we've lived in this house the longest of anywhere I've lived since I left my parents house and we've not been good at keeping down the clutter -- I'm resolving to not let this happen again!!

last week I painted a wall in the living room and did a "skim coat" of wall board compound over a wallpapered wall in the kitchen that I plan to paint white -- its a struggle to just keep moving even when my knee and my back hurt -- I have moments when I would like to just walk away (but so far the adult side does return -- reluctantly -- )  we want to get the house on the market by Nov 1 and some days I feel like that is a pipe dream --- just keep putting one foot in front of the other

now where was I?

things are quite crazy here

packing continues -- I'll be painting a wall in the living room this week, and this morning I took another van full of clothing, toys, books and household items to donate

meantime, the DH had one cataract surgery last Tuesday and will have the same surgery on the other eye tomorrow

the MRI I had on my back didn't tell me a whole lot more than the xray did -- I have bone spurs and a disc that is basically gone in my lower back which causes pain if I overdo or sometimes just for no reason at all that is apparent to me -- the doctor wants to do injections along that area -- which might work -- or might not -- but will deplete my bank account for sure -- I think those will have to wait

I'm trying to do a little bit of work on art projects every day -- just to keep me from having to be shipped off to the funny farm!

this is the shed door piece I'm working on right now

I've been working on this too -- it was supposed to be for a competition, but the deadline for it was yesterday, so that's not happening -- but I do like it, so I'm going to finish it anyway

and I've just finished working out what I'm going to do for the new quilt for my daughter and son in law -- they like the look of this design and the colors, so as soon as I can get the fabric that will be one of my hand work projects

just rolling along as best I can

it's time to vote!

it's time to vote for this competition!

you can use this link to get to the place to vote:  etsy-beadweavers

with relish?

at least that is what my sister suggested I should title this post since the last one was titled "catch up" (groan?!)

it's probably as good a choice as any idea that I had!

last weekend we did a lot of loading of boxes and furniture into the pod

on Saturday morning, when I made a run to the closest convenience store for a bag of ice to keep the bottles of water cool, I got to see part of the balloons from the balloon festival that took place here last weekend

my daughter and son in law, along with Mr Cute and their two dogs came to our house to help out for that weekend

on Sunday evening I caught this photo of their big dog and our dog sleeping all curled up on the couch

I didn't know when I snapped it that it would be the last such picture I would have the opportunity to take -- because of ongoing health issues, the red dog has now crossed over the rainbow bridge

at some point in the near future I will be making this photo into an art quilt

I started working on this piece a couple of weeks ago - or longer -- and haven't gotten to it for over a week --- I hope the commotion dies down soon so I can get back to it

I have been working on this, which is another piece in the shed door series

yesterday I had an MRI done on my lower back --- I would not describe it as a pleasant experience, and I hope not to have to go there again --- I'm also hoping that by some amazing chance it will actually tell them something that will help --- I see the doctor next Thursday

for now it's back to the packing and cleaning and painting

time to get moving

Catch up post

can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I got out here!

last weekend we made a quickie trip to the Northern part of the state to see the Rocky Mountain Quilt Fest

one last chance to take a look at this quilt before it went off on it's travels for a year with the Hoffman Challenge

and it was pretty cool too to take Mr Cute and let him see all of the quilts that had animals on them -- and all the fabric available for sale with tractors on it!

this trip also gave me the opportunity to drop off this completed sweater for Mr Cute

can we say it as a big hit!?

he wanted to wear it right away even though it was in the 90s!

meantime, here in chaos central, the packing continues

the picture on the left is where my boxes of beads for making projects used to sit

the picture on the right  is after I packed them all up -- ta da!!

and where is all this going you might ask

this lovely arrived on Friday -- we've been putting stuff in it -- the plan is to get as much stuff out of the house as we can to be able to stage it -- and do it quickly

which doesn't mean I'm not doing anything artful --- I'm actually making it a point to spend a little time every day doing something creative, just concentrating more on smaller pieces

this is a barrette -- and it is available now in my Etsy store

and I've just finished the hand applique work on this piece

trying to maintain some sense of balance

time to get moving

The Last Glad

a few years ago we planted a lot of daffodils and gladiolas around the rose bush right outside our front door

the last two years none of the glads have bloomed and only one or two of the daffodils had

I thought they were all dead

we've had a very early and heavy monsoon season here -- almost every day we've had a thunderstorm and some of them have been very heavy

I guess that's what this little gladiola was waiting for

beautiful!

finally finished!

I'll be adding this to my Etsy store and entering it in the competition soon

watch for the notice when the voting begins

and because I need to have something to do with my hands while I'm icing my back or my knees, I started something new!

this is a small piece, but I'm having fun playing with an assortment of beads doing a much easier bit of embroidery


the container for putting household items in arrives on Aug 22 -- time to get back to packing

The Source of the Problem

I've had my current sewing machine for a long time -- almost 15 years

Over the years I've run all kinds of thread through it -- just about every brand that's available -- or has been available clear back to grandma's day because I don't just throw a spool away because it's old

I've never had a problem with any of them

This week, between packing boxes and icing my knee and my back, I've been trying to make the DH a new pair of pants

I went through the drawers of thread and pulled out this spool that was the right color.  The (now missing) label on the end of the spool said "Dual Duty", so I figured there would be no problem

So we did the usual routine --- clean the feed dogs and the bobbin case, change the needle, wind a bobbin, thread the machine -- ready to sew -- or not

It sounded awful -- a machine that usually you can't hear running was making definite "clunk, clunk" sounds

What?!

Maybe it's a defective needle I thought, so I changed it again -- and re-threaded both the bobbin and the top thread

Nope -- still doing it -- stitch, clunk, stitch, clunk, stitch, clunk -- ggrrrr!

Walk away and think

The next day I decided that I would try a different spool of thread -- this spool is not the exact same color, but it will do

So again, clean, wind, thread -- and this time no clunk

Apparently that spool was labeled one thing but is actually something much thicker!  The label has been removed and I'm moving it into the tray that I keep the hand stitching threads in

Maybe now I can finish those pants!

I've been working on the chain for this piece -- it's moving along slowly

It looks good


time to get back to packing

Living with chaos

the piles of boxes are growing

as my back has slowly gotten so I can do more, we're getting more boxes packed -- its a good thing

and yesterday we took a car load of kitchen and other household items off to donate

even though I don't put a high priority on having an immaculately clean house, the ongoing clutter, confusion and chaos does get to me

that's why I try to take some time every day to make some art

I'm working on this beaded piece

the surface design is all finished, and I've started on the bail and chain

it has taken a couple of days of fiddling to figure out the bail, but last night the little switch clicked "on" and I figured out a way to keep the look I wanted without having the piece try to twirl around backwards --- hurrah!

now it's on to the chain

the hand applique on this piece is now done

this one needs some paint and a lot of stitching to create the details and shadows

this one will be the next piece in the shed door series -- I put the pattern together this morning, and sometime later today I'll pick out fabrics and get started

this will be the next piece in the series

the pattern is ready, and later today I'll pull out the fabrics to get started


earlier in the week I cut out two skirts and a pair of pants to be stitched, but before I got them finished, we decided to pack all the dishes in the buffet and the china cabinet, so I've not gotten that done yet -- hopefully soon

A better week

the week started off on a good note

this piece, titled Fiesta! has been accepted as part of the traveling show for the Hoffman Challenge 2014

back in June I thought I had this all finished, only to find when I started to fill out the paperwork to submit it that it was too big for the size limitations!!

I picked off the binding, cut it down and redid the binding and managed to get that all done in time to get it submitted between ER trips and other issues --- hurrah!

I'm pretty excited about this, the list of places this is traveling to is pretty extensive -- and I'm happy to say that now four out of five submissions to this annual challenge have made the cut to travel -- whoot! whoot!

meantime, this week I've worked on this piece some more -- it's still hard to really understand what is going on here, since there is still a lot of work to be done, but I can see progress

progress being made on this project too

in fact, this one is becoming one of those "did I do that?" pieces as the more I work on it the more amazed I am that it looks like what I originally saw in my head

I think this piece will be done in the next few days ---- and amazingly, I haven't yet begun thinking very hard about what the next piece will be --- maybe it's time

this may not look like much, but it does mark real progress in my back recovering

for about a week I hurt too much to sit at the sewing machine, which means the repair of these three bags, which should have taken 3 hours tops ended up being stretched over 2 weeks ---- grrrrrr

they do look pretty good though -- each one had the end pieces removed, new welting applied around the edge and the end piece replaced --- these things are over 20 years old, and now they should be good for another 10 years or more ----  it's all good

the packing continues -- the curio cabinets are empty, the tops of the china cabinets that held all the decorative pieces are almost empty, and yesterday I started packing books --- edging closer to the marketing of the house every day

time to get busy