Cottons 'n Wool

Folk Art Gatherings

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:56:00 +0000

On our way to Seattle for Thanksgiving, we stopped at Folk Art Gatherings Too in Centralia, WA. The reason it’s got the “too” at the end is because they also have a shop in Sumner, WA and that one is Folk Art Gatherings. I love this little shop right off of I-5. Mr CnW usually drops me off, goes to fill the car with gas and picks up a newspaper to read while I shop.

This year the weather was really stormy so I didn’t spend as much time as I would have liked. We just wanted to get to Seattle and out of the mess. This picture was taken during the middle part of the day. It was nasty, to say the least.

But, we made it there safe and sound, unlike last Thanksgiving. You can read about that trip here.

The shop was all decked out for Christmas and just warmed my heart.

I sure could have added to my snowman collection here, ya think?

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:55:00 +0000

Love this little pillow. So cute in its simplicity.

I hope you enjoyed the eye candy from this darling store. If you’re ever on I-5 in the central Washington area, you really should stop in.

Back soon with more catching up.

Hugs, Anne

Hollyhill part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:29:00 +0000

Oh Blogger! I guess I had too many pictures for Blogger to handle, so had to remove some before it would post. So, this is part 2 but it’s actually gonna look like part 1…oh, you know what I mean.

Here are the last (or first) 5 pictures.

So now, that’s the end. Be sure and stop by if you’re ever in the area.

Hugs, Anne

Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 00:23:00 +0000

Back in November, Anna, Sandy and I went to Portland so they could attend the annual event, “Homespun and Holly”, at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe. I hitched a ride with them because I was going to be helping out Anne, who was one the 4 featured teachers. Anne isn’t as pokey as I am with blogging, and posted pictures right after she got home, so check them out here.

The shop is actually located in West Linn, Oregon which is a suburb a little south of Portland. It’s run by the wonderful Jan and her funny son, Brian. They were so accommodating and made the day so much fun. If you’re ever in the area during November you really should make a point to sign up for the class. It’s an all day “make it and take it” affair and they even provide a yummy dinner for the participants.

Now I’ll just let you enjoy the shop and all its eye candy.

Let the fun begin, right Sandy and Anna?

They even have a HOUSE in the shop. It had just been delivered and they were still working on it so we couldn’t go in, but I think it will have lots of primitive fabric and goodies in it.

And check out the fancy dancy chandeliers over the cutting tables. Now THAT’S classy!

A few pictures from the class.

This was Anne’s project. The pattern is available on her website.

Here’s Debbie Busby of Wooden Spool Designs helping out her group of students.

This was her little tree skirt project.

It was a fun event and everyone who participated really had a great time.

(Sorry, I didn’t get pictures of Terri Staats project or Karla Eisenberg’s either). Bummer! Next time.

Hugs, Anne

Some answers

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 23:25:00 +0000

Hi everyone! Hope your New Year is coming along just the way you want it to.

A big thanks for all the wonderful comments about my snowmen collection. Yes, I have a lot of them, and no, I don’t know how many but that might be a fun thing for Emma and Mason to count some year. (It might keep them busy for a few extra minutes)

Some of you wanted to know the names of the quilts, so here ya go.

The first one is called “Whig Rose” and it’s by Betty Alderman. The pattern was in the December 2002 issue of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.

The quilts on the twin beds in Emma’s room were from Eddie Bauer Home and I bought them back in 2002.

This one is called “Golden Comfort” and it’s by Piece by Piece.

A few of you with good eyesight asked about the Santa quilt I was using on table. It’s in an Art to Heart book called “Santa’s Coming” and was made for me by my good friend, Marsha. (no blog)

If you need a better view of it let me know and I’ll take a straight on picture when I’m finished un-decorating. Right now you can’t even see it due to all the things that are on the table waiting to find a home.

Most of the questions came about this next quilt. It’s called “Seasons” and it’s from a book called “A Nice Mix” by Gerry Kimmel. The little seasonal critters (bunny, pig with flag, squirrel, snowman) were original designs by Verna Mosquera of The Vintage Spool. I took a class from her and she included her designs in the class. You certainly could add your own if you wanted to but the original quilt is just the houses and trees.

This last little wool guy was made by Janet and I don’t know the name of the pattern. If you know what pattern it is, drop me a note or a comment and I’ll be sure and do an update.

Speaking of Janet, thank you for your prayers and good thoughts. She continues to recover and is now in a rehab facility undergoing physical, occupational and speech therapy. She is healing nicely with an occasional setback, but remains positive. No date for release, but we’re hoping it’s not too far away. As soon as she’s better, I’ll ask her what pattern it is if someone hasn’t already told me.

Final answer is to the question “where do you store it all”?. Most of it goes in the garage on shelves. Mr. CnW never complains about all the work he has to do getting it all down and then putting it all back. I guess after all these years, it’s just part of the process. LOL Thanks Mr CnW. The stuff that is sensitive to the weather (candles etc) stays inside in the storage area under the stairs. See? Not so bad.

I have a lot of pictures of stores that I visited during the holidays that let me take pictures. I’m going to blog about them even though it’s long past Christmas. The shop owners were all so nice about letting me take pictures and blog about their stores, that I feel I need to give them that respect. Anyway, I hope you’re not too tired of more santas, snowmen, angels etc because I’ll be blogging about them in the next few days.

Hugs, Anne

Some days…

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 04:58:00 +0000

things just don’t go according to plan.

Emma + Santa = Love

Mason + Santa….add your own caption.

(At Mason’s expense, we all thought this was hilarious)

Merry Christmas?

Hugs, Anne

Snowmen galore

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

Well, this is the last of the decorating posts (unless I decide to change things up which I constantly seem to do).

Here’s the main living area. It’s considerably smaller than the old house with a lot less cabinetry and display areas. It was a real challenge to decorate.

This little pine table is another one that belonged to my mom. I always liked it and had plans to use it in my nest for a side table next to my chair. It didn’t fit tho, so I brought it downstairs.

Notice the yellow/gold candle? I never even noticed that it didn’t really look good next to all the “white” until I downloaded the picture. Amazing what you see when you look at a photograph.

So, I had to change it.

We had bookcases about twice this size on both sides of the fireplace in the other house.

A few closeups.

That’s me with Santa on the left. Emma is in the others.

Mason was in the hospital last year and didn’t get to see Santa. I took Emma while Mommy stayed with him. (picture on the right)

This is all that fits on the other side of the fireplace.

I love all my decorations and so many of them have been given to me by special people, so I had a hard time not using them. That’s why there are so many containers filled with “stuff”.

This last picture was taken from upstairs.

You might notice that I never showed the tree. We had to get a new one because the old one was just too big and wide. Well, this one is too small. It looks downright puny in the room so we ordered a taller one. It hasn’t come yet, but I’ll take a picture when we get it all decorated. We are thinking we’ll move this one into our bedroom which usually isn’t decorated.

So, that’s it! Thanks for hanging in there with me and for your nice comments. I really appreciate you all.

Merry Christmas!

Hugs, Anne

Frostys unlimited

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

We’ve been having such beautiful weather (no snow), that you’re probably wondering where I’m getting all these little guys. They’re like rabbits. They just multiply.

This is the bedroom that Emma sleeps in. When she saw this picture, she asked me to switch the snowmen pillows. She sleeps in the bed next to the window but wants the other pillow on her bed. She’s a riot!

I’m sure when she gets here she’ll be redecorating her room. Last year nothing was where I originally put it. Too cute.

Jack followed me everywhere while I was taking pictures. He loves snowmen!

And this is the other bedroom.

And, again, Jack.

This red cabinet is in a little mini hallway which takes you to the bedrooms on the right and left of it. Kind of hard to explain, but..oh well.

And last, but not least, tomorrow I’ll show you the great room.

Hugs, Anne

More Frostys

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:00:00 +0000

This is my 3rd post in 3 days. Are you shocked? I am!

Anyway, on with the snowmen. Yep, they’re everywhere.

Moving into the kitchen… I love my little Charlie Brown tree.

I posted last year that mantles are always hard for me. This year was no exception. I’m open to suggestions.

Don’t worry…those stockings will be spaced evenly. Mr CnW worries about them catching on fire (from the gas fireplace that hasn’t even been turned on yet!)

I bought that frame when we moved in. It was a brown mirror. It never worked because all it reflected was the fan because the mantle is so high. We took the mirror out but the brown frame just blended into the rock. So…in the nicest voice I could muster, I asked Mr CnW to whitewash it for me. Gotta love that guy!

This next little corner is a favorite of mine.

I know I said that this was an all snowman year, so if you see any Santas, Angels or Gingerbread men, it’s because Janet made them for me. I needed to have her presence with me this year. She’s still in the hospital and is recovering slowly. She is in my thoughts daily and her artistry always inspires me. She’s a very special friend.

This is a coat rack that I picked up in an antique store nearby.

And, finally, (for today anyway) this is the landing on the stairway headed up to my nest.

These pictures were taken at an odd angle because I literally had to lay down on the stairs. Don’t you wish you could have been here to see that? NOT!

Tomorrow I’ll show you the guest bedrooms.

Hugs, Anne

It’s all about Frosty

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 03:39:00 +0000

What with moving this past year, I was a bit overwhelmed when it came time to decorate. Where was I going to put everything in a house half the size of the one we moved out of? I have LOTS of Christmas decorations and thinking about how to use it all gave me a huge headache. So, I decided to make this an all snowmen year. I was able to purge about 3 boxes of things that just didn’t work. My original plan was to decorate with Santas next year, angels and gingerbreadmen after that. But….it took me so long that I may end up taking lots of pictures and re-visiting snowmen next year too. (Although, maybe it will be like childbirth…I’ll forget by next year). So, here ya go.

This little setting is right in the entryway.

Further into the entry…

I bought the garland on the tree quite a few years ago. In the other house, it was hanging on garland up high above the entertainment unit. I like it lower where I can see it. Those little faces make me smile.

This little chair belonged to my Mom and it was one of the few pieces of furniture that I kept. She always used to sit on it when she would put on her makeup at a little desk in her bedroom. The doll is one I made about 15 years ago from a Cheri Saffiote Payne pattern when her company was “Cute as a button”. Long time ago!

Across the hallway is the dining room.

If I knew Photoshop, I’d edit out the light switches! Oops, forgot to plug in the tree. Oh well, then I’d have to edit out the cords.

I just love these big plates.

I think that’s enough for today. More tomorrow.

Hugs, Anne

Mine, all mine

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:32:00 +0000

I’ve never had a tree to call my own. This year I decided to put a few decorations in my nest. I pulled out all quilt related ornaments and also some that I have made and just went for it. Here’s the result.

I love having my little slice of holiday cheer while I’m working away. Makes me very happy!

I’ll be showing the rest of the house as soon as I get my pictures organized.

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Market–people part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 21:23:00 +0000

Yesterday when I did the post, it was so long and full of pictures that blogger wouldn’t process it thru. So, I had to delete some. Here ya go then, with part 2.

First up are Paula Barnes and Mary Ellen Robison, the creative geniuses behind Bonnie Blue Quilts.

The quilt hanging on the far right is a new Block of the Month called “Cotton Club”. You can find stores offering it by doing a google search. I got the pattern for the scrappy pinwheel one right under it.

Here’s the other 1/2 of the booth. It’s so cozy I just want to snuggle up in there.

This is Renee Plains of Liberty Star. Do you like how she’s standing with her hand on her hip? At the last market, someone told her that it makes you look slimmer because you can see through and your arm doesn’t add width to your body. Hmmm, like she needs to worry about that? NOT! She’s a kick.

It wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t get to see PamKittyMorning. She was working hard manning the Lakehouse booth.

And here’s Debbie Outlaw who is the pattern buyer for United Notions. She’s certainly NOT a witch!

This next quilt belongs to Marcie Patch of Patchalot Patterns. She wasn’t able to make it to Houston, but her quilt was hanging in the Marcus Brothers booth. She emailed me before I left for market and asked me to take a picture for her. So pretty. This one’s for you, Marcie.

When I used to work at Sew Many Quilts here in town, I got to know these two reps for Moda when they would come in to show the owners all the latest fabrics. Here are Bob and Dianne who are married to each other. I love being able to see them twice a year.

Notice how hard Dianne is working. What’s up with that, Bob?

Well, I better quit while I’m sure this will post okay. I’ve still got pictures of the quilt show and some eye candy pics of some of the products throughout the show.

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Market–the people

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 20:34:00 +0000

First: Janet update

She is out of ICU and her blood readings are showing positive changes. She is awake at times and continues to make progress. She still has a long way to go but the doctors feel she is on the right path. Thanks again for all your thoughts and prayers. Keep em up!

On to the wonderfully talented designers.

Whose feet and cute pattern do these belong to?

Why it’s Lynette Anderson and her cute hubby Vince. The slipper pattern was a huge hit.

Brenda Riddle from Acorn Quilts and Gifts with her new quilt based on a cross-stitch sampler. It’s darling. Wouldn’t it look cute in wool?

Barri Sue Gaudet of Bareroots Designs showing off her new book.

Close up of that cute quilt above the book.

Cute holiday projects.

Lynne Hagmeier of Kansas Troubles.

Check out the border of this quilt. So many pieces, so little time!

Sandy Klop of American Jane

Karla Eisenach and her darling daughter Lisa with Sweetwater.

Sisters – Kathy Schmitz and Bonnie Sullivan (All Through the Night).

They took a trip to France together and were so inspired it led to a book collaboration. It’s filled with beautiful photos and projects.

And here is Joyce from Geoff’s Mom patterns. She has some really wonderful new patterns.

Her new Block of the Month.

And this darling pillow that I just have to put on my list of projects.

Wool sheep and embroidery.

Cute table topper.

Deb Strain of Saltbox Illustrations. We had a fun dinner with her and her hubby one night. (her coat dress matched her booth colors – cute)

Mary and Barb of Me and My Sister Designs. They were also at the same dinner and are so funny. They tell the best stories that always make us laugh till we cry.

Barb and Alma of Blackbird Designs.

I still have tons more pictures, so I’ll see ya soon.

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Market–wool

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 18:26:00 +0000

First, thanks to all of you for your sweet thoughts about Janet. I’ll keep you posted on her recovery.

So, those of you who know me or follow my blog on a regular basis, know that I’m completely obsessed with all things wool. Starting with pictures of my favorite designers and booths seemed like a logical choice to me.

Since Primitive Gatherings was right across the aisle from our booth, I ventured in there more times than I can tell you. I took tons of pictures but for some reason, the ones I loaded onto the iPad were deleted off the camera card. I think Anna showed you some of them so, these are the few that I took later in the show.

Nick showed us a playful side on Halloween.

Behind him is the beautiful Block of the Week that Lisa did this summer. If you didn’t order the finishing kit because of their photography of it, there are still some available if you call the shop. Trust me…it’s stunning.

Off to Heart to Hand to see what was new. Kathi never disappoints. Check out these wonderful new patterns.

Then it was over to see Cathy at The Cottage at Cardiff Farms. More fabulous new stuff!

This next tall pillow is going to be a pattern in an upcoming issue of American Patchwork and Quilting. Can’t wait!

The top 2 purses were made using the Japanese Daiwabo fabrics. So classy looking.

I might have drooled all over this next one. In fact, I loved it so much that as soon as I got home I ordered the kit from JJ Stitches. It’s on its way! Woo Hoo! Give them a call if you want one too.

Cathy told us that she has a new book coming out in the spring with Leisure Arts.

And this is her new Block of the Month.

Another stop had to be Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine’s booth to see all the great new projects that are in the Winter issue.

This is the lovely Gretchen.

It was so fun to see the projects in person. Their photography in the magazine is spot on gorgeous, but it can never match up to the real thing. This table runner was breathtaking in person. It’s going to make it onto my “to-do” list.

If you haven’t gotten a subscription of the magazine, you really should. They have 3 issues out and every one of them has inspiration and eye candy galore!

That’s it for the “wool”. Some of my other favorite designers weren’t there but, my goodness, how much can one person do? Oh, I can only dream about making up everything I saw.

If you like any of the patterns I’ve shown, Karen at The Primitive Thread has some of the patterns. I know this because we walked the show together and liked all the same things. Right Karen? So, send her an email if you’re interested in purchasing any of them.

Next up….favorite people. (not to say that these wool designers aren’t some of my favorite people…Yikes, don’t want to get myself in trouble here…)

Hugs, Anne

A request

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:26:00 +0000

Before I show you pictures from Quilt Market, I would like to ask you for a favor. While I was in Houston, I got word that one of my best friends, Janet, was admitted to the ICU with a terrible staph infection that has taken over her body. She thought she had the flu, but by the end of last week she was rushed by ambulance to the hospital and has been there since.

She is being given massive doses of antibiotics and will remain on them for up to 8 weeks. Her blood tests show a turn for the positive but she’s still not out of the woods. She faces a long road to recovery ahead of her.

She is one of the kindest, most generous, warm hearted, sensitive people I’ve ever met and she needs your prayers, hugs and love. So, if you would add her to your prayer chains, her family and friends would be forever grateful.

She is one of my special “California gals” and you might remember the post I did about her here.

Thanks so much…

Hugs, Anne

Leavin on a jet plane

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 02:10:00 +0000

Well, it’s off to Houston tomorrow bright and early. I never did figure out how to load pictures onto my blog from my iPad. Anna suggested I send her the pictures and she’ll post them on her blog for me. That works. So, if you’re interested in seeing all the goings on at market, visit Woolie Mammoth for pictures. (Do you believe that I’ll even send them to her? LOL)

If you haven’t seen Anne’s blog about her new patterns, then head on over there and you can see what’s been keeping me and my sore arm busy. 6 Quilts! If you’re going to Houston, stop by the booth and say “hi”. It’s #552. Oh…and guess who is going to be right across the aisle from us? Primitive Gatherings. Heaven help me!

I’ll leave you with a few pillows that I’ve made. It’s all the decorating I did this year. I couldn’t stand the thought of unpacking and packing more boxes. So, the full out décor will have to wait till next fall.

The stitchery pattern is from Primitive Stitches.

This was a project in the fall issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects magazine.

Sorry, I can’t remember what pattern this is.

Hugs, Anne

Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 21:15:00 +0000

I'm trying to figure out how to post pictures to my blog from my iPad and can't seem to import them. Does anyone know how to do it? I want to be able to show you pictures from Quilt Market next week. Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Woolie Tuesday

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 01:27:00 +0000

Today was our get together of the Woolie gals. Usually, Anna is running around with her camera taking pictures like crazy. But…if you’ve read her blog recently, you’ll know that she lost her Mom on Saturday. I know that she would want to see what we’ve been up to so, Anna, this one’s for you!

Mary finished up her cute witch by Bird Brain Designs.

Sandy brought in her “Henrietta Whiskers”. She’s finished and the last block just came out last Monday. What an over-achiever! She also changed all the blackbirds into crows to give it a bit more primitive look. Isn't it cute?

She also brought me back my quilt which she quilted for me. It was a Block of the Week a couple of years ago from Primitive Gatherings. She did a wonderful job of quilting it for me.

We all know that I don’t quilt. As Mary says, “I quilt by check”. I agree!

Our group meets at one of the local quilt shops, Quiltworks. Marilyn and the girls have done a great job of getting it ready for fall. The entry display is bolts and bolts of gorgeous flannels. (never mind that it was 90 degrees here today….fall will come eventually!)

And cottons perfect for whipping up some pumpkins.

I have this patterns and bought the red fabric…Hmmm, guess I need to actually MAKE the quilt, huh?

Lots of yummy wool.

And patterns.

My latest obsession….Civil War fabrics.

Cute table runner using a Crabapple Hill pattern. This will be a class.

The shop is also offering these next 2 quilts as Block of the Months.

If you’re interested in either one, give them a call. They’d be more than happy to ship to you.

We had a great day, but really missed our friend Anna.

Hugs, Anne

Quilt show finale

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 07:01:00 +0000

Wow, I’m not to be trusted with blogging, am I? Time just seems to get completely away from me. So, I’m just going to finish up with a few of my favorite quilts and be done with the show!

Leave it to quilters to find the answer!!!

Check out these dimensional stars. I’ve never seen them before.

Cute Jan Patek pattern.

Bunny Hill’s “Tiny Town”

O Tannenbaum

And, last but not least, I loved this quilt of Crater Lake.

Hope you enjoyed the show. Sorry it took me so long to get it posted.

Hugs, Anne

A storm

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 18:15:00 +0000

We had a huge thunder/lightening storm pass through here on Wednesday. I really don’t like lightening AT. ALL. I think it goes back to my childhood when we were stationed as a military family in Leavenworth, KS. I used to hide in the closet during them. I’m often tempted to hide in the closet during them now.

(google image)

So, anyway, you’ve heard all the warnings about not being in the water during a storm? Well, it looks like these little guys listened to those warnings.

During the power outage, Mr. CnW and I went out on the front porch and what did we see?

12 geese marching down the middle of the street.

They then formed a single file line with the largest in front (assuming that’s Daddy) and the next to the largest bringing up the rear (Mommy?).

I have to say that it certainly took my mind off the storm for a brief moment. So cute.

For all you people in the path of Irene, please stay safe!

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Show part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 07:01:00 +0000

This time I scheduled the posting date before I even started writing so that I didn’t have 3 big posts in one day. LOL

Kim Diehl came to the guild and did a workshop last May. These are the finished quilts from the class.

The shadows sure aren’t good for picture taking.

A group of book club ladies did their interpretations of “On the Divinity of Second Chances”.

I definitely don’t have that creative gene in me!

The next group is the guild’s challenge quilts. The theme was “What Women Love”

Darn shadows…this one was very whimsical. Big burly men.

I didn’t realize I had taken so many pictures. I have lots more, so stay tuned!

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Show part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 23:18:00 +0000

(Darn....I hit publish instead of scheduling this for tomorrow. Oh well, I guess it doesn't really matter, huh?)

I think this may end up to be a 3 or 4 part show. Hope you’re enjoying it.

A dresden plate has been on my “to do” list for awhile.

I may have to move it higher on that list.

Reminds me of autumn.

This next one is a golf themed quilt. I can’t let Mr. CnW see it or he’ll have me making him one.

Tomorrow, some group projects.

Hugs, Anne

Quilt Show

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 23:02:00 +0000

Today was the annual quilt show in the park by the Mt Bachelor Quilt Guild. The weather was wonderful..just right for an outdoor show. I took tons of pictures so will probably split this up into a few posts.

Enjoy!

The featured quilter was Alice Pederson who does a lot of machine embroidery.

A close up.

And, most importantly…we just got back from Seattle. Watched the kiddos while Mommy and Daddy went to NYCity for business/pleasure. We had a great time ~~spoiling~~ taking care of them.

Emma is going to be 5 next month.

And Mason turned 2 in May.

Love em!

More quilts tomorrow…

Ashamed

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:07:00 +0000

I promised more pictures of the house, but in true fashion, I just can’t seem to get my act together. So, you’re just gonna have to go over to Anna’s blog to see some.

She showed up yesterday morning (unannounced, I might add ), and brought her trusty camera with her. I was still in my PJ’s planning on a nice quiet morning to putter around. You know what they say…”the best laid plans…”

Since she showed you house pictures, I’ll show you what I’ve been working on. I’ve definitely got my mojo back since getting settled in here.

Stichery:

made into a pillow.

and another one. Not sure what I’m going to do with it yet…

but I think I’m going to make it again in wool. It’ll be fun to see them side by side.

Both patterns are from Primitive Stitches. I just love her patterns.

Here’s another one from the same designer. I got the kit from my friend Karen and am in the process of machine quilting it. There are a couple of rows that have to be ripped out because of tension issues, so I have that still to do.

I am NOT a quilter but I figured “how hard can cross hatching be?”. Well, now I know. UGH!

By the way, Karen is having an AWESOME giveaway. Head on over there. You might still be able to get in on it.

Wool:

Am getting this BOM from Primitive Gatherings. It’s called Autumn Quilt by Heart to Hand. I can’t believe that I’m caught up on it. The next 3 blocks are on their way. (I know this because my bank statement shows it!)

And you can’t get ready for Christmas too soon.

Pattern is called “Seven Santas” by the talented Bonnie Sullivan of All Through the Night. Just have to add the borders and I’ll be done.

Last week when the latest issue of Primitive Quilts and Projects arrived, I fell in love with so many of the patterns. Instead of dog-earing the pages, I decided to just get busy and start on one of them. This one is by Cheri Payne and it’s called Autumn Wools.

If you haven’t seen this magazine, you need to head over to their site and get yourself a subscription. It’s well worth it!

Cottons:

I’m trying to get this next quilt done as fast as possible because I want it to hang in the entry.

This is my progress so far.

Actually, I also have the center block finished but didn’t get a picture taken.

The pattern is called Folk Art Blooms and it’s by Buggy Barn.

We’ve also done a few projects around the house. The latest being recovering our dining room chairs.

Before:

After:

I think they will look nice with the Buggy Barn quilt which will hang on the opposite wall.

So, that’s what’s going on around here. Have a great weekend!

Hugs, Anne

The Nest

noreply@blogger.com (Anne) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 21:29:00 +0000

I’ve been getting a log of nagging from people (and you know who you are) about posting pictures of the new house.

So, I thought I’d start with The Nest since that’s where I spend most of my time.

When you walk in, this is what you see.

My computer desk area is to the far left.

and if you continue around to the right, I had another desk area put in for an “applique station”.

I do the starch method of applique and it takes a lot of prep work, so I thought about how I could get it to work best for me. See the top drawer to the left of the chair?

Now, notice the cutting board above it?

I can pull it out and prep the applique pieces. I usually put a ceramic tile on the cutting board so that the heat doesn’t warp the wood. In the larger shot above, you can see my little iron and Ott light that make the job so easy.

Now, to the right of the desk opening…

I had a storage cabinet put in for large rulers and mats.

I love how they are so convenient but out of the way.

Continuing clockwise around the room, this is my design wall.

I had been chatting with Kathie about hers and she gave me some great tips. Mr. CnW made it for me. It’s insulation board with a frame on the back to strengthen it, covered in a flannel sheet. He hung it a foot off the floor (because of the plugs) and a foot from the ceiling. It’s hung in 3 sections and each section is 4 ft wide and 6 feet high. I’m pretty short, so I can’t reach the top of it so had to get a step stool. LOL I was worried that a design wall that large could make the room look kinda messy, but so far, so good.

Here’s a different view of it from the entryway.

Notice the chair? It’s actually a twin sleeper and really really comfortable. (and we all know that sofa sleepers are sometimes pretty stiff). When it was delivered, Mr. CnW said he wanted it in his den. So, I’m looking into getting another one for me (in red) and I’ll let him have it whenever I get a new one.

To the right of the design wall, I have my ironing station. I got the idea when Heather posted pictures of her Mom’s fabulous room. Mine isn’t as big as hers because I already have a big board that I’m storing in the attic and really don’t use all that often.

The part I love the most is the pull out for the iron to sit on.

All of the baskets that I’m using in the cabinets came from Target and they fit perfectly.

Here’s a view from the computer area on the opposite side of the room.

The door to the far left goes to the attic storage area. The next door is my walk in closet.

I’ve got a lot of organizing to do in there, but it’s nice to know that everything fits and I’ve even got a little space leftover. Shopping anyone?

The next door is the bathroom.

Not much else to say about that. LOL

Here are my books.

And the last wall is where the TV and storage chest are.

After looking at this picture, I think I may move some of the quilts to the storage bench. Looks kinda top heavy there. LOL

Here’s that same wall from my comfy chair.

So, that’s the nest! I’m loving it and definitely have my mojo back. I’ve been sewing up a storm and will share pictures with you soon. (I don’t dare promise a date…that’s for sure. LOL).

My only distraction is the view

and all the critters I see.

Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Hugs, Anne