Continuing On...

I am still plugging away on the Chrismon path, I've hit a few potholes and endured some detours along the way but I'm persevering, holding steady and not veering off. After returning to the supply store a few weeks back to purchase some more kits to try, I've been dedicating whatever free time that I can carve out in the afternoons to work on these. The written directions take some getting used to. The Star Cross (far right, above) gave me fits, my first attempt was pitiful!  I took it completely apart, got new wire, and tried it again yesterday. This is how it is supposed to look. Hooray! A friend and I are going back to Rufty's,  "Chrismon Central", in a couple of weeks to take another (intermediate level this time! Yikes!!) class. She's been much more prolific in her efforts than I have, see below: 

She's become a Chrismon-making machine! Aren't they all beautiful, each and every one?

The two of us got to together the other afternoon at church just to see how many we're going to need to fill one of the trees that we'll use for this purpose during Advent. We carefully laid our completed Chrismons on a tree, just where it stood in the storage room, as an audition of sorts. Not bad. We're still going to need many more, but this gives us an idea; we've got time. Hopefully we'll be recruiting eager "makers" this fall within our own church family; and we have years and years to build our collection. In the meantime, I'll be continuing on... one bead at a time, learning all that I can along the way.

To God be the Glory!

Life is Good!

Four for Four

For the past three days we've had a little helper here, things are sadly quiet this morning. Over the last few months Mr. Goodneedle and I have tried to have each of the grandchildren for a weekend, by themselves, as schedules allowed. We didn't get Lucy Ann for a weekend but did manage the first three days of her spring break from school this week. We've now four for four, she was the final one to come and stay in the rotation.

When we got to the house on Monday after a lunch stop she picked right up where her cousin left off last weekend and finished sorting Nana's strips and strings into color groups. We cleared the table and started all over again. She was done in no time. I honestly cannot remember how long it's been since I saw the bottom of that bin!

She helped Paw Paw to crank up a batch of homemade chocolate ice cream in the workshop. 

On Tuesday we baked. Macarons. Ever since she was very young and read "Fancy Nancy" books, Lucy Ann has been intruiged by all things French. Yes, she wants to go to Paris, but claims that will have to wait until she perfects her table manners (I can't imagine where she's ever heard bargaining like that!😉) We have been planning to make these ever since her visit was scheduled, but this week we had Paris on our mind following the devastating fire at Notre Dame.  The cookies were a huge hit and turned out really well! If anyone is interested in the recipe you can find it here. 

In the afternoon she helped Paw Paw plant some fruit trees in our orchard space.

She made a prayer booklet for herself; copying scripture, quotes and even writing her own prayers to add. She decorated the pages and joined the stack together with a ring at the top so that she can flip through it and add more pages as she goes. 

We took a little trip to a precious local bakery and she chose a cupcake for dessert and one to take home for her brother. 

Yesterday it was sewing day. She made skirts for her American Girl dolls, we fused designs onto t-shirts for the dolls to coordinate. She takes direction well and ended up with two cute little outfits.

She was really excited about sewing; we need to do more of this while her interest is high. Having a short lesson and keeping the project simple and the goal attainable, will, hopefully, bring her back for more! 

Before we knew it, the time had come to get back in the car and head home. I hope Lucy Ann will remember our time together fondly; I know that we will! We miss this girl today; so does Hannes. 

He's very lonely today without his constant companion. I told my daughter this morning, 

that I don't think Hannes' feet touched the floor the entire time that Lucy Ann was here. 

Now it's time to start all over again-- one grandchild at a time!

Life is Good!

 

What's Under Foot?

What's under foot at your house?  There's something colorful, soft and scrappy at mine! I have always wanted to make a Jelly Roll rug. I have all the components, I just haven't actually gotten around to making one yet. Something about cutting ten miles of batting into 2.5" strips has been enough of a deterrent toward progress on that front that it has stopped me in my tracks. Then, someone smart and enterprising began marketing the jelly roll rug batting pre-cut. Brilliant!! But, I am far too practical (read: cheap!) to NOT use ends and edges of batting piled high in my own closet to buy a roll! And, yes, A Jelly Roll rug is still on my agenda. But, in the meantime, I saw some Fuse, Fold and Stitch rugs earlier this year, they were made from pre-cut 10" squares (Layer Cakes). I caved. What can I say? I can be easily distracted.

I bought the pattern and a 25 yard roll of the fusible, pre-cut foam on the spot (my rationale: I DON'T happen to have any of that lying around!), I knew that I had a Layer Cake languishing on the shelf in my sewing closet. One rainy afternoon last week I laid out all the squares on the floor into rows in a random color pattern and labeled my rows. Then I began sewing and fusing. The foam is fully encased in each stitched row, on two sides, and then folded down the center for double cushioning. 

I kept my rows labeled, in order, as I moved through the process. 

Before joining the rows together they are stitched down the center. I used a walking foot and a Jeans needle (#100/16) and had no problems at all sewing through the extra thickness. 

The labeled rows after joining and trimming. I still need to add conventional binding all around.

Fuse, Fold and Stitch Rug ~ 25" X 38" 

This beauty will live in my laundry room, it is fully reversible too! Doesn't it brighten up the space? Even the most mundane of all chores is now a colorful and cheery experience. And, that Jelly Roll rug? Yes, it's still on the back burner. Now that I have this one done it has spurred me on. I WILL cut the batting for it! It will live in the laundry room, too, in front of the washer and dryer, a companion rug for this little cutie!

Life is Good!