Daytrippin'

Quiltdivajulie and me

It took some doing; but, at long last, I can now say (with photo proof) that Quiltdivajulie and I are in-person friends! We've shared a LOT over the past ten years or so, all online, as blogging buddies. Over the years we discovered many similarities that we have in common: our birthdays are within days of each other (day and year!), our wedding anniversaries are too. We share likes and dislikes in an uncanny way and have kindred personality quirks characteristics.😉 When the opportunity presented itself (Julie was teaching her amazing Build-A-Barn quilt class last week at the John C. Campbell Folk School in the far-western part of North Carolina) Mr. Goodneedle and I discussed taking off for the day; there is still ongoing work cleaning out my in-law's home, but he knew how much fun this would be for all of us (he has long admired Julie's husband's incredible wood-turning abilities and he was going to be there too), as well the value of a much-needed break in our own work schedule.  Last Friday we hit the road early and drove west. It was a gorgeous day.

We arrived at Keith House, on campus, around 11 AM and easily found the JCCFS office, and our lunch tickets, before settling in to experience the class "show and tell" and end of week wrap up. I fell in love with this quilt, by Mary Lou Weidman, on permanent display at the folk school. Read the story behind the quilt linked here, you'll be in love with the quilt, and the Folk School too! This is an amazing place. Soon the assembly hall was filled with talented craftsmen-students and instructors all eager to show what they had done all week. Julie and I quickly found each other and the conversation flowed easily and non-stop,  it was much more like a much-anticipated reunion than an initial meeting! Our husbands, too, had plenty in common to discuss. We had barely all gotten our seats when the dulcimer class serenaded the crowd to start things off, they were followed by a steady stream of blacksmiths, wood carvers, jewelry makers, wood turners, print makers, quilters, wood workers, painters, enamelers and story tellers. I am sure I am forgetting other folk crafts that were learned and displayed. After the wrap-up show we adjourned to the dining hall for a delicious family-style lunch in the dining hall. From there it was a quick walk to the Pittman Fiber Arts building and the quilt studio!

Julie still had a few things to pack up and get ready for the car and her drive back home. Take a look at this space, and the LIGHT; who wouldn't want to take a week-long quilting class here?

Another view. These classrooms are well-stocked with all the needed supplies, it really is a dream come true. (Notice the power cords suspended from the ceiling over each work space-- no cords on the floor to worry about tripping over!) I also peeked into the adjacent weaving studio; I am not a weaver, but after seeing that space I could become one! Mr. Goodneedle had the same feeling about the woodturning studio; the facilities are quite enticing and hard to resist. We are both destined to be JCCFS students sooner rather than later! We came home with an armload of catalogs listing all of the class offerings to pore over.

Julie's husband and Mr. Goodneedle

We had a few moments for photos in front of, what else, but a barn; before hitting the road, each of us heading our own direction back home. We will definitely meet up again, hopefully for a longer visit, next time! In my memory book of "day trips" this one may just go down as the best ever!

Life is Good!

Improvements At The Strawberry Patch

I received an early (1 month +) birthday present yesterday, compliments of my super-talented husband!  Here it is, mounted on the wall in the studio; a solid oak, hand crafted cabinet.  I've wanted one for years, but the one that he made for me is even better than what I thought I wanted. Originally I had a floor-standing cabinet in  mind, he improved on my idea by making it a much slimmer profile (only 4.5" off the wall) and hanging it so that I didn't lose the electrical outlet underneath or have one more thing standing on the floor collecting dust beneath it where the vacuum won't reach.  In case you haven't guessed what this custom cabinet was built to contain...

...yep, cones of longarm thread; releasing them from an over-crowded drawer where they were all jumbled up together! 

Now, at a glance, I know exactly what I have on hand; and even have plenty of room to expand inventory.

Luckily, we had four of these cabinet door pulls leftover from the original cabinetry that he made; aren't they just perfect for The Strawberry Patch?

As if the cabinet improvement wasn't enough... we re-did the design wall on Saturday. After 13 years on the wall the outer fabric surface had pulled away from the backing and was stretched out and sagging badly. We took it all down, peeled the fabric off and restretched, remounted and rehung the new, improved, face-lifted design wall back into position.

Life is Good!

What's Next?

There's a wide open empty space in the studio...  the area that used to be filled with Sundance is looming large. I might be sad about Sundance moving on to a new location, but I can't be; she is living happily in her new home, much loved and well-cared for. I went by for a visit on Monday and she was already quilting a baby quilt and performing well.  Since her departure I have spread out a number of things on the floor, the latest being "Destination: Unknown" with all four borders attached, now measuring in at 40" square; it will, eventually, hang on the wall between the two windows pictured. What will it hang above? What's next for this floor space? 

Any guesses?

Life is Good!

Studio Stars!

I spent the day yesterday with three of my favorite people, in my favorite room of the house... the studio! My daughter in law came to sew and concluded the day with more than half of Lynnleigh's baby quilt top pieced! She did an awesome job! During Gregory's naptime I hung out with the girls and personalized a few T-shirts for little Lynnleigh on the embroidery machine;, here she is modeling one. Of course, Nana had to make her a strawberry shirt! I can scarcely believe how quickly she's growing, she was showing off her skills all day too... sitting up unassisted is her latest trick!
                         
I didn't get a photo of the flurry of paper snippets that covered the floor and rug after Gregory woke up from his nap. A pair of child-scissors and a sheet of paper provided oodles of fun for the longest time. If any of you are in need of hand-cut confetti let me know, I can put you in touch with a skilled craftsman!

Life is Good!

Bitten By The Quilt Bug

I asked the question last week: "is there any smile broader than that of a quilter with her very first quilt"?  Last evening Lady L. arranged and labeled her blocks, I heard her talking about tie-dyeing fabric for the borders! In answer to that question... yes, there's one smile larger and brighter: that of her Grammie smiling down on her. Well done, Lady L., there's loud cheering happening, on Earth and in Heaven. That Quilt Bug has attacked again and bitten yet another; what Lady L. might not know is there's no turning back now, her future (and ours) is looking bright! Make room, the next generation of quiltmakers is here.

Put on your sunglasses... it's all good~
Life is Good!

Facelift!

Gone is yesterday's plaid,

here today is a soft and creamy beige.

All the better to show off the quilts,

no visual competition.

I love it, Hannes approves too.

Life is Good!

Welcome!

Three little pillows bid you welcome to The Strawberry Patch! This bench sits just outside the studio door and beckons one and all to enter, sit, and stitch with me! What's between "me" and "we"? Only the letters "lco" which exist simply to complete the invitation!

Life is Good!

Creature Comforts

I sew with my best friend every day. Hour after hour, from one project to the next, I stick like glue. The drone of her sewing machine makes me very sleepy, I crawl into my own little bed under the cutting table and dream, uninterrupted, until she stoops to scratch behind my ears or to take my picture! It's a curse, being this handsome; a curse, I tell you... but, it's one I've learned to live with! I'm a lucky pup, not all dogs have comfortable beds (or sewing rooms) to sleep in. My Mom has a friend who collects scraps and trimmings from other quilters and chops them up, really small (think confetti) to fill beds (that won't lump up after washing) for those less fortunate than me. Before my Mom's friend began this project the dogs who live in shelters, awaiting homes of their own, had to sleep on a cold, hard floor; that's sad. Next time you're about to toss your sewing leftovers into a trashcan think about how they could help a fellow canine. Check with your local shelter to see if they have a similar program, if they don't maybe you could start one! Do it for me, do it for the dogs; everyone deserves a warm and cozy bed.

Life is Good!
...don't forget to comment on Mom's post from last Saturday, only three days left...

Is No Space Sacred?

Hey, there.. it's me, Hannes. Again, I have a problem, and I'm coming to you for help. Here's the deal. The problem is the cat, she's sneaky annoying diabolical. Before Turbo came here to live it was just me and my Mom in the Studio. I'd curl up and nap on my ottoman to the hum of the sewing machine or sometimes I'd snuggle in right beside Mom and lay my head on her lap when she settled herself down for some hand sewing. Those days were heaven-sent. This all came to a screeching halt when Turbo arrived. She just doesn't understand, or refuses to obey, boundaries! I think it's high time for a cat-free zone. This is where I need your assistance, I want you to help me convince my Mom that "our" room should be off limits to "you-know-who". When I tried to explain how out of hand this space invasion has become, I'm not sure Mom grasped the severity of the problem. OK, I have photo proof:






Turbo on "our" (mine and Mom's) chair. I told her to get down. Getting lower is not my idea of getting down! She can be so infuriatingly literal at times!








Finally she got down... and where did she go? Right here, up on a stack of quilts, Mom's going to be so mad! I happen to know that Mom doesn't like cat fur on her quilts at all, only my fur; she told me that... I think.


I have some markers and some paper. I made a sign: "No Cats Aloud Allowed" and posted it down low on the Studio door. Now, I just figured this out, I have an even greater problem... the dumb cat can't read!

So, what do you say? Can you help me out here? Any and all ideas are welcome.

Presto, Change-O!

This isn't an original idea, I saw it in a magazine years ago. In fact, this curtain rod and hanging hardware have been waiting in the stash closet for exactly as long! Yesterday my husband installed it here in the studio, I just love it! The beauty of a rod mounted like this is the ease of ability to change out your quilts. Simply unclip one and replace with another, as if by magic; you can change your quilts as often as your mind.

"Presto, Change-o"!
Life is Good!

Getting Crabby

I'm getting crabby, I can't sew in a room that's all torn up for renovations. It will all be well worth it in the long-run; but still, I can't sew in all this mess, and it's taking a toll on my temperament. I'll spend as much time as I can today taping out the trim to prepare for the wall paint, the means to an end! The ceiling is done and looks positively wonderful, I'm basking in all the lovely light. I did set up my serger on the kitchen table the other day to put an edge finish on a fleece baby blanket; it was the only uncluttered flat surface that I could get to, it wasn't ideal but it helped... a little. When I was stitching in the kitchen I gathered some much needed perspective on just how fantastic my normal sewing space truly is. It reminded me of the down-sizing plight of a friend of mine. After her husband retired they downsized homes, and likewise went her large, lovely sewing room. A few years passed, her husband wasn't satisfied with the downsizing they had done, it wasn't enough for him. They did it again, smaller yet. My friend commented : "Well, you know, I started out quilting on a card table and I guess I can go back to that arrangement again...!" Can she? Really?? Could I??? I doubt it. Once that genie's flown from the bottle I don't see how she can be shoved back inside, at least not without making that genie very claustrophobic and plenty crabby! While counting my blessings I am reminded that my non-sewing induced crabiness is, thankfully, a temporary condition!

Life is Good!
Update: For any of you who speculated that the subject of an earlier post, "Boys (!?) Will Be Boys" was Kyle, you were wrong. The "culprit" lovingly presented me with a replacement Hummel last evening. This one's been relegated to the mantel for safety. Thanks, Honey!

Making Headway...

I've been posting for a while about the new lights in the Studio and rearranging the sewing space. We're making headway, the lights are in and the ceiling's been painted. We've gone from this:To this:And finally, to this:It was cleaned up temporarily, and not a stitch was sewn. Now we're preparing to paint the walls and trim and possibly refinish the floors. We initially had a floor outlet installed, but now that we've moved the furniture it needs to be moved and the original outlet hole plugged, one thing leads to another. "Why", you may be asking yourself, "are all these lights necessary?" I'll give you a clue, the answer lies in the gift that Kyle gave me for Christmas; here's a peek at that:Everything will be revealed in it's time. We're still preparing the space. Until then, remember:

Life is Good!
~very big smile~

Post Christmas, The Calm Before The "Storm"

This is a shot through the kitchen yesterday evening. The gifts have been opened, the dinner has been eaten and the dishes washed, the family has all scattered. This is a picture of post-Christmas"calm", the kind that has descended on Chez Goodneedle, it exists yet today; albeit temporarily. There's a "storm" brewing, it's in the forecast... keep reading...

Our daughter brought a hand-crafted (from wine corks) reindeer that she had received for a gift. Hers is all decked out in Auburn orange and blue. She thought that maybe I would like to make some for next year, I think there's a very good chance of that! We opened a bottle of sparkling cherry wine yesterday that we had purchased this fall in Michigan, feeling obligated after all... as you can see, the reindeer's head necessitates a champagne-style cork! We'll be saving up corks all year, whatever it takes... solely in the interest of these reindeer ornaments, naturally!

(However, ours will be non- AU colors; sorry, honey!)

...now, onto the "storm". The studio (more recently Santa's workshop) is closed down and under alert. The furniture has been covered to protect it from the onslaught. Not snow, not now; it's even worse, sheetrock dust! We're adding task lighting- eleven recessed floods. This required removing the existing lighting and, of course, redoing the ceiling. Never a dull moment here, I'll post updates this week as they occur. Things are looking up (sorry!) in The Strawberry Patch, the future for the New Year is certain to be a bright one!

Life is Good!

A Peek Inside

...the Strawberry Patch! I spend most of my days in here, and still there's never enough time. I've shown lots of works in progress over the past several months, you should know that this space is a work in progress, too. My husband has added more drawers to the cutting table this past weekend, they're functional but not finished; I'll stain and finish them later on this summer. But, for now, they neatly hold more items out of sight; yet readily accessible-- rotary cutters and rulers in one; stencils and marking utensils in another. It's such a convenience to have these items close at hand and yet neatly tucked away at the same time! I've been super busy working on projects in here the last few weeks, unfortunately I can't show you what I've done because they're surprises! I will post about them later, after certain secrets are revealed. Until then, I'll share a few more views from around the Strawberry Patch... because, as much as I enjoy this studio space it's far better when it's shared with lots of friends!

(Plus, I tidied it up just for you~)

Enjoy!

... L-shaped work table arrangement, notice Hannes' toy cubby underneath!

...the drawer installations are occurring here, filling the open area occupied by
the clear totes under the cutting table.

...view toward the studio bath and design wall along the back;
side porch/exterior door to the left.

...from inside the studio bath, Hannes is looking out the glass door onto the side porch/yard;
this treadle machine belonged to my grandmother, it's a Standard.

Life is Good!