Take A Seat...

...pull up a seat and settle in, I'll catch you up on the happenings around here; it's been a long time. In fact, to be honest, it's been so long that I wasn't even sure where to jump back in but decided that there's no time like the present. 

Back to school happens here next week (already!), those of you who've been readers here know that back to school means "nap blanket" time for the Pre-K program at the local elementary school that our small group of quilters has adopted. We've been supplying three classes with a total of 45 nap blankets each year for somewhere in the vicinity of the last fourteen years now! Made from bright, colorful, child-friendly fabrics they're always a huge hit with the teachers and students alike!

This year, as in years past, we've taken our machines to a friend's sewing space for a full work-day to accomplish this task. Quiltkeemosabe brought her new-to-her vintage Singer 301 this time. I didn't realize that these in-cabinet models are designed to be lifted out easily and can double as portables! Live and learn! Of course, I came home and opened out the cabinet where Ruth resides to discover that, yes, mine can also perform that exact same feat!  It's been a while since I spent quality time with Ruth. You can read how I came to inherit her by clicking the red, highlighted, name Ruth, above. I stitched up another nap blanket and she purred like a kitten. I feel like my precious mother-in-law is watching over me every time that I sew on her. 💗

I guess she's not the only one! 😂

More treasures discovered in Ruth's cabinet drawers. Mom saved these along with buttons in an antique tin that, at one time, held loose tea. Do you remember these perfect attendance awards for Sunday school and the like?

That's a quick glimpse into a few happenings around here lately. Our daughter's beagle, Buddy, is visiting. He and Augie get along just fine. On day one they rested in their respective beds. 

On day two they decided to swap beds!?!! "The grass is always greener" I suppose.

And here's where things stand today! They've certainly enjoyed resting in the sewing room while I'm keeping myself entertained in here. So, back to the beginning and that photo at the top: the bar stools pictured are all hand made by Mr. Goodneedle. It's been his summer project. Constructed from hard maple to match the cabinetry in the kitchen each one weighs almost 16 pounds! They're quite substantial. He has one more in the works and then they'll all be sprayed and finished and ready to supply plenty of room to sit at the kitchen island; pull one up, take a seat~

Life is Good! 

Upstairs, Downstairs

With apologies to the British drama series of the same name, Mr. G and I have  been living a very "Upstairs, Downstairs" existence over the past three + months. For the most part I am in the sewing room during the day, or in the kitchen; while he's been sequestered in his basement-level woodworking shop. Unlike the series, he's not down there because he's servant or staff but rather because he's consumed with  cabinet making for our soon-to-be kitchen re-do! It's exciting! The upstairs activities of sewing and cooking have taken an interesting turn as of late. While in the sewing room, and stitching away, I have been watching cooking shows on several streaming networks. Most recently it's been The Pioneer Woman on Food Network. Every once in a while I have to stop and jot down a recipe to make later. As a result, we've been eating well lately! These Wafflemaker Hash Browns proved to be intriguing; I had to give them a try. You might want to download this recipe, we loved it; it's a winner! I'll be posting a few more of the latest tried-and-true recipes in the days to come. 

Current scenes from downstairs, the basement workshop. The cabinetry is all made from solid Hard Maple. He's running out of space down there for all the face frames, drawers, raised panels and piles of materials. This is a big job; it's been much more time consuming than he ever imagined! He has created every panel, every dovetail joint, every drawer and every frame one at a time. Any space that's not populated with lumber is piled high with boxes of drawer slides, hinges, hardware and other supplies. The best representation of the accurate color of these cabinets is in the picture below. Even though the color is off in this collage you can see the enormous amount of work that he's put in downstairs since the first of this year. All of these will receive a clear finish coat before moving upstairs in the next few months for the big reveal!

This photo of our laundry room reveals the true, over-all color and look, it served as the audition space for what we thought we'd like in the kitchen. It's so much lighter and brighter than what we had; we loved the change and voted to move on with it! We are updating our countertops (as shown above), light fixtures and all of the appliances as well, it's time for a whole new look! But, since it's going to be the same old people living here, I'm trying to 'up' my game with what's set on the table come mealtime, it's the least I can contribute. 😉

Wish me luck!

Life is Good!

Skill Sets

My husband can do just about anything he sets his mind to; if it's something he's never tackled before he can, and will, figure it out.  All summer and into the early fall he spent all of his spare time restoring a 1950 Farmall Super-A tractor, he learned a lot along the way. (If you asked him he would probably tell you that he learned he won't ever do that again!) It is now a parade-worthy show piece.

Just like that he's onto his next self-appointed project: finishing the stairwell into the basement. He has big plans for custom oak paneling below an integrated hand rail. When we built the house fifteen years ago pine treads were installed, temporarily; yesterday this was the sight I found when I opened the door-- the wall board has been removed below the rail and those temporary treads have disappeared half-way down, just the sub-floor remains. He's driven; suffice it to say he doesn't let any grass grow under his feet!  I can hear the table saw buzzing in the workshop below my studio as he works. I know his vision will soon be realized and the stairwell will be so pretty we won't want to ever close the door from the foyer.  In the meantime I am working on his Christmas gift behind a locked door, it is a top-secret surprise that is taking up every spare minute that I have. I am working completely out of my comfort zone, a big stretch for me, developing (hopefully) a skill that I might use again; only time and the finished product will tell. He knows I am making something for him, he's been instructed to knock and wait for a reply. This is how a dinnertime conversation between us went a few evenings ago:
Mr. G: "What are you working on?"
me: "You'll see soon enough."
Mr. G: "I never heard the sewing machine running."
me: "Am I that one-dimensional? Don't you think I can do something that's non-sewing related?"
Mr. G: "I don't know, what are you working on?"
He's good. His skill sets may be vast and varied, but getting me to slip and reveal a secret isn't in his wheelhouse; he's going to have to work on that one! I will keep my guard up though, he's determined!

Life is Good!

On this, the tenth day of November, I am grateful for opportunities to stretch 

my mind and abilities by trying new things... and, accepting the results.

This, That and The Other Thing

There's been lots going on: random things-- this, that and the other thing; think of this as a potpourri post, a way to catch up all at once. I wanted to brag on my daughter-in-law. She's been having lots of fun with her Cameo Silhouette electronic cutter; she's created wonderful iron-on transfers for T-shirts, dresses and household items as well as labels for everything... I asked her if she would make me a "water" label to differentiate this spray bottle that I use for thinning royal icing from an identical bottle of homemade granite cleaner for the kitchen (I wouldn't want to mix up those two!). She rose to the occasion, creating word art at its finest! I love this water bottle now, there's no doubt as to its contents.

While on retreat at the beginning of this month I stitched up a whole heap of pretty little Charger Cord-Wraps for myself and for gifts. My drawers are pretty again, no more charger cord tangles! I found the tutorial here.

The storm of last week loaned itself to some lovely photo-ops, I got lucky with this one; our state bird.

Before the snow flew our neighbor completed a gorgeous picnic table and bench for his family; he was proud to take it home. Ben has been a woodworker's apprentice in Mr. Goodneedle's workshop for over a year now. He seems pleased in this photo with the finished product, as does his mentor!

In preparation for The Quilt Block Bible (book by Rosemary Youngs) Study this week, I have completed and written up directions for five more blocks. I'm chipping away, block by block.  These were pretty straight-forward piecing. I have a pile of applique blocks to catch up on. I will do those by hand and am saving them for road trips and down-time handwork.

Through the piecing of "Rustic Rails" (see yesterday's post) and the aforementioned Bible Study blocks I have been adding to a second tumbler charm quilt top (the first was completed last summer) it is also being sewn Leader-Ender (thanks, Bonnie!) style, this one has grown by leaps and bounds as other piecing is accomplished.  I plan to keep both of these quilts in the cars in case of emergencies; one never knows when a quilt might be needed.

Pre-cut tumbler scraps, lights and darks, reside in their own little bins right beside the machine ensuring that every time something passes beneath the presser foot something else is accomplished simultaneously. Can you say efficient?  That's it for this random catch-up post; hopefully subsequent posts will be more single-subject structured and easier to keep up with!

Life is Good!

Reflections On Christmas

Mason and his custom-designed sport locker.

Mason had a special Christmas request this year from PawPaw; a sport locker. He sat at our kitchen island on Thanksgiving day and carefully drew a detailed sketch of what he had in mind. He was sure that he wanted cubbies on the top for his football helmet and other sports paraphanalia and he was clear in his desire for a closet rod where he could hang his jerseys and uniforms. PawPaw took it from there; with a fairly limited time frame, the workshop was a busy one in the past few weeks. Mason's mother informed us that the locker, when it arrived at their Capital City home, would reside in the garage. Mason had a different idea altogether!  On Christmas eve day we loaded up the pick-up truck with the locker firmly and tightly wrapped in a plastic tarp to protect it from heavy rain; it worked, the locker arrived dry and ready. Once unloaded at its destination (hidden just inside the garage) we joined the family inside the house until it was time to reveal the surprise. No one noticed when Mason entered the garage for something else and surprised us all by declaring that he had found his locker! Although anti-climatic, the moment was no less fun; Mason was thrilled to pieces with his gift! He would hear no part of its planned placement in the garage, he was bound and determined that it would stand in his room, at the foot of his bed; his determination won out!

PawPaw in the workshop (where the magic happens... yes, those drawers are dove-tailed) with Mason's sport locker, my only regret is that somewhere along the line we misplaced his design sketch.  There was something so sweet and heartwarming this year about a little boy drawing up his plan and having every confidence that his special wish would be fulfilled.

Lucy Ann wove a potholder on a loom, she was so proud of her creation; a gift from her great-grandparents. I remember making these too, when I was her age. A classic craft that delights today as much as it always has; making something with ones' hands, linking generation to generation. 

Lynnleigh, at her home, Christmas morning. She and her brother each received tablets and headphones from Santa. At almost three, Lynnleigh was ecstatic over each and every gift she opened; according to our son she clutched a charging cord for this unit to her heart and said how much she loved it after unwrapping it! She was content to sit and watch a video with a few goldfish crackers when all the hoopla died down. My mother made her the little purse in the foreground; as you might have already guessed, her favorite color is orange.

This might just be my favorite photo of the season. Gregory's wish this year, topping his Santa list for months now, was "scuba gear"!  (Who ever could have predicted that it would be warm enough to actually use it?) When this cute little elf-in-flippers and a snorkel clomped into the kitchen for show and tell at Christmas breakfast I thought my heart might just burst to witness his joy. For sure, when I reflect on Christmas 2015, I shall remember the happy innocence displayed on four very special little faces. 

Life is Good!

Let There Be Light

When you're married to a retired engineer there are always interesting projects going on at home and even more interesting and creative solutions happening!  It was time to change the chandelier in our foyer, the one that's been hanging there for fourteen years was never exactly what we had wanted in the first place, not to mention the fact that the brass plating was turning color. But, how to remove a fixture that's suspended 19 feet high?  Mr. Goodneedle constructed scaffolding, he even clamped the ladder to the platform. I can write about this now because it all turned out to be okay and without injury, but, I assure you, I thought I would suffer a stroke before the chandelier was succesfully replaced!  So, back to the chandelier replacement itself... what, exactly, did we want for a fixture? The retired engineer-turned-woodworker had an idea. For quite some time now he's been keeping the wood lathe very busy. 
Here's the new chandelier, hand crafted in its entirety from cherry wood (except for the innards, the metal conduit and wiring). He added a ceiling medallion while the scaffolding was erected. There's a soft "down light" incorporated into the bottom turned portion of the fixture, I didn't get that in the photo above.

Here is a closer shot of the fixture, in all of its hand-rubbed glory!

Yep, this is it... just what we wanted, lovingly made to order.

Let there be light. And there was light. And it was good.

Life is Good!

Life With A Carpenter

Since my husband retired he has been busy honing his woodworking skills; our home has become the lucky beneficiary of his projects.  Not too long ago he decided the time was right to replace the moulding on the door opening between our dining room and foyer.  His idea was to create custom raised panel sections to match the panels below the chair rail in both rooms; I'd say he succeeded, it looked fine before but it is simply beautiful now! There are more projects such as this one on the horizon; next: a medallion on the dining room ceiling around the chandelier. I am so proud of his mad carpentry skills!

 He is as busy now as he's ever been; maybe even more so.

Life is Good!

Mountain Day!

I've been grabbing bits of time here and there to piece these split nine-patches; as I complete one I pin it to the wall. Row upon row, the quilt top is taking shape... like peaks on so many mountains this layout reminds me of the term "long-range layered views", which often appears in realtor's write-ups for the classifieds on mountain properties. Earlier this week a joy-filled memory came to mind from my college days, forty years ago! I went to a small Junior (2 yr.) College in Montpelier, VT. Back in those days, as the fall foliage came into peak color, we were surprisingly treated to an impromptu holiday! As students we didn't learn that classes had been canceled for the day until we descended the stairs to the dining hall for breakfast and were greeted by a large sign that read: "Today is Mountain Day"! We boarded buses and were transported to Stowe for hiking and nature in all its glory. Lunch was provided and we were bused back to campus by dinnertime. It was a great day, enjoyed by all and still happily recalled, all these years later! This happy, scrappy quilt has been named Mountain Day and will serve as a permanent reminder of those happy times!

Alongside my sewing machines I've used small, plastic, stackable boxes to catch my threads and dog-ears. The other day I was down in my husband's workshop and I found these two, turned, wooden bowls which he had just sitting on the work bench. I took them (wooden you?) and replaced my plastic boxes with his handiwork. I like these so much better than what I had before! I'm glad that I took them, they make me smile.I believe he must be happy that I'm enjoying them too... he didn't ask for them back!

Life is Good!

Ready To Roll!

I am so excited to show you the new place that my Accuquilt Die Cutter calls home... the stash closet! Since Christmas it had taken up residence on top of one of my sewing machine tables, this was only a temporary measure; the Studio model isn't the "Go!" (portable) and was too heavy for me to move around the room when I needed space at the machine. I thought about shopping for a rolling cart and mentioned that to my husband, one that would allow me to move the cutter in and out of the closet as needed. My resident woodworker took some measurements and went about building me something much nicer than a rolling cart, he had the vision of creating a custom cabinet with drop leaves for work space and three drawers (plus a cubby) for storage; it is perfect! (I snapped this photo, above, before the drawers were completed.) Here it is, below; in all of its glory, I have created a photo collage highlighting the cabinet's features. This beauty  rolls smoothly on casters so that I can use it wherever I would like and then roll it back into the closet at the end of the day.

Life is Good!

Haunts and Happenings...

 ...  a wrap-up of the last few days and the weekend.

Wednesday

We had a lone trick-or-treater on Halloween, our grandson! He was confused by the whole process: "Why am I wearing my glow-in-the-dark pj's and ringing doorbells? Why are they giving me candy and why can't I stay longer... I don't want to get back in the car!" He wasn't sure about the light-stick that Nana had for him either, there was no on/off switch! Next year he'll have this all figured out.

Thursday
Lady L. finished piecing her chevron lap quilt and will tie-dye a piece of fabric for her backing.
Isn't this a happy quilt and quiltmaker? Her aunt, one of the B. Sisters, is her half-hidden quilt holder.

Friday

From Pawpaw's woodworking shop: Gregory's handmade big-boy bed!

My husband is still working on the drawer units that go below the bed, 

he wanted this much to be put together by Saturday, so that Gregory 

could see what his bed will look like. It's OK (with me) that it's not completely 

finished, his quilt is still on Sundance being quilted, and they're a package deal!

Saturday
Gregory's 2nd birthday! Friends and family gathered at Chez Goodneedle for fun,
celebration, and souvenir mouse ears! It was a wonderful, happy day in every way.

Sunday
I caught up on my Bless This House applique block-of-the-month,
no minute like the last minute; class is coming up on Wednesday evening!
This is block #7, I need to lay them all out and take a picture of them together;
this is turning out to be a nice combination of folk art applique, I'm happy with the results.

This was from Sunday too, I adore this photograph and just had to share it.
Our son and his son, relaxing at their home, I just love these two boys.
Days have been full and busy lately; we're happy, blessed and very grateful.

Life is Good!