Cultivate beauty and wisdom in and around you

Last Wednesday at Pioneer Quilts we had a class on making a Civil War style Sewing box. It is made of fabric covered paper pentagons that are then sewn together by hand,  assembled and embellished. We used old thread spools and keys and anything else that we have in our awesome stashes! Below are pictures of the projects in progress. Carol is making great progress. Sarah has her Sue Spargo Victoria bag with her. I had a big head start and finished mine in class. Mary Ann is very serious about her project! The picture includes the needle keeper that goes on the top. Gail enlarged her pentagons and will have a little bit larger version.  Great idea. Denise. Sarah Nancy had some beautiful flower embellishments to add to hers. Dianne The sewing boxes came together well and they are all unique. We stitched around the pentagons when they were all attached for a nice finis...

How is your new year going? I have enjoyed it so far, no snow or ice storms. Although, I wouldn't mind being housebound for a few days to get some serious sewing done.  My husband has been making great progress on our classroom/studio. Here is an update. The ceiling is all finished. It is corrugated tin and looks awesome. We have new lights that make sewing very easy. Barn boards cover one wall and a new window will be installed, more good light. One of the walls is the back side of our living room fireplace. We were going to install a gas stove to keep us warm, but the service man showed us a better idea. We now have a heat pump and will have warmth in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. I am very happy about that.    I know that I am particularly known for my tidiness! HAHA. Anyway, my cutting table has a great view of my neighbors house. When the top part of the wall is finished, we will paint and add a barn board...

I guess if I'm going to get anything else written before 2013, I'd better get at it. Earlier this month Loren and I went to downtown Portland and watched the Tuba Christmas. It was held at Pioneer Courthouse Square and was beautiful. Listening to that many tubas outside was wonderful. It was a little misty and a bit cold but all crowded together, it wasn't bad. I love the old courthouse. Tried to get the flag billowing out, almost. It is such a beautiful old building. We don't have many buildings like this, we tear them down and make something new. nice tree...great back view of someones head! After watching for a while we went to.... Besides the greatest smelling cigars, they sell their wonderful cigar boxes. I was looking for a perfect one to give my daughter with a scarf that I knitted for her. Of course, I found one and sorry I didn't take a picture of it. It is black and just perfect for her. Score!  A little l...

As most of you know, I am privileged t o teach and work at Pioneer Quilts. www . pioneerqui lts hop.com/ It is a beautiful shop that carries many different styles of fabric and the people who work there are full of great ideas to help you with any of your projects....or to help you get started if you are new to the art of quilting. I have a few classes coming up that I wanted to make you aware of. The next one is a hand piecing class that will show you how to make Cathedral Window blocks. This is what the blocks look like. They are all done by hand. You can make a large quilt out of these blocks and don't need to add batting or backing as they are finished as you go or you can make a doll   quilt like I did. The class will be held Wednesday December 12 from 10:30-2:30. Call the shop if you would like to join us..503.654.1555 _________________________________________ Several years ago Jan Patek began a series of patterns for a group that she called G...

Fall is my favorite time of the year. Gone are the hot days of summer and in comes the cool nights, the turning leaves, days of turkey and getting out those projects that were set aside for the long summer days. Memorial We went to the traveling memorial in early November. It was a cold and rainy day which fit the somber mood. My husband, Loren, is a proud Marine. This tribute was for the Marines, but there was a wreath for all the branches. Beautiful even in the rain. This museum was inside and had a lot of interesting things. Probably more so for those who have spent their time in the military and know these things personally. Thanksgiving Getting ready for Thanksgiving, we worked doubly hard to get the garage/studio in shape. The barn boards are going up and the ceiling is nearly finished. All unnecessary items were removed and an extra table was added for the festivities. Where's the turkey?!! We didn't have v...