Lynn

I can't e-mail you back because you are set up as "no reply". Email me at abryson@bendbroadband.com.

Block 6 and a birthday

I'm still staying current on my BOM's. This is block 6 of Wool Garden.And all of them put together so far.

On another note, last week was my birthday and when Brenda and Nadine asked me where I wanted to go for lunch, I surprised both of them when I said I wanted to go to Pilot Butte Drive-In.

It's been voted "best burger joint" every year since the "best of" has been around but in the 7 years since we've been here, I've never been. So, that's where I wanted to go. And...it lived up to it's reputation.

Sorry I didn't get a picture of our lunches. I think I was so overwhelmed by the size and HEIGHT of the burgers that I completely forgot. Hmmm, maybe I'll have to go again just to get some pictures! Gotta take care of my bloggy friends. Oh, and yummy fries too.

Pilot Butte State Park is that mountain/hill behind the drive-in. The view from the top is spectacular. It offers a 360 degree, unobstructed view and "on a clear day you can see for forever".

Hubby and I went up there today to get some pictures for you but the skies were a bit overcast so there wasn't much contrast between the snowcapped mountains and the sky.

The above picture is Mt Bachelor which is a great ski area.

Here's a panorama of some of our mountains. Next time we have a crystal clear day, I'll go up and take some better pictures. (click on the picture to see it better).

Now on to the best part! :-). Giftys!

Brenda gave me these wonderful rolls of wool that she got at The Buggy Barn on her last trip up that way. They are luscious and I just love them.

Nadine made me this tote out of Kansas Troubles fabric (my favorite). It's her own design and I think she mentioned that she's going to have it available as a pattern soon. Right Nadine?

And look what she did on the inside pocket. So, don't anyone think they can "steal" it from me. LOL

The real shockeroo was getting this fabulous wool framed project from Karen. I didn't even know she knew when my b'day was. I think Brenda and Nadine may have had something to do with that! The fact that she's in the process of building and moving into a new house, with NO extra time on her hands, made it a very special gift.

I also got lots of phone calls and cards from all my family and friends. So, I just want to say "Thanks" to all of you! It makes getting older just a tad bit easier.

Spring Cleaning Part 2

OMG, LOOK! I have clean surfaces. I never thought it could happen and those that know me probably think these pictures have been photoshopped to get all the clutter out, right peeps? My window seat has lots of room for storage and I've always kept things in there that I didn't need to get at because....it was always stacked with "things". Now I can actually SIT on it.

And look.....a countertop that isn't cluttered! Wheeee!

Lots of room now for cutting and sewing.

Even Jack can rest a bit more comfortably.

So, with all that cleaning came more fat packs that I know I'll never use in this lifetime. Once again, I'm offering them to you guys first! Description will be below the picture.

Christmas Presence by April Cornell. 37 FQ's - $62.00 - SOLD

Christmas Presence plaids. 8 FQ's - $14.00 - SOLD

Dandelion Girl by Fig Tree. 40 FQ's - $68.00 SOLD

Fig Tree Foundations. 30 FQ's - $52.00 - SOLD

Folklorique plaids by Fig Tree. 16 FQ's - $28.00 SOLD

Gingham Rose by 3 Sisters. 43 FQ's - $73.00 SOLD

French Gardens by Sandy Gervais. 44 FQ's - $75.00 - SOLD

Civil War Crossing by Barbara Brackman. 39 FQ's - $67.00 - SOLD

Maison de Noel by 3 Sisters. 29 FQ's - $49.00 SOLD

Cornucopia plaids by Fig Tree. $20 FQ's - $34.00 SOLD

Tea Party by Susan Branch. $25 FQ's - $42.00 SOLD

You can pay using Pay Pal or a check and I'll ship it to you the cheapest way possible. (Most likely in Flat Rate boxes since the packs can be kind of heavy). Thanks!

Oh, and e-mail me (by going to my "profile") if I haven't gotten back to you. You may be set up as a "no reply" and I won't have your e-mail address.

Tutorial - Embroidery using Sandcastle or other heavy fabric

I've had some questions about the "quilted" fabric I used for my embroidery. If you haven't heard back from me, it's because you are set up as "no reply" and I wasn't able to e-mail you. So, I thought I would do a tutorial showing what I use to do embroidery on this fabric. Dan River used to manufacture the fabric and it was called Sandcastle. They have since gone out of business but, I just found out that a new version, called Sand Hut, is being manufactured by Avlyn. Pat Sloan is selling it on her website. So glad to hear that! (Thanks for the info, Candace).

Here we go. I use a product called Solvy (water soluble stabilizer) made by Sulky. You can get it at most fabric stores, craft stores and quilt shops. I like the lightweight version.

Tape down the pattern you are going to use.

Cut a piece of the Solvy a couple of inches wider and longer than your pattern. Position it and tape it down.

Using a black, permanent market, trace the design onto the Solvy.

Remove the tape and position the Solvy onto your fabric. Baste it down. (I should have used darker thread for you to see, but I'm sure you get the idea). Once it is all basted, start embroidering just like you would for any other fabric, stitching through both the fabric and the Solvy.

When you are finished, cut away the excess Solvy. I usually just cut away the larger pieces because the rest will dissolve in the water.

Rinse in cold water until all the Solvy is dissolved. You can also soak it for a few minutes to make sure it's all dissolved. It's a glue based product and can stiffen your fabric if not completely removed.

Wring out the water and let it dry on a flat surface. Wa-La...you're done!

These are the two that I finished last week on our trip to Seattle.

TIP: This product responds to the humidity in the air. If you live in a dry climate, be sure and store the Solvy in a plastic bag. It can dry out and get kind of stiff. Also, I wouldn't prepare more than one piece at a time.

If you have alot of humidity, you're lucky because it feels soft and pliable and easy to stitch through.

I once took it on an airplane to stitch. When I started the flight, it was very soft and pliable, but by the time I reached my destination, it was so dry and cracked with every stitch due to the dry air in the plane. Hmm, tells us alot about the air in planes. ICK!

If you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me. Be sure to include your e-mail address.

New blog and a giveaway.

My friend Denise, of A Graceful Stitch patterns, has just started up a new blog and is having a fabulous giveaway! Head on over to visit her, make a comment, and while you're there, check out her just released book called "A Graceful Garden" through Kansas City Star publications. It's just beautiful.
Congratulations Denise!

Sleepless...oops, I mean Easter in Seattle

We went to Seattle for Easter and got to have some time to ourselves with our little missy Emma while her Mommy and Daddy were at work. Took her to the park to play. At one point we were the only ones there because it was so cold and rainy. Emma never seemed to notice even though her hands were freezing when I held them. No complaints from her though.Her comment about the merry go round was..."not faster". (earlier she had seen the bigger kids yelling "faster, faster").

Papa taught her how to sift the sand and she loved it. Looks like she'll be the baker in the family.

The Easter bunny brought her all sorts of fun things. And yes...Strawberry Shortcake is still around!.

He even brought her a new tea set.

After she had opened all her Easter gifts, we all headed over to the Hood Canal (between Seattle and the Olympic Mtns) to visit college friends of ours (Tom and Lindy) who were at their beach house. It's a beautiful, relaxing setting, with no cell phone or internet service and no TV. Ahhh, heaven!

The view looking northward on the canal.

The Easter bunny left eggs there and Emma was very successful in finding them. She had so many in her basket that she had to help her friend Kayden find some because Kayden would open each one she found and eat the jelly bean before proceeding on to find more. It was really cute.

Kayden and Emma playing chopsticks.

And trying to open up the clams.

Have you ever seen a purple starfish? Wonder if the environment played a part in the color. It got thrown back into the water but we all oo'd and ah'd over it.

Here are the little girls showing the babies in their tummies...just like their mommys. Emma's mommy is on the left and baby brother is cooking nicely in her tummy. Kayden's mommy is due the first of June. (Sorry Heidi, I didn't mean to cut off your head).

On Monday we took a day trip up to Port Angeles, WA. with Tom and Lindy.

It's a seaport town with a Victorian past. Loved the architecture. This is the courthouse, built in 1862. (I hope I got that right). Well, I got the date right, but I got the town wrong. We were actually in Port Townsend.So sorry to all you Port Townsendites! Thanks to KSedlak for pointing that out to me!

A bed and breakfast. Can't remember the name.

The old lighthouse.

Private residence.

Neat building downtown. A very cute town with lots of shops and restaurants. It was pouring rain, so we weren't able to stay outside as much as we would have liked to.

I'm so far behind on my blog reading that I hope you understand if you haven't heard from me lately.

Thanks for stopping by.