a belated birthday present

Russell said he would make me a sewing table for my birthday.

Almost a year ago, in October, I took an earth plastering class is Canelo, Arizona.  Russell brought his chain saw mill and milled desert walnut to bring home with us

Russell took apart a metro rack and just kept the bottom half.  He made me a work table top out of desert walnut.

 

Russell is still working on the top but it is almost done.  I will then make him the kilt he asked for.  I will need to find or build containers for the shelves.  Obviously, I am already using it.  I like it!  I want to be able to work on it.  I can also see it holding all the food for dinner parties...  More space on the table!

quilt in progress

I start with bits and pieces.

And sometimes I come across a sale I just cannot resist and use new pieces of fabric that are not bits and pieces.

 

I cut all the bits and pieces and whole pieces of cloth together into nine squares.

I start stitching them together.

And created part of the back of a quilt I am making.

Now I just have to finish the back!  The front is done.   

beautiful warmth

Russell and I did a mad dash to Austin last weekend.  While we were there, I was able to stop at a yarn store that was supposed to have spinning rovings.  They did but what caught my fancy was yarn.

It is an olive solid and then a mulit color that has the same lama in it.  The yarn store had the Collonade pattern from Fall 2009 knitty.com.  Yes, this is a knit pattern but I changed it to crochet.  I doubled the yarn so it is a bit larger then the original.

Russell made me a button!  It is desert walnut that he milled himself.

I see this shawl keeping me warm while we sit together in winter and I am doing hand work.  Or wearing under my apron while I am busy in the kitchen.  It is heavy and it will keep between my shoulder blades warm which is where I seem to get cold.

I am so excited!  Twelve inches of snow tomorrow and I get to stay home please! (But it is supposed to be 96) 

resurrection from the dead

Five or six years ago, I made my Faerie a dark purple velvet comforter for her bed.  It had a purple flannel back and purple tassels on the corners.  It ended up in my home six months ago, in tatters.  The velvet was mostly good.  The flannel was washed thin.  The batting had disenigrated.  I did not know if I would be able to repair it or not.  The Faerie was resigned that I would not be able to come to the rescue.   I did not even get a picture.

I thought it about it and started taking it apart.  I was able to save the purple velvet from the top and mend a few places.  I also took a piece of pink flannel I had in my stash to use as the backing.

 

We had an old quilt that we did not like the colors in and there were some polyester pieces in it.  I used it for batting.

So I pinned, batted, and stitched.

 

And the Faerie had a new comforter!  I got a "thank you! thank you! thank you!"  I am glad she was happy.

a blouse

While I was cleaning out clothes that did not fit, I realized that most of my blouses did not fit.  The sleeves were to short, the body was too big, the shoulders were too small.

 

So I put this blouse together out of some muslin.  It is made to be worn tucked in but I wished you to see the bottom.  I really like it.  I may tweak the collar a little bit, I may not.  I need a few more of these.  Just a basic wardrobe piece.  I just need to make another before this get unwearable.  I may laugh at myself, yes?

Russell takes pictures of me doing a slow spin, which is why everything always looks a bit twisted!