Resurfacing

After the "Sock Gone Bad" post, I think I was caught in a time warp--how can it now be September 4? Since August 12, I have taught 12 classes, finished an entirely hand pieced new Bliss sample and started another, added binding to several quilts, hand quilted on a piece I started several years ago, and even managed to partially vacuum the house! Oh, and I worked 4 days at a local quilt shop while the owner welcomed her first grandchild--a beautiful baby girl named Samantha!

Here's a picture of Sylvia with her hexagon tablerunner. Sylvia took a hexagon hand piecing class with me a few months ago. She had basically decided that hand piecing might not be her favorite--then, in another hand piecing class with me, she brought along this fabulous table runner--all hand pieced with 3/4 inch finished hexagons! She's crossed over to the hand piecing side! I begged her not to make me crop her face out of the picture--and she reluctantly agreed--I love this picture! You go, Sylvia!


Diane C. of Watkins Glen (you've seen her work in several prior posts) took my machine pieced Friendship Quilt class. She recently gave me this picture of how she is displaying it! I absolutely love it and thought you would enjoy seeing it as well. Doesn't it look like something from Country Living?

Kathleen took the Bliss 1 class two years ago at Calico Gals (you remember, the hand pieced one). I saw her in late August and she had this with her--the finished top. Kathleen recently retired and is looking forward to lots more quilting time. I love her top (remember the weird pictures are entirely my fault--her quilt really is much flatter in person!). It's always so exciting to see finished tops! Congratulations, Kathleen!

As for the knitting--I again ripped out the pink sock (I only had about 2 inches of ribbing done this time) and using size 1 needles cast on the ruffled sock again. It is coming out much better--and almost everyone I have talked to has had problems with that yarn. So I will not be buying it again. Someone asked me why I didn't just throw it away--and I must admit that I did think about that--but it was pretty and it annoyed me to be defeated by a skein of yarn! I'll post pics of the sock when it is done. I also got a beautiful skein of Dream in Color Yarn sock yarn called Smooshie in petal power (cream, pale pink and pale brown). I cast on for a mock cable pair of socks from a pattern that came with the yarn--I am swooning!!!! The yarn is soft and knits like a dream. The pattern has a 10 row repeat and is looking just like the picture! Pics of that on another day as well.

For those of you still wondering if I will ever finish the batting discussion--the answer is yes. I have samples of silk, cotton (bleached and unbleached) and the new Thermore. I plan to machine and hand wash samples and machine and air dry samples to see how they react. I'll photograph each step and post the results.

For those parents whose kids went back to school this week--YEAAAAA!!!!! For those of you who are the teachers of these kids--welcome back and thanks to all of you who have the difficult task of teaching our upcoming leaders and citizens. "Mama said there'd be days like this, days like this, mama said." I know there are days when you wonder why you took on this thankless job, but then you get one of those rare and special moments when a student who has struggled and struggled finally gets something--thanks to you. It makes every moment of the struggle worthwhile (that's my story, and I'm sticking with it!).

As the hustle and bustle of fall starts, remember to give your machine a good cleaning, change that needle--remember to do so before it breaks, if possible ;-) and give yourself at least a few minutes every day to do something that makes your heart sing.