Lily of the Valley

Several years ago I spent some time with the Feather Princesses, a chapter of The Applique Society, in the Tampa, Florida, area. These ladies are very serious about their applique and it shows in their workmanship.

Elaine C. was in the Lily of the Valley class and she recently sent me this picture.

It is always thrilling to see finished projects from classes--and this is no exception. Elaine added the embroidered stamens to the pattern I provided, which is based on a Nancy Cabot design. Students learned how to form 1/8 inch stems, appli-piece leaves, backstitch embroidery and so much more. The use of the black background really makes these yellow flowers pop! Great job, Elaine! Thanks so much for sharing.

Sorry I didn't post last night; by the time I got home it was after midnight, so I decided to take a bye. On a totally unrelated note, have you tried coconut M&Ms? Delish!!!!

Loved Julie and Julia! What is it about Stanley Tucci? I remember liking him in Shall We Dance, but this was even better! Apparently Meryl Streep asked for him specifically! And I just sat and watched the movie--not even knitting!

Goodnight for now!

Hugs,

Sharon

Check These Out!

These are the coolest things!

First is a new ChapStick - Fresh Effects in refreshing mandarin. It makes your lips tingle and it tastes great! Still a bit hard to find, but definitely worth looking for.
Last night I had mentioned the color catchers. Here's what the box looks like to help you find it. Usually in the laundry/softener/pretreater aisle.

This stuff is so fabulous, I just can't say enough! I had a couple shirts with set-in stains (that I had tried to pretreat before previous washings--obviously unsuccessfully). So as a last ditch effort and with a thought of Billy Mays, here's what I got:

You can treat up to a week ahead of washing, or use it immediately. Here's what the cap looks like. You push down on it to release the product and then use the knobby things on the top to rub it in! My tube is almost gone--but no worries, I have another on stand-by. The gel is blue.

As always, absolutely no money was given to me for my endorsements. I wonder how I get on the endorsement bandwagon? Oh, well, my integrity is still intact ;-)

That's it for tonight. I am going to get something to eat and sit and watch Julie and Julia on DVD. Perhaps finish the gusset decreases on the sock I'm working on and maybe get a start on the foot. Or perhaps I will simply sit and look at the screen. It's really a toss-up at the moment.

Hugs,

Sharon

The Haul

I thought you might like to see what I bought yesterday! The fabric in the top row, from left to right, is for: backing of an applique piece, the potential background for the hexagons the border for another applique piece, 13 pieces to go to the retreat, and the last two are for a small tablerunner.

The bottom row is: a just because, Maxine fabric x 2, another just because, and the rest of the row is for a new pieced sample.

Close-ups:

I am very pleased and am in the process of washing the lot. Do you all know about Shout Color Catchers? I swear by them! You simply put one in each load of fabric (and darker clothing). When you get ready to put the fabric in the dryer, find the color catcher and see if it is still white. If not, you have a "bleeder" and need to find it. I had a batch of fabric recently that I had to wash 4 times before the color catcher was white. Better to know now than when the fabric does its dastardly deed in a finished quilt. I also just bought some dark colored polo shirts and they ran. Color catchers to the rescue!

I'll keep you posted on how the fabrics are used. What are you all working on? I'm also trying to make some semblance of order out of the horizontal surfaces throughout the house. I fear it is a losing battle...but I am forging onward.

Hugs,

Sharon

P.S. I am reading State Fair by Earlene Fowler and listening to Spartan Gold by Clive Cussler.