Creative Passions Retreat Center in Chesaning, Michigan offers crafters solace from the everyday and adequate space to work on their craft. They cater to crop and quilt retreaters. I traveled to Chesaning for a solo retreat in early December, but spent the days with a group of four quilters from Toledo, Ohio. Another group of […]
read moreAnother Christmas has come and gone; as always, I was almost ready. Are we ever completely prepared? Naturally, all of the gifts were purchased and wrapped, cards addressed and sent, and the food was ready at the appointed time and place. But, then, there's always those "extras", those things I think I'd like to make and tuck in as a special surprise- those little cross stitch ornaments I
read moreAnother Christmas has come and gone; as always, I was almost ready. Are we ever completely prepared? Naturally, all of the gifts were purchased and wrapped, cards addressed and sent, and the food was ready at the appointed time and place. But, then, there's always those "extras", those things I think I'd like to make and tuck in as a special surprise- those little cross stitch ornaments I
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Another granddaughter arrived last April, giving me reason to make a baby quilt. I selected fabric and a pattern months earlier. I turned to Scrap Quilts magazine, Summer 2012. My sisters and I created tangerine zoo designed by Brandi Frey one other time to commemorate the birth of a great-niece. See previous quilt here. I […]
read moreIt was so sweet when my DIL and E flew in for our girl's baby shower. While we were all together, I was in Gram Mode. Time together is so precious and it's hard when everyone lives in a different state. I keep saying that we need to find a couple hundred acres and everyone can build a house on a corner with separate entrances. That way we can all have our privacy, yet we're just a yodel away if
read moreI've learned a LOT along the way while the wrist is healing. Time doesn't slow down, or stop, when one's casted. Nope, it's business as usual. Augie turned eleven months old on Wednesday! He's my best snuggle buddy and resting companion when I need that. I can tell when I've done enough for the day and it's time to lay low. Fine motor skills are slowly returning and strengthening, (I can pinch
read moreI've learned a LOT along the way while the wrist is healing. Time doesn't slow down, or stop, when one's casted. Nope, it's business as usual. Augie turned eleven months old on Wednesday! He's my best snuggle buddy and resting companion when I need that. I can tell when I've done enough for the day and it's time to lay low. Fine motor skills are slowly returning and strengthening, (I can pinch
read moreWell, that month went by in a screaming hurry! I ended up spending most all of August with my daughter in Oklahoma. Waiting for her to have her baby and then helping out afterward. So thankful to have the time and opportunity to make it all work out.
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| The sweet new grandbaby |
It’s done! I have to say that putting the pieces together is pretty hard on thumbs that have some arthritis in them, but the alligator clamps that helped to grab the little “nubbins” and the button clips that held them in place afterwards made a difficult/fiddly task somewhat easier. I can hardly wait to give […]
read moreI’ve started another project, but this one is proving to be a bit more time-consuming than I’d anticipated. I’ve done a few little free-standing embroidered appliqué projects, but this one is much more involved. To give a bit of background information, one of our grandsons is a firefighter, so when I saw the OESD Freestanding […]
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It's been a fruitful month; lots going on and plenty accomplished on the home front. These peaches from our own trees were as delicious and sweet as they look. The deer thought so too. We managed to harvest a few more than are pictured here but, sadly, not many. Everything was looking great out in the orchard. We checked on the peaches daily and watched them grow and ripen to perfection. I was
read moreIt's been a fruitful month; lots going on and plenty accomplished on the home front. These peaches from our own trees were as delicious and sweet as they look. The deer thought so too. We managed to harvest a few more than are pictured here but, sadly, not many. Everything was looking great out in the orchard. We checked on the peaches daily and watched them grow and ripen to perfection. I was
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I've been as busy in the sewing room this month as an active puppy will allow me to be! Never a dull moment around here. I've begun cutting out all the pieces for "Stars and Snowflakes" by Wendy Sheppard. The trial block is shown here, under construction. I hope to have this all cut and prepped to take along for stitching together at an upcoming weekend retreat. While preparing all the pieces for
read moreI've been as busy in the sewing room this month as an active puppy will allow me to be! Never a dull moment around here. I've begun cutting out all the pieces for "Stars and Snowflakes" by Wendy Sheppard. The trial block is shown here, under construction. I hope to have this all cut and prepped to take along for stitching together at an upcoming weekend retreat. While preparing all the pieces for
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