Halloween Baby Bibs

I love fall and can't wait for it to get here!  So to hurry things along a bit I got out some cute Halloween fabric and made these very cute bibs and matching burp cloths for my Etsy Shop.

 

 

 

Happy Sewing and Happy Fall!

 



Quilts for Vets

One of the neat things about being in a quilt guild is an opportunity to make this world a little nicer place.  Granted a quilt won't take away hunger or violence but it does let someone know you care.  Besides a raffle quilt that we make each year and the money raised goes to a charity we also make quilts for the veterans at the Dallas VA hospital.  Yesterday our guild had a sit and sew to work on these quilts.

Pam used an old t-shirt for her center

 



 

Sue is working on a flip and sew

 

 

Judy used the Fab Five by Abby Lane pattern for this adorable quilt

 

and I got the center of my quilt done but it still needs the borders sewn on. I found this pattern in Fons & Porter's Easy Quilts magazine Summer 2012 called Fat Quarter Six Pack p. 77

 

 

 

 

 

 

Catching Mr Opossum

This story will break your heart. (beware last photo is sad)  The other day I was coming home and saw an injured opossum cross my driveway and crawl under our shed.  So I called animal control and they sent over a humane animal trap.

 

 

That first night we caught a cat.  The next night the trap stayed empty and then animal control took the cage.

This morning I found the little fella laying in our yard still alive but barely.  I've called animal control and they are sending someone out.  I hope they come soon.  I hate to see him laying out there in such misery.

Rose River Falls, Shenandoah National Park

On family vacations I can always count on enjoying a hike through the woods to a beautiful waterfall.  They are my husband's favorite subject to photograph.  And this vacation was no exception.  Rose River Falls is in the Shenandoah National Park near the Byrd Visitor Center.  It is a 1.25 hike in, 2.5 round trip.  Sorry to say the rain fall in the last year has been very little so there was not much of a waterfall but we had fun hiking down to it and exploring the area.

Here is a picture I found on the Internet taken back in 2011.

And here is the picture my husband took.

Thanks for letting me share a little bit more of our vacation and now its back to the sewing machine!  Here is a little of what of what I'm working on today



British Fever

I can't believe the 2012 Summer Olympics are over.  This has really been the year of the Brit.  First Kate and William then the Diamond Jubilee and now the Olympics. But even before all this I was always a big fan.  My favorite book of all times is Weathering Heights and if I ever get to decorate a nursery it will be all Beatrix Potter and who doesn't love the idea of afternoon tea in a beautiful Royal Albert tea cup.  So to keep the British theme going for the rest of the year I thought I would commemorate the events with this really cute Victory Garden quilt I got from Bee Bee Quilt Design.

Picking out the fabric has been fun.  I found these two fabrics at Pacific Fabrics

Here are some others I've been picking up here and there.  I'm staying with the red, aqua and yellow colors as much as possible.

and here is my first block!

And even though school will be starting up again in the next week and  the hectic holidays will soon be upon us remember what the queen says...  

Just Puttin' Around

What family doesn't love a game of miniature golf, especially in the beautiful Appalachian Mountains of Virginia. While finishing up another quilt for my Etsy Shop I thought I would share some more of our family vacation with you. This is the mini golf course at Massanutten Resort where we were staying.

Michie Tavern ca. 1784

On our vacation last week we drove through Charlottesville, VA and stopped for lunch at Michie's Tavern. I just had to share our experience with you. The tavern has been feeding travelers for over 200 years now!  All I can say is the food was great and the atmosphere was authentic.  We enjoyed a bountiful colonial midday fare of pork stew, fried chicken, field peas, green beans, tomatoes and buttermilk biscuits! Yummm!

The taverns of old were a great place to gather for the latest news from afar and to discuss the days current affairs.  As I was reading the history of the tavern I discovered such was the case here too.  The proprietor William Michie was politically active, and a crowded Inn afforded the opportunity to express his views. Earlier in 1779, when local countrymen were weakening in their support of America’s cause, William signed the Albemarle Declaration of Independence and most likely persuaded his patrons to follow suit. One can almost image the heated political discussions that took place over a tankard of ale or spiced rum.

Home Sweet Home

For the last two weeks I've been on vacation.  My husband and I drove from Texas to Virginia where we met up with the rest of his family.  I'm afraid it would be too much to share all our adventures in one post so I thought I would spread them out in between all the projects I've been working on also.

Road trips go by quickly with a good audio book and crochet project.  We listened to the award winning book, She Walks These Hills by Sharyn McCrumb.  Taking place in the Appalchian Mountains, policewoman Martha Ayers attempts to settle local superstitions about the ghost of a murdered 18th-century pioneer woman while tracking down a present-day escaped convict haunting the same Appalachian wilderness.  While listening I worked on a baby blanket for the newest member our family born July 27th. I hope to finish it this week while Im home unpacking. Here's a sneak peek.