Planning Ahead

Have a seat, and we'll chat.

Well, most of us wouldn't fit in one of those chairs, even though Mandy and Vroni found a few friends who would.

A chair to replace the one that was damaged in shipping arrived this week. They sent me a pair to replace the one that broke because they are sold in pairs. I bought them through eBay from strcastle. I have to say, they have good customer service. I'm trying to get in touch with them now to see if they will let me pay for the one good extra one they sent me that wasn't a replacement. So now the girls have four matching chairs, one of which is damaged. (We'll just keep that one in the back.)

We can't use the fourth chair right now, because there isn't room enough on the sewing machine cabinet to use all four.

The girls are using a napkin made from quilting fabric as a tablecloth until I get one made for them. You may remember I found this item in the pile of stuff to give to charity and realized it might make a good table base.

I believe it was supposed to hold fruit. I've had it a long time and have used it to hold various things over the years. 

DH cut to size an old cabinet door leftover from our kitchen remodel. I glued 1/8" balsa wood strips to the underside to just fit around the top of the bowl part of the base. Then I painted it black, on the top and underneath. Now the table top acts as a lid for a compartment for storing the girls' cutlery. (I still have some rings to snap off the cutlery and sanding of the ends to do.)

I finished making the leggings I had cut out last week. I need to get a photo of the two girls together in their matching leggings.

I'm still waiting to hear how and where Lilli & Fleur Couture patterns are going to be available, but watch this space. Or read Andrea's blog.

I finished the Gracie Cardigan for Vroni.

Other business this week was putting the borders on the new Habitat for Humanity quilt for the silent auction. 

It's at Julie's place at Bear Lake getting quilted. I'll get a photo to show when it comes back. 

There was a nice article in the local paper about the dolls for the silent auction. In the meantime, the wardrobe for the doll for Therapy Animals of Utah is coming together. Here's the latest outfit. I used the tennis dress pattern in Fancywork and Fashion's Best Doll Clothes Book by Joan Hinds. I like that it has a high neckline, as Zoey has a rather crepey neck where the fabric body meets the vinyl neck. The leggings she's wearing were part of her "meet" outfit (what she was wearing when she was...um...sold).

She still needs a nice coat to go with the yellow fleece scarf and hat set I made her. She could use a few more items as well. I have until October 28th to finish, so I'm spreading it out a bit. Some people from Therapy Animals of Utah work with Best Friends Animal Society, and they're down in Texas now, helping take care of dogs and cats that have been rescued and helping reunite them with their human family members. When we use our Walk for a Dog app as we walk or hike with our dogs, it raises money for Best Friends. Both are worthy organizations.

Thursday was a busy day (as it usually is). Common Threads met at Lynda's. Susan, who only lives here part time, was here because of the danger from Hurricane Irma to the part of Florida where she lives most of the year. She's a prolific weaver. She had just finished a set of these placemats.

Lynda was still working on her "Come Fly With Me" shawl.

I was working on my "Sistine Chapel" quilt. It's coming along, but I need to quit making things for charity and playing with dolls if I want to get it done.

Later on Thursday, the representative from Costco who sold us our window shades a few weeks ago came to install all except the ones that go over the sliding glass doors. You've seen a bit of them in the photos of the dolls at the table, but here's a better look.

We spent most of Wednesday moving things away from the windows, so he could get to them for installation. That meant moving the cabinet my cutting/light table is on. I vowed that I would not put anything back into it until I had gone through and culled what was there. That got me started on the rest of my fiber studio, which has to be done anyway before our move next summer.

I had to tidy up so I could work, but I still have lots of stuff I can stand to part with. This was how it looked the first day. 

This was the "good" stuff left in the hall at the end of the second day. 

It doubled over the first day, and that doesn't count all the curtains we took down. They will go into the pile after washing. I have to leave room to walk in the hall, so I had to stop. I had about an equivalent amount of recycling and trash.

And...my niece says she wants one of my iPhone totes, which uses Knit Picks Wool of the Andes, and she wanted "Columbine". How could I order just one ball of yarn? The shipping would cost more than the yarn. So....

While all this was going on, the dogs had their regular grooming appointment. They came home looking spiffy.

Finally, speeders have been scaring children and running over pets in our neighborhood for as long as we've been here. Warnings from the sheriff's office didn't work any better than the speed-limit signs. People put out those little green men and children even made signs with their own childish decorations on them. Nothing has worked so far. I spotted this the other day. I wonder if this will work?

I sure hope so!

What's on my needles: Just CO the Kitty Cat : 1 Cardigan with Knit Picks Palette in “Lipstick” for Vroni, to go with the sun dress,

What's on my Featherweight: Still clothes for the Therapy Animals of Utah doll, but test-sewing for Lilli & Fleur Couture is finished for now.

What's on my loom: Still waiting.

What's on my wheel: Stanzi is now awaiting her next task. 

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Still listening to Emma by Alexander McCall Smith, being a modern-day retelling of Jane Austen’s classic novel. No progress on Amy Corwin’s novel All She Loves on the Kindle app.

What's in my wine glass: Trader Joe's Charles Shaw (Two-buck Chuck) Shiraz. One of our favorites, although we have to smuggle it into the state when we come back from trips.

What's my tip of the week: A freezer bag or ice chest will keep food hot for a long time while transporting a casserole to a potluck event. Just be sure you keep it flat during transport, and use a towel or other insulation to keep the hot dish from melting a plastic liner, if you use a bag.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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