August Will Be Better

I guess it's not fair to blame a month for everything, but July was not a good month. Nothing bad, just blah. I didn't want to write, didn't want to talk, just wanted to sleep a lot and stay cool.

So magically tomorrow with the arrival of August, life will be rosy again.

It kind of started looking up today. I escaped from my doldrums and wallpaper scraping and drove over to Wetumpka, Alabama, to Beth's Heirloom Sewing. It was actually a very pleasant drive, even though I did have to call and be directed in. GPS didn't recognize any of the landmarks from the map on the newsletter. I did put in what looked to be a Mexican restaurant, Ranchito Morin, and the GPS lady dutifully took me to - Marco's - with no heirloom shop nearby. When I called, I was practically across the street, so no harm done.

My main reason for going other than just being around pretty things was that I decided to join Jeannie Baumeister's Sew-Along. Her Old-Fashioned Baby blog is beautifully done, and I love to see the needlework she does as well as enjoying pictures of her rose garden. It was just too tempting for her to offer to teach her pattern step by step, so I joined in a little bit late. I still have some catching up to do.

This is what I'm starting with. I can't seem to stay away from blue.



Cute little buttons and entredeux.

I figured if I gave myself a deadline and mentioned on the blog what I was doing, I might just keep up and finish it. Not that I don't enjoy doing this type of needlework; I just don't have the time I need to devote to it. Did I mention this is sewn entirely by hand? I think that's neat. My sewing machine sometimes has a mind of its own, and I think I can control things better this way.

Anyway, I just enjoyed so much walking around and looking at the pretty things in Beth's. I didn't ask, but it seems to be a new location, large and well-lighted.

These are some pictures I took of the things hanging on the walls and everywhere you look. Too much to take in at once.

War Eagle.















Pretty fabrics.


Things to embroider on.





Lots of detail.





The classrooms are really roomy and nice, and I'm hoping they'll be offering some classes that I would enjoy in the fall.



Very nice. I'll definitely be back now that I know where to go.

Now, to quilting, as I never want to be without some project half started:

Barbara and I are starting Kudzu Blossom's Nine-Patch Quiltalong Hmmm. Looks like only 24 participants signed up, but I'm sure there will be more doing it. It starts tomorrow, and I'm still not sure what I'm going to be doing.

At first Elise liked the looks of this quilt from Crazy Mom Quits so I thought I would try to do that one for her. I had already laid out my first blocks - excuse Maddy - she's possessive of 9-patch things.

That's a yawn, not a snarl.

Elise has had her head turned, though, by another quilt and is thinking of this one for hers:

She's still thinking about it.

Since we have news of a new baby-to-be in the Pinnacle family (Emily's friend Stacy) and since we heard she likes green and purple, I've gathered these fabrics for a little quilt for him/her. A 9-patch might look good from these.



In my "spare time" I'm restarting my "guilt quilt" for Emily. We picked out the fabrics and pattern a couple of years ago - surely not longer than that - and it's still in its drawer. Luckily, she still loves the fabric, and I'm just waiting for a final decision on which pattern she likes. The main fabrics are from the Sierra line by Anna Griffin for - guess what? - Windham Fabrics.

That should do it. I guess my problem with July is that I didn't have enough projects rattling around in my head.

Speaking of quilting, when I talked to Mike this morning he was headed to Plainview, TX, with a carload of quilting ladies. Don't ask. I just know that when one of these quilting ladies, Betty, mentioned last April when I was there that he should take me to Plainview to see the cows, he refused to do it. It had nothing to do with the fact that he had driven us around all day, it was nearly dark, and he didn't see the purpose of driving 20 miles to see painted cows. It was just mean-spiritedness, and I like to have something to hold over him to make him feel guilty. So he really didn't want to tell me where he was going - and I still don't know the reason.