One year down ....... many more to go .....

Sweet Pea turns one today and couldn't help but show her off!

Her birthday party was last night.

She was a little timid at first .....

But then she got the hang of it .....

20 minutes later ...... it became an obsession with an audience!

.I am happy to report that it all washed off and she didn't get sick one time last night!!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Pea ...... Mama and Papa love you!!

Blessings, Cathi

Red and Green . . . . .

I have had some finishes lately.  I just love how this one turned out.

Just love how it turned out! It's a mill-dyed wool for the background, hand-dyed wools for the applique and Aurifil wool threads for all the hand work.

It's a design by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Designs.  Both the pattern and the kit will be available at my first show of 2014 in Sanford, North Carolina.

Show is being held January 10th and 11th at the Dennis Wicker Convention Center in Sanford.  More details to come soon. 

Blessings, Cathi

A Finished Penny Quilt . . . . .

Just to show you that I CAN finish something ...... albeit small.

Just love this little project from Cheri Payne.  It worked up in no time and a good use for wool scraps.

Finished size is about 14" x 24".

Pattern is available on my website if interested.  It's on the "Everyday Patterns" page.

I actually have some more sample finishes that will be ready to debut at my first show of 2014.  That's only 3 weeks away!  Yikes !!!!!

Blessings, Cathi

Maymester .....

Yes, I'm thinking of May already ...... thanks to Joyce of One Loose Thread!

Joyce has asked me to design an exclusive project for her upcoming retreat this coming May for me to teach.

Here it is ..... I'm calling it an e-satchel.

Large enough to hold a Kindle or tablet or a composition notebook inside.

And even room for a smart phone and pencil on the back.

With plenty of wool applique on the front.

For more information on this class and the retreat, click here to go to Joyce's retreat page.

At the moment, the class/project is exclusive to Joyce's retreat so a pattern won't be made available until after May.  BUT if you live somewhere in the Carolinas or Georgia, consider going to the retreat.  It is held at Camp Gravatt near Aiken, South Carolina. We'd love to have you!!

Blessings, Cathi

Six Degrees, not six years ......

The personal project I am working on is entitled "Six Degrees" but it's not supposed to take me six years to make it!

Today is the last day of my self-inflicted vacation.  I spent it the same way I spent it last year, sick in the bed with a wicked head cold.  Someone remind me to take some preventative measures next year the week BEFORE Thanksgiving.  Thanks ......

I'm feeling better today (although this posting is the last thing I will do before taking a much needed rest).

I spent several hours working on a project that I have had the fabric and pattern for for almost 4 years.

It's Six Degrees by Miss Rosie's (aka Carrie Nelson) .

I chose to make mine with blues, reds and golds of all Civil War reproduction fabrics.  Here is what Carrie's looks like.

I cut all the pieces and pieced 12 blocks ...... only 56 more to go! 

Blessings, Cathi

Un-quilting .....

Back in 2000, my daughter thought it would be great to make a quilt for her future in-laws 30th wedding anniversary.  My daughter doesn't quilt but her mother does!

I wasn't doing this alone.  She was going to learn!

Fast forward 13 years ...... the quilt has been used and washed and used and washed again (Isn't that what it is for?).

As you can see by the picture, a lot of the stitching has 'popped'.  Now I am in the process of un-stitching it so I can re-quilt it.

Question(s): 

Why did it do this?  

Did we use the wrong thread? (We used YLI quilting thread in the top and regular piecing 50 wt. thread in the bobbin).

Someone suggested that because we stitched on the bias and the fabric stretched, the thread did not so it 'popped'.

Was it just from 13 years of much loved use?

Stitching length too short?

Any suggestions or thoughts? 

(please be kind ...... this is why I don't quilt much ..... I don't know what I'm doing but I'm great at hand work ;>))

Blessings, Cathi

Second verse, same as the first .....

It seems all I have done on this post is apologizing for not blogging often enough.  No more apologies!  As my little pic says on my sidebar ...... BWO (Blogging Without Obligation).

But I will give you an explanation or two .....

A) Business has been fantastic and am down to 2 hours of sleep a night,

B) I'm a Facebook hound now.  I have to admit, FB is a lot quicker and less time consuming,

and 3) Being so tired from working has really left me having difficulty putting two words together let alone a whole blog!

So instead of a long wordy post about what I have been doing since July, I will just give a barn update .....

We now have a Wool Barn cat!

You may remember Tinker from years past on all my blogs at one time or another.  She is 15 years old and has been with us since 2 months old.  Long story but she is no longer welcome in the house by some members of the household after all but destroying furniture, carpet, sleep, etc.  So she now lives outside (she was an outside cat to begin with) and sleeps in the barn at night when it is really cold.  I think she has "un-aged" by a few years.  She seems much happier and healthier.  Nothing like a few bugs and salamanders to chase to make her feel like a kitten again!

Blessings, Cathi

I've been working hard to get ready for a show that is coming up this weekend.  It's the Four County Quilters Guild Quilt Show in Frederick, Maryland.  The show is Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.  More information is available on their website Four County Quilters Guild.

I finished this quilt top this morning ....... the one I said I would finish about 2 months ago!

I did this applique on the machine using Aurifil Lana Wool thread.

I've had so many customers ask if they could use the wool thread in the sewing machine that I thought it was about time I should be able to give them a first-person opinion.

It worked like a dream for me!!

I used my Bernina 440QE, a #80 Schmetz Metallic needle, #45 stitch, #34 presser foot and a 50 wt. thread in the bobbin.  I didn't have to change the tension at all!!  I did "drive" it very slowly.  Like "driving the mayor in an open car in the Christmas parade" slowly.  It took quite a while to finish it but well worth not being frustrated.

The pattern is Calico Baskets by Cheri Payne and is available on the website on the pattern page and the kit page.

I still have the basket handles to add and some decorative stitching between the blocks but I am just tickled at how smoothly the machine applique went.  I will probably stick with my hand applique since I enjoy it so much but at least I have an alternative that wasn't as painful as I thought it might be!

Blessings, Cathi

Earlier this month, Dear Hubby and I dedicated one week to add drywall, paint and a few more tweaks to the Wool Barn.  While I am not quite finished enough to give you the grand tour, I will leave you with a few teasers of what we have done.

Way back in the beginning - 18 months ago

Only this wall opposite the door has had drywall for the last year ........ no paint

Same wall but showing  my wool-dyeing setup .....

For quite a while, I didn't even have insulation on the other three walls. (Taken last April)

Then during my winter show break we added insulation.  It sure helped a lot! (Taken just before Christmas)

Finally some drywall last week!

And some paint!

And trim around the doors with some stuff put away! 

I promise  ....... a better tour when I have finished a little more. (More like when I remember to take the camera out there to take pictures!!)

I also just realized that I haven't had a picture of Sweet Pea on here in almost TWO months.  What kind of grandma am I??

A fan after my own heart!!  At least today ...... when visiting her other grandparents, she wears Yankee blue!

Blessings, Cathi

I've been trying to post SOMETHING every Sunday but I think I missed it again LOL

I have plenty to share but since I have spent more time on Facebook lately ..... well, sometimes I forget what I wrote where!

We spent the last week adding drywall and painting the inside of the Wool Barn.  Maybe pictures soon.  I have a lot of cleaning up to do!  And I HAD to get back in the dye pots since I have quite a few orders that need to go out.  They will be in today and tomorrow's mail. 

In the meantime, I have added more kits and patterns to the website .......

Flag Day Penny Banner by Primitive Gatherings

24 Carrots by Cheri Payne

'Merry Christmas' by Cheri Payne (kit is for the left quilt only)

'Frosty Mugs' by Threads That Bind

Blessings, Cathi

Another quilt in the finished column but as usual, it isn't for me to keep.

A baby quilt for an adorable new little boy .......

Well, not so little.  He was born 3 weeks early at 8.5 lbs.  At his "original" birthdate, he was pushing 10lbs and now just another 2 weeks later, he is up over 12lbs.

I'm taking it to him on Wednesday.  I hope it will cover him still!!

And here is a picture of his nursery that I stole from his mom's Facebook page.  Isn't the quilt just perfect for this room?!

Blessings, Cathi

Claiming the blog ........... this is crazy!

I've added my Bloglovin button to my bar on the left ........

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Blessings, Cathi

A*m*a*z*i*n*g show in Annapolis again this year.  Their quilts were phenomenal!!

Besides the raffle quilt shown in the post below, there were several other wool quilts including these .....

And one of my favorites -  a non-wool quilt ........ A Halloween Baltimore Album quilt.

We will definitely be going back again next year!

Blessings, Cathi

New to Shakerwood Woolens and making it's debut at the Annapolis show is my new "Tropical Collection"!

How out of my box is this??!

Mango, Lime Greens, Watermelons, School Bus yellows.  They are so new that I haven't named them yet.  I hope they are on the website soon.  In the meantime, come on to the Annapolis show at the Annapolis High School on Riva Road! (See link in previous post)

Blessings, Cathi

So much has happened since last post ....... and so little.

Made it through the NC Symposium show all by myself.  Driving, setting up, packing up and the 3 days of the show.

The next weekend was the Quilters Unlimited show in Chantilly, Virginia.  Dear Hubby was able to go with me.  Wonderful show except the torrential downpours as we were all loading the trailers and vans! 

(Note to self: Always, Always, Always keep several sizes of raincoats and sweatshirts in the trailer ....

 just in case.)

On Friday, Dear Hubby and I are headed back up North to Annapolis, Maryland for their annual quilt show.  This will be our third year in Annapolis and just love going to this show.  The big news this year is that their raffle quilt is their version of Sue Spargo's "Greenbriar" quilt all in wool.  I can't wait to see it in person!

The show is held at the Annapolis High School on Riva Road.  The show runs from Saturday 10 - 5 and Sunday 11 - 4.  They use up just about all of the common areas of the high school for this show so wherever you are coming from in the greater, greater DC area, it is worth the drive.

Link to the show.

Blessings, Cathi