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A story about a broken Iron

Posted on May 26, 2010 by Sue

My Iron Broke! Oh NO! How can I finish my current quilt project?

Go buy a new one, that’s how. Easier said then done.
I wanted an iron “just like the one that broke”.
I went (via car and across Hot pavement) to Target, Boscov, JCPenny, Walmart and Lowes.
None had “my” iron; the Panasonic with telfon coated bottom and retractable cord, and turns off automatically.
There were plenty of Rowenta’s, a few SunBeams, and some off the wall brand names, but no Panasonic’s.

I returned home empty handed and decided to order one online. (Yes, the exact one can be found in several online store)
BUT, that means I must WAIT 7 to 10 days for it’s arrival!
Waiting is NOT good for me when I’m in the “design and make” phrase.

AND, I’ve also decided that my household should try to be a little GREENER!

So after close examination of my “broken” iron, I decided it needed a Washer.
There has GOT be be a washer in this house, Somewhere!

FOUND ONE!

AND, lo and behold, I fixed IT!

See the washer at the front point?
Yes, that took care of my “Broken” Iron.

GOOD AS NEW!!!!!!

I proudly showed my efforts to my “Can fix anything Husband”, and I must give him credit by telling me that I did Good!
But in the same breathe he added that now I can buy a new one to have on hand, because this one will most likely break AGAIN,
and “You’ll Be Sorrrrrrrrrr-eeeeee”

I reminded him of our “going green” efforts, and he dropped the subject.
Sure hope this iron hangs in there for another few months, so I can gloat about it over and over!

Show & Share

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Sue

The Painted Ladies are still going strong! I’m still getting orders, both retail AND wholesale, for all four them! I must say, they are very special to me, being my first ‘published’ patterns. And I want to thank ALL of you who made one or more of them, and hope you enjoyed them as much as I did in designing them!

And of course, I don’t want to leave out The Shop Ladies. They have come in very ‘handy’ for workshops, just because they go together so quickly. Some adjectives that I’ve heard over the past year about them are, “cute” , “sweet”, “easy”, “great gift quilts”, to mention just a few. And, all of you who took the class finished the top during the 9 to 4 class time! (I told you they were quick and easy)

But hang on, I have four more Ladies in the works . . . .The Barnyard Ladies. Wait till you see them! They are the same size as the Painted Ladies, but they are less “labor intensive” (as a recent quilter said) then the Painted Ladies. I have coming your way, “The Buggy Barn”, “The Quilt Loft”, “The Country Stable”, and “The Milk Shed”. I don’t want to show any pictures yet, but they should be out in the next month or so! Can’t wait!

Anyone else have some finished Painted OR Shop Ladies to show & share? If so, send me an email, I’d love to hear from you!

Lilac Bushes and Gardening Season – Ready, Set, GO!

Posted on May 5, 2010 by Sue

Round one, done! Yes, I won the first round, I trimmed the lilac bushes and came out with only two minor scratches. And now my lawn care season has officially started!

See the lilac bushes in the middle of the picture? The tops are fairly even once again. I probably ‘adjust’ them three times a year, and actually don’t mind doing the deed one bit. After all, the view beyond them is definitely worth my ‘labors’!

This ‘part’ of the season is my favorite; no bugs, still rather cool for manual outdoor labor, and the time spent is minimal compared to the time spent during the summer months.

But I’m now back ‘inside’ for a few hours; a little bit of house cleaning, a little bit of working in my studio, and a lot of undivided attention given to my two kitties. Rosie (top shelf) and Spanky just below. (Usually it’s the other way around!)

Adirondack Quilt Shop

Posted on February 8, 2010 by Sue

Saturday I spent an entire day at Adirondack Quilt Shop, And I loved every minute! the shop is nearly two thousand square feet of ‘candy’ for a quilter! Fabrics, Notions, Patterns, Fabrics, Read-made inspiring quilts, Fabrics, Sewing machines, friendly, knowledgeable owner & staff, a long arm machine & service, and did I mention FABRICS?

Located at 21 cooper Street, Glens Falls, in an old turn of the century warehouse/factory. you know the type of building, with high ceilings, equally high windows, old wooden floors and unique features that can only be found in such a building. Besides Adirondack Quilts, you’ll also find a wonderful Tea Shop, a Bead Shop, and a slew of other crafters and shops.

BTW, if you haven’t visited Glens Falls lately, you should put it on your ‘to-do’ list. Loads of new shops, restaurants and eateries, two fantastic bike routes (one goes along the canal, the other the whole way into Lake George), and of course the Adirondack Quilt Shop.
OK, so back to Saturday . . . I had the pleasure of teaching another ‘Shop Lady’ workshop. They’re so fun because everyone goes home with a project that is ready to quilt! And here’s the proof . . . .

Three of the four quilters chose to make the Quilt Shop.
First up is Dorothy; we both loved the ‘kitty’ fabric that she added.

Next up is Theresa, who made Animal Krackers Pet Shop, as you can see, the pets are missing, but she did add them just before the class ended.

Then here’s Judy with her ‘Quilt Shop’, and she decided to go with yellow, orange & purple for her shop windows (Great color combo)

Last we have Jamie’ with her Quilt Shop, first the cutting, then the finished shop.

Pumpkin Patch Fabrics

Posted on October 31, 2009 by Sue

The Pumpkin Patch is as cute as the name sounds; it’s owned by Dan Sullivan & Susan Fraser, and is located in the quaint New England village of Lee, MA. Their shop is part of an older village home and the first floor is loaded with fabrics and notions. they also sale Bernina sewing machines, (be sure to check out the new 830/820!). It’s wonderful! 🙂

I had a great time there yesterday teaching another “Shop Lady’ class. As usual, the quilters were super and I wanted to share some pictures of how much they achieved during the 6 hour class.

the first photo is of Mary – she’s making the Petal Pusher Flower shop . . .

Next is Janet – she decided to make The Book Nook . . .

And last, but not least, is Jane who made The Coffee cup Cafe . . .

Can you believe that these quilters have never paper-pieced before? Not bad, I’d say! 🙂

A Notion To Quilt

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Sue

This wonderful Quilt Shop is located along the Mohawk Trail in western MA, just east of Greenfield and before Shelburne Falls. BTW, make sure to visit Shelburne Falls after you check out the quilt shop. It’s a sweet little village with the "falls", the flower bridge and lots of little deli’s and other fun shops to explore.

Anyway, back to A Notion To Quilt! Do NOT miss this one! There are MANY rooms full of fabrics, notions, brand new fabulous sewing machines, a long-arm room (available for renting time), Two classrooms, and so on and so on!

Becki, Lenny and Nancy are the owners of this wonderful shop, and the three of them will make you want to come back every week! 🙂

I had another great "Shop Lady" class there on the 24th. All the quilters made their favorite Shop Lady quilt top in the one day class. (I’d show the pics, but unfortunately my camera battery was deleted). You’ll just have to believe me when I tell you that all five quilter’s made GREAT Shop Ladies!

Looking forward to another class next spring!

Empire Quilt Fest (aka Stressful Week)

Posted on October 16, 2009 by Sue

Yes, we all have stressful times and I know my share of them having worked in a very busy ophthalmologists office for twenty plus years . . . .HOWEVER . . . . This week has been particularity stressful in that I had to ‘hand-over’ four of my babies (my quilts) plus my number one baby, My Bernina!

My Bernina 440QE is leaving me for one week to have her annual check-up. OK, I guess I can last one week without her, maybe.

As for my four quilts . . . .

“Rubber Ducky”

“The Cut-Ups”

“Henry Hudson’s Northeast Passage”

“The Quilt Shop”

These four quilts will be entered in the Empire Quilt Fest show! I actually will have them back with me on Sunday afternoon, so I’ll just hold my breath and try to relax! 🙂

All my anxieties aside, if you are in the capital district of New York state (that’s upstate everyone), be sure to stop in to see the quilt fest. There are over 300 hundred entries, twenty vendors, wonderful lunch lectures and more! Dates are Saturday, October 17th, and Sunday, October 18th, 9 to 4! Six dollars will get you in, then just enjoy!

Southern Vermont Shop Hop

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Sue

This past Saturday, The Cut-Ups took a Road Trip around Southern Vermont. We had a Wonderful time! Four fabulous Quilt shops and Lunch at Bryant House, next to the Vermont Country Store. BTW, next time, we’ll call ahead for lunch reservations, long wait, but good food!

Anyway the first stop was in Wilmington, Vermont at Norton House. An old time country store experience with loads of great fabrics. Be sure you check out the ‘attic’ for two rooms full of sale fabrics! Check them out at www.norquilt.com

Next stop Westminster Station, Vermont - Quilt-a-way Fabrics! Wow, who knew that we’d find one of the largest shops tucked into the wood, right off of I91 at exit 5. www.quiltaway.com

OK, so the sign and building are NOT anything special, don’t let that stop you from going inside, you will be amazed! Take a look . . .

Next stop, Country Treasures in Chester, Vermont. The day we visited, the village was also having a craft fair, VERY festive! Country Treasures turned out to be another shop with an old time country store feeling, and once again, it was packed to the rafters with gorgeous fabrics! Visit their website at www.vermontquilting.com

Then we took a break for lunch and a visit to The Vermont Country Store.
www.vermontcountrystore.com

Final stop, a “new” shop, just opened in March of this year and I’m sure they’ll do great! the shop is located only four miles south of The Vermont Country Store on route 100, the name is Waterwheel House Quilt Shop. The exterior is still being renovated, but the inside is wonderful. Be sure to check out their classroom! www.waterwheelhouse.typepad.com

Yup, another successful Road Trip, I know I’ll be visiting every one of them again soon!

Almost 1 Of A Kind

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Sue

Another wonderful quilt shop that should NOT be missed when visiting the upstate area of New York!. Located in the beautiful Victorian Village of Ballston Spa, just south of Saratoga Springs. it’s a small shop, but the owners, Barb & Vicki have it PACKED with tons of gorgeous fabrics and other fun items that quilters love to explore!

I held a “Shop Lady Apron” workshop at their shop today, had a wonderful time, and the classs quilters were great! Looking forward to my next class.

The Schaghticoke Fair

Posted on August 21, 2009 by Sue

Time for the Fair! It’s the Rensselaer County Fair in Schaghticoke, New York, and it’s just “up the street” from my house! When we moved to Schaghticoke in ‘82, we were told that the village is VERY quiet except for the week of Labor Day when the Fair ‘comes to town’.

Well, we never minded having the fair in town, our street is just far enough away to mute most of the noise, but it’s a fun type of noise, and it’s always a treat to visit the fair at least one day out of the week. The grandstand music, the demolition derby, the tractor pulls, the cows, chickens, rabbits, the large home grown veggies, the fast and dizzy rides, and the Fair FOOD!

One of my neighbors said that she loves to “eat her way through the fairgrounds”. Oh yes, we love fair food and we have our favorite booths to visit; hubby LOVES the sausage and peppers, and for me, its the Fried Dough with Cinnamon and Sugar, Love that stuff! Can’t wait!

I’m also entering one of my quilts in the fair this year . . . . . . “Rubber Ducky”

So, if you happen to be in Schaghticoke, New York over the Labor Day week and would like to experience a small town county fair, be sure to stop in.

BTW, the quilts will be in the Arts & Crafts Building! 🙂

“Rubber Ducky”