New beginnings!

This morning I changed the name of this blog, and I will have to find another photo to feature. We sold Maplecroft yesterday! We are looking forward to having more time for travel and other activities, although we will miss the house and the denizens of the B&B. The new owners are enthusiastic and will take the business to a new level and in new directions. We will enjoy watching!

We are going to stay right here at Maplecroft for a few months while we pack and figure out where we want to live. We have begun telling everyone in town in hopes that they will know of a house, walkable to downtown, that has not yet come on the market. Although we looked at quite a few houses and condos beginning in November and even offered on one, we have not yet found the right house for us. Our needs aren't that complex but we do want smaller, manageable, quiet, walkable, with garden space. Keeping our fingers crossed that something "ideal" comes along.

Productivity!

At least in the handicrafts department, 2009 has been pretty productive so far. Could be because of the very cold and snowy weather we've had. Last week, I finished knitting and then sewed together a bulky sweater I started in the fall. It looks good, and I've been wearing it almost every day because it is so warm.

Yesterday I finished a seven pocket bag that I worked on at the Calico County Quilters group Saturday. Choosing the fabrics was the hardest part, but I finally settled on black, white and a hint of red. The photo doesn't really do it justice. It has outside pockets with flaps for my cell phone and keys, and then there are several pockets of different sizes on the inside. The handles are long enough to wear over the shoulder. Quite a handy little thing that I filled right up.

This morning, I finished another bathmat, this time for our bathroom. Every time I pass the bathroom now, I smile because it's so cheery.

I had a packet of April Cornell charm squares that I just loved but didn't quite know what to do with. There weren't enough for a quilt, not even a lap-sized one. I pulled all the blue toned ones out and arranged them windowpane fashion with solid black sashing, much like the bathmat I made Chris for Christmas. Then I cut some other ones in quarters. These all went on top of an old Maplecroft bathmat with a thin piece of batting in between. Very "green." My next one will use green and yellow charm squares with green sashing.

This morning I started making yarn out of Chris' old t-shirts. I am hoping Sandy will help me learn to crochet them into rugs. I cut 1.25" continuous strips from two t-shirts and will give her a ball of "yarn" tonight. I knit the other ball of yarn on #13 needles into a potholder. It's darn ugly but utilitarian. Don't know if it's worth the effort, but it is green!

Resolutions

What can be more appropriate for a new year than the ubiquitous resolution? I have many things I'd like to do, but one I am hoping to stick to. That is, to go to the gym every other morning, to walk in the mall with Cindy at least once a week (the weekdays I don't go to the gym), and to walk downtown whenever the sidewalks allow safe passage.

In 2008, I completed quite a few quilting UnFinishedObjects. At this point, I have the following UFOs in process:

• hand quilt and bind small white-on-white and "Candy Land" pieces
• finish quilting pink Lone Star throw
• sandwich, quilt and bind siggie throw
• bind raffle quilt
• figure out what to do with the last two of Tante Wil's UFOs
• work on All-Sorts blocks (DJ, DH, etc.)
• make a DJ block a month for my secret pal
• put together 3 years worth of holiday Dear Jane blocks

Of course, there are always new projects to distract me, including the 7 pocket bag we'll be making at my Saturday group. The hardest part of that so far has been choosing fabrics, but I finally ended up with black and white scraps with a hint of red. And Chris' bathmat (Indonesian prints with solid black) turned out so nice that I want to make one of my own. Maybe for the new house!

Candle mat

While in Colorado I tried my hand at making a "penny rug," raw-edge applique using wool and embroidery floss. My Dear Jane Secret Pal sent me a kit, complete with pre-cut wool, floss, a glue stick, needle, and a small pair of scissors. It was really fun!

I haven't found out who my SP is this year, but I should soon. She has an incredible sense of humor and has known just exactly what I'd like each month. The Jane Stickle quilt has brought an incredible number of people together, all around the world.

Changes ahead

I got back from a quick trip to Colorado late last week. Mom needed some surgery which kept her overnight in the hospital. When she got home, my job was to see that she didn't over-do. Dad, of course, needed help getting around, getting in and out of bed, etc. I ran errands, did some driving around, and generally helped out. We had some snow twice while I was there, and I was surprised at how bad the roads were one day. I expected Coloradans to be as able to cope as Vermonters, but maybe it was a particularly icy storm. I also went to my favorite haunt - the Rocky Mountain Quilt Museum in Golden - and bought a few fat quarters in the quilt shop across the street from it. Traveling in winter is always fraught with hang-ups, and so it was with this trip.

We have received an offer on our house and business! The prospective buyers want a closing date of January 19 - yikes! We've been looking at houses, and once all the signatures have been affixed and all the changes have been accepted on the Maplecroft offer, we will most likely make an offer on a house. I don't relish the thought of moving in winter, let alone moving twice, but if need be, we will move to Pat & Jay's house on the Barre-Mont. Rd. for a while. I have been cleaning out junk for quite a while, but the more I throw out, the more there seems to be.

Our Christmas tree is up and gifts have all been bought. If the sun ever shines, I'll post a photo. I've even done some holiday baking although that is dangerous considering the 25 lbs. I have lost. I made some fruit cake for the first time since the 1970's. Every year I wait for someone to give me some, and no one does. So I will enjoy this batch except for one loaf I took to Midstate.

All this talk of moving has made me loath to sew much. I made 5 Dear Jane(R) blocks while in Colorado and just finished a wool candle mat. I have 49 red and beige blocks to put together. I'll need to decide whether it needs a border soon because I hope to get it and another quilt to the long arm quilter's next week, so I can deal with them after we move. Wow - everything seems to be hinging on that all of a sudden!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The turkey breast is in the refrigerator and we just vaccuumed and washed the floors downstairs. I have 2 yds. of fall fabric draped over the tablecloth, and it looks festive. Tomorrow, Chris, Cindy, Vicki and Samantha will join us. It's a smaller crowd than in the past, but that is just fine. More for everyone! Fewer dishes for me!

I've spent the last few weeks Christmas shopping, sewing, and wrapping, and today we'll take the last of the packages to the post office. I plan to take my parents' and Jenny's presents with me to Colorado on Monday. I'm going to help Mom recouperate from surgery and Dad get along without her. She won't be able to drive for a week and shouldn't pick up anything either. Sometimes Dad needs to "kick start" to get out of bed in the mornings, so I'll do whatever I can.

It has been nice shopping and sewing so far in advance actually. Yesterday, walking in the mall with Cindy, I realized that I probably won't be back there until the week before Christmas. This will be good since I am already tired of the "music" they play there. I made five bathmats out of old, frayed bathmats or towels and "orphan" quilt blocks and scraps. I also made a bunch of potholders out of scraps. Here's one of the bathmats:

As a reward, I started working on a scrappy red and beige quilt. I need 49 blocks (or more, depending on how big I want it to be) so it will take a while. I have a batch of handsewing to take along to Colorado - mostly appliqued Dear Jane blocks, small projects to fit in here and there.

I'm currently reading "Growing Up" by Russell Baker, a sweet story set in the Depression. It is a little slow for me, probably because I've been reading so many mysteries lately. I'm tucking a batch of mysteries into my bags for Colorado, too. The trip will be long, with late arrivals at both ends.

Central Vermont Quilt Show

Plans are moving ahead for the first Central Vermont Quilt Show, set for May 8 and 9, 2009, at Barre's historic Old Labor Hall. Our featured quilter is Christine Fries-Ureel, a Barre resident who has won many awards for her art quilts. Years ago, we both attended a class called "Fractured Landscapes," and her class project was gorgeous. It has been fun to watch her work develop. We will also have about 50 quilts of all sizes by local quilters and several vendors. Our first vendor check came in this week, so I'll be opening a checking account for the fledgling show soon!

I've been attending monthly meetings of a new quilt guild in the area, the Heart of Vermont Quilters, which meets on Tuesday nights. Now that I'm retired, I can also find time to attend Saturday afternoon meetings of the Calico County Quilters now and then. When we have B&B guests, I sometimes can't come but am looking forward to some winter meetings.