Friday, September 13, 2013

Company Girls Coffee 091313

Wow - you will want a truly hot cup of coffee this morning. We had almost record high temperatures on Tuesday and Wednesday; this drop to more seasonal weather has been a bit harsh. As I got out of the car at work, I realized that a light jacket would probably have been a good idea. No complaints from me, though; I love crisp mornings.

Last Sunday (before the latest great warm up) a girlfriend and I went to a craft fair that is held each year on the grounds of one of our historical sites. The place began as a lime quarry in the mid-eighteen hundreds, morphing into a dairy farm, crop farm, airstrip and riding stable headquarters in turn before being turned into a museum. There are still a few of the lime kilns on the grounds, along with a delightful farmhouse and a huge stone barn. The main portion of the farmhouse dates to the 1850s.

The craft fair sprawls all over the grounds, with the variety in goods you'd expect at a largish show. There's a tent set up with raffle items - the artists donate a piece to be put up, so the table is a good way to get a mini-overview of what the booths are showing.

Long story short, I managed to win two sets of earrings. There were at least three sets I put tickets in for, so I'm not exactly sure which they are (I pick them up tonight), but I adore handmade jewelry. One item was a necklace/earring set in antiqued silver with huge red stones...I'm hoping that set is part of my winnings.

Monday I spent all day at the quilt shop, going over even more features of the new machine. Two lessons, back to back. It's fun seeing the things Bernina thought out...for example, buttonhole lengths are shown only in millimeters. If you don't happen to have that indicated on the card with the buttons, and don't have an appropriate ruler handy, you can simply hold the button up on the touchscreen, adjust the dial so a particular line is at the right edge of the button, and the machine will automatically set the buttonhole to the right size.

Very cool.

Naturally, I haven't had the chance to sew a stitch the rest of the week. While the machine is out of the studio, I can move the sewing desk and clean thoroughly around it. Who knows, maybe I'll go crazy and rearrange a bit as well. I'm toying with the idea of making October "project month". If I set it up (and prioritize) correctly, plus sew a bit every day, I think I can make a sizable dent in the unfinished project stack.

That's the plan, anyway.

Prep for next week Saturday's craft day needs to be done as well. Every so often a bunch of friends get together to craft. The plan is to make chili this weekend, to freeze for lunch that day. The fixings can be chopped up and a pan of cornbread made a night or two ahead, for a no-fuss lunch on the actual day. Craft day is an additional incentive to tidy up the studio.

That's it here. I'll try to post a picture of the jewelry once I pick up.

4 comments:

Nannette said...

So ready for fall craft fairs, caramel apples, apple butter, apple pie, apple crisp, apple turnovers...lol, and picking apples! Your blog is very cozy! ♥

Diane said...

Nannette - I went to say Hi on your blog...but google+ confuses me. It does have me curious, though - did you grow up in Latvia?

I am SO with you on the fun of fall food. Plannig to make chili for next weekend (hoping our current cool temps hold) and cornbread, and maybe apple pie!

melissa said...

Yay, fun stuff. Way to go! Look forward to see photos later. :)

secondofwett said...

Oooh...that sewing machine sounds like a dream! I'm trying to get two queen size quilts all ready to put together....one , I just pinned the sandwich together last week at quilting time at our church...the other, I'm still stuck on getting the top completed...ran into a snag and now I don't have the desire to tackle it again...one of these days I will because I want to work on the hand quilting as we go into and thru the long winter......there never seems lie enough hours in the day....sigh.