Go look!

Just a quick 'hi' today. I don't have time for a full post with photos (but I AM getting closer to getting my photo book done!). I just wanted to send you over to LiEr's post to see the last two GORGEOUS bags she made! They are incredible! She's even going to auction one of them on eBay! Go check them out!

The sneak peek

Here's some of what I'll be working with for my next sewing project that I mentioned yesterday. It's probably not too hard to guess what it's going to be, especially for those of you who have young children.

I'm loving the fabric combination!

Vintage sewing #5

This is a jumper that I made for Jess when she was a teenager, for her confirmation, I think. I didn't make a top to go with it, but if I remember right, she wore a pretty rose-colored knit top with it. Or maybe it was a teal/green? Help, Jess!! Maybe you had one of each... I don't remember.

The fabric is so pretty. There should be some kind of repurpose project for it! Hey, maybe a bag out of LiEr's pattern!!

I had intended to dig up a photo of Jess wearing it, but that might take a while. You know how it goes when you start looking through old pictures! Anyway, I have a couple projects in the queue that have deadlines, so I need to get at them ASAP! The first one is a photo book Groupon deal that I bought months ago. I paid $15 for a $50 book. The Groupon expires this Friday... yes, that's in TWO DAYS... and I haven't started it yet!!! Nothing like procrastination, huh? But I have been busy this summer! I'll get 'er done. The other one is due before next Tuesday! I might give you a sneak peek at that one tomorrow. Maybe. But if you don't see anything of me, just know I'm workin' on stuff!!

Another panorama

My moss roses were looking exceptionally full and pretty a few mornings ago, so I decided to see if I could make a good panorama of the whole bed, since it's too long to get a decent full shot with my camera. I think it turned out rather nice! (Click on it to see it much larger.)

Here are some closer shots for your viewing pleasure.

I just love all the beautiful colors!

The Bella Bag

It.Is.Finished!! Since Lier's been showing the bags she's made from the pattern I've been testing, I will show you mine, too! Here's just a quick look:

Once I get my notes to LiEr, and she finishes her last two bags and gets everything finalized, I'll do another post with better photos and more of a pattern review.  And her pattern, her bags and my bag will all be for sale... SOON!

Anyway, I'm very happy with how the bag turned out, and I'll give the pattern an A+ rating!

Vintage sewing #4

Hmmm... sooo hard to get good photos! You'll have to forgive the fuzziness. Anyway, here's a dress that I made for myself all those years ago. I loved it! It was so cool and comfortable!

And the fabric was so pretty!

It had a narrow self-fabric belt. It also had a jacket that went with it.

Since I can't wear it anymore (my shoulders got fatter?), I may just have to repurpose that fabric into something else. Anybody have any great ideas for that?

In case you may be wondering how the pattern testing is coming, the bag is almost done! The pattern is a bit more complicated than you can tell just by looking at the bag, but it hasn't been difficult to sew. It's mainly taken this long simply because there have been other things to do, too. But hopefully I'll be able to show it to you soon! LiEr has completed another one, which you can take a look at here. Isn't it gorgeous?! She's also making two more, which I can't wait to see, because they sound stupendous!!! And guess what? Her bags, and possibly mine (unless I find a better purpose for it), will be for sale in her Etsy shop, along with the bag pattern. Stay tuned... we'll let you know when everything's available!

Speaking of rainbows

Yesterday I showed you Courtney's "R is for Rainbows" craft. Today you get to see Rainbow the cat! She's been pretty elusive most of her short life (1 year), but on Tuesday Courtney got to pet her for the first time. It was pretty sweet. Turn up your volume.

I love this pic:

Nothing like "in your face"!

Courtney has a new friend, and so does Rainbow. (It helps the friendship when one gives food to the other!)

Crafting with Courtney

About a month ago, Auntie Jess posted a super-cute papertoy alphabet print-and-fold project on her blog. Courtney loved it on sight, and we finally got around to giving it a try yesterday. I told her we'd do 'just one' letter, so she chose the R - "R is for Rainbow".

She once again did her excellent cutting job:

The face of concentration:

Look at all those tiny cuts she made... so expertly!

Then I did the folding and glueing, because it's just not quite doable for a 5-year-old. Sorry, no pics of my face of concentration.

Here's our little model with the finished project!

And here she is doing her photography "thing". :)

(On a side note... yep, there's another missing tooth! The first permanent tooth, on the right, has grown in quite quickly.)

And the eye got into the act again, too. I love it!

Be sure to note that it's 3-D!

It was fun to do, and it actually was a bit easier than our Dumbo.

That's a lot of mares!

Last Friday was a stupendous day, weather-wise! As I drove home from town, I couldn't help noticing the lovely sky with all its mare's tail clouds. I don't think I've ever seen so many "tails" at one time before. I of course had to grab the camera as soon as I got home. Here's the sky as it looked from right to left. (Click any photo to enlarge.)

Those mares must've been having a lot of fun, frisking about!

I took the pics with the intention of putting them together in a panorama, so I tried to keep the camera at the same level for each one. Apparently I didn't do so well. :)  But here's the panorama as it went together. At least the program did a nice job of blending them! Be sure to click on this one to enlarge it!

Just because I like this photo

Hibiscus flowers only last a day. Sometimes a bud will fall (or get knocked) off before opening. If it's far enough along, it will still open, and it doesn't even have to be in water. A couple days ago, I found one on the cement outside the back garage door. It probably got knocked off as I brought the plant into the garage for the night (to protect it from critters who like to dig in pots in the dark). I wasn't sure if it was far enough along to open or not, so I tossed it in the pail I use for weeding. Later I noticed that it was beginning to open, so I picked it out of the pail and laid it on my glove which happened to be on the step in the garage. I knew it would be futile to bring it into the house, because Josie would sniff it out and have it chewed up in no time. It did open fully, and I thought it looked kinda cool on the glove, so I took it outside and snapped a pic, just for fun. Here it is!

Vintage sewing #3

As if I hadn't gotten enough of sewing on the wool fabric for Grandpa's 3-piece suit, I went and bought some more of it (I think it was at a pretty good discount) to use for myself! I made another suit! Here's the skirt:

So yep, Grandpa and I matched. Partially. I wasn't quite crazy enough to do the whole suit in the same fabric, though. I didn't want people to get sick of us. Ha!

Although it's hard to see in the photo, this wool is more of a tweed. I still like it a lot. Very pretty.

The pattern was much simpler than the one for Grandpa's coat. Just patch pockets instead of welts. LOTS less time involved! It was fully lined, though.

I loved that suit, and I wore it a lot. Well, on Sundays, anyway... I didn't have too many other places to wear it besides church. I'd still wear it... if it weren't so snug in a few places. Gosh I was skinny back then! ;)

Vintage sewing #2

Courtney and I finally got around to digging out some more clothes that I'd made all those years ago. This is a dress I made for Jess when she was about 7 years old. Unfortunately, I don't have a very good place for taking garment photos, so these pics aren't too great.

I put my little model to work, since the dress looks cuter 'on'.

She thought it fit her just right, since it didn't go down to her feet. :)

I think she has a little more growing to do, though. But she will get to wear it when it does fit her.

End of an era

I mentioned in an earlier post that Grandpa and his two brothers, who have been farming together for... many years... were going to take the first step in retiring. They've been milking cows nearly all their lives, and they finally decided they've milked long enough. Today was their last day. The cows were sold weeks ago, and they were shipped out yesterday and today. Courtney and I went over to the dairy and watched as the last two semi-trucks were loaded. It was a momentous day, and I think there were a lot of mixed emotions. Sadness... gladness... and the whole gamut in between. And pride of a job well done. Giving up dairying is a major change! I doubt that it's completely sunk in yet that it's really over.

Here are some photos and videos of the process of shipping the cows out. Grandpa's in the first pic... anticipating the next truck. What do you think's going through his mind?

The truck was huge.

It was a beautiful day, and quite comfortable for both humans and traveling cows.

Courtney enjoyed watching it all, as did a couple of sisters-in-law, and even Grandpa's 90-year-old mother came out to watch "the end".

Waiting for the trucker to get everything ready:

Our son, Courtney's daddy. I wonder how he was feeling....

Grandpa again... waiting....

Here's some of the loading process (that's the trucker with the prod):

Sometimes they got to moving around in the trailer so much that it rocked back and forth!

These were the last ones. They didn't always cooperate....

This is the last load, pulling away.

The barn looked empty and forlorn.....

There they go, the last load down the driveway.....

A nose here.....

An eye there......

When it was all said and done, the employees joined us for a meal of pizza and chicken on their last day.

And this was Courtney's and my last view, as we drove out of the yard.

Sadness... gladness.... and the beginning of a new era.  There will still be the land to farm, and who knows.... maybe some new cows in the future?  The kind whose calves get to do the milking?  Many decisions ahead yet. Dairying is over, but not farming.