A Life taken too soon....

It has been quite a while since I have posted on my blog...  I have been super busy teaching tuffet and bag classes.... and I do not really see that changing anytime soon.

Many things have happened since my last post when my friend Pat came and spent the weekend and made tuffets for her three grandchildren... about two weeks after this her precious daughter Jenna was killed by a drunk driver while she was out running with a friend training for a half marathon.  Her friend had minor injuries and Jenna was killed instantly leaving behind her husband and 4 year old daughter.  Such a tragedy.  Our families were very close and spent a lot of time together.

 This is her sweet little granddaughter sitting on her tuffet!

Below is a picture of our girls together in about 2000.  Jenna is in the middle

Nancy

Tuffets still a thing....

This past weekend a long time friend came to visit, with an agenda... haha  She wanted to make tuffets for her three grandchildren and that we did!  WE had a nice visit and enjoyed making things together which we have done over the years.

 To top it off the Mighty Mississippi was looking beautiful!

 Have an awesome weekend!  Nancy

Reupholstery....

I have had two chairs that for the last few years I have had Sure Fit Slip covers on.....  and have been wanting to get up the courage to reupholster them both....  In February my hubby and I were in Paducah, Kentucky with my sister and her husband.  Now you know the rest of the story .... we went to Hancock's of Paducah (they are not associated with the Hancock Fabric Stores that just shut its doors everywhere).  While at Hancock's of Paducah I found some fabric that I thought would work well in our family room.  Along comes the month of April and I still had the time nor the courage  to try reupholstering the chairs and I was back in Paducah for Quilt Week and of course went to Hancock's again,  once again I found upholstery grade fabric on the clearance table so I purchased more fabric.

In the past two weeks I have gotten brave and I am pretty pleased with the results!  I have 2 electric staple guns that I use for the tuffet classes I teach, but I bought an inexpensive staple gun that you use an air compressor with, it was definitely game changer for me.  The worst part of the whole process was pulling all the staples.  It was a tough job!  The upholstery part was easy.  Truthfully it was a piece of cake.  I wrote on each piece as I took them off and used them for patterns!  I was so tickled that it all went back together so well!  I re-used everything I took off... the tacking strips and the piping!  I really enjoyed it once I got past the staple pulling.

I will help friends and family who want to brave it and try it also, but have no intentions of going into business reupholstering!  The people who do this for a living earn every penny they charge for doing this!

the Process of recreating....  Sorry I did not get a true before picture, but this is the tearing apart!

Below is the finished chair!  I also made a tuffet to match!

Why yes, this is just part of the staples and of course the band aid was a must.

Step by Step, it really came together beautifully!

I am quite pleased with the outcome!  I have Navy Blue Natuzi leather furniture which is about 13 years old but it is so comfy and still in great shape.  Before I did the reupholstery of the chairs I was tempted to buy new furniture,  so glad I got brave and tried this!  I love it!!!

Nancy

Moon Bag Test...

I was excited to test the June Bag of the Month's LUNAR COLLECTION for Christine at ChrisWDesigns...  Christine always has well detailed patterns with wonderful instructions, but when I saw that it was going to be a BIG bag I was a little overwhelmed!  Yes, I have made a zillion purses, but never a big travel bag.  I had an upcoming trip to Florida, so I just jumped in and made the Small size  HALF MOON Bag.  I used decorator fabric on the outside (but I still ironed SF101 on it).

This Bag did not disappoint!  I packed it to the gill and used it as a carry on bag on my recent trip, it was small enough that I could put it under my seat!  I saw people looking at it while in the Security line, In my mind they were seeing the handmade label and thinking "no way"!

It really was an easy bag to make and the rewards were great!

Thank you Christine for an awesome pattern and Yay for me I did get one bag of the month completed! :)

So if you belong to the Bag of the Month Club, what are you waiting for?  Go pick out your fabric for this bag!  If you do not belong to the club it will be for sale on Christine's Website in July!  I LOVE MY HALF MOON BAG!

Happy Sewing!  Nancy

The Birds of Summer....

We have officially become crazy Bird Watchers....  Our back yard is the perfect spot and we spoil bribe our birds to stay as long as they can... we put Bark Butter in a limb looking stick that has holes in it... The Downey Woodpeckers are crazy about it!  Mark will fill it up and before the day is over it is all gone!

WE get giddy over new arrivals..... E V E R Y T I M E....

They are definitely an interesting little creature that God made!

We have our year round visitors but oh in the late spring some of the most colorful come and delight our souls!

Yesterday I was crazy over a pair of Bluebirds looking to nest!

For some reason the Grossbeaks have hung around a little longer than they normally do in the spring... maybe because we have had a cooler spring this year?  Whatever the reason we have enjoyed watching them!

Above is the Male Grossbeak and below is the female!  In most of the species the female is not the prettier of the two.... and sometimes do not even look like the same bird!

The Baltimore Oriole's have also stayed longer this year than normal......  They love Oranges and Grape Jelly!  The Oriole's are just beautiful!

Above is the Male Oriole and below is the Female Oriole.

below you see her with a mouthful of jelly!

Our Faithful Cardinals who stay year round!

WE have been working on sprucing our landscaping up this week!

Hope you are doing something fun today!

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26

Happy Tuesday!  Nancy

Tuffet Craze

Last Saturday I taught a Tuffet Class in my home to these two young ladies Jamie and Jessica.... They were beginner sewers and they did awesome making the tuffets..  Once again it is the Quick and Cute Tuffet Pattern by Erin Underwood.  These two had theirs done in record time!

Happy Wednesday to you!  Nancy

I love C R E A T I N G beautiful things....

One of my life long passions is simply crafting.... making beautiful things.. but... I receive so much JOY from teaching someone else to do something that they did not think they could make!  For the last 10 months I have been teaching in some Quilt Shops.. I have mainly taught Bag Making, but as of late I have taught the Fold n Stitch Wreath and just this past Saturday I taught the Quick and Cute Tuffet by Erin Underwood..  It is so awesome when I see the excitement and hear it in their voices, because sometimes you just need someone to guide you through it the first time and then LOOK OUT you go full force and make more......

Oh and just so you know... when I teach a class EACH student must buy their own pattern... no sharing.

I will share some pictures of the latest class I have taught....

The below picture is from Quilting in the Valley in Lasalle, IL.....  The fun thing is I made four new friends!

Below is the Fold n Stitch Wreath I taught at The Quilting Bee in Galesburg, IL

Happy Monday.... What are you making??

Nancy

A little makeover.....

Sometimes the smaller things can make the biggest difference!  In the picture below... do you see the double sliding doors on the left?  Well those doors went to our pantry and they were a pain in the hind end!  If you had them slid one way you need something on the other side... If you had them slid the other way... well you get the picture.  It was hard putting things away and getting things out.  It was always a mess.  Sooooo I got the brilliant idea to put in French Doors.

THE BEFORE PICTURE

THE AFTER PICTURE... 

They were inexpensive Pine French Doors from Menards (less than $250.)  I painted them with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Provence toned down with Arles, to give it a little different color. I put frosted contact paper in the windows so you cannot see all the stuff on the shelves.  Even though it is organized I still do not want it showing.  

 A better shot of the doors.

And the inside... I love this.  It has made so much difference!  Thanks to my hubby for being the muscles behind this project!!

and you thought I was finished.... Ha ha.. I am always looking for another project!!

Happy Weekend!  Nancy

Spring has arrived....

We had a few visitors come and go... A few turkeys and lots of beautiful goldfinch.... The goldfinch stay all winter but oh in the spring when the get their summer color, they are beautiful!!

The Nappy Bag for a new mom...

Last week I made the Nappy Diaper Bag for a new Mom to be!  The pattern is from Samantha at home with Mrs H....  It was the first time for this pattern and I even got to use my embroider on my machine!  Not to shabby for a first time pattern use!  It is a great pattern, and I wouldn't expect anything else from Samantha!

 I also made a little diaper changing mat that I just whipped up out of the blue (pun intended) ... No pattern.

I think it looks good on this beautiful little Momma!

Happy Sewing!  Nancy