Zen Machine Embroidery with Sue Hausmann

The two fun-filled days came and went too quickly.

Here are some of the many projects that we completed:

A very useful carry all....

An beautiful dish towel....

Very lacy pocket....

Hummingbird and flowers on a nylon bag.....

3D Butterfly sewn onto the top of this little circular bag.....

Zen pocket and Scissor holder (which still needs to be trimmed).....

The best part of the whole experience was meeting the wonderful Sue Hausmann!!!

I've watched Sue, on TV, for years but never thought I'd ever meet her.

Sue is a down to earth and genuinely nice person.

Thank you, Billie's Designer Fabrics, for bringing Sue to us!!!

Doin' some sewin'

 August BOM - the 12th block for the year

 Keep the sun out hat and "take me fishin'" hat

 Nice, bright flannel booties

Newborn bibs backed with flannel

A crocheted doily and a Herbert Niebling doily

 You, too, can crochet this doily.  It is the July Member's Choice at DOM and

is FREE.

I used sz 10 crochet thread and US sz 4 hook.

This beautiful doily was designed by Glenda Hunt and can be purchased at DoilyHead's Blog.

I test knit this twice because I knit it with sz 10 crochet thread the first time and was 

reminded it needed to be with larger thread for the size of a baby blanket.  

It was a wonderful knit and there are no errors.  :)

A few Amish inspired quilt blocks

.....from the Block-of-the-Month group.

I am looking forward to this Friday's get together for the next block.

A sad thing....

.....for the Robin family.  After sitting on her eggs for over 17 days, she left the nest.  She came back the next two days to sit for about half an hour each time.

I checked the eggs.  They were cold.  I opened one, then two and then all three.  They looked as fresh as if she had just laid them.  They were not fertile.

It was so sad to see her come back and try and try.  Even Mr. Robin landed on the nest, the 15th day, with a worm in his beak.  I watched him look at the inside of the nest.....first with one eye and then turned his head to look with his other.  He ate the worm and left.  He knew.

The nest is still there waiting for a family.  Maybe, just maybe, we'll still get to see some baby robins in it this year.

How many eggs will Ms. Robin lay this year?

 After the nest was built, Ms. Robin went away until today, March 25th.

The first egg in the nest at 11:14 a.m.  I happened to look out the kitchen window

to see her panting, stand up and lay the egg.

 March 26th after 12 noon.

 March 27th after 1 p.m.

 Ms. Robin.....will there be a 4th egg tomorrow?  

She turned her "back" to me.....leaving me to wonder.

The nest building from start to finish

 March 14

 March 16

 March 17

March 18

There was no work done on the 15th.

So Miss Robin decided to build her nest on the same ladder rung as last year.

I feel honored that she likes the house so much.

Slytherin Scarf my way.....

Since I am unable to knit without a lot of pain in my left wrist, I decided to weave the scarves 

to finish the Harry Potter Scarves left to do.

 The camera captured the colors nicely in this photo of Slytherin beginnings.

Slytherin after washing and hemstitching.

Ingredients for this scarf:  Cascade 220 Superwash and an 8 dent reed.

Two more to go.

Here's what happened to me, today...

 This coop and run was delivered to us in June 2013.  Nice, right.  Picture it without grass inside.

Well, it wasn't today.  See the latch on the long side of the 4'x8' run that is only 3' tall?

I was wanting to take a really good look inside so I took the spring hook off, did a squat and closed the door behind me.  Yup, you got it.....I locked myself inside the run.  Stop laughing so you can read on.

 See this lovely, clean inside with such a beautiful brand spanking new ladder....all untouched by Le Poo?

You got it.  

After I yelled for help, it dawned on me that I could be in here with the chickens for hours!  I wasn't

the only one not happy with me in there.  The girls were tilting their heads and following me around talking to me.  At that moment, I was very happy it wasn't a puppy who would be ALL over me!

I assessed the situation and saw a possible escape route to the left of the ladder and under

the roost that is about 18" high.

Never mind that I had "to town" jeans on.....but luckily I had the "feed the chickens and clean the roost" jacket on, so I got on my elbows and felt like I was crawling under barbed wire telling myself to keep my head down (yes, I told myself to keep that part down, too).

This is another early photo of one the girls getting used to the coop.  See that feeder in the far back?  The

water container wasn't in there so I could finish crawling through the mud and poo around the feeder.

It was really tough on me with the painful tendinitis in my left wrist but I persevered.

No one my age should have to experience that!

I hope I learned my lesson.  

Don't go where the chickens go!

Bibs. Will they stand the test?

Check out these infant bibs I made as a request from my beautiful DIL.

 The Fronts of the Fantastic Four.

I used some wonderful 100% cotton fabrics.

 The Backs of the same Fantastic Four.

The backs are waterproof and 100% Nylon.

In the middle is some prewashed double-sided flannel.

 Here, my grandson, Joey, is wondering if these will rip off as easily as the velcro ones.

Mom and Dad laughed as Joey tried with all his might.

The face of defeat says it all....the bib won't budge with those snap closures.

The pattern can be found here.

Sheep Heid Tam for me....

....and knit by my dear friend, Denise, of LostCityKnits.  The irony of this is

that I test knit for her and she knit this for me.  She knew I would

not be able to knit it for some time as I have DeQuervain's Syndrome in my left thumb/wrist.

Ouch is right.

Not being able to knit, sew, tat, crochet and other daily activity is making me not so happy.

I DO have a question about my hair and would love input from you all......should I leave it the length it is

or cut it short.  I look forward to your opinions!

Hope everyone else is doing better than me.  :)