 View of the outside of the house |
 Swimming and picnic area |
 Kitchen, as seen from Living Room |
 Dining Room |
 Living Room, with Dining room in the background |
 First Floor Bedroom |
 Living Room as seen from Dining Room |
 Upstairs Lounge |
 Master Bedroom |
 Bedroom 7 |
 Swimming area. |
 The back deck. |
Sewing Cafe meets 2 to 3 Monday evenings per month in the Portland store. The main course is sewing but it is garnished with laughter and fun. There is a small group of loyal participants and a steady stream of "one-nighters." On any given night, I might be providing instruction in quilting, mending, decorating, and dress making. Everyone learns from each other and I learn from my "students." I haven't yet written this up with photos because it is not really an event or a party, but a basic class. However, Sewing Cafe is offering something special for those who are serious about learning to sew or want to further develop their skills. To see examples of what happens at Sewing Cafe, click on the photo album for photos taken June 15, 2009. If you'd like to join us, check ou the website for dates and call Sew Portland (797-6700) to register for class. If you need a sewing machine, let us know in advance and we will gladly provide one.
Spring actually came to Maine early this year, but "Gardener Gary" wasn't ready for it. He managed to get in one mow around before the equipment failed. After a week or more of tinkering with John Deere, and being told he could no longer get parts, he purchased a new riding long mower on Saturday. (Well, it really is new, but we have never owned one before, so it is pretty exciting. The John Deere actually belonged to his father.)
The surprising thing about the new mower, which he bought from Putt Patten at Ellsworth Chain Saw (which is actually in Trenton), is that it is a Husqvarna! You know, the guys who make Viking sewing machines! Now, I am a Supreme Pfaff Dealer which means I agreed to have no other brands. I hope the big guys don't find out I have a Husqvarna in the door yard!
Well, Gary got the mower going and finally trimmed the yard and whacked the weeds .. we actually look like we are open for business! I was so inspired that I planted the 'xploded tires and the pots by the fence. One thing led to another, so I filled the potholes out by the road. Now if Dennis (Mary Jane's husband) and the UPS guys would stop spinning their tires when they burn onto Route 3....
I've got lots of photos of our work, before and after, and some other poses. I also included the one Gary took of in the store because I thought it looks so inviting.
I have been working on items for classes and have selected some of the patterns from these new young designers. Their fabrics are wonderfully delicious and very popular. So, to sell their fabrics, they are all coming up with patterns to use them. And, the designs are terrific! However, I am getting more and more impatient with their pattern making skills (or should I say "lack thereof"). Apparently, some of these young gals have never read traditional patterns, so they are "re-inventing the wheel" making up their own terminology and methods. For example, one has redefined the word "midriff" to mean below the waist and another thinks a circle or dot is the same thing as a dart, and seam allowance! .. just guess! Imagine if my daughter the architect decided to redefine words for the carpenters that use her plans ..."Oh, I'd like to call the window sill a sash, and strut is a funny word, let's call it a molding..." I guess that's why she has 5 years of intensive training and has to intern for 3 and then pass a whole battery of exams to become licensed ... no such regulation in the clothing industry .. if you can afford to print it, it can be sold without disclaimer! My biggest concern with these patterns is that the gals who they appeal to the most are beginners and when they can't figure it out, they think it is something they are doing wrong. Some just go for it and "make it work" which is not what a pattern is supposed to do (and I've seen some of the workmanship on those), but they are happy, so all is well in la-la land. Maybe I just expect more from someone who is selling a product.
Oh, I should add that I have found some gals who do a great job ... I have put together several of Melly and Me patterns, and except for the language barrier in a few places (I don't read Australian), their bags go together very well. Pink Sand Beach does a nice job, but she is closer to my age, and I have heard that Penny Sturges's patterns are very good. So, I will continue to sample and pass on the info to my customers and contact the offenders and offer suggestions for improvement ... if I could only rule the world of sewing!
I have been told by family and friends that I am not keeping my blog up-to-date, and it is so true! But in case you're wondering if I am sitting around "polishing my tush", I am not. We have just returned from Baltimore where we (Hubby, older brother Tyler, older sister Maggie, Aunt Gail, and Uncle Carroll) attended our "baby's" senior recital at Peabody Conservatory of Music. It was beyond memorable!
I, of course, had not finished her gown, so I carried the pieces and patterns and pins onto the plane and fit and finished it in the comfort of her apartment on Cathedral Street. We had to shop for shoes before it could be hemmed and I didn't put the finishing touches on it until the morning of the recital. I must say I was under a bit of stress as I hemmed it the evening before after a full dinner at the Thai restaurant (Mai Tais and all).
At the recital, she performed a range of pieces including concertos for trumpet as well as jazz numbers. Although maybe not the most challenging piece, my favorite was her ending jazz performance of Over the Rainbow. I can't wait until we get a CD of the performance.
The photo album chronicles a bit of our adventure.
I recently had the opportunity to work with a group of young girls at our church to "kick start" their sewing adventures. What a delightful, enthusiastic group of 11 it turned out to be! They also turned out to be the children of some of my former first grade students! Now how old does that make me feel?
Most of them had little sewing experience, but they dove in with the attitude of "how hard could it be?" I had two adult assistants and 6 sewing machines. Some of the girls got to test drive our computerized Pfaffs and that was an experience in itself. They also were fascinated with the Fasturn tube for turning. (Most adults are amazed with this tool the first time they see it in use.)
Most of them chose to make fashionable belts. They were delighted with the "cool" fabrics I had brought and picked one or 2 colors for their project. They pinned and cut and stitched and turned and modeled! Some even got their first experience with a seam ripper! One astute young lady asked "If I press the reverse button, does it take out the stitches I just did?" Now wouldn't that be great! I think there is a budding engineer there!
The afternoon was a wonderful adventure for me and I hope for the girls. Click on the adjacent photo album for pics (I did not put in any names in case someone "unsavory" is reading this!)
What a weekend! Seventeen lovely ladies joined me for a weekend of quilting and fun at China Lake Conference Center in China, Maine. The weather was perfect, the scenery breathtaking, and the food ample and sumptuous! We quilted and laughed and ate and laughed and quilted and ate. No phones to answer, no meals to prepare, no floors to sweep ... a true "Ladies weekend out!" Our unofficial greeter, Barbara, and friend Gail kept us all in line and provided sweets and treats for everyone. [Barbara left early on Sunday (her birthday) to go to meet a client with her husband, but we found out that she was really heading to a huge surprise party at her summer home! Happy Birthday, Barbara.]
Most attendees had projects of their own to work on, but I did several demonstrations and many made small projects. The striped table runner was a hit and lots of striped fabric was sliced and diced. We made origami bags from an internet pattern and I demonstrated the filmstrip technique. That one pretty much requires Lisa Moore's "Alaska Photo Album" pattern to do, so some were excited about doing that project later. We made wallets and Amy Butler's Birdie Sling bag. Terrie modeled her Myake shirt and another vest by Lois Erickson. Some ladies worked on charity quilts, including coloring one for Terry Hodskins and her Wrap-a-Smile project. (Click on the link to read about Wrap-a-Smile: http://www.rotaplast.org/partners/wrapasmile.php).
I am making Teri for our October Retreat. Our theme this year is "Rustic and Ragged." Attendees may choose from rugs, rag dolls, Christmas quilt, raggedy purse, and more. In order to teach all these items at once, I need to make samples and troubleshoot the patterns or the ideas. Well, I have the rugs all made (see "Rug Twining"), but the others are works in progress.
Teri is a typical rag doll made from muslin. I got inspiration from a Christmas doll in one of the Austrailian magazines. I easily made Teri from muslin and then decided she would look more rustic and natural if she were tea dyed. The proper method would have been to tea dye the muslin first, but then, that would be easy and not much of an adventure. So, when I realized that Teri needed a tea bath, I got out my trusty camera to photograph her along the way --- sort of a "photojournal of Teri's transformation." Maybe you and a friend can do it this way, too. (Of course, I could have finished Teri and loaned her to a 2 year old for a week or so and the "muddied" effect would have been done for me!) Just click on Teri's photo album and follow the sequence.
We started a tradition a few years ago in which we travel to an island, set up a quilting day, and enjoy either lobster and crabmeat rolls, or a boiled lobster feed. We have twice visited Cranberry Isles, Swans Island, and twice to Stonington. This year, with the price of the ferries really skyrocketing, we carpooled to Winter Harbor, a bit downeast of here. We set up our stitching room at the new Masonic Hall on School Street. It is a newly built, one floor building with many tables, a kitchen, and lots of space. To see the harbor, one only had to step out the door to the parking lot.
Unlike past years, the group was very intent on making their table runners. I had adapted a pattern from Australian Patchwork and Quiltingby simplifying the blocks and using Robert Kaufman's Shimmer of the Sea fabric. Many followed my design, but others created their own. Check out the photos in the album. We had lunch of sandwiches and pasta salad with Key Lime Cupcakes and brownies for dessert. (Since Lisa was not able to come this year, there was ample food to go around and some to take home for sandwiches the next day.)
We packed up our sewing projects at 5:00 and headed out to Frazer Point which is in Acadia National Park, just across the harbor from where we were sewing. When we arrived there, husband Gary had already selected a spot for cooking the lobsters and setting up the tables. The weather and the view were incredible.
We had one lobster each, but I think hubby picked some "selects" from his crate for the gals. Usually I get the one claws, etc., but he treated the ladies well. We had an offering of salads and breads and butters. The two recipes requested most were for my Almost Famous Herbed Butter and Alfreda's Blueberry Cake, so I am including them here. Nina thought that Alfreda's Blueberry Cake is the same as Marjorie Standish's in Cooking Downeast.Well, I found my copy of the cookbook and Marjorie's version and found that they are not the same; while they primarily have the same ingredients, the proportions are different. Marjorie uses less flour and more sugar per egg, thereby creating a lighter, cake. Alfreda's (my late mother-in-law) recipe likely came from relatives from downeast in the blueberry growing business. (Years ago we would go down to one of her cousins fields and pick berries before the rakers came in. Today my berries come from a somewhat measly patch behind Sewing by the Sea).
Herbed Butter: Mix together 1 stick of margarine, about 5 oz. cream cheese, 1 or 2 pressed cloves of garlic, and whatever herbs are in the cupboard or on the windowsill .. parsley, basil, etc. That's it!
Alfreda's Blueberry Cake: Cream together 1 stick of margarine and 2 cups of sugar; add 2 eggs and beat well; Add 3 1/4 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cream of tartar, and 1/2 teaspoon of soda alternately with 1 cup of milk. Lightly flour then stir in 2 cups of fresh or frozen Maine blueberries. Pour into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 3500 for about 50 minutes.
I have been really amiss in not keeping up to date with my blogging! Summer is so hectic and loading the photo takes so long. However, I decided that I could at least write some info and then download when I have a spare minute.
So, I am only a month late in telling you about the quilt show held in Augusta at the end of July. I like the Maine show because it offers a bit of everything; quilts are not juried so anyone that is a guild member may enter. However, there is also a category for judging and a category for the teachers that come to teach at the show. And, as usual, the quilts on display ranged from simply Turning Twenty to incredible thread painted works of art by our teachers. Not to be outdone by the display quilts, the vendors' booths also have quite an array of quilts. I must say that I feel like the "poor country cousin" in that department. Since we are not just a quilt shop, we do not have the time to put in to make glorious quilts for display (or otherwise). I just try to keep ahead of my students and on top of all the innovations in the sewing machine field (but usually find myself at the bottom of the repair heap!).
The Best of Show this year was won by Carol Perkins of Rangely. Carol pieced her machine on a Pfaff and quilted it on her Gammill. Carol owns the Rangely Quilt Inn and has a shop next door.
The featured quilters this year, Lorraine and Searle Sweet, also stitch on a Pfaff. They also both machine quilt on a Gammill longarm. Searle incorporates embroidery into his quilts. You see, Lorraine made him buy a new machine a few years ago because he kept borrowing her Pfaff because he didn't like sewing on a competitor's "brand we won't mention here" machine. So, he figured if he was going to get his own Pfaff, he would go all the way to an embroidery machine. I don't think there have been any regrets!
You really need to see the photos album for this post to see our booth, the quilts, and our feathered friend Mary Flo the Flamingo being toted around the auditorium by none other than Barbara Herget. If you like what you see, we have a pattern to make Mary Flo, and I can give your Barbara's phone number!
