They said it didn't get to blizzard conditions up here in northeast Ohio. I don't know who was calling the shots, but since DH and I had to drive in it, I'm gonna say that Medina was hit by a blizzard! It was white out conditions, cold as heck and we got over 2 feet of snow in less than 24 hours. The wind was gusting at 30-35 mph---that's blizzardy! Anyway, we made it through after having to drive in it---errands that would usually take us 2 hours to complete took us 6 hours, but we did it---and yes, we did have to go out, unfortunately. Here are some pics the from the day after the storm---it was beautiful out---the sun was shining and the skies were clear and blue---what a contrast to the day before!
As usual, click on the pics to get the full size!
Today it's gonna be in the 40's and the snow is going to start melting away. There are flood watches out now, due to the amounts of snow---we're not affected. Luckily for us, our house is up on a hill, probably 20 feet up from the yard. The yard is flooded at the back where the creek is, but that is to be expected. We've got a couple months of this to deal with before it really dries out and we can walk about without needing muck boots!
I've been busy cutting strips and blocks for my next two quilts. I'm making my nieces simple, patchwork quilts with soft backs, for snugglely blankies! I'm probably just going to tie them and I'm not sure yet if I am even using batting since the backing fabric is pretty thick and heavy. I normally wouldn't use anything but cotton or wool for quilting, but when I saw this soft poly fabric, I thought, wouldn't that make a nice, snugglely blankie???? I know my nieces will think so and allow me to stray from my usual quilting policies, LOL!
The new sewing room needs a lot of work, so it's not really been set up yet. The room is only 8 X 9 and the Grace takes up a whole wall and nearly half the room. The floor is raw wood---old raw wood. It needs to be either sanded and sealed or we put in carpet. The walls desperately need painted, the ceiling is cracking where it meets the wall because previous owners wallpapered it. There is no heating in there and no overhead lighting. The two outlets in there are fried. Like I said, it needs A LOT of work!
I decided to put my main sewing table in the dining room and I'll dedicate the room for storage and Grace. I had considered putting Grace in the living room and using the room for sewing but the baby constantly tried to climb on the frame and was messing with the rails all the time at the old house----it's better out of (his) site. I don't mind having my sewing out in the public rooms----we do not nor will we ever have a formal house, so it just kinda goes along with everything else---we live to LIVE and it's always obvious! Besides, the woodburner is in the diningroom and I love to sit in there with the doors open (and the screen up) with a roaring fire going while I read or sew, so I won't mind being in the dining room at all! We're going to be remodeling it soon, making it look more period. Maybe DH and I can come up with a design that can incorporate the sewing table into the room and make it blend better! Personally, I'm just not that worried about it! Although, I do plan on getting rid of the ugly curtain over the doorway and replacing it with a door!
I still have not gotten a chance to try out my Grace, yet. DH needs to fix or replace all the outlets in that room and get some lighting set up---right now there are some old wall sconces that don't even have a switch! To turn them on, you screw in the bulb, LOL! Not exactly good quilting lighting. I also want to get a sewing machine specifically for the Grace, I'm not so sure my Bernina will do well on it and I really don't want to have to keep moving it from frame to table. I'm just looking for a straight stitcher with a deeper throat that I'd be able to use with a stitch regulator. I can't afford any of the long arm machines at this point, and with the move and all the work we have to do around here, I'm looking at spending no more than $200, $300 at the most. If anyone has any suggestions, I'm all ears (or eyes as the case may be)!!
Ok, I am off! Today is Sean's birthday and we're going to all go out to lunch and then taking him to get a guitar. Mr. Guitar Hero star had decided he wants to learn the real thing (YAY!!!) so I can't wait to get him a guitar and lessons! Stephen also plays and of course my brother is an excellent guitarist as well. I taught them all the basics (which is all I know) and they all took off from there and learned way more than I ever did! It'll be nice having a guitar player in the house again!
Have a good week!
