My formal dining room used to be the “living room” of the house.  But I always wanted a dining room and when my father passed away and I inherited the dining room set that had been my parents I decided to use that room as it adjoins the kitchen as a formal dining room.  When we renovated we added hardwood floors, crown molding and a chair rail on two walls to define the eating area of the dining room.  I hung a new (to me – it was a hand-me-down) light fixture over the table and had recessed lighting installed around the other two walls.  I love the light and airy feel to the room and can’t wait to host my first dinner party.

Click on each picture for a larger shot and more information!

In the late 90’s we added on to our house – converting the carport to a den and adding a second full bath and a sewing room (what is now my den) .  Here are some pictures of what I refer to now as “The Ref’s Den.”  If you look closely you will see evidence of some things we love.  There are some fishing items – the most prized being a display of the Ref’s father’s old fishing lures.  There are numerous birdhouses as we both love birds and birdwatching.  The plates over the window have both birds and fruit.  Years ago I was given some old plates with fruit motifs.  I started collecting them and have an extensive collection – still trying to figure out how and where and if I’m going to display those in the new kitchen and/or dining room.  There are also some turtles as they are also a passion of mine.  And of course, QUILTS!  The big changes that took place in this room during the most recent renovation were the hard wood floors and some different furniture.  I moved the sleeper sofa that was in the studio down here, the recliner was one we had purchased for my father for Christmas the year before he passed away, and the rocker came from my mother-in-law.  There is a low bench in front of the big window that was made for me by a neighbor when we lived at the lake.  And of course the Ref has his computer (command central).  Click on each picture for a larger view.  

I’m finally ready to start showing the great house renovation.  First up on the tour is my den.  We added two rooms and bath on to the house in 1997-98.  This room was my sewing room – it’s approximately 14 by 14 and used to house everything for my quilting and my computer – except the longarm.  It has big windows on two walls and a slider out to the covered back porch.  The slider is behind the recliner.  That is a great recliner – I love to kick back in it and take a snooze!  The sheer window treatments are actually aabout the same color as the chair but the light coming through makes them look so much lighter in the picture.                          This is the computer area – the hutch I’m using was made by my Daddy.  He used it to house all his media components in his den.  Beside it is an antique Singer machine in a Martha Washington cabinet.  The wallhanging was made by a group of NQA certified judges while at their retreat in Cedar Lakes, WV.  I won it at the NQA Little Quilt Auction two years ago.  It has wonderful quilting on it with a WV countryside scene and the blocks look like the mountains.  This is my new chair – extra wide and it has a twin sleeper sofa in it.  In front is my new ottoman with a little quilt on top of it.  I didn’t get a picture of the table behind the chair – but it is the base to a treadle sewing machine and my father made a drop leaf top for it.                                                 The TV is sitting on top of an old TV cabinet that belonged to my mother-in-law.  When the tv in it went bad she had someone turn it into a storage unit with shelves inside and doors on the front.  I made the magnolia wall hanging years ago – my FIRST paper-pieced project.  The other two pictures have inspirational sayings.  One says Give Love, Gather Love and the other one says Life is a Promise…Fulfill It.    My CD, cassette tape, and “record” player with more inspiration/motivation hanging above it.I found this area rug on sale and managed to get it marked down even more.  The colors look a bit washed out in this picture.  I just love it – has a quilty look to it.

Hope you enjoyed the tour – come and sit a spell and stitch with me someday soon!

Next up…………in a day or so………….the Ref’s Den.

The days just seem to be zipping by at warp speed.  I had a full week again – sewing with the gang in my studio on Tuesday and on Friday.  Thursday a trip to People, Places, and Quilts to pick up the next installment of the Christmas Block of the Month.  In between trying to get moved back into the kitchen.  They are ALMOST done – just a few finishing touches – so I’m unpacking and washing and lining shelves, etc etc.

Today was Quilters’ Day Out for my guild.  Two or three Saturdays a year we rent a social hall and have a project for the guild members – free to them.  I am chairperson of this committee this year.  For today’s project I developed a quick block that lent itself to a Jelly Roll or just cutting 2 1/2″ strips from your stash – lights and darks.  We had THIRTY participants today – a few brought their own projects to work on but many did the planned project and were very happy with the results.  Of course, I forgot my camera.

Tomorrow I’m hoping to get everything that’s left moved back into the kitchen.  It would be nice to start using it again.  And as soon as possible I’ll be sharing pictures.  It really turned out beautiful IMHO.

Hope all my blogging friends are enjoying a nice weekend.  I’m off to take a nap.

  Jolene was in for the weekend and we had a fanstastic time in the studio.  Here is the proof!  The first picture is a top Jolene made from a pattern called “All About Me.”  The premise of the pattern is to choose novelty prints that show chararacteristics of the person you are making the quilt for.  Jolene just liked the design and chose to highlight a favorite fabric line, “Sunshine” by April Cornell – so this is Jolene’s All About Sunshine quilt.  She had the body of it put together before she arrrived and added the border this weekend.                                        

The next quilt is another of Jolene’s using the “Disappearing Nine-Patch” pattern.  She used a pack of charm squares – made nine-patches and then cut them into quarters and turned them before putting them back together.  Again she had the top together and added the border this weekend plus made the backing for it.               

This coming Saturday is our guild’s Quilter’s Day Out.  I used Billy Lauder’s Faux Log Cabin pattern from her Quick Quilt Tricks book and rewrote the instructions to use a Jelly Roll pack.  This is the project we will be doing at Quilter’s Day Out.  Jolene was my pattern tester and Yippee – the instructions were correct and she FOLLOWED them!!  Didn’t this turn out stunning?  She had the top done and the inner border and added the outer border plus made a back for this one this weekend, too.

Next up is Jolene’s “Shoebox” quilt.  She is participating in a shoebox block exchange at one of the quilt shops in Franklin, NC.  You put your selected fabrics in a shoebox (the plastic kind) and each month someone new gets your shoebox and fabrics and makes a block for you.  Jolene did a six month round with these fabrics.  We took five of the blocks and designed a setting yesterday.  Those little ears need to be trimmed off but I told her to wait until after I quilted it before we did any trimming.  And we decided to leave it in the octagonal shape.  She is going to use the sixth block on the back of the quilt.

So by now I’m sure you are wondering what in the world I did all weekend?  Along with serving as design consultant I did get quite a lot done – just nothing to show for it!  I worked on some blocks for my Birds of a Feather quilt,  cut out two quilts, (one is going to be an ALL ABOUT CALLIE CAT quilt), got one quilt top together and waiting for borders,  got another one together except for the last row, and I pieced 48 square in a square subunits for another project.  Yes, I skipped and jumped all over the place.  And I did my next block for the Christmas Block of the Month at PPQ.

Kitchen remodeling update.  Granite came – granite went in – granite got cut wrong for the stove/range.  YIKES!  That was Tuesday.  Friday new piece of granite came and was installed and cut properly.  We are getting there.  All appliances are in and I need to read extensively about all the great features.  Next is tiled backsplash above the granite counter tops – some trim installation, some painting touch ups, some grout touch ups on the floor. 

Jolene headed back to NC a little before 2 this afternoon and I crashed for a long long nap on the couch with my Callie Cat.  I hope all my friends had as wonderful a weekend as I did.

……………….just busy busy busy.  The TTT gang went to the St. Paul’s Episcopal Tea Room last Friday – this is a yearly fundraiser – great food and we had a lovely time.  On Saturday some of us attended a lecture/trunk show by Pat Knoechal, Eleanor Burn’s sister.  We got to have a preview of the new book (and purchase it) plus other patterns, rulers, etc.  Then we stopped at a great knitting/needlework shop.

When I got home from that I let the dogs in and all of a sudden the fur was flying.  I guess they both went for the same food bowl.  I’m not sure – and silly me tried to break it up so I have injured hands plus lots of bruises.  It was very very scary – even more so when I stop to think how much worse I could have been injured.  We have decided to stop having food out for grazing and only feed them twice a day at opposite ends of the big back porch.  We considered putting one of them up for adoption but in the end I just couldn’t do it. 

I’ve been quilting a king-size “Rambling Rose Meets Jamestown” and just took it off the Prince.  Still need to tie off and bury all the thread ends – I find I can do that easier and with less back strain when it is off the frame.  I’m very pleased with how it turned out.  The back was a wide backing in green and I used green thread in the bobbin but dark red and cream on the top and had very little tension issues.  Pictures to come very soon.

On the homefront the granite counter tops for the kitchen and laundry FINALLY were installed today.  I am thrilled with them and even more thrilled that all the remodeling should be done by the end of the week.  I brought home a bunch of paint chips last week and was able to select colors today after the countertops were in.  Now I just have to get rid of the dust (AGAIN!) and unpack and put up everything.  I’m figuring that will take a couple of weeks as I want to be able to quilt at least part of each day.

My best buddy Jolene is coming for the weekend – so we will be sewing up a storm in the studio.

I did some “for me” quilting over the weekend – this pattern is called Do the Twist and the colors are perfect for my new den/office.  I did a Terry Twist in the yellow/gold nine-patch blocks and used an oak leaf stencil in the red “twist” blocks.  As you can see – I’m working on stitching down the binding.

Last night I did this lap quilt for Jolene.  She used the Charleston III reproduction fabrics and I think the top pattern is Take 5 but don’t hold me to that!  I just did my most favorite freehand overall – floopy oak type leaves.  It is so relaxing to me to quilt this pattern. 

Next up is a King Size “Rambling Rose Meets Jamestown” pieced by Joanne – one of the TTT gang.  She does wonderful piecing and I’m looking forward to quilting this one.  We had a “consultation” today and I showed her the patterns I’m planning to quilt in the blocks and borders and we selected threads.  The back and batting are loaded and the top is pinned on – tomorrow I start basting and stabilizing and then doing some marking.  I expect this one will take me close to a week to quilt. 

All of the TTT gang was “in the studio” today except Sheila.  We missed her.  We had a wonderful time sewing and designing and laughing.  The Ref went to the strawberry patch and picked strawberries for almost everyone there.  He truly is a Prince of a hubby!

On the “home front” the granite people finally showed up yesterday to measure for my countertops.  No workers at all today.  Oh well………..it will all get done – I’m crossing my fingers and toes for the end of April. 

While it is still cool today the sun was shining and it was glorious outside.  We need to enjoy the spring “freshness” in the air – too soon it will be hot, sticky, and miserable.

Work on the new kitchen seems to have stalled again – waiting on the granite countertop people.  But I pulled out a wallhanging (top) I had made about two years ago and have it quilted, bound, and a hanging sleeve attached – ready to go on the wall in the eating area as soon as the kitchen is finished.  Coffee is going to be my theme………I have fabrics to make some tablerunners and placemats and even a neat batik fabric with coffee cups/mugs on it that I might make window treatments out of.  I’m leaning towards a warm gold for the wall colors.

Here’s some pictures – the full size pic shows true colors – the close-up is washed out and I thought I had my flash off.   The background color around the coffee cups is what I’m thinking of for wall paint – maybe a bit deeper. 

WordPress has changed how to do posts and add pictures.  Why do I have to continually learn something new??  LOL

Want to wish all my blogger friends a belated Happy Easter!  I’m happy to report that Callie Cat is back to her old self and has been eating me out of house and home and studio today.  She is even taking her pink medicine like a trooper and smacking and licking her lips afterwards! 

While it has been cool here in SC this weekend it has been very pretty and Spring is definitely here.  My azaleas are putting on a show and the dogwoods are almost completely out.  Hopefully some pictures for you this week.   I think the nasty pine pollen is about over and I can start cleaning up the porches to enjoy the wonderful weather.  Of course, that means the oaks and such are doing their thing – they don’t make a mess but sure do play havoc with my sinuses. 

 I’m almost done with all my work to get the fall retreat registration packet for our state guild to the printer.  I had hoped to have it done by the weekend but worries about Callie Cat slowed me down.  It will be at the printer on Monday and out in the mail by Saturday at the latest.  I know all the state guild members are anxiously awaiting their packets so they can sign up for their classes.

On the house renovation front the kitchen/laundry remodel is finally on it’s way to being completed.  I haven’t said much about this final phase but it has been pretty inconvenient not having a kitchen for almost a month.  I do have one up in the studio but it’s small and still not easy to function in a house without even a kitchen sink.  When this work is done I will basically have a NEW house.  The contractor said 3-4 weeks max and this Wedneday makes four weeks.  So he’s not going to make his finish date but he won’t be far behind. 

Finally!  The Ref can use his new room!  But maybe the Princess should try out the shower first?

 Shower curtain and bath mat.  I wanted to add a color and love the sagey green in the shower curtain.

The rug also has the sagey green in it.

The pedestal sink – first the pedestal was on back order – then the sink basin was cracked.  Check out the pretty brushed nickel waste basket with the upscale Tar-gay liner!!

I’ve promised the Ref some pretty new towels for Christmas (as if he cares – he’s a man – it’s a towel).  The contractor and I went round and round about where to hang the towel rods.  He had them too low.  He said we were short.  I said I did not want towels dangling on the toilet paper.  I won.  To the left of the towels is a nice linen closet – not enough space to get good pics.

In my foray through Target last night I also found pretty wastebaskets for my den and the Ref’s den.  We both have office areas in our respective dens so need to have a trash receptacle.  Also got pretty decorative rods for the windows in my den and for all of the bedrooms.  Now to find something to hang on the rods.