Happy New Year, Everybody! I’m going to make several secret resolutions – then if I fail nobody will know. Haha!
1. Dirty Dozen and Color Challenge – we will use January and February to get caught up. It’s winter, we’re stuck inside and we all have more than enough projects to finish. So no new Dirty Dozen numbers or new colors to work on for two months.
2. $5 Friday will start again this coming Friday, January 6. We will make a $5.00 pattern available to you on one condition – you include a SASE with your check or cash when ordering. This cuts down on my time filling orders which in turn keeps the cost low for you. You must tell me what you’re ordering. Send cash or check with you SASE to Country Threads, 2345 Palm Ave. Garner, IA. 50438.
3. You can always reach with me questions at maryehazel2020@gmail.com. My email is always listed on our home page under our photo. Before you email me, please read the comments – someone might already have asked that very question and the answer is in the comments.
4. Every New Years Day I start a new quilt and I have several in mind. I will post later what I decide on – it’s a new inspiration to get me enthused for the coming year of projects.
5. I’m going to concentrate on making rugs this winter. I have one half done waiting for me.
This is from our book Rugs From Rags which comes with a DVD for $20 including postage. I will write a more detailed post about these rugs which can be made with any fabric – old clothing, linens, wool, tshirt knits, even plastic grocery bags – which I personally have not tried but have been told. Someone mentioned this rug by the bed when I posted Color Parade recently. Anybody with me?
6. With winter weather ahead, I may be forced to go into the post office only twice a week. Bear with me.
7. That’s it from the farm. I took a sweet barn video last night but why, oh why, won’t WordPress let me post it – it’s very short so length is not the issue. The radio was playing 2001 Space Odyssey! We’ve come a long way, Baby!
Who watched college football last night? I’m still catching my breath!!
Picture taken on Christmas Day somewhere in South Dakota – Betty sent this to me. Unbelievable!!!
No snow in Valdosta GA. Sunshine and much walking with the dogs on the Nature Trails until we head back to Indiana in the Spring. Mary can you get more than one pattern in an envelope if we send more money?
Holly – I believe two and possibly 3 patterns can fit and mail with one stamp – thanks for asking.
Yes about football. We watched GA beat Ohio State in a heart stopper. Also watched TCU vs MI another wild ride and Alabama and Kansas State.
My New Year resolution is not to make any resolutions. Happy 2023 to you.
Have a Happy Peaceful New Year. Thank you for all you do for us. No snow (or rain) in W WA
Happy New Year, Mary! Wishing you, Rick and all your animals a prosperous and healthy 2023!
Great night for college football!! I’m sure the final between Georgia and TCU will be great too! I’ll have to cheer for TCU since Georgia beat Ohio State. Ohio State was my husband’s favorite!!
I just ordered your Fresh Start Quilts book. Can’t wait to get it.
My resolutions are secret too! Happy New Year!
Love the picture of Heidi. I wish I could sleep as soundly as a cat always looks! Amazing picture of the snow being cleared in S.D.!
Happy and healthy 2023 to everyone!
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you and hubby and all the animals. Hope 2023 will be a great year for you.
Yes-watched the college football games and they were great. Watching Pro football today while it rains like crazy here in northern Arizona.
I’m kinda glad for the small break with the challenge. I was sick between Christmas and New Years. The rug challenge is tempting! I love my rugs!
Thank you so very much for continuing this blog. I don’t comment very often but so enjoy your comments and photos, particularly those of the barn! And your rat stories were so spit in. I too live in a farm and they are never ending!!!
Take care Mary and once again thank you! I do not have any idea where you get all your energy!
Happy New Year to you also!
HAPPY NEW YEAR! I’m in the Chicago area. We had a few snowfalls, so we did have snow on the ground for Christmas, but then the weather climbed to 56˚ a couple days ago, so now all we see is ugly brown grass!
This Tuesday it might be 60˚! Good day to take down our outside lights and decorations because after that, it’s back to the 30’s. I haven’t left the house for two weeks! I love winter so I can stay home and get things done. As all of us do, I have plenty of UFO’s to keep me busy all winter.
I’m so happy to report that I am now a great-grandmother! A beautiful girl with lots of hair! So, my daughter is a grandmother – now that’s hard to grasp! They all live in Wisconsin, so I won’t get to see the baby until Spring. Here’s to a happy, healthy, productive, quilty 2023.
Gail – congratulations, Great Grandma!
My resolutions…be more kind, speak softer, when someone interrupts my sentence, give them the floor.
If I don’t write them down, I’ll forget!!!
My goodness, that picture of the snow on I90 is incredible. I hope Buffalo recovers without additional trouble.
Wishing you and Rick a Happy New Year! I am with you on catching up. I don’t know where time goes. I binge watched college football. Attended OSU so was a bit bummed out about the loss. Won’t stop me from watching the National Championship game. I do live in Georgia now. Just hope it is a good game. Been working on a charity quilt. Hope to complete it this week and then on to my projects. I so enjoy your blog. Looking forward to more $5.00 patterns.
I would love to make the rug with you. I have the book but not the DVD
Fortunately we have no snow in Florida and thankfully our normal temperatures are back. Happy New Year!!!! Here’s to a very quilty 2023!! I don’t make resolutions, but I do try to do a few goals. Covid lockdown seemed to make me lazy…… trying to break out of that rut. I do have plenty of things in my sewing room to keep me busy. My sister has given me a spreadsheet (yes, a spreadsheet ) of table runners she has and table runners she needs…. LOL. One for every month. I found some great star war fabric and decided to make my son a quilt….. as if I need another project 😂 Guess that’s what retirement is about. Mary, stay warm and safe. Xx
That snow in SD reminds me of the end of our driveway in the blizzard of ‘77. We needed the local farmers equipment to dig us out a tunnel! We owned a snowmobile then and hubby got neighbors back to their homes who were stranded in town halls and school buildings. And here there was another blizzard with a double digit year – 22.
Thanks Mary for continuing with the $5 patterns, I have quite a nice collection of them and always like to see new ones. No games for me today as after church I did laundry, took soup to a shut in, and now sewing as lots of leftovers to eat tonight and tomorrow. It’s like a double Sunday with tomorrow a holiday.
Happy New Year. Cloudy here in NW NE. The snow from the two storms in Dec. have settled a lot, very icey!!! Another storm coming in tonite and tomorrow, they say we can get up to 8 to 12 inches of snow again with 35 mph winds. Mother Nature is trying to end the drought here in just a few weeks!!!!
Carol – and I remember last summer when I prayed for rain – just for my grass! I can’t imagine crops and livestock without rain. I hope the snow will end the drought
And I thought 12″ was quite a bit of snow. The image from South Dakota is remarkable.
That is a lot of snow!! I love those rugs I’ll have to think about it for winter time. We still have time don’t we? Happy new year Mary
I hope Betty is doing ok up there in SD. That is a lot of snow. I have a rug already a little way started, Mary, so I will keep on working on it. I have made one and I love it. Buddy does, too😺 I am happy to catch up in Jan. and Feb. I made lots of things in 2020, but many obligations in 2022 slowed me down. I am ready to QUILT! Thanks for helping us keep organized, Mary. Over today, about 50*, but still ok and no snow.
You are right. That photo is unbelievable! I just can’t imagine that much snow.
Thanks for giving us more time. I need it, that’s for sure. Now I can continue on with my great-grandson’s quilt with lots of black in it. I don’t usually make large quilts now, but his quilt is the exception. His brother is only a year younger, so then comes another one. lol
I really need to work on my rug. I stuck it behind the sewing room door long ago and there it sits. My dilemma is the fabric. Does using a lot of prints make them too busy? Or, are plain fabrics better?
We are having a nice day today after so much rain. It is sunny and slightly warm. I can see the hens sunning themselves in their pen.
Sue – would you like to see examples of all prints, all solid knits, woven plaids, etc? I can take pictures and post
Yes, please post pics of the different rugs.
Yes, I would. I think that would help me decide on fabric selections. Thanks, Mary
Mary, I would like to see the rugs made with all prints and all solids if you would t mind posting the pictures. Thank you!
I am on board with making a rug. I have your book, DVD and the frame/loom. I just need to get going on it! I have plenty of fabric and since I am retired, I have the time. No excuses. Thanks Mary.
Happy New Year Mary, Rick and farm family! Sending hugs for continuing this wonderful blog. Haven’t seen a wall of snow like that since the 80’s when a nearby field drifted over a section of our rural road. Farmer/neighbor’s used equipment to open a path. It was nothing like the insane extent of the snow wall in that photo. Our power went out on Christmas Eve, while we were away so we came home to cold bedrooms . Downstairs zone was warm. Plumber came twice -thankfully he was here when the pipe burst & started leaking so he minimized the leak. The dripping was confined to the bay window frame and (so far) hasn’t shown any damage to the plaster ceiling or wall. Plumber did a wonderful fix by extending copper pipe from one bedroom to the other, instead of going through outside wall; we are just waiting for baseboard to finish the job. Nothing like what those in NY and elsewhere are experiencing. New Year’s Football was crazy! We watched MI vs TCU – wow! Then at midnight we watched the “ball drop”….not in NYC but to the left of the uprights for Georgia’s win over Ohio State exactly at midnight! Great games, but I felt bad for Ruggles, Ohio State kicker. No comment on today’s Eagles loss. Just setting goals for the New Year, no resolutions. Purging sewing room of unnecessary “stuff”- our guild has a freebie table, so others will benefit. I hope to work on UFO’s but may need hand surgery & knee surgery this year. Getting old isn’t for the faint of heart! Congratulations to the new Great Grandmother, Gail! xxoo
I would love to know about the rugs. Sent a comment re how well the quilt went with the colors in the rug that was on the floor near it awhile back. Hope the winter weather is looking better for all of you in the very near future.
I started my New Year’s quilt a few days early. Earlier this year I splurged and bought Edyta Sitar’s (Laundry Basket Quilts) precut Pioneer Log Cabin blocks. I might never want to cut fabric again. The pieces are perfectly cut and go together like a dream.
Blessings to you and Rick in 2023.
That picture in South Dakota was taken near where our daughter lives. They are already in a blizzard warning for tomorrow and Tuesday and could get as much as 18” of snow. She said they got their groceries today….with a two year old and twin 2 month old (who were born at 34 weeks) they have to be prepared!! I almost wish we were in the blizzard warning instead of ice warning. Our dog was at doggie day care for the weekend so I’ll get him first thing and then stay put until Wednesday at least…should get into a good sewing routine!! Happy new year!
Happy New Year to everyone.
Sounds good to take a break for two months. I have lots to sew. Will be fun to see what we all accomplish.
I have a rug that is about halfway done too. You may have inspired me to work on it again. Once I get in the rhythm it is so rewarding.
LaNan, yes, I’ll take a blizzard over an ice storm. With an ice storm you can’t stand up and the wind blows you away. Diane and Squeak, I’m coming along alright. In the 2 weeks blizzard we only got 8″ of snow, but the 50+ mph winds really piled it up and other places were bare. We had drifts, but nothing like the Snow Plow picture. I live in North Rapid and it tends to drift worse than the south side. I shoveled some, but nothing to over do it. I happily stayed home as I couldn’t get my car out of the garage because of a drift. Christmas Day was 50 degrees and the snow has been melting to mostly gone. And we’re in line for another blizzard, but my cousin called and I didn’t hear the latest news. I made potato soup in the crock pot today so I’ll have plenty to eat. And enough to sew for years……. I’ve been out here for more than 50 years and have weathered many storms, summer and winter. Plus, I came from Iowa….. I don’t plan on doing anything stupid.
An interesting update on the picture of the snow plow. I was at the doctor’s office on Thursday and an older couple was sitting by me in the waiting room. While visiting, they told me they have a ranch near Interior, which is a remote area a bit south of the Badlands National Park and the Interstate where the picture was taken. I mentioned the picture to them and they got big smiles — their DAUGHTER is the DRIVER of that snow plow! She has been driving for 40 years and loves it. There is a group out of Tea, SD, — The Tea Storm Chasers. I’m sure they have an arrangement with her when something really neat like this picture happens and she gives them a call. Those areas got a lot more snow than we had. There are rolling hills with not much to slow the wind down, so the drifts result and they can be very impressive.
Life goes on and I missed the first half of Yellowstone when my cousin called. We usually talk for awhile.
Take care, everybody and be safe. Betty in Rapid City
Good to hear you are all ok, Betty. You had a lot of wild weather! But, after 40 years, you do know what to do ( or not😃). Good!!
Hi Mary, I’m wondering how Diane in Maryland got on with her grand daughter,s wedding, the grand daughter and fiance went to USA from Christchurch New Zealand, so l am interested in how it all went! It’s great to hear how everyone is coping in the bad weather, but glad to be in sunny new Zealand! Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Hi, Sandy! So nice of you to think of my grandaughter! Yes, Ashley and Adam were married on December 17th! It was a beautiful and fun wedding. Adam’s parents came from N.Z., his aunt and uncle from Australia, and three of their friends from N.Z. All of them are lovely people and it was wonderful to meet them. It’s a comforting feeling to know that Ashley has a family in N.Z. who love her. Ashley and Adam are still here until Wednesday or Thursday of next week. It’s been wonderful having them here and I wish N.Z. wasn’t so far away.
Happy New Year Mary ,Rick and all the critters. Here in New Mexico we are looking at 35 to 40 mile winds to morrow. we would love to get a blizzard as we are so very dry. wish I had jumped in on the monthly quilt thing . Well I don’t post often but really enjoy your blog so much and just wanted to wish you’ll a happy New Year. Beverly
We don’t normally watch college football, but we did this holiday season. What a game between TCU and Michigan, holy cats it was exciting. I managed to finish a few Christmas cards and one binding while the game was on. It’s become really nice in TN, 65 and calm weather for sure. I did pick some corn that has grown in my flower beds (our neighbor feeds field corn to the squirrels) it makes me smile to have pansies and corn growing this time of the year, I’m a Midwest girl for 50 years. I will send the cash for the book on rugs and see if my husband will build me a loom to follow along. I would like to learn. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you Mary, thank you for keeping the blog going.
Good morning and Happy New Year to everyone here. I am in Williamsburg, VA. My husband and I came down 12/31 to visit an old high school friend of his. He plays hammered dulcimer and is absolutely wonderful. He has a website. Google Timothy Seaman if anyone wants to hear him. I’m not promoting him, just truly enjoyed his music and some of you may, too. We’re going home today. Strolled through colonial Williamsburg yesterday. It was lovely in the upper 60s. We only have about a 2 1/2 hour trip home. My plan is to straighten up my sewing room and get my UFOs that I want to finish finished. Get rid of what I don’t want or use it another way, then move on with new projects. Sounds good written here — let’s see if I actually accomplish it! LOL! I’m very interested in making a rug, but I need to get other things out of the way first. Would love to see some of your rugs done different ways to see what I want to do. Mary, thank you so much for keeping this blog going! I love seeing others projects and hearing about their lives!
Unbelievable that picture from SD with all that snow. Very mild here in upstate NY, snow is almost gone with green grass , but dreary & no sunshine ! Have to reorganize my sewing room & get going on many projects! Going to watch the Buffalo Bills play tonight! Happy New Year to all!!!
Mary, I am in on the rug making!
Rained all day yesterday.
Hi Mary, I love the idea of a rag rug. What kind of frame do you use? Thanks!
Happy new year, Mary. It’s good to have a new year for possibilities to unfold. I plan on making quilts with everyday life sprinkled in instead of the other way around. Ha! That’s a lot of snow…
Hi Mary,
Happy New Year to you, Rick, and all the pets! I, too, am so grateful for you and your blog. I was thrilled to have a chance to visit Country Threads not too long before you closed. Bought many fun projects that day, including a little succulent in a teapot. The plant is long gone, but I still have the teapot. Need to put another plant in it, but it’s cute all by itself!!!
I’m certainly in on a rug project. I started one several years ago and never finished it. I even have the book and CD!! Guess I need more motivation!!!
The photo of the snow off I-90 is incredible. Thanks to Betty for sharing!!
Wow! Never have I seen this much snow packed under a bridge.