Leo came yesterday and last night he sat with his chin resting on the counter for about 5 minutes before I realized he was staring at the treat jar as if to say,”I know they’re in that jar and if I stare long enough and hard enough, Mary’s bound to notice!” And I did.
Today Bandit, a huskie mix puppy, and his “brother” Ozzie, a lab Jack Russell mix, came to play for the day and spend their first night here. The little princess, Faye, wants nothing to do with any of them. Otherwise the 4 dogs move as one unit around the yard – very funny!
And I forget to say Congratulations to the Wisconsin Badgers – what a fabulous season ending one game short. We were pulling for them all the way but it was not meant to be. I am so sorry March Madness is over. Yes, I am suffering from basketball withdrawal this weekend.
And here are just some of the pots of grass as well as the hen and chicks that spent the winter in the garage.
I am still sorting and moving stuff from the house out to the shop sewing room. I came across this tray of triangle squares and this bag of scraps. I think I have a sickness – I really want to sell things like this but the thought of creating “something” from very little is so tempting to me that I want to keep them. I’m trying to move past being the hoarder that I truly am inside. How’s that for honesty?
And just a comment about the comments – I love to hear where you’re writing from. Some of you who comment often, are becoming familiar to me but I think all the readers enjoy hearing your location.
What a “Gang”! they look like they are having SO much FUN!
I envy you things like your baggie of scraps — totally understand any reluctance to let things like that go. It is difficult to amass a nice and well-varied grouping of scraps to work with unless one has access to someone’s throwaways or being able to go through leftovers after a class. A good stash of enough “differents” to make a really interesting quilt takes a long time to collect.
So — IMHO, hang onto your scraps stashes!!!!!!!!!!! Unless you are ready to either submit to using precuts or giving up scrap quilting altogether …
Love the picture of Leo begging for the treat. Your patio looks like my deck with the plants that wintered in the garage. Thank goodness for spring.
Shenandoah Valley Virginia
I have 2 dogs and 2 calico cats who enjoy helping me.
I’m from Palestine, IL
I am a hoarder at heart too, but promised to get rid of lots of stuff this year, need to get started. The dogs are beautiful!! (Heathsville, VA)
I enjoy your posts and sometimes comment back. It is a beautiful day here in Colorado and I am off to transplant some plants that have gotten too big. Love to play in the dirt. Tomorrow I will sew. Have fun with all of your doggie borders.
Received your new book the other day. Love it. Saying hi from VA BCH, VA
I think, in your spare time, a few pillows (made from your ‘finds’) for the adirondack chairs you have sitting out there..I am sure that the cats and pups would find it comfy and colorful…today it is lovely, a wonderful spring day, tulips are up, already discovered by the deer, so I may never see the pink ones..here in Wi near the MN border..thanks for cheering on the WI Badgers, loved beating Kentucky…sorry for the loss to Duke tho..but they played hard..always next yr….MJ
I hope I come back reincarnated as a dog and get to “play” at your house!! Always something fun to do…even staring at the treat jar!!
You are NOT a hoarder ~ keep telling yourself you are an Artist and your medium is fabric!! Artist has more of a flair, instead of saying I have an “addiction to fabric”….LOL
(Buffalo, MN)
Finally, some sun today in Orchard Park, NY …. the part of NYS that had six feet of snow dumped on it in November, over a period of about two days! So a little sun is much appreciated!
About those scraps and already sewn bits you are finding….KEEP THEM! I would rather get rid of yardage that doesn’t suit my palette than get rid of work that is partially done. Unless you don’t like the work. In which case you should mail it to me because your quarter inch is perfect!
Love the plaintive pup patiently awaiting a treat!
I love seeing the pictures of your furry friends. It’s my “pick-me-up” during the day. So happy for you that you can finally enjoy YOUR time and do what you love. About being a hoarder of fabric, I don’t think any of us would argue with you, we all have that same problem. Keep the posts coming. I’m writing from Illinois on a beautiful sunny day!!
I like your comment about “creating” something from nothing. I know the feeling but never put it words. I’m in Crest Hill, Illinois. Close to Joliet or Naperville (I know you are familiar with Naperville).
I’ve not commented on your posts yet but love reading them. I too received your new book and love it! I hope there are more to come. I was fortunate to have visited your shop a few years ago which was the highlight of our road trip. I think you should keep your recent finds unless you hate them. They’ll be the perfect pieces you need for a project some day! I’m writing from a blustery, rainy Pendleton, OR. It’s supposed to be 70 next week!
I just made a quilt with 360 flying geese and saved the triangles trimed from the geese and am making pinwheels and hourglasses from them.I know what you mean-I have enough fabric to last the rest of my life and am spending time with these little pieces.
Your dogs that are visiting on Saturday make me want to be a dog. They look like they are having fun. When it comes to fabric I don’t like to throw anything away. I’m sure I won’t live long enough.
My goal this year is to take the orphan blocks and turn them into fidget blocks for the Alzheimer’s unit at the nursing home. I will add some cotton lace and some textures so they have something in their hands to touch.mary, your guests know how to feel at home better than a lot of B&B’s.
Arbutus MD. Outside of Baltimore
Angie
The daffodils and hyacinth have their heads out, the ones near the house. The weather finally melted the snow. Today is sunny, in the 50s, with a wind chill factor. But after a week of gloom it is much appreciated. I keep a scrap bag by the cutting table and after the bag is full, they go to my niece who loves scrappy quilts. And her guild makes DVI quilts, so I am beginning to share the horded fabric.
Love your red barn.
Connecticut
Sunny windy Saturday Mary,
Early local TV news had growers saying due to the water shortage there is less cotton planted this year and it seems that’s been happening in the past few years of this drought. SEW I’m pleased that I shopped a bit this week. I do save my scraps and use them along with stash and a bit of new.
Leo is taller than the little granddog who was here this morning, but she stands on her back legs looking up at the treat drawer and she walks upright quite a ways; always good for laughs.
Do I see a little putting green in the background of the two pics below Leo’s? I love your posts and pictures on Chicken Scratch.
Carole in Omaha reporting in… oh did you hit a chord of mine with the “I must make SOMETHING out of these pieces … I can’t just get rid of them, can I? And yet today, I ordered another few yards of fabric. It’s a sickness. Fabric hoarders of the world, unite! But how do you resist $5 a yard??? BTW it’s not “she who dies with the most fabric wins”; it’s “she who dies with the most fabric didn’t sew fast enough”.
Your pups look like they’re having way too much fun to be legal! What a great time they all have at Camp Mary.
Happy weekend!
I saw your trunk show at Little Quilts today. They may come back to you with a little drool on them. I had already bought the book through Amazon and now I can’t wait to start working on one of them. Love seeing the pictures of the dogs running around. Hope you enjoy your retirement to the fullest!
Really enjoy your posts and hearing about what’s going on, on the farm!!! Love the dog and all animal stories. Love your creativity!!
This week while cleaning my sewing room,I ran across a bag of hexagons that were my mother in law’s.
I have been working on them while watching tv. I love the creating from nothing phrase. One of my favorite ways to make a little quilt.
Thank goodness spring has come once again but this is Iowa and you just never know what tomorrow will bring. Peas are planted. Rhubarb has small new leaves uncurling. Tulips and some hosta are up.
j
I am amazed at how much you accomplish! Do you think if I rescue and care for lots of critters I will get more done?:). Just wondering…
Oh, my! I’m jealous of things coming up in the gardens. Not quite so here in Eagan, MN (4 miles from the MOA). I must go take a look at the rhubarb out behind the garage! However the grass is turning green rather quickly because of the huge rainstorm we had on Thursday.
Love reading your posts Mary. I look forward to getting them every day! Guess I’ll have to fess up to be one of those H ‘er ladies too. But who determines how much is too much, anyway??
Love the dog
Hi Mary, just let Squeak (Millie’s twin) in from surveying the neighborhood from the screened in porch–55 degrees in Central Ohio. Those pups looked so happy to be playing outside. We cheered for Wisconsin, too, since Ohio state bowed out early. Big 10 has to stick together! My goal this year has been not to start something new. I liked your project of the month– it worked for me:).
I will join you in this confession on hoarding fabric. I have admitted this little fact to my quilt guild and another online group that I store fabric in my master bath tub!!! Doesn’t sound weird to me as it takes way to much water to fill the tub and in our parched California climate it doesn’t seem practical so I store fabric. I could sew for years and never go to a quilt shop for fabric!!! The temptation of making a darling quilt from leftovers is like being in a candy shop all alone…..Carolyn Barnett Alta Loma California
I actually thought Leo was asking for the Quilty magazine :-). He’s so cute I’d give him anything he wants! I don’t know what I enjoy more about your posts – all the terrific stories about the animals’ antics or the inspiration I get from what you’ve accomplished in organizing the closing of a long-standing business in preparation for a sale. Wish I lived closer so I could make the trip, but Florida is a fur-r-r piece away.
Beautiful day here in Argyle Texas about 40 +- miles north of Dallas.
Several others have said some things I agree with. I could say I’m a hoarder but I am simply a well supplied artisan. And WHY would you want to get rid of precut and sewn pieces?!! They are valuable resources! Scraps are my favorites. The greater the variety, the better.
Thanks for your stories and inspiration. From west central Wisconsin.
I love your posts Mary. Love hearing about the animals. I am a scrap hoarder and have a leap of joy when I discover a very favorite fabric in the scraps. Bronwyn Sydney Australia
I love your posts and the brilliant sun today in Garner looked delightful. Today was gorgeous as well in Maryland and Spring is really springing here. We have color again. The grass/weeds are greening up and daffodils and forsythia are bringing their sunny delight. Woohoo, it’s been a long winter. So happy to be outside and playing in the dirt, I even put laundry out to dry. I’m looking forward to your new book. Have a happy Sunday.
Hi Mary,
I love all your posts, especially about the dogs. I am a fabric hoarder and can’t bear to part with the scraps. Kenner, LA (about 10 miles from New Orleans).
Not a sickness when you still like the fabric……when you see it and do NOT want to touch it, then it’s time to get rid of it.
I have Hyacinth Bean Vine seed that I will plant soon because the ground is geting warm. David built a metal trellis (repurposed from wind storm) that I want the vine to grow on. Its location is in full sun; last year’s location was partial sun……I hope to have better luck. Do you need seed?
I saved quite a number of pods and I’m hoping some will self-seed on its own. I’ve got a great place for it to climb. I think I’m good for seed. But thank you so much!
Texas
A collector that uses items collected……………..Hoarder just has and does nothing with item….
Fabric if it has a use is not hoarded..even if to just inspire or be used for petting..it is used………just saying
I am a hoarder and I admit it! This is why I have nieces and nephews. They can clean it all up when I am gone! 🙂
I finally got my copy of the book and I love it! Just can decide which one to start first.
Mary…love, love, love reading your blog…you always make me smile! I wish I could board dogs, it would be lots of work I’m sure but oh so fun to watch them run and play. I too am going through college basketball withdrawl…love college basketball. Alas, my Arizona Wildcats got beat by those Wisconsin Badgers! Being an Iowa gal I still couldn’t cheer for them, so sorry. So, already I’m listening and watching who all is a ‘one and done’ player and hoping for a fresh new crop of freshman players. Here’s to next season! Oh…almost forgot…can’t believe I did…I bought your and Connie’s new book…it is fabulous!!!! I’m going to make every one of them! Seriously! Keep on blogging, it always makes my day!
I too love your posts and your love of animals. Especially love all the photos you share. I live in beautiful southeastern Wisconsin.