From the Sewing Room

Hello there friends..... come in and see what I have been working on in the sewing room. I have some different projects going all at once, my goal is to finish a couple of them really soon. I can not start something else until I get the two table runners done. Period!

For those who remember I am making a crumb quilt  here are some blocks that are finished. If you have wanted to learn how to make a crumb block-  or if you have some scraps in the sewing room that are screaming to be made into something lovely then here is your chance. Hit the crumb block button on my blog page or go to www.joscountryjunction.com and she has all the patterns for the blocks. You might just want to check out the other things that Jo is creating over there- I am always amazed at the things that she makes over in her neck of the woods! She has made some awesome quilts. My goal is to make a quilt that I can snuggle up under, I wish I cold say that it will be made in time for my birthday. However I would have to have some sewing fairies in my sewing room to get anything done by Feb 20th!

Broken dishes, star, four- patch,flying geese and a nine-patch.

These  block patterns have all been new to me. I really had fun making the broken dishes. But I LOVE the way the  star block turned out!  I will be making lots of extra star blocks for this quilt- I like that they are so country looking.

A four patch- not my favorite but I wanted to try it. A flying goose block that I really like the colors on- I see the one goose changed the  flight pattern. LOL  I must have been copying nature the day that I made this block- the geese have been flying all kinds of patterns lately. What happened to the old V pattern??

The Flying geese again- I have to say I like the darker colors of this block. Also a nine patch- I like making these better then a four patch.

These crumb blocks have really been fun to make.I like that they are scrappy, not perfect, not really a perfect pattern but still do have the normal patterns that wold be in a "real" quilt. Does that make sense? hmm
The next project I am working on is a table runner.This is completely new to me! I know I thought "What? everyone has made a table runner before! Especially if they quilt!" But no this is my first one!!  I really like the colors-the pictures don't do it justice as it is cloudy outside!

These are two of the blocks, there is a third that is finished. However the borders on the block are a little off so they do not match up perfectly with these so I have to tweak them a little.

Shows the colors a little better. I like the patterns in all the fabric alot.

Once the other block is reassembled I will put the front together .Then I will be on to the back. I am planning on trying to quilt the runner myself. I don't think it should be that hard as it isn't all that big a  project to start out on.We will see!!! I am nervous as I have never quilted  anything in my life. I have an older machine so I am just going to try sewing in the ditch. Wish me luck!

Last but not least this is the other table runner I am working on. I found it in my stash, I bought it at a garage sale for $2.00!! I did not put it together it came pre-assembled- I do see that there are a couple blocks that do not line up so I am going to tweak them as well. Now I know things can not always be perfect, and by no means am I perfect. However when I look at something and my eye immediately goes to the problem area- well I just can't let it stay like that or I will NEVER enjoy the finished product.

Its cute reproduction fabric. I think it is nice to work with lighter colors for a change. It gets me out of my normal comfort zone.

 As you can see there are a lot of lines that yo need to make sure line up. Thank goodness it is only acouple that are not in line- however I still need to take this apart. Uggghhh

The backing is the red fabric that was used on the front. I think this would look cute in a girls room, with a scrappy quilt on the bed!

Ok please let me know your input. I always like to hear what others have to say. Anything I should be aware of while stitching in the ditch? Any other patterns that I should look at or try? Happy sewing- and remember expand your horizons and try something new!

Little house and the big woods!

Welcome friends come on in, grab a cozy chair and a hot cup of tea and lets catch-up on things. How is the weather in your neck of the woods?? Here it is a bit nippy, it has been windy and of course gray. We have really been spoiled this winter so I really should not complain. We have snow on the ground from Friday-and well it actually looks like we  might get some more snow today! I really don't want any- I have a slight case of Spring Fever!

I have been telling you that I would put some pictures up of the new house and the out buildings, so without further delay I am going to get those put up. I will be doing two posts today one on the farm and another on what I have been making in the sewing room. So here we go..

This is the back end of the barn that was added to the pole building. I will be putting a gate on it and it will make a nice home for someone.

As you can see I need to put a roof on this section still. This is the ceiling of the addition pictured above. At least its mainly built. =) I am looking on the brighter side of things- this is more than we had at the old place!

Right now we have Willie (mini horse) up in the barn addition as well as Sage (the goat). I have to get some chain and a pole put  to keep this gate closed in the future. BUT fir right now it is working just fine.

The two stalls on the barn addition. They both need gates on them. Also I am not sure why they used particle board when building the outside walls but those need to be replaced this s.pring

This is a fully enclosed room in the barn addition that has a window in it. We will be using it for the chickens once it has a door. Right now the pigs are inside.

They had chickens, this is on the inside wall, right next to the Mr. Ed door. Once again I need to replace the particle board wall and then I will be enclosing this corner so the chickens will be safer.

This is the Mr Ed door that goes between the pole building and the barn addition. Its come in handy as right now the chickens are loose in the pole building and they can get in and out through the top of the door. The geese are out all day and just come in at night so the predators don't get them.

This is inside the pole building. We have one stall area (where the sheep is) and Sage has decided that she likes hanging out in here with the chickens and Bob. I  would like to  put another stall area in the corner- on the other side of the shelving that is behind Sage. It would come in handy for lambing time.

What a face- Sage thinks she is the queen around there.

This is Bob my dog errrrr I mean sheep. He thinks he needs to be around people and he knows he is cute!

This is his I want a kiss and a hug, scratch behind my ears look! Hard to resist!

This is the pasture straight up from my driveway. There is a pasture on the right and left side of the main gate. There is a lane down the middle to the land n the back

The land between  my patio door and the back pasture. I think there are some things planted in this area as there is a rocky area that looks like it was planted with something. As you can see I have pines everywhere!

The front door of the house. I am not sure why there is only one picture of the house. I need to ask my daughter that. Hmmm

The end of my driveway and straight across from me is nothing but trees. I LOVE trees!

This is the pasture that is closest to the road. I need to run sheep and goat friendly fencing in this area as well. Once again at least there are poles in and the corners are done nice and strong. I am just really nervous as this pasture runs alongside the main road.

This is the other section of the back pasture. I need to run some fencing that is sheep and goat friendly. Right now it is just 3 strands of wire. That won't keep them in! LOL

Random fencing and poles.I laugh because there are poles in and they are not connected to anything but it won't be that way for long! At least the poles are in-  that is the hard part!

There are two separate rooms in this out building. I will do some touch-ups to the buildings, check the roof and run some better fencing and then Viola.....pig housing for Wilbur, Poppy and Mex!

Doesn't Turnip look happy?? One of the mascots here at the farm. BEWARE she will talk your ear off!

Turnip (up) and Kittan her brother. They are both huge talkers!

 

Well that is the farm. I am super blessed to be living in such a decent house, in a nice area with great people living close by. It has been awesome to look out my door and see nature at its finest. All I can say is I love coming home to my little house in the big woods!

Spinning fiber....what sheep do I want??

Good afternoon.... please come in and chat with me over a cup of tea.
Where was I this morning you ask? Well I was at a lovely ladies house and we were talking about our fiber animals, what we are currently knitting, what we had on our spinning wheels..... in my case what animals I would like to own and how I would like to own a spinning wheel! The Spinners group meets here locally and some of them are the same ladies that  I met at the Weavers group on Tuesday.
I suppose I should start at the beginning. I want to expand the farm and have more fiber animals ( alpaca, llama, sheep)  that I could use the fiber from them to either sell, make into yarn, or to knit into things that I can sell. I also would like a sheep that would be able to be used for meat- to sell as well as for my family.  I have one animal right now Bob the sheep and he is just a pet and will be used for his fiber- I still need to learn how to shear him. I have really been researching the different types of sheep that are out there as I really do not want a BIG sheep( short on huge pasture space) but then again I need to get something that is practical for food and fiber. So of course I am looking on line and here are just a couple I am drooling over- Scottish Blackface Tunis, Jacob




Navajo- Churro, PolyPay, Babydolls. I really do like the the different sheep that really stand out like the Leicester Longwools (below) or the Jacob sheep (above). Some are sheep that I am just drooling over but would not realistically get others like these Jacob sheep i could actually see myself getting. So I am asking you follks ... any sheep people out there? Llamas or alpaca people? What do you recommend? What problems have you had? Do you spin or sell the fleece?





The next problem I have is what sort of spinning wheel would be a good starting one for me? I would love to just have the sky open up and drop a spinning wheel, loom and some fiber animals in my lap! LOL
Are there some spinners out there that would like to share their knowledge on books, spinning wheels, what fibers wpin really well, how about dyeing the fiber -or just talk about fleece animals?? I am hoping to be able to buy myself a little birthday gift - even if its a stuff sheep! LOL
I know this is just a weird thing for some of you. I am really glad though that I have met the friendly folks that I have in both the spinning group as well as the weaving group- they have been super nice to me. It helps me to know that there are those people out here that like me like to spin our own yarn, make our own rag rugs, and to have wonderful animals that help us do that.
Please let me know your thoughts and ideas on the fiber animals and any books that you suggest that I read. I appreciate each and every one of you that take time to read the blog and to let me know what is going on at your farms. I hope you had the sun out in your little part of the world today.....until next time friend.
Raine

Heart of the Farm Conference

Hello there friend I am so sorry about not talking to you lately! Please come in and have a seat,  talk with me and let me know what is going on in your  world. I am running short on tea but there should be enough to share between us friends!

I went to a great Conference called Heart of the Farm on Sat Feb 4 in Birchwood, WI. It is the second time I have been privileged to go to the conference, they are geared towards Women Farmers, its held in different areas throughout Wisconsin, teachs you a ton- so if you see it advertised ( you can get info on the Spooner Ag website that is under my favorites on my home page) and you are a Woman and into farming I would say "GO"!!!! I have to say the information that I got from the speakers was well worth the drive! 
I will be implementing the worksheets the speaker gave us and really thinking about my farming plan and what I want to grow, teach my customer, friends and family and what I want to learn and where to get that information. She had us work on a great exercise- What do you want people to say and know about you when you are gone? We were to implement our beliefs, interests, volunteering, our stewardship beliefs- anything that makes you YOU! It was a little hard in the beginning because you feel like you are puffing yourself up and making it so grand about what you do.  I soon got over that though- and wrote some of the things that I would like people to know about me - NOW and when I am gone. I would like people to know I am a loving, caring, generous person. One that likes to volunteer and make things for charity. I LOVE to garden, Quilt, can different food, drink coffee and tea, read, listen to music from all parts of the world. I love animals, especially farm animals- can't make it without seeing my various poultry ever morning! I would love people to know that I will help you out anyway I can, keep a good secret, am a shoulder to cry on and love you! So that in mind I like to garden as "natural" as I can, no pesticides, herbicides- I want to grow/raise as much of my own food as I possibly  can, as humane as I can!  I compost and recycle. I want to leave the earth better than I found it and to really be conscious of the footprints I leave behind for the next generation to deal with. I am going forward to write out an in depth business plan on what we will raise and how to do it the best way possible. How to create a farm that Mikhaila and I can be proud of and really benefit from!

We also got to hear from a speaker that dealt with the whole issue of how to talk and really communicate between the generations. We have needed this at our place as I am an X'er and I am raising a Millennial! After having the charts up for the Boomers, Xers and other generations it made me realize that I am not crazy when I am frustrated with my Millennial daughter- we speak different languages! It really was an interesting topic and if they offer the full session (3+ hours long instead  of only 1 hour) at some point through the extension office I would so take it! It sure opened my eyes and gave me some new ideas when dealing with my daughter.

It was a great time spent with great women, and the few men that were there were helpful as well! Thanks for all the people that put it together, spent alot of time organizing it, the door prizes were awesome! Mikhaila won a beautiful basket of goat milk bath products from Serendipity Springs (www.raisingkidsfarms.com). Rebecca does a great job making wonderful products from her personal goats milk! Go checkout the website and get  someone you love some foot cream, lotion or a lovely bar of soap! She has her products in some local stores but I am sure she could send your order to you. 

Until we talk again have a great week. Pray for someone, bake a treat for a neighbor, call someone on the phone just to say hi.

I will leave you with these great tree pictures that I snapped on Sun. We have been having warm weather, but it must have gotten cooler over night and the trees were beautifully frosted.

Swindoll's Insights on Revelation By Charles Swindoll

Charles Swindoll's Insights Book on Revelation is a great book to have on hand to answer all those questions that you or others might have about the end days and what to expect.
Mr.Swindoll breaks down the book of Revelation into readable and understandable writings. In so doing it makes it easier to delve into the Book of Revelation and really understand what is being said and not feel lost as sometimes can happen when reading really intense books of the Bible.
Mr. Swindoll has added charts and diagrams that really help those of us who are visual learners. The visual aids really help to make sure you really are comprehending what is being taught.
Mr. Swindoll also includes some of his own personal journal pages, I think this adds a personal touch that I really appreciate. It shows that we can learn so much from others and that even when we think that others have it all together, they are still facing similar issues as we are.
If you ever listen to Mr. Swindoll he likes to incorporate stories into his teachings I think this helps us connect to Mr Swindoll as a friend, a fellow believer. It helps connect us to God by being able to see a friend talking to us and not just a Pastor preaching at us.
I will look forward to reading the other Insight books as they come out.

This book was given to me from the Publisher, free of charge for posting my review of the book. This is my own personal review, I hope you take time to read the book.

Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy

This is a very touching book. It deals with some of the harder issues of adoption that arise especially from adopting from a foreign country. What have the children been through, what are the health and mental issues the children might have? Are there family members that might come after the kids at a later date and if so what are their purposes- to help the adoptive people or to reclaim family members?
In Reclaiming Lily the adoptive family are really struggling with their adoptive daughter with health issues as well as with her wondering where she comes from and why she was not wanted. The Pastor and his wife are trying to handle it the best way that they can with pray, understanding and just trying to show the daughter all the love that they can.
On the other side of the story the sister of the adoptive daughter is trying to find her. She has been looking as she was one of the sister that was left to take care of all the problems that arose with the family being torn apart in China. As the story flows from Lily and her current problems, the sister tells the story as to what happened and what decisions were made before the family adopt "Lily". She shows the hard decisions that her and the other sisters had to make as there world was torn apart at such an early age.
It is a very good story and shows that very hard life decisions can be made with all good intentions and yet issues can arise. I would recommend this story to people that have adopted as it does show the positive side of things as well as the reality that we all have a history and that history is not always beautiful and easily handled.
 This book was given to me by the Publisher free of charge, for posting a book review . This is my personal  book review on this book- I hope you read it.

Thanksgiving- I am blessed ( Part 2 )

So for whatever reason the computer did not want me to add more pictures to the previous post so I am adding part 2 because I have more pictures from our great day spent with family. I am glad that I got as many pictures as I did- plus its easier to be able to share them with family on the blog.

Getting ready for the next song. Such concentration on my aunts face.

My Aunt Cheryl was there as well helping with the singing before she had to go to work.

Mikhaila trying her hand at some music.

All I can say is yuck! I need to dye my hair! I was giving Mikhaila a lesson on how she could hold the instrument.

Olivia with Dahlia- we brought the puppies up with us and the kids like playing with them.

Everyone is playing and singing along at this point.

After the music it was time for home made ice cream and dessert. Cards anyone??

Yummmmmmm- Mikhaila was enjoying herself. So was Uncle Rich.

Michelle and Olivia putting up the tree at Aunt Bonnie's

Micah and Grandma seeing what they can help with.

Putting the finishing touches on the beautiful tree.

Making sure all the things that they want are out.

So that was our trip up north to see the family. It was good to see all of them as I never get to really spend any time with any of them. It would be nice if we were closer and could see them regularly however that is not really an option. 
Thanks so much for spending some time with me and my family. I hope that each and every one of you had a great holiday no matter how you  spent it. Please remember to be thankful each and every day for everything that you have. Until we talk again.... be blessed abundantly!