Many Happy Returns

So what, exactly, does that mean? If it means being happy while you return things, its ridiculous! I won't be returning any of our Christmas purchases, that's for sure. We decided to buy a big gift for each other this year, rather than little things. What could be bigger than this???

Okay, I know it's silly looking, but it's perfect for us. We currently have, among other vehicles, a Toyota Tacoma with a camper shell and a Subaru Impreza 2-door sedan that belonged to my mother-in-law. We really don't need two run around vehicles, especially after January 23, when Dennis retires. So we combined the two. There are many advantages and no, the fact that it's turbo and goes really fast has nothing to do with it! *smirk*

Then, although not really for Christmas, Dennis traded in one of his PR600's for a PR1000.  We got a great deal on it from Windy Moon Quilts in Reno, so good that we just couldn't refuse. So this machine has come to live in our yurt. It has some really great features, the best of which for Dennis is the ability for the cap frame to turn 270 degrees. He embroiders a lot of baseball caps, so this will save him tons of time.

Since Dennis got a brand new PR, I just had to give Mike Sullivan, the owner, a hard time. I've been sewing on a ball chair, but instead of helping my back, I think it was making things worse. He had these chairs there and sold us one of them for less than half the asking price. I love it! The back support is perfect.

And check this out...reminds me of a piano bench. I have no idea what I'll put in it.

How was your holiday? Anything special planned for New Year's? We'll be lucky to stay up that late!

Company Came...and went

I had so much fun with Kristina and Shannon that I still haven't caught up!  They arrived on Thursday afternoon...both looking exactly as their pictures. (No Shannon didn't wear this hat all the way from Reno!) Although we'd never met each other in person, it was as if we'd known each other forever!

Thursday we hung out and sweltered in the yurt for a bit; then it was off to my Guild meeting.  I drug them along since I was both dropping off and picking up quilts.  Kristina is actually a member; she wanted to go to the retreat...(note to self: remind her to sign up if she's coming.)




Friday the real fun began!  We played in the yurt in the morning with Shannon showing us tricks and tips and then Kristina did some playing and demonstrating of her Quiltazoid.  I even talked her into leaving it so that I could play with it after she'd gone.  The pictures are of a couple designs we did and then filled in--Shannon even tried some thread painting.

While she was here, Shannon taught me how to needle-turn applique (yuk--not my cup of tea) and how to English Paper Piece (much more my style).  Friday night Dennis and I went to bed around 11; at 2:30 he woke up and noticed lights on.  Then he woke me up...those girls were still up playing!!  I think that was when Kristina painted Shannon's toe nails that lovely shade of green!!

The girls got to meet the ponies and Shannon insisted on playing with them as if they were dogs.  They weren't sure what to make of her, but I do think Emma enjoyed it.  She is so spoiled, she loves any attention.

And, of course, I got special presents while Shannon was here too!  First, she brought me this lovely little "train case," which now houses my English Paper Piecing supplies.

Then she made me a cover for my sketch book from my very most favorite fabric in the whole world.  It was so painful watching her cut it; but I'm so happy she did.  Isn't it beautiful??First she had to quilt it...

   

Then she put it all together. The pocket on the inside holds all my colored pens.  We bought the sketchbooks in Reno, so Kristina will have her very own too!!

For those of you not from this planet that don't recognize the fabric, it's Laurel Burch's Mythical Horses.  She came out with this design shortly before she died and I've collected yards of every design and colorway I can find.  Until my sketch book, I've never cut it up...I do, however, take it out and pet if often!!

The three of us went to a quilt show in Reno where not only did we spend too much money, but Shannon bought a basket like mine and then had to figure out how to get it home. Did you know you can get them wet, squish them for shipping, then get them wet again and reshape them? No?? Me neither.  That's what she did though, and it worked.

Those of you that follow Shannon's blog know that not only is she a fabulous quilter, but she also hunts...with a gun *yikes!* Before she got here, we'd had a visit from a bear (he left a large deposit by the barn)and a mountain lion was in the valley (he'd attacked a dog). She was really hoping to see the bear; knowing  that seeing the cat was pretty much impossible.  I was unable to provide a bear sighting, but one evening as I want to the yurt, I heard a rattle--just like what you hear on tv in the old westerns.  A snake was right by our back door.  Shannon and Dennis dispatched him to the other side rather quickly.  Shannon really wanted to remove the rattles, but figured getting them through security at the airport could be an issue.

Shannon's last day here we spent shop-hopping in Gardnerville and Reno. It was so much fun to have her here.  Now it's my and Kristina's turn to go to Georgia...but NOT in the summer!! I'll leave you with one last shot of our play time in the yurt.  We had such a good time!!

Yurt vs Yurt

If you've been following my blog for very long, you know that I quilt in a yurt.  It's round, it's a great space and I truly love it. Until you've spent some time in a round building, you've no idea how terrific it is. In case you've missed it in the past, it looks like this (minus the snow falling and the fire burning--it is summer now--well, its supposed to be summer!):

But really, shouldn't I, as a quilter, be quilting in this??

Isn't it fabulous???  This yurt belongs to Linzi Upton of Scottland.  It was totally her idea, although quilters all over the world helped.  They were called "stunt piecers/quilters."  Following Linzi's direction, they pieced and quilted individual panels to enclose the yurt.  Linzi attached them, did the roof and what you see above is the finished product.  With any luck (and a little $$) this yurt may be at a venue near you in the not too distant future.  This would be such an excellent studio...albeit a bit drafty at times!!

Another picture, but you really must go to Linzi's site to view the whole thing.  It's worth the time. This photo shows some of the individual panels and how they were attached.

Working on the Yurt

We've been making some changes in the yurt these past few days.  Its a terrific space, except for Dennis' corner.  Yes, he has more than a corner, but there is a specific corner with his desk that has been very cluttered.  Originally, we both thought the desk was a great idea.  It would give him a great place to work on designs on his laptop...in theory.  However, because its a smaller rolltop desk, it ends up looking like this:

After a trip to Dennis' mom's house and replacing the desk and a table with two pieces of her furniture, we now have this.  With the heat press on the dresser, we not only have it out of the way, but now there's storage underneath.

 

And finally, where the headpress stood, we put in this small desk.  There's room for our computers and we can see the tv (important when you're trying to watch "Lost").  Since the top is so open, I'm hoping we'll keep it looking this nice all the time.

And look...we even have flowers!  Dennis gave me a hydrangae plant for my retirement...our first yurt plant!

Pictures of Miscellaneous Stuff

My camera cord arrived, so now you get photos:

This was a few weeks ago...Emma needed her feet trimmed; however, I don't think she thought a chainsaw was the correct tool!  Luckily, Dennis was just headed out to chop some downed trees into rounds for firewood.

These are our good friends, Julie and Abi. 

They're in a bit of a pickle.  They live several miles in, down a windy, tree-lined, dirt road.  They ordered this park model rv, got the outside measurements and then measured the road into their place to be sure it fit.  Slight problem:  The rv was actually 13'8"--not the 12' they were told.

Two days later, one tree down and part of the roof removed, the rv is at its new home...perseverence wins out!

The yurt has turned out to be such a wonderful space.  I never bought much into the feng shui stuff, but the building is round and feels so good when we're in it.  This is a picture of the sky through the skylight on top.  It lets in so much light during the day that I often forget to turn on the lights above my longarm--who needs them??  Now that the weather has changed (I know its only February, but its spring in Butterfly Valley!), we have a fire in the morning, let it die in the afternoon, and open windows and the skylight and its perfect in there!

I mentioned my sister's visit in my last post and the $100 worth of gift cards I had for quilt shops.  Note:  The key word is "had."  A friend and I went to Reno last week and I spent every last penny.  This is my loot!  I found a colorway for Mythical Horses that I hadn't seen before.  I have every last one of those fabrics; unfortunately, I'm afraid to cut them because they're so beautiful. (I'd be open to suggestion though, if you've seen a pattern with them that looks great)  The bright purple, green and sunflowers are for a block swap I'm doing (you can check it out here).  The purple and brown batiks are to finish my retreat quilt and the others are to take with me to Asilomar next week.

Ta Dah....

Finally, finally, finally!!  The yurt is finished (except for a few decorator touches here and there).  We've been working like crazy to get this done, get moved in, get the house in order and our lives back to some semblance of normalcy.  Well, normal for me, anyway!! Below is the picture my step-daughter painted of a Featherhorse specifically for our studio.  Isn't it great??

We have combined both of our working areas quite nicely into our round space. Because the building is round, "Lilly" (my Millennium named after my mom, Leonalda Lillian) took precedence. I had planned to put her where I could see out the window and into the pasture.  Unfortunately, the angle isn't quite right, but I can see down to the meadow, so that works.  She's farther out from the wall to allow space to get behind her which means that more things could easily be placed behind me. We have a fold down "craft" table from Joann's that is 39x59 when opened, but only 13" wide when closed that stays behind me when not in use.

 My Janome (Sylvia) is back on her antique table in a position that makes it easy to piece. The bobbin winder for Lilly is easily accessible; the serger will even be a snap to use. 

Dennis has his two embroidery machines, the Roland cutter (for vinyl decals and such), his heat press and several other printers all set up.  He's also storing his extra stuff and stuff he needs to go through on top of the bathroom ceiling, so that's freed up enough room that we were able to put our antique rolltop desk in the yurt for him to work at.  Also in the yurt:  his keyboard (stored under the heat press) and his two guitars and amp. (I guess he had to put them somewhere *shrug*)

We have a large tv on the wall that is mounted on a swing-arm for easy viewing.  I love watching my training DVDs on a television that you don't have to squint at to see!  Behind the TV and around the corner is where my rolls of batting and the ironing board usually live.  (not sure why I didn't put it away before taking photos!)

This was going to be Dennis' corner (if you look real close, or just click on the picture to blow it up, you can see him working at his computer), but he really did need more room.  Now its his corner and our little "kitchenette" area.  We have a microwave and a refer, running water and soon a couple of shelves for a few dishes. 

Lilly is the 2009 Millennium and comes with many features my 2007 didn't have.  It has an on/off switch that can be reached from either side of the machine, special LED lights (a terrific upgrade!), and a new feature called "Quilt Glide."  Quilt Glide allows you to switch between stitch-regulated and manual without any noticeable change.  As you slow your stitching with the normal stitch-regulator engaged, the machine would get a bit fiddly to move; with the QG engaged, the needle continues to move up and down at the speed you set.  No more herky-jerky movements.  I also chose to install Edgerider Wheels on this machine.  I've heard so much about them that I really wanted that upgrade.  It was scary at first--I just couldn't get them adjusted correctly.  But after much adjusting of the tension on the wheels, I'm thrilled.  I'm working on my guild's Opportunity Quilt using a new swag template from Constantine Quilts.  The ER's making traveling around the template so easy...the difference was worth the hassle! 

If you're thinking of adding a longarm to your quilting repertoire, give me a call.  APQS has many specials this month that I'd love to share. Or if you have tops stacking up that are waited to be quilted, e-mail me and we can see if my services may be just what you're looking for.

Milestones...

Okay, so maybe its not a milestone exactly, after all, people do have birthdays all the time, but yesterday, I turned 50.  Its a weird concept for me.  I don't feel 50, I certainly don't act 50 and hopefully, I don't look 50.

I had a really fun shopping day yesterday in Reno.  We went down in the a.m. to shop for house/yurt items.  Just a few of the things we bought: area rugs for both the house and yurt, shelving (mudroom & yurt), furniture (matching!) for the house, flip flops (I'm really tired of wearing soggy slippers back and forth to the hot tub), and a desktop file box with an orange lid to help in implementing my new filing system (future blog topic, if it works). By the time we headed home, the dogs had to ride up front because the back was completely crammed with stuff!

The best part of yesterday was having a phone that let's me get my e-mail.  My friend Shannon (of Pieceful Kwilter fame) sent me this picture.  Is this not the most stunning snow man you've ever seen?  I LOVE it!!

Let 2010 Begin....

Christmas is rarely had on Christmas Day in the Miller household. Dennis and I exchanged our gifts, but we waited until January 3 to celebrate with his daughters. It is well worth the wait though. Both girls are exact opposites in every way, except that they're both gorgeous.

Hannah is the oldest, the artist, and on the left; Rachel is currently in the Masters Program at Davis for nutrition. They are both alot of fun to have around.

                  ........and their beaus...(Dustin Left & Mike on the Right)

Hannah and Dustin, her boyfriend, arrived in Quincy on Friday as we were frantically moving our studio into the yurt and the bed back into the bedroom.  It was crazy!!  (Doesn't it look cute?? Just wait until we have a bit of landscaping!!)

 Luckily, Dustin's parents live in Q as well, so we had a few extra hours to throw everything together before they came out.  It was a short visit; but fun.  Saturday, before Mike and Rachel showed up in the early afternoon, the four of us went for a hike to the "ponds" behind our house on SP land.  When the girls had been growing up, these ponds were their public swimming pools--they shared lots of great adventures there.  Since Hannah and Dustin had to be back in town early for dinner with Dustin's mom, we decided to postpone opening gifts until Sunday morning. 

Sunday morning Hannah made the best fritatta (that girl can cook!) and we opened gifts.  We'd asked them to give us photos and they did; we now have two very nicely framed photos of them to hang on our walls.  Hannah also painted us a picture of a "Featherhorse," since the name of Dennis' business is Featherhorse Designs.  Its on a small canvas, so it will fit perfectly in the yurt.

 We were very excited about the gifts we got for them.  I don't know about your kids, but as they get older, they get harder to buy for.  This year though, we did great.  Rachel had been wanting a dog but her boyfriend, Mike, doesn't think they should get one--so we got her one.  A really big one...she named him Moose.

Hannah has the best dog in the world (other than Hank & Chloe, of course).  Her name is Violet Fur Pants and she's the sweetest dog ever. 

She's a Pitt Bull, but apparently, no one has ever told her that she's supposed to be mean and aggressive.

 She adores Chloe and chases Hank--both of whom try very hard to ignore her.  Its not easy though...Violet is a big girl!

 For Hannah's main gift, we got Violet a dog bed and Dennis embroidered "Violet Fur Pants" on the bolster and Violet's Native American name ("Pig Who Runs With Wind") on the bed, itself.

 Both Hannah and "Pig" were thrilled. "Pig" immediately plopped on the bed and napped!

After presents, we took a hike down to visit the horses then up to the ponds again since Rachel and Mike had missed out on yesterday's adventures.  Hank opted to stay home, but by the time this second hike was over, Chloe was tolerating Violet quite nicely.

It was a terrific holiday!  With any luck, they will be up this summer for another adventure. 

The Yurt Goes "Live"

What does this mean???  Well, unfortunately, it doesn't mean that its done.  However, it does mean that the electricity is working, the concrete-slab floor is now being heated via the radiant floor ducting (turned on just in time for the coldest night in years...it was 2.8, yes, two-point-eight) and the wood stove is installed and burning.  The stove is so cute; its a tiny little thing and downright adorable.

This photo was taken before sunrise and before we moved the ladder *bummer*.  I love how warm and cozy the yurt looks from the outside and it is surprisingly warm inside.  Even though the actual temperature may read 10 degrees less than the house, it feels 10 degrees warmer.  Must have to do with the radiant floor.

This one was taken this morning, after moving the ladder, and when it was starting to get light.  The lattice that you see looking through the door window is on the back wall.  The interior has lattice all the way around as well as support studs.  Its very light and airy inside.

Inside pictures will come after this weekend.  Currently, the inside is a major construction zone.  We need one more inspection, then we can button-up the walls, install the "kitchen" cabinet, clean the place up and start staining the floor.  I'm thinking I'll start in the bathroom, that way, if I don't like it, I won't be committed to finishing the whole thing.  I'm so excited...I can't wait to be inside working on my longarm!!

Socks & Kate have Adventures & The Yurt has Walls

We ended up having four days off this weekend and decided to make Kate and the yurt our main goals.  First up...Kate.  We rode her three times this weekend and each time were more and more impressed with her.  Her third ride was our usual four-mile loop that is a pretty easy trek.  We do have to go past three neighbors houses on the way home.  The middle house has vehicles and wood and all sorts of scary things...she didn't even care.  In fact, the only "excitement" was when Emma and Bailey whinnied to us from across the meadow.  She was very excited, calling back and starting to trot.  Usually, trotting entails a bit of encouragement with a crop!

Kate was so great on Thursday and Friday, that I rode her on Saturday.  I really thought it would be weeks before I got on her, but she is the most solid, green-broke horse ever!  I can't wait until she's figured out the program; she's going to be phenomenal!

Here she is with her saddle on, ready to go.  Isn't she cute??

Friday morning we said a tentative goodby to Socks.  He is going to live with Jenny in Garden Valley; if things work out, that will be his new permanent home.  Jenny is looking for a horse to give her confidence, Socks needs a home where he'll be ridden and not have to do endurance rides. 

I thought I was fine with him leaving, until we turned the corner and Jenny came out clapping her hands together, excited to see us arriving with him.  I know that he and Jenny will do great together, but its still bittersweet.  Socks is such a great horse with a huge heart...I'll miss him.

The yurt insulation and walls went much faster than we'd anticipated.  This picture shoes how the insulation comes in pieces (wall piece, window piece, repeat). 

The yurt totally totally wrapped with insulation.

A photo from the inside.  The  "walls" are white and with the wood, it looks so clean and nice.  Hard to tell from the photo, but that window looks out on the pasture where the ponies are...a perfect view!

Almost finished.  The exterior is done, we just have a few screws to put in at the bottom. 

Hopefully, next weekend we'll make a quick trip to Reno and pick up supplies for staining the floor and the few items we need for the inside.