Saturday, February 19, 2011

How to get ready to do some machine quilting!




Perhaps if I were a bit neater in my sewing room it wouldn't be such a production (and sometimes it really isn't, honestly) but for today, this is what I need to do before I can even take one stitch - clear some space on the sewing table:




  • Take rulers back to cutting table


  • Put papers with phone numbers in organizer to be filed later


  • Put away misc. spools of thread from the weeks sewing


  • Throw away blue jean scraps from mending job


  • Put patterns for quilt shop where I will see them when I go out


  • Put package of cording in drawer with other supplies


  • Put away small and large rotary cuts (mental note, find hooks or nails to hang these with)


  • Take daughters headband to bathroom to put away (ignore laundry, finish that later)


  • Sort paperwork for future project, put with fabric on tray to keep together


  • Move table runner projects to cutting table to work with later (I hope!)


  • Found - 1 coffee punchcard, put in wallet (ignore piles of paperwork on desk - later)


  • Diaper coupons - put near purse and make a note to take to church on Sunday!


  • Joann's flier, need to look and see what I need on sale this weekend!


  • Put away new fat quarters purchased on Wednesday


  • Put stack of potholder supplies on cutting board


  • Put pens in drawer at desk and pins in drawer on shelf!


  • Move stack of misc magazines, notebooks, and calendars


  • Put scraps on pile to be processed for scrap quilts


  • Dust off table


Now it's all clean and ready for a weekend of quilting (ignore organizer full of paperwork to be filed, I'll work on that tonight!). But first I need to clean out my machine, oil it, and wind some bobbins - then I'll be ready for some fun!

Thursday, February 03, 2011

The Fountains of Versailles

One of the main reasons we decided to visit Versailles on our first day in Paris was to see the fountains in action. Only on weekends are they active, so it seemed like the ideal day to take it in. Not only are the fountains turned on, but classical music is also played on speakers, making it a delightful experience. The gardens themselves were lovely - flowers and hedges, created like a series of outdoor rooms, they were almost maze-like!

This is my favorite fountain, the Apollo basin. It depicts Apollo - the sun god (whom Louis XIV identified with) rising from the waters in his chariot. Definitely much more impressive when the water is running! Most of the fountains were only turned on when the king went by, but this one ran all the time. The fountains are run by a gravity system, using the force of the river to shoot water through the fountains.

This is the Collonade. It is hidden in the gardens and quite impressive to suddenly walk into! It looks like an ancient ruin, but was built by Louis XIV's artists.

This is my daughter from the courtyard overlooking the fountain. In the background you can see the man made lake/canal. This was used for recreation, with gondoliers imported from Italy living nearby.

This is me directly in front of the same fountain, isn't it pretty? This is the Latona fountain, also known as the frog and lizard fountain!
We walked and walked the grounds, just admiring the lovely manicured gardens. I'm sure that on sunny days the gardens are a lot more crowded than they were during our visit, but it was rather nice to be able to wander and take in all the pretty spots while we listened to our audio guide.
The last part of our visit to Versailles was a lot of walking - and I think that the trip was catching up with me, as I noticed that there is a lack of pictures of the rest of the grounds! We visited the domain of Marie Antoinette, the Petite Trianon, and I got no pictures - it was beautiful and we enjoyed it so much even though we were definitely getting weary.
I will finish up our first day's adventures next week, and give you some links to the places we visited on our first day in Paris, I hope you enjoyed this small taste of the fountains!
Pamela



Wednesday, February 02, 2011

Week Five - 52 Week Challenge

Here is my finished project for the week. I've had the top pieced for a few weeks, but could not decide how to quilt it. I had something else in mind (snowflakes, or frost) but after I pulled out all my thread and thinking about it, decided on a simple swirling design that makes me think of wind.

I made this table runner as a personal challenge to myself to design a table runner for each month of the year using charm squares. For this one I used fabric out of my stash, but I plan to make a second one with a fun set of charms that I purchased. Though I'm not sure of my choice for the triangles at the moment. I think I just need to get started and see how it goes!

I have my February runner designed on paper, and also have my charms for that, so should be getting that done next - after all Valentine's day is rapidly approaching! Well, I suppose I should get back to work, I'm determined to get the pattern for this written out by the end of the week, and it's already Wednesday. As usual I have more things I want to do than I have time to do them all in!

Stay warm!

Pamela