So today, Sunday, we decided to take a break and go to the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. We had a pass, that we bought last weekend when we went Cannoed the Platte River, and wanted to get some use out of it. So we went up and took the drive around the Pierce Stocking Scenic drive. It was very nice and even Walt(native of TC) had not gone up there before. I had been a summer resident before I moved here when I was a kid, and so of course I know all about the more touristy things.
Here we are, Tammy and Walt and I, on the top of the Dune looking out over Lake Michigan.
Things are going very well at the shop. Here are two of my beginning quilting students, Joni and Marge, showing off the log cabin bags made from my pattern (soon to be available in stores.)
I have decided to start my own pattern company. I have been developing patterns on my own for a while now and have written up quite a few pattern sheets for the shop and the guild. So, I asked myself, why not make them more professional and start my company.
It will be called The Quilt Lynx and the picture of the Winking Lynx will be the logo. I already have it arranged, and am going to do some artwork on in to finish it.
Anyway, projects I've finished in the last two or three months are few and far between. Remember I have decided to focus on hand work and specifically Applique. So as a result, I will probably only get blocks done between now and Christmas. That's OK, I will then be ready for the next UFO club.
I did however, sign a contract about the GFG. I will be finishing that project between now and January. It will be done by the January meeting or I will be publicly humiliated! I worked on it at the fair and then again all evening on Friday and got two of the edges bound. It's difficult to bind a GFG because you don't use standard binding. You have to piece by piece fold under the top edge and cut the backing to match, folding it under as well and then blind stitch the two edges together using a ladder stitch. It's very similar to applique only your folding under both the top and bottom together. It's impossible to quilt the last row of quilting until the binding process is completed because it would interfere with the turning under of the edges. So therefore, once the edges are complete you then have to go back around and quilt the last row of hexagons. I'll take pictures of it this week to show you.
Anyway, for your viewing enjoyment. Here are two projects I did manage to finish over the last few months. The first is the project my students are doing for their beginning Patchwork class.
The second is a wallhanging I did for the shop. Tawni (the shop owner) did a similar one using a different color scheme. They hang side by side a the shop just to show people what kinds of things they can do with the five inch charm squares.
This week is going to be another busy one. I have classes going this week, and then Friday I am going to Ludington on a road trip to see a "facet" of my life that I have never before met. Remind me to explain this next week!
Oh and BTW, I lost those ten pounds that I had gained. Protein is a wonderful thing! All I needed to do was make sure my body did not think I was trying to starve it. Protein sends the message, "Oh yes, there is plenty here to eat, no need to go into starvation mode." Therefore it allows me to lose more weight. All I had to do was lay off the extra calories, sweets, walk around the fair once or twice, canoe down the Platte and drink a protein shake every morning and most evenings. Voila! Ten pounds gone. Lets see if I can get down another 10 this week! Hahaha!
See you next Sunday,
Cindy K-K
