Pillows

I made these 2' by 3' floor pillows so that the kids have something to lay on in front of the fireplace this winter. I've already personally tested them and they are really warm, fuzzy and comfy. I really like the texture of them.








I also made this trout from a panel for my son's fishing themed bedroom.

Reusable Grocery Bags

I made these reusable grocery bags for my sister's birthday. She is going to use them for purposes other than just the grocery store. I found the pattern online  at Make Your Own Grocery Bags - Sew4Home

and I think they turned out cutely. They have a solid bottom which is removable for laundering.
  

It's Been A Busy Year

Improvements to our Big Bear house this year have included a new roof and painting the entire downstairs and one room upstairs.


Also, we finally repaired and buried an exisiting sprinkler system in the garden area during the spring, and I am now looking for perennial bulbs to plant this fall. 















I did plant some minature roses, hydrangea, and echinacea.  I'm researching how to winterize plants. It is a new experience to prepare plants for the snow.










         We are having a large pine tree next to our front balcony and electrical wires removed today. It was cracking the existing retaining wall. After the tree is removed, we can put in new retaining walls on either side of driveway. We removed juniper bushes, rocks, and dirt on one side of the driveway over the weekend to widen it. The driveway is cracked so, hopefully, we can remove it and put pavers in. So it sounds like it will be another busy year but hopefully I won't be remiss in blogging.

After hand quilting this queen-sized quilt last summer, I decided to attempt long-arm quilting. Hopefully, I'll be able to show the results of that soon.

Kitchen Curtains, Sprinklers

Well, the vacation house in the mountains improved a bit more during my last week of summer vacation. I finished the valance for the kitchen window over the sink. It turned out nicely, I think. It wasn't that wide so I didn't applique pine trees on it like I did on the curtains for the larger kitchen window. We also got to dig trenches and bury new sprinkler lines in the flower beds in the side yard. The previous owners had the sprinklers just sitting on top of the ground which was a major trip hazard in addition to being very unsightly. I also transplanted some bushes from the backyard into the side yard. I hope that they took and are still alive because two weeks will have passed before I can water them again. Hopefully, they have had some summer rain up in Big Bear or at least cool weather.

Bear Curtains and Fish Curtains

     I'm really happy to get these curtains, which are appliqued with bears, up in my kitchen in Big Bear. I got the pattern for the appliques from Eleanor Burns' quilting book, Bears in the Woods. I had taken down the previous owners' faded plaid curtains and taped a Hefty bag over the window for a few weeks while I designed and made these. The covered window made the kitchen really dark so I felt pressured to get these up quickly. I love a room filled with sunlight. I love the branches on the fabric and it matches the peanut butter colored walls perfectly. Since we are next to a lake and my son likes fishing I decided to decorate my son's room with a fishing theme. When I found this adorable fabric covered with fish, rods, fishing bobbers, and creel baskets, I had to snatch it up. It makes really cute cafe curtains.

Curtains, Pillow Shams, and Quilts

I'm currently decorating a house we've had in Big Bear since last spring. I'm working on a quilt for my daughter's bedroom that's made of pine tree, bear paw, and log cabin squares. It's a full-sized quilt and I hand-quilted it which took forever. I'm almost finished. I only have to sew on the binding. I was hoping to have the quilts for both my son's and daughter's rooms done before it starts to get cold this fall. This pillow sham and curtain valance are made out of fabric left over from the quilt. I'm getting another yard of the background fabric because I've decided to make cafe curtains instead of just having a valance on the window.