What to do, what to do?

It's a cold, windy, wintry day out there today.

Did a little work in the kitchen remodel.

Wove a couple rugs.

Got kinda bored.

Friend called, also bored.

Change of scenery for both of us and she came over and helped me do this!

Denim strips.

Lots and lots of denim strips.

We finally got tired of that and quit - the tote wasn't half gone yet. 

And if you think I have one more session like todays and I'll be good?

I've got that many more jeans that need the legs ripped out of.

I've got ALOT  of jeans :)

All for now, 
JULIE

Big Mess

Sheetrock has begun.

Notice the open door?  

Not sure if the young men doing the labor don't realize that the dang white dust goes everywhere,

 or they didn't think it was a problem by the state of my other rooms.... :)

They didn't put up any plastic... 

Sigh.

I guess I will be doing some deep cleaning EVERYWHERE 

in the near future.  LOL

All for now,

JULIE

Santa Cooper

'Santa' Cooper Wishes everyone a Merry Christmas!

Photo Credit goes to my daughter Leah,

 from www.facebook.com/LeahPhotographyDesign

Secrets

I've had to be pretty closed mouthed lately here at re'New...

I've been working on Christmas gifts when I could grab a moment or two.

Today was family Christmas so now the 'cat is outa the bag' and I can show you what I've been creating!

I decided about a month ago to gift quilts to my 3 children.  I had two appropriate ones 'in the bank', but needed another.  Talk about last minute deadlines --  I managed to start and finish a queen size bed quilt and gift it in less than a month. 

Here it is--

Made this one out of flannel.  All remnants of other projects, mostly backings from denim blankets made in the past.  The light spaces are flannel lining from some drapes I made in to rugs!  True use it up repurposing :)

The other project I reveal today is a painting that I started over a year ago.  HAA

I was going to do it for my sister's birthday - well, missed that one.

So I told myself this birthday was the deadline.  Yup, missed that, too.

But I FINALLY got my buttocks in gear and finished it this morning - LOL

I don't paint much.  I'm more of a sketcher, but it turned out ok for the lack of experience and practice.

She always wanted a cow picture and she seemed quite pleased with it. 

Kitchen update --  electrical is now finished and the new window and sheetrocking can commence.  Pretty sure I won't see them til at least Thursday.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed they get here and push a bit and it gets to the point that I can have my son here during school break to help with the ceremic tile floor.  His muscles would be more than appreciated with that job.

All for now,  Julie

PS  Maybe now that the secret projects are finished, I can get back to doing some weaving!

Barn Buddies

... is the name of the 4-H Club that I lead.  We themed our tree to our name!  We've got all the animals that can be exhibited in SD 4H except for pigs and goats - couldn't find stuffed ones :)

Also have the real goose eggs to represent the poultry projects.

I think it's a fun tree!

New this year is the vintage barn that was the toy of one of the 4-H parents.  I love it!

All for now,  JULIE

Definately Winter

I would stay in today, except it's the local Christmas Activity Day.

My 4-H Club is decorating a tree at the auditorium.

Hope my pickup starts - she is usually a bit cold blooded!  I would plug her in, but no block heater...

Later will check the horse waterer but seems to be working as the horses are off eating and haven't seen them up here searching.

After that, some crafty type stuff-

No update pictures of the kitchen remodel.  Boring stuff like all new electrical is going in now. 

All for now,

JULIE

Officially winter, I guess

It happens every year, so why does it seem like a big deal?

The older I get, the harder it gets :)

I think it's pretty and all.  It just makes everything harder.

Driving to work - or anywhere for that matter.

Taking care of the horses.

Planning anything.

Running a snow blower.

More gas, more fuel, more electricity...

wah, wah, wah. 

I'm done whining now.



All for now,
JULIE

Never enough time to blog...

Or weave for that matter! 

The full time day job sure cramps my style - that's a given.

But it seems I always have some chore or project that needs doing RIGHT NOW.

Right now I'm doing this...

This was my kitchen this morning...

Here it is tonite!

Yup.  Remodeling :)

I've been waiting on my contractor neighbor to come back and finish my entry way so I could get started on this dang kitchen.   I've been living here 3? years with a non functional kitchen.  I've had the fridge and a sink and a wall oven from 1960.  It was kinda erratic.

No stove top - the one time I turned it on it smoke so bad I had the power cut to it and never looked back. 

I had not planned on having to wait this long to redo this room.

I FINALLY cut the cord with the neighbor and found a new guy - that was available.  That's been an issue.

Sunday when I called him to say I thought his estimate was fine and I was ready to rock and roll on this thing, I asked him when he could start.

He said 'Tuesday or Wednesday?'

After I caught my breath, I squeaked out Wednesday and frantically started to pack up my kitchen and find places for all my 'stuff'

I'm thinking he was available because no one else wants to be without a kitchen and with a mess this time of year.

No Thanksgiving feast for me this year, and maybe not even a Christmas goose!  HA

I don't mind - At least it's getting done!

All for now,
JULIE

Spotted~

The other morning on the way to work - in the predawn dark I might add - my headlights swept past some birds on a prairie pothole.  Not unusual around here, but there was something not quite ordinary it seemed as I kept on going toward the days labors.

This morning, I saw them again.  This time I slowed and I thought... 'are those swans?'   I don't know if I've ever seen swans in the wild around here -  Then on the way home, I really took a look.  There were bunches of them! 


So I went home, gathered up the Cooper dog and my camera and headed back.

He gets so dang excited when we go for a ride.  Check out the blur of his tail :)

Pretty sure these ARE swans.  Some juveniles included.   Unfortunately, many of them had left - maybe to feed somewhere?  There were enough there before that at first I had assumed they were snow geese.  We get lots and lots of those around here during their migration.

It looked like only 3 family groups were there at this time.  Hope they are still there tomorrow, I'm going to try and remember to take my camera to work with me.   Never have it when I really want it! 

Anywho -  I've finished up some rugs lately.  Last minute for a craft fair last Sunday.  To reinforce this last minute rush that I usually do, about 1/2 the rugs I sold were the new ones just finished that morning...  sheesh.

I have  had 4 of these corduroy rugs finished.  Two sold already.  Still have a couple left in the pile of strips I think. 

Several rugs of this weft material sold - one squarish one for a table - Glad I have strips left of this as one buyer has called and asked if I could make a runner for her buffet.  Not usual that I have material left AND a narrow warp that is close enough colorwise to work for this type of situation.

This is a fun longer rug made from some vintage curtains.  I really like it :)

Closeup of the curtains brown rug.  Kinda cool IMO.

Must try and get some weaving done - Have about 3 different requests that I can actually do right now with the current warps and wefts, so I should do them and get them out of here and outa my head.  Would make me feel like I accomplished something!

All for now,
JULIE

Sewing. Sewing. And more sewing.

Oy.

Strips and strips and strips of corduroy.

I've been sewing all day, and just finished up this huge pile.

Now on to cutting them apart and trimming off the dog ears.

All this prep work is sometimes the pits.

All for now,
JULIE

Craft Fair Weekend

.... But not for me :)

This weekend I am attending a large craft fair with a friend.

She was in need of a canopy.   I was in need of a time away from all the chores in my world!  :)

Take a look at what this awesome fiber artist friend o' mine makes--

Here's a pic of the booth before the gates opened - Note my canopy and my floor tarp?  Glad for these as we had a wet morning.  The rain cleared off and turned into a great fall day at about 1:00...

Friend is a quilter, who combined her love of fabrics and art into these fabric vases. 

Believe it or not, these vases are all fabric... no metal wire, no cardboard, no nothing like that.  Just the fabric and some quilting innards that are a trade secret and lots of machine quilting.

I think she's amazing :) 

Funny from today -- someone asked if I was her daughter - ( I was bragging her up) - and I said, "nope, I'm her agent, and I'm gonna be rich when she gets famous". 

Anyone out there know anything about the pattern book business and how to go about getting published?

Tomorrow will be there again - the weather sounds delightful, and I spied something at another booth that is making me go HMMMM.....   I might talk myself into buying it.  

We'll see!

All for now,
JULIE

More.

More rugs finished and to the store.

Not sure what's got into me.

Seems like I'm getting more weaving done.

I used up some 'dribs and drabs' of twill pant strips by pairing them with the light blue sheeting that was too boring to use alone.

Some flannel sheets made into some soft comfy rugs.

And I finished up the warp and my tote of sewn denim strips.  Now must get busy sewing more of them.

And nope, don't need more jeans.

Drowning in them at the moment :)

Next warp is gonna be a bit more varied in finished rugs.

At least I think so at this point! 

All for now, 

JULIE

More finishes

This weekend I wrote down 4 things I thought needed to be done this weekend.

Or at least 4 things that I keep putting off...

Mind you, these are not huge chores, or projects.  Just simple things like balancing the checkbook, and putting some languishing laundry away.

Do you think I've done any of it?  My weekend is almost over!

Instead I do this...

My way of procrastinating, I guess.

Corduroy rug

Blacks, pinks, lavender, fuschia, mauve

Small bedspread rug

Chenille bedspread rug

Another chenille bedspread rug, in a rarer light pink background

And yet another chenille bedspread rug, all in white

By this time, the chenille all white bedspreads are getting a little boring, 

so I decided to try this on this bedspread... 

 Takes a bit more time to weave it, but not so hard I guess.

And lastly, another corduroy rug.  

This one with red, black, gray, pink, mauve and lavender.

Maybe I should make lists of things I probably won't do anyway more often????

LOL

All for now,  JULIE

Finished request

I had a customer request for a special sized group of a rug I had done previously.

Since it was denim I figured I could try to accomplish it.

Of course it took two different warps to get the wide and narrow rugs.

Not sure where my brain was on the large rug.  Requested size was 60 inches, but after the rug relaxed it ended up being only 51 inches long.  Hmmmm.... must not have added the 'shrink' inches.

The smaller rugs are each an inch shorter than the requested size, so I did better there.

We'll see if I get a sale on this bunch.

All for now,
JULIE

Where did you find that?

It's hot here in South Dakota, hottest it's been all summer.  Gonna last all week I guess

Windy, too.

So today I've been weaving inside where it's cool.

Not sure what got into me last night, but after working a full day I came home and wove six rugs.

Six.

Stayed up until about midnite which is very late for me!

But dang this internal clock - was up at 5:30 this morning.  So figured I might as well get up and get those dang things off the loom.

Tied and finished up the fringed rugs, three of them, before 7 AM.  Go me.  LOL

Anywho, after a rummage/estate sale, I came back to a nap and then some more weaving.

Dog has been in and out all day. 

Just went to check on him since it's been awhile since he's barked to be let in.

Wonder where he found this???

I rescued the cute little thing and brought Cooper inside to give him a head start in his get away.  He moves pretty quick for a turtle!

All for now,

Julie

Latest additions...

blue plaid runner

light green touches of orange on white runner

fall colors runner

periwinkle and green on white runner

Feels good

Short stack of rugs done and heading to the store this morning. 

Five denim rugs and a small chenille that was the perfect color for this warp.

Feels good to accomplish something!

All for now,

JULIE

W.E.B. Memorial Rugs

Finished the memorial rugs today....  

Take a look.

A rare matched set.  I really like how these turned out - twill type materials....

A denim and corduroy shirt rug.

A denim and flannel shirt rug.

And another denim and flannel shirt rug.

Hope they are acceptable...

All for now, JULIE

A distant dream

I've actually been weaving a little each night this week.

Been working on some 'memorial' rugs.

Those types of requests are going to be considered on a VERY rare occasion from this point on...

It's too stressful being confined to a certain bag of materials - I get stymied when I'm limited :)

But then tonite happened.  I did this instead.

Potluck at work tomorrow.... it's a team building thing, I guess....

It looks almost too good to take to work.  Not sure they are worth it :)  LOL

These rugs I've been working on are mostly denim.

Really wish I had a 'studio' where I could have my machines and looms set up and the mess contained.

Instead this is in my living room.

Blue fuzz EVERYWHERE...

I can dream tho, right?


All for now, JULIE

 

Oh Summer

Summer is slogging along. 

Heat, humidity, bugs, lawns to be mowed, etc etc.

A healthy share of reunions, picnics, and other activities.

Not enough time to do much other than work and maintain.

Not much messing with horses - always too hot or too tired.

Not alot of weaving, but some is getting done.  Slowly.


Today has been laundry, dishes, lawn day. 

While I was in the shower getting all the grassy and dirty off of me,  this is what was happening....

Little stinker.

Going to do some strip prep this afternoon and then off to my work company picnic.

All for now,

JULIE

Simple White

Simple white chenille bedspread-

Black and white warp.

Simple....

JULIE

Two more

I decided that my blue rug was getting a little large so I kept some back to put with this smaller amount of white that was hanging around.  Makes for a cute little rug I think.

This smaller rug is another combination of two small amounts of chenille bedspread.   Either it was a small bedspread to start with, or leftover or some such thing.   This picture did something weird.  The left edge of the rug is actually straight in real life.  Some distortion happened for some unknown to me reason.  Weird....

All for now,  JULIE

Feeling generous :)

Decided to give everyone a look at another one of the finished rugs.

This one was a chenille bedspread.  It's light blue on the tealish side.

I really like the chenille rugs.  Problem is they are usually light colored and in my world?  That's just impractical.

All for now, JULIE