Houston Quilt Festival Fun, but I'm getting Old!

Had a wonderful with friends today, shopping at the Houston Quilt Festival! Took a list, and found all my list items in some form or other. Jim Shore signed a couple of his statues that I'd gotten as gifts, and was a wonderful kind hearted guy!

Barbara and I hit most of the aisles, and enjoyed looking at so many wonderful booths. We had fun chatting about Olivia(our granddaughter). It is such a blessing when your child marries someone who also makes a good parent. Our families have blended nicely during the past few years.

My feet, hip, and back aches cut short our trip to the show. Helped me to see how very much I need to get walking now that the weather is more conducive to it. Fun with the bee at lunch, and as we bumped into each other. The fun of buying small gifts for friends... a great day. It was the same Saturday as one of my hook ins. But after years of rug hooking on my own, and the delight of finding 2 hooking circles, the quilt show is the older of my obsessions. (Did see several friends and even a couple of other hookers from Kirby Circle!)

Sharing my Wool Pattern available at my Etsy shop

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=32379481

Recently finished hooking a portrait of our KirbyKat sleeping in my wool hooking basket. He is often there on cool evenings, which we are finally starting to get again here in Houson. KirbyKat was always the ring tailed toot of our cat herd, and I still think of him as the baby cat.(12 years old in human years) Over the years, we've slowed down considerably and so has he. I have the pattern for this rug listed on Etsy. It will be on linen(wonderful and durable as a hooking background). The particular background I choose is called hit and miss, although if you are considering hooking a rug, you most likely know that. :) The cat's paws(so far as I know) are my own spin on a familar shape often used along the border of a hooked or penny rug. That familiar shape is generally called a sheep tongue. It's kind of amazing when you think of how many of us that do hooking, also have cats in our home, hearth, and heart. So perhaps, you know of an earlier version of a hooked rug with it, I'd love to know. It isn't like inventing an airplane, but always fun to "invent" a new way of looking at something common.

I do think this would make quite a nice top for a footstool of these dimensions. There is a French term for tricking the eye, but of course, I never think to google such as that before blogging. One of the reasons, I'm not hurrying to finish it...

The design area of the rug is 20 inches by 25 inches on the linen pattern. I'm working on paper patterns that would come with the design drawn at 12 x 16 or so with my permission to increase or decrease the size for personal use. I'm reserving the right to do custom hooking of someone's personal pet, although there may not be a big market for that at any rate. However, if you personally are interested in a rug of your cat, and don't do rughooking, you can contact me through a convo at my etsy shop. Depending on materials and difficulty of hooking, I'd probably charge between $200 - $300. . for the rug. But it would be one of a kind. One half of the fee would be due at the beginning of the project to purchase materials, (that portion would be nonrefundable). The second half of the fee would be due upon completion. All shipping fees would be paid by me. I could change the background to a single color if that would fit into your decorating better. I'm not out to hook the cat world, but I do love hooking them...

Our comfort dolls are on their way!

An American Primitive Gathering is a friendship group, and I am honored to be a member. A few of us made dolls to send as a group to the Comfort Dolls Project. I'm going to just put in one picture, of the dolls gathered in a basket before I put them into the package that is going to the post office tomorrow. Others in the group may send donations at a later time.

The styles are varied, and hopefully each and every one will find its way into the hands of someone who will enjoy it and be encouraged to put their face toward the light and let the shadows fall behind them.

Special thanks to:
Lori♥
Ginger♥
Debbie♥
Betty♥

Our dolls took the short trip to the post office, the beginning of their journey! I said a prayer for them to get to just the right person before handing them to the Postal Worker. Time to let go and let God!

In the end, only kindness matters....

With a nod to Jewel, here are a couple of links/embed to show you an update on the Iraqi Bundle of Love Project...



and http://s120.photobucket.com/albums/o171/swaniebabe7/IBOL/ Thanks to the guys and gals with boots on the ground hauling these boxes around, and this was about September 15!


And a good laugh! http://ibol.wordpress.com/2009/08/19/ibol-kitteh-humor/

Two Wonderful Projects

Do you believe you could change the world? Would you like to try?

There are many opportunities to spread generosity throughout the world we live in. Here are two that I basically found out about today, and want to share with you. (See how easily sharing can happen). :)
Just read on IBOL website that more than 14,000 bundles are on the way!!! Way to go sewing community.
First, and foremost http://ibol.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/ibol-sundae/ The deadline was Tuesday, September 8th. Sorry, but sometimes life requires that we move quickly... An American soldier is helping to distribute fabric and sewing supplies to Iraqi families, to make clothes for Iraqi children. Your cost is fabric or sewing supplies you can donate and $11.95 for postage on a flat rate shipping box at the post office. If you sew, knit, crochet, please take a look.

The other one http://givingchallenge.ning.com/ you can join or just follow their suggestions. Basically, for 29 days you give away 1 gift per day. Before signing up, think of a gift you'd like because they will ask for something you'd like as a gift. I requested visits to my blog and a prayer for world peace. So if you are a 29 gifts member it is working, and you might be able to send a bundle or two to the top opportunity! :)

Primitive Betty give away on CPLG blog

If you are a fan of Primitive Betty, you'll want to hurry on over to the http://cplgblog.blogspot.com/ and make a comment to have a chance to win one of Betty's handdid dolls. I know I'll be hoping to be the winner, but my chances are slim, while your's are phat! Don't forget to check her out!

Click on the picture to see items by cplg members :)

On August 16th, we will be having a group launch on Ebay. We will be featuring items with a "Falloween" theme, so Autumn and Halloween. If your summer has been anything like ours, HOT, HOT, HOT you are looking forward to cool breezes!

I'll have up a hooked rug, and some other small sewing items. Hope you'll check us out. If you are a hooker, I plan to have a couple of strip holders ready for you then too! Don't worry if you seem plumbing parts, cplg has become a common abbreviation for coupling. We jokingly call them the "garage guys" but remember to look all the way down the list for items in ebay stores as well. :)