Whimsicals Threads

waiting....

Finally, what you've all been waiting for....

Well, maybe YOU haven't been waiting for this, but I have.  And no, the tree in the back yard has NOT suddenly begun to sprout money, although that would be nice.....

Really, what I've been waiting for is the one last remaining strike-off for my new line of fabric.  And it arrived yesterday!

I know, some of you may be scratching your head and thinking "Wow.  A strike-off.  What is that? And why is it so exciting?"  (feel free to skip this part if you already know this!)  Strike-offs are sample pieces of fabric that the mills run in order for the manufacturer and designer to look at and okay colors, engravings, etc. before massive yardage is run. And although I got the strike-off pieces for most of this line a few weeks ago, there was one that they just didn't get right on the first two tries.  Wouldn't you know that it was the main one?! 

But, it came yesterday, and now I get to go through the painful process of weeding some out. And to do that, of course I had to lay them all out together, and while I was at it, I just had to take some pictures to share with you.

(... sorry.  I should have ironed these before snapping the pictures...)

Yes, it is finally the snowman fabric that I shared last January.  The big panel print was the one that I've been waiting for, and it's a little difficult to pick coordinating prints without it!

This line is called Winterberry Lane, but don't start planning your Christmas projects just yet.... unless you plan on giving a very belated gift.  (Do you see my big sad face?  Someday I'm going to figure out how to add those little face widgets, but for now, just imagine that one is here....) You won't see it in your shops until next spring, which seems like a long time away, I know, but will give you plenty of time to get something made for NEXT Christmas.  AND give me time to make something from it and hopefully include it in that new book that I need to get started on.  But more on that some other day.  Right now, I just wanted to give you a glimpse of the fabric to come...

I am excited about this line!  I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do with it, but there are a few ideas floating around in my head, and I still have 4 to 6 weeks before I actually get any yardage (yes, I get it before anyone else; that's one of the perks!  :: grin :: )  But in the meantime, I get to pack it up and send it back to Red Rooster Fabrics, then sit and wait.  And hope that it's not a long wait.

In the meantime, I'm still working on another line of fabric that will be for next spring/fall, and trying to get back into the swing of things with school starting up again.  My youngest started his senior year of high school last week and my oldest goes back to college this coming week.  I could say that I'm looking forward to a quiet house, but that would be lying.  I truly enjoy having my kids and their friends around.  Most of the time.  Ask me sometime when the drums, guitars, and music are drowning out my thoughts and I may give you a different answer.  But right now, I am content to watch them grow up and share life with them.  Once again, I am reminded of how blessed I am.

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.  3 John 1:4

Enjoy!

having some fun now....

Do you ever go through phases where you just can't seem to get motivated?  Well, I've been in one this summer.  So, you want to know what I did about it?  I did something that I haven't done in many years. 

I took a vacation.

Yep.  A real vacation. 

I had no projects in the works that I could take.  Nowhere to plug in a sewing machine, (much less be able to fit it into the rental car we took.)  Very limited access to the internet.

And you know what?  I enjoyed myself.  I sat on the beach; took a ride on a sailboat; enjoyed the company of my husband and two boys; visited with family; swam in the ocean; took a walk on the beach at night; and just took it easy for several days.

 

Considering that it's been 4 years since we've taken a family vacation and the fact that the "kids" are no longer kids, it may end up being the last "real" vacation for us. Yes, there were a few times when I had to ask myself why I insisted that the kids go with us (who wouldn't when there is a 17 year old involved?) but all in all, I'm grateful that we could do it and that we had such a wonderful time.

Now, I'll let you in on another secret about me.....

I'm terrible when it comes to riding in the car.  I can't sleep unless I'm driving (yes, you read that right.) so I always take something to keep me busy and entertained.  And since I didn't have any hand work projects to take, I finished something that my mom asked me to do a while ago that I had to get finished. 

Yes, my parents are celebrating 50 years of marriage!  And If you notice the date, you'll understand why I had to get it finished.  I mean, really, mom should know that no matter how much time she gives me to get something done, I'll always wait until the last minute to do it!  I made the backgrounds myself and purchased the crinkled paper image.  And although I'm pretty much a newbie at this digital scrapbooking type of thing, I had fun making this and was pretty pleased with the way it turned out. 

So, now that I've had my happy-fun-play time, it's back to work.  Because even though I may have been pretty slack in my postings this summer, I haven't been just sitting around doing nothing.  Nope, nope, nope.  I've been busy.  You'll just have to wait a few days longer to see glimpses of a few things that I've been working on.....