its here................

My gammill is finally home again! It got serviced, a bigger bobbin, laser pointer for following those pantograms and a new 12' table! On the way out, this bad boy took out our telephone/dsl wire...got everything back by 5.30p.m. (it is about 7:30a.m. in photo)

Here are three crates. The one up front is table top frame, top and rollers. The smallest is actually the gammill head and the crate on the hand truck has the legs and other stuff in it.

It took quite a bit of time and muscle to get this sucker open! Then everything has to be lugged around the house into the back and through the opened panel (remember where the snake was) well, that place. And, then, without any instruction or prior experience he got this baby put together. I will take a photo or two of it installed in the basedment. Happy Dance! Happy Happy Joy Joy Happy Happy Joy Joy

fourth and wild flowers

This is the path that Mark mows so I can take a nice walk through the apple orchard, into the wood and to the power line trail. The wild flowers are amazing! Tons of raspberries disbursed from our patch by the birds.

Here are some of the flowers we picked today. There is some Queen Anne's Lace; daisies; Indian Paint Brush; sweet clover; buttercups and some stuff we dont know. I want to get a field quide to Michigan's wild flowers. They are sitting in the center of an old glass radar table I got years ago when Mike (late husband) worked at PMRF (pacific missle range facility). Makes a great table and we always put the Christmas tree up on it too.

We are having a very quiet fourth around here. I talked with Victoria this morning. I miss her so much! She would have had such a great time here this summer. Oh well, have to be happy with the thought she will be spending a month her for her Christmas break. Have a Happy Fourth of July everyone!

dyefest :-)

Gave my firtst dye class on Thursday, June 26th and was very successful and everbody had a great time! Here are Carol and Linda showing off a few first pieces. Mark custom fitted out part of my basement for a dedicated dye area and it worked out great!

Karen is back at the sink lightly rinsing the fabric, this is the first time I let the washer do the bulk of the rinsing before washing. What a huge difference. Carol is on her way to go hang the fabric on the line. I taught "tube dyeing".

Another shot of Karen at the sink...but look at all the fabric in the buckets just waiting to be washed...5 gals dyed 100 yards. I only dyed a few...mainly as demo...I spend the rest of the time teaching and helping out and keeping the dye and soda ash solution flowing.

I love these type of shots, the lines filled with lots of color. We filled the lines twice and dried the rest in the dryer. Everyone left with washed, dried and folded fabric. We had a potluck with grilled hot dogs and brats for lunch and then they went out and got two big pizzas for dinner. It was a great day. I cannot wait to see what they do with the fabric.

Tomarrow I am going to do a bit of dyeing for myself plus finish up a sample I am working on to take to Quilts 'n Stuff in Escanaba on Tuesday. I did a Wheels of Wonder tablerunner/wall hanging. Will take photo when it is done and post. Well, I better get back upstairs and back to work.

Doreen's Quilts at Off Center Studios

Just got a message from Megan inviting me to the opening of a show of Doreen's quilts. I am stoked! Megan and Matti will be flying in from San Franciso too. I am happy to be able to see Megan again and excited about finally meeting Matti. It's a four and half hour drive but should be well worth it, plus we can go the distance to Stevensville on Saturday and pick up my gammill. Yipee! I havent discussed this with Mark yet, but I think it is a go! If any of you can rally and go, it should be a wonderful event. Boy! Do I miss Doreen!

YIKES!!!!!!

I was happily making my way down to the basement, which is now part dye studio. As I grabbed the 2 x 4 for support I heard this "hissing". I looked up from a few steps below and HOLLY GUACAMOLE!!!! it's a freaken snake. I called for Mark, who was in kitchen...Mark, there is a snake. Yeah right! No really, please come look and make it go away...pleaseeeeeeee

Access panel removed so you can get better look of what I had just brushed past.

Here, Mark is preparing to remove this beastie with my kitchen tongs...yuk...he has already pried him out of his snug little space. Be gone snake!

My hero! Destroyer of all things creepy and crawlie. Normally I don't mind snakes...but not on the way to my dye studio! Alas, this snake is now in snake heaven...don't want a pine snake making its home in yours or else you get lots and lots of baby pine snakes who, in turn will make more baby snakes.......

You can bet the ladies who will be arriving at around 9 a.m. tomarrow will be very, very glad this dude (or dudette) is gone! :-)

from my sweetie

Mark got home a little early today and when he pushed the door open, he was carrying these. I have heard about Lupine for years but have never seen them. Aren't they gorgeous?!! and don't you just love the impromtu vase he made out of an empty 40 he had in his car? He says there is a huge field of these growing wild along the back parking lot where he works. I want to dig a bunch up this fall and plant in my yard. I have to go to Iron River on Thursday for my physical therapy evalutation, so I will bring my camera and take a few photos. He told me to put in a "real" vase but I like this one better. :-)

Fence and Flowers

This is the other fence Mark built this weekend...one more 2x4 to be added underneath the panel closest to house. I am going to buy some lilac bushes Wednesday at HomeDepot...I will keep them smaller bushes to hide gap. I will now have to access the garage via back door but worth keep nosey old guy out of yard...I think he has even been in our house when we are gone, now we lock the door now matter how soon will be back. Plus, I like the idea of a litte privacy from the road and yep...keep them pesky deer out. The weekend was beautiful and warm and today cloudy and down to 50 again...oh well...Oh! I finished these really darling pin cushions Saturday night, I will take photos of them and post them next time. :-)

This is a very cool wreath I got from a friend on Kauai. Carolyn built a house on the lot next door to us years ago. When she got married, she sold it so, if she and her husband got in a fight there wasnt a convient place to run "home" to...big mistake on her part...anyway. This hung on the inside of her kitchen door, I loved it and the bell sound it made whenever you came in. When she was moving I commented once again how much I liked it. She smiled at me and handed it to me and said take it...someone gave to me, now I am giving to you. For years it just hung on the wall in my studio and then here it was in a box. I had Mark hang it on the inside of our gate...I love it!

Another photo from when Max was in Mexico...I think he is so cute!!! Aimee called this "chillin"

I call this my "fairy circle". I thought they were they glads I planted last year, I guess they died but these iris sure did a number underground this past winter. I also love how they multiply in a circle...the circle is complete this year. Last year they were a bit patchy. I planted the marigolds and there are also asiatic lilies plus some other stuff I have no idea what they are until they bloom...always a surprise. In the background, you can see where Mark pulled the fence to the house. You cannot even tell this is not the way the fence was installed. That should keep the deer out!:-)