Before and After House - 2023

 Hi Friends!

Hope you are starting to get into the holiday groove.  I am so excited for Thanksgiving.  I love it more than Christmas honestly. I think there is more work involved with Christmas and it just makes me tired.  With Thanksgiving, I really get to enjoy my time with family.  Everyone brings something for the meal so I don't feel like I do it all.  Really no pressure, just fun.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had windows and siding put on the house this summer. This house was built in 1896.  My parents bought it in 1972.  I was 2.  It's the only house I've really known.  My dad put lots of time and money into redoing the inside.  They put a metal roof on about 12 years ago.  Any time he changed a window, he just put rolled siding around it.  Nothing ever matched.  It was time to update and make it my own. I bought it 5 years ago.  It was really bittersweet though.  It no longer looks like the house I grew up in.  Here it is before:

And here is the after:

I still have a lot of work to do on the outside and the inside.  I need a new railing for the front porch and I need to clean the limestone rock around it.  I need to find something to cover the foundation on the front and West side of the house. I need to paint around the trim of the windows on the inside. I hope you all like the changes as much as I do.

So along with the goals for sewing for next year, I have house goals too. My biggest for next year is flooring in the downstairs and a deck on the North side of the house.  I would like to also check out the price of having gas put in the house instead of fuel oil. I do need to do some landscaping but that may have to wait another year.  My sidewalks need work too.  It's always something with a home, isn't it?

I am hoping to share one more post before the holidays, but if I don't, I hope you all have a blessed holiday season.

Blessings

Amy

2023 Goals

 Hello Friends

I was reading another blog and she was updating everyone on her 3rd quarter and what goals were accomplished.  That got me thinking about my goals for this year. Here it is October and boy have my goals changed this year.  Here are my goals for this year.

• Finish all started quilts - this did not get touched
• Paint the kitchen cupboards - still have the paint and need to do before Christmas
• Clean out the small garage and have a sale - it's organized but still need to have a sale
• Carpeting in 3 rooms - money spent on windows and siding instead
• Make 3 scrap quilts for gifting - not yet but there is still time before the end of the year
• Table runner for my Aunt in Winter/Spring - have not thought about this at all
• Bed runner for Aunt's SIL - no clue what I am doing

Little did I know that in May I would contact a contractor to put new windows and siding on the house.  I met with them May 2.  Signed the contract and was told siding in 4-6 weeks and windows in 10-12.  I decided to put all of my sewing things away so they could do the window in that room.  I worked on a quilt for a retiring friend and made a baby quilt but that was it for this year so far. I called the contractor each month to see where we were in the process.  Supply chain issues are still a thing when it comes to siding and windows.  They decided to do the windows first.  August 28th they replaced 13/14 windows. One was ordered wrong and we are still waiting on that one.  A week later the siding was delivered and they started that.  I will make a post about that soon.  They still have some small things to finish.

So my summer was spent getting ready for the contractors.  My mom ended up in the hospital for 3 days too.  She is fine. I spent time with my son at concerts and seeing musicals with my mom and sister.  So it's been a great summer.  Just not what was planned.  And sometimes you have more fun with no plans.

So I am going to make a short list of goals to tackle before the end of the year:

• write blog post about house updates
• baby quilt for coworker
• clean and organize sewing space
• put together at least one scrappy quilt

I will leave you today with this picture.  This is the quilt I made for my coworker/friend.  She retired in July. I didn't get a good picture of the quilting, but it came together very well.  This is a pattern by my friend Trish and can be found at Blue Bar Quilts online.

Are you working on your goals for 2024?  I am just trying to get through this month.  It's going to get busy with the holidays but then Winter really hits and there will be more time to sew.  I hope.

Blessings

Amy

Home Remodel

 Hello Friends

So, exciting things are happening on the home front.  In May I met with a company that does siding and windows.  My house is over 100 years old and needs some updates.  My dad had remodeled most of the inside for the past 46 years.  When I bought the house in 2018 I quickly changed the paint color in all of the rooms.  Well, most anyway.  I still have a few things to paint.  This house really needed new windows and siding.  Dad didn't want to spend the money for siding so the house has had the rolled siding on it.  Many years ago, Dad had put a small door on the little garage where a big overhead door had been.  He bought a really big air compressor and the only place for it was the front part of the garage.  The back of the garage held the wood burning stove.  I got rid of the stove and had a friend move the compressor to the back of the garage.  I met with a company to replace the garage door with an overhead door again.  This only took them 5 hours to built and install. Here is a before and after:

I have also purchased a new light for above the door.  They will be siding this little garage when they do the house too.  I can't wait to show you all that too.  Stay tuned!

Are you doing any house projects this summer?

Blessings

Amy

Always crafting

 Hello Friends

I have something different to share with you today.  I have discovered why I don't get much quilting done.  I am a crafter not just a quilter.  If I see something I really like, I try to figure out how I can make it on my own.  Don't get me wrong, I do support other artists and will buy patterns and other items.  Recently, ok, last October, I saw a deco mesh wreath.  I had been to my local Dollar Tree and bought some supplies.  They usually have a great selection of signs.  I watched a few YouTube tutorials and made this:

It hung on my door at work for the season.  I then made this for at home:

Then I made this one:

Then I took a break and made this one:

Then I made this one for my mom:

My sister was a big fan of this so I may have to make one for her next year.

I have a big tote of the deco mesh and a few signs yet.  I am going to work on finishing a few more this summer when it's too hot to quilt.  I also need to just stop doing other things and stick to quilting!  I have so many patterns and fabric to use.  I am currently working on a quilt for a coworker who is retiring this summer.  Hope to show you the finished product soon!

Are you a multi crafter?  How do you keep everything organized?  How do you manage it all?  I love to do other things, but I am missing quilting.

Blessings

Amy

Word of the Year

 Hello Friends

I can't believe it's already March.  I wish I could say that I have been busy making quilts but I haven't.  I have been working on a cross-stitch piece for a friend and that is taking up most of my free time.  I do have 2 finishes to share with you later though.

Today I wanted to share my word of the year. This is a good reminder for me also.  We all need kindness.

I wanted to make something in orange this year but the pink was shouting at me to use it.  I did not want to cut into the background fabric but then, the fabric is there to use so use it!  I am not saving fabric for 'someday' any more.  I am going to use it up!  There will always be my favorites but what good are they if they are sitting in a drawer waiting to be used.  I have more fabric than I will ever need.  Time to put it to good use.  

Whenever I cut into a fat quarter or yardage.  I will cut extra for the scrap bin.  I cut some at 1.5 and 2.5. Trying to build a scrap stash for some much needed scrap quilts I want to make this year.

This is all I have for you today.  Much more coming.  I have been crafting if not quilting.  Will share those things next time.

Blessings

Amy