Fabric Baskets in the Etsy Shop

I've been busy this week working on fabric baskets for the Bede Sisters etsy shop. They are great for storage, both functional and beautiful. The three above are made from a vintage quilt top.

The sets pictured below are made from new, cotton fabrics in ...

teacups

owls and apples

Amy Butler's Soul Blossoms, passion lily--

Reading in a cozy corner--the high tech version

My dear husband gave me an e-reader, the Nook, for Christmas. I really like it. It allows me take loads of books along wherever I go, without hurting my back.

It also, and it pains me to say this, allows me to change the size of the text so I can have a "large print edition" anytime.

And it's almost as cozy in a corner of the family room as a paper and glue version.

Snow in the Swamp

Sorry, bud, the chickens don't care if it's snowing. They still want to eat.

Hmm, the pool is much less inviting this time of year.

I love our driveway when it snows.

Did you get much snow at your place?

Our Christmas

Our Christmas tree, with it's blue holly bow--

Snuggling with Daddy on Christmas Eve--

Hot chocolate, anyone?

Yes, that's my daughter, very excited about getting her very own copy of The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Nothing says "Christmas" like a wild-eyed cousin--

So, how was your Christmas?

Last Minute Christmas Giveaway

Okay, all you last minute Christmas shoppers, I've got a deal for you. I'm giving away one of my stockings made from a vintage quilt. This one is soft cream, pink and green and trimmed with lace.



To enter, just leave a comment (and a way to contact you) on the Bede Sisters blog! That's it! I'll draw a winner Monday, Dec. 20, at 12 noon, EST. As long as I have the winner's shipping information in time, I'll ship on Tuesday, Dec. 21, Priority mail from USPS.

And, to say thanks for being here, I'm offering a coupon code to Bede Sisters's blog readers, good for 15% off your entire order, now through Dec 31, 2010. Just enter BEDESISTERSBLOG1 when you checkout and Merry Christmas!

Quick Updates

It's been busy around here! The etsy shop got busy there for a few days. Our Christmas stockings made from vintage quilts and quilt tops sold well, although I think people are done shopping for decorations at this point. I'm hoping customers will go for a scarf of two. I mean, I'm offering a free upgrade to priority shipping! What's not to like?

Domino the Cat is much better. He was patrolling the downstairs last night, and not a moment too soon. We've seen "evidence" of a mouse. We spent a lot of money on you, Domino. Time to earn your keep, buddy.


Lori, my sister-in-law and business partner, has been nursing a sore elbow for several days and finally went to the doctor. She appears to have fractured it. She's renting my college daughter for the weekend to clean, decorate and wrap gifts. Seriously, Lori, LET ANN DO IT.

And last, but not least, I'm starting to choose spring fabrics for our etsy shop. Love those bright colors!

New in the Etsy Shop

I've had the best time working on new Christmas stockings for Bede Sisters. These may be my all time favorite project. Recently I found an old quilt for sale on Etsy, from DesignsforReta. It was past it's prime as a quilt, but with a gorgeous softness that only comes from loving use. I took a deep breath and ...made the first cut.

I'm so glad I did, because these stockings are beautiful! They are lined with new muslin, trimmed with new lace and have a grosgrain ribbon loop for hanging by the fireplace .

Thanksgiving at the Cabin

For the first time, in the history of the world, we had our Thanksgiving dinner at The Cabin. The cabin is my aunt's place, that her father (my PopPop) built a generation ago. We spent lots of time there when I was a little girl, but never once did we have Thanksgiving there. Oh, sure, lots of birthdays, almost every 4th of July, but never Thanksgiving.



We did the cooking at home, then brought our goodies with us. We had turkey, dressing (not to be confused with "stuffing"), gravy, green beans, green bean casserole, broccoli, broccoli casserole (I'm detecting a theme here), cranberry relish, rolls, pumpkin pie, pumpkin cheesecake...are you getting hungry or is it just me?

I think my sweetie ate too much.

The cousin-who-shall-not-be-named.

The aunts
How was your weekend?

Getting the Etsy Shop Ready for Christmas

I've been busy getting the Bede Sisters etsy shop ready for Christmas. We have 18 Christmas stockings now available, most made from vintage quilt tops.

Lori found several really funky old quilt tops at an auction and I've been looking for the perfect use for them. Last week, it hit me--OOAK (One-Of-A-Kind) Christmas stockings!

We also have stockings available in red and white toile and black and white toile--elegant, beautiful, classic.

We are also having a Black Friday sale, starting at midnight Thanksgiving night. (Take that, retail stores!) And you don't have to go out and fight the crowds; you can shop Bede Sisters in the comfort of your pajamas with a warm cup of coffee in your hands.

Have I painted an irresistible picture for you, yet?

Three Quick Updates

Domino the Cat is doing fairly well. He's still on antibiotics, which he hates, but is otherwise behaving normally. Well, normal for him.

The tree across the driveway has been moved. It involved a diesel tractor and a very determined husband. We are cleared for travel.

The Farmer Boy unit study is going along nicely. My son likes the country life.

Farmer Boy Unit Study

We are taking a break from our usual school work to do a unit study of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy. It is the story of a year in the life of her husband, Almanzo Wilder. The book tells of his life on the New York state farm where he grew up.

Last night's menu included a version of Mother Wilder's chicken pie. I didn't have a whole chicken, but I did have canned chicken. (My apologies to all you purists out there.) I did, however, make my own pie crust--from scratch. The chicken pie includes bacon, gravy and boiled eggs. Quite rich, but a hit around our house.

The Wilder Homestead has been restored and opened as a museum. I'm thinking field trip.

Storm in the Swamp

A thunderstorm in our area last night was apparently quite windy. A large pine tree, already dead possibly from a long-ago lightning strike, was blown over. But not just blown over, blown over our driveway.

My husband, Andy, got about halfway down to the road before being forced to back up. Fortunately we have an alternate route, a road cut during logging some years ago, so he was able to get to work.

The tree is large enough that it will require a saw and the tractor to move it out of the way. So, guess what my sweetie will be doing tonight?

Stuff We Did Last Weekend

It was a busy weekend for this homeschooling family. We had two, yes TWO, field trips! Both, as it happens, involved grown-ups dressing in period costumes.

The first event was Friday night at Congaree National Park. Congaree National Park is the only national park in South Carolina, although there are other National Park Service sites such as Fort Sumter National Monument and the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor.

The event this past weekend was the Congaree Campfire Chronicles. We followed a guide along the park's boardwalk to "see costumed interpreters reenacting life in the Congaree floodplain from the 1500s to the present." I think my favorite thing, though, was being in the park at night. Perfectly spooky.

On Saturday, the "costumed interpreters" continued with a trip to Givhans Ferry State Park in Ridgeville, SC. The event was put on by "South Carolina's only group of Roman Soldiers", Legio IV. Whew! I'd be nervous if there were more.

The Castra Romana Festival was actually quite well done and great for children (no feeding Christians to lions at this event). We talked to one of the Roman soldiers with a great sense of humor about it. He said that he only does events in the fall and spring, when the weather is good for camping outside. He's a former military guy who's had enough of being miserable in real life; he's not going to do it for fun.

Hmmm...I'm not sure how we'll ever top this.

Never, EVER, Beam Down in a Red Shirt

My Boys Know Me So Well

My husband and son went to a Revolutionary War Reenactment in Camden, SC, on Saturday. They both know that I've been wanting to learn to spin, as in spin fiber into yarn (nothing to do with bicycles or exercising, silly reader). So what do you think they brought back for me? A top whorl drop spindle!

It's a really simple device that uses a shaft and a weight to spin and draw the fibers into yarn. I can't believe how much there is to know about spinning: types of spindles, length of fibers, thick vs. thin yarns and how to create each, how to make 2-ply yarn.

Okay, well, the device itself is simple, but getting it to create the yarn you want takes practice. My spindle came from a lady at the reenactment, along with her video and roving (the fiber prepared to spin). Her name is Renee Gillespie and her video makes it look easy and I think I can do it!

The picture above shows my drop spindle and the rather bumpy yarn I've spun so far. Oh, and if you're on my Christmas list, expect something "primitive" this year.

Dinner Invitation

Riiiinggg....riiiinnnggg.

Me: Hello?

My aunt: Guess where I am?

Me: Ummmm....where?

My aunt: At the cabin! With your cousin.

Me: Really? I thought you weren't coming until next week.

My aunt: My plans changed. Want to join us for dinner?



My aunt, who absolutely refuses to become a "little old lady", has a cabin near my house (okay, "near" is relative). It was built a generation ago by her father, my grandfather. It started as a pretty basic fishing cabin and Pop-pop eventually added a kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. We spent a lot of time there when I was a little girl and I'm so glad my aunt has kept it up.



Anyway, back to our evening. My aunt and the cousin-who-shall-not-be-named*, came down to spend the night and do a little work at the cabin. They were headed out to the local hot spot for dinner and invited us to join them. How could I say no? Friday IS steak night.



Okay, cousin, you made the blog again. Glad I can help you meet your goals in life, but really, you need a hobby.



*See the July 4, 2010 post

Update on Domino

So far, so good. We brought Domino home from the vet (Thanks, Dr. Mike and Beth!) and he's doing okay so far. He's managed to "go" several times, so we're a bit more hopeful today. I'll keep you posted.

Friday, Nov. 5 update: Domino is hanging in there. He's improving slowly and we're more optimistic today.

Our Very Sick Kitty

Our beautiful Domino has spent most of the pastweek at two different vet's offices. He has a urinary blockage that they've had to clear three times, although the last time may just have been swelling and spasms.

Last night, he managed to pull the third catheter out by himself and they can't re-catheterize him. We'll be hoping that he can "go" on his own today. If not, well, I won't think about that right now.

Teaser Tuesday--Warlord

Warlord by Ted Bell

"Unswerving, he put the car on the centerline and aimed straight for the two assailants standing in the road, waiting for them to leap aside. Or not."

Fall Decorations at Our House

I enjoy decorating our house for fall. I bring out the orange, rust and brown table runners and table cloths, as well as the plastic pumpkins and straw people. I also switch out the quilt that hangs over the piano, from the pastels of spring and summer to the orange patchwork.

I love the look of fall colors inside the house against the changing leaves just outside the window. The Saturday after Thanksgiving we'll bring in the Christmas tree and all the trimmings. But, until then, we'll snuggle into fall.

Any seasonal decorating at your place?

How Cub Scouts Learn to Put Up a Tent

They practice in the living room. With their dads. And little sisters.

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

The cat did it. I swear.

What I've Been Doing All Month

I've been officially called on the carpet for my lack of blog posts in the month of October. The "cousin-who-shall-not-be-named" has noticed the shocking neglect of my blog. So, here's what's been going on...in 200 words or less.

Weekends-
October 2--Family camping trip that included a strange museum, apples and a leaking sink
October 9--The first of my (gulp) daughter's friends got married.
October 16--I'm sure we were doing something, but I can't remember what.
October 23--We cleaned out the smaller of our sheds. I will not be a hoarder, I will not be ...

In between, we had an exploding water heater. Did you know that a water heater can shoot water as high as the ceiling? It can. We still have a dehumidifier running 24/7 to get the wood floors dry.

The day after the water heater blew its top, the washing machine stopped working. Did you know that wires can come out of "unmentionables" and clog up the pump of your washer? They can.

Oh, and I won eleven ribbons at the SC State Fair.

How was your month?

SC State Fair Entries

I've got most of my state fair entries ready to go. All the sewing is done, and all the crocheting is done except one scarf. I have a some pear goodies to can; hopefully those will be done by next week.

Crocheted shawl:

Handbag and diaper bag:








Little girl's jumper:





Baby afghan:



Apron: