A Little Update from Snow Country

Winter Storm Riley dropped a bomb on us last week. We spent a couple of days involuntarily “camping”.

Lordy, I love modern conveniences like working light switches and showers and warm food. Cindy and I come from hardy stock — you know the kind that never invests in generators or tractors with plow attachments nor are we people who remember to fill buckets with water prior to the storm so that they can flush. Too much detail, right? Oh well, apologies requested, but without electricity things get very real, very fast.

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15″ of snow fell overnight Thursday night into Friday morning.

I thought briefly about using a vacation day and staying home to sew when I woke up on Friday morning, but then I remembered:

  • I haven’t learned to hand quilt yet
  • I don’t know how to use English Paper Piecing technique, so I have no hexi project  stashed away
  • I’m a failed knitter
  • I still haven’t quilted my spring chicken, so I have no binding project waiting in the wings
  • I can’t imagine spending the day with two caged animals who have no internet access

Given the data above, I quickly decided to go to work where they do have a generator and a never ending supply of bacon and cookies.

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The snow plow was stuck in my neighborhood when I left for work.

The roads were a mess and there were electric lines down everywhere with trees falling into the roads and on the power and communication lines. Major props to the town road crews, electric company workers and emergency personnel who restored order very quickly. At the farm, mom and dad spent three days without electricity. When it was restored, the volunteer fire company came by to make sure that everything was functioning properly, as the danger of fire is higher after an event like this. Another reason that it’s wonderful to live in a small town!

I’m getting antsy for spring, so I think it’s time to release my Spring Chicken Table Runner 2018. Imagine a nice straight cross hatch pattern using a Bernina walking foot and then a bright green binding to emphasize the springy-ness. I can see it in my mind’s eye as if I’ve already done it.

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Spring Chicken emerges

Cindy and I signed up for the early April Chicago Quilt Festival some months back.  We opted for some machine quilting classes to supplement the shopping/vendor fun. Are you going to the festival too? We’d love to meet up with some of our followers/friends/fellow quilt bloggers there!

15 thoughts on “A Little Update from Snow Country

  1. Meg our-house-quilts says:

    Fresh snow is beautiful, but I hate being without electricity. I’m certainly not hardy, though my great grandfather built his own house out of trees he chopped down by hand axe.
    I’m glad your folks are ok. That would be a worry.

  2. Chela's Colchas y Mas says:

    I was watching the news report about your weather and hoping you were doing well. How you managed to get to work is beyond me! I have stayed home when we had snowflakes!
    Spring is around the corner. Hang in there. The tabjerunner is sooooo cute.

  3. tierneycreates says:

    You were lured to work by bacon and cookies??!?! 🙂
    Okay so I think it is time to learn to hand quilt. I fake hand quilt – I once took a class, hated it and forgot about it. Then I picked it up on my own and do it how it works for me. So just start fake hand quilting (maybe on a project that is not too special, ha!) The Chicago Quilt Festival sounds fun! Something fun to look forward to – hang in there with the snow!

  4. Debby Cummins says:

    I love the snow. Probably because we don’t get much here in SC. But it is beautiful while it lasts. I grew up in Asheville, NC, in the 60’s and it almost always snowed. I can remember being out for school and the neighborhood kids on their sleighs going down our steep road. It was awesome and brings back wonderful memories. Thank you for the pictures!

    I also noticed that you put in a table runner top that hasn’t been quilted yet. Have you thought about how you will quilt it. Will it be by hand or machine? I’ve been so busy lately and haven’t been able to quilt. I’ll have to take a picture of the 15″ block that I machine stitched and had machine quilted into a king size bedspread. My husband thinks it’s too girly to put on our bed, but I LOVE it. Don’t feel like I did too bad either. I’ll try to take a picture of the 15″ block (I usually make up a block before I decide what I’m going to do with the pattern before I make something – you know, to see if I like it!

    I can’t wait to see it finished!

    Come see my blog sometime: debbysdomain.blog, I dabble in sterling silver jewelry, quilting, couture dressmaking, home decor, drawing, painting, etc. People are always asking what I do. I never can remember; my mind is failing me!!! Getting old!!!! Ok, let’s see if I can attach a picture to this reply! (Something else to learn!!!)

    • sandradny says:

      Debby: That little chicken has me stumped! I am debating about how to quilt it, but am considering a cross-hatched/lattice design using my walking foot. I remember a lot more snow when I was a kid too — mountains of it on our farm. Perhaps there is something to this global warming? I’ll head on over to your blog — sounds like you are good at everything!

      • Debby Cummins says:

        I think a cross hatch will be perfect – especially since it’s a chicken! You can always separate the design of the quilting from the chicken to the flowers with a “paisley, swirl”. It may be your first “free hand” machine quilting. Check out Etsy for that!

  5. Debby Cummins says:

    Gosh, I forgot having I’d read your blog a long time ago. You just (?) started quilting, you failed at knitting. Oh, I love knitting! If we get the chance and I get the knowledge on how to work this wordpress thingy, I’ll try to show you how my mother showed me 55 (ooh, a long time ago – I was 5) years ago! I’ll also try to send a picture of my jewelry! Better yet, I’ll put both these pictures on my blog. I KNOW I can do that! I can tell, we’re going to be great bloggers!

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