~ All-Season Potbelly Chef ~

This little sweetie will surely add a special touch to your kitchen ~ with 14 different aprons she'll find something to wear for  every season and holiday throughout the year.

~ sold ~

Shimmering Twilight

for Tyler Wentworth

A swirl of blue and black denim accented with silvery sparkles has been fashioned into a pair of jeans and a jacket.  A black crepe crop top is also included.

eBay through Sunday April 4th

A new friend

While in Pennsylvania recently, I had the opportunity to attend the Sugarloaf Craft Festival. 

Many many items had been calling to me "Take me home! Take me home!" ~ but this little fellow (from WGK Glass Art) just touched my heart and now has a place among my coral.

~ Meet Mr. Willoughby of Cobblestone Circle ~

  

    What is it about small towns that bring to mind words like comfortably welcoming, constantly secure, homey and charming ~ could it be their unchanging nature?  To that end, Mr. Willoughby is an integral part of Cobblestone Circle.  Each and every morning he can be seen wearing the same old tweedy jacket and hat, walking through town making his way to his antique store, Memories and Dreams.  You can always count on him to stop along the way to chat with everyone he meets.

       His store is most accurately described as chaotic ~ which is of course an attribute to be cherished in an antique store.  Lots and lots of hidden treasures waiting for the right person to find them.  Myrtle Willoughby had tried to organize the store once ~ even went as far as using some hand painted placards Carson Thistlewhitte had found in his mother’s garage.  Horace can still remember the indignation in her face when she caught him laughing at her for grouping a bunch of framed photos under a sign that read "Our Family Portraits."  She had stomped her foot, narrowed her eyes and said, "Well, they were somebody’s family!"

       Unlike other such proprietors, Horace Willoughby has never been one to enhance the value of the items in his store by aging them with hammers, sandpaper or old chains.  That is not to say he doesn’t enjoy spinning a good yarn when the opportunity presents itself.  It is such fun for him to create histories for certain items and see the churning imaginations of children ~ and those of the adults who are gullible enough to believe his tales.  His favorite was when he had Mimsy Shrewsbury convinced that a dingy bronze planter had actually been found in an Egyptian tomb ~ and that the dirt inside was the remains of a meal left for the pharaoh to enjoy in the afterlife.

      Ah yes, so many wonderful memories ~ and a few sad ones as well.  The one that weighs most heavily on him is the memory of the dream he shared with his beloved Myrtle of travelling the world together.  He had gotten passports for them years ago ~ but there still isn’t a single stamp in either one of them.  She had always quieted his apologies of not being able to afford it by telling him that they were already travelling a great adventure together through all the unique items that found their way into the shop ~ and that for her, being with him was the only important part of the journey.

Change comes to all lives, but it is the consistency that we cling to.  And so each morning the Widower Willoughby can be seen walking through town, taking the time to chat with his neighbors, wearing that same old hat and tweedy jacket ~ but only those who really see him can spot Myrtle’s passport peeking out of his pocket.

 ~ sold ~

New Blue Jean Sets for Riley

Tulips!

Tulip Crop Top

and

Dark Blue Jeans

for Riley and friends

~sold ~

Cupcake!

Cupcake Crop Top

and

Lightweight Blue Jeans

for Riley and  friends

~ sold ~

 

Tweedle deedles . . .

. . . time for new needles!!!


Soooooo I don't replace my needles as often as I should.  *cringe*

Doing such delicate, intricate sewing requires a very thin needle ~ and they do tend to bend rather easily.  Size 11 is the largest I use ~ I've added a piece of thread to the pic to give you some idea of how very fine they are.   I have actually had thread unravel from trying to get it through the eye!

I'll admit there are times when it is advantageous to have a curved needle at hand ~ but then there are times when you just need to pitch 'em and start fresh! 

Jeans, jeans, jeans!!!

Just in time for Spring ~ new jeans sets for Riley and Tiny Betsy McCall:

 Each set includes a cute crop top and pair of jeans. 

You may click the pics to visit the auctions running through Sunday March 14th.

 Fresh as Spring for Tiny Betsy McCall 

~ sold ~

 Hearts and Posies for Riley and friends 

~ sold ~

 Blossoms and Butterflies for Riley and friends 

~ sold ~ 

Magnifier Clip-ons Sources

I've never been one to not share my sources ~ so to all of you who have commented and/or emailed asking where I got my nifty glasses:

The first pair (the larger ones) I picked up at Michael's and I know they carry them at JoAnn's as well.  Not entirely sure but I think the magnification is 1.5x.  I recall paying about $8 for them.

The second pair I found at Keepsake Quilting.  A bit more expensive but they have them in multiple powers up to 5x.  Click Here to visit the sale page.

Now you all owe me a good tip!  ;)

Sew sew sew so so so tiny!

I've been getting a lot of comments and questions lately about how I can sew such tiny items, so I thought I'd better come clean and share my secret.

Not only am I of an age where bifocals are a necessity ~  

~ I also use these chic(?) clip-on magnifiers. 

Stylish, no? lol  

And just this week I purchased an even stronger pair from a quilters' site.  

Hey ~ there's a little geek in all of us ~ some of us just aren't afraid to fly our flag.  :)