I ran across Mimi Kirchner‘s hand sewn wool dolls while blog surfing. Mimi’s blog, Doll, is definitely worth checking out. The pattern and instructions are at the The Purl Bee – a truly wonderful site. I especially love the hair on these dolls.

Linda has been playing with wool lately. She has some great ideas for future projects that sound very exciting.

I know many of you think that Linda and I work on projects together but, because we live so far apart, that doesn’t happen often. We’re getting together next month and I’m looking forward to seeing what she’s been up to.

Elanor is playing soccer! I don’t think she has a firm grip on the rules of the game but it’s good exercise and she’s really enjoying it. I took a lot of pictures and got some nice ones. It was a pretty day for soccer.

I paint the rooms in my house more often than most people. It’s a lot cheaper than moving! I’ve got painting down to a science and can usually prime and put a finish coat on any room in under 8 hours.

Last week I took one day and changed my dining room. It was burgundy and now it’s a teal/turquoise color. I love it! Luckily, Steve does too. You can see the portrait of Moses Carr on the far wall. He is my husband’s great-great-great grandfather. We rescued this painting from Steve’s grandmother’s barn many years ago and had it repaired and restored. I’ve never been sorry we spent that money.

We use my grandmother’s dresser as a buffet. Most of the rest of her bedroom furniture is in the attic. The painting over the buffet is by George Brinner, an artist on Maui. We have 3 of his paintings – I suppose we’re fans!

Becky is on her way home from staying with her sister in the hospital. Christy is amazing. Once again she is doing better. 

I’ve spent the better part of this week getting my next quilt up on the wall. You saw the background of one block last week. Today I put the applique pieces on it.

I began by pinning up small pieces of the different fabrics just to get an idea of how they might look. Once I was pretty sure I liked what I saw, I cut them out. I included their seam allowances and cut them out carefully with a 3/16″ seam allowance.

It’s really important to see the fabric cut to shape. That way you will have a much better idea of how your block will look after it has been stitched. I use the placement overlay to get these pieces in the correct position on the wall. I’ll post a photo soon showing the block without the overlay and with the vase cut and ready to sew.

I bought some special iris bulbs a couple of years ago. They bloom later than my other iris and are a pleasant surprise. They are that lovely shade of blue that is almost purple, but not quite.