This week I took to the road and headed up an hour away to Washington Indiana to meet a friend of mine for lunch. Gail and I are part of the “Garden Girls” a group that’s been meeting monthly for lunch for years. Of the five of us, only three are still living close. Chris, the other member, has been real busy so it’s just been Gail and I. Since Gail now lives two hours away, this spot is the halfway point. It’s also a great Amish restaurant.
After a delicious lunch and catching up, Gail was on her way back to Bloomington. I was off to check out The Stitching Post, a quilt shop in Washington.
I was amazed at this shop. First of all, in the window are the owner’s collection of vintage sewing machines.
It would be worth a trip just to look at all of these beautiful machines. Here is one I especially loved.
But there was lots to see besides the machines – gobbs and gobbs of fabric.
I was amazed by the size of this store because this is a small town. As I walk around the store I thought about my mom and how many times we went to the local Grant’s store and looked at “yard goods.” She would have loved this place.
For those of you who don’t know me, I rarely buy commercial fabric. I spend my money on fabric to dye. However, from time to time I do look to see if I can find something I can overdye. I found these two pieces. I can’t wait to add dye to them!!
Before heading home I stopped at the local St. Vincent’s thrift store. I drove by it on my way to The Stitching Post and thought it I had time I’d check it out. Well, I am hard pressed not to stop by a thrift store! Here is what I found. I especially was happy to get the plastic canvas shapes. They are great for sun printing and stenciling.
I found a use for that canvas I painted awhile back. From that canvas painting project I ended up with these two art quilts. They could even be used as placemats.
But since there was still some canvas left, I used it on this Soul Book for the cover and the page edges.
This Soul Book is made for the SoulBook Gathering Experience put on by the Brave Girls Club which starts tomorrow. If you are interested in learning about this or being a part of it, check out this link. Instructions on how to construct the journal are on that page. It’s been quite awhile since I made a journal, and I’ve never made one with pages cut from a cardboard box. I love how thick the pages are before I’ve even added anything! I’ll show you more later.
My Easy and Fun Scarf Dyeing Class take place a week from Saturday. If you are in the area, we still have openings. Call Dolly at Scattered Art at 812.490.0074. These scarves make great Christmas gifts.
With the weather turning cold, it’s time to get the garden areas cleaned up and put to bed. Usually I mulch my areas in the Fall, but I don’t think it will happen this year. Once we have a frost, I’ll be cleaning up the asparagus patch. Yesterday I drained, cleaned, and then refilled the hot tub so it’s ready for winter sitting. I still have the porch cushions to clean and put away and hang up the kayak. I always have mixed feelings at this time of the year. I look forward to the changing leaves, but not the gray winter. However, it’s a great time to recharge and renew, and a great time to get some of that sewing done.
Hope you’re having a colorful and creative week.