Ahh, vacation time between the holidays

So, my neighbor, Liz wanted to make a quilt.

We talked.  I loaned her some tools and my

Singer Featherweight... it wasn't too long

and she called to say she had bought her own

Featherweight on Ebay.  She called me this week and

said "It's done!"  I stopped over to see this beauty:

I've been doing a little of my own

'raw materials endless possibilities' stash reduction!

How about these little toe warmers???

 These are made with scraps of Lamb's Pride Bulky... they are fuzzy - wuzzy!

This pair looks a little 'mossy'... Hmmm.

Thanks to Abby @ Borealis Yarns for helping me

give them a little shave!!! 

Happy New Year to ALL!

We are taking the show down on 12/31/09 and I'll be

giving you all an update soon!

Thank you.

Nettie

Happy Holidays Gingerbread House Style!

The annual gingerbread house building extravaganza in Room 10 was another success! 

Thank you for making this and other enrichment activities possible!

You can check out more of the houses on the Maxfield website...

this link should take you there!!

http://maxfield.spps.org/Ms_Monroe.html

Wishing you and yours all the best this holiday season.  Again, thank you!

Nettie

Thank You Friends

It's cold.  We live in Minnesota.  It snows.

I teach.  We go outside.

Thank you for snowpants, boots, mittens, jackets, hats, fun.

Thank You "Builders"

Many years ago, my friend, Marsha, said, "I want to get a group together to work on projects between Halloween and Christmas so we have a dedicated time to get stuff done for the holidays, but we can't call it 'craft night', we need a better name than that"... and 'Builders Forum' was launched.

For years, these women, among others, have been my mainstay in the world of "Nettie and Friends."  Here are some photos of a typical night... These happened to be at my place... A simple meal, some beverages, lots of laughter,

Yep, there's a lot of 'building' going on... Marsha's working on a 'rescued' quilt, Elizabeth is practicing her accordion, Cathi learned how to make earrings, Kathleen is making scrap socks, Dorothy is making more dishrags, Rita finished addressing all of her holiday cards and is getting some felted wool ready turn into the cutest pins, I finished a 'hoot hat' for a colleague, Sunny was just hanging out under the table, Kathleen showed off a find from Saver's (a Seminole 'man's long shirt' which she is working diligently on fabric dating)  there's Max, who decided that Marsha's quilt was just the thing to cuddle up in on a chilly evening and here's Bonnie working on a scarf (she finished addressing all of her holiday cards... I'm jealous!)  Not pictured: Jean J. (you wouldn't want THAT one posted!) and Kathy...off to care for grandchildren.

The Builders often help me with tagging items, inspire me to create more and support me when I'm just plain tired out.  Thank you Builders for all you have given me and others over the years.  You are the best!
Nettie

2009 Opening Reception

First, thank you set up crew!  Thank you Andrea for waiting on us and making sure I was drinking enough water throughout the evening.  Thank you 'show me the money' friends.  Thank you 'take down and pack it in Nettie's car' crew.  Thank you friends and supporters for your kind words, encouragement and enthusiasm!  Thank you friends for donating your time, your craft, your artistry.  Thank you Marsha for dreaming up a show stopping fireplace that has people talking!

Here is a very 'unedited' slideshow to enjoy!



Thank you everyone.  Now, "after ecstasy , the laundry!"

Nettie

Sneak Preview... The Fireplace is UP! The Show is OPEN!

Thank you to the fantastic crew that showed up to help with the hanging of the

2009 Nettie and Friends Show and Sale.  After eleven months of planning,

organizing, painting, building and dreaming... today is the day!

Thank you to Dave with his tall ladders, long arms and patience

for making sure our 'lodge' fireplace went up in alignment!

Take a blank wall, add some pizazz and viola' a fireplace!

 

Next add a heart warming wreath.

 

Thank you Robb for your good eye at getting the display started (and level!)

Thank you Marsha for dreaming about a 'lodge' fireplace for this year's show...

It took many hours, but WOW! Was it worth it!! 

Thanks for being my friend for all these years!

Thanks Jean for loading up the display racks with yummy, beautiful items!

 

Thank you Lynn and Jean for making so many tough decisions

about which items to display (and displaying them so well!)

 

Thank you Kim for your willingness to climb up and hang stuff

and smile and make us all a little nervous with

your creative stacking of items to 'gain height' when the ladder was in use!

 

It's really UP!  The show is ready and open for business on Monday, November 30th!

The staff at the Egg and I were WOWED with the fireplace! 

It is the centerpiece for so many beautiful items that have been donated. 

Thank you!

 

WOW! 

 

Thank you friends!

Whew!

Pricing Day! We did it! WooHoo!

Thank you to everyone who donated beautiful items for this year's show and sale.

The pricing committee met and:

1. laughed 
2. talked 
3. oohed and aahed 
4. discussed items and the present economy 
5. priced
6. tagged
7. haggled 
8. did a little arm wrestling over some items 
9. tried to tuck some items away in secret spots so they could be first at them when we hang the show
10. laughed some more
11. modeled some items
12. took very few photos
13. finished pricing everything in one day! 
14. Whew!  

A Weekend Away With William Morris

I went to my friend, Karen's, house for a weekend of sewing, laughing, creating and general fun. 

I took a box of William Morris fabric I have been hoarding for years...  Karen told me she had an idea for a quilt pattern... So, I jumped.  I took a deep breath.  I measured.  I cut.  My Singer Featherweight hummed.  I ironed.  I kept my head down and the pedal to the metal.  I've got a beautiful queen size quilt with I don't even know how many William Morris 'favorites' sewn in it!  I started out with good intentions of making a quilt for a friend.  Too bad.  I'm keeping this one! 

This is Karen's 'play room' above her garage. 

A beautiful place to sew.

Just what I needed!

http://morris.artpassions.net/

Almost Ready!!!

Can you believe this beautiful wreath?


It's great to have a wonderful friend like Marsha!

Look for this 4' wreath at the Egg and I
Opening Reception on December 5th!

Just a little distraction...

Me Margo Krager My friend, Karen Benson

So, my phone rings in the middle of my teaching day.
(Yes, it is on vibrate...) I check the message on my lunch.
It's Marsha. Margo Krager of Reproduction Fabrics in
Bozeman, MT is speaking at the Minnesota Quilters
meeting tonight. We're meeting Karen at 5:30 at
Cupcake for a little soup before the meeting.

Just enough time to vacuum off the Dargate quilt that
has been on my bed and has had two felines napping,
purring and shedding all over it before I jam it into
a tote bag to drag with me to the meeting... Karen made
this quilt for me for my 50th birthday.

If you've been to my house, I've made you look at it.
It is stunning in it's Pepto Bismol pinks, botanicals,
cheddars and Prussian blues...all from 1830's French
dress making fabrics..and all from Margo's "Dargate" line.

I love this quilt.

Margo was pleased to see it and oohed and ahhed over
her 'favorites' being sewn together for a gift and blessed
with use and a kitty sleeping on it! (She even asked the
names of the cats!)

I passed out a few "Nettie and Friends" postcards.

This weekend... a sneak preview of what was happening
with that big round white donut thingie!

Peace.
Nettie

We're gettin' ready!

Start with a blank palate...



Add a little green paint...


Get a caulk gun and 'construction adhesive'...


Viola' ! A wreath...


Built by Nettie and Friends for Nettie and Friends!


AND we're NOT done yet!! Stay tuned.

Now what are these women up to????

What is going on here???


Nothing like a little foam core, cardboard, spray paint,
double stick tape and presto!



A fireplace! Isn't Marsha amazing??? Wait
until you see it at the Egg and I in December.

I'm so excited! You, too, will be able to sit
near the fireplace and enjoy a wonderful
breakfast or lunch! Cozy.

Oh, we're not done yet! Stay tuned.

2009 Nettie and Friends Breakfast

Wow! What a group of talented generous individuals.
I can't thank you enough for the wonderful support of
our students at the Maxfield Learning Center,
Maxfield School, Saint Paul.

Thank you.

Mastering the art of the zipper...

Well, there is the actually putting the zipper in.
Then, there is the actually putting the zipper in correctly.
Practice makes perfect, they say... so why did I make a bag
with a wonderful lining, leaving the required 3" to turn the bag
right side out, only to discover that I had zippered the zipper
closed and couldn't get the bag open, much less turned right side out???
Then, of course, there is the leaving the zipper open, only to add a
'design element' where the pull tab on the end of the bag
is sewn in backwards, creating not a pull tab at all, but two stubby
ends of the ribbon sticking out... Geesh. I need more practice, it
is plain to see!!

After several days of committed sewing, I have completed
40 small bags of various proportions - small coin bags to
'12" x 12" carry everything in your luggage, knitting, quilting,
crafting world' AND 8 snap-closure bags AND 8 more futzy,
putzy kitten - knitting themed bags which were the near undoing
of my mental health. Oh, did I mention that I actually sewed through
my finger while putting in a zipper? This just after proclaiming to
Marsha that I was "finally getting the hang of this zipper thing."
Yeouch! Sewing is NOT for sissies!

In between zippers, I completed some more coasters... sewing around
and around and around and around. Thank goodness for the Antiques
Roadshow and a couple of movies to keep my mind occupied!

I'm excited to see what everyone has been working on this year!
See you Saturday at the Egg and I Breakfast! Woo Hoo!

Nettie

Snow in October

October 12, 2009 - Maxfield School
What's going on ???

I wanted to post happy faces of students in snow boots,
snow pants, nylon mittens and big, happy smiles, but I
don't have the photo permissions yet! Just know that
when you are wearing nylon snowpants, you F-L-Y down
the big blue slide!!! (Yes, you really 'get some air' before you land!)

Thank you, one and all.

"That's what it's all about!"

Nettie

Caught with my hand (paw) in the cookie jar...

A picture is worth a thousand words....

I had a great plan to help my big ol' Sunny boy cat
lose a little weight. The vet suggested an
automatic timed feeder.

Looks like it's time to eat!

Let's just say, no felines have been losing
weight at my house! This automatic feeder
is automatic all right!

A few holiday sewing projects!

Coasters for the holidays!




How about a beautiful bag for that
bottle of wine you are giving for the
holidays??

Borealis Friends Baby Afghan - The Bidding is Open!!

Stop in at Borealis Yarns in Saint Paul
and place a bid on this darling baby afghan
made by Borealis Friends to support the
Maxfield Learning Center where I teach!
(Opening bid : cost of outfitting one student
with a new uniform and miscellaneous school supplies.)

Abby and her friends are also creating a
large afghan for the December Show!
Make sure you get there in time to see it
(and maybe buy it - it is going to be spectacular!)

Get in to Borealis Yarns (corner of Thomas Avenue
and Hamline Avenue - St. Paul, MN) and
consider raising the bid on the afghan by
the price of daily snack ($1.85 - $2.25.)

Thank you Borealis Friends!!

Nettie

Friends of Borealis Baby Afghan - Yummy!

Wow! Items have started to arrive for the
2009 Nettie and Friends show and Sale...
Abby, owner and knitter extraordinaire,
called me Wednesday night to tell me the
"Nettie and Friends Baby Afghan" was ready.
I got myself right down there to see this
yummy, delightful, sweet blanket.

Here's the deal... soon, very soon, there will
be a 'early bird opportunity' for you to bid on
this blanket to benefit the Maxfield Learning Center...
We'll have the details worked out soon, and I'll
let you know all of the particulars by Sunday or Monday!

Stay tuned!!

This Week at Work...

Those of you who know me, know I'm not a good 'sitter.'
Last week was the opening week for teachers in St. Paul.
That means a lot of meetings where people talk to you.
I'm not a good 'sitter'. I squirm. I fidget. I look through
my bag. I doodle. I make lists of things I need to do, both
in my head and on paper. I think about songs that won't
stop going around in my brain... they worm into my brain and
even if I 'sing them like Dylan' I can't make them stop...
Sooooo, I decided to knit during the meetings and here's
what I completed. I have the scarf to finish, but everything
else is DONE. (No, these were not on my 'unfinished list'!)

Tuesday, the students arrive... the best part of my job!
Have a great Labor Day, everyone. Be well. I'm looking
forward to my week. Nettie

Harry Potter / Snape and a Catchy Little Video

If you are a fan of Harry Potter and Severus Snape,
there can be no doubt that this video will get stuck in your brain.
Let me apologize in advance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx1XIm6q4r4

I've got to learn how to embed these things!!!

Have fun. I'm off to work now.

Back to work (at school I mean!)

Check out the latest batch of wool felt pincushions
and ornaments I finished while in Ely... no, I didn't
finish any of those objects on the 'unfinished' list...
but I visited another knitter who has a few unfinished
items herself, so I feel better about just making a list!

I'm back to work today, so I'll be busy with
getting my classroom ready for the new batch
of students who are headed my way. I'm excited
for the year to begin with the kids! Yippee!

I'll keep you posted!

The Final Leg of the 2009 Summer Cabin Tour

I live a wonderful life. There can be no doubt about it!
So, a little over a week ago, one of the 'gal pals' asked me if
I would be making anymore of 'those felted tea cozies' for this
year's show...Huh. They hadn't crossed my mind!

But...

I dug around in my stash, grabbed some bulky Lamb's Pride
wool/mohair blend and became obsessed! I've knitted to the
end of the current stash... I'm at the Ely cabin,
and since there is no washing machine here, I'll have to wait
until I get back to St. Paul to see the final result. I'm sure
there will be embellishments to behold!

That diamond looking thing? Not part of the tea cozy, but
rather an attempt to use up snippets of Lamb's Pride - how
about a coaster???

Be well all. Peace.
Nettie