Many Texans still find themselves without water & power after last week’s storms. This affects food access for both families and individuals. My family donated to the Central Texas Food Bank. If you’re able, please consider donating there or any other food bank in an affected area. Thank you. ♥
Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links but I have no control over “sponsored posts” which are the price I pay for a less expensive website. Thank you for your understanding & support. ♥
Taken in my backyard after the snowstorm. Average temps in Austin in February are generally 49°F to 70°F.
Hello, all!
I’ve been getting a lot of messages asking if we are okay here in Austin, Texas.
Thank you, thank you to everyone who has reached out to check on me and my family. We are okay and to be honest, we are some of the lucky ones. We kept power and water at our house during the entire winter event. I have no idea what else to call 50 degrees F below our average temp plus snow and ice which we do not get under ordinary circumstances.
We’ve gone through cycles of conserving as much power as possible while the local power grid was overburdened (it’s back up now), and now we’re conserving as much water as we can as the reservoirs are refilled and the multitude of breaks in water lines are tracked down. We are still under a boil water notice, but I won’t complain because we have water and don’t have to go find it like many of our neighbors do. We shared our water with our neighbors until they were able to get a water line fixed.
My daughter and her boyfriend (and Marie cat!!) were with us most of the week because they lost power in their all-electric apartment and it was ridiculously cold there. They lost most of the contents of their fridge, which is the biggest loss for our entire group. All things considered, it is really nothing to complain about.
Our local HEB is open again, though supplies of many things, mostly fresh, have been limited to nonexistent. We are absolutely okay, though. Living out of the pantry is not a burden and we can wait for the supply chains to catch up.
My backyard on February 15.My backyard today. I won’t know how many plants were lost for a month or so. We have a fairly early spring, and many of my plants already had new growth.
If you also lived through this crazy week here in the south, please let me know how you’re doing. ♥
Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links but I have no control over “sponsored posts” which are the price I pay for a less expensive website. Thank you for your understanding & support. ♥
Update…I did venture out and make the round trip to rescue my daughter, her boyfriend, and Marie cat. They live VERY close, so even driving super slow and carefully, I wasn’t out very long. It is a huge relief to have them all safe and warm at home with us. ♥
The Journal a Year of Doom Block to paper piece, designed by Jennifer Ofenstein. 10″ finished. Find more like this on Fandom in Stitches.
Posts on this blog may contain affiliate links but I have no control over “sponsored posts” which are the price I pay for a less expensive website. Thank you for your understanding & support. ♥
This has been the summer of stitching for me. Almost immediately after finishing my last block for the Doctor Who Stitch Along (it posts on Fandom In Stitches next week…so exciting!), I started thinking about what to stitch next. While digging through some old stencils, I found a bluebonnet I designed ages ago and the lightbulb went on! The bluebonnet idea was doubly perfect, because I was also thinking about what to give my mom for her birthday.
This is the original stencil, created for a class I taught several years ago. I’ve never made this stencil available to the public and it seemed perfect for conversion to hand embroidery.
After stitching my bluebonnet in a variety of stitches, I added simple 2 1/2″ sashing to each side of the white 12 1/2″ square to create a 16 1/2″ block.
The background fabric is Sketch by Timeless Treasure. I have another big project coming in the same fabric soon…Mmmm, can’t wait to share that one! 😉
The simple quilt block became a pretty pillow that I gave to my mom for her birthday which is coming up in just a few days (it was an early present!). She lives in a country house and her decor is green and blue, so…perfect! The pillow is shown here in my own squashy chair.
It’s here at long last! Texas Twofer Set 3 joins my ongoing Texas series of two Texas-themed patterns for just $2. These patterns are available only through Craftsy!
For starters, it’s free to join! They do not charge independent designers to use their service, which means more money in designers’ pockets and less fees to pay! When you buy one of my patterns through Craftsy, you will receive an notice if I ever update it. That means if an error gets corrected or improved, you’ll get a free updated version of the pattern you already bought and paid for!
Don’t forget about the Tabby Face Block Lotto! You still have time to send those blocks in for a chance to win the lot!
And remember, use coupon code TABBY in my Etsy shop to receive 10% off your total order during the month of September!
Learn to paper piece with me now through December with my full-length video workshop available only through STITCHED. You get access to over 20 classes AND instructors and registration is now only $40! Click for details.
Sir Gareth’s Dragon, all quilted and spiffy, will be on display with the miniature quilts.
Also look for All Dolled Up, my doll dress quilt, made from reproduction 1930s fabrics.
I’ll be visiting the show tomorrow with my fabulous stitching friends! Expect a full report and probably a little stalking of the PoD. The voyeur in me is excited at the prospect of seeing others enjoy my favorite quilt! If you are there tomorrow and see me wandering around, please stop me and say hello!
If you are going to the Austin show, take a photo of yourself with one of my quilts and share your picture with my flickr group for the chance to win a fun prize! Winner announced Tuesday!
To celebrate the Tabby Face Block Lotto, use coupon code TABBY in my Etsy shop to receive 10% off your total order during the month of September!
Learn to paper piece with me now through December with my full-length video workshop available only through STITCHED. You get access to over 20 classes AND instructors and registration is now only $40! Click for details.
Sign up for my Unfinished Paper Piecing Class at Honey Bee Quilt Store – 512-257-1269
Introducing set 2 of my Texas Twofer series, Texas Armadillo and Lone Star Texas! Each pattern set will include two Texas-themed paper pieced patterns for just $2! Currently only available through Craftsy.
I sincerely apologize for the tardiness today. Let me explain a little.
First of all, Central Texas, where I live, has been struggling to fight wildfires. People are losing their homes. People have died. Our power was down earlier today due to a fire that was just a few miles away.
My family is safe, for the moment, but I’ve been thinking a lot about what we’d need to do to evacuate. It’s almost unfathomable.
I do talk about the fires in my video, just a little. It’s bad here, and scary. Everything is just so very dry. It hasn’t rained in so long, the grass and bushes and trees are burning like torches.
If you would like to help families and their pets affected by fire in Central Texas, visit this page set up by the Austin American-Statesman. Every little thing will help.
A little something to look at while you wait for my tardy TTMT.
These little guys have been hanging out in our backyard all summer, hiding from the heat and the drought. They especially enjoy napping at the base of the live oak, where they’ve dug a little hole. They also play in the sprinkler when it’s on, and drink from the water hose when it’s off.
If you’ve been following me for any length of time, then you know that The Linus Connection is a big part of my life. This year, I’m participating in The Project For Awesome in order to help raise awareness for my favorite charity. Please watch, comment, share with your friends and please Thumbs Up on YouTube!
Sewhooked 