Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Sunday morning

at by

Our skylight sometimes bathes the Guardian Angel print in beautiful light. Its as if a spotlight has been aimed right at the print. Beautiful. This Sunday morning finds me trying to get everything together before I leave on another trip. It sure seems like I have been traveling a lot. This time I go to work on two shows; first, Cedar Falls, IA to work on Sweeney Todd, then Gainesville, FL to work on The Wizard of Oz. Then its back home for a week, then off again for a few days to work on Oz. Then my sister comes to visit for our (hopefully) annual trip to the New York Sheep and Wool Festival. We had a great time together there last year. The end of September and October will be busy!

But first things first, I must pack and figure out how to take everything in a carry-on. Flying to Iowa involves three separate flights! This will be a long day. Hopefully, I will be able to keep in touch on the road. We’ll see. I hope your weekend is restful and happy.

More later.

Chilly mornings = knitting

at by


The last few days have brought a chill to the air. I wake up in the morning and I feel like I need slippers and a little shawl to wrap around me while I drink my coffee. And even though I said I only wanted to crochet, I have been obsessing about knitting. I’ve been looking through books and magazines admiring all the great patterns. As I am about to go out of town again, this time for work, I need a project to have on hand for down time at the hotel(s). I was looking through a book and found a bulky knit sweater that should knit up rather quickly. Finding super bulky yarn locally took a bit of work but I found this:
The yarn is Burly Spun by Brown Sheep and the pattern is in Simple Chic by Jill Eaton. Its just your basic oversize V-neck pullover. These may be a bit bulky to pack….oh, oh. Here’s the sweater:

We’ll see how it goes. I’ll try to post again before I go on Sunday.

More later.

A handy gadget

at by

I’ve been sitting at the sewing machine, once again piecing my quilt. My iPod is playing Diana Krall singing “Dancing in the Dark.” This CD was arranged by the legendary Claus Ogerman, who arranged lots of Jobim’s music – most memorably on Francis Albert Sinatra and Antonio Carlos Jobim. I love Frank Sinatra singing most anything, but that particular recording is my favorite of his because he’s restrained, beautifully taking us on a journey through sexy bossa nova rhythms. I think he’s at his best, along with “Fly Me to the Moon”, and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Back to Diana Krall: I recommend this recording highly! “Dancing in the Dark” has the most wonderful arrangement with a Brazilian samba-like accompaniment by a full orchestra. It is on The Look of Love.

Thought I’d share this handy (at least to me) gadget I found at my local quilt shop. I believe the owner said it came from Japan.

The left side is a mini cutting mat and the right side has a sandpaper/emery board-like finish.
I can cut and trim pieces that I have sewn on the mat and the other side is terrific for marking fabric before sewing.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always want to get up and walk to my larger cutting mat. I work in a small space and after the initial cutting of fabric is done, I can put away the large mat and work with this little guy right next to my machine. It folds up and looks like this:

I assume Cotton Boll is the name of the manufacturer. It has proven to be invaluable in my little, little space.

Autumn is in the air, and after my initial sadness about my garden, I am now happy that Fall is here. Funny thing about the seasonal changes – I always think I’m not ready for the changeover, but when it is time, I’m absolutely ready. Mother Nature knows best.

More later.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

Thanks for visiting! Feel free to browse, read and enjoy. All content is my own; including photos and text. Please do not use anything on this site without permission.

Disclosure/Privacy Policy can be found in the Navigation Bar under ‘About MHC.’

Also, I love receiving comments! I do, however, reserve the right to delete any comment that is in poor taste, offensive or is verging on spam. It’s my blog. If you’re a bot or a troll you’ll be blocked. Thanks!

Archives