Tomorrow is take-my-machine-for-service day.  Since I wasn’t able to resolve my tension problems, I figured that a good once-over would be a good place to start.  I want Jim to address my tension issues as well and so I have made a little tension sampler to show him.  This little sampler came from Sarah Ann Smith’s new book Thread Work Unraveled.  In her book she discusses the basics of thread (how it gets to the spool, the different kinds, how to choose from the myriad out there), needles, the sewing machine, and how you work (ergonomics).  She also talks about applique and machine quilting.  The vast majority of the book is a reference text with only a few projects toward the end.  What a resource!

So here’s my little sampler done with regular everyday thread and with the two threads I want to use for my project.  I have to admit I’m relieved that my problem was still an issue as I made this.  Whether the technician can get the same results still remains to be seen, but at least I have something to show him to explain what I’m talking about.

And now for a peek at something I’m thinking about.  Looks luscious, doesn’t it? These are pieces of silk, some that I picked up in Houston and some silk strips from Stitches 2009.  Stay tuned.

One of our daughter’s activities to get ready for Christmas is making a gingerbread house.  She had canvased her friends to see if there was interest in a group effort and her friend Corey signed on.  The activity was scheduled for today, but that meant that the gingerbread house parts had to be made and baked and ready to go.  I got to help with that.

We found a recipe and set to work.  While I drafted the pattern from the directions, Ellen pulled together the ingredients.  Since the recipe listed the flour and spices first, she measured them carefully into the bowl.  Then she added the next things, the butter and sugar.  She put it under the mixer and all of a sudden there was flour going everywhere.  Hmmm.  What happened?  Somehow she forgot everything her mother taught her about baking:  cream the butter and sugar first, then add the rest.  What to do?  We set it aside and started over… Meanwhile, I drafted a tomb stone for our failed attempt.

The next batch went off without a hitch and we set it aside to rest.  We decided that since most people don’t eat gingerbread houses, what did we have to loose.  We pulled out the big chunks of butter and added them to a small amount of the flour mixture.  When that started to look like dough, we added the rest of the flour and the liquids.  Somehow it beat up ok so we set it aside to rest too.

When it came time to roll out the dough and cut the pieces, the botched batch worked out better and in the end was just fine.  It was a slightly different color and a little grainy.

Ellen sent me photos from today’s fun.  They both did a great job, don’t you think?

It’s been a long day in the car.  I knitted while we traveled, at least while it was daylight.  But tonight in front of a crackling fire, doodling is the perfect way to unwind.  So here’s one more:

We spent Thanksgiving with our daughter and her husband.  She watched me doing my doodles and was intrigued.  I set her up with some extra paper and a new pen.  She chose a small square to start and a rectangular remnant and set to work.  We worked side by side and inspired each other.  She says she copied heavily from me but she came up with her own innovations.  Then I started copying from her.  Here’s mine:

Here are hers:

We’ve been traveling for the Thanksgiving holidays, hence all the doodles.  It’s a wonderfully portable project and fits into small increments of time.  Now that we’re back home I hope I can get back into the studio once I sort through the mail and clean up the laundry.

Here’s the doodle for day 26:

Here’s the doodle for day 27.  It’s simple but since I started with the border of dots, that’s what I thought it needed.  My black pen was running out so a trip to Michael’s yielded a lovely set of sepia markers.  I tried them out here:

Today’s doodle:

Today’s doodle:

Today’s doodle:

Today’s doodle:

Another doodle: