Awesome Blizzard!

Okay, I know some of your are ready to scream that a blizzard isn't awesome, but for me it really was today. I got to sew for a whole uninterruped day. Last night I came home in rain at 8:30 and the wind was really starting to blow hard. By this morning when I got up at 6, the snow covered the screens and I couldn't see out. I called our closure line and it said to report at 10. Paul said I don't think you're going to get out as there's a 2 foot drift behind your pickup. I went back to sleep and got up at 8 and called again. This time we were closed for the day. There was no travel advised, the interstate and several state highways were all closed. There were snowplows stuck in the ditches! My little brother is a heavy duty tow truck driver, so he has to go pull out all the trucks that are stuck. They can't do anything while it's blowing, so he was sleeping today, knowing it was going to be a long night and day tomorrow.
So I slept till 11 and then got up and started sewing. I had all my stuff packed as I had taken it last night to sew at the store, which got cancelled because it was supposed to get bad. So I had luckily hauled it all in last night! I started on the medium Miranda bag I was making for myself. I made it 20% smaller, so it's more like a purse than a bag. I also just used one front piece and one back piece instead of two smaller ones.

Then I fixed the purse I had made for my mom. The handles were too long and there wasn't a closure, so I said well give it back and I'll fix it. So I put this closer on it and some velcro as well as took the long handles off and put on 20 inch ones. It turned out really good with the new handles. I didn't like the ones I had put on it when I gave it to her, but she hadn't said anything until last week. So now it's fixed and ready to be returned to her.

Then I took a pack of 8 fat 16th I think they are called that I had been given a couple years ago and made a tablerunner. I know it's really simple, but the lady I'm giving it to works with me and she loves browns and black. I don't particularly like to use these colors, but they worked perfect for this simple impromptu tablerunner. She's graduating next week with her PHD, so I thought she would like this. I didn't think I would have time to get something made, so I planned it to be simple. Thank goodness for the snow today and time to get it done!


Then it was on to my next project of making a cover for the guest book. I found one where I liked the inside, but not the outside, so I decided to make a cover for it. Mom did the embroidery last week and brought it to me and today I made this cover. I just winged it, but it turned out pretty good. I used dark and light purples from the Fairy Frost line. I just love these elegant fabrics and they are so nice to work with. They have a glitter on them. The LQS I got to carries the entire line!

So as if that wasn't enough, I decided to start my May UFO. It was a bag for a friend who loves Wizard of Oz. I had gotten the fabric at a quilt show in March, but hadn't had time to work on it. Today was the day! I made the Miranda bag, including the middle cinch, handles, and closure in under 3 hours! Since I've made 6 Miranda bags already, I guess I just kind of know the pattern. I'm not real impressed with the quilting on it, but I didn't have a lighter thread that would work, so I guess it shows I'm still learning to FMQ.



This afternoon Paul went out with the snowblower and the 4-wheeler with plow and started working on clearing the 4 foot drifts we had behind the vehicles. He was out for 5 hours and only got two of the three out. He even had help from the neighbor who has a tractor! We have a fence by us, so it was acting as a snow fence and all the snow piled past it. Right behind our vehicles! Luckily we didn't have to go anywhere and could enjoy the time at home. I feel like I accomplished so much!
This weekend we are going home to help my brother with their new house and my godmother is throwing a wedding shower for us. It's supposed to be 50 tomorrow, so hopefully the snow will melt fast and we won't have any problems. Otherwise I have several more projects just waiting in the wings to finish up for the wedding!