Ann's Tea Room 11-29-2014

Happy Accident

When I first printed this, I noticed that the ink did not cover the parts of the fabric that were over printed by the manufacturer.  I thought about turning the fabric over to reprint 'clean'.  However, I decided this lacy look was perfect for my tea room.

Ann's Tea Room Entrance

Ann's Tea Room

The chairs and table are covered with an assortment of old linens:  Nana's hand embroidered pillow cases, odd lace curtain [also used one on the entrance], place mats sewn together, and other old pieces I never use.  Fun to get them out.  I think a young lady like Morgandy is just the person to enjoy this.  She also gave the opinion that the hand embroidered pieces looked hand made, but the lace on the chair looked like it was machine made.  She is just learning to hand sew with her mother.  She appreciates hand made things more than machine made.

Tea Table Setting for 11-29-2014

The Menu

Morgandy Reading the Menu

She will be 6 on January 23, 2015.  As a kindergarten student, she could read most of the menu.  She was quite serious about the menu.  Her father does her hair. I love these young guys who are active parents.  It is so much fun to watch. I started taking care of her when she was a few days old.  I am used to seeing her every day.  This interruption for school is sometimes hard to take.  Like most children now-a-days, her life is also filled with classes and other extracurricular activities.  Love vacations because she is around a lot more.

Morgandy's Sandwich Choices

Morgandy's Dessert Choices

This of course, was her favorite part.  She also likes the Camomile Tea better than the Afternoon Tea. She often comes over for a simple tea in a mug and a little snack.  All occurring at my kitchen counter.  This was a fun treat for both of us.  She was stuffed, but wanted to finish the plate.    I fixed the rest in a take-away for her.  She was happy with that.

Hope you all have someone special you can pamper once in a while.  This was soo much fun!  Took me back to Tea Parties my daughter and I used to have with a stuffed animal [s] and/or a doll [s].

Mom at 95

The lovely family wedding of my cousin Tom's youngest son was Saturday in Indianapolis.     On Tuesday we made a fast trip to Battle Creek for a visit with my Mom, the sister of Tom's Mom.    Because of car problems, we gave no advance warning in case we couldn't make it.  Mom was half asleep, but recognized me immediately.     When she saw Tom and Carla, she knew instantly who they were.   It was soo wonderful to know that although she is struggling with physical challenges, her mind is still sharp.

Mom at 95

I've never seen her this thin.     However, she shows no signs of stroke damage [recovered from that] + + + her mind is sharp as a tack. Mom wears 2 pair of sunglasses because the light really bothers her.

Mom always gestures when she is excited about the conversation.

Mom still listens very intently.

My New Car

I obviously need a new car. Everyone tells me this. However, if I were to buy a new car, I would have NO money for other things, like quilting. Instead of buying a new car, I decided to get my old car fixed. Thus I would use the money to buy a quilting machine. My friend Alex took me to see the machines at MQX in New Hampshire. Before I went, I researched on-line, read all the views from QA as well as went through a check list. I had narrowed the affordable field to 2 machines. However, when I went to the show, I discovered a new machine, the Innova. The second day I crossed off one of my original choices. The people were not helpful [busy talking with each other] AND gave NO show discounts off the price on-line. This made the machine the most expensive for the amount of quilting space. I crossed that one off.

It took me two more days to decide on this machine. It was neck-in-neck with the APQS Lenni. Both dealers were very helpful. I felt I could rely on both for support. I know a lot of folks who are happy with APQS machines. The Innova is rather new to the market. I don't know anyone who owns one. Major decisions involving a lot of money. I wasn't going to get a second chance. Finally at 2PM on Saturday, Alex said she was anxious to get on the road. I needed to decide IF I was going to buy a machine. It was a hard, chancy decision. I really knew nothing other than the ads. However, the Innova has the best frame I've ever seen. I could get 26" on the Innova versus 20" on the Lenni. The Lenni dealer is in Maine AND her husband works on the machines. The Innova dealers are in upper New York state. I really liked the Innova handles; hate the Lenni handles. I remembered a quote, "Just do it!" I did. I know I made the best decision with the knowledge I had at the time. Whenever one buys something in this technological age, it will be improved before we get it home. Several things I did NOT notice about either machine: spot lighting, holder for spools, adjustment how-to's, and more I have yet to discover. However, sometimes it is good to , "Just do it!" In the end, my journey may not be perfect, but it sure is interesting. I think this will add a lot to my ability to create. I'm sure I will use it more than my car. I am also sure my dining room will get a lot more use than it did before. Plus, I can still seat 4 people at the counter.


Old car parked in front of a garage shared with the house next door.


New Innova 'parked' under my 'fabric garage'.


New Innova out of the 'garage'.

Old car viewed from the side.


New Innova front-side view to the kitchen showing dining bar.

Old car view from the back.

New Innova view from the back showing balcony, china cabinets, and stair.

Old car close up showing 'fender patch'.

New Innova far view from the stair showing work table behind.

Extra feature, the bobbin winder.

Innova with the spot lighting it came with. Not very bright and lots of shadows.

Innova with my added clamp on light. It really brightens up the area.


Front of my blouse yoke. After many, many practice sessions, I decided to try and complement the design on some fabric I purchased a couple of years ago for a blouse. This would give me a chance to try different threads and see how well I could follow the designs.

Back of my blouse yoke. Another practice session.

It is far from perfect. However I learned a LOT. Hopefully some day soon I'll have a new blouse that will be very unique. I'm enjoying this journey. What more can we expect.