My First Basket

This morning I made my very first basket. I've been wanting to make one ever since Alan and I were on vacation in Manistique Michigan.

Alan's cousin Kathy is an amazing Basket Maker. We all made plans that next summer JoAnne, Kathy, and I would all stay at Kathy's house and sit by the lake and make baskets for a few days while the guys all go do what ever they do at the cabin. Well, when I got home I started looking at basket making supplies, bought a couple of books, and finally couldn't stand it any longer and bought a kit. I decided that since Kathy was such an expert basket maker that I wanted to know a little about what I was doing so that I could get her help with more intricate things I can't figure out on my own or that I am doing wrong.

I can already find several mistakes in this basket, just like I did with my first quilt, but I'm anxious to move on to something else soon.

Don't worry, basket making won't take the place of quilting but I really do like it. Oh, and I have fixed the lashing on the top of my basket so it doesn't have the mistakes you see any more.

Poinsettia By Brenda Yirsa For Bigfork Bay Cotton Co.

This is one of the Poinsettia I made for Trunk Shows for Bigfork Bay Cotton Company. It is designed by Brenda Yirsa.

Shelly Diaz, my daughter, put the top together for me and I did the quilting. We made three of them. They are so much easier than they look, and everyone wants more bang and less work.

The batiks are from Batik Textiles and the thread I used is Aurifil 50 wt. I use Wonder Under Fusible Web by Pellon to fuse the applique down.

Meet Mr and Mrs Diaz

My daughter Michelle "Shelly" Paul became Mrs. Diaz when she married Anthony "Pony" Diaz on the 4th of July. It turned out to be the most beautiful day anyone could ever wish for. Even though the forecast was for rain all day, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Well, no black ones anyway. The temperature was in the 70's.

Everything about this wedding went perfectly. I've never seen an event go together so well. Of course, Shelly is a perfectionist and I doubt it ever occurred to her that it wouldn't go off without a flaw.

I love Pony and his family. We have been like one family for many years now and this just made it official. I wish Shelly and Pony a lifetime of love and joy.