Hello all, Mary Ellen here.

Still not adjusted to the new times yet (nor is the dog!). I find myself wide awake quite early and find it’s better to get up and moving, than to just stare at the ceiling wishing I could sleep for another hour. Instead of heading out on the morning walk before the world awakens, I have explored the web instead.

I’ll share a few of my recent finds.

fabric twine–love this! Can use up very narrow scrappy strings since she says 1″ wide is the maximum! Does anyone you know make blocks with pieces narrower than that?! click here

Houston Quilt festival (on the bucket list!) click here

Recently I made fabric baskets from a pattern from Aunties Two. Their patterns are very well illustrated and explained. I went to the website to see what others they have that might be fun and found a section of FREE patterns. Christmas is coming and I found a good one for quick gifts. You might too. click here

Was checking out Robi’s Pinterest boards and came across this. Like the author of the DIY piece, I have been sewing for many years now (won’t say the number, but let’s says I’ve passed most of the metallic anniversaries) so many of these tips were already familiar. I did find a few hints though where I thought “what a good idea, why didn’t I think of that?” If you’re a relative newcomer to the world of needle and thread, you’ll probably find a couple of hints you’ll want to remember.

Tips for a thorough machine cleaning: click here

Last one for today is a list of DIY gift ideas for guys. It’s not hard at all to come up with cute handmade gift  ideas for your female friends and family, but not so much for those guys on which you want to bestow one of your hand-made creations. Here’s an idea list. I love the magnetic wristband idea. I think I’ll make one for myself too! click here

Do you think today’s round of leaf raking will be the final one? Me either.