Quilt on the Frame and Refinished Chairs

I found an old quilt from a long time ago that I shared the pattern for on my blog...and guess what?  I have a long arm now so I can quilt it!  LOL*  For the record I could have quilted it just fine on my domestic, but it takes SO much longer and it's just a lot easier on the long arm.  I loaded this up last night so later today after I get some work done I'll start quilting it.

I've also been working on these chairs from our dining room kitchen...they were getting raggedy and just so ugly looking.  I have kiddos and they really USE our furniture.  I sanded them down outside on that gorgeous 80 degree day we had...

...and because the stain and polyurethane coat take so long to dry I'm still not done!  It's not the most professional staining...I have never stained anything really so I didn't know at all what I was doing.  You can see brush strokes pretty bad but, you know what?  It's a vast improvement on what I had before!  I finished coating the seat and back of the chair with two coats of polyurethane last night and today I'll put two coats on the legs and be done with the chairs.  Next week I've got to tackle the table.

I really loved working on these chairs.  Two of the most memorable smells from my childhood were the smell of my Mother's iron as she pressed her fabric for sewing and the smell of coffee mixed with polyurethane!!!  Isn't that funny?  My Dad was always working on some painting project and my Mom was always sewing.  It was wonderful to grow up in such a creative environment.  My Husband isn't so artsy but I'd like to think that I've got enough creativity for both of us...  ;)  I hope my kiddos have the same happy memories.

I've been crafting and working non-stop lately.  In addition to quilting quilts I'm hoping to attend some craft shows this fall so I'm starting to prepare.  Maybe just A craft show.  It depends on how much I can get made and how fast between my children's activities and all my own  hobbies!!!  My house is in a unique state of chaos right now!!!  So much needs to be done and dust bunnies are creeping out from under the furniture...so much to do, there aren't enough hours in the day for me!

Hope everyone in blog land is having a great weekend!