If it is stone dust, that is stone crushed to a sand like consistency then try wetting it as you compact. What are you using to "tamp" as you call it? Stone dust will never be as hard as say, concrete and you will need to replenish if you are doing much snow shoveling but it shouldn't pick up on your feet unless it has other 'stuff' mixed in with it.

Thanks for all the nice comments! The stained glass one was done in a workshop with Karen Kay Buckley. The "leading" is that fusible bias tape (expensive stuff!). You trace the design on the background fabric then glue the colored pieces in place with water soluble glue stick. Then you fuse the bias tape in place and sew it down with a twin needle. Before you sew you layer the backing, batting & top, so it's QAYG. The fabrics in the other quilt were one of those pre-packaged fat quarter bundles that I got at Hancock's, so that's why they are so well coordinated! :) Donna

My kitty, 18, was not happy either. We started the bathroom in July 09 and continued the kitchen and new master bed/bath after that. He spent about a week shivering and very upset and after that just seemed to relax about the whole thing. He did have some amount of sneezing on the dustiest weeks. I talked to the vet and she thought it would be more stressful for him to live somewhere else. He's hyperthyroid and very thin so any weight loss is a bad thing. He's survived just fine. One benefit, he's lost all stranger anxiety. Now when the door bell rings or someone comes in he no longer runs and hides. Just yawns and goes back to sleep. The demo part is the worst of it, although the drywall stuff is pretty darn close. If they can do things like sawing and tile cutting outside, that's best - although your neighbors may hate you :)

*sip* *sip* *crunch* *crunch* *crunch* (I just LOVE tea time!) But bad news! I tried on my smock, and the front is hanging very weird! It actually pooches waaaay forward, and it looks like I am 6 months pregnant. I have no idea why this is happening. It is very strange. I can smooth it down, and then if I kind of swing back and forth, the front of the smock literally grows! I can watch the fabric actually pull out in the front! I thought maybe the fabric just needed to be washed. So I washed and dried it. It still does it. All I can think is that: 1. when I put on the pockets, I somehow gathered the fabric between them so there is a permanent pooch/pouch? 2. I pulled the binding too much in some places (but where?), and that is making the front swell forward? It is truly bizarre. It didn't do this before I put the edging on. I don't know if it started after I put the pockets on. I guess the easiest thing to try is to remove a pocket. But is that doesn't work, then my dear smock will be relegated to apron status. No way, no how am I removing that endless bias tape! Shoot--I'll bet it is the !@#$%^& bias tape. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr. francy