February~ Come and Gone!!

Out with the snowmen, it's February; love and hearts have replaced them on the tabletops and kitchen windowsill! 

And yet, while all of that is true, here is the greater question:

Thank you so much, blogger friends and those in real life who've reached out to inquire about my whereabouts and well-being. I'm fine, just as busy as I've ever been. I had taken on quite a few outside longarm commitments over the past few weeks; those, along with regular day-to-day activities have pretty much taken every free minute and run out the clock on February. Whew! Of course, that didn't stop me from starting a few projects of my own...

... as well as a new set of Lenten paraments for church. If anyone reading this has experience with sewing paraments or vestments let me know. I have questions for you!

I got a this bitty cross stitch piece bordered with all the best intentions to make a seasonal pillow but the backing/stuffing part still hasn't happened and this cutie remains one dimensional, I need to finish it for next year now. 

This little hanging is now 25 years old; made by a dear friend who's since passed away. She made one of these for every month of the year, they hang in the kitchen window as a reminder of our friendship over all these many the years. 💗

And just like that this month has all but passed and spring is knocking LOUDLY at the door! Augie is now sixteen months old and the absolute perfect companion. I'm going to TRY to be better about posting here, I seem to have gotten out of the habit, time to get back in the swing of things!

SEW, what's new with you?

Life is Good!

AWOL

I know, I know; I've been AWOL with no clue as to when I'd return or why I had disappeared. The last you knew I had my cast taken off and I was footloose and fancy-free again. Well, let's just say that was a very short lived state! Sigh. After a few days of catching up with all the tasks that required two free hands I contracted some sort of virus that presented with almost every symptom you could name: sore throat, headache, body aches, cough, congestion, nausea, fever... all of the above. However, the over-riding and longest lasting symptom was that of fatigue. I was wiped out. Some have suggested this may have been COVID, maybe it was, I had no test and was too sick to worry about that, I wouldn't have done anything differently anyway. I never left the house for ten days and really didn't even begin to feel anywhere even remotely like myself again for two full weeks! It was awful. This past Friday was the day that I turned the corner, there's life among the living again and I plan to participate fully! Whew. Moving on and catching up...

This bridge represents the road back to recovery; this is where I spent last weekend, on retreat! What a wonderful chance to just sit and stitch and visit with friends, it was the best of all therapy. I completed the table topper pictured above on Friday, I had already stitched up the pumpkins that formed the borders so they were ready to go. This is one of the Riley Blake Designs from last year's monthly table topper of the month program, this pattern, Pumpkinz Squared was a Lori Holt original. I can't wait to get it quilted up and on the table.

Take a look at this grand retreat space we had in which to work; isn't it the absolute BEST? My set up is in the lower right corner, on Saturday I pulled out the Snowflake blocks from a pattern by Wendy Sheppard, linked here. I got all twenty blocks pieced before the day's end, I felt like I had really accomplished a LOT. After I brought the blocks home, I arranged them on the design wall, moving and shuffling, until I arrived at the layout pictured below.

They will have sashing strips with stars in the intersections, a great winter quilt!

Here's a pinned-up version of how the intersections will appear. I plan to quilt this one with a panto that I've had for awhile, Swirly Snowflakes, I may even quilt it with a silver thread. 

With one more morning left on retreat I started the first block of Strawberry Jam; I guess you could say that I covered three seasons while I was away for the weekend! This was a limited edition kit that I purchased through A Crafty Fox last summer. You know I just had to have this; even though I rarely buy kits she had me at "strawberry"- throw in "limited number available" and I was on it! 😉 This quilt has twelve blocks with the cutest pieced lattice-style sashing. Stay tuned. 

One more thing happened during my blog hiatus, this precious boy celebrated his first birthday! He's pictured here with a chew stick that he got from his favorite canine friend. 💗 I celebrated a milestone birthday too, near the end of last month, but with the wrist and the crud it sort of all got lost in the shuffle; when I broke a molar after biting into a pretzel and spent the morning in the dentist's chair last Thursday I realized that I might just simply be falling apart! My Dad always said that aging isn't for the weak; I believe that he's right, these last few months have been taking all my strength! Ha! 

Life is Good!

It's All Good!

I've been catching up on the two block-of-the-month programs that I signed up for at the LQS. Being gone for just a little over two weeks seems more like two months when it comes to catching up on what I missed while we were away! The Cream and Sugar class (left) required two more identical blocks for November and the Aspiring Stars class offered another block this month which I was able to explore making up in varying sizes.

I'm still not sure what I'll do with the extra blocks when I actually settle on a size for the quilt! Oh, well, I'm having fun experimenting in the meantime. My "orphan blocks" box is currently full-to-overflowing. I'm going to have to get creative with its contents before I feed it any more! 

We needed to catch up with this birthday boy who turned 12 while we were traveling; yes, twelve!! 😲 We asked him to choose where he's like to go for his birthday dinner. That was easy! 

My sister in law belongs to a farm cooperative sharing program; we went with her to the barn while we were visiting her home, she shared with us some of the root vegetables that were part of her take this month. Carrots, potatoes, onions and beets that were all perfect. I cooked the beets in the Instant Pot when I returned home and made the most delicious salad. I'm linking here to the recipe that I used if you love beets the way I do and you'd like to try it. Mr. G doesn't share my affection for this vegetable, I didn't even need to share even a bite! 😉

I've been spending the evenings in front of the TV working on this Vintage Christmas Sampler. It's so cute. A few more weeks and it will be ready for a finish, just in time!

Sew, that's what's been going on around here; and, at long last, the weather has taken a decided turn toward winter.

What's going on where you are?

It's all good!

Life is Good!

Chasing Squirrels

I returned to counted cross stitch within the last two years; something I never anticipated happening, something that I certainly didn't think that I had the time for, but nonetheless  it occurred! It came about as the result of a Christmas gift from Quiltkeemosabe. I blogged about this unexpected return to handwork here, a year ago. I continue to enjoy the slow pace and the rhythm of the stitching. But, isn't it funny how we endeavor to make time for the things we desire to do, those very things that we never imagined being able to squeeze into our already packed-full days?  I want to quilt, read, study the Bible, cook gourmet meals, decorate beautiful cookies, keep up with this blog, visit with my friends and family, entertain, make Chrismons, keep an immaculate house and garden, exercise regularly and create beautiful cross stitch samplers in my free time. I want to do it all! I know that this isn't realistic, I don't choose to set myself up for failure by rushing around aimlessly; doing a little of this, a little of that, and not completing anything well.  I needed to come out and admit that I'm a squirrel chaser. I can easily be distracted by that next great thing that I want to do and rush off in pursuit of it, leaving myself lost and drifting without direction. Knowing that, and admitting it, is the first (and maybe the most important) step in taking control back and focusing on what needs to be done and what's the most important task at hand. Prioritizing is one of my greatest challenges; there's always going to be a "squirrel" dashing across my path! Being cognizant of that fact has freed me up to be kinder to myself. I'm granting grace; realizing that if I to stick with one thing at a time, and see that through, those other projects will still be there awaiting their turn, when that time is right. And so, I have returned to stitching in the evenings, when there's time. Slowly, I am finishing projects and am proud of the result, taking one's time has its own rewards; I'm not ever going to be the fastest or the most prolific and that's perfectly okay. 

Quiltkeemosabe made this beautiful project bag for me. Yes, those pesky, ridiculous rodents (the bane of my existence) are peeking out through the clear front to mock me~ I love it!

This zipper pull is an added embellishment. My friend knows me well! As the next weeks and months go by, you know where I'll be. Right here, doing my level best to ignore the scampering squirrels that surround me, both the actual and the metaphorical ones. 

Life is Good!

* Colonial Blooms by The Scarlett House. Stitched on 32 count Belfast linen, called-for WDW colors.  

Retreating and More

I haven't retreated from blogging~ although it probably seems that way. I don't know how I get so busy with things that time slips away, but I do. The weekend before last I was lucky enough to spend some of that ever-elusive time retreating with a few friends, we commandeered the craft room at a local camp, set up our sewing machines and got to work. The first flimsy finish is this three block pineapple pillow cover for our oldest granddaughter for Christmas. I secretly squirreled away enough of her scraps from the quilt that she recently completed to get this done. I know that she'll be surprised! I was able to get it quilted up this past week. 

From there I moved onto this "Pumpkin Seeds" wall quilt, getting the top together and adding the borders after I returned back home. It will hang out on the porch next fall; I'm working a year ahead (doesn't that sound so much more efficient than being behind?). Yes, it does! 😉 

I pieced Tom Turkey (another pillow cover) on retreat as well. Since returning home I've quilted him up, hopefully I can get the pillows made this weekend. If you've never wrangled a turkey beneath a needle before you've really missed out on an experience! 🤣 This pattern is Gobble, Gobble by Center Street Quilts. 

You probably all followed Moda's "Stitch Pink" daily block sew-along in the month of October. I collected the daily patterns and am in the process of creating my own "Stitch Christmas" project. Again, I'm working a year ahead 😉; indulge me in that belief, please. Instead of thirty blocks I am making mine with twenty five blocks and it will finish at approximately 64" square, if I decide to add a small border, we'll see. 

Last weekend we had a couple of overnight guests (this one and her brother)  and, since stitching a turkey didn't do me in, we sewed up a couple of chickens! One to keep and one to give away. 

This is a tease for my next post. What, exactly, is this in Gregory's hands? Stay tuned, you'll be amazed!

Life is Good!

Top Ten (?)

I was recently challenged by a friend to post one quilt picture a day for ten days on Facebook. I took her up on that challenge and enjoyed scouring the files for ten photos of some favorite quilts that I've made over the years. I had so much fun that I thought I'd share my selected ten here in collage form. Some days I get so busy planning the next project that it's nice to reflect on projects from the past. 

And, because I don't need to limit this post to only ten photos, here's just a few "leftovers"; for fun!

As we move forward sometimes it's nice to take look back at where we've been, 

(and what we've actually finished! 😉) don't you think so too?

Life is Good! 

Hello, Pouch!

I bought the pattern for the "Hello Pouches" (knot and thread design) and was eager to make some up, I thought that they were cute, functional and a nice alternative to the paper gift bag for small Christmas gifts. I made one up yesterday as a trial. I'm happy to report that it's a well-written pattern with easy to follow instructions and access to online video tutorials. I made the "large" size (7.5" X 6.75" X 4.25") only because that's how much clear vinyl I happened to have in the house. I learned a few things along the way, if you want to make some let me pass along these tips:
Use a "Jeans" needle. The one that I used was 100/16. There are lots of bulky bound seams to sew through and the heavier needle is most valuable here, sew slowly too! I love Wonder Tape and I used a good bit of it on this bag.

As you can see in this photograph there are narrow, turned, top-stitched bindings; the Wonder Tape, when applied along the folded edge before turning, ensures those narrow hems will remain straight and smooth. I have not had any problems with the product gumming up my needle, it delivers nice results. Every bit of this bag has finished, bound edges, even along the zipper tape; those straight, flat hems are pretty and I can't get results like that when I use pins and am stopping and starting to remove them. Since the bag is see-through (the beauty of the pouch to begin with!) you want your finished seams to look extra-nice.

The zipper is made from one half of a handbag zipper-- the two sides are separated, the pull removed, and then threaded back on both ends of the zipper tape which has been folded in half. One thirty inch, double slide, zipper will make two bags. There's a trick to finessing the pull back on, (and a video that I watched three times!) that takes a bit of practice, but I got it. I added a fabric tie and attached it to the zipper pull to make opening easier. All in all, this is a nice bag and I will make more;  I can see lots of practical uses for this one. One down; a bunch to go!! 

And just in case you thought that I was running out of projects(!), I made a quick trip with friends to the Pineapple Warehouse sale today; they were selling fabric by the POUND, it is a great deal!

Warehouse shopping going on-- fabric by the pound!

I ended up bringing home lots of pieces (pounds!!) for quilt backs as well as this fabric for these two quilts (below)-- a table topper for Christmas and a wall quilt for our youngest granddaughter for her birthday next January (backings on the bottom of the stacks). These will be projects to keep me busy at two upcoming retreats scheduled for next month--perfect timing! I hope your day is a pieceful one!

Life is Good!

Back From Retreat

Dogs in Sweaters ~ 45" X 60"

Well, yes, I AM back from retreat! We had an absolutely wonderful weekend in every way and I did get a LOT done. The projects that I took to work on were polar opposites, though. Next time I'll know better. The jelly roll rug requires nothing more that mindless sewing: joining the strips, one after another and then folding them with the batting inside as they were fed through the machine to topstitch through all the layers; this went on for what seemed like an eternity. Finally I got the "rope" into a loosely wound ball about the size of a volleyball, this was a boring task. The "Dogs in Sweaters", however, was another thing all together! With all of my pieces labeled and organized it went together splendidly; but, it took every bit of focus and concentration that I could muster. If I turned an ear wrong once, it would happen again, I am nothing if not consistent! This pattern is a good one but think of it as part quilt block and part jigsaw puzzle, when there's nineteen other ladies in your sewing space at the same time it's hard concentrate; it's probably not a good retreat project. And yet, undaunted, I persevered!

Almost immediately after my arrival back from retreat we traveled to a local park for an inspiring outdoor worship service. Our pastor used a story-telling sermon format to tell the Creation story. The event was well attended and there was a lot of good food and fellowship following the service, always a fun occasion. 

Speaking of creation, the bluebirds hatched while I was gone, lots of babies in one cozy nest.

We had our two youngest grandchildren the last couple of days as their Mommy had to attend a conference and their school hours (drop off and pick up) doesn't quite lend itself to Daddy's work schedule. We volunteered to keep them here with us until this morning. They're funny-- and SMART. Here PawPaw and Gregory are working on his homework while his sister has an after school activity. I had forgotten how I used to get so much done when I was a young mother-- it's all crammed into making the most of little snatches of time when they're available, I have been a master of accomplishment since Monday while they were here. It felt good to get showered and dressed, laundry done, the beds made and the dishwasher loaded and running all before eight o'clock AM! 

We saw this flag near the highway the other day when running errands. Lynnleigh said that its the biggest flag that she had ever seen. Gregory piped up and said that if you're going to fly a flag you should always fly the largest one that you can (it depends on how tall your flagpole is, he said). That made me smile; he's one very logical and patriotic boy! 

This is a LOT more fun than sewing the "rope", at least there's an end in sight now, and a pretty one. 

Hannes is doing a great job, don't you think?

Life is Good!