November OMG Complete

My goal was to finish appliqueing the six small hankies.  I finished that task today.

I’m playing with the final layout.  I had originally envisioned a lot of solid pink in the background but now I’m not so sure.  I think the appliqué  elements have enough background already and adding more won’t improve it.  I’ll do some more sketching and laying out before I decide.

I was shooting for a 60” x 80” size but then the person I’m making it for said she would hang it on the wall.  I’ll be reworking this size to be smaller to better bit a wall.  That size may work as we have 10’ ceilings in most rooms.

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts for her OMG completion linkup.

Slow Stitching Sunday

I should say slow stitching weekend.  Starting Friday night I joined Chookyblue’s zoom.  I really enjoy these ladies company and it has encouraged me to work on my handwork.  My goal this month was to appliqué six hankies onto a fabric square.  

i had two sides of one hankie done when I joined the zoom.  When I left the chat I had two completed blocks.  Saturday I joined my friends to sew at church.  There I completed two more and prepped the sixth block.  The fifth is ready to appliqué and will be the fussiest of them all with an intricate lace corner.

Pardon the wrinkles.  They are thrown on the bed for a photo op.

I will join Kathy for Slow Stitching Sunday today to finish up the last two blocks.

Here are some photos of a pooped puppy.  My friends love to tease him that they are chasing him.  He runs like crazy and by the end of the day is ready for a good snooze.

Happy Thanksgiving to my US friends!

November 2021 OMG

It seems I need a little motivation on a project and setting this goal seems to motivate me.  I am cobbling together a quilt from some treasures that my client and her bff bought and wanted to make a quilt from.  Sadly the BFF died unexpectedly and my client realized she didn’t really know where to begin.

I sketched up several ideas and decided to applique the hankies she wanted in the quilt.  The problem is that I’m not much of a handwork person.  I can do it I just haven’t done a lot.  I’ve found that I do enjoy it.

Here are the first four I’ve done that I need to add embroidery details to.

Now I have to applique six more.  They are small and will be set on point.  The starting seems to be the issue.

One is not pictured as I need to cut another background piece.  I have the threads pulled.  Now to start!

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal linkup.

October 2021 OMG Complete

I didn’t mean to skip blogging the entire month.  I seems handwork keeps me off my devices for the most part.  I will admit that I found a game that is stealing my free time.  I need to set limits on that.

I put the last stitches in the quilt repair I targeted for this months goal.  I found places where it appears there was a previous fix but they didn’t add quilting stitches so I finished that part as well.

All these triangles were whipstitched together.  In order for the stitches to not show I made lots of tiny stitches.

My repairs are the purple and plaid.  These two photos show them as I was adding them in.  You can see the quilting stitches.

At this distance it seems to stick out like a sore thumb.

A full shot shows it blends with all the other solids and plaids.  There were lots of loose seams that had to be stitched in addition to the replaced blocks.  I told the owner to fix it or have it fixed as she finds a loose spot and not let them build up again.  I return it today and hope she’ll be pleased.

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts for her OMG linkup.

October 2021 OMG

I’ve chosen my goal for the month!  I am going to finish restoring this quilt.

There are two complete blocks that will be replaced and then one or two single triangles that will be replaced.

Shown below is a complete block.

I received some vintage fabrics from a friend and have cut the replacement pieces.  I have pressed a quarter inch seam all around each piece and am ready to start hand stitching.

I used the Clover Hot Hemmer shown to measure the pressed over seam allowance.  Even seams and no burnt fingers!  It’s a very thin piece of cardboard with registration marks.  

I’m linkup with Elm Street Quilts OMG linkup party.

Are you joining the fun?

September OMG Complete

I finished sewing all 7 columns together on my Lakeview Terrace quilt.  I found the tutorial of Missouri Star Quilt Co.

We have been trying for two months to pulling our camper into the driveway in order to protect the equipment from thieves.  We tried a few different tuggers.  These are motorized dollies you can attach to the trailer and manually pull it.  There is an incline on the driveway and we just could not get them to work.

Ray bought a winch and installed a stake in the ground and welded the winch to it.  He’s had one trial run and gotten everything to work the way he hoped.  Tomorrow we are going to test it out again to make sure we have a handle on.  The winch was covered by the metal box that normally goes on the generator.  We had a vinyl tarp in the garage.  We took a few measurements, cut the vinyl to the measurements and I boxed the corners on my 301.  I was happy it sewed through everything.

There will be a box over the tarp to prevent a trip hazard.  I texted Patty and sent her pictures.  I told her I was channeling my inner patty!  It wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be.

Im almost done with my next cross stitch project.  I just lack the tutu.  I’ll add that once I decide how to finish it.  I may finish it and keep it in a ziploc to protect the 3D aspect of it.

I’m in search of my next cross stitch.  I may just generalize it to hand work or small project as I have lots of little things I just don’t get to but would like to.  I won a cute little wool project from Carole at  Quilting Adventures.  That seems to be the forerunner in my mind right now.

Linking up with Patti at Elm Street Quilts for the finish linkup for September OMG.

Stitching and Stitching

I finished the stitching of my cute little dragonfly.  I did a little research on finishing it into a (pin) pillow and have to choose fabric to get that done.  This was a good starter piece because it helped remind me about chart reading and “special” stitches.

As soon as I completed that I sought out my next project and jumped right in.  I had been in a thrift store and the little kit was only  $1.99.  It has specialty threads in it that I wanted to learn to use.  I bought it at the time when my vision was at a bad place.  I wondered if I’d be able to stitch at the time and was unable to do so.  I put it away.

I picked it up a week ago and have made great progress.  I remember the frustration I felt when I first worked on it.  I have run into a tough part where I’m stitching white in single strand thread.  In addition to my lighting I may have to only stitch in the daytime as well in order to see it.  I decided to skip to the last of the color parts and then I’ll have to fill in with the white which may make it easier to see where I’m going.

This activity has greatly reduced my screen time too.  I have to start thinking about what’s next.

So lest you think I’m not quilting I have some progress there too.  There is now a double wide design board.  It’s amazing.  I lay out my Lakeview Terrace to get the color placement arranged.  I was surprised that I could see with my naked eye a spot that appeared washed out.  I moved that block to the edge where it wasn’t as noticeable.  When I took a picture I spotted another area and moved that to the edge as well.

Here is the final layout.  I just need to sew the columns together after I press them first to get finger pressed seams more firmly in place.

Hope you’re having a productive week in whatever you do.

Cross Stitching

I cross stitched starting way back in 1985 when I first moved to Texas.  I took on big projects because I didn’t know better.  I enjoyed it and bonded with my mother-in-law over the activity.  The supplies for different projects became her favorite gift to me on different occasions.  She passed suddenly in 1989.  I took over all of her unfinished projects and finished them.  Some of them led to me making accompanying pieces.  

I took solace in the work while I was bed ridden for the first trimester of my first pregnancy.  I had many completed pieces by the time I delivered my son.  Now with a child I did most of my stitching at lunchtime with coworkers. 

I had quite the collection of projects by now.  I had also found quilting.  I know I continued to stitch after my kids were born but it was less and less.  It’s not that I didn’t love it, it was just expensive with my family additions to worry about and a quilt, to me, was cheaper and easier to finish.

Fast forward to maybe 2014 and I see Jill at Darling Jill Quilts is cross stitching.  By now I have done a poor job of managing my diabetes and developed retinopathy.  As a result I had lots of laser surgery and was developing cataracts.  I was receiving other treatments but my eyesight was terrible.  In 2017 I had the cataracts removed.  I saw a cute little cross stitch kit at the thrift store and bought it.  I tried working on it but ended up with a knotted mess and set it aside.

When I had the cataract removal I moved to a new retinalogist.  He  gave me the same treatments as the previous doctor and got things better but then switched treatments.  About a year ago I started using a Dexcom glucose monitor.  My sugars have been the best ever since being diagnosed.  My eyesight is the best it’s ever been.

This year I saw Patty at Patty the Quilt Lady cross stitching and Judy at Patchworktimes cross stitching.  I bought another little kit in anticipation of trying my hand at cross stitching again.  Judy mentioned a light she tried and I ordered one.  It has 5 different strength lenses in it.  I’m using the 2.0 and have been able to accomplish a lot.  I’m still struggling with the best distance to hold my work but that’s trial and error.  I can only stitch an hour or so then have to take a break.

All the x’s were completed tonight.  Now I have to do the back stitching.  Dragonflies hold a special place for me so I’ll finish it in a way that I can keep it close at hand.  I need to find that other kit and go to work on it next!

Remember that an investment in your physical health is just as important as investing in your financial health.  It’s easier to keep your health than regain it!  Please take care of yourselves.

Lakeview Terrace Progress

I pressed all the blocks from my OMG quilt and played with the layout a little.  I’ll try to get it up on the design wall to make a decision.

They are both a zig zag look but one is vertical and the other is horizontal.  Would love any feedback.

September 2021 OMG

Normally I already know what my goal will be before the previous month is out.  This time I thought I’d pick the next scrappy quilt I had under waythen changed my mind.  I didn’t have anything else in mind so not sure what I was thinking.  I’m just going to go with the original idea which is my scrappy Lakeview Terrace by Missouri StarQuilt Co.

I finished making my blocks on Saturday.  They need to be pressed and laid out.  At this point I’m not planning to add a border.  Here is my work in progress.

I look forward to getting them pressed and up on the design wall.  

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts for September OMG.

Are you playing along?

August 2021 OMG

Looks like I got lazy on the blogging!  I’m trying to think if there’s a reason why but can’t come up with anything.  I happily worked on my goal for the month and just stopped once I had the rows together. A weird phenomenon happened.  Once I saw the rows up on the design wall I felt the impetus to keep going just fade away.  You see, I wondered what all this scrappy goodness would look like.  In a way I had accomplished my goal.

I have a few commission quilts and I wandered off into that camp and worked on those.  After all I do need to get them done.  I even planned to blog about one of them but that didn’t happen either.  But

then…Patty posted the wrap up post for the OMG.  I thought to myself,the end of the month?  Already?  

That post was just the nudge I needed to get back to my goal.  I pinned the rows together and got the top sewn together last night.  Then this morning I took it to church and pressed it on the big board.  I enlisted a quilt holder and snapped this pic.  No border and I have gotten rave reviews.  Happiness abounds!

Linking up with Patty at Elm Street Quilts Finish linkup.  Hope you met your goals this month too!  

Great Progress!

Every Saturday I meet my friends at church.  Moo moo always goes and is a big hit with most everyone.  Study this picture and think about what the thought bubble is above his head.

I sewed several evenings last week and chipped away at making my blocks for my Stacked Squares.  The tutorial can be found here.  This was me flexing my scrap using muscle.  I had made my envelope quilt and had a stack of fabric leftovers from that.  When I knew I was going to be short on colors I grabbed fabrics from a bag of scraps someone had left at church.  One night while sewing I wanted more red so I pulled my red bucket down and picked several.  Wow that was fun!

When I got to church I had all but 10 blocks done.  I had the pieces cut and ready to add.  I quickly sewed those on and then spent the next several hours pressing all those blocks.  Ugh!  Press as you go girl!  Yes, hours.

I threw them up on the design wall.  I already had in my head that I wanted them in rows.  I decided to try out the layout that Melissa showed in her tutorial.  I hated to admit I liked the circle design.  The girls were teasing me that I should put it up for a vote.  The overwhelming response was circles.  I did have a few in the lines corner.  My daughter even texted me and told me she liked the lines better.  It was very entertaining.

I’m seriously considering making one in the RSC colors.  I need to get more serious about finding projects I want to throw my scraps at.  More to come.

So back to Moo moo.  There are three of us that meet regularly.  Moo has known Linda from the first week I got him and has seen her every week since.  I’ve had him for a year now and he loves her.  Then there’s Karen.  Let’s just say she has too much energy for his liking.  He’s getting more accepting of her especially when she’s sharing her lunch with him.

I glanced over and saw him staring at her. I was a little surprised that I knew exactly what he was thinking.  I asked her if she knew what he wanted and she said she did.  He was not trying to get up on her lap.  This is what he wanted.

This is what he was thinking…. “ can you please get out of my chair?”.  In the past he jumped up when she went to cut or press.  Now he’s just downright rude and stares trying to will her to get up.  Spoiled!

Happy quilting!,

Swooze

Round 3

I just finished sewing round 3 on all 42 blocks for my OMG.  I’ll have to press them all tomorrow and get the fourth anf final round ready.  I have about 10 blocks I’m trying to choose specific colors for and will sort those out first.  At this rate I’ll have my blocks done this week.  All the more time to play witchy he layout!