And the Pandemic Rages on in America

As we continue into November 2020… the Pandemic rages on. It is so sad to see so many people with debilitating illness from getting Corona while some get a sniffle or no symptoms and move forward… this is true for most of the world too I believe. I think New Zealand may be without many or any illness at the moment as well as Tasmania… both are islands that have quarantined well. Meanwhile in the US we are facing more Covid 19 than ever before!!! So how am I dealing??? Masking , distancing, washing and minding my to-do list below….

We are being warned against mingling with family and friends that aren’t in our circle of living daily during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday weekend… while this doesn’t affect me much it certainly affects many around us who may choose to celebrate anyway or be very sad that they can’t celebrate with anyone… PLEASE find a way to distantly celebrate with a neighbor or family member who is alone right now y’all! We need to be there for each other in new and different ways. This week I gifted some Color Street nail strips to a new friend with a lengthy note attached for how to apply them and a link to a video to help her… she was overjoyed!!! Give it a try 😀

Today is my son’s birthday… James is 30 this year… so hard to believe. He has a wonderful wife and daughter and has yet to come visit us here in NC but they lead a very busy life at the moment raising kids and working.

Then on Tuesday my other son Michael has a birthday… He will soon be married and is celebrating 26 years of living in this crazy world 😀 He works for a Bank and enjoys wedding planning and hanging out with his bride to be Kristen. I talk to him weekly 🙂

Wednesday is Veteran’s Day so if you served in the military I hope you have a blessed day. My honey was in the Army and is happy he did. The benefits through the VA are wonderful to him/us.

The Presidential election we had Tuesday the 3rd , had final count numbers close enough to determine a winner of the Presidential portion yesterday… there are still several run off elections scheduled so we won’t know all the results and these results will still need to be validated and recounted I am sure… but we will have a change in leadership to President elect Biden. He plans to start a new Corona Task Force made up of medical folks in the know on this virus starting this coming week. Of course all this happens on his own turf. President Trump will not accept any of the results until the recounts are in and he has taken others to court to see if anything may change… so we will see how things turn out in the end.

Meanwhile… we have been house searching like crazy and not watching much of the shenanigan’s going on television… who do you even watch anyway… everyone has a viewpoint they this in the most right. So far there has been one house we liked but much of the square footage is large walk in closet spaces … we don’t need that !!! So we are continuing to look for something that suits us best… we are looking between Bryson City, NC to Franklin, NC to Waynesville , NC in hopes that something different will come onto the market in our price range. We may wind up choosing one of these areas to rent a space so we can shop easier once this house sells. Speaking of this home… we have the appraisal on Monday and due diligence or time to change her mind for any reason is up on Friday. Then we are to close and be expected to move out on the 23rd. We are excited and ready to hand over the keys and start a new adventure… we just aren’t sure where that new adventure will be yet.

While all this has been happening… we leaf peeped during our searches like crazy!!!

These views … so beautiful and breathtaking… are why we are staying in North Carolina!!!

And I have made great progress quilting too!

I am coming to the ending of the center and by next weekend I should only have outer border to finish up. My plan is… once I do finish this center portion … is to mark the outer border completely to make it fit right like I did when I started this quilt many moons ago.. I will try to look that up for y’all next week. This week has just been too crazy though 🙂 I am linking this great progress to Kathy’s quilt group linky HERE <<<

I also wanna share for those living in the USA a company I only recently learned of that produces different weights of heavy thread for tatting, crocheting and BIG STITCH QUILTING >>> Handy Hands is their name… I requested a FREE catalog of their thread and got all this…

I will enjoy using these samples in the future when we get moved! I am also pondering a youtube channel show featuring me hand quilting and sharing tips and tricks of the trade I have learned over the years once we are resettled! I would appreciate any feedback you have on this …

Please keep President Trump and President Elect Biden in your prayers as this transition after all the recounting occurs.. we need a peaceful transition here in the US.

Have a blessed week ahead each of you and please… if you made it this far … leave me a message.. I reply personally to each email left for me with a message 🙂

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Happy November 2020!

Hope your November is starting out well today… we are a bit chilly but the rain from a bit tropical storm that left us with a few downed trees has passed so we are pleased 🙂

With final arrangements of our house sale coming into focus… we have an appraisal next week and closing the week of Thanksgiving… it is time to house shop soon! YAY 🙂

In the meantime… I have been quilting a lot on Appalachian Delight as I look for homes and talk to realtors and ponder more about how I want my new sewing room to be.

Look what I saw when I rolled early this week!!! The top of the quilt 🙂 DOUBLE YAY!!! So I have been busy quilting some more to finish this quilt!!!

Above is the view of all that has been accomplished… and below is what is left to finish before I can roll 😀

Just 6 swag designs to big stitch quilt in burgandy and I will be rolling!!!

So I am linking this fun quilty progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching crew… Come on over HERE <<< to see what other slow stitchers are up to and get INSPIRED!!!

As for my health… I am in week 2 of the new medicine and can tell less seizures are occurring and I am aware of when they do occur now which is strange but I prefer that over not knowing at all! lol I still am not doing anything potentially dangerous… I will let the neurologist I see in a few weeks give me the green light for sewing, driving, and having time alone. But freedom is coming soon! Rick even went and ran an errand late this week without me because we both felt okay with that! 😀

I also went and voted on Friday…. I was proud to support the voting process and stand up for what I think would be best for America at this point in dealing with so many different things. And if this doesn’t make any difference this time around… I will recall this tattoo I saw on Pinterest a few weeks back….

The sun will always rise again…
God’s promises are sure!

Do you have any plans for November 2020???

Are you planning a family gathering that is somehow safe??? Or are you planning to lay low like us ?? It is quite scary to be searching in homes this time of our lives with Covid being so rampant across America.. please make safe choices y’all!

I love hearing from each of you and hope you make time to leave a reply … have a safe and happy November!

A Whirlwind Week with LOTS of Answers !

I have had lots happening this week to share with you each… Grab a cuppa something yummy and come sit down and chat with me 🙂

I love this Pooh quote when I need uplifting and remembering that I am awesome~ I hope this encourages you about yourself too!

We have a home inspection this week… we have a few nails to tap down on the roof but that is all they asked us to amend… so that is great!!!! And the buyer is interested in a few of our things and a quilt too! I plan on now leaving her a couple quilts I have been wanting to downsize from my stash and just didn’t know who or how or when.. now I know! How cool 😀

As for the appraisal to make sure the home is worth the loan the buyer is getting… that won’t happen until mid November (there is a wait for this appraisal process…) Then the Monday before Thanksgiving we are hoping to close on this home and be ready to buy another nearer the VA and other medical care and shopping outlets once Covid has passed.

I saw the Neurologist this week and started a new medication. I have a form of epilepsy where the white matter that should live on the outer parts of your brain got held up in the grey matter in the center of your brain… so it makes seizures like mine more prevalent the doctor said. He feels we can straighten out my medications and stop the seizures then decrease the medicine we increased initially once we are there… YAY! I am sooo relieved that medication can fix this as I already take medication daily so this is just adding a little pill in there that so far causes NO side affects that are unwanted like the seizures are!

I have been hand quilting a lot this week…

I finished the sashing row I was working on last week and am almost done with the first passing of the last row of blocks in this quilt… I think 2 more passes will get me to the outer border at the top of that last photo 😀 I am linking all this quilty progress to Kathy’s Quilts SLOW STITCHING SUNDAY <<<< Come see what other bloggers are posting too 🙂

This makes me wanna design a scrappy quilt when I get my sewing room unpacked in our new locale!

Meanwhile in the US… we will be voting for our President soon… and celebrating Halloween too! Soon all that will be done and dusted and it will be time to think of Christmas.. as I have been reading about decluttering and giving meaningful gifts… what about Christmas giving… yes that too! Read this before making your gift giving plans this year… I found it eye opening and thought provoking…

I hope this post finds you happy and well. I do hope you enjoyed your visit with me today and catching up. Continue to pray for us as we search for a home and watch for seizures to stop too…

And soon June will be done… WOW!

How has this month come to an end so quickly y’all!

 The awesome Sunrise I viewed Monday morning this week…. from our front porch 🙂

 Followed by freshly prepared strawberries and cream cheese danish (just a small piece ) 😀

 Finished the row I was on with Appalachian Delight….

 Rolled the quilt and started back to the right side of the quilt.  This marks the halfway point of this quilt project!!! 🙌 YAY 🙂

 Linking my hand quilting progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching Linky party HERE <<<

Also Linking to my HQAL group that I link with every 3 weeks…

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

As you can see not much progress on this side of this secret project… just that top row done…

 But look at this hand quilted aspects of the hand applique added to the front of these bags!!!  WOW

 But this week has otherwise been a quiet week….

 And the Amaryllis blooms has been my DAILY dose of sunshine!!!

 As the second stalk continued to grow taller and sprout blooms to be…

 and the first stalk continued to fill out all 6 blooms…

 They fell over together … so we added stakes to hold them up unsure if they would continue to grow now…

 But they have 🙂

 And this hosta shoots up amazing blooms… here it was on Monday….

 And again on Friday…

 I found this little meme online… Why can’t we ALL be like a raccoon….

 And another meme that I posted on my Facebook page…

North Carolina USA has a mandatory public mask wearing policy now… 

Do you wear a mask when in public??

Feel free to right click on any of those meme’s to add them to your own photo stash and share on social media … we are all in this all over the world TOGETHER!!!!

 I am excited to look ahead to JULY!!!!

of JULY!!! <<<<

3rd – My bestie… Connie                                                   20th – My Honey’s … Rick

4th – Me                                                                             26th – My Darling Daughter … Brandi 

5th – My DIL to be… Kristen                                             In Memory… I will remember my                                                                                                                          grandmother’s birthday on the 6th…                                                                                                          She is watching over us from heaven

So here is the first fun birthday cake I found… doesn’t that teal icing look yummy!  with the moist chocolate cake… mmmmm!!!  Much less the precious unicorn full of cake!

So while this post had not much hand work to share… my mind is moving along solving roadblocks to get more handwork to show for next week!

Take care my friends 💖  And if you leave a comment today… please tell me…

What do you enjoy doing to celebrate YOUR birthday ???

I love that I am a Firecracker Baby and born the morning of the 4th of July!!!  My daughter may come for a visit on her birthday end of the month … THAT will be my present this year… along with the 2 new chairs we just bought for me 😀

Come back next week… you won’t be sad to celebrate Birthday Month each Sunday of July!!!!

Hello Summer and Father’s Day 2020

As of yesterday evening… it is officially summer here in the USA!!

Today is Father’s Day… a day that brings me angst.  My dad & I don’t speak … there are a host of reasons for this… He and my mom are very different from me.  So on Father’s Days for the last decade or so… I focus on the positive role models in my life that are dads….

My grandfather here… I called Papa

 The husband of my children…. Here he is with our oldest child James…

 And the last photo we have of him smiling over 12 years ago now…

 So I felt this meme… really reflected how I felt about these powerful men in my life … as both my husband from the past and my grandfather are in Heaven today…. looking down and celebrating…

 This picture came up on my facebook feed recently…

Remember me working on hand quilting this quilt for Connie by bestie???!!!

Well here it is bound and washed and on her bed!!!!

Look at the binding she chose to put on this quilt… all the colors of the fabric are in it!!!!

 We are BOTH in love with the big stitch quilting you can see in these photos too!!!

                                      

Linking this awesome finish to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<<<  Follow the link (it will open in a new tab so you don't lose your place here) !!
 Alex Andersen of “The Quilt Show” … I spied this cool art piece on her wall in a video I watched…

 Don’t we all need a Crazy Quilter art piece to explain us 🙂

Speaking of Crazy.. a couple weeks ago I showed you my crazy sewing room… well it is getting cleaner!!!!

 So I got to start cutting out my youngest son’s wedding commemorative wall hanging I am hand quilting after I machine piece the flimsy…

 Here is some laid out… this may be the last you see of this project though… as I don’t want them to see!!!!

 And look at that gorgeous engagement ring my son got his bride to be Kristen. 

Mike now also goes by Michael in his peer groups so I am trying to change a 25 year habit to not call him the shortened version any longer.

Hand quilting has been a daily thing this week… I am sew glad too ❤

 Above is the base picture for my new header for my blog.   Below is when I finished block #3 on this row I am on…

 And here is block 4… heading to the border!!!

 This morning I worked on the swag designs in the border a bit … I will go back to that when I get done with this blog as my honey sleeps in on Sundays!!!

 So with all the Corona Covid-19 stuff going on… do you worry more??? I know I sure do!!!!

 So this Bonnie-ism is in the forefront for me 🙂  Maybe we could all remember… like a rocking chair or a rocking horse… you can go and go but you stay right where you are… so throw your worries aside and stay safe and ….

 While I was digging through my scrapbooks looking for the pics I wanted to share with you all today… I came across this… Me as a preschooler….and me today!  I have my Papa’s silvery gray hair now too that replaced my reddish blonde locks!  I love that 😀

So as I hang on…

 I have found lots of ideas online this week that inspire me… Like this double wedding ring with a star block where the joins go….

 A flower quilt that comes together row by row by Lisa Capen Quilts on Youtube…

 And this quilt… after I finish the quilts in some sort of progress I would love to get this pattern … It is an older Fons and Porter pattern called “Pinwheel Star” but I have been unable to find it online yet as a pattern to buy so I may have to draft it… hmmmm!

 Amaryllis Watch!!!!

 These photos were taken Tuesday or Wednesday

 Then Thursday the bloom opened but only half heartedly in the late afternoon….

 But Friday it was wide open… with 5 more to come from this stalk…

 And look at the second stalk… it will have more blooms as it grows and matures taller…

 Now the second bloom is opening on that first stalk… and the other 4 are looking bigger!!!!

 Molly got her groom on yesterday and she is feeling so refreshed from her groom and wash!

Speaking of Molly… she is snoozing in with her dad right now!  Happy Father’s Day to my Honey too ❤  Here is a photo I took the other day of the 2 of them ❤  They have my heart for sure!!!!

Thanks for stopping in… please leave a comment if you have a minute… I love to reply to all the comments left for me💖  Thanks 😀

Flag Day 2020 & LOTS to share :)

Come on in and grab a cuppa something yummy y’all 🙂  Please leave the virus at the door and come celebrate the American Flag today !!!

My Bitmoji

This flag photo was proudly taken this week as we enjoyed some rainy days and some blue sky warm days!  Summer is only next Saturday y’all!  This week is the end of Spring !!! 

In the USA  we are celebrating Flag Day today too… remembering the history of our country and our flag as it has evolved to 50 wonderful states and more territories besides those too 💖  

Though we have unrest at the moment along with a long lasting pandemic continuing… 

I am proud to be an American  & I do pledge my allegiance to this flag 🙂  I am also happy to have friends from other countries that visit my blog too!  I am sure you are proud of your country’s heritage too!

After I snapped the shot of the flag… (not knowing how cool a shot it was in the sunshine outside)… I snapped this shot… I love the flag shadow showing on the ground… it is close to noon that day…

 Here is a close up of our thriving marigolds… Rick definitely babies these new plants and now they aren’t needing much extra water 🙂

 While I showed you my new rolling chairs I got last week ( my birthday is July 4.. they were my present )… my honey decided he wanted AND needed this brush guard or bumper for the front end of his new mower… so here it is all looking like it should… wonder why John Deere doesn’t include this in the initial sale??!!

 That front piece without the bumper there… should it get damaged is several hundred $$ to replace when you find one!!!  The bumper cost us under $100 and will protect that fiberglass body ..  and it looks smart too !!! lol

We are on bloom watch with our Amaryllis we planted last week I shared with you…  LOOK!!!!

 And yesterday ….

Look a second bloom is coming up too… Rick is talking about staking it too once he knows what that second stalk will do.. it may balance itself ya know. 😉

This plant growing is my delight in these turbulent staying home times too!!!

Another major happening this week is that I got a haircut!!!  

LOOK how much I needed it… sooo much hair!!!!!

And now…. MUCH cooler and more comfortable ….

But Lest we Forget the biggest EVENT this week ,,,,,,,,

Our sweet Molly – Poo Shih pup – turned 2 years old this week as well ❤  

She got this cool new collar and had extra play time and a stick to chew on too!  She loves to play outside and inside playing keep away… she entertains herself well too… Very well mannered overall 😀  And notice in the top photo… she is sleeping on a hand quilted wall hanging my honey doesn’t like but it coordinates with our kitchen and Molly loves having her own quilts 🙂  I love that our pup loves my quilts!

Our kitchen got a spring cleaning and decor update for summer time…

Rick did not like the log cabin wall hanging I had made… it was not his style he said and he likes this blue red and cream quilt…. so he hung that up after I removed the spiral log cabin quilt that had been there… it lightens up the room vibe quite a bit I agree!!!

Once I finished with the table runner binding and labeling… and it got washed and dried… 

 Even our previous napkins look fine!  YAY 😀

Here is the label I made…

 And some of the great quilting done on this… here are some texture shots I took for myself to share with you and for Jannessa to share with her friends too to show off her work!!!  WE loove it ❤

Jannessa donated the cool backing fabric and the batting as well as the fmq… boy I gotta think up something AWESOME to thank her now!!!

Once that handwork was complete and kitchen was spruced up clean… I was back to focusing on hand quilting Appalachian Delight… working on completing that 1st square…

 then another…

 Now I sit just past the halfway point of this row …. working on the 3rd block over from the right 🙂

Still loving the sturdiness and reliability of these new chairs I got… YAY !!!  Check out that photo above for the swag detail I am quilting into that right hand border… You can click any photo I have shared by simply clicking the picture to enlarge it 🙂

Here is some hand stitching I found particularly thrilling on Pinterest this week…

Linking all this hand stitching of binding, quilting, and embroidering to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<<<< Come see what everyone is linking up today!!!

There was a bit of a tragedy this week when we went to clean the hummingbird feeder that was made of a hard plastic… it melted!  It wasn’t that hot a water we cleaned it with we didn’t think but it was mis-shapen for sure!!!  So we bought a glass one at our local hardware store…

 The hummingbirds were hovering to drink from our last feeder… and this one they stand on the perches and rest and take long sips in the heat of the day!!!  We love this new feeder better 😀 

So sad time becomes a happy accident in our quarantine! lol

My middle child and youngest son is getting married next spring… I want to get him and his bride a book to start them off right with relationship information to build a strong foundation so I thought I would get them this book…

Do you have another you would recommend to go with this??

In my bird group on facebook I found this quite cute… 2 birds… male and female mates are eating out of this guys hand.. isn’t that amazing what wildlife will do?!  I love this 🙂 

And as I close this posting… I hope if you are walking around with your mask on .. and you see sad eyes in another… give them a smile.. it will radiate from your insides out your eyes to them!!!

Ellie says share a smile too!

Have a blessed week my friends and thanks for spending time with me!

Come on in and see all I have been up to this month! Happy June 2020 :)

Hope YOU are Having a Happy

Last Sunday I made lots of progress on Appalachian Delight on my frame…

 So this week … I marked and quilted the right border and working into the right side of the quilt into the first square top to finish ….

I didn’t quilt as much as I thought because…

I got a new chair for my quilting frame and loved it soooo much I ordered another and am sitting in it as I type to you 🙂  It is from Staples in the USA and is named Sonada… this is their brand of chair and very sturdy and a 7 year warranty !!

This week I did make a bit of progress on the red work piece I am stitching…

I love this rooster and there is one on this panel that faces the other way… 🙂

I had to use Cleo and a walking foot to add the binding to the front…

 I found a perfect piece of white fabric … to make a label on the back of this table runner…

 I used a Pentel Fabric Marking Pen in black to do the writing and set it with a hot iron no steam.

Then it was time to start working on sewing down the back side of the table runner with the binding…

 You can see I use a few wonder clips when I sew bind on a quilted item…

 Here is a closer look… between the picture above and the one below I hope you can see the cool quilting that Jannessa did for us to enjoy!!!

 Oh I hope I can get this finished and washed and in use before next weekend 🙂

I am linking this handy progress to 2 different places this week as it is HQAL time HERE….

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi,  Bella, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

Secondly I would like you to take a minute and visit Kathy’s Quilts for more fun Hand-y Ideas right HERE <<<<

This week has been a tough one in US History for sure 😪

I am happy to chat with you each privately about your thoughts on the topic… And because Mr. Floyd was originally born in North Carolina… we celebrated his life and reminded ourselves it could have been us too… with a half raised flag for the day Saturday during his Memorial in NC, USA …

 We did this because we believe Black Lives Matter… as do ALL LIVES <<<<  But this meme says it best… feel free to copy and paste it for your own use if you like!

But I hope to wish you all well this week.  Our Covid 19 numbers continue to rise here in the USA.. this is also a topic I won’t bring deep into my blog post today but can chat offline all you care about this…  

We did plant our Amaryllis that is starting to sprout in it’s container in the dark on Saturday… right here.. 

 So here to the left is the front of our home… and tothe right in the center of the picture you will see a sprite of green in the center… that is an amaryllis trying to sprout but it was root bound in it’s container so we are experimenting with this…. planting it in the ground where we can watch it 🙂

I now belong to a bird group on facebook… we have some bluebird families living in our bird houses but this is a great shot by someone in that group… caught as the blue bird parent is coming to feed the blue bird baby.  Sew sweet!

Here are some flowers from our yard to end this post…

I hope they bring a smile to your face 🙂

Stay healthy my friends ~

Happy End of May 2020 !

Welcome and come on in!  I have this cozy chair for you to enjoy as you read 🙂

It has been a busy week around here this week… and I have never been so glad to see a month pass… how about you all!!!  Tomorrow is June 2020!!!!  Wonder what it will be like??

Ellie got her frog…Penelope

 Earlier that expected via the USPS….

They said she rolled around the floor with Penelope and loved on her 💖  Makes this Grammy happy for sure!!!!

I had hoped to clean up my sewing room this week… but it remains looking like this…

Hopefully June will give me some energy for straightening and cleaning too ❤  As it went… I mainly spent time with 2 projects in my crafty time…

Appalachian Delight is moving right along…

 Once I finish this section on the right outer border…

 I will be ready to roll and finish the top of the bear in the cabin blocks on this row …

And I will have reached the center of the quilt too then ❤

I have also been focusing some crafty time on embroidering this red work project…

 Here I am with the coffee pot stitched over but trying to decide on the outer ring… should it be buttonhole stitched????

 Or chain stitched ???

 Chain stitching won out … and I added a heart of steam coming out of this coffee pot too !!!

 Next up is the rooster here…

 I found a red work instruction sheet online and printed it off… I like the book I showed last week best still for deciding on all the embroidery stitches…

 Here is a close up of my stem stitching on the roosters wing….

While I have been doing handwork… Connie my bestie has been too ❤

 Here are some of her squares with a different pattern of lace she is crocheting around them 💕

Linking all this hand done fun to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching gang HERE <<<< come see what everyone is doing with their very creative hands 🙂

Our neighbor checked the strawberry patch we had planted 3 years ago and found some fresh and yummy berries for us to eat…

 I put mine on warm cheese danish… and the berries were chilled then… yummmm y’all!

My honey’s new mower… getting washed…

In closing I hope you will choose to be as kind as possible…

 Our world needs it!

Lots of Hand Stitching this Week !

Memorial Day is a hard weekend for me for many reasons… 

 So when I found this Bonnie Hunter ism… I knew it needed to be my opening reminder… in case some of you have a tough time and need a lift out 🙂

Early last week I had all the pieces of the stuffy I was making for my sweet Ellie for her 1st birthday…

 This kind of pattern comes with LOTS of hand stitching in the beginning…..

 I was happy to have such a great strong machine though.. as this stuffy was thick and needed a heavy duty machine like Cleopatra my Singer 319w!!!

 I did also spend a bit of time on my red work…..

 And the second bear paw over is where I stopped last night on Appalachian Delight…

 In my search for a more comprehensive yet smaller sized book on embroidery….

 I unearthed this in my stash ….  And it is hard backed but has spiral binding inside…

 And it comes with such a fun way of chatting…

Linking all this hand stitching fun to Kathy and the crew at Kathy’s Quilts link up HERE <<<

 Lori Holt has come out with a new pattern…
 I love what she is using as a bed runner as a baseline idea for flowers for a spring table runner next spring!!!

Remember the meaning for those in the USA for Memorial Day… I time to remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice to maintain our freedoms we have come to expect in the USA.

So as I close… and let this weekend slide away into next week … stay well and safe <<<  People are still dying from Covid 19 here in the US as we begin to return to a new normal.  What does it look like where you live?  Do you see lots of masks on others when you go out.. do you wear a mask when you go out around others???

We have some masks seen in this part of North Carolina but not enough for me yet!

Have a blessed week and thanks for stopping in!

May is a Marvelous Month!

Happy Sunday!  Today – May 17, 2020 – marks 3 years now we have owned our Cassie (Nissan Rogue)… and later this week I will celebrate 9 years as a blogger here too!!!

So smile and grab a cuppa and see what all has been going on around here this week 💖

Last weekend after blogging and reflecting I quilted on Appalachian Delight… I will share that in just a bit 🙂

First I wanna share photos I got last Sunday from a couple of my kids…

Brandi – My Darling Daughter

Mike (my youngest son) with his fiance Kristen

I am soooo happy to have heard from these 2 precious people!!!

And I finished this version of a table runner that day… but I couldn’t leave it as such … while still in flimsy form..

 So I used my new seam ripper from Holli Jo and…

Removed the top piano key border and repinned each intersection and sewed it back on….

Ta dah!!!!  Now it is off to Jannessa’s to be quilted with her talent. 🙂  I will bind it in the dark red I used for the diamonds… all this was an old kit Jannessa was destashing… so I took … SCORE!!!

I managed to get the right outer border done after rolling the quilt last weekend…

 Here is another sashing picture…

 And a cool view I caught for all of us to enjoy…

 Time to Roll!!!!

 And progress is being made from the left side of the quilt to the right side now!!

 Left outer border and inner border are done… and a sashing is done too!

 And this is what waits for me today to work on….

I am linking this great progress on slow stitching this week to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching Linky Party HERE… come see what I am talking about if you haven’t visited Kathy before!!!!

I am also linking with my HQAL group that has some new members since my last posting with them 3 weeks ago…

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi,  Bella, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

One thing I enjoy doing while slow stitching all those stitches is listen to audio books and boy did I just finish a GREAT book that kept me on the edge of my seat… And it has a twist at the end… giving it a unexpected happy ending too ❤  I love that!

Look into a audio book service called Chirp… it is an app for your phone, pad, or tablet..  They run sales all the time on audio books so you can get great books for inexpensive then … and you OWN them!

I did buy a paperback book on embroidery stitches… to expand my use on the red work I am working on … while I was perusing my purchase my honey brought in some fresh roses from our yard and presented them to me with water and a sweet vase my bestie gifted me in the past…

Here is a pic I took of Julius … my handsome 301!

 Flanked by my magnetic pin dish… my newest addition a felt and wool pin cushion Jannessa made me… my snip scissors with fob I love… and that awesome sharp and easy to use seam ripper!!!!

Thanks to my super sweet friend Holli Jo… I got an infusion of fabric this week…

Yes there are a couple fabrics in here as shirts for my honey and some for my stash… some for upcoming projects and some I am turning into reusable cloth napkins for our new table runner 🙂

I spent most of the day yesterday figuring out how to cut out the fabric to make this rag animal…

 It is for my grand on her upcoming 1st birthday so I need figure this out 🙂  Have you ever made a rag animal like this?? I can’t find any help online for the process and patterns like this are much different from quilting patterns for sure!!!

During our separation from others we have….

Loved on Molly…

Took a fun selfie…

Planted flowers at the base of our flag pole…

 And repotted the daisy we bought… with 4 or  blooms showing…

 Look how pretty they look post planting…

 Above you can see that rock building… that is our local post office! 🙂  Between us and the post office is a river and a railroad tracks too!!!

Here is a photo of that Gerber Daisy showing 7 or 8 blooms now… I took this yesterday using portait mode on my camera and love the colors better I think! 🙂

How are you spending your days as we isolate more to let the virus die down??  I would love to hear… in the mean time try this in the mornings…

And remember… life is what you choose to make of it ❤  Make it GREAT! 

And I hope you enjoy the blog header and colors I went with for this coming blog writing year 🙂