Lots of Progress to share on this last Sunday of January 2020!

Lots to share today y’all!  Starting out … I spied this pic of my sweet grand daughter on Facebook on Friday as Elliana celebrated 8 months old!!!!

 And Saturday we woke up to SNOW!!!!!

 Yes it was also overcast most all day until afternoon… we live near the Nantahala National Forest.  Nantahala is Native American and means “land of the midday sun” well that is most usually true for us… the afternoons get sunny …. not always the morning times! lol

I worked on the curtains a bit this week for our bedroom.  I am using this fabric seen close up and sideways from how it hangs in the pics below for the cafe curtain…

 And here it is on the window…

 Here is a better view of it without competing with the bit of light coming in the window too…

 I also started early in the week on cutting out the black border fabric from the backing with some special scissors I borrowed from my friend Jannessa… I will be getting me my own pair now that I have used them though! lol

 So now the rooster still needs the eye put on before layering but will soon be in my PVC hoop to hand quilt!  I am planning to quilt it all by hand now that I have spent more time with him.  Any ideas for the rooster itself???  Color of thread or design is greatly appreciated!

 I found this vintage pattern online but can’t find a reasonably priced pattern to buy.  However the pic may work to decide how to make my raggedy Ann a new dress to match the deep blue of the pants her new mate Andy is wearing!

Here are my Raggedy Couple….

I am most proud of my hand quilting progress this week though… I am linking this progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitchers HERE <<<  Take time today to slow down and do something fun  you enjoy with no pressure!!!   

Monday I rolled the Appalachian Delight quilt after finishing the stitching on the outer border on Sunday evening…

 I quickly filled in the quilting to the right of the first block shown here…

 And focused on quilting in the ditch on the HST inner border and the sashing and cornerstones too…

 All this close quarters stitching is made possible with my awesome thimbles!!!  The metal one is a Clover brand one that is open and adjustable but stays sized as desired.  And the green one has a small bit of stretch to it to stretch onto my thumb… it is made by Dritz…

Both are available at Amazon if big box stores are not near you 🙂

I thought I would be marking this design in the wide sashing with chalk so I had purchased a new Allary brand Chalk Cartridge with chalk for under $10 at Amazon… instead my handy blue wash away markers showed up on the burgundy fabric!!!! YAY 😀

 Here is a close up of the bear in the cabin block I designed … a variation of the bear claw.  I am excited to roll the quilt later this week and start stitching on these blocks… I have so many ideas floating around about HOW to stitch on them to enhance the design best… I don’t know what will wind up happening… if you recall I had thought I would use a stencil but in the ditch surrounding each bear claw has won out… now to decide on inside the bear claw blocks!

 You can see better in this photo… I am halfway across the quilt already… so if I have a low key week otherwise… I should be rolling mid week or so…

In Kathy’s post she shows how she binds her minky backed quilts… I love  her technique… I will be binding a minky backed quilt for Jannessa later this week or next week… I am excited to work on this for her and to experience minky as I have shied away from using it!  It may be fun though!!!!

I had a check up with my doctors this week and got good reports from both of them!  Yippee !!!

February I will be starting an official bullet journal for sewing and quilting and other creative adventures I have thoughts of in 2020… I am loving these sheets I am making…

But want to take it further.  So we will see!

My thought this week is to be real… be genuine … BE YOURSELF … others may be more willing to be themselves around you too!

So until next week when February will finally be here and the long month of January will be behind us… take care !!!

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Feeling Good as we Settle into 2020!

 I hope you are enjoying 2020 so far… if not for strange weather all over the world… then for the little things…

 Molly got a new toy for Christmas belatedly and has adopted it as her favorite.. it was a gift from Jannessa poodle Max who is also Molly boyfriend! >>> whoo <<<

 Molly loves snuggling a quilt too… this is one I hand quilted last year and it is a throw I thought I would use to cover my feet but I haven’t adopted it as much as Molly has! lol

I am doing well keeping up with my 2 week calendar of craftiness.  This is week 3 here since I started this… I am enjoying it and going to morph this into a bullet journal around Valentines.

 If you weren’t here last week… I started a new quilt in the frame that I had pieced this past spring/summer time…

Appalachian Delight is a spin on a bear paw block… since we live near where bear roam! lol

Early in the week I made it from the middle of this quilt to the end area…

 Here is a closer up of this end …

 On the right lower corner I chain stitched my initials and the year on the quilt… I enjoy doing this.. I will also add a label but this secures the maker of this one! 🙂

 So I went from right bottom to left bottom… so now I am pondering how the left bottom corner looks…

 Here is it finished and with navy thread 1/4″ away from the inner border of half square triangles.

the blue markings are water soluble and spritz away easily with a water bottle… I get my blue pens from Amazon and they come in a pack of 10 and look like this 

made by Leonis….

 Here is a look at my frame from further back… I hope to finish this pass this week 🙂

Linking this hand quilting update to my HQAL below…
Do go visit the rest of our group! There are some extremely talented people in this group, and the variety is wonderful! There’s hand quilting, embellishment, hand piecing and applique!

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

And to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching where lots of folks come and show off a whole host of hand done projects.. come see right HERE and think about linking something up yourself ❤

I saw this unique hand quilting done in perle cotton threads in a facebook group I am in .. does this inspire you to want to think outside the box more in your quilting journey??? It sure does me!!!

 We have this unique case and Singer Sewhandy from the late 1940’s for sale at the moment…

I got the last piece of furniture that my sewing room will need…

 Here is a wide view of the room….

I love this room… it sparks my creativity A LOT!!!  Does your creative space in your home spark your creativity??

Speaking of creativity….

 My honey’s fish vendor cart found a home in the living room…. We love it’s new home 🙂  Thanks for all the feedback last week on that too ❤

I finally got around to making the top valance with swags for our bedroom…

 but it needs some shortening….

 I pulled out my border book and pondered this bead chain pattern for a interested table runner for the early part of the year for our kitchen bar….  I (of course) have to make it difficult for myself by choosing a different size than Donna showed in THIS video on  youtube about this technique… in case you wanna check out the vid.

So now I will bid you farewell and hope your days are enjoyed mostly…

 Have a blessed week ahead 🙂

Welcoming 2020 and Filling up the Empty Quilt Frame!

Finally got to see my bestie on January 1, 2020!!!!

But before I get into that… let’s back up to Sunday the 29th….

I spent all day Sunday Slow stitching and early Monday morning finished it all up!!!

Leaving my frame empty!

 I made Connie and her daughters and grands these cute little mug rugs too!  She liked them 😀

 I used Messenger photo app to take this cute photo on New Years Eve….

And snapped one last photo of our Christmas tree from this year…

and fell asleep long before midnight… excited for the trip the next day!!!

I think we are both equally excited!!!

 My honey got the “fish vendor cart” we had bid on in a silent auction in the town where Connie lives… but the auction wasn’t over until the Friday after we left last fall… so she has been taking good care of this cute item my honey and I were totally enamored with 🙂

Above are photos of it in our kitchen with and without the canopy… which do you like???

Below is a close up of it with a puzzle we use as framed art behind it 🙂  It has rubber tires and a real chain and moving the pedals moves the wheels.. very unique and exquisite we think!!!

Now back from the trip it was time to make the BIG DECISION!!!!

Do I try to load a quilt I have started from the center (for followers this is the Garden Bouquet Wholecloth Quilt) that could well take 6 months to finish or do I load a quilt I finished this past summer that has been waiting in line with everything in the house I needed to load said quilt…

 The above quilt I donned the name Appalachian Delight quilt… using blocks called Bear in the Cabin that I did a tutorial on last year if you are interested in those bear claw variation blocks…

 Above is a close up of the stencils I plan to use throughout this quilt… and below is a wide shot showing how wide the outer border is and those beautiful mitered corners too!

 This is the pattern that goes on that wide boder… fits perfect and that was NOT planned 🙂

 The backing is shown here and is wideback I purchased from an online company that went with the vibe of the front…

 Here is my first corner to finish up close…

 And here is all I have gotten stitched as I have enjoyed getting into a routine with this one…

 My initials and the date are done in navy perle cotton in chain stitching… the rest is in burgundy hand quilting on the taupe and white fabric.

Linking this exciting chain of slow stitching events to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<<
She is not feeling great today so come give her a visit and leave a healing comment for her!  No fun being sick.  She is also sharing some cool stories on her post plus there are other linkers sharing their stories too!!!

Then yesterday as I stitched… IT SNOWED here!!!!

 We got a couple inches … covering all that grass in the end… and a mud slide occurred too on the road not far from our home… salt trucks were out last night and this morning the grass was visible through the snow so no issues should be found… just joy with the snow!!!

I started sewing on some curtains for our bedroom and my good bloggy friend Jill has lent her help to aid me  along the way!  The excitement of a new quilt on the frame leaves me not much to show but that they are ready to sew together 😀 lol!

 I have been using my 2 week organizer almost every day since I started and am really loving the accountability of it… are you organizing your days for 2020???

 Check out my new blog header and closing … and have a blessed 2020!

The Lazy Daisy and Sewing Adventures too !

While Spring on the calendar started a while ago… it is just now springing up here in the mountains of North Carolina! 

So Happy Spring Y’all!

Here is a view of our pond and the back of our home on a panoramic shot…

The building on the far left is our pump house… then those big trees across the pond are Bradford Pears that have bloomed and now turned green 😀 … the grist mill or water wheel with house is next then my honey has his “mancave”… a 500 sq ft building for all his woodworking and home reno stuff to be stored… plus stuff for the garden and plantings all over this property… finally is a greenhouse and outdoor storage from the mancave.. and the Valley River is viewed on the far right… it is a busy stream that never dries up… we are thinking that is the difference between a creek and river! lol

In our pond (about 1/4 acre large) we have rainbow trout, bass and crappie in there… we realized this week when feeding the fish… there is a nursery where the active grown fish don’t go and it is overseen by a grandma fish who is quite large (over 2 feet long!!!)  The fish we feed are from 1 foot to 20″ long themselves… and they all look quite healthy.. we have yet to find one floating!!!  But it is all a learning experience…

Above is a video of feeding time on the hascienda!  Enjoy 🙂

Onto sewing adventures… first are the curtains I made for the bedroom…

 they are 2 layered and have raw edged covered with binding….

I copied them from the curtains left in the sun room portion of our living room…

But using fabrics from my stash that would coordinate with quilts we have and that I will be making… my goal is to have a quilt to change to for each season 😀  We shall see how long that takes!!! lol

Now that you have seen the sunroom curtains… look at the new leaders I have for my quilt frame…

They are olive green and off white stripes running the length of the poles… I have directions on how much to cut them for proper use… I had a wider fabric than typical quilting cotton so I got to adjust these a bit which I like… makes it easier to load and unload when done!

Someone had asked about my quilt frame on Facebook… it is a Hinterberg wood frame with 3 metal poles.. a 3 pole frame is the easiest and most user friendly to use for hand quilting.  The front pole holds backing  layer of your quilt sandwich… then the top and batting layers get attached to the 3rd pole and pulled taute once the bottom of these 2 layers is attached with heavy straight pins to the backing… This picture may make more sense than my explanation

So if have a 3 pole frame of any brand… try this way of loading … I get great tension with no issues 😀  And there is no pin basting with this hand quilting frame… BUT I have used this frame to load a quilt for machine quilting too to pin baste for that… it is so much nicer than crawling on the floor… small quilts can be taped to a countertop to pin baste… but large quilts twin or bigger… you need a way to baste or a frame like this to not need to pin baste.

Now to my sewing room reno… I have a few craft boxes to unload still but all the sewing room boxes are unloaded and my room is full of fun!!!!  Here is a peek in the door just off the living room now…

 And here is a panoramic view showing 3 sides of my sewing room…

My cutting table is waiting for a large cutting mat… my cutting mats are all gouged up… I had replaced my Olfa cutting mats with Fiskars only to realize the quality was NOT the same… so I have an Olfa 24 x 36 on order now to fit my cutting table and get it in order…

Above the cutting table is my ruler holder my honey made me several years ago from plywood… it works sooo good!  Next to the right is the closet I will show you in depth below in pictures… it holds all my fabric and notions and batting and stores my scraps and books… LOVE THIS CLOSET!!!

next is the window with a great view of the river and my honey’s man cave… with pics of all my friends with friendships to span a lifetime! 🙂  To the right of the window is a chest I want replaced in the near future that holds my hand quilting marking pens/pencils/chalks… and threads specific to hand quilting as well… plus a few patterns and some glue baste I may use in the never future! lol.

Around from that is Zena my Singer 401a and the Quilt frame my honey made… it has a vintage chair for it now where in the old place it had a stool I couldn’t stand so we left it behind for someone else to enjoy… then my one and only Ott light that I simply move to my sewing spot of the moment… right now I am working on Gloria my Singer 301a… making apple core table topper!!!

Now don’t miss my “k” thread and bobbin holder and the organizer shelf below it… to the right will be my design wall… more on that when we make it but Zena has the flannel for it on her cabinet!!! lol

Above is my closet in snipet shots for you to enjoy… the top right is the next big quilt to go in the frame… for our bed!  My sewing room sign that hangs over the door to this room… and sooo much other fun stuff… we spent under $200 on all the wood and screws for this closet reno … and boy was it worth it.. ALL my stuff is in one room now!!!  Except my hand quilting frames of course! 😀

And now to my darling new project… a string of apple cores !!!

These are about 4″ finished size…

 These are waiting to be joined up… I do a few at a time as it is fun but a bit tedious too!

 I am using THIS tutorial for machine piecing my apple cores… she is a bit hard to listen to BUT WORTH THE LISTEN!!!  If you are interested in trying this project grab a charm pack or some 5″ blocks and a template and lay it out first 😀

Have you seen a corkscrew willow?  Or have you seen a conehead evergreen like the one to the right???  I love this home!!! ❤

 And of course my honey is enjoying the first mow on his completely renovated John Deere… had a deck painting, new blades, spindles, oil, spark plugs, air filter, seat, and leveled… it is now mowing so nice and making a sweet fresh cut grass smell in our home 😀

Now that it is raining he is focusing on painting…

the bottom half of the wall was a pastel green that belongs in a baby room or something… that was the color of our walls all over.. now we have a nice linen color covering them.  A little yellow a little peach and a very light color called Malted Milk and totally elegant with the white chair rail… here is a photo of the wall with the white touched up and all the wall painted and cut in 😀

Well I think this is quite long enough for now… if you would like pointers on making a apple core by machine just ask and I will post more on this next week when HOPEFULLY I will have a finish to share with you all as well!

Have a happy Sunday all and remember….