Wow! What a Busy Week to Share!

 Happy Sunday , August 23rd y’all!  Such a busy week here… how about y’all ?

This “Bonnie Hunter-ism” philosophy really spoke to me this week… and because of it I got LOTS accomplished too ❤

I will share quilting in just a bit… but first I wanted to try a different kind of mask design… a 3D mask using THIS VIDEO and designing a pattern for my honey…

I made this while he was still sleeping… it came together really quick though!           

So I pulled some quilt related fabric and made myself a mask I liked his big one so well and made mine smaller….

I used 3 twist ties for the nose bridge area.. and I just got in some soft round black cotton elastic this week so I was READY!  Once cut and sewed… I turned and sewed in the nose metal… 

Then following that youtube video I linked above… I played fabric origami and sewed everything in place for MY MASK!!!

See how 3D it sits when not in use!  I love how it stays away from touching my face too 🙂

This method of mask making is much more fun and it is FAST too ❤

***And if you prefer the official template you can order from that YouTube video I shared above***

Throughout the week I continued to focus each day on some quilting… I am looking forward to next month when I can hopefully get in for a eye doctor appointment… because I found out my insurance covers a large part of new glasses like these

for about $100 to include the lenses with beefed up UV and blue light protection for my eyes too!!!!  This is an online glasses shop where I use my current good fitting frame to find another frame using the numbers inside the legs on my current frame 🙂

Nails got a clean slate and some extra conditioning to my cuticles too with Mineral Fusion … then prepped with alcohol wipes for a nice dry surface to put the new nail polish strips on … 

Here are the nail strips and the packaging… with all that comes with them for around $15 from Color Street…

That $ spent … gave me this mani and enough for a future mani or pedi too!!!  What a great deal 🙂

I wasn’t due to change my nail color (Seattle Royale had only been on for a week) but it looked rough and I needed the pick me up… Jannessa had just done hers too with some investigation involved in her new set…

She played with the question of “What would she like Color Streets Clear As Day top coat strips or liquid top coat on the new nail strips… She is trying them out this week to see which way wears best 🙂

Then this weekend Connie put on a set of Oslo and Steady nail strips… 

Doesn’t she have awesome nails!!!! Wanna try a FREE SAMPLE mailed to your home of these nail strips???  I can make this happen if you leave me a message you are interested … we can message each other to get and give info for you to get a few to compare to traditional polish wearing 🙂   <<<

Now I need YOUR HELP!  

Anyone know about printing???  Pondering Save The Date cards similar to these found on Etsy for my daughter … not buying them yet but pondering if I should print them myself with my Photosmart HP Printer that does great photos or saving my ink and having them professionally done with a color laser printer…

If you use Blogger and are experiencing problems… PLEASE TAKE TIME TO 

SEND FEEDBACK <<<<<

From inside your own blogger account *if you use blogger that is* you will notice a ? with a circle around it .. when  you click on it you get the option to leave feedback… they can’t hear us belly ache over the issues new blogger formatting has if we don’t tell them!!!

For instance I am still having MAJOR issues with photo uploading.. so I am doing this in batches depending on time and topic this week… going a bit easier but slow for sure!!! So tell those that can help is my advice.

In July when my daughter came to visit we started making a wallet for her fiance’s cousin…  He loves anything to do with aliens so Brandi drew out the alien head and I appliqued it on the wallet front.

Here is a better view…

Well y’all he finally got the package yesterday and LOVED IT!!!!  Yippee

So yesterday I decided Brandi needed a holder for her sewing machine manual, bobbins, and attachments… I found this pattern HERE by Sew Can She… this link includes a Youtube video link too 🙂

This outside fabric Brandi had fallen in love with while she was here and it fit perfectly for this make!

And see how nice it holds all her stuff… it can go in that case that holds her Singer 401a vintage 1956 sewing machine too 😀

Digging around SewCanShe’s website I found this cool BOM for about $8/month for 12 months…

I will ponder it a while longer until I get paid next month at least.. but we will see 🙂  

What do you think???  THIS finishes at about 60″ square the pattern says 💟

Finally here is my stitching progress this week on the Wedding Wall Hanging ….

Moving down a bit now…

And a right handed shot too … moving even lower on the heart center…

I should be done with the heart next week… so hopefully my daily slow stitching will show more NEXT WEEKEND 🙂  My goal was to be done with the heart by the end of the LOOOONG month of August leaves… we shall see!

Sharing my “heart-y” progress with Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<< Go check out what every slow stitcher is stitching… Kathy is trying something new with some knitting of dishcloths this week even 😀  

Here is my new Facebook profile picture…

And here is the meme that helped me kick it up a notch this week to get so many different things completed this week…

I will be making an appointment for a shape up trim… so this made me laugh!  Do you have Covid induced lack of hair trimming … or are you in shape???  I am curious !!!

I am so excited you decided to stop by my blog… Now leave me a note so I know you were here! 🙂

Blessings to you and yours and have a blessed Sunday too 💖

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Hand Quilting Has Started Again and There is some Exciting NEWS!!!

The air is starting to feel a bit autumn-ish with a cool undercurrent noticed from time to time here in the mountains of North Carolina!

While you are staying at home if you know these 2 things and how they work together … what phone are you using to call all your friends???!!!

Me and My friends use mainly Verizon Wireless for our phone service 🙂

  But finding a facebook friend shared this Ad … I had to pass it along to you all!  I grew up using Bell South phones… who woulda thought we really would have video chatting in 2020 to get us all by!Me and my besties got new shirts.

Connie got one too but she has been working so much you just get to see me and Jannessa in ours!!!  We all love these new shirts I picked up for us from MSQC 🙂

While I am sharing Jannessa above… I wanted you to take notice of her new grandchild Grayson in her arms… he had a stricture in his small bowel that typically doesn’t show itself enough for fixing til babies are about 1 month… well he is and he is having that stricture removed and is currently recovering in the hospital being watched as he eats and digests the food!  Keep him in your thoughts.. his parents are worn out and so is his Nana Jannessa!

Being her first set of nail polish strips.. she didn’t like how 1 was put on … so the following week she sparkled it up a bit!

Jannessa did make time to put on a French Manicure from Color Street Y’all!

I love that sparkly nail mixed with the french manicure too ❤  And she shared some extra Color Street she had with her oldest grandgirl Addison! She is 10 and has such sweet hands ❤ All these hands were bathed in good quality products too!  This Mineral Fusion brand from Amazon! At the beginning of the week I really found this quote spoke to me and motivated me to focus on stitching… As I finished stitching “Kristen”s name… I remembered a video I had on different embroidery types on Bluprint … *now changing back to Craftsy* Jessica Marquez is a great teacher… See how she did back stitches along the top and bottom line she wants to make a satin stitch around.      So left is my progress finished with names and starting on the year they are to marry… and the left is even closer up 🙂  Very pleased with this … And once all the embroidery was complete I remembered I had this stuff…and a soft toothbrush to scrub off any showing pencil markings!  IT WORKS!!!!  Look for it HERE Now it was time to sew that last seam together I had left it apart for the embroidery 🙂 This is my 301 Julius… He is amazing at closing up this seam! I gave the quilt top (flimsy) a good press and then checked out How Far apart do I need to plan my quilting for this batting??? 8″ apart is GREAT!  I won’t hand quilt that far apart but good to know it is a sturdy batting! I am blessed to have several hand quilting friends who are wiser than me…  1st advice… treat the stripes on this quilt top like it is one piece of fabric… 2nd advice… treat the faceted heart like a faceted diamond with V shapes all around showing it’s brilliance 🙂  I loved this idea!!!!  And here is a close up of how that looks>>> I have a eye shadow applicator & I fill a bottle lid up with water and dip that spongy end in it to remove marks when I am marking with my blue water soluble marking pen 🙂  Works GREAT!

Finally … I have the quilt top all layered up now… it measures about 40″ x 60″ wide.. remember this a wedding surprise for my son and his bride to be… so no showing the flimsy in full here but you will get snippets as I work on it ❤

And in this shot you can see my focus today.. I will probably still be working on the faceted heart part of this quilt… but you never know!  It was sure nice to get thimbles back on my fingers!!!!  

Linking this progress of getting back to slow stitching my favorite way to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching >>>> HERE 

and with the gals too at HQAL

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

And the BIG EXCITING NEWS!!!!!!!!!!

My Darling Daughter Brandi… that just visited me … got ENGAGED!!!  Timmy totally surprised her and ME!  He also had a family member video tape the event for those of us not in KY at the moment!

That is what their ride in life is like… you have read about me and my friend’s ride… how about you?  

Share in the comments what your ride is like now… after all the changes we are all experiencing!!!

Have a blessed day Y’all!  Thanks for visiting and have a safe ride!  

P. S.  It took 2 hours to write this post due to new blogger interface… I hope this gets easier!

Enjoying a family visit & Welcoming August 2020!

The month of birthday’s in our home has passed now that it is August!  

But let’s take a look at the grand final birthday of this past month!

Here is a quick shot a took of our guest room … prepped for my daughter and her beau Timmy…

Upon their masked arrival we checked temperatures and they had quarantined as a baseline but were more rigid with it the last 2 weeks… following the lead of Bonnie Hunter and others that are trying to keep close quarters during a pandemic we tried to stay out of each other’s air space and keep socially distancing… but we were close from time to time…

Happy Birthday Brandi!!!  I caught this photo as she enjoyed a cup of coffee with her beau.

I have Singer 401a waiting to gift to her … but we just didn’t get to sewing this visit… She enjoyed seeing her 401a when we pulled it out of the carrying case it fits in donated by Jannessa (sorry no photo this week of that)… but I do have a photo of the birthday present made by Connie!!! 

She made a pin cushion duo… the larger one has a peanut butter lid for the base… while the smaller bee pincushion has a milk jug cap for a lid she said… they are both adorable… Brandi is using the small one to park her cross stitch needle in as she is an avid cross stitcher…

But the biggest friendship formed was probably Molly with Brandi!!!!

Molly cried if Brandi left to go anywhere without her even the restroom!!! lol  She became very attached during the 6 days they were here!  She even slept with them and she usually sleeps in her kennel!

Brandi also wanted a manicure while here. Here was the beginning…

 I have been sharing about the Color Street nail polish strips and had her some here to put on Brandi… but when she saw the colors of the actual nails in person she thought they were not the same as she imagined them to be so I ordered a different brand of glow in the dark skull nails… Here is how they came… in the mail via a stamp… glad they got here in time!

And once on… and when applying them… the difference WAS REAL Y’all!!!!

These nails said they were also 100% nail polish but there was no nail polish aroma to evidence this by.  I found them to be very difficult to apply requiring precise cutting to get them to break at the tips of the nails… this was NOT Color Street made for sure!!!

This photo was taken right before she left and you can see that they are chipping and flaking due to brittleness I have never experienced brittleness with quality nail polishes before … hmm… not straying again!

Once I had that experience with the other brand of nails… I soaked off the old polish and it was time for some new polish strips … this time Color Street was already determined…

And this set took about 20 minutes to put on completely and then I was called to the kitchen to help finish dinner… Now that is one thing about having a house full… lots of cooking and cleaning is going on! lol

I helped with dinner and cleaned up the dirty dishes in the sink… finally falling into bed about 9 pm.  The next morning I woke and stitched making the only progress in hand stitching this week that I did make! And snapped THIS shot…

Linking this minute progress with my fellow hand stitchers of all kinds over at Kathy’s Slow Stitching Sunday HERE <<<

And here is my other hand posted on the given nail file by Color Street…

This color is an iridescent lavender that has lots of color and sparkle to it… 

It is called “Glamsterdam” and I put it on on 7/29/2020 🙂

I really enjoy the sparkly fingertips but they have solids like my bestie Connie is wearing here…

The blue polish is traditional polish and the pink is Color Street 100% polish nail strips…

Connie really enjoyed the process of applying the Color Street like I do … as well as how nice it was that when they are on you are done fussing with them.  Unlike regular polish when you have to let it dry!  I have the most awesome Color Street Stylist… her card is in my hand above… but if you want a link to click to find Holli Jo’s facebook page you can go HERE… or to look at what they have in stock at the US factory in New Jersey you can look HERE.  These are made in the USA and because of the Covid stuff they are releasing their inventory to stylists like Holli Jo more than making available to the public… Holli Jo has a party each Friday and Saturday nights via Facebook live where she sells her available inventory 🙂  She is a fast shipper too!!!  Check it out 😀

Thursday Brandi got her hair cut and colored… 

Molly just can’t get enough of her though… she was gone 3 hours! lol

Then finally it was time to pack up for them to leave and see ya later snap shots were taken…

Besides the photos and memories… the kids took home a cool rock they found in our river bed… they helped restore a nice flow of water to our pond while they were here!!! 

Then as they made their way home through Gatlinburg to see the sites they picked up a license plate for their truck!

Meanwhile… once Molly realized they were gone she fell sound asleep on the chair cushions! lol

I certainly hope this less than quilty post hasn’t bored you … it was an exciting week for sure!  Especially in light of the Covid 19 pandemic… but we think we got by without infection and now we will hunker back down and be safe… Hope you will be too!

How about some FACE time during the continuing Pandemic!

Little Ellie’s sweet mama (my daughter in law ~ Heather) sent me photos this weekend y’all!  I am tickled pink!!!

 And Ellie appears to be too…

I had a good hair day this week and snapped a shot… now I am wondering if it isn’t the color of the shirt that pinked me up instead… maybe BOTH! lol
The new shirt will get a better reveal in a future episode when it will be apparent why I am not showing it yet… it is quilty!

My friend Jannessa had a new grandson named Greyson born not too long ago… he is a little football player already we think! lol

Even Molly got a photo taken after succumbing to a much needed bath and brush out this week!

This weekend we are also expecting our first visitors since the pandemic started…
 It is my daughter Brandi’s 22nd birthday today and she and I will be celebrating all day… this post is being written Saturday afternoon… too excited to nap so I am writing to you all 😀
Her boyfriend Timmy is bringing her and they will stay for a few days!!!

And they did arrive last night and we are gonna be fine ❤

I did sew 4 masks this week for a good friend who requested them….

 But mainly we have been cleaning house and mowing grass… all the chores are getting outta the way… I have been slow stitching some…

 Split stitch with 12 wt perle cotton in Marine.  I also got in the color for the year of the wedding…

 and my daughter found the back of my work to be neat and tidy so I thought I would share… I have some WOVEN fusible interfacing on the white fabric I pressed into place before stitching…

… the interfacing is white too…. the batting I purchased for this project is white and not cream as well!  It does matter on this kind of thing I think 🙂

and this is where I am at now…

Linking this progress this week at Kathy’s Slow Stitching Sunday linky HERE <<<  

I am sure no one there is stitching slower than me!  But let’s see what happens THIS WEEK!! lol

Also Kathy is asking for YOUR feedback on a couple vintage quilt tops this week… I don’t have any 2 cents to help with this but if this is your area… please go take a look at her post above at the link 😀

I am loving wearing Color Street nail polish strips… I have never enjoyed polishes but always felt pretty when I did do my nails… my nails are healthy, strong, and growing!!! Not chipping or flaking like usual… I will continue to share this journey…

Wish us well as we try socially distancing in our home during a family visit… please stay safe yourselves everyone…

Slow Stitching Sunday Reflections …

Welcome Y’all!  

Molly and I are greeting you from our front yard today!

 I am grinning so big because I splurged and got myself a good pair of sandals for the summer…

 They are from a company called OrthoFeet!  You can find them online just googling that name if you are in the market for some orthopedic shoes in a wide selection!!!!  I can tell a BIG difference in my fatigue levels… from when I wear any other shoes I own!  YAY 😀

I finished up the last name on the wall hanging panel this week that I was working on …

 and pondered the steely grey perle cotton in the photo below…

 But it just clashed with the navy I used on the last name… so I am using a different stitch ~the split stitch ~ on the first names like this in the same 12 perle cotton navy color I used on the last name …

Linking this slow stitching progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE  <<<< Kathy shares her own embroidery and many link during the day to share their slow stitching of varied types.

Also… I am linking with my friends in the HQAL group too!

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

My daughter and her boyfriend are planning a visit this coming week…
Here is my dd (darling daughter) Brandi and some of her cross stitching too!

The above cross stitch is complete and we will frame it while she is here visiting… while the wolves on black cloth are in progress… she works on it most every day and LOVES IT ❤

 I reworked the guest room quilt that Connie and I are working on this fall…

 And my honey graced me with a vase full of flowers… vase was a gift from Jannessa!!!

 I reworked the “message board” I was gifted last week in prep for my honey’s birthday!!!!

The message board and the letters to go on it came from Amazon with a gift note from the sender 🙂

I ❤ Love It!!!

And here is our fave pic of my honey taken earlier this year on a snowy day outside…

I am so excited to celebrate the day he entered this world… as he is definitely a keeper & he keeps me laughing each and every day!  It is good to be loved so much by another human 💕

While my nails still looked ok… I was anxious to change colors and try a new one… and I got these in this week from Holli Jo… so I had lots of options!!!!

 I finally decided on the Seattle Royale I had purchased 😀  And easily removed the “At the Plaza” you see on my here…

 So this gave me 3 checks on my frequent buyer card …

And in just a few minutes of quiet time and I am done!  You can see my right hand finished on the photo of my hand embroidery above! 🙂

Now I am pondering a new tattoo… I only have a permanent ink and it is on my right foot… it rarely gets seen as I wear these great new shoes I shared that cover it up.. that is ok.. but I am thinking inner wrist for this tattoo… hmmm… what do you think?  

Are you a tattoo wearer or lover?

I really like the needle and thread detail in THIS one below… but want a different design like above with the infinity or heart detail with the thread as below… hmmm  THOUGHTS PLEASE!

 And a meme I caught on facebook this week… WEAR A MASK WHEN IN PUBLIC or around other people… also Socially Distance when possible too… especially to those unmasked souls!!!

Listen to the scientists and doctors y’all!  This can be stopped for all of us in the world and the USA specifically where this virus is gaining ground instead of losing ground!!!  Masks stop the spread they say and have proven as in the above meme.  We wear seat belts in cars to be safe… why not a mask in public??!!

Thanks for stopping in and if you decide you would like to be invited to Holli Jo’s Color Street nail strips Facebook group let me know!  Happy to invite you to it 🙂  You can see without purchase … what others think too 💖 

While we are celebrating birthdays and welcoming our first visitors into our home since the pandemic started keep us in your thoughts and prayers.. makes me nervous even though we are being careful!

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 🙂

Lots of Handee Work but NO Quilting Here

Welcome Y’all! 

As we isolate in our home place Daisy Meadows this week… I welcome you from North Carolina USA 🙂  I hope my blog post will bring you diversion to what is happening in our world as we learn to live apart.  We are over our sinus infections I am happy to report and we have had a busy week!
I made masks for me and my honey and Jannessa and her hubby.  My bestie Connie kicked off the fun by making 24 for her and her coworkers to use over their masks at work to prolong their life.
Did you know I was a RN in a previous life?  I worked with critically ill kids mainly … cardiac was my joy and teaching was fun too ❤  Now I am a stitcher…

but Hand Quilting is not setting well with me this week so I did other HANDee projects…. and I have found a bit of whimsical fun finishing on the internet too… Facebook specifically 😀

To the left is a sweet lady that finished quilts for twins due in April!  Aren’t they cute!!!!

And check out this border quilting Y’all!!!!  >>>> INSPIRING for sure!!!!

So I decided it was time to cut into the layer cakes and start making some flying geese bodies for the Shelbyville ~ Lancaster Quilt …

There is a LOT of cutting in making over 288 flying geese bodies y’all!!!!

So here is the corner of my sewing room I am hanging out in…

 I have the window open to hear the river running down the side of our yard… and to hear mother nature in the form of birds and squirrels and such… I have music playing on my little Bose speaker from my cell phone app for Pandora… and I am waiting for a friend to go live on facebook so I can have some conversation virtually… have you tried this yet???

Here is a look at my flying geese bodies and pairs and pairs of wings too… waiting to be stitched all together…

 Above you will also see the masks I made for Jannessa and her husband!  Whenever I can get these to her 🙂

Below I am marking lines on the back of squares for snowball blocks for this same quilt… oh my!  Sew much cutting is happening here!!!

 I made a bag for the washer and dryer for our cpap straps.  Both my honey and I use CPAP machines when we sleep for apnea… those straps need a good wash every so often so I made a mesh bag thanks to a stash of mesh from my friend Jannessa 😀

 I am on the last block that I have prepped on the button hole stitching… this is another HANDY project…

Linking all this Hand-ee-ness to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE…. no fast sewing happening here!  Comfort is her word of the day!!!

And I kept up with my bullet journal this week!  YAY 🙂

 Now to draw out this weeks grid!!! lol

Look at this 1870 Grant Brothers Sewing Machine we sold this week!  I will miss it …

 Here is a sweet pic of my dd… darling daughter… she sent me… I miss her!  She has her life in Kentucky these days though!

A life without a work day is hard to become used to… you must create routines for yourself and hold yourself accountable.  Bullet journaling helps me focus my creative time but you can use it for anything!!! 

I hope to finish all the cutting for the Shelbyville-Lancaster Quilt top… Jannessa and I are to chat about when we will start our briefcase building this week so I will know better then as we are doing it virtually on FaceTime I think!  I want to quilt and prep for crochet all 40 fusion quilt blocks and spend time with my honey and our pooch enjoying life… 

What are your goals for this upcoming week?  Please share! Did you know Bluprint is running a free 2 week trial until April 9??  Go to Bluprint dot com and check out the free classes and see if it is your cup of tea this week 😀

Have a blessed week and thanks for visiting with me 🙂  I pray you feel uplifted from your visit!

Swooning Downhill Now and Sew Much More!!!

Happy Sunday to you and thanks for visiting my blog today!

I am swooning with progress on the Swoon Quilt in my frame… so I would like to start this post by linking to Kathy’s Quilts where she is welcoming anyone in the Ontario, Canada region to come share her first annual play day with her and other “hand-ee” friends 😀  Follow THIS link to find out how you can participate !!!

Slow Stitching this week started out with sewing binding which I will share in just a bit.. it also included getting over the 50% completed part of the quilt in my frame…

 Here is a close up  of the border just past the medallion I finished above…

 And here you can see both areas better… I can’t quite reach the top of the medallion piece so I save that last bit for the next pass over the quilt…

 Like this… once rolled down! …

This is such a fun quilt to quilt… and because it was pieced by Connie … aka my bestie… I am honored to do this … I work on it some most every day too!

I had more hand work in my week this week though…

 It started when I gathered all the supplies to get this quilt layered together… I had to piece some batting scraps together but it worked!!!!

And soon I machine quilted the center… thinking I would do the outer border by hand…

 But before I knew what I had done I had pulled out the decorative stitching cams on my Singer vintage 319w and added them to the border… did a victory lap of basting stitches around the outer edge… then added the binding that Jannessa had donated along with the fabric for the outer border 😀

 The backing is a autumn scene I pieced at the center where it wouldn’t be too noticeable… and look at that rich binding fabric.. looks great no matter which side is up!!!!

 Almost sewn on.. I spend early Monday morning using my new iPhone caddy to hold my phone at the perfect angle while watching and stitching.. put on my  headphones so as not to wake the house and had a cup of coffee to enjoy as I finished the stitching of the binding in short bursts of activity!

 Finally I finished… I was astonished that it took me most of the day to finish the binding.. but quick and into the washer it went!!!

 And before long it had been washed twice and dried well and was ready to adorn our bar in the kitchen!  This serves as a double place mat of sorts for us and decor to brighten up the room too for each season 😀 

Linking this to Julie’s WIP & UFO Challenge the end of October  HERE 🙂  Go check out what other finishes people are linking or link one up yourself 😀

 Here is a direct on view too…

The final and perfect size is 18″ wide by 60″ long 🙂  I will aim for this size for future table runners… this pattern was offered free last fall by Jordan Fabrics… they have a youtube video I linked to in last Sunday’s post too 🙂

So this Sunday I want to encourage you to watch THIS VIDEO if this photo interests you at all…

Jannessa and I are planning to make a boy and girl themed turkey couple using the larger turkey’s as our model…

Then surround it with this fun and intricate design I have in a stencil… I have been dying to use it and this will be 32 x 46 or so … perfect to hang in our homes this fall… I will share more on this project next Sunday too!

In a couple of weeks we are planning to take a trip to Tennessee and see our kids and help out Connie realize her she shed dreams… in planning for that I decided we needed bags to keep our medications organized while away from our normal routines.

Here is the one I made for Rick from some gorgeous fabric Jannessa let me us of her stash…

 Then … with Cleopatra completely installed in the cabinet now by my honey with the hinges successfully in place thanks to Lowe’s having the specific sized bit he needed to drill the exact type of partial hole for it… I got a swiveling sewing machine again so I can safely change bobbins and service my sweet machine too ❤

 I made this cute bag for my medications too!

 Here is my gorgeous and favorite daughter (she is my only daughter! lol)  Who not so long ago said hello to 21.  I am looking forward to seeing her in just a couple weeks too and meeting her boyfriend too!

 I fixed my wallet wristlet I made several months back but I put the handle on the wrong end… it let my credit cards and such slide out if it wasn’t full with my phone and such in it… so I removed it from the wrong side.. closed that hole and opened a hole on the other side and stitched it into place.. works PERFECT now 🙂

 And here are more pics of my sweet granddaughter at 4 months old.  She is the child of my son James and dil Heather… Ellie is such a sweetie.. I have a whole evening set aside to see them and play with her 😀

Well, I hope you have enjoyed hearing about my busy week and seeing some of my family I am getting more excited about seeing every day as our trip nears.

Take care and be ready to welcome in autumn tomorrow… we have had our windows open at night here lately… sooo ready for a break in the heat outside and air conditioning inside!

Feeling better is an AMAZING feeling y’all!!!

Well… being totally under the weather for over a week is NOT anything I have experienced in a very long time… so yesterday I turned the corner for sure and today I woke early and happy and healthy 😀

This is how I feel today!!!  And I have been busy too!!!

While I was sick I organized my blocks for the crochet quilt… here are the 3 blocks Connie did for me to figure out my pattern…

Here are 10 of the blocks I have sewn and marked for blanket stitching by hand with the crochet thread…

 I love that this sweet little bird on a patriotic nest pin cushion and wonderclips and a sharp needle with just the right color thread on a bobbin fit nicely in the container that the bird sits on top of…

 I use this to close the opening from turning the blocks 🙂

On the left are the next 10 pairs of blocks and batting … when needed… and while I was at it I checked all my blocks… my friend Jannessa has some of my favorite kind of fabrics in a similar genre in her stash … so with HER HELP I will be making this a charm quilt !!!!

I am sew excited about this too ❤  All together I needed 80 block pairs… Jannessa will be supplying 30 block pairs in that mix to make it a charm quilt with NO DUPLICATES 🙂

So now that I figured that out I have a zip lock baggie with my 10 blocks in it and 10 lengths of crochet cotton thread with each and a needle that works well!  This project that is now a hand project mainly will be linked to Wendy’s Quilts and More Peacock Party HERE <<

This will be a long term project and I will learn to crochet like those first 3 blocks is the goal 🙂  First I need to get all the blocks done and blanket stitched though!

Earlier this week I finished the second scrub shirt of late for my honey …

 This fabric was given to us by Jannessa and then coffee stained to darken it a bit as it was BRIGHT white and navy blue.. now it looks black and cream… he really likes this one!

This arrangement of blocks on my design wall… (from my Kaleidoscope Krazy Quilt I decided to refocus)

Got sewn together this morning on my 301 – Julius… he did a great job … I haven’t seen the finish yet but I just need to press it and check all the seams then will share further steps in next weeks post 🙂

In teaching a friend the fine points and secrets of successful hand quilting I sat back down at my frame….

 And I got this done… which meant I was ready to roll the quilt on the frame 🙂

 I tried to take a wider angle of the whole frame.. it is a very sturdy Hinterberg brand frame.

 And this will be my focus today….

I am linking this slow stitching progress I am way excited to be back in the thick of to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching Linky >>> HERE   Check out her blog post today too… she has some interesting information on her blog!  You will find yourself intrigued if you indulge 😀

Here is a train engine BIRDHOUSE my honey designed out of cedar and hardwoods to withstand the elements for many years…  it is 18″ long and 6″ wide and about 12″ tall…  He designed it to sit on a 4 x 4 post !

 Here is a close up… as it ages it will gain patina as only cedar can do… the wheels and smoke stack will be sealed as they are hardwood but not as durable as cedar is very durable for the elements outdoors… we will have an ad for these coming out soon but if you are interested … email me HERE to find out more…

Price will be $99 to include shipping in the USA.  Payment via Paypal Invoice 🙂
It does have a 1 1/2″ opening for birds that fit that size or smaller … and it does have a clean out on the back side of the train.

Here is a silly pic of Ellie looking darling…  she turned 3 months old this week!

 Here is a tattoo my daughter designed from a meme I sent her and her beau is a tattooer .. so he did the black work first… next time he will add the color.

I hope you can be someone’s Sunshine when their skies are gray!!!!

Here is to hoping no more illness falls on this house or it’s inhabitants again for a while… I am tired of spending so much time sleeping in bed! lol

Thanks or visiting and have a GREAT week!

Need feedback please… Come Read and Reply

This has been a crazy week around here… almost NO blog-reading occurred this week… but lots of other stuff DID!!!  Come see >>> 😎 !

Happy August!!!!

As I was making good progress hand quilt this past week I looked out the windows near me and saw this… what a way to bring in August … with goodness 😀

And a closer look at our current resident osprey. (Corrected thanks to my readers to specifically be a Heron) …

My honey went outside to catch this shot too 😀

They migrate all through this area of North Carolina and we are blessed they choose to stop at our pond and peruse the available fish for lunch! lol

First I want to link to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitchers at Kathy Quilts blog HERE!!!

Slow Stitching I finished this first pass across the second set of swoon blocks…

Then I rolled… but got a bit overzealous in the amount I moved so (after shooting this photo I realized I had rolled to far… adjusted and started quilting !!! lol

 So here is a close up view of all I completed this weekend …

I expect by next week to be on the last pass of these swoons hopefully as we DO NOT have plans for a very busy week… then again this week we didn’t either! hahaha

I also finished 1 – 6″ block with the hand done blanket stitching…

I still have 10 prepped to sew into these squares to prepare for marking and stitching (20 blanket stitches per side plus corners to make our pattern work)

This now gives me 8 finished blocks for my crochet quilt… and I will need 80!!!  But this is my travel project too so I am not too worried about it actually.. this will get done around other things I am hoping 😀

I hand stitched down the binding over the week and washed the smaller toddler quilt for Simon who just turned 1 year old….

 And I am halfway or a bit more on Jasper’s… using Cleopatra with her walking foot on for this and Julius for my 6″ block conversions…

I am linking these 2 quilts to Wendy’s Peacock Party… Check out her blog party… she has wonderful eye candy this week HERE <<

I am in the midst of making a great new friend… her name is Jannessa.. isn’t that a fun name!!!

She is close to my age and lives not too far from me…

She has this piece …

And she wants to make it a valance in her sewing room… like how she has it posed here…

This is hand marked with pencil on the sewing lines and hand pieced…  I have some ideas for how we should attack making this a longer and skinnier piece to be the front of a valance by adding fabric on either end and cutting off the top 1/2 row of hexi’s to reposition 2 of those 3 half hexi’s like this…

That leaves a half hexi for a label!!!  None wasted but is this the best way to use this ??  I know how to make a valance using regular wall hanging quilting plan and layering the finished top with batting and backing that is more sun resistant in color/quality 🙂

Jannessa gave me and my honey tips on grooming Molly… by grooming her with us!!!!

She is much happier groomed too!!!

In return I gifted Jannessa my PVC quilt frame 🙂

In return she gave us what she thought was a 301 case because she got this model vintage Singer in the trapezoid shaped case…

 You can see it with a machine in it below…

But after doing some research we think this could be a musical instrument case… hmmmm!  Any ideas anyone???

While I was doing the slow stitching the last couple days I have been listening the “The Stitch TV Show” on Youtube… You can find their latest episode HERE <<<

Last Sunday I spent some time video chatting with my daughter and her beau… at the end of the chat they sent me this photo by request…

She is very happy in her new house.. her and her beau Timmy will celebrate 1 year together this coming week too ❤

I got this fabric Saturday when I checked the mail from my good friend Debbie…

The goal is to make a Halloween themed banner for 1 1/2 year old Amelie.  This is my post office guy’s daughter 😉

Any ideas on a bunting or banner for a child’s room with this fabric and a Halloween theme for year round use????
I had liked this idea initially >>>>>>

Finally… the reason I made time to blog today besides to say hello to each of you is to take our own walks down memory lane today….

What is…. YOUR FAVORITE QUILTING MEMORY!!!

Mine is… 

Learning to quilt and becoming best friends

 in the process with Connie in 2011!!!

So share yours and more feedback on this post if you would please… if you can’t respond to my blog then email me directly here with your favorite memories related to quilting… or help with Amelie’s banner… or feedback on the valance to be … or what is that suitcase for really???  🙂

And when Monday comes around have a fun philosophy to get you through the day…

Have a Fabulous Week Y’all!  Hope to hear from  you each too !!!  Hopefully I will visit lots of you too today in blog land ❤  and P. S.  Any link in this post that you click … should open in it's own tab 🙂  Enjoy the youtube link too!