Sewing Sewing Sewing and Raining Raining Raining!!!

It has been raining every single day here folks!  Wow… the Valley River runs through our yard and we are concerned that at this rate the constant slow rain may make it overflow it’s banks!  So to not think about that I have been Sewing and Organizing!!!

Here is a photo of Holli, my friend who has a farm in Kentucky and is a military wife as well… so she dreams of retiring to her daddy’s farm there while they are about to move to Washington DC!!!  She is excited for her husbands new post… and their plans… she may even take this banner she requested with her to keep the farm nearby while 11 hours away!!!

Once I figured out how to make this banner for Holli… personalized as she specified (she sent me a charm pack of her fave fabric and answered some questions for me… I got it together…

 And before I knew it … a bit at a time… it was all working out!!  I even found a needle in my stash…

 meant for elastic threading … that I used to thread the red ribbon in the lace at the top of the banner pieces 🙂

Then I finally mailed it… & she received it on her 3 year quilting anniversary 😀

Isn’t Holli just glowing in this photo… the first photo above of the banner was in my kitchen on a mocked up window… now it hangs on the fireplace at her farm… it may go to DC before it lands in the windows of her sewing room at this same little farmhouse !!!  Glad I made it durable!! lol

So this is one start and finish in the same month for Julie at the Crafty Quilter’s UFO/WIP Link Up… but anyone that follows me knows I have a major UFO that got finished this month as well!!!  I will show this one to Julie as my finish for this month…

Stars Among Us was pieced and borders taken off and redone and quilting plan revamped SEVERAL times before it was a finished quilt… now it hangs proudly in our kitchen on the hanger my bestie brought to us on a visit last fall!!!  See Julie’s Link Up HERE!

See my pages that keep me in focus this year here…

Today I am focusing on organizing and slow stitching …

My first slow stitching focus will be to sew on this new hanging sleeve onto my bulls eye wall hanging…

 We had it hanging on the wall in Florida with a skinny pole and I (for what unknown reason) made a skinny hanging sleeve on this quilt… so now it is time to get a proper hanging sleeve on it… it is made and pinned to the top evenly ready to stitch down as soon as I finish this post.

I spent a good bit of the last of the week organizing my sewing room…

 By Colors!

 See all the organizers from the dollar store I got… and I had to get more to make this work right…

The last photo shows all the scrap reorganizing I have done… and the bit left to do as well.  Much of that is donated scraps from my friends and batting though… this last part will be a true joy to go through ❤

I had all my scraps organized by size … 5 ” 2 1/2″ strips and scraps too… I redid ALL that to color family instead… I had to divide the blues into 3 containers… light, medium, and dark!  I also have a full shelf of blue on the boards I organize with in the closet!!!  I will show you all my closet in next weeks post but here are some of the boards of luan that my honey cuts for me and I wrap fat quarters and larger on…

And here is a whole stack of those boards… 96 to be exact as I keep running out so while I napped one day my honey cut a whole big board of luan into little boards for me 😀

These are now in the sanding process to make sure none of my sweet fabric gets splintered 😀

Each quilter is different when needing to organize… I am glad I have a mentor like Connie who lets me do things my own way and find out what works for me through school of live and learn for yourself! hahaha… she helped me organize like a well known quilter suggests… only for me to realize over time THIS WAY may be better for my kind of quilting.  We will see!!!

Here is my newly recovered ironing board hanging by a hook on the back of my sewing room door … safely hidden until I need it again!

 Here is a little bitty pair of pliers we got in a lot of things the other day… my honey said I could have them for my bag making supplies!!! AWESOME… posed here next to my small gingher scissors so you can see how small the pliers really are!!!

 Waiting patiently is the quilt and fabric for the 14″ outer border to be cut and fit…

 And our sweet Molly in her crate in my sewing room … watching and sniffing all the fabric as I sort it! lol

 She got a name badge with my phone # on it for her collar this week too… we found it from a nice Etsy seller very affordably 🙂

Next up is my awesome progress on the Spiral Log Cabin quilt on my frame!!!!

Taking pointers from a fellow quilty blogger… I turned OFF the lights and lightened this photo up some using my phone camera options….

 I think that shows off the quilting better than I was able to get it before for y’all!

And our fireplace has kept me warm on these not cold but cool and wet days… will it quit raining y’all???

After consulting with Connie… I decided the center would be best with an overall design like I did the stars quilt… except this time I wanted something a bit looser so I decided to go with a “baptist fan” design…  Here I am marking baptist fans on the center…

 I made my template with quilters template plastic I had and a hole punch (regular size) at 1 1/8″ from the starting hole.  Then put a pin in the starting hole as in the photo above to let the template swivel without moving the fixed beginning hole.  Then I mark the 5 holes above (odd numbers are recommended for this template)… I got most of my information for this template making HERE. And look how it turned out!!!

 Here I am already rolled and working on the second row…

 Here you can see WHY I chose the green chalk to mark with.. it shows on all the colors in the center of this quilt…

 And here is a good photo of where I am at this moment…  I will be back here later today when the hanging sleeve is on the quilt and it is all being washed 😀

Here is a look at my shangri-la spot in this home… this and my sewing room… okay the whole 1 1/2 acres is my shangri-la spot!!!! hahaha  But this ranks in one of the highest areas in our home I enjoy…

I am linking all this slow stitching progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching party HERE …. and
Wendy’s Quilts and More Peacock Party HERE for lovely hand stitching and photography from down under too!  Please take time to follow the links to each.  They should open in new windows so you don’t lose your place here… then come back .. I have a few more things to share!!!

I think last week when I was sharing our home renovation plans I didn’t well explain what we were doing… here is the kitchen reno that occurred this week…

And a video of Molly figuring out that my honey is really making those noises coming out the end of the 12 foot tube left over from the vinyl we put in the kitchen!!!

and the finished result …

Transitions between the vinyl level and the laminate level still to come but we got oak 1/4″ boards for that 😀  Soo excited to see this kitchen all coming together!!!!

Here is a Singer Sew Handy Model 20 sewing machine we have up for sale this weekend too… it certainly is a beauty and the case in such nice condition is a rarity to come with a working sewing chain stitching hand crank Singer…

We have a Sew handy similar to this one in our collection already… and it has the case just like this one… we love using it and it is such a conversation starter when we have company too!!!

I am reading this book now a bit each day too…

 So as we prepare for my honey’s upcoming surgery (hip replacement on the 27th if you can send up happy thoughts/prayers they would be appreciated) you can see we are staying busy busy busy!!!

Stay in love with your life though and you won’t falter in your plans to succeed 🙂

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A stopping place… and a FRESH start :)

Yesterday morning I put the final stitches in this hoop of flowers on my colorful whole cloth quilt…

I think this is between 1/4 and 1/3 done now.  I looked back and this quilt was started on March 19, 2015…

And here is a nice texture shot showing a bit more of the flowers…

So with that at a good stopping place with June 8 being the beginning of my rest break…  I have turned my focus to 2 newer projects 🙂

First is to mark for hand quilting and sew buttons to the center of each circle on this Bulls Eye flimsy…

The center was made by my bestie Connie… I added the borders with fabric I found for the backing and had plenty to throw the needed borders on it…

it will measure about 36″ square I think once washed… but that is a bit ahead…

Today I will mark it for hand quilting… add those buttons… then layer it and pin it! 🙂

I am very excited as this smaller project (about 40″ square now) will pin easily and be a pretty quick stitch too I think.. so sooner we will enjoy this deliciously textured finish I have planned!

Also I have been doing some design work on a UFO I have had for a couple years and actually had forgotten about it! lol

Here is what I have currently completed…

 And here is a mock up I made of what I plan to add to call this one a flimsy….

So the flying geese on either side of the center are paper pieced… that will be my first on this project.

The black border shown will actually be a dark grey Moda fabric left over from the Bulls Eye Wall Hanging 😉  I will also bind it in that same fabric I think!

So lots of work yet to go on this… it may wait for more attention until Connie comes in just a few weeks time now…

Hope this week finds you being productive and happy about it!

Until my next post…

Slow Stitching Weekend… and MORE!

This weekend my friend Wendy, who lives in Australia, has been hosting a weekend Sew-In.  I have managed to get quite a bit done!

At the beginning of this weekend…

 And yesterday morning….

 And a bit more current shot of this hoop full of flowers….

Now I am working on the back hatching from the ribbon up … back hatching is what I call doing all those lines behind the flowers that are sewn with the natural thread 😉

Linking this great slow stitching progress to Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching  HERE!

But wait … there is more!!!!

Here is the Bulls Eye flimsy… I have cut borders to add…

 And MORE!!!

So you have already “met” CJ…

But on May 31 at 0030 this year Kaydence was born to my son James and his wife Keashia…

She was 7 pounds and 14 ounces and 19 1/2″ long… perfect!

 Above she is in her bassinette wrapped in a receiving blanket my friend Connie made for her arrival!!!

So excited to be a Grandmommy to 2! 🙂  I feel very blessed for sure 🙂

Have a blessed weekend.. until next time…

A Thimble Story…

Once upon a time… I decided to try a thimble and a friend gave me a cute little plastic open thimble she had an extra of.. I found I could use it but the open top left it a bit floppy during long use though…

But it let me know a thimble COULD BE an option!!

So I went to JoAnn’s looking for a metal thimble that had an open top like the plastic one did but more sturdy … I like to quilt lots of curves and that is active quilting! lol

No go there but when we got home I did find just what I as after at Walmart online only.. so I ordered it on May 15.  Finally… after calling the shipper and waiting some more it showed up yesterday!!!!

Connecting Threads currently has this on sale under $10!!!!

I immediately had to play with it… and it was a tad large!  Yippee 🙂  I had been concerned my arthritic fingers would play havoc in finding a thimble to even fit like the plastic one had!

The adjustment “wings” were so sturdy once moved it was a breeze for MY HONEY to get it sized to my liking! lol  It is not easy or “floppy” adjustment.   That is why my honey had to use his expertise to help me size it.. I imagine if you don’t have a handy honey you could use pliers which is how he got involved in my quest for a good fit.

Well the fit is excellent… take a look at my first curves with a thimble on 🙂

And here is a backed up view of my last space to quilt until this circle is complete!!!

I am really pleased with this…

Also this flimsy is now backed up to a work in progress as I am adding borders to it I have decided..

And just looking at this pic again reminds me how much better it will be with the border to finish it off 🙂  I am very excited and will start this process as soon as I finish the whole cloth hoop I am on… it will go inside to “rest” and I will find energy in the wall hanging transformation!!!

Stay tuned… and guess who only visited once this week we were sooo busy….

He turns 1 on June 6 so stay tuned to the birthday loot we have for him… Rick is gonna wrap it for me in a box he can play with as the contents are clothes and a book! lol  But it is what he needs!!! 🙂

Well.. I am off to put in some more stitches with my thimble!  Hope you enjoyed this Thimble story! lol  Pun intended! 🙂  Linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching… as I hope my Sunday is full of hand stitches!!!

Happy Mother’s Day Ya’ll!

Hope you each have a blessed Mother’s Day 🙂

Unfortunately it has been another stressful week around here…
But all is well now… so let me fill you in 🙂

Monday my honey has had allergies that we thought had gone to pneumonia so we started getting aggressive with home treatments we had available… unfortunately Tuesday he was feeling even worse and running a fever so he finally (after 4 years without one) decided he was ready to see a doctor here!  Yippee I thought…

Well he is a veteran of the Army… so going to the VA for the first time in 4 years is a bit tough to do we found out… you must register your move to the new state first (we moved from Tennessee 2 1/2 years ago).  They did check his basic vitals and took a quick history and started the transfer process but sent us to the nearby emergency room for the antibiotics after a chest xray confirmed pneumonia was the cause of his nasty cough and fever….

Well.. at the hospital they found his lungs clear… and because he has had open heart surgery about 5 years ago they wanted to keep him overnight for a long overdue cardiac workup…

 So me and Daisy held down the fort overnight! lol 

She refused to sit in his chair which she sits in all the time when he isn’t normally… but she knew something was wrong… so we prayed and tossed and turned… finally morning came and I could get Brandi off to school and return to the hospital to see what this day had in store for us all…

The cardiac PA came in and informed us he would be going to a medicine stress test… which turned out to be a harrowing event of a test.. if you ever have to have one.. but once over gave us valuable info like his heart and arteries are all in GREAT shape!  So why the cough and fevers???

Unsure.. they called it an upper respiratory infection and started antibiotics and sent us home!  Yippee 🙂

A little worse for wear… as he didn’t sleep well either without his usual bed partners! lol

So by Wednesday evening we had mapped out a tentative NEW DEAL!

We started Thursday out.. after a fairly good nights sleep had by all right here…

Isn’t this just gorgeous!???

We moved near the beach to go there often… but found life “too busy ” to “have time” for the beach.. now we are making time we decided…

So every morning we are gonna take a nice walk on the beach… start getting in better shape and enjoy the nature and beauty that is a mere 10 minute drive from our home!!!!  We are truly blessed to be this close!

We are also changing other things in our lifestyle… cutting back on bad habit items and improving what we eat… and we are doing it together!!!!  I love that!!!

In the meantime… when we got home from the hospital Wednesday we had a package waiting from my bestie Connie…

She sent me a couple new quilty themed t shirts for an early birthday surprise and something for me to hand quilt that she pieced for me…

 

I love this wall hanging sooo much!  It measures 32 x 32″ currently… trying to decide if I chould add a bit of border to it before I start the quilting once my supplies all arrive…

Here is a quilt she has finished on a tan background fabric instead of my grey above… and you can see all those layered edges of the circle parts will curl up once washed…

 I will call this the Bulls Eye Wall Hanging I think.. at least for now… “Bulls Eye” is the name of the pattern she said & she has the book the pattern came in…and I sent her the beginning of the grey background fabrics.. she did all the rest!!!! Isn’t that a wonderful gift!!!!

Here is the thread I will use on the circle “bulls eyes”…

It is Perle 8 cotton by Valdani .. I am trying it for the first time on this project that won’t get much wear as it will be enjoyed… 

I also ordered buttons to go in the center of the bulls eyes… so that will add more dimension.

Finally I will quilt with a layer of cotton batting AND a layer of wool batting on top of that before adding the flimsy to make the sandwich.. it will be VERY dimensional when done I do believe!

Here is a pic of my honey showing it off against our kitchen wall light grey walls…

I just can’t convey how excited I am to receive something made by Connie especially for me… I have never been gifted a flimsy special made before and didn’t expect to feel so honored!  But I really do!!!

Finally it was the end of the week… Friday when Brandi got home from school she announced she needed to be taken across our little beachside town to the art studio to pick up a piece that was on display she had made in art class at school!!!!  “Sure” I said…

Little did I know that her piece was in the center most highest position in the place being shown off for all to see!

So here is a collage I made from that Friday afternoon visit to the Art Haus!  She calls this piece “The Vanished” as the pic to the left shows a moon with a wolf howling and on the opposite side of her vase is an empty moon.. 

You see this vase had a special purpose for being made… her father had been cremated when he died 7 years ago and we had just celebrated his birthday May 3 with those blueberry muffins and the birthday song too!  Now she had possession of all semesters hard work and inside this URN will go most of the remaining ashes.. she is mongo excited to have this.  It does sit in the living room and looks just like a decorator piece… Wolves were his fave animal and one she enjoys looking at too… so the top also has a wolf formed on it… the whole thing is made of clay and the etched with designs all commemorating memories she has of her dad!  Isn’t this awesome now that I have shared the back story??

Then CJ came over to play… hadn’t seen him since Monday because of our mega crazy week!

And I actually .. late in the week accomplished quite a bit of quilting progress… FINALLY! lol

So all I have left in this hoop to quilt now is the back hatching… and I only have about 2 hoop moves to make before I have finished this section completely on the quilt!  Yippee 🙂

By the time I finish this hoop or these hoops.. as the case may be.. I will take a break and start the Bulls Eye Wall Hanging… it will be nice to take a break and really start quilting a bit.. although the perle 8 cotton won’t be much fun and 2 layers of batting sounds less fun.. but I am just so excited none of that is a deterrent at this point… 

I also have some crazy background quilting ideas for Bulls Eye… so stay tuned when I start that as I will mark the background before sandwiching so I can see the pattern I have planned!!!!

So excited ya’ll … to end this week up!  But I must calm now and work on back hatching lines and using my thimble as I foudn on the curves of the flowers and leaves getting great stitches was near impossible so the thimble my friend Kathy gave me has been waiting patiently for me to learn more about have accurate stitches WITH the thimble! lol

Have a blessed Mother’s Day if you are a mom/mum 😉

Until the next time I can make time to chat…