Lots of Hand Quilting Heralds in September 2020

Suddenly it was September and cooler air started circulating..

Today… the cooler air didn’t really start until Labor Day weekend! lol

I have made sooo much hand quilting progress this week.. I have a host of photos to share with you ..

I am just exploring how to make things happen on my new platform.. I am linking this post to Kathy’s Quilts ~ Linky ~ Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<<< Come see what other slow stitchers are doing as September enters their neck of the world 😀

Molly got groomed this week…

I got a new pair of shoes and finally found what I think is a cozy pair of shoes.

I got them from a wonderful shop called “Orthofeet”. They tout a 60 day money back guarantee and free exchange or return and they did that for me … it took 3 times for me to find this pair of shoes .

I got a new QUIET keyboard and mouse for my computer… I love this one.. it is made by Jelly Comb and I found it on Amazon 🙂

I love the silicone cover for the keyboard 🙂

In closing… I encourage you to follow me and add me to your blog reader… I am trying to add each of you to my new blog reader too.

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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!

Slow but Steady Progress to Share …

Thanks for all the birthday wishes last week y’all!

 I just love how the Bitmoji app makes me look most like me of all the meme apps.  Here is a photo I took for comparison to the photo it analyzed to make my memoji in the first place.

 Here I am earlier this week… with the amazing foot massager I won & a lot of birthday sentiments received too.

 Watch out because next week I will share more about this little message board you see above!  It is probably the coolest birthday gift I have received in a long time!  It was completely unexpected and not something I thought I needed but SO DID!!!!

Above you see it in action a bit as a shout out to the giver… it came from Amazon but I will get all the info and share next week because you can ADD to it!!!!

Molly was not as impressed but she did get a new toy this week… so it has been keeping her a bit entertained…

 She likes to push over the cushions we use on the outdoor furniture… we bring them in as it rains frequently where we live and then you can’t have a dry seat if you don’t bring them in every single time.  Well once she realized she liked this stack of cushions….

She finally fell sound asleep…. LOL!

 I gave myself a healthy manicure this week including Orly Nail Defense Conditioning Treatment for my nails ….

 And then finally yesterday this cuticle treatment came in and I LOVE IT !!!  If you have ANY kind of weird cuticle issues this is the key to your ailments!  I thought my cuticles were good above but after 1 treatment with this… no polish is on yet…

 I plan on putting on my first set of dry nail strips this week… so we will see how that goes.

As for slow stitching time.. I have spent a LOT of time doing chain stitch letters for our family last name for this wall hanging… I love this W and how it is made…

I hope the happy couple enjoys this for time to come!  I sure am having fun making it.. I did order a different colored perle cotton for the year ~ a rosy peach color by Valdani from RustyCrow.com.  This little online shop has all Valdani colors and great photos on her website… no link and I am not an affiliate … just a lover of the Valdani perle cotton 12 weight is my fave but 8 weight is not bad either….  I have a steely grey for their names from Jannessa.

I have done NO stitching on the quilt in the frame….

Linking my slow stitching embroidery progress to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE<<<  Come see what all my Sunday friends are doing slowly as time passes by 🙂  Sew Much Fun!

Which 1 would you Choose .. Just for Fun 😀

 I hope you share in a comment below!!! 

I would choose B… I hate cleaning house but it is a necessary evil in my life! lol

Cheers to another week of pandemic living under our belts… I have seen our state less on the news this week but still there from time to time… but America is not doing well overall in eradicating this virus.

I continue to wear a mask when in public to be a good role model and because our governor mandated it as well… I agree with him though from a medical standpoint.  Unfortunately not everyone in my state feels the need to wear a mask and several here have mentioned not wearing a mask in public for myriad of reasons… but as this grows in the USA we need to ALL mask up.. even our President did when in close quarters at Walter Reed Medical Center yesterday afternoon. 

Research shows a typical cloth handmade mask will keep a majority of YOUR germs to YOURself… if covering mouth and nose.  If you are a asymptomatic carrier this could be amazing to STOP THE SPREAD of the CORONA VIRUS!!!!!

Off my soapbox now… thanks for listening to my rant today from a frustrated American & Retired RN 💖

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!

Mother’s Day 2020 – Lots of Progress to Share!

I hope if you are a mom of human or pet… you are celebrating!!!

If you are a dude I hope you make the mom in your life feel special!

It has been a crazy week full here at Daisy Meadows!!!  Come on in and relax and read and see what I have been up to 🙂

Four years ago this week my honey finished building, staining and sealing my Hinterberg quilt frame (built from a kit we got at Hinterberg dot com… you can call them too… based in the USA).

This picture is at our home in Florida 4 years ago!!!

Now this week in our North Carolina home…

 I rolled the quilt in the frame and started working my way from the right side over to the left side now in the wide sashing ….

That frame is probably even better than when it was brand new as it still had to be broken in a bit then 🙂  I love this frame and all the love that went into making it for me… like we enjoy seeing quilts we have made wrapping our loved ones too!

Here is a photo that came across my vision this week so I saved it to share with y’all!
My first quilt… machine pieces and hand quilted with the guidance only my bestie Connie could give!!!

 We no longer have that bed … or mattress set! lol  But we do sleep under a hand quilted quilt always.  This quilt I use on my feet now.. and I have used some of it for pillows too 🙂

Last week I got this cool red work panel in the mail… I found it on eBay … it is made by Marcus Brothers…

 I am planning to cut each square I use in this wall hanging for our kitchen … but first I will redwork them all!  Starting with this percolating coffee pot here…

 I found some vanilla fabric in my stash with no selvage but 100% cotton and a nice weave for stitching through… to use as a stabilizer and to hide any dark red that may show through each block…

 See now how opaque the background is and how nice the coffee pot shows off…

 The thread was a welcomed gift from my BFF Jannessa… I am sew blessed with 2 of the bestest friends a girl can imagine!!!!  This is DMC 498 …

(you can see that I didn’t have that stabilizing fabric in the photo above!)

 And here is how far I got this week since just starting mid week or so…

Linking this post to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching Linky HERE <<<<

Speaking of great friends… I have yet another great friend who remembered me for Mother’s Day….

 Yes… Holli Jo sent me a seam ripper made by her cousin’s family and picked out to be similar to hers with the North Carolina flower… dogwood… on the handle.  Isn’t this amazing artwork to make a seam ripper from such?  HERE IS A LINK to her Etsy shop too if you are interested in adding something like this to your sewing notions… it is SHARP too!  The link will open in a new window too so you don’t lose your place here 😀

When I saw it come out of the package I knew it was from Holli Jo… I am sew blessed Y’all!  Her cousin included a sweet note in the well packed gift and a sweet little bag to hold them both 😀  I felt so special to receive this item!!!

Then I have been doing some piecing on some flying geese for a future quilt and also turning a quilt kit that was just started to cut and not finished… into a 62″ x 18″ table runner for my kitchen….

Above is my ideas … I have gotten farther but you’ll have to come back next week to see the flimsy I will hand off to Jannessa for fmq… my honey loves her fmq-ing on our bar table runner because drinks don’t tip easily and it stays nice and flat because she is GREAT with her fmq!!!!

Look at this quilt that inspired my friend Connie… I love it so thought I would share it here…

And here inspiring me… is a Gerber Daisy we picked up when we lucked out and found a little place open selling flowers… we got some cheddary orange colored flowers for around our flag pole… we got a pot for the Daisy and when the freezes are over and they are planted I will share a photo with you >>> Yes it froze the last 2 nights below 30 degrees here!!! CRAZINESS!!!!  And our sweet Molly … freshly brushed … she loves looking pretty!!!

Here is a meme I found… PLEASE when you can’t social distance… WEAR A MASK!!!

 So what is the joy in the story you are now living??? What is a new normal thing you have learned to love that you didn’t initially…

I have learned to love being alone with my honey and our pooch… she is a joy and he is a hoot… I am definitely more blessed than I realized to be quarantined with the crew I am with!!!

I have had to learn to balance time that I listen to news though.. my honey needs more news info than I can deal with so headphones are a blessing at times!

Hope to hear from you below in the comments…

From Muddling to Magnificent >> Hand Quilting Has Started Back Ya’ll!

Happy Sunday Y’all!  Magnificent is sew much nicer than muddling!!!

These birds are photos from facebook eastern North American bird types Jannessa sent me… we thought they would make a cute opener for my post today and cheer you each up!!!

I have spent the last month muddling through… sewing masks…

Til I am soooo tired of them… I think this is a breaking time for me as all my friends family and locals have a mask … I think! lol

This Corona virus – Covid19 is a wicked virus for sure!  But it is maddening … esp here in the US opening early or refusing to wear masks in public places and refusing to adhere to 6′ distance in shops… is sad really!!!!  There are some folks even rushing the state government buildings with no masks as a method of protest for the governors not opening their state quite yet… Just Sad!!!

After listening to a quilting related fiction book as an escape from all this.. I decided I wanted to see a Garden Maze setting ….

 Above is a setting like that… I bought a Marcus Brothers panel on eBay and it came in this week…

 I will be hand stitching in dark red all the 20 blocks… then using this pattern here to do the most traditional type of garden maze setting…

I have a photo of these blocks put together but it is VERY busy… so I will make mine look more like the first photo I showed you with this pattern for how to piece it most historically with the switchover squares in place.  I can be more precise with this NEXT Sunday once the fabric I ordered arrives.

Molly wanted to pose for a photo here… on a quilt she loves that I hand quilted …

 My honey and I celebrated 9 years together with filet minion, baked potato, and broccoli …..

It was completely yummy…. then the next day my honey talked to our neighbor who had mentioned selling a John Deere mower almost new… so he dove in and offered him a cash price he couldn’t refuse… we got stimulated this week as well so that is what our $$$$ went to 🙂  We are passing along the good deal by selling our older mower to a friends kids for less than it is worth 😀

What comes around goes around … the motto we live by… we got a deal so we are passing one on!

Do you have a motto you & yours live by?

Here is a great family idea… let each person in your family choose a different color paper and trace their hand… you might have to get a bit creative to have this outcome but isn’t this a great way to remember this “time together” as a family unit???!!

Here I am … multiple times in the month of April I sat in my chair and looked out the windows at the view and viewed my hand quilting progress but just didn’t have any desire to pick up my needle and thread and make stitches….
Well thanks to a challenge from a very nice friend I am hand quilting!!!

I had 3 different sewing sessions to hand quilt this area of the quilt I am on…. I also finished that right sashing but the light isn’t out to get a nice photo for you all…. more next week!!!!

Jannessa started on the Miss Jane’s Best miniature quilt pattern that is embroidery heavy this week …

She got these 3 blocks all done… she is going to trace some for me on this same thick doll making muslin when she has hers made (for me to use to stitch with)!!! 

It is a group project I guess… I let her use my pattern that had been a gift to me (I will make it when she is done),  Connie is sending her 30’s repro fabric from her stash, and Jannessa is using DMC floss from her stash and mine to do the embroidery…  How FUN for Pandemic Relief Efforts!!!!

Linking all this hand stitching and my renewed hand quilting to Kathy’s Quilts Linky HERE <<<  Come see all Kathy is up to and all the rest of the linkers too ❤

Even when I haven’t felt like it I have blogged every Sunday morning…. I appreciate your kindness for leaving a comment when you visit my blog too 🙂

So continue being Kind and Wearing Masks when in public places please!

Easter Blessings ~ Quarantine 2020!

Happy Resurrection Sunday Y’all!

As we continue to Quarantine to avoid this hateful virus sweeping all areas of our country and even has or will be to every point in the world I think!  How horrible but true!

I am learning to adapt to this as I learned to adapt to being retired and finally gave up fighting urges to return and took up quilting back then… now I am taking up mask figuring and my days are just generally restructuring a bit… ok a LOT! … not as much shows on my bullet journaling…

But Y’all … I stay busy all day every day now… just not so much quilting and crafting I guess… and sleep comes easy from 8 pm to 4 am then I am up and my day has begun!

I sure hope our world will heal real soon too ❤  Feel free to use this meme I scarfed on facebook 🙂

We have started shopping early in the mornings and trying to do our errands before lots of others are out and about… well last week we came home early one morning to find a visitor in our pond…

A duck swimming across the pond until we started him… in front of our neighbor’s cabin…  Picturesque view she has up there!!!

Molly has been quite the entertainer lately…

 She “claimed” this stick when we were doing the spring clean up a couple weeks back on the golf cart….

 Well she still has it … and that tulip behind her in the picture below…

Now that tulip sits in a cute little glass jar my bestie gave me from her collection…. So she is near during this lonely time too!

I have great company in my honey and Molly and facetime with Jannessa rocks!  Don’t get me wrong I am BLESSED on this resurrection day ….

I just wish I could hug Jannessa… spend time with Connie on her vacation week coming up… those kind of things… plan a visit to see some of my kids… like all of us… instead I am staying home 99% of the time and finding nuggets of happiness on social media and listening to audio books again!!!

Look at this cute little quilt I found in our toy sewing machine group that a member made… it is appliqued from a drawing she made… It is great detail and she definitely has skills I don’t! lol

But I do have some mask making skills…. I made several masks this week for friends and neighbors… some even got mailed, received, and there are more to be made… I have a quick and easy way to make my masks that are 3 layers of fabric a bit of elastic and a few bread ties!  I made a tutorial HERE this past week showing lots of photos of how I make my masks 🙂

 My honey even put on the mask I made for him and his thick beard…. nice cover up here….  Then he told me to wait a minute.  When her returned this was his response….

Here is hoping me and my honey’s shenanigans have boosted your spirits today!!!!

I include a printed note with my masks… people need to know that they need to HEAT them up to sanitize them properly in their clothes dryer ….  Here is another type of print out you can grab … it came from Bonnie Hunter’s facebook group “Quiltville”….

 Here is my favorite make yet….

My hair needs a trim… please don’t comment on THAT ! lol

Then I uncovered Cleopatra later on in the week and started marking and sewing quilt blocks I have been prepping with the template I made…. 

 I love how it turned out.. I was afraid it didn’t look above like enough quilting… but machine quilting these with 28 wt Aurifil top and bobbin for even finish on both sides….

 And I have 15 of those 39 that I have here quilted now by just sitting down here and there 🙂

 My main focus this week has been hand stitching down the binding on this baby quilt for Jannessa’s grand baby boy to be.  She has 2 coming within a month of each other from both her girls!!!  So I signed up to do the binding on this rounded corner quilt…

 By making that bias binding I shared last week… it really has stitched on great !!!  I am praising God for the blessing of being able to do hand work during such a time as this!

Linking this progress to my favorite Sunday blog stop >>> Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching <<<
I will be finishing the binding on this quilt today… Jannessa and I are working out a between a glass door meeting for later in the week.  YIPPEE!!!!!

For you homeschooling parents that need ideas…  Think about Appalachian roots and build a still! lol

 Or see if you can find a plastic spider or bug and try this out….

One of my favorite songs to sing on this day…

Have a blessed week ahead as we continue to adjust and continue to Stay Home to Slow the Spread here in the USA… what are you doing (or have you done) to Slow the Spread???  Keep all those infected and symptomatic in your thoughts for strength to endure and overcome this illness!  I especially am feeling a urge to pray for Boris Johnson of the UK.  Is there anyone you are especially thinking of during this time in our world???!

…. And then it was April 2020 – Fun while Staying Home

Hello and Welcome to my Blog this fine April weekend!  I hope this post finds you at peace as you Stay at Home !!!

I have thought of each of you that visit my blog this week.  I know many read that don’t leave comments too… sew I try to think of about all of you that may need a break from the clamor of the tv and reading a blog post can transport you away from this world wide pandemic..

Come on let’s see what photos I took for you this week!

Last Sunday was all hand work… cutting and marking the wrong side of fabric hand work though! lol

But at the end of that day the Shelbyville/Lancaster Quilt was complete….

I have ALL those pieces cut and am ready to sew together some flying geese even!  YAY 😀

I have a circle formed around my 301 ~ Julius ~ so I sat down here Monday morning and started some piecing of flying geese!

And by circle… LOOK!

The above photo was actually made when I was cutting but it is still similar to this set up… chair in the center and a table Jannessa left over here on the right side of the top of the photo… some placemats are there on the design wall waiting to be quilted… some day! lol  and I have 10″ squares of fabric everywhere else but I have 2 ironing surfaces.. 1 of which I have a smaller pink cutting mat on.  This is an environment I thrive in…

How about you??

Do you create in a clean or messy area ??

I like to start a project with a clean room and as I finish projects I try to put them all up but y’all don’t wanna see the far end of my cutting table right now!  I need a straightening day I think! LOL  REALLY!  This may make a bullet journal spot even for the coming week!!!!

Oh that last photo … if you look under Jannessa’s table you will see the parts and pattern for the briefcase Jannessa and I can make via Facetime… but we haven’t slated when it will start yet… 

Speaking of which… this is what took over the end of my week…

 Above I am making bias binding with a bias tool I ordered moons ago from MSQC… Jenny has a wonderful video making bias binding sew easy!

Once I got the bias binding made and folding in half and ironed I sat down at my non-messy 319w ~ Cleopatra ~ and strapped on a walking foot for a nice finish and sewed the binding on a rounded corner quilt for a grand baby on the way for Jannessa.  She is binding one for her other grandchild coming… I am binding this one… we are splitting the chores 😀

 Here I am being silly with hair way too long to show! lol

 Once I got it all one time to clip it down.  I rotate 8 wonder clips myself… Jannessa likes to pin her whole quilt at one time… how do you bind a quilt ???

 Here I am at the second corner ….

And that will be my slow stitching today.  I will be working on ladder stitching this binding down to make a nice finish for this little 53″ square – ish quilt for a baby boy yet to be named… in fact neither of her grandsons have a name for sure yet… so labels will wait until parents can quit being fickle…. lol!  It is the last one for each family too… so give them space to decide I say! hahaha

I am linking this hand stitching finish to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching HERE <<<

For my HQAL sisters I am linking a finish of HALF of the blocks below for the Crochet Fusion Quilt….

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

This is an exciting time for me with this project…  You can see above in the photo some have crochet surrounding them … well after I do a bit of quilting in the center of each block I will be crocheting the rest to match.  Then when they are all ready to lay out and stitch together will I start this same process on 40 more blocks already cut and waiting to get this far!   I am very serious about making this fusion quilt a reality to enjoy for years to come!

Here is the template I made for marking the stitching lines… the stitching on these will be the same color as the crochet thread… the quilting will be done by machine so not working on this today but later in the week….

 Here is a Coraline doll my bff Jannessa made from scratch for her granddaughter who is 10 now I think…

 She is posed with a sweet little pin cushion Jannessa fashioned for ME!!!  Next time we see each other I should get it 😀

Now here is a completed block below left and my template… made to trace outside the square and inside the diamond for 2 stitching lines in 28 wt aurifil thread on top and bobbin….

What do you think?  Others say those 2 lines of stitching will be enough to hold it together for washings, etc…

If you like this kind of hand embroidery… check out THIS website… right now for a limited time this pattern is free and many are unique… support small businesses when you can ya know!!!

Here is Molly posing for me as she watches for her daddy out the window in his shop.

 And here she is asking to go out and “check” on him ! lol

 He put up the hummingbird feeder as we learn what time of year to start feeding for them here…

And please know… if you feel lonely right now… reach out to someone in your inner circle of friends/ family.  I am blessed to have my honey and our pup during this time.

Please feel free to reach out to me on facebook or here via message below if you would like to converse via text or call or video chat.

Just please… wherever you live… keep on keeping on to whatever your government and area is mentioning to do!  For me it is staying home as much as possible…. so we are!  I would LOVE to make new close friends during this time though so please feel free to reach out to me if you need someone new to chat with 😀

Take care… thanks for visiting… and may God bless YOU!