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!

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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…

Sew Happy Fall is Here!!

Welcome Y’all!

Grab a coke or a coffee and come see what all has been going on with me and mine 😀

We took a long planned on trip the first part of October… it was meant to be 3 days and 2 nights and a quick visit with my 3 of my kids during the visit too!  Well I got to see 2 of my kids in the end… but that isn’t all!!!

My honey worked on making a shed into a she shed… the conversion started!!!  Yippee!!!

My bestie Connie had relocated and added electricity and stabilization to the building… now it was time for my honey to work his magic.

This visit he changed the shed doors into a regular door that seals the building and locks 🙂

And he is able to accomplish all that during our 4 days and 3 nights…

Yep that is right we had to stay and extra day and Rick and I were completely drained and exhausted from the trip and all that was involved in our first trip of many to come for this job  🙂

What was the first thing that greeted me the following day when we finally made it to the post office to retrieve our mail…   I WAS A WINNER!!!

check out Virginia on Youtube HERE  ~ or Etsy HERE <<<

I follow her on Youtube and the above link will take you to the episode where I won these hand made pattern weights for bag making!!!  Both links will open in a new tab too btw 😀

I love these pattern weights though and had planned to make some… when I found some extra time 😀  I love her choices of fabrics too!!!

As I suggested above … we don’t travel much since we moved… in fact since we moved into Daisy Meadows (the name of our little slice of heaven) the only 2 nights out were when my honey had his hip replaced in Asheville and that was exhausting and overwhelming also!!!

The hotel my friend found for us was AMAZING!  Only the size of the refrigerator in room was a disappointment… my name was even on the television when we would first turn it on!!!

During our stay in the hotel Connie presented us with this basket she had fashioned from tshirt made yarn… into a canister to hold snacks for our room .

We love that she chose our colors too…

It has the sole purpose now at home of sitting on the bar and holding our daily med boxes and bottles of vitamins that we take! lol  We truly love it… from the bits she has left over she plans to make us a trivet too… I must make sure this is cotton tshirts though!!! lol

While thrift shopping one day in Tennessee …we came across this wreath !!!  I fell in love and my honey found the perfect place to hang it when we got home too 😀

 While we were with Connie she shared the finished EPP rooster she finished for me (this is what she did for me quilting her quilt… she offered to applique it to the black background… but I kinda want to do this part…

Do you know of a video tutorial for adding a dark fabric behind a light fabric without a lot of shadowing???  

 >> Ideas anyone?? <<

I plan to add a thinner black border to stabilize the piece then add a brown mitered corner border like a picture frame around that to look like wood!

I got some fabric here… the burgandy and tan plaid woven.. to make napkins out of!  Now to find time for something that simple!!!

 I haven’t touched the quilting of the boy turkey yet either…

 But if you noticed… I did do some decorating around my 319 where I will be sitting to do this drasted machine quilting part… soon I will be to the hand quilting in the border!!!

I even bought a small 14″ PVC square frame to put together for the border…

 That inexpensive put together frame… will be the answer to getting to the outer borders instead of my round hoop I think… Connie has one and it works well for her too!

Jannessa finished her wall hanging to a flimsy…
and she has done all the machine quilting and is working on her hand quilting of fall leaves down each side!!!  She is quick and smart ❤

Finally, I was commissioned to make a bunting or 2 for a good friend… well  you don’t necessarily take $$ for things.. instead my good friend decided to gift me with 2 charm packs that match my kitchen… I fell in love with this 1/2 yard of fabric and it came in this week too…

 Doesn’t it look great together… I need a 60 x 20 table topper and a fairly large coordinating wall hanging .. Ideas are brewing for this… more on those buntings in another post!

Finally… while in Lebanon me and my honey went to a DIFFERENT thrift shop than where I found the wreath… and they were having a silent auction on this cool piece… and this shot does NOT do this fish wagon justice… We will get to have it during the next passing (probably January when Rick will do the electrical sockets and pre wire for lighting and add ceiling joists etc….)

 We added our silent auction bid… and then Connie went back and bid on it for us again … then Connie missed sleep after a long night at work to win this for us and gifted it to Rick for all the hard work he accomplished giving her a new front and door to her evolving She Shed!!!!  WOWEEE!!!!!

Seeing 2 of my 4 children (all are grown and have special people in their lives now)  I am blessed for sure!!!

So here is a cool collage I made to share with you all!

Finally, I got lessons on how to crochet around these little blocks I have been sewing and blanket stitching by hand!!!!

 and I am finally on the last round of my FIRST BLOCK! hahahahahaha  …

But I am enjoying it… and life is about enjoying the journey for sure!!!!

Speaking of enjoyment… during all this craziness… I finished the bottom of the 3rd row of swoons….

 And rolled the quilt down….

  Now I am happily making great progress on the middle of the 3rd row of swoons 😀

 If you listen to Virginia Lindsay’s video she mentions Skill Share… it is a Bluprint Like service for beginning teachers as well as accomplished teachers of all kinds of arts and crafts… they encourage newbies and have “classes” you can watch to learn how to become an online teacher of your fave craft!  Check out the link in Virginia’s youtube video … 2 months free I think too to try it out ❤

 That is what I am doing 😀

Got any old wool sweaters with holes in them you want to donate to me??? lol!

Brandi sent me this photo of her graduation quilt on her bed with the pillows and shams too… They LOVE them 😀

 I saw this on facebook this week…  Wouldn’t this be cool in a bedroom or library to display extra quilts 😀

 Here is a bag I will be making for my daughter for her Christmas …

 I will be using purple and gold though!!!  Ordered the hardware this week too 😀

Molly is 16 months old now!  And while we were in Tennessee…

 She stayed with my great friend Jannessa… I am blessed in the great friend department y’all!

 And Jannessa has Max (below)…

 and they love to play together !!!  Molly learned how to play like a dog with a dog during our 4 days away!!! YAY 😀

She and Max are great buddies… it is nice to have a quilty friend who has a playmate to share too!!!

Jannessa gave me an early Christmas present… the 2019 Hallmark sewing related ornament is a treadle!!!

 Can you see that little treadle on the shelf left of our old sewing machine and Raggedy Ann ??

 The 3 of us are planning a get together in April hopefully (when Connie gets a break from working ) to make barn quilts together!!!!  Here is one I find enticing …

 Here is your Bonnie-ism.. first one in a while too I guess…

She is getting revved up for a visit to Kenya, Africa with a travel company and others who enjoy exotic traveling!!!

So I hope you have enjoyed the catch up post.  I will add a link the Slow Stitching Sunday with Kathy and getting the low down on her retreat HERE <<<<

Have a blessed week y’all… be happy or be busy seeking it!!! ❤

Out of town this Sunday …. missing y’all!

But I didn’t miss seeing 2 of my kids while we visited Tennessee!

 Including their loves 😀

Can’t leave out important time I got with my bestie too!

It was fun and productive and exhausting too!  Soo will catch up next Sunday 😀