Sewing a garden and other shiny things on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello ... and how did it get to be the middle of February already???  We've been having a pretty mild winter here in southwest Ohio...no BIG snows ... in fact hardly any snow ... and what little we got melts in a day... I like it... I like it A LOT... my daffodils and crocuses and hyacinths are already poking up ... we could have that early Spring that Punxsutawney Phil prognosticated ... I'm good with that.

My thoughts of Spring and Summer and gardening have been fueled by flower and seed catalogs the last couple of weeks... I've already put in orders with 2 different companies for some new to me dahlia tubers ... and I'm putting together seed order of some different varieties of zinnias and some cosmos and who knows what else... my snowman decor is still out but my mind has turned to Spring ideas...

But before we get to Spring let me show you a small finish ...

this is the freebie from Lizzie Kate... you can see the pdf here... I used a scrap of 32 ct linen from my Hands on Designs February stitch of A Year of Celebrations... the ribbon and Moda Grunge fabric were in my stash...  my cross stitch production has been quite puny so far this year... I did get a little more done on the Prairie Schooler March but not as much as I wanted to...

and I've been plugging away on Elliott's stocking... the front...

the back... easier for me to see what if any progress I'm making... top of the tree filled in... bottom is waiting...

my plan was to get ALL the Christmas tree done by the middle of February... then last week I revised  the plan to just get the green part of the tree and those ornaments complete... and I'm a bit short of my goal... the ornaments are all stitched and boy they were a bear... I'm using a shiny slippery rayon thread called Marlitt... it does give the ornaments a nice shiny finish and I like using different fibers for different effects but I forgot how it knots and slides and breaks... grrr... goal for next week... the candles and a trip to the needlepoint shop for more fibers... not sure what I want to do the garland in... don't think I want to do braid but I do want something a bit shiny... in gold... OMG... I think I'm leading myself back to Marlitt... ugh...

On happier note  my sewing mojo has been moving along nicely... I got more blocks done for the Fresh as a Daisy sew along...   here's the pattern...    but I'm not going to be able to keep up the pace of 7 blocks each week... and that's okay... I'll get there when I get there ... in the mean time I'm sewing up a pretty garden ...

along with the red and yellow block I previously completed I've done a pink and an orange one...

and then moved on to the exotics... green and blue...

 and a blue that's kinda turquoise and a deeper green...

 and one that is totally scrappy...

And along with these blocks I've been working on another quilt using my American Jane fabrics... the pattern is called Simple Pleasures... which you can see here... it is comprised 16 LARGE 49 patch blocks... as you can see I have 5 made...

I'm not repeating a fabric within a block... and I'm using lots and lots and lots and lots of differnt American Jane collections... the pattern was designed for a jelly roll ...which would make it quick and easy... instead I'm sewing individual little 2.5" squares together... and I LOVE it... so scrappy and fun and now and then I stop and fussy cut an image to include... it will look so pretty on my bed this summer... that's my plan... and I think it is doable... if I don't get distracted by other shiny things  like this top I made last week...

this is Waverly a pattern by Running Doe which you can see here...she is having a monthly top along on Instagram and you can see more variations of this pattern here... I picked up some aqua Grunge and some  floral low volume prints at my local quilt store Homegrown Homesewn ... and added in some that I had in my stash and within 5 hours this top was DONE...  I found some other floral yardage in my stash and the back is sewn too... didn't get enough of the Grunge for the binding so I'll have to go back next week and pick some up... however in the meantime I saw this one... click here...ooooohhhh .... Kaffe Fassett fabrics... I have LOTS of them... see the problem... shiny distractions... but so much fun!!!

I may have some sewing time today and tomorrow...not doing dinner with the family till Tuesday night... and the week ahead isn't looking too crazy... one day of babysitting... one doctor's appointment and one dinner out with friends... I may get something done... in the meantime I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I keep saying I'm going to linkup with some of the design wall Monday groups but I never get there...oh well... have a great week ... hope you get some crafty time...

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Some seasonal decor for some seasonal weather on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

EDITED TO ADD:  So I had a righteous rant about time spent converting silks to DMC... I need to apologize... a reader, Ruth, left a comment that there is a conversion on The Drawn Thread site and I found it... it is way at the bottom of the page but here is the link...

http://www.drawnthread.com/Resources/Conversion%20PDF/needlepointsil_to_DMC.pdf

this is wonderful... thank you Ruth for letting me know... I couldn't find an email address to respond to you directly... sorry...


Hello all... well we actually got a little seasonal weather last week... Friday and Saturday morning had about an inch of snow ... and by evening it had melted... and the forecast is for temps in the 40's and rain... so it was short-lived...and I'm totally fine with that... the last couple of winters had way more snow and cold and I'm happy that hasn't happened... so far... we still need to get through February but my fingers are crossed that it isn't going to be bad... at least that is what the weather guys would have me believe... we shall see...

But the bit of  snow did motivate me to finally fully finish my newest piece of snowy decor and take some pictures... this is Welcome Winter by The Drawn Thread...

I stitched it on 32 count Opalescent linen that I painted with Rit Aquamarine dye...now I changed all of the called for fibers to DMC and one or two overdyeds...  umm... a bit of a rant... okay, I'm happy with my conversion but I will say that it does annoy me that I have to put in extra time and effort to convert from silks  where charts from The Drawn Thread are concerned... I understand that she enjoys designing and stitching in silk but the flosses for this piece would have set me back  over $40... that way more than I'm willing to pay for a seasonal piece... I might be tempted to spent that much for fibers for a sampler that I'd display all year... but probably not...anyway I haven't found any site that converts from silk directly to DMC... there are a couple of sites that go from silk to overdyeds, but not for all the colors... so after you've figured out some overdyed substitutions then you have to find another conversion to get you to DMC...I just want to jump in and stitch ...not spend a hour or two figuring out what flosses to use... I pulled out another chart  I'd like to stitch for Spring/Summer ... Sunnyside Sampler ...

I thought perhaps I'd just bite the bullet and stitch it in the  called for silk fibers... but then I counted...there are 23 different colors... it would cost over $100  for the fibers from 123 Stitch and they discount them... not gonna happen... I'll be spending time converting ... okay rant over... on to more pleasant things... like...

Here is my big display... the shelf unit...

At the top the Welcome ... I added a sparkly ribbon and snowman face bell to FFO this one... next shelf down

has All Bundled Up by Brenda Gervais... very cute if I say so myself... that LARGE noggin of a snowman took quite a while to stitch but it was worth it...

32 ct linen painted with Rit Apple Green dye...

The next shelf has a sled of Jim Shore snowpeople...

the sled was a Target Bullseye's Playground purchase last year...

I placed another Brenda Gervais  snowman  piece on this shelf... this one is called Boughs of Holly...

I like the inclusion of the alphabet on this one... notice the generous "dusting" of fake snow on all the shelves... it makes me HAPPY!!

Outside on the sunroom porch I did a little more decorating... next year I'd like to add a cross stitch piece or two to this display...

 I'm still HAPPY with this chalk painted shelf unit... that green is so pretty.... and here's another pic...

I'm also HAPPY with that oversized snowman on the wall... I'm always on the hunt for something interesting to put in that space... and I think the whole porch is going to look even spiffier when I get it painted... hopefully my handyman will be available soon... I want to have the brick painted cream like the window sills... the whole space brightened up when he painted the window sills so I know it will make a big difference to do the walls too... that little space is a favorite spot of mine to sit and stitch and watch the birds and nap... I have a space heater out there that warms it up nicely even when it is cold... as long as the sun is shining that's where I want to be...

As for stitching I did get a little more done on the Praire Schooler March piece and I put a few stitches into the stocking... but not a noticeable amount... I also did a little sewing last week... made a couple more of the Fresh as a Daisy blocks and made the back  and the binding for my Momo Modern City blocks and sent it off to be quilted... I'll try to get a quilting post up tomorrow ... or I'll show stuff next week... I think I may have overdone the pictures today... sorry ... I get carried away...LOL

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts ... always a favorite site... doing lunch with my sons and Elliott today... so no cooking today... may leave a little more stitching and sewing time... I always like that... hope you have a great week ahead... I've got a bunch of running around to do ... I like going out but I like staying home too ... need more hours in a day...

happy stitching-
carol fun

Planning more than a 24 hour day can handle....on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello ... well I managed to update 3 out of 4 Sundays in June... last week I ran out of time on Sunday... had the family over for dinner... prime rib sliders with the roast left over from Thanksgiving... very tasty... and I did a bunch of errands... and before you know it the day is gone... and while lots of people were bemoaning how long January felt, I woke up yesterday surprised to find out it is already February... my sainted Grandma told me that the older you get the faster the days pass... and she was right... so much I want to get done every day and I always run out of time... I wake up every morning with a mental list of things I want to accomplish and when my head hits the pillow that evening there are still things on the list... 24 hours just isn't enough... oh well it is a better situation than being bored... I am never bored... so many projects I want to play with...

And I got a few projects finished... first, I've been knitting... I completed this pair of socks about 2 weeks ago...

scrappy Frankensocks... my favorite kind of sock... all Opal yarns... I used some of the mini skeins I've been stashing... they are so cute!!

And I've completed 2 shawls...first is this one using the pattern Easy Goes It... a freebie on Ravelry that you can see here...

I used Malabrigo Mechita in the Anniversario colorway... very soft... I could have made this one a bit larger ... will remember that for next time... I added a picot bind off which I always love...

And I also finished and blocked this shawl made with the Taina pattern... another freebie on Ravelry you can see here...

I used the entire skein of Urth Uneek Fingering on this one ...the colorway is 3002... I LOVE how this yarn stripes up... it is a little splitty but nice and soft... I like this yarn so much that I cast on the second skein I had purchased... colorway 3020... right away... I'm doing the Easy Shawl pattern... you can see it here, but it isn't a freebie... and did I mention how much I LOVE how this yarn stripes... yeah I did... and to prove my LOVE I ordered 3 more colorways...

from right to left... 3017, 3018, 3019... not sure what patterns I'll use but I've seen a lot of nice one skein shawls ... I'm sure I'll find something ... or I'll knit another one that I've knit before... oh I got the yarn here at Jimmy Beans Wool...

As for stitching... I started the Prairie Schooler March....

haven't gotten too far... I love the daffodils... with the mild winter we've been having I noticed the daffodils in my yard are already popped up an inch or so... obviously I want this one done by March... we shall see...

The stitching that has been getting the most attention is Elliott's stocking... I'm starting with the darkest colors... I've done the black parts... mittens, belt, boots... and the brown window frame and the navy sky...

it isn't easy to see what I've done since you are filling in the same colored spaces... here's pic of the back side where it is more apparent what I've done. 

Getting back to needlepoint has been interesting... I forgot how hard it is on your hands pulling fibers through canvas... and my eyesight was definitely better 30 years ago... black on black and navy on navy are not easy to see. I keep rechecking to be sure I haven't missed a spot... I think I'll get someone else to look it over before it is totally finished...

As for quilting I've got another finish here... Quilting by David got this quilt back to me super fast... like 2 weeks before I asked for it... I saw where he now has 3 quilting machines for his business ... his turn around time definitely seems quicker...

this is Tiki Tok Calder...

the panto is called Calder and it was the perfect match ...

I think it will reside here on the sunroom porch for a while...

We are suppose to have some warmer days... temperatures in the 50's and 60's... so I may be able to sit out on  the porch... and watch the birds... I love this "room" of my house...

Now, getting quilts completed is motivating me to sew more... however my focus wandered off from finishing UFO's to starting new projects... I made these 2 blocks for a SAL on Instagram #daisysewalong...

a cute pattern from Pen and Paper Patterns called Fresh As A Daisy..

but I'm envisioning zinnias... red and yellow and orange and pink and even a green one or two like that Envy zinnia I planted last year... I'm using my stash of American Jane fabrics... I love the prints and the colors...

And then I was distracted by another shiny project... the Jelly Belly Bar quilt from Fat Quarter Shop... it is a free pattern that you can see here...  I was entranced by this variation...

and that got me thinking about my bin of Jen Kingwell fabrics that have been maturing in their plastic bin... I cracked it open and made these blocks...

I like how this pattern shows off the prints ... I can't decide if these are 40's or 50's prints... some of then remind me of drapes that were in my Grandma and my Aunt's house when I was a kid... kinda funky... but fun... and again ... the colors are much brighter in real life... that yellow is definitely a chartreuse ...and what is looking black in that upper left block is actually deep turquoise... a rant... I know I said I was going to get a new phone... and they are pricey ...but I was going to splurge ...but then I handled my DIL's iphone 11... OMG... I knew it was bigger than my 8 but boy is it HEAVY... I carry my phone around in my front left pocket... it felt like I had a brick in my pocket... thinking this over ... again...

So back to sewing... I hope to get back on track with working on my UFO's... I have a few more rows of my Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern City quilt blocks to assemble  and that top will be complete... check back and maybe tomorrow I'll have a quilting post ... I've neglected Design Wall Monday for a long time... perhaps I can get back to that...

So plans for today include a  birthday party for my daughter-in-law's Grandmother... Mary Ann is celebrating her 91st birthday... should be a lot of fun... and I hope to get a little sewing in ...and some stitching....and some knitting... hmmm... seems like I'm still planning more for a day than I can ever get finished... some things never change...

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I always enjoy checking out what every one is working on ... I hope you have a productive week ahead... so far it looks like I have a day or two without any obligations ... I like that... time to play with all the crafty stuff...

happy stitching-
carol fun

So many things I want to do on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello all... another week flew by ...and I had plans...lots of plans... and I don't think I got a single one of the planned things done... but I did get other things done... so that is good, I guess... I'm just going with the flow as what I want to do seems to change every day...heck every hour... because there are so many many many many many things I want to do...

For instance I want to finish the Welcome Winter by The Drawn Thread... and I barely touched it this week...

this is the sum total of what I got done... the scarf is finished... but it was about 60% done when I picked it up... however in my defense there was some frogging that had to be done before I got it completed... maybe it's time will come next week... heck Winter is just getting started ...

My quilting mojo has been strong ... so far this year I've sent off 2 quilt tops to be quilted... Quilted by David posted this picture on Instagram of my first quilt finish for 2020...

 this was my problem child, the Cutting Corners quilt... it looks good here...  this is the quilt that I put in time out  back in 2016 out as it wouldn't lay flat... I took the borders off and sewed them back on 4 times.... grrr... it should be back this week.

And I sewed the back together for my Tiki Tok Calder quilt... you can see it here.

not a great picture but an interesting pieced back... put it in the mail to David on Thursday... and then turned my attention to the Snowfall blocks I started back in November... ta dah!!

I'm not happy with the color here... the quilt is a creamy beige-y white... but the best thing is the
top  is complete... 9 BIG blocks (18" finished) from the book Charm School by Vanessa Goertzen...

this one is a reach back in the past from my stash... that Fruitcake fabric from Basic Grey is at least 10 years old... and the pearlescent snowflake fabric is from P&B's Naturescapes... I think it is pushing 20 years old... really... I made a jacket out of it waaaaay back then... it is a beautiful piece of fabric that I have been aging... I still have a couple of yards and I have sealed it back up in its little plastic bin till another project that it is just perfect for comes along...I'm holding off sending this one to be quilted... I have a little time before Christmas...LOL


And then I moved onto another BIG project that I want DONE DONE DONE this year... actually the deadline for this to be completely stitched and off to the finisher is November 1... I have been asked by my son and daughter in law to stitch a needlepoint stocking for Elliott... I stitched stockings for the family 35 years ago... this one is my son's ...

it is BIG... 23" long and 9" wide at the top... on 18 count canvas... what was I thinking???  Well I visited a local needlepoint shop on Friday and found a perfect canvas ... it was meant to be... it was the only one they had by this same company... Strictly Christmas... and it has all the elements I wanted... a Santa, a tree and a window...

now I am going to make a few adjustments to this ... down on the toe are a couple of packages... I'm going to paint over them and put in a train engine like the one on my son's stocking... my son is a BIG Lego train fan... as a child he was totally entranced by trains and we rode lots of different steam engines across the US... in Ohio and Pennsylvania and Connecticut and California... great memories... and I'm sure Elliott will have plenty of exposure to trains... and my son loved the idea of making an engine prominent on the stocking... I have to say I was surprised when my son asked me to do a stocking for Elliott... he told me he loved having the stocking as a kid... I didn't realize it had made such an impression on him... I always loved the stockings but I didn't realize he did too... that makes me very happy... and it will be wonderful that Elliott will have a stocking made by his Grandma... more making memories, right??

The shop was very helpful and we picked out fibers as close to what I used before as we could... you can't get exact matches for 35 year old materials... but then I got home and remembered that somewhere there was a box of fibers left over from those days... and I found it...

I know it is a mess but I've fished out the blue for the sky and perle cottons for boots and Marlitt for the belt  and angora for the beard and there are more fibers in there that will work... I've found some red that matches the coat ...not sure if there is enough and will have to decide if I want to live dangerously and use it... I did pick up a red velvet fiber at the shop ... that is probably the best choice.


So right now I'm in the mood to work on this because it is a BIG project ...and it has a deadline...and  while I'm enthusiastic now that will fade...

But I'm also really really wanting to sew... I opened another plastic prison bin and pulled out blocks that haven't seen the light of day since 2017... these are from  Tula Pink's City Sampler: 100 Modern  Quilt Blocks book... I started these in 2016... and lost interest...and restarted the project in 2017...and lost interest... but now they are interesting again...

They are all done in my beloved Momo fabrics from Moda... oh how I love those 70's greens and golds and oranges and pinks... the colors of my youth... I have all of the Momo collections up to this year and have made several quilts from her lines... you can see one here and here and here and here and here... she isn't one of Moda's big name designers but I LOVE her stuff... I don't know anything about her other than she is Japanese and quite private ... she isn't even listed on  Moda's Designers page anymore ...and in the past, her profile picture on Moda's site was of the back of her head...

I've completed 56 of the 100 blocks and that is all I'm going to do... I'm setting them with a lovely Grunge called Chiffon... my FAVORITE Grunge ....

This is a layout from the Tula Pink book called Slide Rule...now mine is a little narrower and shorter as I'm using less blocks but it should finish about 63" x 74"... a nice throw...

I still have no clue why I'm so entranced with my UFO's to start this year, but I'm not going to question it... I'm just going to go with the flow... after I get this quilt top together there is another older Spring-y quilt think I'm going to release... as I remember it  just needs a border ... and this whole situation proves my philosophy of why it is important to have UFO's... you shouldn't feel guilty... sometimes you just lose interest... but then when you remember a project ...and it intrigues you again...and you pull it out and realize... IT IS ALMOST DONE... you are re-energized to finish that puppy... and that is a WONDERFUL feeling... so make sure you have UFO's... quilting UFO's, cross stitch UFO's, knitting UFO's, etcetera, etctera, etcetera... LOL

Weather last week wasn't bad... turned cold ... really COLD last night... not going to break 32 degrees for a couple of days... but no snow... I am thankful for that... it is January...in Ohio... 70 degrees is not a normal temperature...

So I have plans again for this week ...and not too many obligations... some dinner plans and I should go get the oil in my car changed...they do it for free at the dealership, I just need to get it there...

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... no family dinner plans tonight...yesterday we celebrated my oldest son's 35 birthday... I know I said he was going to be 34 last week... and you know math is NOT my strong suite... LOL... anyway we had a nice time ...lots of appetizers and desserts... I may make a pot of soup...that would taste good on a cold night... something simple... chicken and rice... yeah...that does sound good...

Hope you have a great week ahead... I know some of you are getting a lot of snow and bad weather...hope it is over soon... stay warm and do something crafty...

happy stitching-
carol fun

Snowmania ... inside... on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello -- well this is the first week that has felt "normal"... things occurred on the days they were suppose to... and I like that routine... we didn't have a lot of places to go and I like that too... I did consign all the Christmas decorations to their plastic bins and my son toted them down to the basement... did a small purge and have a little pile of stuff to give to Goodwill... made a bit more room for more stuff... and I LOVE my stuff!!

It is taking longer to get out all the snowmania than in the past... couldn't be because I'm getting older and slower, could it??  No way... well maybe... and there was a bit of indecision on my part as where to put what... I didn't want the displays to be exactly like they were last year...which would have been the easy way out... I wanted to mix things up a little... and some things are in different places but other things returned to their previous location... oh well... I'm happy with the arrangement so far.. a rough count is at least 80 pairs of beady little eyes are peering out into my living room... good thing I'm not paranoid...LOL.. and copious amounts of fake snow have fallen here, there,  and everywhere... my family thinks they may need to stage an intervention ... I do love the look of the snow in the displays... but they are safe for the moment as I've run out of the fake snow... should have bought more after Christmas... will remember to do that next year as I don't see my fascination with the sparkly stuff diminishing any time soon...

Here's what I'm "done" with.. to start... my calendar display... the January edition of Hands on Designs A Year of Celebration and a Christmas present from my younger son... a snow/glitter globe... so cool!! ... and fake snow...

I moved the Prairie Schooler Winter piece to the other side of the entertainment center so it got a little more attention... and fake snow...

Moving around the room... the wall quilt and tier tray... this was a super easy quilt... it is a panel from Moda... I added the two borders on the bottom and had Quilting by David do a great Snow Crystals panto on it... I love his vintage 50's vibe...

the tier tray has a nice mix of cross stitch and snowmen ...

at the top a piece from Teresa Kogut...

next level has the Winter ABC's from Lizzie Kate

and my most recent finish... Holiday Hoopla Christmas... except I eliminated the Christmas elements... for me Christmas and snowmen are mutually exclusive... so I removed his hat and gave him a cute bow tie ... added some pompom trim and popped him into a little tart pan...

bottom level has Alfred from Heart in Hand Designs... I'd like to do some more small pieces like him to add to my displays...

I'm still working on the shelf display but I did get All Bundled Up FFO'd..... I love that polka dot ribbon... picked it up months ago at Dollar Tree... bought a couple of spools ... you'll see more of it ...

Another display is this two tier table.... lots of beady little eyes here... mostly ornaments ... I love all these little guys too... notice the artful use of fake snow... LOL

A new display area for me is in my kitchen... I got in trouble after seeing this chicken wire box shelf on IG... I pined after it for a while and then found it at my local Hobby Lobby for 50% off... sold!!!

it is a generous size and I was able to fill it with two snowman cookie jars which are both gifts from my younger son and lots of smaller snowmen who are food themed... you can't see it in this picture but there is a lip on the box and inside at the base is.... wait for it... fake snow!!

So while snowmania is happening inside Mother Nature has no clue what season it is... last week had a couple of lovely sunny days in the 50's and the last 2 days have been rainy and 65... we broke a 90 year old record for a high temperature yesterday... 70 degrees ... in January ... in Ohio... I'm not complaining because my furnace isn't running non-stop... forecast for next week is unseasonably mild temperatures... I'll bet we pay for this in February and March... Mother Nature always wins in the end.

As for what I got done in the crafty realm this week... well I finished knitting  a shawl I stumbled across in a ziploc bag... I have NO clue when I started it, but it is very pretty yarn and an easy pattern... I'll show it when I get it blocked... and that led me to another project which is totally captivating me... I can't stop knitting on this...

The pattern is a freebie called Taina and you can see it here.... the yarn is a new to me brand ...Urth Yarns  Uneek Fingering... I got it here at Jimmy Beans  Wool... I love that it stripes up and slowly changes colors... the beginning has a lovely olive and taupe stripe section...moving into gold and brown ...and now I'm knitting a turquoise and rust section...

 between wanting to get to a new pattern repeat and wanting to get to a new color section I can't put it down... lots of easy garter stitch and yarn overs... I'm using the 3002 colorway which you can see here... but I also bought a skein of 3020 ... you can't have a skein of yarn or a fat quarter of fabric or a pattern travel alone... its like with nuns... they have to have a companion with them... right???

I did make some progress on the Winter Welcome...

I'm shooting for a finish next week...

And in the meantime there is a lot on the agenda next week... lunches with friends and babysitting and dinner with friends and a birthday celebration for my older son... he'll be 34... boy the time flys ... for today we have a spaghetti and meatball dinner planned ... and we can break in the new high chair I got for Elliott... that should be fun...


Well I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and check out what everyone else is up to...there are quilt block on my design wall calling out for companionship ... I hope I can accommodate them later in the week...and I'm pondering several new quilt projects ... can't make up my mind which to start first...hope you have a great week ahead... I'm off to prep dinner and I had a thought where there might be another little bag of that fake snow... more snowmania...LOL!

happy stitching-
carol fun