Unexpected events? What was I thinking???

So two weeks ago I titled my post Unexpected Events... prophetic?  I had no idea what was ahead... like most of you life has been turned upside down and shaken strongly in the last week... here in Ohio the schools are closed (probably until the beginning of May as it stands right now), restaurants and bars are closed except for carryout or delivery, department stores and other retail places are closed, and most recently hair salons and barber shops... it gonna get ugly in more ways than one... no one needs to see my roots...literally...

And I'm not gonna lie... I'm still trying to wrap my head around all of this... I'm seeing plenty of pictures on social media about how much everyone is getting done... that hasn't been the story here... I'm having trouble focusing... more than my usually BB in a box car behavior... and I've spent waaay too much time mindlessly scrolling  through Instagram.. NOTE to others... when you follow over 3800 people on IG you can scroll for hours and never see a repeat post... really, you can...  you probably shouldn't do this... if I can't be a good example, perhaps I can be a warning... don't do as I do... unless you want to... and then do it... right now it makes me feel better and gets my mind off of things and I figure I shouldn't beat myself up over it.

I have found that staying in my pajamas all day seems like a great idea... it isn't... I'm definitely better when I get up, make the bed and get dressed... I'll admit I haven't put on any makeup for a week but I have on clothes that I can go out in public with... and the only people who've seen my face were at a drive up window and I don't think they are judging.

I think it is okay to admit it is a scary time...I have plenty of food and other essential supplies... I'm not a hoarder or a prepper but I do like have a nice stash of paper and cleaning products and frozen meat and foods ... my inventory of TP has been ridiculed in the past... who's laughing now??? l use to tease that TP would be currency in an apocalypse... pretty smart ain't I?  And it goes without saying (but I'll say it anyway) I have lots of essential crafty stuff... I have plenty of yarn, fabric and thread...absolutely no chance I'll run out of things to do...when I can focus and do them.

Also these changes are only happened a week ago (although it feel like a month)... it takes time to adjust to change... and the older I get the longer it takes... like getting up off the floor... I can do it but you can't rush me...

This morning when I woke up this popped into my head...

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

Right now I'm praying for wisdom...snd in the spirit of being more cheerful, I'll show you some of the Spring decorating that I completed before everything changed...

Here's the shelf unit... there is stuff from last Spring and new stuff... and I tried to arrange things differently...

Starting at the top I've got Ah tis' Spring from Notforgotten Farms... love that bunny... and a Spring Lizzie Kate piece on the front of a little caddy filled with tulips... I do LOVE tulips... the bunny jars are both new purchases this year... from Marshalls/TJ Maxx/Homegoods ....

Next shelf  has a little lady with a BIG tulip being cozy with one of my carrot cars... she's from Pineberry Lane.... and Prarire Schooler March - Daffodils is flanked by cut bunnies that look like foil wrapped chocolate... but they aren't... they are some sort of pottery...

Third shelf has Sampler Hill  by With Thy Needle & Thread... I love this sampler... did you know there are 99 tulips in the border?  Some of the ceramic bunnies here are old and some are new... the cabbage I picked up this year.

It is a very nice display and I'm enjoying the cheerful colors... most needed at this time.

Outside on the porch I decorated the little shelf unit...

Starting at the top ... another carrot car... you can tell I'm infatuated with them?... and a paper mache glittery bunny head...  Below that some candles and candle holders that I white washed... they came from Hobby Lobby ... and I love the bunny in the decorated egg... I picked him up at the super markets last year.... On the bottom is a collection of bunny heads... the lastest purchase is the one with the yellow glasses...

isn't he adorable??

And one more display... this is in my TV cabinet...

the little chick jar with the egg was something I saw on IG but couldn't find anywhere locally... my friend Stephanie found it on a site called Mecari... had to have it... think I'll use it again when I bring out all my chickens in the summer.

As for accomplishing anything, there isn't much to show... I did get all of the red part of Santa's coat stitched on Elliott's stocking... it is some kind of velvet fiber and it was very nice to stitch with and looks and feels lovely... here's  a pic of the back as it shows more clearly what is done...

and here's where I was a month ago...

It makes me feel better to see some progress on this....

And since I couldn't settle on what to stitch... should I start something new... or pick up something old... I knew I needed something that didn't require a lot of decision making so I turned to something I always love stitching ... a Blackbird Design sampler...

this one is O Joyous Day... I got it several months ago from a shop in Wisconsin as I remember... it was released at Market so it is easy to find now... not gonna apologize for the wrinkles...I'm very happy with the turquoise linen ... but I should have cut the fabric larger...not a lot of extra fabric ... but enough to have it framed close to the design which I like.   I have one more flower to do in this section... checked my count and oh is is off... not ripping it out... luckily the piece has 3 sections and I should be able to get back on track...

I think I'll wait to pick a date for a Joyous Day... perhaps the date when it is okay for us over 60's to return to the outside world....

So I'm going to work hard to be positive next week... things are starting well... my son and daughter-in-law put a bid in on a bigger house on Friday and their offer was accepted... the real estate market is red hot here ... the house was listed less than 24 hours and there were multiple bids... the inspection is Monday and I'll get to see the inside then... the online listing only had pictures of the exterior and they didn't take any pictures while they were looking at the house... they had a showing at 4pm and by 5pm had made the offer...their real estate agent put it together before they left the house... less than 3 hours later their bid was accepted... quite a whirlwind... now instead of being walking distance from my house...about 3 minutes... it will be about  7 minute car trip...not too bad... I drove past the house yesterday and it is a lovely neighborhood... sidewalks on both sides of the street and mature trees... the neighborhood is about 50 years old... lots of kids out playing so it should be a perfect spot for Elliott and hopefully a sibling in the future... we shall see.. definitely something positive to focus on.

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I should spend some time seeing what others are up to... and I'm hoping for some sunny weather... although the forecast isn't promising... the day I got to work out in my yard last week did wonders for my state of mind... lets hope that next week brings some good news for all of us... take good care of yourselves... hugs!!  from a safe social distance....

happy stitching-
carol fun

Unexpected events on a Slow Stitching Sunday....

Well that week didn't turn out how I thought it would... it looked like a great week... the only thing I had to do was babysit Elliott on Tuesday...no appointments...no lunch engagements... no where to go... I was going to get sooooo much done... sewing, stitching, knitting, decorating... and then Monday came along... I started feeling icky around 5am... the fact that I know what time it was is a harbinger of a bad event as I'm NEVER up that early... I fought off the erpy- ness (I know it is a made up word) for several hours but eventually my stomach got the upper hand... ugh ugh ugh... spent the day in bed or in the bathroom... good thing it is a small house and a very short distance from one room to another... you know why... I think I got some bad lettuce as I had a salad for lunch and dinner on Sunday and I was the only one who got sick... other people who I dined with ate the carbs and they were fine... so much for eating healthy ... I should have had the burger...and the fries!! 

For the rest of the week I've been off... babied my stomach... lettuce has not passed my lips...which is so strange... I usually have a salad for at least one meal a day... I've been tired too... and Dan the handyman was here M/T/Th/F... he was busy busy busy ... but the job still isn't complete... as of Friday he's got all the doors hung, the trim and doors patched, sanded and primed and he's painted (first coat) 3 doors... remember there are 13 doors up (the special order  14th door still hasn't come in) and on Friday he told me the doors will need 2 coats of paint...which I can see ... and it might as well be done now or it won't get done... he wasn't available for work this weekend as he had other work obligations with his landlord, so it has been a quiet here... I'm ambivalent... I want the job done but I'm enjoying having the house back to myself... 

The week had a full gamut of weather from snow flurries to sunny and 50... today is suppose to hit 60 and the temperature is forecast to stay in that range all next week... but with rain... I could do without so much rain... I finally got the energy together to banish the snowmen to their plastic bins and broke out the Spring/Easter decor... I was talking to a friend and said I was happy that I've come up with a schedule for seasonal decorating that makes me happy...

Jan/Feb    Snowmen

Mar/Apr  Easter/Spring .... bunnies and chicks

May/Jun  Spring/Summer... birds

July          Patriotic

August     Chickens

Sept          Fall ... pumpkins

Oct           Halloween... more pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns

Nov          Thanksgiving... turkeys

Dec          Christmas

It is a bit of work... luckily my younger son totes the plastic bins up and down the stairs for me... he likes when I decorate so he's a good sport about the heavy lifting... I do look back at the pictures I take each season and see how I did things in the past... some things I put back in the same places as they won't fit elsewhere but I do try to change things up ... this time around I've got a new display area in my kitchen which was fun to to play with... and there is where I'll start...

this is the shelf box that I got at Hobby Lobby... I've been enamored with IG displays of Rae Dunn and did a little shopping ... picked up my first pieces of Rae Dunn... a collection is starting... my goal is just to do seasonal pieces ... so I got the PEEP eggs cups and the carrot car  Hop to It... a friend contributed the Cute Chick mug and the HOP egg cups in the bottom chicken wire area... that chick jar had to come home with me too... shopping at Marshalls/TGMaxx/Homegoods for these items... not places I normally go ... 

I put up my bright tulip quilt in the living room... the tulips are my take on the Lori Holt pattern  Tulip Patch in her Quilty Fun book ... this one is very scrappy and bright... 

the tier tray is a great spot for small cross stitch pieces... at the top is one I just finished ... it is part of the Hip Hop pdf chart from Primitive Acorns which you can find here... 

the other bunnies are Prairie Schooler  No. 178...other little knickknacks I've collected including cute bunny salt and pepper shakers from Cracker Barrel... I noticed this year the price went up to $1.29 from $.99... but the increase didn't stop me from picking up some new ones... 

I put my pansy plates in the same place as always because I also put my pansy quilt in the same place on back of the couch... 

they are all just 4 feet apart... and I pulled together my 2 pieces of vintage looking chick stuff with some cute chicks... to top off my tier table... 

the little yellow cabinet is again featuring my mercury glass duck and some cute cross stitch pieces... the white egg piece was a gift ...the bunny is  from With Thy Needle & Thread's Holiday Hoopla series and the Lizzie Kate Spring String is a long pin pillow...

I'm still working on the big shelf display so I'll save it for next week ... I did get the Prairie Schooler Daffodils/March piece FFO'd...

I painted the "frame" multiple times... it started out bright yellow...ow... too bright... repainted it a softer yellow...not enough contrast with the stitching... broke out some green paint... lightened it up and slapped it on... I like the messy brush strokes on this ... kinda like the wind the piece talks about...

I worked a little on Elliott's stocking but never made it to the needlepoint store... maybe this week...  I need to make a decision on background color soon... 

And in case you think I forgot... I didn't... my semi-annual rant against Daylight Saving Time... and this is the one I hate the most... who wants to lose an hour of sleep???  There have been clinical studies that this change is hazardous to many people's health... accident rate increase in the first week of the time change, as do the occurance of heart attacks... the human body wasn't designed for this ... everyone could wait a couple of weeks and it will get lighter earlier ... waiting won't kill you but DST just might... I know that some states have voted to not do DST anymore but they are waiting on Congress to approve the measure... let's just do it for the entire US... I think it would make the majority of people happy... and on top of the time change this week you have a full moon and a Friday the 13th... my deepest sympathy to teachers and health care workers... along with carnivorously you've got a rough week ahead... and why don't people wash their hands more?? I've been admonished to do this since childhood... soap and hand sanitizer have been flying out of the stores... really?? what have people been doing before this?... don't bother to answer ... I know... I'm pretty sure that the bad lettuce I got last week wasn't washed properly or was prepared by someone who hadn't washed their hands... okay... I'll stop ranting now...

 I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... and I hope to have some time to sit in the sun on my porch... I'm not cooking dinner... think we'll do take out from somewhere... no salad for me... maybe pasta...  the upcoming week looks quiet but then so did last week... I'm just hoping that all door project gets wrapped up... but then there are other projects I want Dan to tackle... but none of them seem as complicated... at least I hope they aren't...

Have a great week everyone... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Topsy-turvy on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Hello --well it has been a  bit topsy-turvy around here for the past 2 weeks.... first there was a week of appointments and problems to be dealt with and then this last week has had me glued to the house dealing with a home improvement project which isn't totally done ... but it is getting there...for over a year I've wanted to replace the interior doors in my house...they were the original 1953 heavy blonde wood ...nice but i prefer white doors... thought about having them painted but it would have required taking them down, sanding them, painting and rehanging the doors...and that wouldn't have addressed the issue of the door knobs that have been falling off or the ugly hinges... soooooo... I've opted for new white 6 panel doors with the brushed nickel hinges and door levers...

Now I need 14 doors for my little house... and it needed 5 different sized stock door slabs along with 1 custom slab... and those doors that can be replaced with the stock sized doors, are all slightly different sizes from the stock slab... so each and every door needs to be custom sized and trimmed by my handyman Dan... and that takes time... a lot of time... so far it has taken a least 2 hours per door and he is not a slow worker.  The doors have all been hung at this point... new hinges put on the door frames ... Dan wants to start to fill in the holes in the door jams where the old hardware was but it is a multi step process as the old hinges were HUGE and ugly and left BIG voids... then he still needs to paint the slabs ( I thought they came painted they are only primed and it is a creamy white, not the white WHITE the trim is painted in my house) and install the door levers... he's been here since Wednesday... and today is Sunday... and I think it is going to take until Wednesday or Thursday to complete this job.

Dan is a great guy and a great handyman... I am so lucky to have him in my life... my little house would not be in such great shape without him... he paints and does construction and minor plumbing and electric and he trustworthy and doens't cut corners... which takes time... and I don't know why it is, but it is this way, I don't get much done when there is someone else in my house... and it alters my routine (I've had to get up early every day this week...ugh)...but,  I can't wait for the doors to be completed... they already make my house look lighter and brighter... it will be worth it, I know...

In the meantime, I have a couple of things to show that I've been working on... first... I've got Prairie Schooler Daffodils all stitched...

still needs to be FFO'd (fully finished object) and I planned to do that before today, as it is March 1, but didn't make it... this is another piece of 32 ct linen I painted...  I also planned to have my snowmen put away and my Spring decor up... but along with the home improvement project, the weather has got me out of whack... for the last 4 days I've woke up ...early, ugh... to  dusting of snow and cold temperatures ... this is the most winter weather we've had all season... it is suppose to hit mid 50's this afternoon and the forecast calls for more Spring-y weather going forward so hopefully when Dan is done with the doors I'll re-do the decor in the house...I've gotten some cute ceramic bunnies from Homegoods/Marshalls/TJMaxx... even a piece or two of Rae Dunn... I am NOT planning to collect Rae Dunn... but... there are some cute seasonal pieces and I've seen some bird houses I wouldn't mind having... oh no... not another collection...LOL

I have been sewing... simple stuff... I threw together this top one evening...took about 5 hours total...honest... I had seen this quilt ...click  here .. on Instagram... simple but striking...now there isn't a full picture but what I saw intrigued me... I loved the color palette... gold, deep turquoise, plum... I added some olive green and threw in some Charlie Harper prints with light backgrounds...

I love how it turned out... it is a free pattern but I can't find the link at the moment... so I'll just tell you it starts with 5" x 10" rectangles of fabric... nothing hard... now the really dark pieces in the top are plum... and what you see is the total extent of plum in my stash...not much... I'll be on the lookout for more ... I sent it off to Quilting by David to get the same loopy panto...and I put together a back from my stash so it was a totally FREE quilt...oh I'm so proud of me...LOL

Then I turned my attention to blocks that have been languishing since July 2015... I had made these Charming Star blocks in an I Spy fashion for at the time, my yet to be conceived grandchild... well said grandchild will be a year old in April and I'd like this to be part of his present sooooo...

all sewn together... got a turquoise minkee back for it at Homegrown, Homesewn...and sent it off to Quilting by David... it will be back in plenty of time for Elliott's party.

Then Friday morning I had a idea about the ziploc bag of leftover American Jane blocks in my sewing room... what if I made a crazy quilt with them??? hmmm... well it might look like this...

I haven't got it all sewn together yet but I think this is the final layout... now there are blocks from at least 4 different quilts I've started and not completed or extra blocks from other quilts... all American Jane collections except for a scattering of backgrounds that are other collections... I know that a couple of blocks were part of a start of a Farmer's Wife SAL that I never  could keep up with...the big blocks were suppose to be flower tops for a Lori Holt quilt...  and the coffee cups, the baskets, the apples, the trees and the stars were part of a quilt in BH&G magazine that didn't get finished either... oh well... I've always wanted to do a quilt like this so I'm HAPPY!!!  I haven't touched the Fresh as a Daisy blocks... and I've only gotten one more 49 patch block done in the last 2 weeks... too distracted by the home improvement project.

A side note - I always like square quilts... and most of my quilts have been square quilts... till recently when every quilt has been a rectangle... hmmm... new direction??

So today is March 1... for me the beginning of Spring... I want to do a good cleaning in my house, but I'm not starting till Dan is done with the doors...  there is  fine saw dust everywhere ... but then there are other projects I have for him too... he use to be available only on weekends but now he's open during the week too... and a have a long list of little jobs I'd like him to tackle... he's happy for the work and I'll be happy to get things taken care of ... should be a busy Spring/Summer around here... I have 2 painting projects I want done... one inside and one outside... will need the weather to cooperate for that and the forecast while warmer has a lot of rain in it... ugh...

OH before I forget... the dahlia tubers are in at Costco... last year I bought 6 bags for a total of 60 tubers ...I bought some smaller bags here and there too but that was my bulk purchase last year... I dug up all the tubers but didn't tag them so when I re-plant those it will be a surprise what comes up... I plan to do better this year with labelling the dahlias... and to start that project I bought not 6 but 7 bags of tubers... I know I should hang my head in shame but instead I'm doing a little happy dance...

I thought that the varieties this year would be the same as last year but they are all different as far as I can remember... look at that ruffly purple and white one in the last bag... I think they are called cactus dahlias and I don't have any like that.... soooooo, that's my excuse for buying 7 bags... hard to pass them up at Costco prices... I plan to plant them closer together this year so I can have more flowers...I've seen pictures of gardens with the plants all packed together and I LOVE that look... now to order some zinnia seeds...

So new month, new plans ... I am going to focus on Elliott's stocking for the month of March... I need to go back to the needlepoint shop and get some more fibers and order the background wool... I know I have till October to finish it but I'd feel better the sooner it is done... I may give myself permission to do a little seasonal piece but the majority of my stitching hours need to be the stocking... I'm already drooling over the new crossstitch that is coming out at market... ALL of Brenda Gervais pieces are WONDERFUL... and I've seen some Kathy Barrick and Liz Mathews stuff I like too ... and Blackbird Designs doesn't usually reveal till the actual market and you know there will be something gorgeous there that I'll have to have ...


Well I will link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I should have some time to look at blogs this evening... doing lunch with my son and Elliott and then watching Elliott for a couple of hours so my son can get some work done... my DIL is out of town for a work event... and my son's job is really busy busy busy at the moment... happy to help out a bit...

Hope you have a great week ahead... I'm looking forward to newly painted doors and some warmer temperatures... and perhaps releasing  the Spring decor from their plastic bins... that would certainly make for a sunnier mood...

happy stitching-
carol fun

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