Raving squirrels...

I saw this one someone else's blog and it totally sums up my quilting at the moment...

I've been working on at least 4 different projects and only one is done and the other 3 aren't anywhere near a finish...and there is another quilt or two I'd love to play with too...raving squirrels...

Let's see if I can pinpoint where it all started...oh yeah...  this is my almost complete Arcade quilt top...the fabric is Saturday Morning by Basic Grey...

things were going well till I sewed the top half to the bottom half... I spent an hour making sure all my intersection where the quarter square triangles met the sashing were as perfect as I could get them... but I totally forgot to check if the sashing top and bottom lined up.... spoiler...they don't...grrrr!!!!

It starts out fine in the middle but the further you get to either end it gets more and more off... I need to take this seam apart and either mark the sashing to get it to line up or maybe insert cornerstones...and then I'll spend another hour getting those quarter square triangle corners perfect... and well I didn't want to do that...so I didn't... instead I started something new...well I actually started two new projects...

Now both of these quilts are using American Jane fabrics from my stash, but they have different backgrounds... the checkerboards on the right side have a yellow polka dot background and the flowers on the right have a blue polka dot background. As for the checkerboard blocks which are 49 squares each, I need 16 of those.... and the flower blocks I need 15 flower heads ...I'm making 5 different ones and then 3 of each of  those and 15 sets of leaves. I LOVE these happy American Jane fabrics!

But then another squirrel darted into the house... I'd seen a picture of a quilt on IG that I liked...you can see it here... it is the Double Slice pattern that was on Missouri Star a while ago...here's a link to that video. I'd liked this pattern when I first saw it but I REALLY like it with the sashing and well... I HAD to try it RIGHT NOW!!

I have plenty of layer cakes but this one was on top of the table and yes, I did just get done making another top with this fabric... it is an old Momo called Just Wing It... it has a 70's vibe as I think all of Momo's stuff does, and reminds me of vintage sheets when the world, and my Mom, cleaned out their linen closets of plain white sheets and bought new colorful printed ones.

This sews up in a flash and no two blocks are identical...here are 36 of the 42 I made.

I'd like to sash this with a Moda Grunge and use some of the still leftover fabric I have from this line for cornerstones... just need yardage of the Grunge. This isn't a final arrangement of the blocks, I just slapped them up there and looking at a photo makes it easier to rearrange.

And speaking of Grunge and this collection of Momo... well... the other squirrel I've been playing with it this table runner...

This is the third time I've made this pattern for a  table runner and the third time I've used Moda Grunge as a background...this time it is soft olive-y sage-y green with  mini charm squares from the Momo Just Wing it...hey when I like a collection of fabric I REALLY REALLY REALLY like it!!  LOL

I quilted it with a big wavy line and some variegated Sulky I had in my stash...here's a close up...

I think it goes well with the rug and is a nice background for my little pots of lavender... real lavender... smells so good!

So that's what my squirrels have been doing...and I have a feeling they will continue to rave on for a while... darn squirrels...LOL!

happy stitching-
carol fun

Long and skinny on a Slow Stitching Sunday... (LOL the stitching ...not me)

First off as I sporadically sometimes occasionally ... okay almost ALWAYS complain about the weather I would like to say that today the weather in my little corner of the world is PERFECT!!!!   It is high noon, the sun is shining, there is a lovely breeze and it is only 76 degrees... I have all the windows open in the house and I am loving it!

I started my morning by sitting in my happy chair in my pjs finishing off the last chart of the Lizzie Kate Jingles....ta dah!!!

I will add the two border rows to the bottom of this tonight while I watch my PBS British shows and then all I need to do is add the buttons and embellishments.  Here's a more close up view of the piece...

Jingles top...

Jingles bottom...

Even though I can't do all 12 charts I'm still very happy  with this piece. It will fit nicely  in the narrow space next to my front door when Christmas arrives.

And speaking of the narrow space next to my front door this is what is adorning that spot right now...

My Little House Needlework ABC's  Sampler in all its glory...

Now this is the 2nd time I've had this pieced framed... I had a disastrous  experience at a local big box craft retailer who's name I won't mention but it starts with the letter that comes between Linen and Needles. I ended up taking it out of that  frame and trying a new to me place that is much closer to my house. I think they did a great job and I was pleasantly surprised that price wise they really aren't any more expensive than the big box store.  The first yuccky framing ran about $50 ... the second lovely framing was $60... I'm willing to pay that difference for a quality job. And I noticed that a the big box store the price started out waaaay higher and then is reduced by the coupon... at the new frame place they just gave me the price...and no pressure to add mats or glass like at the big box place.

I'm very happy with all my color changes... those pops of yellow make me soooooo happy... oh the floss I used was Crescent Colors Queen Bee... my favorite yellow!

Here's a couple of close ups...

The frame I picked is a slightly weathered creamy white wood...very simple...not too wide... I really like it ...and when I went to pick this one up I saw that they had several good candidates for my Jingles piece... great motivation to get it finished and framed before the holidays... yeah for me!

Well, I see a lot  more cross stitching in my future as this last week saw me clicking away on the internet purchasing charts and floss and linen... I just got on a roll and was carried away like a leaf on the breeze (OMG... it would have to be a gale force hurricane wind to carry me off...LOL) but anyway I did choose some pretty things.  I even signed up for Brenda Gervais With Thy Needle and Thread Summer Schoolhouse - Lessons in Abcedarian which you can see here.

I love the design that I've seen so far and she says that learning how to stitch over one on 28 count won't be  a problem...we shall see... I think I'm going to have to get a hoop... I have a q-snap frame somewhere, but  I saw she works in a small 5" hoop ... I figure I'll give it a try.

Well I hope the weather where you are is as nice  as it is here... I've got a lasagna prepped for dinner tonight prepared by the requests of my sons... life is good!!

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom - No Cape tomorrow...

happy stitching-
carol fun

Oh carp... I don't believe I did that...

but I did!!!!   So I've been moving right along on my Lizzie Kate Christmas Jingles piece... excuse the wrinkles...

starting on the 9th chart... 3 more to go...when I realize that there doesn't seem to be a lot of linen left on this piece... so I pull out the charts that are left and add up the stitch count and then count the linen and  THERE IS NOT ENOUGH LINEN LEFT!!!!! arghhh........... Only then did I remember that last December when I started this piece  I realized after I stitched the 2nd chart that this cut of linen was too short... you know I have horrible math skills and I still don't know why I mis-counted or mis-measured but I did. I told myself then I'd have to start over... and in my memory I thought I had started this piece over on a new cut of linen... but I didn't... so I blithely picked this back up a couple of weeks ago thinking I'd restarted when I didn't.... no one to blame but me....

So after bad words were said and there was weeping and gnashing of teeth I took a  deep breath and realized this does not have to include all 12 charts... it will still look lovely with only 10 of the little designs and that is exactly what is going to happen.  I will finish the Love chart today and stitch the cute little owl that says Silent Night and then I'll add the border rows that Lizzie Kate included on Jingles and I will call it done... my version... and I am happy with that. The last two charts included a bell and a mitten with a Let it Snow tag line... I can live without them... I'll stitch them as ornaments someday...

Here's a closer look at what I've done in the past 2 weeks...

that section with merry took quite a while...lots of solid stitching... this is a cute piece and I look forward to it being framed and hanging by my front door for the 2107 Christmas season.

On a brighter note, I did some finishing of my own on my Lizzie Kate Summer piece...

I got my inspiration from Priscilla's blog again. The cross stitch is mounted on sticky board and the background piece is two cuts of a cotton that was left over from a quilt I recently made... they were sitting on my cutting table. At first I was just going to use the rose-y color fabric at the bottom but the piece was too short so I added the blue on the top and I like it even better!!  The ribbon was in my stash as was the little package of buttons you can cover yourself.  The whole thing is clipped to a little stand I got at Micheals last year.

Here's how it looks in the 3 tier tray...

I changed out the orange-y hydrangeas for these dusty plum ones but didn't touch the rest of the decorations, and hung my favorite  Petunia Stack N Whack quilt behind it.

A nice cool look for a hot summer day... well I'm taking it easy today...no dinner to cook ... I think I'll stitch tonight as I watch my PBS shows... Grantchester is back... I enjoy that one.

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom - No Cape on Monday... I hope to have a quiet week... right now there is very little on my calendar... I like that A LOT!!!  Hope to get some sewing done. I have a table runner cut out and  need to fix one more seam (a long one) on a top I've been working on. I'm behind on several other BOM and BOTW projects... maybe I can catch up.

Hope your week if filled with whatever it is you want to do...

happy stitching-
carol fun

Flowers on Friday...

Oh baby it is hot hot hot outside... it is 7pm and it is still 90 degrees... glad I'm inside with my AC. I know I've been absent here for over a week...nothing going on...just life... but I do have a little something to show today...the fruits of my gardening labors and a little flower quilt...

First the quilt...

This only measures 12" x 24" and it is hanging on my back door... I think it looks bright and summery... the pattern is from Lori Holt's book Vintage Farmgirl and the fabrics are all American Jane... such happy fabrics... I love this flower a whole bunch and would like to make an entire quilt from them!  I'll put it on my list of things to do... which right now is about 3 feet long...oh well.

And now for  the other flowers in my life... my  yard/garden... I don't have a back yard since my house sits on the corner so what I have is a front yard and a side yard and all my gardening is visible to the street... sometimes I wish I had a more private space but then only I would enjoy my flowers. I remind myself that lots of people get to enjoy them this way and I do get lots of compliments when I'm out in the evenings watering.

It is nice for me to post pictures here so I can remember what the plantings look like as the season progresses. Everything seems so puny in the Spring but it has come on gangbusters in the last week.

The front of my house...

one window box and additional boxes on the porch ledge...

the side of the house... my favorite view of  my house...

window boxes and perennials and pots of flowers.

a close up of the front window box...

the petunias have filled in nicely.. if you make the picture bigger you can see there are 3 different colors... a light yellow, a light lavender and a pink with a yellow center... all of these are wave petunia varieties.

this spot is tucked into the corner and makes me very happy... lots of perennials with an edging of annuals... I was going for a English garden look chock full of different flowers... in bloom now are 2 types of cone flowers each a different shade of orange, my hydrangea is blooming pink, I've forgotten what that tall purple flower is but it is beautiful... there are day lilies in the back and some gallardia to the left side. Not yet blooming but will be soon are white daisies and tall phlox and 2 other perennials that I don't remember what I planted but they are looking good.

On the side of the house by the back door...

the pyramid of petunias ... I pass by this every time I come in and out of the house and I LOVE LOVE LOVE it... that rose tree smells so good!

And last year this began as a overflow area and it has become even more overflowing this year... lots of pretties have followed me home from the garden centers...

there is a little bit of everything here from snapdragons to zinnias to geraniums to more petunias... that big pot on the end has pink wave petunias which something munched on the other night and dahlias in the center...

this petunia was just too pretty to leave at the nursery last week...

my problem is I find ALL petunias to be pretty...LOL... and I want to give them all a good home...but I'm running out of space.  I didn't take a picture of my rose bushes but they are doing nicely... the deer did come for an evening buffet in spite of my spraying them and putting down the stinky deer scram stuff but they did leave some blooms... I know that the roses will be a constant battle but I'm hanging in there.  I'm very very happy with my garden yard this year... and I already have ideas for next year... so many pretty flowers... so little time... and dirt...LOL

Hope your weekend plans give you time to stop and smell the flowers... I need to water tonight but hopefully Mother Nature will do the job for me tomorrow and Sunday... I'm waiting till 8pm to go out and drag out the hose ... and then I'll be back inside for a cool shower and more AC.

happy stitching-
carol fun

Slow Sunday Stitching with Christmas in June...

So it appears that I can only manage one post a week... sorry... but in my defense last week found me to be extremely popular ... I had a lunch date every day last week... all were fun and tasty but I didn't get much accomplished otherwise.


No measurable knitting was finished... although I did buy some yarn...

I found this at my "big" Joanns... it is Superfine Merino a DK/Light Worsted ... it has 142 yds in a ball and it is super soft... it is also a bit pricey... $14.99 a ball... so of course this yarn can ONLY be purchased by me with a coupon... and I've lucked into several 50% off coupons. Now on Memorial Day I thought I was going to make out big time as I had 3 coupons for 60% off...except Joanns punked me as they marked this yarn down to $12.99 making my coupons useless...grrrr... this just makes me more determined to only buy this stuff with a coupon. OH I saw a great meme/t-shirt the other day ...

my situation EXACTLY...LOL!!

And fabric was purchased ... 2 jelly rolls and some bargain stuff from Instagram... but no sewing was done... insert frown-y face...

But there was progress on the cross stitching front... cross stitching is perfect for "watching" my beloved Reds play baseball... there were some good games, some great games, and so OMG terrible games... it softens the blow... LOL

First I want to show you a finished piece...now I finished this ages ago but I just recently got it framed and it looks great in my early summer decorating...

This is from the BBD Loose Feathers Abecedarian series... this was #3 and is called Forget me Not... my blue skeins were nice and bright and I love this  piece....and here is how it looks in my living room.

I love that I've been able to incorporate several cross stitch pieces on these display shelves...

on the top shelf I have my latest small finish ... and in the middle there is my beloved Lizzie Kate Spring sampler....

and at the bottom I have Forget me Not and a nice stack of summer-y looking quilts... along with lots of birds... you know I have a thing for fowl right???  LOL

And this is what I've been cross stitching.... my Lizzie Kate Jingles piece...

last time I touched this was December of '16 and I only had 2 of the charts finished... I got two and a half done this week...

love the snowman and the cardinals... and the cute heart frame...

the stocking and the cookies are fun motifs and while I like those peppermints they were a bear to stitch... hard to fit in the white stitches after I had the red ones complete...but they are stinking cute!

and this one should be complete tonight... just a couple of simple motifs to finish... that would give me 5 of the 12 charts done...yeah... I would like to have this one wrapped up by the July... maybe not the beginning of July but before it is over... I know exactly where I'm going to hang this and it will be a nice addition to my Christmas decorating.

So while I'd like to do some sewing next week I'm not promising anything... the other project on my list is cleaning out my garage... and this week looks like it would be perfect for that... dry weather, not too hot and so far, other than a doctor visit for my son tomorrow, there  is nothing on my social calendar ( oh that sounds so pretentious... snark)... there is stuff I want to take to Goodwill and stuff the just needs to be trashed. I have a shelving unit I want to assemble and organize my gardening stuff ...and I want to wipe down the shelves I have my grocery inventory on ( my older son teases me about my stockpile of toilet paper and boxed pasta, but if the zombies attack he'll be begging me for spaghetti and Charmin)... I figure if I say it outloud here on the blog that I'm going to clean out the garage I'll guilt myself into it... fingers crossed.

Hope you are having a nice Sunday...weather here has been sooooo nice... I love when the temps stay in the mid 70's to low 80's and the humidity isn't too high... that is perfect in my book. I've got dinner in the oven... a baked ziti dish with chicken and alfredo and lots of cheese... I'm making asparagus wrapped in prosciutto and a salad and rolls and a strawberry pie from Frisch's for dessert... can't wait till 6pm!

I'm linking up with Kathy's Quilts today and Super Mom - No Cape tomorrow...

happy stitching-
carol fun