Sunday, August 19, 2018

Ongoing Halloween and a new video obsession on Slow Sunday Stitching...

No need to reiterate how fast the weeks fly by... Annie O of Annie's Orts commented that "the week did fly by like witch on a broom"... a very apt description. I had lots of things to do that took me out of the house...visit to pick up a quilt from my local quilt shop ...Homegrown Homesewn... appointment for my son... dinner with the quilty ladies...lunch for my son and his friend who lives about 40 miles away... didn't get the oil in the car changed...moved it to tomorrow...not as much written down for this coming week so I have high hopes to get lots of stitching and sewing and knitting done... but then I always do... hope spring eternal...LOL

The weather was hot and boy did it rain...Thursday we officially got 5" in one day...don't know if I got that much in my yard but it sure came down  in buckets.  I was happy not to water for a couple of days but I think I will have to do a little tonight...the coleus is looking droopy. I am soooooo ready for Fall... pumpkins, mums, decorative cabbages and kale... something to perk my bedraggled petunia window boxes. I was honored to win a local award for my yard again this year... the Deer Park Beautification Award... got a cool sign to put in my yard and a certificate signed by the mayor... so I feel an obligation to keep up appearances...and right now my flowers aren't at their best. I do have a slew of dahlias that are waiting to bloom... getting tall and I'm seeing some buds... can't wait for them to pop. And I want to buy those BIG pots of mums to put on my front steps and by my garage... I love them!!! Need to check out Costco and my local cheapy garden center... and I should wait till the first of September as I consider that the beginning of Fall, but lots of schools are already back in session and isn't that the beginning of Fall?

As for stitching I made a couple of changes to the Spooky Row I showed last week...


I backstitched with a light gray around the skeleton so he'd show better...


and I restitched the ruff on the vulture's neck so there is more contrast there too...


I'm contemplating taking this to be framed as getting the long pieces straight isn't easy and this one is 18" long... gotta look at those Joanns coupons.

As for the Lizzie Kate ABC Halloween I'm just about half way complete...


I love the way it looks on this linen...I did make Frankenstein green...he's charted in more of a beige/tan/yellow... too bland for my taste.  I've been thinking what pieces I want to get done for this Halloween...and there is this sampler, the Drawn Thread Halloween Welcome, the With Thy Needle & Thread The Cat and the Moon, and Matilda Hornsby... I think that's doable by the end of September... keep your fingers crossed.  I just have to guard against other shiny charts catching my eye...and yes I may be a touch delusional here but I prefer to think of it as being that eternal optimist...doesn't sound as nutso...LOL

I've found I like to cross stitch while "watching"  YouTube videos... I started with FlossTube channels and then stumbled upon this great gardening channel... its called Garden Answer and you can find it here... it is a husband and wife team...she narrates all the videos and he films them...she is adorable and her garden is phenomenal... they have 662 videos at last check...her parents own a garden center in Oregon which she grew up in and where she still helps out ... some of their videos are "a day in the life" and they are fun to watch... I am so impressed with her plantings and the property they live on... there is some great aerial video... right now my favorite episode is where they planted 44 hayrack window boxes ... OMG ... it is to die for... here is the one where they planted up everything... and here is the way they looked after about two months.  I have a new appreciation for purple after seeing her display... anyway as I lust after her beautiful flower beds I get ideas for my diminutive yard for next year... petunias or begonias or maybe short zinnias in my window boxes??? The short zinnias did great as an edge in my garden ... the petunias got leggy and scraggly...and it wasn't just me. I chatted with my neighbor who has a wonderful garden and he said the same thing. He pulled out some of his petunias and replanted begonias... maybe I should have done that. Gardening... always thinking ahead to what to do differently...

So this week should be a nice one... I saw a forecast with high temperatures only in the 70's and morning lows in the 50's...turn off the AC and open all the windows...I can't wait. Lots of things I want to do this week (heck lots of things I want to do every week...LOL) ...hope to get the quilt top for my son assembled... all the blocks are complete...just need to sew the rows together and add the sashing and the borders...oh borders...we know how long that takes me... but I do want this on his bed soon. And National Jelly Roll Day is coming up on September 15... last year I started the quilt that is currently on my bed, a pattern called Two Step from Missouri Star...you can see my quilt here on my Instagram page... carolfun53... I have plenty of jelly rolls ...just need to pick one and pattern... it will be something easy and fun!

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I always enjoy seeing what every one posts there...and again I'll say I hope to post some quilting...maybe this week it will happen...but don't hold your breath, you'll turn blue and pass out and I'll feel very bad about that...

happy stitching-
carol fun

12 comments:

  1. LOVE the colors in your linen, they really make your stitches pop! Good call on outlining your skelton. 5inches of rain is a lot...Hope the ground was able to take it all in. I'm not ready for fall, love summer. Used to like fall, then I remembered what follows ...brrrr
    Sandy's Space Hope you get more done of what you want in the coming week.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love the projects and I am crazy about those linens!

    ReplyDelete
  3. May I ask where you got the dyed linen, please?

    ReplyDelete
  4. All the Halloween stitching is wonderful. I love the color change and the outlining you have done. I will check into that gardening program you talked about. Now I am going to really complain. We are getting so much pollution form fires, we have to keep the house closed up even when the temps are good. We have reached the unhealthy level and are being told to stay inside as much as possible. I wander out to water and check on the garden, then back into the house. We can't even see the mountains at all. There are fires in all directions except west where we have the wonderful Pacific. I totally agree about the petunias. I am ready to pitch mine too. However, my dahlias are to die for this year. Time for a post to show them off a bit. Hope you have a very productive week!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I like the changes you made to the Bent Creek piece. Your alphabet stitch from Lizzie Kate is looking good. I want to buy several pots of mums although they probably won't be available for another 4-5 weeks here. Enjoy your week!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Your x-stitching is just beautiful work. Love your color choices. I never learned counted cross stitchery--your works make me wish
    I did ;)) I also have been watching Garden Answer and love their videos--their Christmas decorating one from last year is amazing...
    enjoy your stitching hugs, Julierose

    ReplyDelete
  7. You will have all sorts of new fall decorations ready this year! You always seem to get lots done in spite of being busy.

    ReplyDelete
  8. 5" of rain in one day! We have not had that much total since the beginning of July - it is SO dry here and hot - 97 on Tuesday and smoky. I like the changes you made to your Halloween piece - the skull and vulture now pop. The L*K fabric is awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  9. So much to enjoy on this post... it took me forever to get through to the end because I kept clicking on the links and getting distracted! LOL
    LOVE your Halloween stitching!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hey!! Thanks for the shout-out 😛. The weeks still fly by like that. Your garden deserved that award. Someday I’ll have a rainy day to report—maybe. We are only keeping the flowerbeds alive , no lawn with our water restrictions. Love your stitching.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I found Garden Answer recently too. Her gardens are amazing! I never have had luck with petunias. Even in containers, they don’t bloom like they do in Blue Ash or Montgomery’s hanging pots. It’s amazing what she gets into a container, isn’t it?

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I really enjoy reading your comments. They make my day!
If Google won't let you leave a comment feel free to email me at cfunliu@aol.com