Trying to catch my breath on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello - well I said it was going to be a busy week but somehow that didn't really sink in until I was in the middle of it... and it left little time to get crafty stuff done...I think this week I can catch my breath...  I'm still doing some patriotic stitching that I'd  like to have complete and put into my displays by July 4th... I started 2 new pieces ... one small and one with a LOT of solid stitching...a BIG house with an alphabet, which I do adore... we shall see if it is a finish for this July 4th or next July 4th....and I have plans to sew... have 2 quilts that need bindings and 1 or  2 or more quilts I'd like to play with...

I did get the green bow ties sewn together and taken to Delinda to be quilted...

I like how this turned out... and I posted on IG that this is a FREE quilt... no new fabric was purchased to complete this top ... and in fact some of the fabric is old old old... old enough that it could have voted for Clinton... Bill not Hillary... LOL... several people on IG remembered some of these vintage Jinny Beyer's...

and others had the same fond memories I have of getting fabric off of the flat fold tables at Hancock's in Paducah when the flat fold tables had bargains galore... sigh... those were the days... the last time I went to Paducah (which has been a while ago) the flat fold tables were kinda pitiful and they were definitely pushing their shelves of precuts...now I'm a BIG fan of precuts but they don't hold a candle to the allure of pawing through a pile of fabric!

I picked up 2 quilts from Delinda... and I'm working on getting the bindings on them... I want the one on my bed ASAP... it is cool and summery looking and with the temperatures getting into the 90's ...yes the 90's ... every day this coming week I'll be longing for cool .... I'm feeling very virtuous that I got my new AC installed last month... it  is going to get a work out...

The gardens are looking great right now... however twice daily watering is in my future with the soaring temps... here are a couple of dahlias I'm loving... 

My displays are shaping up nicely... I was able to FFO both of the saltbox houses from Pinker n Punkin Quilting.. Freedom House and Sarah Jane's 1776 ... gosh they are so good!!!  ...and the little Uncle Sam from Stitching with the Housewives' Proud to be an American...

some pictures... front...

back...

and a solo...

Here they are in my tier tray...

And here is the BIG picture... I do love that quilt with the big eagle and the bunting... again Debbie Mumm does great patriotic!!

I'm loving this little 2 shelf insert in my TV cabinet... 

up top is a freebie from Notforgotten Farm... you can find it here... the cutest little Lady Liberty (got her a year or so ago at Michaels) and Free and Brave from The Drawn Thread... I popped this into a new frame this year... the red was perfect right out of the packaging...

below is another freebie, this one  from La-De-Da ... you can find it here.. and a snippet from Lady Liberty by  Chessie and Me.... you can see it here... I subbed in a chicken for the cat she always includes.   

Now with that scorching forecast for the upcoming week I think I'll be hunkering down in my underground lair... aka my basement sewing room... like I said,  there are several tops I'd like to play with but right now this one has taken center stage...

okay last week I thought I would set these giant ... 8.5"... hexagons side by side... but after looking at them for a while I wasn't digging it... all smoooshed together they just looked mushy... I want each and every one of them to shine as I am pretty much fussy cutting each and every one of them... so I'm going with this tried and true hexagon format... easy to sew together and I'm using some of my cherished and hoarded favorite Debbie Mumm fabrics... the bees!! oh how I love this print...  it will be the triangles around every hexagon... I had it in every color way but several are now just small pieces...I have some yardage of it on the beige and I'm going to break down and use it... I ain't getting any younger... if I don't use it now it may never get put in a quilt...sigh... my plan for this is a double bed sized quilt... according to my calculations ( and you all know my math skills aren't stellar) is I need 105 hexagons... I'm thinking 5 color families... red, blue, green, yellow/orange, brown/black... Debbie had tons of reds and blues to it will probably skew that way ... and I'm really  not sure how many of the black ones I want, but one or two of the Halloween ones are super cute... it will be fun to go through my many many many bins of Debbies... refolding them and returning them to their plastic holding pens...not so much... we shall see how long my enthusiasm holds out on this one... LOL

As I type this on Saturday the upcoming week looks less crazy than last week was... fingers crossed that it works out that way... I know I'm old because the things I thought were punishment when I was young like staying home and taking naps... those are the things I really LOVE now...  I hope that the week ahead is a good one for you too... I know many of us are going to be sweating... so stay hydrated... be cool... 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and Quilting is more fun than Housework .... I'll be out watering early and then I'm headed for the basement

happy stitching-

carol fun 

In a mood on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello - well another week where it was Thursday before I felt like I got anything accomplished... and I can't even blame it on 3 doctor appointments because in the end I only had 2... the one got rescheduled  by the doctor's office...but I'm in a  mood...it seems like just when I get one body part to calm down and behave another body part decides it needs my immediate attention. 

I was able to get a steroid shot in both of my knees on Monday... then my right hip decided it wasn't happy... as of typing this, hips and knees have negotiated a truce ... things have calmed down ... trip to the eye clinic resulted in needing to schedule additional appointment with a retinal specialist...concern is for macular degeneration... another thing to worry about ... and I'm a world class worrier... my teeth have been bothering me on and off... probably from stressing and clenching...  it is any wonder I just want to lose myself in something crafty...

And as for the crafty... I stitched this little guy ... he's a snippet, barely 2" tall  on 16 ct Aida,  from Stitching With the Housewives chart Proud to be an American... you can see it here...

and then I moved onto this new chart from Threadwork Primitives called Patriotic Pear... you can find it here...

I like this one a lot... it is done on 32 count fabric which is my favorite count to stitch on... I've made all the blocks of 4 stitches Smyrna  crosses...  I only have a bit more in the bottom left corner to stitch and then a band of bunting to finish it off... and I know just where I'm going to put it in my displays.

Speaking of displays, I did get Spring put away and got out the red white and blue... okay Nick actually got it out of the basement and into the living room... I couldn't do it without him... and I set about arranging stuff... now I always think I need more, but as I was putting stuff out I'm not sure that is a true statement. However,  a couple of new charts are on my radar ... you can see them here and here and here so I need to figure out where to squeeze more in... I am not a minimalist ... LOL

I did get one thing FFO'd... this is the Double Eagle Sampler from Prairie Schooler No.8 American Primitives ...

Simple finish... I still want to do the other charts from this pattern... I think they will be little pillows. 

As for sewing... well I changed my mind about the orientation of the flag quilt I had on my design wall ... I decided I want to display this on the back of the couch....

and here is this top on the back of the couch... and now I realize it could have been smaller... could have cut the blocks  5" or 5.5" instead of 6" ... oh well...

need to get this to Delinda for quilting ... I already know the panto and the thread I want to use... and it was fun to play with my Debbie Mumm fabrics!

Outside the gardens are filling in nicely as long as I can keep the deer at bay... that display of verbena I showed last week has gotten trimmed a bit... I need to be more vigilant in spraying the bad smelling stuff on it.   Here is a gorgeous dahlia that's in bloom... it is over 6" in diameter... 

this is one I left in the ground... I swear those do the best for me... the ones I baby don't always reward me with such beautiful blooms.... oh well... this one is about 6 inches across and I can see if from my chair out on the screen porch... 

And  here is one of the 5 window boxes... I think this one looks the best...those pale yellow petunias are so pretty... 

try to ignore that tall  canna... it is planted in the pot below the box and I hate cutting back anything that is really growing even if it does distract your eye a bit. 

And remember when I had my giant raised bed dismantled and new raised beds assembled, because the neighbors were putting up a fence?  Well it finally got installed last week and I must say I really like it!!

Very attractive looking and it gives some boundaries  to my yard ...which I  plan to take advantage of... here is how the 3 raised beds look at the moment... 

full of flowers and I like the pavers around the edges... well with the fence up it wouldn't look out of place for MORE raised beds... and I am LOVING that idea... I've been teasing my older son that I was going to buy the house on the other side of me and appropriate the back yard for more raised beds... LOL... the neighbors aren't interested in going anywhere so this is just a pipe dream... but the fence has given my dreams of total garden domination new life... and to that end I've already purchased 3 more raised beds... LOL I have NO self control... now I jumped on them as they were on sale on Amazon, $20 less a piece than what I paid for the other 3... and my fear is that if I  waited till next Spring I might not be able to get  the same design... soooo, they are sitting in my garage as I type this. I broached the subject of adding 3 more raised beds to the kid that put them together... it was NOT his favorite project... in fact he told me that there are only about 3 people in the world he would have done this for... his mom, his grandma and me... so I'm quite lucky. He proposes we do it next Spring... and that is a good idea... its a little late to be planting up things right now... and I can  use the winter to plot and plan about all the stuff I want to plant!

Now yesterday I was still in a mood ... Elliott was here for a couple of hours as his parents had things to do that were more quickly accomplished without his assistance... and after he left I started to piddle with the green bow tie blocks... I needed to made 32 more... and what do you know?  I did!!  and it really lifted my mood... here they are on my design wall...

Sixty four different greens... from chartreuse to olive to forest green and every shade between... NO new fabric was purchased for this quilt... everything came from my stash... it is a FREE quilt!!...  and more than a few of the blocks are fabrics that are at least 35 years old... there are several Jinny Beyer's and some Debbie Mumm's and at least one block had Cranston Fabrics in the selvedge... do they even make fabric anymore?  Now I didn't fuss too much in pinning these on my design wall... and I'm pretty happy with the distribution of tones... sooooo if I sew 2 rows together, today, tomorrow, Tuesday and Wednesday I should have this top ready to take to Delinda's on Thursday... I already put aside two dotty prints for the back... again FREE fabric!!

Not sure what I will work on next...  and there is the barely started Tilda spools that could use some attention...  and a new pattern I bought online that uses a jelly roll that looked like fun... and 2 Christmas quilts I want to do... and a Halloween one... and an idea I have rattling around in my head for a giant hexagon quilt... I got the idea from this picture which is from IG ... it is some filter or template  where you can enlarge a pic of a quilt or cross stitch or whatever and make it the background...

now I was thinking of hexagons made from a layer cake... I know how to make the large hexagons as 2 pieces but that's not the look I want... I want seamless hexies... I searched and googled a bit looking for patterns with big hexies and then I got to thinking some more and remembered that years ago (it was about a decade actually) I bought a big ruler that cut hexagons and half hexagons... so I went into my stash of rulers (I've rarely met a specialty ruler I didn't like) and found it... it is this one called Hex N More by Jaybird Quilts and you can cut an 8.5" hexagon with it...

 I had to see if my idea would work, so I cut a 10" square of this Debbie Mumm print that was hanging out on my cutting table.... oooooohhh.... I like this... I like this a lot... so a cut a couple more ...

This would also be a FREE quilt as I still have a HUGE stash of Debbie Mumm fabrics...  somehow I think this idea is going to  get me into trouble...LOL... being that they are large blocks  I should be able to assembled them by machine if I marked where the "corners" would be... ok... now to find some time  to cut more BIG hexagons and to play with this idea... 

Well those sewing adventures definitely put me in a better mood... fabric therapy... it is a good thing!

So when I started to think about the upcoming week I thought it was going to be pretty quiet... Elliott on Tuesday and my quilty lady friends on Wednesday for lunch... and then I went and looked at my paper calendar, do you still keep a paper calendar?  and I now realize that I have an appointment  to see Delinda on both Thursday and Nick needs a ride to the Kings Island amusement park on Friday... sheesh...  I definitely need to be productive on Monday... and perhaps Elliott will give me some sewing time on Tuesday...need to entice him down to the basement....perhaps a new small Lego set... I have several stashed in my closet... I am not above bribery...LOL

I hope your upcoming week is a good one... I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and Quilting Is More Fun than Housework... .. and see what I can do today ... maybe get those little stitched house from Pinker n Punkin FFO'd... or play with the BIG hexie idea... need to stay creative and hold onto this better mood!

happy stitching-

carol fun

Slow to start... apropos for a Slow Sunday...right?

 Hello ... as  titled  "slow to start" describes the past  week ... I have the desire to do lots and lots of things... and I plot and I ponder and I plan them out in my head... but getting my body to cooperate and get started and get the project completed, well, that another story. It has been one of those weeks where my mind says I'm 40 and my body says "you are nuts"... my knees are hurting... sometimes the left, sometimes the right and sometimes both of them in concert.  I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon with the orthopedic doctor. When I made the appointment I was complaining about my right knee which up to this point has not had a shot of anything... but as of today my left knee is my problem child.. and according to my calendar I can get another gel shot till  the end of this month... and having my knees hurt has curtailed the decorating I've wanted to do.  I can NOT carry my bins of decorative goodies up and down the stairs the way I packed them... meaning they are stuffed to the gills and heavy heavy heavy ... thank goodness Nick totes things up and down and back and forth... I could not do it without him. 

I wanted to have my patriotic stuff out by Memorial Day... didn't happen... but as of writing this, the Spring stuff has been returned to the basement and the patriotic bins are upstairs and some things have been unpacked. It is fun to open the bins ... there is always a surprise as I've forgotten something I stitched or purchased... and no matter how much seasonal stuff I have for a holiday I always wish I had a bit more... another cross stitch piece, another knickknack... a little something new. Now I do have 3 new crossstitch pieces I can FFO and add to my displays and I'm working on a fourth piece... and perhaps one more piece might get stitched... gotta look to see what is in my stash of patterns. 

Last week I showed the one Americana strawberry I had stitched... and I had started another... however it is in timeout because even though it was an incredibly simple repeat pattern I messed it up... frogging will occur... later... so instead I started another little saltbox house from Melisa at Pinker n Punkin.. this one is Freedom House and you can find it here...

again I changed it to a yellow house because it makes me happy... I want this FFO'd along with the other one I did, this week. They are going to be the stars of my tier tray... and while I do have a nice collection of patriotic pieces, deep breath... I want more!!  I've watched 4 videos this week that are compilations of wonderful patriotic patterns... the gal that does them is Briana Lentz... here's a link to her youtube...I'm blown away by her research and was surprised how many charts she showed that I hadn't seen before... several are going to end up in my stash... and I saw where Teresa Kogut is going to have a new booklet out the end of June with patriotic patterns... there is a BIG one that blew me away...I think it would be a good project for next year... always thinking ahead...LOL

And last week I also showed all the Carriage House Sampling  stocking charts I purchased... and I said I wanted to start one but I had no business starting one... but there are lots of things in life I had no business doing... but I did... and so I started the Pennsylvania German Sampler... and I LOVE it!

Here's a pic of the linen I started with... 

I used a new to me color from Rit Dye called Sage...now I think of sage as a more greeny gray color but this one is more turquoisey... and while I didn't start out thinking this would be an ombre kinda piece, that's how it turned out... the gradation is more visible in real life... anyway, I started with the sage and then wanted it a bit darker and added a dollop of teal... and then painted some more an added more teal... I like it... the linen is about 28" long... I may have cut it a bit short but when I get to the bottom I'll figure out how many funky birds will fit. 

As for sewing not much happened again this week... I did get a new quilt cut out... a flag quilt... the pattern is a free one you can see here from Amy Smart... now I'm just doing squares and cut mine 6".... all of the fabrics are Debbie Mumm and all of my patriotic quilts are Debbie Mumm prints... nice and scrappy... Debbie did great patriotic... 

and while pulling out fabrics for this I discovered a project I started 10 years ago... it was for the last sewing retreat I attended... here it is all nice and neatly stacked in its plastic prison, I mean bin...

the pattern is called Picnic and it is on the cover of  the Kim Brackett book called ScrapBasket Sensations...  here's link.. whoa... I didn't realize it is out of print...  anyway, there was a cryptic note in the box ... I think I planned on making this big enough for my bed and I have written down 121 blocks... and every one of them is a different  Debbie Mumm fabric... I want to play with this ... it just involves some connector corners so it would be good sewing for when Elliott is here. 

And speaking of my bed, nice segue... lol.. I changed the quilts in my bedroom again... years and years ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I just started quilting my goal was to have a different quilt for my bed for each month of the year... I've gone waaaay past that and anymore I like to change things up more often so I can enjoy some of the oldie but goodies... and this one is an oldie...started in 2010, finished in 2011... it was a QAL with Amanda Jean Nyberg of Crazy Mom Quilts... there are 362 different yellow prints in my quilt... and here's a pic of my design wall back in 2010 when I had 242 squares cut out...and yes Amanda wasn't the only crazy mom...LOL

And here is the finished quilt on my bed...

and at the end of the bed is another yellow charm quilt... that one is a 2 x 4 quilt from Film in the Fridge which you can find here.  And here is a larger pic of this quilt...

This one has 80 different yellows paired with 80 different low volumes... but the same little red polka dotted chicken found it's way into both quilt...  glad it hung around 10 years ... LOL.

Polka Dot Chicken in center of quilt on bed...

Polka Dot Chicken in quilt on end of bed...

And looking at these two quilts has me wanting to make another yellow charm quilt... perhaps not bed size... but I have a couple of yards of a great background fabric I could use... it has yellow push pins on it... I think with was from Benartex... gotta dig it out...

The gardens are doing pretty good... we've had rain several days so I haven't had to water a ton which is good... my electric bill was high enough, don't need a huge water bill too ... and the mail also brought the property tax bill yesterday... oh joy... here's a pic of my favorite planter right now...

the peachy verbena is  a Proven Winner appropriately  called Peachy Keen... I planted some reddish coleus behind them and at the back some Proven Winner Amazel Basil ... my hope was the the smell of the basil would keep the deer and the squirrels away... so far so good. 

So my plans for the upcoming week involve a couple of doctor's appointments... how do they all end up in the same week??  Ortho on Monday,  primary on Wednesday and eye clinic on Thursday... right now the forecast for Thursday is cloudy and rainy which would be great as I have to have my eyes dilated...  I'd like to get the flag quilt sewn together and the little Saltbox houses from Pinker n Punkin FFO'd... and I want to finish up my patriotic displays... it all sound doable as I type this but we shall have to see if the mind and the body coordinate for completion.

I 'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and Quilting is More Fun than Housework   .... with several appointments on my agenda I should get some knitting done... always lots of waiting at the eye clinic.... and hopefully I'll come home and get some other things done. Hope you week is a good one ...and not filled with doctor appointments!!

happy stitching-

carol fun