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