Changing things around....

 Hello - I know I said that I'd be back last Monday... not sure why I thought I could get all the things finished that I had planned in 24 hours... in fact, it took all week to do what I wanted to do and everything still isn't done... but some things are ... and over all it was a very productive week...

I got off track starting last Monday... all the flower beds needed to be cleaned out as we had had a couple of frosts and one night below 32... everything was bedraggled and well... dead... so I started with the dahlia bed. Had to cut back all the stems and leaves and dig up the tubers... lots and lots of tubers... I thought at the beginning of the summer that I would label them when I dug them up... and I made a detailed chart of what was planted where... but in the end I just threw them all in a box... I really like the look where everything is mixed up and I like the surprise of not knowing what the plant will look like till it blooms... and that's all the "unknown" I want in my life these days... 

And after the dahlia bed there was the rest of the yard... OMG... you plant things here and there, this day and another day, you put seeds in this week and then another week and then another week ...little by little... but then it dies ALL AT THE SAME TIME... and you have to cut it back or dig it up and get rid of it... I don't have any place to dispose of the debris and detritus in my yard so I have to put it in those large paper yard waste bags... I filled, absolutely STUFFED FULL  20 of those bags... my garbage guy is gonna hate me tomorrow when I drag the out to the curb... 

Now the beds are cleared out and I can move on to planting bulbs... daffodils, alliums and hyacinths... bulbs the deer won't eat... not certain but my rough guess is there are about 300 daffodils and 200 alliums and a handful of hyacinths that need to be planted... my younger son is going to help dig holes and we don't have to dig a hole for every bulb... lots can be planted in a bunch, but it is gonna take some time... I'm telling myself not to over do it... I did over do it several times this week and my left knee has been screaming at me... damn getting old is not fun!!

As for crafty stuff I have a couple of quilt projects to share... first off, this is the Giant Disappearing Nine Patch I made for my younger son... about 85" square...

all homespuns that were in my stash... fabrics that I used in a quilt I sent off to college with his older brother over 15 years ago... really??? Where does the time go??  Anyway I got the idea from an Instagram post by @michelle.made.this... you can see the post here... now I've made a Disappearing Nine Patch quilt before... you sew 9 squares together and then you cut it horizontally and vertically down the middle... easy peasy... so the first block I sewed for this GIANT version I started that way... but it became very clear that this wasn't the way to assemble this quilt... when you do the GIANT version you are starting with 10" squares... when you sew 9 10" squares together you get a block that is bigger than your cutting mat... yikes... so the light bulb went on and I started with a different strategy... I first chose those squares that I didn't want to chop up... then I cut the remaining 10" squares in half so I'd have 5" x 10" pieces and for the corners I cut 5" squares... much better ... and by cutting everything ahead of time I was able to re-arrange the fabrics till I got the look I like... my only constant in this quilt was that I made all those 5" squares from assorted gold fabrics (I didn't have enough of any one gold fabric)...it gives it a little definition..Quilting by David with the Diagonal Plaid panto... he loves it and I think it is quite a handsome quilt...

This version came together is like 3 days... on a Thursday night at dinner we talked about this quilt, Nick pulled out the bins with the homespuns when we got home from dinner and chose the ones he liked, on Friday I cut out the fabrics and got all 36 blocks sewn together is a couple of hours... took Saturday off for other stuff... and then sewed the 36 blocks together on Sunday... had to wait till the wide back came on Monday to get it off to Quilting by David. 

Here is a glamour shot on my neighbor's patio...

And here it is on his bed...

However, ever since I saw this pattern I've wanted to do a version for me... actually I have at least 2  maybe 3 versions I want to do for ME... but this is my first foray... my well loved "vintage" Momo fabrics... 

I started with the Wonderland collection... so many prints there I did not want to cut up ... and added in Avant Garden, Flying Colors, Lucky Day ... I've got birds, cats, hedgehogs, scissors, butterflies and some cool scenes... I love these fabrics for their colors and their 70's vibe... my youth...LOL... every 10" block in this quilt is a different print... I did use the same blue polka dot for the 5" squares and I plan to bind it with that print... I LOVE IT!!! Sent it off to be quilted yesterday... now I want to do a version with my American Jane fabrics and perhaps a version with my Kaffe Fassett fabrics... what I LOVE about this pattern is that it is so easy and quick... the blocks only have one point of intersection and no points of intersection to match up when you sew one block to another... 

Some close-ups...

This one went out in the mail yesterday...

And since I've been spending more time in my sewing room I've been thinking of ways I want to update it... when I moved in 7 years ago I had a couple of pieces of black IKEA furniture so I went with that color scheme, but I've always wanted it to be white... and nothing was beat up or worn out but I just didn't like it ... and I decided that life is too short not to have this space as pleasing to me as possible... so I'm replacing the black furniture with white furniture and I'm adding pieces to the mix...

Here's my sewing machine area... now bookcase cubby in the front is Closetmaid... front view...and yes that is a Santa in the back ground...I'm not rushing the season I'm just too lazy to put him in the storage room... he is good company...LOL

 there are two IKEA tables pushed together and the update here are the Alex drawer units...

and this is the ironing board space... another Closetmaid cubby...notice those cute little stools?  Those are from IKEA ... $6 each... called Marius.. you can see them here... the are great as a little table and the stack... and I think they look a lot like a button...

And I am going to replace the 5 black Billy bookcases with 6 white Billy bookcases... there is just enough space to squeeze another one it... however I need to have my handyman Dan do those ... there is baseboard that will need to be cut out and they have to be L-bracketed to the wall... not a project Nick and I can handle... you can see the how the room looked and  wall of bookcases here in this IG post... 

But Nick and I tackled this project... a 4 x 4 Kallax unit from IKEA... I got the idea for this from @carolinacajuncreates ... I'm moving the TV which I rarely watch (think I'll replace it with a smaller TV that is Roku... thinking about ditching cable altogether)... that freed up this whole wall...

I LOVE this... I got lucky when I went to purchase this unit... IKEA has been out of stock of so much merchandise... you have to stalk the website and then race to the store and hope that they still have the inventory when you get there... for this unit I checked for days and days and one morning the website said they had 5 of them... I live about 12 minutes away...when I arrived there was only ONE unit left... this one... and yesterday after Nick assembled it I checked on how many bins or baskets they might have... it said there were 32 of these so we didn't rush, but we went over ... I usually stay away from IKEA on weekends and the parking lot was packed when we got there... luckily I've spent soooo much time in IKEA I know EXACTLY where this items was... instead of walking through the entire 2 floors we came in the exit and then walked against the flow of traffic to the spot on the bottom floor with this department... and there wasn't 32 baskets there were EXACTLY EIGHT... OMG... I should buy a lottery ticket!!!

Now you may be thinking why does this look like a display from Homegoods...well... it is my organization of items I like to use in my displays... risers, lanterns, candlesticks, pitchers, galvanized metal, greenery, cake stands, vases...all of these items (and more) were in big plastic bins in my storage room... I'd have to root through them every time I went looking for something and you can tell by the number of little cake stands that sometimes it was easier to just go pick up a new one rather than search for what I had... by having this display I can see what I have and it will change as I use things in my seasonal displays... some things are just pretties I've picked up here and there because they were a bargain and I loved them... I LOVE MY STUFF... and yes I have LOTS of STUFF... but my philosophy is that if it is organized you can have EVEN MORE STUFF!!!

As you know yellows and golds are my favorite colors... so I shouldn't be surprised that I have lots of yellow/gold glass ware...

and it is nice to keep my chickens out along with some of the Rae Dunn pieces I've been collecting...

and I've finally found a place to display that little turquoise chair... 

I'm putting fabric in the baskets and maybe some other decorating pieces... I think when I use the chickens in my kitchen in the Spring and Summer I'll fill in that space with the numerous watering cans I have that I couldn't squeeze in at the moment... 

I had so much fun arranging this piece... do you remember Mary Tyler Moore's BFF Rhoda?  Rhoda was a window dresser... I've always wanted to be a window dresser...LOL... that's probably why I love putting together the seasonal displays... and speaking of displays I'm working on my Thanksgiving displays... I know in light of what has gone on this year lots of people are skipping ahead to putting out Christmas but I LOVE Fall and want to hold onto those decorations a little while longer... and I have some cute turkey stuff  so check back next week... 

Today is gorgeous... almost 80 degrees ... in Ohio... in November... thank you Lord for this glorious weather... we haven't had any rain but there isn't anything I need to water... I was going to work on planting some bulbs today but the day has gotten away from me... Chris & Jenny & Elliott came over for brunch ... we got carryout... and then we went to the park for a while... they have a great fire truck climber that Elliott loves and even better, there is construction going on by the park and they left a small bulldozer and back hoe there... we got to get up close and personal with them ... you know how children have something they just love ... trains, dinosaurs, princess stuff... well Elliott's love is construction equipment, particularly back hoe kind of diggers.... we were able to fondle the tires and hug the bucket... he was quite a happy boy...

So I think I'll save the bulbs for tomorrow... Nick and I will want an early dinner since we didn't do a lunch... and I think I'll sit on the porch in the sun and cross stitch a bit... it is a good day...

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... always plenty to see there... hope you are having a good day and an even better week ahead... still rumors about lockdowns coming back here... Krogers is again limiting the number of packages of toilet paper and paper towels and some soap items... I'm in great shape in those areas and have picked up a nice selection of hand sanitizer too... I hope it doesn't come to that... I know how hard this is hitting small businesses ... don't know how much more they can stand... trying to do my part to support local places ... 

take good care of yourself...

happy stitching-

carol fun 

So where have I been ....

Some of you have been wondering where I've been... I've gotten a couple of emails and even a lovely card from Di (QUILTINGISBLISSFUL)checking up on me... thanks for your concern... as for where I've been... I HAVE BEEN NO WHERE... unless you call being in a funk somewhere... that place, I have been to... I'm still stitching and sewing and knitting and gardening but there is a underlying feeling of frustration and anger that I can not shake... I have treated myself to some retail therapy lately... THANK YOU Hobby Lobby... your fully stocked shelves of holiday goodies has brighten a day or too... and the Dollar Spot at Target has teased me with a couple of cute Christmas trinkets.. hope there is more to come... and some online shopping... got several new charts and a quilt kit...I'm really really really trying to treat my condition... and isn't that a great excuse for spending money??? Almost as good as my personal mantra that "I'm helping the economy"...

Well you didn't come by just to hear me whine so I'll show some pretty pictures... I know Halloween was yesterday but here is a look at my displays...

The shelf unit...

A new arrangement of cross stitched pieces I did previously... that big house plate on the 2nd shelf was a marked down purchase after Halloween last year... I grouped all the pumpkin headed gals together... started stitching a new one but didn't get it done... next year... oh and I did this little Prairie Schooler piece...

I changed the date to 2020 because I can't think of a year I'd like more to be dead and gone...

The quilts... Halloween Swoon on the back of the couch...

The spider quilt... I glued googly eyes on...

The tier tray...

New items added this year are the bug eyed Frank and Bat... they are from Heart in Hand Halloween Parade...

 and that Haunted House Rae Dunn piece... a birthday gift from my super shopper friend Stephanie...

If you want to see  more pictures check out my Instagram here and here and here...

I feel like I just got all this stuff out and later today or tomorrow I'll be putting it back into the plastic bins and getting out my Thanksgiving stuff because before the month is over I'll be getting out the Christmas stuff... how does time go so slow and so  fast all at the same time???

And speaking of Thanksgiving I did a little turkey stitching... 

This guy I started last year and got finished... he's Prairie Schooler...

And this guy is a freebie but I don't remember from where and my print out has no identifying marks...

And last night I got out this Pineberry Lane chart called Gather... it is from the Quaint Country Ladies Club at Dyeing to Stitch... 

Except I'm not using the linen they sent... this is something I painted a while ago... 

and I'm not using all the flosses it called for ... I've already changed the scissors and the basket and there will be more changes to come... some are because it is suppose to be stitched on 36 ct and I assume one ply over two threads... but I'm doing 32 ct and 2 ply over two threads so I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have enough of several of the flosses they sent... so I'll sub in my choices...oh the blob on the left is going to be the lady... 

And I never use to think of myself as a stitcher who was a serial starter but it appears that I am... this week alone I've worked on 4 different charts... this one Heart & Hand Sampler from With Thy Needle & Thread has been one I've wanted to stitch for a long long time...  I dyed some 32 ct linen with Rit Teal dye ... it is deeper in color than this picture is showing...

And a trip to Joanns had me lusting for this Christmas wreath...I thought about making it but if I can get it for 50% off...which I think will happen this week... the wreath would be $30... and I know I'd end up with more than $30 in the materials alone... so I NEED to buy this...anyway...

this got me to thinking about a pink and aqua Christmas display out on the sunroom porch... I have a piece or two that I've stitched in those colors and I remembered I had started the Lizzie Kate Christmas ABCs...

so I dug it out and got another line done... there are 8 lines so I still have 5 to go... excuse the wrinkles...

This is 36 ct and I'm using 2 ply over 2 threads and it is very nice coverage... this piece of linen is not a real tight weave so I'm not having any problems with the thicker thread... and I have a recollection of another sampler done on a pink and turquoise linen in my stash... which leads me to another idea... right now my charts are sorted alphabetically by designer's name... I think I might go through all my charts ...and that is quite a few... about 3  boxes 13" square... no wait 4 boxes (I should hang my head in shame but I won't...LOL)... and pull out the seasonal charts... Christmas, Halloween, Easter, Fall, Snowmen, Chickens...yes Chickens are seasonal and yet year round at my house... anyway I think this might be a good idea for when I want to do something seasonal but can't recall exactly what I have... and it should make for an enjoyable afternoon perusing my stash... maybe I can do that this week... 

And as for the week I'm not seeing much on my calendar... I haven't been babysitting for a couple of weeks as my daughter-in-law's sister has been staying with them and she's been watching Elliott...however I have seen him every week which is always fun... I went to watch him "Trick or Treat"... he was dressed as a tree ...think green sweater, brown corduroy pants, green hat with some faux ivy garland wrapped around him and some faux leaves on the hat... it was adorable but he had no idea why we tied him up in fake leaves... he liked grabbing the candy and watching the other kids...too bad they won't let him have any candy yet... luckily his Grandma's give him ice cream and cookies when they babysit... it is our job to spoil him, right???

Those who've read this blog over the years know that this is the day for my semi-annual rant about Daylight Saving Time... and you know I DETEST it!!   While this change does give you an "extra" hour of sleep (the damn hour they took away in the Spring)  it does nothing for my body clock... I wonder if anyone has done a study and looked at whether people who live in areas where they don't change the clocks twice a year, live longer??  This has to take a toll on everyone's body... one that I don't think is necessary at all.  I know I've signed petitions to have it halted but nothing ever happens... which leads me to wonder (and yes my mind wonders and wanders a lot) who is making money off of the time change?  Years ago I assumed it was the makers of batteries and smoke detectors but now days the come with batteries that last for years ... so who benefits?  If you know please let me know... it won't make me happier about the time change but I'll have one less thing to wonder about...LOL

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... need to see what everyone else has been up to ...and check back here tomorrow... I have some quilt stuff to show... I made a new quilt for my younger son and I got 2 Christmas quilts back from Quilting by David and there is a quilt top on my design wall... and I'll let you in on my plans to change the furniture in my sewing studio... I've been to IKEA waaay too many times in  since they re-opened..

Hope things are going well in your little world... I don't know how people in places like  Michigan and Pennsylvania and California are putting up with the lockdown restrictions... in Ohio we've gotten back retail stores and dining inside but not attending the theater (I miss going to see stage plays) or concerts or sporting events ... and I'm concerned that we may see a lockdown again... which doesn't help my funk... saying my prayers every day for a return to the life we had back in before this all started... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Lots and lots and lots of stuff on Slow Sunday Stitching...

 First off ... thank you for all the kind comments about Big Dude's passing... they touched my heart... I still miss him A LOT!  I miss him greeting me at the door when I come home... I miss him waiting for me to haul him up on the bed at night... at times I still think he's just in the other room... I wanted to share the thoughtful gift I got from my son and daughter-in-law... she had this hand painted by an artist she knows...

This canvas is  6" square... such sweetness ... I love how the artist captured his chubbiness! 

And while I was gone it was my birthday...we won't dwell on the number of birthdays that I have passed, will we??  My family hit it out of the park with my present....

This is a one of a kind Cat's Meow village wooden cutout of my house... it is about 3" tall and 7" long... my son took pictures of my house one morning when I was still asleep ... you can see their website here... years ago I collected Cat's Meow village pieces... I think I left them at my old house... they are probably still there in the storage room... anyway I love this piece... my window boxes and the landscaping looks great... was a special gift!!

As for the crafty stuff, well I've been monogamous to Elliott's stocking and I'm happy to reveal that it is just about done...

All I have left to stitch is this little area... the bow on the bear and the mane on the hobby horse...

Now this has not been without drama... about 3 weeks ago it became clear that I was going to run out of wool for the background... I hadn't finished the heel area and I hadn't put a stitch in the area with Elliott's name... so I jumped through hoops to go to the shop I purchased the stocking and the wool from... they didn't have any of this color...they said they would order it... I've checked back with them twice and I've haven't heard a single word.... arghh... so first I went online and found a shop in California that had the wool... I purchased several skeins, but while it was the same color it wasn't the same dye lot and it was noticeably different... ARGGGHHH!!!  So I finally thought to call the other local needlepoint shop to see if they might have some wool ... and THANK YOU LORD... they did ... and it was the same dye lot... I rushed over and bought all they had ... I ended up using 2 of the 3 skeins I bought ... I'm annoyed at the shop I purchased the stocking and wool from for several reasons... first they grossly undersold me the amount of wool I needed. This is why you go to a shop... for expert advice... when I went back to try and get more wool they were not helpful and suggested if  the new wool didn't match it would be okay... NO it wouldn't be okay... and then there is the poor customer service in getting back to me... needless to say I won't be taking it there to get it finished.   The new shop I went to was waaaay friendlier and helpful. 

As for seasonal decorating, I've done quite a bit... the weather here has cooled down nicely... highs in the upper 60's and low 70's... my favorite kind of weather...  I don't have any new Fall stitching to add to the displays this year and I decided to try and mix it up from what it looked like last year... now some pieces are so big they only fit in one spot in my house, but I was able to rearrange things and I'm happy with these updated displays.

The yellow cabinet...

A close up of the Lizzie Kate Autumn piece...

The view across the living room...

The quilt on the back of the couch is called Butterscotch Scrap Jar Stars... I made it back in 2012... and the quilt on the wall is my "original" design... I used a panel from Sandy Gervais' collection called Tranquility and I improv pieced the alternate blocks...

Here's a close up of the tier tray... I'd like to have more cross stitch on this ... need to do some smalls...

I had fun re-doing the shelf unit... I moved things around that were in other places like the wagon and added that picnic tin...

And here are some close up of the shelves...

Here's a view of the sunroom porch decor... so hard to take a picture as the room is only about 7 ft wide and 10 ft long ... but it is a favorite spot of mine to sit and stitch and watch the birds...

I tried to color block these shelves... green on the top, turquoise in the middle and white on the bottom... I wish I had a piece of cross stitch with a Fall theme on a turquoise linen for that middle shelf... I may be able to get something small done after I finish the stocking... fingers crossed...

Also the main function of that crossstitch piece is to obscure the electrical outlet... LOL ... and if I can find a cute white squirrel I'm getting that for the bottom shelf... I think I saw one somewhere but I don't remember ... I did get out to do a little shopping last week... was surprised that several places still didn't have much inventory... only my beloved Hobby Lobby was really well stocked... 

So are you still hanging in there with this giant post???  While I've been monogamous to Elliott's stocking and haven't done any crossstitch, I have done some sewing and got some tops started and a quilt bound ... first is my Fall 2 x 4 quilt... David did a great job on the panto... I picked pumpkins...

I made some new pillowcases to go with quilt... I used fabrics from Sandy Gervais' new collection from Riley Blake... and that pillow with the cute bird and pumpkin came from Hobby Lobby... I ogled for a couple of weeks before I broke down and bought it. 

Here's close up of one of the blocks and the panto...

And Saturday was National Jelly Roll Day... I always love this event and I never have a lack of jelly rolls... I thought long and hard about what I wanted to sew but in the end I couldn't make up my mind and chose between 2 different projects... what to do, what to do??  Well I ended up starting both projects... this first one was a night owl choice... I started around midnight and worked on it till around 2am... pretty much my normal bedtime... 

The fabric is from RJR, a collection from Alex Anderson called Mirage... I have no clue where I got this ... probably somewhere on line... the pattern is TipTop from Melanie at A Bit of Scrap... you can see the pattern here... I'm sashing this with some lime green Grunge from my stash... and I was able to find some yardage of this fabric and got enough of that print on the far left hand side to do a border... 

When I got up on Saturday I switched gears and started my second choice... another Fall quilt... because you CAN NOT have too many Fall  quilts... that's a FACT... like the sun coming up in the East... really, it is...LOL... anyway  delusional thoughts aside, I'm using a 2nd  jelly roll of Sandy Gervais  that I've been letting mature in a plastic bin... it is vintage... the price tag says $27.50... wonder how long ago that was?  I paired it with a new Grunge called Elafin...does anyone know what Elafin means?  It is a pretty color... a nice gold with some rusty red and tan highlights... I like it A LOT... and I'm happy to see another yellow/gold added to the Grunge line... 

This pattern is from a freebie from quiltjane  called Jelly Roll Whirl... you can find the pattern here... and she has several other free jelly roll patterns on her blog... now the pattern has the blocks set straight but I'm liking the look of it on point... I will have to figure out how to complete the pinwheels that would happen on the edges ... and while I thought this would just be a throw, right now there is a high probability that it will be a bed size quilt... because I rarely listen to myself when I say I'll make a throw... LOL... also I ended up adding fabrics from my stash to the jelly roll... I wanted more variety than the jelly roll had...Sandy Gervais did some lovely teals and purples in her later collections  and I wanted to include them... I'm also liking the light pieces ... I think it will make add a bit of sparkle... 

And while I had plenty of other things to work on ( 3 quilts to bind and 2 more quilts that just need backs) I played with another pattern about a week ago... this is one block from a QAL done by Fort Worth Fabric Studio...  here's a link to the all the patterns in the  Absolute Autumn quilt... I only used the acorn...

Each acorn is a different Grunge fabric... it still needs a border... but it is only a throw... so perhaps I can keep quilts down to a reasonable size every now and again... LOL

Soooo... that's what I've been up to... I'm looking forward to doing some crossstitch this upcoming week... while I haven't had time to stitch I have had time to buy some new charts... and there are some old charts I'd like to stitch too... just need more hours in the day...

A side note... didn't Blogger say you could stay with the old format?  I was avoiding changing over but when I logged in today it gave me no choice but to use the new format... I think I've figured it out, but I'm just trying to get it to work the way it use to... I'm an old dog and I don't want to learn any new tricks... fingers crossed that  all the links I put in work... 

I hope things are going well for you... I still have my up days and my down days... between the uncertainty of what's happening in the world and the passing of the Dude there are times I'm fed up with all of it... I am glad that I have my hobbies and my garden... my yard is still looking pretty good... some flowers are fading but my dahlias are just starting to bloom... don't know why they are so late this year... I do have zinnias and cosmos that are taller than me ... and I'm 5 ft... I know the seed packs DID NOT say I'd get such gargantuan flowers... and I didn't even fertilize that much... they are pretty... I was pleased that several people have stopped and told me how pretty my garden is... while I was out watering yesterday a car stopped and two young girls complimented the flowers... that was nice... I do it because I enjoy the flowers but it is nice to know that others enjoy it too. 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts and check up what everyone else is up to... I'm sure I'll see something that catches my eye ... and leads me down a path to something else I'd like to do... take care...

happy stitching-carol fun