Looking a bit backwards and forward on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

Happy New Year... I wish you all the best in 2021... Soooooo... how did you spend the first day of this year?  I was able to do all the  things I wanted to do... I do NOT do resolutions... I do engage in all the activities I enjoy on January 1 as a harbinger of what I want to do the rest of the year... 

Right after midnight, cause I'm always up that late... I cast on a new pair of scrappy socks... 

something easy and mindless because while I am a night owl I recognize my limitations at that hour...

Then I slept late... oh that is glorious... I love sleeping in... and the older I get the less often that happens ... then I picked up the new Christmas stocking project I have this year for my DIL and did about 1.5 ornaments... I did the turquoise one an part of of the multi-color one to its upper left...

it is a very pretty stocking ... by my count (and this is a ballpark count) there are:

                    16 candles 

                    22 big ornaments

                    46 ball ornaments

                    60 little gold balls... I think it is part of a garland but don't think I'll be stitching the detail

My plan is to do a little every day ... hope I can stick with that... right now it is at that stage where the canvas is stiff and you have to wrestle with it... ugh... I'm happier when it gets more malleable but that takes time.

Then I went downstairs into my sewing studio.. I made a small bag that's a gift so I can't show it yet... and I worked on that Christmas quilt I showed last week... here's how it looks now...

yep... I unsewed what I had an came up with this layout... a 15 patch block alternated with a plain rectangle and the a 9 patch for sashing ... the plan is for 10 blocks across and 9 down... that would make it about 66" wide and 70" long... think I'll add a border only on the top and bottom... and I should be able to have this one done pretty soon and have a Christmas quilt pre-made for this Christmas... 

After that I went out and picked up a carryout order for dinner... I LOVE eating out... I can cook, I'm just tired of cooking and for 2 people it is easier a lot of times to eat out... we can still eat inside in Ohio but I try to be careful... so I'm doing more carryout and less inside dining... that said the Mediterranean salad with chicken kabobs from Taziiki's is excellent... and so is their whipped feta  with honey appetizer ... 

After dinner I settled in and started a new cross stitch sampler... and no I didn't get the one I was working on finished so there is no issue with dating it 2021 (I hope that this year is one I won't regret remembering...)

This is Needleworker's Sampler by With Thy Needle & Thread... 32 ct fabric I painted with Rit dye, using the called for flosses so far... I'm really liking this one ... an easy stitch... that border is really wonky... you have to pay attention and count each hill and valley but if you made a mistake it would be easy to fudge... 

I did make progress on Heart & Hand... 

very close to being done... ran out of Mulberry for the berries but found another skein in another project... it is good to have stash, isn't it?

And I also did some online shopping... picked out a couple of things at KittenStitcher as I got a gift card for a Christmas present... she's not open till tomorrow but my cart is ready to go, so when she turns her payments back on I can order....

And I bought some dahlia tubers and some flower seeds... already thinking of next Spring and Summer... I know you should wish your life away... and Lord knows how much life I have left... I hope a lot, but my family history is not encouraging... my parents both died in their late 40's/early 50s'... my only sibling was early 60's ... I hope I take after my Grandmother's who both lived into their 80s... but lets drop that topic and think about dinner plate dahlias and cosmos and zinnias and I've been looking at cannas and caladiums...  I have high hopes for all the daffodils and alliums I planted... last Spring they were such a welcome sight... even my neighbors commented on how it brightened their spirits... hey yellow is  HAPPY HAPPY color!!

Sooooo it was a great day for me... I could repeat it over and over and over again for the next 365 with no issues... however I know other obligations will arise... such is life....

And I did a little looking back on 2020... I do try to keep track of how many quilting/stitching/sewing/knitting projects I do... however this year I somehow lost the list with the knitting on it, but I don't think there was a lot.. some socks and couple of shawls... but I did do 18 quilts...now at least half of those were already in the works before 2020, but done is done... and I've decided the 3 that are still waiting to be bound won't be counted in 2021... I'm moving on... As for cross stitch I did 24 pieces...most smaller... and some that were finished in 2020 were also started in previous years... I've gotten more cross stitch done in the past but the needlepoint stocking took up a LOT of time... by my notes I started it in late January and finished in late September... now there was a month or two that I didn't touch it at all, but stockings are definitely a long term project... 

I shall endeavor to keep better track of what I finish this year... I've got some forms prepped and ready to go!! I have lots of things I want to do and I know I won't get them all done but I will be happy with whatever does get finished... I have some quilt blocks that I'd like to get sewn into tops... much smaller tops than I had planned when I started the blocks, but finished is better than languishing in the plastic bins, right???... and for cross stitch I have a couple of samplers calling my name and I think I should stick with small pieces where seasonal stuff is concerned... my displays are pretty full and it is getting hard to wedge in larger seasonal pieces... and I have wall space for samplers... so that's a win... and I found a couple of UFO samplers... maybe I could finish one of them... hope springs eternal... as for knitting it will again be socks and shawls... easy stuff... and the stocking needs to be completed by the end of September... that will be the 6th one I've done in my lifetime, and I consider it quite the achievement... if I had known 35 years ago what I know now, I would never have selected 24" long stockings on 16 count...sheesh.. why didn't I just do nice cuffs... so much less stitching, but they are beautiful and my kids do appreciate them... they'll be my legacy... 

So I hope that 2021 brings you lots of time to engage in all  the crafty projects that you love to do... it is NOT a resolution but it I shall try to try and stay off of the internet a bit more... I get sucked into political blogs and crafty stuff and Instagram... OMG... I LOVE and HATE Instagram... I find so much cool stuff on IG but it takes up so much time... I can scroll mindlessly for hours... not productive...  so I shall re-affirm by mantra to always try to try... but I never define exactly what  it is that I'm trying... keep it vague and no one can pin anything on you... LOL... kinda like "experts" who keep changing their tune and moving the goalposts ... and you know what I mean...

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... she always has a wonderful collection of blogs to peruse ... Wishing you a happy and healthy 2021... may we put 2020 in the rear view mirror as quickly as possible... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Ruminating on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

 Hello - I know I said I'd be back last week to post pics of my recent Christmas quilt finishes, but... the week just got away from me... and then we did Christmas Eve and Christmas morning and I totally lost track of what day of the week it was (thank goodness my phone tells me the day and the date...sheesh)... So I'm here now and I do have pics of the quilts and I have some thoughts about my tentative crafty plans for 2021... which I figured I should talk about this Sunday since by next Sunday it will be 2021 and I will again not know exactly what day of the week it is unless I look at my phone... and hey where is my phone??? Oh there is it... stuck in the cushion of my chair... big sigh... I misplace it several times a day... and it doesn't do me any good to call my phone because I always have it on silent... so unless I'm close enough to hear it vibrate I'm out of luck... oh well

So here are pictures of the 4 Christmas quilts I finished for this holiday...now the first two I started last year and early this year... 

This is Meet in the Middle... a free pattern you can see here... now it was jelly roll friendly but I made it with a layer cake because there were a lot of directional fabrics in the Basic Grey Kringle & Klaus collection I used and I didn't want my ornaments or my Santa's laying on their sides... so I just cut everything into 2.5 x 10" strips and it worked fine... 

and here's a close up of the quilting from Quilting by David... 

I picked a panto with ornaments which I thought echoed the fabrics... and it washed up nice and crinkly!

Next is Snowfall with another Basic Grey Christmas collection... this one a well aged one called Fruitcake..

This one used charm packs and the pattern is from the book Charm School... I had David use a snowflake panto on this one...

Next up is this one using another well aged layer cake... this one is called Very Merry from Sandy Gervais ...

The pattern is Piece of Cake 3 from Thimbleblossoms...you can see it here... I'll be making this quilt again... easy construction and it shows off the fabrics nicely... 

And last but not least a scrappy quilt ... I started with wanting to use up the border and other fabrics I had from the Heather Ross Sugarplum collection... I added in a bunch of other Christmas fabrics from my stash and I'm very happy with how it came together...

Now these are different pictures of these quilts from what I posted on Instagram... but if you want to see more you can find them here... 

And with these quilts complete I thought I'd play in my sewing room and somehow I started another Christmas quilt... my thought process is that I'll be ahead for next year... that is if I stick with it... but there is always a possibility (actually a very STRONG possibility)   that it will end up in a plastic bin before I truly finish it... I'm already having second thoughts about it... here's a pic of what I've done so far... 

the pattern is Jelly Roll Dash, it is a lovely pattern, and you can see it here...  now the pattern is written to be strip pieced but I'm not fond of that method because my strips get wonky and there is too much repetition of fabric placement... I like things all mixed up (kinda like my life.. but that's another story...LOL) so I'm sewing individual squares together... and yes it it going to take about 4 times longer this way... but then I'm not thrilled with how it is looking...  I like mixed up... but... this is looking too mixed up to me... I think I'm going to unsew what I have and just do simpler blocks... like a nine patch or maybe a rectangular block that is pieced and alternated with a solid block... hmmmm....oh I LOVE the fabric ... it is the Oh Deer collection by Urban Chiks... along with some leftovers from their Christmas collection of 2 years ago... here's the Oh Deer collection 

I love these fabrics because you have YELLOW Christmas fabric... I even found yardage of the yellow print with the deer and I ordered it for the border... ruminating here ... and this is going to be re-worked... and that's ok..

And I did some cross stitching last week... I was in a holiday mood so I started (are we seeing a pattern here... I am such a GOOD starter... we will not discuss finishing at this time)... a Christmas piece from Prairie Schooler book No. 63 called Christmas Samplers... you can see it here...

I needed some simple stitching... all DMC and a mystery piece of 32 ct linen from my stash... it is a nice warm tan... I didn't feel the need to paint or dye it as not much of it will show when the whole piece is complete... 

But I put it down yesterday and picked back up my Heart & Hand sampler from With Thy Needle & Thread...

I LOVE this sampler... I LOVE that berry filled vine and the white flowers and the birds and the big house and the lady gardening... I'm using the called for flosses and the fabric is 32 ct I dyed with Rit dye... I think I might be able to finish this by the end of the year... and if I can I am not going to put the last stitch in till 2021 because I will NOT date anything 2020 ...ok I did date one piece 2020 but it was a tombstone for Halloween... I can't think of any year I want more to be behind us and I don't want to be reminded of it by my stitching.. there will be plenty of other reminders ... so I that's the plan...

And then there is the rumination of what to work on in 2020... I like to start a cross stitch piece on New Year's Day and I like to do a bit of sewing and a bit of knitting and I want to eat something very tasty... my philosophy is you need to do things on New Year's Day that you want to repeat as much as possible the rest of the year... get things off to a real good start... and the Lord knows we need a nice good start for 2021!!

Sooooo... what to start... I have a couple of samplers I want to do that are already kitted up... but this sampler is also calling my name... it was the Linens & Threads Mystery Sampler for 2020... now I never like to do a mystery piece until I can see enough of it to be sure I want to join... and I didn't find this one till about October... and I love what I see... here's a link to the project and it is free...and this is a finished version that I LOVE...

And you can see more versions here at the hashtag #linenandthreadssampler2020.... so many wonderful color combos... I think this is my favorite ... lots of people did it on 40 ct... but I'm not fond of stitching on 40 ct... I'd rather do 32 ct ... and I think I could dye a piece of linen similar to the picture... and it will be LARGE ...15.25" square... and I do like the idea of a light color thread on a darker linen... but 2 threads of a light color on 32 ct is sometimes sloppy looking... soooooo I purchased some 12 wt Sulky ... I want to play with it and see if I like that coverage... so I'm ruminating on that... and the fact that they have another mystery sampler for 2021 and darn it sounded interesting too... "Our 2021 mystery sampler is inspired by the Mexican and Spanish pottery tradition from Talavera de la Reina, in Spain"... oooohh... I went and looked at the pottery and it is very colorful... more temptation....

And I have this project teed up for 2020 too... another needlepoint stocking... this one is for my daughter in law...

I did get to the needlepoint shop last week and picked up a bunch of fibers for all the ornaments and I got green wool for the tree and I ordered a bunch of skeins of a minty green for the background... so I should probably put a few stitches in it on New Year's Day...

And I'm ruminating on starting a new knitting project... I think I'll go with a new pair of scrappy socks... something easy... 

And I can't help but ruminate on what 2021 might bring... I don't know if we'll have another lockdown here in Ohio...(but it was the reason I went to the needlepoint store last week as I'm pretty sure a needlepoint store is the definition of non-essential/sigh) ... I have plenty to keep me busy, but then I had plenty to keep me busy last time but I didn't get a lot done... I wonder if we had another round would I be more focused... but focus is a big problem now... I waste too much time on the internet reading stuff and not getting anything done... I've been trying to ignore the news/politics as that is a deep deep rabbit hole that leaves me feeling  anxious and ticked off...I'm trying to avoid that and it isn't easy... my current strategy is to watch youtube and flosstube videos while stitching or knitting... at least I'm getting a little accomplished. 

Soooo... I don't make New Year's resolutions and any plans I made are extremely flexible... but there are definitely projects I want to do...now if I can spend less time endlessly scrolling through IG that would be a step in the right direction... I can't totally give up IG as I get the best ideas for new projects there ... it is like looking a new magazine every time... and remember magazines?  I LOVED magazines... LOL

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today... I hope that you all had a nice Christmas and that we will all have a much better 2021... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Christmas Decor 2020... on a Slow Stitching Sunday...

 Hello - where did December go to???  I just don't understand how time goes so fast and so slow simultaneously, but it sure seems to do it... I was patting myself on the back for getting my Christmas decor up early (for me ) this year... first week of December... but it wasn't "finished'  every space I arranged still needed a little of this or a little of that and it has taken me all month to finish up... and I think I'm done... I want to be done... I want to sit and look at my displays and stitch on a Christmas piece that won't be finished for this year and try to find a bit of peace in this crazy year... that's my goal for the week... we shall see how it turns out... but you aren't here for my introspective ramblings, you'd like to see some pretty Christmas stuff, right??  Okay... here goes...

HO HO HO ... Santa is gracing the wall again this year... I added some garlands around the top as I liked how that looked on my Halloween quilt... 

and the tier tray is a nice collection of Santas .. a couple of my now getting to be vintage needlepoint Santas and a cross stitch one that I never can decide if he's a Santa or an elf... 

Moving around the room we have the TV stand... I crammed a lot in here... a stack of Santas, and small pack of pixies, a flock of deer and mine and Nick's needlepoint stockings...

And speaking of stockings, Elliott's came back from the finisher and I'm very happy with it...

It is hanging on the mantle at his house waiting for Santa to stuff it will goodies... and as a side note I've already purchased a stocking for his Mama ... it will be my BIG project for 2021... then the whole family will have stockings... 

Continuing to circle the room... the shelf unit... lots of stuff from previous years ... 

I like the nativity scene at the top... I have a good view of it from my stitching chair... 

I have picked up a new Santa head or two... that collection is definitely growing and I like the trees growing out of their heads... I want some candy cans to put in that biggest one but keep forgetting to pick some up at the store..

And this is a new addition to the cross stitch... its from With Thy Needle & Thread entitled " The Most Wonderful Time of the Year"... and now I have Andy Williams singing in my head...LOL

I'm quite proud of myself for this finish... it was a super quick stitch ... I think it only took about 4 days and it is the first time I've inserted pompom trim into the seam... boy the flanges on pompom trim are tiny... had to find my zipper foot to get it sewn in... but it came out exactly like I wanted ... a rather flat pillow ...not puffy... and instead of using interfacing on the back of the stitching and the lining I used fusible fleece.. I had it sitting on my cutting table from a previous project... it gives it a nice bit of loft ... I'll be using it again in my finishing...

And a bit more of the shelf unit... I can see that I've got a turquoise/red theme going with my Christmas stitching... and I like it... it works for me...

A look at my Christmas tree... on the small side but it's best attribute is that again this year it made a successful trip up and down the stairs to the storage room fully decorated... all I did was plug it in and straighten a few of the bubble lights and it was good to go... the chairs are sporting dueling Basic Grey Christmas collection quilts... and I made another one this year... still need pictures...

And I have a new spot to decorate in the living room... I took the little yellow cabinet to the basement (and I still need to finish decorating it... will try to post more pictures tomorrow too).. and I moved in this shelf unit... I like that it is open and you can see what is on the lower shelves... and it is a little longer so there is more space for more STUFF... and you know how I LOVE MY STUFF!!   LOL

The shelf unit came from Amazon and I replaced the knobs with those turquoise ceramic ones I picked up at Hobby Lobby... I like the pop of color... stayed with a red/white/yellow theme here ... added one new piece of cross stitch...

This is from the No. 25 Prairie Schooler chart "Up on the Housetops"... I've had it in my stash a long time ... copyright 1989...  I made the house a bit more yellow than the called for floss and found that little white trim in my stash... a organdy bow and some little jingle bells in the corner... oh I also used the fusible fleece in this one too ... 

And now for the porch... you may remember  I was lusting after a what I thought was a fluffy white kinda 50's tinsel wreath at Joanns... and I bought it...

as you can see when I hung it up on the  storm door it has a definite pink glow... but that's okay because the porch display has a definite pink vibe..

and I think the pink goes well with the lime-y green and turquoise... I finally finished the Lizzie Kate Christmas ABCs that I started probably 2 years ago... it takes a longer to stitch those words than you would think... I don't think that any 2 of the "e"s are the same design... 

and I'm glad I snagged that pink deer at Target back before Thanksgiving... if you've been shopping you know how picked over every place is ... it was definitely not a year to waffle on a purchase... buy it when you see it... and I think that is going to be the case going forward for a while... 

So I do have a bit more decor but I haven't taken any pictures yet ... I'll try to post something in a day or two... I have 2 displays of gingerbread guys...one in my kitchen and one downstairs in my sewing room and a reindeer vignette down there too... and I've gotten four Christmas quilts done this year... 2 I did late last year and early 2020 and two I did in November 2020... I put the binding on the last one last night... need to pop it into the washer... and maybe I can get some outdoor glamour shots today... it is cloudy which is good for pictures and my neighbor's decorative porch railing is newly painted...however there is an issue there...

I am quite sad to say that my neighbor Jane, passed away a couple of weeks ago... she was a very sweet lady and I miss her... Jane never married and has no extended family in the US, just 2 nephews in Canada... they did come down and look at the stuff in her house but turned it all over to a local attorney to dispose of ... and her house went up for sale on late Thursday... it has been quite a stream of potential buyers... in one hour I saw 3 showings and I wasn't even trying to be nosy... it has been listed as pending since Friday night but I've seen at least 3 more showings since then and I haven't been sitting by the window watching, I just catch a glimpse of the activity when I look out my kitchen window... Jane told me I was always welcome to use the porch railing to take quilt pictures... I hope the new neighbors will be as accommodating ...

And a bit of rambling... this Christmas just isn't the same, is it?  I understand the need for masks but when you can't see people's entire faces you can't tell if they're smiling ...and I don't think they are... I don't feel the same upbeat energy you usually get this time of the year... and I do think it is going to be a long cold winter ... not sure if our governor will lockdown things again.. I hope not... I feel so bad for all the little businesses that are hurting ... just how does the powers that be think these people are going to survive?  I do think that if those that called for lockdowns weren't getting paid, they would have a different take on the situation...  just my opinion... 

So I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and try to post some pictures tomorrow of quilts and other displays... I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping...just need a couple of stocking stuffers and I want to get my gifts wrapped today (that is get out my fabric Christmas bags and stuff them in... LOL)... and I think I'll have a bit of a year end wrap up in a week... I'm surprised at how many quilts I finished this year... now a bunch were started in previous years but this was the year I got them quilted and bound (ok not all of them are bound.. but I'm getting there)... didn't do as much cross stitch as Elliott's stocking took a lot of time and there was that totally unfocused lockdown part of the year... I started several cross stitch projects and finished none of them... and lately I've wandered off into the realm of reproduction samplers... somehow 3 different reproduction charts have come through my mail slot... and 3 makes a collection, right??  I've got a very strong urge to do samplers this upcoming year...  I found this one ... Linens and Threads Mystery Sampler 2020... a gorgeous gigantic Quaker piece ... it is free and you can see it here. And there are several started samplers in my UFO box...so many many things I want to stitch... big sigh... 

Okay so if I don't see you before the end of the week... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! and lets pray that 2021 is not  a continuation of the dumpster fire  of 2020...

happy stitching-

carol fun 

 

Memory, ain't what it use to be... on a Slow Sunday Stitching...

Hello all - I truly intended to post last Sunday but my cable company had other ideas... we had lots of high winds, I expected that we might lose power but instead the wifi went out... after several calls to their automated number they assured me it was an area outage and they were taking care of it... about 18 hours later (which now makes it Monday morning) they changed their story and told me the problem was just with my wifi...HUH?? A customer service rep instructed me to go down to the basement where the cable comes into the house and unplug and re-plug in the connections... another HUH??   The box we are talking about is mounted right up to the top of the ceiling ... it is tall... I am short... and there was a bunch of stuff up against the wall... Well, I managed to use a little step stool and on tippy toes unplugged and replugged the cables... still no wifi... service rep says they'll send out a repair guy between noon and 4pm... okay... I'm not getting a lot done without my laptop... I can do things on my phone but the pictures and the text is itty-bitty...

So I sat a stewed and tried to occupy myself with other stuff and the hours ticked by... at 3:20pm  for reasons I will never know the wifi came back on  all by itself... another HUH??? Decided I would wait for the repair guy to call and when he did about 10 minutes later, I informed him that him that the wifi was back on... he insisted on coming anyway and gave me a new cable box ... smaller ... with a smaller display of the time... not thrilled... and he informed me that if a customer service rep ever instructs me to touch the box on the wall in the basement I am to inform them that I was sternly warned to NEVER touch it... he said I could have gotten a shock if I plugged things back in the wrong way and it is strictly a repair man's job... I will obey...

So that was how the week started, along with a mammogram on Monday and babysitting on Tuesday and I forget what happened on Wednesday and coffee with a friend on Thursday and errands on Friday and some sewing on Saturday... 

Well, I had hoped to report that I had gotten the bindings on the two Christmas quilts that are languishing in my sewing studio... but it didn't happen... every time I went downstairs I got sidetracked by some other shiny thing... and while I could have finished something instead I started something else, actually 2 something elses.... I saw a cute pattern on IG and downloaded it...Lucky Log Cabins by Quilty Love... you can see it here... I thought it would look good in Christmas fabrics and I remember  I had some jelly roll strips which would be perfect for a this pattern ...well there weren't nearly as many strips in the bin as I remembered (like I said memory ain't what it use to be)  but there were 2 other projects in the same bin... and I have no recollection of either one... memory issue again... There were what appears to be all the pieces for a Jingle Jangle quilt by Seamed to Be ... you can see the pattern here... I have them cut, stacked and labeled... no recollection of doing that. .. and then there were the pieces for a quilt by Thimbleblossoms called Piece of Cake 3... again check it out here... the fabric collection was Very Merry by Sandy Gervais... and while I didn't remember starting this quilt I did remember that the fabric had been gifted to me by my friend Stephanie ... so perhaps there is still a little memory ... LOL... 

Anyway I got this totally sewn together!!  I had about 5 blocks done and the other 20 went together fast... I love this collection because it is non-traditional colors... turquoise and a brick red and an olive green and a minty green and that peach... OMG.. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that peach... and it is peach ...not pink... there is always so little fabric that is peach... about 30 years ago when I lived in Modesto peach was my friend Marcella's favorite color... it is so pretty...oh, where was I??  (Memory wander off ...) Oh yeah, the quilt...

And some close ups...

I love that this pattern only has a top and bottom border... so easy... and speaking of easy the only time I pinned was when I was sewing the rows to each other... Oh, I went out to Joanns Friday night to find a back for this quilt... I know, I know, I have hundreds and hundreds of yards of fabric but nothing I liked that was big enough... but  I went to the small location nearest my house... and I was tired ... and hungry (not sure what that has to do with my decision process but I'm throwing it in there)... and this is what I bought...

GIANT RED DOTS... somehow they seemed Christmas-y in the store... but when I got it home and shared it with my friend Darlene she pointed out that it would make nice Christmas-y clown pants... ROLFMAO... yep, it probably would ... but instead of making clown pants,  I sent it off to Quilting by David... it is nice fabric... it just kinda vibrates when you look at it for more than a couple of seconds... something else to remember...don't pick fabric when you are tired... I'll try to remember that, really I will. 

So, I'm definitely making this pattern again... I'm thinking of doing it in some of my vintage Debbie Mumm fabrics... the pattern starts with a layer cake and you get nice chunks of fabric that don't chop up the pattern a lot... would be good for some of those cute novelty Debbie Mumms and I'd like to play with them... there are some good memories packed away in those bins... 

And while I remembered that I wanted to play with the Lucky Log Cabin pattern I opened another bin of Christmas fabrics and found leftovers from a quilt I made back in 2018.... which you can see here... I loved those Heather Ross fabrics... the collection was called Sugarplum and I was smitten because it had a yellow print with peppermints... and you know how I LOVE yellow, which is not traditionally thought of as a Christmas color... but I do... in fact I've made  2 Christmas quilts that feature yellow and now I've started a third one...

Now there wasn't enough of the Heather Ross yellow peppermint fabric to do all the sashing so I found some yellow polka dots in my stash... and there weren't enough Heather Ross prints to do all the blocks but there was enough of the polka dots to include one square in each block and then there was that plaid border print... there wasn't enough of it either to do the full border but my cutting smaller sections and inserting a spacer it is gonna work!! 

Here's some close ups of the blocks...

See polka dot sashing and peppermint cornerstones...

And some Riley Blake Prints from Jill Howarth...

And that border print with a spacer...

In rummaging through my stash I found fabric that I remember getting at a quilt shop in Louisville... or was it Lexington... it was definitely in Kentucky... that's the best my memory can do... it was years ago and I was happy to include it in this quilt.. it was an odd color for Christmas ... a bit of a tomato-y coral-y red.. but it works great for this quilt... there is a light pink... almost a flesh... and aqua... and of course yellow... lots and lots of yellow... I'm calling this one my  3 P quilt... Plaid, Polka Dots and Peppermints .. I still have to cut the border pieces for the bottom and then sew it all together... but I won't have to deal with a separate border as I can sew it in rows... I think I'll like that... It has been quite enjoyable to sew the last couple of days... haven't been this into my fabrics for a while... I like it...

And I have my Thanksgiving decorating done... a couple of new items, lots of old stuff but in new places and some nice memories of where things came from...

The Grungy Gourds quilt ...

The tier tray...

The little yellow cabinet ...

The shelves...

Close ups of the only new pieces I got finished... Turkey one... a freebie I don't know where it came from...

Turkey 2  ... a snippet from a larger Prairie Schooler chart...

I so enjoy my Fall and Thanksgiving decorations... with the sequence of Fall/Halloween/Thanksgiving it doesn't seem like we have enough time to fully enjoy each one... rushing onto the next... I know I lot of people have leaped ahead to Christmas but I'm content to pause here for a bit ... 

And speaking of the holidays, I know that many people are not having the Thanksgiving Day we would like. I've spoken with several friends and we are all weary and not too thrilled with the arrangements other family members are putting in place... I know that their children and mine are concerned about our health and safety but not a one seems to have asked if we are okay taking a risk... some of us are... not a huge risk, we're good with wearing masks and keeping our distance, but we'd like to see as much of our family as we could... spending the day in your house, by yourself is just like all the days in the last 8 months, nothing special about that. My family is doing a modified celebration... each side of the family for my son and daughter-in-law is meeting separately with them... Chris' side of the family on Thursday, Jenny's side of the family on Friday... I will miss seeing her parents and her grandmother... such nice people. 

And speaking of weary ... and anxious... every friend I've spoken to has mentioned an episode of crying over seemingly nothing... except it isn't nothing, is it?  I know I've had my crying bouts... I'm tired, not so much physically, I'm trying to eat right, exercise and get plenty of sleep, but an emotional tiredness that has settled into my bones.  Some days are better than others, but not having much to look forward to is wearing me down... I'd love to plan a trip to Disney World with Nick, but don't want to walk around all day wearing a mask... I'd love to go to a quilt show, but I don't know of any that are scheduled right now, I'd like to go see a stage show but nothing is booked till August 2021... I'm doing my best to keep myself busy. I'm happy my sewing mojo has returned... my new sewing room furniture makes the whole room seem brighter and more inviting... I've been working on some Christmas cross stitch and have some crafty projects I'd like to get to... but some days while I have the time, I don't have the motivation.  I'm trying to spend less time on line, I can lose hours reading articles or scrolling through Instagram... I find inspiration but don't get anything done... and I don't think I'm alone ... I worry that we've made some changes in our outlook and behavior that will be hard to shake... I don't want to feel apprehensive being around other people... and I want to see people's faces... I want to see their smiles... 

So I continue to pray and whine and complain to my friends... oh and I have fired off some emails to certain politicians, although I doubt they actually read them. I have gotten a reply or two, which I know some low level staffer sent, as the questions I asked were never answered, and in every case I was directed to  certain websites... the same websites  that I mentioned in my email having looked at for the answer to my question. I've got a thing for statistics and have been stymied in finding certain data for the current year... eons ago I worked as an economist and scoured government publications for data... it should be easier in this day and age but it isn't... I've found out that a lot of what I'd like to know isn't being aggregated in one spot... and compiling the figures takes quite a bit of time... which accounts for some of those hours I've lost ... and I've ended up with more questions than what I started with... 

Okay - I'll drop that right now... going to link up with Kathy's Quilts... doing brunch with Chris & Jenny & Elliott... maybe some more sewing today... started another Christmas quilt project... a couple of bins of fabric have exploded all over my cutting table... need to cut some more pieces and tidy up a bit...

Hope that the week ahead is not too trying for you... I know that it is going to be a long day on Thursday for a lot of people... I'll be saying extra prayers for you...

happy stitching-

carol fun 

PS ... and speaking of memory... I realized that 55 years ago today JFK was assassinated... and I remember exactly where I was and how I heard about it... I'll bet you do to...