Squirrels on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello ... Hope you are all doing well... things here are ... squirrelly... literally and figuratively... LOL.. 

Oh I had lots of plans to sew but that didn't materialize. In the last 3 weeks, 2 of my 3 sewing machines have decided they've had enough of me and quit working. Now in their defense they are both at least 25 years old and have seen a LOT of sewing.  When the first machine, #1 of my beloved Jukis started with a glitchy foot pedal I was able to baby it for a while. But then it stopped working all together. It is currently at the repair shop but they are projecting 6 weeks out before I can get it back... I do hope they can fix it but I have some doubts. 

So I switched to my back up Juki... which is even older than my #1 Juki... and after a few days it no longer wants to pick up the bobbin thread... arrgghh... I'm not in the mood to take another machine to be repaired... so I switched to my 3rd machine... an older Janome... and it works fine ... but it isn't a Juki... it is slooooooooow....and every time I go to back stitch my right hand instinctively reaches for the lever on the right side of the machine... and it isn't there... 

What to do? What to do?  I know this is a first world problem... I'm blessed to own so many sewing machines... don't judge... I come from a family that believes having 3 cars is no where near enough vehicles for even one person... when my brother passed he owned over 45 cars... and sewing machines are waaay cheaper than cars...LOL ... So to remedy my situation I went online and purchased a brand new Juki!! 

Oh and along with dealing with getting a new machine, Dan my handyman was finally done with a year long renovation project he's been doing and had time to come and take care of a few things for me. He repainted the bathroom... I think this is the 4th time its been painted in 9 years due to repairs being made to the ceiling & tile work... and yes I have no idea what that has to do with sewing machines... but getting back to where I was headed, I decided I wanted a TV in my basement sewing studio (oh I do like the word studio... sounds so fancy...LOL)... and Dan installed it yesterday... its one of those new fangled ones that picks up all my streaming channels...here's the view from my chair...

Ordered it late on Tuesday and it arrived on Friday... got it all set up ... and I have a quilt all cut out and ready to go.. but it isn't any of one of the projects I spoke of 3 weeks ago... a shiny "squirrel" of a Halloween project caught my eye... 2 x 4 blocks done is Halloween fabrics, of which I have a LOT... Here's a couple of blocks ...

you can find the pattern here, a free tutorial by Film in the Fridge... I've made this pattern before using ALL yellows... its on my bed as I type this... I really like this version as the pieces and blocks are bigger and you have more space to show off novelty prints... some of my favorite fabrics. 

As for other squirrely things going on here... I've been spending lots of time watering the garden... I was given a Deer Park Beautification Award again this year by my little town... so I feel obligated to keep things looking nice... click here to see a video I made walking around the yard... but it is that time of year when it is getting harder. Petunias have said adios as are some zinnas... the small low ones are getting crispy and the tall ones have powdery mildew...sigh...  And while I'm watering I'm looking at all these plants and thinking...you are all gonna die and I'm going to have to clean out all these beds... arghhh... and I will need to do it as soon as I can, because I have 2 outdoor projects... some additional landscape lighting and having the shutters repainted  that can't be done till the beds are cleaned up... 

The dahlias are looking good.. hopefully they'll hang in there through September. I'm cutting several every day and bringing them inside to enjoy.

On the decorating scene...well it's too late for patriotic and too early for Fall... so I'm doing one of my favorite fill ins.... CHICKENS!!!   Here's some pics of what I've done... definite American Jane/Lori Holt vibes in the quilts... I do like the mix of AJ fabrics with Lori Holt patterns. 

The featured wall quilt and tier tray...

The tier tray...

A cute tin toy... the chicken peck and spin...

and a toy rubber chicken from the Target Dollar spot... I couldn't resist the party hat and polka dot sweater...

The large display shelves...

Lots of Pineberry Lane and some getting to be vintage Debbie Mumm ceramic ware. 

The small display shelves... 

 And I tucked in cut fresh flowers from my garden  in those pretty little yellow vases!

The new cross stitch additions are:

The Queen's Garden by The Scarlet House... I really love the little bees and the pompom trim

A freebie from Pinker n Punkin Quilting & Stitching called Summer Chicks,.. you can see it here.  

And check out her postage stamp Autumn SAL... you can see it here... soooo cute... I wanna stitch this too!!

And more from the cross stitch front there is an actual squirrel... this one from WTN&T Autumn's Acorn Gathering...

I'm almost done with him and I have fabric painted for his partner.

I did finish one square from Fragments in Time by Summer House Stitche Workes...excuse the wrinkles... not going to try to take another pic as I'm having difficulties getting these to post as it is.... grrr...

and there's a small start on the second one. I'll be ignoring this for a while till I get the Fall stuff stitched... trying to set aside maybe one evening a week to concentrate on sampler stitching so I can finish up this one and some others I've started. 

Well as I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon we've just had a glorious rain storm... came down in buckets... more on the radar so probably no watering for Sunday either... yeah!! I do enjoy sitting on my sunroom porch when it is raining... very peaceful... and the Lord knows I can use a little more peace... current events have not contributed to a sense of calm, now have they?

Anyway... the week ahead looks pleasant. Dinner with friends on Monday night... watching Elliott on Tuesday... he's all into coming to Grandma's house... every Tuesday he's sitting on their front stoop waiting for me to come and get him. I think having the TV downstairs will be nice for him too... I may get a bit more sewing done ... win-win... 

Well I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... always pretty things to see there. I hope things are well in your world and that you have time to stitch and quilt and knit and crochet and do all the FUN stuff... 

happy stitching-

carol fun 

Additions for the "to do" list on a Slow Sunday...

 Hello... where does the time go??  My sainted Grandma told me time goes quicker the older you get... damn she was right... and yet the faster it goes, the slower I seem to be moving.  So many many things I want to do... I have quite a lengthy "to do" list... but some days I just can't get together the energy and the motivation to do them. Somehow sitting on the porch and watching the birds at my feeders while nodding off for a nap has been a regular activity lately. 

I've done a little sewing... got this top together... 

the fabrics are a couple of collections from Urban Chiks and the border is Deer Christmas... deer... on yellow... simply irresistble! 

And can I mention that I really like taking a picture of this top in front of my shelf units... the lighting is better in this spot... gotta figure out a way to put up some sort of clothesline that I could clip a top to. Here I used big Clover binding clips and attached them to the top... they held really well... it was up there for several days and never came loose. I'm thinking that Ikea has a wire clothesline set up that might work....hmmmm... need to go shopping and then figure out how Dan the handyman could mount it... I'll put that on my "to do." list .. oh sorry for that tangent....

Anyway,  I even got the binding made for it while watching Elliott ... I got him a toy tool box... with a hammer, screwdriver, wrench and "working" drill... kept him busy all day...

I think I've said this before but there is a engineer inside that child desperately trying to get out.

Now I have 2 more Christmas quilts in the works and another one popped up on my radar a week ago... Letter to Santa QAL... here's a link to the info... you make a couple of words a week... I haven't started yet but I did decide I want to use turquoise blue,  Pool Grunge, for the background and use red, green, pink and white fabrics for the words... not going to make it as big as the example... I think a throw size would be good... and another project for the "to do" list... 

I've been doing a bit of cross stitch... I finished this piece that I started last year...The Queen's Garden by The Scarlett House.

I LOVE that green background... its more  vivid IRL... and I'm adding my spin on the bees were charted...they were BIG FAT bees... done over 1 thread... not my kind of stitching... so I thought about getting some buttons that looked like bees... and in my search I stumbled on these adorable little polymer clay slices...

look closely... the have little smiley faces!! 

 Here's a link to the etsy shop I got them at... I'm going to glue them on after I get this FFO'd... I'm thinking of doing a little pillow... with some chenille trim... cause I bought a boatload of chenille trim... 

Since I finished the stitching on that one, I picked back up Fall Most of All by Calico Confectionery... you can find the pattern here.   I LOVE the colors on this and I do LOVE FALL MOST OF ALL... 

This is warmer IRL...  I may have miscounted on that basket... but I ain't froggin it... I just need to count off the bottom band from the border instead. Hope to finish it this week..

Meanwhile, the other afternoon while sitting on the porch, nodding off now and again, and wandering around the internet I stumbled upon this year's edition of Fragments of Time by Summer House Stitch Workes... It is called the Susquehanna Valley Sampler... I lived in the Susquehanna Valley for 3 years in the early 1980... and I HAD TO HAVE this!!! 

Okay, let me back up a bit so this makes more sense... back in 2016  I stitched the 2015 edition .... here's my completed sampler...

There are 8 separate charts... and  a complimentary chart is provided on Barbara's website for the border and the dividing bands.  The linen I used on this has a definite yellowy orangey glow and according to what I wrote back in '16 I did this on 36 ct Edinburgh... hmmm... looking at it I thought it was 32 ct... probably because I used 2 strands over two threads... 36 ct isn't my usual choice... hmmmm... another tangent I wandered off to..

Here are the 6 charts that are currently available... the last two are being released at the Fall Needlework Expo...

And what made me HAVE TO HAVE the 2022 version is the border and dividing bands... do you see the alphabet running through the center???  I LOVE IT!!  

Here's a link to the complimentary border chart. I ordered the called for linen, 32 ct Straw by Weeks and the called for flosses... they should get here Monday... I may overdye the linen to add my touch to it or dye something else... gotta see it before I can decide. I'm itching to start this even though I have plenty of other samplers languishing in plastic project bags I should attend to first... but I won't...  I love the horizontal orientation of this sampler  and having 8 separate sections makes me feel like I'm accomplishing a lot more as I go along... and yes that is all a figment of my imagination but it makes me happy!! And add another project for the "to do" list.... see how it keeps growing???

Oh and I did one more small patriotic piece before I packed everything away...

Colonel Sammy by Notforgotten Farms... a freebie... go to her blog  here., and scroll back to May 10 ... 32 ct Lemon Yellow Rit dye... brightened up the flosses and added chenille trim... it was nice to use one of the dozen or so color I have... made me feel virtuous...LOL

Now I am taking care of all the flowers in the yard... because... well ... I paid for it, I planted it, I weeded it and I need to water it so it doesn't die... and while I'm watering I contemplate how did there get to be sooooooo many flowers???  Right now my house looks like it is going to be swallowed up by the flowers....

Looking at the side of the house from the driveway which is the view I see most often...

Moving around just a bit and stepping back for the wide shot...

Continuing around the house... corner view... see how I have 2 front yards....

Now to the address front yard...

Stepping back for  a wider shot...

See what I mean???  I've come to the conclusion that I have jumped the shark... there may be ... just may be... too many flowers... but there's nothing I can do about it now... maybe next year I won't plant as many thing.... ROFLMAO... who am I kidding?  If there is a pretty plant at the garden center... or a blank spot in my garden beds... I'll be spending money on plants.  The zinnias are doing great right now... saw this butterfly enjoying one...

and the marigolds which were slow to start are busting out of the bed...

The dahlias are just beginning to put on a show... here's a couple of my favs so far ...

but lots of plants haven't bloomed yet... more surprises to come!

Mother Nature has given me high temps for days on end and then a couple of days of rain here and there and as I'm writing this on Saturday she's on her best behavior... low 80's and more importantly low humidity... Forecast of some rain overnight which would mean I could skip watering ... yeah!!! 

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts... lots to see there... next week is looking good ... no appointments... I like being home when it is my choice... Don't tell me what I SHOULD DO, cause I'm not gonna want to do it!!  I could go off on a righteous rant about the media circus on Dr. Birx's revelations about the "vaccines" but I should keep my BP down... so instead I'll go eat some chocolate...

Hope everything is going well in your little part of the world... I'll be here trying to get some of things on my list done... and thinking of things to add to it...

happy stitching-

carol fun  

Making stuff on a Monday...

oooooohhhh... a rare Monday posting...  well, my sewing mojo has returned... don't know how long it will stay but I'm making the most of it... I've recently gotten 2 quilts back from being quilted by Delinda and I finally got the sleeve sewed down a on a quilt I know has been complete for over a year... talk about procrastination.... I'm really really good at it!!  Its a gift!! LOL

So wanna see what I've been up to?  LOTS of pictures ... just like yesterday...

Okay lets start with the 2 recent finishes... I talked about this first one yesterday but I want to include it  here too... 

First is the Flag quilt from the County Seat Quilts book...

Love the variegated thread...

Love the panto...

Then I got the binding on this one...  excuse the floor pics... the design wall is full of blocks I didn't want to take down...

the pattern is Skylight from MSQC you can see it here... and the fabric is Songbook from Fancy That Design House... she's a new (at least new to me) designer and I love her style...  further down this post you'll see another quilt I'm making with her Christmas collection.  Anyway this quilt pattern only take 1 layer cake... and it goes together super quick... I'll make this pattern again... maybe with a Halloween or Christmas layer cake... stay tuned.

This is the quilt that has been languishing waiting for me to sew down the sleeve so I could hang it...

These are leftover blocks from several other quilts I started and then changed my mind about... all done in American Jane fabrics... some Lori Holt blocks and some from The Farmer's Wife that was a QAL that I lost interest in after a month or so... sigh... Anyway I like how they look  and I have a plan to refresh my sewing area with more quilts done in American Jane fabrics... so cheerful and bright... but not TOO bright... I definitely had a quilt phase of about 10 years where ALL my quilts were really really BRIGHT... but I'm over it... and while I still like HAPPY colors I don't need them to scream at me anymore...

Funny story ... most of my really bright quilts were made in the years prior to getting my cataracts removed... someone once speculated that perhaps I didn't see things as bright as they actually were because of my vision... and I think they were right!  

So along with this quilt the little cabinet that sits in front of it needed a new table runner... and this it quite the accomplishment...

See?   Small, very easy construction and wait for it.... I did it while simultaneously watching my 3 year old grandson.... gasp... how did I do that?  Well there are lots of interesting things in Grandma's sewing room, not the least of which is the sewing machine. Both of Elliott's grandma's sew and he LOVES anything mechanical... I'm pretty sure there an engineer in there waiting to escape... we shall see... both of his Grandpa's are mechanically inclined... one has taught math & managed the facilities at the high school he works at for 35 years, the other has a degree in mechanical & aerospace engineering... his Daddy went off to college thinking he was going to do engineering, but after his freshman year he decided while he could do it... he had great grades... he didn't want to do it ...and he wanted to go into law... which he did... 

Anyway where was I???  Oh keeping Elliott occupied while I sewed... he likes to sit on my lap and watch me feed  the fabric through... he knows what the presser food is, and the difference between a needle and a pin... a needle has a hole in it according to Elliott ...and he LOVES bobbins... he likes to see inside the machine where they sit... he like to play with bobbins...

If Maria Montessori  had sewn this would be an activity.... stacking bobbins on a straw...

Another activity he enjoys is sticking pin in my design wall...

And trying to figure out if they come out the other side...

Two weeks ago  "we" made the table runner... last week "we" sewed together these 9 patch blocks and discussed that they were squares and counted 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9....  I'm planning on sewing some more of these with him tomorrow... fingers crossed...

Back to the quilts... I've competed two tops with the Bonnie & Camille swap blocks I did back in 2017... they had matured enough to be sewn... LOL... sorry both of these pics aren't great but you get the idea...

This first one is bed size and it already at Delinda's to be quilted.

These are the blocks I had leftover and I'll take this top to her when the other is complete. 

And wait... there's a bit more... I really like the fabric collection Cheer & Merriment from Fancy That Design House..  not a real in you face Christmas line ... a bit more subdued... you can see it all here... I was particularly taken with the gold fabrics in the collection ... you don't see much yellow or gold in Christmas lines and I though it would be the perfect sashing for this pattern...

The pattern is French Vanilla from the book Perfect 10 Quilts by Sew Emma...

This pattern is sooooo easy to do... since I'm making this bed size I cut 2 10" squares from each of the FQs in the bundle... you make 2 cuts and you have all 4 of the pieces you need to make the block... You don't need any pins to sew the block together... it is super quick!!   I went down to my sewing room Friday around 1: 30 ... by 5:00 I had cut out ALL the fabrics for the blocks and  half of the sashing needed and I sewed together 21 blocks... a very productive day!!   Now I may make the sashing between the blocks a bit narrower... not sure yet... I know that gold is strong but I like it ... it  is very cozy and I think it will look great in my bedroom as I have buffalo check drapes that are gold and white... 

Here's the pieces laid out on a tray...

I hope to get back to this a bit today or on Wednesday but in the meantime it can wait for me on this cart...

I really like this cart... it is  a We R Memory Keepers  Project Cart... I got it at Joanns ...here's the link...  the price now is higher than what I paid... I think I got it for about $75 and if you Google it, you can find it for less than the Joanns price... anyway I like that I can have multiple projects staged and ready to go... the trays slip in an out easily and they sit on a wire frame that has a lip on the back so you don't push the tray all the way through...  I liked it so much I got two... so many projects... so many many projects...LOL

Edited to add:  Last night I went to Joanns website to look at this cart... this morning I got an email giving me 25% off and flat rate $2.99 shipping... I haven't had this happen for a while, but there have been times when I left an item in a cart and a day or so later I get an offer for a better deal... just something to consider. 

So that't where I am right now with my quilting... I want to get the Cheer & Merriment quilt done before I see Delinda again... and I have at least 2 more Christmas quilts I want to play with. I got a layer cake of Cathe Holden's Christmas Faire... you can see it here... I think I've decided on a pattern and I already have some Grunge for sashing... I have a FQ pack of Christmas Joys from Riley Blake which you can see here...not sure what I'm doing with it... and I want to get a layer cake of the new Basic Grey Christmas line called Peppermint Bark which you can see here....  one can NEVER have too many Christmas quilts!!!

And there are a ton of cute Halloween collections this year... might need another quilt for that holiday...again... so many many projects...

But I'd rather have more things I want to do than time to do them in, than be bored... I don't get bored but I do find myself unmotivated at times these days... gotta stay away from the doom scrolling on my phone... I really need some kind of parental controls to stop me after  20 minutes or so...LOL ... too many times I waste an hour or more on IG or other sites...  I think I did pretty well this last weekend...  I gave myself a 3 day stay at home retreat... I sewed a lot on Friday... sewed a bit more on Saturday and cross stitched... and then cross stitched a lot on Sunday... got a new Fall-ish pattern that I couldn't put down... 

And there was some gardening work tossed in too... haven't had to water in a week, but it was needed last night... and I did a bit of weeding and deadheading ... and then picked off more Japanese beetles ... and then sprayed for the beetles and deer repellent as they chomped on my daylilies and my hydrangeas... grrrrr... 

Forecast for this week doesn't have any rain in it at all... and 80 degree temps... I'll be out there at least once a day ... the dahlias in the bed are full of buds and I found 3 partially opened flowers last night... all the same variety... a pink cactus form... can't wait to see what pops next.

So now I think I remember the blogs that did Monday aggregates... Love Laugh Quilt... Small Quilts and Doll Quilts...  I'll link up with these two... 

Hope you have a productive week ahead... I've got some babysitting and lunch with a friend but nothing else on my calendar... I'd like to keep it that way and stay home and sew and stitch... fingers crossed that is the way it turns out...

happy stitching-

carol fun