Lots Going On

Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. Not just for the gorgeous foliage or the every thing pumpkin spice ~ yum ~ but as the weather turns cooler with more time indoors, I find it so much easier to have lots going on.

I participate in two different sew alongs. A HQAL, where I am working on a hand quilting project – The Dahlia Project and a SAL with a great Halloween cross stitch in progress but I have also been busy with a few other projects.

5 daughters will each get 2 dish towels this year. I’ve have 9 completed with this one just finished.

This years passion has been cross stitch Christmas cards. I had done one last year that was sent to my Uncle. He absolutely loved it. With this year filled with so much uncertainty, filled with social distancing, and actually not even getting together with friends, I thought these would really make the perfect non gift, gift to say you’ve been thought of and are special to me. Here are 3 of the latest completed.

These 2 Current cards are 5 x 7 and came in a set of 4. I have 2 more to do.

I just picked up these 2 Hannukah cross stitch cards off of eBay and am excited to get started on them. (about 6.50 ea give or take) I would have liked a couple more but only spotted these 2 at this price.

And some tiny pillows for gift giving using The Friendship Star pattern will make perfect friendship gifts.

Keeping me busy, as if I haven’t been busy enough, is a lap quilt for a friend. Using the Friendship Star pattern, I started this on Monday and have completed 8, 9″ blocks. I think 12 blocks may be enough with the added sashing, I’ll see. These blocks, a first for me, have been machine assembled and not hand stitched. When I get to quilting her though, she will be hand quilted 🙂 No idea on the backing yet.

The last on my doing list is this pinwheel block pattern baby quilt. I have been working on it through this last year. The blocks are all hand stitched with the sashing done by machine. I still have 1 more strip to piece together. I had used this pattern and material before in another baby quilt. With a few extra blocks I just kept going and made some more blocks, enough for this second quilt. She will be hand quilted.

It’s been a crazy year for so many. Blogging, reading and following blogs has been so important these past 10 months. It’s kept me focused on not being bored, one of the greatest complaints I have heard from friends. Along with keeping me busy, it’s connected me to those who share a similar passion.

I have been thinking about how the holidays, traditionally, can be a very difficult time for many regardless of this being the year of COVID. I want to make a little extra effort to connect with friends and family this holiday season.

HQAL: The Dahlia Project update #4

I have been working steadily on the Dahlia Project these last 3 weeks. At our last posting I had begun adding some quilting designs to the inside of the petals. I was using a clamshell stencil to create the design.

I have abandoned using the stencil and have begun free handing a pattern onto the petals.

My inspiration came from Carole Carter of From My Carolina Home Blog and FB page. Her Dahlia Quilt which was done for Bullington Gardens as a raffle fundraiser, is ‘magnificent’ and worth a look see if you have the chance. You can see her post and take a tour of the gardens and see her finished quilt here http://frommycarolinahome.com/…/a-visit-to-bullington…/

Wishing you all a safe, healthy and productive coming few weeks. Now I am off to visit the pagers of the others in this hand quilt along.

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

SAL: Trick Or Treat Update #6

A timely posting for the month of October as I continue to work on “Trick or Treat”. At our last posting she looked like this….

Three weeks and I made some good progress. I did not get the back stitching done as I hoped but the bat joined the haunt, a window fixed, a pumpkin got a stem, along with completing the ground and border.

While this looks almost finished, there’s so much more to come with this project.

Now it’s off to take a look at what everyone else has been working on, please join me. We live all over the world so you may need to allow for time differences. Posting takes place every third Sunday, local time. Our next updates will be posted on the 25th October 2020.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

A Lot Of Christmas Happening

Where has the time gone? As I write this there is only 90 days left till Christmas. NO way, I have too many projects left that I want to complete. I have been working on tea towels and cross-stitch cards since the beginning of the year and while I do have quite a few gifts completed – the stack of projects doesn’t seem to be going down. I have completed these 3 cards from the original 4 I purchased in January

I just love these cross stitch beauties and thought this year I would really like to send out a few more. They really do say “your pretty special” I purchased a few more off of eBay or was it amazon…oh hec – one of those two.

I have completed friends and am working on Happy Holidays right now. The other 4 look rather easy to stitch up and will make the perfect gift cards.

I have added another two tea towels bringing a total of seven completed with another being worked right now. The quality of these towels and the ones completed are fabulous, heavy and with a sewn in hook for hanging. The towels were purchased from Joann’s, Stitch Em Up 2 pack Flour Sack

I needed more towels and since I am staying in and doing most shopping on line, I ordered from amazon Utopia Kitchen Flour Sack Dish Towels 12 pack Cotton Kitchen Towels 28 x 28 mid Sept. I was so disappointed when they arrived. They are thin and see thru with no hook. I begin doing some embroidery on one and well – I have ordered on line from Joann’s and will most likely not use any of these for gift giving.

90 days is simply not enough time to get what I want to get done – I will be shifting my expectations very soon now 🙂

I have been working on a Halloween cross-stitch and a quilt, both also for gifts. No deadline on these, with the Halloween being worked for 2021 🙂

May I share with you our blossoming fur baby Skyes The Limit Johnson. Saved thru Cozy Paws Rescue she came to us in mid July. We feel so blessed to care take her or is it her us? She has brought so much happiness wrapped up in her 14 lb mini schnauzer bundle of love. The picture was taken yesterday on a mini nature walk along the Puget Sound.

A break in the weather got us out and enjoying but you should see Skye in her blue with yellow duckies rain coat – adorable and perfect for here in our northwest corner of Washington state where we are no strangers to wet weather.

Enjoy a relaxing weekend ~ I am off to do some baking.

HQAL: The Dahlia Project update #2 and #3

Well guess who was surprised last week when I went to post on the blog for a SAL update and saw my HQAL post from 2 weeks prior still sitting waiting to be posted. I imagine I got so excited reading everyone else’s updates that I forgot to post mine. So this is a combined 6 week posting of The Dahlia Project. 

#2 At our last posting three  weeks ago, I shared this photo of the Dahlia quilt I am working on. It was a great start for this beautiful panel

I have made significant headway on the petals. There’s just a few more left to do. You can really see some definition and depth to the piece now. Funny how one photo looks so wrinkly and the other looks so smooth. I promise you nothing was done differently and I did not press it.

I used coordinating  Gutterman colored thread for the quilting.

The back is this wonderful daisy print. The fabric was just right for fitting the panel on 3 sides perfectly with a huge chunk of fabric left over on one side. So for the binding I am going to make a bias tape strip to use out of that.

 

#3 SO ~~~~here we are 6 weeks later and I have completed all of the outlining of the petals. 

You may have noticed a little bit more has gotten done. I have begun working inside of each petal. I am using a clamshell stencil 3 1/2 in. 

This is actually the first time I have ever used a stencil. I bought the wrong stenciling chalk only to discover it would not work in the thin lines. So I simply used a mechanical lead pencil and drew in the lines in the directions I wanted. No two petals are alike in nature and so no two petals are exactly alike either. I am truly learning as I go. I could have, if I had known, bought a smaller clamshell stencil for the smaller inside petals and as it opened up switched to the larger size. What I can say at this point is having discovered and joined this HQAL, corresponded and read so many amazing blogs, I have truly grown and am growing as a hand quilter 🙂

It is going fast and I am having fun with this process.

Now to remember to press the publish button, then go and visit the posts of my fellow HQAL members.

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

SAL: Trick or Treat Update #5

“Trick or Treat” is an Original Design by Thea Dueck for The Victoria Sampler.

At our last posting I was here

Three weeks have flown by, we are approaching mid September and here I am, just about done with phase 1 of the project.

Just a bit more to do for this section, complete the ground, there’s a bat for the sky, fix a window and some backstitching, tidy things up and I’ll be done.

Please take some time and visit the pages of the others in the group. Stay safe and well. I am off now to do some blog hopping ~ enjoy!

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

SAL: Trick or Treat Update #4

Three weeks since our last posting has arrived as quickly as thinking that Halloween is just around the corner. Can you believe it?

Here is where I was at my first and last posting. I had gone back over all of the black that I had initially done single strand, adding to make it double stranded. What a job but it looked better even though it did look a bit wonky to me.

 

Here is where I am at now.

It’s looking better. Before seeing this picture I had not noticed that I had I missed a window. I’ll need to go back over that and add the back stitching before going on to the next section.

You can see what everyone else in this SAL is working on my clicking on the links below.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Stay well and stay safe until we post again

 

 

 

HQAL: The Dahlia Project update # 1

It’s hard to believe at our next posting we will be wrapping up summer. How time flies when you’re having fun and I have been, working on this panel. At our last posting I had shared that I would be starting this panel.

For the back I decided on this very soft looking daisy print in complimentary subtle colors

I am using coordinating thread colors to match the petals. I am working on outlining all the petals first and then I will decide about going back into each petal to add some detailed pattern to it.

 

If you’ll indulge me, look who I caught enjoy Dahlia when I put her down and headed to the kitchen  ~ Skye

 

Once I spied her and captured the first picture she promptly sat up, deciding whether she better get out of there. * We have only had Skye for 19 days now. A mini 13lb Schnauzer mix that we adopted with the help of Cozze Paw Rescue out of Portland, OR. They rescue dogs at kill shelters along the west coast. Skye is a 6 yr female, found as a stray in southern CA, had been pregnant (we had recently lost our 15 yr old Schnauzer and were devastated, quickly turning to rescue again) We fell in love immediately. She was brought up to the Humane Society in Port Angeles, WA . They spayed her, did extensive dental work, micro chipped, flea bath, updated all vaccines (all for a minimum $150, we made an additional donation – dental work can run into a thousand t alone)

It never occurred to us that we might be getting an ill-behaved, troubled pup and thank fully we didn’t ~ she is so precious!

Remember this quilt for my grandson Kris and Alice? ~ Kira Lynn arrived on August 5th another precious addition to our family ❤

Hope everyone is busy, staying well and healthy. Keep smiling and quilting 🙂 By clicking on the links below you can visit the pages of the others in this hand quilt along.

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen, Kathi, Daisy, Connie, Monica and Sherrie

SAL: Trick or Treat Update #3

I am always amazed how 3 week intervals for posting our progress arrives so quickly. So here we are, mid summer, with another chance to show our progress. You may remember at our last posting I was unhappy with the look of my piece. Checking the directions I realized I had read the directions wrong. Then I thought this may have been a needlepoint project. In fact I am still not sure about this piece.

Having used a single strand of black floss, I went back over the black with another strand of floss. I think it really made the difference. (It was a b**** to do) I left the yellow a single strand . The dark brown is a mix of single and double floss which I am going to leave for now. I am hoping it may give a shadowing effect when finished. I can go over it later if I need to. Here’s a look at the improved and some welcomed progress.

Before & After

 

This SAL is hosted by Avis. We post our progress on our hand stitching projects every three weeks. Please click on the links below to see what everyone else has been working on.

Avis, Claire, Gun, Carole, Sue, Constanze, Christina, Kathy, Margaret, Cindy, Heidi, Jackie, Sunny, Hayley, Megan, Deborah, Mary Margaret, Renee, Carmela, Sharon, Daisy, Anne, Connie, AJ, Jenny, Laura, Cathie, Linda, Helen

Christmas In July

It’s time for a little Christmas in July and an update on what has been keeping me busy. I had already posted these 2 projects but am adding to my stockpile for gift giving ….

I finished 2 more dish towels

There will be no shortage of reindeer for Santa

And this sweet old world Kringle will add some sparkle to a kitchen

But lets remember to always spread Joy

I have a few more towels stamped and ready to start but I also have this sweet little scene to stitch up along with one more holiday card.

 

There has been no shortage of projects to work on during this sheltering in place business. I have been participating in 2 craft alongs 🙂 a hand quilt along (HQAL) and a stitch along (SAL) Both post at 3 week intervals, the progress on our projects. It’s been a great way to get lots done with the encouragement of others – that accountability that keeps you on track. I think the best part has been the friendships with other crafters from around the world that have formed. Certainly, for me, it has been a way to really stay positive and uplifted and in communication with so many wonderful people.

Please remember to