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Friday, August 29, 2014

LABOR DAY WEEKEND



I've had several quiet days with very little accomplished.  Our weather has been scorching hot with Weather Advisories almost every day.  We have a chance of rain today and tomorrow and we need it desperately.  We are still watering the flowers twice a day and even that isn't enough to save all of them.  Their beautiful colors are blanching out and they are totally droopy.

It will soon be September, my favorite month.  My Mom and my late dear friend Ruthie were born in September three days apart.  Normally September is the month for the yellow butterflies that announce the end of Summer.  Some years we get them in late August but so far I haven't seen one. 

Dottie and Olive are really feeling the heat.  Summer can be hard on black dogs. Their time outdoors is limited and we make sure they have plenty of cold water at all times.  They have been getting an occasional spoon of ice cream in the evenings.  We have been enjoying root beer floats and the Girls now know the wonder of how straws work!

I have been piddling around with the embroidery machine a little.  I did make a decision about the next quilt I will make, it will be a Double Irish Chain.  I bought an interesting class on Craftsy called Twisted Irish Chain and the instructor has some very good ideas and she demystifies the process of the double and triple chains. 

We don't have any grand plans for the weekend.  We will work in Cuba tomorrow and then Jeff will have three more days off.  We may drive up north to visit some friends or maybe take a short trip to visit family.

Whatever you choose to do this weekend, be safe. 


Thursday, August 21, 2014

SNEAK A PEEK

I've been away from blogging for a week or so and it feels good to sit down and catch up with you.  This summer my health has been like a roller coaster with more dips than highs.  I'm making a good effort to push through this and get back on track with my creativity. 

Many of you know that quilting is my passion, but machine embroidery comes in at a close second.  Being reminded by a friend of how many Fridays are left until Christmas (17) I thought I should get busy on some simple projects.  The sewing room is looking like my space again with stacks and piles, plastic bags and totes all waiting for attention.  Take a peek ~~~






If you are saying to yourself that I'm a messy sewist, you are totally correct.  I do straighten things up occasionally but just enough so I can find things. There's a little Halloween going on besides small gifties for some friends who will be gathering for a quilting retreat next month.  Do you plan to make anything for stocking stuffers or larger gifts for Christmas?  Remember, just 17 more Fridays, and tomorrow is one of them!

It's been good chatting with you.  I would love some comments from you.   Have a blessed day!


Tuesday, August 12, 2014

CHICKEN PINNIES


Quilting is my passion but sometimes I take a detour and make small items.  Yesterday I made a chicken pincushion from two leftover 9-patch blocks (6 inch).  There is a good tutorial for this project at Missouri Star Quilts.  My little chicken didn't turn out real well, but she will hold pins and keep me company when I sew.  Here it is ~~~~~



It needs a little more stuffing and something heavy in the bottom so it will sit well.  The eyes are straight pins with black glass heads. It was a fun project and I have a few ideas for personalizing the next ones I make.  Yes, I plan to make a few more just for fun.

Today I want to start making shams and pillowcases to go with my daughter's birthday quilt.  She isn't expecting these.  Her quilt was sent to her last week and she received it Friday.  She called me when it arrived and she was thrilled. 

We are going to have a few cool days until the weekend.  This will be a welcome relief from the humidity that's been so heavy.  We got some rain and the yard has greened up again, so I will be out on the mower a little later this morning.  I love to mow when the weather is nice.  We won't be mowing that much longer before we can stop for the year. 

Thanks for stopping in ~~~  have a great day!



Sunday, August 10, 2014

A MUFFIN MORNING




I bought some beautiful Michigan blueberries that I've been nibbling on for a few days.  As good as they were, I was craving blueberry muffins and that's exactly what we had with our breakfast this morning.  Sometimes nothing but homemade will do.  I put a topping on these but they are perfect without.  So our menu was bacon, eggs and blueberry muffins. 

I wish the rest of our day could be as lazy as the morning, but  
we are going outdoors to cut up a pine tree that had to be taken down last week. This tree, a 100+ foot yellow pine, was killed by boring beetles.  We need to burn this tree to kill as many of the bugs as possible.  We will be two tired pups after this job is done.


I hope you have a happy Sunday with your family and friends.  We could use a helping hand with the tree if you're in the neighborhood. 

                           Wishing you Peace & Plenty

Friday, August 8, 2014

SNOW DAYS

For the last week I've been enjoying my embroidery machine again.  I dug out a box that contained the thread for making some free-standing lace (FSL) Christmas ornaments and I've been having a ball.  Every year I seem to get this urge in the hottest part of Summer and I shut myself in the sewing room to work on early Christmas items...I call these my Snow Days.

Last year I ran across a gorgeous embroidered angel ornament at Urban Threads.  Since then I've looked forward to making a few more as gifts for family.  Do you remember this angel?


 
This sweet little ornament takes almost 3 hours to stitch out if you don't have any problems.  I always have a few thread breaks to fix.  The body/robe is one large piece and each wing is stitched separately.  These are stitched on water soluble stabilizer and once done they have to be soaked and laid out to dry.  Once dry they are constructed and embellished.  If you want to hang your angel on a tree branch, put the head on with the hanger on top.  If you have a small tree and would like your angel on the top, put the head on with the hanger inside the body.  Each one is a labor of love.  Here's the site to buy the design: www.urbanthreads.com.  Once there type in Lace Angel in the search bar and it will pop up in this size and a smaller version also.  If you decide to make these and would like a few tips I've learned along the way just let me know.
 
Back to my growing stack of angel parts.  Enjoy your day!


Friday, August 1, 2014

DEJA VU


Here is our daughter's birthday quilt I finished last night.  It's a simple Framed Square pattern made from the Luna Notte line of fabric from Moda. 

The pattern is a simple Framed Square with an inner and outer border.  I made a quilt nearly identical to this for us a couple years ago, with the only difference being the borders.  Here is ours for comparison ~~

The borders on our quilt are a toile fabric that I think coordinates well with the Luna Notte line.  The borders on our daughter's quilt are from the Luna Notte line.  Both quilts used two charm packs and two jellyrolls, but you could easily cut your own 5" squares and 2 1/2" strips from yardage. 

It's time for me to decide what to make next.  I have been playing with some machine embroidery designs with an eye toward Christmas gifts.  Yes, it's almost that time again. 

Our local fabric store is having a sale this week that I haven't been able to resist.  Here's some darling little girl fabric I bought yesterday ~~

Of course I also had to buy a few coordinating fabrics, but that's part of being a fabricholic, isn't it?

If I have my way this will be a quiet Friday.  I will make a big bowl of slaw to go with our dinner of BLT sandwiches and baked waffle fries.  Keeping dinner simple will let me spend most of the day in the sewing room.  Dottie thinks this is a very good idea and she has already called dibs on her old baby bed in the sewing room ~~~

Have a great Friday!