FROGGING

Getting closer to the right edge of Moira Blackburn's Season and Time.  But today I will begin by finishing the removal of the rabbit.  After I made the star and counted to begin a bird that will be stitched to the left of the star, I found out that the rabbit is two stitches off.  (That made the star off by two.)  If it was one, I would leave it but two won't work.  Out it will come.  

I began the frogging last night to remind myself what I needed to do today.

Here is the beginning of the turning corner.  There is a repeat of the flower edge that was on the left side and then the two pink border rows.  Getting closer!!

Enjoy your threads this day.  

Great news, preseason football began on Friday evening.  Football is great to stitch to.  (New England won.  May they do it again in the regular season.)

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

3030 Done, Almost

Early Thursday morning, 0230, I woke up think of my 3030 Quilt which has been waiting for me to trim the scallops and stitch on the binding.  I couldn't get back to sleep until a promise was made to the quilt.  

First thing in the morning, after filling my hummer feeders, the binding was made, cut and ironed.  Thankfully the binding material was inside the folded quilt.  There was no need for a frantic search.  

Then my machine was moved into the dining room next to the table as the quilt needed extra support.  It was stay stitched next to the scallop markings as I did not want any of the hand quilting to come undone.  Then it was trimmed on my markings for the scallops.  

The binding was stitched on without any problem.  This is the first time that I have done a scalloped border.  Much was learned from watching videos and doing it myself.  It won't be my last scallop border.  A lot was learned with room for improvement.

Starting from the bottom left, the corner needs to be completely stitched and then only five scallops left.  Then done!!  

Machine pieced, hand applique and hand quilted.  Done!!

The backing is a paint splatter pattern that I really like.  Here are the unfinished scallops.  

The five scallops will be finished today.  Then totally done!!  

Thank you, Gay, at Sentimental Stitches for this great pattern.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Enjoy your threads today.  The Happy Dance is being done here.

 

Summer

As elsewhere it has been hot here.  I have been out in the gardens at 0700.  Have accomplished a bit of summer clean up.  A lot left to do.

Here we have Gibbs with the right idea.  Belly up to the window screen to get the breeze.  Kitty heaven.

Slow stitching is what I have worked on.  Stitching Quaker by Primrose Cottage has been completed.  This was stitched on a 28-count linen.  Not sure why I chose such a large stitch space.  After working on 40-count this looks enormous.  

I have begun Stitching Quilt by Primrose Garden.  The same colors and size linen are used in both.  

I see them finishing as a table runner or topper.  Need to find the proper material colors and will make a log cabin block around them.  Right now, it will be three blocks.  The center block will have a solid center to its log cabin. 

The MorningStar hot pad by Plum Easy was made.  I am wanting to make her Point of View table topper.  The prairie points were making me nervous, so I started with this, a Hexi point.  This was made without a problem, and I now have the confidence to work the prairie points.  

May you all be able to stay cool this weekend.  We are in the 80s but the humidity has finally dropped.  For a few days.

Linking to Slow Stitching Sunday at Kathy's Quilts. 
 

July?

I am not paying attention to the passing of time at all.

Youngest was here at the end of June with her family.  She asked me to make the farm quilt that we had bought the kit for last year.  I had no idea what she was talking about.  She said she would look in my cave to see if she could find it.  I wished her luck.  Two minutes later she had it.  Said, "Mom, this was easy to find."  I was shocked and surprised.  She told me that she could see that I had been organizing and that it worked.

MAW are her initials, and her future projects are in that box.  Need to keep this up.

While I was piecing "On the Farm" by Sweet Jane's I was closely supervised.

Later, Gibbs was telling me the importance of pressing.  He was not very pleased when he was told to move.

Ziva later helped me sort scraps and did great work as the compactor.

Here is "On the Farm" as a flimsy.  Need to get cotton batting, turn it into a sandwich and then will begin to machine quilt it.  Hope to have it at least a sandwich by the end of the week.

I did begin a Primrose Cottage cross stitch, Stitching Quilt.  This is being done on a 28-count linen.

My Season and Time by Moira Blackburn is getting closer to the end.

May you all be able to stay cool and enjoy your threads.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.
 

June?!

Hello.  

I cannot believe that I haven't been here for four weeks.  Life has been busy, I think.  We did have our living room, dining room, entry way and stairs touched up.  We had them refinished about five years ago and some traffic areas needed a touch up.  That meant moving furniture out.  Some to my sewing cave and some to the garage.  

Gibbs and Ziva went to the kitty spa, and we went to Maine.  Visit with family was great but it was also good to come home and put the house back together.  (And get my sewing cave empty of what doesn't belong there.)

Some work with thread has occurred.  Here is Faded Flag by Robin Sample.  I am not sure how I will finish it.  She made it into a long thin pillow.  The stitch area is 1 1/2 inches by 8 1/4 inches.  It was a quick and enjoyable stitch using Dinky Dyes silk thread.  The red is variegated.

Here is Pollinator's Garden by October House.  Another delightful stitch.

Both of these were stitch-a-longs at Jo's Country Junction.

My Season and Time by Moira Blackburn is probably 3/4 done.  The turn to work on the right side has happened and it is exciting to see the end somewhat close.  

When I was back in my sewing cave and finding out where projects had been moved, my 365 Little Blocks showed up.  Here are the three that I made this week.  It is embarrassing to say that the last time it was worked on was July 28, 2024.  There are now 249 blocks finished.  Keep going I shall. 

For a leader ender I have been making scrappy nine-patch blocks.  Had an idea for a quilt but have now seen one with the nine-patch on point.  That is the direction this quilt may be headed.  Over 100 have been made.  

Enjoy your threads this day.  Once again, now 13 weekends in a row, we have rain.  Like many areas in New England and elsewhere.  My weeds are so happy.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Almost

Halfway that is.  Season and Time by Moira Blackburn has caught my time.  Here is where I began since I was last here.  Ready to take a roll.

Beginning of the next section (that I won't tell you I had almost done, two rows from the finish, and saw an error from the beginning that I could not leave.  Started one stitch to the left and one higher than the start should have been.  If I left the error, it wouldn't have been placed proper.  So, I took it all out which took less time that to stitch it in.  You can see it in the next picture in its proper place.)

At the last roll on this side.  I just have that side of flowers to finish and then the two-color edge.  Also, the lowercase letter a.  Then I will be halfway done.  Rolling the frame next to the right.  I am a stitcher that starts in the center.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  

Enjoy your day with your threads.  Mine won't begin until later today.  The garden is calling me.  We have had nothing but cold and rain this week.  My weeds are amazing.

 

Tete a tete

Daffodils they are.  Five inches tall.

January 2024 a friend gave me a small pot with tete a tete daffodils in it.  They were beautiful in a cold, snowy winter.  I kept them alive after the flowers were finished and planted them in a bed with larger daffodils.  I wasn't sure if they would come back but it was worth a try.  When I drove down the driveway this week, I saw this little spot of yellow.  They came back!!  

Spring has arrived in the Berkshires!!    

Season and Time by Moira Blackburn had not been stitched on since December 2024.  Since I can see small stuff again she was worked on.  This section was stitched to the point that it needed to be moved.

Moved it was and that tree has sections that I have unstitched twice.  Miscounted.  It is waiting for me as I type to remove another section.  More miscounting.  That is how my day will begin, and I really hope not how it ends.

Enjoy your threads.  After I have frogged again, I will enjoy mine.  ;)

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.
 

Vision

Good day.  This is being written on Saturday afternoon.  The last two weeks have been busy and wonderful.  April 2nd and 16th, Cataract surgery was done on my eyes.  The results have been very pleasing except for one thing.  I can easily see the dust in my house now.  Darn, I need to remedy that.  

I used to wear contacts to see and used readers to do handwork.  You need to be without contacts for one month before they can measure your eyes for IOL lens.  My contacts ran out at the end of November and my bifocal glasses weren't proper enough to be able to see to sew fine work.  (My cataract evaluation was the first week in December.  First opening in the schedule for surgery was April.)  

No problem now.

My April block for Laurel Ridge BOM is now done.  

The buttons have now been stitched onto this project bag.  

The pincushion has also been stitched.  It is amazing how much clearer I can see the linen, easier to stitch.  Now on to the scissor fob.  That will be my slow stitching for Sunday.

May all of you have a Blessed Easter.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

Block 10

Another block has been finished for A Bountiful Life.  This is Block #10: Ostrich Pair.  I need to stitch in their eyes.  When I look at the picture in the book of this block their eyes are light.  I shall do the same.    

Stitching with black thread on black material is not my favorite thing to stitch.  I could only do it during the day.  Even with the Ott light there was not enough light for me to stitch comfortably.

Now on to Block #11: Bird of Paradise.  The block was traced today, materials will be picked tomorrow and then stitching begins.

As I write this, it is Saturday and we are grey, mist and rain.  A Weather Storm Watch says we are to expect freezing rain overnight and sleet into tomorrow morning.  Two daughters in Maine are under a Weather Storm Watch of up to six inches of snow today with the sleet, freezing rain on Sunday.  Spring in New England.  

Enjoy your threads.  I am enjoying mine.  

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

A Bountiful Life: Block #10

Handwork has been getting stitched.  Block 10: Ostrich Pair from A Bountiful Life has grown.  Once again, several different ways of applique have been used.  The leaves were done with "back-basting needle turn applique".

The flowers were done by "needle turn applique with paper on top".

The center pink and green circles were done using my applipops and starch.  That makes the circles firm, and they stay nice and round.

 

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will work on the ostriches.  They are larger pieces and right now I am thinking of the back-basting needle turn method. The final decision on what material to use will be made tomorrow.  (Two color ways have been set out.)  Another block will then be done.

Enjoy your threads.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.
 

Twelve

That is the number of my next set of blocks for Laurel Ridge.  This set is applique, which I do like, slow stitching.  There are many ways to applique.  For the melon shapes on this block, I did a back-basting needle turn technique.  Here is where I drew the shape on the back of the block.

The shapes were then basted, the edge needle turned and then stitched down, all twelve blocks.

For making my circles I have used Applipops and starch.  A small applique pin is used to hold the circle in place as I start to stitch. Five blocks have come this far.  When all the circles are done, they will be half finished.

A squirrel did come by and was caught.  The two January Tea and Cookies mats from Shabby Fabrics were made.  Larger than a mug mat but smaller than a place mat.  Zig zag stitches are still needed around the snowflakes on the mug.  That is a fusible piece of applique. 

The last two weeks here have been snow, ice, grey, cold and windy.  Today the sun is shining and that makes 18F enjoyable.  With the wind chill, we have felt like -18F at times.

Slow Stitching today will be applique on my blocks.  May you enjoy your threads and stay warm and safe.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

 

New Squirrel

At the end of 2024, Lynn at Sew'n Wild Oaks Blog was talking about her new line of fabric and a new 2025 BOM, Laurel Ridge.  I was watching, hemming and hawing, and decided to late to order the kit for the BOM.  That was good, one less squirrel.  Then a message was left on my phone last week that I was next in line for a kit and someone had returned one.  (They decided it was more than their skill level.)  Was I still interested?  It was a weak moment, and I replied, yes.   

The kit came early this week and the material is gorgeous.  It took me a bit to jump in (I was actually nervous).  After over thinking the first block, I began.  The first block is a star block.  When was the last time that I made flying geese?  

It was this week I can now say.  Using the four geese at a time method.  My trimming was done properly, and I am pleased. 

But I love to use a steam iron.  I was able to distort a section before I remembered not to use steam.  I did frog it and restitch it.  It is now good.  I stitched four blocks and then had four blocks left to make this morning.

When I went to begin, a goose was missing.  I know that it did not fly away.  Gibbs likes to sit behind my sewing machine and watch the birds at the suet feeder.  What did he do with the goose? 

It took me a bit to find it but find it I did.  It was on a lower shelf to the side of the sewing machine.  The second set of blocks have now been stitched and all are looking good.

One goal accomplished.  Now what will be my next one?  I do need to stitch the eyes for the birds that were appliqued last week.  That is one bit of slow stitching but I need to plan more.  Super Bowl is tomorrow, hmmm.

Enjoy your threads and may the squirrels leave you alone.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy' Quilts.
 

February

Hello.  January was a good month for me, it is my favorite month of the year. It just did not go as planned.  Chest head ickiness began on Christmas Day and lasted three weeks.  Threads did not interest me, nothing much was getting done so I didn't write.   

But I was looking at Blogs.  gladiquilts.wordpress.com by Gladi Porsche is one that I visit regularly.  On 13 January 2025 she showed how she does needleturn applique with paper on top.  She was taught this method by Elly Sienkiewicz who has written several books on applique.  The book referenced was Baltimore Beauties and Beyond, which I now have.  I enjoy hand applique and have tried several different methods.  Not being energetic, this was a good thing to do while sitting in the chair.  My Block #7; Birds with Snacks from the A Bountiful Life quilt (Civil War Bride) was sitting in its basket, just sitting.  

The hummer, two bigger birds and their snacks were all done with this method.  You can see the paper sitting on the butterfly that will be worked on this evening.  I thank you Gladi for sharing this method. I am really enjoying it.

 

I am back to normal (or what passes as normal) and my Cave has been picked up.  Interest is returning for running machines.  Shall see what I can get accomplished this week and hope to return next week with evidence of progress.

Linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.

Enjoy your threads.