Sunday Stitches

 I’m plugging away at my stitching and actually getting things done.

I’m calling the little reindeer quilt done and I’ve packed it away until Christmas comes again.

I’ve decided that this year's projects will be simple and done. 

You will notice very minimal quilting lines, then it was tacked together in the corners.

 Done!

I finished one ornament cross stitch.

And I’ve started another. I’m hoping to finish this one this week, then turn them both into ornaments. I’ll probably make them into little pillows, but I’ve been looking at different finishes that others are using. There are some incredibly talented people out there. 

Shout out to Karen at Karen Quilts, etc. she mentioned this neck light and it has been a game changer for hand stitching. I think anyone over 40 needs one! Lol Great for reading, too!

My silly simple way of getting more done these days.

Many of you have fancy little planners with color coordinated stickers and markers. I find I am easily distracted and have plenty of plain notebooks around the house.  Writing out each day’s goals helps me to stay focused.

Do you make lists?

Linking to Kathy at Slow Sunday Stitching.

Happy 2023! Thoughts on crafting!

 Happy New Year to my blogging friends! I hope 2023 will be wonderful for you!

I finished the Santa embroidery a few weeks before Christmas and enjoyed seeing him on my wall. (No one else seemed to notice, so I guess that’s why it’s best to craft for ourselves— Lol)

Along that same thought, I tend to see donated cross stitch in thrift stores quite often. Unless someone requests a specific cross stitch, I don’t think I would gift my x stitch pieces to anyone. (Even though I have done so in the past) Christmas ornaments, yes— but not something they’d be expected to display year round. Your thoughts?

I embroidered eight tiny reindeer, plus Rudolph.

This has been my hand stitching project while sitting with the needy little girl you see in the background. We spend a lot of time in the bedroom these days.

I’ve also joined a challenge on Instagram this year. It’s called #12in23ornamentstitchalong. (Hosted by Caroling55) We hope to stitch a Christmas ornament each month. There are so many free cute patterns available on the internet. I think this will be fun. It’s not too late to join us. 

I leave you with this funny pic of my Daddy. We stopped by his friend’s house this week to see his new “man cave.” I’m not a fan of animal trophies , but I couldn’t resist taking this pic of my daddy next to this big bear. 😝 

Linking up to Kathy’s Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.

Santa

I was aiming for a finish this week, but as I’m easily distracted, I was sidetracked. I had the Fly Lady on my brain and tried to do some cleaning. 

Here’s hoping for a finish this week!

Quilt Show

I went to a quilt show yesterday in New Bern, NC.  

I’m posting pics of a few of my favorites. There were so many to see!

This quilt was huge. I loved it!

This was a sentimental favorite for me. You can read the description in the next photo.

In fact, there was a special display to honor their former guild members who had passed away.

I enjoyed this display.

I heard someone say this is a stack and whack style quilt. I love the kitties.

This was the only quilt I noticed that was hand quilted. Most seemed to be quilted by machine.

A machine just can’t capture the softness and crinkly love of hand made stitches. ❤️

I was totally in awe of this one.

Beautiful and Patriotic!

Classic red white and blue! I loved this simple quilt.

I’m not a fan of sugar skulls, but this quilt was amazing. Totally appliquéd! Look at those tiny little dots! She must have used tweezers! Beautiful!!

Ric rac basket handles. 

Gorgeous calicoes

Beautiful fall quilt

Beautiful Quilt of Valor

 

I’ll end here, but there were so many more to see. There were a few vendors, but the best part was like a huge yard sale. There were used patterns, quilting tools, books, notions, etc and FABRICS being sold at rock bottom prices. It was a fun visit.

Hand Quilted Finish

 I’m trying to finish up a few things, before I start something new. I bought this quilt top from eBay last year (or even before) mainly because it was cheap and I liked the happy colors. 

It’s actually a preprinted panel (cheater quilt) to which someone added a couple borders.  My plan was to quickly hand quilt it with diagonal lines in one direction only. 

Needless to say, very shortly into the quilting, I realized I had unintentionally criss crossed my quilting lines. That’s why I had to finish with two sets of diagonal lines. It took a lot longer to complete, but it looks better that way.

See my friendly stray cat

I completed the quilting a month or so ago, but finally put the binding on this week. (Backing is a thrifted sheet and binding also from thrifted fabric.) It is approximately twin size and we will use it for watching tv on the couch.

I found this Christmas colored yarn at a thrift store while visiting my daughter in Mississippi. I’ve been putting trim on a few dish cloths.

I continue to work on Santa Claus. Zoom for a better view.

Linking to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching. Go here to see what others are hand stitching.

I’ve shown this little quilt before and it’s still a favorite. I don’t do much decorating for fall, but I do like this on my table. It took a couple weeks to have  new tile floors installed a few years ago. I sat in the sewing room during the installer’s work hours, locked inside with three dogs, while hand stitching this little quilt together. Two of those dogs are gone now. 🌈🌈. 

About that stray cat, he has become so friendly, and follows me around like a puppy when I’m outside. I have never picked him up, but I can rub on him all day if I wanted. So, I know I need to do the responsible thing and have him neutered. Yikes! Soon, I promise. Did I mention there are three new young kittens coming around these days? The things we get ourselves into ——

🐈‍⬛ 

Halloween Wall Hanging

 I’ve long admired those who have a little quilt for each season. While many of you have many quilts for each season, my goal is to have just one to hang in my foyer.

I used a thrifted scrub top for the cute little critters. 

One of my favorite blocks reminds me of my new stray cat who has now become a little love bug. ❤️

Another favorite because it reminds me of my little old Sweet Pea girl.

I probably won’t have one ready for November, but I’m still working on the redwork Santa, in hopes that he will make it to the door by December.

Plans With No Action

 It seems every year around Christmas time, I tell myself I’m going to do better next year. I tend to make plans and dream about what I want done before next Christmas. I had several quilts I wanted to whip up, along with several other things.

So, it’s October, and this is the only one I’ve completed. 

I’ve made a little progress on my redwork Santa.  I’ve found a regular time of each day to work on him, as my friend got me interested in a couple of soap operas before she passed away last month. I catch myself saying “this is so cheesy, this is so stupid” , but I keep going back.  Sewing while I watch the soaps, makes me feel a little less guilty for watching. 😁

I drove to Mississippi with my dog and visited this girl for a week. I really had to push aside some anxiety and trust in God to make that trip. It went well and I’m so happy I visited. ❤️

And I can always find time for reading, as my 15 year old Sweet Pea keeps me close by her side these days. I picked this book up on a whim and it wasn’t anything like I expected. However, I loved it ! It was about a young family in Alaska and the anxiety and heartbreaks of a young mother, trying to hold a family together while her husband was commercial fishing. It stayed on my heart for a couple days after I finished reading it. I couldn’t decide if I was “grieving about”  or “satisfied with” the ending.

If any of you have read it, I’d love to know your thoughts. It’s an older book, and if you are anything like me, I forget what I’ve read a few days later. But let me know if you’ve read it!

.

Farewell, See You Soon

 

Farewell to thee,

My Sweetest Friend,

Till heaven calls me,

And we meet again!

I love you, Donna. You taught me so much about love, faith, grace, and prayer. I will always cherish our friendship. 😘

March 10, 1963 - September 1, 2022

Sunday Blogging

 I stitched two whole rows on this preprinted quilt top. Does that count as sewing this week?

We had two really tall pine trees removed from our yard this week.

For the past several months, I’ve been trying to befriend two stray cats . (Both male) We have come a long way, in that I can now pet both of them, although the black one still makes me a little nervous. They sometimes fight, which makes me sad. The yellow one is  missing an eye. 

I would love to have them both neutered, but I’m more than afraid to trap them and have it done. Any advice would be appreciated, as I would love to keep them and have them live in harmony. 🤪

I’ll leave you with our little gymnast, Brinley Kate. She has been competing for approximately a year now and won first place recently. She is everything her Grandma always dreamed of being.... lol... I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. I’m so proud of her. ❤️