Preparation.

Red and green fabric already cut for four guild blocks.  Two more to prep.  I decided to surprise a friend and make two blocks for her.

Temecula Quilt Company is hosting "Marvelous Mini Monday"...  Information can be found HERE.

Block one done........

And block two......  They are four inches square....

Camouflage dress us almost done.  Just the finishing hand work left......

Five more towels prepped making the number to stitch six.

Nine blocks ready to assemble as the base of the next cathedral window block.

I seem to get more done if I do bits at a time on several projects...... 

Looks like Wade and I will have a large block of time to sit and watch a movies........

Design Wall Monday

Some how I got the pictures in reverse order......... 

I have started prepping my cathedral window block for this week.  Nine blanks cut, sewn, and pressed all ready to be sewn together.......

Dress for Reba pleated and blocked all ready to be smocked..........

I started another baby sweater on Friday.  Sometimes I just need to knit.

Prepped a tea towel to be stitched.

Now that I have the week lined up with more fun I can show off last weeks project.


This is the table runner I made from the shaded four patch blocks I learned to make at the class I took several weeks ago....

Isn't it lovely???  I am thrilled to have actually completed something so quickly.  Having a second machine all set up just for quilting made it so easy to sit down and get it finished........

Check out Small Quilts HERE and see what others are doing...

Finishes and Beginnings

I might have a list of projects but it grows faster than I mark items off.....

Temecula Quilt company is having summer camp this year....  I thought I would go to camp....

You can find the information HERE...

Since I have scraps in bins following Bonnie Hunter's method it was easy to grab the scraps from the one and one half inch drawer.  Wait.  My blocks are not coming out to the right size....  Finally the dawn breaks and I at last see that the strips should be one and one quarter......

The project should go faster now that I don't have to trim them after each step.....

Found a wee blue bird almost finished.........  Fifteen minutes and I have another bird for my tree......

Used the last of sugar cream and made this dishcloth....

Last month at Guild someone asked about the cathedral window quilt.  Knowing that I had started one in the year dot I went upstairs to find it....

Eureka, there it was safely tucked in its own tote and properly marked....  But only one block begun.

I have now finished that block and made the second one....

Last night I prepped for the third block...... 

That is enough in progress even for me...  Now to start a few more finishes.........

What has your interest?

A Few More Things Completed

Two bibs..........  Yarn for two more still here..........

One dishcloth.  Used up a scrap to finish it.  It still will wash dishes so that won't matter.

Two baby sweaters....  Sewn together, threads run and buttons sewn on......  Pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Surprise sweater......... 

Two more dishcloths.......  They just needed the threads run........ 

The last baby sweater......  I cast on another one last night......  They are easy to knit so I keep one going all the time...........  The trick is to finish them right away.....

What Happened to May?

I did not realize just how busy I had been in May...... 

Staying off the computer gives me more time to sew.......

I finished six tea towels...  I gave away five of them before I got a picture.... 

This one was for Kim for Mothers Day.........  I like to make my own blank towels so that I can add the scalloped border.........  I can get four tea towels from one yard of fabric.  Recently purchased four yards of Kona Snow....  Hoping to get a few more ready to stitch for the Fourth.

Katie's stepmother hosted a baby shower for her on Memorial Day....  She was kind enough to include me in the preparation.  It was in Georgia so I was unable to attend but I did make a few things for the baby....  One little knitted bib.

I also made six receiving blankets with her name embroidered on them and a bakers dozen burp pads.  

Again I failed to get a picture......

Found this at Hobby Lobby for 50% off.........  Just perfect for our little princess.

 

This was also from Hobby Lobby.  It plays Peek-a-boo with the baby..........

Baked four dozen cookies shaped like elephants and three dozen cheese cookies.......

I am getting better at making cut out cookies.......  Next to learn will be royal icing.

A dear friend is facing chemo and the loss of her hair.......  Made a chemo cap for her.

And it is reversible.

Took a class on making a shaded four patch block........  Making another table runner...... 

Computer time is over for the day.......  Now on to the house blessing.........

Shopping and a Movie

Out with a friend for Spring Fling at my favorite store...HAPPY'S....

Birdbath with greenery for the porch...

Bowling set for the boys..........

A picture frame for a favorite picture.......

Arrangement for a top shelf in the studio......

Friends over to watch a movie.........  One brought pizza.........

I added some fruit and cheese with crackers...........

And a little wine to make it interesting............... 

The movie was to be Tootsie but we talked so long that we never got to watch it.......  We can save it for the next movie night.......

A Drop from the Ocean

Four skeins of Sugar and Cream are now gone...........   One skein was super size and made two dishcloths......

With the yarn that was left I made three more for my sister.....

I found two more skeins this morning two more skeins this morning.  More dishcloths in my future...

Bits and Pieces

Some of the duck eggs hatched.........  Two sweet ducklings..........  They survived for four days........  Then they were gone.........  Two more ducks are on the nest so perhaps a few will live longer......

One pair all done except the Kitchener stitch to finish the last one.......

Sock one of pair two is complete except for the Kitchener stitch.........   The history of the Kitchener stitch is quite interesting........

The British Secretary of State for War, Horatio Herbert Kitchener, associated himself with the Red Cross drive to urge women to knit “comforts” or items for the men in the military, particularly mittens, socks and scarves. He was concerned about the foot problems the sock seams caused and personally contributed a pattern for socks which included a seamless grafting technique that would come to be known as the “Kitchener stitch”

Several years ago I promised to make two tea towels for a friend..........  At last I am getting them done.......  I like to make my own blanks and add a scalloped fabric border. The pattern can be found at Bird Brain Designs... HERE    I have enjoyed their products and used many of their free designs.

Begun..........  Also put aside in order to make some dish cloths..........

Started the process of making the Bishop dresses for Reba.....  I made many of them for her mother but it has been 25 years and I am a bit out of practice...  I have fabric for three size six month dresses.....  Yesterday I ordered labels for all of the items I make for her..........

Found this camouflage fabric for the first one........  Her father is an avid hunter so this should make him smile.........

All cut out and ready to pleat..........

Design Wall Monday

At last a finish.......... This was a mystery quilt from times gone by.......  It was selected to be quilted and after its return it languished waiting for binding.....  I got the studio organized enough to get the binding sewn on and at last it is complete..........

Since Kim likes the royal color of purple this quilt will go home with her...........

Self Control

I haven't been online much of late because of my lack of self control..........

If I turn the computer on it is sometimes over an hour before I realize how much time has passed............

I have been attempting to become more organized this year.  To finish more of the things I began in the past........

I did finish a baby sweater for our expected new family member.........

The pattern is Elizabeth Zimmerman's Surprise Jacket.....  I have made several of them because it is such a pleasant pattern to knit......  I am using up the balls of baby yarn I keep finding stashed here and there....

This is the last of the aloe blossom.  It has begun to drop the parts of the blossom all over the floor.

The Christmas Cactus bloomed once more.................

Yesterday I was in the mood  to cook.......  I fixed a pot roast to share with friends......  Began to fry chicken again.....  It was good but I still need to practice that a bit more.........

Started a pot of Iowa Chowder.........  Today I will be in the kitchen again........   As I was taking the last piece out of the pan it sprayed my right thumb with hot grease........  Spent the next hour holding aloe on the thumb and feeling sorry for myself......  It did blister the entire thumb.........

Spent some time doing the Walk-About.............  I am trying to find the bed in the guest room.....  I took all the excess from the studio and just stacked it in the guest room......  Now the studio only has in it the current projects and the guest room is overwhelmed with projects that have been started.......
By yesterday afternoon I had half of the bed uncovered.........  Still lots to be done to get things in their proper home........  We shall see what today brings........