Diligence

A few more finishes....... So maybe the holiday has passed but there will be another one next year and I will be ready................

A couple of small wall hangings from The Olde World Quilt Shop........  On May first they began a stitch a long for this little wall hanging........  You can find them HERE

Temecula Quilt Company did a tutorial for a flag pincushion..............  HERE

A few for Rebekah ............

And a few for me...........

The most fun was selecting the buttons..........

 Everything cut and ready and another project to enjoy in the evening is set to be finished........

A New Beginning

This morning I started on my quilt using the ruler that Jean loaned to me...........  The strips are matched up, some are sewn and pressed......  Some just sewn.......  The rest are starched and ready to stitch.........

Perhaps I will make some progress on this project this week..........

Just So You Know

We are the yard in the neighborhood that our neighbors point to and say, "At least my lawn looks better than that one."  I do what I can to make others smile....

We are approaching August, the month when the Bahia starts to re-seed..... Did I mention that we have had lots of rainfall alternating with hot steamy days...........  The Grass Is Growing..........

Tomorrow is Sunday and I don't mow grass on Sunday........  I am going to be busy as it is on Judgement Day.......  My mother told me that every stitch I put in on Sunday I would have to take out with my nose on Judgement Day.......  I don't need to add any grass mowing problems to the one I already have........

The lawnmower battery  was dead......Looks like I am getting a new battery for my lawnmower for my birthday......Got it charged........ First time I had ever done anything but observe when a battery was jumped but I must have been paying attention because Lem and I got it done.......

Then when 3/4 finished I ran out of gas...........  Off to get fuel and home again.......  As I am putting the gas in the lawnmower I realize that it probably won't start............  It didn't........  God gives us blessings all the time and this blessing was a neighbor that I could see working in his yard......  One phone call to him and he comes to my rescue...........

THE GRASS IS CUT...........

Now later today I hope to get it swept........  Yes.........  It is that time of year that you have to sweep the yard after you mow it.......

On to the good news...........  Gift for Chris and Rose is off in the mail...........I sure hope they like them......

And Kate's bag is on the way too........  Glad to have two things off the list........  Now back to the old grind.........

No Pictures Yet

Starting the week off with a BANG.........

First hour spent reading my Sunday School Lesson.......  Seems I will be teaching this coming Sunday......

Headed to the kitchen to bag up some meals that were cooked earlier.......  Three bags of Chipolte Pork Loin, one bag of Beef and Broccoli, two bags of baked chicken.......  When I put the in the freezer I found that most of the items in there are also already cooked........  Looks like I can skate through this month just making sides........

There are two packages of Brats to be cooked on the grill tonight....  One for tonight and one for the freezer.  I cook as much as the grill will hold when I use it.....  Saves on the gas for the grill and my time too.

Swept the garage a bit and put a few things away.......
Then Lem and I bailed the water out of the boat and towed it back to the storage area.............

Then we mixed up a gallon of ant food and drove around the yard on the golf cart (Wade sure enjoyed that) and fed the mounds we could find......  I know there are more but it is HOT out there.......

Sheets are washed, dried and on the bed.............

Now back to the kitchen for round two..........

I had boiled a dozen eggs earlier and now they were cool enough to turn into deviled eggs.. 

Lunch was crab salad sandwiches....... Yum.........

Then off for my wee toes up...........

In the afternoon I do hand work and watch TV with Lem.....  Finished the quilting on my mini wall hanging and put it back into the studio to wait till the time I can stitch the binding on it........ After that it will become hand work again..........

Mended a pair of shorts for Lem.......  pressed napkin 2 of 8 and got it ready to hem........

Fleming stopped by with Georgina and we sat on the golf cart while she let her dogs exercise.........That was a pleasant interlude.........

Got things together to cook on the grill only to discover that we are out of propane.........  Called Jason and he will come by tomorrow to help me take the tank off so that I can get it refilled..........

Pulled a package of BBQ pork chops from the freezer and heated them in a pot of boiling water.... opened a can of green beans and heated the leftover scalloped potatoes........

Dinner was excellent..........  Watched Judge Judy and a few other programs and now ready for a good nights rest.......

Wonder what tomorrow will bring............

This and That

Finished 15 wee hats for Cassie.................  Gave them to her on Tuesday......

Finished Kim's pillow shams.......,  Remembered how much I liked that quilt and plan to make another one.....

She picked up her quilt and shams on Saturday.........

Kate needed a quilted bag to store her headset in her locker and I thought it would be a great time to try one of the blocks from the book using the ruler that Jean loaned to me................

Sewing together two strip sets, press and cut....  Amazing.....

Cut the pieces in half , sew them together and ...............

Voila........  Two lovely blocks for her bag.,....

Layered, pinned and ready to quilt......

Quilted and finished...............All ready to mail......

One wall hanging complete, the other one ready to quilt..........

On to the place mats for wedding gifts..........

On the Needles Friday

In 2010 I downloaded a pattern I found on LouAnn's Loose Threads site.......  (you can find it HERE)

I began one but had not knit enough socks to have a variety of colors so I put it aside.......

A few weeks ago my sister sent me a picture of a completed blanket shown in a shop window......  That made me want to hunt up a few more balls of sock yarn and my blanket.......  I still do not have enough for good variety so I will just have to knit more socks.........

Sad little thing isn't it.........  While adding a few more I realized that a blanket was NOT in my future but I now envision a vest......  Not sure exactly how I will make it but time will tell.........

Found quarter to give you an idea of the size of each square............

Now head over to Patchwork times and see what others are needling.......HERE

Organizing.....

I am not sure which I enjoy most, re-organizing the studio or actually sewing..........

Months ago I bought brackets to put a shelf over the door of the studio.......  I have been waiting for someone to assist me in hanging said bracket..........  This morning I did it myself......  Got tired of waiting...Maybe next time someone says "Mama, I don't want you on a ladder" he will get the idea that Mama won't wait forever..........  In all fairness he does have two jobs so I really have nothing to complain about........  He is the good son that bought batteries for the smoke alarm only to find that ours are not the normal kind and had to buy more and put them in only to find that the First Alert detector is the one beeping, not the one from ADT...... First Alert is wired in so a call is in to the electrician..........

Back to the studio..........  Thought I would give you a few before pictures......

Clutter sure does multiply in that room......

And those boxes stacked under the window with the hand knitted lace curtain are upcoming projects...........

Well, a whole morning ahead in which to bring some order.............

A Bit of This and That

Having gotten the attic organized I decided to move on to our bedroom closet..........I also made the decision to make sure that everything that was hanging there was being worn............  So begins the Great Purge...

I have this collection of T-shirts I wear at home....  Purchased years ago but still serviceable.......And still too long......After all I am vertically challenged and must hem most of what I buy..........

TA DA ..........All hemmed........  Now to wash them and get that interfacing out of the hem........

Last night the final stitch was made in quilting Rebekah's wall hanging..........  Now to add the binding and put it back beside my chair for the hand work......

Today I hope to finish the last panel of the curtains I am fixing for the neighbor..........  That should be enough handwork for at least a couple of evenings...............

Design Wall Monday

Inspiration lurks on Patchwork Times........  Go HERE and see what others are doing....As for me this is up next..............

When Jean came to visit she brought this book..........  I am all for something to make quilting quicker and easier.......

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This is the quilt I kept my attention the most........  I really liked how complicated it looked compared to how easy it really was.........

This is the ruler used to cut the pieces............  If you are unable to find the book or ruler in your area you can purchase it from Adele Scott Design Studio.................HERE

I found a couple of 2 1/2 inch strips I purchased several years ago when Connecting Threads had a sale....
Now can I get the things I am obligated to do complete and start on this one?

Wednesday Already?

Last week Jean was here for a visit........  How wonderful it is to have someone to talk quilting with.......

We sat and talked and worked on needlepoint and ate and shopped......

When she left the studio had collected quite a bit of  "I will put this away later" items.....

The temps are in the mid nineties this week so it is a good week to stay in..........  We took Marilyn to PT on Monday......  Her broken leg is healing well...........so it was yesterday before I got into the studio.

As you can see it is full to overflowing with projects........  Everytime I go upstairs I see One More Thing that I simply must do NOW..........



The idea now is to finish what is in the studio at this moment before I start anything else......  Yes, I am laughing while I make that statement.......

If you wonder why there is an empty bird seed bag in the studio it is because I found out on Pinterest that you can make nifty shopping bags from them.......  I have one in my closet now that I drop items in to give away to Goodwill..........

Kim asked Sunday if I would have her pillow shams finished soon.......... 

Yesterday I  layered Rebekah's patriotic wall hanging and got it ready to quilt.... I also brought downstairs the flag placemats I stitched in 2011.....  They need to be quilted........

I did get the cutting table cleared so the games can begin..............

Design Wall Tuesday

Yes, I know we are supposed to do this on Monday but well Monday got away from me........

Last week, anticipating a guest for the coming week I procrastinated the house blessing till Saturday.  (She was to arrive on Sunday).......Then Saturday I decided to assemble the Memorial Day hanging I found at The Olde World Quilt Shop..........  You can find the instructions HERE........See blogging can get you in trouble..........  Well, as usual I need to make two.....  One for me and one for Rebekah...........  Hers is partially assembled and mine is all cut out.......  Could I finish them for July fourth?  Maybe 2015?

Easy to put together and well written instructions............

For more things to get you off the well worn path go to Patchwork Times and see the fruit of the labors of other.....HERE

On the Needles Friday

As usual I am running a bit behind...............

Week before last we went for a visit to Happy's and bought a couple of lightweight burnout fabrics for church........  I have a top to go under one of them but needed something blue for the second one.....

 A bit of looking around online and I found  a great pattern and this silk and bamboo on sale at Joann Fabrics........  It came in Tuesday and I got started right away........  No seams... seemed easy......  I did not count on the increasing on the yoke and every row has to be counted.........  I finally got to a place where I could just knit 4 rows..........  Now I have a stitch to many so I must tink till I find the error......  Normally I would put this aside and move on but I am going to finish this top if at all possible.....

I have also knit 3 more scarves for Beverly......  Now I have all six of hers done and last night I started on another one for Kate...........

Other knitters eye candy can be seen at Patchwork Times HERE

Design Wall Monday

I realize that this is not a quilt but it is the project that has my attention right now..........

I started this years ago and this year I want to finish it..........  I have a place in the living room to hang it....

This is the picture on May 5th.........  One angel was finished except for the backstitch........

This is what I have accomplished in the month of May............  Still a long way to go.........

For more eye candy go to Patchwork Times and see what others are doing.......HERE

This Past Week

We started the week by picking up my Wedding Sampler from the framers.....

It looks so much better in real life.........  I am so delighted with it and it is hanging in the dining room....

I got a bit of knitting done in odd moments......  Not sure what I am going to do with these caps....  Anyone out there know who I can give them to?

On Wednesday when Lem and I went to Greenville for physical therapy we stopped to get the column I wanted from A C Moore........... 

I think I will look into some of the granite paint for it..........  It fits and fills that spot perfectly.....

I have also been working in the attic for a couple of hours each morning......... I hope to have it organized on day this year............

I am also working on the Nativity each day............

A little here, a little there and soon you are done..........

Design Wall Monday

I am trying to clear out some almost finished things in the studio.......  I came across this dress that just needed the hand work so Saturday I finished it up..........Complete with a covered hanger and a stuffed kitty...

I just found out that a friend has a granddaughter and this is the perfect gift for her.

I saw something on Pinterest about making bags our of feed bags and such........  Lem emptied this bird seed bag on Saturday and this morning I made a tote from it.........  Only took about 30 minutes.....  I plan to put it in our closet and use it to hold things I am going to give away..............  When it is full I can drop bag and all off at Salvation Army............

Now head over to Patchwork times to see what else is happening............HERE

On the Needles Friday

Now that Jean's sweater is finished I began to finish up a few more things.......  Three scarves for Kate, two hats for Jean and seven hats for the preemie unit at the hospital. I need to pick up some ribbon today for the baby hats and then I can pass them along on Tuesday..........

To see what others are working on go to Patchwork Times..... HERE..............

Nativity Progress

One angel done but no backstitching done yet..........  I want to finish the other angel and then backstitch them at the same time............

All set up for tomorrow's stitching.........  I try to work on this for at least one hour each morning......

I already have the frame set for this piece and I have selected where I want to hang it.........Just need to stay with it till it is done........