Weekend

Today will be a bit of a relaxing day after a busy start to the weekend. I'll be putting some hand stitches into both the little four patch quilt (20x20) and adding 21 green circles to the string of beads top where the green peels meet to make those connections look prettier, while watching the F1 race this afternoon with my son.

 I spent the weekend at an adult Girl Scout Encampment and got to bring my daughter with me who worked as a 'minion' assisting at the rotations and helping in the kitchen. We were slated to leave Sunday morning, but there were some plumbing issues in the cabin the teens were staying at, and the girl was exhausted and popped a migraine headache Saturday evening. We headed out after the bonfire and made our smores before we packed up and headed home for the evening. I think we got home about 9:15, as camp is about 25 minutes from us and thankfully there was no delays on I75 for the one exit to get home. 

This was my view early Saturday morning out of the new units that I had never stayed in called Firefly. 3 units were built on the side of a lake they worked on reclaiming from a marsh over the last 10 years. It was an open unit built on the second level with 8 bunk beds in a big room. Then a bathroom section closed off with a sliding barn door with cubbie holes for 16, 3 showers on one side with 2 sinks and 3 bathrooms on the other side with 2 sinks. Underneath the sleeping section, is a screened in 'unit house' with picnic tables and a storage section. I think it was the nicest place I'd stayed in on camp grounds. Thankfully, they installed AC units in each of them, and they were working. It is still in the mid 80's here in Florida during the day although it is getting down into the low 70's and mid 60's overnight. 

My first rotation was doing a craft with wet tissues. We got to play with paint, stencils and try a new technique. It was interesting. Not sure I'd do it again but was fun. 

Our next rotation was archery. I am right handed but ambidextrous. When I play mini golf, I do it left handed. Normally I maybe hit the target once. I tried shooting left this year, and that felt much better. Of the 6 shots, I hit the target 5 times! We (me and Lynne) skipped the next morning rotation and stayed at archery. The group my girl was helping with had off time, so I had asked if they could shoot, and the instructor said sure! So, I had them come out and they did get to shoot. Em used the harder bow for the first time and hit the target a couple of times. After lunch and some down time, I had 2 sessions. The first one was learning how to use a compass and we found points around the Cricket field area. The last session was letterboxing and Geocaching. I opted out of searching for them around the camp (600 acres) as I was helping at dinner and needed to be in the kitchen.

We headed home after the fire and our smores. They had another option this year I want to try, but did not as they were taking a lot longer. I guess it was a crescent roll, wrapped the end point around the end of a small 2 inchish dowell then around the end part and squeeze it to the end. Then roast to cook it over the fire. When done, it should slide off and be a little cup which they added some pie filling to for a dessert. They had apple, cherry and peach. I want to give those a try at home and see how they are!

Friday night they had all kinds of crafts out for people to try. Someone had brought the compass clips with paracord as their swap. Emily and I tried that, she was much better at it than me! This was my 2nd attempt with help from her. She looked up a video on how to do it and hers came out great with orange and grey. There was also lots of diamond art coasters to do. Those were fun. I did not start one of those until close to 10PM, and so mine did not get finished. It was fun though, so I'll open the project I have in the sewing room now and work on it!

Time to throw in some laundry and get a few things done to prep for the week. I'll visit the links later tonight and see what fun hand work is being done around the world at Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching.

Mid week - The Boy's HS Graduation quilt project.

 The boy had decided this summer he required a graduation quilt, like I have made for all my nieces and nephews. He finally figured out the types of fabrics/colors he prefers. I did a quick question on the Ravelry group and got some great ideas for the types of fabrics he wanted - civil war type colors in green and blue. Nothing bright, essentially. Some great links and ideas - led me to Kim Diehl, Kansas Troubles fabrics and some great shops that carry reproduction lines. I showed him some books by Kim (too bright still) and a KT one - that's more like it!. I then pulled a little quilt I had made with my KT line I got back when he was a baby. Yup - those colors exactly in greens and blues. 

So, some checking and a new line is out this month by Kansas Troubles - Wheatland. Gorgeous!

Perfect. I verified I could go scrappy a bit and not all the same fabric - so have 3 green and 3 blues in the cart at Fat Quarter Shop.  He likes the Bear Paw pattern so we will see how it goes. I have some Butter Churn neutrals to use with it but can get more KT neutrals if needed.  I'll order them today and then that will be the main focus for a bit. Deadline - end of May 2026, but I'm willing to let it slip to August 2026 =). The turkey might require it to be hand quilted.

I've been hand quilting after work in the afternoons. I have one corner of the 20x20 piece to be hand quilted still. No marking, just doing the lines by eye on the 2 inch squares.

I love how the back looks! This is using the Tuscany Wool batting I'm using with the BITA on the frame. A bit thicker than the last batting I used but it needles well. I did piece this one together so that zigzag stitch down the middle is a big bump.

Quilting Practice

 I had pulled this 20x20 little piece of four patches to play with hand quilting and practice the stitches a bit before tackling the quilting frame. I used some leftover batting cut off from the one on the frame - so a wool batting. 

The front of the little quilt.

The back - I love how this is looking! 

I am just eye balling the straight line on this one. So far so good. The middle part is done and I'm working on finishing one orner.

Since dinner did not defrost quick enough - guess the salmon needed to come out of the zero freezer well before lunch! So, Emily had asked for Air fryer potato wedges,  so I found a recipe and played with the air fryer and made a test one for my afternoon snack. Guess it was good, since Greg did not get any!

I've got another batch that just finished, fresh green beans boiling in beef broth and some Berber chickens - Kiev and Cordon Blue. 

Tomorrow will be the fish on the grill. Last night Emily and I did steaks on the grill for dinner.

A finish for Sunday

 I needed a panel I had purchased to be turned into a baby quilt for today. Well, that got changed to midnight last night, as Emily really wanted me to go to horses with her instead of the baby shower today. I will, so I had to get this done for 11:30PM last night before I left to go pick Emily up at school after a marching band competition in Orlando yesterday.  Did I get it done? Yup! Washed and dried and everything!

The blocks were being guarded on Friday while I worked. I managed to get the last few blocks made, a few surrounds swapped as they were the same next to each other and into an almost top Friday. I had 2 long seams to sew Saturday. Then it got sandwiched..... would you believe the 45x54 quilt had a music fabric for the back that was 43 inches? Sigh. I added a black strip to it. Then used that cut off as the binding for it.

After some errands to get the corresponding board book for ABC by Dr. Seuss, after dropping Emily to school in the morning then hitting the Market of Marion for some fresh veggies, it was an afternoon of sewing, preparing for machine quilting and quilting. Then a binding was made and I settled in after dinner to hand stitch the binding down.

A run through the washer with color catchers and a dry, and it was rolled up and popped into the bag with the book and a note of the washing and care instructions. Essentially, normal wash and dry. Use and abuse, lay on the ground to catch spit up - much easier to wash this than clean a carpet, drag me around, snuggle with me, build forts, have picnics, teach me the alphabet and colors, etc. I'm made to be used.

Since that is done, I'll go back to stitching some green circles onto the String of Beads top where the green peels join to make them look a little nicer. I prepped 22 but only need 21 I think.

Then back to hand quilting practice on this little piece.

I'll also be hanging pictures and quilts in my office once I finish moving things in there. The bare walls want some color added to them!

Linking up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers.

Dr Seuss

 I should have paid attention when adding the surrounds. Oh well, I have to change a few. 

I'll plan to so that this afternoon and make a couple 9 patch centers for the two corners. 

The baby shower is Sunday at noon. Nothing like a deadline to get a move on a project!

Saturday will be a sewing day after we get the FAFSA done for Aidan. Early decision apps are due by November 1. We find out mid January on those apps for round one. 

Practice

 I've taken some stitches in the frame, but needed a little piece for practice. This little four patch is perfect to practice on. 

It's also on my ufo list. Looking for a quick finish. We will see.

Some green circles prepped for string of beads. 

Now, off to watch a symphonic band concert.

Fall 2025 UFO list for Ravelry group challenge

It has not been a year of finishes for me but I have 3 months to add a few I think. Wish me luck! I went back to my spring list so I had a few more things to select from. We will see how the next 3 months goes. I need to change the mindset on what quilts need 'hand quilting' to finish.... although, there is no rush so I guess it is ok?

I did get one finish last quarter, the Arkansas Traveller quilt. 

The list of UFO's -

 1.) I know I have at least one more cut somewhere to fill that open spot for a 7x6 setting. *** found the parts in a baggie!  These are hand pieced.... and might need a little fixing along the way on some of those middle joins. From Inklingo lemoyne stars.  The blocks are 4.5 inches.

 

2.)  I think it's a 6.5 inch cut center of greys and 2.5 inch strips. Finishes 10 inches. 

3.) Midget Applique quilt from Sentimental Stitches. I need to add more flowers and leaves and the vines... and the last border. Hand pieced and hand appliqued. Started January 2015 as a car line project. One block a week.

4.) triangle pyramids. started June 2024. I need to find these!

5.) little packs of 2.5 inch squares turned into this little top while I was stitching something together.

6.) Midget block collection - I started these in Vermont in 2010! I have a light blue for sashing.

7.)  Baby quilt with a Dr. Seuss Panel of ABC. This will get started today =) Especially if the baby shower is Sunday =). They will get cut out and framed and then sewn back together somehow!

Finished 10/11/2025. For Ms. Reddick.

8.) Erin's Butterfly - I made the wings in 2021.  Need to add one more set of wings... thinking 9 is a nice number? These have been machine stitched onto the background. Need to add body and antenna to each. Also need to add 1 block in another color.

9.) Flying Snowballs - hand pieced shoo fly and flowering snowball blocks in blue, purple and green from 2025. Will plan to machine piece them together into a top about 84x84.

10.) mostly cut out and some 9 patches are made. Hehe... from the first quilting book I had and made a quilt from. Introduction to Quilting 101 - the basics by Sharon Hultgren. I think this was Sunrise Surprise! The four patch from this book is at my Mom's hanging over a crib still! This might get morphed into a donation quilt of some sort to get it done.

11.) I forgot I had this. It is a cute birdhouse wall hanging but is foundation pieced, which I dislike. Maybe I can deal with it enough to get this done? Or rework it?

12,) This is a kit I purchased mid-90s - butterfly's. I think all the parts are there and I did start arranging them.

13.) Quilters Patch. A sew along that I completely did not meet my goals on in 2022. One block is done.

14.) Alternate BITA blocks from RSC 2025 collection

15.) 16 patch blocks from 2.5 inch squares

16.) chicken blocks... these have not had much love this year.

17.) Bittersweet Briar - pattern in Kim Deihl's book and kit of fabric.

18) Brimfield Awakening EPP. I did start this and have the first fabric thread basted in purple!

19.) Bonnie Hunter Mystery - On Ringo Lake - maybe step #2?

20) Bonnie Hunter Mystery - Grassy Creek (2020) Think I am on step #4.

21.) 30's log cabin tulip quilt.

Quilt Tops: 

22.) Birds in the Air block collection - this is now a top and loaded onto the quilting frame at a 90x90 size.

 23) Ella Maria Deacon Blocks. Hand pieced, machine stitched together into a top. Patterns from Sentimental Stitches.

 I need to measure and see if it is happy with it's size or now. All my quilts seem to have a mind of their own!

24) Vermont Quilt Festival Booth Hop from either 2008 or 2009.  it is 71x71.

25.) Y2K Joann's BOM - quilt top

26.) 1857 Quilt Along Top - This one is in the hoop for hand quilting as of December 2024. ** Might unpin this one so it doesn't rust and do something smaller first with the big BITA on the frame...

27.) Spring Hexagons - not sure if this wants to be bigger or not.... 

28.) Triple Irish Chain - green. 80x80 I think. I did find both fabrics extra with it... Might need a green or cream border first or both... Made in the early 2000's. circular feathers in open spaces.

29.) Harmony - hand pieced project started March 2021-

2/5/24 it is a top!

30.) Hexagon flowers on a black background. These are a stack of blocks I hand pieced a few years ago then hand appliqued to the black background a couple years after that!  

31.) String of Beads is a top. I do want to add green circles to the meeting points of the green peels I think as well. The yellow ones really helped the colored parts of the peel flowers. I need a new photo of this one as I did get it to a top on 10/5/25. I promise!