Tuesday, March 31, 2015

A finish.....

Emily and I finished off her quilt yesterday that she started around Christmas with her new pink Janome. Of course.... she picked red and the solid green went well with it since there is some green in the red print. She chose the purple princesses from my stash yesterday for the backing.

Her first quilt with her sewing machine. The front is 6 inch squares.

 The back - purple with princesses.


Maybe my Tiny Tuesday block will get made today for a Wednesday post? Time will tell but first I need to get outside and get some yard work done. It seems to keep getting pushed back until 'tomorrow'. Raking and moving the rest of the oak leaves off a flower bed and then some pushing of the lawn mower while the kids play croquet. I mentioned it yesterday before Grammy and Grandpa took Aidan shopping for his birthday present.... he picked that game along with a few other things. We played quite a few games last night and he is going out to practice now while I get some yard work done.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Weekend catch up....

After a busy week I think I'll enjoy the cooler temps (high of 70 here in Florida today) and get some yard work in. Tonight I plan to do some relaxing hand stitching on my Yellow Trip around the world block for the RSC Challenge. Good thing there are a few more days in March to get this done.  I stitched most of the last yellow row in complete silence last night while Greg was checking something on the computer for work. No tv, Em was in bed and Aidan was at Grandma's. Peace and quiet =). There are 225 2.5 inch squares in each of these blocks. I'm a little past half way with this one.

I've made progress on my Hugs and Kisses quilt this week - 32 blocks are completed out of 49! I hope one more block will be completed this evening after a day of puttering around the house and yard while I hear all about the cruise my parents were on this week. They arrive back sometime today and we might just do a little early birthday celebration tonight with them for Emily - who turns 6 on April 7.

The kids decorated their Easter cookies on Friday afternoon. It kept them entertained and used the half container of frosting that was left in the fridge.

I'm linking up with SoScrappy for the RSC Challenge and Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday.  Head on over and check out the links.


Friday, March 27, 2015

Day 1 of Spring Vacation

After getting rained out of the soccer game last night (I swear I heard thunder so they called the game in the 3rd quarter after it started pouring big rain drops!), it was a late night to bed as they needed a shower and bath to warm up. Of course, they were both up bright and early this morning. Why does this never happen on a school day? I think they both just wanted to snuggle with Dad before he headed off to work this morning.
Shooting Stars - Aidan in grey with green shoes going after the ball. Em was sitting out that quarter.

I got an early start so I decided my reward was to curl up in my recliner and quilt a block on my Hugs and Kisses quilt. I now have 31 blocks completed out of 49!

After a leisurely morning we put together some sugar cookie dough. You can find that recipe at the bottom of my recipe page. I got it from Sharon P from my quilt guild in VT and it makes the best sugar cookies for shapes and they taste wonderful. It is chilling in the fridge for a bit but will be made into some Easter shapes in the next hour. Decorating will happen later this afternoon as thunderstorms are predicted. I see a movie in our future and some stitching on my TATW block while we watch.



For now.... they found some balloons and are coming up with balloon games. So far we moved a tension rod into the doorway between the living room and bedroom hallway so they can hit the balloon over it to each other.

Then they bounced it in the air and the first one to hit the ground lost - Aidan's hit the ground but I think Em was holding hers =). Now they are going to use their round chairs as 'buckets' and see how far away they can be to hit it into them. Such a easy and cheap thing to keep them occupied today. The blue chair is 50 points and the pink one behind it is 100 points. They do have great imaginations.


I had plans to make play dough but it appears I never restocked the cream of tarter. I'll have to pick some up tomorrow after work so we can make it Sunday. That will keep them occupied making things with it next week.

Off to make some lunch for us. Kraft mac and cheese it will be I think. Looks like it is time to watch The Lorax while Emily plays with some play dough that Aidan found.


Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Wednesday....

It has been an interesting day. The usual yelling start to get the kids moving and out the door to school. One more day before vacation so tomorrow should be easy to get them ready and off to school. (Aidan has a field trip to see Cinderella and Emily has an Easter Egg hunt).  It was pretty foggy this morning, so I tried to FMQ the border again on Celtic Solstice. Three needle breaks and other thread breaks and I gave up again (after a LOT of muttering). I have one side done and one or two flowers on the second side. I think it will get ALL picked out and I'll try something different. I seem to be able to only FMQ with Masterpiece thread and I'm trying to use a Coats and Clark cotton that I loved the colors on since they pick up the yellow, orange and lime greens in the quilt. I tried cleaning the machine, rethreading and obviously changing the needles (5 of them total today!).

I took my walk this morning after that and grabbed my shower. A few loads of laundry have been done as well as going through the kids clothes and pulling those they have outgrown. Those will head to Grandma's to bring to her local woman's shelter this weekend. The dishwasher was put through and then..... I started feeling congested and blah. I have Aidan's field trip tomorrow at school so I decided to catch up on a few of my recorded shows (NCIS LA, and NCIS from last week) and pulled out my crochet mystery. They released clues 6+7 last week...... but I am back on clue #4. I now have 8 of twenty completed. I had three done when I started working on these this morning. I think I have the pattern down on this one so it will go much faster now without having to keep referring to the directions. I still need to stitch in those tails as well.


Em just cleared out her room to vacuum in there, so I should vacuum the rest of the house after she is done. I'd also like to pot the climbing flowers my MIL picked up for me a couple of weeks ago. Other than that... I'm taking it easy and planning to crochet a few more of these step 4 blocks. Lets hope the congestion does not move to the sore throat the other Mom's have been getting (and the kids of course with strep). It sounds like a week long thing and we start vacation on Friday.

Aidan's tops of his ears are red today and his cheeks are getting a little red....that is never a good sign with him as it means he is coming down with it too.  =(. Maybe we'll all just rest this afternoon instead ? Off to find my crochet hook.



Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Tiny Tuesday Flower #6

This one is similar to last week's flower but the colored part of the flower is a different shape. I chose an orange print for that part this week. The green part is also shaped a little different as well. These are the midget appliqué blocks from sentimental stitches.com and will finish off at 4.5 inches.

Flower #6
Last week's flower #7

Monday, March 23, 2015

Monday.....

 It was raining this morning so no walk. Instead...... I moved boxes to reach the Celtic Solstice quilt and backing that was already rolled onto the boards. I got it pinned and then decided to do some squiggly lines (Wow - Laverne and Shirley just popped into my head!) in the middle part. A nice wavy line in the cream border and a straight line on the next border.


Then.... the big blue border. I switched to the free motion foot and ran into trouble. I'm thinking loops with flowers in the variegated thread but.... three thread breaks already made me stop after four flowers. It is making progress... and one way or another it will get finished off tonight or tomorrow. I already have the binding made for this in blue..... I'm thinking I should have done orange but, I'm going with blue.



Sunday, March 22, 2015

Slow Stitching Sunday.....

After a busy day at work yesterday, today will be a nice relaxing day with family and some hand stitching. We are sending Mom and Dad off to a cruise today and then heading to my MIL's house for a little family get together with a cousin of Greg's he has not seen in ages.
After having a little girl crawl onto me in bed this morning at 6:09 AM.... (Figures- a Weekend morning she is up and raring to go at the crack of dawn and all last week there was lots of yelling to get her out the door to school around 7:20!) We had a couple of shows to keep her quiet and her brother who came out around 6:30. Now they are in the playroom playing school so I get to watch a show and put some slow stitching in. Hmmmm I think I'll work on my Trip Around the World in Yellow putting this pretty yellow with blue flowers onto the block. Sorry for the low light - the sun is not up yet!

Later tonight - I'll quilt another block (that purple one!) on the Hugs and Kisses quilt and finish off one corner. That will leave 21 blocks left to quilt in the center. Progress =)

Head on over and see what other projects are slowing being worked on today at Kathy's Quilts - Slow Stitching Sunday link party. I'll be stitching away until the rest of the house wakes up!


Friday, March 20, 2015

Saturday in yellow

I got the second RSC Sampler block made on Friday morning. I also cut out my alternate blocks and added them to the pile. I use that little basket to hold my alternate block parts and my extra background parts.


The TATW got a little attention this week and got a couple rounds bigger. One more round of a yellow flower print and then my white round before I go down to the edges. I think the leftover sampler hand dyed fabrics will be used for the descending edge rounds this month.

This is a couple of my buckets out front of my herbs. Chives, thyme and mint in the left and basil, parsley and then some seeded cilantro in the right bucket.

We also had to go see the Queen of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in her Kindergarten play on Tuesday evening.


Head on over to SoScrappy on Saturday morning to see a glorious array of yellow scraps.


Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Tiny Tuesday - Flower # 7

I decided to grab Flower #7 this week for the appliqué. I started it yesterday and finished it up today. I did remember to take a few pictures along the way.

I trace the pattern on the back for back basting. In this picture I have tacked the pink flowers onto the background.

This is a shot of the outline of the flower from the front.


A shot of the front after trimming it down for hand stitching. Sophie is my companion in the recliner. She gets the area that lifts up.


A finished block.


Happy St. Patricks Day! Time to put the corned beef and veggies into the crock pot for dinner tonight. I cook the cabbage on the stove using some of the broth from the crock pot closer to dinner time. We have a dinosaur play this evening - Emily's Kindergarten class is preforming tonight. Another late night for the kids ... I hope they are not as cranky tomorrow morning as they were this morning.

This was my view on the way home from dropping the kids to school this morning - a sunrise peeking out over the Cross Florida Greenway - the forest near our house.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Design wall Monday....

I've had these guys going as my leader and ender project at the machine as I am sewing other things. These were the 6.5 inch blocks from last year's Tuesday posts - the Civil War Sampler blocks in blue, maroon and cream. I decided to use up some cream sashing I had cut and decided not to use on another project and then went with the solid blue for the cornerstones. A few seams get sewn here and there and it is making great progress.


Emily had to make a leprechaun trap for school and it went in today to see if they can catch any leprechauns tomorrow! The two coins are actually on  a trap door (Daddy helped with that since I kept forgetting to get popsicle sticks for a ladder!) so hopefully he will be tempted to go up the slide (because he loves yellow, green and lots of glitter Mom!) and fall into the trap! I wonder if he will tinkle in our bathroom again this year leaving some green pee? Doesn't that leprechaun know how to flush? Time will tell......


Oh - for those wondering, the Hugs and Kisses quilt stopped crying yesterday as I put a few stitches in it last night and it is much happier now with 25 blocks completed out of 49. Think I can do the last 24 blocks in the next 24 days? That is my challenge to myself (and to get the pins out of most of it before it gets way too humid down here!).
Off to vacuum and dust before my parents arrive back and I have to go get the kids from school. 

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Slow Stitching Sunday.....

Kathy reminds us to slow down once a week and relax with our stitching. It will be a busy day at work and I am already looking forward to some slow stitching later this evening. I never know what I will be in the mood for which is why I have sooooooo many projects in process =).

I'd really like to get a little crochet work in since I am a bit behind on my crochet mystery. No stress allowed as all my video's and instructions are saved off! I am working on clue 4 and clue 6 will be released on Tuesday. Thank goodness clue #5 is a really easy one.

I also have my appliqué midget blocks that I could work on - I have a few prepped in their baggies and I'd like to have one ready for Tuesday's post. I have been hand stitching some yellow around the one's I have completed already.

Then... there is hand quilting on hugs and kisses which is crying in the corner because it has not been worked on in over a week. Poor thing.


What project will you be relaxing with today? Head on over to Kathy's Quilts and see what other slow stitching is going on in blogland today.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

Scrappy in yellow.....

I got a few minutes here and there in the sewing room this week and got a little yellow fabric played with.

I made my twinkle star block. Don't look too close at those seams.

I also got the dresden plate block picked out, prepped and sewn together while waiting for Mom to get ready to go shopping on Wednesday.

Next was pulling the fabrics and cutting out my 2.5 inch squares for the trip around the world block. I drew my lines on Thursday morning and got this much done in the last two games of bowling that morning. I do love those bumble bees =) Did you know Deborah means Bee in Hebrew?

I also made the decision to frame my midget appliqué blocks with a 1.5 inch yellow strip. I'll keep this one hand pieced I think and add them as I finish them up. I'm thinking a blue strip will go in-between them to tie it all together at the end. I draw the 4.5 inch line around on the back when I prep the hand appliqué on these so I have a guide to attach those frames already =).


A very productive week of scraps! I'm linking up with SoScrappy for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge on Saturday and also Oh Scrap! on Sunday. Head on over and visit the links for some great inspiration.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Tiny Tuesday...

I'm back on a roll! Two weeks in a row I got my Tiny Tuesday block completed. This one got finished up last night. It is #38 - Flower #1 in the Midget Appliqué series.


On tap today is some dress shopping with Mom, a meeting at school for Emily's speech at 1:30 and then their first soccer practice tonight. Off for my walk this morning while the visitors in the house are still sleeping and the kids are at school learning.

Monday, March 9, 2015

Monday, Monday....

I seem to falling a little behind on the crochet mystery but I did finish step 3. (Ignore those ends I need to weave in!) Now to start step 4 from Tuesday's release before step 5 comes out tomorrow.


A busy morning on tap - running a few errands (how did the cats run out of their special cat food this weekend?) and planting the yellow and purple flowers I got yesterday out in the front bed.  I got the herbs all planted and some seedlings started in the pots out front. Still need to finish playing in the rest of the garden with the kids this afternoon. First.... off for my walk and then a shower. Hmmmm, maybe I'll have some time to sew later this morning since lunch is bubbling away in the crock pot - lentil soup, yum. Scouts tonight for the kids and Mom and Dad arrive back this afternoon - maybe I should clean up the house a little bit too =)

We did a cookie booth last night at Walmart and as we were picking up the firemen showed up wanting some cookies. We were out of the kinds they wanted but they let the girls check out the truck! Emily got to talk on the radio to the home base while she was in there. Miss fire and rescue loved it! (She has fire trucks and police cars that she plays with at home doing lots of fire and rescue jobs around the house - it is amazing what trouble some of her stuffed animals get into that she has to rescue them from!) A big thank you to Station 21.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

Slow stitching Sunday...

No progress on the hand quilting this week..... I have 24 blocks completed out of 49. Here is a shot of the quilt as it is this morning.... and of course someone wanted a picture with it as well.



I hope to get a few stitches in on this midget appliqué block today in between finishing up the garden planting with the kiddo's.

I got one old garden tilled and planted with peas and beets yesterday, put in the cucumbers and a zucchini hill in the new one and weeded around half the shed flower/herb garden and added four giant sunflower seeds I found, some chives and some snap dragons for color. I found the lavender bloom, the oregano plant and the bag balm I had in that very overrun with weeds bed. Hopefully I can keep it a little better tamed this year. I need to get some basil and parsley seeds to put in there too.  I need to pull the rest of the grass runners out of the other half of it today while the kids help me to plant the rest of the garden that is tilled.

Head on over to Kathy's Quilts and see what other slow stitching is happening today. I see some hand quilting on the Hugs and Kisses quilt this afternoon as we take a rest for the boy so he does not overdo with his cold. I wonder which movie he'll select?


Saturday, March 7, 2015

Saturday in Yellow.

Yellow is such a happy color! The first sampler block - Air Castles was made this week. I love the different shades of yellow in this block.

Not much time in the sewing room this week as I had to pop into work a couple of mornings and then prep for company that arrived on Wednesday! Just in time for my Mom to celebrate her birthday with us on Thursday! It turns out we were very lucky they arrived Wednesday as the kids were fine when we put them to bed at 8PM but Aidan woke up around 10 and was unable to breathe. Usually he calms down and is better after a bit but he could not talk either so a quick trip to the Quick Care and a shot of steroid and a nebulizer treatment (first for us!) he was much better and able to breathe. Diagnosis was Croup - which he has had before many times as a toddler but he is 7! Hope he grows out of this eventually. Mom and Dad stayed home with Emily sleeping and we got home around 12:30 to a quiet house. Now he just has a cough, runny nose and cold symptoms but with some cough medicine he is off to Grandma's today. My parents are heading to my aunts for the weekend and I hope to plant a garden today and see if I can get something to grow down here! Wish me luck.


Head on over to SoScrappy on Saturday and see some great yellow projects.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Tiny Tuesday.....

I was working on my appliqué last night at girl scouts with Emily and finished it off this morning.  The pattern shows some embroidery stitch work in the brown of some daisy knots and in the leaves to add a stem line and a little line outside the brown center. Those might get added at some point. As I was sorting through my fabrics I found a bunch of rainbow solids in mostly 30's colors. I need about 2 yards to border all these little squares so I am deciding if I will use multiple colors, just a single one of yellow which I have a lot of or alternate yellow and blues...... Maybe yellow surround and then sashing of a blue to look like a window pane?  Lots of time to decide but I would like to start sashing these as I finish the blocks to make it that much easier to finish it later.

I also have most of clue #3 done for the crochet mystery. Clue three had two parts. I did part A in cream this weekend and part B is going to be the dark country blue. I only have a couple done but they go pretty fast as they are mostly chain stitches. I should have all 20 of them done later today or tomorrow just in time to start clue #4 which will be released mid morning today.


Looks like the fog has burnt off so time to go for my walk this morning.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

Slow stitching some Hugs and Kisses.

The Hugs and Kisses quilt came out to play at the end of this week. A couple more blocks were quilted and I plan to enjoy quilting another block this evening after work. I have 23 of 49 blocks quilted in the middle. Almost half way there on that part!
Head on over to Kathy's Quilts and see what the other Slow Stitch Sunday participants are up to.