End of Feb OMG post...

Well, progress was made but the quilting is not finished. Even with the extra day this month I'm afraid girl scout cookie time won over quilting this month. The good news is progress was made. I am on the last section and once I get my computer work for cookies all up to date tomorrow I plan to hand quilt the rest of the day until I have to go pick up the kids from Grandma.

Beginning of Feb

End of Feb

Linking up with the OMG February Progress report.
Linking up with Sunday Slow Stitching.

RSC in Orange....

Emily had Hailey over for a sleepover Friday night so Aidan decided to help me sew some orange. He cut a few blocks for me and I made another 16 patch block.

Then we sewed up a slew of bits and pieces to make this cute crumb block.

We actually made 4 blocks and I had him cut them with a 6.5 inch ruler. Then I sewed the 4 blocks together to make a 12 inch finished block. I even managed to find the other ones that I have made over the last few years. Some are smaller so I must have used a 6 or 5.5 inch ruler at some point. They are crumb blocks so I can just add a few strips of scraps here and there.

Linking up Saturday with the RSC Challenge. I do wonder what color will be selected for March?

Progress???

I happened to see a post stating that the OMG February finish link is up. Yikes! I am not done my goal yet of finishing quilting the trip quilt. I finally took some time and finished off the middle of the green last night and was able to roll the quilt to the last section needing quilting. I might have had hubby fix the fire stick so that the tv would work in the bedroom again yesterday afternoon!

I need to figure out the tension on this end part. I think I need to remove from the leader and baste it maybe? I'll have to check the videos and see. Those stitches might need to come out....

Hopefully this should go a little faster as I am better at the up and down from the right hand rather than the down and up quilting from the last section.  Right now I am thankful that we have an extra day this month. 3 more days.... I think I can get the hand quilting done on this top....but it might be really late on Saturday Feb 29 for the finish!

Somehow 2 kids managed to end up in the room with me while I was stitching. I guess it doesn't matter where I am in the house... they will find me! There might have been 3 cats in the room as well =)

This guy was perched on a fence yesterday while I was walking. He waited for me to take the photo before he flew off.

EMD - Ella Maria Deacon

I was able to finish this block last Wednesday. Then I cut out and pieced this block #23 this week. I just need to add an applique flower of some sort to this one. I suppose I need to decide that next...

Hand Pieced Quilt Along 2020 Reveal!

Check out the reveal at Kristin and Patty's blogs. Are you joining in?

Sunday.... but not a slow Sunday unfortunately!

Alas... it is cookie season and there are troop cookies to sell, computer entry from yesterday's booths and today's booth to prep for. It was a little chilly yesterday - so it was winter coat weather and gloves in Florida! With wind chill it was low 40's.... but at least the cookies were not melting like other years and 90 degrees!

Emily requested banana muffins...and can we add nuts like Publix does? I guess Grandma purchases muffins for them =). She is scooping batter into muffin tins now to bake off for breakfast.

I'll get a little slow stitching in on an Ella Maria Deacon block while it bakes. This is block #23 that I am piecing by hand. Instead of the broderie perse I will either add applique or embroidery to the middle. Some sort of a flower I think for applique or a cute embroidery of a pin cushion I printed off last fall from JacquelynneSteves.com.
I think this was car line work on Friday progress after cutting it out before getting Emily from school. I believe I marked them in her car line.



I did finish a dish cloth for one of my bowling friends this week. Does that count? Those ends need to get woven in.

Later tonight after picking up the boy from Grandma, maybe I can sneak into my bedroom for an hour and add some hand quilting into the trip quilt. It sadly has had no progress this week. Something about realizing I would be having to take over cookie control and having to train myself on the system and how to do things took up my evenings.

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers who might actually listen to the slow down part! At least my girl scout meeting is all set for tomorrow - working on the brownie painting badge! We did the junior drawing badge in our last meeting with lots of different mediums. We will see what they all decide to paint on Monday. I have 8x10 stretched canvas, brushes and paints and pencils to sketch out their drawings first.

RSC Orange

I managed to get a little orange sewing in this week. I finished off 13 more of these blocks with grey centers. I really need a name for these!  **Update - Thanks Sharon for letting me know this is a cobblestone block! *** Their row is all sewn together and waiting for the next color. I might add a strip in between them all in November....we will see.

I added a star and nine block as well. I think I have another close to being done..... I have the nine patches and just need to sew the stars. I'd like to make another couple of these but we will see. 2 will make me happy as I am not sure if they will all go in one quilt or become multiple quilts at this point. Lots of decisions later this year for me!

Linking up with the RSC on Saturday. I'll be busy at cookie booths all weekend as I had to take over from my Cookie Mom and we need to get these cookies sold and help the girls reach their goals..... not to mention have money in our account to do fun things next year!

Trees for Australia.....

The Joyful Quilter had a post about sending some tree blocks off to Australia in March. I decided to pull some greens and make a couple trees. The first was from my book Quilts!Quilts!Quilts!... and is 6x12 so I added extra for the sides. Emily insists it does not look like a tree! Well, maybe a Christmas tree she said.

The second is a free pattern from Sew Brainy Designs. Emily mentioned this one looks like a tree!

They will be mailed off to you on Thursday! There is still time if you'd like to make a few. You can read about her post here.

Feb 18 EMD Tuesday

Well, it appears to take a lot longer than I was thinking to applique these peels down! I got half of the block done last night. Progress anyway. The new set of 4 is out and I need to download them this week. Hopefully I can get a few more stitched on in the car line today.

I did get this block done last Wednesday as well. 

On my walk this morning I saw this turkey crossing the road up ahead of me. After I turned around at the end of the road, I saw 2 more on the other side. I'm guessing they were waiting for me to leave before joining this guy. Hopefully there will be baby turkeys soon. There were a set of 5 and 6 last year but I think the bear in the area had a few of them for dinner. 

Sunday...

Eventually I will get some slow stitching time today. Aidan got 2 free tickets from his teacher for him and Emily to attend an event at a local state park where they are showing the art of Knapping with the Silver River Knapp in.  As in Flint knapping - making tools from stone. There will be all kinds of historical things there and it includes entrance to the museum and state park with trails and the Silver River. The kids go there in 4th and 5th grades for science and social studies trips. 

Hopefully some time will be allowed to stitch down these peels for one of the Ella Maria Deacon blocks.

I'd also love to finish the hand quilting in the green so I can do the final roll of this quilt today.

Linking up with the other Slow Sunday Stitchers.

Orange?

One block in orange. That's all I got this week.

Feeling thankful there are 5 Saturday's in February! I hope to get the other 13 orange blocks done and sewn into their column this week. Linking up with the RainbowScrapChallenge or (RSC).

Cookie booth this morning 8-11, then back to count money and cookies, wait for the other booth cookies and monies to arrive and chat with the other 2 moms in my troop. Home to heat up lunch and a visit from Grandpa. Relaxed and made my one block.... then a cookie booth on the lawn for Emily while I weeded the front triangle bed. Dinner - a new recipe Aidan found in my taste of home cookbook - a creamed herb pan sauce to go on top of the pork chops with rosemary roasted potato and a salad.  Despite making the sauce with lactaid milk, the girl decided to have her chop with BBQ sauce while Aidan and I had the sauce. It was yummy.

Time to finish up the dishes and then settle in for some hand quilting I think. It has been a long day.

Happy Valentines Day!

I hear there will be a new Hand Pieced Quilt Along in 2020 coming in March! How exciting. I have yet to finish my 2019 one... but, that just needs hand quilting. It is together as a top... but might get some darker blue borders added by hand before the hand quilting begins. Maybe 2 borders.... we will see.

There will be new tips and techniques to build upon last years. I'm in.... anyone else?

I'm thinking I'll play with purples this year.... since I am using blues for the hand pieced Ella Maria Deacon quilt along and did blues last year. I have a nice variety of purples on the stash wall. Now to decide on the background.... hmmmm wonder if I have enough of that cream with the little purple flowers for background fabric?

Here is the link to the teaser announcement from Kristin and Patty.

In other news..... It has been a long week with very philosophical discussions about threats, repercussions and how some kids in our area have really messed up their lives at very young ages. There were threats issued on social media to the middle school that Aidan attends and the neighboring high school on the same street for Tuesday and Thursday. Two arrests have been made of a 9th grader and a 7th grader for 2 of the 3 threats made. The police are investigating the 3rd and are hoping for an arrest soon. I just hope that these kids get the help and counseling they obviously need. Unfortunately, there were no warnings issued before some of the tragic school shooting incidents we have had in the last 20-30 years.

With all of that, the kids said something about Valentines Day last night. I mentioned that I much prefer to have the little 'thoughtful' things all year long rather than on one day a year. They both looked at me with a strange look, so my example to them was -  their Dad usually makes coffee for me (he gets out of bed first! If I am the first one up then I make it and deliver to him) and then delivers me a cup the way I take it to me in my recliner.  It's the little things in life to be thankful for and appreciate in this strange time we are living in.... and getting sent to your sewing room when you are a wee bit grumpy! =) He gets me!

Another EMD block...

I managed to get another Ella Maria Deacon appliqued block done from month 5. Now I just have 3 left to do.

I also got something in the mail today. I had a $25 gift certificate from Bluprint so I ordered 2 sets of 3 different kinds of boundless treasures charm packs.

I do have a project in mind.... but look at these pretty colors in the packs. They were on clearance.

EMD Tuesday check in

I did get a block done this week. This one is hand pieced and part of month 5 for the Ella Maria Deacon quilt from Sentimental Stitches. I still have 2 blocks from month 4... and 2 from month 5 to do. Yikes.... month 6 will be released on the 15th! I'd better get busy stitching.

I won!

I got this neat little mug rug in the mail last week from Joy over at The Joyful Quilter. I had been the lucky number picked for this cute prize out of the Winter Blues Blog Hop! Thank you Joyful and the nice person who picked my number! Emily asked me to tell you that she loves it and those triangles sure are tiny! Note to self, make sure to put it in my office before she steals it for her room.....

Sunday....

When I picked up the kids from Grandma last night, she asked if I could fix an afghan for her. It was made by her mother and one part of the granny middle has come undone. I told her I'd give it a try.... but have no clue how to do it! Any advise? I think it is just chain and slip stitch?

We are hosting the Grandparents for a birthday lunch and cheesecake for the boy's 12th birthday (last Thursday) today. After that....I see relaxing with various hand work projects for me.

I'll watch a movie and get some hand quilting in on the pink and into the green.

I'll also prep the 4 peels to add to the middle of this EMD block and start back basting the next one. Oops, I need to add that 4th side first.

I might go in and prep the rest of the block from last month for hand piecing. I have the middle part done.

I'd like to also finish off this row of sheep in the knitting for Aidan's pillow.

Pretty much a relaxing day with lots of hand stitching. Linking up with Kathy and the other slow stitchers.

Saturday in ORANGE!!!

I was able to find just 10 pieces of orange that fit the cutting requirements for the Sweet Confetti Blocks in my stash. Big sigh of relief!

We switched things up this weekend since Greg works today and we will have grandparents over tomorrow for Aidan's 12th birthday lunch. The kids are off to Grandma's today to help her pick up the yard and woods from all the branches down from the storm on Thursday. That left me time to sew late morning to get my orange fix in for the week! I think I need to fix one white triangle on 3 of them... it must have got moved when I sewed it a bit since it is a little off on the top. I do love how these are coming out.

When I make these there is one of the quarter square triangles leftover. Last month I sewed them together. Kicking myself now....as I just realized if I cut the wings from a 2 inch strip of fabrics I can make flying geese with them! Maybe I'll get back in to sew those up today..... but must do some grocery shopping and pick up the house a bit for tomorrow. Em and Greg made the requested cheesecake with raspberry topping last night. It was a long day yesterday and I was in bed at 9!... Before both kids even!  All day long out in the sun and wind and cold (and someone forgot sunscreen and has a red face today!) to watch Emily and her school's soccer team compete in quick games (10 minute) against the other elementary schools in the area. We came in 3rd with a 5 games won and 1 loss. They had fun and you can tell soccer is popular here with some of the amazing skills and footwork and ball control these kids have. Then it was to school pick up line to wait and collect her from school. Home for a late light lunch - they didn't have time to eat there - then she went out and did a 2 hour cookie booth followed by dinner out to celebrate her brothers birthday. 

It is cookie season - she had a 'lemon up' stand in our yard yesterday. Booths don't start until the 14th around here but we can do these stands on our residential property. The only time I am happy we live on a busy street! She unloaded all those boxes to people yesterday (minus 8 boxes!). I put in an order for 60 more boxes and she can do it again Sunday or after school next week sometime. He goal is 350 cookies this year. She hit 300 last year. She is at 131 right now with some troop booths scheduled. This is my life for the next couple of weekends!

Linking up with the RSC Challenge.

Aidan asked why my background was yellow...I told him it was orange. He disagreed so I showed him where I set it up. He managed to get a better orange background.... and decided to add hearts for valentines day. I think I will have him be in charge of the colors from now on!

12

I'm really not sure where the last 12 years have gone! 12 years ago today - we welcomed Aidan into this world. He was a tiny 7 pound, 5 ounce baby boy. At 12 he is 5feet 2 and growing taller every day! We are so proud of the young man he is becoming.

Happy 12th Birthday Aidan.