Time to slow down..... and stitch for a bit!

So many choices....

There are the light blue hexagon flowers that are so fun and relaxing to stitch onto their black background. These are the last color - all the others are done and waiting.... 14 to go and the one on the right is a finished one.

Binding..... That graduation quilt of chevron blue and yellow got quilted this week and is waiting for binding to be hand stitched to the back... might be a wee bit hot so this one might wait for later tonight.

Linking up with the slow Stitchers over at Kathy's Quilts.

The reason it is time to sit back and relax? The office area (10x10) got painted a nice summer yellow this afternoon. I have a few blue quilts to hang and some paintings I did at 'Painting with a Twist' hanging in my office and they will look great against this sunny yellow.  Mom - reminds me of my yellow spare room in my Colchester house =).

We also picked up my new flooring (honey oak look) and a few painting supplies late morning. I plan to do the sewing area and all that open room that is really a finished 2 car garage (20x20) under AC but I have tons of stuff in there and it was easiest to start with the office paint. Coat 1 is on. Coat 2 will be applied later tonight. I'll have to uncover my desk for working this week but.... that carpet will get pulled up and the flooring will be laid down probably next weekend. I am so excited! Then.. I'll move onto the rest of the room for painting then flooring in there. The painting might happen sooner... with help from the kiddo's some afternoon this week.

RSC in blue....

The fourth blue umbrella was completed this week for all 4 blues completed in June! I do believe I am all caught up until the July color is announced.

I went ahead and got the brown hexagons stitched to their backgrounds this week as well. That leaves me with just a stack of light blue to go! I pinned them to the black Wednesday night and they are right by my recliner ready whenever I have a few minutes to stitch.

Linking up with the RSC Challenge on Saturday morning.

Graduation quilt..... ready for binding!

It was a successful day in the sewing room! The graduation quilt got quilted, there was a long break as the kids wanted to create stuff and we had lunch out. Aidan made a fabric coaster (there was lots of muttering and I had to help a lot). Then Emily was working on the pillowcase... I think we pinned that thing 5 times before getting the first sewing right. Lunch may have been the break we needed on that one.

Once their projects were done.... I finally got the table and machine back and made and attached the binding to the front by machine. I have a lot of hand stitching to go but have plenty of time to get it done.

I also played bobbin chicken and won! It finished right at the end of a row! The other part..... broke a needle but was able to find it all. Some tweezers to get it out of the bobbin area and a new needle and I was off and running again on the last part of the binding. I may have also used a whole gutterman thread that ran out on the third side of binding the quilt. 

It feels good to have that part done and just some hand stitching to go! I'll post the photo of the quilt once it is finished and washed.

Hand piecing curves????

Ok, I know I need to finish up a project (or 3!) first... but I am thinking ahead to a new hand piecing project. I am tempted to try curves... hey, if you are going to hand piece you might as well make it interesting.... right?

Apple Core Quilts..... should I or shouldn't I?

I found this link of how to make your own template.

Hmmmm then what colors..... I'd want to do a bigger one so the curve was easier....

I'm sick of green....the tumbler quilt last year and the log cabin earlier...

Not sure there is enough of the Kansas Troubles Fabrics.... have to go check out that drawer. That would make a pretty quilt.

There is always lots of blues hanging out on the wall....


There is also the drunkards path as well. Hmmmmm. The apple core is appealing more (sorry for that pun!)

I'll keep thinking while I finish up those other 3 projects.....

Tiny Tuesday...

I could use some snow.... it was feels like well over 100 yesterday with a heat index warning hitting my phone in the morning. This fabric will have to do!

Hoping all who are in a heatwave across the world are able to slow down, stay cool and be safe.

I just have one more blue umbrella to stitch and I will be all caught up! Next Tuesday will be a new color... I do wonder if it will be pink, purple, light blue or browns and black?  Whichever color comes up there will be 5 weeks of it in July!

Slow Stitching Anniversary!

Kathy has been hosting the Slow Stitching Sunday for 7 years now! Wow! I went back to my posts and it looks like I started linking up in July 2012! I had 'known' Kathy from the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. I have to give her a shout out for encouraging me to try hand quilting back then. I am so grateful that I took a chance... as I really enjoy hand piecing and hand quilting and hand applique! All new things for me in the last 7 years.

I was hand quilting the Quilt Square Along blocks I was making with a quilt along with Jo's Country Junction that year. I believe the patterns were a Lori Smith design and I made them with a bundle of Kansas Troubles Fabrics. I did a quilt as you go to connect them all together. Lots of pre-K car line waits for this one!

One of my favorites is still my apple quilt. I think this might have been my second hand quilting project.

Of course... Hugs and Kisses is on the list. This one I love and it lives in my room...when someone doesn't snatch it for snuggling on the couch! This photo shows the quilting better than the finished photo. All those peels were hand applique.

Hand piecing.... another fun thing to occupy your hands. I have made 2 trips by hand... well a 2 inch top waiting for quilting and this 2.5 inch top that is half way quilted on the frame. I really need to get back to this one....

This is the latest hand pieced quilt along that is also in the queue for hand quilting. So many quilts, so little time!

My current project is the baskets. They are all quilted and it is time to move onto the border triangles. I hope to be binding this one next weekend.

I did a lot of binding yesterday for the bow tie finish. It was a 2 Harry Potter movie afternoon and evening.

Of course... the hexagons are all prepped to get appliqued onto their black background. I just have 13 brown and 17 light blue to go on these as I finished off the purple ones this week. 

The end is in sight... so exciting. Then the decision... sew them together by hand or machine? I am thinking machine as they are black... and it will get them together quicker. I think this quilt will get colorful thread with the quilting...not sure if it will be all yellow or a mix of colors surrounding each one....

Thanks for reading and a big Thank you to Kathy and all who have encouraged me over the years. 

Bow Tie quilt completed!

I decided to put a flannel backing on this and tie it rather than quilt it. I am so happy with how it turned out. It is 46x54 a perfect snuggle size. Aidan even helped me tie it and then trimmed up the ties for me. Emily was happy to hold it up for me.

Trying out how good it snuggles..... both kids have approved it for snuggling. I think this one will be traveling up to Vermont next month and will reside at camp for a lap quilt for the parents.

Linking up to the Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Oh Scrap on Sunday.