Chookshed Stitchers Challenge Finish

 

Since I was not successful at finishing last month's goal, I'm very happy to be able to show that I finished this month's goal of turning this Autumn Jubilee project into a completed queen-sized flimsy, ready to take to the long-armer.

I'm also very thankful that this February had 29 days instead of 28 because I was too sick to get it finished yesterday and really needed this extra day to get it done.

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Tomorrow is a sewing day with my friend, so I hope to continue my progress on my Sew Scrappy Spools as well as a few simple projects that won't take much brain power. 😊 Sometimes those are handy for a little break.

Maybe I'll do the binding on this wall-hanging that I've finished hand-quilting.

I quilted around the poinsettias with black thread and they look interesting on the back.

And I hope to hem some large pieces of thick cloth with which I plan to cover/drape our swivel rockers to cover where the beloved but naughty kitty has scratched the upholstery.

So many options, so little time!

Hope your plans are fruitful. 😊

New Year, New Goals

 Thanks to this Chookshed Stitchers challenge, I've started my list of UFOs to work on in 2024. 

Sadly quite a few are previous years' goals, but I'm gonna keep trying to get them done. The rules of this challenge are that you make a list of ten quilts/projects to work on and then they'll post the project number of the one you're to work on for that month. Since I'm a couple of days late in joining, I already knew that January's number is #6, so I purposely assigned the Sew Scrappy Spools quilt to number six since I really want to get that done and my friend, Tricia, and I have already plotted out two sewing days for this month.

So, here's my year's list:

1. Make a lap quilt top from Pat Sloan's "Home Is..." quilt-along blocks.

2. Put borders on this Autumn Jubilee quilt, enough to make into a queen size quilt.

3. Finish this Diamond pattern into a baby quilt top.

4. Since several in the group have chosen to make #4 a panel quilt, I'm going to use this Christmas panel to make a wall-hanging.

5. I was given this start of Eleanor Burns' Egg Money quilt over eight years ago and I think it's about time I turn it into a flimsy.

6. Sew Scrappy Spools - a 2023 BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop that needs to become a completed flimsy.

7. Once again I dream of sewing up these music-themed patterns from a Shop Hop Row-along from several years ago. I hope to be able to gift it to daughter #5.

8. Still the Music Row-along because I think it's going to take a lot of time.

9. I dream of piecing and hand-quilting Christmas wall-hangings/lap quilts for each of my kids' families this year, so one or two of them will be done this month. The panel in project #4 will probably be used in one or two of them. (I have six to make; one is already pieced and will be my hand-work project soon.

10. Another one or two Christmas wall-hangings.

As I'm working on various sewing projects, I'm also making this "leader-ender" quilt:

I need to cut a greater variety of scrappy colors, so I've set myself a goal of cutting scraps for 20 minutes at the start of every sewing session.

I'm also working on little cross-stitched "stamps" from Sweet Annet Designs on Etsy for birthday gifts. They're small, but fairly complex with a lot of subtle color changes that make each piece so beautiful, but sometimes I have to be so focused that I can't watch TV while doing it. :)

I'd also like to reward some weight loss with sewing myself a new dress, so that's in the back of my goal-planning.

I'm probably being overly ambitious as is my norm, but I really hope to clean out a bunch over the course of this year and getting some projects done will help with that. 

This Week's Goals:

1. Two blocks of Sew Scrappy Spools

2. Finish Hobbit Hole cross-stitch

3. Start Bookshelf cross-stitch

4. Pin-baste first Christmas quilt for hand-quilting

I think that ought to keep me pretty well occupied, especially since I have several books to read before they're due back at the library. 😉

Till later, may our goals be achievable!

Words of Wisdom - On Homemaking

 

“It belittles us to think of our daily tasks as small things, and if 

we continue to do so, it will in time make us small. It will

 narrow our horizon and make of our work just drudgery. There

 are so many little things that are really very great, and when

 we learn to look beyond the insignificant-appearing acts

 themselves to their far-reaching consequences, we will

 ‘despise not the day of small things.’ 

We will feel

 an added dignity and poise from the fact that our everyday

 round of duties is as important as any other part of the world.

And just as a little thread of gold, running through a fabric,

 brightens the whole garment, so women’s work at home,

 while only the doing of little things, is like the golden gleam of

 sunlight that runs through and brightens all the fabric of

 civilization.”

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Words of Wisdom - On Creating Now With What You Have

Don’t get too hung up on worrying about having a “spot.” Don’t add that to an endless list of why you can’t begin to make. Make space to make, whether or not you have a perfect spot. If you wait for perfection, in your work or in your space, you will never get around to making or sharing your work.

Don’t let honest aspiration become a paralyzing perfectionism. Still less, envy.

You probably have what you need to begin or continue the work of creation you’re called to. Don’t wait for permission, especially from your inner critic—or inner snob.

Start where you are. Make something. Later, make something to help you make things.

Don’t wait. Create.

(S.D.Smith author of Green Ember series and co-author of Jack Zulu)

Book Review - Garden Maker by Christie Purifoy

I love, love, love this book! 

Oh, how I love this book! 

It's beauty is not limited to the gorgeous, inspiring photography, but flows over into the glorious prose describing the magnificent and minute creation of the great God of the universe and inspiring us to get involved in sharing his creativity and seeing his hand in it.

 The love of the author for her crafts of gardening, writing, and photography shine through on every page and it makes me wish I could garden, write, and photograph so winsomely. And I shall keep trying, for she doesn't intimidate; she invites along. She makes me want to think and absorb more as I garden, to note better the intricacies of each flower, to invite more and different plants into my little world, to spend time in the garden not only as a gardener, but as a wonderer. 

And on this gray winter's day, I needed the inspiration and got it.

Time Use Experiment

Yesterday I tried something I've wanted to try for quite some time - roasting pumpkin seeds. After I'd cooked three small pumpkins and made some pumpkin pudding with some of it and froze the rest, I washed the seeds in cold water, which made the stringy pulpy goo come of them pretty easily, mixed 2 cups of them with 3 T. oil, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and 1/2 tsp. salt, and spread them out on an aluminum-covered sheet pan to roast at 250F for 45 minutes and then 5 more minutes at 325F as instructed by Taste of Home. They turned out wonderfully though next time I'm going to try a little more garlic and Worcestershire just for a little more punch.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 I'm trying an experiment today and so far I'm liking it. I've set a two hour timer on my phone and use that as a signal to add wood to the woodstove (too frequently I neglect it and have to start it up again 😒) and then to change focus for another two hours. I started with my time in God's Word and prayer as well as other reading and letter-writing. The next two-hour segment was for housekeeping - cleaning kitchen, cleaning one of the bathrooms, prepping sourdough to rise, making kombucha, watering indoor salad gardening, etc. After replenishing the fire, the next segment was for listing some clothing on Ebay all the while trying to keep curious kitty out of the pictures. (I use a trifold display board covered in scrap muslin as my backdrop.)

Next was a quick lunch while watching part of a Youtube video on meat rabbits and then since the sun was finally shining (it's been gray skies for over a week), I had to step outside to enjoy and then came in to lie down in the patch of sunshine on my bed for a few minutes.(I think I'm part cat.)

Now is the time for pursuing personal interests and studies, like blogging, learning to draw, more letter-writing, nap, baking, history of Israel, or more rabbit-raising studies. After this comes craft/sewing time before prepping supper. This month's project is moving and organizing my "Craft Corner" and I made good progress yesterday while listening to Little Women for Classics Club.

On the left is the woodbox. I'm taking the picture from right beside the insulated woodstove.

These boxes are from Sky Flake crackers - a favorite from my childhood in the Philippines.

I hope to get more of my larger yardages of fabrics wrapped onto foamboard pieces. The aqua boxes are spray-painted and used to store various widths of strips.

My aunt's antique cast iron sewing machine. Boy! is it heavy!

The overflow yet to be put away.

My beloved Hoosier cabinet serves as cutting table and storage.

So, it's all coming along and I get a good amount of each kind of activity throughout the day, though I confess that I haven't exercised yet except for going up and down the stairs and walking to the mailbox (which is a kind of short walk). I'll have to get that going better.

How's your day going?

Felicitously Fondling Fabric Friday

 I actually have some finishes to show! I'm so happy to be getting several UFOs either finished or very close to finished. It helps that the view from my window shows the continuing several day long snowstorm. So I mostly stay inside and sew.

My cute tea cup rain chain is now an ice chain. Maybe it's for iced tea now?

I'm actually going to take it down lest it become too heavy and get damaged.

So here are some fabric fondlings I've enjoyed:

I finally finished the twin-sized top made of BOMs my daughter made about 15 years ago. So it's for her bed when it gets back from the long-armer and when we get to set her up in her apartment which is now being used by another daughter's family while they remodel their house.

Yup, I'm displaying it draped over the box from our new oven which is now granddaughter's much-loved playhouse.

Aunties are such fun!

Another quick finish (and therefore not very quality, but they'll work) is a couple of hot pads since mine were cheap dollar store ones whose batting was getting thin.

And we got the Thanksgiving tree quilt hung and are starting to pin on it various things for which we thank God. It's always a delight for my husband to read the stack of them after Thanksgiving dinner.

After reading this post by From My Carolina Home, I'm inspired to go declutter, dust, and decorate my living/dining area. 

Talk to you later.

Autumn Jubilee and Squirrel Project

 So, I was happily sewing along on my Autumn Jubilee project along with From My Carolina Home, 

when my squirrel-sidetracking nature noticed that I could easily use my leaders/enders to make a simple baby quilt top.

Off I ran in that direction, somewhat derailing the making of my Autumn Jubilee scrappy border for a time.

As I semi-focused (as much as a squirrel-sidetracker can) on the leaders/enders quilt, the scrappy border from the Autumn Jubilee quilt became the new leaders/enders. 😄

But Matthew says that's ok.

I got the baby quilt top done except for some borders which will be regular strips since there's already enough scrappiness in it. And I'm continuing to use the Autumn Jubilee quilt pieces as leaders/enders as I put said borders on. So, I should be comepletely done with both very soon.

I must, however, confess that I haven't even looked at my One Monthly Goal in over a week. Sigh. Well, I have a few more days till due date.

How are your sewing goals coming along?