Busy Hands Are Happy Hands

Hope to get a little slow stitching in today! Sharing at Kathy’s Quilts - Slow Sunday Stitching. She reminds us that it is World Embroidery Day! So let’s join in!

I found this bread cloth in my stash. Only two colors on this poinsettia, DMC 816 and 503. The called for colors are 816 and 500. But 500 is dark like in the wreaths on the magazine cover below. So I substituted a color closer to the color on the green leaf in the bread cloth on the cover. 

Sorry about the lighting, it’s early here. I’m using a needle minder from Fat Quarter Shop!

The pattern comes from a magazine , Just CrossStitch, dated December 1991. There are a ton of fun stitches in this issue! You might see some more in the future. 

I didn’t think I had anything new to post, so I wasn’t going to. But here is a recap!

A cherry on a margarita!

The backside of a favorite table topper!

What’s better than starting your day early in the morning, sitting on the front deck hand stitching binding? 

Only one thing! Sitting on the back deck in the shade, after lunch in 99 F heat and finishing said binding! And having a brand new table topper for the square table. 

I used part of a panel that had been in my stash for a long long time! I bought it at K-Mart!! The red fabric and the blue stars were on my table from finishing the QOV quilt,  that you have all seen a number of times. I just cut and added fabric till I had two pieces almost the same size for the front and the back. 

I sliced a rectangle of batting in half and sewed it back together to get a large enough square. I spray basted and serpentine stitched 1.5 “ apart top to bottom with R,W,and Blue variegated thread. It was also from my stash and yes, I looked at and cleaned the bobbin case. It wasn’t dusty this time!! The binding is blue with silver stars that’s been hanging around too long too!  I cut it at two inches and added it accordingly to Edyta Sitars tutorial. Slick as a whistle, giving me a slightly wider binding on the back cause the square was slightly smaller than the front!  And it's done on the Monday before the Friday when Joy will post the linky party. 

Oh, and what about the A. and G.... Well, I think it is All Good, and I'm Absolutely Giddy to get it done ahead of schedule.  

I'm linking up with The Joyful Quilter on the last Friday of July to share with others. 

 Joining LeeAnna and friends to share some LIKES today!  LeeAnna posts a list of regular bloggers who share their good things, their gratitude and even once in awhile the not so good stuff! Check out her blog at Not Afraid of Color

Beautiful sunflower from a neighbor was left on my porch last Thursday!  There were three more buds!

Bud number 2 opening. ⤴️

The leaves are wilting , but #3 is opening and so I trimmed off 2 lower leaves and recut the stem . Refreshed the water and back on the table.    Bud number 3 opening. ⤵️

Here is my neighbor’s sunflower garden. ⤵️

I’ve been able to have morning coffee on the deck. That makes me happy. Sometimes Mr. Busy even joins me!

Our granddaughter and grandson-in-law are raising a breakfast chef. She likes to make pancakes!

Do you remember May Day?  Baskets with goodies left on the doorstep or door handle?  Well, I have a secret sly neighbor!  She left a bag on the door knob tof the walk-in door to the garage. 

This was inside! Actually 2 zucchini and 1 cucumber....but we already ate one of the zucchini. Roasted with sweet potato chunks , red onion and marinated chicken thighs ( boneless, skinless - cause I'm counting WW points.)

I’m joining Carol at Quilt Schmilt-For the Love of Fabric, I love having this place to keep track of my goals! Thanks Carol!    

Next Week

July 25th - July 31st

1. Work on bottom border for Spool Quilt

2. Finish and post ABC Table Scraps Challenge July = Red, A&G

3. Work on Poinsettia Bread Cloth

4. Sew some red string blocks and maybe some crumb blocks with the cut off pieces. 

5. Maybe read 1 chapter a night in my book. With the possibility of no prime time TV this fall, I need to get back in the habit of reading!

Good Morning all!

Last Thursday I was packing up to go spend part of the day with some like-minded stitchy friends. My current slow stitch project, One Kind Word, was almost done. Back to that in a minute.

So I rummaged through my treasure chest for some cross stitch fabric to see if there was inspiration there. I found two still packaged bread cloths, cream and dark green.  And then this! 

Look a dark green bread cloth on the cover. This magazine is dated 1991! Holy Cow! I’m a hoarder!

So that is what I started and will work on today. 

I think I should go find my Christmas needle minder! Extra light is needed for stitching on such dark fabric. 

Ok, back to One Kind Word. I didn’t completely finish, because I got stuck on what color should the flower be? White with a yellow center (shasta daisy) yellow with a brown center (sunflower) or something else. A friend suggested bringing the pink from the wording back up to the top. So a pink or purple flower? 

What do you think? 

I’m linking up with Kathy today for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

I'm joining Angela at So Scrappy today to share with others for ScrapHappy Saturday and Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2023.  July's color is red!!

There was some red sewn this week. Parts and pieces to make a table topper for the back deck table. Since we got the fire table for our anniversary, more time has been spent sitting around the flame with a glass of wine. There needs to be a covering on the slate topped table. So I have been puzzling pieces of a panel with some red - two different ones and some blue stars. It is still July and I had this 4th of July themed panel in my stash. For a really long time!

Side two ↗

Several years ago I made this round one with some crumbs and a large piece of the panel.  So soon I will have coordinating toppers!!  

A bit more was done on the borders for my spool quilt. The top border is done with ironing on the applique. I have started the bottom border.  When all the pieces are attached, I'll begin buttonhole stitching the pieces down. 

Bottom border ↗️

While sewing the red sashing to the fussy cut pieces of the panel, my machine seemed to be making a different than normal sound. I have a Bernina with a front loading bobbin that sits in a cabinet. I’ve changed the needle and the bobbin recently. But I can do it by feel, I don’t really inspect the bobbin area every time. But I sewed lots of batting pieces together recently! 

 It has never looked this bad in all the years (21), that I have owned it. I cleaned it of course, and promise to look every time I change the bobbin. It’s 2 hrs, 140 miles to the nearest Bernina dealer, but an appointment will be made today. 

7-4-23

Believe it or not my OMG is finished. Late this afternoon I finally got the pillow form inserted into the pillow cover that was my SAHRR.

So I’ll link up to July OMG Finish Post, when it goes live on the 25th! You can see my beginning goal setting post here. 

You can find One Monthly Goal posts at Elm Street Quilts or at Stories from the Sewing Room. Patty and Anne-Marie co-host this event each month. 

On Monday, I layered the top with a scrap of batting that was just big enough and a piece of an old pillowcase that I cut the side seams off of and opened it up into a long rectangle. Wish I’d taken pictures but I was on a roll!

I loaded lavender thread and bobbin in my machine and starting in the middle square quilted serpentine lines diagonally. Then vertically every 1” in the “rounds” . Actually they are just side borders. 

Don’t look too close at those inside corners of that friendship star. Huh? 

I had previously decided on an ugly gifted piece of fabric for the back. 

Following the instructions in a pattern from Kimberbell, that I purchased 2 years ago, I think! , I measured and cut and hemmed the backing. It worked smoothly, but if I do another….I’ll give myself a little more wiggle room. Kim’s instructions have you make a pillow form with muslin and fiber fill. I purchased mine from Amazon and it is the same size as the pillow dimensions on the pattern . It was a tight squeeze getting the pillow form inserted. But I prevailed. 

edit: guess this spurred on Mr Busy. The bench now looks like this. Slats are sanded, awaiting new redwoods finish. This bench was in my sister’s garden for years! I know she would be pleased that it is loved and cared for. 

For now I will post this to Finished or Not Finished Friday at Alycia Quilts! It’s in the only Fully Finish that I have today!😜