Gathering Together

Gathering Together Pinkeep

Scattered Seed

Stitched with called for DMC fibers one strand over two on 36 count linen

French General fabric stolen from (Old, old, old) uncompleted kit.  Not enough to finish the Pinkeep, but colors are perfect.  Help a girl out if you know this line of French General fabric.  

Where have I been and what have I been doing?  This very neglected blog would indicate I have disappeared, not so.  I started teaching a Strength and Fitness class to seniors at Fifty Forward Center three days a week.  My brother and I (mostly him) have been doing repairs to a barn on our farm.  I declared war on the not so dear deer.  They eat my roses just as they are beginning to bloom and the raised vegetable garden they consider their personal garden.  For those keeping score, the deer are winning.  Lucy (the cat) has been in training for the cat Olympics.  Her events are speed shedding and wake-me-up-at-three a.m.  My long arm quilter, Primary Care Physician, Dentist and Ophthalmologist have all retired which has kept me busy on a search for replacements.  The cicadas, heat, rain and neglect have left my yard in a very neglected state.  Whew!  Still stitching from stash and loving every discovery of older designs and projects.  Give a girl a break, bog has been neglected but girl is super busy. 

                                                    

 

Flowers v Cicadas

 Ugh, the cicadas, they are awful.  They dive bomb the car windshield, fly into the windows and screens and my hair!  I sweep the deck and the garage daily to remove them.  They are on the trees, shrubs and flowers.

The flowers seem as determined to bloom as the cicadas seem on mating.  

The hydrangea is as determined  as the cicadas.  Last year due to the flash freeze, the hydrangea hardly bloomed.  It is making up for lost time.

The daylilies are just beginning to bloom.  We’ve had lots of rain and lots of rain brings lots of weeds.  My Memorial Day weekend will be spent in the garden weeding and trying my best to avoid the dive bomb attacks of the cicadas.

Coming Together

 

It’s finally starting to come together.  This poor quilt has been shoved to the back burner so many times, I’m sure it thinks it is never going to get finished.

Inspired by a quilt I saw at an antiques show, I saw an opportunity to sew from stash and save some $$$’s. 

Rain showers and cicadas have driven me indoors but provided an opportunity to finally complete this quilt and move on to the next project.

Beginning of Gardening Season 2024

 My apologies to all those who suffer with allergies, the pollen count has been very high.  The dogwoods have bloomed brilliantly this year.  

Each spring AppleJack’s cousins gather together for Spring clean-up and maintenance of their family cemetery.  A large tree had fallen, we aren’t quite sure what caused it to fall:  a lightning strike, high winds, age.  

This terra cotta pot of violets sits just outside my kitchen window.  Their bright cheery colors just starts the day off with a smile.

It’s time for me to collect the tools and get to work.  The to-do list is long, the weeds are in abundance and the rewards are worth the hard work.

Spring 2024

                                

         Was watching Carol, Saltbox Stitcher latest Flosstube and Carol says “I stitch bunnies.”  I also stitch bunnies.  A stitched bunny is far more enjoyable than a bunny eating my garden.  Speaking of bunnies, Stacy Nash’s latest animal cracker, Maggie Mae will be making her way into my stitching rotation.  

      

          A reward for spring cleaning.  While cleaning out closets, found this stitched towel and thought it was perfect to display with the bunnies.

Still having many cool nights so not quite warm enough to start planting flowers, but always warm enough inside for them.  Don’t think it ever gets cold enough to stop the weeds.  

Those bright blue flowers are sure a welcome sight after the winter browns.  Grandmother Bessie loved flowers and the color blue so I stitched the letter “S” which will be the back of her purse.

Warm temps forecast for today, time to put on those gardening clothes, get those flower beds weeded and prepared and maybe even a trip to the garden center.  

Stars and Bars

 Stars all stitched, sashing added, backing fabric purchased, ready for the long arm quilter to work her magic and time to begin a new quilt or three.  

While tidying up the craft room, found this bag of scrap mess and decided it was time to do something with them.

Ahh the beginnings of a court house steps.

 

Winter 2024

 Winters in Nashville are normally very mild.  Last Sunday 7.6 inches of snow fell.  More snow in one evening than the yearly average for our area.  Then the temperature dropped and then it dropped some more.  Single digit temps for days.  I’ve cooked, baked, stitched, quilted, binge watched documentaries and worn two layers of clothing.  

For those hardy souls out there who are accustomed to winters like these, I salute you.  

Shooting for the stars

 Finish one quilt, start another.  Quilters, they are always thinking ahead to their next quilt or three.  

The stars stitch together quickly.  With lots of blue fabric in my stash, blue starts on a white background seemed like a good choice. 

This is a hooked rug from Minnick and Simpson.  Yes, I am easily influenced by things I see in books, magazines, Instagram, Flosstube.  

 After weeks and weeks, 24 blockheads have been completed.  This project started back in late September.  Have I really been working on it for two months?  Block one was a self challenge, just to see if I could make the block.  That challenge expanded into color combinations from my stash which expanded into stash reduction which finally ended with “can I make the blocks into a quilt?”  

Much has been learned.  A class in color would have been very helpful.  Yes, tones play nicely with each other and yes chocolate brown and pink is a great combination.

Organizing fabric by color family would also have been helpful.  No more organizing fabric by designer or manufacturer.  (Almost all my fabric is Civil War reproduction).

What’s next?  Cleaning the sewing area, adding the sashing and setting the quilt.  Borders?  How many?  What color?  Width of border?  And. . .I saw another blockhead challenge for a star, there is lots of blue fabric in my stash.  

Veteran’s Day 2023

 in remembrance of all those who have served and sacrificed so I can enjoy freedom.  Thank you for your service!

Twelve Down

 Twelve blocks completed, twelve blocks remain to be made.  Am making slow progress on the Moda Blockhead #5 challenge.  Digging deep into fabric stash hoping to make all 24 blocks different and realizing taking a color class would have been a good investment. 

Gentle Stitches

                              Gentle Stitches by Shakespeare’s Peddler

This piece was designed by Theresa Vanette/Shakespeare’s Peddler and released as a kit in 2012.  It was stitched with Crescent Color Works fibers (now called Classic Color Works) on 36 count Linen by Weeks Dye Works.  I made one change:  I added beads between the row of button flowers and the words.  Adding the beads reminded me why I seldom add beading:  they are very tedious.  The piece will be finished into a needle roll and will play nicely with my Shepherd’s bush needle rolls.

                                                           

Are you a Blockhead?

A few years ago, maybe five, Moda started a program called Blockheads.  Each week a Moda fabric designer would design a block and feature his/her fabric.  (Sure hope I’m being factual here)

Last week a blockhead showcasing Betsy Chutchian popped up on my Instagram feed.  I thought her fabric and design were very pretty.

I started studying the block design closer and realized the block was made from HST’s and squares.   Ahh, my skill level.

Off I dashed to fabric stash and quilting supplies.  Concentration is required to make the block, think I counted 64 pieces.  Requires brain cells to make sure all those pieces and parts are moving in the right direction.

It’s been great fun digging into the fabric stash and seeing which fabrics play nicely with each other.  I’m thinking 24 blocks with sashings and borders will make a nice sized quilt.  

2024 Plans

 I like making plans, I like to do lists, marking off things accomplished, it is my own system of accountability.  At the sake of being redundant one of the positive things about the pandemic was rediscovering my stash.  On those days of isolation, I would shop my stash.  Rediscovering designs, fibers, finishing fabrics, accoutrements started me thinking about stitching things I always wanted to stitch.  So. . .for 2024 I have decided to focus on those pieces.  I’m calling it things you always wanted to stitch, but allowed yourself to be distracted by new releases. Don’t start thinking I won’t get pulled away, because there are some retreat pieces I have already put on shopping wish list.  In no particular order here are older designs I want to stitch in 2024.  

Harriet Elizabeth Coe

With Thy Needle and Thread/Brenda Gervais 

Released/Reproduced in 2013

Plans are to stitch on a piece of Weeks Dye Works linen called Linen.  Will be modifying her name to Great Grandmother Harriet Ward.  Lots of eyelets in this sampler and I enjoy eyelets, but will stitch other pieces to give myself a break from them.

                                                                                             

This was released as a kit in 2014 (The Scarlett House/Norden Crafts).  2014, yes this has been in my stash for a few years.  Love the stone house, reminds me of the stone houses in Pennsylvania.

                       Thomas the Turkey and The Reverend Gordon Squashbottom                                                

Notforgotten Farm/Lori Brechlin released Thomas the Turkey in 2007.  When I start decorating for Thanksgiving, I ask myself “why haven’t you stitched Thomas the Turkey?”   The Rev as he is affectionately called is just one of those fun seasonal fall stitches.  

                                                                    

Couldn’t resist including a Blackbird Design.  I do love drums and Hobby Lobby has some great candle stands for displaying.  Am thinking about using Mayflower linen from Fox and Rabbit.

This was a club piece released through County Samplers Threads of History Club.  Am trying to stitch some of my many kits.  My dear stitching friend Jane has stitched and finished this piece and seeing hers motivated me to stitch mine.  

In the words of AppleJack “this should keep you out of trouble for awhile.”  There are many other designs calling my name and I haven’t forgotten them.  Plans may change, new releases may excite me and quilting and punch needle might also need some attention.

                                                                      

Flowerpot Roll Up

 

Blue Flower Drum

Blue Flower Drum

La D Da, Lori Markovic

35 count Weeks Dye Works Parchment

Weeks Dye Works Fibers:  Dove, Dolphin, Seagull, Bee’s Knees, Garrison Green

I feel in love with this piece the minute I saw it.  From the soft muted color palette to the font of the letters in the alphabet, it was calling my name.  From counting errors to Lucy eating fibers to misplacing fibers it took me much much longer to complete the stitching than it should have.  Substituting fibers, playing thread chicken with fibers, borrowing floss from other projects, I finally finished the stitching.  Fingers crossed the finishing into a drum goes much smoother than the stitching.

                                                     

The French Connection

 

I’ve been watching Adrian and Carole restore Chateau de le Ferte on YouTube.  Adrian and Carole are amazing:  motivated, disciplined, no job is too big or small for them to tackle.  From plumbing, electrical, painting, refinishing floors, landscaping and yes mucking out a stable, they do it all.  Chateau de le Ferte was built in 1854 and no one has lived in the Chateau for 20 years.  Restoring it is a massive undertaking and they are doing an amazing job.

Watching them select paint colors and fabrics and visiting brocantes has influenced me.  I purchased the Marie Antoinette panel several years ago, because I loved its whimsical nature and I have quite a stash of French General fabric.  AppleJack’s granddaughter visited France in the spring and I thought this quilt would be a nice reminder of her visit.  

French General fabrics are rich in color and design and am going to try to make the fabric do the work in this quilt by fussy cutting.