working through some UFQs

I've been doing some hand-embroidery -
well, really, it all started with working on 
some UFOs...UnFinished Objects.
Maybe the nicer sounding term would be
WISP - Works in Slow Progress, as 
these projects of mine have been in progress for years.  
Years ago (yes, it's really been years!!!), I started stitching the blocks for the Gardener's Alphabet (a Crabapple Hill pattern).
Recently I pulled out the basket of blocks from beside my Lazy Girl stitching chair, and instead of just looking at them and putting it right back in, I actually did some stitching! 

I've heard from people that don't quilt or hand-stitch
that they think it's weird that I have so many long-going projects.
But, for me, and I've also heard from other quilters, it's just the norm.
It's nice to be able to pick up a block and 
work on it for a while, then
switch to another project and stitch on that for a bit.

OR, it's an attention deficit thing and
I'm totally in denial. lol
Anyway, here are the last few blocks from The Gardener's Alphabet that I've hand-embroidered...(the crayon coloring was also done years ago).
Carrots: 

Dicentra aka Bleeding Hearts:

Grapes:

Hydrangea:

I'd like to hear from other hand-stitchers and quilters - Do you also have a slew of UFOs in progress?  And, if like me, you also like the kinder and gentler acronym WISP just a little better.  :)

Happy Monday!! 
Hope you have some stitching time this week!

flowers before the storm

June already!!!!
I so enjoy my flowers and garden, and this time,
I was able to get some pictures
before the heavy rainstorm came in
and beat them to the ground.


Poppies for Memorial Day...

 Peonies, aka Ant Flowers, as we called them growing up...

 And one of my favorites, Columbine...

I've also been stitching on one of my WISP projects - 
Work In Slow Progress -
also flowers - Dicentra, the Bleeding Heart:

With the stormy, cloudy weather, it was difficult to get good lighting, though.

Hope your June is wonderful and as beautiful as the flowers have been!!

forget-me-nots and gardening time

My gardening time lately has been limited
to some stitching time on my Gardener's Alphabet block -

Forget-Me-not:

It was a whole lotta'  cast-on-stitch flowers
and even more french knots:

But I love how it turned out!!!
It's not pressed or trimmed down,
and I don't even have the basting threads out,
but I'm counting it DONE!
I have the last two blocks already colored and heat set, 
just need some stitching time. lol
My last two blocks are the
Dicentra, aka Bleeding Heart:

 and the English Daisy:

How about you?  Are you getting some stitching time in?

a little more stitching... and some cake

I worked in just a little stitching time this weekend...
it was french knot time:

It's the next letter in my work on the Gardener's Alphabet 
(a pattern by Crabapple Hill).
This one has lots (and lots and lots) of french knots, 
but I like the almost finished look.

And, the 'tropical mango' box cake mix was pretty good.

Maybe a little better the second day, 
as the mango flavor was a little stronger.
I did make my own icing, and added some lemon juice - 
my grand-mommas always added lemon juice to icing for fruity cakes, so I do also.
I'm not really an icing fan, and scrape it off the cake before I eat it,
but it keeps the cake moist until then.
I normally bake from scratch, 
but this mix cake was good and moist.

So, my review :) 
of Pillsbury's Seasonal Tropical Mango cake 
is two forks up!

slow stitching, three years slowly

It's all about perspective.

If you've read my blog over the past half year or more, 
I've been holding down my lazy-girl chair a lot,
slowly recuperating.
I've also been doing some red-work embroidery stitching
on The Gardener's Alphabet quilt blocks.

The Gardener's Alphabet is a Crabapple Hill pattern that I just love. 
(: I love so many of Meg's Crabapple Hill patterns that I'll never finish all of them that I'd like to do, but I may start them!... more on that later :)

I've had the last half of the alphabet traced and crayon-tinted for a long time
(Yes, I started at the end of the alphabet, not the beginning).
I can't believe it, but three years I've had this one going!!
I even went back and checked the time-period, 'cause I couldn't believe it's been that long!
Now I have the letters M/n and P blocks stitched!
I'm so excited!
The letter O- Ox eyed daisy is in my embroidery hoop now,
and the next letter I have readied is Q- Queen Anne's lace, 
so a lot of french knots coming, I know.
But that means that it's been three years and I 
have the quilt half stitched!
That also means that I only have 3 more years working on this one!! :)

I don't have any blocks pressed yet as they are just going back into a work basket and will re-wrinkle during the next three years while I continue stitching the remaining blocks.  The close-up photos look better than the far shots (which show the wrinkling more than the stitching).

And finally, here's the 'more on that later':
It's not a UnFinished Object!
It's a six year plan of attack!
So, plenty of time to start more of the CAH quilts that I love!!!  lol

I've heard confirmation from other quilters, 
who've said that a six-year, 
hand-stitching embroidery project is a good plan,
not unheard of at all.

See? Perspective!

What are your slow stitching, six-year quilt plans? :)

Sunny days

Folks have noticed that I've not been as productive in
quilting and blogging over the last few months.
And, I missed my semi-annual quilt retreat this week.
Which is unheard of, right? :)
A quilter missing her retreat only happens if something is not right.

Well, I've not been 'right' for a while now...
I seem to be on the mend, but it's been a long time coming.
The short story is this:
Evidently, my body doesn't like antibiotics anymore,
Antibiotics I've taken over the last year for a root canal infection and a couple of sinus infections killed the bad bacteria in my body, which is good.
Antibiotics also can, and did, disrupt the beneficial bacteria in my gut, which is bad.
Good news?  No cancer or other bad things discovered.
More good news, 
there are medications today that will help me heal.

I just have to find the RIGHT medication...

• Med#1 worked great but was not covered by my insurance and would have been $900 a month.  But I only purchased 5 days worth to get me through the long holiday weekend and until I could get something covered by my insurance

• Med #2 was insurance covered, but, whoa, bad side effects

• #3 med was a sample, so I didn't have to purchase, but it was not being digested

• #4 med caused massive headache and knocked me out

Hopefully 5th time's a charm on the medication front...
(Sorry if that's too much info... but I'm a tell-it-like-it-is-and-have-it-out-there kind of person.)

SO... my thanks to everyone who's checked in on me -
I so appreciate your continued prayers and good wishes.
I have so many good people in my life, and so appreciate all of your concern.
And, sunny days, 
I'm already planning on attending 
the next retreat in just over 200 days!
Lord willing and the creek doesn't rise. 
And I find a med that my body doesn't veto. :) 

Here's my next hand-embroidery block ready to stitch:

Those sharply creased fold lines indicate that 
I've had it traced, hand-tinted with crayons and all prepped 
then stored for a while - like a few years, 
so it's definitely time to do some healing stitching!!!
The pattern is from Crabapple Hill, A Gardner's alphabet with Cosmo/Lecien threads off to the side.  
I LOVE stitching with Valdani threads!!!  If you've not stitched with them, they are worth the little extra cost in their color variations alone!

Thank you again, for checking in on me!
Happy Stitching
and sunny days, good friends!

too early for poppies

or late, depending on how you look at it...

P is for Poppies -
one of the blocks in the Gardener's Alphabet pattern:

I've been stitching (or not stitching) on this 
Crabapple Hill pattern for quite a while now,
as I started it three years ago!  

In my mind, 
it was just last year that I started this wonderful quilt...
but I double-checked, and it really was three years ago.  
Am I alone in this quilting-time warp thing?
Too many projects ongoing, just not enough stitching time.

So,
Weather-wise, it's too early for the poppy blooms...
but stitching-wise, it seems perfect timing!

4 (too short) hours today

My Sally Post Garden blocks in project bag

Can you tell where I was?
Blue carpet, blue chairs,
little kids table with crayons....
Wait, does that nice tiled floor in the background
have a car on it? Corvette car at that!
If you've not guessed it...
car maintenance time.
Besides the routine maintenance, also a wheel bearing going.
Parts pick-up time included, only 4 hours wait time...
not bad.  I had packed for 8! 

Like any good quilter, I had my stitching with me.

Actually, I had THREE partial projects with me...

Sally, Lucy, and my Garden.

(: I know I over-packed, as usual,

 but just in case I somehow

got "Flash-speed-stitching" in my fingers today, I was prepared :)

You can see one of my Sally Post blocks in my project bag above...
I finished hand quilting that one,
and finished the binding on another.

I also spent some time with Lucy -
finishing up the center of another block:

center of block - Patchwork of the Crosses/Lucy Boston

Then, I did a little Berry stitching:

Gardener's Alphabet - "b" block

Though it was only four hours wait,

NOT the eight I had hoped packed for,

it sure was a nice way to spend

a snowy, windy last day of February.

Hope your February was nice, and productive, too!

Sally Post, Lucy Boston, the Garden, and a Club House

The last few weeks while 
recuperating from Flu York,
and online browsing,
I found another quilty project!!!

It's Sally Post! 

The Sally Post quilt is an 1854 applique beauty -

and a group of gals are doing this quilt

as a sew-along this year! 

Isn't it gorgeous??!!

 (Thanks, Karen at Log Cabin Quilter

for sharing your first block

that got me hooked on this beautiful quilt project!!!,

and for welcoming me into the Sally Post /
Prim Folk Art Quilts group!)

 (If you are interested also,
visit Karen's blog: Log Cabin Quilter - she has the info link!)

Here's me,
telling MYSELF
the reasons why
I can start
another project:

The Sally Post quilt is applique! - 

so I can do some much-loved needleturning.

It's small blocks! - 

I love small blocks.

It's ongoing! -

a block a week for the next year.

It's a free pattern! -  

just print the block templates as you need them.

And, It's a pretty laid-back group! -

 no rules, no commitment, do as many as you want!

Yeah, I know I NEED another project.

Especially another large project...

• I've just started Lucy Boston the English paper piecing beauty (goal: one block/week)
• I also have at least two, large, hand, redwork embroidery projects going- one of them the Gardener's Alphabet  by Crabapple Hill (hopefully to finish this year)
• I have quilt tops  (plural) that I've had ready to quilt for years (yes, plural, again)
• I need to do a total redo of my quilting studio (it's looking like a cave, it's so loaded with fabric/projects/scraps)
• speaking of scraps...I just got the book Simply Charming - Small Scrap Quilts of Yesteryear to use up some scraps/stash, so those little projects are on the horizon as well

But, I've decided, I like having too many projects ongoing.
It's a great feeling -

Sally and Lucy will become friends,

and then meet in the garden 

of my Gardener's Alphabet...
with their Simply Charming little quilts...

Like it's a CLUB HOUSE
in my messy quilt room!

So, Welcome 
to the club house, Sally!!

happy Tuesday! winners, & back to stitching

from my last post,

"the yellow ones don't stop"

I had two folks answer my question before the cutoff time:

"ELF" was the answer,

so instead of just drawing one person as the winner

I'm sending both of them some quilt-y somethings!

Congrats, Terri and Cheryl!!!

I'm an ELF, the movie, fan,

and yes, I know it's silly/stupid/funny

but it makes me smile.

While I was in New York City a couple of weeks ago,

the movie scene came to mind:

Buddy the elf: "the yellow ones don't stop!"

And that made me smile!

Then I had a doorman ask me what I was smiling about,

and that made me smile more!!!

And, yes, I still am fighting FLU York;
I'm happy to report, I'm on the mend-FINALLY!
(thanks to those who've asked about my well-being)

It's been a doosey!

For fourteen days now I've felt,
 well,

like I have the flu.

(by the way:  if you feel like you have the flu, stay home!!!

My doc said this flu is contagious for 10 to 14 days!!!

and yes, I know that staying home for 2 weeks is boring,

but there are immune compromised people out there

who can't afford to contract this)
Sorry, down off the box now...

Anyway, 

Until yesterday, I didn't even stitch a single stitch!!!

Neither have I cooked! 

Now I know I was sick! -

no stitching & no cooking for two weeks!!!

Not like me.  Not like me at all.

Yesterday I felt a little more energetic,

so I grabbed my

A Gardener's Alphabet stitchery bag.

I finished the last few stitches on a few blocks... 

"Wx"-winter: just needed some berries

"Tz"-trellis: finished the zinnias' petals and french-knot centers

"Uv"-violets: needed the flowers stitched

  and

"Y"-yarrow: stitched the whole thing! (it's a small block!)

Now, I know they all need to be pressed,  
and that will come, eventually.
I'm just glad to say I'm getting back to some stitching!!

I may even cook something -

maybe tomorrow :)

Another good thing...

about watching the Olympics

for 4 hours nightly the past week or so...

I have the last half of my "Gardener's Alphabet"

traced and colored!!!

I don't know why I didn't photograph the "R".

It's also in the last half of the alphabet :) 

and it is traced and colored as well.

Oh, well.

The "S" is completely finished, sitting at the LQS as a sample.

The "Wx" block is almost finished with it's stitching, too! 

Just a few more thousand little chain-stitches

for the "snow" that has accumulated on the branches:

It also looks like it could use a good pressing!

Can't we all?!

Hope you have some "good things" going this week as well.

Happy Stitching and Olympic watching!

the STILLness after the storm

I'm still having some troubles from that
storm that blew through a couple of weeks ago now...
Trouble, like not fully functioning cable connections -
so it startles me now when
the house phone actually makes that ringing noise!
Cable lines around here are our
phone/Internet/television connections.
So, not only am I enjoying the non-ringing of the phone,
but I'm enjoying the local PBS television station
a little more than usual,
and it's been kind of nice not having
the time-wasting stuff on-line, too!


The STILLness has started to get to me though,
as I've not been able to keep up on my bloggy friends' happenings,
and the non-cable connection means I haven't
been able to post or share any quilty news!


SO...
in the STILLness after the storm,
I've worked in the garden just a little,
but with record high temps, zero rain and now water restrictions
it's looking more than a little pathetic out there.


Since the outside gardening hasn't been going well,
I've been stitching some on my "Gardener's Alphabet"
and it's coming along great.  Slow, but great :)


I've been cooking a little more than usual
as I cooked for the local townships' Senior group Summer Picnic. 
That's always a great group of folks to cook for and to visit with. 
Seems that all 30+ of them would like to adopt me :)
and have me cook for them each month
& they always make me feel so appreciated.


This past Friday was one of those super hot days
when it was too hot to be out and about
watching the garden shrivel,
so I gathered a couple of friends and drove to
a "One Stop Shop Hop". 
If you have one of these One Stop Hops in your area,
try to hit it up, as it seems to me to be
the wave of the future for Shop Hops.
This one had 19 shops from at least three states,
all with their vending set up in one location for the weekend.
There was a nominal fee for admittance, plenty of door prizes,
and a GREAT variety of quilt related stuff: 
fabric and wool, patterns, kits, notions, demos, etc.,
anything and more you would expect at a quilt shop,
but this was like
a QUILT SHOP ON STEROIDS
with 19 shops all in one big room!!!


I did do a little purchasing, and will share that later
when the cable is back up and running correctly.

I'm going back to enjoying my STILLness while it lasts!


Happy middle of July to you.