busy, busy

Happy middle of November already!
Do you ever keep thinking you'll sit down to write a little...
then it just doesn't happen???

I'm a list maker -
which I think helps me stay organized,
but when I started writing my list, it made me realize
how much I've accomplished!

Here's some of my recent list:
With the holidays approaching,
I've done a lot of my gift shopping,
pretty much planned my gatherings,
stocked up on foodstuff for the pantry and freezer,
and had the grandkiddos for sleepovers on the weekends quite a few times. 

I've quilted for others for their upcoming gift giving,
(but still have three or four more to quilt before the beginning of the December),
hosted the annual neighborhood Chili Cookoff/Bonfire on a beautiful evening the end of October.
Made birthday cakes, there were/are family weddings - one last month, one next,
plus two new family engagements - so excited for a nephew and a niece!

I have had some stitching time of my own, in little increments...
and am working on four different quilt gifts,
Also have on my list, five woolen stockings for Sonny boy and his family.
I participated in a block swap with blog friends through the Fun with Barb blog.
I participated in a sew-along with blog friends through Lori's Humble Quilts blog.
And in between all those times,
I exercised my right to vote,
and spent with family and friends, 
and cooked and cleaned, and, and, and!

That List! ^
Therefore, the title of this post! lol
You know how it is, I'm sure!!!
 
Good times! Good food! Good friends! Good life!

Hope your week is wonderful, and
happy middle of November!
Back soon with quilty pictures!!!

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!

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!

another beautiful day and I'm funny

It is BEAUTIFUL in the neighborhood today!
This:

arrived overnight.  And still coming down now, going on 11 a.m.
Welcome back, Polar Vortex!
The beautiful snowfall and dropping temps have closed the schools, closed roads, and made it treacherous to be out.
But I still love it.
And only the 17th of November.

So I'm inside, laundry going, a little baking,
AND packing for a retreat!
This is where the funny comes in.
Travel day Tuesday - 5+ hours - making arrival after lunchtime.
Leaving retreat to head home Saturday morn,
so that is Three And A Half days of retreating.
Remember that number - 3 1/2.

Here is what I've laid out to pack so far:

Works In Progress - Above

• Little blocks of fun (left) need roofs and sashing added to the blocks

• top, center - vintage bow ties need setting with the melon fabric

• top right -9patch swap blocks-I've designed layout, need to make a bunch of setting blocks

• bottom right - the now fourth time this project of Autumn Garden Sunflowers, a Buggy Barn pattern  will travel to Retreat

Then, there are the things I WANT TO START:

• Left - I've had this idea about churn dash blocks in Christmas-y reds and greens and then I found that great border print
• Top - A Farmhouse Threads pattern with reproduction fabrics that I got when The Good Wives Co. was in business.  I really miss The Good Wives. :(
• Another Farmhouse Threads pattern... Let It Snow, with piecing and embroidery.  This has been on my wish to make list for over two years now.

Next, I've been collecting text-y, numerical prints.

Just this past summer I saw Kim's 'Text Me A Quilt' .  THAT is EXACTLY what I had in mind the whole time I've been collecting these wordy fabrics!!!  And she has a tutorial!!!  So I've stacked up all my fabrics, thinking that would be a great retreat project.

And of course, there's the wedding quilt gift that I showed the pattern and fabric stack last week - all blues and creams and browns.  The quilt that I SHOULD be working on.

OH, almost forgot - I've also packed up my Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses quilt-in-progress.  Only a handful of blocks left to add!!
 
That's only TEN projects.
What was the number that I asked you earlier to remember?
3 1/2?

See?  I'm funny.

Happy Monday!  I'm off to pare down some of my retreat take-along.

unfinished stacks - aka UFOs

I decided,

since I was still feeling under the weather and

that I was bored,

that I should sew a little...

Even though I wanted to START something new,

I went back to the messy, messy studio

and found a box of fabric strips -

left-over strips from a long ago project.

A whole bunch of one & a half inch strips,
UnFinishedObjects from a quilt from a year ago.

SO, the good thing about this UFO

is that I DID finish a quilt a year ago.

But I had a bunch of leftover strips that were almost enough to make the blocks for another quilt!!

Some of the strips had been sewn into blocks -
OK, MOST of the blocks had already been sewn!

I only had to make an additional 9 blocks...
yes, NINE!! and I would have another quilt top!

Why did't I just finish this a year ago
instead of leaving it as an UFO?

What's up with me and unfinished projects??!

Anyway, I've made the additional 9 blocks and pieced the the blocks into strips...
then sewed together those block strips, and am ready to attach some borders!
Yay, me!

Wait - that makes another quilt-top-flimsy to put into THAT unfinished stack!

Uggh...  

What's up with me and unfinished projects??! :)