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? :)

The Olympics are coming, the Olympics are coming! Olympic Hand-Stitching is planned!

Are you as bad as I am?
When the Olympics are on,
are you also glued to the television broadcasts?

One good thing about all of this Olympic viewing
is that I do my hand-stitching while watching...

Plying needle and thread to the music of ice skating.

Whip-stitching to snow boarding and down-hill skiing.

Appliqueing to jumping and racing.

So, this week I'm preparing...
readying to do some major, Olympic hand-stitching!

I have stacks of  'Lucy' ready:

• pre-cut connecting squares and one-inch square Paper Pieces
• pre-cut muslin honeycombs and Paper Pieces
• two new spools of hand quilting threads for whip-stitching my paper-pieces...ecru for the muslins, light brown for any colored pieces
• the acrylic 'Lucy' templates
• also, my favorite serrated-edge scissors, thimble, and pink-turntable cutting mat

I have a basket of Red-work prepped, too:

• collection of Cosmo threads
• designs traced onto fabric and crayon-tinting done
• hoop, needle and thimble at the ready

I really enjoy watching the Olympic athletes from around the world compete.
So much so,
that I have trouble making myself go to bed while they are on.
So, for the whole time the Olympics are being broadcast,
I'm watching.   Staying up too late.  Recording.  And watching.

In the past,
after watching hours of Olympic competitions
and stitching for too many hours,
this is what I've looked like:

And I'm sure I will again this year :)

Happy Olympic Stitching!!!

My International Quilt Festival (IQF) trip was fun!
Just a little "haul" -
haul as in a two hour drive each way. 
And haul as in a few acquisitions :)
I found some poisons -

poison green that is.

The pre-cuts (charm squares & little thimbles) 
on the left were from Primitive Gatherings.
Top & center, blue fq's from Backdoor Quilts/Indiana.
Center:  poison green half yards.
And on the left: a pattern (: that I didn't need:)
and some conversation prints from Judy Rothermel.

Those poison green fabrics are "Charleston 1850"

by Newcastle fabrics.

Aren't they great???!!!

I also strolled the quilt show...
and enjoyed seeing all of the fabulous workmanship, and took a few pics...
First thing I walk into:

LUCY!!! -as in Lucy Boston, Patchwork of the Crosses
 
 This Lucy/POTC was done with paper pieces about 3/4", not the 1 inch pieces that I'm using or that the original Lucy used.  Beautiful workmanship!

 Then I saw this applique and trapunto beauty that was all done by hand!!!  Just lovely.  The colors just pulled you in!

 

Of course I had to take a pic of some embroidery!

Red work embroidery with yo-yos!

 

It was a beautiful show.

I thought the number of vendors seemed down from last year, but I didn't investigate. 

Also, I thought the number of attendees was low while I was there.

But I was there on a Thursday afternoon,

so hopefully for the sake of the show and vendors,

it was packed with shoppers on Friday and today!

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!!

There's a blog hop going on

with lots of fun and talent-filled blogs to visit!

SewWeQuilt! is one of the hosts

and there are great quilty projects using words!

So, guess what I found this morning?!
What's "HI" in the middle and "Round" on the ends?
O-hi-O!!!

It's MY O-H-I-O Snowmen pattern!!!

Kathy G. at Kwilty Pleasures, one of the Hop participants,

shared her hand embroidery stitchery finish:

I LOVE it, Kathy!  Thanks for sharing!!

Hop on over to Kathy's blog (on the link above),
then do the whole hop each day by visiting the SewWeQuilt! blog (link above) !
It's a great time so far!

pics are now able to be inserted into my blog after I upload Chrome)

quilt show, stitching & wool

The Circleville quilt guild show was this past Thursday, Friday, Saturday.  And it was a hit...  in my opinion.  Many, many quilts and wall hangings in the show.  So many, in fact, it was hard to photograph, the rows were sooooo close together.  In fact, I did not take a single photo, sorry!   But congrats to all the gals who not only entered, but won ribbons!

I worked the show as a vendor for one of the LQS on Friday...
During a couple of slower times vending, I demoed the hand stitching for redwork...
(at least that was my excuse for stitching!!!!)

and I stitched on my Quilt Barns blocks :

A "barn red" quilt block  stitched on the two pieces pictured above...

and a barn block stitchery about complete...

The block fabric is cut 10" by 10", so not a large piece when finished.

The pattern designer, Beth Ritter, advises the use of fusible fleece backing, so you don't have to use a hoop and you don't have to worry about dragging threads across the back of the stitchery.  (the LQS carries these Wellington House Designs if you just have to have one.)

I have never used this fusible fleece for stitching through before, so I'm trying something new to me.  But you can tell from the picture, that I'm still using my hoop.  I like the  stitching tension better, I think. 

Also at the show,

I picked up some more wools:

All of this for under $40.00! 

And wait until you see what I have planned

for the great brown toward the bottom of the stack!

I'm thinking pincushion!!!

But I am trying to contain myself and not start another project until I get something completed!!!!

OK, back to work/fun for me!

Quilts are a-callin' for some meandering...

Happy day wishes from me to you!

A Fat Pig

I just had a call from my brother and he has an extra pig to send to market, so I told him yes, I'm in if no one else wants it.  It will go in to be butchered sometime late in the month, so I need to do some reducing in the freezer department...I need to do that anyway, pig or no pig. 
But, that made me think of the Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme:
"To Market, To Market, to buy a Fat Pig".
Now, the Fat Pig is taken care of, and I'm singing and dancing around, 'cause, wait for it....
I get to go "To Market, To Market!!!" 
No, not the butcher shop, but Texas!!!
Yep, I'm off to Houston for a few days.  For the Quilt Market!  To Market - can't believe how excited I am.  I was going to try to work in this post about "leavin', on a jet plane", but that was too slow.  I like the "To Market, To Market!!!  It goes better with my singing and dancing around!


Hopefully I'll have some pics and new stuff to show when I get back.  *still singing and dancing around*
I really want to see in person that new line by French General - Rouenneries.   I keep seeing sneak peeks of it in different designs by different designers.  Check out Lynette Andersons' blog, she even had some to work with in Austrailia and has a new pattern to go with-beautiful!  And Lecien Company has a new Cosmo thread that is two strand and would be great for redwork, I think.  And I have seen quite a few new patterns by different folks that look very promising. 


Hopefully, I won't see a fat pig at market as it really is the wrong type of "market" for THAT and, already have one of those coming!

OH.... almost forgot, catering another home Ohio State tailgate party before I leave:

 I guess I just have the extra time, ha ha! 
See that stamp on that Wear-Ever pan in the left pic?

Yes, that says 20 quarts......

Now, see the pic on the right? Yes, that is about 18 quarts full.  (You know chili is best if it's cooked a couple of days ahead, right?)  Also a whole buncha/bagga cooked elbow pasta (some Ohio folks like to throw a little more starch in their bowl of chili for some reason).  Then in front of the chili and pasta, is the corn bread.  One pan of regular corn bread, one pan of jalapeno corn bread.  I also grated about 4 pounds of sharp cheddar cheese and minced 3 large sweet onions.  Both the cheese and onions get liberally sprinkled on top of your bowl of chili if you know what you're doing!  Then a couple of shakes of hot sauce on top of that, and Yum, Yum, tailgate food ready!

Later, I mean, see you when I'm:

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig! *still dancing*
Life is Good!