time-out, UFO's & May flowers

Weather, the noun, is still confused around here...
confused, but also confusing.
Temps in the high 90's already,
like it's August.
But really, it's the end of May.
END OF MAY???
Whew.  Where's the time going?

So, I have been trying to tackle
some of my studio quilt room "stuff"
each month this year
(and I can't even, in good conscience, call that room a studio;
It's such a mess in there that I can only call it a room that I go to quilt).

I have been sitting myself in a corner -
a sit-in-the-corner-time-out.
Self-imposed time out,
but working on trying
to stifle the quilt-y stuff
that has imploded upon itself.

The S-L-O-W progress
of un-imploding
has un-earthed some UFO's.

Which brings me back to the second paragraph...
finish an UFO each month.

And, THAT brings me back to the first paragraph...
Whew!  May is a goner!!!

BUT, I do have a close-to-finished quilt this month-
layered and ready to quilt!!!
I've entitled it "May flowers"

We haven't had the usual April showers this year,
but my time-outs have resulted in May flowers...

Pattern: "Wallflower Quilt" by Waltzing With Bears

It's wool on cotton, with YLI silk thread and Valdani pearl cotton for applique, and measures 40" by 57".

I made some of my blocks more three-dimensional by "gathering" or "scrunching" the wool when I was applying/stitching to the cotton-pieced backgrounds.

Whatever your projects,
here's wishing you plenty of time-outs, finishes, and May flowers!

another beautiful weekend

Memorial Day weekend was wonderful here in central Ohio...

I wish there was a better way than just this written note
to express my gratitude and thanks to 
all of our country's heroes...

all of the past and present 

service men and women that have given all

to keep this country the land of the free.  

Also, sincere thanks to 

the families of  those same service people

for their contributions and losses. 

I am so happy and feel so blessed 

to be a part of this wonderful country.

I am also so grateful for

another wonderful

Memorial Day weekend.

steamy, stitching, cooking, busy & holiday

Old Man Weather is still confused it seems...
Again with the weather that's from the wrong month!
90 degrees and humid.  It's May, not August.
But I like it!  Makes for nice warm pool water.

I've been stitching a little in the evenings -
The "S" is done

except for the pressing.
And now I've started the "W-X" block...
all colored, and partially stitched

.

I've also been asked and hired to do some cooking-
asked: grad parties; hired: township senior group.

Lastly, it's Memorial Week/Weekend!!!
That's where the busy comes in... 
there are 5 high school grads and two college grads. 
All with parties in the next few weeks.

No, my garden is not in. 
Nor are the planter boxes.
Poor chicken nesting box condo is sittin' empty...

But it will get there. 
Always does.
And I wouldn't change a thing!

Happy Busy Holiday week and weekend to you, to!!!
Hope it's as productive as you want it to be.

the potholder blocks

So, I'm sitting in my lazy girl chair,

with a whole

 pile of potholder blocks

on the arm of the chair...

all awaiting the final binding stitch down.

Sweetie walks through and says:

"Why do you need that many potholders?"

"A-HAAA!" I say.

"You do pay attention to my quilty stuff!"

"Quilting?" he says...

"I just see a bunch of potholders."

For a second there I thought he'd

caught the quilting bug...finally!

But after all of these years, he's still showing no interest.

I'm going to keep hoping, though :)

Here's a pic of that final batch of my 7 inch blocks:

Remember, mine are half-sized from the originals

in the Civil War Quilts book by Weeks/Beld.

(I got this great book at one of the local shops-The Good Wives Co.

The GWC have restocked this book several times, and it's available again if you'd like some

history of not only the Civil War, but quilts of that era.

I've already read through it a few times and still want to pick it up and read again!)

Also this week, I quilted the last few potholder blocks for Sandy:

 This picture, above, shows Sandy's 14" square blocks. 

These last four blocks will make a total of 24,

so after binding and whipping together, 

she has replicated

(from the Civil War Quilts book)

the Beverly Farms, Massachusetts original

56" by 84" cot quilt made in late 1864 to early 1865.

I'm off to finish my bindings,

then to do some whip-stitching.

I'll be back soon to show you my finish and where I'm

putting my half-sized potholder quilt-

and I'll have to wait to see if Sweetie notices that they're potholders:).

Happy Stitching to you

this middle week of May!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

TO EVERYONE

!!!

Hope you enjoy your day!

between storms

just a couple of pics of quilts
that I got to meander across
in the past couple of weeks:

Peg's benefit quilt:

 And Bea's Dresden:

 Here's a back shot of those Dresden plates:

Both were fun to do in between storms!

stitching in the dark

WELL.....

I know, Wells are a DEEP subject.

But, it's not been very regular here lately 

around the Life is a Stitch household.

To start with, the weather is Wacky...with a capital W!

January was March-like

February was December-like

March was April-like

April was May-like

and now, May is mis-behaving also.

Way too much heat, humidity, and wind... and, of course,

all of that heat and humidity brings in WHOPPERS of storms.

Storms that blow trees over and take out electric and Internet

and zap electrical thingys like computer monitors among other things.

Then,

my main computer got one of those

super hidden

super NASTY

super so bad that

there were virus-eating

super viruses.

The computer guru helped out, and I'm back- sorta :), but that could be it's own story.
Next, another huge storm, and the power goes out!

All the extra rain that we're getting is making the

weeds take over like kudzu. 

 It's jungle-like out there!

Scary-jungle-like.

And, I swear, I smacked a mosquito the end of April!

I know sometimes things get blamed on the phases of the moon.
And there was a SUPER MOON that sure was beautiful.
But, it was so pretty that I'm not blaming anything on it.

So, with all of the storms and power outages,

I've been doing a lot of hand stitching.

Stitching until it gets too dark to see to stitch.

On the note of power outages:

we did install a partial-house generator.

But I couldn't talk Sweetie into

putting my sewing machines

on the circuit

that is powered up

if the storms take out the power.

Something about heat, refrigerator and freezer

being more important

than sewing machines. :) 

Priorities!

Oh, yeah,
my camera is also acting up...

so just one picture to share...

the "s" block of "Gardener's Alphabet",

a Crabapple Hill pattern.

Hope your week is great!
I'm off to do some meandering now that the
power is on.

And, after it cools down this evening

when the African heat it fading,

I may tackle some of that Kudzu Jungle

that is overtaking the water garden, flower beds,

& trying to envelope the house! :)

going like hot pads

Well, that sure was fast! 

These gals that are making the potholder quilts

have sure whipped them up quickly -

almost like they are

going like hot cakes pads!!

Here are the last pics of their progress

and my quilting for them:

Cindy's

Cindy's final group



Jean's last block

Finally, here is my work in progress on Potholder blocks:


bindings and fabric to cut into bindings



blocks layered, pin basted and ready to quilt

So, I'm off to do some hot padding...
Hope your week is going well!