Pumpkins for Fall

 It's always so fun to find projects that I started several years ago and never finished!

A couple of weeks ago, I came upon a bag that had been boxed up and decided to see what was in it.  I had used this for quilting and stitchery projects, but put it to the side when I got a new bag.  Was quite surprised to find this project inside it complete with colored picture and floss.

                    

The center leaves and two of the pumpkins had been stitched with a third barely underway.  Since it was perfect for fall, I knew it was time to finish it, frame it and display it.

I wish I had made note of where the pattern came from so I could give credit, but the copy didn't have an reference.

It is wonderful to finish another long lost project.

Three Rows Completed

Gail Pan's "Bring Me Flowers" BOM has been such a fun project to work on.  I almost hate to see it coming to end in a couple of months.  However, it is so nice to know that when the last blocks arrive, are stitched and sewn together, the top will only need borders added.  

 

I am also working on Helen Stubbings, 12 Days of Christmas BOM and am half way through stiching "Six Geese A Laying".  Need to take some pictures and post them.

Today after finishing row 3, I pulled out some Halloween projects that have been on my to do list for a couple of years.  Think I'll see if I can start one of them since Halloween will be here before I know it.

The Real Work Begins!

 Top is pieced, running reindeer traced and waiting to be embroidered.

Because the embroidery floss I will be using is in darker shades, I traced this with my red pen.  Not sure if I like it, but am hoping it will be easy to follow.

"Running Reindeer" pattern is from Lynette Anderson.
If I'm lucky, may just get it finished to enjoy for Christmas.  Think this is going to take me some time to stitch!

  

New Project

 Decided to work on a new Christmas table topper.  I have had the kit for some time and just never got around to working on it.  Since I finished the top for "Wish You Well," and it is so much cooler to sew in my basement, thought I'd give this a try.

Finished the five red blocks and hopefully can start the green blocks tomorrow. Each block is just 4 1/2 inches, so they work up quite quickly.

Stopped at my local quilt shop yesterday and talked to Kaye, the owner.  Once I get the backing pieced for "Wish You Well", I can take it to her shop and she will help me baste it.  So much better than trying to get on the floor to pin it.  Then I can hand quilt it which may take some time.  But I appreciate her offer to use the table in the shop to lay it out and then pin it.

"Wish You Well"

 "Wish You Well,” Gail Pan’s 2020 BOM top is completed!  The top was pieced from fabric I had purchased for a project a few years ago plus a few additional pieces from my stash.  As I worked on the project, I decided not to do it and set the fabric aside plus some embroidered pieces and the “shoofly” blocks.  When I saw this scrappy project, I knew it would be a great way to use these stored fabrics.  Because I had so many “shoofly” blocks completed I decided to use them for the border and only had to make 10 more blocks to complete it plus a few little embroidered pieces to fill in the gaps.  For the backing I am thinking of pieces it with the remaining fat quarters, but we’ll see.

This has been such a fun project to work on.  Thank you Gail Pan for such a delightful project.

"Minute"

 

Each day I am trying to select a word from The Word Generator to write about.  When I saw the word for today, "Minute," these thoughts or expressions came into my mind that I find or have found myself saying frequently.

 …at the last minute

…it only takes a minute

….I’ll be there in a minute

…I’ll only be a minute

…just a minute

…it’s just 10 minutes away

…the secretary takes minutes of the meeting

…give me a minute

Funny how we use minute to describe so many things or actions in our life each day and does it really mean what it says?  Or, does it really take more than one minute?

Perfect Setting

 This morning as I moved my writing outside to my patio, this was the beautiful view that greeted me of the green and blossoming spring plants.

So quiet and peaceful, only the sound of little birds.  There is nothing I enjoy more than being outside and this was the perfect morning, no wind, bright blue skies and brilliant sunshine.  It was and is an ideal setting in which to work on some personal history questions my sister gave me some years ago and that I am trying to get finished for her and for me.  I may just move everything outside I planned to work on today and enjoy this lovely spring day.

In the Nick of Time

 Yeah!  Finished block two of Helen Stubbings  "Twelve Days of Christmas" BOM just in the nick of time.  Block three comes out tomorrow, the 16th.  This one, "Two Turtle Doves," took me a lot longer to stitch, but I am pleased with how it turned out.

My goal is to finish each block in the month it comes out.  This month was cut pretty close as I am also trying to piece Gail Pan's "Wish You Well"  BOM, work on family history, yard work and other everyday activities.

Started sewing row two of "Wish You Well" and am loving the scrappy look. It is a little challenging to me as I'm really not a scrappy person.

I've also decided to get back to writing a little each day.  Several years ago, I took a writing class and we were encouraged to do "morning papers," just writing a few lines each day with no particular theme...writing whatever comes to mind.  To get me going, I've gone back to doing the "Word of the Day."  Each morning I click on "word generator" and whatever word pops up, that's what I write about.  Some days it is only a line or two and others a paragraph or more.  Who knows, maybe I'll even get back to my poetry.  When my mother was alive, we would challenge each other to write a poem and then share it.  I looked forward to those times and miss not having her here to share and push me to write.   

Well, time to get ready for my grandson's lacrosse game.  Such fun to be with family and see him play.  So proud of him and happy that he wants "Grandma" there.

It's a Toss Up

 Warm temperatures and bright blue skies certainly made the day a toss up for me.

Do I work in my yard or my sewing room?  My piecing and gardening are calling to me and there is nothing I enjoy more than being outside.

So I decided to work outside, trim my shrubs for an hour and then come inside to finish row one on my "Wish You Well" BOM.  As I have lymphedema in my arm due to cancer and removal of lymph nodes, an hour is about all I can do outside and then I have to take a break.

After exercising my arm, it was down to my sewing room.  Row one is now complete.  Yeah!~  

 I have decided not to add the squares with appliqued circles as suggested in the pattern because I have some small pieced squares from the projects I've taken the fabric from.  Am hoping that they will work to go around the top.  

Now off to do a little stitching on my "Twelve Days of Christmas" stitch along. 

Blocks one and two

Finally getting around to piecing Gail Pan's BOM "Wish You Well" stitcheries.  I've had them embroidered for awhile, but wasn't in the mood to sew them together until today.  Today, was the day!

The fabrics I am using are from a project I started a few years ago, but then decided I didn't want to do it.  So when I saw this BOM was done scrappy, thought it would be a great way to use up some of the fabrics.  Will still have much of the fabric left as the cut pieces are not that big.   

Maybe once this project is completed, I'll find a way to use the bocks that were sewn for the other project.  Hate to waste them and all the work that went into piecing and stitching the blocks.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get a few more blocks put together in the coming days.

Bride's Diary

 Ran across this while cleaning out some files and it brought a smile and chuckle to me.  So, thought I'd share it.

Bride’s Diary

Dear Diary:

Monday:  Now home from honeymoon and settled in our new home.  It is so much fun to cook for Hank.  Today, I made an angel food cake and the recipe said, “Beat the 12 eggs separately.  Well, I didn’t have enough bowls to do that so I had to borrow quite a few to have enough bowls but I got the eggs beat and the cake turned out fine.

Tuesday:  Hank wanted fruit salad for supper.  The recipe said, “Serve the salad without dressing.”  I didn’t dress.  Hank happened to bring our neighbor for supper that night and did they ever look startled when I served salad.

Wednesday:  I have decided to serve rice and found a recipe which said, “Wash thoroughly before service the rice.”  So I heated some water and took a bath before steaming the rice.  Seemed kinda silly in the middle of the week and I can’t see that it improved the flavor any.

Thursday:  Today Hank asked for a salad again.  I tried a new recipe.  It said, “Prepare ingredients, then toss on a bed of lettuce for one hour.”  I hunted all over the neighborhood for a bed of lettuce and finally found one in a neighbor’s garden.  So I tossed the salad on the bed of lettuce and stood there watching to make sure the dog wouldn’t take it.  Hank came home and asked if I felt all right.  I can’t imagine why.

Friday:  Today I found an easy recipe for cookies.  It said, ‘Put all ingredients into a bowl and beat it.  So I did that and beat it over to my neighbors.  There must have been something wrong with the recipe because when I came back home again, it looked just the same as it looked when I left.

Saturday:  Hank went out in the yard this morning and brought in a chicken.  He asked me to dress it for Sunday.  I didn’t know just how, but I found a doll dress and some little shoes and I thought the chicken looked real cute.  I wondered why Hank counted to ten when he saw it.

Sunday:  Today Hank’s folks came over for dinner.  I wanted a roast but all I had was hamburger.  So I put it in the oven and set the controls for roast.  It still came out hamburger.  Must be something wrong with the controls.

Monday:  I was going to bake bread today.  This recipe said” mix well and knead well then stand in warm place until double in bulk.”   Well if I have to double in bulk, I just won’t bake bread.  Good night!

Tuesday:  I don’t know why Hank was so surprised when he came home today and found me painting the bathroom.  He asked me why I had my coat on in the middle of July.  I told him the instructions on the can said, “For best results, put on two coats.”

Dear Diary:  This has been an exciting week.  I am eager for tomorrow to come so I can try more new recipes.

 

It's Been Awhile

 Goodness, but its been a long time since I posted anything here.  I remember a few years ago how everyone was posting almost daily.  Sadly, don't see many posts anymore.  Guess other social media sites have taken over.

It's hard to believe that the first quarter of the year is drawing to a close.  What has been going on in my life?

In January My large Maple tree was removed.  The September 100 mile wind storm took a toll.  It has been damaged before with our East winds, but this time was just too much for me and it.  These winds cause me great anxiety and when my neighbor called the morning after and said limbs from my tree were covering and blocking the street I knew it was time to take it down.'

January came and so did the "Singing Arborist" and his crew.  It was amazing to see them climb the tree and take it down, plus they also worked on my Ash tree in back that had been damaged when my neighbors Aspen tree fell on it.

It gave me such peace having it taken down.  The large trunk and limb were "planked" and when they dry, in a couple of years, Mark will make me a coffee table as a remembrance.

Hoping that the winds had calmed down didn't last.  The later part of January came with more wind and this time my neighbors trampoline ended up in my yard.  Thankfully, the tree in front had been removed the week before.  How the tramp missed my house and garage, I don't know.  Part of it hooked over the fence that separated my yard and another neighbors.  Think it kept it from sailing on in the wind. Thankfully no damage to my yard this time.

Stump has now been ground out and I have tons of mulch to spread around.  We will need to do some lawn repair when the kids have time to help me.

Have been doing a little stitching.  Just finished the last block for Gail Pan's "Wish You Well" block of the month.  Now to trim and start assembling the blocks.  Also finished block on of Helen Stubbings "12 Days of Christmas".  I am doing mine in redwork.

And, I have row one completed of "Brings Me Flowers" BOM from Gail Pan.  April should be available for stitching in the next day or so.

It's so relaxing to work on these projects.  Just hope I can keep up now that Spring is here and yard work is calling to me.