One Monthly Goal, 2019 Finish-A-Long Goal Achieved

I'm happy to say, I achieved my goal again this month for One Monthly Goal, hosted by Patty @Elm Street Quilts.  

The goal I set for June One Monthly Goal was to get three of my Father Christmas blocks done, a UFO that has been languishing with 1 lone Father Christmas since 1997.  I misplaced the patterns for quite awhile.  Last month I got one done.  This month, I got 3 done, and 2 were actually the most involved. 

Here are 4 of them together.  The guy in the sled needs some 3 other components attached before I can join him to the others.  

It was also my goal on the Quarter 2 Finish-A-Long to do 2 of the Father Christmas' and I have surpassed that by 1 more.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Slow Sunday Stitching, Sew Lets QAL

Today is the 7th Anniversary of Slow Sunday Stitching over on Kathy's Quilts.  While I haven't been linking up that long with Slow Sunday Stitching, I do appreciate seeing everyone's work each week, and I treasure my evenings slow stitching.  

This week, as I showed in an earlier post, I was able to finish one of my Father Christmas blocks, and attach him to the others.  

I'm working on this guy next, and he is proving to be a little more time-consuming with embroidery etc.  I still have 4 more trees to applique on.  I was hoping to have him done already and a third guy almost done.  These are my One Monthly Goal to finish these 3 guys.  

The other item I have recently hand-stitched on is the details on my pincushion from the Sew Lets QAL. This one was was designed by Sherry Shish @Powered by Quilting.  Not sure what I am going to do with these sewing based blocks yet.  Will have to think about it for awhile.  

Linking up with Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts.  Check out what others are working on and wish her Happy Anniversary!

What I've Been Up To

The past two weeks have been a little crazy with little time for blogging. I am watching my youngest 2 grandchildren, John almost 9 and Klara almost 6 for the summer 2 days a week.   Their older almost 13-year-old cousin Keaton has been helping keep them busy and per his mother's request, is over here to keep him off the X-box all day, which is what he apparently does when he is at home alone.  I have been doing little activities when they are here, but not generally sewing, but I continue hand applique at night.

I was able to get one of the Father Christmas' done.  Part of my One Monthly Goal for June, is to get three of these blocks done.  I got this guy done, and attached him to the other two. I'm almost finished with the next one.  I hope to finish the last guy by Monday so I can start working on one of my 2019 Finish-Along goals for quarter 2.  

Granddaughter Kyleigh called last week, and wondered if I could help alter some clothes her mother had given her.  She asked to borrow her mother's sewing machine, but her mother told her talk to her grandmother.  This is about the third time she has asked her mother.  So I decided to give her the Touch and Sew Singer DH gave to me in 1973 or so.  I have it being serviced right now.  When it gets back, will have Kyleigh over to give her a lesson on the machine and some lessons. She is almost 19, and has always been interested in doing whatever I do.  

This skirt just needed to be shortened.  It looks like the hem isn't straight but it is sort of ruffly looking because it has a bunch of gore panels in it.  This was simple, it was the right waist size.  A friend had given her this.  

This was a pair of jean shorts, that I took about 4 inches out of the waist, and made it into a skirt.  That wasn't too bad, and it came out looking pretty good.  She still needs to try them on though.  

This pair of shorts were about 4 inches too big in the waist.  I cut a bunch out of the crotch too.  Not sure if these will work or not.  But Kyleigh is pretty thin.  She also brought a pair of white linen shorts over and they need 4 inches too.  I told her to bring a pair of shorts with her that fit  so have something  compare with.  That linen is making holes where I am pulling out the stitches on the waistband.  

My grandchildren think I can do anything, and some things,like alterations I'm winging it.  The beige pair of shorts, I told her I might have cut out too much, and she told me it was no problem.  

Monday, Klara brought over 2 nude dolls and told me they needed clothes.    The pink outfit was made out of a pair of Klara's favorite leggings.  She told me they needed some skirts, so I made the denim one.  

I made two of these skirts with mermaids and fish on them.  She has many more of these Baby Alive dolls at home.

One of the days last week when the kids were here, and they were playing games with Keaton, I cut out this baby quilt for my neighbor who is having her 5th boy next month.

I was able to cut it out pretty quickly with my Accuquilt.  I was particularly antsy to use my new frog die that my DH gave me $$ to get for Mother's Day.  I was able to get it stitched up today.  

I'm off to work on my Scrap Dance Minuet mystery quilt  by Carole @From My Carolina Home.  We got the reveal last week, but I haven't had a chance to work on it.   I had used the scrap blues I had leftover from 2 of my Hands2Help quilts.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Hand Quilt Along, Slow Sunday Stitching

It's hard to  believe another 3 weeks has flown by, time to report in for the Hand Quilt Along.

This week I finished up June's segment of the Sweet Land of Liberty designed by Cheri Payne.  Lori of Humble Quilts is guiding us along and giving us dimensions.  We are doing this on the Facebook group Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group.  Lori did this same quilt-along last year on her blog, and she is referring us to those directions each month.  Can't really see my hand stitching on the sawtooth star, but it is all hand-applique.  The

The other thing I have been working on this week is my Father Christmas blocks.   I started one in 1997, came across the blocks again, and want to finish 3 this month.  Just laying his belt/sash across his coat, I'm thinking i need to go with more contrast on the belt/sash.

                                  These are the first two guys.  I love this so much.  

One of my favorite activities is to visit everyone's blog and see what they have been doing.  You can see the other participants in the Hand Quilt Along below.

Hand Quilt Along Links

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another.  If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link below.

Kathy, Margaret, Emma, Tracy, Deb, Susan,  Nanette,  Edith, Sharon, Karrin, Gretchen and Kathi


I'll also be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  If you have a chance, be sure and head over there and check out those links for more inspiration.  

I'm having a Father's Day Lunch today, so I need to get the pulled pork on.  

Thanks for stopping by!

This Squirrel Has Me Running in Multiple Directions

Well it all started out several days ago when I was trying to work on my One Monthly Goal hosted by Patty at Elm Street Quilts.  My goal for June is to get 3 of the Father Christmas blocks done.  

I had made all my freezer paper templates and was ready to apply them to fabric.  I needed black, and black is all the way in the back of the closet.  It is in a section that is not visible, and I just reach in and start pulling fabric out until I find what I am looking for.

The closet my fabric is in has 24 inch tall shelves, 24 inches deep. I used to have a bunch of large plastic drawers and things were separated by color but I never knew what I had. They were stacked 2 tall.   I got the brilliant idea several years ago to get rid of the plastic drawers several years ago, and just stack things on the shelves.  I had to do it 2 rows deep, so in order to get to the back row, I have to take the front row out.  

So as I was taking the black, and black and white fabric out, I noticed I had a bunch of interesting things, and maybe I should make a black and white quilt with these fabrics.

Several months ago I had one the bicycle fabric and music fabric and the plain black from Danice @ Homespun Hannah's blog.  I thought I was sticking some plain black in the stack and I unwadded it, and found apparently a long lost applique project.  

I also had wanted to gather some blues and greens together for a baby quilt for my next door neighbor.  She is having a 5th boy in a month or two, and I was looking for blues and greens.

The squirrel got ahold of me today and sent me in a new direction, to totally redo my fabric stacks in the closet.  First I was going to try to get all my Christmas fabric in this empty plastic container which I got empty by consolidating some of my blues and yellows.  I had way too much Christmas fabric.  This was one of those 6" tall containers.    I decided to put the black and white in there instead, and it fits in the bottom of the closet.  

I put the Christmas back in the closet but rearranged the stacks better.  

The problem I have with the stacks, besides being 2 piles deep, is that they start tumbling over after awhile and that annoys me.  My husband in his heyday would have made me dividers, but he is no longer able to work in his workshop.  He made most of the bookshelves and furniture in our house.  So I am left with the slumping piles.  I have been cutting cardboard and putting them between the sections.  

Today I dealt with the Christmas, the blues, greens and reds. 

I put the pinks and purples back that hard to see corner, as I don't use them that often.  My Civil War Pinks and Purples are in a separate drawer and can get to them easily,

I still have a place on that shelf, am sort of saving it for my embroidery unit of my Bernina, but we will see.

As I'm going through, I am pulling my homespuns and flannels, stripes and plaids out of these sections, I want them in a centralized location.  Most of my flannels and homespuns are in two places.  I have a dry sink cabinet that DH built that is completely filled up.

I can't smoosh anything else in there.  I also have a drawer of a chest that DH built and I stenciled, I can't smoosh anything else in there either.  I'm going to toss everything on the floor tomorrow from these two locations, along with the pile I made today and reorganize everything.  I have limited room available and I'm trying not to go into another room!  Trying really hard.  

This is the remaining closet I still need to do the lights and golds and I think my browns are somewhere in the back.  I need those so I can get to them.  

And I need to finish this up by tomorrow, as the grandkids will be here again on Thursday,  Of course I have found piles more of scraps to cut up.  That's what I was doing Monday part of the time they were occupied with games, was cutting up scraps.  And now I have added more to my pile today.  

Thanks for stopping by.   I did find blues and greens to cut out a baby quilt though.  And the black and white quilt.  Hopefully that squirrel won;t come up with another brilliant idea tomorrow!

Slow Sunday Stitching, Sweet Land of Liberty

Time again for the Slow Sunday Stitching linky party at Kathy's Quilts.  I so much enjoy this weekly event, seeing what everyone has been doing.

The first part of the week  I finished up my pineapple block, the Civil War Quilts BOM by Barbara Brackman.  I think this is one of my favorite blocks so far.

I also was able to finish my section of blocks for the Blessings Quilt and attached it to what I had already done.   Can't really see the stitching very well

Right now I am working to get this month's Sweet Land of Liberty blocks, designed by Cheri Payne.  I am working on this as a quilt-a-Long over on Facebook with the Quilts by Cheri Friendship Group.  Lori from Humble Quilts is guiding us in this, as she did last year on her blog.    I've still got 2 more stars to add to my pineapple and need to applique my girl holding a flag, but haven't started that.

What I will also be working on this week, is to get 3 Father Christmas' prepped to applique.  I cut all the templates out last week, I just need to choose my fabric and iron my templates to the freezer paper and trace them.

Starting tomorrow I will have 3 grandchildren for the summer twice a week, so I guess I need to go pick up my stuff in the kitchen and put it back in my sewing room.  My sewing room is so dark and the kitchen so bright, that I like to sew in the kitchen better. But I guessat least until August, I need to change my habits, so they have a place to play board games and Play Doh.

I'll be linking up to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.   If you have a chance stop by and look at other's projects!

Thanks for stopping by

Hands2Help Surprise

I had another great mail day today.  I got a goodie bag for contributing to the Hands2Help quilts this year.  

I received a twin-sized Warm and Natural batting, and a Moda Quilt Sketch Book,and a nifty Moda coaster.  

Thanks go out to Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict  for all she does in the organization of this event, recruiting the sponsors, and the sending out of goodie bags!