Slow Sunday Stitching (Probably Not Much This Week)

 This has been an action packed week, especially since my brother Bill and Sister-in-Law Char came to town about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday.  They came in, unloaded their truck, and got busy tearing up my kitchen linoleum, which happened to have 2 layers down.  They worked until dinner time.  I was the rubbish gatherer, with them working at opposite ends of the kitchen.  We had to take out the refrigerator, stove and dishwasher.  Good thing I pre-cooked some meals so we could just use the microwave.

I took the lace curtains off the kitchen windows and I might just leave it like this until winter time when the leaves fall off the trumpet vine, and it gets really hot in the kitchen.  This is the area I love to sew at, it is really sunny I use the kitchen table.  

This is where we are now.  Char is grouting this area, and Bill is laying the tile out to the window.   They are doing this after working all day.  But it is Saturday evening, and they are leaving on Tuesday, so they want to get the job done.

Meanwhile, Char mostly, and I have been dismantling John's last sailboat.  It never got out of the side yard.  After he built it, he realized it was too short for him and his back was giving him a lot of trouble at that time.  It has sat in the yard pretty much completed for at least 12 years.  It had dry rot, some water in the hull that had a happy neighborhood of frogs, which I rehomed to another part of the garden.  We started sawing it up and I didn't think to take a picture of it before we started.  This was John when he was building the boat.  

I remembered John had a notebook where he took pictures of the boats he built step by step.

This is what we have left after our two woman destruction crew has worked on it for two days.  That red thing is the centerboard or keel.  It fell in the dirt after we took its housing apart.  John was very thorough and Char thought he was laughing at her as we were struggling to get it apart.  

This is the pile of wood and other stuff I need hauled away.

At one time I had a garden in this area, and I think there are still sprinklers underneath, though not hooked up.  I had the greatest tomatoes that one year.  

Katie and the kids came over before she headed out to Arizona where the kids are spending 2 weeks with the other grandparents.  She gave Char and Bill their Christmas presents.  They were supposed to come for Christmas, but because of Covid and Char being a teacher, they didn't come.  Char painted Bill a lighthouse picture.  I think it is a lighthouse in England.  They love lighthouses just like I do.  Char and Bill and I and Klara.  Bill is my baby brother, 10 years younger.  

Bill and Katie my youngest.

Klara and John-John getting ready to board their flight for Arizona.

Before Char and Bill got here, I worked on two more of the lighthouse blocks for the quilt that is my payment for them doing my tile work in the kitchen.  I still need to sew down the birds and stars but I had to take my machine out of the kitchen.  

Also last week before they got here, I had communicated with Kim @Sara Lizzies about cutting hydrangeas and bringing them inside.   Following her directions I picked three bouquets and I am tickled pink!  By the time I get the heat of the summer here, my hydrangea flowers pretty much look like crispy critters.  I am so happy to bring them inside and enjoy them.  Thanks Kim for the excellent instructions!  

I put the third one in my bathroom, where it is so lovely in the afternoon sun.   Second one is in the kitchen where it is amongst a bunch of temporary clutter on my counter due to the tile redo.

I never got my sunflower quilt basted last week before my company came.  I went to look for my half-done knitting project tonight in my disorganized sewing room due to relocating a bunch of stuff for the renovation, and I can't find it or the stitchery I was working on.

So for my Slow Sunday Stitching, if I get any, I will work on my hexie project.  I had to set this aside when John got ill.  

Head on over to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching and see what everyone else has been up to!  

I probably will continue to be busy the next couple of days.  We are finishing up the boat, and sorting through the garage while they are here.  Char lined up a couple of roofers for estimates to fix a couple of bad parts on my overhangs/gutters, and she helped line up a painter to paint my house who will start next week.   Hopefully Monday we can line up someone to fix the roof/gutters before they go.  They are leaving Tuesday morning, and I will surely be sorry to see them leave.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Slow Sunday Stitching

This last week has flown by too fast, and I don't feel like I have gotten much accomplished.  My daughter Katie and granddaughter Klara visited last weekend several times.  

Tuesday I had bilateral cataract surgery.  It went well, the wait for my turn was a bit.  When they did my right eye first I saw all sorts of pretty colors, reds, and turquoise, and orange, swirling around, I felt like I was on acid or something, not that I ever had anything like that, I almost wished I had some fabric like that.  I had the second eye done, they took me out of the operating room, took the IV out of my arm, asked if I was OK, and I was out the door.  I had to wear some goggles until the next day's appointment.  My daughter sat with me after the surgery for awhile, and snuck this picture in.  My other daughter had called and asked how I was doing.  

So the day after surgery, they tested my vision in my eyes, and the left eye was already 20/20.  The right not quite.  They told me I could drive the next day, and only wear the goggles at night.  I have two eye drops 4 times a day, and next Wednesday I can eliminate the antibiotic drops, and just continue the other one for a month.   

They corrected my far vision, I still have to wear glasses to do fine work.  

So the rest of the week I have been trying to prepare for my brother and sister-in-law's visit next week.  They are coming for a week and my brother is going to replace my kitchen floor, and help me sort out John's tools in the garage, and help me sell his gaming computer, virtual reality goggles, and other stuff.   Bill is also going to help me cut up John's last boat he made, which never made it out of the side yard.  It has rotten wood now as it has been out there so long exposed to the elements.  Then when I can afford a dumpster, I can load it up.  

Miss Klara the other day brought over a picture she had made for me, and I framed it, it was so cute.   On the sail she wrote RIP Papa.  

My other daughter and her family went to Disneyland for most of the week, and came back today.  I guess a great time was had by all, and they commented that Papa would have loved the Star Wars rides.  

Before they left for Disneyland I offered everyone John's old straw hats and we got a group picture.  

And I gave Jaeger an old Navy hat, since he is going into the Navy.  It happens to have been his great-grandfather's Navy hat.

I also gave Jaeger his graduation quilt.  

So then yesterday John's oldest daughter from a prior marriage came to town.   After watching my youngest grandchildren all day, we all went to dinner with Dawn.  Then today Katie and Dawn Klara and I went to lunch, and everyone came back to visit.  Dawn is about 6 feet tall  so she got to hold the camera.  

Is it any wonder I haven't gotten much done this week!  The next couple of days I plan to cook up some meals and freeze them as the stove will be taken out of the kitchen in order to retile. 

So what I plan to prepare for Slow Sunday Stitching is start hand quilting my sunflower quilt.  Susie Wright @fixer_of_old_old_quilts whom I follow on Instagram announced a #sunflowersewalong last year.   The original 1863 inspiration block came from the collection of Cathy Erickson @quiltingcat2, who kindly gave us her permission to copy this.  Susie drafted the block to fit an 18" block.  

Be sure and head on over to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching and see what everyone is working on!

Thanks for stopping by!

One Monthly Goal-June

It's time to link up goals for the month of June @One Monthly Goal at Elm Street Quilts.  

I didn't make my goal last month, which was to make my project for the Fairy Tale Blog Hop which is coming up in a couple of weeks hosted by Joan @Moose Stash Quilting.  

I started my idea 3 times, but my embroidery machine was not cooperating.

So my goal for June again is to get my project for the Fairy Tale Blog Hop done before June 21.  I haven't started the 4th time yet.  I have another idea.  

I will be linking up One Monthly Goal @ Elm Street Quilts.  Many thanks go to Patty and her monthly motivation and all she does!

350 Blocks Project- April and May

 

I didn't report April blocks, as I was taking care of my husband during his last month of life.  But I did do 10 Star Kissed blocks.

For May I have:

Star Kissed Blocks:  24 blocks:  

Baby Quilt:  7 blocks:  I counted each row as a block

Jaeger's Graduation Quilt:  I added 4 more blocks to the bottom of the Pieces From the Past Quilt:  

So my total for April is 10 and May is 35 blocks.

I will report in to Shelly at Prairie Moon Quilts.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Hand Quilt Along, Slow Sunday Stitching

I just realized I didn't check in for the last Hand Quilt Along, as it was around the time I was caring for my husband before he passed.  The time before that, I had been working on hexies and blocks for my Ella Maria Duncan quilt.  I haven't worked on either of those since.  I need to get back to those soon.  

My grandson Jaeger graduated Friday night.  Although I was not able to attend, as they had limited visitors, I got to watch it on You Tube.  Needless to say, we are all very proud.

For the past several years, I have been working on on the Pieces From the Past Quilt by @Melva Loves Scraps.   for a graduation quilt for Jaeger.

This week I worked on two blocks by hand to add to the original ones we did during the sew along, as Jaeger is 6 feet or more.  So I added another row of 12 inch blocks.  These were the ones I hand pieced.

And I made these two by machine. 

I finished assembling the quilt and machine quilted it.   

I also this week started on a lighthouse quilt which will eventually be for my brother and sister-in-law.  My brother is going to lay a new kitchen floor for me in a couple of weeks, and I told them I would make them a quilt.  They love lighthouses just like I do.  I am trying to get a couple done before they come up in a couple of weeks.

I was feeling a bit blue this week, and daughter Katie came over after work and brought me two beautiful bouquets of flowers.  

My hydrangeas are also blooming.  

What I will be working on this week is the same as last week my washcloth and little stitchery.  

Be sure and check out the other Hand Quilt Along links 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, Deb, Nanette, Sharon, Karrin, Daisy, Connie, and Sherrie

I will also be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  Head on over there and check out what they have been up to also.  

Slow Sunday Stitching

As I was getting ready to write my post last week for Slow Sunday Stitching, I couldn't get into my own blog, it was telling me it was unsafe.  I was a problem with my internet provider and security system.  I kept trying to open it for about 4 days, and finally I could all of a sudden. 

I had a wonderful Mother's Day.  My family took me to Half Moon Bay for the day.  

My daughter Katie painted this for me.  I had told her the day before Mother's Day that when I had gone in a shop I had seen this on a plain board.  "My mind still talks to you, my heart still looks for you, my soul knows you are at peace".  She went home and painted it that night.  

Last week's events including grandson Jaeger's 2 award ceremonies.  In one of them he received double gold medal for being greater than 4.01 GPA all year.  This is apparently his third year for such an award.  He also received an award for having a 4.0 GPA in Spanish.  This week he received a $200,000 ROTC scholarship from the Navy.  He will be attending University of New Mexico.  

I also got to attend one of his last water polo games for the first time.  

Jaeger's brother Keaton has a broken arm and wasn't able to play the past several weeks.  Keaton is on the left, then granddaughter Kyleigh, me, Jaeger, and Andrew who is Kyleigh's boyfriend.  

I also did some rearranging of furniture.  This is my former office when I used to do medical transcription at home.   I moved the rolltop desk to my bedroom.  This space now made room where I could put my quilt frame.  It gets a lot of nice light in here.

John had built some nice cabinets in here for my crafts, and put in a countertop of granite. 

Here we are with my quilt table in here.  Now I won't have to take it down from the dining room when I have guests.  

Also this week I made this simple baby quilt for a friend to give as a gift.  She asked to come look at my fabrics, and I told her I had some 6 inch squares cut out.  This was my slow stitching this week, to sew the binding down.

What I will be working on this Sunday for Slow Sunday Stitching is this block.  I am making 4 more blocks to go on Jaeger's graduation quilt.  This was from the Pieces From the Past Sew along organized by Melva Loves Scraps.  Jaeger is over 6 feet tall, and this will be a little small for him as is.   These were all blocks that were published in the Kansas City Star in the 30's and 40s.

After the sew along was over, I received a copy of of this book from C&T Publishing.  

I chose 4 more blocks to lengthen the quilt before adding borders.   I'm going to sew this one by hand. 

I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.