Sunday, July 28, 2024

SLOW SUNDAY STITCHING, HQAL

This past week continued with weather in the 104-108 range, which makes it hard to get anything done.  I did a lot of reading this week, trying to keep cool.  Luckily on Saturday we started out at 56 and only got up to 82, so much nicer!

This week I had workday at my house, only 4 of us showed up,  but we got 3 bins of quilts prepared for basting day in a couple of weeks.  

I had a bunch of zucchini and tomatoes ripen up, and I also did some canning this week, making a Sweet Smokey Zucchini Salsa.  


I also was able to finish this potato chip quilt top.  It will be a donation to an organization that donates quilts to burn victims at Christmas.    I told them I would make 2 quilt tops and this is the first one.


I am going to look through my orphan blocks and see if I can put together something else for the second quilt top.


My granddaughter Klara just got back from visiting her other grandmother in Arizona.  Monday we are going to have a sewing day.  I am going to see if I can teach her to sew.  


I found a simple pattern we are going to try. 


I have an old Touch and Sew Singer that John got for me when we first got married.  I will get it oiled up and have her practice some before we start on the project.  

For Slow Sunday Stitching I will be trying to finish up my Honey Bee by Kathy Schmitz.  


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.

KathyMargaretDebNanette, SharonKarrinDaisy, and Connie


I will also be linking up at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.  Check out what everyone is doing there also.  


Thanks for stopping by!

 

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Something Smells Fishy Blog Hop Starts Today, My Day

 




The Something Smells Fishy Blog Hop Challenge starts today, hosted by the ever fabulous Carol @Just Let Me Quilt.  Thanks so much Carol for another wonderful blog hop challenge.  

The challenge this time:  Make something with a fish in the fabric or in the quilt design, applique or pieced fish.  This one is easy for me, I have tons of nautical, sea, fish fabric and projects.  I fished up a project I started several years ago determined to finish it.

Back in 2020 I participated in a quilt along with Partners In Design, a group of designers/bloggers who did a By the Sea QAL.  I always thought I needed a mermaid in my final quilt.  These were my blocks from that QAL.  



The designers included

Designer:
Becca @ Pretty Piney
Abbie @ Sparkle On!
Becca @ Pretty Piney Quilts
Jennifer @ Inquiring Quilter



I found a mermaid pattern I liked, it was called Ocean Child by designer Laura Strickland on Etsy.  I also found a whale panel I liked, that was actually part of a tote bag panel.  I also added a couple of blocks as fillers, I cut out some sea creatures with my Accuquilt dies.  


I plan to add this border.  The fabric is called Sea Breeze.  I am waiting for my order to come in, and it hasn't arrived yet.  



That's my project.  It is almost finished, as soon as I get the border fabric.  I am really happy about getting this to an almost flimsy.  

Be sure and visit the other bloggers below, and leave a sweet comment.  

JULY 22

Thanks for stopping by!

SLOW SUNDAY STITCHING

Last week just seemed to whiz by.  I had Begonia meeting on Tuesday night.  I have been nominated to be the Sunshine Committee next year which involves sending cards to those who are ill or have had surgery.  

Wednesday was guild meeting.  We had quite a few quilts finished for our Community Service.  

This past week I have been working on my Something Smells Fishy Project.  

Thursday afternoon after running some errands, my car started acting like it had no power about a mile from home.  Luckily I made it into my driveway.  Son-in-law Jeff, and grandson Jaeger came over to check it out and I have a bad alternator.  The next day I had AAA tow it to the mechanics, and hopefully I will have it back on Monday.  

Another thing  I did this week was take some of my multitude of tomatoes and make some Bruschetta in a Jar.  These are the last two I have.  I have given 3 away.  It was pretty tasty.  


There were some interesting cloud formations on my walk this week.



Friday I was supposed to attend an event called Petal to the Metal.   A number of quilters were going to get together to sew quilt tops all day.  The quilts were going to benefit fire victims in two of our local hospitals.  They want to give 150 quilts at Christmas to burn victims in the hospital.  I wasn't able to attend because my car was in the shop.  The quilts tops were already cut out, they were going to provide lunch and prizes.  I was sorry to miss, but told them I would donate a couple of tops myself.  

At a guild meeting recently I picked up a baggie that said piano keys, 2-1/2 x 4.5, so I decided to make potato chip blocks.  I have them in various stages of completion.  




For Slow Sunday Stitching this week, I am still working on my Kathy Schmitz and redwork projects.  




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

Thanks for stopping by!

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

Something Smells Fishy Blog Hop Challenge Starts Next Week

 

The Something Smells Fishy Blog Hop Challenge starts next week, hosted by the ever fabulous Carol @Just Let Me Quilt.  

The challenge this time:  Make something with a fish in the fabric or in the quilt design, applique or pieced fish.  This one is easy for me, I have tons of nautical, sea, fish fabric and projects.  I plan to fish up one I started several years ago.  Can't wait to see what everyone else comes up with!

JULY 22

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, July 14, 2024

Slow Sunday Stitching

It's been a couple of weeks since I posted, and for good reason.  I went with my older daughter Kristen and her family, and granddaughter Kyleigh's fiance to Hawaii.  My son-in-law Jeff's 50th birthday was on July 1st and we told him we were taking him to Hawaii for a week and he had 1 day to get ready.   He kept asking if it was a joke, which it wasn't.  Granddaughter Kyleigh came up with the idea late last year, and it has been really hard to keep the surprise.  I almost blew it the week  before we were supposed to go, but luckily it didn't click with him .

My header picture is from the last sunset off our deck.  We rented a house in Sunset Beach on the North Shore of Oahu.  It was a wonderful week.  The temperatures varied from 75-82, thus we escaped our Northern California weather of 104-109.  It was tough coming back!   My camellia bushes are getting pretty crispy.

This was the living room, looking out to the ocean.  I sat in that chair by the window when the sun was hitting the deck and too much for me to sit outside.  I did some stitching, but not much while I was gone.  



One day we went to Dole Plantation, and visited their maze, gardens and took a tour.


We went to Waimea Falls.  My family went and swam below the falls.  


When my husband was a teenager his father was stationed in Hawaii, and John jumped off the second tier of the falls.  They no longer allow any jumping off the rocks.  

My family went on a tour of the Kualoa Ranch-Jurassic Park Tour also.   This was where Jurassic Park and also the series Lost were filmed.   I bowed out that day, as my stomach was having issues.  

On the 4th of July was the highlight of my trip.  I have nieces and nephews in Hawaii that I haven't seen since my girls were in their teens, and they are in their 40's now.    This is my niece Sarah and it was the highlight of my trip to meet up with her again.  This is also one of the dresses I made before I left.  


Sarah brought along her son, and his family.  



Sarah's father, who is Hawaii, made carved a walking stick for Jeff for his birthday.


The 4th of July, we also met up with a nephew and his family, but unfortunately did not get any pictures.  

One day we went to Pearl Harbor, and we able to visit a sister-in-law who is currently undergoing rehab after a stroke. 

A funny thing happened at the airport as our bags were being examined to come home.  When we arrived in Hawaii, we immediately went to Costco and got groceries for the week.  Kyleigh's fiance Drew bought a big jar of garlic salt, and wanted to bring the rest home with him.  At the airport he was pulled aside and the garlic salt was drug tested and passed the test!

After an idyllic week spent with family it is sort of hard being by myself again and getting into my usual routine.  Of course it is in the 100's and if you want to get anything done you need to get out at the crack of dawn.  I did get the lawn mowed on Saturday though.  

I have two things to work on for Slow Sunday Stitching.  My Kathy Schmitz stichery


And a redwork block.  Our theme of our quilt show is red and white quilts.   At our last miniquilt meeting last month, one of our members gave this to me.  She doesn't care for embroidery and won it at one of our guild giveaways.  I happily took it.    I did visit one fabric store in Pearl Harbor and got a piece of red and white fabric.  


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

Thanks for stopping by!  




Thursday, July 04, 2024

Happy Fourth of July

 



Happy Fourth of July!   Hope you all have a Happy Safe Fourth!

Thanks for stopping by!