Sunday, March 30, 2025

Slow Sunday Stitching

 It was another busy, fun-filled week.

The week started out on Monday going to Half Moon Bay with granddaughter Kyleigh, and her dog Maple.  The weather was perfect, in the 70's, we had a beautiful day on the beach, and had a great lunch in town at a Mexican restaurant, I can't remember the name.


Maple met a friend to play with on the beach who happened to have 3 legs.



We ended our day in Half Moon Bay by visiting the orchid nursery.  I bought 3 and Kyleigh bought 1.  That huge one was on clearance for $18. I found out why when I got home and repotted it.  The roots were half dead, but they should be able to recover not being crunched in that super tight plastic container.  We found out there is a new orchid place the next building over.  Maybe next time we will visit that one too.


Wednesday was workday at my house for our Community Service where we cut batting and binding and bag them up to get ready for pin basting day in a couple of weeks.  

This week I was able to get a baby quilt top put together.  My daughter Kristen requested it for a coworker that is having a baby.   I used my Accuquilt to cut out the stars, and the kitty, fox and frog applique dies.  The blocks I made at day camp last week.  Hopefully I will get a chance to quilt it this next week.  


I also finished a few blocks for the Scrap Meets Thrift Challenge by @reproquiltlover on Instagram.  These are 2 inch blocks.


I also got this week's block done on the Kathleen Tracy Civil War Mini Quilt on Facebook.  



This week was also the start of Barbara Brackman's new applique BOM for 2025,  Liberty Birds.   I got my pieces cut out and am ready to applique.


This next Tuesday I have two board meetings, the Quilt Guild Board Meeting in the morning and Begonia Society Board Meeting is meeting at my house in the evening.  I have been trying to get my yard cleaned up before they get here, lots of weeds and to make sure there are no frozen begonia's sitting by my front door.  Several died or had all the leaves fall off in our frost earlier this year.  They should come back, I just didn't want them out front.   I did get this done, and my back mowed in anticipation of the rain we are supposed to have the first part of the week.  

As if I don't have enough to do to get ready, I got it in my mind to quilt a table runner I made last year for the On the Road Again blog hop.  I don't have any table runners, except this unfinished one.  I've got it loaded up, ready to quilt on Sunday.  I want to get it finished before the board members come over Tuesday night.  It should only take about 2 passes on the machine.  



I have been working on my hand quilting this piece.  I just have the red applique to quilt.  This will be in our Red and White Quilt Show in May.  I am finishing it into a pillow for a friend of mine in the guild.  Her mother passed away last year, and I finished the applique, and am almost finished quilting it.  I will gift it to my friend and her sister after the show.  


This is what I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching.  I will be linking up at Kathy's Quilts.  

In my walking around the park this week, the California Poppies are blooming.  



Thanks for stopping by!  

Monday, March 24, 2025

SAHRR 2025

 

I participated again this year in the Stay At Home Round Robin,  hosted by Gail @Quilting Gail.  This was my 5th year of participating in this, and I look forward to it every year.  I generally donate these quilts to my guild's Community Service.  

This year I started out with 4 blocks that were donated at my guild.  One lady gave me a bunch of birdhouse blocks, and another lady had stitched some cute little primitive ladies holding birdhouses.  It started out rather large, so some of the rows 
this year I combined so it would not get too large.  


I showed it this past week at our guild meeting.  I knew that Penny, our designated
photographer would get a good picture.


Many thanks to each of the co-hosts for their input each week of what to add to our quilts:

I'll be linking up @Quilting Gail where you can see the parade of quilts that everyone has done.  

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 23, 2025

Slow Sunday Stitching

 It has been a fun-filled busy week.  Tuesday evening was the monthly Begonia Society meeting, and we received our challenge plants for the year.  Initially we pay $5 for a plant, and then in October we bring it back in dead or alive to show how it is doing.  Members vote for their favorite and the winner wins a prize.  The next March we receive a challenge plant for free.  As long as you show the plant or carcass you keep receiving a new plant.  I didn't think to take a picture of the plant, and I still need to repot it.   I found out that I am hosting the Begonia Board meeting at my house April 1st.  I need to get my yard in order and a lot of weeds pulled.

Wednesday was our guild meeting, and I got to show my SAHRR.  They took a lovely picture of it while I was up on the stage.


This I will be donating to one of the hospitals we donate to for Mercyful Quilts.

Wednesday afternoon I got to see grandson Jaeger and meet his girlfriend who came home with him from Albuquerque for spring break.  Jaeger plays La Crosse for UNM.  She had to go back early, but it was so nice to meet her.

Saturday evening, part of the family went out to dinner, as Jaeger was leaving Sunday evening to go back to school.





Thursday through Sunday afternoon last week I had quilt day camp.  I spent a lot of the first part of the week prepping my projects.  One project I wanted to work on was a baby quilt.  Daughter Kristen asked me to make a baby quilt for a coworker.

I cut out a bunch of Sawtooth Stars with my Accuquilt and realized when I got to camp and was sewing them together I got the dark and light pieces mixed up.


So that night I went home and recut things.  I was able to get 12 sewn.  I am going to have some applique blocks too with the Accuquilt fox, butterfly, and frog.


I also got about 18 of the 2 inch economy blocks for the Scrap Meets Thrifty Challenge on Instagram by Reproquilt Lover.  


I found a red print in my stash from the Shelburne Museum from the Clarissa Wright Alford collection to alternate the blocks with.

The other thing I have been working on at Day Camp are the Gnomes and Birches. by Lakegirl Designs.  I got all 24 gnomes sewn, I just need to sew the noses down.

Sunday at Day Camp will probably start on the birch blocks.  


At Day Camp the organizer/member of our guild shops for prizes according to the number of people we have attending.  The prizes are up on a table for several days so we can look at them.   When my name was called this time I picked this backing fabric for the gnomes.  There were 3 yards of wide backing.  There were a lot of layer cakes and jelly rolls available earlier in the number calling, but my favorite ones were picked. The quilt store Sew Katie Jean pulls names out of the hat and has prizes too. I left early Saturday so I could bake Jaeger some cookies to take back to school with him.  Apparently my name was called after I left for the Grand Prize.  I will find out Sunday what that was.  

This is my gnome backing with a couple of gnomes on top.


What I will be working on when I get home from Day Camp tomorrow afternoon is still quilting this piece.  I didn't get much hand work done this week.  I'll be linking up with Kathy's Quilts.  


Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 16, 2025

HQAL, Slow Sunday Stitching






This week was spent chasing several squirrels.  I saw this one snatching up food in my yard the birds had dropped.   Last Sunday, Melisa at Pinkernpunkinquilting mentioned that Kathleen Tracy at A Sentimental Quilter was  hosting  a Civil War Mini Sew Along.  I have tons of Civil War repros, and scraps and joined in this sew along.  I am caught up on all three weeks of blocks now.

Also last Sunday on Instagram I discovered that Reproquiltlover had started a Scrappy Meets Thrift Challenge making economy blocks.  I chose the 2 inch size which means I will probably be making 250 blocks, unless I decide to do a smaller size.  

I spent about 3 days rummaging through 3 bins of scraps and cutting them up.  I am paper piecing these, which are not my favorite thing to do, but this small I feel it is necessary.  I have had a few technical issues of the fabric folding up when I am trying to add a piece.  This is what I have accomplished so far.




I have thoughts of pursuing yet another squirrel, in the form of this quilt.  I haven't cut out any pieces yet, just thought of it.  I am attending a quilters day camp next week and have been trying to get my projects lined up.  

My daughter Kristen showed me this Birch Gnome quilt pattern, and I purchased from Lake Girl Quilts




I love gnomes and love birches, we had some for 40+ years until had to take them down due to disease.  I need to look through my fabrics and see what I can find in the ways of blacks and grays, and something for the birches.  

Also this week I quilted my SAHRR, and put the binding on.



My orchids are blooming like crazy,  



I had a little mishap earlier in the week.  My daughter Kristen and I were about to go to aqua yoga, when I got notification a package had been delivered from Amazon.  I got the package, took it in the kitchen, and my box cutter was missing from the junk drawer.  I pulled out a paint scraper that John had sharpened for me and proceeded to cut my left hand.   John would have told me what a dumb thing I did, and you should never cut toward yourself.  


Needless to say, there was no aqua yoga that night.  Kristen and granddaughter took me to the ER where I got 5 stitches.  

What I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching is the binding on my SAHRR.


I will also continue hand quilting on this piece that will be a pillow top for my friend.


 I will be linking up to Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching.   Check out what is going on there, and also check out the Hand Quilting 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.

 KathyMargaretDebSharonKarrinDaisyConnie and Laura

 

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, March 14, 2025

Scrap Happy, March

It’s again time for showing off our scrap projects!  ScrapHappy is open to anyone using up scraps of anything – no new materials. It can be a quilt block, pincushion, bag or hat, jewelry, dolls, socks or a sculpture.   Anything made of scraps is eligible.

If you'd like to join us and use up your scrap collection, instead of sitting around in bags, etc, why not join us on the 15th of each month? Either e-mail Kate at the address on her Contact Me page, or leave a comment on her Scrap Happy Post.

I have been working on several projects.  Recently I attended a quilt camp, and I finished one of my potato chip quilts.  This will be donated to my guild's Community Service.  


Also in the past two weeks I have joined two sew alongs.  The first is a Civil War Mini Sew Along by Kathleen Tracy at a Sentimental Quilter.    Each week she gives another block to make.  

Friday another block came out.  I spent 3 days this week going through my scrap bins and pulling out my Civil War repros.  


I also joined the Scrappy Meets Thrift Challenge on Instagram hosted by Reproquilt lover.   We are making 2 inch economy blocks.  These are the scraps I cut up.



This is what the quilt will eventually look like.  



That's it for this month. 

Be sure and visit the other bloggers below and see what they have been up to.  

KateEvaSue, Lynda,
Birthe, Turid, Tracy, Jan
Moira, SandraChrisAlys,
ClaireJeanDawnGwen,
Sunny, Kjerstin, Sue LVera, 
 Ann, Dawn 2, Carol, Preeti,
NóilinVivKarrin,  Alissa,
TierneyHannah and Maggie

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunday, March 09, 2025

Slow Sunday Stitching

Other than our quilt guild board meeting this week, I had the week pretty much to myself.  One of my aqua yoga classes was cancelled.

I had a chance to get caught up on my Stay at Home Round Robin.  I ended up making more 8 more kite blocks to fill in blanks.  Unfortunately I made 4 of them wrong, not paying attention to what I was doing.


I took them out and fixed them.  This is the entire top.



I plan to quilt it and show it at guild meeting in 10 days or so, and then it will be donated to one of the places we give our comfort quilts.  

I also finished one of my red and white quilts.  


I have also had a chance to work on some of my yard work since we had some beautiful days.  Unfortunately I have a big job ahead, in a bunch of my gardens, and my brick walkways are growing weeds again.


My camelias are blooming.




What I will be working on for Slow Sunday Stitching is this label for my redwork quilt. Since it is nursery rhymes in redwork, I found an image of a coloring book Humpty Dumpty and made it into my label.  I need to finish the stitching on this one.



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

Thanks for stopping by!