WIP Wednesday #37

Birdie Stitches:

Farmer's Wife:

Summer Sampler Series:

I am running short on time, so I'll keep it simple this week.

I need to finish something. Anything. I am feeling too much in limbo. I KNOW that I am accomplishing a lot, but with no finished projects it just doesn't feel like I am. SO, I am going to finish SOMETHING this week. Wish me luck.

Hope your week is a productive one.

WOYWW #111 & WIP Wednesday #36

Here's what's on my Workdesk this Wednesday. Well, my workdesk at home. Since I am not there during the days, and she is, she has been using my workdesk. I couldn't be more proud of her. She's piecing a doll quilt for her sister. I love that she is quilting.

This week has been very productive for me too. I have quilted, crocheted and embroidered. I have cooked, chauffeured and cleaned. I have been sad, hurt and happy. (Not all at the same time) But, mostly, I have enjoyed. I have rejoiced, celebrated and mourned. (again, not all at the same time)

I have been reminded that life is short. You never know when your last day will be lived. Enjoy your family, friends and pets. DO things that make you happy. Do things that make your loved ones happy. Be with loved ones that make you smile and feel glad to be alive.

I love to quilt, crochet and embroider. Feeling the fabric, yarn and thread is soothing to me. Makes me calm and very happy. There is also a great deal of self satisfaction knowing that these are legacies I am leaving for my girls. I am happy that they see me make these blankets and things. I want them to have these for their families.

I have 3 daughters, so I have to make a lot of quilts, afghans and what-nots.

Which brings me to the topic for today:

WIP WEDNESDAY #36

This week I made Farmer's Wife Quilt Blocks. I now have 10. If I get 2 made this week, I'll be caught up. I started late so I don't feel like I am doing that badly. Here are 3 of the blocks.

Lower right block: Bat Wings
Lower left block: Birds in the Air
Upper block: A spin off on one of the blocks in the book. I made a larger one for the SUMMER SAMPLER SERIES QUILT ALONG. I thought the design was great so I altered one of the Farmer's Wife blocks. These blocks are 6 inches and 10 inches.

I am using the same fabrics for both Quilt Alongs. It's interesting to see the difference in the block sizes. I didn't think I would like the smaller blocks for the Farmer's Wife, but I am finding that I almost like them better than the larger blocks. There are more challenging blocks coming up in the Summer Sampler Series, so we'll have to wait to see if I eat crow later on....

Stats for the week:

Quilts:

Completed:

Nothing to report

Ongoing and getting attention:

Birdie Stitches - 2 blocks completed, 1 being embroidered, 6 left to piece

Farmer's Wife QAL - 10 blocks complete, 40 to go

Picnic Quilt - Started piecing the back together

Ongoing and getting ignored:

Melissa's Blocks

Grandma's Bricks

Leaves

Sunflowers

Pastel Cabins

Zigzag Table runner

Melissa's Monster Pillow - Oops. Bad mom.

New:

Summer Sampler Series - Up to date: 4 blocks completed. This is an intense QAL. New blocks every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It's only 4 weeks though, so I think I can handle it. I am really excited about this one because I actually found it and was able to start on time. I started out thinking I was going to make the blocks all different sizes. But now I am thinking I might re-do the smaller blocks I've made. Well, not re-do them, but make 12 inch blocks too. Hmm. Jury is still out on this one.

Wanna:

Mod Bento Box

Butterfly

Warm/Cool

Pot Holders

Medallion

Hand Quilt Melissa's quilt - I've never hand quilted before. Yikes.

Crochet:

Completed:

Nothing to report

Ongoing and getting attention:

I started, and only worked on, the Giant Granny Square Blanket. I have 21 rounds completed. I don't know how many rounds I will do. I am just winging it on this one. I'll stop when it looks right.

Ongoing and getting ignored:

Granny Squares Afghan

Japanese Flower Afghan

New:

Nothing to report

Wanna:

Ripple Afghan

Ninja, Amazon and Knight

Stripes Afghan

Librarian Mitts (former called Wrist Warmers. I like the new name better.)

Pillowcases - with and without Crochet trim

***

That's all I have for show and tell this week. I wish you all a very productive and happy week.

I am linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday Party AND Julia's WOYWW Party.

Make sure you hug someone today.

Opus Gluei Beats the Heat

Poobah Deena over at OPUS GLUEI is challenging us to BEAT THE HEAT this time around.

I love the Summer months. I love it when it's hot. It's a wonderful time to wear loose, flouncy clothes. It's also a great excuse to nap in the middle of the day. It's too hot to DO anything, so take a nap.

What's a nap without a great spot for your head? So, I made a cotton pillowcase. I picked a petite printed strawberry fabric with a crisp white background. And then I crocheted a nice bright red trim on it.

Can't you just picture yourself in a nice little slumber???

I got my inspiration from flickr. I just love flickr. I am a very visual person. And you can find pictures of whatever your little heart desires on flickr. Heck, you can even find pictures of things you didn't know you couldn't live without on flickr. Anyway, THIS is the picture that sent me into this pillowcase frenzie. Be warned, it's a gorgeous picture.

***

Tips to make things easier for you:

Don't try to wing it on your own like I did. Take tips from those who have done this before. Use a double thread to bake the base. I should have looked at a tutorial or two before I just made this one. BUT you know how delusional icanmakethatitis can make oneself.


Mark the fabric for your needle. I didn't at first. And then had to pull out some of the yarn, and mark the hole locations, then went on with the blanket stitch.


Go ahead and count your stitches. I didn't and just got lucky. I would have liked for the scalloped edge to lay flat, but I was in a hurry and didn't think about crossing a blanket stitch to get that result.


All in all, I WILL make another one. Or two. It was relatively quick and easy.

Make one for everyone in your family. Otherwise nasty fights will break out. Just trying to help out here.

WOYWDW & WIP Wednesday #35

This week had some progress on a few projects. I recently started working an alternate work schedule wherein I have every other Friday off. Last Friday was the first Friday I had off. I LOVE this schedule. I slept in a bit. I sewed. I embroidered. I crocheted. Oh yeah, and I fed my children. I was on FIRE.

Anyhow, here's What On My Workdesk this Wednesday.
For more workdesk peeks, go HERE to Julia's Stamping Ground.

QUILTS:

Completed:

do. Good Stitches July Blocks for Grace group

Ongoing and getting attention:

Birdie Stitches - I have 6 blocks sewn, 1 embroidered, 1 I am embroidering and 4 marked and ready to embroider

Ongoing and getting ignored:

Melissa's Blocks

Grandma's Bricks

Leaves

Picnic

Sunflowers

Pastel Cabins

New:
Farmers Wife QAL - have the fabrics AND have some of the templates printed
Melissa's Monster Pillow - she designed and cut out fabric to make a monster. I just have to figure out how to put in the zipper mouth she wants. She has a GREAT imagination. I have limited skills. I love that she is challenging me.
Zigzag Table runner - I made some extra HST's when I made the June block for do. Good Stitches. I am putting together a table runner.

Wanna:
Summer Sampler Series QAL - I just need to start...
Mod Bento Box
Butterfly
Warm/Cool QAL
Pot Holders
Medallion - I "found" this square in my stash. (see picture below) I had forgotten about it. Not sure, but I am thinking I should finish it and make a lap quilt for the family room.

Crochet:
Completed:
Nothing to report

Ongoing and getting attention:
Granny squares afghan - finished ALL of fifth round and starting on sixth

Ongoing and getting ignored:
Japanese Flower afghan

New:
Nothing to report

Wanna:
Ripple Afghan
Ninja, Amazon and Knight
Giant Granny Square Afghan
Stripes Afghan
Matching Wrist Warmers
Pillowcases - with and without Crochet trim

Okay, now that I've showed you mine.

Time for you to show me yours.

At least head over HERE to Lee's and see that I am not alone in my project mania.

Birdie Stitches - July Block

Birdie, birdie in the sky.... Just kidding. I recently joined in the fun with this Quilt Along:

Little Miss Shabby is hosting a Quilt Along this year. That's where you make a quilt month by month. I have never done one successfully before. I have joined Block of the Month clubs. Okay, only one, but I didn't make the blocks like I was supposed to. And technically, I won't be doing this one as intended because I am joining in late. BUT, I do plan on making this quilt. I will catch up with the sewing and the embroidery by the end of August. That's a promise. You can take it to the bank. It won't get you anything there, but you can take it.

Okay, so you can find the Supply List here. From there you can click on the links to the prep work and the monthly blocks from the left hand column. You can also see other wonderful Birdie blocks here in the flickr group.

So far I have 6 of the blocks made. And one of them embroidered. I'll post my progress as it happens....

WIP Wednesday #34

I have very little to show this week. I have been crocheting mostly, so sewing has been put aside mostly. I haven't been taking pictures. I haven't been blogging. It took forever for my email to download the other day because I hadn't been on the computer in days.

I did manage to get this little beauty started and done, but can only show you a glimpse. It isn't a quilt, but it's done. It's for the July 17th OPUS GLUEI Challenge. You can see more of it then.

I also pulled these fabrics for the July Grace group's do. Good Stitches Wonky Crosses quilt blocks.

It's been a bit since I updated my project list, so I'll start from scratch again.

QUILTS
Completed:
Nothing

Ongoing and getting attention:
Birdie Stitches - finally worked up the nerve to use the temp marker to draw the pattern

Ongoing and getting ignored:
Melissa's Blocks - layer, quilt, bind
Grandma's Bricks - bind
Leaves
Picnic
Sunflowers
Pastel Cabins

New:
Nothing. I feel like I need to finish at least one quilt before diving into another one.

Wanna: (I have WAY MORE wanna's than this. These are just the REALLY Wanna's.)
Farmers Wife QAL
Mod Bento Box
Butterfly
Warm/Cool QAL
Pot Holders

Crochet
Completed:
4th of July Bunting
Wash Cloths

Ongoing and getting attention:
Granny squares afghan

Ongoing and getting ignored:
Japanese Flower afghan

New:
4th of July Bunting
Opus Gluei Project for 7/17 Challenge
Wash Cloths

Wanna: (I have more of these too. Just the REALLY Wanna's are listed for now.)
Ripple Afghan
Ninja, Amazon and Knight (Amurugimi)(Melissa requested them)
Giant Granny Square Afghan
Stripes Afghan
Matching fingerless wrist warmers
Pillowcases with Crochet Trim

Go ahead and be nosey like I am. Check out what lots of talented people are doing at WIP Wednesday hosted by Lee at Freshly Pieced.



Go here!



Photo Scavenger Hunt

Kathy over at Post Cards from the P.P. hosts a Photo Scavenger Hunt every month. I stumbled upon her blog whilst blurfing and while I can't tell you the trail that got me there, I am happy to have found it. It seems like a nice, not-to-demanding challenge. From what I understand you take the pictures during the month and post them at the end on your blog and in the Flickr group.



Here's the list for July:

• red, white and blue
• flip flops
• ice cream
• strawberries
• a flag
• fields
• celebration
• sea shells
• stars
• stripes
• a kite 
• something that makes you happy (but not a person or animal!)

Her list seems to be a mix of easy and not so easy subjects.

BUT, I am going to give it a go. 

 

Wanna join me???