Let it Be!

Funny how a blog post keeps me focused on my goals.

There are no finishes,

but there is certainly progress.

Posh Penelope is pieced!

I loved piecing the individual blocks;

but boy, oh, boy,

putting the blocks together was a challenge!

I like to think of myself as a precision piecer.

Well, that just did not happen with this project.

Not a one of those points on the flower petals lines up and most are chopped off.

I don't know if letting go makes me happy or disappointed in myself.

I decided to just let it be!

Hoping a good quilting job will disguise the imperfections.

I finished two more blocks of If the Hat Fits.

Thoroughly enjoyed my Sue Spargo retreat in Tucson.

I had SO much fun, that I signed up to take the same class again

at Madeline Island at the end of July.

The plan is to finish what I started.

Three meals a day, no responsibilities and stitching with like-minded friends...

what could be more enjoyable.

I also helped my granddaughter make a quilt for her teacher who is expecting her first child.

What a joy it was to share my passion with her.

At Home in the Woods is on my frame.

This will take awhile as I am stitching over every edge of the appliqued shapes.

I am using a microquilter thread that disappears nicely.

I have managed to keep current with my Trade Winds BOM, 

but will be unable to show my progress due to Sue's rules.

All I can share is that is stinking cute!

We are headed to Colorado for a week in March 

and then I will join my sister in Santa Fe to take an urban sketching class...something new for me. 

Sis is already a wonderful watercolorist.

We will see if I can catch on to it.

 I am so happy I have my stitching in this sad and unpredictable world.

It calms my anxious mind!

Getting outside and hiking helps too.

The Merry Month of May!

 May started with a lovely trip to Sanibel Island with my daughter

to celebrate Mother's Day.

We enjoyed swimming in the warm coastal waters,

spotting dolphins and rays swimming off shore,

                                                               collecting sea shells,

and drinking fancy adult beverages!

Prior to leaving, I finished my granddaughter's quilt for her bed.

So much fun to quilt!

Then I was off to my retreat with Sue Spargo in Santa Fe.

What a gracious woman and fabulous teacher!

I started one project,

my interpretation of a miniature Oaxacan candlestick I saw

at the International Museum of Folkart;

but then got totally side tracked by learning to weave a tree on a loom.

We are headed to Africa in September

(fingers crossed)

and so this is the start of my modified Folk Tales quilt to commemorate our trip.

I continue to sew along with Sew Kind of Wonderful 

and will have my Rock the Block quilt done soon.

Started another Elizabeth Hartmann pattern for my DIL, 

but I will be back with those when they are in the flimsy state.

We are headed to Colorado in June.

My body needs a break from pandemic stitching!

Until next time...

Productivity during the Plague!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
I did. 

I got to be the guest for the first time in many years.

                                              Bringing Home the Tree by Buttermilk Basin.

A hostess gift and early Christmas present for my DIL.

She hosted Thanksgiving dinner for the first time and it was delicious.

We even had Jalapeno stuffing, which was the best!

She always appreciates the quilts I give her

and loves to display them in their home.

Makes me smile.

Lori of Humble Quilts posted info on how to donate to the Oregon fire victims.

Wanda Joy quilted up a bunch of charity quilts donated by Monica J.

 and then my quilting teacher and good friend, Betty O., bound them for me. 

I will mail them Monday after 2 more get their bindings sewn down. 

If you would like to learn how to contribute,

here is Lori's post.

Since I spend so much time in my sewing room these days,

I am finishing up most of my UFOs.

Harvest Moon by Heart to Hand is quilted! 

My first all wool quilting job.

Botanical Sketchbook by Dawn Heese of Linen Closet Designs.

This is wool on homespun and was my first attempt at free motion quilting.

Of course, they both need their binding, which is my least favorite part of the process!

So I guess I cannot officially call them a finish,

yet.

What is next?

Fancy Forest by Elizabeth Hartmann

for my new grandson.

Yes, one thistle is missing. 

Today's goal is to get this guy finished up.

I have this darling fabric for the backing.

I can hardly wait to try ruler work on this one.

Then there are several more modern quilts in my queue.

Oh, how my tastes have changed!

I even purchased some Tula Pink fabrics and a special ruler for a quilt with curves.

I don't do curves or notions, so this is something new for me! 

I know Jan is smiling right now.

Finished up Sue Spargo's Squash Squad this week. 
Waiting to see what she designs for the borders.

As my friend Betty says, "Thank goodness for my sewing! Without it, I think I would go crazy."
All I know is the pandemic, which I have gone to calling the plague, has made me productive. 

Stay safe, and sew on!

The Circle of Life

 My longarm machine is in its new home. 

I named her Wanda Joy, after my mother.

This used to be her bedroom when she would come to visit.

My next goal is put a few pictures I inherited from her on the walls.

She loved modern art and had the most eclectic collection.

Right now, I am just learning how to load the machine and do edge to edge quilting.

I pieced some simple quilt tops and will donate them to LINUS...a good way to use up stash.

I plan to take some classes soon on free motion quilting and ruler work.

This edge to edge stuff is very useful,

but I feel more like a computer operator than a quilter.

Still embroidering...

6 of 9 Squash Squad blocks.

I am so thankful for projects like these on social media.

Without them, I think the anxiety and isolation would overwhelm me.

I said goodbye to my mother this year and 

welcomed another grandchild.

The circle of life.

One step forward and two steps back!

I was buzzing along with Hocus Pocus,

piecing the individual pumpkin blocks together until I got to Row 3.

Oops, pattern designer asked for too many medium gray pumpkins,

and now I need another large gray pumpkin.

So I cut the component parts, started sewing them together, 

and oops, put the corner squares on the wrong corners!

Time to take a break and revisit on another day!

I have made progress on a Christmas present for my son and his wife,

Bringing Home the Tree

by Buttermilk Basin.
Block 1 is stitched and block 3 is almost done.

With the closing of The Olde World Quilt Shoppe,

I got all my samples back.

I brought several of them up to the cabin and
I love how they adorn the walls of the cabin!

An all time favorite Lori Smith quilt that I added a little something to the borders.

This Norma Whaley project is perfect for the hallway.

A great patriotic project by Lisa Bongean.

This Heart to Hand project fits perfectly over the back doors.

My miniature sampler that won me a blue ribbon from the AZ Quilters Guild
now hangs in my bedroom.

Added to my wall of small quilts too!

Finished the last 3 circles of my Toned-Down Sampler.

A flamingo of my own design.
Had to put his feet in a flower bed since I did not plan too well.

The jellyfish at the bottom is my own design also.

Will need to quilt and bind it when I get back to AZ.

Speaking of going home...

School had been pushed back to September for my grandchildren,

so my daughter and the girls will stay here with us through August.

My son and his family are looking to join us as well.
A safe, cool place to wait and see what our lives will be in the future.

Bee's a Buzzing!

A real finish that was started in this calendar year!

Buzzing by Heart to Hand.

I love the messages in the 4 corners of the quilt. 

The other corners say bee happy, bee sweet and bee strong.

Sue Spargo did a bee skep circle this week too.

Then my focus shifted to the undersea world. 

 My pufferfish/blowfish.

Looks like me since I cannot seem to stay out of the refrigerator.

And then a sea anemone.

Followed by a kelp forest with sea urchin and sea star.

Here is my sampler so far.

Progress on Le Jardin.

Just one more block!
I will prep it this week in preparation for the drive to Colorado.

Something to listen to on Audible and
something to stitch makes the trip bearable.

Happy Easter

Thought I would share these 2 small quilts, 

designed by Edyta Sitar.

I finished them a while back,

but love the spring colors in them.

I am following Sue Spargo's Toned Down Circle Sampler on Instagram 

and I am finding such peace stitching each circle while I drink my coffee early in the morning.

Beats reading the highly disturbing news!

Her video tutorials are so helpful! 

And I can save them to refer back to anytime.

I keep busy by dyeing wool for The Olde World Quilt Shoppe.

You can see most of my wool if you click on the link above.

Sometimes it is just work when I am dyeing colors I have dyed a hundred times before, 

but when I can experiment, that is when I enjoy it.

This has been such a sad week with so many lives lost.

I hope all is well with you and your loved ones.

Stay healthy and stay safe!