I Like Thursday #277

Welcome to Thursday Likes! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting fun content. Today is a holiday, Juneteenth. I'm so disappointed that we never learned of this day when taking American history. I'm glad that's it's now acknowledged as a holiday to commemorate the end of slavery. It may be a little late but at least it is now acknowledged. 

Our flowers are all blooming. Our peonies look great this year and smell wonderful! I brought some to the cemetery for Father's Day.  I left some at my dad's grave a well as my grandfather. I'm not sure how long they'll last but they did look nice. 

Today is hot and humid and I'm feeling quite lazy! Lily was laying around this morning and I think she feels the same way as I do! Too bad I just can't lounge around like a cat!

This is a short post but I've had a quiet week. There's not much to report. I'm going to try and sew a little bit. Have a great weekend!!

Peacock at Sunset Needlepoint Pillow

This is the new project I started about a month ago. It's called Peacock at Sunset. I wanted to make a colorful pillow for my new couches. I haven't done needlepoint for years but I thought I'd give it a try. I always look at Ehrman Tapestry and watch out for sales. When I saw this one was on sale, I grabbed it! It measures 16" X 16". I don't have too much done and it's sort of a slow process but it's very enjoyable. I only work on it when I watch TV. This one will take awhile but that's fine! 

This is a picture from the website. The colors are a little different but you can see how colorful it is! I'm hoping to finish it myself. I've made pillows before so I should be okay. I've heard having needlepoint projects finished for you is very expensive. These kits are expensive too! Check out Elizabeth Bradley which is another needlepoint retailer. The kits are gorgeous but so expensive. I'm looking out for a sale for that website! I think it's the only way I can afford one of their kits. 

I Love Thursday #276

 It's Thursday so it's time for some nice likes! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more participating blogs. I'm making progress on my Facets quilt. I have to make a total of 20 blue blocks. Although slow, it's so nice to play with my scraps and actually use them!! Each block finishes at 6" square.

I just found out about this app and thought I'd share it. I often hear the birds singing outdoors but I never know what sound is coming from what bird. Well, this app listens to the birds in your area and identifies each bird. So fun! I heard an owl as well as a ruby-throated hummingbird this morning. You can keep a list of what birds have been identified by your phone. This app is very enjoyable!

This turkey mom and her chicks are still hanging around my yard. I watched her fly up into a tree and each baby follow her up there! She seems to have 6 chicks although one looks smaller than the others. They have definitely grown since I first spotted them last week.

I was checking out our little vegetable garden and felt like someone was watching me. I wasn't wrong! See if you can spot Molly keeping an eye on me! I let the cats out on the deck but use a baby gate to keep them from going down the stairs. They're quite happy just sitting out in the sun and catching some fresh air.

Have a wonderful weekend!!! Happy Father's Day to all the dads!

Frighful Fun BOM June

I finished this month's Frightful Fun Block of the Month early this time. The top block is called Toxic Traits. The bottle on the right was straight forward and not too bad. 

This portion of the block wasn't too bad either but that skull took forever! It's made up of 4 sections and those teeth were very tiny! It's all basically the same technique but the smaller the pieces, the more precise you have to be!

Here's the bottle without the skull. It wasn't very hard but the skull really makes this block. It took awhile but it was worth it! 

Here's a photo of Pick Your Poison. I fussy cut little images on each of the labels. These blocks were so fun to make this month! I'm back to working on my scrap quilt, Facets. I also started another project but that's another post! 

I Like Thursday #275

 Welcome to Thursday likes! A bunch of us bloggers post happy stuff once a week. Visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to hook up to more blogs taking part. I've had a crazy week but I did manage to work on my Frightful Fun BOM. This month, we're working on 2 blocks. The block I'm working on, Pick Your Poison, is made up of 4 fun little bottles. I got these 2 done. Aren't they so cute?? In a spooky way!! I love to fussy cut and make the bottles more fun!

Just to refresh your memory, here's a photo of what blocks we've made so far in this block of the month. The areas that are vacant are waiting for more blocks. This has been such a fun project! I'm really enjoying it. 

My husband got quite sick this week. He was diagnosed with cellulitis in his hand. He went to Urgent Care who sent him to the Emergency Room at the hospital. He got IV antibiotics but since the infection was travelling up his arm, he had to spend the night. He's finally home and on oral antibiotics. His hand looks much better and he feels almost back to normal. He's just a little tired.

This is a little blurry but we saw a mother turkey walking with her babies yesterday. They crossed the street and luckily, the cars waited for them to cross. We have many turkeys in the neighborhood but I've never seen their chicks before.

It's supposed to reach 90 here today. I'm hoping to stay in with the air conditioner on. Have a great weekend and keep cool!!!

Flying Geese Alternate Blocks

 I had a very busy week and never seemed to be able to write a blog post. Towards the end of the week, our June directions for the Laurel Ridge BOM were available. This month, the directions were given for the large applique block that you can see in this picture. It's made up of 3 flowers and numerous leaves. Usually, we get alternatives if we don't want to applique. I didn't like this month's alternate block. It was a 5.5" square pieced block with strips on either side to fit the odd shape of 5.5" X 8". (The size of the original applique blocks.)

I decided to make flying geese in groups of 3. I decided to divide the length of the block by 3. The flying geese finish at 2.5" X 5" but were trimmed to 3" X 5.5".  It's a bit confusing but it works! The 3 flying geese unit measures 5.5" X 8". I fooled around with placement and sewed 2 units together to make sure my measurements were correct.

Here are my final units all sewn together. I have 4 sets of flying geese that are mirror images of each other. I only needed 8 blocks total, 4 sets of geese. 

Now that this one is done, it's time to work on my Halloween BOM! I think I'll wait until tomorrow!

Sleeping Kitty Pillow

I finished my cross stitch Sleeping Kitty pillow over the weekend. Once the cross stitching and back stitching were complete, I had a few things to do to make it into a pillow.

After washing it, I ironed it nice and flat! At this point, it already looked so much nicer than while I was working on it.

I ironed a light weight interfacing onto the back of the piece. Then, I measured 1/2" and 1" from the edge of the cross stitching. The 1" line was my cutting line and the 1/2" line was my sewing line. 

I chose a cat fabric for the backing. The cats are sitting on library shelves. This fabric has lots of stuff I love! I sewed right sides together, turned inside out and stuffed with poly stuffing I bought awhile ago and just happened to have home. I love this pillow! I find myself just admiring it while I sit in my family room. I just may make another one. I've had a few requests!!

I Like Thursday #274

 It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting Thursday likes. I finished my cross stitch sleeping cat! The magazine said it would take about 40 hours but it took me much longer! I started stitching at the end of February and just finished it yesterday. I have no idea how long it took me but it was much longer than 40 hours! I'm doing some backstitching right now (So, I'm still not really done!!) and then I'll be making it into a pillow. I find cross stitching very relaxing but I still love to quilt!

I usually go out everyday but decided to stay home today. We're in the middle of a Nor'Easter which is weird for May! Anyways, it's rain and not snow which is a good thing. Although, I did hear that New Hampshire and Vermont were getting snow! The rain and wind are just ramping up so it's going to be a long and stormy day. I hope we don't lose power.

Molly loves sleeping on that soft blanket! My Swoon quilt is under it. I'm glad she's spreading her fur onto that blanket and not my quilt! Today is dark and dismal and I can understand how she would like to sleep there all day.

Today's prompt asks what we do for Memorial Day and how you feel about the holiday in general. I think of it more as the start of summer. We used to have a little function at my grammar school where we would honor those who served the country but are no longer with us. My dad and my father-in-law were both veterans but they made it back home. My son used to be in the parade in town when he was a Cub Scout. Nowadays, we cook on the grill and find another excuse to overeat! It's sort of sad. I actually wish we didn't have so many wars. I wish we could be better.

Have a great weekend!!

Facets Quilt Round 2

I finished piecing the blocks for Round 2 of the Facet Quilt. I only used 2 orange fabrics twice so it wasn't too difficult to figure out the layout. I took a picture not just for my blog but to piece it properly. I can't tell you how many times I've mixed up my blocks as I'm sewing them together!

I pieced the side blocks onto the center. Each block finishes at 6" so the first 2 rounds will finish at 24" square. There are lots of seams to line up so it's a slow process but it's not too bad. I'm already looking forward to the next round. The main color will be blue. I have tons of blue fabrics so I'll be happy to use up those scraps! I love making a quilt using what I have in my stash. 

I Like Thursday #273

It's time for Thursday Likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs posting fun content. I've forgotten to post a picture of Audi! He's my son and daughter-in-law's new cat! Isn't he just so cute?? He's already a year old and weighs close to 15 lb. He's a big boy! They adopted him through a Vermont shelter. They drove 2 hours to pick him up. He really loves my son! He follows him around their house and sleeps with him. So adorable!!

I've made more progress on my Facets quilt. I need a total of 12 orange blocks for round 2. I'm getting there slowly but surely! I've also been trying to wash windows and curtains so it's not going too fast. Slow but steady!

My cross stitch pillow is almost done! I have really enjoyed working on this project. There are lots of thread changes but I just love the effect. The cat looks so real! I'll be making this into a pillow. I hope I don't sit on him!

The prompt this week asks us if we've ever been on a motorcycle. Sadly, I have not. However, my grandfather was a mechanic in Italy and owned a motorcycle. According to my mother, she had many rides with him over the years. I wish I had a picture of my mom and grandfather zipping around those small streets in Italy. What a treasure that would have been!

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day! Have a great weekend!

Facets Quilt - Round 2

 Since I'm all caught up with my BOMs, it was time to start the second round of the Facets Quilt. The blocks are similar but do have a few differences. The color choices for Round 2 are orange with white/pale background. However, the corners are pointing inward and the background surrounds the middle square. I didn't notice that until I had started to put the block together. Better late than never! These block are 6.5"square.

The orange blocks remind me of the rolling rock quilt block. I've noted that each round alternates with the corners either pointing in or out. The backgrounds are also switched around depending on which round you're on. Victoria Findlay Wolfe always keeps you on your toes! She has these little changes that alter entire look of the quilt. I have 10 more blocks to make and Round 2 will be complete! I sure do love playing in my scraps!

Halloween BOM Bats

 I've been so busy this week. I'm trying to get everything ready for Mother's Day and trying to work on my Halloween BOM. This is the By the Light of the Moon block. It measures 18.5" square.

The block is paper pieced but it's sort of a weird angle. The top piece doesn't have a straight bottom line. The rest of block is divided into 3 sections. Somehow, they all fit! I always find it difficult to work with curved/rounded pieces. I feel they're so much harder than straight lines!

 This month also included Batty, a smaller bat that measures 6.5" square. 

This one was also completed with slanting lines. I didn't think it would fit but it did!! I feel I learn a lot each and every month. This BOM runs through September. I think we only have 5 blocks left to make. 

Basket Block - Laurel Ridge BOM

This cute little basket block was the May block for the Laurel Ridge BOM. We had to make 20 of them. At first glance, I didn't think this block would be too hard to make.

It took awhile to make the half square triangles but I used the 8-at-a-time method so it was pretty fast. It took a little longer to trim them to size and then sew in groups of 3. I measured each seam as I sewed along to make sure my measurements were correct. I added the red square and the half square triangles were all sewn on.

The next step was to add the 2 side rectangles complete with triangles. 

The last step was to add that corner triangle. I folded the triangle in half so I could find the center. That center helped me place the triangle where it should be to complete the block.

After more trimming, I finally finished and had 20 basket blocks that measured 5" finished. Phew! This block took me much longer than I thought it would. I feel each block is a learning opportunity so I learned a lot with this block! My number one takeaway is to measure after sewing each section. When pieces are this small, no variations are allowed! I'm hoping next month is easier!!

 

I Like Thursday #272

It's time for Thursday likes! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Quilts to link up with more bloggers taking part in I Like Thursday. I went to a quilt show last month and took a picture of this booth. If any of you watch Shark Tank, you may remember Legit Kits that featured a company that made quilt kits. It was fun to see their products in person. They're mostly wall quilts and attracted quite a bit of attention when I saw them.

We ordered our couches back in February and finally got them delivered last week. The styles now are quite different than when I bought couches over 20 years ago. The fabric is more solid than a print. I decided it was the perfect opportunity to use some of my quilts! I think they add a nice splash of color to the room which is mostly blue and grey.

The cats have been a bit hesitant about the new couches. However, I did catch Molly sitting on one of them. I actually saw her admiring my quilt! At least, I hope so. I saw her staring at it.

And speaking of couches, Lily likes her new couch too! She's been sleeping on it the last few days. I'm so glad she finally discovered it!!

This post has lots of news about couches but I'm so happy to have updated my family room. It took quite a while between painting the walls and replacing the carpeting. It's finally done!!

Have a great weekend!!