I Like Thursday #280

It's once again time for Thursday Likes!! Please visit LeeAnna over at Not Afraid of Color to link up with more participating blogs. I finished my Scaredy Cat for the Frightful Fun Block of the Month. This cat was fun to make but there were lots of points that had to meet so it was slow sewing once each section was completed. This block is 18.5" square.

This picture just gives you and idea of how the sections were made and sewn together. 

I received a gift subscription to Just Cross Stitch so I got the Halloween edition early! There are so many fun patterns in this issue. It's going to be difficult to pick which I should make first!

I bought this pattern last week. It does remind me that we're halfway to Christmas but I also thought I could make these wreaths for different seasons. I would love to make a topper for Fall but I have a lot going on right now so we'll see!!

The prompt this week asks us if we prefer a hammock or digging in the garden. I would say I think I'd like the hammock! It looks comfy and perfect for those hazy and humid days of summer. My husband loves doing all sorts of stuff to the lawn and plants. I'll leave him to do the digging!

Have a wonderful weekend! It's cool and rainy today but still humid. I'm hoping for better weather for the weekend!

BOM X 2

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July! We had a great holiday but I did manage to find time to sew! I finished my blocks for the Laurel Ridge BOM by Lynn Wilder featured by The Quilt Show. I used chain piecing and every quick technique I knew to get these blocks done quickly. I made 12 blocks of each colorway. I do feel I get quicker every month!

Scaredy Cat is the block this month for the Frightful Fun BOM. Today was hot and sticky. My sewing room is nice and cool but I just couldn't finish this guy today. I ran out of energy. I'm hoping to finish him tomorrow or Wednesday at the latest. Isn't he cute?? He will finish at 18" square.

I'm hoping for some drier air in the next few days. We shall see!!! This humidity just saps my energy.

I Like Thursday #279

It's time for Thursday Likes! Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up with other bloggers participating in I Like Thursday. I received my July clue for the Laurel Ridge Block of the Month sponsored by The Quilt Show. I have to make 24 blocks, 12 blocks in 2 different colorways. Here you can see my flying geese being chain pieced. I had to make a total of 96 (Yes, 96!!) flying geese. It took a few days. I use the 4 at a time method so I guess that's a bit quicker than doing them individually. I'm in the process of sewing the blocks together. I've made 4 so far. Sort of slow!!

I had to go to the library yesterday to log in my tutoring hours for the month of June. The sun was shining when I walked by this window. So gorgeous! I love our library and am happy to be a part of it even in a small way. 

Our vegetable garden seemed to be going nowhere. Nothing seemed to be growing. In the last few days, it finally looks good and healthy! No vegetables yet but it looks very good now.

Our prompt this week asks us if we like picnics as well as what type of picnic. I suppose as a kid we always had our lunches at the beach right on our beach blanket which is a sort of picnic. I did the same thing when my kids were little. That beach sure makes you hungry! Now that I'm older, I love to sit on my deck, at a table, and eat outdoors. I try to do that often in the summer. It's so nice to enjoy the fresh air while eating dinner. 

Have a great holiday weekend! 🎆🎇🧨

Facet - Round 3

Here's my Facet Quilt so far. Round 3 is complete! It measures 36.5" square so far. Each round is a new color combination. The corners on each round are a little different as well. Each block is the same pattern but color placement is changed. Each block measures 6.5" square.

This is the start of the next round. The main color is red with a contrasting light pink. The middle is a flower motif. 

I placed my two red blocks just to get an idea of how the quilt will look with the next round. Victoria Findlay Wolfe comes up with some great patterns. I have the next block all ready to be sewn together but I just received my new directions for the two BOMs I'm working on. I wish the days were longer! Too much to do!!

I Like Thursday #278

Welcome to I Like Thursday! A bunch of us bloggers post happy and fun content every Thursday. Please visit LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color to link up to more blogs. I bought this Wooden Insect House for my husband who's always outside planting something. It's supposed to attract beneficial insects as well as butterflies. I haven't seen much action yet but it's only been up a few days.

It's been so hot all week but I did manage to cook a few light meals. This is my crustless paleo quiche. I also added some turkey bacon. 

I made a crustless custard pie too! You need a few sweets to get you through the heat.

We went out for sushi last weekend. I always get the cooked one. This one is shrimp and crabmeat. So tasty!

That's it for me. Today is so nice and cool. I'm really enjoying having the windows open. Have a great weekend!!

Facets - Round 3

 

It's hot and miserable outside but I've been working on Facets. I finished the blocks for the  third round which consists of 20 blocks made up of 2 different blues as well as a bit of red. These blocks are not sewn on yet. I just wanted to figure out how to set up the blue round. You have to pay attention to the direction that the seams have been ironed. It makes sewing much easier! Each block measures 6.5" square. This piece will measure 36.5" square once round 3 has been completely sewn on.

Here's one side all sewn on!

Two sides are on! I really love how it looks. I was hoping to finish up today but I'm not moving very quickly. The weather is too hot and humid. Even with the air conditioning on, I'm taking my time today.

I'll be working on the other sides this afternoon. Slowly but surely!!  Stay cool!!

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.