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!