Trying Times Tuesday

Hi Everyone. . . How are you doing today? I'm doing fine, but I am not accomplishing as much as I should be accomplishing. I know what I should be doing: I'm just not doing much. Perhaps I need to follow a daily schedule. How are you dealing with all of this? Have you made a schedule for yourself?

I'm not completely drifting through the day as yesterday I did make some more masks, but have I been practicing my flute? Well, no . . . ( Please don't tell my flute teacher. ) Have I followed through on practicing the piano? That would also be a "no." How about plans to clean out closets??? No, not so far . . . Oh well . . .  I'm going to blame it on the recent 3-D days  . . dismal, damp, and dreary.

I did spend a few hours yesterday sewing more masks.

I know many of you are sewing masks, but what else are you working on???

Are you looking for a new project? Bonnie Hunter is running a Unity Quilt Along with new directions/steps given every Monday. Would you like to try your hand at hand stitching? Laura Wasilowski is offering a free "Tools of the Trade Stitch Along." I'm tempted to do both, but I already have a stack of projects. :-) Also, don't forget to check out The Quilt Show channel on Youtube. Alex Anderson is checking in on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while Ricky Tims is on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Alex's Monday video dealt with putting a facing rather than a binding on a small quilt.

Were you one of the million people who watched last week's concert online with Trisha Yearwood and Garth Brooks from their home studio?  CBS sure noticed and tomorrow night, Wednesday, at 9:00 they will perform in a TV special.  Even if you are not a country music fan, watch anyway as they are both wonderful performers.

One last thing . . .  I don't know about you, but I am very impressed with all of the new inspiring, uplifting, hopeful TV commercials. For once, I don't mind watching them.

Smile for the day . . .

Stay safe. We are in this for the long haul, but we are all in this together.

I wish you peace.

Sunglasses Optional - Divide & Conquer Convergence Quilt

Good Sunday Afternoon to You All! How is everyone doing today?

It is another 3-D day: dreary, damp, and dismal. Clearly, I could also add depressing, but I am trying my best to stay positive in these posts.

Today I want to show you what I am been working on for the last few days. On Thursday afternoon, Ricky Tims of The Quilt Show presented a mini lesson on his "Divide & Convergence" quilt, and I could not wait to get started making one.  I knew that I had just the perfect piece of fabric, a yard of Ricky Tims' hand dyed fabric which I had purchased at one of his seminars a few years ago.

Friday morning I got started. Note: You can find his lesson on Youtube on The Quilt Show Channel, on Alex Anderson's Facebook page, or on Ricky Tims' Facebook page.

 I was totally absorbed in the process, and it was good, creative fun! Here is the middle section. Ricky explained the process clearly, and trust me, it was easy to do.

I put a thin black inner border and fortunately had enough fabric left to piece together a wide outer border. Then I faced the real challenge. How was I going to quilt it??? I am an absolute whiz at stitch in the ditch, so I stitched down the columns in the middle section. Then what??? Free motion quilting is definitely not in my wheelhouse. (Perhaps it is a skill that I could consider working on in the stay-at-home weeks ahead.)

I had in mind having big swooping lines diagonally across the piece, and then I remembered  Sue Pelland's Leaves Galore rulers!!! Just what I needed!!! I used the largest template and marked the gentle curve. I drew five such lines across my piece.

 I used two of Superior's Rainbows threads to stitch along the drawn lines. You may not be able to tell from this photo, but the colors of this polyester thread change in one inch increments. Remember to use a 90/10 needle with this type of thread. Even with the correct needle in place, I still had a bit of difficulty, but a quick check of Superior's website  - trouble shooting section - and the problem was solved. It was a matter of adjusting the tension.

The finished piece is BIG . . . 23x31, and this is where the sunglasses come in as it is really, really BRIGHT!

 It's hanging in my kitchen and it will surely wake me up when I come down for breakfast! :-)

If you are a quilter, I am sure you already follow Bonnie Hunter's Quiltville Blog, but on the off chance that you do not, check it out tomorrow as she is starting a "Sew in Place Quilt Along!"


Now because this is acts as my journal, I would like to record some notes on the coronavirus pandemic this week.
 - The United States now has over 110,000 cases and over 2,000 souls have been lost.
 - There have been over 10,000 deaths in Italy and the death toll in the United Kingdom is over 1,000. (The virus has been in Italy longer than the US and the United Kingdom.)
 - Things are starting to improve in China where the disease was first noted.
 - Dr. Fauci says the US could see millions of coronavirus cases and 100,000 or more deaths. Let us pray that this good man is wrong.


So, how do we deal with all of this? I will not say "Stay Positive" as that is not possible. What I will say is "Stay Connected" to family and friends. "Stay busy." "Stay Creative." Find moments in each day that give you peace or encourage you to smile. Pray for all those working to keep us safe. Perhaps record your own thoughts and feelings in a journal, so that one day when this all has passed you might look back and reflect on all that we, our country, and this world have been through.

I wish you peace.

This & That Thursday

Hello Everyone . . . How are you doing today?

I did not post yesterday as it was a 3-D day: dreary, damp, dismal. Not much was accomplished in this castle, and that is perfectly okay. I truly believe that we need to be kind to ourselves and not put any pressure on us to accomplish things. I did make three masks, but I felt a need to do some hand stitching. The wool applique piece that I wrote about in an earlier post arrived in the mail, and it was just the ticket.

I have become a complete Sue Spargo convert. Previously, I would have lightly fused each wool piece down, but not any more. Sue Spargo has you whip stitch each piece before going back and adding any embroidery or embellishment. She believes that fusing pieces down with an iron will flatten things.  This new piece was not a Sue Spargo kit, but I am incorporating what I am learning in her mini BOM. I've said it before and I will repeat it again  . . . there is no better way to relieve stress than to do some wool applique. Actually, I spent a few hours stitching yesterday. :-)

Today, I would like to share a blog that I follow, Pentreath & Hall Inspiration which is written by a designer who often shares lush photos from the British Isles. He is a fine writer and an excellent photographer. I'm mentioning it here since his post today deals with the coronavirus in London and is well worth reading. I'm adding his blog to my blog list.

[Note: if you do not see a blog list in a column on the right it is because you are following by email. That's great! But, if you scroll down to the very bottom of the email that you receive, you will see something like "View in Browser" or "Web Version." Click on either and you will be taken to the whole page. It contains some of my favorite blog links, my contact information, and a few other things. It will also allow you to scroll through previous posts, locate something I wrote about before, or leave a comment on a post which I would enjoy reading. :-)]

Today, Ricky Tims gave a demonstration of how to do a convergence wallhanging. You may find it on The Quilt Show on Youtube, on Alex Anderson's Facebook page, or on Ricky Tims' Facebook page. Tomorrow I may just give it a try!

Anne R., another Crosstown Quilter, sent me a photo of the pretty new stitch pillow that she made.

You may find the tutorial info at this previous post.  While there, check out Anna's (from the Woolie Mammoth blog) Youtube channel, and if you have fallen down the cross stitch rabbit hole, you might enjoy her "Floss Tube Stitch Roadies" channel. Now, one should never say never, but I am 99.9999999 percent sure that I will not go down the cross stitch rabbit hole. It's beautiful to see, but it is not my thing!

Back to Anne R. who sent along this meme which totally cracked me up!!!

Stay safe, stay creative, and try to smile when you can.

Making Protective Face Masks Update

Hi Everyone . . . How are you doing today?

This morning my friend Maribeth, she of the magnificent "Jack's Chain" quilt seen in a recent post, stopped by to drop off some masks that she had made. Maribeth, Emma, and I went for a walk around my neighborhood. Don't worry; we observed all social distancing guidelines. When we returned to my home, we sat for a bit in my backyard in the pink, plastic, Adirondack chairs which I had never bothered putting away last fall. We sat about eight feet away, but I'm afraid Emma didn't get the  social distancing guidelines and could not get enough of our visitor. Emma loves people and believes that all who come here must be greeted with enthusiasm. That goes for folks that we meet on our daily walks as well. :-)

Using Dr. Lauren Streicher's tutorial, A Surgeons Guide to Sewing a Surgical Mask, I made five masks this afternoon.

Her video tutorial is clear and extremely well done. Who better to explain what our health care workers need? The size of her masks are a tad larger than in some other patterns, and she recommends incorporating a piece of wire edge ribbon inside the top edge. The ribbon sewn into the top of the mask can eliminate any gaps. Watch her short video to see what I mean.

She also recommends labeling the"top" on the back, so the recipient will feel where the mask may be adjusted to conform to his or her face and adding a short message using a permanent marker.

Coronavirus  Update:
- The Olympics have been postponed for a year.
- Sixteen states have now issued stay-at-home orders.
- 1.3 billion people in India are now in lockdown for twenty-one days.
- Ford, GM, and GE Health Care are gearing up to make desperately needed ventilators.
- 3.4 million citizens are expected to sign up for unemployment.
- The stock market roller coaster continues. The man in the White House would like to "open things up" by Easter. His focus is the economy and his reelection bid, not the American people.
 - Good news: Dr. Anthony Fauci, a powerful voice for science and truth, was back this afternoon with the White House coronavirus task force.

Finally,

Be kind to yourself.

Stay safe. Stay creative. May God bless us all. The world is a very small place, and we are all in this together.

Face Masks

Do not look for anything remotely positive in this post. After listening to the latest White House coronavirus press conference tonight, I simply cannot fake it. I am too scared as should be every American.  The President claims that 'the coronavirus cure can not be worse than the problem itself.' His focus is on the economy and not on us. What good will it be to improve the economy if thousands and thousands of us die? When he was asked if he would listen to the medical experts, he said he would listen to what they say, but their focus might not be his, and he would make the decision about what to do and whether or not isolation measures in any form would continue after the initial fifteen days. He would clearly disregard the advice of doctors from across the country in his desperate bid to rally the economy to help his reelection. Does he not realize that the deaths of thousand might be on his hands? Whom will he blame then???

One more thing... where was straight talking Dr. Anthony Fauci??? Why was he not at the briefing???

As I wrote in yesterday's post, across the country people are sewing protective masks for members of the medical profession. We will not kid ourselves into thinking that these masks are as good as what these dedicated men and women need and deserve, but they are something. That the richest country on earth cannot provide personal protective gear to those on the frontlines fighting this terrible virus is unconscionable.

So many are trying to help in their own small way, that some sewing supplies are now limited, so I thought I might present some alternatives.

The patterns for these masks which are readily available online call for elastic which is now difficult to find. This was 1/2 inch wide elastic which I cut in half.

I also made a number of masks using grosgrain ribbon which I had on hand. Other ribbons would probably be too flimsy.

Stores in our state are closed and there is no elastic available online, but you can make fabric straps which will perhaps stand up better to repeated washings. This may seem basic, but I thought that I would share how I make straps.

First, cut a piece of fabric 2" by 16". You will need four strips for each mask. 

Next, fold the strip in half lengthwise and give it a press.

Open it up and fold each edge into the middle. Also fold up each end. Give this a good press.

 Then fold the strip together to create a 1/4" strip. Stitch the three open edges.

Though these ties do take a bit longer to make, they will hold up better and make the mask more adjustable.

Important UPDATE:  I just came across an excellent video tutorial  A Surgeon's Guide to Sewing a Surgical Mask which I will be using from this point forward.

I wish you peace. Stay creative. Stay well and may God bless us all. The world is a very small place, and we are all in this together.

Sunday Sampler 3/22/20

Good Sunday Morning to you all!!! We have made it through another week of self isolation, social distancing,  staying in our homes, etc... How are you doing?

Let me start by providing a link to a live camera feed from the National Mall Tidal Basin; click HERE to see the cheery blossoms. You will see people, although not nearly as many as in ordinary times, strolling along. They change the viewing angle from around the basin every five minutes. Seeing the cherry blossoms in our nation's Capitol is something that I have always wanted to do. I think I will start a list of things I am committing to do and places to visit . . .  post-coronavirus.

Something lovely to look at . . .

Pat S, a member of our Crosstown Quilters Guild, sent me a photo of her beautiful stitch pillow. She had admired mine at our recent quilt retreat and decide to make one as well. You will find a link to an excellent video tutorial in a previous post, HERE.

I received notification this morning that my internet weekly usage was up 48%. No kidding! ! ! What would we do without it during these stressful days? Emailing,  texting with friends, having a family meeting on Zoom, and reading blogs . . . Let me talk about a few things you might enjoy on Youtube. Alex Anderson @ The Quilt Show is doing a live mini quilt lesson every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1:00 EST on their site and their facebook page. Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimbel, and Steven Colbert are doing mini monologues each night before showing reruns of their programs.  Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel are using skype to interview guests. It's nice to see how folks like Lin Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Garner, and others are coping. By the way, wouldn't you want to have Jennifer Garner for a friend or neighbor?  She's lovely.

While writing this post, I am viewing a delightful St. Patrick's Day posting of "Dinner with the Gaffigans." If you don't know Jim Gaffigan, he is a very funny stand up comedian, and each night he and his family of seven sit down around their dining room table to eat and talk:-). All ages will enjoy spending time with this family. [Note: You may watch any of these programs at anytime on Youtube.]

During the past week, I have watched two John Wayne movies, The Quiet Man  and last night Hondo. I find it oddly comforting watching these old movies, and yes, I have been spending time with The Virginian and the Cartwrights on the Ponderosa, too :-)

I finished the second block of the Sue Spargo wool applique mini BOM which was fun to do except for the palestrina knots in one section. Grrrr . ... I have Sue's Creative Stitching book, but I still wasn't able to figure them out. Finally, on Youtube I found two tutorials which helped, but those stitches are still not good. It's only a small section, so perhaps no one will notice.

Confession: I ordered another wool applique kit this week. I couldn't stop myself. It is spring themed with bunnies, chicks, flowers, and happy things, etc. Seriously, it would have taken a stronger woman than I am to resist. Besides, right now we all need to work on things that we enjoy.

As are folks across the country, I am making fabric masks. There are many tutorials online. It is appalling that our dedicated medical people who are risking their lives for all of us do not have adequate supplies of personal protection equipment. Don't even get me started on that.

Anyway, this is getting long, so may I wish you all peace and good health. Stay creative. Stay well and may God bless us all. The world is a very small place, and we are all in this together.

Jack's Chain and Spring Is Here!

Yesterday was a beautiful day and knowing that today would be cold and rainy, I took Emma for a long walk. Along the way, I photographed these crocuses.

Today, I offer you something beautiful to gaze upon, my friend Maribeth's latest quilt. The pattern is "Jack's Chain." It is pretty awesome in the photo, but trust me, it is even more spectacular in person!!! Look at all of those pieces!!!

Now for some quilt related possibilities. People in the quilting community are stepping up to give comfort and support; none more so than Alex Anderson. She is posting free mini lessons on The Quilt Show. Monday's talk was on neutrals and yesterday she talked about choosing fabric for a project. You do not need to join to see these lessons. She will be giving another lesson tomorrow at 1:00 EST. Simply go to The Quilt Show and click on the "Daily Blog." She is also posting skype interviews with some big name quilters. Yesterday it was Victoria Findlay Wolfe; upcoming are Katie P.M., Bonnie Hunter, and Laura Wasilowski who is offering a free hand stitch along, "Tools of the Trade." The big news is that The Quilt Show is planning something special for International Quilting Weekend; go to the site for more details.

New topic . . . has all this hand washing and cold weather caused painful cracks in your skin? I found something that really, really works, Gold Bond Cracked Skin Relief. It has a thin applicator and you just squeeze a tiny bit into the crack . . .  instant relief. (That is until you again wash your hands and need to reapply it.)

Coronavirus update: Department stores, theaters, and playgrounds are closed. Some supermarkets are offering very early hours exclusively for those 60+, the high risk group. The number of deaths in Italy has now surpassed that of China.

Stay safe and be kind to yourself. We are all in this together.

St. Patrick's Day and Tom Brady Breaks Our Hearts

A message from Emma . . .

A short post this morning to wish you a Happy Saint Patrick's Day and to tell you about something Alex Anderson of The Quilt Show is doing. Quilters are fortunate that nearly all of us have large enough stashes and projects to keep us busy for the next few weeks. (Truthfully, we probably have enough to keep us busy for five years . . . make that ten years!  :-)

Alex Anderson is offering free mini quilt lessons online; you do not have to join The Quilt Show to view them. Yesterday's lesson on "Using Neutrals" was very interesting, and it will be posted in their newsletter and it is on their Facebook page. (I do not do Facebook, but I was able to watch the lesson.) Note: if you wish to view it on their Facebook page, scroll down to the video that say "neutrals," not the one where she is holding a phone. I believe there will be another LIVE lesson tomorrow, Wednesday @1:00 Eastern Standard Time.

And now, if things were not dismal enough, Tom Brady has announced that he is leaving the New England Patriots. It is hard to believe and even harder to accept, but I am sure that all of Patriots Nation will wish him the best wherever he goes. He has been a great quarterback and a truly class act. We have been blessed to have him for twenty years.

Stay strong. God bless the members of our medical profession, first responders, our leaders, and all  who are trying to deal with this devastating crisis.

Cute Animals and Supermarket Sweep

Hi everyone! How are you doing today? As promised, I'm going to try to post as frequently as I can  something to make you smile during these strange, stressful, difficult days.

Have you seen Wellington??? The internet has fallen in love with a rockhopper penguin who resides at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium. With the aquarium shut down due to the coronavirus, the penguins were allowed out of their habitat to explore. The video is short, but please take a moment to view it as it is guaranteed to make you smile. Click HERE. Personally, I'd like to have his keepers follow him around for at least a half hour. He's precious!!!

And speaking of cute animals, here is a teddy that I made for my young cousin Trixie who loves acting. She was to perform in a children's theater production over the weekend, but the shows were cancelled. Fortunately, the dress rehearsal was filmed, so I hope to see that.

At our last Ladies Lunch, I had Trixie, her sister, and their friend stuff teddy bears that I was donating at my guild. Trixie loves stuffies and asked if I would make her one. She picked this purple flannel from my stash. When our guild members make them to be donated, we do not embroider faces or add buttons since we don't know how old the recipients may be, but I did both for my favorite little actress! On the bottom of one foot, I embroidered "BREAK A LEG" and added stars. :-)

You may see the llama that I made her for Christmas two years ago HERE.

So, this morning on CBS This Morning it was suggested that we keep a diary/journal to help us deal with the stress. I knew supermarket shelves were becoming a bit empty, but yesterday I saw that for myself. I waited until late Sunday afternoon before heading to Roche Brothers on Quincy Avenue. The parking load was not crowded, so I donned my disposable plastic gloves and headed in to mainly get some milk and corn beef. Oh my goodness!!! There was milk, and I was able to pick up a few things that I needed, but I was surprised to see the items that there had been a run on. There was a not a drop of bottled water. What's up with that??? I understand the toilet paper and paper towels as I, myself,  have been buying them, but it was startling to see all the completely empty shelves on that long aisle. . . except for the notices asking customers to only purchase two paper product items.  I wasn't looking for any of the following items, but it was interesting to see that there were no eggs, frozen pizzas, not a crumb of bread or English muffins, no bleach or other cleaners, etc. People seemed bemused by the situation, but not overly upset. I returned home and cranked up the drawbridge of my castle where I will now stay for the foreseeable future. [Another supermarket, Stop and Shop announced this afternoon that they would open their stores on Thursday morning from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. to accommodate customers sixty or older. No one younger will be allowed to shop during those hours.]

Here in Massachusetts new steps have been taken. Restaurants have been closed except for take out. Libraries, museums, gathering places are closed. Meetings have been cancelled. All schools in the state are closed for three weeks at this point.

The Dow Jones dropped 3,000 points today.

One last thing . . . this afternoon at a coronavirus press conference, the President was asked how he would rate his handling of this crisis. With a straight orange face with white circles around his eyes, he responded that he would rate his performance a ten.   God help us all.

Be kind to yourself and stay safe.   

Flamingo Vinyl Project Bag

Hello Everyone. How are you doing???  We are in uncharted territory, and we need to somehow try to stay mentally strong and as calm as possible.  Except for walking Emma, I have no plans to go anywhere. That meant telling a friend that I would not be coming to her annual pre-St. Patrick's Day dinner today, suspending my flute lessons, and for the time being, not getting together with quilting friends. We all need to try to flatten the infection rate.

When we were on our Cape getaway, I picked up two fat quarters that I knew would make a fun, happy project bag, so that is what I worked on yesterday. It made me smile. I used the instructions for the "Vinyl Project Pouch" at Moda Fabric.  They show it made with charm squares, but I used my fat quarters. Note: the two fat quarters were enough for the project bag, but I had to use additional fabric from my stash for the binding. [FYI: The vinyl weight that I use is the one with the green printing at Joanne's.]

I also picked up this cute little flamingo charm for the zipper pull.

I had just enough fabric left from the two fat quarters to put on either side of the zipper/vinyl panel.  Remember to stitch slowly and do not use pins, use clips instead.

It's happy and fun to look at, and we need that now.

Incidentally, when I was checking the plural of flamingo (either flamingos or flamingoes is correct), I also learned a bit more about this pretty wading bird. It belongs to the family Phoenicopteridae, and it is the only bird in the order Phoenicopteriformes. Four species are distributed throughout the Americas, including the Caribbean, and two species are native to Africa, Asia, and Europe. (Wikipedia) Want to know more? Then check out, Fun Facts and Trivia about Flamingoes. If social distancing ends, just think of the fun you could have sharing this information at parties, barbecues, or meetings.

I saw this quote from First Lady Grace Coolidge on a blog yesterday.

      

      

Please be kind to yourself and stay strong.

Crocuses, Concerns, and Coronavirus

First, let's have a few happy photos of crocuses . . .  harbingers of spring. H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

 

And I  saw my first two robins yesterday.   H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

Wow! Isn't this violet grouping pretty! It may end up on some of the greeting/get well cards that I make. [Photo note: these were all taken with my Nikon 100 - 300 lens.]  H'mmm . . . Relax . . .

On Tuesday, the Crosstown Quilters Guild met, and I turned in this fleece, cuddly throw along with six comfort pillows.

As guild president, I broached the topic of possibly cancelling upcoming meetings due to the Coronavirus crisis as this was the action taken by another guild in Watertown to which I belong. Many members felt individuals should make the decision whether or not to come to our meetings.  (Note: only forty members were in attendance; usually, we have about sixty-five.) In any event, it is now Friday and things have changed rapidly. The executive board today made the decision to cancel at least our next two meetings. Safety is our main concern.

Since this blog acts as my journal, may I just mention the following: the Boston Marathon has been postponed until the fall, the NBA has suspended games as have major league baseball, hockey, the national football league, etc. The Great White Way has been shut down with no plays or performances on Broadway. Concerts have been cancelled. Since Governor Baker (MA) does not want groups of over 250 to gather, this affects many religious groups including the cancellation of daily and Sunday Masses for Catholics. Schools have been closed and many college classes will only  be online. St. Patrick's Day parades have been cancelled as have concerts and film festivals. Travel is being restricted and Disney World, Disneyland, and Universal Studios have been closed. Museums are closed. Supermarkets have rows of empty shelves, and all this is just the beginning. Who could have imagined this a month ago???

It's very scary especially since I tick a number of the boxes that put me at a heightened risk. I plan to crank up the drawbridge of my castle and just stay inside and work on my sewing projects and crafts.  I will still take Emma for our daily walks and will look forward to the gardening season. I am also going to try and post more frequently to offer my readers a smile or two. Lord knows we all need that! We are all in this together, and together, we will get through it.

One last thing, I again encourage you to read Heather Cox Richardson's daily newsletter. She is a professor of history at Boston College, and she offers a clear-eyed view and historical perspective regarding all that is currently going on in our country. It is well worth your time.  You may sign up for her newsletter HERE. 

Oh, one really last thing, in my previous post I wrote that if you follow my blog by email, you may scroll down to the bottom, and I should have written that you could click on "Web Version" to get the full page. :-)

Oh, one more really, really last thing . . . for some reason a few of the photos in my last post were not showing up; I have fixed that issue.


Be safe.

Vintage Embroidery

Today I thought that I would show you a piece of vintage embroidery that I bought while on our recent guild Cape getaway. There is a big, red wooden building about a mile down the road from where we stayed at the Bayside Resort in Yarmouth. It's an antique/vintage mall with many nooks and crannies that we always check out when in the area. Just look at this wonderful, carved back high chair. Isn't it something! It is even on rollers!

I am drawn to pieces of embroidery. (Mind you, I have enough wonderful pieces that were done by my dad's sisters, but I feel sad for abandoned, sweet little pieces such as this one that I purchased for the whopping sum of ten dollars. Who might have made this lovely piece?

There are one or two condition issues, but nothing that a well placed embroidery leaf won't fix.

 

There were some  brown stains, but a two day soak in Retro Clean removed most of them. I followed the directions on the package and soaked the piece in a bucket. I never put vintage linens in the washing machine. 

Here it is after the Retro Clean.  I had soaked it for a day, and dumped the liquid only to discover not all the stains had been removed, so I mixed up more solution and soaked it for another two days. 

 

Isn't it sweet?

 

When I purchased it, I knew just where I would display it. I have a half table in my upstairs hallway. The blue vase was a piece that had belonged to my aunt's brother who had done the painting on the glass pitcher. I must have admired it at some point for after his passing I received it. He had put labels on various items indicating to whom he wanted things to go. Isn't that a wonderful idea?

Speaking of vintage embroidery, I did this piece when I was in college; it's dated 1973, so I guess it, too, would be considered vintage. :-)  I remember that Women's Day had an issue with all of the zodiac signs. Left to right  . . . my dad - July, my mom - January, my brother- October, and my birthday sign, also July. I traced the patterns, but I don't remember how I transferred them to the fabric. I do know that my dad made the frame for this piece. I came across it at the same time as I found the stained glass ship mirror that I posted about HERE. [You may click on any photo to see a larger version.]

By the way, if you follow my posts by email, did you know that you may scroll down to the bottom of the email and click on "Web Version," to see the whole page. Among other things, I have links to some of my favorite quilt related blogs, there is a box to leave a comment, contact information, and a search box in case you would like to find something from one of my previous blog posts.

I had intended to discuss coronavirus concerns, but I will wait until another post. Stay safe.

Do Ewe Enjoy Wool Applique?

Last weekend instead of schlepping my machine, fabric, tools, etc., on our getaway to the Bayside Resort in Yarmouth, I simple brought some wool applique pieces on which to work. Wool applique is fun and relaxing for me, and I was totally happy to just stitch away on this project which did, believe it or not, take most of the weekend.

I had downloaded this pattern during the "Wooly Block Adventure 2019, " but I checked and it is  available on the Country Ramble website where you may purchase a kit or the pattern. Warning: there are some really, really cute patterns/kits on that website. :-)

I have completed the first block of the Sue Spargo BOM. By agreement, no one is allowed to post images on social media, but let me just say it is cute. . . with lots of stitching detail.

Normally, I put SoftFuse on the back of my wool applique individual pieces, but I am following Sue's method of appliquing the pieces down with wool thread before adding the embellishing stitches. I am, however,  still putting SF101 on the back of each background piece which gives the piece a bit more heft with which to work.

One last wool applique tip . . . Stacey West of Buttermilk Basin has a free Mystery BOM "Home Sweet Home 2020" on her website which is definitely worth checking out. :-).




Now, may I please ask you a favor???
Today is launch day for my cousin Linda's second book, Declarative Language Handbook: Using a Thoughtful Language Style to Help Kids with Social Learning Challenges Feel Competent, Connected and Understood." She is speech pathologist and RDI consultant.  Here is how you may help. Please consider downloading a free e-book on your kindle until March 11th by clicking HERE. The more downloads this book gets, the better it will be.

If you a parent, teacher, or grandparent who might find this book of interest, you may also purchase the paperback format for $9.99 HERE.

As Linda wrote in her email, "I am extremely grateful to be able to share my work and passion with others. . . We can show the world there is a better way when it comes to communicating with some of our most vulnerable and misunderstood kids."


Enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend and don't forget to turn your clocks ahead tonight. Let's all Spring Forward!!!

Crosstown Quilters Guild Getaway 2020

Forty lovely ladies from the Crosstown Quilters Guild in Weymouth headed to the Bayside Resort in Yarmouth for a quilt getaway this past weekend. Judging by the smiles and non-stop laughter, everyone had a most excellent time.

 

We traditionally have experienced stormy weather on our getaways: we've had a hurricane, a blizzard, bitter cold, etc., but not this time!!! The weather was wonderful. (By the way,  we have never been deterred by the weather . . . once we get set up, we hunker down and have a great time. If we can't get out to get food, we have had it brought in. Quilters are a rugged, hardy breed. Nothing stops our fun.)

Here is my favorite project from the weekend. Vanna, aka Maureen, worked on this "Color Outside the Lines" piece. Isn't it incredible! I love, love, love it.

I checked online and this pattern is still available as is a "MINI Color Outside the Lines" version, and yes, you guessed it, I have ordered the mini version. What is one more project to add to my towering pile of would be projects?

There were many completed quilt tops, and I don't know why I didn't take more photos. Here is Laurel's completed mystery quilt.

I worked on a wool applique piece which I will show in my next post. The stitch pillow mentioned in my previous post worked great!!! You may find the link to the stitch pillow tutorial HERE.