This and That Thursday

This is the orchid that I received on July 2nd for my birthday. It still looks beautiful. Behind it is a hand applique piece that I started in a class with David Taylor in the summer of 2015. It appears as if the hummingbird is sipping from the orchid.

The sweltering heat wave continues. Yesterday, the humidity was slightly less, but still very, very hot. In spite of that, I had a lovely afternoon as my godchild Kristin came for a visit. She had stopped at Tony's along Wollaston Beach to pick up delicious lobster rolls for lunch. We socially distanced in my backyard, and as the heat increased, we moved to my sunporch where I had an overhead fan and all the windows open. We were still able to maintain a safe distance between us. I can not begin to tell you how much I enjoyed her visit. Texts and zoom meetings are wonderful, but it is good to actually see someone in person even if you do have to be masked and six feet away. :-)

I made two more project bags this week. I was in my sewing room the other day and noticed a bag overflowing with selvedges hanging on the back of the door. H'mmm . . . it might be a good time to use some of them I thought, and so I did. The other side features colorful vintage sewing machines. Bit by bit, my fabric stash is going down, but have no fear, I still have enough to last a long, long, long time.

Later, I came across this Halloween fabric in my stash. I'm not a huge Halloween fan, but I loved the graphics on this fabric when I purchased it. As you can see,  there is a cross stitch chart in the bag just waiting to be stitched.

I am going to keep this short as I want to watch the funeral of Rep. John Lewis. Our current President declined to pay his respects when Rep. Lewis lay in state in Washington this past week; Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama will attend today's funeral service.

John Lewis's final essay was published today in The New York Times. Please take a moment to read these powerful, eloquent excerpts.

While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity. . .

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it. . .

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

I wish you peace. Do not hesitate to get yourself in good trouble as we work to improve things in our country. Have hope.

Stitching Update

Hi Everyone. . . How are you doing? It's another hot, humid day in the neighborhood which means I am going to stay for the most part inside and stitch. As you can see, I have been making more project bags; making them is positively addictive!

I'm also starting a new quilt using the Kaffe fabrics and bundle of hand dyed fat quarters that I purchased from The Quilt Show.  Alex Anderson is doing a mystery quilt that you may follow on Youtube. I've never been a fan of mystery quilts; they are not my thing. I like to have a plan in mind before I start cutting up gorgeous fabric like this.

After much thought I have come up with a design which I think will work. More about that in my next post . . .

Wool Applique:

I have to stitch just fifteen more circles in the 90 Circle- Sue Spargo Toned-Down sampler. As I have mentioned previously, I wasn't crazy about some of the 'critter' circles and so left them out. I intend to do a few circles with beads and a few with silk ribbon.

Cross Stitch WIPS: Works in Progress

In the cross stitch world, July is referred to by many as "Jolly July," and thus many cross stitchers work on Christmas themed pieces. I'm working on this cute little Santa piece. It shows Santa in his pajamas with a cup of cocoa; I am most definitely leaving out the mouse. In keeping with my cross stitch rules, this is a very small piece. (Rule #1: Only work on small pieces of cross stitch.)

The line keeper on the left side of the photo is awesome. It is a magnetic strip that you attach to your chart and move down after a row is completed. It works great. They come four to a package (two long, two short) and are available from the Fat Quarter Shop. Boy, do they make it easier to keep track of where you are on a chart.

I'm also stitching the Mistletoe Lane mystery piece from the Fat Quarter Shop. The Merry Christmas banner across the top is taking forever and a day to stitch. If you do not cross stitch, you would be shocked at how many hours this much of the banner have taken.

My friend Maribeth told me about these SewTites which as the package says are great for holding pieces of fabric together when English paper piecing. I found that they also make terrific needle minders, and so, I have one attached to each of my pieces.

 

My third WIP is "When I Think of Summer." The needle minder here was one that I made from a key chain that I purchased in Ireland a few years ago. Do you think we will ever be able to travel freely again??? There are many place I would like to revisit and many places I have yet to see.

This brings me to Rule #2: I will not allow myself to work on more than five cross stitch pieces at a time. For now, I am working on only three, but there is another one that I would like to start. :-) Why not just keep working on one piece until it is completed you ask??? What fun would that be? When I watch Floss Tubers on Youtube, some of them show ten or more pieces on which they are currently working. I haven't seen any monogamous stitchers yet! These are truly my people. As I have stated often, why work on one project when you could be juggling so many more?  I stitch whichever piece I want when I want. Whatever makes one happy and calm during these troubled times is okay with me.

Finally, I'm sorry to end this on a somber note, but I wanted to share with you this image which I saw yesterday on an instagram post by a reporter covering the ongoing protests in Portland, Oregon, over the killing of George Floyd. If this doesn't touch your heart and mind, nothing will.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay sane. Have hope. Be kind to yourself and all you meet. Have faith that we will get through this. And, because I watched the Ringo Star 80th Birthday concert on Youtube, let me leave you with his words, "Peace and Love."

We're Having a Heat Wave

 

We're having a heat wave, a tropical heat wave . . . Ninety percent of the country is sweltering with 90+ temps. Whew!!!

How was your week? Overall, mine was fairly fine.  On Monday, my doctor told me that I was no longer grounded as my foot was healing. I'm not allowed to take Emma for walks yet, but I would not be doing so in this heat anyway. She is fortunate to have a large backyard to dash around in chasing squirrels though I have been taking her out on a leash during these extremely hot days.

I was happy to finally be able to get out and photograph my daylilies. On Thursday, it meant that I also could keep my appointment for a haircut. How lucky I thought that I was to find a parking space on the street right in front of the salon. Out I came twenty minutes later looking really spiffy until I saw that someone has sideswiped my parked car. The glass in the driver's mirror was shattered but the housing was in tact. There were scrapes and dents over the rear wheel. Grrrrrr!!! Did the person who did it leave an apology note and contact information? No, of course, not! Whatever happened to taking personal responsibility for one's actions??? My car goes into the shop tomorrow, and I'm stuck paying the $500. deductible. Oh well, so it goes . . .
 

Speaking of personal responsibility . . .  What is up with those dolts who refuse to wear masks??? Also, what's up with all those you see wearing masks under their noses? Really, people, please let's get with the program!!! I know my blog readers are all responsible people, but I just had to throw that out there into the universe.

I wanted to note the passing of a very good man, Civil Rights icon Rep. John Lewis.  Please take a moment to read Heather Cox Richardson's tribute to this Civil Rights icon here.  

Let me take a moment also to address the idea of sending children back to school. First, let me say that I am grateful to be retired and not facing the daunting decision of whether or not to return to the classroom. We all understand and appreciate that children do learn best in schools. But at what cost will that happen? It's already predicted that twenty-five percent of our teachers due to age or health related issues will not be able to return in the fall. It's not only the children but also the teachers and staff that we have to consider. In my years as a middle school teacher, my classes would have an average of twenty-five to thirty eighth graders. How do you social distance with classes such as that? While it may be true that children are not experiencing covid at the same rate as adults, how do we prevent them bringing it home to parents, grandparents, and other vulnerable family members? Here's my suggestion.  First Lady Melania and her husband should take their son out of his exclusive, elite, private high school and enroll him in a crowded, public D.C. school near the White House. Perhaps then parents across the country might feel some confidence about sending their children back to school. Just a thought . . .

 
______________               ________________           _________________        _________________

Pandemic Statistics:
     
                     World                        United States               Massachusetts

Cases:     14, 311,886                    3,781,985                          113, 238

Deaths:     602, 757                      142,229                                8,419



Stay cool. Stay safe. Stay strong. Have hope. God Bless us all.

Help!!! I've Fallen Down the Cross Stitch Rabbit Hole!!!

It's true. It happened. In my blog post dated March 26, 2020, just as the world was starting to turn  upside down, I wrote that I was 99.9999999 percent sure that I would not fall down the cross stitch rabbit hole. Oh, sure, I have done cross stitch before. . . most recently in a "Let's Bake " quilt designed by Lori Holt, but nothing since then. Heaven knows I have enough other hand stitching projects to keep me busy: the Sue Spargo BOM Lite, the Sue Spargo 90-Day Circle Sampler, a Yoko Saito applique quilt that has been in timeout, and a Sashiko kit that I bought the last time I went to the Vermont Quilt Festival two or three years ago. See what I mean? I had no business taking up cross stitch, but it happened anyway.

It all started with Anna Bates who has never even met me. For years I have followed her blog, Woolie Mammoth and her Youtube channel "Quilt Roadies. "Anna has a lively, fun, happy personality. She blogs about her quilting, wool applique, life, etc. When not in quarantine times, "Quilt Roadies" on Youtube documents some of her travels with her husband G. She also films projects that she is working on in the Beehive, her quilt studio. Then she started a new Youtube channel, "Stitch Roadies" to discuss her cross stitching. At first, I watched because as I said she is a positive, upbeat person, and don't we need people like that during these troubled times. Well, bit by bit by bit, I got drawn in . . . and before I could stop myself, I had ordered this sweet little sunflower cross stitch kit. (It's a Dimension kit from Joann's, and it came with the pattern, thread, fabric, and needles.)

When I had my FO (Finished Object) I watched floss tube videos on Youtube for suggestions on how to make it a FFO (Fully Finished Object.) Since I have not been going to stores, I used what I had on hand: black and white check gingham, batting, a little metal barn piece, a scrap of lace, buttons, and Aleene's Tacky glue. (Those who know me know that I have never met a button old or new that I didn't like and that goes for scraps of lace and trim, too!!! )

So, things would have been fine at this point if I hadn't started watching more Floss Tube. What's Floss Tube you ask? Well, it's a whole community of lovely people who post videos of their cross stitching on Youtube. The format of each video regardless of the presenter or presenters basically follows the same format. A few minutes of chit chat, then a look at WIPS (works in progress), Haul (what they have recently purchased in the way of patterns/charts, cross stitch fabric, threads, and kits), then it is on to FOs and FFOs. Now, the bad part of these floss tube videos is that you often see something that you would like to do or to order.

I have had to set strict rules for myself regarding purchases. The most important is I can only work on small pieces. The walls of my castle are filled with my quilted wall hangings and my photography, and there is no room for anything but small cross stitch pieces. That's fine with me. :-)
Has this discouraged me from ordering patterns, etc? Nope! I have enough to keep me busy for quite some time. In my defense, not that I need any, anything that makes us happy or keeps us busy or makes us smile during these dark, desperate times is more than okay with me.

If you are brave enough, you might like to check out the following floss tubers on Youtube:

             Stitch Roadies with Anna Bates
             Brenda and the Serial Starter (They stitch traditional samplers which would not appeal to, me,      but I do get a kick out of these ladies.)
             Country Stitchers
             The Real Housewives of Cross Stitch
             Barbara's Daughter.

I find cross stitching to be very calming and meditative, but be forewarned as you, too, might find yourself tumbling down the cross stitch rabbit hole.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Have hope.

Just Drifting Along . . .

Hi Everyone! I hope you are in some spot that is cool. Heat and humidity have seemed to grip the entire country, but as we all well know that is the least of our problems. I feel as if I have been just drifting through the days, but at least this week I did do a bit more. Here's a project bag that I made yesterday.

The zipper pull was made by stacking and wiring black, red, and grey buttons, and there is a bead at the top and at the bottom. 

I whipped up some summer, watermelon placemats as well.

 My "When Life Gives You Lemons . . . " quilt based on Alex Anderson's Sequoia pattern is finally pieced and pressed and waiting to be quilted. First, I have to clear off the projects on the dining room table; the surface of which has not been seen since this whole, terrible covid-19 mess began in March. The table is covered with projects in all stages of development.  :-) I do have a small sewing room upstairs, but I prefer to let things sprawl all over the dining room table. It is not as if I am gong to have any visitors any time soon. :-)

Yesterday, I received the fabric that I had ordered from The Quilt Show for Alex Anderson's next online mystery quilt. As she puts it, it is a mystery because she isn't sure what it will look like either.  I have never made a quilt using Kaffe fabric, so I decided that I would make this quilt, too!

The instructions are free and you do not have to register or even to use the Kaffe fabrics or be a member of The Quilt Show. Just tune in to Alex LIVE Youtube presentations. They are live on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday @10:00am Pacific/1:00pm Eastern. You can also view Alex Anderson LIVE on the Quilt Show channel on Youtube any time. [FYI: I have been a member of The Quilt Show for many years and think it is a great value for the money. This is not a commercial for The Quilt Show, but check it out as they are offering a special six month rate during these trying times.]

Earlier this week, Maribeth came to stitch for a few hours. She stopped first at the supermarket to pick up a few things for me. My sunporch is large, all the windows were open, and there was a strong breeze blowing, we were safely social distancing, so we thought that it would be okay.  She brought with her this small string quilt. If you think it looks familiar that is because I posted a larger version of this quilt back on June 16th.

The fungus among us . . . 

 

That's all for now. Have a good, no, make that a  great week ahead. We all  deserve it!!!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Stay creative. Have hope.

Orchid Joy and I've Been Gounded

 

 

Yes, I have been grounded for over a week.  No, it wasn't for sneaking in after curfew. :-)  I have been dealing with a foot issue, and I have to stay off my feet for another ten days. What have I been doing to pass the time? Hand stitching, reading, mask making, blogging, quilting, working on a jigsaw puzzle, TV watching . . . basically the same things that I have been doing throughout the quarantine. Unfortunately, I am not able to go outside to water my gardens, but Mother Nature has been helping me with that.

I am blessed to have friends who are also helping me out during this time. Miss Emma has been staying at her 'home away from home.'  Boy, I can not begin to tell you how empty the house seems without her.  It's wonderful to know that she is having a good time with her other family and her canine pals, Harvey and Bailey. Other friends have done my shopping and errands for me. I am a lucky lady.

Last Thursday, I received from my godchild and her family this beautiful orchid for my birthday. I have had fun photographing it and using some of the techniques presented in the Kathleen Clemons webinar from Hunt's Photo and Video which I wrote about in a previous post.

 The top two photos were taken on my sunporch and the color is accurate. The rest were taken inside. Camera sensors have difficulty accurately presenting blues and purples. The following images are of the same orchid.

I hope you are having a beautiful week.

Stay safe. Stay strong. Have hope and for all of our sake, please wear a mask! :-)

Independence Day 2020 and Hamilton

Yesterday we celebrated our country's birthday, without for the most part, parades, concerts, cookouts, and fireworks. Who am I kidding? I have never heard so many illegal fireworks going off, and I am not just talking about last night. Fireworks have been going off for weeks. What is up with that??? At the end of today's zoom Sunday Mass and final blessing, Father Huy, our pastor, wondered who was shooting fireworks off at 2:00am.

It was another no holiday - holiday. I don't ever remember not hosting a gathering on the Fourth. About the closest I came to tradition was having a hot dog for supper!

How many people do you think signed up for Disney+ to watch Hamilton this weekend? It will be interesting to see how many took advantage of watching this musical.  Lin-Manuel Mirander is truly a genius. The filmed recording featured the original cast of the Broadway show. I'm thinking that millions more viewed it on TV than will ever be able to see it in the theater. It was accessible to a whole new audience. Did you stream it?

If you enjoyed it, may I make a reading suggestion. . .  Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schulyer Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. Eliza was a fascinating woman in her own right. She preserved and shaped her husband's legacy after his death. If you do not wish to read the novel, then instead please, please take a minute to read the short article “Why Elizabeth Hamilton is Deserving of a Musical of Her Own" which gives insight into her remarkable life and impressive accomplishments.  She may not have been in the room where it happened, but she was there as our country struggled to be born. Elizabeth lived to the age of ninety-seven.

Since it was the Fourth of July, I also watched as I do every year the musical 1776!

I plan to be back tomorrow to show you some photos of a gorgeous orchid that I received Thursday on my birthday. There might be a slight glitch as Blogger is transitioning to a new version. Geeezzz!!! The current version does not allow some people based on the browser that they are using to leave a comment, but other than that problem it works well. I am keeping my fingers crossed about the new version . . .

Before I go, I don't know who came up with this but it is clever!

Stay safe. Stay strong. Have hope and as a tired, angry, frustrated doctor interviewed on CNN said, "Keep the Damn Masks On!!!