Tulip Time and Sew, What’s New?

 It has been two weeks since my last blog post, so much for good intentions. I had planned to post a number of times, but sometimes my follow through is a bit lacking. This will be a smorgasbord of some of the things I had intended to post. 

First, don’t you love tulip time! There is no place prettier than the Public Garden in Boston when the tulips are blooming and the swanboats are circling the lagoon. On Saturday which was an absolutely beautiful day, I kept telling myself that I should head in to town to do some photography. Did I do so?  No, lack of follow through . . . I did, however, take these tulip photos in my neighborhood after church on Sunday. 

Besides the daffodils, the only things blooming in my yard are wild violets, grape hyacinths, silver dollar plants and maybe a dandy dandelion or two. 

All the Easter decorations are packed away, and I realized that I had not shown you this cute little cross stitch piece designed by Lindsey Weight of Primrose Cottages on Etsy.

Sew, What’s New??? I’m starting to get my sewing mojo back, nothing major, but it’s a start. I had purchased this fabric while on a trip to Maine with friends a few years back. My intention had been to make a tablerunner like the one on display at Cotton Weeds fabric store in Freeport. Well, you guessed it, lack of follow through or maybe blame it on the pandemic, but the fabric had just been sitting in my stash until the other day when I made these perky placemats. I love them!!! Best part, there is enough fabric left to make a project bag; a definite win-win!!!

Here’s a better look at this fun fabric.

Speaking of project bags, here is one to hold wool applique work she said sheepishly. 

The second project bag is for my friend Laurel, and she will find the 60 degree ruler that I borrowed from her to make the tablerunner tucked inside. :-() (I’ve also since added a hive button, so the bee will have somewhere to go.)

You may recall that I had firmly resolved not to buy any more fabric until I used up what I have, and you must admit that since it is nearing the end of April, I have been doing pretty well. . . until last week that is. I received an email showing a piece of fabric that I couldn’t resist. I’ll show it to you in an upcoming post. That would not have been bad had I not also seen an email featuring a new line of fabric “Tulip Tango” by Robin Pickens for Moda Fabric. Heaven help me, but I couldn’t resist and before I knew it I had ordered the fat quarter bundle of this gorgeous fabric line. I have an idea that it will become a wall quilt based on Alex Anderson’s “Sequoia Sampler” pattern or Robin Pickens also put out a pattern using this fabric. . . two possibilities.

Truthfully, I have whittled my fabric stash down quite a bit with my zucchini runs. Huh? Zucchini runs??? Growing up everyone in my neighborhood seemed to have a vegetable garden. Everyone grew tomatoes, but some also grew zucchinis. By the time August came, there was an over abundance of zucchinis. Neighbors would leave bags of extra zucchinis and cucumbers on neighbors’ front steps. Sometimes they would ring the bell; sometime they would just leave them. :-) Well, before I started going back to in-person guild meetings, I would make zucchini runs to my friend Maribeth’s home. Instead of zucchinis, I dropped off fabric that I knew I would not use, and Maribeth would bring it to guild meetings for the “free” table. It was all okay fabric; I just knew that I wouldn’t be using it. So, even with the new yardage and fat quarter bundle, I’m still ahead of the game.

Covid numbers are creeping up; please stay safe everyone and have a wonderful week!

A Bit of This and a Bit of That

This afternoon I fully finished “Gertrude’s Garden” for my spring/Easter themed tiered tray. Don’t you love Gertrude’s bonnet? Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives always design charts that make me smile. 

Did you know that today is National Pet Day? (As far as Emma is concerned, every day is National Pet Day.) Anyway, let me share something that happened Saturday morning. You know the Bounty commercials where folks are sitting around a table and a glass filled with liquid spills and runs across the table; everyone in the scene then lets out a long collective,”No -o-o-o-o-o! Well, the other day just as I was letting Emma out I spotted a large turkey in the yard. My “Emma, no-o-o-o-o-o-o” did nothing to slow her as she flew down the stairs and across the yard. There is nothing like a charging, barking schnauzer to motivate flight, and with a mighty flapping of wings the turkey soared to a branch near the top of a very tall tree.

From his perch way, way up in the woods, I’d have to say the turkey did not appear to be perturbed in the slightest.

Continuing the pet theme, here is my Sunday stitch piece “Temperature - Walk with Me” from Stitchin’ Mommy on Etsy. On Sundays, I stitch the temperatures for the past week, and I’m thrilled to say I am still on track and totally up to date.

There will be a number of motifs; please don’t tell Emma that I stitched the squirrel. ;-)

On Friday, I brought an old clock to be repaired to a shop in Whitman not far from Peaceful Meadows. The sky was amazing, so I pulled in there to take this photo. Faithful readers of my blog have seen similar images posted here. Though I prefer the real cows that they used to have in the meadow, these two do make me smile. 

Did I then stroll over to the window to get something sweet, cold, and delicious? H’mm, what do you think. . . 

Well, I could ramble on longer, but I have a bit of quilting to do before our next guild meeting.

Stay safe. Covid numbers are beginning to tick back up. Follow this timely advice.

You wouldn’t think they would need to print signs such as this, but common sense is not nearly as common as it used to be. :-)

Have a good week and don’t forget to give your pet an extra treat and hug today.

Hopping by with a Spring Hare FFO

 

I started this cross stitch piece last April but put it aside to work on other pieces. When I pulled it back out recently,  I was delighted to see that all the letters had been stitched along with the ears! :-) It took me two weeks of steady, nightly stitching to finish. 

As you can see from this chart, it was designed to be a monotone piece which you probably realize by now is not quite my style. I used a pastel colored piece of 14 count aida and twenty different shades of floss, and I love how it turned out. He is quite the dapper fellow.

Adding the single cross stitch “dots” sprinkled around the piece took two or three nights.

So, what did I accomplish in March? 

- a Star Wars quilt made and donated

- Five pillowcases donated

- Four fleece blankets (three to be donated)

- Brenda Gervais - March Word Play cross stitch

- Spring Hare cross stitch

April Goal(s) . . . I have a number of quilts in various stages of completion; two only needs borders. (Sadly, they have both been borderless for over a year. I blame it on the pandemic.  :-)   Also, I would like to work on some wool applique pieces. 

Stay safe, creative, and happy.