Christmas Lights, a Lovely Evening, and Excessive Packing Material

 Wednesday was a remarkably warm day for these parts, and I took the opportunity to drive around at dusk checking out the lights. This was the scene at the Cohasset Common. When it eventually turns colder, this small pond will be filled with skaters.

I drove to a few of my favorite spots, but alas, there wasn’t much to photograph. 

Last night my quilting buddies and I went out for a holiday dinner. We were trying to remember just how long we have been friends. We all originally went weekly to the Quilters Compass quilt shop in Quincy. Sadly, the quilt store eventually closed, but we didn’t see any reason to stop meeting. We take turns hosting. In the beginning, we met weekly, but now it is usually every two to three weeks depending on our schedules. So how long has this been going on? I knew I had joined the weekly gathering at the store after making my first quilt. When I returned home last night, I checked the quilt’s label, and it was 2004!!! 

Excessive Packing Material . . . get a look at this large box stuffed with paper and yards and yards of bubble wrap. What pray tell was inside? Well, Joann’s had recently had an online sale, and inside the box were three Christmas mugs and one gingerbread themed nutcracker. I swear; each mug was individually wrapped in at least two yards of bubble wrap. There was no danger of any breakage of items in this box.  In case you are curious, here is the nutcracker along with one of the mugs. 

Enjoy the season . . . no stress allowed. 🧑🏻‍🎄

Countdown to Christmas - December 18th

Hi Everyone! It has been awhile since my last post.  Time seems to be rushing by.  I have been busy stitching and celebrating. Last week I attended a holiday luncheon at my friend Kathy’s home along with a dozen friends.  Her home was beautifully decorated. She has a stunning, large artificial tree filled with ornaments that was gorgeous. 

“Jesus Is the Reason” above is a chart from Teresa Kogut as is the Santa below it. I love them both, but these star shape ornaments were a bear to finish. You place wrong sides together and then machine stitch an outline around the design before attempting to turn it right sides out. I think it would be easier if the pieces had been stitched on linen, but I stitch on Aida which can be stiffer. Because of that, it is difficult to get the points fully pushed out. I have a star shaped patriotic piece to stitch also by Teresa Kogut, and I will be sure to use a softer piece of fabric to stitch that piece. Though it was time consuming and ‘fiddly’ to finish, I think the result was worth it.

“The Magic of Winter” was a kit from Cardinal Hill Stitchers. The kit came with the pattern, fabric, floss, trim, and sled which had to be painted. I substituted DMC etoile floss for stitching the ornaments and in person it adds a bit of sparkle to the tree. For me, this was not a quick stitch, but it sure is cute! 

While in my boot, I didn’t expect to have many decorations up as lugging boxes up from the cellar would not have been smart, but then my godchild Kristin came for a visit the Monday after Thanksgiving. She had the day off from work and came to see what I would like to have done. She brought up this small tree which I placed on the porch and upon which I hung a few of my favorite ornaments. 

She also brought up my nativity set. It had belonged to my aunts, and it is older than I am. As a child, I would help my aunts decorate for Christmas, and I was allowed to arrange all of the figures. My favorite piece was the camel. :-) They displayed the set on top of their TV. In those days, TVs were housed in large wooden cabinets. This year I gathered my paints and very fine point brushes and touched up all the worn spots. 

Thanks to Kristin, my White House ornaments also made it out of the cellar.

It’s not quite the over the top decorating that I usually do, but the place looks quite festive. 🧑🏻‍🎄

Here’s the best news: after four and a half months, I am out of the my boot and I am back driving!!! Yeah!!! Not being able to drive was the hardest part of my torn Achilles tendon experience. Fortunately, I am blessed to have wonderful neighbors and friends who helped out.

That’s all for today. I have more to show, so I promise it won’t be long to my next post.

Enjoy the season, relax, and try not to stress about getting everything done. 🧑🏻‍🎄

December 1 - Christmas Countdown

It’s hard to believe that it is now December. If you are in the United States, I hope that you all had a lovely Thanksgiving Day. 

I purchased this 7.5 foot pencil tree on sale from Michael’s online as I wasn’t sure that I would be able to bring up my Christmas tree from the cellar. This tree arrived on my doorstep earlier this week, and it was simple to bring in and set up. Yes, I’ll miss hauling up all of my favorite ornaments and other decorations, but this year I will display only my cross stitched ornaments on this narrow tree. 

Last January, I decided to stitch one Christmas ornament each month as many cross stitchers do. It was a swell idea and I was gung ho, but my enthusiasm waned by April. Also, note to self: if by chance I do stitch one Christmas piece each month in 2025, I absolutely have to fully finish the piece and not let them pile up. (In cross stitch terms, we finish stitching a piece, but then we ‘fully finish’ the piece by then making it into an ornament or other type of presentation. Yesterday I spent three hours and only ‘fully finished’ these two ornaments while three others are nearly done.

My favorite this year is “Tall Treat” by the The Blue Flower; it makes me smile.

 

Here’s “Santa’s Pals” from stitching with the Housewives on Etsy.

Have a lovely, creative, no stress week. :-)

Elephants on Parade

 Here’s a quick post to show you my latest finish. The little girl who grew up next door recently had her first baby. This elephant pattern had been a block of the month at a recent guild meeting, and I thought a herds of these colorful pachyderms would be a fun subject for a quilt. :-)

That’s all for today, short and sweet. 

An Autumn Wool Applique Finish

 This nine inch wool applique mat is “White Pumpkin Scalloped Mat” from Buttermilk Basin. I believe I had bought this pattern and one for a larger project sometime last year along with some lovely, luscious, autumnal colors of wool at The Quilted Crow Quilt Shop in Bolton, MA. Well, nothing got done last year, but this year, I wanted to at least stitch this smaller piece. I also prepped the larger piece, and I fully intended to put it away to take with me on a future quilt retreat. Then . . . gosh darn it, it looked so pretty that I decided I had to start it as well. :-)

 I also have a Christmas wool applique pattern that I would like to get stitched. Yes, I bought another pattern, but I am using wool and perle cotton from my stash.

Is that all I am working on? Heck, no! You will be seeing a number of different finishes in the next few posts. In fact, I saw this yesterday on Facebook, and it validates my tendency to bounce between projects. 

So, what are you presently working on???

Bittersweet Boulevard

 This morning I finished fully finishing November’s “Bittersweet Boulevard” by designer Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives on Etsy. While I really do enjoy stitching this series, it takes me a long time to stitch the two parts. I had started stitching it in the middle of October, and it took me probably three weeks to stitch!!! As soon as I received the December chart, I began stitching it, and at least I have the street sign section stitched. The house and sign for December are done in shades of pink, and it will be very pretty once it is done. I’m also trying to get a few Christmas cross stitch ornaments done as well.

At yesterday’s Crosstown Quilters Guild meeting, I turned in four Christmas stockings. Guild members make stockings which are donated to DCF (Department of Children and Families.) Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo of them. I also finished the top of a quilt from designer Ricky Tims. The pattern is “Gaelic Blessings” a double Irish chain with variations with a Celtic cross in the center. [Update: I put “Gaelic Blessing” into the ‘Search This Blog’ feature, and it showed that in a March 4, 2017 post I showed a photo of all the fabric all cut and carefully labeled to work on at a guild retreat. Seven years . . . that’s not too bad. ;-) ].

I have been on a kick to complete projects. Imagine my surprise to find all the completed blocks just waiting patiently in its project box. The pattern was from 2016, and I believe I started it as soon as it came out. I remember having been super excited to start it, but somewhere along the line I drifted away from working on it. I am happy to say that the top is now done, and I have an idea which I think will be pretty cool for the back. I just need to spend some quality time at my sewing machine working on that. :-)

At yesterday’s meeting, I picked up a baby quilt from one of our members, Maureen Anderson, who longarmed it for me. I love how it turned out, and I will post a photo as soon as I have finished the binding.

As you can see, I have been trying to stay very busy since last week’s election. It’s been difficult to even fake a positive outlook. For my sanity, I have stopped watching news programs on CNN & MSNBC which I had previously watched far too much. I thought I might continue watching “The Last Word” with Lawrence O’Donnell, but last night I decided to give that up as well.  I will continue to read Heather Cox Richardson’s , “Letters from an American” each day. There is a link to her column under “Blogs That I Enjoy” in the column on the right side of my blog. (Note: If you get an email notification when I write a new post, you are probably not seeing my whole page. Click on my blog title, and that will take you to my full page.)

I will not comment on the election; we have all seen and read enough about that from both sides, but I will say to those who reelected our forty-fifth President . . . Be careful what you wished for . . . 

Candy Corn and This & That

 

Early Happy Halloween!!! I finished this Candy Corn cross stitch piece last week. The display piece is from Paisleys and Polka Dots. It had been purchased, painted, and assembled last year, but I had not stitched the candy corn piece until last week. The Candy Corn chart came from Stitching with the Housewives.

Speaking of candy corn, are you a fan of this seasonal sweet? I have always loved it, but it is a huge no- no for diabetics. I tried buying a bag and limiting myself to just a few pieces a day, but you can guess how that went. I finally had to toss the last half of the bag into the trash. . . I have absolutely no willpower. :-( Why, oh, why couldn’t candy corn be a healthy vegetable???

Cross Stitchers . . . La-D-Da has a cute Halloween cross stitch chart under its Freebie section. It’s too late to stitch this year, but I downloaded the chart for next year.

Stitchers . . .  If you enjoy any type of stitching, check out Christen’s Creations website. There is much to explore there including “Tips, Tricks, the Basics” and “Free to You.”

Reading Recommendation . . . I highly recommend the latest book by Doris Kearns Goodwin. An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s is a fascinating look at that turbulent decade. Now I want to read her book about one of the key figures of that decade, Lyndon Johnson and the American Dream.

Finally, Election Day is only a few short days from now, and I think everyone can appreciate this meme.

Lord help us all.

Fall Is in the Air

Well, not really . . . it may be cold in the morning, but as the day goes on it warms up. We may approach eighty degrees tomorrow, and the rest of the week also promises to be warm. 

The title for this post comes from the title of  a cross stitch design from “It’s So Emma”  from the Fat Quarter Shop. I had stitched the fox and the tree last fall, but then put it away until a few weeks ago when I stitched the wording and the leaf swirling in the breeze. It is finished on a piece from the unfinished wood section of Hobby Lobby.

I do have a few autumn pieces displayed though my decorating is limited by my Achilles tendon injury.

I had hoped to head north to do some photography during foliage season, but that’s not happening again this year. This pretty maple above was photographed from my deck along with this beautiful hibiscus. 

One last deck photo of this solar cardinal and web slinger :-).

The deck is as far as I’m going in my backyard as it isn’t exactly level. I don’t want to risk doing anything that might prolong the time that I have to wear this very fashionable, big boot. 

Have a lovely week. 

Fall Tier by Erin Elizabeth Designs

 

I did a presentation at the Crosstown Quilters Guild on Tuesday. I told my fellow quilters that my goal was clear . . . I wanted to get a few of my fellow members to fall down the cross stitch and/or wool applique rabbit hole right along with me. ;-) Since I am still in my big, awkward boot, gathering pieces to bring with me was a challenge, but I believe I had more than enough samples. 

I did not have “Fall Tier” finished to bring, but I completed it yesterday. It is so cute!!!  I can say that as I was not the designer, just someone who enjoys stitching designs by Erin Elizabeth. Erin Wasilieff is a Canadian designer whose patterns/charts are whimsical and fun. I particularly enjoy her “tier” designs and  have two others already in my stash. Click on the photo to get a larger image and also do click on the link to visit her shop. Whether you cross stitch or not, her wonderful designs will put a smile on your face. 

This wood display piece is from Paisleys and Polka Dots. They offer DIY wood craft kits for home decorating and seasonal displays. As I have mentioned previously, the wood pieces are cut and you must paint and glue them together. There are two magnets glued to the main section, and I will place washers on the back of the cross stitch piece. (At present, it is simply leaning against the display as I didn’t want to risk hobbling down cellar in my big boot tonight to hot glue on the washers :-). That can wait until tomorrow. 

Last month I posted a beach cottage scene on this tiered display. The fun part is finding items to put on the sides of the piece. These two small wood pieces are also from Paisleys and Polka Dots. 

Over the weekend Emma and I stayed at ‘her home away from home,’ so Bailey’s folks could go to their son’s wedding. I brought cross stitching and a few books and the three of us had a lovely time.

One funny note, I gave such an enthusiastic presentation on Tuesday that I have already ordered a piece of wool for a new wool applique piece and a pattern for a big wool project. So much for stitching from stash; I’m absolutely incorrigible!!!  Gee, I wonder if I inspired anyone at the meeting? Time will tell. ;-)

Another FFO - Pumpkin Blossom Place

 

I have never signed up for a monthly cross stitch project before, but I couldn’t resist “Blooming Roots” by Stitching with the Housewives through the Fat Quarter Shop. Here is “Pumpkin Blossom Place” for October, the first in the series.  Each month will feature a home and a separate street sign. The chart comes along with Classic Colorworks floss. The orange and yellow background fabric came from my stash. I love how this turned out. :-)

Each month will be displayed on this wood piece purchased from Paisleys and Polka Dots. As I have noted previously, all the multiple pieces arrive unfinished. You must paint the individual  pieces and then glue them all together. Magnets are then hot glued to the display piece and washers to the back of the stitched pieces so it can be switched out each month.

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It’s October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, so it’s time for me to climb up on my soapbox to remind you to get your mammogram. No excuses accepted. Early detection saves lives. 

Goldfinches and Poppies

 

Just popping in on this glorious fall day to show you my finally finished wool applique piece, “Goldfinches and Poppies.” This pattern is from Crane Design. Their wool appliques patterns are always wonderful. The wool came from my stash with the exception of the luscious tonal blue wool which I found at The Quilted Crow in Bolton. It is a delightful quilt shop with a section devoted to wool applique. They have samples hanging up and shelves with pieces of wool. It is a feast for the eye, but perhaps a bit dangerous for the wallet :-) You can buy patterns and select your own pieces of wool or purchase kits. It is truly a wonderful quilt shop and definitely worth a visit. (If you are not from this area, you may visit them online.)

The display hanger is from Ackfeld Manufacturing . Check out their website for craft and quilt display  holders. You won’t believe the assortment available. You are sure to find the right accent holder for whatever piece on which you are working.

Today I’m going to finish two cross stitch pieces which I will show next time. My dining room table is covered with bits and pieces of various projects, and I am determined to get it cleared. Wish me luck!

Happy Fall Y’all!

This little scarecrow was a previous finish, but I hadn’t been happy with how I had originally finished it. I took it apart, added a washer to the back, and added it to this mug display. (There’s a magnet on the wooden piece. ) You may remember seeing some of my other pieces displayed on the mug. 

The display piece came from Paisleys and Polka Dots, and these three designs are all from Stitching with the Housewives on Etsy. Eventually I hope to be able to stitch a small piece for each month.

I’m still rolling along, but the doctor thinks I may be able to ditch my big, grey boot in a month. Fingers crossed . . . Anyway, I wasn’t able to attend the Herring Run Quilt Guild show over the weekend, but imagine my surprise to learn that my wool applique Americana tablerunner had received a Viewers Choice second place ribbon. Please click the guild link to see all the winners from this fabulous show.

This has been a good week. Yesterday I attended a meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild. This guild meets twice a month, and these meetings are always fun. Today I went to lunch with friends and as always that was fun, too! Tomorrow is going to be another rainy day, but that’s okay as I have a few projects to work on including fully finishing two cross stitch pieces and stitching on a wool applique piece. I’m doing a small presentation on cross stitch and wool applique at the next Crosstown Guild meeting, and I’m hoping to get some others to fall down those rabbit holes along with me :-). So, I’d really like to get this latest piece done. 

Keep stitching, quilting, and creating!

Latest Quilt Finish

 I am pleased beyond words that I have finished this quilt in time for the Herring Run Quilt Guild’s upcoming show. This top was strictly from stash, and it did make a dent in my batik leftovers. My original intention had been to make this a donation quilt, but truly, the colors are so calming that I decided to keep this quilt for myself. There are still enough batik scraps, and I am in the midst of creating a second quilt which I will donate. Besides this quilt, I will have another quilt and my wool applique Americana Tablerunner in the show. This quilt was back from the long armer two weeks ago, but it took awhile to sew on the binding and add hanging sleeves to two of the quilts. Whew! Finally they are ready. 

I also finished the first month of the Stitching with the Housewives Blooming Roots cross stitch project. The two pieces took longer to stitch than I had expected, and I still have a bit of painting to do on the display piece, but I will show it in my next post. 

Hope you are enjoying this lovely fall weather. 

“You Are My Sunshine” - Cross Stitch Finish

 

As summer is drawing to a close, I finally finished stitching “You Are My Sunshine” by It’s So Emma from the Fat Quarter Shop. I stitched it according to the chart but left off the words, “You Are My Sunshine.” The wooden display piece, flip flops, sunshine, and palm tree are from Paisley and Polka Dots. The kit has many, many unfinished, individual wood pieces. You paint them and then carefully assemble them with glue. If you want, you can glue magnets to the display and glue washers to the back of the piece as I did making the display something you may use with other pieces. Overall, I love how it turned out. 

I am currently working on another display for a twelve month stitching project. How did that happen? I’ve always avoided projects such as this, but this one drew me in. It’s “Blooming Roots” by Stitching with the Housewives. Each month you will receive a pattern and floss to stitch two pieces. I’m working on the stitching and have already finished preparing the display piece. Fingers crossed that I will be able to keep up. :-) To add to this, I also signed up for a ten month stitching journal project. Lord help me! I blame it all on my ruptured Achilles tendon! Sitting around with way too much time on my hands has been dangerous, but both projects should be fun.

Have a wonderful, creative week. 

Still Rolling Along . . .

 Hi Folks! It’s been three weeks since my last post, so I thought that I would pop in this morning to let you know that I am still rolling along. My Achilles tendon is healing, but I expect to be in my boot and using my rollator for two or three more months. I am SUPER lucky and blessed to have wonderful friends and neighbors who have been helping me out. There is no pain but not being able to drive is simply driving me nuts. :-)

Anyway, last week I rolled out to my backyard and was able to take this pretty photo. The bees just love the sedum along the front of my large garden. I had had plans to remove all the sedum as the plants were getting too high and blocking the view of the other plants behind them. Since gardening is out until next spring, I’ll just let the bees enjoy the pretty pink flowers. Moving them to a different spot is already on my list of projects for next spring.

Speaking of projects, I have been working on a number of projects, none of which I will show here today. I did finish the quilt for the upcoming Herring Run Quilt Show and now I need to add a sleeve, do the binding, and add a label. My latest wool applique piece is about eighty-five percent done, and my latest cross stitch finish is just waiting for a frame. For those in the area, be sure to mark your calendar for the 

Herring Run Quilt Guild

17th Biennial Quilt Show

Sept. 21 - 24   10:00 - 4:00

Boys and Girls Club, 37 Proprietors Drive, Marshfield MA

There will be 150+ quilts on display and whether you are a quilter or not, you would definitely enjoy seeing this show.

Well, now it’s time to get busy unloading the dishwasher and hobbling carefully down cellar to throw in a load of wash, so I can then sit down and work on my wool applique and make the sleeves and binding for this latest quilt. :-)

Enjoy this Labor Day weekend, and I hope wherever you are that you are enjoying beautiful weather as we have been enjoying the last few days. 

A Day in Paris in Winter . . . Cross Stitch

 Have you been watching the Olympics? Has any host city ever looked more beautiful and more inviting? I, of course, have been stitching while watching the events. On Flosstube,  folks have all kinds of prompts and plans for what they will stitch during this period. I selected one chart from my stash and have been stitching solely on it. It’s by a French designer/company, Les Brodeuses Parisiennes. Sometime last year I saw this completed piece on someone’s flosstube episode and promptly ordered it. It was fun to receive a chart from Paris.

Here is my progress so far. I stitched the words and the Eiffel Tower first, but instead of then working on the background, I just had to see how the lady would look. She is lovely and wait until you see her stylish coat. 

When I’m not working on it, I slip it into this Parisean cafe themed project bag complete with beaded Eiffel Tower zipper pull. I had originally used this fabric to make a pocketbook, but at some point I had had enough fabric left over to make this project bag and another for a friend. The Eiffel Tower charm came, I believe, from Hobby Lobby. 

Did you notice that this lady is accompanied by her little black dog? Honestly, how could I resist stitching this? 

That’s it for now. A friend is going to drive me on Tuesday morning to drop off a quilt top with the longarmer. Saturday, Sunday, Monday . . . that should be enough time to get the top completed . . . fingers crossed. Fingers cross as well that the wide backing fabric I ordered arrives in time. :-)