329 Days Until Christmas

Here is my first finish of 2025. Yes, I finished this wool applique table topper for Christmas 2025!!! I enjoy making seasonal mats on which to display this lovely little tree made by the Simon Pearce glass factory in Vermont. It was a gift one year from my godchild’s family. The wool applique design was by Buttermilk Basin, and I purchased the kit from Shabby Fabrics. The name of the piece is “Christmas Treats Mat.”

I had started that piece in December, but things got too busy to finish it. It will be tucked away with my other Christmas things until next year, and my tree will be displayed on my wool, mittens topper. It, too, was a Buttermilk Basin design, and I also bought this kit from Shabby Fabrics a year or two ago. 

When I put my Valentine pieces out the other day, I wasn’t happy with how “Just My Type” had been finished a few years ago, so I took it apart. I purchased a 12” unfinished wood square piece at Hobby Lobby, and I discovered just the right shade of paint in my stash. “Just My Type” was a pattern from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Once again I plan to stitch one new Christmas ornament each month. That was also my plan last year. Please don’t ask how that turned out. :-)

I did, however, finish one for this month which I’ll show in an upcoming post. 

Stay calm and keep warm. 

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. 

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. 

“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. 

Finally Featuring Fall Finishes

 

But first . . . Look at what we woke up to on Tuesday. It was the very nicest kind of snowstorm. The trees were gowned in white and because of the freezing temperatures, the trees stay coated all day long  . . . simply magical. The lawns were also white, but by 10:00 am the streets were down to black pavement. It offered all the joys of a small snowstorm without any shoveling. :-)

Along my fence I have four pairs of shepherd hooks from which I hang plants in summer and ornaments at Christmas. These ornaments originally decorated a fir tree in the back of my yard. The tree was a DPW eight inch sapling given away on one Arbor Day twenty plus years ago. I was able to hang ornaments on it until it reached about ten feet tall; it has since double in size.

Now on to two fall cross stitch finishes. A third piece is eighty-five percent done, but it stashed away until next year. 

I love how Fall Harvest by It’s So Emma of the Fat Quarter Shop is displayed in this frame which had previously housed a clock. The piece was stitched on an Aida fabric upon which harvest themed words were lightly printed.

Now here is where I fully intended to insert a photo of the second cross stitch piece. It has been stitched for a few weeks, but I decided that I was not completely pleased with how I had finished it so I’m redoing it and will post it next time.

Did you see the announcement of the Kona 2024 color of the year? It is going to be a soft minty green, julep. And speaking of color, isn’t this amaryllis gorgeous!

Finally for Emma fans . . . She was groomed on Wednesday, and the groomer later sent along this photo. They always take a photo in December against a festive background. I love this one!!! It is hard to believe that Miss Emma will turn twelve at the end of this month. Thankfully, she is still full of energy. Obviously, our daily walks are keeping at least one of us in great shape.

That’s all for now. Have a wonderful weekend.

Three Cross Stitch FFOs and Wool Applique, Too!

 There is a great deal to be said for having to stay off your foot for a week. I accomplished quite a bit including finishing this pillow for my bee display. “A Bee C” is a design by Lindsey Weight of Primrose Cottage on Etsy.

I do not think that I posted photos of these pieces in previous posts. The first is “Bee Sweet”  by Annie Beez Folk Art on Etsy.

Below is “Citrus Summer” from the Fat Quarter Shop. The Fat Quarter Shop is an online quilting and cross stitch shop. Kimberly Jolly, the owner,  hosts a quilting program and on Wednesdays a cross stitch program on Youtube. If you enjoy quilting or cross stitching, be sure to check out the Fat Quarter Shop website. 

This past week also afforded me the time to work on a wool applique table runner from Shabby Fabrics. I had purchased the kit during the pandemic, but when I saw how many pieces (269)  I would have to trace, cut out, place, and stitch, I put it away for another time. Wool applique kits are expensive, so a month or so ago, I decided to get on with it. I traced, fused, and cut out all the pieces. To keep things straight, I put the pieces in forty-one separate baggies. Yes, the kit came with forty-one various shades of wool.

The runner will finish at about eighteen by thirty-eight inches. It took a few days this week to assemble this ‘jigsaw.’ I had fused various segments together and then began pinning them to the background. Truth to say, I had been muttering and sputtering about the whole thing and even considered tossing the project. I am, however, not one to give up easily and as it began to take shape, I was hooked! “Americana,” the wool applique kit, depicts a colorful village scene with a barn, a church, animals, etc. Because of its size this will not be a lap project. In fact, it’s a good thing that I have no formal banquets planned here at the castle for the next month or two as this piece will remain on my dining room table until it is completely stitched. 

Though I had purchased the accompanying 12wt Sulky thread pack, I plan to use No. 8 perle cotton on the larger pieces. If I am going to do all this stitching, I sure want it to show!!!

My plan is to spend a minimum of thirty minutes daily on this piece and will post a photo of each section as it is completed. Wish me luck!

Today the news came of the passing of two TV legends. Bob Barker, the host of “The Price is Right,” passed at the age of ninety-nine. Carol Duvall while perhaps not as famous as Bob Barker was the queen of crafting in the early days of HGTV. She was delightful and her shows were always filled with fun, creative craft ideas.  Carol Duvall was ninety-seven.

Have a creative, fun week.

A Project Bag and December ‘41

Did I need to make another project bag? No, of course not, but last week after our Crosstown Quilters Guild meeting, I took a quick trip out to The Quilted Crow in Bolton with my friends Laurel and Edith. There I spotted two fat quarters of Teresa Kogut’s new Halloween fabric. Honestly, who could resist this adorable fabric?

 If you are not familiar with Teresa Kogut, she is an artist and punch needle and cross stitch designer and has a wonderful flosstube channel, Teresa Kogut’s Creative Whims. She has a new line of fabric coming out, and heaven help me, I ordered two yards of it from the Fat Quarter Shop last night. (So much for my resolution not to purchase any new fabric.) Even worse, at The Quilted Crow I also picked up some luscious wool in autumnal colors for a project. (So much for my resolution not to start any new projects; I’m absolutely incorrigible.)

Our local library has recently had a number of interesting speakers. Author William Martin talked about his new novel December ‘41. I don’t know how anyone attending that talk could have left without purchasing a copy of this thriller. First of all, he was an excellent speaker. I’m not giving anything away by saying it involves a Nazi assassin seeking to end the life of FDR. The story starts out in Hollywood which was itself very interesting and then takes off on a cross country train ride.  Though I try to avoid cliches, I have to say that this is an absolute page turner!!!!! Spy thrillers are not a genre that I seek out, but I could not recommend this one more highly. 

 I have finished a few more things but I will save those for my next post.

It’s October so before I end this, let me climb up on my soapbox to remind you to be sure to keep up to date on your mammograms. The process may be inconvenient and sometimes uncomfortable but it is nothing compared to having chemo and mastectomies. I know this first hand as a two time breast cancer survivor. Early detection saves lives. Please if you have let this slip during the pandemic, call and make an appointment today. 

Halloween Finishing Palooza - Part 1

With the storm that we had on Tuesday, I didn’t get around to fully finishing this piece until today. Speaking of the nor’easter, we were very lucky here. The wind was fierce, but no limbs or branches landed on any wires or on my roof. Lots of limbs and branches came down, so clean up has kept me busy for a few days.  We are used to nor’easters in the winter, but the fact that the trees were still fully foliated caused major headaches for many. I lost my lights, phone, cable, and internet intermittently for a day or two, but folks further south down to the Cape were without power for several days. 

 This piece is Fright Night by the Fat Quarter Shop. I started it quite a while ago and stitched on it off and on. Let me just say that the house section took forever!!! Though Halloween is over, I’m going to leave it up for a week or so to enjoy it.

Just Cross Stitch magazine puts out a special Halloween issue each year, and these two pieces appealed to my sense of humor. Each took about three or four nights to stitch. 

I stitched two other small Halloween pieces which I will show you in my next post along with a quilted piece.

Here’s Emma waiting patiently to go on our morning walk. 

Have a wonderful week. Stay safe.

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Covid Update as of October 31, 2021:

Deaths in the world . . . 247 million

Deaths in the United States . . . 746,000

Deaths in Massachusetts . . . 18,996

 

FFO Fresh Cut and Friesian Horses

 After the rain . . . 

Today may be only our second day in July without a trace of rain. With the amount of rain we have been having, the weeds have been growing like . . . well . . . weeds! Still if you don’t get too close, this garden still looks lovely.

This rose of sharon which grows against my porch was not planted by me; it just appeared a few years ago. I notice there are a couple of tiny offshoots which I may transplant down back if we ever dry out a bit. Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. :-(

Mind you, I am not complaining as there are parts of our country that are desperate for rain. The drought conditions are devastating. The wildfires are again raging in the West and Northwest. Heat domes are causing high temperature records to be shattered in some area as well. So, all things considered, I am happy right here in the soggy Northeast.  (Update: Driving home a little while ago I heard the announcer explain that our grey sky is due to all the smoke in the jetstream from the fires out west.

 I was driving home after meeting some retired teacher friends for lunch. We determined that the last time we had been together was December of 2019. I also met another group of retired teacher friends for breakfast last Friday. Yes, I know I am a lucky lady. Members of each group have a sense of foreboding about the rises in  Covid cases across the country and what that may mean for us in the fall, but we are determined to have fun while we can.)

Here’s my latest cross stitch FFO, fully finished object. “Fresh Cut” was the Fat Quarter Shop Stitch Quarterly from March. I actually finished it last month, but I only got around to framing it over the weekend. I had purchased the frame at Hobby Lobby during a 50% off frames sale. (Note: never pay full price at Hobby Lobby since if the item you want is not on sale, it will be in a week or two.) I try to frame as many of my pieces on my own as I can. The frame is a deeper green and the background fabric is white, but I was not able to get a  photo that records the colors accurately. Doesn’t it go well with my $2.00 thrift shop vase from the Cape? 

I laughed when I saw this in last night’s paper as it sums up the weather that we have been having.

Recommendations:

If you like Diane Keaton, check out Hampstead on Netflix. It is not a great movie, but it is a pleasant enough way to spend a couple of hours. I’d give it a B-, but then I always was a tough grader.

Also, let me tell you my secret Youtube pleasure. . .” Friesian Horses  Follow the Herd, “  short videos posted by a stable in the Netherlands. I cannot begin to tell you how calming it is to see these big, black, beautiful horses out in the meadow. This Youtube channel has extremely high viewership around the world. The other day the owner and the workers at the stable did a live question and answer session. Yvonne who films and posts the videos wondered on behalf of her coworkers why so many people view their videos. I can tell her. The horses are magnificent, the people all seem to love working with these horses, and in a world such as ours, it good to take a few moments each day to see something wonderful. Try it; you will like it. By the way, I now know more about horses than I ever did before. :-()

Question

Is it just me or do you think two of the richest men in the world might have found a better use for the money it took to send these would be astronauts into space for a few moments of weightlessness on their joyrides? Make that astronuts! Think what that money might have done to ease hunger around the world. This morning on one of the news programs it was suggested that this was just the first step in an attempt to commercialize space. Good grief! Just what we needed. . . 

Stay safe. Stay cool and dry and have a good week

One more thing: As you may have read on many blogs, Feedburner will no longer be sending out a notice of any new posts. I have added a Follow.it box in the top right column where you may sign up to continue to receive these posts. Fingers crossed that it will work. In any event, I would suggest bookmarking . . . 

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so if you don’t receive a notice, you will know where to find my random ramblings. :-()

Wishing You an Early Happy Valentine’s Day

 Now that Independence Day has gone by, and Hobby Lobby is putting Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas items on the shelf, I wonder if it is too early to be the first to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day???

“Just My Type” was a cross stitch pattern featured on the Fat Quarter Shop’s flosstube back in February. I was drawn in by the happy colors which are even brighter in person. Anyway, I stitched on it faithfully all through February, but let me tell you, stitching the typewriter took f-o-r-e-v-e-r !!!  I stitched on it in March, April, and finally finished the piece in May. 

I mounted it on a canvas which I had painted previously for  a mini art quilt. I had never been pleased with the bottom of that piece, so I removed it from the canvas. (I had stitched the piece on to the canvas.) The painted canvas had been in my quilting/art studio ( okay, no studio, it was on a shelf in the basement)  as I figured I might be able to use this canvas again at some point.

When I finished the cross stitch, I thought of that painted canvas as I knew it would be just the right color. I purchased a bag of small wooden hearts at the Dollar Store and painted them in coordinating colors. Don’t tell anyone, but I needed something to cover up the holes from where I had attached the art quilt. 

Now you might think that I have packed “Just My Type” away until February, but you would be wrong. It took way too long to stitch without enjoying it for a while. :-)

Email Subscriber Box :

I have added a box from follow.it to my blog. Did I do it correctly? I haven’t a clue. As I wrote yesterday, if you enjoy these ramblings, I would suggest bookmarking this site. You could then simply check back once or twice a week to see if any new posts have been added.

Stay safe and stay cool.