Another Blooming Roots Finish - Poinsettia Place

 I finally finished “Poinsettia Place,” the December stitch for the monthly Blooming Roots series by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. I love how it turned out, but boy, it took a long time to stitch. I had stitched on it steadily since November. Though I have received the January chart and floss, I have decided to wait to stitch that one; I’ll just enjoy this one for another month. 

Meanwhile I have been stitching some Christmas pieces and may continue to do so well into January. :-)

While writing this post, I had one eye on The Kennedy Centers Honors on CBS, and I thought that I would mention that you can watch all the previous Kennedy Center Honors shows on Youtube. 

This may be my last post before Christmas so may I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas! 

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 . . . 

Happy Fourth of July 2024!!!

Happy Fourth of July! I’m watching the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular as I write this post. Darlene Love is belting out a couple of her hits, and I’m looking forward to The Mavericks. [If you ever get a chance to see The Mavericks in concert, don’t pass up the opportunity; they are a guaranteed good time.]

Uncle Sam in a patriotic mug is a recent finish. Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives designed this cross stitch chart which I believe is called Stars and Stripes. I hot glued a magnet on the wooden display mug which I purchased as a kit from Paisley and Polka Dots. The pieces that will be interchangeable have a washer glued to each back. You may remember seeing this piece recently.

My plan is to stitch a small piece for each holiday or season or sometimes something just for fun! There is a small pocket between the layers where you may tuck in flowers or other items. 

The bees are loving the magenta bee balm which has taken over a large area of my garden. 

These visitors don’t seem even slightly concerned about the wild, unkempt, unweeded state of my gardens. 

 

Another turkey mom with her babies was strolling in another area of my yard. I wouldn’t mind but beyond  the fence there is a wide swath of lovely woods for them. Oh, well. . . 

[Oops! On rereading this post I noticed that I had originally written “swarth” instead of  “swath.” Honestly, I am definitely going to have to fire my proofreader. Wait a minute, I am the proofreader. . . in that case I’m blaming all of my mistakes on the heat.]

Finally, this morning the Today show had a July 4th trivia quiz. They asked how many hot dogs would be eaten on the Fourth. Answer: 150 million!!!!! Please pass the mustard and relish. . . ;-).

Two More Cross Stitch Ornaments

On this the eve of Christmas Eve, I thought that I would show you two more ornaments fully finished today and added to my cross stitch tree.  This sweetie is “Skate with Mrs. Claus” from Stitching with the Housewives - Round About Series. Priscilla Blain’s designs are always fun to stitch. (Priscilla and her daughter Chelsea have a shop on Etsy where you may see all of their designs, and they are, of course, available at your local needlework shop if you are lucky enough to have one.) 

Another favorite designer is Cathy Habermann of Hands on Design. This chart is part of her Polar Plunge series and is called Polar Bear Peek. I’m currently stitching another design in the series. This piece is finished on an ornament backing board from 141Design Company. Both “Hands on Design” and “Stitching with the Housewives” have very fun, entertaining flosstubes on Youtube.

At this point, I would have liked to show you a third ornament which was stitched about this same time last year. The finishing of that piece would have been a bit more challenging, so I put it away in a safe place until I had more time. Okay . . . I know . . .  you are a step ahead of me . . .  Yup, I have absolutely no idea where that safe place is with my unfinished piece. ;-(  When and if it turns up, I’ll finish it and tuck it in my ornament box.  That’s the trouble with safe places; they always seem perfectly reasonable and safe when you first tuck items away. :-)

Moving on . . .

 If you enjoy online projects, you may want to check out SAHRR 2024. You will find all the information “Announcing the SAHRR2024” at Quilting Gail. SAHRR stands for Stay at Home Round Robin. I participated last year and plan to do so again this year. This was my 2023 project which I made into a wheelchair quilt for a veteran.

You may make a project of any type or size and how you interpret the steps and what you do is all up to you . . . definitely my type of project. 

Earlier this month, I dropped off a box of items at a local thrift shop. Entering I kept repeating, don’t look, don’t buy anything, don’t bring anything home.  It didn’t work as this charming Pfalsgraff little house is now sitting on my dining room table. So, from our house to your house, Emma and I wish you all the happiest of holidays.

“Farm Fresh Berries, “ Crosstown Quilters Guild, Casablanca, and Emma, Too!

Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives always designs fun, colorful cross stitch pieces, and I couldn’t resist stitching her “Farm Fresh Berries” for my kitchen tiered tray display. This stitching was fully finished on a wood piece from Paisley and Polka Dots. As mentioned in previous posts, the wood pieces in their kits arrive unfinished. You paint all the individual parts and then glue them together. You provide your own paint and glue. I buy small bottles of acrylic paint and use Ailene’s Tacky Glue to assemble the parts.

Yesterday was the last guild meeting of the Crosstown Quilters before our summer break. It was great fun. During Show and Tell, my friend Laurel showed this lovely quilt which she had worked on during the pandemic. 

[An oops update: Laurel emailed me to point out that the posted image was upside down. Oops!!! Here it is right side up. :-). ]

Mary D. showed her gorgeous Kaffe quilt.

A highlight of the meeting was the gifting of a Bruins inspired quilt to Tim who sets things up for our meetings at the Pond Plain Improvement Hall.  He is a diehard Bruins fan, and he seemed thrilled to receive this special quilt which was designed by our guild president Nancy H. I forgot to ask if I could post a photo, but trust me, it turned out great!!!

Back in March, I attended a screening of Casablanca at the Randolph Cinema. Though I have seen this film many times through the years on my TV, seeing it on the big screen was a whole new, amazing experience. If you love Casablanca or, indeed, films in general, I have a recommendation for you. Go to Youtube and search for “Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic.” It is a brilliant, thirty-five minute documentary from Warner Bros. Entertainment that examines the making of this film and its lasting impact. I guarantee you will find this documentary fascinating and well worth your time.  

For Emma fans . . . Here she is after a visit to the groomer this afternoon. Emma humors me for a few minutes, so I can pose her in front of my flowers. :-)

That’s it for today. Enjoy the rest of the week, and be sure to check out,  “Casablanca: An Unlikely Classic.”

Flower Market FFO, Bunnies, and a Change in the Weather

We have had the most glorious spring weather for the last two weeks. The temperatures even reached ninety on both Thursday and Friday, but by late afternoon Friday, a cold front moved in along with lots of rain. By Saturday morning, the temperature had dropped forty degrees! Yes, we have traded May weather for March weather! Between the cold and the rain, there has been no gardening getting done. You won’t hear me complain as we had such a wonderful stretch of weather. I’m hoping that the rain heads north to Nova  Scotia to help put out their raging wildfires.

Wednesday was a beautiful day. I went to lunch with a group of friends and then back to a friend’s home for dessert. Fourteen lovely ladies, all former teachers, were present. In the evening, I went to another friend’s home for dinner. Yes, indeed, it was a fun doubleheader kind of day.

Last year, we had chipmunks everywhere; I haven’t seen any this year. There are, however, rabbits all over the place. Tuesday night I looked around before letting Emma out. As she dashed out to begin her backyard perimeter check, I spotted bunny ears sticking up from my small garden. Oh, no!!! I dashed out and succeeded in getting Emma back inside. I grabbed my phone and took this photo. The rabbits will freeze in place if not being actively pursued. I watered a few hanging pots and then spotted him/her in the front of my large garden. Obviously, he/she wanted to check out my pretty, new hydrangea.

 

I also took a moment to capture this lovely, blue iris. When I sold my aunts’ home many years ago, I made sure to bring home a clump of these pretty irises.

Now, continuing the flower theme, at the top of this post is Flower Market, a design by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. It was finished on a house display piece from Paisley and Polka Dots. I don’t love painting all the tiny pieces, but I sure do love how it turned out. I was working on another finishing piece today that I will show in my next post; it’s too cute for words.

That’s it for now. Dodge the raindrops and keep warm. (It’s June 5th, and I turned the heat on twice today!!!) 

Have a happy, creative week.

Irises, A Spring Stitch, and “Radium Girls”

The irises and poppies are blooming. I’ve put together about thirty hanging pots and planters. Whew! Now for the hard part. I have to tackle my gardens; my large garden is a complete disaster. I lost a number of roses and other plants probably due to our warmer then normal and drier winter. Sadly, the weeds seem to be exceptionally healthy, and I could spent more than a few hours digging out all the maple saplings. I keep telling myself that bit by bit things will get done.

Here is a new spring stitch . . . Spring Tulips by designer Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. I mounted it on a wood watering can piece from either 141 Designs. com or Paisley and Polka Dots, both on Etsy. I say either because I cannot remember from which company I purchased the watering can kit. Both companies sell unfinished wood kits which you paint and assemble. (This kit with only two pieces was a breeze to complete; some kits contain multiple pieces.)

My young cousin Miss T enjoys acting, and on Saturday afternoon I attended the Arlington Children’s Theatre production of Radium Girls. The entire cast did a magnificent job presenting this very intense play. It told the story of young women who worked in factories painting watch faces with self-luminous paint made with radium. Besides watch dials, the young women also painted dials for instrument panels. They were instructed by their supervisors to point the tip of their brushes by touching them to their lips. Many of these young women later died slow painful deaths due to radiation poisoning.

 I have read quite a bit about the Radium Girls in the past last few days. There are many articles and photos online from the period which document this tragic story. The lawsuits filed on their behalves in the late 1920s led to improvements in worker safety in many fields. 

We had an excellent speaker, Patty Sawyer, at this morning’s meeting of the Crosstown Quilters Guild. The title of her talk was “How I Became So Judge Mental.” She discussed how judges evaluate quilts, the critique process, and tips for quilters who want to enter their quilts in judged shows. Her talk was very well received by members. If your guild is looking for a dynamic speaker, check out her list of lectures and workshops.

So, does anyone want to come help me tackle my big garden? There are plenty of weeds to go around. ;-).

Have a great week.

Goodbye 2022 . . . Hello 2023

Well, today is the last day of 2022, and I have three last cross stitch pieces to show. Jingle Bell Cafe and Bakery is a chart by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives on Etsy. I did not stitch the bottom row of the chart so this piece would fit on this canister from Hobby Lobby. I had started stitching it the week before Thanksgiving, and it took close to a full month to finish it.

There are two vintage cookie cutters on top along with a small rolling pin. The good thing about display pieces like this is that you can then store away stitched pieces inside. 

“Holiday Spirit” was a complimentary chart by Robin Shappell of Samplerbird Stitchery. The words are stitched in a pretty green, and I have ordered some chenille trim to put around the edges. I also plan to add trim around this vintage Santa from “The Prairie Schooler Kris Kringle - Book No. 62.” I stitched two of these Santas this year, and there are six more in the set to stitch. 

These Santa ornaments go well with one of my all-time favorite quilts. “Old World Santas/ Classic Santas” by Sue Garmin. That quilt was a joy to make. According to the label on the back, this was finished in 2010. I love it. 

I had planned to put away the outdoor decorations this morning, but rain prevented that chore. The inside decorations won’t get packed away until after the Epiphany, January 6th. Why rush when the house looks so festive?

I keep finding new places to display my work. :-)

This year I started decorating early, so I could whittle down and pass on some treasures. It worked well as I only added two items this year. One was the small Santa baker on my kitchen counter and this cute little piece.

I had brought a good size box of Christmas items to the thrift shop, and as I entered, I kept thinking . . . don’t look around . . . don’t buy anything. That didn’t work as I did purchase this sweet piece, but it was half priced and only cost $4.00!  :-)

May the year ahead bring us all health, happiness, and peace.

The Mavericks and a Patriotic Cross Stitch FFO

I, who have been super extra careful all through the ongoing pandemic, attended a concert on Friday night. It was probably a crazy thing to do, but boy was it fun! Last week when walking with Emma, we stopped to visit with friends sitting out in their yard. They mentioned that they were going to see The Mavericks in Plymouth. I remarked that I had always wanted to see them in concert. They suggested that I might still be able to get a ticket and then go with them which I did. It was an amazing concert. My seat was in the mezzanine section for which I was grateful as people on the main floor were standing jam-packed together in front of the stage.

The Mavericks played for a rockin’ two hours with only a five minute break. Don’t even think twice about attending one of their concerts; if they are touring near you, go see them. 

I also liked sitting in the mezzanine because I could watch the other show . . . all of the people dancing in the aisles. :-() A good time was had by all!!!

I finally finished stitching a piece for the barn display; it’s a section from Priscilla Blain’s Stitching with the Housewives piece “Long May She Wave.” The pattern is larger with a big American flag, more flowers, and vine borders, but I wanted to keep it to scale for the barn. My thought was to stitch a truck for each season, but this truck took a l-o-n-g time to stitch. Maybe in the fall, I’ll just stitch a scarecrow and some pumpkins. I glued a magnet to the barn and the stitched pieces will each have a washer, so they may be easily switched out. The barn display board was from 141 Designs on Etsy.

So, how are the wildlife problems going? Don’t ask. I’m regrettably not spending time in my large garden for fear of encountering bunnies, chipmunks, turkeys, and who knows what. I cannot even let Emma off leash for fear she will get one of the baby bunnies which seem to be hiding everywhere. Saturday night took the cake. It was 7:15pm when I decided to take Emma for a short walk. I live on a long, busy street. We were about half way down the street when what to my wondering eyes should appear but a deer! It was like a scene from a movie as the deer was walking straight down the yellow line in the road. Fortunately,  I spotted it before Emma did and made a quick turn around avoiding any potential chaos that might ensue. A car then came along and the deer ran into someone’s backyard. 

Have a safe, happy week and I hope all who are dealing with extreme heat in other parts of the country get some relief soon.

I’m off now to purchase a dryer. You may recall that last month I needed a new washing machine. They were both vintage machines. My theory is that the dryer saw the washer being hauled away and decided that it, too, had worked long enough. ;-) 

Turkey Troubles and Two Finishes

Let’s start with the finishes. This is “Strawberry Farm” from Priscilla Blain of the Real Housewives of Cross Stitch on Etsy. I have it mounted on a strawberry board purchased from Scarlet Sky Designs also on Etsy. As with the barn from 141 Designs shown in a previous post, the separate plywood pieces must be painted and then glued together using wood glue. 

A week or two ago I finished this patchwork and wool applique piece from Buttermilk Basin.

Now for a turkey update . . . Last night standing on my porch, I looked Tess Turkey in the eye and attempted to telepathically convey terms of our agreement. She would be able to remain in my big garden with her babies. Emma would only be allowed out on a leash in the backyard, and we would stay away from that garden. I would promise not to mulch, fertilize, plant, weed, or otherwise disturb the peace in said garden. In exchange, I would be allowed to work in my small garden and to water the hanging baskets. At no point would Tess be permitted to again fly toward me in a menacing manner when I merely walked down the porch steps into my yard. Tom Turkey would also have to agree to abide by this rule. Failure to comply with this simple request would render our agreement immediately null and void.

Though I am sure that you would agree that this arrangement on my part was extremely generous, it would appear that Tess Turkey did not concur. When I cautiously ventured out this morning, Tess and her little ones were gone. Phew! Perhaps she decided the woods would indeed be a better location with fewer restrictions. I’ll keep you posted. 

Did you watch the festivities and ceremonies marking Queen Elizabeth’s 70th year on the throne? No one does pomp and pageantry quite as well as the British do. Long live the Queen!!! (Mind you, I wouldn’t won’t a monarchy in this country, but I sure do enjoy watching theirs. 

Stay safe and have a berry good week. :-()

Chicks Garden and Another Vintage Photo

 Yesterday, I fully finished Chicks Garden which is a fun chart by Priscilla Blain of Stitching with the Housewives. Though it appears simple, it took me two full weeks of evening stitching! I used an inexpensive plaque from the unfinished wood section at Hobby Lobby and a piece of plaid homespun that I had picked up on the back table at a recent guild meeting to finish the piece.

In my last post, I showed a crazy quilt wallhanging featuring photos from my grandmother’s album. The tulips hid this wonderful photo. 

There are twenty-six people in this image; my grandmother is in the very top row on the left.

There are many excellent books which show you how to make a crazy quilt, but if you would like to incorporate vintage photos, a good reference is Brian Haggard’s Crazy-Quilted Memories.

That’s all . . . short and sweet except to note that prices are SOARING! I had a challenging morning, and to treat myself on the way home from Boston, I stopped at Tony’s on Wollaston Beach to pick up a lobster roll. They are by far the very best around. The price this time $39.95. Yikes! Today I didn’t care; I deserved it, but I won’t be making a habit of it. Later, I stopped to get gas. I had a quarter tank and to fill my suv cost 57.75! Yikes!!! And, just wait until you see the prices at the garden centers!!!

With the horrific war in Ukraine, the furor over the potential Supreme Court ruling on Roe vs.Wade, and the bitter politics dividing our country, I say buy the flowers. I agree with the Persian poet who wrote 

If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,

And from thy slender store two loaves alone to thee are left,

Sell one, and with the dole,

Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.

I wish you peace and flowers.

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.