Valentine's Day Rag Wreath

My cousin Kristin and her girls came for Ladies Lunch yesterday as it was an early release day from their school. Miss T. also brought along a friend. Miss Emma was delighted to have the company. When we came back from lunch, I had a craft project ready for the ten year olds; the newly turned thirteen year old worked on it for just a bit. :-)

I had picked up a heart shape wreath at the dollar store and had pre-cut a large pile of red, pink, and white strips. The strips were cut 1'' by 6," but another time I would cut the strips a bit longer. The red pieces were from this Xmas wonky tree, paper pieced quilt that is currently on my sofa. I had made it in a class at Ann's Fabrics in Canton a number of years ago; I'm not exactly sure how long ago that was. [Note to self: Don't forget to put a label on each quilt!!!]

Anyway, I had saved all of the green and red scraps from that quilt in a plastic, zippered pouch in which you get sheets and pillowcases. H'mmm . . . maybe I'll find a shamrock shaped wire wreath, and I will be able to use up my green scraps next month. :-)

There are many tutorials for rag wreaths online, but it super simple. If you want to be neater, you could use a pinking blade in your rotary cutter when cutting the strips. My wreath is hanging on the front door, so a man on horseback trotting by won't see all the threads and uneven strips.  I think it turned out great!!!

While doing an errand this morning, I drove by the Tufts Library. The fencing is up!!!! It's really happening!!!! In two years we will have a brand new library on this same spot. I have attended a number of the library planning meetings, and it looks to be an exciting project. I thought that it would be interesting from time to time to document the construction.

Well, that's it for now. Time to go do some grocery shopping . . .

"Goat on a Boat" or "The Lord of the Rings"

 

 I'm not sure which headline I saw that I liked better, "Goat on a Boat" or "The Lords of the Rings." Police estimate that there were a million people gathered at the championship parade as duck boats rolled through Boston today.

The weather was an unbelievable 65 degrees on this bright February day. . . perfect for the parade.

Bill Belichick was smiling and waving . . . really . . . he was smiling and doffing his cap. 

Owner Bob Kraft kept mouthing 'Thank you" over and over to the crowd. The players all appeared to be having as much fun as the crowd.

MVP Julian Edelman

  
Gronk

And one more of the goat . .  .

It was a championship celebration for New England and all members of Patriots' Nation.

During all of the the pre-Super Bowl programs, the game itself,  all of the post-game programs, and today's parade I managed to do a whole lot of hand stitching. My wool applique piece is nearly finished.

With this incredibly warm weather, Emma and I took a long, enjoyable walk. Tomorrow's temperatures is will be back to normal after today's glorious taste of spring.

Game Day Ready - Super Bowl LIII

After yesterday's Herring Run Quilt Guild meeting, I stopped to do an errand at the Derby Street Stores in Hingham where I photographed this totally 'cool' Tom Brady ice sculpture.  As you can see, Emma is game day ready and wearing her Patriots scarf that she received when she was groomed on Thursday.

On Friday, I went on an impromptu quilt shop fieldtrip with my friends Laurel and Edith. The first stop was  Ryco Creative Sewing Center in Lincoln, Rhode Island. This store has a number of Youtube videos that you might enjoy. My mission was to find fabric for the sashings, borders, and backing of my floral hexagon quilt. Success!!! Mission accomplished!!! Lincoln, RI is not far from Franklin, MA, so of course, we also visited Emma's Quilt Cupboard and Franklin Mill Store. We had a fun time, but boy was I tired when we got home. :-)

Here's the book that was next up on my nightstand. I always read a chapter or two before turning in. Girl on the Leeside by Kathleen Anne Keeney was a good read. Siobhan had been raised by her Uncle Kee since she was a toddler and shared his love of Irish poetry and folklore. One day a visiting literary scholar comes to visit and Siobhan's life begins to slowly change. Each chapter begins with a quote from one of Ireland's great poets. I'll admit that the story begins slowly, but the reader is gradually drawn in to the world of Siobhan and Uncle Kee and the village where they live.  The author's descriptive writing is in itself quite lyrical. It's a novel that will reward you if your stay with it.

Go Pats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just Checking In . . .

 We certainly have been having some spectacular sunsets lately. This was a quick grabshot taken with my iPhone from my deck on Saturday.

 It was a quilting weekend in Stoughton, but instead of lugging my sewing machine, I worked on my current wool applique piece. I truly enjoy hand stitching and find it to be very relaxing. The wool piece is nearly done, so I should be posting a photo of it soon. I had intended to begin it during the AFC Championship game two weeks ago, but that had to have been one of the very most stressful New England Patriots games ever! No stitching got done that day at all.

Another project that is coming along nicely is this hexagon quilt which I started while I was recuperating from my recent breast cancer surgery. During that period I just couldn't get interested in or concentrate on any of my quilting projects. Then I read a blog post  English Paper Piecing Hexagons and Grandmother's Flower Garden Blocks on A Quilting Life. I had never done any English paper piecing before, but let me say that it is addictive. Here are some of the finished blocks up on my design wall; I have yet to determine how large my quilt will be.

Now for a few recommendations . . .

Every evening before turning in I watch HGTV's House Hunters and House Hunters International which I usually find relaxing and enjoyable, but now, I have found something even better, Escape to the Country. It's basically the same premise; in this show couples are usually seeking to leave a hectic city life and are hoping for a more relaxed life in the incredibly, beautiful British countryside. I love this program!!! In each episode, the home seekers are presented with two houses and then another "mystery" third option which usually has some truly unique features. The rolling hills, the fields of green, the architecture,  the lovely villages, each place more special than the last; it's enough to make you want to pack your bags and head across the pond. (This series is available on Netflix and you may also find many episodes on YouTube.) If you like House Hunters, I promise you will love Escape to the Country.

I was talking about this program while at quilting on Saturday afternoon when someone told me about a mini series called Dr. Thorne.  It's a four-part miniseries available on Amazon Prime. It is based on the novel, Dr. Thorne, by Anthony Trollope. Julian Fellows known for writing Downton Abbey penned this adaptation. Let me just say, Dr. Thorne is wonderful. I have never binge watched anything, but I watched all four parts Saturday night in one sitting. If you have Amazon Prime, please watch this wonderful period piece. It's a delight.

Final recommendation . . . Let me start by saying, I never go to super hero movies, nor to the best of my recollection, have I ever read any super hero comic books in my life. BUT I saw that Black Panther was available on Netflix, so one night I decided to check it out. Even with all the accolades that this movie has received, I was not expecting that it would appeal to me. I was wrong; it's a very good movie. The visuals are truly stunning, and I regret not having gone to see it on the big screen. I read today that it will be brought back to the cinemas in February, and I would definitely be tempted to see it then on the big screen.

Well, this is a bit long, so I'll stop here. Have a good week and keep warm. :-()

Go Pats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Super Bowl Bound and Brrrrrrrrr!!! It's Cold Outside!!!

On a frigid day such as today, this amaryllis adds a much needed touch of warmth and color. For those not from this area, let me just say that we are covered in ice. I don't plan to go anywhere until Thursday when hopefully, warmer temperatures will work their magic. I'm so glad my backyard is fenced for Emma's sake as both the back and front stairs are accidents waiting to happen. The  pet safe ice melt has done nothing, but on closer inspection I noted that it doesn't work below 10F. That explains it. I bundle up Emma and out she goes for a few minutes by herself.

It may be frigid outside, but our hearts are warm with excitement, pride, and joy. The New England Patriots are headed to the Super Bowl for the third time in three years. Beyond Amazing!!! Nothing could possibly motivate Tom Brady and the team more than being called the underdogs for yesterday's game. Really???  Tom Brady has been to the Super Bowl nine times!!! What were they thinking??? Anyway it sure worked in our favor. It was an incredible game as was the Saints/Rams game before it. Truly a great day for football, and did I mention that the PATS won . . . Super Bowl hoopla here we come. [Hoopla . . . a great word and not used often enough. Being a word geek I just looked up its etymology "Hoopla from the French  . . .  hoop la` first used 1865-1870, a command {as to a child}, move take a step.]

Okay, what about all the things I was going to accomplish this weekend? Well, as you can see my cutting surface has been cleaned off!!! That's a start. Whoopie!!!

I also managed to straighten out some of my threads. I sorted it by color families, not by type. My other larger spool and special threads were already organized.

I was then about to start sewing Saturday when I realized that I had to make a dash to 4:00 Mass; the pastor said it looked like Christmas Eve as all the pews were nearly filled with the storm approaching. :-)

True confession time: while I was recuperating from BC, I went through many, many magazines and culled articles that I wanted to save. I was positive that I had purchased a large binder, but try as I might, I couldn't find it anywhere. . . not in any of my bookcases . . . not buried under projects . . so, the other day I bought another one. Look closely at the cutting table photo. Yup! There's the big, beautiful turquoise binder practically in plain sight under the cutting table. Please tell me that I'm not the only one who does things like this. :-)

Did I get any sewing done at all? Yes a bit, but I'll show that in my next post. Stay warm and safe.

Get the Milk! Get the Bread! A Storm is Coming!!!

Yes, it seems our fairly easy winter is headed for a drastic change this weekend. We are expecting snow, sleet, freezing rain, and frigid temperatures. How much snow will we get? That's unclear, but it's the ice that may will be the biggest problem. You know things will be bad when Weather Channel storm chaser/meteorologist, Jim Cantore, has headed to Boston to be in the thick of things. :-)

I have big plans for this three-day weekend: 1.) I'm going to straighten out my sewing room, 2.) prep a new piece of wool stitchery, and 3.) hopefully, start on the Crosstown Quilters guild mystery/BOM. Of course,  Sunday night it will all be about the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Fingers will be crossed that we don't lose cable or power.

Fortunately, I did my food shopping earlier in the week as I can't imagine how crazy the grocery stores will be tomorrow. This lovely African violet had to come home with me. :-)

I'm in the middle of a number of books, but I did finish the one on my nightstand. It was The Rescue Artist - A True Story of Art, Thieves, and the Hunt for a MISSING Masterpiece  by Edward Dolnick.  It was a very interesting, truly enjoyable read!!! In February of 1994 while the world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, two thieves broke into the National Gallery in Oslo and stole Edvard Munch's Scream. This is the story of a Scotland Yard detective's dogged pursuit of the masterpiece.  If you enjoy visiting art museums, reading true crime stories, or just want to read a very well written, well paced book, give it a try. I learned a great deal about the world of art and the world of art crimes.

Emma and I took a walk this afternoon and upon our return, she settled herself on my lap to keep an alert eye on any squirrels outside the window.

And finally, I saw this on another blog and it made me smile.

Go Pats!!!!!!! Never give up pursuing your dreams. :-)

"Hannah Rose" - Winter Table Runner

While watching the New England Patriots this afternoon, I finished the binding on this winter table runner. The pattern shows using a crocheted doily for the bottom of the snow lady. (The pattern indicates that you could choose to use fabric, but I loved using a doily.)

The pattern, "Hannah Rose," is by Rustic Country Handcrafts.  I decided to make it using some recently purchased beautiful, deep blue batik yardage along with some other blue fabrics in my stash, and I had just the perfect heart shaped black buttons for the coat.

 

I added the white tree candle and two reindeer which I had received for Christmas to complete the scene. In fact, receiving these gifts actually prompted me to work on this piece.

 

I made the squares slightly smaller than the pattern indicated and added a border. Because I had altered the pattern, there were enough squares left over to create another smaller runner for the top of my quilt rack. 

 

Have a creative, fun week!!!