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.

Flora’s Basket, Wool Applique Tulip Topper, and Goodbye Maple Tree

This sweet piece is Flora’s Basket by Cindy Young of Luhu Stitches. There were nineteen different flosses used to create the shading in the roses and apple blossoms. When I purchased it, I thought it would be a quick little stitch; boy, was I ever wrong!!! Still, I do love it, and I had just the perfect thrifted frame in my stash. Could this frame color be any more perfect?

In a recent post I showed a bowl of perle cotton threads that I was using on a piece. It was a wool applique April tulip topper from Shabby Fabrics. In the second photo there is a stained glass box which I made for my mom many years ago during my stained glass crafting period. :-)

This maple tree shaded my sunporch (and clogged my gutters,) but for the last few years a hole near the base kept getting bigger and deeper. 

The arborists that I consulted all agreed that sadly, it was time for it to come down. So, yesterday morning, bright and early, this was the scene in my backyard.

Earplugs in place, I sat on my neighbor’s deck sipping my ice coffee and watching the well choreographed  process. It was incredible!!! 

Precision . . . The crane operator swung huge sections of the tree to the crew below. At the end when the crane operator stepped out of the cab, I gave him a standing ovation. He had a grin on his face and nodded. Could that have been his first standing ovation? Honestly, I could not have been more impressed by the professionalism of the entire crew. It was masterful. [FYI: I used Bogan Tree Services of Quincy, and I could not have been more pleased with their work.]

It was a bit disorienting and a little sad when I took Emma out last night seeing the space where the mighty maple had stood. On the plus side, my large garden will now receive more sunlight.

Covid-19 Update:

Today the United States’ declaration of a public health emergency due to Covid-19 came to an end. There is one troubling note though . . . according to the CDC, there were more than 77,000 new Covid cases last week. Since many people test at home, that number may be far below the actual number.

Stay safe and have a lovely rest of the week.

Spring Is Here!!!

 Don’t these photos just suggest spring to you? This morning I attended a meeting of the Herring Run Quilt Guild in Norwell, and when I returned to my car, I spend a few minutes photographing these pretty blossoms. 

At the last meeting of the Crosstown Quilters in Weymouth, I picked up two pieces of fabric from the back table. (The back table is a wonderful place; you never know what you may find there: fabric, books, magazines, notions, etc.) I like it because I know that whatever I leave there will probably go home with a fellow quilter. 

Now, I do have one pretty hard and fast rule about taking things from the back table. Anything taken must  be used within the two week period between meetings. . . if not, I must bring it back to the next meeting. 

The exception to the rule would be a particular notion or pieces of trim which I am confident that I will eventually use when finishing a cross stitch piece.

Anyway, here’s a quilt for a child that I made from the fabric that I picked up from the back table last week. 

Here’s a close up of this fun fabric.

The backing is a green print also from the table. I added batting and a red binding from my stash, and this quilt went together quickly. It will be donated to DCF (the Department of Children and Families.)

Now for Emma fans . . . here she is after a trip to the groomer on Wednesday.

And happily, the rain has stopped after a period of cool, damp, dreary, drizzly weather.

Life is good. Have a lovely week ahead.

Wheelchair Quilt for a Veteran

 Back in February, I read about SAHRR 2023, Stay at Home Round Robin. Each week the organizers took turns suggesting what each row should be. I started with a center block which I had from a previous project and then added enough rows to make this wheelchair quilt for a veteran.

One concern with wheelchair quilts is preventing the quilt from getting caught in the wheels. After searching online, I located a tutorial created by a nurse. She suggested cutting out a 6.5 inch square from the bottom on both sides. Then bind all around except for the cut out sections. Sew those seams together and add binding to these seams.

Here’s a photo of the back of the quilt.

For a detailed, step by step Wheelchair quilt tutorial please go to Better Done Quilts. 

A Medical Milestone:

For the first time in over three years, a Boston hospital, Tufts Medical Center, announced that they had no inpatients with covid. South Shore Health also had no patients with covid. Let us remain vigilant but  hopeful that the worst is behind us.

Photos from Fun on the Cape with Friends

Today’s post will be filled with fun, somewhat silly photos from our recent Cape Cod getaway. Cap’t Cass  Rock Harbor Seafood was not yet open for the season, but I couldn’t resist photographing the collection of buoys.

One fun shop we always visit is Buddah Bob’s in Eastham. How can I describe this funky little place? “Eclectic” best describes it. You can find crystals, amethyst, rose quartz, jewelry, antiques, and garden statuaries there. 

And you never know who might be lurking about. . . 

We went out to eat one night and because the restaurant was crowded our group sat at two different tables. The other table ordered sensible, semi healthy food. Fortunately, I was at the cool kids table. :-) When Kathy’s friend Kathy decided she would like nachos, I suggested we just order appetizers and so we did. Yes, nachos, potato skins, and chicken fingers . . . It wasn’t healthy but it sure was fun.

 

Final photos . . . 

Thrifting Fun on the Cape with Friends

 My friend Kathy invited six friends down to her family’s summer home in Eastham for a few days of thrifting fun. The weather was gorgeous and happily, many thrift shops were open. 

Here’s our hostess Kathy (on the right) with her forever friend Kathy.

Here’s the rest of the crew. Except for Kathy’s friend Kathy, we had all taught in the Weymouth Public Schools for many years.

Nauset Light in Orleans

Across from the Coast Guard station in Chatman, I spotted these shiny, smiley, happy fellows.

Inflation hasn’t affected the price of these viewers; they still cost a quarter.

So, what did we do on our getaway? We laughed, shopped, ate, laughed, ate, shopped, . . . 

What did we buy? Well, one friend seemed to find a black top to wear on an upcoming trip at nearly every shop, and another found treasures to add to her extensive vintage jewelry collection. When we would return to the house each day, we would have a show and tell to ooh and ahh over our purchases.

What did I find? Do you remember the $4.00 watermelon pitcher that I showed in a recent post? I  found three pieces to go with it. Each piece was $2.00. . . ;-) Won’t they be fun to use on my sunporch this summer?

My best find was a bag for $12.00 with six wooden spools/bobbins. That was a bargain!!! They will be used in future cross stitch finishing pieces.

There were a few other small items. In total, I spent about twenty-five dollars, but the adventure of thrifting with friends was priceless. 

Part Two in my next post. :-)

Mary Poppins Cross Stitch Finish

I’m just poppin’ in to wish you all a very Happy Easter and to show you my latest cross stitch finish which I picked up from the framers on Thursday. :-) Non-cross stitchers would be surprised at how many different Mary Poppins charts there are available, but this by far is my favorite.  It is a design by Laura Rimola, the Little Stitcher. 

This was my birthday start last July, and it was stitched on 14 count Denim Dyed Effect from Fabric Flair. There was supposed to be some wording in the middle but it was awkward, so I skipped it. I used the ‘called-for’ floss, but I added a different color floss to emphasize the upper structure of the clock tower. I am thrilled how it turned out.

Now, less you think this is the end of the story, there is more. Way, way back when I was in college, my cousin Jane and her husband welcomed a baby girl to our family. I was given the great honor of being her godmother. I was excited beyond words and wanted to make something special for baby Kristin. Mary Poppins came to mind. In those day I did both needlepoint and crewel. I purchased a Mary Poppins book and a coloring book and designed a crewel piece to stitch. My dad made the frame and cut the glass for it. 

This Mary Poppins piece hung in her childhood bedroom and later moved to her home when she herself was blessed with two baby girls. It still hangs in her home today. So, here is the piece that I created and stitched fifty years ago. :-) (Even then I put my initials and the year in the lower right hand corner.)

Isn’t that fun!!! 

Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Happy Spring!