A late July 2021 Recap

Hi there and thanks for stopping by. Like many others, I am way behind on blog reading and blog posting - hope all of you are doing well and having a good summer. I have had a busy few months, although I am not quite sure all I got done! The kids are back in school and I have two high-schoolers now. They are both doing well and getting involved in activities while balancing homework and trying to still get in a little video watching or gaming each day.

July started with our family heading in two different directions - the boys headed east for a bike trip on the C&O rail trail in Maryland - they biked about 150 miles into DC and had a great week. My daughter and I headed north to visit one of my best friends in Michigan and spent a long weekend at her lake house. It was great to catch up with her after not getting a lake trip in last summer.  After that, we came home and spent most of the remainder of the month getting used to the new routines of summer job, summer camp, and a bit of a return to the office for me. 

I had a week off work and got in a good bit of stitching and quilting this month, so let's jump into it. 

On the stitching front, I had one fully finished object (FFO) - Welcome to the Lake by Hinzeit. I bought this years ago with plans to stitch it for my friend's lake house and was happy to gift it to her when we arrived. I mounted it on mat board, then on fabric covered mat board and then glued it to a wood panel that I purchased at Michael's. It matched their new grey walls very well and she really liked it. I can't wait to see where she decided to hang it next time we get up there. 

I also finished an ornament in July (but didn't get it to FFO stage) - this is Noel from Lizzie Kate Tiny Tidings XIV. I just love these little tiny tidings pieces and had a good time changing almost all the colors on this one to play with a different color palette. I am thinking about finishing it in a hoop. 

Here's a picture of the 6 ornaments I have stitched so far this year. Carol is hosting a #12in21ornamentstitchalong on Instagram and I am not doing so well at the finishing as you can see I only have 1 of the 6 FFO'ed! I also fell behind in June/July, but that's okay - I may catch up and I may not, but I am enjoying the ornaments when I get a chance to stitch them. 

My third stitching finish is a model piece I stitched for our local shop, Persnickety Stitchers. The owner does needlepoint but not cross-stitch and my mom recently started working for her one day a week. I went in to visit/heckle my mom one week and got to talking with the owner and now I am doing some model stitching for her - fun! This piece is called American Harmony by Summer House Stitch Workes. I really enjoyed this piece - I used 28 ct. linen and two Weeks colors (not the called for) and mounted it on a wood piece I found at Hobby Lobby. I did the stitching in July and the finishing in August. 

On to the sewing/quilting side - I decided this month to try my hand at some clothing and made the Cross Back Tank from Life Sew Savory. It was a relatively easy pattern to follow. There are a few mistakes, but I think it is respectable for a first time sewing a shirt in many, many years! I used an oatmeal colored knit that I bought earlier this year. 

I also finished blocking my Crochet sweater - I told you that I'd finished it back in May, but I took a little while to get it blocked. It is nice and long and I look forward to wearing it when it cools down just a bit. This pattern is called Airy Lace Shell and it is from Lion Brand. I am really pleased with the length! 

I did a little quilting too - quilted up a quilt top that is from last year, and made a few new stitching project bags. The quilt wasn't bound before the end of the month, so you'll see a picture of it with the binding in my August recap.  The project bags are for some fall stitching - I really like them both and was glad to be able to use a quilt panel for the one on the right. 

Well, that's about it for July - it was another good crafty month. Hope you enjoyed seeing what I made. For those who enjoy following along, here's the accounting for the month: 

Stash Report: 

Fabric added this month: 1/2 yard for quilt binding

Fabric used: 5/8 yard

Net fabric used: 1/8 yard

Fabric added year to date: 12 yards

Fabric used year to date: 34 1/8 yards

Net fabric used: 22 1/8 yards

Days with at least 15 minutes of crafting: 29/31 days - 94%