tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65587287218200916162024-03-13T11:56:44.944-04:00Quilting Mom's BlogJenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.comBlogger876125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-54865497936624647322024-03-10T13:49:00.002-04:002024-03-10T13:49:50.096-04:00February 2024 - Fun Finishes<p>Already two months down in this new year, it seems to be going quickly! I had a good month with a work trip to San Diego, a visit from my cousin and her family and lots of crafty time. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdBke5L1CzyMJCF6QACAOqwvUyTEM8AuqQKb1TCGvaqz2kVBozq3mS2HfHEpIRjTpoKqnqdeAHyL2C264g_zrzkl-VtN-pU1nQgl3qE4JFV37dUa73H1TK3gErKVJ1Z6e6IMZevfrJbxVQsRu8gwRHKQ-UInYkBJ54Y5CanJGDxqUv02jIdAmUoZlLhgP/s4032/IMG_2696.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNdBke5L1CzyMJCF6QACAOqwvUyTEM8AuqQKb1TCGvaqz2kVBozq3mS2HfHEpIRjTpoKqnqdeAHyL2C264g_zrzkl-VtN-pU1nQgl3qE4JFV37dUa73H1TK3gErKVJ1Z6e6IMZevfrJbxVQsRu8gwRHKQ-UInYkBJ54Y5CanJGDxqUv02jIdAmUoZlLhgP/s320/IMG_2696.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego skyline at night </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwlMtODtaYnqvxLlISUZ4n4QkQ9MiJpJh6HJDDHexh_b1qLgI-OldJPFUZUhZ2FdNupSHQNXeq4laDOcIP7nRdikSUxInGHBhMAHH-DWSHRu6n0QEtt4F8NG3099Jaj3eKT42egrTy1iF62FqCEtpdlJQUdSZ2zbbhbgAgc_vgloWmVfKrKsWGHKiiyeI/s4032/IMG_2685.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwlMtODtaYnqvxLlISUZ4n4QkQ9MiJpJh6HJDDHexh_b1qLgI-OldJPFUZUhZ2FdNupSHQNXeq4laDOcIP7nRdikSUxInGHBhMAHH-DWSHRu6n0QEtt4F8NG3099Jaj3eKT42egrTy1iF62FqCEtpdlJQUdSZ2zbbhbgAgc_vgloWmVfKrKsWGHKiiyeI/s320/IMG_2685.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">San Diego Gaslamp Quarter</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I finished my first quilt for the year, this one was a UFO from 2021 that I made at a Shipshewana retreat. I got the pattern and fabric from Pumpkinvine Quilting, which used to be in Middlebury, IN - sadly closed now. I purchased the Sew Kind of Wonderful quilting ruler last year and this is the second quilt I've done with it. I quilted a combination of ruler work and freehand quilting and had a heck of a time with thread breaks. I think that it is time for my machine to have a spa day after quilting 170 quilts! I had the machine serviced once since I got it in 2011, so it's probably time. I am so glad to have this one bound and finished and ready to gift. First quilt project and first completed quilt UFO for the year! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LitGyvEQXA9gKSZEjL-V7GPLlF_rDkoFa27HW4Ufx1kVx3Fe-ArrbWJ_tCuPQ8JN-Ggc4jrIq4Ycs49j4Mwtfg9kTYvxMse11Ca-40HvyKaAUp_TwUjWT0Ne8M-V2Os7F6MXxuFYtqD8xkBxM6kapY6LC3ujQhLRJ2HG9_3hnwr55-xemRrrmtv_widW/s4032/IMG_2760.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4LitGyvEQXA9gKSZEjL-V7GPLlF_rDkoFa27HW4Ufx1kVx3Fe-ArrbWJ_tCuPQ8JN-Ggc4jrIq4Ycs49j4Mwtfg9kTYvxMse11Ca-40HvyKaAUp_TwUjWT0Ne8M-V2Os7F6MXxuFYtqD8xkBxM6kapY6LC3ujQhLRJ2HG9_3hnwr55-xemRrrmtv_widW/s320/IMG_2760.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urban Chained quilt, pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHLyCHzGpxJmNAUgJQ0TvhqgA-duTgz3_9_4HxBLLV8C-AkP1d6e0wMwBNZDnaW9sla20JFelyRA-Yp1GrdaYHaP9SJ-Hu_YAy7FkgnCljFoUn1pVVhiobslfNvBiMvBM9ZSaNmqOIshJwl0gDaPykEalrCEqNS1R334zsJWS212HMifYf51yfqE9ONCu/s4032/IMG_2737.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjHLyCHzGpxJmNAUgJQ0TvhqgA-duTgz3_9_4HxBLLV8C-AkP1d6e0wMwBNZDnaW9sla20JFelyRA-Yp1GrdaYHaP9SJ-Hu_YAy7FkgnCljFoUn1pVVhiobslfNvBiMvBM9ZSaNmqOIshJwl0gDaPykEalrCEqNS1R334zsJWS212HMifYf51yfqE9ONCu/s320/IMG_2737.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's some closeup of the quilting from the morning I tied off all my thread ends - I use blue painter's tape to make it easy to find the threads. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Stitching had me with some finishes and some FFOs. Two of the three projects I finished were also started in February - I do enjoy a quick start and finish! </p><p>Summertime Berry is from the Summertime Berries collection by Erica Michaels and I am stitching two of them as shop models for Persnickety Stitchers. The first one was a quick 2-day stitch. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53WkoGQI3lntMFifqAghKwBB8DkEGgx4m7A2sz0noJmNuXNYZYj2_ZBZnBzAuzuZs2Klx-gx0TiSVIOPlGAEuSzETF-n0trbck9v_qzEsly2cIuHTmqd9z2-U78OSR-0u5ohA2wraU9pF4TaE5K-9ubUQlUEUqfIPeUe7DTJVrSoyV_MNPAZyLXtm4KeR/s3006/IMG_2775.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2254" data-original-width="3006" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg53WkoGQI3lntMFifqAghKwBB8DkEGgx4m7A2sz0noJmNuXNYZYj2_ZBZnBzAuzuZs2Klx-gx0TiSVIOPlGAEuSzETF-n0trbck9v_qzEsly2cIuHTmqd9z2-U78OSR-0u5ohA2wraU9pF4TaE5K-9ubUQlUEUqfIPeUe7DTJVrSoyV_MNPAZyLXtm4KeR/s320/IMG_2775.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summertime Berry by Erica Michael's stitched on 36 ct. White Linen with Classic Colorworks Blueberry Tart thread</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>Next up was my ornament for February, Truly Endless Knot II, from the 2015 Just CrossStitch Christmas Ornaments issue. I changed the fabric and all the colors to make it a better fit for the person who will receive it. I enjoyed stitching this one on my flight to and from my work trip and had a nice chat with a young stitcher on the way back. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-QFQhvLAQnRMrHDOJiIrvydcfTZb8LVT0JbM3h3_OUU3Nyqtt62pNRZN4EFKet_mJGFTjjrYeCMDDHuiUhWwR0XKCuNJbGISJZ31px4-9eT0pPi3RxVpFVqB-jA_e9sgsyd8lqCGoPGaqYYdYtfkHJpenlcylDAqv5-pAaYpdcnybwfRENfj3SguYCKH/s3024/IMG_2729.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-QFQhvLAQnRMrHDOJiIrvydcfTZb8LVT0JbM3h3_OUU3Nyqtt62pNRZN4EFKet_mJGFTjjrYeCMDDHuiUhWwR0XKCuNJbGISJZ31px4-9eT0pPi3RxVpFVqB-jA_e9sgsyd8lqCGoPGaqYYdYtfkHJpenlcylDAqv5-pAaYpdcnybwfRENfj3SguYCKH/s320/IMG_2729.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Truly Endless Knot II by Ink Circles</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My last finish is my favorite for the month. I started Autumn Alphabet last year and really loved stitching it. I tried my hand at stitching in hand for the pumpkin, stitching up and down instead of back and forth. It turned out okay but I don't think I loved the process. This fabric was one of my favorites to stitch with and it is really hard to capture in a photo the richness of the dark amber color. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fJaagtxwR5JEwCFid3FT5eLVL2D6OlraJd8hkoa0KHwRl6fueD-CxopP7EmWiOWFq_u_TOK-U09qaA9znjztXhxk7uFur66yQd7U3VwDzkrMTaTzlA4WcFa3KOcgYgt4zTBxcPY4af772dglJcZYQgwMNCH1Hc_B8HZm3G8idPBX7X2YrtsYb0gh_z9y/s2185/IMG_2761.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2177" data-original-width="2185" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7fJaagtxwR5JEwCFid3FT5eLVL2D6OlraJd8hkoa0KHwRl6fueD-CxopP7EmWiOWFq_u_TOK-U09qaA9znjztXhxk7uFur66yQd7U3VwDzkrMTaTzlA4WcFa3KOcgYgt4zTBxcPY4af772dglJcZYQgwMNCH1Hc_B8HZm3G8idPBX7X2YrtsYb0gh_z9y/s320/IMG_2761.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn Alphabet by The Scarlett House, stitched on 32 count Autumn Gold by Lakeside Linens with mostly called for threads (I made one sub to look better with my selected fabric)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I also fully finished three pieces, two of which I'd started to finish before February. Cookie Exchange was a mystery SAL with Hands on Design in 2021 and I really enjoyed stitching this one. The model was finished on a paddle, but I stitched mine with fabric from stash in a different count so had to decide on another finish. I really love the flat fold finish and made this one extra narrow so I can squeeze it in with all my Christmas decorations. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttCxJpZXs7AaGssrTKR4XeB5yar_QqHGl7UgTuzPpD9aNj3sprEoPxEiaG3jUU2Bh5_DV46l0UePiENDFu8e8cUsot3A02vfasUDDA88oQMtuX2EQAqLc2w-HUusBC_JHbc_u1KtXqoVR8oY3iC6rCMe2amkUA-3xNDi6Prkf6J3qr_v-wR_ubGZxmBue/s4032/IMG_2730.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttCxJpZXs7AaGssrTKR4XeB5yar_QqHGl7UgTuzPpD9aNj3sprEoPxEiaG3jUU2Bh5_DV46l0UePiENDFu8e8cUsot3A02vfasUDDA88oQMtuX2EQAqLc2w-HUusBC_JHbc_u1KtXqoVR8oY3iC6rCMe2amkUA-3xNDi6Prkf6J3qr_v-wR_ubGZxmBue/s320/IMG_2730.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cookie Exchange by Hands of Design, stitched on<br /> 28 count Aida dyed by me with called for DMC threads</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBABbJ1Ln3VYaWDbxO07QLPKAXTapyNkw-JbkD09ahP6csAlVovuCoinCBVw_yOSNfPfoyoADhrRVCLdlRysN6BQzl23ASves2o6nPgOduu0B4Kz3QG1y2ftU6EG9AldvyiuncDb3BW_guqzZAvL5F9zz6pvz8kXLqEuBfRGbJ5v8ikzkI-X4ew_DjyMk/s4032/IMG_2731.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBABbJ1Ln3VYaWDbxO07QLPKAXTapyNkw-JbkD09ahP6csAlVovuCoinCBVw_yOSNfPfoyoADhrRVCLdlRysN6BQzl23ASves2o6nPgOduu0B4Kz3QG1y2ftU6EG9AldvyiuncDb3BW_guqzZAvL5F9zz6pvz8kXLqEuBfRGbJ5v8ikzkI-X4ew_DjyMk/s320/IMG_2731.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Side view of my narrow flat fold with cheery fabric for the backing</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My Canoeing Santa was a quick stitch near the end of last year and I was inspired by <a href="https://stitchingdream.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Carol</a> to finish this one in a pillow finish with simple cording around the edges and for the hanger. I haven't mastered how to make the cording "pigtails" lay nicely, but even so, I am thrilled with this finish and know there will be more of this style in my future - thanks Carol for the inspiration from your great ornaments! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wmD1f1an48JP2v6qdv7YUddE_Jr4Up8pBdk0Xxjj_YNjpKXuKbO3fNDQnXbWYTfAhPlJUoA8rxapy0P475VOVFiYjcHIEWUJsWkGRtmxu-goRs0Zue4NUirlGpbyPeMB-_oaC-m87_4wRCLSiYqIR-N8jSz_aSlW6rZbsnSr6UGfXwlMVMMFveUTIMFn/s4032/IMG_2763.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6wmD1f1an48JP2v6qdv7YUddE_Jr4Up8pBdk0Xxjj_YNjpKXuKbO3fNDQnXbWYTfAhPlJUoA8rxapy0P475VOVFiYjcHIEWUJsWkGRtmxu-goRs0Zue4NUirlGpbyPeMB-_oaC-m87_4wRCLSiYqIR-N8jSz_aSlW6rZbsnSr6UGfXwlMVMMFveUTIMFn/s320/IMG_2763.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canoeing Santa - pattern from a mini card by Prairie Schooler</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Landscape was my final finish and has been close to a finish for a long time. I painted the frame that it is finished in - it started as a dark brown with green stars and I had to do several coats of white to cover everything up. In the end, I am pretty happy with it, although the frame isn't perfectly square. That's okay, I think the design of this one still stands out great. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4XtsxN-aS9fvb0TtOSh6eob6PFUge2vkVCKtfB2WX5qR6vvvyIQo-6Z9ypWnEOAoIydnwP7C5Vf-I4bfCvOj3LLvXMfgGNE7McXfP3gbUPHwtHgjYg6KXyolqFJO_qvbjy4wdf55wG60HjpC2HZ-LhQ-sWueNKAJTqEmOVv2YLAuVf64hJauoHoxG-hz/s2964/IMG_2740.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2445" data-original-width="2964" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR4XtsxN-aS9fvb0TtOSh6eob6PFUge2vkVCKtfB2WX5qR6vvvyIQo-6Z9ypWnEOAoIydnwP7C5Vf-I4bfCvOj3LLvXMfgGNE7McXfP3gbUPHwtHgjYg6KXyolqFJO_qvbjy4wdf55wG60HjpC2HZ-LhQ-sWueNKAJTqEmOVv2YLAuVf64hJauoHoxG-hz/s320/IMG_2740.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Landscape by Works by ABC, stitched on 32 count Vintage Smokey White with called for threads</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I did a little work on my crochet project, but really not enough to make for a good picture and I spent some time taking apart and reconstructing my reindeer blocks that I started last year. The smallest units of the blocks were off throwing off the entire block. It is frustrating to take them all apart, but will be worth it in the end. </p><p>My stats for the month look okay: </p><p>Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2024/03/stitching-stuff-week-10-of-2024.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: 23/29 days crafting = 82% </p><p>Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2024/03/10/sunday-stash-march-10-2024/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </p><div style="text-align: left;">No fabric used this month<br />No fabric added this month<br />Fabric used year to date: 3 1/8 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 0 yards<br />Net fabric used: 3 1/8 yards</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">FFO Challenge Tracking: </span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -3 FFOs = 36 projects waiting to be fully finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Quilting projects: +0 new quilt tops/projects, -1 finished quilt = 9 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Thanks for reading about my month - hope you had a nice February - onward to spring now! </span></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-55230881831351726532024-02-04T14:53:00.001-05:002024-02-04T14:53:09.994-05:00January 2024 - Cloudy = Crafty<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">How was January in your area? Here in central Indiana, it was cold and cloudy - I hear the cloudiest January in 25 years. It made for a perfect month of crafting as there wasn't much desire to be outside. My daughter wrapped up her holiday visit home mid-month and we really enjoyed having her here. She is also happy to be returning to school for her second semester. She already seems like more of a New Yorker and mastered the plane/bus/train/bus trip back with ease. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I started the year with plans to finish off my temperature stitch that I used to record the high temps in Indy each day - all seemed to be going well until I got close to the end and found that I would have three unstitched motifs, meaning I had missed three days along the way. I went through the whole piece day by day and was glad to find that the gaps happened in November/December. I spend the better part of a week pulling out stitches back to the first missed date and then putting the right ones back in. I am happy in the end to have done that, no one else would have known but it would have bugged me! The highest high was 92 and the lowest low was 21 degrees, a relatively mild year all things considered. I didn't use the top of bottom end of the range in my piece, but had I decided to do it again for 2024, I'd have used the bottom end! I found a box frame at Michael's that should work well for the finish and hope to finish it up soon.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2ONE4eMgo5t_fUOcr85dMYVEzqkQOrMg05rU4NvYVEtFOmEhkVK0nfdgqe5_63dULpJSMRg4pIVFsmOV4jnGtQTNr4pYkJ0sNeIYA3RV7G0gpF808ea2PbEsQbZxuib0CKshQIuTmRA28HPKQLyswNzHwtjMJhAnWbmP8YCE6KBbqbNi0-HQsUnJ3_mv/s2871/IMG_2646.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2871" data-original-width="2855" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA2ONE4eMgo5t_fUOcr85dMYVEzqkQOrMg05rU4NvYVEtFOmEhkVK0nfdgqe5_63dULpJSMRg4pIVFsmOV4jnGtQTNr4pYkJ0sNeIYA3RV7G0gpF808ea2PbEsQbZxuib0CKshQIuTmRA28HPKQLyswNzHwtjMJhAnWbmP8YCE6KBbqbNi0-HQsUnJ3_mv/s320/IMG_2646.HEIC" width="318" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mini Temperature Stars by Zahra Design Studio (on Etsy)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWpFOUfriXy1HWsYYNBDyS5_BQjaj0xeeqvb8HqNyDRM3_3MWISiNslQdjSmV6rHr_SsgGG4smuWizZHFnP-_tNYF1CkJpRm_Ox7q4bXq5MxX1Z7d-dYOcT7LQAxGS4niEK0xE4Q4mUY_dDcDZjx9qGTAn7zbbsp8WzxZvqw9T1otzBNFEhyVphOR_PQo/s3615/IMG_2647.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3615" data-original-width="1110" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOWpFOUfriXy1HWsYYNBDyS5_BQjaj0xeeqvb8HqNyDRM3_3MWISiNslQdjSmV6rHr_SsgGG4smuWizZHFnP-_tNYF1CkJpRm_Ox7q4bXq5MxX1Z7d-dYOcT7LQAxGS4niEK0xE4Q4mUY_dDcDZjx9qGTAn7zbbsp8WzxZvqw9T1otzBNFEhyVphOR_PQo/s320/IMG_2647.HEIC" width="98" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I stitched the key to go on the back of my finished piece <br />so I would remember what the colors meant.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I stitched on several other things over the month and had two other partial finishes, so will share them as the series grows through the year. The first is Hinzeit Crystal Reindeer. I think I bought the patterns for this one around 2010 and saw a stitched model last summer at Acorns and Threads in Portland - I loved their shop model and picked up the 36 count White Opalescent linen while there, planning for it to be a Christmas day start. I am really enjoying stitching on this piece and finished Dasher in January. There are seven more reindeer to go and I will attach the crystals at the end so they don't get caught up in my q-snap. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtstVV6MUw5lzuADbvo7XEQZ6rw-p10AHsoLrODCogMa5Df02iBcrR2uHqnudKuJtDL5WwoW9BlKgTT8AHS7pq1Z2sgZ55CJZpcHyP5xYghnGSsAdMMqy_gmvtn08v6gDRWbLlz3sVfBj_q_N4wUblnLGgqrfBFVZfBDn5xwcsvqBuYl0KHNHbFdFLDOH/s4032/IMG_2651.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUtstVV6MUw5lzuADbvo7XEQZ6rw-p10AHsoLrODCogMa5Df02iBcrR2uHqnudKuJtDL5WwoW9BlKgTT8AHS7pq1Z2sgZ55CJZpcHyP5xYghnGSsAdMMqy_gmvtn08v6gDRWbLlz3sVfBj_q_N4wUblnLGgqrfBFVZfBDn5xwcsvqBuYl0KHNHbFdFLDOH/s320/IMG_2651.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My second partial finish is part of the Lizzie Kate Green Flip-its series, which I am stitching as part of a SAL (stitch-a-long) with Alison from Mrs. AZ Family Zoo Stitches on IG. We both had this pattern ready to stitch in 2024 so decided to stitch along together. I am stitching mine on 32 count Meadow Rue linen by Lakeside Linen with the called for fancy floss. It is such a fun stitch!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6wt4JwtGoJrXIfQnuMUVFPcrCJN6XM1nFyOMpF-OtFtHBfhEn7yqbchEgHR8oxNmN3VDtjzBLky5JQqwFYWLDm8JXmx-gLej94DC0QqjSCchVhPzWcOVyFuztoLMHVca1A7WPPHKVoFKirU5awIvONfBZVftQGq5pG_h8V48wefnT057YINDVknCFa21/s4032/IMG_2671.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV6wt4JwtGoJrXIfQnuMUVFPcrCJN6XM1nFyOMpF-OtFtHBfhEn7yqbchEgHR8oxNmN3VDtjzBLky5JQqwFYWLDm8JXmx-gLej94DC0QqjSCchVhPzWcOVyFuztoLMHVca1A7WPPHKVoFKirU5awIvONfBZVftQGq5pG_h8V48wefnT057YINDVknCFa21/s320/IMG_2671.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also had a quick ornament start and finish this month, as I am joining Carol in the #12in24ornamentstitchalong - I may not get 12 done, but plan to stitch several ornaments through the year with the plan to give them as gifts next Christmas. My first one is Winter Squirrel by The Victoria Sampler from the 2011 Just CrossStitch Ornament issue. I stitched it on a piece of mystery linen which is a light grey-green and used the DMC threads as they were in my stash so it was a quick and easy start. I plan to order a tart tin to finish this in, as called for in the magazine. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi4fxMCGFODLUmCKimc9M8jYjlVqZ_WDclzf0VN-WZkKSPkR-xfZeTkIq9ED5g5EJt_bGNFKB5ed1Fr3XFLI-xywjH4R_zPQjpGkP6d1RDjySh6LNqvMfHCSwCrT19P6ySYqd9jDSLFTnB-EZ7gjh4-WUF2gando25nfvd4Sp7dXO0M8h59iYS388hGzV/s3021/IMG_2676.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3021" data-original-width="3021" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHi4fxMCGFODLUmCKimc9M8jYjlVqZ_WDclzf0VN-WZkKSPkR-xfZeTkIq9ED5g5EJt_bGNFKB5ed1Fr3XFLI-xywjH4R_zPQjpGkP6d1RDjySh6LNqvMfHCSwCrT19P6ySYqd9jDSLFTnB-EZ7gjh4-WUF2gando25nfvd4Sp7dXO0M8h59iYS388hGzV/s320/IMG_2676.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to some good stitching, I have two FFOs (Fully Finished Objects) to share. The first one was framed at our local Michael's with a frame my mom found at another Michael's on the "oops" wall. It took the framer a few tries to get it right and we wound up putting batting behind the stitched piece in the end so it would fill out one strange spot in the linen, and I am happy with the end result. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Chcrk_lcFidalP2glYRA78tMmRtqiKHNmtFpyce78wMwJ_ymnKxYmIkPbqsOO2ByGrXNIGtlSImYqD_IHCuTibOtLxQbPLii9e_oVnDOrTNxY6mzmJrb5Mx3czSe7jOPld1PHy_yOiemHQjigNneEATBhUBhrVegJpMa3mlFkCIY6yc9kp3aJjCDFgA1/s4032/IMG_2678.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3Chcrk_lcFidalP2glYRA78tMmRtqiKHNmtFpyce78wMwJ_ymnKxYmIkPbqsOO2ByGrXNIGtlSImYqD_IHCuTibOtLxQbPLii9e_oVnDOrTNxY6mzmJrb5Mx3czSe7jOPld1PHy_yOiemHQjigNneEATBhUBhrVegJpMa3mlFkCIY6yc9kp3aJjCDFgA1/s320/IMG_2678.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Ghostyard Goblins by The Nutmeg Needle stitched on <br />28 ct. Taupe linen with called for threads, stitching finished in 2023</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My second FFO was an easy one, as I already knew how I wanted to finish it. I made a pillow with veleteen left over from another finish on the back and mini pompom around the edge. I think this will be a cute one to put out in the fall. It was a quick stitch and a quick finish!</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_qtTR2SULzrNfcd0n7jWXYOAb7e-i8-Xg6e89RcfqvCcL7N1X-5QF6cyNyKF1XA1jqap0w-UN9iBTMNWAACQ5UT_FwAXyaeN69MrdBQdN6riNTay8hxzje_DLdsnBNeLlnB0Mt5NFqTMG-iR6GrLGrMiVtDXJ5_auXYdzuwXO0tAfyefCKU9PuGoM2zT/s2322/IMG_2677.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1425" data-original-width="2322" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ_qtTR2SULzrNfcd0n7jWXYOAb7e-i8-Xg6e89RcfqvCcL7N1X-5QF6cyNyKF1XA1jqap0w-UN9iBTMNWAACQ5UT_FwAXyaeN69MrdBQdN6riNTay8hxzje_DLdsnBNeLlnB0Mt5NFqTMG-iR6GrLGrMiVtDXJ5_auXYdzuwXO0tAfyefCKU9PuGoM2zT/s320/IMG_2677.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mr. McGobbles by Pinker N Punkin, a freebie on her blog. <br />Stitched on 18 count Oatmeal Aida with called for DMC threads.<br />Stitched in 2023 </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In the sewing room, I made a little progress in January too. I made my first quilt back and binding for the year and then got the back loaded to my quilt frame and started quilting a UFO (Unfinished fabric object). I got just under the halfway mark by the end of the month and plan to finish and bind it before the end of February. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOst1-j0mWE166OzauhiE4mPJF9yE_b0xR74D38KlwJ_8jN0bE-KD2OcXJMvIERfUMiHK87bOVbrZ1c08sBdN95h_j4wGyGVjUzfdPryAoQrGhY-7y2Xptll7339aVxJjQhi12qrvll3EnFJhxE1l8zPSYFSLVIcrkniSK5_lRogKOaKWsIFKhcnzi4Qwo/s4032/IMG_2681.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOst1-j0mWE166OzauhiE4mPJF9yE_b0xR74D38KlwJ_8jN0bE-KD2OcXJMvIERfUMiHK87bOVbrZ1c08sBdN95h_j4wGyGVjUzfdPryAoQrGhY-7y2Xptll7339aVxJjQhi12qrvll3EnFJhxE1l8zPSYFSLVIcrkniSK5_lRogKOaKWsIFKhcnzi4Qwo/s320/IMG_2681.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A picture from the back so you can see the backing fabric and just a peek of the quilt top. I am custom quilting this with ruler work and free handed quilting. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I am also slowly working on taking apart my reindeer blocks and getting the components to the right size so they will fit together the right way (the first few I put together were were not right). I was up to two completed blocks by the end of the month and will carry on with fixing them as I feel like it. I know I will love them when done and have learned an important lesson about measuring along the way for blocks with a lot of pieces. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3tClqjRneuN96pD1iSY74LJJYS4AB64am3G9nP2Ip9h3vVJwAiZjo4V7EGzmZgawzVWd4pqC5e7bWZTRmOvPeMYauDiwzdTaaBkpfULvJyZhOomDBf1vVUSIGYx4UZ9-u8uL1OSTkaPtgCfkILcASDKMtoSFBaw7PYswSXyryXv9WZM5Jpr2b6GZjfTe/s4032/IMG_2611.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2737" data-original-width="4032" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil3tClqjRneuN96pD1iSY74LJJYS4AB64am3G9nP2Ip9h3vVJwAiZjo4V7EGzmZgawzVWd4pqC5e7bWZTRmOvPeMYauDiwzdTaaBkpfULvJyZhOomDBf1vVUSIGYx4UZ9-u8uL1OSTkaPtgCfkILcASDKMtoSFBaw7PYswSXyryXv9WZM5Jpr2b6GZjfTe/s320/IMG_2611.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Reindeer blocks for Reindeer Xing by Lella Boutique</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also started a crochet project in January - a new cowl - but it isn't far enough along to show well in a picture. I rarely pick up crochet first in the day, but am trying to be intentional to stitch several rows each week so that it will progress quickly. Hopefully I will have a good picture to show you at the end of February. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I will continue this year by sharing my finishing, stitching time and stash results each month - I find all three of the metrics really help motivate me through the year. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Finishing Stats:</span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +2 finishes, -2 FFOs = 36 to be finished</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting projects: -0 FFOs = 10 quilts waiting to be finished (I added Reindeer Xing which hadn't been in the stats before now as it has stalled a bit)</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2024/02/stitching-stuff-week-5-of-2024.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">28/31 days with at least 15 minutes of stitching = 90%</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2024/02/04/sunday-stash-february-4-2024/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 3 1/8 yards (quilt back and FFO)</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used in 2024: 3 1/8 yards</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thanks for reading about all my crafty activities in January - it has been a good start to the year with projects in all of my major crafts and I look forward to seeing what I get up to in February! Wishing you all a little warmth and sunshine. </span></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-4136261868865731932024-01-05T20:47:00.001-05:002024-01-05T20:47:16.493-05:002023 Year in Review and 2024 Goals<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I knew at the start of 2023 that it would be a big year - college acceptances and selection, graduation, and the culmination of our Girl Scout troop were all big moments. I also enjoyed watching my son play tennis in the fall, going to two stitching and one quilt retreat, surprising my friend Michele for her 50th birthday, and going on a couple of great trips. I am happy to have experienced all of that and also made lots of time for my stitching, quilting, and a little bit of crochet. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I found myself spending most of my crafty time this year with stitching and cross-stitch finishing. I co-hosted the FFO Challenge (#ffochallenge2023 on Instagram) with my friend Michele and exceeded my goals in what I was able to finish this year. I started the year with 50 items on my "to be FFO'ed list," finished 40 items and end the year with 36 items to be FFO'ed (the math looks funny because I also added items to the list this year as I finished them and also found one missing mid-year). I created a few charts to track progress over time and here are the results. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBHxa2St6u9mHgu87NrkuA9CBHl9fi5PQIh4Q_CH-yGGmnlGQUwsTzcaUi07H7xUTX0GJN0KBD9S3sSJYpFnbvz1rWrmgVkJm6umBO89jNTGkFiweeusJuu3xFuTtMWUPlYd_kqwNRyPA2mCnqchh7WO0GmbjTGDwZovS3Tk7eh_tGnDRLC7dwx5ScpDx/s391/FFOs%20by%20Year%20-%20end%20of%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="232" data-original-width="391" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRBHxa2St6u9mHgu87NrkuA9CBHl9fi5PQIh4Q_CH-yGGmnlGQUwsTzcaUi07H7xUTX0GJN0KBD9S3sSJYpFnbvz1rWrmgVkJm6umBO89jNTGkFiweeusJuu3xFuTtMWUPlYd_kqwNRyPA2mCnqchh7WO0GmbjTGDwZovS3Tk7eh_tGnDRLC7dwx5ScpDx/s320/FFOs%20by%20Year%20-%20end%20of%202023.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This chart shows finishes by year - hooray for exceeding <br />both my goal and prior year finishing in 2023!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiay-uJRum09YoLgi0oOKg-OaLTKVlomUZOPB02YPAb2Qt1tcJZMVdHFuZEqATPaW6rUz63FoOVxwwRT3uw1qmXiSiWBZQK467yxUBN44ROSqPcwZoI1Nm27TqxCuXIAZ7o4Saa4tqbp3fO9v43lvtAHyCK4w8i5s_QiqWweII2wuVOd9zQZFb7BxNxri5c/s339/FFOs%20to%20be%20finished%20-%20end%20of%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="190" data-original-width="339" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiay-uJRum09YoLgi0oOKg-OaLTKVlomUZOPB02YPAb2Qt1tcJZMVdHFuZEqATPaW6rUz63FoOVxwwRT3uw1qmXiSiWBZQK467yxUBN44ROSqPcwZoI1Nm27TqxCuXIAZ7o4Saa4tqbp3fO9v43lvtAHyCK4w8i5s_QiqWweII2wuVOd9zQZFb7BxNxri5c/s320/FFOs%20to%20be%20finished%20-%20end%20of%202023.JPG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This chart shows the items I have to FFO by year they were stitched - <br />you can see I have a lot of recent finishes still to FFO</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">And here's the fun picture - a collage of all the finishes! Framing and pillows were my two highest finishing styles for the year and I also made my first stand-up and tried lacing for the first time. I am so glad that this challenge encouraged me to spend more time finishing and that I was able to finish up so many things to enjoy. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjEgvDV4uTJUCBr6xjjjCdFZ0Z9J-wavpk4H6rvZfe-r5rZ12Q6iPO7kqXdM3Q5kl4y-nKYueIKM9u_HfLwqGEgp04udhiKRk5I3qOyIlU-YPI7WvvXRqbXyA8-VLsM42NMcWoAlFTRaF-ePv4n_WKnDBu39v2F8kZjRebpmPr9364pJRcKzerMm4Mm8L/s5120/2023%20Stitching%20FFOs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjEgvDV4uTJUCBr6xjjjCdFZ0Z9J-wavpk4H6rvZfe-r5rZ12Q6iPO7kqXdM3Q5kl4y-nKYueIKM9u_HfLwqGEgp04udhiKRk5I3qOyIlU-YPI7WvvXRqbXyA8-VLsM42NMcWoAlFTRaF-ePv4n_WKnDBu39v2F8kZjRebpmPr9364pJRcKzerMm4Mm8L/w481-h270/2023%20Stitching%20FFOs.jpg" width="481" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My 40 FFOs for 2023<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching new projects fell right behind finishing - at the start of 2023, I wanted to work on some bigger projects from my stash. Even with that, I finished a total of 25 projects for the year, which I thought would be a lot lower than prior years, but is really in the same ballpark as recent years. I think I did more small and medium projects as the year went on. I fully finished 14 of the projects I stitched this year and I think that's probably a record. I also know how I want to finish several more and hope to get to them soon. I was going to try to pick my favorite stitch from the year, but there's no way I can! So many fun projects on different fabrics and with all kinds of threads. I was very proud to finish Goody Grimwood (top left corner), my first Plum Street Sampler and first on 40 count fabric. That one will be professionally framed.</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGgqH3Ogt6LsxezWddWl_6QV2tTTVVt5nh9Qo2_mOeHrmpH84uTAMb1g7fcEZ4Q3NO8krBj0CNGF16jOf9zGhQe7_IArIiTDiMBqRj7yr_bd-KEQIrUxfPpctML4GyFt0NLeezHJJwDX1VTeDK9JNs8JhbQmEJAIuACTnu6A4QxncuB3vbgYYWkFfEtES/s5120/2023%20Stitching%20Finishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGgqH3Ogt6LsxezWddWl_6QV2tTTVVt5nh9Qo2_mOeHrmpH84uTAMb1g7fcEZ4Q3NO8krBj0CNGF16jOf9zGhQe7_IArIiTDiMBqRj7yr_bd-KEQIrUxfPpctML4GyFt0NLeezHJJwDX1VTeDK9JNs8JhbQmEJAIuACTnu6A4QxncuB3vbgYYWkFfEtES/w482-h271/2023%20Stitching%20Finishes.jpg" width="482" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">25 stitched pieces with stitching completed in 2023</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting/Sewing has really taken a back seat to stitching over the past few years, but I feel like I found a bit of a groove again in the last quarter of 2023. I found that I was working on FFOs so often in my sewing room that I wasn't doing much quilting. My collage picture really shows this slowdown. I finished 10 projects this year (six in Q4!), a smaller number than I have had since I started tracking my projects. There were two bags, one pillow, two quilts start to finish, two other quilt tops, and four UFOs completed. I am most happy about Urban Pods (bottom row, second from the left), the bag I made my daughter (bottom middle) and Got Cookies? (the top right corner). Urban Pods was a long time UFO and I finally quilted it and am happy with the result. The bag stretched me a lot but was also really fun to work on. And Got Cookies? had been in my stash for a long, long time - I bought the supplies to make it in 2021, so glad to finally get that top put together. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5YbIWvNTBSBTP6Cv-sA1lAw8JgKk5tEIta5LQjYgh9Tk1cBasrOC1zkq8ThssO6vk-mONDQDamIZ8o3J2EChyS45xRi8v49VZHvFFe75vJYYrXOeokefPF1DfPnKRc-qYgLAS3V5TyjprCL-KZ4UiatWTXPIbUf5s4w9ggisjfH9x5ixpCg3yaF3ta1c/s5120/2023%20Quilting%20Finishes1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY5YbIWvNTBSBTP6Cv-sA1lAw8JgKk5tEIta5LQjYgh9Tk1cBasrOC1zkq8ThssO6vk-mONDQDamIZ8o3J2EChyS45xRi8v49VZHvFFe75vJYYrXOeokefPF1DfPnKRc-qYgLAS3V5TyjprCL-KZ4UiatWTXPIbUf5s4w9ggisjfH9x5ixpCg3yaF3ta1c/w483-h272/2023%20Quilting%20Finishes1.jpg" width="483" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I had one finished crochet project in 2023, and it was a fun one. I haven't done amigurumi before and I really enjoyed it. I didn't know how I'd feel about all the little fiddly bits, but they really weren't too bad to make or sew on. I know there will be more amigurumi in my future. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqUI30Xd3pxnW8wWiriXY3Y9jVszRwxQ9uUwLUDvBQTTQRlPZXWtRgW1cNb4JpsKnQJN6QKCfXQdDb4qj4Gq5Ffx4NBk_Fu5lrl6PNlSY0UqEFFibi1aRhezCn7nN0cwjpRxn8cdyGJCUw7fRuWKU3-WTeCE7V0QyqC38B2QGMvRB58OUIAwPu2AxN9tw/s3024/IMG_2497.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqUI30Xd3pxnW8wWiriXY3Y9jVszRwxQ9uUwLUDvBQTTQRlPZXWtRgW1cNb4JpsKnQJN6QKCfXQdDb4qj4Gq5Ffx4NBk_Fu5lrl6PNlSY0UqEFFibi1aRhezCn7nN0cwjpRxn8cdyGJCUw7fRuWKU3-WTeCE7V0QyqC38B2QGMvRB58OUIAwPu2AxN9tw/w234-h234/IMG_2497.HEIC" width="234" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My one crochet finish for the year</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time and stash reporting turned out well - I count stitching time as any day where I spend at least 15 minutes with my crafts. In 2023, I met this goal 313 days, 86% of the time. May was my best month with 100% thanks to stitching each day for Stitch Maynia. December was second with 94% which surprised me given all that goes on in December. I started tracking my stitching time in 2019 and this was my best year since I've been tracking - by 5 days! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For my fabric stash, I used 27 3/4 yards of fabric, which is the lowest I've used in a year since I started tracking in 2010. I added 16 1/4 yards and that made my net usage for the year 11 1/2 yards, something not even perceptible in my large stash! It's okay, at least I am going in the right direction. My chart really shows the slow down in my quilting over the last few years. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGylW7mWO2Rx2fravZu4PezpZUYkj9ULXe8V5VdZRIkIEYeDXafP6kS1JWO3jFYnQfkGxzPhsxN9id3_auaM4anhlnYsEFoD58U8JC9Izx2aOvrc_ialcqNkLdbUuybJL1Smvuq5Am0yQTlsbOYDx21wyiPkL2D3QPtOzvhNZMLO3JmCFMczj8itA8ulfE/s459/Stash%20usage%20over%20time%202023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="459" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGylW7mWO2Rx2fravZu4PezpZUYkj9ULXe8V5VdZRIkIEYeDXafP6kS1JWO3jFYnQfkGxzPhsxN9id3_auaM4anhlnYsEFoD58U8JC9Izx2aOvrc_ialcqNkLdbUuybJL1Smvuq5Am0yQTlsbOYDx21wyiPkL2D3QPtOzvhNZMLO3JmCFMczj8itA8ulfE/w427-h242/Stash%20usage%20over%20time%202023.JPG" width="427" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash usage over time at the end of 2023</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I had three goals for 2023 and I did okay on them: </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">1. Finish more stitching, goal of 24 projects - I blew this one out of the water and am so happy to have enjoyed hosting the challenge and met my goal by July! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">2. Stitch/Quilt my Stash - I did okay here. All but one of my quilting projects were from patterns I already had and I used existing fabric everywhere it worked. In stitching, I didn't do quite as well - about half of my starts were new patterns and I still have a big stack of previously purchased patterns that I want to work on. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">3. Continue to work down UFO list, goal to be at 5 by year end - I did work down the list by three, but then I added two new quilt tops that didn't get quilted this year, so I am holding at 8 tops to be quilted, just down one from when I started the year. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For 2024, I have been thinking a lot about goals and don't have a lot of new things to pursue, so there is a lot of similarity to last year: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">1. Continue hosting the FFO Challenge (#ffochallenge2024), encourage others to FFO and work down my own list. My goal is to FFO at least 30 next year and as part of that, finish at least 12 of the 19 "green" projects in my list - these are projects where I already know how I want to finish them (green = ready to go). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">2. Stitch ornaments as gifts - I would like to go back to stitching a monthly ornament - doesn't have to be Christmas (although most of them probably will be) - and this year I'd like to give most of them as gifts so I will be looking for pieces that are right for specific people. This will mean a mix of charts I have and charts I buy - there's a lot of gold in those old Christmas Ornament magazines so I am hoping to find several there. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">3. Mix It up - this goal is about doing a little bit more of the non-stitching crafts and allowing myself to do things a little differently than I normally do. It means adding a little more crochet, embroidery, and piecing into my mix of activities. Sometimes I get bogged down thinking I have to finish what I've already started and I don't enjoy the process as much. So I am going to try to do a little more of going with the flow and working on whatever sounds fun, even if it doesn't mean progress on the things I've already started - we'll see if I can really do this next year at this time! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">4. Continue working down the quilt UFOs - I'd like to continue to work my list down, I am going to go for a target of 5 UFOs by the end of the year again - even if I just go down by one more, it's progress. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So that's the results of 2023 and the goals for 2024. I am looking forward to more travel in the new year, a Niall Horan concert with my daughter this summer, celebrating a milestone birthday, and going through the college visit/application process with my son. It should be another busy one! Hope you have lots to look forward to in 2024 as I do! </span></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-41520032473701682422024-01-01T15:53:00.004-05:002024-01-01T15:53:27.719-05:00December 2023 - Squeezing it all in! <p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Does the end of the calendar year approaching make you work on projects even more? It is always a motivator to me and I usually have time off work at the end of the year which allows me to spend more time that usual sewing and stitching. This December was no different, but even more sweet because my daughter came home in the middle of the month so I have been able to spend lots of time with her. We had a nice Christmas with my parents on Christmas Day and then my cousins the day after and we counted down to the new year with friends last night. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowx0KOnywjyUOTsP68rPxmcSfyKVLZdztkdeYiNvyBUJJcs1esJvoMRyEO9Dwa7kj8VfPwZwfCFP8V2yciqsmLgEHOhoRB852pBkyLvyn7hfkmibyLnGgKgyHvgG1daSclpXPWYhUL504bGjR4q9J5TLc6XRPPp4EF6_WT2DVqNf6KWCPrE2ichBTvX9t/s4032/IMG_2548.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhowx0KOnywjyUOTsP68rPxmcSfyKVLZdztkdeYiNvyBUJJcs1esJvoMRyEO9Dwa7kj8VfPwZwfCFP8V2yciqsmLgEHOhoRB852pBkyLvyn7hfkmibyLnGgKgyHvgG1daSclpXPWYhUL504bGjR4q9J5TLc6XRPPp4EF6_WT2DVqNf6KWCPrE2ichBTvX9t/s320/IMG_2548.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Dinner</td></tr></tbody></table><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR-0oqwV_ZqaYqCuTZuF9kuYK-XdrbJi0sV_kZ0N4-3bhuOJV2y33792528LO-i6IHK-pOwj9LZ6fs21jUWlHCs0PMnKS7v4FeNwwLR7rWAlgwT17X5sbTMztiqcOdRd4k7sD8rJehnycg2qVkDXPle4r8VFKtr4qqiU7oEKEH2m3-FIx3LRgY5VyMe8A/s3165/IMG_0954.heic" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3165" data-original-width="2594" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglR-0oqwV_ZqaYqCuTZuF9kuYK-XdrbJi0sV_kZ0N4-3bhuOJV2y33792528LO-i6IHK-pOwj9LZ6fs21jUWlHCs0PMnKS7v4FeNwwLR7rWAlgwT17X5sbTMztiqcOdRd4k7sD8rJehnycg2qVkDXPle4r8VFKtr4qqiU7oEKEH2m3-FIx3LRgY5VyMe8A/s320/IMG_0954.heic" width="262" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cousins, Aunts and Uncles</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NFa_3qZdO2Q4AcZPdMXrxJ-ekhAOkB4IbDkdejiYn6-ZVLutaVQgSJxdNmyC5WK0i3jl2zUGNJ4KbauADTp39d4fAf7gsEhf1gzqlqpxZYIMAVZ7vnNd7NpN2ziayijBFQ4pGr-VPn8fa_nZcSHei8uHMoeEutBndNW21bKzVrUoQ0YIf6PhKkplGfBJ/s4032/IMG_2524.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6NFa_3qZdO2Q4AcZPdMXrxJ-ekhAOkB4IbDkdejiYn6-ZVLutaVQgSJxdNmyC5WK0i3jl2zUGNJ4KbauADTp39d4fAf7gsEhf1gzqlqpxZYIMAVZ7vnNd7NpN2ziayijBFQ4pGr-VPn8fa_nZcSHei8uHMoeEutBndNW21bKzVrUoQ0YIf6PhKkplGfBJ/s320/IMG_2524.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Making candles with my mom and daughters</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">On the crafty front, I have stitching finishes, FFOs and quilt finishes. </span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I finished stitching three items, two of which were also started in December. First is Liberty Bag by Shepherd's Bush, a kit that I got at Needlework market earlier this year. It was a quick stitch and the best part is that when I was done stitching, it was also an immediate FFO! The kit came with the bag, the threads and the buttons. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpspP5tYJBMASufsSNh31t8wIqxmujbSjinkXaU-jWsFHWiHk1g2ao-dWd1SE2JmGIKL7OK95Z79dfucqDY5HiA72WD2N37KR9gX07EWyz-WTkKg3uVKyzfZhxNSNhiHZ4wDHgmlHCkMXR4W2qjev7SxuIPeQrcYsQC4d6vQsSF7cF3Gd_kp6_XdGtXb4K/s4032/IMG_2581.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpspP5tYJBMASufsSNh31t8wIqxmujbSjinkXaU-jWsFHWiHk1g2ao-dWd1SE2JmGIKL7OK95Z79dfucqDY5HiA72WD2N37KR9gX07EWyz-WTkKg3uVKyzfZhxNSNhiHZ4wDHgmlHCkMXR4W2qjev7SxuIPeQrcYsQC4d6vQsSF7cF3Gd_kp6_XdGtXb4K/s320/IMG_2581.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My next two pieces were quick starts and finishes in December and I am happy to have two more ornaments ready to make for the tree. </span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1XR725tmQM-kalsK6t_iQH_4hH5P4n8mBet4wNH26_eqTMI91U1aNnjtePfP6C8d-OtTXsgqYWDRKClIsM70yhEm2pktFu-mZCLKLZMeKclHKbr4qDlS32bYKAv0rlwVd0-bQ6DIhBD4vYWkjnVZskf-mLJLahfsEGNdUtPkhi8_UE8MnQQAYx5vseM1/s4032/IMG_2516.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs1XR725tmQM-kalsK6t_iQH_4hH5P4n8mBet4wNH26_eqTMI91U1aNnjtePfP6C8d-OtTXsgqYWDRKClIsM70yhEm2pktFu-mZCLKLZMeKclHKbr4qDlS32bYKAv0rlwVd0-bQ6DIhBD4vYWkjnVZskf-mLJLahfsEGNdUtPkhi8_UE8MnQQAYx5vseM1/s320/IMG_2516.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Woodland Peace by Heart in Hand stitched on kit fabric with kit threads</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also fully finished three (more) items, wrapping up my FFO challenge strong!</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDqKf1pXZZUJwAtE10L8wOV8IQQB9acGpeSrDV_0gTR3xG6zzO4FaUBapxLwLkYZzXvNSIVLA4Hz_fJ0meJCQzFUEzsb2uCRmioLtbp9dkjSQNH_IsYL0bmug_gaCB8_elQFpTxcV9DHQ-NAAcdVDPdEkYgZ8vQSTlXSDF7Lxve4dj3h5FcPfhyphenhyphen2aBFSR/s4032/IMG_2616.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDqKf1pXZZUJwAtE10L8wOV8IQQB9acGpeSrDV_0gTR3xG6zzO4FaUBapxLwLkYZzXvNSIVLA4Hz_fJ0meJCQzFUEzsb2uCRmioLtbp9dkjSQNH_IsYL0bmug_gaCB8_elQFpTxcV9DHQ-NAAcdVDPdEkYgZ8vQSTlXSDF7Lxve4dj3h5FcPfhyphenhyphen2aBFSR/s320/IMG_2616.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canoeing Santa by The Prairie Schooler stitched on <br />a scrap of linen with DMC threads</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I stitched Chilly Penguins in 2022 and it has been on my design wall ever since - I knew I wanted to finish it into a wall hanging but hadn't taken the time to do the measurements or select fabrics, which I finally did. It really went together quickly after that and I am so happy with how it turned out. I am on the fence on whether I am going to keep or gift this one but I have a while before I need to make that decision, for the moment, I am happy to have it finished. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SfvEEAllbkneyVbpZBk8xaEvE6PJpa214IBdGR9wYyuxWyW28l6IckGs4-BvgSEDq3PV9oWnj7mEW-VZi088M6O5P3TrLBynv8nFoAiRV22WbAtYrj9r2hknZSl1wqoRofav1HxghgRmiMxQBVf8mbnL9-7n5tVHjApTi8Vg-_UCw3h4INSMkC3y10dg/s4032/IMG_2543.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7SfvEEAllbkneyVbpZBk8xaEvE6PJpa214IBdGR9wYyuxWyW28l6IckGs4-BvgSEDq3PV9oWnj7mEW-VZi088M6O5P3TrLBynv8nFoAiRV22WbAtYrj9r2hknZSl1wqoRofav1HxghgRmiMxQBVf8mbnL9-7n5tVHjApTi8Vg-_UCw3h4INSMkC3y10dg/s320/IMG_2543.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chilly Penguins by The Birdhouse Designs</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">The next one is a little salty - I stitched it earlier this year as a gift for a friend and the phrase is perfect for her ;) - this one is finished as a flat fold and I added a bit of chenille to the edge. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqrGicUi-nbB3p0ULVTEGRc6X9vjtuQYg1CD-oX8VJmU7SVWe-GKCCPnReEM9PvatdKNom5nZoa-MQEJ-WdtaEN4WTnvqg3VzF8bUCOdFLBVotEXPIjX1_Ryh2736vyXLSEWMIRrS50VIyCGSnAML-9hDGIVSye7o0qSLqg7yIX_Mly9LK5vx3YrMTM-v/s4032/IMG_2570.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkqrGicUi-nbB3p0ULVTEGRc6X9vjtuQYg1CD-oX8VJmU7SVWe-GKCCPnReEM9PvatdKNom5nZoa-MQEJ-WdtaEN4WTnvqg3VzF8bUCOdFLBVotEXPIjX1_Ryh2736vyXLSEWMIRrS50VIyCGSnAML-9hDGIVSye7o0qSLqg7yIX_Mly9LK5vx3YrMTM-v/s320/IMG_2570.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sorry by Stitchy Little Fox on Etsy</td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;">My final FFO for the year was completed on the 30th while watching the Barbie movie with my daughter. I stitched this in October and finished it on Halloween. I sewed the hat top together with my machine, then hand stitched it to the brim. I think it turned out pretty cute! </span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3Snk4ka5fEkZ2eB9okruYlWxVOQdO7WC12hm37r1ExsEJYVKk9SgoQxxuXQ2LjoX0J1YOSorjmUDciNC2xEATkM2rx8jAxLvpv78JoX7-gT3UbvGAYUE06-xDUwwhumbp3Dxue75Dd9vtjrMi74n-Rg1xrYnhZG_my1l6XQX86tXDUJjILesYGGiOIce/s4032/IMG_2610.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf3Snk4ka5fEkZ2eB9okruYlWxVOQdO7WC12hm37r1ExsEJYVKk9SgoQxxuXQ2LjoX0J1YOSorjmUDciNC2xEATkM2rx8jAxLvpv78JoX7-gT3UbvGAYUE06-xDUwwhumbp3Dxue75Dd9vtjrMi74n-Rg1xrYnhZG_my1l6XQX86tXDUJjILesYGGiOIce/s320/IMG_2610.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spell Binding by Plum Pudding Needlearts</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On the quilting front, my main goal for this month was to finish up a few of my projects - from this year and UFOs - so that I go into 2024 with a bit shorter list of unfinished quilting projects. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Candy Blossoms was quilted last month and just needed binding, as were my US States wall hangings. Before I started binding things, I decided to get one more top quilted and finished up Fit to be Geese, made in 2021. I quilted this one with cross-hatching on my Janome 6600. Once all three were quilted, I lined them up assembly line style and got them all bound. The first two were fully bound by machine, and the third one was attached to the front by machine and then hand stitched to the back. I am really happy to have these three finished before year-end. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhtoUyBq82nnCjCuqp6X21vVX0W7AKkLtYjt4OYNkCuyhyphenhyphenkh9CGp49iEYT-bzN7Nr1Bkxo2cr_3kAQZx3vnoqunRWCoe1zNaazt7WAIh_dF5YfdhGbnueKpZluhIOeRh5MDbESQLfqvFTXVxTymByELYrwU80Lwj8loeLqPli1ZLprN0uY9JTjo52xCUf/s3024/IMG_2596.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhtoUyBq82nnCjCuqp6X21vVX0W7AKkLtYjt4OYNkCuyhyphenhyphenkh9CGp49iEYT-bzN7Nr1Bkxo2cr_3kAQZx3vnoqunRWCoe1zNaazt7WAIh_dF5YfdhGbnueKpZluhIOeRh5MDbESQLfqvFTXVxTymByELYrwU80Lwj8loeLqPli1ZLprN0uY9JTjo52xCUf/s320/IMG_2596.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fit to be Geese Quilt/wall hanging</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI7el5jrUDgxnW_Pk5bj0AJelA-63u53l07Jolrdfo8wxX30hujFt7I1d_z4ZQmly8pTYhqZcrwhHJeu_U-8IuSAOo_wyzlZqzd1q-59QxJZKDuZIa7b7zhJWbkGCJXK6aYzIGlmOoTU4X5k9DGPDUS5MhsBnGsLX__QsA8fe8Gh7oaiSCNT17tFx1K6o/s3024/IMG_2608.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjI7el5jrUDgxnW_Pk5bj0AJelA-63u53l07Jolrdfo8wxX30hujFt7I1d_z4ZQmly8pTYhqZcrwhHJeu_U-8IuSAOo_wyzlZqzd1q-59QxJZKDuZIa7b7zhJWbkGCJXK6aYzIGlmOoTU4X5k9DGPDUS5MhsBnGsLX__QsA8fe8Gh7oaiSCNT17tFx1K6o/s320/IMG_2608.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Candy Blossoms quilt/table topper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3t8NeERtQvtd_UdzVjt0JLhfjMChPsnOxLxJldsuUYWk3DuRxZEyqwtfYf3F7vIzBKZKWEIjQcov7Qh7xx2Xw77inPlGm6I28JrZtSkwcQa6z0D7YHxsMfiDfvjCalf6wHMPxYPQj2yC1XnQSdJp7u3wImc3DOiTi-3mMt24hZojVlKNloT3AwIbx1US/s4032/IMG_2609.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib3t8NeERtQvtd_UdzVjt0JLhfjMChPsnOxLxJldsuUYWk3DuRxZEyqwtfYf3F7vIzBKZKWEIjQcov7Qh7xx2Xw77inPlGm6I28JrZtSkwcQa6z0D7YHxsMfiDfvjCalf6wHMPxYPQj2yC1XnQSdJp7u3wImc3DOiTi-3mMt24hZojVlKNloT3AwIbx1US/s320/IMG_2609.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US States Wall Hangings</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p><span style="font-size: medium;">December was a great month for wrapping things up and I will have another post soon summarizing my year. For now, let's cover the monthly metrics. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/12/stitching-stuff-week-52-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: 29/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 94%</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Stash Report with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/12/31/sunday-stash-december-31-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards<br />Fabric used this month: 1 3/8 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 16 1/4 yards<br />Fabric used year to date: 27 3/4 yards<br />Net fabric used: 11 1/2 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Tracking: <br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -4 FFOs (but one of them wasn't on my original list!) = 36 to be finished</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting projects: -3 FFOs (I am counting the Wall Hangings as one project) = 9 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-85278652928233815482023-12-28T10:22:00.003-05:002023-12-28T10:22:37.927-05:00The books I read in 2023<p>I usually do two book posts a year so they won't be so long, but when I got to mid-2023, I didn't have many and thought I'd have a shorter than normal list this year. That did turn out to be true, but I still have 16 to share with you. Overall, I am not sure it was as good of a reading year - I had several books that were just okay and a few that I barely remember now, but there are some highlights in the list. I will share in the order I read them. </p><p>1. Go Tell the Bees that I am Gone - Diana Gabaldon - I am an Outlander fan and have read all the books. I started this one later in 2022 and it took me several months to finish as it was a really meaty book. I enjoyed the storyline and am looking forward to her wrap up of this story in the next book, which I believe is intended to be the final story in Claire and Jamie's story. This one didn't grip me as much as a few of the earlier books, but I still really enjoyed reading it. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDmEK0jZd1K-vEIun4_l9CG18Wyh_sm0ePnZFEeMmKlQfO0BstBJmU63ykXtrC9LD6tsYs4MGPdl4S6p9ndfGyB0I5Ss5r7alGpu1ta0K2RFU-Bu_yjjkSmAxuZjZebmwLkliHdLtQqRVx2go82DhoCZB7e33_pU1cQulPbT6ypmZS57e6A-EjlGAvhK8I" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="120" data-original-width="80" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDmEK0jZd1K-vEIun4_l9CG18Wyh_sm0ePnZFEeMmKlQfO0BstBJmU63ykXtrC9LD6tsYs4MGPdl4S6p9ndfGyB0I5Ss5r7alGpu1ta0K2RFU-Bu_yjjkSmAxuZjZebmwLkliHdLtQqRVx2go82DhoCZB7e33_pU1cQulPbT6ypmZS57e6A-EjlGAvhK8I" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>2. The Maidens by Alex Michaelides - my mom loaned this one to me as she wound up with two copies. It was a murder mystery, which isn't my favorite genre. It was a good book, not a great one - the writing was good in that you didn't want to put it down at the end of a chapter, but in the end, it was fairly predictable. I passed this one on to my daughter and she devoured it, but she also really likes true crime/murder mystery. If that's your genre, you would probably enjoy this one more than I did. </p><p>3. A Day Like This by Kelley McNeil - this one had been on my list to read for a while. A mom of a young daughter is in a car accident and when she comes to after the accident, everything about her life is different - she's not married, not a mom, and doesn't live in the house she thought she lived in. It was such an interesting story and I wasn't sure which storyline was the truth through most of the book. I would recommend this one if you haven't read it yet. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKLFE1E8Raaz54bFxQI-JiB0XZSthgaa9hezUK2W-4mKsbXOKuQW7m68p8iRw92zIyHk51KYHWpyjaqwuyNpOJc5jzs6BHqyaUTM-SKisrGce4POwtbTysjwhj_DAbxM3S7-DyGVdbqfYXKgCL1oK4oBoM4FSXZzfDg_q_Npze__HPb4dGN5MjJqbX3giw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjKLFE1E8Raaz54bFxQI-JiB0XZSthgaa9hezUK2W-4mKsbXOKuQW7m68p8iRw92zIyHk51KYHWpyjaqwuyNpOJc5jzs6BHqyaUTM-SKisrGce4POwtbTysjwhj_DAbxM3S7-DyGVdbqfYXKgCL1oK4oBoM4FSXZzfDg_q_Npze__HPb4dGN5MjJqbX3giw" width="160" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>4. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah - I've read a few of her novels and this one was just as good as the others. It starts in the Texas dust bowl during the Great Depression. The family finally decides to head west and this book covers their journey to California and life there as sharecroppers. It was a great historical fiction piece and you could really imagine the grit of the dust, the poor conditions in the sharecropper camps and the scenery along the way. Highly recommend this one - one of my favorites for the year. </p><p>5. The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg - I think this was my favorite book for the year. It is about Arthur, a widowed man who visits his wife's grave every day. He befriends a young girl who hangs out in the cemetery and the story tells how their relationship grows and how Arthur learns to move on from his wife's death and find some happiness in his live. This book reminded me a bit of A Man Called Ove and if you liked that one, you will probably like this one too. I really enjoyed it and I bawled when it was over - you know it is a good book when you are sad to see it end. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC9rtwTzvlWaQuIKdJJa3pZmJ5EXEb98qDizVgxl1R4y805WWZsn6VFD51PGzrJSPVwxyN1d_iuKWJCdPsyOTTSKjP0xnGRdFYi2oYK1ABpXIrW09eBcmyR5NYIMKZiMfYVIt6HGPRBEkDF16bZLdIEsi81jA78_kiwn7YCdwqtdYTZ8P4ZiqhP2E3-prQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhC9rtwTzvlWaQuIKdJJa3pZmJ5EXEb98qDizVgxl1R4y805WWZsn6VFD51PGzrJSPVwxyN1d_iuKWJCdPsyOTTSKjP0xnGRdFYi2oYK1ABpXIrW09eBcmyR5NYIMKZiMfYVIt6HGPRBEkDF16bZLdIEsi81jA78_kiwn7YCdwqtdYTZ8P4ZiqhP2E3-prQ" width="158" /></a></div><p></p><p>6. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - I've had this one on my library "to read" list for ages and it finally showed up as available, so I snatched it up. I have heard so many people rave about this book and I was really looking forward to it. However, it was just okay for me. It covers several decades of the lives of a brother and sister who grew up in The Dutch House. I enjoyed the imagery of the house, but the story never really gripped me. Maybe it was because I read this after such a sweet book and this was more depressing, but I am not sure I'd rush to pick up another book by this author. </p><p>7. The Judge's List by John Grisham - Another one from my mom, she passed it on to me and said it was great. It has been a long time since I read a Grisham novel and this one reminded me of the others in his style, suspenseful ends of chapters, and the set of characters. It was a good quick read but not sure I will put Grisham near the top of my list again anytime soon - I felt like it was a little too predictable and a little too spot on with his formula. </p><p>8. Effortless by Greg McKeown - I was a big fan of Essentialism by the same author, which I read on the advice of my supervisor many years ago - it has been one of the biggest influences on my work and making sure I focus on the right things. A friend shared Effortless with me and it builds on Essentialism. I read this one on a plane to New Jersey for a work meeting and couldn't devour it quickly enough. What a great read to help you think about how you get the right things done with the right amount of effort. I really enjoy McKeown's take on business and really enjoyed this one. If you find yourself wondering if you're spending your time on the right things, I highly recommend his books. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfD-wOaps3U4TX6xMnyH_4JUUPHS4IcMDaMKf8lj41yC_8dIAvXin-kXhMg6qb8wnLAyCpSt6HXdQ8vjA322h4pfH_IwSRZaadrKlMADGYskU403J1LvB84HlUj77OczrR3S-kQ2tEWfKkVAJrsoXJkCY58P_wW-FtHD27G_SxgaIILLzMdAK41qTdDsw9" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgfD-wOaps3U4TX6xMnyH_4JUUPHS4IcMDaMKf8lj41yC_8dIAvXin-kXhMg6qb8wnLAyCpSt6HXdQ8vjA322h4pfH_IwSRZaadrKlMADGYskU403J1LvB84HlUj77OczrR3S-kQ2tEWfKkVAJrsoXJkCY58P_wW-FtHD27G_SxgaIILLzMdAK41qTdDsw9" width="320" /></a></div><br />9. The Other Black Girl by Zakiyah Dalila Harris - I read this just before the TV show based upon it came out, thinking I'd read it and then watch the show. This book is about a woman who is the only black woman in her office until a new woman starts who is also black. They form a quick friendship but then things start to get weird and she begins to question herself. There was a lot in this book that I missed, I think because I am a white woman and have a very different life experience. I wanted to like this one more than I did, but the end just left me scratching my head - I wasn't even sure what really happened. <p></p><p>10. The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman - I picked up this one to read while on our summer vacation and it was a great summer vacation read. This book follows twin sisters, one of whom is living in an institution (Willowbrook) and the other who thought she had died. When she learns her sister is alive, she goes to visit but is mistaken for her twin who has run away from the institution and is put into the institution. It is a riveting tale of what life might have been like in the 70's in a place like this. There is a mystery that follows the story line and you are rooting for Sage to solve the mystery, find her twin sister, and get out. It was a gripping story and a fairly quick read. I recommend this one as a good travel/beach book. At the end is a short history of what really happened at the institution in the 70s, and it was quite disturbing to learn that a fair amount of the story was based on fact. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSNnZ2LlNIUqdf6gQMSyKpnTRpbUdCdSWh7XyePlwXHBiU5pAo_FgSGsTz-iloQ6UIZqMznS2jvOXuKaEgQST6BQlS54FrXukGpSlMVaq55h112gV435_KzlQolnxomSm2ku9tVxXpt9QBinqG9VoiVIzhQ9F1_r8rpybuSjyY8IVlu8pYjmdiU0HKs5Cj" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSNnZ2LlNIUqdf6gQMSyKpnTRpbUdCdSWh7XyePlwXHBiU5pAo_FgSGsTz-iloQ6UIZqMznS2jvOXuKaEgQST6BQlS54FrXukGpSlMVaq55h112gV435_KzlQolnxomSm2ku9tVxXpt9QBinqG9VoiVIzhQ9F1_r8rpybuSjyY8IVlu8pYjmdiU0HKs5Cj" width="160" /></a></div><p></p><p>11. White Ivy by Susie Yang - This was a twisty novel about a Chinese-American woman who is caught between the man she thinks she should marry and the one she thinks she loves. It was an interesting look into experiences of first-generation Americans and wealth - both long time wealth and new wealth. I really did not like the main character and cringed as she made one bad decision after another. I am not sure I would recommend this one, but I am not sure if it is because I didn't like the story that much or because of how much I did not like the protagonist! </p><p>12. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson - I had read another book about the Kentucky pack horse librarians a few years ago and several people recommended I read this one too. It was set in a similar location and time, but the main characters were very different. I enjoyed reading about this new character, but didn't enjoy this book as much as the first one, maybe because I had already read something somewhat similar. A good read, but not one of my favorites from the year. </p><p>13. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - my son read this in school and passed along this book to me which I had never read as part of my schooling. It was a very quick read about two men who are traveling from farm to farm for work and such a sad story - if you have never read this, it's a good one to fit in between lighter books as it is quite heavy. </p><p>14. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn - this is another one that I have had on my list for a long time and it finally came available through the library. This is right in my wheelhouse of favorite genres - historical fiction set during a time of war - and it didn't disappoint. I so enjoyed the story of a woman who was a spy during World War I mixed with a current-day challenge after World War II. The story was well written in past and present and doled out clues and background information throughout to really keep you interested. It's no surprise to me that this book was a hit, I really enjoyed it. </p><p>15. All Good People Here by Ashley Flowers - my daughter bought this one when we were on our summer vacation and read it in a day! She passed it on to me to read and it took me a little longer ;) This is the story of a journalist who returns to her hometown as a young girl goes missing, in a very similar way to how her childhood friend went missing 20 years earlier. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book and I thought I'd figured it out several times, but was wrong with all of them! It was a mostly satisfying ending in that the main mystery is solved, although the author leaves you with quite a cliffhanger. I enjoyed discussing what we think happened after the last page with my daughter but kind of wish the author had put a post-script on the book to explain. It was a good one and if you enjoy true crime/mystery, you'd probably like this one too. </p><p>16. Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano - What a great book to wrap up my year. This one had also been on my list for a long time and it was a tough read. It follows Edward, the only surviving passenger of a plane crash. The book flips between the flight and Edward's life after the flight. As you can imagine, he has a lot of grief (his whole family died in the crash) and struggles to understand why he survived when no one else did. It was a really touching story of how someone figures out how to go on. I really enjoyed this one too. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYiuU2YM5_155eldWA_v4mNOgXC9-lD_ddkQq2lryh4lpa4dfkM1kyQ2Rz9wTS2UvrEYcd79o_gt7rau9V1-HZYo_WoN_2aeZBksLQLTj-AjYfKzHZoz50Jroa-5yvelmAIK3xNhOFKLDBMhQLI9864oLHuD3UfiOeePsi67Z2bF2tQGXdE3v0zgsia-ER" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYiuU2YM5_155eldWA_v4mNOgXC9-lD_ddkQq2lryh4lpa4dfkM1kyQ2Rz9wTS2UvrEYcd79o_gt7rau9V1-HZYo_WoN_2aeZBksLQLTj-AjYfKzHZoz50Jroa-5yvelmAIK3xNhOFKLDBMhQLI9864oLHuD3UfiOeePsi67Z2bF2tQGXdE3v0zgsia-ER" width="158" /></a></div><br />That's it for the year - I've just started a new book but won't finish it before we get to 2024. Overall, I read more mystery/suspense than normal this year and think I will pepper in a few books like that next year, but spend more time on my favorite historical fiction genre. I maintain a list of books to read and have over 20 on it, plus I have another loan on my bedside table to read after the current one - I am glad there is no shortage of books to keep me engaged. Please let me know your favorite read from the last year and whether you've read any of the books that I read. <p></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-7613404088306931822023-12-03T20:33:00.001-05:002023-12-03T20:33:13.406-05:00Thankful for my hobbies - November 2023<p>I love fall and I really love November - this time of year makes me want to spend weekends at home creating, and I usually take some time off around Thanksgiving, which also gives me additional time to stitch and sew. </p><p>This November found me finishing quilt, crochet, and cross stitch projects and surprisingly included some costuming work as I helped with the final prep for the high school musical (The Wiz) - it was way out of my wheelhouse, but I had a great time. It was also so fun to see the costumes on stage when we went to the show. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihO-9_v_hzX6tl16diBtuDn7_TkzRTnDWq3RnWxo6GvusUkVo2xrLo3DAaiud3af9peqSUcp0nHNaYEy-X8qJ3DhM46fT_XKo8XiytaAOX2_Qhvct-1vyVx0ObfThA0u1jlmAwB7lZcEga4BWoF5zerTZaM9vudrWVITK_zP-evaUS-wOfdh03mBcLl6h5/s4032/IMG_2451.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihO-9_v_hzX6tl16diBtuDn7_TkzRTnDWq3RnWxo6GvusUkVo2xrLo3DAaiud3af9peqSUcp0nHNaYEy-X8qJ3DhM46fT_XKo8XiytaAOX2_Qhvct-1vyVx0ObfThA0u1jlmAwB7lZcEga4BWoF5zerTZaM9vudrWVITK_zP-evaUS-wOfdh03mBcLl6h5/s320/IMG_2451.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sewing feathers on a cape! </td></tr></tbody></table><br />On the quilting side, I finished the pumpkin patch pillow that I started at my retreat in October. I quilted the pillow top and then did an envelope style backing - the pillow is 24" long and the best pillow I could find was 22", but I think it still looks pretty good. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGVxJCCjaSFUZ07ixluNTrTtJf5KBGm1kYkgV8HlLeRVW6g2NNRB-v_h-c3f7DzGNzCLDdwuxF3ywuABnKe9uaNmTEHm4LFfkiaC5sVJjPRlv4m20jA6JurKuwQQJKZ8gyUBkPf2n_-ZAW8QmGfHesO5LO8iuvkNZjNB-Cso2zLPa65cK8T8BhzMFF-ZL/s4032/IMG_2501.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmGVxJCCjaSFUZ07ixluNTrTtJf5KBGm1kYkgV8HlLeRVW6g2NNRB-v_h-c3f7DzGNzCLDdwuxF3ywuABnKe9uaNmTEHm4LFfkiaC5sVJjPRlv4m20jA6JurKuwQQJKZ8gyUBkPf2n_-ZAW8QmGfHesO5LO8iuvkNZjNB-Cso2zLPa65cK8T8BhzMFF-ZL/s320/IMG_2501.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pumpkin Patch pillow, pattern by Kimberbell</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><div>This was my only quilting finish in November, but I did spend quite a bit of time piecing blocks for a new quilt and I quilted two more projects - I plan to get binding on them soon, so they should be a finish before year end. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zcT9vwUQn3y_NdN06pwJPPMQkZ2FSCEKWNG-8xJaJ-IsGQwoIbtjDKIc6yd0fHlUf-ICY1s1KIkvf54tT1AkTw6l1xCy_OyKzr22BRhB_UaOkJjPwr1o9wbu1nOjDOQuBJv7tlEnrb8V7ZkhM_CkVResbf_j4wdJgCqFeQOKHbIcjZEyOZbirOvIP7sv/s2614/IMG_2466.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2287" data-original-width="2614" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_zcT9vwUQn3y_NdN06pwJPPMQkZ2FSCEKWNG-8xJaJ-IsGQwoIbtjDKIc6yd0fHlUf-ICY1s1KIkvf54tT1AkTw6l1xCy_OyKzr22BRhB_UaOkJjPwr1o9wbu1nOjDOQuBJv7tlEnrb8V7ZkhM_CkVResbf_j4wdJgCqFeQOKHbIcjZEyOZbirOvIP7sv/s320/IMG_2466.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Reindeer in progress</td></tr></tbody></table><br />On the stitching side, I have four new fully finished items and three finishes. For the FFOs, I started with a few older projects. This little stitch (it is about 3"x3") has been on my design wall for a long, long time. I thought I would make it into a flat ornament, but changed my mind as I was looking through my trims one day and found the perfect purple to match. It sewed into a quick pillow and I added the chenille trim with glue. He will be super cute in my bowl of Halloween decorations. <div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0dZS8cvThaMqWXdd6rOc6cBgIgYN_Evfpvzd5pDxLctpd3xsFEZl6_YI3wcdkVp7qJ6v4SeY7KYaDc2YH_AtCV_dxUe9Gr1UMogdv4paQ46DjZp0jQzC3EnX_roPpR-MD0HDr23mvZ13uzTFPLPGABtL6g3nh232zW2Byj21CYACmH4mELXG6dXYjkEx/s4032/IMG_2446.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-0dZS8cvThaMqWXdd6rOc6cBgIgYN_Evfpvzd5pDxLctpd3xsFEZl6_YI3wcdkVp7qJ6v4SeY7KYaDc2YH_AtCV_dxUe9Gr1UMogdv4paQ46DjZp0jQzC3EnX_roPpR-MD0HDr23mvZ13uzTFPLPGABtL6g3nh232zW2Byj21CYACmH4mELXG6dXYjkEx/s320/IMG_2446.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vinny Vampyre stitched in 2022 on mystery green fabric <br />with DMC threads and button from pattern</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The next finish is mounted on a box frame with magnets - I debated for a long time how to finish this piece, but I think it looks really nice like this. I mounted the stitching on batting-covered mat board and then added some chenille trim. This one was also stitched in 2020. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mIdh-AtPIpbx0E1bJEowjinATzQsKXS4C_7QnAZ4oN9rtu87NYKmVlaU_SA_cZb6KwN0y8bc4W6Xg9p8fhhFarlFFGyEiCR_LNj95RozsLSa9EtG-FpM184dPrLY5d103_a8S_SH_Q4DD74X3vPduKNrssKKzbAO01wzw9Ejf50u-HJeDLgykfsprtwW/s2888/IMG_2447.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2855" data-original-width="2888" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mIdh-AtPIpbx0E1bJEowjinATzQsKXS4C_7QnAZ4oN9rtu87NYKmVlaU_SA_cZb6KwN0y8bc4W6Xg9p8fhhFarlFFGyEiCR_LNj95RozsLSa9EtG-FpM184dPrLY5d103_a8S_SH_Q4DD74X3vPduKNrssKKzbAO01wzw9Ejf50u-HJeDLgykfsprtwW/s320/IMG_2447.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love is all you need by Sam Sarah Designs<br />Stitched on 22ct. Peoria Purple with DMC and Wildflowers threads</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The next finish was stitched last year and has been an FFO-in-progress since the summer. I seemed to take one step at a time and I am not sure why I didn't just bite the bullet and finish it more quickly. Anyhow, I am glad to have it finished now. This was a kit that I bought at Craft Gallery. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe8OOWk78eluKiaGoU7zohwuyXHqNneDGSBGwfjovf0XdaJOSM9N1xKj_eGqlXOd0Up2jKMRB8oL8_kgPnm4pcVJJTjPUzr0xXty4RsGRJPMve_YdDKpVX8zG0Rco08R2Yl5yK9W3PZWUbNL6Y7dBL3ECAqF19T0HfPUxKBoYP9E5zt5SX0jGF-IK6OUN/s4032/IMG_2500.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqe8OOWk78eluKiaGoU7zohwuyXHqNneDGSBGwfjovf0XdaJOSM9N1xKj_eGqlXOd0Up2jKMRB8oL8_kgPnm4pcVJJTjPUzr0xXty4RsGRJPMve_YdDKpVX8zG0Rco08R2Yl5yK9W3PZWUbNL6Y7dBL3ECAqF19T0HfPUxKBoYP9E5zt5SX0jGF-IK6OUN/s320/IMG_2500.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ooh la la Scissor Fob kit by JBW Designs</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The last finish was framed at my local Michael's and was stitched earlier this year - I went in during one of the framing sales and found the perfect rustic-y frame for this one. It is a brown/grey frame and I think it complements the colors of the design well. I hung it up right by my stitching chair the day I came home with it and I enjoy seeing it each time I come into the room. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6mUicOhyphenhypheneaKo6k_VX1SXUfWeEkzODToBTUzcX8-Nx4d0xJcaOCyQqTEmRnIGH3HoSzVBmtCx05A6Xk2_GPBs6gZ27MXRgE6oonydSv6JaklZQs8EOYhw4VIYpfzVYQkiO0wrDlx998vshsfvksrfKww3oIpcVTR3Tj2xDGGTiRDmdFWxLZ7Z5NFIC8x5/s4032/IMG_2499.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib6mUicOhyphenhypheneaKo6k_VX1SXUfWeEkzODToBTUzcX8-Nx4d0xJcaOCyQqTEmRnIGH3HoSzVBmtCx05A6Xk2_GPBs6gZ27MXRgE6oonydSv6JaklZQs8EOYhw4VIYpfzVYQkiO0wrDlx998vshsfvksrfKww3oIpcVTR3Tj2xDGGTiRDmdFWxLZ7Z5NFIC8x5/s320/IMG_2499.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">National Parks Birthday by Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The three pieces that I finished stitching were two new finishes and one that I've been working on for a while. First up is Philanthropic Pumpkin by Hands of Design. I missed out in getting this kit when it went on sale last year, so was lucky to have a friend who loaned hers to me. I have the finishing supplies on order, so hope that this will progress to an FFO in December. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhan_317kP-VKrtZl6IgesgtGl_VT5SixTSdreToXGUo5pOcucRna7qES48bw3T_wAmyWW7UJb08rQ4AdR70kcU_gEUNnbi1nX1GDO2GDzUeAFDC6X_XXTgOxXPwD7z5WVkKf6welrvRfqkpgetSlsAzlJVOJLvMeBvZF2FT9g0bNC-iSo_bgscP_bclep2/s3024/IMG_2496.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhan_317kP-VKrtZl6IgesgtGl_VT5SixTSdreToXGUo5pOcucRna7qES48bw3T_wAmyWW7UJb08rQ4AdR70kcU_gEUNnbi1nX1GDO2GDzUeAFDC6X_XXTgOxXPwD7z5WVkKf6welrvRfqkpgetSlsAzlJVOJLvMeBvZF2FT9g0bNC-iSo_bgscP_bclep2/s320/IMG_2496.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Philanthropic Pumpkin by Hands on Design - <br />stitched on a mystery linen from my stash with called for DMC threads</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Mr McGobbles was a total impulse start after I spent some time looking around <a href="https://pinkernpunkinquilting.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Melisa's blog</a>. I've heard about her free patterns for a long time and thought it would be fun to stitch one up. I stitched this piece on 18 count Oatmeal Aida and I really like how it turned out. I picked out a piece of velveteen to make this into a pillow and it is on the way with my other finishing supplies. Isn't this guy cute? </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkyCD6LZFyGzvteW2fqIjdicc14IlCwZVwA5XXahbd7KRDpRSauIsCyz9iE-Old7eR8Qgp_NW51NV3QuTd5rkAi7USwgANPkzDbsKK0rQfAW7K0FTBILkpHzsm9ODHoKISMQADFKH3aIiaKSrlgL018AOBEE8DsNA7vZjxpDcPsHAEQznteQPjjOvsOWL/s3108/IMG_2478.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2331" data-original-width="3108" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDkyCD6LZFyGzvteW2fqIjdicc14IlCwZVwA5XXahbd7KRDpRSauIsCyz9iE-Old7eR8Qgp_NW51NV3QuTd5rkAi7USwgANPkzDbsKK0rQfAW7K0FTBILkpHzsm9ODHoKISMQADFKH3aIiaKSrlgL018AOBEE8DsNA7vZjxpDcPsHAEQznteQPjjOvsOWL/s320/IMG_2478.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr McGobbles by Pinker n Punkin <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>Last up is a Mill Hill kit that I started during StitchMaynia - I enjoyed stitching this one and really like the sparkle that the beading adds. I put the frame for this one on my Christmas List, so if Santa sees that, I should be able to FFO this by year-end or early in 2024. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvB1JWKYj0-Z_Makp9a5dnhFTi0_4kh3vyHII7TReNJtrvo3gYVAKpnCGyA0uvrwBp2h-7kkSAEiU7DXRDaRWx72S5bEmtn25uuu256H7NJs2WuaUtR7Lx049fWWV0-EHBrN0v45i4EdE1rX_hub58VKQKr6tty_eA9pjg1K3e8USI1fuznhq7_K4e8jxY/s3024/IMG_2498.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvB1JWKYj0-Z_Makp9a5dnhFTi0_4kh3vyHII7TReNJtrvo3gYVAKpnCGyA0uvrwBp2h-7kkSAEiU7DXRDaRWx72S5bEmtn25uuu256H7NJs2WuaUtR7Lx049fWWV0-EHBrN0v45i4EdE1rX_hub58VKQKr6tty_eA9pjg1K3e8USI1fuznhq7_K4e8jxY/s320/IMG_2498.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camping Out, a Mill Hill kit</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>The last crafty segment is crochet - I am hit or miss on crochet but have found I tend to do more of it over the winter. I saw <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/630982169/amigurumi-frankenstein-monster-crochet?" target="_blank">this super cute pattern</a> on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_B3tTQs1CAap_nFQqFTpWg" target="_blank">Helen D's flosstube</a> last year and then we she showed it again this year, I knew I had to make it. This is my first amigurumi and it turned out bigger than I expected...not sure if it was yarn size, hook size, or how I crochet. Regardless of the size, I think it turned out really cute and can't wait to add this to the Halloween bowl next year. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ3n_QS0zy8swcXqYqhyGr6Tm8QroEjZZLW14X8nj4FkXo-DRLAn68iZbYreGiTqkgbiB7Fzukvbf_HTkkIIFJMBydCmz2iuBohnar-I6pJ_d1Lia4-2Z8XQL9t64XRLHHufkfNdNhmTlNBO_MRaH5H_cpFrdw95wUc-ppzt09BEiVC_rvXUGkFjCZe3G/s3024/IMG_2497.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioJ3n_QS0zy8swcXqYqhyGr6Tm8QroEjZZLW14X8nj4FkXo-DRLAn68iZbYreGiTqkgbiB7Fzukvbf_HTkkIIFJMBydCmz2iuBohnar-I6pJ_d1Lia4-2Z8XQL9t64XRLHHufkfNdNhmTlNBO_MRaH5H_cpFrdw95wUc-ppzt09BEiVC_rvXUGkFjCZe3G/s320/IMG_2497.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocket Monster Frankenstein by Blue Rabbit Toys </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>The best part of the month was time spent with family - I took my son on his first college visit to Rose Hulman in Terre Haute, IN - he liked the school and I think it was a great start for him to begin thinking about what he wants to study and what kind of school he wants to attend. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPyzUkAlAp3EAfF_RR84CGx7ykK7orMvVCZ-kLMEGWY9zGxY6c9HNvdyCurEzKRErK0JVldr84bhLN8nr1yuo8yfAiVOb3ttBJwae6ecGo9foYmCdRs76i4QciQcan5xklvWHQAa3ZOnpVDJANTCyELZ0gdOv8CB7t3savgEI7hET7Luq1DMsYLbAG6XG/s4032/IMG_2470.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikPyzUkAlAp3EAfF_RR84CGx7ykK7orMvVCZ-kLMEGWY9zGxY6c9HNvdyCurEzKRErK0JVldr84bhLN8nr1yuo8yfAiVOb3ttBJwae6ecGo9foYmCdRs76i4QciQcan5xklvWHQAa3ZOnpVDJANTCyELZ0gdOv8CB7t3savgEI7hET7Luq1DMsYLbAG6XG/s320/IMG_2470.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div>The next day, my daughter came home for the long weekend and it was so great to hug her again. We hadn't originally planned to bring her home given the cost of airplane tickets, but they dropped at the last minute and she jumped on a 5am flight to spend a few days with us. I think the dog sums up all our feelings about having her home for a few days. She's back at school now and we will see her in mid-December for her winter break. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40GFBRkJGsuFC7WY69w3m1DYbImW2gRMa5cWa96dPpAIjdPdcM-Kk3KwFa2050WcZUFuQaBpTpo1l-YyD8cifcFv7NLhDaT46302aBLsvS0YGNPrHgP81ykJ3V5sjHCYF8rSaw5MxXwmpwxnYCrzmG8WSzt4naemMHho7CC-D5JR06y9rFSziVPXcshRJ/s4032/IMG_2474.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg40GFBRkJGsuFC7WY69w3m1DYbImW2gRMa5cWa96dPpAIjdPdcM-Kk3KwFa2050WcZUFuQaBpTpo1l-YyD8cifcFv7NLhDaT46302aBLsvS0YGNPrHgP81ykJ3V5sjHCYF8rSaw5MxXwmpwxnYCrzmG8WSzt4naemMHho7CC-D5JR06y9rFSziVPXcshRJ/s320/IMG_2474.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div>Last up is family at Thanksgiving - we spent the afternoon/evening and next day with my parents and my cousin and her family. It was great to be together - lots of food, hugs and laughs. <br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE9J6vhWfjF-Isp_jE4wcQ5HeRsg4z8BswmPAxOWY_iMxR8vShl_9jBaJYiIdmwFVif9-eLozThfv1dGI1V_u9AjvbbmYtAGpXmQ5DMzS45SXFEv14oJZBU8pOiNfCh7mELHkw2jWARUKXvXKa6hXbVevD1bawuwQe9gGMUuQ9sqgnjCX4p8Ym16jvAy3/s4032/IMG_5652.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYE9J6vhWfjF-Isp_jE4wcQ5HeRsg4z8BswmPAxOWY_iMxR8vShl_9jBaJYiIdmwFVif9-eLozThfv1dGI1V_u9AjvbbmYtAGpXmQ5DMzS45SXFEv14oJZBU8pOiNfCh7mELHkw2jWARUKXvXKa6hXbVevD1bawuwQe9gGMUuQ9sqgnjCX4p8Ym16jvAy3/s320/IMG_5652.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanksgiving 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>We will finish up with the stats for this month. </div><div><br /></div><div>Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/12/stitching-stuff-week-47-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life-In-Pieces</a> - 25/30 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 83%</div><div><br /></div><div>Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/12/03/sunday-stash-december-3-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a> - </div><div>Fabric added this month - 0 yards</div><div>Fabric used this month - 1 7/8 yards</div><div>Fabric added year to date - 16 1/4 yards</div><div>Fabric used year to date - 26 3/8 yards</div><div>Net fabric used - 10 1/8 yards</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge Tracking: </span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -4 FFOs = 35 projects waiting to be fully finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting projects: no new quilt tops, no finished quilts = 12 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div>Hope that you are enjoying the fall and near start of winter season - I am looking forward to many nights and some extra days of stitching and sewing in the month ahead and wish you lots of happiness and crafty comfort through the holiday season. </div></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-26557873817450445502023-11-05T15:09:00.003-05:002023-11-05T15:09:28.694-05:00October 2023 - finishes galore<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hold on to your hats, I have 10 finishes to share with you this month. It was a great month of stitching, finishing, and finally some good quilting during our annual trip to Shipshewana for the Threads of Mine quilt retreat. Let's jump right in. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I started the month determined to finish one of my ongoing Halloween pieces and I worked on this one just about every day until I finished it in early October. It is Block Party 31st by Hands on Design and I really enjoyed stitching this one - the bright colors just popped off the 28 ct. black cashel linen. This one will get finished in a mattress style finish (hopefully for next Halloween). </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEq4g_YmzInVytp9jRbVQMOmZ0XJ-KErqt40xgjq1kJIxfHZr1zbGyyw6XHTaIsr-LWmxDvuX9ZE2e5-g4mbkHxmZAM15VYLDDZeV8b6KaO2gIr4_JUe4eLs869QEJ1wMYSlYETu6-ed6kDiugT-1G73DIhqJhiZp6tjLHhk6Nqbzbm5JZs1sLDFNzjX-/s4032/IMG_2409.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEq4g_YmzInVytp9jRbVQMOmZ0XJ-KErqt40xgjq1kJIxfHZr1zbGyyw6XHTaIsr-LWmxDvuX9ZE2e5-g4mbkHxmZAM15VYLDDZeV8b6KaO2gIr4_JUe4eLs869QEJ1wMYSlYETu6-ed6kDiugT-1G73DIhqJhiZp6tjLHhk6Nqbzbm5JZs1sLDFNzjX-/s320/IMG_2409.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Block Party 31st - three pieces ready to become a mattress finish<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My next stitching finish was also an FFO in October. Christmas Panels is a great quick pattern by Frony Ritter Designs and I enjoyed stitching this one on perforated paper. I got lots of stitching done on flights to and from Las Vegas at the start of the month. Just two nights of stitching after our quilt retreat and these were finished. I purchased the white tags at market this year and they are featured on the front of the pattern. I glued my stitching to red felt and then glued that to the tags. I think they turned out really cute and look forward to hanging them on the tree this year. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcchAIxzj3iHVDYoBcSL1dDT-O2X77lgc4q8WXQQc7uyJZKtMm32YrgV1_uMXbfYizzuZ7AN76eM_VMOnv_MztsudKUk5slUwEKQacd-zHunFTmTuwGBvzKsetj7hK5CQuCzb8Bpn-0mxLZyO4gSFSJYGFXhu5eg1T0EBj4N257LPF-QOdTaSUE5CgR03/s2716/IMG_2445.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2716" data-original-width="2261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHcchAIxzj3iHVDYoBcSL1dDT-O2X77lgc4q8WXQQc7uyJZKtMm32YrgV1_uMXbfYizzuZ7AN76eM_VMOnv_MztsudKUk5slUwEKQacd-zHunFTmTuwGBvzKsetj7hK5CQuCzb8Bpn-0mxLZyO4gSFSJYGFXhu5eg1T0EBj4N257LPF-QOdTaSUE5CgR03/s320/IMG_2445.HEIC" width="266" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Christmas Panels by Frony Ritter Designs<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My last stitching finish was also a stitching start at the end of the month - a friend loaned me this cute pattern from Plum Pudding Designs. The pattern is Spell Binding and it has three pieces - two pillows and this piece which will become a hat! I know this one will take a bit to FFO but I am up for the challenge. I can't wait to see how it turns out. I finished it just in time to snack on the trick-or-treater leftover candy. We only had 8 trick-or-treaters this year, likely thanks to a very cold and windy night. </span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xBw0_ATs9Y6l5R2x0mXkSFrKBUVWOcIz0-2XT3AtChHB7riWBw1_11JtJVhoOJ6Bwjwo8Vpu1zXYKNwqMPowvT08QuKRKt2ZRs-hZ0HcNza5YThEU05NIXW0u089KweQmC19SSqTjdla8j4Yu-z2qRludAp7LF4iGLmswfh_5AXG9bzFDOyFEZ-Qt8Ny/s4032/IMG_2433.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3xBw0_ATs9Y6l5R2x0mXkSFrKBUVWOcIz0-2XT3AtChHB7riWBw1_11JtJVhoOJ6Bwjwo8Vpu1zXYKNwqMPowvT08QuKRKt2ZRs-hZ0HcNza5YThEU05NIXW0u089KweQmC19SSqTjdla8j4Yu-z2qRludAp7LF4iGLmswfh_5AXG9bzFDOyFEZ-Qt8Ny/s320/IMG_2433.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Spell Binding - future witch hat</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I only planned for two stitching finishes during the month, as I had two framed pieces to pick up at a shop near our quilt retreat. My mom took these pieces up one day when she went with a frame and we selected frames by text. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The first finish is Star Spangled Birthday by Nancy's Needles. I stitched this piece in 2021 and wasn't quite sure how to finish counted thread work, so it was a good candidate to leave with a framer. The blue in the frame isn't showing up well in this one, but it really picks up the blue from the chart. At first, I wasn't so sure about the frame being about an inch larger than the stitching but I am coming to like it I think. Most pieces of this style seem to be framed tight to the piece. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY8cDvIeuLsFOng7-95RIIbKpc5PVUHBgOlVnHoVc4NHQ-lIZSbFe-dqMkgU9gHFtg2ioB1Cgpdpg6OH21itFt4NzM5gSHjKnpWw8CHwJ8vgHwiCATGmnbWc-wNimw8gBVBpVRY_8md7x9d4VG8w9OhlqZzpAAX82jJbir6mwcISUexnoC8k0IB71s0g2/s3283/IMG_2407.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2147" data-original-width="3283" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeY8cDvIeuLsFOng7-95RIIbKpc5PVUHBgOlVnHoVc4NHQ-lIZSbFe-dqMkgU9gHFtg2ioB1Cgpdpg6OH21itFt4NzM5gSHjKnpWw8CHwJ8vgHwiCATGmnbWc-wNimw8gBVBpVRY_8md7x9d4VG8w9OhlqZzpAAX82jJbir6mwcISUexnoC8k0IB71s0g2/s320/IMG_2407.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Start Spangled Birthday by Nancy's Needles</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My second framed piece is Trick or Treat by Stitching with the Housewives. I loved this witch's gingham skirt and the candy corn border on this one when it came out in 2020. I finished it then and then wasn't quite sure whether I wanted to frame it or not - I think this yellow frame is a nice complement to the yellow in the chart. My mom must have send 20 pictures of this to me with all different color frames and the yellow worked the best - it didn't overwhelm the stitching. This one was stitched on a black lugana, probably 28 count, and with the called for Classic Colorworks threads. This was my first sizeable piece using Classic Colorworks and I've added quite a bit to my stash since I did this piece. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIa3qS4j_PuCPLW23aL2EU50W3OIsh5PYSUOfABIN1XUbpP5ZMYyUmBPmuYBez1lKrVsBBnLuu20gImcrfInwxQvSH3sXxhMz3bjPSHbts6svXzgUwxxYedd_JDdG5GUp5TGPMhyphenhyphenR2uIGIl_rNlj3gBuPhoLyqWi2ZISL7sqr1xzJnXmQCm7gd6QCSzzsy/s4032/IMG_2411.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIa3qS4j_PuCPLW23aL2EU50W3OIsh5PYSUOfABIN1XUbpP5ZMYyUmBPmuYBez1lKrVsBBnLuu20gImcrfInwxQvSH3sXxhMz3bjPSHbts6svXzgUwxxYedd_JDdG5GUp5TGPMhyphenhyphenR2uIGIl_rNlj3gBuPhoLyqWi2ZISL7sqr1xzJnXmQCm7gd6QCSzzsy/s320/IMG_2411.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Trick or Treat by Stitching with the Housewives</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I had planned for those to be my only FFOs for the month, but last weekend my mom and I got together and I brought along some finishing. I finished the tags you see above and also this piece. Crab Dance by Tiny Modernist will be a shop model for Persnickety Stitchers in Zionsville, IN. I looked all around the shop for a piece that would look good with this 14 ct. lilac aida. Doesn't this crab work well with it? I was inspired on the finish by Michele of Penny's Daughter Shares and stitched this piece to a piece of felt, then fringed the edges and glued it to a frame found at Hobby Lobby. I am really pleased with how this one turned out and look forward to seeing it when I go to the shop. <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZms9Bb3hzUhN3BLmVoWWJHIR7ttfJAOcGq-wb6nGtYXeTyQZRP6-Wf1mJRiHm1ZQKqzP9PEEmQV1tgZhfh7UnMM-MDLSN6HogTKic6nV0VvplvkeAca84Tl4-qlj1o6fD_C_uPVgNPe4J72rG84XS0VFKStr0WvDJreKQkOAehyphenhyphenIHYKWqtrrmqReFFJyL/s3024/IMG_2431.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZms9Bb3hzUhN3BLmVoWWJHIR7ttfJAOcGq-wb6nGtYXeTyQZRP6-Wf1mJRiHm1ZQKqzP9PEEmQV1tgZhfh7UnMM-MDLSN6HogTKic6nV0VvplvkeAca84Tl4-qlj1o6fD_C_uPVgNPe4J72rG84XS0VFKStr0WvDJreKQkOAehyphenhyphenIHYKWqtrrmqReFFJyL/s320/IMG_2431.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Crab Dance by Tiny Modernist</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On to the quilting. As I said, we had our annual fall quilt retreat in mid-October and had a nice time. My dad joined us this time and he couldn't get over the number of people, machines, and projects. He also enjoyed visiting Amish country, having dinner at an Amish farm, and going to the local museum to learn about the Amish and Mennonite people. He also took some great naps during the cold, rainy days we were there. While he was busy, my mom and I were sewing and shopping. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My first project is one that I've taken to two or three retreats but not worked on. I decided this year was the year and it was a fun and fairly quick project. The pattern is Pumpkin Patch by Kimberbell and there were multiple designs in the chart. The pattern calls for paper piecing, which I enjoy and I used lots of fun scraps to make the pumpkins. This one will be quilted and made into a pillow (soon, I hope!). </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDSc1OZ_nvCw9r9BWpseq7e7HM0GnTdlOjq19S78tT7OLjkBXUok20qtEakGc71QnjFmn85Vsr-cWtFM4yQo71JGErRJbevccxoKsfoJ-zjWc_sDW9zMESnLqtbrmZK6fDOe-bqP7EZrRCj26iVHgqACKVERGvhhAU1jEijQElfXovygsmN0NfH7RAJO2/s4032/IMG_2336.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDSc1OZ_nvCw9r9BWpseq7e7HM0GnTdlOjq19S78tT7OLjkBXUok20qtEakGc71QnjFmn85Vsr-cWtFM4yQo71JGErRJbevccxoKsfoJ-zjWc_sDW9zMESnLqtbrmZK6fDOe-bqP7EZrRCj26iVHgqACKVERGvhhAU1jEijQElfXovygsmN0NfH7RAJO2/s320/IMG_2336.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Pumpkin Patch by Kimberbell</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The second project is also one that's been to more than one retreat. My mom gifted me this pattern a long time ago and I bought the fabric to make it well over a year ago - maybe two or three years ago. I decided to do the applique with wool felt so that it would have some texture and I had so much fun making this. I did all the applique by machine and it really went together nicely. I can't wait to quilt this one and find a spot for it during the holidays (I might be getting close to having too many holiday quilts!). </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7isIxIzQWh3G3p5Q0P3ysg4KicnL3hkVRI70_OItg0XNpHQXxZWH6EMP6LRmvMyeAcnIcLGL7yOSzxvi1VEDVHe3d3JX02eYn28i301251rKlH_h2ucD6QuOmCZkXrJ4tXc_1maalQ37ltB8vxit2FWs48MmeeD8vNrmkxgnLLt7K0YSGpPVzU5SV-S_/s4032/IMG_2393.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7isIxIzQWh3G3p5Q0P3ysg4KicnL3hkVRI70_OItg0XNpHQXxZWH6EMP6LRmvMyeAcnIcLGL7yOSzxvi1VEDVHe3d3JX02eYn28i301251rKlH_h2ucD6QuOmCZkXrJ4tXc_1maalQ37ltB8vxit2FWs48MmeeD8vNrmkxgnLLt7K0YSGpPVzU5SV-S_/s320/IMG_2393.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Got Cookies? by Nana's Pretties</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The last quilting finish I will share with you is a fun one. Each year, our smaller group at the retreat picks a challenge fabric and everyone gets a half yard of the fabric and then makes a project with it - we've had such variety over the years, from throw quilts to mini quilts, purses, bags and even masks during the pandemic. This year's fabric was a patterned black and white piece and I chose to pull some bright colors to go with it from my stash. I had to find the white fabric once I got started to pull the whole thing together. This is one block from the quilt called Candy Blossoms by Sew Kind of Wonderful. They make the curved ruler that you use to cut the fabrics. I've made lots of quilts over the years with the curved ruler and I really like how they turn out - this one is no exception. My original plan was to make a pillow cover, but when this block turned out 24" square, I decided that was a little big for a pillow, so I will quilt it and make it into a wall hanging or table topper. We are supposed to come with a fully-finished project, but I ran out of time to quilt mine, so it came as just a top. </span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8CM_s0meU7JzkUSQVSERs7hrUjHBuUOjK6H6NIWtKfBuDZ48y3D8Q5Vu39saBdgyCQoWJwsot6SLqiYQ_wEHdv_d6kje_iF9zJe1rIqONYASImEx_zpD6JwXl-DYQnLqLSBhRKIVf0Izj-IWqKTVNIVZtJEo5qHMMyqzBuMWMxz2cqevoF3hBeeGs4p_/s2533/IMG_2406.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2533" data-original-width="2531" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP8CM_s0meU7JzkUSQVSERs7hrUjHBuUOjK6H6NIWtKfBuDZ48y3D8Q5Vu39saBdgyCQoWJwsot6SLqiYQ_wEHdv_d6kje_iF9zJe1rIqONYASImEx_zpD6JwXl-DYQnLqLSBhRKIVf0Izj-IWqKTVNIVZtJEo5qHMMyqzBuMWMxz2cqevoF3hBeeGs4p_/s320/IMG_2406.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Candy Blossoms block/wall hanging made for challenge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyZGQHmrMJsVx2JYrfmfxVbRlic2J_mzsjoQb9OOc-1u8piDybpeJNhGVi5MbYPDJxE-AexOABHHN0lJJFy_eoBw60RqT0uLeA1dOadQrvKbbXXIf6tGI6QUA2foGN7WYOo7S_vPla3DbsA_ujY7ec0OrSV-_UZqWi1i-xvJuAQQ1lnYPI7XT5QohEk6G/s4030/IMG_2371.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2177" data-original-width="4030" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyZGQHmrMJsVx2JYrfmfxVbRlic2J_mzsjoQb9OOc-1u8piDybpeJNhGVi5MbYPDJxE-AexOABHHN0lJJFy_eoBw60RqT0uLeA1dOadQrvKbbXXIf6tGI6QUA2foGN7WYOo7S_vPla3DbsA_ujY7ec0OrSV-_UZqWi1i-xvJuAQQ1lnYPI7XT5QohEk6G/s320/IMG_2371.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here's our group with our challenge projects on the table</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also worked on two other projects at the retreat, one where I pieced blocks and the other where I cut out loads of pieces - you'll see more on those quilts in the coming months as I make progress on them. Neither one has a deadline, so I will enjoy working on them a bit at a time. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I am really so pleased with all I got done in October - it was a really productive month and I am happy to find myself back in my sewing room a bit more. I am hoping to continue this trend through the end of the year so that I can finish up some more stitching and also get a few more of my quilting UFOs to the finish line. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are my stats for the month: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/11/05/sunday-stash-november-5-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 8 1/2 yards (I had some fun shopping in Shipshewana)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 8 7/8 yards (phew, glad to use more than I bought!)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 16 1/4 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 24 1/2 yards</span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 8 1/4 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/11/stitching-stuff-week-43-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">28/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting time</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge Tracking: </span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -4 FFOs = 37 projects waiting to be fully finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting projects: +3 new quilt tops, no finished quilts = 12 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thanks for stopping by - I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and especially those who leave a comment for me. See you all again in another month. Here's hoping that the momentum continues in November! </span></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-4851289209343885262023-10-22T20:29:00.004-04:002023-10-22T20:40:36.751-04:00September 2023 Recap<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It's my favorite time of the year when the weather starts to cool and we can leave the windows open - we didn't get that for all of September, but had a lot of pretty days. It is also lovely in my basement because it is one of the few times of the year it isn't cold down there. You know what that means? I finished a quilt! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Urban Pods by Sew Kind of Wonderful is a quilt that I started a long time ago...<a href="https://quiltingmomsblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/design-wall-monday-october-27-2014.html" target="_blank">way back in 2014</a>. The quilt top was safely stored away for almost nine years and I finally pulled it out to quilt it earlier this year. It was the project called in January for the AP&Q UFO Challenge and it only took me until September to finish it. I custom quilted it with curved rulers and freehand quilting and I am so pleased with how it turned out. This will be one of my State Fair entries next year! </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI-xoF49Haj-8kizjSwGTkaQs8_MMTgnn-QtMwayyqaBg6fSBTJeHGDI4bprrXwHSi_49zODPNyzddbKYQ7ojDcW3UrN2Wk1kfqBVWba75278FxLvTPxAn5N5cpB4PMJZpxhPjSpzB7jN69N5EP2xUkuFL5iFDD5tIuRIODiSEgwaUMsrFypwQS7rhyWN/s4032/IMG_2374.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWI-xoF49Haj-8kizjSwGTkaQs8_MMTgnn-QtMwayyqaBg6fSBTJeHGDI4bprrXwHSi_49zODPNyzddbKYQ7ojDcW3UrN2Wk1kfqBVWba75278FxLvTPxAn5N5cpB4PMJZpxhPjSpzB7jN69N5EP2xUkuFL5iFDD5tIuRIODiSEgwaUMsrFypwQS7rhyWN/s320/IMG_2374.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On display at my quilt retreat in mid-October</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRo8xAOCbiIRhuUmZ7QKUL3C3SJFa-iqmv4iu2Y66-gQS3Yjef0JuLM9XQvi0n-UBNzYDQNb67mZAbX-eUw90cg5-j1T8N86r3BE3uo1N5wkHc1vzcySzhOArj0nRERKWZLMHdWNRYcxs7ZAFKiWljuLl49gXGUyVXubElmJ41IN9LJHj3zKggM5k9wFT/s4032/IMG_1609.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRo8xAOCbiIRhuUmZ7QKUL3C3SJFa-iqmv4iu2Y66-gQS3Yjef0JuLM9XQvi0n-UBNzYDQNb67mZAbX-eUw90cg5-j1T8N86r3BE3uo1N5wkHc1vzcySzhOArj0nRERKWZLMHdWNRYcxs7ZAFKiWljuLl49gXGUyVXubElmJ41IN9LJHj3zKggM5k9wFT/s320/IMG_1609.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A picture of the quilting from the back</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />It's so nice to have my first UFO of the year completed - and I am hoping to get to a few more before the end of the year. I started another quilting project in September and it will be in my October reveal as it wasn't finished yet by the end of the month. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the stitching front, I had a great month. I finished two items and then fully finished four (including one of the first two). First up is Landscape by WorksbyABC - I saw this pattern at market and we picked up some for the shop (Persnickety Stitchers in Zionsville, IN) and then I offered to stitch it for a shop model. It only calls for four colors and was fun to stitch...mostly. I did get a little tired or stitching the same motif over and over again as I got near the end, but I think it was worth it, I love the end result and have a plan for the FFO - it includes a sander, some paint, and foam core - we'll see how that turns out! </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzUKhduirEjitisnso8bMHOT2Ugpy6Gan7pAIcpJ-Rt4N9XqJ8pAYVcd-zN8qLkMYDS2ayMmJrFy2wpjwU5F9Ie2rxCyK3bvAVsIoId-aPguSPlXIqz5-YHRy9D6_fmN2W2eF2WdUDgMu_7JWLf5GFFGfGKsvErdYSxakJwlPBaFoA-RPW2IOuzYF2muq/s3024/IMG_2278.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2847" data-original-width="3024" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqzUKhduirEjitisnso8bMHOT2Ugpy6Gan7pAIcpJ-Rt4N9XqJ8pAYVcd-zN8qLkMYDS2ayMmJrFy2wpjwU5F9Ie2rxCyK3bvAVsIoId-aPguSPlXIqz5-YHRy9D6_fmN2W2eF2WdUDgMu_7JWLf5GFFGfGKsvErdYSxakJwlPBaFoA-RPW2IOuzYF2muq/s320/IMG_2278.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Landscape by Works by ABC<br />Stitched on 32 ct. Smokey White linen with the called for threads</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My second finish was also an FFO - I stitched Fabric and Flosstube by Helen D (eastcoast.crafter on Instagram) on 32 ct. Parchment with threads similar to the called for. I finished it as a pillow for my friend Michele for her birthday. I also got to surprise her at Craft Gallery on her birthday shopping trip - we had a great weekend stitching together. <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfD1rquDfyi-qnuZ2y28sLamXXGmfzht7BDChb8MxZ9lvx-f6WDWiJQszZ0wZwgVi41dKKrogkDEmJ1Jn-GhH-7HUNXurgCrk2Ad8eiX9zcAiEdGcsz6ZNQuKOwjmGUnZCJJQPNMFxyBUctQO_wGXX_YYWxBHm0KV_uZ2C6cfbs8deYXfEGGiBoDMSl9P/s2602/IMG_2292.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2602" data-original-width="2586" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfD1rquDfyi-qnuZ2y28sLamXXGmfzht7BDChb8MxZ9lvx-f6WDWiJQszZ0wZwgVi41dKKrogkDEmJ1Jn-GhH-7HUNXurgCrk2Ad8eiX9zcAiEdGcsz6ZNQuKOwjmGUnZCJJQPNMFxyBUctQO_wGXX_YYWxBHm0KV_uZ2C6cfbs8deYXfEGGiBoDMSl9P/s320/IMG_2292.HEIC" width="318" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric and Flosstube finished as a pillow </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl6jCZY5djdn1Y0lB_hu9kjMESD1-lx3YVUMGC8uvbhJuLF2IwkTd44s7IVrn3Gn5F2ydC4V391IyBphyphenhyphen64ole0zypUKJu_gLjr-wTiOl7hrRQWrckc51Due4KJP0GDj4nAvRvaybVeeg-8sEkuBWJW07vz6Tefb21h46JbDnu1YdQbqeS0RfD6TvVvv2/s4032/IMG_2303.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEl6jCZY5djdn1Y0lB_hu9kjMESD1-lx3YVUMGC8uvbhJuLF2IwkTd44s7IVrn3Gn5F2ydC4V391IyBphyphenhyphen64ole0zypUKJu_gLjr-wTiOl7hrRQWrckc51Due4KJP0GDj4nAvRvaybVeeg-8sEkuBWJW07vz6Tefb21h46JbDnu1YdQbqeS0RfD6TvVvv2/s320/IMG_2303.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Me and Michele enjoying our stitching time</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I had three more finishes in September, two that I planned and the third that wound up to be a surprise. Over Labor Day weekend, my mom and I spent an afternoon going through all of finished but not fully-finished stitched pieces and compared them to our finishing pieces, random frames, etc. I had a list of about 8 pieces to finish that I had finishing pieces for, so I decided to get going! First up is Penelope and her Peeps from the With thy Needle Easter book. I stitched this one on 28 ct. fabric with Sulky threads and finished it with fabric using mat board. I may just put it in an easel like this or I may use magnets to attach it to a piece I have. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47HZi-RyYKZHASpPn3N8xnZdR1wT2TI5Ua0vC9BJot0RNw669GlfLwVdlL_n4p4HLZthOiS0QoTNlJZfT2VZqBlsrnOxX66K5Odk_rnKrNF8WdMft1UIrJYqi_FtUxAOr84dodw_a58U9RUJr6I_O3184mdpscDE4cPOkqR-koHZ0Ro1ie-VPtuwbf4SZ/s3841/IMG_2410.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2100" data-original-width="3841" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj47HZi-RyYKZHASpPn3N8xnZdR1wT2TI5Ua0vC9BJot0RNw669GlfLwVdlL_n4p4HLZthOiS0QoTNlJZfT2VZqBlsrnOxX66K5Odk_rnKrNF8WdMft1UIrJYqi_FtUxAOr84dodw_a58U9RUJr6I_O3184mdpscDE4cPOkqR-koHZ0Ro1ie-VPtuwbf4SZ/s320/IMG_2410.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Penelope and her Peeps by With thy Needle </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />Next up was a hoop finish. I pulled some shiny (non-cotton) fabric from my stash to wrap the hoop and then finished the back with a piece of wool. The fabric was used for the bow and hanger too. It's a 4" hoop, so a bit larger than other hoop ornaments, but I think it will look great on the tree. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDweJzm6Y1Y6hDdRui6pG6wh_7R715tVC-35hULbFeelzPaWFON9aFrRH700SqgymtUUQnvJwqE-reZjYmg4ynAkgBHF6shd_6qGRys7M4LXf6IcIxqc-tu4-huvU_-_buKHhRW9CLi-Z3oxfJP5hPG_4J4MCgwouoIh8pMDSADasdvuoOZ1qZCqbpY0k/s4032/IMG_2281.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmDweJzm6Y1Y6hDdRui6pG6wh_7R715tVC-35hULbFeelzPaWFON9aFrRH700SqgymtUUQnvJwqE-reZjYmg4ynAkgBHF6shd_6qGRys7M4LXf6IcIxqc-tu4-huvU_-_buKHhRW9CLi-Z3oxfJP5hPG_4J4MCgwouoIh8pMDSADasdvuoOZ1qZCqbpY0k/s320/IMG_2281.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Reindeer from White Christmas by Primrose Cottage Stitches<br />Stitched on 25 count. Platinum lugana</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The last FFO was a total surprise at Craft Gallery. I found this frame in their inventory and I thought it was the perfect color and fit for this piece I stitched ages ago (2016!). I left it on the table while shopping and they came and asked me if I wanted to have Paula frame it while I shopped - yes, please! So I left with a fully finished piece and I just love it. So happy to have one of my oldest UFOs complete. </span></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2634FFN2YlAsXQ8_qLVHrwGP9zaPQ6YSrxSu2RT8U37bhqFQHtHc-GmqkhFC6-UnavPY5ehHVZRCacAh_zA6fCSTblrDfV6zhze4wHem1utxbNHAz8gVaTXxowphLM492DrMJ-a2ZYndBAwAnaRrXEDn3aQDU8k3BqgwxW3L4wCFDlIF9l4W8LllrdXD7/s3252/IMG_2408.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2886" data-original-width="3252" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2634FFN2YlAsXQ8_qLVHrwGP9zaPQ6YSrxSu2RT8U37bhqFQHtHc-GmqkhFC6-UnavPY5ehHVZRCacAh_zA6fCSTblrDfV6zhze4wHem1utxbNHAz8gVaTXxowphLM492DrMJ-a2ZYndBAwAnaRrXEDn3aQDU8k3BqgwxW3L4wCFDlIF9l4W8LllrdXD7/s320/IMG_2408.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sleigh Bells Ring by Meme's Quilts<br />Stitched on Oatmeal Aida with called for DMC</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It was really a great month that included a trip to Ohio and a trip to San Francisco (good stitching time on the plane) in addition to having lots of tennis games for my son. He finished his season at the end of the month and it was a good season for him playing mostly Singles 3. I really enjoyed watching him play and can't believe the season is over so quickly. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs-VFzDxBoiRcPaAWQp4SJFMkz9oeIG1u8ybxoQp5OWNZxd1_rCa5qmj9aIzkXt4D6ww5WdGM6xYzwGH6yGy8wFsZkaRMHVvV4nNd_UOu0hAWhiJn55WJ_oLw6KfERIOdtFqj5mzcvn-1xYEnx8bRBmXv4nIyMYO67apUx_U3I9s5ZJ2saYa8s6iT7FdY/s4032/IMG_2210.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCs-VFzDxBoiRcPaAWQp4SJFMkz9oeIG1u8ybxoQp5OWNZxd1_rCa5qmj9aIzkXt4D6ww5WdGM6xYzwGH6yGy8wFsZkaRMHVvV4nNd_UOu0hAWhiJn55WJ_oLw6KfERIOdtFqj5mzcvn-1xYEnx8bRBmXv4nIyMYO67apUx_U3I9s5ZJ2saYa8s6iT7FdY/s320/IMG_2210.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Serving during a game</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are the official stats for September: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/10/22/sunday-stash-october-22-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 1 1/4 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 1 1/8 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 7 3/4 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 15 5/8 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 7 7/8 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching Time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/10/stitching-stuff-week-41.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">22/30 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 73%</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge Tracking: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +2 finishes, -4 FFOs = 38 projects waiting to be fully finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting projects: -1UFO finished = 9 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hope your fall has started well. I will be back soon (sooner that I was for the September report) to share all my October adventures. </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-87127688232145251082023-09-04T19:31:00.004-04:002023-09-04T19:31:46.798-04:00August 2023 - A Scouting celebration and a big change<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> My mom and I filmed a flosstube yesterday and I was a little without words at the start of it - August was a big big month as we enjoyed the last days of our daughter living at home and helped her move to New York and move into her dorm for college. She and I were busy getting ready, with activities almost every day to make sure we were ready to leave at the end of the month. In the midst of all that, my son started his Junior year of high school and a busy tennis season and we had our semi-annual cross-stitch retreat that my mom and I host. I am not at all surprised that August went by so quickly! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The month started with the celebration of the Girl Scout troop that I led for the last 8 years. We had a bridging and celebration on a Sunday afternoon at one of the local libraries that the girls planned and led. It was a wonderful way to cap off our experience. I may have shed a tear or two as I shared with them how much it meant to me to be their leader and how many good memories I have from my time as their leader. You've seen the inspirational stitches that I've been working on for them over the course of the last few years and I was so happy to gift them. Each one had a personal note tucked in the back and I was so touched that they all seemed to like them. It's the end of an era, and I am so grateful that it is an experience I had with all of them, especially with my daughter. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5XIYy-SwiJwLkeqBh0gIumyGhsxtxqbet0nbkZLdJCkjoxt8Xx4NrHOgfEQXL5VftDF6HatGacQjN6B1lyq6waW-0-2iLy6ZDNMu1lXsUx6-8u4Q77-2UJ0KxCXz9t9oE_5qFkipiJpcl2KMuTLqC9Ub458mUZ-pNEwKqC7CfvL2dgckBc-6c7wagcxy/s4032/IMG_2103.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib5XIYy-SwiJwLkeqBh0gIumyGhsxtxqbet0nbkZLdJCkjoxt8Xx4NrHOgfEQXL5VftDF6HatGacQjN6B1lyq6waW-0-2iLy6ZDNMu1lXsUx6-8u4Q77-2UJ0KxCXz9t9oE_5qFkipiJpcl2KMuTLqC9Ub458mUZ-pNEwKqC7CfvL2dgckBc-6c7wagcxy/s320/IMG_2103.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Five inspirational stitches for five wonderful scouts!<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n4OcdT_gZ-gGYsw2M_1W7Jzc80wxlr7mSP6ya_yPPArD3s5fyaOC1V90l5Z953mZ5-vJGca2SiiWPtnLPK18btYDDoxxopHooRSN8UiE4LGPhg_SCt9dcWzuCLaCbuQE-n4zeDmrAA5V7j2ddivFYZ-RVU9cOGaqSUy-Bx_VUr28kvJvAdIi8MvFdpWA/s4032/IMG_2104.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n4OcdT_gZ-gGYsw2M_1W7Jzc80wxlr7mSP6ya_yPPArD3s5fyaOC1V90l5Z953mZ5-vJGca2SiiWPtnLPK18btYDDoxxopHooRSN8UiE4LGPhg_SCt9dcWzuCLaCbuQE-n4zeDmrAA5V7j2ddivFYZ-RVU9cOGaqSUy-Bx_VUr28kvJvAdIi8MvFdpWA/s320/IMG_2104.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Letters tucked in the back</span></td></tr></tbody></table></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8ya6gQ2P5X0GL6kSaHhSZiNRdByK_6E0Wm7K0BleH2gkm1ztsYTDXXxKQcpKuXMIrRpGPkhmi8QFJZuYN2Ot_I_Kcs1glj0ea1kLxuo1tAZuE3ywBheKOSD4kSzvatAK9J3jhG1YfZWR09TANJQQ49PPjXRSnpi8Wq34E5YrmSFHZ75uWUT-7cId58XC/s4032/IMG_2105.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV8ya6gQ2P5X0GL6kSaHhSZiNRdByK_6E0Wm7K0BleH2gkm1ztsYTDXXxKQcpKuXMIrRpGPkhmi8QFJZuYN2Ot_I_Kcs1glj0ea1kLxuo1tAZuE3ywBheKOSD4kSzvatAK9J3jhG1YfZWR09TANJQQ49PPjXRSnpi8Wq34E5YrmSFHZ75uWUT-7cId58XC/s320/IMG_2105.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Gift bags lined up and ready to go</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRrLUk9FnJbNHaEXXw_wY8SNAF75_5X82yT6_H_gffgtYhuoVIb07Ft-oQ-PkEMPXvFtOguDY9Q62RdyueUbhbpWlZvk1jmf_M13-_iPvSAg_y6FLi3Ec0yaJnixEuzlmcPtDDB6g_glmp3CoQt0LpMKALsuy4woNWEDQRf4UoVIjSGm2wJGvJ66nbvUV/s4032/IMG_2108.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibRrLUk9FnJbNHaEXXw_wY8SNAF75_5X82yT6_H_gffgtYhuoVIb07Ft-oQ-PkEMPXvFtOguDY9Q62RdyueUbhbpWlZvk1jmf_M13-_iPvSAg_y6FLi3Ec0yaJnixEuzlmcPtDDB6g_glmp3CoQt0LpMKALsuy4woNWEDQRf4UoVIjSGm2wJGvJ66nbvUV/s320/IMG_2108.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Me with the graduating members of Troop 266</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />Once our celebration was complete, my focus turned to some sewing. I showed you the start of a duffel bag for my daughter at the end of last month and I worked hard to get it done by mid-August. It was fun to make a complicated bag again (well, mostly fun) and my daughter loves the finished project. </span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZULHD-RGLN2kb0UQRxDtHus12zHJ8G0RWqW-GCrq3xrqp7StcAcddE0cEm7C6McVtADNtYtq24pm6DjFDiNaUG1svvec3y_-UgpEFcyV3FAup2oaPMELoD0tp-4zITEXK-VK04UZzuSXXx5fBDdD6KB2cbjr5R3oopdVXeB6dCgmhtK7YCYYvsh7Zy7O/s4032/IMG_2155.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ZULHD-RGLN2kb0UQRxDtHus12zHJ8G0RWqW-GCrq3xrqp7StcAcddE0cEm7C6McVtADNtYtq24pm6DjFDiNaUG1svvec3y_-UgpEFcyV3FAup2oaPMELoD0tp-4zITEXK-VK04UZzuSXXx5fBDdD6KB2cbjr5R3oopdVXeB6dCgmhtK7YCYYvsh7Zy7O/s320/IMG_2155.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The finished Delightful Duffel<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Outside of the duffel, all my crafting in August was stitching - I continued to work on several projects and got two to the stage of finishing the stitching. One of them will be a gift, so I am not sharing it here yet. The other one is Crab Dance by Tiny Modernist, a piece I am stitching as a shop model for my local shop. I stitched this on 14 count Lilac aida with the called for DMC threads. I really like how it turned out and have an idea in mind for finishing that I hope will turn out as I envision. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUyaTf3d30bOr4rdcLEuzGa9fI59G445glWG11kySURQlBQ_11Z_Ca1bPHCZ2C043m7EabGRdAOuQShj7MuQYQ4s1SCmvgO0hBg3uLAEVMnPARNGokBoGYpZqxWoCDUl3ulbu60BENrsBsaHk23fLYSiNMqGo_WjCYYYB-W1RAJkq3cMoBuWwJEBJw8Jj/s2090/IMG_2159.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2090" data-original-width="2090" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUyaTf3d30bOr4rdcLEuzGa9fI59G445glWG11kySURQlBQ_11Z_Ca1bPHCZ2C043m7EabGRdAOuQShj7MuQYQ4s1SCmvgO0hBg3uLAEVMnPARNGokBoGYpZqxWoCDUl3ulbu60BENrsBsaHk23fLYSiNMqGo_WjCYYYB-W1RAJkq3cMoBuWwJEBJw8Jj/s320/IMG_2159.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Crab Dance by Tiny Modernist</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I finished this piece at our retreat - it was another great weekend of stitching just north of Indianapolis and most of the attendees were returning from a prior year, so it is always fun to see familiar faces. We had a great long weekend of stitching, shopping, eating and laughing. Here are a few pics from the weekend. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHLCovuJMmdFkSEtRbU0u6PvFTpCeRXgNYMPvxU5MQQKke7O6VgAd4-MJa6xz44M1BE569jVWNZ0A3yPEXxEX3H7xS4-KBolX8iJyLBgThEUsFYoqgWSdOMeutmQBb-tJpZXjM4Fu-GBpcJB1PL93dcAnVZKiCKlxwHXBP4NmdZ707vCdqqYVHLtKX4xH/s4030/IMG_2201.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2141" data-original-width="4030" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtHLCovuJMmdFkSEtRbU0u6PvFTpCeRXgNYMPvxU5MQQKke7O6VgAd4-MJa6xz44M1BE569jVWNZ0A3yPEXxEX3H7xS4-KBolX8iJyLBgThEUsFYoqgWSdOMeutmQBb-tJpZXjM4Fu-GBpcJB1PL93dcAnVZKiCKlxwHXBP4NmdZ707vCdqqYVHLtKX4xH/s320/IMG_2201.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Our retreat attendees</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMz3MAKBf7P_X1i7T9XFmsKvw3R-NVzdu0aUig97qOZASP8eRqACzOBwyfrNdvqnK8grVu-hFefaYoldho6KftU5KxbnxuTePAxxqGqleeeqr_m-0GJ19-UyOIQWllIqhJLt-PUp3QnVjg5xT7RNwQ5QJvrWD1btHpDNHOk_uSbw2x-S7kD0oKC0jzsNtB/s4032/IMG_2191.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMz3MAKBf7P_X1i7T9XFmsKvw3R-NVzdu0aUig97qOZASP8eRqACzOBwyfrNdvqnK8grVu-hFefaYoldho6KftU5KxbnxuTePAxxqGqleeeqr_m-0GJ19-UyOIQWllIqhJLt-PUp3QnVjg5xT7RNwQ5QJvrWD1btHpDNHOk_uSbw2x-S7kD0oKC0jzsNtB/s320/IMG_2191.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My area at the show and tell display</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM3HX2fY4NCi-j3xQIY2mgP09tQMDlRblw7j-Var-7zGdxAwPLdXxcx4GIljRoZK_Xdv7F6nj6gCaHNRWxhHpt8EdM9QNfDFLAlRHfu8DflKNYkHH0lZcf7rQvm4HHN0YviMXFbznlmZOE0OPIcmtZtFDcAHNXe5cNWWMqHnNvEFt4AfUjsLb7HKc3sAY/s4032/IMG_2161.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcM3HX2fY4NCi-j3xQIY2mgP09tQMDlRblw7j-Var-7zGdxAwPLdXxcx4GIljRoZK_Xdv7F6nj6gCaHNRWxhHpt8EdM9QNfDFLAlRHfu8DflKNYkHH0lZcf7rQvm4HHN0YviMXFbznlmZOE0OPIcmtZtFDcAHNXe5cNWWMqHnNvEFt4AfUjsLb7HKc3sAY/s320/IMG_2161.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Shopping frenzy!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgNZeVGLBSQuOZ2dc7NIvFQX8ea2QZCMie14lWzg5DBZZlh3YuNmn44VOlliMxbroePedXv3t6N-iEAaDbpajjPYUTv0nmXTOnkqLrsJ9-mkBqLwkyZ9E8WHtF6bQqzQrmOrltsomJQiKjbSyjIer0QP6TP2HYCD9T9RqZmBx-PoAqcVy5gUhuIH1ilGP/s4032/IMG_2202.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXgNZeVGLBSQuOZ2dc7NIvFQX8ea2QZCMie14lWzg5DBZZlh3YuNmn44VOlliMxbroePedXv3t6N-iEAaDbpajjPYUTv0nmXTOnkqLrsJ9-mkBqLwkyZ9E8WHtF6bQqzQrmOrltsomJQiKjbSyjIer0QP6TP2HYCD9T9RqZmBx-PoAqcVy5gUhuIH1ilGP/s320/IMG_2202.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Retreat exchange pieces</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">After retreat, I worked for one day and then we packed the car and headed east to take my daughter to college in New York. We had an easy drive, enjoyed a day in NYC, and got her all settled in her dorm. Since then she's had her first week of classes and is doing well adjusting to her new experiences. I can't wait to hear all the stories when she is home over the holidays. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxl4hgLJ8NlRdTa7O5T41LEmAapbxuk2k5D87i6sFTqyjnyThF0UHjpWb59SNX22MzH_91XZl0PNmm96sueZepr1WVEwuNT3X3FfC_9R1BiGAoTkxNct7dRtrGRrseUK2GqwU5bPuU21soVAfAUp0XxFRbSngmL2ygnv9xE1C33WFFuGAZ_F8UAMlZsrL/s4032/IMG_2219.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhxl4hgLJ8NlRdTa7O5T41LEmAapbxuk2k5D87i6sFTqyjnyThF0UHjpWb59SNX22MzH_91XZl0PNmm96sueZepr1WVEwuNT3X3FfC_9R1BiGAoTkxNct7dRtrGRrseUK2GqwU5bPuU21soVAfAUp0XxFRbSngmL2ygnv9xE1C33WFFuGAZ_F8UAMlZsrL/s320/IMG_2219.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Grand Central Station</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9B-tKnhEF_oOmH3_49UV3Owzhs--1L-lGpZolDndznYnlFbHSccjuQwNz1TZEYs4pfxcLZdZ9zlR1cWu-IYSEMYlGuqQVkqrY6eanrXiQmZ_7cp8e_jdM-dX6xSfsf4kBW84pEGiKc9G5cBdTrNQtTWvCMPMicPDSPbNxTxAhIosKErCuuVCoy4BH8pz/s4032/IMG_2227.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9B-tKnhEF_oOmH3_49UV3Owzhs--1L-lGpZolDndznYnlFbHSccjuQwNz1TZEYs4pfxcLZdZ9zlR1cWu-IYSEMYlGuqQVkqrY6eanrXiQmZ_7cp8e_jdM-dX6xSfsf4kBW84pEGiKc9G5cBdTrNQtTWvCMPMicPDSPbNxTxAhIosKErCuuVCoy4BH8pz/s320/IMG_2227.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">We saw Six at the Lena Horne theater (and it was so good!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0bwNQ8Cu9wYs1xrZAIWJkJ0kBDyZHVDYqkXn1_eWOC8prZS5OhPcHyZLAUSuYBlyU2_0X-yHHvpYn87vodL4IRlRkfMvgCdXr0zAjHe2mX2Z7LxyM9E_W-JtQddt9jGIJfWITg3UCFTJOKPR_1sWxR5yvQDK4tO7zmCx7tQK5V7hH8_oBGzttw-iRGF2/s4032/IMG_2229.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS0bwNQ8Cu9wYs1xrZAIWJkJ0kBDyZHVDYqkXn1_eWOC8prZS5OhPcHyZLAUSuYBlyU2_0X-yHHvpYn87vodL4IRlRkfMvgCdXr0zAjHe2mX2Z7LxyM9E_W-JtQddt9jGIJfWITg3UCFTJOKPR_1sWxR5yvQDK4tO7zmCx7tQK5V7hH8_oBGzttw-iRGF2/s320/IMG_2229.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Brooklyn Bridge</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_OfnUOST3sjdCdkEDTmv11_kWwTOXg1RnFdzB0rCdTxkPCetDCphsKcua8SIGG0eLPVNLjlKAUdgqdUSDK_UQA_M9ZybwkqSYVB4t0iQGyZo7SJGqJZm-piqkS5tJjftJ5MjrGf-p_xyBDcHL1bnp00oIFnZhSnTcPjL0wYB7xrM6bKgXHnU8rIDrLke/s4032/IMG_2233.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju_OfnUOST3sjdCdkEDTmv11_kWwTOXg1RnFdzB0rCdTxkPCetDCphsKcua8SIGG0eLPVNLjlKAUdgqdUSDK_UQA_M9ZybwkqSYVB4t0iQGyZo7SJGqJZm-piqkS5tJjftJ5MjrGf-p_xyBDcHL1bnp00oIFnZhSnTcPjL0wYB7xrM6bKgXHnU8rIDrLke/s320/IMG_2233.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All settled in her dorm</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Oh, I almost forgot - we also had the Indiana State Fair in August and I entered 4 quilts, 3 stitched pieces, and 1 crochet item - I won three ribbons! I received great feedback from the judges and plan to apply what I have learned as I prepare items for next year. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-BPguIOT_OeGPV5Oj3hY1o_5SeaJAvaqHojIkUzEAM-LA7JLY0EMC4Q4UJbGkOcp_uFG7jiq0RCmMfZHlYL0yki89ipALitTcYHX6m8f9bPHsZkwaawtzeXcz3wqFAXndUC6lHMWckVSXnl5yss0zMCQBoyVVHvxD-zNCeaRncS4zyr7kJEHxu8dy_Ws/s4032/IMG_4527.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW-BPguIOT_OeGPV5Oj3hY1o_5SeaJAvaqHojIkUzEAM-LA7JLY0EMC4Q4UJbGkOcp_uFG7jiq0RCmMfZHlYL0yki89ipALitTcYHX6m8f9bPHsZkwaawtzeXcz3wqFAXndUC6lHMWckVSXnl5yss0zMCQBoyVVHvxD-zNCeaRncS4zyr7kJEHxu8dy_Ws/s320/IMG_4527.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Charting a Course won first place in its category!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbfE2Anw0lIUiQ6jVhUrH0RK22AfZCxU6u0Qu60oilbbZo1H4Ijk0fPPNrbSztsZQp5CGXvLsDKvGvGIotno2B3UN_FGmA-XHuzN5PP2K_9G7rR8DAdkjn8SMfc42stSyEmhD-JfL6lsbCCi44g9qlwjZfeiKzAB4CukcqGiCBv57q9ETpn5Gi9HtzQP1/s4032/IMG_2132.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTbfE2Anw0lIUiQ6jVhUrH0RK22AfZCxU6u0Qu60oilbbZo1H4Ijk0fPPNrbSztsZQp5CGXvLsDKvGvGIotno2B3UN_FGmA-XHuzN5PP2K_9G7rR8DAdkjn8SMfc42stSyEmhD-JfL6lsbCCi44g9qlwjZfeiKzAB4CukcqGiCBv57q9ETpn5Gi9HtzQP1/s320/IMG_2132.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Wind Drifter took an Honorable Mention</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIjgOkblzEicEgJFTgwrJYDdqGfIDf00OxNkvDIzz10jKPWqII5d9f3E8Y6h1c50cEwDyVs8mF6rZbwpLoyB9eP5bDvLAKwBl4EsXFYwbHCdA70itQrCE-VG4keCc_uKJbewkx0vjuJElz91a9DPKiU62PO1o-1qH7SlmT5QZ3zyagySz1zixu6qkmgWL/s4032/IMG_2136.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEIjgOkblzEicEgJFTgwrJYDdqGfIDf00OxNkvDIzz10jKPWqII5d9f3E8Y6h1c50cEwDyVs8mF6rZbwpLoyB9eP5bDvLAKwBl4EsXFYwbHCdA70itQrCE-VG4keCc_uKJbewkx0vjuJElz91a9DPKiU62PO1o-1qH7SlmT5QZ3zyagySz1zixu6qkmgWL/s320/IMG_2136.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">End of the Rainbow also received an Honorable Mention</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQhSZ05p76p5G8I45T1WNZ6ufvlSYHiLC46R0vG7KIl1fZNwDUxTiGlAIhccawqeh6Bt2qa7LBq7f0LVcq0Va35hmtE6TZDKDoq1kNAo3Nj40AjKkgaWwVkPkOE3iJv4NTG9m_l-CysWax2Gg0LEzodU5sFeKZg1xOvqTxBBV3NIA66LZz0dpsYzCLH2Z/s1200/postcard.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="850" data-original-width="1200" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQhSZ05p76p5G8I45T1WNZ6ufvlSYHiLC46R0vG7KIl1fZNwDUxTiGlAIhccawqeh6Bt2qa7LBq7f0LVcq0Va35hmtE6TZDKDoq1kNAo3Nj40AjKkgaWwVkPkOE3iJv4NTG9m_l-CysWax2Gg0LEzodU5sFeKZg1xOvqTxBBV3NIA66LZz0dpsYzCLH2Z/s320/postcard.png" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A fun green screen family picture</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Phew, what a month! I would say that I hope things slow down in September, but I don't think they really will - that's okay as long as I have a few hours to settle in and stitch or sew throughout the month. Hope you all had a good August! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stats for the month: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/09/03/sunday-stash-sept-3-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 1 3/8 yards<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 6 1/2 yards</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 14 1/2 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/09/stitching-stuff-week-34-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces:</a> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Days with at least 15 minutes of crafting: 27/31 - 87%</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge tracking: </span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +2 finishes, -0 FFO = 40 projects waiting to be FFO'ed (+2 from last month)</span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilts: 11 quilts waiting to be finished (no change from last month)</span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed this glimpse into my month! </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-62886427896263971972023-08-06T19:52:00.004-04:002023-08-06T19:52:48.235-04:00July 2023 - Vacation, lots of finishing, and some stash usage<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Our July started with a big trip - we took a family vacation to the Pacific Northwest, spending 10 days in Washington and Oregon. It was a really great trip and we saw so many wonderful places. We lucked out with perfect weather, great accommodations, and good food at every stop. The trip included a weekend in central Oregon so that I could attend the Sister's Outdoor Quilt show for the second time (my mom and I went together in 2008). And our time in Portland included a stop at the cross-stitch shop Acorns and Threads - wow, what a shop! Here are a few highlights from the trip (the pictures loaded in the opposite order as we took them). </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOojxwfiiO1Lw9mBy8MRBXWWi6UxY0aYroevEL5lWdpBvDa5gk436vDMFuc2bBjSSWsQsvM_R_8IZChMo9IiEIlS8AZLIUBEGUcgmSUml2kg7YZJvoEXeiu9JVxPG9OKm5glMDHJqY0u_KJpV8tWGUVY9p-WjBa1_xhB2nR_wH0H9jpHhmR5ZVItCVsLI2/s4032/IMG_2049.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOojxwfiiO1Lw9mBy8MRBXWWi6UxY0aYroevEL5lWdpBvDa5gk436vDMFuc2bBjSSWsQsvM_R_8IZChMo9IiEIlS8AZLIUBEGUcgmSUml2kg7YZJvoEXeiu9JVxPG9OKm5glMDHJqY0u_KJpV8tWGUVY9p-WjBa1_xhB2nR_wH0H9jpHhmR5ZVItCVsLI2/s320/IMG_2049.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Deception Pass State Park in Washington</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzpll5RJLpEs_YK6M4ECKeN0YdIvL2JBrpteMt1_ha1G5EPpdKI4E3f8-GRGBxpPL0z53Ay6Xz8MuomXhECi5jNgKgujqXvC2x1EJR-mDiIccwmoE3STIP4vYQQxvk_vfqUCFmoSXYhRI09JNR2kJ6vYXxB_0BfxtqiActcvuAcedt8HfjZnAL5VDVbOg/s4032/IMG_2023.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNzpll5RJLpEs_YK6M4ECKeN0YdIvL2JBrpteMt1_ha1G5EPpdKI4E3f8-GRGBxpPL0z53Ay6Xz8MuomXhECi5jNgKgujqXvC2x1EJR-mDiIccwmoE3STIP4vYQQxvk_vfqUCFmoSXYhRI09JNR2kJ6vYXxB_0BfxtqiActcvuAcedt8HfjZnAL5VDVbOg/s320/IMG_2023.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Voodoo Doughnuts in Portland</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnZp1CimnQ7cRWfTScrlkphAgAFr86ghPSlEIk4DOizLP2Bjr3ByEViy9Fz2jjelRcd0L79DFU6Qdr6H6OMzDQ8G5te8yLMmAOA4sEm8cad2mSp2nQSqPlOhYeTVQtgOy9vyNh9vmPl-jVxdaSitk54G3P3NLQGNuAFoogKLF2TiaDF8fR5IZucdZoyc2/s4032/IMG_1983.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnZp1CimnQ7cRWfTScrlkphAgAFr86ghPSlEIk4DOizLP2Bjr3ByEViy9Fz2jjelRcd0L79DFU6Qdr6H6OMzDQ8G5te8yLMmAOA4sEm8cad2mSp2nQSqPlOhYeTVQtgOy9vyNh9vmPl-jVxdaSitk54G3P3NLQGNuAFoogKLF2TiaDF8fR5IZucdZoyc2/s320/IMG_1983.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Oregon Coast</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS9Vc9auWom0TjcZn-BJia3ZurI1RaHyjsMDtC2-Q6VRqtTVlToNNvE6O85svzuLZt3JriEidsxmBodhT9BMaOSy-W1hnRVbvKnHsPmAblLkKPLoHpz5gPaagVNgp0Ie82NABaAA8rdNSpKTVHXwVvDi3CQw2X9qo_kZX6mG1dcmE6UMLCCyt2jGDtoNZ/s4032/IMG_1936.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVS9Vc9auWom0TjcZn-BJia3ZurI1RaHyjsMDtC2-Q6VRqtTVlToNNvE6O85svzuLZt3JriEidsxmBodhT9BMaOSy-W1hnRVbvKnHsPmAblLkKPLoHpz5gPaagVNgp0Ie82NABaAA8rdNSpKTVHXwVvDi3CQw2X9qo_kZX6mG1dcmE6UMLCCyt2jGDtoNZ/s320/IMG_1936.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Oregon Coast</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbcBQG_hazPPlc3W8-K3gXZ3FRcH1qWu84ZTE5UNow2Ph3T_kibsQ-74awf-jsN7ssE6eFdl5xkfdapY8B33Pxa3eLTmUuoUlHpj0iYMBHJZ4EQCPPNa2u7rS7MJ59hnWEtob5p9_-AuBYvkEvEASYMr5hXKw6okMVSRWrURXCsk1-FuKvqSpfNTK3tuC/s4032/IMG_1885.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbcBQG_hazPPlc3W8-K3gXZ3FRcH1qWu84ZTE5UNow2Ph3T_kibsQ-74awf-jsN7ssE6eFdl5xkfdapY8B33Pxa3eLTmUuoUlHpj0iYMBHJZ4EQCPPNa2u7rS7MJ59hnWEtob5p9_-AuBYvkEvEASYMr5hXKw6okMVSRWrURXCsk1-FuKvqSpfNTK3tuC/s320/IMG_1885.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKakPQY2OdxY_skDqlaogbjoSguScM90LlO_LOPUunmuFr6gdCucHON-M9b54Xwp19eWAQyrRHUE4WuTZw3rR9r44cY23aGFvogtAriYhKP-mWy-702c2m_XL58sMwwkcMrdpqr9zX1S-O_mqjvIdZVfSufiDyyavgtadC2_Oz3ylRFlMvvt7vtB5dyPC/s4032/IMG_1834.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpKakPQY2OdxY_skDqlaogbjoSguScM90LlO_LOPUunmuFr6gdCucHON-M9b54Xwp19eWAQyrRHUE4WuTZw3rR9r44cY23aGFvogtAriYhKP-mWy-702c2m_XL58sMwwkcMrdpqr9zX1S-O_mqjvIdZVfSufiDyyavgtadC2_Oz3ylRFlMvvt7vtB5dyPC/s320/IMG_1834.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mount Hood Lavender Farms</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEFEaA_mn2u6a6Y-k7u-Gb6JPva09o2KI2xxJbPaFVTdsJyXcQrDOSnYBSCkCoxyn9FvhkSUP8ZIx5z9fCfRCqQxwi6-2Qy5kcluFuW4uCeb2C1zilwVFcJnEfINVH6sSUNIRJCG_avq7mmsvnBCO0M9KZ5tBJNq1QF96G0J7vdKUJAVI4Btm9l-NovBN/s4032/IMG_1783.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvEFEaA_mn2u6a6Y-k7u-Gb6JPva09o2KI2xxJbPaFVTdsJyXcQrDOSnYBSCkCoxyn9FvhkSUP8ZIx5z9fCfRCqQxwi6-2Qy5kcluFuW4uCeb2C1zilwVFcJnEfINVH6sSUNIRJCG_avq7mmsvnBCO0M9KZ5tBJNq1QF96G0J7vdKUJAVI4Btm9l-NovBN/s320/IMG_1783.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Mount Rainier</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdx71j4hzTiSI_U1O6ERNQ-2oCp0zjkHWVGeOxVkonqsAgpIJx7-uwzAw-No4m8MeP4OXelXcpI6wxUbMTJxGDBqhNWKzT1Ni0sp5jhJhutelvnTKHMIhPrnZpdBqLh15mtc8iRzSTrpY225mfZjnsZXLe1qipdMXCdeBPBcAJjrcJ42TXuGaHptYlSTHW/s3088/IMG_1759.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3088" data-original-width="2316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdx71j4hzTiSI_U1O6ERNQ-2oCp0zjkHWVGeOxVkonqsAgpIJx7-uwzAw-No4m8MeP4OXelXcpI6wxUbMTJxGDBqhNWKzT1Ni0sp5jhJhutelvnTKHMIhPrnZpdBqLh15mtc8iRzSTrpY225mfZjnsZXLe1qipdMXCdeBPBcAJjrcJ42TXuGaHptYlSTHW/s320/IMG_1759.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The Space Needle in Seattle</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />Once we got home, we slept (thanks to a red eye and jet lag, it took us a couple days to get back to normal!) and I spent time in my basement. I had big goals to do some cross-stitch finishing this month and I am happy to say I achieved them. I ended the month with 5 new FFOs (fully finished objects) and hit my goal for the year (24 FFOs) with the last one! I can't believe I hit my goal in July, now it will be fun to see how many more I finish before the end of the year. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fHFxBH8gV2MZGkwXYRlfEmVp12h5fttk9WOgTVkVtAXfWdpjapAYFBLRNmhQDg26PTW5049DTz1gwip7dVUeQkS6-ei5uV6MnLpJxw1eWw8XpHKH6NqePnlhHbD0r8DurO69aTOfSQ4IBHJaC0z2IJxYwmEEfjiAyD5oOqXXySu3h54FvBs_eSujWCbO/s4032/IMG_2082.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1fHFxBH8gV2MZGkwXYRlfEmVp12h5fttk9WOgTVkVtAXfWdpjapAYFBLRNmhQDg26PTW5049DTz1gwip7dVUeQkS6-ei5uV6MnLpJxw1eWw8XpHKH6NqePnlhHbD0r8DurO69aTOfSQ4IBHJaC0z2IJxYwmEEfjiAyD5oOqXXySu3h54FvBs_eSujWCbO/s320/IMG_2082.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Christmas Joy ornament by Praiseworthy Stitches - this is a kit I purchased at Needlework Market and stitched during StitchMaynia - it was a fun finish and I can't wait to hang it on the tree! Stitched with kit linen, thread and beads.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpq5iRasJVuFEYFfP2zJugb3cjSKDkFmz9RDiC5Ddt6OEMEWSa5Wx4bRbb41-NGaf-eoDgLJQzEERH-4VOutGeONM_c--lJ5oTbsxeZtOCRRMR5Vc5x_slP2njzL0-mwSzfwB_k3leKlx-ir-mEM05j-hlL1QYLSs-WWWF7zs_R6ObgxYW3JXE_CQi23c/s2359/IMG_2058.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2359" data-original-width="2359" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikpq5iRasJVuFEYFfP2zJugb3cjSKDkFmz9RDiC5Ddt6OEMEWSa5Wx4bRbb41-NGaf-eoDgLJQzEERH-4VOutGeONM_c--lJ5oTbsxeZtOCRRMR5Vc5x_slP2njzL0-mwSzfwB_k3leKlx-ir-mEM05j-hlL1QYLSs-WWWF7zs_R6ObgxYW3JXE_CQi23c/s320/IMG_2058.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Dahlia by Mill Hill - I stitched this one on the kit perforated paper with the called for thread and beads last year - I finished it just like it shows on the kit picture, with a white Mill Hill frame and <br />the butterfly button glued on the front. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbypnis0vB46GMSKuX0sOrErK3WaDnfK2XlvbqwluKaFqv10VlpU9qXnoIDksCJnCKoKvBJ5vG-Mdvlxt8M5Z1RZ9Dw3vmhzExVCKkGjv8LP5SubJkbzQwDWxfyJHA2cvYXvqtXPvvsfb3gqmwlmtutpZkpuPsvNHCiET81JR3OO1YjAODKfWLZ8QiPAy/s3024/IMG_2057.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbypnis0vB46GMSKuX0sOrErK3WaDnfK2XlvbqwluKaFqv10VlpU9qXnoIDksCJnCKoKvBJ5vG-Mdvlxt8M5Z1RZ9Dw3vmhzExVCKkGjv8LP5SubJkbzQwDWxfyJHA2cvYXvqtXPvvsfb3gqmwlmtutpZkpuPsvNHCiET81JR3OO1YjAODKfWLZ8QiPAy/s320/IMG_2057.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Polar Opposites by Mill Hill - another kit finish, this one on Aida with kit beads and threads, framed in a dark blue Mill Hill frame - this one's a little older, stitched in 2018. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZT_bJ0BRnWUv6XIKmcAbnuPGSjBuZEwGrVBxW6JuP3BH1AIaq-7MPMzfjkxjxNneIwR1PzwBcU_uLoo7JGf-nJMCG0Xsc--rGwjKer2ezIuxGylLngcuUxBZuJB1T-OEhjgtu_K_EV5NXr-DWcLjuRVOgihEj3WzyTK5zNmxN1vBnF8LlexCL_wMeIUD/s820/IMG_2102.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="820" data-original-width="783" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZT_bJ0BRnWUv6XIKmcAbnuPGSjBuZEwGrVBxW6JuP3BH1AIaq-7MPMzfjkxjxNneIwR1PzwBcU_uLoo7JGf-nJMCG0Xsc--rGwjKer2ezIuxGylLngcuUxBZuJB1T-OEhjgtu_K_EV5NXr-DWcLjuRVOgihEj3WzyTK5zNmxN1vBnF8LlexCL_wMeIUD/s320/IMG_2102.HEIC" width="306" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">She Believed She Could by Lizzie Kate, stitched on a mystery linen, I think 28 or 32 ct and a pretty light green with called for threads (except I changed the words to be all one color - they were charted in two colors but I didn't like how that looked). I made this one into a flat fold with three color twisted cording (the first time I made it!) made from <br />DMC Perle Cotton.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOjEPideYPb1sGKufGuvEyZPJB79zyggiapJhTUkDXgoCeVht2MuzxM1fTyOYPMe48KeEOQ1xMCEDC_1FO5HHmPzhzxJpReDoZGxIdkmNXVzV9q9vLo6swB6WPlnPNUnbu7lL1yJlyCXkQwRLdVlsSDDo0Z-Mk0NYvHbbep76KH9WxOh-uqiMCadSQ5Is/s4032/IMG_2096.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuOjEPideYPb1sGKufGuvEyZPJB79zyggiapJhTUkDXgoCeVht2MuzxM1fTyOYPMe48KeEOQ1xMCEDC_1FO5HHmPzhzxJpReDoZGxIdkmNXVzV9q9vLo6swB6WPlnPNUnbu7lL1yJlyCXkQwRLdVlsSDDo0Z-Mk0NYvHbbep76KH9WxOh-uqiMCadSQ5Is/s320/IMG_2096.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sunshine House by Little Stitch Girl, stitched on 28 ct. Flax linen with called for threads. Finished on a decorative piece from Hobby Lobby (with a magnet). </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also had three stitching finishes this month - the first was a piece I started on vacation and finished the day after we got home. This was a really fun stitch and I enjoyed using Aida I dyed Denim Blue. I changed a few of the threads to make it look better on my fabric and to make the cardinals a better red, all with DMC threads. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1801" data-original-width="1801" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNwVadIww1I7fnaPH0-voL-jgLZLvEN9KGLRm-8x2QdUC5a3UvG3F1C700T21i_fQh9mrsfRqhsRxLXpEuCOYtZYoMUPv7iE4W0wS37F5vg6iY5Z1ruSiLXyIbyT8fEsMFZQw3AjKibEZe7k3SgqfCUNWf8z_btUTIiafvdQBG6TtgoVeTXXjnAASf4GO/s320/IMG_2115.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Prairie Birds - Cardinal by Prairie Schooler, stitched on 18 ct. hand dyed (by me) Aida</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcNwVadIww1I7fnaPH0-voL-jgLZLvEN9KGLRm-8x2QdUC5a3UvG3F1C700T21i_fQh9mrsfRqhsRxLXpEuCOYtZYoMUPv7iE4W0wS37F5vg6iY5Z1ruSiLXyIbyT8fEsMFZQw3AjKibEZe7k3SgqfCUNWf8z_btUTIiafvdQBG6TtgoVeTXXjnAASf4GO/s1801/IMG_2115.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"></span></a></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The second stitching finish was Sunshine House which you've seen above - it was great to get this finished and FFOed in July! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also finished a project that I've been working on all year (on and off). This is National Parks Birthday by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and it was a Christmas present from my mom. I really enjoyed stitching this one and made two of the park rangers into my nieces, who both worked at National Parks in South Dakota during college. It was so fun to add a little personalization to this piece. It is stitched with DMC Threads on 25 count Natural Pearl Linen that I loved - I have since learned that it isn't made anymore but hope to find some at a shop or on a destash group as I would really enjoy stitching with it again. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwow_mJzZQTGGfR4NeOosWu0qsE4K33c0Johnbe-lF8GDuee7Nz6nWJ4n_rNBh8zEwJt8bNgr0b0oXY1crTD1-cRTwcjEik1sfwfl5oo7JXoPQwDUnYTyrw2b3fhdR3bE4UmvauslsQYeC-EKGZ0PC-KQel19uBZtWgq_drNjSsCglrQKkYvnFN40VznkQ/s4032/IMG_2075.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwow_mJzZQTGGfR4NeOosWu0qsE4K33c0Johnbe-lF8GDuee7Nz6nWJ4n_rNBh8zEwJt8bNgr0b0oXY1crTD1-cRTwcjEik1sfwfl5oo7JXoPQwDUnYTyrw2b3fhdR3bE4UmvauslsQYeC-EKGZ0PC-KQel19uBZtWgq_drNjSsCglrQKkYvnFN40VznkQ/s320/IMG_2075.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">In addition to all the stitching, I spent a little time doing some sewing and quilting. I am making the Delightful Duffel for my daughter as a graduation/off to college gift and it was high time to get it started! In the last weekend of the month, I got it cut, fused, quilted and then subcut into the individual pieces to be assembled. I am working on it over the next few weeks as I have to have it finished before we head out in mid-August! </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TC1u6I9cRbViQNLsHyRQfZOVCpsqmjxityjy8SsOT7AVBWxsNn4GA2SL8ybeLYaxh7FCezQgyFuN_d1qv9KzK15DINUKhSz9MgUZHGXuM1oSXR4yWJOSLm9UKwnPZEBvrQP0l6GtZ9zHOX6sOZiYFD5hZYxlf7ey0TLAOD5DTGgcyX1ez2G74iBM4l0F/s3068/IMG_2085.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3068" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6TC1u6I9cRbViQNLsHyRQfZOVCpsqmjxityjy8SsOT7AVBWxsNn4GA2SL8ybeLYaxh7FCezQgyFuN_d1qv9KzK15DINUKhSz9MgUZHGXuM1oSXR4yWJOSLm9UKwnPZEBvrQP0l6GtZ9zHOX6sOZiYFD5hZYxlf7ey0TLAOD5DTGgcyX1ez2G74iBM4l0F/s320/IMG_2085.HEIC" width="315" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All the pieces ready to go!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhHwH2gAL3zRyrid0q-W4X-dGoBwXBpd3AFw5N418pi0smW8kg92nfThF3fiQW_5RHCTqmUmqrIzSxhbRxI5biNivg-0NpXQ_5BJewSVqhqIQVRtZk6WPJYdSBWGPl5zmSjbEo76fv9rxa7AcYMohhrx5HsAtOlnQ72QJkZPw80bwSeiVapRfrhGjTOG3/s4032/IMG_2087.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAhHwH2gAL3zRyrid0q-W4X-dGoBwXBpd3AFw5N418pi0smW8kg92nfThF3fiQW_5RHCTqmUmqrIzSxhbRxI5biNivg-0NpXQ_5BJewSVqhqIQVRtZk6WPJYdSBWGPl5zmSjbEo76fv9rxa7AcYMohhrx5HsAtOlnQ72QJkZPw80bwSeiVapRfrhGjTOG3/s320/IMG_2087.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fusing the fabric to the interfacing with my Cricut heat press (love this tool!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL1z2cqS8IzHwHV0KCx_WO3ARbvajQDGmBGzMRmfgV7GnBu0R2fbG98lZ2v_leb5XyiWsmZeXnWNQ8ATgBn8DpER_bzFnigZh5m064EnhlcaKDwc2G4Jm9zFbCSWDQspyqwHVUQ0oMNjl1G5xSNk5JpaOvYMrlrW6lXzhzk9D75G98kzv3PZxLuE2-bGR/s4032/IMG_2088.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBL1z2cqS8IzHwHV0KCx_WO3ARbvajQDGmBGzMRmfgV7GnBu0R2fbG98lZ2v_leb5XyiWsmZeXnWNQ8ATgBn8DpER_bzFnigZh5m064EnhlcaKDwc2G4Jm9zFbCSWDQspyqwHVUQ0oMNjl1G5xSNk5JpaOvYMrlrW6lXzhzk9D75G98kzv3PZxLuE2-bGR/s320/IMG_2088.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The quilted piece</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5I0B9kaEbWkNitIh50kxKxKSYUkXqkmc81UpLVoXVm2TIFJ8ycRGM9sHF7vzdt9InYuHifP0M0weASW7lZTcIQLgfGnDz4C3hvJQduvxbV6Fx5rNudYr84kikHfG8rlCCYp5qX1WCPXsBH_O2Q0k3bbv5UjeXeeR6eSIZtCXZzMfD1ygixDqHhaf6uTz/s4032/IMG_2091.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn5I0B9kaEbWkNitIh50kxKxKSYUkXqkmc81UpLVoXVm2TIFJ8ycRGM9sHF7vzdt9InYuHifP0M0weASW7lZTcIQLgfGnDz4C3hvJQduvxbV6Fx5rNudYr84kikHfG8rlCCYp5qX1WCPXsBH_O2Q0k3bbv5UjeXeeR6eSIZtCXZzMfD1ygixDqHhaf6uTz/s320/IMG_2091.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All cut out and ready for assembly!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All in all, it was an action packed month with travel, stitching, finishing, and quilting - in addition to work, teaching a new driver (my son), and a visit from the cousins. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are the stats for those who like to follow along: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time report with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/08/stitching-stuff-week-30-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a>: 25/31 days for 81% </span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash report with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/08/06/sunday-stash-august-6-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 5 yards (all for the bag)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 6 1/2 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 13 1/8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 6 5/8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge tracking: </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +3 finishes, -5 FFO = 38 projects waiting to be FFO'ed </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilts: 11 quilts waiting to be finished (no change from last month)</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Wishing you all a great August - thanks for reading! </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-20926766538754671392023-07-02T16:07:00.001-04:002023-07-02T16:07:54.328-04:00June 2023 - Graduation, a baby quilt and some FFOs<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">June was another fun month as we continued to celebrate our daughter, starting with Graduation and then at her Grad party. I also attended about 6 other grad parties and enjoyed celebrating with my other Girl Scouts and good friends. As I type this near the end of June, we are done with graduation parties and now have our eye turned to summer, especially an upcoming summer vacation. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcc9YIcm7JHWLV_edjHy1Y297Fi0MhOvVNAGo64FiGDMei_Cs7FpzKMNvfMX-KVNAcFmrUoTUvCX3gv02MuZ1KhT_lUZ1ko7uEfEBD4BszmMRyTQW3pc_v9ZHYH9MNYnmzh-Vk3YZXGn6OllY0Oswtnln7n_lpxB4qiL9BGfG5XTRVZ7mJaAKdHf2Y4jn/s4032/IMG_1678.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxcc9YIcm7JHWLV_edjHy1Y297Fi0MhOvVNAGo64FiGDMei_Cs7FpzKMNvfMX-KVNAcFmrUoTUvCX3gv02MuZ1KhT_lUZ1ko7uEfEBD4BszmMRyTQW3pc_v9ZHYH9MNYnmzh-Vk3YZXGn6OllY0Oswtnln7n_lpxB4qiL9BGfG5XTRVZ7mJaAKdHf2Y4jn/s320/IMG_1678.HEIC" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1T1GtZ06V_PUzv4-7VO_VvWB9XqN-tORCa1-pcN9kmsftqQ_mI0slmeQ-wbb8YSf206LVZAa0JBY9JcwTj2Yw7wwogpAqAB1DAvE54Buu3InJhXEjRZnDkWhazJr0ktkRkbFNcplxtSG6WzfoheY49Y68rTUfwO6k0rAM9AX5ieoYo6xqi0flN7mTQL-/s4032/IMG_1716.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA1T1GtZ06V_PUzv4-7VO_VvWB9XqN-tORCa1-pcN9kmsftqQ_mI0slmeQ-wbb8YSf206LVZAa0JBY9JcwTj2Yw7wwogpAqAB1DAvE54Buu3InJhXEjRZnDkWhazJr0ktkRkbFNcplxtSG6WzfoheY49Y68rTUfwO6k0rAM9AX5ieoYo6xqi0flN7mTQL-/s320/IMG_1716.HEIC" width="320" /></a></span></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwYD28ItzB4LJaA43TzrX0pj_i1Jc-3DdYXiz8LGf9cQ2ZCJ4Flb4NKTOFFNkEoQvlvWYg54YGygAgMYbD6xzDxhFHUjwZVKRrA3XWhwEJR73JYUuNOnN5Lcqb367qLVWJ4Zk7gvLUoNWswkGuedJKuG3JWlpU_HU_nBReaa6qr0PS_iKymE4I8jq3EKY/s4032/IMG_1680.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwYD28ItzB4LJaA43TzrX0pj_i1Jc-3DdYXiz8LGf9cQ2ZCJ4Flb4NKTOFFNkEoQvlvWYg54YGygAgMYbD6xzDxhFHUjwZVKRrA3XWhwEJR73JYUuNOnN5Lcqb367qLVWJ4Zk7gvLUoNWswkGuedJKuG3JWlpU_HU_nBReaa6qr0PS_iKymE4I8jq3EKY/s320/IMG_1680.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In between and after all the celebrations, I was able to spend some good time sewing and stitching. On the sewing front, I was able to get a few good days in my sewing room - first, I quilted my mom's top (that I've had since January!) - I custom quilted it very similarly to my own top of the same quilt. Here's a picture of the back - it is a white on white fabric so shows off the quilting well. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaGRn1FeZBrS3VRkq-y4fm7RQT8Qgzm7p-WaNNGqbv1fPiFK4XwJnjradrgzLx6aovcrJAP_8OsJ6U9onwBxWzrGUoX0-__FyxtC50UyK_6t4FA-9uG9LmODp82I_Pe-ilV5NkqloV2iJ04HV7nYTMJnbxODYiLGkl_OIo9FxgIPR1ifBYmAsJlaxOIuK/s4032/IMG_1686.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaGRn1FeZBrS3VRkq-y4fm7RQT8Qgzm7p-WaNNGqbv1fPiFK4XwJnjradrgzLx6aovcrJAP_8OsJ6U9onwBxWzrGUoX0-__FyxtC50UyK_6t4FA-9uG9LmODp82I_Pe-ilV5NkqloV2iJ04HV7nYTMJnbxODYiLGkl_OIo9FxgIPR1ifBYmAsJlaxOIuK/s320/IMG_1686.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting from the back</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">As soon as I unloaded my mom's quilt from the frame, I loaded the baby quilt for my work colleague. It was a quick and easy top to quilt (all over stippling) and bind. It was wrapped up and gifted while she was in town. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SXgsg5-mmPXhA1R9xNwEQaeoo98xCMxEx7wdoFdtYKiEl9Y3RIfwyREW3fbkWyA3aAIV7k7ppzcxoRwbuihtlIwaNqnw4_2eyWBXXcnkKWDT-3JD-DJnDGtV6CNYSaYaYZMWU3b1nEDRwEEjfOIFu_cNY-ZUtvVqMOmNH7-5EXL1Y9lWOhj1q2l1VVT5/s4032/IMG_1725.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6SXgsg5-mmPXhA1R9xNwEQaeoo98xCMxEx7wdoFdtYKiEl9Y3RIfwyREW3fbkWyA3aAIV7k7ppzcxoRwbuihtlIwaNqnw4_2eyWBXXcnkKWDT-3JD-DJnDGtV6CNYSaYaYZMWU3b1nEDRwEEjfOIFu_cNY-ZUtvVqMOmNH7-5EXL1Y9lWOhj1q2l1VVT5/s320/IMG_1725.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Triple Treat Petite baby quilt</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the stitching front, I have a finish and a few FFOs. First, the finish, which was my oldest work in progress - Goody Grimwood by Plum Street Samplers. I started this piece as my first project for StitchMaynia 2021 and worked on it over the last two years, putting the final stitches in it in early June. This is my first project on 40 count linen and I really enjoyed it - stitched with all the called for floss colors on the called for fabric (R&R Reproductions Stars Hollow). It's always hard to see the fabric color in a picture - this one looks a little dull/light compared to how it looks in person, a light neutral with a little mottling from the hand dye. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDGiw8hSKLgMhEVvTJxJ8W02uiK0twhvdx8flaNvv0tZW3D1QhHuhRAtv-Tr82Ba0pRzR5Np3oVEaUlCOfDFTnraUahWHLlgrsFqM7ryyC00czjx-qq4q5LuceTQ43qVYoflvApUP7HpnbkbUH724NyCaozp9EoOrItxsIzWz5NqrZQ9gmUZDzpAsCRRw/s3024/IMG_1730.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrDGiw8hSKLgMhEVvTJxJ8W02uiK0twhvdx8flaNvv0tZW3D1QhHuhRAtv-Tr82Ba0pRzR5Np3oVEaUlCOfDFTnraUahWHLlgrsFqM7ryyC00czjx-qq4q5LuceTQ43qVYoflvApUP7HpnbkbUH724NyCaozp9EoOrItxsIzWz5NqrZQ9gmUZDzpAsCRRw/s320/IMG_1730.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I continued to finish off my inspirational pieces and this one was next up - Believe in Yourself by Lizzie Kate, part of the Three Little Words series. I stitched this on Vintage Country Mocha with all the called for colors and I just love it. Like the others, it is finished as a flat fold with a pocket in the back and it has Lady Dot Creates lace as the trim. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KUpNDe3eGjJuhBJi13jdFOrapUEAj5VYSpXThIzViuDaoB7JnSSMK8g620baiK5Zv_REcv67k40TGrV9r10BqfqFALNqYXQxujkLxXanHZ5uEKP7VvcpOu_nY2i1ONCt-xhU5q_Vg1lKoDHKLcl17yTgZZyZJelU4vGpp46MOg46-WkG1hnY3wPO5NkL/s4032/IMG_1727.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8KUpNDe3eGjJuhBJi13jdFOrapUEAj5VYSpXThIzViuDaoB7JnSSMK8g620baiK5Zv_REcv67k40TGrV9r10BqfqFALNqYXQxujkLxXanHZ5uEKP7VvcpOu_nY2i1ONCt-xhU5q_Vg1lKoDHKLcl17yTgZZyZJelU4vGpp46MOg46-WkG1hnY3wPO5NkL/s320/IMG_1727.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYUFdgexJembdX2CUGv9MK5_OLgIsN-XV2uxbwoIiUkz4maVhHgCu9qutMNASQUqGtwp_QA-BxUGCke5k7kX_EIyVjsjmNTrIk1DZhuNWDrRKRi-sjwAFCtJMwVgSBG3WxKUYqMOJoDvvfLBma88ogSpEmIFiELkaEAiprXF17LizajOq2F9n5Ec6CvBm/s4032/IMG_1728.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHYUFdgexJembdX2CUGv9MK5_OLgIsN-XV2uxbwoIiUkz4maVhHgCu9qutMNASQUqGtwp_QA-BxUGCke5k7kX_EIyVjsjmNTrIk1DZhuNWDrRKRi-sjwAFCtJMwVgSBG3WxKUYqMOJoDvvfLBma88ogSpEmIFiELkaEAiprXF17LizajOq2F9n5Ec6CvBm/s320/IMG_1728.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Side view of the flat fold</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My next FFO for June is Circle of Flowers by AuryTM. I finished this just as it was finished on the pattern cover, in a simple hoop. I think it shows off the pattern nicely. This one is stitched on 28 count white Monaco with the called for DMC threads. I am happy to have this one finished for summer. </span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBW2niufKhyYgePZCm02udHswxyomJxl_Rgv44wjBzKajVV1q9YoqUvuvTRJCIiRN6y2Ff0As4mQykaqMggNSgm6t4F5cpqLBFyftHxqbkx7s2lZRrIB7rZ7VQyGM5JImx_o7s9g76AqYrFBK7Z3Emq9S4dGwBQXRoQQm1RSkjTYwRYEEMaETjwQZYjVd/s2317/IMG_1752.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2317" data-original-width="2317" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGBW2niufKhyYgePZCm02udHswxyomJxl_Rgv44wjBzKajVV1q9YoqUvuvTRJCIiRN6y2Ff0As4mQykaqMggNSgm6t4F5cpqLBFyftHxqbkx7s2lZRrIB7rZ7VQyGM5JImx_o7s9g76AqYrFBK7Z3Emq9S4dGwBQXRoQQm1RSkjTYwRYEEMaETjwQZYjVd/s320/IMG_1752.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Circle of Flowers by AuryTM</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />I have another FFO partially done, so hope to have that one finished up by the end of July, preferably with a few others!</span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to the activities in my own sewing room, I also went on a quilt shop visit with my mom. We went to Unraveled in Spencer, IN - it has been open a while, but this was my first time to visit. What a great shop - lots of fun fabrics including a very good selection of blenders, nice shop models and plenty of patterns. I couldn't resist the super cute Lella Boutique reindeer pattern and I decided to get a few of the fabrics for the quilt - the brown and black will become reindeer faces, and the grey will be the background. I just need to pull fat quarters and some white from my stash to make up this quilt. No immediate plans for it - I have a duffel bag to make my daughter for college first! <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVuHy2sEGRz6GNJrLRlVP3ZYgjSh7xblv-hD8g86WseNV6ERDMWTBlBBGbxaFT_aIKJSPtWiGEM8-bHnqfV0IZ4Hl8bW9vEF7zyNslXezsXeP-o4jnX1Eh7nvIomLkIKM3yzDF99U0oNSHbfdlZiUOvXTGRpCqFGOGnnd48NEiIiSWjtckewvgs10_n7Q/s4032/IMG_1753.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfVuHy2sEGRz6GNJrLRlVP3ZYgjSh7xblv-hD8g86WseNV6ERDMWTBlBBGbxaFT_aIKJSPtWiGEM8-bHnqfV0IZ4Hl8bW9vEF7zyNslXezsXeP-o4jnX1Eh7nvIomLkIKM3yzDF99U0oNSHbfdlZiUOvXTGRpCqFGOGnnd48NEiIiSWjtckewvgs10_n7Q/s320/IMG_1753.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Overall, June was a great month - plenty of stitching and sewing time, celebrations, and shopping - what more could you want? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are my monthly stats: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sewing time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/07/stitching-stuff-week-25-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life-in-Pieces</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">24/30 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 80%</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/07/02/sunday-stash-july-2-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 5 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 1 5/8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 6 1/2 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 8 1/8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 1 5/8 yards (phew, still in positive numbers!)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge tracking: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching projects: +1 finish, -2 FFO = 40 projects waiting to be FFO'ed (somewhere my monthly numbers are off because last month's post says 42, but my spreadsheet says I have 40 to FFO)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilts: 1 quilt finished = 11 quilts waiting to be finished</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Thanks for reading and special thanks to those who take the time to comment, it is great to hear from you and know you are reading! Happy July! </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-37324516677126727942023-06-25T16:43:00.002-04:002023-06-25T16:43:16.492-04:00May 2023 - Stitch Maynia and the end of High School (for the oldest)<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What a big month for our family - from the start to the end, we attended functions, talked about schedules, and counted down the days for my daughter's last day of high school. Graduation wasn't until June but all the hard work was done in May. We are so proud of this girl who powered through a year of school from her bedroom and graduates with honors. <br /></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvTV7kpUxMHAQ13djbDH_vzY39vn2heAy1QQk38Khs_PbjZabTwl5R_w1LekcxtkIwllrd4qNiOJbX6YAd8ofDzXdZ0zI86sWrYWhqIK6GSqk-rWtl5x2EzS0fEh2OtUH3LKrJqgK6ukMK1StJbh-okSRXT7WA8zVqqgtGFFeNx6itMCSAv1txABvNw/s4032/IMG_1623.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtvTV7kpUxMHAQ13djbDH_vzY39vn2heAy1QQk38Khs_PbjZabTwl5R_w1LekcxtkIwllrd4qNiOJbX6YAd8ofDzXdZ0zI86sWrYWhqIK6GSqk-rWtl5x2EzS0fEh2OtUH3LKrJqgK6ukMK1StJbh-okSRXT7WA8zVqqgtGFFeNx6itMCSAv1txABvNw/s320/IMG_1623.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Senior Awards Night</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPYn04Ucz72N5-DKv2aaobaXyODaFiBbkIs5JQaJwiEaavyK_CYuKmMdcz7iGGJYspjQhV-NcH34yIqxHvlkqqpbWFxZyCrknwTSmKLgVwqRrFqm-3MN8WGT61X9HBzemGGXU-sf3Wl6Mjxeb8acbUVfNVPUiPndxbCnFBS37VS-nO3uF6qKvmf6biQ/s2660/IMG_1598.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1995" data-original-width="2660" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRPYn04Ucz72N5-DKv2aaobaXyODaFiBbkIs5JQaJwiEaavyK_CYuKmMdcz7iGGJYspjQhV-NcH34yIqxHvlkqqpbWFxZyCrknwTSmKLgVwqRrFqm-3MN8WGT61X9HBzemGGXU-sf3Wl6Mjxeb8acbUVfNVPUiPndxbCnFBS37VS-nO3uF6qKvmf6biQ/s320/IMG_1598.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Top 30 Graduates Dinner (with her most inspirational teacher)<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz5URn5b5Nx-zrxrPGcdPdAs6LeCjFpXuSHsjejlBzmdqswSWPL8HKfX5xp3yT9TziISHx0wmjtVjmtL9iTAZvobcuhAXJ2nXJ-PvoTCaHBr1mZdb8NVk_DHNWR09_HFuozKw0HvRCJ4IIfDGbmyKtE0PMkNRfm4-tiiEipJCfIA0g3Dhr71IdsiSVQ/s720/IMG_0515.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="540" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuz5URn5b5Nx-zrxrPGcdPdAs6LeCjFpXuSHsjejlBzmdqswSWPL8HKfX5xp3yT9TziISHx0wmjtVjmtL9iTAZvobcuhAXJ2nXJ-PvoTCaHBr1mZdb8NVk_DHNWR09_HFuozKw0HvRCJ4IIfDGbmyKtE0PMkNRfm4-tiiEipJCfIA0g3Dhr71IdsiSVQ/s320/IMG_0515.JPG" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">First day of kindergarten <br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcN4feu5KhmpC9SLaF0_9V4d0iW6ATSmozrJC6N9AkQ6hKPoidqcYfxJZ2eQkyzxS2D9b1GBa79fb6TdW2Chf8dOnWXy3VNzUrGwEUhSkXepxaU06flHdAv7TfdZGuRhown14fAyxuzfMyB2_Lcx9xm8yDocE-lMo-EV4i8OL52hzQb2yKj4AAxFyIA/s4032/IMG_1634.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQcN4feu5KhmpC9SLaF0_9V4d0iW6ATSmozrJC6N9AkQ6hKPoidqcYfxJZ2eQkyzxS2D9b1GBa79fb6TdW2Chf8dOnWXy3VNzUrGwEUhSkXepxaU06flHdAv7TfdZGuRhown14fAyxuzfMyB2_Lcx9xm8yDocE-lMo-EV4i8OL52hzQb2yKj4AAxFyIA/s320/IMG_1634.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Last day of high school</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">What a run it's been and now we start counting the days until we leave for New York to drop her off for college. No worries, she has plenty to do before then with a summer job, a grad party, packing, and working on a special project that we hope will be worthy of the Girl Scout Gold Award. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It's a really good thing in times like these to have great hobbies - they really keep me sane and give me something to do with my hands. It was a special month for stitching too - the month of May is called Stitch Maynia for a lot of stitchers and I am one of them. I continued with the same plan as I've followed for the last year or two, with 10 projects, spending 3 days on each of them. It was 5 works in progress and 5 new starts this year and I am really happy to have finished one of each! </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJ6aKVk5yEn8YXodF2eDicNzjdCdX4KaNM-dDFQn09m-yNTrRN1x1ZQqy3Pr6gSg6ijHE3TW72B3H2FdaDbx1zSxkp91tFY5VIb4LZoLkpfJXxkm2K1luRNamD8aQzH-WTWqBqMK7H8j0RS8SEadY2c1h_-KPdrNIzfAlZx6OA1S427g74cMXqvVYSQ/s3192/IMG_1573.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2394" data-original-width="3192" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDJ6aKVk5yEn8YXodF2eDicNzjdCdX4KaNM-dDFQn09m-yNTrRN1x1ZQqy3Pr6gSg6ijHE3TW72B3H2FdaDbx1zSxkp91tFY5VIb4LZoLkpfJXxkm2K1luRNamD8aQzH-WTWqBqMK7H8j0RS8SEadY2c1h_-KPdrNIzfAlZx6OA1S427g74cMXqvVYSQ/s320/IMG_1573.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My new starts for Stitch Maynia </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm1mH3lQBBMaUFE7kfkPC5UKpTEP8-tgOck5Ca0sULDqUPtOWKpJCzya_4aouQqoxJmhEvVnoAdbsND_bIhUAGrotHBtKp1mlgKXFdop5JpHd52zGjGoO7cgWQ-8j6EzOlRyiJR9GbD7K06ptMxBokgOSn8V9dM2XAypS6bnAvGuUM4rG6jclB7-tFw/s3024/IMG_1579.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQm1mH3lQBBMaUFE7kfkPC5UKpTEP8-tgOck5Ca0sULDqUPtOWKpJCzya_4aouQqoxJmhEvVnoAdbsND_bIhUAGrotHBtKp1mlgKXFdop5JpHd52zGjGoO7cgWQ-8j6EzOlRyiJR9GbD7K06ptMxBokgOSn8V9dM2XAypS6bnAvGuUM4rG6jclB7-tFw/s320/IMG_1579.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">First project - a start and finish! Christmas Joy by Praiseworthy Stitches - kit linen, thread and beads</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YivJ0EDfB5G_NQ_Vjy9-TY625GrMWQTQZviu_oLnVquGD9NpcEkjB09aotEj9pzfpYeBwxtASwHe91TujdIEz7r2_evf3Xyc_xGagyu1ntcujnR_vPXvSluSUiZu7kuYO9SgxSc_EUwKhKFNRvKak29J2GeiI9PCLotKz05QSmN6FIMbtw-T7UE-qQ/s4032/IMG_1582.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YivJ0EDfB5G_NQ_Vjy9-TY625GrMWQTQZviu_oLnVquGD9NpcEkjB09aotEj9pzfpYeBwxtASwHe91TujdIEz7r2_evf3Xyc_xGagyu1ntcujnR_vPXvSluSUiZu7kuYO9SgxSc_EUwKhKFNRvKak29J2GeiI9PCLotKz05QSmN6FIMbtw-T7UE-qQ/s320/IMG_1582.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Second project - a WIP finish - the top section of Yuletide Revels by Joan Elliott stitched on white 18 count Aida with Splendor silk</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">For the first time, I stitched all 31 days of May and I really enjoyed it. Some days were just a few minutes of stitching and others were a few hours. In between the stitching, I made a little time for quilting and finishing. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the quilt front, I finished quilting a top that I've had on the frame way too long! I will share a sneak peek that gives you an idea of the quilting and then hope to have it bound for a full picture next month. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgkmdHZ4kr1BhbdQ4M0Q03gpjHHmuvnjt3ljqffEybdMEh_GplISpqCH8h_6m6OwvtmubBq7Wg8fxgrrB2oX1sCzFpsMtHw-RcX_N7RLzyI2Jkb9v3hR11NGHubEvhIay_kseoyiCXvckdZBe5JATjJWQttLag4b9YyD-7La2xLrSsIlycUZx2M0G790x/s4032/IMG_1609.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXgkmdHZ4kr1BhbdQ4M0Q03gpjHHmuvnjt3ljqffEybdMEh_GplISpqCH8h_6m6OwvtmubBq7Wg8fxgrrB2oX1sCzFpsMtHw-RcX_N7RLzyI2Jkb9v3hR11NGHubEvhIay_kseoyiCXvckdZBe5JATjJWQttLag4b9YyD-7La2xLrSsIlycUZx2M0G790x/s320/IMG_1609.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The back with all the quilting texture</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also decided to quickly make a baby quilt for one of my work colleagues who was going to be in town in June - she is expecting her first baby and we decided to throw a little surprise shower. I dug through my baby/kid fabrics and found a fat eighth pack of Elementary from Sweetwater Fabrics. I used the Triple Treat Petite pattern from Happy Hour Quilts, a book by Atkinson Designs. It is a great and quick pattern and I finished the top quickly. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeeVg05XZIv54Dfr8N7yZo53z3d0pHE_dQFLer0A2Nxskk622vfMkXk22Lsqc7kInQ2jlGDQIsPkLNsV_LYf86pP-uZK_CgLDrvSUCKHjqWhctsF791HRGVmiZTr-iPC1Xgxoztvj9Sd2CvJzAwwi4Z0zfNeZuXgLLFVWJGARBTWjnPS926dwBC1ShSC9/s4032/IMG_1646.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQeeVg05XZIv54Dfr8N7yZo53z3d0pHE_dQFLer0A2Nxskk622vfMkXk22Lsqc7kInQ2jlGDQIsPkLNsV_LYf86pP-uZK_CgLDrvSUCKHjqWhctsF791HRGVmiZTr-iPC1Xgxoztvj9Sd2CvJzAwwi4Z0zfNeZuXgLLFVWJGARBTWjnPS926dwBC1ShSC9/s320/IMG_1646.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilt blocks pre-assembly into a top<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Last up is a hybrid quilting/stitching project and my one FFO for May - I decided to make this piece into a wall hanging and plan to hang it in my room. The piece is Blocks of the Month SAL by Durene Jones from 2020 and I really enjoyed stitching this over the course of the year. I adjusted the block for May (second row, middle) to honor Medal of Honor recipients, and I really like the end result. I am glad to have this one FFO'ed!</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-fMfNuPT0BjcQqc9fgMdTN-SUGpRy2QSzGcRAZSHd0FTlMGAf97ubuLvAG-DHLl_M0luz0hQ4j0eWV5kMK84VJR2hxT7T_R5IS4YN5S7Ql_mwXmbOHPlbx87b_6_M2TXeubV-H-8vni19PZeb2u_UTWgbZOlgDxQ2-p8B-uJqmujmYWicQZqQFUENNd2/s4032/IMG_1729.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-fMfNuPT0BjcQqc9fgMdTN-SUGpRy2QSzGcRAZSHd0FTlMGAf97ubuLvAG-DHLl_M0luz0hQ4j0eWV5kMK84VJR2hxT7T_R5IS4YN5S7Ql_mwXmbOHPlbx87b_6_M2TXeubV-H-8vni19PZeb2u_UTWgbZOlgDxQ2-p8B-uJqmujmYWicQZqQFUENNd2/s320/IMG_1729.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Phew, May was quite a month - in addition to all of the above, I started and ended the month with trips - one for work and the other to see family. It was a whirlwind, but a great one! </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are the stats for the month: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/06/25/sunday-stash-june-25-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added in May: 0 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used in May: 1 1/2 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 1 1/2 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 6 1/2 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 5 yards</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/06/stitching-stuff-week-24-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life In Pieces</a>: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Days with at least 15 minutes of crafting: 31/31 = 100%</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge tracking (just me!): </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">+2 stitched finishes, -1 FFO = 42 stitched pieces waiting to be FFO'ed (+2 from April)</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">+1 new quilt top = 11 Quilts to be fully finished (+1 from April)</span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">See you all again soon! (I am going to go start writing the June post now so that I can get it up closer to the start of the month.)</span></div><div><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-26144731721774497952023-05-07T22:02:00.001-04:002023-05-07T22:02:32.249-04:00April 2023 Recap<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">April was an exciting month in our house because it meant my daughter made and announced her college decision. I am happy to share that she will be attending Purchase College, a SUNY school in Purchase, NY. She is very excited to attend this school which offers a conservatory-style program for Theater Design and Technology. While she will be going a long way from home, we know this school is the right one for her and can't wait to see what she learns and how she grows! </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4i7TtwLAK3FTdGjRfJh5sKYXGPFxiBz9cVHGKyuoP-rulKDLCVSt4EyH7qpj9UH5s8z8xbGV2iS3cCnIBdst6W__9m8f6X-qgZgBjVQNUoZ-knFd59uCclh2ZqMiZr265j7vjvz_LtOdT0O2V9Cvb_JCwO3cCVKOyBN2d42d3g6RRyxvu0CJ3VjCgDg/s2048/Jenna%20Newburg%20Senior%20Photos-8_Original.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1365" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4i7TtwLAK3FTdGjRfJh5sKYXGPFxiBz9cVHGKyuoP-rulKDLCVSt4EyH7qpj9UH5s8z8xbGV2iS3cCnIBdst6W__9m8f6X-qgZgBjVQNUoZ-knFd59uCclh2ZqMiZr265j7vjvz_LtOdT0O2V9Cvb_JCwO3cCVKOyBN2d42d3g6RRyxvu0CJ3VjCgDg/s320/Jenna%20Newburg%20Senior%20Photos-8_Original.JPG" width="213" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">She also turned 18! I can't believe that little girl has grown up so quickly. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsh-xDUcsSGLUBnvvAyQbWGckIgdjJ2wgUKdl3SdHQbjMMgSGlk9ZdArvits4-T6IEi7RLj4PJ-VEPjZVeORY22N1dPNwYeTL1yDeJ8XGp4xD7NxJsWBx9DhfNlMsSpM_AgC68Arf3ZsQWhKExJdvOqGdYDhz1bKj5tlV7EikMkozOx5W6PdmcMqRVUg/s4032/IMG_1490.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsh-xDUcsSGLUBnvvAyQbWGckIgdjJ2wgUKdl3SdHQbjMMgSGlk9ZdArvits4-T6IEi7RLj4PJ-VEPjZVeORY22N1dPNwYeTL1yDeJ8XGp4xD7NxJsWBx9DhfNlMsSpM_AgC68Arf3ZsQWhKExJdvOqGdYDhz1bKj5tlV7EikMkozOx5W6PdmcMqRVUg/s320/IMG_1490.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Posing with Sherpa, her birthday buddy </span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdBEz6P3LqnR_YwUkldd6GAy5LiThwTj3xtG0CnflAz8OFxKv4MsYaoNrfT39-CvWiPHh5QGZqN_KByiVExoewOqTPtF_W8JaPwXLuIq-hIa8bdkZUiCzfVlsVBBpJHV9UqPEy0_crAjKx_6d22-he_G-qYh76FMFn9tc4gHpQXYhFnW0LWyVn1oOFw/s4032/IMG_1441.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVdBEz6P3LqnR_YwUkldd6GAy5LiThwTj3xtG0CnflAz8OFxKv4MsYaoNrfT39-CvWiPHh5QGZqN_KByiVExoewOqTPtF_W8JaPwXLuIq-hIa8bdkZUiCzfVlsVBBpJHV9UqPEy0_crAjKx_6d22-he_G-qYh76FMFn9tc4gHpQXYhFnW0LWyVn1oOFw/s320/IMG_1441.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">And she had prom, what a month!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />Oh, it is such a neat thing to see your children grow and start to become who they will be - she is a lovely person with a big heart who also knows how to take charge. She's comfortable in tennis shoes or high heels and loves diamond painting and true crime podcasts. I am so proud of the young woman she is becoming. </span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So, it was a great month to celebrate our oldest, our lovely daughter. The celebrations will continue for a while now as she gets ready for graduation, but in between all her activities, I've managed a few weekends at home and have gotten some stitching and quilting in. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Let's start with the quilting - I finally was able to spend a few hours in the sewing room and get my Moda Love Charm Quilt top together. This was such a fun and quick pattern and I think it will make a great wall quilt. I used batik scraps (and a few new cuts) to make the start in my top. The pattern calls for the use of a charm pack, but I thought I'd do better using up a little fabric. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjNSiM5ydkJTXgQSZx8aTvD3H1_PQ6IE2FIMZ4VCogjc4rfDVSL0a0gL_BWNDSrts0yo1qZysAbuKrrXal8w_TXVweAhtNhmPX-q6-uOD34eFEv5U_wO8RJ-E5-yD1f7GUR58M-n_VnL0AwDYkxYReM1LUQgYNo-ZkW71Rf1JpBgBLIVcLVNTjO365w/s2208/IMG_1476.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2208" data-original-width="2048" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUjNSiM5ydkJTXgQSZx8aTvD3H1_PQ6IE2FIMZ4VCogjc4rfDVSL0a0gL_BWNDSrts0yo1qZysAbuKrrXal8w_TXVweAhtNhmPX-q6-uOD34eFEv5U_wO8RJ-E5-yD1f7GUR58M-n_VnL0AwDYkxYReM1LUQgYNo-ZkW71Rf1JpBgBLIVcLVNTjO365w/s320/IMG_1476.HEIC" width="297" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Moda Love Charm Pack top<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also spent a fair amount of time quilting a top that's been on the frame for a while. It started well and then stalled a bit, so it wasn't finished by the end of the month, but here's a little sneak peek of the quilting I am doing. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrAzC5I0lpGozWZZPbzDA-nr38sz8nTxGXY8jF0czznlGT1MYlbCcA1gE4EMM8_EJGYa5uekVDCfS3GhVc03HZYh4ge1649r6iq4aJvP4Z-YF8AGUDXIqeETlja-ZGuOfXD8vVUGBkaEp6IDah5Z496qdw85UzDs22I9voi0oD2bwyaK2FgmSaJXklA/s4032/IMG_1431.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinrAzC5I0lpGozWZZPbzDA-nr38sz8nTxGXY8jF0czznlGT1MYlbCcA1gE4EMM8_EJGYa5uekVDCfS3GhVc03HZYh4ge1649r6iq4aJvP4Z-YF8AGUDXIqeETlja-ZGuOfXD8vVUGBkaEp6IDah5Z496qdw85UzDs22I9voi0oD2bwyaK2FgmSaJXklA/s320/IMG_1431.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Quilting sneak peek - I am loving the texture!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It was really nice to spend a little time in the quilting room doing some piecing and quilting. I've found with my FFO Challenge that I have been mostly working on FFOs this year, so I am going to work on fitting in a few more quilting activities through the upcoming months. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the stitching side, I finished up two projects. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The first is Weekend in Paris, a Dimensions Gold Collection Petites kit that I picked up at retreat on the free table. It was a lot of stitching and took me just about a full year to stitch (on and off in the rotation). It is a little wonky and will need a good soak and block, but I think it turned out really nicely. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-AFHED-2hhBPhXH_xTXxrgBp3lKlkwSIrsq0HddOEyB1wgleNVK_YKWiYqJ421ERkQEzhJfgeYjsieYarK_WH2Nqnco93Nj1QBOii5EOXhhSopsokZIMo7sEWHvDeUsgiB3pr5KEjAsHhf_J4FM68QwBxCakkgoUQiQuinDL-e_Wtor3ji82eDBOhw/s3196/IMG_1429.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3196" data-original-width="2563" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6-AFHED-2hhBPhXH_xTXxrgBp3lKlkwSIrsq0HddOEyB1wgleNVK_YKWiYqJ421ERkQEzhJfgeYjsieYarK_WH2Nqnco93Nj1QBOii5EOXhhSopsokZIMo7sEWHvDeUsgiB3pr5KEjAsHhf_J4FM68QwBxCakkgoUQiQuinDL-e_Wtor3ji82eDBOhw/s320/IMG_1429.HEIC" width="257" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Weekend in Paris, stitched on kit Aida with kit threads</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This second is Penelope and Her Peeps from the book Jelly Bean Jubilee by With thy Needle and Thread. I didn't pay much attention when I was selecting fabric for this one and chose a 28 count linen (Flax) which made the end result much bigger than expected. I used Sulky thread on this one with the same general colors as the chart. I think it is really cute in the end and now I will be on the lookout for a good finishing piece for this, as it is a little too big to turn into a pillow. <br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZCO4m6k2GT-LFW122Dk_trcA38rzFiFDQYRyCY1IbPNO-NJKcXULHBh266UAwY5Qxnm1CXzGoARR5QNqyJPjqskuE_kYyxUlI-Np7mjOaRlL34Q2IhX4KdVi3O6mXRfWc-9fGMbrHSRd3e2Pc1HNUVtqwYETT6c6vbtjRnsh3phg9wI0TumbHkKBeg/s4032/IMG_1486.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZCO4m6k2GT-LFW122Dk_trcA38rzFiFDQYRyCY1IbPNO-NJKcXULHBh266UAwY5Qxnm1CXzGoARR5QNqyJPjqskuE_kYyxUlI-Np7mjOaRlL34Q2IhX4KdVi3O6mXRfWc-9fGMbrHSRd3e2Pc1HNUVtqwYETT6c6vbtjRnsh3phg9wI0TumbHkKBeg/s320/IMG_1486.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Penelope and Her Peeps from Jelly Bean Jubilee<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also did some finishing in April to keep up with my challenge. I started by FFO'ing my shop model, Hello Spring. I finished this in a box from Hobby Lobby that I picked up sometime in the last couple years. I tucked in some Lady Dot chenille around the edge to give it a little pop, and I really like how it turned out. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzBggMvWUoTejIiDztIW0ve5OGDcXgaF1tLjhJacl5kht1u3aaUin1l4aGFXbpasnE3Ya_aizDO6icTccOfccPLPPPpzsNXoYrWfF4h6P7zaid2-FUdtw1f3GVd_F_wVvzt8iBLZlTvaWci0lGBeM5Dc3L8uexAe5JOFI6vzrf7IP4zTAXoFw505yOg/s3024/IMG_1570.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzBggMvWUoTejIiDztIW0ve5OGDcXgaF1tLjhJacl5kht1u3aaUin1l4aGFXbpasnE3Ya_aizDO6icTccOfccPLPPPpzsNXoYrWfF4h6P7zaid2-FUdtw1f3GVd_F_wVvzt8iBLZlTvaWci0lGBeM5Dc3L8uexAe5JOFI6vzrf7IP4zTAXoFw505yOg/s320/IMG_1570.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hello Spring by Cottage Garden Samplings, stitched on <br />14 ct. Light Peach Aida with called for DMC threads.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Then I worked assembly-line style on two flat folds. I finished them both within about 15 minutes of each other, and boy did that give me a feeling of accomplishment! These will be gifts soon. <br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffWJNHUAknBppFLZA02q2gup_3DnYaPQuOv4QicPMbIXagBI_jhJTHj87ogGLHipJwp24KHpYlpMXtfNCIobxxgViUtNns__J9wr9lpu1pSJA7ui27ih16DDewz9tSJz0IlmhRUM6SdoIxdrafYIdo3HtXJ48H7SIynVyyMgh0K1A9Bzy_4hKvVkC_A/s3024/IMG_1571.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiffWJNHUAknBppFLZA02q2gup_3DnYaPQuOv4QicPMbIXagBI_jhJTHj87ogGLHipJwp24KHpYlpMXtfNCIobxxgViUtNns__J9wr9lpu1pSJA7ui27ih16DDewz9tSJz0IlmhRUM6SdoIxdrafYIdo3HtXJ48H7SIynVyyMgh0K1A9Bzy_4hKvVkC_A/s320/IMG_1571.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Follow Your Heart by Sue Hillis Designs, stitched on 28 ct. Jobelan Summer Sky<br />with called for DMC threads</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIr_3HG3G1BtPdP093fv3ahlwUERz9FDAzrD57CCD_Ma-VIVsgnxUfQgM0tiGMt9B9d2zgVntInjyclPnUHXZgmIKZcu1_WlJgo7WkEPvCK1K_Glf1gC3XT7JefjZnSHVPsgR_ok_sWYMUtG9O4qnH97cwKKusZMVUpZkpmNhDO8EqWEBgDtA29kC2Q/s4032/IMG_1572.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlIr_3HG3G1BtPdP093fv3ahlwUERz9FDAzrD57CCD_Ma-VIVsgnxUfQgM0tiGMt9B9d2zgVntInjyclPnUHXZgmIKZcu1_WlJgo7WkEPvCK1K_Glf1gC3XT7JefjZnSHVPsgR_ok_sWYMUtG9O4qnH97cwKKusZMVUpZkpmNhDO8EqWEBgDtA29kC2Q/s320/IMG_1572.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Can Do Attitude by Silver Creek Samplers, stitched on <br />28 count Navy with substituted Weeks Dye Works threads</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Overall, it was a great month with so much to celebrate and some great projects to work on. Hope you had a great April as well. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are my official stats for the month: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Report with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/05/07/sunday-stash-may-7-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added in April - 0 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used in April - 1 1/8 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date - 1 1/2 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date - 5 yards</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used - 3 1/2 yards (not an impressive total, but definitely the right direction!)</span></div></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time report with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/05/stitching-stuff-week-17-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life-in-Pieces</a>: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Days with at least 15 minutes of stitching = 26/30 = 87% </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">FFO Challenge Report (just me!): </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">+ 2 new finishes, -3 FFOs</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">40 stitched pieces waiting to be FFOed (down 1 from Mar)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">+1 new quilt top</span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">10 quilts waiting to be finished (+1 from Mar) </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-79178300918007151882023-04-09T20:48:00.001-04:002023-04-09T20:48:22.614-04:00March 2023 Recap<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I feel like I start each monthly recap saying how busy it was and/or quickly the prior month went by, but that seems to be the case these days! I knew March would be a busy month, with trips at the start and end and a stitching retreat in the middle. The good news is that stitching travels easily so I was never without something to keep my hands busy. I only turned on my sewing machine once in March and that was to FFO (fully finish) a stitched piece, so we will jump right into the stitching. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I had two stitching finishes in March, both of which were also started in March, and I had three fully finished pieces - here they are: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My finish is my newest shop model for my local shop, Persnickety Stitchers. We have some big pieces of peach and lavender Aida, so I looked for a pattern that would show off one of them well, and found this Cottage Garden Samplings pattern from 2020. I used the called for DMC threads and just found that I didn't take a picture of it finished, so here's a picture of it underway (stay tuned, you will see an FFO picture for the April recap). </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQlEm8ZuOwe4oa6tNXJBM6aFtpTytpfKNJgMUa90Bt7RBgt-ArSgMxe6IrzWZZvM793YE2-qdHddpVeboNz5iox28spmSlNO1oa4-fd3NB9yMS5TA2xBDPPmCWThcmY_J7eDFJJTf2Cl94ykbPAtWiOfKMAdDq_OI1qr3oL7XHRwshoLG5XvhJrExfw/s4032/IMG_1373.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxQlEm8ZuOwe4oa6tNXJBM6aFtpTytpfKNJgMUa90Bt7RBgt-ArSgMxe6IrzWZZvM793YE2-qdHddpVeboNz5iox28spmSlNO1oa4-fd3NB9yMS5TA2xBDPPmCWThcmY_J7eDFJJTf2Cl94ykbPAtWiOfKMAdDq_OI1qr3oL7XHRwshoLG5XvhJrExfw/s320/IMG_1373.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hello Spring by Cottage Garden Samplings</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My three full finishes included two framed pieces and a piece that was stitched and finished within a week! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Let's start with the first framed piece, Charting a Course. I picked up this kit from a stitcher's sale in 2018 or 2019 and started it as a Stitch Maynia piece in 2021. I really enjoyed working on this one and absolutely love it in the frame from Michael's. It was a bit of a story...but they say third time's the charm, right? I am so glad to have it framed correctly and with a frame that has no blemishes. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKYT0QRXsF-42MRxaLVgWXZxjAHRTelHr5eHRqWgZ4ASlS5XDHA_xOUZb7HIbjV64SPtqLtedJNXaCzUcZBtE-wWBeJPncmjFqVHoZctW0b6NxTyKcuF96GbxQLUTjKZE3r2jEPJelScPFo8yuQMia6jFDVyF6NkHngxjyFoCFI8ReeqCmk_KLTXRGw/s4032/IMG_1396.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWKYT0QRXsF-42MRxaLVgWXZxjAHRTelHr5eHRqWgZ4ASlS5XDHA_xOUZb7HIbjV64SPtqLtedJNXaCzUcZBtE-wWBeJPncmjFqVHoZctW0b6NxTyKcuF96GbxQLUTjKZE3r2jEPJelScPFo8yuQMia6jFDVyF6NkHngxjyFoCFI8ReeqCmk_KLTXRGw/s320/IMG_1396.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Charting a Course, stitched on kit Aida with kit threads<br />Framed by the Custom framing department at Michael's</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />My second framed piece is one I picked up a frame for on a trip with my mom. I sent this one down to Fancy Works with her, as I knew Liz would do a great job with the gingham fabric. I am so pleased with this FFO as well and can't wait to hang it at Halloween. In fact, it will likely be up most of the fall. <br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmy6WlpCemIeLDnuJC3MUtGEhlltWnPz7R2INUlc3tusnGM7kwB1xl6se6mERDVLMOhy1LvP3b6AgBooFEBjahSqn0tQKwWy2VIPalu91C5U4JIlqPDT-s9vr35TLzusRpnIUwPiVxPlhkjxInGsE1-t34SNAU2ZvZkOBeE8oftPTTp8-Cu1q_J3z3BQ/s4032/IMG_1395.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmy6WlpCemIeLDnuJC3MUtGEhlltWnPz7R2INUlc3tusnGM7kwB1xl6se6mERDVLMOhy1LvP3b6AgBooFEBjahSqn0tQKwWy2VIPalu91C5U4JIlqPDT-s9vr35TLzusRpnIUwPiVxPlhkjxInGsE1-t34SNAU2ZvZkOBeE8oftPTTp8-Cu1q_J3z3BQ/s320/IMG_1395.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Playing with Jax, stitched on 32 ct. Gingham, <br />Framed by Liz through Fancy Works<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Last up for the month is a pillow I started and finished in a week. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to start your exchange piece for retreat, right? Snip Snip is a new pattern from October House Fiber Arts that I picked up at market. It was such a fun and quick stitch and Luann, who was at my table at the retreat, picked this one in the exchange. I think I just may have to stitch this one again for me. <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTMI7vpOBZaWJug8uFjPKJr07GziZsqxuziD7TXadDdkUKdD2IDfcPnmmR8syn8ghCp6KY2UwbFeaH0WP73XZqYogi4knO2zKCWvEJkH8D1g1W2mgXFaTglxIorxAbs-f4DMER9D4D5l2Kl8ENgGLTvN0u2F1AxuRoDWEWJGaHJ-PA1Fjz6Ze-qtVUw/s2394/IMG_1371.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1215" data-original-width="2394" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCTMI7vpOBZaWJug8uFjPKJr07GziZsqxuziD7TXadDdkUKdD2IDfcPnmmR8syn8ghCp6KY2UwbFeaH0WP73XZqYogi4knO2zKCWvEJkH8D1g1W2mgXFaTglxIorxAbs-f4DMER9D4D5l2Kl8ENgGLTvN0u2F1AxuRoDWEWJGaHJ-PA1Fjz6Ze-qtVUw/s320/IMG_1371.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Snip Snip by October House Fiber Arts, <br />Stitched on a mystery linen (35 ct Antique White?) with mostly called for threads<br />Finished by me as a pillow with Lady Dot mini-pom</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to all that great stitching and finishing, it was a very fun month - here are the highlights! </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX30JkkzX0NDr-sVDTYp4sJ3HPukRorwGnsTX-Cpc7R5q4Rx1kPOeNsLUPugA3Jh0573p83TVNOwowogPYcMZNblHQYItll_-5qVlaeF1kEca096MaVTa6-tJMcMCUjAzmTEU4pfm9fqIHRpZIWHVQIpeZr1LDo78TB7g04vUxmWJxuhDjPkFhoPtvQ/s4032/IMG_1281.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCX30JkkzX0NDr-sVDTYp4sJ3HPukRorwGnsTX-Cpc7R5q4Rx1kPOeNsLUPugA3Jh0573p83TVNOwowogPYcMZNblHQYItll_-5qVlaeF1kEca096MaVTa6-tJMcMCUjAzmTEU4pfm9fqIHRpZIWHVQIpeZr1LDo78TB7g04vUxmWJxuhDjPkFhoPtvQ/s320/IMG_1281.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My son turned 16! (no license yet, still working on Driver's Ed)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDCul7yRcNhUJFCziNcvlkv0Mi7H-Gizw9koyeM2aoyN_3jS2J3lR1eVfNvJrury3SrKdPtNgvuoSCyn_9c6e5cOCwM-OjRip7Bdi8KQG-qUomzhDpq3DRaMrLsvRnDnzBP5YUn4LCyQl0Q9ovk56-G4t4T8Yv2wJz1aJDgUiKmVp59DaaFS7nlHJ7g/s4032/IMG_1291.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDCul7yRcNhUJFCziNcvlkv0Mi7H-Gizw9koyeM2aoyN_3jS2J3lR1eVfNvJrury3SrKdPtNgvuoSCyn_9c6e5cOCwM-OjRip7Bdi8KQG-qUomzhDpq3DRaMrLsvRnDnzBP5YUn4LCyQl0Q9ovk56-G4t4T8Yv2wJz1aJDgUiKmVp59DaaFS7nlHJ7g/s320/IMG_1291.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Went to Nashville Needlework Market as a buyer for Persnickety with <br />my mom, Janie and Sue and met so many amazing people there</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrdsEjBfcF20CuZFYnGLQSPJKslwdMvtOBSd_2bW9uNkBKS9fsA9OrKBWwa-mKXpRcp8NB-j2GCPGDPyDjxzbdgzjPQxmhSy-T_63SEGr0fkv1UcogbtnfptqoD3hkIVOYkZL5vuUpZ8dJ2PqCc_I_61G6-Ipzz5eWuZ0NVnp8tEgto3XRdIkPwXW7w/s4032/IMG_1331.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPrdsEjBfcF20CuZFYnGLQSPJKslwdMvtOBSd_2bW9uNkBKS9fsA9OrKBWwa-mKXpRcp8NB-j2GCPGDPyDjxzbdgzjPQxmhSy-T_63SEGr0fkv1UcogbtnfptqoD3hkIVOYkZL5vuUpZ8dJ2PqCc_I_61G6-Ipzz5eWuZ0NVnp8tEgto3XRdIkPwXW7w/s320/IMG_1331.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Had a great retreat!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDt9OGLZcaOaZj33QjwOaXbmss2JotQSl7abh27JPFIbUleuv4leuWk9UubE6jte2Dyf46s-GodNLcrNSGHy9F5kAPXdWMm7bhPNUgyW60uGryr6RvCa2iQnM4n0naGciTSlbhXR-laF8D3JziAnoqTjRDdMsm7m9ubJLDpQGwyeBMnTXJbnPxwnKTOA/s4030/IMG_1369.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2436" data-original-width="4030" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDt9OGLZcaOaZj33QjwOaXbmss2JotQSl7abh27JPFIbUleuv4leuWk9UubE6jte2Dyf46s-GodNLcrNSGHy9F5kAPXdWMm7bhPNUgyW60uGryr6RvCa2iQnM4n0naGciTSlbhXR-laF8D3JziAnoqTjRDdMsm7m9ubJLDpQGwyeBMnTXJbnPxwnKTOA/s320/IMG_1369.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">With an amazing collection of exchange pieces!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8uACia00eXrCTHBskMLdwlRZFg_Vkm-5zS3az1BzBkA2rLF96fIvur5t50iBfFKZYOe9Abudfq34VtRzWte6FpS9o_2TDcjOrN6i9Ko3sO20YfjiSOg3hnN4_OJCgJ7F6lTsvpX1tk_aIspw1Cufxk2BjW4FNkq67KzW2bqjloGp9uOrXkwekg8ifA/s2030/IMG_1380.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="2030" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8uACia00eXrCTHBskMLdwlRZFg_Vkm-5zS3az1BzBkA2rLF96fIvur5t50iBfFKZYOe9Abudfq34VtRzWte6FpS9o_2TDcjOrN6i9Ko3sO20YfjiSOg3hnN4_OJCgJ7F6lTsvpX1tk_aIspw1Cufxk2BjW4FNkq67KzW2bqjloGp9uOrXkwekg8ifA/s320/IMG_1380.PNG" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">And special time with my mom and my bestie Beth</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uxlTbBep3FoRaXBU-5ojDcXjhGsx9d24o4Ts2k3d3E5k0hKGUQvwxKm_wpgODoIA1Y5SXrkPW2Wpep6Hw4JkgGXjhKfH2dCNfNfMN5_O9d6cGjTY5B2cn9ude9vvk-Mq9v_AwQmt9BsvHR6PPRSLQfPxE2OPfjZC7VaPuZoc8UcX4dAgOeM9LqUD5Q/s4032/IMG_1387.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8uxlTbBep3FoRaXBU-5ojDcXjhGsx9d24o4Ts2k3d3E5k0hKGUQvwxKm_wpgODoIA1Y5SXrkPW2Wpep6Hw4JkgGXjhKfH2dCNfNfMN5_O9d6cGjTY5B2cn9ude9vvk-Mq9v_AwQmt9BsvHR6PPRSLQfPxE2OPfjZC7VaPuZoc8UcX4dAgOeM9LqUD5Q/s320/IMG_1387.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Met our friend Paula for dinner and got to meet her family</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEltJvKMYIBGRya23lMrnz5v7n5zeUFj2fpN3tjuGPA3anUK5xUSHvXk3_fPr32uZzUSOxXX4d9dq64Z9CM5K_mf-m50gufN6niUtFR3oJnTztFm2-tBgKWrUOx4Lv032G6W04lZdqVjmnGwKe7jl7nWaK51CKpp_clh0tox3uqt4mCjAVfEXnQ9bjQQ/s4032/IMG_1399.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEltJvKMYIBGRya23lMrnz5v7n5zeUFj2fpN3tjuGPA3anUK5xUSHvXk3_fPr32uZzUSOxXX4d9dq64Z9CM5K_mf-m50gufN6niUtFR3oJnTztFm2-tBgKWrUOx4Lv032G6W04lZdqVjmnGwKe7jl7nWaK51CKpp_clh0tox3uqt4mCjAVfEXnQ9bjQQ/s320/IMG_1399.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hopped on a plane with my daughter to visit the "final three" colleges</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I will be happy for a bit slower April - we'll see if that actually happens! </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are my stats for March: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time - linking up with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/04/stitching-stuff-week-14-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">- 25/31 days with stitching time for 81%</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash reporting - linking up with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/04/09/sunday-stash-april-9-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 0 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added year to date: 1 1/2 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used year to date: 3 7/8 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Net fabric used: 2 3/8 yards</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Unfinished project tracking: </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">+2 finished pieces, -3 FFOs</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">41 stitched pieces waiting to be FFO'ed (down 1 from Feb)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">9 quilts waiting to be fully finished (same as Feb)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hope you are all enjoying some warmer weather and signs of spring. March came in like a lamb, was crazy like a lion most of the month, and left with crazy spring storms. Looking forward to more buds, blooms and open windows in April. </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-29968987354772537612023-03-12T18:24:00.000-04:002023-03-12T18:24:17.454-04:00February 2023 Recap<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I don't know where the start of the year has gone - it seems like the first few months have flown by and here we are almost to the middle of March - is it just me or is time flying for everyone? Maybe some of it has to do with my daughter's senior year. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">February was busy and fun - it included some stitching, a tiny bit of quilting, a district music competition (gold medal!), a trip to the theater (Hairspray!) and our Girl Scout troop's last cookie booth. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMSKAGWu_vgjkox8Ladt0Db_x9NJN5eRkdyPsIKx6yGlNZ-9Lxr2I9D2Hs4EGPc5tCvgpPO6PwFjD1JO1KqxJ38nZmdsbbQdss52g2OEAsRUOhlRdJrJObFDnHUPCY3c3xbJLK7i87CyVlDER21FBDO6Tu09Oi5DVTQBEmvyCF3z-s7hNrvkQBPFm5A/s4032/IMG_1233.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKMSKAGWu_vgjkox8Ladt0Db_x9NJN5eRkdyPsIKx6yGlNZ-9Lxr2I9D2Hs4EGPc5tCvgpPO6PwFjD1JO1KqxJ38nZmdsbbQdss52g2OEAsRUOhlRdJrJObFDnHUPCY3c3xbJLK7i87CyVlDER21FBDO6Tu09Oi5DVTQBEmvyCF3z-s7hNrvkQBPFm5A/s320/IMG_1233.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio8lreTB-KSN-Y7odO_jA8CO3Fw3Uv3ebXNXJC6wzOnXianRqGaJazK_CU6X-FUsZDkY4C9u7lm3BqH_q45jb69MKyjUumPkHWkuOyAE-Cg_0-twBU003G_CxTcwerHIgQ3ZeyyVHXK8tjGG4mqb90KyR5aByTc8jji7WAdia9VaUjMbcnmIvtOYuMA/s4032/IMG_1194.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjio8lreTB-KSN-Y7odO_jA8CO3Fw3Uv3ebXNXJC6wzOnXianRqGaJazK_CU6X-FUsZDkY4C9u7lm3BqH_q45jb69MKyjUumPkHWkuOyAE-Cg_0-twBU003G_CxTcwerHIgQ3ZeyyVHXK8tjGG4mqb90KyR5aByTc8jji7WAdia9VaUjMbcnmIvtOYuMA/s320/IMG_1194.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the stitching side, I continued to work on my FFO Challenge, with a goal to get moving on my FFOs. The two projects picked for the month (a la WIPGO) were a new style of finish and something I'd already started to FFO. I had a few others in progress as the month started and wound up with 6 FFOs for February! Here they are: </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkEzpyiVCsfjnD09fCLUbsbbnf58sNRvN3NvVwxkxnpbDWrFDjmHlDukPbfFDRxoFIqDGl1fxy5-7loePnv6cm0P00hPrBTQVBBL4K02m8_TYmsG21G5qTr8H7UUa7bwb7DS5_RVsR6ar5M2yqGDPcTSfvbo0LiphShZ8YTuhWCEUmSIvu3D0HV4dwA/s3128/IMG_1199.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3128" data-original-width="2648" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMkEzpyiVCsfjnD09fCLUbsbbnf58sNRvN3NvVwxkxnpbDWrFDjmHlDukPbfFDRxoFIqDGl1fxy5-7loePnv6cm0P00hPrBTQVBBL4K02m8_TYmsG21G5qTr8H7UUa7bwb7DS5_RVsR6ar5M2yqGDPcTSfvbo0LiphShZ8YTuhWCEUmSIvu3D0HV4dwA/s320/IMG_1199.HEIC" width="271" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Cardinal with Candy Cane, finished as a pillow ornament<br />Stitched on 28 ct. Slate by Picture this Plus with called for threads<br />Fabric from my stash<br />Stitched and FFOed in 2023 (!!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5DKjhsYqWDtMVvHvbFoAftQFevf6XhvhXeCtsUDxmiAxNefYzXguKEwwW9KlUOvKWm9IG480UWlOHoIJMYxRfP_Izr5kKSK5uf2fAhxxyT1xosIwmL-59g5aV_yHmcobxj1_UFmf0hgi_Z4klNMcw_LYye9YMMHq1pgVDbk4sGyFBJWZX00gkhzoQ/s3024/IMG_1224.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2656" data-original-width="3024" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-x5DKjhsYqWDtMVvHvbFoAftQFevf6XhvhXeCtsUDxmiAxNefYzXguKEwwW9KlUOvKWm9IG480UWlOHoIJMYxRfP_Izr5kKSK5uf2fAhxxyT1xosIwmL-59g5aV_yHmcobxj1_UFmf0hgi_Z4klNMcw_LYye9YMMHq1pgVDbk4sGyFBJWZX00gkhzoQ/s320/IMG_1224.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Love, freebie from Scarlett House<br />Stitched on Aqua dyed-by-me fabric with a mix of called for and substituted threads<br />Finished with stash fabric and chenille from my stash<br />Stitched in 2021 </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GzG-_GUHchS2xodbcMT1k0Yx4-JO5baH3ylprb4kY22rlphm2u-pv3EnptWIcohuCe-HXviHsIt1LkvTNn3F-p2FEz1_7AYd-JK1X7MIUadA2B3isxvO9JarsT5OT2N5dZerezivpsc15IC0Z2sdJAzsTlvLfd-VYiSHo8wLHLqce6UgQbmp3ym29w/s4032/IMG_1227.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GzG-_GUHchS2xodbcMT1k0Yx4-JO5baH3ylprb4kY22rlphm2u-pv3EnptWIcohuCe-HXviHsIt1LkvTNn3F-p2FEz1_7AYd-JK1X7MIUadA2B3isxvO9JarsT5OT2N5dZerezivpsc15IC0Z2sdJAzsTlvLfd-VYiSHo8wLHLqce6UgQbmp3ym29w/s320/IMG_1227.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Give Thanks by Hands of Design, stitched on <br />32 ct. Pumpkin linen with called for colors<br />Finished as a pillow with stash fabric, covered button and Lady Dot chenille<br />Stitched in 2021<br />WIPGO #11 - something I already started to FFO</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRRirpmsdxUX6opJY_n1ig_uzLasaTsBN73CSFOO-ArxSevFEwaa4vHP6tpQgCf-CtZ496aouWECcAP8m-c0hRsmFMwdL6squMXRF0vbxk-jBTzja2xwXGhA9iLI-zXKT64b-QK8rg_sOIty6RKUaT8guCKyUD7dIZx5WpgMJ2vZWFAYuDUSB2nxwUA/s3024/IMG_1229.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDRRirpmsdxUX6opJY_n1ig_uzLasaTsBN73CSFOO-ArxSevFEwaa4vHP6tpQgCf-CtZ496aouWECcAP8m-c0hRsmFMwdL6squMXRF0vbxk-jBTzja2xwXGhA9iLI-zXKT64b-QK8rg_sOIty6RKUaT8guCKyUD7dIZx5WpgMJ2vZWFAYuDUSB2nxwUA/s320/IMG_1229.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Snow White by Little House Needleworks<br />Stitched on mystery navy linen with B5200<br />Framed at my local Michael's<br />Stitched in 2019</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rPEwQRDEq24LK6VVGAouXaPG7-KjReWIHCTMTPutKfrIgc3KeTfieWzS96x-_wFb9tzQn6AxIrIUAqqqnMh-mwsHWKkzvV8IOZyEWtWA9VPoTVsPgYzFG59FTsYhasYFLGeyhdrHGa-RA8BD_ZN3Zvbi0xnsEJX1ixKVPZ5OwQKeztEpdL6LGlxGSw/s4032/IMG_1271.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9rPEwQRDEq24LK6VVGAouXaPG7-KjReWIHCTMTPutKfrIgc3KeTfieWzS96x-_wFb9tzQn6AxIrIUAqqqnMh-mwsHWKkzvV8IOZyEWtWA9VPoTVsPgYzFG59FTsYhasYFLGeyhdrHGa-RA8BD_ZN3Zvbi0xnsEJX1ixKVPZ5OwQKeztEpdL6LGlxGSw/s320/IMG_1271.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Lady Liberty by unknown designer <br />Stitched on kit light blue Aida with kit threads<br />Finished as a standup with Perle Cotton cording that I made<br />Stitched in 2017<br />WIPGO #7 - a new style of finish</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPhrsA04Qa2Z133yLXRLgs45GDkRMH7o0E41qF5ZA0EG3kDBbHB85y4SlU9zitEhKIfxxtzK6x6IVoFrlFJ5No_uap2jKuSxhaOJNK-ft9alCE1RNxC-AnCJImO5Dp6hl8YlAMfXmgooBW99D12-Y2WGWPfIKDEaNaF8mhBz5bUpZs-s5F7Gl5EXfwA/s4032/IMG_1272.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaPhrsA04Qa2Z133yLXRLgs45GDkRMH7o0E41qF5ZA0EG3kDBbHB85y4SlU9zitEhKIfxxtzK6x6IVoFrlFJ5No_uap2jKuSxhaOJNK-ft9alCE1RNxC-AnCJImO5Dp6hl8YlAMfXmgooBW99D12-Y2WGWPfIKDEaNaF8mhBz5bUpZs-s5F7Gl5EXfwA/s320/IMG_1272.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Bee Extraordinary by Shepherd's Bush<br />Stitched on 10ct. kit fabric with kit threads<br />Finished as a pillow with stash fabric and stash mini-poms<br />Stitched in 2012 (my oldest unfinished piece!)</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I am really pleased with all I got done in February - there are two more pieces at the framer that should come back in March and I can't wait to see both of them. I am making good progress on my list and only had one finished piece to add to it this month. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lGAaMajH8NUmg0nRCtymWi07IHOSFyxsU819CGHcY-L_U_d9eITnkFuTT_724B_HpQd_0FROLYM4ixlFCq0MW81s81qFsuYhdxfoVLTNrK4CFrYLydrB09KK8unUON4oFcl6xCuAhkTZphA-GOc82obasuNM5b0f6CK03v8DvMHmjR367Y5mV2gtjA/s2603/IMG_1320.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2603" data-original-width="1897" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9lGAaMajH8NUmg0nRCtymWi07IHOSFyxsU819CGHcY-L_U_d9eITnkFuTT_724B_HpQd_0FROLYM4ixlFCq0MW81s81qFsuYhdxfoVLTNrK4CFrYLydrB09KK8unUON4oFcl6xCuAhkTZphA-GOc82obasuNM5b0f6CK03v8DvMHmjR367Y5mV2gtjA/s320/IMG_1320.HEIC" width="233" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Can Do Attitude freebie from Silver Creek Samples<br />Stitched on 32 ct. Blue Linen (and pretty see-through linen as you can see!) <br />with my own color conversion</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">On the quilting front, I cut out fabric from stash for a new project and loaded a long-time UFO onto my frame. I also added some fabric for the background of the new project. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtg8IZW-Jix6TOKT9bXRFuE8e6guqVS9kvndJUdJYtb7pH29qn70iefK6sefyAT6ULzuNqnskO1UXOhFk-nQDUMjGBsiHD9SL1bxUdKk1jgW_4YYgteb3sCAa36PFh8KIaBfdGdBwsyTNYlE9egZ3c96_yFPnrcj6svkvM2KCPDypDSJode9pUcGjYg/s4032/IMG_1230.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYtg8IZW-Jix6TOKT9bXRFuE8e6guqVS9kvndJUdJYtb7pH29qn70iefK6sefyAT6ULzuNqnskO1UXOhFk-nQDUMjGBsiHD9SL1bxUdKk1jgW_4YYgteb3sCAa36PFh8KIaBfdGdBwsyTNYlE9egZ3c96_yFPnrcj6svkvM2KCPDypDSJode9pUcGjYg/s320/IMG_1230.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Batiks cut for the new project</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Overall, even though it was a fast month, it was a good one! Here are the stats for the month. </span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time report with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/03/stitching-stuff-week-10-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life In Pieces</a>:</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Days with at least 15 minutes of stitching = 26/28 = 93%</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Reporting with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/03/12/sunday-stash-march-12-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a>:</span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric used this month: 3/4 yard<br />Fabric added this month: 1 1/2 yards<br />Fabric used year to date: 3 7/8 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 1 1/2 yards<br />Net fabric used: 2 3/8 yards</span></div><p><b><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Unfinished Project Tracking: </span></b></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">42 stitched items waiting to be FFO'ed (down 5 from Jan)<br />9 quilt UFOs waiting to be finished (same as Jan)</span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-481961122578183712023-02-05T11:28:00.002-05:002023-02-05T11:28:10.115-05:00January 2023 Recap<p>Does it seem like January went by really quickly? It sure does to me! Looking back at the month, I am really happy with all I got done. I had a three day weekend (in which I did a little, but not a ton) and then the weekend after that, I spent a good portion of the weekend in my basement/sewing area and accomplished a lot. Settle in to read about all that I did in January. </p><p>Quilting was slow and steady this month - first up was finishing my last Christmas present (!!) - a bag for my bestie Beth. My mom embroidered the monogram and I fit it into the bag. The bag is from a June Tailor quilt-as-you-go panel. You use a jelly roll plus a few bigger pieces of fabric, and it was fun to pick fabrics from the same bundle I used for a similar bag I made for myself at my <a href="https://quiltingmomsblog.blogspot.com/2022/06/may-2022-stats-and-retreat-report.html" target="_blank">May 2022 retreat</a>. The bag has been received and I hope Beth will get lots of use from it. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuc13V36RgEOy9lQUubCOeSwct1ajN_xG94xz2OAjPyKQxVAk5nbXaH1LArAKSHF4pp8rQHNViDWiveIZcmy9PDzksd8jDRuhLlh8m1X2x3twf9PhLpFZrHd5I2TqHNU9xN5pGLR4pazAiy71uNkjlm51jAA3_ObAX6BEFJne1JZXXC8vHdsq7Rexzw/s4032/IMG_1157.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiuc13V36RgEOy9lQUubCOeSwct1ajN_xG94xz2OAjPyKQxVAk5nbXaH1LArAKSHF4pp8rQHNViDWiveIZcmy9PDzksd8jDRuhLlh8m1X2x3twf9PhLpFZrHd5I2TqHNU9xN5pGLR4pazAiy71uNkjlm51jAA3_ObAX6BEFJne1JZXXC8vHdsq7Rexzw/s320/IMG_1157.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sophie Tote bag by June Tailor</td></tr></tbody></table><br />The other quilting I did in January was focused on one of my UFOs - this quilt goes way back to <a href="https://quiltingmomsblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/design-wall-monday-october-27-2014.html" target="_blank">October 2014, when I made the quilt top at my fall retreat.</a> I have loved this top since the day I made it and have been stuck because I didn't want to quilt it until I knew I could quilt it without messing it up. I most often get stuck at this stage of the quilting process when I really love the quilt top and don't have a clear vision for how I want to quilt it. I decided it was time to put on my big girl pants and pull this top out again to at least make some progress on it in January. When I laid the top out, I realized there was a pretty bad spot where the seams didn't match. I actually referenced that in my original post but I think at the time, I was done with this one and didn't want to put in the additional time to fix the blocks. But looking at it again, I couldn't live with the blocks that didn't line up correctly. I wound up taking out three blocks and fixing two of them, then putting the top back together. It still isn't perfect, but it is a lot better than it was when I started. <p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgoNVJZA-q1aV0izbS5bxIkexqFiZUbpqE8IzGt60tFdk3ZNvVfkN3XLi48VV4nmDyye7iojCjNGZM36IEGgRiT8uOdmjt-XeBXRjLxkLmgPd4uMqJIHzpmWXsLRj5LDUSAeKRq-pImAyYmStZ5PmjIwbZjo6AkbkqRh1GM-y0n0MjKYdSjnqkX_DFA/s4032/IMG_1205.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKgoNVJZA-q1aV0izbS5bxIkexqFiZUbpqE8IzGt60tFdk3ZNvVfkN3XLi48VV4nmDyye7iojCjNGZM36IEGgRiT8uOdmjt-XeBXRjLxkLmgPd4uMqJIHzpmWXsLRj5LDUSAeKRq-pImAyYmStZ5PmjIwbZjo6AkbkqRh1GM-y0n0MjKYdSjnqkX_DFA/s320/IMG_1205.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Urban Pods - ready for quilting (once I get some batting)</td></tr></tbody></table><p>On the stitching front, my goal was to start my year strong in my FFO Challenge (#ffochallenge2023 on Instagram) - I am using a WIPGO board to guide which projects I work on fully finishing each month and the pulls for January included something from the design wall and an inspirational stitch. I had several to choose for each category and wound up with these two pieces. </p><p>The first finish was one of my inspirational stitches. This is from Lizzie Kate and was a pandemic freebie. I found a fun piece of purple and gold fabric in my stash to use to make this into a flat fold. I've made this style of finish several times (following Vonna's tutorial) and enjoy how it finishes up. I used two colors of perle cotton for the cording and finished it with a simple knot in the corner. At the suggestion of Michele, I added a little pocket in the back where I will put a personal note for the recipient. I am really pleased with how my first FFO for the year turned out! </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHk9e5zqVy_aGMtTfZoHThX2KKgnD6GqH3MVBnsLremuAqoRBZCflwfn5kLCOmYQqV9vhquCqRngOXljviPaxi_bIG7QnzkudLAWHnLbmjj6YqSmF6N4c6DTFVGCyDkUnM1AvA9N_56Lfal512UHL5ycU8zR-zMdg5Q4Qed_UExhNvo2BYI1MBflGuw/s4032/IMG_1162.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyHk9e5zqVy_aGMtTfZoHThX2KKgnD6GqH3MVBnsLremuAqoRBZCflwfn5kLCOmYQqV9vhquCqRngOXljviPaxi_bIG7QnzkudLAWHnLbmjj6YqSmF6N4c6DTFVGCyDkUnM1AvA9N_56Lfal512UHL5ycU8zR-zMdg5Q4Qed_UExhNvo2BYI1MBflGuw/s320/IMG_1162.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs1HzdyZjVUuodUMl3sVs-gcmraWtDhIFGzbt-CmbQgyNQokZfAbdJlUiJ1ljPHwdDVGb3v-Pkycb55zfs6RN_dUaxnnwymAOaZgYePiYHM01y6JNWucbmjky3l1I7OAx1wbr6pud-skf5uw8IJ2x-v209g5QiIcmyT9YKgRX8c9e2M-Vp4P-XOc-YQ/s4032/IMG_1163.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgs1HzdyZjVUuodUMl3sVs-gcmraWtDhIFGzbt-CmbQgyNQokZfAbdJlUiJ1ljPHwdDVGb3v-Pkycb55zfs6RN_dUaxnnwymAOaZgYePiYHM01y6JNWucbmjky3l1I7OAx1wbr6pud-skf5uw8IJ2x-v209g5QiIcmyT9YKgRX8c9e2M-Vp4P-XOc-YQ/s320/IMG_1163.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><br /> Next up was something from the design wall, and I had lots to choose from as you can see below. <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s9y8Iempk0KHERgnIGlaZ9Qa1ZVQIX_0SNgmvQQhWAfgdbZUJWTqVUow1hGPG2Yju_o-D4c6Ka9pPndlp4-l6pb8kqNDNw821iXrI2pSsbLzA268-i6TZS2aotBa7VsduFGW8Aq_dWsKw9MSPFnDYIHHos9_A46FZsuKIMsyvAnSmp99TX-QJwyzyA/s4032/IMG_1134.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0s9y8Iempk0KHERgnIGlaZ9Qa1ZVQIX_0SNgmvQQhWAfgdbZUJWTqVUow1hGPG2Yju_o-D4c6Ka9pPndlp4-l6pb8kqNDNw821iXrI2pSsbLzA268-i6TZS2aotBa7VsduFGW8Aq_dWsKw9MSPFnDYIHHos9_A46FZsuKIMsyvAnSmp99TX-QJwyzyA/s320/IMG_1134.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>I went for the project in the center, Little House Needleworks Autumn Alphabet. I stitched this in 2018 and it really is a lovely piece. I bought the hardware to make it into a bell pull sometime in 2021 or early 2022, so it was time to finish this one up. I again used one of Vonna's tutorials to make this into a bell pull, and guess what? It only took me about an hour. Ugh, why do I let things like this go for so long when it really doesn't take that long to finish them? I am happy with the end result on this one too and look forward to hanging it through the fall this year. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8QsMwnhVjM831ijpHfzdBAEfv-V2qwXW616uF8YCF1fcAL-acA53AjNzlP5n8PeqG0SIMS7S3r8W78A2afYYQheoO9q2QY-oZc2J0t7OSVyUeuchIRfBYYysKEWYnktoFAwCIlvH01_q1MK1G8iiyo7Qsry7COGOu5nKh94mXMVXFISFztFMedSEIA/s3438/IMG_1166.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3438" data-original-width="1654" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp8QsMwnhVjM831ijpHfzdBAEfv-V2qwXW616uF8YCF1fcAL-acA53AjNzlP5n8PeqG0SIMS7S3r8W78A2afYYQheoO9q2QY-oZc2J0t7OSVyUeuchIRfBYYysKEWYnktoFAwCIlvH01_q1MK1G8iiyo7Qsry7COGOu5nKh94mXMVXFISFztFMedSEIA/s320/IMG_1166.HEIC" width="154" /></a></div><br /><p>I was doing so well with my finishing that I kept going the next weekend and finished up the two pieces I stitched in the end of last year as shop models for Persnickety Stitchers, my local shop. I found a raw wood piece at Hobby Lobby for Love Lives Here. I painted the board white and then mounted the stitched piece (with batting) and a lovely piece of hand dyed fabric on mat board. They were glued together and mounted on the wooden piece. I thought the border shape went really nicely with the cut of the wooden piece. I was hoping to put a little trim between the stitched piece and the fabric behind it, but there just wasn't room, so this one will have a simple look. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_djHDAkBDd-PqYNVo9D5Wyo_WwA92Z2z2CMddl09d7LtFfOqcsM9MXbSafIggThuL2yOBhzTsftQPI_nDy8We7K2rxh6XLufNUS-noWEmEm3rT5MjotRAGVAa0Tre1IOtrs9LTa8QIQGY1QzZ-_mdtxSAYOFDygG-BYanLf0wFPUnI6XBWoXSHY336g/s4032/IMG_1201.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_djHDAkBDd-PqYNVo9D5Wyo_WwA92Z2z2CMddl09d7LtFfOqcsM9MXbSafIggThuL2yOBhzTsftQPI_nDy8We7K2rxh6XLufNUS-noWEmEm3rT5MjotRAGVAa0Tre1IOtrs9LTa8QIQGY1QzZ-_mdtxSAYOFDygG-BYanLf0wFPUnI6XBWoXSHY336g/s320/IMG_1201.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Lives Here by Country Cottage Needleworks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>Last up for my FFOs is Bumblebees and Flowers Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery. I loved stitching this one and knew I wanted it to be a mounted piece as well. I found a great 10x10 in piece at Michael's, and mounted it just as I did with the last one - the fabric on this one is Chelsea's Checks and I think it really makes the black pop in the design. I made a fabric covered button and used some black grosgrain ribbon to make a simple bow. Is it silly to say that I love this one too? </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE_qEXoaeFHZY3yJ8Ah3J-A_MKgugFXUzpNhz5tBH_wfBKMFJgTXcyWatGAWCbt8YRR1YStBJ7MIADBP7bA8djCGLLJ89e61KEodTTdcnrRXamNCZ0iWcjvRg5idPjW3fcEcK2o20A2RGlPZORhgd-EuUmaMYjMHHZc4Rr_7Zkb6ucepaImVh3mlE2A/s3024/IMG_1200.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE_qEXoaeFHZY3yJ8Ah3J-A_MKgugFXUzpNhz5tBH_wfBKMFJgTXcyWatGAWCbt8YRR1YStBJ7MIADBP7bA8djCGLLJ89e61KEodTTdcnrRXamNCZ0iWcjvRg5idPjW3fcEcK2o20A2RGlPZORhgd-EuUmaMYjMHHZc4Rr_7Zkb6ucepaImVh3mlE2A/s320/IMG_1200.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumblebees and Flowers Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>All in all, it was a great start to my challenge. My goal was to finish two per month, and I am thrilled that I have four finished by the end of January. </p><p>I only added one stitching finish to my list this month, this cutie by Handblessings called Cardinal with Candy Cane. This pattern is stitched on 28 count Slate by Picture this Plus, which I had in my stash. I used the called for threads. I am thinking I will probably finish this as a pillow. I think it will be a great piece to go with my winter decor. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9_YTv34VAY-MRmFskLgvPdxOavEp-BphzbbryPBYW6Ci314Ejh_mKarxSxLlBDw4KUKLDTlRGB8N6MU5MvE115G8Xzs9NGzltFvHtC5jUJFxCZDis9wUmgINjP9dGqpAE2G6045A_hHl_oN8n5Hi1Z6Lwmha-QpZm0du-D1Ek0qVwNTDCBtX2M4SVg/s4032/IMG_1151.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN9_YTv34VAY-MRmFskLgvPdxOavEp-BphzbbryPBYW6Ci314Ejh_mKarxSxLlBDw4KUKLDTlRGB8N6MU5MvE115G8Xzs9NGzltFvHtC5jUJFxCZDis9wUmgINjP9dGqpAE2G6045A_hHl_oN8n5Hi1Z6Lwmha-QpZm0du-D1Ek0qVwNTDCBtX2M4SVg/s320/IMG_1151.HEIC" width="240" /></a></div><br />I decided I am going to add one new metric to my monthly posts to keep a running total of where I am. I started the year with 50 items waiting to be FFO'ed and 9 quilts as UFOs, and by the end of January, here's where I am on both of those lists: <p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b>Unfinished Project Tracking: </b></div><div style="text-align: left;">47 stitched items waiting to be FFO'ed<br />9 quilts (in various states) waiting to be finished</div><p><b>Stitching time report</b> - linking up with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/02/stitching-stuff-week-5-of-2023.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life-In-Pieces</a>: </p><p>25/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting = 81%</p><p><b>Stash Report </b>- linking up with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/02/05/sunday-stash-february-5-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a> </p><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric added this month: 0 yards<br />Fabric used this month: 3 1/8 yards<br />Net fabric used: 3 1/8 yards</div><p>Always nice to start the year in the green!</p><p>Hoping your year started well and see you again near the start of March. </p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-21462676941374731862023-01-22T17:15:00.001-05:002023-01-22T17:15:15.936-05:002022 Book Reports for the 2nd half of the year<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My book report for the second half of 2022 is a little shorter than usual. In addition to a busy travel schedule in the fall, I have been reading the same book since late October. It is close to 900 pages but I am nearing the end. Before I started that massive read, I read these books. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnG14hGFmcFd450hb-6n0Z2yZIgfW9QFznp2mC25dZ_73KUEZkLUsjD67VQVjkfTbTZRHBgbZanKTc1qkkUMgelVLlA77IF2porJXQTxVPDvWiQqZAVPGbzbB2UtiWYkkGF2jsKWUu-x4dcgOwueH3Rcsa4SrQa3d8ReA7z5U2I4HR5jMYXYsVLXRgw/s266/book%20of%20lost%20friends.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="175" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnG14hGFmcFd450hb-6n0Z2yZIgfW9QFznp2mC25dZ_73KUEZkLUsjD67VQVjkfTbTZRHBgbZanKTc1qkkUMgelVLlA77IF2porJXQTxVPDvWiQqZAVPGbzbB2UtiWYkkGF2jsKWUu-x4dcgOwueH3Rcsa4SrQa3d8ReA7z5U2I4HR5jMYXYsVLXRgw/s1600/book%20of%20lost%20friends.webp" width="175" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: left;">The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate - this one had been on my list for a while and I saw it on lots of book lists. I finally put it at the top of my library queue and really enjoyed it. This book is set in the south (mostly Louisiana and Texas) in the mid-1800s and covers the adventures of a former slave who is trying to reconnect with her family. There are a lot of twists and turns in the story and it kept me turning the pages. In the end, it was a great story to understand a little more about the years after the Civil War and what life may have been like. If you haven't read this one and you enjoy historical fiction, I recommend it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OBTWlXV4r81Hfo1XGwLFkTkg1cw8mL7kEvY8PncTrk0EjQrrqIarXVbumFLIsRnktvGvCW4FNHmMRXiY5bE3NuyCKrrT_0jU_4rpou7CdNbLRT3tc9xzZOtgoAZvO02LbB6PV41qfMvPazETAWyXbwhXRCkmPBog3biSI3oY4t9g12oLiaqwNcGxyw/s266/lost%20and%20found%20in%20paris.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="175" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7OBTWlXV4r81Hfo1XGwLFkTkg1cw8mL7kEvY8PncTrk0EjQrrqIarXVbumFLIsRnktvGvCW4FNHmMRXiY5bE3NuyCKrrT_0jU_4rpou7CdNbLRT3tc9xzZOtgoAZvO02LbB6PV41qfMvPazETAWyXbwhXRCkmPBog3biSI3oY4t9g12oLiaqwNcGxyw/s1600/lost%20and%20found%20in%20paris.webp" width="175" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;">Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan - what a fun summer read! Lian is one of the hosts of my favorite podcast, Satellite Sisters. This is her fourth book and I think the best page turner of them all. It follows Joan to Paris for a work assignment that goes wildly wrong in the first night. She has to try to make things right and figure out who is leading her on a wild goose chase. It was a really entertaining story and I enjoyed it. I passed this one on to my mom and I think she stayed up late a few nights to find out what was going on!</div></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xxfyUlCiMf_l0UtXDwJ4Bcwhn5VDKnPxlKsLbukB-ZRDK_CtJnTjkCc5lCYapDQQ8oKYTzmRa6xBWBHMt1mU4aQVkWgnySjqS5JPL9JuGSvri_zicT5YwGLvt1zqNfqy-OqW0DP-zNXcxp4DcjhDlibidSJUqGPRhXOhOUoG2efQTNafeG_ylwy-mQ/s167/raisin.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="167" data-original-width="99" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xxfyUlCiMf_l0UtXDwJ4Bcwhn5VDKnPxlKsLbukB-ZRDK_CtJnTjkCc5lCYapDQQ8oKYTzmRa6xBWBHMt1mU4aQVkWgnySjqS5JPL9JuGSvri_zicT5YwGLvt1zqNfqy-OqW0DP-zNXcxp4DcjhDlibidSJUqGPRhXOhOUoG2efQTNafeG_ylwy-mQ/s1600/raisin.jpeg" width="99" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hanberry - As I started my travels, I visited my kid's rooms to see if they had a few smaller books for me to read that would easily tuck into my carryon bag. This is the first one and was such an interesting play. I really enjoyed reading it and had a great discussion with my son after I finished it. It is another one with some good historical context. </span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi7qFPdLgzCMcGxsSGcr3SPESi80y0KGb7FNsFOsoLmYs9tXS6ODblJ1wpNJk-NX6smOuLCGpHODCKiZiLNRsKya7aMJjhmjTzBAoAZnc3fVMJYKMjHMjbhQJLpD7xaxrha-_LHO_o8YZUJ_5G6K3TO674jJRpg_MkBXsG8QqWdEBhxDLRrrg2GsuBA/s252/things%20fall%20apart.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="252" data-original-width="170" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi7qFPdLgzCMcGxsSGcr3SPESi80y0KGb7FNsFOsoLmYs9tXS6ODblJ1wpNJk-NX6smOuLCGpHODCKiZiLNRsKya7aMJjhmjTzBAoAZnc3fVMJYKMjHMjbhQJLpD7xaxrha-_LHO_o8YZUJ_5G6K3TO674jJRpg_MkBXsG8QqWdEBhxDLRrrg2GsuBA/s1600/things%20fall%20apart.webp" width="170" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe - I've heard about this book set in Africa for years and am so glad I took this one on my travels. It was such an interesting look into what life in a tribe could have been like in the early 1900s. The life and experiences of the characters were so unique to most books I've read and I enjoyed stretching my mind to read this one. </span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC58FaL4gH_0PcBmZFgD9O3khDd_Z7EgRe9Gk7qHhEK0rIIBYsSsGONb_hj7FYvgJvQcheD85-ZlLIzQeIMNxWWJZil9GACb87S1QeRVau9d-8IILAQjsnMwqXK4taA5uze0LsdPxXeNBL6TkwN1iKHvpVL9A79ibXmlOk1x-Nn5U0ccE9egwzTEM63A/s213/competing%20AI.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="213" data-original-width="142" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC58FaL4gH_0PcBmZFgD9O3khDd_Z7EgRe9Gk7qHhEK0rIIBYsSsGONb_hj7FYvgJvQcheD85-ZlLIzQeIMNxWWJZil9GACb87S1QeRVau9d-8IILAQjsnMwqXK4taA5uze0LsdPxXeNBL6TkwN1iKHvpVL9A79ibXmlOk1x-Nn5U0ccE9egwzTEM63A/s1600/competing%20AI.webp" width="142" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"><div style="text-align: center;">Competing in the Age of AI by Marco Iansiti and Karim Lakhani - This one was book club book at work. My boss took a class from the authors and thought it was really interesting (our team is responsible for some of the technology at our company) so our team decided to read and discuss the book. The book covered the development of AI, changes in company strategy required to be successful, and ethical considerations. It really pushed me to think about where we are leveraging technology to our advantage, and also had me thinking about my kids and how much of their life will be influenced by AI, even more so than mine. Not the most riveting book of the year, but definitely an interesting one. </div></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">That's it - I picked up the newest Outlander book after these and I am working my way through that one, but my book list keeps growing in the meantime. My total for 2022 was 14 books, which is the lowest total since I started tracking. I don't feel like I read less last year, so maybe it was more about the length of the books I chose - or shorter reading sessions at night since my days were busier. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;"> I am looking forward to some more interesting reads in 2023. What are you reading at the moment? Anything I might need to add to my list? </span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-66437991892983144192023-01-15T20:10:00.004-05:002023-01-15T20:10:54.436-05:002022 Year in Review and 2023 Plans and Goals<p><span style="font-size: medium;">In some ways, it seems like 2022 sped by, so many moments that will stick in my mind - from the college visits with my daughter to our Girl Scout trip to PA and DC, to some tougher moments with health, family and our dog. Through it all, I would say it was still a good year. I continued to enjoy hosting the Two Tall Stitchers Flosstube with my mom, enjoyed several trips for work and pleasure, and got to spend more time with friends, the best benefit of all. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">I always enjoy a quick look back on the year and one of my favorite ways to do this is to put together a collage of my pictures, so without further ado, let's take a look! </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">For quilting/sewing, I finished 22 projects which include finishing 7 projects from earlier years which started on my UFO list for this year, 7 new quilt tops (5 of which became finished quilts), and 6 bags along with a few other miscellaneous items. My favorites for the year have to be the Which Way's North quilt with all the flying geese and Wind Drifter in the bottom left corner which was such a fun quilt from choosing the fabrics to quilting it. I am most proud of finishing my friend's memory quilt (bottom right) and getting more projects off my UFO list than I added to it. I leave 2022 with only two quilt tops going onto the UFO list, and a UFO list of just 9, the shortest list I've had since I started keeping one. I used 40 1/2 yards of fabric in 2022 and purchased 17 3/8 yards, for a net usage of 23 1/8, a respectable year. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDD9EEuS7atbmci88HxG2W-M-Zdch_oIqUNCZejha7n3ecm2gInXTgf_h7l-i7GWK8bBOGbtaEENotpQl96mAuijHzQ6DvI6A9eAooPCMeflTheic0-ORBxCDHOXzf11d3b5ukr1UzQrsxcM2yAqdu-AWioXQbyT2_WdwjFSJd3OrZovN7bheHkv1FA/s5120/2023%20Quilting%20Finishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijDD9EEuS7atbmci88HxG2W-M-Zdch_oIqUNCZejha7n3ecm2gInXTgf_h7l-i7GWK8bBOGbtaEENotpQl96mAuijHzQ6DvI6A9eAooPCMeflTheic0-ORBxCDHOXzf11d3b5ukr1UzQrsxcM2yAqdu-AWioXQbyT2_WdwjFSJd3OrZovN7bheHkv1FA/w400-h225/2023%20Quilting%20Finishes.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2022 Quilting Projects<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-size: medium;">On the stitching front, I had a blast continuing to work on my own projects and shop models. I finished stitching 25 items this year, from small ornaments to a few larger pieces. There were 2 swap items, 1 gift (and two to be gifted in the future), 3 ornaments, 4 shop models and my first stitched berry. There's no way I can pick a favorite - or even a few - from this group, as I really love them all! I am most proud of the Autumn Embroidery - I had the pattern for at least 10 years and finally stitched it, learning new embroidery stitches along the way and incorporating wool into the design. I am really pleased with how well it turned out. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvUmSs5WoVAb1AQTePtOz3kM7kEpNBdvL0lXcT591WnnkulqkxThgY-RVEtxm29-zWaao5JjiInn4lZdQsppib8c2rjnIfZK1O3NV5MFBroV_DXYzofXY5PsO2DvY6i-RqgVTp2y7QDLuAxzJR9sHbXpgVHhxBOPm7ckjy0DsbC8Q9z16DsG-irGL-g/s5120/2022%20Finishes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvUmSs5WoVAb1AQTePtOz3kM7kEpNBdvL0lXcT591WnnkulqkxThgY-RVEtxm29-zWaao5JjiInn4lZdQsppib8c2rjnIfZK1O3NV5MFBroV_DXYzofXY5PsO2DvY6i-RqgVTp2y7QDLuAxzJR9sHbXpgVHhxBOPm7ckjy0DsbC8Q9z16DsG-irGL-g/w400-h225/2022%20Finishes.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2022 Stitching Finishes<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;">In addition to stitching new items, I worked on finishing pieces. 2022 saw me FFO (fully finished object) 23 items including one framed piece, 6 ornaments, another biscornu, my first berry, and four pillows. I am also glad that I used pieces bought more than a year ago for a couple finishing styles. From this group, I think my favorites are the Lighthouse ABCs, Happy Halloween in the Cauldron, and the Wee Santa 2021 pillow in the bottom right. </span><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84_guYhirMUvOwFXJOh2M1L9_cvSniZR30GH9YAhyB_rlYXgu-wRLuItwq42gInnM5FPl86HCQUK4xdvXCzO6OBQrYOlNocC7UH49cyNcftgKMbE1qsX9gcF_wXhyuhKZ149cFRfEY7wbqlLKW0_7hAZX9OjNIFnfejXW9Fy2Fhc86JNX8dxurhIqZw/s5120/2022%20FFOs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2880" data-original-width="5120" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg84_guYhirMUvOwFXJOh2M1L9_cvSniZR30GH9YAhyB_rlYXgu-wRLuItwq42gInnM5FPl86HCQUK4xdvXCzO6OBQrYOlNocC7UH49cyNcftgKMbE1qsX9gcF_wXhyuhKZ149cFRfEY7wbqlLKW0_7hAZX9OjNIFnfejXW9Fy2Fhc86JNX8dxurhIqZw/w400-h225/2022%20FFOs.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2022 Stitching FFOs</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Crochet continues to be a sometimes activity and I worked on two projects this year - one that is finished and the other that's in progress. Here's my one crochet finish for 2022, 3-in-1 Hand Warmers. They are super warm and great for cold days and dog walks. I actually finished them on a Girl Scout camping trip, and they are on my sleeping bag for this picture. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZLVxqouqcFv2Zp92SJnMhmG2f2Eqznn9YUs_YsSK5W-0YXfQHeEgAF65wtTFjhYKZWUBmZchXLK2qEgEfIhkFZDG1X5idPPNxXQvU0pbD432RdOOdUEjhZ2tqGk_zKRlziUEYFp7OhZAZbXHxep9Q8UB1-wqWK4w7BT1Z-Ou1hjAvmQ971E_Dl8s2Q/s4032/IMG_0143.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJZLVxqouqcFv2Zp92SJnMhmG2f2Eqznn9YUs_YsSK5W-0YXfQHeEgAF65wtTFjhYKZWUBmZchXLK2qEgEfIhkFZDG1X5idPPNxXQvU0pbD432RdOOdUEjhZ2tqGk_zKRlziUEYFp7OhZAZbXHxep9Q8UB1-wqWK4w7BT1Z-Ou1hjAvmQ971E_Dl8s2Q/s320/IMG_0143.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3-in-1 Hand Warmers</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-size: medium;">Now that we've looked at the pretty pictures, let's look back on my goals for 2022 and see how I did. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I had five goals for the year: </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Continue with current activities - Two Tall Stitchers, Sunday Morning Stitching, Crafting time report, tracking stash, finishes and FFOs - check, did all of those!</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Make good progress on Inspirational Stitches for Young Women - check, stitched two more this year and only have one to go. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Take some time to cull through fabric and patterns and divest those that I no longer want - I did okay on this - I did take patterns to a couple of my retreats, and I sold my first few things on Stash Unloading - there's still more to do here, but at least I got started.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">4. Finish one and make good progress on another gift quilt for friends - one check, my friend's quilt was her Christmas present and she loved it - one X - didn't even pull out the other one. </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: trebuchet;"><span style="font-size: medium;">5. Homemade Holiday - plan for and use the year to make gifts for Christmas - I did pretty well on this one although I did forget to gift a couple of the items I made early in the year. I enjoyed doing this and want to make it a normal part of my year. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So, overall, I think I'd give myself a solid B+ - some good alignment but also more opportunity. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Now it's time to think about 2023 and what I hope to accomplish. I know this will be a big year with my daughter's graduation and heading to college and the culmination of our Girl Scout troop years. I am looking forward to all the events to come and also know that it will be a year of big transitions. When that happens, I know I find comfort in my sewing and stitching. I fully expect my total finishes to be down this year and that's okay, so I don't want to lay out big goals that aren't likely to be attainable. I think this year, I will limit goals to three items. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">1. Finish more stitching - I am joining up with Michele from Penny's Daughter Shares (on Instagram and YouTube) and we are hosting the FFO Challenge - we are setting our own goals for the year and I am using a WIPGO board (<a href="https://youtu.be/PjEIxw26Slw" target="_blank">learn more about WIPGO here</a>, it's kind of like bingo for stitching projects) to help me select items to work on and my goal is to fully finish two items each month, for at least 24 finished projects at the end of the year. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">2. Stitch/Quilt my Stash - I will continue stash reporting on the quilting side to push myself to use my stash first, and on the stitching side, I am going to focus on digging out charts that I've had for a while and still want to stitch. I am not making it a no buy, but I am going to try to be more intentional to start with what I have. I don't have a lot of fabric, so that will probably be the thing that I buy a little more of than charts and threads. I do plan to continue doing shop models for my local shop, so you will see some new patterns as I work on those projects. I also plan to work on a few larger projects, as that will help me as it will take longer to add to the finished but not FFO'ed list! </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">3. Continue to work down my quilting UFO list. I have 9 projects on my UFO list going into the year and I want to continue to work down that list. I've love to be at 5 or less by the end of the year, so that means in addition to quilting some of those UFOs, I will try to take any new quilts all the way through to fully finished quilts so they don't get added to the UFO list. </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I hope these goals work well for the year and am looking forward to seeing what comes in 2023 - both in the crafting world and elsewhere in my life. Overall, I hope for it to include lots of happy moments and I hope the same for you. </span></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-15877522910404716492023-01-01T13:28:00.000-05:002023-01-01T13:28:10.384-05:00December 2022 Recap<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Happy New Year to you all and hope you had a good 2022. Before I do my annual recap, I have lots to share from December. It was a busy month, but I also had two weeks off work and lots of good crafting time. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">There were four finished quilts this month, all of which were started in prior months. The first is Wind Drifter, a quilt that my mom and I hosted a quilt-a-long for. I finished my quilt top at my October retreat, quilted it in November, and bound it in December. This quilt is made with several Halloween themed fabrics, but I like that it doesn't scream Halloween - I think it will be a great quilt for the fall. It is a wall quilt and finishes at about 32" square. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8-67xj0kFHCdxzUQjVhOYhR0BDF-EIFKT_D7-PY1S2cg2OpCYFja6Utdvzldsd6fVb5l-Gf8Pn86RyWK4X7KD3r7uQnupAXseNTxo0hRktLlMzg6FnrkazTPCA7VdDwDql2YLe4-XvzeZwzW63RCb95a-CJWoUU6jsHm6j-3mJd8Ln-8_VAETILcng/s3024/IMG_1084.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8-67xj0kFHCdxzUQjVhOYhR0BDF-EIFKT_D7-PY1S2cg2OpCYFja6Utdvzldsd6fVb5l-Gf8Pn86RyWK4X7KD3r7uQnupAXseNTxo0hRktLlMzg6FnrkazTPCA7VdDwDql2YLe4-XvzeZwzW63RCb95a-CJWoUU6jsHm6j-3mJd8Ln-8_VAETILcng/s320/IMG_1084.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wind Drifter by Robin Pickens</td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Next up is a memory quilt that I made for my friend for her Christmas present. These are shirts from her parents that she brought home several years ago. They spent some time in her closet and some time in my basement and this year was the year to get it finished. It hasn't been gifted to her yet but I don't think she reads my blog (and if she does, it will still be better to see it in person, right?). The orange piece in the top middle is from a quilted jacket, and the bottom right is two pockets - one from a Hawaiian shirt and the other from pajama pants which are also on the back of the quilt and make up the cornerstones. I hope this quilt will bring her lots of comfort and good memories. I quilted this one with big loops, a simple pattern that will crinkle up nicely, and it finished at a nice lap size. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ6u0DydFeKU1dkTygw545DE7A2wu8VR7eutbk4wAivm6GTtFQUhamKtuGY_2Xv2qD7wsReT4zbgPYD-90aYv-IXJDobvW5OhluF46KWWtSo_UM_uDLe7Bh-4Zgjfm4LiEtdSWvmjkKhZyIecwbbbySgJplnMYq0DnSAyiPF_meKrFwFac3K78yuH5Q/s4032/IMG_1090.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCQ6u0DydFeKU1dkTygw545DE7A2wu8VR7eutbk4wAivm6GTtFQUhamKtuGY_2Xv2qD7wsReT4zbgPYD-90aYv-IXJDobvW5OhluF46KWWtSo_UM_uDLe7Bh-4Zgjfm4LiEtdSWvmjkKhZyIecwbbbySgJplnMYq0DnSAyiPF_meKrFwFac3K78yuH5Q/s320/IMG_1090.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Memories of Mom & Dad</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />The next quilt is one that has been slowly progressing over the course of the last two years. I quilted it in early November but had several challenges with the quilting and knew I had a lot of thread tie-offs to do, which always makes me want to procrastinate. I also didn't have more of the first border fabric to make the binding with the same fabric. I dug around in my batik stash last week and found one that I thought would work - there is enough variability in the fabric that I don't think it stands out too much from the border fabric. I got the binding attached last week and then did the tie-offs on New Year's Eve so that I could officially call this one a finish! The pattern is one that's at least hard to find and may be out of print - Which Way's North by Judy Niemeier and is a paper pieced pattern. I purchased this pattern from my friend Lois' stash years ago and always planned to make it with batiks. I am so happy with how it turned out and love the light to dark shading. I quilted this one with wavy lines and some swirls and it is also a good lap size, although I kind of want to find a place where I can hang it and see the whole quilt. </span><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lhrsXMmSGOFLohTwS9pgTyO4I91bDubiLqFKPX4cGWaMaE5NrvycU0sNaW9i8r9eLCjl7TkZ2LdrkJvUNBWc1hmfmF19IpKVYwZ_IvZkcluue8po3UJiDOR_1sAUo9qz-oTwyNHGB2mUmvnXigvqIjpKyCO-zdefIsF2Wl4gL669rk5S6pf45hrrGg/s4032/IMG_1131.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8lhrsXMmSGOFLohTwS9pgTyO4I91bDubiLqFKPX4cGWaMaE5NrvycU0sNaW9i8r9eLCjl7TkZ2LdrkJvUNBWc1hmfmF19IpKVYwZ_IvZkcluue8po3UJiDOR_1sAUo9qz-oTwyNHGB2mUmvnXigvqIjpKyCO-zdefIsF2Wl4gL669rk5S6pf45hrrGg/s320/IMG_1131.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Which Way's North by Judy Niemeier</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />The last quilt is one I finished up on New Year's Eve afternoon! I decided earlier this week that it would be an easy one to finish as it should be easy quilting and I already had the binding made. It quilted up very quickly and was bound an hour later - it is nice to have one last finish for the year and one less UFO to go into 2023. This quilt is the pattern Mini Blossom by Fig Tree Quilts. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcelwkOxjFyXiMSEXPDYB3qXJ3hX5k7ivMQgULDyL2GgMlQQVBXxAZLyNy_vunShbCyKZJdAZ0J5qodMkQ-_ywqDllwS6KC4GG5vKZqiZ1xa8v6RdWfVU3lqi8OtQXReKcDXj-rROap4PiJFArs5CC9t9tB3qgfm8yc4i5ZrQnOH99aKJH2-RM9pC20g/s3024/IMG_1128.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcelwkOxjFyXiMSEXPDYB3qXJ3hX5k7ivMQgULDyL2GgMlQQVBXxAZLyNy_vunShbCyKZJdAZ0J5qodMkQ-_ywqDllwS6KC4GG5vKZqiZ1xa8v6RdWfVU3lqi8OtQXReKcDXj-rROap4PiJFArs5CC9t9tB3qgfm8yc4i5ZrQnOH99aKJH2-RM9pC20g/s320/IMG_1128.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini Blossom quilt top</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></span><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My last quilting project was also started and finished in the last week - as I was cleaning up fabrics that needed to be put away, I realized that I had enough of this fabric left to make a patchwork project bag. All the other project bags I've made are the type with vinyl on the front, so this one was a nice change of pace. </span><p></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuFQ1wnInPZ87yYK0DxcumT-rl2XRaN-hMs1pSWrAHjnKSEm4_Lo60_1ScTMU2hvhGjEeAjhJ3xwZhiQoisoRGXHDdJuu-UyvA35IsrPVgRqBXhwi6mPv_NasW21ILVA9I0QdPHGIv4nSDt6xhAcjeei9uU-ve6WtIe5Cr7P1wR6hA1fPzfI6KjQjow/s4032/IMG_1126.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuFQ1wnInPZ87yYK0DxcumT-rl2XRaN-hMs1pSWrAHjnKSEm4_Lo60_1ScTMU2hvhGjEeAjhJ3xwZhiQoisoRGXHDdJuu-UyvA35IsrPVgRqBXhwi6mPv_NasW21ILVA9I0QdPHGIv4nSDt6xhAcjeei9uU-ve6WtIe5Cr7P1wR6hA1fPzfI6KjQjow/s320/IMG_1126.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Patchwork project bag</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Next up are a few stitching projects. I finished three this month and fully finished four ornaments. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My first stitching finish is a shop model for my LNS - it was such a great pattern and so quick to stitch. I stitched this on 28 count Lambswool Lugana with called for DMC except for the two greens and the black, which are DMC Floche. The shop owner wanted to highlight this thread, which is used one ply - it is thicker and seems kind of silkier than regular DMC and it was great to stitch with one thread on 28 count. The floche is quite a bit more expensive than a skein, so I would use it sparingly, but it was nice to try something new. The pattern is Bumblebees and Flowers, Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery. It was my first pattern of this designer to stitch and what I liked most is that it came with both color and black & white charts. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIKuYlLeLIRX0cWRtSeHSHT-bZFlON-vSTE-lfLOK9P8CsPHOSnjqimJ-cLcwo4iVT88GijQoGQVP2lG8lpeWCl5ewdOT6UX9HSAR5LLcOs4aPpFqUyvUNmphSLhasi1tsL_pWRKPKMt60teBW7Nb6lCHB2_N49-fqyJwwFswGPc2YP0trKWAAj6Emg/s3024/IMG_1132.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKIKuYlLeLIRX0cWRtSeHSHT-bZFlON-vSTE-lfLOK9P8CsPHOSnjqimJ-cLcwo4iVT88GijQoGQVP2lG8lpeWCl5ewdOT6UX9HSAR5LLcOs4aPpFqUyvUNmphSLhasi1tsL_pWRKPKMt60teBW7Nb6lCHB2_N49-fqyJwwFswGPc2YP0trKWAAj6Emg/s320/IMG_1132.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumblebees and Flowers Please by Cherry Hill Stitchery</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My second finish for the month is By Golly, Be Jolly by Lizzie Kate. I bought this with the pattern, linen, and beads as a kit years ago at the shop in Evansville, IN. I have had this in my "stitch soon" pile for a long time and am so glad I pulled it out in November. This was such a quick stitch and I love the bright Christmas colors. It is stitched with called for threads on the kit fabric (which wasn't labeled). </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQb7CRvrMxDF_04cBhmqDOZGh_qA5R9gWipNeNB0sVrxyd0GndNZSaZET0xPUgc2toIk-tuqNOioEaXuM9J6bDgT4kP3E9Zy-PlumuPCYfNOmpXk1WQOOHgOaChJd_6pWGB8vVzfWuUh8gOaFHkauVIKbNvD476aq5hnYu2Z6iBckpul1nK8I9U2W1Q/s4032/IMG_1080.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioQb7CRvrMxDF_04cBhmqDOZGh_qA5R9gWipNeNB0sVrxyd0GndNZSaZET0xPUgc2toIk-tuqNOioEaXuM9J6bDgT4kP3E9Zy-PlumuPCYfNOmpXk1WQOOHgOaChJd_6pWGB8vVzfWuUh8gOaFHkauVIKbNvD476aq5hnYu2Z6iBckpul1nK8I9U2W1Q/s320/IMG_1080.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">By Golly Be Jolly by Lizzie Kate</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My last stitching finish is a big one - I started this on New Year's Day 2022 and finished it on December 26th. This is Winter Bell Pull by Tiny Modernist. I through this was a lovely pattern and would be nice to hang after all the holiday decorations come down. I stitched this one on 28 count Gossamer by Picture this Plus with the called for DMC threads, except for one substitution - I used Anchor white instead of DMC. I picked up the white and black spools a while back to see how I liked them and it was just about the same as DMC white :) I plan to finish this one as a bell pull, hopefully before the end of 2023! The color is really hard to capture on camera for this one - the fabric is a lovely light green with iridescent threads and is really lovely. I did have to change a few places on this where white was called for to light blue, as the white didn't show up very well.</span> </div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CtKI5qI-K9kHAt0XWHGqrYyHdqmhoweFrUx1Jm0d19itU2Y6QO5OXz7KZEUXad6QaguwIb22UnJr_jhF4xkglWL9leYXqKKCE7HR7PAnfJzK63aftRtLiVz6RtWCRgvryCD3OgVwaaDYTn7HrvtamJwbFC7mb3OUsRDdsFDhuNJc_1KN4wPfFRJUfw/s4032/IMG_1119.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8CtKI5qI-K9kHAt0XWHGqrYyHdqmhoweFrUx1Jm0d19itU2Y6QO5OXz7KZEUXad6QaguwIb22UnJr_jhF4xkglWL9leYXqKKCE7HR7PAnfJzK63aftRtLiVz6RtWCRgvryCD3OgVwaaDYTn7HrvtamJwbFC7mb3OUsRDdsFDhuNJc_1KN4wPfFRJUfw/s320/IMG_1119.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Winter Bell Pull by Tiny Modernist</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc29hv-UNiuFzithwkkSg_HG-7PWTgYBw_flrgzxQ04lJj15Z4maCtgX9muzFlTALgwLiSirYJyJvbm9p-OEULxDma7-EwR0efaw1d3GbBOTDCJ08Bbt62nouRsO4J-pSA1dTUEjqUQhobGYXuBns8R2nEbg4z0cEKJyc2Gy82-cYCYpxEmUReRJrtg/s4032/IMG_1120.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLc29hv-UNiuFzithwkkSg_HG-7PWTgYBw_flrgzxQ04lJj15Z4maCtgX9muzFlTALgwLiSirYJyJvbm9p-OEULxDma7-EwR0efaw1d3GbBOTDCJ08Bbt62nouRsO4J-pSA1dTUEjqUQhobGYXuBns8R2nEbg4z0cEKJyc2Gy82-cYCYpxEmUReRJrtg/s320/IMG_1120.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top half Winter Bell Pull</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCnQyHY1Gdr8KKjUJGvIoGV5flolsT4JVbkagtVre2Hdib9GGMgDZoWEoiyJNKpgLkBvyUdE1T9FDTic7Ltm53nNufqD0388xODAlv8unX6TTNQn7WD97yk5HtBUtV0_gnOxxR5Ad1QRnNO1M7pafBV2oxEANBiCeqWmYnQgFSGZZjHIduyFIlhfMww/s4032/IMG_1121.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiCnQyHY1Gdr8KKjUJGvIoGV5flolsT4JVbkagtVre2Hdib9GGMgDZoWEoiyJNKpgLkBvyUdE1T9FDTic7Ltm53nNufqD0388xODAlv8unX6TTNQn7WD97yk5HtBUtV0_gnOxxR5Ad1QRnNO1M7pafBV2oxEANBiCeqWmYnQgFSGZZjHIduyFIlhfMww/s320/IMG_1121.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottom half of Winter Bell Pull</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">If that's not enough, I have a few ornament finishes to share with you as well. I was glad to have some time off to be able to finish a few to add to the tree this year. </span></div></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hzoxpjzbkbQXFKP3eNUtn68kcQIpXpCAeLydKrARVuC2YHtIz5waqBBd5Uhm_C7A_H6HLPPtfBGkK1U2zfibA82pyq846syLvfL0Lg8M-exfVaRIZJ_6DcpX55H-Jc6ZCoJJVRRe4o7OnYDRkJdZm6rD-oG3AcfChQiJYx97yURZGXRdSec2X_A0wQ/s4032/IMG_1081.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-hzoxpjzbkbQXFKP3eNUtn68kcQIpXpCAeLydKrARVuC2YHtIz5waqBBd5Uhm_C7A_H6HLPPtfBGkK1U2zfibA82pyq846syLvfL0Lg8M-exfVaRIZJ_6DcpX55H-Jc6ZCoJJVRRe4o7OnYDRkJdZm6rD-oG3AcfChQiJYx97yURZGXRdSec2X_A0wQ/s320/IMG_1081.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Noel from Lizzie Kates Tiny Tidings XIV, finished in an ornament</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaqh8_FkbEQOog9va0Kh2MmOkzwzXrHz9PyM0WeGyva5TUT-UjWuJsA6tjE2ro50oD1vEA3I-KtoJ4jpVBst5wlIMf9yqbgmYU_MjCW7eT4-tcPLSQCP9N2PtyqUN8Nu7iHwItGrQEQAjy_py1iOjMYtT_DAc1a-84X5dlg2lTR3b6OBJqmE8FVKQwQ/s4032/IMG_1082.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxaqh8_FkbEQOog9va0Kh2MmOkzwzXrHz9PyM0WeGyva5TUT-UjWuJsA6tjE2ro50oD1vEA3I-KtoJ4jpVBst5wlIMf9yqbgmYU_MjCW7eT4-tcPLSQCP9N2PtyqUN8Nu7iHwItGrQEQAjy_py1iOjMYtT_DAc1a-84X5dlg2lTR3b6OBJqmE8FVKQwQ/s320/IMG_1082.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Alphabet by Heart in Hand, finished as an ornament tag</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaNJaAhIEs1asnbMRvTctfg3JLtHUdrJtxJy3ZLU5iZXK-EXfPmSgksB5_DbApa59WESSkDhsPgBCN0s3umcnkLRyD4JYwaYmiNSCDhPgxB0psaHeVzY1CVF0bnm7mfxNDjEIMp8VV9wOUNUoT0lPUX-NME8sXrRdjFi_sMWbcAJRpI_MdnexB65bAQ/s4032/IMG_1085.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoaNJaAhIEs1asnbMRvTctfg3JLtHUdrJtxJy3ZLU5iZXK-EXfPmSgksB5_DbApa59WESSkDhsPgBCN0s3umcnkLRyD4JYwaYmiNSCDhPgxB0psaHeVzY1CVF0bnm7mfxNDjEIMp8VV9wOUNUoT0lPUX-NME8sXrRdjFi_sMWbcAJRpI_MdnexB65bAQ/s320/IMG_1085.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holly Berries, a Victoria's Sampler Hardanger kit, finished as a pillow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc-P_i78EktkAcNntVP6z0ZgYoHQfOiKQCoaCDK2gs8GO2xiDnlwBTxsbwE45LkMfadteDcydPThB20xDuIFVxG60MUfwLlOr85do8tTykO-coIbdGHEwOTnuv4oodNXaL244hbP0tsrxJeN_c7tDgMKg5d0miEhaOi3UZdp9rFDRa0Rx4SPS9Jniuw/s3024/IMG_1086.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvc-P_i78EktkAcNntVP6z0ZgYoHQfOiKQCoaCDK2gs8GO2xiDnlwBTxsbwE45LkMfadteDcydPThB20xDuIFVxG60MUfwLlOr85do8tTykO-coIbdGHEwOTnuv4oodNXaL244hbP0tsrxJeN_c7tDgMKg5d0miEhaOi3UZdp9rFDRa0Rx4SPS9Jniuw/s320/IMG_1086.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wee Santa 2021 by Heart in Hand, finished as a pillow</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to all this, I enjoyed the winter Orchestra concert, finished my own and all my team's performance reviews at work, baked, wrapped gifts, and took a few naps! It was a great month! Hope it was the same for you and best wishes for a Happy New Year. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Here are the final stats for the year for those who enjoy seeing them. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Linking up with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2023/01/stitching-stuff-2022-wrap-up.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life in Pieces</a> for the Stitching time report: </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">29/31 days in December with crafting time = 94%<br />308/365 days in 2022 with crafting time = 84%</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Linking up with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2023/01/01/sunday-stash-january-1-2023/" target="_blank">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a> for the Stash Report: </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 5 1/2 yards (for a duffel bag I am going to make for my daughter)<br />Fabric used this month: 4 1/8 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 17 3/8 yards<br />Fabric used year to date: 40 1/2 yards (the same amount as last year!!)</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXrZIeircc9x0KU-4AeWGkvptshZfw8y4R2PyQKDPEp-fGTWY_WgDvR7bOGYnmR_gowg65SN7UXIT35g6khBA0I39vJIharx7cFvo5SeGLJcRiaTCBh2Ghi21iY7jCgSxcdRi8_LKlZLjEh5iKQTePJTFWtWuLvGaPQMoWbTRsvNCsGGxGJC2pmPvOw/s454/Stash%20usage%20over%20time%202022.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="454" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXrZIeircc9x0KU-4AeWGkvptshZfw8y4R2PyQKDPEp-fGTWY_WgDvR7bOGYnmR_gowg65SN7UXIT35g6khBA0I39vJIharx7cFvo5SeGLJcRiaTCBh2Ghi21iY7jCgSxcdRi8_LKlZLjEh5iKQTePJTFWtWuLvGaPQMoWbTRsvNCsGGxGJC2pmPvOw/s320/Stash%20usage%20over%20time%202022.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stash usage over the last 12 years<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Inspired by Kate, I have been tracking my usage with a graph and love to see this each year. As you might be able to see, I used the exact same amount as last year - and I added less this year than last year, but more than I did in 2019 or 2020. Overall, I have used over 658 yards of fabric since I started tracking in 2010! I used a lot to finish quilts from my friend Lois when I inherited her stash, and I have probably donated near 150 yards to our guild or other projects, but even with that, that's a lot of fabric to use over 12 years! So glad I have a good stash! </span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-17402599869174148272022-12-11T14:01:00.000-05:002022-12-11T14:01:37.732-05:00November 2022 - Family fun and finishes<div style="text-align: left;">It's hard to believe that November has already come and gone - seems like this year has gone very quickly (although most of them seem this way, don't they?). We had family here for Thanksgiving and it was the first time we've all been together in 4 or 5 years - it was great fun to see everyone, enjoy some meals together and watch the cousins (my two and my brother's three) hang out and have fun together. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwNOtwFeePL5tFNTeNrR5zhCqk2tVoYXlCRC2SkOMpvbAmQB_Fb4VkwE1QppxeXjmKNyfzd9t8rTbcgm3LZmqEPQXjHPtZX7XSk8F5Snug3ISqg_ddQBcL89IF1GjaXYeMums9O9ZyN3A-ErkxrH-kpRWYZHZHgJKc_pPVZgc6ng4RgPC3lJahsTbNw/s4032/IMG_1010.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqwNOtwFeePL5tFNTeNrR5zhCqk2tVoYXlCRC2SkOMpvbAmQB_Fb4VkwE1QppxeXjmKNyfzd9t8rTbcgm3LZmqEPQXjHPtZX7XSk8F5Snug3ISqg_ddQBcL89IF1GjaXYeMums9O9ZyN3A-ErkxrH-kpRWYZHZHgJKc_pPVZgc6ng4RgPC3lJahsTbNw/s320/IMG_1010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In early November, it was also musical time at the high school - my daughter who is a senior was the Stage Manager and did a great job. I find that I enjoy the show even more knowing the job she's doing behind the stage. I was recruited to help on the dress rehearsal night since I know how to sew - the job was to help the actors with any last minute costume adjustments to make sure everything was ready for the show. I am happy to say that I used safety pins, scissors, and duct tape! No need to even turn on the sewing machine. I really enjoyed working with the kids and think I may return next year to help before dress rehearsal night. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">On the crafting front, I had another great month with some progress in stitching, quilting, and crochet. On the crochet front, I completed the first side of a pillow I am making - no picture as it needs some good blocking to be photo-ready - I am afraid it would look like a blob right now! I am currently working on the second side, and will block them together so hope I will have some pictures to share at the end of December. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">In stitching, I finished two pieces, one new start and one that I've been working on for a while. The new start and finish is an ornament from the Just Cross Stitch Ornaments issue, French Country Star by JBW Designs. This was such a fun stitch - started and finished in one day! It is stitched over two on 30 ct. linen with Weeks thread in the color Garnet. I just made one change to the charted design and left off the word "Star." </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpNI9c9Tyr1zDkjNXQ4mVvxpZdeWNSJ6tze1ysGpKMfSVF2jTslh4tADqWPN1TIVFhjmCYmECDRow9S0Y9KjafA2ECcuu8g1zyJOKPAKALfUHCvle9Ul_s91cDFalq4_WXinz4HC6jjvytnhfqSh5zW6iJk8VKp-Ft67wXIVEEwgoLr1Gz3DynGydGQ/s3024/IMG_0990.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDpNI9c9Tyr1zDkjNXQ4mVvxpZdeWNSJ6tze1ysGpKMfSVF2jTslh4tADqWPN1TIVFhjmCYmECDRow9S0Y9KjafA2ECcuu8g1zyJOKPAKALfUHCvle9Ul_s91cDFalq4_WXinz4HC6jjvytnhfqSh5zW6iJk8VKp-Ft67wXIVEEwgoLr1Gz3DynGydGQ/s320/IMG_0990.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">French Country Star by JBW Designs</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My second stitching finish is an embroidery piece from Crabapple Hill Designs. I've had this one for a very long time. I bought it at a local quilt shop and when I pulled it out and read the instructions, I was totally intimidated. Well, fast forward 10 years or so and I was ready to tackle it. This is stitched on a cream piece of fabric with overdyed threads, mostly called for but a few substitutions for ones I had in my stash that were similar colors. This piece includes some wool pieces too and it was very fun to put them in. This is meant to be finished as a pillow with a scalloped wool border. I am not quite ready to tackle that yet, but glad to have the stitching part complete. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoxvTDixMudSWiNslF8K4b597zWYDnbvh_94VsxjM-y6oUTH--KUEUCVTVp7jWCTpuc39DH7KX3GHsFzsB3JChQ2ETKF6GOezcC95K6RDgluLe4uKMxfKKcBX3qsGZYO7ubfhiw8_WqoFNvEdrx1TsDAiIB3AZ8v1cQdN8slX8spe8U3jNFbhuQa0oQ/s4032/IMG_0999.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoxvTDixMudSWiNslF8K4b597zWYDnbvh_94VsxjM-y6oUTH--KUEUCVTVp7jWCTpuc39DH7KX3GHsFzsB3JChQ2ETKF6GOezcC95K6RDgluLe4uKMxfKKcBX3qsGZYO7ubfhiw8_WqoFNvEdrx1TsDAiIB3AZ8v1cQdN8slX8spe8U3jNFbhuQa0oQ/s320/IMG_0999.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Autumn Embroidery by Crabapple Hill Designs</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also had two stitching FFOs (fully finished objects). The first is a piece I stitched last year - Calvin and Clyde by Stitching with the Housewives. It is stitched on hand dyed fabric (dyed with Rit dye in the color Denim) and I think it is a 28 count. Called for threads were used and I finished it on a pumpkin from Hobby Lobby. I wish I'd rounded the corners a bit to better mirror the pumpkin, but other than that, I am really happy to have this one finished and ready for display. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEqEYrCNy-8JXX3asSPjakcUPBS0SBJvBKDhkQr6YyVRMcyiytyZhAO4OO83OBn4w_-3RqXuGaFkKB3kaP_cSEGlEaKqIZZvUZKcZ67qAE_BTLuspAcrZ6heC95UvbaSemwqEXPWMX4eaC_rNJ3Hh8kc96ZCYB4Bkz8LLZstkcg6Pgl6PJWeB0IK68g/s4032/IMG_1055.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDEqEYrCNy-8JXX3asSPjakcUPBS0SBJvBKDhkQr6YyVRMcyiytyZhAO4OO83OBn4w_-3RqXuGaFkKB3kaP_cSEGlEaKqIZZvUZKcZ67qAE_BTLuspAcrZ6heC95UvbaSemwqEXPWMX4eaC_rNJ3Hh8kc96ZCYB4Bkz8LLZstkcg6Pgl6PJWeB0IK68g/s320/IMG_1055.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Calvin and Clyde by Stitching with the Housewives</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">My second finish is a project from earlier this year - Stitch all the Things berry by Erica Michaels. This was such a fun and fast stitch back in the spring and I had the best of intentions to finish it right away, but you know how that goes! This one took a little time to finish, as I had to learn how to finish a berry. I used <a href="https://ericamichaels.com/assembling-berries/" target="_blank">Erica Michaels' tutorial</a> and also <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nXfLqULApA" target="_blank">Helen D's video </a>to help me through it. I did some embroidery on the top of the berry which was very fun. I think the top piece is a little big, but that's okay. Overall, I just love the finish and have this in a little tray in my sewing room. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tcgva5JAQtMwK5by5hjdF5P-nLDDOQ7HRLTxYDJEjFKDtC2JptYWsM5krOKFh9PRwC8RNMfAZ8ufBmo2BtyQio3zDvDBdfxymeD7ZqLYnQMLlmpfSLCfOcRLnSsEk1THfuhExK_5yQ70Hvn2igr4xM4brnJBS7NRaMtETHEep3VrO2DFP3EAXnm1CA/s4032/IMG_1061.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tcgva5JAQtMwK5by5hjdF5P-nLDDOQ7HRLTxYDJEjFKDtC2JptYWsM5krOKFh9PRwC8RNMfAZ8ufBmo2BtyQio3zDvDBdfxymeD7ZqLYnQMLlmpfSLCfOcRLnSsEk1THfuhExK_5yQ70Hvn2igr4xM4brnJBS7NRaMtETHEep3VrO2DFP3EAXnm1CA/s320/IMG_1061.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stitch all the Things berry by Erica Michaels</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_XURXEjMCcGEIyYAnaQWdFx5BxYHDcjp29fWIUHZu5ze1XLAtyd7oVKl8FRZjyWdkvzqcgfCQDBEX0R9D1npFzgKHfEiuJbxDgArhXQqXzzLvVQPnevKyoWoBN2-OWi28Sp3_6C25gbSHB6H_fg53p3cDr80U_Aeq-AFTWbTE3N5-wLIIhbR_FMNhA/s4032/IMG_1062.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV_XURXEjMCcGEIyYAnaQWdFx5BxYHDcjp29fWIUHZu5ze1XLAtyd7oVKl8FRZjyWdkvzqcgfCQDBEX0R9D1npFzgKHfEiuJbxDgArhXQqXzzLvVQPnevKyoWoBN2-OWi28Sp3_6C25gbSHB6H_fg53p3cDr80U_Aeq-AFTWbTE3N5-wLIIhbR_FMNhA/s320/IMG_1062.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Embroidered berry topper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I also had a good quilting month and finished one of the quilts that I started at my October retreat. This one is a baby gift, and I want to gift it before the holidays (we are getting close!). The pattern is <a href="https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/lattice-baby-quilt-tutorial/" target="_blank">Lattice Baby Quilt by Diary of a Quilter</a> and I used a charm pack called Curiosities by Benartex to make this. It's a little smaller than the pattern called for as I only had one charm pack, but I am happy with the finished size. I quilted this one in very simple loops, perfect for a quilt that will be (hopefully) used a lot and washed a lot. The binding is from my stash and I think it complemented the fabrics well. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFXwfMQ6exl8P-DQwAz_VcegKYG7stZSdBoeh52dSiwNWErlTW_uk4K91kV-uGTU0RS7iT6mw-TXqW8ypYaZfHn-EoFthPr2-0mmRbspfo7ZaNXguWXGn6-wFZtpNkKDcwan8fHseHYYkfD7UYMy1HgpGrZcZlzqV5ilrW62ikEWA2KBCL83_fk2vvw/s3024/IMG_1059.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNFXwfMQ6exl8P-DQwAz_VcegKYG7stZSdBoeh52dSiwNWErlTW_uk4K91kV-uGTU0RS7iT6mw-TXqW8ypYaZfHn-EoFthPr2-0mmRbspfo7ZaNXguWXGn6-wFZtpNkKDcwan8fHseHYYkfD7UYMy1HgpGrZcZlzqV5ilrW62ikEWA2KBCL83_fk2vvw/s320/IMG_1059.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lattice Baby Quilt</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Bt185iRHVPfwOiSfEhF6n3Ou5xbnxJ84QzQHa-L1xH5XIe459DHoccbtrbcMtsN2GPQnXtsJ-zW58o3Dhvn4LjF97L6q9NaPGDtvjh2ip6xjiLNbdrRaw_qN5NcArMIg5RgkhNtl0YzcgKjaLENMHMr0hHCmZdFHkmrt5Y2MWOFymNXPwMLuiIovcw/s4032/IMG_1060.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Bt185iRHVPfwOiSfEhF6n3Ou5xbnxJ84QzQHa-L1xH5XIe459DHoccbtrbcMtsN2GPQnXtsJ-zW58o3Dhvn4LjF97L6q9NaPGDtvjh2ip6xjiLNbdrRaw_qN5NcArMIg5RgkhNtl0YzcgKjaLENMHMr0hHCmZdFHkmrt5Y2MWOFymNXPwMLuiIovcw/s320/IMG_1060.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilting close-up</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also quilted my Wind Drifter quilt top, also made at my October retreat. I made the binding but didn't get it to the finished quilt status before the end of November. All that was left at the end of the month was to add the binding, so you'll see it fully finished in my December post. I did custom quilting on this one and had fun working with a ruler in some sections and doing some freehand in other sections. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLBWG-BLOfzZMKzNymi6ZLcrEzMkFY-K-zS2B18pe9qohCQLoT1KrXY4SCMTJ8K0DK08lIonTPIP7ZKv1FIFXIlrBFWdpsMr-s6tZcOSje4tK9LbByRzm-NmrVKnjz3T4-PxJr6qcGFYF8jsfx9NMEObwKmCIh76e4THoMhlxaWSxbhoay5XNnBFvTg/s4032/IMG_1021.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLBWG-BLOfzZMKzNymi6ZLcrEzMkFY-K-zS2B18pe9qohCQLoT1KrXY4SCMTJ8K0DK08lIonTPIP7ZKv1FIFXIlrBFWdpsMr-s6tZcOSje4tK9LbByRzm-NmrVKnjz3T4-PxJr6qcGFYF8jsfx9NMEObwKmCIh76e4THoMhlxaWSxbhoay5XNnBFvTg/s320/IMG_1021.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quilting underway on Wind Drifter</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Here are the reports on stitching time and stash for the month: </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Stitching time report - linking up with <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2022/12/stitching-stuff-week-48-of-2022.html" target="_blank">Kate at Life-in-Pieces</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">26/30 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting for 87%. Between all my projects, I had 12 days where I did two or more crafts! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Stash Report - linking up with <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2022/12/11/sunday-stash-december-11-2022/">Donna at quiltpaintcreate</a></div><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric added this month - 0 yards</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric used this month - 3 5/8 yards</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric added year to date - 11 7/8 yards</div><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric used year to date - 36 3/8 yards</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Net fabric used - 24 1/2 yards (hooray!)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">All in all, it was a great month - and I am hoping for more of the same in December. I will have some vacation time to use and some time off, so hoping to get a couple Christmas presents finished up soon so I can work on some more finishing and quilting. Hope you had a great month in November and wishing you a crafty and happy holiday season! </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-78218349902046548702022-11-07T20:05:00.000-05:002022-11-07T20:05:01.093-05:00October 2022 Stitching and Stash Reports<p>Boy, do I have a lot to share with you today - October was not only a good month for my sewing, thanks to my retreat, but it was also a great stitching month! Let's jump right in. </p><p>I finished four projects this month and I am happy to share them. Two of the four have been underway for a while and it is nice to get them finished up. Let's start with the oldest one - Graveyard Goblins. I started this piece back in February and stitching on it a little here and there but without much dedicated stitching at any time. The threads in this one are a mix of DMC, Threadworx, and Kreinik. I am glad that I thought to stitch the tree in vertical rows instead of the normal horizontal rows that I do.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNQb5UZWDfMUKj-ooBEvqL-Cm6kQBTUwKcZm7MCKstXp6aAcf4NO3BsnchxPUHcHjwbfE0eQoCa25SCwjHgXCHqFX2lB26qL-OeBym_QgqAhh56uR6evCjhlsQt7oJp14z9nr1CrFT3KHHQTiDSKoiMrqhxB3drAk7GZh9gMfgbdFAGu58Bn2ByRtcQ/s3381/IMG_0966.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3381" data-original-width="2536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQNQb5UZWDfMUKj-ooBEvqL-Cm6kQBTUwKcZm7MCKstXp6aAcf4NO3BsnchxPUHcHjwbfE0eQoCa25SCwjHgXCHqFX2lB26qL-OeBym_QgqAhh56uR6evCjhlsQt7oJp14z9nr1CrFT3KHHQTiDSKoiMrqhxB3drAk7GZh9gMfgbdFAGu58Bn2ByRtcQ/s320/IMG_0966.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graveyard Goblins by The Nutmeg Needle</td></tr></tbody></table><p>I think it makes it look much more tree-ish. The lower section of this one has rows of specialty stitches, most of which I hadn't stitched before. It was fun to learn them and try to perfect them! I really love those spider webs. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSOZMfHYAa-wt45cjMz8mZRpn4hSlOC2DKfOnajE6N9_nUV8-eBQOzTgPWD1NQwqyG1J_AQkPJkoz-WmvFfTlYussUJZJUaXxH3oga4NZuWBH4lX0BqGteowHThTvNvZ8fajLZjkge3uGyTkLcVJhRP9qEVActeMCV6PH1H50zCMRaue8SgqnpUrc0g/s4032/IMG_0967.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheSOZMfHYAa-wt45cjMz8mZRpn4hSlOC2DKfOnajE6N9_nUV8-eBQOzTgPWD1NQwqyG1J_AQkPJkoz-WmvFfTlYussUJZJUaXxH3oga4NZuWBH4lX0BqGteowHThTvNvZ8fajLZjkge3uGyTkLcVJhRP9qEVActeMCV6PH1H50zCMRaue8SgqnpUrc0g/s320/IMG_0967.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Specialty Stitches up close<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The top is finished off with a bat button. The pattern called for a few other buttons, but I didn't care for them and think the bat is just the nice complement. This piece is stitched on a mystery fabric that I picked up at a stitcher's sale - it is a 28 count Taupe and it was lovely to stitch on. I think this piece will look best framed, so I will keep my eye out for a pre-made frame or a sale on framing to get the right one for this. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpZGcISDn6UYUmlN1iKSST_l2_k3o4gMYsYRmHcxgJoNi9qze6CE8W3WCoj2_gw2YdB5k4mP_CAt1MuSRodKXQaRXcncISwcXJd1XkDtcSwoi93OaO-x1JnHameDG_SMl-NihGYtZg4MMbmvWo8TmxGO965Gjs4BFZPaIOnnfpgXwVGhVSP0Fph5yew/s4032/IMG_0968.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzpZGcISDn6UYUmlN1iKSST_l2_k3o4gMYsYRmHcxgJoNi9qze6CE8W3WCoj2_gw2YdB5k4mP_CAt1MuSRodKXQaRXcncISwcXJd1XkDtcSwoi93OaO-x1JnHameDG_SMl-NihGYtZg4MMbmvWo8TmxGO965Gjs4BFZPaIOnnfpgXwVGhVSP0Fph5yew/s320/IMG_0968.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bat flying across the moon! <br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>My second oldest finish is Love Lives Here, a chart by Country Cottage Needleworks. I stitched this one with the called for Classic Colorworks threads on a 32 count Cream linen as a shop sample for my LNS. I will be headed to the stores soon to look for the perfect finishing piece for this - I am thinking it will be mounted on some fabric and then on a board, but we'll see what I find. I will need to get going on this one so that it can be displayed at the shop. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2TL8ZrgY_wRHq7Z3rr_3sBte80EuK8XDuyYkpXQkX9p0j5FzIFEpOdhK89d1EknQ4USMsnFLA70a7OaI2faDAXLjDTXIPFy5FTBg5i20jiOAxuGNGXVA_Jz6VoBzCKMxMsK4g-piNW2OwxYzJHCeYkgNiNhAZ1J-ZG8_OcOF-ojBtfYAO9N4_-Hb8A/s3354/IMG_0965.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2573" data-original-width="3354" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE2TL8ZrgY_wRHq7Z3rr_3sBte80EuK8XDuyYkpXQkX9p0j5FzIFEpOdhK89d1EknQ4USMsnFLA70a7OaI2faDAXLjDTXIPFy5FTBg5i20jiOAxuGNGXVA_Jz6VoBzCKMxMsK4g-piNW2OwxYzJHCeYkgNiNhAZ1J-ZG8_OcOF-ojBtfYAO9N4_-Hb8A/s320/IMG_0965.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Love Lives Here by Country Cottage Needleworks</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Next up is Circle of Flowers, which was my birthday start back in August. I loved this simple floral pattern and really enjoyed stitching it - each flower was like a little finish. I stitching this one on 28 count Monaco with the called for DMC threads and plan to finish it in a fabric-wrapped hoop.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJisS1LbkkfMcH4tL594TYnCHXeFOEKIZQ_xsvAMV5ZreVQttWuaeKX-ZI1pBqX0xEzLxlxyobcDzuRlbsGeUcWkArPQWiOk1hhCvBuBEWz18ZL-rPmztkyqYuyh51Vw7CGO_HRCiQDKXCHH0-XQD8cCAryC3B3LwW-ltQgwjFJar7SlyqS-DywXOWGg/s4032/IMG_0880.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJisS1LbkkfMcH4tL594TYnCHXeFOEKIZQ_xsvAMV5ZreVQttWuaeKX-ZI1pBqX0xEzLxlxyobcDzuRlbsGeUcWkArPQWiOk1hhCvBuBEWz18ZL-rPmztkyqYuyh51Vw7CGO_HRCiQDKXCHH0-XQD8cCAryC3B3LwW-ltQgwjFJar7SlyqS-DywXOWGg/s320/IMG_0880.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circle of Flowers by AuryTM</td></tr></tbody></table><p>Last up for finishes is the the biggest but also the newest - I joined Jamie and Terri at Cornhusker State Stitchers for SAL (stitch-a-long) on this one in August and September. With my travel in September, I didn't keep up with their schedule, but I was glad to get back to this once I was home. I really like the look of this one on 28 count Havana by Colour and Cotton, my first time stitching on their linen (it won't be the last, I loved it!). I won this fabric in a giveaway and was glad to find a pattern to use it with. This one is also stitched with called-for DMC threads. I have plans to finish this one as a wall hanging, no rush to get to right away as Halloween has passed, but I hope to get it out and finished before next Halloween! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y-gww-3mqaKDCsFkxfn07GvAszT-azK3JgC0QEhdlxx2j_Rggy7NwqAZK9xDLW-SY_FuSnvC4byuzkj5A7yVIau8gj02hbv27QoXtZwWOhlwftgk2CCGGkecvj04oZfaelH9GoJX7lc0sbnuQFj6BIa3GAGImKnPSLW7NwI9mshATGVBeO7JddWRCw/s2380/IMG_0884.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2380" data-original-width="2295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4y-gww-3mqaKDCsFkxfn07GvAszT-azK3JgC0QEhdlxx2j_Rggy7NwqAZK9xDLW-SY_FuSnvC4byuzkj5A7yVIau8gj02hbv27QoXtZwWOhlwftgk2CCGGkecvj04oZfaelH9GoJX7lc0sbnuQFj6BIa3GAGImKnPSLW7NwI9mshATGVBeO7JddWRCw/s320/IMG_0884.HEIC" width="309" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This Is Halloween by Primrose Cottage Stitches</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In addition to four stitching finishes, I fully finished two projects. The first one is for the Spooky Smalls Swap that I participated in with a small group of flosstubers. We all received the name of a person to stitch for and a few things they like for fall/Halloween. I decided to stitch the new Heart in Hand Pocket Crow for Kea Bee, the recipient of my piece. I stitched it on an 18 count over 2 with DMC Perle Cotton and it was really fun to use a different linen and a different thread. The legs and tail were stitched with a piece of wool thread I had in my stash from some project long ago (no memory of why I have it, but it worked great here). I finished it as a round ornament and used a wooden disc to wrap it around, then finished it with felt on the back and a label, cording to match the stitching, and a bright orange ribbon. It arrived safely to Kea in early October and I hope she enjoyed it all month! </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcOK3lJxYoOHoNMbTQCqWsnCa6AwstReP3ywHrbMHBY-l1E61w9hDMr7tErUcZ0XYqEGzzac5_iJTPlVP5gBiTrCbjAvI0VnjiXanrDfCnrK4Hg-PZowbrreH7QE9Jr8jt-MN0eYRgsG3rg1t57h3bTQTPVXwAJaI_YTE6pNK7m-7H2o7C_YjAd1E_g/s4032/IMG_0877.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUcOK3lJxYoOHoNMbTQCqWsnCa6AwstReP3ywHrbMHBY-l1E61w9hDMr7tErUcZ0XYqEGzzac5_iJTPlVP5gBiTrCbjAvI0VnjiXanrDfCnrK4Hg-PZowbrreH7QE9Jr8jt-MN0eYRgsG3rg1t57h3bTQTPVXwAJaI_YTE6pNK7m-7H2o7C_YjAd1E_g/s320/IMG_0877.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocket Crow made for Kea</td></tr></tbody></table><p>In the same swap, I received the neatest pillow from Evelyn. She stitched this from one of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween issues on a lovely green linen (it really didn't photograph well). I just love the group of black cats and the pillow is a great fit in my fall/Halloween basket. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbhuR68Pte7h3iZxelKdGcOa5QGE8HdMPRagXzb7mAe1UWS0ZSJIEyrfUYd5Pl23lxyvB4EAIeJuAmhL2IHbQ5_qXmEDSkTR2IIHbLS7cbr-yHYDkdFj_vxVL9wbM4WJqUr3I96wfz-2HGDKPIcHAGcnGUXK_gfD5dlmJbvd4-YEVmlCmV1FjeVXBmg/s4032/IMG_0936.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFbhuR68Pte7h3iZxelKdGcOa5QGE8HdMPRagXzb7mAe1UWS0ZSJIEyrfUYd5Pl23lxyvB4EAIeJuAmhL2IHbQ5_qXmEDSkTR2IIHbLS7cbr-yHYDkdFj_vxVL9wbM4WJqUr3I96wfz-2HGDKPIcHAGcnGUXK_gfD5dlmJbvd4-YEVmlCmV1FjeVXBmg/s320/IMG_0936.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broomstick Brigade made by Evelyn for me</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My last FFO for the month was made as a result of the fabric challenge that my group hosts at our fall quilt retreat. I showed a picture of all the projects in my last post, but here's a closeup of mine. I used the challenge fabric behind the stitching. This piece is Happy Halloween by Silver Creek Samplers. My pattern came from a magazine years ago, but I think this is available as a pattern now. It is stitched with called for colors (I think mostly Weeks Dye Works if I remember correctly) and I have no idea what linen it is stitched on, because it was stitched in 2018, before I thought to record that type of information! I looked back and found the post where I finished it and said I would look for a nice black frame for it - I don't think I knew many different options at the time, but love what I've wound up with - it is mounted on mat board, layered on a second piece of mat board, and then mounted on foam core (to make it stand out a bit) in a metal cauldron. I picked up this piece at the Target Dollar Spot last year and it was perfect for this piece. I finished it off with just a big of trim between the two pieces of matboard - some Bean Sprout chenille. I am really pleased with the finish and enjoyed having it out over the month. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjSRi3osWl0fS36Agl4PbbkOYAo8n1bjE4ZfU2GlupIeJnIuHFm_3mvx1xd-J_kA1wEC9Eu0WBjH0Fp3_Fo9-ynB2GnvB856skPVeOzGJMDDXsgMBdWtdfxzDIm6znuU4w0u-w4RG6qSrvUCGyKKcu5P1xRvgVrFd2QXNwyIVl4pckOAV5k2gaoJDag/s3151/IMG_0969.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2783" data-original-width="3151" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjSRi3osWl0fS36Agl4PbbkOYAo8n1bjE4ZfU2GlupIeJnIuHFm_3mvx1xd-J_kA1wEC9Eu0WBjH0Fp3_Fo9-ynB2GnvB856skPVeOzGJMDDXsgMBdWtdfxzDIm6znuU4w0u-w4RG6qSrvUCGyKKcu5P1xRvgVrFd2QXNwyIVl4pckOAV5k2gaoJDag/s320/IMG_0969.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Happy Halloween by Silver Creek Samplers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">I am really happy with all I finished in October - thanks in part to lots of stitching time, but also glad to finish up some projects that had been in progress for quite a while. At the end of the month, I had just 4 works in progress remaining in my stitching. I have found that my happy place is somewhere between 3 and 7, and I am glad to be down to the lower end of that for the first time in a while. I am sure they will tick back up again and that's okay, but it feels good to move some older projects out of the WIP bag. </span></div><p>Last up for the month is my stash and stitching time reporting. I had a great month for both in October, fueled by less travel and my retreat. </p><p>Stitching Time - linking up with Kate at <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/2022/11/stitching-stuff-week-43-of-2022.html" target="_blank">Life in Pieces</a> - 28/31 days with at least 15 minutes of crafting for 90% success. 26 of those days included stitching, 11 included quilting, and 2 included crochet, as I started a new project in October (I will share that as I make some progress). </p><p>Stash Report - linking up with Donna at <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/2022/11/06/sunday-stash-november-6-2022/" target="_blank">quiltpaintcreate</a> - </p><div style="text-align: left;">Fabric added this month: 1 1/2 yards<br />Fabric used this month: 6 5/8 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 11 7/8 yards<br />Fabric used year to date: 32 3/4 yards<br />Net fabric used: 20 7/8 yards</div><p>It's always hard to resist new fabric in a town with two quilt shops in walking distance, but I think I did pretty well - glad to use several yards on the tops I put together at retreat - and the backs will use some too when I get to them! </p><p>Overall, the month was quite nice. Fall is my favorite season and I always enjoy the cooler days, changing leaves, and crisp air at night. See you all again soon! </p><p><br /></p><p> </p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-14398970559583889312022-10-23T09:00:00.002-04:002022-10-23T09:00:59.150-04:00October 2022 Retreat Report<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> Last weekend was my bi-annual quilt retreat with my mom and other friends in Shipshewana, Indiana. We head north on Wednesday morning and start sewing that afternoon, staying through Sunday. I always have the best of intentions to take lots of pictures when I go, and then I get into what we're doing and I forget! We have a great time and enjoy shopping at Yoder's and Lolly's, the two quilt shops in town, eating at old favorites and new restaurants around the area, and chatting with friends. In between all of that, we get some good sewing done! </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR36g75oJ7T0HW8h-P5qY-Q7JEYs2_A8qhXpFcc7Yxas59QG_6cCLEMfuHAsGc4ObFq5oNWzLORxLN_rhu8ZUnZKq49g7pG5Xt0y4XS6GMEgVcsC4AG0T7vzNcAOkS-fLSw65tpDcis-suRJ_HmwwMTPooLeUZQ1weBzhMHbbcks9g9yZJ8m7DQ5wYg/s3493/IMG_0889.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2620" data-original-width="3493" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTR36g75oJ7T0HW8h-P5qY-Q7JEYs2_A8qhXpFcc7Yxas59QG_6cCLEMfuHAsGc4ObFq5oNWzLORxLN_rhu8ZUnZKq49g7pG5Xt0y4XS6GMEgVcsC4AG0T7vzNcAOkS-fLSw65tpDcis-suRJ_HmwwMTPooLeUZQ1weBzhMHbbcks9g9yZJ8m7DQ5wYg/s320/IMG_0889.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">All set up and ready to sew with my Janome 6600</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">This year, I was able to do some pre-cutting, so I had two quilts cut and ready to sew when I arrived. Pre-cutting really makes a big difference when making a quilt because you can just pick up and sew, and I don't know about you, but I am less likely to make cutting mistakes at home in my normal setup than I am at a large retreat with lots going on. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQoHEBijAEBn6g17Gun0Fk44wGT9pBZFyauhAlAfqxvpqJKgfb6y-6_2TrGB52vRRaEKN82euIaHgRMZQFm6RBisCskTSvoIauOf3ySfoiAGQNgfg0YgeFpJuC0J3iQYctCKCAWKjJSzyxB6RXTha2mjELgUp4C-Vz2ZeA4G7lLi8ngTcNgleFqejLA/s2711/IMG_0886.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2638" data-original-width="2711" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqQoHEBijAEBn6g17Gun0Fk44wGT9pBZFyauhAlAfqxvpqJKgfb6y-6_2TrGB52vRRaEKN82euIaHgRMZQFm6RBisCskTSvoIauOf3ySfoiAGQNgfg0YgeFpJuC0J3iQYctCKCAWKjJSzyxB6RXTha2mjELgUp4C-Vz2ZeA4G7lLi8ngTcNgleFqejLA/s320/IMG_0886.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">One of my projects all cut and ready for retreat!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">At the retreat this year, I finished three quilt tops and two small projects. Here they are: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The first quilt top I worked on (and finished) is Wind Drifter by Robin Pickens. My mom's quilt bee picked this up and decided to do it as a quilt-a-long together and I thought it was a fun idea to join them. I picked out a few fabrics from my stash and purchased a few new ones to make a Halloween themed quilt. This top has 104 small half square triangles (!!) and so it took a little while to make them, but it was so satisfying to trim them all up. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFyE9WNzYojSsW-iXE0uGVLdee8NAWdP0pNrMrIuFatjKRiSbJBo8KRdsPqa7ljflN58e3pz3-KsG9WRHkg0YTXYh989qYYTUjAI3OzRN95PJOML4lWrsiIokaP3DWAPUJJlS0JRc4L859U_HXvWnREAu81lBH3seb6Ghr6RjYzqMspAbiF_IZXPJPg/s4032/IMG_0891.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsFyE9WNzYojSsW-iXE0uGVLdee8NAWdP0pNrMrIuFatjKRiSbJBo8KRdsPqa7ljflN58e3pz3-KsG9WRHkg0YTXYh989qYYTUjAI3OzRN95PJOML4lWrsiIokaP3DWAPUJJlS0JRc4L859U_HXvWnREAu81lBH3seb6Ghr6RjYzqMspAbiF_IZXPJPg/s320/IMG_0891.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">A big stack of HSTs all trimmed and ready</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I split up making my half square triangles into two batches and finished the first batch on the first night of retreat. I started the second batch and got all the way to a finished quilt top on Thursday. We didn't take too many breaks from sewing that day, so I was able to get it all together by the time I headed for bed. <br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliE6q8TUNUbUtxhyTjg_fiC-GSdxcX6JJhmiGlta6QukbulJXGg8keFEa6xIQ5Woj5PtNZSwG6uLUmfHgmEGWvLAPpMjKfDqHh5RC7EyyS9JvcCghmjWXazpLMxqVjVYAPOxxaWqYA5S50v7-BORqMSi7xMieEI7deoqqjTBbWAhU3ouKV6sd0JKVgQ/s3024/IMG_0899.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2610" data-original-width="3024" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgliE6q8TUNUbUtxhyTjg_fiC-GSdxcX6JJhmiGlta6QukbulJXGg8keFEa6xIQ5Woj5PtNZSwG6uLUmfHgmEGWvLAPpMjKfDqHh5RC7EyyS9JvcCghmjWXazpLMxqVjVYAPOxxaWqYA5S50v7-BORqMSi7xMieEI7deoqqjTBbWAhU3ouKV6sd0JKVgQ/s320/IMG_0899.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Wind Drifter Quilt Top</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnhEPQLNybUGS7Nu3n1_RV78BzmwSjcR8G-vkTRvrfIAzKxwY-AuV8JdSVT-pzorYPrMqIecV5AH0BhVWHewLLjMxaYb83twkSVL7wHSY0NqCeD09IaMr79ZFkPqZvZltMxmmlZcIBGZTX8FFoygA5qYSkJkwkwHsSR0PspP_A2RtzGDmj2k2PDy2Sg/s4032/IMG_0907.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtnhEPQLNybUGS7Nu3n1_RV78BzmwSjcR8G-vkTRvrfIAzKxwY-AuV8JdSVT-pzorYPrMqIecV5AH0BhVWHewLLjMxaYb83twkSVL7wHSY0NqCeD09IaMr79ZFkPqZvZltMxmmlZcIBGZTX8FFoygA5qYSkJkwkwHsSR0PspP_A2RtzGDmj2k2PDy2Sg/s320/IMG_0907.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My friend Paula also made the Wind Drifter top, so we put ours out<br /> together for show and share on Saturday night. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />On Friday, I decided to work on a smaller project. These are the <a href="https://www.allpeoplequilt.com/magazines-more/sew-green" target="_blank">traveling utensil holders from APQ </a>and I saw them on an Instagram post a few days before retreat. I thought they were very cool and have a few people in my life who I know will use them. I pulled fabric and batting from my stash to make these and am happy with how they turned out. </span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5ZGq5wfjFPWMT1bwQelShwA_UAF0Jlup4CQBT0YJ8HouaFahaZzLmxJlRpuKHHALZ7k_b_toDNKqWpBRT79H-jnY_1u6xyeJIMxKo-gmqJwMcOVoWt7lYPsiIGsk47r4LO-37kjRf7ZKvyR5oT8NMfeeYPJR4GA0iahakoubp8N4mlNUHNdUBhTYBQ/s4032/IMG_0902.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU5ZGq5wfjFPWMT1bwQelShwA_UAF0Jlup4CQBT0YJ8HouaFahaZzLmxJlRpuKHHALZ7k_b_toDNKqWpBRT79H-jnY_1u6xyeJIMxKo-gmqJwMcOVoWt7lYPsiIGsk47r4LO-37kjRf7ZKvyR5oT8NMfeeYPJR4GA0iahakoubp8N4mlNUHNdUBhTYBQ/s320/IMG_0902.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Traveling utensil holders - camping themed one open, yellow one closed - <br />they roll up and you use the tie to close them. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />After finishing these up, I started on my next quilt top - this one is a pattern and set of fabric that have been pulled together for several years - they came to me via Lois, who left me her quilt stash when she passed away (you can read more about this through my<a href="https://quiltingmomsblog.blogspot.com/search/label/letters%20to%20lois" target="_blank"> Letters to Lois tag</a>). This quilt was started on Friday evening and finished by the time we had show and tell on Saturday - it was really an easy quilt to put together and would be a great one for someone who is looking to work on their half-square triangle skills (it is a little more forgiving than the tiny HSTs in Wind Drifter). The pattern is Carpenter's Square by Calico Carriage. Lois had a great eye for color and I think she picked a lovely set of fabrics to make this quilt. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCFb-_cmW6gfRbJQy_Dv6alLM3kxwQhORM5ObKACFsuGA-vnePW7sy-raAfxp29RuMfIDPD5aL-V9c7ko4kEzf53Osx11ORjQ7Bdyn5sQqBbRSTDrOBOMAQ4N-XNT8JfeRJLDcoRHs7E_xdZ76YbITJ7C6SoKUdEeo-PVXChJQRMGsTmvLPFS-PRuBQ/s4032/IMG_0906.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicCFb-_cmW6gfRbJQy_Dv6alLM3kxwQhORM5ObKACFsuGA-vnePW7sy-raAfxp29RuMfIDPD5aL-V9c7ko4kEzf53Osx11ORjQ7Bdyn5sQqBbRSTDrOBOMAQ4N-XNT8JfeRJLDcoRHs7E_xdZ76YbITJ7C6SoKUdEeo-PVXChJQRMGsTmvLPFS-PRuBQ/s320/IMG_0906.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Carpenter's Square top finished</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Before I tell you about my last project, I want to share the results of our fabric challenge. For the last several years, we have had a fun challenge that we do each fall. One person from our group selects a fabric in the sale room at Lolly's and each participant gets a half yard of the fabric and then makes something (anything!) with it. We all reveal our projects and show and share one night. The fabric from last year is an orange with lots of patterns and colors on it. I used mine to FFO two cross-stitch pieces. Mine are in the middle of this picture. You can see there are also two bags in the front, an artist's roll and potholder on the left and two quilts. It is always a fun challenge and enjoyable to see how everyone uses the fabric so differently!<br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbWbjxqGuv6Vzq_02F-jb0aMtgRRq_nv4ogfNIL-tt7ddc1ZJQOKPHCKF7qp9QAapqHt8ZA58g1In0c8Pjye4_WP8Ddr48245z655Ksi8Xr7--IPCtg4dojLziqZbrPWa5M6yrOSX4l8_i7raK83tIWGc9KLQ-8AtqNX42UdsmxSFfItYt1RDshCPEQ/s4032/IMG_0901.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGbWbjxqGuv6Vzq_02F-jb0aMtgRRq_nv4ogfNIL-tt7ddc1ZJQOKPHCKF7qp9QAapqHt8ZA58g1In0c8Pjye4_WP8Ddr48245z655Ksi8Xr7--IPCtg4dojLziqZbrPWa5M6yrOSX4l8_i7raK83tIWGc9KLQ-8AtqNX42UdsmxSFfItYt1RDshCPEQ/s320/IMG_0901.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Half-yard Challenge projects</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br />The last project I worked on is a baby quilt. I have a colleague at work with a new baby girl and I thought it would be fun to make a quilt for her. I saw this quilt made by another quilter in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTmEwZ9Khps" target="_blank">her Flosstube</a> (a YouTube video about stitching and quilting) video and thought it would be the perfect pattern for a charm pack I've had for years - Curiosities by Nancy Halvorsen. I found a light grey with small white polka dots for the sashing/cornerstones and it worked great with the fabrics. It was a quick quilt to make up and you can find the <a href="https://www.diaryofaquilter.com/lattice-baby-quilt-tutorial/" target="_blank">pattern here</a>. I did make mine a little smaller as the original calls for 52 pieces of fabric and I just had 40 in my charm pack, plus I used one piece from fabric used in the yellow utensil case. I am hoping to get this one on the frame so that I can get it quilted and gifted quickly. <br /><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UXw9RFcsGoGGRQFlKUIGENyItvp3wZNsEUhnQHsG1tm2CXV1JW5fmTFNFcGd_JuRPrF7l6efnoHIjFjTEr66p9MGKWq1l5IebGMS0R_CgDE7XDdsGl7j01io_MXz3eWakEHuy9cMstwDXupHOZgSlyWWZ0aLfxm_5xNG6IE2R3HojrZLUZ0ah6OtkA/s4032/IMG_0941.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0UXw9RFcsGoGGRQFlKUIGENyItvp3wZNsEUhnQHsG1tm2CXV1JW5fmTFNFcGd_JuRPrF7l6efnoHIjFjTEr66p9MGKWq1l5IebGMS0R_CgDE7XDdsGl7j01io_MXz3eWakEHuy9cMstwDXupHOZgSlyWWZ0aLfxm_5xNG6IE2R3HojrZLUZ0ah6OtkA/s320/IMG_0941.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Lattice Baby Quilt top</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">So that's a wrap on our retreat - a very productive year and lots of fun too! It will be a year before I am back in Shipshewana as I decided to skip the spring retreat with it being close to graduation for my daughter. I know she will have activities and banquets in May and I don't want to miss any of them. Until then, I will be carrying the memories of good friends and good food! </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISlMkNSfZu6pjYk5k0XT4JiHMTRp1OPGnrgK9TMHAuFshClhhGeuwx7ZxsxXg6kG4-2DitH5HWG-9wNsfJH_QFshAwSfXcJMyU8iOHR1nUwrmtXe30wFoVeBqnSlnZe0Aj-ftv-8xZP73XEBtGLAWEor11kMyq8m3iw0-k_S2YrmuH2cRp0toJPpf4A/s4032/IMG_0898.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhISlMkNSfZu6pjYk5k0XT4JiHMTRp1OPGnrgK9TMHAuFshClhhGeuwx7ZxsxXg6kG4-2DitH5HWG-9wNsfJH_QFshAwSfXcJMyU8iOHR1nUwrmtXe30wFoVeBqnSlnZe0Aj-ftv-8xZP73XEBtGLAWEor11kMyq8m3iw0-k_S2YrmuH2cRp0toJPpf4A/s320/IMG_0898.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Sunset at the Amish farm where we had dinner</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p><br /></p></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-12357785772438914472022-10-02T20:32:00.002-04:002022-10-02T20:32:44.181-04:00September 2022 went quickly!<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"> Some months just fly by, don't they? After a nice long holiday weekend at the start of the month, I had three trips - that's what really makes things go quickly. Our first trip was as a family to my niece's wedding - it was a lovely cool evening wedding just outside Denver, CO and then we enjoyed the day in Breckenridge the next day. Before leaving town on Sunday, we squeezed in a visit with one of my longest friends who I went to elementary school with and who was in my Girl Scout troop. It was great to spend a couple hours with her. </span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz0sVy1ldNbYQYc5JyJk_qFWXPldGF4t4Kcb1L7dHUOiKhtVz9uXZknlRmT8KtweEXqnRJrf7q694n9yUTRT2zBRK0Gee8ZXtO8c5WTAIAzENWz35wv1f_R5VStFnz7fSlAlXhKeJopJA0JH2L4lE_NDnJjU82TCn3DwLEU5yVj44LYK6X-6pdqjXsw/s4032/IMG_0800.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYz0sVy1ldNbYQYc5JyJk_qFWXPldGF4t4Kcb1L7dHUOiKhtVz9uXZknlRmT8KtweEXqnRJrf7q694n9yUTRT2zBRK0Gee8ZXtO8c5WTAIAzENWz35wv1f_R5VStFnz7fSlAlXhKeJopJA0JH2L4lE_NDnJjU82TCn3DwLEU5yVj44LYK6X-6pdqjXsw/s320/IMG_0800.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beautiful bride with her family and new husband. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVfwfbMtnoS1ISZpsexTNEWQpQ39Q98oBTGb2qT8oYa5HxgjeCEpb4AM310EWHJep3CKojASNYqhh0n4mxPgkR5m5_Dx7sPZ4S9TMUkgo3PaddIgsPmH6U04UDRTSbG3mcclx1PBU3la1gJNe6NFj8GD86AL0lMtHOMW_HzAAlKLXXca4dlJU5mmmVQ/s4032/IMG_0824.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHVfwfbMtnoS1ISZpsexTNEWQpQ39Q98oBTGb2qT8oYa5HxgjeCEpb4AM310EWHJep3CKojASNYqhh0n4mxPgkR5m5_Dx7sPZ4S9TMUkgo3PaddIgsPmH6U04UDRTSbG3mcclx1PBU3la1gJNe6NFj8GD86AL0lMtHOMW_HzAAlKLXXca4dlJU5mmmVQ/s320/IMG_0824.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Twin cousins flanked by my kids - they couldn't get over how tall Jack is!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe5bZCuw3SeKb7WS7nJwXFHapSK0HSKNHietciIKgfLfLLlJb70kZS9yzdtkxpHSQj5UT20NJrhgsZPXmnUkvihiW2oY8e3FH4SQ1yIlHvFcTME6EO7ifEY67UV87yI-54pxRiPT1ivazVPvOFykW-OTo3xIibTAtWBdjPz9wl0iKZ5x11gdhePt5mw/s4032/IMG_0803.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPe5bZCuw3SeKb7WS7nJwXFHapSK0HSKNHietciIKgfLfLLlJb70kZS9yzdtkxpHSQj5UT20NJrhgsZPXmnUkvihiW2oY8e3FH4SQ1yIlHvFcTME6EO7ifEY67UV87yI-54pxRiPT1ivazVPvOFykW-OTo3xIibTAtWBdjPz9wl0iKZ5x11gdhePt5mw/s320/IMG_0803.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our family at the wedding</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21ZbYHsvQfjlKrMfabn0WyNUsUH8RoN-wjecnXRQ34y6CCUYyy1FC0fwxF5fScGrkkD3J2g_wa7G7E2QdeHU3BPHW6JPkERztQPLmln_0xcjVbkwGqmeMh59czNIUyaGijHXZbBiQnkN5qZPekzXGYNY2gZVzJBBN8Tw8pop_SgXHS9P1JPsNxSH8tg/s3559/IMG_0842.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3559" data-original-width="2669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj21ZbYHsvQfjlKrMfabn0WyNUsUH8RoN-wjecnXRQ34y6CCUYyy1FC0fwxF5fScGrkkD3J2g_wa7G7E2QdeHU3BPHW6JPkERztQPLmln_0xcjVbkwGqmeMh59czNIUyaGijHXZbBiQnkN5qZPekzXGYNY2gZVzJBBN8Tw8pop_SgXHS9P1JPsNxSH8tg/s320/IMG_0842.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The whole crew at the base of Breckenridge Ski Resort</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjJW-8NaAIpfNrboamXxO4RGxK3iE6DlMQE81ibb9gsdaOaa9rxsvVjRW0VWcgBgDElxMuQxm-o8zwGFaSw1o2Y-3p2vMsxO-D6I7_uYHtwdLdOETdPX1UxpeqHD0TlD_1PBnSfxj0t5InkzBSB4uKIuLRRcLwVwXQupQTQCvBTz-HMFr70h9ZTSUsA/s4032/IMG_0848.HEIC" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjJW-8NaAIpfNrboamXxO4RGxK3iE6DlMQE81ibb9gsdaOaa9rxsvVjRW0VWcgBgDElxMuQxm-o8zwGFaSw1o2Y-3p2vMsxO-D6I7_uYHtwdLdOETdPX1UxpeqHD0TlD_1PBnSfxj0t5InkzBSB4uKIuLRRcLwVwXQupQTQCvBTz-HMFr70h9ZTSUsA/s320/IMG_0848.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sitting on the deck enjoying time with my friend</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">We arrived home late Sunday and then I turned around Monday early morning to return to the airport for a work trip to Orlando. It was a conference that I hadn't attended before and it was great. Lots of opportunity to learn new things and connect with others. We even enjoyed a night at Universal Orlando! After the work part, my friend Beth picked me up and we spent the weekend together. We had a great time dying cross-stitch fabric, binge-watching Welcome to Wrexham, and hanging out together.</span><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"> </span></span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdcHfjKyxdwWIO0Cq6siApAeVtRU3aY4B8XLyqg8mFm_YddOn-07Iv4FvrwVVFqmOG5h5GNJxb3Wjg3et6xJVxMWnxZJ6inOLMkpEWQz65HK1oYdo23rUurKcUcZFKmLL819IgOxK1YNsnTpPxNjJvyXpHyfFGpdWlMIVtBdhCMMgYlSnwAvvtFxciQ/s4032/IMG_0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGdcHfjKyxdwWIO0Cq6siApAeVtRU3aY4B8XLyqg8mFm_YddOn-07Iv4FvrwVVFqmOG5h5GNJxb3Wjg3et6xJVxMWnxZJ6inOLMkpEWQz65HK1oYdo23rUurKcUcZFKmLL819IgOxK1YNsnTpPxNjJvyXpHyfFGpdWlMIVtBdhCMMgYlSnwAvvtFxciQ/s320/IMG_0071.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the way for an evening of fun!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3S_najMjMd8Hhf71uNGBTjXD46A-arW4x1GeKpgPdtTqA-wZLfYREdhSnrTl5l0auLnIzc1EobhgnSs7Rni7yNX3YgHAhUDQV8Mvgti8oO8JM3Vo7e8xR3BPDPkDyZmhrVkwN13fqMUZ7JkqWjkhDqNzZvNpU5GZ2yf_tEGDVugbRWmErCgZh2kwlw/s2430/IMG_6753.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1909" data-original-width="2430" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_3S_najMjMd8Hhf71uNGBTjXD46A-arW4x1GeKpgPdtTqA-wZLfYREdhSnrTl5l0auLnIzc1EobhgnSs7Rni7yNX3YgHAhUDQV8Mvgti8oO8JM3Vo7e8xR3BPDPkDyZmhrVkwN13fqMUZ7JkqWjkhDqNzZvNpU5GZ2yf_tEGDVugbRWmErCgZh2kwlw/s320/IMG_6753.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The results of our dying fun</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I had a whole week at home before leaving again. The third trip was also a work trip and this time to the other side of the country - I flew into Seattle and spent the week in Redmond for a meeting at Microsoft. It was really neat to see their campus and we had a great session at the innovation center. No photos allowed from the innovation center, but wow, there are some amazing things that they are working on. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiob7POqsM5m9PWz1b6mg4pMYkj5xdo0Edg3yOPcNyT_0eqs1lRHTwA3MdRDE6BWpt9H-EZBoQ-0VZYDPk-kvnElGoTYZ2t-l64hlMLKtTBi6lPEWTmbKBIkH39rl16PqA9-cij_wLErZTzX5z6aH9uL2mXOGaheE9M-zWqXehyz1UamyTofd9ocHTQ/s4032/IMG_0103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiob7POqsM5m9PWz1b6mg4pMYkj5xdo0Edg3yOPcNyT_0eqs1lRHTwA3MdRDE6BWpt9H-EZBoQ-0VZYDPk-kvnElGoTYZ2t-l64hlMLKtTBi6lPEWTmbKBIkH39rl16PqA9-cij_wLErZTzX5z6aH9uL2mXOGaheE9M-zWqXehyz1UamyTofd9ocHTQ/s320/IMG_0103.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">In the midst of all that, I spent my time working on a quick exchange piece that I will show in October (as it hasn't yet been received), worked on three of my WIPs and did a little quilting. I usually just show finished cross-stitch pieces, but since I don't have any of those to share, I will pop in a few pics of the WIPs that got my time in September. </span><p></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXO1RTLoFDQY7MwRpRq-ftlG2EakEusj1A8KIojmi5UF3_dYfTsyMKggOZ4oFHqRUFfY8J4beie9Eva3rZiCuQ6TMJE-Nl-z2yNisBrgkvQ1TFNtvi5wI_JcvMiXN4NfUiW-HGk6WY7ZItP6l6agrxixCfEye4jOqPe9sf3d84OowgaJ-jJXyGbfmOQ/s4032/IMG_0870.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiXO1RTLoFDQY7MwRpRq-ftlG2EakEusj1A8KIojmi5UF3_dYfTsyMKggOZ4oFHqRUFfY8J4beie9Eva3rZiCuQ6TMJE-Nl-z2yNisBrgkvQ1TFNtvi5wI_JcvMiXN4NfUiW-HGk6WY7ZItP6l6agrxixCfEye4jOqPe9sf3d84OowgaJ-jJXyGbfmOQ/s320/IMG_0870.HEIC" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Graveyard Goblins by The Nutmeg Needle</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCCE_lys0EIthl4XFcceG28wETtmGN_-mz6iyGVuTA7OAjvQ8ISdlP6r6uKvL6AsC45EXPLgvcYsJtZtuNdOPQmj3SLNktzku-APRYadnrQa-Z3uNrRP54sXUvF8tgQK035Dug1NRuLPWzDv80B9O3Atb7twvrn1DdEQG3c18-TbT7GHt2FyXsVot6w/s2803/IMG_0864.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2686" data-original-width="2803" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCCE_lys0EIthl4XFcceG28wETtmGN_-mz6iyGVuTA7OAjvQ8ISdlP6r6uKvL6AsC45EXPLgvcYsJtZtuNdOPQmj3SLNktzku-APRYadnrQa-Z3uNrRP54sXUvF8tgQK035Dug1NRuLPWzDv80B9O3Atb7twvrn1DdEQG3c18-TbT7GHt2FyXsVot6w/s320/IMG_0864.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Circle of Flowers by Aury TM</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxi3Ls_J8cZSHzbCCnB5uDpmFlMw-29RMWOUHtamIeRilz11AEH9OTBTMhi4fLipWFdSo_HJawn_HvrkCJgGykwAx7Szg7gwfHtzYEkusvOGIJEX-ExlDr1_iBoqXxqN_QuBX-euZ1l4kMBwg__-x6a6XLjYj5TgWjVJNEBewhGRo9dvHsXUfH8Nonw/s3024/IMG_0786.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxi3Ls_J8cZSHzbCCnB5uDpmFlMw-29RMWOUHtamIeRilz11AEH9OTBTMhi4fLipWFdSo_HJawn_HvrkCJgGykwAx7Szg7gwfHtzYEkusvOGIJEX-ExlDr1_iBoqXxqN_QuBX-euZ1l4kMBwg__-x6a6XLjYj5TgWjVJNEBewhGRo9dvHsXUfH8Nonw/s320/IMG_0786.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Halloween by Primrose Cottage Stitches</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">On the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, my mom and I had a sewing afternoon/evening. We always enjoy getting together to sew and this was no different. I worked on a new project bag and then started a mini-quilt. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbj1O1PYE2ja7nePrRLp0yTRskUPfM0RTUedlxMmkjBXjypjWoKDJCjGekoCdnNrKY-8xxO8c5OtDQqSLKnyz-N4Ltyy6Vrh1kJQLs4CvKLnb2wCMeh0WrtDnXVguSLv1G5szJFkBot-YI8StjQffttOXgYnBzFS20gkebDo_gB-JaIadJUsjbw7-Gw/s2972/IMG_0785.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2749" data-original-width="2972" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirbj1O1PYE2ja7nePrRLp0yTRskUPfM0RTUedlxMmkjBXjypjWoKDJCjGekoCdnNrKY-8xxO8c5OtDQqSLKnyz-N4Ltyy6Vrh1kJQLs4CvKLnb2wCMeh0WrtDnXVguSLv1G5szJFkBot-YI8StjQffttOXgYnBzFS20gkebDo_gB-JaIadJUsjbw7-Gw/s320/IMG_0785.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My (slightly wonky) new project bag</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: large;">I ran out of time to finish the mini-quilt on Sunday, so was glad to have Labor Day free - I finished up the quilt top - it's a little busy, but I think it will fit in just fine on my mini-quilt wall behind my longarm. I have another quilt on my longarm, so this one will go into the "to be quilted" queue - hopefully I can get it done relatively quickly. </span></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSB05SX1yjyKO0N0FzMRBGWrHpf4Li_N8sAwBZZUfWhiuvTmVGNywlqmggpL9TBJY1-wVwcDrjJBqFnmgOeidKbNN8ptRHdAhQBA0IgpbzcL61rjOzsdPZQwoyu9z_Hj1Y9xrDAwaZ9pqOqCCz4cGFblC0xOPaJgbf_CTQiAPaV4QbXggEetOrGc96w/s3024/IMG_0787.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLSB05SX1yjyKO0N0FzMRBGWrHpf4Li_N8sAwBZZUfWhiuvTmVGNywlqmggpL9TBJY1-wVwcDrjJBqFnmgOeidKbNN8ptRHdAhQBA0IgpbzcL61rjOzsdPZQwoyu9z_Hj1Y9xrDAwaZ9pqOqCCz4cGFblC0xOPaJgbf_CTQiAPaV4QbXggEetOrGc96w/s320/IMG_0787.HEIC" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mini-blossom quilt top</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">October should be a little more quiet - only one trip planned to our semi-annual quilt retreat. Fall Break follows the retreat, so I may take a few days off and do a short trip with the family - will let you know next time I'm back! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hope you had a good September, whether it was busy or quiet! </span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-9914278091806474802022-09-03T15:34:00.003-04:002022-09-03T15:34:45.541-04:00August 2022 quilting roundup<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Most of my excitement in August had to do with my State Fair results, which you can read about in my <a href="https://quiltingmomsblog.blogspot.com/2022/08/august-stitching-and-indiana-state-fair.html" target="_blank">last post</a>. This post will focus on my quilting activities in August and include my month end reports. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I didn't do a whole lot in my quilt room during August, but I did FFO four cross-stitch pieces, three of which were pillows. You've already seen the first two. I finished up the third one last weekend. It is a mystery piece that came to me by way of a box of fabric, thread, and books that was given to my mom by a friend. We believe these all came from a former stitcher. There were two finished pieces in the box that I took to rescue and this is one of them. I made this cute little piece into a fall pillow. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5Dr_03kX_MZ5_p9w8HJbkTs6f1dXio3PAYdj0rk3E-z5tOwEzwm4Iyxs3PEONji_KUv7HQ6DIhycsyaI9-IkYYAPxFOqi7uhUbgq5biFg8t8was5Qmv0LWf8OdjJTi0BplxTATAlkyjynQbtYi-eCJ7ocHQXUBkNVzHlfgehR7HsXHQPxEMUuHCudg/s3024/IMG_0783.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs5Dr_03kX_MZ5_p9w8HJbkTs6f1dXio3PAYdj0rk3E-z5tOwEzwm4Iyxs3PEONji_KUv7HQ6DIhycsyaI9-IkYYAPxFOqi7uhUbgq5biFg8t8was5Qmv0LWf8OdjJTi0BplxTATAlkyjynQbtYi-eCJ7ocHQXUBkNVzHlfgehR7HsXHQPxEMUuHCudg/s320/IMG_0783.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Saving some stitching - unknown pattern and stitcher - finished into a small pillow</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to the finishing, I kept things moving for my Which Way's North quilt which is ready for quilting. I made a back and got it loaded onto my longarm. I didn't have enough batting to quilt it so I picked that up a few weeks ago, but it has yet to make it on the frame so I can start some quilting. I hope to get started on that one in September so that I can take it to my retreat in October to share at show and tell. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I also got out Color Love, a top I put together at my last retreat. I wasn't happy with the top section as I thought the fabric from the layer cake got lost because it was too similar to the backgrounds. I swapped it out last weekend, going into the quilt a few layers to move up some of the yellows and put the more saturated piece at the top. It still looks a bit lost in the picture, but it looks a lot better in person. This is one of three Quick Curve Ruler quilts that I need to get quilted and I picked up the quilting ruler last time it was on sale, so I think I will get one of those on the frame next. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFu28FLEixIhDcgEJ1uuECanYONSJWUzQNCmoZP7scpA8z8oxtEyMcVEVY1LUCuqiXMXa2sfgUWqRMkezQH9XUhKJnnP5f2dFVemjvK1UCsWzI6YemPiVkcjvq9Fv6_UsEcuFmjcLORL4iW6aAvZjWx7cWzO7p-_WJG72yHDFkwfCUGaK-x6bmdQMyQ/s2839/IMG_0401.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2839" data-original-width="2839" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSFu28FLEixIhDcgEJ1uuECanYONSJWUzQNCmoZP7scpA8z8oxtEyMcVEVY1LUCuqiXMXa2sfgUWqRMkezQH9XUhKJnnP5f2dFVemjvK1UCsWzI6YemPiVkcjvq9Fv6_UsEcuFmjcLORL4iW6aAvZjWx7cWzO7p-_WJG72yHDFkwfCUGaK-x6bmdQMyQ/s320/IMG_0401.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Original Color Love top<br /><br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7wZ2sXni0RUYArcP2zAMhYS9xLiMPZgBIlAW4Vsr9ztpWBxG3wB6obxT46ac6Sl9S4u72aj07DZI796jqkZ5QGP1Ox7p5L6ubLWlIHE0TCppX6U7N2iNf7eiDYqToDpR24dzDpDiSePs48wB6S9W1UyFg9kpYiIcr01We-d6bDmcYymrWo6PzQi7-g/s3024/IMG_0780.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx7wZ2sXni0RUYArcP2zAMhYS9xLiMPZgBIlAW4Vsr9ztpWBxG3wB6obxT46ac6Sl9S4u72aj07DZI796jqkZ5QGP1Ox7p5L6ubLWlIHE0TCppX6U7N2iNf7eiDYqToDpR24dzDpDiSePs48wB6S9W1UyFg9kpYiIcr01We-d6bDmcYymrWo6PzQi7-g/s320/IMG_0780.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Updated Color Love top<br />Pattern by Sew Kind of Wonderful<br />Fabric - Indigo Garden by Heather Peterson </span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Last up from August was some fun shopping. I had a good time using my birthday discount at Back Door Quilts and picked up fabrics for three projects - one zipper case, one mini-quilt, and the Halloween fabrics for a Quilt-a-Long that my mom and I are going to host in October. I plan to go downstairs when this post is done and pick out some more fabrics to go with this one. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDJe2s1cn2Hv_9HIdjW5hFypIX2f9IICM14jmJBJ0dTEowt2qgDS8Z3hIFVaf0D1h37_ygbzObehjpzTlwKN4d_1yZ7bMQUlTsQBQ4ZrHG-O1SIdcrFJYcrULhYpKHB2dOP7_HID9xFYyUzzFgDwwphVmPAWLu9XxMLF1_8t1BJDI0DUJMBz7krcpQA/s4032/IMG_0782.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIDJe2s1cn2Hv_9HIdjW5hFypIX2f9IICM14jmJBJ0dTEowt2qgDS8Z3hIFVaf0D1h37_ygbzObehjpzTlwKN4d_1yZ7bMQUlTsQBQ4ZrHG-O1SIdcrFJYcrULhYpKHB2dOP7_HID9xFYyUzzFgDwwphVmPAWLu9XxMLF1_8t1BJDI0DUJMBz7krcpQA/s320/IMG_0782.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Birthday purchases</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Between the fair, the quilting and stitching, it was another good month in the craft department. Here are my stats for those who enjoy following along. </span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stash Report - linking up with Donna at <a href="https://quiltpaintcreate.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">quiltpaintcreate</a>: </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Fabric added this month: 5 3/8 yards<br />Fabric used this month: 2 1/2 yards<br />Fabric added year to date: 9 5/8 yards<br />Fabric used year to date: 24 3/8 yards<br />Net fabric used: 14 3/4 yards</span></div><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Stitching time - usually linking up with Kate at <a href="https://kate-life-in-pieces.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Life-in-Pieces</a>, but she hasn't been able to blog lately: </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">27/31 days with at least 15 minutes of stitching time = 87%</span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Wishing you a great September - I have three trips - 1 wedding, 1 conference, and 1 meeting - looking forward to it all, but it will make for a quick month. I will be hoping for some good stitching time on airplanes and easy travel with flights on time! </span></p>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6558728721820091616.post-60204089518077892952022-08-28T14:03:00.004-04:002022-08-28T14:03:50.531-04:00August Stitching and Indiana State Fair Results<p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Happy late August! It's hard to believe we have gone through the year so quickly, isn't it? I thought I'd break my month-end post into two this month as there is a lot to share and I plan to do some quilting today so may have an impact on my stash numbers before the month ends. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Let's start with the State Fair - I have toyed around with the idea of entering items into the State Fair Home and Family Arts competition for several years, but finally decided to take the plunge this year (getting my entry in just a day or two before the deadline!). There are so many categories across all kinds of arts, and needle arts makes up a big portion of the catalog. I decided to enter three quilts and four stitched items. I've had quilts judged at our guild show in the past, but had not submitted stitching for judging before. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I wound up with four ribbons - each quilt earned one (!!) and one of my stitched pieces earned one too. It was so much fun to go to the fair and see my pieces with all the others. Here are the pictures of the items at the fair with their ribbons. I received high marks on all of my pieces so am very happy with the judging results too. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU3aTF_SWoAUe-nfifAyU9Ua4BdyIxuueXzvE0tbUKnmbrF-bBC0hR09-yetgkBD9iavmmPmkexZX6TuDmAVIQPC71_WYJVlG0XQTMaCYjnIa_mzOw_xMDKMfLPMZ0XSu2Kn1Uoo37XLkNtZBchRu7cTXS-ZgCJRK5fTKCVwt1AeWVuQJO1FA7byqAA/s4032/IMG_0689.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsU3aTF_SWoAUe-nfifAyU9Ua4BdyIxuueXzvE0tbUKnmbrF-bBC0hR09-yetgkBD9iavmmPmkexZX6TuDmAVIQPC71_WYJVlG0XQTMaCYjnIa_mzOw_xMDKMfLPMZ0XSu2Kn1Uoo37XLkNtZBchRu7cTXS-ZgCJRK5fTKCVwt1AeWVuQJO1FA7byqAA/s320/IMG_0689.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Welcome Stars</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhKzd8DhjzqOj93ot_BAyBU7JDayDbfQlQ0G78jm_Duj4Q4w2jJe8cGyTIxsf34OZZLY9lIgGllhnQdSys6fHdYxnHvNjW10b5XC-OZ0gcLydfPko_8MIbusQY-qNSoiBtq-2pBzvItML9XylgdSaqKDchLbziHXMGAQ61oDdywBrE-qXe9qEIM8ww/s3247/IMG_0688.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3247" data-original-width="1705" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-rhKzd8DhjzqOj93ot_BAyBU7JDayDbfQlQ0G78jm_Duj4Q4w2jJe8cGyTIxsf34OZZLY9lIgGllhnQdSys6fHdYxnHvNjW10b5XC-OZ0gcLydfPko_8MIbusQY-qNSoiBtq-2pBzvItML9XylgdSaqKDchLbziHXMGAQ61oDdywBrE-qXe9qEIM8ww/s320/IMG_0688.HEIC" width="168" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Lighthouse ABCs</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJCK044seHMJQ12N2684ee_6RVMguFtmrFUCJEdqmb3XabXtcmPQhG4BKGxjZRLKP5-zjb-pNdHVF25Uy5jOnGDhyqdtbSAN18cKUC5icMfJ8F2pkT5Ob2ztAnAHIhABrXyj8_Q1QsULuUI1IahgwNHWBk7ilGc5mbRJiuw3YtiILj9LPdF45O0Cx3w/s3019/IMG_0687.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2783" data-original-width="3019" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJJCK044seHMJQ12N2684ee_6RVMguFtmrFUCJEdqmb3XabXtcmPQhG4BKGxjZRLKP5-zjb-pNdHVF25Uy5jOnGDhyqdtbSAN18cKUC5icMfJ8F2pkT5Ob2ztAnAHIhABrXyj8_Q1QsULuUI1IahgwNHWBk7ilGc5mbRJiuw3YtiILj9LPdF45O0Cx3w/s320/IMG_0687.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Midnight Mystery - Honorable Mention</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJoJ1F5km7nfIa3TaPwo71s9jHLyEyZx62LHfPk6PkzIBhtOdiRnEwxNnwNQ4KDyegkefYb92Ea8aPiNupwYI9Iynf1DBxtKaHWoXltpyyaM9yiUXltngP_5X6z0piBlZgPET63xmY95gWQOQ1qR-lEDC4JR-IjJK4_LWzpxtYGO3voscaRDwVcFURA/s4025/IMG_0686.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1371" data-original-width="4025" height="109" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJoJ1F5km7nfIa3TaPwo71s9jHLyEyZx62LHfPk6PkzIBhtOdiRnEwxNnwNQ4KDyegkefYb92Ea8aPiNupwYI9Iynf1DBxtKaHWoXltpyyaM9yiUXltngP_5X6z0piBlZgPET63xmY95gWQOQ1qR-lEDC4JR-IjJK4_LWzpxtYGO3voscaRDwVcFURA/s320/IMG_0686.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Broken Star Log Cabin - Honorable Mention</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpRcEyxquv9PTGK9MFzMZx4jVJF2wzeQd7bbtmiffdrBYrPtd4gcTNwMHLFg64kuOuFNG3c4vUM-6o4AV2xMQ6hoJ_t9QriiBtFVlxbZHA5vo5rtgQLD0_wU1XiLNJP2sOHdFy_SuKwhq1mbw4FyTHNJ4ah3X_VaOqlfXzB4fJXir1nzjq2cZxcbcxQ/s4032/IMG_0685.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgpRcEyxquv9PTGK9MFzMZx4jVJF2wzeQd7bbtmiffdrBYrPtd4gcTNwMHLFg64kuOuFNG3c4vUM-6o4AV2xMQ6hoJ_t9QriiBtFVlxbZHA5vo5rtgQLD0_wU1XiLNJP2sOHdFy_SuKwhq1mbw4FyTHNJ4ah3X_VaOqlfXzB4fJXir1nzjq2cZxcbcxQ/s320/IMG_0685.HEIC" width="240" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Half Sashed Hexagon - 2nd place</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheChHXiQTgNOyDrOZUv8L02dvhfNdqoaH8rM9T9cI2UY7QUtzY1Z8U_tz1lYCHNRAVBaRAqjGmXJ6yfYENtYBY9rnjKL6p7SkeMiBZ2j_Igvqy_UOG6Mj2cL30JeDn9KcY1vgsE7McYMVYaISkl3T_LbNlFaTyJtgL8qJfWmGhJLzaUGowvuoB1KLiBg/s3306/IMG_0691.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2480" data-original-width="3306" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheChHXiQTgNOyDrOZUv8L02dvhfNdqoaH8rM9T9cI2UY7QUtzY1Z8U_tz1lYCHNRAVBaRAqjGmXJ6yfYENtYBY9rnjKL6p7SkeMiBZ2j_Igvqy_UOG6Mj2cL30JeDn9KcY1vgsE7McYMVYaISkl3T_LbNlFaTyJtgL8qJfWmGhJLzaUGowvuoB1KLiBg/s320/IMG_0691.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Pop Cracker pillow & Fox Biscornu - third place</span></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The rest of the fair was enjoyable too - we saw some animals, ate some fair food, and looked as several exhibits. It was a good day. It was just the three of us because my son was home sick. He had a mild case of Covid with just cold symptoms and was out of school a few days. He has recovered well and is back into it with school and tennis. </span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT9Z05Di2dBLo8WJGWwWRByqHMCcTcGN8uN2U3-l-EVp09-RKF35C0faK3SNjaNrDYq5XvV0hrktj3cBDdt9aYh8SzZCIi1xUQ_S_qIffrKoQZYH_8fxQapOGx93YtrxpGb8uZcT3rscC2JlUAkoBTqyokk9CILUENbX36O_FCMwOH2DePBIGVtJhKg/s3114/IMG_0694.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2336" data-original-width="3114" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWT9Z05Di2dBLo8WJGWwWRByqHMCcTcGN8uN2U3-l-EVp09-RKF35C0faK3SNjaNrDYq5XvV0hrktj3cBDdt9aYh8SzZCIi1xUQ_S_qIffrKoQZYH_8fxQapOGx93YtrxpGb8uZcT3rscC2JlUAkoBTqyokk9CILUENbX36O_FCMwOH2DePBIGVtJhKg/s320/IMG_0694.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">In addition to the fun of the state fair, my mom and I also hosted one of our semi-annual retreats last weekend - I have tons of pictures, including show and tell, in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wk0h8QwRDf8" target="_blank">our latest Flosstube video</a> (you can skip to the last 15 minutes to hear about the retreat and see the pictures). I worked on four projects while there and enjoyed making some progress on each between chatting, snacking, and enjoying time together. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I do have a finish and a couple fully finished items to share from August. I finished Dahlia, a Mill Hill kit that was started back in March. I enjoyed working on this one and loved seeing it come to life with each color I added. The beads at the end just made it really pop. My plan is to order a Mill Hill frame for this one and frame it simply so that the stitching is what you see. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEybNN3hLBC68IQXFvntoqLS63U5N9xyWuMhIY6Zhr2LvFMz364TLbSy48N7dnUkGO_V6w5rA1w801DMTWzROzM9iHFPgbCwVkPBF5ECA0cxgzBFsCzlPyD1nxg3AMcEFZgxtWWEzbQ-Ip5_NqLeFug6k8qXAW0O47mskod0WmtgZA5t4Csp-35CqeQ/s3024/IMG_0703.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJEybNN3hLBC68IQXFvntoqLS63U5N9xyWuMhIY6Zhr2LvFMz364TLbSy48N7dnUkGO_V6w5rA1w801DMTWzROzM9iHFPgbCwVkPBF5ECA0cxgzBFsCzlPyD1nxg3AMcEFZgxtWWEzbQ-Ip5_NqLeFug6k8qXAW0O47mskod0WmtgZA5t4Csp-35CqeQ/s320/IMG_0703.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Dahlia - a Mill Hill Kit</span></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Then I had three FFOs! We did an exchange at our retreat, and I finished stitching A Little Autumn by San-Man Originals (<a href="https://www.cyberstitchers.com/free_patterns/bydesigner/category_san-man_originals" target="_blank">free pattern available here</a>) and FFO'ed it into a pillow. I think it turned out pretty cute. </span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGz8g-1L-WV4PybbrP4LmpvgPj8_qElfOHm9ZlUXsZsDI_D-F3sVA9l-_m570BRWMYSbgDFXv94JZ2IWxk-PMID4Nv2hPYW2WAQsLPmvU-nXlsAKZIcpAnS6dpcGSi6DsNEtxFbtBiFB0g1xcYpFgzeYJU5U4VG83CagWmmg5ixFfhh9FDO6Yltz-5A/s3024/IMG_0709.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGz8g-1L-WV4PybbrP4LmpvgPj8_qElfOHm9ZlUXsZsDI_D-F3sVA9l-_m570BRWMYSbgDFXv94JZ2IWxk-PMID4Nv2hPYW2WAQsLPmvU-nXlsAKZIcpAnS6dpcGSi6DsNEtxFbtBiFB0g1xcYpFgzeYJU5U4VG83CagWmmg5ixFfhh9FDO6Yltz-5A/s320/IMG_0709.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">I used the pillow making method where you sew around all four sides and then snip it open in the back to fill it, so needed a piece of fabric to close up the back. I found this cute Halloween themed fabric and fussy cut it for the back. I think it makes for a fun back for the pillow too. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8q0PBVG4nZY-h6L0A_ZV96q93e6FLwjaePTj14fockw97lAIUfK-HaM31rgRJ3YYR1OWS7DzXeMslZKQOX_gS_79XFUs8pFclfHWQwll5ZwlVnJUNYUHBwanyt22Dd_yJqTvaA8MJv0BL_kAehv-i3Ff0w0RDRUJIqn5Ywoab5H_JA_Kj3R-NL2qZw/s3024/IMG_0710.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8q0PBVG4nZY-h6L0A_ZV96q93e6FLwjaePTj14fockw97lAIUfK-HaM31rgRJ3YYR1OWS7DzXeMslZKQOX_gS_79XFUs8pFclfHWQwll5ZwlVnJUNYUHBwanyt22Dd_yJqTvaA8MJv0BL_kAehv-i3Ff0w0RDRUJIqn5Ywoab5H_JA_Kj3R-NL2qZw/s320/IMG_0710.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">My next FFO was a more recent piece - Cute Deer by Durene Jones was in the 2019 Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments issue. I saw another stitcher make this shape, which is called a pendibule, and I just had to try it! The stitching went quickly during StitchMaynia, and then I set it aside to work on other things. It got pulled back out and I stitched it closed, adding a bead on every other stitch. I made the cording from the same red thread that's in the stitching and looped it over the closure. I think this will be a fun addition to the Christmas ornaments. <br /><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimdp2pssxBY4aoMDVAOZ1eGhrtTD9nfsk-eg5MbRM4JyH_Du4CMDI5Fu9mDFOxXJac1rZ1nW5ivl0RDTLR5j3dznqNZUaighTQMBmdN9gjvX5nAzYLV7quOZzo8UApQRfBN4aEECRg5V0vlWGUoPG02uR_qOOGUeva-H19aIq0DCaLue5tooWvCptwg/s3024/IMG_0705.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiimdp2pssxBY4aoMDVAOZ1eGhrtTD9nfsk-eg5MbRM4JyH_Du4CMDI5Fu9mDFOxXJac1rZ1nW5ivl0RDTLR5j3dznqNZUaighTQMBmdN9gjvX5nAzYLV7quOZzo8UApQRfBN4aEECRg5V0vlWGUoPG02uR_qOOGUeva-H19aIq0DCaLue5tooWvCptwg/s320/IMG_0705.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">The last FFO I have to share today was my oldest unfinished piece. I stitched this Lizzie Kate piece way back in 2012 (it's funny to think my kids were in K and 2nd grade that year and they are now in 10 & 12!). I found the medium sized pom-poms at Joann's as I tried the mini poms but they were just too small for the size of this piece. The finished pillow is ~6"x7" and I think it's really fun! I can't wait to put this one out for display during October. <br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vj6F9-MBMt3madhD54rYkxMI4VzDJ3Kwqc1GOiGkXO1HhPDev35pNWs8NKeXWtHY5nEaDklAv1AO0stcGqxcx261iBYBbeTM6c1Da8xx4gLiMGmkrMsVtO6VBXKbz4kgQzzEErn-t2xHojCko9qcNfn5pXACLjmkCHNToIuPEdpav9MO4ITgnMwv3w/s3024/IMG_0706.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8Vj6F9-MBMt3madhD54rYkxMI4VzDJ3Kwqc1GOiGkXO1HhPDev35pNWs8NKeXWtHY5nEaDklAv1AO0stcGqxcx261iBYBbeTM6c1Da8xx4gLiMGmkrMsVtO6VBXKbz4kgQzzEErn-t2xHojCko9qcNfn5pXACLjmkCHNToIuPEdpav9MO4ITgnMwv3w/s320/IMG_0706.HEIC" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">With this finish, my next oldest cross-stitch piece that's unfinished is from 2015. I think I want to frame that one so I will need to get on the ball and start looking for a frame that will work. I also have several fall/Halloween items that aren't yet FFO'ed and would like to get a couple of them finished up for this season. Let's see how I do - the next few weeks aren't too bad, but then September gets busy after Labor Day. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">Hope you are all enjoying the late days of August and have a chance to enjoy some quilting, stitching, or other crafting on the hot days. See you again in about a week to share my quilting activities from August. <br /></span><p><br /></p></div>Jenniferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12011158260769958981noreply@blogger.com2