increasing my fiber . . .

Over the weekend I was very thready. I sorted through all the floss I've accumulated (some from the estate sale) . . . it was a huge hodge podge in multiple containers (or not):

A mess. And even after I'd sorted most of it out, I still had this unsightly tangle to deal with . . .

And I actually did tackle and tame it!

Now I just need to purchase more floss cards so I can wrap it (and it can stay relatively tidy).

I also picked up (when I ordered it online and it was sent to my po box and I had to go the post office to pick it up) some new Cosmo Seasons floss . . . some autumnal colors.

I do love these flosses!

In my last post I told you that Ellie requested a new stitchery and she specifically requested that it be a monkey, so I got that taken care of for her and delivered it Monday . . .

I couldn't find a suitable embroidery pattern, so I had to adapt a coloring page. She's very pleased with it and was happy to be told that it's made up of all back stitching. She told me, "I'm really good at back stitching, Neesey. It's my best stitch." You go, girl!

This is the time of year when I get the itch to work with golds and olives and plums and oranges.  I saw this darling pattern by floralsandfloss on etsy and decided I wanted to try my hand.

I love the look, but it's a little out of my wheelhouse ... very chunky and dimensional. I can't wait to see it finished!

I was going through one of the other estate sale cases ... the one with all the oriental prints?

I counted up the T blocks that were in it and found there were fifty-six (56!!!) of them. Fifty-six 6" blocks (finished).  

So I got on EQ to see what one could do with fifty-six T blocks . . .

EQ Mockup

With a seven block by eight block layout, add a couple of borders and you've got a nice looking little lap quilt finishing out at about 54" by 60".  I love it when a plan takes shape!

You may (or more likely may not) recall me mentioning some time ago that I have had a 'sugar' person.  Actually her name is Sharon and she had an etsy shop called Simply Baking Supplies which I absolutely loved.  She custom mixed a blend of sugar crystal colors for me which were perfect for autumn cookies and even into Christmas.  Plus, Ellie loved to sprinkle it on her popcorn!  I realized last week that I was running dangerously low on my blend and it was time for another refill (I'm a repeat customer).  That's when I realized Sharon had closed up her etsy shop.  Gasp! I shot her an email and we went back and forth for a bit.  She's very sweet and offered to mix my blend from her leftover stock for free, if I paid the postage. She also mentioned that she had some additional supplies if I was interested and I said, "Sure!" So I paid for postage for a medium flat rate box and look what arrived yesterday . . .

Is that amazing or what?!  Jocelyn, the girls and I are going to have a ton of fun playing with all the different sprinkles and jimmies and edible glitters and dusting powders!  It was so very generous of her ... I wanted to share my joy.  :)

I had another sweet win over the weekend. Diane Knott of Butterfly Threads had a giveaway on her blog. The winner got to pick one of her choice of Diane's pdf patterns, and I won! I picked the pattern Under the Mistletoe of which she shared the original at her trunk show when she spoke at our guild meeting last year.  

It's gorgeous and looks complicated but she's assured me that it's not! She's gearing up for a Celebration 2020 SAL on her blog right now and it looks like a lot of fun! You should check it out.

So that's what I've got.  We'll see what trouble I can get into this weekend.  ^wink^

Happy Hump Day!

:)

retirement prep . . .

Mind you ... I'm still farther away than I care to be from that actual date, but still, I'm all about advance preparation.  In this case, it's about stocking up now, so when I retire and my indiscretionary funds are limited, I still have plenty of fabric, notions, and patterns to create to my heart's content. 

I made great strides towards that end this past weekend.  I visited (well, I had an appointment for) a quilter's estate sale.  And this quilter was very prolific, had a wide range of tastes, and was a most excellent piecer! Girl.  I made out. Check out my loot . . .

Yeah.  There was so much, I couldn't unload it into the RV (or the Nook--yet)!!  LOL! I unloaded it at the pavilion so I could spread it out and see exactly what I'd brought home.

This case had the beginnings of a 30's double wedding ring quilt with some gorgeous Dresden plates, too. And tons of 30's prints!

This one just had tons of yardage.  Look at those owls!!

This was two Christmas table runners.  Pieced, with batting and backing.  They just need to be quilted and bound.  WOW!

This one was filled with yardage of blues!!  *Swoon!*

This tote had tons of oriental prints.  Gorgeous stuff.  And a bunch of lantern and T blocks! 

This little tote had a TON of acrylic paper piecing templates!  And books.  And papers!

And this sweet case was filled with Lucy blocks!  Most of them are basted, waiting to be whipped together. Some are cut,  waiting to be basted.  And then there's tons of fabric, waiting to be cut, along with papers and patterns and notions.

And this case was filled with these beautiful blocks (22) and yardage (and some cut and partially pieced pieces) of the fabrics to make more!  I don't know that I'll make more of them, but I can put together a topper or something with what's there and use that fabric for something else.

There was also a tub of assorted DMC flosses, one of pretty beads and embellishments, embroidery hoops, and a stunning—STUNNING—finished quilt top in blue and white that measured 104" square.  I don't have a picture of it yet, because I have no space in which to lay it completely out! In that tote was even more yardage of the prints she'd used in the top.  

All that to say...I'm a good prepper.  Heh.  ;)

Ellie is already asking for a new project to stitch.  I was searching for a cute monkey for her (she loves monkeys), and stumbled across this precious pattern from an Etsy shop called Naive Needle:

Isn't this the most darling raccoon stitchery EVER??!  (Yes, I feel that the extra emphasis is warranted.)  But once I'd downloaded it, I decided that there was too much to transfer.  That's the only part about embroidery I don't particularly care for.  Mind you, I did attempt it.  And quit.  I decided to enlarge the design just a tad and print it on my fabric.  

Oh. Yes. I cut my material about 12.5" square and taped it to a piece of letter sized cardstock and just ran it through my printer.  It handled it just fine! I do love technology (most of the time).

Here's my finish.  SO pleased with this darling little piece ... meet Rascal & Raquel! I will probably finish it out with some simple patchwork above and below, quilt it, and display it in my mini stand.  Stay tuned on that one.

Not sure what this weekend holds . . . but I do hope to spend some time in the Nook!  (Oh yeah, and remind me sometime to tell you about the embroidery kits I've been engaged to create!)

:)

passing through last week . . .

Whew!  What a terrific week!  Todd and I usually rent a house on the lake and take a week, but our plans got all shaken up this year due to (what else) and so I thought perhaps the summer might pass us by with no vacay.  But Todd surprised me and I was able to take a week off, and we were able to rent a suite (a bedroom with private bath and a sitting room, with a private entrance) at a Bed & Breakfast in Guntersville – Lake Guntersville Bed & Breakfast – with a stupendous view of the lake, and just a five minute drive to the marina where we keep our boat.

After a week of stunning breakfasts like these. . .

I told Todd this was my preferred manner of vacationing from here on out.  ;)  Having the suite with a studio kitchen allowed us to make sandwiches to take out on the boat, but we were right on the edge of the main strip in downtown Guntersville, which allowed us me to take advantage of all the fun shops, and we ate dinner out a time or two when we didn't stay on the boat until after dark!  We didn't have the advantage of being able to just walk down to the dock and get on the boat, but we also didn't have to drive the boat two plus hours to get it where it needed to be. Anyway, I enjoyed it a LOT!

Got home and decided I needed a sleepover with Ellie.  I'd given her an embroidery sampler kit for Christmas.  I'd put the kit together myself using the pattern freebie I had found at Adventures in Making.  It's absolutely perfect for a beginner, especially a younger beginner.  ♥  We really hadn't had the opportunity (alone time) to work on it since Christmas (pesky pandemic and all), so she brought it with her.

She picked it up quickly; a born natural!  By the time she'd left my house Sunday afternoon, She had finished the first six rows.

At 8:30 Sunday night, I got this photo from her . . .

And yesterday morning, her mama told me she'd stayed up Sunday night (unbeknownst to her parents) and finished the whole thing! 

We think probably that her Pawpaw's prediction that she'd have it finished by Thursday may have woken up a bit of competitiveness in her!  LOL!  (I'll share about the outline stitches sometime down the road.)

She also got to meet Rascal, up close and personal . . .

Y'all met him in my last post.  She was absolutely thrilled!  

I think she truly believes that he is "our" pet! (I think Rascal believes that, too.)

I also got to deliver custom-made masks to Joc and all three of the girls.  

Janet had given me the pattern she had used to make her masks, along with a smaller version she'd used for children.  I shrank that child's version a tad more to make one for Edith's baby face (the bottom mask). She's so very tiny – still wearing 18 months clothes in some things, but coming up on 3-1/2 years old. The girls each picked out the fabric for their masks – yes, even Joc!

This week it's back to work ... and making masks for the California crew! I may even attend a Stitcher's gathering (with face masks and proper social distancing, of course) for the first time since February. I've experienced two mornings now where I smell the faint promise of September in the air.  The week is supposed to be in the 80's (instead of 90's), and our garden has mostly peaked.  Here it is JUST August, and I'm already thinking autumn.  Wishful thinking!  

:)