bits and pieces . . .

Right off the bat, let me put your minds to rest . . . 

This got finished, so this could happen . . .

Whew!  All is right with the (her) world again!

It's been a busy week, at work and home.  For the last eight years, we've gone to see The Nutcracker ballet every Christmas season.  This year they didn't do the ballet (go figure).  So instead, I've been putting together something fun to take its place . . .

We'll have a full-blown tea party with all the trimmings, and then watch the ballet on DVD!!  (I've got several versions, of course!) We're all looking forward to that!

Todd & I took a trip downtown one evening this past week to enjoy Tinsel Trail.

It was a lot of fun and there were more trees on the trail than ever before (they had to expand the trail to the other side of the park this year)! Christmas lights make my soul happy! 

I also baked a cake.  Because sometimes you just need to bake.

It's an orange flavored yellow butter cake, with tropical icing.  Not very winter/Christmassy, so I did the strawberry poinsettia flower on top.  It feels a little Mele Kalikimaka, if you know what I mean!  Still, it tasted good!  :)

We've had some glorious sunrises this week out at the camp . . .

Todd tells me we've had some glorious sunsets, too, but I don't make it home in time to see those.  LOL!

We have also enjoyed some glorious weather ... temps in the 50's, 60's and even into the 70's!  We got out and about in the camp on Friday and I got to visit some of my favorite places . . . 

Serenity Pond is pretty no matter the season!

Looking up and down the creek.  The sound of the water babbling is as happy to my soul as the lights! It never ceases to amaze me that I live here. Introducing people to creation; connecting them to the Creator.  It's as apt a mission statement as could be.  ♥

 And my soul needs happy when I start to think too much about this . . . 

Yikes, y'all!  That's less than two weeks away ... and why it won't surprise you that my slow stitching is all about these things . . .

The Piglet ornament is coming along! I hope to finish it up this afternoon, while we enjoy a Christmas movie.  Hand quilting this beauty (table runner) will take a little longer, but I'm going to quilt it simply, so hopefully it will be done in time. Hey ... Christmas *starts* on the 25th ... and goes on for 12 days, right??  Ha! 

Anyway, linking up to Kathy's Quilts and her slow stitching post.  This close to Christmas, I bet there's tons of pretty projects in the works to ooooh and aaaaah over!

Before I go, a quick shout-out to my Alabama Crimson Tide, who finished the regular (like there was anything regular about it) college football season 10-0!!  Roll Tide!

:)

bloggers quilt festival: ellie's quilt

Greetings!  It's been a LONG time since I participated in the Blogger's Quilt Festival (hosted by Amy's Creative Side), but I decided this was a new day of the week, and it would be fitting to get back into the swing of things . . . so here goes!

I went back to 2012 for today's offering. It was the year my dear little dolly, Ellie was born. My firstborn's second born.  Her firstborn, Everett, was born to heaven the previous year. I'd made a sweet little owl quilt for him . . . but for Ellie, I couldn't bring myself to make her quilt until she'd made her entrance. It was very emotional for all of us.

Once she was born -- January 10, 2012 -- I hopped to it! 

I pieced the patchwork hearts with scraps of fabric from her mama's wedding quilt and scraps from other quilts I'd done.

The center patch in the center 9-patch was a fussy cut owl from Everett's quilt. ♥

I backed it with pieces from coordinating fabrics we used for curtains, bedding, and pillows for her nursery.

I hand quilted it with hand drawn hearts in all of the sashing . . . 

And a couple of special little love notes, too . . .

I'm pretty sure she liked it.

Precious girl!  Hard to believe she'll be seven in less than four months!

Ah well . . . that's my offering (and bonus trip down memory lane)! Please be sure to head back over to the Blogger's Quilt Festival and check out the rest of the participants!

:)

multifarious mug rugs . . .

This week has been a bit topsy turvy with a lot of personal stuff I won't go into (you're welcome). But I *did* manage to stitch up two more little acorn mug rugs . . .

I think I learned lessons from the first one and I was most pleased with the construction process the second go'round. These two still need to be quilted, and I'll get to that this weekend (the good Lord willing).

I got my hexie pumpkin mug rug sandwiched and started hand quilting on it . . .

I still have a ways to go, but again, there's this weekend.

Evey had a terrific birthday and enjoyed all of her presents . . .

She's so precious!! She really enjoyed her "Ella" topper. After she opened her gift and thanked me, Ellie sidled over to me and whispered, "Will you make me a special topper?" Bless her heart! Of course I will! :)

I decided that I needed something on which to display our sample mug rugs at next week's guild meeting. I got a blank canvas frame and a cheap price-reduced, flannel backed tablecloth.

Cut and stretched the tablecloth, flannel side up, over the canvas frame and stapled to the back.

It makes the perfect table top display!  I'll do another one (because I've got more mug rugs to display), but I think this will fit the bill perfectly. Yes?  And makes a great personal small quilt design board, to boot!

I got a little happy in the mail . . . but it deserves a post of its own, so I'll just give you a little sneak peek . . . 

Ooooh!  English paper pieces!!  What could it be?!  Hahaha!

The autumn season has finally made it's way to my office space . . .

Up until yesterday, I still had red, white and blue up and about. I celebrated with a pumpkin spice latte. A venti, even. Whoa!

I'm going to let Leia do my goodbyes today . . . 

I love how she drapes herself over the steps. I think she knows precisely what a step hazard she is! Leia the neck-breaker. Linking her up to sarah did it! and Feline Friday! And on that note . . .

Enjoy the week's end!

:)

this, that, and the other . . .

Not an overly productive week here at casa Panter (or should I say RV?), at least not for me.  I got off to a slow start with the sinus infection and subsequent laryngitis and didn't go back to work until Tuesday -- still not feeling *great*, but functional.  We were sent home early with the possibility of severe weather (yikes!), and I managed to start something new.  How shocking is that?

Actually, I've been playing around with this in EQ for a while now.  I wanted a simple design of 5" square blocks to make up a bigger block that I could easily quilt under the machine as part of a quilt-as-you-go piece.  The overall size is approximately 54" square and the white spaces (because I plan on using the polka dot prints in assorted colors and the Kona white for the alternating squares--exactly as it's pictured above) will make the perfect back drop for some special hand-quilting or embroidery -- I haven't decided which, just yet.  I think this will be Charmed, I'm Sure.  For Everley Jade.  (It's about time.)

I also managed to finish *one* of my two Christmas ornaments for February . . .

I love the yo-yo Christmas tree!! I had some darling embellishments I added as ornaments, which made it for me. On the other hand, I didn't do any of my block swap blocks yet, but there's always this afternoon and if that's the case, I probably need to do at least two sets!

I have been slowly-but-surely working on the quilting on the Antique Rose topper. I finished the roses and the hand-drawn vines around the outside border:

Now I'm stitching-in-the-ditch with the holographic around the outside edge (the purple and green).

If you look closely, you can see I outlined around the yellow center and again around the red center. The sparkly thread just gives it an extra bit of shimmer -- nothing extravagant or overt, just enough to catch your eye here and there. Hopefully I'll finish that up today, as it will make the perfect Slow Sunday Stitching (during Super Bowl L/50 -- I understand why they ditched the roman numerals for this one).

I might have finished it last night, but there was a bit of a problem. I'd taken it with me to Joc's (my folks have been staying with them and so I've been spending quite a bit of time over the past several days with them) to work on as we sat around and chatted last night.  I put it up when we went into dinner, and when I came back out, this is what I saw . . .

Oh my!  I'm just glad she didn't get jabbed by a needle or pin! LOL! Poor Ellie. She'd really like her Neesey to work on something pretty just for her!

Stash remains unchanged this week, which shouldn't be a shock.

I have the fabrics pulled for Evey's quilt, so perhaps they'll be cut and ready to include next week.

Linking up today to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts, my favorite Sunday linkies!  Y'all enjoy the day!

:)

happy - busy - happy . . .

It was a busy work week (and just busy in general, work notwithstanding), but there were definitely some sweet highlights!  First, I had a mid-week office visit with *all* the grands and their mommies!

It was a wild, wonderful hour, to be sure!  I love it when they come visit me!

We also celebrated Todd's birthday on Friday . . .

Whoohoo!  He's older than me again!  Haha -- it only lasts for six months.  ;)

And I won a sweet stack of wool fat quarters at guild . . . 

Isn't it yummy?

I'm so glad I don't report my wool stash. That's a horse of a completely different color!

And I finished my center for the Chevron with a Twist piece . . .

I love that method for faux ruched flowers -- it was so much FUN!! The blue bird is ready to be appliqued down, but I think he'll actually go on the half square triangles.

And, tah dah!

I finished piecing Lil' Charmer and got the black borders put on! The lighting this morning does not do it any justice at all.  I so love this!  My Slow Sunday Stitching will be sandwiching it together and getting started on the quilting!  I can't wait to see the effect of the rainbow variegated thread on the black border!

Which brings me to my Stash Report . . .

I'm counting in the yard I purchased for Lil' Charmer, but counting out the 2.5 yards (front and back) I put into it!  Yay!

Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts this morning.  Y'all have a marvelous Sunday!!

:)

ad nauseam . . .

Okay, well, maybe not as extreme as my post title would indicate, but this is week three of the same stash reporting numbers . . .

Not that I'm complaining, mind you.  I've already finished up two big projects this year, so my usage numbers look fantastic (for me).

I hate to say this, but I'm *still* working on the hand quilting on my commemorative block . . .

I meant to do a post on the curved cross-hatching I'd decided to do (thanks to a post on Karen's Quilts, Crows and Cardinals), but it's just been too busy. Plus, I finally finished off a course of antibiotics for a sinus infection, only to find myself on another round for a bladder infection, of all things. So I guess it's understandable that I've been feeling rather puny. Anyway, I finished cross-hatching three of the corners and only have one corner and to echo stitch around the final border left to quilt. The binding is ready to be stitched on, so hopefully this project won't drag on too much longer.

Spring has finally arrived at the camp, as is evidenced by all my favorite blooms making their respective appearances . . .

I love these sweet purple flowers from the ground cover in the turtle sanctuary.

And then there are these tiny little purple flowers, all over the in the grass!

And of course, my favorite Spring flowers, the daffodils!

The chipmunks have been enjoying the milder temps, too . . .

They're here, there and everywhere!  They're such fun to watch.

And speaking of enjoying the milder temps, we had some two-legged visitors to the camp this weekend, too!

Sawyer and June love to get out and run and roam and ride. Sawyer is showing off his muscles--that was a pretty big limb he had over his head.  And June wanted to climb with Pawpaw to the top of the monkey bars -- she's a daddy's/pawpaw's girl! And little Miss Olivia is happy to see the sights from her snuggly spot!

With all the snow and rain we've had in the last month, both ponds are full to the brim.

The upper pond has a drain down into the lower pond (pictured above).  Then the lower pond has an overflow canal that runs down the side of the hill . . .

And underneath the road where it runs a very windy path through the woods . . .

Until it reaches the big creek. It's rare to see it so full and running so fast through the woods!

That's it for me for today . . . enjoy your Sunday!!  Linking up to Patchwork Times and Kathy's Quilts.

:)