january finish

Have you seen the Word Play stitcheries from Country Stitches?  They came out last year and there is one to correspond with every month of the year.  They are awesome!  (have I mentioned before that I love seasonal things!?)  I just finished the January one....and there's still some days in January left to enjoy it!  Yeah for that!!  Who knows, it may just stay up into February if we get some more snow.

These are stitched on Abecedarian Linen with one strand over two threads....makes my eyes go crossed if I don't sit in direct sunlight when I'm stitching.  But I like the primitive, natural look of the finished piece so much, that all the eye strain was worth it! I finished it off with a piece of cotton on the back and used two rusty safety pins to attach a hanger made from linen tape.

The only thing I would change if I were doing this piece again is to switch from the white floss that the pattern calls for to something that is a bit brighter and pops more on the fabric.  The Shaker White that the pattern calls for is subtle....maybe a bit too subtle.  (But not subtle enough for me to rip it out and re-do it!)

I tried using a lighted magnifier so I could stitch at night when I really have more 'free' time, but the magnifier took more getting used to than I had patience and it made me feel a bit granny-ish.  So, by the window I sat with my coffee and my stitching - just a bit in the mornings before the crowd got rolling.  It was a fun project to work on....I think I'd like to start one for the spring...maybe April or May?  Which one do you like the best?  

Christmas table runners

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  We celebrated small here at our house.  It was good...it was our first Thanksgiving without Baba (my grandma) and so it was nice to stay intimate and low key.  I did miss the craziness of lots of people, but it all worked out.  After the holiday our good friends made a stop over for the weekend...it was so awesome to see them....my soul needed it!

Before Thanksgiving I worked on some Christmas table runners.  I gifted one and so now I can share!  These are so fun to make.  Choosing all the different fabrics is so much fun.  I used holiday fabrics but I think they would be fun in winter fabrics too....guess I'll have to find time to try one of those for after Christmas.

I cut out 15 strips each 2 1/2 by 11 inches.  I sewed them together in a pleasing pattern without being too repetitive or symmetrical and after pressing all the seams, I ironed some fusible batting to the back of the strips.  After that, I created a frame with four strips of fabric that I wanted to look like binding.  From that point on, it's merely sewing it together like you'd do to make a pillow.

Once everything is turned right side out, I press really well and then stitch in the ditch on the inside of the frame.  Stitching in the ditch is when you stitch right in the crevice that the seam leaves.  This doesn't really show up, but it does do a nice job of anchoring the front to the back.

As soon as the table was cleared from Thanksgiving I had mine out!  It looks really pretty with an old black tray, some greenery and a jar candle.  Tis the Season!!!  Stay Jolly and enjoy all of your days!

fall table runner

I stayed home from a hometown football game to sew one Friday night.  It was a perfect night for football and an even better night for sewing.  I had the windows open and Pandora playing.  I might have been able to hear the cheers from the football game had I not had my sewing machine humming!

 I used my fall fabric stack and added a couple of stash fabrics to make my new fall table runner.  I cut all my strips 2 1/2" by 11" and then sewed them together.  I added a 1/2" border to the outside. (The border is a clearance sheet that I cut up and used.) To finish it off I stitched in the ditch all the way around the outside and called it done!

 I love the pick up it gives my dining room table.  The oranges are a fun shot of color but the browns tone them down a notch.  I took all of these photos outside in natural light, because the colors turn out so much better, but here's a shot of it in use on my dining room table...(from instagram - my morning quiet time)

Right now I've got flowers in a pitcher as my centerpiece, but as we get closer to Thanksgiving I've got the perfect ceramic turkey candleholder thingy to sit right on my table runner.  How about you....what's on your kitchen/dining room table right now?

friday night fun

It's Friday night and I'm sneaking in a little sewing time.  My boys went to the local football game to watch our friend play.  {Go Hornets!  Go Caleb!}  I begged off to stay home and work on this! Happy Friday to you!

back to school sewing

I ordered a mini bundle of fabric from bloomerie.  They have the cutest little bundles and pre cuts of assorted fabrics.  I like that some of the bundles are a mixed grouping of fabric and not all just from one specific fabric line.  I ordered the summer breeze bundle back when it was summer time and it just sat and looked pretty on my table until right before the start of school.  That's when I had the time and the notion to get a project going!

I made some pencil pouches for my girls for back to school.  It was so fun to mix and match the stack of fabrics and pair up the different prints.  (all the fabrics are from the summer breeze bundle except the yellow and white print...that was in my stash.  It came from Joann's)

Each pouch is a little bit different, in either size or embellishment...but that was what made these so fun to make.  I just did what I wanted to do without worrying about it.  (note to self:  do that more often!)

And if you know me at all, you know I only have 2 girls and since I made three pouches, that meant there was one left over for me!  I'll show you later, how I'm using mine!

And before you start to scold me, I did not leave my boy out.  I just knew he wouldn't want a girly pencil pouch.  Instead, he got a lego mini figure holder.  I put pencils (lego ones!!) in it for back to school, but he decided to use it for his extensive mini- fig collection!

Here's our breakfast bar all set up for the first day of school.  I've got kiddos in 5th grade, 10th grade and 12th grade this year!  The little dishes are holding their vitamins...their daddy faithfully lays those out for them every. single. morning.  They are not thrilled about that...but one day they will appreciate the sweetness of it.

 When I ordered summer breeze, I also ordered another fabric bundle (I'm not seeing that one on the website anymore)...but I'm thinking I need to find some time to make a table runner for autumn! Aren't these just the best colors for right now?! This stack of fabrics is just begging to be worked with!  I hope you find some time to work on something that makes you happy!

ruffles

I made a couple of fun, ruffle dish towels.  I saw them on Sweetwater's blog and knew I needed to try them out for myself.  I started with pre made dish towels and simply embellished them with ruffles. 

It was fun picking out the fabrics.  This is a great way to use up scraps of special fabrics...probably the most 'expensive' part of the project was the twill tape that goes on the top of each ruffle.  I'm still trying to come up with a way to eliminate it on each ruffle...you really only see it on the top ruffle.  But...that's a whole 'nother post...

These would make great hostess gifts and they would be so easy to make for holidays....I can just picture a Christmas one with some fun holiday fabrics.  As is fitting for this season of my life, I cut the fabrics one day, ironed and sewed them another day, gathered the ruffles and pinned them on a third day and finally finished them off on a completely different day.....Maybe I should call them the 4 day ruffle towels?  

Whatever they are called, they sure are cute.  When I finally finished them, I hung a one on my oven door and told my kids not to use it for cleaning up spills!  ha!

Hourglass Quilt....the tall version

Sometime a while ago I started my second quilt.  My first quilt was made using Larissa's scrappy log cabin tutorial and it is a family favorite.  I think however, that it has been upstaged by my second quilt.  Not because my second  quilt is better, but because it is longer.  And in our family...a longer quilt is a good thing!

We are a tall family.  I am 5'11", my husband is 6'3" and my kids are still growing....with my middle one tipping the ruler at 6'.  So.  We need a quilt that can cover those long legs when snuggling on the couch.  When I was laying out my squares for this quilt, I realized that it wasn't going to be long enough for our height.  So, I added some borders which in turn added some length and width. It ended up being 54" by 67".   I used Allison's  Hourglass Quilt tutorial and a group of fat quarters that I bought in Lancaster, Pa several years ago.

 To freshen up the fabrics, I bought a tiny green and white polka dot fabric that shows up in the border and on the back as well.   I really like how it turned out....so soft and romantic.  It's quite the departure from my usual khakis and greens and reds.  There isn't much in our home that it actually 'matches'.

 But that's OK...it's getting lots of use and that makes up for it's lack of coordination.  I was laughing with Mckenzie because I originally bought the fabrics to make a quilt with her...but she didn't like them.  She didn't think they were bright enough.  (She's my tutti fruiti pink girl)  But it's Mckenzie that I find cuddled under this quilt each night...sweet irony!

My favorite part of this quilt is the scrappy edging.  I used every piece of fabric that I bought in Lancaster.  There wasn't a bit left over.  That is fabulous!  I love using things up!

 I also love that I quilted this quilt all on my own. It's just quilted with straight lines but I did it myself and that was a huge sense of accomplishment for me. It was a fun process....and Allison's tutorial was very helpful.

 I just followed the straight lines and diagonals on the hourglass blocks and then used straight lines around the borders.   My back was too large for one piece of fabric to completely cover it so I used a strip of patchwork to connect the two pieces so that I wouldn't have an obvious seam running through the back.

I really enjoyed most of the steps involved in making this quilt...I wasn't in a hurry and I think that's why I enjoyed it so much.  That's not typical for me...Usually I'm all about checking things off my list. I may need to adopt a less hurried mindset when working on big projects more often.  How about you, do you have a 'hurry and get it done' or 'enjoy the journey' kind of mindset?  

right now

Which season do you think is the busiest?  Fall, with back to school activities?  Maybe winter with Christmas and all the holiday happenings? I always think that the next season will be less busy but then I get to it and it's just as full as the one I just left.   I'm convinced that the busiest season is whichever one you're in....  No matter what season it is, it seems that the one in which you find yourself in is just as busy as the last one...but it's all good, isn't it?  These seasons are what make up a life....I'm learning to enjoy each and every minute of them.  My mom always told me not to hurry and wish your life away....she was so right!  There are blessings to find wherever you are.  

This season finds us:  

Enjoying Improv hour as Maggie performed (this was before the performance)

and Mckenzie watched on...she's such a great supportive sister!

 enjoying the wonderful weather outside 

(molly loves to sit on the deck and watch for the horses and squirrels) 

slowly getting started on a project...cutting 6 inch squares for the beginning of an hourglass quilt 

our boy is learning to mow the grass on the lawn tractor....I think his daddy was surprised that his legs were long enough to reach the brake....a key essential in mowing!

enjoying my plants - fiddleheads as they emerge from the ground all curly and green

bleeding hearts...

forget me nots

huechera...this one is called Peach Flambe....it is gorgeous!

working bit by bit on my favorite scarf ever...

it's so easy, I've actually got the pattern memorized.  

We're also into baseball season and basketball as well...but I'm having trouble uploading any more photos into blogger...oh well, that might by my cue to stop and go do some laundry.  It's always laundry season!  Enjoy your seasons and the days that make them up!  

a jumble

I've been absent for a reason...We just returned from a basketball trip to Lynchburg, VA where the Varsity teams competed in the East Coast Homeschool Basketball Championships.  The weather was great and the games were even better.  I'm all in a jumble...trying to get back to our routine.

 The girl's team took the 2A Championship and brought home a banner (along with plenty of bruises!  I don't care what anyone says....basketball is a contact sport!) Our boy's team came in 2nd place in their division.  Everyone got along and it was a week full of memories and special moments.

I always take along some projects to work on while traveling and I found this cute scarf pattern on Ravelry. The directions said to divide the yarn into two equal balls.  I had a huge ball of the sock yarn all ready to go!

  Since I didn't have a digital scale, I improvised and used my second grade balance scale.  I was pretty proud of myself!

But after all that cleverness, I barely stitched 3 rows on my scarf....I would come back after the games and crash...you'd have thought I was playing ball for as tired as I was by the end of the day.  (It's a lot of work being a good fan! )

I did manage to work on my cross stitch while we were riding down to Lynchburg.  I picked this out in January...it reminded me of summer days.

And speaking of summer, we have been enjoying some gorgeous spring days and now that I'm not sitting in the stands with a camera in my hands and a prayer on my lips, I found some time to get outside and capture some of the beauty of the season.

When we were traveling down to Lynchburg, everything was brown...but on the way home, the trees were covered in soft fuzzy green buds!  It was amazing how fast everything popped with a week of warm temps!  

I can't believe it's the middle of March and we're enjoying May like temperatures.  Everything is blooming or sprouting....hopefully the frost and cold temps won't be back.

I feel like we missed winter....like I took a long nap and when I woke up it was spring.  Sort of like Narnia, but in reverse.  Strange.  I'm not complaining though, I love this weather.  

So...there it is....a jumble of things going on...a wonderful jumble!   Enjoy your days!  

(Oh and John noticed the curtain...after he read my blog!  he he)