Sewing Etc. – Sharing my adventures in the needle arts and life!

SAL Update – March 22

I’m happy dancing today, as I have finished the cross stitch on the second floral cushion. Next time I should have the cushion actually finished!

Here’s where I was:

And here it is completely stitched:

This was the most intricate of the designs, so I am glad to be finished with it before spring gardening begins in earnest! Yesterday was unusually warm, so we were out cleaning up from the tree coming down before Christmas. Things are looking better in the back corner now, and we are nearly ready for the construction crew when they finally get to us.

Now it’s time to enjoy a cup of coffee and visit the rest of my fellow stitchers. I hope you will stop by and take a look at what everyone is working on.

Thanks for hosting us, Avis!
Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen

HQAL Update March 8

How can it already be a week into March? Spring is coming; it may already be here. The winter has been strange hasn’t it. Here in South Dakota it has been unseasonably warm and NO SNOW. We are praying for moisture, whether it be rain or snow because 75% of our precipitation usually comes March – May. Right now we are at 0.

Last time I shared with you my options for my next project…I have decided on the baby quilt. I have no specific baby in mind for this project, but someone gave me the blocks, and it seems a shame to let it sit in a drawer.

Once I started, I realized that these blocks are not real quick little pieces, so I’m glad I decided to do them; they could very well take longer than 9 months to complete!

Here’s the first block in progress:

I am going to attempt to use up some more of the threads given to me by my MIL, if they are close matches to the recommended DMC. The blocks are a bit of a thread hog, using three strands of floss, so I hope I can put lots to use.

I hope you will check out my friends and their projects using the links below. If you would like to join our little group, just let me know!

Kathy, Deb, Sharon, Karrin, and Daisy

SAL Update – March 1

I’m beginning to think I may have a stitching finish by the next update! I have spent some time stitching most evenings lately, and have actually had lesson confetti stitching to deal with, which makes progress seem quicker at least! Actually, I think it’s because I finished the latest book in the Hierarchy series. Not my usual read, but I got drawn in, and couldn’t put it down. Now that’s over, and I am back to stitching every evening. 😛

Here’s where I was last update:

Here’s where I am now:

Several have asked about my new floss organization. I have a nice clear box with a handle that clamps on the side. It easily holds my floss bags, which I’ve placed in number order on the rings that came with the bags. Now my floss is always together, and I can pull the threads needed as I stitch. No need to organize threads for a new project or put them back in order. It works perfectly with my brain, though I think it may be a bit unconventional. Here’s a photo.

I hope you will take a few minutes to see what else everyone is up to, I promise you will be inspired!

Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen

Still Knitting…

I have finally worked through all the loose bits of my acrylic stash! This afternoon I balled the final bits to be used for student ornaments next year. I spent just about a month knitting hats to be placed downtown for the homeless. The weather is due to turn cold this week, so I am finished just in time! (Unlike much of the Midwest, we have had a VERY mild winter thus far.)

With the hats completed, I will now turn my attention to finishing up a pair of socks for DH, and starting a pair for me. I also am ready to divide my wool sweater, so will need to spend some time writing instructions so I don’t confuse myself. More on that next week!

I am really pleased to have all of my cotton and acrylic turned into useful objects. It was worth focusing on it for the past six weeks. A good thing too, because there is a yarn order coming this week…I expect it will keep us in socks for the next 4-5 years or longer!

So how about you? Have you been cleaning out any odds and ends, or organizing your creative space?

HQAL Update February 15

Last update I shared my finished EPP project, and I had hoped by now to have selected another project. At this point there are two possibilities, hand quilting a lap sized quilt, or starting these delightful animal blocks gifted to me by a piano mom.

Hopefully, by next update I will have made a decision! See you in three weeks!

Kathy, Deb, Sharon, Karrin, and Daisy

SAL Update February 8

It’s time for another update with my SAL friends. I’ve not done quite as much stitching this round, because I have been on a mission to knit up all of my acrylic left overs. I am making charity hats to be placed on the statues down town where the homeless are invited to take what they need. I am on hat number 4 and the yarn is dwindling, which makes my organizational heart happy too!

Last update I was here:

Here’s where I am now:

The end is in sight now. I am going to go back to the right side now and work toward the center.

Now I am off to visit my SAL friends, and to watch some more Olympics!

Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen

HQAL Update – January 25

Welcome back everyone! We took a break over the holidays, but now we are back and making stitching plans for the coming year.

I am in the middle of a yarn destash, so I haven’t thought much about my next hand quilting project, but I have a few things to work on, including some embroidery blocks for a baby quilt, so we’ll see what I settle on.

For now, though I want to show off the finished table topper I was making for my sister. I finished it and sent it off just in time for a house warming. 🙂

I quilted a grid for the white space and bound it with the charm squares left over.

The back is made of charm squares, so it can be reversed on occasion.

I am happy to say that she loves the bright colors, perfect for dreary Minnesota winters!

Now I’m off to visit the other members of our group, wont you join me?

Kathy, Deb, Sharon, Karrin, and Daisy

This Hand Quilt Along is an opportunity for hand quilters and piecers to share and motivate one another. We post every three weeks, to show our progress and encourage one another. If you have a hand quilting project and would like to join our group contact Kathy at the link above

The Itch to Knit

While taking part in a sewing room declutter for the January pop up, I decided one way to eliminate some containers of yarn was to just use them, so I have been popping off dishcloths, working on them while chatting with my sister or DH, and a bit in the evenings.

I ended up with seven dish cloths, several of which will be suitable for the gifting; the others will be utilized here at home.

Next, I will be knitting up my odd worsted acrylics into hats for the homeless. We put them on the statues of the presidents down town and the homeless can take what they need. It’s been several years since I’ve “dressed the Presidents”, so it’s time to clear out the extra yarn!

I also have a pair of socks on the needles for DH. He loves worsted weight socks, but they seldom come with the necessary nylon to make them suitable for every day socks, so I use two strands of fingering weight and that works perfectly. This pair is made from a strand of KnitPicks Stroll and another specialty yarn that is wool, silk and polymide. They are so squishy and soft he doesn’t care about the wild color.

I also have a wool sweater for me that I have been working on this fall and winter. I have been working on the body, which takes forever when working in the round; more on that later.

Yes, We Do Have Hurricanes

It was the week before Christmas, when outside the house,
A storm was brewing, and woke us all up.

Poor Bandit was jumpy, and pacing the floor,
I was tossing and turning, wishing to sleep more.

At 3:30 am I just gave up, and was on my way to the kitchen,
When the power went out leaving everything dark.
What was that sound? I stopped to give a listen,
It sounded like a freight train speeding through the park!

Next, there was a crash, and then another and another,
I raced to the window, to count the stately cottonwoods,
When another HUGE crash had me running to the back window.
All I could see was branches and branches:
Our huge back yard spruce was suspended between the houses!

Well, that doesn’t rhyme very well, but you get the idea! Not the Christmas present we had been wishing for, but we were very fortunate. Just the corner of the house was damaged, and it was mostly the soffit that was damaged. Thankfully, the neighbor’s house was unscathed. The wind was clocked at 120 mph, and there was a lot of damage on our street, about a dozen large trees down.

We are still waiting for bids, but hope to have this fixed before we get any big storms.

Amazingly, we got a crew in (Mexican loggers) and they had that tree cleaned up and hauled away in 45 minutes flat! They were amazing, and we were thankful to find them.

SAL Update – January 18

Welcome back to the SAL updates. We took a little time off during the holidays, so I am pleased to show you my progress!

Something that doesn’t show in my work is my reorganization of my DMC floss. I got some new floss bags for Christmas, and have now got only one color of thread in a bag, and a new larger container for them. I don’t know why I waited so long!

I have made decent progress during the last six weeks. I stitched quite regularly until the New Year, and have been sharing evening time with knitting since then, but now I am ready to be more exclusive with this piece.

Here’s where I was:

Here’s where I am now:

I am excited to see everyone’s progress after the break; won’t you join me?

Avis, Claire, Kathy, Margaret, Sunny, Megan, Deborah, Sharon, Daisy, Cathie, Linda, MaryMargaret, Cindy, Helen