Bits and Pieces

I’m a bit behind in posting… I made Teena a ‘name’ pincushion at the same time I made mine, but it took a few days to get to her. I started with the paw prints fabric and built the colors from there, using a design from Leila Gardunia’s ‘Year of Scrappy Triangles’. So many fun FPP patterns - definitely going to make more. 

Decided to fight the winter doldrums with some ‘mermaid tail’ hair. Don’t love it as much as last year’s violet locks, but it’s definitely fun and cheerful. 

I bought a Fitbit to monitor the usual stuff - steps, bp, O2 - but the thing that has me fascinated is the sleep monitor. I don’t sleep well, haven’t for years. I’m slow to fall asleep, wake up often and get my best rest between 9 and 11 AM. But with the Fitbit I’ve stopped worrying about whether I’m asleep or not (everybody does that, right??) and I’m actually getting more shut-eye. So weird, but I’ll take it!

Rachel decided to do the 100 Days Project with me. Hooray! It’ll be a lot more fun with an art buddy. Hopefully she’ll send pics I can share along the way. According to The Google, since we started on February 22, 100 days will take us to June 2.

 One day done!

Matt and Mary are in their last week before leaving for S. Carolina. 

A few of the indoor plants they are taking to SC. They both have very green thumbs

The movers come on Thursday and if all goes well, M & M will head out with the dogs and reptiles Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. 

 Left over outdoor plants after they filled up our front yard.

Donovan figured out how long he would be in the car if he rode with them and voted to stay with me and Pop. Smart boy. 

 Part of their ‘inheritance’ - passing along furniture and glassware I inherited from my mom.

We’ll fly out with him the second week of March, giving Mom and Dad time to get things unloaded and unpacked. Looking forward to seeing their new place.

100 Days Project

I’ve been in a creative slump for awhile. I’m blaming it on my craft room being too cold at night - my preferred sewing time - and also on the last grandchild moving across the country. Life is going to be very, very different without little people around, which is sad but also an opportunity. (I’m repeating that several times a day…)

So when I saw The 100 Day Project, I thought ‘hmmm, timely!’ And immediately knew what I wanted to do. It needed to be: portable so it can tag along on trips; flexible so I can do a lot or a little each day; fun so I want to work on it. Bonus that it’s a UFO I really want to finish. 

Part A is embroidery, specifically the Wildflower quilt kit I started back in March 2024 (here). I’d like to learn/practice some new-to-me/renew-my-skills stitches too so Wildflower is a good starting place. Plus, I can finally see close-up again! thanks to last year’s eye surgery and a new pair of up-close glasses. 

Part B is going on a walk everyday, even if it’s just around the block. I’ve gotten badly out of shape (not that I ever exercised much). Being outside, getting some exercise will be good for body, mind and hopefully my sleep schedule. 

Tomorrow is kick off day! Even if I don’t make it the full 100 days, the UFO and I will both be better off than we are today. Win win!

* Judging from past experience, there’s only a slim chance I’ll finish this. Don’t care. It’ll get me moving, with a daily goal, and that’s what I need.  

Dapper Frosty

Winter Wonderland #11 is done, at least for me. Teena still has a few sections to finish, as soon as she gets back from her upcoming trip.

We FaceTimed again while working on Frosty, she in Oregon (where it is snowing!) and me in California (listening to the rain and wind and hoping the neighbors trees don’t come down on our house.) I kinda wish I’d made his hat a different/lighter color but I do like the sparkles. He’s got personality!

Pattern is “Frosty The Snowman” by Full Bobbin Designs (Etsy shop here). I’ve made a bunch of her FPP patterns and we have a couple more in the queue for this project. They’re well designed and fun to make.

Purple Whatsit Done!

Purple Gallinule. Can not remember the name but it’s done all the same. 

I would have rather read a book tonight (it’s cold and damp, with rain supposed to start around midnight) but I powered through and look how cute this guy is!

Broke out the specialty pins to make sure things lined up correctly.

I love seeing the backside of projects - this one’s a big, colorful, organized mess. 

I’m leaving the papers in until everything is done. It’ll be a chore pulling them out but hopefully will make it easier to sew the blocks together. And it protects the unfinished edges from fraying and stretching. 

The Northern Flicker is up next, then the Roseate Spoonbill- the biggest block of all which is a bit intimidating. 

We still have a few months to go before finishing up in June. Should give me time to get this quilted and.. maybe enter it in the Guild’s quilt show in September? It would be a first for me…

A Purple Whatsit

The first half of November’s Purple Gallinule is done. Hooray! 

Top piece isn’t attached yet

Maybe the no-interest-in-quilting curse is broken? You know it’s bad when I choose to clean cabinets rather than sew… 

This guy is a ground-feeding omnivore, a species of swamphen. (More here) Those  huge feet look so awkward but they’re great for walking on lily pads. 

Hoping to get the second half done tomorrow. February’s pattern arrived last Thursday (and it’s a BIG one), so I’m once again 3 birds behind. Gotta catch up!

Containment

We don’t shop at the Container Store very often - it is to us like Costco is to other people: must buy all the things! 

The two stores near us are both closing (see: we don’t shop there often…) so we went “just to see what’s there”. It was pretty picked over but we still managed to fill a shopping cart with treasures, mostly for the kitchen.

I didn’t have time to finish two cabinets during December’s pre-Christmas cleaning spree, 

so tonight I took everything out of my ‘baking’ cabinet, cleaned it, organized it into the pretty new bins and put it all back. 

Probably nobody but me would notice the difference but… it’s so pretty. Pantry is up next. That’s going to be a chore.

Wayback Weaving

One of the buried treasures I found in the last round of move-my-stuff was this small-loom weaving I did in a workshop at French General in… 2014. (Here)

The original intent was to make a pincushion - it only lacked having the tails woven in - so I ironed interfacing over the side tails to hold them in place, 

glued a small piece of Soft and Stable to the backing to (hopefully) keep pins from sticking me through, sewed it up and trimmed off the yarn tails - no weaving-in required!

Turning it right-side out was tough. It’s so small - only 2x4” - and the fabric so thick, I couldn’t do it by hand. Hemostat to the rescue! It was still a chore but it worked. 

Stuffed it with walnut shells, glued and hand-stitched the last side closed and voilá! Another tiny pincushion for my collection.

It’s lumpy and bumpy and not very tidy - it was definitely prettier as a flat weaving - but I like it and it’s useful. Bonus - it brings back some truly great memories. 

Cushions and Critters

I planned to make myself a ‘name’ pincushion… eventually, 

but I found this flower fabric while digging thru the scrap baskets and….

couldn’t resist. 

The FPP pattern is “Rectangular Economy Block” by Thimbles and Needles in the 3x6” size. 

Definitely going to make another, smaller, one soon. So easy and fun. Gotta use up those pounds of walnut shells!

Leo and Jaclyn now have chickens 

and rabbits. The bunny on the right reminded me of butterscotch, so that’s what they named her. 😍

Donovan found a friend while on a home-school field trip. 

They found a cave, crab, octopus and more in the tidal pools. 

So cool, even if he had to leave his new buddy behind.