Slow stitching today, ahhh....

Golden tamarack trees just brighten up the views everywhere.  Gorgeous contrast with the spruces deep greens.

This Asparagus on the roadside is so colorful that on Friday I did a U turn to capture it's brillance.
 I never knew the seeds were this color  -  RED.
The sky was a perfect blue and we had a great visit and beautiful 3 hour ride.

The tamaracks are spectacular on our ride to visit the eldest grandson in Tupper Lake this past Friday.  He is doing wonderfully with this transition and we are so proud.   Duh....., bad Grandma never took a photo of him while we visited!   The staff are impressed with how well behaved he is and he likes this new place immensely.  He's only there for 60 days during the intake process and then perhaps he'll be assigned to a home.  Fingers crossed.  It's nice that he is closer and it'll be easier to visit him.

Life has been fast paced this past week so not too much more has been completed on the WIP-be-gone or my Q-4 list.  That being the case, I seriously need to just be and breath today; so am planning on stitching February's design for the Red Thread.   Here's how it looks this morning.

I find hand stitching very soothing and zen-like.  When I stitch  I totally zone out and stop this monkey mind of mine besides progress some more on a project.  Ahhh....
Will be linking this up with Kathy's Slow Stitching Sundays and the stitchery link Party over at Super Mom No Cape.

Another day this past week the youngest grandchildren came after school.  We needed to dispose of the mammoth Sunflower that is in the lower raised garden bed and I urged Popi to leave it so the youngest one who loves Giant AND Jack and the Beanstock could use an ax and chop it down.








Of course the older sister wanted in on the action too.  Clearly you can see they got right into it!








Enjoy your "Funday", whatever your plans.  And remember to send praise for the many blessings you have. My brother is hosting his dirt bike invitational today so am happy it's warmer this weekend than last despite the drizzle.  ; )

WIPs be gone

Am plodding along.  My WIP and the Q4 list  #17- The Red Thread made progress this past week.

April's is done so now am stitching March.   : )

The Braid Quilt (WIP and #3 on the Q 4 list) I've been able to get all the blocks made.  37 blocks done which is enough since am thinking of using a 6 x 6 block grid layout with frames, pieced sashes and several different borders so this project will go on the back burner for now.  Am still auditioning what fabrics will be used.  The solid blue and that yellow print 'were' for sure with perhaps a nice white thrown in for crispness too. While looking at these photos for this post, feel that the yellow print washes out a bit too much.  Will let this percolate and I'll ruminate.

Purple fountain grass and other plantings are all transplanted and am hardening them off.  Talk about a lot of work bringing them in then out, then out to the in, (anyone remember the movie HOME?   giggles) etc... so much, but am ever hopeful this will pay off.

 

This year am hoping to winter the grasses, geraniums, mandeville, vines and annuals.  We live in zone 4, so many can't survive without bringing them in.  I've wintered the geraniums before without problems.  Also a couple of the palms and the desert rose cactus too so wish me luck for this year with doing so many more.

Personally I am tired of spending hundreds each spring to fill the planters - so am hopeful by wintering these, they'll be off to a great start come spring and I'll have more moola in my purse.  We have a unit of shelves set up in the basement for starting seeds in the spring which I need to purge, clean and set up for this winter plan. That chore is on this week's agenda besides storing the summer clothes and footwear.  I'll have to take a whole day to see what brings me "spark-joy" and purge that along too.

Hunting season is here and I love that the men in our family can provide natural game if need be.   DH is actually suiting up too and going our back to see what signs are showing up.  Won't be long now before we have some fresh venison and some game birds.

Son and PGS#2 taken the weekend before Josh's 19th Birthday.

Happy Fall,
Jane

Am linking this post up to WIPs be gone at a Quilters Reader's Garden.

Finish Along for the last Quarter of 2015

Adrianne from the Windy side hosts a quarterly challenge to finish up our WIPs.
I'm joining this last quarter of 2015 in an attempt to get ahead of what could be done already.

Hopefully come 2016 I will have a fresher perspective with most of these off my back.  Fingers crossed!
Here' my Q-4 list of 2015:

1. The BQ Quilt Borders finished (current WIP and I have an idea....)
2. Patch-a-bilities St. Patrick's Day Wall Hanging WIP
3. Braid- aka How Does Your Garden Grow = Made into a quilt top - WIP
4. Wool Pumpkin Candle Mat, designed and sewn (PIG out and ready....)
5. September Red Work - Small Quilt Wall Hanging (PIG out and ready....)
6. October Red Work - Small Quilt Wall Hanging (PIG out and ready....)
7. November Red Work - Small Quilt Wall Hanging (PIG out and ready....)
8. February Red Work Small QUilt Hanging started (PIG)
9. Fall Table runners for sofa table (PIG & A WHIMM)
10. 2 Fall Table Runners for end tables (PIG & A WHIMM)
11. Fall accuquilt candle mat (WHIMM)
12. Halloween Wall Hanging *WILD CARD* (Have 2 PIGS in, a patchability and another Frankenstein Wall Hanging)
13. BAG - *WILD CARD ***PIGs and WIPs ( I have many started and set aside.....)
14. Purse  - *WILD CARD ***PIG and WIPs ( I have many started and set aside.....)
15. Pillow   - *WILD CARD ***PIG and WIPs  ( I have many started and set aside.....)
16. Community Quilt for WFQG finished and turned in WIP
17. The Red Thread Counted Cross Stitch all months finished January through December leaving only the word surround for 2016. WIP  
18. Halloween Game-board Table mat (PIG) 

Here are photos of the first three only,

BQ #1

Braid Quilt aka How does your garden grow #3

St. Patricks Patchabilities #2

The other projects I will share as I work on them.

And we're off....... With that list I think I'm off my rocker, BUT, I can produce when I need to and if it's not listed then I'm off in many tangents....... oh look, squirrel.... oh no make that a pretty bird.  LOL

Jane

My first focus will be on Projects 3, 6, 12, 16 and 18.

WIPs and other bits

This past week I was able to finish the stitching Bent Creek's "The Red Threads" months:
September, October!   Whoot, whoot!!

 Am feeling so smug since the September month design wasn't finished until 10/4/15 so that means that  I really flew through October's design since it's only the 9th now, not bad for a 40 x 40 stitch count.

Up next is April's.

With  getting those done I skipped back towards the front and started on April's design.  It's coming along nicely and am hoping to start stitching the wording that surrounds the whole piece maybe I can start that this month too.  Initially had though the surround would be my January and February tasks, but am really hopeful that it will be finished by the end of January with my current plan of attack of one or two month each month with some border surround as well.             lol and fingers crossed!

Here's how it looks setting on the box which houses it when not being worked on.  It's one of those decorative boxes with life affirming phrases plastered all over the surface and sets nicely on the mantel but is within reach when wanted.  Am learning that working on something doesn't mean it has to be out all the time so I do put it away even though I'll be working on it again the next day.  Makes for a nicer home when family and friends stop by.
It contains all my threads, pattern with the copied blown up sheets for each month, my glasses AND my magic eyes and all the other tools necessary like extra needles, scissors, etc....  I devised a sheet of paper to hold my needles with the extra thread on it which is pictured just to the right above.  I try to list all the colors in numerical order and have most of the bits of thread resting under the paper.
Leftover thread on the needles are parked off the project.  With stitching the needle remnants from under neath on the right side of the paper and then surfacing the needle to stitch it going in and out of the paper quickly so it's left ending up pointing to the color name and demarcation used on the pattern.  Was truly surprised that some demarcation marks were used twice in the different monthly patterns but for totally different colors.  Glad I double checked along the way.  This system works nicely and one I'll be using again.

May's

June's

• I also have used the railway stitch quite a bit to get the threads to lay correctly since this is being worked on with a hand hoop.  
• I also use the no knot start by taking just one thread, folding it in half leaving the loop on the long side.  I thread both ends through the needle then my first stitch is essentially a lark knot start.  Going up with the needle where it needs to be and going back down through the top to catch the loop on the underside which makes my first slash. 
• I use the 7 to 1 orientation as if on a clock as my first half stitch of my cross.    
• When just starting the design and actually on any projects worked on I typically will mark the upper left corner with a pin to know which end is top while the designs may be confusing or to early to tell what end is what.  I even use this while quilt making, upper top left marks the spot.

July's

August's

Other projects on my immediate horizon are make more blocks for the braid quilt.  Count is still at 31... hopefully next week that number will change.















 Also on my wish list and Wips be gone is the St. Patrick's Day Patch-a-bility wall hanging.  Many pieces have been selected and actually cut so I need to get this monkey off my back and begin the stitching.

With the leaf season happening
 we took a little trip down memory lane.....

























Visited the old farmstead......

Our daughter and her peeps joined us....











Seeing the animals now in attendance,

purchasing some of the fresh chevre,.....

Visiting the old plume in Jay, ....

would you believe she and I swam through those rapids at younger ages,.....

showing her where we spent our Summer evenings listening to concerts along the waterfront at the beach front in Wilmington, NY.....

then traveling on towards Lake Placid, and ending the day with a quick meal at a favorite haunt.




It was Heavenly,
enjoy the pics.

Dear daughter age way up there and PGD#1, age 10  playing on the playground equipment.

Beckoning me 

It won..... awe,
I  love where we live!

My Mom and I are plodders.  It may take us awhile, but by and by it gets done.  We'll have several projects going all at the same time and will challenge ourselves to get another block done or some more threads stitched and then push the next devoted deadline onto our to do lists.  We actually do this with many household and homeowner chores too.  Can't work the way I used to that would get chores done quickly, but can attempt a bit or two every day or so and then progress happens until completion.
Guess it has to do with our determined genes handed down the matriarchal family line.
Thanks Gigi!

TTFN,  Jane

I'm linking to Amanda Jeans' Finish it up Fridays, Sarah's Can I get a Whoop whoop and A Quilting Reader's Garden WIPS Be Gone.