Happily finished with

two more of my UFOs.  Yippee Ki Yi Yey! 

The first to share is the BBD Easter Blessings all framed.  This piece has been stitched for awhile and laid  placed carefully  in the   armoir that holds my stitchy stuff.  Glad I'm focusing on getting things completed around here, it feels really nice seeing it hanging up in the bedroom now. 

 

The colors of it are perfect in the boudoir which hosts a very outdated mauve color that I 'm not changing.  I just may make a new quilt to go with those colors to update the bedrooms look, Sonya's Windows may be perfect.   I know you can't see it but each piece I stitch I  insert my  name and year into the piece so it's hardly there. 

 

Here's a closer view of the frame selected, I just love it!

On Saturday it was Small Business Appreciation Day.  Luckily I supported 3 small businesses with my typical support. 
Tip Top Frame for the piece above.
A Mano, a local bead shop 's class  that I attended so I could get another UFO finished.  I wasn't able to complete it there,  but made major headway on it so later that night I continued on and was able to finish it Sunday morning. 
oing another little happy Dance!




Ice bracelet completed! Yaaah!

It was very simple to make and I have another ICE Bracelet kitted in light green and coppery red that is so tempting to get into just now.

Perhaps in a week or two it can be started while the making of this one is still fresh in my mind. 


Thanks for stopping by and letting me know what colors work best for The BigEZ.  I appreciate visiting with you and the input.  What ever you are doing today, do it with ZEST!



Jane
Off to pick up PGS#3 from preschool.....




 

Youngest grand child on his way..

The youngest grandson (PGS#3) who is 2 and will turn three at the beginning of December is now a big boy and attending preschool. His Mom isn't sure that he is really ready so she is paying her daycare provider through the end of September to reserve his space there. Preschool occurs 3 times a week and I know he is ready and happy to get to go to school.



See what I mean, he did fuss just a bit when we were ready to leave but he did fine. I just wonder when the I'm not going to school today phase will kick in. Perhaps I'll be lucky and if it will happen it'll be when it's 40 below zero or something handy like that. VBG!

These next two shots are quite washed out, sorry about that. Somehow the camera setting shifted.

His big sister is in first grade now and when she got home after the first day of school she wanted to jump rope. Ahhhh..... I remember those days when I considered that fun. Now 2 jumps and I am winded and just try to breath!

She was so proud and couldn't wait for Mom and Dad to come pick her up to show off her new skills. Check out that smile while she's jumping....uumphh, what a show off! giggle

This is what she learned (of course you need to sing it into a rhyme):

Ice Cream Soda
Bananan Split
Who's your boyfriend
I forget

Is it
A
B
C
D etc....and which ever letter you can't jump by becomes the first letter of a boy's name. Oh those simple times. {smile}


Here are a couple of recent finishes.

Jeweled pavers is Tout Fini! Attempting to get an artsy pic. (if I do say so myself, it's not too bad LOL).


A view of the back. I Like to finish by using some leftover blocks in a linear orientation besides I threw in a bit of a Kaffe fabric that worked too. It was at this time when I noticed that the camera was not set correctly and was wasing out the shots. You'd think I could have taken another shot of the back showing the true colors BUT NO, didn't think of that. Oh well.


Blackbird Designs Easter Parade also finished, that is except for the framing.


Closeup of a little variation that felt right for this piece. Flipped some design details and added in three crosses representing calvary with the center cross more embellished.


A Closer view:



One of my current WIPs,

I really don't care for the ribbon that was kitted with this scissor fob that I recently won on ebay. It was a great deal from a lady that I enjoy doing business with. Besides this kit I also purchased 4 others to complement my scissor collection. Not sure yet what I'll use for the cording or ribbon trim. Will have to sit on that for a bit while the C.O.C. quilt is worked on.

Current and URGENT WIP:

Would you believe that this will be a finished quilt in 3 weeks? What do you think besides get your butt moving faster Jane.
Thanks for stopping by to visit and perhaps leaving a message. Your comments are always appreciated and I enjoy viewing the links to your space to see what you've been up to as well. Blogging is truly a nice benefit of living today. See you soon.

Jane

Whiz, bang POW!

Life continues to throw wrinkles my way but I do find the silver linings. Hurricane Irene left a devastating path along the whole East coast and the devastation is amazing. Without power and a just a bit of damage with erosion on the waterfront of our property and food spoilage we didn't fare as badly as quite a few of our neighboring friends, they lost everything. We do need to install our electric service line and both of us are thinking of having it buried to eliminate any future damages done to it by storms. Currently we are waiting to hear back from an electrician. Along the roadways where there were no brooks or rivers the erosion was amazing to see what flash floods could do. Tearing up the road shoulders, support systems and making ravines wherever the water wanted to go, carving out paths through tarmack even. Flash floods are something that typically don't happen in our neck of the woods so it is with a renewed reverence for water that I report this.

I have always had respect for our fore bearers in working in lamplight while doing their craft and found myself grateful to have flash lights and candles for working on my WIPS while we were without communication, power and even cell phone coverage. My silver linings were that I was able to finish my BBD Easter Parade while the lights were gone, and also made huge headway in my monstrous sized quilt of the Jeweled Pavers, aka Patience Corners. The binding was just finished this evening so the only bit left is to make the label for it. Our daughter borrowed our camera to capture the damages she had from Hurricane Irene, so when I get it back, I'll be showing you my finishes.

The next focus on my WIPS, (After the above mentioned label of course) is to finish my borders on the C.O.C. quilt that will be in next month's quilt show. The acronym for that quilt could be Color on Color since it is quite boldly colored and not my usual trend, but it was an exercise in color for me that started as the Cadyville "Orange Crush" Mystery quilt. It was started a couple of years ago as a "mystery quilt" with Bonnie Turner from Quiltville.com. so I did try to follow her recommendations BUT I did have a scrap Madras skirt in my scrap pile that I thought, those colors were close to what she suggested and would stretch my color consciousness too and the rest as they say is history. So recently, during Hurricane Irene, while stitching the other items, I pondered and finally figured out what the best border treatment for C.O.C. quilt is calling for. I only hope it works and can be finished quickly.

Will be back with you when I can.

Jane

During day one of the Hurricane, DH set up our generator to at least run freezers and our medical equipment. It was a gas powered one that kept reving up and shuddering down. Then in the middle of the night, while it was whizzing more strenuously "ka- POW"! She broke down.
Great! with our medical equipment, a machine for his heart and then my C-pap machine for my apnea we were literally sleeping with one eye open, or at least that's how it felt. Thankfully a friend tried to repair it but alas, without success. Thankfully our local fire dept loaned us a generator the last day of our lack of energy, what saints they were and are.

Progress...

Just a few things going on.

Typical.





BBD Easter Parade progress, I am finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.



Our guild's quilt show is coming quickly so am finishing up some of the quilts that I entered. This baby is a montrous 102" X 102", am hoping to hand stitch the binding at a pace of one side a night when I can, so this will be done by the end of August. Crossing fingers.




Hubby in the kitchen cooking. And he wonders why I need to be absent when he's there.





He just doesn't get it, I spend more time wiping up after him, closing doors and putting things away that it drives me nuts. There, that explains that.




Oh well, my man can at least cook! lol

Enjoy your blessings,

Jane

Easter parade coming along very slowly, here it is.



Thank goodness for getting distances with a camera. His nose looks kind of flat so after quickly checking and comparing it with the chart I see it's messed up and needs to go one stitch to the right. I'll be getting to that hopefully later on tonight. I keep marvelling at how I can mess this up!

PGD#1 is here today. She asked me so sweetly before she went to school "could we make this dolly"? I purchased this book while away at the retreat last weekend. I shopped on my way there and then again on my way home. I do miss Joann's Fabric Stores! It was so convenient when they had a store locally. Now the closest one is an hour away and with the price of gas it adds to the cost of my projects. Good thing I have a nice stash! I also hit another quilt shop while traveling in both directions that is located about 90 minutes away only going in one direction. Did acquire a bit but did try to be reasonable with what I purchased.

This afternoon the plans are to start making the doll on the left when she gets home from school. I just love that she is interested in crafts and sewing. Wish us luck!

Thanks for stopping by. I really appreciate all of the lovely comments and getting to know you.

Jane

Current WIPs

The BBD design Easter Parade is slowly being worked on. This is my progress so far.



For such a lovely little pattern it's amazing how many times I've had to rip out my ill-placed stitches. How did I do that I keep wondering. Going back trying to figure out how I keep messing up. I really am befuddled as how I am messing this up. Normally counted cross stitch is super easy for me. Perhaps it's all the interruptions with the little grandchildren around. Maybe I'll have to just stitch when it's quiet. That may save some of my efforts and wasted time doing it wrong and then going back to rip and then stitch it correctly.

As for the sewing I currently am working on a hospital gown for the friend of my granddaughter. Just 6 years old and fighting such a horrendous disease. Every time I try to work on this my heart aches so for the little one, but I really need to get this done and let the love stitched into it comfort her somewhat. Buck up Janie and get it done.


When a couple of friends and I gathered for our one day retreat, I did get the robe I'd love to make DH cut out. Since the fabric I loved and thought would work best, the tie-dyed cobalt blue fleece, was very limited I had to buy 2 separate pieces of it and took what was left on two bolts. YIKES!



The sizes of the pieces don't fit with the size of my pattern pieces...... After a bit of F&F (fudging and figuring), I'll be piecing the sleeve fabrics together to get the length I need. I've never seen a sleeveless robe have you? I don't want the seam to fall near his elbow joint so I'm hoping that it'll fall near the upper section of the sleeve. This pattern has an unusual sleeve pattern I have never sewn before. I have sewn regular raglan sleeves but never one with a dart like formation on the top of the shoulder, so I have a bit of cautious trepidation about this pattern. Besides that, it calls for an interfacing and with the stretchiness of fleece, not sure how well a fusible interfacing will hold up. The next thought is a stretch stitch, guess I'll be looking that one up in my bernina stitches, wish me luck.

I do hope both of these will be finished this week. There is a retreat I'm attending shortly and I need to get packed and planned for what I'll be bringing to work on. With the phlethoras of WIPS and PIGs it shouldn't be a problem. The only problem is I have a tendancy to think I can get it all done. LOL I know, funny isn't it. One project that I know of so far is the Number 1 UFO - Patience Corners. As far as any other projects, I'm not sure what else I'll be bringing yet.

The Patience corners is the ufo number that is up for March with Judy Laquidera's UFO challenge. I am so pleased to participate with this challenge. So far this year has been the most successful year with participating in this type of challenge yet. January and February's projects have both been finished and are off my list with a couple of other finishes to boot. In previous years, I've participated with my Mom's guild challenge on finishing a UFO in 2 months times by being selected in a similiar manner. With that challenge, I only managed to get one or possibly two done in a year's time. Perhaps it's my listing smaller wall hangings and quilts on this year's list. This month though, it's a king size quilt. So there are a variety of sizes and a variety of quilty things on it. Some participants even have knitted, sewn or counted cross stitch items listed as their ufo projects. My list just has quilted items on it for her challenge. Though to be honest, I am still exceeding in my one project a month (OPAM) challenge that I started participating with 2 years ago, so I am super happy about maintaining that while embracing JL's challenge. My problem though is that I think I have projectitis. Even though I cross some ufo's off my list, my mind or eyes sees another beautiful quilt or item and WHAM! Blammo! BLING!!!
there are now 2 more projects to do right after. I tell ya, it's a mystery.

Jane


PS: While reading my email this AM, I ran across this quote and it seemed a perfect ending for this post. Enjoy,

"Activity is not achievement. It is not enough to rush about beginning a lot of things and keeping busy. A well-spent life is one that rounds out what it has begun."

-- Eknath Easwaran

Progressing

There are no finished yet, but i am progressing on a couple of my projects. I actually got some quality stitching time in this past week for the BBD, Easter Parade. This is how it looks so far

.

















A new project I started and am currently in the midst of is purging some of my magazines. You guessed it, no sewing on that table. I've purged about 25 mags and still have a couple of stacks to go as well as the magazine holder indexed paged from the last time I did this. I do save quilt patterns that appeal to me and techniques of how to do a specific technique besides templates for applique or quilt designs that I can see actually doing in my lifetime.


















I guess a girl will do anything to postpone a UFO she dreads!








And what little sweetheart these Young cheerleaders were. They participated with a local school's cheerleading program. Of course that DGD#1 with a preschool friend. They were very eager and actually got into it and had fun. I am so glad that she wasn't a shrinking violet even though at age 5, I had expected her to be a bitof onoe. All the training of gymnastics, dance and schools are paying off. Even the routines she didn't know, she could follow along and learned them while on the floor, well enough to pull it off anyway.


The future is in very capable hands I think.

Jane

The end of January already,

Boy has this month flown by. It's hard to imagine it's already the end of January. There are a couple more things I really wanted to finish. I did actually start my BBD Easter Parade.



Not much to show for yet but check back next Monday. I plan on having Mondays be my counted cross stitching updates for this blog. I hope it will help me progress on the many I want to stitch.

Recently I joined a yahoo group for blackbird designs. What a group of talented stitchers and while checking out some of the many blogs I was inspired to perhaps pull out my Red Thread from Bent Creek and stitch one month's design per coincuding mnth this year. Who knows perhaps it will be finished by February 2012. As for the other 2, I'm off to finish them. One is a promise to my Mom and the other a hope for myself.

Enjoy your day,
Jane

What is happening

Phew! I did finally get all that crap off the stitching for the little this and that pattern "Snow Much Fun" and I can honestly say it wasn't any fun! So tedious pulling off all those bits of flakes from the fabric. I know I'll never do that again!

Hopefully, I be able to get to that project this weekend. No grandchildren here today or planned for tomorrow, so I should be able to focus on something without interruptions.

Check out came in the mail recently. The first photo is the half yard fabric which Jamie from BabyBoomer Quilting Bee Blogspot kindly sent me. I am thinking of doing a cross stitch piece finished as a flat fold with this fabric a the "Key element" with the design. My Mom's significant other collects antiques keys and since he is going through so much medically (he just started dialysis without any forewarning), I thought a Valentine flat fold with a couple of his keys dangling off the top corner would be perfect for them.



Now only to get it stitched. I think I'll use a freebie pattern from the net. I have many printed out, so I'll post a photo here when it's finished. Thank you so much Jamie, YTB!



The other parcel which I received today is for the fabric and threads needed for the BBD (Blackbird Design) Easter Parade that I recently posted a picture of and want to do. I hope to get this one finished by the end of March. I did pull out the pattern to pull threads for the "Snip for a Queen" designed by Raise The Roof, but I don't have the Kreinik specialty fibers in for it. That one will have to wait, can't order another $50.00 worth this soon nd rationalize it. I need to finish some things first.

While maintaining my blog site, I realized that I have 48 UFOs or PIGS (projects in Grocery Sacks) listed. YIKES!!!!! That is very over ambitious list, but since I did get 4 projects done so far this month and it's still not over with, I plan on leaving it listed just as it is for now, but realistically thinking that with some of the more complex and denser CXS designs, quilts and such, there is no way I'll be able to complete them all. AND that's okay, progress is better than nothing at all.

While blog hopping I ran across a quote from Emsscrapbag.blogspot saying that creative Clutter is better than neat idleness and I totally concur with that.

TTFN,
Jane



PS: One last photo I wanted to share is from the UFO#6 challenge I finished, It shows the art glitter applied to the icicles and the snow laden roof. Boy did that stuff get all over.

I goofed.

A little while ago I was writing about using transfer ease for my Snow Much Fun embroidery part of a little quilt. But I really don't know where my head was. I have seen it several places on the web and with this transfer medium you can copy your embroidery design through a printer/copier and the design will show up on this medium. All you have to do is iron onto your fabric, use an interfacing and you're good to stitch.
I thought at that time, ah haa! I think I have some of that in. So I went to my den where I store any printing and transfer papers and found my ink jet transfer paper, that all you have to do is iron onto fabric. I should have kept reading. This stuff is permanent. The snowman's stitching is done from the This and That pattern, "Snow Much Fun" and feeling very pleased with myself, I went and dunked into a sink full of water. Now imagine my surprise when that transfer element didn't dissolve off my fabric!



So here I sit, instead of stitching, I'm using my magic eyes, a lint brush and a pair of tweezers trying to pull it all off. GGRrrrrrr! DH sat and watched me for a bit and calmly stated, won't it be easier to stitch it all over again. Of course I said yes, but the fabric I used was all I had and it was perfect for this design, so now I rip! How could I have goofed so bad?



I did receive a couple of patterns that I really like. Perhaps I'll stitch out Snip for Queen while I am waiting for fabric for my first Blackbird Design, Easter Parade. I truly love this pattern and was lucky enough to find the pattern.



Enjoy your day,
Jane