Start A New Project For a Good Cause

Begin a new project in a new month!  And this is a great quilt for a worthy cause!

One of my favorite people, Alycia Quilts, is once again hosting this mystery quilt-a-long.

This begins February 1 with fabric requirements and on February 16th the first clue will be revealed.

Alycia says this will be a super easy, beginner friendly pattern; finish at 61"x81" with NO half squares!

This size is just perfect as Quilt of Valor .

Gather your red, white and blue fabrics for this one, I'm sure!

Another great project for someone you love!

This is the quilt-- and below is the block pattern

free block from cluck cluck sew

 

Good Idea?? Or Not??

Word of the day:  Spirit-stirring:  stirs or animates the spirits; spirit rousing!

 I thought this would be a good idea!  Who doesn't like to make medallion quilts?  Simple--start with one block and build around it!  It's called a round robin as well as medallion-- A round robin involves sending your piece off to friends to add the next round.  Eventually, after all the rounds, the piece makes it back to first sender.  Last year, this group didn't send their rounds but were sewn and chosen by you! Once again this year, there is the SAHRR group and you can join along with me!  Only thing for me--I had to construct the middle (starting) block! Luckily, I still have a couple of orphan blocks that can be used.  

It officially began January 10th and each Monday thereafter for six rounds, a different blogger would offer their suggestions for the next round.  Below is the list of bloggers who contributed. 

Here is the orphan I decided to use.  The first go around was chosen as something curved—oh bother!  Watched several videos to decide what to do—there were suggestions for drunkard path—too involved for me.  I wanted something quick—landed on video by Rob Appell’s way to create free form curves—perfect!!

Next go round will be more difficult; am sure some math will be involved!

Second round—triangles!  Yes, math involved!  I found some aged friends blocks.  These were made while we lived in Venezuela as our group formed a sewing guild. Each member signed their name as a keepsake—I thought these make great triangles!! And surprise!  They fit!!

• Anja @ Anja Quilts
• Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
• Texas Quilt GAl
• Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
• Gail @ Quilting Gail (it’s Gail who hosts this fun)
• Chris @ Chrisknitssews

Stitching!!

Keep those hands busy!! Let's stitch!

Beginning January 31, come stitch along on Blue Jar Medley. Each Monday following, a participating designer will feature their "Blue Jar" with a free downloadable pattern available during each designer's spotlight week.  After that week, the patterns will be $5.  The finishing pattern will be availabe free April 25-May 2, 2022.

• Jan 31 - Feb 4 Calico Patch
• Feb 7- 11 The Woolen Needle
• Feb 14 - 18 Red Button Quilt Company
• Feb 21 - 25 Linen Closet Designs
• Feb 28 - Mar 4 My Red Door Designs
• Mar 7- 11 Blueberry Backroads
• Mar 14-18 Sew Cherished
• Mar 21 - 25 The Cottage Rose
• Mar 28 - Apr 1 Traditional Primitives
• Apr 4 - 8 Yellow Creek
• Apr 11 - 15 Through the Needle's Eye
• Apr 18 - 22 Rusty Crow
• April 25-May 2 Calico Patch: Finishing

Books and Roses  

This is a small embroidery design featuring books and roses which you'll be able to make into a unique bookmark of your own style. Of course, you might want to make them into a small wall quilt or stitch them onto small projects. 

All of monthly bookmarks will be a bit different from each other and perhaps that will give you ideas of your own.  gather ribbons, lace, fabric scraps and buttons, and chose a red, blue, green and white colour scheme. There's a tiny pop of applique and the designs are stitched onto lovely white linen.

 

What’s Next?

 Stir-crazy means "distraught because of prolonged confinement."

Guess I'll be "STIR CRAZY" with these projects!!

MMMQuilts is hosting "From Sweden Quilt Along"

I'm so happy!  This will definitely be my sew along project--

Why?  Because--I have this kit!! and never never did anything with it!

I thought it was so colorful and easy to assemble--ordered the kit,

and then promptly lost interest or more likely I put it aside thinking--

Another day!

Want to join me?  You don't need the kit, you can use your own stash--

the pattern is FREE!   I began January 15 and runs through March 15!  

Yeah!!

Oh My Soul! be still!  Another quilt that has gone to the wayside!

Yes, I began this pattern ages ago and now Pat Sloan is getting me off my butt

and I'll finish these blocks!!  All the patterns on her web site at the above 

address--hop on board--this train is pulling away from the station soon!

Purge--Out You- GO!

 Today I purged (rid (someone or something) of an unwanted quality, condition, or feeling.) things from my life---and I have no guilt about it at all!   For years I've been following many different blogs--almost 300 of them.  I see most of the regular bloggers on a daily basis; but there are some I don't see so often--therefore, I went to my blog list and looked to see who had been blogging and maybe I missed their entries------amazing to me, many had stopped blogging years ago!   Some had moved to another site so I updated those.

I found some blogs that I didn't know about, those were added--maybe, I'll be back up to my 300# again!  I love, love seeing other blogs--it keeps me grounded; lets me know what's happening in the world of fiber.  I wish more bloggers had dedication to stick to this way of journaling.  

Some folks journal before bedtime--saying it helps them sleep better; gets things off their minds.  my sleep brings me thoughts of what should be done at times--those dreams can open up new avenues!

Following a word of advice this year, I'm spending 22 minutes a day doing nothing!!! Now, that's not hard at all!  Just sit, mediate, dream, keep still, do nothing--and before you know it, more than 22 minutes have passed!  That's the only down side of this relaxation method.

Okay--So I purged my computer of blogs and then I thought in my 22 minutes of nothing--why not purge that upstairs closet-- and think nothing of it!  Just let it GO!

Recalculated!

 Isn’t that the phrase from my GPS?  Definitely, when I take a turn off my destination route—I hear the voice—sometimes it seems to be “shouting” at me!! Ok, I made a brief detour but I will get back on track!!

Each day I calculate what Projects I would like to work with—need to destroy that pile of UFOs—even if it’s done slowly! In the evenings I knit on hats—easy, non thinking patterns

I combine two different yarns, cast on and knit!  Finished the above hat within 3 nights of TV watching!  Onto the next one—

Almost finished with this one.  I found some rainbow handspan wool in the bin and placed it with this green/yellow sock yarn.  It’s knitting great!  I like the rolled cuff—

the next hat has a k p brim.  I found this funky yarn to add interest—planned to knit whole hat using this yarn; it was just too hard to keep on the needles.  Decision—change to mohair yarn to finish off.  

Off to see what other matches I can make from stash yarns.

These small bits were in the bottom of fiber bin.  Think these will make another varied hat—next on the needles.

 Looking good so far!

Mid Month Blues

Cerulean means "resembling the blue of the sky."

Can't believe we are mid January and when I look at my projects, I see nothing but UFOs or thoughts of what to create.  I'd rather sit and read or knit or watch a drama

I can find all sorts of interesting ways to be creative BUT I'm still sitting still working up the energy to push myself out of this chair--it's really a down time--"winter blues" maybe?

What causes the winter blues?

The reduced level of sunlight in fall and winter may cause winter-onset SAD . This decrease in sunlight may disrupt your body's internal clock and lead to feelings of depression. Serotonin levels. A drop in serotonin, a brain chemical (neurotransmitter) that affects mood, might play a role in SAD .

 

Charismas Corner is free pattern from an outstanding designer!  Make it with blue fabrics!!

 

Everything And The Kitchen Sink!

Affable means "being pleasant and at ease in talking to others" or "characterized by ease and friendliness."

Here is quilt sew along that includes everything and the kitchen sink!

There will be ten different quilt blocks, one each month. At the end of 10 months, 

you will 64 blocks, each 12.5"x12.5".  THis will yield a quilt 96"x96". To make a larger

quilt, just add side sashing. Blocks include in order of difficultly:

• Four Patch Block
• Nine Patch Block
• Half Square Triangle Block
• Quarter Square Triangle Block
• Friendship Star Block
• Flying Geese Block
• Variable Star Block
• Ohio Star Block
• Nine Patch Chain Block
• Pinwheel Mosaic Block 

To me, this is much like my orphan quilts that I assemble--will interesting to sew a quilt from beginning to end with a means to the end!

 

From Hands Finally!!

 Voluble means "characterized by ready or rapid speech.

Long time coming--finished This lace sampler knit along from 2019!  Yay! for me!  I"m afraid I skipped a couple of month patterns, but it's finished and now on the blocking pads!

I love how the pearl beads add definition to the border--I also added nupps--

not my favorite type of stitch but I did a few--that's those nubble things you see

I knit in white wool super fine yarn.  I figured I could dye it whatever color I wanted when finished, so I ask my friend, who I will gift it to, what was her favorite color--teal.  This is close to teal I could get.

It's super soft and yummy feeling--hope she likes it.  I just need to add the little heart tag and

it's all hers.

Challenge done--now, I can begin another knit along!  What will it be? most likely this--

Shetland Lace Sampler 2022 by Toni Lorenz--love her patterns even if I don't get them knitted for years!  I'll begin and see how far I get....

“Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the LORD.”* Psalm 27:14**

St Distaff Day

Distaff Day, also called Roc Day or Rock Day, is 7 January, the day after the feast of the Epiphany. It is also known as Saint Distaff's Day, one of the many unofficial holidays in Catholic nations.

As you can see, this lap pad was given to spinners when they attended 2004 Roc Day or St. Distaff Day

I've used this so many times, it's a mess!  But, a good mess it is!  lots of wool fibers were combed on this lap towel--one of the best give aways of all times.  Even though Roc Day is to be celebrated on January 7 it would be celebrated on the Saturday the closest to the date. 

Norman Kennedy is one of our favorite spinners with the most knowledge of the craft!

we loved when he stayed the winter in Louisiana!  Such times we had learning from

each other as we gathered around our spinning wheels to begin our tasks at hand after

the winter break.

Happy Roc Day spinners!

Gather, Gathering, Gathered!

Word of the Day:  Antithetical means "directly opposite of or opposed."

2022 Mystery Blocks--Here we go!  Another fantastic sew along--mystery at that--

2022 Fabric Requirements for 12″ Finished Blocks

• 12 – 18 Fat Quarters (or more for a scrappier quilt)
• 2 yards of background fabric for blocks and inner border (solid or tone on tone)
• 1 yard contrast for blocks (I’m using 1/3 yard each of three different grey prints for this in my quilt).
• 1/2-yard sashing (I’m using a light floral for this)
• 1-yard outer border
• 5/8-yard binding

2022 Fabric Requirements for 6″ Finished Blocks

• 12-18 Fat Eighths
• 1 yard of background fabric for blocks and inner border (solid or tone on tone)
• 1/2-yard contrast for blocks
• 1/4-yard sashing
• 1/2-yard outer border
• 1/3-yard binding

And now for something else to tempt you:

Beginning today! 

Sweet Dreams!

Here is your word for the day: 

A palindrome is a word, verse, or sentence (as "Able was I ere I saw Elba"), or a number (as 2002) that reads the same backward or forward.   Now it is Day 5 of a new year and I’m behind 5 days!!

 

 Pat Sloan has a sweet dreams mystery sew along that begins today!  That woman has so many

quilt alongs going at the same time--how does she keep up with it all?  Maybe, a staff of 

quilters?

Lace knitting!  yay!  Like I've finished the one in 2019 or 2020--

Here is something to know about Shetland Isles

READING Challenge

 

Captious means "tending to find fault and raise objections" or "calculated to confuse, entrap, or entangle in argument."

// Surprisingly, the critic, who is known for being captious, found the movie to be a flawless gem.

// Befuddled by the captiousquestions, the suspect broke down and confessed to the crime.

Here comes a reading challenge for you in 2022  If you like to read, this is a great challenge for each month of the year.  I found a friendly, bookly group on FB--Friends and Fiction.  This is their challenge--you could set your own book challenge for the year.

January--a debut author--there are tons of new authors now--exciting books to read

and embrace the world of words.

My choice for January is Falling by T J Newman

I've already picked  my book for February--Memoir or non fiction--I've chosen 

Stanley Tucci: Taste: My Life Though Food--thoroughly enjoyed his food special of Italy travel.

Here is a different challenge!

What book is in your hand or in your ear?

I really like to use Scribd app--either reading by eye or ear, a book is close at hand!

Mission Imposible?

 Word of The Day:  Impossible (not able to occur, exist, or be done; very difficult to deal with.) 

"Nothing is impossible. The word it's self says I'm possible!" Audrey Hepburn 

I've been working on this orphan quilt for some time--just wanted it finished and ready for

the long arm!  Finally set down and got under way!  I tried to use up all the small filler blocks

to complete this top.  Look!! there is a hanging portion --I can deal with that--get the scissors and

lop it off!  No problem there! OR I can add another smallerr row--hmm--that would be another 2.5" row of blocks--

A good start for 2022!  I found several 3" squares cut--why?  I don't know!

There they were--and there were also some 3" half square triangles--gee whiz, what could be more perfect--than a star block!  I love star blocks!  I ended up with 24 blocks--odd size top--

someone can use a long skinny quilt, can't they?

The fabrics were all pulled from my stash bin--for some reason, I pull alot of

scraps out and the next time I look, the bin is full again!  Just scraps multiplying

to keep the quilts coming!

Mission NOT impossible and is Accomplished!!! 

Snow globes Please!

 Word of the Day:  Rejuvenate!! Rejuvenate originated as a combination of the prefix re-, which means "again," with the Latin parent of juvenile and junior—juvenis, meaning "young." Rejuvenateliterally means "to make young again" and can imply a restoration of physical or mental strength or a return to a more youthful, healthy condition. Things that are timeworn can also be rejuvenated.

Red Button Quilt Company  has a free download the first week of each month--

this month's download is Snowglobes!  After the first week, there is a fee.

Welcome 2022!!!

 Word of day:  willie-waught:  a large gulp of alcoholic beverage, a swig, a copious or deep draught!  

How will you welcome the new year??  

We ring in the new year with a toast to good health, wealth, and good times with family and

friends!  Cheers!