Little This, Little That

 Let's talk!  What have you been up to these January "blue" days?  there is no need to get down in spirits just because the sun is hidden by clouds; you just want to curl up on the sofa with a good book, cup of tea to sit under the latest quilt you have finished!  

Here is a challenge to decide the next book to read.  Try this each month which comes from Friends and Fiction

My One Word Title is Beartown by Fredrik Backman--I'm reading via Scribd App--sometimes I can do audio, which is perfect.  It is book about hockey in a small town. 

  Facebook group Read with the Book Girls  encourages us to read books set in different USA locations.  Each month there will be suggestions from several regions--it's not reading 52 books in a year!!  Although, that would be delightful!

I liked the idea of reading books from different regions of the USA.  My pick is Back Bay by William Martin--this book is flashing back and forth between 1812 and present day in the Boston area

Another way to pick your book—so many ways to decide on what to read, especially if you are stuck.  Not a problem for me!  I have a stockpile of books to read—at the present time, I’m finishing up one of Alexander McCall Smith’s books about the No 1 Ladies Detective Agency—“A Song of Comfortable Chairs”—I’ve enjoyed each one of these books! 

I've begun another Musselburgh Hat designed by Ysolda

It's mindless knitting once you have the start with 8 stitches joined into a circle--that's the most flustering issue! 

Loved this skein of yarn when my eyes hit it!  Once the 8 stitches are growing, I’m always anxious to get them to circular needle!  Then, it’s knit knit knit! 

2022 brought some mistakes—you can never live without mistakes, which make us a better person—only if we correct them!  Case in period is the above block!  No rhyme or reason—it looked a mess!  But, in my brain, it was going to be just fine in a quilt setting!

I kept thinking about that block—so out came Jack the Ripper to put things right!  Oh so much better now! This is block #7 from Sewicialities. 

We visited a friend during holidays and she showed me this quilt her grandmother made—it’s a lovely form of cathedral windows! 

And now—back to stitching or reading or planning my next UFO

Come join me in a new adventure—each year we turn a new page in our life—last year is under our belts and we learned from our mistakes. Here’s to 2023!!

Well , I’ll Be!!

Well, I'll be!  there are more QAL (quilt alongs) for the start of 2023!  This one popped up in December--

Jessica Dayon always has such clear instructions for her QAL!  She even has videos to assist you when you get stuck with a block.  Of course, by now we have a few blocks under our belt, but this runs through February--there is time to catch up!  Or save the instructions for future sewing.  I'm doing both--sewing along and saving--Who knows if I'll finish or this will be in my UFO box?

A Quilting Life always host great sew alongs--some mystery too.  There is another BOM which starts this month.  Check it out.  It is easy for me to do one block a month and by year's end I have a finished quilt--almost finished!  just add borders and yay! another top to add to the stack waiting for the long arm!

It was an easy block to work up!  I'm thinking of adding another border to give it more dimension

Another BOM is this one below......

Aby Quilts offers another Row Along--I liked doing the last one, so this one should be fun as well.

Civil War quilts by Barbara Brackman presents an opportunity to learn history regarding Civil War and create a quilt block at the same time each month.  March 2023 she will present an applique blocks--stay tuned for that event.

I think this is enough to keep at least one or two of us busy with sewing!

There are other crafts I want to finish up as well.

I'm diving back into Zentangles!  

Relaxing after working on some complicated quilt blocks or flustering knit pattern!

Yellowstone and Beyond

 Oh Yes!  We love the show "Yellowstone"!  What great characters!  and the story line draws you in and each week you want more.  The first season of Yellowstone ended in late December and now we wait for the other season to drop, maybe sometime this summer!  I have no patience! 

I have so many enabler friends!  Thank you enabler, Judy from Colorado!  She emails me one day with this--"I know you love Yellowstone.  There is a shop in Missouri who is hosting a quilt along with a quilt from the show--Let 'er Rip"

  I immediately went to the website and ordered the pattern--it comes by slow mail, not a PDF  I said I have no patience!  But, finally the pattern arrived--another friend loves Yellowstone as much as I do, so she and I are going to make this quilt--when?  I don't know, but we'll gather our fabrics and be ready for the perfect day! 

Low and Behold--that same Colorado enabler friend emailed with this!! There is a pattern for Elsa quilt from 1883!!  Oh No!

Elsa wrapped in ther Granny Square Quilt

I didn't order that pattern--I know that pattern "It's Granny Square Block" and I found several good sources for that block--so I saved my patience on that pattern.  This quilt is done in Civil War Reproductions.  I'm thinking more scrappy since that is where my fabric lies!

Maybe, there will be quilts featured in “1923”?

I love my enabler Friends!!  Keep the suggestions coming!

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Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

 As I was looking for something else in my studio (forgot now what I was looking for!). Anyway, I pulled out the desk drawer (one I don’t use often) my hands found my old journals!  Gee, I’d forgotten about these books of ideas, photos from past conferences, notes of programs, business cards of fellow artists—what memories!  You can guess now why I don’t remember what I was looking forward in the first place.  Because here in my hands were years of thoughts, notations, plans for future projects!  And so, I spent part of the day browsing through those pages and remembering! 

My first journal carried a woven bookmark that matched the covering of the journal—the book itself was handmade book!

This was given to me via California pen pal I had—dates back before 1995.  We corespondented for many years and exchanged ideas and gifts; then, we parted ways for some reason—

I faithfully carried this journal everywhere I ventured and soon the book was filled!

When our weavers' guild had their yearly sale, I bought this journal!  Love the woven front and back and now there were more pages to fill with ideas, etc.  

Somewhere along the line, I was gifted this lovely knitted bookmark--It's hard to see in the corner but it marked more thoughts that I wanted to do!!

The inside pocket was loaded with business cards, postcards, etc.

And on one page, I found this--written by granddaughter, age 12 when we traveled with her in England and Scotland.  She knew this book was special and added her own words of commentary.

She even drew a goofy photo for my remembrances 

Patterns written down for future knitting projects--which most likely didn't happen.  At the time, it seemed like a goal to accomplish.

I will reuse this journal--there are a few empty pages to place more works of art!

Well, nothing was reduced from this day--just more ways to 

recycle and reuse these journals.

onto the next cabinet drawer in my studio--there I go--down the rabbit hole!

And So Another Year!

 Yes, another year begins! And so do the UFOs!  Of course, some of these projects just might make it to fruition!  Just depends—here is my bargain with myself—complete at least part of one “old” UFO before beginning a new project in hopes that new project doesn’t end up as UFO!! 

Yes! there are others dealing with same problem(?) there is a new group on FB—it’s UFO Challenge 2023!  This is a support group for us enablers!  We just can’t seem to finish a project before beginning another another!

Therefore, since I’m an enabler here are some new projects beginning in 2023  

AQuilting Life is hosting another mystery block of the month

Sweet Childhood Memories Pat Sloan 

Frozen Memories—Fort Worth Fiber Studio—began Dec 19 will run through January

Craftsy Mystery BOM 2023

Coriander Quilts--Sunny Patches Mystery

Color challenge with cars--This challenge gives an opportunity to work with color each month,

based on classic cars!  What a great idea!  I love those classic cars!

Riley Blake has invited several designers to create a block for your sewing pleasure

each month.

Fat Quarter Shop presents their 2023 designer mystery blocks beginning June!  Yes, you have plenty of time to gather supplies for this one.

Fat Quarter Shop is hosting their 2023 Charity quilt along for MAKE A WISH

Join Stitching with Friends on Facebook--lots of fun to come!

And here is a way to use that 2023 color of the year—tones of RED!

Okay!  start those engines, sharpen those blades, sort the fabric and begin......

Adios Amigo

 Yes! Adios. Good-bye.  Auf Wiedersehen. Au revoir. Sayonara.

We are saying farewell to 2022!

A new year looks bright and beautiful.

Here’s to 2023! Bring it on!

Countdown!

 It’s the countdown to Celebration of Jesus’ birth!  All our plans are made, family arriving from afar, some family traveling to in-laws; gifts are wrapped and under the tree—

why do we have a tree in the house!!??

The modern Christmas tree originated in Germany, where families set up a paradise tree in their homes on December 24, the religious feast day of Adam and Eve.

The smell of evergreen is one of the favorite odors in our household.  For years, we purchased a fresh cut tree or traveled to a tree farm to cut our own treasure.  As years passed, we got older or had too many accidents with the tree falling over or varmints jumping from the branches, we went to good old artificial tree from a box—it is beautifully lit with multi color lights—but the smell is gone!  Alas, customs change and we adapt to the change and move on.  I still wish for that smell of fresh cut evergreen—no amount of candles or spray can bring that to my nose! 

Moving on—my studio is less cluttered!! Yay for me!  Some UFOS are in completion—waiting for long arm is this one—a leader-ender project from 2020!

So happy to finally decide on a way to complete. 

 more blocks for sewcialites 2— my red, white and blue blocks are adding up! 

And have you seen the colors for 2023?  

Fascinating!! It will be a red year!

My brain is brimming with ideas of red tones for 2023!  I’m just waiting to add more UFOS to the list!