Let’s Give it a Try!

 I most often give some things a try.  The headline stated—“most delicious dessert—so simple  and delicious”. I didn’t doubt the word delicious when I looked at the you tube video BUT then came ingredients list and step by step—not simple by any means.  Yes! Delicious it would be with dark and milk chocolate, whip cream, cream cheese, peanuts, and the list went on and on!  

Needless to say, after the first step of coating a ridged plastic box with melted chocolate, I gave up!  Nope—not simple enough for me! 

Melva loves Scraps blog post for her 2024 quilt along, she stated she was making this project “quilt as you go” I’ll try that!  We are unable to use our local quilt shops long arm machines by ourselves.  I need help getting some tops quilted.  I'm ready to try this method.

In my research, I found several different methods to quilt as you go.  Here is some idea of what is involved. 

There are many different ways you can do this, but the basic idea is all pretty much the same: you stack your pieced block, with batting and backing cut to the same size, sandwich them together and quilt them first, and then actually join blocks together.

Here is one way to complete smaller projects.  I'm interested in trying Melva's way to complete a much larger top.  

Years ago, our quilt group had a brilliant quilter who had her way to quilt as you go.  I did try that method.  She made her garments and small quilts reversible.  

Let's give Melva's method a try!

That Was The Week It Was!

 Whew!  That was an interesting week!  Hubby was in another location while I held down the home front.  Our grandson and his bride took a vacation and I was in charge of their Great Dane for 5 days! She doesn’t like to be crated at night but will curl into a ball and sleep on the sofa.  Okay, I can deal with that.  She is crated if I leave the house to do errands. Our great grandson stayed with his Oma and they stopped by often to visit.  Couple days we went out to lunch. 

I was able to keep up with the daily Lent meditation by knitting each section of the scarf first thing I do; that is a blessing.  In the evening I’m knitting Glittering sock pattern by Stephen West.  

Been weaving too! Yep—just throwing the shuttle with my hand spun cotton thru that shed, until I look to see misses!  Unweave! Back to no skipped warp—investigate to find reason—guess I could leave it as a design element—NOT! 

March dishcloth pattern designed by Galene of Kitchen Sink Shop

Beginning March 7 Melva will have the first block of her Pieces of my Life 2024

And how for the charity quilt block 2024 from Fat Quarter Shop--Moon Beams,  Each block is available free each month; request a donation to their charity of the year.  There is also a stitch along.

Check out this sew along with fat quarter shoppe—free!!

Did some spinning as well to finish off a length of green cotton sliver.  That could be the last of green—certain optimistic! Because, fiber has been known to multiply secretly while stored away!  

I was right!  Walking into my fiber closet, look what I found!  Yes!  More green cotton sliver along with white cotton!  Shut the door and let it grow! 

Did get two bobbins of green cotton plied! 

Whatever you enjoy doing, be sure to enjoy each and every moment!

Shop Hop! Hop! Hop!

 

Our state is having a state wide shop hop in March and April.  There is NO way I"ll be able to make it around the WHOLE state, but can stop in those that we travel through or in our neighborhood.  The booklet is worth the price as it includes six patterns--mostly using their featured fabrics, but patterns can use any type or color of fabric.

I'll keep you posted on our Shop HOP around the state!

This is the featured panel.  I ordered my fabric when the notice first came out.  Now, this month and next, I'll look forward to visiting shops on this HOP!

One of the patterns in the book used boots (pattern in booklet).  I thought about this set of patterns I bought in 2012 and hadn't worked them up.  Out of sight out of mind.  The pattens are unusual and unique

Like this one--all the boots are created with a designer in mind.  Looking at the pattern, I wondered how on earth would you make this boot out of fabric?  My mind went instantly to applique--raw applique!  I'll use fusible to create these boots--the flying geese can be paper pieced.

I'm Hopping around my studio and came across these usable pieces of flannel--these will make at least another one or two baby blankets.

I've had this book for while--love these books!  Something to collect and sometimes use.

Another collection for raw edge applique.  Better buy a bolt of fusible!

W. I. P.

 Update on my works in progress— 

Finished!! Another Musselburgh hat—this one seems to be a better fit; think I have the right combination of needle and yarn size as well as number of stitches.  The length could be long

This is one hat!

Here is the other hat turned!

The whole length of the knitting—just might need to begin another one.  It does use stash quickly!

Knitting away on the Glittering Snowscape socks—keeping my interest for sure.  I like knitting two at a time on two needles.  Just can't get the hang of magic loop.

Keeping up with Lent knit along (Victorian Methodist Bristol) daily hasn’t been hard.  Usually there are only 4 or 5 rows of knitting with a short meditation.  I’ve decided to break up the natural hand spun yarns in section by knitting a couple of rows with my handspun angora bunny yarn.  The darker yarn is my hand spun cashmere. 

What’s Happen?!

 Report from the homeland, if you’re interested.  It has been such a week that was exciting, exhausting, exhaling, exceptional time!  The whole gang celebrated the first birthday of our little warrior!  He was exhausted after the big bash and conked out on Oma’s lap. 

The theme was “wild one”!

My fruit, veggie dish was a hit—but not much was eaten; everyone said it was just too cute!  I hate that word! Cute?  Really!! Eat the dang thing!!

And there was another. Yes! Another balloon arch that went up!  Is this the big decoration now?  This is the third one we’ve had at our house in the last year!  Don’t know how to get rid of so many balloons—I just leave it up the banister until it partially deflates—can’t pop them as some are filled with confetti.  Oh, well—we have green, gold, white balloons decorations. 

Anyhow.  It was a great day!  And as a reminder, I’ll keep that balloon arch as a wonderful memory that our great grandson has reached a milestone!

Look how happy he is!  He had his first year checkup with more tests and he came through with flying colors. 

Beef chuck roast was on sale last week!  Grab all those sale items we can.  I prepared the best pot roast for our meal (via Pioneer Woman recipe). Now, there are leftovers—deciding what to make.  Searching found several ideas—French dip ( we had that one night), sliders, pot pies, shepherd’s pie, beef and noodles, etc. Finally—decision made—beef enchiladas topped with lots of cheese! 

I'm not one to throw away food so when I had several carrots left from the lion party dish, instead of making cooked carrots, I made Carrot Cake recipe--delish!  I baked it in a loaf pan and didn't frost.  We cut off a slice, toast and smear with cream cheese.  Try it, you'll like it!

Enjoy your day!

Life Is Good!

“Life is good, for the vast majority of us, when we see all the good in our life, first, before the negative. Life is good when we can recognize the good in other people, first, before the negative. Life is good when our lenses for looking at the world are trust, respect, compassion and genuine love.”

Yep!  Life is good when I finished my heart socks in time for Valentine’s Day!  Then I immediately cast on another pair—especially after I saw this Stephen West pattern!  Wish I wasn’t so tempted?

These socks!! Perfect with the Glittering shawl I’m knitting on (slowly)!   Just loved the texture features—fun to knit—stash diving I came across this yarn (very well aged) 

Malabrigo sock yarn!  I’m off and running, only I didn’t read instructions right—should be a knit row after each k2,p2 rows—oh well—life is good & I’m doing it my way! 

Reflection time—should have started day one of Lent knit along.  I just can’t decide on yarn to use.  I would like to use my handspun; just which grouping: 

Or

Or

I’m leaning to this one; it will need some yarns plied—should be enough to take us through the complete project too.  But, the ones above would be perfect as well. 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions 

Almost, yes almost ready to end the Musselburgh hat.  What fun it has been.  Will need to do other hat patterns or my fingerless mitts. 

Life is good!  Just winging my senior days along. 

Stitchery

 Happy stitching all you stitchers out there!  Beginning today, February 18, you can begin 100 days of Stitch Meditation--join their Facebook page.  There will be lots of ideas popping up to assist you in your stitch meditaion.  During these quiet days and Lent reflection, we can use some meditation to keep our minds sharp and relaxed.

I began my stitching journey a few days ago--when I came upon Elefantz designs for tea towel--I've always thought about doing this on the edge of my handwoven towels--just didn't get around to it!

She also designed a block of the month with stitchery

I found this towel in my linen closet--one I had purchased when in Italy--tucked back where no one can find it--why is it in hiding?  Time to bring it out and make it shine.

It's 60% linen and 40% cotton--when I washed the towel, it wrinkled to beat the band!  It will need some more attention to get it soften  but onward we go.

I was wondering how to mark the pattern on this type of fabric; then I found this product--

Stick and press!  Perfect! for my project.

Cut off a piece, mark the pattern on the sheet and press to the cloth; when finished, wash away the paper!  Great!  Let's see if it works.

Hard to see, but I pressed the paper to the fabric where I wanted to stitch and began

So far so good!  It is little hard to push the needle through the paper with it's sticky backing

going good--paper wants to come up from the fabric at times+

My thread is my handspun silk--some are two ply (like in the heart and flowers photo) single ply in the wording photo.  The silk threads were skeined in small butterflies and when I did natural dye pots, I'd throw in a skein or two--what you see in the above photo are some of the ones I did in the past.

In my stitchery meditation, I will be using these hand spun, natural dyed silk yarns. Stitching on natural dyed fabrics. 

Join along and stitch.