Slow Sunday Basting Stitches

I was able to get caught up on my Save the Bees, block 3, this weekend.

I wonder if I should have taken the paper out of the hexies before appliqueing them onto the background? It would have made it a bit easier....I'll try it next time.

I really need to prep some applique...meanwhile I am prepping more English Paper Piecing for my Tula Nova...

I have this project packed in a little take-along case which made it handy to work a bit in the car on an outing to Brantford yesterday.

 I'm finding the basting difficult at the moment as the arthritis pain in my finger joints is really acting up lately. I wonder if weather really does play a role in arthritis? I tend to find that I have flare-ups when I don't watch what I eat, but then again, the weather for the last couple weeks has been mainly grey and damp. The swelling in my index finger is at an all time high....for years I've referred to this finger as Arthur....get it?..Arthur-itis?

Something came up this week about what people's favourite quilty tool is. I was at a loss, so just said my Karen Kay Buckley scissors.

As I sat stitching this morning I realised that I had a favourite that isn't the star of the show, but plays a supporting role in my applique....literally.

As long as I can remember, when I do my applique, I've had something resting on my lap to rest my work and hands on as I stitch. In the beginning it was an over-sized children's book, Lady and the Tramp. (Why do I remember such things, but not what I had for dinner last night!?)

Quite a few years ago, someone gave me a thank-you gift. It is a Clover product and you see it in every picture that I take of my hand-work. It's called the Clover Patchwork Board and I use it every day. 

One side is padded so you can use it to press your work, although I've never used that side. The other side has a leather flap that opens up to reveal a rough surface, which I hardly ever use....except for this past week.

I always forget about the rough, sandpaper-like surface....but it is awesome for tracing my EPP shapes on to the fabric...

Someone asked me once if I get sore wrists from all the applique, and I said I did not. I realised then that this board must help me in that respect, as I probably rest my hands on the board at regular intervals between stitching/pinning, etc., without really realising it.

I'd better get a move on....I'm having a run with my friend this morning in beautiful Waterford. I'm not sure it will be a good run as there hasn't been much time for it the last couple of weeks, but the sun is shining and that will make it a good run!

I am linking up today with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching.

P.S.  By the way, in my my last post I mentioned a curiousity about Temperature Quilts. It turns out, there is great inspiration on Pinterest and I'm definitely going to put this on my to-do list for the new year. Check it out and hopefully you will want to join in! (and, yes, I have been called an enabler from time-to-time, as recently as this past week, bwahahaha!)

Busy times....

I have time for a quick post before getting ready for the next bit of "busy" before I can relax on Friday.

It's been a hectic couple of weeks, what with all the activities involved with a family wedding.

I'm happy to report that the wedding went off without a hitch (that I know of, anyway) and we all had a blast dancing the night away.

Here we are...all dressed-up and looking fine...

My eldest grandson, and my newly acquired granddaughter...

Now to prepare for two trunk shows!

All packed and ready to go...

I'll be speaking this evening and Thursday morning at the Oxford Quilters' Guild in Ingersoll, Ont....please join us if you can!

I took a few moments this morning to work on this past month's block for Save the Bees...

It's actually working up fairly quick. As you can see, I am old-school and baste the fabric to the paper. I've attempted doing glue-basting, but must be doing something wrong as I can't get good results.

Have a wonderful day....the sun is shining after the terrific winds we've experienced over the last 24 hours!

I am linking up with Lorna for Let's Bee Social and with Susan for Midweek Makers.

It's been a long time, old friend...

It's a rainy morning here....which means a change of plans, I guess.

We had hoped to continue working on our back deck. Looks like I can maybe do a bit of sewing or reading instead.

I wasn't sure I had any slow-stitching to start my day today, but then remembered I still have a bit of work to do on this month's block for Save the Bees.

Here are both blocks, so far...

When I sit and stitch on the weekends I've come to enjoy listening to podcasts. One of my favourites is Hidden Brain. Today's episode was entitled, "Why now?", which delves into the question on why women today are starting to be taken more seriously in their sexual assault allegations than they were as short a time ago as the 90's.

It was a good episode and seemed to answer some questions. 

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I'm going to double-up on my post today and include my One Monthly Goal for October, as it involves some slow-stitching.

I have a UFO that some of you may remember. It's a quilt called Auntie Green's Garden...

Every once in a while I notice the unfinished quilt-top peeking at me from under a pile of "stuff"...and I think to myself that I really should get back to working on it. Then I promptly forget all about it again!

Yesterday I noticed it again. This time my thought was to just face it, that I would never continue to work on this quilt, and maybe I should just quilt it as it is now and call it done.

So I pulled it out and hung it on the design wall....

.....and didn't it give me a hitch to my breath, literally!...I still think this is a beautiful quilt and I just have to finish it!

By my calculations it's been over three years since I've put a stitch into this quilt. Even the appliqued circles make me cringe a bit, as I've improved my technique since then....but I'll let those circles go, it's a journey, after-all. 

My goal this month will be to complete some of the next border, which had actually been started back in the day...

I don't know if it's do-able, but my goal will be to finish half of this border. Hmm, now that it's raining this morning it would be a good opportunity to do the prep-work.

This quilt will now take be my main project in the next few months. I'll put aside a couple of others until then.

I am linking up today with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. I am also linking with Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal - October...wish me luck, I'll need it!!

Keeping up.....so far!

I feel proud of myself this week! 

I've actually kept up with the first month of my latest starts :)

I've already shown you the block that begins the Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day BOM called Fun on the Farm....

I'm still not sure if the piggy block needs some embroidery or not....I'll probably just call it "done" as it is.


I've completed the first block for the Save the Bees sewalong...

I like the embellishing on the Bees block. I think the petals could use a little something, but I'm not quite sure yet what that something is.

I've also finished the first block of my Summertime Sampler, I just need to get some little beads for the eyes.

I also learned something new this week, thanks to a quilty friend of mine. Here I am with my first garlic braid that I've ever done...

Why does this give me such pleasure?,.....I don't know!!!, but it does.

Today I am linking up with Busy Hands Quilts for Finished or Not Fridays and with Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Can I Get a Whoop Whoop?.

Oops, I did it again....

Ok, I'm saying right now.....no new projects for the rest of the year!!!

I am such a sucker for sew-alongs and BOM's. I am reluctant to say, but I'd better just come clean.....I've started three more :(

(please don't laugh at me, I know you are)



First I'll show a picture of a block I completed for my Simple Folk quilt...

Every block that I complete for this quilt is my new favourite!

And now to the new stuff....which, now that I think of it, means I will have lots to share on many upcoming Slow Sunday Stitching with Kathy! (and, yes Kathy, I know you are chuckling to yourself, you enabler you!)

I began the first block for the Save the Bees quilt...which you can read about HERE. 

I began by constructing the flower-head OTB....meaning "off the block" as it's so much easier to handle....

I started to applique the bees wing and realised that I didn't like my fabric choice, so this morning I switched up to the first block of the 
new Eleanor Burns mystery, Fun on the Farm, a free BOM.

I couldn't resist this one and I'm thinking it's out of sentiment. Back in the day, Eleanor Burns was one of the pioneers in bringing us a quilting show on TV. This would be before learning our craft was made easier by the internet, classes in quilt shops, etc.

It's funny, back then I regarded Eleanor as perhaps a senior....now I'm thinking she was probably younger than I am now! lol, that thought is a bit shocking to me for some reason!

Here is my first block, almost done...

It's an easy start and you can still join in....it's only one block per month....come on, jump in, the water is warm!

....and my third start this week.....

I've seen this quilt done up at a couple of quilt shows and it always catches my eye. I finally gave in and ordered the BOM which will be mailed out to me on a monthly basis from a shop right here in Ontario, which is nice. 

So, I'll say it one more time....no more new starts this year. 

The End!

I am linking up with Kathy for Slow Sunday Stitching. I will browse through the other quilters that are linking up and I will not be led into temptation.

One Monthly Goal - August

So......somehow July just sped on by and here we are in August....already.

I did not get my One Monthly Goal completed for July. I had high hopes right on up to the end of the month but it wasn't meant to be.

I figure, then, it must be meant to be for August, although, looking ahead, I'm not sure if it will be possible this month either. Oh well, I'll do my best to fit it in.

The quilt in question is my Nature's Neutrals...

I did manage to get a binding fabric picked out, thanks to inspiration from one of my quilty friends....so that is some kind of progress :)

Yesterday I picked up a few fabrics that I "need" for a small sewalong coming up next week (what the heck is the matter with me!) hosted by Jacquelynne Steves called Save the Bees, which you can have a look at HERE. It's just a small quilt, really, so how could I resist? 

Here are my fabrics...I just need to shop my stash for the rest...

I'm not one to make things from selvages, but I have to admit to starting saving some of them because they are just so cute...

As I was ready to finish my purchase I notice this fabric being folded back on the bolt....there was just a wee bit left and I could totally see it in a tote bag some day...

....and again with the selvage...

.....and, of course, in the above picture you can see the fat quarter of 30's that I picked up. Once in a while it's nice to fatten up the 30's box of fabric!

There is another sewalong starting today. 

This one is a mystery called Fun on the Farm and is hosted by Eleanor Burns. You can read about it HERE. I think I will try to hold off on this one until I see the next block. 

I thought this one would be pieced and would have no trouble keeping up with one block per month...but the first block is appliqued and I don't know how I could ever manage another hand-stitched project!

I'll print the first month's instructions off and wait and see.

Linking up with ....

Lorna at Sew Fresh Quilts for Let's Be Social
Susan at Quilt Fabrication for Midweek Makers
Elm Street Quilts for One Monthly Goal