Happy New Year

 

Happy New Year every one!  A very quiet night here in the valley, I think I heard one firework all night.  I don't follow a lot of the traditions of bringing the New Year, just one - open the door to let the old year out and bring the new year in.  Hey, we are 50 degrees, so some refreshing air into the house was a blessing in itself.  2022 was a rough year for me and I am glad it is over - new hope for 2023.

My big finish for the end of the year, well not a finish but next on our Guild color challenge.  Dark Green was the new 'crayon' color for the month.  The new Doxie with Moxie is done and joined his pals in the project tote.

The top made from the scrappy whites in the bag and color scraps from gifted baggies is ready for it's borders.  I have the scrappy white inner border ready and will pull color scraps for the last border as I reorganize a couple of fabric totes for the year.  It's 50" x 62" right now, so it does need borders to bring up to single bed size.

I need to sort those totes as I want to make a couple of projects in this issue (vol 3 no.11) amd I know there is 'in my stash' useable for them.

I haven't really thought of a 'year's motto' to work 2023 (I did so bad on last year's),  but I know I have a LOT of quilts that need quilting.  So while in the reorg and sorting, I will pull for borders (if needed for a finish), backing, bindings - and get things moved to the finish line.  I will quilt myself, quilt by check, or even pass on tops for someone else to play with, BUT those totes need to be emptied this year.

I, also, have some commission work that will be coming in now so that will be my NEW play.

Blessings for the New Year,

Sharon

Happy Holidays

 

Happy Solstice

 

Winter Solstice blew in here a few days early I think.  Luckily the last storm was minimal in the valley, but the mountains got clobbered.  And we brace ourselves for the next Polar storm as the Holiday nears.

 Since I will certainly be staying indoors while Old Man Winter throws his fit, I'll be working on a project for the first HOP of the New Year.  I'd rather be playing with some blue scraps than turning blue outside - but I will be shoveling snow.

 The scrap project to use up those bits of whites is slowly going up on the 'wall'.  All the blocks are made, it's just the tedious task of putting rows together.  Almost done.  Certainly a scrappy border has to set this one off.  AND NO - I didn't use up those whites!

And we are all feeling a little blue as my partner in scraps - MOE - passed away yesterday morning.  Bella and I were with him in his final minutes - she giving him little 'mama cat' chirps and me petting him/telling him what a good kitty he had been.  I will miss finding him in a box of scraps laid out to work on. 

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Scrap Happy

 

I am in my happy place.  To work those scrappy whites/muslins, I had to dig for something to work with them.  There is always a baggy of scraps - always!  I have found a box of baggy scraps that I haven't touched yet.  Mostly sandwich size baggies.  The fun is in the sorting, most need pressing as they have been squashed for so long, and then we assess for block to maximize the use. 

 I decided these kinds of bits will work with almost any 'cabin' block.  There are a number of style log cabin blocks. so fun play to chose fabric bits to fit the style.  Some scraps are feeding my barrel system.  So far 8 baggies are emptied - the large bag of lites isn't going down very fast, but using the smallest bits up first.  Some of the larger lite pieces are getting set aside for another project down the line.

It is cold, windy, and wet so this is a good project to play with indoors, I have my hibernation projects set up.  Yes, I hibernate thru the winter.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

 Happy Thanksgiving from our house to yours - Vroomans Quilts

Snow!

 

The snow did come, but thankfully this is what we got from the 'lake effect' storm.  Oh, poor Buffalo and upper NY - six feet of snow!  I can't imagine removing all that snow.  The emergency numbers went up on my fridge - in case I ever need them this winter as this was a sign. 

This is the pattern that I am using up those scrap lites in that large bag.  I saw it on someone's Pinterest board , but didn't catch the source.  It was something that caught my eye when looking for my guild's color challenge project.  I'll keep the stars with the 'warm' colors' and the cross roads for the 'cool' colors.

Have you seen the SPARROWS quilt by Pen and Paper Patterns?  It's been all over the medias for some time and I just think it's stinkin' cute.  Yeah, I bought the pattern.  It will certainly be on the list of winter projects.  They remind me of the little Black Cap Chicadees that are our winter clowns.

I got Momma out for probably the last time for the season.  She hates the cold and the least bit of snow/ice, she is terrified of falling.  There will be just the two of us for Thanksgiving and I am doing crock pot stuffing/chicken, sweet potato, cranberry sauce with blueberry pie topped with vanilla icecream.   

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

We All Go Ooops

 

I was so excited that I got a good start (and catch up) on the Dogs in Sweaters (I'm going to call it Doxies with Moxie).  Bam!  One of these things is not like the others!  The poor purple sweater Doxie didn't get the same fanny shaping - lol!!!!!  Easy fix and I have to wait for the December color to be selected.

And Ooops there goes a squirrel - I brought down the large bag of left over bits of muslins, lights, white on white, etc... that was too much potential to toss.  Well, for me I can't toss - you would probably.  I have to come up with a plan to use these up finally.

   There has been quite the assortment of blankets on the couch (I'm a napper) and Oooops - the furkids just have to try them all out.  We dropped 20 degrees in a week and then another 10 degrees.  Seeing you west coast bloggers posting snow  means it's headed our way.  With the 'lake effect'. definitely we will see snow.  Oooops, Fall I think is on it's way out.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

 

Dog Days

 

I'm a dirty dog again for not getting back to a posting schedule.  BUT, my nose was to the grindstone to make sure all commissions got done and out the door - and they are!

I wish our wonderful colors had lasted longer, but there is a calm in watching the trees and other plant life go into their next phase of the cycle of life.  I just love this apple tree - a gift to my Dad after the loss of our big orchard (tornado).  It was suppose to be a miniature - HA!

We are in a very mild weather pattern (70's) right now, so enjoying the outdoors for as long as it lasts.  One last mowing of the season got done and now the lawn can slumber.

 We don't get any trick/treaters up our long dark lane, but one of our sewing gals made us pumpkins - I got a MOE-kin.  How cute is this?!!

I've been cleaning up all work spaces so I can get to some ME sewing for the next couple of months.  No more commissions until the new year, and I think I am already booked for the year.

 The last quilt out the door and just a peep as it has some personalized stuff on it that I don't want across the internet.  

I got organized for my FUN project after all that serious stitching.  Fabrics pulled, cut, and tabbed.

This is 'Dogs in Sweaters' by Elizabeth Hartman, a pattern I've had for some time.  Maybe this will keep my 'dog days' a little more fun.  I plan to use this for our Guild's Color Challenge, using the color pulled each month for a color sweater.

I'm packing up for our next guild meeting program - working with grey scale to select color hue and monochromatic quilts.  I look forward to our Show & Tell's as our quilters are so diverse - and lots to show - like going to a quilt show each month.  AND shocking that we have on the agenda to plan for the Christmas Party meeting - wow!!

Keep in Stitches,

Sewinginly Yours,

Sharon

The 4 Letter Word is Coming

 

Once these trees start loosing their leaves, you just know snow is on the horizon.  I never got a photo of them in full color as they change really quickly and then gone!  

We were in peak color last weekend and things are going into that 'dormant' stage.  We've had several night of near freezing with heavy frost so crops and flowers have died off.

 After such a long drought period, it's nice to see green.  I had several events and meetings in the Catskill Mountains during the full color stage and it was beautiful.

This was my traveling project while selling tickets for the raffle quilt, meetings, and other appointments.  This is an old tile pattern and I am using a jelly roll which I can get 5 'tiles' per strip.  If I find I need more than the strips give me, this has a lot of Grunge in it so I can fill in.  Since I won't be traveling again until Spring, I will have to really be sure to add this one on the winter months schedule to keep it going.

One last commission to complete and then I can play with my own projects.  I have a lot of gifted scrap bags not touched that I am itching to get into.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon 

Slowing Down

 

We are slowing down and settling into a more normal routine as Fall just 'fell' upon us.  Shows are wrapped up, travel teaching and travel meetings have come to a close.  I still have one more commission to wrap up and then I can get to my own projects.

I have a few photos from the Catskill Mountain Quilters Hall of Fame quilt show to share:

This was our raffle quilt and one of our guild member won it.

 We had a demo table and thru the show differnt quilting technique were shown.  Many had fun playing with laying out the hexie rossettes in seeing what pattern design they could come up with.

I am having trouble with blogger so this is all I can get to load.

Sewingly Yours.

Sharin

T-Shirts

 

Gosh, it's been so long since the last post I almost forgot how to use Blogger.  There are a few snags with my hacker still which is making me nervous to be too active as well.  Now my Facebook page is messed with - not a very user friendly site.

Any ways, I am very busy with several commissions and most are T-Shirt Quilts.  A lot of prep work and I was heavy steaming to set fuseable during a heat wave.  What was I thinking!!!

 Three are for one family who had a sudden loss.  Each quilt will have this poem written by a friend with the request for the Celtic Tree of Life symbol.

I need all these commissions done in the next couple of weeks as I am co-chair for the Catskill Mountain Quilters Hall of Fame quilt show coming up Sept 17-18.  90 percent of things are done with the last bits that come as days get closer and you drive yourself insane double checking lists.

I need a day of rest and clean up/up-date the blog side bar and visit everyone.  Miss all of you.

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon 

Bits of Sewing Time

 

I stayed away from blogger due to the HACK and I hope things work out now with the given time away.  I am extremely wary of any mail, post, reads, etc. due to this unfortunate incident.  BUT, I don't want to shut down the blog because of some one elses heartless deed.

I used bits of time to get all the stars done for the guild round robin challenge.  I've been doing a little traveling and family time while 'off grid'.

With this oppressive heat wave keeping everyone hiding indoors, I used the time to get them into rows.

  Some strip piecing that will be sub-cut to complete four 16-patches for the corner settings.  Then I will work on getting this round (really borders and I hate borders) added.  There is one more round that must have flying geese and I plan to just make corner 'Dutchman's Puzzle' blocks.  As long as I don't drag my feet (or think of them as borders), I should get that done this week.  It's going to be a BIG quilt!

  My furkids soak up the morning cooler temp and then crawl inside to lay near a fan.  In the evening they take back to the porch.

I picked up 5 commissions (all queen size) which will keep me quite busy, so I am so sad that I will have to sit out the rest of the year's Blog Hops that I like to take part in.  Hey, I need to prepare some extra income for the increase of oil prices to heat this monster size house this winter.

Stay Safe,

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

HACKED

 If you get any e-mail from me (not from y a h o o ), do not open and PLEASE do not send money.

A harvesting hack from facebook market (and I don't use)

Happy Weekend

 

I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend.  I chose not to travel on this Holiday weekend, but will enjoy the time at home.

My furkids have taken to us enjoying the early morning on the porch as the birds begin to sing - the only noise of the day - it's actually music to us.  Still moving things around and organizing thru the day, albeit slowly with the heat.  Then once it cools down in the evening the gardens get tended and lawns mowed.  Then it's the furkids and me unwinding on the porch until dark.

There will be playing with pinwheels - perfect for the 4th don't you think?

More ready to go into rows.

Although my red roses came out early and lasted for only a few days, (and nothing blue happening) - the white flowers are giving us quite the showing.

 

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

Monday Making

 

Another long term Summer project I'd like done by Sept.  These are my star block round of our guild 'at home' round robin.  Then I have the last round to go - YET!   It's been a while since I worked these that it is taking a while to get into the chaining mode to make them quicker.  I hope to have all the stars done (8 more) by this week.

 

I've been re-arranging furniture and re-organizing projects.  Why do you make more of a mess in trying to clear up a mess?  This is ONE of six little tubs filled with things that have to find a home.  Whether it is my home, someone elses' home, or the circular (trash) file.  It all has to be cleared out.

I use to get so annoyed when my kids would find it handy to dump things in a newly cleared out space.  WELL - I think I have developed that same bad habit and it has to  stop.

We spent the weeked clearing trees.  Our old locust trees shed constantly or just fall down.  AND Krama!!  after arranging the clean up - one of the old Maples decided to loss a LARGE limb.  Luckily out into the field and not across the lane.  Partial clean up on that one as it's not bothering anything.  The rest will wait for Fall and I'm sure there will be more.  Geesh!!

Sewingly Yours,

Sharon

My Day in the Sun

 

I'd like to thank CAROL for hosting yet another wonderful Blog Hop to inspire us all.  I don't think she envisioned that a global heat wave would be happening at the time.  Although -------- here in the Nor'East we are having very Fall like weather and I am not complaining.

I always like to think outside the box, or in this case - around the circle!

I saw this pattern "Pacific Sun" and fell in love with the modern look and different take on the Hop theme.

I wanted a smaller and simpler version and hit the scraps.  I used one of my sandwich plates to make my circle - high tech stuff right there.  Simple straight line quilting is a favorite of mine and works so well with this.  The binding was pulled from the scrap binding drawer.  I even pieced two pieces of batting that were trim off pieces from a recent quilt finish.

Even the backing was a piece that I brought home from the last guid meeting's freebie table.  I need to cut a dowel to size - the corner tabs are 3.5" squares pulled from by barrel system.  Love when all the scraps play nice when I'm creating for a HOP. 

Please be sure to visit today's other hosts:

MooseStashQuilting

Inflorescence

Ms P Designs USA

Quilting Gail

Sewingly Yours

Sharon