2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty-four

Stitched on and completed this past week were:

The "Dossier" block required of all quilt guild members (it's a log cabin with the "chimney" center signed and dated for when I joined the guild; as you can see, I'm four years late in getting it ready!):

This is the second block I made, since I misread instructions and the first one was too large by far (it came out 7.5"!).  I'm going to use it for my "practice fabric" for the "Seed Bead Botany" class...

Both aren't square either --- 1/2 inch larger one way than the other. Have NO idea what I'm doing wrong here...

My August atc/ornament for the Bead Journal Project:

I think it's a cardinal (our state bird) who thinks it should be summer and he's masquerading as a firebird. Until this week, it never really felt like summer here, and it's not supposed to last. Maybe his fire dance brought on the heat and humidity?

The two Take a Stitch Tuesday stitches: #126 Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole and #127 Beaded Alternating Up and Down Buttonhole:

As you can see, I seem to have lost my place in the beaded version and it stopped being up-and-down in two places! Too lazy to rip it out so I made it part of the pattern (my story and I'm sticking to it!).

I started again on the outline for "Brides" of RYO, but didn't get very far (my stitching mojo seems to have flown):

And I did a floss toss for a John Clayton golf piece which will be for next year's fair entry (whose theme is Get in the Game" - i.e. sports!)

Husband, the golfer in the family, picked the chart! Turns out I was 68 skeins short in my stash for the asked-for floss (John Clayton designs use a LOT of floss, an these two use a lot of dull green floss!) and I also didn't have any cuts of neutral fabric that will fit the charts. A trip to Michaels on Sunday resulted in a remaining missing list of roughly 20 skeins! Looks like an online shopping trip is in my future!

Untouched, and needing attention are:

"Save the Stitches", blocks 10 - 15 (I expect ##16 and 17 will be out next week)

The Funk & Weber Finishing class on piecing - (I've printed out and scanned lesson four of this third class but...)

The "Seed Bead Botany Class - (They are already on lesson 3 and I have only just finished prepping my project fabrics!)

"Biltmore", which is back in the travel bag after the frog attack!

And of course, there will be the September Crazy Quilt Challenge Block, the September Bead Journal Project ornament, the next Take-a-Stitch-Tuesday stitches, the quilt guild retreat bock (needs quilting and binding) and the Meals On Wheels Christmas place mat... I need some time, LOTS of time! and I don't see where it's going to come from. Oh well...

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty-three

Not a lot to report since the International Hermit and Stitch Weekend check-in and stitch # 124 of TAST. I did get another quilt block assembled --- this one for the "Seed Bead Botany" online beading class:

Other than that, in my project bag are:

• a Bead Journal Project atc/ornament to be finished, 
• stitches to be put into the third RYO mandala ("Bride""), 
• outlines for the latest "Save the Stitches" SAL blocks (##14 and 15) and fill stitches for those plus blocks 10 - 13. 
• two new TAST stitches  (##126 adn 127)which arrived in my mailbox yesterday, 
• the third Funk & Weber finishing class, third lesson also in my inbox (this one on piecing). 
• finishing touches on the quilt retreat challenge block
• assembly of the quilt guild required block

Drifting further and further behind...

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2014 - Stitch #125

Stitch #125 is the Beaded Herringbone. 

Once I figured out how many beads to string, it worked like a charm...

Stitches ##126 add 127 are now online so I have to print those out and get cracking!

International Hermit and Stitch Weekend - August 15 - 17

The weekend was dominated by a BBQ at our house for 12 of husband's high school classmates and their others. The purpose was to inaugurate the planning for the class's 55th year-since-graduation reunion. My assignment was to acquire the meats and condiments (that took most of Friday, further complicated because the grocery store and parking lot were JAMMED with tractor pull contestants all shopping for their beer and camping supplies; in case you aren't aware - and odds are, you weren't, as I certainly wasn't until we moved here - our little university town is home to the National Tractor Pull every August!). Saturday was devoted to the annual daylily sale so husband was fully occupied up until arrival of the guests so I had to clear at least two public rooms in the house for food storage (we NEVER seem to have refrigerator storage for one of these pot luck things) and indoor room for a Plan B in case it rained (there was forecast a 20% chance...). By the time they left at about 7 PM Saturday night, I wasn't in a stitching mood.

Sunday, I spent a few hours in the morning and afternoon cutting fabric for two quilt blocks (one the required submittal to the guild which I have been putting off for years  

and the other the guild challenge block for the annual retreat.

I actually managed to assemble the challenge block:

In the evening, I tackled the background on the August Bead Journal Project atc/ornament --- and got half-way there:

Other than a card for the Compendium of Curiosities 3 Challenge and a start on a basic card, purpose yet undetermined, I didn't get a lot accomplished in crafting this weekend.

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty-two

A day late --- I totally forgot! Ooops! Not a good way to "stay connected", is it?

Anyway, not a lot to report since my WIPocalypse check-in. I did try stitching on Biltmore Sunday abd ended up frogging two hours worth of stitching because of a massive miscount. SO I'm back to where I was at the end of June! AAARGH!

I decided to bit the bullet and stitch on my bead journal piece ---even though it isn't turning out like I had in my head. I have the bird stitched now --- just the background to go.

The "Seed Bead Botany" classes have been posted and I'm already behind (no surprise there) and I've been chastized by the teacher for not finishing the hemstitching class in the Funk & Weber finishing classes (meanwhile, the piecing classes have started and I'm behind there too!). And to compound matters, another TAST was issued on Tuesday and all I've managed to do is print out the instructions! 

My excuse? the plumber came to check our HVAC system on Monday in the middle of a raging thunderstorm, I had CSA pick-up and girls' night out on Tuesday and a doctor's appointment on Wednesday. All three had me up earlier than I would have liked so I was basically out for the count most of the day. My excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Doesn't look good for the rest of the week either... quilt guild meeting tonight, friends over for a BBQ on Saturday night (when it is forecast to rain) so we need to shop on Friday and clean house like little demons just in case we have to bail to plan B and move indoors... Have no idea when I'll get back to stitchery or papercrafting this week... NOT a happy situation but when life calls, one has to answer, right?

WIPocalypse - Month Ending August 10, 2014, Another Super Moon

This month's theme questions is "Tell us about your oldest and newest WIPs." Well, for starters, is it a WIP if it is over 20 years old and hasn't been touched since? Personally, I consider this a UFO, but here is a picture of what I think my be my oldest UFO --- a crewel pillow top from sometime around  (it has a copy right date of 1980 so it had to have been started after that, but I'm pretty sure it became a UFO before 1988 when we moved to Texas!). Here is the "progress" so far:

while here is its companion pillow top which is ready for assembly into the pillow cover (backing and zippers for both came with the kits): 

(In fact, the companion piece may end up being a class project for the Funk & Weber finishing class mentioned below...)

If it's a piece that is still being worked on, albeit somewhat slowly, it has to be my needlepoint travel pice, another pillow top, started on a cruise in 2011 and still a work in VERY SLOW progress!

My newest is a little piece I picked up to pass the time while waiting for others to finish their tour of the Biltmore Gardens this past June/July (I'm not much for detailed garden tours, especially in 95+°F heat!):

I also consider this a travel piece, and it will likely not see the light of day again until next year on another cruise!

Otherwise, my usual WIPs are described below...

Since the last WIPocalypse report-in,  we spent another couple of days traveling (to Stratford in Canada to see some plays) and there simply wasn't time (or energy) to stitch then. However, once having returned (and recovered) from the road trip at the beginning of July (I did get laundry done, mail sorted, bills paid, etc), I managed to stitch the following: 

• Crazy Quilt Journal Project blocks for July and August,  and assembled the first six months of blocks of the 2014 challenge and the last 6 months of blocks for the 2013 challenge 
• Bead Journal Project atc/ornnament for July. Designed, but only just started, is my August Bead Journal ornament...
• Outlines (sadly, ONLY outlines) for blocks 12 and 13 for Elizabeth Almond's "Save the Stitches". Blocks 14 and 15 are now issued and printed out
• TAST stitches ##118 - 121 (Braided Buttonhole Stitch, Woven Trellis Stitch, Double Herringbone Stitch, Twisted Lattice Stitch), ##122 and 123 (Chained Bar and Woven Chained Bar Stitches), and #124  (Closed Herringbone)

Not one stitch made it into the Tracey Horner RYO mandala SAL, while yet another pattern has been issued and printed out! 

I also delivered four framed pieces to the county fair and won four ribbons!  I already have ordered charts for the special needlework contest theme "Get in the Game"!

For quilt guild, I attended the "Christmas in July" brunch where we signed up to make place mats for Meals on Wheels --- this to be completed by November (while my block for the guild retreat, "Retreating in the Pines", is due in October...)

The third Funk & Weber class on finishing started this past week with lesson one printed out (but not yet read).  I never did get around to finishing up the hemstitching class (blushing). I have also signed up for an online class from Nancy Eha called "Seed Bead Botany" and the beading kit is already here. It starts August 12... and runs through September 2-9. (Just what I needed, right? Another online course? And it's not the only one as I also signed up for a Craftsy course on rubber stamp techniques!  I will NEVER learn --- and never catch up!).

So next months' to-do list is:

• The Tracey Horner RYO mandala - outline for "Bride"
• The Elizabeth Almond "Save the Stitches" SAL - outlines for blocks 14 and 15 and whatever fill I can accomplish for  blocks 10 - 15!
• Whatever TAST stitches come my way
• The September Crazy Quilt Journal Block (it's already gridded and the fabric choices tentatively made)
• Complete the August Bead Journal ornament as well as a September Bead Journal Ornament
• Finish the Funk & Weber finishing class and Get well into the "Seed Bead Botany" class

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty-one

Over the weekend, I pieced the basic block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project challenge for August and sketched out my Bead Journal Project atc/ornament for the month as well. I also got out the "Biltmore" kit and sorted and identified threads according to the DMC color chart (some were so close in color, I couldn't be sure which was which!). Then, on Sunday night, I finished up the Crazy Quilt Journal piece:

I had a blood draw on Monday for my semiannual check-up, and since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped in at the orthopedics place to fill the prescription for an ankle brace that has been sitting in my to do pile since February. Here's hoping it helps that wonky ankle to heal...

Tuesday was pick-up day for our CSA and pick-up night for stitchery entries in the fair. Kind of wiped the day out. But I did manage to do the weekly TAST assignment - Stitch #124: Closed Herringbone (apologies for picture quality but I couldn't get a proper focus - that is perle cotton, not fuzzy yarn!):