2014 - Staying Connected, Week Forty-Three

I did get some work done at guild retreat, although I forgot to take my handwork with me and ran out of things to do by dinner on the first full day! Didn't help that I was so very sleepy the entire time adn had very little focus...

Anyway, here are the pieces I did work on...

November block for Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2014:

Blocks January - September for the 2014 Crazy Quilt Journal Project assembled (blocks for October and November are awaiting December for final assembly):

The 2013 Crazy Quilt Journal Project blocks assembled (needs borders, backing and binding):

The 2013 Bead Journal Project assembled (needs borders, backing and binding):

Also worked on this week were the John Clayton Golfer (one new color added - DMC 321):

the Roll Your Own mandala "Bride" - finished second and third colors and working on the fourth:

and Take a Stitch Tuesday ##136 and 137, Knoitted Buttonhole and Beaded Buttonhole bands (the latter is a little rough given that I kept losing my place):

I also skimmed the fourth, and final, lesson in Pillowpalooza and will be preparing my homework assignment this weekend.

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Forty-One

In the past week, I have completed five 4.5" square crazy blocks for swapping at the guild retreat (Technique taught by Mary Lee G at guild on the 9th of October. I have yet to master working with small pieces so my scraps are a little on the large side..):

the October Crazy Quilt Journal block (I do much better using a foundation and a larger blocks size (these are 6" square finished):

and the Take a Stitch Tuesday Stitch # 134 (Fern stitch). Played a little with adding beads to the "spine" of the fern...:

I have read through lesson two in Pillowpalooza and am preparing the homework assignment for that class for posting this weekend.

I also started the color filling on "Bride" in the Roll Your Own mandala series (One color (very light blue- if you squint you can just make it out) complete and the second nearly a quarter complete)

:

the beading on my October Bead Journal Project ("Bat Bird"?):

and the quilting on my guild retreat challenge block (An attempt at stitching "in the ditch".Missed that ditch in a lot of places! Only the binding to go.):

I am a little more sleep deprived than usual, given the need to be up and ready for the washing machine repairman on Monday (a blocked drain filter) and the house cleaner today. And it won't get any better in the next few days as we have the early shifts on both Thursday and Friday at the local public radio telephone banks (need to be there at 6 AM! AAACK), and there is Legacy Weekend at the University with a football game viewed from the President's Box on Saturday (which means Saturday will be both adrenalin filled/ stressed out and off limits for stitching most of the day). So, even though this coming weekend is International Hermit and Stitch Weekend, it looks like I will only have Sunday for unimpeded stitchery. 

I think I am going to give up on trying to catch up. Trying is jst adding more stress to the mix, and stress makes me avoid stitchery in favor of just about ANYTHING else!. 

2014 - Staying Connected, Week Thirty

Got sidetracked a lot this week.

First, Saturday was taken up with taking my four stitched pieces to the fair reception and checking them in for the judging, supposed to take place Saturday and Sunday afternoons. So, on opening day (Monday), naturally, I went to see how I did. Would you believe - the building was closed to the public for JUDGING! I was/am furious - that visit cost me my free ticket of entry! Haven't been back since... Quilt Day is Thursday and I volunteered to help set up (and it is also Senior Day, so I get in free). I will see if I can find my stuff then...

Meanwhile, the beading mood didn't strike so I spent a lot of time in my crafting space stitching together six blocks from the 2013 Crazy Quilt Journal Project Challenge. Here are the blocks form July through December:

Six to go and then borders, batting and backing...

I finally got out the beads on Sunday and Tuesday nights and made some progress on my July Bead Journal Project piece:

That Snowy Owl who never went home? Now he thinks he's an eagle, a very patriotic one at that! 

Now I need to come up with an idea for August...

The rest of the time, it was catch-up with the Create 2014 classes I took at the end of May - I got 12 cards that had been started but not finished completed as well as a Tim Holtz folio. Only one more piece to go and that will wrap that class up with a nice big ribbon! Pics of these pieces are on my stamping blog...

It's been a cool summer (Monday night/Tuesday morning broke a record for low temperatures!) --- cool enough to afflict half of my tomatoes with verticillum wilt but not wet enough to make the other half happy. Meanwhile, Husband has been busy replacing trees we lost last winter in the super cold. Tuesday, a crabapple took the place of the standard cottoneaster... and now the displaced hostas, daylilies and astilbe need to be replanted! Even perennial gardens require constant upkeep!

The Crazy Quilt Journal Project for 2013 is complete!

Here is my December monochromatic yellow block, complete with snowflakes to commemorate the first winter snow flurries, even while roses still were blooming in the garden.

OK, a little time shifted there because it was in late November that snow flurries and  still-blooming KnockOut roses coincided. But, hey, artistic license!...

Now --- to assemble the blocks!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty-Eight

This past week, in addition to three TAST stitches and a biscornu, I worked a bit (mainly I cut fabric) for the guild January challenge, stitched on the Ajisai "Ladybug & Daisy" (three more shades of "pink" needed on that ladybug and then she'll be done except for the backstitching.):

and started my December crazy quilt journal block:

Not a lot to show for the week, but the holiday put a crimp in my stitching time, what with cooking, time at the nephew's house and recovery from overeating!

The November Crazy Quit Journal Project Block

The last monochromatic orange:

Heavy on the buttons, low on the stitchery. Hope it fits with the others but I suppose I can always embellish it more later if it doesn't...

Snowed last night. Not a lot but enough to cover the grass and cars and roof... Guess winter is well and truly here!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty-Five

A completion! "Puppy Dog" is now ready for framing!

And I started on the November block for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project: 

Of course, I had all these plans --- I'd work on that November butterfly, I'd work on that Chinese Coins quilt top, I'd work on that BJP 2010 "book", I'd work on the January challenge for quilt guild. Didn't even come close --- except for shuffling unfinished pieces around on my work table!

And I do so want to start the Roll Your Own mandalas, but that requires plotting out how to place each mandala on the fabric so it balances out and I just don't feel up to that right now, especially as it involves gridding out 32ct fabric!  Just thinking about that gives me a headache! 

Snow predicted for tonight! Winter is here! AAARGH!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty-Four

For some reason, I simply couldn't motivate to stitch this week. I had all sorts of plans, starting with kitting out the November Bead Journal and Crazy Quilt Journal blocks (which I did):

and working on my Chinese Coins quilt and my 2010 Bead Journal book (which I didn't); and with stitching the two stitches in last (and this) week's Take a Stitch Tuesday.

Then I stalled! didn't get back to anything until Sunday night when I finally finished up one page of the backstitching on "Puppy Dog":

Maybe it was Halloween... It lasted four days here  (not counting all the events that occurred the weekend before!). Our HOA trick-or-treat was rained out Thursday (we were ready for people who were made enough to brave the wind since only the HOA residents knew it had been rained out, but no-one came), postponed to Friday (we had maybe 30 kids in all, from the hayride the HOA put on to transport them safely around our very dark neighborhood). No stragglers that we know of... But there was always the off chance that stragglers from outside our neighborhood, whose Halloween's were postponed to Saturday or even Sunday, would come by so we had to be ready for that as well. Needless to say, I read a lot on my iPad and ate a lot of mini Reese's dark chocolate cups! (Yes, we weren't PC --- all our candy had nuts in them!).

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v29/thatyank/thatyank%20siggies/November%202013/Halloween2013.jpg

October Crazy Quilt Journal Project Block

The last of the monochromatic reds:

Experimented with "ribbon embroidery" although it doesn't work as well with the ribbons I had as it would have done if I had had silk ribbon but... there is a dragonfly more(or less) "after" the one described by Let's Learn Embroidery's   Twisted Ribbon Dragonfly (My grosgrain would NOT stay twisted! The ribbon that did - a sparkly dark red, would have looked fabulous BUT it wouldn't go through the fabric so I had to settle!). It doesn't stand out as much as I had hoped it would... live and learn, I guess.

Now, on to getting ready for quilt guild and guild retreat and to kitting out the October BJP! 

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty

2013 -  Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Forty

I made a particular attempt this week to start catching up with various deadlines so, after stitching a few days on the blackwork "Puppy Dog" - and completing the first page of fill patterns:

I kitted up and started stitching on the September 2013 Bead Journal Project butterfly:

and began embellishment of the October Crazy Quilt Journal Project block:

In addition, I started getting "go bags" together for a crafting night with my friends in Toledo (we are working through the Tim Holtz "Creative Chemistry 102" online class which starts this week) and the quilt guild retreat (which meant cutting 5.5" strips from the strip set I stitched up at quilt work day in September and pulling together all the fabrics and notions I will need for a weekend of quilting, as well as adding backing and batting to my "Bling it On!" block).

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Thirty-Seven

This past week was another catch-up week but with quilt guild obligations, I didn't get as far as I wanted, I fear. Still, one day at a time!

I had two completions --- the July Bead Journal Project butterfly and the September Crazy Quilt Journal Project block:

I stitched on the new blackwork piece, "Puppy Dog", and got an eye done:

And at quilt guild, I finally cut and sewed strips for a quilt I promised to do way back in 2010 (it was called the "unstarted project" or USP)... It will eventually (I hope) become a throw-sized quilt of the Chinese Coins pattern. right now, the strip set is 50 inches long by roughly 40 inches wide, but it will be cut into three smaller strip sets of 50 inches by 5.5 inches...

This will probably end up a VERY large throw! LOL

Meanwhile, I kitted up the next BJP butterfly (August) which will be in greens with a touch of crystal...and I want to start on the "Bling it On!" block for quilt retreat as well...

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Thirty-Five

I buckled down this week and tackled more WIPs which were tending to becoming UFOs...

I completed the Take a Stitch Tuesday stitch.

I kitted up the Crazy Quilt Journal Block for September: 

I assembled the block for "Bling it On", the quilt retreat: 

I stitched on "Midnight Garden" (only eight more border blocks to stitch in the two blues): 

and I completed the June BJP butterfly: 

Yet I'm still woefully behind... 2012 Color Palette/Crazy Quilt Journal/Bead Journal Project wall hanging needs batting, backing and binding; the July, August and September BJP butterflies need to be kitted up and beaded; the September Crazy Quilt Journal block needs to be embellished as does the the "Bling it On" block; "Midnight Garden" has those eight border blocks to stitch and then bead;  the "Roll Your Own Mandala" SAL with Tracy Horner of Ink Circles (there are now seven) has only been printed out with fabric selected and threads pulled and the class on stitching journals/background stitches from Janet Perry and a stitch guide practicum by Janet Perry have only been printed, not even read! I'm hoping that, with Septembebr 14 being a quilt guild work day, that I'll get SOME of this done but I fear catch-up is highly unlikely in the near future...

August 2013 Crazy Quilt Journal Project Block

I put in a few hours on Friday night to get this August Crazy Quilt Journal block done: 

It looks unbalanced to me (that peacock is too "horizontal, maybe?) but maybe, when assembled with it's 2103 compatriots, that will cease to be an issue.

Not caught up but it feels good to get something completed!

Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013 - July Block

Got the July block finished on Monday - yet another monochromatic red block!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-Seven

Gosh, am I ever sick of rain! 14 out of the last 16 days its rained at east a little, leading us to the 8th wettest June in local history (but July is still behind on water, possibly because the airport met station is in one of those "scattered shower" dry spots --- it sure feels wet enough here!). You'd think that would lead to more stitching on my part but mainly, it's insomnia coupled with the inability to keep awake during the daylight hours. So I have little progress to report on this week.

Oh well, here is "Midnight Garden" as it was on Friday:

And I did get BJP two butterflies kitted out - the late June one in purple:

and July's in red and white stars:

The July Crazy Quilt Journal Project block is underway --- with stitchery and beading started simultaneously:

I started kitting out the Roll Your Own Mandala charts, only to find that I didn't have a piece of fabric large enough to do them all on one piece and I need a lot more fabric if I want to do all seven of them individually but have them match. Also, I don't have enough thread to do seven right now (man, they call for a lot of DMC!). SO I have my shopping list made out and will visit the local Hobby Lobby to see if I can satisfy thread and fabric requirements. Otherwise, it's online to order something VERY pricey...

Husband insisted on getting two of my framed pieces tweaked (both had some lint caught on the sittches!) so that was done Friday and now I have to get around to filling out the application form for the fair and get it in before the deadline Saturday.

WIPocalypse - June 23, 2013 (the Super Moon)

This month's themes were: Designer – Teresa Wentzler, Style – Summer, Colors – Black and Green ... and again, I don't have a single piece in progress that fits in with those themes.

Also, I still seem to be in recovery from that eye surgery as my eyes don't seem to have any stitching stamina  *and* I seem to have lost my stitching mojo as a result of the four weeks I had to lay off for recovery. Still, I did get SOME stitching in this month.

Completions included:

• The Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013: The May block - a monochromatic red,  and the June block as well: 

• Take a Stitch Tuesday: Slipped Detached Chain, Buttonholed Double Chain, Crested Chain Stitch, and Bullion Buttonhole Stitch http://210920746822434353.weebly.com/1/post/2013/06/take-a-stitch-tuesday-2013-stitch-71.html
• The Bead Journal Project 2013 - my May butterfly
• Casey Buonaugurio design, "The Taco Sampler"

In addition, I took eight pieces into the framer to be framed because fair submittals have to be ready July 1 - 13. I decided to go with "Kimono - Revisited" for Needlepoint framed sampler, "Red Thai Mandala" for Counted Cross Stitch picture 28 ct (even though is it primarily blackwork, there doesn't seem to be a perfect category for it), the Michael Powell "Home is Where the Heart Is" for Counted cross stitch framed picture 16 or 18 ct, the "Charles" name badge for counted cross stitch framed sampler 28 ct, the blue Sumptuous Embroidery study for embroidered framed picture, "Birds of a Feather" for counted cross stitch 32 ct, the Encrusted Embroidery 8" block for Needlework Specialties, beading on fabric, and "The Taco Sampler" for the Special Contest framed picture with a kitchen theme. I picked them all up June 21... a first day of summer present to myself. 

Still in progress are:  "Midnight Garden", where the borders are now stitched out, a 12" block for entry into the fair with the theme "Pink" (doesn't need framing), and the wall hanging for the 2012 Color Palette/Crazy Quilt Journal/Bead Journal Project blocks (the final side sashings are cut and pinned but still not stitched). 

I pre-assembled basic crazy quilt journal blocks for the rest of 2013 but I have yet to design and kit out the June Bead Journal butterfly, the Tracy Horner "Roll Your Own Mandala" SAL (of which there are two now, still not with a color palette chosen) and he Janet Perry background stitch notebook (lesson one printed out but not kitted up, or even read!)

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-Four

Besides catching up with TAST, finishing the piece for the fair ("The Taco Sampler") and taking nine finished pieces to the framer on Saturday, I did squeeze in some stitching as well this past week. 

I managed to get the main part of the outer borders done for "Midnight Garden", as well as some of the black cross-stitched elements in the middle border:

Ready for blackwork! 

I also put together a 12.5" block (12" finished) for the "Pink" category for the fair. It needs embellishment but the basic block is done:

And the basic block for the June Crazy Quilt Journal Project is ready to embellish as well:

I still need to kit out the June Bead Journal Project butterfly, the needlepoint background stitch journal for Janet Perry,  and at least two "Roll Your Own" mandalas for that Tracy Horner SAL.  Of course, kitting out isn't the same as stitching but my eyes seem to be improving daily and if I can do better than my latest stitching times, I should be able to do some catching up this next week!

2013 - Reconnect to My Stitchery, Week Twenty-One

With my new glasses (fitted on Wednesday), and the left eye still bothering me a little, I decided to do something that didn't need a lot of "focus" --- I stitched up the last seven "base" blocks for Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2103:

And I plugged away at the May block so I could squeak it in under the wire:

Still have a May Bead Journal Project piece to stitch which, clearly, given the date, isn't likely to be done on time. And "Midnight Garden" sits idle as does the 2012 Color Palette/Crazy Quilt Journal/Bead Journal Project wall hanging and I have yet to start on the "Toll Your Own Mandala" being taught online by Tracy Horner of InkCircles. To say nothing of two more online classes I've signed up for that lurk in the near future: Janet Perry's background stitching and Linda Perrin's "Messy Beading"... Will I never learn?

Take a Stitch Tuesday 2013 - Stitch #61 and Crazy Quilt Journal Project 2013 - April

Even though I had a nasty cold, I could concentrate on free-stitchery so I managed to get two pieces done so far this week. 

First was my approach to the TAST stitch 61 - the Up-and-Down Feathered Buttonhole Stitch:

I even attempted a beaded version on my April Crazy Quilt Journal Project block:

And speaking of the April Crazy Quilt Journal block, here it is...

Not exactly "encrusted" like in that class I took on Encrusted Crazy Quilting but it is more in the style of the previous three blocks in this series so I will let it be...