T-Minus 6 days

Oh no!  6 days to a class in Cape May and I don't have my pre-stitch done yet.   Better get stitching.  So many things have been getting in the way of stitching time but I sure hope this weekend I can eek out some time.  

I might be stalling on this a bit since I have changed it up from the original design.   I added the green to better suit the color scheme in my house and then I added a set of different colored leaves along each side of the border.   I kind of feel disloyal to the designer and certainly unworthy of questioning her skill when she created the design so I think I have a stitching block.    No fear, I need to charge through it this weekend.....and heaven knows if I will be able to stitch and finish a scissors fob for the exchange.   Thank goodness that exchange is voluntary.

On to what I have been doing, stitch wise, at least.   I have been devoting my morning pre-work hour of stitching to Halloween Quaker.   The way I am approaching the motifs may seem crazy but there is a method to my madness.    I know somehwhere in the middle I am off a couple (or more threads) so I worked the border across the top and bottom so I could do the right side (and it matched!).   And now I plan to work from the right side of the pattern back to the middle.

I won't be finished but Halloween but I am so much closer than I was.    My EGA Guild Challenge really helped me get so much done this past month.  It really is a fast stitch when I just put my mind to it.

Here's where I was at my last posting.

My goal is to finish the stitching by the time I have a long weekend with my daughters in November where I hope to finish/finish it.

So that's it for me.   Nothing spectacular going on.  Work drags on with new assignments and training new employees which keeps me from doing my regular work.  They are tempting me with dangling the carrot of a four-day week and a salary bump but I just don't know.  It's the workload that needs to decrease more than the hours do.  My brother's estate is also dragging along.   All the antiques from his house arrived this week and my living is piled to the ceiling.   The nieces and nephews better come make a pick and take it or there will be no Christmas decorating this year......hmm.....while I speak sacrilege and am conjuring visions of Byers Dolls with tears down their faces if denied their normal holiday positions no decorating could be a great time saver!

Almost forgot, I have the September AND October buttons of the month from JABCO to share.  

 It is such fun to get the little box each month and see what they have included.  When I was last at Salty Yarns I priced these individually and the month automatic shipment is about a 40% reduction in cost.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

It's All About the Tools

I was lucky enough to spend most of the weekend in the city with daughter number one.   We had a great time together as always and each got a lot, craft-wise, accomplished!  To start, I came home to another delivery from Just Another Button Company.    Love this set just us much as the previous sets.   Can't wait to add those bees to something.    Have you seen their other series......Words with Buttons?    I'd love to join that one too but one auto-ship a month is my limit.   Maybe next year.

I was able to cut, piece and prepare the binding for the quilt top I finished earlier this summer.    Doesn't look  like much but it's another WIP that is one step closer to finishing.

I did finish stitching the Hands on Design Sunshine on a Stem this week.   A fast, easy stitch from stash.  I grabbed some fat quarters and trim before leaving for Philly and threw in my tote bag so I could  stitch it up into a pillow.    And I found just the right  place to use two of my JABCO buttons from this month's delivery.

Of course, one stitching project finished means time to start another.     I  plan to continue to enjoy the reward of some quick finishes.   I have kind of overwhelmed myself the last few years with too many BAP's and not enough stitching time so I am liking accomplishing some fast start-to-finish pieces.   My new start this week is the first of four little 3 by 5 Halloween designs.


I choose a turquoise blue fabric instead of white to save me from stitching the entire background in blue as charted.

And then I worked on this....actually this is what I started with....... until I hit a speed bump.   This is the Bionic Gear Bag from a pattern I got from  Craftsy.    I wish I had been able to finish it today.   I got to the next to the last step or page 34 of 35!   I got hung up with the binding that you attach and wrap around the seams allowances then do stitch-in-the-ditch from the back to 'capture' the binding on the other side.   This method rarely works for me.   There is always a place or two that I didn't catch.   But.....I tried it anything.   The result was the same as always.   Out came the seam ripper and I  hand stitched the side binding down like I should have in the first place.

Wonder clips!  My friends.

I can't wait to finish this tool kit and replace the Rubbermaid tub that lives in my sewing tote.

Couldn't have done the project without the Wonder Clips.

I can tell you, those Vera Bradley bags are worth every penny.  LOL

Not to worry, if this turns out as I believe it will....then I will post the finished project and ALL the tools I can stow in it.

I have to add the binding and zipper to the top and front and then I am done. Now for finishing this and other things this week.....doubtful.   My Little Man is arriving tomorrow for a week.   Just baby time and no stitching time for sure!

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Buttons Buttons Buttons

Buttons have started to arrive.   I have received the first three delivers of buttons from my monthly subscription to JABCO buttons.    It is so fun to get a package and unwrap to see what delights are inside.

My first shipment was April.   Sew Many Buttons it is called.   With peach keen and envy green buttons as well as the fabulous specialty buttons.

Next is May.    Beachy buttons is the name of this one.    Teal and apricot sprinkle packs and the beach themed accent buttons.  Look at the ice cream cone and the beach ball!  Too cute!

And last is June.   Red-White-and-Blue-t-ful.    Demin and Cherry sprinkle packs and fun summer time buttons.

So adorable.  Can't wait to so some finishes and embellish some of these.

I Did a Bad Thing

.....I am not going to even start with justification.......Ack!    I signed up for the Just Another Button Company's monthly button club.    We all love their buttons.   They add just the right touch to finishing.   Check out their blog and clubs page.  I can't wait to get my first monthly order.