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.

A Hit and a Miss

It's too hot and hazy and just plain muggy to do anything outside and scattered showers are threatening.   So what's a gal to do?   How about consignment store shopping!   Look what I found......

I saw this piece sitting on the floor in one booth and was totally perplexed.   I thought, maybe a shoeshine kit?   I had no idea.   It is about 15 inches high and 12 inches wide with doors on both sides.  I went to pick it up and yikes!  I found out it swiveled.

 It is kind of funky and weird looking imagine how pleased I was when I opened it.

 OMGosh, some sort of sewing box.  What a hit!

I have some plans for changing out the knobs and painting it with chalk paint.  I bought the chalk paint at the same time and it cost more than this well made, solid wood thing-a-ma-gig!    I think it is a cool find.   As for my vision and when I actually execute it, well that's a whole other story.   It may take a long time for me to get around to this.

Also to stay out of the heat and general nasty 150% humidity, I have been doing some cleaning.   I went through half the kitchen cabinets tossing the outdate cake mixes (two kitchen trash cans full and half the cabinets still to do).  I've pulled furniture from the wall in the bedroom, family room living room to wipe down baseboards, washing windows, sweeping under chair cushions........you now the drill.

Notice anything unusual?    Apparently neither did I for a a couple of weeks until I went to put away my Kreinik threads and thoughts.....where are the drawers?   Obviously I put it back in place backwards and didn't even notice it.   Geez, I am really observant aren't I? What a miss....

For stitching, I am enjoying this little piece.    I hope to finish it up this weekend and maybe even have time to pull fabric and finish/finish.

I am thinking I may put in tent stitches on what is the jar lid.

That's all I've got.   I see thunderstorms a'coming so I am off to my stitch chair.  Hope you all have a good week.   Stay cool, stay dry and keep on stitching.

Out of the mouths of babes

I was treated to a surprise visit from my D-in-L and grandson.   How fun!   I knew they were coming the last week of August but my wonderful D-in-L called and said, how about me and little man hop on the train and come to see you?  Of course I wasn't going to say no.    We had such fun and I just have to share this......

William or Will was looking at something in the dining room and was saying he wanted "happy 2's".   Happy 2's?   His mom explained that for his birthday and his dad's birthday (4 days apart), they celebrated together with cupcakes with sprinkles.   So because they sang Happy Birthday to you......he calls sprinkles Happy 2's.   Well this grandmom's heart just melted and thought it was cutest darned thing ever!    Needless to say we had Happy 2's on pancakes, on ice cream, one day just for the fun of it, Happy 2's in a paper cup and I was even forced to go to Diary Queen for custard with Happy 2's.

 Grandmom was smart to serve the ice cream outside!

 Someone thought the spoon was taking to long.

 Will had a blast riding his balance back in the same church parking lot his dad learned to ride a bike.

Now to back up some calendar-wise.  Way back on Fourth of July weekend my daughters came for our Third Annual Sew-A-Thon.  As always we just have the best time together.   I already shared the quilt I worked on but here is something else I did.    I have so many trims and needed a better way to keep them.  This is how some were stored.

 And remember this haul I got from Mood in NYC?

I downloaded a pattern from Etsy for ribbon and lace cards.   I printed off a bunch.   I used Modge Podge to put them on comic board and after a few coats and drying time, cut them out and viola'.......I made ribbon cards for neatly storing my trims.  They are roughly 3 by 5.  I debated about punching a hole in the top so I could store them on a ring.   I guess I can always go back and do that.

I am very happy with the result but believe it or not, I need to make some more!  and probably get a bigger basket!

And that brings me to a new start.  Sometimes I just long for a quick stitch so I can have a finish that doesn't take months (or years) to accomplish.  This pattern is from Hands on Design (a favorite of mine)  It is called Sunshine on a Stem.   I used fabric and floss from my stash so only one floss is the called for floss but it  makes it a no-cost stash-buster to stitch.

This should be a quick lunch-time stitch.    After I finish this I'd love to start to Laundry room series.

Until next time, thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

Some finishes

Yesterday I attended my EGA's Christmas in July.    We had some great projects.  And better yet, I have even finished two of the three.

First, ribbon candy.   This is the sample.   The pattern is Ribbon Candy Ornament by Calico Crossroads.

Stitched on perforated paper, this is my progress---that's a 15 inch log piece of paper.   It's a lot of stitches!

These are little 2 1/2 inch by 2 1/2 inch paper boxes created and personalized.   Paper and ribbon is from Stampin' Up.   Pattern from www.pootles.co.uk/2015/05/22  Good for party favors, votive candles,  hostess gifts, showers.   Change them up with any color and paper combinations.

And last was this design from The Drawn Thread.  I put the final stitches in it this morning.   I changed it up a bit by adding beads and mixed smyrna crosses in with the algerian eyes.  Got an idea of how I am finishing it....but that is another day.

Other things I have been working on.  I have finished a quilt top.  This is from a weekend retreat a couple years ago held by The Quilt Box in Exton, PA.  

I have been working on it for about a half hour each morning assembling the rows before work.  I am ready to make that quilt sandwich and put on the binding which will have to wait.  Mr. William is coming for a visit next weekend.   He is coming by train and of course he is bringing his mom with him.  I need to decommission the dining room as quilt central for their visit.


And trust me, all my corners do not meet so nicely.   I was editorial with what I shared!

Buddy has helped me when I worked on the binding.

And a class finish to share.   I took a class in the end of June with Beth Seal of Summer House Stitche Workes at Stitches Unlimited in Lancaster PA.  It is called "My Grandmother's Needlebook" 

Here I have it paired here with a bag I purchased from Faye Rigsby, The Carolina Stitcher.    This was from the Prim Stitchers Retreat.   Beth Seal provided the motif to attendees prior to the retreat.   If we brought the stitched piece and two 1/2 yards of fabric, Carolina Stitcher made you a bag

The smaller bag was a gift to attendees at the Prim Stitchers Retreat.  It was also stitched by Carolina Stitcher and part of our welcome package.

This has become my grab and go bag for working or when heading out the door to a friends to stitch.

Hope to keep up this wave of finished projects as well as hope to return to more frequent posts and more important to catch up on all the blog posts I have missed.

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching.

More chocolates

I must be on a sweet tooth roll.  This is something I stitched this years ago.   I am not quite sure but I think it was a Little House Needleworks chart.   I had the vision to make it into a box of candy.  

Before I started to assemble it, I decided to backstitch the pink border as well as each chocolate piece. I got the mat board cut, I then wrapped it with fabric for both the inner and outer box and then stitched the box pieces together.  I cut layers and layers and more layers of batting and laced the stitched piece over the batting with a mat board base.  

All that was left to do was to put it in place with some acid-free double-sided table.  Not my best finishing job but from the top of the bridge it is ok.  

 But more important, one less unfinished finish in my completed projects baskets.  

Thanks for stopping by and keep on stitching!

New Start

Kind of not much stitching going on for me.  I've totally lost my mojo for the Corsica River SAL.......However,  I did  manage a few stitches on a new start.......like I thought it would jump start the mojo or like because I just wanted to......no matter.

But first up,  at the last EGA meeting before the summer break one of the members taught us how to make calorie free chocolates.    EZ-PZ and if you didn't add the beads, each can be done in under 15 minutes.    Pretty cool.     I see more of theses in my future

 More fake food I can torture my children with.

Oh Blogger why won't you cooperate and let the 'rotated' photo stay rotated?!

This is my new start.  I'm hoping that starting a new project will help me get back in the  groove.   This is Jarden Prive’ ABC de la Brodeuse.  I am stitching with the charted DMC floss on 27 count banding with one thread, over one thread.   I had wanted to convert the chart to a horizontal band rather than stitch it as charted vertically but just didn't have the mental energy to rechart it.   So it is stitched as charted.   Easy stitch and great sense of accomplishment when each motif is completed.  So easy to complete a word or flower even if you don't have a lot of time to stitch.

Lastly, I had ordered shelves back in May and finally got them put up.   I got this idea from an Open House at Patty Yergey's home in lower Delaware.   Patty Yergey is the designer for Samplers Revisited.  She has some original designs but also charts antique samplers.  She said she was tired of putting holes in the walls when she rearranged her samplers.    Great idea for me to change out the holiday stitches and no problem to rearrange items.

Thanks for stopping by.....and keep on stitching.