“Friendship, love, health, energy, enthusiasm, and joy
are the things that make life worth living and exploring.” ~ Denise Austin

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Not All Solids quilt finish & To-Do Tuesday #13


Yesterday I finished my Not All Solids liberated log cabin mini quilt!


It measures 15" x 17".  I started it last June after watching a TQS show.
The show is #2310 Big Impact with Bits, Scraps and Tiny Blocks with Lynn Carson Harris.  I just fell in love with this improv method using tiny scraps!
I used Riley Blake crayola solid colors for most of this but added a few pieces from my stash that are not solid....hence the name of the quilt!  I have blogged about this before.  I have been hand quilting this when we meet for our Tuesday quilt group.  This quilt has been so much fun to make.....I just want to make another one!!


This is my 13th week of linking with Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday.

Here is my list from last week and my progress
To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 24 through March 30:
  1. Start putting my Around the Cabin blocks together and see how many more I need to make yes
  2. Finish 3 more pineapple foundation paper pieced blocks yes
  3. Get binding on the liberated log cabin quilt yes
  4. Get the rest of the pieces cut out for the Apple Crisp quilt and sew more HST blocks almost
1 I got several groups of blocks sewn together....will be challenging as most of these blocks are all different sizes!  I have just been sewing blocks over the past year between other projects....now it is time to get them trimmed or add to some for them to match up!
2 3 more pineapple blocks done and total of 6 done now
3 As above I finished this quilt
Here is the back of the quilt using lime green Bobbins and Bits fabric

4 I cut out more of the Apple Crisp pieces but not all of them...and did more sewing of HST blocks

Update on the 15 week 200 mile challenge I started on Sunday, March 8 #2020spring200mile15weekchallenge
Through yesterday I have walked 50.74 miles.  
With average needed of 2 miles a day I am ahead of schedule.  This is a doable challenge and I like to be ahead with extra for those days when I just don't want to or can't get 2 miles!!  Anyone else doing this challenge?

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 31 through April 6:
  1. Do more Stitch Meditations
  2. Do more FMQ on the yellow brick road quilt
  3. Work on online class lessons
  4. Spend time each day in my creative journal
Here is a page from my creative journal that I posted in my FB group

I am linking to Roseanne's  linky #34

Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Sunday, March 29, 2020

Slow stitching with liberated log cabin and more

I get a lot of joy from sitting with a needle and thread and slowly stitching. 

I am hand stitching the liberated log cabin small quilt that I started last year and have blogged about before.  Here is a photo of it today......almost done.

I finished another zen stitching piece this past week.  I used a denim scrap and a fabric scrap piece and used different colors of 12 wt thread for the circle stitching following the patterns of the flowers.  This is my #12  Stitch Meditation.

Today I have some pieces ready to do another stitchery.  A lace scrap I couldn't decide which layout so I took photos and I used a Pin It pin on a piece of cardstock and I may cut that smaller.  The Stitch Meditation is supposed to be something you don't take more than a few minutes to decide.  So I took photos and will go back to it later.



I am linking to Kathy's Quilts:  Slow Sunday Stitching    here

and Quilting is more fun than Housework  Oh Scrap!   here

Be sure to check out these links and see what others are doing.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Tuesday, March 24, 2020

To-Do Tuesday #12

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and this is my 12th week.


Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 17 through March 23:
  1. Start a new quilt from my list of quilts I want to make. yes
  2. Do more zen stitching....Stitch Meditations yes
  3. Do more hand quilting on liberated log cabin quilt yes
  4. Spend at least 10 minutes every day at my sewing machine yes
1  Saturday was National Quilting Day and that is the day I started a new quilt.  The name is Apple Crisp and is from one of the monthly Sew Sampler boxes.
2  I did another zen stitching and shared a photo on instagram and my last blog post.
3  I am almost finished with hand quilting my liberated log cabin quilt and shared a photo on my last blog post  here
4  I spent every single day at my sewing machine and most of the days for more than 10 minutes.  I made this goal because I don't always take time at the sewing machine and I need to keep up my skills....especially FMQing.

Update on the 15 week 200 mile challenge I started on Sunday, March 8.   #2020spring200mile15weekchallenge
Through yesterday I have walked 36.48 miles.  
With average needed of 2 miles a day I am ahead of schedule.  This is a doable challenge and I like to be ahead with extra for those days when I just don't want to or can't get 2 miles!!  Anyone else doing this challenge?

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 24 through March 30:
  1. Start putting my Around the Cabin blocks together and see how many more I need to make
  2. Finish 3 more pineapple foundation paper pieced blocks
  3. Get binding on the liberated log cabin quilt
  4. Get the rest of the pieces cut out for the Apple Crisp quilt and sew more HST blocks
I am linking to Roseanne's  linky #33

Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Sunday, March 22, 2020

Stitch Meditation and slow stitching

This is my 11th Stitch Meditation I have made.  This one I used a flannel piece with scraps of fabric stitched on top.  The long narrow pieces are extra pieces from the pineapple quilt I am doing and the other piece is a tiny piece that didn't fit in my scrappy strips around the cabin I am working on.  It measures about 4".  I am using 12 wt thread.
For those who haven't read about this before.....check out Liz Kettle on YouTube.  It is very relaxing to just start stitching with no plan.  I have blogged about this before in previous posts.  I finished this yesterday and will be doing another one today.

And today I am getting to the end of hand quilting my liberated log cabin small quilt.  I have enjoyed this little quilt so much...the piecing it together and the hand quilting.  I have usually saved working on this quilt to do with my small quilt group when we meet...but we are not meeting now because.....of the stay at home policy.

I am linking with Kathy's Quilts: Slow Sunday Stitching    here

and Quilting is my more fun than Housework  Oh Scrap!   here

Be sure to check out these links for other blogs linking to them.
AND now that we are all home more.....it is time to do some relaxing stitching!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

To-Do Tuesday #11

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and this is my 11th week.


Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 10 through March 16:
  1. Make 3 more Mai-Tai quilt blocks using the pineapple quilt block foundation paper.  almost
  2. Make 3 more scrappy around the cabin blocks yes
  3. Work on one or more of my online classes 3 days. yes
1.Since I don't do one block at a time and do multiples with each step....I didn't actually finish 3 more but I worked on 5 blocks.  It is easier to do multiple steps together....trim...sew...press and repeat.  Each block has 25 pieces.  It still is a lot of jumping up and down with doing 5 blocks at the same time!
2. I finished 3 more scrappy blocks for a total of 42 now.  I will be squaring them up when I do the layout and will probably add strips between at places to make it fit together as they are all different size blocks.

3. I actually finished several pages in my 2020 Artfully Inspired Life online class.

Update on the 15 week 200 mile challenge I started on Sunday, March 8.   #2020spring200mile15weekchallenge
Through yesterday I have walked 20.08 miles.  
With average needed of 2 miles a day I am ahead of schedule.  This is a doable challenge and I like to be ahead with extra for those days when I just don't want to or can't get 2 miles!!  Anyone else doing this challenge?

I did my 10th stitch meditation.  The Stitch Meditation is something you do without much planning.  I stopped doing them for awhile because I was trying too hard to think of things to stitch.....and that defeats the purpose....it is to be quiet stitching with no thought or plan!
I put Dye-na-flow ink/paint in drops and lines on PFD fabric and then spritzed with water for a watercolor effect.  The background is old denim jeans.

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 17 through March 23:
  1. Start a new quilt from my list of quilts I want to make.
  2. Do more zen stitching....Stitch Meditations
  3. Do more hand quilting on liberated log cabin quilt
  4. Spend at least 10 minutes every day at my sewing machine

I am linking to Roseanne's  Linky #32

Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Tuesday, March 10, 2020

To-Do Tuesday #10

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and this is my 10th week.

Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 3 through March 9:
  1. Work on the dophin tablerunner.  It will measure 18 x 50.
  2. Do more in my creative journal at least 2 days yes
  3. Work in my online class 2020 Artfully Inspired Life at least 2 days yes
1. I did not work on this goal.  I have had back pain and not able to do a lot of concentrating on creative stuff and very little sewing.
2, A little bit in my creative journal on 3 days
3. A little bit in my online class on 3 days.

I did start a 15 week 200 mile challenge on Sunday.  
This is about 1.9 miles per day.   #2020spring200mile15weekchallenge
I heard about it on FB and then I invited my FB WW Daily Challenges group to join.  I also mentioned it to other groups online.  Anyone interested in joining formally or on your own is welcome.  You can join my FB group by request......or if you are on WW...I post on Connect.
Here is a photo of the chart I made to follow my progress

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 10 through March 16:
  1. Make 3 more Mai-Tai quilt blocks using the pinapple quilt block foundation paper.  
  2. Make 3 more scrappy around the cabin blocks
  3. Work on one or more of my online classes 3 days.
This photo shows a pile of pineapple blocks...I have 3 completed so far and more are in beginning stages.


I am linking to Rosenne's  linky #31

Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

To-Do Tuesday #9


I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and this is my 9th week.

Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do Tuesday for Week of February 25 through March 2:
  1. Do more FMQ on the yellow brick road quilt yes
  2. Do some class work in my 2020 Artfully Inspired Life...at least 3 days yes
  3. Decide on fabrics and design for a baby quilt and start it 
  4. Decide on fabrics and design for a tablerunner for a friend and start it partially
  5. Do at least one page in my creative journal and post in my FB Decorative Journaling group in February yes
1 I got a little more done on the FMQ 
2 I did 4 days of working on the class
3 Didn't have enough fabrics in my stash....
4 Decided on the fabrics and design....but didn't have the measurements.
5 I did 2 pages and posted to my group....I used lots of photos for the time Feb 13 to 16  

To-Do Tuesday for Week of March 3 through March 9:
  1. Work on the dophin tablerunner.  It will measure 18 x 50.
  2. Do more in my creative journal at least 2 days
  3. Work in my online class 2020 Artfully Inspired Life at least 2 days
This is week starts March Madness and I will be watching a lot of basketball games....so I decided on small goals this week that I can achieve   

I am linking to Roseanne's  linky #30

Be sure to check it out and join in the fun!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This past week there was a special at Chicken Charlie's Table....shrimp and fries for $8.  
WW high point foods have to be really good for me to eat them..............and this is really good!
I eat healthy most of the time but I don't deprive myselt.  Anyone else on WW lifestyle?
 
Smiles and hugs....Caryl