To-Do Tuesday #46

 The last To-Do Tuesday of the year and I am linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of December 22 through December 28:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 5✅
2. Christmas - make my usual cinnamon rolls, sausage souffle and chex mix.✅
3. Work on some other quilt projects✅

Here is a photo of some of what I have done with clue 5

This week is an easier week for the clue.  I only did part of it....I will be making a smaller version of the quilt.  I did start a Kawandi inspired tablerunner to put on my marbletop cabinet.

The following is one of the photos from Christmas morning breakfast.  It was very different not to have our family here but I made the traditional breakfast....just made a smaller version of the souffle (bread, egg, milk, etc mixture).   AND also using my Debbie Mumm Christmas dishes.  We also had fruit with this.  

We are enjoying Chex Mix  and another pan of cinnamon rolls this week.

I am enjoying the sparkly poinsetta as one of the few decorations we have this year.

 To-Do Tuesday week of December 29 through January 4:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 6
2. Kawandi inspired tablerunner
3. Decide on Craftsy classes with my remaining 8 credits before they expire.

I am linking to Roseanne's  Home Sewn By Us

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-73-and-weekly-list-update/

Who wants to start a to-do list and join in the fun?6

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #45 and fabric journal cover

   Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of December 15 through December 21:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 4 and more of previous clues✅
2. Christmas....projects, decorate, bake✅

I made this journal cover after following You Tube stitches by julia.   The next photos show the lining with pockets, the front and thread choices, and supplies to finish.  I decided to stitch the outside edge with the Yuletide thread.  And used the crop-a-dile to punch the holes for the elastic.

The next photo is Clue 4 block of the Bonnie Hunter mystery

I did very little decorating this year but I did hang a little shovel I painted in 2005.  We also put our John Deere train on the cutting table (after I cleared it off!).  No trees and no village this year.  NOW I am looking forward to doing all my usual decorating next year.

I made my chocolate banana bars festive with swerve frosting and sprinkles.

I found out about a new texture for watercolor paper from Joanne Sharpe Art Sparks 5 class.  Red is the first color I did and had to take a photo with the Himalayan sea salt shaker beside the paper.  I have done other papers with different colors since then.  Such fun!

To-Do Tuesday week of December 22 through December 28:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 5
2. Christmas - make my usual cinnamon rolls, sausage souffle and chex mix.
3. Work on some other quilt projects

I am linking to Roseanne's  Home Sewn By Us

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-72-and-weekly-list-update/

Be sure to check out this site and links.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #44 and optical illusion

  Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of December 8 through December 14:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery...do some of each clue✅
2. Optical Illusion quilt✅
3. Christmas projects✅

What a great difference it made after I got Jan's special rulers she designed for the optical illusion quilt!!

This was the only stripe fabric I found in my stash to use for this class...I started by using my rulers at first  (see last week's post)  and the accuracy was much better cutting fabric with Jan's rulers.  The second photo shows a test with scraps to see how they will look when sewn.  

This is the Optical Illusion class taught on Zoom by Jan Krentz.  She received the 1998 Teacher of the Year award and has written books about diamond quilts, etc. She has been travel teaching all over the world and her last teaching before covid was in Dubai in Feb this year. She is switching to teaching on Zoom now. She has been on TQS and also has a class on Craftsy.

Next.......Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 3 using the essential triangle tool and called tricky triangle units.  In the second photo the best one is on the right and the next ones are slightly off.  But I will find out later in the mystery if this is ok to go with what comes next to them......

I also worked on previous clues....I just love how the back seam spin looks on the hourglass blocks!

 It doesn't seem possible to be only 10 days until Christmas....in search of a Christmas quilt for a Zoom meeting background and I found this photo on my blog taken years ago.  This is a quilt I finished in 2007....I had started it in 1993 in Nancy Fisher's class.  I had put it away and stopped quilting and my sister encouraged me to get it out and finish it.  We sat together and did the binding and that got me back to quilting again!!

To-Do Tuesday week of December 15 through December 21:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery clue 4 and more of previous clues
2. Christmas....projects, decorate, bake

I am linking to Roseanne's  Home Sewn By Us

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-71-and-weekly-list-update/

Be sure to check the others who have linked this week

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #43

 Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of December 1 through December 7:

1. stitch and paint project✅
2. Bonnie Hunter mystery✅
3. Christmas projects✅

For those who don't know....Bonnie Hunter has a mystery that she does every year at this time.  She gives a new clue each week with tons of photos and different methods to complete the blocks.  So far I have done a tiny bit of each of the first two clues.  I am using the Essential Triangle Tool and Simple Folded Corners ruler for the first time. 

Here is a photo of samples of what I have done for clue 1 and clue 2

I am taking an online class with Jan Krentz called Optical Illusion.  This is the start of cutting and laying out the blocks.  In the photo are the rulers I am using so far.  

I have discovered in her demo in the class that it would be much easier to figure the cut of the block by using Jan's special rulers.............so today I purchased a set of them!

To-Do Tuesday week of December 8 through December 14:

1. Bonnie Hunter mystery...do some of each clue
2. Optical Illusion quilt
3. Christmas projects

I am linking to Roseanne's  Home Sewn By Us

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-70-and-weekly-list-update/

Go check out her link 

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #42

 Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of November 24 through November 30:

1. FMQ Christmas panel by Susan Winget ✅
2. paint and stitch project ✅
3. Bonnie Hunter mystery starts Friday ✅
4. start a manx block

I ran into a problem with the Christmas panel....I discovered I didn't completely cover all 4 of the panels with the backing when I started this years ago!!  I had started hand quilting the top left panel and my thought probably was to cut it up into separate panels.  Now I have FMQ on it and will just have to piece some backing before I finish the quilting....

Here is the stitch and paint project I am doing.  The You Tube video is Textile Card, Free Printable by stitchesbyjulia    My method of transfer is with a Frixion pen that erases with heat.

I did start the mystery last Friday.  I did some practice pieces using the essential ruler and have some grays and golds ready to sew.  

The manx block did not get started.....maybe next year.

My sister and her husband had their 50th anniversary and here is the card I made for them.  I used sparkle embossing powder on the flower design and watercolors with dry brush distress ink on the outer parts.  

I worked on some painted papers made into little books from Joanne Sharpe Art Sparks 1 class

The trees are starting to turn....this is a closeup of a tree I see across the street from our kitchen window.

And the next photo is the moon coming up....view from our front door across the street.

To-Do Tuesday week of December 1 through December 7:

1. stitch and paint project
2. Bonnie Hunter mystery
3. Christmas projects

I am linking to Roseanne's  

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-69-and-weekly-list-update/

Be sure to check it out.

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #41

 Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of November 17 through November 23:

1. Do another stitch and paint project ✅
2. FMQ for 4 days✅
3. Christmas project✅
4. Enter more quilts in Flickr and Pinterest✅

I have been doing FMQ on a Susan Winget Christmas panel.  I am using my BSR and not particular about following the lines exactly.  Some places I go over several times.  Here is the top right of 4 images.

I have discovered a way to use the stitch regulator and not switch to the ruler foot for straight lines!!

A thin wood piece that was a leftover from another project works great.  It doesn't slip and it is easy to hold to make a straight line with the stitch regulator foot.  Here is a photo of how I use it.......

I discovered a new to me You Tube channel with stitching and painting videos by

stitchesbyjulia                I can't wait to try some of her ideas.

I also found out about making manx blocks...........You Tube videos describing these blocks like log cabin all done by hand and a very different procedure.

To-Do Tuesday week of November 24 through November 30:

1. FMQ Christmas panel by Susan Winget 
2. paint and stitch project
3. Bonnie Hunter mystery starts Friday
4. start a manx block

This week will be busy with Aztec basketball games starting.  I would like to do some decorating for Christmas but not as much as I usually do each year.

Wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving.  We will not be meeting with our family and it will be just the two of us.  We will cook our traditional menu and Zoom with our family..

I am linking to Roseanne's  

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-68-and-weekly-list-update/

Be sure to check it out.

and also linking to Free Motion Mavericks

https://quiltinglearningcombo.blogspot.com/2020/11/finished-stars-and-making-plans-on-free.html 

Be sure to check out this link too

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #40

Another To-Do Tuesday and linking with Roseanne at Home Sewn By Us

Here is last week's list and progress:

To-Do Tuesday week of November 10 through November 16:

1. make 2 log cabin blocks in the string bean pattern ✅
2. FMQ at least 4 days ✅
3. Decide some Christmas quilting projects ✅
4. Enter past quilts I have made in my Flickr and Pinterest accounts ✅\

I finished my second Kawandi and here is a photo of both of them hanging on my dining room wall

 Birds in the Moonlight and Colorful Cats

Photo of completed string bean log cabin blocks pattern by Pat Sloan

Some FMQ practice with rulers and BSR

Border design in Angela's online ruler class week 4.  The last photo was also from her class............by the way....it is free and a very good class!!

I was wanting to make up some FMQ with my BSR so I scribbled a tree....then I painted it with Shiva paintstix.  This was very quick and easy.  I almost didn't put this here on my blog.....

Here is a page from my Joanne Sharpe 2020 online class notebook when I was setting it up for my daily gratitude.

Last week in our small quilt group Zoom meeting I was telling them about finally donating my wedding dress to Salvation Army.  We all decided to share our wedding photos with each other...........WOW....was that ever fun to see everyone and their husbands when they were young!  I thought I would share my photo of a photo here 

so....that is enough to share now....ready for next week's goals

To-Do Tuesday week of November 17 through November 23:

1. Do another stitch and paint project
2. FMQ for 4 days
3. Christmas project
4. Enter more quilts in Flickr and Pinterest (before I forget how to enter them again)

I am linking to Roseanne's  

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-67-and-weekly-list-update/

Be sure to check it out......

And another one to check...I am linking to Free Motion Mavericks

http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/2020/11/free-motion-mavericks-week-307-picking.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

UPDATE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS...........

I had questions about our wedding and here are some more photos and info.

We got married September 17, 1961 at the Methodist Church in Jefferson, Iowa.  I had just graduated from nurses training several weeks prior.  

Soooo....why did I save the dress all these years and then get rid of it!  

Here is a photo of us and our 4 boys in 1975.  The dress was at my mom's house and I could STILL get into it and we took a bunch of photos.  

We stuffed the dress in a plastic tub and brought it to our house and that is where it has been all of these years!  Moving it from Iowa to San Diego to Mission Viejo to San Diego to Julian and back to San Diego!!!  

I got it out again several weeks ago and it was time to let it go............I decided I would not be able to get into it again....and it looked too good to start cutting it up to use for projects.  I donated it and maybe someone else can enjoy it now!  That is if someone wants to wear a vintage wedding dress!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #39

 It's time for me to get back to posting and linking with Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Last time was week #38 at the beginning of October with plans to do FMQing and order the Slim straight ruler that Angela uses. ✅

Also to watch more FMQ videos✅

Also start quilting on one of my quilts after I find backing for them.  I haven't started quilting any quilts......only practice pieces  

I have not been doing very much quilting at all!!!  

I have been stitching on my second Kawandi (last post with photo)

I did a Stitch Meditation and here is the photo...using some selvage pieces.

To-Do Tuesday week of November 10 through November 16:

1. make 2 log cabin blocks in the string bean pattern 
2. FMQ at least 4 days
3. Decide some Christmas quilting projects
4. Enter past quilts I have made in my Flickr and Pinterest accounts

I am linking to Roseanne's   

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-66-and-weekly-list-update/

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Slow Sunday Stitching

 Today I am stitching on my second Kawandi that I started a month ago.  I included the needle puller in the photo that I ordered after Kathy mentioned it in her blog.  I have pieces of fabric pinned in place.  I don't want to change this now....but the zigsag design fabric piece stands out a lot!

I am enjoying stitching on our patio on a nice warm day....not too hot and not too cold!!

The tall plant in the foreground was a small plant from a neighbor last Christmas.  We transplanted it to a larger pot and it just keeps getting taller!

This is my purple rose bush and it was totally bare with no leaves several weeks ago.  I thought it was gone.....but still watered it and it has come back very healthy looking.....makes me so happy!

I am linking to Kathy's Quilts    Slow Sunday Stitching

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/11/slow-sunday-stitching.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #38

 My 38th week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is the list from last week

To-Do Tuesday week of September 29 through October 5:

1. FMQ     Angela Walters has a new class on YouTube about using rulers ✅
2. Apple Crisp blocks ✅
3. start another Kawandi quilt ✅

I started another Kawandi quilt and blogged about it in my last post.  I also did another Stitch Meditation and the photo is in the last post.  I worked on the Apple Crisp blocks taking paper off and sewing together.

FMQ photos 

first is my new Taj ruler to use with my ruler foot and this is the first time I used it.  Since I had the tulip section to do on this little practice mat I thought I would try this ruler.  I used the outside for the leaves and the inside for the petals.  I quilted with the design upside down..

then I used my BSR on my machine to add the rest of the stitching in this area and over to the right area to finish up the quilting on this mat.

I watched Angela Walters video on using straight ruler quilting.  I thought this music fabric would be a good one with lines being helpful.  As it turned out...two factors I will change when practicing....use a different color thread so I can see better where I am going.  AND a different fabric.  Another thing...I need a different ruler that has dark lines to see the places to stop and turn when backstitching to the next row.  

Next time....pay close attention so I don't go past the line to stop!  You can see the stitching better on the back on the batting.  I was surprised when I turned it over to check as I thought I was doing my lines spacing better than that!!!

I am enjoying quilting with the ruler foot on my machine and really enjoy learning new things.  For anyone wondering if they should invest in a ruler foot and all the special rulers that you might need....I would say go for it!  It is a bit of a learning curve.......to hold the ruler next to the ruler foot...move the fabric...keep the stitches fairly even....watch the points on the fabric to stop....hold the ruler where it needs to be on the fabric....and practice all of these things often!!  Yes.....it is really fun!!

My plans for this next week are to do more FMQing and order the Slim straight ruler that Angela uses.  I will be watching more FMQ videos.  Also start quilting on one of my quilts after I find backing for them.

I am linking to Roseanne's   

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-61-and-weekly-update/

and to Rebecca Grace's 

https://www.rebeccagracequilting.com/2020/10/lal10-creating-manual-no-sew-zone-for.html

Also linking to Free Motion Mavericks

http://lizzielenard-vintagesewing.blogspot.com/2020/10/free-motion-mavericks-week-301-filling.html

Be sure to check these sites for fun inspiration

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Slow Sunday Stitching

I had to start another Kawandi quilt....several days without hand stitching and I needed a hand stitching project!  I wonder what this one will be like.......as I search for fabrics to add to this little quilt.

And I finished this little Stitch Meditation today.  I was looking for fabric scraps for the Kawandi quilt and the orange rectangle wanted to be in a stitch meditation.  OK...I will start one of those...it has been awhile since I did one.  The selvage piece wanted to be in it also...OK...so I needed one more piece and the dot fabric was sitting there.  I like the zen stitching with no plan.

I am linking to Slow Sunday Stitching at Kathy's Quilts

https://kathysquilts.blogspot.com/2020/10/slow-sunday-stitching.html

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Scrap quilt finish and To-Do Tuesday #37

 My version of Kawandi quilt is finished!  I am calling it Birds in the Moonlight.

I have blogged about it in the past several weeks after I was inspired by Sujata Shah on TQS #2705.  I love the improv way of deciding as you go what comes next.  I used #12 Aurifil purple thread to meander my way around and around!!  It is 13 x 17....a small wall hanging.

My 37th week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is the list from last week

To-Do Tuesday week of September 22 through September 28:

1. Get at least half of the Cool Cat pieces cut out ✅
2. figure out where I was on the Apple Crisp quilt and finish cutting and start sewing ✅
3. decide on a fall project to make ✅

16 of 30 cut out....still need to find lighter blues.  The photo of the blue fabric I showed last week is all so similar SO  I ordered Peacock fabric Kaffe Fassett and I would like to use some of that in this quilt.

Apple Crisp all cut out and HST sewn using the paper...now to sew the blocks together  

This fall fabric is offset and I decided to cut it apart and add some black leftover strips and added a back and some batting and I will use it to practice FMQing.

To-Do Tuesday week of September 29 through October 5:

1. FMQ     Angela Walters has a new class on YouTube about using rulers
2. Apple Crisp blocks
3. start another Kawandi quilt

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-60-and-weekly-update/

Be sure to see what everyone else is doing and join in the fun!!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl