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

To-Do Tuesday #33

 My 33rd week of linking to Home Sewn By Us for To-Do Tuesday

Here is the list from last week

To-Do Tuesday week of August 25 through August 31:

Projects I will be working on:

1. mini 3 crazy sisters yes
2. contemporary log cabin yes
3. dolphin runner yes
4. Stitch Meditation yes
5. scrappy around the cabin yes

I am hand quilting the mini quilt....blogged about it last blog post.  I started using a different thread and because of the difficulties I was having I changed to Aurifil #12

Stitch Meditation #19

These fabric pieces were on my cutting table and begging to be a Stitch Meditation! And it has been three months since I did my last one!! Love just letting it lead me to stitch with no plan!!

Here is a photo of the two potholders I finished........I used these as FMQ practice and have blogged about them previously. I used a decorative stitch on the Daisy potholder to use the back as a binding.....last week I had it ready to stitch and my machine was not working right. BUT all of a sudden after it was in "time out" for several days it decided to work....hee hee

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

1. Continue hand quilting the mini Beatrix Potter quilt 3 crazy sisters
2. Scrappy rectangle sashing
3. FMQ practice 4 days
4. Scrappy around the cabin blocks....join more together

I am linking to Roseanne's 

http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-56-weekly-progress-update/

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #21 and Bluprint closing

I found out several days ago that Bluprint (formerly Craftsy) is closing!! This is shocking and upsetting!!!  I have a lot of classes that I had planned to watch and many more to watch again.  Then there are the forever classes that we all purchased when it was Craftsy with the thinking we would always have them available!!  

This is my 21st 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 the Week of May 19 through May 25:

1. Finish the A blocks on the Hope quilt yes
2. Work on one or more quilts to be given as gifts yes
3. Work on 3 or 4 pages in my 2020 Artfully Inspired Life online class yes

1 All of the A blocks are sewn and squared.  Photos of these fabrics in former posts.

2 I worked on the dolphin tablerunner design decision on sizes to cut and placement.  Photo of fabrics in former post

3 I made good progress in my class book this week

I finally did another Stitch Meditation after not doing one for awhile!

I like to have little squares cut ahead of denim or flannel to make these little zen stitcheries!  I like the NO PLAN concept and just do it without spending any time thinking about it!  These four little scraps of fabric wanted to be together!  I used these fabrics just as I found them in my scraps from using them in different projects.  And then just start with needle and thread and go with the flow!!

To-Do Tuesday for the Week of May 26 through June 1:

1. Watch lots of Bluprint classes.  Download some of them.
2. Work on my ongoing projects....quilts and painting and creative journaling.

I am linking to  http://homesewnbyus.com/to-do-tuesday-linky-42-weekly-progress-update/

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #16

This is my 16th 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 April 14 through April 20:

1. Make a decision of what to do with these two mini quilts.  And possibly make two more from the series in the class (4 different mini quilts in the series) yes
2. Work on at least one sewing/quilting project every day.yes
3. Work in my creative journal and online class projects every day.yes

1 I decided to make the larger of the mini quilts from the online class into a wallhanging and I have the binding and backing picked out.  The smaller one will be a mug rug and I will not be making the other two mini quilts in the series at this time.

2 I worked on making masks and here is a photo with me wearing one of them.  We wear them on our walks in the neighborhood.

I also made several more Stitch Meditations

For my zen stitching I love going to my scraps of fabric and in less than a minute I find scraps that want to be together.  Then my needle leads the way in stitching........and the running stitch seems to win out.  But I like it!

3 Here are two pages that I finished....I am behind in this creative journal!  But I have worked on it and the online class journal every day and I am making some progress.  

To-Do Tuesday for the Week of April 21 through April 27:

1. Work on the mini quilt from the online class quilting and binding.
2. FMQ the yellow brick road quilt and practice FMQ on other projects...for at least 4 days this week.
3. Work on at least one of my other quilt projects and maybe start another quilt from my list to make.

I am linking to  Roseanne's    Linky #37

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #15

This is my 15th 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 April 7 through April 13:

1. Do more stitch meditations yes
2. Work on at least one of my sewing/quilting projects every day yes
3. Paint..journal...document in my creative journal and 2020 Artfully Inspired Life journal every day yes

1 I did one more zen stitching......#15 Stitch Meditation

I used some pieces from mask making....and I made 4 masks this past week.  I will make more....we gave one to a neighbor and I am not sure how many more to make.  I am going to try a different pattern.

2  I worked on a sewing/quilting project every day and I like that I wasn't specific in this goal!!  I like to work on a lot of different projects. 

Several days ago I stitched on a project from last year because I wanted something to hand quilt.  I mentioned it in my last blog post with a photo.  It is from a Bluprint class by Suzy Williams.  It is about making mini quilts and using an improv style following her guidelines.  They were supposed to be similar in size to group them in a wall hanging...but I made the second one too large.  She just frames her little minis with the batting showing and no back.  

3  I did work in my creative journal and worked on online class projects every day.

Here is a photo I took today (tiny more quilting done of the one on the left since Sunday post) of the 2 mini quilts from the Bluprint class.

The one on the left is asymmetrical log cabin and I kept making my strips too large and it got larger than the first one!  These are both very fun little quilts to make.

To-Do Tuesday for Week of April 14 through April 20:

1. Make a decision of what to do with these two mini quilts.  And possibly make two more from the series in the class (4 different mini quilts in the series)
2. Work on at least one sewing/quilting project every day.
3. Work in my creative journal and online class projects every day.

I liked those goals from last week.....so I am repeating 2 and 3 same as last week!!

I am linking to  Roseanne's      Linky #36

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #14

This is my 14th 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 31 through April 6:

1. Do more Stitch Meditations yes
2. Do more FMQ on the yellow brick road quilt 
3. Work on online class lessons yes
4. Spend time each day in my creative journal yes

1 I did 2 more zen stitching and my last blog post describes this one that I finished yesterday.  

This is #14 and the last blog post has a photo of #13

Here is my last blog post   http://carylquilts.blogspot.com/2020/04/slow-stitching-and-mask-making.html

The next photo is the first mask that I finished yesterday and it is from the Jenny Doan tutorial.  In that last blog post I listed some links to some tutorials for mask making.

2 I did not work on any FMQing

3 and 4 I worked on these two goals.  I did post a page in one of my FB groups

To-Do Tuesday for Week of April 7 through April 13:

1. Do more stitch meditations
2. Work on at least one of my sewing/quilting projects every day
3. Paint..journal...document in my creative journal and 2020 Artfully Inspired Life journal every day

I am linking to  Roseanne's  linky #35

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Slow Stitching and mask making

I am linking again to Slow Sunday Stitching.. 
Last Sunday I posted about my zen stitching piece that I had some indecision and put it away until another day.  I did finish it this week and took a photo.  I also finished the liberated log cabin mini quilt and info about it is in my last blog post.

The next photo shows the batik fabric I am using for masks and the purple is binding for ties.  

I just started another zen stitching using the doctor and nurse fabric and the end pieces I cut from the 10" batik squares.  I will finish this Stitch Meditaiton this evening.

  I needed 6 x 9 pieces for the masks I am making first and those little leftover pieces just needed to be in this stitchery!

I have been thinking of all the caregivers and everyone involved with this battle to stop the virus.   We are doing our part by staying home....only go out once a week for groceries.  

I have been researching mask making and have a list of several sites with tutorials for anyone who is interested.  There are a lot of tutorials available but this is just a few I saw:

Jenny Doan from MSQC quick and easy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_-R8Ox3Spw&t=338s

Leah Day mask with filter pocket

 https://leahday.com/pages/how-to-make-a-face-mask-free-pattern

an easy simplified pocket mask using t-shirt ties

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-tSCGhhdMQ

The Crafty Quilter another kind of mask

https://thecraftyquilter.com/2020/03/versatile-face-mask-pattern-and-tutorial/

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

Be sure to check what everyone else is doing today!

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

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

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

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

To-Do Tuesday #7

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and this is my 7th week.

I celebrated my 80th birthday this past weekend and I have added some photos with family  

Our great granddaughter took some photos of us at Miguel's restaurant

Last week Dave and I had a nice walk at Santee Lakes

I didn't plan very many projects for this last week because we had a lot of things planned....

So,,,,here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do for the Week of February 11 through February 17:

1. Do more Stitch Meditations yes
2. Make sure I have all the info for Bonnie Hunter's Frolic mystery before it is deleted.yes

1  I did two more of my zen stitching

2  I got everything copied that I needed about the mystery before it was deleted off the website

To-Do for the Week of February 18 through February24:

1. Finish the improv brown tablemat
2. Do at least 3 more scrappy around the cabin blocks
3. Yellow brick road quilt top ready to quilt and start FMQ

I am linking to Roseanne's Linky #28

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #6

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us and today is my 6th week.

Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do for the Week of February 4 through February 10:

1. Do some Stitch Meditations at least 3 days. yes
2. FMQ improv browns quilt  yes
3. 2020 online class Artfully Inspired Life....work on class lessons 4 days  yes

1  Here is the photo of the three I did this week.  I have been so interested in this since I heard about it several weeks ago and have blogged about this in previous blog posts.  These are just fun to do with no plan and just do creative stitching and enjoy the process.  I call these zen stitching.  I have a total of 7 done so far.

2  I finished FMQ on the improv quilt and have the binding sewn on and am now finishing the hand stitching binding to the back.  I did a lot of different practice stitches some for the first time.  I blogged about some of these in the last post.

3  And I worked in my class book.  I have some other pages partly done.  The only one finished is page 1.  The logo art in the photo is by Joanne Sharpe and the bottom part is done by me...the painting and doodle letters.

To-Do for the Week of February 11 through February 17:

1. Do more Stitch Meditations
2. Make sure I have all the info for Bonnie Hunter's Frolic mystery before it is deleted.

I am not going to be very specific on goals this week.....I have a birthday coming up this weekend!  I am coming to the end of my seventies!!  Hard to believe.....this time came too fast!  AND I have Aztec basketball games to watch!

I am linking to Roseanne's linky #27

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

To-Do Tuesday #5

I have been linking up to Home Sewn By Us for the past several weeks.  And today is my 5th week.

Here is my list from last week and my progress

To-Do for the Week of January 28 through February 3:

1. Finish batik rails quilt this month. yes
2. Do a page in my creative journal and post in FB group Decorative Journaling  yes
3. Improv browns....get the top pieced and start FMQ practice on it  almost
4. 2020 online class Artfully Inspired Life....work on it 4 days. yes

1  I finished the Kiwiberry batik rails quilt the last day of January....and did a blog post about it then.  The quilt has a lot of different FMQing and I added lots of photos to that post.

2  I am in a FB group and we do creative art journaling about our life and our days!  We have to post at least once a month to stay in the group..........and here is the page I posted last month.

3  I have the top almost done of the improv browns.........the top and bottom borders are ready to be added.  I have the binding ready to add.  

4   I worked 5 days on my 2020 online class in practicing and in the class book

My last post I also blogged about what I call my zen stitching.  Last week I heard about Stitch Meditations and started doing them.  There is more about it on my last post.  Here is a photo of the four I have done this past week:

These are not art quilts....just creative stitching for mindfulness practice.  

There is a video by Liz Kettle to watch to learn about it and the rules of doing it.

To-Do for the Week of February 4 through February 10:

1. Do some Stitch Meditations at least 3 days.
2. FMQ improv browns quilt
3. 2020 online class Artfully Inspired Life....work on class lessons 4 days

I am linking to Roseanne's Linky #26

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

Smiles and hugs....Caryl

Kiwiberry batik rails finish and some zen stitching

 I finished a UFO that I started in November 2010.  I have blogged about it before and lately quite a lot!  It was a goal to finish this quilt this month.........and that is what I did!

 Here is the back.......I did a lot of different FMQ designs.......mostly as practice for the first time on each design.  This will go on our patio table.

 I took photos of all of the areas and decided to add them to this blog post.  There are words and short sentences added in different areas. AND I did some very big hand stitching in some areas!

next I will talk about what I call zen stitching.................

 This week I read a blog post about Stitch Meditations..........I became very fascinated and interested in checking out the video and learning more about it.
So here is the info I read and you can check it out on this blog post by Andrèe here 

The video she refers to is on YouTube by Liz Kettle   Stitch Meditations

Rules....No plan..take few minutes to pick materials...no taking out stitches. AND OK not to be perfect!! Here are my little pieces of creative bliss!!! I have used flannel 4 x 4 and 3 1/2 x 4 and my tiny saved scraps!!!  I like the idea with no plan and just decide as you go what you will do.  So I have spent about 30 minutes on each of these the past 3 afternoons....sitting on our patio with temps in the upper 70s............so relaxing......

And the reason I call it zen stitching.......meaning of zen is.....a state of calm attentiveness in which one's actions are guided by intuition rather than by conscious effort.

I am linking to Free Motion Mavericks  week 265

Smiles and hugs....Caryl