It Has Been a Long Haul!

I can't believe it is almost the end of 2022.  It all just feels long.  Always a threat of COVID and someone that wants you to worry about it.  I'm not much for worrying; it drains me.  But there has always been someone to tell me that I should be worried.  "Worried" keeps me in.  I don't want to be worried.  Even now there is someone telling me that COVID is out and about and groups are catching it. 

 COVID changed the things I was doing.  In the beginning I chose to do things differently.  I chose to put aside my quilting a little concerned that I might just get bored with it.  I want to settle my Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) choices and prepare for my final days.  That got done and it was an incredible journey.  I'm so glad I did that.  It took almost a year to complete, but I wasn't going anywhere any way. 

Come 2022 I needed to find something to do.  The obvious answer was Quilting, but I just wasn't drawn back to it.  I eventually picked up embroidery.  My first piece was a pincushion; I've always enjoyed making pin cushions.  I chose a pattern that caught my eye. What would we do if we couldn't search the internet!  I chose to use a neutral linen and black embroidery floss.  This is a Kathy Schmitz pattern from her website; you can search for her online.  My pin cushi0n is sitting on Rachel, my 1924 Singer Red Eye.  This is a working treadle machine.  I learned to sew on an electrified machine just like this back in the 1960s.  I was 14 years old.  I had been hand stitching for 9 years along with knitting.

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 Kathy Schmitz pattern

My eye also catch Sue Spargo Embroidery and enjoyed that as well.  This is one of her patterns that I altered a little, then made it into a pin cushion also.  It was a Christmas gift I gave a friend.  You can also find Sue Spargo on line.

Sue Spargo pattern.

My next show and tell took almost 30 years to complete.  I purchased this pattern in 1985-86.  I completed half of the counted cross stitch back then.  I put it away carefully back then and pulled it out about 8 years ago so that I would remember that I needed to finish it.  I really enjoyed finishing it off.  I haven't worked on a counted cross stitch in years.  

look up

This is what I'm working on presently.  It's a block of the month project that I found in the back of a quilting magazine from a couple of years ago.  e years.  The robin was the first that I did and the          is the second bird I received was         .  This Bom has 36 different birds over 3 years of which I have completed 8 birds. I started in the spring about a year ago with the goal of 20 birds to make a quilt 72" x 72" or just abit under.  My quilt frame is only 8'.  As I work I will decide whether or not to make it bigger.  I chose to do all of the piecing by hand rather than by machine.  It is so relaxing to work on it.  I expect I will finish of the quilt top with the machine though.

 

Robin

 

 

                            Scissor-tailed Flycatcher                                

 Joan Ford's Hummingbird-Highway.com

I first saw this quilt in a Better Homes and Gardens quilt publication in 1985; I no long own that book so I cant give you information about it, but it was red work with green sashing, tied  with no hand quilting.  I can't remember when I started working on it, but it was years later.  I had the little top finished for years.  My grandson's and his girl friend decided to get a cat, that was when I knew what I would finally do with it. I put it on my frame and the quilt was complete in 2 weeks!  She received it for Christmas 2022. 

This block was my own design.  The back of the quilt is 

similar style cardinals and candy canes I bought years ago

for $2 a yard.  It was always planned to be the backing.

Final project for this posting.  I saw this pattern on eBay.  I bid on this top, but didn't win it.  That didn't change the fact that I really loved this version of Grandmother's Garden.  I took out my die cutter and hexigon die and scraps from my stash of the 8 color crayon box from childhood and cut tons of hexigons.

In 2013 I felt and injured my shoulder and couldn't knit that winter, so I hand pieced this little quilt.  I put a green 1/2" border then a brown gingham bordered, even after looking at it I still didn't like it.  I replaced it just a couple of weeks ago (Jan. 2023) and like it so much better.  This will be put on my Phoebe soon and finished.  So looking forward to working on it as the warmed weather rolls around since Phoebe is in a very cool place in the winter.