Slow Sunday Stitching

 I didn’t get as much done this week on the very cute and non-smelly skunk as I’d hoped. I’m trying to get myself some clothes made so a lot of my slow stitching time was taken up with hems and buttons. I’m trying to replace the pants I made 3 or 4 years ago that are now getting very thin. My goal was 4 pairs of pants. I have 3 pairs finished and another almost there. I’m also doing some shirts and would like to do a dress, but time will tell if the dress gets done. The shirts are next after the pants are finished. If you are wondering, I buy my patterns mostly from a website called Love Notions. They have PDF patterns to print at home. I’ve been doing the Bridget trousers and the Bluegrass Shirt. I don’t find sewing my own clothes any more economical than buying in the stores, but I do find that I am able to get the clothes to fit properly doing them myself.  I did get some done on the skunk though. A little more of the bottom of the body is now filled in. I’ll do a bit more on it this afternoon. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

What We’re Working On

 WE had a good day at Prayers and Squares yesterday. We got 2 quilts finished and layered. Susan has been working on this improvisational quilt for a while now. It started with the four multicoloured squares that were in a box that was donated to us. She has added to those squares to create a bright and happy quilt. It is layered and ready for quilting. I finished off the last of the pinwheel blocks and got them all sewn together. It too is now layered and ready for quilting. I was able to get another sets of stars done. This one makes six, so that’s halfway there. I brought them home to hopefully get them done. Here at home I did a little playing around with some 2 inch strips that were initially cut to make place mats. We have all decided we don’t like making place mats, so I’ve been playing with a block I saw on Facebook called Hidden Wells. It’s kinda fun. I’ll put it on the back burner though, while I work on the stars. And, Just because I cannot work on just one or two things at a time, I drew up a new quilt in Electric Quilt and picked the fabrics for it and brought them home too. Here’s the block and the quilt it makes. Another one with secondary pattern where the block corners meet.

I’ll link up to finished, or not, Friday.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’m working my way up the bottom half of the Skunk stitchery for the Year in the Woods project. And the skunk itself is starting to take shape. It is a much cuter and sanitized version than the real thing. No skunky smell at all. The only smell around here these days is what is known as “eau de Muskoka”, also known as bug spray. The mosquitoes and black flies are out and biting madly. It will be mid July before it is safe to go outside without that particular perfume. Those wee critters are the one major drawback to living here. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

What We Are Working On

 I skipped doing a post about our Prayers and Squares progress last week since I didn’t get any pictures taken. I’m not sure what I was doing or why I didn’t get pictures. Anyhow, this week I remembered to get up and get pictures. I even grabbed the pile of sampler blocks Marg has been working on and spread them out to take their picture. They are 10 inch blocks using up scraps. They are gorgeous. She’s planning on 20 blocks set 4 x 5 done quilt as you go style. Janet has also been working on a sampler. Hers are 12 inch blocks and she is trying the quilt as you go technique for the first time. Here’s a close up of one of the blocks. Tammy has started a new quilt using some 4 1/2 inch strips that were in a bag. She’s doing a block from the Quilter’s Cache website called Tam’s Patch. The fabrics are gorgeous. I’m looking forward to watching this one grow. I’ve been working on some sets of stars while at P&S. There are 7 more sets to make. They are all cut and waiting to be sewn together. Here at home I’ve been working on pinwheels. I love patterns that blur the edges between the blocks. One more block to go and this one can be added to the to-be-layered pile. I’ll link up to finished, or not, Friday. Next Thursday just might be declared a layering day.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’ve gotten a good start on the next piece in the Year in the Woods series. This time it’s a Skunk, much cutter and no stink, unlike the real thing. I’ve gotten all the greenery across the bottom finished and a start on the flowers. I really do need to do something about getting these pieces framed. After all the time and stitching that goes into these, they really should be up on a wall. Unfortunately, stretching and framing cross stitch is my least favourite thing to do in the process. I have the supplies to do the first set of these here. I’ve had it for over a year and keep putting it off. sigh......

I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

What We’re Working On

 We had a good day at Prayers and Squares yesterday. In preparation for our summer ladies coming back, Marg and I have been doing some cutting. We used to schedule full afternoons of cutting, but I’m finding that way too hard on my back, not to mention the cost of gas to drive there and back an extra day. So instead, we are starting an hour early to do some cutting before we get to our sewing machines. We finished putting together three kits yesterday for those who like to come in and find the cutting already done. They can pull a kit and start sewing right away. 

Tammy continues to work on the 3 yard quilt she’s been sewing on. This one was a community effort. Pat bought the fabrics and chose the pattern. I cut it and Tammy has sewn it. All that is left is one more border to add. Marg has been working on a sampler for the last month or so. I don’t have pictures of all the blocks. These were sitting on the table. And I’ve been working on some star blocks in autumn shades. Here at home I’ve started some pinwheel blocks. The intersecting blocks will form grey pinwheels. These are using large pieces, 4 inch finished triangles, so I only need 12 blocks total for the quilt. They work up quickly. I had lots of reds left from a couple of quilts I did a couple of months ago, so I’ll use up more of them here. There are still more left, so be prepared to see more reds in something yet to be determined.

I’ll link up to finished, or not, Friday

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’m up early this morning, so I thought I’d do my post for Slow Stitching since I’m up, rather than waiting till later this afternoon after we get home from church. The chipmunk for the Year in the Woods is finished. And better yet, I’ve gotten all of the gridding for the next section done as well and all of the flosses wound onto bobbins. I can now start on the Skunk. I hope this is as close as I ever get to one of those critters. Here are the finished Bear and Chipmunk together. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

What We’re Working On

 We had a couple of finishes yesterday at our Prayers and Squares group. A few weeks ago, Marg started adding to the panel with the cats. It had already been quilted, but needed to be bigger in order for us to be able to gift it to someone as a lap quilt. Using the quilt as you go method, Marg added the pieced borders and then did the binding yesterday. Another quilt that was gifted to us, already layered and the quilting started was this gorgeous autumn themed sampler. Janet has been working on the quilting for the past month or so. Marg put the binding on it yesterday. After Janet finished the quilting on the autumn quilt, she started in on piecing together another sampler. Tammy has been putting this 3 yard quilt together and now has the centre ready for the borders. I’ll link up with finished, or not, Friday

Slow Sunday Stitching

 The chipmunk for the Year in the Woods project is finished and is so cute. I still have the flowers and leaves that surround it to finish up and then I can move on to the next animal, the Skunk. Depending on the amount of stitching time I manage this week, this piece just might be done by this time next week. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 My chipmunk for the Year in the Woods got a lot of stitches put in this past week. Its tail is done and now I’m working on the top of its body and its head. Another week or two should finish this one and then I can start on the next, which is the Skunk. Skunks are nasty critters in real life, but the cross stitched one, found here, is very cute. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

What We’re Working On

 I haven’t done one of these posts in a couple of weeks. Fridays have been nuts here at home lately. We have lots of things we’re working on and lots we’ve finished. So this will be a photo heavy post. Beverly is up to their cottage for a week after ice out. They have to come up to get their dock from where it is stored and bring it to their cottage. While here, she grabbed 3 quilts that needed binding. She has them finished for us now.

The rest of us have been busily working on various projects. Susan is making these blocks to go into an improvisational style sampler. Tammy started working on this 3 yard quilt. Marg started this one originally to make into place mats, but then decided it would do better as a quilt for a child. It is done quilt as you go style. Pat has been working on these blocks. They are almost finished and ready to be trimmed and sewn into the finished quilt. Marg found this partially finished quilt in our cupboard. It had been donated to us like this. She is planning on putting a few more borders on it to bring it up to a usable size. I finished off the Exclamation point quilt. And then started a new one using 8 inch stars., giving a 16 inch finished block. I am planning on it being autumn colours. Each set of light and dark stars uses a fat quarter of light and fat quarter of dark. I have enough cut for 8 blocks, but need 4 more. And here at home I am trying to use up the fabrics that I chose for this years Stay at home round robin. And of course, this type of thing proliferates, because I needed more fabrics. I grabbed a few more that coordinate with the orange floral fabrics. They are all now cut into 2 1/2 inch strips, ready to sew up. We also have finished our group project where each of us were given the same focus fabric and then chose a block from the Quilters Cache website beginning with the initial of our first names. And finally, Janet finished the quilting on this lovely quilt that was also donated to us as a UFO. Whew, that was a lot. But then when I just checked, the last post I did about what we’ve been working on was a month ago, so it makes sense that there would be a lot. I’ll link up to finished, or not, Friday.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 There hasn't been a lot of stitching time this past week. Spring has finally arrived in Muskoka. Added to that, every year on earth day the municipalities here have free compost for those willing to go and shovel it for themselves. We had a new raised bed built last year that never got used since it needed to be filled. So that is what we have been doing since Wednesday. All of our raised beds are now full of wonderful compost and are ready to be planted. But, that has meant that there hasn't been time or energy for much else. The Chipmunk for theYear in the Woods got a little bit done. It now has the beginnings of the stripe down its back. I have a little bit more to do for sowing some seeds for early starts for the garden and then I can get back to spending more time again on the chipmunk. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching

Slow Sunday Stitching

 The Chipmunk for the Year in the Woods project has gotten part of its legs and its tummy. The tail will come next. These are just so cute!! 

I think I can call this one about 30% done. It is quite fun to be able to stitch this while at the same time watching the chipmunks outside feasting on the bird seed that drops to the ground. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I’ve gotten a good start on the Chipmunk for my ongoing A Year in the Woods project. The bottom greenery and flowers are done so I can now get a start on the chipmunk itself. It’s such a cute little critter. I am planning on taking it easy today, watching movies and stitching. So I should be able to make good progress on this project this afternoon and evening. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 I want to take the opportunity to wish all who celebrate a very happy Resurrection Sunday. 

I wrote last week that I hoped to have the Bear for the Year in the Woods project finished by today. I made that goal with just hours to spare. I finished it last evening and then got a start on gridding the next section for the chipmunk. It is 10 grids across by 14 down. It is time consuming to do, but I have caught so many mistakes by having the grids there that is is more than worth the time and effort to do it.I should be able to finish the gridding today and get a start on this next cute little beastie. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching.

What We’re Working On

 Last summer we issued a challenge to our Prayers and Squares group members to make a block for a sampler. We gave each member a piece of the same material and then challenged them to choose a block that started with the initial of their first name from the Quilters Cache website. Any size was acceptable. We’ve had the blocks for quite a while now, but the challenge was in putting it together. Marg has been working on that off and on for a few months now. She finally finished the quilting on it yesterday. It is fun and bright and happy and unique. It is getting a dark blue binding. Janet has been working on the quilting on this panel quilt. Here at home I found a bag of triangles that were originally cut using my Go cutter for a quilt I did years ago called Northern Tree Line. There were enough of the triangles left to do a small version of that quilt. It is now finished and layered and waiting for quilting. I’ll link up to finished, or not, Friday.

Slow Sunday Stitching

 My Bear for the Year in the Woods is almost finished. Depending on the amount of time I spend in the evenings over the next week, it might just get finished. Then I can start gridding the next section and start on the Chipmunk. It is so much fun seeing these animals come to life stitch by slow stitch. I’ll link up to Kathy’s Slow Sunday Stitching