Last weekend, Arnie and I didn’t do anything on Friday night. Saturday was slow, filled with household chores, and I thought we weren’t going to do anything again. I looked around to see if there was any live music…none. Then I remembered that I thought the new Brad Pitt movie, F1, was coming out. I …

At the Movies: F1 Read More »

Good morning, my friends. Our grocery shopping is done for the week. I'm happy to report we found everything we were looking for. It was a pleasure (if grocery shopping can be pleasurable) to be back in our "regular" store. We also picked up some bird seed to feed the hungry birds. So everyone is well stocked with food now...even the kitties.

Back home, I went back to work on the four Raggedy & Friends blocks I'm making. Sadie came ready to work. She and Smitty have negotiated some kind of shift assignment, and she was on duty ...

Good morning, my friends. Our grocery shopping is done for the week. I'm happy to report we found everything we were looking for. It was a pleasure (if grocery shopping can be pleasurable) to be back in our "regular" store. We also picked up some bird seed to feed the hungry birds. So everyone is well stocked with food now...even the kitties.

Back home, I went back to work on the four Raggedy & Friends blocks I'm making. Sadie came ready to work. She and Smitty have negotiated some kind of shift assignment, and she was on duty ...

It has been a while and I've been lazy posting lately.  Too much going on here right now.

Much, much progress has been made on my "Joseph's Coat" UFO.  There is a lot of appliqueing going on and it is slow going, but I can see the end in sight.  There will be another row added to the bottom and then borders to be decided.  That is still a ways yet.  This will be my goal for August for the Chookshed Stitchers Challenge.

Our imagination is running rampant with wild ideas about what surprises the August Sew Sampler box might be hiding! What do you think the August box has in store for you?

Don’t miss out on this box! If you aren’t yet subscribed and want to join, do so very SOON, so you don’t miss this month’s cut off date for sign ups!

2025 Flowering Sew Sampler Quilt Along!

This year’s Sew Sampler Box Sew Along, Flowering, is in full bloom! This sweet, flora-filled quilt measures 64.5″ x 84.5 ...

Top: swamp milkweed, purple coneflower, blue lobelia. Center: vervain, liatris (blazing star), red lobelia. Bottom: nodding onion, pinnate coneflower (Mexican hat), Culver's root. 

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On to quilting!

My dear Magpie friends made a two-sided hug quilt for me. It was in the mail held for me during my trip.  It began as two hugs, one for Stevens and one for me, but it turned into one.  The blocks are from the U.S., Canada, England, and Australia.  

My side was assembled by Terri and Gilly ...

The store is a full-line quilt shop and, yay me!, I did not buy anything.  There is an exhibit about Nancy and her career.   

A year ago we made the same trip. It was Stevens' last day trip. Just 110 miles but logistics were getting difficult then.

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In the studio:  

The July purple is quilted and bound.

This is the recipe I use for my Red Hot Cinnamon Pickles. First, the recipe takes a good three days to get made. It isn’t three days of work but they have to soak in the lime water, then they have to soak overnight in the syrup, then you can them (water bath). I used...

July was a busy month. I was away from home for over a week helping Grad Girl move.  So there's not a lot of progress to report for the July PHD report over at Ms. P Designs.  

There are no updates to my PHD log.  No finishes, but no new starts either.  I can at least celebrate that!  There has been progress on some other projects this month.  

There's been a bit of progress on the Rose Throw counted cross stitch project.  I just didn't feel like doing much handwork this month.  Does it look like a ...

Picture this - a completely solar-powered, aerodynamically designed, sleek automobile of the future. Its exterior is so dark and shiny that the passing landscape is reflected perfectly on its surface.

Cool Trees, Scorching Planet

In January, we received a mini Oliso Iron, complete with a matching Solemate (a base for placing the hot iron) and a thick wool carry case. Island Batik's August Challenge is to decorate the carry case for our Oliso Mini Irons.

This was an unusual project. The thick wool carry case would certainly break a needle or two, if I tried sewing on it. The idea ...

A hoop of embroidered gingham.

Another month has gone by, time to check in with our efforts to use up the fabric in our stashes. To play, just keep track of what comes in and what goes out each month. There is no judgement when the sale table calls, an adorable print shows up in the quilt shop, a vendor’s offerings at the quilt show are uniquely appealing, or retail therapy is needed. We all have to buy fabric now and then, and keep our quilt shops in business. There is only one rule, report as ‘out’ only what is completely finished, quilted and ...

Welcome to Wednesday Wait Loss!

WWL is a place where you can share photos of quilts you’re working on and get encouragement to finish them from our Wednesday Wait Loss group! As you can see, I’ve been doing this for years (over 400 weeks!) and so our group is strong, loves to share, and is very welcoming.

If you are new to linking up, I have a separate page that steps you through the whole process.

What I’ve been up to

I spent the first part of the week editing the tutorials from the quilt retreat I ...