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Our family life has been super busy.  Dealing with cancer makes me very tired….so again, no sewing happened.  Stitching did though!!!

Over the week I finished up on this…

This is a Lizzie Kate design.

It was a quick and easy stitch which is great now.  I end up feeling like I accomplish something!!

I showed you this that I completed last week….

All along since I figured out I can work on two projects or more- and it’s okay to have cross stitch “works in progress”, I’ve always had two projects going at once.  Now…I ...

Still no sewing here.

I talked to Kelli and told her that Georgia will get a baby quilt but it will be awhile.  I feel bad about not having it done but Kelli was great about it.

I would love to say that I was busy cross stitching but I really haven’t done much of that either.

The color isn’t right in the photo…but here’s my little progress.  I previously had the two bottom lines stitched but nothing else.  This was Friday night stitching.  I stayed up past my bedtime to get it done.

I had ...

On Monday I’ve always done what I’m working posts.  I’ve always had projects to show and things to do….this week.  No much.  All of my focus has been here.

What a lot to manage.  I am so thankful that I can be here to focus on all of these guys but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I miss crafting and sewing time.  I do miss it LOTS.  More than missing crafting, I miss normalcy.  I miss all of the things I took for granted.

I’ve jokingly said to the kids ...

I worked a little on Georgia’s quilt.  I didn’t get much done.  We’ve had lots of visitors stop by and our grown kids have been home a lot so that translates into a lot of time away from the sewing machine.

Thankfully this project is for a Georgia and Kelli is super patient with me.

One night this week I woke up and laid there and laid there and laid there.  Finally at 2:30am I got up and sewed until 4 am.  Then went to bed and finally was able to sleep.  I know it’s ...

Last week was another busy week here.  I’ve been playing a lot of catch up and will be this week too.  We’ve had a lot of company and family here so I get behind on the day to day stuff.  Karl is leaving today and after that we should be back to me a Kramer again.  Sadly Karl’s visit was just a quick one.

Because of that I didn’t get a lot of sewing done.  I did get some stitching done though….  Here’s how far I am on my latest piece.

I was able to ...

I did touch a sewing machine…FINALLY.

This happened over two sessions.  I told you that my Neighbor Girls sister had a baby and there were complications so the baby went on to Lacrosse.  That left Neighbor Girl needed somewhere to stay so she was here over the weekend.  We ended up in the sewing room on Saturday….I accomplished most of this then.

I worked mostly on stars.  I always put quite a few in a quilt so I was safe to work on them.  I’m trying to come up with a different layout for Georgia’s quilt ...

Hello…I’m Jo and I used to sew ALL the time.  Lately, now so much.  Well really not at all.

Life has gotten in the way of all of the quilts that I had planned.  I hadn’t touched a sewing machine for TWO whole weeks until yesterday.  Previous to this, I was sure that something terrible would happen to me if I didn’t sew.  Admittedly, I used sewing for therapy to deal with the day to day.  I never imagined I’d be able to be away from it.  But I have been and I’m really ...

Last week I told you I was trying to decide what to do about a baby quilt for Kelli’s baby.  I even asked for guesses on whether she’d have a boy or girl so I knew what type of quilt to make.  We didn’t come up with any firm ideas so this is what I did….

I made a pile of “boyish” colored starter crumb blocks and I started an alphabet.

Plans are now that I’ll keep making “starter” pieces for crumb blocks and then let it sit.  All of the blocks I’m making will ...

Last week I told you that I had a sense of urgency to finish up the Baby Friedman quilt…I had hurried along and got this far….

at the time I knew Hubby likely had lung cancer but didn’t know for sure.  I knew life was going to get crazier and my time near a sewing machine was going to be much less so I worked really hard to get this as far along as I could.

My progress since then…this…

…to this!  A finished top!!  I’m thrilled.

I even got it loaded on the frame and ...

I had a topsy turvy week last week.  I’ll tell you more about that another day.  I still got in my normal sewing time due to the latest snowstorm to hit our area.  We decided with the cold temps and incoming storm to just stay home and work on some things we’ve been wanting to get done…for me, that’s sewing!!!

Try as I might, I could not go easy with my crumb quilt.  It has been wanting and wanting to get worked on.  Saturday, I finally gave in.  Originally I thought I’d do a little ...

Last week I told you that I started working on Kalissa’s baby quilt.

Well I have the letters all done now and moved on to some flying geese blocks.

Making these is not hard.  I am doing everything for this quilt in a whimsy-free from manner so nothing is measured.  Here’s what I need to make one.

Typically when I do it I chain piece a whole bunch at once but this time I’m doing only one so I can show you how.

I lay the corner on as shown and sew.

Clip.

I finger press that ...

I started working on my Crumb baby Friedman quilt this past week.  I didn’t get a lot of sewing time.  Life got in front of my best intentions.   I was hoping to get my alphabet all done.  I forgot how tedious making the letters can be.  I love making them though.

Here’s how I made an “O”.  I cut a piece of fabric for the center.  I just guess a size that I think might be good.

I free form cut some triangles and sew them to the corners.  I iron them open.

From there I iron and ...

I’ve had quite a bit of sewing time.  Karl’s been home so we hang in the quilting room quite a bit in the evenings and I’ve had some days off from childcare too.  It’s been so nice.  My thoughts are: the world would be a happier place if we all could somehow only work four days a week vs five.  I love my job but boy-oh-boy do I ever love some free time.

The weather was expected to be a little iffy around here on Friday.  I had a regular routine physical and mammogram scheduled and ...

A little business first:
If you are a quilter who likes working with 100% cotton men’s shirts, with the help of my girls, I was able to get through my shirts and am offering them for sale on the blog HERE.  Auction ends at NOON time CENTRAL TIME TODAY.

I’ve been a busy quilter.

I’ve been able to plug through the mystery clues fairly quickly.  I’ve had enough time on Friday to finish most of them.  I keep wondering if the ball will drop and we’ll get nailed with a big clue.

Those of you ...

Last week I did so good and got LOTS and LOTS of sewing done.  This week….almost none.

When I left you I was here…..

Now I’m here…. Not a lot further.  See?The center is together …no borders yet.

Carver looked at it and said, “tute!” (his version of cute)

I had secretly hoped to have it done and finished for a Friday showing but I doubt that will happen.  Going to the doctor really slowed me down…lots.  But taking care of myself is more important than a quilt.  WAY.

Also Karl came home on Saturday so ...

Everyone always asks “How do you get so much done?”.  I thought I’d show you how my sewing week goes so you could see.  I’m only concentrating on Tulip Fields this week.  Typically I do a little bit of this and that, but the urge is strong now to get this one done.  I want to have all of the quilts from Bonnie Hunter’s String Fling book done before her release of the new book and I’m going to have to hustle to make that happen.

I was working on my Tulip Fields quilt….

Monday:
In ...

On Friday I finished a quilt…this one.  Read that post here if you missed it.

I also worked on my Block of the Month….Saturday is check in day with and my blocks aren’t done yet.  The big ones are done and the little ones cut out…I’m taking that as progress.

I loaded a quilt on the frame.  I’ve finished quilts every week for the last 4 weeks and am hoping for week 5 to have a finish too.

I got the quilt for submission bound.

That took some doing.  Remember this picture???

Kelli and ...

**I’m hosting an auction on the blog.  Find that post HERE.**

If you’re a bible reader you likely have heared the verse, “To everything there is a time an season.”  Well this is my quilting season.  Hubby is gone so much of the time.  He leaves at 5am and is home about 9:30pm.  There’s not much time for me to see him.  So what do I do?  QUILT.

I was busy…I finished up my Pineapple Crazy quilt.  Find that post here if you missed it.

I am so happy to have the quilt finished.  It ...

So the strings aren’t challenging me right now…life is!  It’s all good but there are just times when sadly, sewing doesn’t fit into life.  Around here being married to a farmer is both vacation and fall house work time.  He’ll be harvesting in a month or so and will have no extra time until about mid November if all goes well.  That means everything that I need extra help with around here needs to start getting done.  We’ve been married long enough to know that we’ll make it through harvest a little better ...

I’ve been on a roll getting things done in the garage….Remember that garage sale where I bought a ton of furniture pieces?  Well this is yet another piece that I bought there.  Before I bought it I did a lot of debating…a LOT!  It was marked at $75.  That’s more than I typically spend on a piece to re-do and sell.  A lot more.  I liked it…I liked it a lot but then the internal debate started…would someone else love it.  UGH!  Who knows?  I don’t want to be out $75.

Then another ...