(Bleep)

I know I'm not suppose to use that kinda language, but I can't believe I triple checked, and looked at the picture for days before I realized I was missing a stitch in my blackwork square...it has now been fixed, week two is done, and week three is in process...

I'm picking colors at random. The blue is a little pale but I still like it. This is so much fun!

I finished piecing the rails for the sampler quilt...

I added more of the bright pink. I hope it toned the pink block down a bit - hmmm, maybe not. I really didn't like the look of this block even though I made it as the pattern directed...

So I changed it around.

Not my favorite block but better. I don't know how much time I'll get to spend sewing this week - and why I still haven't unpacked fabric - I'm getting the whole interior of the house painted and I can't decide on a color. Doesn't help that they will start painting Wednesday.

One is two dark, two are too white, one is too pink and another is too peachy. I have two more samples to put on the wall tomorrow. I love the color names: pure white, nano white, heavy cream, white mocha, new house white. I'll test swiss coffee and cottage white tomorrow.

This was my view last Thursday...

I got about 3-4 inches of snow. I had two paint contractors out for bids on Thursday, both had to put their trucks into four-wheel drive to get up my driveway. Both my car and truck are two-wheel drive, so I didn't go anywhere. Most of it was gone by Friday afternoon. Love living in Oregon. ;o)

Making Progress

 
I have all of the blocks finished for the Land of Lincoln Sampler...

Oh my, that pink is bright! The rails are cut out; I need to get them sewn together but I've been a little distracted...

This is the first block for the first week of the blackwork SAL I decided to participate in. This one was pretty easy. I'm a week behind, and according to the Facebook group participants, the next block is a little bit more challenging. I'm hoping to get it done tomorrow. New block designs are released every Wednesday morning. I originally pulled floss colors similar or  close to the designer's colors chart but I think I'd rather it was more colorful so will probably chose a random color every week. Should be fun.

Well I didn't get my fabric put away but I did rearrange the stuff in the garage and all the Christmas decorations are now in plastic bins and stored in one area of the garage. I also have all my stamping / craft stuff grouped in one area and power tools in another. Productive afternoon.

It is supposed to rain, and possibly snow, for the next five days. This should give me lots of time to put away fabric, sew and stitch.

Pretty Quiet Here

 
Hmmm, not much on the camera and not a lot of sewing done. I finished quilting and machine binding the guild donation quilt.

Where the strips are joined I stitched in the ditch and took the diagonal line either up or down one row. I also added a meandering loop in the border. I found an orange that I thought was much better binding. When I got the quilt it was already pinned, I didn't really look at it too closely when I started quilting it...until I had problems quilting it. It wasn't pinned very well and the backing fabric had never been ironed and had lots of off-the-bolt wrinkles if you know what I mean. I tried my best but there are some pretty good puckers on the back. Overall it's not too bad and since it was on my UFO/WIP list I'm counting it as my first finish in 2020.

Other tidbits...

...I had a major case of home sickness on New Year's Day...I always trim my roses and pick the last of the lemons on January 1...boo hoo, no more roses or lemon trees.

...I read somewhere that when you write the date for the current year that you shouldn't use the abbreviated year of 20 as it can be changed to a prior or future year. Use 2020.

...Did you know Missouri Star Quilt Company has an app that includes ALL of their YouTube tutorials? Yeah, I downloaded it, and lost about three hours viewing videos on my phone.

...Here is Bella pretending to be a lap kitty. Don't let her fool you. She's mean and bites.

...Every Wednesday and Saturday the local needlework shop has a sit and stitch. Lee of Unique Lee Yours has a room with lots of comfy chairs and you can work on whatever you want. I've been going on Wednesdays. The ladies in the group are all very nice. We all went and saw Little Women last week. I liked the movie, it had a bit of a different twist to it. Maked me want to re-read the book.

...Since I've been cross stitching again I plan on joining Peppermint Purple's year of blackwork. It is a 52 week free stitch along. If you like embroidery, cross stitching or blackwork you should check out her web site, she has some fun patterns and some free patterns.

...Technically I haven't unpacked my fabric yet. That is my goal for this next week. And to find a spot in the garage to store all my Christmas decorations.

...that's it. Can't think of anything else. Have a nice week.
 

And a Prosperous New Year

Definition of prosperous

1 : auspicious, favorable

2a : marked by success or economic well-being

  b : enjoying vigorous and healthy growth : flourishing

 

With the beginning of a new month, year and decade prosperous seems to be a better word to associate with the new year than happy. You can define auspicious, favorable, success, economic well-being, healthy growth and flourishing however it fits you but I hope you have it in abundance. 

I don't typically make New Year's resolutions, however I do make lists. I noticed I made a list of my UFO / WIP in my very first blog post over 10 years ago.  The sad part is one of those projects is still unfinished (one of the ornament wall hangings), and the blue butterfly quilt was finally quilted in 2017.  Back then my list included four UFO / WIP...I'm sad to report this years list - which I am NOT going to publish - has 25 UFO / WIP! How did that happen!!!

My list includes the three quilts I'm working on below. First up is my mom's quilt which is pieced, has a back, and the binding is made. It is schedule to be quilted in January.

 

I checked out the pillow tuck on my bed. All good! The top border pillow tuck is all one piece of fabric that measures 32 x 95 inches. The whole quilt measures 95 x 115!

I've also been working on the Civil War Legacies Land of Lincoln Sampler Quilt that I started in August of 2018...hmmm, I didn't do much blogging in 2018 and don't have pictures of the blocks I finished at Lynn Wilder's quilt retreat. Bad bad blogger. Here are the two blocks I finished this past week:

I have three more sampler blocks to make.

 

I've also joined the local quilt guild and took home a donation quilt to quilt and bind:

 

 

I have stitched in the ditch every other row and around the border. I think it needs more...what more is I'm not sure. Was thinking of some odd 45 degree lines in each set of rows and maybe some double loops in the border as it is a polka dot. The guild had already pinned the quilt (not very well) and has provided binding fabric which is the same as the back - a small floral that matches color wise, but not design wise - I don't think the floral goes with the quilt top and will check my stash for something that coordinates better. IMHO even if it is a donation quilt it should be pretty and the floral doesn't work.

Soon I should be able to cross three items off my list. It hasn't even started and I can tell it is going to be a very prosperous new year.

 

Happy Holidays

I've never done a lot of holiday decorating because I was never home for Christmas. This year since I'd just finished unpacking sooooo many boxes, I really didn't feel like unpacking a bunch of Christmas decorations also (I know, bah humbug to me). I mostly hung holiday quilts.

Table runner and primitive stitchery.

Radiant star and a winter star.

Rummage sale stitchery that I re-purposed.

 Another primitive stitchery.

I should put this ornament wall hanging next to the star as I used the same fabrics for both.

Since Christmas Eve dinner is at my house I did unpack a few things so I'm not a total Grinch.

I hope you all have a very happy, safe, and joyful holiday.
  

Oops Almost Forgot

I'm having a very hard time remembering what day it is. I almost forgot to write this post.

I'm still unpacking bits and pieces and re-arranging AND trying to remember where I put most of it. I'm still a little unsettled but I think now it is due to the holidays not from moving.

Everyone is so focused on Christmas, do you realize that in 15 days we will start a new decade!  2020 still seems like a year for science fiction novels, not real life. This past year and the past 10 years have gone by so fast and so much has happen. I should probably be saving these comments for my December 30th post. ;o)

I showed my view last week but I didn't really show the whole view...

 (Excuse the pillows, Bella likes to scratch the furniture and the pillows are a good deterrent.)

The back wall of the living room is all windows, no curtains or blinds. A little strange but I love it. Nobody can see in as I'm almost the last house on the hill, everyone else is about twenty or more feet down. There is a big drop at the back of my property line to the house behind me. The house above me is waaaaay above and down the road. Very private. The bad side is I haven't been able to meet any of my neighbors yet.

On the quilting front, I finished up the binding on this quilt:

Not too bad...only took 18 months from start to finish.  ><

 I finished piecing the Temecula Quilt Company's Tiny Trees miniature. I like the little quilt but the finishing instructions were not the best. Once the binding is added I'm going to loose at least one point and it is technically not squared up...maybe a 4 degree parallelogram. How do you think red binding would look?
 

In the New House

Finally.

Moving day was almost uneventful. Instead of three movers only two showed up. Those two guys worked their patookies off and then had to drive home to Eugene - about a 2.5 hour drive.

I didn't stay at the house Tuesday as all my personal stuff and Bella were still at my mom's house and I had also worked my patookie off. I really didn't feel like bringing another load over and unpacking it.

So Wednesday was the official first night for Bella and I. Other than a very vocal trip over Bella has done great.

Except there is no bathtub in my bathroom for her to play in...

But there are lots of high places to explore.

And these guys come by everyday.

All the furniture is in place and has even been re-arranged already. I have unpacked or at least looked in all of the boxes. The back bedroom is a bit of a mess as all the nick-knacks and pictures are there. The garage still needs to be "arranged" so I can put stuff out there and fit the truck in. A friend of my mom's is moving next month so she has been coming by for boxes everyday - good incentive to unpack and really helpful to have them out of the way so quickly!

My sewing room (formally the office) has been set up...

And is a mess already as I started pulling and cutting fabrics for Temecula Quilt Company's Tiny Trees sew along.

The new washer and dryer have been delivered but they were not able to install the dryer. Hopefully that will be resolved tomorrow as I have a mountain of laundry and risk having to go commando soon. ;o)

I'll leave you with the view from the living room windows...