Five Shadows

Greetings! This week flew by! We had good times with family and church family too. I’ll share more news in a future post.

Things I accomplished this past week -

To-Do Tuesday, April 11, 2023

1. Trim and bind Trip Around the World. ✔️
2. Piece border for the Featherweight embroidery.  ✔️
3. Decide on a project for evening handwork. ✔️
4. Land on some other project – old or new? ✔️
5. Daughter’s house. Her goal is to be in the end of this month. Hubs and I don’t think that is very realistic. She wants to move in while construction is still happening. I’ve experienced that, and don’t recommend it!

1. Trip Around the World

Binding is on, all but one corner which I left open for a label.

2. Featherweight embroidery

Pieced border and some embellishments attached! I’m still deciding on placement of buttons.

3. Evening handwork

I’m back to piecing 1/2″ hexies. These will be appliquéd on to background fabrics for mug rug gifties.

4. Land on some other project – old or new?

I forgot to list my sewing day with quilt group which was Friday. I took along the Trip Around the World variation and made two and a half more blocks. I’m liking how this scrappy quilt is coming together.

5. Daughter’s house. Hubs got sick and spent a few days in bed. We missed the building inspector and have to reschedule. Daughter got home from her trip to Germany and did much needed yard work this past weekend.

Weather heated up to 80F a few days last week but cooled off Sunday night back to 40sF. I’ll be up in daughter’s attic working on insulation while it is cool the next few days.

What have you been working on?

Here’s my plan for the next week -

To-Do Tuesday, April 18, 2023

1. Trip Around the World variation. I need to have this top pieced, quilted, and bound by first of June!
2. Featherweight embroidery – attach buttons. Add a border so it can be stretched over canvas and framed.
3. Evening handwork, hexies.
4. Wednesday morning is church group sewing day.
5. Daughter’s house.

Another week flies by! This is Spring Break for our city schools. My grands are coming over tomorrow. Grandson wants a sleep over but since I have another house guest right now it will just have to be a daytime visit.

Easter will be low key this year. Two of our adult kids and their spouses will be out of town. That means only one family will be coming over after church for lunch. One daughter has been visiting Germany for the past week and she returns Sunday.

May you all have a Blessed Easter. The Lord has Risen!

Here’s my list for the past week -

To-Do Tuesday, March 28, 2023

1. Friday my quilting group meets for a day of sewing and fellowship. I’m taking along my new Trip Around the World project. ✔️
2. Quilt and bind one or two table runners pieced earlier this month. One will be a birthday gift I want to take with me Friday. ✔️
3. Evening stitching on Featherweight embroidery. ✔️
4. Daughter’s house – hubs will be there but I might not make it back until Saturday. ✗

1. I stitched up three more blocks at my quilting group Friday.

Sunday I finished two more blocks and now have two rows sewn together. Two more rows to go.

2. Table runners

One quilted and bound. My FMQ was so off that I did some ripping out. I’m out of practice and need to get my FMQ mojo back!

3. Featherweight embroidery

The embroidery is completed! I have to wash off some of the markings, next step is to make and attach a pieced border.

4. Daughter’s house. I didn’t make it back there Saturday. Wiring is close to being ready for the second inspection. Our daughter is getting antsy to have the building inspection done, but I’m not sure what still needs to happen for that since I’ve not been there. It’s all moving forward, so that is good.

Other  quilty things – I made a back for my friend’s Trip Around the World quilt. Today I take the quilt over to another friend’s studio to load on her longarm. She is very generous with offering her longarm to me to use!

That leads us to the list for this week -

To-Do Tuesday, April 4, 2023

1. Quilting Trip Around the World
2. Pieced border for the Featherweight embroidery.
3. Wednesday – sewing with women’s group at church – heart pillows for cancer patients.
4. Spring Break – granddaughter is to visit for a quilting lesson.
5. Daughter’s house – not sure when I’ll fit getting over there this week. Hubs is staying busy there finishing up rewiring. Porch lights are next.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Sunday we finally had our family March Birthday celebration! We have 5 of the 7 of us born in March. Two of our adult kid’s families have been sick and we had to postpone our initial plans. Then Sunday the party was moved from our son’s house to ours. It was a nice day and we fit in a walk as well as our meal together. Sadly we still had two ppl missing. So here’s to health and happiness as our family sure has been catching all the bugs lately.

Here’s my mostly sewing world for the week -

To-Do Tuesday, March 21, 2023

1. Tomorrow, Wednesday, our sewing group at church meets. We are making heart shaped pillows for oncology patients. Donated to a local hospital. Got the call their supply is getting low. ✔️
2. Stitching Stereo and perhaps other charity quilts. ✔️
3. Featherweight embroidery in the evenings. ✔️
4. Daughter’s house – not sure I’m needed there much this week. There are a few odd jobs I could do, like finish the wall paper removal. You might remember that is a job I don’t care for ever so much! ✔️

1. Pillows for oncology patients.  Oops! I didn’t take a photo but we have 30 some ready to donate.

2. Stereo quilt top

Top is pieced. I found fabric in my stash that will work for the back. And binding made. Stereo is made from 10″ squares. Three triangle are cut from each square with a 10″ x 2 1/2″ piece left over. I sewed all those pieces together to make a scrappy binding.

3. Featherweight embroidery

It’s moving along rather quickly.

4. Daughter’s house – looks like the plumber has been back working on repairs. Then Hubby said the plumber was taking photos one day and sending them to the inspector. Hoping that job will be completed soon. Wiring for fire/smoke alarms and CO2 alarms have been completed. I’m not sure what is left with the wiring before inspection happens again. Also there is the building inspection that has to take place before insulation and drywall goes up. We are slowly moving forward.

I started something new! Ha Ha! With leftovers! Isn’t finding a new project with something you already have cut a fun thing!?

Here’s the first block 16 1/2″ square. With the leftover 2 1/2″ squares from Janie’s quilt, I’m piecing a variation to Trip Around the World. I’m adding alternating rows of white squares. By adding the whites to the leftovers I should be able to reach 64″ square lap quilt. Maybe larger. We’ll see, as I’ve not counted all the leftover squares but there is fabric left over too if I need to cut more.

Here are my mostly sewing plans for this week -

To-Do Tuesday, March 28, 2023

1. Friday my quilting group meets for a day of sewing and fellowship. I’m taking along my new Trip Around the World project.
2. Quilt and bind one or two table runners pieced earlier this month. One will be a birthday gift I want to take with me Friday.
3. Evening stitching on Featherweight embroidery.
4. Daughter’s house – hubs will be there but I might not make it back until Saturday.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Birthday month continues here in our family! Sunday our daughter celebrated 28 years. And today our son celebrates 42 years! Oh the Hitcher’s Guide to the Galaxy jokes are flying around our family texts today! You know, the answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42!

And yes, 14 years between our oldest and youngest kiddos, with three in-between.

On to the list -

To-Do Tuesday, March 14, 2023

1. Got to keep plugging away on daughter’s house. ✔️
2. Stitch up some charity quilts or keep cutting?  ✔️ or both!
3. If my friend gets her quilt top finished we might be visiting another friend who will let us quilt the top on her longarm. ✗
4. Featherweight embroidery. ✔️

1. Work at our daughter’s house moved along well with electric installed and inspected. Everything passed! But there was an oversight. New code – with a remodel fire/smoke alarms and CO2 alarms have to be hard wired in. The alarms have been ordered, more electrical wire purchased. So that oversight is moving forward.

Plumbing did not pass inspection. So plumber will be back to fix a few things.

2. I did more cutting for charity quilts, and some piecing.

This is Stereo by Jaybird Quilts. I cut triangles from two layer cakes. Moda Jungle Paradise and Riley Blake Dapple Dot. Three rows sewn together so far, not photoed.

3. Janie’s quilt!

Here is Janie with the first half of Trip Around the World pieced last October.

And here she is with the top completed –  minus a border. She did get the border attached, but we didn’t have time for sandwiching and quilting. She is trusting me with that. I’ll be visiting her in June to deliver the completed quilt. Stay tuned!

4. Featherweight embroidery

I’ve missed a few evenings stitching. Since this is not a stitch-along, I’m being more lax with it than I was with Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden.

What do I have planned for this week?

To-Do Tuesday, March 21, 2023

1. Tomorrow, Wednesday, our sewing group at church meets. We are making heart shaped pillows for oncology patients. Donated to a local hospital. Got the call their supply is getting low.
2. Stitching Stereo and perhaps other charity quilts.
3. Featherweight embroidery in the evenings.
4. Daughter’s house – not sure I’m needed there much this week. There are a few odd jobs I could do, like finish the wall paper removal. You might remember that is a job I don’t care for ever so much!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

The weather keeps jumping all over the place! Today we had several times of heavy snow, then sunny skies, and back to the snow, and then repeat it all over again, then even a few minutes of sleet mixed in! It was a good day to stay in and work on quilting projects!

And here is what happened this previous week -

To-Do Tuesday, March 7, 2023

1. Celebrate birthdays! ✔️
2. Work on daughter’s house. The project that keeps going on and on! ✔️
3. Finish Dancing Star quilt top. ✔️
4. Evening stitching Featherweight. ✔️
5. Friends from TN are to visit next week, (Sunday-Saturday) prep for their arrival! ✔️

To-Do Tuesday, March 14, 2023

1. Got to keep plugging away on daughter’s house.
2. Stitch up some charity quilts or keep cutting?
3. If my friend gets her quilt top finished we might be visiting another friend who will let us quilt the top on her longarm.
4. Featherweight embroidery.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Birthday celebrations! Hub’s birthday was Saturday and mine is today! And three of our five children are born in March on the 14th, 19th, and 21st! We had hoped to have a family gathering Sunday the 5th but two of our kids families have picked up the dreaded Covid bug. We’ll have that family gathering once all are well. We are praying for swift and complete healing. They have all had the vaccine and boosters, so hopefully that means a milder case of the bug.

Here’s what my week shaped up to look like -

To-Do Tuesday, February 28, 2023

1. I suppose I should move working on daughter’s house to the top of the list. There is wallpaper paste and bit of paper to remove which I really have no desire to do. But I can tell you it is a much nicer (cleaner!) job then demoing plaster walls! ✔️
2. Maybe work on charity quilts  ✔️
3. Or pull out the other project I hoped to work on last year.  ✔️

1.  Work is progressing on our daughter’s house! Here are a couple photos if you are interested.

There are two bedrooms in the front of the house, second floor. This is the smaller of the two. The window opens to a Three Season Room. The door is to an odd shaped closet built into the eaves. It’s being ripped out to reconfigure for better storage. These are 100+ year old plaster walls on lathe. What a mess to pull out and clean up! Two good things about pulling out old plaster walls are  1. we can add better insulation 2. it’s easier to rewire to upgrade electric.  Some of the areas between studs had NO insulation!

Now, if you can imagine, compare this photo to the first. This is the larger bedroom and there was a wall where there are now only studs on the right of the photo. This is the same space as the closet in the first photo. Dead wasted space here. This area will be reconfigured so there will be identical storage in both bedrooms making use of the space in the eaves. This room has the door to enter the Three Season Room.

Just for fun -

My daughter pulled this lovely hexagon wallpaper out of what will be her bedroom! Can you believe she would do such a thing!? Ok, I really don’t blame her. The hexies would be better as a quilt than papered on a wall.

2. I did work on charity quilts!

This pattern was offered earlier this year by Wendy Sheppard as a charm pack weekend quilt along. I changed it up a bit to make a larger quilt at 39 1/2″ square instead of 33″ square. I used Moda’s charm pack Poems from Pebbles by Malka Dubrawsky.

Same pattern, different charm pack! I used Dance In Paris by Zen Chic. I widened the sashing from 1″ to 1 1/2″ to again enlarge the top this time to 42 1/2″ square.

3. And I started a new project!

I started on this hand embroidery project. The kit is from The Featherweight Shop which I bought for evening stitching in 2022. I am just how starting it as I was first stitching the EPP Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden in the evenings. Now that the Homage top is complete I’ve moved on to embroidery. The pattern is photoed in neutrals, but the kit was also offered in brights with Lori Holt fabrics. I’m going with the brights.

PLUS I worked on one more thing. I pulled out a PUP (Previously Unfinished Project) from 2013.

10 years old! This is Dancing Stars a paper pieced pattern by Amy’s Creative Side. I had 25 stars made up so I’m going with this layout. I need to cut the set triangles and finish sewing the rows together.

That was a full week! And here’s what is coming up -

To-Do Tuesday, March 7, 2023

1. Celebrate birthdays!
2. Work on daughter’s house. The project that keeps going on and on!
3. Finish Dancing Star quilt top.
4. Evening stitching Featherweight.
5. Friends from TN are to visit next week, (Sunday-Saturday) prep for their arrival!

What will you be working on?

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Carol of Quilt Schmidt.

Happy July everyone!

We had more high winds & thunderstorms passing through our way Tuesday & Wednesday.  We lost power again, this time for 14 hours. I must say I am very thankful for modern conveniences!

Here’s my list of hopeful quilting for last week -

To-Do Tuesday, June 28, 2022

1. Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden, work on week 17. ✔️
2. 4 clothing quilts – Friday meeting with another friend to add the embroidery.  ✔️
3. Shirts to aprons from my Dad’s shirt for my grand nieces and nephews.  ✔️
4. Maybe get back to the whole cloth table runner.  ✗

Here we go -

1. Grandmother’s Flower Garden

Week 17, missing the background to the green leaves.

2. Four clothing quilts - embroidery

As requested, four identical quilt tops have been made from clothing and with the rose fabric center from pillow cases.

Then this embroidery was created by a friend who bought the new M17 Janome. The Mom represented by the clothing loved the beach, shells, sunsets. With help, this heart with Love you Mom with shells was stitched on to the rose fabric. I’m happy with the progress made on these four quilts this past week.

Also, my friend and I bought fabric for the quilt backs. A beach scene was requested. We won’t be getting to piecing the backs until later this month.

3. Shirts to aprons

I’ve made child size aprons from my Dad’s shirts. They will go to his 17 Great Grandchildren!

4. Whole cloth table runner – didn’t touch it.

What’s up for this coming week?

To-Do Tuesday, July 5, 2022

1. Finish week 17 of Homage to Grandmother’s Flower Garden. And start attaching it to the growing quilt.
2. Time to get serious about prepping t-shirts for a quilt for my nephew. That was my June One Monthly Goal and it did not happen!
3. Play with something – maybe a UFO – maybe the whole cloth table runner.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

Happy Thanksgiving Week to my USA readers!

After a lovely time of traveling to a wedding celebration, time spent in Smoky Mts National Park, and time with friends, hubs and I are home and getting back into our routines.

Daniel & Carrie

View from Newfound Gap

On to quilting and stitching -

To-Do Tuesday for November 9 – 23 

1. Wool Applique  ✔️

2. A Quilter’s Dream Embroidery  ✔️

3. Once home, start on quilted Christmas gifts.  ✔️

1. Wool Appliqué – A little progress was made. I read books most nights instead of doing hand work while traveling.

Tree & bee hive completed. Stems for flowers underway. The stem stitch was new to me. Had to rip out first attempt and practice on another piece. I’m learning! This is relaxing, right?

2. A Quilter’s Dream Embroidery – Before leaving on our trip, I did get the design traced. But I decided to set it aside until the New Year.

3. Christmas gifts – are underway!

I picked up this small holly leaf  hanger from the discount area of a quilt shop a few years ago. I decided to create a little quilt to hang from it for a friend who likes yard art.

All finished and ready to gift! The hanger is 22″ long x 10″ wide. And the little quilt is 5 1/2″wide  x 12″ long.

Next up is a little collage of flowers for a friend who loves the color orange.

The background was filled with a mixture of quilting motifs, and the flowers are fused on top.

The next step was stitching in the flowers and leaves. Binding and done! The tiny quilt measures 6″ x 9″ and the hanger adds another 2 1/2″ to the length. I have 4 more little quilts to make for gifts.

To-Do Tuesday Week of November 23rd

1. Continue making quilted Christmas gifts. I’m making 6 total. 2 completed, 4 to go.
2. Maybe work on the wool appliqué.
3. Enjoy Thanksgiving with family!

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

This past week I did move forward on two items on my list. Plus I prepped a new project that I thought would be good to take along as Hubs and I travel out-of-state to a wedding this weekend.

Here’s my list for the past week -

To-Do Tuesday November 2 – 8

1. Continue working on Flying Geese at my Thursday quilting group.  ✔️

2. Continue wool applique.  ✔️

3. Maybe pull out a UFO to quilt.  ✗

Here’s how this week has gone -

1. Flying Geese

I finished piecing all the flying geese and started piecing them into blocks. I’ll be using the geese to make 5 small quilts instead of one large quilt. These will be small, 32″ – 36″ square, and are destined for either a charity my church donates to, mostly for people in wheel chairs. This small size is perfect to fit over a lap. Or one or two might end up as baby quilts. I’ll just need to add borders to reach the needed size.

2. Wool Applique

I’m slowly moving along on the wool appliqué. And I do mean slowly! I’m new to this and not fast at hand stitching on wool at all! I finished the tree and started the bee hive, which is sitting on gray rocks.

Stitches show up a bit better in this photo. I’m in learning mode on this piece. The white rectangle is going to be a bee hive. Figures crossed it turns out ok!

And as if I am a glutton for punishment, I’ve purchased and prepped a new handwork piece. This one is on cotton, which I’m just a bit more familiar with so I hope I enjoy it.

The Featherweight Shop offered this kit in two color ways. I bought the brights. The piecing and embellishments around the embroidered Featherweight sewing machine are adorable. Here’s hoping I can manage the embroidery. There is one new stitch for me to learn in this piece. I’m thinking Hubs and I will have some down time over the weekend at the wedding so I’m taking this along and the wool appliqué. Any amount  of progress I make on either will be considered an accomplishment!

To-Do Tuesday for November 9 – 23 (I won’t be home to post next Tuesday, so this is a two week list)

1. Wool Applique

2. A Quilter’s Dream Embroidery

3. Once home, start on quilted Christmas gifts.

I’m linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of Texas Quilt Gal.

It’s already November! Cool weather has arrived here in NE Indiana. The weather seems to be a bit behind schedule this year. Last week was lovely in the 50s and lower 60s most days altho very rainy. Trees seem to be at their peak in Fall colors now.

Our family met at Chain-O-Lakes State Park for a walk Saturday. It was a lovely time, mid 50s, and no rain! We walked a 3 1/2 mile trail that meandered mostly along a stream, which was high because of all the rain. The grand kids loved the foot bridges. And a certain 3 year old did his best to splash in each and every puddle!

To-Do Tuesday October 26 – November 1

1. Pumpkin hot pot pads/mug rugs  ✔️

2. Quilt block mug rug – birthday gift  ✔️

Goals were met this week!

1. Pumpkins!

These measure approximately 9 1/2″ square. I used orange fabrics from my stash. There is just a bit of foundation piecing in each pumpkin adding interest. I Mistyfused the pumpkin parts to the background fabric and then machine blanket stitched around the parts. The pumpkins with foundation piecing are all my own design.

2. Mug Rugs!

This 8 1/2″ mug rug in purples is a This & That Pattern Company design.  This & That has created a Bitty Barn Block for each month of the year. Above is November’s Bitty Barn Block.

Once I finished the Mug Rug for November I got busy on a gift for December. This 9 1/2″ Bitty Barn Block is December’s design. It goes to a friend whose favorite color is orange.

Although not listed, I did finish the hand stitching on I Picked a Posey design by Jennifer of elefantz.com. -

Now to figure out what to do with it! Frame in an oval hoop? Work into a quilt/quilt block? Mat & frame? The background is 9 1/2″ x 12″ and can be trimmed.

That’s my successful short list for this past week!

To-Do Tuesday November 2 – 8

1. Continue working on Flying Geese at my Thursday quilting group.

2. Continue wool applique.

3. Maybe pull out a UFO to quilt.

Linking to To-Do Tuesday hosted by Linda of  Texas Quilt Gal.