I have had a super busy couple weeks. Ruby died (read about that here if you missed that), I got a new puppy (read about that here if you missed that) The kids were home several of the days. Here’s Kelli and Georgia.
All of the kids were home on Friday night….and life with a new puppy, well, it’s a lot!
Here’s Buck with Rosie.
I’ve realized I won’t be sewing upstairs much for a little while at least. Rosie chews everything. She whines without me…so we adjust which means, Betty has come out to play. Betty is my Featherweight. I’ve been sewing with her at the kitchen table over Christmas break. I think I’ll be keeping her out on the dining room table for a bit though. It’s about the only way I’m going to get any sewing done with Rosie around.
In the past bit since I talked about sewing I had finished this baby quilt. Read about that HERE.
I made some little pincushions…there will be more about them in an upcoming blog post.
Besides that, I worked on the mystery. Here I was at the kitchen table sewing the half square triangles while the family was here.
The clue is all finished but I forgot to take a picture of them finished and Rosie finally fell asleep at my feet as I’m writing this and I don’t want to wake her so you’ll just have to trust, my clue #5 is finished.
I also got a little cross stitching done. I’m also working on a baby quilt I’ll tell you more about soon.
Here’s my cross stitching. I picked this up over the weekend that Scotty was here and have managed to get a little more done on it.
I am not following the original colors. Instead I am following the colors Priscilla mentioned on her blog. Find that HERE. The piece is a Lizzie Kate design called Snowy String.
I’m actually this far now.
I like the dark colors so much better. I know a lot of people like to use light colors in winter decorating…not me. I like it darker.
I still haven’t finished my “joyfulness” Little Sheep Virtue.
I’m planned to get it finished this month…but with Rosie, I can’t guarantee that will happen but soon I’m sure. I started the 12 month project with Kramer, my husband who passed away in June, and I’m going to end the year stitching it.
I’ve started pulling shirts for upcoming projects. I’ve been through all of them and have them sorted. I have the backs cut from some and ended up with a pile of fronts, some with a sleeve or two, and gifted them to Connie. Look at all of them!!
That’s the stack that got gifted. Yep, the pile is taller than my washing machine.
When Kayla was home over the weekend we watched the Ken Burns PBS special on quilts. (Link HERE) I tried to manage Rosie and she prepped shirts.
The plan was that I was going to make her baby a crumb quilt with the ABC letters around the outside like I’ve done for Georgia, Gannon and Carver but she changed her mind. After prepping the black and white shirts and her seeing the quilt I was going to make at the same time…This one…
She decided that she wants one like this for the baby…a little smaller maybe but one made using this pattern. Well that’s alright with me. This will be way easier and I’ll make her quilt and mine at the same time.
Here’s my treasure trove of shirt fabrics I’ll be using all ready to go thanks to Kayla.
So…now I know what I’m working on. Those of you who were excited for the letter tutorial, no worries…I’m just putting that off for a month or so as Buck and Lora’s baby will have a quilt with letters all around. I’ll do the tutorial when I tackle that quilt.
Other years I’ve taken off from Christmas Eve to January 2nd but this year didn’t. I do had Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day off…but not the other days. Being I’ve had so many days off this year with Kramer being sick and passing and me having my cancer testing that I don’t have any more paid days left. Also, I don’t know what my cancer testing in February will bring so, I thought it best to work. I’m missing the extra days off to sew and start on taxes but I’m happy to see the kids. I think it would be pretty lonely around here without them dropping in.
I’m starting a post about my goals for 2020….I’ve really been thinking about what I want to make and accomplish. Watch for a blog post about that coming in the new year.
Also watch for a post tomorrow night on the little baby quilt I whipped up over the weekend.
Oh thatpile of shÃrts! Lucky Connie! I love usiñg shirts to make quilts. Unfortunately I cannot thrift shop much and when I do, shirts are pricey around here.
I like the b&w quilt you’ll be doing, both for Kayla’s baby and your own quilt.
The cross stitches are coming along. You’ve gotten a lot I them done this year. Way to go!
I love how you’ve been keeping busy with so many projects! And they are all wonderful! You really inspire me to get going on my own projects!
Love and prayers
Such a nice post about all that you’re working on and thinking about. Your basket of black and white shirts is fantastic and I’m looking forward to the quilts to come. Looks like you could finish joyfulness stitching and I’ll be thinking of you working on that tomorrow night while I’m hopefully also doing some handwork—a good end to any year. Hugs!
Congratulations on your happy Christmas! What happened to the letter “B” on the stitchery? I see all the other letters in order, but no “B”.
This year I couldn’t insist that my husband take time to go get a real tree when he didn’t seem to know how close it was to Christmas. So I got out a tabletop silver tree. He didn’t like that, so he took me out and got a fake tree, set it up, and helped decorate it. I missed the real smell (the real wreath wasn’t enough) and even more, the C-7 size Christmas lights. Oh well, he liked it and I can do without. All these years I’ve had it my way, I can let him have his way now as I don’t have to do Christmas for kids any more. They come to visit on Christmas afternoon.
What pattern is the black and white quilt? Inquiring minds love it!
I’m excited that you’ll be working on the black and white quilt. When you did the review of the book, Parallel Lines, I had to go buy it. Love the black and white and the quilt featured on the front. I’ve been collecting fabrics and shirts so I need to pull them all out and see where I am. Of course I’m doing the mystery too but am behind as the holidays brought visiting family and my husband finally took off enough time from work to finish working on his shop/garage. Got the insulation up and drywall on the ceiling and now have the walls to finish. I was helping here and there but he’ll need more help from me since my son came down sick. Just hope hubby and I don’t catch it!
LOVE that snowy alphabet sampler in either colorway. SEW cute!! Best of luck with Rosie training.
As always you’ re such an inspiration Jo! Love seeing everything that you are working on and how your new baby Rosie is doing! She is just so cute! I know! I know! I know though that puppies are so time consuming & lots of work!!