Cross Stitch and Pink Scraps

This has been a good week for stitching and sewing in my neck of the woods!  I sat down to do some cross stitching three times and to sew by machine twice.  The sky part of this picture is done in blocks of colour but the farm scene at the bottom has more confetti stitching...I have not got to that part yet. 

Pink is the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for April and I managed to get my pink blocks sewn for the four quilts I am making.  I am just about out of Kona white and will need to do some shopping before I can sew May's blocks. Last time, I bought a bolt of it and it is just about all gone.  Finn likes to model quilt blocks, as you know.  I did not have any white with pink dots fabric for the large block below so I used some light gray dotted fabric instead. I don't really buy pink fabric very often--so some of these scraps are really old.  

The instructions for the last three blocks of the Threadhouse Academy sampler quilt came out at the beginning of the month.  I made two of the blocks this week and hope to do the last one next week.  Then, I can put the quilt together.  I will likely use this one as a wall hanging. 

My daughter has been really busy at work lately but has found a few moments here and there to do a bit of crocheting.  She's working on that last lace section now and then will be able to move on to the next step. 

It was a beautiful sunny day today so Finn wanted to catch a few rays.  I brought out my book and a cold drink and Finn moved from sun to shade and back again, depending on whether he felt too hot or too cold. 

There are more flowers in bloom this week in our gardens.  The newest daffodils were covered in dew this morning when I took these pictures. 

The primroses have a few flowers--there should be more by next week. 

The bloodroot is also blooming.  These blooms don't last long but are so pretty when they appear. 

Finn used Lambie as a pillow this week as he watched me eat my lunch.  

I will link up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers as well as Frederique and the RSC folks. 

Daffodils, A Birthday and Cross Stitch

My husband and I were both under the weather earlier this week so that negatively affected how much sewing I got done this week.  Hopefully, I can make up for it next week!  I did manage to add some blue and brown to my cross stitch project.  The brown part will be a windmill, eventually!  

Finn received this Lambie toy for Christmas and, recently,  almost removed Lambie's reindeer antlers.  I sewed them back on by machine with a mending stitch, which was distressing to Finn and he barked at me as I sewed. He was happy to have Lambie back to play with. 

 

I started to sew a little folk all doll for a little friend who celebrated her 5th birthday this past week.  It will be a belated gift!  

My hellebore flower opened and these mini daffodils put on a show this week. 

By next weekend, I should have some primroses in bloom. 

I started a new book--I had read lots of positive reviews and the book is living up to the hype.  I have added this one to the list for the book club that I lead for next year. It is an epistolary novel, written in letters. 

Today is Finn's 8th Birthday!  Our daughter bought him a volcano toy with 6 little squeaky dinosaurs that hide inside.  Finn very enthusiastically took all the Dinosaurs out of the holes and had a great time making them all squeak.  The gift got a 10/10 from Finn!

Finn's face looks a bit squished here...  LOL!  The dinosaurs did not stay in a neat row for very long!

I will link up with Kathy and Frederique. 

Chain Link top finished

I finished off my chain link quilt top this week. It has been trimmed now...I should have done that before this picture was taken...  It should be close to single bed size but I am open to adding a border using the background fabric if it isn't. I like the way the coloured chains stand out on the dark background.  

I added more stitches to my perforated paper cross stitch picture.  The paper is stiff which makes it easy to hold and stitch.  I find the needle will fall back through the hole when I am coming up from the back so I have to make sure I keep it from doing this as I stitch. I hope to work on this tonight and tomorrow for Slow Sunday Stitching. 

My husband was away for the day today so I was on Finn duty.  It was a sunny but cold day today.  He loves to be outside in the sunshine so I got lots of reading done while he basked in the sunshine.  I was wearing my winter coat...  

Angela announced that the Rainbow Scrap Challenge colour for April is pink.  I dug out my pink scrap bin and cut out my squares and triangles for my projects at the kitchen counter while Finn supervised.  I still need to cut the background fabrics and then I can make my blocks. 

Finn is vigilant in his supervisory role.  Heaven forbid that I leave his sight. 

I checked the backyard gardens today and saw that the pink hellebore is starting to bloom. This plant came from my MIL's garden. I had one yellow crocus in bloom too but did not get a picture.  I need to plant more crocuses next fall.  Mine have almost all disappeared--perhaps the squirrels thought they were snack food. 

The daffodils are up and have buds.  We will need a bit of warm weather to get them to bloom. 

I made one more poppy for the Legion this week.  I am going to use up the red yarn that I have and then move on to making placemats for Meals on Wheels.  I hope to make 12 of those again this year. 

 I will link up with Kathy, Angela and Frederique.  

Assembling a Quilt Top and a New Cross Stitch Project

I received this cross stitch kit from a friend for Christmas...this is the first time I have cross stitched on perforated paper.  I had to sort all the threads out first before starting to stitch.  It doesn't look like much yet.   

I have made two knitted poppies for the Remembrance Day project.  Others have made dozens...don't forget I am a very slow knitter!

I have fabrics picked out for another Folk Art Doll.  I hope to get this cut out this weekend and sew it next week. 

I decided to add 2.5" sashing between my chain link blocks.  I tweaked the layout on the design wall and set to work adding sashing and corners.  The diagonal rows are sewn together.  The setting triangles are cut out and just needed to be added before I sew the rows together.  It should not take too long to do this. I am aiming for a single bed sized quilt.  I will have to see if I need a border after this part is together. 

I started reading the latest 44 Scotland Street series book this week.  I have enjoyed this series and its quirky characters. 

Finn finds his bed a very comfy place to nap.  He loves a fluffy blanket. 

Our local ice cream place opened this past week so we took a trip over to sample their wares.  Finn is a big fan of a trip to Shaw's.  He had a very small amount of vanilla ice cream in that big bowl.  You would not have known that there was ever ice cream in the bowl when he was done!

You know Spring is almost here when Shaw's is open for the season!

I will link up with Kathy and the Slow Sunday Stitchers as well as Frederique. 

Two Retreats in a Row

 Yes... Christine and I were at quilting retreats two weekends in a row! I had a second set of projects lined up to take to our annual Spring Oxford Guild retreat before the Camp Kintail retreat.  The truth is that I could go on even more retreats and still come up with projects to work on.  Christine is in the same boat!

I finished up my chain link blocks for the vice president's challenge--I have decided to set them on point but have not decided if I want to add sashing or not before sewing them together.  I will have to audition sashing later.   

As you can see, Finn is very willing to help model my quilt blocks, often artfully rearranging them along the way. 

Next, I worked on my red Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks for March.  I put them on the floor for a photo this am and, again, Finn was there to help. 

I sewed the binding on my scrappy baby quilt and got it sewn down by hand at the retreat.  I still need to add a label.   The backing was purchased at an estate sale. 

I started my 12 Green Bottles Quilt, a Threadhouse Academy class with Jo Avery, at the November guild retreat and have not worked on it since then.  I find I need a good chunk of time and lots of space to work on this quilt as I audition colours for each part.  The first picture is going to be the centre block.  I hope to finish it soon.  

This is one of the borders on a corner section. 

As you can see, I have two corner blocks done and two more started.  I was pleased with the progress I made at the retreat.  Our guild is having a quilt show in the spring of 2027 and I hope to have this quilt done in time for the show. 

I will be linking up with the Slow Sunday Stitchers on Sunday morning, with Angela and the RSC group on Saturday and with Frederique too.