Quilting and Cross Stitch Projects, Thrift Find and Bonita's Raisin Buns

 It is always a treat to open the kitchen curtain in the morning. I never know what I might see. One morning recently -back when the sun was shining- this fellow was sleeping in the driveway. I watched him idly glance about, yawn and tuck his head back down for a few more zees. I wondered how long he'd been there; overnight would be unlikely as I know foxes have dens. I'm always surprised by how long and thin their snouts are and their bodies too. And what colour! Note: taken from a great distance and this is not the first time a fox has chosen the big garage driveway for a nap.

This week's treat with a cup of tea...Bonita's Kitchen Raisin Tea Buns. 

Two things... #1, I didn't brush them with egg or milk and they were very pale on top but golden on the bottom. If I could just serve them upside down...

#2, I used the amount of sugar as called for in the recipe and these were too sweet for me. But you know who loved them. I will use this recipe again but I will cut the sugar by a third. 

That plate is a thrift find. I love it when I spy pink plates which are rare and especially ones with the pretty dense double edge of leaves like this one had. Unique. It is Mason's "Vista" featuring a typical English scene. And what shade would you call that deep red?

I haven't yet shared my hand stitching on this colourful quilt below. This is the scrappy blocks project I'd layered and readied for quilting back in ???

I decided to use a star design for the middle of each of the black blocks. I cut out a cardboard template and used my erasable pencil to outline a wonky star.

I used different colours of Perle cotton to outline each one.

Though I have the stars all stitched now, I quickly realized summer time is maybe not the best time to be working on a quilt in your lap. But I do hope to add more quilting lines outlining the blocks and finish it this summer to have as my very own lap quilt for the fall. 

It was too wet to do much in the garden work or sit outside stitching this weekend but the best excuse ever to sit and stitch inside. 

In particular, enjoyable cross stitching moved along my Pileated Woodpecker. I had a stitchy dilemma about that grey. Somehow the called for DMC 646 had been swapped for a Simply Shaker Aged Pewter. Because it wasn't quite as dark grey as the photo showed, I worried about it. As more stitches got laid I realized it shades darker depending how you look at it. It is more closely resembling the picture than can be seen here so I'm okay with it.

 I have had to dress like a mariner to venture outside. Rainfall warnings every single day. Huge downpours, the kind that bring down weak branches and bend over my tall plants. Photos of the mariner and her brown dog next time.

Hope there is something sweet and wonderful in your week!

Also wonderful to share this post with The Inquiring Quilter, A Quiltery, My Quilt Infatuation, Alycia Quilts, It's A Small Town Life and Melva Loves Scraps.