Redworked Birds- Flight of Fancy, Basket Case Finish, Quartet in Autumn, Petey Posing

 I'd mentioned that I had to go out shopping.  That morning I stood in our closet completely stumped as to what to wear. I have a goodly amount of clothes so why it is such a chore sometimes to pick out a top and bottom is kind of ludicrous. I left and went to a window to look at the sky which told me nothing because I already knew it was very hot outside with the sun splitting the rocks, as we used to say at home. I decided to wear linen which is a difficult material but breezy.  I would sacrifice a wrinkle free appearance for comfort, I finally decided. 

Am I the only one who gets wracked by indecision in their own closet?? Perhaps I just don't go out enough anymore. Anyway, after successfully dressing myself, Thrifting was a huge success! I'll share the spoils soon.

Meanwhile, I had my OMG for July finished in the nick of time ( but not to post). It is soft and cozy and I had the thought that it would have made a wonderful lap quilt if I'd omitted the medallion center and made it a little larger.  Made a completely different quilt really is what I mean I guess, :D.  It is 43 x 43 so fairly large as is. Here is Basket Case in the last day of July 2022 sunshine, ghostly hands and all!  Michelle Ridgway basket pattern and inspiration!

So what's next up to be my August OMG?  I decided it is time for the Redworked Birds to get their day in the sunshine too.  Flight of Fancy by Crabapple Hill Studio. They've been patiently waiting for more than ten years now (!!). Definitely a UFO if age has anything to do with it. All backstitch embroidery.

 When I went to a fabric shop, that mottled ecru fabric is what the lady picked out for me and I didn't have the voice to say I didn't really care for it so bought it anyway. She thought it looked like sky so would suit a bird project. Pretty sure that would not happen to me now. At the time I was just here, new to this province and feeling a bit fragile. Stitching these birds gave me a lot of simple enjoyment and  actually grounded me so I have a soft spot for them. 

There are 12 of these embroidered 16 inch squares and I need to sew the 13 four patch blocks to alternate. I do remember why this project got shelved. The alternate blocks are reds in stripes and I had none of that kind of fabric at the time.  And I didn't have the wherewithall to know what to substitute instead.  I have the fabrics now to do justice to those alternating blocks.

I'll get that started this week and also take better photos to show you some of the embroidery. 

Reading this week is Quartet in Autumn by British novelist, Barbara Pym. I love her writing and am enjoying this one so much. It's about two spinsters and two bachelors who work in the same office for decades. She captures the everyday bits, the eccentric qualities of the four, and the overall abiding loneliness of their lives so well. And yet, not depressing just interesting. 

I'll leave you with this photo of Petey posing nicely. The three Labradors will be together again at the end of this week when Daughter and family take their annual trip to Newfoundland. Ned will be in heaven!

 

Take care all!

Linking this post with Texas Quilt Gal, Life in the Scrapatch, A Stitch in Time, My Quilt Infatuation, Wendy's Quilts and More, Alycia Quilts and Quilt Fabrication. 

Four Favourite Things, Floral Motif Sampler Finish, Basket Case Near Finish

The Wooden House in July Showing Hydrangeas

 We had to set the alarm twice last week which is just so odd for us. One morning we had workers coming to work on concrete and stones and the other morning, we had a vet check up appointment for Ned.  He goes to the doctor more often than I do. Anyway, such is the life of the retired and grateful I am for every minute of it.

Four things I love in this photo below...my tabletop Ott Lite, my Mama Bird mug which holds a lot of coffee or tea, my Morris bag which held my Floral Motif Sampler cross stitch project and my too pretty to write in Naturalist's Notebook.

That beautiful book, a gift from my sister, is a 5-Year Natural History Journal. It is perfect for the person who notices and likes to keep track of nature's happenings around them whether urban or rural. On my August birthday,  I intend to make a start in it. 

And the cross stitched Floral Motif Sampler is a finish now to finally share with you.

It is 15 by 19 inches and was begun January 21 as my New Year start. Begun on a stormy day with the world winter white I might add. 

Stitched two over two on 28 count Winter Moon Cashel linen.

Now to do, dig out The Jackrabbit and tiny handsewn needlebook to restart this one. 

On the Sewing Room table is Basket Case nearing the end of its journey.

 I have to choose a binding fabric. I checked back with Michelle and learned she had used a brown neutral so that gives me some ideas. Hopefully this will be finished this week too. 

 Cooler today, a nice break from the heat, and great walking weather. Ned already had a little chase after a deer down by the pond.  No leash this time to cause me issues. 

Join me if you can on Thursday when I will be sharing more free beauties. 

Sharing this post with Texas Quilt Gal's, Alycia Quilts, Floral Friday Foto, Creations...Quilts, Art, Whatever and Quilt Fabrication linky parties. 

Thursday's Three Free, Basket Case Hand Quilting, Favourite Kitchen Gadget, Critters

We are still in the middle of a heat wave. Temperatures are reaching to the 30's every day and the heat alone without humidity doesn't bother me happily.  I'm just thankful we seem to be stuck at a tolerance level and not breaking records(yet!) like in England and parts of the U.S. 

The tiny peepers have given way to the green frogs and brown toads. I'm now hearing the distinctive rumble of a couple of bull frogs at the pond. 

This happens every year though I've yet to see either a peeper or a bullfrog. Just hear their sounds which I love to note.

We had fewer dragonflies this spring. One time I would have noted that with a bit of worry. Not now as I've noticed these creatures too seem to be somewhat cyclic in numbers from year to year. 

Last night I stitched more quilting lines on my Basket Case quilt. I'm outlining each basket and block in a variegated thread.

I love to see the pretty fabrics up close.

The giant basket was easy to quilt- that men's shirt fabric provided a natural grid.

But I am finding it a little warm on my lap so I'd like it to be ready to be bound and done this weekend.  It is my July OMG and this month is flying by. I just might be on track for a finish in time for once. 

This week, LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color is encouraging us to share our favourite kitchen gadget in this Thursday's post. 

I really like this one, my Danish Dough Whisk, and use it constantly for stirring and blending though rarely for actual dough. It works great on eggs, for instance. I like the comfortable wooden handle (no plastics) and how easy to clean it is. Daughter gave me this one and I looked it up. You can check it out for yourself here at Amazon.

I also love this apron I ordered from Simons. The range of purples are amazing. Aubergine and aubergines galore!

Perhaps you'd like to share your favourite kitchen gadget in a comment.

Thursday's Three Free-actually Four This Week

#1 Here Leanne at Devoted Quilter shares her free pattern called Tilted Flowers. She provides a very detailed and helpful tutorial for this as well. I just don't know how folks can write those things...kudos to you.

#2 From the clever folks at Quilting Daily comes this SAL, Free First Snow Block -First House As you know by now, I have a thing for house blocks and this one caught my eye. Love the little fussy cut appliques.

#3 Simple Simon and Company Is this your time to try Foundation Paper Piecing? I am definitely going to try a pineapple block using this method. There so happens to be a free pdf for that block and 9 others at that link. 10 Modern Foundation Paper Piecing Patterns To Make  The two sisters in law behind this site collated ten beautiful patterns and have links to the Foundation Paper Piecing history as well as a tutorial. Good Stuff!

And this time a #4... for my cross stitching pals, I have to remind you that The Fat Quarter Shop has three pages of free downloadable cross stitch patterns from a variety of designers. All of them very cute, imo. 

Thank you for the kind words you send me through this thing called the net. I love communicating with you and while I don't have time to respond to all the comments all the time, I will answer all questions or queries, etc. 

Hope you are staying cool or toasty depending on your corner of this wonderful world. 

Linking this post with Kathy's Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt and Small Quilts and Doll Quilts.

Basket Case Embroidery, Panama Pyramids in Pinks, Garden Blooms, The Chucklings- Episode 2

A bouquet from the farm garden

 Summer is moving right along. I've gotten a good swim in most days so far and it is doing my body good. A lot of the achiness has left me and I'm sleeping better at night. I think that being in the water is therapeutic in many ways.  I swim with more energy when I listen to music. Since I don't have a fancy phone, I have my music downloaded on a device called a Synyn MP3 player that I wear attached to a small floppy hat. I got all the music I needed on YouTube.

 I discovered this during that process. That after about 2005, I know very little of the musicians and groups or the popular songs. Most are unrecognizable to me. I do know some of the biggies like Adele and Ed Sheeran but, by and large, not many more. So my music is quite dated like myself. :D  Here is Perfect,  the song of Ed's that I listen to.

I've continued with some EPP stitching several nights this week.  Have this many more of the Panama Pyramids made - this time in pinks. Such relaxing hand work. Stitching enough of these for a quilt is on my for now Forever To Do List. Luckily I love the whole process which I'm getting to move along a little faster. 

I've also finished the blanket stitch embroidery around all the flowers in the Basket Case hanging

and made a little sandwich of it ready for quilting. I used my kitchen island to do that. To do this weekend -get a start on that hand quilting. It will be simple just around the baskets and blocks I think.

This straw chair was one we found at a thrift store and quite cheap as it is in so so condition. I bought it because I thought it would look nice by our front door during the summer. The little bird house is a model of the home Hubby lived in during his teen years when they emigrated to Ottawa from England. 

        

Our veranda needs repainting. So many things need attention and our summer To Do list is lengthy. Sigh

The Spirea bushes are in bloom. There are many of these bushes around the property, all pinks. The bees like them.

Thank you for the warnings about groundhogs! So far they've not chewed any of the planted things like the flowers or hostas. They seem to prefer the wild stuff. I've found two holes, one under the pool house and another in a window well at the back of the house. I now picture a sophisticated underground tunnel system under the back garden.  We do have a humane trap that just might need to be used to move one or two. 

Meanwhile, there is lots of space for them to spread out...our 11 acres back on 20 untamed ones behind us and 8 to the left.  And the folks on the other side have very deep overgrown back yards, for the most part so thick we can't see their houses except for a glimpse of one in the winter when the leaves are down. 

Ned was despondent for a day when Petey went back home. Dogs really do have feelings. Luckily for him, Daughter brings Abbey and Petey over late afternoon just about every day for a ball play on the side lawn. Now Ned is back to his old self and enjoying a daily episode of the The Chucklings.

There is entertainment value in them at least.  He silently watches till he tires and sinks to the floor. :D

Stay safe and enjoy all the sweet little things you can jam into your day.

Linking this post with Texas Quilt Gal, Brian's Home Blog, Floral Friday Foto, Life in the Scrapatch, Creations. Quilts Art Whatever, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Alycia Quilts and Quilt Fabrication. 

Three Free Patterns, Hand Embroidery, Summer Baskets, Poppy Love, Great Banana Muffins

The Icelandic Poppies were in bloom. They bring very striking colour to the garden but my little complaint is they do not stay long. This particular orange is so glowing, you can't see details on the petals. If there is such a thing as electric colour this would be it.

The centers are equally wonderful. I have a small bank of reds too but they are not as interesting as these.

I bought a huge bag of bananas for $1 at Walmart  There were nineteen bananas and I ate most of them. But I also made a batch of banana muffins using up 6 of the smaller ones that were very ripe. 

                                    
I added walnuts, a little ground flaxseed, a few raisins and a little coconut to mine. Turned out really good. Recipe is here at Sally's Baking Addiction which never lets me down. Oh yes, I added a few pieces of dark chocolate to Hubby's as he loves that stuff.  Can you spot the really happy muffin?

My very old Summer Baskets is up on the wall in the back corridor. I haven't had it up for a couple of years and all the basket talk reminded me about it.  My inspiration at the time was from Podunk Pretties, a site I can no longer find. If you know of it, please let me know. I had corresponded with the writer of that blog at the time and she had also kindly commented on my hanging. 

The last several nights, I've enjoyed some hand stitching around all the fussy cut flowers on my Basket Case. Using a simple blanket stitch. These won't blow away, I can tell you. So fun to see these fabrics up close. Reminds me of seeing the poppy up close. 

Thursday's Three Free

 I have Carolyn of Quarter-Inch Capers to thank for this free pattern idea. Pot Holders and Oven Mitts.  Very cute featuring Down on the Farm fabric. 

From the Robert Kaufman site...Almost 2000 free patterns in the the Free Pattern section the last time I checked. Whew!

Like baskets and tulips, I have a thing for butterflies. When I saw this design, I knew I would chase it down to find the source. That took a few clicks but worth it to find the free pattern and templates tucked away on the web. McCall's Beautiful Vintage Butterfly Quilt  1936- I like the idea that this would have been something my grandmothers would have come across too in a newspaper or magazine. What a lovely summertime project!                               

I stitched this little fellow a few years ago. 

He was part of a free (at the time) monthly SAL called Joyful World offered by the very generous Maja, the talented lady behind The Snowflower Diaries.

She is reoffering the below pattern from 2013 for this very sweet design, Truly, Madly, Deeply . It's free at that link. 

Scroll through her posts to find other free minis to download. All so cute. Thank you Maja!

And thank you to you too, readers and blogging community, for the inspiration, the kind words that keep me buoyed up, and the sharing we get to do through comments and emails.

As always linking with Not Afraid of Color, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, Love Laugh Quilt and Kathy's Quilts.

Three Thrift Store Finds, Wheel Within a Wheel Block, Floral Motif Sampler

The American Robins love the bird bath. This is a young one who just wouldn't leave it one day last week. Despite his grumpy look, he took such enjoyment it put a smile on my face watching hm.

I had this very odd thing happen to my finger on Thursday last.  Felt a searing pain and saw a blood vessel swell very suddenly in my right pointer finger. As I was thinking I need to get to the hospital, it stopped as quickly as it had started.  I now have a reddish bruise in the spot.

 Google has told me I had a Paroxysmal Finger Hematoma. Never heard of it and did not know this could actually happen to people. Benign occurrence and two things -  being female and over 60 increase your chances of getting these, neither of which I can do anything about! Weird, huh? Any of you ever have this??

Out to a thrift shop with older daughter and had a good poke about...it had been a while. Here are three of my "finds". 

Love these two blouses. This first is Westbound brand, heavier feel cotton, a little longer in length with side slits. Very comfortable fit. I liked the paisley design and the pearl like buttons. A tiny bit dressier.

Daughter found this one below. She said perfect for you Mom...it's Olsen and has birds!

I thought that the little design would make an interesting quilt motif. Reminds me of Charley Harper. Who once asked the question...Can a nature lover ever find true happiness at the top of the food chain? So I love him.

And number three which we have had to press into service when our old teapot bit the dust. This matches my winter dish set, The Friendly Village by Johnson Brothers.

 It pours beautifully and Hubby likes the way it makes enough tea to hold him all day. He doesn't mind at all that it is actually a coffee pot. I enjoy admiring the little paintings with delicate colouring which feature The Village Green.  

I paid $14.98 for it and figured I could use it as a flower vase or planter.  I've found one online for $100 and at Amazon for almost $150 C.  I don't think it was used before now and when are we going to formally serve coffee in it. Like never.

I got one block of Wheel Within a Wheel almost finished. I really like the tiny American flags in that corner piece. A little nod to my American blogging buddies.

I wound up appliquing the whole piece onto the 4 piece backing block. Getting all the blades perfectly circular - well, tried to!, and lying flat was tricky for me for some reason. I learned a few things and think I've sorted how to make rest of the blocks go smoother. Hopefully, this will get its center circle and the corner quarters plus as well as another one finished this week.

Just look where I am with my Floral Motif Sampler.  Perhaps a finish this week too of this cross stitched piece. 

Some of you may remember that I enjoy using men's shirts in my quilting, ones that I find at the thrift store. In fact, the large center basket in my current OMG, Basket Case, is made from a man's shirt material and in the photo above, the top left stripe is from a shirt. 

 I came across this video and had to have a view. Here Cathy of The Catbird Quilts channel says so many things I agree with and I do believe thrift store men's shirts are an untapped source of both well priced and excellent fabric for stitching projects. Recycling is a good thing!

FYI   Frederique of Quilting Applique Patchwork and a weekly link up party has updated her 2022 QAL page. Here is the link.

 I've had a couple of questions about Michele's Basket Case pattern. Here is the link to Michelle's 2020 post where she shares the photo of her basket. She suggests we download her photo to copy the pattern. 

Hope your day and the rest of the week are wonderful!

So happy to link this post with Texas Quilt Gal, The Inquiring Quilter, Creations, Quilting, Art, Whatever, Alycia Quilts and Quilt Fabrication. 

Thursdays' Three Free, Five Fledglings, Two Bleeding Hearts, One Basket Case Quilt

I have had a good week and by good I mean productive as per a retired old lady. Played ball and walked the dogs a lot, cleaned and refilled the bird feeders, dug around a bit more in the garden, tidied the pesky cupboard and flotsam drawer. I also washed our bed pillows. Do you do that?  I run them through the machine with clorox and then again with no detergent a couple of times a year.  We don't have fancy ones that might need dry cleaning.  I swam a little too and took photos as well.  It goes without saying there was time well spent with needle and thread. 

Look at these faces! Despite our removing nest material from the eave over the front veranda, the Eastern Phoebe persisted and proceeded to raise her family there. This was almost directly in front of the front door so we used the back door further along the veranda to give her some privacy. By easing open the front door, I was able to take a couple of photos-I didn't want to spook them. 

All along we assumed there were three birds in the nest.  Not till they started to fledge did we realize there were five! They each took a turn sitting outside the nest for a couple of hours before leaving. This took a whole day for them all to fledge. It really must take a lot of gumption to make that first flight.

The next day I heard them chirping in the big trees at the end of the veranda and saw the parents still flying about. They are moved on now and it's a little sad to see the empty nest. But it is nice to have our front door back.

I had dug up and divided the white Bleeding Heart bush. This article was very helpful. It had more than enough roots to divide which you are supposed to do every 5 years I read - in that article. One part got planted in the back yard 

and the rest on the right side of the house.

 I'm happy to say that they both "took" and even produced flowers. Fingers crossed they return next year.

I think I mentioned I've decided to use the  Elm Street Quilts Monthly OMG link up to finish old WIPS. The one I've chosen for July is this one, Basket Case, which is a 2020 project. This was stitched with a free basket pattern from kind Michelle at Michelle Ridgeway Designs. The greys of the background fabrics are not as dark as shown here.

The center medallion was my own choice and all those fussy cut flowers are just tacked down with a running stitch. I plan to anchor them all with a little blanket stitch embroidery and then get the whole thing quilted. More hand work. But I don't mind as I do have the dresden blades for Wheel Within a Wheel being machine stitched and moving right along.  

Speaking of baskets, there are more in my future as I ordered a kit from Norma Whaley of Timeless Traditions to stitch a small and beautiful wall hanging. Basket Love can be seen here.

I love everything Norma designs as I've mentioned here on the blog before. More about that later.

Time for Thursday's Three Free

From the creative folks at the Live Art Gallery comes a pattern download and tutorial to make a lovely Summery Pillow top using their way of making flying geese. I never tire of flying geese projects and would use this for a table topper. 

Bev at Flamingo Toes cleverly combines quilting, embroidery and a little DIY know-how to create a wide variety of lovely items. She also generously provides quite a large supply of free patterns for every season too. I thought this one a pretty little mini quilt to stitch and it was in the RSC June colours too which could easily be swapped for July's purples.

And for my cross stitching pals, By the Bay Needleart, the folks behind this gorgeous design that I've ogled for a long time...

there is a page of lovely freebies to be found HERE.

That's enough for this rather long post; hope I did not bore you! I have thrifting news for next time.

So happy to link up with Not Afraid of Color, Kathy's Quilts, Quilting is More Fun Than Housework, Small Quilts and Doll Quilts and  Quilting Patchwork Applique.