Mulching Done

I have finished my flower bed. This is all I am attempting this year. I don’t have much of a green thumb, so I am going to try to keep these plants alive and if I am fairly successful I will expand my efforts next year.

A Little Gardening

I spent a good part of Friday morning working in my flower bed. I had taken a day off to go on a day trip with a friend and it fell through, so I spent a few hours weeding and working in my flower bed.

It was a good feeling to be able to get the weeds out. I put landscape fabric down and planted some red salvia. I am going to get the mulch put down today after church.   I will post another picture when I get it done.

Making some progress on my second table topper. I am practicing some new techniques that I have learned. I think that soon I will be ready to work on an actual quilt. 

Special Gifts and a Throw Back Thursday Photo

Yesterday was Administrative Professionals Day.    I am an administrator for a PhD program at a major university.   I do a lot of paperwork, budgets, ordering, travel, meeting planning and hand holding for graduate students and research faculty. I love my job.   I do many different things and can basically choose to do something different every day.

I received this bouquet of flowers, and this beautiful card from a co-worker.   It made my day.   When I saw the card it made me think of a quilt (wall hanging) that I have been contemplating for years, that features birdhouses.    I told my co worker that, and she took it as the great complement that it is.

My boss while not as creative in his gift, also remembered me with a Thank You gift, and I am going to have to find something special to use it on.

I made some progress on the half log cabins, and will share some pictures when I get all of the blocks done. 

For a TBT (Throw Back Thursday), here is a picture of me with my sisters from 2006. 

I should have some quilty pictures for you tomorrow.  My sit-n-stitch group meets tonight and I will share what each person is working on tomorrow.

Works in Progress

Yesterday I told you about my new sit down long arm.   I was trying to figure out a name for her, and I think I have decided on Ruby, but if you have a better suggestion, send it to me as I am not totally set.

I have been playing around with a few things, trying to overcome the rustiness I feel.   I keep trying to remember that it is muscle memory and rhythm.  So I am working on that.   I had some tree skirt/table toppers already cut out in my UFO boxes.   I have a lot of UFOs.

 I have tried to get the rhythm for smooth curves on the swirls, but I have a long way to go.   I will bind this and it will become a present for one of my daughter-in-laws.   They say it takes 500 hours to get good at FMQ.  I believe it, but I am going to try.   I have a few table runners and 2 more of these table toppers to do, and then I am going to try a quilt.  Wish me luck.

I have started back with my 15 minutes of sewing per day challenge.   Most days I manage to get more time in than that, but I am trying for some consistency, so that I can get some things accomplished.   Currently under my needle are these half log cabin blocks.    

I got them all cut out on Tuesday morning.   I dropped a friend at the airport at 4:45am, and went back home.  It was too late to go back to sleep before work, so I used the time to get started on this project.   I should be able to get them done within a couple of days and then we will see what kind of layout is going to look best.

I have one more project that I am actively working on right now.  I love to have a hand project going for those long car rides, or during basketball season, football season, baseball season.  My husband loves sports, and spends a lot of time watching them.   Sometimes he likes me to be in the room, sitting in our twin recliners.   He watches sports and I stitch, or watch a movie on my iPhone, with my airpods on.  That way, he doesn't feel alone and I still get stuff done.   

The project is for a quilt called "To Grandmother's House We Go" by Crab-apple Hill.   They have numerous patterns that combine stitchery with piecing.  I just love this one.

 I am about half way done with the first embroidery panel, but have upped my time working on it and hopefully can get it done by the end of the year.   The hand work takes so much time, but I really enjoy the process, so it takes as long as it takes.