Crazy Weather and LOTS to share!

 I hope your week was joy filled however you spent it... 

It was hopefully a blessed week!  Mine personally has been kinda crazy... Weather here has been hotand cold... rainy and dry... but February is supposed to be the quiet before the storms of spring... our buttercups are tying to bloom... will they be stronger or weaker with this crazy weather I am not sure but they are standing up still and have multiplied since we planted them last year and the autumn prior!

Monday I received this Aurifil 28 wt thread to finish the machine quilting on the squares I'll show in a bit but most of them are quilted now.... I love Aurifil thread sew much when machine quilting or hand quilting!  

Have YOU ever USED Aurifil for sewing by hand or machine???

Then I also received a BIG box included the next on the frame quilt top and backing (I'm using my batting I had been saving for this project :)  And some extra goodies too as you can see!

Connie also included extra special gifts in her parcel... like this sign.... because we DO dance in our kitchen!  She gets this and it got prominence for the time being on our refrigerator.... in the kitchen!

And we got a sweet Valentine from my parents and on the right side of our mantle another gift enclosed in the box from Connie.... this will find a fine home in our new digs.... which is still all down the road a bit.

Rick had pneumonia and finally went to seek help after calling his doctor 2.5 hours away (VA in Asheville, NC) to go to the local urgent care where he got antibiotics and steroids... he is doing much better in that department but as of Thursday night he quit sleeping as deeply....

You see Thursday morning I woke with intractable pain in my lower back... I went to the emergency room locally for a CT/ MRI something to look at my lower back 10 over 10 on pain scale too.... after all I have been through with aches, pains and medication.... this had me crying full on!!!

The doctor in the Emergency Department was very good and after 4 hours in that unit I was sent home with anti-inflammatory meds, pain meds and a muscle relaxer.  This has helped as has alternating heat and cold and using Lidocaine patches on my low back area... no real conclusive evidence of cause of this pain on CT so I need an MRI which is scheduled only in our rural area and not available for emergent ER patients unless it is life threatening I suppose.  The good news is I have a very attentive honey and I am listening to the advice and taking it much easier than my normal baseline.

So as I recover I am looking at inspiration ... mainly online as my sewing room calls me to quilt.... last night I machine quilted 6 more squares from the group I shared with you last week... only 8 more waiting to be quilted by machine before button hole stitching by me.

So here we go... this morning I got up early due to my back and need to keep moving and got all 6 of these blocks marked for buttonhole stitching 20 stitches on each side... like that top green one :)

If you are new to this blog about my FUSION QUILT.... after I finish my part I send them all to Connie my best friend and quilter extraordinaire as well as a knit and crocheter!

The top 2 blocks have 3 rounds of crochet... I have tension issues when I crochet these blocks and my arthritis gets in my way too!  Once all 80 of my blocks are done with my part and her part they will be laid out to crochet together!  Then after a good wash and dry this will be MY fusion quilt.

Why is it called a fusion quilt?  You are fusing 2 crafts together ... quilted squares meet crochet in my project!  once they are crochet together there will be a crocheted outer border to add a zinging end to this project... Hopefully this year :)

Above is a random pic I found showing my process for achieving the button hole stitch up close... the thimble I use for this quilted square on my middle finger and lovely new can of bag balm for my hands which get rough easily when I am not on top of it regularly... my bestie knew me and found a good sale so picked me up this little can I have been on the lookout for and a pack of 4 portable bag balms in a dispenser 😀

Linking all this hand-ee goodness to Kathy's Slow Sunday stitching HERE <<<< !!!  She has the most cool project she is sharing this week on striped Parisian linen... totally lovely!  I've asked her where she gets it but... 

Anyone know of a USA contact for this kind of fabric???

While I have been on chair and bed rest... I made a couple cool pic collages....

Me with my Clower Clan...

And our entire family ...

You can see each is different a bit with some different pics... I just can't decide which one I will print out to frame....  I'm leaning toward the full one... do you have a preference???

Before I leave you for today... did you hear our previous President ... Jimmy Carter ... who has survived brain cancer and other little issues released the message beside his picture.

I am not a political person so please don't take this information as such but pray if you do or send thoughts for a painless passing on... He is choosing Hospice care for a reason...

In closing... evaluate you self talk... I hope it is positive... I have worked hard to discard old "records" going through my brain to positive self chat from my mind and brain to my life!

Have a blessed week as I started out with... your answers... if you have any comment about either or something else... please leave in my comments section... if that does NOT work then email me directly HERE <<<    ****  I do answer each and every email privately :) ****

 

Getting it DONE!

 Good morning and thanks for stopping by my little spot on the world wide web :)

Sew excited to share with you all .... all I have accomplished this week :)  Grab a cuppa and come on in for a bit!

First let me share about a special overnight delivery we received yesterday from my mom and dad!  They made and mailed us something very special then sent it via Fed Ex.... this caused us to receive the parcel the NEXT DAY!  What is this that has me sooo excited???!  

It arrived quietly in this beauiful box...

And when we opened the box very carefully to preserve the exterior and interior... we found my dad's original and secret recipe for chocolate chip cookies... 3 rounds of them in the oven too!  WOWEE!!!

This parcel of a box and layers of cookies weighed in over 2.5 pounds y'all!  me and my honey have been enjoying and we will in return send money to cover the shipping too!  They don't know that part but they live on a limited retirement income so we will make sure they feel thanked fully and renewed financially too!  We are soooo happy to have a bit of my mom and dad as we continue to pack up boxes and prep the house to sell.

Speaking of this... selling the cabin that is.... we probably will take our time and get everything just right until by early March doctor appointments are out of the way (I have 3) and the blooms are starting to pop in the yard to actually list this little cabin.... as all those interested in buying may be taking vacations to this area we will be ready!

Meanwhile this week I finished this...

Above is a finished Turtle Dove ornament waiting to be finished.... Below is the finished ornamental wall hanging (what I will use it for) or ornament...

I want to pack this so it doesn't get lost or bent ... this will be a last thing so I have it with my desk stuff for now and look at this accomplishment frequently and am sew excited to have cross stitch back in my bag of tricks :)

Also I have been working on blocks I shared last week for the Fusion Quilt I am making along with my friend Connie who is helping with the crochet!

Here are 4 that are done and dusted ready for Connie to do her thing to the outside edges...

Here is what the crocheted finish will look like...

Here is the crochet thread and needles I am using to complete this stitching of the applique or button hole stitching...

These chenille needles I found in my deep stash when I couldn't find the John James Chenille needles but these work as the shaft is as big or bigger than the thread it is carrying...

I am using a size 18 or the middle one in the packet above.  And a close up look at the chenille and the crochet thread below :)

And here is all the layers of this onion of a quilt I am making.... 80 blocks needed ... 40  done already and 15 to button hole stitch remain ... 

THEN I will have 1 more batch of nearly 20 to do this to again!  So stick with me as I keep other stuff mixed in too! :)

I have also started an undercover project that eventually will be hand quilted... I am cutting squares out for this pattern for my honey a birthday or just after that surprise quilt!  He requested one and doubt he will use it until next winter so no rush actually but can you tell I am excited about this????  Connie sent me this pattern this week...

Here is a close up of their quilt made with plaids.... this quilt will be made with tan fabric and 1800 reproduction fabrics!  Those are his fave and I have a stash that needs straightening up so I will hit both areas with cutting out this quilt ....

It will measure up to 60 x 72 with 80 blocks made....

That is a rough draft of my plan in my head... I do not plan on doing the hst outer border but instead this will give me room to add my own stitching on a tan plain border :)

Linking this fun Handy projects to my Sunday Stopover at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Stitching Sunday group HERE <<<<< Come on over and see what everyone is up to hand work wise.... or join in the fun with your own accomplishments this week or even this month... this is just 2 days after today left in the month!  Wow that was fast!!!!

Rick and Molly 

A beautiful quilt Connie just finished binding for a client... she had this one long armed beautifully too!

Above was fresh outta the dryer... don't you wanna just snuggle up in it???

Have a wonderful Sunday and week ahead my friends.... See ya Joyfully in February!

New project / Old project .... Done Projects coming Soon!

Hi There & Welcome to my blog....

Today I have TONs of stuff to share but I want you to know first.... YOU MATTER!

Around here it has been a busy week!

My honey has finished the side porch on the cabin....

The outbuilding is all set too...

Now to finish cleaning out both and getting ready to sell!

In the meantime I got a passel of fun stuff from a quilty friend who wanted to downsize some of Jenny Doan's MSQC Christmas box and she refused to let me pay ... even for shipping to NC from VA!!!!

Then my friend Crystal stopped in to pick up the things I made from her late husbands' shirts.. she left all this behind!

She said I was her Christmas angel and all this gifts I made from her husbands clothes made her feel joy... the card had a personal thanks in it and the Walmart gift card was a real blessing too 💕

By the end of this week the joy sign found a way to be decor in our home...

On the fireplace mantle!

And the angel will be a part of my décor in the new home God is preparing for us in Kentucky!

Meanwhile I have been building my wristlet wallet that I cut out and prepped in autumn... now in January...

I am a little further than this and should finish it today between runs of careful cross stitching on this perforated paper cross stitch project!  Here is my progress :)

For Slow Stitching Sunday THIS will be my focus and what I share over at Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching Linky Party HERE <<<<   It will open in another window when you click to go to Kathy's blog and linky party too!  

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that my scissor dangle broke whilst using them doing my cross stitch...

Well the maker fixed me right up!  She had my dangle fixed and back to me in record time!  I am sew glad to have met such a talented bead and jewel handler on Etsy... |

I am glad to have my dangle back on my embroidery scissors now too... also makes them harder to lose!  Do you have scissors for each job ???  I certainly do!

We got some snow starting on Friday and ending Saturday leaving us with about 1" of snow!

That put the outdoor work of cleaning out the outbuilding into our rented dumpster to a stop!  It will start back up before they come pick it up by Friday :)

Kathy talks about arthritis in hands and pain when stitching on her post.... my mom got me these at Walmart... they work great too leaving my fingers out for stitching and thimble wearing while supporting my joints :)

I hope you have a wonderful week... thanks for visiting and make sure you leave room for JOY every day!