Floss Friday – March Stats and WiP Progress

Hello and Happy Friday, Friends!

Here we are at the end of another week. My week has been action packed. We drove to Florida on Monday. Mom, my hubby and I had doctor’s appointments Tuesday morning and early afternoon. As soon as the last appointment was done, we began our drive back to North Carolina. We made it as far as Columbia, SC on Tuesday night. We drove the final 145 miles home on Wednesday. The trip was a lot longer than usual due to road construction and horrible storms.

That means I did not get quite as much stitching done as I had hoped. But before we get to this week’s progress, I’ll give you my March numbers.

I completed 6,175 cross stitches on three different projects. I finished stitching on one old WiP, Snowy Jar.

The remainder of the stitches were on the two older WiPs I am currently working on. Which brings us to this week’s update.

 

Here is where I left off on Red Bird Sampler last week…

Here is where I am today…

Here is where I left off on Memorial Day last week…

Here is where I am today…

The plan is to finish both of these during this month.

I pruned the hydrangeas yesterday. They are the kind you cut back during late winter or early spring.  We’ll see if I’ve killed them or not 😊

 

Our local farmer’s market opens on Saturday. Hubby and I will be there as soon as they open at 9:00 am to see what goodies they have to offer.

I’ll be at the sewing machine as soon as we get home. Weekends are for quilting and I really want to get my Flea Market quilt top together this month as well.

What are your plans for the weekend? You know I always want to know.

 

See you soon!

 

The Next Quilt WiP

The SAHRR quilt top, as well as my husband’s t-shirt quilt, are waiting to be quilted. In the meantime, I’m getting back to the unfinished projects I set aside when we moved… ahem… almost two years ago!

Next up is Flea Market by Lori Holt.

All the blocks are complete except the primrose blocks. I made the four brown ones a while ago.

Now I am working on the other print blocks. There will be thirty-six of those.

The fabric, book and vintage trim came in a kit from the Fat Quarter Shop. The fabrics are Lori’s Flea Market line, Bee Cross Stitch and Bee Backgrounds.

The finished quilt should measure 96 ½ x 96 ½. I’m hoping to have enough fabric to enlarge it a bit to fit our bed.

Hubby and I did a bit of decluttering and organizing over the weekend. There are two donation boxes ready to go, with more to come. We didn't get the rain we were hoping for so the fires continue. 

Enjoy the remainder of your week and I’ll see you soon.

Floss Friday—WiP Progress

This has been a busy week and I didn’t have a lot of time for stitching.  I did manage to make a little progress on the two old WiPs I shared last Friday.

First is the Red Bird Sampler

Last week’s starting point…

This week’s progress…

I finished the grass and started the middle arch next to the flower on the left

And this is Memorial Day

Last week’s starting point…

This week’s progress…

I frogged the mis-aligned words and finished the main stitching on the first flag

I’ll continue to work on these. We are making a quick driving trip to Florida early next week and I’m expecting a lot of stitching time in the car.

 

Hubby and I have been spending some time decluttering and purging so that is my plan for the weekend. We are supposed to get rain. Praying that we do because the western North Carolina fires have reached our county. It is so dry here and there is still a lot of debris from Hurricane Helene that hasn’t been removed yet. As you can imagine, it is fuel for the fire.

 

Enjoy your weekend and I’ll see you soon!

 

SAHRR 2025 – Quilt Parade

I enjoyed participating in Quilting Gail’s Stay At Home Round Robin challenge this year. She and her team of talented quilters dished out a ton of fun.

This is the little block I started with for the SAHRR…

I was able to incorporate all, except one, of the challenge blocks into a quilt top that measures 34” x 34”.

I had a hard time getting the kite block to measure 3 ½”, which is my border size. So, I made a 6 ½” full kite block.

It will be pieced into the backing.

My fabrics are all from the French General line called Antoinette.

Thank you, Gail and friends, for a fun time. Now I have an older embroidered piece that can be displayed at Christmas.

 

I hope everyone’s week is off to a great start.  See you soon!

Also linking up at Wednesday Wait Loss where Jennifer gathers lots of talented quilters to share what they've been working on.

 

 

Floss Friday – Cross Stitch Finish and WiPs

Happy Friday, Friends! 

I hope your weather is favorable, wherever you are. We get a couple days of warm temps and then they drop again. I’ve taken advantage of the pretty days by walking around the lake rather than the gym.

Chalk Full – Snowy Jar is my finish for this week.

It will join the small companion piece in the “under the bed box” and get fully finished closer to next winter. These were stitched on 14-count Aida in Chalkboard Black by Wichelt, using the called-for floss.

I pulled two more older WiPs to work on.

First is Red Bird Sampler by Brenda Gervais of With Thy Needle & Thread. This is a project I started in 2022, so I’m working it out of order. It will be my evening focus while Ann Harper 1839 is in timeout…still waiting to be frogged.

I’m stitching Red Bird Sampler on 36-count linen in Patriot’s Brew by R&R Reproduction Fabrics. Using the called-for floss on this one as well. This is my starting point.

The next WiP, and my morning focus, is Memorial Day by Hands On Design. I started this one in 2020. It is my oldest WiP.

This project is stitched on 16-count white Aida. I’m not sure who made it. I’m not using the called-for floss but selecting threads from my stash as I go along. Here is my starting point on this one...well, sort of. The words "shed His" have to be frogged. They are off by one stitch in two directions.

This weekend I will be trying to put the final touches on my SAHRR quilt because the parade starts Monday. Wish me luck!

What are you plans? You already know I'm nosy 😄

Dad T-Shirt Quilt is a Flimsy

My hubby’s t-shirt quilt is ready to be sandwiched, basted, quilted, bound and labeled.

He selected all of the shirts and the fabrics for it. These are his Dad “fan” shirts from some of the activities our kids participated in. These represent scouting, basketball, softball and the United States Navy.

There is one shirt he brought to me and asked if I could please do something with it.  It was an old, I mean really old, Ralph Lauren Polo pocket tee. No graphics, just a lot of holes.

I asked him what was so special about this one and quickly pointed out that I wasn’t sure if I could salvage it. He replied it was the shirt he was wearing when he held our baby girl for the first time. (She turns 30 this year!) Well! I had to find a way to get it into his quilt.

When my best friend visited last December, we put our heads together and came up with this.

Her full name and birthday is hidden

I no longer have an embroidery machine, but my friend does, and she offered to put something on it. It was decided that she would add my daughter’s name and birth date.

I then sewed the ripped pocket onto a piece of fabric from another t-shirt and used it in one of the corners.

I selected a blue and black 108” backing fabric.

Quilting will have to wait for a bit. I need to finish my SAHRR quilt, and that should happen this weekend.

He is very happy with it...

I’ll be back on Friday for a Floss Update. Until then, have a great week!

 

I’m linking up at TheInquiring Quilter for Wednesday Wait Loss. Pay a visit and see what others have created. Thank you, Jennifer!

Floss Friday – Time to Frog and Snowy Update

Happy Friday, my friends! And, Happy Pi Day 😊

In addition to working on an old WIP this week, I was trying to also work on a more recent one.

Ann Harper 1839 designed by Fox and Rabbit

It is stitched on 40 count linen in the color Dust Bunny, dyed by Fox and Rabbit. This was going to be my Sampler September, you can read about that here.

I typically start in the top left corner of my cross stitch projects. And when there is a border, I like to work that part first to make sure it lines up. This border has three rows to it, but I was only going to stitch one to start.

I’m glad I did because after going across the top, down the right side and almost finishing the bottom…I realized I started too close to the left edge.  I didn’t leave myself enough room for framing.

I’ll ‘frog’ what I’ve done and start over, but not any time soon! It is in “time out.”

I did make progress on the old WIP I told you about last Friday.

Here is where I started last week…

Here is where I stopped last night…

I also put in the final stitches of the small companion piece. It will be fully finished at the same time as the jar.

That is it for a cross stitch update. 

We are planning to attend a Vintage Spring Market in Asheville on Saturday. It is supposed to rain but not until later in the day.

Anything exciting on your weekend agenda?

😊

Progress on the DAD T-Shirt Quilt, SAHRR Blocks and A Cobbler

It was another cold weekend in the mountains last weekend but it didn’t keep us from the quilt shop. My husband selected a solid red fabric for the inner border of his t-shirt quilt. As it turns out, I have quite a bit of that in my stash so we only purchased more black fabric for the outer border. The same one I used in the sashing.

I made and attached the red inner border. Then I made and attached a 5 ½” border to the sides. As I was “ciphering” the measurements I need for the top and bottom, I realized I should have cut 6 ½” strips for the outer borders.

Out comes Jack the Ripper…

Back to the quilt shop on Monday afternoon to get a bit more fabric. I was able to cut the correct size strips and attach side borders.

The top and bottom borders have some extra elements that I didn’t have time for this week but I’m hoping to have the top finished before next week’s quilty update.

I also made a decision about my SAHRR quilt. For now, I am making more partial log cabin blocks. I started with four but will actually need twelve so I am continuing to work on those.

Now that the floors are finally finished upstairs, we are enjoying our time in the kitchen. Hubby wanted a berry cobbler but couldn’t decide between blueberry or blackberry.

 

Walmart had both “organic” on sale so…

He got both.  I found the recipe here if you are interested.  It was super easy and soooo delicious.

Friday is Floss Friday and I have a tiny update on this week’s cross stitch project.

 

This Friday is also Pi day so I’ll have to find a way to create something in the kitchen to celebrate. Sweet? Savory? We shall see.

 

Enjoy your day, my friends!

I'm linking up for the first time with Jennifer at The Inquiring Quilter for her Wednesday Wait Loss. Her linky is filled with inspiration.

Floss Friday – February Stats and Working the WiPs

Happy Friday, Friends. 

I mentioned in my last post that my cross stitch updates will be posted on Fridays…and here we are!

I stitched 6,245 stitches on two projects during February. Most of those were on Witching Hour by Keslyns.

I stitched this on 36 count linen in the color Bewitched by Fabrics by Stephanie. The floss is DMC 310, stitching one strand of floss over two linen threads.

After taking a good look at my cross stitch projects back in January, I decided to spend my morning stitchy time working on an older WiP. This is the second project for February.

I started Lori Holt’s Vintage Christmas Sampler in July of 2019. This was my oldest unfinished cross stitch project. The original plan was to stitch them individually and make little ornaments.

Eight of the twelve were stitched already. I finished the final four and added the buttons to all of them.  The new idea is to make them into small pillows and display them in a red Pyrex bowl during the Christmas holidays.

These were stitched on 14 count Aida in the color aqua from Zweigart. I used the called-for Aurifloss threads.

My tastes in designs have changed since I first started this hobby. But I am determined to finish most of what I started. The next project in line is Snowy Jar by Hands on Design and Priscilla Blain.

I started this in January of 2020. It is stitched on 14 count Aida in the color Chalkboard Black from Wichelt.

My tastes have changed in the types of fabric I stitch on as well. I never thought I would be able to stitch on anything other than Aida or even weave (there isn’t anything wrong with that!) but, depending on the chart, I enjoy linen. I’m also getting comfortable with stitching on higher counts of linen.

That being said, I joined a fabric-of-the-month club to enhance my stash of hand dyed 40 count linen. My favorite will not surprise you…it is Fabrics by Stephanie. Her fabrics stay true to size, it doesn’t shrink during the dying process.

January’s fabric is Winter Wishes.

A nice neutral gray

February’s fabric is Bliss.

Perfect pinks with a splash of purple for spring

Stitchy plans for next week are to continue Snowy Jar and decide what new project to work on…or will I select another old WiP?

My weekend will be shopping for fabric and if I find what I need, I’ll be working on hubby’s DAD t-shirt quilt.

Will you have time to enjoy your craft / hobby this weekend? What are your plans?

See you next time with a quilty update 😊