Just a little progress.

Writing this post in a hurry. Will have to leave in a couple minutes to go and get the girls. 

This is the progress on the Tumbler minis. I am hand basting onto the paper shapes and then stitching them together. I want to make a collage of minis for my hallway down toward the three extra bedrooms. I think this will make a statement since I have nothing on the walls.

I plan on just making different hand worked quilts for this hallway. 

Hope you have a good one. Chris. Start watching for kids going to school and the school buses stopping to pick up kids.  

Tiny, Tiny, Tiny

I have been piling a bunch of small pieces in a tray I salvaged from having meat in it from the grocery. These were small pieces, but I hate to throw anything away.There are a bunch of colors in here and if they aren't big enough for the tumbler shapes I have then I can use them as the half tumblers for the outside edges. Last year I thought I would make a few mini quilts to hang in my hallway. I keep thinking I need to start them and I found the shapes online.

This is quarter laying below the shapes I am using. I am doing EPP with them and basting them onto the papers. 

The printing on the shape says 35 mm, but I changed the size when I printed them. Smaller in fact.I knew my pieces were small and decided I would make them work for a small tumbler quilt to get my collage of quilts in the hallway started. 

Here are 6 pieces sewn together. I will be at this for awhile, but it a small project for handwork. I like to do handwork while watching TV and sitting with my husband at night. 

I got another star flower done in the mini hexies today. I need to cut some of the tan fabric to make my ring around the smaller flowers. I think tomorrow will be busy for awhile. 

My little ones are coming in the morning. Mom and Dad have to be at an appointment. So I will meet her about 8:15 am and they will come and play for awhile. 

Today was tolerable as far as heat and humidity. In fact I vacuumed the front room and hallway. So it was a productive day. I did three loads of laundry and cooked dinner and did my dishes. 

I want you to know I got 6 hours of sleep last night without waking up. I don't know what got into me, but I was surprised. Probably won't sleep that much tonight. 

School starts for the local kids tomorrow. Seems so early, but they are getting bored. Stay safe. Chris

Real good intentions

I got up and started my day fairly early. Was to the store and back before 9:30 am. Went to the thrift shop and got some clothing for the older kids. Got that washed and ready to go.

Went in to sew and finished two seams on my quilt as you go project and then had to stop and get to the hardware store and never got back to the sewing.

It is like the days are slipping away and I have no  control. Maybe tomorrow.

I am not feeling the best tonight so maybe I will just sit and watch the Olympics and then find the bed and see how I struggle with sleeping. I think that is why I don't feel well. I haven't slept through the night in almost 30 years. No I am not exaggerating at all. I am not a good sleeper I wake up every time I roll over.

Hope you get some sleep. Chris

Still hot and muggy

More of this handwork got done. Just to hot to do anything else. My thimble is sitting there by one of the hexies. 

This shows on little element basted. I do it with thread and then leave the thread in because I do not stitch through the paper. 

I keep saying we are going to have an early Fall. Well here is proof. this is the Maple tree in my back yard. See the orange red leaves in the tree. they have just shown up in the last couple days. We see spider webs everywhere also. that is another lign.

This isn't as clear, but there are more in the same tree. 

Look at this just above the roof of this house in the middle of the picture. This I noticed last week. It was green just about 10 days ago. So our time for Fall isn't to far off. The meteorologist on the TV station we watch out of Davenport, IA was in Wisconsin last week and he said they were changing colors up there also. 

We are to get lots of rain over night 2 plus inches. So my husband is out mowing this evening. Heat indexes are almost 100 right now out. It is 6:15 pm Central time here. Not going to cool off unless we do get some rain. 

Stay cool and I am going to do some more hand stitching. Chris 

Hot, Hot, Hot...

It is so hot outside I think I could fry an egg on my driveway. Of Course I had to go to the store. I got somethings bought on sale so I guess the trip was worth struggling with the heat.As you can see the mini hexies have been my friend as of late. To hot to machine quilt with a queen size quilt in your lap. I pick out a few color combos from the 1.5 inch strips I have cut and a couple colors of thread and I go to town. I have the papers all cut up and some applique pins at my chair and I can watch the Olympics and/ or watch a movie and try and stay cool. They just flashed across the TV we have storm warnings in our area for the next hour. It has to do something as hot and humid as it is. 

As you can see it is growing a little at a time. I keep looking on Pinterest and find so many more designs.

I looked into the Millefiore Quilt Book, It is not available in many places. I found a source for it and it is the same price so I think as a treat to myself I will order it next week. I enjoy this type of handwork.

I have a plan to change the sewing room again. I will have to run it by my husband. It means moving a heavy piece of furniture and I am sure I will get the eye roll treatment. Ok I just asked and he said ok. Surprise surprise. 

The sky is changing color and the wind is picking up. So I hope we get rain without the wind and hail they are talking about. We need to mow, but I am afraid it will dry out and burn the yard with this heat. I hear thunder. Chris

Kids

I have been doing a little hand stitching while watch the Olympics. This is Taylor. She is 17 years old now and will be a Senior in high School in a few days. 

Yesterday she was with her boyfriend and she kept telling him I did all this sewing and all this little hand work. Talking about the Hexies. She acted like I was crazy. 

She is learning how to crochet and that is working with your hands. She loves to Bake and does a good job at that. Maybe we can get her to decorate cakes. That is a talent I never could do. 

I have twisted my knee sometime in the last month and it had been plaguing me with more pain all the time. So I have gotten the heating pad out and stitching on my small flowers and stars. 

Slowly getting beyond the pain in my knee. We have a big project coming up with putting  roof over our side deck and ramp. We will have to have help and I am sure meals will have to go along with the help. So will plan on getting the materials here and maybe in a couple weeks we can get this rpoject started. Stay Cool. Chris 

Had to get out and take a tour of the yard

These are some planters we bought this year. My husband decided to paint them with the Hammered Copper paint and then antique them before they got put away for the season. I think they really look great. 

Hibiscus is starting to bloom. This flower is about 9-10 inches across the bloom. 

Here is a planter I amde up this year with small sedums and succulants in it. I think it is really doing well. I think we are going to try and bring them in for the Winter. 

Morning glory's growing up around the pole and birdhouse. They are just starting to bloom good. 

 This has purple blooms opening everyday.

This is the birdhouse out in front. It has pink and purple flowers on it.

They are a pretty pink. They are annuals and you have to plant them from seed every year. 

This is another planter that I bought already made up. I think it will come in also. 

Some call these Black Eyed Susan's. But they are Rudbeckia. They are a hybrid of the road side flowers in our neck of the woods. They are such a rich color of yellow.

This is just a few of the pictures I have of my flowers. I thought it would be nice to share. Chris