Round Bottom Bag

 

I did some needle bending today.  Actually, I broke a needle in my sewing machine trying to sew over a pin--I  know better, but that doesn't stop me.

 

I wanted a shoulder bag because my elbow is still bothering me from when I took a bush out by myself.  I'm not sure if I like it, but we will see.  I may modify it.  I know I will enjoy having a shoulder bag though.



Tree Tea Towels

 

 

I'm doing needlework again.  The majority of the yard and garden work is done, and it's been raining all morning.  I'm working on my fourth tea towel in the Once Upon A Tree series.

As soon as I finish the juniper tree I will have five trees left to embroider.  The juniper is quite detailed and testing my skills with those tiny curves.  With each new towel I load the binder ring with bobbins of the colors I need so I don't have to remember which colors I've been using.  I'm using two strands with the stem stitch and the back stitch for most of the work.  Sometimes I use one strand each of two different colors to get the color I want.

I love a fresh tea towel hanging by the sink; it makes my kitchen time more enjoyable.

My mother-in-law gave me a set of embroidered tea towels at my bridal shower over 43 years ago, and those wore out many years ago.  They were days of the week kittens doing chores--fun.  My Mother-in-law had housekeeping down to a fine art--she was a good cook, too. She's been gone for 11 months tomorrow.  She had a hard time her last few years here on earth.  It was pretty hard for us, too, but I miss her good days.



Sore Fingers

I've been sewing and quilting.  This is the apron I made for our oldest daughter for her birthday.

I need Erin to come over and model it, but the floor will have to do.  Now I need to send it to Jen.

  I finished hand quilting "Checkerberry Bliss", and now it's ready to bind.  It took me a month to quilt it by hand.  When I finished my fingers were so sore that it hurt to fix supper.  I guess I'll have to quit fixing supper--ha-ha!  I don't think hubby would care for that idea at all.

PS.  Erin came over so I put her to modeling.

Sewing Goodie Basket

I started a goodie basket for my sewing gadgets.

I have a container with scissors, pencils, a compass, bodkin, needle pullers, etc...

 Next I have a container with my quilting gadgets in it:  marking pens, and pencils, applique glue, water to spritz, a thing-a-ma-jig to help pin baste with....those sorts of things.

I had other plans for this post, but seeing that it is taking so long to upload pictures--5 minutes for this last one---I am going to stop now.

Study---Sew---Study

My Deuteronomy Study is finished.  It's very rich in how to live our lives--and applied to today will enrich our spiritual lives.  BTW, God hasn't changed--it shows us how to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind and how to love others as ourselves.   It is very applicable to today, and I need to review it often.

My never ending apple cores are still around...I'm using the last of them to make a bag, he-he.  I like handwork.

I got my new Bible Study; it's Numbers.  The first week of study is supposed to be the hardest, it covers the first eleven chapters.  It's a seven week study.

I'm excited--I love God's Word.



Embroidery

I really enjoy embroidery work; it's so relaxing--It DE-stresses me when I'm all wound up.  Last night we watched a very stressful movie---"2012", and I just quit watching it and did embroidery work while my hubby enjoyed the movie.   Works for both of us.  It also keeps me awake--he doesn't like it when I fall asleep watching a movie--so I'll stay awake, but not watch the movie--I guess that is more agreeable.

I keep all my embroidery floss for my current project on little plastic bobbins on a ring.  It's real handy if I need to grab it and go.  Pretty too, huh?

Here's my first tea towel.

Now, I'm working on the second one.

By the way, we received 10 inches of snow Tuesday--it's official.

Blizzard

A blizzard is forecast for today, so I thought I would take some pics of the storm.

7 a.m. 

 8 a.m.

 9 a.m.

 10 a.m.

11 a.m.

12 noon

I'm staying inside and sewing.

 

Another Bag and Flowers

Well, I had to make another bag.  I really like the colors of this bag, even though it might not go with too much of what I wear.  It looks tropical when I wear white--very summery.

I made the white one below last week, and my hubby asked if it was a new bag or one of my old ones turned inside out--thanks dear.  I tried putting an embellishment on it and didn't like how it looked, so I made another one just because I can.

The aqua bag is made slightly different than the white one.  I added piping to the seam around the outside of the bag (I made the piping with cord and small--3/4 inch--strips of fabric).  This bag took two fat quarters for the outside of the bag--1 for the body of the bag, and 1 for the handle, piping and handle sleeve.  It took a little less than 1/2 yard for the lining and backing of the quilt sandwich for the outside of the bag.  I had some smaller pieces of polyester batting that I pieced by zig-zagging them together to make them big enough for the middle layer of the quilt sandwich.  I quilted it with straight lines, and I rather like that.

I also took some pictures of our flowers--Here's our front flower bed.  I bought a couple of rudbeckia a few years ago,  now I have more than I need.  I gave quite a few to our daughter Erin this year and last, and sold about 40-50 small seedlings at our garage sale this spring.  I still love these flowers.  They do get a little top heavy and tend to flop over, but I have some of them propped up with wire supports.

The begonia is potted in a concrete planter on the driveway.  Believe it or not it is only one plant.

Another bedding plant that I love in pots is Sweet Potato Vine.  It just goes crazy.  Soon I will have to either trim them or walk around them on our porch.  I took these pictures last week and the vines have grown about 10 inches since then--WOW, or as Ben Stein would say--wow.

Another favorite in containers is impatiens--I haven't been real good about feeding them Miracle Grow this summer or they would be a lot bigger.  They're big enough though.

You can see the begonia's planter below.  I've had this planter quite a few years, 8-10 or so.  It's starting to get that aged look.

 It's been quite hot lately, but I love my summer flowers----and air conditioning!!!

Sewing Room/Craft Room Hidey Hole

 I've been needing to sew for my granddaughter's Birthday.  Lately when I needed to sew, I just took my sewing machine to the kitchen table--cause the sewing room was packed with STUFF.  Now, I want to be able to go off and leave my sewing without having to put it up.

I didn't get any before pics, but trust me it was a mess.  It's not as neat and tidy as it could be, but I know where everything is.  AND it's a whole lot cleaner than it was.  Since inheriting some of Hubby's parents things it's been a mess--you couldn't even walk through it.  I just set things in there until I could get to sorting through it, but now it's done--Wa-hoo! 

I could do with some table skirts and curtains for the wall shelves, but this will have to do for now. I've got extra folding tables in there, extra stools, an exercise bike, and a lounging chair that folds up, a step stool, and it's a very small room. It looks like chaos, but it's not.

And here's MY SWEET JANOME.  Wa-hoo!  Yes, it's a sweetie.

To the left of the sewing machine, behind the wardrobe I have all my scrap booking stuff, AND there are bookshelves I haven't shown here.  It's just amazing what all is in this room.  Craft Heaven.