Last week was a soul sucking, gut wrenching mess! An old friend recently commented to me, “I wish I could just leave my problems and run away to Maine.” Of course, there’s as many nights up here lying awake with “what-ifs” swirling around in my head as there used to be anywhere else. Fortunately, Mr. SFO says, “We get out of trouble as fast as we get into it” and by the end of the week multiple situations resolved enough for me to feel like getting back to my quilts. I’ll never get back the sewing time I lost while worrying!

I hoped to have Posh on the longarm by about Monday, but adding the borders took a lot longer than I thought and quite a few days I was just not up to any sewing. I had to cut more pieces, lay them out, sew 85” seams on, iron while this heavy thing kept sliding off the board, burned my fingers, but finally on Saturday— this!

I’m so happy I spent the extra week and love the way my border plan worked out.

Over the weekend, I wrangled it on to the longarm and I’m really hoping to get some good 1/2 days in here and there to have it finished by the end of the month. I drew up a quilting plan on a photo in my procreate software, and hopefully it will progress well.

Other than that, not much to show, and I think I missed a week of blogging. You know, that happens when you blog on Monday one week, Tuesday the next, then Wednesday— haha!

To give myself some stress relief, I did think about sewing up one of the star blocks for my Sweet Land quilt, but then I realized there’s an appliqué star in the center of each. There’s also stars in the cornerstones of the sashing– twenty-one in all. So, I started making them. I made a goal of one each day— it’s the ninth and I have six, so the math’s quite not there! Twenty-one by the 21st is still do-able. Good enough.

The set of four patriotic mug rugs ended up being a top seller for me— for which I thank you— it was a high point in bad week.

I really need to jump on the Year of Sugar Meadow finishing kit— again, I thank you for your patience with this— only a couple of people have asked about it. It’s the perfect time to do it as the Meadow is in full bloom. I’m hoping to have the center portion done by the end of this month, and the borders in August. I know some of you will be rolling your eyes, but it’s just me here— I LOVE these blocks and I do want to give them the finish they deserve.

I got a little done on the Christmas stocking on nights I didn’t plop into bed and not sleep— I was trying to finish my little lantern, but every time a new color is introduced, I can’t find it! I specifically remember standing in a Michaels and getting everything I needed. This project has 50 colors, and my floss organization has gone to the dogs.

Some of the floss tubers I watch pick a theme for themselves each month– birds, Christmas, etc. etc. Since the theme of my week was TORTURE, I backstitched the entire finished portion of the stocking.

This little green vine was fun and filled a little empty space.

I may swap out for a more summery cross stitch for a couple of months— I’m well on my way to finishing this stocking by Christmas. I have my Sandy Orton Summer Sampler to work on, or I might allow myself a new start— I’ve been a good girl— and make the lightning bug. I keep going online to order housecleaning supplies, but all I’m getting in is craft related items. Strange. This fancy floss and fabric showed up this week.

When you watch these Floss Tube videos where people have dozens of starts, they all use custom floss and fabrics. But if you have ever looked at the price of some of these hand dyed fabrics and flosses, I think they may have found a more expensive hobby than quilting! The blue fabric above was over $30. I don’t intend to start a cross-stitch fabric stash.

And finally, this happened— let’s hope I don’t start collecting chickens the way I do quilt kits, but these little bugs are definitely good for mental health! Happy summer— at least let’s hope it is!

xox
Carol