Chistmas Already?

That is what my crazy Christmas Cacti think anyways. A couple weeks ago I brought them in the house from the porch because we had frost warnings, and someone told me..(I remember this now).. that when you do that it will spur them to bloom. They did.
I took them back outside on a sunny afternoon last week for a picture.. the white one opened up first.. and now today this red one.
Magnificent I think. The leaves on this plant are so pretty. The white plant not so much.. and I don't know why.. I treat them both the same. But it never looks as healthy as this red one does.

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A couple weeks ago I got a surprise package in the mail from my new friend Lily Xue. These little owls she makes are so adorable. He perches on my computer screen quite nicely. She is a crafty one, and we have had fun trading some things back and forth from Ohio to Tokyo. I had won a contest over at Terry's Treasures..oh it's been several months ago now I think.. and it included some magazines that I had duplicates of which I wanted to share with Lily-Xue. When I got the package from Terry.. which I just thought was going to be the magazines.. there was also this adorable fabric collection inside!..Isn't it pretty?.. and really perfect for my new project. Thank you so much Terry.. and I'm sorry I have been so lame in not mentioning it until now.

Anyway.. lots of folks adore these types of owls that Lily Xue sent to me.. and if you are just new here, I have posted a link to my own tutorial on the sidebar to make another version of them with yo-yo eyes and jingle bell feet. They make really cute ornaments for this time of year.

Still working on the Black and White quilt. I've decided it's going to be for one of my boys for Christmas. I hope they aren't reading this. But I guess if they are, they still won't know quite for sure which one it's for.
Here is the back. I am loving the way the thread is making designs.. kinda reminds me of snowflakes.
The backing is fleece like you would use to make hoodies, which I was hesitant to use at first because I didn't know how it would quilt up, but it's working just fine. I had a lot of odd sized pieces, so I just sewed them together any which way.. red, white and gray. I'll show the whole thing once I get it done.

And I'm starting a new project which I shall blog about tomorrow.. here is a sneak peek.. lots of pink..

a little too much pistachio please

Yes. It is a bit much.. isn't it?

I have been downstairs sorting and purging all week. Lots of stuff to go to the thrift shop. And it feels great!

This quilt has been down there for quite a while now. I bought it at a fund raising auction.. mostly because I knew the lady who made it. She and my mother were good friends when they were living. She told me that the nine-patches came from her mother's house in Iowa, that she had them for a long time, and decided she would just hurry up and sew them together and tie knots to donate it for the auction. I keep thinking of her now, and hearing her voice as she taught me to hand quilt with tiny stitches.

Anyway.. I LOVED the nine-patches as soon as I saw them.. so I knew I had to bid and win it. Vintage fabrics the whole way through, and one feedsack with pink roses that repeated in many places. Wasn't crazy about the green sashing, and there was not much to do about that. But those yellow strings were going to have to go.
I keep meaning to show you my new little scissors I got at the Quilt Convention in Columbus in June. They are the sharpest little things I've ever had.. and isn't the bird adorable?

So anyway, I know there are other way more pressing things to be doing.. like making some birthday presents and pulling weeds. But I just couldn't help starting on this for some reason. Right now.
This is my new hoop that I picked up at the Kidron Quilt Auction a couple weeks ago. I've been so wanting to try it.. and it is perfect with it's oval shape.. not too big.. and just right for reaching under with my hand.

I've been quickly running a large black stitch in crosshatch.. it is what my grandma used to do and it is so easy. I really love the look of it too. But the lady who made this quilt would probably shudder.. because her stitches were always tiny.
I've only been working on it today, and already have most of the rows done across one way.. and a couple of the corners.

The yellow knots really are wonderful "basting" knots.. and I have been snipping them as I go. So much fun.. I feel like I am liberating the quilt.. and removing the ugly sutures it's had for the past three or four years.

Here are some of the blocks.. hearting these fabrics so much. ♥



Can't wait to snip the knots on this one. ☺

And in case you think I am not going to get to it.. I really am looking forward to piecing the DWR arcs.. they are next on my list after the birthday presents.

Orts and Arcs and Folded Flat

This is my work table at the moment. I did straighten it up a bit and the baskets are hiding a pile of stuff going on back there.. ..but do you like my ort container? A while back I was really thinking I'd join in on this meme.. but never did. I kept stuffing my orts into a Petersburg Creamery milk bottle though.. and it has been a lot of fun. Don't know how much more I can stuff in.. it's poked down pretty tight.

So what's in that old Fruit-of-the-Loom men's T-shirt box? Something I have been cutting out for weeks now.. ..and no rotary cutter either. These are all curved pieces.. cut with scissors.. 2090 of them for a new DWR I'm starting. I still have all the white to cut yet but I think I'll sew some arcs for a while first. These below are not sewn but I laid some of the fabric combos out to show you.. I definitely have a plan for how these are going to go together.. ..so even though it looks a bit scrappy.. it is going to have some organization which took a lot of planning. .. can't wait to show you when it comes together a little more. ☺ Many of you wondered about Cherri getting a little dress. Of course she did. So she is ready for a very special Hitty Club this coming Monday. Then here's another thing I was working on but couldn't show until she received it.. a tea cozy for my friend Helen for her birthday. For months now I have been so eager to try Nanette's "Leafy Treetops" pattern and have just not had the chance. So when I was thinking about what to put on Helen's tea cozy.. this just popped into my mind. Helen loves birds.. she has some awesome feeders in her yard. I knew she especially likes cardinals.. and red seems to be such a cozy color. I confess I'm using her photo.. because it really looks nice on her kitchen table!! But anyways.. I absolutely loved making this.. Nanette's pattern is terrific.. and the birds were so much fun to do. I got the kitty tape measure in Kidron.

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A few weeks back my oldest son came for a visit. He lives about three hours away, so it's not really too far. Some changes in his life right now.. some that are making me very happy. ☺ He was so sweet to pick me a bouquet of wild flowers the one day he was here.. complete with teasel weed. We are probably going to have some company coming in the next few months..so I really need to do some sprucing up! I'm going to do some painting.. and focusing on organization of this massive stash that has been gathering here somehow. Since neither of the boys live here anymore.. I'm going to move all their "stuff" that they have left behind in their room.. (because of course they don't have any room for it where they live at the moment).. downstairs.. way downstairs. And start moving more of my own stuff up in the attic which is actually their old room. The upstairs will then be "for the girls". And I will actually be in the Attic. But work needs to be done for sure. So as I'm sewing on things and using it.. I'm trying to fold up my fabrics and keep them neater. Yikes! I am so not neat like I see many bloggers out there are. But I'm really going to try. I know I need a lot of help in this area!

Maybe some nice IKEA shelves would do the trick. ☺

A Lavender Tale & Some Pretties.

Oh Little Baby Fox Squirrel, you are so cute to watch when you are running around the trunks of the trees chasing your brother, and even when you are sitting on this old feeder in the way back yard nibbling on corn and seeds..

But when you come up on the porch and start digging.. searching for who knows what in my precious baby lavender plants.. this means WAR.

There are only three out of the eleven little plants left that were growing along so nicely from seeds. I think I can salvage them. Mr Attic reminded me about the old bicycle basket that I used to keep the bunnies from eating my crocus this spring..

So even though it doesn't look so nice.. it's here. I imagined them getting too wet, too hot, too cold, too dry.. but never this!

Nothing bothers the geraniums. They must not taste very good because even the earwigs, slugs and sow bugs leave them alone.

I'm still working on a special doll outfit.. and when it is all finished I can tell the story about that.

But I did open up some of my half yards from the quilt show... dreaming of them in a quilt.. maybe something Material Obsession-ish. I am absolutely smitten with their stuff.

Or maybe some more bags. They are so quick and fun.

Scraps & Hitty

Yesterday I hit a milestone of sorts. After filling both arms of the new Raggedy Ann I'm making for a little girl's birthday party next week, I realized the bag was about empty. So I went downstairs where I store all my stash and such, reached into the huge box of polyfil only to discovered I had one bag left. The last bag of polyfil. Which is kind of monumental for me because I had purchased this huge amount about 9 years ago when I was really making a lot of dolls. Then when I switched gears to just making doll clothes and quilts a while back, I thought I'd have stuffing to last me the rest of my life. This is the last bag, so I guess I'll have to start watching for a sale.

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Monday this past week was Hitty Club. Hitty is my little wooden doll that I like to sew clothes for. She has a history and everything, and there are collectors who go bananas over her. I don't really collect her per se, but I do enjoy getting together once a month with some friends to play with her, and divide up our fabric stashes. Also to snack. It is my duty to bring the tea cookies each time. I always stick to this same recipe 'cause everyone loves them...

Lots of times we have a project planned where someone shows how to make something. But this month we just dumped fabrics on the table and spent the day cutting out little dresses. The theme was Strawberry Festival, so there were a lot of strawberry prints. Of course my Betsy McCall always attends to show off watch, and she brought her new cousin Barbara..

You can see some of the Hitty dolls standing around watching too. After all.. it is Hitty Club. Those bags hold teeny tiny snaps for the backs of the dresses. I really loved some of these prints. Especially that yellow one with the little irons.. and the one above with the tiny birds.

One of the girls brought a treasure for show and tell. She found these handmade dolls at a flea market.. for a very good bargain. I forget now exactly who the figures are... but they are Liberty of London dolls made between 1930-1960. I found just a little bit of info here.

Anyways.. we were to be drinking coffee and talking/laughing and seeing what everyone brought to show cutting out Hitty dresses. The girls took care of me and cut some for me.. so I brought five of them home to sew up.

It was specified that we must all complete at least one of the dresses before our next meeting.. which is a shopping spree to Charm and Berlin Ohio at the end of June. We will each take one of our dolls dressed in a new outfit..(I know you can't see me right now.. but I am totally jumping up and down with joy just thinking about this trip!!) I chose to finish this green and black one with the little strawberry print. Think I'll appliqué some circles of fussy cut strawberries to the skirt to make polka dots. I've got the freezer paper cut and ironed onto the fabric to make the appliqués, and one dot cut.

The girls are so good to me. I know they hate seeing me dig through the trash.. so they piled up their scraps in the middle of the table in baggies for me to take home.

Lovely scraps!!! I can use them for all sorts of things.

And no one ever heard of saving selvages.. so I educated them a little bit on that. I have never done anything with them.. but I know some people who do. ☺

Tomorrow I want to show you a new park we found to take our dog for a walk. So come back if you want to see a lot of green. ☺

P.S. I couldn't leave without showing you my rose bush this morning.

Hope you're having a lovely weekend!

Goodbye Merry Month of May

At the risk of boring you all to tears with my posies.. here is a little corner right next to the deck, where my rose bush is just starting to bloom. The sun was so pretty this morning peeking over the fence.. I just had to show it. Melanie's cotoneaster is full of flowers and butterflies.. but mine..(that bush in the background).. was done flowering a week or so ago.. and all I got were bees.

I brought a vase of peonies up to get them in the picture too, because they are yards apart in the garden.

No matter what stage they are in, I love these two flowers with their wonderful scents. At times it's hard to tell what we're breathing in, because the air is thick with both fragrances.

If any of you noticed.. that one rose bud looks pretty sad. But they were fighting a case of those nasty black aphids last week. Fortunately some Ladybeetles laid their eggs and the larvae have pretty much taken care of them. Have you ever seen a ladybeetle larvae? They don't look like what you'd imagine. But I'll spare you the details if you don't want to click.

..more rosebuds by the birdbath. Can you imagine when all these pop open?

There are only a couple that are fully opened..

That's it for roses right now.

All those flats of flowers on the porch a couple weeks ago are planted in their designated spots for the summer. Here is one of my favorites.. this strawberry pot under the Honey Locust tree.

And there are pots of impatience hanging all around. This one is underneath the humming bird feeder. The hummingbirds actually eat from both. So pretty to watch.. but I never have my camera when I see them! These flowers will get very full.

So now all I need to do is keep up with the weeds. And I can get back to my fabrics and thread! Can't show my sneak peek yet from last week.. have to wait until the recipient receives it. But today I'm going to start on a raggedy ann for a little girl's birthday next month.. some friends of ours. This is all I done have so far.. gathering of the fabrics. The flowered stuff is from "In The Beginning".. but the name of it escapes me right now..

Hitty Club is tomorrow too.. and I have nothing ready. But there will be cookies baked this evening.

Then after that, I have my baby elephant quilt to finish. Then my Black and White quilt for Jackie's challenge. Then we'll see what's next.
Hmmm. So tempting.