I Like Thursday #145

Did you know this past Tuesday, July 30th, was World Embroidery Day?   No?  Well, I didn't either, but as a newly minted fan of embroidery, I thought I should participate!  So, I traced another of the little basket designs from Gail Pan's Patchwork Loves Embroidery, and have been enjoying stitching on it!

According to the World Embroidery Day Manifesto, embroidery is an act of peace, and can be comforting, healing, rebellious, pleasurable, and perfect, among other things.  While I am rarely perfect OR rebellious, lol, I am definitely happy to be finding peace, comfort, and healing in this pleasurable craft!

I also love hand sewing binding on my quilting projects, and did a little of that this week.

More about this project later in the week!

And other summer things I have liked this week - 

The first tomato!

More appear to be on the way!

Some wine and a good book out on the back porch - 

This book is the latest in a favorite mystery series set in the Southwest.

I also enjoyed finishing this book this week - 

Another favorite author, Susan Wiggs.  This story is about a mom and daughter on a cross-country road trip, taking the daughter to college.  Along the way, the mom is working on a memory quilt out of her daughter's clothing from her growing up years.

I guess you could say my favorite summer things include hand stitching, good books, and tomatoes right out of the garden! 

Hope you, too, are enjoying your summer activities, and especially your Thursday.  Visit all the I Like Thursday posters at Not Afraid of Color!

Finally finished

While waiting for my 45 degree triangle ruler to come in the mail this week, I decided it was time to finish up a tote bag I had started back in April.   Who knows why that happens sometimes - I was planning on a new Spring bag for myself, but I set it aside and took 3 months to finish it up!

Back in early April, I had made two quilted panels using a charm pack of Authentic by Sweetwater and pieces of By Annie's Soft and Stable.  My design for the panels was inspired by a tutorial from Quilting in the Rain called the La Conner Bag, although I've made mine in my own preferred dimensions.

These measured 13" x 17".

And that's as far as I got!

This week, I finished everything up to finally have a new tote bag for summer! (just a little later than expected...)

I really like how sturdy the Soft and Stable makes the bag, compared to the regular quilt batting I've used in the past. 

Here's a peek at the lining and inside pockets made with a coordinating scrap of green and white. 

I use these tote bags instead of purses, so I just make a new one whenever I'm in the mood for a new bag!  I think I'll enjoy this one!

The finished bag measures about 10 inches deep by 12 inches long, and the boxed bottom makes it 4 inches wide.

Meanwhile, my new ruler arrived, so I can get back to working on the triangle blocks for the Christmas in July project!  You have to scroll way down to see the wall-hanging she made.  It's beautiful!

I was comparing the new ruler on the right to the Tri Recs triangle ruler.

The 45 degree ruler is definitely narrower, so I can see where

I went wrong with my practice blocks!

I had to cut up a few scraps to see if I remembered how to make a block using this ruler, and here it is - 

To make the project I have in mind from Sarah's Christmas in July design, I'll have to go shopping, so it's not going to be finished in July.   But maybe it will be done by December, lol!

Sharing at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

Tickled Pink

I've never thought of myself as a big fan of the color pink, but I sure am having fun sewing with it this month!

When the new Tiny Tuesday block post showed up the other day, there just happened to be a pile of little pink bits and pieces on my cutting table.

It was so much fun to turn them into this adorable wonky star!  Thanks, Angela, for a great block idea and tutorial!

My new camera likes to make pink look florescent...

When I turned the star on point and added its gray sashing, it became a star burst!

This photo is taken with my old camera - it reads the pink more like I see it.

I had a chance to put all the blocks up on the wall yesterday, and they're starting to look like something!  

Love these little blocks!

I also pieced my pink string blocks this week.

I really like the bits of green that pop out from that one fabric!  I could see a whole quilt out of these pink and green strings, I think.

Here are all the string blocks so far, too.

I'm not quite sure where this one is headed yet, 

but I definitely love the diamond shapes that are forming.  

I'll have to do some more thinking about

 how I want to put the quilt top together.

Other pink sewing has been going on in between these two projects,  but I didn't get pictures of them yet.  Maybe I'll squeeze them in to next week's post even though we will have moved onto a new color for August.  Hard to believe I'm typing the word August already - yikes!  The weeks and months fly by, don't they?!

Linking up with Soscrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.  Check out all the pink posts over there!

I Like Thursday #144 - the little things

Happy Thursday, friends!  Some weeks it's just the littlest things that make me happy, and that's what I have to share today.

Back in January, when I emptied my sewing room so that we could paint and rearrange the furniture, I "lost" a little ruler that I love and have missed ever since.  Over the weekend I found it.  Yay!

Our youngest son was home over the weekend, and of course I didn't take any pictures with him (too busy enjoying him!), but he did help his dad install a new router for our internet.

Doesn't that look like a Space Age device?!

I guess we are becoming *those* parents - needing help with the latest technology!  :)

This summer we threw a bunch of wildflower seeds out into an old garden bed we have in our backyard, and we're enjoying seeing things bloom!

Close-up, the flowers are even better!

Although it's debatable right now if I will have any success with the tomatoes or peppers this year, the other night I was thinning the carrots in my vegetable garden, and out came this- 

It even tasted good!

And so far, in my sewing room, this week...

I loved stitching up this little pink wonky star for Tiny Tuesday - 

and a set of cosmetics and glasses cases to send to Carole (at From My Carolina Home)  for her Safelight project.  They are fun and easy to make!

Find out more about this project at Carole's blog HERE.

And one last thing I liked doing this week - 

Can you find me, lol?!  Along with all these other people, and a few of my friends, I helped pack backpacks for kids in our community whose families can't afford school supplies.  I've been joining in with this for several years now, and it's one of those things that just makes you feel good to be a part of!

Hope you're having a great week!  Read more positive Thursday posts over at Not Afraid of Color.

Pink Lemonade

After I shared these blocks last week -

made as I figured out that the Tri Recs ruler set was not the same ruler that 

Sarah from Confessions of a Fabric Addict is using for her Christmas in July project -

Cynthia from Quilting is more fun than Housework commented that I was making lemonade out of quilty lemons, and gave me the idea for this post!  Thanks, Cynthia!

This week, I finished up the eight triangles, using the Tri Recs rulers the correct way, and ended with this layout in a rectangle that measures about 12.5 x 24.5.

To make for a quick finish, I just quilted the piece really simply with the scallop stitch on my Pfaff.

Backing is the gold I used on the back of my Circle of Sisters mini and binding is the same dark pink as the centers of the diamonds.

After I finished sewing on the binding, I decided to add some big stitch hand quilting with white perle cotton to some of the diamonds.

Even though this wasn't what I set out to make, it's been fun to turn it into something I like anyway!

Meanwhile, I've ordered a true 45 degree triangle ruler, the same one Sarah recommends using, and as soon as it comes I'm going to try her blocks all over again!

Sharing at Quilting is more fun than Housework for Oh Scrap!

And Sandra's DrEAMi linkup for July!

Pink Pig Fishing on Tuesday

This week's Tiny Tuesday block is brought to us by Sally at The Objects of Design.  Thanks for a fun block,  Sally!

I just loved turning these little bits and pieces...

into a tiny pink piggy!

But then, these fish came swimming along, demanding to get in on the fun.

I'm not much of a fisherman (or should that be fisherwoman?), but Ms. Oinker caught these two quite easily!

Here they are, joining their tiny pink buddies for the month of July!

And in other project news, I finished up the last two blocks I needed for my Floral Sawtooth Stars quilt.

I started with 11 Sawtooth Stars in 12.5 inch, 9.5 inch, 6.5 inch, and 4.5 inch sizes.

Then I made 9 alternate blocks that are all versions of 4 patches.

All of the blocks finish at 12 inches.

All that's left is to figure out the layout and get these blocks sewn together!

Sharing at Soscrappy for ScrapHappy Saturday.

I Like Thursday #143 Birds, stitching, a book, and a hike

Welcome to my weekly post of things I've enjoyed over the week, and thanks for visiting!

You know we are birdwatchers at our house, and enjoy all the bird activity in our yard.  There have been tons of baby flickers, and they are hilarious to watch because they whine like crazy for mom to feed them.  I caught a couple of them out the window the other day.

The "baby" is the same size as the parent!

Our friend, Mr. Great-Horned Owl, slept in our big tree in the backyard all afternoon last Saturday.

Mike caught this photo just when he was waking up.

Each time he (or she  - we can't tell if it's a male or a female) visits, he leaves us a present in the form of scat.  I think that means he's been digesting his morning meal up there.

Now probably only an old science teacher like me would think this was neat to look at, but it really is!  I promise I didn't touch it, just poked at it with a stick...  

You can see bones, feathers, and teeth in the scat.  It's dry and doesn't smell bad - another promise I will make you! 

I liked finishing up some red, white, and blue stars for Covered in Love's summer block drive, and getting them sent.

A few years ago, one of my local quilty friends passed away due to cancer, and her family asked our group to take her stash and make things with it.  Among other things, I got a baggy filled with big, leftover HSTs.  I pulled out the r, w, and b ones, trimmed them to 3.5 inch squares, and used the leftover small parts to make the centers of these stars.  I think my friend would be pleased to know her hsts will end up in Kat's beautiful quilts.

I've enjoyed stitching on another embroidered basket this week from my Gail Pan book.

Time to trace another one!

And I've been working on turning my "mistake" triangles into something!  Read my last post HERE if you want to know about the mistake.

I'm hoping to have a finish to share on Sunday.

I loved this book that I just finished up Tuesday.  Such a good story - I couldn't stop reading to get to the end to find out what happened, but at the same time I didn't want it to end.  You know - that good!

Here's a link to the Goodreads blurb about it, 

if you want to know more.

And, finally, yesterday we went on a favorite hike up in Rocky Mountain National Park.  I'll just share a couple of pictures today.

The view from the trail - 

The trail is called Lumpy Ridge.  Can you see why?

And a close-up from the trail.  The wildflowers were just beautiful!

Hope you're having a great week!  Be sure to visit the other "I Like Thursday" bloggers at Not Afraid of Color.