A LOT OF CUTTING OUT!

I finished the rest of the blue/white blocks-48 in all.

Then I tackled the red and white blocks and only completed one--there are a lot more pieces and it's a bit more fiddly 

but it will really bring the quilt to life! 

 (The pic looks like a duller red than it really is!)

I also cut up the halloween fabric--6" squares almost randomly sewn into 9-patches from the 6 fat quarters.

And then I chopped them up into a disappearing 9-patch! 

 I will most likely have enough for a table runner 

and will sew the blocks together when they are all cut up 

so I can play with them!

 

A NEW LEASE ON LIFE

Today marks the one year 'anniversary' of my brush with death from Septic Shock due to a misdiagnosis of appendicitis!  It has been quite the year but I must say, I am mostly feeling better for several hours each day at least!  I am very thankful for the extension of my days to spend with family and friends!

This set of Fat Quarters was from last year and since I was not doing any sewing at that time, I dug it out now to contemplate a project for it!  I am not a halloween person so I could just leave out the snake and skull fabric because I do like the black/white and orange of the other fabrics!

I also pulled out this QUV project and began to actually cut and piece!  (I had done all of the instruction deciphering several months ago but that was as far as I got!)

Now I have the first 18 of 48 of these blocks sewn!  I will be doing more of this today!

 

MORE TOPS FOR THE PILE!

While sewing on multiple borders is not a thrill to me, I did stop whining long enough to sew all three to this Stars and Stripes quilt!

And I completed the piecing for this top with only one border!

 

A TOUR AROUND OUR LAND

The Candlestick Cassia is in full bloom.

The banana grove has come back in full glory after the frost knocked it back last winter!

There are several bunches of bananas--isn't it interesting that they grow 'upside' down?!

Our pond is very full and Bill has kept it mowed

 and easy to walk all around it.

Along the creek, there are lots of cat tails.

This is a clump of Leucoagaricus americanus or American parasol. While these are edible,  I do not eat mushrooms found in the wild because there are too many 'look-a-likes' that can be fatal!

I love this stretch of split rail fence.

And this 15' tall cactus has bloomed from Spring on and if you look closely all the way to the lower left, you will see the last few.

The epitome of Florida--the Live Oak and a cabbage palm growing together!

 

SEE WHAT FLITTING GETS YOU

I have so many plants/flowers outside but very few inside!  I plan on rectifying that over the next few months!  This is a Coleus Bill rescued from the clearance section at the end of Spring--it has done well outside and I hope it will like it inside, too!

I did a little bit of piecing--halfway through this little top and I worked at the quilting frame.

A lot of time was spent in the kitchen--not my favorite room!  

Bill had his second cataract surgery today and I wanted to make some soup so that he could eat whenever the mood struck him without having to cook or grill.  It is my friend, Mary's, recipe for Potato Soup and I added some chopped up ham to it. 

It was delicious coupled with two pieces of French bread toast, if I do say so myself!

 

MY FELINE AND A FINISH

Lena has been  sick and we took her to the Vet.  I'm glad to say the bloodwork came back good!  She was dehydrated so they took care of that and she is feeling much better and her appetite is coming back.  We assume she ate something that didn't agree with her-nowadays, you wonder if it was a batch of bad cat food!  We switched, just in case!

And I present the 2024 All Florida Shop Hop quilt, 

completely completed!

(which means washed and dried, too!)

 

A DAB OF PAINT

 

I am enjoying the acrylic paint-by-number projects. 

 As with most things, the second one (the bottom one) 

was much easier to do;  I have the basic shapes painted in 

and am now adding the details.

INSIDE AND OUT PLAY

I was able to do several rows on the quilt using white poly thread on the top--pretty and subtle.

I am using this panto design for this quilt-

I like the results and doing it also!

We have had several very hard rainfalls this last week 

(almost 5") and when we do, areas like this are 'rich' in glass.

This is where we had discovered an old refuse pit buried here so after a hard rain, I like to pick up the pieces 

that come to the surface!

I had a very good harvest yesterday--the bottle neck is very thick which means it is very old.  The pieces I collect go into the tumblers to make them resemble sea glass!  This part of the yard is very near the backyard bird feeder, so it is a good pit stop---the weather was so much cooler and we had a breeze which has been absent all summer. 

 Even I lingered outside so much longer than I have in months!

 

WORKING AT THE FRAME STILL

Off the frame and ready for the binding 

which will happen today, to the best of my ability!

And I placed this year's Shop Hop quilt up for its turn.  Once I finish this in a few days, I will get back to piecing the two ideas on the design wall so they can be in ready for the frame, also.  It is nice to be current with my projects and not behind anymore!

 

LABOR DAY LABORS

The yoke and sleeves are finished 

and now onto the 10 inches of stockinette before the ribbing!

I plan to finish the last two rows of this quilt and then I will load the 2025 All FL Shop Hop quilt and make a good start on  that today,  is the plan!  

I also hope to dig out the Fall decorations for the joy of it!

 

MAKING THE MARK

I applied the binding and tossed this in the laundry

 for the final touch!  Perfection!  55" x 60"

I loaded the 2024 FL Shop Hop quilt onto the frame.

I almost finished it but another 20 minutes should see it done

 but it wasn't going to happen today!

 

OFF THE FRAME THEY FLY

The quilting was finished on this quilt 

and then I spent a lot of time making bindings yesterday.  

I hope to apply them for some finishes is my goal today!  

ONE DONE AND A NEW HAS BEGUN

Sea Haven by Jennifer Shiels Toland sweater #3 is finished 

and just laid out after wet blocking. 

And #4 has begun with some new texture designs 

charted out by me again!

IT'S BLOOMING!

Getting near the end of this quilt.  That's a good thing because the panto I picked for this one is getting boring! lol

Look!!!!  Two blooms are open!  This is the Starfish Cactus--the flower is about 10" across!

They are hanging down at the end of the long branch so I tried to take a photo like a selfie--the skin of the flower is translucent! It is in the family Stapella and related to the lifesaver cactus which has 1" bloom.  Some call it the Carrion Cactus because of the terrible smell of rotting flesh which attracts flies, etc. 

 So far, I didn't smell such an aroma, to my relief.

 

FOR THE DOWN TIME

 Since I enjoy the watercoloring books, I thought I would give the acrylic paint-by-number trend a try. And I am thoroughly enjoying it!  Who knew?!  There are 4 already-framed canvases in this set

 so I will enjoy hanging them together when finished.  

A QOV FINISH!

This top was finished last summer but with health being an issue, it has taken almost a year to say, "It is finished!" 

 I will turn it in for a label soon.  It has been a trip.

 

A FINISH

I cut and applied the binding onto the table runner finally. 

 I bought enough fabric to bind this and the latest QOV quilt which I will bind today!  This runner is 23" x 54".

I'm still enjoying the two color dishcloths;  I am making the Center Double Decrease Square or the Mitered Square in the orange and blue variegated, carrying the yarn at the right side. 

 

PLEASURABLE STITCHING

All the blocks are sewn together and I decided to use the grey fabric for sashing to give the bright spots some room!

The close of my day looked like this--Feather and Fan dishcloths with matching M & M's!

 

KEEP THE ASSEMBLY LINE MOVING!

The Nordic Nights quilt is completely finished!

It's nice to have Lena in the studio with me again (she finally believes the dog is gone!) I am happy with the back of this quilt, too, because it adds a bit of whimsy to this quilt!

Lena likes to burrow under blankets so I consider it her stamp of approval.  The quilt is 48" x 56".

And I forced myself to get another quilt right on the frame and not to slack off! Yes, this means the first QOV is done with the quilting but I need to get some fabric for the binding before I show it off.