Mystery Quilt Week 5

Once again I'm late for the link up! Christmas busyness took the wind right out of my sewing sails. Always too much to do and never enough time...and we don't even do big celebrations. Whew!

This week's clue was a repeat of clue two - flying geese but in chocolate and neutrals. Easy enough, especially this busy week. HA! And I'm not even done!

This is all that are complete. Maybe 40?

My duty today is to turn the rest of these neat piles into a honking lot of flying geese before the next clue comes out tomorrow morning! And I will lose a few hours as I have sent a shopping list to Dash to pick up the items I need to cook Chinese/Thai for our dinner. I am in desperate need of stir-fry and Jasmine rice.

Better get hopping!

Linking up with Bonnie Hunter's Mystery Tuesday Link-Up, Part 5.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Grinchy Freebie

I was feeling mischievous and designed a funny freebie for you. Just a line in the song from How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Don't you think everyone needs a bit of Christmas humor for their tree? 

I stitched the model on Crossed Wing Collection 28 count Rainforest linen, a proper Grichy green with spots. You should have fun and dye a bit of fabric bright green! Once it's dry, stitch the Grinch's description and finish however you like. I finished mine on 3.5 inch metal ornament forms.

Merry Christmas!

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Please email me to receive a copy of the design at daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com. Tell me the name of the design you are requesting. This one is Grinchy.

Respect my copyright and do not upload my designs to any website or share with other people. Yes, they are free but I still retain copyright.

My designs are published as PDF. You must have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view/print my patterns ~ or a similar PDF viewer.

As always you can click the cat in my sidebar to see my other designs. They are always available for the asking.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mystery Quilt Week 4

I'm terribly late for the Mystery Monday Link Up, Part 4! So I'm having Mystery Monday on a Wednesday. Let's spice things up!

This weeks clue is a unit new to me, pieced triangles. I've never made them but following Bonnie's instructions, they are a breeze. Do you like my little Christmas tree?

I spent Friday and Saturday cutting the pieces. Bonnie's Essential Triangle Tool is fabulous for making these - so easy.

These are nice to sit down and cut and watch Netflix. 

Once I had the pieces cut, I sewed a trial unit and it came out perfect. I did forget to swipe to the "square" option on my camera...

Then it was easy to set all the aqua/turquoise out so I could get them randomly paired with the chocolates. Sew 20 and iron, finish sewing the 20 and iron and repeat and repeat. Half are finished, I've been dawdling in making them. Hey, I can't finish them too quickly or I'll have nothing to do until Friday when the next clue is released!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

Last 2017 ORT Report

It's the New Moon and the last one of the year! Our Totally Useless Stitch A Long has been eventful for me this past year, from months with ORTs-A-Plenty to months of just a few - dratted broken arm! It's hard to believe the year is coming to an end. I could swear we just started!

Here is the last look at my little jar before it gets dumped into my BIG jar. Yes, I save ALL stitching ORTs...forever! These ORTs are from the last two years. I forgot to dump it before I'd already added a lot of ORTs! Really not a lot here compared to other years when I had to pack them in! 

My fabric ORTs are overflowing with Mystery Quilt bits! I was worried I'd need a bigger container this month! My fabric ORTs will just be tossed, there comes too many crumbs to save them all...my studio is only 10x10 foot!

I enjoy hosting the Totally Useless Stitch A Long. Do you want to continue (or join in) next year? If enough want to join in, I will have a sign-up posted soon. If you think you want to participate, leave a comment on this post and shoot me an email with a link to your blog:

daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com  (change the capital letters to the appropriate symbols.)

I used to be able to follow your comments back to your blog but Google has changed how that works! 

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Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your December TUSAL post so we can come visit! If I hold a Totally Useless giveaway your comment will earn you an extra entry.

Wondering what a TUSAL is and why all these people are posting pictures of rubbish? Click here to learn more and join the fun!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Loose Ends

Well, for the second time on this years mystery quilt I finished a clue before the next one was released. I shouldn't do that. Now I am at loose ends. Nothing to do until tomorrow. 

Sigh.

Clue three was a challenge. I found I had cut 40 more rectangles than I needed because I wasn't checking my instructions. Boo. There is only a little peach/melon fabric left. I hope there isn't much more needed. These were fun to sew even if I can't follow instructions!

The box is filling up with clues! But there are loads of aqua/turquoise and chocolate fabrics left to use still. Most likely at least three clues left to go. 

I would probably not be so antsy if I had a project to sew on between clues. I do. I just can't work on more than one at the same time. The Dresden Plate quilt still lies in blocks waiting to be finished,  borders undecided. I have a Christmas tree skirt top I made two years ago, unfinished, backing undecided. I just bought an appliqué pattern and am collecting fabrics for it. Plus...there are the umpteen cross stitch designs I have going! Nope, these won't do! I hope tomorrow comes quickly. I might die of boredom...

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mystery Quilt Week Three

I finished up with the second clue right after Bonnie posted the third clue of our On Ringo Lake mystery quilt. I'm so pleased I've been keeping up!

Here are the first two clues all finished up. Aren't the colors scrumptious? I think the best thing about finding Bonnie Hunter's blog was learning to look at fabrics by the true color not the print. Best of all, I learned it early on in my quilting journey so I don't have to unlearn anything! 

As soon as I finished up clue two I got clue three all cut out. Cutting went quicker this time, I'm learning to trust this arm again!

Just a few more of clue three, left side to finish. Then we do this same block going the other direction. I do hope the ghost doesn't freak anybody out. There's plenty of wee mushrooms, bunnies, birdies and flowers to soothe.

Sewing is going a little slower as physical therapy on my broken arm is cutting into my free time.  The exercises are boring and painful. But hey! I can wash my hair with both hands again, yippee! 

I'm linking up with Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 3.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mystery Quilt Week Two

It's the second week of the Bonnie Hunter Mystery Quilt! This week we have a clue that not only can be a tricky block to make correctly...we have to make a lot of them!

With my broken arm still healing, cutting remains a challenge. I have no stamina. Three full days into this clue (plus some) and I am still cutting my pieces!

Flying Geese

I have all the peach/melon fabrics cut and I'm starting on the neutrals. The colors are so lovely. I did grab a few scrap fabrics and sewed a test block to make sure what method I wanted to use. Since I am so slow this year, I think I will do the tried-and-true line-drawing-on-squares rather than try the folded corners ruler. I did buy the ruler but will save learning it for another time.

I'm terribly pleased with the finished first clue. They are just so wonderful! The aqua/turquoise goes so well with the peach/melon. This is going to be a beautiful quilt.

You can join in too! All the instructions are free on Bonnie's blog but it's only free until about February, then you would have to purchase. You can download the all the clues each week and save them, even if you don't have time now to start it.

I'm linking up to Mystery Sunday Link Up, part 2.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Lights Reindeer

Before the miracle invention of pre-lit trees we had to first untangle strings of lights and keep them untangled as we wrapped them around the tree. Then we had to re-wrap when there were unlit areas. If you had old-fashioned lights the entire strand would be dark if one lamp was burnt out. Hopefully, you checked the strand before you strung it on the tree! I remember having loads of fun as a child finding the lamp making the mischief! 

This year finds our funny reindeer untangling her lights. It's a good thing none of the lamps are burnt out! 

My Christmas gift to you, my beloved readers. Read below how you can receive a free copy of the pattern.

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Please email me to receive a copy of the design at daffy-cat AT hotmail DOT com. Tell me the name of the design you are requesting. This one is Lights Reindeer.

Respect my copyright and do not upload my designs to any website or share with other people. Yes, they are free but I still retain copyright.

My designs are published as PDF. You must have the free Adobe Reader installed on your computer to view/print my patterns ~ or a similar PDF viewer.

As always you can click the cat in my sidebar to see my other designs. They are always available for the asking.

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

I Can Sew!

I can! I can sew just fine! I have no stamina, but with lots of breaks to rest my very tired arm, I can iron, cut and sew!

I had great news at the doctor's visit on Tuesday, my x-rays showed the bone was healing very nicely and I was instructed to go about sling-free and to move my arm as much as possible. I am free! Well, almost! I can't lift my arm very high and I have little strength but I start physical therapy next week to help with that. I spent the last three days happily pottering about in my studio.

I got all my strip sets sewn and cut. 

Before I knew it I had the first clue all finished! The second clue came out this morning and can start cutting those pretty peachy fabrics and sew flying geese. Lots and lots of flying geese.

The weather has been mild enough for me to leave the back door open and let Molly pretend to be an indoor/outdoor dog. She mercilessly teases the four little neighbor dogs and you can see some of them lined up at the fence,  begging for her attention.

"Sorry, Mom. I can't help it if those little yappy dogs bark like mad every time I run laps!"

Dash has been out of town all week for work and Molly has been quite worried. She will be so happy this evening when he returns! I still can't play fetch correctly, my aim has disappeared! Molly cheerfully fetches whatever object she's brought me to throw even though it went wonky. Probably good practise and exercise for me, as my hobbies are. All this cutting and sewing and moving...I think I can already move a little easier even though I'm pretty sore!

I am off to start more cutting and sewing. Flying geese, here I come!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox