Squirrel!

I took a quick break from Les Moutons to make a wee Christmas Ornament. I'm really pleased how nice it turned out!

The squirrel is from a 1978 leaflet by Carolina Cross Stitch Inc. Titled Woodland Christmas Series #6. Their squirrel was grey so I changed the colors to red as we have brown squirrels here. I stitched him one over one on 25 count unknown fabric that I tea dyed. The fabric is really stiff, I suspect it's Monaco, I have a giant cut of it from who knows where. The little stitched border I nicked from a Shepherd's Bush design from a Just Cross Stitch Christmas issue. This little guy is just under 3 by 3 inches! Thanks, Vonna for the cute finishing help.

While straightening up my studio I came across this unfinished strawberry emery fob. No clue why it sat unmade but I stitched it together in less than five minutes. The berry is stuffed with a teeny bag of white emery to polish and sharpen your needles. You can find white emery here. The fob turned out so sweet!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

How To Make a Scarf with Your ORTs

I was reading my TUSAL blogs today and FlashinScissors made me remember a show I watched on PBS once. I'm thinking it was Sewing with Nancy? Anyway her guest showed how to make scarfs with threads. The video above isn't the show I watched but that is how it was done.

I have been saving my ORTs for ten years + and I am rather attached to them so I don't know if I could even bring myself to use them!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Progress, Questions and Stash

The sheep are rockin' and rollin' right along. I tried stitching for the Friday Off the Grid Stitch In but I kept getting interrupted and simply gave up. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow. However, that left me one sheep not connected to his legs!

I swear, my favorite parts of this stitch is that fat sheep beside the number five (he's so stinkin' cute) and that silly sun. I had to save the sun for the last thing on that section as my little reward for finishing it!

Deb had some questions...what is the fabric I'm stitching Les Moutons on? It's 32 count Blue Spruce, unknown brand. I bought the fabric at the Silver Needle. The model of this was stitched on a light baby blue, not my style but I wanted the fabric to really contrast with the white sheep. 

Deb also wondered how my broken arm was feeling? Much better! I forget it was even injured now. It's been 14 weeks and I have finished therapy but I still have stretching and strength building exercises to do. The doctor said it would be a year before I had full strength and movement back. It was just about six weeks on when the Mystery Quilt started and I had just gotten the go-ahead to use the arm. Wow! I feel like it healed fast.

I finally spent the $50 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop I won a year ago. Boy, their packaging is nice! I got this sweet layer cake called Fresh Market by Bella BLVD for Riley Blake. This was also in a plastic wrapping but I took it off as it was too shiny for photos. I gots plans for this layer cake! I also got two yardage cuts for another project. A green stripe and a green dot. More to come on both of those!

I found a project I really wanted to do but it is an appliqué design and I've never done that. The closest is the Dresden Plate quilt I've been (not) working on. I'm not one to shy away from something new so I've been researching and gathering supplies. I still need to either buy or make myself a pressing pad I can use sitting down. The stripe and dot fabric above is part of the planned appliqué project, along with some fabrics from my stash. 

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

We Start Another Totally Useless Year

Here's to kicking off the first Totally Useless Stitch A Long with a "Bang!" Or a some really full ORT containers, at least! It's the first New Moon of 2018! Have you signed up for the TUSAL this year? Look for the link above or at the bottom of this post so I can put your blog on the guest list. We also have a Facebook group if you don't have a blog and you can show off your ORTs there.

I have had really good stitching mojo but only so-so sewing mojo. My stitching ORTs are all from Les Moutons which  is coming along at a good clip:

My wooden leaf bowl is chock full of clippings from On Ringo Lake:

Not such an attractive photo but everything else in my studio is covered with units of the quilt waiting for me to sit down and sew it together! Sew much to do!

=^..^=

Now it is YOUR turn...we want to see your ORTs! Leave a comment on this post with a link to your January 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

Puzzling

What other hobbies do you have? I enjoy many, hopping from one to the other as the mood strikes. One of my other pastimes is jigsaw puzzles. I'm rather picky though...they must be photographs, not paintings and 1000 pieces or more. I will put the puzzle together, then box it back up and away it goes. I don't glue them together and I don't save them...unless they have to do with needlework!

This one I have had forever. I've gotten it out and worked it at least twice. These Roseart were the best puzzles!

This one I bought as a belated Christmas present to myself. Nice quality but, Oh, so expensive compared to the cheap ones years ago! I put it together a couple weeks ago, admired and boxed it back up for a rainy day.

I found this one on eBay and paid ten times the original price, lol. I haven't even opened it yet. It looks like a hard one! The Kodacolor were awesome puzzles too. I remember going to the drug store and getting a couple of these or the Roseart brand, usually landscapes or famous places. Kinda like traveling right at the kitchen table. 

I'd love to hear about your hobbies!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox 

Friday Night Stitch-In

Yesterday, I joined a Facebook group called Friday Off the Grid by Caroline of Off The Grid Needlearts. You may also recognize her from her YouTube channel of the same name Off the Grid Needlearts. So many links all the same name...hope I got them correct!

Anyway...Friday Off the Grid is an internet stitch-in held every Friday from 6pm to midnight. We post a picture of our project(s) at the start and again at the end. It was a lot of fun!

I was late to the party, spending time with Dash as he would be gone all day today, so I didn't get to start until 9pm. No one kicked me out so the rules must be pretty loose, right? I was able to stitch from 9pm to 1am. Ooo, I stayed a little late! Yes, I'm that guest you have to ask to leave cause I'm having so much fun I don't realise the party's over!

At 9.

At 1.

I got half a sheep, a zero, some grass and some fencing put up and I watched three episodes of The Handmaid's Tale and a couple of Floss Tubes. I had gotten the first half sheep, a tree and a one put in the night before whilst watching entire seasons of the Midnight Quilt Show. For those that don't know, I am The Queen of Slow Stitching so this is incredible progress. Shocking, really.

You ought to check out the links above and join us on Friday nights! We'd love to stitch with you!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

Mystery Monday, Part 6, 7, 8 & 9

When I left off blogging about the Mystery Quilt I was sewing clue five which was lots of chocolate flying geese. I finally completed those and cut peach/melon triangles for clue six. 

Clue six was adding those triangles to the chocolate/aqua triangles I had already sewn.

These units didn't take much time once I sat my butt down and did them. It was the getting off the couch from tiredness that took the longest. I'm still recovering from the holidays, I think.

Then, Bonnie took a wild hare and started throwing clues at us - bam! Bam! Bam! Four days - four clues in a row! Without the weekly deadline for each clue, I've fallen way behind. I'm much better with deadlines.

Bam! Part seven was sewing peach/melon geese to chocolate geese.

Again, these were a fast clue. Again...I took forever!

My bobbin was running low so I decided to just chain until it went out. It went out right as I finished the pile of goosey pairs! Ha! I did a quick clean up of my machine and wound more bobbins.

Bam! Part eight was to put some units into blocks. Like this:

I have ONE completed. Oh, I see I lost a goose nose. I don't die over it but I will make a point to be a little more careful with the rest. Pun intended.

Before I make the rest of the blocks I gotta remove all these dog ears I was too lazy to remove earlier. Why, why was I so lazy??? I'm kidding, of course. But it is boring. Time consuming. Damn dog ears. 

Bam! Part nine is laying out the blocks I haven't finished with sashing I haven't sewn together and setting triangles I haven't cut yet. Stay tuned It's getting there. One day. First, I'm trimming these stupid dog ears...

I'm linking up with Mystery Monday Link-Up, Part 6, 7, 8, 9!

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox

A Totally Useless Stitch A Long

Get to stitching and save those ORTs!

What is an ORT? ORT or ort ~ Capitalized, it stands for Old Ratty Threads. These are the cast-off thread ends a needleworker cuts away. These ends are often saved in clear jars as a decorative object. The word, "ort" does appear in the dictionary, meaning: a bit of something left over; usually concerning food. 

Why would you even save ORTs and why on earth post a picture on your blog? Not everyone saves them. Some stitchers just toss them in the trash or let them decorate the sofa and floor. Sometimes this inadvertent decorating draws ire from those living with us. Saving these clippings in one place creates a random tangle of lovely colored thread. Posting a photo of this pile is "progress" of a sort and thus, the Totally Useless Stitch A Long was born. 

If you would like to join the Stitch-A-Long:

1. Comment on this post and send me an email with a link to your blog (to be included in the guest list below.) NEW! - You can also ask to join the TUSAL Facebook group.

2. Get a glass jar or other container and save your thread clippings. Some stitchers include fabric trimmings, thread bands, empty spools or any other stitching cast-offs they gather. You may continue filling this jar throughout the year OR you may empty the jar and start over each month ~ no firm rules here!

3. On (or about) each New Moon take a picture of the ORTs in your jar and post it to your blog and/or the Facebook Page. This is a blog/Facebook game so YES, you MUST have a blog/Facebook to be included.

4. Yes, you can use your current ORT jar or jars. This is no contest...the stitcher with the most ORTs doesn't win!

5. You should post a picture each New Moon, even if there has been no "progress" to show. We are aiming for "once a month" here...no whippings for being late, early or absent!

6. When you have posted the picture of your ORTs visit my blog and comment on my ORT report for that month's TUSAL. If I have a Totally Useless Giveaway these comments give you an extra entry. Make sure you comment on the right post, a few comments seem to sneak onto other posts!

When to post?

We follow the Lunar Cycle so every year these dates change! Some years they are very evenly spaced, one New Moon each month and some years have 2 New Moons one month and skip a calendar month altogether!

The New Moon dates for 2019 are:

January 6
February 4
March 6
April 5
May 4
June 3
July 2
August 1
August 30
September 28
October 28
November 26
December 26

A request: I notice there are a lot of bloggers completely in the dark about your Totally Useless posts. They see lots of people posting pictures of ORT jars but they have NO IDEA why. They might want to join in the fun too! Please put a LINK to THIS sign-up page when you make your TUSAL posts. A link in your sidebar is great but ONLY if your readers SEE it and realize what it is.  

If you want to add the TUSAL link gadget to your sidebar (in Blogger): right click on it and save the photo to your computer, go to your blog's layout and choose "add a photo" and put the address to this  TUSAL post in the link option. Upload the photo and save.

A shout-out on your blog to let other stitchers know about the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long would be greatly appreciated! Plus, please change the links in your sidebar to this new post!

Our Guest List:

1. It's Daffycat

2. Uglemors blog

3. Deborah's Bits and Pieces

4. Serendipitous Stitching

5. orts, splinters and mulch

6. needle and thread

7. Yellow Flower Meadow

8. Beth's Needlework Stash

9. The Flashing Scissors

10. crossing the stitches

11. Stitchin' & Life in a Small Town

12. My Stitching Nook
13. Magical's Quilts and More
14. A Cozy Little Place for Stitching
15. D1D2
16. A Crafter's Corner
17. Home of a Floss Junkie
18. Life From the Pond
19. Little Stitches Art
20. Handmade Fashion
21. Cats in the Quiltorium
22. Fetalina Stitching
23. Crafty Weasel
24. Never A Dull Moment
25. Food For Thought
26. Casas e Bordados
27. Into the Dark
28. Mama needs to do some stitching
29. Alaska Wolf Pack
30. Jeetje borduurt
31. The Whimsical Dowager
32. Caring Stitcher
33. My Tate Gallery
34. Little Stitches Art
35. Northwest Red Head
36. Mostly Cross Stitch and Some More
37. Reviews, Chews & How-Tos
38. Kitten Stitching
39. Connie's Creations
40. Are you next?

=^..^=

Thank you for visiting my blog today!

xox