Category Archives: Blogging 101

Projects- Past and Present

Week what of Quarantine are we in?   I’m not sure.   And what season it?  Spring right? Well I think Mother Nature is a bit confused about what day/month it is too.  We had snow here today.  Now, you all know that I have said how much I love snow and  I was excited about it enough to startle my hubby when I saw the flakes and jumped up and yelled “Hon, look!”   But really, it is Mother’s Day weekend right?

So, what have I been keeping myself occupied with since the last time I was here?  I was very, very busy with the mask-making.     I have caught up with the orders and I’m now in the process of making masks just to keep stocked in case anyone else needs them.  Heaven knows I certainly have enough fabric to make a bunch more and  my order of elastic arrived so I am good to go.  I am now able to work on other projects again that sort of got pushed to the back burner when the mask need got so great.    I have also been continuing on with my purging/organizing of some closets.   I have come across some interesting things in my ventures into long-ago packed boxes.  Among them are these projects that were started many, many, many years ago.

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These six blocks are from the early 1990’s and were the start of a Christmas block of the month project that highlighted different block styles .  I am not sure what happened to rest of the blocks or even if I had the instruction sheets for them but I will use these blocks in a small lap quilt for this Christmas season.

I also came across this family of Gingerbread people just waiting for their eyes, noses and happy holiday smiles and their stuffing.  In with the Gingerbread people were quite a few long wedge shaped pieces of Christmas fabric that I am not sure just what I had in mind for them.  Were they really going to be a project or maybe they are scrap cuts from a project I finished long ago.   I will figure out something to do with them too.  Maybe they can somehow be incorporated into the same project as the blocks.

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I have been trying my hand at making some mask extenders on my embroidery machine and also some that are crocheted.wp-1588637214835.jpg

So many buttons to choose from!

And so here we are at Mother’s Day weekend.    I am happy to say that we did have the opportunity to work outside for a few days during a spell of nice weather and we have gotten our beds and flower pots ready for this year’s crops and flowers.    The onions and garlic that our grandson Max helped plant last fall are doing very well and I think we will have a good crop to pick this year.

We have our herbs started in pots inside the house and also in the outside pots and got our peas and carrot seeds planted as well as lettuce.    I am hoping for some nice weather to return this week so we can be outside enjoying our gardens.   We received the rest of the seeds from Burpee and will have to figure out how to get our veggie plants.  Mail order?  Curbside pickup?   Delivery from a local nursery?   We will need to make that decision this week.

I hope this post finds you all healthy.    What has been keeping you occupied?  Have you been reading?   I have been doing quite a bit of that at night.   Watching anything good on Netflix?  Re-watching some favorites?  I am doing a bit of that too.

Be well and stay safe.  Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

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A retreat with me, myself and I

I needed to be at my son’s house for 4 days last week.  Four days with no sewing machine and just me and my granddog for a good part of one of the days?  Nope, not happening.  I packed up my trusty Featherweight and kitted up a couple of projects to take along with me —– my log cabin quilt for machine sewing time and a hand stitching project for evenings watching tv.

My bff and I have been working on the Farmer’s Wife blocks so there was that possibility but she had asked to take a break from them.  We have been choosing 3 blocks each every couple weeks or so and working on them.  When we were both finished with that set of six, we would pick out next group. And Sharon, I counted, we have finished 48 blocks so we are almost at the half way point so let me know when you want to start again.  We are in the home stretch …… well almost.

Since I don’t want to get ahead of her, I needed to pick another hand sewing project to bring along.  I had seen a tutorial on Missouri Star Quilt Company a few weeks back.  I ordered the templates and  had any number of charm packs to choose from for the project so I looked through them and made my choice.   Click here if you want to check out the tutorial.

I set up my little Emma (my Featherweight’s name) on the dining room table wp-1583108928483.jpg and I enjoyed my self-retreat.   I now have three rows of blocks made for the log cabin quilt.

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I used a Winter Song charm pack by Moda for the hexagons along with some red and green fabrics for the backs.  I have had that charm pack in my collection for quite some time and it needed to be made into something so I can enjoy it more than just looking at it whenever I see it in my charm pack drawer.   I am enjoying these and they are easy to do.  I’ve got eight more ready to go now that I’m home too.

All in all, it was a good few days of sewing, spending some time with my son, my sis who now lives close to my sons and my granddog.   I got to see some beautiful deer on a few of the dog walks which always thrills me.  They are such beautiful creatures. 

That’s what I’ve been up to lately.   I’ll be working on both the log cabin quilt and the hexagon project this week.  I have a deadline for having the quilt done so I will be dedicating a good deal of time to completing it over the next  couple weeks.   I am not sure what the hexagon’s will turn out to be.  A tablerunner or tabletopper maybe?  A Christmas tree skirt?  Time will tell.

I’d love to hear about what you all have been doing.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

What bags can I recycle?

I was looking at all the things I have from the store that come enclosed in plastic or wrapped in plastic or in a plastic bag.  What gets  put in the recycle bin?  What has to go back to the store?  What doesn’t get recycled?   So many questions.  So I went to the NYS Dept. of Environmental Protection to see what guidelines were there and this is what I found:

Acceptable Film Plastics for Return to Retail Film Plastic Recycling

Note: All materials must be CLEAN and dry and ALL food residue should be removed. Receipts should also be removed.

The law requires that stores collect film plastics, which include:

  • grocery bags
  • garment bags
  • retail bags with string ties removed
  • newspaper bags
  • dry cleaning bags
  • produce bags
  • bread bags
  • cereal bags (but if it tears like paper, do not include it)
  • over wrap from paper products (paper towels, toilet paper, etc)
  • stretch/shrink wrap
  • zip top food storage bags
  • bubble wrap
  • air pillows found inside shipping packages (must be deflated)
  • shipping envelopes (must be all film plastic, labels removed)
  • furniture and electronic wrap
  • any film packaging or bag with the “How2Recycle” label indicating that it is plastic film and can be returned to store drop off

Now to find out just where to bring all these “acceptable plastics”.    Because judging from the above list,  I will have quite a bit.   Of course, there is always the option of making plarn from the bags.  You can find out about what plarn is here.

Now, the hard plastic containers are a horse of a different color and I am still trying to figure out if I am disposing of those correctly.

Remember, March 1 is the day the new regulations take effect so keep those reusable bags in your car.    Or you can just reuse the plastic bags you have already accumulated from previous shopping trips.     I am curious to see how many stores actually follow the new regs.

I’m off to check out a few more patterns for shopping bags.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Craft Fair Tomorrow

It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to post.  We had a wonderful vacation in Vermont, even if it was a bit chilly and the wifi was a bit sporadic.  It was actually nice to disconnect for a bit.   Especially knowing how busy we were going to be when we got home.

It is time for our first craft fair of the season.  It is a new one to us.  It is set in a park around Argyle Lake in Babylon, L.I. and the weather looks to be pretty nice now that Dorian has gone on it’s merry way.  We had rain yesterday and now it is a nice, sunny day and it should be the same for tomorrow’s fair.

Needless to say, the sewing and embroidery machines have been humming.   Here is a peek at what’s been coming out of the sewing room these last couple weeks:

I think I am going to need a bigger basket.

So, if you are in the Long Island, NY area tomorrow, head over to Babylon and check out the Argyle Lake craft fair.   There will be so many wonderful vendors there and the weather will be beautiful so come and take a stroll around.  Stop by our booth (A117) and say hello.  We’d love to see you.

Time to start packing things up and getting everything organized and the items on the checklist checked off.  Wish us luck.

Bye for now.   Have a wonderful weekend.

Ginny

 

 

 

 

 

Thursday Thoughts

I know it’s July but I had a little reminder today from my little snowmen friends

Yup, just 5 months ’til Christmas.  Of course, those who know me are aware that there are signs of Christmas around my house all year long.   Just a “few”.  Like my snowmen…. but they are actually a winter decoration right.   And I love Christmas trees so why not have one up all year long.   I just change the decorations for the season or the holiday.   There were hearts on it during February,  Shamrock’s in March, Easter eggs after that and now my year-round tree is all decked out for summer       

Luckily, I have a hubby who likes Christmas as much as I do.  Ok, maybe not quite as much but enough to be a Santa collector.  We keep a few of his Santa’s out  all year round too.  Like this little guy      He is just hanging out on a shelf waiting for the rest of his friends to come out of the bins and join him.

When July 25 rolls around each year,  first my thoughts are to say  Happy Birthday to  son #3.  Then my brain kicks into “only 5 months to go” mode and I start thinking about  Christmas gifts, Christmas decor and Christmas products for the craft fairs.  Some really cute snowman fabric is sitting up in my sewing room just patiently waiting for me to work with it.   And I must confess that I have watched a couple of Hallmark’s “Christmas in July” movies.  It helped to see snow while getting through the heat wave.

I have already gotten a few gifts for people and my goal is to be done with my Christmas shopping and wrapping early in December.   Of course, that is my goal every year.   Have you started thinking about your lists yet?

As the thermometer is climbing to those 80’s and 90’s or, ugh, even higher,  sit down with a glass of iced tea and let your mind wander to days with twinkling lights, snowmen dressed in colorful hats and scarfs and that jolly little elf in the red suit.  See if you get any inspirational thoughts for that perfect gift for a special someone.

I’m off to write some lists.  Keep cool everyone.  Bye for now.

See you soon.

Ginny

 

 

 

Sunday Snippit – Cabin Fever Heat Wave Style

Usually when I am planning out what we need from the store and what needs to be taken care of in preparation for a couple days spent in the house, it is because we are expecting a blizzard.   But not this weekend.   It is going to be hot, hot, hot!   We did head to the beach Friday morning for a few hours.  The big heat hadn’t arrived yet so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity to relax and enjoy the sound of the sea gulls and the ocean waves hitting the shore.   And those waves sure were crashing.  20190719_092422.jpg

So what do you do to prepare to spend a couple days indoors because of heat?  Well, I don’t know about others, but for one thing,   get up real early to water the flowers and veggies outside to help them get through the day. I actually didn’t do that but my sweet hubby did.   And then we did a very small bit of weeding that really couldn’t wait, went out to run some errands and then, we were home and settled in with the a/c.

My sewing room is upstairs and just way too hot to spend time there.  What?  No sewing until Monday!  Ha,  think again.  It’s a different type of sewing but well suited to a day spent inside.  I printed out my pattern pieces and picked my fabric for three more blocks from The Farmer’s Wife sampler.

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And then there is always reading.  Nice summertime beach reading  …. just not at the beach.    20190720_221629.jpg

The difference between winter and summer cabin fever : watering instead of shoveling, salads and sandwiches instead of simmering soups or chili  and drinking lots of water instead of hot chocolate.

So we are ready for another day spent inside.  It’s looking like we could get a break in the heat on Monday.   What do you do when you are spending a few days in your “cabin”?  If you are dealing with this heat wave, keep cool, hydrate and take advantage of a bit of downtime to do some reading, slow stitching,  or watch a good movie.   Hmmmm, maybe I’ll watch a few episodes of Downton Abbey.  I can do my hand stitching while visiting with the Crawley family.

Be well.  Keep cool.

Bye for now.

Ginny

Sunday Snippit on Monday

It sure has been a busy couple of weeks.  I missed posting last Sunday.  We had a quick visit with family and returned home on Monday.  I almost missed this week too but it’s  just one day later.

It has been pretty busy in the sewing room.  I made 5 sets of placemats.  Haven’t made them in quite a while.   I enjoyed putting them together.

I really like the wine bottle fabric and I can see some wine bottle gift bags made out of it.  The other four fabrics were very cheerful and summery.

While spending my time in the sewing room I was listening to a podcast of Leah Day’s.  (her podcast is called Hello My Quilting Friends if you want to give it a listen). Her guest was Stephanie Socha and the topic was organizing and decorating your quilting space.  (Stephanie also has a podcast: Make and Decorate with Stephanie Socha Design)  As I was listening I started looking around the sewing room to see if the way I organized my room was in a purely functional way or did it add to the decor of the room.  It made me think, what does the decor of my sewing room say?   So when I was finished sewing, I took some pictures of my space to see what vibes the different areas gave off.  Did they say utilitarian and functional or was there an element of fun and smile-evoking spots?

As I looked at the pictures,  I saw that there are things that bring a smile to my face in all corners of the room.   Yes, there are the functional parts like the two spaces that store my books and patterns and the pegboards that hold my scissors, rotary cutters and acrylic templates.  But mixed into those areas are items that are purely there just because they are “me”….. like the quilted Yankee wall hanging,  the “Officially Retired” sign and hat and the Charlie Brown clock that plays Christmas songs on the hour (ok, not ALL year;  I remove the batteries for that function in January).   And, while most of my fabric is either in the closet or in drawers,  I love seeing my Jelly Rolls displayed in a re-purposed cd tower.  Of course, the three machines in the room make me smile by just being there. Having pictures of my 4 boys when they were little hanging over my Featherweight, a stuffed puppy by my embroidery machine that reminds me of a very special grand-dog and a jar full of  thread on wooden spools that were from my grandmother and my aunt makes those areas even more special.

My conclusion was that yes, I try to keep my tools and supplies neat and organized and handy but I also see things in that room that definitely say  “This is Ginny’s sewing room”.    Do you have a room or a space somewhere that speaks to your likes, interests and  passions?   If you do,  I’d love to hear about it.  Leave a comment below and tell us about it.

I hope you have a good week.  I’ll be in my sewing room a bit each day enjoying all the special things in there.  Keep cool.   See you soon.

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

Sunday Snippit Time

It has been a busy week for sure culminating with a day spent in the city with my sis ending with a Hugh Jackman concert.   Absolutely phenomenal!  Words cannot aptly describe what an amazing performer he is.

With the 4th of July on the horizon, I did  have some time in the sewing room to work on some red, white and blue things.   First there was this paper pieced star made with Fabri–flair.  It was a lot of fun to make.

It looks cute on my mantel with a tin barn star, some seashells and little lights.

I also got a new pair of scissors that fit right into my red, white and blue theme for the day.  (do you love them BFF?)  I have designated them to be my batting and stabilizer scissors.  Now they will stand out and I won’t grab the  fabric scissors by accident.

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I also pulled this kit out of the closet and put it in my basket.

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It’s a Missouri Star Quilt Company kit that I got a few years ago.   Will it be completed by the 4th of July?  Heck no!  But at least it isn’t in the dark confines of the closet any longer.

I dressed up a couple tables in the house with some patriotic  decor.

The temperatures have gotten themselves up to summertime thresholds, the vegetable  plants are flowering, the herbs are growing beautifully and adding nice fresh flavor to our summertime dishes, there is red, white and blue gracing various surfaces around the house and the beach has become a destination on our weekly calendar.   Welcome summer.Summer sun

And let’s not forget our friends to our north who will be celebrating Canada Day on Monday, July 1.   Canadian flag clip art    Why don’t we just declare this week  one big holiday and have one full week of celebrating the two very special days with each other.

Have a good week everyone.  Talk to you soon.

Bye for now.

Ginny

 

 

 

Sunny Sunday Snippet

Well the sun finally reappeared on Friday afternoon!!   It was a wonderful thing.  People slowly came out of their houses and looked in amazement at the bright, shiny object in the sky.    Hubby and I got to spend an evening sitting outside on our front porch for the first time in ages.  OK, maybe not  actually ages, but it sure felt like it.

My tiger lilies were happy to see the sun too and showed their joy but opening up and bringing more smiles to our faces to see their wonderful,  graceful blooms.20190623_101437.jpg

The following day, we got to plant the last few flowers we bought for our garden but had been unable to get into their proper places because of the weather.  We are now enjoying these lovelies

And then to bring a bit of summer into my sewing room, I had a request for two sets of placemats.   I spent Saturday evening sewing up these cheerful sets

Sunflowers and beach pails…. yup summer is here.   I know some of us were wondering if it ever would arrive but it did indeed.  A bit later than usual but hopefully it will stay around for a while.

Have a wonderful week all.  We are off to the beach tomorrow.

Bye for now.  See you soon.

Ginny

 

Sunday Snippit & a little rant

I found myself being very annoyed earlier this week which is what my mini-rant is about.  What has happened to respect and courtesy?   I remember the days when, if you were driving and saw a hearse with cars following that had the “Funeral” signs on their windshields and had their 4-way flashers blinking,  you would show some respect and courtesy and not cut into the procession of cars.   Apparently,  there were quite a few people on the roads on Thursday that do not subscribe to that way of thinking.  It makes me sad.  OK, end of mini-rant.

On Friday evening, after a day of catching up with laundry and housework,  I  wanted to spend some time sewing but didn’t really have the energy to stand at my cutting table and prep my next project so instead I opted to sit in my comfy chair, watch the Yankee game and work on another block from the Farmer’s Wife book.

This was block #33 of the 99 in the book.   As I complete each block,  I  keep them in individual plastic bags and put them in a basket.  20190616_220400.jpg

I think I’m going to need to get a bigger basket in the not too distant future.  My bff in California and I are working on these blocks together and it will be interesting to see how different each of our quilts will turn out.   Sharon, it’s time to pick our next batch of blocks.  33 down and only 66 more to go!

Of course, I have many projects on my to-do list to keep me busy but the next book I will be making blocks from is

20190616_220416.jpg   However, those blocks will not be done by hand.  I will be stitching them on my Featherweight.  I am also not sure about making a full-on quilt  from the blocks.  Since many of the blocks are kitchen-specific themes,  I am leaning towards making a wall-hanging for the brick wall in my kitchen and  potholders, placemats, etc.   I have a while before I need to make that decision though.

I cannot end this post without sending out Father’s Day wishes to all those special men out there who, even if they are not their actual dad, are role models,  encouragers,  advisers, supporters and givers of love to younger people in their lives.  I hope you all had a wonderful day.  (and don’t forget to teach those younger people not to cut into a funeral procession  — oh, wait, I was done with that rant wasn’t I) .

Bye for now.   I hope Monday treats you well tomorrow.

See you soon.

Ginny