Confinement

I have been relegated to my creative space which is not all bad news.  It’s really kind of nice because I am forced to use the time wisely.  Finishes are always rewarding and I was able to finish my flag quilt. 



In the end I chose an all over star and spiral design which I think turned out well.



I then finished it off with a navy blue and white striped binding.



The reason for my confinement is my shadow and this week’s charge……..



which wouldn’t be so bad except for this……..



--noise and terrible, obviously very mean workmen!!!!!!!  The sewing studio is nice and quiet as well as out of view of the mean men.   Oh, the joys of construction!

On the good side…we celebrated a second birthday this week and our oldest granddaughter baked the cutest cupcakes for the party.




Back to confinement.

Some Stitching

Although busy, the week has allowed me a bit od time in my sewing space.  I always enjoy those quiet times.

As the summer rushes past, there are several bloggy events going on right now.  One of them is Hello Sunshine hosted by Gosia.  Following the color guidelines, I used mostly shades of orange, but also have the pink, yellow and aqua bits in it as well.  I am calling this Hot Summer Days.  This little 20" mini was one of the patterns from Corey Yoder's Sweetness - this month's Minis and More quilt choices hosted by Sherri ans Michele.






As well as using lots of orange scraps, I also used a natural linen for the background.  Is there anything that says summer like linen - wrinkles and all!!!


Be sure to check out the Hello Sunshine summer quilting and join in on the fun.




On the Minion front......I have completed three more minion beanies that were requested.  These are the one eyed version.




This week was loaded with birthdays in our family.  A little summer sundress seemed like a great gift.  Don't you love gingham for little girls?



The little buttons were picked up on our recent trip to the UK.  I thought they were so cute.  Sewing them on brought back such fond memories of my visit with my friend to her quilt shop.



I’ll be sharing this for this week’s #Creative Goodness.


Of course the week also brought some fun times with the grandchildren.  We had a great "first attempt at sewing" day.  This little one loved it and spent about three hours just intensely working on her stitching.  I think she has great potential.



Just a fun little picture of the two youngest grandchildren enjoying each other....one more than the other at this stage!!!

Summertime Fun

One of the things we do each summer is take a family fishing trip to the Sierras.  It’s always such a great time for the kids as well as the adults.  This was our group this year after a fun day of fishing.



The scenery is spectacular and would be worth it even if we caught no fish.  Here are a few more photos from our time away.













Oldest and youngest granddaughter.

We missed the wild weather that we had while we were gone.  ;-(  We so seldom get lightening, thunder and rain so it was a shame that it happened while we were away.  However, we will take it whenever we can get it.  Following the storm we have had really humid weather – another rarity for us.  They say these are all good signs for an El Nino year for us this winter.  We shall see and keep hoping. 

We also spent a bit of time at the beach this week with some of the little ones.
 




I got three more Minion beanies done in the car while traveling and a bit of sewing done today, but I will share that in my next post.

I wish summer could last a little longer.  How about you?

Alternative Stitching

I don’t do crochet!  It’s not that I can’t, but rather that there is always something that interests me more - so much to do, so little time!   It’s kind of the same way I feel about needlepoint.  Don’t take me wrong as I love crocheted projects, but I’d prefer to knit, cross stitch or quilt. 

That being said, my daughter sent me a photo and asked if I would crochet a Cabbage Patch wig for the newest baby.  What???  Crochet???  I dug out the old rusty hooks and got busy.   It’s nice to have a baby doll for a model.



While Googling for a pattern, I came across a cute little Minion beanie on You Tube – also in crochet!  Since I was on a crochet roll I figured I’d give it a try as well.  It was a huge hit with the grandchildren.  Now I have requests for a few more.  Guess I may be doing a bit more crochet in the days ahead. 





I'll be linking this up with Beth's  Monday Makings.

Friday Wrap Up

The busy week is coming to a close.  They just seem to go more quickly with each passing week.  We had a great time celebrating the 4th of July here.  We always have a large crowd and everyone brings side dishes for the BBQ so it isn’t too stressful, but I really didn’t have much time to get photos.  The little ones always enjoy the sparklers which is about when I remember to get the camera out.




Then on Sunday the girls wanted to have a tea party.  We made fresh scones and graham cracker cookies.



The boys were banned from the tea party, but found ways to entertain themselves without “bugging” the girls.



Since we babysat little ones for a few days we went to see Inside Out.  It was such a cute movie – for kids and adults.

After all of the cleaning, I managed to slip into my quiet space and sew my blocks together for the flag quilt.  It is currently 60x78”, but when taking the pictures of it I realize that the picture angle can make a huge difference.  Look at the square vs. the rectangle.




I guess the next picture will have to be of it all quilted and hanging to get one straight on for a true representation. 

Have a wonderful, summery weekend.

Readying for the 4th

As we prepare for the birthday of our country, we are also celebrating another birth-day here. 




This little girl was born last Saturday and is ready to join in on the weekend festivities.  Everyone is thrilled with her – especially her big sisters.





This little one turned 5 years old several days later and requested “ a dress” for her birthday.  I had fun creating this for her…..complete with a little purse to match.  She loved it.



We have a big 4th of July party here to celebrate our Independence so I have spent some time getting ready for the festivities.

New beanbags for the corn hole game….


and some bunting flags for decorating…..




While I was on the red, white and blue theme I sewed up some HSTs for a flag quilt that one of the grandsons casually mentioned that he would like for his college dorm bed this fall. 


28 done….62 to go!!!

We will have houseguests for the next six days so I will take the time to wish all of those in the U.S.A. a wonderful and safe Independence Day.